10 things you need to know today: November 10, 2015

Missouri university president resigns after race protests, an appeals court rules against Obama's immigration initiative, and more

Protesters address the crowd following the resignation of University of Missouri system president Tim Wolfe.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

1. University president, chancellor resign after race-issue protests

University of Missouri system president Tim Wolfe resigned Monday after football players and professors joined protests against his handling of race-related issues on campus. "I take full responsibility for this frustration," Wolfe said. More than 30 football players announced Saturday they would boycott practices and games until Wolfe resigned or was terminated. A faculty group had called for a walkout Monday and Tuesday. Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, head of the system's flagship campus, also announced he would step down.

2. Appeals court rules against Obama's immigration overhaul

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the blocking of President Obama's executive initiative to shield up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation, setting up a showdown next year at the Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the appeals court in New Orleans, in a 2-1 ruling, backed a lower court judge who found that the 26 states suing to block the initiative were likely to succeed at trial. The courts said Obama overstepped his authority, and his overhaul would be costly to the states.

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The Washington Post

3. Watchdog accuses Russia of state-sponsored doping program

Russia has run a vast, "state-sponsored" doping program to give its athletes a boost in international competition, according to a report released Monday by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The commission that wrote the report recommended banning Russia's track and field team from next year's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro unless the country immediately acts to stamp out the culture of cheating. The report also said the 2012 London Olympics were "sabotaged" by the presence of drugged Russian athletes.

Reuters The Washington Post

4. GOP presidential hopefuls head into debate with polls shifting

The eight leading Republican presidential candidates meet Tuesday night for another primary debate. The forum's host, Fox Business, has promised a "better" debate after the host of the last one, CNBC, was criticized for biased questioning in what one candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, called a "cage match." The Tuesday debate comes as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and billionaire businessman Donald Trump remain frontrunners, with Jeb Bush struggling and senators Marco Rubio and Cruz aiming to move up with strong debate showings.

The Hill

5. Obama and Netanyahu meet to patch ties after Iran disagreement

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday for the first time in more than a year, and, more importantly, for the first time since the controversial deal aiming to curb Iran's nuclear program was made. Obama and Netanyahu sharply disagree over the Iran deal, which Netanyahu believes Tehran will violate. After their talk at the White House, however, Obama said the U.S. and Israel have an "extraordinary bond," and are working together on the goal of "making sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon."

CNN The New York Times

6. SeaWorld announces end of orca shows at San Diego park

SeaWorld Entertainment announced Monday that it would phase out its controversial killer whale show at its San Diego park, bowing to mounting pressure from animal rights activists. "We are listening to our guests, we're evolving as a company, so in 2017 we will launch an all-new orca experience," Joel Manby, SeaWorld's president and CEO, said. The theatrical shows will be replaced with "a conservation message," the company said. It remained unclear what the plan was for SeaWorld parks in Florida and Texas.

7. Virginia fraternity sues Rolling Stone over rape article

The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia filed a $25 million defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine on Monday over a debunked November 2014 article describing an alleged gang rape. In the article, a female student said she was raped by seven men at the fraternity house in September 2012. The story also portrayed the university administration as unresponsive to the woman's accusations. The fraternity said the report made its members "the object of an avalanche of condemnation worldwide."

The Associated Press

8. Obama debuts personal Facebook page

President Obama launched his own personal Facebook page on Monday. The unveiling of "President Obama, public figure" was the latest in a series of moves Obama has made to publicize his political messages using social media. Obama already has a Twitter account, and his campaigns have used another Facebook page, "Barack Obama, politician," for years. In his first video post on his new page, Obama offered a tour of his "backyard" at the White House. He gained 200,000 likes for his page in three hours.

The New York Times

9. Midwest faces mid-week storm threat

Forecasters on Monday warned 63 million people in the central U.S. to brace for high winds and possibly tornadoes due to a looming collision of air masses. The storm threat expected Wednesday extends from San Antonio across the Great Plains to Chicago, with the greatest danger of severe weather focused in Missouri, southern Illinois, and northern Arkansas. The storm threat stems from warm, humid air funneling into the area as a cold front approaches from the west.

The Associated Press

10. Modigliani painting sells at auction for $170.4 million

A painting of a reclined nude woman, Nu Couche, by early 20th-century artist Amedeo Modigliani sold on Monday night for $170.4 million with fees at a Christie's auction. It was the second highest price ever paid in an art auction. The highest price for a piece of Modigliani's work before Monday was $70.7 million for his 1911-12 sculpture Tete last year. A pop art piece by Roy Lichtenstein called Nurse also fetched an unexpectedly high price, going for $95.3 million.

The New York Times

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.