10 things you need to know today: January 28, 2016

The seven people arrested in connection to the Oregon wildlife refuge standoff.

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1. Arrested leader tells remaining Oregon occupiers to "go home"
2. Ferguson reaches deal with Justice Department on police reforms
3. With markets in turmoil, the Fed holds interest rates steady
4. Obama calls for push to develop Zika vaccine
5. Trump campaign unveils plans for event to rival Fox News debate
6. French justice minister resigns over controversial anti-terror measure
7. Wendy's investigates possible data breach
8. Sweden could deport 80,000 asylum-seekers
9. Iran strikes business deals with France
10. Joseph Fiennes cast to play Michael Jackson

published 28 January 2016

1. Arrested leader tells remaining Oregon occupiers to "go home"

Three more of the armed anti-government protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon were arrested on Wednesday. They turned themselves in at a checkpoint outside the refuge a day after the standoff erupted in violence when law enforcement officers arrested eight members of the group, including ringleader Ammon Bundy. Bundy released a statement through his lawyer urging protesters remaining in the refuge to "please go home."

On Wednesday the city of Ferguson, Missouri, released a proposed settlement with the Justice Department, which uncovered evidence of racially biased policing in the wake of the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white officer in 2014. The consent decree requires reforms such as increasing police training and repealing ordinances that were used to disproportionately target African Americans with arrest warrants and fines. The agreement also calls for officers to wear body cameras at all times.

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The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee announced Wednesday that it was keeping interest rates unchanged, but planned to continue gradually raising them while "closely monitoring" how global economic turmoil impacts inflation and the U.S. jobs market. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates last month for the first time in nearly a decade as the economy showed signs of improvement. U.S. stocks tumbled Wednesday afternoon following the Fed's cautious statement, along with gloomy forecasts from Apple and Boeing.

President Obama on Wednesday called for urgent action, including the development of tests and a vaccine, to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The illness has been spreading through the Americas. It has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil. Airlines are trying to slow the spread of the virus by offering refunds to customers who have booked flights to affected countries in central and South America. The virus has spread to an estimated 25 countries so far.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump released details Wednesday afternoon about the event he is holding in Iowa on Thursday instead of participating in the Fox News Republican debate. Trump's campaign announced he would host a benefit for veterans at Drake University in Des Moines. The event will start at the same time as the prime-time debate. Tickets are free. On Tuesday Trump announced he would not attend the Fox News debate because he thinks moderator Megyn Kelly is "biased."

French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira resigned Wednesday over controversial a proposal to strip French citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism. The policy was proposed after November's Paris terrorist attacks. "Sometimes to resist is to remain, sometimes to resist is to leave," Taubira tweeted. She opposes the measure because it singles out those with dual nationality. Taubira, who is black, is originally from French Guiana, and prides herself on representing French citizens who feel marginalized.

Fast-food chain Wendy's said on Wednesday it was looking into suspicious charges made on customers' credit and debit cards. Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini said the activity occurred after the cards were used for legitimate payments at some of the burger chain's 5,700 U.S. locations. Cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs, who uncovered Target's 2013 data breach, broke the news on his blog. Bertini said Wendy's had hired a hired a cyber security firm to investigate.

Sweden's interior minister, Anders Ygeman, says the country could deport 60,000 to 80,000 asylum-seekers in coming years. Ygeman made the estimate to the Dagens Industri newspaper, and his spokesman confirmed the quotes on Thursday. Sweden took in 163,000 refugees last year, making it one of Europe's top two destinations for asylum-seekers, after Germany. Ygeman arrived at the estimate based on current figures showing that so far the country was rejecting 45 percent of the asylum applications.

France and Iran announced a series of tentative business agreements on Thursday. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in Paris on a trip aimed at renewing ties with Europe following the lifting of economic sanctions earlier this month under the deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Among the deals are Iran's purchase of more than 100 Airbus planes and the updating of an automobile factory by Peugeot Citroen. "Let's forget past differences and start anew," Rouhani said in a speech to a Franco-Iranian business forum.

British actor Joseph Fiennes has been tapped to portray Michael Jackson in a made-for-TV movie to air on the U.K.'s Sky Arts channel. The film is about a road trip Jackson reportedly took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. The trio reportedly rented a car and drove from New York to California when all flights were grounded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The news that a Fiennes, who is white, would play Jackson, who was black, sparked instant criticism. "A white actor will play MJ. Because we aren't whitewashed enough in Hollywood, apparently," BET tweeted.

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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.