10 things you need to know today: May 8, 2016
Bernie Sanders picks up Washington delegates, President Obama encourages Howard University graduates, and more
- 1. Bernie Sanders snags Washington delegates
- 2. Hillary Clinton wins Guam caucus
- 3. Obama celebrates blackness in Howard commencement speech
- 4. Kim Jong Un: North Korea won't use nukes unless threatened
- 5. Afghanistan fuel tanker crash kills 52
- 6. 3 Spanish journalists released from Syria
- 7. Ivy League economist wrongly suspected of terrorism on flight
- 8. 'El Chapo' transferred to prison near U.S.
- 9. West Point to investigate photo of black female cadets
- 10. Nyquist wins Kentucky Derby
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1. Bernie Sanders snags Washington delegates
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders picked up 49 of 67 delegates divided up by Washington, according to district-level data released Saturday. The Vermont senator adds that to the 25 of 34 delegates he netted with his March caucus win in the state. Even with that haul, Sanders trails far behind frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Clinton has about 94 percent of the delegates needed to win the nomination. Sanders has vowed to stay in the race through the Democratic National Convention in July.
2. Hillary Clinton wins Guam caucus
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic presidential caucus in Guam on Saturday with about 60 percent support to Bernie Sanders' 40 percent. The Democratic frontrunner leads the Vermont senator by roughly 300 pledged delegates. Neither candidate visited the Western Pacific island, which has just seven delegates up for grabs, on the campaign trail.
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3. Obama celebrates blackness in Howard commencement speech
President Obama celebrated blackness in his commencement speech Saturday at Howard University, a historically black school in Washington, D.C. He reflected on the progress black people have made in the face of racism and inequality since 1983, when he graduated from Columbia University. "A lot of folks didn't even think blacks had the tools to be a quarterback," Obama said. "When I was a graduate, the main black hero on TV was Mr. T."
4. Kim Jong Un: North Korea won't use nukes unless threatened
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un said Saturday that the nation will not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is threatened, according to state news agency KCNA. He also said North Korea would abide by its nuclear nonproliferation guidelines. The leader's comments came as part of the Workers' Party of Korea's Seventh Congress, its first such event since 1980. In recent months, North Korea has been publicizing a barrage of supposedly successful nuclear-related tests.
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5. Afghanistan fuel tanker crash kills 52
Two buses and a fuel tanker collided on a major Afghanistan highway Sunday. So far 52 people have died, officials said, and another 73 were wounded. The crash set all three vehicles in the Ghazni province on fire. The highway, which connects Kabul to Kandahar, has been reopened. Reckless driving was the cause of the crash, said the director of the provincial traffic department.
6. 3 Spanish journalists released from Syria
Three Spanish journalists thought to have been kidnapped were released from Syria, Spain's press federation and government said. The journalists, who traveled from Turkey to Spain on Sunday, were released "thanks to the collaboration of allies and friends, especially in the final phase from Turkey and Qatar," the Spanish government said in a statement. Antonio Pampliega, José Manuel López, and Ángel Sastre disappeared in July while working on an investigative story in Aleppo.
7. Ivy League economist wrongly suspected of terrorism on flight
Ivy League economist Guido Menzio was escorted from his Thursday night American Airlines flight and interrogated for being suspected of terrorism, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, describing him as olive-skinned and curly haired. His neighboring passenger, a white woman, had alerted a flight attendant to the Italian man's activity, which, officials eventually learned, amounted to writing differential equations. The flight eventually took off with Menzio aboard.
8. 'El Chapo' transferred to prison near U.S.
Infamous Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was transferred Saturday from an Altiplano prison to one in Cuidad Juárez, which is much closer to the U.S. A senior Mexican law enforcement official told CNN the move will make it easier to have El Chapo, a two-time prison escapee, extradited to the U.S. to face trial. In April, El Chapo's defense team requested a speedy extradition, arguing that Altiplano conditions were making their client ill.
9. West Point to investigate photo of black female cadets
The U.S. Military Academy has launched an investigation into a photo that's been circulating online of 16 black female cadets raising their fists, spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker said Saturday. Taking photos in traditional dress uniforms as a nod to historical cadet portraits is a West Point tradition, but the raised fists may be seen as a violation of the school's ban on political activity. Some think the women invoked Black Lives Matter. The cadets have said that wasn't their intent.
10. Nyquist wins Kentucky Derby
Bay colt Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/4 lengths on Saturday after coming in as the favorite with 2-1 odds. He's 8-0 in his career. "This is such a special horse," said trainer Doug O'Neill. "You can see it in his eye on a daily basis, and he's such a professional. Any human sport, he'd be the top-notch athlete. He's just first-class.'' Mario Gutierrez, who also rode I'll Have Another in 2012, is the only jockey to win his first two Derby starts.
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
