10 things you need to know today: July 6, 2016

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1. FBI recommends no charges against Clinton over emails
2. Judge sentences Oscar Pistorius to six years
3. Obama praises Clinton's qualifications at campaign rally
4. Trump criticizes Saddam Hussein, then praises his handling of terrorists
5. Ex-National Guardsman charged with trying to plan terror attack
6. Officer fatally shoots suspect outside Louisiana store, sparking protest
7. UT settles lawsuit filed by eight women over sexual assaults
8. Georgia high court lets Klan continue lawsuit over 'Adopt-A-Highway' program
9. 'Super bacteria' detected in bay hosting Rio Olympics sailing events
10. Williams sisters advance to semifinals at Wimbledon

published 6 July 2016

1. FBI recommends no charges against Clinton over emails

FBI Director James Comey announced Tuesday that the agency's investigation had found no grounds for criminal charges against Hillary Clinton related to her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state. Comey said that despite sometimes "extremely careless" handling of sensitive information, there was no evidence of "intentional misconduct." Republicans said Comey's sharp criticism showed Clinton was unfit to be president. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump said the lack of charges showed the "system is rigged."

A South African judge on Wednesday sentenced Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years, saying a longer sentence would "not serve justice" given Pistorius' remorse, and the 12 months he already served. She also described the double-amputee Olympic athlete as a "fallen hero" who has "lost his career" since the 2013 killing. He initially was found guilty of manslaughter but the conviction was upgraded to murder on appeal.

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President Obama joined Hillary Clinton to support her presidential campaign at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. Obama praised Clinton, saying no candidate has ever been more qualified for the presidency, and that the other side — the GOP's Donald Trump — "has nothing to offer." Clinton, Obama's rival for the 2008 Democratic nomination and now the party's presumptive nominee, said she and Obama had gone from "political rivals to partners to friends." "He knows a thing or two about winning elections," she said, "take it from me."

Donald Trump acknowledged that Saddam Hussein was "a bad guy — a really bad guy," but praised the late Iraqi dictator's efficiency in fighting terrorists. "He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. Over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said at a rally. Politicians in both parties bristled, with House Speaker Paul Ryan calling Hussein "one of the 20th century's most evil people" and Hillary Clinton's campaign saying Hussein was a "sponsor of terrorism."

A former Army National Guard member in Virginia has been accused of plotting a domestic terrorist attack for the Islamic State. The suspect, Mohamad Bailor Jalloh, was arrested Sunday and made his first court appearance on Tuesday. Jalloh resolved to plan an attack in the U.S. after looking up lectures online by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric and U.S. citizen who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen. He also allegedly expressed admiration for Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, and Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, who killed five service members in Chattanooga in 2015.

A police officer fatally shot a black man — Alton Sterling, 37 — who had been selling CDs outside a Baton Rouge convenience store on Tuesday, drawing dozens of protesters to the scene demanding justice. A caller told police that a man selling CDs had threatened him with a gun. A cellphone video showed two police officers confronting Sterling. One used a stun gun on him, then both tackled him as he fought to get free, and one shot him several times. The store's owner said Sterling was not holding a gun, but officers removed one from his pocket after the shooting.

The University of Tennessee has settled a lawsuit over its handling of sexual assaults by student athletes, agreeing to pay $2.48 million to eight women who had accused the school's administration of maintaining a "hostile sexual environment." If approved by a judge, half of the settlement will be paid by the athletics department and half by the Knoxville campus. Under the settlement, UT admits no guilt, but will appoint an independent commission to review sexual assault prevention programs and federal Title IX rules.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a local Ku Klux Klan group can pursue its request to participate in the state's "Adopt-A-Highway" program. The white supremacist group has been trying for years to get its name on "Adopt-A-Highway" signs along a mile-long section of a state road in Union County near the North Carolina line. The Klan sued the Georgia Transportation Department in 2012, and the state high court justices ruled unanimously that the KKK's lawsuit against the state over the issue can proceed to trial.

Brazilian scientists have detected a drug-resistant "super bacteria" at some of Rio de Janeiro's beaches one month before the Brazilian city hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics. Lead researcher Renato Picao said the bacteria got into Rio waterways in sewage from local hospitals. Two beaches where the bacteria was found are on Guanabara Bay, where Olympic sailing events will be held. Neither the scientists nor international Olympic officials have called for moving the sailing events.

World No. 1 Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday, taking a big step toward a possible all-Williams women's final at the storied tennis tournament. Venus Williams beat Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2010. Serena Williams got past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4. Serena Williams is working on equaling Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22nd Grand Slam championships.

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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.