10 things you need to know today: July 11, 2016

Obama calls for mutual respect after fatal shootings, police say Dallas sniper planned bigger attack, and more

President Obama heads back to Washington after a trip to Europe
(Image credit: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)

1. Obama cuts Europe trip short to attend Dallas shooting memorial

President Obama on Sunday said America is "not as divided as some suggest," and called for all sides to "maintain a respectful, thoughtful tone" in the wake of the killings of black men by police in Baton Rouge and St. Paul, and of five police officers by a lone sniper in Dallas. Obama is cutting short a four-day trip to Europe to attend a Tuesday interfaith memorial service for the officers killed last week during an ambush at the end of a peaceful protest of the Louisiana and Minnesota shootings. Former president George W. Bush also will speak at the service.

2. Dallas sniper planned bigger attack, police chief says

Micah Johnson, the African-American Army Reserve veteran identified as the sniper who killed five police officers in Dallas last week, was "intent on hurting more of us," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Sunday. Brown said evidence suggests that Johnson was planning a larger attack with explosives and had practiced detonations, but accelerated his plans after the recent fatal shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and St. Paul. "We're convinced this suspect had other plans and thought that what he was doing was righteous," Brown said.

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The New York Times The Washington Post

3. Leading Black Lives Matter activist released after Baton Rouge arrest

Baton Rouge authorities on Sunday released Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, who was arrested late Saturday for allegedly defying police orders and walking into the road during a protest over recent fatal shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Three journalists also have been arrested during Baton Rouge demonstrations since the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling last week. Dozens of protesters have been arrested in demonstrations since the killing.

The New York Times

4. North Korea threatens South Korea over missile defense plan

North Korea on Monday threatened "powerful" but unspecified "physical counter-action" in response to U.S. plans to deploy the advanced Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile defense system in South Korea. The North Korean military repeated its popular threat to turn its southern neighbor into a "sea of fire." The belligerent rhetoric came three days after the U.S. and South Korea said they were close to determining where to put the system to best handle potential attacks by North Korea.

The Associated Press

5. Bin Laden's son threatens to avenge father's 2011 killing

Hamza bin Laden, son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is threatening to avenge the killing of his father by elite U.S. commandos in a 2011 raid. "We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression," Hamza bin Laden said in a speech entitled "We Are All Osama," according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Reuters

6. U.N. leader calls renewed South Sudan violence 'unacceptable'

Renewed violence on the fifth anniversary of South Sudan's independence killed nearly 150 soldiers and civilians, the spokesman for the country's vice president said over the weekend. The United Nations called for calm as it mobilized peacekeepers to protect civilians. Two United Nations peacekeepers from China were among the dead. "This senseless violence is unacceptable and has the potential of reversing the progress made so far in the peace process," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

CNN United Nations

7. Japanese Prime Minister announces new stimulus measures after election win

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won a majority of the seats in the upper house in Sunday elections. Immediately after declaring a resounding victory, Abe announced that his government would introduce new economic stimulus measures, sending Japanese stocks rising by nearly four percent. Ruling party officials said before the vote that the government was ready to spend more than $100 billion. "We are going to make bold investment into seeds of future growth," Abe said.

CNN

8. U.S. transfers Yemeni detainee from Guantanamo to Italy

The U.S. on Sunday transferred a Yemeni national from the terror-war detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in Italy. The move reduced the number of prisoners remaining at Guantanamo at 78. The detainee, Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman, was arrested by Pakistani police and handed over to the U.S. in 2001, and cleared for transfer nearly six years ago by the Departments of Defense, State, Justice, and Homeland Security, as well as by intelligence officials and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Reuters

9. Portugal beats France to take 2016 European Championship

Portugal defeated France 1-0 Sunday in the 2016 European Championship final. During extra time, substitute Eder scored on a long-range shot in the 109th minute, giving Portugal its first ever major tournament win. In the 25th minute, Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, was taken off the field on a stretcher, following a run-in with France's midfielder, Dimitri Payet. France had beaten Portugal in their last 10 big matches, going back to 1975.

The Associated Press

10. Andy Murray wins second Wimbledon title

Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon men's singles title on Sunday, defeating 25-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. The match marked the first time Scotland native Murray entered a Grand Slam final as the heavy favorite, after losing to Roger Federer in all three of their meetings in majors finals, and to Novak Djokovic five times out of seven. "I'm proud to have my hands on the trophy," Murray said. "I played really good stuff today ... The wins feel extra special because of the losses."

ESPN

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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.