10 things you need to know today: July 15, 2016

A truck at the scene of the terror attack in Nice, France

(Image credit: Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images)

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1. 84 killed in Bastille Day attack in France
2. Trump reportedly has picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as running mate
3. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg apologizes for Trump comments
4. U.S. pitches partnership with Russia in Syria
5. Pastor eulogizes Philando Castile as respectful man targeted in racial profiling
6. Congress adjourns for summer, leaving key business unfinished
7. Gingrich calls for testing Muslims and deporting those backing Sharia law
8. Obama calls for reconciliation in town hall meeting on race and police
9. GOP convention committee rejects Never Trump movement bid to unbind delegates
10. Game of Thrones dominates with 23 Emmy nominations

published 15 July 2016

1. 84 killed in Bastille Day attack in France

A driver in a 25-ton truck plowed through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday, killing at least 84 people in what French President Francois Hollande called a terrorist attack. The truck zigzagged for more than a mile along the famous seaside Promenade des Anglais at the end of a fireworks display marking the national holiday. Police fatally shot the suspected attacker, a 31-year-old Tunisian-born French citizen. Hollande called up military reserves, and extended by three months a state of emergency declared in November after Islamic State attackers killed 130 people in Paris.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence dropped his reelection bid as reports surfaced that Donald Trump would name the former congressman as his running mate, although Trump postponed a Friday news conference on his pick after the truck attack in Nice, France. Pence has been widely identified as one of the people on Trump's vice presidential short list, along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Conservatives said the former Tea Party caucus member would galvanize support from the GOP base, without the baggage that would come with Gingrich or Christie.

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg apologized on Thursday for making disparaging comments about presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom she called a "faker" with an "ego" and "no consistency." Ginsburg said the remarks "were ill-advised and I regret making them" because judges should avoid commenting on political candidates. Trump responded by saying Ginsburg's "mind is shot" and she should resign. The New York Times and The Washington Post both published editorials calling Ginsburg's remarks inappropriate.

The U.S. on Thursday offered to partner with Russia to defeat the Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin to present him the proposal, which includes U.S. intelligence and targeting sharing, and possibly joint bombing operations. Kerry said the U.S. hoped to "make some genuine progress" toward ending the country's five-year civil war. Putin said he wanted to see "tangible results."

About 1,500 people filled a Minnesota cathedral on Thursday to pay their respects to Philando Castile, the black school cafeteria worker who was fatally shot by police in a traffic stop. The Rev. Steve Daniels of Shiloh Missionary Church said in his eulogy that Castile, 32, was a good man who was singled out due to racial profiling. "He wasn't resisting, he wasn't running," Daniels said. "He was respected by many. But most of all, he respected the law." The comments came after reports that Castile had been stopped 52 times by police since 2002.

Congress adjourned for the summer on Thursday without passing bills on major issues, including the Zika virus, gun controls, and government spending. Lawmakers failed to reach compromises on spending levels in the fight against the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and the extent of restrictions on terror suspects attempting to buy guns. The House did, however, approve a bipartisan bill aimed at combating the opioid epidemic. The recess will last seven weeks — longer than usual, due to this summer's presidential nominating conventions.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday called for testing U.S. Muslims to see if they believe in Sharia law in the wake of the attack in Nice, France. Gingrich, who returned to the political stage recently as a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said those who believe in Islamic law should be deported. "Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war," he said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.

President Obama on Thursday held a town hall meeting to discuss mistrust between minority communities and police in the wake of recent killings of African-American men by police. Obama called for a dialog on race and reconciliation, and countered criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement. "The phrase 'Black Lives Matter' simply refers to the notion that there's a specific vulnerability for African-Americans that needs to be addressed," Obama said. "It's not meant to suggest that other lives don't matter."

The committee setting rules for the Republican National Convention overwhelmingly defeated an attempt to let delegates vote for any candidate they choose, effectively ending an effort to block Donald Trump from receiving the party's presidential nomination. Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh proposed allowing delegates to "cast a vote of conscience" and abandon commitments set in state primaries and caucuses. GOP and Trump loyalists dominating the 112-member committee said it would be unthinkable to reject the choice of the more than 13 million people who voted for Trump.

HBO's smash drama Game of Thrones led the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations released on Thursday with 23 nods for its sixth season. Three Game of Thrones actresses are up for the award for best supporting actress. The series is up against Netflix's House of Cards and, in its first Emmy bid, USA's Mr. Robot, for best drama series. Another Netflix favorite, Aziz Ansari's show Master of None, was nominated for best comedy series. The 2016 Emmys, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, air Sept. 18 on ABC's lightning-rod limited series.

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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.