10 things you need to know today: July 18, 2016
A gunman kills three police officers in Baton Rouge, the Republican National Convention gets underway in Cleveland, and more

- 1. Gunman kills three police officers in Baton Rouge
- 2. GOP convention offers Trump opportunity to win over skeptics
- 3. Convention security in focus after Baton Rouge attack
- 4. Baton Rouge officer posted emotions online days before gunman killed him
- 5. Turkey fires thousands of police after failed coup
- 6. France detains two more people in connection with Nice attack
- 7. Venezuelans stream across border to buy food
- 8. UC Berkeley student confirmed among Nice dead
- 9. The Secret Life of Pets beats Ghostbusters at weekend box office
- 10. Pakistani social media star murdered by her brother in so-called honor killing

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
1. Gunman kills three police officers in Baton Rouge
A gunman killed three police officers and wounded three others on Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where tensions have been high since the fatal shooting of CD vendor Alton Sterling outside a convenience store two weeks ago. After the officers died, the mother of Sterling's son Cameron, Quinyetta McMillon, said the family "rejects violence of any kind directed at members of law enforcement or citizens." President Obama condemned the attack as "cowardly and reprehensible." Police shot and killed the alleged gunman — Gavin Eugene Long, a 29-year-old ex-Marine who served in Iraq — and searched for two other "persons of interest."
2. GOP convention offers Trump opportunity to win over skeptics
The Republican National Convention gets underway in Cleveland on Monday, with presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump hoping to use the event to unite a party still fractured after divisive primaries. Trump ran as a Washington outsider, defeating 16 major challengers and drawing open opposition from party insiders with controversial comments about women, Mexican immigrants, and Muslims. Trump took a step toward making up with mainstream Republicans ahead of the convention by naming Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a former member of the House leadership, as his running mate.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Convention security in focus after Baton Rouge attack
Heading into the GOP convention, Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his call for "law and order" in response to the killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge, blaming the violence on a national leadership vacuum. The head of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association said after the attack that open carry laws should be suspended in Cleveland during the convention. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said he does not have the power to "arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws."
4. Baton Rouge officer posted emotions online days before gunman killed him
One of the Baton Rouge police officers killed by a gunman on Sunday said in an emotional Facebook post days before his death that he was "physically and emotionally" exhausted by tensions stoked by recent fatal shootings of black men by police, and of five Dallas police officers by a sniper. The officer, Montrell Jackson, said that he faced suspicion both as a police officer, and, when out of uniform, as an African-American man. "I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me," Jackson, 32, wrote.
5. Turkey fires thousands of police after failed coup
Turkey's government continued a purge following a thwarted coup attempt, firing 8,000 police officers on Monday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightened his grip on power. About 6,000 people, mostly members of the military and judiciary, were detained a day earlier. The U.S.-led coalition resumed air operations against the Islamic State from a Turkish base on Sunday after Erdogan's government restricted the country's airspace due to Friday's failed coup.
6. France detains two more people in connection with Nice attack
French authorities on Sunday detained two more people in connection with last week's attack in Nice, in which Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel mowed down and killed 84 people with a truck at the end of a Bastille Day fireworks display. Three others arrested earlier remained in custody, but police released Bouhlel's estranged wife without charging her. The Islamic State has claimed it influenced Bouhlel, a Tunisian man who was living in Nice, but authorities said they had no evidence he was linked to the Islamist terror group.
7. Venezuelans stream across border to buy food
More than 100,000 Venezuelans crossed the border into Colombia over the weekend hoping to buy food and medicine, which are scarce at home. Venezuela shut down crossings on the 1,378-mile border a year ago in a bid to stop smuggling, but the government has opened the gates two weekends in a row to let desperate Venezuelans, some in chartered buses, travel for hours in search of supplies they can't find in their home country, which is struggling with triple-digit inflation, currency controls, and a sharp drop in the government's crucial oil revenues due to tumbling crude prices.
8. UC Berkeley student confirmed among Nice dead
A University of California, Berkeley, student — Nicolas Leslie, 20 — was among the 84 people killed Thursday during an attack targeting people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, the university announced Sunday. Leslie, an environmental sciences major, was in Nice for a study-abroad program. His death came two weeks after another Berkeley student was killed in a terrorist attack in Bangladesh. UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said the university community was "heartbroken to learn that another promising young student has been lost to senseless violence."
9. The Secret Life of Pets beats Ghostbusters at weekend box office
The Secret Life of Pets held off Sony's all-female Ghostbusters, which was making its debut, to hold onto the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend. The Secret Life of Pets saw its haul drop by 52 percent to $50.6 million to bring its total to $203.2 million by Sunday. Ghostbusters opened in the No. 2 spot, bringing in $46 million. Finding Dory added $11 million to bring its total in the region to $445.5 million, officially making it the top-grossing animated film ever in North America.
10. Pakistani social media star murdered by her brother in so-called honor killing
A Pakistani man reportedly confessed Sunday confessed to killing his sister, social media star, model, and feminist activist Qandeel Baloch, in what he said was a so-called honor killing. Baloch — whose real name was Fouzia Azeem, but was often referred to as the Pakistani Kim Kardashian — was known for posting provocative photos of herself on Facebook and Instagram. She sought refuge recently in her parents' house after receiving death threats for posting a picture of herself with a Muslim cleric. Her brother, Muhammad Wasim, said he drugged then strangled her to restore "family honor."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 launch of the U.S. print edition. Harold has worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, Fox News, and ABC News. For several years, he wrote a daily round-up of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two sons.
-
5 tips to save on heating bills
The Explainer Follow these expert recommendations for a cozy and cheap winter
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 29, 2023
Daily Briefing House committee starts Biden impeachment inquiry, court rejects Trump's request to delay civil fraud trial, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 29 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 28, 2023
Daily Briefing Republican rivals clash as absent Trump tries to upstage debate, the Senate approves a formal dress code, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2023
Daily Briefing A New York judge rules Trump defrauded banks, Biden visits auto workers on picket line, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 26, 2023
Daily Briefing Congress returns to work with shutdown looming, Ukraine says it killed Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 25, 2023
Daily Briefing GOP leaders pressure far-right holdouts to help prevent a shutdown, Hollywood writers reach tentative deal to end strike, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 24, 2023
Daily Briefing Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population to leave region amid fears of persecution, Atlantic coast remains under flood warnings from Ophelia, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 22, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy visits Washington as Biden unveils more Ukraine aid, Rupert Murdoch steps down at Fox and News Corp., and more
By Harold Maass Published