10 things you need to know today: August 12, 2016

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1. Clinton rejects Trump economic proposals and unveils her own
2. Simone Biles wins gold, cementing her status as world's best gymnast
3. Coordinated bombings kill at least 4 in Thai tourist spots
4. Judge rejects Jonathan Pollard request to ease probation terms
5. Turkey offers to coordinate anti-ISIS strikes with Russia
6. Canada says slain ISIS supporter made 'martyrdom video'
7. Pastors sue for exception in Illinois law against gay conversion therapy
8. Arianna Huffington to leave The Huffington Post for new venture
9. Judge orders release of North Carolina man 28 years after murder conviction
10. Phelps wins 22nd gold; Simone Manuel wins a first

published 12 August 2016

1. Clinton rejects Trump economic proposals and unveils her own

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton delivered an address on the economy on Thursday, flatly rejecting the policies proposed by her Republican rival, Donald Trump, in his economic plan earlier in the week. Clinton said Trump, a billionaire businessman, "wants to give trillions in tax breaks to people like himself," while pretending to be "on the side of the little guy." Clinton called one part of Trump's proposed tax cuts the "Trump loophole" because, she said, it would let him "pay less than half the current tax rate on income from many of his own companies." Trump, who reportedly will meet with GOP officials Friday in an "emergency meeting" about his campaign, responded by saying Clinton "doesn't have the talent" to jump-start the economy.

Simone Biles won the gold medal in the women's all-around gymnastics competition at the Rio Olympics, cementing her status as the world's best gymnast. The 19-year-old American was followed by her teammate, Aly Raisman, who took the silver medal. Biles was considered the strong favorite, after winning a record three straight world titles. The gold was her second, after the U.S. team won the team competition. Biles now has the chance to win three more medals in the individual beam, vault, and floor competitions.

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At least four people were killed in 11 bombings in beach towns and other tourist areas across Thailand late Thursday and early Friday. More than 20 other people were injured. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the suspected coordinated attack. Thai security officials said the bombings did not appear to be the work of global terrorists but local attackers trying to bring "chaos" to the Southeast Asian nation. It is too early to say who is responsible, said Thai police Col. Krisana Patanacharoen, but, "We are sure that it is not linked to terrorism."

A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday rejected former Navy intelligence officer Jonathan Pollard's bid to overturn restrictive probation conditions imposed when he was released in November after serving 30 years in prison for spying for Israel. Pollard's lawyers argued that the conditions, including forcing Pollard to wear an electronic tracking device and submit to monitoring of his work computer, were arbitrary because Pollard posed no flight risk and no longer had sensitive information he could reveal. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest ruled that the U.S. Parole Commission had valid reasons for imposing the restrictions.

Turkey has offered to coordinate anti-Islamic State strikes in Syria with Russia. The proposal signaled easing tensions between the two countries nine months after Turkish forces shot down a Russian warplane along Turkey's Syrian border. The announcement came just days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited St. Petersburg to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss restoring ties. "We have a common enemy which we can struggle against together," Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Canadian police said Thursday that an Islamic State supporter killed in a Wednesday raid had made a "martyrdom video" and was in the final stages of planning a terrorist attack on a major city with a homemade bomb. Officers conducted the raid based on credible information they had received about the plans of the man, Aaron Driver, who reportedly detonated an explosive device in the backseat of a taxi as police approached, then was shot. "The outcome if we have not been able to apprehend him, based on his actions when he was confronted, could have been significantly more dreadful," said Mike Cabana, deputy police commissioner. "It was a race against time."

A group of pastors is suing Illinois in a bid to exclude clergy from a law barring therapists and counselors from trying to change a minor's sexual orientation, saying the current prohibition violates their free speech and religious rights. "The law in Illinois is broader than the other laws, which were aimed at licensed counselors," said John Mauck, a lawyer for the pastors. A spokeswoman said the Illinois attorney general's office, which would argue the state's case, had not received a copy of the lawsuit and could not immediately comment.

Arianna Huffington is leaving The Huffington Post, the website she co-founded 11 years ago, to run a health and wellness startup, Thrive Global, that is launching soon. Huffington, 66, announced Thursday that she would step down as editor in chief at the website, which she helped build from scratch into a media property with nearly 200 million unique visitors a month worldwide. Under her leadership, The Huffington Post grew from a forum for unpaid bloggers into a powerhouse with 850 global employees with numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, under its belt.

A judge on Thursday ruled that a North Carolina man did not get a fair trial 28 years ago when he was convicted of murder as a teenager, and ordered him released from a prison in the port city of Wilmington. The man, 43-year-old Johnny Small, still faces charges in the 1988 murder case, and will remain under electronic house arrest. North Carolina Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Parsons ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict Small, and said it was up to prosecutors to decide whether to put him on trial again for the point-blank fatal shooting of Pam Dreher in her tropical fish store. "I don't know if Mr. Small did this or not. Whoever did this is a monster," Parsons said. "What I'm here to decide is, did he receive a fair trial? ... It is more than abundantly clear that he did not."

Michael Phelps took home the gold in the 200m individual medley Thursday in Rio, bringing his total number of Olympic gold medals to 22 and becoming the first swimmer ever to win the same event at four straight Olympics. He now has four golds in Rio and a record 26 Olympic medals overall. Another U.S. swimmer, Simone Manuel, shared the gold medal in the women's 100m freestyle with Canada's Penny Oleksiak on Thursday. Her time of 52.70 seconds set an Olympic record. She also became the first African-American to win an Olympic medal in swimming, and the first American to win gold in the event since 1984.

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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.