10 things you need to know today: September 21, 2016

Prosecutors charge Ahmad Khan Rahami with bombings, fatal police shooting sparks protests in Charlotte, and more

Police confront protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina
(Image credit: REUTERS/Adam Rhew/Charlotte Magazine)

1. Ahmad Khan Rahami charged with New York, New Jersey bombings

Prosecutors formally charged Ahmad Khan Rahami with last weekend's bombings in New York City and New Jersey, saying he was inspired by Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki and had written in a journal that he wanted to "kill" unbelievers. His father, Mohammad Rahami, said he told the F.B.I. in 2014 that his son might be involved in terrorism. The elder Rahami said that after a nearly two-month investigation, agents told him, "He's clean, he's not a terrorist." The agency said in a statement that its agents reviewed databases, contacted other agencies, and conducted multiple interviews — but not with Rahami himself — and found no evidence that he was involved with terror groups.

2. Officers, demonstrator injured in Charlotte protest after fatal shooting

Protests erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday night after officers fatally shot an African-American man, Keith L. Scott. Twelve officers and at least one protester were injured overnight in clashes between officers and some of the hundreds of demonstrators. Authorities said Scott, 43, was carrying a gun when he was shot by officers who were trying to serve a warrant on another person at an apartment complex near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Scott's family said he was unarmed and was carrying only a book.

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The Charlotte Observer The New York Times

3. Report: Trump used charity money to settle business lawsuits

Donald Trump spent $258,000 from his charitable foundation to settle lawsuits involving his businesses, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing interviews and legal documents. In one case, Trump's Mar-a-Lago — his private club in Palm Beach, Florida — faced $120,000 in unpaid fines over the height of its flagpole, and settled the case by agreeing to pay $100,000 to a veterans' charity. The Trump Foundation wrote a $158,000 check to settle another case involving a Trump golf course in New York.

The Washington Post

4. Oklahoma police launch criminal investigation into fatal shooting

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said Tuesday that authorities were launching a criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Terence Crutcher, by a white police officer. Crutcher, 40, was shown on police video walking away from officers with his hands up, returning to his stalled SUV when he was shot by Tulsa, Oklahoma, officer Betty Shelby. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called the shooting "unbearable." Her Republican rival, Donald Trump, made no immediate comment. Police said they found PCP in Crutcher's car; Shelby's lawyer said the officer thought Crutcher was acting like he was under the influence of drugs.

Reuters Tulsa World

5. U.S. says Russia is responsible for airstrike on Syria aid convoy

The Obama administration said Tuesday that there was a "very high probability" that Russia was responsible for an airstrike that hit an aid convoy and warehouse near the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. "All the evidence we have points to that conclusion," one of the officials said. The attack prompted the United Nations to halt aid deliveries in the area. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the strike "sickening, savage, and apparently deliberate." Russia blamed terrorists. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said video footage from drones showed that "a terrorists' pickup truck with a towed large-caliber mortar" was following the convoy.

CNN

6. Obama calls for 'course correction' in final U.N. address

President Obama delivered his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly, calling for a global "course correction" and urging world leaders to work together to address common problems. "A nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself," Obama said in a pointed message aimed at both foreign leaders fueling sectarian strife, and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "The world is too small for us to simply be able to build a wall and prevent [extremism] from affecting our own societies," he said.

The New York Times

7. 1 pilot killed, 1 injured after ejecting from U-2 spy plane

One pilot was killed and another wounded on Tuesday when their U.S. U-2 spy plane crashed in Northern California, the Air Force said. The pilots ejected shortly after taking off from Beale Air Force Base. The jet then crashed in a rural area north of Sacramento. "There's always inherent dangers in an ejection. The technology is fantastic, but it's not foolproof," Col. Larry Broadwell, the base commander, said.

Los Angeles Times

8. Trump says black communities in 'worst shape' ever

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday that "our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape that they've ever been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever." Trump told a mostly white crowd in Kenansville, North Carolina, that he would "rebuild our inner cities," because now, "you get no education, you get no jobs, you get shot walking down the street. They're worse — I mean, honestly, places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities." Recent polls have Trump's support with African-Americans in the low single digits.

CNN

9. L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson dies at 71

Curtis Hanson, the Academy Award–winning screenwriter and director of L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Wonder Boys, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 71. Police were called to Hanson's home for a medical emergency and pronounced him dead from natural causes. Before winning the Academy Award for adapted screenplay in 1997 for L.A. Confidential, Hanson, a one-time film journalist, worked as a producer, writer, and director for a wide range of projects, including writing the screenplay of the 1978 crime drama The Silent Partner with Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer.

Los Angeles Times

10. Angelina Jolie files to divorce Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from her husband, fellow actor Brad Pitt, after citing "irreconcilable differences." Jolie reportedly filed legal documents on Monday. Her lawyer, Robert Offer, said the "decision was made for the health of the family." Offer said Jolie would not comment further, and asked for privacy. Speculation was rampant about the cause of the split. TMZ reported that sources said Jolie felt that Pitt's parenting skills were lacking and that he had what one source referred to as "an anger problem." Jolie is asking for custody of their six children. The celebrities, known in the tabloids as Brangelina, have been together since 2004, and married since 2014.

BBC News TMZ

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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.