10 things you need to know today: August 6, 2017

United Nations votes on North Korea sanctions

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1. United Nations approves new North Korea sanctions
2. Miller reportedly considered for White House comms role
3. New Venezuela assembly ousts chief prosecutor
4. Iran lobbies Europe for nuclear deal support
5. Rescue efforts called off for 3 missing U.S. Marines in Australia
6. Bomb detonated at Minnesota mosque
7. Fox News' Eric Bolling suspended over lewd photo allegations
8. Trump blames New Jersey trip on White House renovation
9. Putin vacations in Siberia
10. Sprinter Usain Bolt loses final 100-meter race

last updated 6 August 2017

1. United Nations approves new North Korea sanctions

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday voted to approve new, punitive sanctions against North Korea in retaliation for Pyongyang's two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests this year. The sanctions package, which passed with the support of China and Russia, focuses on export prohibitions and is expected to cut the country's $3 billion annual export income by one third. President Trump celebrated to vote on Twitter Saturday evening, highlighting the financial impact and unanimous vote and labeling the measure the "single largest economic sanctions package ever on North Korea."

President Trump's senior policy adviser and speechwriter, Stephen Miller, is reportedly under consideration to fill the White House communications director job vacated by Anthony Scaramucci. An unnamed senior administration official told Axios Saturday Miller's name is in play but not at the top of Trump's short list. Miller, 31, previously worked on Trump's campaign and, before that, as then-Sen. Jeff Sessions' aide; he is best known for his combative interview style and, this past week, his disavowal of the pro-immigration poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty.

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Venezuela's new Constitutional Assembly on Saturday ousted the nation's top prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, sending guards in riot gear to keep her from her office. Ortega, a critic of President Nicolas Maduro, was replaced by one of his supporters. The Constitutional Assembly was created a week ago under a Maduro proposal to dissolve the country's former legislature, which was dominated by his opposition. The vote that installed the new legislature is under investigation, as independent polling suggests the Maduro government massively inflated turnout numbers and rigged the election in its favor.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday warned the United States against breaking the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and asked members of the European Union to put their weight behind maintaining the arrangement. "Those who want to tear apart the JCPOA should know that they would also be tearing apart their political life," Rouhani said during his inaugural speech, decrying the U.S. under President Trump as an "unreliable partner." Trump claims Iran is violating the "spirit" of the deal, though his administration has certified Iran is complying.

U.S. military officials on Sunday called off rescue efforts for the three U.S. Marines who went missing after their plane crashed off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on Saturday. While recovery measures will continue, the military no longer expects to find the missing Marines alive. The troops were flying in a Marine MV-22B Osprey when a "mishap" took the plane down. Of the 26 Marines on board at the time of the accident, 23 were successfully rescued. Recovery and crash investigation operations will continue.

A mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, was bombed early Saturday morning in what mosque members have called an "unimaginable" threat to religious freedom. No one was injured, though people were on site preparing for morning prayers. The explosion at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center damaged the imam's office with what officials described as an "improvised explosive device." A witness reportedly "saw something being thrown at the imam's office window from a van or truck before the blast." The FBI is investigating.

Fox News confirmed Saturday longtime host Eric Bolling has been suspended over allegations that he texted unsolicited lewd photos to at least two colleagues at the Fox and Fox Business networks. An investigation is now underway. "The anonymous, uncorroborated claims are untrue and terribly unfair," said Bolling's lawyer. "We intend to fully cooperate with the investigation so that it can be concluded and Eric can return to work as quickly as possible." The Huffington Post report breaking the story cited 14 unnamed sources.

The White House is scheduled to undergo renovation while President Trump stays at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, for a 17-day visit he denies is a vacation. "Working in Bedminster, N.J., as long planned construction is being done at the White House," Trump tweeted Saturday. "This is not a vacation - meetings and calls!" Trump was photographed golfing shortly after his tweet, and the White House deputy press secretary described the trip as a "working vacation." Planned repairs to the presidential residence include major HVAC work and amelioration of a "foul odor" and fly problem in the West Wing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been vacationing in Siberia, keeping busy diving, hiking, and releasing shirtless photos of his experiences. "The water in the lake doesn't get warmer than 17 degrees [Celsius, or 62 degrees Fahrenheit], but this didn't stop the president from going for a swim," said a Kremlin representative of Putin. "He went hunting underwater with a mask and snorkel ... The president chased after one pike for two hours, there was no way he could shoot it, but in the end he got what he wanted."

Record-setting Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt took bronze in his final 100-meter race before retirement Saturday, losing to two Americans, Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, at the IAAF World Championships in London. Despite the loss, Bolt, 30, retires as an 20-time Olympic and world champion and a legend of modern athletics known as much for his speed as for his amiable manner and cheeky grins for finish-line cameras.

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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.