10 things you need to know today: June 18, 2018

1. Lawmakers call for ending family separations at border

Hundreds of people, including Democratic lawmakers, held Father's Day protests in Texas and New Jersey on Sunday against the Trump administration policy of separating undocumented children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. "This must not be who we are as a nation," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), outside an immigration detention facility in New Jersey. President Trump has blamed Democrats for the separation of families at the border, urging them to help pass a bill to fix the situation. First lady Melania Trump joined the call for ending the policy. Her spokeswoman said Mrs. Trump "believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," and hopes "both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform."

Reuters Think Progress

2. At least 3 die in Japan earthquake

At least three people were killed when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Osaka in one of Japan's industrial heartlands on Monday. Among the dead was a 9-year-old girl killed when a school wall fell on her, according to the government's emergency and disaster task force. More than 200 others were injured in the quake. The temblor's center was shallow, and it caused the heaviest shaking registered in Osaka since the start of record keeping in 1923. Authorities shut down trains and factories as experts looked for damage, and evacuated schools as a precaution. The Meteorological Agency warned that strong aftershocks could hit over the next two or three days.

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Bloomberg Reuters

3. Incredibles 2 has best opening weekend ever for animated film

Incredibles 2 raced to the top of the box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $180 million domestically in a record debut for an animated film. It brought in another $51.5 million overseas. The Disney-Pixar sequel trounced the previous record of $135 million set by 2016's Finding Dory, another Pixar sequel. Incredibles 2 had the eighth-biggest domestic opening ever. It also beat out 2017's Beauty and the Beast's $174.6 million to set a record for the best debut for a PG-rated film. Incredibles 2 trounced the weekend competition, leaving Tag and Superfly in the dust. They debuted with $14.6 million and $8.4 million, respectively.

Variety

4. Trump associate Roger Stone reveals contact with another Russian

Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump, said he met with a Russian national who promised to provide dirt on then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for $2 million, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The previously undisclosed meeting didn't go anywhere. Stone said he rejected the offer. "You don't understand Donald Trump," Stone said he told the man, who called himself Henry Greenberg. "He doesn't pay for anything." Stone said he told Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communications official who arranged the meeting, that it was a "waste of time." The encounter resurfaced in questioning in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling. Stone and Caputo said the meeting was an attempted set-up, citing records suggesting the Russian was an FBI informant.

The Washington Post CNN

5. Taliban leaders reject government proposal to extend cease-fire

Taliban leaders on Sunday rejected an Afghan government proposal to extend a three-day cease-fire. The Islamist insurgent group ordered all of its fighters to resume operations against "the foreign invaders and their internal supporters." The decision came as Taliban fighters entered cities and towns to celebrate the three-day Eid holiday, exchanging greetings with everyone from civilians to police officers. Also on Sunday, hundreds of Afghan peace marchers arrived after walking across much of the country during the fasting month of Ramadan. "We met people in areas controlled by the Taliban and in areas under government control — everyone is really tired of war," said Iqbal Khayber, 27, a medical student from Helmand province.

The Washington Post Reuters

6. 5 killed when SUV fleeing border agents crashes

At least five people were killed Sunday when an SUV crashed while being chased by Border Patrol agents in southern Texas. The SUV, carrying more than a dozen people, was traveling at more than 100 miles per hour when the driver lost control, and the vehicle overturned. Four people died at the scene, and another died at a hospital. Authorities suspected that most of the vehicle's occupants were undocumented immigrants. "This, I think, is a perfect example, of why our borders need to be secured," Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. The incident came during a time of rising border tensions over a Trump administration "zero tolerance" policy that has resulted in the separation of 2,000 children from their migrant parents over six weeks.

The Associated Press

7. Audi CEO arrested in widening VW diesel scandal

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested in Germany on Monday in the latest fallout from the diesel-emissions cheating scandal at the automaker's parent company, Volkswagen. "We confirm that Mr. Stadler was arrested this morning," a VW spokesman said Monday, noting that Stadler was presumed innocent like any suspect. Audi made no immediate comment. The arrest came as Munich prosecutors expand their investigation into the scandal to look at possible fraud and false advertising at Audi, VW's luxury brand. VW shares were down about 1.6 percent from Friday's closing price.

Reuters The Street

8. Conservative Ivan Duque wins Colombia's presidential election

Conservative populist Ivan Duque, a 41-year-old lawyer, won Colombia's presidential election on Sunday, beating Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla and ex-mayor of Bogota, in a runoff. Petro wanted to give the state a larger role in the economy, while Duque, who spent much of his career involved in Washington policy-making circles, is a supporter of private business. With 99 percent of polling stations reporting, Duque had 54 percent of the vote while Petro had 42 percent. Four percent of voters left their ballots blank in protest. Former President Álvaro Uribe, now a powerful senator, helped Duque rise to prominence, and critics caution this could give him outsized influence in the new administration, which takes on the task of reincorporating former rebels into national political life.

MarketWatch

9. Brooks Koepka wins second straight U.S. Open

Brooks Koepka on Sunday won the 118th U.S. Open at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York. Koepka also won the U.S. Open in 2017, his first major title, and is now the seventh golfer to win the national championship in back-to-back years and the first since 1989. The 28-year-old, ranked No. 9 in the world, had a final round 2-under-par 68, beating Tommy Fleetwood by one shot. "The U.S. Open just takes so much discipline," he said. "You have got to be a great putter and just kind of let things roll off your back."

USA Today

10. Mexico beats Germany in World Cup opening round

Mexico upset Germany 1-0 in World Cup play, handing the defending champions their first opening round defeat in the global soccer tournament since 1982. Hirving Lozano's first-half goal put Mexico up for good. Earthquake censors were triggered in Mexico City, "possibly because of mass jumping," said the Institute of Geologic and Atmospheric Investigations in Mexico. Germany almost answered the goal right away with a free kick by Toni Kroos, but Guillermo Ochoa blocked the attempt, to end what would be Germany's best shot at tying the match. Nobody is counting Germany out, however. They are expected to beat Sweden and South Korea to progress, and in 1982, when Algeria beat them in their last first-round loss, they made it to the final.

BBC News The New York Times