10 things you need to know today: March 18, 2021

Atlanta spa shooting suspect is charged with murder, Russia recalls ambassador after U.S. says Putin ordered election meddling, and more

A candelight vigil in California
(Image credit: APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

1. Atlanta spa shooting suspect charged with murder

Outrage intensified on Wednesday over the shooting spree that left eight people dead at three metro-Atlanta Asian spas. Seven of the victims were women, six of whom were of Asian descent. Four were identified Wednesday. Suspect Robert Aaron Long, a white man who was captured Tuesday night after a police chase, said he was addicted to sex and targeted the women at the spas to eliminate temptation. Long was charged with murder Wednesday, but experts agreed that prosecutors also could charge him with hate crimes. "Whatever the motivation was for this guy, we know that the majority of the victims were Asian," Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. "We also know that this is an issue that is happening across the country. It is unacceptable, it is hateful, and it has to stop."

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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.