10 things you need to know today: August 20, 2013
Egypt arrests the Muslim Brotherhood's leader, the Obamas get a new dog, and more
1. EGYPT ARRESTS TOP MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LEADER
Egyptian authorities have arrested Mohamed Badie, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, state media reported Tuesday. The move increased pressure on Islamists demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, as a U.S. official confirmed to CNN that the Obama administration had temporarily held up some aid to Egypt's military, which toppled Morsi in July. Saudi Arabia, which supports Egypt's military rulers, says it will replace any money the West withholds. [Reuters, CNN, New York Times]
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2. CRUZ RENOUNCES CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) acknowledged Monday that, since he was born in Canada to an American mother, he might be a lifelong citizen of both countries. To avoid confusion, he said, he would renounce his Canadian citizenship. "Nothing against Canada," Cruz said, "but I'm an American by birth." Cruz is a possible GOP presidential candidate, and legal experts say he's eligible since he was born a citizen — a conclusion that destroys the premise of any potential "birther" attacks. [Dallas Morning News]
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3. FILNER TRIES TO REACH A SEXUAL HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner was supposed to return to work Monday after two weeks of intensive behavioral therapy, but instead he attended an all-day mediation session aimed at reaching a settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former staffer. Sixteen women have accused Filner, a Democrat and former congressman, of making unwanted sexual advances toward them. A bipartisan recall movement has started collecting signatures to force him into a recall election. [Los Angeles Times]
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4. MUSHARRAF CHARGED IN BHUTTO MURDER
A Pakistani court on Tuesday indicted former President Pervez Musharraf for the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a gun and bomb attack at a political rally. Musharraf, then army chief, took power in a 1999 coup, and ruled for nearly a decade. His lawyers say the charges against him in Bhutto's death are baseless. The case is further straining the tenuous relations between Pakistan's military and its civilian leaders. [USA Today]
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5. TSARNAEV HAD SEVERAL GUNSHOT WOUNDS
Newly released court documents have provided details on the injuries sustained by the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, before his capture. A trauma surgeon testified in April that Tsarnaev, 20, had several serious gunshot wounds. The most severe came from a high-powered bullet that entered through the left inside of his mouth and exited through the lower left side of his face, although it was unclear whether the wound was self-inflicted or sustained in a shoot-out. [CNN]
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6. AL JAZEERA AMERICA MAKES ITS DEBUT
Al Jazeera America is launching on Tuesday in an ambitious attempt by the Qatari broadcaster to reach the U.S. market. Al Jazeera bought Current TV, the channel co-founded by Al Gore, giving it the infrastructure needed to reach 48 million American cable and satellite subscribers. The channel has few advertisers and will have to overcome perceptions of an anti-American bias. To win over viewers, it's promising "less yelling" than American cable news channels. [Guardian]
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7. CONTAMINATED WATER LEAKING AT FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR PLANT
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that contaminated water with dangerous levels of radiation was leaking from a storage tank at its Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled by Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami. So far, 300 tons of contaminated water has leaked, some of it so radioactive that, in an one hour, it would hit a person standing 1.6 feet away with a radiation dose five times the average annual global limit for nuclear workers. [Reuters]
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8. THE OBAMAS HAVE A NEW DOG
America's First Family just got a second dog. The Obamas have welcomed Sunny, a 1-year-old Portuguese water dog, into the White House, joining Bo, the Portuguese water dog that President Obama rewarded his daughters with after the grueling 2008 campaign. See a video of Sunny and Bo playing here. [White House]
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9. ACTOR LEE THOMPSON YOUNG DIES
Actor Lee Thompson Young, who played a detective on the hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles, was found dead on Monday at his Los Angeles home, in what his manager said was an apparent suicide. He was 29. Young started out as a child star — his first big role was on the Disney Channel show The Famous Jett Jackson, and also appeared on the TV shows Smallville and Scrubs. [New York Times]
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10. WILL AND KATE RELEASE THE FIRST ROYAL BABY PICTURES
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, released the first official images of their newborn child, Prince George, on Tuesday. Instead of the traditional professional photos, they distributed family snapshots taken by Kate's father, Michael Middleton. The pictures — showing Kate holding the swaddled baby, with William and a family dog seated next to them — got mixed reviews. Some photographers called them tender; others advised Kate's dad not to give up his day job. [Associated Press]
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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.
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