10 things you need to know today: August 5, 2013

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Rockridge station on August 2 in Oakland. An estimated 400,000 people ride BART each day.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. SEVERAL U.S. EMBASSIES REMAIN CLOSED OVER THREATS

About a third the U.S. diplomatic posts that were temporarily shuttered due to a "serious threat" of al Qaeda attack reopened on Monday. Nine embassies and consulates opened their doors again, but a further 19 will be closed through Saturday "out of an abundance of caution," the State Department said. [NBC News]

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With an eleventh hour order, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) averted an employee strike that would have closed down San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Key issues in the dispute include wages, pensions, health-care costs, and BART worker safety. Brown named a board of investigators that will conduct a seven-day inquiry into the contract dispute that threatened to shut down the nation 's fifth largest rail line. [The New York Times]

Terri is a freelance writer at TheWeek.com. She's a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and has worked at TIME and Brides. You can follow her on Twitter.

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