10 things you need to know today: July 24, 2013

Anthony Weiner confirms new sexting case

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. WEINER ADMITS TO SEXTING AFTER LEAVING CONGRESS

New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner confirmed Tuesday that he continued exchanging sexually explicit texts with women for months after his 2011 resignation from Congress over a sexting scandal. Weiner's wife, former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, said she had forgiven Weiner, who sent X-rated messages to a young woman as recently as last summer. Weiner vowed to stay in the mayor's race, saying he hoped New Yorkers would "still continue to give me a second chance." [Associated Press]

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — Prince William and Kate Middleton — gave the public its first look at their newborn son on Tuesday, as they left St. Mary's Hospital in London and headed home cradling the future British king. William said they had not yet settled on a name for the baby. "We'll have that as soon as we can," he said on the hospital steps. "It's the first time we've seen him really, so we're having a proper chance to catch up." [CNN]

At least 20 armed gang members and two police officers were killed in battles in Mexico's western Michoacan state on Tuesday. The clashes began after suspected members of the Knights Templar gang opened fire on demonstrators protesting the gang's violent tactics, killing five. President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in December vowing to curb drug violence, sent in a general to take over security operations in the state in May. [BBC News]

The House is expected to vote as early as Wednesday on a proposal, backed by libertarian Republicans and liberals, to curb National Security Agency surveillance programs exposed by leaker Edward Snowden. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) wants to amend a defense spending bill to prevent the NSA from collecting records of anyone who is not a terrorism suspect. The White House and leaders of both parties oppose the move, saying it would hurt counterterrorism efforts. [The Hill]

Vice President Joe Biden is meeting with business and political leaders in India to promote closer ties. The India trip — the first by an American vice president in nearly 30 years — is part of an effort to show India that its longtime rival, Pakistan, is no longer the main U.S. ally in South Asia. Biden is also expected to express concerns about India's economy, reflecting complaints from U.S. companies about corruption, shifting regulations, and other obstacles to foreign investment. [New York Times]

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on Tuesday made his first apology for a gifts scandal that has tainted his final year in office. McDonnell said he had paid back more than $120,000 in loans from a businessman, Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams, whose nutritional supplement McDonnell and his wife promoted. "I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens," McDonnell (R) said via Twitter. [Washington Post]

At least four people died and scores remained missing after a boat filled with people seeking asylum in Australia capsized off the Indonesian island of Java early Wednesday. More than 150 passengers were rescued. The tragedy came a week after Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that his country, facing an influx of refugees ahead of tense elections, would stop letting asylum seekers into Australia, and send them to Papua New Guinea instead. [The Australian, BBC News]

Sean Murphy, the Massachusetts state police sergeant who released photos of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's surrender, was placed on restricted duty following a departmental hearing on Tuesday. He was also stripped of his badge and gun pending an investigation into his unauthorized release of the images. Murphy has said he wanted to show the real face of terrorism to counter the glamorous Tsarnaev photo on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone. [ABC News]

Troubled actress Amanda Bynes is being held involuntarily in a California hospital for psychiatric evaluation, after she allegedly lit a fire in the driveway of a woman she didn't know. "This is just the latest example of why Amanda needs major help," said a friend Tuesday. This spring, Bynes was charged with reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a marijuana bong out of the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment. [Sun-Times, USA Today]

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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