10 things you need to know today: July 8, 2013

Oxygen masks hang from the ceiling in the cabin interior of Asiana Airlines flight 214.

(Image credit: NTSB via Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. INVESTIGATORS SAY ASIANA PILOTS TRIED TO ABORT LANDING

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 was traveling far slower than it should have been when it crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, killing two people and injuring scores more. The pilot at the controls was in training and making his first flight into the airport, and the crew tried to abort the landing seconds before the crash. One of the two people killed — both were teenage students from China — might have been struck by an emergency vehicle. [USA Today, CNN]

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Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Secretary of State John Kerry, was rushed to a hospital Sunday after falling ill at their Nantucket, Mass., vacation home. Heinz Kerry, a breast cancer survivor, was in critical condition with an undisclosed illness in Boston, where she was flown after her condition stabilized. Heinz Kerry is a prominent philanthropist, and has been an important player in Kerry's political career, actively stumping for him in his failed 2004 presidential bid. [Boston Globe]

At least 42 Islamists were killed early Monday outside the Cairo military barracks where ousted President Mohamed Morsi was being held. More than 200 other people were injured in the incident, which marked an escalation in the violence following Morsi's overthrow last week. The Muslim Brotherhood has urged Egyptians to rise up to defend Morsi, who was elected last year. The military said soldiers returned fire when "a terrorist group" tried to storm the compound. [Reuters]

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned after a prostitution scandal in 2008, announced Sunday night that he is running for comptroller of New York City. Spitzer, a Democrat, is joining the ranks of other politicians, including Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who have staged comeback attempts after their careers were derailed by sex scandals. Spitzer said he loved public service, and hoped he would "be given a second chance." [Daily News]

Congress returns from recess Monday with several critical bills piled up awaiting action. Lawmakers allowed rates on federally subsidized student loans to double last week, and face pressure to reduce them again. The House is expected to begin debating a major immigration overhaul, but Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) says the version approved by the Senate, which includes a path to citizenship for the 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally, was a non-starter. [Fox News]

An air taxi crashed at a small Alaska airport on Sunday, killing all 10 people on board. The floatplane's twisted fuselage was engulfed in flames by the time rescuers could get to it. Authorities could not immediately say whether the plane was taking off or landing at the airfield in the Alaska Kenai Peninsula town of Soldotna. The National Transportation Safety Board has been called in to investigate. [Associated Press]

Crowds gathered in 100-degree heat on Sunday to pay their respects to the 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona, as their bodies were returned to their hometown, Prescott. Nineteen white hearses set out shortly after the Maricopa County medical examiner released the remains. Hundreds of spectators watched as the procession passed, waving American flags and holding signs reading "God Bless Our Firefighters" and "They will never be forgotten." [Los Angeles Times]

Despicable Me 2 dominated the box office over the long Fourth of July weekend, crushing Disney's The Lone Ranger, a long-awaited Western starring Johnny Depp as Tonto. The animated Despicable Me sequel took in $142.1 million, while The Lone Ranger could only muster $48.9 million. With a budget of $225 million, The Lone Ranger's embarrassing debut put it on a pace to become one of the biggest box-office bombs of the summer. [Los Angeles Times]

Andy Murray beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic — 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 — to win his first Wimbledon title. The 26-year-old Scot was the first British player to take the men's singles crown at the storied tennis tournament since Fred Perry's 1936 win at the All England Club. "I understand how much everyone wanted to see a British winner at Wimbledon, so I hope you enjoyed it," Murray told the crowd at Centre Court. [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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