10 things you need to know today: June 10, 2013

1. NSA LEAKER COMES FORWARD

Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former CIA employee, identified himself Sunday as the person behind the biggest intelligence leak in the National Security Agency's history. Snowden, a tech specialist who has done contract work for the NSA, said he disclosed secret documents on the agency's broad telephone and internet surveillance programs to expose the "surveillance state" and ignite debate on privacy. He is now holed up in a Hong Kong hotel seeking asylum. [Washington Post]

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2. TALIBAN FIGHTERS ATTACK KABUL AIRPORT

Seven Taliban insurgents attacked Afghanistan's main airport in Kabul early Monday, firing rocket-propelled grenades at NATO's airport headquarters. One of the attackers may have been a suicide bomber who detonated a large bomb. All of the insurgents were killed during a shoot-out with Afghan soldiers that lasted four hours. The ambitious assault heightens concerns that the insurgency will intensify as foreign troops leave Afghanistan in 2014. [Reuters]

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3. NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA AGREE TO HIGH-LEVEL TALKS

In a fresh sign of a thaw on the Korean Peninsula, North and South Korea agreed Monday to hold high-level government talks this week on reopening their jointly run Kaesong industrial complex. The rival neighbors also plan to address other economic and humanitarian projects that stalled years ago as tensions rose over North Korea's nuclear tests and threats of war over international sanctions. [New York Times]

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4. A FIFTH SANTA MONICA SHOOTING VICTIM DIES

A 26-year-old woman, Marcela Franco, died Sunday from wounds she suffered during a Friday shooting rampage at Santa Monica College, bringing the killer's toll to five. Franco had registered to take summer classes at the California school, and was on her way to buy books when she and her father, Carlos Navarro Franco, were shot in their SUV. Her father also died. The suspect, John Zawahri, 23, was killed by police. [CNN]

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5. DAM BREAK FORCES EVACUATIONS IN GERMANY

Tens of thousands of Germans were forced to evacuate their homes on Sunday as a dam burst on the swollen River Elbe, as flooding caused by relentless rain continued to plague Europe. At least a dozen people have died in floods in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic over the past week, and meteorologists are forecasting more rain this week. [Reuters]

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6. APPLE PREPARES TO UNVEIL STREAMING RADIO SERVICE

Apple is expected to unveil a new internet radio service on Monday at the opening of its annual developers conference in San Francisco. The iPhone, iPod, and iPad maker reportedly plans to offer the service for free, supported by ads. Competitors, including Pandora, Spotify, and Rdio, already offer similar streaming music services, but analysts said the entry of a dominant global player like Apple will thrust streaming radio more into the mainstream. [New York Times]

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7. A NEW REPORT SAYS RECORD CARBON EMISSIONS COULD SPEED TEMPERATURE RISE

Global emissions of carbon dioxide rose to record levels in 2012, which could result in temperature increases significantly higher than the climate goals set by world leaders, the International Energy Agency says in a report scheduled to be issued Monday. If the pace continues, global temperatures could rise to as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit over pre-industrial times. That, says IEA chief economist Fatih Birol, "would be a disaster for all countries." [Washington Post]

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8. OBAMA PREPARES TO ANNOUNCE HIS NEW TOP ECONOMIC ADVISER

President Obama plans Monday to announce that he is nominating Jason Furman to replace Alan Krueger as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, according to a White House official. Furman joined Obama's economic team during the 2008 campaign, and since then has been a key adviser to Obama on nearly all of the administration's major proposals on jobs and the economy. [Politico]

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9. NADAL WINS HIS EIGHTH FRENCH OPEN

Rafael Nadal demolished compatriot David Ferrer of Spain on Sunday — 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 — to win his eighth French Open title. Nadal's victory made him the first male player to win eight times at any of the Grand Slam tennis championships. And this one was special, he said, as it came shortly after a seven-month layoff to rest his ailing knees. "When you have period of time like I had," he said, "you realize that you don't know if you will have the chance to be back here." [USA Today]

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10. KINKY BOOTS TAKES THE TONY FOR BEST MUSICAL

Kinky Boots beat out frontrunner Matilda the Musical to win the Tony Award for best musical on Sunday night. Kinky Boots — about a drag queen who helps save a failing shoe factory — collected a total of six Tonys, including one for Cyndi Lauper's music and lyrics in her debut as a Broadway composer. Matilda, the dark story of a girl battling cruel adults, won four awards, as did the musical revival of Pippin. [New York Times]