10 things you need to know today: June 9, 2013

Newark Mayor Cory Booker speaks during a news conference on his plans to campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for the seat of late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg on June 8.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. POLICE NAME SUSPECT IN SANTA MONICA SHOOTINGS

Authorities named 23-year-old John Zawahri as the suspect in the Santa Monica shooting spree that left four people dead on Friday. According to reports, he killed his father, Samir "Sam" Zawahri, and brother, Chris Zawahri, in a Santa Monica house before carjacking a woman and firing at a public bus. John Zawahri, who was killed by police at Santa Monica College, allegedly had suffered mental health issues. [CNN]

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sen. Mark Udall, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday's edition of State of the Union that he was skeptical about whether a vast phone record-tracking program was needed to thwart potential terrorist attacks. The Guardian reported this week that under a government order, Verizon has turned over millions of phone records to the National Security Agency — part of a program that intelligence leaders on Capitol Hill said helped foil at least one terrorist plot. [Politico]

President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement to wind down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a class of chemicals commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. The measure could mark a key step toward eliminating potent greenhouse gases. The U.S. and China will work together for the first time to persuade other countries to join the effort to slash or eliminate the use of the chemicals. [Washington Post]

Jury selection begins on Monday in the murder trial of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin last year. Lawyers estimate that the trial will last four to eight weeks. Much of that time is expected to be spent picking a six-person jury that can be open-minded. A Florida judge listened Saturday to a third day of testimony to decide if voice-recognition experts, who were hired to analyze 911 calls made in which screams can be heard, should be allowed at the trial. The screams are crucial pieces of evidence since they could determine who the aggressor was in the confrontation. [Reuters, ABC News]

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox