10 things you need to know today: September 6, 2012

Former President Bill Clinton delivers a 48-minute stemwinder at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, ripping Mitt Romney and Republicans and lauding President Obama and Democrats

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. CLINTON AT DNC: GOP NUMBERS 'DON'T ADD UP'

Bill Clinton passionately defended President Obama's handling of the distressed economy on Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, while also criticizing Republicans' refusal to compromise. The former president pointed to the economic crisis Obama inherited when he entered office, declaring that "no president — not me, not any of my predecessors — no one could have fully repaired all the damage he found in just four years." Clinton also ripped Mitt Romney's deficit reduction plan, arguing that the numbers "don't add up," as the GOP nominee plans to cut taxes without a clear strategy for bringing in new revenue or slashing spending. It's "arithmetic," Clinton argued: Romney's plan will inevitably hurt the middle class. [CNN]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country won't change its position on Syria, after rejecting a U.N. Security Council resolution designed to pressure Syria's Bashar al-Assad to end violence that has killed thousands upon thousands of people. "Why should only Russia re-evaluate its position?" said Putin. "Maybe our partners in the negotiation process should re-evaluate their position." [Reuters]

At least six suspected Palestinian militants were killed in two separate strikes in Gaza, Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Thursday. At least three were killed by Israeli fire in northern Gaza, with Israeli leaders saying the strike targeted militants who were planting a bomb along the Gaza border. Another Israeli airstrike killed three more Palestinians as they were allegedly trying to launch a rocket into southern Israel. [BBC]

Human Rights Watch says it has evidence of two cases several years ago in which U.S. agents waterboarded Libyan militants held by American forces in Afghanistan. The report "paints a more complete picture of Washington's close cooperation" with Libya's fallen dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, on George W. Bush's watch after the 9/11 attacks. "Not only did the U.S. deliver [Gadhafi's] enemies on a silver platter, but it seems the CIA tortured many of them first," said Laura Pitter, the author of the report. [NBC News]

Massachusetts Senate candidate and progressive hero Elizabeth Warren delivered a primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, describing President Obama as a populist up against a Republican nominee who has sided with corporations. "No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people," Warren said, referencing a much-repeated Romney soundbite from 2011. "People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters." She continued: "Mitt Romney wants to give billions in breaks to big corporations — but he and Paul Ryan would pulverize financial reform, voucher-ize Medicare, and vaporize ObamaCare." Warren's race against Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is seen by Democrats as a must-win if the Left wants to keep its majority in the Senate. [Reuters]

The Secret Service is investigating a claim that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's tax forms were stolen from an accounting firm. An anonymous ransom note was sent to Pricewaterhouse Coopers asking Team Romney to fork over $1 million or face the release of the records. "Using your office...we were able to gain access to your network file servers and copy over the tax documents for one Willard M Romney and Ann D Romney," the note read. The accounting firm said on Facebook that it had found "no evidence" that its system was hacked. [NPR]

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake that rocked Costa Rica on Wednesday killed at least two people and injured 20. It also triggered landslides, knocked down buildings, and briefly sparked a tsunami warning. The quake struck at 10:42 a.m. near Nicoya, a town about 90 miles from the capital San Jose. The Red Cross said the numbers of those wounded could increase as emergency teams reach out to more areas. [Reuters]

American tennis icon Andy Roddick's career is over following an emotional loss at the U.S. Open against Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro. The 30-year-old, who won the U.S. Open in 2003, shocked his fans last week when he said the tournament would be his last. "I just feel like it's time. I don't know that I'm healthy enough or committed enough to go another year," he said. Del Potro, the 2009 Open champion, will now head into the quarters against Novak Djokovic of Serbia. [ESPN]

NFL fans may have gotten a sneak peak of Amazon's new Kindle tablet ahead of the company's much-anticipated press conference on Thursday morning. During the the NFL's season opener, in which the Dallas Cowboys upset the New York Giants, an ad was run showing two devices that appear to be a new Kindle e-reader and the Kindle Fire, Amazon's 7-inch tablet. It is not clear if the airing of the commercial on NBC was a mistake. [ABC News]

Lady Gaga's famous meat dress is on the edge of glory. The garment is heading to Washington, D.C., to be displayed at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The dress, worn at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, was dried and painted to "restore its raw meat color." The eccentric musician said she wore the costume as a political statement, donning it while accompanied by U.S. soldiers affected by the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation against gays in the military. She said if Americans don't stand up for their rights, they'll have as much liberty as a piece of meat. [Associated Press]

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