10 things you need to know today: July 5, 2012

Mitt Romney now says he agrees with the Supreme Court&#039;s decision that the individual mandate outlined under the President Obama&#039;s Affordable Care Act, does in fact amount to a tax.

(Image credit: REUTERS/Benjamin Myers)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. ROMNEY MAKES U-TURN ON HEALTH MANDATE AS TAX

In an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Mitt Romney declared President Obama's health mandate a tax, saying "the Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation, and it said that it's a tax, so it's a tax." The comment has drawn criticism given that Romney's chief spokesman and senior strategist said earlier in the week that Romney did not think that the mandate should be considered a tax. His new stance also more closely aligns him with the dominant Republican viewpoint on health care. It could open him up to further criticism in the run-up to November, given that as governor of Massachusetts Romney oversaw a health care plan that required nearly every resident to get health insurance or pay a penalty. [New York Times]

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A Pakistani official says the first NATO truck carrying supplies to troops in Afghanistan crossed Pakistan's border Thursday after a seven-month-long closure of supply routes. Pakistan closed the routes in response to an American drone strike in November that left 24 Pakistani troops dead. The blockade forced the U.S. to make longer, more costly trips through the former Soviet Union. After months of negotiations, Pakistan reopened the supply routes this week after Hillary Clinton apologized for the November deaths. The U.S. could save hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the route's reopening. [Associated Press]

In Mexico, election authorities say they will recount votes cast in Sunday's presidential elections. The recount will affect more than half of the 143,132 polling stations. Enrique Pena Nieto of the old guard PRI party had been declared the winner, but authorities have found inconsistencies in the cast ballots, and some people have even alleged that Nieto bought votes. The second place winner, leftist Manuel Lopez Obrador, is leading the charge for the recount. [BBC News]

Japan's nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daichi power plant after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 was a "man-made disaster," according to an "unusually frank" report commissioned by the national parliament. The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission report, which was released Thursday, says the nuclear industry's regulation and promotion are handled by the same government agency, making for a conflict of interest and lax regulation. It also alleges negligence on the part of the operators, in addition to the government and regulators, and blames Japanese culture and its "reflexive obedience" and "reluctance to question authority" for the crisis. [CNN]

After easy quarterfinal victories, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are set to face off in the semifinals at Wimbledon on Friday. It will be the first time that the No. 3 and No. 1 seed, respectively, have played against each other at Wimbledon, and the their first meeting on grass. In the other semifinal, Britain's Andy Murray will face off against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a bid to become the first British man since 1938 to reach the Wimbledon singles final. [New York Times]

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