10 things you need to know today: June 11, 2012

The commerce secretary is under investigation, Once sweeps the Tonys, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

Steve Kazee holds his Tony Award that he won for best actor for his role in the play "Once" on June 10.
(Image credit: Walter McBride /Retna Ltd./CORBIS)

1. COMMERCE SECRETARY BEING INVESTIGATED FOR HIT-AND-RUN

John Bryson, the secretary of commerce, is under investigation for allegedly crashing his car into two other vehicles in Los Angeles on Saturday and leaving the scene. According to a police statement, Bryson rear-ended one vehicle and hit another with his Lexus at a railroad crossing and then drove away. Only minor injuries were reported. Bryson then allegedly caused another accident in a nearby city and was later "found alone and unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle." While the investigation is still in its early stages, police say drugs and alcohol do not appear to involved. [CBS News]

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2. ONCE WINS EIGHT TONY AWARDS

The bittersweet Irish love story Once was the big winner at Sunday night's Tony Awards; the musical won eight Tonys, including best musical and best actor for star Steve Kazee. The Peter Pan prequel Peter and the Starcatcher won five Tonys, the most of any nonmusical play. Like Once, it's been lauded for its inventive, lo-fi staging and ensemble of lesser-known actors amid the big-budget, celeb-filled productions lining Broadway. Director Mike Nichols won for his staging of Death of a Salesman, taking home his seventh Tony. [New York Times]

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3. MARKETS UP ON SPAIN BAILOUT

Stock markets are surging Monday after eurozone finance ministers agreed to lend Spain as much as €100 billion ($125 billion) to help the country's troubled banking sector. Spain has not yet said how much of that great sum it will require. Analysts caution that today's rally could be short-lived and that Europe still has plenty of money problems to contend with. [Associated Press]

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4. JERRY SANDUSKY TRIAL TO BEGIN

Opening statements in the case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are set to begin Monday. Sandusky has been charged with 52 criminal counts, alleging that he sexually abused 10 boys over a period of 15 years. [Associated Press]

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5. EGYPT'S MUBARAK IN 'FULL COMA'

A spokesman for Egypt's Interior Ministry says the country's former leader, Hosni Mubarak, entered into a "full coma" on Monday. Mubarak is in a prison hospital after being sentenced to life in prison for killing pro-democracy activists during last year's Arab Spring protests. His sons have requested that they be allowed to be at the 84-year-old's bedside, and a prison authority has agreed to allow it. [CNN]

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6. APPLE ANNUAL CONFERENCE KICKS OFF

The tech world is buzzing with anticipation and rumors as to what Apple CEO Tim Cook will announce at the start of the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) Monday. The iPhone 4 was introduced at the WWDC in 2010; this year it's expected that Apple will unveil new iPhone software and Mac computers. While there's been a lot of chatter about Apple introducing its own TV set, few expect that to happen. [Associated Press]

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7. POLICE SEARCH FOR AUBURN SHOOTING SUSPECT

The manhunt continues for Desmonte Leonard, 22, the Alabama man suspected of shooting and killing three people and wounding three others at a party near Auburn University on Saturday. Two former football players were among the slain, and one of the wounded is a current football player. Auburn is known for its football team and won the national championship in 2010, but police say the shooting does not appear to be connected to the team. [Associated Press]

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8. WILDFIRES IN N.M., COLO. FORCE EVACUATIONS

Hundreds have been forced to evacuate as rapidly spreading wildfires ravage Colorado and New Mexico. Blazes in Colorado have destroyed more than 30 square miles in two days, and one person is missing and thought to be dead. In New Mexico, wildfires near Ruidoso tripled in size over the weekend, demolishing 40 buildings. [ABC News]

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9. GORDON BROWN TESTIFIES AGAINST MURDOCH

Britain's former Prime Minister Gordon Brown testified against Rupert Murdoch's media empire on Monday as part of an ongoing media ethics inquiry in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Brown said that The Sun, a Murdoch-owned tabloid, made a number of false claims and personally attacked him in its coverage of the war in Afghanistan. Current Prime Minister David Cameron is set to testify next Thursday, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair has already taken the stand. [Associated Press, CNN]

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10. SCIENTISTS FIND HUGE ALGAE BLOOM IN ARCTIC

NASA scientists have found a 62-mile stretch of phytoplankton under Arctic ice in an area above Alaska. Researchers previously assumed that the ice blocked the sunlight needed for such plants to grow; instead, they found four times as much algae under the ice as in ice-free waters. The discovery is being likened to "finding the Amazon rainforest in the middle of the Mojave Desert." [CNN]

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