10 things you need to know today: April 14, 2023

1. Guardsman arrested in connection with leaked classified documents

Federal authorities on Thursday arrested a suspect in the recent leak of secret Pentagon documents that included sensitive information, like Ukraine war maps and assessments of Russia's war effort. The suspect, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Teixeira was arrested in the southeastern Massachusetts town of Dighton. Teixeira reportedly served in a junior position but had access to the Joint Worldwide Intelligence System, an internal Defense Department computer network for top secret information, The Washington Post reported, citing a U.S. official familiar with the matter. It wasn't immediately clear what level of security clearance Teixeira had, but his access would have let him read and print some secret documents.

The Washington Post The New York Times

2. Florida approves 6-week abortion ban

Florida lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation banning abortion six weeks into a pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. The 70-40 vote in the Republican-controlled state House fell largely along party lines. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) promptly signed it into law. The near-total six-week ban will only take effect if the Florida Supreme Court rejects a pending challenge to the state's existing 15-week ban. Bill sponsor Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R) said the legislation lets Florida "lead the nation on protecting life." Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, said the approval of the bill would likely prompt women contemplating abortions to rush to have the procedure before it's too late.

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Orlando Sentinel CNN

3. Report: Thomas didn't disclose property sale to GOP donor

One of Texas billionaire and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow's companies bought several Savannah, Georgia, properties from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives in 2014, ProPublica reported Thursday. The company then became the landlord of Thomas' elderly mother, who lived in a one-story, two-bedroom house. Soon after the sale, the company spent tens of thousands of dollars renovating the house, repairing the roof and carport, and installing a new fence and gates. A post-Watergate federal disclosure law requires officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose most real estate sales, but Thomas didn't disclose the sales to Crow, a friend who has treated Thomas and his wife, Ginni, to luxury vacations for years, according to ProPublica.

ProPublica

4. Biden administration to expand DACA recipients' health-care access

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a proposal to expand access to health coverage to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The plan would change the definition of people lawfully in the country to include DACA recipients to expand their access to Affordable Care Act and Medicaid coverage. The change would let DACA recipients apply for coverage through state Medicaid agencies and in the health insurance marketplace. "It's the right thing to do and reflects President Biden's continued recognition of DACA recipients' dignity and contributions to our nation," said Maribel Hernández Rivera, an American Civil Liberties Union deputy national political director.

NPR

5. French workers protest ahead of decision on pension reform legality

Hundreds of thousands of people protested across France ahead of a Constitutional Council verdict expected Friday on the legality of President Emmanuel Macron's widely unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Trade unionists and striking workers stormed the Paris headquarters of luxury goods company LVMH, maker of the Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands, which is owned by the richest person in the world, Bernard Arnault. "You're looking for money to finance pensions? Take it from the pockets of billionaires," said the Sud Rail trade unionist Fabien Villedieu at LVMH headquarters, as the offices filled with red smoke from flares. Demonstrators set fires in Rennes, and clashed with police in Nantes, a protest hot spot.

The Guardian France24

6. Judge sentences Capitol officer to house arrest over messages to rioter

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Thursday sentenced retired U.S. Capitol Police officer Michael Riley to 120 days of home arrest for advising a Jan. 6 rioter to take down Facebook posts about storming the Capitol. Riley told the rioter, Jacob Hiles, who was a boat captain Riley knew from Facebook, to remove the posts. Riley said he agreed with Hiles' "political stance" but warned him to remove mention of being in the Capitol because everyone who illegally entered "is going to be charged. Just looking out!" Riley was convicted of obstruction of justice because he deleted the messages he exchanged with Hiles when he found out Hiles was talking to the FBI. He apologized and called his actions "stupid and reckless."

NBC News

7. North Korea confirms test launch of solid-fuel missile

North Korea said Friday it had launched its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile using solid fuel. South Korea detected the launch a day earlier from near Pyongyang, the latest in a string of more than 100 missiles launched by the North since early 2022. A successful test of a solid-fuel missile would mark a breakthrough for North Korea. Rockets powered by solid fuel take less time to prepare than those with liquid-fuel systems, which require complicated prelaunch preparations, including the injection of fuel, that the U.S. and its allies can detect and target. Analysts said developing a successful solid-fuel ICBM would give North Korea a harder-to-detect weapon that could reach the continental United States.

Yonhap News Agency The Associated Press

8. Snyders reach deal to sell Washington Commanders for record $6 billion

Washington Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder reached a preliminary deal on Thursday to sell the NFL team for the highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise. A group led by Josh Harris, already a co-owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, has agreed in principle to pay $6.05 billion for the Commanders, multiple media outlets reported, citing people familiar with the deal. A sale would need the approval of three-quarters of the professional football league's owners. The bid by Harris' group, which includes Magic Johnson, exceeded the previous record price for an NFL team of $4.65 billion, which a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton paid for the Denver Broncos in August.

ESPN CBS Sports

9. Fort Lauderdale airport closed due to flooding after record rainfall

Fort Lauderdale's airport was closed through early Friday after the South Florida city was drenched in its rainiest day on record Wednesday. The 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event caused a flood emergency across Broward County. Drivers trapped by high water had to abandon cars. School officials had to cancel classes. And emergency crews had to rescue people from flooded areas. Much of the region got more than a foot of rain, with Fort Lauderdale recording 25.9 inches in 24 hours, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service's Miami office. Lighter rain continued on Thursday, adding to the flooding danger.

CNN

10. Trump questioned for 7 hours in N.Y. attorney general's lawsuit over business practices

Former President Donald Trump answered questions under oath for seven hours on Thursday in his second deposition for New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit over his property company's business practices. James claims in her lawsuit that Trump and his family's business misled banks about the value of his properties and his net worth. The case is unrelated to recent criminal charges Trump faces over hush money payments to a porn star. In his first appearance, in August, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination 400 times. On Thursday, Trump described "in detail his extraordinary business success," a lawyer for his businesses, Christopher Hise, said.

The Associated Press The New York Times