10 things you need to know today: March 17, 2015

1. Netanyahu says no Palestinian state if he wins on Tuesday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, trailing in the polls as parliamentary elections began Tuesday, made a last-minute appeal to hawkish right-wing voters by saying there would be no Palestinian state as long as he remained in office. His main rival, Isaac Herzog of the center-left Zionist Union, wants to restart peace talks and favors a two-state solution. High turnout was expected. By 10 a.m., 13.7 percent of the nearly 6 million eligible voters had cast ballots, up 20 percent from the last two elections.

The New York Times Haaretz

2. HBO confession had nothing to do with Durst's arrest, Los Angeles police chief says

Los Angeles Police Chief Kirk Albanese said Monday that the arrest of New York real-estate heir Robert Durst on suspicion of murder had nothing to do with an HBO documentary in which Durst muttered that he "killed them all" while in a bathroom with a hot microphone. Los Angeles prosecutors filed a murder charge against Durst, accusing him of killing family friend Susan Berman in 2000 because she witnessed a crime. Durst also faces new weapons charges in New Orleans, where he was arrested over the weekend.

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Los Angeles Times CNN

3. U.S. crude prices tumble again

The price of West Texas crude oil, a U.S. benchmark, dropped to a six-year low on Monday, signaling the potential for another decline in gasoline prices. West Texas crude, which peaked at $107.23 a barrel in June, fell as low as $42.85 per barrel before settling at $43.88, a daily decline of 2.1 percent. Gas prices hit nearly $2 a gallon nationally in January before increasing by nearly 25 percent, but analysts say cheaper oil could drag them back down near multi-year lows again.

USA Today

4. Apple is reportedly planning its own online TV service

Edging closer to its goal of a streaming online TV service, Apple is in talks to launch what appears to be a cable-cutter version of basic cable, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing unidentified "people familiar with the matter." The service, with a prospective launch in the fall, would offer people with iOS devices and Apple TV boxes about 25 channels for maybe $30 to $40 a month. Apple is in talks with the parent stations of CBS, ABC, and Fox, but not NBC Universal-owner Comcast.

The Wall Street Journal RT

5. 24 confirmed dead after Cyclone Pam slams Vanuatu

The death toll from Cyclone Pam climbed in the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu on Monday, as at least two dozen people were confirmed dead. The powerful storm, with winds of more than 150 miles per hour, ravaged structures from small houses to the capital's airport terminal. At least 33,000 people were driven from damaged or destroyed homes, and thousands wound up in 37 evacuation centers. "It will still take some time before we really understand the full extent of the damage," a Red Cross official, Aurélia Balpe, said.

NBC News

6. Oregon adopts nation's first automatic voter-registration law

Oregon became the first state to automatically register voters when Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed legislation requiring the state to send a ballot to every unregistered adult who has interacted with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles since 2013. New voters must receive their ballots at least 20 days before the next election. Oregon already has one of the highest voter registration rates in the nation (73 percent). About 2.2 million people are already registered in the state. The new law is expected to add 300,000 more.

The Associated Press MSNBC

7. Federal judge reaffirms contested gay marriage ruling in Alabama

The legal battle over gay marriage in Alabama intensified on Monday, when U.S. District Judge Callie Granade told Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis to comply with her order to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Granade, who earlier found a state ban overwhelmingly approved by voters to be unconstitutional, refused to stay her ruling despite an opposing order from the state's all-Republican Supreme Court telling probate judges not to issue licenses to gay couples.

Reuters

8. State Department and White House counter Kerry's suggestion on Assad

Obama administration officials backed away from Secretary of State John Kerry's suggestion that the U.S. might negotiate with embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the U.S. recognized that representatives of Assad's government would have to participate in any talks aiming to end the country's civil war, but that "it would not be and would never be — and it wasn't what Secretary Kerry was intending to imply — that that would be Assad himself."

Reuters

9. Rookie L.A. police officer wanted in connection with murder

Los Angeles authorities issued a warrant for the arrest of a rookie city police officer, Henry Solis, who is a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man, Salome Rodriguez, in an area full of popular night spots. Salome was shot near a restaurant and ran, bleeding, for a block before collapsing in a parking lot. Police say Solis "knows he is wanted" and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Los Angeles Times

10. 49ers rookie Chris Borland retires over concussion concerns

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland announced Monday that he was retiring after just one promising season due to his concerns over long-term damage from concussions. Borland, 24, said he made the decision after reading research on potential brain damage from head trauma in football, and discussing the issue with experts, fellow players, and his family. "I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland said. "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk."

ESPN