10 things you need to know today: June 26, 2015

The Supreme Court upholds ObamaCare subsidies, suspected Islamists attack gas plant in France, and more

ObamaCare supporters cheer the ruling.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

1. Supreme Court upholds ObamaCare subsidies

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Thursday that Americans could receive ObamaCare subsidies all across the nation, including in states that did not set up their own insurance exchanges. Opponents of the law had argued that the Affordable Care Act only allowed for premium tax credits for people purchasing insurance through exchanges set up by states, so those shopping for coverage in the 34 states using the federal marketplace were not eligible. Eight million people could have lost subsidies if the case had gone the other way.

The Wall Street Journal CNN

2. Suspected Islamists attack gas plant in France

Attackers, one reportedly waving an Islamic State flag, stormed a French factory on Friday, killing at least one person. The apparent terrorist attack near Lyon, France, began when a car carrying two people drove onto the grounds of an industrial-gas plant operated by the U.S. company Air Products, and set off an explosion. News outlets reported that a decapitated body was found at the scene. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls ordered "reinforced vigilance" at "sensitive" sites in the region. One of the suspects was reportedly killed by a firefighter; the other was arrested.

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The New York Times The State

3. Funerals begin for victims of Charleston church massacre

Mourners honored Emanuel AME Church victims Ethel Lance and Sharonda Coleman-Singleton on Thursday in the first funerals for the nine people killed in last week's shooting at the historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects. President Obama travels to Charleston on Friday to deliver a eulogy at the funeral for state Sen. Clementa Pinckney (D), the church's pastor. Pinckney was leading a Bible study group when a white gunman allegedly opened fire.

New York Daily News The State

4. National Park Service bans items with Confederate flag from gift shops

The National Park Service announced Thursday that it was pulling items emblazoned with the rebel flag from its gift shops. The decision applied at the national monument at Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. The fort guarded the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, the South Carolina city where a white gunman last week killed nine people in a storied black church. Apple also joined the growing backlash against the flag, which is embraced by white supremacists, by removing games in which the banner appears from its App Store.

Post and Courier CNN

5. Univision dumps Miss Universe pageant over Trump remarks

Spanish-language television network Univision announced Thursday that it would not air the July 12 Miss Universe pageant on Thursday because of offensive remarks Donald Trump, part owner of the pageant, made about Mexican immigrants. In a speech announcing his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination last week, Trump said Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists." Trump's lawyer said the real estate magnate planned to sue Univision for dropping the pageant.

Reuters

6. State Department says 15 emails missing from records Hillary Clinton turned over

The State Department said Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not turn over all of her emails related to Libya. Longtime Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal gave the House committee investigating the 2012 attack in Benghazi nine emails that the State Department said are not among emails Clinton handed over last year, and six other emails were not complete. A spokesman for Clinton said that she gave the State Department "over 55,000 pages of materials," including "all emails in her possession from Mr. Blumenthal."

The New York Times

7. Fire at black church in North Carolina ruled arson

Investigators concluded Thursday that a fire at a predominantly black church in Charlotte, North Carolina, was caused by arson. It took 75 firefighters an hour to bring the Wednesday blaze at Briar Creek Road Baptist Church under control. Two of the firefighters were treated for heat-related injuries. "This was intentionally set," Charlotte Fire Department Senior Investigator David Williams said. "Now we're asking the public to call us if they have any more information about the fire."

The Washington Post

8. EU agrees to relocate 40,000 migrants

European Union leaders agreed to relocate and shelter 40,000 refugees from north and eastern Africa who have arrived in Italy and Greece. The EU dropped a proposal for a mandatory quota system after several countries objected, and instead will count on host countries to accept the refugees over the next two years on a voluntary basis. European leaders began scrambling for a solution after at least 700 people died when a boat attempting to cross the Mediterranean capsized off Libya in April.

Bloomberg

9. Nine die when sightseeing plane hits Alaska mountain

Nine people were killed Thursday when a sightseeing floatplane crashed into a rock face on a remote part of the southeastern Alaskan coastline. Rain and wind delayed the effort to recover the bodies. Authorities did not immediately identify the victims, other than to confirm that they included a pilot and eight passengers who were tourists on a week-long Holland America cruise that departed from Seattle on Saturday. The tourists were on an excursion to see Alaska's Misty Fjords National Monument.

The Washington Post

10. Timberwolves pick Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1 in NBA draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves kicked off the NBA draft on Thursday by taking 6-foot-11 Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns as the No. 1 pick. The Los Angeles Lakers shook things up by passing up Duke center Jahlil Okafor and grabbing D'Angelo Russell, an Ohio State guard considered a big scoring threat. Okafor went in the third pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks picked Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-1 forward from Latvia, at No. 4. The pool of players was considered to be as talented as any in recent memory.

USA Today The New York Times

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.