10 things you need to know today: June 29, 2013

1. NELSON MANDELA'S CONDITION IMPROVES AS OBAMA LANDS IN SOUTH AFRICA

The condition of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is improving, according to his ex-wife Winnie. President Barack Obama, who landed in Johannesburg on Friday, is visiting the spot where Mandela spent 18 years in an apartheid prison, but insisted that he doesn't need a "photo op" with the former South African president. [Reuters]

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2. SNOWDEN'S FATHER PROPOSES DEAL FOR RETURN OF HIS SON

The father of NSA leaker Edward Snowden wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder proposing a deal he said would likely bring his son back to the United States. The conditions included a promise that Snowden remain free prior to the trial, be able to choose his trial location, and not be subject to a gag order. [CNN]

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3. HEAT WAVE BLASTS WESTERN UNITED STATES

Temperatures are expected to climb well above 100 degrees in the Southwest and parts of California, including expected highs of 130 degrees in Death Valley, 118 degrees in Phoenix, and 117 degrees in Las Vegas. Airlines have warned of delays if it becomes too hot to fly. [CBS News]

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4. BUBBLEGUM INTRODUCED AS EVIDENCE IN AARON HERNANDEZ CASE

Prosecutors have introduced new evidence in the murder case of NFL player Aaron Hernandez, including a trail of blue bubblegum found near the scene of the crime. The victim, Odin Lloyd, was found dead in a gravel pit near Hernandez's North Attleborough, Mass., home. [CNN]

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5. EGYPTIAN OFFICIAL WARNS OF CIVIL WAR

Egypt's highest religious authority warned of an impending civil war as fights broke out ahead of massive planned protests. The mostly secular protesters have complained that President Mohamed Morsi is corrupt and incompetent, while those in the Muslim Brotherhood have defended Morsi's presidency. [New York Times]

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6. U.S. ARMY BANS GUARDIAN

The U.S. Army banned its members from reading the website of The Guardian, the publication that broke several stories about the National Security Agency's surveillance program. An Army spokesman confirmed that it had filtered "some access to press coverage and online content about the NSA leaks." [Monterey County Herald]

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7. WOMAN INDICTED IN OBAMA RICIN CASE

Shannon Richardson, 35, was indicted on charges of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The FBI had originally arrested Richardson's former husband, Nathan, before Shannon admitted she had committed the crime. [CBS]

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8. U.K. DEBATES THREE-PARENT BABIES

A medical procedure that combines three people's DNA in one embryo is being debated in England. Genetic material is taken from the egg of a woman with faulty mitochondria, placed into a healthy embryo, and then transferred back to the mother. It is meant to prevent mothers from passing on conditions like muscular dystrophy and epilepsy to their children. [The Telegraph]

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9. GOLD TREASURES FOUND IN 1,200-YEAR-OLD PERUVIAN TOMB

Gold and silver artifacts were discovered in a tomb north of Lima, Peru, belonging to the pre-Inca civilization of the Wari people. More than 1,000 items belonging to 63 people were found, including gold jewelry, silver bowls, and bronze ritual axes. [NBC]

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10. ALEC BALDWIN GOES ON TWITTER RANT

Actor Alec Baldwin was criticized for a series of angry, expletive-filled tweets directed at Daily Mail reporter George Stark, who had reported that Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, was tweeting during the funeral service of the late James Gandolfini. [Entertainment Weekly]