10 Things

10 Things to Know Today

by The Associated Press

Sarah Thomas hired as first NFL female official; bystander who got video of cop shooting man in the back comes forward; Boston bomber convicted and more national and international news for Thursday, April 9, 2015.

1. SOUTH CAROLINA MAN WHO CAUGHT FATAL POLICE SHOOTING ON CAMERA COMES FORWARD

Feidin Santana tells NBC News that he was walking to work when he came upon the officer who fired eight shots at the back of an unarmed black man as he ran away.

2. JURY CONVICTS TSARNAEV ON ALL CHARGES IN BOSTON BOMBING

The defense strategy will be to try to save the defendant's life in the upcoming penalty phase by arguing he fell under his older brother's evil influence.

3. VEIL PARTLY LIFTED ON SHADOWY CELLPHONE SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT

An officer, taking the stand in a criminal trial, says police in Baltimore have used the technology — which the Obama administration has aggressively tried to keep secret — thousands of times.

4. RAND PAUL QUIZZED ON ABORTION

In an interview with the AP, the GOP presidential hopeful will not say where, in his view, a pregnant woman's rights begin and those of the fetus end.

5. ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS OVERRUN REFUGEE CAMP IN SYRIA

Heavy clashes continue in the beleaguered camp as the extremists look to establish a presence in Damascus.

6. WHERE US SEES CHANCE TO EXPAND ITS INFLUENCE

The Obama administration believes there's a potential political and economic void in the Caribbean left by Venezuela's scaled-back oil diplomacy.

7. DISEASE RAMPANT IN PRISONS IN WAR-TORN EAST UKRAINE

The principal scourge is tuberculosis, which spreads prodigiously in jails and develops into hard-to-treat forms unless properly addressed.

8. WHY SHORT PEOPLE HAVE MORE RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Researchers have discovered genes that govern height also seem to affect cholesterol, especially in men.

9. NOT YOUR TYPICAL TEEN

Malia Obama's driving lessons? Provided by the Secret Service, her mother says.

10. WHO'S BLAZING TRAIL IN NFL

Sarah Thomas, who in 2007 became the first woman to officiate college games, has been hired as the pro league's first full-time female game official.