10 Things to Know for Today 5-01

5/1/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Severe-Weather-Alabama-1

    Howard Lifson rides his tractor down Ferry Road to check on his boat during flooding on the Fish River which crested to historic levels following heavy rain on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 in south Baldwin County, Ala. (AP Photo/ AL.com, Sharon Steinmann)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

  • Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

    1. BOTCHED EXECUTION MAY STIR CHALLENGES TO CRUEL, UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT

    While Oklahoma’s case might not be enough to bring the issue before the Supreme Court, a national pattern of mishaps could.

    2. MERKEL TO FOCUS ON UKRAINE IN VISIT TO WASHINGTON

    The German chancellor and Obama could smooth over differences over the NSA’s spy programs with a show of unity on the Ukrainian crisis.

    3. WHERE THE RAIN SENT PEOPLE RUNNING TO THE ATTIC_OR THE ROOF

    Pensacola, Florida, records its single rainiest day ever_nearly 2 feet in 24 hours_catching hundreds off guard, some of whom had to swim for help.

    4. SHARP RISE IN MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTS

    The Pentagon’s campaign to get more victims to speak up is working--but officials want more men to come forward and seek help if they have been assaulted.

    5. GERRY ADAMS ARRESTED IN DECADES-OLD KILLING

    The reputed ex-Irish Republican Army commander faces questioning in connection with the 1972 execution of a woman suspected of spying for the British.

    6. WHO’S THINKING OF BUYING LA CLIPPERS

    Oprah isn’t the only one shopping for something that won’t fit under a chair if Donald Sterling is compelled to sell the team.

    7. ROB FORD TAKING LEAVE

    The Toronto mayor needs time off to seek help for substance abuse, his lawyer says.

    8. WHAT’S BEHIND 40 PERCENT OF NYC SHOOTINGS

    As gangs thin out, crews spring up, in the form of violent bands of dozens of 12- to 20-year-olds that members see as the family they never had, and one investigator likens to an “evil fraternity.”

    9. FORMER MAD MAGAZINE EDITOR DIES AT 88

    Al Feldstein helped assemble a pool of artists and writers who turned out such enduring features as “Spy vs. Spy” and “The Lighter Side of...”

    10. BRUNEI STARTS TO PHASE IN SHARIAH

    The tiny Asian nation will use a version of Islamic criminal law that allows amputations for stealing and stoning for adultery, a move Human Rights Watch calls a “huge step backward.”