10 things you need to know today: June 11, 2016

1.

Mitt Romney maintained his opposition to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on Friday. Speaking at his annual ideas summit in Utah, the 2012 GOP candidate told CNN's Wolf Blitzer a Trump presidency would change the country's moral character for the worse. "Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation," Romney said, "and trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry, trickle-down misogyny, all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America." Romney added he may vote for the Libertarian Party ticket this November.

2.

President Obama on Friday authorized the Pentagon to order additional airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan. While previously bombing campaigns were approved to assist American forces or "prevent major overruns of Afghan troops," the new, looser rules will allow strikes to support significant Afghan army offensives. American troops will also be permitted to join Afghan soldiers in combat once again, a marked departure from Obama's longstanding promise to end the war in Afghanistan during his presidency.

3.

Google defended itself Friday against allegations stemming from a viral video by SourceFed that it manipulates search results to repress information which could harm Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The video argues that Google's autocomplete function favors less popular but more favorable search terms, suggesting options like "Hillary Clinton Indiana" over the more-searched "Hillary Clinton indictment." Google executive Tamar Yehoshua wrote in a blog post that the autocomplete filters out "offensive, hurtful or inappropriate queries about people...no matter who the person is."

4.

Fighters aligned with Libya's U.N.-supported Government of National Accord announced Friday they successfully took the Libyan port city of Sirte, which has for months been a primary base of Islamic State operations in the war-torn North African nation. ISIS established a presence in Libya in 2014, taking advantage of the power vacuum left by the ouster of strongman Moammar Gadhafi, but it has failed to capture substantial territory outside of the now-reclaimed Sirte.

5.

Several high-profile political consultants have joined a burgeoning campaign to remove California Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over the Stanford rape case and assigned defendant Brock Turner just six months in prison after he was convicted on three counts of felony sexual assault against an unconscious woman. More than 1 million people have signed petitions calling for Persky to lose his seat. Their effort is now assisted by a trio of consultants including Joe Trippi, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Democrats Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean.

6.

Singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot while signing autographs following a concert in Orlando, Florida, Friday evening. She was 22 years old. After opening fire on the former contestant of The Voice, the gunman killed himself while he was tackled by Grimmie's brother. Grimmie, who initially rose to prominence thanks to a fan base of millions on YouTube, was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and her publicist confirmed Saturday morning she "has passed and went home to be with the Lord."

7.

The House of Representatives voted Friday to nix a decision by the Library of Congress to use the terms "noncitizen" and "unauthorized immigration" in its publications. In a vote split along party lines, the Republican majority ordered the library to continue using the term "illegal alien" because that is the language currently employed by the federal code. The library proposed the change — which congressional Democrats hailed as a step toward the right side of history — on the grounds that "illegal alien" has "become pejorative."

8.

Two unpublished academic studies report the discovery of "super bacteria" in waters off the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Olympic swimming events are due to be held this summer. The preparation for Brazil to play Olympic host has been fraught with concerns that the South American country's sewage-tainted water is unsafe for visiting athletes. According to one of the studies, the bacteria discovered can produce infections which lead to death in as much as 50 percent of affected patients.

9.

Former President Bill Clinton and actor Billy Crystal eulogized boxer Muhammad Ali Friday evening at a memorial attended by tens of thousands in Louisville, Kentucky. Clinton called Ali the "universal soldier for our common humanity," praising his determination and faith. After a wisecrack about the length of the service, Crystal described Ali as "a tremendous bolt of lightning...a fantastic combination of power and beauty" who "struck us in the middle of America's darkest night."

10.

Malia Obama graduated from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., on Friday with her family in attendance. President Obama declined the opportunity to speak at the occasion, choosing instead to keep a low profile which another graduate's mother described as being "just a total dad." Malia will attend Harvard University after taking a gap year.