10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2016

1. Clinton, Trump face off in contentious first debate

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump clashed Monday night in the first of three scheduled presidential debates, with Trump trying to pin blame for chronic problems facing the U.S. on Clinton while she put him on the defensive with a poised and well-prepared performance. Clinton denounced Trump as racially insensitive, accused him of "stiffing" small businesses that did work for him, and said he was resisting calls to release his tax returns because he had something to hide. Trump derided Clinton as a "typical politician" and said she had failed to affect positive change in 30 years in public life. The debate, which was expected to draw as many as 100 million viewers, was considered crucial, as it came as polls show the candidates nearly tied.

The Washington Post The Associated Press

2. Snap polls give debate win to Clinton

The first polls on Monday night found that most viewers believed that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won her first presidential debate against Donald Trump. Public Policy Polling's post-debate survey found that 51 percent of voters nationally said Clinton won, while 40 percent favored Trump. In a CNN/ORC snap poll, 62 percent said Clinton won, while 27 percent said her Republican rival had a better night. Republican pollster Frank Luntz had a focus group of undecided voters watch the debate for CBS News, and the group named Clinton the victor 16 to 5. "This is a good night for Hillary Clinton, it is not a good night for Donald Trump," Luntz said, "but there is still time and there are still undecided voters."

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Public Policy Polling CNN

3. Colombia and rebels sign peace deal

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by its Spanish acronym, FARC), a Marxist rebel group, signed a historic peace agreement in Cartagena on Monday night. The deal still must be approved in an Oct. 2 referendum. If it passes, as expected, the rebels will give their weapons to United Nations observers within six months and form a political party. The accord, which came after four years of talks in Cuba, ends 52 years of fighting between government forces and the South American country's largest rebel group. The war left more than 220,000 people dead and has driven millions out of their homes.

The Associated Press Reuters

4. Gunman injures 9 in Houston shooting

A man shot and injured six people, one critically, at a Houston shopping mall on Monday before being fatally shot by police. Another three people were injured by flying glass or debris. Authorities identified the alleged gunman as a disgruntled lawyer, Nathan DeSai. Law enforcement officials said DeSai had a .45-caliber pistol, and was wearing what appeared to be a vintage military uniform with Nazi emblems. Police also reportedly found a long gun and ammunition in DeSai's car.

Houston Chronicle New York Daily News

5. Murders rose sharply in 2015, new FBI data shows

The number of murders in the U.S. jumped by 10.8 percent last year, the biggest one-year percentage increase since 1971, according to data released Monday by the FBI. The bulk of the increase was due to a rise in murders of black men, with at least 900 more black men killed in 2015 than in 2014. In 2015, 71.5 percent of murders were committed with guns, up from 67.9 percent in 2014. The increase put the total murders in the U.S. at 15,696, just shy of 2009's number — but still just half of the total in 1991, the peak of a violent crime wave.

The Guardian

6. Jury selection begins in Dylann Roof church massacre trial

Jury selection began Monday in the federal trial of Dylann Roof for the fatal shootings of nine black parishioners at a historic Charleston, South Carolina, church in June 2015. About 320 potential jurors reported to the federal courthouse as the process got underway. Roof, who is white, also faces hate-crime and obstruction of religion charges in connection with the massacre, which occurred during a bible study session at Emanuel AME Church.

The Associated Press

7. Police say Washington state mall shooting suspect confesses

Washington state mall shooting suspect Arcan Cetin has confessed to the attack, police said Monday. Cetin was formally charged on Monday with five counts of murder. Authorities said Cetin was born in Turkey and is a legal permanent resident of the U.S. The FBI is still trying to pin down a motive for the shooting spree, and one official said it was too early to rule out terrorism, although there was no evidence linking Cetin to any terror group.

CNN

8. Iowa town residents evacuate as deadly floodwaters crest

Local authorities ordered the evacuation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday as the city braced for the swollen Cedar River to crest early Tuesday. Flooding threatens parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, and many areas are under evacuation orders and curfews. Flooding has already killed two people in Wisconsin, and Iowa authorities warned the danger had not yet subsided. "It's crunch time in Cedar Rapids," Mayor Ron Corbett said at a press conference Monday. "The next 48 hours will be the most critical."

Des Moines Register CNN

9. NASA announces new evidence of water plumes on Europa

NASA announced Monday that its Hubble Space Telescope had found more evidence of "water plumes" on the surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa. If the finding is confirmed, scientists will have a way to study Europa's massive subsurface ocean without having to drill through miles of hard ice to get there. Europa's ocean has two times the amount of water Earth's oceans have, which NASA says makes it "one of the most promising places that could potentially harbor life in the solar system."

NASA Ars Technica

10. Marlins mourn late pitching ace Jose Fernandez

The Miami Marlins honored Jose Fernandez in an emotional ceremony on the mound Monday night before their first game since the 24-year-old star pitcher and two friends were killed in a Sunday morning boating accident. Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon hit a lead-off homerun in the team's first plate appearance since Fernandez's death, and fought tears as he rounded the bases. The Marlins also announced that they were retiring Fernandez's jersey. "No one will wear No. 16 again," owner Jeffrey Loria said.

USA Today CNN