The 10 most important things in the world right now
1. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel is secretly funding Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker, according to a new report in Forbes.
2. US and Japanese warships are keeping a close eye on Chinese navy drills. A Chinese naval strike group recently conducted a 48-hour non-stop combat drill in the Pacific Ocean.
3. Monsanto rejected a $62 billion takeover offer from Bayer. "The current proposal significantly undervalues our company," Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant said in a statement.
4. Security-software company Blue Coat Systems is close to kicking off an initial public offering. The deal would be the largest US tech-sector IPO of the year, and a big step toward the market's comeback.
5. The president of the world's largest Baptist college has reportedly been fired for failing to investigate sexual assaults. Kenneth Starr became the 14th president of Baylor University in 2010.
6. The European Union is set to unveil proposals Wednesday to make firms lift international barriers for Internet shoppers, as well as force streaming companies to accept quotas for European movies and TV shows.
7. The man accused of killing nine people in a South Carolina church could face the death penalty. Dylann Roof is accused of killing nine black parishioners in a racially motivated attack at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.
8. Grizzlies and polar bears are increasingly mating for an alarming reason. The bears would rather mate with a different kind of bear than not mate at all, The Washington Post reports.
9. Twitter has confirmed plans to exclude photos, videos, and @names from its 140-character tweet limit, giving users more freedom to write longer messages.
10. Protests outside a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico turned violent Tuesday night. Demonstrators threw burning T-shirts, plastic bottles, and other items at police officers
And finally ...