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HeadlinesJuly 06, 2022

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Death Toll in Highland Park July 4th Parade Massacre Rises to 7

Jul 06, 2022

In Highland Park, Illinois, the death toll in Monday’s mass shooting at the city’s July Fourth parade has risen to seven. The dead include a married couple, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, who attended the parade with their 2-year-old son Aiden, who was found wandering alone after the shooting. The boy’s father died as he tried to protect his son from the rooftop sniper, who fired 70 rounds at parade-goers. Nine shooting victims remain hospitalized.

On Tuesday, authorities filed seven counts of first-degree murder against the suspected gunman, a 21-year-old resident of Highland Park named Robert Crimo. Police also acknowledged they had visited the man’s house twice in 2019, first after a suicide attempt and then when he threatened to “kill everyone.” This is Chris Covelli, a spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Chris Covelli: “The second occurred in September of 2019. A family member reported that Crimo said he was going to kill everyone, and Crimo had a collection of knives. The police responded to his residence. The police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from Crimo’s home. At that time, there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims. The Highland Park Police Department, however, did immediately notify the Illinois State Police of the incident.”

Police say over the next three years the suspected gunman legally purchased five firearms even though the Illinois State Police had been notified about the police visits.

Kamala Harris Calls for Renewal of Assault Weapons Ban

Jul 06, 2022

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Highland Park. She also addressed the National Education Association convention in Chicago, where she called on Congress to renew the assault weapons ban.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “There is no reason that we have weapons of war on the streets of America. We need reasonable gun safety laws.”

Mississippi and Florida Abortion Bans OK’d by State Courts

Jul 06, 2022

In reproductive rights news, Mississippi’s near total ban on abortion is set to go into effect on Thursday, after a judge rejected a challenge by Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Meanwhile, Florida’s 15-week abortion ban has been reinstated after it was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a state judge.

Georgia Grand Jury Subpoenas Seven Trump Allies Including Giuliani, Graham & Eastman

Jul 06, 2022

A grand jury in Georgia probing Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election has subpoenaed seven Trump advisers and allies, including Rudy Giuliani, Senator Lindsey Graham and the attorneys John Eastman and Jenna Ellis. The Fulton County district attorney launched the probe after The Washington Post reported Trump had called Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, and urged him to “find 11,780 votes.”

Meanwhile, the House January 6 committee has announced it will hold its next hearing on Tuesday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Eastern. The hearing is expected to look in part at the far-right groups that attacked the U.S. Capitol at the urging of former President Trump.

Ukraine Urges 350,000 to Flee Donetsk as Russia Intensifies Attacks

Jul 06, 2022

In news from Ukraine, the governor of the eastern province of Donetsk has urged more than 350,000 residents to evacuate as Russian forces attack areas across the region. Russia is focusing its assault on Donetsk after taking full control of the neighboring Luhansk region. The two areas make up what’s known as the Donbas region. Residents in Donetsk have reported coming under intense shelling.

Natalya Koreneva: “They’re shelling everywhere now. But I don’t really want to leave my home behind. I have a child. I hope someday this will stop. I hope for peace. I hope they stop shelling, that we can move around the city calmly, walk around, and go to the sea one day.”

Report: Russian Military Deploys Heavy Artillery Batteries at Ukrainian Nuclear Plant

Jul 06, 2022

The Wall Street Journal reports the Russian military is turning Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, into a military base by deploying heavy artillery batteries and laying anti-personnel landmines. Officials say Russia is using the nuclear plant as a base for its artillery knowing that Ukraine can’t attack a nuclear power plant without risking a nuclear disaster. Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear plant in Europe.

Two U.K. Cabinet Ministers Resign in Latest Blow to Boris Johnson

Jul 06, 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered another major political setback on Tuesday when two senior cabinet ministers resigned: Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid. The resignations came as Johnson faces increasing criticism for promoting a member of the Conservative Party who was accused of groping two men. On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson admitted that Johnson had been briefed in 2019 about the sexual abuse allegations but claimed that he had forgotten about the complaints.

Schools Remains Closed in Sri Lanka Amid Devastating Economic & Energy Crisis

Jul 06, 2022

A growing economic crisis and gas shortage in Sri Lanka has forced the nation to keep its schools shut for another week because there is not enough gas for students and teachers to travel to school. Authorities have also announced plans to cut electricity by up to three hours a day because the country does not have enough fuel. Sri Lanka is also facing a dire shortage of food and medicine. On Tuesday, Sri Lanka announced it will stop printing money as inflation is expected to reach 60% this year.

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man Near Jenin Amid Raids Across West Bank

Jul 06, 2022

The Israeli military conducted large-scale raids across the occupied West Bank today, detaining at least 42 Palestinians. Israeli forces shot dead a 20-year-old man named Rafiq Riyad Ghannam during a raid in the village of Jaba, near Jenin. This comes just three days after Israeli forces shot dead 18-year-old Palestinian Kamel Alawneh in the same village.

Police in Europe Arrest 130 on Charges of Human Smuggling

Jul 06, 2022

In Europe, police in at least five countries have arrested about 130 suspects accused of being involved in smuggling people across the English Channel to the United Kingdom. Raids were conducted on Tuesday in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.K. This is Marco Ellermann, a police spokesperson in the German city of Osnabrück.

Marco Ellermann: “Hundreds of police and special forces have been in action this morning in many countries, not just in Germany, but also in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The aim of these raids was to counteract an international human trafficking ring and to disrupt it.”

Turkey Intensifies Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Pride Marches

Jul 06, 2022

In Turkey, police fired tear gas and pepper spray at an LGBTQ+ Pride march Tuesday in Ankara. At least 36 people were arrested. Last week Turkish authorities broke up a larger Pride march, detaining more than 350 people.

Four Cabinet Ministers Resign in Ecuador Following Indigenous-Led Protests

Jul 06, 2022

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has accepted the resignation of four cabinet ministers in the latest fallout from last month’s Indigenous-led protests decrying Lasso’s economic policies. The resignations include Lasso’s economic and health ministers.

Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Men Detained After 9/11

Jul 06, 2022

In Washington, the Justice Department has agreed to a $98,000 settlement with a group of six Muslim, Arab and South Asian men who were rounded up after the September 11 attacks and held in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. As part of the settlement, the director of the Bureau of Prisons wrote a letter to the men acknowledging that they were “held in excessively restrictive and unduly harsh conditions of confinement.” The letter also admitted that a number of the men were physically and verbally abused by officers at the jail. The agreement settles a lawsuit brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Judge Tosses Trump-Era Changes to Endangered Species Act

Jul 06, 2022

A federal judge in California has thrown out Trump-era changes that weakened the Endangered Species Act by allowing regulators to factor in economic considerations when granting “endangered” status. The ruling came in a case brought by Earthjustice, the Sierra Club and conservation groups. An attorney for the Sierra Club said, “In the midst of a global extinction crisis, the court’s decision to vacate the rules will help ensure that imperiled species receive the protections they desperately need.”

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