No apparent motive in Arkansas shooting, but reaction is 'deeply personal'
The gunman who opened fire at a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Friday, killing four and wounding 10, didn't target anyone and had no known ties to the victims, authorities said. But the police officers in the town of 3,400 who rushed to the scene and ultimately subdued the gunman couldn't have felt more connected. “From the suspect to the victims on the scene, our officers knew everybody personally,” Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hager said. That made this case “very personal and difficult.” Hager said the suspect is expected to be charged with four counts of murder.
East Coast cities continue to heat up, setting new temperature records
The heatwave continued on Sunday, scorching areas along the Mid-Atlantic coast and from Washington, DC, to New York. The National Weather Service classified New York's heat risk as “extreme,” given the high temperatures and the unseasonably early nature of the temperature. Daily temperature records, some of which date back more than 100 years, continue to be broken. Philadelphia recorded 98 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record of 97 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1888. Reading, Pennsylvania, recorded 101 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record of 96 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1908. The Weather Service predicts the heatwave will begin to subside early this week.
District attorney drops charges against most of the students who attended the Columbia University protests
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week dropped most of the 46 cases against pro-Palestinian protesters charged in the April 30 occupation of Columbia University's Hamilton Hall because prosecutors said there was little evidence the cases would hold up in court. Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the district attorney, said in a statement that there was limited video footage showing what happened inside the campus building. Protesters wore masks and covered security cameras during the 17-hour occupation. Bragg announced his decision to drop 31 of the 46 cases during a court hearing on Thursday.
Biden campaign plans Georgia push ahead of Thursday's debate in Atlanta
President Joe Biden's campaign plans to hold more than 200 events this week in Georgia to engage voters in the key battleground state ahead of the first presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday. The campaign is rolling out several new digital and TV ads, as well as rallies, debate viewing parties and other events. It will start with a news conference in Atlanta on Monday to mark two years since the Supreme Court's decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Both Biden's and former President Donald Trump's campaigns have focused on the debate, which has used harsh language to frame their closely fought races in the polls.
He said Donald Trump has proposed creating a “League of Immigrant Fighters.”
Former President Donald Trump said in a speech to an evangelical group that he proposed creating a sports league for immigrants to fight each other. Speaking in Washington on Saturday, Trump used his usual dehumanizing words to describe immigrants, calling them “tough,” “out of prison,” and “nasty and nasty.” Trump also said he had suggested to UFC CEO Dana White, a close ally of the former president, “Why don't we create a league for immigrant fighters?” White confirmed that Trump had made the suggestion, but said, “It was a joke. I saw people making a fuss about it online. But he did say that.”
Police said the woman tried to drown the 3-year-old girl after making racist remarks.
A Texas woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown a 3-year-old girl in an apartment complex's swimming pool after making racist remarks, authorities said. Mustafa Carroll, executive director of the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at a press conference Saturday that the girl was attacked by a white woman who made comments about the girl's mother, who was wearing a headscarf. According to Euless, Texas, police, witnesses told detectives that the woman, Elizabeth Wolf, 42, had attempted to drown the child and was arguing with the mother. The attack happened on May 19 in Euless, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Netanyahu increasingly frustrated with U.S. arms supplies
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday expressed new frustration over the Biden administration's supply of munitions for the Gaza war as the defense minister arrived for talks in Washington. The Netanyahu and Biden administrations have been increasingly at odds over Israel's actions in Gaza, with Netanyahu sharply criticizing the U.S. for not providing munitions last week. But on Sunday morning, Netanyahu stepped up his tune. In a speech broadcast in Hebrew before his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked the Biden administration for supporting Israel throughout the eight-month war, but said “munitions supplies have decreased dramatically since four months ago.”
Ukraine asks allies to allow use of weapons against Russian air force
After bombs dropped by Russian military planes struck a residential area of ​​the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv this weekend, killing at least four people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday called on allies to further relax restrictions on the use of Western weapons to allow their troops to use them against Russian air bases. The Biden administration's recent decision to allow Ukraine to use certain weapons to attack forces inside Russia has had an immediate effect, helping Ukraine thwart Moscow's offensive north of Kharkiv and delay bombing Ukraine's second-largest city, just 25 miles from the border.
Gunman kills at least six at synagogue and church in Russian republic
At least six police officers and one priest were killed in shootings on a synagogue, at least two churches and a police station in two cities in the Russian republic of Dagestan on Sunday, the local interior ministry said. At least 12 police officers were wounded in two apparently coordinated attacks, Russian state news agencies reported, citing local police officials. The shootings took place in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, and in the city of Derbent, on the border with Azerbaijan. The breakdown of casualties in the two cities was unclear as of Sunday evening, but police in Derbent said attackers had opened fire on a synagogue and a church.
The man who softened Germany's radical stance
To his critics, Björn Höcke, the right-wing ideologue and leader of the Alternative for Germany party, is a symbol of the far right's unjustified efforts to wipe out the taint of the Nazi past. To his supporters, he is a fighter for linguistic freedom, trying to reclaim unfairly maligned words and, more broadly, to defend the notion of a national German culture. Over the years, Höcke has chipped away at self-imposed prohibitions to prevent Germany from being taken over again by extremists. Germany has taken a tougher stance on free speech than many Western democracies, learning from the lessons of the 1930s, when the Nazis used democratic elections to seize power.
The Taylor Swift economy hits Europe
Taylor Swift will be touring Europe this summer, with hundreds of thousands of Swift fans spending money on flights, hotels and restaurants, and analysts are debating the impact it will have on the economy. It's no surprise that central bankers are scrutinizing the potential inflationary effect of the global superstar's appearance. When Beyoncé kicked off her Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm last May, one economist pointed to Beyoncé's concert as the reason for a spike in inflation data. The demand that Swift's Eras Tour will generate for hotels and flights across Europe could lead to price increases that will affect the inflation rates of each country.
Southeast Asia in tears over blockbuster movie
Filmed mostly in Thai in Bangkok, the film “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” has been a smash hit across Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, tickets sold out on the first day, cinemas had to add screenings to meet demand, and one chain started handing out tissues to audiences. In Singapore, it topped the box office from June 6 to 9. In Indonesia, it drew millions of viewers. In Thailand, it is the highest-grossing film so far this year. The story revolves around M, a young, unemployed man with no goals, whose only dream is to livestream an online game.
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