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| Residents of the Chicago suburb Highland Park and many other Americans are reeling from a summer of tragedy caused by gun violence. Closing arguments in Brittney Griner's trial in Russia are expected today. Keep reading for a perfect it's-almost-Friday salsa recipe. |
| 🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Here we go with Thursday's news. |
| 🌅 Up first: Warner Bros. has axed the $90 million "Batgirl" film planned for HBO Max. Leslie Grace, who was set to star in the title role, shared her gratitude to her fans on Instagram following the news. Here's what she said. |
Chicago suburb reels in wake of mass shooting |
| It's been one month since the Fourth of July mass shooting at a Highland Park, Illinois, parade that left seven dead. Highland Park residents are still reeling from the attack, and thousands have sought mental health services, Mayor Nancy Rotering told USA TODAY. Many are also turning anger into activism by making public art, putting up yard signs, organizing phone banks and meeting with lawmakers to push for gun control legislation. The 21-year-old shooting suspect appeared in Lake County's circuit court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to 117 felony counts. Hear from Highland Park residents about their reality. |
| Takeaway: The after effects of a strain of summer mass shootings are gripping America. |
| • | Update from Uvalde, Texas: A 10-year-old girl who was critically injured in May was discharged from the hospital Friday — the final victim of the massacre that killed 19 children and two teachers to be released. | | • | Moves in Congress: In response to mass shootings in recent months, the House passed a ban on firearms that is likely to fail in the Senate. | | • | A national debate continues: Organizers canceled Atlanta's Music Midtown festival for unknown reasons – but one factor could be a state gun law. | |
 | | Nancy Rotering, mayor of Highland Park, Illinois, speaks during a press conference surrounded by anti-gun violence advocates, many of whom have a connection to the recent Highland Park shooting, at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades) | | USA Today | |
More news to know now: |
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| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear how China is responding to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
China's militaristic reaction to Pelosi's Taiwan visit |
| China began military exercises Thursday in six zones surrounding Taiwan. The drills were prompted by a visit to the self-ruled island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week. China's official Xinhua News Agency said the exercises were joint operations focused on "blockade, sea target assault, strike on ground targets, and airspace control." Taiwan has put its military on alert and staged civil defense drills, while the U.S. has numerous naval assets in the area. Here's more on Pelosi's high-stakes visit. |
 | | A TV news shows a map marking the areas where China is conducting live fire exercises near Taiwan, at a beauty salon in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug 4, 2022. Taiwan canceled airline flights Thursday as the Chinese navy fired artillery near the island in retaliation for a top American lawmaker's visit. | | Chiang Ying-ying, AP | |
Just for subscribers: |
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| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Already a subscriber and want premium content emailed to you every day? We can do that! Sign up for the Your Day newsletter. |
'Your attorneys messed up': Alex Jones confronted with texts in Sandy Hook trial |
| Conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones told a court Wednesday he now understands it was irresponsible to call the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax. Jones' testimony comes after he was was confronted in open court Wednesday by a lawyer for the family of Jesse Lewis, a 6-year-old boy killed the attack, with an extensive copy of his cell phone records — evidence that was apparently accidentally sent to opposing lawyers by Jones' attorneys. Jones has been accused of perjuring himself under oath several times this week. "That is how I know you lied to me when you said you did not have text messages about Sandy Hook," said Mark Bankston, a lawyer for Jesse's parents, Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin. Read more |
| • | Related coverage: The parents of a 6-year-old killed in the 2012 shooting say Alex Jones' claims put them through a ''living hell'' of harassment and trauma. | |
 | | Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse Tuesday, July 26, 2022, with a piece of tape over his mouth that reads "save the 1st." | | OlyDrop | |
Closing arguments in Brittney Griner trial in Russia |
| Closing arguments are set for Thursday in WNBA star Brittney Griner's cannabis possession case, with a sentence pending soon after, her defense attorney said. If convicted, the two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. As her trial has progressed, the Biden administration has faced growing public pressure to get her released. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to Russian officials, urging them to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free. Read more |
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 | | FILE - WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner stands behind bars in a courtroom for a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. | | Evgenia Novozhenina, AP | |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
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Are nursing homes facing a 'permanent shock'? |
| Nursing home staff shrunk in the weeks and months after severe COVID-19 outbreaks, according to a new study, and federal data shows most facilities lost more than half their nurses and aides in the past year. The study found facilities have struggled to refill openings, particularly among certified nursing assistants, who provide most bedside care – findings that both complicate and underscore the need for President Joe Biden's push to establish nationwide staffing-level requirements. Read more |
| • | More on health care: After a stillbirth, families have little to no safety net. Now, they're demanding change. | |
 | | Wisconsin National Guard 2nd Lt. Christopher Kuechenmeister trains in patient dressing on SPC Kasey Carter at Madison College on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. They were training for their Certified Nursing Assistant certification in an effort to help support Wisconsin's hospitals and nursing homes that have been strained during the pandemic. | | Angela Peterson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK | |
📷 Photo of the day: Monkeypox vaccine protests erupt, call for more government action on outbreak 📷 |
| Confirmed cases of monkeypox have now surpassed 25,300 worldwide, according to Tuesday numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak, first spotted in Europe in late April, has reached 83 countries – the vast majority in nations that hadn't previously had significant caseloads of the rare, viral infection. In response, Biden has tapped top officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CDC to lead the nation's fight against monkeypox. Read more |
| Click here to see more images from the protests demanding action on monkeypox. |
 | | People protest during a rally calling for more government action to combat the spread of monkeypox at Foley Square on July 21, 2022, in New York City. | | Jeenah Moon, Getty Images | |
A little less heavy |
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 | | Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his robotic feline pal Sox (Peter Sohn) venture to find a way off a remote alien planet in the Pixar animated sci-fi adventure "Lightyear." | | PIXAR | |
| Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY. Send her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here. |
| Associated Press contributed reporting. |
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