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Thursday, July 7, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Parade Shooting Suspect Confesses


CONSIDERED SECOND ATTACK: Authorities said Wednesday that the 21-year-old man charged with killing seven people in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, confessed to police, and also said he'd considered carrying out another shooting at an event in the Madison, Wisconsin, area after he fled there following the parade attack. He returned to Illinois instead, where he was pulled over and arrested, with Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli saying Robert Crimo III decided he wasn't prepared to carry out another attack. Crimo appeared in court by video yesterday and was denied bond. Covelli said investigators who've questioned Crimo and reviewed his social media posts haven't determined a motive or found any indication that he targeted victims by race, religion or other protected status. He also said some of the wounded remained in critical condition, and that the death toll could still rise.

 
➤UVALDE OFFICER HAD CHANCE TO SHOOT GUNMAN, BUT WAITED FOR PERMISSION: A new report on the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May that left 19 children and two teachers dead says that a police officer watched gunman Salvador Ramos walk toward the campus with a rifle, but didn't fire with his own rifle as he waited for permission to shoot him from a supervisor. But the report said the supervisor, quote, "either did not hear or responded too late," and when the officer turned back toward the gunman, he'd already gone inside. The review by a training center as Texas State University for active shooter situations also said that some of the victims could have been saved if they'd received medical attention sooner while police waited more than an hour before breaching the fourth-grade classroom where the killer had shut himself in.

 
➤TIP THWARTED JULY 4TH MASS SHOOTING IN VIRGINIA: The police chief and mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said Wednesday that a tip from a citizen thwarted a potential mass shooting during a July 4th celebration in the city. Police Chief Gerald Smith said during a news conference that the tipster, who he called a "hero," overheard a conversation about a mass shooting being planned for the Fourth of July celebration at the Dogwood Dell amphitheater and called police on July 1st. That same day, police went to a home where they found weapons and ammunition, including two assault rifles, and they arrested one man. A second man was arrested Tuesday, and both have been charged with being non-citizens in possession of a firearm. The men, who are roommates, are both originally from Guatemala.

Boris Johnson
➤BRITISH PM JOHNSON RESIGNS (7:30 UPDATE) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, marking the end of his ill-fated three-year reign as leader. Speaking in front of his No. 10 residence in Downing Street, London, the scandal-scarred leader said “it is clearly now the will of the parliamentary conservative party that there should be a new leader and a new prime minister.”

“The process of that should begin now. the timetable should be announced next week. I want to say to the millions of people that voted for us in 2019, thank you for that incredible mandate.”

The prime minister’s decision to step down follows a string of controversies that broke trust in his leadership, from “Partygate” lockdown scandal to the cost-of-living crisis to accusations of sexual misconduct among his top leadership. Johnson, who took office in 2019, will remain as the British leader until a successor is appointed, which could be until fall if his party lets him.

➤TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL CIPOLLONE TO TESTIFY BEFORE JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE: Former President Donald Trump's White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, will testify Friday before the House commitee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to media reports Wednesday. AP reported that Cipollone agreed to appear for a private, transcribed interview, after he was subpoenaed by the committee last week following weeks of public pressure to provide testimony. Cipollone is said to have strongly and repeatedly warned Trump and his allies against their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.


➤SEN. GRAHAM TO FIGHT GEORGIA SUBPOENA RELATED TO 2020 ELECTION ACTIONS: Senator Lindsey Graham will fight a subpoena to appear before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies' actions after the 2020 election, attorneys representing the South Carolina Republican said yesterday. The attorneys said in a statement, "This is all politics. Fulton County is engaged in a fishing expedition and working in concert with the January 6 Committee in Washington." The attorneys also said they'd been told by Fulton County, Georgia, investigators that Graham is, quote, "neither a subject nor target of the investigation." Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a petition for the subpoena that Graham made at least two phone calls to Georgia's secretary of state and members of his staff in the weeks after the 2020 election that Joe Biden won, during which he asked about reexamining certain absentee ballots, quote, "to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump."



➤JERRY HARRIS SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS: TMZ reports that Cheer star Jerry Harris has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in his child pornography case. The 22-year-old former cheerleader pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

➤STUDY..OVER-65 CROWD HAS MORE SEX THAN GEN-Z: A new survey revealed older couples are getting between the sheets more often than younger partners. 1/3 of those aged 65 and older are doing the deed at least once a day...while up to 40% of Gen Z are "active" just once a week. The survey asked 1,000 adults in relationships how often they got it on, with surprising results. 15% of boomers knock boots multiple times a day!

➤RUNNING OF THE BULLS RETURNING FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2019: The traditional running of the bulls that's part of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, is returning for the first time since 2019, after being canceled for the past two years due to the pandemic. The first bull run of the nine-day festival is taking place today, with thousands of people set to try to avoid six bulls as they charge along the route in Pamplona's streets to the city's bullring. Eight people were gored during the last festival in 2019. Sixteen people have died in the bull runs since 1910, with the last death in 2009.

➤EXPLOSION DESTROYS MYSTERIOUS GEORGIA MONUMENT: A mysterious monument in rural Georgia that some had dubbed "America's Stonehenge" but had been labeled "satanic" by some conservative Christians was destroyed by an explosion early Wednesday. One of four granite panels at the Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton was blown up by the explosion, and the other three were taken down later for safety reasons. The monument was built in 1980 from local granite after being commissioned by an unknown person or group under the pseudonym R.C. Christian. That's led to mystery and conspiracy theories about it. The 16-foot-high panels had a 10-part message in eight different languages with guidance for living in an "age of reason." One part called for keeping the world population at 500 million people or less, while another called to "guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity." It also acts as a sundial and astronomical calendar.

🏈BROWNS TRADE QB MAYFIELD TO PANTHERS: The Cleveland Browns traded quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers yesterday for a conditional draft pick in 2024 or 2025, after four years with the team. Mayfield, who was the Number 1 overall draft pick in 2018, was pushed out of his starting job when the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson in March, and he demanded a trade after that. Mayfield will compete with Sam Darnold to be Carolina’s starting quarterback.

🎾NADAL DEFEATS AMERICAN FRITZ TO REACH WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALS: Second-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz in five sets in their Wimbledon quarterfinal match yesterday to reach the semifinals. Nadal battled pain from an abdominal muscle injury for the victory, but said he couldn’t be sure whether he'll be able to play Friday against Nick Kyrgios, who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by beating Cristian Garin yesterday. In the day's women's quarterfinals, 16th-seeded Simona Halep beat 20th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets, and Number 17 Elena Rybakina defeated unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic.

🏀BIDEN, HARRIS SPEAK TO GRINER'S WIFE: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both spoke to WNBA star Brittney Griner's wife yesterday, with Biden reassuring Cherelle Griner that he's trying to get Brittney free from her detention in Russia as soon as possible. Biden's conversation with Cherelle came after Brittney's personal appeal to him in a handwritten letter, and criticism from Cherelle of how her wife's case has been handled. The White House said in a statement that Biden offered Griner's family his support and committed to making sure they receive, quote, "all possible assistance," and he also read a draft of a letter to her that he was sending to Brittney. Cherelle said afterward, "I am grateful to the both of them for the time they spent with me and for the commitment they expressed to getting BG home." Griner has been detained in Russia since February and is currently on trial, accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.

⚾JUDGE, HICKS BOTH HIT GRAND SLAMS IN YANKEES' 16-0 PIRATES ROUT: The New York Yankees had grand slams from both Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks in their 16-0 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. Judge hit his third career grand slam in the eighth inning, which put him at an MLB-leading 30th homer for the season so far. Hicks hit his grand slam in the ninth inning.
 

⚾ANGELS' OHTANI EXTENDS STREAK OF STARTS WITHOUT EARNED RUNS: Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani extended his streak of start without earned runs to four games last night (July 6th) in the Angels' 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins. Ohtani allowed just one unearned run while striking out 10 batters, and has now not allowed an earned run over his last 28 2/3 innings, the third longest streak by an Angels starter in a season in the last 50 years.




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