5 things to know for July 8: Shinzo Abe, Parade shooting, Brittney Griner, Covid, Heat

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

Summer travel is heating up, but understaffed airlines are struggling to avoid melting down. American Airlines this week agreed to pay its pilots triple their normal rate after thousands of flights were left without pilots. Several other major airlines are also offering salary increases for pilots who fly on peak days, as flight cancellations during holiday periods continue to be a regular occurrence.

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1. Shinzo Abe

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died at age 67 after being shot during a speech today in Nara, Japan, doctors who were treating him have confirmed. The shocking act of violence has rattled the country with one of the world’s lowest rates of gun violence. Abe died from excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital said during a press conference. The doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was “deep enough to reach his heart” and a team of 20 medical professionals was unable to stop the bleeding. Police have arrested a Nara resident in his 40s in relation to the shooting, public broadcaster NHK reported. Messages from world leaders, past and present, have flooded in, expressing condemnation of the shooting. Abe was the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister in history.

2. Parade shooting

New details have emerged describing the scene as a gunman opened fire during a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb where seven people were killed and dozens of others were wounded. Concealed on a rooftop, the gunman shot at paradegoers with a semi-automatic rifle, authorities said. His position made it difficult for officers to quickly find him when the parade turned to chaos, officials said. Separately, an 8-year-old boy who was attending the parade with his parents and twin brother was shot and is now paralyzed from the waist down, a family spokesperson told CNN. In a voluntary statement, the gunman admitted to authorities that he emptied two 30-round magazines before loading his weapon a third time and firing again. If convicted, he faces a life sentence in prison.

3. Brittney Griner

Two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN on Thursday. Griner, whom the US State Department has classified as wrongfully detained, faces up to 10 years in prison under the charge. Supporters of the Phoenix Mercury player have called for her release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Griner’s lawyers said they expect the court to take into account the 31-year-old athlete’s guilty plea and hope for leniency. Griner was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage. Her next hearing is set for July 14.

4. Coronavirus

About 300,000 children under the age of five in the US have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine since it was recommended by the CDC last month, a senior White House official told CNN on Thursday. This makes up about 2% of that age group — a number the official says aligns with the Biden administration’s expectations, though the number is lower than other age groups. “We expected this to be a little bit slower even than 5 to 11, which was slower than 12 to 17, which was slower than adults. It’s just kind of what we anticipated, and what we prepared for,” the official said. Conversations with medical providers, according to the official, have been key to parents’ decision-making more than any other effort by the White House to encourage vaccinations among this group.

5. Heat wave

The third heat wave of the still-early summer is scorching the US South, and “it will get worse… before it gets better,” the National Weather Service said. Millions of people across more than a dozen states remain under heat alerts. Paired with uncomfortable high humidity, it will feel like 110 to 115 degrees in some places, forecasts show. Above-normal temperatures are forecast well into next week as well — exceeding the average of four days. Dallas has already seen several days above 100 degrees and is expected to continue the trend through at least midweek, putting this stretch in the running for the city’s longest consecutive 100-degree streak since 2011.

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QUIZ TIME

Which iconic landmark is reportedly riddled with rust and badly in need of repairs?

A. Eiffel Tower

B. Golden Gate Bridge

C. Taj Mahal

D. Big Ben

Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see if you’re correct!

IN MEMORIAM

James Caan, the veteran screen actor known for his work in such films as “The Godfather,” “Misery” and “Elf,” has died, his family said on Thursday in a statement on his verified Twitter account. He was 82. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” the statement read. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.” They did not disclose a cause of death.

TODAY’S NUMBER

21

That’s how many years Derek Chauvin was sentenced to serve in federal prison on Thursday for depriving George Floyd of his civil rights. The former Minneapolis police officer briefly addressed Floyd’s children in court. “I wish them all the best in their life and that they’ll have excellent guidance in the rest of their life,” he said. Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, attended the hearing and asked the court for the maximum sentence. The killing of Floyd in 2020, which was caught on video, sparked a national outcry over police brutality and a reckoning over racial justice in America.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Ukrainians are not ready to give away their land, to accept that these territories belong to Russia. This is our land.”

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling CNN in an exclusive interview on Thursday that Ukraine is unwilling to give up any of its land for peace with Russia. The war in Ukraine has now lasted for more than four months, with no sign of either side backing down soon. Last week, White House officials told CNN they are losing confidence Ukraine will ever be able to take back all of the land it has lost to Russia since the war began, even with the aid of heavier and more sophisticated weaponry that the US and its allies plan to provide Kyiv.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

Intricately dancing to orchestra music

Now, that’s what you call talent! Watch these dancers deliver an impressive one-minute performance that matches the music perfectly! (Click here to view)

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