5 things to know for July 8: Presidential race, Hurricane Beryl, France election, Covid-19, Boeing plea deal
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It’s that time of year again: officials in the US are on alert for shark attacks that, while rare, pose a threat to summer beachgoers. Learn how to survive an unwanted shark encounter — or better yet, avoid one entirely. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. President Joe Biden remains adamant about staying in the 2024 race despite swelling calls within his party to step down after last month’s dismal debate performance. Several House Democratic ranking members told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday that Biden needs to step down from the race, according to sources familiar with the conversation. Biden held a pair of campaign events in the swing state of Pennsylvania over the weekend to reassure skeptical voters about the viability of his reelection bid, telling reporters “I’m up for the job.” Meanwhile, former President Trump is gearing up to announce his running mate before kicking off a Republican convention in Milwaukee next week where he will officially become the party’s presidential nominee for the third time in eight years. Beryl made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, today as a Category 1 hurricane. It is the first storm in the Atlantic hurricane season to make landfall in the US. After causing chaos in the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula last week and killing at least nine people, Beryl weakened to a tropical storm but strengthened to become a hurricane overnight. It will continue to bring life-threatening storm surge and flooding to Texas this week, meteorologists say. Power outages are also rapidly climbing across the state as Beryl moves inland with gusty winds downing parts of the electric grid. Experts say this hurricane season will be far from normal, as fossil fuel pollution contributes to warmer water and rapidly intensifying storms. Cheers rang out on the streets of Paris on Sunday after a left-wing alliance won the most seats in the French parliament, thwarting Marine Le Pen’s far-right party. The stunning result from the second-round vote means France will avoid a far-right government but will plunged into political limbo, with no party reaching an absolute majority. The left-wing New Popular Front won 182 seats, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance won 163 seats. The far-right National Rally and its allies slumped to third place due to tactical voting, winning 143 seats. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Macron’s protege, tendered his resignation today — but Macron refused to accept. The president asked him to stay on for now “to ensure the stability of the country.” Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday after experiencing mild symptoms, according to a Sunday statement from his office. Vice President Kamala Harris has tested negative for the virus and remains asymptomatic, the statement said. The couple were at an event with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Thursday for an Independence Day celebration. CNN has reached out to the White House to ask whether the president is being tested. The positive case in Biden’s inner circle comes as a summer wave of Covid-19 has already arrived in the US, the CDC says, with infections probably growing in at least 38 states.
Venezuela has passed an amnesty law to free hundreds of political prisoners, in what the government calls a step toward reconciliation after the US ousted President Nicolás Maduro.
The Department of Homeland Security is doubling down on the administration’s ongoing investigations into potential voter fraud — reviewing cases involving US citizens and whether they registered to vote, or voted, prior to being naturalized, according to an internal memo reviewed by CNN.
After six skiers were rescued from the “horrific” aftermath of an avalanche near California’s Lake Tahoe, the family members of nine remaining skiers received crushing news. The bodies of eight had been left on the icy mountainside, and a final member of the group was still missing, presumed dead among the blanket of snow.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is halting enforcement of a new rule for determining disability payments after veterans across the US expressed outrage for what they said would likely reduce benefits for many.
A large banner of Donald Trump was hung outside of the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, DC, Thursday, emphasizing the White House’s control over the nation’s top law enforcement branch that once pursued criminal prosecutions against the president.
A federal judge in Minnesota held a Trump administration attorney in civil contempt for “flagrant disobedience of court orders” in the case of a noncitizen swept up in the immigration crackdown there earlier this year.
A controversial pastor who supports repealing women’s right to vote and believes homosexuality should be a crime led a worship service at the Pentagon this week, saying he was invited by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Commission of Fine Arts fast-tracked approval for President Trump’s East Wing renovation plans Thursday, bringing the president’s quest for his new ballroom one step closer to reality.
As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown in cities across the US, health care providers warn the impact of federal agents in health care settings – and the looming threat of immigration enforcement they’ve instilled nationwide – is presenting a barrier to care that could have a lasting impact on the health of communities.
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt arrived in Washington this week with invitations to two White House meetings and an angry President Donald Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security is broadening federal immigration authorities’ ability to detain legal refugees who have not yet obtained green cards, citing national security concerns and the need to ensure refugees undergo additional screening, according to a DHS memo obtained by CNN.
President Donald Trump is preparing to make health care a central focus of his midterm sales pitch, despite weak polling and misgivings among some of his own advisers.