5 Things to know for July 28: Gaza, Tariffs, Walmart attack, Missing mom and child, Pets
By Jade Walker, CNN
(CNN) — A federal judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit against Chicago’s “sanctuary” laws. The suit claimed that these local statutes “thwart” federal efforts to enforce immigration laws. However, Judge Lindsay Jenkins said the US lacked standing to sue. Similar suits have been filed against Los Angeles, New York City, Denver and four cities in New Jersey.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1?? Gaza
An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development, contradicts the State Department’s claims that were used to justify backing the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces as they sought aid, with 60% killed while trying to reach GHF sites. Thousands of Palestinians are suffering from malnutrition and more than a dozen people starved to death last week amid Israel’s humanitarian blockade. Even doctors and nurses are collapsing from hunger and exhaustion as they try to administer help.
2?? Tariffs
The US and the European Union have managed to avoid an economically crippling trade war. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shook hands in Scotland on Sunday after agreeing on the framework for a trade deal between two of the world’s biggest economies. The agreement sets a 15% tariff on most European goods entering the US, which is higher than the 10% tariff Trump put in place on April 2 and significantly higher than the average of around 1.2% from before Trump’s presidency. Yet it’s lower than the 50% tariff Trump threatened in May when trade talks were stymied. Trump backed off that threat after speaking with von der Leyen, who called him to say the EU would commit to moving “swiftly and decisively.”
3??Walmart attack
Police in Grand Traverse, Michigan, are praising bystanders who cornered the suspect in a violent stabbing attack. Bradford James Gille, 42, entered a Walmart on Saturday afternoon, waited inside for 35 minutes, then allegedly began stabbing random strangers with a foldable knife, authorities said. As the suspect fled into the parking lot, several bystanders gave chase, including an unarmed former Marine named Matt Kolakowski and his brother-in-law, Chris O’Brien. After another bystander, also a former Marine, pulled out his gun, the suspect dropped the knife. That’s when Kolakowski subdued the attacker and held him until police arrived. “I just turned into somebody that I haven’t been in a long time and just stayed on top of him until the deputy ran up and jumped on top of him with a rifle in his face, and I helped the deputy arrest him,” Kolakowski said. All 11 victims – who are between the ages of 29 and 84 – are expected to survive.
4?? Missing mom and child
A California mother and her 8-month-old daughter are missing and haven’t been seen for nearly two weeks. Family, friends and authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding Whisper Owen, 36, and her infant daughter Sandra McCarty. Owen, who is also the mother of three other children, is described as 5’6”, 145 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair. Sandra is 1’10”, 17 lbs., with green eyes and brown hair. On July 15, the pair left Fresno to return to their home near Sacramento. A traffic camera last captured their vehicle — a silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, license plate number 9LKH008, with damage to its driver’s side headlight — shortly after 8 p.m. that night in Atwater. “I’m desperate to find my daughter and her baby,” Owen’s mother, Vickie Torres, told CNN. “It’s like she vanished into thin air.”
5?? Pets
Animal rescues and shelters across the US are reporting sharp increases in surrendered pets. Several of those organizations have told CNN that financial hardship is at the root of those owners’ decisions. The cost of owning a pet — food, toys, grooming, vet visits, etc. — has increased in recent years. Some tariff-sensitive goods are expected to be even pricier in the months to come. Many pet owners are also facing a deterioration in financial stability, including the rising cost of living, debt burdens, an unexpected (human or animal) medical event or a job loss. “It just breaks us to see people cry that they have to give up their animal because they have to move somewhere that’s more affordable, and that place that’s more affordable for them doesn’t allow animals,” said Megan Larson, intake manager at Ruff Start Rescue in Minnesota. “This is a very devastating decision that these people are forced to make. People don’t want to do this.”
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Breakfast browse
Charitable donations help others and lower your tax bill, but …
A new tax law limits how much itemizers may deduct and expands the amount non-itemizers may claim.
Scientists are keeping an eye on this asteroid
The building-sized object initially appeared to be on a potential collision course with Earth. Now it may have a new target.
Marvel is back on top
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” defeated a DC superhero to finish No. 1 at the box office over the weekend.
Beyoncé caps off Cowboy Carter tour with a bang
The lucky fans who attended her farewell show in Las Vegas on Saturday night were treated to a starry lineup of surprise guests.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest role: Astronomer spokesperson
The actress appeared in a new ad for the tech firm whose ex-CEO and HR chief were caught embracing on the “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert.
In memoriam
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Lehrer lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War in song, and was even nominated for a Grammy Award for best comedy performance (musical). However, he later abandoned his music career to teach math at Harvard and other universities.
Big number
15,000
That’s how many animals have been killed by a toxic algal bloom on South Australia’s coastline. Fueled by a marine heat wave, the bloom has turned once-colorful ecosystems filled with thriving marine life into underwater graveyards.
Quotable
Fuentes is a member of the rescue group Fundación 911, which was one of the earliest first responders to the devastating flash floods in central Texas earlier this month.
Weather
??? Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.
And finally…
?? Did you know that time ticks differently on the Moon?
That’s why NASA and its international partners are developing a new way to measure time in space.
Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.
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