As the saying goes, the news never stops — but there’s a lot of it out there, and all of it doesn’t always pertain to our readers. In this weekly news roundup, we’ll cover the top news stories that matter most to our diversity focused audience.
1. Highland Park Shooting Suspect Confesses He Considered Second Attack in Wisconsin
The person charged with killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, confessed to police of the attack and then ran to Madison, Wisconsin, where he said he contemplated a second shooting at an event in the area, according to authorities.
During a news conference after the hearing where the 21-year-old suspect, Robert Crimo III, was denied bond, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said the suspect decided not to attempt a second attack in Wisconsin and turned back to Illinois, where he was later arrested. The suspect confessed to climbing up a fire escape on a building and firing at the parade. Seven people were killed and two dozen were wounded, with some wounded critically.
If the suspect is convicted of first-degree murder charges, he would get a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, NPR reports.
2. Protests Continue in Akron After Killing of Jayland Walker
After protests which started out peaceful turned “unruly” on Sunday over the latest in a series of killings by police of unarmed black men, the city declared a state of emergency on Monday in which a curfew was set from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and fireworks displays were canceled in some parts of the city, Reuters reports.
The protests were in reaction to the killing of Jayland Walker, a Black man who was shot to death on June 27 by up to eight officers after he ran from his vehicle. Body camera footage of the shooting was released and has enraged many on social media.
Akron’s Mayor lifted the curfew earlier on Wednesday. Protests erupted shortly after it was lifted and police made numerous arrests Wednesday night. Jacob Blake’s father and Breonna Taylor’s aunt were among those who were arrested. Jacob Jr. was shot in the back by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer in 2020 and was left partially paralyzed. Taylor was shot and killed by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2020 during a botched raid of her apartment.
3. AT&T’s Corey Anthony on Value of Partnership With Essence Festival
During the 2022 Essence Festival last weekend, Fair360, formerly DiversityInc spoke with Corey Anthony, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer and Development Officer at AT&T (a Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Hall of Fame company), to talk about the company’s partnership with Essence Festival and the value the event provides to women of color.
Watch the video below to hear the full interview.
4. Weekly Jobless Claims Rise in the US
Weekly jobless claims in the U.S. rose higher this week as COVID-related shutdowns happened in China and after economic data showed the U.S. trade deficit hit its lowest level of the year in May.
For the week ending July 2, initial filings for unemployment total 235,000, which was a gain of 4,000 from the previous period and a little more than the Dow Jones estimate of 230,000, according to the Department of Labor.
This was the highest total since Jan. 15 and raised the four-week moving average to its highest level since December 2021 at 232,500.
5. California Judge Overturns Trump-Era Changes to Endangered Species Act, Restoring Protections for Endangered Wildlife
U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar in California overturned a Trump-era change to the Endangered Species Act that limited protections of wildlife from human development and climate change.
The decision was in response to a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration in 2019 by EarthJustice, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.
According to CNBC, “changes under Trump had made it easier to remove protections for threatened animals and plants, and allowed federal agencies to conduct economic assessments when deciding whether to protect a species from matters like construction projects in critical habitats. It also removed tools that scientists used to forecast future damage to species from climate change.”
