10 things you need to know today: July 4, 2022

1. Akron police release video of killing of unarmed Black man

Akron, Ohio, Police Chief Steve Mylett said Sunday that body camera video his department released appeared to show that Jayland Walker reached toward his waist and briefly turned toward officers before they fatally shot him on June 27. Walker, 25, fled after a routine traffic stop. One of the two videos released showed a flash police say was gunfire coming from the door of Walker's Buick. The second video shows bodycam images during the chase and shooting. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan called the clips "heartbreaking." Protesters spent the weekend marching in Akron, and local Black elected officials have called for the Justice Department to investigate the incident, noting that Walker was unarmed when he was shot, yet officers fired more than 90 shots at him; about 60 hit Walker. A handgun was found in Walker's car.

Akron Beacon Journal

2. Supreme Court marshal urges states to stop protests at justices' homes

The marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court sent letters to Maryland and Virginia officials over the weekend, urging them to "enforce" their laws against picketing outside Supreme Court justices' homes. "For weeks on end, large groups of protesters chanting slogans, using bullhorns, and banging drums have picketed justices' homes in Virginia," Marshal Gail Curley wrote in her letter to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). "This is exactly the kind of conduct that Virginia law prohibits." Protesters have vented anger at the court since May, after a draft of the opinion the court released in late June overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. This decision protected abortion rights for 50 years.

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NPR

3. Gunman kills several people at Denmark mall

A gunman killed three people, including two 17-year-olds, and wounded four others in a shopping mall in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Sunday, local police said. Officers arrested a suspect, a 22-year-old "ethnic Dane," police said. Investigators said the suspect had a history of mental illness, and there were no indications terror was a motive. Mass shootings are rare in Denmark. When the gunman opened fire, some shoppers hid and others fled in a panic. "It is pure terror. This is awful," said Hans Christian Stoltz, 53, who was taking his daughters to a Harry Styles that had been scheduled near the mall.

The Associated Press BBC News

4. Jan. 6 committee members say Hutchinson testimony brings out more witnesses

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a House Jan. 6 committee member, said new witnesses have contacted the panel since former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified last week. "Every day we get new people that come forward," Kinzinger said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. Hutchinson testified that then-President Donald Trump knew members of the crowd at a "Stop the Steal" rally before the Jan. 6 riot were armed, but called for relaxing security and urged his supporters to go to the Capitol. Another Republican on the committee, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said Trump's alleged comments on armed protesters were "very chilling." Several members of the panel said the committee might refer potential criminal charges involving Trump to federal prosecutors.

The Hill NBC News

5. Homeland Security chief discourages migrants from making 'dangerous journey'

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday warned migrants "not to take the dangerous journey" and attempt to illegally cross the southern United States border, following the death of 53 migrants from Central America and Mexico inside a sweltering trailer last week. "We saw so tragically in San Antonio, Texas, one of the possible tragic results of that dangerous journey, and so many people don't even make it that far in the hands of exploitative smugglers," Mayorkas told CBS News in an interview. The migrants were found June 27 after a person working nearby heard cries for help. More than a dozen people survived. At least four people have been charged over the smuggling operation.

CBS News CNN

6. Uzbekistan's president says unrest causes civilian, police casualties

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Sunday there have been civilian and police casualties during rare protests inside the Central Asian nation. An exiled opposition politician said at least five people had been killed. Uzbek authorities said 18 had died and 243 were wounded. Mirziyoyev posted online that rioters in the northwestern Karakalpakstan region's capital, Nukus, had started fires and thrown stones. Sultanbek Ziyayev, the head of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, told a domestic news website, Daryo.uz, that thousands of people wounded in clashes with security forces had been hospitalized.

Reuters

7. Explosions in Russian city near Ukraine border kill 4

Four people were killed Sunday in explosions that hit the Russian city of Belgorod, just north of Ukraine. It was the deadliest such incident affecting civilians in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in February. Ukraine has attacked fuel and military targets in Russian border regions. Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking civilians this time, saying they fired three Soviet-era missiles at the city. Russia said it shot down the missiles with air-defense systems, but one fell to the ground and exploded, causing the casualties. An adviser to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, said he suspected Russia was responsible.

The New York Times

8. Breakaway piece of Alpine glacier kills 6 hikers on Italian mountain

A chunk of an Alpine glacier broke free and crashed down an Italian mountain on Sunday, killing at least six hikers and injuring nine, authorities said. The death toll could rise as rescuers search for an estimated 15 people missing. The National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted a number for people to call if they knew of anyone who had been hiking in the area and not returned. Rescuers also checked license plates in a parking lot where people access the popular trail to the peak to determine whether more are unaccounted for. The glacier is the largest in the Dolomite mountains in northeastern Italy, and has melted rapidly in recent years.

The Associated Press

9. Newsom attacks DeSantis in July 4 ad

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is up for reelection, is running an ad in Florida on July 4 attacking the Sunshine State's Republican leaders, saying that this Independence Day, "Freedom is under attack." Newsom encourages Floridians to come join him in California, "where we still believe in freedom — freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate, and the freedom to love." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declined to comment, but his campaign spokesperson, Dave Abrams, said Newsom is wasting his money on a gimmick, calling the ad a "desperate attempt to win back the California refugees who fled the hellhole he created in his state to come to Florida."

Axios CNN

10. 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' has biggest July 4 opening ever

Minions: The Rise of Gru grossed $108.5 million at the domestic box office through Sunday and is projected to make $127.9 million by the end of the four-day Fourth of July weekend. That would be enough to give the Despicable Me prequel the biggest Fourth of July opening of all time, beating Transformers: Dark of the Moon's $115 million in 2011. The Rise of Gru's success overshadowed the disappointing performance of another animated film, Pixar's Toy Story spinoff Lightyear, which opened with $50 million. The Rise of Gru's debut is the biggest for an animated movie during the pandemic era, marking what one analyst called a "triumphant return to cinemas by families."

CNBC