Wednesday, July 6 top stories
Hi. Today is Wednesday, July 6. I am taking Alex’s place today. Here are today’s top stories.
Leading causes of death in the U.S.
A medical journal published data of the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021 by reviewing death certificates.
The top three causes are heart disease, cancer, and Covid-19. The fourth most common cause is accidental deaths and the fifth is stroke.
Updates on Highland Park shooting
Here are updates on the Highland Park 4th of July shooting.
The death toll increased to seven. Two of the victims were a couple that were parents to a two-year-old boy. Their son was found wandering alone at the scene. The boy, Aiden, is now in the care of his grandparents.
The ages of the victims ranged from 35 to 88.
There was a vigil in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday evening. Hundreds of people came together to give each other support.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the site on Tuesday night.
The suspect, Robert Crimo, was charged with seven counts of first degree murder. Authorities said they expect to add many more charges.
Police said Crimo went on a rooftop of a building along the city’s 4th of July parade route and fired more than 70 bullets. The gun was an AR-15 type of rifle and it was legally purchased.
Euro-dollar parity creeps closer
If you are an American visiting Italy, Greece or Spain this summer, you are in luck: meals, hotels and tours are more affordable in dollars. The euro is nearing parity with the U.S. dollar for the first time in 20 years.
What’s happening: the euro has slumped to about $1.03 and is now trading at its lowest level since late 2002. Most analysts don’t think it’s bottomed out yet.
Predictions are flying around that it could even reach parity, in which one dollar can be swapped for one euro. One says the euro will hit parity by the end of August.
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Macron slammed for leaking phone call with Putin
Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov said the release of the phone conversations between President Putin and French president Macron breaches ‘diplomatic etiquette’.
Broadcaster France 2 released in a documentary that aired last week the details of the confidential call on February 20 between Macron and Putin. That was days before the start of the war in Ukraine.
The excerpts included Putin complaining about the Ukrainian government, saying it was not “democratically elected” and claiming that Ukrainian president Zelensky is lying to Macron.
Activists glue themselves to famous paintings
Just Stop Oil is a climate activist group in the United Kingdom who have disrupted major galleries this week to send a message to the UK government.
On Tuesday morning, protestors from Just Stop Oil glued themselves to a frame housing a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. The activists also spray-painted the demand underneath the painting frame “No New Oil” in white.
This is the fifth time the group’s members have attached themselves to a famous artwork this past week. Previous incidents involved a work by Vincent Van Gogh and a JMW Turner painting in different art galleries.
Just Stop Oil demonstrators are calling for the UK government to block licenses for future oil and gas extraction and warning of a bleak future if action is not taken to slow the effects of climate change.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Updates on Highland Park shooting:
https://heavy.com/news/highland-park-victims-names-photos-tributes/
Journal on causes of death:
https://www.axios.com/2022/07/06/covid-causes-of-death-2020-2021
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2794043?
Euro-dollar:
Macron-Russia:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/6/russia-criticises-unilateral-leak-of-putin-macron-call
Activists:
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/just-stop-oil-protest-leonardo-da-vinci/index.html