It's been one month since the Fourth of July mass shooting at a Highland Park, Illinois, parade that left seven dead. In the past month, the case against the 21-year-old shooting suspect has progressed. The Highland Park native appeared in Lake County’s circuit court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to 117 felony counts. Highland Park residents are still reeling from the attack, and thousands have sought mental health services, Mayor Nancy Rotering told USA TODAY. Many are also turning anger into activism by making public art, putting up yard signs, organizing phone banks and meeting with lawmakers to push for gun control legislation.
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Brittney Griner's defense lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, told Reuters that closing arguments would take place Thursday in the WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist's cannabis possession case and that sentencing was expected "very soon." Griner returned to a Moscow-area courtroom Tuesday amid heightened diplomatic talks between the White House and the Kremlin. Griner, 31, has been detained in Russia since February after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Last week, the U.S. said it had proposed a deal for the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Russia made a “bad faith” counteroffer that American officials don't consider serious.
China began military exercises Thursday in six zones surrounding Taiwan. The drills were prompted by a visit to the self-ruled island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week. China had warned of "consequences" for Pelosi visiting Taiwan. China views Taiwan as part of its territory, though Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country. The United States has long embraced a murky middle ground that seeks to support Taiwan without infuriating Beijing. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said the exercises were joint operations focused on “blockade, sea target assault, strike on ground targets, and airspace control.” Taiwan has put its military on alert and staged civil defense drills, while the U.S. has numerous naval assets in the area. The drills are due to run from Thursday to Sunday and include missile strikes on targets in the seas north and south of the island in an echo of the last major Chinese military drills aimed at intimidating Taiwan's leaders and voters held in 1995 and 1996.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars will open the 2022 NFL preseason schedule Thursday in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. This will be the fourth appearance by the Raiders in the game and the second for the Jaguars; Jacksonville's previous participation came in the Jaguars' first NFL exhibition game in 1995. The game marks the debut for Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, a Canton native who played his home high school football games at Fawcett Stadium, the predecessor to the current hall stadium. Doug Pederson will work his first game as Jaguars head coach. Former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch and defensive lineman Richard Seymour will be inducted into the Canton-based Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, as will ex-Jaguars tackle Tony Boselli.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, turns 41 on Thursday. To mark her birthday last year, she launched "40x40," an Archewell initiative aimed at pushing for people around the world to dedicate 40 minutes to support women's return to the workforce. It's become somewhat of a tradition for the Sussex family to commemorate personal celebrations with a charitable act, like building a new community relief center in Mumbai, India, to mark their third wedding anniversary. Meghan and Prince Harry gave up their royal duties and moved to California two years ago. Their last public appearance in the UK was in June for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.