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5 things to know for July 19: Covid-19, extreme weather, gun violence, DACA, Austria

By CNN Newsource

Published July 19, 2021 3:24 am

By Dominic Rech, CNN

There are some real winners from record-high car prices. (But, hint: It’s not automakers.)

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Coronavirus

Millions of Americans are jeopardizing their health, freedom and finances by not getting vaccinated against Covid-19, current and former federal health officials say. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner in the Trump era, gave a clear warning on the Delta variant, calling it, “the most serious virus that they get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital.” Across the Atlantic, English citizens, many of whom are now fully vaccinated, will experience a new reality today — dubbed by some as “Freedom Day” — after the government lifted almost all restrictions. Nightclubs can reopen, mandatory mask wearing is gone and capacity limits indoors or outdoors have ended. Meanwhile, as the Tokyo Olympics are set to start later this week, there are more and more Covid-19 cases in the Olympic Village.

2. Extreme weather

While floods have done serious damage in Europe over the past few days, landslides have destroyed neighborhoods in India, and fire is now decimating parts of the US. At least 189 people are dead and hundreds more missing after catastrophic flooding hit large swaths of western Europe. The flooding, caused by unprecedented rainfall, hit parts of western Germany before shifting to Belgium and the Netherlands. In the US, 80 large fires have been raging in 13 states, burning more than 1 million acres. Officials are warning more Oregon residents to prepare to evacuate as the Bootleg Fire scorches about 300,000 acres. And at least 31 people have been killed in Mumbai after torrential rain triggered landslides that crushed cars and houses.

3. US gun violence

Shootings over the weekend in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and other US cities underscored the continuing rise in gun violence in the nation this year. The sound of gunshots outside Nationals Park in DC sent fans and players scrambling for safety during a baseball game; three people were wounded. In Chicago, at least 53 people were shot in 41 separate shootings from Friday evening to last evening, police said. In Portland, Oregon, a woman died and six other people were wounded after a shooting on Saturday, police said. Other shootings injured children, including a 1-year-old wounded Saturday night in Philadelphia.

4. DACA

A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is unlawful. The decision, by US District Judge Andrew Hanen, injected uncertainty into the lives of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants and their families. For now, however, those currently in the DACA program will be allowed to stay in it, even as the judge has blocked the government from approving the applications of new enrollees. Yazmin Bruno-Valdez, who was ushered into the Obama-era program less than a month ago, said the ruling had left her awash in fear, guilt and uncertainty.

5. Austria

Austrian authorities say they are investigating reports that US diplomats in Vienna have experienced symptoms of a mystery illness known as Havana Syndrome. A US State Department spokesperson said: “We are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents among the US Embassy Vienna community or wherever they are reported.” Victims of Havana Syndrome have reported a varying set of symptoms and physical sensations, including sudden vertigo, nausea, headaches and head pressure, sometimes accompanied by a “piercing directional noise.” Some have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. Incidents like this began in late 2016 in Cuba and have been reported in Russia, China and elsewhere.

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TODAY’S QUOTE

“It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future.”

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TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

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