Civil Rights Leaders Call for Independent Probe of Black Teen’s Death in Mississippi

Civil rights leaders are backing an independent investigation into the mysterious death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old Black college athlete whose body was found last week on a barrier island in Mississippi. Wells had taken a boat to the island with a group of white friends to celebrate the July Fourth holiday. The friends say Wells chose to stay on the island when they returned home. Authorities say Wells may have accidentally drowned, but his family has questioned the official story in part because Wells’s cellphone was found not with his body, but in the possession of one of his friends who returned home. Wells’s mother spoke at a press conference on Friday. Christine Wonsley: “Nolan was — is the kindest soul. He never met a stranger. He loved everybody. He didn’t care if you were Black, white, purple, green, looked like a marshmallow. Like, he just wanted everyone to be in peace with one another. He just — he loved life, and God gave him this big heart, which always scared us. Me and his dad had conversations with him all the time, not just about the importance of understanding our history as Black people, but also the importance of how you have to move in certain spaces.” The family of Nolan Wells is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also spoke at Friday’s press conference. Benjamin Crump: “It is because the family has distrust of the Mississippi law enforcement officials giving them a fair investigation where their Black son ended up dead after going out on a boat with three young white men. The history of Mississippi is something that they don’t just read about in books, but it’s a lived experience for many Black Americans.” www.democracynow.org

Justice Department Probes Yale’s Admissions Practices

The Justice Department is investigating Yale’s admissions practices for its medical school, law school and undergraduate college. Now Yale Law School’s dean, Cristina Rodríguez, and several other law school faculty members are urging Yale’s leadership not to settle with the Trump administration, saying that it would be damaging to the rule of law and would compromise the university’s reputation. According to the Yale Daily News, the university’s first settlement offer was rejected by the Trump administration; Yale has since offered a second proposal. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “As I’ve told top Yale officials, Trump’s word means nothing. An agreement with these corrupt bullies is only an invitation to more lawbreaking abuse.” www.democracynow.org

Protests Continue in Houston After ICE Fatally Shot Mexican Father Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Protests are continuing in Houston, Texas, after an ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican father who had lived in the United States for decades. He was shot after being stopped while driving to a construction site with three other men who were detained. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz is expected to meet with the FBI on Tuesday in an attempt to access evidence gathered by federal investigators. On Friday, the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and lawmakers gathered to call for an independent investigation after eyewitnesses disputed claims made by ICE agents. Hugo Baldera-Ibarra is a lawyer for the family. Hugo Baldera-Ibarra: “After speaking with these men, I have no doubt that what they’re saying is the truth. I know that these agents — the agency is going to try to cover it up. This is not the first time that it happens. This has become a pattern, where ICE agents claim that they use their vehicle as a deadly weapon, that they tried to run over the agents and the agents shot in self-defense. But all three of my clients reiterated that at no point was there ever an agent standing in front of the vehicle, nor was an agent ever placed in the line of danger. That is simply false, and I believe my clients are telling the truth.” www.democracynow.org

Federal Judge Approves DOJ Request to Dismiss Charges Against Five Members of the Proud Boys

A Trump-appointed federal judge has approved a request by the Justice Department to dismiss seditious conspiracy charges against five members of the far-right group the Proud Boys in connection with the January 6 insurrection. In his order, Judge Timothy Kelly said he did not agree with President Trump granting clemency to the rioters, but that he had no choice but to comply. After taking office, President Trump pardoned all of the nearly 1,600 rioters for taking part in the attack on the Capitol, which injured more than 100 police officers. www.democracynow.org

Wildfires Rage in Greece, Spain and France During Europe’s Record Heat Wave

In Europe, a group of scientists warned that extreme heat led to 10,000 excess deaths in the last month. Germany recorded nearly 100 deaths by drowning. Over the weekend, wildfires raged in Spain, killing at least 12 people, in one of the deadliest wildfires in the country’s history. In Greece, authorities have urged residents in the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, to stay indoors and secure their windows and doors because of toxic smoke caused by a recycling plant engulfed by a wildfire. Meanwhile, in France, hundreds of firefighters are battling a wildfire south of Paris. www.democracynow.org

NYT: U.S. Secretary of State Rubio Serving as De Facto Viceroy of Venezuela

The New York Times has revealed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela’s finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. Rubio’s informal role began after U.S. forces attacked Venezuela in January and abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has since served as Venezuela’s acting president, but the Times reports Rubio has essentially been running the country from afar, even controlling Rodríguez’s public appearances and statements, as well as her governmental appointments. The Times likened Rubio’s role to that of Paul Bremer, who was installed by George W. Bush to run Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. www.democracynow.org

Justice Department Subpoenas Four New York Times Journalists

The Justice Department has subpoenaed four journalists at The New York Times after they reported President Trump’s new Air Force One lacked key security features, including advanced anti-missile capabilities. The Boeing aircraft had been donated to Trump by Qatar and then refurbished. Trump flew on the plane last week to the NATO summit in Turkey but then took the old Air Force One home due to security concerns. The Times reported subpoenas were issued to the reporters Julian Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt. The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, who was recently nominated by Trump to serve as director of national intelligence. Clayton’s confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday. A lawyer for The New York Times said, “This brazen act should be seen as nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs.” The head of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Jodie Ginsberg, said, “The subpoenas are an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations, and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country.” www.democracynow.org