News Wrap: 6th person facing charges in deadly birthday party shooting in Alabama

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: Police in Alabama have now charged a sixth person in last weekend's deadly birthday party shooting.

The attack on a sweet 16 celebration in the town of Dadeville killed for people ages 17 to 23 and injured dozens. The defendants are charged with reckless murder. There's still no word on the motive.

In Sudan, the military and a rival paramilitary group announced a three day cease-fire for the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but two earlier cease-fires failed, and heavy firing continued after this latest announcement. The military also released footage of soldiers in the capital, Khartoum, as people cheered.

But many were still scared after a week of fighting that's killed hundreds of people.

Alia Mutawkel, Khartoum Resident (through translator):

Will we be able to leave the house or not? And, if we leave, will we be safe? All these questions are on my mind. And I have no answers. The future is dim for us, and we don't know how things will end.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, the Sudanese army's top general promised a transition to civilian rule, but he gave no timetable.

Also today, the White House said it's watching the situation, but has no plans for now to evacuate some 16,000 Americans from Sudan. U.S. troops are deploying in the region in case embassy staffers need to get out.

The U.S. is ready to train Ukraine's military on a major new battlefield weapon in its war with Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today the training on U.S. Abrams tanks will begin soon in Germany. Austin met today with other defense ministers in Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He said the tanks marked a major step in arming Kyiv.

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense: All of this is huge progress. And I'm confident that this equipment and the training that accompany it will put your Ukrainian forces in a position to continue to succeed on the battlefield.

Geoff Bennett:

American-made Patriot missile batteries have also started arriving in Ukraine to defend against Russian air attacks.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order today to make environmental justice a high priority. The White House Rose Garden ceremony created an office that will focus on protecting poor and minority communities from pollution and other environmental harm. The order also requires public warnings when a federal facility releases toxic substances.

And, on Wall Street, stocks made fractional gains on this Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average added 22 points to close it 33809. The Nasdaq rose 13 points. The S&P 500 was up three.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": an Oklahoma county commissioner resigns after being caught on tape making racist remarks; the rising cost of coal threatens Britain's historic steam engines; and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks explores the human side of the pandemic.