News Wrap: Death toll rises in Ukraine after Russian strike on apartment block

Judy Woodruff:

A federal judge has said no to delaying Steve Bannon's trial for contempt of Congress. It's set to begin next Monday.

The former Trump White House adviser had refused to cooperate with the January 6 investigation. Then he reversed course over the weekend. Bannon's lawyers would not say if today's ruling changes his decision to testify.

President Biden hailed a new federal law aimed at gun violence today, but he also called for more. He said it's time to hold gun owners accountable for weapons used in shootings. The president spoke 16 days after signing the new law and one week after the attack on a July 4 parade outside Chicago. We will return to this after the news summary.

Police in South Africa are still hunting for five gunmen who killed 15 people in a crowded bar early Sunday. The attack in Soweto was the worst of three such incidents that killed 21 people in all. Gunmen burst into taverns and fired scores of rounds. Investigators suspect regional and ethnic rivalries or fights between crime gangs.

In Ukraine, the death toll rose to 31 in a Russian missile strike Saturday on an apartment block in the Donetsk region. Farther north, rockets hit Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv. Today — that was today, and killing at least six people and wounding dozens. Survivors said they had no warning.

Valentina Popovichuk, Kharkiv Resident (through translator):

I woke up in bed, and I was all covered in dust. I went to the bathroom, where more rubble and dust fell on me. Finally, when I saw lights, I started screaming: "I am alive. Please get me out."

Then the rescuers knocked down the door and took me out.

Judy Woodruff:

Also today, the White House warned that Russia is asking Iran for hundreds of armed drones for use in Ukraine. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it appears that Iran is ready to provide the weapons and the training.

New COVID-19 outbreaks are being reported in China, including the gambling mecca of Macau. Casinos and streets across the territory were empty. Businesses were ordered to close and residents were told to stay indoors.

Meanwhile, yet another highly contagious mutation gained momentum in India. Scientists say the BA.2.75 subvariant may be able to defeat vaccines and other immunity.

The political crisis in Sri Lanka took a new turn today. Officials on the Indian Ocean island said that Parliament will vote on a new president next week. That's after mass protests in the capital forced the president and prime minister to offer their resignations.

Peter Smith of Independent Television News is in Colombo, and filed this report.

Peter Smith:

In Sri Lanka, the queue for petrol no longer last for hours. The wait is now measured in days. This is what it looks like when the country runs out of fuel and money.

Protesters have stormed the gates of the presidential palace and, from what we saw today, they have now taken over.

Person:

We will win, because people are united.

Peter Smith:

This president is not coming back here?

Person:

He will never come. If he comes here, our people will kick out him.

Peter Smith:

The writing is now on the wall for the Sri Lankan regime. The black flag of the protesters now flies here. The new occupants experience the luxury of a presidential bed. And there have been queues to take a dip in the president's pool.

The fact we, along with these people, can walk around the palace at our leisure tells us power in Sri Lanka no longer lies in the hands of the president, but it's not yet in the hands of the people, because the military still surrounds this place. Heavily armed guards are still overseeing this delicate revolution.

Police have already fired tear gas on protesters. The guns haven't gone away, but people here tell me they are simply no longer scared. With no gas for stoves, people in Sri Lanka now buy wood to cook in the streets. Community kitchens feed those without fuel and food.

Disala Rodrigo has been camped outside this palace since in April. Now she's inside the president's old gym.

Disala Rodrigo, Protester (through translator):

We don't have gasoline to cook. Even if we had induction electric cookers, we don't have electricity. There's a power cut going on every day.

So that's the main reason why I'm here.

Peter Smith:

Sri Lanka's president has been in hiding and has briefed that he will resign on Wednesday. The people say they will believe it when they see it. Until then, they stay put and hold on to hope.

Judy Woodruff:

That report from Peter Smith of Independent Television News.

Monsoon rains in Pakistan have now claimed at least 150 lives in less than a month, with new flooding in the country's largest city. Entire neighborhoods in Karachi were underwater today after five inches of rain in three hours. Many of the port city's roads were flooded. The rainfall has been almost twice as heavy as it usually is this time of year.

Back in this country, the Biden administration told hospitals that they must provide abortion services when the mother's life is at risk. The Department of Health and Human Services said the existing federal law and that point overrides any state ban that provides no exceptions. The announcement is aimed at the handful of states with exceptions that are legally vague.

A French drug company is seeking the first U.S. approval of an over-the-counter birth control pill. HRA Pharma applied to the FDA today. It said the timing is unrelated to new battles over abortion rights. Birth control pills can already be purchased without a prescription in much of the world.

And on Wall Street, after a winning week, stocks gave ground again over inflation and recession jitters. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 164 points to close at 31173. The Nasdaq fell 262 points. That's 2 percent. The S&P 500 dropped 1 percent.