News Wrap: Democrats warn that asylum-seekers in custody aren’t getting legal counsel

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: There's fresh evidence that the U.S. job market is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels.

The Labor Department reports that job openings in June slipped to 9.6 million, the lowest in two years. And the number of people who quit their jobs in June also dropped. That's what the Federal Reserve has been watching for as it tries to cool inflation.

Dozens of congressional Democrats are petitioning to end expedited screening of asylum seekers in Border Patrol custody; 13 senators and 53 House members said today that asylum candidates are not getting access to legal counsel, as the Biden administration said they would.

In a letter, the lawmakers said — quote — "Affording people fair adjudication is particularly key for individuals fleeing life-threatening harm or torture."

France, Italy and Spain moved today to start evacuating their citizens from Niger after last week's military coup. Hundreds of European nationals lined up outside the capital's main airport and waited for hours. U.S. officials said they're not yet planning to evacuate Americans.

Meantime, the prime minister in Niger's ousted government warned the country's military that Islamist rebels now have an opening.

Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Prime Minister of Niger (through interpreter): It's a situation that could encourage jihadists, because, if the armed forces are preoccupied with issues other than ensuring the country's security, obviously, you can understand that this will allow the jihadists to be able to make advances on the ground.

Geoff Bennett:

The prime minister called for outside powers to overthrow the military regime. But neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali joined Guinea in declaring their support for the coup. They rejected any outside attempt to intervene.

North Korea has responded to inquiries about Travis King, the U.S. soldier who had been facing military discipline when he escaped into North Korea last month. A Pentagon spokesman says Pyongyang communicated with the U.N. Command, but he offered no details. King was in civilian clothes when he joined a tour group, then dashed across the demilitarized zone. He hasn't been seen since.

In the Russia-Ukraine war, a drone attack — a drone attacked a skyscraper in Central Moscow for the second time in about 48 hours. The building houses Russian government ministries and suffered damage to its glass facade. Ukraine would not confirm or deny involvement, but some in Moscow said it's time to end the fighting.

Eldar, Moscow Resident (through interpreter):

The situation is like with this. We attack them. They attack us. And it's obvious that they succeed somewhere and we succeed somewhere.

I'm for a peaceful settlement, so that this conflict moves to some negotiation stage. It's necessary to look for points of settlement, because, so far, there has been only escalation for a long time.

Geoff Bennett:

In Ukraine, Russian attack drones hit Kharkiv overnight, partially destroying an empty college dormitory. Russian forces also shelled the port city of Kherson, damaging a medical facility and killing a doctor.

Back in this country, authorities in Michigan have accused two prominent supporters of former President Donald Trump of accessing and tampering with voting machines after the 2020 election. One is a lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for state's attorney general last year. The two men were arraigned today on criminal charges.

New Jersey was shaken today by the sudden death of Democratic Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver. She'd been hospitalized yesterday with an undisclosed ailment. In 2017, Oliver became the first Black woman elected to statewide office as Governor Phil Murphy's running mate. They were reelected in 2021. Oliver had been serving as acting governor this week while Murphy was out of town. She was 71 years old.

Descendants of Henrietta Lacks have reached a settlement involving decades of medical research using her cells without compensation. The family's lawyer announced the settlement today with Thermo Fisher Scientific. He gave no details. Doctors took tissue from Lacks' cervical cancer back in 1951. It was the first human cell line to be cloned and aided countless innovations. Her story became the basis for a book and a movie.

On Wall Street, the ongoing rally paused after a mixed set of earnings reports. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 71 points to close at 35630, but the Nasdaq fell 62 points. The S&P 500 lost 12.

And at the Women's World Cup, the U.S. is moving on to the round of 16, but just barely. The Americans played to a scoreless draw with Portugal today in a game the defending champions had been expected to win. It's not yet certain which team the U.S. women will play next.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": why the debate over opioid settlement money meant to curb addiction has sparked a legal battle in Ohio; and the head of the World Food Program on how the end of the Ukraine grain deal increases the risk of starvation.