News Wrap: First named storm of Atlantic hurricane season brewing in Gulf of Mexico

Amna Nawaz:

The first named tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.

It bears the name Alberto, kicking off the alphabet for what's forecast to be a busy year for these storms. Alberto formed this morning some 300 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Tropical storm warnings were in effect today along much of the state's southern shoreline.

It's due to make landfall in Northern Mexico on Thursday, an area that's already seen rough waves and heavy rains.

Relatives of the victims of two Boeing 737 MAX crashes have asked the Justice Department to criminally charge the plane maker and seek a fine of more than $24 billion. In a letter to the DOJ, a lawyer for 15 families wrote that the request is legally justified because — quote — "Boeing's crime is the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history."

The letter comes a day after Boeing's CEO, Dave Calhoun, apologized to families in a dramatic moment in Senate testimony; 346 people were killed in those two Boeing crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Cyril Ramaphosa has promised a new era for South Africa as he was sworn in for a second full term as president today. Ramaphosa's reelection comes after his African National Congress party lost its 30-year majority in last month's vote. The ANC then struck a deal with the opposition Democratic Alliance to form a coalition government.

Today, a military parade marched through the capital before Ramaphosa addressed the nation, saying voters want to see unity from their leaders.

Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President:

The people of South Africa have stressed that they are impatient with political bickering. Today, I stand before you as your humble servant to say that we have heard you.

Amna Nawaz:

Ramaphosa went on to say that South Africa remains — quote — "deeply unequal and highly polarized" and promised to work on providing basic services like housing and clean water. He is set to appoint a Cabinet for the new coalition government.

A Russian court has sentenced an American soldier to nearly four years in prison for stealing and making threats of murder. Officers brought staff Sergeant Gordon Black to the court in Vladivostok in Eastern Russia today. Authorities say he was arrested during an unauthorized trip to the country to see his girlfriend, who accused Black of stealing money from her wallet.

The sentence comes as the U.S. continues to work on the release of other Americans held in Russian jails. They include former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

British authorities arrested two climate activists today for defacing the Stonehenge monument. Video captured the protesters spraying the megaliths with orange paint as an onlooker tried to stop them. They're members of the environmental activist group called Just Stop Oil, which said on social media that the paint is made of cornstarch and will dissolve in the rain.

The incident comes a day before thousands will gather at the 45-hundred-year-old monument to celebrate the summer solstice.

Mexico's president asked his foreign minister today to work with the U.S. ambassador to resume inspections of avocados. The U.S. suspended inspections in the state of Michoacan after two Agricultural Department employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants. Michoacan is Mexico's biggest exporter of avocados.

Farmers there say they're worried about their jobs if the suspension continues.

Jesus Villegas, Michoacan, Mexico, Avocado Farmer (through interpreter):

We are losing a lot with the USDA suspension. We can't export even a single avocado. The government should do its job and guarantee the safety of the inspectors, so they can do their job. We want to work, but we can't do it without them.

Amna Nawaz:

Rest assured, the current halt on inspections won't entirely block shipments of Mexican avocados to the U.S. Many Michoacan avocados are already in transit and the state of Jalisco also exports them.

Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms. That includes kindergartens all the way through state-funded universities. The Republican-led bill that became law today mandates a poster-sized display of the Commandments be clearly visible.

And it must include a four-paragraph context statement describing how they were — quote — "a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries." The displays must be in place by the start of 2025. Critics question the constitutionality of the measure and say lawsuits can be expected.

And Americans have been honoring the Juneteenth federal holiday, marking the moment in 1865 when word reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, that they were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. That was two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln issued the decree.

The city of Dallas commemorated the event, a two-and-a-half-mile Walk for Freedom. That's an annual March led by 97-year-old Opal Lee, who's widely known as the grandmother of Juneteenth.

Opal Lee, Civil Rights Activist:

I'm delighted, I really am, that so many of you are celebrating freedom. And I don't mean freedom in Texas or freedom for Black people. I mean freedom for all of us.

Amna Nawaz:

Lee was instrumental in making Juneteenth a nationally recognized holiday in 2021. The day was already celebrated by many Black communities for more than a century.