News Wrap: Former deputy acquitted on charges for failing to act during Parkland shooting

In our news wrap Thursday, a former sheriff's deputy was found not guilty of felony child neglect and other charges for failing to stop the Parkland school shooter in 2018, the Pentagon says a Chinese spy balloon did not collect any intelligence when it flew over the U.S. earlier this year and France is bracing for a third night of protests following a fatal police shooting of a teenager in Paris.

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  • Amna Nawaz:

    In the day's other headlines: A former Florida sheriff's deputy was found not guilty of felony child neglect and other charges for failing to stop the Parkland school shooter and 2018.

    Scott Peterson was overcome with emotion as the judge read the verdicts. He was outside the building as the gunman killed 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The charges carried a maximum sentence of nearly 100 years in prison.

    Extreme heat scorching the South has claimed 14 lives and shows no signs of letting up. Forecasters say the high temperatures and humidity will spread eastward in the coming days. Farther north, smoke from Canadian wildfires is still blanketing parts of the Midwest and East Coast. Washington, D.C., Detroit and Chicago recorded some of the worst air quality in the world.

    The Pentagon confirmed a Chinese spy balloon did not collect any intelligence when it flew over the United States earlier this year. The balloon spent eight days in North American airspace before President Biden gave military orders to shoot it down off the East Coast. Officials said U.S. countermeasures taken at the time helped prevent surveillance during its flight.

    France is bracing for a third night of protests and unrest following a fatal police shooting of a teenager in Paris. Authorities have now charged the officer who pulled the trigger with voluntary homicide.

    Lisa Desjardins has the latest.

  • Lisa Desjardins:

    In this Paris suburb, outrage is growing, as are crowd numbers, with thousands today turning out to protest the police killing of a local young man.

    The teenager's mother called for this march and helped lead it from a top a flatbed truck. Her son's name echoed with local leaders and in this chant, "Justice for Nahel."

  • Karima Khatim, Local Official (through translator):

    Young Nahel, his honor was saved, thanks to cameras. By killing Nahel, they killed our child.

  • Lisa Desjardins:

    The video of the killing by officers who stopped the car for an alleged traffic violation immediately sparked anger. A policeman fired at close range as the car started to drive. The 17-year-old has been publicly identified only as Nahel M.

    He was of North African descent. For the third day in a row, demonstrators have taken over the streets of several Parisian suburbs, demanding justice, cars set ablaze. Scores of police have been injured and protesters arrested. A curfew is now in place in at least one area where a tram was set on fire.

    And both outcry and violence have spread to at least three other cities in France. French authorities announced 40,000 officers would be deployed across the country to contain further unrest.

  • Emmanuel Macron, French President (through translator):

    These acts are totally unjustifiable, and I want to thank all those who worked overnight, as the night before, to protect these institutions and bring back calm.

  • Lisa Desjardins:

    But fueling the anger are long-running complaints of police mistreatment of minorities and the memories of riots in 2005, when two teenagers died running from police.

    Nahel's death is the second police killing during traffic stops this year. French prosecutors stress that a murder investigation is under way. Meanwhile, flowers were laid near the site of the shooting, notes of grief and anger both on the rise.

    For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Lisa Desjardins.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Former Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Kyiv today in a show of support as Ukraine fends off Russian aggression.

    The Republican presidential nominee met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and later reiterated his pledge to arm Ukraine.

    Mike Pence (R), Presidential Candidate: As I learned from President Zelenskyy and his security team, the Ukrainian military is making steady advances against the Russians.

    And I assured him that, for my part, we will continue to do everything in our power to make sure that we provide the Ukrainian military with the support they need.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Mr. Pence is the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukraine during the campaign.

    A British court of appeals struck down a U.K. government policy that would send asylum seekers 4,000 miles away to Rwanda. The judges ruled that, while deportations to safe countries are legal, relocating migrants to Rwanda specifically is too unsafe.

    Ian Burnett, Lord Chief Justice, England and Wales: There is a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda will be returned to their home countries, where they face persecution or other inhumane treatment, when, in fact, they have a good claim for asylum. In that sense, Rwanda is not a safe third country.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    The decision is a blow to British conservatives, who have pledged to stop migrants from making the dangerous journey to the U.K. by boat. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his government will appeal to the U.K.'s Supreme Court.

    The U.S. economy is showing more signs of resilience. The Commerce Department reported the American economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of this year. That's a sharp upgrade from the agency's previous 1.3 percent GDP estimate. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said jobless claims fell by 26,000 last week to 239,000. That's the largest drop since 2021.

    That news boosted most stocks on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 270 points to close at 34122. The Nasdaq fell off a fraction of a point. And the S&P 500 added 19.

    A passing to note tonight. Christine King Farris, Martin Luther King Jr.'s last living sibling, has died. In the decades following her brother's 1968 assassination, she joined his widow, Coretta Scott King, to help promote his legacy. She also helped build the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, to help champion his philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

    Christine King Farris was 95 years old.

    And, finally, the New York Yankees are celebrating their pitch-perfect win against the Oakland A's. Yankees right-hander Domingo German didn't let a single Oakland batter reach first base last night, leading his team to an 11-0 victory. It was only the 24th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

    Still to come on the "NewsHour": burnout pushes an increasing number of doctors to leave the insurance-based system; a new cosmic discovery leads to greater understanding of the space-time continuum; "Sesame Street" supports Ukrainian children traumatized by war; plus much more.

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