News Wrap: Funerals begin for Highland Park shooting victims

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: The U.S. jobs report for June managed to crush expectations, despite continuing high inflation and slowing economic growth.

The Labor Department reported that employers added 372,000 jobs last month. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent for the fourth straight month. Wages also grew, with the average hourly pay rising 5.1 percent.

We will take a closer look at this right after the news summary.

Still, on Wall Street, stock prices ended the day mixed over fears that the robust jobs report could mean more interest rate hikes in the future. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 46 points to close at 31338. The Nasdaq rose 14 points and the S&P 500 fell three.

President Biden signed an executive order today to protect access to abortion and contraception across the country. It was in response to last month's Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a move that he called a — quote — "exercise in raw political power."

The president signed the order and urged the country to elect lawmakers to codify abortion rights into law in.

President Joe Biden:

And the challenge from the court to the American women and men — this is a nation — the challenge is, go out and vote. Well, for God's sake, there's an election in November. Vote, vote, vote, vote.

Consider the challenge accepted, court.

Judy Woodruff:

We will break down what's in the president's executive order later in the program.

Meanwhile, a ruling today in Louisiana has allowed that state's near total abortion ban to be — to proceed. It was one of the latest in a string of court challenges to state abortion laws.

Funerals and memorial services began today for three of the seven victims killed in the July 4 shooting rampage in Highland Park, Illinois. Mourners visited a memorial for the victims to pay their respects, as the community grieves. Police are still investigating the accused gunman's motive.

A wildfire in California is raging out of control near a grove of famed giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park. Firefighters are working to contain the flame that threatened the Mariposa Grove home to 500 of the oldest and largest trees. A portion of the park remains closed after the fire quintupled in size. So far, there have been no reports of damage to the sequoias.

Wisconsin's Supreme Court took two steps to restrict voter access today, ruling that absentee ballot drop boxes may only be placed in election offices, and that only the voter can return their ballot in person. But the court did not decide whether someone other than the voter can submit a ballot by mail.

Elon Musk has notified Twitter's board of directors that he wants to terminate his $44 billion bid to buy the company. He cited a lack of information about fake accounts. Twitter responded that it will now sue Musk to complete the merger.

The Ukrainian government says that Russian shelling killed 12 civilians and wounded 30 more over the last 24 hours, mostly in the eastern Donetsk region. Those who remain are fleeing that area by train, as Russian artillery continues to pound residential areas. One Ukrainian woman described the horrible choices she's had to make as she boarded an evacuation train with her children.

Nataliia, Ukraine Resident (through translator):

Can you imagine? I sleep at night with only one thought, that I should cover my child with my body, because, in case of shelling, only I would be injured by debris. But I have three children, and I can't protect all of them.

Judy Woodruff:

Meanwhile, a regional official warned, living conditions have deteriorated in Russian controlled Severodonetsk. He said residents are without water, power and a working sewage system, as dead bodies decompose in apartment buildings.

And the U.N. Security Council today failed to extend aid deliveries from Turkey into Northwest Syria. Russia vetoed a resolution for a yearlong extension and could not get enough support for their six-month proposal either. The U.N. mandate delivers a day more than four million Syrians who are in rebel-held areas. It's set to expire on Sunday.