The Perfect Enemy | 5 things to know for July 7: Boris Johnson, Parade shooting, Ukraine, Monkeypox, Debt

CNN —

Corporate life has changed significantly since the 1990s: Long gone are the days of boxy computers and fax machines. We’re now at a time when many are questioning whether we need offices at all, considering that almost six in 10 US workers do their jobs from home most, or all, of the time, survey data shows. Of those workers, only 42% cited Covid-19 as the major reason, with the majority saying they simply prefer working from home.

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1. Boris Johnson

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as Conservative party leader following a wave of government resignations. “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” he said today. As recently as Wednesday night Johnson said he intended to stay and fight. But the avalanche of resignations from government ministers continued through to today, with letter after letter criticizing the scandal-hit leader and imploring Johnson to step down. Johnson’s departure marks a remarkable downfall for a Prime Minister who was once seen as having political superpowers, with an appeal that transcended traditional party lines. He won a landslide victory in December 2019 on the promise of delivering a Brexit deal and leading the UK to a bright future outside the European Union. But his premiership unraveled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Parade shooting

The gunman in Monday’s massacre at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, admitted he carried out the attack, killing seven and wounding dozens of others, prosecutors said in court Wednesday. Authorities said the shooter also “seriously contemplated” committing a second shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, where he drove to after fleeing the parade shooting. Officials revealed the gunman dressed in women’s clothing to conceal his identity and used makeup to cover his tattoos, investigators believe. Separately, a tip from a “hero citizen” thwarted a potential mass shooting planned for a July 4 celebration in Richmond, Virginia, police say. The tipster overheard a conversation that a mass shooting was set to occur at an amphitheater and called that information into police on July 1.

02:57 – Source: CNN

Police reveal past incidents with suspected Highland Park gunman

3. Ukraine

Russian forces are inching closer to the eastern Ukrainian territories and are likely to mount an offensive on the key city of Sloviansk, a regional military official said, urging civilians to evacuate. Thousands of people still in the eastern city of Severodonetsk will soon face “awful conditions” with no water, gas or power, according to a local military official. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Western artillery his country has received has “started working very powerfully.” In his nightly address Wednesday, Zelensky confirmed his military was able to strike “depots and other spots that are important for the logistics of the occupiers,” and the efforts are “significantly reducing” the offensive potential of the Russian army.

02:45 – Source: CNN

CNN gets access to secret location of US artillery being used in Ukraine

4. Monkeypox

As monkeypox cases continue to rise globally, the World Health Organization is considering again whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. In late June, WHO’s Emergency Committee determined that the outbreak did not meet the criteria for such a declaration. But as the virus continues to spread, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wants the committee to take up the issue again, based on the latest data around the evolution of the outbreak. Across the world, there have been more than 6,000 cases recorded in 58 countries, Tedros said. Monkeypox is a viral disease similar to smallpox that most commonly spreads from person to person through direct contact with infectious body fluids.

11:49 – Source: CNN

WHO describes what we know about Monkeypox virus transmission

5. American debt

Rising prices in the US have some cash-strapped shoppers reaching for alternative payment methods for everyday purchases such as gas station fill-ups or grocery runs. Increasingly, many people are turning to Buy Now, Pay Later installment plans, which have become popular among shoppers seeking to spread out the cost of big-ticket purchases. This trend has become a concern for economists and consumer advocates, who say the surge in the use of these services, coupled with a lack of transparency and little regulatory oversight, leaves them wondering just how much debt Americans are actually getting into. Experts say these transactions are common among young consumers – primarily Gen Z ers and Millennials – and are estimated to be at least $100 billion annually. The rise of these services comes just months after a key inflation index showed prices in the US hit a new 40-year high.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Woman’s chipmunk rescue goes hilariously wrong

A woman screaming her head off over a chipmunk is cracking up the internet. Watch the funny moment here.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly had twins with an executive at one of his other companies, Neuralink

This makes nine kids for the world’s richest man.

An airplane ‘flew 14 hours’ with hole in its side

Those on board saw a massive puncture in the side of the Airbus A380 as they exited the plane. Terrifying much?

Penguins at a Japanese aquarium are being fed cheaper fish – and they aren’t happy

Well, we’d be upset too… Check out these photos of the picky eaters refusing their new cheaper meal option.

Kim Kardashian walks Balenciaga show

The Balenciaga catwalk in Paris was star-studded with a bunch of A-listers, including Nicole Kidman, Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell.

TODAY’S NUMBER

12 years

That’s how long “Cheer” star Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris has been sentenced to serve in federal prison stemming from a child pornography case, according to Assistant US Attorney Joseph Fitzpatrick. Harris was one of several students whose stories were spotlighted in the popular Netflix reality series “Cheer,” which follows the cheer team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Harris, 22, pleaded guilty in February to one count each of receiving child pornography and engaging in sexual acts with a minor.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“It was anarchy. It was chaos. It was a clown show.”

– Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff to ex-President Donald Trump, describing the late days of the Trump White House. In an interview with CNN, Mulvaney also shared his reaction to Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the January 6 committee, saying he was “really frightened” by the West Wing’s strategy at the time, or lack thereof.