News Wrap: Jury selection begins for 3 former officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols

In our news wrap Monday, jury selection began in the trial of three former officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, wildfires in the western U.S. prompted tens of thousands of people to evacuate, the Israeli military ordered a new evacuation for parts of northwestern Gaza, Britain’s Princess Kate says she has finished chemotherapy and actor James Earl Jones has died.

Read the Full Transcript

Amna Nawaz: We start the day’s other headlines in Memphis, Tennessee, where jury selection is beginning in the trial of three former officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

The 29-year-old died in January of 2023 from blows to the head after he was killed after he was pulled from his car and brutally beaten during a traffic stop. In body camera footage, he can be heard calling out for his mother who lived nearby. Today, the former officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, arrived at a federal courthouse.

They have pleaded not guilty to violating Nichols’ rights, as well as witness tampering. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks.

Wildfires in the Western U.S. have prompted tens of thousands of people to evacuate amid scorching heat and high winds. In California, the Line Fire has burned at least 33 square miles in San Bernardino County. County officials shut a number of schools, and the Forest Service says some 36,000 structures are under threat.

In Nevada, meanwhile, crews have been dousing the Davis Fire by air just south of Reno. That blaze has prompted about 20,000 people to evacuate the area.

In Vietnam, state media says catastrophic rains and flooding from Typhoon Yagi have killed more than 60 people. Swollen rivers sent water gushing into streets, while deadly landslides have pushed hillsides into homes. Dashcam footage caught the moment a steel bridge carrying cars and trucks collapsed. Reports say the 12 vehicles fell into the rushing waters below.

Before making landfall in Vietnam on Saturday, the storm caused 20 deaths in the Philippines and killed four others in China.

Turning now to the Middle East, the Israeli military ordered a new evacuation for some parts of Northwest Gaza today. Officials say Palestinian militants fired rockets from the area on Sunday toward the nearby Israeli town of Ashkelon. Separately, officials in Syria say airstrikes from Israel last night killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens more.

It’s one of the deadliest attacks on Syria since the war in Gaza began. Israel has not acknowledged the strike, but the country regularly targets places in Syria it says have connections to Iran or Hezbollah. Residents described their terror when the strikes began.

Bashar Mahmoud, Syria Resident (through interpreter): We were in panic. The children were sleeping and woke up terrified by an unusual situation. We did not know what happened, but we saw blazes of fire billowing from the forests. We were subjected to many violent strikes.

Amna Nawaz: Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, dozens of mourners attended a funeral procession for the American citizen who witnesses say was killed by the Israeli military as she took part in a protest of illegal Israeli settlements last week. Aysenur Eygi also has Turkish citizenship, and the country’s president says the Turkey will seek justice for her death.

Back here in the U.S., more than a dozen school districts across Southeastern Kentucky were closed today as authorities carried out a third day of searches for a suspected gunman. They believe the 32-year-old Joseph Couch opened fire on 12 vehicles along Interstate 75 on Saturday. The shooting took place near the small city of London, Kentucky, south of Lexington. Five people were injured.

In their arrest warrant, authorities say Couch sent a text message 30 minutes before the shooting vowing to — quote — “kill a lot of people.” Authorities committed today to continue the manhunt, but said that the jungle-like terrain of the search area is complicating their efforts.

On Wall Street today, stocks rebounded Monday after last week’s sell-off. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 500 points, or more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq also gained ground, tacking nearly 200 points. The S&P 500 also ended sharply higher on the day.

And in royal news, Britain’s princess of Wales, Kate, says that she’s finished chemotherapy and will make a gradual return to work. The 42-year-old announced in March that she was being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer. In a video released today that also featured her husband, Prince William, and their three children, the princess said her recovery is far from complete.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales: Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long.

Amna Nawaz: The princess last appeared in public for the men’s Wimbledon final in July, where she appeared moved by the crowd’s warm reception.

And one of the world’s most recognizable voices has gone silent. Actor James Earl Jones has died. He got his start around the same time as Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, when leading roles were not available for Black actors. His early parts came on Broadway before Jones moved also into films.

He went on to win two Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, an honorary Academy Award, and a Grammy, what’s called an EGOT. But it was perhaps his voice that resonated the most for fans. From his famous “This is CNN” to Mufasa in “The Lion King” to, of course, Darth Vader in “Star Wars.”

James Earl Jones, Actor: If you only knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.

Mark Hamill, Actor: He told me enough. He told me you killed him.

James Earl Jones: No. I am your father.

Amna Nawaz: The power of Jones’ voice was all the more astonishing given his early battle with the stutter. In 2014, Jones sat down with Jeffrey Brown to discuss that and how the characters that he connected with the most also struggled with language.

James Earl Jones: When I was nothing but a little boy down there on the farm (INAUDIBLE) I used to wrestle hogs to the ground at killing time. Ain’t no hostage get away from me yet.

(Laughter)

James Earl Jones: Very simple people, people who don’t articulate much, people like me who don’t have language, who are inarticulate. I like Hoke in “Driving Miss Daily.” Hoke invents a language of his own. He doesn’t know how to use English as you and I are doing right now. But he has a way of talking that it’s quite poetic.

Amna Nawaz: James Earl Jones was also seen as a pioneer, paving the way for the likes of Denzel Washington and many others over his seven-decade career.

James Earl Jones was 93 years old.