The briefing for Sunday, July 5.

Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a Utah Valley University event, faces a five-day preliminary hearing this week. Prosecutors will lay out their evidence against Robinson, who has not entered a plea, with the death penalty as a possible punishment if convicted. Kirk's widow and parents are expected to attend the hearing, which will be livestreamed.

Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA and a top ally of President Trump, was shot during a noon event on the university's Fountain Courtyard. According to charging documents, surveillance cameras captured the suspected shooter walking onto campus at 11:51 a.m., and approximately 20 minutes into Kirk's event, a shot rang out from a distant roof. Kirk was pronounced dead at Timpanogos Regional Hospital at 2:40 p.m.

Robinson allegedly sent a text to his roommate saying 'look under my keyboard,' where investigators found a note stating 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it.' In subsequent text exchanges, Robinson's partner appeared shocked, asking why he did it and how long he'd been planning it. The case has drawn national attention given Kirk's prominent role in conservative politics and his work leading efforts to remake the Republican Party's get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election.

One person was killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea in the early hours of Sunday, according to Moscow-installed regional governor Sergei Aksyonov. The attack on northern Crimea comes as Ukraine has stepped up strikes on key infrastructure targets on the peninsula in recent weeks, seeking to isolate the Russian-held territory that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

The attacks occurred as both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held separate phone calls with President Trump on ending the war, now in its fifth year. Zelenskyy wrote on X that he and Trump discussed the situation along the front line and that 'there is a real prospect of ending this war,' with the two leaders agreeing to continue conversations in person during the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are continuing mediation efforts and stand ready to visit Moscow.

The Kremlin described Putin's nearly 90-minute call with Trump as 'constructive,' with Putin emphasizing Russia's preference for a diplomatic settlement while charging that Kyiv and European allies are 'betting on prolonging, and even escalating the conflict.' Ukraine's increasing use of long-range strikes has highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia while Moscow's recent advances have ground to a near halt, according to Western analysts. Putin specifically mentioned the claimed capture of Kostyantynivka as a key step, though Kyiv has denied the Russian claim.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte faces a shifting challenge at this week's summit in Turkey as President Trump's demands have moved beyond burden-sharing to questions of 'loyalty.' During a White House meeting last month, Rutte presented a chart labeled 'The Trump Trillion' in gold letters showing $1.2 trillion in spending by European allies and Canada since 2017, but Trump appeared unmoved by the financial pitch.

Trump expressed disappointment at some NATO allies' refusal to join the Iran war, which he launched alongside Israel without consulting them. 'We don't need their money — we don't need anything,' Trump said. 'I just want loyalty.' He suggested he might have skipped the upcoming summit entirely were it not being hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, indicating the diplomatic challenges ahead.

The shifting goalposts come as NATO addressed spending concerns at last year's summit, with U.S. allies committing to invest as much as America in GDP terms. The Pentagon surprised allies last month by announcing it was scaling back troops, warships, aircraft and drones it would provide if a member came under attack, undermining unity just as Russia probes Europe's defenses with drone flights near military bases. The summit is meant to showcase commitment to collective security, but Trump's conflicting messages about troop levels and defense commitments have created uncertainty about America's role in the alliance.

A Paris appeals court will rule Tuesday in Marine Le Pen's embezzlement case, a decision that could determine whether France's leading presidential contender can run in next year's election. Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other National Rally party members guilty of misusing European Parliament funds by paying party staff with money intended for EU parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.

The lower court sentenced Le Pen to suspended prison time and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office that took immediate effect in March. During the five-week appeal trial, Le Pen acknowledged 'a mistake' and told the court some employees paid as EU parliamentary aides performed party work, but insisted she believed such work was allowed. Prosecutors requested four years in prison, including three suspended, plus a five-year ban on holding office.

If the ban stands, Le Pen's longtime protégé Jordan Bardella, 30, could become the party's presidential candidate, reshaping the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. The appeals court could clear Le Pen, reduce the ban to two years or less, or uphold the full sentence. Le Pen has suggested she would not launch a presidential bid if allowed to run but effectively prevented from campaigning freely due to judicial restrictions. France's presidential race is expected to begin taking shape in September, with candidates needing to secure endorsements from at least 500 elected officials.

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru's tight presidential election, nearly a month after the June 7 runoff vote took place. The 51-year-old won 50.135% of voters' support to 49.865% for left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez, a margin of less than 50,000 votes, according to figures certified by Peru's electoral court. It is the fourth time the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori has sought the presidency.

Sánchez, 57, a former foreign trade minister, has alleged the runoff election had been 'seriously compromised' and threatened legal action, arguing that strong support for Fujimori among Peruvian voters abroad was a sign of irregularities. After the result was declared Friday, his party appealed against the electoral court's proclamation, calling for the vote to be nullified. While Sánchez stood on a platform of broad economic reforms, Fujimori benefited from concerns over crime and political instability dominating the race.

Fujimori's election, coinciding with Abelardo de la Espriella's election in Colombia, marks a shift toward the right in Latin American politics. Throughout the campaign, she leant on the controversial legacy of her father, promising a military crackdown on organized crime, particularly extortion incidents that have soared in recent years. Her father was eventually jailed for crimes against humanity over extra-judicial killings and forced sterilizations during his increasingly authoritarian leadership. Fujimori will become Peru's ninth president in a decade, with her swearing-in ceremony expected on July 28.

The World Health Organization announced Thursday that researchers have enrolled the first participant in a trial of experimental Ebola treatments in eastern Congo's Ituri province, where a Bundibugyo virus outbreak has reached more than 1,400 cases and 438 deaths. The study is evaluating whether the antiviral remdesivir, the experimental antibody treatment MBP134, or a combination of both can improve survival among patients infected with the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved treatments or vaccines.

At the Ebola treatment center inside Bunia's Evangelical Medical Center, the launch of the research was marked by urgency rather than ceremony as ambulances continued arriving and healthcare workers worked in isolation wards. The trial focuses initially on confirmed Ebola patients receiving treatment inside specialized centers, with survival tracked for 28 days after starting treatment. A second phase will include healthcare workers, close contacts and others at high risk of infection.

The research could continue for between three and six months, depending on how quickly the outbreak evolves, according to Professor Placide Mbala, coordinator of laboratory activities. Major obstacles to the response include overcrowded treatment centers, delays in people seeking care, and insecurity restricting access to conflict-affected areas. Nearly three out of four Ebola deaths during this outbreak occur outside of health centers, highlighting the challenge of reaching affected populations in time. The WHO-supported trial is a collaboration between Congo's national biomedical research institute, Britain's Oxford University, and other international health groups.