Democrats and advocates criticize Trump's executive order on homelessness
Trump directed some of his Cabinet heads to prioritize funding to cities that crack down on open drug use and street camping, with the goal of making people feel safer. It's not compassionate to do nothing, the order states.
'Shifting these individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment is the most proven way to restore public order,' the order reads.
Homelessness has become a bigger problem in recent years as the cost of housing increased, especially in states such as California where there aren't enough homes to meet demand. At the same time, drug addiction and overdoses have soared with the availability of cheap and potent fentanyl.
The president's order might be aimed at liberal cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, which Trump views as too lax about conditions on their streets. But many of the concepts have already been proposed or tested in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic mayors have worked for years to get people off the streets and into treatment.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for cities to clear encampments even if the people living in them have nowhere else to go.
Still, advocates say Trump's new order is vague, punitive and won't effectively end homelessness.
Newsom has directed cities to clean up homeless encampments and he's funneled more money into programs to treat addiction and mental health disorders.
His office said Friday that Trump's order relies on harmful stereotypes and focuses more on 'creating distracting headlines and settling old scores.'
'But, his imitation (even poorly executed) is the highest form of flattery,' spokesperson Tara Gallegos said in a statement, referring to the president calling for strategies already in use in California.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has also emphasized the importance of clean and orderly streets in banning homeless people from living in RVs and urging people to accept the city's offers of shelter. In Silicon Valley, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan recently pushed a policy change that makes a person eligible for jail if they reject three offers of shelter.
Trump's executive order tasks Attorney General Pam Bondi and the secretaries for health, housing and transportation to prioritize grants to states and local governments that enforce bans on open drug use and street camping.
Devon Kurtz, the public safety policy director at the Cicero Institute, a conservative policy group that has advocated for several of the provisions of the executive order, said the organization is 'delighted' by the order.
He acknowledged that California has already been moving to ban encampments since the Supreme Court's decision. But he said Trump's order adds teeth to that shift, Kurtz said.
'It's a clear message to these communities that were still sort of uncomfortable because it was such a big change in policy,' Kurtz said.
But Steve Berg, chief policy officer at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, called parts of the order vague. He said the U.S. abandoned forced institutionalization decades ago because it was too expensive and raised moral and legal concerns.
'What is problematic about this executive order is not so much that law enforcement is involved — it's what it calls on law enforcement to do, which is to forcibly lock people up,' Berg said. 'That's not the right approach to dealing with homelessness.'
The mayor of California's most populous city, Los Angeles, is at odds with the Newsom and Trump administrations on homelessness. Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, opposes punishing sweeps and says the city has reduced street homelessness by working with homeless people to get them into shelter or housing.
'Moving people from one street to the next or from the street to jail and back again will not solve this problem,' she said in a statement.
___
Kramon reported from Atlanta. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump leans into trade deals to shake off polling slump
Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below: In today's issue: ▪ Trump, Starmer meeting in Scotland ▪ Digging into the US-EU trade deal ▪ Courts hand Trump more wins ▪ Israel pauses Gaza fighting for aid Fresh off announcing a U.S.-European Union trade deal, President Trump is looking to clinch more bilaterial agreements this week before his Friday tariff deadline. The president on Sunday touted the EU trade deal, struck during talks with European officials after a round of golf at one of his clubs in Scotland, and urged the Senate to confirm more nominees before starting their August recess. Trump will play host again today, meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his golf clubs in Scotland for talks ranging from their recent bilateral trade deal to the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza. Follow along with The Hill's live blog. But the protesters who have gathered across Scotland for Trump's visit — including outside the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh — offer a preview of the headwinds the president faces back home. POLLING NUMBERS: Trump saw some of his lowest approval ratings of his second term over the past week, with his net approval in the Decision Desk HQ average falling to more than 9 points underwater. As part of the drop, he's seen declines in particular among independents and on his handling of certain key issues like immigration. Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, told The Hill's Jared Gans that Trump's quickly shifting political fortunes are part of his skill at 'keeping the focus moving all the time,' which requires redirecting people's attention to his benefit. 'But you do take a cost that your victories are short-lived, and the net effect is there's still an awful lot that people feel has not been accomplished and that he hasn't fulfilled a lot of campaign promises,' he added. At the same time, Trump is trying to ease an ongoing headache stemming from the controversy surrounding his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. While his numbers certainly haven't bottomed out, they add up to a rough patch for Trump after a series of major victories just a few weeks earlier. The president has expressed his frustration with how aides are handling the backlash, The Washington Post reports, as the White House and Department of Justice's response to the crisis lacks any apparent strategy. 'This is a pretty substantial distraction,' a source told the Post. 'While many are trying to keep the unity, in many ways, the DOJ and the FBI are breaking at the seams.' ▪ The Hill: Five unanswered questions around Trump and the Epstein saga. ▪ CNN: Trump's Scotland trip is the latest example of blending private business with presidential duties. ▪ Politico: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) panned a discharge petition from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) designed to force the release of more files on Epstein. DEMOCRATS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE of the widespread disapproval of the White House's handling of the Epstein case. A recent Emerson College Polling survey found 51 percent of registered voters disapprove of the administration's handling of the Epstein files, while 16 percent approve and a third said they're neutral. Trump's refusal to release federal files put him at odds with the same core MAGA loyalists who helped propel him to power. Democrats are only happy to watch the unraveling, however long it endures, and goad it along when the chance arrives. 'Let them destroy each other. If we have to throw a log on the fire, we'll do it,' one House Democratic aide told The Hill's Mike Lillis. House Democrats are using their long summer recess to ramp up their blitz of town halls in GOP-held districts. The strategy is not new, but this time they're armed with a powerful new talking point: Trump's defiance on the Epstein issue. 'People … want someone to listen,' said Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.), the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 'And if their member of Congress isn't going to listen, they want to make sure their voices are heard.' Republicans are also going on offense. Vice President Vance will be at a steel plant in Canton, Ohio, today to kick off an effort to promote the 'one big, beautiful bill' that the White House pushed through Congress this month. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: A Wall Street Journal poll found 52 percent of respondents oppose the GOP funding bill, showing the party's challenges in touting its benefits ahead of the midterms. IT'S ALL ABOUT 2026: The polling numbers and town halls all lead to the next big political target — the midterm elections. Democrats are looking to claw back a majority in one, or both, chambers of Congress, while Republicans are trying to buck the historical trend of a midterm disadvantage for the party in charge. This election cycle, Trump is using his influence to help Republicans avoid messy primary fights. The president recently waded into Michigan's Senate race and the New York gubernatorial contest in an effort to convince notable potential candidates in those races — Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) — to opt against running. In both cases, the Republicans in question bowed to pressure. The Hill's Julia Manchester and Brett Samuels break down Trump's influence on key races, from North Carolina to Texas. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) hinted over the weekend that he plans to run for the open Senate seat in his state next year. Many Democrats have been hoping Cooper would enter the race, especially as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced he would not run for reelection after bucking Trump and voting against his massive tax and spending bill. The announcement is buoying Democrats, who face a tough map in the upper chamber. Despite the president's souring approval numbers in recent surveys, allies argued the president's endorsement is still a make-or-break factor in primaries because of his enduring popularity within the party. 'His numbers are stronger than ever before with the Republican base,' one Trump ally said. 'Republican voters are happier with him now than ever before.' ▪ The Hill: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Sunday she plans to decide in the coming days whether to launch a bid for South Carolina governor. ▪ The Hill: Civic groups are warning Democrats their plans for redistricting could violate the Voting Rights Act, creating a new problem for the party as it seeks to answer GOP efforts to redistrict its way to more power. Editor's note: Blake Burman's 'Smart Take' will return later this week. 3 Things to Know Today At this Texas school, students spend two hours a day on academics. The Alpha School has a curriculum driven by artificial intelligence (AI), and is set to expand to a dozen cities. Fights to expand or thwart the spread of abortion pills have intensified across the country. They tee up legal clashes that experts say could drag on for years. Blockbuster GLP-1 drugs could become a cure-all. The medications don't just help with weight loss, research finds, as more uses surface. Leading the Day TRADE: Trump reached a trade agreement with the European Union on Sunday that will set 15 percent tariffs on most imports — half the rate the president had threatened to levy on EU countries starting Friday. 'It's a very powerful deal — a very big deal,' Trump told reporters while sitting next to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland. 'It's the biggest of all the deals.' The EU trade deal is the largest the Trump administration has announced since its major 'Liberation Day' announcement on April 2. The EU countries combined represent the U.S.'s largest trading partner, with almost $2 trillion in goods traded in 2024. Under the new agreement, Trump and von der Leyen said the EU will purchase $150 billion in U.S. energy and make additional investments worth $600 billion. Trump had threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on most goods if a deal wasn't reached beyond a temporary truce set to expire Friday. The new agreement will have no impact on steel and aluminum tariffs, which are subject to a separate 50 percent rate. ▪ The Hill: The White House has managed to secure some significant trade deals since the president's unprecedented sweeping tariffs were first announced in the spring. ▪ The Associated Press: As with other, recent tariff agreements that Trump announced with countries including Japan and the United Kingdom, some major details remain pending. ▪ The Washington Post: The EU agreement is likely to become a road map for further, more detailed talks. ▪ Politico: How the EU dashed to Trump's Scottish hideaway — and got the deal it craved. ▪ The Washington Post: The U.S. and China on Monday are set to begin their third round of trade talks in as many months. DEADLINE DAY: Trump will not extend Friday's deadline for countries that want to negotiate trade deals to prevent the president's proposed hikes, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday. Since January, Trump has regularly threatened trade moves before later changing tacks. It's effectively kept the world guessing. Critics have dubbed this 'TACO' trade, short for 'Trump always chickens out.' The Commerce chief signaled the threat of tariffs will stick this time. 'No extensions; no more grace periods,' Lutnick said Sunday on Fox News. 'They'll go into place, customs will start collecting the money, and off we go.' CONGRESS: Time is ticking for Republican senators who hope to avert a government shutdown this fall, and The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that it's pushing some to try to reach common ground with Democrats and mend growing rifts. 'I know that our side won't want a shutdown,' a Republican senator told The Hill, 'Trump hates that and rightly so.' Senate appropriations bills, unlike in the GOP-controlled House, have reached bipartisan votes on higher spending levels to avoid rematches of the blistering battles that Congress had over Trump's priority tax and spending legislation during his first six months back at the White House. Republicans who spoke with The Hill said Trump made it clear he doesn't want the federal government to lapse its Sept. 30 funding deadline. 'I think [Democrats are] going to be under an enormous amount of pressure come fall, which is why … we need to do everything we can — House Republicans, Senate Republicans, President Trump and his team — to … set it up for success, to keep the government up and funded,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a recent podcast interview. OUT OF POCKET: The Trump administration's talk of using 'pocket recissions' to pare back federal spending without approval from Congress is making some Republicans nervous as they try to navigate the president's push for more cuts. White House budget chief Russell Vought recently referred to pocket rescissions as one of the executive tools available to the administration. 'It's not news that the Trump administration is going to bring a paradigm shift to this town in terms of the business of spending,' Vought said on CBS's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday. Trump signed a rescissions package last week to claw back $9 billion that Congress already appropriated, including for international aid and public broadcasting. But Trump has said he wants lawmakers to cut more, despite mounting political pressure. 'We're always gauging the extent to which the Congress is willing to participate in that process, and we're looking at a lot of different options along those lines,' Vought said. The Hill's Aris Folley spoke to experts and lawmakers about the potential tactic. COLLINS CONCERNS: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is walking a tightrope to maintain Congress's grasp of the federal purse strings while the Trump administration tries to wrangle more control. The centrist chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee is tasked with ushering the GOP's spending priorities through the upper chamber, but it's quickly becoming what most lawmakers would consider a nightmare. 'Nobody wants that job right now,' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( an appropriator, told The Hill's Al Weaver. The Senate is aiming to pass a three-bill appropriations package by the end of September to fund the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Commerce and Justice. Collins, 72, is facing reelection next year for a seat Democrats hope to flip. But Collins told The Hill she's not sweating the mounting pressure. 'I've been here a number of years. I've been through many high-pressure events,' she said. 'That's the nature of the job if you're in a leadership position or if you're representing your constituents.' Where and When The president is in Scotland. He will attend a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Turnberry golf course at 7:30 a.m. ET (12:30 p.m. BST). Trump will then travel to Aberdeen. The Senate will convene at 3 p.m. The House is in recess and resumes work in Washington on Sept. 2. Morning Report's Alexis Simendinger will return in August. Zoom In COURTS: Trump keeps adding notches to his Supreme Court winning streak. The justices on Wednesday blessed his firings of more independent agency leaders, their latest green light for the president to resume his sweeping agenda. To date, Trump's administration has already brought more emergency appeals than former President Biden did during his four years in office, write The Hill's Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee, making it an increasingly dominant part of the Supreme Court's work. But as the court issues more and more emergency decisions, often without explanation, the practice has sometimes come under criticism — even by other justices. 'Courts are supposed to explain things,' liberal Justice Elena Kagan said while speaking at a judicial conference Thursday. 'That's what courts do.' As Trump wins at the high court, Americans are split along party lines over their support for the institution. A majority of Republicans, 73 percent, approve of its actions, according to a Friday YouGov survey. That number is far higher than the 34 percent of independents and 14 percent of Democrats who approve of the justices' decisions. ▪ CNN: Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship could have taken effect over the weekend. Lower courts continue to block it. ▪ The New York Times: The Trump administration is planning to change the visa system for skilled foreign workers and is considering changing the U.S. citizenship test. SILVER STATE RACE: Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) is running for governor next year, aiming to unseat first-term Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. 'Nevadans are suffering in an economy that is rigged against those trying their hardest to stay afloat,' Ford, who has been the state's attorney general since 2019, said in a statement Monday. Nevada is seen as one of Democrats' best opportunities to flip a governor's office next year. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates it as a toss-up. PRESSURE CAMPAIGN: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard 's allegations about the Obama administration's review of the 2016 election led Trump to call for prosecution of former officials, including his predecessor. But many in Congress aren't ready to go quite that far. While his Republican supporters in Congress have united in expressing outrage, they have varying ideas of what accountability looks like. Democrats, meanwhile, say the Trump administration is completely misrepresenting the facts as they abuse intelligence and the justice system. 'Tulsi Gabbard has leveled some of the most serious charges ever leveled against an American at a former president. Bring charges. Bring charges,' said Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. 'And the reason I want her to bring charges is that there is not a court in the United States that will do anything other than to laugh hysterically over the bulls— that Tulsi Gabbard is peddling right now.' FEDERAL PROGRAMS: ▪ The Hill: Head Start programs face whiplash in funding and enrollment changes ahead of the new school year as big reforms from the Trump administration worry parents and staffers. ▪ The Hill: Medicaid cuts outlined in Trump's sweeping tax and spending package will harm family caregivers, experts warn, by reducing access to health care for themselves and those they care for. ▪ The Hill: Coca-Cola will offer a cane sugar version of its signature beverage, while ice cream and cereal makers pledged to phase out certain dyes. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed them all as significant victories, but nutrition experts say the moves are far from signifying major change to make people healthier. Elsewhere GAZA: Israel implemented a 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza over the weekend amid concerns of mass starvation in the enclave. The pause in fighting, to allow in humanitarian aid via air drops and United Nations-approved routes, suspends fighting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until further notice in accordance with government directives. Secure routes for aid delivery will be permanently established. The pause in military operations, the first of its kind since March, is part of a broader set of measures that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Saturday in response to increased international criticism over the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. U.N. statistics estimate around 470,000 people face famine-like conditions in Gaza. The U.N.'s World Food Programme praised Israel's pause and said it has 'enough food in — or on its way to — the region to feed the entire population of 2.1 million people for almost three months.' When asked about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Trump on Sunday said Hamas is stealing food that was meant for civilians in the enclave. The Israeli military has reportedly found no proof of that. 'It's a mess, that whole place is a mess,' Trump told reporters. 'The Gaza Strip, you know it was given many years ago so they could have peace. That didn't work out too well.' ▪ The Hill: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday there will be a 'change in tactics' by the Israeli military in its war in Gaza. ▪ The Washington Post: Gazans are dying of hunger. Here's what happens to a starving human body. ▪ The New York Times: After Israeli restrictions on aid, hunger has risen across Gaza. Doctors and nurses, struggling to find food themselves, lack the resources to stem the surge. SOUTHEAST ASIA: Leaders from Cambodia and Thailand on Monday agreed to a ceasefire, ending days of attacks across their disputed border. The two countries met in Malaysia for peace talks after Trump threatened that continued violence would jeopardize both countries' trade deals with Washington. At least 35 people were killed, more than 200 injured, and more than 200,000 displaced in the fighting that broke out Thursday, CNN reports. ▪ The New York Times: The Thai-Cambodian conflict tears at remnants of a once-proud empire. ▪ CNBC: How Trump and his trade wars pushed Russia and Ukraine into the cold. ▪ The Washington Post: The Trump administration is set to destroy a large stockpile of U.S.-funded contraceptives stored at a warehouse in Belgium, which says it has 'explored all possible options to prevent the destruction.' Opinion People of good conscience must stop the starvation in Gaza, chef and World Central Kitchen's José Andrés writes in The New York Times. Gaza's aid crisis helps only Hamas,by The Wall Street Journal editorial board. The Closer And finally … 🍅 A 17 percent tariff on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico could soon create problems for U.S. consumers, experts warn. The tomato import tax that began July 14, could lead to a dramatic spike in prices, The Associated Press reported, as about 70 percent of fresh tomatoes consumed in the U.S. are imported from Mexico. From looming higher prices to lower quality, The Atlantic describes why summer tomato season just hits 'different this year' amid the tariff tumult. The Mexican government has continued to try to negotiate down a 30 percent general tariff the U.S. is slated to tack on Friday.
Fox News
17 minutes ago
- Fox News
Obama issues rare statement on foreign policy issue
Former President Barack Obama issued a rare statement weighing in on the hunger situation in Gaza on Sunday, suggesting aid must flow to Palestinians regardless of whether Israel can secure a hostage deal for now. Obama made the statement on social media in reference to reporting from the New York Times stating that "Gazans are dying of starvation." Israel, which blockaded aid to Gaza earlier this year, has recently begun to airdrop aid resources into the region, and its leaders argue reports of starvation are a false campaign promoted by Hamas. Reporting from Fox News' Trey Yingst has indicated that hunger is indeed spreading across the region, however. "While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel's military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation," Obama wrote on X, providing a link to the Times. "Aid must be permitted to reach people in Gaza. There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families," he added. President Donald Trump touted U.S. efforts to provide aid to Gaza when asked about the situation on Sunday. Meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the time, he stated that Europe has not provided aid to Gaza. He also said that Hamas is stealing much of the aid being sent to Palestinians, a claim Israel has put forward repeatedly. "When I see the children and when I see, especially over the last couple of weeks people are stealing the food, they're stealing the money, they're stealing the money for the food. They're stealing weapons, they're stealing everything," Trump told reporters. "It's a mess, that whole place is a mess. The Gaza Strip, you know it was given many years ago so they could have peace. That didn't work out too well," he added. The IDF says it conducted 28 drops in a matter of hours on Sunday, in addition to transferring some 250 aid trucks over the course of the week. "Let me be clear: Israel supports aid for civilians, not for Hamas. The IDF will continue to support the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," an IDF spokesperson said Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back on criticism of his regime, arguing that the United Nations has been falsely pushing claims of widespread starvation. He told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday that it has long been Israel's policy to allow aid into Gaza so long as it did not benefit Hamas. "We've done this so far," Netanyahu told the paper. "But the U.N. is spreading lies and falsehoods about Israel. They say we don't allow humanitarian supplies in, yet we do. There are secure corridors. They've always existed, but now it's official. No more excuses."
CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
5 things to know for July 28: Gaza, Tariffs, Walmart attack, Missing mom and child, Pets
A federal judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit against Chicago's 'sanctuary' laws. The suit claimed that these local statutes 'thwart' federal efforts to enforce immigration laws. However, Judge Lindsay Jenkins said the US lacked standing to sue. Similar suits have been filed against Los Angeles, New York City, Denver and four cities in New Jersey. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development, contradicts the State Department's claims that were used to justify backing the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces as they sought aid, with 60% killed while trying to reach GHF sites. Thousands of Palestinians are suffering from malnutrition and more than a dozen people starved to death last week amid Israel's humanitarian blockade. Even doctors and nurses are collapsing from hunger and exhaustion as they try to administer help. The US and the European Union have managed to avoid an economically crippling trade war. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shook hands in Scotland on Sunday after agreeing on the framework for a trade deal between two of the world's biggest economies. The agreement sets a 15% tariff on most European goods entering the US, which is higher than the 10% tariff Trump put in place on April 2 and significantly higher than the average of around 1.2% from before Trump's presidency. Yet it's lower than the 50% tariff Trump threatened in May when trade talks were stymied. Trump backed off that threat after speaking with von der Leyen, who called him to say the EU would commit to moving 'swiftly and decisively.' Police in Grand Traverse, Michigan, are praising bystanders who cornered the suspect in a violent stabbing attack. Bradford James Gille, 42, entered a Walmart on Saturday afternoon, waited inside for 35 minutes, then allegedly began stabbing random strangers with a foldable knife, authorities said. As the suspect fled into the parking lot, several bystanders gave chase, including an unarmed former Marine named Matt Kolakowski and his brother-in-law, Chris O'Brien. After another bystander, also a former Marine, pulled out his gun, the suspect dropped the knife. That's when Kolakowski subdued the attacker and held him until police arrived. 'I just turned into somebody that I haven't been in a long time and just stayed on top of him until the deputy ran up and jumped on top of him with a rifle in his face, and I helped the deputy arrest him,' Kolakowski said. All 11 victims – who are between the ages of 29 and 84 – are expected to survive. A California mother and her 8-month-old daughter are missing and haven't been seen for nearly two weeks. Family, friends and authorities are asking for the public's help in finding Whisper Owen, 36, and her infant daughter Sandra McCarty. Owen, who is also the mother of three other children, is described as 5'6', 145 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair. Sandra is 1'10', 17 lbs., with green eyes and brown hair. On July 15, the pair left Fresno to return to their home near Sacramento. A traffic camera last captured their vehicle — a silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, license plate number 9LKH008, with damage to its driver's side headlight — shortly after 8 p.m. that night in Atwater. 'I'm desperate to find my daughter and her baby,' Owen's mother, Vickie Torres, told CNN. 'It's like she vanished into thin air.' Animal rescues and shelters across the US are reporting sharp increases in surrendered pets. Several of those organizations have told CNN that financial hardship is at the root of those owners' decisions. The cost of owning a pet — food, toys, grooming, vet visits, etc. — has increased in recent years. Some tariff-sensitive goods are expected to be even pricier in the months to come. Many pet owners are also facing a deterioration in financial stability, including the rising cost of living, debt burdens, an unexpected (human or animal) medical event or a job loss. 'It just breaks us to see people cry that they have to give up their animal because they have to move somewhere that's more affordable, and that place that's more affordable for them doesn't allow animals,' said Megan Larson, intake manager at Ruff Start Rescue in Minnesota. 'This is a very devastating decision that these people are forced to make. People don't want to do this.' GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. A new tax law limits how much itemizers may deduct and expands the amount non-itemizers may claim. The building-sized object initially appeared to be on a potential collision course with Earth. Now it may have a new target. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' defeated a DC superhero to finish No. 1 at the box office over the weekend. The lucky fans who attended her farewell show in Las Vegas on Saturday night were treated to a starry lineup of surprise guests. The actress appeared in a new ad for the tech firm whose ex-CEO and HR chief were caught embracing on the 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert. Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97Lehrer lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War in song, and was even nominated for a Grammy Award for best comedy performance (musical). However, he later abandoned his music career to teach math at Harvard and other universities. 15,000That's how many animals have been killed by a toxic algal bloom on South Australia's coastline. Fueled by a marine heat wave, the bloom has turned once-colorful ecosystems filled with thriving marine life into underwater graveyards. 'This is not about politics or borders or anything like that. It's about people helping people, and it's a community helping another community.' — Mexican firefighter Jorge Fuentes Fuentes is a member of the rescue group Fundación 911, which was one of the earliest first responders to the devastating flash floods in central Texas earlier this month. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. That's why NASA and its international partners are developing a new way to measure time in space. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
