What's Going On Around The World Today?

Republican leaders are defending the family of a fallen Muslim American soldier after Donald Trump attacked their Democratic National Convention speech. While Zika gets the headlines, Rio Olympics visitors are facing bigger health risks. And some things we learned from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

HERE ARE THE TOP STORIES

Trump is facing criticism after attacking the family of a fallen US Muslim soldier.

The mother of Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan — who was killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq — berated Trump after the Republican presidential nominee said she had “nothing to say” about her son during the DNC, when Ghazala Khan’s husband, Khizr, gave a speech about their son. During the speech, Ghazala stood by his side, and Trump later suggested Khizr was preventing his wife from speaking.

And a little extra.

Some Republicans described Trump’s comments as unacceptable and appalling. Others — including his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence — said they supported the Khans, but declined to disavow Trump’s statements specifically.

In interviews with NBC and CNN Sunday, Khizr said that Trump had a total lack of empathy and a “black soul.” Ghazala called the presidential nominee “ignorant” in an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post.

In an interview on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Trump denied, despite his own repeated claims, that he has a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said that Putin has said “nice things” about him over the years. The Republican nominee also didn’t appear to know that Russia already invaded Ukraine.

WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON

The Zika virus has arrived in the United States.

Public health officials on Friday confirmed early reports of four Florida patients infected by domestic mosquitoes, BuzzFeed News’ Dan Vergano reports.

What’s next?

Roughly 500,000 people from 206 countries are expected to travel to Brazil — the epicenter of the Zika outbreak that has spread to 50 nations or territories in the last year — for the 2016 Olympic Games, which start Friday. But in reality, Zika should be low on the list of tourists’ anxieties — visitors face much bigger worries like the flu, traffic accidents, and muggings, public health experts warn.

A little extra Rio: Athletes probably won’t break records at the Rio Olympics, as top performers have already reached the limits of human biology, scientists say. And this woman tweeted about her Olympic dream five years ago and it’s now happening.


DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

How Washington learned of the attempted Turkey coup.

A mysterious phone call, a short-lived coup, and a key relationship that will feel the tension for some time to come. BuzzFeed News’ Ali Watkins has more on the nine hours that left Washington shaken:

“General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was almost 7,000 miles away from his office at the Pentagon when a mysterious call came in on a Friday night. It came from the number of his Turkish counterpart, the leader of Turkey’s military and a critical ally in the fight against ISIS.

“But when Dunford’s office staff answered, it wasn’t Akar’s voice on the other end of the line — it was his kidnappers’, who, hours before, had started waging a bloody coup in the streets of Turkey. With Turkey’s top general and presidential confidante held hostage, they needed Dunford’s support.”

Quick things to know:

  • US: Austin police are still looking for a person of interest after a shooter killed a woman and injured four others over the weekend. (BuzzFeed News) Sixteen people died after a hot air balloon crashed in Texas on Saturday. (BuzzFeed News)

  • UK: Conservative minister Liam Fox is facing urgent questions after a BuzzFeed News investigation into his charity for military families. (BuzzFeed News) A look at Prime Minister Theresa May’s whirlwind diplomatic tour in her first two weeks on the job. (BuzzFeed News)

  • Oz: The head of the royal commission into the Northern Territory juvenile detention system resigned before it had even begun. (BuzzFeed News) Two new commissioners were named just an hour afterward. (BuzzFeed News) And police are looking for one of Australia’s worst serial rapists. (BuzzFeed News)

  • Sports: Luke Aikins became the first skydiver to successfully jump out of a plane without a parachute. (BuzzFeed News) American golfer Jimmy Walker won the 98th PGA Championship, earning his first major title. (New York Times)

  • Science: This pill could have been the first poop pill on the market, but it failed clinical trials. (BuzzFeed News)

  • Music & entertainment: Frank Ocean set up a live stream on his “Boys Don’t Cry” website and everyone is freaking out. (BuzzFeed) Here are 19 things we learned from the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Warning: So. Many. Spoilers. (BuzzFeed)

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