5 things to know for August 11: Gaza, DC, National Guard, Texas redistricting, Extreme weather

By Jade Walker, CNN

When an extraterrestrial rock fell to Earth in June, it caused a sonic boom in the Southeast before crashing through the roof of a home in Georgia. Now, researchers say the McDonough Meteorite is older than our planet.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1️⃣ Gaza

The Israeli military targeted and killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif late Sunday after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell. Al-Sharif, a prominent 28-year-old journalist who covered the war from inside Gaza, previously denied the allegation. Six other people, including at least three additional Al Jazeera journalists, were killed in the attack, which occurred near the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya said the journalists were in a tent marked with a “Press” sign. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war nearly two years ago. Of those, at least 178 were “Palestinians killed by Israel.” Minutes before he was killed, Al-Sharif posted on social media: “If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”

2️⃣ DC

President Donald Trump is expected to hold a press conference later this morning to announce plans to curb violent crime in Washington, DC. Since February, Trump has frequently threatened a federal takeover of the nation’s capital because, as he remarked on his social media site, “Crime in Washington, DC, is totally out of control.” However, according to preliminary data from DC police, this year’s crime numbers are lower than last year’s. Trump also said he would make the Capital safer and more beautiful than ever before, and that the homeless population would have to immediately move out. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital,” Trump posted on Sunday. He didn’t say what services were going to be provided or where the homeless population would be taken.

3️⃣ National Guard

The legal battle over President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to quell protests in Los Angeles heads to court today. In June, hundreds of people held demonstrations in the city to protest immigration raids by ICE. In response, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard members over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass. Now, a judge will determine if Trump violated a 147-year-old law that allows the president to federalize the Guard during times of actual or threatened rebellion or invasion, or when regular forces can’t enforce US laws. Newsom’s attorneys say Trump illegally made an “unprecedented power grab” and violated the Constitution by overruling local authorities to send in the military. Trump’s lawyers said the National Guard troops were dispatched only to protect federal property and personnel and didn’t engage in any law enforcement activities.

4️⃣ Texas redistricting

Texas Republicans’ recent effort to redraw the state’s congressional districts in the middle of the decade has so far been stymied by more than 50 quorum-breaking Democratic House members who left the state. The GOP’s proposed map could potentially eliminate five Democratic US House seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. Such a partisan change may also have repercussions in Washington, DC, where House Republicans hold a razor-thin majority. Conservative leaders have vowed to punish, arrest and remove the Democratic lawmakers from office. Democrats say they will not allow the new maps to advance in the legislature, despite Republican threats. So, how will this political standoff shake out? Here are four possible outcomes.

5️⃣ Extreme weather

More than 10 million people across the Midwest remain under flood alerts this morning as heavy rains continue to fall. Milwaukee was hit particularly hard by storms over the weekend and is on track to break its daily rainfall record of 14.5 inches. On Sunday, Milwaukee County declared a state of emergency as the Milwaukee River crested to a historic 11.19 feet. Flash floods swamped roads and stranded vehicles, prompting first responders to make dozens of water rescues. Even the Wisconsin State Fair had to shut down early because heavy rains flooded the fairgrounds. The severe weather is part of the same storm system that brought wind gusts of more than 80 mph to Nebraska on Saturday and killed one person. Hundreds of inmates at the Nebraska State Penitentiary also had to be relocated after the storms damaged two housing units, the AP reported.

Breakfast browse

Flooding reveals 100-million-year-old footprints

A volunteer found the dinosaur tracks while removing debris in central Texas.

There’s a giant blob of incredibly hot rock beneath New Hampshire

And apparently, it may be a part of the reason the Appalachian Mountains are still standing tall.

‘Weapons’ scares away the competition

The horror movie grossed over $42 million domestically and topped the box office over the weekend.

Race car driver Connor Zilisch falls onto Victory Lane

The 19-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader was celebrating another win on Saturday when he slipped off his car and broke his collarbone.

Katie Miller to launch a podcast for conservative moms

Her first episode will feature a sit-down with Vice President JD Vance.

Big number

$9 million
That’s how much Louisiana authorities have agreed to pay to a man who was partially paralyzed from the waist down after a trooper shot him in the back during a 2018 traffic stop and then falsely reported it as a Taser discharge.

Quotable

Hanks shared this tribute on his Instagram page about the astronaut who died on Aug. 7. Hanks played Lovell in the 1995 Oscar-winning movie “Apollo 13.”

Weather

🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.

And finally…

▶️ Happy anniversary!

“The Situation Room” with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer celebrates 20 years on the air.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.