Human Race

Died

British lawmaker Jo Cox, a Labour Party proponent of keeping Britain in the European Union (EU), died June 16 in a possible assassination. Authorities say 52-year-old Thomas Mair stabbed and shot Cox, 41, outside a library where she had been meeting with constituents. Reports raised questions about Mair’s mental health and noted his links to nationalist groups. The death of Cox, a former aid worker and supporter of Europe’s migrant refugees, led both sides of the June 23 EU referendum to halt campaigning for days.

Died

In the first in a series of tragedies in Orlando, police say a man entered a concert venue June 10 and killed singer Christina Grimmie, 22. Kevin James Loibl, 27, shot the former Voice contestant as she signed autographs, killing himself when Grimmie’s brother tackled him. Authorities say they’re unsure why Loibl traveled 100 miles to commit the crime or how he got weapons into the venue. Grimmie was an outspoken Christian, and the Santa Monica Observer reported that police were investigating the murder as a hate crime. Authorities, though, did not confirm that report. Hundreds attended Grimmie’s funeral June 17 at Fellowship Alliance Chapel in New Jersey.

Died

In another Orlando tragedy, an alligator killed a toddler near dusk on June 14 outside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Lane Graves, 2, was wading at the edge of a lagoon when the alligator attacked, and his father was unable to rescue him. Search crews found the boy’s body the next day. Signs only read “No Swimming.” Authorities captured five alligators in the lagoon and planned to test bite marks to verify the killer gator. Walt Disney World Resort announced it would install signs warning of alligators and snakes at its beach locations.

Banned

The German government will not recognize polygamy and child marriages among refugees, Justice Minister Heiko Maas told the tabloid newspaper Bild. “No one who comes here has the right to put his cultural values or religious beliefs above our law,” Maas said. German law already bans the practices, but Germany opened its doors to 1.1 million refugees in 2015, largely from troubled Muslim countries. German states are reporting hundreds of migrants with brides under 18, with many under 16. It’s unclear what German authorities plan to do about the existing marriages of new migrants. Courts currently decide such matters on a case-by-case basis.

Lost

Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., on June 14 became the second Republican incumbent to suffer an upset loss in a 2016 primary. Forbes is founder and co-chair of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, with a staunchly conservative record on religious liberty and abortion. But he changed districts following a court redistricting, and he fell to Scott Taylor, a state legislator and former Navy SEAL. Forbes’ defeat came one week after that of Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., whose record had alienated many conservatives. A Southern Baptist, Forbes, 64, has represented Virginia since 2001.