Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your day ...

Armed protesters near Brooks shooting site set up roadblocks, tell 'Hannity' cops 'not allowed here'
At least three men brandishing long guns -- seen Tuesday night near the Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot during his arrest June 12 -- told Fox News that police were no longer allowed in the area.

One man, who said he was holding a 12-gauge shotgun, told reporter Steve Harrigan he was armed because there were no longer police officers to protect them. Another man said he lost confidence that the city's police were committed to their pledge to “serve and protect.”

“The police aren’t allowed here because they’re not here to protect us,” the man with the shotgun said.

Harrigan told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he observed a roadblock with no police in sight. Early Wednesday, the Atlanta Police Department told Fox News in a statement, "APD is monitoring the situation and plans to coordinate with community leaders and the Wendy’s property owner to address security issues and help preserve peace for this community as soon as possible."

Previously, the most recent tweet from the department was posted a few days ago, assuring residents that officers were still capable of responding to 911 calls. That tweet followed reports that some Atlanta police officers had been calling out sick, in what the city's interim police chief said was an indication that they "may feel abandoned" by the city's leadership. Click here for more on our top story.

Other related developments:
- L.A. sheriff says 'defund police' advocates have 'selective amnesia' about officers saving lives
- Georgia House passes bill to dissolve county police departments
- Atlanta Wendy's arson suspect, ID'd as Rayshard Brooks' girlfriend, arrested
- Katie Pavlich hammers Seattle mayor over CHOP 'insanity'

FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Longtime New York Rep. Engel falls behind AOC-backed challenger in preliminary primary results
Longtime New York Rep. Eliot Engel, who was first elected to Congress in 1988 and rose to become one of the most powerful House Democrats, was substantially trailing middle school principal Jamaal Bowman in Tuesday's primary, possibly setting the stage for the second major upset of a veteran New York City Democratic congressman in just two years.

However, the primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District was too early to call early Wednesday morning. Bowman, who was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had roughly 61 percent of the counted vote overnight. Engel was in second with about 36 percent of the counted vote.

Jamaal Bowman, who is running against Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., speaks during his primary-night party Tuesday, June. 23, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Jamaal Bowman, who is running against Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., speaks during his primary-night party Tuesday, June. 23, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

New York counties didn’t release any mail ballots Tuesday, which could account for more than half the vote. Counties have until July 1 to start releasing the results of mail ballots.

Engel serves as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He had secured a slew of powerful endorsers, including Hillary Clinton, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Also endorsing Engel were the Congressional Black Caucus, Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California, fellow New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Click here for more.

Other related developments:
- AOC beats back Dem challenger in NY congressional primary
- 24-year-old Republican beats Trump-backed candidate in N.C. primary race
- Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie wins primary despite Trump's call to boot him from GOP
- McGrath and Booker fight for chance to face McConnell, as votes are still being tallied in Kentucky

Driver Bubba Wallace walks to his car in the pits of the Talladega Superspeedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Driver Bubba Wallace walks to his car in the pits of the Talladega Superspeedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Bubba Wallace defiant, calls rope a 'straight-up noose' after FBI says no crime occurred
In all his years in auto racing, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace said Tuesday night, he has never seen anything like what he described as a "straight-up noose" that was being used as a door pull in the garage he was assigned last week at Talladega Speedway in Alabama.

“I’ve been racing all of my life,” Wallace told CNN's Don Lemon. “We've raced out of hundreds of garages that never had garage pulls like that. So people that want to call it a garage pull and put out all the videos and photos of knots being as their evidence, go ahead, but from the evidence that we have – and I have – it’s a straight-up noose.”

The FBI determined Tuesday that the rope had been hanging in the garage since last year, and it wasn’t intended as a hate crime against Wallace, a 26-year-old native of Alabama who is the only African-American full-time driver on the NASCAR circuit. Click here for more.

Other related developments:
- Bubba Wallace to 'noose' culprit: 'You're not going to take away my smile'

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Bolton, in Fox News interview, accuses Trump of ‘reprehensible conduct,’ denies violating records act.
FBI working hard to stop election meddling, voter fraud, the director tells Fox News.
President Trump's brother trying to stop Mary Trump's family tell-all book: report.
Texas hits 5,000 new coronavirus cases for first time as infections surge.
MLB sets 60-game schedule, opens July 23 or 24, in agreement with players' union.

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS
Wall Street likely to cut bonuses 15-20 percent, make significant layoffs: report.
Stock futures give back gains following another record day.
Bagged grocery store salad sickens more than 100 in 7 states.

#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
 
SOME PARTING WORDS

Laura Ingraham argues a Joe Biden presidency would usher in a time of division and distrust in America unlike anything we've experienced in our lifetimes.

Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.

Click here to find out what's on Fox News, Fox Business and Fox News Radio today!
 
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Stay safe, stay healthy, and try to stay positive -- we'll get through these trying times together. See you in your inbox first thing Thursday morning.