Israel vowed Hezbollah will “pay the price” after the deadliest strike on Israeli territory since Oct. 7 killed 12 children. And former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continue on the campaign trail with less than 100 days to go until Election Day. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, July 29, 2024.
Israel: Hezbollah will ‘pay the price’ after deadly attack on soccer field
Tensions are escalating in the Middle East after a deadly assault on Israel on Saturday, July 27. Israeli officials said a Hezbollah rocket launched from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children.
It marked the deadliest attack on Israeli soil since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack. Hezbollah has denied it was behind the strike.
Now, attention turns to how Israel will respond to the threat and if the war is on the brink of expansion.
Thousands of people attended funeral services for the children who died in Saturday’s attack. Their caskets were hauled through the streets as people paid their respects.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hezbollah “will pay the price” for the latest attack.
It’s an escalation in a series of back and forth between Hezbollah and Israel. The Iran-backed militant group has been firing rockets at Israel from Lebanon since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has been retaliating, striking their targets in Lebanon and killing top Hezbollah and Hamas leadership in the region, but this latest hit against Israel could create a larger response.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the country will not get involved in a war but will stand behind Hezbollah. The foreign minister said Lebanon has received reassurances from the U.S. and France that Israel’s response will be “limited.”
The Biden administration has warned Israel of how its next steps could lead to a larger conflict and is warning against them hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut. International flights into Beirut are being canceled out of fears of escalation.
Harris, Trump look to rally support less than 100 days until election day
With less than 100 days left until the 2024 presidential election, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump spent the weekend speaking to their supporters at campaign events. Harris spoke to voters in Massachusetts and Trump held events in Florida.
“She was a bum,” Trump told his supporters in West Palm Beach on Friday, July 26. “Three weeks ago, she was a bum, a failed vice president in a failed administration with millions of people crossing when she was the border czar.”
Harris promised supporters her “underdog” campaign would prevail.
“Donald Trump has been resorting to some wild lies about my record,” she said on Saturday, July 27. “And some of what he and his running mate are saying, it’s just plain weird.”
New polling from ABC News shows support for Harris is growing among independent voters. Forty-four percent have a favorable view of Harris — up from 28% from only a week ago — as she tries to rally Democratic Party support before officially becoming the nominee.
On July 30 and Aug 1., Harris will hold campaign events in Georgia and Texas, respectively. Trump will head back to Pennsylvania for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt at a rally in the state on July 13.
Mark Meadows asks SCOTUS to intervene in Georgia election interference case
Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff during the Trump administration, is turning to the Supreme Court to intervene in the Georgia election interference case against him. Meadows’ lawyers have asked the justices to take up his bid to move the case to federal court.
In their filing on Friday, July 26, Meadows’ legal team argued his actions are entitled to immunity from prosecution citing the high court’s recent ruling that gave former President Trump immunity for official acts as president.
Meadows has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case, however, remains on hold as Meadows and other co-defendants — including former President Trump — challenge a ruling that allows Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the case amid claims of improper conduct.
Maduro and opposition both claim to win Venezuela’s presidential election
In a highly watched and highly scrutinized electoral process, Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the presidential election on Monday, July 29. However, his political opponents have too.
With 80% of votes counted, Maduro is said to have won with more than 51% of the vote, leading electoral authorities to declare him the winner.
However, the opposition claims candidate Edmundo González had received 70% of the vote against Maduro’s 30% and González said all rules were violated. The opposition is demanding electoral authorities present all the voting tallies issued by the voting machines to verify the results.
The United States and multiple regional nations have also voiced skepticism about official results handing victory to Maduro.
California’s Park Fire suspect to appear in court
The man accused of starting what is now the largest active wildfire in the country is set to appear in a California court on Monday, July 29. The fast-spreading fire near Chico has burned more than 350,000 acres in three days, forcing thousands of people in four counties to leave their homes.
The Park Fire had scorched an area greater than the size of Los Angeles as of Sunday, July 28, causing poor air quality in a large part of the northwestern U.S. and western Canada.
Cooler temperatures and more humidity over the weekend helped firefighters make some progress. They say the fire is now 12% contained.
Apple reaches first-ever union deal with Maryland employees
Apple has reached its first-ever union contract with employees at a Maryland store. The union representing the employees of a store in a Baltimore suburb said it’s reached a tentative three-year deal with Apple to increase pay by an average of 10% and offer other benefits to workers.
The tentative agreement still has to be approved by the store’s 85 workers. A vote is set for Aug. 6.
Team USA wins most medals in Olympics opening weekend
Team USA is off to a strong start at the Paris Olympics, picking up 12 medals over the weekend. That’s the most of any country so far in the games.
USA athletes had won gold three times as of Monday, July 29 morning, including the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, giving Caleb Dressel his eighth gold medal. Torri Huske won the women’s 100m butterfly and Gretchen Walsh took silver, with just four hundredths of a second separating the American athletes.
Lee Kiefer brought home gold in fencing. In gymnastics, Simone Biles made her Olympics return, leading the U.S. Women’s Team into the finals despite suffering a minor calf injury.
On the basketball court, LeBron James led Team USA to victory in their first game, defeating Serbia 110 to 84.