Multiple service members are injured after a U.S. air base in Iraq was hit in a suspected rocket attack Monday. And Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce her VP pick before holding a rally in Philly. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
U.S. service members injured in suspected rocket attack at Iraqi base
A U.S. base in Iraq was hit Monday, Aug. 5, in what’s being reported as a “suspected rocket attack.” According to the Department of Defense, several U.S. personnel were injured in the incident, however, no details were given as to how many troops were injured and the extent of those injuries.
The attack was on the Al-Asad Air Base. According to U.S. officials, at least two rockets hit inside its parameters. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
U.S. bases have been previously targeted by Iran-backed proxy groups over the past several years, but those attacks have only intensified since the Israel-Hamas War began last October.
Meanwhile, the suspense is building in the Middle East as Israel is bracing for a potential multi-day attack from Iran and Hezbollah. Iran’s government has said its proxy groups — from Hezbollah to the Houthis — will participate in its retaliatory hit against Israel.
According to Axios, President Joe Biden was briefed Monday, Aug. 5, and told the timing and details of Iran’s planned assault are still unclear.
Nine U.N. Workers fired over possible involvement in Hamas attack on Israel
Nine United Nations workers in Gaza have been fired after an investigation found they may have taken part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The U.N. investigation was ordered in January after Israel said employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency participated in the attack.
The U.N. investigated 19 relief workers and said it found enough evidence on nine of them to conclude they may have been involved in the attack that launched the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
Vice President Kamala Harris expected to announce VP pick ahead of Philly rally
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to formally announce her running mate Tuesday, Aug. 6. The announcement may come in the form of a pre-taped video that Harris’ campaign will drop.
This comes after she secured 99% of state delegate votes from the Democratic National Convention’s “virtual roll call” to officially get the bid for the party’s presidential nominee.
Once her vice president is chosen, the two will set out on a seven-state battleground tour beginning in Pennsylvania Tuesday, Aug. 6, afternoon at a joint rally in Philadelphia.
Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, is also slated to appear at a campaign event Tuesday in Philadelphia.
At least 5 dead as Tropical Storm Debby makes its way back to Atlantic
Hurricane Debby has weakened back into a tropical storm but it’s still packing a punch as it slowly makes its way up Georgia and into South Carolina. It’s been a deadly storm with five people losing their lives, so far — four in Florida and one in Georgia.
More than 150,000 people are without power, most in Florida, but the outages have already started to reach South Carolina.
Debby is expected to unleash potentially record rainfall in Georgia and South Carolina — up to 30 inches in some areas — as it moves offshore into the Atlantic later Tuesday, Aug. 6, morning. Forecasters said the storm could strengthen again once it does move offshore and could make landfall again in South Carolina by Thursday, Aug. 8, before moving into North Carolina Friday, Aug. 9.
Judge says Google is an ‘illegal monopoly’ in antitrust lawsuit ruling
A decision has come down in the nation’s largest antitrust showdown in more than 20 years. The Department of Justice has been handed a major victory over Google.
A federal judge ruled Google has been operating as an “illegal monopoly.”
In the decision, the judge said Google has been exploiting its widely used search engine to crush competition. This included paying cellphone makers like Apple and Samsung $26 billion in 2021 to make Google their default search engine.
The judge will later decide what changes and penalties should be imposed.
Google and its parent company, Alphabet, have released a statement condemning the ruling and said they plan to appeal.
Biles wins one more Olympic medal on final day of gymnastics
It was a bittersweet day for Olympic great Simone Biles on the final day of gymnastics at the Paris Games on Monday, Aug. 5. Biles started the day’s competitions by falling off the balance beam and missing the podium, as did her teammate Suni Lee.
Later in the day, Biles’ performance on floor exercises earned her silver — her 11th Olympic medal. Team USA’s Jordan Chiles took the bronze, after originally placing 5th in the competition. After her coaches called for a review, Chiles received a tenth of a point back on her final score earning her the medal.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won her first gold medal of the games, leading to the first podium to feature three Black gymnasts in Olympic history.
