Elon Musk sats down with former President Donald Trump in an interview on X that lasted two hours. And the impact of an earthquake in Los Angeles is caught on live TV. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.
Elon Musk interviews Donald Trump for 2 hours on X after delay
Former President Donald Trump sat down with tech billionaire Elon Musk for a conversation that was livestreamed on X Monday, Aug. 12. However, the broadcast began more than half an hour late due to a glitch, which Musk later attributed to “a cyber-attack.”
Despite the rocky start, the conversation went on for over two hours. Trump and Musk delved into topics ranging from immigration and inflation to the assassination attempt on Trump’s life, and some of Trump’s top priorities if he should win the November election.
One idea the former president threw out there was potentially dismantling the Department of Education.
“Well, think of education, we’re ranked at the bottom of every list, 40, 38,” Trump said. “In other words, horrible. And we spend more per pupil, more than anyone in the world. And one of my first acts — and this is where I need an Elon Musk, someone who has strength and smarts — I want to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states.”
After the two closed their conversation, Musk posted on X saying he would be happy to host Vice President Kamala Harris on the platform for a discussion as well.
Musk endorsed Trump for president the day of the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
FBI investigating attempted presidential campaign hacks
The FBI is now investigating attempted hacks into both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns. The investigation includes attempted hacks targeting three Biden-Harris campaign staffers and Roger Stone, a former adviser to former President Trump.
Stone told The Washington Post his email had been compromised, but it’s not clear if attempts to hack the Biden campaign were successful. A Harris campaign official said it does not appear to have been hacked.
On Friday, Aug. 9, Microsoft issued a report showing Iranian operatives had been trying to interfere with the 2024 election. Trump’s campaign confirmed over the weekend it appears to have been impacted by those efforts after news outlets were sent hundreds of confidential pages.
White House confirms Biden will speak at DNC
The White House has confirmed President Joe Biden is set to speak at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. Multiple media outlets are reporting other speakers will include former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The convention starts Monday, Aug. 19, and will go through Thursday, Aug. 22.
Sources told ABC News the current plan is for Biden and Hillary Clinton to speak Monday night, then former President Obama on Tuesday, Aug. 20. On Wednesday, Aug. 21, it’ll be vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton. Finally, Harris is set to address the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22.
That is a tentative schedule and could still change.
U.S. preps for potential Iranian-backed attack on Israel this week
Security Adviser John Kirby said the U.S. is prepared for “significant” attacks by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East as soon as this week. Kirby said the U.S. has bolstered its forces in the region.
That includes sending in more troops and equipment, like a guided missile submarine and a strike group of F-35s aboard the USS Lincoln.
It’s a rare move to publicly announce such military moves; a tactic some say is meant to de-escalate tensions in the region and deter Iran from possibly attacking.
Concerns of an attack come after Iran and Hamas accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran in July.
U.S. troops suffer minor injuries in Syrian drone attack
Defense officials said several U.S. service members suffered minor injuries in a drone attack in Syria on Friday, Aug. 9. The drone targeted a landing zone which hosts U.S. and partner forces in the global coalition to defeat ISIS
U.S. Central Command said it’s still evaluating the damage, but initial assessments show there was minor damage to one set of facilities.
This attack was the second within a week to injure U.S. personnel who are part of the coalition to defeat ISIS.
Magnitude 4.4 earthquake strikes Los Angeles
California was hit by another earthquake on Monday, Aug. 12. This time the quake was directly under Los Angeles. The magnitude 4.4 quake struck at 12:20 p.m. PST.
The quake shook the area as ESPN’s live broadcast of “NBA Today” was on the air.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said there have been no reports of injuries or structural damage.
This latest California quake came almost a week after a magnitude 5.2 quake struck Bakersfield.
Team USA’s Jordan Chiles to lose bronze medal after appeal denied
The latest turn in the Olympic medal controversy involving gymnast Jordan Chiles did not go Team USA’s way. On Monday, Aug. 12, the USA Gymnastics Organization sent Olympic officials what it called time-stamped video evidence that showed Chiles’ coach requested a review of her score within the allotted one minute, meaning Chiles should be able to keep the bronze medal that was awarded to her following a score change.
However, USA Gymnastics released a statement later Monday saying the Court of Arbitration for Sport would not reconsider its ruling to strip Chiles of the medal.
But the twists to this saga may not be over just yet though.
USA Gymnastics said it will continue to “pursue every possible avenue and appeal process” including the Swiss Federal Tribunal to “ensure the just scoring, placement and medal award for Jordan.”