Amna Nawaz:
In the day’s other headlines: President Trump signed an executive order today that aims to keep TikTok available in the U.S.
Will Scharf, White House Staff Secretary:
With this executive order, you will be effectively bringing into effect the agreement that will save TikTok.
Amna Nawaz:
At the White House this afternoon, Trump said a deal to bring TikTok under us ownership would meet America’s national security concerns. Trump added that China’s President Xi Jinping had given the go-ahead for the agreement, though few details are known about how it will actually work.
Last year, Congress passed a law requiring that TikTok’s China-based parent company sell the app or face a U.S. ban. President Trump has repeatedly extended the deadline for that ban.
We’re learning more tonight about the identity and possible motive of the gunman in yesterday’s attack on an ice field office in Dallas. Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 29-year-old U.S. citizen Joshua Jahn. Today, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media that the alleged shooter left behind handwritten notes, including one that read — quote — “Hopefully, this will give ICE agents real terror.”
Patel also said the evidence points to a — quote — “high degree of pre-attack planning.” At a news conference today, officials called the shooting a targeted ambush-style attack on law enforcement, adding that the actual victims were not the intended targets.
Nancy Larson, Acting U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Texas: It’s clear from these notes that he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel. The tragic irony for his evil plot here is that it was a detainee who was killed and two other detainees that were injured when he fired into the sally port. What he did is the very definition of terrorism.
Amna Nawaz:
Authorities also said the rifle used in the shooting was legally obtained and that the gunman likely acted alone before taking his own life.
At the U.N. today, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said his people reject the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Appearing via video after the U.S. denied his visa, Abbas said that Palestinians in Gaza have been facing a — quote — “war of genocide.” And he pledged that Hamas, which is seen as a rival to the Palestinian Authority, would have no role in governing the territory after the war ends.
Mahmous Abbas, Palestinian Authority President (through translator):
Despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the 7th of October. These actions do not represent the Palestinian people, nor do they represent their just struggle for freedom and independents.
Amna Nawaz:
Those comments came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his way to New York, where he will address the U.N. tomorrow. He’s expected to push back against nations who’ve come out recently in favor of a Palestinian state.
In the meantime, in Gaza, local health officials say Israeli strikes overnight and into today killed at least 17 Palestinians across the territory, including 10 children. Several explosions took down tents and houses, in some instances crushing families as they slept inside.
In France, a Paris court sentenced former President Nicolas Sarkozy today to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to fund his 2007 presidential campaign with money from Libya. Speaking to reporters after the ruling, the former conservative leader denounced the case as a scandal and has vowed to appeal.
In a surprise twist, the court said he will be incarcerated during any appeal process, which would make him the first former president to serve prison time in the nation’s modern era.
Back in this country, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook took her challenge against President Trump’s attempts to fire her to the Supreme Court today. Her lawyers say that Trump’s efforts to remove her — quote — “eviscerate the independence of the Federal Reserve Board.”
This comes as former Federal Reserve governors, along with other top economic officials, urged the Supreme Court to preserve the Fed’s independence. In a filing, they write that keeping her in the job would — quote — “serve the public’s interest by safeguarding the independence and stability of the system that governs monetary policy in this country.”
Starbucks says it will close hundreds of underperforming stores across North America this weekend. The coffee giant will also lay off about 900 corporate staff. That’s on top of the 1,100 job cuts the company announced earlier this year. Starbucks says it plans to spend about $1 billion on the current restructuring plan, as it works to turn around a decline in sales.
Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle allegations that it tricked customers into enrolling in its Prime membership program. Much of that money will go towards reimbursing subscribers. Amazon does not have to admit wrongdoing.
In the meantime, on Wall Street today, stocks ended lower despite a surprisingly strong reading on second-quarter GDP. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 170 points. The Nasdaq gave back more than 100 points. The S&P 500 posted its third straight loss.
And for my fellow word nerds out there, Merriam-Webster is adding more than 5,000 new terms to its popular Collegiate Dictionary. Among the entries are rizz, short for charisma, dumbphone for a cell phone that lacks e-mail and Web browsing features, and foodie-friendly terms like cold brew, farm-to-table, and ghost kitchen. That’s a business that only serves takeout and delivery.
This is the first update to the Collegiate version of the dictionary in more than 20 years.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: we speak with the families of Americans killed and detained in the West Bank; a deeper look at the questionable claims the Trump administration is making about Tylenol, pregnancy and autism; and ordinary citizens work to document exhibits at the Smithsonian amid the White House’s threatened changes.