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Trump picks JD Vance as 2024 running mate

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(MILWAUKEE) — Former President Donald Trump has picked Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate, placing a young, ideological ally alongside him on the Republican 2024 ticket.

Trump announced Vance would be his running mate on Monday, writing on Truth Social that the Ohio Republican is “the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States.”

The decision caps off months of speculation and sees Trump elevate a 39-year-old first-term senator whose roughly year and a half tenure in the Senate has seen him emerge as a staunch ideological ally of the former president.

“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The Trump campaign wasted no time promoting the former president’s pick, posting an ad on social media featuring a montage of Vance praising Trump.

“I am proud that I have been an ally of Donald Trump’s in Washington, D.C.,” Vance says in one of the clips in the ad.

The campaign is also fundraising off of the announcement, saying in a campaign email Monday afternoon that Trump “always knew” he “needed” Vance on his side.

President Joe Biden’s campaign released a statement on Vance being named Trump’s vice presidential pick, slamming Vance as someone who will further Trump’s “extreme MAGA agenda.”

“Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people,” Biden Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a statement.

Vice presidential hopefuls Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum both issued their support for the Republican ticket.

Following the announcement, Rubio posted to social media “#TrumpVance2024!!!”

In a social media post, Burgum said he looks forward to being on the campaign trail for the new Trump-Vance ticket. He also complimented Vance for his small-town roots and service to the county.

Who is J.D. Vance?
Vance rose to fame through his 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He evolved from a “never-Trump guy” to one of Trump’s strongest surrogates in an eight-year span.

Vance was born in Middleton, Ohio, and served in the Marine Corps. He later attended Ohio State University and eventually graduated from Yale Law School.

He was a corporate lawyer and then worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist.

In 2016, Vance released his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which shared his story of growing up in poverty in America’s Rust Belt and being surrounded by violence and addiction.

Vance eventually became an emissary between the media and those in the Rust Belt during the 2016 election, discussing the issues important to those who had a similar background to him.

During this time, Vance made his disdain for Trump clear, saying he was a “never-Trump guy” in an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016.

In August 2016, he told ABC News that he didn’t see Trump “offering many solutions.”

But Vance would eventually align with the former president, praising his time in office and apologizing for his attacks on him during an interview with Fox News in July 2021.

“I’ve been very open about the fact that I did say those critical things, and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy,” Vance said on Fox News in 2021.

His apology came around the same time Vance entered the race for the open Ohio Senate seat, which became one of the most competitive GOP primaries of the 2022 election cycle. Trump endorsed Vance for the job, which helped him win both the primary election and general election against Ohio Democrat Tim Scott.

In his role as senator, some of his most notable work has been responding to the East Palestine train derailment in his home state. He has also stayed true to his tough conservative brand, including opposing aid to Ukraine.

In 2024, Vance has been a reliable surrogate for Trump — appearing at campaign events, defending him in television appearances and helping the former president raise money for his campaign.

ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.

RNC 2024 Day 1 live updates: Trump makes VP pick, passes on Rubio and Burgum

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(MILWAUKEE) — The Republican National Convention is set to kick off in Milwaukee on Monday — just two days after Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday evening.

Despite the shooting, the gathering of more than 50,000 attendees, including an expected 2,400 Republican delegates, is slated to maintain its original programming as a time to bring the party together — but now newly energized by Trump’s amazing survival and raised-fist show of defiance.

Here’s how the news is developing:

RNC officially underway
The Republican National Convention is underway. A live rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” filled the convention center in Milwaukee. Groups of delegate were seen before and during these opening ceremonies pumping their fists and chanting “fight, fight, fight,” taking up former President Trump’s gesture after the shooting at his rally as a symbol for the party’s nominating convention.

Crowds continued the chant during “God Bless the USA” ahead of a vote on the party’s platform.

RNC co-chair Michael Whatley gaveled the convention to order and asked for a moment of silence to honor the shooting.

As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was announced as an honorary co-chair, audible boos were heard from the crowd. The Senate leader, who will step down from his perch atop the GOP conference, has had a frosty relationship with the former president since Jan. 6, 2021.
-ABC News’ Jay O’Brien

Burgum told he is not Trump’s running mate
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been told he is not Trump’s running mate pick, three sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Trump’s pick is expected to be announced at some point Monday.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Rick Klein, Katherine Faulders

Rubio told he is not Trump’s running mate
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has been told he is not former President Donald Trump’s running mate pick, five sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Trump’s pick is expected to be announced at some point Monday.

-ABC News’ John Santucci, Katherine Faulders, Rachel Scott, Rick Klein

Trump has made his VP selection
Trump has selected his running mate, a senior campaign official told ABC News.

-ABC News’ John Santucci

Trump has made his VP selection
Trump has selected his running mate, a senior campaign official told ABC News.

-ABC News’ John Santucci

Vivek Ramaswamy recounts ‘anger’ after Trump shooting, calls for unity
Vivek Ramaswamy, speaking with reporters after his speech at the Heritage Policy Fest, joined Trump in stressing unity after the shooting at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally.

ABC News asked Ramaswamy for his response to Republicans like J.D. Vance going after Democrats and President Joe Biden in the wake of the attempted assassination attempt.

“Look, I think that there is a lot of understandable anger. I was … my first reaction was anger,” Ramaswamy said. “And the reason my first reaction was anger was that the only thing more tragic than what happened on Saturday is that if we’re being really honest with ourselves, all of us, it wasn’t totally a shock, actually. And that, that is maddening. And that … makes me angry as a citizen of the United States of America. But the question is, how do we channel that anger?”

Ramaswamy said Republicans have a “second chance that Lincoln didn’t have: to unite a country that this time didn’t have to fight a civil war, but avoids one.”

“If that bullet hit Donald Trump, we’d be in a very different place now,” he said. “And the fact that we’ve been given that chance, I think it’s our responsibility to step up and seize it not by compromising on our principles, but by actually reviving the principles that unite all of us. And by seeing the enemy as the ideology that we’re up against, rather than our fellow neighbors as our enemy combatants, and that’s what I call on not only the Republican Party but every American to do in the wake of what happened on Saturday.”

-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler

Pre-planned group of 1,700 National Guardsmen and other troops supporting RNC security
As part of a plan that predates the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, roughly 1,700 National Guardsmen and several active-duty troops will assist other agencies with security at the Republican National Convention, according to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh.

“In regards to the Republican National Convention, approximately 1,700 National Guard and a small number of active-duty personnel will be providing support to civil authorities from July 13 through 19. These personnel are supporting the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and Milwaukee Metro Police Department for 24/7 operations,” Singh said.

Singh emphasized that this support was pre-planned, and not related to the shooting at Trump’s rally over the weekend, nor was the force augmented as a result.

-Matt Seyler

Trump says he will announce VP pick today
Former President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Monday morning that he will announce his pick for vice president on Monday.

The decision will come after months of speculation about who his running mate will be.

There will be a roll call vote on the presidential ticket, which includes the vice president, on Monday at the RNC.

Trump in Milwaukee as RNC set to begin
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has thoroughly altered the stakes and tone of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which kicks off Monday, just two days after a shooter opened fire at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, grazing Trump’s ear and leading to a spectator’s death.

Trump arrived in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon, ahead of the RNC’s start on Monday.

In a social media post Sunday, Trump indicated that he was going to delay his trip, but decided he wouldn’t allow a “shooter” to change his scheduled plans to head to the RNC.

U.S. Secret Service and other officials said Sunday there are no plans to expand the security perimeter and that there are no known threats. Ahead of the shooting at his rally, the GOP convention was gearing up to be an extravagant event centered around symbolic, Trump-era Republican ideas and party unity, sealed on Thursday with the third nomination of the former president.

-ABC’s Brittany Shepherd, Kelsey Walsh and Isabella Murray

Trump says he’s scratching planned speech to stress unity instead
As the Republican National Convention begins, the atmosphere will feel entirely different following former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination.

A day after being grazed by a bullet, Trump indicated he plans to take advantage of the moment and deliver a message of unity.

The former president said he is scratching his original convention speech from rallying his base against President Joe Biden to now attempting to draw the country together, according to an interview he did with the Washington Examiner conducted as he boarded his flight to Milwaukee Sunday evening.

During the first official session, delegates — nearly 2,400 from across the nation — must approve the committee platform and formally designate a presidential ticket. The ticket will include Trump’s vice president who he has yet to name.
The evening session’s theme is “Make America Wealthy Again.” Speeches will include issues focused on beating inflation, rising costs and creating more jobs.

-ABC’s Kelsey Walsh

Trump’s Truth Social stock soars after assassination attempt

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Shares of former President Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social soared in early trading on Monday, extending a rally that began in the immediate aftermath of an assassination attempt two days earlier.

In early trading on Monday, shares climbed about 30% to a price of $40. That figure marked the highest level for the stock in more than a month, but shares still stood well below a peak of about $62.

“The stock serves as a little bit of a proxy for sentiment toward Donald Trump himself,” Tyler Richey, an analyst at Sevens Report Research, told ABC News.

“I think there’s a resurgence of people — your die-hard Trump fans and fair-weather supporters — who think, ‘This is a life or death situation, we’re going all in,'” Richey added.

Shares began rising in pre-market trading almost immediately after an assassination attempt at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The strong performance in recent days indicates the latest in a series of dramatic price swings for the stock.

In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s felony conviction in his hush money case in May, the stock tumbled about 15%, before soon rallying higher than the pre-conviction level.

In March, shares vaulted from an initial offering price of about $50 to a peak of nearly $80. Over the ensuing two weeks, the price fell nearly 70%, reaching a low of about $23.

Analysts who previously spoke to ABC News described the performance of Truth Social as the characteristic fluctuation of a so-called “meme stock.” The term – made famous by pandemic-era examples such as GameStop and AMC – indicates a company that largely appeals to investors on the basis of ideology rather than financial outlook.

Truth Social generated roughly $4 million in revenue last year, government filings show. Meanwhile, the company reported $58 million in net losses over that period. By comparison, Instagram-parent Meta delivered nearly $135 billion in revenue last year, company earnings revealed.

The strong performance for Truth Social on Monday could grant the company an opportunity to reinvest funds and improve the service, Richey said, noting the possibility of an increase in users as Trump draws continued attention in the coming months.

“The financials are atrocious,” Richey said. “But the prospects, while a little doubtful, are still there.”

“If this generates a significant uptick in users, then that could be bullish. Or it becomes a blip of short-term optimism,” he added.

For now, the absence of financial underpinning leaves Truth Social vulnerable to volatility in response to even mildly negative or positive news, experts previously told ABC News.

“The only thing that you can predict is that there will continue to be volatility,” Jay Ritter, a professor of finance at the University of Florida, told ABC News.

The surge in the price of Truth Social on Monday coincided with a swell across the wider stock market. Each of the major stock indexes ticked upward in early trading on Monday, including a record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

RNC 2024 Day 1 live updates: Trump says he’ll announce VP pick today

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Here’s how the news is developing:

Singh emphasized that this support was pre-planned, and not related to the shooting at Trump’s rally over the weekend, nor was the force augmented as a result.

-Matt Seyler

Trump says he will announce VP pick today
Former President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Monday morning that he will announce his pick for vice president on Monday.

The decision will come after months of speculation about who his running mate will be.

There will be a roll call vote on the presidential ticket, which includes the vice president, on Monday at the RNC.

Trump arrived in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon, ahead of the RNC’s start on Monday.

In a social media post Sunday, Trump indicated that he was going to delay his trip, but decided he wouldn’t allow a “shooter” to change his scheduled plans to head to the RNC.

-ABC’s Brittany Shepherd, Kelsey Walsh and Isabella Murray

A day after being grazed by a bullet, Trump indicated he plans to take advantage of the moment and deliver a message of unity.

-ABC’s Kelsey Walsh

Judge dismisses Donald Trump’s classified documents case

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(FORT PIERCE, Fla.) — The classified documents case against former President Donald Trump has been dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon, according to court records.

The judge ruled that special counsel Jack Smith’s apointment was unconstitutional.

“The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” she wrote.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Good American CEO Emma Grede shares her strategies for success

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Emma Grede, a British entrepreneur and the mastermind behind brands like SKIMS and Good American is sharing her secrets on how she built a successful career.

Grede is CEO of Good American, a fashion line on which she partners with Khloé Kardashian, serves as chairperson of the nonprofit 15 Percent Pledge and has also made her mark on ABC’s hit series Shark Tank.

The 41-year-old businesswoman, also a mentor on and executive producer of Side Hustlers on The Roku Channel, told Good Morning America that one secret to her success is thinking about her failures as much as she thinks about her accomplishments.

“I think often we don’t talk about those failures. I’m the opposite. I do [it] all the time,” she explained. “Because I know that everything that I’ve done, that hasn’t worked, I’ve taken a bit of those learnings and spun them into something new.”

Grede also added of her success, “It’s been a mixture of unbelievable hard work and an unbelievable ability to learn from every single mistake that I’ve had.”

Read below for six more tips for success from Grede:

1. Define what you want.

“I’ve been very, very clear about what it is that I want,” she said. “And then I chart a path of how to get there. This is what will make me happy, this is the success that I want. And here are all the incremental steps I’m going to need to get there.”

“Because we all have jobs, we all have a past. And you can take anything that you’re doing and make that situation work for your next situation, so long as you’re focused on what it is that you want. And I often think people are not clear about what it is that they want, you know, I want to be happy, I want to be successful. What does that mean to be happy? What does it mean to be successful, and I’m a real person that has relied my entire life on having a plan,” she added.

2. Reframe your thoughts.

“I honestly think that my greatness is, really, it kind of comes down to mindset,” Grede said, “It starts like first thing in the morning, and I wake up and my day is just chocked full of problems, but I can think, ‘oh my goodness, I have so many issues today’ or I can think, ‘I get to do this.'”

She continued, “And when I say mindset, I mean, how you think – the stories that you tell yourself, right, we have a constant conversation going on in our own head often. And the difference between success and failure in my life is really so much down to the way that I think and how I control those stories and the way I approach every day, and how that mindset leads you into certain habits and rituals around your life and your work that really, really set you up for success.”

3. Make gratitude part of your routine.

Grede said she reinforces a gratitude mindset shift every day, like when brushing her teeth.

“In the morning, I wake up, and it’s like, the first thing I do is not reach for my phone, but it’s really to go into this moment of gratitude,” Grede said. “And when you practice gratitude, it shifts your focus.”

Grede added, “You can talk yourself up and into anything or out of it, and so if you can start to change the way you think, you change the way you act.”

“What you think you become,” she continued. “In my career, and in my life, it’s literally what’s going on [in my mind] and how I speak to myself every day that’s really made the difference.”

4. Remember the ‘rule of thirds’

“My mom would say to me, ‘Emma, you’re not better than anybody else, but nor is anyone better than you.'” Grede recalled. “I think that’s been just really important for me to think about and to play out in my life every day, but I was also really raised with this idea that not everything should go well for you all the time.”

Grede said she lives her life in a way where she expects the “high highs” as well as the “low lows.”

Grede likened what she calls the “rule of thirds” to chasing a dream, completing a task that was hard or the unexpected.

“You’re going to be happy about one-third of the time, the other third of the time, you’re going to feel like kind of okay, and the other third of the time, you’re going to feel pretty terrible,” Grede said. “You have to expect that you’ll have those really, really difficult days.”

She continued, “The rule of thirds has really helped me to figure out, how do I balance those things? How do I think about it? How do I set my expectations up?”

5. Put ambitions ahead of fears.

“Fear is something that can really hold you back — fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of leaving the security of whatever it is that you have,” Grede said. “I think that you have to put your ambition ahead of your fear. You have to make sure that you can grab on to what it is that you really want.”

Grede acknowledged that fear can sometimes be a motivator, as long as it stays in perspective.

“Sometimes, it’s good to have some [fear] in the back of your head, but it’s got to stay in the back,” she said. “You can’t put it in your future.”

6. Stay true to your dream.

“I honestly believe that anyone can achieve greatness if they’re really true to themselves,” Grede said. “If you make a decision, a clear decision, about what it is that you want, and what you believe is important to you, you have to create and make every single decision you make and every move you make going towards that one decision.”

“And that is one of the most important things: be clear about what it is that you want,” she added. “Be intentional about what it is that you want, and go after it without apology.”

The Walt Disney Co., is the parent company of ABC and ABC News.

DHS secretary says direct line of sight ‘should not occur’ in wake of Trump assassination attempt

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The gunman who fired on former President Donald Trump on Saturday should never have been able to get a “direct line” of sight, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

“A direct line of sight like that to the former president should not occur,” Mayorkas told ABC News’ on Good Morning America on Monday. “That’s why president Biden directed an independent review of the incident.”

Members of the U.S. Secret Service, an agency that sits under Mayorkas’ Homeland Security, shot and killed a 20-year-old gunman who allegedly took aim at former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Pennsylvania, officials said. Secret Service agents surrounded the former president, collectively wrapping themselves around him and hustling him to a waiting vehicle.

But in the days since the shooting, the service has come under scrutiny for how the alleged gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, could have come so close in his attempt to assassinate Trump.

“We have to learn everything about the assailant who, of course, the secret service so bravely neutralized,” Mayorkas said on Monday.

He added, “We are going to really study the event independently and make recommendations to the Secret Service and to me, so that we can assure the safety and security of our protectees, which is one of our most vital missions in the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and across the government.”

Mayorkas and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle briefed President Joe Biden late Saturday, following the assassination attempt, according to the secretary.

“We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today,” he said on social media late Saturday.

He added, “We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”

The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation into the assassination attempt. Under Mayorkas, Homeland Security and the Secret Service are “are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting,” the secretary said.

The Secret Service on Saturday formally notified the FBI of the incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

President Joe Biden announced an independent review of the agency’s actions, a review that Cheatle said on Monday the agency would welcome.

FBI searches for motive in Trump assassination attempt, cautions that investigation is still ‘early’

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(BUTLER, Pa.) — Much about the man who allegedly took aim at a former president on Saturday remained a mystery on Monday, as teams of FBI investigators scoured the 20-year-old’s gunman’s background, building a timeline of his actions and sifting through his digital history in search of a motive.

The attempted assassination was being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism, the FBI said in a statement late Sunday.

“The FBI has not identified a motive for the shooter’s actions, but we are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads,” the bureau said in the statement.

Trump was shot in an assassination attempt at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, the FBI said. Secret Service agents swarmed the former president before leading him off the stage to a waiting vehicle. Trump is “fine,” a spokesperson later said.

The alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed at the scene, the Secret Service said. One spectator was killed and two were hurt, officials said.

Investigators have begun retracing the suspect’s steps, an attempt to figure out how Crooks could have made it up onto the roof, which had been swept prior to the event, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

He was perched on the building outside the security perimeter, where the crowd passing through was checked for weapons, but was fewer than 400 feet from the podium where Trump was speaking, officials said.

FBI investigators, led by the Pittsburgh Field Office, have searched Crook’s home in Bethel Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh. They’ve also searched his vehicle, which was at the scene of the shooting in Butler, the FBI said.

“Suspicious devices found at both locations have been rendered safe by bomb technicians and are being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory,” the FBI said.

The AR-15 style rifle allegedly used by Crooks had been legally purchased by the suspect’s father, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The family is cooperating with the investigation.

The bureau said it has also began combing through the shooter’s phone.

“At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject,” Kevin Rojeck, a special agent, said. “But I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation.”

Prince George joins dad Prince William in Berlin at UEFA European Championship

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(BERLIN) — Prince George made a surprise appearance in Berlin Sunday, joining his dad Prince William to cheer on England against Spain at the 2024 UEFA European Championship final.

George, who will turn 11 later this month, and William both wore dark suits for the game, held at the Olympiastadion Berlin in Germany.

Unfortunately for the royal duo, England lost to Spain 2-1.

William, president of the Football Association, England’s governing body for soccer, offered words of consolation after the game, writing on social media, “This time it just wasn’t meant to be. We’re all still so proud of you. Onwards @England. W.”

Kensington Palace announced before Sunday’s game that William would attend, but George’s appearance with his dad was a surprise.

Earlier in the day, George’s younger sister, Princess Charlotte, 9, joined their mom Kate, the Princess of Wales, at Wimbledon.

Charlotte and Kate, who were also joined by Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, watched Carlos Alcaraz defeat Novak Djokovic for his second Wimbledon title.

After the match, Kate, the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presented the championship trophies to Alcaraz and Djokovic.

Leading up to Sunday’s final, it was not known whether Kate would attend this year’s tournament. In March, the 42-year-old princess announced she had been diagnosed with cancer.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed.

After remaining out of the public eye since announcing her diagnosis, Kate stepped out for the first time in public in June to attend Trooping the Colour with other members of the royal family on the famed balcony at Buckingham Palace.

George and Charlotte’s sports outings with their parents come just a few weeks after they attended the first London show of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on June 21, alongside William.

After the concert, Swift shared a sweet selfie with William, George and Charlotte.

Neither Kate nor George and Charlotte’s younger sibling, Prince Louis, attended the concert.

Israel-Gaza live updates: Hamas military chief target of strike that killed 90 people

July 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Jul 13, 2024, 4:36 PM EDT
‘No absolute certainty’ Hamas commander was killed deadly attack, Netanyahu says

Israel has not confirmed whether Saturday’s strike that killed 90 Palestinians killed two Hamas officials, including military chief Mohammed Deif, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference.

“There is still no absolute certainty that the two have been eliminated, but I want to assure you that one way or another we will reach the entire top of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said he was briefed about the type of weapons that would be used and the expected “collateral damage,” as well as confirming Israel did not believe any hostages were held in the area, before giving the go ahead for the strike.

“Why should we risk something leaking out? Suppose something leaked, Deif and his deputy would go underground in a second. We update our American friends when necessary,” Netanyahu said.

Asked about not telling the U.S. about the strike beforehand, Netanyahu said it was to avoid an information leak.

-ABC News’ Anna Burd

Jul 13, 2024, 4:14 PM EDT
UN Human Rights Office condemns IDF’s strikes in Gaza humanitarian zones

The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the Israel Defense Forces’ use of weapons in populated areas of Gaza, including humanitarian zones, hours after an attack killed 90 Palestinians.

“The latest attack and casualty followed right after another massive attack on the north, which lasted for a week, resulting in further destruction and casualties,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.

The U.N. said the IDF’s use of weapons in densely populated areas “despite the overwhelming evidence that these means and methods have led to disproportionate harm to civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure, suggests a pattern of willful violation of the disregard of [International Humanitarian Law] principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”

“The use of such weapons in an area to which IDF is ordering people to evacuate demonstrates a rampant disregard for the safety of civilians. Even if Palestinian armed group members were using the presence of civilians in these areas in an attempt to shield themselves from attack, which would violate IHL, this would not remove IDF’s obligations to comply with these fundamental IHL principles of proportionality, distinction and precaution,” the U.N. said.

Jul 13, 2024, 3:14 PM EDT
Death toll from Israeli attack on Khan Younis rises to 90

The death toll from Israel’s deadly attack on Al Mawasi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis, has now risen to 90 people killed and 300 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Israel had admitted earlier that the strike was in the expanded humanitarian zone.

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