News Wrap: Iran’s supreme leader attends funeral of Hamas chief killed in Tehran

In our news wrap Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader attended the funeral for the Hamas chief killed in Tehran, the U.S. Air Force concluded that a deadly Osprey crash off the coast of Japan last year was caused by a “catastrophic failure” in a gearbox and the Department of Transportation proposed a rule that would ban airlines from charging parents to sit with their children.
Geoff Bennett:
Concerns about a growing conflict in the Middle East start our day’s other headlines.
That’s after Israel’s military confirmed an airstrike last month had killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif. Also today, Iran’s supreme leader attended the funeral in Tehran for another Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an attack this week. Israel has not claimed responsibility, while, in Beirut, mourners paid their respects for Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon’s capital on Tuesday.
Addressing the crowd, Hezbollah’s leader threatened retaliation, saying the conflict had entered a new phase. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is ready for any response.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator):
Israel is highly prepared for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. We will exact a very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any arena.
Geoff Bennett:
In Tel Aviv, Israelis took to the streets to mark 300 days since the October 7 attack and called for an immediate release of hostages still being held in Gaza.
The U.S. Air Force has concluded that a deadly Osprey crash off the coast of Japan last year was caused by a — quote — “catastrophic failure” in a gearbox. The investigation also found that the pilot ignored warnings to land the aircraft. The crash killed eight service members and led to a monthslong grounding of all military Ospreys. It was one of several Osprey crashes in recent years that killed 20 service members overall.
A New York appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to have the gag order in his hush money case lifted. A panel found that the judge in the trial, Juan Merchan, was right to extend parts of the order until Mr. Trump is sentenced in September.
Separately, Mr. Trump’s defense team has asked that Merchan be recused from the case for a third time. In a court filing, they cited an alleged conflict involving the judge’s daughter and her ties to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now likely to be Mr. Trump’s opponent in the November election.
Senate Republicans today blocked legislation that would have expanded the child tax credit for low-income families and extend some corporate tax breaks. In doing so, they torpedoed a bipartisan $79 billion tax bill that the House had overwhelmingly approved. Republicans are betting that they can push through a more conservative tax bill next year if they win control of Congress and the White House.
The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a rule today that would ban airlines from charging parents to sit with their children. Under the proposal, children 13 years or younger must be allowed to sit with their parent or guardian for free. If adjacent seats aren’t available when booking, families can opt for a full refund or wait for a seat to open up. And if one doesn’t, they can rebook for free.
The Biden administration says the rule could save a family of four up to $200 in seat fees.
On Wall Street today, stocks dropped after recent data sparked worries of an economic slowdown. The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 500 points, or more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq lost 400 points, falling back toward the 17000-point level. The S&P 500 also ended sharply lower on the day.
And spoiler alert, we have more results from the Paris Olympics. The all-around final for women’s gymnastics was packed with stellar performances, but, in the end, gold went to the greatest of all time. Simone Biles can now add a record sixth Olympic gold to her resume. Another American, Suni Lee, got the bronze.
And swimmer Katie Ledecky made history by capturing silver in the 4×200 freestyle relay. That’s Ledecky’s 13th Olympic medal, making her the most decorated U.S. female Olympian ever.
Looking at the overall medal count, and Team USA has solidified its lead with 37 medals, including gold medals today in swimming, rowing and fencing events.