Good Friday afternoon. Lester Holt anchors tonight from Paris as the Olympics kick off, hours after a “massive attack” on France’s train system. In California, a raging wildfire has exploded to more than 178,000 acres, and Barack Obama has endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
|
|
2024 Paris Olympic Games kick off after “massive attack” on France’s train system |
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is underway, with LeBron James and Coco Gauff leading Team USA aboard one of the nearly 100 boats floating down the Seine, and featuring a performance by Lady Gaga, hours after what authorities called a “massive attack” on France’s high-speed rail network. Gabriel Attal, France’s caretaker prime minister, said the “acts of sabotage” were carried out in a “prepared and coordinated manner.” Authorities have not announced any arrests, but preliminary information from French law enforcement and intelligence organizations indicates that anarchists or extreme leftist groups are likely responsible, two senior law enforcement and intelligence officials in the U.S. briefed on the matter said. The opening ceremony on the Seine, with boats carrying more than 10,000 Olympic athletes, is being held under unprecedented security, including about 45,000 police officers across the city and 10,000 military personnel in the Île-de-France region.
For full coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, visit our NBC News live blog. |
|
|
California wildfire explodes to more than 178,000 acres, air tanker missing in Oregon |
The largest wildfire in California this year has more than doubled in size over the last 24 hours to 178,090 acres, destroying more than 100 homes and other structures, and forcing more evacuations, according to officials. The raging Park Fire, fueled by hot, dry weather and gusty winds, is zero percent contained, Cal Fire said. Time-lapse video from the University of California San Diego shows a rare fire tornado forming due to the intensity of the blaze. A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the Park Fire by pushing a burning car into a gully, authorities said. And in Oregon, authorities said an air tanker went missing while assisting near the Falls Fire in the Malheur National Forest on Thursday evening, and a search is on for the crew. |
Obama endorses Kamala Harris, Trump meets with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago |
Barack and Michelle Obama have officially endorsed Kamala Harris for president, two of the last high-profile Democrats who had yet to weigh in on her candidacy after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. “Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama said to Harris over the phone, in a video released by her campaign. Harris’ likely opponent, former President Donald Trump, welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida this afternoon. Harris and Biden met separately with Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Afterward, Harris said “it is time” for the war in Gaza to end, and that she “will not be silent” about the suffering of Palestinians. Trump, alongside Netanyahu today, called Harris’ comments “disrespectful” and added, “I actually don’t know how a person who’s Jewish could vote for her.” |
Two top Sinaloa cartel members arrested in U.S., DOJ says |
The son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera and a cartel co-founder were arrested on Thursday in Texas, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. And in a stunning turn, it appears that El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán López, may have tricked the other man, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, into getting onto a plane to the United States, three law enforcement officials said. One theory is that Guzmán had decided to surrender and believed he would get more favorable treatment if he brought in another major cartel figure, according to the sources. |
|
|
What else we're watching: |
|
|
An autopsy report released today confirmed that Sonya Massey, the Illinois woman fatally shot by a deputy in her own home after she called 911, died from a gunshot beneath her left eye. The deputy has been fired and charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty. |
A Southwest Airlines passenger has shared terrifying cell phone video from inside a plane that dropped to 150 feet over the water on July 14 before landing in Tampa. |
Boar’s Head has recalled 200,000 pounds of deli meat that may be linked to a listeria outbreak that has sickened 34 people and left two dead across 13 states, the USDA said. |
Chicken wings that are advertised as “boneless” can have bones, the Ohio Supreme Court has decided. |
|
|
Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
|
|
30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 |
|
|
|