Monday morning news: July 8, 2019

Aftershocks follow Friday’s quake in California » Aftershocks continued on Sunday in California … following Friday’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake. It was the most powerful to hit Southern California in two decades.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called it a wakeup call.

NEWSOM: Not for this community. It’s a reality for this community, but it’s a wakeup call for the rest of the state and for other parts of the nation that are not immune from this kind of activity.

He said local governments must now take a hard look at alert systems and building codes. And he stressed that residents need to have an emergency plan in place for themselves and their families.

Officials voiced concerns about the possibility of major aftershocks in the days and even months to come.

The earthquake was centered in a remote area, but jolted the ground from Sacramento to Mexico. No one suffered major injuries, but the quake did cause serious damage … cracking roads, burning buildings … and breaking water and gas lines.

Newsom estimated more than $100 million dollars in economic damage and said President Donald Trump called him to offer federal support.

Iran enriches uranium beyond nuclear deal limits » Iran has increased its uranium enrichment beyond the limit allowed under the 20-15 nuclear deal. A spokesman with the country’s atomic energy department made the announcement on Sunday.

SOUND (Iran spokesman – Farsi): [up for a few seconds, then under and slowly out]

Iranian leaders had issued a July 7th deadline for European countries trying to save the nuclear deal to offer better terms.

Iran also recently abandoned the deal’s limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile. Those moves are designed to put more pressure on Europe to find a way around U-S sanctions.

Global reaction to Iran’s latest move came swiftly. One of Iran’s most vocal critics, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called on the global community to tighten sanctions on Tehran.

NETANYAHU: Iran has violated its solemn promise under the UN Security Council not to enrich uranium beyond a certain level. The enrichment of uranium is for one reason and one reason only. It’s for the creation of atomic bombs.

Britain warning Iran to “immediately stop and reverse all activities” violating the deal … while the German government said it’s “extremely concerned.”

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein to appear in court following arrest » Billionaire financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is scheduled to face a federal judge in a Manhattan courtroom today.

Police arrested Epstein in New York on Saturday … reportedly on new sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the early 2000s.

Epstein is a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain’s Prince Andrew, and President Trump.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press … that Epstein is accused of abusing underage girls at his homes in Florida and New York. His arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal that ended a federal investigation.

That deal is being challenged in federal court. It allowed the 66-year-old to plead guilty to lesser state charges. Epstein avoided a possible life sentence and instead served 13 months in jail.

U.S. wins record fourth Women’s World Cup title » The U-S soccer team is a champion once again!

SOUND (World Cup NATS): [up from 4.5 to 9 sec mark … then under and please fade VERY slowly out]

Rose Lavelle with that goal to put the U-S up by the final score of 2-to-nothing over the Netherlands.

Megan Rapinoe earlier converted a tiebreaking penalty kick … as a crowd of nearly 58-thousand fans looked on in Lyon, France.

With that win, the U-S won its record fourth Women’s World Cup title … and its second in a row.

Spider-Man sets of fireworks at weekend box office » At the box office … Spider-Man set off some fireworks over the holiday weekend.

SOUND (Spider-Man trailer)

Spider-Man: Far from Home hauled in $94 million dollars for the weekend. It also set a new record … with $185 million since its Tuesday release, giving it the biggest six-day opening ever.

Toy Story 4 hung on in second place with another $34 million dollars … crossing the $300 million dollar mark overall.

You can find WORLD’s reviews of current films, including the new Spider-Man flick … along with ratings and content information — at WNG.org/movies.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Crews work on repairing a section of highway 178 in the aftermath of an earthquake Sunday, July 7, 2019, near Trona, Calif.

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