Tuesday morning news: July 8, 2025

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Texas flood update » Authorities in Central Texas now say more than 100 people are now confirmed dead after catastrophic weekend flooding.

That news comes as search-and-rescue teams continue to wade into swollen rivers and use heavy equipment to untangle trees. It’s all part of a massive search for roughly 40 people still missing. One volunteer said Monday:

AUDIO:  We are here with about 40 chain saws, cutting into the brush, pulling it all back, separating it in piles of what to burn, metal and trash.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked the public for prayers “for the families affected by this tragedy.”

PATRICK:  I know as the days go longer, um, people, uh, many people are losing hope, but we're not losing hope. We're gonna continue to work hard to search.

Flash flood waters barrelled through Kerr County Friday, ripping up trees by their roots and washing away entire homes.

Holly Kate Hurley was a counselor at Camp Mystic in Kerr County.

HURLEY:  In the morning, they gathered all the counselors who were at Cypress Lake and they told us that two of, sorry, two of the cabins with the 7-year-old girls were wiped away.

The fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the river in only 45 minutes in the dark of night.

President Trump has declared a major disaster for Kerr County, activating federal aid.

Netanyahu / Gaza » President Trump is huddling today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The meeting is largely centered on U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.

Last night, Trump hosted Netanyahu and Israel’s first lady for a White House dinner.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. It’s an honor to have Bibi and Sarah with us, friends of mine for a long time.

Netanyahu thanked the president for his administration’s work in Trump’s first term … in bringing about the Abraham Accords, normalizing ties between Israel and Arab nations. And he praised Trump for his efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East and beyond.

NETANYAHU:  So I want to present to you, uh, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee. Uh, it's nominating you for the peace prize, which is well deserved … and you should get it.

TRUMP: Thank you very much. This I didn't know. Well, thank you very much.

In Gaza, the United States is pressing for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The proposal would see a partial pullback of Israeli troops in Gaza … in exchange for the release of more Israeli hostages.

Lebanon plan to disarm Hezbollah » Meantime in Lebanon, an effort to disarm Hezbollah appears to be gaining steam.

The Lebanese government has responded to a proposal to disarm the Iran-backed terror group. And U.S. envoy Tom Barrack called that response “spectacular.”

BARRACK:   I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response. Now, what it takes is a parry and thrust to the details which we're going to do. We're both committed to get to the details and get a resolution.

For years Hezbollah, with Iranian support, has largely controlled southern Lebanon. And many Western officials said the Lebanese government allowed it to happen.

But now, with a weakened Iran, U.S. officials see an opportunity for change.

The new proposal includes economic reforms to address Lebanon’s six-year economic crisis.

Hezbollah has refused to disarm, demanding Israel withdraw from all Lebanese territory and halt airstrikes. Israel has continued to target Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Trade deals » The Trump administration is dialing up pressure on trading partners to complete new trade agreements with the United States this month.

LEAVITT: The administration, the president, and his trade team want to cut the best deals for the American people and American worker.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says U.S. officials are sending out letters to many different countries notifying them of the planned tariffs they may soon face when selling goods in the United States.

LEAVITT:  The reciprocal tariff rate or these new rates that will be provided in this correspondence to these foreign leaders, um, will be going out the door or deals will be made.

The president, back in April, issued a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs he had announced just weeks earlier while trade talks were ongoing. That pause was set to expire tomorrow.

But Leavitt said the president was signing an executive order extending the deadline to August 1st.

Border Patrol attack » At the U.S. southern border, law enforcement officers shot and killed a 27-year-old man after he opened fire on a Border Patrol facility with a high-powered rifle.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez:

RODRIGUEZ: There were many, many, many dozens of rounds fired from by, by the suspect towards the building and towards agents in that building.

The suspect was identified as Ryan Luis Mosqueda.

Both local police and federal agents returned fire. And Rodriguez said several agencies are working together to investigate the incident, but the FBI is taking the lead.

The motive is one of the things the bureau will try to determine. Right now that is unclear. But the shooting comes in the wake of numerous—and sometimes violent—protests against customs and immigration enforcement and President Trump’s related policies.

And U.S. Border Patrol chief Mike Banks said Monday:

BANKS:  We've also gotta hold those that are encouraging violence against law enforcement or inciting violence. We've gotta hold them accountable.

Mosqueda’s father told police that his son had psychological issues, and he had been looking for him hours before the shooting.

Russian Transport Minister dead » Russia’s transport minister was found dead Monday in his car near Moscow. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Russian officials say Vladimir Putin removed Transport Minister Roman Starovoit from office on Monday. And they claim that just hours later, Starovoit died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound—likely suicide.

But some independent journalists and analysts say the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit together. Some reports suggest Straravoit may have died before the official announcement of his dismissal.

And the Kremlin yesterday was tight-lipped about the reason for his removal.

PESKOV: [Speaking Russian]

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it stemmed from a “loss of trust.”

But analysts note Starovoit had been implicated in a corruption probe over funds that were meant to fortify the Russian border in the Kursk region. That’s an area that saw heavy Ukrainian drone incursions last year.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: more on the devastating flooding in Texas. Plus, efforts to keep an ancient tradition alive.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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