News Wrap: At least 40 Gazans killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes

Geoff Bennett:

And a note: We invited Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join us for an interview tonight. His office declined our request.

In the day's other headlines: At least 40 Gazans were killed today by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes, including more who were seeking food.

Yusuf Al-Awawda, Gaza Resident (through interpreter):

We saw death. We have been out since 6:00. We saw death in our eyes.

Geoff Bennett:

Ten people died near aid sites belonging to the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to medics on the ground. Five more people have died from starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 180 since the war started. That's according to local health officials.

Meantime, in Jerusalem, dozens of Israelis protested outside the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader faces mounting pressure to end the war and secure the return of the remaining hostages as part of a cease-fire deal.

Today, Netanyahu faced more blowback for his Cabinet's unanimous decision to fire the country's attorney general, claiming she exceeded her power. That attorney general had been prosecuting Netanyahu for corruption. Israel's Supreme Court immediately froze the move and is considering its legality.

Here at home, over 3,000 Boeing workers who build fighter jets and weapons went on strike today. It's the second strike for the aerospace giant in less than a year. The workers from three Midwestern plants rejected Boeing's latest contract offer of a 20 percent wage increase over four years. Boeing's defense branch accounts for more than a third of the company's revenue.

This all follows a bigger work stoppage last year when 33,000 commercial plane workers went on strike for more than seven weeks.

In Montana, a suspected killer is still at large more than three days after law enforcement said he'd gunned down four people in cold blood at a local bar. Authorities say 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, a U.S. Army veteran, is armed and unstable. He was known as a regular at the Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, where the shooting took place.

Officials say he escaped in a stolen vehicle that contained clothes and camping gear. Yesterday, the state's attorney general warned residents that the suspect could come back to the area.

Austin Knudsen (R), Montana Attorney General: This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims. We have got air assets, ground assets. We're going to catch this guy. This is still absolutely priority number one.

Geoff Bennett:

The victims included Nancy Kelly, a bartender at the Owl Bar, as well as three male patrons, Daniel Ballie, David Leach, and Tony Palm. All four of them lived in Anaconda.

In the West, more than two dozen wildfires are burning in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah fueled by dry conditions and high temperatures. One of the largest fires, that's the Gifford Fire, prompted hundreds of evacuations in Southern California in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. It scorched more than 100 square miles and is barely contained. Three people have been hurt from the blaze.

Meantime, smoke from the more than 700 Canadian wildfires have prompted air quality alerts across the Midwest and Northeast, a thick haze seen over places like Chicago and Upstate New York today.

Markets rebounded today after last Friday's sell-off due to shakeups at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Fed. The Dow Jones industrial average shot up by nearly 600 points, while the Nasdaq finished higher by nearly 2 percent. The S&P 500 rounded out the day's across-the-board gains.

And we have a passing of note. Actress Loni Anderson has died.

Loni Anderson, Actress:

Good morning, Herb.

Actor:

Any calls?

Loni Anderson:

No.

Actor:

Messages?

Loni Anderson:

No.

Actor:

Mail?

Loni Anderson:

None.

Actor:

OK. How about lunch?

Loni Anderson:

No lunch either.

(Laughter)

Actor:

Dinner?

Loni Anderson:

Busy.

Actor:

OK. How about later, my place?

Loni Anderson:

You're married, Herb.

ACTOR:

Oh, yeah.

(Laughter)

Geoff Bennett:

Her big break came in 1978, when she played the platinum blonde receptionist in the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati." Her character is quick wit and competence on the job helped keep the struggling radio station afloat, despite her fumbling male colleagues.

Anderson was nominated for three Golden Globes and two Emmys for the role. In the '90s, she split with her third husband, actor Burt Reynolds. Their lengthy divorce was a mainstay in the tabloids. Anderson's publicist said she died after a prolonged battle with an unspecified illness. She was 79 years old.