News Wrap: Flooding in northern India kills more than 100 people

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: A wave of sizzling heat moved into Central and Southern California, with forecasts topping the 100-degree mark through the weekend. It adds millions more people to excessive heat warnings that have blanketed the Southwest for days.

Throngs of swimmers bathed in outdoor pools this week from San Antonio to Las Vegas. Arizona has seen temperatures top 110 degrees for more than a dozen straight days.

In Northern India, officials say severe flooding from record monsoon rains killed more than 100 people in the last two weeks. Most of the deaths were in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh, some 300 miles north of New Delhi. In the capital, floodwater blocked roads, closed schools, and swept away houses. The destruction left people struggling to cope.

Sagir Ahmed, Truck Driver (through translator):

The problem is people are stranded. This is the first time I am witnessing this. I pass by here every day to deliver milk and cottage cheese. All these vehicles are stuck and submerged in water. It's a matter of grave concern.

Amna Nawaz:

Water levels in a river flowing through New Delhi have hit a 40-year record with another two months left in the monsoon season.

A mass grave with at least 87 bodies has been found in Sudan's West Darfur. The U.N.'s Human Rights Office said today the grave is outside Junaynah and the victims were likely killed by paramilitary fighters battling Sudan's military. Hours later, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor announced he's investigating alleged new war crimes in Western Darfur.

Back in this country, a federal jury in Pittsburgh has found the gunman who killed 11 people at a synagogue is eligible for the death penalty. The mass shooting in 2018 was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Robert Bowers was convicted last month, but his lawyers have argued he is mentally ill. The trial's next phase focuses on whether Bowers should actually be sentenced to die.

The Secret Service has finished investigating how a baggie of cocaine got into the White House, with no leads and no suspects. The powdered drug turned up in a lobby area used by staff and tour groups alike. A Secret Service report says tests found no fingerprints and no DNA, and video of the lobby entrance was no help.

President Biden charged today that Senator Tommy Tuberville is jeopardizing American security by blocking military promotions. The Alabama Republican wants the Pentagon to stop paying for troops to travel for abortions. Speaking in Finland, Mr. Biden said mainstream Republicans should pressure Tuberville.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: The idea that we're injecting into fundamental foreign policy decisions what, in fact, is a domestic social debate on social issues is bizarre. I don't ever recall that happening, ever. And it's just totally irresponsible, in my view.

Amna Nawaz:

Tuberville has stalled more than 260 nominations since March. They include the nominee for chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest military officer.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reportedly warning China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, over cyberattacks in the U.S. The two men met today at an Asian-Pacific summit in Indonesia. News accounts say Blinken vowed that hackers and their sponsors will be held accountable. This follows reports that Chinese hackers breached e-mail at the state and Commerce Departments.

Tens of thousands of doctors across England began a five-day walkout today, their longest ever. Many are junior doctors at the start of their careers. They're demanding a 35 percent pay increase to bring salaries back to 2008 levels once inflation is factored in.

And on Wall Street, stocks rallied for a fourth day after encouraging numbers on inflation at the wholesale level. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 47 points to close at 34395. The Nasdaq rose 219 points, or 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 added 38, nearly 1 percent.

And a tennis player from the Czech Republic has served up some history at Wimbledon. Marketa Vondrousova won today to reach the women's singles final. she's the first unseeded player to do that since Billie Jean King in 1963. A win on Saturday would make her the first unseeded women's champion at Wimbledon. She will face Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, who would be the first Arab and North African player to win the title.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Hollywood actors go on strike, what it means for the entertainment industry; Israelis living with the threat of violent attacks; we examine how Watergate has affected the presidency 50 years after the scandal was uncovered; plus much more.