News Wrap: Trump says U.S. forces struck another drug boat off Venezuela

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: President Trump says U.S. forces struck another boat in the waters off Venezuela that he claims was a drug vessel.

Mr. Trump posted video of the strike on social media, saying all six people aboard were killed and that no U.S. forces were harmed. It marks the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean against alleged drug traffickers, which the Trump administration is treating as unlawful combatants who can be met with military force. Democrats and those opposed to the administration's actions say the strikes violate U.S. and international law.

Also today, President Trump hosted Argentina's President Javier Milei at the White House, where he threatened to end U.S. assistance to that country if its internal politics don't go the way Mr. Trump wants.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina.

Geoff Bennett:

The president said he would not, in his words, waste our time with further investments if Argentina turns away from Milei's policies and that country's upcoming midterm elections.

President Trump sees an ideological ally in the right-wing leader, who is up for reelection in 2027. The visit comes after the U.S. provided $20 billion in aid to Argentina. The administration denies that it was a bailout.

Later in the afternoon, President Trump awarded Charlie Kirk with a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

(Applause)

Geoff Bennett:

Kirk's wife, Erika, accepted the medal for her late husband at a ceremony in the Rose Garden on what would have been the conservative activist's 32nd birthday.

The man who set fire to the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in April pleaded guilty today to attempted murder and other charges. As part of a plea deal, Cody Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside when the 38-year-old scaled a fence and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to start the fire.

No one was injured, but Balmer told police he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he had found him. Shapiro told reporters today the guilty plea amounted to real accountability, and he warned of the dangers of such attacks.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA):

I think it's important that, in this time of rising political violence, that none of us grow numb to it or accept this as the normal course of doing business for elected officials.

Geoff Bennett:

Balmer turned himself in the day after the attack. His family has said he suffers from mental health issues.

A massive Pacific storm is battering the West Coast from California to the Rockies with heavy rain, flash floods and damaging winds. The sudden storm known as a microburst tore through Tempe, Arizona, late Monday. High winds ripped the roof off a business and collapsed part of an apartment complex.

Some parts of Southern California saw more than three inches of rain this morning, as authorities evacuated more than 100 homes. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for areas that suffered recent wildfires, making them more susceptible to mudslides. L.A. officials say they are staying prepared.

Karen Bass (D), Mayor of Los Angeles, California: The evacuation warning will be in effect for the burn scar. There will be strike teams, rescue teams. Helicopters are all here at Station 59, and this is out of an abundance of caution. We are hoping that the system will not be as bad as this, but, of course, we want to be extremely prepared.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime a massive Atlantic storm known as a nor'easter is moving away from the U.S., but not before it created dangerous, choppy seas from the mid-Atlantic to New England, leading to this water rescue off the coast of Cape Cod.

In Madagascar, an elite military unit claimed power today after that nation's president was removed in an apparent coup. Outside city hall in the nation's capital, protesters celebrated the transfer of power after weeks of anti-government demonstrations. The announcement of military control came shortly after Parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach the country's president. The military says it will appoint a prime minister to quickly form a new civilian government.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed amid ongoing worries over trade tensions between the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones industrial average added around 200 points on the day. The Nasdaq lost ground, falling about 170 points. The S&P 500 also ended lower.

And R&B singer D'Angelo died. Starting with his debut album, "Brown Sugar, the man born Michael Eugene Archer blended hip-hop with jazz, funk and gospel into what became known as neo-soul. His follow-up, "Voodoo," earned him the Grammy for best R&B album back in 2001.

D'Angelo then stepped back from the spotlight for more than a decade until 2014 and the release of his third and final album, "Black Messiah," which also won the Grammy. D'Angelo's family called him a shining star, saying he died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. D'Angelo was 51 years old.