News Wrap: 2 unvaccinated people die from measles in Pennsylvania

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where health officials say two people, both unvaccinated, have died from measles. No further details about the individuals were provided.

They are the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year, which is on track to be the worst year for measles cases since 1991. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro today warned about the severity of the outbreak and the rise of misinformation regarding vaccines.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA):

There's real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals to provide unbiased information to parents so that we can make reasonable decisions for our kids.

Amna Nawaz:

The governor added that he spoke with us Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pushed to revise the nation's approach to vaccines. Shapiro says he was -- quote -- "blunt" with him about the rhetoric coming from government officials.

The Trump administration is threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., if its plans to renovate the arts institution are not allowed to proceed. Those plans include adding President Trump's name to the building.

In a court filing, Justice Department lawyers called the center -- quote -- "structurally unsound" and said that without renovations, it will -- quote -- "deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down." They suggest an outdoor amphitheater could be built on the site.

A hearing is set for Thursday on a bid to stop Trump's name from being added to the center.

The "News Hour" has confirmed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Russia today for meetings in Moscow. Eyewitness videos spotted a Boeing C-17 military aircraft coming into land at an airport in the Russian capital. The Kremlin had no comment on the plane or the visit.

This would be Ratcliffe's first publicly known trip to Russia as CIA director, and it comes as European officials have accused Russia of a number of recent incidents of sabotage across the continent.

China is criticizing the Trump administration's latest threats of heavy economic sanctions against Iran. At a news conference today, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said such economic warfare can only exacerbate tensions and warned that China will -- quote -- "take all necessary measures" to protect its interests.

Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson (through interpreter):

We have made clear on many occasions that China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law.

Amna Nawaz:

Meantime, maritime watchdogs say an oil tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz today. On social media, President Trump claimed that the U.S. navy had cleared all mines from the international waters of the strait, which could allow more tankers to pass through.

And diplomatic efforts continued. The foreign minister of Oman was in Tehran for talks, where he signaled hopes for a deal to ensure safe navigation through the waterway.

A federal judge today rejected a bid by Ghislaine Maxwell to throw out her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges. The former girlfriend and associate of Jeffrey Epstein had cited what she called new evidence in seeking to set aside her 20-year prison sentence. That included documents recently released by the federal government under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

But in a 67-page decision. Judge Paul Engelmayer called her claims meritless and frivolous and said the evidence actually -- quote -- "reinforces the correctness' of the legal rulings Maxwell challenges.

New data shows that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE arrested more people in July than any other month in the current Trump administration. According to an Associated Press analysis of data from the U.C. Berkeley Deportation Data Project, ICE arrested nearly 50,000 people in July.

That's a 15 percent jump from a month earlier. Many of those were in Texas and Florida, which accounted for nearly 20,000 arrests.

The utility provider for Gary, Indiana, says power is expected to be restored to all remaining customers in the city by tonight after two full weeks of living in the dark.

Woman:

So, this is where my room is. I have flashlights all over my house because it gets so dark.

Amna Nawaz:

Thousands of residents in the predominantly Black city have been without electricity since severe storms hit the region on August 11, knocking out power to nearly 400,000 customers. Governor Mike Braun has called for an investigation into the utility's response to the outages and says the city's mayor says the pace of restoration has been unacceptable.

Residents have voiced similar frustrations.

Shatiya Hardin, Gary, Indiana, Resident:

This is the second week now. So, I mean, it's only -- we can be used to it, but it's not OK for us to be used to it. It's not OK for us to continually be in survival mode.

Amna Nawaz:

Gary is also one of the poorest cities in America, and experts have noticed -- noted, rather, that severe weather and natural disasters tend to disproportionately hurt lower-income communities.

In Southwestern France, people picked through what was left of their homes today after a rare and powerful tornado tore through towns and villages, leaving dozens injured. Authorities say 20 people were hospitalized. The twister damaged some 300 homes in the small town of Pomas. No one was killed or reported missing, which the mayor called a true miracle.

On Wall Street today, stocks posted modest gains as oil prices eased. The Dow Jones industrial average added 160 points on the day. The Nasdaq climbed two-thirds of 1 percent. The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.