A daily non-partisan, conversational breakdown of today’s top news and breaking news stories
This Week’s Sponsors:
– Athletic Greens – AG1 Powder + 1 year of free Vitamin D & 5 free travel packs
– Boll & Branch Bedding & Sheets – 20% Off 1st Order + Free Shipping | CODE: MONEWS
Headlines:
– Welcome to Mo News (01:30)
– National Chicken Wing Day (01:50)
– Fears of Escalation After Hezbollah Rocket From Lebanon Hits Israeli Soccer Field (03:50)
– US Arrests Mexican Drug Lord 'El Mayo' And Son Of 'El Chapo' In Texas (07:20)
– 100 Days Until The US Election: The Latest Polling Shows The Race Is Tightening (12:00)
– After Years Of Fighting, Iowa’s Strict Abortion Law, Clinics Also Prepared To Follow It (14:50)
– California’s Park Fire Now Among Largest In History (16:00)
– As Starvation Spreads in Sudan, Military Blocks Aid Trucks at Border (17:30)
– Alzheimer’s Blood Test Catches 90% of Early Dementia Cases, Study Finds (19:00)
– Olympics Roundup: From Swimming To Gymnastics (21:00)
**Mo News Premium For Members-Only Instagram, Private Podcast: (Click To Join)**
—
Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.
Jill Wagner (@jillrwagner) is an Emmy and Murrow award- winning journalist. She's currently the Managing Editor of the Mo News newsletter and previously worked as a reporter for CBS News, Cheddar News, and News 12. She also co-founded the Need2Know newsletter, and has made it a goal to drop a Seinfeld reference into every Mo News podcast.
Follow Mo News on all platforms:
Hey, everybody. It is Monday, July 29th. You're listening to the Mo News podcast. I'm Jill Wagner. This is the place where we bring you just the facts. We read all the news and read between the lines so you don't have to. As you could tell, it is just me again today. Moshe is enjoying some time off. I hope everyone had a really nice weekend and I wanted to start by mentioning that it is National Chicken Wing Day. Not to be confused with National Chicken Tender Day. That was actually Saturday. National Chicken Wing Day started in 1977, the then mayor of Buffalo, New York proclaimed July 29th as a day to celebrate Buffalo Wings. The spokesperson for the National Chicken Council told USA Today that while consumers are still very concerned about inflation and food prices, wings continue to be a most affordable and popular luxury when dining out or barbecuing. So today, you can look for some deals from Buffalo Wild Wings, Popeyes, Wingstop, 7-Eleven, and Applebee's. All right, lots of news. As usual, let's get to the headlines. Some serious fears of a wider war in the Middle East after a Hezbollah rocket from Lebanon hit an Israeli soccer field and killed 12 people, mostly teens and kids. Meanwhile, on what sounds like a plot line from Ozark, the U.S. arrests Mexican drug lord El Mayo and the son of El Chapo in Texas, but there are some conflicting reports about how it all went down. And we are less than 100 days until the U.S. election and the latest polling shows this race is tightening. Plus, Vice President Harris may be narrowing in on three potential running mates. After years of fighting, Iowa's strict abortion law takes effect today. On the West Coast, California's park fire is now among the largest in history. Overseas to Sudan, why the military there is blocking aid trucks at the border as starvation spreads. To medical news in what could be a game changer, an Alzheimer's blood test catches 90% of early dementia cases according to a new study. And I'll have an Olympics roundup from swimming to gymnastics. Okay, let's start in the Middle East where there is even more concern about a wider conflict, this time between Israel and Hezbollah and Lebanon. There has been a small scale back and forth for months. Already, thousands of Israelis living near that border with Lebanon have been evacuated from their homes and have not been able to return. Over the weekend, a rocket believed to be launched by Hezbollah. The U.S. designated terrorist group that control southern Lebanon slammed into a soccer field in the Golan Heights region of Israel, killing 12 teenagers and children and wounding at least 20 more. Israel says it is the deadliest attack on civilians since October 7th. Hezbollah originally said that it was aiming for a military base in that Golan Heights area and retaliation for an Israeli attack on a village in Lebanon. But now Hezbollah is denying responsibility. However, U.S. officials say that they have no doubt that it was a Hezbollah rocket and Israel's even put out a photo of the missile that struck the soccer field showing that it was made in Iran, which funds and backs Hezbollah. We were asked a question on the Mo News Premium account this weekend about why the Iron Dome did not stop the attack. Apparently, the missile came in so quick and at such a low altitude that there was no time. There wasn't even time for everyone to get into their bomb shelters. Israel is investigating though. The rocket ravaged a northern Israeli town again located in the Golan Heights home to a large Druze community. The town is only about seven miles south of Lebanon next to the Syrian border. In case you are wondering the Druze that spelled D-R-U-Z-E, they are Arabs. There are about a million Druze Arabs that are scattered mainly between Lebanon, Syria and Israel and they're loyal to whichever country they live in. Many who live in Israel serve in the Israeli military. Religiously, they are an offshoot of Islam, but they combine traditions from several faiths. Overnight into Sunday, Israel hit back at Hezbollah striking a number of targets in Lebanon. There were no reported casualties, but this back and forth has the Middle East really teetering on the edge of an all-out war that would be devastating for the region and could potentially draw the US in. The White House put out a statement reinforcing its staunch support for Israel while at the same time reportedly working the phones to try to contain the fallout from this attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his US trip early to return home Saturday night and he is warned that Hezbollah will, quote, "pay a heavy price" when that it has not paid so far. The US official tells Axios that what happened over the weekend could be the trigger that we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months. And it comes at a really critical time for US-led efforts to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Escalation between Israel and Hezbollah could potentially disrupt those negotiations. On Sunday, the Israeli security cabinet convened to talk about what is likely to be a significant military response. They authorized the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense Secretary to decide on the response to the attack. The Times of Israel reports that it is, quote, "expected to be strong but not trumped a full-on war." I am recording this podcast on Sunday evening, so it is possible that by the time that you hear this on Monday, there have been some developments. Okay, now to a story straight out of an Ozark plot line, a major drug cartel take down by US authorities that could reshape the Mexican criminal landscape. Two of the world's most wanted drug traffickers have been arrested in El Paso, Texas. I am talking about Mexican drug kingpin Ismail al Mayo Zimbada and the son of his former partner, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Law enforcement officials told NBC News that investigators believe Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who is the son of El Chapo, fooled El Mayo into getting on a plane to the United States. They both face multiple charges for funneling huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to US streets. El Mayo founded the dangerous Sinaloa cartel alongside Guzman Lopez about three decades ago. At 76 years old, he was still running a leg of the cartel, considered the leading smuggler of fentanyl into the United States. In 2021, the US State Department raised the reward for his arrest to 15 million, making him one of the most wanted drug traffickers. Unlike El Chapo, who was in prison twice and escaped twice before being extradited to the US where he is serving a life sentence, El Mayo has never set foot in a prison. He was reportedly sly, stealthy, and a skilled negotiator who never used a cell phone. So how did the US get him? US officials originally said that El Mayo was lured to the US side of the border as part of an elaborate sting operation. And the mastermind behind it, El Chapo's son, who was actually helping US investigators. So he apparently convinced El Mayo that they were flying to northern Mexico to look at real estate. But instead, the plane landed in El Paso and DHS agents were waiting for them on the tarmac. Both men were arrested. They face multiple charges for allegedly leading the criminal operations of one of the most savage and deadly drug trafficking operations in the world. But now the attorney for El Mayo telling CNN that is not what happened. He says, Joaquin Guzman, Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms. And Joaquin, his legs were tied and a black bag was placed over his head. He continues in a statement saying he was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken to a landing strip. There he was forced onto a plane. His legs tied to the seat by Joaquin and brought to the US against his will. Regardless of the detail surrounding his arrest, officials on both sides of the border say that this could have a really big impact. The Siniloa cartel is one of the oldest and most established cartels in Mexico. It was founded in the late 1980s, originally with El Chapo as its ringleader. And it has grown into one of Mexico's most violent and successful drug trafficking rings. The Siniloa cartels behind the majority of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl that is smuggled into the United States. So who's going to take over the throne now? It is unclear, but officials say it will likely get violent. By the way, El Mayo pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in his first court appearance on Friday. He is being held in El Paso without bond. Guzman Lopez is being held in a Chicago federal prison and scheduled to make his first court appearance tomorrow. We're always talking about health trends and food trends and how hard it is to get all of your nutrients. Well, one way to get all the important ones is HE1 powder. It is just one scoop with a glass of water in the morning. It is easy and quick. So you can replace multiple health supplements like multivitamins, digestivates, immune support, and more with just one simple scoop. There's things like folate, magnesium, my favorite, ashwaganta for stress support, vitamin C, and zinc all through your immune system. It's good to know that you could cover your nutritional bases and just set yourself up for success in just 60 seconds. So with your first purchase of AG1, they are giving MoNews listeners a free one year supply of their vitamin D and five free travel packs of AG1. Visit drinkag1.com/moNews to take advantage of this offer. You can get a discounted monthly subscription or try it one time for just a month. Again, that is drinkag1.com/moNews. Mo, any WS for this special deal, and really start to take ownership of your health. Time for the speed read. Let's start with politics with fewer than 100 days left before the presidential election. We've got this from Politico. What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago at this time, eight days now, Democrats felt wobbly at best about their prospects in the presidential campaign. It was of course last Sunday afternoon when President Joe Biden bowed to the pressure and stepped aside as the party's presidential candidate. Well, one week later, Vice President Kamala Harris is off the blocks at an Olympic sprinter's pace. In its first seven days, the Harris campaign raised $200 million with 66% of its contributions coming from first-time donors. 170,000 people have also signed up to volunteer. Just this weekend, a fundraising event for Harris in the Berkshires pulled in more than $1.4 million. That is triple what the organizer's original goal was. Reporters on the ground say Democrats are feeling sheer elation in a race where they feel their chances have actually increased with so little time to go. Looking at a new ABC News Ipsos poll last week, just 35% of Americans felt favorably toward the vice president and 46% held an unfavorable view. Well, now her favorability is up by eight points to 43% and 42% view her unfavorably, which is a really big swing in such a short amount of time. And the opposite is true for the Republican ticket. Last week, Trump's favorable, unfavorable numbers were 40% to 51%. Now it's 35% to 52%. And JD Vance, his vice presidential pick is faring even worse. There is also some new polling from the Wall Street Journal that shows the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is essentially tied. Trump leads Harris 49 to 47%. That is just a two point advantage compared to the six point advantage Trump had in a Wall Street Journal poll that was taken in early July before Biden exited the race. A Wall Street Journal poll also shows Harris nearly erasing the advantage Republicans had when it came to voter enthusiasm, which is a key indicator for the likeliness to vote, volunteer, and donate. It shows just how different of a playing field the Trump Vance ticket is up against now than it was just about a week ago. And there is also some reporting from Bloomberg Business that Vice President Harris has now narrowed her potential vice presidential nominees to three people, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walls. She's expected to make a selection by August 7 in order to align with the party's plan to virtually nominate a ticket by that date. From the Associated Press, Iowa's law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy goes into effect today at 8 a.m. The state will join more than a dozen others where abortion access has been sharply curved in the roughly two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It is an outcome Iowa's abortion providers have been fighting but still prepared for, shoring up abortion access in neighboring states, and drawing on the lessons learned where bands went into effect more swiftly. The law bans abortions after cardiac activity can be detected that's at about six weeks of pregnancy. And before many women even know that they're pregnant, there are limited exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the life of the mother is in danger. Previously though, abortion in Iowa was legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Iowa's Republican controlled legislature approved this law last year, but a judge had blocked it from being enforced shortly after it went into effect because of a lawsuit from the ACLU of Iowa Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City, the Iowa Supreme Court though reiterated in June that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold to be lifted. From NBC News, California's Park Fire is now the state's seventh largest, even with Saturday's weather working in favor of the firefighters, the massive park fire continued to devour huge amounts of land north of Sacramento. The fire has grown to more than 350,000 acres or 546 square miles, again making it the seventh largest wildfire in recorded state history. It's only about 10% contained. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the affected areas and perhaps the most infuriating part of this story. It is believed that this fire was started on purpose. 42 year old Ronnie Dean Stout II was arrested on suspicion of pushing a burning car, 60 feet into a gully spreading flames that caused the park fire. This is according to authorities. The DA says the man was then seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with other residents who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire. The DA's office says that Stout will likely face an arson charge. Meanwhile, flames are still out of control in the Canadian Rockies largest national park. This is according to the Jasper National Park Facebook page. The fire complex sent thousands of visitors, seasonal workers and residents fleeing Jasper in Alberta where the flames devastated about 30% of the town structures. Overseas from the New York Times as Sudan hurdles toward famine, its military is blocking the United Nations from bringing enormous amounts of food into the country through a vital border crossing, effectively cutting off AIDS, hundreds of thousands of starving people during the depths of a civil war. Experts are warning that Sudan barely functioning after 15 months of fighting could soon face one of the world's worst famines in decades. But the Sudanese military's refusal to let UN aid convoys through is thwarting the kind of all-out relief effort that aid groups say is really needed to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, potentially as many as 2.5 million, according to one estimate by the end of the year. The risk is greatest in Darfur, that is an area the size of Spain that suffered a genocide two decades ago. Refugees fleeing Darfur now say that it is hunger, not conflict. That's the main reason that they're leaving. The Sudanese military imposed the edict at the crossing five months ago supposedly to prohibit weapons smuggling. But arms, cash and fighters continue to flow into Sudan elsewhere on the 870 mile border that is mostly controlled by its enemy. That enemy, a heavily armed Arab paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces or the RSF, even so the UN says that it really needs to respect the order not to cross because it is Sudan's sovereign authority. Now to some medical news from CNN, an Alzheimer's blood test catches 90% of early dementia cases, a combined blood test for cognitive decline has this 90% accuracy rate in determining whether memory loss is due to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. In comparison, neurologists and other memory specialists correctly diagnosed Alzheimer's in 73% of their cases, and primary care doctors had even less success, only about a 61% accuracy rate. One part of the blood test known as PTOW 217 for short is one of several blood biomarkers that scientists are evaluating for use in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and early stage Alzheimer's disease. In the new study, the PTOW 217 test was combined with another blood biomarker for Alzheimer's called the amyloid 4240 ratio, which measures two types of amyloid proteins, another biomarker of Alzheimer's disease. The bottom line here was that the combination of both of these tests was the most predictive. A doctor with the Alzheimer's Association says we'd love to have a blood test that could be used in a primary care physician's office that could function kind of like a cholesterol test, but for Alzheimer's. Once fully vetted, highly accurate blood tests could, they say, change the game in the speed in which we can conduct Alzheimer's trials and get to the next new medication. They say that these are absolutely transformational times. And that's because deposits of amyloid can begin accumulating in the brain decades before symptoms begin, even when someone's maybe in their 30s or 40s. So an early diagnosis of brain amyloid could really be critical for lifestyle modifications and preventative treatment with medications. But don't expect these blood tests for Alzheimer's to routinely pop up in your primary doctor's office anytime soon. A lot more research is needed to verify the positive results appearing in the study. I had an out of a quick Olympics wrap from Yahoo Sports. As of this recording, the United States has three gold medals, six silver and three bronze, a dominating race in the men's four by 100 meter freestyle relay secured team USA, its first gold medal of the Paris Games. Katie Ledecky also won her first medal of the Games of bronze in the 400 freestyle. In that race, Australia won gold and Canada got silver. Ledecky, though, is the favorite in both the 800 meter freestyle and the 1500 meter freestyle. So even though she didn't win gold over the weekend, she still has the chance to become the most decorated female US Olympian ever this summer. To gymnastics from USA Today, Simone Biles and the US Women's gymnastics team put on quite a show for all the celebrities in the crowd. Hello, Tom Cruise, during the Olympic qualifying at the Bursi Arena on Sunday. And that is despite a hobbled Biles who appeared to tweak her lower left leg during floor warmups. At this point, though, no worries, Biles is still very much planning to compete. The Americans are heavy favorites for gold, especially with Russia, not there. All right, everyone, thanks for sticking with me and listening to the Mo News podcast. If you like what you hear, please share this with your friends. It will help us grow. Follow us and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Review us in the App Store. Those reviews really do matter. And between now and tomorrow's podcast, look for any and all breaking news and updated news over on the Mo News Instagram account. That's @mosh, M-O-S-H-E-H. And you could also follow me on Instagram. I am @jillrwagner. All right, everyone, have a wonderful Monday. And I'll see you back here tomorrow. Thanks for listening to the Mo News podcast. [Music]
