Morning Briefing: July 15, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday with, including former US President Donald Trump appearing injured but “fine" after gunshots were reported at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden calling on Americans to “stand together” following the assassination attempt against Trump, saying politics must never be a "literal battlefield,” the FBI identifying Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspected shooter and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying that assassination attempts on presidents and presidential candidates have become a tradition in US political life.

TOP STORIES

• Trump appears injured after gunshots reported at rally

Former US President Donald Trump “is fine” after he appeared injured Saturday following gunshots that were reported at his campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania.

Trump was seen with a bloodied right ear as he was being whisked from the stage, according to footage on social media.

His spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said the former president “is fine.”

• Biden calls for unity after Trump assassination attempt

US President Joe Biden called on Americans to “stand together” following an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, saying politics must never be a "literal battlefield.”

“We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast the character of the candidates, the records, the issues, the agenda, the visions for America. But in America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box. That’s how we do it, at the ballot box — not with bullets. The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin,” Biden said when addressing the nation from the Oval Office.

Noting that disagreements are inevitable in a democracy, he said: "But politics must never be a literal battlefield, god forbid a killing field.”

• FBI identifies Thomas Matthew Crooks as suspected shooter in Trump's assassination attempt

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspected shooter in former US President Donald Trump's assassination attempt.

Crooks, 20, is from Pennsylvania, where the former president was hit during his campaign rally in Butler township.

"The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania," the FBI said in a statement.

• Assassination attempts on presidents, presidential candidates ‘tradition’ in US political life: Russia

Assassination attempts on presidents and presidential candidates have become a "tradition" in US political life, Russia said, referring to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that US President Joe Biden has acknowledged in a statement that assassination attempts on presidents, candidates, prominent figures and political personalities are a painful manifestation of US domestic political life, but she added that "Biden should have said that this is not only a painful manifestation of U.S. domestic political life but also a 'tradition.'"

Trump was shot in the right ear but is fine, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) later issuing a statement identifying Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspected shooter.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• World leaders condemned an apparent assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania.
• A witness told the BBC he saw a man with a riffle on a rooftop minutes before a deadly shooting at a rally for former US President Donald Trump in the state of Pennsylvania.
• At least 10 Palestinians were killed and 27 others injured in an Israeli attack on central Gaza.
• Civil defense teams retrieved the bodies of six Palestinians from the rubble following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a local medical source.
• At least 30 more Palestinians were rounded up by Israeli forces in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.
• The death toll from the Israeli bombardment of a mosque in the Shati refugee camp rose to 22, with another 12 killed by the Israeli army in three separate attacks in the Gaza Strip.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed concern over the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
• Türkiye condemned an attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
• Four Israelis were injured in a car-ramming attack in central Israel.
• A Syrian soldier was killed and three others were injured in an Israeli airstrike in the capital Damascus, according to state media.
• The Israeli army does not have intelligence confirming the death of the commander of Hamas' armed wing in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel's Army Radio said.
• Authorities have located explosives in the car driven by the 20-year-old man they say attempted to assassinate ex-President Donald Trump as he was holding a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, according to multiple reports.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel sees Hamas accepting conditions on a cease-fire as “weakness, surrender,” which hinders reaching a deal and is “highly dangerous,” stressing the need to put more pressure on Israel.​​​​​​​
• US and British warplanes launched fresh airstrikes in Hajjah and Al Hudaydah provinces in Yemen, the Houthi group said.
• At least 15 people were killed in an Israeli bombardment of a UN-run school sheltering displaced Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip.

SPORTS

• Spain beat England 2-1 to secure EURO 2024 title

Spain beat England 2-1 to win the UEFA EURO 2024 title in Berlin.

Nico Williams, Spain’s winger on the left flank, scored the opener for his nation in the early minutes of the second half.

English substitute Cole Palmer scored an equalizer outside the penalty area.

In the 86th minute, Spain attacking midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal, who was subbed in the second half, scored the winning goal after Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella's low cross into the penalty box.

• Carlos Alcaraz wins 2024 Wimbledon men's singles title

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz stunned 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia to win the 2024 Wimbledon men's singles title.

Third seed Alcaraz sealed his second Wimbledon victory after beating world No. 2 Djokovic in straight sets of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 and (7-4) in the final at the Centre Court. The showdown lasted for two hours and 27 minutes.

The 21-year-old Spanish athlete led Djokovic by two sets 6-2, 6-2 in the final, which was quite unexpected.