it's wednesday, july 31st, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." breaking overnight, a top hamas leader assassinated in iran. the terror group blaming israel

and vowing revenge. the battle for the battleground states. vice president kamala harris flipping the script on donald trump at her biggest campaign rally to date as the former president's invitation to a black journalism convention sparks backlash. and the g.o.a.t. simone biles jumps, twists, and turns her way into a new american olympic record. good morning. i'm shanelle kaul in for anne-marie green. breaking news out of the middle east overnight where a top hamas leader has been assassinated in iran. hamas says its political leader, ismail haniyeh, was killed in an israeli air strike on his residence in tehran after he attended the inauguration of iran's new president. iran's revolutionary guard confirmed the death. no one has taken responsibility. the jewish state has vowed to go after hamas leaders following the october 7th massacre.

israel has not commented on the assassination. haniyeh left the gaza strip in 2019 and had lived in exile in qatar. in april an israeli air strike in gaza killed three of his sons and four of his grandchildren. and his assassination comes after israel says it killed a top hezbollah commander in beirut who it claims was responsible for the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children in the golan heights. now the big question -- how will the terror group respond? cbs' imtiaz tyab reports from the neighborhood that was hit hard. >> reporter: this is what israeli retaliation looks like. beirut's densely populated southern neighborhood showered in debris following the precision strike by israeli fire jets. -- fighter jets. when we arrived at the scene shortly afterwards, hundreds had already gathered. just over my shoulder you can see there is one of the buildings that was damaged by

the israeli strike. and there's a scene of chaos and real anger. in a move almost unheard of, the israeli military immediately announced that it was responsible for the attack and named its target. this man, one of hezbollah's most senior military leaders. wanted by the u.s. with a $5 million bounty on his head. he played a certainly role in the 1983 bombing of the u.s. marine corps barracks in beirut which killed 241 u.s. military personnel and wounded 128 others. israel says he was killed in the strike, but hezbollah has yet to confirm. the attack comes days after prime minister benjamin netanyahu vowed a severe response after 12 young people were killed in the golan heights in a rocket attack from lebanon.

hezbollah insists it won't stop its attacks until there's a cease-fire in gaza between israel and hamas. and cbs news has learned israel informed top u.s. officials before carrying out the strike here in beirut with the state department insisting an all-out war is not inevitable. hezbollah will no doubt respond. imtiaz tyab, cbs news, beirut. now with to the presidential race. cbs news has learned kamala harris is set to name her vice presidential pick early next week. the vice president held her biggest campaign rally in battleground georgia yesterday while donald trump and his running mate j.d. vance continued to throw barbs at harris over the southern border. cbs' laya mishkin joins us now from london with more on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. and we're learning more about next month's democratic national convention. sources familiar with the planning say president joe biden is expected to give a primetime address on the first night of the convention.

the race is definitely heating up with less than 100 days until election day. vice president kamala harris took the stage before a packed house of thousands in atlanta yesterday. >> the momentum in this race is shifting. there are signs that donald trump is feeling it. >> reporter: her first campaign stop in battleground georgia as a 2024 presidential candidate featured star power -- ♪ -- and renewed enthusiasm among the state's democratic voters. >> i am excited that she's kind of reinvigorated the race. >> reporter: it comes as cbs news has learned that harris is expected to name her running mate by monday. next week harris and her vp pick will criss-cross the country starting tuesday with a rally in philadelphia. pennsylvania governor josh shapiro is believed to be among the contenders. >> i trust she will make that decision on her own terms when she is ready. >> reporter: out west in nevada, republican vice presidential nominee j.d. vance sharpened his attacks.

>> kamala harris' vision is open american borders and closed american factories. >> reporter: a new trump campaign ad also doubles down on slamming harris over immigration. >> she just lied. >> the border is secure. >> reporter: harris hit back with her own ad bashing trump's record -- >> donald trump blocked a bill to increase the number of border agents. >> reporter: the vice president today will speak at an historically black sorority event in texas. trump will attend the black journalist conference in chicago and then hold a campaign rally in pennsylvania. the national association of black journalists is get -- getting backlash for former president trump's scheduled appearance. the co-chair of the convention stepped down, and the president reiterated it is not an endorsement. trump will take part in a q&a focused on the black communities. >> thank you. >> reporter: thank you. northern california's devastating park fire is threatening thousands of

structures, and thousands of people are under evacuation orders. the wildfire has burned more than 600 square miles and is still growing. firefighters have made some progress thanks to cooler temperatures and calmer winds in the last few days. cbs' jonathan vigliotti was with one father as he got his first look at what the flames left behind. a lot can be rebuilt, and -- there's so much gone now. i don't know where to start. >> reporter: for mike wittenberg it's an emotional return home. when you arrived to see your home in this condition, what went on in your mind? >> i almost didn't make it down my street. >>reporter: the mountaintop house he shared with his fiancee and their two young children reduced to rubble and ash. so much has been lost. >> just all the memories and -- and my kids' bedroom. you know, the silly stuff like -- stuffed animals. >> reporter: how do you tell

them what happened to home? >> i don't know. >> reporter: the park fire is now california's fifth largest wildfire in recorded history. in football terms, cal fire is now in offense mode thanks to cooler temperatures. what you're seeing here are back burns are burning through dry vegetation to stop the main fire in its tracks. for now mike wittenberg is trying to salvage his kids' precious memories. >> just left of my car there's -- they had a fairy garden. it's the only part of it that's left. >> reporter: do you plan on rebuilding here? >> we're still kicking it around. it's too early to know. my heart says yes, but my brain says something else. >> reporter: a decision many who lost a home now have to face. jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, forest ranch, california. on capitol hill a heated hearing took place as the new acting director of the secret service was grilled by senators over the attempted assassination

of former president trump. ronald rowe testified yesterday during a joint hearing of the judiciary and homeland security committees. a fiery exchange broke out as rowe was questioned over security planning at the rally and communication breakdowns between secret service agents and local law enforcement. >> sir, this could have been our texas school book depository. i have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days. just like you have. >> then fire somebody to hold them accountable -- >> i will tell you, senator, that i will not rush to judgment. that people will be held accountable, and i will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people unfairly persecuted. >> i can't believe -- >> one man was shot and killed and that rally. trump and two others were injured. texas scored a major victory over its floating border barriers to deter migrants from crossing into the state from mexico.

a federal appeals court reversed a lower court's injunction to remove the border buoys a year after they were installed in the rio grande. governor abbott called the decision justice against the biden administration after it sued to remove the barriers claiming they were unlawfully installed. coming up this hour, freedom. a man is released from prison after more than three decades for a crime he says he did not commit. and food alert. millions more pounds of boar's head deli meat is recalled after a deadly liss tear yahoo! outbreak. deadly listeria outbreak.

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murder." he was shot twice during an alleged domestic dispute in 2020. his wife claiming she fired in self-defense. a sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. the son of notorious drug kingpin el chapo guzman pleads not guilty, and a man is freed from prison after more than three decades for a crime he says he did not commit. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the st. louis post dispatch" reports christopher dunn is free after 34 years in prison. the missouri man was met with cheers when he walked out of a courthouse last night. dunn was sentenced to life in prison in 1991 after being convicted of murdering a 15-year-old boy. a judge overturned his conviction earlier this month after two key witnesses recanted their testimony. dunn has adamantly maintained his innocence. the bbc says 39 british police officers were injured during a protest near the site where three young girls were killed in a stabbing rampage the

day before. far right protesters fueled by social media posts incorrectly suggesting an islamist linked to the stabbings hurled bottles, bricks, and even stones at officers yesterday. the protest took place after a vigil for the victims of the knife attack at a dance class in the town of southport. a 17-year-old boy has been arrested. and the "chicago tribune" now reports the lawyer for the son of notorious drug king pin joaquin "el chapo" guzman says his clients does not have to deal with federal prosecutors. joaquin guzman lopez pleaded not guilty in a chicago courtroom yesterday to drug trafficking and other charges. he and his father's former partner, ismael zambada, were arrested in el paso, texas, last week. zambada's lawyer claims his client was kidnapped by guzman lopez and brought to the u.s. on a private plane. guzman lopez's attorney denies that claim. next, stuck kitty.

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with one capsule a day of advanced hair complex. nature's bounty. it's in your nature. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ get this -- a stray kitten got stuck in a precarious situation -- trapped inside this tire. a man rushed the cat, fire and all, to a california fire house. they first tried soap and water to slide the feline free. when that didn't work, they then called in a different crew who used a special piece of equipment to then free the kitten. we're happy to report it is doing okay. in today's cbs "moneywatch" report, stocks closed mixed tuesday as the federal reserve's policy meeting kicked off and continues through today. the dow gained 203 points.

the nasdaq was down 222, and the s&p 500 lost 27 points. check your refrigerator. another seven million pounds of boar's head deli meat has been recalled after an outbreak of listeria. two people have died, and three dozen others have been hospitalized in 13 states. the new recall includes 71 products made between may 10th and july 29th under the boar's head and old country brand names. the u.s. consumer product safety commission says amazon is legally responsible for recalling dangerous products sold on its site. the federal agency says the online retailer must recall more than 400,000 products including faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hair dryers without electrocution protection, and kids' sleepwear that violates federal flammability standards. amazon said it plans to appeal the ruling. and spirit airlines is

rolling out a new suite of services next month. the airline known for its discount fares and no-frills flights now says it plans to bundle services like wi-fi, cabin baggage, and snacks and drinks for its highest classes. this as spirit tries to boost sales and better compete with the larger domestic airlines. still ahead this morning, back on top. a triumphant return to gold medal form for the u.s. women's olympics gymnastics team. if you have chronic kidney disease, you can reduce the risk of kidney failure with farxiga. because there are places you'd like to be. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract, or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. ♪ farxiga ♪

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ she is america's golden girl, leading the u.s. women's gymnastics team to gold at the paris olympics. simone biles also adds another record to her collection -- eight olympic medals, more than any other american gymnast in history. cbs' jamie yuccas has more. usa! usa! >> reporter: team usa women's gymnastics dominated the team all-around final. suni lee, jade carey, and jordan chiles all stunned the crowd. who's your favorite? >> simone. >> simone biles. >> simone is a -- a freak. >> reporter: rebecca barr and

her daughter came from atlanta to see the star gymnast. >> we've been planning this trip for four years. >> reporter: four years? is it living up to everything it -- everything you wanted it to be? >> absolutely, yeah. >> reporter: team usa men's gymnastics is hopeful there will be new interest in their sport after winning bronze, medaling for the first time in 16 years. [ cheers ] stephen nedoroscik's superhuman performance of pommel horse is now turning him into an internet sensation with many comparing him to superman's alter ego clark kent. >> doing my exercises, i'm doing everything i can to control my environment. >> reporter: in a surprising upset, a tearful coco gauff lost her singles tennis match. meanwhile, swimmer katie ledecky advanced to a final that's happening later this week. jamie yuccas, cbs news, paris. . ? olay super serum night repair. delivers five benefits in one. visibly renewing surface skin cells while you sleep. you'll see visible results in 7 nights.

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♪ welcome to "cbs mornings" on this last day of july. i'm nate burleson. >> i'm vlad duthiers. >> and i can't believe it, i'm michelle miller. >> i believe that you're