News Wrap: Midwest faces heavy rains and tornadoes overnight

In our news wrap Tuesday, the Midwest was dealt a deadly combination of heavy rains and tornadoes Monday night, Israeli airstrikes across south and central Gaza killed more than 60 Palestinians, former media entrepreneur Carlos Watson was convicted in a financial conspiracy case involving Ozy Media and a former CIA analyst has been indicted for allegedly acting as an agent of South Korea.

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Stephanie Sy: Thanks, Geoff and Amna.

The Midwest was dealt a deadly combination of heavy rains and tornadoes overnight. The storms knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people across the state of Illinois. In Nashville and Southern Illinois, cars were partially submerged amid flash flooding after reports of dam failures in the area.

Damage was also widespread in the Chicago area, where tree trunks fell on cars and crashed through rooftops. A 44-year-old woman was killed after a tree fell on her home. Others scrambled for shelter to avoid the danger.

Mihajlo Jevdosic, Chicago Area Resident: We kind of heard a gust wind that came up quick, and we decided, my uncle decided that we would all go in the basement. And as we went in the basement, we heard the big thump and the tree fall on the house.

I have never seen that before. Like, a tree is — it just came out of — the whole root came out of the ground.

Stephanie Sy: Meanwhile, just under 100,000 Texans are still waiting for power to be restored more than a week since Hurricane Beryl made landfall there. Today, a group of Houston-area restaurants filed a $100 million lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy over its response to the storm.

In the Middle East, Israeli airstrikes across South and Central Gaza killed more than 60 Palestinians overnight and through today. The deadliest attack hit near a refugee camp in the southern city of Khan Yunis. Hospital officials say 17 people were killed. The area is considered a humanitarian safe zone, where the Israeli military has told Palestinians to seek shelter to avoid the fighting elsewhere.

Today, the State Department said Israel still has to protect civilians while targeting Hamas.

Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesman: We have had extraordinary concerns about civilian casualties for some time. And that’s why we are pushing so hard, not just pushing, but actively negotiating to get a cease-fire that would stop this daily tragedy, where you see innocent Palestinian civilians being killed as a result of this war.

Stephanie Sy: Meantime, the Israeli military says it has eliminated half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing and roughly 14,000 fighters have been either killed or captured. Gaza health officials say more than 38,000 people have died in the territory since the war began last October.

Former media entrepreneur Carlos Watson was convicted today in a financial conspiracy case involving his company Ozy Media. A jury found Watson guilty on all three charges against him. Prosecutors alleged that he lied to investors about the financial health of his now-defunct company. Watson started Ozy in 2013 and was a frequent contributor on cable news programs and other outlets, including PBS “News Hour.”

Prosecutors say he could face up to 29 years in prison. Watson had pleaded not guilty.

Also today, former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry has been indicted for allegedly acting as an agent of South Korea’s government. The indictment says she began doing so in 2013, five years after leaving the CIA. This included advocating South Korea’s policy positions and disclosing nonpublic information to South Korean intelligence officers.

Like Watson, Terry was a frequent TV analyst who also has appeared on PBS “News Hour.”

On Wall Street, the Dow surged to a new all-time high after retail sales data provided new hope that the Fed will soon cut interest rates. The benchmark index jumped more than 700 points, closing near the 41000-point level. The Nasdaq had acquired her day, but still ended higher, adding 36 points. The S&P 500 also posted gains.

And country star Ingrid Andress has admitted she was drunk during her performance of the national anthem at last night’s home run derby. The four-time Grammy nominee says she’s checking herself into a facility to — quote — “get the help I need.”

In an Instagram post, Andress expressed her remorse, saying: “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much.”

Clips of the uneven performance quickly radiated across social media, drawing widespread criticism. The 32-year-old is known for country hits like “More Hearts Than Mine” and “Wishful Drinking.”