Several dead after tornadoes sweep through Midwest

Several people, including an infant, are dead after tornadoes sweep through the Midwest. Also, demonstrations by dueling groups turn physical on the campus of UCLA. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, April 29, 2024.

Several dead after tornadoes sweep through Midwest

At least four people, including a young child, are dead after tornadoes swept through Oklahom a on Sunday, April 28 — part of a series of severe weather events affecting several Midwestern states.

On Friday, April 26, a tornado damaged dozens of homes and buildings in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, but no fatalities were reported. Local health officials described the lack of serious injuries as "miraculous."

Over the weekend, more than 100 tornadoes were reported across six states, including Iowa, where one person critically injured by the storms later died. Less than 36 hours later, EF-3 tornadoes struck Oklahoma, leaving over 20,000 people without power and causing significant damage statewide.

One person died when four semi-trucks overturned on Interstate 35 in Marietta. Another victim was identified as a 4-month-old child. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, R, has declared a disaster emergency in response to the extensive damage.

Dueling protests get into physical altercations on UCLA campus

Contentious scenes unfolded on the UCLA campus Sunday, April 28, as dueling demonstrations over the war in Gaza escalated into physical altercations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters.

School officials reported that the protests had remained peaceful until a barrier separating the groups was breached, leading to shoving and punching among members of both groups. Campus police armed with batons managed to separate the demonstrators.

The UCLA vice chancellor expressed heartbreak over the violence on campus. The university said it had allowed both groups to protest, some participants were from outside the university.

Blinken visits Saudi Arabia to discuss war in Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss the Gaza war with leaders from several Arab nations.

On the morning of Monday, April 29, the State Department reported that Blinken met with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister to discuss ongoing efforts to release hostages held by Hamas and to explore "a pathway to a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel."

Later Monday, Blinken is scheduled to discuss Europe's role in rebuilding the Gaza Strip with Arab and European leaders. His visit follows President Joe Biden's phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 28, about a potential cease-fire and a warning against an Israeli attack on Gaza City's Rafah.

Blinken will next visit Jordan and then Israel as part of his Middle East trip.

Trump holds private meeting with former GOP rival DeSantis

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, met privately for breakfast in Miami on Sunday, April 29, to discuss raising funds for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post , was reportedly arranged by real estate chairman Steven Witkoff.

The talks between the presumptive Republican nominee and his one-time rival lasted several hours and were described as “friendly.”

This encounter comes just weeks after NBC News reported DeSantis pledged to donors during a private event that he’ll assist in fundraising efforts for Trump's campaign.

DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign in January, just days before the New Hampshire primary, and announced he was backing Trump.

Musk visits Beijing as Tesla's China-made cars clear data security hurdles

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unexpectedly visited Beijing, coinciding with the city's first major auto show in four years. During his visit, Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. This meeting follows Tesla's announcement that local Chinese authorities have lifted restrictions on its cars after they passed China's data security standards.

Tesla is also partnering with a Chinese tech giant Baidu to use its mapping and navigation technology, enabling data collection on China's public roads for its Full-Self Driving feature. These developments come amid broader concerns over data privacy and international security related to imported vehicles.

Tesla, along with several other automakers, has met the new Chinese data security regulations for self driving vehicles , which include privacy safeguards such as anonymizing facial recognition data collected from their vehicles.

Reports: MLB to alter Nike uniform issues after players' complaints

Major League Baseball is addressing an error — not one by a player on the field,  but one being blamed on Nike, according to reports by ESPN and The Athletic.

The MLB Players Association stated that the league will modify the Nike uniforms following player complaints about this season's changes, which included issues with jersey lettering size, mismatched colors and see-through pants.

The uniforms, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, will be updated by the beginning of the 2025 season, as the memo highlighted the issues as "entirely a Nike issue."

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