* **Deadly Tour-Boat Accident:**
At least 13 people are dead and six are still missing after a boat capsized in Missouri Thursday night. Seven of the victims were children. The company that owns the duck boat alleges a storm was unexpected, and the accident is a first in 40 years of business. Read more at [CBS.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/branson-duck-boat-accident-capsizes-sinks-table-rock-lake-missouri-2018-07-20/)
* **Tornado Ravages Iowa:**
A tornado swept through three Iowa towns on Thursday, leaving at least 17 people injured. Residents say they had only minutes to get to safety. Read the details at [NBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tornadoes-hit-iowa-injuring-17-damaging-buildings-n893046).
* **Putin at the White House?**
The Russian ambassador is seriously considering President Trump's invitation to host Vladimir Putin in the fall. The invitation comes days after Trump suffered widespread criticism for his remarks at a joint meeting with his Russian counterpart earlier this week. Read more at [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/20/politics/president-trump-putin-visit-washington-white-house/index.html).
* **Comic-Con is On:**
The major convention kicked off to a great start Thursday and will feature several panels, including one from post-apocalypse series "The Walking Dead." Expect the usual otherworldly costumes from fans. Read the latest on [Entertainment Weekly.](http://ew.com/news/2018/07/19/comic-con-2018-day-1-recap/)
* **British Open in Full Swing:**
Friday marks day two of the British Open. As of close of play Thursday, U.S. player Kevin Kisner was in the lead, but compatriot Zach Johnson may dethrone him during Friday's round. Get live updates on [Golf.](http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2018/07/20/british-open-live-blog-tiger-woods-round-2)
Cheddar's Nora Ali breaks down the details.
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U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
