These are the headlines you Need2Know
* **Trump Faces Bipartisan Backlash**
The president returned from a trip across Europe that ended with what’s being called an “extraordinary” and “stunning” press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the press conference, President Trump appeared to accept Putin’s denial that Russia had any involvement in election meddling in the U.S. and instead questioned his own intelligence apparatus. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned his comments.
* **Russian Woman Charged With Election Meddling**
The Justice Department on Monday charged Mariia Butina with conspiring against the U.S. as a secret Russian agent. Butina, a former Russian athlete, allegedly tried to cultivate ties between the Russian government and the National Rifle Association and infiltrate other conservative groups in order to influence U.S. politics.
* **Hawaii's 'Lava Bomb' Injures Tourists**
Projectile lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano hit a tour boat on Monday, crashing through the roof and injuring 23 people.
* **Deadly Fire Near Yosemite National Park Doubles**
A deadly California wildfire near the national park doubled in size by late Monday. Dry conditions and changing winds could worsen the blaze.
Cheddar's Hena Doba gives us the details.
For President Donald Trump, tariffs — or the threat of them — can bend nations to his will.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
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.
