ISIS Targets Tehran in Latest Attacks and More Top Stories | Wednesday Briefing

Photo credit: CBS News/Twitter
Photo credit: CBS News/Twitter
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1. ISIS Claims Responsibility for Tehran Attack

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for two deadly attacks that occurred Wednesday morning in Tehran. According to The New York Times, four armed attackers stormed the Parliament building of the Iranian capital, killing at least one, while wounding and kidnapping several others. During this time, two other attackers, armed with explosives, entered the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

At least 12 were killed and 42 others wounded in Wednesday’s attacks, the Associated Press reported. The decision to attack two of Iran’s most politically symbolic locations sent an alarming message to a regime previously untouched by any major ISIS assaults.

2. Trump: ObamaCare Replacement, Historic Tax Cuts by End of Summer

President Donald Trump met with congressional Republican leaders Tuesday afternoon, indicating that the “biggest tax cut in U.S. history” is just around the corner. Trump said that this, as well as the Senate passage of a new health care bill, can be expected by the end of summer, according to Fox News. If Trump’s predictions are accurate, Americans could see a radical shift in domestic policy in the coming months.

3. Hammer-Wielding Assailant Detained in Notre Dame

Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral became a site of panic Tuesday afternoon, as a lone attacker armed with a hammer and kitchen knives struck a police officer outside of the popular tourist destination. Visitors were made to wait inside the historic church as security officials scanned the premises for additional threats.

Police shot and maimed the attacker, who shouted, “This is for Syria!” before striking the officer.

“We’ve gone from a sophisticated terrorism to a terrorism where any type of tool can be used to attack people,” French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Tuesday following the attack.

Collomb said the attacker was carrying the ID card of an Algerian student. He is recovering from his wounds in a Paris hospital and is currently under investigation.

4. Uber Fires 20 as Part of Workplace Harassment Crackdown

The popular ride-sharing service Uber announced Tuesday that it has fired 20 employees as part of an ongoing probe into the company’s workplace culture.

Uber’s chief of “diversity and inclusion,” Bernard Coleman, said the 20 layoffs constitute the “first step of many” in cracking down on sexual harassment among Uber employees.

5. Clooney Family Welcomes Twins

On Tuesday morning, Amal and George Clooney welcomed twins into the world.

The following statement, released Tuesday by Clooney’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, has gone viral:

This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander Clooney into their lives. Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days.

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