French media extensively covered the Pacific tsunami alerts on July 30, following a powerful Russian earthquake. Early concerns focused on French Polynesia, bracing for waves up to four meters. As the day progressed, alerts were gradually downgraded and lifted across the Pacific, including for French Polynesia, where actual impacts were less severe than feared, with authorities reporting minimal damage. Concurrently, President Macron's strong criticism of the EU-US customs agreement became a prominent story, as he expressed regret that France and the EU "were not feared enough" during negotiations, continuing a multi-day narrative. Separately, swimmer Léon Marchand broke a world record, briefly dominating sports headlines. A new domestic controversy also emerged regarding Sciences Po Lille's cancellation of a Palestinian student's enrollment due to social media posts.
