U.S. and world news for July 14

Nine dead, 30 injured in Massachusetts assisted living fire

Nine people died Sunday night in a fire that swept through an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts. At least 30 people were injured. “Crews were met with heavy fire coming through the main entrance and multiple people hanging out the windows, looking to be rescued,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said that many of the residents needed help to get out of the building. The assisted living facility, Gabriel House has been in operation since 1999, according to the Massachusetts Department of Health & Social Services. The three-story building has 100 residential units, and about 70 residents were living there at the time of the fire, the Department of Fire Services said.

Florida lawmakers characterize ICE detention facility in Everglades as inhumane

Florida lawmakers who took a limited tour of the immigration detention center located deep in the Everglades described the conditions as “inhumane.” Dozens of detainees are housed in each cell where they experience sweltering heat, bug infestations, meager meals and a lack of privacy, they said. Although the lawmakers were barred from viewing the medical facilities or meeting any of the detainees, many could be heard crying out for freedom. “They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida’s 25th Congressional District. Food provided to the detainees was described as inedible. About 900 people are currently detained in the center, which has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Republicans have boasted it is a “low-cost” facility.

Israeli airstrike kills children in Gaza

A group of children collecting water in central Gaza died in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, health officials said. According to the Al-Awda Hospital, the attack killed six children and four others at a water distribution point. The Israeli military acknowledged that an airstrike targeting an “Islamic Jihad terrorist” had gone wrong, and that the “munition fell dozens of meters from the target.” The incident is under review. Also on Sunday, 12 people were killed and dozens injured when an Israeli airstrike targeted a crowded junction in central Gaza, according to the Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Sam Rose, acting director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, said Palestinians in Gaza are forced to make “impossible choices” between starvation or risking death to secure much-needed aid. “Conditions on the ground are worse than they’ve ever been,” he said.

Trump tries to silence MAGA noise on the Epstein files

President Donald Trump took to social media to denounce many of his MAGA faithful for their continued campaign to get his administration to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, especially a client list that Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had on her desk. Elon Musk as part of his feud with Trump, alleged that Trump appeared in the Epstein files. A recently released Department of Justice memo disagreed with what many MAGA followers believe by claiming sex offender Epstein was not murdered, and he did not keep a client list. The memo contradicted some of the conspiracy theories that were previously pushed by Trump and his top lieutenants. Trump said on social media over the weekend, “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.”

Two dead in Kentucky shooting

A shooting spree left 2 people dead and 3 injured in Lexington, Kentucky, on Sunday. The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, allegedly shot a state trooper during a traffic stop near the city’s airport, then fled the scene and carjacked another vehicle. He then drove to the Richmond Road Baptist Church about 15 minutes away and opened fire on people there. Two women, ages 34 and 72, were killed in the church shooting. Two men were injured; one is in critical condition and the other is stable. The wounded trooper is also in stable condition. Three responding officers shot the suspect, who was declared dead at the scene.

More rain hitting Texas flood region

Just 10 days after catastrophic flash floods swept through central Texas, a band of slow-moving thunderstorms is bringing more heavy rain to the region. While the most significant rain occurred on Sunday morning, the chance of thunderstorms — as well as the potential for rapid river rises and more flash flooding — continues into today. Over the weekend, the state conducted water rescues in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. Some areas of San Saba County were under a mandatory evacuation order due to rainfall in the area. Further south in Kerr County, where 106 people died and at least 140 others are still missing following the July 4 disaster, a flood watch remains in effect until 9 a.m. local time today.