Death toll in Texas floods at least 110 with more than 160 missing
The number of people reported missing in Kerr County, Texas, as a result of last week’s flash floods soared on Tuesday. Authorities say search teams combing through the debris and destruction there are looking for more than 160 people who disappeared in the raging waters. “We’re going to continue to search and look to try to reunite families because that’s where our focus is; on reuniting families with their missing loved ones and bringing them closure,” Sgt. Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department said. An additional dozen people have been reported missing in other central Texas counties. The death toll from the floods also climbed to at least 110 people.
At least three dead in New Mexico floods
Monsoon rains triggered dangerous flash flooding in an area of southern New Mexico that was stripped of vegetation by recent wildfires. The death toll stood at three on Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings in the Ruidoso area on Tuesday and officials urged residents to seek higher ground as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly 19 feet in a matter of minutes. First responders carried out at least 85 swift-water rescues, helping many people who were trapped inside their homes and cars.
Hegseth didn’t tell White House he was pausing weapons shipments for Ukraine
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, according to five sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported today. This was the second time this year that Hegseth decided to halt the flow of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, catching senior national security officials off guard. Shortly after learning about the pause, President Donald Trump told Hegseth to restart the shipments, and specifically to send more defensive weapons. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its near-nightly air attacks, often using hundreds of drones and missiles. Overnight, Russia launched a massive aerial assault involving 728 drones and 13 missiles, eclipsing the previous record number of 539 drones that was set on July 4, the Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Hamas hostages report sexual violence by captors
Thirteen women and two men kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks said they experienced or witnessed sexual violence while in captivity. The allegations were included in a new report from the Dinah Project, which gathered first-hand testimonies from 15 returned hostages, one survivor of an attempted rape, 17 eye and ear witnesses and 27 first responders who attended the scenes of the attacks. The testimonies, coupled with forensic reports, photographs and videos from the attacks, led the Israeli researchers to conclude that Hamas used sexual violence as a “weapon of war.”
Questions over whether Epstein kept a list of sex clients
President Trump shrugged off questions during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday about a Justice Department memo that said there was no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had kept a “client list” or was murdered. In an effort to prove that Epstein committed suicide while in prison, the Trump Administration released a surveillance video showing that no one entered two prison cell doors the night Epstein died. But, neither of the cell doors shown in the video was for the prison cell holding Epstein. The video also had a one minute segment missing. Attorney General Pam Bondi when asked whether she had seen a list of Epstein’s clients had said she had it on her desk and she was reviewing it. Elon Musk, who recently left his position in the White House, posted on his social media site: “How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?”
Trump misses his own deadline for trade tariff deals
Today is the deadline set by Donald Trump three months ago for completing deals with 200 countries regarding trade and threatening to impose high tariffs on countries that don’t make deals. As of this morning, only three deals have been completed. Trump has been sending a series of form letters to the heads of various countries threatening tariffs of at least 25% effective August 1 unless they strike a deal with his administration. In the letters, Trump makes a mistake and says that he will charge the countries for the tariffs. However, tariffs are not charged to a country. They are added to the prices paid for products when they ate imported and are paid by the buyers of those products.
