Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Death Toll From Severe Weather Up To Three As Storms Continue
After two feet of rain fell on parts of Texas over the last few days, the state finally got some relief yesterday as the flood waters started to recede, leaving damage and casualties behind. Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press conference that at least three people were killed by the storms and flooding, including a police officer killed by a tornado and a child swept away by flood waters. Gov. Abbott said that around 800 homes were damaged by the weather in Texas and over 50 locations on state roads were closed yesterday due to damage or high water. The system is still churning, though, with several tornadoes confirmed last night by the National Weather Service in the first hours of a severe weather event that stretched overnight, including multiple tornadoes in central Oklahoma and across Missouri. The risk of severe storms will continue today, affecting 25-million people across the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the Tennessee Valley today.
2 Hamas Accepts Cease-Fire Deal, Israel Says It Didn't Meet Demands
There was confusion yesterday over whether or not a cease-fire was in the near future in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Hamas said yesterday it had accepted a cease-fire negotiated by Egypt and Qatari, but after reviewing the deal Israel said it didn’t meet some of the core demands for the fighting to stop. A short time later, Israel pushed ahead with an assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Even with the attack, Israel said negotiations would continue. The acceptance of the cease-fire deal by Hamas came just hours after Israel ordered the evacuation of around 100,000 Palestinians from the eastern parts of Rafah, signaling that the attack would happen soon. Airstrikes hit other parts of Rafah late yesterday, killing at least five people. President Joe Biden reportedly spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the US concerns with attacking Rafah, and sources in the US government are reportedly examining if the deal that Hamas agreed to was the same version that Israel had previously approved or if it had been changed.
3 Judge Warns Trump Of Potential Jail Time For Violating Gag Order
Judge Juan Merchan fined former President Donald Trump another $1,000 after holding him in contempt of court for a tenth violation of the gag order Merchan put into place. The order bars Trump from speaking publicly about the jurors and witnesses in the “hush money” trial, and said he has “done everthing I can” to avoid putting Trump in jail. Merchan said yesterday that he considered jail time “truly the last resort,” considering the impact it would have on the trial and this year’s election. The former president continues to say that Merchan has taken away his Constitutional right to free speech with the gag order.