Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Texas Flood Deaths Rise to 120; Search for 160 Missing
The community of Kerrville, Texas, ravaged by the catastrophic flooding of the Guadalupe River nearly a week ago, was mourning its losses Thursday as rescue teams continue the grueling task of recovering the remains of missing victims. At least 120 people have been found dead since heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river and flowed through homes and youth camps in the early morning hours of July 4. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children. More than 160 people are still missing in the county, officials said in a Thursday update, and hopes of finding any survivors have diminished with each passing day. County authorities say they haven't made a "live rescue" since the day of the flood.
2 Federal Judge Blocks Trump Executive Order On Birthright Citizenship
A federal judge in New Hampshire has put President Trump’s birthright-citizenship order on hold nationwide. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante ruled that the policy meant to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to babies born here if their parents are in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas would cause “irreparable harm” to infants and families covered by the Fourteenth Amendment. Acting on a lawsuit from the ACLU and several pregnant immigrants and new parents, LaPlante certified the case as a class action and granted a preliminary injunction, even though the Supreme Court recently narrowed judges’ power to issue sweeping blocks. By framing the lawsuit to include every child affected, the judge said a broad halt was still allowed. His order comes with a seven-day stay so the administration can appeal, but for now the rule cannot be enforced. ACLU lawyer Cody Wofsy called the decision “a huge victory” that protects the citizenship rights of “every child born on U.S. soil.” The Justice Department says it will seek an immediate reversal. The case now heads to the First Circuit, and then likely back to the high court, setting up the next test of how far states or the federal government can go in reshaping a right written into the Constitution.
3 Agents Clash With Protesters During Immigration Raid At Marijuana Farm In Southern California
Federal agents and protesters faced off outside a farm on Laguna Road near Camarillo, Ventura County, during one of two large immigration raids in Southern California yesterday. Masked officers from the Department of Homeland Security, backed by armored vehicles and a helicopter, moved in about mid-morning to serve a warrant at what DHS later described as a marijuana-growing site. Agents used crowd-control irritants after onlookers rushed forward; local TV footage showed at least one person pinned to the ground and detained. Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the operation as “inhumane,” saying such tactics sow fear in farm-worker communities. Nearby Carpinteria officials also called an emergency meeting after seeing two earlier raids this week. The clashes follow Monday’s sweep at Los Angeles’s MacArthur Park, where federal agents and National Guard troops found few targets but drew sharp criticism for arriving in combat gear. President Trump has ordered immigration officers to pursue what he calls the largest deportation drive in U.S. history, and DHS says its “brave officers will continue to enforce the law.”