AP News In Brief At 9:04 P.m. EDT
More than 160 people are still missing after deadly Texas floods, governor says
HUNT, Texas (AP) - More than 160 people are still believed to be missing in Texas days after flash floods killed over 100 people during the July Fourth weekend, the state's governor said Tuesday.
The huge jump in the number unaccounted for - roughly three times higher than previously said - came after authorities set up a hotline for families to call.
Those reported missing are in Kerr County, where most of the victims have been recovered so far, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Many were likely visiting or staying in the state´s Hill Country during the holiday but did not register at a camp or hotel, he said during a news conference.
The county's lowlands along the Guadalupe River are filled with youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died. Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still not been found.
Search-and-rescue teams are using heavy equipment to untangle and peel away layers of trees, unearth large rocks in riverbanks and move massive piles of debris that stretch for miles in the search for the missing people. Crews in airboats, helicopters and on horseback along with hundreds of volunteers are part of one of the largest search operations in Texas history.
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Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic´s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show
Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic´s emergency planning just two days before catastrophic flooding killed more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children.
The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding "procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster." Among them: instructing campers what to do if they need to evacuate and assigning specific duties to each staff member and counselor.
Five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press do not offer any details of those plans at Mystic, raising new questions about the camp´s preparedness ahead of the torrential July 4 rainfall in flood-prone Texas Hill Country.
The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for the area on July 3 at 1:18 p.m. That danger prompted at least one of the roughly 18 camps along the Guadalupe River to move dozens of campers to higher ground.
Camp Mystic, established in 1926, did not do that and was especially hard hit when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes in the early morning hours of the disaster. Flooding on that stretch of the Guadalupe starts at about 10 feet (3 meters).
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Intense downpours like those in Texas are more frequent, but there's no telling where they'll happen
It´s not just Texas and North Carolina. Intense rain is falling more frequently in many areas of the U.S. - though where it occurs and whether it causes catastrophic flooding is largely a matter of chance, according to experts.
More than 100 people died in Texas Hill Country over the weekend after 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain fell in just hours. The deluge was driven by warm, moist air left over from Tropical Storm Barry and Hurricane Flossie that created conditions for repeated thunderstorms in the same location, said Texas Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon.
Last year, Hurricane Helene dumped more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain on western North Carolina, triggering catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes, killing more than 100 people in that state alone. This week, flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal prompted dozens of water rescues in other parts of North Carolina. And this spring, record rainfall in Kentucky caused severe and suspicious deadly flooding.
Although it can be difficult to attribute a single weather event to climate change - and hilly or mountainous terrain worsen flooding - experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans due to the burning of fossil fuels make catastrophic storms more likely.
That´s because the atmosphere can hold 7% more water for every degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), creating a giant sponge of sorts that sucks up moisture from bodies of water and vegetation. The moisture later falls back to earth in increasingly intense, unpredictable and destructive downpours.
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Trump caught off guard by Pentagon's abrupt move to pause Ukraine weapons deliveries, AP sources say
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week - a move that he felt wasn't properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Pentagon, which announced last week that it would hold back some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that American stockpiles were in short supply. Trump said Monday that the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move.
Two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive internal discussions, said there was some internal opposition among Pentagon brass to the pause - coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby - before it was announced.
One of the people described Trump as being caught "flat footed" by the announcement. The White House did not respond to queries about whether Trump was surprised by the Pentagon pause.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had acted without consulting the president.
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Militants kill 5 Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Israeli strikes kill 51 Palestinians
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel's military said Tuesday, while health officials in the Palestinian territory said that 51 people were killed in Israeli strikes.
The bloodshed came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the White House for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump about a ceasefire plan to pause the Gaza fighting. While there was no announcement of a breakthrough, there were signs of progress toward a deal.
The soldiers' deaths could add to pressure on Netanyahu to strike a deal, as polls in Israel have shown widespread support for ending the 21-month war.
A senior Israeli official said that 80-90% of the details had been ironed out and a final agreement could be days away. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren´t authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations with the media.
In a separate development, Israel said that it targeted a senior Hamas militant with a rare airstrike in northern Lebanon that killed three people and wounded 13 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
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Residents still shaken a day after federal authorities march through Los Angeles' MacArthur Park
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hector Velasquez was playing cards with friends at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles early Monday when a young man with a megaphone walked through announcing federal agents were on their way. Another man drove past in a car, shouting out the window, "Immigration is coming!"
The people in Velasquez's group who did not have legal status scattered. Others with U.S. citizenship - like Velasquez - lingered to see what would happen.
Two hours later, federal authorities and National Guard troops arrived, with guns and horses. By then, the park that is normally bustling with vendors was mostly empty. Activists had also spread word about the raid on social media.
After sweeping through the park, the convoy that included armored vehicles left as suddenly as it had arrived, Velasquez said.
He described the scene Tuesday as he once again sat in the park playing cards - this time only with those who were citizens.
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Impostor uses AI to impersonate Rubio and contact foreign and US officials
WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.
The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.
The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.
"The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently monitoring and addressing the matter," department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. "The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously take steps to improve the department´s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents."
She declined to comment further due to "security reasons" and the ongoing investigation.
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'Lord of the Rings' director backs long shot de-extinction plan, starring New Zealand's lost moa
WASHINGTON (AP) - Filmmaker Peter Jackson owns one of the largest private collections of bones of an extinct New Zealand bird called the moa. His fascination with the flightless ostrich-like bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species.
On Tuesday, Colossal Biosciences announced an effort to genetically engineer living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa - which once stood 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall - with $15 million in funding from Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh. The collaboration also includes the New Zealand-based Ngai Tahu Research Centre.
"The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do," said Jackson. "Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa."
Outside scientists say the idea of bringing back extinct species onto the modern landscape is likely impossible, although it may be feasible to tweak the genes of living animals to have similar physical traits. Scientists have mixed feelings on whether that will be helpful, and some worry that focusing on lost creatures could distract from protecting species that still exist.
The moa had roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years until they became extinct around 600 years ago, mainly because of overhunting. A large skeleton brought to England in the 19th century, now on display at the Yorkshire Museum, prompted international interest in the long-necked bird.
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Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes during security screenings at US airports
Travelers racing to catch a flight at U.S. airports no longer are required to remove their shoes during security screenings, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.
Noem said the end of the ritual put in place almost 20 years ago was immediately effective nationwide. She said a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.
"I think most Americans will be very excited to see they will be able to keep their shoes on, and it will be a much more streamlined process," Noem said.
While shoe removal no longer is standard procedure at airport security checkpoints, some travelers still may be asked to take off their footwear "if we think additional layers of screening are necessary," she added.
The travel newsletter Gate Access first reported that the TSA planned to make the security screening change soon.
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Sabalenka gets past Siegemund and faces Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals. Fritz vs. Alcaraz
LONDON (AP) - Aryna Sabalenka was having a hard time dealing with her Wimbledon quarterfinal opponent's unusual game style. The mistakes were mounting Tuesday. The stress was rising. The deficit was troubling.
As things went awry, Sabalenka would look at her box with a quizzical expression and raise her hands. After missing one forehand off a short ball, she knelt on the grass near the net, the very picture of exasperation. A month after her loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, Sabalenka knew she needed to keep her emotions in check and straighten out her strokes.
Did just that, right on time. Sabalenka trailed by a set, then twice was down a break in the third, before grabbing the last three games to return to the semifinals at the All England Club by overcoming 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at Centre Court.
"She pushed me so much," said Sabalenka, No. 1 since last October. "After the first set, I was just looking at my box, thinking, `Guys, I mean, book the tickets. I think we´re about to leave this beautiful city, country, place.´"
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament where Sabalenka never has been to a title match. She can change that this week if she beats No. 13 Amanda Anisimova of the United States on Thursday. Anisimova reached her first major semifinal since the 2019 French Open, when she was just 17, by getting past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9).