(NEW YORK) — Central America is bracing for tropical storm conditions.
The tropical system, now located off the northern coast of Colombia, has a 90% chance of developing into Tropical Storm Bonnie on Thursday as it approaches Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
It’s expected to strengthen into a strong tropical storm before landfall Friday evening.
Heavy rainfall and gusty winds will be the biggest threat.
Hurricane watches are in effect for parts of Nicaragua’s east coast and tropical storm warnings were issued for Colombia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the island of San Andres.
Early next week, the storm is expected re-emerge in the eastern Pacific and strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane off the coast of Mexico. Tropical storm watches were issued for parts of the west coasts of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, another tropical system is heading to coastal Texas and Louisiana, bringing heavy rain Thursday into Friday.
The heaviest rain will be focused along the Texas/Louisiana border. Areas between Houston and Lake Charles may see more than six inches of rain. Houston and Lake Charles can expect between two and four inches of rain.
The heaviest rain will happen Friday morning through the evening commute. Residents should be prepared for flash flooding.
ABC News’ Riley Winch and Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — It seems to be summer vacation for San Francisco’s coyotes, as one was spotted ditching the woods and taking to the city’s streets for a downtown stroll.
The coyote was captured on video in the city’s Laurel Heights neighborhood by Christian Calderon, who saw the animal on Euclid Avenue near Iris Avenue, according to ABC News affiliate, KGO.
The coyote was seen walking along a sidewalk and crosswalk for several minutes in Calderon’s video.
No reports of human or animal injuries have been made in connection to this coyote sighting.
This video may be shocking for some Americans, but for San Francisco, coyote sightings have become increasingly common.
According to Camilla Fox of Project Coyote, a national nonprofit organization based in Marin County that promotes coexistence between people and wildlife, coyotes live throughout San Francisco, and most of the city’s green spaces are likely to have coyotes within them.
“What’s most remarkable is that we don’t often see them, though we are coexisting with them. We only hear when there is a sighting or conflict,” Fox said in an interview with the San Francisco Department of Environment.
According to the department, coyotes maintain an important role in the area’s ecosystem, particularly by preying on different rodent species in the area.
This, Fox explained to the department, means that there are less rodenticides and other deadly poisons that kill “non-target animals.”
Nonetheless, spotting a coyote can be scary for the average person, and can pose a risk to pets.
In April, two pet owners lost their dogs to coyote attacks, both in the Corona Heights Park area, just a couple of miles from where a coyote was spotted in Laurel Heights on Wednesday.
The two attacks, happening a couple of weeks apart in the same area, happened quickly, while the owners were close to their animal, the San Francisco Chronicle said.
“It’s heartbreaking, and all the time it’s very similar stories of how it happened,” Deb Campbell, a spokesperson for San Francisco Animal Care and Control told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“A dog will be off-leash, or someone will let a dog out to pee off-leash, and there’s a coyote in the vicinity that will take it. It’s heartbreaking and preventable and we certainly wish that these things never happened,” Campbell added.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control has more information on how to avoid altercations with coyotes on their website.
(NEW YORK) — Ruja Ignatova, the so-called Cryptoqueen, has now been named a most-wanted fugitive by the FBI.
The FBI added Ignatova to its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly defrauding investors of more than $4 billion through OneCoin, a cryptocurrency company she helped found in 2014.
The move comes after Europol added Ignatova, 42, to its most-wanted list earlier this year.
“It’s an important tool for us, the top 10 list,” FBI Assistant Director Michael Driscoll told reporters during a news briefing Thursday. “We think the public is in the best position to help.”
Ignatova, a Bulgarian lawyer, claimed to have invented a cryptocurrency to rival Bitcoin. She and others allegedly made false statements while soliciting investments and promoted OneCoin through a multi-level marketing strategy, according to the FBI.
OneCoin also claimed to have a private blockchain, as opposed to a public and verifiable one that other virtual currencies have, and the value of OneCoin was determined by the company rather than market demand, the FBI said.
The FBI alleges that Ignatova ultimately persuaded investors to give her billions of dollars, capitalizing on the buzz around cryptocurrencies, before disappearing in 2017 after a federal warrant was issued for her arrest.
“She’s got a lot of money and she hit the road pretty quick,” Driscoll said.
Investigators believe Ignatova may have been tipped off that she was under investigation by U.S. and international authorities. On Oct. 25, 2017, she traveled from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, and has not been seen since, according to the FBI.
Ignatova was indicted in February 2018 on one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud.
Ignatova is the only woman on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is the 11th in its 72-year history, said the FBI, which is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her arrest. She was known to travel throughout Eastern Europe and the Mideast and may have had plastic surgery to alter her appearance, the FBI said.
While speaking at an event in London in June 2016, Ignatova told the crowd she believed OneCoin would become the “no. 1 cryptocurrency worldwide.” Though in an email with her co-founder, Ignatova reportedly described an exit strategy for OneCoin as, “Take the money and run and blame someone else for this…” according to federal prosecutors.
Several others also have been charged in connection with OneCoin, including Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin Ignatov, who ran the business after she disappeared from public view. He was arrested in March 2019 on a wire fraud conspiracy charge stemming from his role in the “international pyramid scheme,” federal prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to multiple felonies and is awaiting sentencing.
Attorney Mark Scott was convicted in 2019 for his role in laundering $400 million worth of fraud proceeds on behalf of OneCoin leadership and is awaiting sentencing, prosecutors said.
Karl Sebastian Greenwood, another OneCoin co-founder, is awaiting trial on fraud charges.
(NEW YORK) — One of four men facing federal charges in connection with an alleged smuggling incident that left 53 people dead after they were trapped in a tractor-trailer is due in court Thursday.
Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, of Pasadena, Texas is charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death. He is suspected of being the driver of the truck that was found in San Antonio on Monday.
Zamorano could face up to life in prison or the death penalty.
Investigators say Zamorano was apprehended at the scene after trying to pass himself off as one of the migrants. Police were able to recover a phone, a hat and a wallet that contained an ID belonging to Zamorano, court documents show.
Using surveillance footage from the truck’s immigration checkpoint border crossing, officials from Homeland Security Investigations say they were able to determine that Zamorano was the driver. The driver was seen in surveillance footage wearing a black shirt with white or grey stripes and a hat. HSI officials say they verified Zamorano was wearing the same clothing.
Zamorano was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation after he was apprehended.
According to court documents, responding HSI agents initially found 48 people dead inside and around the tractor-trailer. Of those found dead, authorities say 22 were from Mexico, seven from Guatemala, two from Honduras and 17 of unknown origins, who officials suspect are undocumented.
Officials said 16 people were hospitalized.
According to court documents, there were 64 individuals suspected of being in the country illegally in connection to this alleged smuggling incident.
Of the 53 bodies in the custody of the medical examiner’s office, 40 are male and 13 are female, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.
Rebeca Clay-Flores, the Bexar County Precinct 1 commissioner, said at a press conference Tuesday that some of those found are under the age of 18, likely teenagers.
Clay-Flores, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and representatives from the county medical examiner’s office met with Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Búcaro, three Guatemalan consuls, representatives from the Embassy of Mexico and Consul General of El Salvador Fátima Margarita Flores on Wednesday, the medical examiner’s office said Thursday.
The medical examiner’s office said they would release information on the number and nationality of confirmed identities as they become available. Names and identifying information will not be released until their foreign country’s consulate or embassy confirms their next of kin has been notified.
On Tuesday, police arrested Christian Martinez, 28, in Palestine, Texas, alleging he was in contact with Zamorano about the alleged smuggling operation.
Two other men, Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, were arrested in connection with the truck deaths on gun charges. They were identified as unauthorized migrants in possession of multiple weapons, according to federal authorities.
The incident unfolded in the southern Texas city on Monday evening at around 5:50 p.m. local time, when a nearby worker heard a cry for help and found the tractor-trailer with the doors partially opened and the bodies of 46 people inside, according to San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus and San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood.
“They suffered, horrendously, could have been for hours,” Hood said.
(NEW YORK) — Friends and family members of Brittney Griner gathered for a vigil outside the Russian Consulate in New York City on Wednesday evening, calling for the WNBA star’s release ahead of her trial in Russia.
“Feb 17 was the last time I talked to my sister,” said Janell Roy, Griner’s childhood friend said at the vigil. “I haven’t been in communication with her, I haven’t been able to talk to her and it hurts.”
Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia on Feb. 17 after she was accused of carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia.
Griner’s detention in Russia was extended repeatedly, most recently through Dec. 20, which is the expected length of her trial. If convicted, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Phoenix Mercury player’s trial is set to begin on Friday and she is expected to remain in custody throughout.
The WNBA star, who attended a preliminary hearing on Monday in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow, did not respond to an ABC News reporter’s question as she walked out of the courtroom.
Asked how Griner is feeling at the hearing, her attorney Aleksandr Boikov told ABC News on Monday, “She’s fine as she could be.”
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained,” meaning the United States will more aggressively work to negotiate her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department said.
“… The fact remains that the U.S. Government has determined that Brittney Griner is wrongfully detained and being used as a political pawn,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, wrote in a series of tweets on Monday. “The negotiation for her immediate release regardless of the legal proceedings should remain a top priority and we expect [President Joe Biden] and [Vice President Kamala Harris] to do everything in their power, right now, to get a deal done to bring her home.”
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that Griner is “unjustly detained” and called on the Russian government to release the American basketball star.
Sullivan further stressed the U.S. is “actively engaged” in working to secure Griner’s release, but added that the diplomatic efforts are “sensitive matters.”
“But I will tell you it has the fullest attention of the president and every senior member of his national security and diplomatic team, and we are actively working to find a resolution to this case, and will continue to do so without rest until we get Brittney safely home,” he said. “We also are trying to work actively to return all unjustly detained Americans and hostages being held overseas, whether that be in Iran or Afghanistan or Russia or Venezuela, or China or elsewhere.”
The 6-foot-9 center won an NCAA title at Baylor in 2012; a WNBA title with Phoenix, her current team, in 2014; and gold medals with the U.S. women’s team at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
Calls to free Griner escalated following the release of U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed in April, who was freed from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange. Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019.
An international prisoner swap potentially involving Griner, Whelan and convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has been discussed, according to Russian media reports, but it’s unclear if there has been any substantial movement on the issue. Russian officials have also indicated that they want Griner to stand trial.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday that Brittney Griner’s inability to reach her wife was an “unfortunate mistake,” adding that another phone call has been scheduled.
It would have been the first time that Brittney Griner speaks to her wife since her detention more than three months ago.
“This was an unfortunate mistake, and the Department of State is working to rectify this as quickly as possible,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that another call between the couple was scheduled. It is unclear if the call has taken place.Cherelle Griner previously told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts in May that she would like to speak with President Joe Biden.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
Asked about a potential meeting between Cherelle Griner and President Biden, Jean-Pierre said, “We don’t have anything to share about a potential phone conversation or meeting.”
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(ENCINAL, Texas) — Four people were killed and three others are in critical condition Thursday following a car crash involving an alleged migrant smuggling operation in Texas, police said.
The incident took place on Interstate 35 in Encinal, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The driver suspected of human smuggling evaded law enforcement and crashed into a commercial vehicle,” the Texas DPS tweeted.
Encinal is located about 40 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The incident comes three days after 53 migrants being smuggled into the U.S. were found dead inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio.
(NEW YORK) — Kaitlin Armstrong, a fugitive wanted in the murder of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, has been captured in Costa Rica after a 43-day search, authorities announced Thursday.
Armstrong, 34, was arrested Wednesday at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the U.S. Marshals Service said. She will be deported and returned to the U.S.
Austin police had issued a warrant on May 17 for the arrest of Armstrong on a first-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of Wilson, 25, who they determined was romantically linked to Armstrong’s boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland.
Wilson was found bleeding and unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds at a friend’s home in Austin on May 11.
A car resembling Armstrong’s 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee was captured on surveillance footage from a neighboring residence stopping outside the friend’s home the night of the shooting, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
When police interviewed Armstrong on May 12, she was “confronted with video evidence of her vehicle” but “she had no explanation as to why it was in the area and did not make any denials surrounding the statements,” the affidavit stated. After further questioning, Armstrong requested to leave, according to the affidavit.
The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force located Armstrong’s Jeep Grand Cherokee last week. Armstrong sold the vehicle on May 13 to a CarMax dealership in Austin for $12,200 before flying out of an Austin airport on May 14, authorities said. Investigators believe she then boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Houston Hobby Airport, before connecting on a flight to New York LaGuardia Airport.
Investigators learned Armstrong was provided transportation to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18 and, using a fraudulent passport, boarded a United Airlines flight that day to San Jose, Costa Rica, according to U.S. Marshals.
The U.S. Marshals had appealed to the public in their search for Armstrong, a realtor and yoga instructor, and had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to her arrest.
The Marshals Service fugitive case had been elevated the investigation to “major case status” early on, “which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run,” Susan Pamerleau, the U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. “This is an example of combining the resources of local, state, federal and international authorities to apprehend a violent fugitive, bring an end to that run and hopefully a sense of closure to the victim’s family.”
Wilson, a rising elite cyclist, was visiting Austin from San Francisco for a gravel bike race. She was found shot hours after meeting up with Strickland, police said. Austin police said at the time that the shooting did not appear to be random and they had a person of interest in the incident.
Strickland told police he hadn’t seen Armstrong since May 13, according to the affidavit. He said he has been cooperating fully with detectives in the investigation.
“There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime,” Strickland said in a statement to ABC News Austin affiliate KVUE. “I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy.”
Wilson’s family expressed relief following news of Armstrong’s capture.
“We’re relieved to know this phase of uncertainty is now behind us, and we trust that justice will prevail,” the family said in a statement.
ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Eli Lilly has announced the U.S. government is buying an additional 150,000 courses of the only monoclonal antibody therapy left that still holds up against all COVID-19 variants of concern, including BA.2.
The new purchase of the therapy, called bebtelovimab, is costing the government roughly $275 million.
This comes after the White House has repeatedly warned the money is running out to buy new vaccines and treatments, including antiviral therapies like Paxlovid and the monoclonal antibodies, without additional relief funds.
This new purchase was paid for out of the $10 billion in COVID funding, which the White House diverted earlier this month to pay for more vaccines and treatments.
Officials said at the time they were left with “no choice” but to shift those dollars, since Congress has not yet approved additional funding.
That redirected $10 billion included $300 million to buy more monoclonal antibody treatments — a cache now all but exhausted by Wednesday’s purchase.
The U.S.’s existing supply of this treatment, including the new purchase, is expected to meet present demand through late August, an Eli Lilly spokesperson told ABC.
Previously this spring, and before the White House diverted the $10 billion in funds, President Joe Biden said the U.S. could run out of monoclonal supplies “by the end of May,” if further funding wasn’t secured, and that planned orders would have to be canceled.
In March, ABC News obtained internal documents showing the administration planned to start significantly cutting the number of viral treatments available to states, and would begin reclaiming and reabsorbing unused doses for later redistribution, in light of the relief funding that had stalled in Congress.
Delivery of this new order of 150,000 courses is supposed to finish no later than Aug. 5, Eli Lilly said. That’s the date Lilly will get them to the Health and Human Services Department, which will then be responsible for allocating doses to states.
There is an option in this new purchase agreement for the government to order an additional 350,000 doses, which would need to be exercised “no later than Sept. 14,” Eli Lilly said.
“Lilly and its collaborators have partnered closely with the federal government throughout the pandemic to ensure broad and equitable access to our monoclonal antibodies,” Eli Lilly’s chair and CEO David Ricks said in a statement to ABC News. “While Congress works toward additional COVID-19 funding, Lilly and the U.S. government will continue to work together to support the availability of bebtelovimab to maximize equity and accessibility in the U.S. market.”
(NEW YORK) — This Fourth of July is expected to be the second-busiest for travel since 2000, with 47.9 million Americans taking trips, according to AAA.
Here’s what to know before you head to the airport or hit the highways.
Air travel
Friday, July 1 is shaping up to be the busiest day for air travel during the holiday weekend. Monday, July 4 will likely be the lightest, according to AAA booking data.
The top domestic destinations for the holiday this year are: Orlando; Seattle; New York; Anaheim, California; Anchorage, Alaska; Ft. Lauderdale; Las Vegas; Honolulu; Denver; and Chicago, according to AAA.
Fourth of July airfare is up 45% compared to 2019, now at an average of $437 for a domestic roundtrip, according to Hopper.
But the best prices for domestic trips can be found with a quick weekend trip, flying on Saturday, July 2 and returning on Monday, July 4, according to Hopper.
Road travel
The afternoons of Thursday, June 30 and Friday, July 1 are anticipated to be the most crowded days on the road as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers, according to AAA.
If you’re going to brave the roads on Friday, before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m. is best, according to analytics company INRIX. On Thursday, before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m. is best.
July 3 and July 4 are expected to be the best days for traffic, according to INRIX.
(WASHINGTON) — Police have released images of a person of interest wanted in connection to a mass shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed a 15-year-old boy.
The June 19 shooting took place during a festival called “Moechella,” which was celebrating Juneteenth, officials said.
At about 8:48 p.m., as police were telling organizers to shut the event down, gunshots rang out, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said.
Teenager Chase Poole was killed and three others, including a D.C. police officer, were shot and injured, police said.
On Thursday, the authorities posted video of a person of interest they said they’re looking to identify.
MPD seeks a Person of Interest in a Homicide offense that occurred on 6/19/22, in the 2000 block of 14th Street, NW.
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) June 30, 2022
“The young man in this photo, you may have run from U Street. But you cannot run from accountability, and you cannot hide from the citizens of the District of Columbia,” D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said at a news conference Thursday. “I’m asking anyone who recognizes this young man to please reach out to us.”
Poole is one of 651 children ages 12 to 17 who have died from gun violence this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Another 176 children that were 11 years old or younger have died from guns.
ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.
