(NEW YORK) — Tropical Depression Four strengthened into Tropical Storm Debby late Saturday afternoon – and could reach near hurricane strength as it heads north over the weekend.
Over 10 million people along the Florida Gulf Coast are under tropical alerts. A Hurricane Warning was issued across the Big Bend region of Florida, with Tropical Storm Warnings still in effect from south of Yankeetown down to East Cape Sable, and for portions of the Florida Keys west of the Seven Mile Bridge.
The tropical storm entered the Gulf of Mexico off the southwest coast of Florida later on Saturday afternoon and is forecast to make landfall late Sunday night or early Monday morning along Florida’s Big Bend region.
Strengthening is expected as the storm feeds off the warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures are averaging around 85 degrees.
The main impact from this storm will be flooding due to rainfall. While the highest rain totals will be dependent on the storm’s path, much of Florida will be getting drenched from this system.
Widespread rain totals of 2 to 5 inches are likely in northern Florida, with localized areas possibly seeing 5 to 15 inches of rainfall over the next four days.
Storm surge may also be an issue, with 2 to 4 feet of potential surge from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River area. Up to 3 to 5 feet of surge is in the forecast from the Chassahowitzka to Aucilla River.
Damaging winds are possible as well, and will be dependent on the strength of this storm at landfall.
Tropical storm-force winds are likely, ranging between 39 to 73 mph, in central and northern Florida. Hurricane-force winds are possible in the Big Bend region on Sunday night into Monday morning.
As of now, the National Hurricane Center forecasts that the storm will make its way into the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong tropical storm late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
The storm then passes across northern Florida and is expected to reemerge on the Atlantic side. While its track remains questionable thereafter, some projections keep it drifting off the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas long enough to drench coastal areas with several more inches of rain.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Depression Four is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Debby later on Saturday – and could reach near hurricane strength as it heads north over the weekend.
Hurricane Watches and Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for the west coast of Florida as this system makes its way into the region this weekend.
On Saturday morning, Tropical Depression Four was over Cuba, with winds of 35 mph. The storm is forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico off the southwest coast of Florida Saturday afternoon and is forecast to make landfall late Sunday night or early Monday morning along Florida’s Big Bend region.
A Hurricane Watch has been issued from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown, Florida. Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings are in effect for much of the west coast of Florida, with more alerts expected to be issued as this storm gets closer.
Strengthening is expected as the storm feeds off the warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures are averaging around 85 degrees.
The main impact from this storm will be flooding due to rainfall. While the highest rain totals will be dependent on the storm’s path, much of Florida will be getting drenched from this system.
Widespread rain totals of 2 to 5 inches are likely in northern Florida, with localized areas possibly seeing 5 to 15 inches of rainfall over the next four days.
Storm surge may also be an issue, with 2 to 4 feet of potential surge from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River area. Up to 3 to 5 feet of surge is in the forecast from the Chassahowitzka to Aucilla River.
Damaging winds are possible as well, and will be dependent on the strength of this storm at landfall.
Tropical storm-force winds are likely, ranging between 39 to 73 mph, in central and northern Florida. Hurricane-force winds are possible in the Big Bend region on Sunday night into Monday morning.
As of now, the National Hurricane Center forecasts that the storm will make its way into the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong tropical storm late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
The storm then passes across northern Florida and is expected to reemerge on the Atlantic side. While its track remains questionable thereafter, some projections keep it drifting off the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas long enough to drench coastal areas with several more inches of rain.
(TAVARES, Fla.) — Three Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were shot, one fatally, while they were responding to a report of disturbance in a Florida home.
One deputy is dead. Another deputy was struck in the shoulder and is now in stable condition. The third deputy was struck in the armpit, the groin and the stomach area multiple times, has undergone surgery and is in serious critical condition, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said during a press conference.
Deputies responded to a call about a disturbance that was in progress and while they were conducting their investigation, they learned there was an issue at a home a few houses down from where they were, Grinnell said.
The deputies then responded there and saw what appeared to be the back door kicked in and they heard a disturbance inside the house. When the deputies entered the home, there was “a lot of gunfire” and one of the deputies was struck, Grinnell said.
The backup deputy with him was able to retreat out of the home but the first deputy was trapped inside the home.
Multiple deputies responded to the scene and formed a “rescue team” to go back into the house and attempt to get the deputy inside the home and they were met with a “hail of gunfire” and another deputy sheriff was struck, but they were able to retreat from the house, Grinnell said.
“It was a very violent scene,” Grinnell said.
“They were ambushed,” he said.
Law enforcement then mobilized the SWAT team as they were dealing with “a lot of firepower,” Grinnell said.
Of the people inside the home, two are dead and one was transported and their condition is unknown, according to Grinnell. They found multiple firearms in the home.
There is no longer a threat to the public, according to Grinnell.
(NEW YORK) — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case has set a hearing for Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. Trump is not required to attend.
This will be the first time in seven months the parties will appear in Judge Tanya Chutkan’s courtroom. Chutkan also denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the case on statutory grounds. She says they may refile the motion once issues of presidential immunity are resolved.
The case has been stayed as Trump’s legal team appealed presidential immunity all the way to the Supreme Court.
In a 6-3 ruling last month authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court found that a president has absolute immunity for acts within their core constitutional powers and a presumption of immunity for “acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility.”
Judge Chutkan will be responsible for applying the Supreme Court’s decision to the allegations in Trump’s criminal case, including whether Trump’s actions were “official acts” or private conduct that can be prosecuted.
Trump last year pleaded not guilty to charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election by enlisting a slate of so-called “fake electors,” using the Justice Department to conduct “sham election crime investigations,” trying to enlist the vice president to “alter the election results,” and promoting false claims of a stolen election as the Jan. 6 riot raged — all in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Trump originally faced a March 4 trial date before his appeal effectively paused the proceedings.
(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles County is choosing to continue with the “care first, jails last” approach when addressing the more than 75,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in the county, despite recent pressure from California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We can’t arrest our way out of what’s going on in the streets,” said L.A. Board Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who is one of five board members who unanimously voted this week against Newsom’s executive order on dismantling homeless encampments across the state.
In his executive order on July 25, Newsom announced $24 billion in funding given to local governments across the state to address widespread homeless encampments, saying in a statement there are “simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
The governor’s order follows the Supreme Court’s landmark City of Grants Pass, Oregon, v. Johnson decision in June that gave localities the justification to fine and arrest people for sleeping outdoors on public property.
Barger maintained that she’s not at odds with Newsom’s order but rather supporting the ongoing work the board and its partners have been doing to solve the homelessness crisis in the county.
“The concern we have is if we’re not all on the same page, as it relates to how the Grants Pass decision impacts the ability to clean up encampments, we are going to be just moving people from one city to another,” Barger said of the 88 municipalities within Los Angeles County.
Showing a united front with the board of supervisors, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said during the meeting Tuesday, “Being homeless is not a crime, and we will maintain our focus on criminal behavior rather than an individual’s status.”
Barger believes the pathway to permanent results for the county’s unhoused population is paved with outreach, mental health services and job training, which she says “gets lost” in the conversation.
The “Care First, Jails Last” investment is the Measure J ballot initiative approved by voters in 2020 to set aside at least 10% of existing locally controlled, unrestricted revenues to be directed to community investment and alternatives to incarceration.
Within the measure is the Care First Community Investment (CFCI), which has received $88.3 million in annual allocation from the Board of Supervisors.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Department’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) is a group of law enforcement officers who work with homeless services agencies to help people experiencing homelessness.
Supervisor Hilda Solis told ABC News the law enforcement partnership “has been an integral partner in our Care First approach.”
“Since their establishment, HOST has never resorted to arrests to address encampments in the public’s right of way or that pose a public health concern,” Solis said.
Despite pressure at the state level, Los Angeles City has in fact seen fewer people living on the streets in the last year.
The L.A. City Controller’s office confirmed to ABC News the city saw a 10,000-person decrease in the unhoused population between 2023 and 2024.
This month, the nonprofit policy organization RAND released a 2023 study that showed that in areas with frequent encampment clearings, those encampments returned within two to three months.
After mass clearings of the homeless encampments in the Venice Beach area of Los Angeles, the share of unhoused people jumped from 20% to 46%, according to the study.
In a report released in June 2024, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) found that LA Municipal Code 41.18, which allows for encampment removal in certain areas, isn’t effective at reducing encampments or helping to house people — while costing over $3 million in two years, not including enforcement costs.
“I’ve never seen incarceration work to end homelessness, I’ve only seen that extend homelessness,” Downtown Women’s Center CEO Amy Turk told ABC News.
The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles focused on serving women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness.
Turk has worked directly with the unhoused population in Los Angeles for two decades, providing trauma-informed outreach, shelter and helping people towards permanent housing.
“When I’ve seen people move toward criminalization, dismantling an encampment and offering no place for people to go, then what you see is people move from one plot of land to another plot of land, and you’re not solving anything.”
However, others say the county and local organizations’ efforts to keep people off the streets are not noticeable on the ground floor, where encampments, they say, continue to impede the lives of other residents.
“I think it’s very clear that the programs and policies both at the city level and the county level, have failed to reduce the number of people on the streets in a significant and sustainable way,” Paul Webster, executive director of the Los Angeles Alliance for Human Rights (LAAHR), told ABC News.
“Residents, business owners and even people experiencing homelessness themselves, have for years have been told that things are improving and that the city and the county have enacted programs that would end homelessness in Los Angeles, and for years, that has not come to pass,” Webster added.
In 2020, LAAHR sued the City and County of Los Angeles, claiming that the city’s leaders were not doing enough to address the homelessness crisis.
Webster said the lawsuit demanded an increased number of shelter beds, increased access to mental health and drug abuse treatment and a return to the intended uses of public rights of way and public spaces.
In 2022, the lawsuit was settled with the county agreeing to pay $236 million to fund increased services, outreach, and interim housing.
“We’ve seen some progress,” Webster said two years after the suit, adding, “We’re still working to actively monitor and actively hold the city and the county accountable for these commitments.”
(MAUI, Hawaii.) — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced a historic $4.037 billion settlement Friday to resolve claims arising from the tragic Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires that left more than 100 people dead, thousands of others displaced and homes and businesses destroyed.
The settlement addresses roughly 450 lawsuits filed by individuals, businesses, and insurance companies in both state and federal courts in connection with the fires in Lahaina and Upcountry on the island of Maui.
The settlement agreement remains subject to final documentation and court approval, according to Green’s office. Once a final settlement agreement is signed and approved following judicial and legislative review, payments are expected to start as early as mid-2025.
As of now, the governor’s office states that the agreement is conditional “on the resolution of the insurance companies’ claims that have already been paid for property loss and other damages, with no additional payments from the defendants.”
“My priority as Governor was to expedite the agreement and to avoid protracted and painful lawsuits so as many resources as possible would go to those affected by the wildfires as quickly as possible,” said Green in a Friday statement. “Settling a matter like this within a year is unprecedented, and it will be good that our people don’t have to wait to rebuild their lives as long as others have in many places that have suffered similar tragedies.”
As the community prepares to mourn those who’ve been lost one year later, the community is also still in the midst of its rebuilding, with building permits newly being issued, debris removal ongoing and some families still displaced.
The destruction from the wildfires forced Maui local officials and its residents to reckon with a slate of issues that had been plaguing the community.
The impact of tourism, climate change, lack of affordable housing and more became pivotal points in the community’s recovery effort.
“In light of the recent settlement, the County will continue working with wildfire victims and their representatives to provide services and resources throughout the recovery period,” the County of Maui said in a press release Friday evening.
“The agreement is an important first step and represents the commitment of the signatories towards reaching a final settlement that would provide compensation to those impacted by the tragic fires,” said County Corporation Counsel Victoria Takayesu. “The County remains steadfast in its commitment to rebuild Lahaina and support its community.”
(PHOENIX) — A man died after attempting an illegal BASE jump in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, officials said Friday.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report around 7:30 a.m. local time Thursday of a visitor who had attempted a base jump from Yavapai Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said.
“Park rangers responded and located the body of a deceased male approximately 500 feet below the rim, along with a deployed parachute,” NPS said in a statement.
The body of the BASE jumper was recovered Friday morning. The victim was transported by helicopter to the rim and then brought to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is conducting an investigation into the incident along with NPS.
The name of the victim is being withheld pending positive identification, NPS said. No further information was released.
BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth. The recreational sport involves jumping from a fixed object and using a parachute to descend to the ground.
The “high-risk activity” is prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park, NPS said.
The incident comes a day after a 20-year-old man accidentally fell 400 feet to his death from a scenic overlook at the Grand Canyon, officials said.
(NEW YORK) — A tropical disturbance near Cuba is taking aim at Florida and could strengthen into a tropical depression or tropical storm this weekend.
It has an 80% chance of developing into a tropical depression over the weekend and a 90% chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next seven days. If this strengthens to a named storm, it would be called Debby.
Regardless of how strong the potential storm will be, it’s forecast to bring up to 6 to 8 inches of rain to parts of Florida’s west coast as well as the Georgia and South Carolina coast.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 54 counties.
A tropical storm warning is in effect in Florida from East Cape Sable to Boca Grande, including Naples.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of the Florida Keys, the southern coast of the Florida peninsula and the west coast of the Florida peninsula, including Tampa.
A storm surge watch has also been issued for parts of the west coast of the Florida peninsula.
The current forecast track calls for the system to become a tropical depression by Saturday morning as it moves across Cuba.
The outer bands will reach South Florida on Saturday morning and bring scattered thunderstorms, heavy downpours and gusty winds.
The storm will continue to strengthen as it closes in on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula and is forecast to come ashore Sunday or Sunday night. Flash flooding is a threat on Sunday.
By Monday morning, the storm will move into the Atlantic Ocean or near the Southeast coast, potentially bringing rain and wind to the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coastline. But this forecast could change.
Heavy rain will likely impact coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina through Wednesday.
Atlantic hurricane season ramps up throughout August and typically peaks in September.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an above-average hurricane season this year. NOAA scientists predict between 17 and 25 named storms, compared to an average of 14; between eight and 13 hurricanes, compared to an average of seven; and between four and seven major hurricanes, compared to an average of three.
(MESA, Ariz.) — An Arizona detective has been arrested and charged in his wife’s death after he allegedly strangled her and locked her body in their bedroom before fleeing the scene.
John Byrd, 47, has been arrested and charged with one count of second degree murder after he admitted to police that he strangled his wife to death, according to the Mesa Police Department in Arizona.
Byrd told police that he has had “some mental issues lately and has been very stressed about his home and work life,” according to a police booking report obtained by ABC News.
Byrd had a heated argument with his wife the morning her body was found and said that “during that argument ‘a switch just flipped’ in him and he put his hands around the victim’s neck and strangled her to death,” Byrd told police, according to the police report.
Byrd then told police that he left her body in their bedroom and locked the door so that the children would not see her. He told police that he knew what he had done was wrong, according to the report.
Byrd’s wife was found dead in their home after a woman reported her missing on Wednesday after she had not been seen or heard from for most of the day and failed to show up to a gym class they always attended together.
The woman who reported her missing had contacted the couple’s 11-year-old son by text and was told the boy and his siblings — ages 8 and 4 — had not seen their mother all day and her bedroom door was locked, according to police.
The woman also told police that the victim’s husband had left home at around noon Wednesday and had not returned, so she picked up the three children and took them to her home, police said.
When police arrived on the scene, Byrd’s employer was at the residence to pick up his work vehicle because Byrd was on medical leave from his job. Police gathered additional information before they entered the house to conduct a welfare check on the victim, police said.
The victim was found dead on her bedroom floor, with no major visible injuries seen on her body, according to police.
Byrd was not in the residence and police could not find or reach him by phone. No calls had been made from the residence to report that the woman had been injured.
Officers and detectives found Byrd driving a vehicle registered to the victim and he was detained. A search warrant was authored for the couple’s residence and physical evidence was collected from Byrd.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, where Byrd was employed, told ABC News it is “in the process of ending Byrd’s employment.”
The Pinal County Attorney’s Office will handle Byrd’s prosecution.
(BUTLER, Pa.) — There may have been radio traffic from local police that the Secret Service didn’t have access to that could’ve proved crucial to stopping former President Donald Trump from going on stage the day of the assassination attempt, the acting director of the Secret Service said Friday.
“It was so apparent to me that in this incident, in the final 30 seconds, which has been the focus of what happened before the assailant opened fire, there was clearly radio transmissions that may have happened on that local radio net that we did not have,” acting Director Ronald Rowe said at a news conference. “And so, we have to do a better job of collocating, leveraging that counterpart system, and this is going to drive our operations going forward.”
Rowe said the shooting was a Secret Service failure alone.
“In no way should any state or local agency supporting us in Butler on July 13 be held responsible,” he said.
One spectator was killed and two were hurt in the assassination attempt at a July 13 election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump suffered a graze wound to his ear. The gunman was killed by snipers.
Rowe said July 13 was the first time the Secret Service’s counter snipers were deployed to a Trump rally this year. Going forward, he said the Secret Service will have counter snipers at all events with presidential candidates.
Rowe said there were two command posts: one post with the Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police, and one post with local police. He said it was “unique” that there were two security command posts, and in the future, he will make sure everyone is in the same room.
Rowe also walked through the timeline.
On July 8, agents from the Pittsburgh field office conducted a walkthrough of the event, he said. On July 10, the Secret Service counter sniper and technical security personnel arrived in Pittsburgh and began advanced planning for their teams, he said.
On July 12, the build-out of the campaign rally site began, he said, and continued through the early morning hours of July 13.
The morning of July 13, a site briefing was conducted with Secret Service personnel and law enforcement partners supporting the event, Rowe said. Secret Service personnel took their posts and a technical security sweep of the protective site started before the site opened to event staff, vendors and the public, he said.
About 15,000 people came to the rally, Rowe said.
At 5:53 p.m., the Secret Service counter sniper team leader texted the Secret Service counter sniper teams that local police were looking for a suspicious individual who was outside of the perimeter, lurking around the AGR building, Rowe said.
“At this time, Secret Service personnel were operating with the knowledge that local law enforcement was working on an issue of a suspicious individual,” Rowe said.
“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams, nor members of the former president’s security detail, had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the AGR building with a firearm,” he said.
At 6:11 p.m., the gunman’s first shots were fired, he said. Within three seconds, Trump’s detail rushed the stage and shielded him with their own bodies, Rowe said.
He said video from that day affirmed there should’ve been better coverage.
“We should have had better protection for the protectee. We should have had better coverage on that roofline,” Rowe said.
Going forward, Rowe said, he’s directed each special agent in charge — who oversee the Secret Service’s field offices across the U.S. — to be precise and clear with state and local partners.
“We’re not going to have this assumption that, ‘Oh, we think that they have it,’ and we’re going to we’re going to work together,” he said. “We’re going to have good, hard, fierce conversations about what we’re going to do, and then we’re going to go out there, and we’re going to make all of these venues secure moving forward.”
