New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for EEEV in state’s first human case since 2014

New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for EEEV in state’s first human case since 2014
New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for EEEV in state’s first human case since 2014
Getty Images – STOCK/Yana Tatevosian

(NEW YORK) — A New Hampshire resident died after being infected with a rare mosquito-borne disease, health officials said Tuesday.

The resident, an adult from Hempstead — near the southeastern border with Massachusetts — had tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV). The patient was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease and died of their illness, according to an update from the state’s Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS).

This is the first reported human case of EEEV in New Hampshire in a decade after three people contracted the disease in 2014, two of whom died, DHHS said.

It’s unclear when the resident, who recently passed away, first became infected with EEEV. No other details were available including name, age or sex.

In addition to the person infected with EEEV, the virus has also been found in one horse and seven mosquito batches in New Hampshire so far this summer, according to the health department.

Neighboring states have been experiencing similar threats. In Massachusetts, 10 communities were designated as being under high or critical risk of the virus, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Many of the areas began implementing targeted mosquito spraying to protect residents.

“In New Hampshire, mosquitos transmit infections including Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus, and Jamestown Canyon Virus,” Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist, said in a statement.

“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified. The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos. Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors,” the statement continued.

EEEV is a rare but serious disease that spreads by bites from infected mosquitoes. It does not spread via touching or droplets from coughing or sneezing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most people who are infected either show mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, severe cases usually begin with fever, headache, chills and vomiting before progressing to encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, or meningitis, which is swelling of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems including convulsions, paralysis and intellectual disability, and about 30% of encephalitis cases from this virus result in death.

There are no human vaccines and no treatments specifically for EEEV. The CDC says rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain medications may help relieve some symptoms.

As of Tuesday, four cases have been reported aside from the New Hampshire case — with one case each in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin, according to the CDC.

The New Hampshire DHHS said residents can protect themselves by using effective mosquito repellents, wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outside and avoiding outdoor activities when mosquitoes are the most active, including early in the morning and during evening hours.

Additionally, residents are advised to remove standing water from around their homes, which attracts mosquitoes, and to make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.

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Luis Elizondo offers window into US government’s hunt for UFOs

Luis Elizondo offers window into US government’s hunt for UFOs
Luis Elizondo offers window into US government’s hunt for UFOs
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Longtime Defense Department researcher Luis “Lue” Elizondo has become well-known for reporting the existence of UFOs (unidentified flying objects), now known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs).

In his new book, “Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,” which is available now, former Pentagon insider Elizondo invites the reader into this hidden world.

He joined ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos to discuss why he decided to write the book, government secrecy around UAPs, official comments on these phenomena and some of his own unusual experiences.

ABC NEWS: Unidentified flying objects have fueled decades of speculation and conspiracy theories. In his new book, “Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,” longtime Defense Department researcher Lue Elizondo, the former head of the Pentagon program responsible for the investigation of UFOs, now known as unidentified anomalous phenomena, reveals long hidden truths with profound implications for not only national security, but our understanding of the universe.

Joining us now is Lue Elizondo. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. So “Imminent” tells the story of your courageous fight to make public what the government knows and doesn’t know about UAPs. What made you want to write about this?

ELIZONDO: Yeah, well, I wanted to be able to tell the American public my experiences and what the government has been doing for a very long time, not just when I was in the program, but for decades about the government’s interest in UFOs or now what we call UAP. You’re absolutely right, unidentified anomalous phenomenon. The fact is, they’re real and they are a national security issue for this country.

ABC NEWS: And it’s so interesting because many, many years ago I worked at the Pentagon for ABC, and I remember getting a tour of some of the hallways and, and somebody said “Oh, that’s where they study UFOs, UAPs. But it’s top secret.” Like that’s all they would say. So there’s this secrecy approach to all of this, right?

You write in your book, “While there are valid reasons for secrecy around some aspects of UAPs. I do not think humanity should be kept in the dark about the fundamental fact that we are not the only intelligent life in the universe.” So why do you think the United States government and other major governments have taken a secrecy approach to UAPs?

ELIZONDO: Sure. I think if we look at this, temporally speaking, the U.S. government, when we started really looking at this, was at the height of the Cold War. And you had this contentious relationship at best with then-Soviet Union.

And what we didn’t want to do was necessarily tip our hand to any information, perhaps, that we’ve gleaned from UAP or UFOs and, certainly, perhaps any information gaps or maybe information that we don’t know about the UFOs. So that’s one reason. And then I think the other reason is that governments inherently are responsible for ensuring the protection of their people, their citizens.

ABC NEWS: So Lue, for those who may be skeptical and are thinking “Nope, there’s no such thing as UFOs, it’s non-existent.” And you’re here to tell us that there is fact and research that they do exist.

ELIZONDO: Let’s not forget, Stephanie, that we’ve had already a former director of national intelligence, a former director of the CIA, and even a former president of the United States all come out on the record and say “Yeah, looks like these things are real.”

Our very best, most sophisticated technology is picking these things up. We also have eyewitness testimony from our trained observers, our combat pilots. And then you’ve also got the radar data all basically substantiating the same event at the same time, at the same place, under the same circumstances.

ABC NEWS: And so much technology that’s been analyzed and researched. Now, let’s talk about your own personal experience. You mentioned in this book that UAPs have appeared both in and around your home. How did these personal experiences influence your views on UAP and what exactly did you see?

ELIZONDO: Yeah, sure. So first of all, let me preface. We’re not sure if they are actually UAP-related. What we do know is that a lot of people that were in the program that I was in also had very similar encounters while they were in the program.

So not before or not after, but during the time that we were researching these UAP and from our experience, when I say ours, I mean my families and even our neighbors, witnessed some of these – are these luminous green balls of light. Very diffuse in nature. No hard edges. That would just seem to kind of peruse the house and go down the hall and go through a wall.

I know it sounds rather bizarre. And look, there are absolutely possible natural explanations, right? You could say ball lightning or Saint Elmo’s fire or some sort of plasma static charge in the air. But the bottom line is, it was very bizarre. It was witnessed by not only my family, but again, neighbors and other individuals who were part of our effort, and the government, also experienced, very, very similar encounters at their residences.

ABC NEWS: Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much Lue, for sharing your experience and for documenting what you know and what you think we should all know in your book, “Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,” which is available now to purchase. Thanks Lue.

ELIZONDO: My honor and privilege. Thank you.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As she hits campaign trail, Harris expected to face tough questions in 1st promised sit-down interview

As she hits campaign trail, Harris expected to face tough questions in 1st promised sit-down interview
As she hits campaign trail, Harris expected to face tough questions in 1st promised sit-down interview
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to soon face her first post-convention test when she sits for a formal interview — something she told reporters this month she planned to do by the end of August, but has yet to announce.

With an absence of plans for any such sit-down, Republican critics have accused her of dodging the press.

“She refuses to do any interviews or press conferences, almost 30 days now, she has not done an interview,” former President Donald Trump said of Harris at a North Carolina event earlier this month. “You know why she hasn’t done an interview? Because she’s not smart. She’s not intelligent.”

His campaign has said Harris is trying to “duck and hide” from the news media, which is sure to sling several tough questions her way when she meets the press.

The lack of a media interview has yet to hurt Harris, whose poll number are outpacing those of President Joe Biden when he was atop the Democratic ticket, according to 538’s national polling average. As of Tuesday, Harris is polling ahead of Trump, 47.2% to 43.6%; when Biden left the race, he was polling at 40.2% compared to Trump’s 43.5%, according to 538’s polling average.

Harris has also stirred an enthusiasm from Democrats that had been absent most of the campaign cycle — and is riding a high following last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Moreover, she chose a running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose rural background has helped the ticket craft a message Democrats have said they believe will make inroads with voters in conservative parts of the country.

All the while, Trump has seemed to abandon the discipline Republicans had lauded him for this summer. Recently, he has made false claims about the crowd size at a Harris rally and appeared to forget to mention a policy proposal he had been slated to unveil at an event in Michigan.

Democrats have cautioned that Harris has several hurdles to clear in the coming weeks.

One of those hurdles is the pending media interview, where Harris would likely have to defend the decisions of the Biden administration and specify some of her policy stances.

On Monday, Trump sought to spotlight Harris’ connection to the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, laying wreaths in Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world,” Trump claimed when he spoke to National Guardsmen at a Detroit event later Monday.

Harris is also likely to be pressed on how much she knew about Biden’s capacities prior to the June 27 debate. That night, she urged Americans to judge Biden not on the “90 minutes” on stage but the “three-and-a-half years of performance.”

Yet, that same debate performance set in motion a weekslong effort by top Democrats to nudge Biden from the race.

Few had a better understanding of what Biden was like behind the scenes than Harris, his No. 2, and an interviewer would likely challenge her about what she witnessed in private.

Harris would surely be asked about the war in Gaza. She said recently, “We need a cease-fire,” but is a member of an administration that has yet to help broker one.

The situation at the southern border would likely be another topic an interviewer would press Harris on. Republicans have linked her to an increase in unauthorized border crossings earlier in Biden’s term, misleadingly dubbing her the “border czar.”

An interviewer might also ask Harris to respond to the criticism of her recently unveiled economic plan, in which she called for an end to grocery “price-gouging,” prompting accusations by some Republicans that she wants “communist price controls.”

Harris travels this week to south Georgia, where she will embark on a bus tour and hold a rally in Savannah, Georgia.

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Quadruple New York homicide might have been avoided if neighbors had called police: Officials

Quadruple New York homicide might have been avoided if neighbors had called police: Officials
Quadruple New York homicide might have been avoided if neighbors had called police: Officials
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Before he allegedly killed four members of his family with a pump-action shotgun, a New York auto mechanic displayed obvious signs of distress and issued threats that were the talk of his neighborhood, but police said no one told them.

The quadruple homicide in the Long Island town of Syosset might have been avoided had someone with knowledge of the mental health issues 59-year-old Joseph DeLucia Jr. exhibited leading up to Sunday’s killing had called 911.

“As a community, we hear things, we know things, we see things. If we don’t say something, sometimes the outcomes are like what we got [Sunday],” Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a news conference on Monday.

Ryder said if police had known of DeLucia’s condition, they might have been able to enforce New York’s “red flag” laws, enabling them to seize the Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun before he allegedly used it to fatally shoot his family members and himself.

The commissioner said a preliminary investigation found that there was talk in that community about the distress DeLucia was under after his mother, whom he lived with at the family home on Wyoming Avenue up to her death from natural causes on Aug. 19.

The victims were identified by police as Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida; Frank DeLucia, 64, of Durham, North Carolina; Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter, Victoria Hammond, 30, both of Patchogue, New York.

The killings unfolded while DeLucia and his relatives were gathered Sunday at the family home to meet with a realtor about selling the residence over his objections, police investigators said.

DeLucia had allegedly become upset that he was going to be displaced from the home he had lived in his entire life without another place to go, officials said, citing preliminary information gathered by detectives.

Ryder said homicide investigators are probing unconfirmed reports that DeLucia had voiced threats to neighbors about using a gun to commit violence. He said neighbors told homicide detectives that days before the shooting DeLucia made threatening statements, saying, “If you hear gunshots, don’t bother calling 911. It’s going to be too late.”

“These are things that are disturbing to us in law enforcement. We open up so many avenues to use for help. Call 911, call the local precinct, or come down and visit us and talk to us. We will keep it anonymous,” Ryder said. “There are laws that are put in place to make sure individuals that are suffering through some mental health issues or current stress that we can remove weapons, like the ‘red flag’ laws.”

The shooting unfolded just before noon on Sunday when a 911 call was made by a neighbor reporting that DeLucia, who police said worked as a mechanic for a local auto dealer, had shot himself on the front lawn of his home, said Detective Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department’s homicide squad.

After finding DeLucia on the front lawn, officers discovered four bodies in a den at the back of the residence, Fitzpatrick said. He said all of the victims had been shot multiple times and that the gunman likely reloaded the shotgun during the killings.

“He did have past mental issues, psychological issues that were reported to us that we still have not confirmed,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said that DeLucia was not only distressed and panicked about being displaced from a home he had lived in his entire life, the suspect also thought he was being cut out of his mother’s will, a belief other relatives told investigators was inaccurate.

“Because of that perception, [DeLucia] decided that day to get a loaded Mossberg shotgun, 12 gauge, approach them in the rear area of the house and from the kitchen fired 12 shots striking all four of them multiple times,” Fitzpatrick said at Monday’s news conference. “He then took the weapon, went out onto the front lawn, was shouting indiscriminately about what had happened. A neighbor heard him doing this, called 911 and that was our 911 caller. He then self-inflicted a shot to the chest and killed himself.”

Fitzpatrick said police records showed officers had been called to the house once before in 2022 to conduct a welfare check on DeLucia.

“He was not displaying any signs of anything that we would take action and take him against his will, that he was dangerous to himself or others at the time,” said Fitzpatrick, adding that DeLucia also had a prior arrest on his record for driving while impaired in 1983.

Fitzpatrick said police are still investigating where and when DeLucia obtained the shotgun, which he said had not been modified and was a legal weapon. He said detectives have found no records showing DeLucia had a handgun permit.

New York enacted red flag laws in 2019 and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law in September 2023 strengthening the laws, also called Extreme Risk Orders of Protection. State records, according to the governor’s office, show that New York State Police filed 1,385 Extreme Risk Orders of Protection to seize 2,549 guns in 2023.

Besides New York, 20 other states have enacted red flag laws within the past six years.

Commissioner Ryder said the lesson that should be taken from Sunday’s massacre is to “speak up.”

“This is 2024. We will protect you, we will protect your identity,” Ryder said. “Tell us what you hear. Tell us what you see.”

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in Paris amid investigation into illegal activity on the message app

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in Paris amid investigation into illegal activity on the message app
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in Paris amid investigation into illegal activity on the message app
Nadine Rupp/Getty Images

(LONDON) — Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is being held in custody after being arrested at an airport near Paris over the weekend.

French authorities say his arrest was made in connection with a sprawling investigation into illicit and illegal activity on Telegram, a popular messaging app that promises ultra-secure communications, as well as the option for group chats that can support tens of thousands of people. Telegram says nearly a billion people use the platform worldwide.

The investigation covers everything from alleged drug trafficking, child pornography, money laundering and fraud that took place on or was organized on Telegram. Authorities say Durov is not implicated in those specific crimes; rather, his platform may have run afoul of European law by hosting that content. Durov himself has not yet been charged.

In the European Union, the Digital Services Act is aimed at regulating illegal material posted on social media platforms. It holds that once a company is informed about illegal content on its platform, it becomes liable for that content. In the United States, this content is governed by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which, by contrast, holds that platforms cannot be held liable for content posted on them.

Previous violations of the Digital Services Act by Big Tech firms have largely come in the form of fines, meaning Durov’s arrest marks a significant escalation by European authorities.

Telegram has responded, saying it “abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act,” and that Durov has “nothing to hide.”

The company also says that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for the abuse of that platform.”

Durov was born in Russia, and founded Telegram alongside his brother in 2013. The following year he fled the country amid pressure from the Russian government for Telegram to share information on Ukrainian users. Prior to that Durov created VK, a Russian social networking site similar to Facebook.

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Trump adds RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team

Trump adds RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team
Trump adds RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, two previous Democrats, have joined former President Donald Trump’s transition team, the campaign confirmed to ABC News.

“As President Trump’s broad coalition of supporters and endorsers expands across partisan lines, we are proud that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Trump/Vance Transition team,” Trump campaign’s senior adviser Brian Hughes told ABC News in a statement.

“We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness,” Hughes continued.

Kennedy, who was until recently Trump’s opponent in the presidential race and a subject of Trump’s name-calling, and Gabbard, the former congresswoman who represented Hawaii and left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run, have both endorsed Trump in the last few days.

It’s not yet clear what roles Kennedy and Gabbard will be playing in the Trump-Vance transition team.

Others leading the transition effort include some of Trump’s family members as well as his major donors, including former U.S. Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon, billionaire and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, running mate Sen. JD Vance and sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

Gabbard joined Trump on the campaign trail in Detroit on Monday where she later endorsed him.

She will also join him and moderate a town hall in La Crosse, Wisconsin, later this week. Gabbard has been helping Trump prepare for his first debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10, the Trump campaign previously told ABC News.

After suspending his campaign on Friday, Kennedy endorsed Trump and said he would remove himself from the ballot in states where his presence could hurt Trump.

The New York Times was first to report the new additions to the transition team.

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Body of Massachusetts man who went missing while on vacation found under home

Body of Massachusetts man who went missing while on vacation found under home
Body of Massachusetts man who went missing while on vacation found under home
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office released this Ring camera still of Stanley Kotowski in the clothes he was last seen wearing before going missing. (Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office)

(NEW YORK) — Authorities in South Carolina said they have found the body of an endangered Massachusetts man who went missing over a week ago while vacationing with his family on Hilton Head Island.

Stanley Kotowski, 60, had not been seen since leaving his family’s vacation rental in Sea Pines the morning of Aug. 16, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report. He had been experiencing a mental health crisis prior to his disappearance, authorities said.

His body was found under a home in a crawl space in Sea Pines on Monday, upward of 600 feet from where he was last seen, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said. His cause of death was asphyxiation by hanging and it has been ruled a suicide, Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Authorities responded to the home around 11:30 a.m. Monday “in connection to suspicious activity,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. A Sea Pines security officer who was walking in the neighborhood noticed a “foul odor” and flies in the area and contacted the sheriff’s office, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Lt. Eric Calendine told reporters Tuesday.

The body was recovered from a 3-foot-high crawl space about four hours later, the sheriff’s office said. Kotowski was determined to have died the day he went missing, though the exact time is undetermined, Ott said.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner called the discovery “deflating” following the massive search by deputies and the community for Kotowski.

“Just wish the outcome was different,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Tanner described the crawl space as “unusual” and its entry point as “very unique,” in explaining that he understood how it may have been missed during the search.

Kotowski was reported missing by his family about two hours after he was last seen, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Master Sgt. Daniel Allen. He was listed as endangered due to his mental state, the length of time he has been missing and because he was last seen on a Ring camera without any shoes on, Allen said.

According to the incident report, Jackie Kotowski told deputies her husband “believes Sea Pines is a ‘set up’ and has a conspiracy that the people here are out to get him.” She also reported he had made “several statements of people at this place ‘watching him,'” the incident report stated.

His wife also told deputies that, before he left, Stanley told her, “Promise me you will go on without me,” according to the incident report.

He had been struggling with anxiety before he went missing, his family told Savannah, Georgia, ABC affiliate WJCL following his disappearance.

“He had really bad insomnia for about a month. This is like a brand-new thing,” his wife, Jackie Kotowski, told WJCL. “He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse and he started to get a little paranoid, and he thought someone was chasing him.”

Kotowski had sought medical attention days before his disappearance for his mental health issues, according to Calendine.

He had not taken any personal items, such as his phone or wallet, when he left the rental, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Tanner said they are not releasing the exact location where his body was recovered out of respect for those living and vacationing in the community.

Authorities thanked the community for their efforts in attempting to find Kotowski, including searching their properties and checking security cameras.

“I’m very thankful for the community itself for what they did during this whole endeavor,” Calendine said.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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2 workers killed, 1 seriously hurt in ‘accident’ at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta maintenance facility

2 workers killed, 1 seriously hurt in ‘accident’ at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta maintenance facility
2 workers killed, 1 seriously hurt in ‘accident’ at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta maintenance facility
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

(ATLANTA) — Two workers were killed and one was seriously injured in an “accident” at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Delta TechOps.

Details surrounding Tuesday morning’s accident were not clear, but Delta TechOps said the incident took place at its wheel and brake shop.

“We are extending our full support to their families at this difficult time and conducting an investigation to determine what happened,” John Laughter, executive vice president, chief of operations and president of Delta TechOps, said in a statement. “This news is heartbreaking for all of us. [Employee assistance program] resources will be onsite at the [Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility] to support our teams as long as needed.”

The incident had no impact on airport operations, according to airport officials.

Delta said it’s “working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”

The airline added it’s “heartbroken” and “grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said, “I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees. My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery.”

Police, fire and airport teams are at the scene, the mayor said.

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California teen mom and newborn missing since Sunday, may be in high-desert area

California teen mom and newborn missing since Sunday, may be in high-desert area
California teen mom and newborn missing since Sunday, may be in high-desert area
Los Angeles Police Department via X

(LOS ANGELES) — California officials are asking for help locating a 14-year-old mother, her newborn and her 15-year-old sister-in-law, all of whom haven’t been seen since Sunday night.

Amoria Brown, 14; her daughter Omoria Brown, 3 months old; and Sanaii Brown, 15, were last seen at around 10 p.m. Sunday and were believed to be headed to a high-desert area with family, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The newborn girl suffers from a heart condition and needs daily medication, according to the LAPD.

Amoria Brown is described as Black, 5-foot-4 and about 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was seen wearing a multicolored shirt, gray shorts and gray sandals, according to the LAPD.

Sanaii Brown is Black with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5-foot-1 and weighs about 150 pounds, the LAPD said.

Police ask anyone with information about the teens and newborn to contact the LAPD at 1-800-222- 8477.

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As she hits campaign trail, Harris approaches self-imposed deadline for sit-down interview

As she hits campaign trail, Harris expected to face tough questions in 1st promised sit-down interview
As she hits campaign trail, Harris expected to face tough questions in 1st promised sit-down interview
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to soon face her first post-convention test when she sits for a formal interview — something she told reporters this month she planned to do by the end of August, but has yet to announce.

With an absence of plans for any such sit-down, Republican critics have accused her of dodging the press.

“She refuses to do any interviews or press conferences, almost 30 days now, she has not done an interview,” former President Donald Trump said of Harris at a North Carolina event earlier this month. “You know why she hasn’t done an interview? Because she’s not smart. She’s not intelligent.”

His campaign has said Harris is trying to “duck and hide” from the news media.

The lack of a media interview has yet to hurt Harris, whose poll number are outpacing those of President Joe Biden when he was atop the Democratic ticket, according to 538’s national polling average. As of Tuesday, Harris is polling ahead of Trump, 47.2% to 43.6%; when Biden left the race, he was polling at 40.2% compared to Trump’s 43.5%, according to 538’s polling average.

Harris has also stirred an enthusiasm from Democrats that had been absent most of the campaign cycle — and is riding a high following last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Moreover, she chose a running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose rural background has helped the ticket craft a message Democrats have said they believe will make inroads with voters in conservative parts of the country.

All the while, Trump has seemed to abandon the discipline Republicans had lauded him for this summer. Recently, he has made false claims about the crowd size at a Harris rally and appeared to forget to mention a policy proposal he had been slated to unveil at an event in Michigan.

Democrats have cautioned that Harris has several hurdles to clear in the coming weeks.

One of those hurdles is the pending media interview, where Harris would likely have to defend the decisions of the Biden administration and specify some of her policy stances.

On Monday, Trump sought to spotlight Harris’ connection to the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, laying wreaths in Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world,” Trump claimed when he spoke to National Guardsmen at a Detroit event later Monday.

Harris is also likely to be pressed on how much she knew about Biden’s capacities prior to the June 27 debate. That night, she urged Americans to judge Biden not on the “90 minutes” on stage but the “three-and-a-half years of performance.”

Yet, that same debate performance set in motion a weekslong effort by top Democrats to nudge Biden from the race.

Few had a better understanding of what Biden was like behind the scenes than Harris, his No. 2, and an interviewer would likely challenge her about what she witnessed in private.

Harris would surely be asked about the war in Gaza. She said recently, “We need a cease-fire,” but is a member of an administration that has yet to help broker one.

The situation at the southern border would likely be another topic an interviewer would press Harris on. Republicans have linked her to an increase in unauthorized border crossings earlier in Biden’s term, misleadingly dubbing her the “border czar.”

An interviewer might also ask Harris to respond to the criticism of her recently unveiled economic plan, in which she called for an end to grocery “price-gouging,” prompting accusations by some Republicans that she wants “communist price controls.”

Harris travels this week to south Georgia, where she will embark on a bus tour and hold a rally in Savannah, Georgia.

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