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Destructive thunderstorms hit the Midwest as extreme heat dome puts 165 million in danger

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CLINTON, Ill. ) — A series of storms has been moving from North and South Dakota through Minnesota and Iowa and into Illinois and has been tearing down trees, damaging buildings and taking down power lines.

More than 170,000 customers are without power across South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin as of Tuesday morning.

Wind gusts stronger than 90 mph have been reported in Spencer, Iowa, as winds are gusting over 75 mph in parts of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, with one tornado having been confirmed ripping through Dixon, South Dakota, though these storms are expected to die down over the next few hours along the Iowa and Illinois border.

Meanwhile, a frontal boundary in the Midwest will continue to interact and feed off the strong heat dome over the South, creating severe thunderstorms capable of damaging wind and flash flooding throughout the day and this evening from Montana to Iowa.

The line of storms may continue surging east straight into and through Wednesday and storms are expected to begin late Tuesday afternoon across southern Montana, Wyoming, western Nebraska, eastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas.

Storms will then push through South Dakota and the entire state length of Nebraska through the evening, reaching Iowa by midnight and nearing the Illinois border by 7 a.m. on Wednesday, potentially bringing with it thunderstorms to the Chicago area on Wednesday afternoon.

Elsewhere, in the Northeast, showers and thunderstorms are possible Wednesday through Friday, with some storms bringing damaging winds and flash flooding.

This comes as the heat dome continues to be eroded to the south, cooling the area from the high heat but angering the atmosphere in the process.

As often happens during times of extreme heat, the air quality along the I-95 corridor is down to unhealthy levels for sensitive groups, with much of this due to pollution from human-caused emissions.

Adding to the already degraded air quality is wildfire smoke from Canada as a new plume of smoke may create an additional haze to the sky Tuesday afternoon and continue into Wednesday.

The heat dome that is centered over the South will slowly erode this week, each day getting cooler from the north to the south, but those still under the heat must remain vigilant to the extreme heat.

More than 165 million Americans are on alert for dangerous heat and humidity from Nebraska to New Hampshire and Florida.

Extreme heat warnings are also in place from New Orleans to St. Louis with heat indices up to 116 possible.

Florida may also experience some of the highest heat index values today, with temperatures that feels like 116 degrees possible for places like Jacksonville and Orlando.

In the Northeast, heat advisories are in place from Pennsylvania to Maine as heat indices could reach between 95 and 105 degrees.

The rest of the area under heat advisories across the Midwest and South could reach heat indices between 100 and 110 today.

By the weekend, extreme heat should be sequestered to the Gulf Coast and the Southwest, with much of the rest of the country in seasonal summer heat or potentially below average.

Jordan requesting US help with Gaza aid airdrops but Trump administration has no plans to assist, officials say

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(TURNBERY, Scotland) — As international pressure to deliver more food aid to Gaza builds, the Kingdom of Jordan is “continuing to request assistance in the form of pledges to contribute aircraft, supplies, humanitarian aid, and logistical support” for its airdrop operation — but the Trump administration has no active plans to join European allies in helping with the mission at present, according to an internal State Department communication reviewed by ABC News on Monday and two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

Per the communication, Jordan has informed the State Department of its intention to launch a three-week airdrop operation beginning in early August — in addition to the drops conducted with the United Arab Emirates that took place Sunday — and the department is tracking various pledges to assist with the operation from Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

“Emphasizing the irreplicable role of land routes and minimizing the risk of casualties due to airdrops are continued concerns among potential contributors,” the department communication noted.

Some aid organizations have also publicly expressed concerns about the efficacy and safety of airdrops.

“Airdrops are the most expensive & inefficient way to deliver aid. It is a distraction to the inaction,” Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a post on X on Friday.

Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump promised the U.S. would be “even more involved” when it comes to delivering aid to Gaza, saying this administration would work with European allies to set up “food centers” with fewer restrictions on access.

He also suggested that additional assistance could come in the form of the U.S. helping with air drops if his administration chose to do so.

“We did some airlifts before, some airdrops,” he said following a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “It’s not very hard to do, actually.”

Jordan has also informed the State Department that it encountered significant delays when moving aid into Gaza by ground on Sunday, stating that the Israeli government allowed only 25 out of 60 trucks traveling from Jordan to enter the enclave. According to the internal communication, the Jordanian Armed Forces reported that the screening of the aid convoy “went substantially slower” than it has for three previous convoys organized by the country.

The 25 trucks that were permitted entry on Sunday were carrying World Food Programme contents, while the delayed trucks were carrying food supplies from other organizations, including World Central Kitchen and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, it added.

Jordan has informed the department of its intention to move two more convoys into Gaza this week, according to the communication.

“President Trump wants to alleviate suffering for the people of Gaza because he has a humanitarian heart. He announced a new aid plan today to help Gazans obtain crucial access to food – details are forthcoming,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a comment to ABC News.

Trump said earlier that European countries would also help with his plan to set up food centers but shared few other details about his vision.

“We have all of the European nations joining us, and others also have called. So, we’re going to set up food centers and where the people can walk in and no boundaries. We’re not going to have fences,” he said.

Regarding ABC News reporting on Jordan’s request for assistance with its air drop operation and the reported delay moving ground aid into Gaza caused by Israel, a State Department spokesperson responded, “President Trump has called for creative solutions ‘to help the Palestinians’ in Gaza, and we welcome any effective effort that delivers food to Gazans and keeps it out of the hands of Hamas.”

“At this time, GHF remains the best mechanism for getting aid into the hands of people in desperate need in Gaza while also keeping aid out of the hands of Hamas,” the spokesperson said, referring to the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“A track record of distributing over 94 million meals to date while preventing any Hamas looting is absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported. We call on other aid agencies and the UN to participate in this secure aid delivery system and take GHF up on its offer to use its system to deliver food to Gazans in need,” the spokesperson said.

The Trump administration has pledged at least $30 million to the GHF and thrown its full support behind the controversial charity despite concerns from critics regarding its aid distribution practices.

Earlier this month, more than 160 charity groups and NGOs called for the GHF to be shut down, claiming that more than 500 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid from the organization and that its distribution locations “have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.”

The United Nations has also rejected requests to cooperate with GHF.

“We welcome working with any other partners. All we ask is that those partners work based on the most basic humanitarian principles, one of them being that don’t set up an operation that will increase the risk of people to be shot at or trampled while trying to get food,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a press conference last week.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation pushed back on the criticism in a statement to ABC News.

“While Oxfam, MSF and these other groups hold press conferences and send out threatening letters, GHF is on the ground feeding people,” a GHF spokesperson said.

“We’ve offered to help them deliver it safely. They’ve refused. The humanitarian community must return to its core mission — feeding people — not protecting outdated systems or avoiding the discomfort of change.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, a group of 21 Democratic senators called for the Trump administration to immediately cease funding for the GHF and resume support for the existing U.N-led aid coordination mechanisms.

“There should be no American taxpayer dollars contributing to this scheme,” the lawmakers wrote.

‘Worst-case scenario of famine’ unfolding in Gaza, IPC says

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — The “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding in Gaza, according to a warning issued Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative monitoring hunger with the backing of governments, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations.

“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC warning said. “Latest data thresholds have been reached for food consumption in the Gaza Strip, and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.”

More than 100 aid groups warned last week of a dire food shortage in the territory, saying there was an impending “mass starvation” for the Palestinians living there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his administration have denied there is a hunger crisis in Gaza.

“Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza. What a bold-faced lie,” Netanyahu said during an event in Jerusalem on Sunday. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.”

U.S. President Donald Trump appeared on Monday to contradict Netanyahu, saying he doesn’t know if he believes claims that there is no starvation occurring in Gaza.

The Israeli military said on Sunday it would put in place daily “tactical” pauses and open corridors to facility aid delivery.

IPC said Tuesday it was issuing a “stark” warning about the scenario unfolding in Gaza, adding that malnutrition had been “rising rapidly” in the first half of July.

“Immediate action must be taken to end the hostilities and allow for unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response,” the initiative said in its alert. “This is the only path to stopping further deaths and catastrophic human suffering.”

Ukraine, Russia respond to Trump’s new ceasefire deadline as strikes continue

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump on Monday sought to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to secure an end to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, announcing that he would shorten a 50-day negotiating window to “10 or 12 days from today.”

“I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him,” Trump told reporters during a visit to the U.K. “So we’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to lesser number, because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen.”

“I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump said later in the press conference. “There’s no reason in waiting.”

“I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump added. “I’m not so interested in talking anymore. He talks, we have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations, and then people die the following night in a — with a missile going into a town and hitting.”

Recent months have seen growing White House frustration with Putin, as the Russian leader repeatedly dodged ceasefire proposals while intensifying long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities and its frontline offensives.

Earlier this month, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russia to accept a ceasefire. Failure to do so, the president said, would prompt punishing new economic measures, among them secondary sanctions on nations doing business with Moscow.

Both the U.S. and Ukraine are calling for a full and immediate ceasefire, after which a peace settlement could potentially be negotiated. Moscow, however, has said that negotiations cannot take place until Ukraine makes significant concessions, among them demilitarization, its withdrawal from frontline regions and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions.

Ukrainian leaders welcomed Trump’s latest announcement.

“Clear stance and expressed determination by POTUS — right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war,” he continued. “Ukraine remains committed to peace and will work tirelessly with the U.S. to make both our countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, thanked Trump in a post to Telegram. “Putin only understands strength — and this has been communicated clearly and loudly,” Yermak said.

The Kremlin is yet to officially comment on the new deadline. But Dmitry Medvedev — the former Russian president and prime minister now serving as the deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council — framed Trump’s challenge as a dangerous escalation.

“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,” Medvedev — who, during Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine, has become known as a particularly hawkish voice within Putin’s security establishment — wrote on X.

“He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”

Meanwhile, cross-border strikes continued regardless. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed 74 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 37 drones and two missiles into the country overnight, of which 32 drones were intercepted or suppressed. The air force said two missiles and five drones impacted across three locations.

In the frontline Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine’s south, the Justice Ministry said a Russian airstrike on a correctional facility killed at least 17 people and wounded 42 others.

“This is another war crime by the Russians, who will not stop unless they are stopped,” Yermak wrote on X.

In all, Zelenskyy said Tuesday morning that 22 people were killed by Russian strikes on Ukraine over the previous 24 hours.

“Every killing of our people by the Russians, every Russian strike, when a ceasefire could have long been in place if Russia had not refused, all this indicates that Moscow deserves very harsh, truly painful and therefore fair and effective sanctions pressure,” the president said in a post to Telegram.

Manhattan shooting suspect claimed to have CTE, mentioned NFL in note, sources say

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The 27-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed four people at a Midtown office building on Monday carried a note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE and asking that his brain be studied, police sources told ABC News.

The note also made references to the National Football League, police said.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head and concussions.

The suspect, Shane Tamura, who the police said has a documented mental health history, played high school football.

Tamura is alleged to have shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer working security in a Midtown Manhattan office building, officials said during a press conference Monday evening.

Police have not detailed a potential motive for the killings.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a message to staff, saying one of the league’s employees was also injured in the attack.

The three-page note was described by sources as rambling. It contained references to the NFL that sources described as vague.

The shooting on Monday took place at 345 Park Ave., which houses, among other companies, the NFL’s headquarters.

Democratic senators ask Blanche to commit that DOJ won’t advocate for pardon or commutation for Maxwell

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Monday morning seeking a public commitment that the DOJ will not advocate for a pardon or commutation for Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation.

The letter comes after Blanche met with Maxwell privately for nine hours over two days last week, and after ABC News first reported that Maxwell was granted limited immunity during her meetings with Blanche.

In the letter, the senators call the “purpose and timing” of Blanche’s meeting with Maxwell “perplexing.”

“It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for the Deputy Attorney General to conduct such an interview, rather than line prosecutors who are familiar with the details of the case and can more readily determine if the witness is lying. In light of troves of corroborating evidence collected through multiple investigations, a federal jury conviction, and Ms. Maxwell’s history and willingness to lie under oath, as it relates to her dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, why would DOJ depart from long-standing precedent and now seek her cooperation?” Durbin and Whitehouse wrote.

The letter is a follow up to a letter Durbin wrote earlier this month to Attorney General Pam Bondi inquiring about alleged discrepancies in Bondi’s public comments about Epstein.

Blanche’s meeting, the senators allege, appears to be an effort to distract from Bondi’s past comments.

“It seems likely this meeting is another tactic to distract from DOJ’s failure to fulfill Attorney General Bondi’s commitment that the American people would see “the full Epstein files,” especially in light of credible reports that FBI officials were told to “flag” any Epstein files in which President Trump was mentioned and that Attorney General Bondi told the President that his name appeared in the files,” the senators wrote.

The lawmakers cite Maxwell’s “documented record of lying and her desire to secure early release” as cause or concern that she “may provide false information or selectively withhold information in return for a pardon or sentence commutation.”

When asked Monday if he would rule out a pardon for Maxwell, Trump responded by saying he has the power to give her a pardon but that he has not been asked about it yet.

“Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it,” Trump said.

Trump told reporters on Friday that it was “inappropriate” to discuss a pardon then.

In addition to commitments to not advocate for a pardon or commutation for Maxwell, the senators also asked Blanche to commit that the DOJ will provide transparency to the victims and survivors of Epstein and Maxwell with respect to decisions the department makes regarding Maxwell’s appeal to the Supreme Court, which seeks to overturn her conviction.

And they called for a release of the Epstein files.

“Rather than engaging in this elaborate ruse, DOJ should simply release the Epstein files, as Attorney General Bondi promised to do,” they write.

The senators posed a list of questions to Blanche, seeking an explanation for why Blanche believes Maxwell would now be truthful and asking what information the department believes she has that was not learned during her prosecution.

2 dead after barge strikes sailboat from youth sailing program: Officials

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI BEACH, Fla.) — Two people participating in a youth sailing program are dead after a barge struck their sailboat in Miami Beach midday Monday, officials said.

The sailboat capsized in Biscayne Bay, between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

All six people on the sailboat — an adult and five children — were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Two people were pronounced dead at the hospital and one is “currently unresponsive,” the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami said. It did not release further details, including ages, on the victims.

A counselor and children between the ages of 8 and 12 were on the sailboat, authorities said.

The Miami Yacht Club confirmed the incident involved members of its youth sailing program.

“At this time, details are still emerging, and we are actively gathering all available facts,” the Miami Yacht Club said in a statement. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of everyone involved, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities and organizations to understand the situation fully.”

The two-vessel collision prompted a large emergency response involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

The incident remains under investigation. The FWC said its officers are assisting the Coast Guard with the investigation.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Man sentenced for stalking and harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MARION COUNTY, Texas) A Texas man has been sentenced for stalking and harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark over social media.

Michael Lewis, 55, was arrested and charged in Indianapolis in January for “sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages” to the Indiana Fever player via his social media accounts, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said.

He pleaded guilty to harassment and stalking charges on Monday.

The judge immediately sentenced him to nearly 2 1/2 years in prison on the stalking charge, a felony, with more than six months in credit for time served, online court records show. He also received a 180-day suspended sentence for the harassment charge.

As part of the plea agreement, he cannot contact Clark and has to stay away from various locations in Indianapolis, including Fever events.

“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement, adding that with Lewis sentenced, Clark will “be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office became aware of a “possible pattern of stalking” by Lewis toward Clark in January, according to the affidavit for probable cause. Between Dec. 16, 2024, and Jan. 2, the suspect allegedly sent Clark numerous sexually explicit messages over X, according to the affidavit.

Investigators traced the X account to Lewis and determined that recent messages to Clark were sent from an IP address at a hotel in Indianapolis, which was “especially concerning given that he is a Texas resident,” the affidavit stated.

Indianapolis police officers conducted a welfare check on Lewis, of Denton, Texas, at his hotel room in Indianapolis on Jan. 8, during which they confronted him about the threatening posts, according to the affidavit.

“When asked why he was making so many posts about Caitlin Clark, Lewis said, ‘just the same reason everybody makes posts,'” the affidavit said. “When asked about posts that were threatening in nature, Lewis said it wasn’t him. Lewis claimed that this is just an imaginary relationship.”

Lewis, who claimed to be in the city on vacation, told officers the posts were a “joke” and “fantasy type thing,” and denied that they were threatening, according to the affidavit.

Officers told Lewis to stop making such posts, though he continued to post on X to Clark in the days after police contacted him, according to the affidavit.

During his initial hearing in Indianapolis in January following his arrest, Lewis said, “Guilty as charged,” when the judge greeted him.

‘We’re not shielding anything,’ Vance says of Epstein files

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CANTON, Ohio) — Speaking in Canton, Ohio, on Monday, Vice President JD Vance was asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files and took an opportunity to defend President Donald Trump and his handling of the ongoing saga, which has caused controversy among his base.

Vance went straight to Trump’s defense, saying the president has been transparent about the situation.

“First of all, the president has been very clear. We’re not shielding anything,” Vance said. “The president has directed the attorney general to release all credible information and, frankly, to go and find additional credible information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. He’s been incredibly transparent about that stuff, but some of that stuff takes time.”

Vance went on to say that Attorney General Pam Bondi is currently working on the request she received from Trump, asking her to release all credible information related to the case.

“The attorney general is hard at work on that issue right now,” Vance said of Bondi, adding that the task takes time.

“You’ve got to assemble that stuff, you’ve got to compile that stuff, you’ve got to redact some victims names so that you protect the victims,” he said.

Vance continued, claiming that the Justice Departments under former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush went “easy” on Epstein and that they didn’t thoroughly investigate the case.

Vance has been a fierce defender of the president since the fallout of the Epstein files and attacked the Wall Street Journal for its reporting that Trump allegedly wrote a “bawdy” letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday as part of a book of messages, which the president has denied.

“Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump,” Vance wrote on X in July.

Trump continues to navigate the fallout of the Epstein files. During his bilateral meeting Monday with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer in Scotland, Trump told reporters he has not been interested in anything related to the Epstein files, again, baselessly calling it “a hoax.”

“Well, I haven’t been overly interested in it. You know, it’s something. It’s a hoax that’s been built up way beyond proportion,” Trump said.

Trump continued, claiming without showing evidence that the Epstein files were handled by people who he said were his enemies.

“But think of it, those files were run by these people. They were run by my enemy. If there was anything in there, they would have used them for the election,” Trump said.

Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and died by suicide in jail in 2019.

Trump wants expedited deposition from Rupert Murdoch in WSJ Epstein suit

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is seeking an expedited deposition from News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch within the next 15 days as part of his defamation lawsuit against Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal.

Trump filed the $10 billion suit earlier this month after the Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a bawdy letter in 2003 that was included in a book made for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which Trump has denied.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, was convicted in 2008 for sex trafficking of minors then was arrested again in 2019 and died by suicide in jail shortly thereafter.

In a court filing on Monday, Trump’s attorneys said they are seeking the expedited deposition in part due to Murdoch’s “age and health,” noting he is now 94 years old.

The filing also reiterated their claim that Trump reached out directly to Murdoch before the article was published to tell him the letter was fake, and that Murdoch allegedly replied that “he would take care of it.”

Murdoch’s direct involvement, Trump’s attorneys say, “further underscores Defendants’ actual malice and intent behind the decision to publish the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements about President Trump identified in the Complaint.”

“Because Murdoch is a director and majority owner of News Corp, he sits in the unique position of having readily available all documents, communications, and other information related to the Article and the decision to publish it,” the filing states.

“Moreover, if the purported letter in the Article somehow actually exists, which it does not, and the Defendants have it in their possession, which they do not, Murdoch has easy access to it,” says the filing.

The filing says Trump’s lawyers communicated their request to Murdoch’s attorneys via phone.

The judge ordered Murdoch to file a response to Trump’s motion by Aug. 4.

In response to the suit, a spokesperson for Journal owner Dow Jones said, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

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