(HOUSTON) — Hurricane Hanna has strengthened and is sustaining winds of 80 mph. The Category 1 hurricane is moving to the west at 8 mph and the center is currently about 50 miles ENE of Port Mansfield, Texas.
Very heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge are currently impacting the south Texas coast, the worst of it south of Corpus Christi, down along the coast to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. The western eye wall is now along the coast there.
While wind/storm surge are notable impacts along the coast this afternoon, very heavy rain and the potential for widespread flash flooding across the Rio Grande Valley is the biggest concern into tonight. Rainfall totals over extreme southern Texas to the Mexico border could lead to dangerous flash flooding.
Also, as is usually the case with land-falling tropical systems, isolated tornadoes are possible along the southern Texas coast through this evening.
After landfall, Hanna will begin to rapidly weaken into tonight and Sunday morning. However, it will continue to bring widespread heavy rain and the threat of dangerous flash flooding across the Rio Grande Valley even as the wind speeds go down.
A Hurricane warning remains in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, Texas. A tropical storm warning remains for much of the Texas coast with a storm surge warning from Port Mansfield to Sargent, Texas.
Hanna will likely cross into northern Mexico tomorrow morning and weaken to a depression by later on Sunday.
An excessive amount of rain is forecast for extreme southern Texas, south of Corpus Christi, including Port Mansfield, Brownfield and down along parts of the Rio Grande Valley. Rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are expected which could produce widespread flash flooding into tonight.
Isolated rain totals of over a foot are possible into early Sunday as Hanna begins to moves into northern Mexico.
Meanwhile near Hawaii, Hurricane Douglas is currently a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds down to 100 mph. It is moving WNW at 18 mph and is currently about 400 miles east of the Big lsland.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Big Island, Maui and Kauai
A hurricane watch is also in effect for the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu (including Honolulu).
This weakening trend will continue as it closes in on Hawaii and Douglas will pass near the islands on Sunday. It will likely pass close enough for heavy rain, strong winds and rough surf creating big waves in at least parts of the state. However, a slight shift in the track could change impact either way.
Douglas will hit the islands as a lower-end Category 1 hurricane. While wind and coastal impact is a concern, heavy rain will occur with several inches possible and the potential for landslides/mudslides.
On the current track, the island of Maui and higher elevations have the greatest chance of bearing the worst impact.
And a quick update on Gonzalo — a very disorganized, small, weak system and now a tropical depression: The storm will continue to weaken and dissipate in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.
Areas of heavy rain and gusty winds will continue to impact some southern Windward Islands through this evening. There could be isolated flash flooding where the heaviest rain falls.
miodrag ignjatovic/iStockBY: JON HAWORTH, ABC NEWS
(NEW YORK) — The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 638,000 people worldwide.
Over 15.6 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 4.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 145,376 deaths.
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
12:44 p.m.: Florida becomes state with 2nd highest number of cases
The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 12,199 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 414,511.
The state now has the second-most confirmed cases, behind California and surpassing New York, which was at one point the state with the highest number of cases.
Deaths and hospitalizations also increased. Florida has recorded 5,894 total deaths, with an increase of 126, and 23,730 hospitalizations, with an increase of 505.
There are 9,002 active hospitalizations.
Miami-Dade has been the hardest-hit county, with 3,396 new cases and a positivity rate of 19.7%.
Broward County trails behind with 619 new cases and a positivity rate of 13%.
12:35 p.m.: LabCorp receives authorization for pool testing
Commercial lab giant LabCorp received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, allowing it to test groups of individuals — known as pool testing — for COVID-19 infections.
“LabCorp’s unique matrixed pooled strategy for COVID-19 provides an efficient testing approach for populations by allowing for larger groups of samples to be tested at one time,” the company said in a statement, adding that their methodology can “quickly provide quality test results for individuals within the group, without requiring retesting in the majority of cases.”
Five people can be tested at once, according to the company.
If there is a positive sample in the pool, LabCorp said it can identify the individual positive sample in the pool using its robotic testing platform. Pooled testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations, optimize laboratory testing supplies, and increase testing capacity.
Pool testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations and can increase testing capacity. It can be used for populations at low risk of COVID-19, when testing demand exceeds laboratory capacity or when testing reagents are in short supply.
The wife of Georgia Senate candidate, Jon Ossoff, has tested positive for COVID-19 and Ossoff is experiencing symptoms but has not yet been diagnosed, a statement from his campaign read.
Ossoff is awaiting his results.
He has not held any in-person campaign event in over a month and plans to self-isolate in quarantine until he and his wife get clearance from their doctor, according to the campaign statement.
Kramer is an OB/GYN physician at a local hospital.
“We will keep the public informed with updated information, but right now we are just praying for the family’s health and full and speedy recovery,” the campaign statement read.
11:13 a.m.: Stark rise in cases, deaths, hospitalizations continues in Florida
The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 12,199 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 414,511.
Deaths and hospitalizations also increased. Florida has recorded 5,894 total deaths, with an increase of 126, and 23,730 hospitalizations, with an increase of 505.
There are 9,002 active hospitalizations.
Miami-Dade has been the hardest-hit county, with 3,396 new cases and a positivity rate of 19.7%.
Broward County trails behind with 619 new cases and a positivity rate of 13%.
10:24 a.m.: NY sees another record low for hospitalizations
New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has recorded 646 hospitalizations as of Saturday — the lowest number since March 18, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
There were also 149 intensive care unit patients, another record low since March 16, according to the governor.
“New York State’s numbers continue to show progress in the midst of alarming increases in COVID-19 cases throughout the country and a renewed need to ensure compliance with state guidance here at home,” Cuomo said.
Of the 71,466 test results reported to the state, 1.05% were positive.
The total number of confirmed cases in New York is 411,200 and there have been 25,103 deaths. The majority of deaths and an overwhelming number of cases have been in New York City.
8:40 a.m.: Brazil’s Bolsonaro tests negative for COVID-19
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for COVID-19. He did a PCR test on Friday night according to the Presidential office and received the results today from BRASILIA Military hospital.
5:55 a.m.: Social media influencer arrested, apologizes for breaking Hawaii’s mandated 14-day quarantine
A 20-year-old woman from Birmingham, Alabama, has been after violating Hawaii’s mandated 14-day quarantine order.
Anne S. Salamanca arrived in Honolulu on July 6, and four days later, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) learned she was out in public breaking the State’s mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The HTA subsequently provided the attorney general with videos showing her dancing in a store and dining out with friends.
Hawaii Attorney General Clare E. Connors said, “The fact Ms. Salamanca has so many followers makes her actions that much more dangerous and concerning. The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now.”
Salamanca was arrested in Waipahu and booked before relatives bailed her out of jail. She is the 24th person on O‘ahu arrested by the Dept. of the Attorney General for violating the travel self-quarantine order
3:01 a.m.: Hundreds of Texas bar owners pledge defiance to governor’s order
Hundreds of Texas bar owners say they’ll defy Governor Greg Abbott’s mandate that ordered them closed after a surge in coronavirus cases.
Approximately 800 bar owners have promised to participate in an event organized by Fort Worth bar owner Chris Polone called the “Freedom Fest” where bar owners have pledged to open their doors in defiance of the governor’s orders which could place their state liquor licenses in jeopardy.
Abbott had previously allowed bars to reopen with restrictions but ordered them to close again on June 26 after the state experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
Bars must adhere to safety measures that include taking customers’ temperatures before entering, maintaining social distancing, requiring face coverings and having hand sanitizer available.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is aware of the event and will be conducting inspections, said commission spokesman Chris Porter. Violators of the order could face a 30-day suspension of their liquor license.
1:14 a.m.: New Orleans closing bars, prohibiting takeout alcohol sales
Mayor Cantrell made the announcement at a press conference Friday afternoon, saying, “Since we moved to Phase 2, the city has seen an unfavorable trend with the COVID-19 virus.”
“As of tomorrow 6 a.m., all bars and restaurants in the city of New Orleans will be prohibited from selling takeout alcohol beverages. So what this essentially will mean is bars will be closed throughout Orleans Parish,” Mayor Cantrell said.
“The closure of bars & restricting social gatherings are both recommendations made by the @WhiteHouse #Coronavirus Task Force due to Louisiana’s surging numbers. Dr. Avegno: ‘We agree that restricting activities that are clearly tied to the spread of the virus is common sense.’”
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Hanna has formed in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph around the eye wall.
Hanna is strengthening and the National Hurricane Center says it is expected to make landfall in southern Texas on Saturday evening.
Conditions along the southwestern Gulf coast, in particular southern Texas, are expected to deteriorate through Saturday.
The main threats will be dangerous tides and a storm surge along with extreme rainfall.
Tropical Storm Warnings, Hurricane Warnings, Storm Surge Warnings and several Flood Alerts are in place this morning along the southern Texas coastline.
Flood alerts are in place from the Mexico/Texas border to southwestern Louisiana as Hanna is expected to bring over 12 inches of rain locally to parts of southern Texas through the end of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Douglas remains a Category 3 hurricane as of 3 a.m. EST with sustained winds of 115 mph and is moving WNW at 20 mph toward Hawaii.
Douglas is expected to pass dangerously close or pass over the Hawaiian Islands Saturday night into early Monday morning.
Douglas will bring a triple threat of damaging winds, flooding rain and dangerous surf, especially along eastern shores.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect this morning from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii.
Elsewhere, Gonzalo remains a Tropical Storm as of 3 a.m. EST with sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving west at 17 mph.
The storm is weakening as it heads south of the Windward islands and may lose its tropical storm status on Saturday, thus becoming a tropical depression.
However, the storm is expected to bring dangerous surf and torrential rains to the southern Caribbean islands Saturday through Sunday night when it will reach Aruba.
Heat alerts are in place this morning for 10 states from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest.
Today’s heat index values are expected to hit the triple digits in parts of the Midwest.
Meanwhile, a new potential heat wave is building across the eastern U.S. as Heat Index Values are expected to be near or above 90 degrees from the Carolinas to New York City today through the middle of next week.
Some spots will even see Heat Index Values soar into the triple digits for the second week in a row.
kuzma/iStockBy CLAYTON SANDELL and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC NEWS
(DENVER) — A 17-year-old transgender teen who told investigators he launched a deadly school shooting in retaliation for being bullied over his gender identity has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Alec McKinney was sentenced Friday following impassioned, emotional statements from nearly two dozen teachers, students and family members. McKinney and fellow student Devon Erickson, 19, were accused of opening fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in a suburb south of Denver on May 7, 2019.
McKinney, who couldn’t face the death penalty because he was a minor at time of the shooting, spoke publicly for the first time since the incident, reading a roughly 22-minute statement in which he took responsibility and apologized to each of the victims.
“I killed their innocence. I killed their ambitions. And I killed their sense of security. I not only physically killed people, I mentally killed people too. I don’t know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims,” McKinney said. “The horror I caused is truly too much for anyone to bear.”
Multiple students were wounded during the shooting. Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old who confronted the gunmen in an effort to stop them, was killed. According to an arrest affidavit, McKinney told investigators he wanted to target students who “always made fun of him, ‘hated him,’ called him names and said he was disgusting for trying to be a guy.”
“I don’t deserve leniency, nor forgiveness. I don’t want a lighter sentence,” McKinney continued. He also had a message for would-be school shooters, urging potential copycats to get help: “The amount of pain it causes to everyone who ever cared about you, and innocent people, outweighs anything you are going through right now. Why would you idolize someone who hurt people, someone who was so weak that they couldn’t get help?”
John Castillo spoke about losing his son, and while looking at a televideo screen called McKinney pure evil to his face. As the suspect openly sobbed, Castillo condemned him to hell.
“This killer is a monster. You sit there with crocodile tears down your face? Well scripted,” Castillo said, crying. “I need to tell you something: These are real tears.”
Castillo added that he would never forgive McKinney for his actions and vowed to “fight him to the end.”
“You’ve awakened an activist who fights for safe schools,” he said.
Maria Castillo said her son was murdered with only three days left in the school year, a few days before Mother’s Day.
“I’m still waiting for him to come home,” she sobbed. “This evil killer destroyed my family.”
During his statement, McKinney addressed the Castillos.
“I want to start with an apology, but I never expect you to forgive it. Because what I’ve done is unforgivable,” McKinney said.
In February, McKinney pleaded guilty to multiple charges — first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after deliberation.
“Your honor, I stand behind my guilty plea,” McKinney told Judge Jeffrey Holmes, appearing in the courtroom video conference.
McKinney openly sobbed throughout the hearing as he listened to witnesses recall the horror of that day, describing lasting traumas that have changed their lives forever.
“The pain he has inflicted will continue for many years,” said Yuritza Ojeda-Ayala. Her son, Gerardo Montoya Ojeda, was shot in the head and survived, but she said he no longer feels safe in any classroom. “He lost that sparkle that he had.”
Gabriela Leddy, a language arts teacher, shared an anguished account of that day.
“As we huddled in fear, my mind became imprinted with the faces of my students,” Leddy said through tears. “They were so brave. I am honored by their bravery.”
Leddy described the moment she started to run from the building, stopping when she saw Castillo’s body on the ground, his head covered by a bright green cloth.
“That moment of anxiety and fear of what was happening around me came to a halt,” she said. “Something compelled me to pause and say a quiet goodbye to this man.”
Leddy said she felt betrayed that a student who was one of her favorites was capable of such evil.
“I went above and beyond to try to foster an environment where Alec could feel safe and accepted,” Leddy said. “This is a heartless attack that spit in the face of the kindness that teachers like me, and other caring adults, showed him.”
Erickson has pleaded not guilty. He’s next due in court on Aug. 17, with his trial likely to begin in September, prosecutors said.
Investigators said that on the day of the shooting, McKinney and Erickson went to Erickson’s home and used an ax and a crowbar to pry open a safe containing handguns and a rifle. They then returned to the school with the handguns hidden in a backpack and the rifle inside a guitar case.
Student Nui Giasolli called McKinney, whom she once considered a close friend, a coward who projected his problems onto others.
“He made himself the judge, jury and executioner,” Giasolli said. “He’s not crying because he truly regrets it. He’s crying because he got caught.”
Morgan McKinney also testified at Friday’s hearing, saying her son has shown remorse and is getting mental health treatment.
“I tried to raise my children to be nothing but better people in our world,” she said. “I certainly am sorry for this tragic tragedy, and what it has caused you and so many others.”
Jennifer Krause’s son, Mitchell, was shot and survived.
“School shootings have to stop,” Krause said. “We can no longer mop the halls of our schools with our children’s blood.”
AMC/Jace Downs(LOS ANGELES) — During an extended San Diego Comic-Con@Home panel, AMC announced that The Walking Dead, a movie about an outbreak, has been delayed by a real-life outbreak, COVID-19.
“Obviously COVID has disrupted a lot of things for every workplace, including ours,” showrunner Angela Kang said during the cast panel for The Walking Dead, which was moderated via Zoom by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick.
She added, “…we will get back to work as soon as we safely can.”
While this October won’t see a season debut of The Walking Dead, its COVID-19-delayed season 10 finale, which was supposed to air in April, will now air Oct. 4. The producers teased fans about this “lost” episode with an extended peek at the installment.
What’s more, when the show does pick back up in 2021, it will be the longest season, at 22 episodes.
TWD‘s spin-off show Fear the Walking Dead will see its season six premiere debut on Oct. 11. Executive producer Scott M. Gimple revealed a trailer for the upcoming season, but teased that the 16-episode season will feature at least one “time jump,” which, fans know, brings the spin-off closer to the timeline of the flagship show.
Jenna Elfman, who plays former nurse June on Fear, tells ABC Audio that her character has adapted to survive: “I think there’s the learning curve of the apocalypse, like when it first hits, you’re like…’What’s happening!? Oh, God!’ …But if you’re still surviving at a certain point, at least for my character…I think she made a new constitution for herself, which is, well, this apocalypse isn’t going anywhere, so what am I going to be to it? And so, you know, for June, she feels much more sane when she’s helping people.”
Sergei Dubrovskii/iStockBY: DAN PECK, ABC NEWS
