News Wrap: Debby's remnants bring heavy rain, flooding to East Coast

In our news wrap Friday, the East Coast is experiencing heavy rain and flooding as the remnants of Debby move north, Russia declared an emergency in Kursk after Ukrainian troops crossed the border, a California man was sentenced to 20 years for attacking police during the Jan. 6 riots and Austrian authorities arrested a third person connected to a plot to attack fans outside Taylor Swift concerts.

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Amna Nawaz: Severe weather starts our day’s other headlines. The East Coast is experiencing heavy rains and flooding as the last remnants of the post-Tropical Cyclone Debby moved north.

Flash flooding warnings stretch from the Carolinas up through Maine, with Pennsylvania and New York potentially hardest hit. Tornadoes also remain a threat. In Vermont, still reeling from flooding earlier this summer, officials today updated the state of emergency to include the impact from Debby.

Jennifer Morrison, Commissioner, Vermont Department of Public Safety: There will be damage. There will be various types of flooding. It will be a challenging next 18 hours, but we will get through it. Stay safe and take care of each other.

Amna Nawaz: The death toll from Debby has risen to eight after a tree fell on a home in North Carolina yesterday, killing a 78-year-old woman.

Russia, meanwhile, declared a federal emergency today in the country’s Kursk region, where officials say they have evacuated 3,000 civilians. That comes four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops crossed the border in what’s believed to be the largest attack on Russian soil since the war started.

Also today, a Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region killed at least 14 people, injuring 44 more. The U.N. reports that July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since October of 2022.

An airplane carrying 61 people crashed in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state today. Brazilian airline Voepass said the aircraft was en route to Sao Paulo’s international airport when it came down in a residential area in the city of Vinhedo. Footage on social media shows a fiery wreckage just steps from people’s homes. The airline has confirmed there were no survivors. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

A California man was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for attacking police during the January 6 Capitol riots. Authorities say that David Nicholas Dempsey, seen here at a tunnel entrance to the Capitol, used flag poles and other makeshift weapons to assault officers who were trying to hold back rioters. His sentence is one of the longest out of the hundreds of prosecutions related to January 6.

In Austria, authorities say that they have arrested a third person in connection with a foiled plot to attack fans outside Taylor Swift concerts this week with knives and explosives. Two Austrian teenagers were arrested on Wednesday. Officials say they were inspired by ISIS and al-Qaida. Austria’s interior minister said today the third suspect is an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen.

Gerhard Karner, Austrian Interior Minister (through interpreter): He was in contact with the main perpetrator, but according to the state of the investigation, he is not directly connected to the attack plans. But there was indication that he took an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group a few days ago.

Amna Nawaz: Though the concerts were canceled, some fans decided to make the most of the situation. Hundreds gathered in Vienna to sing Taylor Swift songs and to commiserate. Swift travels to London next week for the final leg of her European tour.

On Wall Street today, stocks closed out a roller coaster week with modest gains. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 50 points, helping to erase those losses from earlier in the week. The Nasdaq rose 85 points, or about half-a-percent. The S&P 500 also ended higher on the day.