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High-ranking MS-13 gang member pleads guilty to 8 murders, including Long Island teen girls
Alexi Saenz, a high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang, pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Islip, New York, on Wednesday to racketeering charges stemming from eight murders. He faces between 40 and 70 years in prison as part of a plea agreement, prosecutors said. Among the deaths Saenz pleaded guilty to were those of two Long Island teenagers -- 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas and 15-year-old Nisa Mickens -- who were killed in Sept. 2016. Prosecutors said several gang members chased them down and attacked them with baseball bats and a machete. Prosecutors said the teens' murders arose from a series of disputes and an altercation Cuevas and her friends had with people associated with MS-13 at Brentwood High School. After the altercation, the gang members "vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas," according to prosecutors.
Missing pastor found dead in submerged car after a week
A missing pastor was found dead in his car in the Des Plaines River, near Chicago, Tuesday night after he had been missing for a week, according to officials. Warren Beard, 53, was last heard from on July 2 and was last seen in Joliet, Illinois, according to the Chicago Police Department. Beard was the assistant pastor at New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. Video footage from July 2 shows Beard's vehicle going through a gate and under a raised drawbridge before crashing into the river, Rockdale officials said at a press conference Tuesday. The vehicle was located underwater using sonar. The road where the vehicle was seen was closed, according to officials.
2-year-old Arizona girl dies after dad leaves her in car during triple-digit heat: Police
A 2-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot car in Arizona, where residents are enduring triple-digit temperatures, according to authorities. The father was running errands with his daughter, and when he returned home Tuesday afternoon, he allegedly knowingly left the 2-year-old in the car, Marana Police Capt. Tim Brunenkant told ABC News. He left the car running and the air conditioning on, Brunenkant said. The dad went into the house, and when he returned to the car between 30 and 60 minutes later, the car was off, Brunenkant said.
Alec Baldwin 'Rust' trial: Actor's culpability in shooting disputed in opening statements
Prosecutors argued Alec Baldwin behaved recklessly and "violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety" during the filming of "Rust," while the defense said the actor "committed no crime" in the "unspeakable tragedy," during opening statements Wednesday in the manslaughter trial over the 2021 fatal on-set shooting. Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw in a church on the Santa Fe set of the Western when the Colt .45 revolver fired a live round, fatally striking 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury on involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins' death earlier this year after prosecutors previously dropped the charge. He pleaded not guilty. Baldwin committed 'numerous breaches' of firearm safety, state says
NASA astronauts stuck on ISS say they feel 'confident' Boeing's Starliner can bring them home
The NASA astronauts who were aboard the first crewed flight into space on Boeing's Starliner said they are "confident" the spacecraft can get them home safely. Flight commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 61, a former U.S. Navy captain, and Sunita Williams, 58, a former Navy service member, have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for more than a month after Starliner experienced several mechanical issues, including helium leaks and a thruster issue. "We're absolutely confident," WIlmore said Wednesday. He said the pair tested a "Safe Haven procedure," sheltering inside Starliner in the event they needed to suddenly undock from the ISS, and the test went well. "We've been through a lot of simulations...and I think where we are right now…I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we could get in our spacecraft, we could undock, talk to our team and and figure out the best way to come home," Williams added.
1.3 million without power in Houston as sweltering heat follows Beryl
More than 1.3 million electrical customers in the Houston area remained without power Wednesday as sweltering temperatures set in following the destruction left by Hurricane Beryl. As CenterPoint Energy, the main utility company in the area, warned "it will take days" to restore power to everyone, Harris County officials sought to calm residents suffering under hot, humid conditions. Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday, knocking down power lines, toppling trees onto homes, flooding streets, killing at least six people and leaving Houston, the fourth largest U.S. city with more than 2.3 million residents, under miserable conditions, officials said. "I know that we're all tired and frustrated. We're hot. We are struggling to sleep and cool off and we absolutely have storm fatigue," Judge Lina Hidalgo, the executive of Harris County, said at the start of a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Man fatally shot by park rangers at Yellowstone National Park allegedly threatened mass shooting
A 28-year-old man who worked for a business in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming allegedly threatened to carry out a mass shooting before being killed in a shootout with rangers on the Fourth of July, officials said Tuesday. Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, of Milton, Florida, was confronted by Yellowstone law enforcement rangers early on the morning of July 4 while allegedly shooting a semi-automatic rifle toward a dining facility at Canyon Village, according to NPS. Approximately 200 people were in the facility at the time, NPS said in an update on the incident Tuesday. During an exchange of gunfire, Fussner was shot by law enforcement rangers and died at the scene, NPS said. A ranger was also shot in a lower extremity, NPS said. The injured ranger was transported to an area hospital in stable condition and has since been released, NPS said. No other injuries were reported. Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business authorized to operate in Yellowstone, according to NPS.
String of shootings appear to target random drivers, bicyclists in Charlotte; police offer reward
Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, are asking the public to help solve a string of shootings that unfolded within 30 minutes and appeared to target random drivers and bicyclists. The shootings began shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday when a victim was shot dead while driving, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. The gunfire appeared to come from another car, police said. Minutes later, officers responded to a bicyclist who said he was shot at, police said. That victim wasn't hurt, police said. That gunfire also appeared to come from a car, Deputy Chief Tonya Arrington said. A short time later, a driver told police his car was struck by gunfire, police said. He also wasn't hurt.
Beryl remnants move into Northeast, bringing flash flood and tornado threats
Even though Beryl lost its status as a tropical storm, it still packed a punch as it moved from Arkansas to Michigan, bringing with it tornadoes and flash flooding. The remnants of the storm, which had made landfall in Texas on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, are expected to move on Wednesday afternoon and evening into western Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northern New England, where tornadoes are possible. In addition to tornadoes, there is a significant threat for flash flooding from northern New York into Vermont and New Hampshire, with up to 5 inches of rain is possible in a short period of time. The worst of Beryl should stay just north and west of Interstate 95 corridor.
Virginia to restrict student cellphone use in K-12 public schools
Virginia is set to restrict the use of cellphones in schools, joining a growing list of states that are banning or limiting use of the devices in schools, citing concerns about students who are spending too much time in front of screens. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Tuesday to establish "cell phone-free" classrooms in all Virginia K-12 public schools. Executive Order 33 requires the state Department of Education to team up with partners to set guidelines for restricting phones in K-12 school classrooms by the fall, which would then be implemented by Jan. 1, 2025. The executive order highlighted mental health concerns among adolescents, including anxiety and depression, as a main factor behind the decision, stemming in part from teens' significant use of popular social media platforms, which, according to an American Psychological Association report published in April, is an average of 4.8 hours per day. The order also said students who use phones during school days tend to learn less and earn lower grades.
Sam's Club slashes sign-up fee, but consider these Costco perks and savings
Costco's warehouse retail competitor Sam's Club has recently ramped up efforts for customer retention. Both big-box stores are beloved for selling high-quality items at lower price points, which offers shoppers an easy way to buy in bulk and save some money. Now, Sam's Club has slashed its sign-up price to just $25 until the end of August to entice first-time members. The newly dropped rate is more than half off the annual membership of the store's biggest competitor, Costco. "By them slashing the price of their membership, especially for new members, this is one way to try to get people are excited about the offerings of Sam's Club," retail analyst Hitha Herzog told ABC News' Good Morning America.
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