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New Oklahoma Bible directive faces pushback from several schools
Several Oklahoma schools are speaking out against State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ directive to teach the Bible in public school grades 5 through 12. Walters recently released guidelines on his controversial Bible mandate in public schools after ordering educators to incorporate the religious text into their lessons, arguing that the Bible is necessary to ensure "students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.” In a June 27 meeting, Walters spoke on the requirement, saying, "every teacher and every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.” The order was followed by intense backlash from civil liberties groups and the Oklahoma Education Association – a collective of educators, administrators and other school employees -- who say it infringes on students' and educators' freedom of religion.
4 people, 3 dogs killed after Florida mobile home intentionally set on fire: Sheriff
Four people and three dogs are dead after a Florida mobile home was intentionally set on fire in what authorities called an "evil" act, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office responded to a call of a fire at a residence in Plant City shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Fire crews were able to knock down the fire in 20 minutes, though four people were found dead at the scene, authorities said. Three dogs were also killed in the blaze. A 25-year-old man who lived in the home has been arrested after allegedly admitting to intentionally setting the home on fire.
Kansas toddler rescued after falling into PVC pipe
A toddler was rescued Sunday afternoon after getting stuck underground in a PVC pipe, officials said. Emergency responders in Moundridge, Kansas, "acted swiftly and worked diligently for approximately 15-20 minutes to safely recover the child," the Moundridge Police Department said in a press release. The 14-month-old boy was "understandably shaken," but was not injured in the incident, police said. The boy fell into the sump pump drain while playing outside, according to Wichita, Kansas, ABC affiliate KAKE.
Fed holds interest rates steady, but cut expected soon
The Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, keeping borrowing costs at their highest level in more than two decades despite a prolonged cooldown of inflation. An interest rate cut is widely expected in the coming months. The Fed issued its latest interest rate decision after a months-long stretch of data has established the key conditions for a rate cut: falling inflation and slowing job gains. Still, economists expected the Fed to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. The move offered the central bank time to ensure current trends hold ahead of its next meeting in September. "Inflation has eased over the past year but remains somewhat elevated," the Federal Open Market Committee, the policymaking body at the Fed, said in a statement. "The Committee does not expect it will be appropriate to reduce the target range until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%."
6-month-old boy dies in hot car after parent forgot to drop him off at day care: Sheriff
A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said. The baby was found dead in the backseat by his parent at about 5:46 p.m. Tuesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. When the parent went to pick up the baby from day care after work, they realized they forgot to drop him off at day care that morning, the sheriff's office said. The heat index -- what temperature it feels like with humidity -- reached a scorching 112 degrees in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.
Boar's Head expands recall to additional 7 million pounds of deli meat, poultry products
Boar's Head has expanded its previous recall on several types of deli meats to include an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that may be contaminated with listeria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced an update on Wednesday that Boar's Head Provisions Co. has recalled an additional 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. This is an expansion on Friday's recall announcement amid an ongoing investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into an outbreak of listeria infections linked to meats sliced at delis that have sickened 34 people across 13 states. Authorities say further testing is required to determine whether any recalled products are linked to this outbreak. Details of Boar's Head deli meat recall
Woman sues Kansas hospital over alleged denial of emergency abortion
A Missouri woman is suing a Kansas hospital where she says she was denied an emergency abortion after she went into premature labor at 18 weeks of pregnancy, alleging she was denied emergency health-stabilizing care. The lawsuit comes a year after a government investigation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that hospitals in Missouri and Kansas violated federal law when they refused to provide Mylissa Farmer with abortion care. Farmer is now suing the University of Kansas Health System and the hospital authority that governs it under a law -- Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, EMTALA -- that federally mandates emergency stabilizing care for all patients in hospitals funded by Medicare. In a lawsuit, Farmer alleged that she suffered preterm premature rupture of membranes -- when a pregnant woman's water breaks before the pregnancy is viable -- in August 2022 and she had lost all her amniotic fluid by the time she arrived at the Kansas Hospital. She alleges she had been sent to the hospital after being turned away from a Missouri hospital due to the state's abortion ban.
Fed expected to cut interest rates soon, but not this week
The Federal Reserve has held interest rates steady at a 23-year high since last July -- but a rate cut is widely expected in the coming months. On Wall Street, the outlook for an interest rate cut has shifted from if to when. The central bank will issue its latest interest rate decision on Wednesday after a months-long stretch of data has established the key conditions for a rate cut: cooling inflation and slowing job gains. Still, economists expect the Fed to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, offering the central bank time to ensure current trends hold ahead of its next meeting in September. The chances of an interest rate cut at the Fed's meeting in September stand at more than 85%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment. The same tool shows the odds of a rate cut on Wednesday at a meager 5%.
Authorities hunt for suspects involved in illegal elk poaching after four found dead
Four elk were shot and killed in a poaching incident at a national park, according to authorities. Redwood National and State Park rangers and wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are now asking for the public’s help in “an investigation of elk poaching,” after four dead elk were discovered on July 21 near the Williams Ridge area along Bald Hills Road, according to a statement from the National Park Service released on Tuesday. “An investigation determined that the four elk had been killed and no meat had been taken,” NPS officials said. “The area where the elk...
'Black Swan' murder trial: Ashley Benefield convicted of manslaughter
Ashley Benefield, the woman at the center of the "Black Swan" murder trial, was convicted of manslaughter on Tuesday night. The jury in the trial of the ballerina who had been accused of killing her husband, Doug Benefield, returned its verdict late Tuesday night in a Florida courtroom. She faces up to 30 years in prison. Her sentencing date has yet to be determined. Ashley Benefield's attorney argued that she was trapped in an abusive relationship, stating that Doug Benefield was a manipulative, controlling and abusive man. She had argued she killed her husband in self-defense. Prosecutors had accused Ashley of wanting sole custody of the couple's daughter Emerson.
Man killed in 'execution-type' shooting while walking to evening prayers at mosque: Police
A 43-year-old man on his way to evening prayers at a Philadelphia mosque Tuesday was shot multiple times and killed in what police called an "execution-type homicide." A suspect remains at large, police said. A motive is not yet known. Police responded to reports of gunfire and a shooting on the 1500 block of Germantown Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. ET, authorities said. The victim was found lying in the parking lot of the mosque suffering from multiple gunshot wounds -- including several to his chest and torso and at least one to his head, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Police rushed the victim to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, he said.
Suspect in cold case murder commits suicide days after submitting DNA: Police
A man recently identified as a suspect in the 1991 murder of a 23-year-old woman has died by suicide, days after a DNA swab from his cheek matched DNA evidence collected at the crime scene 33 years ago, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Albert Lauro Jr., 57, was identified as a suspect in the murder of Dana Ireland, who had been kidnapped and raped in the Kapoho area of Hawaii Island on Dec. 24, 1991, according to police. She died a day later at a local hospital. "This case is still under investigation. Albert Lauro Jr. has been linked to the victim by DNA; however, his exact involvement is still under investigation. And his death was ruled a suicide by the forensic pathologist," Hawaii Police Department Captain Rio Amon-Wilkins told ABC News. DNA evidence had been recovered from a swab taken from Ireland's body, from a sheet used to transport her to the hospital and from a t-shirt found at the scene and was used by police to identify a suspect in her murder this month, according to Hawaii PD.
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