Western Europe just experienced its hottest June on record

A display indicates the temperature of 41 degrees Celsius during a sweltering summer day on June 27, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Maryam Majd/Getty Images)

(LONDON) -- One of the most brutal heat waves to impact Europe in the last 50 years broke temperature records in multiple countries, according to Copernicus, Europe's climate change service.

Western Europe, the region most affected by the heat wave during the second half of June, experienced its warmest June on record, the agency said.

The average land temperature in Europe in June 2026 was the second-highest on record, at 19.14 degrees Celsius, or 66.45 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Copernicus. This marks 1.78 degrees Celsius, or 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 1991 to 2020 average for the month.

Rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures "reflect a climate system continuing to accumulate heat" -- resulting in increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean and growing risks for people and ecosystems, Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said in a statement.

"June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing," Burgess said. "Western Europe recorded its warmest June on record, and continued record warmth in the global ocean."

Many June and some all-time records for daily maximum temperature were broken in several countries, according to Copernicus.

Weather officials in the United Kingdom said temperatures on June 24 rose in some areas to 35.7 degrees Celsius, or about 96.2 degrees Fahrenheit, topping a June 1976 record of 35.6 C.

In France, the country's national heat index -- a daily average -- hit 30 degrees Celsius, or about 86 degrees Fahrenheit, on June 24 -- the highest-ever temperature recorded, according to weather officials at Meteo-France, the national weather service. High temperatures in Paris were in the triple digits in the days after.

The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower closed early several days in a row as a result of the high temperatures.

The high temperatures also impacted cities like Madrid and Rome, which hit the high 90s during the last week of June.

Reuters reported there were more than 5,000 excess deaths in Germany alone -- mostly residents 75 and older -- and another 4,700 deaths in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands between June 20 and 28.

"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an X post.

Overall, the planet experienced its second-warmest June globally, according to Copernicus.

In addition, much of Western Europe, including Italy, large parts of central and eastern Europe and the southern U.K., experienced drier-than-average conditions, associated with persistent high-pressure and heatwave conditions, according to Copernicus.

River flow was also below average across Europe, consistent with the widespread dry conditions, according to Copernicus. Large parts of France, much of central and eastern Europe and parts of northeastern Europe were especially impacted.

Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest on record, with an average surface air temperature of 16.5 degrees Celsius, about 61.8 degrees Fahrenheit -- about .56 degrees Celsius, or about 1 degree Fahrenheit -- above the June average for 1991 to 2020.

Sea surface temperature at extrapolar oceans, or oceans outside the Arctic and Antarctic, was the highest on record for June at 20.86 degrees Celsius, or 69.5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Copernicus.

Surface sea temperatures also remain "exceptionally high" across a large portion of the tropical Pacific, where El Nino conditions are present and forecast to strengthen in the coming months, the agency said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

El Nino is strengthening: Here’s what it means for the US

Typical El Nino Impacts. (ABC News)

(NEW YORK) -- El Nino conditions continue to intensify and are likely to be a strong event in the coming months, significantly influencing our weather, the hurricane season and global temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There is very high confidence that El Nino will continue through early spring 2027.

NOAA's latest forecast calls for a strong El Nino to develop by the fall, with an 81% chance of a very strong El Nino between October and December, which could also end up being one of the strongest events on record. Historical records go back to 1950.

Stronger El Nino events only make certain impacts more likely and do not always guarantee strong impacts, NOAA noted.

El Nino refers to the warmer-than-average phase of the El Nino--Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural cycle where sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean rise and fall. The cooler-than-average phase is called La Nina, while near-average conditions are known as ENSO-neutral.

NOAA ranks the strength of El Nino events by measuring the sea surface temperature departure from average (anomaly) across this region, classifying events as weak, moderate, strong or very strong.

"El Nino conditions are already underway and are forecast to strengthen rapidly into a strong event," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement. "This will intensify the chances of drought and heavy rainfall and the risk of heatwaves on land and marine heatwaves in many regions of the world."

While adjectives such as "super" and "extreme" are popular ways of describing the strength of an El Nino event on social media, NOAA and the WMO classify by strength. The WMO noted in a recent statement that "the term [[super]] is not part of standardized operational classifications."

Typical El Nino impacts across the United States

Impacts from El Nino, similar to La Nina, tend to be most consistent and pronounced from late autumn through early spring following the event's onset, NOAA says. There is usually a delay between the onset of the event and many of the associated effects.

"The more consistent impacts on precipitation and temperature don't occur until the winter months -- so for 2026-27," Michelle L'Heureux, physical scientist at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, said.

Experts caution that the impacts on weather patterns are nuanced. Each season is different, and typical El Nino conditions don't always materialize.

"Every El Nino is different in terms of timing, magnitude, and geographic extent, and such differences lead to variability in the impacts -- on temperatures and rainfall, for example -- on a global scale," Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior staff researcher at Columbia Climate School, said.

Northeast: Warmer-than-average temperatures are favored across the northern half of the U.S. during meteorological winter (December to February), however its influence is less pronounced in the Northeast, compared to the Upper Midwest and Northwest.

El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and coastal areas of the Northeast as storms often move up the coast. Farther inland, drier-than-average conditions and less snow are more likely.

South: During the winter months, near- to below-average temperatures are favored along the southern tier of the U.S., especially from Texas to the Southeast.

For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed across Texas, the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Below-average precipitation is frequently observed across parts of the south-central Mississippi Valley.

Midwest: Warmer-than-average temperatures are favored from the northern Plains into the Great Lakes in the winter. Drier-than-average conditions are frequently observed across parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.

El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the south-central Plains with below-average snowfall favored in northern Plains and Great Lakes regions.

West: During the winter months, warmer-than-average temperatures are likely across much of the Northwest. For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed across southern California and much of the Southwest, with below-average precipitation frequently observed across parts of the northern Rockies.

El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the southern Rockies, with below-average snowfall favored in the northern Rockies.

Meanwhile, above-average tropical activity in the eastern Pacific increases the likelihood of indirect impacts to the southwestern U.S., such as sending more rain to the region and more frequent flash flood concerns.

Alaska: El Nino impacts in Alaska tend to be more pronounced than across much of the contiguous U.S., with the strongest effects typically occurring during the winter and spring months. During winter, warmer- and drier-than-average conditions are more likely, with less snowfall and reduced snowpack.

Above average temperatures often persist into spring, while precipitation trends closer to average. However, warmer conditions typically mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, prolonging snow deficits.

Hawaii: Rainfall is typically above average across Hawaii the year an El Nino event develops before conditions become drier during the winter months and remain dry well into the following year. The shift toward drier weather can increase the likelihood of drought and elevate the risk of wildfires.

Meanwhile, above-average tropical activity in the eastern Pacific increases the risk of impacts from tropical systems across the Hawaiian Islands.

El Nino's influence on hurricane season activity

While El Nino is only one of several key factors that influence tropical activity, forecasts now indicate it will be a strong event during the peak of the hurricane season, making it the primary driver of activity in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific in the coming months.

El Nino conditions often suppress tropical activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds. In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.

As a result, NOAA's May 21 hurricane outlook is predicting below average tropical activity for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season with above average activity likely in the eastern Pacific.

"El Nino increases convection (thunderstorms) across the eastern and central Pacific, which causes downstream wind shear over the Atlantic from strong upper-level winds," Andy Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, said.

Vertical wind shear, which refers to changes in wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, is often a primary factor in below-average hurricane season activity. Strong vertical wind shear can tear a developing tropical system apart or even prevent it from forming, NOAA says.

"The rising motion over the Pacific also leads to increased subsidence (sinking air) over the Atlantic, which suppresses thunderstorms and tropical cyclone development," Hazelton added.

Other factors, such as sea surface temperatures, also play an important role in tropical cyclone development and strength. Unseasonably warm ocean waters can partially offset the effects of unfavorable atmospheric winds, according to forecasters.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City grows to 36 cases

Illustration of Legionella pneumophila bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires' disease. ( ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A Legionnaires' disease cluster in New York City is growing, with 36 cases now confirmed, according to health officials.

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 22 hospitalizations and no deaths, according to the New York City Department of Health (NYC Health).

The cluster has affected the Upper East Side neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, the department said.

In an earlier notice to the two neighborhoods, NYC Health said it believes the likely source of the bacteria is a cooling tower in the area, which sprays a mist that contains the bacteria. All area cooling towers were being tested for the bacteria, NYC Health said then.

There is no issue with any building's plumbing system and residents in the affected areas can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their air conditioners, NYC Health further said in the notice.

On Tuesday, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration was implementing measures to publicly identify the specific buildings suspected as being sources of Legionella bacteria and require owners to clean cooling towers quickly.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or by contaminated water otherwise entering the lungs.

The bacteria are found naturally in fresh water but in amounts that generally don't lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease does not generally spread from person to person but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building's water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.

Legionnaires' disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak in the U.S. of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases declined during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.

Although most people recover from Legionnaires' disease with antibiotics, certain patients – including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases – can develop complications that can be fatal.

About one out of every 10 people who develop Legionnaires' disease will die due to complications, according to the CDC. Among those who develop Legionnaires' disease at a healthcare facility, about one of every four people will die, the CDC says.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Four dead, toddler severely injured in crash

FLINT — A multi-vehicle crash on Highway 155 has left four dead and one transported with major injuries early Thursday morning, according to Smith County ESD 2 and our news partner KETK. The Texas Department of Public Safety said a Toyota Highlander was driving in the wrong lane, which caused a head-on collision with a Cadillac.

DPS said three people in the Cadillac died and were not wearing a seat-belt at the time of the crash. The toddler was allegedly not in a child’s car seat. The toddler was taken to a children’s hospital in Dallas and remains in critical condition.

The driver of the Toyota Highlander also died in the crash. The victims have not been publicly identified at this time.

 

US stocks and crude oil hold steadier a day after swinging sharply

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street and oil prices are holding steadier following their sharp swings the day before in the wait to see what will come next after President Donald Trump raised doubts about the temporary truce in the war with Iran. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% early Thursday, even though the United States launched new airstrikes against Iran, which responded by targeting U.S. allies in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 33 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. The price of Brent crude slipped 0.3% after rising sharply a day earlier. Indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia.

What to know as cryptocurrency scams rise in Texas

AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) – Texans lost more than $1 billion to scams involving cryptocurrency in 2025, according to the FBI, second only to California in the amount siphoned away by fraudsters.

Scams using crypto often involve fraudulent investment opportunities, but criminals are increasingly turning to the digital currency as a fast payoff that is difficult for law enforcement to track.

With cryptocurrency scams on the rise, here’s what to look for and what to do if targeted by scammers.

What are the most common cryptocurrency scams in Texas?

Scams generally fall into two categories, said Michael Levine, chief felony prosecutor for the Cyber and Financial Crimes Division of the Harris County district attorney’s office.

The most common are investment schemes where victims buy fraudulent cryptocurrencies or use crypto to invest in fake businesses.

Even legitimate-looking websites can be a front for a fraudulent operation, Levine said, which is why it’s important to vet sites by seeing if the company has been written about in reputable publications or approved by certain banks.

“The software in these things is wonderful, it looks just like an Ameritrade or E-Trade,” Levine said. “It looks just like a legitimate trading platform to the victim, and because it’s all fake, it looks like they’re making a lot of money.”

The best way to ensure your money is safely invested in cryptocurrency is to use verified, known exchanges. Be sure to do research beforehand or ask your banking institution for guidance.

Another common technique — known as romance scams or “pig butchering,” playing on the image of fattening a hog for slaughter — entices would-be victims through flattery and kindness. Once a relationship is established, the victim is directed to invest through a website or app, or directly asked for money through cryptocurrency.

Scammers are also impersonating law enforcement or state agencies, sometimes providing names of real people who work at the departments they are impersonating. Common tactics include telling victims they missed jury duty and now owe fines, or that someone falsified their signature on a legal document.

To bolster the illusion, scammers can “spoof” phone numbers, allowing them to call victims from numbers of reputable sources like a sheriff’s department or city clerk. The easiest way to determine whether you’re speaking to someone from the agency is to simply hang up and call back, or visit in person.

Texas has also seen a spike in cryptocurrency kiosk scams, ATM-like machines that convert cash to digital currency. Scammers impersonating bank employees or law enforcement direct people to pay bail money or transfer “vulnerable” account funds into these machines, which then send crypto directly to the scammer.

No bank or government agency, including a court, police department or licensing board, will ask for cryptocurrency or request payment through a crypto kiosk. If asked to do so, contact your local authorities.

How can I tell if I’m being scammed?

Whether receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with law enforcement or a text message about a quick investment opportunity, watch out for:

• Strangers offering business opportunities over social media or text.

• Phone numbers that don’t match the official contact info of an agency or business.

• Conversations directed to a third-party app like WhatsApp or Telegram.

• Being discouraged from sharing your situation or the conversation with others, sometimes under threat of financial or legal consequences.

• Being sent official looking legal documents by text message.

• Being provided a callback number that doesn’t match the original caller’s number.

What if I’m scammed or know someone who was swindled?

After ensuring those involved in a scam are safe, immediately contact your banking institution and local law enforcement to file a police report. Be sure to keep all records, documents and messages involved in the scam.

You should also submit complaints and reports to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, and the Texas attorney general’s office. IC3 gathers data and complaints to help track scammers, and the attorney general can take action against businesses that falsely advertise services.

Because cryptocurrency is able to move so quickly once deposited into a digital wallet, most law enforcement agencies have roughly 36 to 48 hours to secure stolen funds. Most victims do not recover stolen money — but officials stress that reporting the scam is still important.

Scamming victims often feel shame or guilt about being tricked — a side effect that can deter reporting and hurt victims long after the fraud. Yet being victimized by fraud is not uncommon: one in four U.S. adults have been scammed in their lifetime, according to a 2025 Gallup poll, and one in 10 report being scammed more than once.

“There’s a saying in the [scam] world that no one is unscammable, you just haven’t tried the right script yet,” Levine said. “Please don’t feel like you must be a fool if you fall for one of these scams.”

Who is most at risk for cryptocurrency scams?

Those 60 or older are the most frequently targeted for cryptocurrency scams and who lose the most money, according to FBI data, but anyone is susceptible to scams. Those over 60 lost more than $396 million in 2025 in Texas.

For those with family members who are older or less technologically savvy, it can be helpful to walk them through how to identify spam texts or calls and ask them to inform you whenever strangers ask for money.

How is Texas responding to crypto scams?

Texas has a Financial Crimes Intelligence Center based in Smith County that helps law enforcement statewide investigate financial crimes, including cryptocurrency scams. The Texas State Securities Board also investigates fraudulent cryptocurrency activity.

Before the start of the next legislative session in January, state lawmakers are holding committee hearings on a list of issues designated by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in the Senate and House Speaker Dustin Burrows. Those topics include reducing elder fraud and regulating cryptocurrency and associated technologies, including crypto kiosks.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

Faculty groups sue to block Texas Tech rules limiting instruction on race, gender, sexual orientation

LUBBOCK (The Texas Tribune) – Faculty groups sued Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the university system’s regents Wednesday, asking a federal judge in El Paso to block classroom restrictions they say have censored professors who teach about race, gender identity and sexual orientation and intentionally discriminated against Black faculty.

The lawsuit, brought by the Texas American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers and the national American Association of University Professors, challenges two memos Creighton issued after becoming chancellor last year.

The groups argue the restrictions outlined in the memos violate the First Amendment by allowing Texas Tech officials to suppress viewpoints they dislike, violate the Fourteenth Amendment by leaving professors unsure what they can teach without being disciplined and discriminate against Black faculty by singling out instruction about Black history, racial inequality and efforts to remedy it.

Creighton’s first memo, issued Dec. 1, told faculty they could face discipline if they did not comply with new limits on course content involving race, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. It required faculty to submit course material related to those topics for regents to review and approve. 

A second memo, issued April 9, went further, ordering the phase-out of academic programs centered on sexual orientation and gender identity and requiring professors in core and lower-level undergraduate courses to use alternate materials if readings, assignments or lectures included those topics. 

The memo said some material could still be taught if needed for patient care, professional credentials or advanced coursework, but the lawsuit argues those exceptions were applied inconsistently.

The policies apply across the five-institution system, which includes Texas Tech University, two health sciences centers, Angelo State University and Midwestern State University.

The complaint includes new accounts of how the restrictions have been applied. It alleges a Texas Tech Health Sciences Center professor in Lubbock was told medical students could not participate in or observe care for transgender patients, even when those patients sought treatment for unrelated conditions such as hypertension, migraines or cancer. It also says a professor was told a Holocaust course would have to leave the core curriculum if it included instruction on gay and bisexual victims of the Nazis, and that regents barred professors from teaching Plato’s Republic and Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ National Book Award-winning book about racism in America.

The complaint also alleges an instructor at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso was told to not use the word “disparity” in class, affecting their ability to adequately teach students because El Paso County residents have a higher prevalence of diabetes. In addition, women along the Texas-Mexico border have a higher rate of cervical cancer mortality, children are hospitalized more for asthma in border counties, and the pregnancy-related mortality rate among Black women in Texas is 2.5 times higher than that of white women, according to the complaint.

One of the medical-training allegations underscores the lawsuit’s claim that Texas Tech’s stated exceptions were confusing and inconsistently applied. Creighton’s memos said some material could still be taught when needed for patient care or professional credentials. But the complaint says the Lubbock professor was initially required to remove material about transgender and intersex patients from a medical school course, even though the professor considered it vital to the course and necessary for medical certification exams. The professor was later told medical students could treat transgender patients during third- and fourth-year clinical rotations, according to the complaint, but only after some students’ rotations had already passed.

The groups are asking a judge to declare Creighton’s memos unconstitutional and block the system from enforcing them or any similar policy. The lawsuit, saying faculty members have already had to certify compliance for summer and fall courses, argues the restrictions will continue to harm them as well as deprive students of instruction they would otherwise receive.

A Texas Tech System spokeswoman rejected the lawsuit’s allegations.

“Our commitment to academic integrity and the First Amendment rights of our students will not be distracted by lawsuits as we continue to deliver rigorous academic programs, relevant coursework and groundbreaking research,” spokeswoman Erin Wilson said in a statement.  

Wilson also pushed back on several allegations in the complaint. Teaching about civil rights and historical events, including Nazi crimes, is permitted and instructors are not required to redact or remove works when sexual orientation or gender identity appears in adopted, industry-standard text or as an incidental reference, she said. 

The board of regents also has not altered or rejected any course at Texas Tech’s health sciences centers, she said.

Creighton has previously defended the restrictions as necessary to comply with state and federal law and ensure students are provided with “degrees of value.” 

In a December interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education cited in the complaint, Creighton said Texas Tech works to send a message that its “door is open to every walk of life” and said the restrictions were meant to foster “diversity of viewpoint.” Asked whether restricting teaching on gender identity, sexuality and race helped achieve that, Creighton said yes and described the guidance as a “continuum of common sense.”

Creighton, a former Republican state senator, became chancellor in November. In the Senate, he chaired the Higher Education Committee and authored Senate Bill 37, a 2025 law that gave governor-appointed regents more authority over curriculum. Creighton’s Dec. 1 memo described Texas Tech’s course review as the “first step” in implementing that law.

The lawsuit argues Creighton’s memos go beyond what lawmakers ultimately passed. An earlier version of SB 37 would have required regents to eliminate curriculum that taught “identity politics” or was based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression or privilege are inherent in the U.S. or Texas institutions. That language did not become part of the law, but the faculty groups argue Creighton later imposed those restrictions after becoming chancellor.

The complaint points to his broader record as a lawmaker to support its claim that the memos were motivated, at least in part, by racial discrimination. It says that after the George Floyd protests, Creighton opposed efforts to remove Confederate monuments and symbols, backed unsuccessful restrictions on teaching called critical race theory at public universities and colleges and authored Senate Bill 17, the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs in higher education.

“Chancellor Creighton is trying to do through fiat what he couldn’t accomplish in the Texas legislature: erase the history, identities and lived experiences of LGBTQ people and people of color from the classroom,” said Nicholas Hite, senior attorney at Lambda Legal.

The faculty groups are represented by Lambda Legal, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Texas Tech is not the only Texas university system to restrict course content involving race, gender identity or sexual orientation. Texas A&M University System regents approved a similar policy in November, after a viral recording showed a student confronting a Texas A&M professor over gender identity content in a children’s literature class. That controversy led to the professor’s firing, the removal of two college leaders from their administrative roles and the resignation of the university president as well as a systemwide course audit.

The A&M policy, which was approved before Creighton’s memos, says no system academic course may advocate “race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity” unless the course and relevant materials are approved in advance by the university president. It also says faculty may not teach material inconsistent with a course’s approved syllabus.

Asked why the groups sued Texas Tech and not Texas A&M, Texas AAUP-AFT President Teresa Klein said the organizations are focused on Texas Tech for now but “will be exploring everything.” 

Antonio Ingram II, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said Texas Tech represents “one of the most egregious forms of censorship we’ve seen nationwide,” pointing to restrictions on graduate student research and the closure of entire departments. A favorable ruling could affect other systems, including Texas A&M and the University of Texas System, though additional lawsuits might still be needed, he said.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Chronicle of Higher Education, Open Campus, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

James Talarico raises over $30 million in second quarter, campaign says, more than triple Ken Paxton’s sum

AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) – State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, raised a staggering $30 million from April through June, his campaign announced Wednesday — more than triple the amount brought in by his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The haul is a record total for a U.S. Senate candidate in the second quarter of an election year, Talarico’s campaign said, noting he has now raised more than $70 million from over 1.5 million donations, including 780,000 individual contributors, since launching his bid in September.

“I’m honored to stand alongside more than 780,000 neighbors who are tired of being divided into teams — red versus blue, left versus right, rural versus urban,” Talarico, D-Austin, said in a statement. “We are uniting Texans onto one team to change this broken, corrupt political system and bring down costs for working families.”

Earlier Wednesday, Paxton’s campaign said he had raised over $9 million in the second quarter of the year — a personal best and the largest amount announced by any non-incumbent Senate GOP candidate this cycle, per his campaign. Both campaigns had yet to file their second-quarter reports, due July 15 to the Federal Election Commission, identifying their donors and how much cash they have on hand.

Talarico’s mammoth fundraising has boosted Democratic hopes that he could become the first Democrat to turn a Senate seat blue since 1988, particularly against Paxton, the Republican nominee who has historically posted relatively weak fundraising totals. Some of Talarico’s fundraising edge could be neutralized, however, by a recent Supreme Court ruling that empowers Paxton to tap into the national GOP’s deep coffers.

Recent public polling has found the race essentially tied.

Talarico’s second-quarter haul easily outpaced those of Texas’ recent Democratic Senate nominees, including the $10.4 million raised by former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke in the same period in 2018. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raised $7.9 million from April through June 2024 on his way to besting O’Rourke’s then-record fundraising.

Talarico broke records in the first three months of this year, too, when he took in a whopping $27 million — more than any other federal candidate in the country over that stretch.

“Running a truly competitive campaign in a state with nearly three times the population of any other battleground state will take unprecedented resources,” Talarico campaign manager Seth Krasne said in a statement. “While the Supreme Court creates new loopholes for billionaires and special interests to prop up their puppets, we’re going to continue building a movement to take back power for working people. Because Big Money is nothing compared to People Power.”

Talarico has sworn off corporate PAC donations, and his campaign said 97% of donations to his bid were $100 or less. The most common profession among his contributors, his campaign added, was teachers.

Texas did not land on national Democrats’ initial list of top Senate targets this cycle, with Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio seen as the party’s prime pickup opportunities. But turmoil surrounding Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee in Maine, this week has sharpened the importance of Talarico’s campaign to Democrats’ quest to retake the Senate.

Platner ended his bid Wednesday after a woman who dated him told Politico he raped her nearly five years ago and numerous Democrats called on him to drop out of the race. He has denied the allegation.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

Recent graduate killed in crash

Recent graduate killed in crashCHEROKEE COUNTY — An 18-year-old recent New Summerfield ISD graduate has died following a Saturday crash in Cherokee County, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced. A preliminary investigation revealed that the crash occurred on July 4 at around 11 p.m. on FM 2064 near State Highway 135 involving a Jeep Grand Cherokee. DPS confirmed the identity of the driver as 18-year-old Guadalupe Moreira.

Officials believe Moreira veered off the roadway and struck a tree, causing the car to catch fire. DPS said Moreira was pronounced dead on the scene, and an investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time.

Following her death, a GoFundMe has been created to help her family with the expenses of her upcoming funeral.

Contractor indicted for elderly abuse

SMITH COUNTY – A man who was arrested in 2025 was recently indicted by a grand jury after being charged with financial abuse of the elderly. According to an arrest affidavit and our news partner KETK, 36-year-old Robert Lee, who worked as a contractor, convinced a person over the age of 65 to pay $64,000 to have their roof repaired after he and his partner convinced the homeowner that their roof was in danger of collapsing. After Lee and his partner had finished their alleged roof repairs, the homeowner had a new contractor come to the home to reevaluate the roof. The contractor informed the victim that Lee had lied to her and that the roof was in no danger of collapsing, according to authorities.

A detective from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office later arrived at the victim’s house and observed that Lee and his partner’s work appeared to have been damaged and covered with roofing tiles.
East Texas breeder who sold sick, aggressive dogs pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years

The detective later went into the victim’s attic to better observe the work Lee had done to the roof and allegedly discovered only one new piece of plywood placed over the hole that Lee had created in the roof. Continue reading Contractor indicted for elderly abuse

SFA plans to phase out early childhood program

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– Stephen F. Austin State University announced earlier this week that it has approved a plan to phase out its Early Childhood Laboratory (ECHL) over the next five years.

According to the university, under the new plan, the ECHL will no longer allow infants to enroll in the program starting at the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. Additionally, children already enrolled in the program will be able to remain through completion.

A part of the university’s decision to phase out the ECHL, which once provided valuable learning opportunities, was due to fewer SFA students completing observations and clinical experiences there. The university said the decline was due to changes in the academic program landscape.

Financial concerns moving forward also forced the university to phase out the ECHL, after it claimed it had put $750,000 into the program over the past five years without receiving any revenue in return.

“This decision reflects the university’s responsibility to balance rising operating costs with available resources while continuing to invest in its academic mission,” the university said. “It is not a reflection of the quality of the ECHL or the dedication of its faculty and staff.”

Water district sued over wells

HENDERSON COUNTY — A Dallas-area company, attempting to install dozens of high capacity water wells, is suing a groundwater conservation district to stop the company from drilling, according to our news partner, KETK. The lawsuit was filed against the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District, alleging a ‘deliberate scheme’ to stop Ranch Holding, LLC, and Pine Bliss from drilling.

It was filed in federal court on Tuesday. This stems from a longtime dispute, as they attempt to obtain permits to drill 43 water wells on their properties in Anderson and Henderson counties. Since then, the plaintiffs have faced several obstacles after the district suspended their permits and allegedly blocked them from filing new applications under a new moratorium that was adopted in May. Continue reading Water district sued over wells

Trafficker gets prison time

Trafficker gets prison timeTYLER – A Brownsboro man has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in east Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
 
36-year-old Bradley Korral Gould, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison on July 6.
 
According to information presented in court, on October 4, 2024, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a shooting in Brownsboro, where they found Gould inside his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his upper thigh. While investigating the shooting, deputies located an abandoned backpack on the roadside between Gould’s vehicle and the location of the reported shooting.  Continue reading Trafficker gets prison time

What to know about protecting pets from the New World screwworm fly

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Two New World screwworm cases in dogs are among more than 30 confirmed instances in Texas and New Mexico, prompting warnings Wednesday from veterinarians and humane societies that pet owners need to remain vigilant to protect their animals.

The parasite reappeared in cattle the U.S. in June, more than 50 years after it had been largely eradicated from the country. The pest is actually the larvae of the New World screwworm fly. It eats live flesh and fluids rather than dead material, as the larvae of most fly species do.

Here is what to know about the parasite, the threat it poses to pets and how to protect them:
Screwworm fly larvae can infest any mammal

The fly’s migration north from Panama starting in 2024, and through Mexico in 2025, has agriculture officials warning that it poses a threat to the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry, but the larvae can hatch and breed in any mammal, including wildlife, dogs, cats and occasionally humans.

The problem develops when a female fly lays its eggs in open wounds and mucous. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed for about a week before maturing, dropping to the ground and continuing to develop into an adult fly.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says newborn animals and animals with open wounds or who have undergone surgery or other medical procedures recently are especially vulnerable. Even a tick bite can host an infestation, Aaron Grady, executive director of the Houston Humane Society shelter, said during a webinar on the screwworm.
Infestation signs include restlessness and bad smell

Animal health experts say pet owners in areas where the screwworm is present — southern and southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico so far — should watch their animals closely and examine them for wounds, cuts and bites regularly.

Pet owners should look for any maggots or movement in a wound. Other signs include a foul smell and restlessness or anxiety in an animal, or an animal “hyper-fixating on looking or chewing in a certain area of the body,” said Melissa Stansell, a veterinarian at the shelter Austin Pets Alive!

Any of those signs are reason to contact a veterinarian for possible treatment. The affected animal is likely in a great deal of pain, and that can cause death from shock. The larvae also can cause death if they move into vital organs or by causing infections that turn deadly.
Flea, tick medications can stop an infestation

Humane society officials and veterinarians said shelters across Texas are trying to prevent infestations in animals by giving them prescription flea and tick medications. They recommend that pet owners do the same.

“It will kill the larvae as they ingest the blood and tissue,” Stansell said. “The chemical compositions of those products are what kill the actual larval stages of these flies.”

Veterinarians also can treat infestations and animals can recover if pet owners contact them quickly. Stansell said the treatment could include antibiotics.

“It is only fatal if left untreated,” she said.
An effort to eradicate the fly again is underway

The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species and decades ago would disappear each year when colder weather arrived with the fall or winter.

But state and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials aren’t waiting for the weather to turn. They’ve returned to an eradication method that worked decades ago, breeding sterile male flies and releasing them into the wild. The female New World screwworm fly mates once in her monthslong life, and if her partner is sterile, her eggs won’t hatch — causing the population in an area to drop and then disappear.

For years, the only factory breeding sterile flies in the Western Hemisphere was in Panama, but the USDA invested $21 million to convert a site in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to recently start breeding screwworm flies. The agency also plans to spend $750 million on a new fly factory in Texas, set to open next year.

Advocates demand an independent probe after ICE officer fatally shoots a man in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — A Mexican national fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston had no criminal convictions during his decades living in the U.S. and was driving a crew to a homebuilding site when he was killed, his family and a Texas congresswoman said Wednesday.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was working toward securing legal status in the U.S. and knew what to do if stopped by ICE, his son said.

Ronaldo Salgado said his father may have been scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were coming to steal the tools he used for 35 years to build homes, from sunrise to sunset, so he could send his three American sons to college.

“He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream,” Salgado said during a news conference.

The shooting happened Tuesday in Magnolia Park, a neighborhood that has been a hub for Houston’s Mexican American community for a century.
Federal officials say their vehicle was rammed but don’t provide evidence

Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday in a statement. ICE officers were targeting him because he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the department, which oversees ICE. The man’s car struck an ICE vehicle, the department added.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Salgado Araujo had no criminal convictions.

Houston firefighters said he was shot in the abdomen. He died at a hospital.

Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on the ground, according to his son, who said one of them was his uncle and that no one has heard from any of them since.

Federal officials have not released video or images of the shooting or the alleged damage to the vehicles. Salgado on Tuesday joined civil rights groups and Democratic officials in urging federal authorities to release all the footage and other information it has on the shooting.

In several other shootings involving federal officers, initial descriptions by immigration officials have sometimes been contradicted later by video evidence.

A video shot by bystander Juliet Martinez shows a black vehicle angled towards a white van, their doors wide open. A bleeding and handcuffed man groans loudly on the ground and his leg shakes. Other federal officers stand over at least three other handcuffed men.
Civil rights groups say ICE can’t be trusted with the investigation

The federal crackdown has created a country where it is “open season on Latinos” by officers who think they can “shoot and explain later,” League of United Latin American Citizens President Roman Palomares said during the news conference.

The way ICE has handled previous investigations shows they have not earned the trust of taking their statements as facts without evidence like video to back it up, he said.

“Your pattern has been one of inaccuracies of prejudicial leaks before the facts are known, of twisting the narrative to fit your version of events,” Palomares said.

The league offered a $5,000 reward for information and videos from witnesses as it calls for an independent investigation. Other civil rights leaders begged anyone with videos to not turn them over to ICE, which they said could destroy them.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Salgado Araujo’s family and the community deserve the truth but federal authorities are exclusively handling the investigation at this time.
There’s been an uptick in arrests in recent weeks

Representatives of ICE and DHS have not responded to repeated requests for comment Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over the department in March with the aim of keeping it away from the controversies that had marked the tenure of his predecessor, Kristi Noem.

In the months after two fatal shootings in Minnesota sparked a fierce backlash, the number of immigration arrests across the country fell and ICE appeared to recalibrate its tactics. But in late June, arrests around the country surged to 10,000 over a five-day period, fueled in part by massive Congressional funding.

The shooting was at least the eighth death resulting from an encounter with federal immigration officers since the start of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Son says his father worked hard for decades

Ronaldo Salgado said his mother was told something bad had happened to his dad around 7 a.m. Tuesday. After frantically looking for him at his job site and finding his empty van, he saw a video.

“I recognized him, not from his appearance but from his voice crying for help as he lay on the street,” Salgado said.

Salgado Araujo met his wife as a teenager in Mexico. They came to America and built their own home in Houston with help from friends and family who worked on his crew. His wife made his lunch before he left for the day and had a hearty meal ready when he came home. He would listen to music and pet his dog on his porch, Salgado said.

“After nearly 35 years of working to give us the American dream, he made the choice to begin the process of obtaining his American dream through a work permit,” Salgado said. “We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment. He was close to obtaining his legal status.”

Salgado Araujo had biometric scan and fingerprints done earlier this year, his son said, and had carefully studied what to do if ICE pulled him over. If he was speeding away, it was probably because he feared having his tools stolen, his son said.

“Had my father seen an emblem of ICE or an emblem that says anything about a law enforcement agency, my father would have complied,” his son said.
Mexico’s president criticizes the latest killing

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said she is considering legal measures or may ask the United Nations to step in to stop the violence against Mexicans in the United States.

“There has been another tragic death of one of our compatriots in the United States due to detention issues, even though their only ‘offense’ is not yet having proper documentation,” Sheinbaum said.

Texas’ largest city has experienced heightened enforcement operations since the crackdown began last year, and not without public backlash. The Houston City Council voted to pass an ordinance limiting ICE cooperation but reversed course after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, threatened to cut more than $100 million in state funding for public safety.

Official charged with indecency

VAN ZANDT COUNTY – The maintenance director at Martin’s Mill ISD was taken into custody on Tuesday for an outstanding warrant from Dallas County charging him with indecency with a child.

According to our news partner KETK and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, Larry Plant was taken and booked into the Van Zandt County Jail on Tuesday. The arrest was made after he was found by members of the Texas Attorney General’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit and deputies from the sheriff’s office.

The department said Martin’s Mill ISD was made aware of Plant’s arrest and fully cooperated throughout the process.

“This arrest is another example of the working relationships between law enforcement agencies and our local institutions,” Sheriff Kevin Bridger said. “By working together, we remain committed to protecting our community and ensuring those accused of serious crimes are taken into custody safely and professionally.”

Deputy dies in medical emergency

SMITH COUNTY – Law enforcement agencies across East Texas are mourning the loss of a Smith County Sheriff’s Office Deputy after he unexpectedly died on duty during a medical emergency on Tuesday.

According to our news partner KETK, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, 53-year old Gerald Rhey Atchison Jr. was working on duty as a property and evidence technician when he collapsed due to a medical event.

Other law enforcement personnel immediately begin life saving measures, including CPR. Paramedics arrived to assist and continue life saving measures as Atchison was unresponsive. He was then transported to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel, the sheriff’s office said. Continue reading Deputy dies in medical emergency

Water utilities repair projects

TYLER – Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) continues to rebuild and improve the wastewater infrastructure Tyler depends on every day. Upcoming projects will repair aging lines and add capacity, continuing the City’s efforts to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and improve the sewer system. 

On Wednesday, July 8, the City Council approved four wastewater projects under the City’s federal Consent Decree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Together, these projects represent more than $18.5 million in investments to Tyler’s wastewater collection system.  Continue reading Water utilities repair projects

Trump says MOU is ‘over’, calls Iranian leaders ‘scum’ following latest strikes

U.S. President Donald at the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(ANKARA and LONDON) -- President Donald Trump said on Wednesday morning that he believes that the interim agreement reached with Iran last month is "over," following an intense exchange of fire between the two sides on Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

Trump huddled with top advisers on Tuesday while attending the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss the U.S. response to several fresh attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz early this week, multiple people familiar with the discussions told ABC News.

The U.S., Qatar and Saudi Arabia attributed the attacks to Iranian forces, allegations denied by Tehran.

Speaking with reporters in Ankara on Wednesday during a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will continue, but said of the agreement, "For me, I think it's over."

"I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people," Trump said of Iran's leadership in response to a question from ABC News.

"And they're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over," the president continued. "There's something wrong with them, they're cuckoo," Trump added.

The president did, however, suggest that U.S.-Iranian negotiations over a final peace deal could continue.

The 14-point MOU committed the signatories to the reopening Strait of Hormuz for commercial traffic, with the U.S. lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran also committed not to pursue nuclear weapons -- a commitment Tehran has previously made -- while the U.S. agreed to allow Iranian oil sales and to begin work on a $300 million reconstruction fund for the country.

Under the MOU, fighting -- including between Israel and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon -- would stop for 60 days while the U.S. and Iran negotiate the terms of a final deal, which would cover issues including Iran's nuclear material.

"I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate. They're good people. Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them," Trump said on Wednesday.

"I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it," Trump said later in the press conference, adding that he did not care whether talks continued after funeral proceedings for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei concluded.

When the MOU was signed last month, Trump said the deal "achieves everything we set out to accomplish, everything and much more." But key issues, including the status of Iran's nuclear program, remained unaddressed.

The White House has demanded an end to all Iranian enrichment of uranium, a proposal repeatedly rebuffed by Tehran, which says it needs to enrich uranium to power its civil nuclear power network.

On Wednesday, the president again said his administration would accomplish the "denuclearization of Iran."

"We're going to de-nuke it. We're not going to let them, because they're crazy, and they can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Intermittent exchanges of fire have continued between the U.S. and Iran despite the signing of the MOU in June.

Since Monday, U.S. Central Command said Iran had attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said it then launched retaliatory strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets, including air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and small boats.

The U.S. also revoked a license that authorized the sale of Iran oil under the MOU in response to the tanker attacks, with one U.S. official telling ABC News that the incidents were "wholly unacceptable."

Iran's military said on Wednesday that it responded to the renewed American strikes by attacking 85 U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Trump on Wednesday lauded what he called the "powerful" U.S. strikes, adding, "We hit them very hard."

"I told them every time you hit, we hit, and of course they're dirty players, so they go after everyone, probably including me," the president continued, referring to alleged Iranian assassination plots in which Trump said he remains a target.

"They want to take out the U.S. leader -- me. I'm on every list. I saw things this morning, I'm on every single one of their lists, and so far I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long, because that's the way it goes," Trump said.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament who has been serving as Tehran's chief peace negotiator, said in a post to X early on Wednesday that the U.S. had violated the MOU with its latest strikes.

"The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold," Ghalibaf wrote.

Oil prices spiked on Wednesday after Trump's comments, with U.S. oil trading at $74.62, up around 6%, and global oil at $78.70, up more than 6%. The price of global oil is still significantly down on a high of nearly $120 last month before the MOU was announced.

Traffic has been moving through the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, including through Tuesday despite the latest attacks on ships. Data from Kpler, a global energy analytics firm, showed more than 100 transits of ships through the Strait between July 5 and July 7, including 41 crossings on July 7.

ABC News' Rachel Scott, Karen Travers, Justine Fishel, Isabelle Murray, Sarah Kolinovsky and Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump calls for US to cut off trade with Spain over NATO funding, Iran, again seeks control of Greenland at NATO summit

Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister attends the NATO summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

(ANKARA, Turkey) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to grow increasingly frustrated with NATO allies for not supporting his war effort in Iran, targeting Spain in particular and calling for "all trade" to be cut off with that country.

"Spain is a wasted cause," Trump said at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, during an official greeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte. "We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore. By the way, I'd like you to cut it up. Scan, Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits."

The comments were the latest complaint from Trump against Spain, the only member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that has not committed to defense spending equal to 5% of its GDP by 2030.

The U.S., because of its outsized military spending, indirectly contributes more to the NATO than any other country, Trump said last week. The U.S. is responsible for about 15% of NATO's direct funding, according to the bloc.

At last year's NATO summit at The Hague, allies agreed at Trump's prompting to target defense spending equal to 5% of each NATO member countries' GDP, up from the previous 2%. Spain was alone among the 32 member states in saying it wouldn't commit to the target.

Trump has previously threatened to end trade with Spain, including in March, when the Spanish foreign minister said at the time that they wouldn't allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain for any strikes not covered by the U.N.'s charter.

"I don't want to do any more trade with them. All right, take it immediately," Trump said on Wednesday. "Don't even talk to them, they're hopeless, bad people, because you know they have everybody else going and paying and working in Spain, in particular Spain, there are a couple of others, but in particular Spain, they're open about it, they're hostile about it, and let's see how hostile they remain when they call up, and they 'please, please, we want to trade with you, sir, we want to trade with you, sir.' They make so much money with us, and we're going to see that they make a lot less. I want no business with them."

After Trump's comments, sources at Moncloa Palace, the Spanish prime minister's office, told Madrid's El Dario newspaper that Spain "maintains an excellent social, cultural, and economic relationship with the U.S., and it is not our intention for that to change."

Trump on Wednesday said "nobody," aside from the "small countries" wanted to help the U.S. in its war with Iran.

"There was calls made a few weeks ago," Trump said, claiming he spoke with the United Kingdom, Germany and France, among others. "Nobody wanted to help. Some of the very small countries wanted to help, because they're the most vulnerable. I mean, that's the only reason they wanted to help."

The leaders of the U.K., France and Germany did not immediately respond to Trump's statement on Wednesday. Each has repeatedly declined to involve their countries directly in the war, although each also has said Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

Trump spoke about his displeasure with NATO allies at large, saying that the U.S. has paid for allies to be protected against Russia but that safety has "nothing to do" with the U.S.

"They weren't there for us, and we've been there for them, " he said. "We spent over a trillion dollars over the last short period, trillion in order to protect these countries from Russia, and has nothing to do with us. We have a notion, but it's been a long-term thing, and they haven't treated us right."

Trump on Wednesday shook hands with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a day after the president renewed his calls for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory under Denmark.

Frederiksen pledged earlier in the summit to defend Greenland, saying, "Our position is clear as it has been all through. Greenland is, of course, not for sale."

Rutte later celebrated Trump's ability to get allies to pay a greater share for defense. Rutte appeared to remind the U.S. president that Spain was a part of the coalition that upped their spending.

"And you mentioned Spain, even you got Spain to pay 2% they spent, they made a huge step in last year, so there are still issues we have to solve, but hey, also, even Spain, I would say they got to the 2%," Rutte said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oil prices climb and stocks fall after Trump says he thinks Iran agreement ‘over’

Shot of oil pumps (Olga Rolenko/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- Oil prices climbed and stocks closed lower on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he believes an agreement with Iran is "over" amid an exchange of strikes in the Middle East.

Brent crude, the benchmark measure for worldwide oil trading, climbed more than 6% on Wednesday, pushing the price up to about $79 a barrel.

Oil prices stand above pre-war levels, though they have fallen from a high of as much as $118 reached earlier in the conflict.

Stock prices fell in response to the heightened tensions and rising oil prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 575 points, or 1%, while the S&P 500 declined 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.2%.

The war prompted the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route that facilitates about one-fifth of worldwide oil supply. In turn, the global economy suffered a historic oil shock, sending oil prices surging.

A U.S.-Iran agreement last month, however, included a provision allowing commercial shipping to resume through the strait, and to do so toll-free for 60 days. Over the ensuing weeks, oil prices prices fell below pre-war levels.

The tensions in recent days rekindled upward pressure on oil prices.

Trump said that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will continue, but he told reporters of the agreement, "For me, I think it's over."

"It's just a waste of time dealing with them," Trump said of Iran at a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, where he is attending the NATO summit.

Iran's military said it launched on Wednesday attacks targeting 85 U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, saying they were retaliatory strikes following a wave of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets.

U.S. forces hit over 80 targets overnight in a new round of airstrikes that came as an "immediate response" to Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Do heat waves damage the economy? Experts explain

Melting street thermometer against bright summer sun.High temperature.Summer heat. (Dmitriy83/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A heat wave blanketed a vast swathe of the United States over the 4th of July weekend, threatening the health of tens of millions of people and the power supply for thousands of homes.

A lesser-known risk of extreme heat, meanwhile, may hammer pocketbooks.

Heat waves threaten an array of costs for the economy, sapping the productivity of outdoor workers, shutting some shoppers inside their homes and driving up utility payments, some analysts told ABC News. All in all, they added, those effects could shrink output and hike some costs in areas impacted by heat waves.

"Extreme heat has economic consequences," Justin Mankin, a professor of geography at Dartmouth University, told ABC News. "The consequences seem to be negative just about everywhere."

Heat waves are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer lasting due to human-amplified climate change, according to the federal government's Fifth National Climate Assessment. The average number of heat waves in major U.S. cities each year has doubled since the 1980s, that report said.

Extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. About 2,000 Americans die each year on average from extreme heat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.

A body of research indicates that heat waves also risk damage for the economy.

A study issued last year by researchers at the University of Florida, the European Stability Mechanism and the International Monetary Fund -- which examined 203 countries over a 40-year period -- found that an increased frequency of high temperatures and harsh droughts resulted in a 0.2% decline in gross domestic product (GDP).

Another report found total heat-related economic losses in the trillions of dollars. Taken together, economic damage from human-caused extreme heat likely cost as much as $50 trillion worldwide over a recent 30-year period, according to a 2022 study from Dartmouth University researchers.

"These things are costly and they're getting worse because of climate change," said Mankin, a co-author of the study.

The reasons for the economic impact range from diminished employee productivity to heightened utility costs to lost agricultural output, some analysts said.

Berkay Akyapi, a professor of business at the University of Florida and a co-author of the study on lost GDP, pointed to the crop damage caused by a heightened number of heat waves.

Nighttime temperature spikes are especially damaging, Akyapi said, since they deny crops a respite during a time period typically reserved for cooler temperatures. Fewer crops, in turn, threaten to elevate prices as the same number of dollars chase after a smaller supply of goods, he added.

A decline in domestic crop output can also force a given country to increase imports, putting further upward pressure on prices, Akyapi noted.

"If you can't produce something, you have to import it and that of course raises prices," he said.

Heat waves also cause higher prices for utilities as demand grows for air conditioning and other power-driven solutions, some analysts said.

The budget woes, in turn, cause a chain reaction, squeezing funds left over for other products and sapping consumer-driven economic activity. Steven Brown, a director of insights and evidence at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, told ABC News.

"It results in higher bills for households that are already financially tight or strained," Brown said. "It causes a spillover in their ability to pay for other things like groceries or rent."

In 2023, a report issued by a U.S. Senate committee found the negative economic effects from extreme heat are most pronounced in heat-exposed sectors such as agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and transportation. The risk owes primarily to lost productivity among workers in such industries, the report said.

"Together, the loss of productivity caused by heat is emerging as one of the biggest economic costs of climate change," the report added.

To be sure, analysts noted that some cold-weather locations may benefit from heat waves, since higher-than-normal temperatures could improve agricultural output or allow for increased time spent outdoors.

"When you look around the world at places like Canada, Sweden or Norway -- they can benefit. Heat waves are kind of good weather there," Akyapi said.

Adaptive efforts, such as installation of air conditioning, can mitigate some of the negative economic effects, some analysts noted. Some governments are also exploring administrative solutions meant to help fight extreme heat.

Arizona appointed Eugene Livar as its first chief heat officer in 2024, tasking him with oversight of the state's extreme heat preparedness plan. Democratic lawmakers in Arizona and Nevada introduced a bill in Congress last year that would add extreme heat to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's list of major disaster qualifying events, unlocking access to federal support.

"Government interventions probably reduce some of the costs associated with these events, despite being costly interventions themselves," Akyapi said.

Dartmouth's Mankin said he expects heat waves to remain a feature of everyday life for the foreseeable future as human-caused climate change continues.

"These kinds of heat events are just going to be more commonplace. You'll just have more days of the year that look like this, particularly when each subsequent year is hotter than the last," Mankin said.

ABC News' Kenton Gewecke and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Patients awaiting agreement

Patients awaiting agreementTYLER — UT Health East Texas patients who rely on UnitedHealthcare (UHC) could soon face higher health care costs if both parties don’t reach a new agreement before their contract expires in less than two months. UT Health East Texas released a letter to patients stating that an agreement must be met by Sept. 1 for their services to remain in-network with UHC, which would force those insured by UHC to pay out of pocket.

“We recognize the disruption this would create for patients and families across East Texas, and we do not take this situation lightly,” UT Health East Texas said. “If needed, we will work with patients to ensure a smooth transition of care.”

As both parties look to reach an agreement, UT Health stated that over 50,000 East Texans currently insured by UHC, including 25,000 seniors, rely on UT Health facilities for medical care and treatment. Continue reading Patients awaiting agreement

Scoreboard roundup — 7/7/26

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Brewers 4, Cardinals 3 (Doubleheader, game 1)
Cubs 5, Orioles 2
Athletics 2, Tigers 6
Braves 4, Pirates 12
Yankees 4, Rays 6
Mariners 5, Marlins 6
Astros 6, Nationals 3
Royals 16, Mets 12
Phillies 4, Reds 1
Red Sox 8, White Sox 1
Guardians 1, Twins 3
Brewers 10, Cardinals 2 (Doubleheader, game 2)
Angels 3, Rangers 8
Diamondbacks 1, Padres 4
Blue Jays 9, Giants 3
Rockies 4, Dodgers 3

FIFA World Cup
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0, Colombia 0

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Federal immigration agent fatally shoots man in Houston during an enforcement operation

HOUSTON (AP) – A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a man in Houston after he attempted to evade arrest in his vehicle during an operation Tuesday, the agency said.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, ignored commands and attempted to ram an agent who fired his weapon in self-defense. The man was targeted in an operation because he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the department, which oversees ICE. The man’s car struck an ICE vehicle, the department added.

Salgado Araujo died after being transported to a hospital, according to DHS.

The death drew immediate calls from some Democratic officials and immigrant rights groups for an independent investigation. Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who represents the neighborhood where the shooting took place, said the initial account released by federal authorities needs to be independently verified.

“All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation,” she said in a post on X.

The FBI’s Houston field office is investigating a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer, said spokesperson Connor Hagan. In addition, representatives of the office’s evidence response team responded to the shooting at the request of DHS to process the scene, he said.

The shooting comes amid a newly intensified push by the Trump administration to carry out its mass deportations agenda. During the five-day period at the end of June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people. The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests continue and are surging.

Son says his father had been in the US for decades

Juliet Martinez said she was on her way to drop off her son at summer school early Tuesday morning in Houston when she spotted two federal officers leaning over a man on the ground. As she slowly drove by, she filmed the man bleeding and handcuffed, his leg shaking as loud groans can be heard.

The video shows a black vehicle angled towards a white van, their doors wide open, and the man lying between the two. One officer is on the phone, with his other hand on the man’s side. Nearby, other federal officers stand over at least three other men handcuffed.

Ronaldo Salgado, Salgado Araujo’s son, said in a post on Facebook that his father works in construction and was on his way to work, picking up his workers, when the shooting happened.

Salgado described his father as a hardworking Mexican man who has been in the U.S. for almost 35 years and was in the process of getting a work permit.

“My father did not deserve this,” he said.

The shooting was at least the eighth death from an encounter with federal immigration officials since the start of the Trump administration’s intense immigration enforcement campaign in the U.S.

ICE has conducted ongoing operations in Houston

Texas’ largest city has experienced heightened enforcement operations since the crackdown began last year, and not without public backlash. The Houston City Council voted to pass an ordinance limiting ICE cooperation but reversed course after Texas’ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to cut more than $100 million in state funding for public safety.

By Tuesday evening, a small group of protesters gathered in the neighborhood where the shooting happened and chanted against ICE.

Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, called for a transparent investigation conducted by local authorities into the shooting. He said his organization is offering a $5,000 reward for information and videos from witnesses.

“We don’t take DHS at their word at all,” Proaño told The Associated Press. “There should be an independent investigation and they should release all the videos.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, declined to comment on the shooting.

Calls for video after the shooting

In other other shootings involving federal officers, initial descriptions by immigration officials have sometimes been contradicted later by video evidence. In February, federal authorities launched an investigation into two federal immigration agents who appeared to have made untruthful statements under oath regarding a nonfatal shooting of an immigrant in Minneapolis in January.

Last year, a federal immigration agent shot and killed a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, during a late-night traffic encounter. A grand jury declined to file criminal charges against the agent. DHS said the agent had fired at the vehicle after the driver “intentionally ran over” his fellow agent. Video footage of the encounter released by authorities does not clearly show the vehicle striking the agent.

In January, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot in the head by a federal immigration agent during a crackdown in Minneapolis. DHS also said Good was trying to hit the agent with her vehicle, which local officials and witnesses disputed, saying she was only trying to drive away.

Sentence in gun trafficking case

TYLER — A Michigan man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after admitting he conspired to illegally purchase firearms from a Tyler gun shop and planned to transport them to Mexico for sale, according to federal prosecutors and our news partner KETK.

Caleb Timothy Fox, 34, was sentenced Monday to 41 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted firearms trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced. According to court records, on March 10, 2025, Fox recruited another person to act as a “straw purchaser” to buy six firearms on his behalf from a federally licensed gun dealer in Tyler.

Federal prosecutors said the purchase was delayed, and Fox later admitted to investigators that he knew he could not legally buy the firearms in Texas because he was not a Texas resident. Continue reading Sentence in gun trafficking case

Bitcoin data center rejected

SMITH COUNTY — Tyler residents packed City Hall Tuesday as the city’s planning and zoning commission considered a proposed Bitcoin mining data center near downtown — and by the end of the meeting, neighbors got the decision they were hoping for. According to our news partner KETK, the commission voted 5-2 to deny a special use permit for the project proposed by Vulcan Core, which would have been built near West Erwin Street and North Ross Avenue.

For many residents who spoke against the project, the debate was less about new technology and more about protecting the character and quality of life of their neighborhood. During the meeting, opponents questioned how the facility could affect local resources and nearby residents.

Tyler homeowner Hannah Morris said she had concerns about the project’s water usage and the source of that water. “We were told that it’s a close-knit system, but water doesn’t magically appear. My question is, where is it coming from?” Continue reading Bitcoin data center rejected

Man arrested for ignoring court order

UPDATE: Fugitive Scotty Bradberry was arrested in Panola County on Tuesday, Kilgore Police Department said. Bradberry was arrested on the additional charge of running from the Panola County Sheriff’s Office, leading to four arrest warrants from last week’s incident of fleeing from authorities and allegedly violating a protection order.

KILGORE – The Kilgore Police Department is searching for a man who fled from deputies on Thursday afternoon, according to our news partner KETK.

As reported by the department, Scotty Bradberry had been processed last week on a warrant for assault family violence, along with previous convictions but had since returned to Kilgore earlier this week. Continue reading Man arrested for ignoring court order