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This nonprofit is helping Texas flood survivors process their trauma

Surviving severe weather, like the July 4th flash floods in central Texas, can leave a lasting emotional impact, and one nonprofit organization is helping survivors heal by giving them a safe space to start processing their trauma.

Just one week after the flash floods in central Texas, Hill Country Mental Health had a new support center up and running.

Dr. Ashlee Miller said they want to meet survivors where they are. They want to help the community with short term coping skills and then look ahead to long term coping skills that can help them get to the healing and recovery that comes later.

With counseling services and care coordination, they're helping the community process big emotions, and sometimes that means giving parents and kids their own spaces.

They've put together a kid-themed room, filled with books, toys and stuffed animals to help put young flood survivors at ease.

"We'll have a clinician come in with the kiddos, check [on] them in their natural environment, playing with them, making sure that their needs are met. And then it provides a safe space for the parent or caregiver to go into another office and just have that quiet time and be able to process what they're really going through without worrying about trying to navigate both," Miller explained.

RELATED STORY | Scripps donations help San Antonio Food Bank support Texas flood survivors

Foot traffic was slow to start, but as the word got out, the center expanded to include weekend services, and they're making use of two mobile vans to travel to flood impacted areas so survivors who don't have the time or ability to make it to the center can still be helped.

With all the stimulation and noise from the cleanup efforts, Miller said some community members come in because they just need some quiet. "Just because you're walking in here... you don't have to talk. You can just sit in the silence and let us know what you need," she said.

Outside the clinic, the center provides paint for people to leave their handprint on a window mural. It gives survivors, neighbors, friends and volunteers a chance to leave their mark and show their support for the community.

Tune in Thursday at 5 p.m. ET to watch "Texas Flood Tragedy: The Aftermath," a Scripps News Group Special Report. Texas Flood Tragedy: The Aftermath promo

Coach reflects on former high school football player behind deadly NYC shooting

The former high school football player who fatally shot a New York City police officer and three others was carrying a note in his wallet expressing concern that he was suffering from a brain disease linked to the sport.

The three-page note, according to a source with the New York Police Department, included an apology and indicated that the suspect, Shane Tamura, hoped investigators would study his brain for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Police said Tamura shot himself in the chest after shooting five people one of whom survived at a Manhattan office building that houses NFL offices.

The NFL confirmed that one of its employees was wounded in the attack.

One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack, said Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, in a statement. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for.

While investigators examine the accused shooters motives, a former coach who knew Tamura as a high school football player said he was a great athlete.

He was one of our better players. He was athletically gifted. Hardworking. Quiet demeanor, real humble about himself, said Walter Roby, who worked as a coach at Granada Hills Charter High School in California during the time Tamura played as a running back.

For me, it was like he was very coachable, said Roby. You could ask him to do something. He would respond positively. He never gave an issue or never had a problem in that realm at all.

Roby said he and his son recently had been reminiscing about the top players Roby had encountered during his career.

His name popped up. (We were) saying, oh yeah, Shane definitely has to be in that category because Shane would you know his elusiveness, the way he was able to cut on a dime, things of that nature," Roby said. "We were just going over and over it. And here it is two weeks later, this. As I always say, I dont believe in coincidences, so was this put on my heart? Was this put on my prayers?

Roby said he was completely shocked to learn the news about his former player.

I went to bed just shocked all night long. Its just been a whirlwind of shock, he said. Roby said he could not remember any head injuries Tamura may have suffered, but he did say CTE is an important topic.

I think that CTE is definitely very prevalent. Its very a part of whats happening in society that should be studied deeply, he said.

Numerous former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. The disease is thought to be linked to repeated blows to the head and has also been connected by researchers with other contact sports and military service.

Scripps News obtained records showing Tamura, in 2023, had a run-in with Las Vegas Metropolitan police officers after an incident at a casino. According to a court record, police said Tamura was refusing to show his identification when trying to collect thousands of dollars in winnings, but he was also refusing to leave the building without collecting those winnings. Court records indicate the district attorney denied charging the case.

Past environmental injustices shape today’s tree canopy

Reforesting urban environments faces one significant yet overlooked hurdle: bringing residents to the table. 

Dr. Christine Carmichael recognized this when doing research in Detroit in 2013 with the Greening of Detroit. What she learned prompted her to create her urban forestry consulting group, Fair Forests, and write her book, “Racist Roots: How Racism Has Affected Trees and People in Our Cities – and What We Can Do About It”, which came out in 2024.

Today, Dr. Carmichael advises forestry efforts on national, state, and local levels on how to best address resident concerns and wants to make tree planting a positive experience for all involved.

Her work focuses on the unique roles community members, arborists, nonprofits, and governments play in urban forestry.

In her words, “How can we think about who has what type of power, and how can we share that better, and provide people with the resources they need to address all these issues around tree canopy?”

Carmichael emphasizes connecting with neighborhoods and learning their heritage narratives to see how they’ve experienced change over time.

How history shapes the tree canopy today

During the time of its peak population, Detroit had such a dense tree canopy that it was called “Tree City”. Then a combination of disease, invasive pests, and neglect killed half a million trees while magnifying injustices in the city’s landscape. 

A lot of people want to move on from the past, but failing to see the bigger picture avoids key issues that created our modern tree canopy.

“People are living in the present consequences of the past decisions,” Carmichael says, reflecting on how historic racist policies like redlining still impact rates of homeownership among Black Americans today. “And we need to change those decisions to make things better.”

A result of redlining in the city 

Carmichael says that when she started her work around a decade ago, the ties between redlining and reduced tree canopy weren’t proven. But foresters noticed that disadvantaged neighborhoods tended to have fewer trees and less healthy trees. 

Redlining was the 1930s policy of evaluating property as “hazardous” if its occupants were Black. Owners of redlined property were ineligible for government housing investment funds.

Redlined neighborhoods are often recognized as environmental justice areas today.

Environmental injustice can include the dumping of waste, the placement and lax regulation of polluting industrial sites by the city, neglecting to address infrastructural issues, and more.  Carmichael adds, ”A common way to think about it is that people are being treated unfairly and are not being meaningfully included in decisions about the environment that they’re living in.”

Having outsiders make decisions on what happened to the environment in these neighborhoods has negative consequences. Redlining segregated neighborhoods and denied people the help needed to care for their property.

It’s only logical that people lost trust in the city and outside organizations.

Not only are trees more vulnerable to disease and hazardous when they aren’t maintained properly, but the lack of tree canopy has an impact on people’s health. “So people experiencing higher heat-related issues, more air quality issues, mental health, cardiac,” Carmichael lists. 

Detroit as an epicenter

Carmichael said that Detroit and its near-monoculture of elm trees made it an epicenter for Dutch elm disease. 

When Dutch elm disease swept through the city at the same time as the ‘67 Rebellion, the mass removal of Elm trees with little notice was another injustice residents suffered.

It created a unique heritage narrative that Carmichael noticed among residents she interviewed. “Many, most of whom had lived during the 67 rebellion, had this feeling that the trees were removed because the government wanted to surveil neighborhoods from overhead in helicopters, not because the trees were diseased.” 

The consistent exclusion and lack of resources given to certain neighborhoods created environmental injustices that worsened as the city lost much of its population to white flight. The forestry department shrank, and diseased and dead trees were left to languish in residential areas.

When emerald ash borers struck in the 90s, more trees were lost and damaged. Again, residents were not as informed or engaged as they should have been. 

“It was more like a reactionary, oh, these trees are dying, we’ll just take them down,” says Carmichael. “There were limits to urban foresters’ understanding of how to manage those things. They were new threats, but I think there could have been a lot more proactive effort to organize with the community.” 

Despite being at the forefront of these ecological issues, Detroit missed an opportunity to address environmental injustice, according to Dr. Carmichael. The same failures can be seen in other urban environments that followed.

Detroit could have been an example of how to better protect the tree canopy with environmental justice in mind.

Modern approaches to inclusive urban forestry

As Detroit was less able to fund municipalities like forestry departments, neighborhood community groups stepped up to care for their lands. When nonprofits came onto the stage to fill the gaps left by forestry departments, there was a need to engage better with residents on the ground level that wasn’t being met at the time of Carmichael’s research.

Meaningful engagement between outside tree planting groups and neighborhoods requires a lot of funding. Carmichael credits the Inflation Reduction Act for allowing urban forestry groups to begin to make the necessary efforts to reduce barriers for the communities they work with. 

But now that funding is gone, and nonprofits have to work with fewer resources once more. That may mean that they can’t prioritize residents as much as they need to, as getting trees in the ground and similar metrics are what appeals to funders.

Still, Carmichael argues that it’s essential to look at reforesting efforts beyond the lens of efficiency and profit maximization. It’s not just about how many trees you can plant, the shade provided, and the carbon sequestered, but also about the people who will be impacted by those trees.

Those same people are paramount when it comes to long-term maintenance of the tree. If urban foresters can show them specific things to look out for, residents can make sure the trees stay healthy and don’t become hazards like they have in the past. 

“Essentially, it’s about educating,” says Carmichael. It’s not about the benefits of trees, as most residents already know all the good a tree can do; they just need support on making sure those benefits come without so many drawbacks. “The emphasis should be more on educating the funders about what activities are needed to both increase the canopy and support the residents.”

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

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Tea app takes messaging system offline after second security issue reported

Tea, a dating discussion app that recently suffered a high-profile cybersecurity breach, announced late Monday that some direct messages were also accessed in the incident.

The app designed to let women safely discuss men they date rocketed to the top of the U.S. Apple App Store last week but then confirmed on Friday that thousands of selfies and photo IDs of registered users were exposed in a digital security breach.

404 Media was the first to report on this second security issue, citing an independent security researcher who found it was possible for hackers to access messages between users discussing abortions, cheating partners, and phone numbers.

In a statement posted on its social media accounts, Tea said it "recently learned that some direct messages (DMs) were accessed as part of the initial incident."

RELATED STORY | Tea, an app for women to safely talk about men they date, has been breached, user IDs exposed

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken the affected system offline," the app said. "At this time, we have found no evidence of access to other parts of our environment."

It is currently unknown how many messages were left exposed by the vulnerability. Tea said it is "working to identify any users whose personal information was involved and will be offering free identity protection services to those individuals." The company said Tuesday it will share more information as it becomes available.

Because of the nature of the app which allows women to anonymously discuss sensitive information about the men they date users may be particularly vulnerable to malicious actors who try to expose their real-life identities.

Mary Ann Miller, vice president of client experience at identity verification company Prove, said the women who may have had their information compromised should consider making sure they have real-life security precautions in place such as cameras, locks and "common sense things that you and I think about to be safe and secure in our own home."

"The average citizen puts more out there in a public-facing view that can put their safety at risk. And I think it's time for all of us to think about that more carefully," she said. Companies, meanwhile, "should look for technology that utilizes other forms (besides) IDs to verify an identity" and only store essential data and discard, securely, verification data that's no longer needed once a person is verified.

Tea has said about 72,000 images were leaked online in the initial incident, including 13,000 images of selfies or selfies featuring a photo identification that users submitted during account verification. Another 59,000 images publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments and direct messages were also accessed without authorization, a spokesperson said last week.

No email addresses or phone numbers were accessed, the company said, and the breach only affects users who signed up before February 2024.

Rochester police to update cameras

Rochester police will soon have new cameras for officers and road patrol vehicles.

The city council unanimously approved a five-year, $345,363 contract with Axon Enterprises based in Scottsdale, AZ, for 20 bodycams and 10 in-car cameras, all of which have livestreaming capabilities.

Police Chief George Rouhib said the department has been using Watchguard bodycams but Axon’s cameras had advanced features.

In addition to better-quality images, the cameras include license-plate readers, an AI assistant, and redaction software. The contract includes a supplemental language translator which helps with up to 50 languages, he said.

More than three dozen languages are spoken by Oakland County’s residents who speak English as a second language, according to the U.S. Census.

“When the individual speaks into the camera, the software will identify the language and translate it into English and vice versa,” he said. “The software will also store our department policies, allowing officers to access critical information easily while in the field, ensuring compliance and informed decision making.”

He said the current cameras are out of warranty and cannot be repaired. The new equipment, he said, will be good for an estimated five years.

The in-cruiser cameras can also read license plates and alert officers to stolen cars.

All road patrol vehicles will have cameras, he said.

The city adopted bodycams in 2021 as a way to improve evidence collection and document police officers’ actions.

FILE PHOTO Rochester Police. (File photo)

What is the Federal Reserve's role in shaping US monetary policy?

When Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announces the bank's interest rate decision on Wednesday, he will be carrying out one of the Federal Reserve's key functions one that is part of a larger mission to help oversee the countrys monetary policy.

So, what exactly is the Federal Reserve? Known simply as the "Fed," it serves as the central bank for the U.S.

"Being a central bank means that it has a few functions, the main one being that it's in charge of what we in economics say is the monetary and credit systems here in the United States," said Thomas Stockwell, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Tampa.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump visits Federal Reserve amid criticism of Powell, renovation costs

The Fed performs several essential functions, with the most well-known being its influence on the country's monetary policy. Its goal? Keeping employment high and inflation stable.

This is primarily achieved by determining the federal funds rate, commonly referred to as the Fed's interest rate. This rate dictates how much banks borrow from each other and ultimately influences what consumers pay on various loans, from home mortgages to credit cards.

"If you put upward pressure on the federal funds, all of other interest rates are going to go up with it, including the mortgage rate, the interest rates you pay in your car, whatever interest rate, they're all going to move in the same direction," Stockwell explained.

A significant responsibility, the federal funds rate is determined by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). This body is made up of seven Fed governors appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, along with five of the twelve regional Fed bank presidents. Their work is overseen by the Fed Chair who is also nominated by the president.

"Being chairman of the Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful positions on the planet," Stockwell noted. "And you can honestly maybe even argue right up there with the president of the United States."

The Federal Reserve maintains frequent communications with the executive branch and congressional lawmakers. However, it was designed to make decisions independently to ensure that fiscal policy isn't influenced by politics.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Existing cancer drugs show promise for treating Alzheimer’s, new study finds

A pair of FDA-approved cancer drugs may help reverse the biological changes that drive Alzheimers disease, according to a new study from researchers at UC San Francisco and the Gladstone Institute. The findings could mark a significant step forward in treating a condition that affects more than 7 million people in the U.S.

Despite decades of research, only two drugs have been FDA-approved to treat Alzheimers, and neither meaningfully slows the diseases relentless cognitive decline. Thats why this new study took a novel approach: using data science to search for untapped potential in medicines already on the market.

We started with 1,300 drugs a lot were cancer drugs, but we didnt have a hypothesis like that. This was entirely data-driven. And it was a bit of a surprise, said Marina Sirota, a professor at UCSF and interim director of the Baker Computational Health Sciences Institute.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | FDA gives green light to new blood test that screens for Alzheimer's

Dr. Yaqiao Li, a former UCSF graduate student in Sirotas lab and now a postdoctoral scholar at the Gladstone Institute, led the research in hopes of identifying a solution for patients to restore their brain function impacted by the disease. Their team tapped into the Connectivity Map, a large-scale drug database, to analyze how existing compounds impact the brain on a molecular level.

It turned out that two cancer drugs stood out: letrozole, which is used to treat breast cancer, and irinotecan, which is typically used by colon and lung cancer patients. When the researchers tested a combination of the two drugs in a mouse model of Alzheimers, it slowed down brain generation and even restored their ability to remember.

These are FDA-approved drugs. And we have human evidence that cancer patients who have taken these drugs have a lower risk of developing Alzheimers, said Dr. Li. This gives me a lot more confidence that this could be very promising.

Developing a brand-new Alzheimers drug from scratch can cost millions and take more than a decade. But because the drugs in this study are already FDA-approved just for a different condition the path to clinical trials and eventual use for Alzheimers could be much shorter. The researchers tell Scripps News they are currently fundraising to begin a human clinical trial, where they note significant side effects will need to be considered.

The FDA recently approved donanemab, an Alzheimers drug from Eli Lilly, but many pharmaceutical companies have abandoned similar projects after unsuccessful trials. That makes the possibility of repurposing existing drugs, with known safety profiles, especially appealing.

The findings from this study indicate potential success in repurposing for other complex diseases, like endometriosis, which Sirota says they are currently working on in their lab.

I just want to encourage future researchers, Dr. Li said, This could be a very interesting, promising new way of doing drug discovery.

Ghislaine Maxwell lays out list of demands to testify before Congress about Epstein

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted British socialite and longtime associate of the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, has agreed to testify before Congress but outlined several demands that must be met first.

Maxwell was subpoenaed by House Oversight Chair James Comer to testify before Congress next month. However, in a letter obtained by Scripps News, Maxwell's attorneys told the committee that their client "would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established," while listing various conditions that would need to be addressed.

"Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity," the letter states, calling it a nonstarter. "Nor is a prison setting conducive to eliciting truthful and complete testimony."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | 'I will give you a list': Trump responds as Epstein scrutiny intensifies

Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her 2021 sex trafficking conviction, also demanded that any testimony would need to take place outside the Florida correction facility where she is currently detained and questions from the committee must be made available in advance.

"To prepare adequately for any congressional depositionand to ensure accuracy and fairnesswe would require the Committee's question in advance," Maxwell's attorneys wrote. "This is essential not only to allow for meaningful preparation, but also to identify the relevant documentation from millions of pages that could corroborate her responses. Years after the original events and well beyond the criminal trial, this process cannot become a game of cat-and-mouse. Surprise questioning would be both inappropriate and unproductive."

Lastly, the letter states that Maxwell is requesting that any appearance be scheduled only after the resolution of her Supreme Court petition to have her conviction thrown out. Alternatively, Maxwell's lawyers say she would be willing to testify "openly and honestly" if President Donald Trump were to grant her clemency.

RELATED STORY | Ghislaine Maxwell asks Supreme Court to toss sex trafficking conviction, citing Epstein plea deal

"We remain open to working with the Committee to find a path forward that respects her constitutional rights and enables her to assist the American people and the Committee in its important oversight mission," the letter concludes.

President Trump acknowledged on Monday that he does have the power to pardon Maxwell. However, he refused to say whether that's something he's considering.

An Oversight Committee spokeswoman said the committee will issue a response to the letter "soon," but denied the possibility of granting her congressional immunity for her testimony."

Maxwell's case has gained renewed attention recently, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch meeting last week with her attorney as the Trump administration faces growing pressure to be more transparent about the federal investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Supporters of the president have long called for the release of the so-called Epstein files, which the administration has promised to disclose.

Earlier this month, however, the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo stating that a review of the Epstein case found no incriminating client list.

After the backlash, President Trump called on the attorney general to seek grand jury testimony. Days later, Blanche announced that he would meet with Maxwell.

It remains unclear what resulted from the meeting. Maxwells attorney said she answered every question asked but noted that a presidential pardon was not discussed.

Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement

By COLLIN BINKLEY, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration.

The White House’s desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million.

Harvard did not immediately comment.

The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as a staple for future agreements. Last week, Columbia leaders agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants.

Columbia had been in talks for months after the Trump administration accused the university of allowing the harassment of Jewish students and employees amid a wave of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard faces similar accusations but, unlike Columbia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school challenged the administration’s funding cuts and subsequent sanctions in court.

Last week, President Donald Trump said Harvard “wants to settle” but he said Columbia “handled it better.”

The Trump administration’s emphasis on financial penalties adds a new dimension for colleges facing federal scrutiny. In the past, civil rights investigations by the Education Department almost always ended with voluntary agreements and rarely included fines.

Even when the government has levied fines, they’ve been a small fraction of the scale Trump is seeking. Last year, the Education Department fined Liberty University $14 million after finding the Christian school failed to disclose crimes on its campus. It was the most the government had ever fined a university under the Clery Act, following a $4.5 million fine dealt to Michigan State University in 2019 for its handling of sexual assault complaints against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar.

The University of Pennsylvania agreed this month to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, but that school’s deal with the Trump administration included no fine.

The Trump administration has opened investigations at dozens of universities over allegations of antisemitism or racial discrimination in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Several face funding freezes akin to those at Harvard, including more than $1 billion at Cornell University and $790 million at Northwestern University.

Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia deal a “roadmap” for other colleges, saying it would “ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE – People walk between buildings on Harvard University campus, Dec. 17, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

13-year-old killed in shooting at Canton apartment complex

Canton police say a 13-year-old girl has been killed in a fatal shooting at the Ridgeline Apartments, which are off of Joy Road and Honeytree Blvd.

It happened around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police will release more information about the case at 5:30 p.m.

Watch the police news conference: RAW VIDEO: Canton police hold news conference after 13-year-old killed in shooting

No other details have been released on what happened. However, police say a person of interest is in police custody and there is no immediate threat or danger to the community.

Investigators remain on the scene at this time.

Police officials will hold a news conference at 3:00 p.m. to address the case.

Lawyers for Epstein’s former girlfriend say she’s open to interview with Congress, if given immunity

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is open to answering questions from Congress — but only if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony, her lawyers said Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the committee that wants to interview her responded with a terse statement saying it would not consider offering her immunity.

Maxwell’s lawyers also asked that they be provided with any questions in advance and that any interview with her be scheduled after her petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to take up her case has been resolved.

The conditions were laid out in a letter sent by Maxwell’s attorneys to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee who last week issued a subpoena for her deposition at the Florida prison where she is serving a 20-year-prison sentence on a conviction of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls.

The request to interview her is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department’s July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of President Donald Trump’s base who had been hoping to find proof of a government coverup.

Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week.

  • David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, talks with...
    David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, talks with the media outside the federal courthouse, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla., after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)
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David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, talks with the media outside the federal courthouse, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla., after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)
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In a letter Tuesday, Maxwell’s attorneys said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her cooperate provided that lawmakers satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions.

But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright.

“The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell’s attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,” a spokesperson said.

Separately, Maxwell’s attorneys have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify “openly and honestly, in public,” is in the event of a pardon by Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it.

“She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,” he said.

FILE – Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Tariffs on South Korea's products threaten the 'K-beauty' boom in the US

When Amrita Bhasin, 24, learned that products from South Korea might be subject to a new tax when they entered the United States, she decided to stock up on the sheet masks from Korean brands like U-Need and MediHeal she uses a few times a week.

"I did a recent haul to stockpile," she said. "I bought 50 in bulk, which should last me a few months."

South Korea is one of the countries that hopes to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 date President Donald Trump set for enforcing nation-specific tariffs. A not-insignificant slice of the U.S. population has skin in the game when it comes to Seoul avoiding a 25% duty on its exports.

Asian skin care has been a booming global business for more than a decade, with consumers in Europe, North and South America, and increasingly the Middle East, snapping up creams, serums and balms from South Korea, Japan and China.

In the United States and elsewhere, Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty for short, have dominated the trend. A craze for all-in-one "BB creams" a combination of moisturizer, foundation and sunscreen morphed into a fascination with 10-step rituals and ingredients like snail mucin, heartleaf and rice water.

Vehicles and electronics may be South Korea's top exports to the U.S. by value, but the country shipped more skin care and cosmetics to the U.S. than any other last year, according to data from market research company Euromonitor. France, with storied beauty brands like L'Oreal and Chanel, was second, Euromonitor said.

Statistics compiled by the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency, show the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of South Korean cosmetics in 2024, a 54% increase from a year earlier.

"Korean beauty products not only add a lot of variety and choice for Americans, they really embraced them because they were offering something different for American consumers," Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said.

Along with media offerings such as "Parasite" and "Squid Games," and the popularity of K-pop bands like BTS, K-beauty has helped boost South Korea's profile globally, she said.

"It's all part and parcel really of the same thing," Lovely said. "And it can't be completely stopped by a 25% tariff, but it's hard to see how it won't influence how much is sold in the U.S. And I think what we're hearing from producers is that it also really decreases the number of products they want to offer in this market."

Senti Senti, a retailer that sells international beauty products at two New York boutiques and through an e-commerce site, saw a bit of "panic buying" by customers when Trump first imposed punitive tariffs on goods from specific countries, manager Winnie Zhong said.

The rush slowed down after the president paused the new duties for 90 days and hasn't picked up again, Zhong said, even with Trump saying on July 7 that a 25% tax on imports from Japan and South Korea would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia subsequently reached agreements with the Trump administration that lowered the tariff rates their exported goods faced in Japan's case, from 25% to 15% still higher than the current baseline of 10% tariff.

But South Korea has yet to clinch an agreement, despite having a free trade agreement since 2012 that allowed cosmetics and most other consumer goods to enter the U.S. tax-free.

Since the first store owned by Senti Senti opened 16 years ago, beauty products from Japan and South Korea became more of a focus and now account for 90% of the stock. The business hasn't had to pass on any tariff-related costs to customers yet, but that won't be possible if the products are subject to a 25% import tax, Zhong said.

"I'm not really sure where the direction of K-beauty will go to with the tariffs in place, because one of the things with K-beauty or Asian beauty is that it's supposed to be accessible pricing," she said.

Devoted fans of Asian cosmetics will often buy direct from Asia and wait weeks for their packages to arrive because the products typically cost less than they do in American stores. Rather than stocking up on their favorite sunscreens, lip tints and toners, some shoppers are taking a pause due to the tariff uncertainty.

Los Angeles resident Jen Chae, a content creator with over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, has explored Korean and Japanese beauty products and became personally intrigued by Chinese beauty brands over the last year.

When the tariffs were first announced, Chae temporarily paused ordering from sites such as YesStyle.com, a shopping platform owned by an e-commerce company based in Hong Kong. She did not know if she would have to pay customs duties on the products she bought or the ones brands sent to her as a creator.

"I wasn't sure if those would automatically charge the entire package with a blanket tariff cost, or if it was just on certain items," Chae said. On its website, YesStyle says it will give customers store credit to reimburse them for import charges.

At Ohlolly, an online store focused on Korean products, owners Sue Greene and Herra Namhie are taking a similar pause.

They purchase direct from South Korea and from licensed wholesalers in the U.S., and store their inventory in a warehouse in Ontario, California. After years of no duties, a 25% import tax would create a "huge increase in costs to us," Namhie said.

She and Greene made two recent orders to replenish their stock when the tariffs were at 10%. But they have put further restocks on hold "because I don't think we can handle 25%," Namhie said. They'd have to raise prices, and then shoppers might go elsewhere.

The business owners and sisters are holding out on hope the U.S. and Korea settle on a lower tariff or carve out exceptions for smaller ticket items like beauty products. But they only have two to four months of inventory in their warehouse. They say that in a month they'll have to make a decision on what products to order, what to discontinue and what prices will have to increase.

Rachel Weingarten, a former makeup artist who writes a daily beauty newsletter called "Hello Gorgeous!," said while she's devoted to K-beauty products like lip masks and toner pads, she doesn't think stockpiling is a sound practice.

"Maybe one or two products, but natural oils, vulnerable packaging and expiration dates mean that your products could go rancid before you can get to them," she said.

Weingarten said she'll still buy Korean products if prices go up, but that the beauty world is bigger than one country. "I'd still indulge in my favorites, but am always looking for great products in general," she said.

Bhasin, in Menlo Park, California, plans to keep buying her face masks too, even if the price goes up, because she likes the quality of Korean masks.

"If prices will go up, I will not shift to U.S. products," she said. "For face masks, I feel there are not a ton of solid and reliable substitutes in the U.S."

Democratic-led states sue Trump admin over law that defunds Planned Parenthood

Nearly two dozen states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over a new federal law that strips Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood and similar health centers.

The law, part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump in July, bars federal reimbursements for any services at providers that offer abortions.

States including New York, California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota argue the provision is unconstitutional and say it will harm residents who rely on Planned Parenthood for essential care like cancer screenings and STI treatment.

RELATED STORY | Trump administration deletes Biden's reproductive rights website hours after taking office

The lawsuit contends the law will lead to delayed diagnoses of cancer and STIs and increased unintended pregnancies, which will result not only in widespread and devastating effects on the health of vulnerable residents of the Plaintiff States, but also in increased costs to the Plaintiff States Medicaid programs, which fund care for those individuals.

The lawsuit seeks to block enforcement of the provision while the case is heard and ultimately asks the court to declare the measure unconstitutional.

The Trump administration has not responded to the lawsuit.

Planned Parenthood has also sued the federal government on similar grounds. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clinics must continue while that case proceeds.

RELATED STORY | Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Camping rates at some Michigan state parks increasing starting Aug. 1

For the first time in three years, camping rates at some of Michigan's most popular sites are going up.

The increase will be between $4 and $10 a night at modern and semi-modern state park campsites depending on the location and amenities. Fees for rustic state parks and forest campgrounds will not increase.

Fees for intermittent camping and equipment storage will also change, the Department of Nature Resources said.

Here are the new rates:

State park modern and semi-modern campsites will increase between $4 and $10 per night (ie. $26 to $45 per night), depending on the location and available amenities, such as electrical 50-amp electrical and full hookup. State park overnight lodging rates will be changed to a more simplified rate structure. The rates will range from $60 to $120 per night; deluxe lodging will be $160 per night. Modern lodges (ie. bedrooms, fully furnished, full bathroom, etc.) will undergo a phased rate increase over the next two years. This will result in a nightly base rate of $236 per night for all locations by 2027. Some rates may vary due to higher occupancy. The DNR will also establish fees for intermittent camping and equipment storage.

The DNR says the price hike reflects an increase demand for campers and will help with long-term sustainability. The DNR said the increased revenue will enhance visitor experience, upgrade amenities and help parks stay clean.

The new rates for overnight stays will start Aug. 1. The Michigan State Park Advisory Committee supported the fee adjustment on Aug. 7, 2024, the DNR said.

More information about the rate changes can be found on the DNRs website.

As DTW begins using controversial landing system again, Dingell calls to suspend use of it

A risky landing system first exposed by the 7 Investigators is being used yet again at Detroit Metro Airport, and sources tell WXYZ that Air Traffic Controllers were instructed to use it during Mondays severe weather at DTW.

The 7 Investigators revealed in December that the U.S. Special Counsel sent a report to the president and to Congress about the issues with the Yankee Offset Localizer (ILS-Y) approach at Detroit Metro Airport.

In a press release at the time, Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger said, the approach at issue may create a danger for landing aircraft and the flying public.

Watch below: US Special Counsel: Metro Airport landing approach may create 'danger for landing aircraft and flying public'

Federal watchdog questions safety at DTW

Despite that, documents obtained by the 7 Investigators show that Detroit Metro Airports FAA management is using the ILS-Y while one of the airports runways is under construction for the next month.

The document states, Y approach will be in use for this project in all weather conditions, unless the forecast to drop below approach below minimums.

Watch below: 2022 report on DTW still using ILS-Y system

Detroit Metro Airport still using controversial landing system; new federal probe underway

At DTW, the planes on the western-most runway must approach at an angle, using the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Yankee Off Set Localizer. Its an antenna system, but air traffic controllers say its placement at DTW results in the signal getting interrupted, especially when other planes taxi right in front of it.

Air traffic control sources tell the 7 Investigators that the ILS-Y was used starting Monday, including during severe weather that overwhelmed the airport and Romulus.

It had not previously been used in many months after scrutiny from the U.S. Special Counsel.

The new memo also instructs controllers to work more than one position for the approach, something veteran controllers say is risky and allegedly was an issue during the horrific mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that killed 67 people in January.

Watch below: Whistleblower speaks out again about unsafe DTW landing system

Whistleblower speaks out again about unsafe DTW landing system that's still being used

The 7 Investigators reached out to Rep. Debbie Dingell after learning that Metro Airport was scheduled to use the Yankee Off Set Localizer starting July 28, 2025.

Dingell had sent a letter to the FAA in December, asking for more information about the practice.

On Tuesday, Dingell sent another letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford requesting answers about serious safety concerns surrounding the use of the Instrument Landing System Yankee approach at DTW. Dingells letter from December went unanswered.

I'm going to call the Chair of the Transportation Committee. I'm going to do everything I can to raise attention. I did talk to the DOT Secretary a couple of months ago, and he knows that one of the first unfortunate accidents that happened after he got sworn in was Reagan, and he knows what we've got to get. We have to get the money to update the equipment in FAA towers. And I'm going to call upon my Republican and Democratic colleagues that we can't play political games with this. We have make flying safe in this country, Dingell told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.

Watch below: Its a safety issue. Questions raised about GPS-based landing systems at US airports following 7 Investigators' report

Its a safety issue. Questions raised about GPS-based landing systems at US airports following 7 Investigators' report

The 7 Investigators reached out to the FAA about the new use of the ILS-Y, and they sent us this statement:

The FAA is reviewing data and safety assessments of the ILS-Y approach at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW). We continue to engage directly with stakeholders and remain committed to the safety of the flying public at DTW and across the National Airspace System, and implement mitigations as needed. Should further safety enhancements be identified, we will take prompt action.

Dingell also called for the FAA to take action on the system at DTW.

"I urge you to suspend use of the ILS-Y approach at DTW until these issues are fully addressed, and to provide a comprehensive update on the steps FAA will take to ensure that this system operates with the highest safety standards," her letter to the FAA reads.

You can read Dingell's entire letter below

Rep. Dingell letter to FAA over DTW's use of ILS-Y by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd

Accused of sex crimes against young kids, 70-year-old pleads to charges

A 70-year-old man accused of sexually abusing two children in his family has opted out of trial with a plea in Oakland County Circuit Court.

At a pretrial hearing July 28, Southfield resident Lawrence Edward Miles pleaded no contest three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly assaulting a boy and girl — both under 10 years old. According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, the charges stem from a series of assaults that occurred in 2024 and 2025.

mugshot
Oakland County Jail
Lawrence Miles booking photo

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases.

Miles is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16 by Judge Daniel O’Brien. He faces up to life in prison for first-degree CSC, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years behind bars. Second-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Both convictions require lifetime electronic monitoring upon parole and AIDS/STD testing.

Miles is in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond.

3rd suspect in Oakland County purse-snatchings faces criminal charges

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Prosecutor: Alleged human trafficker facing charges after victim escapes

 

Oakland County Circuit Court (Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)

Munson Healthcare provides update on 11 victims in mass stabbing at Traverse City Walmart

Three days after an Elkden man stabbed 11 people at a Walmart in Traverse City, Munson Healthcare has provided an update on the victims.

According to a media statement:

Two patients have been treated and released from the hospital Two patients have been treated and transferred One patient is in good condition Six patients are in fair condition

This comes a day after Bradford James Gille was arraigned on one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder and given a $100,000 bond. He is in custody while awaiting his next court date.

Watch our previous coverage 11 injured in Walmart stabbing incident in Traverse City Web Extra: Hear from man who helped stop stabbing suspect outside Traverse City Walmart Traverse City stabbing suspect had mental health struggles, criminal history Officials speak after at least 11 people stabbed at Traverse City Walmart; suspect in custodyWe are incredibly proud of our physicians, nurses, surgeons, clinical teams, and support staff at Munson Healthcare," the media statement reads. "Their commitment to healing and recovery during this challenging time is a powerful testament to the resilience and unity of our healthcare community."

More information on the healthcare system and future updates on the victims can be found at this link.

Starmer says UK will recognize Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to ceasefire

The U.K. will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, allows the U.N. to bring in aid and takes other steps toward long-term peace, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday.

Starmer called ministers together for a rare summertime Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza.

WATCH | PM Starmer addresses Israeli conflict in Gaza

UK announces it will recognize Palestinian state if conditions aren't met by Israel

He told them that Britain will recognize a state of Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two state solution."

He also said Hamas must release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza, and commit to disarmament.

Starmer said in a televised statement that his government will assess in September how far the parties have met these steps before making a final decision on recognition.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | French President Macron says France will recognize Palestine as a state

Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.

Pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood has mounted since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state in September.

More than 250 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons have signed a letter urging the government to recognize a Palestinian state.

Starmer said that despite the set of conditions he set out, Britain believes that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.

Trump gave the USOPC cover on its transgender athlete policy change. It could end up in court anyway

By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer

In its push to remove transgender athletes from Olympic sports, the Trump administration provided the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee a detailed legal brief on how such a move would not conflict with the Ted Stevens Act, the landmark 1978 federal statute governing the Olympic movement.

That gave the USOPC the cover it needed to quietly change its policy, though the protection offers no guarantee the new policy won’t be challenged in court.

Olympic legal expert Jill Pilgrim called the Trump guidance “a well thought-out, well-reasoned set of arguments for people who want to look at it from that perspective.”

“But I’d be pretty shocked if this doesn’t get challenged if there is, somewhere along the line, a trans athlete who’s in contention for an Olympic team or world championship and gets excluded,” said Pilgrim, who has experience litigating eligibility rules for the Olympics and is a former general counsel for USA Track and Field.

The USOPC’s update of its athlete safety policy orders its 54 national governing bodies to rewrite their participation rules to ensure they are in sync with the executive order Trump signed in February called “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

When the USOPC released the guidance, fewer than five had rules that would adhere to the new policy.

Among the first adopters was USA Fencing, which was pulled into a congressional hearing earlier this year about transgender women in sports when a woman refused to compete against a transgender opponent at a meet in Maryland.

One of the main concerns over the USOPC’s change is that rewriting the rules could conflict with a clause in the Ted Stevens Act stating that an NGB cannot have eligibility criteria “that are more restrictive than those of the appropriate international sports federation” that oversees its sport.

While some American federations such as USATF and USA Swimming follow rules set by their international counterparts, many others don’t. International federations have wrestled with eligibility criteria surrounding transgender sports, and not all have guidelines as strict as what Trump’s order calls for.

World Rowing, for example, has guidelines that call for specific medical conditions to be met for transgender athletes competing in the female category. Other federations, such as the one for skiing, are more vague.

White House lawyers provided the USOPC a seven-paragraph analysis that concluded that requiring “men’s participation in women’s sports cannot be squared with the rest of the” Ted Stevens Act.

“And in any event, permitting male athletes to compete against only other fellow males is not a ‘restriction’ on participation or eligibility, it is instead, a neutral channeling rule,” according to the analysis, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Once the sports federations come into compliance, the question then becomes whether the new policy will be challenged, either by individual athletes or by states whose laws don’t conform with what the NGBs adopt. The guidance impacts everyone from Olympic-level athletes to grassroots players whose clubs are affiliated with the NGBs.

Shannon Minter, the legal director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, said it will not be hard to find a transgender athlete who is being harmed by the USOPC change, and that the White House guidance “will be challenged and is highly unlikely to succeed.”

“There are transgender women. There are some international sporting organizations that have policies that permit transgender women to compete if they meet certain medical conditions,” Minter said. “Under the Ted Stevens Act, they can’t override that. So, their response is just to, by brute force, pretend there’s no such thing as a transgender woman. They can’t just dictate that by sheer force of will.”

Traditionally, athletes on the Olympic pathway who have issues with eligibility rules must first try to resolve those through what’s called a Section IX arbitration case before heading to the U.S. court system. Pilgrim spelled out one scenario in which an athlete wins an arbitration “and then the USOPC has a problem.”

“Then, it’s in the USOPC’s court to deny that person the opportunity to compete, and then they’ll be in court, no doubt about that,” she said.

All this comes against the backdrop of a 2020 law that passed that, in the wake of sex scandals in Olympic sports, gave Congress the power to dissolve the USOPC board.

That, combined with the upcoming Summer Games in Los Angeles and the president’s consistent effort to place his stamp on issues surrounding sports, is widely viewed as driving the USOPC’s traditionally cautious board toward making a decision that was being roundly criticized in some circles. The committee’s new policy replaces one that called for reliance on “real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology” to make decisions about transgender athletes in sports.

“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” CEO Sarah Hirshland and board chair Gene Sykes wrote to Olympic stakeholders last week. “The guidance we’ve received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness.”

The USOPC didn’t set a timeline on NGBs coming into compliance, though it’s believed most will get there by the end of the year.

FILE – The Olympic rings are reinstalled after being taken down for maintenance ahead of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Odaiba section in Tokyo, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
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