July 25 top stories
It is July 25. Here are today’s top stories.
Bronny James suffers cardiac arrest
ESPN reported that Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday and is now in stable condition.
Bronny is 18 and plays for the University of Southern California (USC) basketball team and the incident was during practice. He was hospitalized and in the ICU, but is now no longer in the ICU.
The James family said they would provide an update to the media when there is more information.
Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who suffered a cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game last season, tweeted that he is sending prayers to Bronny and the James family. He said he is here for them just like they have been for him during his entire process.
DeSantis uninjured after multi-car accident
AP News reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in a multi-car accident today as he traveled in a motorcade to campaign events in Tennessee but was uninjured.
Police said traffic slowed down and caused four cars in the motorcade to hit each other. One staff member had a minor injury.
DeSantis was okay and continued on to his event. AP said DeSantis was scheduled to hold events throughout central and eastern Tennessee, including attending a fundraiser at a private home in Chattanooga today.
Obamas' chef drowns on Martha's Vineyard
AP News reported that former President Barack Obama's personal chef drowned near the family's home on Martha's Vineyard after he fell while paddleboarding. His name was Tafari Campbell and he was 45.
On Sunday, another paddleboarder reported that they saw Campbell struggling on the surface, went under and didn't resurface. There was a search on Sunday but it was paused during the nighttime. On Monday, police used sonar from a boat and found the body about 100 feet from shore at a depth of about 8 feet. Campbell was not wearing a life jacket.
AP News said Campbell was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha's Vineyard. The Obamas weren't at home at the time of the accident.
Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, said Campbell was a beloved part of their family. She explained that the family first met him when he was a sous chef at the White House. Michelle said when they were getting ready to leave the White House, they asked Campbell to stay with them, and he agreed. Michelle said the Obamas’ hearts are broken that he's gone.
Campbell leaves behind a wife and twin boys.
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Biden adm. sues Texas over floating barrier
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott installed a floating barrier that spans about 1,000 feet in the Rio Grande river at the U.S.-Mexican border in an effort to deter migrants. The barriers are made of orange buoys attached by webbings and anchored to the bottom of the river.
The Biden administration said the barriers were installed without federal permission. The Biden administration said the buoys violate federal laws on navigable waterways, pose safety risks to the public, and that Mexican officials are opposed to the barriers. The Biden administration has sued the state of Texas.
Gov. Abbott said he'll see the Biden administration in court.
BBC reported that there is a separate lawsuit from a local kayak tour operator who says the buoys damage his business and destroy local flora and fauna.
Alabama woman admits to making up kidnapping story
Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old woman from Hoover, Alabama, admitted that she made up a story about seeing a little boy with a diaper walking alone on the side of a highway before she was kidnapped a little more than a week ago.
I will recap what happened.
On July 13 after 9:00 pm, Russell called 911 and reported that she saw a boy in a diaper. When officers arrived, they found Russell's car but there was no sign of the woman or the child. Multiple law enforcement agencies started a search that lasted for 48 hours.
On July 15, Russell arrived at her home on foot. Surveillance footage showed Russell walking alone on a sidewalk. Russell told police that two days earlier, on the highway, as she got out of her car to check on the boy, a man came up and said he was checking on the baby. The man then picked up Russell and the next thing she remembered was being in the back of an 18-wheeler. She said she escaped, but was seized again and taken to a house. She escaped and ran through the woods and then arrived home.
Police then revealed that Russell had some strange internet search queries in the days before the incident. She searched about whether you had to pay for an amber alert (missing child alert), on how to take money from a register without being caught, a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville, and "Taken" the movie.
Last night, police in Hoover said Russell's lawyer issued a statement saying she never saw a child, was never kidnapped and did not leave the Hoover area. So the entire story was fabricated. Police said they are looking into possible charges and will meet with Russell's lawyer today.
People have compared this story with the case of Sherri Papini, a California woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Wildfires in Greece
CBS News reported that there are several fires in Greece that have raged out of control for days with the latest incidents on the islands of Corfu, Evia, and Rhodes. Over 20,000 people have been evacuated over the weekend — most of those people are tourists.
Two pilots died today when their water-bombing plane crashed during an operation above Evia.
Greece is going through a heat wave with temperatures hitting over 100 degrees F in parts of the country. There are also strong winds, which make fires spread faster and harder to stop.
CBS News said there are also wildfires in Algeria with at least 34 people dying. There are mass evacuations in Algeria.
The heat waves hitting various parts of the world, including the U.S., is considered to be a direct effect of human-caused climate change.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/obama-chef-drowning-marthas-vineyard-7c75e65b4e550823ee21334a0450323c
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/carlee-russell-update-timeline/44603489#
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/carlee-russell-update-timeline/44603489#
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/20/1124104521/sherri-papini-kidnapping-hoax-sentence
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66296989
https://nypost.com/2023/07/24/texas-father-smashes-windshield-to-save-baby-from-hot-car/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greece-fires-rhodes-evacuations-europe-new-heat-wave-north-africa/