Amna Nawaz:
California Governor Gavin Newsom has promised to retaliate if the Texas plan goes through, saying his state will hold a special election this fall to redraw districts and give Democrats five more House seats.
LaToya Cantrell, the mayor of New Orleans, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction. Those charges alleged Cantrell went to criminal lengths to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, a recently retired police officer.
Prosecutors called it a three-year fraud scheme and said Cantrell and bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie exploited their public authority. Cantrell is the first female mayor in New Orleans history. Neither she nor her office have commented on the charges.
Erin has strengthened into the first hurricane of this year’s Atlantic season and it’s barreling towards the Caribbean. It’s currently churning off the north Leeward Islands and could become a major hurricane this weekend. For now, Erin is not projected to hit land, but forecasters are still warning of downpours, possible flooding, and landslides in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as it passes to their north.
At least 280 people are dead and an untold number missing after flash floods wreaked havoc on parts of Northern Pakistan and India over the last two days. Sudden monsoon rains caused glacial rivers like this one to turn violent, sweeping away cars and triggering landslides. Witnesses describe the horror as the deluge hit this Pakistani village, destroying everything in its path.
