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Top Stories for Today
A devastating flash flood in central Texas has claimed the lives of at least 82 individuals. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with 68 confirmed deaths in Kerr County, including 28 children, as reported by the county sheriff. The tragedy primarily impacted individuals staying in youth camps along the Guadalupe River. Questions have arisen regarding the lack of evacuation warnings for those in the camps and others living near the river. Get a detailed timeline of the catastrophic events here.
KERRVILLE, TEXAS – JULY 04: Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
Eric Vryn/Getty Images
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Eric Vryn/Getty Images
- 🎧 NPR’s Greg Allen shares his experience along the Guadalupe River on Up First. He witnessed harrowing scenes, including cars lodged in trees and debris piles. Wendy Barker, a resident of Hunt, one of the areas severely affected by the flooding, questions the absence of alerts to her community. Despite hearing the rain throughout the night, Barker received no warnings on her phone about the flash floods. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings starting Wednesday, escalated on Thursday, and declared a flash flood emergency after nearly a foot of rain. Local authorities are currently focused on recovery operations, with answers to follow later. Listen to the podcast for more details.
- ➡️ Texas is in the process of recovering from the catastrophic aftermath. Explore images depicting the impact on communities and watch a time-lapse video capturing the rapid flooding of Texas’ Llano River.
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet today, potentially discussing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. This marks Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since collaborating on attacks against Iran’s nuclear facilities two weeks ago. Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas commenced in Qatar, with mediators shuttling between the delegations. Netanyahu’s recent stance emphasizes the eradication of Hamas in Gaza, with discussions this week likely addressing the implications.
- 🎧 According to NPR’s Daniel Estrin, mediators have positioned the Israeli and Hamas teams on different floors of the same hotel in the region. Negotiations are ongoing, with a draft deal proposing a 60-day ceasefire. The deal includes the release of hostages by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners by Israel. Initial discussions will focus on finalizing terms for concluding the conflict. Trump’s administration plans to outline tariff rates to non-negotiating countries.
The White House confirms the implementation of Trump’s extensive tariff rates on August 1. Initially scheduled for this week, the president imposed a 10% tariff on all imported goods in April, causing a stock market downturn. A 90-day pause was then enacted, with the expectation that nations would negotiate trade agreements with the U.S.
- 🎧 The administration plans to dispatch letters today outlining the tariff rates to countries. This move aims to accelerate negotiations, as few agreements have been reached during the pause. While the pause stabilized financial markets, Trump recently stated that countries failing to negotiate deals could face even higher tariff rates.
