Tracking a trio of tropical systems: Latest forecasts for Fred, Grace and Henri
There's a trio of tropical systems in the Atlantic Basin, with Fred moving up the East Coast as Grace hits Haiti and Henri churns near Bermuda.
Fred made landfall on the Florida Panhandle Monday afternoon, leading to flooding as Panama City saw 10 inches of rain.
Fred has now weakened to a tropical depression over Georgia, but the heavy rain should continue from Georgia to the Carolinas and into Virginia.
US Embassy personnel evacuated from Kabul: State Department
The State Department confirmed Tuesday that all U.S. Embassy personnel have been evacuated from Kabul -- leaving a small core group based at the airport -- and the priority has shifted to evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghans who helped the U.S.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing Tuesday that officials don't take the Taliban at their word and will monitor the situation, but the U.S. is not providing safe passage for those leaving the country.
A U.S. official confirmed that an email went out to Americans who have been notified that says: "the United States government cannot guarantee your security as you make this trip."
While most embassy personnel have left, the State Department is sending some diplomats into the country, including consular affairs personnel, to help with evacuation efforts. Among those is Ambassador John Bass, who was the most recent Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, serving from 2017 to 2020. He is there to coordinate the evacuation effort, while Ambassador Ross Wilson, technically the charge d'affaires at the embassy, remains in charge of the U.S. mission.
To that end, the embassy has notified the first group of U.S. citizens to travel to the airport for evacuation flights.
While the Taliban have provided assurances that they will allow safe passage of civilians to the airport, it has been reported that people have been beaten or blocked by Taliban fighters.
Source- ABC
R Kelly to take the stand today in sex trafficking trial
R. Kelly sex trafficking trial is officially underway, starting with opening statements.
Kelly, 54, whose birth name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces state and federal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, coercion and other charges related to the alleged abuse and exploitation of six women -- three of whom were underage at the time -- over the course of 25 years.
If convicted, he could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison.
Three of Kelly's alleged victims intend to testify. The women have accused him of controlling their lives and claimed he subjected them to psychological and physical abuse. In addition, his alleged victims say he banned them from looking at other men and forced them to address him as "Daddy." They also claim he paid them hush money. Kelly's team has characterized his accusers as "disgruntled groupies."
Last week, a jury of seven men and five women, along with six alternates, were sworn in by Judge Ann Donnelly. The jurors will remain anonymous and will be partially sequestered.
It has been reported that, among the evidence expected to be presented during trial, the jury will hear about the singer's brief controversial marriage to Aaliyah, whom prosecutors say was 15 at the time.
Kelly also faces a separate indictment in Chicago for allegations regarding child pornography. That trial is scheduled to begin in September.
Source-ABC
Drake joins list of stars who had COVID-19
As Jim Jones announced Monday he’s recovering from COVID-19, Drake also revealed that he contracted the virus.
When a follower commented on the Instagram fan account @drizzy_drake_vids, “That heart is stressed,” referring to his signature hairline, Champagne Papi replied, “I had Covid.” He added about his uneven hairline, “[It] grew in weird. I had to start again,” with a cry-laughing emoji. "It’s coming back don’t diss."
Recovering from COVID-19 may be one of the reasons for the delay of the four-time Grammy winner’s sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy. After being originally scheduled for release in January, it was rescheduled for June, but fans are still waiting.
Drake did drop a three-song EP, Scary Hours 2, in March. Last August, he released the first and, so far, only single from Certified Lover Boy, titled “Laugh Now Cry Later.” CLB will be the follow-up to his last studio album, 2018's Scorpion, which is RIAA-certified five-times Platinum.
As previously reported, Jones revealed Monday on Instagram that he had COVID-19. However he recently tested negative and shared that he's feeling better.
Source-ABC
Grace drenches Haiti; Jamaica maintains tropical storm watch
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica says a tropical storm watch is being maintained for Jamaica as Tropical Depression Grace dumps heavy rain on Haiti and threatens to spread to the island.
A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions continue to pose a possible threat.
According to the Met Service, at 7:00 pm, the centre of Tropical Depression Grace was located near latitude 18.0 degrees north, longitude 73.0 degrees west, or about 340 kilometres (210 miles) east of Morant Point, Jamaica. This is also 95 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Maximum sustained winds are near 55 km/h (35 mph), with higher gusts.
Strengthening is forecast during the next few days and Grace is expected to again become a tropical storm on Tuesday.
Grace is moving towards the west-northwest near 20 km/h (13 mph) and a west to west-northwest motion is expected during the next few days.
On the forecast track, the centre of Grace will continue to move near or over the Tiburon Peninsula of southwestern Haiti through Monday night and then between Jamaica and Cuba on Tuesday, possibly as a tropical storm.
The Met Service said Grace will likely produce widespread showers and thunderstorms across Jamaica, starting late Monday night and continuing through the day on Tuesday.
Rainfall amounts could reach 100-150 millimetres (four - six inches), generating flash floods and possible landslides. Strong, gusty winds will also be experienced, primarily over northern parishes on Tuesday, it added.
Sea conditions will gradually deteriorate through Tuesday, especially east and north of the island and marine interests are urged to exercise extreme caution. Small craft operators should remain in port.
Source-Observer
WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE TCI
GENERAL SITUATION: LINGERING TROUGHING COUPLED WITH TRAILING MOISTURE FROM TROPICAL STORM FRED WILL TRIGGER ENHANCED SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, AS HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS IN ITS WAKE. MEANWHILE, BRISK WINDS AND POCKETS OF UNSETTLED WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION GRACE WILL IMPACT THE REMAINDER OF THE BAHAMAS, AS THE STORM MIGRATES WESTWARDS OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA THROUGH TUESDAY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT DUE TO THE THREAT OF POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY, ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS, ROUGH SURF, HIGH SEAS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY TO 3NM OR LESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
IN THE TCI
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY, WARM AND WINDY WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TUESDAY
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS, INCREASING 20 TO 25 KNOTS IN THE TCI.
SEAS: 5 TO 8 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS, BUILDING 7 TO 10 FEET IN THE TCI.
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 77°F 25°C
TUESDAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURE: 91°F 33°C
SUNSET: 7:41PM SUNRISE: 6:45AM TUE.
MOONSET: 1:36AM TUE. MOONRISE: 3:48PM TUE.
LOW TIDE: 9:37PM HIGH TIDE: 3:23AM TUE.
LOW TIDE: 9:37AM TUE. HIGH TIDE: 4:12PM TUE.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NEWS ITEMS ON TROPICAL DEPRESSION GRACE, MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA, TROPICAL STORM FRED, MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, AND TROPICAL DEPRESSION EIGHT, LOCATED A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.
Naomi Osaka cries at Cincinnati Masters press conference
Naomi Osaka broke down in tears before resuming her first news conference since the controversy over refusing to speak to media at the French Open.
Osaka became emotional shortly after being asked about "dealing with media in this format" - and the Cincinnati Masters video call was briefly halted.
Earlier, the Japanese star, 23, said she was "proud" of the stand she took in Paris.
"It was something that needed to be done," she said.
At May's French Open, four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka said she would not do news conferences to protect her mental health.
She went on to pull out of the event and missed Wimbledon to take a break from tennis, having experienced anxiety and depression.
Osaka returned to play at her home Olympics in Tokyo, where she lit the flame at the opening ceremony before going on to lose in the third round.
At Tuesday's conference everything had initially gone smoothly, before Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty asked how she balanced the benefits of a big media profile with not talking to them.
Osaka sought clarity around what he was asking and the pair had a calm exchange before the player began to cry as questions about tennis from another reporter were asked.
The conference was briefly stopped to allow her to compose herself, and Osaka returned to respond to the question she was asked in English before fielding more questions in Japanese.
At the French Open, Osaka was fined $15,000 (£10,570) for not taking part in a news conference following her first-round match at Roland Garros.
Grand Slam organisers said she could face expulsion from the tournament should she refuse to take part in media duties.
But the player withdrew the following day, saying she needed to "protect her mental health".
In the Cincinnati conference, she added: "It felt like something I needed to do for myself. I felt like I holed up in my house for a couple of weeks and was a little bit embarrassed to go out.
"The biggest eye-opener was going to the Olympics and having other athletes come up to me and say they were really glad I did what I did."
Osaka also said she supported America's four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles, who pulled out of the women's gymnastics team final - and individual all-round, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise finals - in Tokyo to focus on her mental health.
Source-BBC
Another 1K US troops heading to Kabul, bringing total to 6,000
Another 1,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne have been ordered to head directly to Afghanistan's capital instead of Kuwait to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Afghans who assisted the U.S. mission, a U.S. official told ABC News.
That brings the total number of U.S. troops being sent back to Afghanistan to 6,000.
The Taliban on Sunday ordered its fighters to enter the capital city, according to a statement, because "now there are reports that districts in Kabul have been evacuated, police have left their job of providing security, ministries have been evacuated, and security personnel from the Kabul administration have fled."
The Taliban went on to tell Kabul residents that they should not fear these troops and that none would enter anyone's homes or harass anyone.
In a message posted to Facebook, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he left Kabul to save the capital city and its citizens from bloodshed.
Earlier Sunday, both former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, issued a statement confirming that Ghani had left the country and they announced plans to form a new reconciliation council.
The Taliban reported earlier Sunday that its leaders were at the presidential palace to negotiate a transfer of power.
Ludacris releases new song, "Butter.Atl," and video in partnership with Jif
If you thought peanut butter and jelly is the perfect pair, think again -- it's peanut butter and Ludacris.
The rapper has teamed up with Jif to launch the That Jif’ing Good ad campaign. Luda tells ABC Audio that while brainstorming ideas for their partnership, "it sparked the inspiration of going in the studio and making a song." And, so he did just that.
Luda linked up with She’skpere to produce the song "Butter.Atl," which was released on Friday. For the visuals, he tapped Emmy-winning music video and film director, Dave Meyers.
Together, with some help from Atlanta’s finest new school hip-hop artist, Gunna, the components tell the humorous story of how Ludacris' legendary flow evolved -- all thanks to Jif peanut butter.
"It's like a dream collaboration," he shares.
Also joining Luda on the project is his daughter, Karma Bridges, who makes a brief cameo in the advert, expressing her love for the song, saying, "Dad, this slaps!" The opportunity to have his daughter participate is one that Luda says was only natural.
"Once you get [to] a certain time in hip-hop, it's like you're children are telling you what's cool," he explains. "She's telling me about the track and the commercial and that's why it was organic to put her in."
The collaboration with Jif was also organic for Luda, who shares that he's loved the brand since he was a kid and that, after 20 years in the entertainment industry, he only does partnerships that are "organic to my lifestyle."
"It truly is my favorite peanut butter," he expresses, adding that "everyone around me knows the one thing that I do and never get tired of every day is eat peanut butter."
Source-ABC
Tropical Storm Grace forms; Fred now a tropical wave
Tropical Storm Grace formed yesterday morning in the Atlantic Ocean and grew stronger, while Fred weakened into a tropical wave as it headed into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Both systems were expected to bring heavy rain and flooding. Fred, which was once a tropical storm, could regain such strength today, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The center said in its 5:00 pm EDT advisory that Grace was centred about 55 miles (85 kilometres) east-south-east of Guadeloupe. It was moving west at 26 mph (43 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), down from 45 mph (75 kph) earlier in the day.
A tropical storm warning was issued for the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the Dominican Republic, which forecasters said Grace could reach by tomorrow.
Grace was forecast to bring three to six inches (7.5 to 15 centimetres) of rain to the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico into Monday. The current forecast has Grace approaching South Florida as a tropical storm by midweek.
Meanwhile, Fred was downgraded to a tropical wave with top winds around 35 mph (55 kph). Tropical waves can contain winds and heavy rain but do not circulate around a centre point or an “eye” that a tropical storm or hurricane has. Forecasters said Fred appeared “disorganised” and they projected it would pass west of the lower Florida Keys and then move into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. At 5:00 pm EDT, Fred was 150 miles (240 kilometres) west-north-west of Havana and moving west-north-west at 13 mph (20 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). Forecasters believe the system will regenerate into a tropical storm today as it moves toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for the state's Panhandle region. Fred is expected to bring heavy rain to the south-eastern US by tomorrow. It is not projected to reach hurricane strength.
A tropical storm warning that had been in effect for the Florida Keys has been cancelled.
Once a tropical storm, Fred weakened to a depression by its spin over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut down part of the country's aqueduct system, interrupting water service for hundreds of thousands of people. Local officials reported hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings were damaged.
Fred was expected to bring three to five inches (7.5 to 12.5 centimetres) of rain to the Keys and southern Florida through tomorrow.
No evacuations are planned for tourists or residents in the Keys. The county's emergency management officials are advising people in camp grounds, recreational vehicles, travel trailers, live-aboard vessels and mobile homes to seek shelter in a safe structure during the storm.
In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey issued a statement yesterday saying her administration is monitoring the storm and “will be ready to act from the state level if needed”.
Source-AP