World News
Boy, 14, arrested after four killed
A 14-year-old boy will be charged with murder after four people were killed and nine injured in a shooting at a Georgia high school.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said two pupils and two teachers died in Wednesday’s attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, Barrow County.
Colt Gray, a student at the school, was arrested by two officers on campus, an official said. He will be tried as an adult.
It has emerged that the FBI interviewed him last year after receiving anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting, but agents did not arrest him at the time.
Officers first received reports of a shooting at the school of around 1,900 pupils at around 10:20 local time (14:20 GMT).
Local sheriff Jud Smith described the attack as “pure evil”.
“Within minutes law enforcement was on scene, as well as two school resource officers assigned to the school who immediately encountered the subject,” the sheriff said in a news conference.
“The subject immediately surrendered. He gave up, got on the ground. And the officers took him into custody.”
Officials said no motive had been identified and that law enforcement did not know of “any targets at this point”.
According to the FBI, investigators had visited the suspect in May 2023 and interviewed him and his father about threats posted online which included pictures of guns.
“The father stated that he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them,” the FBI said in a statement.
The suspect, who was 13-years-old at the time, denied making the online threats and officials “alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the subject”.
“At the time, there was no probable cause for an arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state or federal levels.”
One of those killed on Wednesday was 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, who was autistic, according to local outlet WSB-TV.
Family members had posted Mason’s photo on social media after they couldn’t find him and later reportedly confirmed he did not survive the shooting.
Teacher and coach David Phenix was injured after being shot in the foot and hip, shattering his hip bone, according to his family’s social media posts.
He had surgery but was in a stable condition, someone who identified herself as his daughter said on Facebook.
Law enforcement have not said what type of weapon was used, or how many bullets were fired.
The suspect was interviewed and spoke with investigators once in custody, Sheriff Smith said.
“This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened,” he told reporters.
Dozens of police officers swiftly responded to the shooting at the school, which was placed on lockdown and cleared, with pupils taken to a nearby football stadium before being released to their families.
Lyela Sayarath, who was in the alleged attacker’s class, told CNN that the suspect left the room at the beginning of their algebra lesson.
She said he came back and knocked on the door, which had locked automatically, but another student refused to let him in after noticing he had a gun.
Ms Sayarath told CNN the attacker then went to the classroom next door, where he began shooting.
Alexsandra Romero, a second-year pupil, said she was sitting in class when someone came barging in and shouted at students, warning them to get down.
“I can just remember my hands were shaking,” she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I felt bad because everybody was crying, everybody was trying to find their siblings.
“I can still picture everything, like the blood, the shouting.”
Marques Coleman, 14, said he saw the attacker holding a “big gun” just before the shooting began.
“I got up, I started running, he started shooting like, like 10 times. He shot at least 10 times,” he told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
“My teacher started barricading the door with desks,” he said.
After standing up, the pupil said he saw “one of my classmates on the ground bleeding so bad”, another girl shot in the leg and a friend shot in the stomach.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “praying for the safety of those in our classrooms” and that he was directing “all available state resources” to assist.
Speaking at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Democratic White House candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris called the shooting “a senseless tragedy”.
“It’s just outrageous that every day in our country… that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether their child will come home alive.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Republican White House candidate Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social: “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland, the top law enforcement official in the US, said federal agents were helping the investigation.
World News
Hollywood Bowl cancels show after power outage amid L.A. heat wave
In a weekend marked by power outages due to extreme heat, the Hollywood Bowl had to cancel its Sunday program after the historic venue lost electricity.
No details were available about the cause of the power outage or how long it was supposed to last.
On the social media platform X, Hollywood Bowl officials said “if a new date for this performance can be confirmed, details will follow and tickets for the original date will be valid for the new performance date.”
Grouplove and Tiny Habits were scheduled to perform.
Both the Los Angleles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison reported scattered outages this week, hitting such areas as University Park near USC, Echo Park, Northridge and Valley Glen.
The National Weather Service in Oxnard said that “dangerously hot conditions” would continue in the region through Monday.
World News
Heat to blame as thousands are without power across San Diego County
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The heat wave scorching Southern California will continue at least another day and the power grid is working hard to keep up.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reports the record-breaking high temperatures will continue through Monday night for all areas of San Diego County.
VIDEO: Hail falls from sky in Valley Center amid isolated storms
San Diego’s valley areas, including Santee, El Cajon, Escondido, La Mesa, Poway and San Marcos, are under an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m. Monday with temperatures expected in the 100s to 110s.
While San Diego’s coastal areas are under heat advisories through 8 p.m. Monday — San Diego, Oceanside, Vista, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas and National City. NWS says high temperatures are expected in the uppers 80s and low 90s near the coast, and 90s to 100 degrees just a few miles inland.
As San Diego’s power grid works to keep up with the demand from the record-breaking temperatures, tens of thousands of people across the county were without power Sunday.
A San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) spokesperson told FOX 5/KUSI Sunday afternoon they believe the heat is related to the mass power outages across the county, however they are still investigating the cause.
The spokesperson also took the chance to thank their customers for being patient and said SDG&E crews are working around the clock in the heat to bring back power to all those impacted.
Southern California heat wave brings record temperatures to these areas
At one point Sunday, more than 10,000 people were without power in the Jamacha area, according to SDG&E.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, the SDG&E outage map is reporting the following outages across San Diego County:
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San Juan Capistrano
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City Heights/ Chollas Creek/ Oak Park
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University Heights/ North Park/ Normal Heights
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Granite Hills/ Bostonia/ E El Cajon
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N Vista
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Escondido
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El Cajon
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City Heights/ Chollas Creek/ Oak Park
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City Heights/ Chollas Creek/ Oak Park
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University Heights/ North Park/ Normal Heights
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Fletcher Hills/ El Cajon
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Blossom Valley/ El Monte
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Lemon Grove
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NE Escondido/ Dixon Lake/ Daley Ranch
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University Heights/ North Park/ Normal Heights
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Lemon Grove
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La Presa/ Spring Valley/ Rancho San Diego
SDG&E reports most of these outages are weather related while the rest remain under investigation.
Meanwhile, many areas across Southern California have been experiencing severe weather amid the high temperatures. Parts of the county this weekend have seen thunderstorms with high winds, heavy rain and hail.
If your power goes out during an extreme heat event, there are several steps you can take to stay cool.
According to the CDC, residents can dress in lightweight clothing, use battery-powered fans to cool your home, stay hydrated, reduce activity, take cool showers, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to preserve food, close blinds and curtains to help keep out the sun, along with finding alternative ways to prepare food like grilling outside.
Call 800-CDC-INFO for more information on what to do during a power failure in hot weather.
Those in San Diego County impacted by the power outages can find more information, check the status of an outage and report an outage with SDG&E’s outage map.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
World News
House GOP releases scathing report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a scathing report that took a fine-toothed comb to the military’s botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and highlighted areas of serious mismanagement.
The Republican-led report opens by harkening back to President Joe Biden’s urgency to withdraw from the Vietnam War as a senator in the 1970s. That, along with the Afghanistan withdrawal, demonstrates a “pattern of callous foreign policy positions and readiness to abandon strategic partners,” according to the report.
The report also disputed Biden’s assertion that his hands were tied to the Doha agreement former President Trump had made with the Taliban establishing a deadline for U.S. withdrawal for the summer of 2021, and it revealed how state officials had no plan for getting Americans and allies out while there were still troops there to protect them.
Here’s a roundup of the findings of the 600-page report, comprised of tens of thousands of pages of documents and interviews with high-level officials that spanned much of the last two years:
Biden was not bound by deadlines in Trump’s Doha agreement with Taliban
The report found that Biden and Vice President Harris were advised by top leaders that the Taliban were already in violation of the conditions of the Doha agreement and, therefore, the U.S. was not obligated to leave.
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS BLINKEN OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL
The committee also found NATO allies had expressed their vehement opposition to the U.S. decision to withdraw. The British Chief of the Defense staff warned that “withdrawal under these circumstances would be perceived as a strategic victory for the Taliban.”
Biden kept on Zalmay Khalilzad, a Trump appointee who negotiated the agreement, as special representative to Afghanistan – a signal that the new administration endorsed the deal.
At the Taliban’s demand, Khalilzad had shut out the Afghan government from the talks – a major blow to President Ashraf Ghani’s government.
When Trump left office, some 2,500 U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan. Biden himself was determined to draw that number to zero no matter what, according to Col. Seth Krummrich, chief of staff for Special Operations Command, who told the committee, “The president decided we’re going to leave, and he’s not listening to anybody.”
Then-State Dept. spokesperson Ned Price admitted in testimony the Doha agreement was “immaterial” to Biden’s decision to withdraw.
The withdrawal: State Department built up personnel, failed to hatch escape plan as it became clear Kabul would fall
The report also details numerous warning signs the State Department received to draw down its embassy footprint as it became clear Afghanistan would quickly fall to the Taliban. It refused to do so. At the time of the withdrawal, it was one of the largest embassies in the world.
In the end, Americans and U.S. allies were left stranded as the military was ordered to withdraw before the embassy had shuttered.
In one meeting, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian McKeon rejected military officials’ warnings, saying “we at the State Department have a much higher risk tolerance than you guys.”
Gen. Austin Miler, the longest-serving commander in Afghanistan, confirmed McKeon’s comments and explained that the State Department did not have a higher risk tolerance but instead exhibited “a lack of understanding of the risk” in Afghanistan.
Asked why McKeon would make such statements, the officer explained, “The State Department and the president were saying it. Consequently, [Wilson] and others start saying it, thinking that they will make it work.”
The report lays blame on former Afghanistan Ambassador Ross Wilson, who instead of shrinking, grew the embassy’s presence as the security situation deteriorated.
Revealing little sense of urgency, Wilson was on a two-week vacation on the last week of July and the first week of August 2021.
An NEO, a noncombatant evacuation operation to get personnel out, was not ordered until Aug. 15 as the Taliban marched into Kabul.
There weren’t enough troops present to begin the NEO until Aug. 19, and the first public message from the embassy in Kabul urging Americans to evacuate wasn’t sent until Aug. 7.
And while there weren’t enough military planes to handle the evacuations, it took the Transportation Department until Aug. 20 to allow foreign planes to assist.
Wilson fled the embassy ahead of his entire embassy staff, the report found. He reportedly had COVID-19 at the time but got a foreign service officer to take his test for him so that he could flee the country.
Acting Under Secretary Carol Perez told the committee the embassy’s evacuation plan was “still in the works” when the Taliban took over, despite months of warning.
Those left behind: Americans and allies turned away while unvetted Afghans got on flights
Wilson testified that he was “comfortable” with holding off on the NEO until Aug. 15, while Gen. Frank McKenzie described it as the “fatal flaw that created what happened in August.”
As the Taliban surrounded Kabul on Aug. 14, notes obtained by the committee from a National Security Counsel (NSC) meeting reveal the U.S. government still had not determined who would be eligible for evacuation nor had they identified third countries to serve as transit points for an evacuation.
Fewer cases for special immigrant visas (SIVs) to evacuate Afghan U.S. military allies like interpreters were processed in June, July and August – the lead-up to the takeover – than the four months prior.
When the last U.S. military flight departed Kabul, around 1,000 Americans were left on the ground, as were more than 90% of SIV-eligible Afghans.
The report found that local embassy employees had been de-prioritized for evacuation, with many turned away from the embassy and airport in tears. On the day of the Taliban takeover, the U.S.’ only guidance for those who might be eligible for evacuation was to “not travel to the airport until you have been informed by email that departure options exist.”
And since the NSC did not send over guidelines for who was eligible for evacuation and who to prioritize because they were “at risk,” the State Department processed thousands of evacuees with no documentation.
The U.S. government had “no idea if people being evacuated were threats,” one State Department employee told the committee.
After the final troops left Afghanistan, volunteer groups helped at least 314 American citizens and 266 lawful permanent residents evacuate the country.
Scenes at Abbey Gate: Terror threat warnings unheeded before bombing
And as the Taliban whipped groups of desperate Afghans at the airport, burned young women and executed civilians, U.S. troops were forbidden from intervening.
Consul General Jim DeHart described the scene as “apocalyptic.”
U.S. intelligence, meanwhile, was tracking multiple threat streams, including “a potential VBIED or suicide vest IED as part of a complex attack,” by Aug. 23. By Aug. 26, the threat was specifically narrowed down to Abbey Gate. It was so serious that diplomatic security pulled back state employees from the gate.
Brig. Gen. Farrell Sullivan ultimately decided to keep the gate open in the face of the threats due to requests made by the Brits.
AFGHAN GENERAL SAYS HIS COUNTRY HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME ‘CRUCIBLE OF TERRORISM’
And on Aug. 26, two bombs planted by terror group ISIS-K exploded at the airport, killing 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans. CENTCOM records revealed the same ISIS-K terror cell that conducted the Abbey Gate attack “established a base of operations located six kilometers to the west” of the airport in a neighborhood previously used by them as a staging area for an attack on the airport in December 2020. But the U.S. did not strike this cell before the bombing.
Two weeks later, an airstrike intending to kill those behind the ISIS-K instead killed 10 civilians. The administration initially touted the strike as a success of over-the-horizon capabilities before acknowledging a family of civilians had been killed.
The U.S. has not struck ISIS-K in Afghanistan since – in stark contrast to the 313 operations carried out by CENTCOM against ISIS in Iraq and Syria in 2022.
The long-term consequences
In addition to the $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons, the Taliban likely gained access to up to $57 million in U.S. funds that were initially given to the Afghan government.
The Taliban’s interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, proclaimed in February 2024 that relations with the rest of the world, especially the U.S., are “irrelevant” to its policymaking.
A NATO report written by the Defence Education Enhancement Programme found the Taliban was using U.S. military biometric devices and databases to hunt down U.S. Afghan allies.
And in the first six months of Taliban power, “nearly 500 former government officials and members of the Afghan security forces were killed or forcibly disappeared,” according to the report.
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Some 118 girls have been sold as child brides since the takeover and 116 families are waiting for a buyer. Women are now banned from speaking or showing their faces in public.
In June 2024, the Department of Homeland Security identified more than 400 persons of interest from Central Asia who had illegally crossed the U.S. southern border with the help of an ISIS-related smuggling network. The U.S. has since arrested more than 150 of these individuals. On June 11, 2024, the FBI arrested eight people with ties to ISIS-K who had crossed through the southern border.
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