History just repeated itself (in horrific fashion) and most probably had no idea. I sure didn’t. But that’s why we do our research around here and that’s why over 5 million people trust us to deliver the news each day. In 1987, the same river, same exact area, even the same kind of camp was hit by nearly identical fast-rising flooding. Take a look: 1987: Church Camp Kids Were Taken by the Guadalupe River. 2025: It’s Happening AGAIN. SAME River. SAME Kind of Camp. Nearly 40 years apart.Same region.Same kind of kids.Same outcome. How is this even possible? pic.twitter.com/aFkEvvIgjy — HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 6, 2025 And because we don’t report solely based on a video posted to Twitter, I did my research and here’s everything I found about that event: Date & Location: On July 17, 1987, a flash flood hit the Guadalupe River near Comfort, Texas, during a church camp at Pot O’ Gold Ranch. Rainfall & Flooding: 10–12 inches of rain caused the river to rise 29 feet, cresting at 31.5 feet in Comfort — among the highest in recorded history. Camp Involved: Over 300 children, mostly from Seagoville Road Baptist Church in Balch Springs, TX, were attending the camp. The flood triggered an early morning evacuation. Tragic Evacuation: The last bus carrying 43 people (39 teens, 4 adults) stalled at a low-water crossing. As they attempted to escape on foot, a massive wall of water swept them into the river. Casualties: 10 teenagers drowned. 9 bodies were recovered; one was never found. Survivors: 33 people (including all four adults) were rescued, many airlifted from treetops by helicopters. Rescue Teams: Texas DPS, U.S. Army, and a San Antonio news station played key roles in the rescue efforts. Aftermath: A memorial plaque was erected; the dangerous road was rebuilt 15 feet higher to prevent recurrence. Cultural Impact: The event inspired a 1989 Rescue 911 segment and the 1993 TV movie The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? Legacy: The tragedy remains a solemn reminder of Texas Hill Country’s flash flood dangers, especially during summer camps, and drew renewed attention during similar 2025 floods. I’m willing to bet someone reading this lived through it or lived near it. Comment below if you have a personal history with this 1987 flood! Oh, and did you notice in the video above they said the first to be rescued was “Chris Wray”? Really? What are the odds. Surely it’s not the same Christopher Wray, do you think?

Okay, this seems suspicious. Russia’s Minister of Transportation, who was just fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found dead just hours after being canned. An initial report has revealed that the former minister of transportation, Roman Starovoy, died by suicide. It gets weirder. Another Transportation Ministry official died soon after. CBS had these details to report on the mysterious deaths: Russia’s Minister of Transport reportedly killed himself just hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin, according to the country’s state-run news agency, which cited the national Investigative Committee. A second senior Transport Ministry official reportedly died soon after, for reasons which remain unclear. Roman Starovoy fatally shot himself Monday in his car in Odintsovo, a city west of Moscow, according to a statement from the committee that was reported by Russia’s TASS news agency. “The circumstances of the incident are being established,” TASS cited the Investigative Committee as saying. “The main hypothesis is suicide.” Forbes Russia reported that Starovoy, 53, died “presumably overnight between Saturday and Sunday,” citing an anonymous source close to state investigators. It was not possible to explain the discrepancy between the times of death reported by Forbes and the official Russian media. Today, mere hours after Putin dismissed Russia’s Minister of Transportation from his position “for loss of trust” Roman Starovoyt was found dead at 53 with a gunshot wound Russian media claims it was suicide due to the possibility of criminal fraud cases being opened against him pic.twitter.com/vwbZzGxLfO — Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) July 7, 2025 Some Russian insiders have reported that Starovoit died months ago. AP had the scoop: Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of the capital where many members of Russia’s elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was reportedly found next to his body. A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee’s spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died. Law enforcement agents were seen carrying Starovoit’s body from the site Monday evening. Andrei Kartapolov, a former deputy defense minister who heads a defense committee in the lower house of parliament, told news outlet RTVI that Starovoit killed himself “quite a while ago,” and some Russian media alleged that he may have taken his life before the publication of Putin’s decree firing him. Starovoit was last seen in public Sunday morning, when an official video from the ministry’s situation room featured him receiving reports from officials. Following a surprise cabinet shake-up in Russia, President Putin named Andrei Nikitin, the former governor of Novgorod, as the acting Transport Minister. Putin stated, ‘As the world’s largest country, we must have the most effective transportation network.’#Putin #Russian… pic.twitter.com/Sd6IqXYaRI — Europe central (@EuropeCentral_) July 7, 2025

Governor Gavin Newsom slams federal agents for cracking down on illegal immigration

Laken Riley’s accused killer secured a significant legal victory after a judge granted a defense motion for a mental competency evaluation, following claims that the 27-year-old illegal alien was unfit to stand trial last year.

Jose Ibarra, the illegal immigrant convicted of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, secured a major court victory last Thursday when a judge ordered a mental evaluation that could lead to a new trial. Ibarra, 27, was found guilty in November on 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault with intent to rape Riley, who he murdered after she went jogging at the University of Georgia in Athens. According to court documents, Ibarra’s defense attorneys claimed he “lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object and proceedings” and is “suffering from congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial,” per the New York Post. Judge Patrick Haggard ordered a “prompt evaluation” to determine if Ibarra was fit to stand trial last year and whether he can assist with his current appeal. “The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense,” the order reads. Prosecutor Sheila Ross noted in court filings that there was no evidence during the trial suggesting Ibarra wasn’t mentally competent, though she didn’t oppose the evaluation and instead left the decision up to the Judge. Ibarra, a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, waived his right to a jury trial, and Judge Haggard sentenced the illegal immigrant to life in prison without parole. Ibarra had illegally entered the United States during the Biden administration’s border crisis, having been detained in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released after approximately one day. Riley’s brutal murder shocked the University of Georgia campus and garnered national attention amid heated debates about immigration enforcement. In January, President Donald Trump signed into law the “Laken Riley Act,” which requires federal officials to arrest non-U.S. nationals accused of violent and theft-related crimes in the United States. Ibarra had been previously arrested for other offenses, but he was released in New York before federal authorities could issue a detainer. The mental evaluation is set to take place either at the Georgia Department of Corrections or at a designated hospital facility. No timeline has been established for when the evaluation results might be available or how quickly the court will rule on potential next steps. If the mental evaluation finds Ibarra was not competent during his original trial, his defense team could petition for a retrial, potentially setting aside his life sentence and reopening wounds for Riley’s family and community.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt set the record straight on Monday after multiple media outlets had blamed President Donald Trump’s administration for what they claimed was a lack of necessary staffing at the National Weather Service (NWS). Multiple reports have circulated — in the wake of devastating flash flooding in central Texas — suggesting that Trump’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government through the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had led to a shortage of key staffers in the Texas NWS offices responsible for warning the local population in the event of a flood. Leavitt pushed back, saying that the offices in question were, in fact, fully staffed. WATCH: .@PressSec dispels the fake news around National Weather Service staffing in the wake of the weekend’s devastating Texas flooding: “The San Angelo office was fully staffed with 12 forecast meteorologists … The San Antonio office was operating with 11 forecasters.” pic.twitter.com/sk5rPG1Tv1 — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2025 “Are there concerns within the White House or from the president himself that the cuts that happened under Musk while he was advising DOGE, including the National Weather Service?” one reporter asked. “I think I’ve already addressed that … and what I can tell you is that these offices were fully staffed,” Leavitt explained. “The San Angelo office was fully staffed with 12 forecast meteorologists, there were no vacancies. The San Antonio office was operating with 11 forecasters, and … the union themselves said that there was adequate staffing, so I think those words speak for themselves, and the numbers speak for themselves.” “This was a once-in-a-century flash flood, a tragic natural disaster, and the administration is doing all that we can on the ground to help these families during this time of need,” she added. President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he planned to visit the flood-ravaged state in the near future, but wanted to wait until his presence would not be a hindrance to relief efforts.

On Monday, shortly Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill defunding the abortion giant, a leftist Massachusetts federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama blocked the provision in the bill. The budget bill freezes Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani approved the request by Planned Parenthood to stop the Medicaid funding cuts to Planned Parenthood that were part of the bill, issuing a temporary restraining order. “Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants are hereby enjoined from enforcing, retroactively enforcing, or otherwise applying the provisions of Section 71113 of “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14,” against Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood of Utah,” Talwani wrote, adding: Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants shall take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and timeframes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood of Utah. The temporary restraining order is in effect for two weeks. “Talwani’s ruling still allows the administration to enforce the provision against other providers, but Planned Parenthood says it comprises almost the entirety of the impacted entities,” The Hill noted. In 2024, Planned Parenthood’s annual report acknowledged the organization had performed a mind-numbing 392,715 abortions between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. That represented a 5% increase over the year before, when 374,155 abortions were performed. Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022. “The document says that locations in states ‘where abortion is protected’ saw a 700% increase in demand,” the Catholic News Agency reported. “The report also said that Planned Parenthood helped to refer and coordinate travel for over 33,000 abortions.” In late June, the Supreme Court ruled that lower courts do not have the unilateral authority to block President Trump’s agenda. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote the opinion for the majority, stated, “federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them.”

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a groundbreaking blend of biotechnology and sustainability, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have figured out how to turn plastic bottle waste into paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen), one of the world’s most widely used painkillers. Their innovative method transforms discarded PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the plastic commonly used in drink bottles and food packaging, into a valuable pharmaceutical, all with the help of genetically engineered E. coli bacteria. This dual-purpose solution doesn’t just address the ever-growing issue of plastic pollution; it also provides a cleaner, more sustainable route to producing an essential medicine. As the research team has shown, the process takes less than 24 hours, operates at room temperature, and emits no carbon, making it an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional drug production methods. The news comes at an especially fitting time: July is recognized as Plastic Free July, a movement that encourages people to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics. This scientific breakthrough highlights how innovation at the molecular level can complement everyday actions in the effort to reduce plastic waste and build a circular economy. A living lab for plastic conversion The process begins by chemically treating PET waste and introducing it to specially reprogrammed E. coli. The bacteria get to work breaking the plastic down into terephthalic acid, a compound that serves as a key building block for the conversion process. Inside the modified E. coli, that compound undergoes a transformation known as the Lossen rearrangement, a chemical reaction that results in the creation of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Notably, PABA is not just an intermediate step in the conversion, it also helps sustain the bacteria’s growth. From there, additional engineered metabolic pathways in the bacteria convert PABA into paracetamol. Remarkably, this streamlined process converts roughly 90 percent of the plastic-derived terephthalic acid into usable paracetamol. The study’s findings, recently published in Nature Chemistry, demonstrate not only the technical feasibility of the method but also its potential scalability if further research and refinement continue to show promising results. A promising future for sustainable pharmaceuticals While the method isn’t ready for commercial deployment just yet, the team is optimistic. “We are bringing in exceptional companies like AstraZeneca to work with Stephen and others at the University to translate these cutting-edge discoveries into world-changing innovations,” said Ian Hatch, head of consultancy at Edinburgh Innovations, the university’s commercialization office. For now, the innovation marks a hopeful step toward a circular future where the plastic waste cluttering our landfills and oceans could one day help relieve human pain. It’s an elegant example of how science can tackle two major problems at once: plastic pollution and the carbon-intensive nature of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Source study: Nature Chemistry—A biocompatible Lossen rearrangement in Escherichia coliThe post Turning plastic into pain relief: scientists transform PET waste into paracetamol first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.