Month: July 2025

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that three people, a man and two children, were killed in after a catastrophic explosion at a Nebraska biofuels plant.

Fremont fire crews responded to calls of the explosion, which occurred midday Tuesday at Horizon Biofuels, a manufacturer of fuel pellets and animal bedding located in Fremont, Neb. at 950 S. Union St., about 50 miles northwest of Omaha, at 11:56 a.m. CDT.

Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said at a news conference that in the immediate aftermath, three people remained missing as initial rescue efforts were stymied by the fire and structure concerns. “We are unable to gain access early on,” Bernt said. “We tried to get access, but just due to the collapse with the mangled steel, we’re unable to get inside.”

Pictures of the building posted online by Nebraska State Trooper Tom Hicken show the building sustained significant damage, with the top floors appearing to have been completely destroyed.

It was later confirmed that the missing individuals, identified as two girls under the age of 12 as well as an adult man, were dead, per The Associated Press. The man was an employee, who was in building with two girls both believed to be under the age of 12 when the explosion occurred. Their names are not being released at this time.

Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said during a press conference: “The two children were there just waiting for him to get off to go to a doctor’s appointment .. My heart hurts. It hurts for this situation, which is a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved.”

Nebraska Task Force One program manager Ashley Engler said during Wednesday’s briefing that crews continued to battle an active fire on Wednesday, as well as assess how to safely access the building to recover the victims. The steel warehouse is becoming more unstable as the fire continues to burn, she added, stating: “We are using all search and rescue resources and capabilities we have, including structural engineers, to obtain access in a safe manner to get to these to these victims.”

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement: “We will continue to closely monitor the explosion in Fremont in coordination with local responders, law enforcement, and state partners. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved — and we’re ready to help any way we can.”

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The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it’s keeping its benchmark interest rate steady, citing elevated uncertainty over the nation’s economic outlook.  The announcement comes just days after President Trump made a visit to the central bank, calling for a rate cut. The decision keeps the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate at a range of 4.25% to 4.5% for a fifth straight meeting.

The Federal Open Market Committee, the 12-person central bank’s rate-setting panel, said in its statement: “Although swings in net exports continue to affect the data, recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year. The unemployment rate remains low, and labor market conditions remain solid. Inflation remains somewhat elevated.”

The 9-2 vote saw two FOMC members, Fed Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, voted in favor of lowering the central bank’s short-term rate; marking the first time since 1993 that two member of the Fed’s Board of Governors have voted against the chair.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C., Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that. he advocated for the independence of the Federal Reserve. Powell said that “political independence gives central bankers the ability to make these very challenging decisions in ways that are focused on the data, the evolving outlook, the balance of risks – and not on political factors. If you were not to have that, there’d be a great temptation of course to use interest rates to affect elections, for example. I think it’s very important.”

Powell added that tariffs had begun to contribute to price increases for some goods but the ultimate impact of the policy remains uncertain: “Higher tariffs have begun to show through more clearly into prices of some goods but their overall effects on inflation and the economy remain to be seen. Their effects on inflation could prove to be short-lived, but it is possible the inflation effects could be more persistent. We’ll do what we need to do to keep inflation under control.”

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the gunman behind the deadly shooting inside an office building in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening was apparently targeting NFL offices there. Adams has told the press it appears the shooter took the wrong elevator bank and instead reached the offices of Rudin Management, where he again opened fire after spraying bullets across the building’s lobby.

A New York City police officer and three civilians were killed after the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, opened fire inside the high-rise corporate building in midtown Manhattan. The shooting was first reported at 6:30 p.m. at 345 Park Ave., which houses several major businesses, including Blackstone, KPMG and the NFL. The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, per authorities.

The four victims were identified as: NYPD officer Didarul Islam, Blackstone real estate executive Wesley LePatner, Rudin employee Julia Hyman, and security officer Aland Etienne.

Mayor Adams said that Officer Islam joined the NYPD four years ago. He was a Bangladeshi immigrant assigned to a Bronx precinct, and was off-duty working a private security detail assignment at the time of the shooting. Islam is survived by his wife, who is eight months pregnant, and two young sons.  The NYPD said in a statement: “Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department. He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today.”

32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said of dedicated security officer Aland Etienne: “this tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe. Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line. Their contributions to our city are essential, though often unappreciated. Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such.” Etienne’s partner of eight years, Rachel Paoli, is the mother of their son, who will turn 7 on Saturday.

Blackstone also shared in a statement about their employee LePatner: “Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed.  She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD.” 

Officials say that Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, acted alone and “has a documented mental health history.” According to law enforcement, investigators recovered a three-page rambling note from the gunman’s wallet in which he referenced the brain disease CTE, which is caused by head trauma, as the possible cause of his mental illness. According to the sources, the note said he wanted to have his brain donated to science so it could studied for the disease. Tamura played high school football but did not play professionally, and police have not found any evidence that he suffered from CTE and has no known connection to the NFL. Police sources told ABC News that a page of the note alleged the National Football League had concealed the dangers football contact could cause to players’ brains to maximize earnings. Tamura had two Mental Health Crisis Holds on his record, and a prior arrest for trespassing in Nevada, where he also received his concealed carry license.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington posted to X  that “NFL commissioner Roger Goodell informed league employees that ‘one of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition” (which was also confirmed by CNN.)

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Ghislaine Maxwell, the late Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator, says she is willing to testify before Congress on what she knows about the disgraced financier if she is granted a pardon. Epstein died in jail in 2019 by suicide.

A letter from Maxwell’s attorney David Markus on Tuesday to Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, who heads the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, pushed for her clemency so she can “testify openly and honestly” about Epstein. Comer issued a subpoena last week to secure Maxwell’s testimony through a deposition on Aug. 11 at a federal correctional facility in Tallahassee, Florida.

Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges in 2021. Prosecutors said that from 1994 to 2004, Maxwell worked together with Epstein to identify girls, groom them, and then transport them to Epstein’s properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and other locations, where they were then sexually abused.

Markus said Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment right and decline to testify unless the committee agreed to grant her immunity and interview her outside prison: “Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity. Nor is a prison setting conducive to eliciting truthful and complete testimony.”

Markus also asked the committee to provide questions in advance and postpone the interview until after the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to take up Maxwell’s appeal of her conviction: “Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C. She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning.”

The letter comes after Maxwell and her lawyer met last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over two days last week. Maxwell answered questions for about nine hours over two days after being granted a limited form of immunity to secure her participation in that interview, according to NBC News. Blanche has not released any information about their conversation but says he will do so at the proper time. At the time, Maxwell’s attorney Markus said that they did not ask for a pardon and one was not offered. However, Markus said it is no secret Maxwell is seeking “relief” from her 20 year prison sentence.

On Monday, President Trump said that while no one had approached him about a pardon for Maxwell, he did have the power to grant one. However a spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee ruled out the idea of granting Maxwell immunity: “The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell’s attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony.”

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Four people were killed, including an NYPD officer, and another man was critically injured in a shooting Monday evening inside a Midtown Manhattan office building, which houses the corporate offices of the National Football League and Blackstone.

The gunman was identified Monday night as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas. Police said he entered the skyscraper lobby on Park Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. EDT, and opened fire, before barricading himself on the 33rd floor. Tamura was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to officers, who said he acted alone.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the alleged shooter’s body was found next to a Palmetto State Armory AR-15 assault rifle. Tisch said Tamura “immediately opened fire on the NYPD officer” inside the lobby before shooting several other people and heading for the 33rd floor. Police later released a photo of Tamura as he walked into the building, carrying a long gun in a crowded area just blocks from the Museum of Modern Art and Grand Central Station.

According to the police commissioner, officers found more guns, ammunition and medication during a search of Tamura’s vehicle. Tamura drove cross-country Saturday through Monday, when he arrived in New York City in the late afternoon. Tisch said: “Surveillance video shows a male exit a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets, carrying an M-4 rifle in his right hand as he walks toward the building’s entrance. The building’s security camera footage shows the shooter enter the lobby, turn right and immediately open fire on an NYPD officer. He then shoots a woman who took cover behind a pillar and proceeds through the lobby, spraying it with gunfire. He went up to the 33rd floor, where the offices of Rudin Management are located, and fired several rounds. One person was struck and killed on that floor. He then proceeds down a hallway and shoots himself in the chest.”

NYPD officials and NYC Mayor Eric Adams released the identity of the officer killed on Monday night: “Five innocent people shot tonight. We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the New York City Police Department, Officer Islam. He is an immigrant from Bangladesh and he loved this city. He was a true blue New Yorker, not only in the uniform he wore but in his spirit and energy of loving this city.” According to police, NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, was a paid detail at the building. He was a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and leaves behind a wife, two young boys and a baby on the way.

Three other civilians were also killed; Adams added: “Two males and one female were killed and another male was seriously injured, fighting for his life in critical condition. Additionally, the shooter is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

Police Commissioner Tisch said that: “Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history. His motives are still under investigation and we are still trying to understand why he targeted this particular location. I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother.”

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Police are still searching for 4 suspects involved in a mass shooting that killed 1 and injured 10 early Monday in Atlanta, GA. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward as authorities search for those responsible.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a press conference that at around 1:27 a.m. EDT, three men and one woman opened fire on a crowd along a popular strip of bars near the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The incident took place outside of 349 Edgewood Ave. NE, with police confirming that seven men and three women – all between the ages of 18 to 29 years old – were shot in the incident

Local Atlanta news outlet WKYT said that authorities have identified the man killed in the shooting as 27-year-old Santos J. Wyatt. The injured victims were taken to Grady Hospital for treatment, with an unidentified 18-year-old male listed in critical condition; the other victims are listed in stable condition. Police believe most of those injured in the incident were likely not targeted but instead caught in the crossfire.

Mayor Dickens said during a news conference Monday: “We haven’t had a weekend like this in a very long time, maybe two years or more. We know the summer months often bring some of the most challenging times when it comes to crime and gun violence in our communities.”

Police Chief Schierbaum said they are still seeking clarity on what prompted the shooting, stating that preliminary information so far shows the four suspects believed to be the shooters were “involved in a dispute that escalated to gunfire.”

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