DAILY NEWS

 French Government Collapse, 

France has been plunged into a new political crisis with the defeat of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou at a confidence vote in the National Assembly.

The defeat – by 364 votes to 194 – means that Bayrou will tomorrow present his government’s resignation to President Macron, who must now decide how to replace him. Macron’s office said this would happen “in the coming days”.

France is thus en route to getting its fifth prime minister in less than two years – a dismal record that underscores the drift and disenchantment that have marked President Macron’s second term.

Bayrou’s fall came after he staked his government on an emergency confidence debate centred on the question of French debt.

He spent the summer in speeches, interviews and social media posts warning of the “existential” threat to France if it did not start to tackle its 3.4 trillion euro liability.

But he was quickly disabused of any hope that his prophesies of financial doom would sway opponents. Lacking any majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou saw the left and hard-right uniting against him – and his fate was sealed.

Some have speculated that Macron would turn now to a leftwing prime minister, having failed with the conservative Barnier and the centrist Bayrou. However, the PS has said it wants a total break from Macron’s pro-business policies.

It therefore seems likely Macron will look initially to another figure from within his own camp, with Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin and Finance Minister Eric Lombard all said to be in the running.

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 French Government Collapse, 

Lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou, seen here in parliament on Monday, leaving France’s fiscal mess unresolved amid climbing borrowing costs. - Benoit Tessier/Reuters

French lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou Monday, plunging the country into a new political crisis and leaving it without a government at a time of increasing economic strain and geopolitical tensions.

A total of 364 MPs voted against Bayrou and 194 voted for him after he called the vote in a bid to push through an unpopular €44 billion ($51 billion) savings plan that included scrapping two public holidays and freezing government spending. The 364 votes against Bayrou were well above the 280-vote threshold needed to topple the government.

Bayrou will now be forced to step down after just nine months in office, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Michel Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote last December.

French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister in the coming days, according to the Élysée Palace. But Bayrou’s departure leaves Macron with few palatable options.

Investors have been rattled. Yields on French government bonds – or the interest rate demanded by investors – have risen above those of Spanish, Portuguese and Greek bonds, which were once at the heart of the eurozone debt crisis. A possible downgrade of France’s sovereign debt rating review Friday would deliver another blow to its economic standing in Europe.

“You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers on Monday ahead of the vote. “Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.”

“We broke the social contract” with younger generations, Bayrou added.

The political instability can be traced back to Macron’s own dramatic decision last year to call a snap election. Piqued by the remarkable results of the far-right National Rally in the European Parliament elections of May 2024, the French president forced a vote in which his party lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a splintered parliament.

What comes next?

Bayrou is expected to submit his resignation to Macron on Tuesday morning, according to the Élysée, which also said Macron will name a new prime minister in the coming days.

Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin are expected to be among the frontrunners for what is likely to be a poisoned chalice.

Even before the vote, the prospect of Bayrou’s downfall sparked calls for the president to step aside, though he has vowed to serve out his term. Far-right doyenne Marine Le Pen has demanded he dissolve parliament, but fresh elections would almost certainly strengthen her party and fracture the French parliament further.

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 Hyundai Immigration Raid,

Hyundai Metaplant electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Georgia

Hundreds of federal officers descended on a small southeast Georgia community and raided the Hyundai Metaplant – arresting 475 people in the largest sweep yet in the current Trump administration’s immigration crackdown at US worksites.

The majority of those arrested Thursday at the enormous site in Ellabell – about 25 miles west of Savannah, Georgia – are Korean nationals, said Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge. Schrank said he did not have a breakdown of the arrestees’ nationalities.

All 475 people taken into custody were suspected of living and working illegally in the US, Schrank said. Some entered into the US illegally; some had visa waivers and were prohibited from working; and some had overstayed their visas, he said.

During the raid, several people tried to flee – including some who “ran into a sewage pond located on the premises,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release.

“Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water. One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail. These people were captured and identified as illegal workers,” the release states.

Schrank noted that some of the workers may have been contractors or subcontractors.

“We continue to work on the investigation of who exactly worked for what companies,” he said.

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 UMass Lowell Lockdown,

UMass Lowell Lockdown

A lockdown and shelter in place order at UMass Lowell has been lifted after reports of a man possibly armed with a long gun on campus Wednesday afternoon. There have been no reports of any shots fired, and Lowell police said a weapon has not been confirmed. 

UMass Lowell sent a campus alert after the reported sighting near the Riverview Suites on the South Campus at about 2:30 p.m.  

Police said they were looking for an Asian male who is believed to be about 5'5" tall, wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts.

People were urged to stay inside until further notice. All classes and events were canceled for the rest of the day.

UMass Lowell Police Chief Ron Dickerson confirmed a video circulating on social media of a man possibly armed with a long gun is real.

"We got a call around 2:30 this afternoon of someone behind Riverview Suites with what appeared to be a gun, and someone took a video of it," Dickerson said. "They posted that on social media. Our own video, surveillance cameras picked that up also." 

Police said there was no active shooter situation and there is no evidence of shots fired.

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 UMass Lowell Active Shooter, 

The shelter-in-place order at UMass Lowell’s campus following a report of a person with a gun was lifted after police searched the campus for several hours.

Police received a report from a student of an individual with a gun behind a dorm shortly before 2:30 p.m.

Officers were also made aware of a viral video circulating and Lowell police officers began to search the campus alongside several other agencies, including Massachusetts State Police and the FBI.

The shelter in place was lifted just after 5:30 p.m., about 3 hours after the order was first put into place.

Police say there are no reports of anyone hurt or shots fired, and at no time was there an active shooter. Police will remain in the area as a precaution throughout the night.

A Boston 25 News staff member who receives alerts from UMass Lowell received a text alerting students and staff members that police were responding to a weapons incident.

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 Trump Announcement

President Donald Trump just made a public appearance and spoke to reporters, where he said he didn’t know about conspiracy theories circulating on the internet over the weekend about him being dead.

CNN had reported that Trump was on the golf course over Labor Day weekend.

Here’s what he covered in his remarks today:

New announcement: Trump said that US Space Command Headquarters will move to Huntsville, Alabama. This was decided during his first administration, but in 2023, former President Joe Biden elected to have it remain in Colorado, angering Alabama lawmakers. Today, Trump thanked Colorado for being the location for the headquarters, but blamed its mail-in voting provision for what ended up being a “big factor” in his decision.

On Chicago: Trump said today that he will send National Guard troops into Chicago, but did not provide a timeline.

Fate of tariffs: Trump said his administration will appeal a decision that shot down many of his sweeping tariffs to the Supreme Court as soon as tomorrow. A “wrong” decision from the conservative court would mean “devastation for our country,” he said. “The stock market needs the tariffs.”

Putin: The US president hinted at developments in his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, but declined to provide any specifics.

Viral video: Trump dismissed a viral video of what appears to be a black bag being tossed out of the White House as an AI-generated fake, adding that it’s “a little bit scary” how realistic such videos can be.

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 Trump Announcement

Trump Announcement

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the new location for the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command. 

Space Command headquarters

During his remarks, Trump revealed the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be moved to Huntsville, Alabama. 

What they're saying:

"I am thrilled to report that the U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City," the president said. 

Big picture view:

Space Command's functions include conducting operations like enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches.

The backstory:

A Biden-era decision kept the headquarters at its temporary location in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has long battled Alabama to claim the center because it has significant implications for the local economy.  

A review by the Defense Department inspector general was inconclusive and could not determine why Colorado was chosen over Alabama. Trump, a Republican who enjoys deep support in Alabama, had long been expected to move Space Command back to Alabama.

 Trump Announcement

Recent pictures of Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is scheduled to make an announcement on Sept. 2 following a weekend of unsubstantiated social media speculation about his health.

After not appearing in public last week with no public events on his calendar for Labor Day weekend, social media ran amok with rumors that he was severely sick or even dead. But as of Saturday, he was golfing with two of his grandkids in Virginia. Pool reports show he visited his golf course Sunday and Monday, too.

Trump's public schedule states he is scheduled to make an announcement Tuesday afternoon, his first official appearance since a Cabinet meeting last week. Here is what to know:

Earlier this summer, the White House announced Trump has common vascular disease, but tests did not find evidence of more serious conditions.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave an update on the results of the president's health tests on July 17 following media speculation about his visible symptoms, like hand bruising and swelling in his lower legs.

She said he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency or CVI, which occurs when leg veins fail to send blood back to the heart properly.

The bruising on the back of his hand was caused by frequent handshaking and aspirin, the White House previously said.

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 Trump Announcement

Stay up to date with live coverage of the Trump administration Tuesday, as the president announces the US Space Command is relocating to Alabama from Colorado after President Biden canceled plans to build the military branch’s headquarters in the Heart of Dixie.

Plus, Congress is back in session today after its summer recess, and House lawmakers will met with Jeffrey Epstein victims before releasing more than 30,000 pages of documents related to the Epstein case.

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 Tropical Storm Debby,

Tropical Storm Debby

As Tropical Storm Debby grazed the Tampa Bay area last August, many Floridians treated it like any other summer rainstorm: Inflatable floats dotted Bayshore Boulevard, curious onlookers flocked to the beach and drivers plowed through pooling floodwaters.

But Debby’s ugly side soon appeared.

About a day after the storm passed, the Alafia River swelled to nearly 20 feet, its highest level in seven years. Homes in Lithia and Riverview were inundated with floodwater. All told, the storm claimed 17 lives in the U.S., strengthening to a Category 1 storm at its peak but never becoming a major hurricane.

Researchers point to Debby as just one recent example of what’s wrong with how tropical cyclone risk is communicated. Forecasters in Tampa Bay warned about possible flash flooding and up to five feet of surge for the coasts, but for the chiseled Floridians who pride themselves on their storm hardiness, one main thing mattered in their decision-making: Debby was just a tropical storm.

The National Hurricane Center classifies hurricanes using the 1970s-era Saffir-Simpson Scale, which uses only wind speed as its guiding variable. A Category 1 storm has wind speeds up to 95 mph, a Category 2 up to 110 mph, and so on.

But Jennifer Collins believes there is a better way.

In 2021, Collins, a hurricane researcher and professor at the University of South Florida’s School of Geosciences, joined a team from the Netherlands to answer an increasingly common question in scientific circles: How can we better inform the public of hurricane risks — and make them safer?

Their solution was to build a new hurricane classification scale entirely, one that also accounts for the threats of storm surge and rainfall.

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 Burning Man Homicide, 

Burning Man Homicide

Officials in Nevada are investigating a homicide after a Burning Man participant was found dead, according to the Pershing County Sheriff's Office.

On Saturday at approximately 9:14 p.m., a sheriff's deputy was alerted by an event participant at Burning Man -- an annual festival that takes place in Black Rock City, Nevada -- that there was a man "lying in a pool of blood," the sheriff's office said in a statement on Sunday.

Officials "immediately responded" to the campsite and found a "single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased," according to authorities.

Law enforcement then created a perimeter around the area, with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office's Forensic Science Division assisting in "processing the scene and collection of evidence," officials said. The sheriff's office also noted that they interviewed "several participants in the immediate area."

But as of Sunday, the investigation was "still ongoing," with portion of the festival's "City" having "heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be released," according to officials.

"Although this act appears to be a singular one, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances," the sheriff's office said.

On Monday, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office told ABC News that detectives are actively receiving tips and tracking down information related to the death.

There have been no arrests, officials said.

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 Deadly earthquake hits Afghanistan,

 Afghanistan Earthquake,

Afghanistan Earthquake

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have called for international help after a huge earthquake killed hundreds of people and leveled entire villages, piling further misery on the war-ravaged country that was already grappling with food shortages and cuts to foreign aid.

At least 800 people were killed and more than 2,800 were injured after the 6.0-magnitude quake struck towns and villages close to the Pakistan border on Sunday, causing strong aftershocks in Kabul, according to the UN and the Taliban government.

Heavy rain, landslides and damaged roads have made it difficult for relief teams to access the remote mountainous areas hit hardest by the quake.

Meanwhile, recent US aid cuts have crunched relief efforts in the country, which has been contending with shrinking global aid since the Taliban seized control in 2021.

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 Indonesia Protests erupt across Indonesia after ride-share driver killed in demonstration

Indonesia Protests

 Indonesia Protests,

Indonesia Protests

Indonesia’s worst wave of violent protests in years seems to have come to a pause for now after the government ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters.

Some students and civil society groups called off their protest on Monday, citing fears of heightened security measures imposed after deadly riots across the country on the weekend, Reuters reported. But hundreds still gathered in universities in Bandung, West Java despite threats of police raids, according to local media reports.

At least eight people have been killed in the protests, which began peacefully over controversial housing perks for lawmakers but erupted on Thursday when an armored police vehicle hit and killed a rideshare driver, Reuters reported.

The unrest escalated over the weekend as thousands of protesters across the sprawling archipelago set fire to legislative buildings and looted parliamentarians’ homes.

The Indonesia National Police arrested 3,195 people across the country, including 1,240 people in the capital Jakarta, government-run news agency Antara reported.

Economic and political frustration has been brewing for months under the leadership of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who took office last October and was forced to cancel a planned trip to China this week to deal with the turmoil.

Though Prabowo made concessions after days of deadly protests, deep discontent over his policies is yet to be addressed.

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 Hurricane Erin Turns Northeast, but East Coast threats remain,

Hurricane Erin Turns Northeast

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Life-threatening conditions from storm surges exist along the East Coast despite Hurricane Erin turning northeasterly and moving away from the United States.

The Category 2 hurricane was located about 370 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and moving northeastward at 20 mph, according to the 5 p.m. EDT report by the National Hurricane Center.

A storm surge warning is in effect from Cape Lookout to Duck in North Carolina, while a tropical storm warning is in effect from Duck to Chincoteague, Va. Bermuda also is under a tropical storm warning.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the NHC reported. "Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions."

The NHC cautions those in affected areas to "promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials."

Forecasters warned that storm surge and large waves could cause beach erosion and make some roads impassible along the Outer Banks.

Swimming and other water activities should be avoided due to rip currents and the potential for coastal flooding as the highest high tide is expected on Thursday evening, accompanied by between 2 and 4 feet of storm surge inundation along the Outer Banks.

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 Walmart Shrimp Recall, 

Walmart Shrimp Recall

Walmart said it is recalling some frozen shrimp after the Food and Drug Administration warned that the seafood items, sold under the Great Value label, are at risk of radioactive contamination and shouldn't be consumed.

The frozen shrimp were imported from Indonesian company PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati and sold at Walmart stores as Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, the FDA said on Tuesday. The agency noted it has recommended that Walmart recall the product. 

"The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority. We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores. We are working with the supplier to investigate," Walmart said in an email to CBS News.

The company added that consumers who bought the shrimp shouldn't eat it and should throw it out. Customers can contact the store where they purchased the product for a full refund, it added.

The shrimp could be contaminated with a radioactive isotope called Cesium-137, although the FDA said that no products as of yet have tested positive for it. The agency said it issued the warning about Walmart's Great Value shrimp after it had detected Cesium-137 in a single shipment of frozen shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati. 

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 Erik Menendez Denied Release, 

The Menendez brothers fatally shot their parents in 1989, claiming they did so because of years of sexual abuse

 USS New Orleans,

 General Hospital ,

Tristan Rogers is being remembered by his longtime TV wife.

Finola Hughes, who played Anna Devane opposite Rogers' Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, took to her Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 16, to pay tribute to him in the wake of his death at the age of 79.

"Wish I could play one more scene with you, my friend," she wrote alongside photos of them together. "Tris sauntered into my life on that first day to rehearse. Cropped hair & steel blue eyes, I thought 'damn, I'm gonna be working with Steve McQueen!'"

"From day one he called me 'kid' or 'Finny' and he made me laugh," the British actress, 65, recalled.

Hughes called Rogers an "effortless actor" who "taught me so much" throughout the years.

"Serious about his work, but always a rebel. His own man, navigating the system, he protected me, protected Kimberly [McCullough], his character, his friends," she continued of Rogers. "God, he was a good one. Silly, funny, kind, serious."

"I am heartbroken for his awesome wife Teresa, his children Sarah Jane & Cale," Hughes added of the Australian actor's loved ones. "His family made him so happy and he adored talking about them."

Hughes ended her post, writing, "Love you Trissy. Mai Tai's on the beach Scorpio."

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