HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A woman’s death is under investigation after authorities said her body was found in an empty field on Wednesday in northeast Harris County.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the discovery was made at about 7:35 a.m. in the 100 block of Subsea Lane. A landscaping service was mowing the yard when they found the woman lying in the grass.
Sgt. Jason Brown said there are “obviously some suspicious circumstances” surrounding her death, but he said they do not have a lot to go off of yet.
The woman is believed to be in her 20s or 30s and does not appear to be homeless, according to law enforcement. They have not been able to positively identify her yet.
While Brown said the woman does not have any obvious signs of trauma, he said sometimes that will be revealed later during an autopsy.
Based on what they saw Wednesday morning, Brown said they believed the woman came out to the field with the help of someone else.
The medical examiner will make the ruling on her manner and cause of death and work to identify her. Brown said they will work off of that information once it is available.
Bank of America customers report having trouble accessing their bank accounts on Wednesday.
Reports about a problem at Bank of America spiked around 12:45 pm ET on Downdetector, which collects data on outages.
Many customers complained they could not see their account balances. Some who could access their accounts were startled to see zero balances.
A Bank of America branch stands in Manhattan on March 15, 2023 in New York City. Bank of America customers report having trouble acces…Show moreSpencer Platt/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource
Bank of America did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Multiple CNN employees with Bank of America accounts could not log into their accounts online. A message displayed for one Bank of America customer said the current balance amount for one or multiple accounts “may be temporarily unavailable.”
“Five accounts show zero balance, over 20K,” one Bank of America customer on Downdetector wrote.
Another said he can’t log in but his wife can and her accounts display no balance.
Claudia Sheinbaum takes office on Oct. 1, 2024 in Mexico City’s Legislative Palace of San Lazaro. Courtesy: claudia_shein on Instagram.
By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz
Claudia Sheinbaum made history on Tuesday as Mexico’s first female president, as well as the first president of Jewish heritage. A former mayor of Mexico City and a climate scientist with a PhD in energy engineering, Sheinbaum’s victory marked a significant shift in Mexican politics.
“Honorable congress of the union and people of Mexico, I promise to keep … the political constitution of the United States of Mexico and…laws. and perform loyally and patriotically the office of president of the republic” Sheinbaum said in Spanish during her swear-in ceremony.
She won the June 2 election with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez. A member of the leftist Morena party, Sheinbaum is expected to follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Her inauguration took place at Mexico City’s Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, where over 100 notable figures, including U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, attended. As she begins her six-year term, Sheinbaum faces major challenges, including escalating violence, economic struggles, and tensions with the U.S. over judicial reforms. According to Time, these reforms are feared to “undermine democratic checks and balances.”
Notably, Sheinbaum’s presidency comes 70 years after Mexican women gained the right to vote. Despite gender equality strides—such as the 50-50 gender split in Congress since 2018—violence against women remains a significant issue.
Sheinbaum joins the ranks of other prominent female leaders worldwide, including Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and India’s President Droupadi Murmu.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Astros are entering rare territory – a postseason elimination game before the American League Championship Series.
On Tuesday, a packed Minute Maid Park crowd watched the Detroit Tigers jump on Houston’s starting pitcher Framber Valdez early with a three-run second inning to propel the final AL playoff entrant to a Wild Card Series Game 1 win.
In contrast, the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal tamed Astros batters, limiting them to four hits, none of them for extra bases, across six innings.
The bats woke up when Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Yainer Diaz registered the first three hits of the ninth inning while down by three runs. Houston plated the first run of their afternoon at that time, but it was too little, too late. With bases loaded and two outs, Jason Heyward lined out to Spencer Torkelson to end the game. The Astros drop Game 1, 3-1.
The outing was Valdez’s fourth consecutive postseason defeat dating back to last year’s AL Division Series.
The loss sets up something the Astros haven’t encountered in nine seasons: an elimination game in the Wild Card round. Since 2015, the Astros are 9-8 in playoff elimination games, most happening in the AL Championship Series or the World Series.
The only other time they’ve faced elimination in the Wild Card was in 2015 against the New York Yankees when that round was a one-game series.
Houston currently holds a streak of seven ALCS appearances. Hunter Brown, a Michigan native, is slated to start on the mound for the Astros in Game 2.
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña forces out Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson at second but is unable to throw out Parker Meadows o…Show moreAP Photo/Kevin M. Cox
Minute Maid Park hosts the Tigers again for Game 2 on Wednesday. ABC13 will air the do-or-die game for the Astros at 1:30 p.m.
You can tune in to Channel 13 on television in the Houston area.
HOUSTON — An attorney said Tuesday he is representing 120 accusers who have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip-hop mogul who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said he expects lawsuits to be filed within the next month. Buzbee described the victims as 60 males and 60 females, and that 25 were minors at the time of the alleged misconduct.
Following the news conference in Texas, an attorney for Combs said the performer “cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus.”
“That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors,” attorney Erica Wolff said in a statement. “He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Combs, 54, has been locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since pleading not guilty Sept. 17 to federal charges that he used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers in events dubbed “Freak Offs.”
Buzbee has also represented women who accused NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault.
Other alleged victims have already filed lawsuits against Combs that include allegations of sexual assault.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. His attorney said he is innocent and will fight to clear his name.
Attorney Erica Wolf said in a statement, “As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus. That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Combs is appealing a federal judge’s decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial.
Combs is one of the best-known music executives, producers and performers across hip-hop, having won three Grammys and worked with artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112. He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, the influential fashion line Sean John, a vodka brand and the Revolt TV network. He sold off his stake in the latter company in June of this year.
Claudia Sheinbaum tomó protesta este martes como la primera presidenta de México, ante gritos y vítores de apoyo por parte de sus simpatizantes y junto al ahora expresidente, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
La investidura se realizó en el Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro, donde la sesión comenzó alrededor de las 09:00 horas y Sheinbaum recibió la banda presidencial de la mano de AMLO, quien la pasó a la presidenta de la Mesa Directiva de la Cámara de Diputados, Ifigenia Martínez y esta la cedió a la presidenta.
Antes de recibir la banda, la nueva mandataria rindió protesta, convirtiéndose en la primera mujer que llega al cargo en los 200 años de la nación, además de ser la presidenta número 66 en la historia de México.
Esta ceremonia contó con la presencia de decenas de presidentes, vicepresidentes y representantes de países alrededor del mundo, nombres que Sheinbaum pronunció al comienzo de su discurso que se extendió por cerca de 50 minutos.
Además de agradecer a la administración de López Obrador, a quien describió como el presidente “más querido” e “importante” de la historia moderna de México, también subrayó la llegada de las mujeres al poder.
“No llego sola, llegamos todas”, declaró Sheinbaum mientras los asistentes gritaban “¡presidenta, presidenta!”, en el lugar.
Aunado a ello, la presidenta señaló algunos de los compromisos de su gobierno, cuyo periodo abarcará del 2024 al 2030, además de “continuar” con los esfuerzos de AMLO en la llamada cuarta transformación del país.
Entre ellos, Claudia adelantó que buscará sostener una relación de cooperación con Estados Unidos, Canadá, los países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, así como el resto de aliados en el resto del mundo.
Respecto al transporte, Sheinbaum mencionó el plan de las ocho líneas de trenes de pasajeros, uno de los proyectos más ambiciosos que tendrá su gobierno, pues, conectará el AIFA con Pachuca, la CDMX con Querétaro, León y Aguascalientes; CDMX con Querétaro y Guadalajara; Tepic con Mazatlán y Nogales; CDMX con San Luis Potosí, Monterrey y Nuevo Laredo y la CDMX con Puebla y Veracruz.
Por otro lado, se comprometió a no subir el precio de la gasolina y el resto de combustibles y aumentar el salario mínimo en “2.5 canastas básicas”.
Luego de la toma de protesta, Sheinbaum convocó a sus simpatizantes a un evento masivo que se realizará a las 16:00 horas en el Zócalo de la Ciudad de México, en el que será acompañada por el resto de representantes de Morena.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are set to hold their only scheduled vice-presidential debate on Tuesday.
The pair will face off just a few weeks after former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sparred at the ABC News presidential debate.
The vice-presidential debate is a chance for both Walz and Vance to show their political chops, tout their running mates’ plans for the nation and introduce themselves to Americans after months spent crisscrossing the country campaigning.
Here’s what to know about the debate and how to tune in.
How to watch the debate
The vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News is set for 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 1 in New York City.
The 90-minute debate will air on CBS and be simulcast on the ABC network and stream on ABC News Live.
ABC pre-debate coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET; post-debate ABC News coverage will go on until 11 p.m. ET.
ABC News Live, ABC News’ 24/7 streaming news channel, will provide full coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET and run through 12 a.m. ET.
Who is moderating the VP debate?
The debate will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator and CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
VP debate rules
CBS News announced the debate rules on Friday.
The Walz-Vance debate, like the Harris-Trump debate, will be in a studio without an audience but unlike that debate, the candidates’ mics will not be routinely muted when it’s not their turn to speak — but the moderators will retain the ability to do so.
How are the candidates preparing?
To prepare for the debate, Vance has turned to Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to help him in debate rehearsals by playing Walz, sources told ABC News. The Ohio senator has also had sessions with his team and Jason Miller, a senior advisor on Trump’s campaign.
Also, Vance has spent the last month reviewing debate plans, strategies and potential questions, according to a source familiar with the senator’s debate preparations.
Walz has also held some mock debates with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acting as a Vance stand-in, sources told ABC News. Walz has also held policy sessions with his own longtime aides, Biden White House alumni and members of the Harris-Walz campaign team.
Walz has also been practicing on the road as he campaigns, sources said.
En una ciudad tan diversa como Houston, la fortaleza de nuestra comunidad radica en nuestras diferencias. Cuando se trata de donaciones de sangre, esa diversidad no solo es motivo de orgullo, sino que también es vital para salvar vidas. Los donantes hispanos juegan un papel crucial en mantener un suministro de sangre constante y confiable, y en apoyar avances médicos en la comunidad. Sin embargo, a pesar de su importancia, los donantes hispanos siguen estando subrepresentados entre los donantes. Es hora de cambiar eso.
Los tipos de sangre como el O positivo son comunes entre los hispanos. Estos tipos también están entre los más demandados en los hospitales, especialmente durante emergencias. Una base de donantes más diversa aumenta las posibilidades de encontrar coincidencias compatibles para pacientes en necesidad urgente, ya sea alguien que se somete a una cirugía, que recibe atención de emergencia después de un accidente o que lucha contra el cáncer.
Una paciente que ha visto de primera mano el impacto que las donaciones de sangre pueden tener es Betzy Martínez, originaria de Houston y estudiante de la Universidad de Vanderbilt. “No sabes cuánto lo aprecio y cuántas más personas, más pacientes, les gustaría agradecer personalmente su donación de sangre”, dijo Betzy.
Diagnosticada con cáncer a los 18 años, Betzy dependió de transfusiones de sangre durante su tratamiento y eventualmente quedó libre de cáncer. Ahora, enfrentando una recaída, Betzy está nuevamente bajo tratamiento. Como dice Betzy, “Los donantes de sangre son los héroes silenciosos que dan a pacientes como yo la oportunidad de seguir luchando”.
Durante casi 50 años, el Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center ha estado en el corazón del sistema de salud de Houston, proporcionando productos sanguíneos que salvan vidas a más de 170 hospitales e instalaciones de salud. Pero su papel ha evolucionado con los años. Hoy en día, la organización hace mucho más que recolectar sangre. Además de la recolección de sangre, el Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center ahora desempeña un papel crucial en la investigación médica, ayudando a encontrar curas para enfermedades como el cáncer y el Alzheimer, y proporcionando exámenes de salud para condiciones como el rasgo de células falciformes entre los afroamericanos. Y esto es solo el comienzo; emocionantes desarrollos están en el horizonte.
“Nuestra fortaleza como comunidad está arraigada en su diversidad, y esa diversidad debe reflejarse en el suministro de sangre que la respalda”, dijo Nikhil Nayak, presidente y director ejecutivo del Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “La necesidad de donantes hispanos nunca ha sido mayor, y al dar un paso adelante, puedes impactar directamente la vida de quienes lo necesitan. Cada donación podría salvar una vida aquí mismo en Houston o ayudar a encontrar una cura para una enfermedad”.
La población hispana representa más del 45% del área metropolitana de Houston, sin embargo, muchos pueden no darse cuenta de cuán urgentemente se necesitan sus donaciones de sangre. Actualmente, solo alrededor del 20% de las donaciones recolectadas por el Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center provienen de donantes hispanos. Donar sangre es rápido, seguro y fácil. Una sola donación puede salvar hasta tres vidas, y esas vidas podrían ser las de tus abuelos, tíos, primos o incluso tus padres.
Dependemos de personas como tú para ayudar a satisfacer la creciente demanda de sangre en la región. A medida que Houston sigue creciendo, también lo hace la necesidad de productos sanguíneos que salvan vidas, y tu contribución es fundamental.
“Si te preguntas o tienes dudas sobre donar sangre, la verdad es que si lo hicieras, estaríamos eternamente agradecidos por ello”, dijo Betzy. “Mucha gente necesita sangre todos los días, y puedes cambiar una vida, créelo o no”.
¿Listo para salvar vidas? Visita giveblood.org/espanol para obtener más información y programar tu cita. Al donar sangre, no solo apoyas una causa, estás salvando la vida de alguien. ¿Interesado en organizar una campaña de donación de sangre en tu iglesia o escuela? Visita giveblood.org/hostablooddrive.
This post was sponsored by Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
The tropics remain quite active, with several named systems currently in the Atlantic and another area to monitor in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. This is all occurring as La Niña begins to emerge in the Pacific. So, what does this mean for the rest of the hurricane season?
With how active the Atlantic Basin currently is, there are signs that this year’s hurricane season could remain active in October and potentially extend into November as well. While this doesn’t necessarily correlate to Gulf activity or a Texas landfall, we can’t rule out both scenarios. As of Sept. 30, a wave over the western Caribbean has a medium chance of forming over the next seven days. The region where this next system could develop is just where Hurricane Helene formed about a week ago.
While Helene was able to stir up colder water from far below the ocean surface, unfortunately, those waters started to warm again. However, warm water temperatures aren’t the only factor influencing whether storms develop and strengthen. Typically, other weather systems will help keep wind shear over the Gulf of Mexico at this time of year, which helps limit tropical activity. ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith spoke to Dr. Phil Klotzbach with Colorado State University. Klotzbach referenced an example from 2020, which involved hurricanes Laura and Marco.
“Marco formed later but actually got into the Gulf earlier. Both traveled over a pretty similar part of the Gulf of Mexico with super hot water. Marco got shredded by sheer and didn’t even make it to Louisiana before it died,” Klotzbach said.
While there is a window of opportunity in the western Caribbean and the Bay of Campeche for a tropical system to form, wind shear would make it difficult, but not impossible, for a storm to roll into the Gulf. A wide area of shear should move into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and early next week, putting a plug on the tropics and keeping a storm away from the Texas coast.
This season has already been active for the Gulf of Mexico. While no two hurricane seasons are exactly alike, many end up having some similarities because of phenomena like El Niño or La Niña.
One of the analog years that forecasters used to predict the 2024 season was 2005, a record year for the total number of storms in the Atlantic and the impacts those storms brought to the U.S. For the Gulf specifically, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season had 11 storms tracked through the Gulf of Mexico. Eight of those made landfall by the end of August, the last being Hurricane Katrina. Then, there was a lull before another wave of activity brought Rita, Stan, and Wilma to the Gulf from late September through late October.
Now, let’s compare that to this year. So far, there have been six named storms in the Gulf. Four happened within the first three months of the season, with hurricanes Francine and Helene in September.
One thing to consider this year is the emerging La Niña. There are already signs of cooler-than-normal temperatures in the Pacific, signaling that a La Niña could take over soon. That’s something Klotzbach says to take note of.
“This year, because we likely will have a La Niña and the Atlantic being so hot, this year will probably remain longer, so potentially extending the hurricane season more until late October or early November,” Klotzbach said.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Dockworkers walked off the job Tuesday morning at Port Houston, just one of the several ports along the Gulf and East coasts where workers are picketing, leading to a historic strike.
ABC13 was in Seabrook Tuesday, where union workers set up early with tents and cases of water in anticipation of more people showing up outside Bayport Container Terminal.
The strike stems from a deadlock that’s been happening for months over contract negotiations.
The International Longshoremen’s Association, which is the largest union for dockworkers, is demanding higher pay and protections against automated technology.
They weren’t satisfied with the offer from the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators and shipping companies.
It’s unclear how this strike will last, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul noted in a statement Tuesday that it was the first large-scale eastern dockworker strike in 47 years at ports from Maine to Texas, and that included the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
If the strike continues for weeks or months, the businesses that will experience the biggest impact are those who rely on shipping overseas.
“All of the conversation has been about imports and Christmas and retailers, the ports covered by the ILA, the East Coast and the Gulf Coast, actually handle almost 70% of container exports from the United States,” said Ed Emmett with Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
ABC13 spoke to Ben Baxley, COO for Green Mile Logistics, who said he’s not choosing a side, but rather pushing for unity.
“You have 36 ports that are basically at a standstill right now, so when we rely on overseas products throughout our daily lives we will be impacted in a great way, depending on how long this continues,” Baxley explained. “However, inside the U.S., we have a huge opportunity to come together. So our message to everybody is just to unite, try to be part of the solution.”
Baxley told ABC13’s Rosie Nguyen they remain neutral, but want it to be fair.
“These guys work their butts off on a daily basis, our port truckers, God bless their souls, they need somebody to come in and help. However, that’s going to come in the form of both parties being amicable and stand up for what’s right and come together and find a solution to pay them fair wages and also make sure that all of our customers throughout the U.S. are taken care of,” Baxley said.
H-E-B told ABC13 it’s not expecting customers to be affected right now.
“We do not anticipate an impact to our customers at this time. We are monitoring this issue and working closely with our suppliers,” the grocer said.
In a statement Tuesday, the union president wrote, “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, wrote in its own statement that it has increased its offer to ILA, saying, “We are hopeful that this could allow us to fully resume collective bargaining around the other outstanding issues — in an effort to reach an agreement.”
Emmett told ABC13 that each day this goes on could cost the U.S. economy $5 billion a day.
