Millions of Americans are gearing up to head to the airport or hit the highway for the last long weekend of summer.
Here’s what to know about Labor Day weekend travel:
Air travel
More than 17 million people are forecast to be screened at U.S. airports from Thursday, Aug. 29, to Wednesday, Sept. 4 — an 8.5% increase from last year, the Transportation Security Administration said.
The TSA anticipates Friday, Aug. 30, will be its busiest day with 2.86 million travelers expected.
The TSA’s top 10 busiest travel days ever have all occurred since May.
United Airlines expects this year will be its busiest Labor Day weekend on record, with over 2.9 million passengers poised to fly between Thursday, Aug. 29, and Tuesday, Sept. 3 — up 3% from last year. United predicts Aug. 30 will be its busiest day.
American Airlines predicts this year will be its largest Labor Day operations ever, with over 3.8 million customers anticipated from Aug. 29 to Sept. 3 — up 14% from last year. American says its busiest travel days will be Aug. 29 and Aug. 30.
For Southwest Airlines, Aug. 30 and Sept. 2 are forecast to be peak travel days.
The busiest airports are anticipated to be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, according to Hopper.
The most searched domestic destinations for Labor Day are New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles, according to Hopper.
Road travel
If you’re hitting the road on Thursday, Aug. 29, the worst time to drive is from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to analytics company INRIX.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the worst travel time is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Monday, Sept. 2, the busiest time on the roads will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., INRIX said.
AAA said drivers should expect to pay less for gas this year. The national average for gas during Labor Day weekend 2023 was $3.81; this year, prices are expected to be around $3.50.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Andrea Rodriguez Avila came to Rice University with big dreams. On Monday, she was found dead in the college dorm where she was also serving as a student academic advisor. It was a tragic end for a young woman seen by her professors and friends as a rising star.
On the Rice University campus, classes were canceled again on Tuesday. Monday was the first day of the fall semester before all classes and activities were canceled after the murder-suicide was discovered inside Jones College, one of 11 residential colleges on campus, the dorm where Avila lived.
Records show Avila grew up in Maryland. She started her academic journey at the Community College of Baltimore County, where she received an associate’s degree. Then, she was accepted into a prestigious summer internship at Johns Hopkins University, where she was in a humanities cohort with a small group of students who would become her friends.
Avila then applied to Rice University as a transfer student and enrolled this past January as a political science major.
“The whole department is really, really shocked about it,” Pamela De La Cruz, a Ph.D. student in the same department, said. “There are grad students who say they felt terrible when they saw her name, that they had taught her last year. That they had taught her last semester and were going to teach her this semester.”
Her community college, CCBC, offered the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a beloved member of the CCBC Class of 2023. Andrea was a passionate leader, an exceptional scholar, and a mentor to many. Her infectious smile and unwavering determination inspired all who knew her. The CCBC community extends its deepest sympathies to Andrea’s family during this difficult time.”
Rice University police said one of Avila’s relatives asked for a welfare check after not being able to get in touch with her. Police realized she didn’t make it to class on Monday and then made the terrible discovery in her dorm room at Jones College.
Classes at Rice University have been canceled Tuesday after a female student was shot to death in her dorm room by a man.
Avila was found shot to death alongside a man police believe she was dating at about 4:30 p.m. Monday. Investigators believe he took his own life after shooting her.
The shooter has yet to be identified, but authorities said he is not a Rice student.
University police said they found a note believed to be left behind by the shooter. Police said they believe the shooter entered the dorm as a guest with Avila.
“We will wrap our arms around our students,” Rice president Reginald DesRoches said. “As a parent of a past Rice student, I can only imagine how devastating this must be.”
Students told ABC13 that Rice has provided them with a number of resources to cope with the tragedy.
“Lots of people helping. They even brought dogs to each room, in case we needed it; there were lots of well-being resources available,” Diego Delgado, a Rice freshman, said. “I did call mom. She was very worried. But with all the information they offered us, I could tell her we’re safe and everything.”
The Houston Police Department is leading the investigation into the murder-suicide. Avila’s parents are in Houston and working with university officials.
If you or a loved one is ever in a domestic violence situation, you can reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also reach out to the Houston Area Women’s Center at 713-528-2121.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“Today, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment, ECF No. 226, charging the defendant with the same criminal offenses that were charged in the original indictment,” a Justice Department spokesperson said Tuesday.
Special counsel Jack Smith has charged former President Donald Trump in a superseding indictment in his federal election interference case.
“The superseding indictment, which was presented to a new grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in this case, reflects the Government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings and remand instructions,” the spokesperson said.
Trump last August pleaded not guilty to federal charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power. Last month, in a blockbuster decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken while in office, and sent the case back to the trial court to sort out which charges against him can stand.
The superseding indictment retains the four original charges against Trump from the special counsel’s original indictment — but is pared down to adjust to the Supreme Court’s ruling in its decision on presidential immunity.
For instance, it removes the allegations of how Trump allegedly sought to use the Justice Department in his efforts to overturn the election — which was explicitly mentioned in the Supreme Court’s ruling as falling within his official duties.
The superseding indictment is 36 pages, while the original indictment was 45 pages.
We are just 70 days from November’s election, and some races are tightening in Texas. State Republican officials have focused on what they call election integrity.
“Closeness matters. The way to think of it simply — you go to a baseball game, the score is 10 to nothing, and the umpire makes a bad call, and it costs you a run, you will walk away and say, ‘My team wasn’t very good.’ If the score is extremely close, zero to zero, and then a bad call by the umpire, then you begin to blame, not your team, but the umpire,” Rice University Political Science Professor Bob Stein said.
Stein has studied elections for decades and was an expert witness in the state’s election audit.
He wasn’t surprised when Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday that since 2021, reforms he has signed into law have led to more than 1 million ineligible voters being taken off the state’s voter rolls.
“There are two sides to this: reinforce confidence in voters that elections are conducted fairly and serve notice to people that might attempt to vote who are not eligible to vote that they will be prosecuted,” Stein explained. “I’ll leave it to others who listen to this to make a judgment of who and which parties are advantaged to that, but I think that the coincidence of these and the proximity to the upcoming election seems to be slightly problematic.”
Clearing out voter rolls isn’t new.
“I don’t consider a million names removed unusual,” Stein said. “I would imagine that as many as half a million people have died, moved, or changed addresses.”
According to records provided by the Texas secretary of state, voter roll removal numbers haven’t actually gone up in recent years.
In fact, 1.25 million people statewide were removed in 2020.
In 2019, 683,000 were taken off.
The governor’s office didn’t respond to our questions about it, but we do know voter turnout is a big deal for both parties.
“If voters no longer believe in elections, or for that matter anything else, gambling in Las Vegas, baseball games are not fair, they don’t come, they don’t participate,” Stein said.
You have until Oct. 7 to register to vote in November’s election.
“It’s really important that you go out and check your voter registration,” Dallana Carmargo with the League of Women Voters said. “Sometimes, if you haven’t registered in two consecutive federal elections, they’ll remove you. You have to re-register, or maybe you have moved since the last time.”
Brenna Swindell and her ex-boyfriend Morgan Guidry have been located safely, according to social media posts from her family on Tuesday morning.
“She has been found,” Brenna’s father, former Houston Astros pitcher Greg Swindell, announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “That’s all we have for now. Thank you to everyone. And I mean everyone who helped in the process.”
Brenna’s mother, Sarah Swindell, also shared the news on Facebook, expressing her gratitude to those who supported the family during the search. “Brenna and Morgan have been located and are okay!” she wrote. “THANK YOU to everyone who prayed and shared information with us!”
Apple Inc. announced on Monday that Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Luca Maestri will step down from his role on January 1, 2024, with Kevan Parekh, a long-time Apple executive, set to take over the position.
Maestri, who has held the CFO position since 2014, will remain at Apple, where he will continue to lead teams focusing on IT, security, and real estate development, according to the company’s statement.
Kevan Parekh, currently Apple’s Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, has been a key figure in the company’s finance department, closely working with Maestri over the years.
“For more than a decade, Kevan has been an indispensable member of Apple’s finance leadership team, and he understands the company inside and out. His sharp intellect, wise judgment, and financial brilliance make him the perfect choice to be Apple’s next CFO,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.
Maestri’s tenure as CFO coincided with a period of significant growth for Apple. Since he took on the role, Apple’s stock price has surged by over 800%, fueled in part by robust demand for iPhones. Under his leadership, Apple more than doubled its annual sales and net income, with revenue increasing from approximately $183 billion in 2014 to $383 billion in the last fiscal year. Additionally, Maestri played a pivotal role in overseeing Apple’s record-breaking capital return program and frequently appeared alongside Cook during quarterly earnings calls.
Before joining Apple, Maestri, 60, had a distinguished career that began at General Motors, where he spent two decades helping to establish the automaker’s operations in the Asia Pacific region. He later served as CFO at Nokia Siemens and Xerox before joining Apple as corporate controller in 2013 and was promoted to CFO the following year.
Kevan Parekh, who joined Apple in 2013, brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He started his career at Thomson Reuters before moving to Apple, where he has since held various roles in finance and product marketing. Like Maestri, Parekh also spent time at General Motors, working in overseas operations.
Apple’s leadership transition comes amid broader shifts within the financial leadership of Silicon Valley’s top companies. At Alphabet, CFO Ruth Porat announced her departure from the role in July 2023 to become President and Chief Investment Officer, with Anat Ashkenazi, formerly of Eli Lilly, taking her place. Similarly, Meta named Susan Li as its new CFO in 2022, succeeding David Wehner, who transitioned to the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
As Parekh prepares to step into his new role, the industry will be watching closely to see how he steers Apple’s financial future in the years to come.
Houston, Texas (KTRK) – The shelter-in-place order at Rice University was lifted Monday evening following reports of a potential homicide at Jones College, one of the university’s 11 residential colleges.
The incident began around 5:05 p.m. when Houston police responded to reports of a shooting at 6200 Main St. Rice University quickly took precautionary measures, urging all students, faculty, and staff to shelter in place while Rice University Police Department conducted an investigation.
In a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rice University confirmed that its police department was investigating the situation and canceled all classes and campus activities for the rest of the day.
The shelter-in-place order has since been lifted, but the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constable, who is under investigation for reportedly killing a man in a wrong-way crash, was terminated Sunday.
According to Houston police, the fatal crash happened at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Canal Street, near Live Oak Street, in Houston’s Second Ward.
Witnesses reported that deputy constable Rigo Vivar had been driving aggressively. A public information officer for the Houston Police Department told ABC13 that preliminary investigation indicates a man, identified by Precinct 6 as Vivar, had been driving on the wrong side of Canal Street. Vivar reportedly struck and killed another driver while he was turning right onto Live Oak Street from Canal Street.
The deceased man’s grieving family identified the victim as 28-year-old Ricardo Resendez. He lived just a few hundred feet from the crash site.
His neighbor, Antonio Briones, heard the crash impact and rushed to help.
“I pulled off the windshield, and me and another gentleman pulled off the window, the driver’s side window, to try and check his vitals a little bit, to see if he was breathing, and I don’t think he was responsive. He wasn’t responsive at any point,” Briones said.
Harris County Precinct 6 internal affairs Lieutenant Simel Maldonado told ABC13 that a preliminary investigation indicates the deputy constable was on his way to work in his personal vehicle. He was in uniform at the time of the crash.
As of Sunday, no charges had been filed. HPD’s investigation is ongoing.
The two astronauts who went up to the International Space Station (ISS) on Boeing’s Starliner will have to come home on a different spacecraft next year, NASA officials announced Saturday.
Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who performed the first crewed test flight of Starliner, will return in February 2025 on the Space-X crew 9, according to NASA.
The Boeing Starliner will return in a separate flight uncrewed, NASA said.
“The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at a news conference.
When Wilmore and Williams launched on June 5, they were originally scheduled to only be on the ISS for a week and return on June 14, but have since had their return delayed multiple times.
While the pair integrated with the “Expedition 71” crew aboard the ISS, assisting them with research and other responsibilities, NASA officials have said Wilmore and Williams are using up more supplies meant for the ISS crew.
Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that NASA teams spent all summer looking over the data on Starliner and felt there was too much risk with regard to the vehicle’s thrusters.
“There was too much risk for the crew,” he said.
A Boeing spokesperson said in a statement that the company “continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft.”
“We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return,” Boeing said.
NASA officials said Wilmore and Williams will assist with science experiments, maintenance and maybe some spacewalks during their extended stay on the ISS.
When SpaceX’s Dragon Crew-9 launches in September it will do so with only two of the four astronauts assigned to it to accommodate Wilmore and Williams on the return trip, according to Stich.
Extra spacesuits will be provided, according to Stitch.
“As we started looking at various options, it was obvious to both of us that the easiest and best option was to configure the crew nine vehicle with a couple empty seats on the way up,” he said.
Stich said that Starliner does not currently have the ability to autonomously undock from the ISS. To do that, the Starliner software would need to be updated and the Boeing flight control team would need to undergo additional training.
Starliner is part of the larger Commercial Crew Program at NASA, which was testing if Boeing’s spacecrafts could be certified to perform routine missions to and from the ISS.
The spacecraft had been plagued by issues even before launch. The flight test was originally tentatively scheduled for May 6, but was scrubbed after a problem with an oxygen valve on a rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), which manufactures and operates the rockets that launch spacecraft into orbit.
Helium leaks and a thruster issue then threatened to delay Starliner’s docking. Five days after docking at the ISS, NASA and Boeing said the spacecraft was experiencing five “small” helium leaks and, at the time, said enough helium was available for the return mission.
Last month, teams at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico performed ground testsof Starliner’s thruster, putting it through similar conditions the spacecraft experienced on its way to the ISS, to see how it would react upon undocking.
Stich said the crew has gone through a lot of emotions concerning the changes to the mission and the test flight.
“In the ultimate long-term view, we have not lost anything, because Boeing … is committed to finding the solutions and flying Starliner again. But I probably can not express what it’s like in words when you commit to a mission so long and then we make a fairly dramatic change which we have not in human space flight in a long time,” he said.
Norm Knight, NASA’s director of flight operations directorate, acknowledged the hardships placed on Wilmore and Williams’s families as they wait for months for their loved ones to return home but noted that every astronaut knows the risks, which include extended stays on the space station.
“I care deeply about their families, I know this is a huge impact on their families and it means a lot,” he said. “I tell their families thank you for their support, thank you for what they do.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, spent time in the hospital after being infected with West Nile virus and is now recovering at home, a spokesperson confirmed Saturday.
Fauci is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
West Nile virus is commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don’t experience symptoms, about 1 in 5 can develop a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
CBS News’ chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jonathan LaPook, wrote in a social media post that he spoke Saturday with Fauci, who said he was likely infected from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard.
“Dr. Fauci was hospitalized about ten days ago after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue,” the post on X said. It said Fauci spent a week in the hospital.
As chief White House medical adviser, Fauci was the public face of the U.S. government during the COVID-19 pandemic, a role that made him both a trusted voice to millions and also the target of partisan anger. He left the government in 2022 but was back before Congress in June to testify as part of Republicans’ yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease.
Fauci last summer joined the faculty at Georgetown University as a distinguished university professor.
There are no vaccines to prevent West Nile, or medicines to treat it. As of Aug. 20, the CDC had recorded 216 cases in 33 states this year. It’s best prevented by avoiding mosquito bites.
