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Trump says he agrees to Fox News debate with Kamala Harris on Sept. 4 in Pa.

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Trump says he agrees to Fox News debate with Kamala Harris on Sept. 4 in Pa.
This combination photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris, left, at the White House in Washington, July 22, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at an event July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape with new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties. Harris is smashing fundraising records and taking over social media. Republicans are fearful and frustrated as they struggle to accept the new reality that Trump’s victory is no sure thing. (AP Photo)

Former President Donald Trump has agreed to an offer from Fox News to hold a debate with Vice President Kamala Harrison Sept. 4, he said in a post on Truth Social late on Friday.

“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest,” Trump said in his post.

“The Fox News Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined,” he continued. “The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!….”

Trump had been willing to go toe-to-toe with President Joe Biden and a debate had originally been scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC News. However, after Biden dropped out of the race last month and Harris has become the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump had been noncommittal about whether or not he would engage in a debate with Harris.

“I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News last Monday.

Trump has skipped debates before and didn’t partake in any of of the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates.

Meanwhile, Trump and Harris have kicked off an ad war targeting each other in key battleground states, with Harris launching a $50 million three-week ad blitz ahead of the Democratic National Convention while Trump has reserved $12 million worth of airtime across Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin, according to AdImpact.

No immediate details about the potential debate have been released.

West U developer, accused of faking disappearance in 2023, faces federal wire fraud charge, DOJ says

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West U developer, accused of faking disappearance in 2023, faces federal wire fraud charge, DOJ says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A West University Place home builder, who was the center of a frantic search last year, was federally charged with wire fraud on Friday, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Brett Detamore, 39, was a custom home builder under the name Detamore Development LLC and is a father of three, Hamdani’s office said.

In June 2023, he left his West U home and allegedly disappeared. His wife reported him missing. His truck was found on fire in Bear Creek Park. For days, volunteers and law enforcement agencies searched for him. On the sixth day, West University Place police revealed they believed it was all made up. He was found at a bus stop in San Antonio “a bit fazed and a bit disheveled.”

Since then, civil lawsuits have been filed, claiming fraud and theft. Now, Detamore faces a criminal charge.

Court documents allege that Detamore fraudulently used money intended to build private homes to earn at least $1.5 million through fraud for his own use.

A day before he went missing, he “continued to make false statements in furtherance of the fraudulent scheme,” records state, and he allegedly submitted fraudulent and fake bills to banks that held construction loans for single-family homes he had been authorized to build, according to Hamdani’s office.

RELATED: Investigation continues after West U dad found ‘disheveled,’ but safe, in San Antonio, officials say

Detamore’s first federal court appearance is set for Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. He has not been arrested and is only charged with one count, which is telling, according to Michael Wynne, a former federal prosecutor not associated with the case.

“A deal has been cut. There’s no question about that. It’s one count. The information shows it could have been many more, so there’s a deal,” he said.

In an email responding to the criminal charge, Detamore’s defense attorney, Tate Williams, wrote, “I appreciate your interest, but we will not comment on this matter.”

Attorney Butch Boyd represents several former clients of Detamore’s who have filed lawsuits. Boyd said they were left with half-built homes and stolen funds and are still recovering long after the bizarre headlines disappeared.

“You’ve got the truck burning, fake disappearance, coming back, the news all over it,” Boyd said. “But there’s people who are really hurt by this financially. They feel violated. He’s never going to make that right, but this is a great step moving forward, in terms of indictment.”

Detamore could face up to 20 years in prison with a maximum $250,000 fine if convicted.

CenterPoint withdraws its request to increase customers’ electricity rate after intense criticism

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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — CenterPoint Energy officials are no longer asking customers to foot the bill for new poles and power lines after intense criticism from elected officials and the public.

In March, Centerpoint requested to increase rates by $1.25 per month.

It was meant to recover the $6 billion the electric company has spent on its power lines and poles in the Houston region since 2019.

Since Derecho and Hurricane Beryl, Houston and Texas leaders have pressed the company about where customers’ money has been going.

Centerpoint said this is a company-wide commitment to immediately improve this hurricane season and is still considering a rate spike to deal with the latest disasters.

4-person race emerges for Sheila Jackson Lee’s congressional seat

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4-person race emerges for Sheila Jackson Lee’s congressional seat

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is among those hoping to fill the seat in the Texas 18th Congressional District left vacant after Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s passing.

Turner formally announced his candidacy on Friday after telling ABC13 last month he was “strongly considering” a bid for the seat.

“The historic 18th Congressional District in the heart of Houston is without representation today. Upon the passing of my dear friend, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, we have a painful decision to make. We need to select who will fill her shoes, as we mourn her death,” he said in a statement.

In January, Turner finished two terms as Houston mayor and served for decades before that in the Texas House of Representatives.

Turner said he’s received endorsements from Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Commissioner Rodney Ellis.

READ MORE: Former Houston mayor, Texas Rep. Jarvis Johnson interested in filling Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat

Meanwhile, Former City Council member Amanda Edwards has launched her campaign, along with former Councilman Dwight Boykins.

“I am honored to share with you that I am running to succeed the Late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to serve as the next Congresswoman for the 18th Congressional District. We are thankful for her years of service. We must honor her strong legacy by continuing and building upon her efforts in addition to bringing forth new solutions, as well,” Edwards wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson has also announced his plans to run.

The precinct chairs in District 18 will decide on the candidate before Aug. 18 because the Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago on Aug. 19.

Houston activists call for liberation of Pablo Velez Jr., denounce systemic issues targeting Latinos

Indira Zaldivar
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Houston activists call for liberation of Pablo Velez Jr., denounce systemic issues targeting Latinos
Houston Activists from the League of United Latin American Citizens demand Justice for Pablo Velez Jr., who has been “wrongfully imprisoned” for more than 18 years outside of the Mickey Leland Federal Building on Aug. 2, 2024. Photograph by Edward Saenz / Que Onda Magazine

By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz

Houston activists called attention to Pablo Velez Jr., a Houston man incarcerated for more than 18 years who they claim is innocent and wrongfully convicted referencing a lack of evidence such as video footage, DNA, or a found murder weapon, calling for his immediate release.

On Velez’s birthday, his girlfriend Lisa Brat Martinez, joined by activists from the Houston chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, raised awareness on Velez’ case and on what they called systemic issues within the legal system targeting their Latino community on Friday outside of the Mickey Leland Federal Building in downtown Houston. 

“I’ve been fighting for him for the past four years, but he’s been there almost 19 years in prison for something that he had no affiliation with whatsoever,” Martinez said.

In 2006, Velez was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a crime that happened 20 years ago on July 15, 2004 outside of a sports bar located at 2033 Mangum Road in Houston, Texas. A fight ended in a fatal shooting killing 17-year-old Emerson Bojorquez and wounding Adrian Payan. 

Photograph by Edward Saenz / Que Onda Magazine

An eyewitness picked Velez out of a face-only, photo line-up, and the two unidentified shooters were seen driving away in the 1998 Gold Cadillac Deville Sedan that was registered in Velez’s name, that he said he sold to a neighbor in the Heights area. However, the eyewitness in 2017 during the court trial said that Velez was not the shooter. 

Velez, who was a truck driver, told Univision 45 he happened to be in Houston the morning of the crime because his truck broke down.

“We have the clear cut facts, evidence, and witnesses recanted their testimony,” Martinez said.

I don’t know what else it takes besides evidence, the facts, and falsified testimony from the detectives.”

Martinez said that four years ago she presented the evidence before Harris County District Attorney Kim Ago, but Velez’s has not been set free or granted parole.  

Ed Rodriguez, director of LULAC District 18 denounced the lack of accountability from the system.

“This is an injustice,” Rodriguez said. “Not only is it an injustice, it’s showing us that the system still fails our community.”

Photograph by Edward Saenz / Que Onda Magazine

Chevron announces it is moving headquarters from California to Houston, Texas

ABC13 Houston
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Chevron announces it is moving headquarters from California to Houston, Texas
A Chevron Corp. flag flies outside an office building in Midland, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, March 1, 2018. Chevron, the world’s third-largest publicly traded oil producer, is spending $3.3 billion this year in the Permian and an additional $1 billion in other shale basins. Its expansion will further bolster U.S. oil output, which already exceeds 10 million barrels a day, surpassing the record set in 1970. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

SAN RAMON, California (KTRK) — Chevron announced Friday morning it is moving its headquarters from San Ramon to Houston, Texas.

The oil major says there won’t be much immediate relocation and expects all corporate functions to migrate to Houston over the next five years.

“Chevron Chairman and CEO, Mike Wirth, and Vice Chairman, Mark Nelson, will move to Houston before the end of 2024 to co-locate with other senior leaders and enable better collaboration and engagement with executives, employees, and business partners,” the company said in a statement.

Positions for its California operations will remain in San Ramon.

Chevron currently has about 2,000 employees in San Ramon and 7,000 employees in the Houston area.

The company also announced several leadership changes, including several corportate retirements. Among them is Executive Vice President Nigel Hearne, who is retiring after 35 years of service to the company.

City of Houston delivers $650M in backpay settlement checks to firefighters

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City of Houston delivers $650M in backpay settlement checks to firefighters

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Professional Firefighters Association has received $650 million in settlement money from the City of Houston.

Union President Marty Lancton confirmed the boxes of paper checks were signed for at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, adding that auditors were “working to verify.”

Controller Chris Hollins told ABC13 that the median lump sum payment check an individual firefighter will receive is $165,000, though some will receive up to twice as much.

The checks are backpay for seven years of work without a contract due to a stalemate between the union and the city. Hollins noted that Houston firefighters were underpaid during that time compared to firefighters in other similarly sized cities. When broken down over the seven-year stalemate, Hollins said firefighters are being paid, on average, roughly $20,000 per year.

When considering interest, Hollins estimates it will cost the city more than $1 billion.

“We entered into this agreement without any kind of understanding or any plan of how we’re going to pay for that,” Hollins told ABC13. “At the moment, not only the bond payments that we’re gonna have to pay for throughout this year, and the money for the raises the firefighters are gonna receive this year, those are all being paid for with one-time money from the federal government that came during COVID. That money is running out quickly. And so, we need to right our finances in the city and make sure that our recurring expenses are covered by recurring revenue. And right now, that’s simply not the case.”

When Hollins raised those same concerns before the Houston City Council on Wednesday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire quipped, “I appreciate the job you do, and your personal privilege and political statements are always welcome.”

Hollins insisted, “There is nothing political about looking at the money that’s flowing out of our city, understanding that not enough is coming in and having concerns about it.”

The S&P has put Houston on anegative outlook-meaning there’s at least a one-in-three chance S&P will downgrade Houston’s debt in the next two years.

“Because we are bringing on new expenses without a plan as our fund balance is running out,” Hollins said.

Who is Italian boxer Angela Carini and why did she quit her fight against Imane Khelif?

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Who is Italian boxer Angela Carini and why did she quit her fight against Imane Khelif?

PARIS — Italian boxer Angela Carini came to the Paris Olympics aiming for a medal to honor her late father and coach, who died shortly after she participated in the Tokyo Games three years ago.

But Carini’s performance in Paris lasted just 46 seconds Thursday before she abandoned her bout against Algerian opponent Imane Khelif, with a spot of blood on her trunks.

Even though Carini said she wasn’t making a political statement about Khelif, who was disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, the move reopened debate about Khelif’s status.

The 25-year-old Carini competes in the 66-kilogram (145.5-pound) class, otherwise known as welterweight. She won silver medals at both the world and European championships in 2019.

She was also a gold medalist at the European youth championships. She lost her opening fight in Tokyo.

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Carini’s nickname, “tiger,” was given to her by her father, Giuseppe.

Carini was an Italian champion in clay pigeon shooting before she switched to boxing. She made the switch to follow her brother, who also left shooting for boxing.

“My brother and my father taught me boxing,” Carini said. “I owe everything to them.”

Carini exchanged a few brisk punches before abandoning her bout — an extremely rare occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini didn’t shake Khelif’s hand after the referee formally raised it. She cried in the ring after sinking to her knees.

Her actions sparked a discussion far beyond Paris about whether Khelif should have been allowed to compete after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test from the now-banned International Boxing Association. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni discussed the issue with IOC president Thomas Bach during a meeting in Paris on Friday.

The IOC has repeatedly defended Khelf’s right to compete this week.

“Despite our requests to have certainties and guarantees, both for the safety of our athlete and for the regularity of the competition, they’ve confirmed that (Khelif) is within these parameters,” Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malagò said. 

Afterward, a still-tearful Carini said she quit because of the pain from Khelif’s opening punches, adding that her nose bled afterward.

“My face and nose were hurting,” Carini said, according to the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. “I couldn’t breathe anymore. I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire. … I’ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.”

Carini added that it wasn’t a pre-meditated move.

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“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini said. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

Carini was apologetic for not shaking Khelif’s hand after the bout.

“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini said. “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”

Americans return home after largest prisoner swap with Russia since Cold War

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Americans return home after largest prisoner swap with Russia since Cold War

What’s going on: Last night, three Americans released as part of a prisoner swap with Russia arrived in the US. President Biden and VP Kamala Harris greeted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Their arrival came hours after the US announced a 24-person prisoner exchange involving six countries — one of the largest since the end of the Cold War. Whelan, Gershkovich, and Kurmasheva had been detained in Russia on espionage charges denounced by the US. As part of the exchange, eight Russian citizens were released, including Vadim Krasikov — a convicted hit man believed to be linked to Russian intelligence.

What it means: The prisoner swap, which took months of back-channel negotiations, marks a diplomatic success for Biden as he enters his last few months in office. While the Biden administration has engaged in numerous prisoner exchanges in recent years, this one is the most complex by far. Even as the deal is hailed as a win around the world, it has opened the president up to criticism. Some experts warn that such swaps might encourage hostile governments to take American citizens as prisoners in order to gain leverage over the US and bring back dangerous actors. The deal also isn’t expected to thaw icy US-Russia relations, or move the needle on ending the war in Ukraine.

City of Houston taps Katy’s former police chief, Noe Diaz, to lead HPD

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City of Houston taps Katy’s former police chief, Noe Diaz, to lead HPD

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Mayor John Whitmire has named a new chief for the Houston Police Department Thursday.

Former Texas Ranger and Katy Police Chief Noe Diaz is expected to become the department’s new head on Aug. 14 after being confirmed by City Council.

Diaz will be formally introduced on Friday at 11 a.m.

Diaz’s career in law enforcement began in 1987 as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 1994, he graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown Police Academy and joined the Harris County Constable Precinct Five Office. In 1996, the Texas Department of Public Safety selected him to attend the DPS Academy A-96. He served as a trooper at the Katy Highway Patrol, and in 2001, he was promoted to the Narcotics Division of the State Police stationed in Houston. In 2008, he was appointed as a Texas Ranger, where he served in Rio Grande City but then returned to Houston.

With the new top cop named, Whitmire also announced that Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite will also take a new assignment as the next director of the mayor’s office of public safety and homeland security. Satterwhite will start his new role on Aug. 14.

“Larry has been an outstanding leader in law enforcement, demonstrating unwavering dedication and commitment to the safety and well-being of Houstonians,” Whitmire said in a letter to council members.

The announcement comes a day after HPD released a report on the 264,000 cases suspended due to inadequate staffing. More than a quarter of a million cases filed by crime victims since 2016 were labeled with a “Suspended – Lack of Personnel” code.

Whitmire said there would be an internal investigation into what went wrong, and on Wednesday, Satterwhite presented the report to the Houston City Council.

The 41-page report found that investigators were using this “SL code” as they were told. And there weren’t guidelines on how to use it based on certain crimes.

READ MORE: Houston Police Department releases long-awaited report on suspended cases scandal

The fallout has been tremendous over the past six months. Whitmire accepted the retirement of Troy Finner in May, and the now-former Houston Police Chief recently said he believes he was pushed out to bury the scandal.

“I’m proud to take the blows. But tell the whole story,” Finner told ABC13’s partners at the Houston Chronicle.

Finner previously claimed he first heard of the code on Nov. 4, 2021, and ordered his leaders to never use it again.

However, a 2018 email obtained by 13 Investigates shows Finner knew of the coding being used at least once, meaning he was aware of it three years earlier than he had previously claimed.

The July 20, 2018, email was addressed to several high-ranking HPD leaders, including then-Chief Art Acevedo and Finner, who was an executive assistant chief at the time.

Satterwhite took over after Finner left, but there were many questions about who was going to lead the department permanently going forward.

This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.

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