HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The “King” has reentered the building.
On Friday, the Houston Astros announced they activated Kyle Tucker from the 60-day injured list and confirmed that the All-Star outfielder would be in the lineup when the club faces the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Astros said they optioned rookie infielder Zach Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land and designated pitcher Parker Mushinski for assignment to make room for Tucker on the roster.
The 27-year-old’s return has been a long time coming since he went down with what was originally called a shin contusion on June 3 when a foul ball hit his leg while batting. What was initially labeled a weeks-long absence turned into three months. Tucker revealed this week that the team found a small fracture in his shin.
Since then, the Astros added veteran depth to the outfield, claiming former a New York Met, Ben Gamel, and signing Jason Heyward from free agency.
Before the injury, Tucker was cruising with 19 home runs and 40 runs batted in during his first 60 games, leading him to enter the American League MVP conversation. Despite the injury, Tucker earned his third All-Star nod in 2024.
Entering Friday’s series opener, Houston is 75-65 and 4.5 games up on Seattle for the AL West lead, with 22 games remaining.
WASHINGTON – Allan Lichtman, a historian known for correctly forecasting 9 out of the last 10 U.S. presidential elections, has announced his prediction for the 2024 race. According to Lichtman, Vice President Kamala Harris is his choice to reclaim the White House.
Lichtman, who developed a unique system based on thirteen “keys” or true-false questions, says these indicators help measure the strength and performance of the White House party. His prediction was first reported by The New York Times.
Who is Allan Lichtman?
Lichtman, a distinguished professor at American University in Washington, D.C., holds a Ph.D. in modern American history from Harvard University. He is well-known for his election forecasts and has authored numerous books and academic articles. Lichtman has also served as an expert witness in civil and voting rights cases.
What are the 13 keys?
Lichtman’s 13 keys assess factors such as the state of the economy, the presence of scandals, and the charisma of the incumbent party’s candidate. Some of the keys include:
Whether the White House party gained seats during midterms
Whether the sitting president is seeking re-election
The strength of the economy, both short and long-term
Whether there is a major foreign policy success or failure
The presence of a charismatic candidate
In Lichtman’s analysis, eight of these keys currently favor Harris, while only three support former President Donald Trump. However, he acknowledged the possibility of changes in foreign policy, particularly regarding the Biden administration’s involvement in the Gaza conflict.
“If foreign policy keys flip, it could affect the outcome,” Lichtman said. However, with only five negative keys, he still predicts a Harris victory.
Track record
Lichtman’s prediction method has been remarkably accurate over the last several decades, with the exception of the 2000 election when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore. Despite the close race that year, Lichtman’s system has otherwise correctly anticipated every presidential winner since the 1980s.
He concluded by urging voters to take part in the upcoming election, saying, “The outcome is up to you, so get out and vote.”
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — Talk to a Texas homeowner; no matter where they live, one thing could be in common.
“Property tax owners need relief,” Ronnie Kirkwood said. “Property taxes are way too high. They’ve been way too high for a long time.”
“Their property taxes are high, and what are you going to do? It is what it is,” Brittney Hughley said.
This week, a group of lawmakers learned what it would take to eliminate property taxes. About $80 billion in property taxes are collected.
The state uses that money for schools, infrastructure, and other projects. To replace the property taxes, the Texas Taxpayers and Researchers Association said the state’s sales tax figure would have to more than double by more than 20%.
“Any proposal to raise sales taxes outside of doing so indirectly by removing some targeted exemptions is another policy that’s dead on arrival this session,” Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said.
Jones added that while lawmakers may not eliminate property taxes, reducing them will be a priority this upcoming session. Jones said you may not have to worry about a rising sales tax.
Instead, he said a push to bring casinos could be the answer.
“That provides a revenue source that presently isn’t on stream that would provide revenue in perpetuity that could fund property tax relief not just for one or two years or three or four years but for decades,” Jones said.
The Tax Foundation said Texas has the sixth highest property tax rates in the country. Last year, $82 billion were collected. The state collected half of that amount at $45 billion a decade ago.
Experts said rising property prices have dramatically increased revenue, which would make it hard to eliminate. Relief, though, is a common theme among homeowners we talked to.
“Think about all the homeowners out there and the regular person and the economy – how it affects everybody right now,” Hughley said.
“Let’s lower them some more,” Kirkwood said. “That’s what we need to do.”
It appears gambling could be something Texans get behind. Earlier this year, the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundationfound nearly 60% of Texans support resort-style casinos.
It’s a figure political experts said will be on lawmakers’ minds when they meet next year to discuss property tax relief.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is set to return to Earth unpiloted overnight Friday, marking the final chapter of a problematic test flight that has spanned 92 days instead of the planned one week. The spacecraft’s hatch was closed Thursday at 1:29 p.m. EDT, as astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner in June, remained aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The Starliner is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 6 p.m. EDT Friday, after which its braking rockets will fire for about 59 seconds to initiate re-entry. The capsule is expected to land just after midnight at White Sands, New Mexico, with Boeing and NASA recovery teams on standby.
While the Starliner returns home, Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the ISS until February, when they are scheduled to return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. By then, the astronauts will have spent 262 days in space.
During her final preparations aboard the Starliner, Williams remarked on the bittersweet moment of packing up the spacecraft. “We want to make sure she’s in good shape,” she said, adding that the team was doing their best to ensure a smooth landing.
Boeing initially expected Wilmore and Williams to be aboard the Starliner for its return to Earth, concluding the capsule’s first piloted test flight. However, after helium leaks were detected in the propulsion system and five maneuvering jets malfunctioned during the ship’s rendezvous with the ISS, Boeing and NASA faced critical decisions.
Despite extensive testing that led Boeing engineers to conclude the Starliner was safe for a crewed return, NASA disagreed. NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free explained that Boeing and NASA viewed the risks differently, ultimately deciding there was too much uncertainty to bring the astronauts back aboard the Starliner.
The malfunctioning jets are crucial for maneuvering the spacecraft away from the space station and keeping it stable during its descent. Though more powerful thrusters are used for re-entry, the smaller reaction control jets ensure the capsule stays on the correct trajectory.
“Spaceflight is hard. The margins are thin,” said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “And we have to be right.”
After an eleventh-hour plea followed by hours of legal wrangling on Thursday, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine tax-related charges, avoiding a lengthy and potentially embarrassing trial for President Joe Biden’s son.
U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi accepted Hunter Biden’s guilty plea on all the tax-related charges he faced after being indicted in December. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16.
Judge Scarsi said Hunter Biden faces a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.35 million.
“Do you agree that you committed every element of every crime alleged in the indictment?” Judge Scarsi asked.
“Yes,” Hunter Biden replied before pleading guilty to each count.
This development raised the possibility of a presidential pardon, despite President Biden’s previous assurance that he would not grant his son clemency.
Prosecutors had accused Hunter Biden in December of a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes while spending large sums on luxury items such as cars, clothing, and hotels.
Hunter Biden initially pleaded not guilty to a nine-count indictment, including six misdemeanor charges of failure to pay, one felony tax evasion charge, and two felony charges of filing false returns. However, on Thursday, just before jury selection was to begin, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, announced his intention to submit an “Alford plea.” This plea would allow Hunter Biden to plead guilty without acknowledging guilt for the underlying conduct, but prosecutors opposed this. Consequently, Hunter Biden entered a traditional guilty plea.
In pleading guilty, Hunter Biden avoided what could have been a grueling trial, during which his personal struggles and business ventures would have been scrutinized. Special counsel David Weiss’ office had planned to call over two dozen witnesses, including Hunter Biden’s ex-wife.
Hunter Biden, dressed in a dark suit, expressed understanding of the consequences of his plea in court. His attorney, Lowell, stated that Hunter Biden decided to plead guilty to protect his loved ones from unnecessary pain and humiliation. Lowell criticized the government’s case, likening it to issues faced by many Americans who file taxes late. He also suggested Hunter Biden was keeping his options for appeal open.
Hunter Biden’s 56-page indictment detailed his avoidance of paying taxes, with claims that he spent his money on drugs, escorts, luxury items, and failed to pay taxes despite having the means to do so. Though Hunter Biden eventually paid his back taxes with help from a third party, Judge Scarsi ruled this information irrelevant to the case.
Hunter Biden issued a statement following the hearing, expressing regret for the pain he caused his family and acknowledging that he had been clean and sober for more than five years.
Last June, Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor offenses for failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018, but that deal fell apart during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika. Later, Hunter Biden was convicted on three felony charges related to a firearm purchase while allegedly addicted to drugs. His sentencing for those charges is scheduled for Nov. 13.
AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say a Venezuela street gang with a small presence in the city has not taken over a rundown apartment complex — yet the allegation continues to gain steam among conservatives and was amplified by former President Donald Trump in a Wednesday Fox News town hall where he said Venezuelans were “taking over the whole town.”
The unsubstantiated allegation gained momentum following last month’s dissemination of video from a resident in the complex that showed armed men knocking on an apartment door, intensifying fears the Tren de Aragua gang was in control of the six-building complex
Aurora is a diverse city that has long grappled with crime and gangs, and police said they have so far linked 10 people to Tren de Aragua and arrested six of them, including the suspects in a July attempted homicide.
But in a visit to the apartments where the armed men were filmed, interim Aurora police chief Heather Morris said gang members had not taken over and weren’t collecting rent. The remarks came after Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said that “criminal elements” had taken over some unspecified buildings and were extorting residents.
In a Facebook post, Coffman said apartment manager CBZ Management told him that tenants were being forced to pay rent to gang members.
After residents held a news conference to speak out against the claims, Coffman, a Republican and former congressman, conceded he was “not sure where the truth is in all of this.” In an interview this week with Denver7 TV station, Coffman said the narrative that all of Aurora was unsafe was not true and harmful to the economic health of the rapidly growing city of more than 400,000 people.
Coffman wasn’t immediately available Thursday to speak about the situation.
Trump has sought to capitalize on concerns over immigration as he seeks a second term in November. At Wednesday night’s town hall, he repeated his call for mass deportations after overstating the gang situation in Aurora.
“Take a look at Aurora in Colorado, where Venezuelans are taking over the whole town, they’re taking over buildings, the whole town,” Trump said. “You saw it the other day they’re knocking down doors and occupying apartments of people.”
Among the nearly 1 million Venezuelan migrants who entered the U.S. in recent years were suspected gang members tied to police shootings, human trafficking and other crimes — yet there’s no evidence that the gang has set up an organizational structure in the U.S., Jeremy McDermott, the Colombia-based co-director of InSight Crime, told the Associated Press this summer. He published a recent report on Tren de Aragua’s expansion.
Many of the immigrants from Venezuela and other Latin American countries who live in the Aurora complex say there are no gangs there, and they are being unfairly painted as criminals.
They pinned blame on New York-based CBZ Management for refusing to take care of bedbugs, rodents and constant water leaks despite monthly rent costing $1,200 or more. They fear they will be evicted like residents last month in a nearby apartment complex also run by CBZ that city deemed uninhabitable.
“The only criminal here is the owner of the building,” Moises Didenot, who is from Venezuela, said Tuesday through a translator at a news conference in a dusty courtyard at the complex
He showed reporters some mice he recently caught on sticky traps in the basement apartment he shares with his wife and 11-year-old daughter. Only two of the burners on their stove work, their ceiling fan is missing a blade and as soon as they clean their bathtub, mold quickly creeps back, he said.
CBZ didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking comment, and phone numbers listed for two apartment buildings owned by CBZ in Aurora were disconnected.
Aurora officials said in an Aug. 30 social media post that they were taking the Venezuela gang’s presence seriously and indicated more arrests were expected. They also said they would “continue to address the problems that the absentee, out-of-state owners of these properties have allowed to fester unchecked.”
The video helping fuel the unsubstantiated allegation showed armed men, including one holding a long gun, climbing up the stairs and knocking on an apartment door. The former residents who filmed it told KDVR-TV it was taken before a shooting at the complex on Aug. 18 in which the victim later died.
An Aurora Police Department spokesperson, Sydney Edwards, said that police have been in possession of the video and seized evidence seen in it. She said she could not comment further about an ongoing investigation.
Aurora police have also announced a task force with local, state and federal enforcement agencies to specifically address concerns about Tren de Aragua and other criminal activity affecting migrant communities.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — An investigation is underway after a man was found dead in a Spring-area neighborhood.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the man was found dead with possible trauma in the 17400 block of Colony Creek Drive.
ABC13 video from the scene shows a large law enforcement presence in the neighborhood.
The investigation into the man’s death is ongoing. Initially, authorities believed the man may have been hit by a vehicle but added that his injuries were not consistent with that.
Authorities said they are looking into whether the man suffered a medical emergency or if he was attacked.
Deputies did not release a description or say if they were looking for a suspect.
ABC13 spoke to a woman who lives in the neighborhood and believes she recognizes the victim. She said her son was walking their foster dog at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, when he saw the police activity.
“There are a few of us who, every morning and every evening and afternoon, we are running, biking, walking our dogs — he was part of that community. He would be saying ‘Hi’ to whoever says ‘Hi,'” neighbor Diana Molina-Armijo said. “So he was definitely someone in the community who was social, active, senior citizen. It’s a shocker to hear this is happening.”
She said the man she believes is the victim normally runs in the street.
“Our sidewalks recently have been worked on, but not all of them,” Molina-Armijo said. “And there’s a lot of bumps on the sidewalk, so a lot of us, including myself, sometimes are walking on the street so that we’re not hurting our feet, our ankles, and our knees.”
Gonzalez asked anyone with information to please call HCSO at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers Houston at 713-222-TIPS.
CHICAGO — A woman in Illnois lost almost $1 million over several months to a scammer using the “pig butchering” technique.
Just as a farmer fattens up a pig for slaughter, in the scheme a scammer gains a victim’s trust over a long period of time, fattening them up, then goes in for the kill by stealing their life savings.
The FBI estimates the scams cost Americans nearly $4 billion in 2023 alone.
Erika DeMask had saved nearly $1 million in investment accounts; she is now in financial ruin.
“I had to tell my kids because they had no idea I had that kind of money,” she said.The video player is currently playing an ad.
In fact, she was forced to sell her Lombard, Illinois home and everything in it.
“This is my garage sale. The beginning of a mess,” DeMask said. “And it’s hard because a lot of the stuff; the glasses here belonged to my husband.”
Her husband passed away decades ago and recently DeMask met a man online.
“He said that he loved me,” she said. “Once he sent me a huge bouquet of flowers and the FBI said they were shocked that he did that.”
But the FBI said that tactic is just part of the fattening up stage.
“Fraudsters are going to fatten up the victims by putting more enticing the victims to put more money into an investment,” said James Barnacle, deputy assistant director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “And then they’re going to slaughter them by walking away and stealing their money.”
DeMask said her scammer was both charming and convincing,
“He’s working on an oil rig and something broke down. Can I send him $20,000? And I said, ‘Whoa.’ I said, ‘You know what? I need to pray about this,'” she said. “The second time I sent $35,000. Then two weeks later, another $35,000. His pastor is sending him $250,000. Can I match it? Which was a dumb thing.”
Over time that money sent reached nearly $1 million. DeMask said the scammer told her she would get double her money back in his investments. Instead, she now owes money back to her bank; cash which she took from her home equity loan. She also must pay taxes on her investment withdrawals.
“There’s $400 left. That’s it, $400,” she said.
She and her son said the money was taken out and sent via cashier’s checks or wire transfers through Fifth Third Bank.
“She was sending $100,000, $300,000, $50,000 at a time, and it was never brought up and stopped and checked,” said Ed DeMask.
They said when they filed reports with the FBI and Secret Service, agents told them that bankers should have spotted unusual patterns.
“I kept transferring money from Fifth Third from the investment accounts, they never questioned, ‘Why are you closing this whole account?'” Erika DeMask said.
But in this letter to DeMask, Fifth Third said it asks a series of questions that the customer must answer before a wire transfer is sent and that her answers provided “did not raise concern for potential fraud.”
Fifth Third told the I-Team, “The Bank meets applicable Red Flags provisions of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).”
The International Criminal Police Organization, or INTERPOL, said many of these crimes originate out of scam compounds in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
The FBI said if you wire money or crypto there is little chance you will get it back, but if you report it to the FBI quickly, there is some hope.
“Our recovery asset team has had tremendous success in the last several years and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of,” Barnacle said.
Authorities were unable to recover DeMask’s losses, but she says what hurts more is letting go of her home, furniture, and other long-time memories, like a chalkboard built in the garage.
“This was here when we moved here and my grandson, Teddy, he’s the only one that ever wrote on there. And every time I looked at it, I have a hard time. A lot of things are going to be gone and its hard,” she said.
To avoid becoming a victim of a scammer, you should never send money to anyone you meet online, ever.
Also remember that financial institutions may allow you to add trusted contacts to your account so their bank can reach out to family members if there is suspicious activity.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We continue our ABC13 Weather Watch Thursday for the possibility of flooding rains and gusty winds in our coastal counties. By the weekend we will be dry as our first taste of “Fall-ish” air blows in behind a cool front, but next week we will have to keep an eye on the Gulf as another tropical low spins up over the Bay of Campeche.
Due to the threat of heavy rain for our coastline on top of what’s already fallen over the last week, the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for our coastal counties through 7 a.m. Friday. These counties could pick up between 3-6″ of rain on Thursday as heavy storms train one after another around the low over the Gulf.
Most of the rain will fall south of I-10 in the morning, but in the afternoon we’ll see an uptick of scattered heavy showers norther of I-10. Any heavy rain shower could drop a quick inch of rain leading to minor street flooding.
With the extra cloud cover and rain, temperatures should only top out in the mid to upper 80s for much of SE Texas.
GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The man accused of shooting and killing a deputy constable who was on his way to work with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office was charged with murder on Thursday.
The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office said they asked that the suspect, Athir Murady, be denied bail. He’s charged with the felony offense of evading arrest.
Video from Wednesday shows Murady being walked to the jail. He has visible facial injuries after reportedly being bitten by a police K-9 during his arrest.
ABC13 obtained new video showing Athir Murady being led to the Galveston County jail a day after he was pulled from the water in connection with a deputy’s murder.
Authorities say Murady got out of his own vehicle and ambushed Deputy Constable Maher Husseini while he sat in his SUV at a red light at Fondren Road and Richmond Avenue in southwest Houston on Tuesday afternoon.The video player is currently playing an ad.
Husseini was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Sources tell ABC13 that Husseini had a camera in his car, which captured the killing. A Harris County prosecutor was in Galveston on Wednesday night to question the suspect.
Husseini’s funeral is being held on Thursday. He’s being remembered as an amazing human — someone who was loved and respected by many.
After the shooting, officials said Murady took off. He was captured, in part, thanks to an attentive Galveston deputy city marshal who was driving home when he spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect and called police.
Galveston police revealed that authorities might not have gotten to the suspect if it wasn’t for an eagle-eyed deputy city marshal who was heading home from work.
“I kind of watch it, and I kind of don’t want to watch it because I know what happened earlier in the day,” Sgt. Nick Yeley said. “We’re all family. We all wear a uniform. We’re all sisters and brothers in this, and when one of my brothers goes down, it hurts my heart, and I want to say his family is in our prayers. It’s hard for us.”
After he was spotted, Murady allegedly led deputies on a chase through a neighborhood, drove straight into Galveston Bay, and treaded water for about half an hour before being taken into custody 60 miles away from the initial shooting scene.
When a law enforcement boat finally got him out, police said he kept resisting, even after a police K-9 bit him.
Only on 13, the new video shows the gunfire at a busy intersection in southwest Houston. After the tragic shooting, the suspect was found 60 miles away in Galveston Bay.
So far, it’s unclear if the suspect and Husseini knew each other. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said that is part of the investigation.
Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman said he promoted Husseini, who has been with the agency since 2021, a week ago.
Husseini’s brother told ABC13 he was married and leaves behind children.
“It’s too much. There’s total chaos in our communities and we got to get it fixed,” Herman said. “My mentality with law enforcement, and all of you know me, is to fight, fight, fight. The only thing these criminals understand is force.”
A public visitation and funeral service will be held for Husseini on Thursday at Masjid Alsalem Mosque, located at 16700 Old Louetta Rd. in Spring, beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Drivers in the area near Old Louetta Road at that time should prepare for a lot of traffic.
A condolence gathering will be held at the Arab American Cultural and Community Center at 10555 Stancliff Road in Houston from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
