Gunshots shatter July 4th festivities
A celebratory Independence Day was tainted by shootings across the country. UPS workers moved closer to a strike after contract negotiations with the shipping giant broke down. And the Secret Service is trying to figure out how cocaine got into the White House.
👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July! Let’s get you caught up on Wednesday’s news.
👀 But first: The mystery deepens. After Rudy Farias was found alive more than eight years after he was reported missing, neighbors are saying he wasn’t really missing at all.
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July Fourth shootings claim lives across the country
A 40-year-old Philadelphia man was charged Wednesday with killing five people in one of several shooting rampages across the nation that killed at least 15 people, injured more than 60 and cast a grim pall over Fourth of July festivities. Authorities say the suspect was armed with an assault rifle and a handgun and wore a bulletproof vest when he fatally shot one man at a home, then began shooting at other people on the street, seemingly at random, before he surrendered to police. The shooting was the nation’s 29th mass killing in 2023, according to a database maintained by USA TODAY, The Associated Press and Northeastern University. It's the most on record for this time of year. Numerous other people were injured or killed in shootings in Shreveport, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; Salisbury, Maryland; Fort Worth, Texas; and Hayward, California. Here's what we know.
How did cocaine get into the White House?
Well, that definitely wasn't supposed to be there. Cocaine was found by Secret Service agents in the White House's West Wing lobby where guests enter before taking private tours, a Secret Service spokesman said Wednesday. President Joe Biden and his family were away from the White House when the drug was discovered in a high-traffic area where visitors are asked to leave their cellphones in small boxes. The Secret Service is investigating.
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UPS workers poised to strike as labor talks break down
After more than two months of negotiations, UPS and the Teamsters − the union representing more than 340,000 of the company's workers − ended talks Wednesday without an agreement on a new labor contract. Each side blamed the other for walking away from the bargaining table. Their contract is set to expire on July 31 at midnight, and no additional negotiations have been scheduled. If the Teamsters walk off the job, it is expected to be the largest single employer strike in U.S. history.
By 2100, rising seas could turn 1 million Florida homes into nightmares
The lure of living beachside has long been one of Florida's biggest draws. But with sea levels expected to rise 1 foot by 2030 and another 3 feet by the end of the century, many dream homes could become nightmares. Storms that ride in on seas rising because of global warming will displace millions of Floridians in low-lying areas by century's end, according to an analysis by a flood-risk research group. Well before then, a higher ocean will force many to elevate their homes or else endure deadly, surging floodwaters and sky-high insurance costs. Take a look at the study + search the map.
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Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: July 4 gun violence, cocaine in White House, UPS union: Wednesday’s news
