The 2022 hurricane forecast just dropped. An Ohio man was arrested after being linked to a plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush. And hacked files offer a look inside China’s secret Uyghur internment camps.
👋 Hey! It’s your old pal Laura Davisaka your guide to Tuesday’s news.
But first, breaking news: At least 14 students and one teacher were shot and killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbot said. Police said the suspect is dead. Follow our coverage of this developing story.
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Looks like another active hurricane season
It’s that time of year again. Forecasters expect yet another busy Atlantic hurricane season in 2022: As many as 10 hurricanes could form, meteorologists said Tuesday. The season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. An average season spawns seven hurricanes and peaks in August or September. If predictions hold true, it will be a record seventh consecutive year of above-normal activity. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said 14 to 21 named storms will develop, including tropical storms, which contain wind speeds of 39 mph or higher. Storms become hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph. Of the predicted hurricanes, three to six could be major hurricanes, packing wind speeds of 111 mph or higher. Read more about the forecast here.
⛈ Weather watch: A massive tornado wowed storm chasers in Texas. What’s the weather doing in your neck of the woods? Check your forecast here.
Primary elections underway in a handful of states
It’s primary time. The Georgia primaries will headline a busy day in politics when four other states will hold elections. Incumbent Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp faces David Perdue, a former US senator backed by Donald Trump, for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Many eyes will also be fixed on Georgia’s GOP secretary of state primary, in which US Republican Rep. Jody Hice, another Trump acolyte, looks to unseat Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Kemp and Raffensperger drew opposition from former President Trump after they refused to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. For Democrats, Stacey Abrams will win her party’s gubernatorial primary after running unopposed. Abrams, who helped flip Georgia blue during the 2020 presidential election, would be the state’s first Black governor if she wins the general election in the fall. Live updates from primary races in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas.
What everyone’s talking about
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A hacker, a researcher and thousands of photos
Thousands of pieces of new and unprecedented evidence obtained by US-based researcher Adrian Zenz appear to show the inner workings of China’s detention system for interning and indoctrinating the Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group in the Xinjiang region of China. Human rights advocates and experts say Uyghurs are persecuted for supposed “crimes,” such as practicing their faith, growing a beard or “provoking trouble.” Thousands of Uyghurs are believed to be held in arbitrary detention in hundreds of internment camps across Xinjiang where human rights groups say detainees are subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Zenz, who says he obtained the trove of internal files from a hacker who accessed Chinese police networks, gave the files to a media consortium that includes USA TODAY, and the group verified some elements of the data. The data provides an unprecedented glimpse inside Beijing’s internment of Uyghurs and other targeted ethnic groups. Read more from the investigation here.
200 bodies found in bombed Mariupol building
The decomposing bodies of 200 people were found in the basement of a bombed-out apartment building in battered Mariupol, authorities said Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of dismal discoveries since Russia invaded Ukraine three months ago. Mayoral adviser Petro Andryushchenko said residents refused Russian demands to collect the dead, so Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies left the bodies amid the rubble. Weeks of missile attacks left Mariupol in ruins. Last week, the last Ukrainian fighters surrendered, giving Russia control of the city that was home to 450,000 people before the war. About 100,000 remain. Major Vadym Boychenko claims the Russian bombardment of the city killed thousands of civilians.
👉 More news: Navalny unbowed: Putin “will be defeated in… the stupid war”; Austin: Ukraine war is “not the United States” fight. Tuesday’s latest updates.
real quick
Ohio man arrested, linked to George W. Bush assassination plot
An Ohio man allegedly linked to a plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush appeared in court Tuesday, federal officials said. Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, an Iraqi national living in Columbus was arrested after a long-running investigation in which the suspect allegedly outlined a plan to smuggle operatives affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group into the USA to murder the former president, according to court documents . Shihab, who faces a detention hearing Friday, entered the USA in September 2020 on a visitor visa, and in March 2021, has filed a claim for asylum that is pending review, authorities said. During Tuesday’s court hearing, Shihab was charged with two felonies: assisting an alien entering the US for financial gain and aiding and betting the attempted murder of Bush.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism