In the news wrap for Wednesday, the jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial remains deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict. This marks the second time in as many days that the jury has informed the judge of their inability to reach a unanimous decision. Massachusetts Superior Court Judge William Sullivan stated, "After much deliberation, we are still unable to come to a unanimous decision." The jury is deliberating on whether to hold Clancy criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children in 2023. Clancy's attorney argues that postpartum psychosis led to her actions, while prosecutors contend that she was aware of the wrongfulness of her actions. Deliberations are set to resume tomorrow morning.
In other news, Tiger Woods will have his driver's license suspended for five years as part of a plea deal related to a car crash near his Florida home earlier this year. The 50-year-old golfer appeared in a Florida court this morning to plead no contest to reckless driving and was fined $1,500. Woods was arrested in March after officers found pain pills in his pocket and reported signs of impairment after his vehicle clipped a truck and rolled over. Neither Woods nor the other driver sustained injuries.
Tropical depression Edouard brought heavy rainfall to Texas today as it moved north into the state. Cities such as Beaumont, near the Louisiana border, remain under flood alerts after receiving up to 21 inches of rain. Areas around Houston experienced significant flooding, leading to school cancellations and government office closures. Edouard made landfall yesterday as a 60 mph tropical storm before weakening.
Additionally, unseasonably hot weather continues to affect much of the eastern United States, with over 90 million people under some form of heat alert.
Officials from the U.S. and Venezuela signed a series of agreements today aimed at developing Venezuela's oil reserves. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, during a visit to Caracas, referred to the day as historic for the transformation of Venezuela. The Trump administration recently announced a framework agreement allowing U.S. access to approximately one-fifth of Venezuela's oil reserves, with the Pentagon set to receive a share of the revenues. U.S. oil company Chevron is committing $7 billion to double its production over the next five years. However, some Venezuelans express skepticism about the benefits of these deals. Small business owner Gustavo Lossada stated, "I don't see any benefit for the people because the U.S. is going to take the oil, and then what? We lose power for six or seven hours? So where's the benefit for the people? It should be so that we're better off." Industry analysts have also raised concerns about the challenges of processing Venezuela's crude oil, which is known to be difficult to refine. Nonetheless, the White House indicates that Venezuelan oil could enter U.S. reserves as early as November.
In Nepal, mourners held symbolic funerals today for victims of last week's devastating floods, which officials report have killed at least 1,100 people. Ram Narayan Sharma, who lost six family members in the floods, stated, "We are performing these rituals so that their souls can attain peace." Over a week after the disaster, more than 3,900 individuals remain missing, and hopes for finding survivors are diminishing. The floods also impacted the Chinese side of the border, where state media reports at least 21 confirmed deaths and over 540 individuals unaccounted for.
The U.S. Mint began selling $1 coins today featuring President Trump's image, commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary. The coins are priced up to $2.44 each and can be used as legal tender, although their legality has been questioned due to federal law prohibiting the depiction of living presidents on currency.
In technology news, Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America for U.S. users of its map services, following a similar change by Google Maps. MapQuest has stated it will not change the name. This update comes after President Trump ordered the renaming as part of ongoing trade tensions with Canada.
A federal judge ruled today that Google does not need to break up its advertising technology business but must modify its practices to address monopoly concerns. This ruling is seen as a significant victory for Google amid ongoing antitrust challenges, with shares of parent company Alphabet closing the day up by half a percent.
On Wall Street, stocks rebounded after a slow start to the week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining nearly 300 points, the Nasdaq rising almost half a percent, and the S&P 500 also ending in positive territory.
In cultural news, jazz singer and songwriter Cassandra Wilson has died at the age of 70 in her native Mississippi. Known for her unique interpretations of songs such as "Harvest Moon," Wilson was a prominent figure in jazz during the 1980s and 1990s, winning two Grammy Awards and receiving recognition from TIME magazine as America's best singer in 2001.