Good morning, and happy Thursday. Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. Arthur grows into Hurricane, aiming for Carolina coast
Arthur has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane, and it’s expected to lash part of the North Carolina coast overnight Thursday. The National Hurricane Center predicted Arthur would strengthen with winds of up to 85 miles per hour. But Fourth of July festivities along the East Coast aren't expected to get washed out everywhere, although officials in Boston decided to move the annual Boston Pops concert and fireworks show up by a day because of potential heavy rain Friday night. Read more in NEWS.
Meanwhile, cameras captured the moment a lightning bolt struck the ground in New York City during a wild storm Wednesday night. The amazing sight looked like something out of a movie.
2. Feds wage war of words along the Texas border
As Central American migrants, including young children, stream into the United States via Mexico, Homeland Security is trying to dissuade them from making the journey. They’re rolling out a Spanish-language campaign to essentially frighten migrants from coming. The warning: Those who risk such journeys could be easy prey for "coyotes" and criminal organizations, be robbed or subjected to violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking or forced labor. Read more in LATINO.
3. Israel strikes back at Hamas targets after kidnappings
Militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than a dozen rockets into Israel overnight, including at least one that hit a house hosting a children’s summer camp. There were no injuries reported in that strike. The airstrike campaign by Israel comes after the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens. Hamas has been blamed for the deaths, although it has not claimed responsibility. Read more in NEWS.
4. U.S. seeks more security at foreign airports
The U.S. is asking for “enhanced security measures” at airports overseas due to terrorism concerns, officials said on Wednesday. But government sources told NBC News this has nothing to do with the July 4th holiday. Rather, intelligence says that extremists fighting in Syria and Iraq are teaming with a notorious al Qaeda bombmaker working on explosives that would evade detection. Read more in NEWS.
5. Denver woman arrested for attempting to help ISIS
Shannon Maureen Conley, 19, was arrested in April trying to board a flight from Denver to Turkey in order to meet someone who wanted to marry her — and would help her join up with terrorists in Syria, according to authorities. A federal source said she wanted to join the jihad because she fell in love with the man online. "She was looking for attention. She found the Muslim religion and radicalized," the source told NBC News. Read more in NEWS.
6. Sheryl Sandberg apologizes for Facebook study
Not many people "liked" the news that researchers were messing with people’s Facebook accounts as part of a psychological study. Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, addressed the controversy on Wednesday while on a trip to Delhi, saying, "This was part of ongoing research companies do to test different products, and that was what it was; it was poorly communicated." Read more in TECH.
… What’s trending today?
If the Detroit Tigers are looking for an outfielder, they should sign up this guy.
A beer vendor made an amazing catch at Comerica Park on Wednesday, using his bin of ice cold drinks to catch a fly ball.