Dam fails after rain, wind, tornadoes pound the Midwest

CHICAGO (AP) — Severe storms in the Midwest have overtopped a dam in southern Illinois and left the Chicago area cleaning up. Officials say a reservoir dam failed near the Illinois community of Nashville. First responders tried Tuesday to ensure all 300 people in the evacuation zone got out safely. There were no reports of injuries there. National Weather Service employees at a suburban Chicago office had to run for cover late Monday as storms swept through. The service says it is sending teams to check 29 paths of damage in Illinois and Indiana for evidence that tornadoes caused them. A woman in Indiana died after a tree fell on a home.

Residents cleared to return home after crews contain wind-swept wildfire on Hawaii’s Kauai island

KAUMAKANI, Hawaii (AP) — Officials have lifted an evacuation notice for about 200 homes in a small, rural community on the Hawaiian island of Kauai after fully containing a wind-swept wildfire. The fast-moving blaze between Hanapepe and Kaumakani prompted officials to alert residents of the need to flee Monday afternoon using sirens, text messages and by going door-to-door. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said that in addition to dropping water on the fire from helicopters, heavy machinery was used to create breaks to prevent the fire from spreading. Officials declared the fire 100% contained just before midnight.

Self-exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui convicted of defrauding followers

NEW YORK (AP) — A Chinese business tycoon who sought asylum in the U.S. has been convicted on charges that he engaged in a massive, multiyear fraud. Once believed to be among China’s richest people, Guo Wengui left that country a decade ago and reinvented himself as a dissident and critic of the Communist Party. While living in self-imposed exile in New York he also developed a close relationship with conservative political strategist Steve Bannon. Guo was arrested in New York in 2023 and accused of deceiving thousands of people who put money into bogus investments. Guo’s lawyers said prosecutors hadn’t proven he’d cheated anyone. He did not testify at the two-month trial.

Kaspersky will shutter US operations after software is banned by Commerce Dept.

NEW YORK (AP) — Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says it’s shutting down all of its operations in the United States, just weeks after the Commerce Department banned the use of the company’s software in the country. Moscow-based Kaspersky says it will “gradually wind down” its U.S. operations and eliminate U.S.-based positions starting July 20. The company notes that it evaluated legal requirements and determined that business opportunities in the country are no longer viable. Last month, the Commerce Department announced a ban of Kaspersky software in the U.S. — with the government arguing that the company’s Russian connections pose a national security risk. Kaspersky has vehemently denied that it is a security threat.