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Parts of Texas at risk of tornadoes and hail as large as baseballs

(NYT) — Thunderstorms are expected across parts of the central United States, with large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and a couple of tornadoes all expected to be in the mix.

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Forecasters with the National Weather Service said these storms were typical for late spring and not nearly as severe as those that caused historic flooding at the beginning of the month, but they also warned that the storms could be unpredictable.

The most severe weather is likely to occur in the central and southern Great Plains, especially the Texas Panhandle, including the cities of Amarillo, Lubbock and Plainview. Winds up to 70 mph and hail from 2 inches to 3 1/2 inches (from the size of a lime to a little bigger than a baseball) are possible, along with a tornado or two.

Severe thunderstorms are possible across southwest Kansas and into the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. The storm activity is forecast to continue across western Oklahoma.

A portion of the central United States is also at risk for isolated instances of heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding. That includes parts of East Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Louisiana.

S. Korea says DeepSeek transferred user data without consent

SEOUL (Reuters) — South Korea’s data protection authority said on Thursday that Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek transferred user information and prompts without permission when the service was still available for download in the country’s app market. DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Personal Information Protection Commission said in a statement that Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co Ltd did not obtain user consent while transferring personal information to a number of companies in China and the United States at the time of its South Korean launch in January.

In February, South Korea’s data agency suspended new downloads of the DeepSeek app in the country after it said DeepSeek acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency’s rules on protecting personal data.

Gunman who opened fire on a parade gets seven life sentences

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (NYT) — The man who opened fire from a rooftop at a Fourth of July parade in a suburb of Chicago in 2022 was sentenced Thursday to seven consecutive life sentences, one for each of the people he killed.

The man, Robert Crimo III, was also sentenced to a 50-year term in prison for attempted murder for each of the 48 people who were wounded at the parade but survived. He is not eligible for parole.

In reading the sentence, Judge Victoria A. Rossetti of Lake County Circuit Court called Crimo “irretrievably depraved,” a man who has demonstrated no remorse for his crimes.

“No sentence can ever change the events of July 4,” she said. “Nor can it compensate for the loss of a loved one or injured.”

About two dozen relatives of the victims gathered in the courtroom gallery to hear the sentence. Some of them sobbed; others leaned their heads on their relatives’ shoulders for support.

Crimo avoided a trial in the case by pleading guilty in March to 69 criminal counts, including first-degree murder.