HOUSTON, Texas – Here’s a look at your top stories to help start your day.
Search warrant reveals new details about moments before Kalie Goodwin’s disappearance
Investigators in Harris County are pursuing new leads in the ongoing search for 23-year-old Baytown woman Kalie Goodwin, who vanished in April 2024. Court documents obtained via a December 2024 search warrant indicate suspect Quan Flowers picked her up the day she disappeared and may have taken her to his home. The warrant recounts a disturbing April 22 phone call to Goodwin’s mother with her daughter’s voice in the background. Witnesses reportedly saw Flowers hit Goodwin and later saw her badly beaten at a different home. Searches this week at two abandoned properties in southwest Houston turned up items for analysis, but no obvious human remains, and Baytown police say the investigation is ongoing.
US seizes another sanctioned oil tanker, it says has ties to Venezuela
U.S. forces seized the Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean Sea on January 15 as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to enforce sanctions and gain control of Venezuela’s oil production and distribution, officials said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted that Marines and Coast Guard personnel boarded the vessel after it violated the U.S. quarantine on sanctioned ships; this marks the sixth tanker capture under U.S. operations targeting Venezuelan oil. The administration frames the seizures as lawful actions to uphold sanctions and disrupt illicit maritime activity.
Trump set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader after cozying up to Maduro’s successor
President Trump is scheduled to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado following U.S. military and political shifts stemming from the capture of Nicolás Maduro’s successor regime. In recent developments, Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during the meeting, highlighting growing cooperation between the Trump administration and Venezuelan opposition forces as U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s political landscape intensifies. The meeting is seen as part of broader efforts to shape the nation’s future after Maduro’s ouster.
Verizon outage disrupts calling and data services for wireless customers nationwide
Verizon experienced a nationwide outage that disrupted calling, texting and mobile data services for a significant number of customers, leaving users unable to communicate or access the internet through the carrier. The company later confirmed service was restored after the hours-long interruption, but the outage underscored vulnerabilities in critical communications infrastructure and prompted frustration among subscribers who rely on wireless connectivity for work and daily life.
Scientists call another near-record hot year a warning shot of a shifting, dangerous climate
Climate scientists are sounding the alarm after another year ranked near the hottest on record, describing the trend as a stark warning about the accelerating impacts of climate change. Researchers note global temperatures continue to climb, driven by greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbating dangerous weather patterns. The persistent heat underscores the urgency for stronger climate action, as warming conditions threaten ecosystems, human health, and infrastructure worldwide.