Perez Hilton's Family Was Inside His Home Before His Mental Health CrisisPerez Hilton’s children, niece and sister “fled” his Florida home once it became clear Hilton was experiencing a “severe” mental health crisis, his family said in a statement Thursday.“Just minutes before the public livestream incident, Perez’s children, niece, and sister were inside the home,” the statement reads. “When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.”The family continued, saying their “highest priority” is helping Hilton’s children heal so they can begin “rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy.” They said the last few days have been “nearly unbearable” for them.On Tuesday, the celebrity blogger was hospitalized after he appeared to harm himself live on TikTok. The videos have been taken down, but he was reportedly naked and covered in blood. His family said Wednesday that he is receiving medical care and is able to communicate.Latest Live UpdatesMassive Dust Storms Blanket The Phoenix Area Twice In One WeekDust storms that blanketed the Phoenix area in thick haze this week were among the most intense to hit the region in years, scientists said Thursday.The storms — called haboobs — occur throughout the U.S. Southwest when strong downdrafts from thunderstorms stir up loose dust and dirt that get blown along in front of the approaching storm cell.They can produce massive walls of dust and debris that blind drivers and make people sick.Read more from The Associated Press:Judge Formally Dismisses DOJ's Vandalism Charges Against Ex-Olympian David HearnA D.C. judge has formally dismissed vandalism charges against ex-Olympic canoeist David Hearn after the Justice Department requested to drop its case accusing him of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.In an order released Thursday, D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd E. Edelman said he found “no reason why this felony case should remain” after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro admitted last week the government had erred in pursuing the charges.Edelman added he would decide at a later date whether to dismiss the case with prejudice – a request from Hearn’s lawyers that would prohibit the government from ever resurrecting the charges against him.Puerto Rico To Begin Water Rationing Due To Intense DroughtPuerto Rico will begin a rotating water rationing program on Friday across the island in response to intense drought, authorities said, in a plan that forces tens of thousands of people to go without water for 48 hours at a time.The rationing will last at least through the end of August, according to details posted on the U.S. territory’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority website. Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez said at a press conference late on Wednesday that she does not know how long the rationing will be required.Read more from Reuters:IRS Workers Union Wants Judge To Block Trump’s Tax Audit Immunity DealThe labor union representing Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service workers asked a judge Thursday to block a sweeping tax audit immunity agreement for President Donald Trump, arguing it would force career employees to choose between following a political order and abiding by the law.The group joined a lawsuit filed in May that sought to block the proposed $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the Trump administration later scrapped after bipartisan pushback. The updated lawsuit, filed by legal advocacy group Democracy Forward, now also targets the audit immunity deal conferred on the president, his sons and the Trump Organization, which remains in place.Read more from The Associated Press:Scientists Just Successfully Trained AI To Create New VirusesScientists have successfully trained an artificial intelligence model to create new kinds of viruses, a study published in Science on Thursday revealed.Instead of using text prompts, the study’s authors at Stanford University and the Arc Institute trained an AI model called Evo on DNA sequences from millions of animals, plants and viruses. Evo then used pattern recognition to create viral genomes, 16 of which were viable. The study’s authors did not provide data to Evo on viruses that infect humans.The development is a step beyond the existing practice of duplicating viral genes for research or vaccine testing. While some scientists believe AI-generated viruses could be helpful in medicine and biotechnology, others caution against a world where AI can be used to create deadly pathogens.Trump Signs Executive Orders Targeting Birthright Citizenship, Birth TourismPresident Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders to limit who is eligible for birthright citizenship. The move aims to undermine the Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the 14th Amendment. “Wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship, that’s not the way it’s supposed to work,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to companies that arrange for pregnant women to visit the U.S. and give birth so their child has automatic citizenship.“It’s a disgrace,” he said. “They’re buying their way in. And we’re not going to let it happen.”The president’s order will ban the act of “birth tourism,” though U.S. law already prohibits a tourist from getting a visa “for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States.”Trump’s orders expand the definition of who is ineligible for birthright citizenship, which will now include children of foreign diplomatic staff working for another government, or children of anyone deemed an “alien enemy,” like members of foreign terrorist organizations. “We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright, it was close,” he said. “But a very, very unfortunate decision. So we’re making adjustments.”Trump Scared He'll Be 'Last Republican President' If Abdul El-Sayed Gets His WayPresident Donald Trump expressed his fear of Abdul El-Sayed, who on Wednesday became the Democratic primary winner for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat.“For our Great Republican Senators, friends of mine ‘all,’ please be advised that the Communist Dumocrat Senate Candidate from Michigan, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, is touting, as perhaps his single most important point, the Termination of the Filibuster,” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday.El-Sayed, a former public health official, has called for abolishing the filibuster. “I watched yesterday, and he’s gone Termination CRAZY,” Trump posted. “If he succeeds, the Dumocrats will gain 4 Senators, 8 Congressmen, many Electoral and Popular Votes, a stacked Supreme Court with 23 Justices, and I will be, sadly, despite the great job we are doing, the last Republican President!”Trump Says He Won't Get Involved In Max Miller Re-Election ConversationPresident Donald Trump said he wouldn’t get involved in conversations around the reelection campaign of Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), who is currently under investigation amid allegations of domestic abuse.“I’m not going to get involved, that’s a very sad situation, and I know Max very well, but it’s very, very sad that a situation like that takes place,” Trump said when asked about Miller, who has until Monday to drop his reelection bid and allow Republicans to replace him on the ballot in November.Trump Is Still Raging At Pirro For Dropping Reflecting Pool Case: 'A Stupid Thing'President Donald Trump on Thursday fumed about D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to NBC News, attacking her decision to drop criminal charges against a number of people accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. “She said there was no vandalism,” he told NBC News during a phone interview. “There was tremendous vandalism. So, she made a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why she did such a stupid thing.”“Just so you understand, she made a big mistake. And the contractor, there’s very little problem,” Trump said, referring to Pirro’s assertions in court documents that a botched installation job was to blame for the pool’s ripped liner — not vandals.Pirro and Trump reportedly met for a meeting at the White House earlier this week, where Pirro arrived with a trove of evidence in an effort to clear her name and hold on to her job. Mitch McConnell Says He's Been Discharged From Rehab FacilitySen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released a statement Thursday saying that he has been discharged from a rehab facility after suffering a serious fall and subsequent pneumonia diagnosis mid-June and is back at home recovering.“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” the statement read.“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.”McConnell’s extended absence from the Senate has stalled progress on several Senate committees on which he serves on and where Republicans have a slim majority, including a vote earlier today on a GOP-led farm bill that aims to address critical agricultural subsidies and food assistance programs. See All Updates