Twin babies were among at least 22 people killed as record-breaking rainfall caused devastating flooding in Tennessee.
Dozens of people are still missing after floodwater caused severe damage to homes, buildings, roads and power cables as it rushed through the southeastern part of the US state on Saturday.
The two seven-month-old babies were said to have been swept out of their father’s arms in Waverly on Saturday morning when water surged into their apartment complex as they tried to escape.
The death of the twins, Ryan and Rileigh Rigney, was confirmed by surviving family members.
And the siblings’ bodies have been found, Sheriff Chris Davis told NBC affiliate WSMV.
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Wayne Spears, a foreman at 89-year-old country music star Loretta Lynn’s ranch about 11 miles south of Waverly, also died in the flooding.
“Wayne has been a family friend to the Lynns and a fixture to the Ranch for decades and we are all devastated by his passing,” the ranch said.
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Cars and entire houses were swept down a road in Waverly, which is about 60 miles west of Nashville. The town of McEwen was also badly hit by the conditions.
The National Weather Service said up to 17in (1.4ft) of rain fell in Humphreys County in less than 24 hours on Saturday, shattering the Tennessee record for one-day rainfall by more than 3in (0.25ft).
Officials said emergency workers were searching door to door with their hopes of finding more survivors beginning to fade.
Image: A car is among debris that washed up against a bridge over a stream in Waverly. Pic: AP
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Several dead in ‘catastrophic’ Tennessee flooding
“I would expect, given the number of fatalities, that we’re going to see mostly recovery efforts at this point rather than rescue efforts,” said Tennessee emergency management director Patrick Sheehan.
Many of the missing live in the neighbourhoods where the water rose the fastest, said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, who confirmed the 22 deaths in his county.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee toured the area, calling it a “devastating picture of loss and heartache”.
Image: People in Waverly in mid-Tennessee assess the damage after the heavy rainfall caused devastating floods. Pic: AP
Image: Some of the damage to property caused by Saturday’s flooding in McEwen, Tennessee. Pic: AP
President Joe Biden offered condolences to the people of Tennessee and directed federal disaster officials to talk to the governor and to offer assistance.
A flash flood watch was issued for the area before the rain started, with forecasters saying up to 6in (0.5ft) of rain was possible.
Our hearts are with the many Tennesseans experiencing loss & heartbreak following yesterday’s deadly floods. The loss of life & property damage is devastating, & many of our neighbors are still missing. Please keep these communities in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/4gCJXXsIZK
The worst storm previously recorded in this area of Tennessee recorded 9in (0.75ft) of rain, said Krissy Hurley, a weather service meteorologist in Nashville.
She said: “Forecasting almost a record is something we don’t do very often.
“Double the amount we’ve ever seen was almost unfathomable.”
Donald Trump has landed in Scotland ahead of a four-day trip, which includes high-level meetings, praising Sir Keir Starmer as “a good man” but also calling illegal migration a “horrible invasion” that was “killing Europe”.
Mr Trump told reporters: “I like your prime minister. He’s slightly more liberal than I am… but he’s a good man… he got a trade deal done. It’s a good deal for the UK.”
The pair are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month.
Trump left Air Force One to head to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf courses. Part of the trip will include the opening of another course in Aberdeenshire, billed as “the greatest 36 holes in golf”.
Image: Trump supporters waved as Air Force One landed. Pic: PA
“There’s no place like Turnberry. It’s the best, probably the best course in the world. And I would say Aberdeen is right up there,” the US president said.
“Sean Connery helped get me the [planning] permits. If it weren’t for Sean Connery, we wouldn’t have those great courses,” he added.
During the trip, President Trump will also hold discussions with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is keen to secure a trade deal with the US.
Image: Donald Trump spoke to reporters after landing at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire. Pic: AP
Mr Trump told reporters there was “a good 50-50 chance” of an agreement with the EU but added there were “maybe 20 different” sticking points.
EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by 1 August.
Image: He travelled to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf resorts, amid tight security. Pic: Reuters
The US president touched on illegal immigration and gave European leaders a stark warning.
“You better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together,” he said.
“But you’re allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to Europe. Immigration is killing Europe,” he told reporters.
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1:30
What do Scots think of Trump visit?
He was also scathing about the installation of wind turbines across Europe.
“Stop the windmills. You’re ruining your countries,” he said. “It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds.”
Domestically, President Trump faces the biggest political crisis of his second term in office over his administration’s handling of files linked to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. “You’re making a big thing over something that’s not a big thing. I’m focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are,” he said.
Mr Trump added that “now’s not the time” to discuss a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s imprisoned accomplice.
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While the president’s visit did attract some enthusiastic flag-waving supporters at Prestwick Airport, he is also likely to trigger a number of protests, prompting Police Scotland to call in support from other forces in the UK.
The Stop Trump Scotland group has planned demonstrations on Saturday in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries.
About 70% of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a positive opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found.
President Trump is staying at his Turnberry property on Scotland’s west coast this weekend, before travelling to Aberdeenshire on Monday, where he will open a second 18-hole course.
He is due to return to the UK in September for a state visit hosted by the King – the first world leader in modern times to undertake two UK state visits.
It was the 18 April 2006, and he had landed by helicopter at St Andrew’s, on his way to survey a stretch of Aberdeenshire coastline he was going to turn into a golf course.
He duly delivered and “Trump International” is a stunning addition to Scotland’s golfing real estate, alongside his other course at Turnberry.
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He was the brand built on property and showbiz and, upon arrival, the star of TV’s The Apprentice breezed his way through our interview, obliging us by pointing down the barrel of the camera and delivering his trademark “you’re fired”.
We talked investment, Scottish roots and some local objections to the golf course.
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I said it was all a bit like the film Local Hero, which likened him to the rich guy played by Burt Lancaster and he seemed happy enough.
Innocent times.
Image: In 2006, the host of The Apprentice delivering his trademark ‘you’re fired’ finger point while visiting Aberdeenshire. File pic: PA
Image: Donald Trump promoting his plans for a golf course on the Menie Estate near Aberdeen in 2010
Fast forward 20 years to President Trump and we are braced for his latest return ‘home’. For this son of Scotland (his mother is from the Isle of Lewis), it’s a homecoming from hell. Hellish on security logistics, at least.
You might think a trip to the old country would carry an element of triumph, wrapped in a nation’s pride. He’s the prodigal who made president, after all – think Biden, Ireland, and the rock star welcome rolled out there for one of their own.
Not so for President Trump. The dynamic’s different with the Donald – the heartland he’ll visit isn’t loved up, it’s locked down. Same as it ever was, whenever he lands in Scotland.
Image: The US president at his Turnberry course in 2023 amid tight security. PA file pic
Image: File pic: PA
Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted from around the country to hermetically seal his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeenshire. A private trip in two very public settings demands a huge security operation, complicated by an army of protestors mobilising for what they’re calling a “carnival of resistance”.
Demonstrations are planned over a range of causes – organisers cite “threats” to democracy, climate, the global economy and more.
Image: Protestors in 2023 gather at Trump’s Turnberry resort during his visit. File pic: PA
Image: Demonstrations, like this one in 2018, near Turnberry require policing. File pic: AP
Image: Comic Simon Brodkin, appearing in character as Lee Nelson, is led away by security during an anti-Trump protest at Turnberry in 2016. File pic: Reuters
There is no cause untouched by a president of the US and none forgotten by this weekend’s protests.
Scotland leans left of Donald Trump, and critics will lean into an effort to let him know.
It’s an awkward setting for a charm offensive by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney.
As the biggest show in politics rolls into town, they will polish the script on trade negotiations, wary of a president distracted, unpredictable and prone to changing the plot.
His distraction, of course, is the political drama back home.
Trump will welcome a weekend under the radar as an opportunity to escape the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, but there’s every chance the story will travel with him.
Daily efforts to steer the media away from the scandal haven’t stemmed the flow of persistent enquiry and revelations that cement Trump’s relationship with Epstein in the public consciousness, and so further raise questions of cover-up.
Donald Trump likes a wall. And now he has his very own 15ft-high metal barrier creating a fortress as he tees off for a weekend of politics, play and precision in Scotland.
An almost surreal contrast now exists in the tiny Ayrshire village of Turnberry.
On one side, the stunning coastline and luxury hotel that bears the president’s name. And on the other, an armed buffer zone with sniper teams and road checkpoints.
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The threat level and associated security on display is unprecedented following the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in the US.
“It would be inappropriate for me to plan an operation and not bear in mind what has happened,” the senior officer in charge of this weekend’s policing efforts told me.
Image: Military trucks are part of a security effort that comes just a year after an attempted assassination
Image: A ‘counter terror’ firm was spotted near the area, which is ringed by a 15ft fence
Turnberry, and its population of about 200 people, have this week witnessed a never-ending stream of Army trucks, terrorist sweeps, road checkpoints, airspace restrictions, sniper positions being erected and Secret Service agents roaming around.
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It is the most extensive security deployment in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022.
It is estimated around 5,000 officers will be on the streets, with teams coming from across the UK to assist.
The spectacle primarily centres on Donald Trump coming to play golf before the arrival of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for talks, likely on Monday.
The president, whose mother was born on the Scottish island of Lewis, is then scheduled to travel to his Aberdeenshire resort where a new golf course is set to open.
Image: Police on buggies are patrolling near the course on Scotland’s east coast
Image: Police have even taped off a clothes recycling bin near the course
‘Trump is a decent boss’
Stephanie Campbell and Leanne Maxwell live in Turnberry and used to work at the Trump-owned resort, like many other locals.
The pair told Sky News the very first lesson staff at the resort are given is not in fine service or guest etiquette, but in how to respond to a bomb threat.
It is claimed there are posters above the landline phones in the hotel with instructions on the worst-case scenario.
Image: Stephanie Campbell and Leanne Maxwell say staff are trained in dealing with bomb threats
Stephanie told Sky News: “I had no issues working for him, he is a really decent boss.
“The last time he came there was an element of excitement, I think this time there comes with an added element of concern.
“It brings a lot higher threats and security and it’s much more difficult for everybody in the area.”
Image: Mr Trump at Turnberry in 2018 – he will also visit his Aberdeen course on this trip. Pic: AP
Image: File pic: Reuters
Echoing her concerns, Leanne told Sky News: “Security is obviously being bumped up. It’s quite worrying. He’s quite a man, ain’t he?”
Sweeps of the rooms are carried out by US Secret Service agents after housekeeping staff complete their duties and Trump’s meals, they say, are prepared by a personal chef to avoid the risk of poisoning.
To the outside world, these measures seem standard for a US president. But to those who live in Turnberry, it’s far from normal when they have a date with the commander-in-chief.
Image: Marine One is in place awaiting the president’s arrival
Image: File pic: Reuters
Awkward encounters
Prestwick Airport has become something of an American airbase in recent days.
The infamous armoured limousine, known as “The Beast”, has been spotted being wheeled out of a US military plane as the presidential motorcade prepares for his arrival tonight.
Greeting the president at the doors of Air Force One will be the secretary of state for Scotland, Ian Murray, who previously supported a motion alleging Trump was guilty of “misogynism, racism and xenophobia”.
Another awkward encounter could come in the form of Scottish First Minister John Swinney’s showdown with Mr Trump next week.
The SNP leader, who publicly backed Kamala Harris in the presidential race, called for September’s state visit to be scrapped after the Ukrainian president’s visit to the White House descended into a shouting match live on TV earlier this year.
Demonstrations are planned throughout the weekend, with marches and protests announced in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Kirsty Haigh, from Scotland Against Trump, claims the president uses Scotland to “cleanse his image” and he should not be able to use the country as an “escape” from his views.
She told Sky News: “He should not be welcomed by us, by our leaders.
“We want to see a Scotland that is very different than [the] America that’s being created.”