Midday Roundup: ISIS recruit database leaked to British media

Terrorist wanted. Islamic State (ISIS) documents leaked to the British press include an application to join the group that asks questions about blood type, education, and job experience, as well as combat experience. The 23-line form, neatly stamped with the black ISIS flag, also includes a place for “date and place of death.” But perhaps most importantly for intelligence officials, the leaked documents include a database of some 22,000 ISIS recruits complete with names, addresses, and phone numbers. The recruits come from 50 countries. Sky News, a British satellite news channel, said it turned the documents over to the government. The recruitment forms include a line listing the applicant’s referral connection, which officials say could help track down the terror group’s recruiters throughout the world.

Gully washer. Three people died in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma this week as strong thunderstorms pummeled the area. The rain, which started on Tuesday, caused flash flooding and rising rivers. More than 20 inches of rain have fallen in central Louisiana. In Louisiana’s Bossier City, officials evacuated 3,500 homes over fears the water might overtop a bayou levee. Some area homes already had water pouring in, with the raging torrent reaching rooftops in a few places. The storms won’t move on until Friday afternoon, and flash-flood watches remain in effect from Port O’Connor, Texas, all the way to Springfield, Ill.

Europe’s economic jitters. The European Central Bank (ECB) dropped interest rates today amid deflation fears. It also announced it would start printing more money and increase its monthly bond-buying program from 60 billion euros to 80 billion. The stimulus measures will last at least a year. While the U.S. economy continues its slow recovery from the Great Recession, Europe has struggled to keep up. The ECB has already cut growth and inflation predictions for this year. The European economy is expected to grow just 1.4 percent in 2016. ECB president Mario Draghi blamed the global economy and unspecified geopolitical risks for Europe’s troubles.

Too late? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns the Zika crisis gripping Puerto Rico is likely to accelerate without quick action. The CDC is helping the U.S. territory find insecticides best suited to fight the mosquito-borne disease. Meanwhile, medical researchers are racing to develop vaccines for the Zika virus. The Mayo Clinic is among the groups working on a preventative vaccine. But the World Health Organization’s Marie-Paule Kieny predicts those vaccine trials may be too late to help curb the current outbreak. The World Health Organization is calling on health officials everywhere to prioritize tests for Zika and other virus outbreaks such as dengue and chikungunya.

Accidental shooting. Florida officials are trying to figure out how a 4-year-old boy strapped into his car seat got his hands on his mother’s .45-caliber handgun and allegedly shot her in the back while she was driving. Sheriff’s deputies approached Jamie Gilt’s truck after it stopped partially in the road. They noticed her behaving frantically in the front seat and quickly discovered she’d been shot. The bullet entered her back and exited her stomach. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the gun belongs to the 31-year-old mother, but they have yet to interview her to learn how or where the boy found the weapon. Gilt is hospitalized in stable condition. It is illegal in Florida to store or leave a loaded gun where a child might access it.

WORLD Radio’s Kristen Eicher contributed to this report.