Midday Roundup: Labs receive unexpected anthrax deliveries

Biological blunder. A U.S. military lab accidentally shipped containers of live anthrax around the world via FedEx. The samples were sent according to protocol for dead samples of the virus. Twenty-six lab workers in Maryland and at a military base in South Korea are receiving treatment for anthrax exposure, though no one has become sick. The Department of Defense is investigating the breach.

Russian reaction. Russian President Vladimir Putin is lashing out at the United States for prosecuting FIFA officials in charge of the World Cup. The Department of Justice announced corruption charges against 14 FIFA leaders Wednesday. Putin claims American resentment over getting snubbed to host the 2018 World Cup motivated the investigation. “Our American partners use their own methods for their ulterior purposes,” Putin said. “They are illegally persecuting people. I do not rule out the possibility that the same goes for this situation with FIFA.” The 2018 World Cup went to Russia over the United States, which also lost a bid for the 2022 soccer tournament.

When it rains … The National Weather Service issued a new flash flood watch today for parts of Texas already damaged by storms and rushing water. The warning extends along the Interstate 35 corridor from San Antonio to Dallas and up into Oklahoma and Kansas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared disasters in nearly 50 counties. Almost a dozen people remained missing yesterday. South of Dallas, a dam is in danger of collapsing and sending a 20-foot-high torrent racing toward nearby homes. The storms have killed at least 17 people between Texas and Oklahoma, including one Houston man who died from a heart attack while helping a woman move her car away from flood waters.

Clintons in the crosshairs. Bill and Hillary Clinton woke up to a federal racketeering lawsuit Wednesday. In a suit filed in federal court in Florida, the watchdog group Freedom Watch asked that Hillary Clinton’s now infamous email server be seized. Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch told NewsmaxTV in March that Hillary Clinton sold the influence of her position as secretary of state for donations to the Clinton Foundation. The Clintons have repeatedly denied accusations of influence peddling.

Precious present. A graduating class in New Hampshire is helping to fund their principal’s cancer care. Courtney Vashaw, principal at Profile Junior-Senior High School in Bethlehem, N.H., was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. When her students found out, they decided to help. The seniors voted unanimously to give nearly $8,000 to their principal instead of using the money for an end-of-the year class trip. Vashaw said she was amazed by the selfless act of kindness: “They worked for four years to be able to do this. And this is their last time together as a class. The fact that they were willing to do this for me just blew me away.”

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry contributed to this report.