National Headlines
Severe weather, including tornado threat, expected to impact the Heartland
ABC(NEW YORK) -- Severe weather is expected to impact the Heartland on Friday and into the weekend, including a threat for tornadoes.From Iowa to Texas, severe weather is forecast Friday afternoon and evening, with the highest tornado threat around Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Kansas City, Missouri.The rest of the Plains -- including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Dallas -- could see damaging winds, large hail and an isolated tornado.A tornado watch is in effect for northeast Texas – including Dallas – and parts of southeast Oklahoma through 6 p.m. CT. Friday.A likely tornado hit east of Oklahoma City in Pottawatomie County Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.On Saturday, some of these severe storms could stretch ... Read More
Large fossil footprints point to discovery of new ‘megaraptor’ dinosaur: Study
Getty Images - STOCK(NEW YORK) -- Although the velociraptors of "Jurassic Park" fame are well known, they don't much resemble their historical counterparts.The movie velociraptors are portrayed as being 6 feet tall with scaly skin and incredibly fast, but real velociraptors were about as big as a medium-sized dog, measuring approximately 1.6 feet high and between 4.8 and 6.8 feet across, scientists say. They also moved slower and may have been feathered.However, scientists believe they may have discovered a relative of the velociraptor that was two to three times larger-- a "megaraptor" -- which is closer in size to the film depiction, according to a new study published this week."When [Steven] Spielberg made 'Jurassic Park', he blew up the velociraptors ... Read More
Here are all the gag order violations Trump is accused of making
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- As former President Donald Trump awaits a ruling on whether he will be held in contempt for violating his gag order, prosecutors on Thursday accused him of making four more violations.The limited gag order, which was issued by Judge Juan Merchan ahead of Trump's hush money trial, prohibits him from making public comments about jurors, lawyers, potential witnesses, court staff and their families. It allows Trump to continue making remarks about Merchan and District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but forbids him from speaking about their family members."We think that it is important for the court to remind Mr. Trump that he is a criminal defendant, and like all criminal defendants, he is subject to court ... Read More
Final first responder convicted in Elijah McClain’s death to be sentenced
Andy Cross/Getty Images(AURORA, Colo.) -- Former paramedic Jeremy Cooper is set to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the final case connected to Elijah McClain's 2019 death.Prosecutors accused the Aurora, Colorado, paramedic and his co-defendant Peter Cichuniec of administering an excessive amount of ketamine to sedate the 23-year-old McClain after an encounter with police on August 24, 2019. According to department policy, administering ketamine to sedate a suspect is intended "to minimize time struggling."The paramedics were accused of improperly assessing McClain medically before and after administering the dose of ketamine.Both men were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December. Cichuniec and Cooper were both acquitted of assault in the second degree with intent ... Read More
Five big takeaways from Day 7 of Trump’s hush money trial
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, center, and Todd Blanche, attorney for former U.S. President Donald Trump, second left, at Manhattan criminal court in New York, U.S., on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker concluded his direct examination in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial after lifting the veil on his publication's "catch-and-kill" deal with Trump -- after which an attorney for the former president began cross-examination by framing that same arrangement as nothing more than "standard operating procedure" in the world of tabloids.The day featured the first testimony about then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels -- the transaction at the heart of the district attorney's ... Read More
Baltimore high school athletic director used AI to create fake racist audio of principal: Police
In this Jan. 30, 2024, file photo, the sign for Pikesville High School is shown in Pikesville, Maryland. (Lloyd Fox/The Baltimore Sun via TNS via Getty Images)(BALTIMORE) -- Police arrested a Baltimore high school athletic director Thursday after they said they discovered he allegedly used artificial intelligence to create a phony audio recording of the school's principal that went viral and cost the school leader his job temporarily and his safety.Principal Eric Eisworth was removed from his position at Pikesville High School after the school district began investigating the audio clip that was circulated among staff and social media in January where it appeared Eisworth made racist comments against Black and Jewish persons, investigators allege.The three-month probe, which involved local ... Read More
Texas sheriff conducting criminal investigation into deadly National Guard helicopter crash near border
(NEW YORK) -- A deadly crash involving a National Guard helicopter is the focus of an investigation in Texas into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing involved, ABC News has learned.The March 8 incident near the U.S.-Mexico border resulted in the deaths of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, who were members of the New York Army National Guard, and U.S. Border Patrol agent Chris Luna, a South Texas resident, U.S. officials said.An unidentified National Guard member was injured in the collision, which occurred in rural Starr County.Although the crash involved a New York-based crew, the UH-72 Lakota helicopter was assigned to Washington, D.C.’s Army National Guard, according to military officials.The cause of ... Read More
Boeing crash victims’ families urge DOJ to criminally prosecute company
Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The families of victims who died in one of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes met with Department of Justice officials Wednesday regarding the looming decision to prosecute or dismiss charges against the company.The fatal Boeing crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 killed 346 people. Family members of victims of the 2019 crash in Ethiopia met with prosecutors in Washington D.C. Wednesday.The first crash on Oct. 29, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia, killed all 189 passengers and crew.The second crash, on March 10, 2019, happened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when a Boeing aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff and killed 157 people onboard.Both crashes preceded the Alaska Airlines incident earlier this year, when a ... Read More
Federal judge rejects Donald Trump’s bid for new E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, upholds $83M judgment
Jeenah Moon-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A federal judge in New York on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's bid for a new trial in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling upheld the jury's $83.3 million damage award."Contrary to the defendant's arguments, Ms. Carroll's compensatory damages were not awarded solely for her emotional distress; they were not for garden variety harms; and they were not excessive," Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote."Mr. Trump's malicious and unceasing attacks on Ms. Carroll were disseminated to more than 100 million people," he added. "They included public threats and personal attacks, and they endangered Ms. Carroll's health and safety."Robbie Kaplan, Carroll's attorney, celebrated the ruling."We are pleased with though not surprised by ... Read More
Power of cork key to climate change fight, scientists say
ABC(PORTUGAL) -- One of the planet's most natural defenses against climate change and a key element in sustainable products is found in wine bottles around the world.Scientists and engineers say cork has been used to make several products in everyday life, from flooring to insulation, and the process of harvesting it leaves a small carbon footprint.In Portugal, farmers are only able to harvest bark by hand from the trees during a three-month window in the summer every nine years, and they use careful techniques to avoid wounding the trees."The tree tells us if we can take or not; you cannot force the cork to come apart," Conceição Santos Silva, a forest engineer, told ABC News last summer while the farmers ... Read More
New children’s book discusses a mother-son experience when caring for children with autism
Getty Images - STOCK(NEW YORK) -- April is Autism Acceptance Month. Sheletta Brundidge wrote a children's book about how her oldest son, Andrew Brundidge, cared for his younger siblings with autism, and how to parent children with special needs.Sheletta Brundidge's decision to dedicate her latest book to her oldest son, Andrew, was a testament to his desire for a voice. Andrew, like any child, yearned for attention and recognition. However, he often felt overshadowed by his siblings' needs and his mother's previous books about each of her children with autism. This new book is his platform, his story, and his voice.Andrew, with his unique perspective, offers a piece of advice to parents who may sometimes unintentionally exclude one child. His ... Read More
Slain Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca’s sister pleads for public to help in catching the killer: ‘The pain is unbearable’
Getty Images - STOCK(CHICAGO) -- Describing her family's pain as "unbearable," the sister of slain Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca is pleading with the public to help investigators identify and catch a suspect who allegedly gunned him down and stole his gun and car as he arrived home from work.Huesca's sister, Lily O'Brien, said she had asked her 30-year-old bother to move across the country to be close to his nieces and nephews, but said he decided to stay in Chicago and protect his community."He chose to stay here, which is why I feel like the community needs to show up for him the same way because he paid with his life to stay here," O'Brien told Chicago ABC station ... Read More
Gotham Whale, a New York City-based nonprofit, allows citizen scientists to assist in conservation efforts
Artie Raslich/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A whale-watching excursion that embarks straight from New York City offers passengers an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle and assist in a much-needed conservation efforts for the marine mammal.Gotham Whale, and research education and advocacy organization based in Staten Island, collects data of sightings from whale-watchers and boaters throughout the New York Bight, which includes the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey. Danielle Brown, director of marine mammal research for Gotham Whale and naturalist for Jersey Shore Whale Watch, told ABC News.The information is then entered into the nonprofit's catalog system, which helps to track and identity individual whales throughout their migration route each year.Seven different whale-watching companies contribute information to the ... Read More
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction overturned in New York; DA will attempt to retry
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 4, 2022. (ETIENNE LAURENT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- The rape conviction of movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been overturned by New York's highest court.The New York Court of Appeals, in a scathing 4-3 opinion, overturned Weinstein's conviction on sex crimes against three women, finding the trial judge "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes."The court said that testimony "served no material non-propensity purpose" and "portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told ABC News, "We are happily surprised and we are studying ... Read More
College protests live updates: Hundreds arrested as universities crack down on pro-Palestinian encampments
Thinkstock Images/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.Here's how the news is developing:Apr 26, 9:07 AMStudents ... Read More
Trump trial live updates: Trump assistant recalls seeing Stormy Daniels in Trump Tower
SimpleImages/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.Apr 26, 5:13 PMTrump, leaving court, says prosecutors have 'no case'Following a brief huddle with his attorney Todd Blanche and adviser Boris Epshteyn, former President Trump ... Read More
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