Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- President Biden weighed in on his hopes for a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the first time Tuesday, after speaking with George Floyd's family at the start of jury deliberations. "I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is -- I think it’s overwhelming, in my view," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. "I wouldn’t say that unless the -- the jury was sequestered now and not hearing me say that." Prior to the comment, Biden had been careful not to say whether he thinks Chauvin ought to be found guilty of murder in Floyd's death. "We will continue to encourage peaceful protests, but we’re not going ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- For years, Nora Garza and her husband Delfino have fought with the Justice Department and Army Corps of Engineers over 30 acres of land near the U.S.-Mexico border in Rio Grande City, Texas -- a parcel sought by the Trump administration for construction of the border wall. But they stopped hearing from the government "right before the election," Garza told ABC News. After running for office vowing not to build "another foot" of Donald Trump's wall, President Joe Biden signed an order on Inauguration Day ending the national emergency at the border and launching a 60-day review of the project, pausing all construction and calling for a plan to redirect unspent funds. ... Read More
Kbytes/iStock(NEW YORK) -- The hit show Tiger King has triggered not only a huge fan following but now a proposed law to ban private ownership of so-called "big cats." A group of bipartisan Senate lawmakers on Monday announced they will introduce legislation to ban unlicensed ownership of tigers and lions and public handling of cubs at big cat exhibits. The Big Cat Public Safety Act, unveiled by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tom Carper, D-Del., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., would ban the ownership by unlicensed individuals and ban public contact with cubs at exhibits. The law comes about a year after the release of the Netflix hit show, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which profiled individuals who ... Read More
Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House has begun taking steps to prepare for the outcome in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, noting the administration was in touch with local officials as closing statements in the trial got underway. The president recently spoke to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and top White House officials are engaging with civil rights leaders, as well as mayors in Minnesota and across the country, according to a White House official. Psaki added that Biden is expected to deliver remarks after the jury delivers their verdict, though the White House declined to provide further specifics when asked by ABC News. Biden has been closely ... Read More
ABC News(TUSLA, Okla. ) — Two days after an American terrorist visited death and destruction on the heartland, a slight, soft-spoken lawyer in Washington, D.C., was dispatched to run the investigation and prosecution that would bring justice to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. That lawyer was Merrick Garland.  Twenty-six years later, Garland -- now the nation's attorney general -- returned to the site of the worst domestic terror attack in American history. "This is a problem that the country has never been able to eliminate," Garland said Monday of the anti-government and racial hatred that fueled the April 19, 1995, bombing. In his first interview since becoming the nation' stop law-enforcement official last month, Garland told ABC ... Read More
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images(LONDON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday rejected GOP claims Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was "inciting violence" when she said in Minnesota over the weekend that protesters need "to get more confrontational." House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said over the weekend he would be forced to take action against her if Pelosi failed to punish Waters herself. "Maxine Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis — just as she has incited it in the past," McCarthy said in a tweet late Sunday evening. "If Speaker Pelosi doesn’t act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week.” x Waters, 82, joined protesters in Brooklyn Center – a suburb of Minneapolis – on Saturday for the seventh night ... Read More
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — As the Senate prepares to take up her anti-Asian hate crime bill this week, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Monday the bill represents a chance for lawmakers to "take a stand" against rising anti-Asian attacks. "At a time when the Asian America Pacific Islander community feels under siege and vulnerable, this is a bill that enables the Senate at least, and I know followed by the House, to take a stand and say these kinds of unprovoked attacks targeting Asian Americans are totally unacceptable," Hirono told the hosts of ABC's "The View.” Hirono, who is Japanese American, has been leading the Senate effort with Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth to pass legislation following a surge in ... Read More
ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas speaks with Attorney General Merrick Garland in Tulsa, OK. - (Luke Barr/ABC News)(TULSA, Okla.) -- Attorney General Merrick Garland struck a solemn tone in remarks at the Oklahoma City memorial Monday morning as he recognized the lives lost in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building 26 years ago, while drawing a parallel to the domestic terror threat currently facing the homeland. "Although many years have passed, the terror perpetrated by people like Timothy McVeigh is still with us," Garland said. "Just last month, the FBI warned of the ongoing and heightened threat posed by domestic violent extremists. Those of us who were in Oklahoma City in April 1995 do not ... Read More
The Biden administration over the weekend shuttered a Houston warehouse that housed unaccompanied migrant children following allegations that the nonprofit organization running the site failed to provide adequate living conditions for hundreds of young girls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the warehouse early this month in response to the surge of migrants arriving at the southern border. Exclusive video obtained by ABC News showed buses removing more than 100 girls from the emergency intake center on Saturday. Until its closure, the facility had been run by a Houston-based nonprofit with no prior experience housing unaccompanied migrant children. Sources familiar with the facility's operation said the girls housed ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzBy Ben Gittleson, Karen Travers and Sasha Pezenik, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday will call for states and cities to allow all Americans to be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination by April 19, two weeks before the May 1 deadline he had previously set, according to a White House official.Last week, the president said he expected 90% of Americans to be eligible by April 19. The White House on Tuesday did not confirm, though, whether it had gained assurances from several states that had yet to announce they were opening up eligibility for all by then, although an official said the federal government likely would not seek to mandate the ... Read More
Maria RodriguezBy Lauren Lantry, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Kelvin Silva, 44, hoped President Joe Biden would take a different stance than his predecessor by not deporting him."We just need a miracle," Silva told ABC News in December. "I'm depending and hoping for when Biden takes the presidency, he can help us out of this situation."But his miracle never manifested. Silva is set to be deported Tuesday, according to his lawyer."We thought there was going to be a change," Jasmine Pena, Silva's sister, told ABC News Monday. "I thought he was going to at least get a chance to finish arguing his case. It's really disappointing, especially since he's been here since he was so young. He knows nothing about the (Dominican) ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- President Biden weighed in on his hopes for a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the first time Tuesday, after speaking with George Floyd's family at the start of jury deliberations. "I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- For years, Nora Garza and her husband Delfino have fought with the Justice Department and Army Corps of Engineers over 30 acres of land near the U.S.-Mexico border in Rio Grande City, Texas -- a parcel sought by the Trump administration for ... Read More
Kbytes/iStock(NEW YORK) -- The hit show Tiger King has triggered not only a huge fan following but now a proposed law to ban private ownership of so-called "big cats." A group of bipartisan Senate lawmakers on Monday announced they will introduce legislation to ban unlicensed ownership of tigers and lions ... Read More
Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House has begun taking steps to prepare for the outcome in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, noting the administration was in touch with local officials as closing statements in the trial got ... Read More
ABC News(TUSLA, Okla. ) — Two days after an American terrorist visited death and destruction on the heartland, a slight, soft-spoken lawyer in Washington, D.C., was dispatched to run the investigation and prosecution that would bring justice to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. That lawyer was Merrick Garland. ... Read More
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images(LONDON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday rejected GOP claims Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was "inciting violence" when she said in Minnesota over the weekend that protesters need "to get more confrontational." House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said over the weekend he would be forced to take ... Read More
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — As the Senate prepares to take up her anti-Asian hate crime bill this week, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Monday the bill represents a chance for lawmakers to "take a stand" against rising anti-Asian attacks. "At a time when the Asian America Pacific Islander community feels ... Read More
ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas speaks with Attorney General Merrick Garland in Tulsa, OK. - (Luke Barr/ABC News)(TULSA, Okla.) -- Attorney General Merrick Garland struck a solemn tone in remarks at the Oklahoma City memorial Monday morning as he recognized the lives lost in the bombing of the ... Read More
The Biden administration over the weekend shuttered a Houston warehouse that housed unaccompanied migrant children following allegations that the nonprofit organization running the site failed to provide adequate living conditions for hundreds of young girls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The Department of Health and Human ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzBy Ben Gittleson, Karen Travers and Sasha Pezenik, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday will call for states and cities to allow all Americans to be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination by April 19, two weeks before the May 1 deadline ... Read More
Maria RodriguezBy Lauren Lantry, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Kelvin Silva, 44, hoped President Joe Biden would take a different stance than his predecessor by not deporting him."We just need a miracle," Silva told ABC News in December. "I'm depending and hoping for when Biden takes the presidency, he can help us ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- President Biden weighed in on his hopes for a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the first time Tuesday, after speaking with George Floyd's family at the start of jury deliberations. "I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is -- I think it’s overwhelming, in my view," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. "I wouldn’t say that unless the -- the jury was sequestered now and not hearing me say that." Prior to the comment, Biden had been careful not to say whether he thinks Chauvin ought to be found guilty of murder in Floyd's death. "We will continue to encourage peaceful protests, but we’re not going ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- For years, Nora Garza and her husband Delfino have fought with the Justice Department and Army Corps of Engineers over 30 acres of land near the U.S.-Mexico border in Rio Grande City, Texas -- a parcel sought by the Trump administration for construction of the border wall. But they stopped hearing from the government "right before the election," Garza told ABC News. After running for office vowing not to build "another foot" of Donald Trump's wall, President Joe Biden signed an order on Inauguration Day ending the national emergency at the border and launching a 60-day review of the project, pausing all construction and calling for a plan to redirect unspent funds. ... Read More
Kbytes/iStock(NEW YORK) -- The hit show Tiger King has triggered not only a huge fan following but now a proposed law to ban private ownership of so-called "big cats." A group of bipartisan Senate lawmakers on Monday announced they will introduce legislation to ban unlicensed ownership of tigers and lions and public handling of cubs at big cat exhibits. The Big Cat Public Safety Act, unveiled by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tom Carper, D-Del., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., would ban the ownership by unlicensed individuals and ban public contact with cubs at exhibits. The law comes about a year after the release of the Netflix hit show, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which profiled individuals who ... Read More
Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House has begun taking steps to prepare for the outcome in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, noting the administration was in touch with local officials as closing statements in the trial got underway. The president recently spoke to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and top White House officials are engaging with civil rights leaders, as well as mayors in Minnesota and across the country, according to a White House official. Psaki added that Biden is expected to deliver remarks after the jury delivers their verdict, though the White House declined to provide further specifics when asked by ABC News. Biden has been closely ... Read More
ABC News(TUSLA, Okla. ) — Two days after an American terrorist visited death and destruction on the heartland, a slight, soft-spoken lawyer in Washington, D.C., was dispatched to run the investigation and prosecution that would bring justice to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. That lawyer was Merrick Garland.  Twenty-six years later, Garland -- now the nation's attorney general -- returned to the site of the worst domestic terror attack in American history. "This is a problem that the country has never been able to eliminate," Garland said Monday of the anti-government and racial hatred that fueled the April 19, 1995, bombing. In his first interview since becoming the nation' stop law-enforcement official last month, Garland told ABC ... Read More
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images(LONDON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday rejected GOP claims Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was "inciting violence" when she said in Minnesota over the weekend that protesters need "to get more confrontational." House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said over the weekend he would be forced to take action against her if Pelosi failed to punish Waters herself. "Maxine Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis — just as she has incited it in the past," McCarthy said in a tweet late Sunday evening. "If Speaker Pelosi doesn’t act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week.” x Waters, 82, joined protesters in Brooklyn Center – a suburb of Minneapolis – on Saturday for the seventh night ... Read More
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — As the Senate prepares to take up her anti-Asian hate crime bill this week, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Monday the bill represents a chance for lawmakers to "take a stand" against rising anti-Asian attacks. "At a time when the Asian America Pacific Islander community feels under siege and vulnerable, this is a bill that enables the Senate at least, and I know followed by the House, to take a stand and say these kinds of unprovoked attacks targeting Asian Americans are totally unacceptable," Hirono told the hosts of ABC's "The View.” Hirono, who is Japanese American, has been leading the Senate effort with Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth to pass legislation following a surge in ... Read More
ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas speaks with Attorney General Merrick Garland in Tulsa, OK. - (Luke Barr/ABC News)(TULSA, Okla.) -- Attorney General Merrick Garland struck a solemn tone in remarks at the Oklahoma City memorial Monday morning as he recognized the lives lost in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building 26 years ago, while drawing a parallel to the domestic terror threat currently facing the homeland. "Although many years have passed, the terror perpetrated by people like Timothy McVeigh is still with us," Garland said. "Just last month, the FBI warned of the ongoing and heightened threat posed by domestic violent extremists. Those of us who were in Oklahoma City in April 1995 do not ... Read More
The Biden administration over the weekend shuttered a Houston warehouse that housed unaccompanied migrant children following allegations that the nonprofit organization running the site failed to provide adequate living conditions for hundreds of young girls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the warehouse early this month in response to the surge of migrants arriving at the southern border. Exclusive video obtained by ABC News showed buses removing more than 100 girls from the emergency intake center on Saturday. Until its closure, the facility had been run by a Houston-based nonprofit with no prior experience housing unaccompanied migrant children. Sources familiar with the facility's operation said the girls housed ... Read More
Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzBy Ben Gittleson, Karen Travers and Sasha Pezenik, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday will call for states and cities to allow all Americans to be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination by April 19, two weeks before the May 1 deadline he had previously set, according to a White House official.Last week, the president said he expected 90% of Americans to be eligible by April 19. The White House on Tuesday did not confirm, though, whether it had gained assurances from several states that had yet to announce they were opening up eligibility for all by then, although an official said the federal government likely would not seek to mandate the ... Read More
Maria RodriguezBy Lauren Lantry, ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Kelvin Silva, 44, hoped President Joe Biden would take a different stance than his predecessor by not deporting him."We just need a miracle," Silva told ABC News in December. "I'm depending and hoping for when Biden takes the presidency, he can help us out of this situation."But his miracle never manifested. Silva is set to be deported Tuesday, according to his lawyer."We thought there was going to be a change," Jasmine Pena, Silva's sister, told ABC News Monday. "I thought he was going to at least get a chance to finish arguing his case. It's really disappointing, especially since he's been here since he was so young. He knows nothing about the (Dominican) ... Read More
