National Headlines
Tourist helicopter that crashed into the Hudson did not have a flight recorder: NTSB
NTSBAs divers continue to use "side-scanning sonar" to search the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter crash that killed six people, the National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was not equipped with any flight recorders."No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation," the agency said in an investigation update Saturday evening.According to the NTSB, the helicopter had its last major inspection on March 1. On the day of the crash, the helicopter had performed seven tour flights, and was on its eighth flight when the accident occurred, per the NTSB.The main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion ... Read More
6 on board small plane that crashed in upstate New York: FAA
WTENSix people were on board a small plane that crashed into a field in upstate New York on Saturday afternoon.The plane, a twin-engine turboprop Mitsubishi MU-2B, crashed near the town of Copake around 12:15 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane was headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York.Copake is located about 50 miles south of Albany, near the border with Massachusetts.The Columbia County Sheriff's Office has not released any details on the number of fatalities or the identity of anyone aboard the plane, according to ABC affiliate WTEN.Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore told reporters that muddy conditions in the field where the plane crashed has made accessing the scene difficult, according to WTEN.The National Transportation Safety Board ... Read More
What to know about getting a REAL ID as airport requirement deadline nears
Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- In less than a month, beginning on May 7, travelers flying out of United States airports will need to show TSA agents their REAL ID-compliant driver's license, or another form of compliant identification to pass through security and make their flight. If they don't bring a REAL ID, they could face delays, additional screening, or may not be permitted through the checkpoint, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).The REAL ID roll-out, which has been delayed multiple times since the original deadline in 2008, has left some travelers confused about their states' requirements and panicked as they try to make appointments at overwhelmed DMVs.According to federal documents, as of January 2024, ... Read More
Trump admin moves to withhold federal funds from Maine over trans athlete dispute
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Department of Education said Friday that it will proceed with withholding federal funds from Maine after officials in the state refused to sign a Title IX resolution agreement that would bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports in the state.The matter will also be deferred to the Department of Justice "for further enforcement action," the department said in a statement.The actions come after the state informed the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights in a letter on Friday that the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Office of the Attorney General will not sign the resolution agreement."Nothing in Title IX or its implementing regulations prohibits schools from allowing transgender girls ... Read More
Luigi Mangione says government should not be allowed to seek death penalty
Curtis Means/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Luigi Mangione asked a federal judge in New York on Friday to stop the government from seeking the death penalty if he’s convicted of federal charges related to the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing the Justice Department made a "political, arbitrary, capricious" breach of protocol."When the United States plans to kill one of its citizens, it must follow statutory and internal procedures," defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. "Mangione seeks Court intervention now not merely because the Government has failed to follow these procedures but because it has abandoned them."The defense motion followed a press release by Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month that said she ordered the death penalty for Mangione to ... Read More
Walmart employee in Georgia kills 2 co-workers, injures another in after-hours shooting spree
Newton County Sheriff's Office(COVINGTON, Ga.) -- A Walmart employee killed one co-worker and injured another in an after-hours shooting spree that started at the store and ended with the individual killing another co-worker at a nearby home, according to law enforcement officials.The initial shooting took place in a Walmart branch in Covington, Georgia, about 35 miles east of Atlanta, at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office.An employee -- identified by police as 24-year-old Dwayne Eduh -- allegedly exited the building shortly before the shooting, retrieved a firearm and returned inside, according to a preliminary investigation.Eduh then located a male acquaintance within the store, and fatally shot them, according to the sheriff's office.He later encountered ... Read More
Small plane crashes in Boca Raton, Florida; all 3 on board killed
(BOCA RATON, Fla.) -- All three people on board a small plane were killed when the aircraft crashed in Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday morning, according to local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration.The "aircraft had apparently some mechanical issues and went down here on Military Trail," Michael LaSalle, assistant fire chief for Boca Fire Rescue, said at a news conference. "Also, there was a car on the ground."One man in the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries, LaSalle said.The Cessna 310R took off from Boca Raton Airport and was heading to Tallahassee International Airport, the FAA said. It was in the air for a little less than 20 minutes before it crashed, according to Flightradar24.Dillon Smith was at his office when ... Read More
Ghislaine Maxwell, jailed Epstein accomplice, appeals case to US Supreme Court
Sylvain Gaboury/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Ghislaine Maxwell asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, arguing she was covered by a non-prosecution agreement the government made with her former paramour, Jeffrey Epstein.Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. She was convicted on five counts of aiding Epstein in his abuse of underage girls in December 2021.A federal appeals court rejected her argument that Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement, arranged in 2007, barred her prosecution in New York. She urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider her case.“Despite the existence of a non-prosecution agreement promising in plain language that the United States would not prosecute any co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, the United States in ... Read More
‘Nothing has been done’: Judge slams DOJ in case of wrongly deported man
Grant Faint/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The federal judge overseeing the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador in error, slammed the government's handling of the case Friday and ordered the Justice Department to provide her with "daily updates" on its efforts to bring him back."From now until compliance, [I am] going to require daily statuses, daily updates," U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said at a hearing in Maryland on Friday. "We're going to make a record of what, if anything, the government is doing or not doing."The judge said she will require updates provided by an official with personal knowledge of Abrego Garcia's status, on Abrego Garcia's location, what steps the Trump administration has ... Read More
Menendez brothers’ aunt breaks her silence in exclusive interview as case goes to court
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Eight relatives of the Menendez brothers sat down with ABC News in an exclusive interview the night before the case returned to court to show they are unanimous in supporting Erik and Lyle Menendez’s release from prison.This marks the first time the brothers' aunt, Jose Menendez’s sister, Terry Baralt, has spoken out in decades."They are like the boys that I didn’t have," she told ABC News."It’s time -- 35 years is a long time," she said. "It’s a whole branch of my family erased. The ones that are gone and the ones that are still paying for it, which were kids."Baralt, who is battling colon cancer, said she’s concerned she might not live ... Read More
Woman charged with trying to hire hitman on Tinder to kill ex, his daughter
Camden County Prosecutor's Office of New Jersey(CAMDEN, N.J. ) -- A New Jersey woman has been charged with attempted murder after she allegedly tried to hire someone on Tinder to kill her ex-boyfriend -- a police officer -- and his teenage daughter, according to prosecutors and a probable cause statement.Jaclyn Diiorio, 26, was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.A confidential informant allegedly met Diiorio on the dating app, where they exchanged messages and later met at a Wawa in Runnemede in March, according to the probable cause statement.The two allegedly exchanged "numerous text messages ... Read More
Tourist helicopter crashes in Hudson River in New York City, all 6 on board killed
WABC(NEW YORK CITY) -- A tourist helicopter carrying family members from Spain plunged into the Hudson River in New York City, killing six, including three children.The New York Helicopters chartered chopper, which was carrying a pilot, two adults and three children, fell into the Hudson River by Lower Manhattan in New York City on Thursday afternoon, officials said during a press briefing.Agustin Escobar, an executive from European automation company Siemens, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children -- aged 4, 5 and 11 years old -- were killed in the crash along with the pilot, aged 36, law enforcement sources told ABC News.The crash occurred at 3:17 p.m. off the coast of River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, just ... Read More
Wingtip of one plane hits another on taxiway at Reagan airport: FAA
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- The wingtip of an American Airlines plane hit another American Airlines plane on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.No one was hurt, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said. Both planes returned to gates and airport operations weren't impacted, the agency said.Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., tweeted that his plane was "stationary on the runway" when another plane "bumped into our wing.""Thankfully everyone is ok!" he added.His colleague, Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., was also on the flight."I'm grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe," she said on social media.Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., ... Read More
Escaped California inmate wanted for killing Mexican police commander in shootout, officials say
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation(DELANO, Calif.) -- An escaped California inmate is now wanted for killing a Mexican police commander who hunts down foreign fugitives -- also known as a "gringo hunter" -- during a shootout in Tijuana, officials said.Abigail Esparza Reyes, who was part of a specialized Mexican state police unit responsible for locating foreign fugitives who cross the border, was killed on Wednesday while trying to arrest Cesar Hernandez, an escaped inmate from Southern California, officials said.Marina del Pilar, the governor of Baja California State, confirmed Reyes' death in a statement on Wednesday."To the family and loved ones of Agent Abigail, we recognize their courage and dedication to the service of their state," Pilar said on X. ... Read More
Top vaccine official resigns from FDA, criticizes RFK Jr. for promoting ‘misinformation and lies’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top vaccine official with the Food and Drug Administration has resigned and criticized the nation’s top health official for allowing “misinformation and lies” to guide his thinking behind the safety of vaccinations. Dr. Peter Marks sent a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner on Friday saying that he would resign and retire by April 5 as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. In his letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Marks said he was “willing to work” to address the concerns expressed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the safety of vaccinations. But he concluded that wasn't possible. “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by ... Read More
AP sues three Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
(AP) — The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order. “The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP ... Read More
Here’s what we know about a commuter plane crash in Alaska that killed 10 people
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Authorities are focusing on the wreckage of a plane that crashed off western Alaska as they try to determine what caused the small commuter aircraft to go down in the icy Bering Sea, killing 10 people. The single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. Crews on Saturday succeeded in recovering the remains of those killed in the Bering Air crash from a drifting ice floe before the anticipated onset of high winds and snow. By the end of the day, the wreckage was taken by helicopter to a hangar in Nome. Here are things to know about the plane crash, which is one of the ... Read More
Trump says he’s firing Kennedy Center board of trustees members and naming himself chairman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he is firing members of the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and naming himself chairman. He also indicated that he would be dictating programming at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions, specifically declaring that he would end events featuring performers in drag. Trump’s announcement Friday came as the Republican president has bulldozed his way across official Washington during the first weeks of his second term, trying to shutter federal agencies, freeze spending and ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the government. “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate ... Read More
Judge blocks Trump from placing thousands of USAID workers on leave and giving them 30-day deadline
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dealt President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk their first big setback in their dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, ordering a temporary halt to plans to pull thousands of agency staffers off the job. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, also agreed to block an order that would have given the thousands of overseas USAID workers the administration wanted to place on abrupt administrative leave just 30 days to move families and households back to the U.S. on government expense. Both moves would have exposed the U.S. workers and their spouses and children to unwarranted risk and expense, the judge said. Nichols pointed to accounts from ... Read More
Passenger jet collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Washington National Airport
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There was no immediate word on casualties or the cause of the collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport. President Donald Trump was briefed, his press secretary said, and Vice President JD Vance encouraged followers on the social media platform ... Read More
Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of US stores open
COLUMBUS, Oh. (AP) — The discount chain Big Lots, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores and distribution centers open. Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will then transfer Big Lots’ stores, distribution centers and other assets to other retailers. Variety Wholesalers Inc., which owns more than 400 discount stores in the U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, plans to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand. Variety Wholesalers will also acquire up to two distribution centers. “This sale agreement and transfer present the strongest ... Read More
Government funding bill clears Congress and heads to President Biden, averting a shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now.” The House approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to ... Read More
Government funding plan collapses as Trump makes new demands days before shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump's sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays. It left Johnson scrambling late into the night at the Capitol trying to engineer a new plan before Friday's deadline to keep government open. “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement. The president-elect made an almost unrealistic proposal that combined some continuation of government funds along ... Read More
Prosecutors recommend resentencing Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1989 killings of their parents
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors will recommend Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the 1989 killings of their parents in the family’s Beverly Hills home, providing the brothers with a chance at freedom after 34 years behind bars. An official with knowledge of the decision who was not authorized to speak on the record ahead of a planned press conference confirmed that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón would recommend resentencing for the brothers. They were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors must now seek court approval. Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. ... Read More
Hurricane Milton live updates: Monster storm pummels Florida after landfall
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane. The monster storm roared ashore with life-threatening storm surge, powerful winds and flooding rains. Here's how the news is developing. 4 killed in tornadoes in St. Lucie County Four people were killed by tornadoes in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast, county officials said. "Numerous homes" have "suffered significant damage," officials added. 25 minutes ago Roof of Tropicana Field rips off Wind gusts climbed to 97 mph in Tampa and 102 mph at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport as Milton slammed the coast. Milton's powerful winds even ripped part of the roof off of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. A drone ... Read More
Fed cuts interest rate by half a point
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market, which has shown clear signs of slowing. Coming just weeks before the presidential election, the Fed’s move also has the potential to scramble the economic landscape just as Americans prepare to vote. The central bank’s action lowered its key rate to roughly 4.8%, down from a two-decade high of 5.3%, where it had stood for 14 months as ... Read MoreWynn Resorts paying $130M for letting illegal money reach gamblers at its Las Vegas Strip casino
LAS VEGAS -- Casino company Wynn Resorts Ltd. has agreed to pay $130 million to federal authorities and admit that it let unlicensed money transfer businesses around the world funnel funds to gamblers at its flagship Las Vegas Strip property. The publicly traded company said a non-prosecution settlement reached Friday represented a monetary figure identified by the U.S. Justice Department as “funds involved in the transactions at issue†at the Wynn Las Vegas resort. In statements to the media and to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the forfeiture wasn’t a fine and findings in the decade-long case didn’t amount to money laundering. U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in San Diego said the settlement showed that casinos are ... Read More
What we know about the shooter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old from a Pittsburgh suburb not far from the campaign rally where one attendee was killed. Investigators were working Sunday to gather more information about Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who they say opened fire at the rally before being killed by Secret Service days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. An FBI official said late Saturday that investigators had not yet determined a motive. Two spectators were critically injured, authorities said. Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late ... Read MorePrayers for Trump also pour in from political rivals
Prayers for the former president are also coming from his political opponents. “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,†said Sen. Chuck Schumer in a statement. “We should all condemn what happened today and I am hoping for the health of the former president and everyone else at the rally,†Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy posted on the social platform X. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a post on X that his “thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump†and expressed thanks “for the decisive law enforcement response.†... Read MoreWikiLeaks founder facing pivotal moment in long fight to stay out of US court
LONDON -- The host of a news conference about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition fight wryly welcomed journalists last week to the “millionth†press briefing on his court case. Deborah Bonetti, director of the Foreign Press Association, was only half joking. Assange’s legal saga has dragged on for well over a decade but it could come to an end in the U.K. as soon as Monday. Assange faces a hearing in London's High Court that could end with him being sent to the U.S. to face espionage charges, or provide him another chance to appeal his extradition. The outcome will depend on how much weight judges give to reassurances U.S. officials have provided that Assange's rights won't be trampled if ... Read More
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