National Headlines
Milwaukee judge accused of helping undocumented immigrant evade arrest seeks to dismiss indictment
ftwitty/Getty Images(MILWAUKEE) -- Attorneys for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan are seeking to dismiss her federal indictment on charges alleging she helped an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, claiming in a new court filing that she is immune from federal prosecution for official acts.In the filing, Dugan's attorneys cite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in President Donald Trump's immunity case as support.A federal grand jury indicted Dugan on Tuesday on charges she concealed a person from arrest and obstructed a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States.Dugan appeared briefly in court Thursday morning. Her lawyers entered a plea of not guilty to the two federal charges.U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Dries, who presided over the arraignment, set ... Read More
Looming New Jersey Transit strike could impact 350,000 commuters, say officials
Gary Hershorn/ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Some 350,000 New Jersey commuters could soon find themselves scrambling for other ways to get to work if contract disagreements between New Jersey Transit and its engineersâ union aren't resolved, according to transit officials.The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has threatened to strike as early as Friday, May 16 unless NJ Transit and the union are able to agree on new contract terms and conditions for the workers who drive the trains. If no deal is reached, all New Jersey Transit commuter trains â and the MTA Metro-North West of Hudson service â will stop running.âWe have sought nothing more than equal pay for equal work, only to be continuously rebuffed by New ... Read More
Mother allegedly buys ammunition, tactical gear for son’s planned ‘mass targeted violence’ at middle school: Officials
Bexar County Sheriff's Office(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) -- A Texas mother has been arrested and charged for allegedly buying ammunition and tactical gear for her son's planned "mass targeted violence" at his middle school, officials said.Ashley Pardo, 33, was arrested on Monday and charged with aiding in commission of terrorism after she allegedly provided ammunition and tactical gear to her son, whose behavior demonstrated plans for a "mass targeted violence" aimed at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.Back in January, Pardo's son was first contacted in reference to "drawings of the local school he currently attended," the affidavit said. These drawings included a map of the school -- labeled "suicide route" -- and ... Read More
Menendez brothers win resentencing fight: What’s next for their case?
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Erik and Lyle Menendez have been resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them immediately eligible for parole -- a vindication years in the making for the brothers and their family.But that doesn't mean an automatic release from prison.Here's a look at what's next:The new sentenceErik and Lyle Menendez, who were arrested in March 1990, were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they committed the murders in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.At the conclusion of Tuesday's resentencing hearing, Judge Michael Jesic granted them a new sentence of 50 years to ... Read More
Federal court rules against attempt to withhold Endangered Species Act protections from Joshua tree
Mario Tama/Getty Images(NEW YORK CITY) -- A federal court in California sided with environmentalists, striking down a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) attempt to withhold protections for the Joshua tree under the Endangered Species Act.The Central District of California ruled on Monday that the FWS decision to not provide ESA protections for the Joshua tree is unlawful and sidesteps climate science.Known for its twisted stalks and unusual outline, the Joshua tree is native to the arid southwestern U.S. and thrives in harsh desert environments.In 2015, WildEarth Guardians, an environmental nonprofit group, petitioned the FWS to list Joshua trees as a threatened species, but a second 2023 species status assessment by the FWS found that neither Joshua tree species -- ... Read More
Recession warnings fade after Trump rolls back tariffs
Liu Yanan/Xinhua via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Recession alarms blared across Wall Street in the aftermath of President Donald Trumpâs âLiberation Dayâ tariff announcement last month, but a recent trade agreement between the U.S. and China has dialed back many of those warnings.JPMorgan on Tuesday lowered its odds of a recession this year from 60% to below 50%, meaning the U.S. is more likely to grow in 2025 than enter a downturn. Similarly, Goldman Sachs reduced its chances of a recession this year from 45% to 35%.Stock market gains reflected such optimism. The S&P 500 soared in the immediate aftermath of the U.S.-China agreement, shrugging off previous tariff-induced losses and bringing the index into positive territory for 2025.The accord between the worldâs two largest economies ... Read More
Fatal New Jersey house fire ruled a murder-suicide: Prosecutor
Washington Township Police Department(WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- A massive fire on Sunday that leveled a New Jersey home, where first responders later recovered the bodies of a man and a woman, has been ruled a murder-suicide, authorities said Tuesday.Neighbors reported hearing a blast around the time of the fire early Sunday in the Gloucester County community of Washington Township and said it sounded like a bomb going off.In a statement released on Tuesday, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said the woman found dead in a bed at the destroyed residence had suffered a fatal bullet wound to the head before the house became engulfed in flames. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner's Office.The man ... Read More
Flooding forces evacuation of 2 Maryland elementary schools as flash flood emergency issued
Potomac Fire Company No.2 Inc.(ALLEGANY COUNTY, MD) -- A flash flood emergency has been issued for parts of northwestern Maryland on Tuesday, where severe flooding led to the evacuation of two elementary schools.A flash flood emergency was issued for Westernport, Luke and Barton in Allegany County, where up to 5 inches of rain had fallen as of Tuesday afternoon. Rainfall rates were up to 1 to 2 inches an hour.Numerous water rescues have occurred, including at two elementary schools in Allegany County, officials said.About 200 students and teachers were evacuated from Westernport Elementary School in Westernport by motorized boats to a nearby church, Allegany County officials confirmed to ABC News.All students and staff were safely evacuated, according to the Allegany ... Read More
Pete Rose among players removed from MLB’s banned list, eligible for Hall of Fame
Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images(COOPERSTOWN, NY) -- Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased baseball players have been removed from MLB's permanent list of banned players, according to a memo from the league's commissioner.The decision allows Rose, who accepted a ban for life from MLB in 1989 for gambling on games, to be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously.The decision only applies to dead players who have been placed on the ineligible list."The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseballâs permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration," Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. "Major League Baseballâs decision to remove deceased individuals ... Read More
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan indicted by grand jury on federal charges
Scott Olson/Getty Images(MILWAUKEE) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a Wisconsin judge who was arrested and charged last month with allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest.Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan has been indicted on charges alleging she concealed a person from arrest and obstructed a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States -- the same charges she was initially charged with by complaint.She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Thursday.Following the indictment on Tuesday, her legal team said in a statement, "As she said after her unnecessary arrest, Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court."The judge was arrested on April 25. U.S. Attorney General ... Read More
Menendez brothers resentenced to 50 years to life, eligible for parole
Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced on Tuesday to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole -- the latest step in a years-long battle for the brothers trying to get released after 35 years behind bars. The parole process will be long and could take years. Erik and Lyle Menendez were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. They have the support of over 20 family members in their efforts to be freed. After the resentencing, Erik Menendez released a statement on Tuesday night, saying, "I am touched and humbled by the outpouring of support." "This has to be the first step ... Read More
US v. Combs day 6: Freak offs, violence and fear – Cassie Ventura takes the stand at Diddy trial
John Lamparski/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- For six hours on Tuesday in a packed Manhattan courtroom, Cassie Ventura testified about how her decade-long relationship turned violent as her then-boyfriend, Sean "Diddy" Combs, seized control of her personal and professional lives and demanded she orchestrate his drug-fueled sex parties known as "freak offs."Ventura is the star witness in the federal racketeering and sex-trafficking case against Combs, who faces the possibility of life in prison if he is convicted. Ventura's 2023 civil lawsuit -- which Combs settled with no admission of guilt -- prompted federal authorities to begin investigating Combs' conduct, and he was indicted last September.Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied the federal charges. His lawyers insist that any sexual conduct ... Read More
Minnesota’s raging Camp House Fire explodes to nearly 12,000 acres
(ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MN) -- Three major wildfires raging out of control in the same Minnesota county have burned more than 20,000 acres combined, destroying dozens of structures, triggering evacuations and prompting the governor to call in the state National Guard to help battle the flames.The largest fire in St. Louis County -- the Camp House Fire -- exploded overnight to nearly 12,000 acres and was 0% contained on Tuesday afternoon, officials said."The responders are doing everything they can, working long hours under extremely tough conditions," Cmdr. Ryan Williams of the Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) said at a news conference.The Camp House Fire, which started on Sunday in the Superior National Forest near Brimson, about 35 miles north of ... Read More
2 juveniles arrested for murder after allegedly shooting man, striking him with car in Texas
Austin Police Department.(AUSTIN, TEXAS) -- Two juveniles were arrested and charged with capital murder after allegedly shooting a man and striking him with a vehicle during a carjacking, according to the Austin Police Department.The suspects, a 12-year-old male and a 13-year-old male, were arrested and charged with capital murder by terroristic threat, after allegedly killing 20-year-old Anthony Salas earlier this month, police confirmed to ABC News.At approximately 2:58 a.m. on May 3, the Travis County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from a family "reporting their vehicle had been stolen from their driveway" in Del Valle, Texas, police said in a press release.Then at approximately 3:21 a.m. the same morning, the Austin Police Department received a call that reported a ... Read More
Florida State shooting suspect makes 1st appearance in court after weeks in hospital
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) -- The 20-year-old who allegedly killed two and wounded several others in a mass shooting on the Florida State University campus last month made his first appearance in court on Tuesday after spending weeks in the hospital.The suspect, FSU student Phoenix Ikner, was shot and wounded by officers minutes after he allegedly opened fire on the Tallahassee campus on April 17, officials said.Ikner was released from the hospital on Monday and taken to a detention facility on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, Tallahassee police said.He made his first court appearance remotely on Tuesday as victims watched the proceedings in person and on Zoom.Ikner was held on no bond and is ... Read More
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