LINDALE – The cause of death for 8-year-old Adrian Thompson, who had a medical emergency at Velma Penny Elementary School in Lindale in April, has been announced by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. Adrian Sue Thompson died in a pediatric intensive care unit on April 16 at around one in the morning. According to a recent report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, her death was determined to be accidental and to have been caused by choking. Continue reading Student cause of death revealed
New South Tyler road is open
TYLER — Bass Pro Way is now officially open as of Thursday morning, improving access in and around South Tyler.
According to our news partner KETK, Bass Pro Way, previously Settlers Landing, links South Broadway Avenue to the popular shopping center, Cumberland Village and later Centennial Drive creating easier access to local shops, businesses and neighborhoods.
The city plans on continuing renovations to roads in the area by extending Centennial Drive to Paluxy Way to create an additional Route for travelers coming in and out of Tyler.
George Pickens isn’t with Cowboys for voluntary work as Schottenheimer says communication is good
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — George Pickens isn’t with the Dallas Cowboys during the opening week of voluntary offseason practices, while coach Brian Schottenheimer says the receiver is “taking care of his business” and their communication has been good.
Pickens signed his $27.3 million franchise tag a little more than a month ago but has stayed away from the team. The Pro Bowler isn’t required to show up until mandatory minicamp June 16-18.
“Communicated with (Pickens) yesterday,” Schottenheimer said Thursday. “He’s got a football camp this weekend that he’s doing. So communication is good, and as you guys know it’s voluntary and he’s taking care of his business.”
Pickens waited two months before signing the one-year contract that’s worth three times what the 25-year-old earned on his four-year rookie contract.
Pickens told the Cowboys before the draft in April that he intended to sign the franchise tag, prompting speculation that Dallas might try to trade him. The Cowboys made it clear they had no such plans. He signed the tag about a week later.
Acquired last year in a trade with Pittsburgh, Pickens thrived alongside CeeDee Lamb, finishing with career highs in catches (93), yards receiving (1,429) and touchdowns
Lamb is going into the second year of a $136 million, four-year contract that ranks him fourth among NFL receivers with an average annual value of $34 million.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has said the club has long-term plans for Pickens, who has spent time in the offseason with quarterback Dak Prescott.
“I’m not sure exactly what they do,” Schottenheimer said. “You guys know Dak does a great job working with all the guys, whether they’re here, whether it’s this time of year, whether it is in the summer, they always go someplace. They’ll go someplace this summer and train and throw, and it’s a chance for them to develop their timing.”
Packers’ Christian Watson agrees to four-year, $110.5 million extension, AP source says
GREENY BAY, Wi (AP) – Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson agreed to terms on a four-year, $110.5 million contract extension through 2030 with a $31 million signing bonus, according to a person with knowledge of the contract.
The person spoke Thursday to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. ESPN first reported the extension.
Watson, 27, tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in Green Bay’s 2024 regular-season finale, but came back last season to catch 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. He tied for the team lead in touchdown catches and ranked second in yards receiving despite missing much of the season.
He had been asked Wednesday about the possibility of an extension.
“Yeah, that’s the hope,” Watson said amid the Packers’ organized team activities. “I mean, I kind of just put it all in my agent’s hands, and you know, when it’s getting to that point down the wire, he’ll obviously let me in on it. But for now, I’m just worried about what I can worry about, and just let him do his job.”
While recovering from his torn ACL, Watson signed a one-year, $13.25 million extension last fall that enabled his contract to run through 2026. Now he has a longer-term commitment.
Watson becomes the second Packers receiver to get an extension this offseason. Jayden Reed agreed in April to a three-year extension that includes $50.25 million in new money and $20 million guaranteed.
Those two players are expected to lead a receiving unit that lost a couple of notable performers when Romeo Doubs signed with the New England Patriots and Dontayvion Wicks was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It was definitely tough to see those guys go because they’re great friends of mine, great teammates,” Watson said this week. “This thing always keeps on moving. I definitely think they’ll be a lot more opportunities for the guys who are out there this year, myself included. Just got to embrace that and continue to make plays when our numbers are called.”
Watson, a 2022 second-round pick from North Dakota State, has been a quality deep threat for the Packers when available. Injuries have limited him to 48 games over his first four seasons.
He spoke this week about how much he should benefit from having a full offseason in which he’s feeling healthy rather than recovering from an injury.
“It makes a big difference between just finding a rhythm and building that confidence with the whole offense and personally just being able to work on my craft and get a feel for things,” Watson said. “It’s definitely a lot smoother of an offseason for me this year, being able to do everything.”
Watson has 133 catches for 2,264 yards — an average of 17 yards per reception — and 20 touchdowns. He also has run for two touchdowns.
Billy Howton and James Lofton are the only other players in Packers history to average at least 17 yards per catch while having at least 125 receptions in their first four seasons.
Senate rejects first Dem effort to bar Trump from creating $1.8B settlement fund
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans cleared a first hurdle on Thursday as they are trying to pass legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, narrowly rejecting a Democratic effort to permanently block Trump from creating a $1.776 billion settlement fund for allies who claim they were persecuted by the government.
Republicans still face a gauntlet of Democratic amendments before the bill can advance, setting up a daylong test of party unity. More votes on the settlement fund are planned, including proposals from Republicans, and it was unclear if GOP leaders would be able to beat them all back and pass the legislation.
“I can’t predict how it comes out,” Thune told reporters between discussions with some of the holdouts off the Senate floor.
After defeating the first amendment, senators began voting on a second amendment from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that would also ban the settlement fund but would move the money to a separate anti-fraud fund at the Department of Justice.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats also plan to force votes on the tax immunity granted to Trump as part of the settlement and a host of other issues — including Trump’s East Wing ballroom project, his tariffs, his war with Iran and his immigration enforcement campaign.
“Amendment after amendment, vote after vote, Republicans are going to have to answer to the American people,” Schumer said.
Settlement fund roils Senate GOP conference
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week that the fund would not move forward, and many GOP senators said Wednesday that they were satisfied with his remarks.
Yet Trump, who has been at odds with Senate Republicans in recent weeks, raised new doubts about the settlement’s future on Wednesday afternoon when he told reporters that the settlement is “very important” and said “I don’t know” whether it is dead or on hold.
“I’d have to ask the lawyers,” he said.
Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, John Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska held out for around three hours on the Democratic amendment amid discussions over whether to vote for it. Cassidy lost re-election in a GOP primary two weeks ago after Trump endorsed his opponent and Husted and Sullivan are both up for re-election in November.
It was unclear how they would vote on additional amendments.
Immigration enforcement funding delayed
Passage of the roughly $70 billion bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol would end the blockade by Democrats who demanded policy changes after the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents in January. The bill would fund the agencies for three years, through the end of Trump’s term.
Senate Republicans are using a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the budget legislation with no Democratic votes. But it has taken weeks to get the bill to the Senate floor as Republicans navigated various obstacles to passage created by Trump and the White House — including a $1 billion proposal for White House security that they eventually scrapped and fierce bipartisan backlash to the settlement fund.
“The thing we’re trying to do here is to keep the focus on funding for ICE and CBP,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday evening, after the Senate voted to start debating the legislation. “This was narrow and targeted from the very beginning and clean, and we’re trying to maintain it that way.”
ICE and Border Patrol money has been long fight
Democrats say any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department should place restraints on federal immigration authorities, including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants, among other asks.
After federal agents shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Trump agreed to a Democratic request that the Homeland Security bill be separated from a larger spending measure that became law. But bipartisan negotiations went nowhere, and the DHS funding lapsed in mid-February with no agreement on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
Congress eventually funded the rest of the Homeland Security Department at the end of April with Democratic support. But ICE and Border Patrol remained without regular funding, and Republicans launched a new effort to pass three years of funding for those agencies with no Democratic votes.
Security money for Trump’s ballroom dropped
Work on the legislation was also delayed by Republican opposition to $1 billion in security funding for the White House, including for Trump’s new ballroom, that was added to the original bill.
Democrats and some Republicans questioned using taxpayer money for the massive project, and Republicans did not include it in the final bill when it was released on Wednesday.
Thune said he was working with his GOP conference to try and fight off any amendments and ensure he has enough votes for a simple majority to pass the bill in the 53-47 Senate.
“Keep in mind, we’ve got to keep them all together, make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it,” he said.
Republican House leaders said Wednesday they would like to clear the legislation before the end of the week, if the Senate can finish it. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said that House leaders were having internal conversations about the schedule.
“We just need to make sure everybody’s there,” Scalise said.
Police searching for man accused of deadly conduct in Polk County
POLK COUNTY (KETK) — Authorities are actively searching for a man wanted on a deadly conduct charge in the Onalaska area, police announced Thursday morning.
The Onalaska Police Department is looking for 35?year?old Bryant Todd Arnold, who is accused of firing shots near occupied homes in the Canyon Park area. Officers launched an investigation on April 18 after receiving reports that two suspects were driving through the neighborhood and shooting near residences.
“The safety of our citizens remains our highest priority. Reckless and dangerous behavior that threatens our neighborhoods will not be tolerated,” the police department said. “We are grateful for the continued support and partnership of our residents, whose vigilance and cooperation play a vital role in keeping Onalaska safe.”
Anyone with information about Arnold’s location is urged to contact the Onalaska Police Department at 936-646-5676. Anonymous tips can be submitted through P3 Tips, the P3 App or by calling Polk County Crime Stoppers at 936?327?STOP.
Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, author of ‘Persepolis,’ dies at 56
PARIS (AP) — Acclaimed Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, a prominent advocate for women’s rights and author of “Persepolis,” has died at 56, the French presidency said Thursday.
“Her passing marks the loss of a leading figure of French culture and an artist devoted to freedom, whose work carried a universal message and earned her immense international acclaim,” the French presidency said in a statement.
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife “pay tribute to a remarkable artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable,” the statement said.
News broadcaster BFM TV and other French media reported Satrapi has “died of sadness” a little over a year after the death of her husband, Swedish film producer and actor Mattias Ripa, according to a statement from people close to the artist.
The French Academy of Fine Arts, of which she was a member, expressed its deep sadness in a social media statement, paying tribute to “a passionate advocate for cinema and film education” who earlier this year created a foundation to help international students come to Paris to study film.
Satrapi is best-known for her monochrome autobiographical comic book and film “Persepolis,” a coming-of-age tale set against the Islamic Revolution in her native Iran.
“Persepolis” won the Film Critics Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival in 2007 and the César Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2008, in addition to being nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Oscars.
The film, which details her life in Tehran as the willful daughter of intellectual Marxists, is a reminder that Iranians are just like everyone else, Satrapi told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview in Cannes.
“What we wanted to say is, if these people scare you, look closer: They have parents, they have lovers, they have hope, they have stories,” she said.
Iranian authorities at the time protested the movie’s inclusion at Cannes, sending a letter to the French Embassy in Tehran.
Satrapi was born on Nov. 22, 1969, in Rasht, Iran, but her parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, in 1983 to finish her studies because of the extremism in their country following the 1979 Revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power.
But Satrapi, who found Austria hostile and who desperately missed her parents, returned to Iran in 1989 to attend Tehran University, where she earned a degree in visual communications.
By the time she graduated, Satrapi decided she finally was ready to leave Iran and accept the opportunities her parents had been so desperate to give her a decade before. In 1994 she moved to France. She studied in Strasbourg and later moved to Paris.
Her graphic novels also include “Broderies” (“Embroideries”) and “Poulet aux prunes” (“Chicken with plums”), which also was adapted into a film. As a filmmaker, she has directed several works including “La Bande des Jotas” (“The Gang of Jotas”) and “Radioactive” (“Madame Curie”), a biography about the Polish physicist Marie Curie.
Satrapi in 2023 coordinated the book “Femme, vie, liberté” (“Woman, Life, Freedom”) together with a group of artists and academics to illustrate the revolts that occurred in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 at the hands of the so-called “morality police.” The work denounces the repression and lack of human rights that Iranian society, especially women, suffers at the hands of the Iranian regime, the foundation said.
Satrapi was elected member of the French Academy of Fine Arts in 2024. She also was offered France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, that same year but declined it, arguing France was not doing enough to support Iranian people fighting for democracy.
“Supporting the women’s revolution in Iran cannot be reduced to photos or speeches,” she wrote in a January 2025 letter to French authorities. “When people are fighting for democracy, we should support them.”
In 2024, Satrapi won the Princess of Asturias Foundation award in Spain for communication and humanities. The organization said she was “an essential voice in the defense of human rights and freedom.” The judges described her as “a symbol of civic engagement led by women.”
Satrapi’s husband died in April 2025 at 53. On her Instagram page, only one message was left in a series of posts: “Because I have lost the love of my life.”
Lawmakers ask DOJ to investigate additional alleged abusers named by former Epstein assistant
(WASHINGTON) -- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Thursday asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations of sexual abuse raised by a former assistant to Jeffrey Epstein during her interview with the committee last month, according to a letter from Comer and three other Republican lawmakers.
Sarah Kellen, a longtime personal assistant to Epstein, told the Oversight Committee that she was sexually abused by Epstein for over a decade, and disclosed for the first time allegations that she was also abused by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted accomplice, and by two other men in his orbit, according to a transcript of Kellen's interview made public Thursday.
Kellen alleged that celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai and Phillip Levine, a wealthy businessman who was later elected mayor of Miami Beach, were the other men who had also abused her.
Comer's letter asks the DOJ to "use all available tools, including immunity for certain witnesses, to investigate the allegations against, and any other criminal conduct committed by, Phillip Levine and Frédéric Fekkai." The committee also asked the DOJ for an explanation as to why Kellen was never interviewed by law enforcement until Epstein's arrest in July of 2019.
Both men, through their representatives, denied the allegations in statements to ABC News.
Kellen's closed-door appearance before the Oversight Committee, which took place May 21, was part of the panel's ongoing inquiry into the federal government's handling of investigations into Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators.
One of four women named as potential co-conspirators in Epstein's controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement, Kellen was previously a subject of criminal investigations in Florida and New York. She has never been charged -- due, in part, to her own allegations of persistent sexual abuse at the hands of the disgraced financier, according to court documents and records released earlier this year by the Justice Department.
"I was there only to serve and to submit. Only after Jeffrey confirmed that I would submit to his sexual abuse did he begin paying me," Kellen told the committee in her opening remarks.
Kellen said she did not know her name was included in Epstein's non-prosecution agreement until the document was made public a few years later. The deal allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges for alleged sexual crimes involving dozens of underage girls.
"The Federal Government of the United States branded me a criminal in a secret deal with my own abuser, without ever once speaking to me," Kellen said. "I have spent every year since trying to live underneath that piece of paper."
'A terrible scenario'
Kellen appeared before the committee voluntarily, accompanied by two attorneys. The scope of her appearance was limited -- by advance agreement with the committee -- and focused primarily on her own alleged victimization. On advice of her counsel, she largely declined to answer questions about other alleged victims and about Epstein's scheme to recruit underage girls for massages -- the core activity that led to Epstein's criminal charges.
"She's not going to answer questions about other victims and questions specific to massages in Palm Beach [that] could implicate other victims," said attorney Kimberly Hamm, citing privacy concerns and Kellen's constitutional rights.
Kellen told the lawmakers she would be "a hundred percent" willing to answer more questions if given immunity by Congress or the Justice Department.
In advance of Kellen's appearance, Comer told reporters that committee members were split on their perceptions of her, given the allegations that Kellen was involved in scheduling some of Epstein's massages.
"There are some that believe she was 100% a victim or survivor, and then there are some that think she was a victim and victimizer. So, it's just a terrible scenario," he said.
After the interview Comer said he believed Kellen "was a victim" and called her appearance "the most substantive, productive interview that we've had."
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee's top Democrat, used his time to query Kellen about her knowledge of Epstein's previous relationship with President Donald Trump, who had a friendship with Epstein until they had a falling out around 2004 and has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
Kellen said she recalled Epstein "using the gym a lot" at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate during the early years of her employment, and assumed Epstein and Trump were friends based on photographs Epstein displayed in his homes. She said she met Trump just once, during a brief encounter at Mar-a-Lago in 2001 or 2002.
"Jeffrey introduced me to him," she said. "That was my only encounter with him during my employment."
'He took advantage of me'
One of the committee's central interests was whether Kellen had directly witnessed any inappropriate sexual activity by prominent individuals linked to Epstein -- and in each case, Kellen said no.
But when asked if anyone associated with Epstein had abused her, Kellen named Maxwell, Fekkai and Levine.
Kellen alleged that Fekkai, now 68, abused her before she began working for Epstein. She told the panel that in the early 2000s, when she was trying to get modeling opportunities, Fekkai invited her to a fashion show in Hawaii. When she arrived, there was no show.
"I didn't have any money to get my own hotel room or fly back, and he took advantage of me that night," she said, according to the interview transcript. Kellen said was in her early 20s at the time. She said that Fekkai later introduced her to Epstein, who he described as a model scout for Victoria's Secret.
A representative for Fekkai denied Kellen's allegations in a statement to ABC News.
"Mr. Fekkai was astonished to?read of?Ms. Kellen's testimony. Mr. Fekkai never abused anyone. He never?participated?in any illegal behavior, He knew nothing about Epstein's repugnant depravity or trafficking. He did nothing wrong," the spokesperson, Mark Herr, said in the statement.
The incident involving Levine, Kellen said, allegedly occurred during a summer trip to France around 2003, when Levine was a houseguest at a property Epstein and Maxwell had rented in Saint-Tropez. After Epstein and Maxwell had gone to sleep, Kellen claimed Levine "basically forced himself" on her.
"He came up to me, and he was like, 'You know, must be so lonely for you, working with them, because you're with them all the time, and you can't have your own life, so you must be really lonely,' and he basically forced himself on me," she said.
She claimed it happened again during a walk on the beach when Levine "grabbed my hand and pulled me" into a wooden shack.
A spokesperson for Levine, 64, denied Kellen's allegations in a statement to ABC News.
"Nearly a quarter century ago, our client had a brief intimate encounter with another consenting adult," the statement said. "Any allegation suggesting otherwise is not true."
Levine has previously said that he "never had a friendship or business relationship" with Epstein, according to a report in the Miami Herald.
Kellen told the committee she did not know what, if anything, Epstein and Maxwell knew about either alleged incident. She did not report them at the time, and said she had not considered pursuing legal action against Levine.
'Cold sheets'
Kellen, 47, said she began working for Epstein and Maxwell around 2001, after being approached about the job by a co-worker at a hotel in Hawaii. She said she had no idea it was Epstein until she arrived at his private island.
Kellen described Epstein to lawmakers as controlling every dimension of her life -- dictating her clothing, her haircut, her hair color, and where she lived. She said he had a code phrase, "cold sheets," that meant she was to come to his residence and sleep with him. He referred to her, she said, as his "human hot water bottle."
"I was being paid, in part, to be raped," she told the committee.
The assaults, she said, occurred on average once a week. Even during his Florida jail sentence, she said, Epstein made a video call to her from inside the Palm Beach County Stockade and ordered her to undress on camera.
Maxwell, Kellen said, was present and participated in her abuse on one occasion on the island. "And I just remember her touching me and showing me how to touch Jeffrey and what he liked," Kellen said. Maxwell was also, she said, a pervasive psychological force -- repeatedly reinforcing Epstein's power, allegedly calling Kellen her "slave" and "minion."
"She just fed him and catered to every whim that he wanted," Kellen said of Maxwell, adding: "I always felt like she turned him into the monster that he became."
Maxwell -- who is serving a 20 year sentence at a federal prison camp in Texas -- could not be reached for comment. She has maintained her innocence and has argued that the government prosecuted her as a substitute for Epstein, following his death in custody in 2019.
Kellen described two incidents suggesting possible efforts by Epstein to obstruct the first investigation into his conduct during the mid-2000s. While on Epstein's private island in 2005, she said she overheard Epstein on the phone instructing another assistant to go to the Palm Beach house and remove computers.
The following February, she said, Epstein summoned her to his New York townhouse and directed her to collect all of his printed contact directories and certain framed photographs and bring them to his lawyers. She said she did not know what happened to the items afterward or why she was asked to gather them.
Kellen also said that in 2007 -- as she and another woman were leaving Epstein's private island -- an airport employee informed them that FBI agents wanted to speak with them. Epstein told them to wait, walked over to the agents himself, and returned ten minutes later. "OK, let's go," he said, according to Kellen.
Kellen also told the committee that she had received gifts from Epstein through the years, including jewelry, luggage and clothing, as well as a New York City apartment to stay in. She said Epstein gave her money to help pay for her wedding in 2013, and $250,000 in late 2018, after the Miami Herald had published in-depth reports on Epstein.
After Epstein's arrest in July 2019, federal prosecutors cited the $250,000 payment to Kellen to suggest that Epstein was attempting to buy her silence.
Kellen claimed to the committee that the money was to assist her and her then-husband after he had health issues, and was not connected to the Herald articles, which she said Epstein dismissed as "old news.. She acknowledged that Epstein told her not to tell anyone about the payment, but didn't say why.
"I had no idea. I didn't know if he maybe didn't want to make other people jealous or something," she said.
'A very vulnerable victim'
Kellen's appearance on Capitol Hill came as the committee ramps up for a busy stretch of its investigation, officially launched in February of last year. Other notable witnesses scheduled in the coming weeks include another longtime Epstein assistant Lesley Groff, former Goldman Sachs chief counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, Epstein's former personal banker Jes Staley, and billionaires Bill Gates and Leon Black.
Comer has indicated that a report on the committee's findings will be produced before the end of the year.
Following Epstein's death in custody in July 2019, federal prosecutors in New York investigating possible collaborators engaged in discussions with Kellen and her attorneys that spanned more than a year. Documents released by the DOJ earlier this year included prosecutors' internal assessments of a potential case against Kellen and emails from her attorneys arguing against charges.
"We feel that given [Kellen's] abuse, and given the fact that we see her basically as a cog in Epstein's wheel, acting entirely at his direction and doing what she did at a time that she herself was a very vulnerable victim, a [non-prosecution] would be the appropriate disposition," an attorney for Kellen wrote in the spring of 2020.
According to DOJ records, the government did not dispute that Kellen "was herself a victim of abuse by Epstein." Prosecutors detailed in a proposed "statement of facts" sent to Kellen's attorneys in late 2020 that several "minor victims reported to federal agents that Epstein paid them for sexualized massages ... including during massages that [Kellen] scheduled."
Kellen claimed to prosecutors that she was provided a directory of names and instructed by Epstein on who to call, and denied having knowledge that some who came to the house were underage.
She told prosecutors she viewed the "masseuses as her peers -- i.e. young adults ... and it never [crossed] her mind that any of them were minors," government lawyers wrote in a December 2019 memo summarizing their investigation.
Kellen said she "only learned that Epstein was sexually abusing minors when news articles started coming out about it" in the mid-2000s, and recalled being "shocked, angry, and disappointed," the records said.
Federal prosecutors ultimately decided against charging Kellen, though the internal deliberations that led to that outcome remain redacted in the publicly available versions of the DOJ records.
Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and associate, remains the only other person charged in connection with Epstein's crimes. She is presently seeking to have her conviction vacated or her sentence reduced.
When Maxwell was sentenced in 2021, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan said the evidence showed that Maxwell supervised Kellen, who Nathan described as a "criminally responsible participant" in Epstein's scheme. Kellen was not called as a witness by the government or by Maxwell.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Scheffler and McIlroy see Muirfield Village the same way. Their results are different
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy think the same way about Muirfield Village, and what it takes to succeed at the Memorial Tournament.
This is a big golf course, but it’s not all about power.
“Here it’s more about placing the ball in the right spots and taking your opportunities when you can get them,” said Scheffler, who speaks from the experience of winning the last two years.
“For being such a long golf course, I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot,” said McIlroy, who played for the 14th time without ever getting that winner’s handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus off the 18th green.
The Memorial is one tournament McIlroy can’t seem to win — he’s had only five finishes in the top 10 and never a reasonable chance to win.
And it’s the one tournament Scheffler can’t seem to lose.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, sets out this week to try to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win three straight times at the tournament Nicklaus built.
Nicklaus was asked why he thought Scheffler played so well at Muirfield Village, beyond the obvious of having great control of his shots. Nicklaus raised his right index finger and tapped the side of his head.
“He thinks his way around the golf course,” Nicklaus said. “His golf swing is certainly not spectacular from a standpoint of looking at balance — the pathway of his club is very good. But he doesn’t put himself in position to make doubles and triples.”
Scheffler and McIlroy, Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, lead another strong field at the Memorial with the U.S. Open looming two weeks away. Both went to Shinnecock Hills on Monday on their way to central Ohio — they didn’t play together — to scout the U.S. Open course.
It’s not like they run in the same circles or even play in the same events. This is the 12th event for Scheffler this year, the 10th for McIlroy. But they have played the same tournament only six times, two of them majors and The Players Championship.
Both have won this year, McIlroy’s victory being far more meaningful. He held off Scheffler at Augusta National to become only the fourth back-to-back winner of the Masters.
Scheffler, coming off another dominant season, won his first tournament of the season at The American Express. The rest of the year has been close calls — three runner-up finishes in a row, three other finishes in the top 5.
“I felt like I haven’t been as sharp as I would have liked to have been,” Scheffler said. “When you look at the margins in this game, they’re quite small. I think statistically I’m probably not far off from where I’ve been the last couple years, it’s just a couple shots here or there, a couple of those momentum shots where it can kind of swing you in a tournament.”
McIlroy has the career Grand Slam, and it’s cherry-picking what else he would like to win. Courses mean a lot to him. There’s also an Olympic gold medal to chase once every four years, and Riviera and Muirfield Village — the tournaments hosts are Tiger Woods and Nicklaus — are on his list.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold (Palmer) was alive,” McIlroy said. “So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand. Also, Jack and I share a nice history. I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.”
McIlroy skipped last year and played the RBC Canadian Open instead. He also missed in 2017 when he was tending to sore ribs from an injury earlier in the year. But he’s played all the rest of them at Muirfield Village, just not with anything to show for it.
That’s not unusual in golf. Woods never figured out how to win at Riviera, the Los Angeles masterpiece that’s one of his favorites and now is tournament host for the Genesis Invitational. Nicklaus was runner-up seven times at the Canadian Open. His only win in Canada was as Presidents Cup captain in 2007.
“Obviously a great list of champions on a wonderful golf course,” McIlroy said of the Memorial. “I haven’t quite figured it out yet. It’s frustrated me over my career. But hopefully, this is the week that I put it all together.”
Trump accuses California Democrats, without evidence, of trying to ‘steal’ elections
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump posted to social media late Wednesday night accusing the Democratic Party in California of trying to "steal" the California gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral primaries, offering no evidence to support the allegation.
In his posts, Trump complained about the alleged misuse of mail-in ballots and also accused the Democratic Party of delaying the tallying of votes – claims for which there is currently no supporting evidence.
The president also claimed that the votes are "under investigation" by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. That office declined to comment on the president's statement in response to an ABC News request.
California Democratic Party Chairperson Rusty Hicks told ABC News that Trump's claims were "baseless."
"Everyone knows California will complete a fair and accurate count. End of story," Hicks further said.
"Trump is lying about California again," Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office posted online early Thursday morning about the president's assertion.
Trump has often claimed, without evidence, that elections are rigged and has complained about mail-in ballots and the possibility of fraud. Despite this, he voted by mail in a Florida special election earlier this year.
"As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,” spokesperson Olivia Wales wrote in a statement at the time regarding Trump's mail-in vote in Florida's special election in March for the state's 87th House district.
The White House said at the time that the president's mail-in vote qualified as a “commonsense exception” to the voting method, which the president supports, including for "illness, disability, military, or travel," but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to it being "highly susceptible to fraud."
The process of counting all votes in this week's California contests is expected to take several days or even weeks, a process that has played out regularly in the state.
The most populous state in the country is home to 23 million registered voters, which requires ample time for all ballots to be accurately counted. But in addition to the sheer volume of votes, the state also relies on a significant number of mail-in ballots, with some not arriving until a week after voting ends.
According to the California secretary of state, "vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted."
County election officials have up to 30 days after the election to count ballots. Final results from Tuesday's primary must be reported to the secretary of state by July 3, 2026.
The process of counting mail-in ballots and validating voters' signatures is also arduous, as each envelope signature must match the signatures on file, which can lead to additional delays.
On Tuesday, initial vote counts included early mail-in, early in-person, and day-of ballots. Early votes were allowed to be counted ahead of time but not publicly released until polls had closed.
"On Election Night, we will have a good picture of the outcome of most contests, but it will take weeks to know the final results. This is normal," Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement Tuesday after polls closed.
A White House spokesperson said that Trump has supported "commonsense exceptions" to allow Americans to use mail-in ballots, including for "illness, disability, military, or travel," but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to his claim that it was "highly susceptible to fraud."
An analysis from the Brookings Institution from November 2025 found that voter fraud is rare in voting by mail.
ABC News' Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Nelly Korda charges into U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera with hunger stoked by last year’s setbacks
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nelly Korda fell just short of her first U.S. Women’s Open title a year ago, coming up second to Maja Stark in a finish that was painfully appropriate for her inexplicably winless calendar year.
But that disappointment at Erin Hills is a primary reason Korda arrived at venerable Riviera this week as the world’s No. 1 player and a favorite to raise the trophy at the 81st Open.
“I was just hungry for more,” Korda said of last year’s Open experience. “Last year was just a weird year of kind of not necessarily playing my best, but also when I did, not getting the bounces or just missing by a centimeter here and there. But I also learned a lot about myself. It made me hungrier to be in those positions.”
Korda has been eating this year, all right.
A dominant major title at The Chevron Championship. Three victories overall. Three more second-place finishes, and an emphatic return to the top of the rankings.
Korda says she welcomes the pressure that accompanies her success, and she is thrilled to be under the spotlight and playing for the richest prize pool in women’s golf at the first women’s Open ever held at Riviera, the 100-year-old country club nestled in Pacific Palisades and patronized by decades of Hollywood royalty.
“I’m just motivated to put myself into that position, to grind on off weeks, to just play the game,” Korda said. “It’s really hard to explain, but there’s nothing better when you’re a very competitive person than being in the hunt on a back nine at a tournament. There’s a really big rush of emotions. Even if it doesn’t work out, you constantly want to put yourself back into that, because all that work that you’ve put in in your off weeks. That’s what makes it worth it.”
Korda took the past two weeks off to make sure she was fully rested and prepared for the Open and for Riviera, a course she had played only once before this week. This tournament has never been held anywhere in Los Angeles County, easily the most populous in the U.S.
“It’s amazing out here,” Korda said. “I mean, the vibe of the place, knowing that so much history has been played out here, it’s a great place for us to play.”
Stark contrast
Stark began the week by returning the trophy she won by holding off Korda last year at the Open, but she wasn’t sad to comply with tradition.
“I did kind of want to let it go, because it’s weird — it’s like I had it sitting in my room, and I just saw it every day,” Stark said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ But I just want to move on. I want the challenge again. It was fun to have it, but it’s more fun to play for it than to have it, I guess.”
Stark had been on the fringes of the LPGA Tour field before her victory last year at Erin Hills — but after securing her tour status with a major win, the Swede promptly missed the cut in five of her next seven tournaments. She’s now paying more attention to the mental side of her game, hiring a therapist and a sports psychologist.
The results are promising: Stark is up to 23rd in the world after making seven cuts in eight starts this season, finishing 16th in Cincinnati three weeks ago.
First starts
Megha Ganne is beginning her pro career at Riviera just one week after last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur champion led Stanford to another NCAA title, making the winning putt to beat USC down the coast in Carlsbad, California. Trojans star and Irvine native Catherine Park is also making her pro debut at Riviera.
Ganne played in the final group of the 2021 Open as a 17-year-old high schooler at Olympic Club in San Francisco, eventually finishing as the top amateur. As her pro career approached, she has been leaning on her LPGA Tour friends, including three-time major champion Lydia Ko.
“Being a professional is about the little stuff, and the stuff you can’t really see, like invisible little details,” Ganne said. “That stuff comes with experience, time, maturity and having a good team around you.”
No matter how her debut goes, Ganne is graduating from Stanford next week.
Wie’s back
Michelle Wie West is coming out of retirement to play her first tournament since the 2023 U.S. Open. The former wunderkind’s only major victory was at the Open in 2014, and the 36-year-old mother of two used her final year of exemption for a spot in this field.
Her husband, Jonnie West, will caddy for her at Riviera, while daughter Makenna will be watching.
“Last time I retired at Pebble Beach, Makenna was 2 and doesn’t really have any memories,” she said. “Hopefully being 6 now, she’ll have a lot more memories of being here this week.”
Aaron Judge misses 3rd straight game with bone bruise in rib as Yankees await clarity
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge was out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game and the New York Yankees were awaiting clarity about a bone bruise in one of the slugger’s right ribs that is causing right shoulder pain.
“I absolutely expect something in the next couple of hours,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees concluded a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians. “He went for more testing today just because he’s got edema there. So, they want to get (the most) specific images they can to try and see exactly what we have.”
Judge underwent a CT scan on Thursday morning and had an MRI earlier in the week when he met with a specialist. The bruise was first revealed when Judge underwent testing on the team’s off day on Monday.
“I’m obviously not a doctor, I don’t know how it all works, but there’s a lot of people involved in trying to make sure we get the right diagnosis,” Boone said.
Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. The injury occurred when he dove for a ball in September 2019, but Judge did not miss any time because of the 2020 season being delayed by the pandemic.
He is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs. The three-time AL MVP has one homer in his last 18 games since May 10 and ended an 11-game homer and RBI drought with a game-ending, two-run drive on May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Judge entered the game against Tampa Bay in a 1-for-24 slump that dropped his batting average to .246. He was hitless in 15 at-bats before singling in the first inning.
Judge won the batting title last season when he hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26-Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich injection and did not require offseason surgery.
When Judge was hurt last season, Giancarlo Stanton played 17 games in the outfield. Stanton has been out since April 24 with a strained right calf and started taking live at-bats on the field Wednesday, though he was ruled out for New York’s upcoming road trip.
José Caballero started the first two games against Cleveland and has made four starts in right field since being acquired from Tampa Bay at the July 31 trade deadline. Max Schuemann made his first career start in right field Thursday.
Judge had started 52 of New York’s first 59 games in right field. Rookie Spencer Jones made four starts in right field before getting sent down May 22 and Cody Bellinger has started two games.
FIFA prohibits fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup stadiums
CORAL GABLES, Fla (AP) — FIFA has made a late change of policy to bar World Cup fans from bringing refillable water bottles into the tournament’s 16 stadiums across North America including some with limited or no shade from the sun.
The “Stadium Code of Conduct” update was criticized Thursday by an English fan group, which argued FIFA had given assurances on carrying empty plastic bottles to fill with freely available water at a tournament where heat and extreme weather are expected to be a factor.
“Naturally, the immediate thought from supporters is this is just the latest money grab,” the Free Lions fan group said in a statement.
Water, sodas and juices sold at World Cup stadiums are supplied exclusively by long-time FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola when the tournament starts next Thursday.
FIFA’s stadium rules had stated that fans could bring in a transparent, reusable bottle up to one liter, or 33.8 oz. capacity.
The latest document dated Tuesday now states “for the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”
“In all of our discussions,” the England fans’ group said, “free water availability in stadiums was a key one and we were assured by FIFA that this would be the case.”
In a statement Thursday, the world soccer body said the decision to prohibit bottles — which could be thrown — was “to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.”
“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff,” it said.
FIFA said some of the 16 stadiums had already prohibited fans from bringing water bottles, so the policy would apply across them all.
With temperatures at 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) and above expected in many of the U.S., Mexican and Canadian cities hosting the 104 games, FIFA said “heat mitigation” for fans approaching stadiums would include “misting stations, fans, hydration stations, cooling tents, and more.”
“Inside the stadium footprint, pricing for water bottles for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will remain consistent with other events held at each stadium,” the soccer body said.
FIFA has reacted to expected heat in some outdoor stadiums by enforcing three-minute drinks breaks midway through each half at all games. Critics have said turning all games into four quarters was to create more breaks for broadcasters to sell advertising.
“For all of the effort they are going to with ‘drinks breaks’ for the players, this is such a strange, late change,” the Free Lions fan group said of the water bottle ban.
Original Vegas Golden Knights make an early impact in the Stanley Cup Final
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Only three players have been around for all nine seasons of the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the third trip to the Stanley Cup Final for William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, and the thrill is still there.
“It’s the same feeling as Year 1,” Karlsson said.
That one ended in defeat, but it set the perennial expectations at championship or bust, and Vegas hoisted the Cup in Year 6 in 2023. Eager for another parade on the Las Vegas Strip, the original Golden Knights wasted no time making an early impact in Game 1 at Carolina.
Karlsson and Theodore each scored, and McNabb had the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in the 5-4 victory on Tuesday night. The Golden Knights leaned on their longest-tenured players to erase another multigoal deficit and will keep relying on them.
“They’re calm,” said coach John Tortorella, who has only been in charge since late March. “The foundation of our team, the guts of our team, has been through this before. … Those guys kind of lead the way by not panicking. They don’t say much, they just play, and I think other people follow behind them. I think that’s so important this time of year.”
William Karlsson returning has changed everything
One reason the Golden Knights did not look this dominant during the regular season was Karlsson’s lengthy absence because of an undisclosed injury. He was out from early November until the start of the second round.
“I learned not to take anything for granted,” Karlsson said. “It wasn’t always just a straight line. Some minor setbacks. But I always have the mind to come back for playoffs, and I’m very happy to be able to be a part of it.”
Karlsson getting back allowed Mitch Marner to shift to his more natural right wing from center. Karlsson has six points and Marner 15 in the 11 games since.
“It’s super fun to play hockey, and I’m happy to be getting a lot of minutes and help the team,” Karlsson said.
Shea Theodore has stepped up when needed
The Golden Knights went into the season with a giant void on their blue line, with No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo unlikely to play again because of a chronic hip injury. Former coach Bruce Cassidy said during the ’23 title run that he knew Pietrangelo was good but came to appreciate the do-everything, all-around game up close.
Theodore stepped into that role in Pietrangelo’s absence.
“Shea’s game this season has just added a completely different layer than what we were used to because he’s always been a great puck-mover, always been a very good offensive defenseman,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Shea has become a penalty killer. He never killed penalties prior at all. He’s on the ice when it’s 6 on 5 against, where in the past he would not have been. And I’m really proud of him, to be honest with you. I think he’s really grown into it.”
Tortorella praised Theodore for bouncing back in Game 1 after getting “spanked” on Carolina’s opening goal 25 seconds in.
“It doesn’t bother him, and he probably plays one of the better games,” Tortorella said. “He just played. I think it’s a really good lesson for all of us to see.”
Theodore not only scored Vegas’ first goal after falling behind 2-0 but delivered a textbook shot-pass to Brett Howden for a goal in the third period.
“His vision is unbelievable,” said Howden, whose 11 goals leads the postseason. “He wasn’t even looking at me, but I feel like he knew that I was going there and he made an unbelievable pass there. I just had to chip it in.”
Brayden McNabb flashes unusual offensive touch
McNabb has been a solid defender in the league for more than a decade. Keeping the puck out of the net, while guarding and hitting opponents, is his primary job. He doubled his assist total this postseason on Tuesday night, after having just three in 15 games over the first three rounds. Theodore cracked, “He’s an offensive guy.”
“My partner did most of the work on all of them, really,” McNabb said, crediting Theodore. “But, yeah, the guys made great plays, and it’s nice to chip in offensively when I can.”
Vegas has brought in plenty of talent since its overachieving inaugural season, including captain Mark Stone, top center Jack Eichel and Marner. But there is still a deep reverence for the original Golden Knights, including Reilly Smith, who was traded and reacquired and had been playing until Karlsson returned.
“They mean everything,” Howden said. “They’re the ones that built this team from the ground up. They built a culture here, starting from the top down. But those guys were here from the start, and they lead the way. They’re unbelievable leaders in the room.”
Serena Williams’ tennis comeback to begin with 19-year-old doubles partner Victoria Mboko
LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams will make her eagerly anticipated return to professional tennis playing doubles alongside a partner who is 25 years younger.
Victoria Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian ranked No. 9, revealed Thursday she would have the “honor” of playing with the 44-year-old Williams as wild-card entries at the Queen’s Club next week.
They practiced on the grass courts in west London on Thursday, with Williams seen hitting balls in a purple top and white pants.
“The Queen is back,” Mboko wrote in a post on Instagram alongside a picture of her standing next to Williams.
“An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week,” Mboko added. “Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special.”
Speaking at the French Open last week, Mboko said of Williams: “I really look up to her. I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very exciting.”
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, stepped away from tennis in 2022. She has yet to say whether she plans to play at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in 2026.