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Steward Health Care files a lawsuit against a US Senate panel

BOSTON (AP) — Texas-based Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre filed a lawsuit Monday against a U.S. Senate committee that pursued contempt charges against him for failing to appear before the panel despite being issued a subpoena.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, named nearly all members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs the committee which has investigated Steward’s bankruptcy.

The lawsuit claims that the lawmakers are unlawfully violating de la Torre’s constitutional rights.

It alleges that the members of the committee, by trying to compel de la Torre to answer questions about Steward’s bankruptcy, are “collectively undertaking a concerted effort to punish Dr. de la Torre for invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to ‘be compelled . . . to be a witness against himself.’”

De la Torre is asking the court to declare that all actions related to enforcement of the subpoena are invalid and unconstitutional — including the vote of the committee on Sept. 19 approving the criminal contempt resolution and its decision to present the resolution to the full Senate for a vote.

The Senate approved the resolution last week.

“No one can be compelled to testify when they exercise this right under these circumstances. Nor does the Constitution permit Congress to punish and intimidate him, or any other American, for exercising these rights,” William “Bill” Burck, a lawyer for de la Torre, said in a written statement.

The lawsuit comes a day before de la Torre is set to step down as CEO of Steward.

De la Torre has overseen Steward’s network of some 30 hospitals around the country. The Texas-based company’s troubled recent history has drawn scrutiny from elected officials in New England, where some of its hospitals are located.

A spokesperson for de la Torre said Saturday that he “has amicably separated from Steward on mutually agreeable terms” and “will continue to be a tireless advocate for the improvement of reimbursement rates for the underprivileged patient population.”

Sanders said earlier this month that Congress “will hold Dr. de la Torre accountable for his greed and for the damage he has caused to hospitals and patients throughout America.”

Steward has shut down pediatric wards in Massachusetts and Louisiana, closed neonatal units in Florida and Texas, and eliminated maternity services at a hospital in Florida.

Democratic Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts said that over the past decade, Steward, led by de la Torre, and its corporate enablers, “looted hospitals across the country for profit, and got rich through their greedy schemes.”

Alexander Merton, an attorney for de la Torre, has said the fault instead lies with “the systemic failures in Massachusetts’ health care system” and that the committee was trying to frame de la Torre as a criminal scapegoat. Merton has also said that de la Torre would agree to testify at a later date.

On Friday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced her administration had formally seized a hospital through eminent domain to help keep it open and transition to a new owner. St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston was one of a group run by Steward. Operations will be transferred to Boston Medical Center.

Two other Steward-operated hospitals in Massachusetts were forced to close after qualified buyers could not be found during the bankruptcy process.

Dockworkers hit picket lines in historic US port strike that could impact prices

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Tens of thousands of U.S. dockworkers are set to walk off the job early Tuesday morning, clogging dozens of ports along the East and Gulf coasts and potentially raising consumer prices ahead of the holiday season.

"Moments ago, the first large-scale eastern dockworker strike in 47 years began at ports from Maine to Texas, including at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Tuesday.

"In preparation for this moment, New York has been working around the clock to ensure that our grocery stores and medical facilities have the essential products they need," Hochul added.

In a statement to ABC News early Tuesday, the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) confirmed the union's first coastwide strike in nearly 50 years was underway. The statement said that "tens of thousands of ILA rank-and-file members" started to set up picket lines at shipping ports up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as of 12:01 am.

"We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve," ILA President Harold Daggett said.

The ports account for more than half of the nation's container imports, facilitating the transport of everything from toys to fresh fruit to nuclear reactors, JPMorgan senior equity analyst Brian Ossenbeck said in a report shared with ABC News.

A prolonged work stoppage of several weeks or months could rekindle inflation for some goods and trigger layoffs at manufacturers as raw materials dry up, experts said.

"A strike would be very, very disruptive," said Jason Miller, a professor of supply-chain management at Michigan State University who closely tracks imports, told ABC News.

"You can't take all this freight and either send it to other ports or put it on airplanes," Miller added. "There is no plan B."

The ILA, the union representing East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers, is seeking higher wages and a ban on the use of some automated equipment.

"ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing," the ILA told ABC News in a statement on Monday. "Meanwhile, ILA dedicated longshore workers continue to be crippled by inflation due to USMX's unfair wage packages."

The U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, an organization bargaining on behalf of the dockworkers' employers, declined to respond to an ABC News request for comment.

President Joe Biden retains the power to prevent or halt a strike under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Biden on Monday urging the White House to intervene, which it has previously said it will not do. The White House told ABC News in a statement that it has been in contact with both the union and management in recent days.

"This weekend, senior officials have been in touch with USMX representatives urging them to come to a fair agreement fairly and quickly – one that reflects the success of the companies. Senior officials have also been in touch with the ILA to deliver the same message," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said.

A prolonged East Coast and Gulf Coast port strike could moderately increase prices for a range of goods, experts told ABC News. That upward pressure on prices would result from a shortage of products caught up in the supply chain blockage, leaving too many dollars chasing after too few items, they added.

Food products are especially vulnerable to an uptick in prices, since food could spoil if suppliers sent the products ahead of time to minimize the strike impact, as they have done for some other goods, Adam Kamins, a senior director of economic research at Moody's Analytics, told ABC News.

Additionally, a significant share of the nation's imported auto parts pass through the ports impacted by a potential strike, which could cause an increase in vehicle prices if the strike persists.

Price increases have slowed dramatically from a peak in 2022, but inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2%. A strike could prevent further progress, according to Kamins.

"We're not talking about prices skyrocketing by any means, but I think it halts the momentum we've had over the last year or so getting inflation back in the bottle," he said.

In 2002, a strike among workers at West Coast ports lasted 11 days before then-President George W. Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act and ended the standoff. However, the last time East Coast and Gulf Coast workers went on strike, in 1977, the work stoppage lasted seven weeks.

Tuesday's potential work stoppage follows high-profile strikes undertaken last year by auto workers as well as Hollywood writers and actors. Most recently, 33,000 Boeing workers walked off the job in early September, demanding better pay and retirement benefits.

"Trade unions all over the country have been going out on strike," Sriram Narayanan, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News. "We're seeing that happen now at the ports."

Ahead of the historic strike, the president of the Teamsters labor union, Sean O'Brien, released a letter of solidarity to the International Longshoreman's Association, saying, "The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, including our members in the freight industry, stand in full solidarity with the International Longshoremen's Association as they fight for a fair and just contract with the ocean carriers represented by USMX."

"Don't forget --Teamsters do not cross picket lines. The Teamsters Union is 100 percent committed to standing with our Longshoremen brothers and sisters until they win the contract they deserve," O'Brien said.

Federal Judge rules against Paxton investigation

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – A federal judge ruled on Saturday that part of a Texas law that enacted new voting restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution by being too vague and restricting free speech.

The ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, immediately halted the state’s ability to investigate alleged cases of vote harvesting, such as the investigation into the League of United Latin American Citizens by Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Before today’s ruling, a person who knowingly provided or offered vote harvesting services in exchange for compensation was committing a third-degree felony. This meant that organizers of voter outreach organizations and even volunteers could spend up to ten years in prison and fined up to $10,000 for giving or offering these services.

Paxton on Monday vowed to appeal the ruling.

“A ruling—weeks prior to an election— preventing my office from investigating potential election violations is deeply troubling and risks undermining public trust in our political process,” he said.

According to Republican lawmakers, the provision was put in place to prevent voter fraud and secure election integrity. However, in the ruling, the judge noted that there was widespread confusion about how to implement the canvassing restriction from local election administrators. This confusion also left voter outreach organizations uncertain about whether they could provide volunteers with food or bus fare because it could look like compensation.

Many organizations – including La Union del Pueblo Entero, LULAC, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund – have filed lawsuits against many other provisions of the law, including voter assistance and mail-in ballot restrictions. The challenges to these provisions have not been ruled on yet. The original complaints were filed in August and September 2021.

Before the law, organizations like OCA-Greater Houston, an advocacy organization for people of Asian and Pacific Island descent, would host in-person election events and allow attendees to bring their mail-in ballots in order to receive help like language assistance.

Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF, wrote that “Today’s ruling means that voter outreach organizers and other advocates in Texas can speak to mail ballot voters about issues on the ballot and urge voters to support improvements to their communities.”

ACLU of Texas celebrated the ruling on X saying, “This is a win for voting rights in the state, and for the organizations that help keep elections accessible.”

Sam Heughan pens emotional goodbye to ‘Outlander’ as filming wraps

Sam Heughan is saying goodbye to Outlander.

The Scottish actor took to Instagram over the weekend to share a slideshow of images from his 11-year, eight-season and 101-episode tenure playing Jamie Fraser as filming on the beloved Starz series' eighth and final season officially wrapped.

"What a journey," he wrote alongside the snaps. "So many memories, incredible people I have been fortunate to work with and now can call friends."

Heughan went on to shout out Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the books the show is based on, as well as his Irish co-star Caitriona Balfe, who he called "my brilliant partner in crime."

The official Instagram account for the series also marked the momentous occasion.

"Today marks the final day of filming on the final season of #Outlander. Words cannot express the gratitude owed to each and every hard-working cast and crew member who brought this incredible series to life and every single fan who supports it with passion, creativity, and dedication," the show's post reads. "Outlander really is more than just a show, it’s a family, and while filming might be ending, there’s so much more to this journey that’s just beginning."

Also included in the show's post is a slideshow featuring cast members holding clapboards and sharing what they wanted to take from the set after filming wrapped.

Heughan revealed he'd like to take Jamie's kilt home with him, while Balfe hilariously shared on her clapboard that she'll be taking "a nap."

The second half of Outlander season 7 premieres Nov. 22 on Starz. No premiere date for the eighth and final season has yet been announced.

Marshall in stage 4 water conservation due to water pump failure

MARSHALL – The City of Marshall declared on Monday a stage four water conservation alert for residents and businesses that use the city’s water system. According to our news partner KETK, these conservation requirements were enacted due to a failed water pump. The release from the city said this is a conservation measure, it is not a boil water notice.

City officials laid out the water conservation requirements, asking residents to refrain from the following usage of water: Continue reading Marshall in stage 4 water conservation due to water pump failure

Women take to the seas in the first-ever Women’s America’s Cup

(NEW YORK) -- Women are taking the helm at the 37th edition of the America's Cup.

For the first time in the racing event's storied 173-year history, all-female sailing teams representing longtime participants New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy and Switzerland will be joined by six new all-female teams from Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Australia. The teams will take to the seas next week in Barcelona and compete in the brand-new Puig Women's America's Cup trophy.

While this is the first time all-female sailing teams will compete for this trophy, it is not the first time women take to the water. Dating back to the 1800s, women have been pivotal members of the sailing, engineering and building teams in America's Cup but momentum to build up and invest in women sailors has always dwindled and stalled leaving women out of the world's oldest continually contested sporting trophy.

The Puig Women's America's Cup is trying to change that. The inaugural yacht race, which begins Oct. 5, is in part intended as a pipeline for women to eventually enter and compete in the America's Cup alongside male sailors.

Although there isn't a formal gender restriction that keeps women from sailing in the America's Cup, the sport has traditionally been dominated by men due to the intense physical nature of the sport. However, recent technological advancements have changed all of that, according to Coraline Jonet, project manager for Swiss Alinghi Red Bull Racing's youth and women's teams and herself a lifelong sailor.

"We saw that in the new boats half of the crew don't need physical strength, which means women and men can do the same job," she told ABC News. "Obviously, you need experience. And with this first women's America's Cup, doing all the jobs, getting that experience, will hopefully mean being able to join the America's Cup."

Marie Mazuay, 19, is a trimmer on the Alinghi Red Bull Racing women's team and has been sailing since she was seven. Her job is to control the sails, adjusting them in relation to the changing wind to turn the boat and control its speed. Previously, that role would require the strength necessary to manually haul on the ropes or crank the sails in place. In the new, high-tech AC40 boats that the teams will be racing, that job is accomplished by using a video game-type remote controller.

For Mazuay, this is a full-circle moment. "It's a real source of pride to be part of the new generation that is giving more and more opportunities for gender equity in sailing," she told ABC News. "I'm proud to represent women in sailing alongside women who have achieved great things, and I know how lucky I am to be part of this generation, and I'm going to make sure that this path for women continues."

And while Jonet and Mazuay hope Alinghi Red Bull Racing will win the Puig Women's America's Cup, they say the impact of the race itself surpasses winning a trophy.

"I hope that after this America's Cup, people will take women more seriously and realize that they are just as competitive and hard-working as men," Mazuay says.

"Young guys already see male sailors shining, and young girls will now be seeing women sailors as well shining, and the media highlighting them … it's going to be inspiration and show them that their dream can be true," Jonet said. "Little girls will see that they can make it. I hope that in time we'll have more and more women treated just as a sailors, no matter which gender, with the skills that she will get from this kind of pathway."

Wrongful conviction of Jon-Adrian Velazquez in retired officer’s killing vacated after over 20 years

(NEW YORK) -- A New York judge on Monday vacated the conviction and dismissed the case against Jon-Adrian Velazquez, who spent more than 20 years in prison for a murder prosecutors now say he did not commit.

“Who am I? I’m a very lucky man. I’m lucky that so many people believed in me,” Velazquez, 48, who was formally released in 2021, said outside of the court.

According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg's office, two individuals committed a robbery of a gambling parlor on Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem on Jan. 27, 1998. During the robbery, retired police detective Albert Ward pulled a gun and a struggle ensued with one of the armed robbers, who identified himself as “Tee.”

“Tee" shot and killed Ward, according to Bragg's office.

The then-22-year-old Velazquez was arrested, along with Derry Daniels, and convicted for Ward's murder at trial in 1999. He served more than 23 years in prison until his sentence was commuted in 2021. On Sept. 30, 1999, over 18 months after he was arrested, Daniels pleaded guilty to a single count of robbery in the second degree and was sentenced to 12 years in prison as a repeat felon, according to his attorneys. Daniels was released in 2008.

In 2022, the city's Post-Conviction Justice Unit compared Velazquez's DNA to a betting slip that “Tee” handled before shooting Ward. Velazquez’s DNA was not found on the slip. This type of DNA comparison was not available at the time of Velazquez’s trial in 1999.

According to Bragg's office, the reinvestigation into Ward's murder found that the DNA testing results could have impacted the jury’s consideration of other trial evidence, including Velazquez’s alibi, the lack of evidence connecting him to the crime and inconsistent witness descriptions.

Velazquez was granted clemency in 2021 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and spoke with President Joe Biden as an activist for criminal justice reform.

His case is featured in the 2023 movie, "Sing Sing," named for the prison, about a wrongfully imprisoned man who "finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men," according to A24.

“JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him,” Bragg said in a statement. The reinvestigation was conducted by the Office’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit and defense counsel for Velazquez.

The creation of the Post-Conviction Justice Unit in 2022 has led to 10 vacated convictions, Bragg said.

"These convictions have deep consequences for individuals and their loved ones, compromise public safety and undermine trust in the criminal justice system, which is why this work is of the utmost importance to me," Bragg said.

SW Airlines sues city of San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Express-News says Southwest Airlines sued the city and its airport director late Thursday in an effort to stop a new airline lease agreement from taking effect at San Antonio International Airport on Tuesday. The Dallas-based airline’s federal lawsuit accuses airport officials of an unfair “bait and switch” in negotiations for a 10-year lease agreement, which City Council approved earlier this month. Southwest and the San Antonio airport are fighting over the lease agreement because it would keep the airline out of the planned Terminal C, a $1.7 billion, 17-gate facility that’s slated to open in 2028. The airline instead would be the sole tenant of the cramped Terminal A.

Southwest is seeking a temporary restraining order to keep the current lease agreement in place for the time being. A hearing on the matter is set for Monday afternoon in San Antonio federal court. If a judge doesn’t grant a TRO — and if Southwest doesn’t sign the new lease — Southwest will operate at the airport on a month-to-month basis, incurring higher fees. It will also lose out on a revenue-sharing arrangement that eight other airlines, which have agreed to sign the new lease, will benefit from. In the suit, Southwest claims Airport Director Jesus Saenz verbally committed to the airline that it would get all, or most, of the 10 gates it requested in Terminal C. But in May, the airline alleges, Southwest was relegated to Terminal A, the oldest facility on the airport’s property.

Judge extends order blocking TEA’s release of A-F scores

AUSTIN – The Austin American-Statesman reports a Travis County state District Court judge has granted a temporary injunction to a group of more than 30 school districts — including Hays, Jarrell, Lockhart, Manor and Temple — to block the Texas Education Agency’s release of the 2023-24 A-F letter grades that rate the state’s school districts and campuses. An education agency spokesman told the American-Statesman the agency plans to appeal the recently released ruling. This is the second year in a row that a Travis County District Court has blocked the TEA’s public release of the scores it uses to assess campuses after two consecutive lawsuits brought by school districts. Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle of the 201st District Court granted the temporary injunction Sept. 18 because lawyers representing the school districts “made a sufficient showing of a probable right to relief.”

In the initial 2023 lawsuit, about 100 school districts argued that the TEA had unfairly recalibrated the rubric for scoring and waited too long to communicate those changes, and that those adjustments would result in lower scores for many districts. In the second lawsuit Aug. 12, five districts — Pecos-Barstow-Toyah, Crandall, Forney, Fort Stockton and Kingsville — argued that the agency still hadn’t fixed those issues, such as notifying districts of changes in a timely way. The districts also took issue with the introduction in February of computer-based grading for open-ended response questions on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. More districts have since signed on. The agency had already been blocked from releasing the 2024 scores under a temporary restraining order, which typically only last for a short time. The TEA calculates its A-F scores largely based on STAAR results as well as college and career preparedness, among other measures.

Judge declines to dismiss case against ‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez

Hannah Gutierrez, center; attorney Jason Bowles, left; paralegal Carmella Sisnero -- Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, Pool, FILE

A New Mexico judge has declined to dismiss the case against Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, after previously dismissing the case against Alec Baldwin for evidence suppression.

Her attorneys argued in court filings that she was entitled to a new trial or dismissal of the case for "egregious prosecutorial misconduct" and "severe and ongoing discovery violations by the State."

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer denied the motion Monday following arguments during a virtual hearing Thursday. She also denied a separate motion from the defense seeking immediate release from detention.

In her ruling, Marlowe Sommer stated the issues raised by the defense did not justify a new trial or dismissal, and that in Gutierrez's case the state did not suppress the ammunition evidence that was at the heart of Baldwin's dismissal.

Marlowe Sommer dismissed Baldwin's case with prejudice on day three of the actor's July trial after his attorneys claimed live ammunition that came into the hands of local law enforcement related to the investigation into the deadly on-set shooting was "concealed" from them.

Gutierrez is serving an 18-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death. At trial in Santa Fe in February, the prosecution argued that she had mishandled weapons on the set and failed to detect a live bullet before loading it into Baldwin's gun.

Baldwin pointed the weapon at the camera and it discharged, and that bullet mortally struck Hutchins in the chest and wounded director Joel Souza.

2024 election updates: Helene politics is the focus 36 days until Election Day

(WASHINGTON) -- With just 36 days until Election Day, the campaign trail is taking a sharp turn toward how Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.

It's also one day before the vice presidential debate on Tuesday.

Here's how the news is developing.

Trump claims Musk will help Helene victims

Standing in front of a destroyed furniture store in Valdosta, Georgia, former President Donald Trump claimed he’s requested help from Elon Musk and will be traveling to North Carolina when conditions clear.

“They don't have communication. … I just spoke to Elon,” he said. “We want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. And Elon will always come through.”

“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard-fought national election. But in a time like this when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters,” Trump said before later suggesting the Biden-Harris administration wasn’t doing enough and falsely claiming that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp couldn’t get ahold of the president.

--ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Fact check: Biden and Georgia's governor have spoken

Trump incorrectly claimed that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and President Joe Biden haven’t been in touch since Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast, making clear that his already controversial visit to the hard-hit state is a political one.

“I spoke with, for a couple hours, leaders yesterday affected by the hurricane,” Biden said Monday morning. “Governor Kemp of Georgia, Governor Cooper of North Carolina, county officials in the Big Bend region of Florida and other leaders in South Carolina and Tennessee.”

Kemp on Monday acknowledged the call with Biden and said he and Harris had been trying to speak.

--ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Molly Nagle

Trump claims Biden and Harris not responding to Georgia disaster

Trump claimed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is having a hard time getting President Joe Biden on the phone and that the federal government is being unresponsive after Hurricane Helene wrecked the parts of the state.

“The Vice President, she's out some place campaigning and looking for money,” Trump said after landing in Valdosta, Georgia. “They have to be focused over here.”

Biden approved Kemp’s request for an emergency declaration on Thursday and Harris canceled campaign events Monday to return to Washington for a briefing on the storm and the federal response.

NC leaders ask politicians to stay away

Ahead of his visit to Valdosta, Georgia, Trump posted to Truth Social that he will pay his respects to the community, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene, and bring aid.

Trump added that he was going to stop by damaged communities in North Carolina too, but determined it would be too burdensome on local officials.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents Asheville, North Carolina, told ABC Contributing Political Correspondent Rachael Bade on Sunday night that photo-ops were not welcome. Cooper even asked President Joe Biden and Harris to please not visit the state right now.

--ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

New York Times endorses Harris

The New York Times endorsed Harris for president in an editorial published Monday morning, calling her "the only patriotic choice for president" and later "the only choice."

"As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race," the Times' editorial board wrote. "She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government's failures to fix what's broken -- from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris's record with her opponent's."

--ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

Trump heads to Georgia devastation, Harris cancels campaign events and heads to DC for FEMA briefing

Trump is scheduled to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday amid storm wreckage in the area.

Trump, who has been criticizing Harris for not visiting communities damaged by Hurricane Helene, will receive a briefing on the damage from the hurricane, help distribute relief supplies and deliver campaign remarks at a local furniture store in Valdosta, the campaign announced on Sunday.

Harris, meanwhile, is canceling her campaign events and heading back from Las Vegas to get a briefing at FEMA headquarters in Washington on what her campaign says are the "ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene and the federal actions being taken to support emergency response and recovery efforts across several states."

‘John Wick’ back in theaters for special 10th anniversary event

It's hard to believe, but Keanu Reeves first unretired as seemingly unstoppable hitman John Wick nearly 10 years ago -- Oct. 13, 2014, to be precise -- and now Lionsgate is getting ready to celebrate.

Fans who had previously signed up for text alerts about the John Wick franchise were keyed in on Monday to 10th anniversary screenings of the original film, taking place Nov. 3 and Nov. 6, via Fathom Events.

For those in attendance, there will also be a special look at Ballerina, the spin-off starring Ana de Armas that features an appearance by Baba Yaga.

Check out at all the details here.

Don't forget to close your eyes for that puppy scene.

David Rancken’s App of the Day 09/30/24 – BusyKid!

This is an app that will teach your child the value of a dollar and how to manage it. Find David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called BusyKid. You can download BusyKid in the app stores below.

Bath & Body Works collabs with ‘Emily In Paris’ for a themed collection

Viewers of Netflix's Emily In Paris will have a new way to celebrate their fandom: a new collaboration with Bath & Body Works.

The limited-edition Bath & Body Works x Emily In Paris collection kicks off in November, with "50 très chic products designed to captivate fans’ senses and transport them directly into the vibrant and stylish world of Emily Cooper," according to the ad copy.

The collection, which includes everything from lipstick to body spray to candles to hand sanitizer, "embodies Parisian charm, and marries fragrance with fashion."

Four scents drive home the collab: Champagne in Paris, "featuring notes of champagne spritz, elderberry fizz and lily of the valley"; Lavender Luxe, "inspired by the iconic lavender fields from season three ... with notes of Lavande de Provence, flirtatious jasmine and vanilla crush"; Macaron Cloud, which "features notes of macaron delight, Parisian spun sugar and pink berries and brings to life the essence of a French patisserie"; and Paris Amour, a 2011 favorite, which is being brought back and rebranded to tie into the series.

Judge declines to dismiss case against ‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez

(NEW YORK) -- A New Mexico judge has declined to dismiss the case against "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, after previously dismissing the case against Alec Baldwin for evidence suppression.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer denied the motion Monday following arguments during a virtual hearing Thursday. She also denied a separate motion from the defense seeking immediate release from detention.

The judge said in court on July 12 while issuing her ruling that the state's discovery violation regarding the late disclosure of a supplemental report on the ammunition evidence "injected needless delay into the proceedings," approached "bad faith" and was "highly prejudicial to the defendant."

During Thursday's hearing, defense attorney Jason Bowles said the "significance of the items that were suppressed were favorable and material" to Gutierrez.

Bowles told the judge that he became aware of the ammunition -- which had been brought forward by his witness, Troy Teske, during Gutierrez's trial -- but directed Teske to bring it to the sheriff's office because he "didn't want to be in the chain of custody."

"We weren't told what happened" after that, Bowles said. "We weren't able to utilize those rounds."

He also argued the state suppressed additional evidence, including one of firearm expert Luke Haag's reports on the revolver involved in the shooting, and an interview with Seth Kenney, the owner of the prop firearms supplier for "Rust."

"This pattern of discovery abuse occurred in Miss [Gutierrez's] case in the same manner that it occurred in Mr. Baldwin's case," Bowles said, saying they are "asking for dismissal on the same basis that this court dismissed Mr. Baldwin's case."

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey argued Gutierrez and Bowles can't rely on the dismissal of Baldwin's case over the rounds because they were in the possession of his witness, Teske.

"She and her lawyer had them during trial and chose not to use them," she said. "That is exactly what happened,"

"They don't get to now come and say we made a strategic error, so give us a new trial," she continued.

Morrissey argued the other evidence raised by Bowles was not material and said the state did not intentionally withhold evidence.

"Nothing was intentionally buried," she said, adding that the case had a "terabyte of discovery" with new discovery "coming in constantly."

In her order, Marlowe Sommer found that the state did suppress the Kenney interview and the Haag report, but that the defense failed to establish that either piece of evidence is material.

Regarding the Teske-supplied ammunition, the judge found that the state did not suppress or fail to provide her with evidence that could be favorable to her case because the live rounds were available to her and her defense in advance of and during her trial.

Marlowe Sommer also found that the state could not have suppressed other evidence related to the ammunition, including the sheriff's office's supplemental report and lapel footage of Teske at the sheriff's office, before or during the trial because those items were not created until on or after the final day of Gutierrez's trial.

Teske, a retired officer who lives in Arizona and is a friend of Gutierrez's father, famed Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, brought the live ammunition to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office at the end of Gutierrez's trial. He said the ammunition, which was owned by Reed and from a different set, was suspected of being connected to the "Rust" set and that Gutierrez's defense did not want the ammunition, according to lapel footage of his sheriff's office interview played during Baldwin's trial.

Morrissey said during Baldwin's trial that the ammunition did not have any evidentiary value in either Gutierrez's or Baldwin's case. Baldwin defense attorney Luke Nikas charged that the ammunition evidence was ultimately "concealed" by being placed under a different case number and said it was "critical" evidence that was required to be disclosed.

A jury found Gutierrez guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hutchins, who was fatally shot by Baldwin on the Santa Fe set of the Western in October 2021 when his revolver fired a live round.

Prosecutors argued during the March trial that the armorer was the source of the live bullet that killed Hutchins and had failed to follow safety protocols meant to protect the crew while handling the firearms.

Gutierrez was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison, the maximum for the offense.

The defense had filed an appeal in May.