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US reports highest number of measles cases since 2019: CDC
(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. has recorded the highest number of measles cases since 2019, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday.
There are now 712 confirmed measles cases across 24 states, an increase of 105 cases from the prior week, the CDC said.
There were 1,274 reported cases in all of 2019.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Trump administration reviewing case of FBI informant convicted of lying about Bidens
(WASHINGTON) -- The Department of Justice said it is reviewing the criminal case brought against a former FBI informant convicted of peddling lies about former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden and is moving for a judge to release the man from prison immediately while his case is on appeal.
Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.
Smirnov's lies were later seized on by House Republicans to bolster their efforts to impeach Joe Biden over unproven claims that he corruptly used his position as vice president in the Obama administration to benefit himself financially once out of office.
"The United States intends to review the government's theory of the case underlying Defendant's criminal conviction," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Friedman said in a filing Thursday, offering no further explanation.
The case against Smirnov, brought by former special counsel David Weiss, who was previously a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, alleged he concocted "fabrications" about Joe Biden and his son accepting $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy giant Burisma. The indictment accused Smirnov of repeatedly changing his story about the alleged bribery scheme after meeting with senior members of Russia's intelligence services, in what Weiss described as a deliberate effort to influence the 2024 presidential election.
The Thursday filing points to health problems Smirnov has reportedly faced since his incarceration. His attorneys have said he has suffered from chronic eye disease for over a year and requested he be released to receive treatment from a doctor in California.
The judge overseeing his case, however, repeatedly rejected their efforts prior to his guilty plea, arguing he posed a risk of flight from the United States based on his extensive contacts with overseas foreign intelligence services.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment further on the government's filing.
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International students ‘panicked’ as more in Texas have visas revoked
DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports that Dallas-area international students are struggling to navigate why they were told to leave the country immediately after visas were suddenly revoked by federal officials, lawyers working with some of them said. In some instances, the students had faced criminal charges but those charges were dismissed, the lawyers said. The lawyers — criminal defense attorney Bruce Anton and immigration attorney Stefka Stoyanova — said they are working with several students who had their visas revoked. They declined to share the students’ names because of privacy concerns. At least 110 international students at Texas universities had visas terminated by U.S. government officials as of Thursday afternoon, according to university administrators.
Locally, students from University of North Texas (27), the University of Texas at Arlington (27), the University of Texas at Dallas (19) and Texas Woman’s University (6) had visas revoked, university administrators confirmed. Officials from Southern Methodist University said some students were affected but didn’t release numbers. Texas school officials did not release details of the students’ names, backgrounds or reasons why the federal database that tracks their statuses terminated the records, signaling that the students’ statuses changed. Federal privacy laws limit what information schools can share. “They’re panicked,” said Anton, who said he has five former clients he is assisting. “They’re in absolute panic.” They are among hundreds across the country who had their statuses suddenly changed in recent weeks, according to local and national media reports. The revocations come as President Donald Trump’s administration vows to crack down on immigration and on student protests over the war in Gaza, such as the ones in Texas last year.
Chip Roy backs down on budget opposition after spending cut assurances from Trump, House speaker
WASHINGTON – The San Antonio Express-News reports that U.S. Rep. Chip Roy backed down on Thursday from his promise to vote against a Senate budget resolution, saying he had gotten assurances from President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders that the final budget would include trillions of dollars in spending cuts. The turnaround came a day after Roy, R-Austin, criticized the Senate budget bill as failing to reduce spending to match proposed tax cuts, likely resulting in a $3 trillion increase in the federal deficit.
In a post of X Thursday, Roy said Trump had assured him on $1 trillion in cuts to mandatory spending programs included in former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and to Medicaid. He also said House Speaker Mike Johnson guaranteed him that the tax cuts central to Trump’s budget plan would be tied to a reduction in spending and that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had committed to a minimum of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. “I would have preferred we amended the Senate bill to reflect these commitments. But, in the interest of comity, I will take them at their word,” Roy wrote. “But, to be clear, failure to achieve these baselines including deficit neutrality will make it impossible for me to support a final reconciliation product.” After delaying a vote Wednesday, House Republicans passed the Senate budget resolution 216-214, with just two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. — voting against it. Now the Senate and House Republicans must do the hard work of deciding what’s in and what’s out of the federal budget, which they can pass without any Democrats’ support through the reconciliation process.
Baristas, chocolatiers caught in trade war cross fire
(NEW YORK) -- Americans' love affair with coffee and chocolate could soon get a lot more expensive.
Baristas and confectioners say the beans they need to make their products are mostly grown in countries targeted by the Trump administration's tariffs.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States is the world's second-largest importer of coffee. In a reflection of how much Americans love chocolate, U.S. businesses import about $5 billion worth of cocoa beans a year, according to the USDA.
Some owners of small businesses dealing in coffee and confections say they fear the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump will leave them with no choice but to pass the added costs on to their customers.
"So while the tariffs are being imposed to try to up the production of goods in the United States, that’s a good we just simply cannot make in the United States," Marcus Wells, a barista at Float Coffee in Hollywood, California, told ABC Los Angeles Station KABC of the coffee beans he imports from Central and South American countries that are currently are under a 10% baseline tariff imposed by the Trump administration.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he was pausing reciprocal tariffs on most countries for 90 days, except China.
Wells said the baseline tariff of 10% will likely translate to a 10% increase in a cup of coffee at his shop.
"We’re always looking for ways to maintain customers and it's hard to do that when you're constantly having to raise prices in order to keep your business open," Wells said.
Cason Crane, CEO of Explorer Cold Brew, a company that sells bottled and canned coffee at stores across the nation, told ABC News that he hopes the 90-day pause will allow enough time for countries to negotiate deals with the White House to stave off the higher reciprocal tariffs.
"Coffee has actually been exempt from tariffs in the United States since the 1800s. So, my hope is that, with this 90-day pause, while it's not ideal to still have 10% tariffs, that the administration can negotiate some more targeted deals that recognize things like the United States cannot grow coffee outside of Hawaii or Puerto Rico, which account for half a percent of worldwide coffee production," Crane said.
Before Trump put a pause on reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday, Bill Ackman, the billionaire CEO of the hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management and a supporter of Trump, posted a lengthy message on social media, saying, "If the president doesn't pause the effects of the tariffs soon, many small businesses will go bankrupt."
In his post, Ackman shared an email he received from Crane, whose company he has invested in. In the email, Crane said the price of glass bottles he sources from China for his coffee will go up 50%, while chai sourced from India will increase by 26% and coffee imported from Ethiopia, Peru and Canada will climb by 10%.
"Will my clients tolerate a near doubling of their contract costs overnight, or will they expect me to absorb the increases my vendors are already threatening?" Crane wrote in the email. "If clients resist price hikes and my employees demand higher wages to offset their rising cost of living, we end up in a lose-lose scenario -- no spending and no jobs."
On Thursday, Crane told ABC News that he likely won't be able to raise prices.
"Small businesses have way fewer options than big businesses. We don't really have the capability to raise our prices," Crane said. "Think about going to a farmers market; you're already paying a little bit more. So, we're already priced at the top range and we don't really have the power to negotiate with our suppliers like the big businesses do. So the best I can do is keep holding on and hope for a better policy, and urge people to look out for those small businesses."
New Hampshire chocolatier Richard Tango-Lowy, owner of Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester, said he imports some of his cocoa beans from Vietnam, which Trump says faces a 46% reciprocal tariff if it doesn't bargain with the White House. Tango-Lowy said he also gets beans from Bolivia, which is subject to the baseline 10% tariff.
"We have about 600 kilos of beans on the way from Bolivia. We have no idea what they will cost right now," Tango-Lowy told ABC affiliate station WMUR in Manchester.
Tango-Lowy said much of his packaging comes from Hong Kong, which is subject to China's tariffs.
"We work domestically where we can, but a lot of what we do is not available domestically," Tango-Lowy said. "It just doesn't exist."
Tango-Lowy is bracing to have to absorb the tariffs, saying, "We're going to need the beans at some point."
As food and beverage companies contemplate if they will or can't cover the tariffs without raising prices on customers, Andrew Sinclair, owner of Mad Lab Coffee in Los Angeles, said his prices will stay the same.
"If you had to pay $9 for a cup of coffee I probably wouldn't see you every day, and I like seeing people every day," Sinclair told KABC. "So we're going to keep our prices the same."
Sinclair said he trusts his longstanding partnerships with growers in Colombia and Ethiopia will help him weather the economic turmoil.
"If you can afford a good cup of coffee, go to your local coffee shop and grab a good cup of coffee," Sinclair said. "And if you can't afford it, please don't buy a cup of coffee and end up not being able to pay your rent. That's just not responsible."
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Eric Dane reveals he’s been diagnosed with ALS, says he’ll return to ‘Euphoria’
Former Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The 52-year-old shared the health update with People, saying, "I have been diagnosed with ALS," and adding, "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter."
ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative neurological disorder where the symptoms worsen over time, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The NIH notes that ALS causes motor neurons, a type of nerve cell in the brain and spinal cord, to deteriorate, causing the muscles to weaken and eventually leads to paralysis, taking away a person's ability to move, speak or even breathe.
There is currently no known cure for ALS but some treatments, including FDA-approved medications and physical and speech therapies, may slow down the progression of the disorder and improve an ALS patient's quality of life.
Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist for Maimonides Health, told ABC News that a person's age is considered to be one of the risk factors of ALS.
"Most people will be diagnosed somewhere between the ages of 40 and 70. And typically, the average age of diagnosis is about 55," Croll said. "There's really only two known risk factors for ALS. One is a family history of it and the other is age. So the older you are, the more likely you are to get it."
Dane, who has built a 30-year acting career, shot to fame amid six seasons on the hit ABC drama Grey's Anatomy, where he played Dr. Mark Sloan, affectionately known as "McSteamy."
More recently, the longtime actor portrayed Cal Jacobs, the head of the Jacobs family, on Euphoria.
Dane told People that despite his diagnosis, he's continuing to work on the hit HBO show, which begins filming its third and final season on April 14.
"I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to [the] set of 'Euphoria' next week," Dane said.
But Dane, often in the spotlight, is also requesting space, telling People, "I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."
The actor is married to Rebecca Gayheart, and the couple share two daughters.
Gayheart had filed for divorce in 2018 but called it off in March 2025.
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Texas job market was feeling DOGE’s pinch. Then tariffs hit.
HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports the Texas job market was humming along. Even as first-quarter job cuts surpassed the tally from a year-earlier by more than 40%, the unemployment rate in Texas held steady over the past year at around 4.1%. Still, signs were emerging that policies imposed by the Trump administration were starting to take their toll. An analysis by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas released last week found American companies slashed more than 275,000 jobs in March, a staggering 60% increase over February’s cuts and more than 200% greater than the 90,309 jobs lost during the same period a year earlier. Challenger data for Texas shows first-quarter job cuts in 2025 were more than 41% greater than the year-earlier period. Yet job growth outpaced losses to start the year.
“The job market has remained robust year to date for Texas,” Pia Orrenius, a vice president and labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said. “Our growth number is like 1.9%, which is right under trend growth, so we’ve actually seen a little bit of improvement in the first two months of the year relative to last year. But this is backward-looking data.” Of the nearly 17,500 jobs lost in the state during the first quarter, Challenger found, the services sector took the biggest hit, losing 8,242 jobs, up from 1,053 a year earlier. “In March, Orrenius said, “the Texas service sector outlook survey slowed revenue growth to zero. So there was no growth in March according to our survey.” The impact on the jobs market of the sweeping tariffs announced last week by President Donald Trump has yet to be felt, and their effect will depend in large part on how long they stay in place. Meantime, the impact of cuts across the federal government are rippling across the Texas economy. “Job cut announcements were dominated last month by Department of Government Efficiency plans to eliminate positions in the federal government. It would have otherwise been a fairly quiet month for layoffs,” Andrew Challenger, the firm’s senior vice president, said in the statement accompanying the report.
Walmart employee in Georgia kills 2 co-workers, injures another in after-hours shooting spree
(COVINGTON, Ga.) -- A Walmart employee killed one co-worker and injured another in an after-hours shooting spree that started at the store and ended with the individual killing another co-worker at a nearby home, according to law enforcement officials.
The initial shooting took place in a Walmart branch in Covington, Georgia, about 35 miles east of Atlanta, at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office.
An employee -- identified by police as 24-year-old Dwayne Eduh -- allegedly exited the building shortly before the shooting, retrieved a firearm and returned inside, according to a preliminary investigation.
Eduh then located a male acquaintance within the store, and fatally shot them, according to the sheriff's office.
He later encountered a second acquaintance outside Walmart and shot him as well. That person was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but has since been upgraded to stable, according to the sheriff's office.
Eduh then left the area and went into a neighborhood where they forced entry into a residence, found another female acquaintance and fatally shot her, the sheriff's office said.
"This was not an active shooter situation. The suspect specifically targeted individuals they knew," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
There were no customers inside the store at the time of the shooting.
The deceased victims have been identified by police as 21-year-old Khalaf Barksdale and 19-year-old Akeela Clarke. The third victim, 29-year-old Ryan Bradley, is currently in stable condition.
Eduh allegedly fled the area and had a brief standoff with Aiken County, South Carolina, sheriff’s deputies and South Carolina State Troopers. He then apparently shot himself and was taken to a local hospital, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. Aiken County is on the Georgia-South Carolina border, about two hours from Covington.
No deputies were injured. Eduh remains in custody and is currently in critical condition, officials said.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
"We’re heartbroken by what’s happened. There’s no place for violence in our stores. We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation," Walmart said in a statement Friday.
ABC News' Alex Faul contributed to this report.
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One hospitalized in Nacodoches truck crash
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that one person was taken to the hospital Friday morning after their truck reportedly left the roadway and rolled three times near Cushing.
According to Lilbert-Looneyville Volunteer Fire Department, around 6:26 a.m. firefighters and EMS responded to the 8000 block of North FM-225 for a motor vehicle crash. Officials said that the driver had swerved to avoid a deer and the vehicle left the roadway and rolled three times. The sole occupant of the truck was taken to the Nacogdoches hospital to be treated for head, neck and back injuries.
Small plane crashes in Boca Raton, Florida; all 3 on board killed
(BOCA RATON, Fla.) -- All three people on board a small plane were killed when the aircraft crashed in Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday morning, according to local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The "aircraft had apparently some mechanical issues and went down here on Military Trail," Michael LaSalle, assistant fire chief for Boca Fire Rescue, said at a news conference. "Also, there was a car on the ground."
One man in the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries, LaSalle said.
The Cessna 310R took off from Boca Raton Airport and was heading to Tallahassee International Airport, the FAA said. It was in the air for a little less than 20 minutes before it crashed, according to Flightradar24.
Dillon Smith was at his office when he saw the plane flying "extremely low" and appearing like it would hit the roof of a nearby building, he told West Palm Beach ABC affiliate WPBF.
"I saw the plane, basically, turn, come back, and I heard it and saw it go over our building," Smith said.
He lost sight of the plane, but said it then "came back -- it was looking like maybe it was going toward the [nearby Boca Raton] airport."
"I just saw it drop below the trees" and "heard a boom," Smith said. He said his office windows shook and he saw a "fireball."
Video shows what appears to be the small plane's wreckage on railroad tracks next to a road. The fire caused by the crash has been extinguished.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Weekend Watchlist: What’s new in theaters, on streaming
Ready, set, binge! Here's a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:
Hulu
The Handmaid's Tale: The final season of the show based on Margaret Atwood's novel premieres.
Netflix
Black Mirror: Season 7 of the anthology series gives a sequel to the popular "USS Callister" episode.
Max
Hacks: The most recent winner of the best comedy series Emmy returns for season 4.
HBO
The Last of Us: Pedro Pascal returns in season 2 of the series based on the popular video game.
Apple TV+
Your Friends & Neighbors: Jon Hamm stars in his first lead TV role since the end of Mad Men.
Movie theaters
The Amateur: Rami Malek is an introverted CIA decoder in the new film.
That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!
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Local man pardoned by Trump wants run at Congress
LONGVIEW — A man formerly imprisoned over the January sixth us capitol riot is running for Congress in East Texas. Three months ago, Ryan Taylor Nichols, of Longview, was pardoned by President Trump for his part in the January 6th US Capitol riot. Nichols, who was serving a five year prison sentence, is now running for congress. He is challenging two term Republican Nathaniel Moran.
SMU Political Scientist Cal Jillson says Moran is much more polished and has run successful campaigns. Jillson says Nichol’s January 6th history may appeal to some voters. Nichols sprayed pepper spray at police and entered the US Capitol through a broken window. He then egged on the crowd to get inside. Later, he put a message on social media says he stands for violence.
What to know about Trump’s health as he undergoes latest physical
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump undergoes his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, marking his first such exam of his second term.
"I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" Trump, who became the oldest president to be sworn into office at 78, posted on Truth Social earlier in the week.
The public hasn't been provided a detailed look into Trump's health since 2018 and, during the 2024 presidential campaign, he didn't provide any details about his health despite numerous promises to do so.
It is not clear whether the White House will provide an update after Friday's exam, but details about Trump's medical history have been disclosed in the past.
What Trump's last official presidential checkup revealed
In the January 2018 evaluation, Trump appeared to be in "excellent" cardiovascular shape for his age, according to then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who administered Trump's nearly four-hour physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said.
The president's medical issues were limited to high cholesterol, rosacea (a benign skin disease) and being considered "overweight," as measured by the body mass index (BMI).
Trump's LDL cholesterol level was 143 and total cholesterol level was 223, higher than the recommended total of 200. The LDL cholesterol, in particular, is significantly higher than the recommended level of 100.
His BMI – or body mass index - is calculated at 29.9, using the National Institutes of Health calculator, which is just shy of the obesity classification, which starts with a score of 30.
The 2018 report said the president takes a cholesterol-lowering drug called rosuvastatin, and because his cholesterol level was a little high, Jackson increased the dosage.
Trump was also taking finasteride for male-pattern hair loss. That medication can also be used to treat prostate issues at higher doses.
Trump also takes aspirin daily to prevent heart disease, a multivitamin and applies a cream called ivermectin, as needed, to treat skin condition rosacea.
At Trump's urging, his physician conducted a brief screening test called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Jackson claimed Trump had a perfect 30/30 score.
COVID hospitalization
In October 2020, Trump was hospitalized after he contracted COVID-19. Then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that Trump had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly.
Sources with knowledge of the situation told ABC News that Trump was having trouble breathing and was given supplemental oxygen.
Doctors gave Trump an experimental course of monoclonal antibodies and steroids to treat him and he returned to the White House after three days
Trump's health post 1st term
Other than the letters from Jackson, the most recent revelation of Trump's health was a three-paragraph letter from his personal physician Bruce Aronwald of Morristown Medical Group, in which the doctor wrote that Trump's "overall health is excellent."
"His physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional," Aronwald wrote. "In addition, his most recent extensive laboratory analysis remains well within normal limits and was even more favorable than prior testing in some of the most significant parameters, most likely secondary to weight reduction."
The doctor further explained that Trump's cardiovascular studies were "all normal" and cancer screening tests were "all negative," claiming Trump had lost weight through "an improved diet and continued daily physical activity."
Butler assassination attempt
On July 13, gunfire erupted at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing Trump supporter Corey Comperatore and wounding Trump and six others, according to investigators.
Trump's former White House physician, GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, released a letter claiming that he had personally reviewed Trump's medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital, which Jackson claimed showed the former president was treated for a "Gunshot Wound to the Right Ear."
Jackson also confirmed that Trump underwent a precautionary CT scan while in Butler.
The Trump campaign, however, would not release the records that Jackson claimed to have reviewed.
Trump shared another letter from Jackson, detailing Trump's ear injury and its healing process -- claiming he's doing "well" and recovering "as expected."
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Ghislaine Maxwell, jailed Epstein accomplice, appeals case to US Supreme Court
(NEW YORK) -- Ghislaine Maxwell asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, arguing she was covered by a non-prosecution agreement the government made with her former paramour, Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. She was convicted on five counts of aiding Epstein in his abuse of underage girls in December 2021.
A federal appeals court rejected her argument that Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement, arranged in 2007, barred her prosecution in New York. She urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider her case.
“Despite the existence of a non-prosecution agreement promising in plain language that the United States would not prosecute any co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, the United States in fact prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell as a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein,” her attorneys wrote in their petition.
Maxwell said the US Supreme Court should resolve differences of opinion among federal appeals court as to whether a non-prosecution arranged in one district can be enforced in another.
“A defendant should be able to rely on a promise that the United States will not prosecute again, without being subject to a gotcha in some other jurisdiction that chooses to interpret that plain language promise in some other way,” defense attorney David Markus wrote.
Four women testified at trial they had been abused as minors at Epstein's homes in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands and said Maxwell, the daughter of British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, had talked them into giving Epstein massages that turned sexual. They testified they were lured with gifts and promises about how Epstein could use his money and connections to help them.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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