How Trump has infused parts of Project 2025 into his administration

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(WASHINGTON) -- President-elect Donald Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 on the campaign trail but has since nominated several authors or contributors from the controversial conservative presidential wishlist to his administration.

Trump called the Project 2025 policy proposals -- which include restrictions on abortion pills, birth control pills and Medicare access, as well as eliminating a couple of federal agencies -- "extreme, seriously extreme" in a July 20 rally.

"I don't know anything about it. I don't want to know anything about it," he previously said, despite having many connections to its authors and contributors.

Democrats pounced on Trump for Project 2025 during the election season, calling it a warning of what is to come under a second Trump term.

"Project 2025 is the plan by Donald Trump's MAGA Republican allies to give Trump more power over your daily life, gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office if he wins," the Biden campaign stated.

Project 2025 is an over 900-page playbook of policy proposals created by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation intended to guide the next conservative administration. The organization behind the document told ABC News in a past statement that it was not intended to speak for any candidate during the election.

Project 2025 and Trump's Agenda47 share similarities -- including proposals to eliminate the Department of Education, increase fossil fuel energy production, and begin mass deportations.

At the ABC News debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump reiterated his earlier sentiment on the project. "This was a group of people that got together, they came up with some ideas, I guess some good, some bad, but it makes no difference. I have nothing to do [with it]."

Now, several Project 2025 authors and contributors are not just connected to Trump, but also nominated for roles in his administration.

Russ Vought, who authored a chapter on "Executive Office of the President" for Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise," is also under consideration for a cabinet-level position in the next administration and has been vetted by Trump's transition team, sources told ABC News. He was also the RNC platform committee's policy director.

Here's a look at which Project 2025 contributors may have a place in the incoming Trump administration:

Brendan Carr

Brendan Carr, Trump's nomination for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is credited as the author of Project 2025's FCC recommendations which include: a ban on TikTok, restrictions on social media moderation, and more.

Carr would be tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Trump has suggested that he would expand the White House's influence over the FCC and potentially punish TV networks that cover him in a way he doesn't like.

Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC's general counsel and as the senior Republican for the FCC. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission.

John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe, listed as a contributor who assisted "in the development and writing" of Project 2025, has been nominated to serve as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ratcliffe is a three-term Republican congressman from Texas and served as the director of national intelligence from mid-2020 until the end of Trump's first term.

Project 2025's Intelligence Community chapter, credited to The Heritage Foundation's intelligence research fellow Dustin J. Carmack, notes that the "CIA's success depends on firm direction from the President and solid internal CIA Director–appointed leadership. Decisive senior leaders must commit to carrying out the President's agenda and be willing to take calculated risks."

Tom Homan

Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan has been designated as Trump's "border czar" -- which is not an official Cabinet position.

Homan, who is expected to be in charge of the mass deportations promised by the Trump campaign, is listed as a contributor to Project 2025 who assisted in its "development and writing."

Project 2025's Department of Homeland Security chapter, credited to Trump's former Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, calls for full use of ICE's "expedited removal" authority and further development of immigrant detention spaces. This all aligns with Trump's immigration proposals on mass deportations and funds for the construction of detention centers.

Other links to Project 2025

Christopher Miller is credited with the project's Department of Defense recommendations. Miller served as Acting Secretary of Defense and Special Assistant to the President under Trump from November 2020 to January 2021.

Ben Carson is credited with the project's Housing and Urban Development recommendations. He served as the Secretary of HUD under Trump's first administration.

Adam Candeub is credited with the project's Federal Trade Commission recommendations. He served under the Trump administration as Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Telecommunications and Information.

Bernard L. McNamee is credited with recommendations on the Department of Energy and Related Commissions. He was nominated to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Trump in October 2018.

Cuccinelli -- who wrote the Department of Homeland Security section -- was also part of Trump's former administration as the Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.

The RNC platform committee's Deputy Policy Director Ed Martin is also president of the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, which is listed on the project's advisory board.

Others connected to Trump, including Trump's United Nations Commission on the Status of Women appointee Lisa Correnti, are listed among the contributors.

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Anthony Mackie talks ‘Captain America: Brave New World’; Marvel’s Kevin Feige reveals Fantastic Four’s future

Marvel Studios

While at Disney's APAC Content Showcase Wednesday at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Anthony Mackie shed a little light on his upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, Captain America: Brave New World

The movie, which debuts in theaters Feb. 14, will be Mackie's first after his character Sam Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

According to Deadline, Mackie said his character — which fans met as a veteran counselor in Captain America: The Winter Soldier â€” is staying true to his roots. 

"He's still a [counselor]. He's still serving soldiers, but at the same time, now he's a leader of his community in the country," Mackie reportedly said. 

Unlike Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, however, Wilson never took the super soldier cocktail that gave Steve's Cap his superior strength. 

"When you don't have the serum, you have to be smart and engineer different ways of [fighting]," the actor said, explaining that "he uses more of his brains than brawn. He uses more of his wit than his fist."

That said, the trailer to the movie shows him going toe-to-toe with Harrison Ford's Red Hulk. 

The trade also reports head Kevin Feige made a virtual appearance and revealed that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is about to wrap, and with its debut in July, "Marvel's First Family ... [goes] right into the next Avengers movies."

Disney is the parent company of ABC News. 

 

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New details of Hegseth sexual assault claim documented in police report

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- The woman who accused Pete Hegseth of sexual assault in 2017 told police at the time that he took her phone and blocked her from leaving his hotel room on the night of the incident, according to a 22-page police report obtained by ABC News.

The report, compiled in Oct. 2017 by the Monterey Police Department, provides graphic new details of an alleged altercation that now threatens to derail Hegseth's bid to become President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary.

The report documents a police investigation that did not result in charges against the former Fox News star. It includes interviews with the woman, who is identified only as Jane Doe, and Hegseth, who told police that the encounter was consensual.

As ABC News has previously reported, Doe met Hegseth at an event hosted by the California Federation of Republican Women in Monterey, California, where Hegseth was featured as a speaker.

At an event afterparty, according to the police report, Doe told police she had drank "much more than normal" and described her recollections as "fuzzy," but that she recalled confronting Hegseth at one point after observing him "rub the women on their legs" -- a claim one other witness confirmed in a separate interview with police.

"JANE DOE stated the next memory she had was when she was in an unknown room" with Hegseth, who she said "took her phone from her hands" and, when she attempted to leave, "blocked the door with his body," according to what she told investigators.

Doe said she remembered Hegseth's military dog-tags "hovering over her face" and said he eventually "ejaculated on her stomach," according to the report. Doe told police that she recalled saying "no" a lot during the encounter.

Days later, Doe told her partner she believed she had been the victim of a sexual assault and visited a nurse, who administered a sexual assault examination and first alerted the authorities.

When police approached Hegseth as part of their investigation, he "stated that the engagement between himself and JANE DOE was mutual."

"HEGSETH stated there were a couple of times he had made sure JANE DOE was comfortable with what was going on between the two of them," according to the report.

The officer who prepared the report wrote that the two had "been drinking and the events were blurred and lacked specifics and a fluid sequence of events." Investigators obtained video surveillance from the hotel and collected Doe's clothes and underwear as evidence in their probe.

Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Hegseth, said in the statement on Saturday, prior to the report being posted online, that the allegations were false and Hegseth settled in December 2020 only because he feared his career would suffer if her allegations were made public.

Parlatore emphasized police did not bring charges and said Hegseth was the victim of "blackmail" and "false claims of sexual assault."

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Teen leads Longview police on pursuit, crashes into building

Teen leads Longview police on pursuit, crashes into buildingLONGVIEW – According to a report from our news partner, KETK, an 18-year-old remains behind bars after leading police on a Tuesday pursuit and then crashing a stolen vehicle into a building, the Longview Police Department said.

Officers were called around 12:17 a.m. to a deadly conduct in the 1300 block of Lawndale Street. While responding to that call on the northwest Longview street, police saw a vehicle that had been reported stolen an hour earlier and initiated pursuit. “A short pursuit followed and then ended when the suspect vehicle crashed into a vacant building after striking a home as well,” said Longview PD. “There were no injuries at any of the involved locations.”

The driver, identified as 18-year-old Xavier Tennison of Longview, was booked into the Gregg County Jail. He was charged with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He is being held on a total $87,000 bond.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.

In Pakistan, Afghan journalists face deportation and yearslong waits for humanitarian visas

Asad Zaidi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(LONDON )-- As Jahanzeb Wesa fled toward the Pakistani border in the middle of the night, he wondered if his career defending human rights would help protect him now that he was a refugee himself.

A 28-year-old Afghan journalist and women's rights advocate, Wesa said he was attacked by a Taliban fighter while covering a women's rights protest just after the fall of Kabul in August 2021. If he didn't make it across the border, he said, he knew he would likely be killed.

"We worked for 20 years for a better future for Afghanistan," he recalled thinking. "Why did we lose everything?"

But arriving in a new country brought no sense of safety.

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, some Afghan journalists said they have been in limbo waiting for humanitarian visas while living in exile in Pakistan, where they fled across the shared border when Kabul fell.

The Taliban's violent suppression of criticism, along with draconian crackdowns on women's rights, meant journalists who stayed in Afghanistan were at constant risk of being detained, tortured, disappeared or killed.

In Pakistan, unable to legally work and threatened with deportation through government ultimatums and face-to-face interactions, some Afghan journalists applied for visas from countries that promised to help Afghan refugees.

Almost three years later, many said they still have not received a decision.

In the meantime, their prospects in Pakistan are dire, several told ABC News.

Life in Pakistan

Several Afghan journalists living in Pakistan told ABC News that their fear of deportation is omnipresent.

Khatera, a journalist from northern Afghanistan who asked ABC News not to publish her last name for her safety, fled to Pakistan in April 2022 after the Taliban raided her newsroom, destroying radios and TVs.

"After that," she said, "everything was a nightmare."

Like many Afghan journalists in Pakistan, Khatera arrived on a tourist visa she had to renew every six months through a private travel agent. Visa renewals were sometimes denied without reason, and officials often asked for bribes, she said.

The Pakistani government did not reply to a request for comment.

Housing, health care and transportation in Pakistan can be prohibitively expensive for Afghans, whose tourist visas don't allow them to work. Many rely on depleting savings, support from family members, or under-the-table jobs, according to those who spoke to ABC News. Given the economic strain, the biannual visa fee and the corresponding bribes present significant burdens, they said.

But not having proper documentation can bring serious consequences. "Anywhere you're going, the police are asking about your valid documents," said Khatera. They sometimes conduct nighttime home check-ins and try to deport those who can't provide valid papers, she said.

Those disruptions to daily life don't appear to be unique to journalists. A 2023 Human Rights Watch report declared a "humanitarian crisis" of Pakistani authorities committing widespread abuses, including mass detentions and property seizures, against Afghans in Pakistan. Over a month and a half, the report said, Pakistani authorities deported 20,000 Afghans and coerced over 350,000 more to leave on their own.

Afghan journalists regularly receive death threats from the regime at home over social media, Wesa said. "If I'm deported to Afghanistan," he said, "the Taliban is waiting for me."

"No journalist has been condemned to torture, disappearance, or death by the government of Afghanistan," said a spokesperson for the Taliban-run Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that "all citizens of the country are equal in the eyes of the law regardless of their position and profession."

Some journalists said they also face a widespread mental health crisis. Rahman, an Afghan journalist who asked ABC News to use his middle name due to what he described as ongoing threats from the Taliban, struggles with worsening depression and anxiety. He said he fears for himself and his family, still in Kabul.

"It's daily mental torture," he said.

An endless wait

The conditions in Pakistan have spurred many Afghan journalists to apply for humanitarian visas from the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and other European countries. Yet, some have not heard back for about three years.

Wesa applied for an Australian humanitarian visa on Jan. 4, 2022, six months after he arrived in Pakistan. He supplemented his application with support letters from Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International and other nongovernmental organizations stating his life was at risk, he told ABC News.

More than two years after filing his initial application, he has received a confirmation of receipt but no further updates, he said.

A departmental spokesperson from the Australian Department of Home Affairs said they "expect it will take at least 6 years from the date of receipt for processing to commence on [the applications] lodged in 2022, 2023, or 2024."

"We will wait – there is no other way," Wesa said in response. "I hope they help us as soon as possible."

"Day by day, I'm faced with depression and health issues," he said. "My only hope is that Australia will save my life."

Rahman, who reported on women's rights in Afghanistan, is saving up to apply for a family visa from Australia, where his fiancée lives. The process costs over $9,000. He said he believes a humanitarian visa application will not receive a response.

Requests for help from the French embassy and the U.N. have also yielded no results, he said.

"I believe these countries have always been for freedom and for democracy. They can help out," he said. "I just wonder why it takes such a long time."

Khatera applied for a visa from the Swiss embassy. It took a year and a half to receive the file number, she said. She was told she needed close relatives in the country, but otherwise, they would likely not be able to help.

"I'm getting depression," she said. "I'm just trying to fight."

Every Afghan journalist in exile interviewed by ABC News said they continue to receive threats from the Taliban over social media and fear for their lives every day.

The Taliban denied sending the threats, saying "the government and officials of Afghanistan have not threatened any journalists."

Broken promises

Afghan journalists waiting in worsening conditions for responses to their visa applications said they feel that Western countries have broken their promises to help Afghan refugees.

The United States expanded a resettlement program for Afghan refugees in 2021 to include journalists and humanitarian workers who had helped the United States. However, as of 2023, The Associated Press reported that only a small portion of applicants had been resettled.

The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The Afghan Pro Bono Initiative, a partnership providing free legal representation to Afghan refugees, published a 2023 report entitled "Two Years of Empty Promises." The report found that the U.K. resettlement programs for Afghan refugees were fraught with delays, understaffing, administrative hurdles, narrow eligibility and technical issues.

Earlier this year, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other NGOs called on Western countries to adopt prima facie refugee status for Afghan women and girls, which would grant refugee status without the need for individual assessments, potentially streamlining the application process and decreasing lengthy wait times.

Despite the dragging wait times and the pervasive hopelessness, many of the 170 Afghan journalists in exile in Pakistan continue to speak out against the Taliban.

Wesa's X account includes frequent posts about Afghanistan -- legal updates, protest videos and women singing to resist what they describe as draconian Taliban policies.

"In any country, I will stand for Afghan women," he said. "I will risk my life for them."

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In Brief: Robert Pattinson reteaming with Christopher Nolan, and more

Robert Pattinson is teaming up with his Tenet director Christopher Nolan again, according to Variety. The actor is reportedly joining the filmmaker’s secretive next project at Universal Pictures. The cast already includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya ...

Storm Reid won’t be returning to Euphoria for season 3. The actress, who played Gia, the younger sister of Zendaya’s character, Rue, confirmed the news to Rotten Tomatoes on the Governors Awards red carpet. “Unfortunately, Gia’s not returning to the third season, but I am so, so indebted to the cast and the crew of that show, to HBO,” she said. The third season is set to begin production in January ...

Emily is heading back to Paris. According to Variety, the fifth season of the Lily Collins-starring Netflix series will begin filming in May. It will also partly shoot in Rome. Collins will return alongside co-star Lucas Bravo, who plays French chef Gabriel in the series ...

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bomb cyclone hammers West Coast, 2 dead in Washington state

Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

(SEATTLE) -- Two people were killed by falling trees in Washington state as a powerful storm hammered the Pacific Northwest.

In Bellevue, a tree fell into a home, hitting and killing a woman while she was in the shower Tuesday night, Bellevue fire officials said.

In Lynwood, a woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell on a homeless encampment, officials said.

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the storm, which snapped power lines and caused significant damage. As of Wednesday evening, about 320,000 customers were still without power, according to Puget Sound Energy CEO Mary Kipp.

"We haven't had a storm like this since January of 2012," Kipp said in in a video on X.

Crews were prioritizing restoring power to hospitals and schools, and Kipp estimated power wouldn't be back for all customers "for at least a few days."

Another roughly 23,000 customers of Seattle City Light were still without power as of Wednesday evening, according to a post from the utility on social media platform X.

The storm exploded into a bomb cyclone off the coast, near Vancouver Island, Canada, where winds gusted near 101 mph.

A bomb cyclone means the pressure in the center of the storm drops 24 millibars within 24 hours.

The storm is bringing dangerous wind and rain to the West Coast.

Two to 4 inches of rain has been recorded so far in western Washington, western Oregon and northwestern California.

The rain started in northwestern California on Tuesday afternoon and it isn’t expected to stop until Friday morning. Twelve to 18 inches of rainfall is expected by the end of the week.

A high risk for excessive rainfall has been issued. The rain will be the most dangerous on Thursday.

Flash flooding, rockslides and landslides are all likely.

In the mountains of Northern California, blizzard conditions will be possible as wind gusts reach 50 to 70 mph. One to 4 feet of snow is possible at higher elevations. One foot of snow has already hit the mountains west of Redding, California.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

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Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for top intel role, draws scrutiny over Russia comments

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (R-HI) takes the stage during a Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump campaign rally at Lancaster Airport on November 03, 2024 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, has little experience working with the nation's spy agencies and a long track record of echoing the Russian disinformation they work to expose and to counter -- a combination her critics claim should be disqualifying.

Gabbard, 43, who represented Hawaii as a Democrat from 2013-2021 and ran for the party's presidential nomination in 2020 before becoming a Republican earlier this year, has been accused of harboring sympathies for the Kremlin and parroting propaganda generated by Russia to justify its invasion of Ukraine.

At the outset of the conflict, Gabbard blamed the Biden administration and NATO, claiming they had provoked Russia's aggression by ignoring what she called its "legitimate security concerns" about Ukraine potentially becoming a member of the defensive alliance.

In March 2022, Gabbard posted a video to Twitter, now X, sharing what she said were "undeniable facts" about U.S.-funded biolabs in the war-torn country, claiming that "even in the best of circumstances" they "could easily be compromised."

"Instead of trying to cover this up, the Biden-Harris administration needs to work with Russia, Ukraine, NATO, the U.N. to immediately implement a ceasefire for all military action in the vicinity of these labs until they're secured," she said.

About the same time, a commentator on Kremlin state media referred to her as "Russia's girlfriend" and her comments have been featured on the country's state-run TV programs, along with those of Tucker Carlson, an outspoken critic of U.S. involvement with Ukraine.

Gabbard's claims closely mirror a false, decade-old Russian conspiracy theory that Washington is secretly funding the development of biological weapons in former Soviet countries, which has been repeatedly debunked by the U.S. and international organizations.

Although she later claimed her comments were about public health research labs in the conflict zone, she also expressed concerns that Ukraine was in possession of biological weapons during an interview with former Fox News host Carlson a few days before taking to social media.

Democrats and opponents of the president-elect were quick to condemn Trump's choice of Gabbard -- who appeared regularly with him in the final months of his campaign.

"You really want her to have all the secrets of the United States and our defense intelligence agencies when she has so clearly been in Putin's pocket?" Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, pressed during a recent interview.

"Her judgment is non-existent," Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, now a fierce Trump critic, asserted on Sunday.

"The idea that somehow she would be put in charge of this critical function should be giving our adversaries in Moscow and Beijing a lot of relief," he continued.

Nikki Haley, the president-elect's most significant challenger in the 2024 Republican primaries and his envoy to the United Nation's during his first term in the White House, also slammed Gabbard -- declaring that director of national intelligence was "not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer."

"DNI has to analyze real threats. Are we comfortable with someone like that at the top of our intelligence agencies?" Haley said on her SiriusXM radio show, "Nikki Haley Live."

Haley also emphasized the stark differences between Gabbard and Trump on foreign policy matters.

"She opposed ending the Iran nuclear deal. She opposed sanctions on Iran. She opposed designating the Iran military as terrorists who say death to America every single day," Haley said. "She said that Donald Trump turned the U.S. into Saudi Arabia's prostitute. This is going to be the future head of our national intelligence."

But in their criticisms of Gabbard, some Democrats have made their own unfounded claims.

Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz sparked backlash after she claimed Gabbard was a "Russian asset" that would "essentially would be a direct line to our enemies" in a television appearance on Friday.

In 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested, without offering any evidence, that the Russians were "grooming" Gabbard to run as a third-party candidate for president in order to spoil Democrat's chances of winning the White House. Gabbard refuted the allegations and sued Clinton for defamation, but later dropped her compliant.

In an interview with Fox News following her being named, Gabbard said that some of her former Democratic colleagues had reached out to her in what she hoped "could be and should be an effort for us to work together."

"I'm actually pretty heartened," Gabbard said.

In a statement announcing he had tapped her to lead the intelligence community, Trump lauded what described as "broad support in both Parties" for Gabbard.

"I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength," Trump posted on his social media platform. "Tulsi will make us all proud!"

If Gabbard ultimately becomes the director of national intelligence, she will oversee 18 U.S. intelligence agencies and play a critical role in determining what material is including in the president's daily intelligence briefings.

She is expected to face a confirmation battle in the Senate, but some hawkish Republicans in the chamber have expressed tepid support for her nomination.

"While we have differences on foreign policy, I think she's extremely bright and capable," South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said in an X post on Wednesday.

Gabbard has taken other controversial stances on foreign policy matters. In 2017, she journeyed to Syria to meet with its authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad, whose government has carried out numerous deadly attacks on Syrian civilians through the course of the country's civil war, according to the U.N.

The then-congresswoman said after meeting with al-Assad that he was not an enemy of the U.S. and opposed American intervention in the conflict.

In 2015, Gabbard also defended Russian airstrikes in Syria conducted at the request of the Assad regime, echoing Moscow's claim that the operation was focused on terrorist targets when in reality it focused on Syrian opposition strongholds.

Gabbard has taken a much softer approach to China than the president-elect, calling on Trump to end his trade war against Beijing in 2019 and expressing her opposition to the remilitarization of Japan, a response to the strategic challenge posed by China.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mount Pleasant cuts Christmas bonuses in half

Mount Pleasant cuts Christmas bonuses in halfMOUNT PLEASANT — According to our news partner KETK, the Mount Pleasant City Council voted to cut longevity pay in half on Tuesday night, a bonus many city employees receive during the holiday season. According to the city’s website, each full-time employee should have received ten dollars for every month employed. For example, if an employee has worked for 12 months, they would receive a 120-dollar bonus at the end of the year however council members voted Tuesday night to cut it in half from 10 dollars to five.

“Full-time employees receive $120 per year longevity pay [that is] paid at the end of the year,” the City of Mount Pleasant’s website said. “Longevity pay begins after completion of one year of service to the City.”

The Mount Pleasant Law Enforcement Association and the Professional Firefighters of Mount Pleasant Local 5069 posted statements expressing their disappointment with the city council’s decision. Continue reading Mount Pleasant cuts Christmas bonuses in half

Idaho college killings to remain a death penalty case

Moscow, Idaho (Shunyu Fan/Getty Images)

(LOS ANGELES) - The judge overseeing Bryan Kohberger's murder case has ruled the death penalty will remain on the table as the case moves forward, rejecting a request from Kohberger's defense attorneys.

In June 2023, prosecutors announced they intended to seek the death penalty against the onetime Ph.D. student accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students -- Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 -- in November 2022.

This September, lawyers for Kohberger made a sweeping play to get capital punishment tossed out, arguing -- in hundreds of pages of court filings -- that Kohberger's life should not be on the line because, among other things, the death penalty would violate his constitutional rights as well as contemporary standards of decency.

However, in a lengthy filing Wednesday, Judge Steven Hippler ruled against all twelve of Kohberger's motions challenging various aspects of Idaho's capital punishment scheme.

In his 55-page decision Judge Hippler "concludes relief in [Kohberger's] favor is not warranted on any of the motions."

Among other things, defense attorneys had argued that the death penalty is out of step with current social mores. However, the judge ruled "there is no basis to depart from settled law upholding Idaho's death penalty statute as constitutional," and it remains "consistent with contemporary standards of decency."

Defense attorneys also argued that capital punishment should be stricken in this case on the basis of execution methods — specifically, citing the shortage of lethal injection drugs, and arguing that firing squad executions which, last year, became legal in Idaho are "cruel and unusual." And, they argued, letting their client wait on death row without knowing "how he will be executed" is itself an "unconstitutional" form of torment.

But the judge again disagreed — siding with prosecutors that that argument "is not ripe" for discussion, because Kohberger hasn't been convicted yet. And, the judge continued, even if it were appropriate to address now, both the firing squad and lethal injection have been found constitutional and are allowed in the state.

The judge also ruled against each of the defense's attempts to strike the aggravating factors prosecutors had found, which made Kohberger eligible for the death penalty.

Kohberger was arrested following a six-week manhunt in December 2022.

A criminology student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the crime, Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

The trial is scheduled for August 2025.

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Kyiv says Russian ICBM strikes Ukraine, but US official says it was ‘experimental medium-range ballistic missile’

Emergency responders are dispatched to the scene after a Russian attack that killed at least 13 people in Glukhiv, Sumy Oblast. The number of victims increased to 13, including 3 children. Search and rescue efforts continue for those trapped under the rubble of the partially destroyed dormitory building. (Photo by Ukraine State Emergency Service / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(LONDON and KYIV) -- Russia on Thursday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile toward southeastern Ukraine, officials in Kyiv said, but a U.S. official told ABC News that Russia launched "an experimental medium-range ballistic missile against Ukraine" near Dnipro.

The official said the United States briefed Ukraine and other close allies and partners in recent days on Russia's possible use of this weapon in order to help them prepare. According to the official, Russia likely only possesses "a handful" of these experimental missiles.

Two U.S. officials previously told ABC News it was not an ICBM but instead an intermediate-range ballistic missile, or IRBM.

Ukraine's military was "95% sure" the strike was with an ICBM, a Ukrainian official told ABC News, but added that they were still examining the missile parts on the ground and had not yet reached a final conclusion.

"Today it was a new Russian missile. All the parameters: speed, altitude -- match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media. "All expert evaluations are underway."

Moscow did not immediately confirm the launch, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declining to comment, saying questions about it should instead be directed to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in remarks Thursday following the missile launch, said Russia has the right to use its weapons against the military facilities of countries employing their weapons against Russia.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced Thursday morning it had tracked the launch of the ICBM, along with six additional missiles, all of which were targeting the Dnipro region. The ICBM appeared to have been launched from the Astrahan region, in Russia's southwest, Ukrainian military officials said.

All of the missiles were launched in about two hours, beginning at about 5 a.m. local time, Ukraine said.

All were targeted at businesses and critical infrastructure, but only the missile that Ukraine identified as an ICBM struck the city, Ukraine said. The six other missiles were shot down. There were no reports of casualties or significant damage, officials said.

The U.S. officials said the assessment of the launch, the type of missile and warhead, and the damage in Dnipro was continuing. The distance from what Ukraine said was the launch point to the strike location in Dnipro is about 600 miles, a distance shorter than what an ICBM would be expected to travel.

Two experts told ABC News the projectile, seen in video circulating online, looks likely to be "a ballistic missile with MIRV-ed capabilities."

The launch of an ICBM, if confirmed as such, would arrive amid concerns that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could further escalate. This week, Ukraine's military for the first time launched U.S.-made ATACMS missiles toward targets within Russia, days after U.S. President Joe Biden allowed for such use of the long-range weapons.

Kyiv on Tuesday launched six of the ATACMS at targets within Russian territory, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Zelenskyy said he would not confirm if Ukraine had used ATACMS to conduct a strike on an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region of Russia, but said Ukraine has ATACMS and "will use all of these" against Russia.

Within hours of Russia announcing it had struck down five of the ATACMS on Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had updated the country's nuclear doctrine, a move that lowered the bar for Russia to respond with nuclear weapons. Russian ICBMs are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although it appeared the missile fired on Thursday was not equipped with one.

Following that warning, Ukraine on Wednesday fired long-range British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia for the first time, a Ukrainian military unit involved in the operation told ABC News. At least 10 of those missiles hit an estate in the village of Marino, the unit said.

They were targeting a command post where North Korean army generals and officers were present, the unit said. More than 10,000 North Korean troops are said to be operating alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region.

Ukraine's 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion, which helped provide fire control for the strikes, told ABC News that there was intelligence showing high-ranking North Koreans were present.

Zelenskyy cast the Russian strike on Thursday as a result of Russia and its leader being "terrified."

"Obviously, Putin is terrified when normal life simply exists next to him. When people simply have dignity. When a country simply wants to be and has the right to be independent," Zelenskyy said. "Putin is doing whatever it takes to prevent his neighbor from breaking free of his grasp."

ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Lauren Minore, Yulia Drozd and Natasha Popova contributed to this report.

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Robertson has goal and 2 assists to end scoring drought, helps Stars beat Sharks 5-2

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored for the first time in 10 games and had two assists for his first multipoint game since Oct. 19 as the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and assist, and Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger made 20 saves, improving to 7-0-0 at home while allowing 10 total goals.

Mikael Granlund had a short-handed goal and his 400th career assist for the Sharks. Jake Walman also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 26 shots.

After Walman pulled the Sharks within one with 6:35 left in the third period, Hintz and Dadonov had empty-netters in the final 90 seconds to seal the Stars’ win.

Robertson gave Dallas a 1-0 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first period and had the secondary assist when Johnston scored 56 seconds into the second period putting Dallas back ahead 2-1.

Granlund skated slowly to the bench with three minutes left being hit high by Ilya Lyubushkin and didn’t return to the ice. Coach Ryan Warsofky didn’t have an update on Granlund’s condition after the game.
Takeaways

Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, last summer’s overall No. 1 draft pick, had one shot on goal, split 14 faceoffs and drew a penalty.

Stars: The worst home power play in the league went 0 for 4 and allowed a goal. Dallas is 2 for 27 (7.4%), blanked on the last 14 power plays.
Key moment

The Sharks put on heavy pressure trailing by one with three minutes left but couldn’t score.
Key stat

The Stars are 8-2 at home, one loss coming as the designated home team during the Global Series played in Finland.
Up Next

Sharks at St. Louis on Thursday, and Stars visit Tampa Bay on Saturday to open a three-game trip.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

ESPN will present NBA alternate broadcast with Disney characters during Knicks-Spurs game on Dec. 25

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Mickey Mouse and many of Disney’s iconic characters will be part of the NBA’s first animated alt-cast on Christmas Day.

Disney and ESPN announced on Wednesday that the Dec. 25 game between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will be on ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+ as “Dunk the Halls.”

Even though this is the first time with the NBA, ESPN has done alternate animated broadcasts for NFL and NHL games.

The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real time on the field. That’s done through player-tracking data enabled by Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking system and Beyond Sports.

The animated version of the game will be set on iconic “Main Street, USA” in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort. Shots of “Main Street, USA” and other famous landmarks within the park will be regularly shown, including Cinderella’s Castle.

The traditional broadcast will air on ABC and ESPN.

Cleveland’s Darius Garland, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram miss game with injuries

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram were among 14 players ruled out with injuries for the teams’ game on Wednesday night.

Garland (left groin soreness) had started the first 16 contests for Cleveland, which has the best record in the NBA at 15-1. The Cavaliers’ franchise-record winning streak ended Tuesday in Boston 120-117, with Garland missing 18 of 21 field-goal attempts.

Cleveland also is without rotation players Caris LeVert (left knee inflammation), Isaac Okoro (left ankle strain), Sam Merrill (left ankle soreness), Dean Wade (left ankle sprain) and Max Strus (right ankle sprain).

“It tests our depth, but personally, I like games like this because it also tests your roster,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “With 17 games in 29 days and the league playing faster, I don’t know how these guys do it.”

Ingram (bilateral ankle sprain), who is averaging a team-high 23.2 points, also missed his first game of the season after logging 33 minutes Tuesday night in a 132-91 loss at Dallas.

New Orleans’ top six scorers were unavailable in Cleveland, including three other starters in Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain), CJ McCollum (right adductor strain) and Trey Murphy III (right hamstring).

“We believe Brandon will be fine, but given the circumstances and the minutes he played last night, this was a decision we came to,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “This is an opportunity for guys who usually wouldn’t be on the floor to get some time.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Sengun scores season-high 31 as Rockets cruise to 130-113 win over Pacers

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun had a season-high 31 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 130-113 win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night.

The Rockets used a big run in the third quarter to push the lead to 21 entering the fourth and cruised to their sixth victory in seven games.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 points for the Rockets for his second 20-point game in the last four, and Fred VanVleet had 18 points and six assists.

Quenton Jackson had a career-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting for the Pacers, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Pascal Siakam had 19 points at halftime but only scored two more points the rest of the way.
Takeaways

Pacers: If Indiana is going to be successful this season, Tyrese Haliburton must be more effective. The two-time All-Star was 1 of 7 for four points after making just 5 of 18 shots against the Raptors on Monday.

Rockets: Houston has gotten off to a strong start this season thanks to a balanced scoring attack. The Rockets had five players in double figures as they improved to 11-5.
Key moment

A dunk by Myles Turner got the Pacers within three with about eight minutes left in the third quarter before the Rockets used a 12-3 run, with 3s from VanVleet and Sengun, to make it 82-70 less than three minutes later.
Key stat

The Pacers made just 5 of 22 3-pointers, while Houston made 12 of 36 attempts.
Up next

The Rockets host the first of consecutive games against Portland on Friday night, the same night the Pacers visit Milwaukee.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba