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Homicide convictions reversed for paramedics involved in 2019 death of Elijah McClain

Elijah McClain in an undated photo. (Family photo)

(NEW YORK) -- The Colorado Court of Appeals reversed the convictions of two former Aurora paramedics, who were convicted in December 2023 of criminally negligent homicide in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man who was walking home from a convenience store.

In reversing the convictions, the judge ruled on Thursday that the case should be sent back to the district court for a possible retrial.

McClain's case gained national attention, particularly in the wake of the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, becoming one of the prominent cases that fueled Black Lives Matter protests across the country.

Sheneen McClain, Elijah McClain's mother, reacted to the reversal of the convictions in a post on social media on Thursday, calling the move "corrupt and cowardly."

"I am not surprised by the denial of true justice for American citizens in the hands of government branches who allow criminal behaviors in their police agencies," she wrote. "They are corrupt and cowardly."

ABC News has reached out to attorneys for the paramedics, Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper, for comment.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told ABC News in a statement that his office stands by its decision to charge the paramedics and "is committed to defending these convictions through the appeals. Justice demands it."

ABC News reached out to Weiser's office for further comment.

The charges

Cichuniec and Cooper were accused of administering an excessive amount of ketamine to sedate McClain after an encounter with police on Aug. 24, 2019.

Cichuniec and Cooper were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide on Dec. 23, 2023. Cichuniec was also convicted of assault in the second-degree via the unlawful administration of drugs. Cooper was acquitted of the assault charge in 2023, and they both pleaded not guilty at trial.

The appeals court ruling upheld Cichuniec's assault conviction, but reversed the negligent homicide conviction.

Cooper was sentenced in 2024 to a four-year probationary sentence for negligent homicide. Meanwhile, Cichuniec was sentenced to five years in prison with a three-year period of parole for the assault charge and one year to be served concurrently on the negligent homicide charge.

Cichuniec and Cooper separately appealed their convictions.

In Thursday's ruling, the appeals court agreed with Cooper's defense team that the lower court "misled" jurors by failing to clarify the standard of care applicable to the charge of criminally negligent homicide after jurors asked the court for a definition.

"By telling the jurors to apply the 'common and ordinary meanings' of the words in the instruction, the court failed to shine any light on the issue and in fact misled the jurors as to the applicable standard of care: The proper standard wasn't that of a generic reasonable person but of a person in Cooper's profession under the existing circumstances," the ruling reads.

The judge ruled that the reversal of Cooper's conviction also applies to Cichuniec because they were both tried together in that case.

"The two were tried on identical theories of guilt and the evidence against them was, while not identical, sufficiently similar that we can't conclude that the errors were harmless as to Cichuniec," the ruling says.

What happened to Elijah McClain?

McClain was confronted by police while walking home from a convenience store after a 911 caller told authorities they had seen someone "sketchy" in the area.

McClain was unarmed and wearing a ski mask at the time. His family says he had anemia, a blood condition that can make people feel cold more easily.

When officers arrived on the scene, they told McClain they had a right to stop him because he was "being suspicious."

In police body camera footage, McClain can be heard telling police he was going home, and that "I have a right to go where I am going."

Officer Nathan Woodyard placed McClain in a carotid, or choke, hold and he and the other two officers on the scene moved McClain by force to the grass and restrained him.

When Cooper and Cichuniec arrived, McClain was given a shot of 500 milligrams of ketamine to sedate him and he was loaded into an ambulance where he had a heart attack, according to investigators.

McClain died on Aug. 30, 2019, three days after doctors pronounced him brain dead and he was removed from life support, officials said.

Former police officer Randy Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault in the third degree in McClain's death. He was sentenced to more than one year in the county jail in January.

Two other officers, Jason Rosenblatt and Woodyard, were found not guilty on charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Rosenblatt was also acquitted on charges of assault in the second degree.

Karen Read files lawsuit against Massachusetts State Police, Canton Police after acquittal

Karen Read and Alan Jackson greet her supporters after she is acquitted on many of the charges against her on June 18. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

(Canton, Mass.) -- Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department nearly a year after she was acquitted of killing her police officer boyfriend.

Prosecutors had accused Read of fatally hitting John O'Keefe with her car outside of another officer's home and leaving him to die in a blizzard in January 2022, to which she pleaded not guilty.

Her first trial ended in a hung jury. In her second trial she was found not guilty of the most serious charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene after an accident resulting in death.

The jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor. The judge immediately sentenced her to one-year probation, the standard for a first-time offense.

In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Read claims she was "wrongfully prosecuted" for the death of O'Keefe -- a Boston Police officer -- costing her employment and leading to reputational damages, millions of dollars in legal expenses and serious emotional and physical distress and injury.

In the lawsuit, Read alleges that two former officers assigned to the case, former Massachusetts Police Officer Michael Proctor and former Canton Police Officer Sean Goode, were "misogynist bigots" who led a "conflicted and corrupt 'investigation'" into the death of O'Keefe.

The suit listed some of the text messages found on Proctor and Goode's phones with sexist and racist remarks that came under scrutiny during the course of Read's criminal trials.

Proctor previously said he developed strong negative feelings about Read "as the case went on," in an interview with ABC News. He said he "shouldn't have" expressed his emotions in that way and should not have texted his friends about the case, calling the texts "regrettable."

In a statement Friday, an attorney for Proctor pushed back against Read's claims and maintained that there is "overwhelming" evidence that Read killed O'Keefe by "backing up and striking him" with her vehicle while "highly intoxicated."

"The focus on anything other than Ms. Read’s own conduct on the night Officer O’Keefe was killed is as telling as it is predictable. Events in Mr. Proctor’s personal life have been reviewed, ad nauseum, by a grand jury, the District Attorney and the Massachusetts State Police," Matthew Hamel, Proctor's attorney in the Karen Read case, told ABC News in a statement.

"It is a matter of undisputed fact that anything Mr. Proctor did or said in his personal life, years before Officer O’Keefe was killed, had no bearing whatsoever on the investigation of Karen Read," Hamel said.

In a statement Thursday, Massachusetts Police said Proctor's comments are "not tolerated within our ranks."

"These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper. These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks. They underscore and fully support my decision to terminate Michael Proctor," Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement to ABC News.

Noble also recognized that "this misconduct harmed the public trust on which our mission depends."

An attorney for Proctor did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Thursday. Attorney information for Goode was not immediately available Thursday.

The Town of Canton said in a statement Thursday it "learned of a lawsuit filed by Karen Read from the news media and via a press release issued by Read's legal team. Town Counsel had previously attempted to communicate with Read’s legal team as to the status of her claim, but received no response at the conclusion of the notice period."

"The Town has not been served, and as such we have nothing to review with legal counsel at this time," the statement added.

The statement went on to say, "The Town of Canton has the utmost faith and confidence in the new leadership of Canton Police Department under Chief Michael Daniels, and we would refute any broad stroke characterizations about the brave and dedicated men and women who serve in the Department. The Department has made significant strides forward over the past two years, including the acceptance and implementation of findings and recommendations in the outside audit report."

Read's suit alleges that the officers began "targeting and framing the female outsider, Ms. Read" after the owners of the house where O'Keefe was found in the front lawn "falsely" told police he never entered the house.

In a statement to ABC News in 2023, the prosecutors said, "There was no conspiracy or coverup. Such claims have been systematically refuted by evidence submitted to Norfolk Superior Court."

Proctor denied fabricating evidence in the June 2025 interview with ABC News, saying "there is no evidence of it."

Goode said during his testimony at the trial that he stood by his investigation in the case.

In the lawsuit, Read alleges that O'Keefe had gone into the house of fellow cops and friends Brian and Nicole Albert and claimed that there were signs of dog bites and scratches on his arm and a laceration on his head that "could have only come from a backwards fall on a ridged surface in the house."

The prosecution said in its statement to ABC News that, according to O'Keefe's cellphone GPS records and 11 witness statements, O'Keefe never entered Albert's home. The medical examiner found "no signs of Mr. O'Keefe being involved in any type of physical altercation or fight."

The Alberts previously said in a statement after Read's acquittal that they "mourn with John’s family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team, and some in the media."

"Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O’Keefe family. They have suffered through so much and deserved better from our justice system," the statement at the time said.

Read's suit alleges that Proctor and Goode's investigative approach was born out of "singling out and vilifying an outsider while protecting the 'blue line' and their families."

Goode resigned this week while on paid administrative leave from the Canton Police Department amid an outside investigation into alleged misconduct, the Boston Herald reported. The resignation does not alter the completion of the investigation and the results will still be submitted to the town and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, the town of Canton told ABC Boston affiliate WCVB.

Read's suit criticizes police for not searching the home where O'Keefe was found for blood, fingerprints or DNA evidence. Police only entered the "crime scene house" a week later, according to the suit.

Prosecutors said that evidence shows O’Keefe never entered the home and was not murdered by anyone inside the residence, alleging his injuries were sustained by Read hitting him with her car. Prosecutors insisted that those gathering inside the house had no idea O’Keefe was outside until he was discovered the next morning.

Read is asking the court for a ruling against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police, an unspecified amount of damages to be calculated at trial and attorney's fees.

US measles cases surpass 2,000 for the 2nd year in a row: CDC

Human crowd surrounding an injectable measles vaccine bottle on purple background. Horizontal composition with copy space. ( MicroStockHub/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 2,000 for the second year in a row, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So far in 2026, 2,030 confirmed cases have been recorded in 38 states and the District of Columbia, CDC data shows.

Cases have been confirmed in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Just 10 measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.

Last year, 2,288 confirmed measles cases were reported for all of 2025. Prior to this, measles cases had not surpassed 2,000 in the U.S. since 1992.

The U.S. also saw its first measles deaths in more than a decade last year, including two among unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas and one among an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.

The majority of measles cases in 2026 have been confirmed among children and teenagers aged 19 and younger, according to the CDC.

About 92% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, CDC data shows.

Meanwhile, 4% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, referred to the latest figures as "very disappointing and very concerning."

"It indicates that an increasing number of parents are either postponing or withholding their children from vaccination, and this is very concerning because it permits this virus back now into in the United States to continue to spread and obviously to cause illness in the children affected," he told ABC News.

January 2026 marked one year since measles cases were first detected on Texas. It’s unclear if the cases confirmed on Jan. 20, 2025, are linked to those that have been found other states; if so, it would mean the U.S. has seen a year of continuous transmission.

If it's determined that the U.S. has experienced 12 months of continuous measles transmission, it could lead to a loss of the country's elimination status that was earned in 2000. Measles would once again be considered endemic or constantly circulating.

The review of the measles elimination status in the U.S., which is determined by the Pan-American Health Organization, will take place in November 2026.

Schaffner said the U.S.'s measles elimination status is threatened as a result of so many cases.

"Measles, because it's the most contagious virus, is like the canary in the coal mine; it's the alert that lets us know that we're also opening ourselves up to other transmissible diseases that vaccines could prevent," he said.

The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.

However, CDC data show vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024 to 2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019 to 2020 school year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schaffner said that public health specialists need to listen carefully to parents who are skeptical or hesitant of getting their children vaccinated.

"Have them speak to their own family doctors and pediatricians, have those conversations, and our pediatricians and family doctors have to provide a level of comfort and reassurance," he said. "Facts are fundamental, but more importantly, these parents need reassurance and a level of comfort that what their doctors ... are recommending is in the best interest of their child and the communities in which their children live."

"These diseases are bad and can be really bad. The vaccines are good and really good," Schaffner added.

Employers added 172,000 jobs last month as US job market shows resilience despite Iran war

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American job market continues to show surprising strength, shrugging off the high costs of the Iran war.

Employers added 172,000 jobs in May – roughly double what forecasters had expected – and the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%.

The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth was down slightly last month from a revised 179,000 in April. The unemployment rate stayed at a low 4.3%

Hiring has bounced back this year from a miserable 2025, showing resilience in the face of economic uncertainty and painfully high energy prices caused by the Iran war.

The job gains last month were broad-based. Local governments added 55,000 workers, restaurants and bars 48,000, healthcare companies 35,000.

In another sign of job market strength, Labor Department revisions added a combined 93,000 jobs in March and April. Job growth averaged 188,000 a month from March through May, marking the best three months of hiring since early 2024.

“The hiring recession is over. American firms are hiring again,’’ said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “The job rebound is happening in almost every industry … This is encouraging news for job seekers and for the U.S. economy. The labor market has stabilized and is showing early signs of a genuine rebound.’’

With just five months to go before consequential midterm elections in the U.S., Americans have grown increasingly frustrated by rising costs and it’s unclear if the strong job numbers this year will drown that out.

Inflation data last week showed that in addition to gasoline, prices for groceries, clothing and electricity are also on the rise, indicating that inflation may be growing more entrenched.

Polls show that President Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy is falling sharply after being re-elected largely on the promise of taming inflation.

And despite the pickup in hiring, wage gains were modest. Average hourly wages rose 0.3% from April and 3.4% from May 2025, consistent with the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target.

Workers, jobseekers and employers have been stuck in an awkward “no-hire, no-fire’’ labor market. “Those who have jobs are clinging to them, while those without are left wanting,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at the tax and consulting firm KPMG, wrote in a commentary ahead of the jobs report. “The result is a sense of being frozen or left in a sort of labor market purgatory.’’

Many young people are finding it tough to break into a stagnant job market. And workers who have been laid off struggle to get back to work. Nearly 28% of the unemployed in April had been jobless for more than six months, biggest share since December 2021.

Seeing their prospects diminished, Americans are reluctant to leave their jobs and seek something better elsewhere. In April, the number of people who quit dropped to the lowest level since the frightening days of August 2020, when the COVID-19 was running rampant.

Last year, employers added 9,700 jobs a month, fewest outside a recession since 2002.

This year, hiring has rebounded, averaging 114,000 new jobs a month from January through May. Big tax refunds — the product of President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax cuts — have given the economy a lift, offsetting the impact of higher energy prices since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. But the refunds have mostly been pocketed, and gasoline prices remain above $4 per gallon.

Healthcare companies have been driving much of hiring over the past year.

Martha Gimbel and Ryan Nunn of Yale University’s Budget Lab note that strong healthcare hiring isn’t surprising as Americans age and need more prescriptions and trips to the doctor. In fact, the industry’s job growth is in line with Labor Department predictions from a decade ago. “The question is not why healthcare has kept hiring—it is why other industries have not,” they wrote in a report published Tuesday, suggesting that one explanation might be an immigration crackdown that has reduced the supply of foreign-born workers.

At least the United States doesn’t need as many new jobs as it used to. The drop in immigrants and rising Baby Boomer retirements mean that fewer people are competing for work. As a result, the so-called break-even point — the number of new jobs required to keep the unemployment rate stable — has likely dropped to near zero, from the 155,000 new jobs per month that was typical two or three years ago, according to a Federal Reserve report.

Some analysts fear that artificial intelligence will wipe out entry-level jobs. But economists Gregory Daco and Lydia Boussour of the tax and consulting firm EY-Parthenon wrote in a commentary Tuesday that AI “adoption is proving more gradual and costly than many anticipated. Firms are increasingly using AI to enhance productivity and control labor costs.” But AI, they wrote, has reduced hiring rather than “triggering broad-based layoffs.?

And a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York identified a different culprit for young people’s struggle to land jobs after college: the rise of remote work. Businesses, it seems, are reluctant to hire new grads for work-at-home jobs because it is harder to train and mentor them when they aren’t coming into the office.

U.S. financial markets retreated on the strong jobs data as expectations for an interest rate cut from the Fed continue to fade.

Prosecutor tells jury that teen’s killing at a Texas track meet was murder, not self-defense

MCKINNEY (AP) — Prosecutors told jurors Thursday that a Texas teenager competing at a high school track meet provoked a 17-year-old athlete from a rival team before fatally stabbing him in the stadium’s bleachers as other students looked on.

An attorney for Karmelo Anthony said his client did not instigate the fight with Austin Metcalf, telling the jury at the start of a packed murder trial near Dallas that it was instead an act of self-defense.

Anthony pleaded not guilty over last year’s stabbing, which stunned an affluent suburb where the pair attended school. The death last year quickly drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. Anthony, now 19, is Black, while the Metcalf was white.

According to an arrest report, Anthony told police he was protecting himself when the two got into a confrontation during the meet in Frisco, a fast-growing city is dotted by dozens of modern-looking school campuses and gleaming athletic facilities.

But prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors it was a “senseless murder” and not a case of self-defense. He called it a “sneak, surprise attack” and said Anthony “knows he goaded the murder.”

“He didn’t want a fight,” Wirskye said of Metcalf.

The jury was seated this week under increased courthouse security and a Collin County judge set strict rules over the proceedings, including prohibiting attorneys from discussing the case publicly. Dozens of people lined up to get a seat in the courtroom Thursday.

The stabbing happened on a rainy morning in April 2025. Witnesses told police the confrontation began when Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Metcalf’s team, according to an arrest report. The teens went to different schools in Frisco.

When Metcalf told Anthony that he needed to move, Anthony reached inside his bag and allegedly replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” the report said.

A short time later, Metcalf allegedly grabbed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, the report said.

Robert Starr, a track coach at Memorial High School, where Metcalf was a student and athlete, explained to jurors that a tent at a track competition “marks your spot” and is similar to a team bench in other sports.

“You just don’t go into someone else’s tent uninvited,” Starr testified.

In his opening remarks, defense attorney Mike Howard said it was Metcalf who made the first contact.

“In that split second, Melo has a decision to make: how and when to act,” Howard said.

“Self-defense is useless if you wait too late to defend yourself. … He reacts in a split second of fear, chaos,” Howard said.

Starr told the jury that he rushed to the tent when he saw commotion.

“I see Austin on the ground and his face is purple, and he has a big hole in his chest,” the coach said, choking up in the witness chair.

Another area track coach, Vincent Hooper, testified that he put his arm around Anthony and asked what had happened.

Anthony replied that he stabbed someone who had “put his hands on me,” Hooper recalled.

Anthony faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.

The parents of both teens have said they were good students who planned to go to college. Metcalf’s father has condemned those who seized on the race of the teenagers after the killing.

“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Jeff Metcalf said on Fox News’ “America Reports.”

“This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”

Authorities have also issued warnings about online discussions surrounding the killing. Frisco Police Chief David Shilson urged people last year to beware of posts spreading “misinformation, hate, fear, and division.”

Some of the most dedicated World Cup fans skipping this year’s tournament, citing costs and politics

Soccer fans will soon crisscross continents to see their beloved national teams compete on the sport’s grandest stage, the World Cup. They’ll pack bars and fan zones, singing chants and debating who is going to win it all.

This time, however, it’s different for some superfans, who say organizers have made this summer’s World Cup the least welcoming one they have experienced. Ticket prices, expensive cross-country travel and concerns about entering the U.S. have prompted some of them to stay home.

London-based IT worker Mike Wilson has been to four World Cups over the past 20 years. This summer, he’ll be staying in Europe and watching part of the tournament from a Portuguese beach.

Argentine doctor Emiliano Becerra likes to follow his team through every step of the elimination round. This time he’ll attend two early matches and then fly home.

Dutch-born finance manager Peter Bergakker flew to South Africa to watch the Netherlands play in the 2010 World Cup final. But no matter how far the “Oranje” advance this summer, he said he won’t travel to the U.S.

Exactly how many fans are staying away is unclear, but the warning signs are there.

Hotel bookings have been lighter than expected in many U.S. host cities. Meanwhile, the president of the travel agency association in soccer-mad Uruguay said they have arranged tour packages for about 3,000 fans, significantly fewer than attended recent World Cups.
A financially inaccessible tournament

The number of fans able to travel and take weeks off of work to cheer on their team during the World Cup understandably skews to the wealthy. But previous tournaments have remained accessible for fans who, in some cases, would save for years for their flights and match tickets.

Four years ago, lower-tier Category 3 tickets to group stage matches were $69. This year, FIFA has been selling them for as much as $265.

The last two tournaments in Russia and Qatar offered match-going fans free transportation between host cities, though many matches were much closer than the vast area covered by the 16 stadiums hosting matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

And while fans there were not permitted by FIFA to sell their tickets on the official resale site for above face value, the sports governing body has taken a different approach this time — encouraging fans to resell tickets for as high as they want, with FIFA pocketing 30% in fees along the way. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment Thursday but has previously defended ticket prices as a reflection of “record-breaking” demand.

Tomonori Akutsu, who lives outside Tokyo, said if he had realized how expensive this tournament would be when he started making plans, he might have reconsidered attending his sixth straight World Cup.

Without question, he believes, the U.S. has been the worst host, and tournament organizers have demonstrated a “complete lack of hospitality in every aspect,” citing things like ticket prices, an inflated resale market, expensive hotel prices and fan festivals that cost money to attend.

“Simply, my impression is ‘this is America,’ the ultimate capitalism,” Akutsu said.

Becerra, of Argentina, spent $1,100 to see Argentina defeat France in the 2022 final in Qatar. For the past three World Cups, he followed Argentina through the knockout stages.

Not this time.

This year, he paid even more — $1,200 — for a resale ticket to see Argentina’s match against low-ranked Jordan in Dallas.

“It’s absolutely crazy – it’s just a group stage match,” said Becerra, a 64-year-old ophthalmologist who lives in Neuquén, in northern Patagonia.

Becerra will head home before the knockout stage begins. The prices, he said, are “just not possible for me.”
Will ticket prices cost the World Cup some of its culture?

Wilson, the IT specialist from England, said he and his friends opted to skip this summer’s tournament because they couldn’t justify spending the prices they were seeing.

Wilson had never spent more than $200 for any World Cup match, a price that, on the resale market, barely buys a nosebleed seat at a group stage match between two obscure teams. Instead, he and his friends have booked a Portugal getaway.

For Wilson, the World Cup is more about the atmosphere than the matches.

“That’s the great thing about these tournaments: You’re sitting at a hostel, chatting with U.S. fans, and then you go to a bar up the road and there are loads of Chileans who have just taken over the place,” Wilson said, recalling a memorable night in Johannesburg in 2010. “It’s stuff like that which makes the World Cup. But now they’ve just priced everyone out.”

Mark Doidge, a sociologist at England’s Loughborough University, said World Cups have long been defined by their traveling supporters, pointing to Colombia’s famous “Birdman” and the sea of St. George’s crosses at every England match. Rising costs, he said, risk losing exactly those fans.

“Most of those buying expensive tickets are not those passionate fans, but wealthy people paying for an experience,” he said.
Expensive World Cup won’t deter some ardent fans

There is at least one group of supporters that appears determined to come regardless of the cost: the Scots, who are eager to see their team compete in their first World Cup in 28 years.

Campbell Lewis and his friends began booking refundable accommodations across the U.S. as soon as Scotland qualified last year before prices rose.

With tens of thousands of Scottish fans expected to attend, tickets for their team’s matches have proven harder to obtain.

But after prices began to drop in recent weeks, Lewis bought two tickets for Scotland’s second match for him and his 10-year-old son. He and his friends are still waiting until the final days to get tickets to the team’s opener against Haiti, though. As of Thursday, the cheapest resale ticket for that match outside Boston exceeded $600.

“For a lot of Scottish people of my generation, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he said. “We were all kids the last time we qualified. And even though the prices have gotten out of hand, there’s just this determination that we want to go.”
Fans have concerns about traveling to the U.S.

U.S. entry requirements may also be limiting international visitors.

Unlike Russia in 2018, which waived visa requirements for ticketholders, and Qatar in 2022, which streamlined entry for fans, many traveling to the U.S. still face strict visa requirements. Until the U.S. reversed course last month, ticket-holding fans from Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia were even going to have to pay as much as $15,000 in bonds to enter the country.

Carlos Pera, president of Uruguay’s travel agency association, recently told Uruguay’s Subrayado that U.S. visa requirements were among the reasons fewer Uruguayans are making the trip this year.

U.S. officials have pushed back on concerns about visitors encountering an unwelcome environment, and the White House’s World Cup task force has highlighted efforts to prioritize visa interviews for fans with tickets. Andrew Giuliani, who leads the task force, dismissed concerns Thursday that traditional traveling supporters may be staying away.

“We want superfans and first-time visitors alike to know: America welcomes you to what will be the greatest World Cup yet,” he said in a statement.

For some fans, however, the concern goes beyond visas and cost.

Bergakker, a 48-year-old Dutch financial controller who lives near Heidelberg, Germany, said President Donald Trump’s “hostile” approach toward European allies has changed his view of traveling to the U.S.

Bergakker has attended two World Cups and four European Championships and said he is extremely susceptible to “Oranjekoorts” — the orange fever that grips Dutch fans as a tournament progresses.

A deep Netherlands run usually would be all it takes to get him on a plane, no matter the price of tickets. But Bergakker said he worries his criticism of Trump on social media could lead to problems at the border, a concern the White House rejected. A spokesperson said Thursday that a Customs and Border Protection proposal to scrutinize World Cup visitors’ social media accounts was never enacted.

Still, Bergakker said that as long as Trump is president, “this Oranje fan won’t be visiting.”

___

Rico reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporters Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; and Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report.

Javier Bardem, Amy Adams unpack their new reimagining of ‘Cape Fear’

Javier Bardem and Amy Adams in 'Cape Fear.' (Apple TV)

Max Cady is back, and this time he's played by Javier Bardem.

Apple TV's limited series adaptation of Cape Fear has just debuted its first two episodes. This reimagining of the classic 1962 film and Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake finds Bardem taking on the role of the former prisoner set on revenge. He told ABC Audio he felt pressure stepping into both Robert De Niro and Robert Mitchum's shoes.

"Of course, the pressure is about me being a huge admirer of De Niro's and Mitchum's iconic performances," Bardem said. "But also, the pressure was off when I first read the scripts and I felt that there was a different take, different character to play because it's a different time in history."

Bardem said he didn't have to emulate anything specifically from De Niro or Mitchum's takes on the role, outside of the "sense of humor" and "the irony of those performances," although those aspects "were present [in] the writing."

This take on Cape Fear gender swaps Max Cady's lawyer into a woman — a new, reimagined character named Anna Bowden. Amy Adams portrays Anna, and she spoke about what this change brings to the story.

"I really love that aspect of it, this dynamic between them and the sort of power play. ... There's a depth and sort of a complexity to the relationship that we got to explore," Adams said.

Going further, Adams said the story has more nuances when Max Cady's lawyer is a mother, with audiences "understanding the risk and the protective nature that she would have."

"Women's relationship with shame is also something that I was interested in exploring through this. And pressuring yourself and being unforgiving to yourself," Adams said. "It gave me a lot to play with."

Hiring blows past expectations, accelerating in May despite Iran war

e HR recruitment manager holding resume in hands while having an interview in a modern office. (Xavier Lorenzo/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- Hiring blew past expectations in May, registering at a blockbuster clip despite a continued rise in inflation set off by the Iran War.

The U.S. added 172,000 jobs in May, according to the report, which marked an acceleration from 115,000 jobs added in April. The reading for April exceeded economists' expectations. The reading amounted to a slight downshift from March, when the U.S. economy gained 185,000 jobs.

Still, the job gains in May indicated a robust expansion of the labor market, defying concern about a potential economic downturn. Hiring has proven unexpectedly resilient in recent months, despite a rise in costs borne by businesses and shoppers.

The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said. Unemployment remains low by historical standards.

The leisure and hospitality sector added 70,000 jobs in May, far exceeding an average of 14,000 jobs added each month over the past year. Job gains also came in local government and healthcare.

The Middle East conflict, which began on Feb. 28, prompted the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. The standoff triggered one of the largest oil shocks ever recorded.

The U.S. is a net exporter of petroleum, meaning the country produces more oil than it consumes. But since oil prices are set on a global market, U.S. prices move in response to swings in worldwide supply and demand.

The price of an average gallon of gas stood at $4.24 as of Thursday, AAA data showed – an increase of $1.26 per gallon since the war began on Feb. 28. That amounts to a roughly 42% price jump in about three months.

Grocery prices have also climbed as a result of higher diesel costs borne by suppliers.

A persistent increase in consumer prices may put pressure on the Fed to raise interest rates as a means of dialing back inflation. The choice to raise interest rates could slow price increases, but it risks a cooldown in economic performance.

For now, the U.S. economy appears robust. The economy grew at a solid pace over the first three months of 2026, rebounding from sluggish performance at the end of last year.

Futures markets overwhelmingly expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady when policymakers meet next month, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment.

Senate approves $70 billion immigration enforcement bill

: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) heads for the Senate Chamber in between votes at the U.S. Capitol on June 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Senate began a marathon session of amendment votes on the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) --The Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a $70 billion immigration enforcement package that includes nothing to rein in the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The immigration enforcement bill passed by a vote of 52-47.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the bill. All other Senate Republicans voted for it, giving the legislation enough support to be narrowly approved. Republicans applauded as the bill was gaveled down early Friday morning.

The bill now heads to House of Representatives, which is not expected to take it up for consideration until next week.

The Senate sends this bill to the House with no language that would in any way restrict or permanently end the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The Department of Justice created the $1.8 billion fund in exchange for President Donald Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. But after backlash, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week the DOJ was scrapping plans for the fund, though Trump has continued to defend it as a "beautiful thing."

Democrats and some Republicans wanted to use the more than 18-hour voting process overnight to amend the bill to include something to rein in fund, but they ultimately failed to get the votes necessary to approve a single amendment related to it.

There were several Republicans who supported amendments to curtail the fund throughout the process, including Sens. Murkowski, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Jon Husted, Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins.

That support, however, wasn't enough to make any of those amendments stick and, despite previously expressing reservations about supporting this bill if amendments to rein in the fund went unapproved, Tillis and Cassidy both ultimately supported final passage of the immigration enforcement bill.

"After tonight's vote, it's clear to Americans that Republicans refuse to outlaw Donald Trump's $2 billion slush fund," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said on the Senate floor. "Now the whole country can see the truth: Republicans fought like hell to please Donald Trump and his slush fund but didn't lift a finger to help working Americans lower their costs."

Brendan Banfield to be sentenced for elaborate double-murder plot to get rid of his wife

The judge's gavel and scales as a symbol of the judiciary and justice. (SimpleImages/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A Virginia man found guilty of killing his wife and a stranger lured to their home in an elaborate plot to get rid of his spouse so he could be with his au pair is set to be sentenced on Friday.

Brendan Banfield was convicted in the 2023 murders of his wife and a man prosecutors said he "catfished" on a fetish website. Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield pretended to be his wife to lure the man to their Fairfax County home for what was believed to be a consensual fake rape scenario in order to frame that stranger for his wife's murder.

A jury found him guilty of two counts of aggravated murder in February. He faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The former IRS agent was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in 2024 following a monthslong investigation into the deaths of his wife, 37-year-old nurse Christine Banfield, and the stranger, 39-year-old Joseph Ryan.

Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield plotted the murders with the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair.

Police responded to a 911 call from the home in Reston on Feb. 24, 2023, and found Ryan dead in an upstairs bedroom with gunshot wounds to his head and chest. Christine Banfield had been stabbed seven times in the neck, prosecutors said.

At the time, Magalhães and Banfield told police they came home to find Ryan stabbing Christine Banfield to death. Banfield and Magalhães each shot Ryan, they said in their 911 call and to responding officers at the scene.

Magalhães was arrested first and initially charged with second-degree murder for the death of Ryan. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the maximum, in February. Prosecutors said she admitted to shooting Ryan at Brendan Banfield's direction.

Brendan Banfield was arrested several months after Magalhães and charged with two counts of aggravated murder for the deaths of his wife and Ryan.

Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield stabbed his wife with a kitchen knife that Ryan had been instructed to bring, and, before calling 911, altered the crime scene to make it look as though Ryan stabbed her -- including by transferring some of his wife's blood onto Ryan's hands.

Magalhães testified against Brendan Banfield during his trial, telling the court that he expressed his desire to "get rid of" his wife in October 2022. She said he told her he wanted to marry her and have children with her, and that he didn't want to divorce his wife because "she would have more money than he would" and because he wanted custody of the couple's daughter.

She prayed for forgiveness from the victims' families during her sentencing hearing.

"There is nothing I could possibly do to make it up to you, for your loss. There are so many regrets, this is my biggest. It's a tragedy I have been carrying with me, and I know I can never take back the devastation of what I have done," she said.

Following Magalhães' sentencing, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said the au pair's testimony was "invaluable in helping the jury understand the convoluted double-murder plot orchestrated by Brendan Banfield."

During his three-week-long trial, Brendan Banfield testified in his own defense. He admitted to the affair though maintained his innocence.

He said he came home on Feb. 24, 2023, after the au pair called to alert him about a stranger in the home. He said he went up to his bedroom with his gun drawn and found his wife naked with Ryan and that she called out, "Brendan, he has a knife!"

"I was extremely terrified," Brendan Banfield told the jury. "I don't think I've ever been more panicked in my life."

He said he fired his government-issued firearm, striking Ryan in the head, after he said the man appeared to stab his wife.

The couple's then-4-year-old daughter was in the basement of the house at the time of the killings. Brendan Banfield was additionally found guilty of child endangerment, as well as using a firearm while committing or attempting to commit murder.

ABC News' Sophie Sonnenfeld contributed to this report.

Appeals court to hear arguments over whether Trump’s ballroom plans can continue

A 31-page report on the White House ballroom submitted to the panels reviewing the project show the proposed addition to the White House from additional angles and features new renderings of the project. Commission of Fine Arts

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's plans to build a White House ballroom are in the hands of three appellate judges who will hear oral arguments Friday over whether construction should be allowed to continue.

The panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will weigh the Trump administration's request to throw out a lower court judge's order halting the construction, in a lawsuit brought by historic preservationists.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in late March that Trump has gone beyond his authority in building the ballroom, given that it has not been authorized by Congress.
Leon's order was administratively stayed by the appellate panel on April 17, a move that has allowed construction to continue since then.

The Trump administration has argued in court papers that beyond the president's desire to build a large, permanent event space to host future inaugurations and state dinners, the ballroom -- part of a broader "East Wing Modernization Project" -- is essential to national security.

The Justice Department points to recent shootings that have occurred in relatively close proximity to the president, including at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April and on Pennsylvania Avenue in May, as examples of why the ballroom is needed for security reasons. Both of those incidents had gunmen allegedly exchanging fire with Secret Service police officers.

The government's filings in the case have described the ballroom project as a fortification of the entire White House complex, saying that with its "deeply ensconced bunker, and its attendant bomb shelters, hospitals, medical facilities, and other National Security functions, to the highly sophisticated Drone Port and Sniper Nests atop the Ballroom, the complex is a highly knitted, unified whole."

The administration also argues that the group that has sued, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, lacks the standing necessary to bring a case.

Lawyers for the National Trust say that it's Congress, not the president, that controls the grounds of the White House, and that Leon was correct to determine in his ruling that no statute "comes close" to giving Trump the authority he claims to construct a large edifice next to the executive mansion.

"The public's interest in its government following the law, and the maintenance of the President's proper role in our system of separated powers, underscore that the district court did not abuse its discretion," they write in a brief, urging the appeals court judges to let Judge Leon's injunction stand.

Prior to beginning consideration this week of an immigration enforcement funding bill, Senate Republicans removed a $1 billion provision, drafted in response to a request from the Secret Service, that officials said a portion of which would have gone toward security-related aspects of the ballroom project.

Arguments in the case will be heard by Obama-appointee Patricia Millett, Trump-appointee Neomi Rao and Biden-appointee Brad Garcia.

ABC News' Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

In brief: ‘The Odyssey’ gets an R rating and more

Christopher Nolan fans scrambled to get tickets to his upcoming film The Odyssey on Thursday. Variety reports demand for IMAX screenings and other premium large format screenings of the film was so high this week that AMC's ticketing app paused briefly. Those attempting to buy tickets also waited in virtual queues for up to an hour. Nolan's take on Homer's epic also received an R rating, the outlet reports, making it one of the most expensive R-rated movies in history. The film arrives in theaters on July 17 ...

Joshua Jackson has joined the season 3 cast of Your Friends & Neighbors. Deadline reports that Jackson has joined the ensemble in a major recurring role. He joins season 3 newcomer Michelle Monaghan, who will be a series regular. The news comes ahead of the show's season 2 finale, which debuts on Friday ...

Devil May Cry has been renewed for a third and final season. Netflix announced that the animated series has been renewed for season 3, which will end the adaptation of the popular Capcom game. Adi Shankar showruns the series about the portal between the human and demon realms and the demon-hunter-for-hire named Dante in the middle of it all ...

Nick Jonas on ‘Power Ballad’ role: ‘I’ve lived a lot of these experiences’

Nick Jonas as Danny and Paul Rudd as Rick in 'Power Ballad.' (David Cleary)

In the new John Carney movie Power Ballad, Nick Jonas plays a former boy band member who steals a song from Rick — a wedding singer played by Paul Rudd — and uses it to establish his solo career. Nick said he really wanted work with Carney and Rudd, but took on the role of Danny in the film because he could relate to it on several levels.

"I've lived a lot of these experiences," he told ABC Audio. "And not just the career stuff and the fame aspect of Danny's life, but the songwriting and the journey to find yourself, push the envelope, do something different, the pressure that you can feel."

That pressure is what leads Danny to claim Rick's song as his own. Rick then crashes out, and begins regretting putting his own music career on hold to have a family. Nick says the movie asks the question, "How far would you go to get everything you ever wanted, and at what cost?"

Carney told ABC Audio that he chose Nick because it was important to him to cast an actual musician in the role of Danny.

"He just has stood on so many stages in the world. He walks onto a stage and he just is natural, he knows how it works," Carney said. He added that an actor "can't carry that off as well as a real singer who's been onstage since he was like 6."

As for Rudd, he shows off some very impressive singing and guitar skills in the film. But he didn't look at it as a way to surprise people with his hidden talents.

"I'm always just like, 'Oh God, I hope I don't fall on my face,'" he said. "But I feel that with just about every job I do. ... It's more of just, 'I hope it's believable.'"

Ryan O’Hearn powers Pirates past Astros 5-1 with a 3-RBI night

HOUSTON (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in three runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday night.

O’Hearn hit an RBI single in the first inning and his two-run homer in the sixth made it 4-0.

Pittsburgh’s Jared Jones (1-0) allowed four hits and walked two in five scoreless innings. Carmen Mlodzinski gave up four hits and a run the rest of the way to get his first save. It was his first work since being put on the restricted list for a day after general manager Ben Cherington told reporters he wasn’t ready to pitch Sunday following a move to the bullpen.

Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer in the sixth inning for the Astros to become the fourth Mexican-born player in the MLB history to reach 100 for his career. But it wasn’t nearly enough to keep Houston from its third loss in four games.

The Pirates’ run of four straight games in which they scored at least nine runs ended. But they still generated plenty of offense to bounce back and take the series after a late-game collapse cost them Wednesday’s game.

Houston starter Kai-Wei Teng (3-4) gave up seven hits and five runs — both season highs — in five-plus innings.

The Pirates led by a run when Brandon Lowe doubled to open the sixth before scoring on a single by Bryan Reynolds.

O’Hearn then launched Teng’s next pitch over the short fence in right field to push the lead to 4-0. Nick Gonzales singled to chase Teng and Steven Okert took over.

Oneil Cruz singled on a groundball to right field. There were two outs in the inning when Jared Triolo reached on an error by Jeremy Peña that allowed Gonzales to score and make it 5-0.
Up next

Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller (5-2, 4.35 ERA) opposes Atlanta LHP Martín Pérez (3-3, 2.79) when Pittsburgh opens a three-games series against the Braves on Friday night.

Astros: RHP Peter Lambert (4-4, 3.77) pitches against RHP Jack Perkins (2-2, 5.46) on Friday night in the first of three games against the Athletics.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Blue Jays rookie Dallas says ‘a little God wink’ set stage for beating Braves in major league debut

ATLANTA (AP) — Chad Dallas was told on Tuesday he would be promoted for his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The call came on Lou Gehrig Day, and it happened to be about a year since Dallas’s father, Tony, died from ALS, the neurodegenerative disease now commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease in honor of the New York Yankees Hall of Famer.

“It was extremely special, like a little God wink,” Dallas said after allowing only two hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings to earn the win in the Blue Jays’ 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.

Dallas was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to serve as the Blue Jays’ bulk reliever behind opener Mason Fluharty.

Dallas immediately was given the opportunity to prove he could thrive in a stressful situation. The Braves had a runner on third base after Michael Harris II doubled and advanced to third before Toronto manager John Schneider pulled Fluharty and summoned Dallas, a right-hander.

Dallas entered the game with one out in the second and stranded Harris on third base. He ended the inning by striking out Sandy León.

“It was cool, though,” Dallas said of inheriting the runner on third when he is more accustomed to starting games. “It was something kind of new. And all you can do is go out there and just give them your best stuff. And you know tonight, I felt like I did that a good bit.”

Schneider said pitching out of the jam helped to ease the rookie’s nerves.

“I think getting out of that inning there kind of set him up to settle down a little bit,” said Schneider of Dallas. “And he was great, man. You know, gets his first win in his debut. So pretty cool. Breaking stuff was really, really good and did his part tonight.”

Dallas said he had “tons of emotions” as the anticipation grew for his major league debut. He had friends and family travel from Orange, Texas, and Knoxville, Tennessee, where he pitched in college for Tennessee.

“Dreamed of this day since I was 3 or 4, once I started realizing what professional baseball was,” Dallas said. “And tons of emotions … tons of happy, super excited. But overall, it was an amazing experience.”

Dallas was only 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA at Buffalo in his comeback after missing the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. But the right-hander made an impression on Schneider while perhaps proving he could help the Blue Jays as a reliever when there is no longer a need for another starter.

When asked what is next for Dallas, Schneider said “Beer shower and a good flight to Toronto.”

Added Schneider “But really impressed with the job that he did tonight. … The overall message is just go out, compete, trust your stuff and you know, get ready for whatever’s next.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb