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Trump administration faces criticism for prioritizing white South African refugees

(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration's move to prioritize the resettlement of white South African refugees in the United States even as it has turned away refugees from countries including Afghanistan and Haiti has sparked allegations of hypocrisy and a double standard, as well as questions about who is footing the bill for the new arrivals.

On Monday, the State Department said it had welcomed 59 Afrikaners whose applications to come to the U.S. were fast-tracked under President Donald Trump's executive order issued in February titled, "Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa." The order called on the administration to "prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement" for Afrikaners, a South African minority group descended primarily from Dutch settlers, "who are victims of unjust racial discrimination."

State Department Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, the second-highest-ranking U.S. diplomat, was on hand to greet the new arrivals' charter flight, and department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce signaled in a statement that additional Afrikaners will soon follow in their footsteps.

"In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country," she said.

However, the State Department has dodged questions about how that travel is being funded.

Typically, when a refugee who is resettled in the U.S. cannot afford the cost of travel, the State Department provides the refugee with an interest-free, repayable loan to fund the travel, which is administered through the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency. Refugees also sign a promissory note guaranteeing they will repay the loan before they depart their country of origin.

But the International Organization for Migration told ABC News it was not involved in administering loans for any of the 59 people who arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport this week, and the Trump administration has repeatedly declined to say whether they paid their own way.

"State Department's Migration and Refugee Assistance account funds a variety of programs and activities aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, displaced persons and other vulnerable populations," a State Department official told ABC News when pressed about the costs.

"This includes activities related to resettling refugees in the United States, such as processing and their initial placement," the official added.

For decades, the State Department has defended its longstanding policy of making refugees fund their own way to the U.S., arguing it ensures each person assumes responsibility for his or her own success in a new country and that it helps establish credit history.

Critics of the Trump administration's policy say it is not the only way white South African refugees have received preferential treatment.

On the same day the 59 Afrikaners landed in the Washington, D.C., area, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would terminate temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans already in the U.S. -- revoking deportation protections issued by the Biden administration in 2021 after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

"We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. "Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country."

The Trump administration has also moved to rescind TPS designations for Haiti, Venezuela and Cameroon. Additionally, refugee admissions from other countries have dropped drastically, and financial support for resettlement agencies has also undergone drastic cuts.

Meanwhile, there are doubts about the severity of the security situation that prompted the president to expedite the resettlement of Afrikaners.

Trump's executive order directly mentioned a controversial South African land seizure law enacted in early 2025 that allowed the country's government to take land without offering the owners compensation where it is "just and equitable and in the public interest" to do so.

But so far, the South African government has said no land has been seized under the law.

On Monday, Trump also spoke of violent attacks against Afrikaners.

"It's a genocide that's taking place," the president said. "Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white. But whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me. But white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa."

Following South Africa's apartheid era, white and Black landowners have been the target of violent farm attacks. The South African government said the primary motive for the attacks is robbery, but white nationalist groups and others have claimed they are racially motivated.

Trump has been a critic of the South African government's handling of the situation for years, and in 2018, he posted that he asked that then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers."

Elon Musk, a South African native and a top adviser to the president during his second term, has also been vocal about the plight of South African landowners, amplifying claims of "white genocide."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied any persecution.

"A refugee is someone who has to leave their country out of fear of political persecution, religious persecution or economic persecution," Ramaphosa said on Monday. "They don't fit that bill."

Some groups in the U.S. that frequently work with the government to resettle refugees have also pushed back on the Trump administration's prioritization of Afrikaners, with at least one, the Episcopal Migration Ministries, saying it won't play a part in resettling them.

"In light of our church's steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step," Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said in a statement.

ABC's Armando Torres-García, Luke Barr and Ely Brown contributed to this report.

Egypt recovers trove of smuggled ancient artifacts from the US, officials say

(CAIRO) -- Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced this week it had successfully recovered a rare trove of smuggled artifacts from the United States, concluding a three-year diplomatic effort between the countries.

Gilded coffin lids from the Pharaonic era, gold funerary masks and what's believed to be fragments of Queen Hatshepsut's ancient temple were among the 25 items accepted in Cairo on Monday.

The items spanned centuries and included a range of styles from different eras of ancient Egyptian civilization, the ministry said.

A portrait of a mummy from Faiyum, Egypt, a gold coin from the reign of Ptolemy I -- a Greek general and successor of Alexander the Great -- and jewelry pieces that date back 2,400 years were also among the items returned, according to the ministry.

The pieces were recovered in New York City in coordination between Egypt's consulate, the New York District Attorney's Office and American security agencies, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said in a press release.

Officials did not specify how the artifacts were smuggled from Egypt or how they surfaced in America, but said the recovery was part of a continued effort to "combat illegal trade in cultural properties."

Similarly, in 2016 the U.S. returned a collection of stolen artifacts to Egypt, including an ancient wooden sarcophagus, a mummy shroud and mummified hand.

"While we recognize that cultural property, art, and antiquities are assigned a dollar value in the marketplace, the cultural and symbolic worth of these Egyptian treasures far surpasses any monetary value to the people of Egypt," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah R. Saldaña in a statement at the time.

That same year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had returned more than 200 artifacts to India, as well as a stolen copy of Christopher Columbus' 1493 letter describing his discoveries in the Americas to Italy.

2 juveniles arrested for murder after allegedly shooting man, striking him with car in Texas

(AUSTIN, TEXAS) -- Two juveniles were arrested and charged with capital murder after allegedly shooting a man and striking him with a vehicle during a carjacking, according to the Austin Police Department.

The suspects, a 12-year-old male and a 13-year-old male, were arrested and charged with capital murder by terroristic threat, after allegedly killing 20-year-old Anthony Salas earlier this month, police confirmed to ABC News.

At approximately 2:58 a.m. on May 3, the Travis County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from a family "reporting their vehicle had been stolen from their driveway" in Del Valle, Texas, police said in a press release.

Then at approximately 3:21 a.m. the same morning, the Austin Police Department received a call that reported a "person was hit by a vehicle" near the Del Valle Elementary School, police said.

Officials responded to multiple scenes and interviewed multiple witnesses, determining that the victim, Salas, was "shot, hit with a vehicle and killed as he attempted to recover his family's stolen vehicle near the intersection," police said.

The juvenile suspects appeared to "burglarize multiple vehicles throughout south and east Austin" late on May 2 into the morning of May 3, police said.

Previously, police issued a reward of up to $1,000 for any information that led to an arrest of the individuals.

Krysten Ritter to return as Jessica Jones in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 2

Jessica Jones is back.

Krysten Ritter will be reprising her role as the Marvel superhero for the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Disney announced at its Upfront presentation Tuesday.

Ritter first played the role in the Netflix series Jessica Jones, which ran for three seasons from 2015-2019.

“It’s so great to be back, returning to Jessica after three seasons and The Defenders and now joining the MCU,” Ritter said. “I’m so excited to bring back this iconic character, and without giving too much away, there is much more in store for Jessica Jones. This is going to be an incredible season!”

Jessica Jones was one of five Marvel series that aired on Netflix, including Daredevil and The Defenders, before Disney launched its own streaming service, Disney+.

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprised their Daredevil roles for Daredevil: Born Again, which aired its first season on Disney+ earlier this year.

Disney is the parent company of Marvel and ABC News.

The US has 1,001 measles cases and 11 states with active outbreaks

WEST TEXAS (AP) – Texas confirmed eight more measles cases over the span of four days, continuing a short streak of shrinking increases in a state that has been dealing with a large outbreak for nearly four months.

The U.S. surpassed 1,000 measles cases Friday, and Texas still accounts for the vast majority of cases in an outbreak that also spread measles to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas.Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died from measles-related illnesses in the epicenter in West Texas, and an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.

Other states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

North America has two other ongoing outbreaks, all of which are the same measles strain. One outbreak in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 1,440 cases from mid-October through May 6, up 197 cases in a week. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 1,094 measles cases and one death as of Tuesday, according to data from the state health ministry.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

As the virus takes hold in U.S. communities with low vaccination rates, health experts fear that spread could stretch on for a year. Here’s what else you need to know about measles in the U.S.

How many measles cases are there in Texas?

There are a total of 717 cases across 32 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday. The state confirmed only eight more cases since its update Friday.

The state also added one hospitalization to its count, for a total of 93 throughout the outbreak.

State health officials estimated about 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-seven percent of Texas’ cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 405 cases since late January — just over 1.7% of the county’s residents.

The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6.

How many measles cases are there in New Mexico?

New Mexico remained steady with 71 total cases Tuesday. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state’s cases are in Lea County. Three are in Eddy County, two in Don?a Ana County and Chaves and Curry counties have one each.

An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care.

How many cases are there in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma held steady with a total of 14 confirmed and three probable cases as of Tuesday.

The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases, but Cleveland, Oklahoma and Sequoyah counties have had public exposures in the past couple of months.

Prosecutor sues to compel testimony in trial of Uvalde officer

AUSTIN (AP) — A Texas prosecutor filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force three U.S. Border Patrol agents who responded to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting to testify in the prosecution of the former school police chief, who is facing criminal charges over the slow law enforcement action at the massacre.

The lawsuit from Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell filed on May 9 claims the testimony from the three officers, two of whom were part of the tactical team that eventually broke into a classroom and killed the gunman, is vital to the case against former school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who faces multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment.

According to the lawsuit, the agents gave written statements early in the state investigation into the shooting and the response from nearly 400 local, state and federal officers who waited more than an hour to breach the classroom where the gunman was located. Nineteen fourth-grade students and two teachers were killed, and 18 more people were injured, in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

But U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have since then denied multiple requests to make the agents available for testimony about the law enforcement response, their tactical training, equipment and other topics.

The information sought “is extraordinarily significant” because the agents are “uniquely qualified to clarify how Arredondo’s actions, omissions, and orders as incident commander influenced their actions,” the lawsuit said.

Customs and Border Protection officials did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment.

The lawsuit seeks federal court help because a state court cannot compel the agents to testify on matters that relate to their official duties.

The testimony could also be valuable to Arredondo if the agents’ accounts present mitigating information for his actions that day, the lawsuit said. And it noted that Mitchell has offered to seek a court order granting the agents immunity for their cooperation and testimony.

The lawsuit does not name the three agents but identifies one of them as the “tactical commander who directed and participated in the entry” of the classroom by officers.

The lawsuit said Border Patrol officials have claimed prosecutors can find the information they want from other responding law enforcement agencies. Border Patrol has also said the agents’ testimony could reveal classified information or confidential sources, disclose law enforcement techniques or “interfere with the orderly conduct of CBP business.”

Arredondo and former Uvalde schools officer Adrian Gonzales are the only two responding law enforcement officers that day to be charged and are scheduled for trial in October. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

According to the lawsuit, because Gonzales was indicted over his conduct prior to the arrival of the Border Patrol, the request to compel testimony from the agents is not part of his case.

Multiple investigations into the response have laid bare cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers.

Paul Looney, an attorney for Arredondo, said he also has been frustrated by Border Patrol’s refusal to let its agents testify, and questioned why prosecutors aren’t demanding to speak to more of them. The lawsuit said prosecutors initially wanted to speak with 18 agents, but narrowed it down to try to get Border Patrol’s cooperation.

“We want all of them. We want to know what they saw, what they heard,” Looney said. “One level of government is completely frustrating our ability to know what happened in there.”

Extreme heat will make it feel more like August than May for Texas

HOUSTON (AP) — Sweltering heat more commonly seen in the throes of summer than in the spring was making an unwelcome visit this week to a large portion of the U.S. – from the Dakotas to Texas and other parts of the South – and putting millions of Americans on alert for potentially dangerous temperatures.

In Austin, forecasters warned that the early heat wave could break a century-old record for May of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

“Definitely more like August this week than May,” said Cameron Self, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in the Houston and Galveston area.

It is not unusual to have temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in May in Houston and other parts of Texas.

“But getting long stretches of temperatures well in the 90s that usually holds off till June,” Self said.

This week’s extreme heat was predicted to have some Texas cities experiencing the longest string of triple-digit days they have ever had before in June, said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist.

Several cities around North Dakota set record high temperatures in recent days, with some shattering highs that stood for well over 100 years.

While cooler air is expected to provide some relief for the northern part of the country, Texas and states in the southeastern part of the U.S. were likely to suffer through this heat for at least the next week or so.

What’s causing the unseasonably high temperatures?

A very strong ridge of high pressure over the south-central United States that is centered over the Gulf of Mexico is responsible for the extreme heat. For the next six to 10 days, much of south central and the southeastern United States will be warmer than normal, with the highest temperatures occurring over parts of Texas and Florida, Self said.

The same weather system heating up Texas and other southern states was also the same one that helped spike temperatures in the Dakotas, Minnesota and parts of the Midwest, Nielsen-Gammon said.

Heat in the Dakotas, Minnesota breaks records, boosts wildfire conditions

In the last few days, the Dakotas, Minnesota and southern parts of Canada have seen unusually warm temperatures for this time of year, as much as 30 degrees above normal, said Mindy Beerends, meteorologist-in-charge for the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

“This is very early for this type of heat,” she said.

Fargo on Sunday hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), surpassing the previous high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.89 degrees Celsius) set in 1887. Bismarck on Monday reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.11 degrees Celsius), breaking the record of 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33.33 degrees Celsius) set in 1880.

The unseasonably high temperatures, along with very low humidity and spreading drought conditions have created unusually dangerous fire conditions in northern Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials said at a briefing Tuesday.

Weather conditions were expected to improve Thursday when rain and cooler temperatures should give firefighters a break, the officials said.

“But this is going to be an ongoing battle, probably throughout most of the summer,” Walz said.

Minnesota usually experiences a little over 1,100 wildfires covering about 12,000 acres per year but the state is already up to 970, covering more than 37,000 acres, including over 80 since Sunday, the officials said.

Fires have been explosive in nature due to the dry conditions, said Brian Galvin, fire chief of the Goodrich Rural Fire Department in central North Dakota. About 50 to 60 firefighters, farmers and other people responded on Saturday to a fast-moving fire near Lincoln Valley that burned 200 acres.

Parts of Texas could see triple digit temperature for days

Areas like Houston that are closer to the Gulf of Mexico could have their temperatures “modified somewhat” because water temperatures are still cool enough, but parts of Texas farther west of the Gulf are going to see temperatures well over 100 degrees, Self said.

In San Antonio, the National Weather Service said high temperatures were expected to rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) through the weekend.

The Texas Department of Public Safety asked residents to follow various safety tips, including staying hydrated and limiting outdoor activities, to stay safe.

Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The order only carries authority within the U.S. Other countries and international institutions continue to use the name the Gulf of Mexico.

Hotter temperatures earlier in the year is the “new normal”

Sylvia Dee, an assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University in Houston, said with temperature records being broken “somewhere every month and every year,” heat waves like the one impacting Texas and other parts of the country should not be seen as out of the ordinary.

Climate change is likely expanding the summer season, meaning that hotter temperatures will start earlier and end later, Dee said.

“I think that this is our new normal, for sure. I think we should be prepared as Texans, but also across the country, for these changes – higher temperatures, more persistent heat events,” Dee said.

TxDOT announces immediate I-20 lane closure in Gregg County

GREGG COUNTY — TxDOT has announced an eastbound, outside lane closure on I-20 in Gregg County at the Sabine River bridge (mile marker 593) due to damage to the bridge deck. There is no damage to the structure of the bridge. The repairs will begin Wednesday morning, May 14 and are scheduled to take 4-5 days to complete. Motorists are encouraged to pay attention when driving through the work zone and be aware that delays may occur.

Minors reportedly threaten cyclist with knife

HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Police Department said a cyclist was allegedly threatened with a knife by four minors at a park last week, according to our news partner KETK.

The minors confronted and verbally threatened a man bicycling through Huntington City Park. One of the minors then took out a knife while another held a two-by-four wooden plank.

Huntington PD is actively investigating these threats and considering charging two of the juveniles with aggravated assault. “This decision underscores the seriousness of the incident and the potential legal consequences faced by the individuals involved,” Huntington PD Chief Brandan Lovell said.

Lovell added that the two other juveniles involved in the confrontation may also face charges.

Buttigieg to headline Iowa town hall amid 2028 speculation

(WASHINGTON) -- Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is heading to Iowa Tuesday, fueling speculation that he is mounting a bid for the White House in 2028.

On Tuesday evening, Buttigieg -- who served in President Joe Biden's Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Transportation -- will make his in-person, public post-administration debut by headlining a town hall with progressive veterans' group VoteVets Action Fund in Cedar Rapids.

His visit comes after he didn't rule out a presidential bid during an interview on Tuesday.

In a Substack Live interview with independent journalist Anand Giridharadas on Tuesday, Buttigieg discussed his thought process regarding running for office broadly, and the potential of running for president in 2028 more specifically.

Before making such a decision Buttigieg says he has to "assess the office and what it calls for" as well as "assess what I bring to the table." He said he's employed that process to decide to run for other positions.

"... There are times I follow that process and decided to run. And there are times I followed that process and decided not to run. And the process can lead you to surprising places," he said.

Still, he said he is a "long way off" from a decision.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, first rose to national prominence when he ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. During Biden's 2024 presidential campaign -- and later, Vice President Kamala Harris' own campaign after Biden left the race -- Buttigieg served as a key campaign surrogate and was floated as a potential running mate for Harris, who ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Now Buttigieg is set to speak in Iowa -- a state where its caucus often serves as the earliest indication of how America's voters will choose their primary candidates.

Major General Paul Eaton, chairman of VoteVets Action Fund, is expected to introduce Buttigieg as "a fellow veteran and someone who understands what is at stake for all Americans," according to remarks first shared with ABC News.

Eaton is expected to say that the reason the group has chosen to hold its town hall in Iowa is to reach those "on the ground, in the heartland, in a so-called red state, talking not just about what has happened but what we can do in response and how we can continue to put pressure on Trump but also the members of Congress who refuse to do their jobs."

In March, Buttigieg ruled out running for a Senate seat or governor in Michigan, and a source familiar with his thinking told ABC News at the time that Buttigieg was strongly positioned to launch another White House bid.

And in the first 100 days or so of President Donald Trump's administration, Buttigieg has taken his message far and wide. He has launched his own Substack, appeared on numerous podcasts and been a regular voice on cable news.

"Pete has always had a 'go everywhere and talk to everyone' mindset. This is an opportunity to hear from the men and women who served our country about challenges they're facing in the chaos of the current administration and what's needed for a more secure future, outside of the Washington media bubble and podcast studios," a Buttigieg spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

But now Buttigieg is taking his vision out on the open road. And according to a spokesperson, isn't stopping with Iowa.

"You can expect to see him continuing this conversation with Americans across the country," the spokesperson said.

And he subtly hinted at this expanded tour during the conclusion of his appearance on Sirius XM's Smartless podcast, hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, remarking: "I'll be around. I'll be out there."

This trip comes as other Democrats whose names have circulated as potential presidential material are making public appearances in important voting states. Both Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Walz will be featured guests at the South Carolina's Democratic Party's statewide conference at the end of the month. Walz will also appear at the California Democrats' convention that same weekend.

Moore and Walz have publicly denied plans for a 2028 presidential run.

ABC New's Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

Woman discharges officer’s gun during arrest

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department has released body cam footage after a woman grabbed an officer’s firearm and discharged it during an altercation on Sunday afternoon. According to the department and our news partner KETK, around 2:09 a.m., officers responded to a theft at Dollar General on 306 W Gentry Parkway and the officer located two suspects nearby at Albertson Avenue and Whitten Avenue. Officials said that while one complied with the arrest, Brianna Nicole Erwin tried to walk away and resisted when ordered to stop.

“Erwin continuously thrashed about, twisting her body, biting and pulling her arms away from officers,” an affidavit from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said.

“During the struggle, a backup officer arrived to assist with the arrest. The suspect continued to resist arrest and grabbed an officer’s firearm, discharging the weapon,” the police department said. “To prevent further escalation and the use of deadly force, an officer quickly utilized a closed-hand strike. Shortly afterwards, the suspect was taken into custody.” Continue reading Woman discharges officer’s gun during arrest

Do-over move for DNC vice-chair elections could put 2 officials — including reformer David Hogg — in jeopardy

(WASHINGTON) -- The Democratic National Committee's Credentials subcommittee has recommended that the party should once again hold vice-chair elections over complaints that there were issues with how the balloting was conducted -- a move that places its vice chairs David Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta in jeopardy of losing their positions.

The recommendation, made after the committee's vote on Monday, comes after the party-wide officer races in February. The subcommittee's deliberations were based on a challenge filed by vice chair candidate Kalyn Free on how the election was conducted.

Free's counsel argued that the way some of the voting was conducted allowed Hogg and Kenyatta to unfairly receive more votes than Free, who also sought a vice-chair role.

The resolution is not the final decision and neither Kenyatta nor Hogg are stripped of their titles in the meantime; it will have to be adopted or rejected by the entire DNC body in an electronic or in-person vote. The timing of this wider vote is unclear, but party officials said in statements after the vote that they want to act quickly.

The vote was based on a challenge Free filed in late February, before the eruption of a dispute between Hogg, whose separate organization Leaders We Deserve is supporting primary challengers to Democratic incumbents, and others in the party who believe the DNC needs to remain neutral.

But Hogg, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor who aims to reform the Democratic Party, claimed Monday that the committee vote can't be disentangled from his dispute with the party.

"While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers' elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote," Hogg said in a statement after Monday's vote.

Hogg argued that because of his announcement that his organization would support primary challengers, the DNC has "made it clear they were going to remove me… I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us. The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort."

Kenyatta, in a thread posted on X late Monday night, said he respects the vote, but is frustrated by it. He criticized the focus on Hogg, emphasizing his own work as a vice chair.

"I disagree with the ruling, but ultimately the committee voted and I respect their votes -- even when I really disagree. Second, the press has been breathless in covering the main character they've chosen -- David Hogg. They are rushing to do it again. I call BS," Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative, wrote.

Kenyatta called the committee's move a "slap in the face." He added that he has done the work to keep the vice chair job and is "frustrated" Hogg wants to make it all about him.

In a statement to ABC News early Tuesday morning, Free, the DNC member and vice chair candidate who initially challenged the results, applauded the credentials committee for "righting this wrong."

Free wrote, "I have always known that the Democratic Party is the party of free and fair elections. Today, the credentials committee of the DNC confirmed that correcting mistakes in process, and protecting democracy is more important than saving face. This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg. For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for a free and fair democracy."

In response to the decision, DNC Chair Ken Martin said he was "disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections."

He added: "I thank all of our officers for their service, including Vice Chairs Kenyatta and Hogg, and look forward to continuing to work with them in their officer posts as this matter is resolved."

Mount Pleasant’s new mayor to be sworn in

MOUNT PLEASANT – The City of Mount Pleasant’s newly elected Mayor, Wesley Lyon, will be sworn into office on Wednesday, according to our news partner KETK.

“The biggest thing I want is for the citizens to trust the government again,” Lyon said. “If something needs to be said or something needs to be done, then I’m going to say it or I’m going to do it.”

He was elected to this role on May 3, beating Incumbent Mayor Tracy Craig Sr.

“I certainly wish the new administration the best of luck because I want them to succeed, because if they succeed, the people in the city of Mount Pleasant will succeed,” Craig said. Continue reading Mount Pleasant’s new mayor to be sworn in

Lufkin man commits wire, steals more than $9 million

LUFKIN – A Lufkin man has pleaded guilty to various wire fraud schemes after he stole more than $9 million through fraudulent means.

Matthew Jess Thrash who had been running a multitude of fraudulent schemes and has been under investigation since 2020, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday, according to a press release from Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Abe McGlothin, Jr.’s Office.

An investigation revealed that Thrash had stolen approximately $9,170,124 from over 100 victims through fraudulent methods. McGlothlin’s press release indicates that Thrash “intended to devise schemes and artifices to defraud others, and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.” Continue reading Lufkin man commits wire, steals more than $9 million

Bob Odenkirk’s vacation turns violent in ‘Nobody 2’ trailer

Bob Odenkirk is back in action in the trailer for Nobody 2, the sequel to the 2021 sleeper hit Nobody.

This time around, Odenkirk’s unlikely assassin, Hutch Mansell, just wants to enjoy a vacation with his wife and two kids, but violence seems to follow him wherever he goes.

He finds himself entangled with a crime boss, played by Sharon Stone, and a corrupt sheriff, played by Colin Hanks.

The trailer gives us a taste of how Hutch fights back, including a knockdown brawl in an arcade and a brutal fight sequence on a boat that ends with him landing blows on his opponent while yelling, “I told you, I’m on f****** vacation!”

The film also stars Connie Nielsen, RZA, Michael Ironside and Christopher Lloyd.

Nobody 2 hits theaters Aug. 15.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)