Category: U.S. News

A Cleveland mother charged with murdering her two young children had her bond set at $2 million during a Friday court hearing, following the discovery of the girls’ remains in suitcases buried in shallow graves.

Twenty-eight-year-old Aliyah Henderson is facing two aggravated murder charges related to the deaths of Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson. The children’s bodies were found after someone walking their dog noticed one of the suitcases earlier this week and contacted authorities.

During her court appearance, Henderson remained mostly silent. Court officials noted that prosecutors found no prior criminal history for the defendant, while her appointed attorney mentioned she had housing arrangements and was actively seeking employment.

DeShaun Chatman, who is Mila’s father, remembered his daughter as a joyful child who embodied what it meant to be young. “She was happy-go-lucky — a ‘kid’s kid’ who was always smiling,” he said. Chatman revealed he had not seen Mila in five years despite his unsuccessful attempts to obtain emergency custody.

Following the hearing, Cullen Sweeney, who serves as the chief public defender for Cuyahoga County, refused to discuss the case details. Henderson’s future legal representation remains uncertain at this time.

According to the county Medical Examiner’s Office, Mila was 8 years old and Amor was 10. Officials used DNA testing to confirm the relationship between the half-sisters and establish their identities. Investigators also discovered a third child during their search of a residence connected to the case. That child, who appears to be in good health, is now under the care of child welfare services.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Police have arrested two suspects following an assault on law enforcement officers providing security for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, according to city officials. The mayor remained safe during the incident.

The assault occurred Thursday evening when a group of individuals blocked the path of Lurie’s vehicle and security team in the Tenderloin district. According to witnesses who spoke with Mission Local, a San Francisco news publication, the situation escalated to violence after one of the protective officers requested the group clear the way.

Footage captured by the news organization reveals one security officer, wearing formal attire, engaged in a physical confrontation with an individual who eventually forced the officer to the ground.

The mayor’s purpose for visiting the Tenderloin — an area notorious for open drug activity and sales — remained uncertain, though Lurie frequently conducts walking tours throughout the city to engage with community members.

“There was an altercation involving Lurie’s security detail and that the mayor was not involved,” stated Charles Lutvak, speaking on behalf of Lurie.

According to a police department statement, San Francisco officers arrived at the location following a backup request from the mayor’s protective detail, who reported being engaged in physical combat with two unknown individuals.

Both protective officers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and received medical attention from emergency responders on scene, the San Francisco Police Department confirmed in their official statement.

Authorities charged both suspects with assault on a peace officer using a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, drug paraphernalia possession, and additional violations.

Military officials announced Friday they will partner with the Federal Aviation Administration this weekend to test powerful laser weapons designed to neutralize dangerous drones in New Mexico.

According to Pentagon officials, the upcoming trials will focus on addressing aviation safety issues while collecting information about how the laser technology affects aircraft stand-ins, testing automated safety shutdown mechanisms, and evaluating potential risks to pilot vision.

The joint testing follows an incident on February 25 when military personnel mistakenly destroyed a government drone using their laser-based defense system. That mishap led aviation authorities to broaden the no-fly zone around Fort Hancock, Texas, after the FAA had initially grounded all aircraft at El Paso’s airport for 10 days on February 18, though officials reversed that decision within eight hours.

In a Friday interview, U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steve Bradbury explained the testing aims to help the FAA understand the laser system’s constraints and how operators can modify and manage the technology.

Bradbury emphasized that aviation officials want to establish protocols ensuring airspace safety when these systems operate, eliminating the need for case-by-case approvals.

“If we don’t have that we’ll need to close airspace or at least restrict airspace as necessary,” Bradbury explained, noting they are rushing to finish their safety evaluation. “They have a critically important job to do and we have a critically important job to do and we need to coordinate so both jobs are getting done.”

Following a classified briefing Wednesday, congressional members highlighted the need for better inter-agency communication regarding these incidents.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz noted the challenges, saying “It’s clear that there were real challenges in terms of operationalizing counter-drone technology.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal immigration officials have detained a Colombian journalist who works for a Spanish-language media outlet in Tennessee, sparking a legal dispute over whether proper arrest procedures were followed.

Estefany Rodriguez Flores, who reports for Nashville Noticias and has published stories examining ICE practices, was taken into custody Wednesday when immigration agents stopped the vehicle she was traveling in. She remains held by ICE’s enforcement and removal division, according to federal court filings in Nashville.

Court documents filed Friday show conflicting accounts about whether agents possessed a valid arrest warrant during the detention.

Rodriguez’s attorney argues that no arrest warrant was displayed during the stop, only paperwork directing her to report to ICE offices. Legal documents indicate her lawyer spoke with an ICE representative who confirmed no arrest warrant existed at the time of detention.

Federal attorneys representing ICE counter these claims, stating in their own court filing that officials obtained a proper arrest warrant for Rodriguez on Monday. They also assert her visa allowing her to remain in the United States had lapsed, making “her arrest and detention” lawful under federal regulations.

The 29-year-old journalist entered the country through legal channels and has resided in the United States for five years, her legal team states. She possesses valid employment authorization and has submitted applications for political asylum as well as legal residency through her American citizen spouse.

According to Nashville Noticias, Rodriguez and her husband were traveling in a clearly marked company vehicle when multiple cars surrounded them and she was transported to a detention facility.

ICE officials have not responded to requests for comment on the case.

Prior to her arrest, Rodriguez had scheduled meetings with ICE regarding her immigration status that were postponed twice – first due to winter weather closing offices, then because an agent could not locate her appointment in the computer system, legal documents reveal. A replacement meeting had been arranged for March 17.

Rodriguez began working with Nashville Noticias in 2022, where she covers community affairs, family matters, health topics, law enforcement, and immigration policy.

The news organization issued a statement saying Rodriguez “needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law.”

Her legal representatives have filed motions seeking her immediate release, while federal prosecutors have asked the court to reject this request.

FARGO, N.D. — A 12-week-old puppy with droopy ears and four paws has become the latest addition to the North Dakota Highway Patrol’s specialized search team.

The youngster named Beau is entering the ranks of bloodhounds who handle challenging missing person cases throughout the upper Midwest region.

These canines search for lost children, individuals suffering from dementia, and wanted criminals. While the patrol employs drones and aircraft for search operations, bloodhounds provide a time-tested, simple-technology approach.

“These dogs are just specifically bred to search for people,” said Trooper Steven Mayer, who handles Bleu, one of the dogs.

Law enforcement agencies from Maine to Florida to Texas to Arizona to California utilize bloodhounds, according to Danny Jones, executive director of the U.S. Police Canine Association. While drones and helicopters can scout ahead of canines, bloodhounds offer unmatched capabilities.

“To actually get a direction and start moving in a direction, you’re going to need a dog on the ground to start that trail, and that’s the difference between the technology and actually having a dog such as a bloodhound on the ground,” Jones said.

These dogs possess approximately 300 million scent receptors within their noses, far exceeding humans and surpassing other dog breeds, Mayer explained.

Their large, drooping ears and skin folds assist in collecting odors that enable the dogs to follow human trails, sometimes after a week or longer, he noted. The canines have detected scents from walls people have touched, soil where individuals stumbled, and even vomit on vehicle doors.

The Highway Patrol started utilizing bloodhounds approximately 14 years ago, transitioning from multi-purpose dogs to specialized drug detection canines and tracking dogs. The state unit receives roughly 70 service requests annually, including one to Montana last year to assist in locating a suspect in the fatal shooting of four individuals at an Anaconda bar.

Two handler-dog teams traveled 10 hours to provide assistance. They came reasonably close to the suspect, who was positioned where the dogs were signaling, Mayer explained. Additional requests have originated from South Dakota and Utah.

Beau was born in Texas but has relocated to Fargo, North Dakota’s most populous city. His current instruction focuses primarily on house training and kennel training along with basic commands, plus exposing him to various locations, individuals and settings, said Trooper Dustin Pattengale, Beau’s handler. He will not be prepared for complete or certified tracking until reaching approximately 9 months of age.

“The basic training is just introducing him to scent articles and then ramping up the training to where he goes further and further and encompasses different trails, different types of environment,” Pattengale said.

Bloodhounds exhibit high energy, affection and compassion but can demonstrate stubbornness, excessive drooling and mischievous behavior, making them unsuitable for apartment living, Mayer noted.

His partner, Bleu, is a large, friendly canine with one eye, having lost the other after an injury while playing with another bloodhound. His tracking capabilities remain unaffected, Mayer stated.

Beau continues growing as a puppy, his lengthy ears becoming wet from dragging across the ground while he investigated a snow-covered area, continuously sniffing. He enjoys his beef liver rewards.

“He is a very energetic young pup. He’s pretty relaxed for the most part, most days, but he is eager. He likes to work. He likes to sniff,” Pattengale said.

Beyond search operations, North Dakota has assisted agencies through other means. Last year, Mayer traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, for a week to help the city police department train its initial bloodhound, Willow.

Omaha previously contacted the nearest bloodhounds, located in the Chicago area, for search missions, Omaha Police Sgt. Scott Warner explained. The benefit was evident and Willow joined the force early last year.

He anticipates Willow becoming a valuable resource for the region. Omaha intends to eventually have multiple dogs and handlers, he stated.

Willow has tracked missing individuals, including an elderly man on Christmas Eve, through diminishing light, steep terrain, mud and water.

Locating training mentors proves essential, Warner emphasized. Much of the bloodhound network operates through personal recommendations, he noted.

“I had no idea that North Dakota had a bloodhound program. There’s not a directory that I can look at that tells me where dogs are,” Warner said.

Mayer and his spouse have journeyed globally to assist with dog training, making trips to Hungary, Italy, South Africa and Wales, with plans later this year to visit Slovenia and Austria. They provide these services without charge.

Handlers represent a unique group of individuals, Mayer observed.

“They drop everything at the drop of a hat and they’ll leave their family, their friends, they’ll leave Easter dinner to go find a stranger that they’ve never met before,” he said.

North Dakota’s canines have gained popularity on the Highway Patrol’s social media platforms. Beau’s name was selected through a Facebook poll. Recent videos show him chewing a toy bear and another bloodhound, Lorace, running around in new boots.

“Everybody loves a dog, I mean, especially these little babies, these floppy-eared ones,” said Mayer, who hopes the dogs’ public presence generates quicker requests for their services.

“The more word we can get out about the program and the faster we get calls on it, the easier we can get out and be available to help people,” he said.

Residents can once again dispose of brush at the Parsonsburg Convenience Center starting March 6, 2026, though officials warn that available space for dumping remains restricted.

The Solid Waste Division announced they are actively working to expand capacity as efficiently as possible to better serve the community.

County officials are asking residents to keep in mind the current space limitations when planning their visits to the facility.

Young married couples with children are increasingly choosing to relocate to conservative states, driven primarily by more affordable housing options, according to new research from the Institute for Family Studies. The findings show a significant demographic shift affecting different regions of the country.

The research indicates that while aging populations are growing nationwide, there’s a notable difference in migration patterns. “Both red and blue states are watching the share of residents age 60 or over grow, but blue states are losing twenty-somethings and kids,” the study states.

Southern states have experienced particularly strong growth in this demographic, with data showing an increase of nearly 6% in married couples raising young children during the past five years. The trend highlights how housing affordability continues to influence where American families choose to establish their homes and raise their children.

A memorial celebration will honor the life and legacy of civil rights champion Jesse Jackson in Chicago, following his death last month.

The homegoing service will feature musical performances by Chicago-born singer Jennifer Hudson, marking a tribute to the activist who made the Windy City his base of operations after leaving his South Carolina roots during the era of segregation.

Three former U.S. presidents are scheduled to attend the ceremony: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, demonstrating the significant impact Jackson had on American politics and civil rights.

Jackson dedicated his life to fighting for equality and justice, establishing Chicago as his headquarters for civil rights advocacy after experiencing the challenges of growing up in the segregated South.

The memorial service represents a fitting tribute to a man who spent decades championing social justice causes and working to advance opportunities for marginalized communities across the nation.

WASHINGTON, March 5 – Major airline and travel industry organizations issued warnings Thursday about potential disruptions to air travel as the federal government shutdown stretches on, with spring break travel season approaching.

Approximately 50,000 airport security personnel with the Transportation Security Administration are currently on the job without receiving paychecks. Industry representatives expressed concern that financial strain could lead to increased absenteeism among these essential workers as the shutdown drags on.

The timing raises particular concern as the busy spring break travel period draws near, when airports typically see increased passenger volume.

MIAMI (AP) — Celebrity chef Rachael Ray wants to set the record straight: she’s not ill, her marriage remains strong, and she’s still actively working in television.

Speculation has circulated about the cooking personality who popularized quick 30-minute recipes after she departed from her daily television program. However, this hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm as she continues her television cooking career in her mid-50s while still drawing large audiences to her beachside culinary events.

This marks Ray’s newest chapter, combining spontaneous opportunities with a return to her fundamental cooking approach.

The media mogul who built an empire around culinary enthusiasm, extra virgin olive oil abbreviations, and her signature prep bowls left the Food Network and her syndicated daytime program three years ago. She now admits, “It can be hard to find me.”

During a recent interview with the Associated Press at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Ray discussed her future plans, her motivations, and her indifference toward her professional legacy.

“I’ll be dead, so who cares?” she repeatedly stated when addressing her detractors, rumors, and whether audiences understand her choices today.

However, she clearly does have concerns, especially regarding her consistent mission of building people’s culinary confidence. She previously compared her cooking style to pop music’s accessibility. While this might sound casual, it’s actually a fitting comparison for someone whose career centers on making food approachable.

“That was the message I wanted to bring to people. Don’t be scared of this,” she explained. “If it doesn’t come out all right, who cares? It’s just dinner.”

Ray’s career trajectory is well-documented: a young woman from upstate New York gained attention through cooking demonstrations at a premium grocery store, secured a Food Network position teaching accessible and budget-friendly cooking, expanded into daytime television with Oprah Winfrey’s support, and quickly became omnipresent with her rapid-fire “Yum-o!” catchphrases and extensive product lines including cookware, publications, cookware, magazines, pet food, and numerous other merchandise.

In 2023, after 17 seasons in daytime television, she surprised followers by stepping away from most of her commitments, a choice she had contemplated privately for years. Network television came with extensive teams of executives and legal advisors.

“I just didn’t want to do that anymore. I didn’t want to live by committee,” she stated. “I wanted to focus more on food the way I want to teach it, talking to people I want to talk to, and being just me.”

Many perceived this as retirement or disappearance. Following a fire that destroyed her upstate New York residence and flooding that damaged her city apartment, she relocated much of her life to Italy. She launched a podcast that was later quietly discontinued, all while facing rumors about declining health and marital problems.

Operating discretely might better describe her situation than slowing down. But first, addressing the speculation.

“We’re very volatile people. We’re loud, and then we’re lovey dovey, and I think we confuse a lot of folks because of that,” she said about her relationship with musician and attorney John Cusimano. “I have a great marriage. My health is fine. I lift weights every morning, 4 o’clock, you know. I’m doing just fine.”

Regarding retirement claims?

Following her daytime show’s conclusion — she only misses the live audience’s energy — she established Free Food Studios, her own production company, to maintain content control without legal bureaucracy and develop new talent. A&E subsequently purchased a 50% ownership stake and commissioned hundreds of episodes, including multiple new series featuring Ray.

“People tell me on the plane or at the airport or at the grocery store, ‘Oh, I miss your show so much!’ And I’m like, I have many! You know, look on YouTube or look at A&E or look at Disney or Hulu,” she explained. “It rotates through all these different platforms now, so it’s harder for people to find.”

Her “Meals in Minutes” program recently received renewal for over 100 additional episodes, while she’s producing two more shows featuring other personalities. Additionally, she’s organizing her eighth humanitarian mission to Ukraine — collaborating with José Andrés since the war’s beginning — recently introduced her own gin brand, and continues selling cookware and pet products, with the latter supporting The Rachael Ray Foundation, which has contributed $140 million to animal welfare and nutrition advocacy organizations.

Currently, formal culinary training among food celebrities is increasingly rare, making early criticism of Ray — questioning her serious cooking credentials and chef status — appear outdated and possibly discriminatory. She appreciates how social media has democratized entry into her field, allowing newcomers to gain recognition without financial resources, industry connections, culinary education, or fortunate circumstances.

What remains unchanged is society’s judgment of aging women, particularly public figures. Her appearance has generated significant discussion recently, but Ray refuses cosmetic enhancement trends. “I tried Botox here (pointing at her eyebrows) years ago,” she said. “And I just looked sort of shocked or something. And I thought, this isn’t you.”

At this year’s South Beach festival Burger Bash, which Ray has hosted for twenty years — consuming approximately 568 burgers over time, but who’s counting? — crowds surrounded her sharing stories of growing up with her recipes and programs. At a private dinner the following evening, over 20 people paid $500 each to watch her serve pasta alle vongole and share family anecdotes while Cusimano prepared cocktails.

“Honey! I’m talking too much! This got hot!” Ray exclaimed, passing him a Martinez cocktail for refreshing. “I don’t drink a hot cocktail. I almost never drink the second half of my cocktail.” The audience of predominantly middle-aged women responded enthusiastically, clearly adopting this new Ray-endorsed rule for their own partners.

“I love the fact that it’s still relevant that I come here,” Ray reflected. “I’m a woman in her mid-50s that’s still employed, still making programming, and still can book an event and have thousands of people come out. That means a lot to me.”

What’s ahead?

“I like not knowing,” she said. “I like watching things evolve and discovering what’s next for myself. So there’s no plan. There’s no road map.”

Residents who are having trouble paying their energy bills can find help through several assistance programs currently available.

The Department of Housing & Family Services has put together a collection of resources designed to help community members find the support they need to manage their energy costs.

Those interested in learning more about these assistance options can access the compiled resource information to connect with appropriate programs.

Americans will lose an hour of sleep this Sunday when clocks spring forward at 2 a.m. for daylight saving time, creating the familiar 23-hour day that disrupts sleep patterns, makes morning activities darker, and generates widespread frustration.

Despite polling data showing most Americans dislike switching clocks twice yearly, legislative efforts to eliminate the practice have stalled due to deep disagreements about the best alternative and concerns about potential consequences.

Making daylight saving time permanent would mean Detroit residents wouldn’t see sunrise until around 9 a.m. during winter months. Conversely, adopting year-round standard time would bring 4:11 a.m. sunrises to Seattle in June.

“There’s no law we can pass to move the sun to our will,” said Jay Pea, the president of Save Standard Time, an organization devoted to switching to standard time for good.

Genie Lauren, a 41-year-old healthcare worker from New York City, monitors sunrise and sunset times during winter months, describing herself as “white-knuckling it” until evening daylight returns enough for her to feel motivated to leave her apartment after work.

“The majority of the year we’re in daylight savings time,” said Lauren. “What are we doing this for?”

The United States has adjusted timekeeping practices periodically since railroads established standardized time zones in 1883. Globally, approximately 140 nations have implemented daylight saving time at various points, though only about half that number continue the practice today.

According to an AP-NORC survey from last year, roughly one in ten American adults supports the current clock-changing system. About half oppose it, while four in ten expressed no opinion. When forced to choose, most Americans indicate they would prefer permanent daylight saving time over permanent standard time.

Beginning in 2018, nineteen states—primarily across the South and Pacific Northwest—have enacted legislation calling for permanent daylight saving time adoption.

However, federal law requires Congressional approval for states to implement year-round daylight saving time, a system that was previously used nationwide during World War II and briefly in 1974 to mixed reception.

The Senate approved legislation in 2022 to establish permanent daylight saving time nationally. A corresponding House measure has not received a floor vote.

Representative Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who reintroduces such legislation each term, indicated that airline industry opposition—citing scheduling complications—has influenced lawmakers’ reluctance to advance the measure.

Florida Republican Representative Greg Steube has proposed an alternative solution.

“Why not just split the baby?” he asked. “Move it 30 minutes so it would be halfway between the two.”

Steube believes his proposal could attract bipartisan backing. The change would put America out of step with most global timekeeping, though India uses a similar approach and Nepal sets its clocks 15 minutes ahead of India.

Karin Johnson, vice president of advocacy group Save Standard Time and a University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School neurology professor, argues that permanent standard time—with the sun directly overhead near noon—would improve functioning for students, drivers, and virtually everyone else throughout the year.

“Morning light is what’s really critical for setting our circadian rhythms each day,” she said.

Kenneth Wright, who directs the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado, notes that fatal car accidents, heart attacks, and strokes increase in the days following the spring time change.

“Based on the evidence for our health and well-being and safety, the best option for us as a country now is to choose to go to permanent standard time,” he said.

Currently, only Arizona—excluding the Navajo Nation—and Hawaii avoid daylight saving time changes.

Over the past two years, six states have passed legislation in at least one chamber supporting permanent standard time, including Virginia in February. A Virginia House committee this week recommended postponing the issue until 2027.

Most proposals include conditions requiring neighboring states to make similar changes. Virginia’s measure, for example, would only activate if Maryland and Washington, D.C., also adopt standard time. This approach could address concerns from broadcasters worried about scheduling confusion, though it wouldn’t satisfy golf industry objections to permanent standard time reducing evening playing opportunities.

Many permanent daylight saving time proposals contain similar regional coordination requirements.

Scott Yates, a Colorado resident who operates the Lock the Clock website, advocates for federal legislation ending biannual clock changes within two years.

His proposal would require states to choose either permanent daylight saving or standard time.

Until clock changes end, Yates offers practical advice.

“If you’re the boss, tell all your employees on Monday that they can come in an hour later,” he said. “And if you aren’t the boss, tell your boss that you think you should come in an hour later on Monday. Sleep in for safety.”

EL PASO, Texas — Emergency responders received distress calls from personnel at Camp East Montana in Texas almost daily over a five-month period, with each call documenting incidents of suffering and desperation at America’s biggest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

The incidents ranged from a detainee weeping after being attacked by another person to someone striking his head against a wall while expressing thoughts of self-harm. One pregnant woman suffered from severe back pain while also battling coronavirus.

“Every day felt like a week. Every week felt like a month. Every month felt like a year,” explained Owen Ramsingh, a former property manager from Columbia, Missouri, who was held at the facility for several weeks before being deported to the Netherlands in February. “Camp East Montana was 1,000% worse than a prison.”

With billions in additional government funding, ICE activities nationwide have disrupted communities, torn apart families, and fostered widespread anxiety as part of President Donald Trump’s promise to remove undocumented immigrants from America.

These widespread arrests have packed detention facilities, forcing ICE to scramble for additional space to hold those who have been captured. Contrary to the “worst of the worst” that Trump pledged to remove, ICE records indicate that 80% of those at the camp had clean criminal histories and were instead caught in an extensive enforcement sweep.

The facility resembles a temporary settlement, featuring six elongated tents positioned across a section of the Chihuahuan Desert near El Paso at Fort Bliss Army base, a location that previously served as an internment site for Japanese Americans during World War II. Within this quickly assembled complex, communal housing units accommodate thousands of immigrants wearing color-coded clothing and plastic footwear.

However, accounts of facility conditions, documented through data and audio recordings from over 100 emergency calls obtained by the Associated Press — along with subsequent interviews and legal documents — paint a troubling picture of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, poor nutrition, and psychological trauma.

Those detained describe a facility where approximately 3,000 individuals live daily in noisy and unsanitary conditions, where illnesses transmit rapidly and rest is difficult to find. The center has been closed to outside visitors until at least March 19 due to a measles outbreak, according to U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar.

Individuals held there face challenges obtaining medications and healthcare, experience significant weight loss due to insufficient food, and fear private security personnel known to use physical force during disturbances. The ceilings of the windowless structures leak during rainfall, and detainees only experience daylight during brief outings once or twice weekly to a small recreational area.

In a written response, a Department of Homeland Security representative who did not identify themselves disputed allegations of poor conditions, stating that Camp East Montana residents receive meals, water, and medical care in a regularly maintained facility.

The department announced Tuesday that standard operations continue at the camp. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that ICE is evaluating a proposal to shut it down.

Similar to other detainees, Ramsingh reported that between cleaning sessions, the living areas, bathrooms, and washing facilities were frequently dirty and bug-infested. He stated that detainees would take food from others because everyone was hungry due to small and sometimes inedible portions, leading to conflicts, and the environment damaged his psychological well-being.

He recalled overhearing a security officer discussing wagers made among staff members about which detainee might next attempt suicide. The guard mentioned contributing $500 to a betting pool, with the entire amount depending on the result. This conversation was especially disturbing, he noted, because he had considered suicide himself.

The DHS representative called Ramsingh’s claims untrue, though offered no details about how the department had attempted to investigate this.

Ramsingh said he learned of the betting pool following January 3, when ICE reported that security personnel responded after a 55-year-old Cuban man attempted self-harm and then used restraints and physical force to control him. A medical examiner determined that Geraldo Lunas Campos’s death was a homicide caused by suffocation.

On January 14, staff reported that a 36-year-old Nicaraguan man died by suicide days after being detained while employed in Minnesota.

Beyond these fatalities, detainees tried to harm themselves while expressing suicidal thoughts on at least six additional occasions that prompted emergency calls, based on records from the City of El Paso obtained through Texas public information law.

DHS stated that the facility’s medical personnel “closely monitors at-risk detainees,” offers mental health services, and works to prevent suicide attempts.

Ramsingh held legal permanent resident status and came to America at age 5 when his Dutch mother wed a U.S. military member. He married an American citizen in 2015.

However, at 45 years old, immigration officials detained him at Chicago O’Hare airport in September after returning from a family visit to the Netherlands. They referenced a drug conviction from when he was 16, for which he had served prison time years earlier. He was among the initial detainees transferred to Camp East Montana.

Additional medical crises included seizures, chest pain, and heart issues, according to the AP’s examination of 130 calls placed after the camp opened in mid-August through January 20.

“It’s not easy in here, psychologically,” explained detainee Roland Kusi, 31, who said he left Cameroon in 2022 to escape political violence. “You just keep thinking, like all the time, you’re thinking and thinking for a solution. … It’s really mentally draining.”

Immigration officials arrested him in Chicago in September during an appointment with his wife, an Army National Guard member, to register their marriage as part of his pursuit of legal residency. He was quickly transported to El Paso.

A Cuban immigrant in his 50s told the AP he asked to receive his medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and an enlarged prostate during a six-week stay at Camp East Montana but never received them. He spoke anonymously due to fear of retaliation.

In desperation, the man said he once refused to exit living quarters when cleaning staff arrived. An immigration official offered him Ibuprofen and suggested he consider departing for another country.

“He says to me, ‘Look, there are a lot of detainees, we don’t have enough for everyone,’” he recounted. “The man from ICE says to me, ‘OK, why don’t you decide it’s better to leave? Leave for Mexico, go to Cuba. There you can have your medicine, have your things.’”

Fearing for his life, the man agreed to self-deport to Mexico to Ciudad Juárez — separated by the international border from his wife and their 11-year-old son in El Paso.

The detainees, predominantly male, arrive from around the globe. Some have resided in America for decades.

The facility is designed for brief stays before detainees are moved or deported. The typical length of stay is just nine days, according to ICE information, but some individuals have remained for months due to court proceedings or deportation logistics. Ramsingh said he was held there for weeks after his deportation was ordered because ICE misplaced his Dutch passport. His personal items, including gold jewelry, also disappeared.

Detainee advocates and some congressional members have demanded the camp’s closure, citing inhumane treatment.

“This facility should not be operational. It feels like this contractor is reinventing the wheel, and people are losing their lives in their experiment,” stated Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso who has visited the camp multiple times.

She reported that the facility had temporarily reduced its population below 1,900 when she visited last month after measles and tuberculosis cases were identified.

During one visit, a female detainee showed Escobar a small portion of scrambled eggs that was served still frozen in the center. She discovered that detainees had protested after they stopped receiving juice, fruit, and milk with their meals.

Escobar also met with a detainee from Ecuador who reported his arm was broken during a violent arrest by immigration agents in Minnesota. Weeks later, he was still requesting proper medical treatment, and the congresswoman could still see the fractured bones in his forearm protruding under the skin.

“I asked him, have you asked for help? And he said, ‘I ask every day, all day. And the only thing they give me is aspirin,’” she remembered.

The Washington Post reported in September that a mandatory ICE inspection found conditions at the facility violated at least 60 federal standards for immigration detention, but that report has never been made public.

The DHS representative did not explain why but called claims in the Post article false. The representative said ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight recently completed an inspection at Camp East Montana but that report also remains unreleased.

The facility was quickly built last summer after the administration granted a contract now valued at up to $1.3 billion to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia contractor that had not previously managed an ICE facility.

The company employs subcontractors at Camp East Montana, including security company Akima Global Services and medical contractor Loyal Source.

Escobar demanded an investigation into the contractors, saying they were not providing the services taxpayers are funding.

“People should be moved by the abject cruelty, but if they’re not, I hope they’re moved by the fraud and corruption,” she stated.

Akima did not respond to requests for comment. Loyal Source declined to comment.

Most emergency calls came from the camp’s contract medical personnel. At least 20 incidents were classified as seizures, including some that caused head injuries.

Some injuries resulted from fights between detainees, including a man who reported being kicked in the ear and beaten in his ribs. Another man said he could not move his left eye after being assaulted the previous day.

A woman who was 12 weeks pregnant had not received prenatal care before arriving at Camp East Montana and was experiencing severe pain, emergency calls showed. She was among a small number of emergencies involving women, who comprise less than 10% of the camp’s population.

The calls also revealed staff tensions. A doctor is heard criticizing another employee for attempting to return a suicidal detainee to the detention facility rather than the emergency room, only to realize they had confused two different patients.

Following one detainee’s suicide attempt while in an isolation cell, a doctor could be heard speaking with a disturbed colleague. A security supervisor assured him, the doctor reported, that incidents “like this shouldn’t happen.”

Federal immigration enforcement officers detained a local news reporter in Nashville without obtaining an arrest warrant, according to an emergency court filing submitted by the journalist’s legal representatives.

Estefany Maria Rodriguez Flores, who works for Nashville Noticias, remains held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility following her detention on Thursday, the news organization confirmed. ICE officials have not provided a response to requests for comment regarding the arrest.

The Colombian-born journalist has resided in the United States for five years and “frequently reports on stories critical of ICE,” according to documents filed by her attorneys in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Nashville Noticias reported that federal agents surrounded the vehicle Rodriguez Flores and her husband were occupying outside a fitness center on Wednesday. The car displayed the news outlet’s logo, according to the organization.

Federal District Judge Eli Richardson has ordered immigration authorities to provide their initial response to the emergency legal petition by Friday. Rodriguez Flores had been scheduled to meet with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division on March 17, her legal team stated.

The detention comes amid President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts, which civil rights organizations claim infringe upon constitutional protections including free speech and due process guarantees.

Civil liberties advocates argue these policies have created dangerous conditions for both citizens and immigrants, particularly following two deadly encounters in January where federal agents fatally shot U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

Since the beginning of 2026, at least eight individuals have died while in ICE custody nationwide, adding to the 31 fatalities recorded in detention facilities during the previous year.

The Trump administration maintains that these enforcement measures are designed to reduce unauthorized immigration and strengthen national security.

Court documents reveal that Rodriguez Flores initially entered the United States using a tourist visa, subsequently applied for political asylum, and later married an American citizen. She currently possesses valid employment authorization, and both she and her spouse have petitioned to change her immigration status to permanent resident.

Federal Bureau of Investigation officials confirmed Thursday that they discovered and responded to questionable cyber activity within their internal computer systems.

According to an FBI representative, the agency has “leveraged all technical capabilities to respond” to the security incident.

Bureau officials refused to elaborate on specific details regarding what type of suspicious activity occurred, the timeline of when it was discovered, or which particular areas of the FBI’s computer infrastructure were affected.

WAUKESHA, Wis. — An 18-year-old Wisconsin man received a life sentence without possibility of parole Thursday after admitting he murdered his parents to finance an elaborate scheme to assassinate President Donald Trump using an explosive-laden drone.

Nikita Casap entered guilty pleas in January to two first-degree intentional homicide charges in Waukesha County Circuit Court for the fatal shootings of his mother, Tatiana Casap, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, in February 2025. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed seven additional charges including concealing corpses and theft.

Judge Ralph Ramirez imposed two consecutive life terms without the possibility of extended supervision during Thursday’s sentencing hearing, describing Casap’s crimes as both “horrific” and “inexplicable.” The judge explained he couldn’t predict if or when the defendant might change.

“I choose to find he’s not eligible for extended release because I do not know … when and if and whether a profound and significant change can occur,” Ramirez stated.

Court documents indicate Casap fatally shot both victims at their Waukesha village residence on or around February 11, 2025. He then cohabitated with the decomposing remains for two weeks before taking his stepfather’s SUV and fleeing westward with $14,000 in cash, jewelry, identification documents, a firearm, and the family pet.

Law enforcement apprehended Casap during a traffic stop in Kansas on February 28 following a four-day manhunt.

Federal investigators allege Casap orchestrated his parents’ deaths to secure funding and freedom to execute his assassination plan, which involved purchasing drone equipment and explosives. A federal search warrant reveals he authored a manifesto demanding Trump’s death and communicated with co-conspirators, including a Russian-speaking contact, about overthrowing the government.

“The killing of his parents appeared to be an effort to obtain the financial means and autonomy necessary to carrying out his plan,” the warrant stated.

Investigators discovered cell phone messages from January 2025 showing Casap inquiring about hiding periods before potential relocation to Ukraine. One message asked: “So while in Ukraine, I’ll be able to live a normal life? Even if it’s found out I did it?”

District Attorney Lesli Boese argued Thursday that Casap posed too great a public safety risk for eventual release. Drawing from FBI interrogation transcripts, Boese revealed that Casap immigrated from Moldova as an elementary student but became increasingly consumed by what she termed “disturbing websites,” including content about serial killers and mass school violence.

According to Boese, Casap initially planned to attack Trump using an AK-47 rifle mounted on a drone in late 2024. He later modified the scheme to involve dropping explosives from above before escaping by sea to Ukraine, where he intended to remain hidden for ten years. Casap admitted to federal agents he was indifferent to collateral casualties during the attempted assassination.

The teenager contacted two online sellers offering drone equipment and explosives, transferring $8,700 in bitcoin from his stepfather’s account to one of them. However, both contacts were operating fraudulent schemes, and no actual weapons or equipment existed.

“He walked right into it,” Boese commented.

Defense attorney Paul Rifelj requested parole eligibility after 20 years, explaining that news coverage of a December 2024 vehicle attack at a German Christmas market triggered Casap’s violent ideation. The attorney said his client believed he could impact world events by targeting a political figure.

Rifelj argued that the online contacts manipulated Casap by convincing him he was participating in a larger military operation, providing direction and purpose during a period of social isolation at school.

“Children are more than their worst deeds,” he told the court.

During his emotional statement to the court, a visibly shaking Casap expressed love for his mother, saying he constantly worried about her safety, even during mundane activities like reaching for items on high shelves. While acknowledging a more distant relationship with his stepfather, he credited Mayer with treating him as family.

However, Casap admitted becoming consumed by violent thoughts.

“I thought I was part of a revolution,” he said. “I thought I was part of a war. I told myself bad things had to happen.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Civil rights pioneer Bernard LaFayette, who conducted the dangerous preliminary work for Alabama’s Selma voter registration drive that ultimately led to the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, has passed away.

LaFayette’s son, Bernard LaFayette III, confirmed his father suffered a fatal heart attack Thursday morning at age 85.

While the March 7, 1965 attack on future Representative John Lewis and other demonstrators at Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge captured national headlines and galvanized Congress into action, it was LaFayette who had discreetly laid the foundation for those pivotal events two years earlier.

As a Nashville college student in 1960, LaFayette helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which spearheaded integration and voting rights efforts throughout the South. SNCC had initially abandoned plans for Selma after early reconnaissance suggested “the white folks were too mean and the Black folks were too scared,” according to LaFayette.

Despite these warnings, LaFayette persisted. Appointed to lead Alabama’s Voter Registration Campaign in 1963, he relocated to Selma with his then-wife Colia Liddell, gradually developing local leadership and persuading residents that transformation was achievable. He documented this experience in his 2013 autobiography, “In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma.”

LaFayette encountered numerous threats, including a murder attempt on the same evening Medgar Evers was killed in Mississippi, which the FBI identified as part of a broader plot against civil rights activists. After being assaulted near his residence, LaFayette faced an armed attacker until a neighbor emerged with a rifle, leaving LaFayette positioned between both armed men while pleading with his neighbor not to fire.

During that terrifying moment, LaFayette experienced “an extraordinary sense of internal strength instead of fear.” Instead of retaliating, he maintained eye contact with his assailant. He described nonviolence as a battle “to win that person over, a struggle of the human spirit.”

LaFayette also recognized that his neighbor’s weapon likely prevented his death.

By 1965, when his Selma efforts reached their climax, LaFayette had moved on to a Chicago initiative. He had intended to participate in the Selma-to-Montgomery demonstration on its second day, causing him to miss the violent confrontation when state police used tear gas and clubs to halt marchers before they could leave the city.

“I felt helpless at a distance,” he reflected. “I was stricken with grief, concerned that so many people in my beloved community were hurt, possibly killed.”

However, he quickly mobilized, gathering Chicago supporters and organizing transportation to Alabama for another attempt. Two weeks later, they embarked on what had transformed into a celebration: President Lyndon Johnson had presented the Voting Rights Act to Congress.

LaFayette’s childhood in Tampa, Florida, included a formative experience at age 7 when he attempted to board a streetcar with his grandmother. African American passengers were required to pay at the front before walking to the rear entrance. When the operator started moving before they could board, his grandmother fell, and he was too small to assist her.

“I felt like a sword cut me in half, and I vowed I would do something about this problem one day,” he wrote in his memoir.

His grandmother, believing he was meant for ministry, arranged his enrollment at Nashville’s American Baptist Theological Seminary (now American Baptist College), where he shared a room with Lewis. Together, they led the nonviolent resistance movement that made Nashville the first major Southern city to integrate its downtown establishments.

President Barack Obama honored both roommates in his 2020 eulogy for Lewis, recounting how they integrated a Greyhound bus during their Christmas journey home (Lewis to Troy, Alabama, and LaFayette to Tampa, Florida) shortly after the Supreme Court prohibited segregation in interstate transportation in 1960.

The pair occupied front seats and refused relocation, infuriating the driver who abandoned his post at every stop throughout the night.

“Imagine the courage of these two people … to challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression,” Obama stated. “Nobody was there to protect them. There were no camera crews to record events.”

LaFayette acknowledged they didn’t fully comprehend their work’s historical significance at the time.

“We lived through this, but this was our daily lives,” he explained to The Associated Press in 2021. “When you think about it, we weren’t trying to make history or trying to rewrite history. We were responding to the problems of the particular time.”

In 1961, LaFayette abandoned his college finals to participate in an official Freedom Ride, joining many others attempting to force Southern compliance with court decisions. He suffered beatings in Montgomery, Alabama, and arrest in Jackson, Mississippi, becoming among more than 300 Freedom Riders imprisoned at Parchman.

LaFayette subsequently trained African American youth for leadership roles in Chicago’s Freedom Movement and helped establish tenant organizations.

“The tenant protections we have today are really a direct outcome of that work in Chicago,” explained Mary Lou Finley, professor emeritus at Antioch University Seattle, who collaborated with LaFayette during the 1960s Chicago campaigns.

When LaFayette discovered that a secretary’s two children suffered from lead exposure—a poorly understood health crisis at the time—he organized high school students to test toddlers for lead poisoning through urine collection and pushed Chicago officials to develop the nation’s first comprehensive lead screening program, Finley noted.

“Bernard has always worked quietly behind the scenes,” Finley observed, having later partnered with LaFayette on nonviolence education. “He has avoided the spotlight. In some ways, I think he felt like he could do more if he were doing it quietly.”

LaFayette also collaborated with Andrew Young and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s challenging Northern campaign. While several of King’s demonstrations faced violent opposition from white crowds, LaFayette and Young disputed claims that the Chicago movement failed.

Young emphasized in a 2021 interview that Chicago presented challenges 20 times greater than Birmingham’s, addressing complex issues from neighborhood integration to educational and employment quality. “In each one of those we made progress,” Young affirmed.

By 1968, LaFayette coordinated King’s Poor People’s Campaign nationally and was present at the Lorraine Motel on the morning of King’s assassination. King’s final words to him concerned the necessity of institutionalizing and globalizing the nonviolence movement—a mission LaFayette embraced for life.

Following King’s death, LaFayette completed his bachelor’s degree at American Baptist, then pursued graduate studies at Harvard University. His subsequent roles included directing Peace and Justice initiatives in Latin America, chairing the Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development, leading the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, serving as distinguished senior scholar at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and ministering at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tuskegee, Alabama.

“Bernard did work in Latin America. He did nonviolence workshops in South Africa with the African National Congress. He went to Nigeria when the civil war was happening there,” Young recalled. “Bernard literally went everywhere he was invited as sort of a global prophet of nonviolence.”

In his memoir, LaFayette reflected that the constant threat of death during his early organizing years taught him that life’s worth “lies not in longevity, but in what people do to give it significance.”

LOS ANGELES — Legal representatives for the individual facing charges in connection with the devastating Palisades Fire made a public appeal Thursday, demanding his freedom from custody based on recently discovered evidence they claim proves his innocence.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht faces charges for allegedly igniting what became one of California’s most catastrophic wildfires in recorded history. The blaze erupted on January 7, 2025, consuming hillside communities in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, ultimately claiming 12 lives.

Federal prosecutors allege Rinderknecht ignited a fire on January 1 that continued burning undetected in underground root systems before resurging six days later. Rinderknecht maintains his innocence through a not guilty plea, while his legal team argues he’s become a convenient target to cover up the Los Angeles Fire Department’s inability to completely extinguish the initial fire.

Federal prosecutors chose not to provide comment Thursday regarding the case.

Defense lawyer Steve Haney highlighted recently disclosed deposition testimony from a firefighter who stated he observed continued smoldering from the blaze on January 2 and informed supervisors about remaining hot spots. This testimony emerged from litigation brought by fire victims against the city.

The civil lawsuit also featured testimony from California state park ranger Christy Araujo supporting the firefighter’s observations about the smoldering burn area, Haney noted.

However, a battalion chief provided testimony stating he conducted four separate perimeter walks throughout the day, ensuring all hot spots were completely extinguished.

Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore, who assumed his position in October, has expressed concern about the conflicting firefighter accounts and ordered an independent investigation into the January 1 fire response.

Haney emphasized this critical evidence was unavailable to the defense team during Rinderknecht’s indictment process.

“This evidence calls into question not only the fundamental fairness for my client’s continued detention, but the very foundation of the charges themselves,” Haney said in a statement. “This is not a case about an individual causing a fire. This is a case about government agencies failing to do their jobs.”

The attorney also argued no evidence connects Rinderknecht to starting the January 1 fire, suggesting witness accounts point to fireworks as the likely ignition source.

Haney stated Rinderknecht, who has remained in custody for 150 days, should never have faced indictment and deserves immediate release. While federal procedural rules prevent filing a motion to dismiss the indictment, he plans to file next week seeking suppression of all evidence obtained through search warrants he claims lacked probable cause.

“I’m calling upon the U.S. Attorneys,” Haney said. “I believe they have an ethical obligation … to review this and dismiss the indictment.”

The case’s next pretrial conference is set for April.

A Cleveland father has confirmed that his daughter, who disappeared five years ago, was among two children whose bodies were discovered buried in shallow graves this week in Ohio.

DeShaun Chatman revealed Thursday that investigators informed him late Wednesday evening that his daughter Mila’s remains were among those recovered from a field close to Ginn Academy in the South Collinwood area. The 8-year-old girl and another child were discovered buried inside suitcases.

According to Chatman, he had made five attempts to gain emergency custody and worked with a child welfare agency to track down Mila, but these efforts failed because he was unaware of their location. Officials have not yet publicly identified either of the two children.

Speaking from the location where the children were discovered, Chatman described the situation as “very much horrible.” He revealed that Mila had been living close enough to see the burial site and expressed his anguish, saying he felt “useless — I couldn’t save my baby.”

Cleveland authorities announced Thursday that they plan to file charges against a 28-year-old woman connected to the case. Sergeant Wilfredo Diaz reported that officers took the woman into custody Wednesday evening following initial questioning and evidence review.

The unnamed woman is being treated as a person of interest, according to Diaz.

“We are aiming to have her charged later today. However, that’s subject to change,” he stated.

Chatman explained that while he and Mila’s mother were never married, they shared a home for approximately one year following their daughter’s birth. His last contact with Mila occurred in 2020 when she was just 3 years old.

“Mila was happy-go-lucky, always smiling,” Chatman recalled. “Favorite color was pink — she swore that she was a princess. She was always happy. She was a kid’s kid.”

He noted that officials have not revealed the cause of death for either child, though he anticipates receiving additional details on Monday. Earlier in the week, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd acknowledged she was unaware of how the children died.

“We are hoping to find answers,” Todd stated to media representatives. “This is a terrible, tragic situation.”

The discovery was made after someone walking their dog contacted authorities about the remains.

WASHINGTON — Federal investigators are examining a cyber security breach targeting an FBI computer network that stores sensitive surveillance data and investigation materials.

According to a congressional notification obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, the bureau is working to assess how extensive the breach was and what damage may have resulted. The document indicates an unidentified attacker employed advanced methods to bypass the FBI’s network security measures.

Bureau officials discovered unusual activity logs on February 17 that prompted the investigation into their network systems.

The congressional notification, reviewed by The Associated Press, explained that the compromised network is unclassified but holds law enforcement sensitive materials. This includes data from court-authorized surveillance methods like pen register and trap-and-trace monitoring, as well as personal information about individuals under FBI investigation.

Pen register surveillance allows law enforcement agencies to record phone numbers that are dialed from a specific telephone line.

While the FBI acknowledged the cyber incident occurred, officials provided limited information in their public response.

“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond,” bureau officials stated. “We have nothing additional to respond.”

The notification to Congress did not reveal who investigators suspect may be behind the attack, though the FBI and other government agencies frequently face cyber threats from foreign hackers attempting to gather intelligence on sensitive operations and internal processes.

In this case, investigators determined the attackers used advanced techniques, including exploiting a commercial internet service provider’s infrastructure to circumvent the FBI’s network security systems.

NEW YORK — Three wealthy brothers who built their reputation in high-end real estate now face the possibility of life behind bars as a Manhattan federal jury deliberates their fate on sex trafficking charges.

Twins Oren and Alon Alexander, 38, along with their brother Tal, 39, are accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women over more than a decade. Two of the brothers gained fame as luxury real estate agents dubbed ‘The A Team,’ while the third worked in private security.

Jury deliberations began Thursday following marathon closing arguments where defense lawyers painted their clients as promiscuous playboys rather than the predators prosecutors described.

Marc Agnifilo, representing Oren Alexander, acknowledged his clients’ lifestyle may have been offensive but argued they’re facing charges because of anger over their behavior, not criminal conduct.

‘Not because they’re rapists. Not because they drug women. But because they have a certain combination of characteristics that have made lots of people angry with them,’ Agnifilo told the 12-person jury.

He continued: ‘They’re reaching out. Why? Because they are pursuing women. They’re pursuing women across the board. That’s what the evidence shows. They’re not drugging them, they’re not raping them, but they’re certainly pursuing them.’

The defense team, which included the lawyer who recently secured acquittals for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs on major charges, urged jurors to look past emotional testimony from nearly a dozen alleged victims.

Agnifilo told jurors that acquitting takes bravery. ‘It takes courage to acquit. It does,’ he said. ‘And I want you guys to know that that’s what you should do here. You should have that courage.’

Attorney Deanna Paul, defending Tal Alexander, criticized prosecutors for lacking sufficient evidence. ‘You can’t build a house if you don’t have any bricks,’ she argued.

Both defense lawyers challenged the government’s attempt to connect their clients to a disturbing blog containing posts about drugging and assaulting women.

While Agnifilo called the blog content ‘horrific,’ he insisted no evidence showed the Alexander brothers authored the offensive posts. ‘Are they tasteless? They’re beyond tasteless. They’re shocking. They’re awful,’ he said. ‘I submit to you it does not help you. It doesn’t help you make your decision.’

Paul was more direct: ‘There is zero proof that any of the Alexander brothers ever wrote any of those blog posts, and there is not one shred of evidence that Tal even knew it existed.’

However, prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa countered in her rebuttal that investigators discovered the blog on a computer hard drive inside Tal Alexander’s residence. She claimed the posts reflected the brothers’ methods and rationalizations for assault.

Espinosa described how the blog justified attacks under various scenarios, including when victims were too frightened to report incidents or when drugs impaired their ability to resist.

The prosecutor dismissed defense arguments as ‘all nonsense’ and declared the case straightforward. ‘This is not a close case,’ she stated while requesting guilty verdicts.

She credited the courage of 11 women who testified against the brothers, calling their testimony ‘an avalanche of evidence.’

Espinosa accused defense attorneys of cherry-picking testimony details to distract jurors from the broader pattern of alleged abuse. ‘Defendants’ arguments are meant to confuse and distract you,’ she warned. ‘That bigger picture is more important.’

The case gained additional attention Thursday when Tracy Tutor, featured on Bravo’s ‘Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,’ filed a civil lawsuit alleging Oren Alexander drugged and attacked her in a restaurant restroom during a New York real estate event.

Jason Goldman, representing Oren Alexander in civil matters, criticized the timing of Tutor’s lawsuit, calling it ‘salacious and demonstrably false’ and designed for ‘maximum media impact.’ He noted her allegations date back over ten years and have been previously publicized.

All three brothers have entered not guilty pleas to the federal charges they face.

AUSTIN, Texas — Police body camera recordings released Thursday reveal the chaos that erupted when a gunman opened fire outside an Austin bar, resulting in three deaths in what federal authorities are examining as a possible terrorist attack.

“Everybody down!” one officer yells. “Where is he?”

The frightening scenes documented by officer cameras and security surveillance equipment illustrate how rapidly the violence unfolded early Sunday morning in Austin’s downtown nightlife area, injuring more than a dozen people.

According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, law enforcement reached the scene just 56 seconds after receiving the initial emergency call, ultimately shooting and killing the attacker when he opened fire on police.

Davis indicated the investigation continues and declined to speculate about what motivated the shooting, which occurred one day following joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran.

Federal investigators are treating the incident as a potential terrorist act, with a law enforcement source telling The Associated Press that the shooter wore clothing featuring an Iranian flag pattern and text reading “Property of Allah.”

Authorities have named the shooter as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, who lawfully purchased both the handgun and rifle used in the assault near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. The establishment sits on Sixth Street, a popular entertainment strip packed with drinking establishments and music venues near the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Officials now confirm 19 individuals sustained gunshot wounds, including the three fatalities, Davis announced Thursday. One victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The majority of shooting victims were located outside the establishment, including one person who had been waiting for transportation, according to Davis.

Emergency call recordings released Thursday capture screams and commands to “get down.” “There has been a shooting at Buford’s,” one caller said. “There are people dead over here. We need help right now.”

Diagne had not previously attracted law enforcement attention before beginning his attack early Sunday. Davis revealed investigators discovered he had been the subject of a mental health welfare check, possibly in 2022, conducted by another agency in a different location.

The gunman initially fired from inside his SUV before parking and exiting with a rifle, according to police. He shot another individual before responding officers arrived at the intersection and fatally wounded him, Davis explained.

Jorge Pederson, 30, an aspiring mixed martial arts competitor, succumbed to his injuries Monday. The recent Texas transplant from Minnesota was remembered by his former training facility, the Academy Martial Arts Gym, in a Facebook tribute noting he brought “light and joy into the grueling work of training.”

The other victims were identified as 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.

Shan, who studied business at the University of Texas at Austin, had secured employment with a consulting company, her family revealed in a university-issued statement. They described her as an only child and called her death “profoundly unfair.”

Harrington had been enrolled at Texas Tech University until last fall, with his former Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers honoring him in an Instagram memorial that praised his talent for making “ordinary days unforgettable.”

A Florida construction worker who received a presidential pardon for participating in the January 6th Capitol attack has been handed a life sentence for sexually abusing two minors.

Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, received the life sentence on Thursday from Hernando County Circuit Judge Stephen Toner after being found guilty of multiple charges including lewd and lascivious molestation of children and electronically sending harmful material to a minor.

Johnson was one of more than 1,500 individuals who received clemency from President Donald Trump for their involvement in the Capitol breach. The sweeping pardons, commutations, and case dismissals were issued on Trump’s first day returning to office.

Hernando County authorities launched their investigation into the child abuse allegations in July 2025. According to investigators, one victim reported that Johnson’s abuse began around April 2024, which was months before he received his sentence for the Capitol riot charges.

Court documents reveal that Johnson told one of his victims he anticipated receiving compensation as a pardoned January 6th participant and promised to include the child in his will to receive any remaining funds.

“This tactic was believed to be used to keep (the child) from exposing what Andrew had done,” the report said.

Prosecutors from Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson’s office discovered explicit messages Johnson had sent to one victim through the Discord platform.

“In the messages, Johnson attempted to have the victim download another application for a more private conversation and encouraged the victim to delete their messages afterwards,” Gladson’s office said in a news release.

Before his pardon, Johnson had been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington after entering guilty pleas to four misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol incident. Johnson had attempted to retract his guilty plea, alleging he was coerced, but the judge denied his motion.

The Seffner, Florida resident had carried a megaphone while walking to the Capitol following Trump’s “Stop the Steal” demonstration near the White House. Federal prosecutors stated he gained entry to the building by climbing through an office window that other participants had broken. After police deployed tear gas to clear the crowd of Trump supporters, Johnson shouted profanities and threats at law enforcement officers, according to prosecutors.

TORREY, Utah — Law enforcement officials have apprehended a 22-year-old Iowa man in connection with the deaths of three women in Utah, announcing the arrest Thursday after a multi-state manhunt.

Ivan Miller of Blakesburg, Iowa, is accused of a deadly crime spree that unfolded Wednesday afternoon in rural Utah communities near popular national parks. According to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden, Miller allegedly murdered an elderly woman at her residence, took her vehicle, and drove to a hiking trail where he killed two other women before fleeing in one of their cars.

The tragic discovery began when the husbands of two hikers went searching for their wives near Capitol Reef National Park. The men found one vehicle missing from the trailhead and discovered another car they didn’t recognize, prompting them to contact authorities.

“The husbands told authorities one vehicle was missing from the trailhead and they didn’t know who owned the other,” Roden explained.

Police traced the unknown vehicle to its owner, leading them to discover the first victim at a brick residence in Lyman, which remained surrounded by police tape Thursday as investigators collected evidence.

Law enforcement tracked Miller’s route using license plate recognition technology and vehicle tracking systems. The trail led from Utah through northern Arizona to the mountain community of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado, where Miller abandoned the stolen vehicle. Officers located him after a brief search in the area.

Miller appeared in Colorado jail records Thursday, held on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon. His initial court appearance was set for Friday afternoon. The Colorado Public Defender’s office is representing him, though officials declined to provide additional comments.

The victims include two friends who were hiking together – one in her 30s and another in her 60s – plus an 80-year-old woman who lived approximately 10 miles from the trail in Wayne County. Authorities say there was no connection between the hikers and the elderly victim.

“There is no indication that Miller had any connection to the victims,” Roden stated. Investigators believe the attacks were crimes of “convenience” rather than targeted violence, though they continue examining when Miller arrived in Utah and his activities before the killings.

The crime prompted safety warnings for Wayne County residents, with nearby schools closing Thursday as a precaution. Officials had asked the public to help locate a white Subaru Outback while warning people not to approach the vehicle.

Multiple crime scenes in Torrey and surrounding areas remain under investigation, with support from the State Bureau of Investigation and Crime Lab, according to Roden.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — During an emotional news conference Thursday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds expressed her continued support for military operations against Iran, even while mourning the deaths of four soldiers from her state who have been killed since December.

Two Iowa soldiers lost their lives last weekend when a retaliatory drone attack struck in Kuwait as the conflict with Iran escalated.

“I believe in the mission right now,” said Reynolds, a Republican, her voice cracking with emotion during the press briefing.

The governor defended the U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, stating: “I think it was the right thing to do. Just look at what Iran has done over the last several years. Hopefully we’re in and out. I believe that’s the goal of this administration.”

The two soldiers killed in Kuwait were Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, from Indianola, and Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, from West Des Moines. They were part of six Army Reservists who died in the attack, all serving with the 103rd Sustainment Command, a unit responsible for providing essential supplies including food, fuel, water, ammunition, and transportation equipment.

Earlier in December, the Iowa National Guard lost two members in Syria: Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, from Des Moines, and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, from Marshalltown. Military officials attributed their deaths to the Islamic State group.

“I can’t imagine the sacrifice,” Reynolds said. “To think they’re coming home and then maybe things have changed, delayed. We had some killed in action.”

The governor revealed she had personal conversations with Coady’s father and O’Brien’s wife following the tragedy.

“As you can imagine, they’re heartbroken and as Iowans, we grieve with them,” she said, noting that some wounded soldiers have been successfully evacuated to Germany for medical treatment.

O’Brien’s civilian employer, cybersecurity firm ProCircular, remembered him fondly. CEO Aaron Warner highlighted his “uplifting humor” and “calm guidance,” saying: “His quiet strength and expertise protected countless systems and left a lasting impact on everyone privileged to work with him.”

Military officials have released the names of the other four soldiers killed in the Kuwait attack: Sergeant 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Captain Cody Khork, 35, from Winter Haven, Florida; Sergeant 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Bellevue, Nebraska; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, from Sacramento, California.

Tina Marzan shared that her husband’s deployment was scheduled to conclude in just a few months, and their family had been eagerly planning to celebrate his April birthday upon his return home.

NBC Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie stepped behind the cameras at the network’s New York studios on Thursday, marking her first visit since her elderly mother vanished from Arizona over a month ago.

Guthrie came to express gratitude to her NBC colleagues for their ongoing support during this difficult time, according to the Today show. The veteran morning show host will eventually resume her on-air duties, but the network stated she “remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”

Nancy Guthrie, age 84, disappeared from her residence near Tucson on January 31st and was officially reported missing the next day. Law enforcement officials suspect she may have been kidnapped or taken involuntarily.

Despite the family posting a substantial $1 million reward for any leads that could help locate Nancy, investigators have struggled to gather meaningful information about her whereabouts.

Guthrie has served as co-host of NBC’s flagship morning program for more than a decade, beginning in 2012. Former Today show personality Hoda Kotb has stepped back into the role temporarily while Guthrie focuses her efforts on the search for her missing mother.

Family members are mourning six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who lost their lives in a drone attack on a Kuwait command facility during ongoing military operations against Iran.

Twenty-year-old Sgt. Declan Coady from West Des Moines, Iowa, had been regularly contacting his family from Kuwait with hourly updates to confirm his safety as military actions unfolded between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

“When he hadn’t responded to messages Sunday, most of us started to wonder,” his father Andrew told The Associated Press. “Your gut starts to get a feeling.”

The Pentagon identified four of the six logistics specialists killed in the attack on Tuesday: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, from Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Bellevue, Nebraska. Two additional soldiers have not been publicly named.

President Donald Trump acknowledged the casualties, stating “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended military preparations, saying Wednesday that the military “ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense. The terms of this war will be set by us at every step.”

Amor was scheduled to return home within days to reunite with her spouse and two children.

“She was almost home,” her husband Joey Amor shared from their residence Tuesday. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”

Nicole Amor enjoyed cultivating her garden and creating homemade salsa with peppers and tomatoes alongside her high school senior son. She also loved rollerblading and cycling with her fourth-grade daughter.

According to her husband, Amor had been relocated from the main base to a container-style structure without protective measures just one week before the fatal attack.

“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,” he explained.

Joey Amor said his wife was working extended hours and their final conversation occurred approximately two hours before her death, during which they shared lighthearted jokes about a minor fall she had experienced.

“She just never responded in the morning,” he said.

Coady had recently learned of his recommendation for advancement from specialist to sergeant, a promotion he received after his death.

Despite being among the youngest in his training program for military computer system troubleshooting, he impressed his instructors, according to his father Andrew Coady.

“He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said Tuesday. “He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”

The young soldier maintained close family ties through frequent phone calls, even brief ones. While pursuing cybersecurity studies at Drake University in Des Moines, he continued his education online from Kuwait with aspirations of becoming an officer.

“I still don’t fully think it’s real,” his sister Keira Coady reflected. “I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back.”

Khork demonstrated strong patriotic values and military interest from an early age, according to a family statement released Tuesday.

After enlisting in the Army Reserve, he participated in Florida Southern College’s ROTC program.

“That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,” stated his mother Donna Burhans, father James Khork, and stepmother Stacey Khork.

With a passion for history and a political science degree, Khork was described by his family as “the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.”

Friend Abbas Jaffer wrote on Facebook Monday about losing someone exceptional.

“My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our country overseas,” Jaffer posted, noting their friendship spanning over 16 years.

Tietjens resided with his family at Washington Terrace mobile home park in Bellevue, Nebraska, an Omaha suburb. He leaves behind a wife and son, based on social media information.

Having achieved black belt status in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo, Tietjens served as “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,” according to the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance’s Facebook tribute.

The organization noted that whether training or serving as a soldier, “he carried the same values: honor, discipline, service, and commitment to others.”

Nebraska Governor Pete Pillen honored the family Tuesday.

“Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never forget,” he wrote.

“We are holding the Tietjens family close in our hearts during this unbelievably difficult time and will keep them in our prayers,” the governor added.

Defense Department officials have disclosed the identities of four American military personnel among the six service members who lost their lives during the opening strikes in the war with Iran.

The Pentagon made the identification public after completing notification procedures for the families of the fallen troops.

Two additional service members who were killed in these initial military operations have not yet been publicly identified by military officials.

A devastating lawsuit has emerged following the tragic death of a Chinese American cancer researcher, with family members claiming that a university investigation played a role in driving their loved one to suicide.

The heartbreaking case has sparked difficult conversations about whether Asian scientists face unfair treatment and discrimination within American research institutions.

The researcher’s death by suicide has left both the scientific community and advocates grappling with troubling questions about how investigations and scrutiny may disproportionately impact researchers of Asian descent working in the United States.

A Georgia father whose son is accused of carrying out a deadly high school shooting has been convicted of second-degree murder by a jury on Tuesday.

The conviction centers on the father’s role in allowing his son to obtain the firearm that was later used in the tragic 2024 school attack, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals.

This case marks a significant legal precedent in holding parents criminally responsible when they enable their children’s access to weapons used in mass shootings.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Around the sprawling Fort Campbell Army installation that spans the Tennessee-Kentucky border, the conflict with Iran weighs heavily on residents’ minds in these military-focused communities.

Fort Campbell serves as headquarters for the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed “the Screaming Eagles,” a unit that has played crucial roles in America’s major military engagements dating back to World War II. Following the September 11 attacks, thousands of soldiers from this installation began routine rotations to Afghanistan and Iraq. When troop levels increased in those nations, annual combat deaths within the division exceeded some of its most devastating periods during the Vietnam War.

The communities of Oak Grove, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, border the installation and serve the soldier population with uniform shops, barber services, and quick-service restaurants. War remembrance displays and monuments occupy public parks throughout both cities. American Legion halls, VFW chapters, and military family assistance organizations dot the landscape. At Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, one-third of enrolled students have military backgrounds or are currently serving.

Juan Munoz, an Army veteran with Afghanistan experience who now provides career guidance for transitioning service members in Clarksville, describes area families as having “mixed emotions” regarding the current conflict. He notes that junior enlisted personnel often look forward to deployment opportunities, while their spouses, parents, and other relatives fear for their well-being.

“You can’t ever give up the concern for your loved one, who’s potentially putting themselves in harm’s way,” he explained. Despite these worries, families continue backing the Iran operation. “At the end of the day, they’re going to support their service member.”

Munoz characterized the war as a “great move,” arguing that Iran supplies weapons to adversaries, endangering American forces and regional partners.

“It’s what needs to be done,” he stated.

Edward Bauman, who completed 23 years of Army service with deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, shared his views Monday while speaking with media outside an Oak Grove retail store. His backing for the conflict stems from confidence in President Donald Trump’s judgment.

“My takeaway is there had to have been some reason for him to bomb them. I don’t think he would have just went out of his way to just, ‘I’m going to bomb these people’,” he remarked.

Bauman doubts Trump intends to launch another extended Middle Eastern campaign.

“It’s not going to be another Afghanistan. It’s not going to be another Iraq. We’re not going to go in and try to occupy them,” he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Monday that the fighting “is not endless” while cautioning that additional American casualties are probable in coming weeks.

Shannon Razsadin, who heads the Virginia-based Military Family Advisory Network nonprofit, acknowledged “a good amount of stress and anxiety from the community just around the unknowns right now.”

Despite the tension, she emphasized, “They’re incredibly proud. Military families are proud of their service. And our military, our service members are prepared, and they are ready.”

Susan Lynn, a Tennessee state representative from Mount Juliet located approximately 70 miles southeast of the Army base, represents those proud yet worried family members. In 2020, she used Facebook to praise Trump for keeping her Air Force son out of “another war.” This past Saturday, she announced his deployment and requested prayers.

“From the time my son was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Air Force,” Lynn said during a Monday phone conversation. “He’s extremely patriotic. He will do anything to support our commander in chief. And I feel the same way. That if our commander in chief has made this executive decision, that this is something we should do, then I will trust that.”

Conversely, Chris McFarland, another Fort Campbell veteran with service in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, actively demonstrates his opposition to the Iran war. Upon learning of the conflict, he commissioned a “No more wars” sign and has displayed it daily along a busy Clarksville street.

McFarland, who directs Veterans for All, a nonprofit focused on veteran healthcare advocacy, reports encountering some hostile reactions from passing motorists during his demonstrations, though others stop for discussions. Many seek additional information about current events.

He describes them as “in shock, confused, concerned.”

McFarland speaks bluntly about his personal reaction to the Iran strikes.

“It is 100% unnecessary. It is unconstitutional. Literally, our own Congress didn’t even approve of this. This was done without anyone’s acknowledgement at 3:00 in the morning to murder people over in Iran.”

For combat veterans like himself, he explains, the prospect of renewed warfare triggers difficult memories.

“It just puts us right back in, right back at ground zero.”

A Georgia father has become the most recent parent to face criminal conviction after his child was involved in a deadly school shooting, as prosecutors increasingly pursue cases against parents they believe contributed to such tragedies.

Colin Gray was found guilty Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, located northeast of Atlanta. A jury quickly reached their verdict after prosecutors argued Gray provided his son with access to firearms and ammunition while being aware of the teenager’s declining mental health.

The shooting resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers. Gray’s son, Colt Gray, was 14 years old when the incident occurred and has entered not guilty pleas to multiple charges against him.

This conviction continues a trend where legal authorities are expanding accountability beyond the actual shooters when evidence suggests parental negligence played a role in enabling the violence.

Several other recent cases demonstrate this pattern:

In Wisconsin, Jeffrey Rupnow faces charges for intentionally providing a dangerous weapon to a minor resulting in death. His 15-year-old daughter Natalie killed a student and teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison in 2024 before taking her own life. Prosecutors revealed that Rupnow acknowledged his daughter was having difficulty dealing with his divorce and purchased firearms as a way to bond with her.

Defense attorney Lisa Goldman argued at a July 2025 hearing that Rupnow acted responsibly, noting that Natalie had completed gun safety training and that her father stored the weapons in a safe.

The groundbreaking case involved Jennifer and James Crumbley, who became the first American parents to face criminal responsibility for a mass school shooting carried out by their child. Both are currently serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter.

Their son Ethan Crumbley fatally shot four students and injured others at Oxford High School in Michigan during 2021. School officials had shown the parents their son’s violent artwork just hours before the shooting occurred, but the Crumbleys refused to take him home. Nobody searched his backpack for weapons.

While the Crumbleys were unaware of their son’s specific intentions, they had recently given him a firearm as a present. Prosecutors successfully argued that Ethan’s actions could have been predicted and that his parents failed to take steps to prevent the violence.

In Illinois, Robert Crimo Jr. entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges for supporting his son’s gun permit application in 2019, despite being aware that Robert Crimo III had previously expressed thoughts of suicide.

Three years following that permit approval, Crimo III opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, killing seven people.

“He was criminally reckless the moment he submitted that affidavit,” stated prosecutor Eric Rinehart regarding the father’s actions.

The elder Crimo received a 60-day jail sentence, while his son is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to murder charges in March.

Deja Taylor faced prosecution in both state and federal courts following an incident where her 6-year-old son brought her gun to school and shot a teacher in a classroom full of students in Newport News, Virginia, during 2023.

Taylor received a 21-month federal prison sentence for a drug-related offense connected to illegal gun possession. Additionally, she was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect.

“That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself,” Taylor told “Good Morning America” in 2023.

The wounded teacher, Abigail Zwerner, told a judge she wasn’t certain “whether it would be my final moment on Earth.”

A Detroit resident walked out of prison Tuesday after spending more than a quarter-century incarcerated based on what prosecutors now admit was a forced confession extracted by a corrupt police detective.

George Calicut Jr., 56, emerged from the Coldwater, Michigan correctional facility sporting a Detroit Lions sweatshirt and broad grin as he embraced his attorneys. He had been serving life without parole for a 1999 homicide.

Calicut has consistently maintained his innocence in the death of Virgie Perkins, claiming he never laid eyes on the supposed confession statement until it was presented during his trial. The case against him lacked eyewitness testimony and physical evidence linking him to the crime.

Recent DNA analysis has “further supports the lack of any evidence” tying Calicut to the fatal attack at Perkins’ residence, according to a joint statement from Wayne County prosecutors and defense attorneys.

“Clearing Calicut reflects this office’s unwavering commitment to the integrity of convictions and the credibility of the system,” stated Valerie Newman, who leads the conviction integrity unit.

A judge threw out the charges following a request from both prosecution and defense teams, allowing Calicut’s immediate release.

Legal representation came from the University of Michigan Law School’s Innocence Clinic, with additional support from the Cooley Innocence Project at Cooley Law School.

The original charges alleged Calicut strangled Perkins and slashed her throat during a robbery at her home, stealing cash and a telephone. While Calicut acknowledged taking a phone from Perkins’ son the following day, he insisted he retrieved it from a car.

During the original trial, Detroit homicide detective Barbara Simon admitted she had written Calicut’s supposed confession statement before he signed it. Despite Calicut’s testimony denying the confession’s accuracy, jurors convicted him of murder, triggering an automatic life sentence without parole.

“Simon told Mr. Calicut, who had no prior interactions with police, that she could help him by creating a statement that would reduce the charge to manslaughter, which would allow him to get a bond and go home,” prosecutors and defense lawyers wrote in their four-page dismissal agreement.

Attempts to contact Simon, who has since retired from the Detroit Police Department, were unsuccessful as her phone went unanswered.

The city of Detroit has paid out millions in lawsuit settlements connected to Simon’s conduct during her tenure as a homicide detective.

Court records indicate the original prosecutor was Mike Cox, who went on to become Michigan’s attorney general and is currently seeking the Republican nomination for governor. Cox did not respond to requests for comment regarding the exoneration.

A Georgia father has been found guilty on multiple charges including second-degree murder in connection with his teenage son’s deadly school shooting, marking an unusual case where a parent faces criminal consequences for their child’s violent actions.

Colin Gray, 55, was convicted Tuesday on 27 charges following an 11-day trial related to the tragic September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The jury took less than two hours to reach their decision.

The charges stem from a shooting carried out by Gray’s 14-year-old son Colt, who used a rifle his father had given him as a Christmas present to kill four people and injure seven others at the school located about an hour from Atlanta.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the elder Gray bore responsibility for arming and enabling his troubled son. “The case was about who armed Colt Gray and who enabled him to take the actions that he did,” prosecutors told the jury.

Gray’s defense team maintained that only the son should face punishment for the shooting. Colin Gray testified in his own defense, stating he was “trying to be a good father in a broken home” and claimed he never anticipated his son would carry out the attack.

The jury found Colin Gray guilty on charges including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and reckless conduct. A judge had previously dismissed two charges of second-degree cruelty to children before jury deliberations began.

The victims of the shooting were 14-year-old students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, along with teachers Cristina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39.

Colt Gray faces his own separate trial on 55 charges, including four counts of malice murder and four counts of felony murder. No trial date has been set for the teenager’s case.

WINDER, Ga. — A jury in Georgia has found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges connected to his teenage son’s deadly attack at Apalachee High School.

The verdict came Tuesday following the September 2024 massacre in Winder, located northeast of Atlanta, where Gray’s son allegedly fatally shot two students and two teachers. Gray represents part of a growing trend of parents facing criminal charges when their children carry out mass shootings.

Gray displayed minimal reaction while hearing the guilty verdict and remained stoic as each jury member confirmed their decision. Court officers placed him in handcuffs at the defense table where he spoke briefly with his attorney. His sentencing will occur at a future court date.

The jury determined Gray was responsible for second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old victims, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Under Georgia statutes, this charge applies when someone causes a child’s death through cruelty to children. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of educators Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

The attack also left one additional teacher and eight students with injuries. Gray received guilty verdicts on multiple charges of reckless conduct and cruelty to children.

According to prosecutors, Gray provided his son Colt with firearm access and ammunition “after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another.”

Colt Gray, age 14 during the shooting incident, faces indictment on 55 total charges including murder. He has entered a not guilty plea, with his judge scheduling a status conference for mid-March.

Law enforcement officials determined that Colt Gray meticulously organized the September 4, 2024 attack at the school serving 1,900 students.

According to investigators, he transported a semiautomatic assault-style weapon to school in his backpack, with the barrel protruding and concealed with poster board. After departing his second-period class, he exited a restroom armed with the weapon and opened fire in both a classroom and school corridors, investigators reported.

Prosecutors revealed that Colin Gray had presented the firearm to his son as a Christmas present months before the shooting and continued allowing access to the weapon and ammunition despite recognizing his son’s declining mental state.

The prosecution also disclosed that Colin Gray was aware of his son’s fascination with mass school shooters, including maintaining a bedroom shrine dedicated to Nikolas Cruz, who perpetrated the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attack in Parkland, Florida.

Cincinnati police have taken two suspects into custody following a weekend nightclub shooting that left nine people injured, authorities announced Tuesday.

Police arrested Franeek Cobb, 24, and Derrick Long, 29, on Monday, charging both with felonious assault in connection with the incident, according to the Cincinnati Police Department. Court records did not yet show legal representation for either suspect as of Tuesday morning.

The violence unfolded around 1 a.m. Sunday at Riverfront Live, a venue located along the Ohio River in Cincinnati’s eastern district. When officers arrived after receiving reports of gunshots, they discovered nine individuals suffering from bullet wounds.

Medical personnel transported all victims to area hospitals, where officials report they remain in stable condition.

Authorities have not revealed what sparked the shooting or provided details about the circumstances leading up to the incident. The police department’s homicide division is handling the investigation.

Federal assistance is being provided by the FBI, while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had previously put up a $5,000 reward for information leading to suspect identification.

The shooting occurred during a birthday party organized by Jermaine Tandy, who goes by DJ Fresh, based on information from his Facebook account. Representatives for Tandy released a statement expressing they were “devastated” by the violence and described it as a “senseless act.”

Eyewitness Anton Canady spoke with The Associated Press about hearing sounds of an altercation before gunfire began. When panicked patrons rushed for the doors, Canady’s girlfriend fell down, prompting him to shield her from being trampled.

“I don’t think it was like they was doing it purposely or intentionally, I just think nobody wanted to die in there,” Canady explained.

Once outside, Canady discovered his cousin had been shot. He used fabric from a nearby vehicle to apply pressure to her injuries until emergency responders took over. He later confirmed she was “doing good” though experiencing shock from the trauma.

While this incident occurred around the same time as a fatal bar shooting in Austin, Texas, an ATF representative stated earlier this week that the Cincinnati shooting does not appear to be terrorism-related.

The venue sits beside the Ohio River near the well-known Riverbend Music Center, which remains closed during winter months. The property has operated under various names including Stage Forty-Three and Inner Circle, but gained recognition as the former location of Annie’s, a legendary rock venue that featured prominent rock and metal acts during the 1990s and early 2000s. Management rebranded the location as Riverfront Live in 2018 following concerns about criminal incidents.

Two people are recovering after their aircraft went down in the icy Hudson River Monday evening, with both occupants managing to swim to safety following the crash.

The incident happened shortly after a single-engine Cessna 172 departed from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, according to Federal Aviation Administration officials.

First responders rushed to the reported crash location but had difficulty finding the downed aircraft initially, the Middle Hope Fire Department stated. The plane was discovered minutes later in the water near Newburgh, approximately 62 miles north of Manhattan.

Both the pilot and passenger received medical treatment at a local hospital for minor injuries that were not specified. Officials have not disclosed the identities of those involved.

The circumstances that led to the crash remain unknown as the FAA continues its investigation.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul commended the rescue teams’ work, describing the successful rescue as “another miracle on the Hudson.” Her comment referenced the famous January 2009 incident when a US Airways aircraft struck birds and lost engine power after takeoff. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger became renowned for successfully landing the disabled aircraft in the Hudson River, resulting in the rescue of all 155 passengers and crew members.