2 adults, 3 children dead in New Jersey house fire
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(PATERSON, N.J.) — A rapid moving house fire claimed the lives of five people Friday night in Paterson, New Jersey, according to fire officials.
Paterson Fire Chief Alex Alicea said that the fire broke out in the home at around 9:54 p.m. and spread quickly from the lower floor to other parts of the building due to heavy winds in the area on Friday night.
“The fire was under heavy wind which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire onto the second floor where, eventually, five victims were found … two adults and three children,” Alicea told ABC News’ New York station WABC.
Alicea said that 11 other people who lived in the building survived but are now displaced due to the fire.
“The Red Cross is here on scene to assist with that,” said Alicea.
The identities of the five victims have not yet been identified, and the cause and origin of the fire is currently under investigation, officials said.
(NEW YORK) — More than 1,600 flights have been canceled across the U.S. on Monday as the Federal Aviation Administration limits capacity at 40 major U.S. airports, with President Donald Trump threatening air traffic controllers to “get back to work, NOW!!!”
“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,'” Trump said in a social media post on Monday.
In addition to the 1,656 flights canceled on Monday, there were also 2,548 delays for flights within, into or out of the United States, according to airline traffic tracker FlightAware.
Trump also claimed he was recommending a $10,000 bonus to air traffic controllers who did not take any time off during the government shutdown, though he did not explain specifics on how that would be done.
“For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” Trump said.
ATC Union President Nick Daniels responded to Trump’s post during a press conference, saying controllers deserve to be paid and the union will work through the issues with the administration.
“I’ll take anything that recognizes these hard-working men and women, but we’ll work with the administration on any issues that are out there,” Daniels said. “Air traffic controllers have continued to show up during this shutdown. They’ve endured a longest shutdown in American history, and every single day, they absolutely, not only deserve their pay, they deserve to be recognized for what’s going on.”
He added, “Again, air traffic controllers should not be the political pawn during a government shutdown.”
The travel chaos, which comes amid a record-long shutdown of the federal government, was expected to continue into Tuesday, according to the tracker. At least 939 flights planned for Tuesday have already been canceled, FlightAware said.
The FAA’s limiting capacity does not impact international flights as it would be a violation of international agreements with the countries, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an interview on ABC News Live on Friday.
There were 2,953 flight cancellations on Sunday, one of the worst days in recent U.S. history. Through 4 p.m., it had the 11th-most cancellations of any day since Jan. 1, 2024, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
There are air traffic controller shortages across much of the country, necessitating the cutbacks on flights, according to Duffy. Air traffic controllers, who are not being paid during the shutdown, are faced with tough decisions.
“We took an oath to protect the flying public … and without any money, it’s almost impossible,” Chris Brown, executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 10-40, which represents 1,600 Transportation Safety Administration employees in North Texas, told ABC News Live on Sunday. “If they can’t pay for day care and they don’t have any extra resources, then there’s no way for them to come to work. They can’t leave their kids at home alone.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul arrives for a press conference on federal cuts to healthcare at Lincoln Hospital on August 18, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that she will sign an executive order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines, saying it will allow New Yorkers to make “their own healthcare decisions.”
The announcement comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a grilling before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
“In the wake of relentless uncertainty and political attacks on science coming out of Washington, Governor Hochul is taking action to protect New Yorkers. She will sign an Executive Order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines, so families who want protection can get it quickly, safely, and close to home,” a statement from a spokesperson of Governor Hochul said. “This temporary order will ensure seamless access while the Governor works with the Legislature on a long-term solution to safeguard access to preventive care and vaccines.”
On Thursday during his hearing, Kennedy claimed that anyone can get COVID-19 vaccines at their pharmacy for free, however, pharmacies are being selective due to the limbo of federal regulations.
The FDA has approved the updated shots for only older and high-risk Americans, and the CDC vaccine panel is set to meet to discuss potential recommendations in a few weeks.
Amid the regulatory uncertainty, some pharmacies have said that access to the shots may vary state-by-state and may require a prescription.
“By signing this EO, Governor Hochul is making it clear that when Washington Republicans play politics with public health, New Yorkers will still be able make their own health care decisions and get the care they need from trusted providers in their community,” Governor Hochul’s spokesperson said.
Kennedy’s hearing, which lasted nearly three hours, was often contentious as he was grilled on everything from vaccine availability to his staffing shakeups at the CDC. Several Republicans on the panel expressed concern on vaccines, while Democrats accused Kennedy of breaking pledges he made during his confirmation hearing back in January.
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(VIRGINIA) — A Virginia jury found that an assistant principal acted with gross negligence when a then-6-year-old student shot his first grade teacher in a lawsuit filed over the 2023 shooting.
The jury awarded the teacher, Abby Zwerner, $10 million in damages, with award interest beginning on June 1, 2024.
The verdict comes after the jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon in the high-profile civil case.
Zwerner was shot in January 2023 in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Her complaint alleged the school’s assistant principal at the time, Ebony Parker, failed to act after being informed multiple times that her student had a firearm on the day of the incident and did not let staff search him prior to the shooting.
Parker did not react as the verdict was read in court on Thursday.
Zwerner’s attorneys said they are “very happy with the outcome.”
“I remember just three years ago, almost to this day, hearing for the first time Abby’s story and thinking that this could have been prevented,” one of the attorneys, Diane Toscano, told reporters outside the courthouse in Newport News. “So now to hear from a jury of her peers that they agree that this tragedy could have been prevented.”
When asked about the payment of the damages, one of Zwerner’s attorneys noted Parker is insured under an insurance policy for the Newport News School Board, but noted there are pending post-trial motions.
The civil complaint, which was seeking $40 million in damages, alleged Parker acted with gross negligence and in “reckless disregard” for Zwerner’s safety and claimed Zwerner continues to suffer pain and emotional distress over the shooting.
The bullet went through Zwerner’s left hand, which she had lifted, and then into her chest, where it remains. She was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.
“Those choices that she made to treat Jan. 6, 2023, like any other day, even though a gun should change everything, is why we’re here,” Zwerner’s attorney, Kevin Biniazan, said during closing arguments on Wednesday.
Biniazan argued there were multiple opportunities for Parker to investigate and take immediate action after several school workers “sounded the alarm” about a possible gun in the school. He said the defense will attempt to play the “blame game” and point the finger at others on staff, but each of them had a “piece of the puzzle” while Parker “had the entire puzzle.”
“A gun changes everything. You stop and you investigate,” he said. “You get to the bottom of it to know whether that gun is real and on campus so you can deal with it. But that’s not what happened.”
On the millions in damages sought, Biniazan asked the jurors, “What number do you arrive at for somebody who didn’t want this and it’s been inserted into her life like a bullet fragment against her spine?”
During the defense’s closing arguments, an attorney for Parker said the case is about “real-time judgments, not hindsight judgments,” and the low likelihood that a 6-year-old boy would have a firearm that day and shoot his teacher.
“It was a tragedy that, until that day, was unprecedented, it was unthinkable and it was unforeseeable, and I ask that you please not compound that tragedy by blaming Dr. Parker for it,” the defense attorney, Sandra Douglas, said.
Zwerner testified during the trial, which began in late October, recounting the moment she was shot.
“I thought I had died,” she recalled on the stand. “I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven. But then it all got black and so I then thought I wasn’t going there.”
“My next memory is, I see two co-workers around me, and I process that I’m hurt, and they’re putting pressure on where I’m hurt,” she continued.
Parker did not testify during the trial.
Three other defendants initially listed in Zwerner’s complaint — two school administrators and the Newport News School Board — were dismissed from the lawsuit ahead of the civil trial.
Zwerner and Parker both resigned following the shooting. Zwerner said she has since completed a cosmetology program but has not yet started working as her hand heals following her most recent surgery.
Parker has also been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the shooting — one count for each bullet that was in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled to start this month.
The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect in connection with the shooting, which she is currently serving. Taylor was also sentenced to 21 months in prison on federal firearm and drug charges, which she has since served.
