2 teens arrested, 3rd suspect at large in DC murder of congressional intern
(WASHINGTON) — Two 17-year-olds have been arrested in the murder of congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday.
Investigators are still searching for a third suspect.
Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was killed by a stray bullet in Washington on June 30.
“He was an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him,” Pirro said. “His death is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how violence too often visits us in the nation’s capital.”
The two suspects arrested are being charged as adults with first-degree murder, she said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — A panel of appeals court judges on Thursday voiced deep skepticism with the Trump administration’s attempt to justify sweeping tariffs based on a national emergency.
As the clock ticks down to President Donald Trump’s Aug. 1 deadline for the resumption of reciprocal tariffs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is hearing arguments Thursday over whether Trump’s sweeping tariffs are lawful.
A group of small businesses and a coalition of states are asking the appeals court to invalidate the bulk of Trump’s tariffs, arguing that Trump overstepped his power when he used a decades-old economic emergency statute to enact a flurry of tariffs in April.
“The President’s chaotic assertion of that purported authority, which changed by the day and wreaked havoc on capital markets and the economy, illustrates both the breadth of powers that the President claims and the danger of unlimited authority in this domain,” the coalition of states argued in their brief to the court.
At the start of Thursday’s hearing, judges on the appeals court panel questioned why Trump is relying on a law that has never been used to justify tariffs, saying that the law itself never mentions the word “tariffs” and voicing concern that the president justifying the unilateral action based on an emergency could amount to “the death knell of the Constitution.”
The hearing comes at a critical time for Trump, as he rushes to complete trade deals ahead of a self-imposed Friday deadline for dozens of reciprocal tariffs to restart. Lawyers for the Trump administration have argued that a court invalidating the tariffs would create a “foreign policy disaster scenario” as trade negotiations remain ongoing.
“To all of my great lawyers who have fought so hard to save our Country, good luck in America’s big case today,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Thursday morning. “If our Country was not able to protect itself by using TARIFFS AGAINST TARIFFS, WE WOULD BE ‘DEAD,’ WITH NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL OR SUCCESS.”
The legal authority for Trump’s tariffs was thrown into uncertainty in May when the New York-based Court of International Trade ruled that the president did not have the power to unilaterally impose his global “Liberation Day” tariffs, as well as the tariffs on China, Mexico, and Mexico that Trump imposed to combat fentanyl trafficking.
A federal appeals court quickly stayed the Court of International Trade’s decision before it could take effect, while the Trump administration’s appeal worked its way through the courts.
At issue is whether Trump had the authority to enact tariffs without authorization from Congress through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives the president the power to impose tariffs under an “unusual and extraordinary threat.”
While the Trump administration has argued that the tariffs combat fentanyl trafficking and seek to settle the country’s trade imbalances, the Court of International Trade was unconvinced that the Trump administration demonstrated an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and that those tariffs “deal with the threats.”
In court filings, the Trump administration has argued that court’s decision is “riddled with legal errors” and “would significantly harm the United States if it were to take effect.” They have justified the tariffs by citing the country’s fentanyl crisis and the “grave threats to the United States’ national security and economy” stemming from trade imbalances.
“President Trump has found that America’s exploding trade deficit, the implications of that deficit for our economy and national security, and a fentanyl importation crisis that has claimed thousands of American lives constitute national emergencies,” lawyers with the Department of Justice have argued.
The Trump administration has also argued that invalidating the tariffs would “deprive the United States of a powerful tool for combating systemic distortions in the global trading system, thus allowing other nations to continue to hold American exporters hostage to their unreasonable, discriminatory, and sometimes retaliatory trade policies.”
The group of small businesses and state attorneys general have pushed back against those claims, arguing that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give Trump “unlimited tariff authority” and that he has failed to prove “an unusual and extraordinary threat.”
“The President’s chaotic assertion of that purported authority, which changed by the day and wreaked havoc on capital markets and the economy, illustrates both the breadth of powers that the President claims and the danger of unlimited authority in this domain,” they wrote.
(KERRVILLE, Texas) — A Texas man whose parents were swept away during last week’s catastrophic flooding last week says he’s coming to terms with their likely loss, even as he helps others find closure.
Robert Brake Jr. has been searching for his parents since the early hours of July 4, when rushing floodwaters carried away their cabin at the HTR campground in Kerrville, Texas.
His parents, Robert Leroy Brake Sr. and Joni Kay Brake, were among those caught in the deadly flash floods that have claimed at least 108 lives across central Texas.
“My folks got washed away in their cabin,” Brake Jr. told ABC News. “We came down to help in the search efforts. Maybe not be able to find my parents under this tragedy, but maybe we can help somebody else find theirs and have some closure and peace.”
The devastating floods struck with little warning. A flash flood emergency was issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. on July 4, shortly before the Brakes’ cabin was swept away. Parts of the region received up to 15 inches of rain, more than double the amount forecasted.
After four days of searching with family members, Brake Jr. said divine intervention helped him accept what might have happened to his parents.
“The Lord woke me up. He put me on my feet. He said go make a difference,” Brake Jr. told ABC News. “If it means people being kind to each other… I’ll accept that. If that’s what it meant to lose my parents–– people to be kind to each other just one more day and love the Lord just a little more — I’ll accept that.”
The tragedy has touched many families across central Texas, including at Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors lost their lives when floodwaters struck the century-old summer camp. At least 18 people remain missing across the region, including six from Camp Mystic.
Despite coming to terms with his parents’ likely fate, Brake Jr. maintains a small glimmer of hope.
“I’m hoping and praying there’s an ounce of hope that they’re still alive,” he said.
His parents left behind three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
The massive search effort continues with hundreds of volunteers and more than 20 state agencies involved. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to discuss the ongoing crisis, as additional rain threatens already saturated parts of central Texas.
Hurricane Erin – The Fifth Named Storm Map/ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, has prompted a state of emergency in North Carolina and is expected to bring dangerous waves and rip currents to beaches along the East Coast.
“To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned on Tuesday.
Here’s the latest forecast:
The Outer Banks
While the storm won’t make landfall on the East Coast, it has triggered a tropical storm warning for North Carolina’s Outer Banks and mandatory evacuations for some Outer Banks residents and visitors.
The Outer Banks is expected to get heavy rain, winds over 40 mph and a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet this week.
A high surf advisory has also been issued, with destructive, large breaking waves up to 20 feet in the forecast.
Coastal damage is likely from large waves destroying protective dunes. The flooding will also extend inland, likely impacting roads.
Tracking Erin
Dangerous rip currents and waves are forecast for the East Coast through Friday, with high surf advisories stretching from Florida to Massachusetts.
More than 50 people were rescued from the ocean at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on Monday, local officials said, and no swimming is recommended at Wrightsville Beach from Tuesday through Friday.
The popular beach towns of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Wildwood, New Jersey, banned swimming on Monday due to the rough surf, while New York City is closing its beaches for swimming on Wednesday and Thursday.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday urged all beachgoers in the state to avoid going in the ocean this week, and added, “We need to anticipate what could be meaningful flooding on the back end of this.”
On Tuesday, waves are picking up from Florida to the Outer Banks, and then they’ll span from Florida to New Jersey on Wednesday.
Wednesday night into Thursday, waves could rise up to 20 feet in the Carolinas as Erin makes its closest pass to the Outer Banks.
On Thursday, massive waves will hit beaches in the Northeast, including the Jersey Shore and Long Island. These waves will be destructive along the Northeast coastline, especially in vulnerable areas, from the Jersey Shore to Rhode Island.
Erin will make its closest pass to the Outer Banks on Thursday, bringing the heavy rain and strong winds. Erin will then head out to sea.
ABC News’ Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
