Travis King, Army soldier who ran into North Korea, to plead guilty Friday, lawyer says
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(FORT BLISS, Texas) — Travis King, the U.S. Army private who ran across the border from South Korea to North Korea last year will plead guilty on Friday at a general court martial hearing being held at Fort Bliss, Texas.
“He faces 14 charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice but will plead guilty to five, including desertion, while the remaining charges will be withdrawn and dismissed by the Army,” his attorney Franklin Rosenblatt said in a statement issued Thursday.
“Travis will provide an account of his actions, respond to the military judge’s questions about his decision to plead guilty, and receive his sentence,” Rosenblatt added.
The plea deal was first disclosed by Rosenblatt on August 26 after initial discussions with prosecutors began in mid-July .
At the time a spokesperson for the Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed to ABC News that if King’s guilty plea is accepted by the presiding judge he would be sentenced King pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement. It is unclear how much prison time King could face as part of the plea deal that will be presented to the judge on Friday.
If the judge does not accept the guilty plea, the judge can rule that the case be litigated in a contested court-martial.
In July 2023, King crossed into North Korea, triggering an international incident when he was held by North Korean authorities for more than two months after he dashed into North Korea at the Joint Security Area at the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea.
Prior to joining the tour group that brought him to the DMZ King had escaped from his Army escort at the airport where he was to have boarded a flight to the United States after having just been released by South Korean authorities following his detention on assault charges.
Upon his release in September King returned to the United States where he was immediately placed in a military reintegration program at the Brooke Army Medical Center that is offered to American civilians and military personnel who have been detained overseas as hostages or involuntarily.
During his stay the Army declined to comment on whether King might face disciplinary action, saying their priority was his physical and mental well-being.
But in October military prosecutors filed eight criminal charges against King.
(NEW YORK) — A dog in Florida has been rescued by a team of firefighters after falling 14 feet into a cave in the middle of a field, authorities said.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:05 p.m. Monday when officials from Marion County Fire Rescue in Ocala, Florida, received a call from a distressed dog owner reporting that his dog Bella had fallen into a 14-foot hole and he was unable to get her out, according to a statement from MCFR released on Monday detailing the incident.
“Marion Oaks Engine #24 arrived on scene at 7:08pm, finding Bella trapped in the hole,” authorities said. “Engine #24 Captain established command and requested our Technical Rescue Team on Tower #2 from Belleview Station #18.”
Rescuers were able to set up their rig successfully and a firefighter was subsequently lowered into the cave in an attempt to rescue Bella.
“Firefighters removed her from the cave and returned her safely to her owner,” MCFR said in their statement.
It is unclear if the cave was signposted, but Bella looked thrilled to be out of trouble in pictures released by the fire department.
“Amazing work to save this dog. God Bless you all,” said one person commenting on MCFR’s social media post announcing the rescue.
“MCFR, thank you for saving this angel,” said another commenter. “I will be forever grateful for guys like you. God bless.”
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has vaulted to the forefront of the presidential campaign as a top donor and impassioned speaker in support of former President Donald Trump.
Still, Musk has said in recent days that the candidate’s economic plans could cause financial pain, at least in the short term.
Among those proposals is the potential formation of a new “government efficiency commission” to be led by Musk. The group would scrutinize federal spending and slash programs deemed wasteful.
Speaking on a telephone town hall on Friday, Musk said spending cuts imposed by the commission would “necessarily involve some temporary hardship.” Ultimately, Musk added, the cost-cutting would “ensure long-term prosperity.”
“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” Musk said.
Offering up another cautionary note, Musk voiced agreement with a post on X on Tuesday that warned of dire economic fallout if Trump wins the election and implements some of his key agenda items.
“If Trump succeeds in forcing through mass deportations, combined with Elon hacking away at the government, firing people and reducing the deficit – there will be an initial severe overreaction in the economy,” an anonymous user posted on X.
“Market will tumble. But when the storm passes and everyone realizes we are on sounder footing, there will be a rapid recovery to a healthier, sustainable economy,” the post added.
In reply, Musk said, “Sounds about right.”
ABC News contacted Musk-owned companies, Tesla and SpaceX, in an effort to reach Musk for comment. He did not immediately respond. America PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In response to ABC News’ request for comment, the Trump campaign praised Musk, saying he is uniquely equipped to help improve government efficiency.
“As President Trump has said, Elon Musk is a genius, an innovator, and has literally made history by building creative, modern, and efficient systems. Elon Musk has dedicated himself to America’s future by offering to serve with President Trump to ensure our government works more efficiently and uses America’s taxpayer dollars effectively,” Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told ABC News.
“The commission will ultimately be staffed and dedicated to this mission, and President Trump is committed to having Mr. Musk lead this commission to analyze the functionality of our government,” Hughes added.
On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed to slap tariffs of up to 20% on all imported goods and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Economists widely view those proposals as likely to drive up consumer prices, since companies typically pass along the costs of taxes and wage increases to customers.
Trump has also floated the notion of eliminating the personal income tax for all Americans. The U.S. would pay for the lost tax revenue with far-reaching tariffs, Trump told Joe Rogan last week.
The individual income tax currently accounts for roughly half of the $5 trillion in revenue that the federal government brings in each year. It would be all but impossible to make up for the lost revenue with increased tariffs, experts previously told ABC News.
Last year, the U.S. imported about $3.8 trillion worth of goods, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found. To generate the same amount of revenue currently brought in by the individual income tax, a tariff would have needed to be set at about 70%, said Alan Auerbach, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
However, a tariff of such magnitude would significantly reduce U.S. trade, slashing the total amount of imported goods and, in turn, reducing tax revenue.
Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX, has taken an active role as both a large donor and vocal proponent backing Trump.
Musk donated about $75 million to a pro-Trump Super PAC over a three-month period ending in September, according to disclosures filed to the Federal Election Commission. Musk, who owns X, frequently posts messages in support of Trump on the social media platform, where he boasts more than 202 million followers.
The U.S. national debt currently stands at about $35 trillion. President Joe Biden has added to the national debt over the course of his term in office, just as Trump did.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic plans would increase primary deficits by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, according to a budget model created by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. The plans put forward by Trump, meanwhile, would increase primary deficits by $5.8 trillion over that period, the model found.
Speaking on a telephone town hall on Friday, Musk vowed to closely examine the federal budget if appointed head of a potential “government efficiency commission.”
The role means “looking at every line item, every expense, and saying is this necessary at all?” Musk said.
(MASSACHUSETTS) — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced on Wednesday that students with family income below $200,000 can expect to attend the Cambridge institution tuition-free starting next fall.
The bulk of American households meet this income threshold, according to the university, which says the new policy will cover 80% of its incoming classes.
Additionally, students whose family income is below $100,000 will see their entire MIT experience paid for, including tuition, housing, dining, fees and an allowance for books and personal expenses.
“MIT’s distinctive model of education — intense, demanding, and rooted in science and engineering — has profound practical value to our students and to society,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a press release.
“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board,” Kornbluth added, “and we’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances. So, to every student out there who dreams of coming to MIT: Don’t let concerns about cost stand in your way.”
America’s top engineering university, which was also ranked as the third-most prestigious university in the nation by Forbes, comes at a steep annual price.
MIT tuition was $57,986 for the 2022-2023 school year, which is higher than the $39,400 average for four-year private institutions in the nation, according to the Education Data Initiative.
Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions and student financial services, said the financial aid initiative allows for America’s most eligible students to gain a top-ranked education, regardless of their family’s income.
“We believe MIT should be the preeminent destination for the most talented students in the country interested in an education centered on science and technology, and accessible to the best students regardless of their financial circumstances,” Schmill said in the release.
Before the landmark financial aid announcement, MIT was already one of nine universities in the U.S. that does not consider applicants’ ability to pay as part of its admissions process.
Unlike most American colleges, MIT does not expect students on aid to take loans, and the institution does not provide “an admissions advantage” to the children of alumni or donors, according to the release.
“With the need-based financial aid we provide today, our education is much more affordable now than at any point in the past,” Schmill, who graduated from MIT in 1986, said in the release, while acknowledging that, of course, “the ‘sticker price’ of MIT is higher now than it was when I was an undergraduate.”
The tuition-free financial aid initiative is made possible by “generous gifts made by individual alumni and friends” of the university, according to MIT.
