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Doctor in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case agrees to plead guilty: DOJ

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One of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry‘s ketamine death case has agreed to plead guilty to distributing the drug, the Department of Justice said Monday.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia is expected to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine in the coming weeks, the DOJ said.

The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Plasencia is one of five people charged in the wake of Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose at his home on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The Friends actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.

Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had been set to go on trial in August in the case.

His plea agreement comes after Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024. Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

According to Plasencia’s plea agreement, which was filed on Monday, he distributed 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges and syringes to Perry and the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between Sept. 30, 2023, and Oct. 12, 2023.

Plasencia “admits that his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that transfers of ketamine vials to Defendant Iwamasa and Victim M.P. were not for a legitimate medical purpose,” his plea agreement stated.

Iwamasa, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day that Perry died, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, the DOJ said. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Plasencia’s attorney, Stefan Sacks, told ABC News following Plasencia’s arraignment in August 2024 that a plea deal was possible in the case.

According to his plea agreement, Perry asked Iwamasa to help him procure ketamine in September 2023 and provided his assistant with “money, or promised to reimburse him, and directed him to find sources from whom to acquire the drugs.”

One of Plasencia’s patients introduced him to Perry on Sept. 30, 2023, with the unidentified patient referring to the actor as a “‘high profile person” who was seeking ketamine and was willing to pay “cash and lots of thousands” for ketamine treatment,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.

Plasencia contacted Chavez, who had previously owned a ketamine clinic, to discuss Perry’s request for ketamine and purchased vials of liquid ketamine, ketamine lozenges and other items from him, according to the agreement.

Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor’s home on several occasions, as well as left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer, according to the plea agreement. In one instance, he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the agreement.

One instance occurred outside of the home, when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry in a parking lot near an aquarium in Long Beach, according to the plea agreement. Upon learning about that, Chavez “reprimanded” the other doctor “for “dosing people in cars, and in a public place where children are present,” Chavez’s plea agreement stated.

Plasencia returned to Perry’s home on Oct. 12, 2023, to administer ketamine, during which the actor’s blood pressure spiked, causing him to “freeze up,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.

“Notwithstanding Victim M.P.’s reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with Defendant Iwamasa, knowing that Defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into Victim M.P.,” the agreement stated.

After receiving 10 more vials of ketamine through a licensed pharmaceutical company using his DEA license, Plasencia texted Iwamasa on Oct. 27, 2023, according to the plea agreement: “I know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up [in] the meanwhile. I am not sure when you guys plan to resume but in case its when im out of town this weekend I have left supplies with a nurse of mine …I can always let her know the plan.”

Perry died the following day after overdosing on ketamine, which Plasencia had not provided, according to the plea agreement.

Another defendant in the case, Eric Fleming, admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He admitted in court documents that he distributed 50 vials of ketamine that he obtained from another defendant in the case — Jasveen Sangha — to Iwamasa, including the ketamine that killed Perry, the DOJ said. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Sangha, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine over two weeks to Perry, working with Fleming and Iwamasa to distribute the drugs to Perry, prosecutors said. She is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him.

Sangha pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August.

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National

West Virginia death toll rises amid devastating flash flooding

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(NEW YORK)– The death toll has climbed to seven in the wake of heavy rains and devastating flash flooding in West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said on Tuesday.

Two people were unaccounted for as of Monday, according to the governor.

“West Virginia has been hit very, very hard,” Morrisey said.

A state of emergency is in effect and the West Virginia National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are on the ground in Marion County, he said.

Flash flooding hit the city of Wheeling and the towns of Triadelphia and Valley Grove. Roughly 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in the area in a short period of time, prompting significant flash flooding along US 40 (National Road), Middle Wheeling Creek, Little Wheeling Creek and various runs and streams through Ohio County.

On Sunday, a residential building in the city of Fairmont, in Marion County, partially collapsed, prompting the emergency declaration, according to the governor.

Footage from the scene showed water rushing out of the severely damaged structure as emergency crews responded to the scene.

Displaced residents are now being housed at Fairmont State University, officials said.

The cause of the collapse has not been determined, the governor said Monday.

Officials said they are monitoring the situation as more rain is in the forecast over the next few days.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

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Politics

Trump says calling Walz after Minnesota shootings would be ‘waste of time’

Minnesota Department of Public Safety

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said overnight that calling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after a political assassination sent shockwaves through the state would be a “waste of time.”

Trump was asked if he’d reach out to Walz, who was the vice presidential running mate for the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee Kamala Harris, as he returned to Washington after leaving the G7 summit early.

“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him,” Trump said. “Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ Uh, the guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?”

Trump told ABC News on Sunday that he “may” call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after a political assassination sent shockwaves through the state.

The president, who condemned the violence, called the Democratic governor a “terrible governor” and “grossly incompetent” in an interview with ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott.
“Well, it’s a terrible thing. I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too,” the president told Scott.

As of Monday afternoon, Walz had not heard from the president, according to a source.

Minnesota is reeling from two back-to-back shootings. Authorities say a masked gunman disguised as a police officer shot and killed Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former speaker of the state House, and her husband Mark, and wounded a state senator and his wife early Saturday.

The accused gunman, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, was captured late Sunday night.

Walz called the shootings an “act of targeted political violence.”

The president condemned the violence shortly after the attack.

“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place,” he said.

A source close the Walz told ABC News that Walz and Vice President JD Vance spoke regarding the shootings.

“The Governor expressed appreciation for the ongoing coordination between federal law enforcement and Minnesota public safety officials,” the person said.

A source told ABC News on Sunday that former President Joe Biden called Walz “right away.”

A source familiar with the call described the conversation on Monday as “compassionate.” The pair spoke about grief, Biden offered his condolences and “discussed Hortman’s legacy,” the source said, Biden had met Hortman and told Walz he “was a fan,” the source said.

The White House said in a statement that the FBI and the attorney general’s office will investigate the shootings and “will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law.”

Police say the suspected gunman allegedly had dozens of Minnesota Democrats on a target list, which was retrieved from the his vehicle.

The assassination comes amid growing concerns about political violence in the U.S. following the recent killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, the arson attack at the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and the attempted assassination of Trump last summer.

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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Politics

Trump denies reaching out to Iran, threatens to ‘come down so hard’ if Tehran strikes US assets

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump denied early on Tuesday having had contact with leaders in Iran, saying he hadn’t reached out about a potential ceasefire and that he was “not too much in the mood” to negotiate with Iran.

“I’ve been negotiating. I told them to do the deal,” Trump said. “They should have done the deal. The cities have been blown to pieces, lost a lot of people. They should have done the deal. I told them do the deal, so I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”

The comments came as Trump returned early Tuesday to the White House, where he’d asked his top national security staff to assemble in the Situation Room, after he departed the Group of Seven leadership summit in Canada early.

He also seemed to dismiss a recent assessment from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had said Iran wasn’t working on a nuclear weapon. Trump said on Tuesday he thought Iran was “very close” to having such a weapon.

Trump in a post on his Truth Social network also said that he hadn’t reached out to Iran “in any way, shape or form,” calling reports that he had done so “fabricated.”

“If they want to talk, they know how to reach me,” Trump said in a post early on Tuesday. “They should have taken the deal that was on the table — Would have save a lot of lives!!!”

Israel on Friday began an attack on Iran, launching a series of aerial strikes that Israeli officials described as a preemptive strike. Israeli leaders and Trump have separately called for Tehran to put an end to efforts to create nuclear weapons.

Diplomats from the United States and Iran held a series of talks in Muscat, Oman, beginning in April, with the sixth round due to begin last Sunday. Those talks were cancelled as the conflict between Israel and Iran began.

Trump was asked on Tuesday about Gabbard’s testimony in March in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, where she said Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.

When pressed about Gabbard’s comments, Trump dismissed them.

“I don’t care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,” Trump said.

Trump has not ruled out American participation in the conflict, although the U.S. has remained on the sidelines so far. Trump has issued, however, a stern warning to Iran on Tuesday over U.S. troops and assets in the region, instructing Tehran “not to touch our troops.”

“We’ll come down so hard if they do anything to our people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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World news

14 dead in massive overnight Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine says

Kyic Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

(KYIV, Ukraine) —  A massive overnight Russian strike on Kyiv killed 14 people and wounded more than 100 others, local officials in the Ukrainian capital said early Tuesday, as Moscow launched hundreds of drones and missiles at targets across the country.

It was not immediately clear whether others may be trapped beneath the rubble, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an update on the Telegram messaging app. Emergency personnel were working at several sites, including a residential building in the Solomianskyi district, where “an entire entrance collapsed,” Klitschko said.

The mayor posted a video to Telegram showing what he said were Russian cluster munitions found at one of the impact sites in the capital. Klitschko later declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.

Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram that the attack consisted of 440 drones and 32 missiles — of which 402 drones and 26 missiles were shot down or otherwise neutralized. The air force reported impacts in 10 locations and downed debris in 34 locations. The attack is believed to have been one of the largest on the capital in several months.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the nationwide attack killed at least 15 people were killed. Kyiv bore the brunt of the strikes, Zelenskyy wrote, with impacts also reported in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv.

At least one person was killed in Odesa and 17 others injured, according to a Telegram post by local Governor Oleg Kiper.

“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And the whole world, the U.S. and Europe must finally react the way a civilized society reacts to terrorists.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said, “is doing this solely because he can afford to continue the war. He wants the war to continue. It is bad when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to this. We are contacting all partners at all possible levels so that there is an appropriate response. It is the terrorists who should feel the pain, not normal, peaceful people.”

The attacks came as G7 leaders gathered in Canada, where Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine is one of several key topics of discussion. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that Russia — previously a member of the group when it was known as the G8 — should not have been expelled form the bloc in 2014 after its invasion and annexation of Crimea.

Putin “sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. “Putin’s goal is very simple: make the G7 leaders appear weak. Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong.”

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

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National

Federal appeals court set to hold hearing over Trump National Guard deployment in California

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(LOS ANGELES) — The legal battle over the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in California heads to a federal appeals court on Tuesday.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will preside over a remote hearing regarding California’s challenge to President Donald Trump’s federalization of the state’s National Guard troops amid protests over immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area.

Last week, a federal judge in California issued a temporary restraining order that would have blocked Trump’s deployment of the troops and returned control of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who did not consent to the Guard’s activation.

However, following an appeal by the Trump administration, a panel of three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay of the lower court’s order, dealing the Trump administration a temporary reprieve to what would have been a major reversal of its policy on the protests in Los Angeles.

The three-judge panel — made up of two judges nominated by Trump and one nominated by former President Joe Biden — scheduled the hearing on the matter for Tuesday afternoon.

The district judge’s order called Trump’s actions “illegal.”

“At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said in his June 12 order granting the temporary restraining order sought by Newsom. “His actions were illegal — both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”

The order did not limit Trump’s use of the Marines, which had also been deployed to LA.

In a press conference after the district court’s order, Newsom said he was “gratified” by the ruling, saying he would return the National Guard “to what they were doing before Donald Trump commandeered them.”

In its appeal to the Ninth Circuit, administration lawyers called the district judge’s order “unprecedented” and an “extraordinary intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.”

Some 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines were ordered to the Los Angeles area following protests over immigration raids. California leaders claim Trump inflamed the protests by sending in the military when it was not necessary.

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Health

Federal judge rules Trump directives canceling NIH grants are ‘void,’ ‘illegal’

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(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Monday that directives from the Trump administration that led to the cancellations of several research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were “void” and “illegal.”

U.S. District Judge William Young said the cancellation of the grants — related to studies involving LGBTQ+ issues, gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) — violated federal law, saying it was a case of racial discrimination and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, according to the plaintiffs in the case.

Two lawsuits had been filed against the administration: One led by the American Public Health Association and the other filed by a group of 16 states. Some estimates have suggested that up to $1.8 billion in research funding had been cut.
Young, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said he was ordering the NIH to restore the grants that were terminated.

In a statement, Andrew Nixon, the director of communications for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency stands by its decision to end funding for research “that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people. Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration, HHS is committed to ensuring that taxpayer dollars support programs rooted in evidence-based practices and gold standard science – not driven by divisive DEI mandates or gender ideology.”
Nixon said HHS is “exploring all legal options, including filing an appeal and moving to stay the order.”

Among the plaintiffs is Dr. Brittany Charlton, an associate professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who had all her grants terminated by the NIH.

One of the terminated grants focused on documenting obstetrical outcomes for lesbian, gay and bisexual women and another focused on how discriminatory laws impact mental health among LGBTQ+ teens.

“As a plaintiff, I felt truly seen — it was a rare moment when the deep harm caused to researchers and the communities we serve was acknowledged out loud, in front of the world,” Charlton told ABC News in a statement.

“Sitting there, I felt a wave of relief and hope as the judge condemned the government’s actions and ordered the grants to be reinstated,” the statement continued. “After so much uncertainty and disruption, it finally felt like justice and the value of our research — and the communities at its heart — were being affirmed.”

The terminations came after President Donald Trump passed a flurry of executive orders including vowing to “defend women from gender ideology extremism” and aiming to dismantle DEI initiatives.

According to termination letters sent to researchers at various universities that were reviewed by ABC News, the administration said the canceled projects do not serve the “priorities” of the current administration.

“Research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return on investment, and do nothing to enhance the health of many Americans. Many such studies ignore, rather than seriously examine, biological realities. It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize these research programs,” some of the termination letters read.

“The premise…is incompatible with agency priorities, and no modification of the project could align the project with agency priorities,” the letters continued.

ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

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Entertainment

In brief: ‘The Naked Gun’ official trailer and more

The official trailer for The Naked Gun has arrived. Paramount Pictures released the trailer for the upcoming reboot of the franchise on Monday. It finds Liam Neeson‘s character, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., following in his father’s footsteps. Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser also star in the upcoming film, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 1 …

Kevin Hart‘s upcoming Netflix comedy film 72 Hours has added brand-new members to its cast. The upcoming bachelor-party comedy, which also stars Mason Gooding and Marcello Hernández, has added Teyana Taylor, Zach Cherry, Ben Marshall and Sam Patterson to its cast. The film is about a 40-year-old executive who strives to save his career by joining a group of 20-somethings on a three-day bachelor party weekend …

Tucci in Italy has been renewed at Nat Geo. The travel series will return for season 2 on the network, Deadline reports. Season 2 will consist of five episodes where actor Stanley Tucci explores regions in Italy …

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