Family of Boulder attack suspect ordered released from ICE custody

Booking photo of Mohamed Soliman. (Boulder Police Department)

(DILLEY, Texas) — The wife and five children of the man suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators last June were ordered released from federal custody by a judge on Monday.

The family of the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been detained in immigration custody for more than 10 months at the family detention facility in Dilley, Texas.

Eric Lee, an attorney representing Hayam El Gamal and her children, told ABC News the family has not been released despite the federal judge’s order. There is a hearing in their case on Thursday.

“Although the court has ruled that the El Gamal family is detained in violation of the Constitution, the government continues to keep them locked up,” Lee told ABC News. “We demand their immediate release.”

A federal judge blocked the family’s deportation in June after the Department of Homeland Security announced they were being processed for removal shortly after the attack.

Soliman, 45, is facing more than 100 charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and assault. He has pleaded not guilty.

In court documents, Soliman’s family — which includes five children aged 18, 16, 9, and 5-year-old twins — have claimed authorities are continuing to detain them despite a lack of evidence that they played any role in the attack.

“The facts of this case have not changed: Mohammed Soliman is a terrorist responsible for an anti-Semitic firebombing in Boulder,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement Tuesday.

“The judge wants to release this terrorist’s family onto American streets,” she added. “Under President Trump, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of those who have no right to be in our country, especially national security threats.”

Lee, the family’s lawyer, said on X that El Gamal was rushed to the ER last week after she was denied proper medical care for persistent chest pain.

“We do not know if the lump is cancerous, all we know is that the pain is increasing, the incidents are becoming worse and worse, and she is not receiving a proper diagnosis that could lead to proper treatment,” Lee said. “After 10 months in detention, Ms. El Gamal remains in pain.”

While DHS did not respond to questions about El Gamal’s medical care, the agency in previous statements has denied allegations about the lack of medical care at Dilley.

“These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE,” said Dr. Sean Conley, DHS’ chief medical officer, in a statement posted on the agency website. “It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, women’s health, mental health services, any needed follow up medical appointments, as well as 24-hour emergency care. This is better, more responsive healthcare than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives.”

April 21, 2026

Entertainment

Director confirms Lady Gaga appears in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’

Lady Gaga attends the world premiere of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ at Lincoln Center in New York, New York, on April 20, 2026. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)

Lady Gaga hit the red carpet for Monday night’s premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2, and as the film’s director seemingly confirmed at the premiere, it wasn’t just because she recorded a song for the soundtrack.

According to Vanity Fair, David Frankel took the stage at the New York City event prior to the movie beginning, and then revealed what he called “the worst kept secret in showbiz.” As per the publication, the secret was that Lady Gaga appears in the film as herself, “singing original music to boot.” Gaga then came onstage wearing a black Saint Laurent Fall 2016 gown, kissed Meryl Streep on the cheek and waved to everyone.

The rumors that Gaga might appear in the movie began after she was photographed while reportedly leaving the set in Milan last year.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits theaters May 1, with returning stars Anne Hathaway, Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, as well as multiple additional celebrity cameos.

April 21, 2026

Entertainment

Rebecca Ferguson stars in ‘Silo’ season 3 teaser trailer

Rebecca Ferguson in ‘Silo’ season 3. (Apple TV)

The teaser trailer for Silo season 3 has arrived.

Apple TV has released the first teaser for the third season of its drama series starring and executive produced by Rebecca Ferguson.

Season 3 will consist of 10 episodes, the first of which will premiere on July 3. A new episode will debut every Friday that follows through Sept. 4.

Silo‘s third season will continue the saga of the dystopian society of 10,000 people who live underground in mysterious circumstances, as well as an origin story of the society that’s set centuries in the past.

“In the present, Juliette Nichols (Ferguson) survives her forced ‘cleaning’ but returns with memory loss as the silo recovers from rebellion and faces a dangerous new threat,” according to an official description from Apple TV. “Meanwhile, in the ‘Before Times,’ journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) and Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) uncover a conspiracy that pulls them into a chain of events with catastrophic, irreversible consequences.”

The trailer finds Ferguson’s Juliette grappling with questions about the society she lives in.

“Before we can know why we’re here, before we can know why everything is as it is, before we can know how it all will end, we need to understand how it all began,” she says in voice-over.

Also starring in season 3 are Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Rick Gomez, Billy Postlethwaite and Clare Perkins.

Silo has already been renewed for a fourth and final season. The show is based on the Silo trilogy of books by Hugh Howey.

April 21, 2026

Politics

House Ethics Committee to determine sanction for embattled Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FLA) appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s fate as a member of the House of Representatives hangs in limbo as a potential expulsion vote looms this week.

The House Ethics Committee is set to hold a rare public hearing Tuesday afternoon to determine what sanction would be appropriate for the panel to recommend to the full House against Cherfilus-McCormick.

Expelling a member of the House is a rare occurrence. A two-thirds majority is required to remove a member.

Only six House members in U.S. history have been expelled from the lower chamber. Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos was the most recent lawmaker expelled from the House in 2023.

Last month, Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of 25 House ethics violations, including acceptance of improper campaign contributions and commingling of campaign and personal funds. The congresswoman was indicted in November 2025 by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, which she is accused of laundering to support her successful 2021 congressional campaign.

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing — excusing the allegations as an accounting error. Also, she has insisted she won’t resign.

“For those asking whether I plan to resign, the answer is no. This is not the time to abandon the district, not when they too are fighting for their future,” she said in a statement last week.

The committee may recommend a range of sanctions, including expulsion, censure, reprimand, fine — and even denial or limitation of any right, according to House rules. The House may punish its members and may expel its members by a two-thirds vote, according to Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution.

The sanction recommendation against Cherfilus-McCormick is expected to be announced in writing after the hearing, which is expected to last for approximately two hours pending no interruptions. Afterward, the panel will break into executive session to conclude its deliberations and reach a judgment.

The precise timing of when the committee will release its bipartisan decision is unclear.

Regardless of the panel’s recommendation, Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube said he’ll move to force a vote to try to expel the congresswoman following the sanction hearing. Steube is expected to make the expulsion resolution privileged, which requires Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on the matter within two-legislative days.

The speaker signaled last week that expelling Cherfilus-McCormick over her alleged crimes would be “appropriate.”

Though he initially insisted that Democrats would not help Republicans expel Cherfilus-McCormick, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday that Democrats will convene a caucus meeting to determine how they’ll handle the the bipartisan Ethics panel’s recommendations.

April 21, 2026

National

Mom stabbed to death in home, daughter stabbed and wounded; suspect in custody: Police

Burbank police caption: Sergio Fraire has been arrested and booked for murder and attempted murder in Burbank, California, according to police. (Burbank PD)

(BURBANK, Calif.) — A man is in custody for allegedly stabbing a woman to death and stabbing and wounding her daughter, according to authorities in Los Angeles County, California.

Officers responded around 6 a.m. Monday, to a house in Burbank where they found two women suffering from stab wounds, Burbank police said.

The mother, 59-year-old Arti Varma, who taught first-grade in Burbank, died at the hospital, police said.

Her 25-year-old daughter was hospitalized in stable condition, police said. Authorities did not release the daughter’s name, but a neighbor identified her as Meera Varma, a nationally recognized mental health activist, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC.

Detectives identified 30-year-old Sergio Fraire as a person of interest, and on Monday night, officers served a search warrant at a Burbank home where he was believed to be staying, police said.

Fraire was apprehended and arrested for murder and attempted murder, police said.

“The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims remains under investigation, as does the motive,” police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Authorities noted that “evidence related to the crime was recovered,” but they did not elaborate on the potential evidence.

April 21, 2026

National

Southern Poverty Law Center says it’s facing Justice Department probe

The Department of Justice logo is displayed on May 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing an investigation and potential criminal charges by the Justice Department, apparently stemming from its past use of paid informants, the organization’s interim CEO said in a statement Tuesday.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

“For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive,” SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair said in the statement.

“We are therefore unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration. They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,” the statement said.

Fair did not elaborate in the statement on how the SPLC was alerted to the DOJ inquiry, though he said, “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups.”

Fair, in the statement, outlined the organization’s history in explaining why the SPLC for years used informants to infiltrate far-right and domestic extremist groups, and denied any criminal wrongdoing on the part of the SPLC.

He also sought to frame the criminal inquiry as a continuation of the Trump Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on groups opposed to the administration’s policies.

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

April 21, 2026

Business

Trump’s Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh testifies before Congress amid Powell probe

Kevin Warsh, former governor of the US Federal Reserve, during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring meetings on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s selection to chair the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, testified in a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday as his nomination faces bipartisan opposition centered on a federal criminal investigation into the central bank’s current leader.

The probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, which focuses on alleged false testimony to Congress about an office renovation, threatens to derail or delay Warsh’s nomination.

Powell, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, has rebuked the probe as a politically motivated effort to influence interest-rate policy.

In his opening remarks, Warsh voiced support for the independence of the Fed in its role setting interest rates. He used the term “monetary policy” to describe the central bank’s task of adjusting benchmark borrowing costs.

“Monetary policy independence is essential. Monetary policymakers must act in the nation’s interest,” said Warsh, a former Fed official.

Still, Warsh defended the right of public officials, including presidents, to voice their views on interest-rate policy, saying such comments do not infringe on Fed independence.

“Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views from all corners,” Warsh said.

Warsh said he welcomes collaboration with the White House and Congress on “non-monetary matters that are part of the Fed’s remit,” such as banking regulation.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the committee, responded directly to Warsh’s defense of a president’s right to criticize the Fed, saying the federal investigation of Powell amounts to a pressure campaign that extends beyond public criticism of Fed policies.

“You said it’s perfectly fine for elected officials to state their views on interest rates. But that’s not what Donald Trump is doing,” Warren said, addressing Warsh.

The investigation of Powell, Warren added, is “designed to threaten all the members of the Fed to do Trump’s bidding.”

Warsh may become Trump’s “sock puppet” atop the Fed, Warren said.

By contrast, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, praised Warsh, saying the Fed nominee would focus Fed policy on economic stewardship. During the tenure of President Joe Biden, Scott claimed, the Fed shifted some of its attention to the implications of issues like climate change.

“An independent Federal Reserve is essential to achieving its mission. That independence must be protected,” Scott said.

“Kevin Warsh is battle-tested and brings the necessary experience,” Scott added.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a potentially decisive vote on the committee, says he will not move to advance Warsh’s nomination until the Department of Justice resolves its unprecedented investigation into Powell.

Powell’s term as Fed chair ends on May 15, but he said last month he would stay in the position until Warsh is confirmed. For his part, Trump told Fox Business last week he would fire Powell if the current Fed chair attempts to remain in office past the end of his term.

Warsh, who previously worked on Wall Street and in the President George W. Bush administration, brings experience in finance and policymaking.

He is currently a fellow at a conservative think tank called the Hoover Institution, which is based at Stanford University. He also works as a partner at the Duquesne Family Office, an investment firm founded by billionaire and former hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller.

In 2006, Bush appointed Warsh to serve on the Fed’s Board of Governors, a top policymaking body that helps set the level of interest rates, where he served until 2011. His tenure overlapped with the 2008 financial crisis, during which he helped manage the central bank’s response under then-Chair Ben Bernanke.

The nomination of Warsh arrives at a delicate moment for the Fed, as it grapples with a challenging combination of elevated inflation and sluggish hiring. An interest-rate hike could help ease inflation but risks a further cooldown of the labor market, while a rate cut may boost hiring but threatens higher inflation.

During his term as a Fed governor in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Warsh gained a reputation as an interest-rate “hawk,” meaning he generally preferred higher interest rates as a means of ensuring low and stable inflation.

In recent months, however, Warsh has voiced support for lower interest rates, rebuking the Fed’s concern about inflation risk posed by a flurry of new tariffs issued last year.

Those remarks came before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, however, which sent inflation soaring last month.

The rapid acceleration of price increases could complicate interest rate policy at the Fed, which may be reluctant to lower borrowing costs as inflation climbs.

April 21, 2026

Entertainment

Jennifer Hudson returns to ‘American Idol’ as a mentor, guest judge

Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Luke Bryan on ‘American Idol’ for Disney Night. (Eric Mccandless/Disney)

Jennifer Hudson returned to American Idol more than two decades after she competed on the show.

The talk show host and EGOT winner joined her American Idol family Monday night as a mentor and guest judge. Hudson took a seat at the judges table alongside hosts Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and fellow Idol alum Carrie Underwood for this week’s Disney night.

Hudson told ABC News that coming back to the show as a guest judge and mentor felt like a “dream come true.”

“I got to call myself a judge today,” she continued. “I don’t take anything lightly and I celebrate everything. It’s a celebration to be able to come back in my circle of life and be in the judging panel.”

“As soon as I walked in and I saw the ‘American Idol’ sign, I felt like a contestant all over again,” she said. “That feeling never leaves you. So my heart always goes out to the finalists.”

As a guest judge, Hudson brought a surplus of shoes to compliment singers.

After finalist Keyla Richardson’s performance of “Circle of Life,” Hudson threw a shoe on stage at the 29-year-old and told her that the song, which she also sang in 2004 when she competed on the show, serves as a “full circle of my life.”

While Hudson didn’t win American Idol in 2004 (she placed seventh), she went on to become an Emmy-nominated talk show host, Oscar winner and more. In 2022, Hudson achieved EGOT status when she won a Tony Award for her work as a producer on the Broadway show A Strange Loop.

Following Monday night’s show, the contestants that remain are Richardson, Jordan McCullough, Brooks Rosser, Chris Tungseth, Hannah Harper, Braden Rumfelt and Daniel Stallworth.

Next week, the top seven finalists will take the stage to perform Taylor Swift songs, and Nikki Glaser will be a guest judge.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.

April 21, 2026

National

Motive sought in fatal shooting of 8 children in Louisiana as police give timeline of massacre

Members of the Johnson family attend a candlelight vigil, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana, for eight children were killed and two women were wounded during a domestic violence incident. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(SHREVEPORT, La.) — As an investigation continued into the motive of Sunday’s fatal shootings of eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, allegedly by the father of seven of the victims, police officials released a timeline detailing the 68-minute massacre.

“April 19 … will be written in the pages of history as one of the worst days that could have ever happened here in Shreveport,” Chief Wayne Smith of the Shreveport Police Department said at a news conference on Monday.

Smith said the suspect, Shamar Elkins, a former member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, allegedly used an assault-style pistol to kill seven of his children and an eighth child related to him. A teenage boy was also injured when he jumped off the roof of a house to escape the shooting, police said.

While Elkins died after police opened fire on him following a car chase, Smith said it remains unclear whether he was shot to death or died by suicide.

Smith said domestic violence is believed to be the primary motive behind the killings. The chief said two women, including the mother of seven of the children who were killed, were wounded in the incident and remain hospitalized.

He said investigators are probing five different crime scenes connected to the shootings.

Police said the children killed, siblings and one cousin, ranged in age from 3 to 11. The victims, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office, were identified by their mothers as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced on Monday that the Love One Louisiana Foundation, a nonprofit founded by his wife, Sharon, will pay all expenses for the children’s funerals, according to ABC affiliate station KTSB.

“Both she and I recognize no amount of money or act of charity can repair the pain, but [what] we can lean on is that this act of charity can stand as a beacon of faith and belief that good things still happen in this world,” Gov. Landry said during a visit to Shreveport.

Timeline of the deadly rampage
During Monday’s press conference, Smith went over a timeline of the deadly attacks that occurred before sunrise on Sunday:

5:55 a.m. — Shreveport Police received the first call regarding a disturbance at a residence on W. 79th Street in the Ceder Grove neighborhood of South Shreveport. The caller stated that they were on top of the house while the suspect was inside, and a male had been shot.

5:58 a.m. — A police dispatcher received an additional call from the same 911 caller, indicating the suspect was a relative of the caller.

5:59 a.m. — A dispatcher was advised by the caller that approximately nine individuals resided at the W. 79th Street location. The caller stated that the suspect, Elkins, had shot everyone inside the home.

6 a.m. — The caller advised the dispatcher that she and her children fled the W. 79th Street house onto the roof and that they were in the backyard.

6:01 a.m. — Shreveport officers arrived at the W. 79th Street residence.

6:03 a.m. — Officers made contact with the 911 caller at the West 79th Street residence.

6:05 a.m. — Officers requested the Shreveport Fire Department stage at a location near the West 79th Street home, close to Linwood Avenue.

6:07 a.m. — A second 911 caller reported a shooting at a home on Harrison Street in Shreveport. The caller stated that her boyfriend shot her and fled the scene with her three children.

6:08 a.m.– The second caller identified the suspect who shot her and took her children as Elkins.

6:10 a.m. — A police dispatcher links the Harrison Street shooting with the shooting on West 79th Street and determines that they were related.

6:15 a.m. — Officers received information that the suspect had carjacked a red Kia Sportage at West 79th Street near Linwood Avenue.

6:17 a.m. — Shreveport police traffic units out on random patrol observed the carjacked Kia heading southbound on Interstate 49.

6:18 a.m. — Officer radioed in that they were chasing the stolen car over a bridge in crossing the Red River into Bossier City.

6:20 a.m. — Officers involved in the chase reported that the children taken from the Harrison Street residence may be inside the fleeing vehicle.

6:23 a.m. — Officers advised dispatch that they were exiting the interstate near the Swan Lake area of Bossier City.

6:25 a.m. — Officers back in Shreveport find the victim injured in the Harrison Street shooting.

6:29 a.m. — Officers report and exchange of gunfire with the suspect on Brompton Lane in Bossier City.

6:40 a.m. — Police officers advised a dispatcher that the suspect vehicle was empty and no children were located inside. Chief Smith did not say during Monday’s news conference what happened to the children taken from the Harrison Street residence.

6:43 a.m. — Officers in Shreveport cleared the West 79th Street home and found multiple deceased victims.

7:03 a.m. — The suspect, Elkins, is pronounced dead at the scene on Brompton Lane in Bossier City.

April 21, 2026

Entertainment

In brief: ‘Wednesday’ season 3 first-look photo and more

Bonjour, Wednesday Addams. Netflix has released the first image from season 3 of its hit series Wednesday, and it features the titular teen, as portrayed by Jenna Ortega, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She wears a black trench coat and has her trusty companion Thing, the sentient disembodied hand, perched next to her on the seat of a motorcycle. “From Paris, with dread,” Netflix captioned the photo …

The star-studded cast of the upcoming film Ibelin has just gained a new star. Deadline reports that Bill Nighy has joined the cast of the film, replacing the role that was first announced to be played by Anthony Hopkins. Ibelin, which tells the true story of late disabled Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, also stars Charlie Plummer, Stephen Graham, Toni Collette, Isabela Merced and Maisy Stella …

The Pitt season 2 went out with a bang. Variety reports the season 2 finale was the series’ most-watched episode ever. It reached 9.7 million viewers during its opening weekend, according to numbers from Warner Bros. Discovery. Additionally, the second season is averaging 15.4 million viewers across all of its episodes …

April 21, 2026

Author: admin