Biden pardons nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders
Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden has now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in history, after announcing Friday that he was pardoning nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders.
Biden said in the announcement — which came just three days before his term ends — that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and “serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”
He did not provide additional details as to the exact number of people who would be affected by the clemency action, timelines involved or any of the qualifying criteria used for assessing the pardons.
“Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden wrote.
In the 1980s, Biden supported several bills that increased penalties for drug users, including one that essentially lengthened sentences for crack cocaine users, predominantly African-Americans, as compared to those convicted of using powder cocaine, who were predominantly white.
Congress has since tried to address sentencing disparities through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” he said, with no direct mention of his prior record.
He also acknowledged that the decision would set a historic precedent.
“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden said in the statement.
Hinting he’s not done yet with his pardon power, Biden also wrote that he will “continue to review additional commutations and pardons.”
Luigi Mangione is seen inside the police station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2024/Obtained by ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to secure an indictment against Luigi Mangione for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources told ABC News.
The DA’s office declined to comment due to the secrecy surrounding grand jury matters.
An indictment could strengthen the case for extradition, which Mangione is fighting.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate remains in custody at a Pennsylvania state prison after a judge denied bail on Tuesday.
“He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, defense attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters on Tuesday.
Three shell casings recovered outside the Midtown Manhattan hotel where Thompson was fatally shot match the gun allegedly found on Mangione when he was arrested, police announced Wednesday.
Fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a Kind bar near the crime scene have also been matched to Mangione, police said.
In Pennsylvania, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.
In New York, he faces charges including second-degree murder.
(NEW YORK) — A man is expected to appear in court Tuesday after allegedly killing three people in an apparent unprovoked stabbing spree in Manhattan, authorities said.
Ramon Rivera, 51, was charged on Monday with three counts of first-degree murder, according to the New York Police Department.
He confessed to the killings during questioning, according to police sources.
The first victim, 36-year-old Angel Lata Landi, was fatally stabbed in the abdomen at 8:22 a.m. Monday in an unprovoked attack by the construction site where he was working on West 19th Street, the NYPD said.
About two hours later, a 68-year-old man was fatally stabbed multiple times on East 30th Street, police said. His identity has not been released.
The third victim, 36-year-old Wilma Augustin, was attacked around 10:55 a.m. at 42nd Street and First Avenue. She had multiple stab wounds in the chest and arm, and she was taken to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later died, officials said.
The suspect — who was staying at the Bellevue Men’s Shelter on East 30th Street — appeared to pick the victims at random, police said.
Rivera was apprehended around East 46th Street and First Avenue, police said.
“He just walked up to them and began to attack them,” Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said at a news conference.
Two bloody kitchen knives were recovered, police said.
Rivera has eight prior arrests in New York City, according to law enforcement, and is believed to have severe mental health challenges, Mayor Eric Adams said. Rivera’s case renewed frustration with the city’s inability to treat people in mental distress and hold people with a history of low-level criminal activity.
“There’s a real question as to why he was on the street,” Adams said.
(LOS ANGELES) — More than 30,000 people were told to evacuate in Southern California on Tuesday after a fast-moving brush fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood near Los Angeles.
One firefighter has been injured and “multiple” people burned in the Palisades blaze, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire has burned more than 2,900 acres.
By early Wednesday morning, the Eaton Fire — which broke out miles away from the Palisades Fire, in Altadena,
Hurst Fire expands to 500 acres
The Hurst Fire in Sylmar had expanded to 500 acres as of 1:50 a.m. PT, per an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire northeast of San Fernando was at zero percent containment, Cal Fire said, with the cause of the blaze still under investigation.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Harris promises more support for California to fight ‘devastating’ fires
Vice President Kamala Harris said her “heart goes out to all those being impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California.”
In a Wednesday morning statement, Harris said she and her husband “are praying for our fellow Californians who have evacuated and we are thinking of the families whose homes, businesses and schools remain in harm’s way.”
“We are deeply grateful for the heroic first responders who are risking their own safety to fight the flames and help keep communities safe,” Harris added.
The vice president said she had been briefed on the situation and was receiving “regular updates” on the fires. “I am also urging residents in the affected areas to listen to local officials, remain vigilant and evacuate immediately if told to do so,” she added.
The White House is “committed to ensuring that no community has to respond to this disaster alone,” Harris said, noting the mobilization of federal resources to suppress the fires and assist those affected.
“As a proud daughter of California, I know the damage that wildfires have on our neighbors and communities,” Harris said.
“I also know that the impact is often felt long after the fire is contained. As we respond and as Californians recover, I will ensure that our administration is in constant contact with state and local officials.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
James Woods recounts ‘losing everything at once’ in Palisades Fire
Actor James Woods documented the spread of the Palisades Fire into homes in the hills around Los Angeles on Tuesday, writing in posts to X that “all the smoke detectors are going off in our house” as the blaze approached.
“I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long,” Woods wrote. “It feels like losing a loved one.”
“It tests your soul, losing everything at once,” he added.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
1,400 firefighters deployed to ‘unprecedented’ fires, Newsom says
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said more than 1,400 firefighting personnel and hundreds of “prepositioned assets” have been deployed to battle the “unprecedented fires” ravaging parts of Los Angeles.
“Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said in a post to X.
Hurst Fire burns 100 acres in Sylmar
The Hurst Fire — burning in Sylmar, north of San Fernando — expanded to 100 acres as of early Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Santa Clarita City issued mandatory evacuation orders for four areas of the city — Newhall Pass, Wildwood, Eternal and Calgrove.
-ABC News’ Lissette Rodriguez
Los Angeles schools to close amid fire threat
The Los Angeles County Office of Education reported Wednesday school closures in 19 districts due to spreading wildfires and related weather conditions.
Among them was the Los Angeles Unified School District, which announced that six schools will close on Wednesday “due to the fire activity across the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.”
In a statement, the district said Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Canyon Charter Elementary School, Marquez Charter Elementary School, Palisades Charter Elementary School, Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Topanga Elementary Charter School would all be closed.
Los Angeles’ Griffith Park will also be closed, while classes at the North Hollywood High School’s Zoo Magnet are cancelled, the district announcement said.
“Students at the six closed schools will pivot to continuity of learning where they will have access to academically enriching digital resources,” the district said.
Los Angeles Unified said it would “continue monitoring the situation” and, if necessary, extend online learning into Thursday.
“The high winds and red flag warnings will remain through Wednesday and Thursday,” it added.
“We urge everyone to be careful and cautious when commuting to school or work, especially in areas with extreme wind and heavy smoke. Please make the right decision for you and do not compromise your safety or security.”
Eaton Fire spreads to 1,000 acres
The fire that broke out at about 6:12 p.m. near Eaton Canyon in Pasadena had spread by midnight to about 1,000 acres, the Angeles National Forest said in an update.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Pasadena issues mandatory evacuation orders
The City of Pasadena issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area north of Orange Grove and Rosemead Boulevard, east of Lake Avenue and west of Michillinda Avenue as the nearby Eaton Fire continued to grow.
The city earlier said on its X account that those subject to emergency evacuation orders should go to the Pasadena Convention Center.
The Eaton Fire is burning in the hills northeast of the city, posing a direct threat to the northern suburb of Altadena.
Firefighter injured, ‘multiple’ people burned in Palisades Fire Erik Scott, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said that a 25-year-old female firefighter “sustained a serious head injury” during the response to the devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County on Tuesday evening.
“She received immediate treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” Scott said in a statement posted to X.
Scott also said that “multiple burn victims” were identified “walking toward a nearby restaurant,” which he later identified as Dukes.
“Incident operations redirected medical resources to the location to provide evaluation and treatment,” he added.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Palisades Fire burning at 5 football fields per minute
With the winds picking up Tuesday evening, the Palisades Fire is burning at the rate of five football fields per minute, according to CalFire.
The winds around the fire are expected to increase to up to 80 miles per hour through the night.
Eaton Fire grows to 400 acres
The Eaton Fire is now at an estimated 400 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“Firefighters are working aggressively to slow the spread and protect critical infrastructure under extreme conditions,” CalFire said in a statement.
Fifteen streets in Altadena are under mandatory evacuation.
LAFD summons off-duty firefighters to help combat multiple fires
The Los Angeles Fire Department called on all of its firefighters to report for duty on Tuesday night as multiple brush fires relentlessly raged on in Southern California.
In a post on X, the LAFD wrote, “All #LAFD members currently off-duty are to call [in] with their availability for recall.”
The summons came at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time.
New fire breaks out in eastern Los Angeles
A second fire broke out Tuesday evening, in Altadena, California, located in eastern Los Angeles County.
Fueled by rapid winds, the Altadena-based brush fire quickly grew from 10 acres to 200 acres in just 30 minutes.
The Eaton Fire prompted evacuations as high winds are set to continue overnight, the Angeles National Forest said in a post on X.
Biden urges residents to heed evacuation warnings
President Joe Biden is urging Los Angeles residents to heed evacuation warnings as two wildfires burn out of control.
Biden, who is in Los Angeles, was briefed twice throughout the day Tuesday as the flames spread and “encourages residents in the affected areas to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local officials—especially if ordered to evacuate,” the White House said in a statement.
Biden traveled to California for a ceremony to designate two new national monuments.
Evacuation order issued in Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica issued an evacuation order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente Boulevard.
There is an “Immediate threat to life” in the area due to the Palisades fire, the order warned.
