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Politics

Ramaswamy calls for unity, defends Trump’s immigration plan

ABC News

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and ally of Donald Trump, said the president-elect would bring the country together while also defending Trump’s immigration plan for mass deportations.

Speaking to “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Ramaswamy urged Democrats to give Trump a chance in office and called on them to resist efforts to cast him as a threat to democracy.

“What you’re hearing from Donald Trump is he is going to be a president for all Americans. He is a guy who, in that first term, he had crowds chanting ‘lock her up’ for Hillary Clinton. He didn’t prosecute her. I think Donald Trump is focused on what makes people’s lives better. And actually, my message to Democrats out there, even those who didn’t vote for Donald Trump, is to give him a chance to actually make your life better,” Ramaswamy said.

“I think it’s time to turn the page on a lot of these histrionics, or Hitler comparisons,” he added, before later saying that “success is unifying. Nothing’s going to unite this country more than economic growth.”

Ramaswamy ran against the former and now president-elect in the 2024 GOP primary as a culture warrior in Trump’s image, though he ended his campaign the night of the Iowa caucuses and endorsed the former president.

On Sunday, he also defended Trump’s vow for a mass deportation force, predicting that the tougher enforcement measures will also lead to undocumented immigrants leaving the country on their own.

“Donald Trump’s campaign promise was the largest mass deportation in American history, and he’s going to keep that promise,” Ramaswamy said. “Not an iota, not a cent of government spending should go to subsidize this, not to sanctuary cities, not to federal aid to people who are in this country illegally, and we’re going to see a large number, by the millions, of self-deportations as well.”

Pressed by Karl on the fate of the so-called “Dreamers” — people who were brought to the United States as children without valid documentation — Ramaswamy declined to explicitly say how the incoming administration would approach this group of undocumented immigrants, which includes many adults who have spent most of their life in the U.S. During his first term, the Trump administration attempted to rescind the Obama-era program that allowed such migrants to stay and work in the country.

“I say this as the kid of legal immigrants to this country, as the proud child of legal immigrants to the United States of America. If your first act of entering this country broke the law, that doesn’t allow you to remain in this country,” Ramaswamy said. “One is, no migration without consent. Think about your nation like a body. Number two is that consent should only be granted, and should be granted to migrants who benefit the United States of America. But those who enter without consent must be removed.”

As a vocal Trump ally, Ramaswamy is thought of as a potential future member of the Trump administration, though he did not specify what role would interest him.

“There’s a couple great options on the table. I want to have the biggest possible impact on this country. We’re not going to sort that out in the press… we’re having some high-impact discussions.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Politics

What could abortion access look like under Trump?

ABC News

Despite celebrating the passing of abortion-related ballot initiatives in seven states, abortion rights advocates warn that a second Donald Trump presidency puts nationwide access to abortion care in danger.

“An already harmful abortion access crisis will likely get worse,” Kelly Baden, the vice president of policy at the Guttmacher Institute, told ABC News.

“The 13 states that currently ban abortion — there are real consequences to that including death. Women are dying from these abortion bans,” Baden said.

Trump may have persuaded voters that there won’t be a federal abortion ban, but experts warn nationwide access could be at risk.

“I don’t think that people know that a federal abortion ban would preempt state constitutional protection. There could also be this sense that, ‘I’m voting yes on this amendment, and that means my state is fine,'” Elisabeth Smith, the director of state policy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told ABC News.

“A federal abortion ban — if the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to take effect — would preempt the policy of a state where abortion is legal and accessible,” Smith said. “We don’t yet know which party controls the House [of Representatives], but that is a possibility.”

The regulation of federal agencies could also impact access to abortion care. Medication abortion could come under fire if the Food and Drug Administration — under a Trump presidency — limits access to mifepristone, one of the pills used in the regimen to terminate pregnancy, or rolls back its approval, as anti-abortion groups have tried to do.

The Trump administration could also attempt to misuse the Comstock Act to try to prevent access to medication abortion, Smith warned.

The 150-year-old law is an anti-obscenity law “makes it a crime to mail anything that’s ‘indecent, filthy, or vile’ or ‘intended for producing abortion,'” according to the ACLU.

Ballot initiatives

Missouri became the first state with a near-total abortion ban in effect to approve a pro-abortion rights initiative since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion rights.

If the ban is repealed as expected, Missouri could facilitate closer access to abortion care for women in the South. The state borders four states that have ceased nearly all abortion services — Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

But, there is not currently a single brick-and-mortar abortion clinic in Missouri which means that even when the law is repealed, it would still take time for access to care to resume, according to Baden.

“So, we’ll continue to see people having to leave the state for clinician-provided abortion care or to find another way to get care in the meantime,” Baden said.

The legal proceeding to overturn the state’s ban under the new constitutional amendment could also take months to years, according to Baden.

The battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada were also among 10 states with abortion on the ballot Tuesday. Some strategists hypothesized that this would boost turnout among the majority of voters who support legal abortion, aiding Democratic candidates in the process.

But, exit polling showed that some supporters of abortion still elected Trump in battleground states.

Advocates warn that while ballot initiatives have proved effective, they are not a universal solution.

“They are just one tool in the toolbox. They are clearly not our silver bullet, both, because structurally they can’t be. Not every state even allows for ballot measures like that, they’re expensive and they also are not an immediate solution … a series of litigation has to happen,”

Advocates for abortion-care-related protections said they will continue to work to restore and protect access to abortion care under the incoming administration.

“It is our task to hold this incoming administration to its word that it will not work to further restrict or ban abortion and we will hold them to their insistence that they will invest in caregiving,” Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, told reporters during a press conference Wednesday.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

One escaped monkey captured in South Carolina, several others located on property

Yemassee Police Department

(YEMASSEE, S.C.) — The ongoing operation to capture 43 monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab nabbed at least one of the furry runaways on Saturday, according to officials.

Officials in the town of Yemassee said they recovered overnight one of the rhesus macaque monkeys that had escaped from Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Wednesday.

“She is well and having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said in a statement.

Yemasee officials said that “a significant number” of the escaped primates were located in a facility near where the rescued animal was found and were “jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence.”

“Alpha Genesis management and staff are on-site, actively feeding and monitoring the animals, and they will continue these efforts throughout the weekend,” the town’s officials said in a statement.

“The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign,” they added.

Westergaard said the monkeys were having a nap Saturday afternoon.

“They are coming down to the ground a bit more now. It is a slow process,” he said.

The creatures escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open, Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials.

The primates are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each who have never been tested, according to police. There is no public health threat, police said.

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

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World news

American tourist who went missing in Hungary killed, murder suspect arrested: Police

Budapest Metropolitan Police

(BUDAPEST, Hungary) — A 31-year-old American tourist in Hungary who had been missing for several days was killed, and a suspect has been arrested for her murder, authorities said Friday.

Mackenzie “Kenzie” Michalski, a nurse practitioner, was last heard from early Tuesday while visiting Budapest, according to her friends, who spread the word about her disappearance.

The American went missing while at a nightclub on Tuesday, according to Budapest police. Amid the search for her, investigators identified a man she was seen with in several nightclubs, police said.

The suspect — a 37-year-old Irish citizen — was arrested and allegedly confessed to killing her, police said. He allegedly showed police where he had hidden her body, police said. The name of the suspect, who was a “a couple of years the victim’s senior,” according to investigators, was only identified as L.T.M.

Investigators provided more details about the murder during a news conference Saturday.

Michalski and the suspect met at a nightclub and spent the night together going to other venues, according to investigators. They then went to the suspect’s rented apartment and he allegedly killed here there, according to investigators.

The perpetrator then tried to cover up the murder; so he allegedly cleaned his apartment and hid the woman’s body in the wardrobe cabinet while he went out to buy a suitcase, according to the police.

He then allegedly put the victim’s body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton with the suitcase in the trunk, police said.

The suspect allegedly hid the victim in the woods, in an area outside Szigliget and then drove back to Budapest, investigators said.

The suspect allegedly made several suspicious internet searches including “Do pigs really eat dead bodies?”, “Texas woman killed by a wild boar,” according to investigators.

Michalski lived in Portland, Oregon, and was a native of Fredonia, New York, according to ABC Buffalo affiliate WKBW.

A friend told WKBW that she and Michalski had been traveling with a group of friends through Europe and had spent three days in Hungary before parting ways on Monday.

The friend, Gretchen Tower, told WKBW that Michalski was staying behind for one more night in Budapest before flying out on Tuesday.

When Michalski never checked out of the Airbnb they shared in Budapest, her friend said she began to worry. Michalski also missed her flight, according to her friends.

After not hearing from her, Tower told WKBW she called the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday to report Michalski missing.

The U.S. State Department said Friday it is aware of reports that Hungarian police have detained a suspect in connection with the disappearance of a U.S. citizen in Hungary. It said the U.S. Embassy is in contact with Hungarian police but has no further comment due to “privacy and other considerations.”

Michalski’s family and friends released a statement on Friday that said they are “deeply saddened to confirm a report published by Hungarian police announcing the death of our beloved Kenzie.”

“Kenzie will forever be remembered as a beautiful and compassionate young woman who dedicated herself to caring for others and making the world a better place,” the statement said. “As a nurse practitioner, Kenzie used her humor, positivity, and limitless empathy to help heal her patients and encourage family and friends alike.”

Her family and friends thanked the U.S. and Hungarian authorities for their “prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration” as well as those who helped raise awareness about her disappearance.

“We are thankful that Kenzie’s soul is now at peace,” the statement said. “Her memory and legacy will endure in the hearts of all whom she’s touched. To understand Kenzie’s spirit is to wholeheartedly embrace the vast joy and wonder of life. Her wish for the world: fully embrace the present moment, be your authentic self, practice kindness, and always walk in the light.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

Flash flooding threat in South as major storm moves across country

ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A large storm over the central U.S. is bringing a range of weather issues, from flooding rain and severe weather to heavy snow in the Rockies.

This early season snowstorm has brought more than three feet of snow to portions of New Mexico.

Angel Fire, New Mexico, is home to a popular ski resort that has picked up 40 inches of snowfall in the last 36 hours. That’s still 8 inches below their record snowfall for one storm.

Las Vegas, New Mexico, has picked up 31.7 inches of snow from this storm, breaking their all-time record snowfall of 27 inches in 1958.

Rociada, New Mexico, had 36 inches of snow; 28 inches of snow fell in Genoa, Colorado; 24.5 inches fell in Colorado Springs, Colorado; 20 inches fell in Kenton, Oklahoma.

Denver, Colorado’s snow total of 19.2 inches makes this their third-largest November snowstorm on record.

Winter Storm Warnings have been allowed to expire across parts of Colorado Saturday morning, as the snow tapers off and quieter weather moves in.

Rafael feeds flood threat

Tropical Storm Rafael is meandering around the central Gulf of Mexico with winds of 50 mph.

After seeing so much activity in the Gulf of Mexico this hurricane season, it’s a relief to see a storm that will not be making landfall as a dangerous storm.

There will be indirect impacts from Rafael as some of the moisture from this storm is pulled into a front as it moves across the south Saturday.

There is a High Risk for Excessive Rainfall in parts of Louisiana today with up to 8 inches of rain in the forecast. That flash flood risk extends as far north as Kentucky today.

Rafael is also churning up the seas enough to bring a dangerous rip current risk to several beaches along the Gulf Coast this weekend.

Waves up to 7 feet have prompted High Surf Advisories through Sunday, with minor coastal flooding also possible in parts of Louisiana.  

Wildfire risk

While there are several dangerous wildfires still burning in the west, the conditions have improved enough to limit fire growth this weekend across California.

In the Northeast, a Red Flag Warning remains in effect for portions of 6 states on Saturday due to elevated fire weather concerns.

Wind gusts up to 35 mph and humidity as low as 25% could help to rapidly spread any fires that flare up, so residents are urged to avoid open flames this weekend.

Rain will move into the northeast by Sunday night, offering a bit of relief to an area that hasn’t seen much measurable rainfall in more than a month.

While any rainfall is better than nothing, this is not looking to put a dent in the severe to extreme drought across much of the northeast.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Health

What parents should know about kids and caffeine amid rise in ER visits

Image via Adobe Stock

(NEW YORK) — A new study is highlighting a dramatic rise in caffeine-related emergency room visits among kids.

The study, released Monday by Epic Research, found the number of caffeine-related ER visits for middle school-aged children nearly doubled from 2017 to 2023, rising from 3.1 per 100,000 visits in 2017 to 6.5 per 100,000 visits in 2023.

For high school-aged children, the rate nearly doubled, rising from 7.5 per 100,000 visits in 2017 to 13.7 per 100,000 visits in 2023, according to the study.

Notably, the study, which looked at more than 223 million ER visits, found that boys had triple the rate of caffeine-related ER visits as girls.

The new study comes less than two months after the release of a report showing a rise in calls to poison centers involving children who consumed energy drinks, which often have high levels of caffeine.

The number of calls to U.S. poison centers about children consuming energy drinks increased about 20% in 2023 after years of remaining relatively flat, according to data from America’s Poison Centers, which accredits and represents 55 poison centers across the country.

Amid the alarming data, here are three things for parents and guardians to know about caffeine and kids.

1. Milk and water are recommended for kids.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics say water and milk are the best drink options for kids.

The current U.S. dietary guidelines say children under the age of 2 should not have any caffeine. For kids under age 12, caffeine is also not recommended.

It is not known exactly how much caffeine is safe or unsafe for teens or young children, since studies of its effects are not permitted on children.

For adults, the FDA has cited around 400 milligrams of caffeine a day as a generally safe amount, though it notes there is “wide variation” in people’s sensitivity to caffeine.

For reference, a 12-ounce caffeinated soft drink contains anywhere from 23 to 84 milligrams of caffeine, according to the FDA, while a 12-ounce cup of coffee contains 113 to 247 milligrams of caffeine.

2. Caffeine is also in foods, not just drinks.

While caffeine is most often thought of as an ingredient in drinks like coffee, sodas and energy drinks, it is also found in different foods and products, according to the FDA.

Ice cream, chewing gum, protein bars, chocolate chips, energy bars and some over-the-counter medications may also contain caffeine, which has the same effects as when it occurs naturally in drinks like coffee or tea, according to the agency.

Decaffeinated teas and coffees also contain some caffeine.

The FDA recommends reading product ingredient labels carefully to check for caffeine. When it is added to a product, it must be listed on the label as “caffeine.”

When caffeine is naturally in a product, like chocolate, just the caffeine-containing ingredient is listed, according to the FDA.

3. Caffeine poisoning symptoms require quick attention.

Multiple signs may indicate a caffeine overdose or poisoning including but not limited to an increased heart rate, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, nausea or anxiousness. Children with caffeine poisoning may also experience rapid breathing or tremors.

In severe cases, too much caffeine can lead to seizures or cardiac arrest.

In milder cases, too much caffeine can cause dehydration, upset stomach, sleep changes, headaches and jumpiness.

If a child or adult exhibits any such symptoms after consuming a caffeinated drink, they should seek medical attention immediately.

For poisoning-related questions, or if you need emergency assistance, you can contact Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, or visit PoisonHelp.org.

ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Politics

Abortion ballot initiatives could have helped Harris win, instead Trump overperformed

The Good Brigade/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Despite Kamala Harris’ loss, pro-abortion rights activists are celebrating the results of the 2024 election, arguing that abortion rights won.

“When we look at the election results from this week, we saw voters in states that are really different from each other, in large majorities support abortion rights,” Elisabeth Smith, the director of state policy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told ABC News in an interview.

Abortion was a central issue in Harris’s campaign as she sought to draw a stark difference between her vision for the country and President-elect Donald Trump’s. But, exit polling shows some supporters of abortion rights still voted for Trump, despite Roe v. Wade being overturned as a result of his U.S. Supreme Court appointments.

The battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada were among 10 states with abortion on the ballot Tuesday. Some strategists hypothesized that this would boost turnout among the majority of voters who support legal abortion, aiding Democratic candidates in the process.

Trump’s approach, focusing on states’ rights, appeared to resonate with voters who didn’t view abortion access as incompatible with a Trump presidency. In Arizona, 23% who voted “yes” on the state’s initiative enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution also voted for Trump. In Nevada, where another abortion rights measure was approved, 27% of “yes” voters elected Trump.

This followed at the national level. Among the two-thirds of voters who said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, 28% voted for Trump; that included 30% in Arizona, 33% in Nevada and 36% in Florida.

Supporters of legal abortion still broke strongly for Harris, but partisan elasticity on the issue did not cut both ways. As Harris made abortion access a central focus of her campaign, she won only 9% of voters who said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. In Arizona, anti-abortion voters made up 31% of the electorate and backed Trump by 95%.

“In thinking about what seems like a contradiction, research has shown that Americans — when there is an abortion ballot or abortion-protecting constitutional amendment or initiative on the ballot — they don’t see abortion as a partisan issue,” Smith said. “Americans see abortion as an issue of liberty and of freedom.”

“In 2022, 10% of voters in the state of Kentucky voted against the restrictive constitutional amendment that was on their ballot and for Rand Paul — a senator who has made his opposition to abortion rights known,” Smith said.

Trump has also told voters that there won’t be a federal abortion ban and it could be that voters were persuaded by him, Smith said.

“I don’t think that people know that a federal abortion ban would preempt state constitutional protection. So I think there could also be this sense ‘I’m voting yes on this amendment, and that means my state is fine,'” Smith said.

At least 14 states have ceased nearly all abortion services since Roe v. Wade was overturned. In total, 21 states have restrictions on abortion in effect.

Seven of the 10 states with abortion on the ballot are projected to vote in favor of abortion rights while three states are projected to uphold abortion restrictions — marking a first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Six states previously voted in favor of abortion rights in the 2022 midterm elections.

In Florida, 57% of voters voted in favor of enshrining protections for abortion rights in the state’s constitution, but the measure failed to reach the 60% threshold it needed to pass. Still, abortion rights groups dubbed this measure a success, saying a majority of voters sided with abortion.

“Abortion won big,” said Gretchen Borchelt, the vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center, at a press conference Wednesday. “If not for the rigged rules and for the very intentional and purposeful efforts to confuse and mislead voters and change the goal post and change the rules, abortion access would have won, certainly in Florida but in Nebraska and South Dakota too.”

In Nebraska, two contradicting abortion-related amendments on the ballot confused voters, likely contributing to the failure of the initiative, Smith argued.

“There is research, outside of the abortion context, but about ballot initiatives that show that when voters are confronted with two choices on the same question, that creates a lot of confusion about what people are voting for. And in Nebraska, when signatures were being collected, there were voters who alleged that they were told they were signing the abortion rights petition and later found out they had signed the petition against abortion rights,” Smith said.

Despite the success of ballot initiatives, advocates need to make it more understandable to people that their elected officials greatly determine their ability to access reproductive healthcare like abortion, Kelly Baden, the Guttmacher Institute’s vice president of policy told ABC News in an interview.

“Women are dying from these abortion bans. And so unfortunately, to to see that that reality wasn’t sufficient for people to fully prioritize abortion rates up and down the ballot in every way possible is it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Baden said.

“Seven states did soundly declare their support for abortion, active rights via ballot measures and I think there’s a bigger conversation of how and why people are able to make that make sense in their own voting patterns. That is a problem that predates Trump,” Baden said.

ABC News’ Gary Langer contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Business

Shares in Trump’s social media company spike after president-elect says he won’t sell stake

Karl Tapales/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company spiked after the president-elect again vowed not to sell his stake in the parent company of Truth Social and called for an investigation into “market manipulators or short sellers.”

Trump Media’s stock price increased by nearly 16 percent to $32 per share on Friday, as investors reacted to the news.

In interviews with ABC News before the election, some shareholders expressed optimism about the company’s future if Trump won the election, in large part due to his potential ability to investigate and stop so-called “naked short sellers,” who they blamed for the company’s lackluster stock price.

Earlier this year, Trump Media’s CEO Devin Nunes called for Nasdaq to investigate whether the company’s stock price was manipulated by short sellers betting against the company without owning or borrowing shares.

“I’m very happy he’s the president and think he’ll do something about the short selling when he gets into office,” Todd Schlanger, a shareholder from West Palm Beach, told ABC News.

“The system seems kind of rigged,” Todd Schlanger, a shareholder from West Palm Beach, told ABC News earlier this year. “Once he becomes president, I think he’s going to fire the head of the SEC, and I think that’s going to make a big change for the company and for all companies.”

Shares in the company — which some analysts saw as a bellwether for Trump’s electoral odds — have surged since late September when the stock traded as low as $12. As Trump’s odds of winning the election improved, the stock’s value tripled in October, trading at more than $50 per share.

But the company’s long-term success remains uncertain, with the company losing more than $19 million during the last quarter while bringing in only $1 million in revenue, according to a recent SEC filing.

According to Similarweb, a data tracking site, the site only attracts 3.7 million unique monthly visitors, compared to rival X’s 461.4M monthly visitors.

As Trump heads into office and the company’s share price continues to surge, his 57 percent stake in the company is worth nearly $4 billion.

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National

Suspect in custody following spate of stabbing attacks in Seattle: Police

mbbirdy/Getty Images

(SEATTLE) — Five people were stabbed in Seattle on Friday, marking the latest incident in a string of stabbings over the past two days in the same area, police said.

A suspect was taken into custody following Friday’s stabbing attack, which appeared to be random, Seattle Police Deputy Chief Eric Barden told reporters at a press briefing.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, is believed to be linked to several of the recent stabbing incidents, police said.

The latest stabbing incident occurred Friday afternoon in the 1200 block of South Jackson Street, in the Chinatown-International District, Seattle police said.

Four of the victims were transported to a local hospital in various conditions, including one who still had a knife in them, Barden said. A fifth victim was treated and released at the scene, police said.

A man matching a description given by witnesses was located nearby and arrested without incident, Barden said. A weapon was also recovered near the suspect, he said.

“This is a horrific tragedy, a mass casualty event,” Barden said.

In addition to the five victims in this incident, five other people have been stabbed in the area in a roughly 38-hour period, according to Seattle police.

The suspect is believed to be linked to four of those stabbings, while one is still being investigated, police said.

The first incident occurred early Thursday, in which a 52-year-old woman was stabbed eight times, police said.

Three other stabbing incidents involving male victims occurred on Thursday, police said. Two of the victims were stabbed multiple times. The other victim told police the assailant tried to stab him in the chest but he managed to block the assault, though sustained a cut to his hand, police said. The victim’s cellphone was also stolen, police said.

Another stabbing occurred early Friday, where a victim was found bleeding “heavily from the neck” and transported to a local hospital in serious condition, police said.

Barden said that beyond the robbery incident, the stabbings appeared to be “just random attacks.”

“This incident was apparently one individual over a 38-hour period of time committing random assaults. That is an aberration. That is not at all the norm,” Barden said. “With a suspect in custody, I think we are returned to normal.”

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