Category: National

A second defendant named in Jane Doe’s lawsuit alleging forcible drugging and gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house is asking a judge to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James from the case.

Winston Lee joined fellow Chi Phi fraternity brother Gillio Lopes in seeking James’ removal as special prosecutor.

Lee argued the attorney general and Gov. Kathy Hochul “have together created a blatant appearance of impropriety” and James herself “has already publicly prejudged the guilt” of the subjects of her investigation.

“This public political stunt by the Governor and the AG to make repeated public statements, remove the case from the elected county prosecutor, and prejudge guilt in a criminal investigation for political advantage a month before election day is unethical and in violation of the law,” Lee’s attorney, Teny Geragos, said in a court filing Friday. “The AG is unquestionably biased, as her own public statements show.”

The woman at the center of the case, an undergraduate student identified only as Jane Doe, told Cornell campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident occurred, that she had been raped by eight to 10 men at the campus’ Chi Phi fraternity house. Each of the men has denied wrongdoing to investigators, in public statements, or through their lawyers.

Hochul last week appointed James to investigate the case.

In Friday’s court filing, Geragos cited a social media post by James in which the AG said, “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

“It is the height of unfairness that an uncharged person like Mr. Lee, presumed to be innocent, should be investigated by anyone — much less the AG — who has already publicly endorsed the purported victim and concluded the accused are guilty,” Geragos said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the New York attorney general’s office said, “In this and every investigation, the Office of the Attorney General is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law.”

James, asked Thursday evening about her comments on social media, said, “Those comments demonstrate empathy, and what we need now more than ever in our body politic is more empathy. The governor of the great state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, assigned me to analyze this case and to judge it and to do it without bias. She’s requesting an unbiased investigation and a thorough investigation, and we will do that based on the facts and based on the evidence.”

“Politics stops at the door in my office,” James said. “I can assure New Yorkers that we will engage in a thorough investigation, which will be based on the facts and the law, and guided by the evidence.”

Hochul, following James’ social media post, said, “I have every confidence in our attorney general to do what she has always done: look at the facts, examine the record, and draw the proper conclusions. That’s exactly what’s going to happen in this case.”

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Multiple passengers and crew members were injured when an Avianca flight headed to New York City experienced “unexpected turbulence” and diverted to Miami, the Colombian airline said.

Avianca Flight 42 landed safely at Miami International Airport around 3:25 a.m. Friday, “after the crew reported severe turbulence,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Six passengers and three crew members were “affected by the turbulence,” Avianca said in a statement. Ultimately, eight people were transported to the hospital, according to the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, including one person with a trauma injury.

The flight had departed from Medellin and was bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Avianca said it diverted the flight to Miami “as a precaution and in accordance with the airline’s safety protocols” and is now assisting passengers in continuing on to New York.

“Avianca remains in contact with the affected passengers and crew members as it
continues to respond to the situation,” the airline said. “The safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations.”

The FAA said it is investigating.

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Evacuation orders have been issued for several counties in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama as Hurricane Isaias, now a powerful Category 3 storm, inches closer to landfall.

The storm could bring 9 feet of storm surge to parts of Florida, along with high winds, torrential rain and potential tornados. The storm is also forecasted to bring tornados and heavy rain throughout Alabama, according to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

Isaias could make landfall late Friday into early Saturday morning.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey have issued state of emergencies for dozens of counties that are in the storm’s path.

On Thursday, Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation order for all non-residents, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County. This includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and Dauphin Island in Mobile County.

“We often hear in emergency management: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. That is the approach we need with this particular storm system,” Ivey said in a video statement.

DeSantis ordered evacuations for Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Franklin and Gulf counties. Florida residents can check the status of the evacuation order via an online map that is being updated by the state’s Division of Emergency Management.

“There will be impacts,” DeSantis said at a news conference Friday where he urged residents to heed the warnings.

“If you’re in the panhandle, assume that you are going to lose power. Prepare that you are going to lose power,” he added.

Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore echoed the governor’s concerns at a news conference and warned residents, “Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast.”

Travis Tompkins, emergency manager for Escambia County, said residents should take the evacuation orders seriously.

“We want to make sure that those barrier islands, the Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Energy Point, the low-lying areas — evacuate,” he added.

The governor said the state’s Highway Patrol had more than 300 troopers ready to assist with evacuations, emergency response and recovery operations.

 The Florida Department of Health is preparing more than 100 ambulances for possible evacuations and patient transportation, according to the governor.  

Wildlife and emergency response agencies have also staged boats, high-water vehicles, aircraft and other equipment for potential search-and-rescue operations, he said.

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The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 was awarded Friday to Navanethem Pillay “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”

Calling her a person “with exceptional courage and integrity” and somebody who “has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order,” the Nobel Institute said that Pillay “has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.”

“Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career,” the Nobel Institute said. “Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion. A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time.”

Pillay has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court in her career. She was also the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and, until recently, she chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Pillay is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

“In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence,” the Nobel Institute said. “Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.”

“In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law — national and international — underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts non-violently. Peace requires justice,” the Nobel Institute added.

“History has shown that a world operating without the rule of law is unjust, unwise and inhumane. The judges — those who guard the thin red line between order and chaos — are therefore highly deserving of our praise,” the Nobel Institute said in their announcement. “But today, as these same judges are sanctioned, and their institutions are attacked, we need people of courage, vision and determination — qualities that Navi Pillay demonstrates in her work on the bench.”

Pillay, who was born in 1941 and has two daughters, holds a Master of Law and a Doctorate of Juridical Science from Harvard University.

“The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 springs directly from Alfred Nobel’s will,” the Nobel Institute said. “Navi Pillay strengthens fraternity between nations and — by systematically advancing the use of tribunals for peace and justice — she provides substance, direction and motivation for peace conferences in their modern form.”

“Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time,” the Nobel Institute added. “Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law. Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.”

The announcement was made by the chair of The Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.

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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in a residential New York City neighborhood Thursday afternoon during what the agency called a “targeted enforcement operation.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling the incident an “outrage,” said the man was in a vehicle with a 5-year-old child at the time.

“School had just gotten out. The street was crowded with families and children. When the ICE agent opened fire, a 5-year-old child … was in the back seat of the car,” Mamdani said in a late-night press conference on Thursday. “Thank God that child is physically unharmed.”

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the 28-year-old man who was shot was taken to the hospital with a gunshot to the neck below his left ear and arrived in stable condition. She said the boy, who authorities believe to be the man’s son, was safe and in the care of a family member.

DHS says shooting happened during ‘targeted enforcement operation’
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. ET in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Marble Hill, the NYPD said.

During a news conference Friday, Marcos Charles, DHS’s executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations, said that ICE officers attempted to arrest the suspect, Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national who had an ICE detainer, and used their vehicles to block Belgal.

Charles said Belgal has alleged associations with the Trinitarios gang and has a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and “multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession.”

He alleged that the gang was involved in a shooting of a CBP officer two years ago and Belgal had knowledge of the incident.

Charles alleged that Belgal “weaponized his vehicle” and smashed it into ICE vehicles.

“Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the life of their partners and the general public were in danger, and fired weapons,” Charles said.

Belgal was struck in the neck and ICE agents rendered aid before he was transported to the hospital, Charles said. He was later moved to a detention facility outside New York, according to Charles.

Charles said that DHS would pursue several criminal charges.

“We will continue to place him in removal proceedings, and we will continue to try to remove him from this country as quickly as possible following his charges,” he said.

When asked about the child in the car, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE officers were not aware the 5-year-old was in the car during the car stop. Mullin blamed Belgal for putting the 5-year-old in that situation.

“The focus on what took place is absolutely absurd,” he said.

Officers were wearing body-worn cameras, according to Mullin, and the body-worn cameras were on.

Mullin did not commit to releasing the footage and said there is a joint FBI and HSI investigation into the shooting underway.

NYPD: ICE officer fired 7 rounds

At the press conference Thursday night with the mayor, Tisch said the man who was shot has two prior arrests in New York City, including one for robbery in 2023 to which he pleaded guilty to grand larceny and another in 2025 for the criminal sale of a controlled substance, which is still pending.

Tisch said the NYPD, which had no involvement in the shooting, responded to the scene after the shooting, finding several men in “various forms of attire,” including some in construction-style vests, face masks and at least one carrying a long gun.

She said when officers arrived, the man who was shot was handcuffed and seated on the ground before NYPD officers placed him in one of their vehicles, rendered aid and took him to the hospital.

Evidence collected from the scene indicates at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds, Tisch said. There was ballistic damage to the windshield of the man’s vehicle, a Honda CR-V, and the back window was also shattered.

The moments leading up to the shooting were captured on NYPD surveillance cameras, Tisch said.

The video shows the man backing into a parking spot near a fire hydrant before a plainclothes federal law enforcement officer approaches the driver’s side door with his gun drawn, Tisch said. Another plainclothes officer approaches by the driver’s side headlight, she said.

The vehicle then starts to drive away and goes out of camera view, Tisch said. The NYPD cameras did not capture the shooting itself, she said.

An ICE vehicle, a gray four-door sedan, had damage to the front panel and the lower panel was fully disconnected, Tisch said.

The NYPD released body camera footage of their officers responding to the scene after the shooting. The footage showed the suspect sitting on the street as he was being treated for his wound. 

Bystanders are seen in the video shouting and cursing at the federal officers.

Mamdani said he spent 2 hours on phone with Trump, Mullin

At the press conference Thursday, Mamdani said he spent two hours on the phone with President Donald Trump and Mullin seeking to negotiate the release of the man who was shot.

But he said his efforts were not successful.

In a statement late Thursday night, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had also spoken with Trump and the DHS secretary about the shooting.

“I expressed outrage on behalf of New Yorkers and urged them to halt ICE enforcement operations in New York,” Hochul said. “I also asked that any body camera footage of the shooting be released to the public so we can establish the facts and get to the truth.”

City officials have been told that ICE has been using a nearby Target parking lot on 225th Street as a staging area.

Protesters gathered in the hours following the shooting, some holding anti-ICE signs, as law enforcement worked the scene.

Later, hundreds of protesters gathered outside New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in upper Manhattan, where the man who was shot was being treated.

Mullin chastised the mayor and protesters during a news conference Friday.

“It’s shameful that you have a mayor that puts criminals above law-abiding citizens,” he said.

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The Trump administration has quietly organized a team of government attorneys to represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court, according to a federal notice.

The announcement, posted by the Department of Health and Human Services, says that HHS lawyers under a new agency division will “provide direct legal services to unaccompanied alien children.”

The development comes after the administration cut ties with a number of immigration advocacy groups that had previously provided those services.

Some of the duties listed in the notice include entering appearances on behalf of migrant children in immigration court and providing representation throughout an individual migrant child’s immigration proceeding.

Some immigration advocacy groups have raised concerns about the move, saying that the same government that is targeting migrant children under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown would also now be representing the minors in court.

“It is unconscionable that the same government that is attacking and trying to deport children would also pretend to provide them legal defense in immigration court,” said Michael Lukens, the executive director of the immigrant advocacy group Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, which used to receive funding through a government contract that was terminated.

“A fair day in court, which every child deserves, requires meaningful and independent advocates. HHS’ plan to assign government attorneys to defend kids is a boldly unethical position,” he said.

A spokesperson for the HHS did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

In December 2023, the Acacia Center for Justice became the prime contract holder with HHS for the Unaccompanied Children Program, overseeing subcontracts with more than 100 service providers that provide legal representation to more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

But earlier this year, the government cut ties with the group and awarded a controversial anti-human trafficking organization a no-bid $158 million contract to provide legal services to migrant children. In August, a small Texas law firm withdrew from consideration for a $150 million federal contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children after immigrant advocacy groups raised concerns about the firm’s degree of experience in immigration law.

The two awards prompted a group of Democratic lawyers to send a letter to HHS regarding their concerns over the government’s efforts to award new federal contracts to politically connected firms that they said lack immigration experience.

“Unaccompanied minors are the most vulnerable population in the immigration system,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Tx., previously told ABC News. “We have a moral and statutory duty to provide them with quality legal representation. The Trump administration’s attempt to cut out longstanding providers who are equipped to handle these cases jeopardizes the well-being of children.”

Immigrant advocacy groups have alleged that unaccompanied children and their sponsors are among those being targeted under the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. Last year, ABC News reported that the administration was directing immigration agents to track down unaccompanied migrant children in the United States.

“If [HHS] attorneys are assigned to represent unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, every federal agency involved in these children’s cases, including HHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, would effectively be on the same side of the courtroom,” said Jennifer Podkul, the Chief of Global Policy and Advocacy for Kids in Need of Defense.

“This creates a closed system in which the government serves as custodian, prosecutor, judge, and now potentially counsel, leaving children with little opportunity to have their cases heard through a truly independent and fair process,” Podkul said. “Putting HHS attorneys in this role risks creating yet another pathway to fast-track vulnerable children toward deportation rather than ensuring their rights, safety, and best interests are protected.”

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Last month was the warmest September on record for the contiguous United States, surpassing the previous record set in 1998, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Lower 48 recorded above-average temperatures for the 20th straight month, continuing a streak that began in February 2025. So far, four months this year have ranked as the warmest on record: March, July, August and September. NOAA’s temperature records date back to 1895.

Above-average temperatures were recorded in 43 states last month, with eight states experiencing their warmest September on record: Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. In contrast, Oregon was the only state with below-average September temperatures.

The new record was primarily driven by exceptionally warm overnight low temperatures rather than extreme daytime highs. An estimated 80 million people experienced their warmest September nighttime temperatures on record, according to the report.

While parts of the contiguous U.S. experienced persistently drier-than-average conditions, some regions saw beneficial rainfall with above-average precipitation recorded.

In the Southwest, Arizona experienced its wettest September since 1983, with New Mexico seeing its wettest since 1941. Overall, the Southwest received more than twice its average September precipitation last month.

Hawaii experienced its wettest September since 2015, fueled in part by Hurricane Lowell. The state received 10.83 inches of precipitation, which is 6.42 inches above the monthly average.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released on October 8, about 55% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, a slight decrease compared to the beginning of September. Last month, drought expanded or intensified across much of the southern Plains, Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys.

Meanwhile, drought conditions improved in parts of the Southwest, northern Plains and Upper Midwest. In Puerto Rico, conditions improved significantly, with severe drought coverage dropping from more than 60% at the start of September to less than 30% by the end of the month.

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The former Cornell student who reported an alleged gang rape at a campus fraternity has faced a series of threats and doxxing attempts in the three weeks since filing her explosive lawsuit, her attorney told ABC News. 

Attorney Thomas Giuffra said Jane Doe is concerned about the threats but vowed to continue the case — saying the national attention is bringing awareness to the issue, pushing lawmakers to reconsider laws surrounding consent, and providing a rare chance for accountability. 

“Jane Doe is fearless,” said Giuffra. “She always was interested in trying to make things better for other women, so there’s no more Jane Does.” 

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Giuffra argued that Jane Doe has been subject to the “most incredible sequence of failures” by school officials and law enforcement, which ultimately led to this situation. 

“It’s been the most incredible sequence of failures I’ve seen in my 30-plus years of practice. I mean, it’s not just one thing,” he said. “I can’t keep them straight half the time because there are so many. I mean, you have a failure everywhere along the line, everywhere.”

ABC News has reached out to Cornell for a comment.

Cornell said in a statement on Sept. 21 that it takes allegations of sexual violence “extremely seriously” and that it “investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies.”

In a subsequent statement, the school said it conducted a “thorough” Title IX investigation and “issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell.”

Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, released a video statement on Oct. 3, saying the incident is a “defining moment” and pledged reforms to campus culture and university policies and procedures.

Giuffra also called out Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who initially declined to bring charges in 2024. 

Van Houten reopened the case on Sept. 27 after speaking with Jane Doe and her lawyer in the wake of a civil suit being filed alleging that she had been drugged and raped.

In an interview with ABC News after reopening the case, Van Houten defended his decision not to bring charges, saying “she clearly consented in the beginning, and there was never any indication that she changed that to the things that she participated in” but that “If at any point Jane Doe had said, ‘I don’t consent to this anymore,’ or in those words, or in any form of communication. If there had been continued sexual activity, contact by these individuals, that would be a crime. But that’s not what was alleged in her statement.”

Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul removed the local DA from the case and named state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation of the incident. Separately, Cornell has announced an outside law firm would be tapped this week to review the university’s handling of the allegations and subsequent investigation.

Giuffra also pushed back on claims from attorneys for the accused fraternity brothers — who argued that she consented or distanced themselves from the allegations — arguing their “self-serving statements” are detached from reality and contradicted by the accounts of witnesses that evening. 

Giuffra defended his client’s decision to secretly record some of the men.

“She wanted to process what was going on. Because she couldn’t really wrap her head around it because she was traumatized,” he said. 

Giuffra also tried to cast doubt on the claims by some of the men that they were too intoxicated to consent by pointing to the Snapchat group where they invited others to join. He described the chat as a “smoking gun.”

ABC News obtained an extended version of the Snapchat group chat shared among more than 50 fraternity brothers during the alleged assault.

The fraternity brother who invited Jane Doe to the house that night sent a photo to the chat that appears to show her in the bedroom. He allegedly wrote in the chat, “Boys come whip it out.”

“I don’t care what their defense lawyers say. I don’t care what the university says. That is the classic gun. It’s like a body on the ground, a smoking gun. That’s that Snapchat,” Giuffra said.

Jane Doe withdrew from Cornell due to the incident, according to her attorney, and the civil suit filed in the case. None of the men named in the suit have responded in court, although each has denied wrongdoing to investigators, in public statements, or through their lawyers.

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Officers shot and killed a man inside a federal courthouse in Nashville on Thursday after he allegedly brandished a gun and then a knife in the court’s lobby, investigators said.

At around 9:30 am, an unidentified male in his 40s, who was from out of state, attempted to pass through the checkpoint of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building & Courthouse while armed, Nashville Metropolitan Police Public Affairs Director Don Aaron told reporters at a news conference.

At the checkpoint, the man allegedly attempted to fire his pistol, but the gun jammed, according to Aaron. The suspect then allegedly pulled out a knife and attempted to attack an officer, which is when the officer opened fire, Aaron said.

The suspect was transported to the hospital critically wounded and was later pronounced dead, Aaron said. Police said the man’s motive was under investigation.

Investigators were searching the suspect’s car, which was left near the scene.  

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the investigation, Aaron said. 

“Obviously, someone who is armed and brings a firearm into a federal courthouse is not acceptable, and we’re going to have to get to the bottom of what happened and then act accordingly,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire said. 

Officials said the situation prompted the evacuation of a nearby library.

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