Category: National

(MOUNT POCONO, Pa.) — The West Virginia National Guard member who survived being shot in the head during an attack last month in Washington, D.C., is making “amazing” progress and is even able to stand up, according to President Donald Trump.

While giving a speech Tuesday night in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Trump shared an update on the condition of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who was critically wounded during the broad daylight Thanksgiving Eve shooting just blocks from the White Hous

“Today, I got a call that he is up from bed. Do you believe that? He got up from bed. He got up,” Trump said to loud applause.

Trump said he has been in close contact with Wolfe’s parents, Melody and Jason Wolfe, since the shooting, and has met with them in the Oval Office.

“He got up and, boy, they’re happy. It’s amazing,” Trump said.

During the speech, Trump called Wolfe’s mother, “The most positive person I’ve ever seen.”

“The night that he was so badly hit, and the doctors gave him almost no chance, I called their hospital room and spoke to her, and she said, ‘Sir, he’ll be fine,'” Trump said.

Trump’s update on Wolfe came just days after the West Virginia National Guard posted a Facebook video of Melody Wolfe, West Virginia National Guard Maj. Gen. Jim Seward and Andrew Wolfe’s wife, Leslie, reporting on the wounded Guardsman’s “remarkable improvement.”

In the video posted Dec. 6, Melody Wolfe said her son is coming off sedation and that he has been “very active” as doctors have scaled back on his pain medication.

“He’s coming along well, surpassing expectations,” Melody Wolfe said. “Just all the prayers that you’ve given, they’re working and we’re seeing that miracle happen in that hospital bed right now.”

On Nov. 26, Wolfe and 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were “ambushed” while conducting “high visibility patrols” in the nation’s capital, authorities said.

Becktrom, who was shot in the head from behind, was killed.

The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Bellingham, Washington, was taken into custody after he was shot by a fellow National Guard member, authorities said.

Lakanwal was charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with the intent to kill, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges through a court-appointed attorney last week during an arraignment from his hospital bed.

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(WASHINGTON) —  A former TV producer whose company made true crime programs was added to the FBI’s most wanted list last week for allegedly defrauding banks for nearly $30 million by posing as an heiress.

Mary Carole McDonnell, the former CEO of Bellum Entertainment Group, which produced syndicated shows such as “Corrupt Crimes” and “Murderous Affairs,”
has been on the lam for nearly seven years after the FBI charged her with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Between July 2017 and May 2018, McDonnell, 73, allegedly went to the Banc of California and additional financial institutions and claimed to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft Family, with an $80 million secret trust to which she will have access, the FBI alleged.

She allegedly obtained $29.7 million dollars in cash that she was not entitled to and did not return the money, according to the FBI.

When the bureau issued its arrest warrant on Dec. 12, 2018, McDonnell could not be found.

She is believed to be currently in Dubai, according to the FBI.

Anyone with information related to her whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.

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(NEW YORK) — An atmospheric river event that’s been slamming the Pacific Northwest with rain is now focused on western Washington, where dangerous flooding is forcing people to evacuate.

Four to 8 inches of rain is possible Wednesday and Thursday in the higher elevations of western Washington state.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson issued a state of emergency on Wednesday and he pleaded with residents to follow evacuation orders.

“The situation is extremely serious,” he said at a news conference.

Most rivers in the region are forecast to reach moderate and major flood stages. Record flooding is forecast for some rivers, especially the Skagit River at Mount Vernon and Concrete, Washington, which could swell 3 to 5 feet above record levels beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing through Friday.

The Snoqualmie River, between Snoqualmie and Carnation, will continue to rise through Thursday morning, reaching major flood stage and bringing flooding to farmlands, roads and residential areas from Snoqualmie to Fall City to Carnation. 

Amtrak said trains are suspended between Seattle and Vancouver on Thursday and Friday due to the level of the Skagit River.

While the heavy rain will be over by Thursday afternoon, some rivers will take several days to fully recede. 

The heavy rain will also impact northern Idaho and Montana over the next 24 hours, with localized flash flooding possible.

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