Right-wing influencer Jake Lang walks with a goat and supporters at a protest organized by the influencer on March 7, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Police arrested four people after a smoke-generating “suspicious device” was thrown during a protest at the New York City mayor’s residence Saturday.
It was not immediately known if Mayor Zohran Mamdani or his wife, Rama Duwaji, were inside Gracie Mansion at the time. Mamdani had no public events announced but was in the city, according to his public schedule released Friday night.
Police sources told ABC News that the anti-Muslim protest was organized by a “known agitator.”
The NYPD bomb squad was investigating if the device was a smoke bomb, after some smoke started coming out of the device before the crowd was moved back, sources said.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
The mayor’s office did not immediately return messages to ABC News for comment.
Two unidentified people arrested were accused of throwing a suspicious device, police sources said.
One person was arrested for disorderly conduct and another person was arrested for deploying pepper spray, according to sources.
Debris is wrapped around a tree following a tornado that hit several cities in rural southwest Michigan on March 7, 2026 in Union City, Michigan. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The threat for severe storms continues Saturday for much of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.
At least eight people have been confirmed dead this week as severe weather hit Michigan and Oklahoma.
The severe weather threat continues Saturday, with two areas of severe weather (level 2 of 5 severe risk), from Texas to Mississippi, including Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Jackson, where large hail and damaging winds are the main threats. While the tornado threat is low here, a brief tornado cannot be ruled out.
The main threats across the South are large hail and damaging winds, but tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
This severe weather is feeding on well above-average temperatures that are spreading east, some of which may break more daily high temperature records.
This week in Michigan, a large and extremely powerful tornado tore through the city of Three Rivers.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma, a tornado tore through Beggs — a city about 21 miles south of Tulsa — killing two people and injuring two others. The National Weather Service reported that debris being lofted by the tornado was being picked up on weather radar as it was tracking through the city.
A state of emergency has been issued for eight Oklahoma counties “to ensure Oklahomans have the support and resources they need after last night’s storms,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a post on X.
Two were injured by a likely tornado just southwest of the Prospect community in Marrion County, Texas.
One was injured after a trailer was reported to be lifted from a likely tornado near Willisville in Nevada County, Arkansas. The local National Weather Service office in Shreveport, Louisiana reported that a tornado debris signature was associated with the storm near Willisville, Arkansas.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued until 2:00 p.m. CT for central and eastern Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, northern Mississippi and western Tennessee. This includes Little Rock, Arkansas; Greenville, Mississippi; and Memphis, Tennessee.
Multiple confirmed tornadoes On Friday, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a possible tornado in Michigan, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The boy died of his injuries after being taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital.
At least three injuries were reported from these storms, according to the National Weather Service.
Multiple large structures — including homes and pole barns — sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction in southwest Michigan.
The National Weather Service confirmed 6 tornadoes so far from Thursday night — two in Kansas and four in Oklahoma. The tornado that killed two Thursday night on U.S. Highway 60 near Fairview, Oklahoma — mother and daughter, Jodie and Lexie Owens — was confirmed to be an EF2 tornado with estimated peak winds of 115 to 120 mph.
On Friday, at least three people were confirmed dead and 12 were injured in Branch County, Michigan, and one person was confirmed dead and several others were injured in Cass County, Michigan, according to county officials.
There were also two reported injuries from damaging winds with some storms overnight — one in Columbus, Kansas, when the side of a house was blown away — and one near Lamar Heights, Missouri, when strong winds turned over a semi-truck.
Workers finish installing words from President Barack Obamaâs speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Center Museum building on Feb. 17, 2026, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(CHICAGO) — The Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening celebrations will begin in June, almost five years after its groundbreaking in Chicago, the Obama Foundation announced.
The center — a museum and public gathering space in honor of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — will be dedicated on Thursday, June 18, and the campus will open to the public the next day, the foundation said in a press release.
The celebrations will run through June 21 “with a series of events that bring together the changemakers, community members, volunteers, and supporters who made the Obama presidency a reality and that welcome visitors to celebrate the power of hope and change,” the foundation said.
“It is easy to look around right now and feel like the challenges we face are simply too big,” President Obama said in a video posted to social media. “But hope is not about ignoring the hard stuff. It is that thing inside us that insists something better awaits if we are willing to work for it. Here on the South Side of Chicago, hope is getting a permanent home.”
The presidential center had sparked some controversy with community organizers expressing concern that development in the historic Jackson Park neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side could lead to gentrification of the neighborhood, while park preservationists challenged the construction in court, citing environmental concerns.
President Obama told “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts ahead of the groundbreaking in 2021 that he’s “absolutely confident” that the center will benefit the local community.
Tucker Carlson, former FOX News host and current host of The Tucker Carlson Show, attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House on January 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump’s decision to carry out strikes on Iran has further exposed a fracture among some of the president’s fiercest supporters inside MAGA world — one that many supporters say will only widen with every week the conflict continues.
Since the first strike last week, Trump’s actions in Iran have faced stark criticism from some of the most popular voices in MAGA media who helped boost his 2024 campaign, ranging from longtime adviser Steve Bannon to more recent converts like conservative media personalities Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
Watch special coverage on Nightline, “War with Iran,” each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Prominent figures within the movement say the strikes have already tested the limits of their support, according to interviews with over a dozen leading voices inside President Trump’s MAGA coalition, who point to shifting justifications, no clear endgame, the specter of another Middle East forever war, and the use of American resources overseas versus at home as concerns that they warn will only deepen and carry a steeper political price the longer the operation lasts.
“He has a maximum of a month,” Natalie Winters, White House correspondent for Bannon’s War Room program, told ABC News. “After that people will start viewing this as just another dragged-out conflict.”
Since the strikes last week, the president and Trump officials have offered a creeping timeline for how long the operation in Iran could last, with Trump initially stating the operation was “ahead of schedule” and that the war could last “four weeks — or less.”
But in recent days the administration has signaled the potential for a much longer conflict, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stating this week that the operation had “only just begun.”
“We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively,” Hegseth told reporters. “Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth said the war could go as long as eight weeks or beyond, the longest timeline the Trump administration has offered thus far.
For a base filled with influential — and loud — voices who say they supported the president in large part because of his promise to avoid not just foreign intervention but “forever wars,” the administration’s shifting timeline has become a ticking clock.
‘They tell us it’s regime change’ Winters, one of the young rising stars on the MAGA right, has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and has become a prominent voice on Bannon’s War Room, where she filled in as a guest host while Bannon was serving time in prison for refusing to testify before the Jan. 6 Congressional committee.
She joined the movement at 18, and while she covers the Trump administration for a pro-Trump outlet, she has not been shy about criticizing the administration on issues like the Epstein files and foreign military action.
Winters said her main issue with the war in Iran is that nobody can explain the goal.
“They tell us it’s regime change, but not regime change. It’s a war, but it’s not a war. But we can’t rule out boots on the ground. And if it we want it to be a forever war, it can be a forever war, but it’s not a forever war,” Winter said. “There have been no publicly made comments in the last four days to give me any comfort that this is not going to turn into [a forever war].”
Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, told ABC News that the longer the operation drags on, the worse it will be for the president’s standing with his supporters.
“It all depends on how long the war goes. I think you are going to see this start eating into Trump’s approval rating, beyond his core MAGA supporters. And that’s the difference between Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. James Talarico,” Mills said, referencing the war’s potential impact on critical Senate midterm races like the one in Texas, where the Republican primary between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now headed for a runoff.
The impact the war could have on the midterms appears to be one of the unifying concerns among influential voices on the right, who worry about the coalition of supporters that swept Trump into power in 2024. Jack Posobiec, a popular MAGA commentator and Turning Point Action official, told ABC News the president’s victory was built in part on two distinct groups: the traditional Republican base and a newer wave of younger, low-propensity voters who had never engaged in politics before, which includes the podcast and sports fan crowd that the campaign worked to bring into the fold ahead of November.
It is that second group, Posobiec warned, where the Iran strikes are landing hardest — making what is emerging inside MAGA also a generational fault line.
“For the younger end of the spectrum inside MAGA, foreign intervention is just off the radar. It’s not something they want to see because they see it as prioritizing foreign interests over populist interests,” Posobiec said. “They want to see economic relief as No. 1. They’re interested in Epstein, arrests, deportations — but anything to do with foreign intervention is just off the radar for them. When you get to say [age] 40, 45, you see the split in the other direction, where you do see more support for the president’s actions.”
Posobiec also said the divide comes down to younger voters fearful of a repeat of the interventionist wars of the George W. Bush era.
“There’s this huge shadow cast over anything to do with military intervention because of the Bush years. People just have massive indigestion over that. I’m a veteran myself and I totally understand,” he said. “Donald Trump is not George W. Bush. JD Vance is not Dick Cheney. You got to give them some credit for that.”
Backlash to the backlash
The dissent has not gone unanswered. Even as the criticism has grown, a counter-offensive of sorts has taken shape inside MAGA world, with other prominent voices pushing back against those speaking out.
Perhaps no voice within MAGA has defended the president and the Iran strikes more aggressively than Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who, while having her own history of criticizing the administration, has become the movement’s most visible counterweight to the growing dissent.
“A lot of these people are not even Trump supporters. They build up audiences lying to people, pretending like they’re conservative,” Loomer told ABC News when asked about the backlash to Iran.
Loomer, on X, has lavished praise on the operation in Iran, and has launched attacks at MAGA voices who have been critical. “I love President Trump. I would take anyone to the floor for the United States and for Donald J. Trump. I am always eager to throw down on anyone who works to undermine his plan to restore our country to greatness,” Loomer wrote.
In the days following the initial strikes, the president called Loomer personally, telling her he had spent the day on the phone with world leaders and generals but wanted to reach out to thank her for her support, according to Loomer.
“I said, ‘Congratulations! You’re a hero to the Iranian people, you’re a hero to the American people,'” Loomer told ABC News.
Loomer, who has emerged as one of the most influential pro-Trump voices, said the president also asked her how the Iran strikes were going over with his supporters. “What are people saying about it? I believe there’s overwhelming support for this,” she said Trump asked.
Loomer agreed with the president but told him there were “some people who aren’t happy about it, but they’re the general misfits,” specifically referring to Tucker Carlson, who had earlier that day told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that the strikes were “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
“I asked him, ‘Are you aware of this? Tucker keeps going online about you and he called you disgusting and evil today,'” Loomer said.
Loomer said she was surprised to learn that at that time Trump was still not aware of the critical comments Carlson had been making, many of which she had been highlighting on her X account.
“He didn’t know any of the stuff,” Loomer said. “And so he asked me to send it over.”
Loomer said she then sent over information about what Carlson, and also Megyn Kelly, had been saying about the president. Later that day, Trump said in an interview that “MAGA’s not the other two,” referring to Carlson and Kelly.
Days later, Trump told ABC Jonathan Karl, “Tucker has lost his way” and that he “knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”
In the aftermath of the back and forth between Trump and Carlson, Loomer wrote on X, “Loomered,” taking credit for the blowback on Carlson.
Other prominent MAGA voices are now seeking to discredit the idea that any meaningful divide exists at all — creating a fight within the movement over whether there is a fight within the movement.
“This is all b——-, doomer, black pilled, liberal media b——- designed to fracture you before an election, to drive down approval ratings and voter enthusiasm, so Republicans lose and Donald Trump can get impeached,” podcaster and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said on his show this week. “That is all this is.”
Some have dismissed the concerns as little more than the voices of a handful of dissenting podcasters — but others reject that characterization.
“I think it’s nonsense,” Mills, another longtime leading voice in the MAGA movement, told ABC News. “Say what you will, if you even took the extreme cynical view of Carlson, Bannon, Kelly — they’re businessmen. And they wouldn’t be doing this if there wasn’t a large audience for the message.”
“It’s demoralization at the margins that I’m worried about. It doesn’t tell us anything to say 80% of Republican voters support the Iran thing. You’re not fighting for the median Republican voter,” Mills said. “You lose 50,000 people who just don’t show up — you lose Georgia. Can they afford to lose point 5% of the vote? I don’t think so.”
‘Foundational to MAGA’ But there are some on the right who have actually been surprised the blowback hasn’t been louder. Earlier this week, Winters spoke out for the first time regarding the Iran strikes during an appearance on Bannon’s War Room, delivering what she believed to be measured criticism of the administration’s efforts and saying, “I’m as MAGA as it gets. We love Trump, but it’s fair to ask for clarity.”
“If this turns into another dragged out kinetic conflict, that’s not what we voted for,” Winters said.
Winters said she was shocked by the immediate backlash she faced online for her comments. “The comments were pretty rough. Which is wild, my commentary was pretty measured,” she said, adding that she had also been “smeared as a MAGA sycophant and cultist. It’s very frustrating. I could not have been more measured. I literally read the administration’s quotes.”
Given the gravity of the issue, Winters said she has been surprised that the outcry from the base hasn’t been even more forceful.
“The debate over the Epstein files created more political blowback on the administration than what they’re doing in Iran, standing on the brink of a potential forever war,” she said.
“And seeing the base not more outrageous about that — it’s pretty wild, because that’s a tenant that’s foundational to MAGA.”
U.S. President Donald Trump exits Air Force One after landing at Miami International Airport on March 6, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Trump will be hosting the “Shield of the Americas” summit with Latin American leaders focusing on security and democracy on March 7th in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump is set to attend the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday for the service members who were killed in Kuwait amid the war in Iran.
The transfer will mark the return home of the first American soldiers killed in the war with Iran.
“I will be going to Dover Air Force Base tomorrow, with the First Lady and Members of my Cabinet, to pay our Highest Respect to our Great Warriors, who are returning home for the last time,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, adding, “GOD BLESS THEM ALL!”
The troops were killed in the opening hours of the conflict last weekend during an Iranian drone attack.
The Pentagon identified the troops as: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
The soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit based in Des Moines, Iowa.
All six died in the same attack at Shuaiba port in Kuwait, a commercial harbor that doubles as a logistics hub for the U.S. military. An additional 18 service members were wounded in the strike.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt extended prayers and condolences to the families of the fallen.
“These heroes represent the very best among us,” Leavitt told reporters at a Wednesday briefing. “They laid down their lives in defense of our country, and we will never forget their legacy or their sacrifice.”
“As the president said, we grieve for these American patriots and their families as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives. President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of these American heroes to stand in grief alongside their families,” Leavitt said.
Families of some of the fallen troops have released statements remembering their loved ones.
The family of fallen soldier Sgt. Declan J. Coady released a statement following his death, calling him “a rock in all of our lives” and “the most amazing brother and son my family could have asked for.”
In a statement, the family of Capt. Cody A. Khork said his life “was defined by devotion, character, and service,” his family said in a statement on Wednesday. “Cody was truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.”
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 70 million Americans are under a severe weather threat heading into the weekend, including the possibility of tornadoes in the central United States, after deadly storms swept through Oklahoma.
A storm system is bringing rain, snow, ice and severe weather from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest and across much of the Plains on Friday.
The severe storm threat stretches from Dallas to Milwaukee, including Des Moines, Iowa, St. Louis and Oklahoma City. Strong winds, hail, and brief tornadoes are all possible.
A large area stretching from far northeast Texas to southwest Iowa is under an enhanced threat, with tornadoes and very large hail as the main concerns.
The greatest tornado threat on Friday is from far northeastern Texas to just south of Springfield, Missouri. Tornado watches are in effect across six states into Friday night — Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa.
A large and “extremely dangerous” tornado was also detected in southern Michigan, south of Kalamazoo, on Friday afternoon. There were multiple reports of “significant damage” in Three Rivers, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy downpours, especially in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, could also result in localized flash flooding.
The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency on Friday “in preparation for potentially dangerous severe weather forecasted across the state,” including the threat of damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes, his office said.
The threat comes after seven reported tornadoes and golf ball-sized hail impacted parts of west Texas and Oklahoma. A mother and daughter were killed in Major County, Oklahoma, on Thursday night after severe weather swept through the area, according to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt. They were found dead in a vehicle that appeared to have tornado damage, authorities told ABC Oklahoma City affiliate KOCO.
Elsewhere, winter weather advisories are also in effect Friday from Colorado to Minnesota for the cold side of the storm with snow and ice. Denver could see 2 to 4 inches of snow.
Icy conditions are expected across parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Minnesota, with heavy rain forecast to move through the upper Midwest through Friday night.
To the South, widespread severe weather is possible through late Friday from Texas to Wisconsin.
American religious & Civil Rights leader and politician Reverend Jesse Jackson points as he speaks from a lectern at the headquarters of Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), Chicago, Illinois, July 17, 1981. (Photo by Antonio Dickey/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Former President Barack Obama reflected on the late Rev. Jesse Jackson’s “legacy of hope” on Friday, telling thousands who gathered to celebrate the late civil rights leader’s life in Chicago that “we are living in a time when it can be hard to hope.”
“I’d always be grateful for that legacy of hope,” Obama said.
“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think you think were possible,” Obama said.
“Each day, we’re told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don’t even count at all,” Obama added.
“Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength; we see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance and dishonesty and cruelty and corruption are reaping untold rewards every single day, we see that and it’s hard to hope,” Obama said.
Obama joined former Presidents Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, in delivering remarks at the House of Hope on Friday afternoon in Chicago to honor the legacy of the pioneering civil rights leader, politician and minister, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 86. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Jill Biden also attended the service, along with governors of the states of Illinois, Maryland, California and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Throughout his speech Obama characterized Jackson as a “messenger” of God, who repeatedly said, “send me,” as he faced and fought injustices thorough his life – from the Jim Crow South, to the modern civil rights movement.
“But this man Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path, his voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change,” Obama said. “How fortunate we were that Jesse Jackson answered that call, what a great debt we owe to him. May God bless, Rev. Jackson. May he rest in eternal peace.”
Friday’s public “Celebration of Life” service will be followed by a private service on Saturday morning in Chicago. The services come after thousands paid their respects to Jackson as he lay in honor at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago last week. He was also honored in his birth state of South Carolina on Monday, where he laid in state at the state house in Columbia.
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. marched beside Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights for all people. He traveled the world fighting economic and gender inequity. Until his last days, he fought for better healthcare, education, and peace in Chicago, Illinois, the United States, and beyond,” the Jackson family said in a statement on Wednesday. “I hope everyone who joins us to honor his legacy will also continue to champion these causes. That would be the best possible tribute and celebration they could offer.”
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. changed the United States — and the world,” the Jackson family said. “We are deeply honored to know there are people from every walk of life who want to join us to pay their respects.”
During his speech Obama reflected on Jackson’s historic campaigns for president in 1984 and 1988 and the rainbow coalition that he formed, forging the path forward for the Democratic Party. “He paved the road for so many others to follow,” Obama said. “And it was because of that path that he had laid, because of his courage, his audacity, that two decades later, a young black senator from Chicago, South Side would even be taken seriously as a candidate for the presidential nomination,” Obama added.
Harris also credited Jackson with forming the “rainbow coalition,” which became a defining force for the Democratic Party.
“Jackson reminded us that the many fights for freedom are interconnected,” she said.
“As he once said, when a barrier falls for one of the locked out, it opens the doors for all, and that is what he told me, and what he taught me, and how he inspired me,” she added.
Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton, who awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000, said the late reverand made him a “better president.”
“We did not always agree, but I’ll tell you one thing, he made me a better president, because he was always pushing on things, and he knew that change came from the outside in, and sometimes from the inside out,” Clinton said. “so he knew how to keep pushing and nagging and wearing you up.”
Jackson died after experiencing health issues over the past several years, including a battle with Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder.
During his remarks on Friday, Biden called for Jackson’s memory to inspire Americans. “Let us be what Jesse called us to be, a margin of hope. Sometimes it’s the margin [that can] change people’s lives, to change community lives; lift up this country and light the path to being the nation Jesse always believed we can be,” he said.
Several of Jackson’s children also honored their father’s legacy during the service, reflecting on his 1984 and 1988 presidential runs and how he dedicated his career to advancing economic justice and building political power for Black Americans.
Jackson’s son Yusef Jackson, who is also President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition — the civil rights organization that Jackson founded in the 90s, said on Friday that his father’s legacy will continue in the work.
“This type of work does not pass by blood. It passes by spirit,” he said. “Thus it is in his name that we have committed ourselves, that the rainbow coalition will continue.”
ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin, Tierra Cunningham and Jeana Fermi contributed to this report.
(CLEVELAND) — A 28-year-old mother has been charged with murder days after the bodies of two girls were found in suitcases in a field in Cleveland, police said.
Aliyah Henderson was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in connection with the deaths of her daughters, according to prosecutors.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said the girls were determined to be half-siblings and identified them as Amor Wilson, 10, and Mila Chatman, 8, both of Cleveland.
Prosecutors alleged that Henderson caused the death of her daughters, and their “badly decomposed” bodies were discovered in shallow graves in suitcases.
Cuyahoga County Judge Jeffrey Johnson set her bond at $2 million during her arraignment on Friday, citing the nature of the allegations and “my concern for the safety of the public.” She did not enter a plea.
Detectives began investigating the deaths on Monday, following the “horrific” discovery, according to Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd.
An individual spotted one of the bodies inside a suitcase while walking a dog in a residential neighborhood on Monday evening and reported it to police, according to Todd.
Responding officers located a second body in another suitcase nearby, Todd said. Both suitcases were in a shallow grave in a field near a school, she said.
The manner and cause of death are still pending, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday.
It was unclear how long the girls had been at the location, just that “it was some time,” and that there were no clear indicators of the cause of death, Todd told reporters Tuesday.
“This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community,” Todd said.
Police said Thursday that the cause of death had not yet been determined.
The investigation led detectives to execute a search warrant at a residence located within a block of the field on Wednesday, where they “recovered substantial evidence related to the case,” the Cleveland Division of Police said.
A person of interest was detained on Wednesday, with Cleveland Police Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz telling reporters it was a “significant break” in the case.
Todd said in a statement Thursday that “careful and methodical work” in the case “allowed our detectives to develop the evidence needed to make quick identification of a person of interest, ultimately resulting in an arrest.”
A child located inside the searched home has been taken into custody by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, police said. The child appeared to be in good health, police said.
(NEW YORK) — On one quiet night in Miami, a rising college football star had his life cut short in a murder that sent shockwaves through the city.
Just months before he was expected to be selected in the NFL draft, University of Miami defensive lineman Bryan Pata was tragically gunned down on Nov. 7, 2006, leaving his family, friends and teammates seeking answers for nearly two decades.
“I’ll think back how we used to spend our times together…all the good stuff. But you think, ‘Oh, man. He’s not here anymore.’ That’s when the tears flow,” Pata’s sister Ronette Pata told “20/20.”
A new “20/20” episode, “Murder at the U” airing Friday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, examines the case.
You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week’s episode by listening to “20/20: The After Show” weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by “20/20” co-anchor Deborah Roberts.
The 22-year-old had just arrived home after football practice when he was shot in the head after exiting his vehicle, according to authorities.
Dwayne Hendricks, who said he pulled into the apartment complex shortly after Pata did and found him in a pool of blood, said he was the one who called Pata’s family to deliver the news.
“I tell people to this day, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. It was to call his mom and say that her youngest is dead,” Hendricks — a teammate and roommate of Pata — recalled as he delivered his testimony in court years later.
Dave Howell, Pata’s teammate on the Miami Hurricanes, remembered his charisma and leadership within the team.
“His aura. It just stuck out,” Howell told “20/20.” “He always gets everybody to kind of gravitate towards him.”
Investigators began looking for suspects and discovered that Pata reportedly had issues with a teammate named Rashaun Jones, who, it was later discovered, was the only player to not attend a mandatory team meeting the night that Pata was killed.
Pata’s teammates told investigators the two had previously physically fought and Jones had threatened Pata. It was also rumored that Jones had once been romantically involved with Pata’s girlfriend, Jada Brody.
However, Pata’s case went quiet for 15 years, until an in-depth ESPN article on the investigation helped re-ignite interest in the case. Pata’s brother Edwin expressed gratitude for the sports outlet’s reporting.
“I believe one of the catalysts was the ESPN article that came out. I think that was part of it. I think also the state prosecutor also getting a little more aggressive and being much more aggressive in his approach towards arresting someone,” Edwin Pata told “20/20.”
Jones was subsequently arrested in 2021 for second-degree murder. Police cited his cell phone records and an alleged eyewitness as important pieces of evidence they said tied him to the crime.
While detained, Jones told police he had a tempestuous association with Pata.
“I mean, we had an up-and-down relationship,” Jones said. “We was teammates. I guess females got involved. So it was, I don’t know, I guess jealousy over females.”
Investigators discovered that on the morning of Pata’s murder, Jones was suspended from the University of Miami football team after testing positive for marijuana for the second time. He also changed his phone number earlier that day, they said.
However, Jones maintained his innocence, insisting he had nothing to do with Pata’s killing.
“I used to be young and wild … that ain’t got nothing to do with picking up no gun, trying to kill nobody, harm nobody with it. That’s not in me,” Jones told police.
Jones pleaded not guilty, and subsequently sat in jail for four and a half years awaiting trial due to being unable to afford bail. The trial finally began in February. The prosecution sought to build a case against Jones based upon his conflicts with Pata and the alleged eyewitness who investigators claimed placed him at the scene of the crime.
The defense countered that police never really treated Jones like a suspect or bring Jones in for a sworn statement for more than 15 years.
However on Monday, after two weeks of testimony, the judge in the case declared a mistrial as the six-person jury remained deadlocked over a verdict. When polled, one of the jurors told “20/20” that five members were in favor of acquittal, with one holdout for conviction.
The state attorney signaled they intend to move forward with trying Jones again later this spring.
Jones’ attorney Sara Alvarez said that he refused a plea deal to keep fighting for his innocence.
“Mr. Jones continues to be presumed innocent, and we will be back to fight this again at the next trial,” Alvarez said.
As the legal battle over his murder continues two decades after his death, Pata’s family still remember his warmth.
Edwin Pata told “20/20” that his brother lit up every room he walked into.
“Full of life, full of energy, positive energy. Someone who’s truly missed,” Edwin said. “It’s still hard for us today.”
American religious & Civil Rights leader and politician Reverend Jesse Jackson points as he speaks from a lectern at the headquarters of Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), Chicago, Illinois, July 17, 1981. (Photo by Antonio Dickey/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Three former American presidents and a former vice president are set to honor the late Rev. Jesse Jackson at a memorial service in Chicago on Friday morning – a “Celebration of Hope” that is being held by the family of the pioneering civil rights leader, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 86.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to deliver remarks at the homegoing services on Friday, according to the Jackson family. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Jill Biden are also expected to attend the services, the family said.
ABC News reached out to representatives for Clinton, Obama, Biden and Harris for further comment.
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. marched beside Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights for all people. He traveled the world fighting economic and gender inequity. Until his last days, he fought for better healthcare, education, and peace in Chicago, Illinois, the United States, and beyond,” the Jackson family said in a statement on Wednesday. “I hope everyone who joins us to honor his legacy will also continue to champion these causes. That would be the best possible tribute and celebration they could offer.”
Friday’s public homegoing service will take place at the House of Hope event center. A private service will take place on Saturday morning in Chicago.
The services come after thousands paid their respects to Jackson as he lay in honor at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago last week. He was also honored in his birth state of South Carolina on Monday, where he laid in state at the state house in Columbia.
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. changed the United States — and the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We are deeply honored to know there are people from every walk of life who want to join us to pay their respects.”
Other scheduled speakers at the service on Friday include Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ill., and Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson and gospel legends Bebe Winans and Pastor Marvin Winans are also expected to perform on Friday. Stevie Wonder is set to perform at the private service on Saturday.
Jackson died after experiencing health issues over the past several years, including a battle with Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder.
Jackson’s children honored their father’s legacy at a press conference last month, reflecting on his 1984 and 1988 presidential runs and how he dedicated his career to advancing economic justice and building political power for Black Americans.
Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson, Jr., called for unity in the Feb. 18 press conference ahead of his father’s funeral services.
“Do not bring your politics out of respect to Rev. Jesse Jackson and the life that he lived to these home going services,” he said. “Come respectful and come to say thank you, but these homegoing services are welcome to all Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing, because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”
