Category: National

(WASHINGTON) — Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who earlier this month feuded online with President Donald Trump after stepping down as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has been flooding his social media feed with criticism of Trump and his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Using his X platform, Musk has been on a posting spree since Wednesday, posting or reposting criticisms of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files more than 35 times.

He’s even used his AI chatbot Grok — which just clinched a $200 million deal with the Trump administration — to address the issue.

The administration angered many of Trump’s supporters when it announced last week that it would not release any additional files on Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail by suicide in 2019, after earlier promising to do so.

Musk’s avalanche of attacks comes just weeks after he posted — but later deleted — a claim that Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files, and that that was why more documents weren’t being released.

At the time he said the post “went too far.” Now, however, he’s returned to attacking the president.

In one post, Musk called the Trump administration’s actions “a cover up (obviously)” and claimed in another that “so many powerful people want that list suppressed.”

In response to Trump calling the matter the “Epstein Hoax,” Musk mockingly wrote, “Wow, amazing that Epstein ‘killed himself’ and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,” referring to former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell who is serving a 20-year prison term for aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls.

Musk also took a shot at how Trump has handled past issues, listing, “1. Admit nothing; 2. Deny everything; 3. Make counterclaims” — before adding, “But it won’t work this time.”

He also reposted a photo of the binders that Attorney General passed out to MAGA influencers at the White House in February that were labeled “Epstein files: Phase 1.”

“Where is ‘Phase 2’? Musk asked.

Addressing X’s AI chatbot, Grok, Musk asked, “Would that mean the government right now — as we speak — knows the names & ages of all those who traveled on Epstein’s plane?”

“Yes, the DOJ and FAA hold extensive passenger manifests and flight logs from Epstein’s jets,” Grok replied.

Though Musk slammed Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, his attacks themselves were riddled with false assumptions, including conspiracy theories about the existence of an Epstein “client list,” which is unsupported by evidence.

Responding to criticism from Musk earlier this month, Trump posted to his own social media platform, “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.”

Musk, the top donor in the 2024 election who helped boost Trump’s path to victory, led the administration’s effort to slash the federal government before stepping down from the post in May.

A White House spokesperson, when asked for comment, directed ABC News to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments during Thursday’s press briefing. Asked if Trump has been in contact with any of the social media influencers who have challenged his handling of the Epstein files, Leavitt said, “The president and this team are always in contact with the president’s supporters, with voices of many kinds on both sides of the aisle.”

“But, ultimately, he has led this country not just over the past six months to historic success, but also through his first four years as president … and as I always say, the American people should trust in President Trump,” Leavitt said.

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(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — Murder and burglary charges were filed Thursday in the killing of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband at their home in Los Angeles.

The suspect — 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian — is accused of scaling a fence onto the Encino property and then shooting and killing the couple during a struggle when they arrived home, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Guy Golan told reporters Tuesday.

Boodarian has been charged with two counts of murder and a count of residential burglary, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC. He appeared in court on Thursday afternoon, where the judge set his next court hearing for Aug. 20. He is being held without bail.

The victims — Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70 — were found shot to death in their Los Angeles home during a welfare check on Monday, authorities said.

It is believed the couple was killed four days earlier, on July 10, police said. That day, the Los Angeles Police Department said it received two calls about a possible burglary at the address after a person was seen jumping the fence onto the property.

Officers responding to the calls that day were unable to go into the home because it is highly fortified, with 8-foot walls with spikes, police sources said. Police flew a helicopter over and saw no signs of a burglary or any other trouble and cleared the scene, Golan previously told reporters.

Surveillance footage later reviewed by police showed the suspect scaling the fence and then apparently entering an unlocked door, Golan said. The victims arrived home about 30 minutes later, police said.

While responding for a welfare check on Monday, officers were able to make their way into the home and found the victims dead with multiple gunshot wounds, Golan said. They both had gunshot wounds to the head, police said.

Detectives have since found a gun at the suspect’s residence that will be tested to determine if it was the alleged murder weapon, LAPD homicide detectives said Wednesday.

Police were investigating a motive and working to understand what happened inside the house, Golan said Tuesday.

Police do not believe Boodarian knew the victims, and the house did not appear to be ransacked, Golan said. There is no camera footage from inside the house that shows what went on, he said.

The LAPD will look into how police responded to the initial burglary call last week to make sure it was handled appropriately, Golan said.

Kaye had been with “American Idol” since 2009, according to a spokesperson for the ABC television show.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice recommended that the former officer who was found guilty of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during a botched Kentucky raid should receive one day of imprisonment in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday.

Brett Hankison was found guilty of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights when the former Louisville police officer blindly shot into her apartment 10 times in March 2020. Hankison’s bullets did not hit anyone.

The Justice Department filing, which also recommended three years of supervised release, was signed only by department officials and none of the line prosecutors.

“This sets a dangerous precedent,” attorneys of Taylor’s family said in a statement on Thursday. “When a police officer is found guilty of violating someone’s constitutional rights, there must be real accountability and justice. Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity.”

The sentencing for Hankison, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, has been delayed until July 21 after prosecutors asked for more time to file their sentencing memo. Hankison’s defense team did not object to the delay.

This comes after Hankison’s defense team filed a sentencing memorandum urging the judge for leniency, citing various factors.

In the sentencing memorandum, Hankison’s defense team argued, in part, that Taylor’s boyfriend first fired at police, which is what “provoked” the three officers, including Hankison, “to discharge their weapons.” They also argued that in prison Hankison could be “suspectable to abuse based on his status as a police officer” and the immense media coverage of this case.

The guilty verdict came in November, hours after the jury acquitted Hankison of a second count of violating the civil rights of three of Taylor’s neighbors, who lived in an adjacent apartment that was also struck by gunfire during the raid.

Taylor was fatally shot during the raid. The three officers fired dozens of rounds after her boyfriend fired one round at them, striking one of the officers.

Hankison fired 10 rounds through Taylor’s sliding glass door and window, which were covered with blinds and curtains, prosecutors said. Several of the rounds traveled into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment, where three people were at the time. None of the 10 rounds hit anyone.

Prosecutors argued Hankison’s use of force was unjustified, put people in danger and violated the civil rights of Taylor and her three neighbors. The indictment alleged Hankison deprived Taylor of the right to be free from unreasonable seizures and deprived her neighbors of the right to be free from the deprivation of liberty without due process of law.

Hankison was initially set to be sentenced in April 2025, but the sentencing was delayed until June 2025 and then again until July 16 and now until July 21 after the judge partially granted the motion filed by prosecutors, who asked for a 14-day delay.

The Justice Department declined to comment beyond the filing. Hankison’s legal team didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

ABC News’ Alex Mallin, Meredith Deliso, Sabina Ghebremedhin, Jack Moore and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The nondissemination order in the University of Idaho murder case was lifted by Judge Steven Hippler on Thursday, but all documents in the case that have been sealed will remain sealed for now.

The order, also known as a gag order, banned police and prosecutors from speaking about the high-profile case that gripped the nation.

Hippler’s decision to end the gag order comes six days before admitted killer Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing.

Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to all counts at a July 2 change of plea hearing, will return to court for his sentencing on July 23.

As a part of the plea deal, the former criminology Ph.D. student will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.

At the July 2 hearing, Hippler asked Kohberger how he pleaded for each count of murder and named the four students: roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin. Kohberger quickly said “guilty” each time.

The college students were all stabbed to death at the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested nearly seven weeks later.

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(FALL RIVER, Mass.) — A 10th victim has died as a result of injuries sustained in a devastating fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, according to the district attorney’s office.

Brenda Cropper, 66, was hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday night’s five-alarm blaze at the Gabriel House, and succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced on Thursday.

The other residents killed have been identified as: 64-year-old Rui Albernaz, 61-year-old Ronald Codega, 69-year-old Margaret Duddy, 78-year-old Robert King, 71-year-old Kim Mackin, 78-year-old Richard Rochon, 86-year-old Eleanor Willett and 77-year-old Joseph Wilansky. The name of one victim, a 70-year-old woman, has not been released.

Dozens were hurt at the Gabriel House, which was home to about 70 people.

The fire “was destined to kill 50-plus people,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said at a news conference on Wednesday, praised the “heroic” first responders who he said saved dozens of lives.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene have described seeing faces in windows and “having to decide who they needed to rescue,” Bacon said, overcome with emotion.

One responder pushed through the heavy, black smoke inside the building to break into rooms and pull out nonambulatory residents, he said.

A captain at the scene found it “eerily quiet” when he responded to the front door, where flames were blowing out, the chief said.

“He knocked down the fire very quickly, to the point that countless lives were saved,” Bacon said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The district attorney’s office said it “does not appear to be suspicious.”

Bacon noted the fire started in a room on the second floor.

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(UNION, Maine) — A 17-year-old has been arrested in the alleged murder of Sunshine Stewart, a paddleboarder who was found dead after being reported missing in Maine earlier this month.

Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police revealed Thursday. The 48-year-old was found dead on July 3 at Crawford Pond in Union, a popular recreation spot near the campground where she was staying.

The suspect, who is male, was arrested without incident Wednesday night, police said. He is from Maine and came to the pond area to spend summer vacation time with his family, according to an official familiar with the investigation.

The suspect, who has not been named by police, was transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, according to Maine State Police.

The Office of the Chef Medical Examiner in Augusta determined the manner of death was a homicide.

The condition of the body when it was found indicated the death was not a suicide or an accidental drowning, officials said.

The tragedy had left the residents of small, tight knit community scared.

Stewart rented a camp site at Mic Mac Family Campground for the summer season on May 1. She had only stayed on the grounds for two or three nights prior to her disappearance on the evening of July 2. The owner of the campground said she has provided hours of video to authorities in case it can prove useful.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Heat advisories are in effect from Texas to New Hampshire as dangerous temperatures grip the eastern half of the U.S.

In the Northeast on Thursday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is forecast to skyrocket to 105 degrees in Washington, D.C.; 103 degrees in Philadelphia; 97 in New York City; and 93 in Boston.

In the South, an extreme heat warning has been issued south of Memphis, Tennessee, and in eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.

The heat index will soar to a life-threatening 103 degrees in Charlotte, North Carolina; 106 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee, and Shreveport, Louisiana; 107 in Memphis; and 108 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi.

The heat will dissipate after Thursday, but it’s expected to return next week, with nearly two-thirds of the eastern U.S. facing warmer than normal temperatures.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use cane sugar in its iconic drink in the U.S.

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”

In a brief statement on its website, Coca-Cola said: “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon.”

High-fructose corn syrup has been Coca-Cola’s primary sweetener in U.S. products since 1985. The company currently uses cane sugar in products sold in several other markets, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East. The company also sells a limited amount of Coke in the U.S. made with sugar as a kosher option for Passover — distinguished by its yellow caps, instead of red.

A noted Diet Coke enthusiast, Trump’s relationship with the beverage giant has been well-documented.

Ahead of the inauguration for his second term, Trump received a special Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle from Coca-Cola Company Chairman and CEO James Quincey.

Why the change?

Trump didn’t specify a reason for the change. However, the announcement comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative gains traction, which advocates for removing HFCS from American food products. The initiative cites research linking HFCS to various health issues that contributes to obesity and chronic illness.

However, studies are mixed on whether cane sugar is healthier than HFCS, with research suggesting that any added sugars, regardless of what type, increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Dietitians recommend limiting added sugars of all varieties to less than 50 grams per day for most adults. One 12-ounce can of Coke has roughly 39 grams of sugar.

Coke’s switch from sugar to corn syrup

Coca-Cola’s 1985 transition to high-fructose corn syrup in the United States was primarily a business decision, the company said. The change coincided with rising sugar prices and agricultural policies that made corn syrup a more economical alternative.

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(JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ) — One person died and 13 others were injured, including eight children, after being struck by lightning on Wednesday in New Jersey, officials said.

The strike hit the ground near a group at the Black Knight Bowbenders archery range, a well-known community site that regularly hosts events, Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina told ABC News’ New York station, WABC.

The Jackson Township Police Department said it received a call shortly after 7 p.m. reporting multiple people struck by lightning, resulting in a male being administered CPR, while multiple other victims were being triaged.

A 61-year-old male, who was identified by the mayor as an instructor, died from his injuries. Officials are continuing to gather information before releasing his identity, according to the mayor.

The injuries ranged from “burns to non-specific complaints of not feeling well,” the police department said in a statement to WABC.

All were transported to nearby hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center. One person with more serious injuries was taken to the Livingston Burn Center.

This was the twelfth lightning fatality this year.

“This is such a tragedy,” Reina said to WABC. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and all those injured tonight. It’s difficult to understand what happened.”

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the area Wednesday evening.

Much of northwest and central New Jersey was also under flood watches through Wednesday night, with storms expected to produce heavy downpours following a deadly deluge earlier this week.

A common misunderstanding is that a thunderstorm needs to be severe to be life-threatening, but that is not true. A casual summer thunderstorm that has a few rumbles of even distant thunder can be deadly.

Whether it’s raining or if it’s completely cloudy overhead or partially sunny as a storm builds, if thunder can be heard, there is a danger being outside and you should seek shelter immediately.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds, Jason Volack and Daniel Manzo contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Wednesday fired Maurene Comey from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she most recently led the prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs, multiple sources told ABC News.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a call for comment

Comey was a highly regarded assistant U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and multiple gang members before the split verdict earlier this month in the trial of Combs, who was convicted of a prostitution-related charge but acquitted of more serious charges.

Comey was also involved in the office’s case against Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Comey is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, who President Donald Trump fired during his first term in office because he initiated the Russia investigation.

According to sources, Trump privately vented about having a Comey work in his administration.

This marks the latest shake-up for the nation’s most prominent federal prosecutor’s office.

In April, the office’s top prosecutor, Matthew Podolsky, agreed to step aside, clearing the way for Trump to install Jay Clayton, his nominee for interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York,

Podolsky had taken over for Danielle Sassoon, who in February resigned in protest of the Justice Department’s order to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Sassoon had been named interim U.S. attorney by Trump when the president fired Edward Kim, who assumed the role during the change in administrations.

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