"The Talk of the Town"
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel sued the Biden administration on Monday over a decision made last week to block a merger between the two companies.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(WASHINGTON) — Nearly 1,600 individuals have faced charges in the four years since a mob of President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, according to figures released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Monday.
But one of the largest investigations in the Department of Justice’s history now faces a future rife with uncertainty.
Of the roughly 1,583 defendants whom prosecutors have charged in connection with the Capitol riot, 608 have faced charges for assaulting, resisting or interfering with law enforcement trying to protect the complex that day, the office said.
Roughly 174 of those 608 were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or otherwise causing serious injury to an officer.
And in a rare move, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed it is currently evaluating whether to bring charges in roughly 200 cases that have been referred to them by the FBI, about 60 of which involve potential felony charges involving allegations of assault or impeding law enforcement.
While the U.S. Attorney’s Office has provided monthly “by the numbers” updates in connection with the Capitol attack — detailing arrests, guilty pleas and sentencings among other figures — Monday’s update is the first to include an estimate of the number of uncharged cases being evaluated by prosecutors.
It comes just days before Trump is set to take office for his second term and potentially follow through on his years-long public promises to pardon a vast number of Jan. 6 defendants, whom he has described as “political prisoners” unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.
The two months since Election Day have already proved to be a time of major instability for the Justice Department’s Capitol riot cases — as prosecutors have sought to manage an increasing number of newly emboldened defendants seeking delays in their cases with the potential promise of pardons or commutations on the horizon.
While Trump has promised to hand down a number of pardons and commutations during his first hours in office to some Jan. 6 defendants, neither he nor his transition have provided concrete guidance on how sweeping those pardons will ultimately be.
Trump’s Justice Department is also expected to slow down or even shutter completely the ongoing investigation into the attack.
In figures released Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office made clear to document how many cases are outstanding in advance of Trump’s inauguration, noting that 170 defendants who have already pleaded guilty or been found guilty still await sentencing.
Roughly 300 cases remain where a charged defendant hasn’t pleaded guilty or been found guilty, approximately 180 of whom have been charged with assaulting or impeding police.
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(NEW ORLEANS) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel on Monday to New Orleans, where they’ll attend a prayer service for families of victims and impacted community members following the New Year’s Day attack in the city.
The Biden are expected to arrive in New Orleans in the afternoon, touching down a few hours before the prayer service, which is to be hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, according to the White House.
The visit comes days after a suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, an Army veteran and Houston realtor, allegedly drove a rented truck into Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day. At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack, which occurred over a three-block stretch of of the tourist destination in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter.
Jabbar, a Texas resident who FBI officials said proclaimed his support for the terror group ISIS in social media posts ahead of the attack, was killed in gunfire exchanged with New Orleans police.
The 14 victims who died included a young mother teaching her son to read, a former college football player “on top of the world” living in New York City and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse.
The prayer service the Bidens are set to attend on Monday is scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m. at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, according to the White House and the Archdiocese.
“Archbishop [Gregory Michael] Aymond continues to offer his prayers and condolences to those affected by this tragedy,” the Archdiocese said in its announcement. “He asks that all join in prayer for our community today and every day as we work to build a culture that respects the life and dignity of all people.”
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(WASHINGTON) — In an interview Sunday morning on ABC’s “This Week,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned of a “very difficult threat landscape” in the wake of the New Orleans truck attack.
“We have not only the persistent threat of foreign terrorism — that, of course, created the Department of Homeland Security — but we have adverse nation-states, and for the past 10 years, we’ve seen a significant increase in what we term ‘homegrown violent extremism,'” Mayorkas told anchor George Stephanopoulos. “It is a very difficult threat landscape, and it is why that we as a community — not just the federal government, but state and local officials and residents — need to be alert to it and take the precautions necessary to avoid violence from occurring.”
Mayorkas emphasized that, despite immigration being the department’s “highest responsibility,” the New Orleans attack was unrelated to issues at the border.
“The assailant who perpetrated the terrorist attack in New Orleans was born in the United States, raised in the United States, and served in our armed forces,” he said. “It is not an issue of the border.”
Mayorkas said he has been in touch with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“I have spoken with Governor Noem a number of times, including on New Year’s Day and immediately thereafter, with respect to the horrific terrorist attack, and we have spoken substantively about the measures that we take, and I am incredibly devoted to a smooth and successful transition to the success of Governor Noem should she be confirmed as the Secretary of Homeland Security,” he said.
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who appeared on “This Week” after Mayorkas, warned of a resurgence of ISIS activity that he said “concerns me greatly.”
McCaul advised the Trump administration to be wary of attacks by those who become radicalized online, urging officials to “pay attention to the social media and connect the dots before these events happen.”
“You really have two types of threats. One is operational, the other one is inspired attacks radicalized over the internet,” McCaul said. “They’re both equally lethal, and they need to be focused on to stop it.”
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(NEW ORLEANS) — The New Orleans Saints and the NFL announced Saturday that they will donate $1 million to the victims of the New Year’s Day truck ramming attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.
“Our community has experienced an unimaginable tragedy and our collective hearts are broken as we mourn for the victims and survivors on the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement.
The team will be working with the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) and United Way to help distribute $500,000 to organizations that are providing support to the victims and their families.
The NFL Foundation, the league’s philanthropic arm, said it would match the team’s donation.
“The NFL is committed to standing with the resilient community of New Orleans during this difficult time,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
As of Saturday, 13 of the 14 victims have been publicly identified. Their ages range from 18 to 63, according to officials.
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(ATLANTA) — The emotional, week-long public goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter is underway.
Carter’s body was transferred from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta on Saturday. The former president, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, will remain in Atlanta through Tuesday.
Carter to remain in Atlanta through Tuesday
Former President Jimmy Carter will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta through Tuesday.
Mourners can pay their respects at the center from 7 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
He will be transported to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. A service will be held at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon and the late president will lie in state at the Capitol on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, dignitaries will gather in D.C. for Carter’s state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter will return to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for a private service and private interment.
‘The two of them together changed the world’
Former President Jimmy Carter’s son Chip Carter thanked his parents for their service and sacrifice at Saturday’s service at the Carter Presidential Center.
“The two of them together changed the world,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Chip Carter called out the caregivers who cared for his father in the last years of his life, including one caregiver attending Saturday’s service who spent 6 years working for the former president.
“They are the people that helped keep him alive and comfortable and fed and cleaned,” Chip Carter said. “It was amazing, what they did for us.”
He also shared memories from his childhood.
Chip Carter said when he failed Latin, his dad spent Christmas break learning Latin and teaching it to him. Chip Carter said when he returned to school, he asked to re-take the test and got an A.
‘His legacy will live on,’ grandson says
At a service at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter said the family has been planning for this day for a while, but it’s still difficult.
To the Carter Center employees, he said, “While we mourn my grandfather’s passing, I know in my heart — and you all do — that his legacy will live on not only because of the millions of people he touched across the globe,” but because of the tireless work of the Carter Center employees.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center after his presidency to improve health around the world and enhance freedom and democracy.
Hearse arrives at Carter Presidential Center
Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade has arrived at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for a 4 p.m. service.
“Hail to the Chief” and “America the Beautiful” were played as his coffin was brought to the building, with the Carter family looking on.
Carter’s son Chip Carter and grandson Jason Carter are expected to speak.
President Carter is survived by four children — John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) and Amy Lynn — and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96.
Motorcade stops at Georgia’s state capitol
The motorcade’s first stop in Atlanta is Georgia’s state capitol, where former President Jimmy Carter will be honored with a moment of silence.
Carter served as governor of Georgia and a state senator before becoming the 39th president.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens are among the officials coming to the capitol to pay their respects. The president’s eldest son, Jack Carter, briefly exited the car to shake officials’ hands.
Georgia state troopers who were on Carter’s protective detail during his time as governor also attended.
Carter’s White House portrait dressed in black bunting
Former President Jimmy Carter’s official White House portrait has been dressed in black bunting.
President Joe Biden ordered American flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days following Carter’s death. He also marked Jan. 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning.
Georgia residents line the streets to watch motorcade
Georgia residents from Ellaville to Fort Valley lined the streets with their families, holding American flags, to watch former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade pass by on Saturday.
The motorcade is driving through several Georgia towns while en route from Carter’s hometown of Plains to Atlanta.
The motorcade will reach Atlanta around 3 p.m.
Carter begins final journey to Atlanta
Former President Jimmy Carter is now taking his final drive to Atlanta.
The public can view the motorcade in the cities of Preston, Ellaville, Butler, Reynolds, and Fort Valley.
The motorcade will arrive in Atlanta at about 3 p.m. The first stop will be the state capitol for a moment of silence. Carter’s remains will then go to the Carter Presidential Center for a service at 4 p.m.
Hearse makes emotional stop at Carter’s boyhood home
The motorcade is stopping in front of the Plains, Georgia, farm that was former President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home. The home had no running water or electricity during his childhood.
The home is now a part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.
National Park Service employees who work at the home saluted the hearse and the farm bell was rung 39 times in his honor.
Motorcade drives through Plains
The motorcade next drove through the small town of Plains, Georgia, the lifelong home of former President Jimmy Carter.
Members of the public were invited to line the route to pay their respects.
Secret Service agents carry Carter’s remains to hearse
The week-long funeral ceremonies for former President Jimmy Carter are officially underway.
Members of the public holding American flags gathered outside the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to honor Carter as his remains leave the facility.
Current and former Secret Service agents who protected Carter since he took office served as pallbearers, carrying the former president’s remains from the medical center to the waiting hearse.
The agents walked alongside the hearse with their hands on the vehicle as it slowly left the medical center.
After departing from the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains.
Carter will then be driven to Atlanta for a ceremony Saturday afternoon.
Motorcade arrives at medical center
The Carter family has arrived at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to witness the transfer of former President Jimmy Carter.
After leaving the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains. Carter will then be taken to Atlanta for an afternoon ceremony.
Schedule of events for this week’s services
Former president Jimmy Carter’s body will be transferred Saturday morning from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta.
A ceremony will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Mourners can pay their respects to Carter in Atlanta over the following days before his remains are transferred to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Carter will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday.
Carter will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday morning. President Joe Biden expected to deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter and his family will return to Plains for a private service.
The public is then invited to line the motorcade route as Carter and his family travel through Plains to the late president’s final resting place.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(ATLANTA) — The emotional, week-long public goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter is underway.
Carter’s body will be transferred from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta on Saturday morning. A service will be held Saturday afternoon at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for the former president, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
Carter begins final journey to Atlanta
Former President Jimmy Carter is now taking his final drive to Atlanta.
The public can view the motorcade in the cities of Preston, Ellaville, Butler, Reynolds, and Fort Valley.
The motorcade will arrive in Atlanta at about 3 p.m. The first stop will be the state capitol for a moment of silence. Carter’s remains will then go to the Carter Presidential Center for a service at 4 p.m.
Hearse makes emotional stop at Carter’s boyhood home
The motorcade is stopping in front of the Plains, Georgia, farm that was former President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home. The home had no running water or electricity during his childhood.
The home is now a part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.
National Park Service employees who work at the home saluted the hearse and the farm bell was rung 39 times in his honor.
Motorcade drives through Plains
The motorcade next drove through the small town of Plains, Georgia, the lifelong home of former President Jimmy Carter.
Members of the public were invited to line the route to pay their respects.
Secret Service agents carry Carter’s remains to hearse
The week-long funeral ceremonies for former President Jimmy Carter are officially underway.
Members of the public holding American flags gathered outside the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to honor Carter as his remains leave the facility.
Current and former Secret Service agents who protected Carter since he took office served as pallbearers, carrying the former president’s remains from the medical center to the waiting hearse.
The agents walked alongside the hearse with their hands on the vehicle as it slowly left the medical center.
After departing from the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains.
Carter will then be driven to Atlanta for a ceremony Saturday afternoon.
Motorcade arrives at medical center
The Carter family has arrived at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to witness the transfer of former President Jimmy Carter.
After leaving the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains. Carter will then be taken to Atlanta for an afternoon ceremony.
Schedule of events for this week’s services
Former president Jimmy Carter’s body will be transferred Saturday morning from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta.
A ceremony will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Mourners can pay their respects to Carter in Atlanta over the following days before his remains are transferred to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Carter will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday.
Carter will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday morning. President Joe Biden expected to deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter and his family will return to Plains for a private service.
The public is then invited to line the motorcade route as Carter and his family travel through Plains to the late president’s final resting place.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(LAS VEGAS) — Police are poring over what they believe are letters left by Matthew Livelsberger — the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel — on a phone in the destroyed vehicle, authorities said Friday.
Livelsberger shared personal and political “grievances” in the recovered messages and called the attack a “wake up call,” police said.
“I know everyone is very eager to try to understand and be able to explain what happened,” Las Vegas Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a press briefing on Friday. “We still have a large volume of data to go through, a lot of content to go through.”
Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, said the country was being led by the “weak” and those out to “enrich themselves,” while also claiming the incident was not meant as a terrorist attack, according to excerpts of the two letters shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The department released the two letters to the public following the press briefing.
“You’ll see that he actually calls it a stunt, in one of these documents that we’re going to release to you, that he was trying to get the attention of the American people because he was upset about a number of different things,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during Friday’s briefing when asked about the suspect’s political views. “But I’ll let those writings speak for themselves.”
In one of the letters police say were found on his phone, Livelsberger expressed support for Donald Trump and the president-elect’s allies, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also expressed disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and income inequality and expressed a concern about homelessness, according to the letters.
Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, the Clark County coroner confirmed Thursday evening. No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said.
The evidence shows Livelsberger “thoughtfully prepared” and acted alone in the incident, Spencer Evans, special agent in charge for the FBI’s Las Vegas division, said during Friday’s press briefing. Livelsberger was not on the FBI’s radar prior to the incident, Evans said.
“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues,” Evans said.
Authorities are also looking into a letter purportedly sent by Livelsberger and shared by the military-themed “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast on Friday. That information was sent to the FBI following the attack, Evans confirmed.
“We still have not conclusively determined that that’s from the subject, but feel confident, based on evidence that we’re uncovering on his devices, that that was, in fact, from Livelsberger,” Evans said.
In the Cybertruck, officials found credit and identification cards in Livelsberger’s name, evidence he owned the weapons found in the destroyed vehicle and identified tattoos that appeared to match Livelsberger’s body, however, severe physical injuries slowed the identification process.
The Clark County coroner ultimately identified Livelsberger — of Colorado Springs, Colorado — as the driver on Thursday. His cause of death was a self-inflicted intraoral gunshot wound.
Livelsberger was found with a gun at his feet. Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found in the vehicle “burnt beyond recognition,” McMahill said.
Both weapons were purchased legally on Monday, he added.
Two phones were recovered from the vehicle, including one containing the two letters, Koren said. Investigators have been unable to access the other phone at this time, he said.
It is unclear why Livelsberger chose a Tesla or the route he took, authorities said Friday.
Livelsberger rented the Tesla vehicle on Saturday in Denver via the Turo app, before driving to Las Vegas through cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. His progress was tracked through Tesla charging stations, officials said.
The vehicle first pulled into the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel valet area just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It then left the area, driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, before returning to the valet area at about 8:39 a.m., exploding 17 seconds after its arrival.
Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.
He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.
Livelsberger had been receiving mental health assistance over the last year, a U.S. official confirmed Friday.
Another U.S. official confirmed that officials thought Livelsberger was stable enough to go home for Christmas and his leave was approved.
The Department of Defense has turned over Livelsberger’s medical records to local law enforcement, Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a briefing on Friday.
“I just don’t have more details to share,” she added, when asked about reporting from CNN that the suspect had been diagnosed with depression last year.
Singh noted that service members are encouraged to seek help with any mental health issues.
The Las Vegas incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people — as well as the suspect — and injured 35 others, according to the FBI. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented using the Turo app, officials said.
Evans reiterated Friday that there is no evidence that the two events are connected, saying there are “coincidental similarities” between them — including that both drivers were in the military, rented vehicles through the same service and stayed in an Airbnb.
There is no evidence at this time that the two drivers had any overlap even though both served in Afghanistan, Singh also said Friday.
Livelsberger was a supporter of Trump, an official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.
His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.
Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.
Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.
The sheriff said Musk, Tesla’s CEO, helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
McMahill said police believe the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community.”
Video played at Thursday’s Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles County district attorney met with the Menendez brothers’ relatives on Friday, but said he is still reviewing the facts in the case and hasn’t yet decided if he’s in support of the brothers’ bid for freedom.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that when he came into office on Dec. 3, he promised to review all the facts in Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case. He said that effort has involved reviewing thousands of pages of confidential prison records, trial transcripts, speaking to all the prosecutors and defense attorneys involved and reviewing court filings.
Hochman said that effort continues, noting that he’s not finished reviewing all the prison files from the brothers’ decades behind bars.
Over 20 Menendez relatives met with Hochman on Friday in their continued push for the brothers’ release from prison.
Hochman described the conversation as “very productive” and “in some ways, an informal, off-the-record discussion.”
“They gave me all their thoughts about what should happen, their experiences they wanted to share, the ultimate direction they wanted this case to go,” he said.
Hochman did not reveal the details of the conversation.
In a brief address to reporters, Anamaria Baralt, cousin of the Menendez brothers, spoke out after the family’s meeting with Hochman Friday afternoon.
“We did have a meeting with the district attorney and we’re grateful for his time,” she said in a statement. “I want to reiterate our position as a family and as the victims’ families that this 35-year process has been incredibly traumatizing for us as I’m sure that you can all imagine.”
She said she the family was hoping to see an immediate release of the brothers, saying that going before a parole board “will only serve to re-traumatize us.”
The previous district attorney, George Gascón, announced in October that he was recommending the brothers’ sentence of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for parole immediately with the new sentence.
The DA’s office said its resentencing recommendations take into account many factors, including rehabilitation in prison, and abuse or trauma that contributed to the crime. Gascón praised the work Lyle and Erik Menendez did behind bars to rehabilitate themselves and help other inmates.
Weeks after Gascón’s announcement, he lost his race for reelection to Hochman.
Erik and Lyle Menendez next appear in court for a hearing in the resentencing case on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.
This comes on the heels of an attorney for the brothers petitioning to move the case from the DA’s office to the California Attorney General’s Office, claiming a conflict of interest between Hochman and Kathleen Cady, whom Hoch just appointed director of the department’s Bureau of Victim Services.
Cady recently resigned as attorney for Milton Anderson, the one Menendez relative who has been pushing to keep the brothers in prison.
Hochman said Friday that Cady is “walled off from the Menendez case.”
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, who they gunned down in the family’s Beverly Hills home.
The defense claimed the brothers acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father, but prosecutors alleged they killed for money.
Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the crime, respectively, were sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.
Besides the resentencing, the brothers have been pursuing two other paths to freedom.
In 2023, the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition for a review of new evidence not presented at trial.
They also submitted a request for clemency to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In November, Newsom said he’d defer to Hochman’s “review and analysis of the Menendez case prior to making any clemency decisions.”
ABC News’ Amanda M. Morris contributed to this report.
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(NEW ORLEANS) — Authorities investigating the suspect in the truck attack that killed 14 and injured dozens in New Orleans on New Year’s Day are probing when, where and how his alleged “radicalization” occurred, a local official said on Friday.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen from Texas, posted several videos online hours before the Bourbon Street attack “proclaiming his support for ISIS” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, according to the FBI.
On Friday, Jabbar’s half-brother told ABC News the suspect traveled to Egypt in 2023 for around a month, telling his family he was going “because it was cheap and beautiful.”
Jabbar’s foreign travel is a part of the ongoing investigation, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Investigators are working to determine what he did during his travel in Egypt, why he went and who he interacted with while there, multiple sources said. Critical to the probe is whether he had been radicalized prior to the travel or if the travel marked the start of his radicalization.
“This next most important phase of the investigation is to find out how that radicalization happened and if it happened on that trip,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told ABC News.
Jabbar was shot dead in the midst of Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans, after driving a pickup truck onto a sidewalk and around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians over a three-block stretch on Bourbon Street, police said.
Jabbar then exited the damaged vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. Officers returned fire, killing him.
Officials said the first 24 hours after the ramming attack were occupied by a feverish effort to determine whether there were additional suspects on the loose or if Jabbar worked with accomplices.
Since Thursday, investigators have been focused on piecing together his path to radicalization and the events that led up to his decision to attack Bourbon Street.
Two U.S. officials told ABC on Friday that, though it’s still very early in the investigation, there is evidence at this time that Jabbar had been in contact with a direct ISIS representative.
The officials noted that, two days after the attack, there has been no claim of responsibility by ISIS.
However, investigators are still working through his three phones and two laptops and examining his travel history.
In another update Friday, authorities revealed Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway of the property in New Orleans he rented on Mandeville Street before the attack using “strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime,” according to the joint update from FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
However, after Jabbar left the residence, the fire burned itself out before spreading to other rooms. When the New Orleans Fire Department arrived, the fire was smoldering, and investigators were able to recover evidence, including pre-cursors for bomb making material and a privately made device suspected of being a silencer for a rifle.”
Regarding the explosive devices, the FBI said it believes that during the Bourbon Street attack, Jabbar intended to use a transmitter that was later found in the truck to denote the devices.
The transmitter, along with two firearms connected to Jabbar, was being transported to the FBI Laboratory for additional testing, authorities said.
Before the deadly ramming, surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers in the Bourbon Street area, investigators said. He had a remote detonator in the truck to set off the two devices, but both were rendered safe, officials said.
Inside one of the coolers, investigators found a device consisting of a steel pipe, nails and a relatively rare explosive chemical, a senior law enforcement official told ABC News on Friday. The remote detonation capability apparently failed to work, the official said.
NBC News was the first to report on the rare chemical.
A search of Jabbar’s home in Houston also turned up bomb-making materials, sources confirmed to ABC News on Thursday. The items found were also referred to as “precursor chemicals” by agents in the field, sources said.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning the nation’s 18,000 law-enforcement agencies about potential copycats, ABC News learned.
The bulletin was sent out of an abundance of caution to sensitize law enforcement around the country to be on the lookout for any activity pointing to the use of vehicles as a method to inflict mass casualties, sources told ABC News.
“We advise federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government and law enforcement officials and private sector security partners to remain vigilant of potential copycat or retaliatory attacks inspired by this attack and other recent, lethal vehicle-ramming incidents across the globe,” the bulletin said.
The bulletin notes that ISIS has been promoting the use of vehicles as a terrorism weapon since around 2014.
ISIS has ramped up calls for its supporters to launch low-tech, mass casualty ramming attacks in recent months, sources told ABC News, especially since the most recent Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.
The bulletin stated that Jabbar was inspired by ISIS but that there remains no evidence of any co-conspirators. A senior law-enforcement official told ABC News that there is so far no sign of ISIS claiming responsibility for the New Orleans attack.
“Law enforcement should be aware that in many cases attackers have conducted vehicle-ramming attacks with secondary weapons and may continue the attack with edged weapons, firearms, or IEDs after the vehicle has stopped,” the bulletin said. The tactic could be “attractive” for foreign terrorist organizations and other actors due to its low complexity threshold, the warning said.
An intelligence bulletin from the New York Police Department obtained by ABC News indicated that ISIS supporters did celebrate the attack online. Violent extremists, the bulletin said, “continue to view densely populated walkways, parades, mass gatherings and other outdoor events along streets, especially during holidays, as vulnerable targets of opportunity.”
“This enduring threat underscores the criticality of pre-staged blocker cars and the deployment of other effectively configured countermeasures including heavy block, barriers and bollards,” it added.
Law enforcement cleared and reopened Bourbon Street on Thursday as the investigation continued. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said authorities had the “confidence” to reopen the area to the public ahead of the Sugar Bowl on Thursday afternoon, which was initially scheduled for Wednesday but postponed in the wake of the attack.
“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we’re ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city,” she said. “Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the victims’ families,” Cantrell added.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will head to New Orleans on Monday to meet with the families and community members, the White House said. Biden said Friday that he has spoken with victims’ families.
There is no apparent direct connection between the New Orleans attack and Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is also being investigated as a possible act of terror, the FBI said Thursday.
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