Federal judge rules Trump administration has to pay millions in foreign aid to nonprofits

(BEAVER DAM, Ark.) — An Amber Alert has been issued for a pregnant Wisconsin teen, who police believe is with the 40-year-old man who impregnated her.

Sophia Martha Franklin, 16, is three months pregnant, according to the alert, which was issued Monday.

Gary Day, 40, “is known to be the father of the unborn child,” according to the alert.

Franklin has a no-contact order against Day, according to the alert.

Day faces charges of child enticement and abduction, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.

Franklin previously told police she began speaking with Day online in April, according to the complaint, and later traveled with him to his home in Arkansas.

She was last seen at her home in Beaver Dam, located about an hour northwest of Milwaukee, on Sunday night, the complaint states.

Early Monday morning, Day was seen walking near the family’s home on surveillance footage, it states.

Day, who is believed to be driving a black Buick LaCrosse, is known to have used various license plates, according to the Beaver Dam Police Department. The vehicle has been seen with both Arkansas license plate number BBR20L and a Pennsylvania license plate of KGW5186.

Police are asking anyone with information on Sophia’s whereabouts to contact them at 920-887-4612 or the Amber Alert tip line at 888-304-3936.

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(NEW YORK) — The Gulf Coast is digging out from a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that struck from Texas to Florida, closing airports, crippling roadways and leaving freezing temperatures in its wake.

At least 11 deaths have been attributed to the storm and accompanying cold blast.

In Dale County, Alabama, one person was killed in a house fire after leaving their stove on to keep them warm and a second person was killed in a car accident, according to the local coroner.

One person died from hypothermia in Georgia and two people died in the cold in Austin, Texas, officials said.

Southwest of San Antonio, five people died when a tractor-trailer collided with other vehicles on an icy road, the Texas Department of Safety said.

In Moncks Corner, South Carolina, a 71-year-old man died while shoveling snow, according to the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office.

This storm brought more snow to some cities than any other storm in at least the last 130 years.

Florida saw its most snow on record, with 9.8 inches of snow recorded in Milton, northeast of Pensacola.

Pensacola also saw an all-time record for the city with 8.9 inches.

Texas experienced its first-ever blizzard warning. Beaumont, Texas, recorded 5.2 inches of snow — an all-time record.

Mobile, Alabama, saw an all-time record high of 7.5 inches.

In Louisiana, Baton Rouge saw 7.6 inches.

New Orleans recorded 8 inches, marking the most snow in the city since 1895.

And the danger isn’t over. An extreme cold warning is in effect Thursday morning from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle, with temperatures dropping as low as 12 degrees in parts of the Gulf Coast.

For Louisiana, this is the coldest it’s been in over 100 years, state climatologist Jay Grymes said.

While snow has melted in many areas, the freeze remains a serious threat. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue is urging “everyone to avoid unnecessary travel.”

Many of the areas hit hard by the storm will thaw soon; temperatures are expected to climb to the 50s and 60s by Sunday.

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(NEW YORK) — Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is due back in court Tuesday when his attorney will attempt to convince a judge to invalidate certain DNA evidence that’s never been used in New York state courts.

Heuermann, who was arrested in July 2023, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of seven women whose remains were found discarded on Long Island between 1993 and 2011.

His attorneys have urged the judge to preclude evidence pertaining to nuclear DNA results obtained from hairs recovered from six victims: Maureen Brainard Barnes, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack.

The DNA match resulted from a technique known as whole genome sequencing, which hasn’t been subject to an admissibility hearing in any New York court.

Prosecutors consented to Tuesday’s hearing but have argued the defense motion to dismiss the evidence should be denied because the technique is “generally accepted in the scientific community” and is based on technology “relied upon in a wide variety of scientific and forensic settings.”

Defense attorney Michael Brown has said the California lab where the DNA testing was done is a for-profit business that is not accredited in New York.

Prosecutors have expressed confidence the DNA evidence would be admissible.

“For over thirty years, New York State courts have continuously adapted to embrace advancements in DNA technology,” assistant district attorney Andrew Lee said. “The advancement of forensic science and nuclear DNA analysis involving Whole Genome Sequencing has allowed law enforcement to now link genetic profiles consistent with the defendant, and/or individuals who have resided with him, to six of the seven victims through hairs found at the crime scene and/or on the victims. The People intend to introduce such evidence of defendant’s guilt at trial, which will aid the jury in its determination.”

In addition to DNA, prosecutors are also relying on evidence recovered on some of the 350 electronic devices seized from Heuermann that they’ve said include his “significant collection of violent, bondage and torture pornography” dating back to at least 1994. This online collection included images of mutilation and tying up women with ropes, two things prosecutors said are consistent with injuries inflicted on Mack and how she was bound.

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