Idaho mayor dies after suffering medical emergency at town hall: ‘A shock and a tragedy’
Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam is seen in a photo released by the city of Nampa, Idaho. (City of Nampa, Idaho)
(NAMPA, Idaho) — An Idaho mayor months into his first term died after experiencing a medical emergency during a town hall, in what officials called “a shock and a tragedy.”
Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam, 47, was attending a Treasure Valley Partnership town hall on Wednesday in nearby Eagle when he died, according to Eagle city officials.
Eagle Mayor Brad Pike, a former firefighter, and Eagle Police Chief Travis Ruby immediately went to his aid, officials said.
“911 was called, CPR was administered, EMS arrived promptly, but their efforts were, sadly, unsuccessful,” the city of Eagle said in a statement.
Nampa officials said Hogaboam “suffered a medical emergency.” ABC News has reached out to the Ada County Coroner’s Office for an update on his cause of death.
Hogaboam began serving in early January as the mayor of Nampa, located about 20 miles west of Boise and home to over 100,00 people — making it the third-largest city in Idaho.
He previously served as the Canyon County clerk; was chief of staff to the previous Nampa mayor, Debbie Kling; was elected a Nampa councilman; and briefly served as a substitute Idaho state senator in 2021, according to his city biography.
“He hopes to utilize his experience and knowledge to advocate for transparent and efficient governance that is responsive and accountable to the citizens,” his bio, which he wrote, noted.
Hogaboam was a husband, father and grandfather who was “committed to a vision for Nampa where families thrive in a community where citizens are proud to live, work, eat, play, and worship,” his bio stated.
He was an avid reader, baseball fan and lover of sushi and Korean food, his bio said.
“We ask the community to please keep his family and loved ones in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Nama city officials said in a statement. “As we begin to mourn this unbelievable loss, please provide grace while we navigate the loss of not only our Mayor, but also our friend.”
Eagle city officials said Hogaboam “lived as an example of integrity and civil service.”
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday ordered the lowering of U.S. and Idaho flags at the state Capitol building and state buildings in Canyon County in honor of Hogaboam, calling his sudden death a “tremendous loss.”
“Rick served with a genuine heart for public service and an unwavering commitment to the people of Nampa,” Little said in a statement. “He cared deeply about his community and worked every day to make it stronger and better for those he served.”
The city of Nampa was holding an emergency council meeting on Thursday in the wake of Hogaboam’s death to discuss maintaining city operations and the process for appointing a new mayor.
Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition figure and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, attends a press conference on December 11, 2025 in Oslo, Norway. (Rune Hellestad/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Friday she was “absolutely grateful” to President Donald Trump after meeting with him Thursday and presenting him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal. The president called it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
“María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. He also said that Machado was a “wonderful woman who has been through so much” and that it was a great honor to meet her.
Machado, in turn, said Friday it “took a lot of courage” for Trump to take action against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Following the Thursday meeting, a White House official confirmed to ABC News that Trump did accept the medal.
Further details about the closed-door meeting were not immediately revealed by the White House. Asked about the meeting by ABC News’ Mary Bruce, Trump said it went “great.”
Machado told reporters as she was exiting the White House that she presented Trump with her prize and reflected on the history between the two countries.
“I told him this … Listen to this — 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar, since then, kept that medal for the rest of his life,” she told reporters.
“Actually, when you see his portraits, you can see the medal there. And it was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the United States, people of United States, and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny. And 200 years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington, a medal, in this case a medal of a Nobel Peace Prize, and a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom,” she added.
Simon Bolivar liberated Venezuela and several other Latin American countries from Spanish rule in the 1800s. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French national who volunteered to fight with American colonists during the Revolutionary War and eventually rose to be one of George Washington’s most trusted generals.
Machado didn’t offer any more details about her meeting with Trump.
She won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her work “promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her push to move the country from dictatorship to democracy.
Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after it was announced in October 2025.
She said last week that she would like to give or share the prize with Trump, who oversaw the successful U.S. operation to capture Maduro. Maduro faces drug trafficking charges in New York, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
“I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to, to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
The Norwegian Nobel Institute issued a statement last week saying that once the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, it “can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time.”
When asked earlier this month whether Machado could become the next leader of Venezuela, Trump said it would be “very tough for her” because she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”
Trump said Wednesday he had a “great conversation” with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, their first since authoritarian Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was seized by the U.S. on Jan. 3.
“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during a bill signing in the Oval Office. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
The president said last week on his social media platform that he had “cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks” on Venezuela after the government released several political prisoners, but he added that “all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes.”
Trump has coveted and openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office. White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung slammed the Nobel Committee for its decision after Machado was announced as the most recent winner.
“[Trump] has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” Cheung said in an X post. “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
Jorgen Watne Frydens, the Nobel Committee chair, was asked about Trump’s “campaign” for the prize last year but denied it had any impact on the decision-making process.
“We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace,” Frydens said. “This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. We base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”
An EBT sign is displayed on the window of a grocery store on October 30, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — New work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are set to go into effect on Feb. 1 and it could mean that millions of Americans lose their benefits.
Nearly 42 million Americans, including low-income families and vulnerable households, rely on the federal program to help pay for groceries or other household essentials.
However, under President Donald Trump’s megabill that was signed into law in July, work requirements were amended for most people to receive benefits for longer than three months over three years.
Under the megabill, the upper age limit for those who need to meet work requirements was raised from age 54 through age 64 for the first time for able-bodied adults without dependents.
Additionally, exemptions were changed for parents or other family members with responsibility for a dependent under 18 years old to under 14 years old.
“Millions of people will unnecessarily be kicked off the rolls,” Joel Berg, CEO of the nonprofit Hunger Free America, told ABC News. “They will lose the food they need, and sometimes family members need. … More Americans will go hungry. Soup kitchens and food pantries and the food banks that supply them will not have the resources to meet this need.”
According to August 2025 estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, about 1.1 million people will lose SNAP benefits between 2025 and 2034, including 800,000 able-bodied adults through age 64 who don’t live with dependents and 300,000 parents or caregivers up to age 64 with children aged 14 and older.
An additional 1 million people who are able‑bodied adults ages 18 to 54 — or 18 to 49 starting in 2031 — who do not live with dependents but would have received a waiver from work requirements could also lose benefits.
Exemptions were also removed for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults who were in foster care when they turned age 18 under the megabill.
Berg said it could be very difficult for these populations to not only get jobs but provide the documentation to prove to the government they are meeting work requirements.
“It will be extraordinarily difficult for them, and they are among the most vulnerable Americans already,” he said. “Some of the most vulnerable populations — homeless people, veterans and young people who just left foster care — are going to lose their food, lose their groceries and there is no plan in place to fix that.”
CBO estimates that while there will be reductions in SNAP participation among these groups, it will be partially offset by the increases in participation among American Indians, who received exemptions under the megabill.
Supporters of the work requirements have said they are necessary to combat waste, fraud and abuse. SNAP benefits are administered under the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) by the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview on Fox Business on Friday that SNAP benefits are meant to be used temporarily and not long-term.
“The American dream is not being on [a] food stamp program,” Rollins said. “The American dream is not being on all these programs. That should be a hand up, not a handout. … As of yesterday, we have moved 1.75 million people off of SNAP. … A stronger economy, higher wages, I mean this is what we’re fighting for every day, not bigger programs, smaller programs. People to have real jobs, real health care, a real opportunity for their children and their grandchildren.”
FNS didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for further comment.
Data from the 2023 American Community Survey shows the majority of American families receiving SNAP benefits had at least one family member working in the past 12 months.
However, work requirements can reduce program participation. A 2021 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found SNAP work requirements could lead to up to 53% of eligible adults exiting the program within 18 months.
“These work requirements aren’t really about promoting work. They’re about dehumanizing people and attacking the ‘other’,” Berg said. “Most SNAP recipients are pro-work, and most SNAP recipients are already working, or children or people with disability or older Americans. So all this is sort of a diversionary debate.”
Karen Read confers with defense attorneys Robert Alessi, left, and Elizabeth Little on June 9, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — This year was full of first-of-its-kind stories that got Americans talking. Here’s a look back at some of the most talked about U.S. stories of 2025 outside of politics, from the Los Angeles wildfires to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial.
LA wildfires
The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7. With severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds fueling the flames, the fires spread quickly, killing at least 29 people and wiping out thousands of homes in the densely populated neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
In October, Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested for allegedly igniting a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 1 — a fire that prosecutors say eventually became the Palisades Fire. Rinderknecht, a former Pacific Palisades resident, has pleaded not guilty to arson affecting property, timber set afire and destruction of property.
3 back-to-back plane crashes
On Jan. 29, an American Airlines regional jet was on approach to Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River.
All 64 people on board the plane and all three soldiers on the helicopter were killed.
The collision marked the nation’s first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not released its final report, which will determine the probable cause of the crash, but investigators said during a July hearing that the Black Hawk pilots likely didn’t know how high they were flying or how close they were to the plane due to faulty altimeters inside the aircraft. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters, “It’s possible there was zero pilot error here.”
After the crash, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced legislation called the ROTOR Act. The law would require nearly all aircraft to transmit Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B), a system which allows aircraft to transmit their location to other aircraft as well as air traffic controllers. It would also close a loophole that allows military aircraft to operate without ADSB-Out. The ROTOR Act is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
The NTSB is expected to reveal the probable cause and its recommendations in late January.
Just two days after the D.C. crash, a medical transport jet crashed in Philadelphia. The jet, which was carrying a child and her mother along with four other people, was in the air for less than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. All six people on board, as well as one person on the ground, were killed. The NTSB has not released a cause.
Then on Feb. 17, a Delta plane crashed and overturned during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All 80 people on board survived. Twenty-one passengers were injured, including two seriously injured.
A report released in March found that the right main landing gear broke and collapsed on impact as the plane landed at a high descent rate. Once the right main landing gear collapsed, the wing hit the runway, sprayed fuel and caused a fire. The Transportation Board of Canada has not yet released a probable cause for this crash.
Gene Hackman and his wife die in their home
When actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home during a Feb. 26 welfare check, their causes of death were not immediately clear, which sparked national intrigue.
In March, investigators announced that Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted through rodent urine, droppings or saliva, officials said.
Hackman, 95, who died of cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease, was likely home with his deceased wife for one week before he died, officials said. Arakawa died around Feb. 12, while Hackman died around Feb. 18, officials said.
Hackman “was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s, and it’s quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased,” an investigator said.
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead in a crate during the welfare check. The dog likely died of dehydration and starvation, a report found.
Karen Read’s trial
On June 18, a Massachusetts jury found Karen Read not guilty of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend, ending a criminal case that gripped the nation’s attention.
While Read was acquitted of the most serious charges — including second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene after an accident resulting in death — the jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor. The judge immediately sentenced her to one-year probation, the standard for a first-time offense.
The first criminal case against Read ended in a mistrial last year.
Prosecutors alleged Read hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her car outside the home of a fellow police officer after a night of heavy drinking in 2022 and then left him to die there during a blizzard. The defense had argued that Read’s vehicle did not hit O’Keefe and instead said O’Keefe was attacked by a dog and beaten by other people who were in the house before he was thrown outside in the snow to die.
Texas flooding
In the early hours of July 4, heavy rain inundated Texas’ Hill Country region, quickly sparking catastrophic flooding.
Over 130 people were killed, including at least 117 in Kerr County, officials said. More than two dozen of the victims were from Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls sleepaway camp in Kerr County.
Some state leaders and environmental experts told ABC News in July that a number of the cabins were in known flood zones and close proximity to the river, according to officials and FEMA’s road maps.
In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law three bills aimed at improving the safety of camps in Texas and protecting Texans from future flooding events, after parents of Camp Mystic flooding victims advocated before the state legislature for better safety measures.
In October, legislative committees were formed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dustin Burrows to investigate the flooding. No investigative findings have been announced as of December.
In November, a slew of wrongful death cases were filed against Camp Mystic on behalf of many of the parents who lost their children. The families previously criticized Camp Mystic’s decision to reopen one of its campsites next year.
In a December letter to parents, Camp Mystic officials said they plan to implement safety measures that are not only in compliance of the new camp safety laws, but “exceed their requirements.” The camp’s partial reopening is slated for summer 2026.
Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty
Weeks before Bryan Kohberger was set to go on trial for the 2022 quadruple homicides at the University of Idaho, Kohberger admitted to the crimes at a change of plea hearing in July.
At sentencing, Kohberger was given four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.
Survivors of the attack and relatives of the four slain students spoke out, sharing emotional statements at Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen said Kohberger “took away my ability to trust the world around me” and “shattered me in places I didn’t know could break.” Kristi Goncalves, mom of victim Kaylee Goncalves, told Kohberger that “hell will be waiting” for him.
The judge acknowledged Kohberger’s motive may never be known.
Sean Combs’ trial
Following an eight-week trial in Manhattan federal court that gripped the country, in July, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution. The jury acquitted Combs of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
At October’s sentencing hearing, Combs tearfully apologized in court, saying, “I’ve been humbled and broken to my core.”
The mogul is now serving a four-year sentence at FCI Fort Dix, a federal prison in New Jersey. Combs is appealing the conviction and his sentence.
It began on May 30 when Decker picked up his three daughters at his ex-wife’s home for a planned visitation.
On May 31, police announced the disappearance of the three daughters: Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5.
On June 2, the girls’ bodies were found near a campground. Decker allegedly suffocated his daughters to death, police said.
Decker, a former member of the military with “extensive training,” disappeared, sparking a multi-agency manhunt.
An attorney for Decker’s ex-wife told ABC News that Decker lacked mental health resources and struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Sept. 18, Decker’s remains were found in a remote, wooded area. The local coroner said an autopsy couldn’t be done due to how little remains were left.
Menendez brothers resentenced, but denied parole and denied new trial
In their continued push for freedom this year, Lyle and Erik Menendez had one big legal win, but two significant losses.
The brothers were convicted in 1996 of the first-degree murder of their parents and sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole. The last several years, they’ve pushed to be released, citing accomplishments in prison and the abuse they alleged they suffered from their parents.
This May, Judge Michael Jesic resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life in prison, making them immediately eligible for parole under youth offender parole laws. Jesic said he was moved by letters from prison guards and is amazed by what the brothers have accomplished in their decades behind bars.
But in August, the brothers were both denied parole. Commissioners reviewed Erik Menendez’s time in prison and noted some inappropriate behavior with visitors, drug smuggling, misuse of state computers, violent incidents and illegal cellphone use. Lyle Menendez’s panel of commissioners — who were different from those reviewing Erik’s case — noted he also was caught illegally using cellphones. The brothers will next be eligible for parole in three years.
Their second loss came in September, when Judge William Ryan denied the brothers’ habeas corpus petition, which they filed in 2023 to try to toss their conviction and get a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The judge said “neither piece of evidence adds to the allegations of abuse that the jury already considered.”
Charlie Kirk killed
On Sept. 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in the middle of his outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Kirk, 31, was the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, and the Utah Valley event marked the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited students on college campuses to debate hot-button issues.
Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, said at her husband’s memorial that she forgives Robinson. “That young man, I forgive him. … The answer to hate is not hate,” she said.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. He has not entered a plea.
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner killed
On Dec. 14, renowned Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home.
Hours later, the suspect — the couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner — was taken into custody.
Nick Reiner — who was living on his parents’ property, according to a former family security guard — was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with the special circumstance of multiple murders, prosecutors said. He has not entered a plea. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, prosecutors said.
“The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” they said.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” Jake and Romy Reiner said. “We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
ABC News’ Olivia Osteen, Meredith Deliso, Clara Mcmichael, Ayesha Ali and Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.
