States agree to $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma in opioid litigation

(CHATHAM, IL) — Four minors are dead after a vehicle crashed into a building hosting an after-school camp in Chatham, Illinois, officials announced at a press conference on Monday afternoon. They ranged in age from 4 to 18 years old, according to a statement from the Illinois State Police.

Multiple others were injured in the incident, which took place shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday. The extent of their injuries is unknown, though several were hospitalized and one was airlifted from the scene of the accident.

The car struck three individuals outside of the YNOT (Youth Needing Other Things) Outdoors Summer Camp, and a fourth person was killed inside, according to Chatham Police Department.

Authorities described the situation as chaotic and urged families to use the reunification site to speed up the victim identification process.

“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation,” the ISP statement said.

Police said the driver is considered a suspect, though no charges or arrests have been announced. Their identity has not yet been released.

“Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement posted on X on Monday night.

“Parents said goodbye to their children this morning not knowing it would be the last time,” the statement continued. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing — something that no parent should ever have to endure.”

Pritzker added that his office was monitoring the situation and he thanked first responders for assisting.

The ISP is working with the CPD to investigate, they said in a statement on Monday.

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

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(WASHINGTON) — On the same day that the Trump administration is proposing billions of dollars in cuts to renewable energy, environmental and climate programs, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a significant reorganization of his agency.

“EPA is creating the first-of-its-kind Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation. This office will be focused on working with, not against, state, local and tribal air permitting agencies to improve processing of State Implementation Plans and resolving air permitting concerns,” Zeldin said in a video posted to YouTube.

Zeldin said the EPA is also creating an Office of Clean Air program that “will align statutory obligations and mission essential functions based on centers of expertise to ensure more transparency and harmony in regulatory development.”

Further, the agency is making changes to its Office of Water and creating a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, which Zeldin says will “prioritize research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rule makings and technical assistance to states.”

Zeldin says the EPA will add more than 130 new employees to address the backlog of new chemicals and pesticides waiting for a review and “elevate” the issues of emergency response, cybersecurity, water reuse and conservation.

On Monday, the agency announced a new initiative to address contamination by PFAS, which are also known as forever chemicals. During his remarks, Zeldin said the new EPA structure would help the agency better understand how the chemicals impact human health and the environment.

The restructuring moves come on the same day the Trump administration released its 2026 fiscal year budget.

The administration’s budget cuts $15 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a Biden administration initiative that provided funds for carbon capture and renewable energy projects. The budget also calls for slashing $6 billion for EV chargers.

The budget proposal also calls for cutting grants to environmental organizations and eliminating the EPA’s Environmental Justice Program, a division that enforced civil rights laws and ensured that all people received the same level of environmental protection.

Sierra Club legislative director Melinda Pierce wrote in a statement, “This budget outline would dangerously slash funding to protect our air and water, disinvest in the clean energy manufacturing boom that has powered our economic recovery, and raise costs for working families who are already struggling to get by amidst the chaos and uncertainty that this administration has created in just three short months.”

Zeldin said the reorganization would save more than $300 million a year and that the agency’s goal is to reduce staffing to match the level of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

“EPA will strive to accomplish all this while fulfilling our commitment to the rule of law, advancing cooperative federalism, and being good stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars,” Zeldin said in his remarks.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Housing Finance Agency has referred information about New York Attorney General Letitia James to the Justice Department regarding a loan on James’ Virginia property, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.

William Pulte, the director of the FHFA, alleges in his letter to the Justice Department, dated April 14, that James listed her Norfolk, Virginia property as her “principal residence” in August of 2023, “despite being a statewide public office holder in the state of New York at that same time and primarily residing in the state of New York.”

The FHFA alleges in the letter that a July 2024 building permit “lists her New York property as the ‘JAMES RESIDENCE’ and states ‘Remain Occupied’.”

“At the time of the 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase and mortgage, Ms. James was the siting [sic] Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York – even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA property as her primary home,” according to the letter. “It appears Ms. James’ property and mortgage-related misrepresentations may have continued to her recent 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase in order to secure a lower interest rate and more favorable loan terms.”

Pulte, whom Trump appointed in March to lead the FHFA, further alleges in the letter that James “appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,” which he says “could be violations of the criminal code,” including wire, mail and bank fraud “and/or other relevant state and federal laws.”

The letter concludes by stating that the FHFA “look[s] forward to cooperating with the Department of Justice to support any actions that the Department of Justice finds appropriate.”

“Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution,” a spokesperson for James’ office said in a statement provided in response to an ABC News request for comment. “She will not be intimidated by bullies – no matter who they are.”

James’ office filed a business fraud suit against Trump and his organization in 2022, which resulted in a February 2024 ruling against Trump and fines in excess of $350 million. Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to lying under oath in the civil trial and served five months in prison.

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