Woman rescued after surviving 1,500-foot drop during Mt. Shasta climb
U.S. Forest Service Climbing Rangers responded to a rescue involving a 31-year-old female climber who suffered a serious fall while ascending the Left of Heart variation of the Avalanche Gulch route on Mount Shasta. (U.S. Forest Service – Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
(CALIFORNIA) — U.S. Forest Service Rangers rescued a woman over the weekend who was climbing Mt. Shasta in California and fell over 1,500 feet in the snow.
The unidentified 31-year-old woman was part of a group of three novice climbers who were ascending the Left of Heart variation of the Avalanche Gulch route on Mount Shasta on Sunday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Around noon that day, the rangers got a call about the woman falling approximately 1,500 vertical feet before coming to rest on the mountain, according to the Forest Service.
Weather conditions prevented a helicopter rescue so three rangers ascended on foot, the Forest Service said.
They were assisted by one member of the climbing party who had descended to help carry rescue equipment, according to the Forest Service. Another climber who happened to be in the area also stopped to assist the injured climber and remained with the group throughout the rescue, the Forest Service said.
The woman who fell was found safe and in good spirits with a suspected fractured right ankle and other injuries, according to the Forest Service.
The civilian and Forest Service rescuers secured the woman in a SKED rescue litter and lowered her to Lake Helen before a California Highway Patrol helicopter transported her to a hospital, the Forest Service said.
“This incident serves as an important reminder that Mount Shasta is a high-altitude mountaineering environment, not a hike. Even experienced climbers can encounter rapidly changing weather, steep snow and ice, rockfall, and hazardous fall conditions,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025. (U.S. Justice Department)
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are demanding that Committee Chairman James Comer bring in acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to answer questions “immediately” as part of the panel’s probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ranking Member Robert Garcia on Tuesday sent Comer a letter, which was first obtained by ABC News, requesting that Blanche and Patel appear for separate videotaped transcribed interviews before the committee as questions mount over their handling of the Epstein files.
The GOP-controlled committee to date has not video recorded any of its transcribed interviews, only depositions.
“Given the deep involvement of Director Patel and Mr. Blanche, the Committee cannot credibly continue its investigation without their videotaped, transcribed testimony,” Garcia wrote in the letter to Comer.
In a statement to ABC News, Garcia said the panel’s closed-door interview last week of former Attorney General Pam Bondi “made one thing clear: we need to talk to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.”
“These agency leaders were directly involved in the cover up of the Epstein files and botched roll-out of the documents, which re-victimized survivors and made a mockery of our Justice Department. Oversight Democrats are demanding answers straight from the source,” Garcia said.
Bondi, during her appearance on Friday, told lawmakers that Blanche was delegated responsibility for overseeing the release of the millions of Epstein files.
Garcia wrote in the letter that Bondi referenced Blanche’s name 30 times during Friday’s interview and pointed to him “as the person responsible for DOJ’s actions involving the review, withholding, and botched release of Epstein-related records.”
Democrats also want to question Blanche over his involvement in convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison transfer. Bondi testified, according to a source familiar with her testimony, that she opposed a pardon for Maxwell and was unaware of the transfer until after it happened.
“Rather than provide answers in her testimony, Ms. Bondi repeatedly shifted responsibility to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche,” he said.
The letter comes the same day that Blanche is slated to testify on Capitol Hill before a House appropriations subcommittee.
Blanche’s testimony could spark fireworks after Bondi’s transcribed interview on Friday, where she testified that she delegated compliance with the Epstein Transparency Act to her then-deputy.
Garcia said Democrats want to hear from Patel, who Bondi frequently named during her interview as also overseeing the release of the Epstein files. Democrats said they were alarmed by Bondi referring to Patel repeatedly during the interview.
“By Ms. Bondi’s own account, Director Patel was involved in locating, reviewing, and possibly redacting FBI records relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Ms. Bondi even raised concerns that the FBI had previously withheld material from the DOJ,” Garica wrote.
Comer, in comments made last Friday, said that both parties bear responsibility for the failures surrounding Epstein, the wealthy financier who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of minor girls at his homes in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
“The government has failed the survivors. There’s no question about that,” Comer said. “And that dates back five presidential administrations. We’re taking this investigation seriously.”
Preparations continue for the Ultimate Fighting Championship Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn on June 05, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — One week ahead of the White House hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, a public interest law firm is attempting to stop the high-profile sports event from taking place.
In a lawsuit filed this weekend, the Public Integrity Project — representing a political activist and Vietnam veteran — claimed the event was improperly permitted, skipped an environmental review, and is an extraordinary use of public land to benefit President Donald Trump and his allies.
They asked a federal judge to declare the authorization for the event, framed around the country’s 250th anniversary, unlawful. Scheduled to take place on Sunday, which is also President Trump’s birthday, the UFC plans to host a mixed martial arts event in a caged octagon on the South Lawn of the White House, as well as host thousands of fans at the nearby Ellipse.
“The President is giving [Dana] White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access,” the lawsuit said.
The White House and UFC did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Calling the event “deeply corrupt,” the lawsuit alleged that the Trump administration improperly used a temporary rule for “America 250” to bypass the permitting requirements normally required to host events on National Park Service land. They argue that because the event is being organized by a private entity, not the federal government, and is not explicitly “for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence,” the fight does not qualify for that temporary rule.
“It is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’—it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also alleged that the construction of the 600-ton steel arch over the South Lawn should have undergone an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The lawsuit was filed by a retired government employee who frequently attends protests and other events near the National Mall and White House as well as a Vietnam War veteran who said he frequently enjoys the DC landscape while working part-time as a rideshare driver. The lawsuit alleged they are suffering “aesthetic, dignitary, and procedural harms as a result of Defendants’ unlawful acts.”
Lawsuits challenging Trump’s attempt to reshape the White House and DC have had a mixed track record, in part because judges are often skeptical if plaintiffs have standing to sue. A judge attempted to block construction of Trump’s ballroom before his ruling was lifted by an appeals court. Lawsuits challenging his planned arch, golf course renovations and the repainting of the reflecting pool have so far been unsuccessful in stopping work. As of Sunday, the case was assigned to Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.
In addition to alleging improper permitting and a lack of a necessary environmental review, the lawsuit alleged that Trump and his allies are profiting from the event. The lawsuit noted that Trump owns some stock in UFC’s parent company, that the UFC is selling VIP packages for more than $1 million while offering sponsorships to an overseas cryptocurrency exchange, and how the fight is being streamed through the UFC’s broadcast partner Paramount Skydance.
U.S. Coast Guard dive team searches for clues in the disappearance of Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas, June 4, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — The Coast Guard has taken custody of the Hookers’ dinghy amid the new search for Lynette Hooker, an American woman who went overboard in the Bahamas and vanished two months ago.
The Coast Guard is using divers, underwater drones and a K9 as it explores new areas not previously searched.
This week’s search comes after forensic evidence found on electronic devices belonging to Lynette Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, led investigators to new areas of interest, U.S. officials said. One U.S. official told ABC News that what Brian Hooker told investigators does not match the GPS data recovered from his devices.
Lynette Hooker went missing on the evening of April 4. Brian Hooker told authorities that after the couple departed Hope Town on their dinghy to head to their yacht, bad weather caused her to go overboard.
Brian Hooker was arrested on April 8 and questioned by police. He was released on April 13 without charges.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter and Brian Hooker’s stepdaughter, Karli Aylesworth, told ABC News she doubts Brian Hooker’s story and said she’s not spoken with him since the day after her mother went missing.
Aylesworth said this week she’s hopeful the new search points investigators in the right direction.
“She has to be somewhere, so all the help that we could get, it’s greatly appreciated,” she said.
Aylesworth said if she could speak to her mother now, she’d tell her, “I just hope you’re still out there. I have doubts with how long it’s been, but I love you and I hope I can see you again.”
