(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice is suing Southern California Edison over the Eaton Fire, seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages for alleged negligence it claims led to the deadly fire.
The January fire, one of the most destructive in California history, killed 19 people and burned over 14,000 acres, including nearly 8,000 acres of land in the Angeles National Forest, officials said.
A cause remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire. However, the DOJ alleges that the fire was ignited “from faulty power infrastructure owned, maintained, and operated” by Southern California Edison.
The Justice Department is also suing the utility company for damages caused by the 2022 Fairview Fire, which killed two people and burned over 28,000 acres, including nearly 14,000 acres within the San Bernardino National Forest, officials said.
State fire officials determined the fire started after a SoCal Edison power line came into contact with a Frontier communications messenger cable, creating an arc and causing sparks to fall and ignite the vegetation below.
“The lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence resulting in death, destruction, and tens of millions of federal taxpayer dollars spent to clean up one utility company’s mistakes,” acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “We hope that today’s filings are the first step in causing the beginnings of a culture change at Southern California Edison, one that will make it a responsible, conscientious company that helps — not harms — our community. Hardworking Californians should not pick up the tab for Edison’s negligence.”
The DOJ said it is seeking over $40 million in damages from the Eaton Fire for costs incurred by the U.S. Forest Service, including fire suppression and rehabilitation. It is seeking to recover some $37 million for damages from the Fairview Fire, it said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — New York Attorney General Letitia James sent formal notice Thursday that her office will appeal a decision last month that threw out the half billion-dollar civil fraud penalty imposed on President Donald Trump in his civil fraud case.
The attorney general’s office filed a notice of appeal, signaling it will ask the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to reinstate the penalty and the finding that Trump, his eldest sons and his business were liable for a decade’s worth of business fraud.
The single-page notice contained no argument and did not say on what grounds the state would base its appeal of the decision by the intermediate appellate court.
Last month’s decision was expected to end up before the Court of Appeals since the five judges of the Appellate Division’s First Department were split over whether Trump was properly found liable, whether James had the authority to bring the case, and whether it should be retried.
After a three-month civil trial last year, New York Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for committing a decade of business fraud by inflating his net worth to secure better business deals.
In his written decision, Engoron said that Trump and his co-defendants engaged in frauds that “leap off the page and shock the conscience” including wrongly claiming that Trump’s penthouse was three times its actual size and valuing his Mar-a-Lago estate as a personal residence, rather than a social club.
(LOWELL, Mass.) — An individual seen wielding what appeared to be a firearm near a Massachusetts university dormitory, prompting a shelter-in-place order and large law enforcement response, has been identified as a juvenile holding an airsoft replica firearm, police said Thursday.
The Lowell Police Department said it received a report of a person possibly armed with a gun on the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s campus just before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, which marked the first day of classes for undergraduate students.
A video widely circulated online showed an individual walking with what appeared to be a firearm near a UMass Lowell dormitory on Wednesday.
The university issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place order and canceled classes and events for the rest of the day.
Multiple agencies responded, including local and state police, with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also providing assistance. Officers searched the grounds and a drone, K9s and a police air unit were deployed.
The shelter-in-place was ultimately lifted shortly after 5:15 p.m. Wednesday when authorities “determined the suspect was no longer in the vicinity,” UMass Lowell said in a statement.
There were no shots fired or any injuries, Lowell Police Chief Ron Dickerson said Wednesday.
Lowell police said Thursday they recovered the weapon, which was confirmed to be an airsoft replica firearm. The individual was identified as a juvenile male, police said.
“While the reported firearm in this case was ultimately determined to be an airsoft gun, our community can be certain that, as in this case, the Lowell Police Department will always utilize all available resources until the safety of all involved is assured,” Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon said in a statement.
Police did not release any more details on the juvenile, including his age, how they identified him, what he was doing on campus or if any charges are possible. ABC News has reached out for more information.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Parents faced steeper prices for back-to-school shopping this year, with costs rising 7.3% amid tariffs, according to a new Century Foundation report.
The price hikes affected everything from basic supplies to electronics, with some items seeing dramatic increases. Index cards jumped 42%, while three-ring binders cost nearly 13% more than last year, ABC News business correspondent Alexis Christoforous reported.
“Parents are facing price increases across a number of categories when it comes to school supplies,” Dr. Sarah Dickerson, a research economist at UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, told ABC11. “If we look at pencils, for instance, we know the wooden pencils are imported from Brazil. We are anticipating price hikes there.”
According to Capital One Shopping research, Americans spent $125.4 billion on back-to-school and college shopping in 2024, with the average household budgeting $874.68 for school supplies. For one K-12 student, parents spent an average of $586 on supplies.
However, experts say there are ways to manage these rising costs. Christoforous recommended buying in bulk during sales to save money throughout the year, especially for basic supplies like pencils and pens.
She also suggested choosing generic brands over name brands, noting that some generic pencils cost as little as a dollar compared to $5 for well-known brands.
For parents looking to stretch their budgets further, Christoforous highlighted the benefits of thrift shopping for school supplies, where shoppers can often find unexpected deals.
When it comes to expensive electronics, she advised looking for refurbished laptops and tablets that come with warranties from major retailers. Additionally, she urged parents to take advantage of tax-free shopping periods, which many states offer during the back-to-school season.
As of 2025, 18 states offered tax-free shopping periods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Some states, like Florida, extended these savings throughout August, while others limited them to specific weekends.
“A lot of the big retailers sell refurbished electronics with warranties,” Christoforous said, noting that electronics were particularly affected by tariffs due to overseas manufacturing and imported components.
For budget-conscious parents, Christoforous also suggested meal planning as a cost-saving measure.
“When you make dinner, make extra,” she advised. “That way you have leftovers and you’re not scrambling every day, going ‘What’s going to be for lunch?'”
Despite these challenges, Capital One Shopping research showed that household back-to-school budgets decreased by $15.39 or 1.73% compared to the previous year, suggesting that many families found ways to adapt to the higher prices.
Lisa DeNell Cook, nominee to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, testifies during a Senate Banking nominations hearing on June 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Bill Pulte, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent the Department of Justice two criminal referral letters last month about Cook last month regarding Cook’s properties in Georgia and Michigan.
Federal investigators have begun issuing subpoenas and are utilizing grand juries in both states as part of their investigation, the sources said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the criminal investigation.
As President Donald Trump seeks to reshape the balance of the Federal Reserve central banking system, Pulte’s allegations have become the basis of Trump’s effort to terminate Cook “for cause” — a controversial and legally fraught move that is actively being challenged in court.
In an Aug. 15 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud Ed Martin, Pulte alleged that Cook “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud under the criminal statute.” Pulte has claimed that the referral was based on publicly available information but has declined to comment about the tip that prompted his investigation. The first referral focused on Cook’s properties in Georgia and Michigan.
Reached for comment regarding the DOJ probe, attorneys for Cook said in a statement, “Predictably and recognizing the flaws in challenging their illegal firing of Governor Cook, the administration is scrambling to invent new justifications for its overreach.”
“This Justice Department — perhaps the most politicized in American history — will do whatever President Trump demands. He wants cover, and they are providing it,” said attorney Abbe Lowell. “The questions over how Governor Cook described her properties from time to time, which we have started to address in the pending case and will continue to do so, are not fraud, but it takes nothing for this DOJ to undertake a new politicized investigation, and they appear to have just done it again.”
Following the Aug. 15 referral, Martin sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jermone Powell encouraging him to fire Cook because of the ongoing investigation.
“At this time, I encourage you to remove Ms. Cook from your Board. Do it today before it is too late! After all, no American thinks it is appropriate that she serve during this time with a cloud hanging over her,” Martin wrote.
Days later, Trump attempted to fire Cook based on the allegations that she designated both her homes in Georgia and Michigan as her primary residence. Cook has denied wrongdoing, said she would continue to serve in her role, and sued to challenge Trump’s attempt to remove her.
“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action,” said Lowell.
Later that month, on Aug. 28, Pulte sent a second referral letter to the Department of Justice, alleging that Cook had made “multiple false representations” while serving as a Federal Reserve governor, including listing an apartment in Massachusetts as both an investment property and a second home.
In the following days, Pulte has made multiple comments on social media accusing Cook of crimes and calling for her prosecution, unusual steps during an ongoing investigation before any formal determinations of wrongdoing.
“The damage currently being done to the integrity of the Federal Reserve, by Lisa Cook and Jerome Powell, cannot be overstated,” he wrote in one post.
On Thursday, Pulte originally planned to hold a press conference in front of the Elijah Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. where he said he would share new information about Cook.
He later canceled the press conference, writing on social media, “Out of respect for the process, I will be delaying this press conference.”
A helicopter drops water as Cal Fire firefighters battle the 6-5 Fire in the TCU September Lightning Complex on September 03, 2025 near Chinese Camp, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(CHINESE CAMP, Calif) — The historic gold rush town of Chinese Camp, California, has been devastated by one of multiple lightning-sparked wildfires in three Northern California counties that have burned more than 13,000 acres combined, authorities said.
More than 20 wildfires in Calaveras County and neighboring Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties, where Chinese Camp is located, began on Tuesday night, when more than 17,000 dry lightning strikes hit the area, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The blazes are part of what Cal Fire has named the TCU Lightning Complex Fire.
As of Wednesday night, the fires combined had burned 13,371 acres, destroyed multiple structures and prompted evacuations in Calaveras, Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties, according to Cal Fire. The fire was 15% contained on Wednesday night, but there were individual fires within the TCU Lighting Complex Fire that remain 0% contained.
“Armageddon” is how Randall Hoffman, a resident of Chinese Camp, described the devastation to his small foothills town, about 60 miles west of Yosemite National Park.
“I think we lost 95% of the town,” Hoffman, whose home was spared by the fire, told ABC station KFSN in Fresno on Wednesday.
The wildfire that swept through Chinese Camp, dubbed the 6-5 Fire, had grown to 6,473 acres as of Wednesday night and was 0% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Structures throughout the tiny community of Chinese Camp, a town founded in by Chinese gold miners in the 1850s, were burned to the ground or damaged by the 6-5 Fire.
“To watch it come over the ridge the way it did and as fast as it did, that’s absolute fear,” Chinese Camp resident Pete Tomaino told KFSN after he evacuated from his home.
At least 11 areas threatened by the 6-5 Fire remained under mandatory evacuation on Wednesday night, including the entire town of Chinese Camp, which has a population of less than 100 people.
Meanwhile, the 2-8 Fire in Calaveras County, another blaze that was started by lightning strikes on Tuesday night and is part of the TUC Lightning Complex Fire, had burned 1,326 acres as of Wednesday night, according to Cal Fire. Multiple air tankers and helicopters, as well as fire crews on the ground, made progress fighting the fire on Wednesday, increasing containment to 15%, according to Cal Fire.
Further north, the Blue Fire, which was also started by lightning on Aug. 26 in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County, near the Oregon border, has burned 1,631 acres, according to Cal Fire. As of Wednesday night, the Blue Fire was 0% contained and mandatory evacuation orders were in place, Cal Fire said.
Entrance to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The federal agency responsible for administering the nation’s immigration and naturalization system will now have enforcement agents for the first time.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is adding law enforcement agents to its workforce, according to a press release issued Thursday by the agency.
The agents will be tasked with “making arrests, carrying firearms, executing search and arrest warrants, and other powers standard for federal law enforcement,” according to the release.
Traditionally, the agency has not been a law enforcement agency.
A new rule published on the federal register grants the authority under a little-known department at USCIS: the fraud detection agency.
The rule technically expands their authority to give them law enforcement powers.
“By upholding the integrity of our immigration system, we enforce the laws of this nation. As Secretary Noem delegated lawful authorities to expand the agency’s law enforcement capabilities, this rule allows us to fulfill our critical mission,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in the announcement, referring to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” Edlow said.
(NEW YORK) — A 30-year-old man has drowned in Pennsylvania near a family picnic area while attempting to swim across the river and went under, officials said.
The emergency communications center at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Bushkill, Pennsylvania, received a report of a drowning in the Delaware River near the Kittatinny Point picnic area at about 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
National Park Service rangers and dive team members, New Jersey State Police and water rescue teams from the Portland Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call, officials said, and the crews “quickly located and recovered the body of a 30-year-old Parsipanny, New Jersey, man from the river, where the water was approximately 17 feet deep.”
“The man was swimming with family members near the picnic area when he tired while attempting to swim across the river and went under,” NPS said.
Authorities have not yet named the man and it is unclear what the swimming conditions were like at the time of the drowning, but the National Park Service took the opportunity to remind all river users to wear a properly-fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while swimming, floating, fishing or boating on the Delaware River.
Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — No winner was declared after Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, resulting in the jackpot climbing to $1.7 billion.
The jackpot’s estimated cash value of $770.3 million is now the third-highest in U.S. lottery history, according to Powerball.
The numbers drawn were: 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, with Powerball 22 and Power Play multiplier of 2.
After there was no billion-dollar Labor Day Powerball winner, the jackpot continued to climb and reached $1.4 billion before the drawing.
The next drawing will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Nationwide, 11 tickets matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes. The $1 million-winning tickets were sold in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Powerball said.
Winners can choose between annual payments over 30 years, with a 5% increase each year, or the immediate cash option.
Powerball’s history includes record-breaking prizes, with the largest being a $2.04 billion jackpot won in California in November 2022, followed by a $1.765 billion prize claimed in California in October 2023, and a $1.586 billion jackpot split among winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016.
Saturday’s drawing will be the 42nd since the Powerball jackpot was last won on May 31, 2025, in California. The current streak has tied the game’s record for the most consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
Tickets cost $2 and are available in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9.
Drawings are broadcast live from Tallahassee, Florida, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET and streamed on Powerball.com.
(MILWAUKEE) — Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s trial on federal charges alleging she tried to help an undocumented immigrant evade arrest has been set for Dec. 15.
Jury selection will be on Dec. 11 and 12, Judge Lynn Adelman determined during a scheduling hearing on Wednesday.
Dugan has pleaded not guilty.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
