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(CALIFORNIA) — Fox News has moved to dismiss California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $787 million defamation lawsuit against the network and collect attorney fees, calling the suit a “political stunt” that Newsom filed “to advance his presidential ambitions.”

“The tone and content of Newsom’s complaint and his conduct underscore that the purpose of this lawsuit is to create a press spectacle and harass Fox News, not to remedy any legitimate reputational harm,” the 45-page filing from Fox states.

Newsom’s lawsuit stemmed from the channel’s coverage of a spat that occurred between Newsome and President Donald Trump during the L.A. wildfires. Trump claimed at the time that he had spoken to Newsom “a day ago” to tell Newsome he was doing a “bad job,” but Newsom replied on social media that “there was no call” — prompting Trump to give Fox News a screen shot showing the record of a call that had occurred days earlier.

Fox News host Jesse Watters, that night on his show, accused Newsom of lying, saying, “Why would Newsom lie and claim that Trump never called him?”

Newsom’s attorneys, in a letter to Fox News, said they would proceed with the suit unless Fox News issued a retraction and an on-air apology.

In their court filing, Fox News said that Watters did that on July 17 when he said on the air that Newsome “didn’t deceive anybody on purpose. So I’m sorry, he wasn’t lying. He was just confusing and unclear.”

As a result, Fox News says the case should be dismissed on multiple grounds — including on the merits — writing that what Watters said was “substantially true.”

“At a minimum, Watters’ query about why Newsom would ‘lie’ is an opinion based on disclosed facts that enjoys full First Amendment protection,” the filing states.

Newsom’s $787 million suit seeks the same amount as the 2023 settlement Fox reached with Dominion Voting Systems after the voting machine company accused Fox News of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories that Dominion rigged the 2020 presidential election in Joe Biden’s favor. In its filing in the Newsome case, Fox News called Newsome’s use of that figure a “headline-grabbing gimmick.”

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(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted any further construction of the immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Mary Williams granted a temporary restraining order after two days of testimony about the environmental impact of the site.

The state of Florida and President Donald Trump’s administration can continue to use the facility and house detainees there, but any further construction must be halted for 14 days.

While the hearing was set to resume on Tuesday, Judge Williams granted the temporary order to prevent possible harm to the sensitive Everglades ecosystem in the meantime.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida urged Judge Williams to block the construction site because the detention center was completed without conducting necessary impact studies. The area is home to multiple sensitive species — including the endangered Florida Panther — and is considered sacred to the Miccosukee tribe.

“We welcome the court’s decision to pause construction on this deeply concerning project. The detention facility threatens land that is not only environmentally sensitive but sacred to our people. While this order is temporary, it is an important step in asserting our rights and protecting our homeland. The Miccosukee Tribe will continue to stand for our culture, our sovereignty, and the Everglades,” Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Florida AG James Uthmeier’s office released a statement to ABC News in response to the judge’s ruling.

“Judge Williams’ order is wrong, and we will fight it. However, it does not shut down Alligator Alcatraz, which will continue to send illegal aliens back to where they came from,” the statement read.

The judge’s decision on Thursday comes after Wednesday’s hearing only saw five witnesses called to the stand by the environmental groups that filed the lawsuit, instead of the multiple state and federal officials who were set to testify.

At issue is the question of whether federal and state officials bypassed legally required environmental impact studies during construction of the facility — which plaintiffs say should block it from being used as a detention center.

Attorneys representing Florida officials have argued that the facility was initially funded by, constructed and managed by the state and is therefore exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act — the main law being used to challenge the facility’s compliance.

Alligator Alcatraz has so far operated in what immigration advocates have described as a jurisdictional gray zone — with the facility funded by the federal government but run by the state of Florida — that they allege allows officials to skirt some legal requirements.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously argued that the state of Florida is “implementing” the federal government’s immigration policy with the expectation that the state would be fully reimbursed for the costs of Alligator Alcatraz, but local and federal officials have so far been unable to tell the federal courts who is actually in charge of the facility.

The hearing — at which federal, state, and tribal officials are testifying — comes amid heightened scrutiny of the facility, which was once touted as a “one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.”

Located 50 miles west of Miami in the heart of the Florida Everglades, Alligator Alcatraz was quickly constructed over a matter of weeks, utilizing hundreds of tents, trailers, and other temporary facilities to potentially house more than 3,000 detainees.

The facility was built on the grounds of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a sparsely used piece of tarmac owned by Miami-Dade County.

Alligator Alcatraz also neighbors land leased to the Miccosukee Indian Tribe, including villages, a school, traditional hunting areas, and sacred sites. The Miccosukee Tribe joined the lawsuit last month, arguing that the facility threatens to damage nearby tribal villages.

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

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(WASHINGTON) — Several top FBI officials were ousted from their jobs this week, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News, including the former acting director of the bureau who previously resisted efforts to compile a list of agents who worked on the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Sources tell ABC News that among those informed of their terminations are former acting FBI director Brian Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the Washington, D.C. Field office Steven Jensen, and agents Walter Giardina and Christopher Meyer.

It does not appear that any were informed of the rationale behind their terminations, the sources said.

The firings have alarmed many rank-and-file agents due to concerns over whether the moves were politically motivated, said the sources. Giardina and Meyer, for instance, previously worked on investigations involving President Donald Trump.

Driscoll, who had served for nearly 20 years in the bureau, including a variety of leadership positions, was elevated briefly to the role of acting director in the opening days of Trump’s presidency.

He received praise from some agents and law enforcement groups over his brief standoff with Emil Bove, Trump’s former defense attorney who pushed Trump’s agenda at the Justice Department prior to the confirmation of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Driscoll had resisted an order from Bove to compile a list of all agents who aided the Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6, which Bove later described in a memo as an act of “insubordination.”

After the Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI director, Driscoll was assigned to lead the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group.

In his parting email sent Thursday to staffers, which was obtained by ABC News, Driscoll said he was informed of his termination Wednesday night and was given no reason for the move.

“I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I currently have no answers,” Driscoll wrote, according to the email. “No cause has been articulated at this time. Please know that it has been the honor of my life to serve alongside each of you.”

Sources said that Jensen’s firing similarly came as a surprise to senior leadership at the U.S. attorney’s D.C. field office, where Jensen was set to appear Thursday at a press conference on the unsealing of a hate crimes indictment charging the suspect in the Capitol Jewish Museum shooting.

Jensen was instead replaced at the press event by the chief of the Washington field office’s criminal division.

Asked by ABC News about the reason behind Jensen’s dismissal, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro declined to answer.

“I’m not going to talk about politics today. I’m talking about crime, talking about hate crimes,” Pirro said.

Officials with the FBI and Justice Department also declined to comment on the firings.

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(SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, Pa.) — Two state troopers were shot while responding to a call in northeastern Pennsylvania on Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

They were taken to hospitals in unknown conditions after the shooting on Route 171 in Susquehanna County, police said.

“The scene remains very active and information on the suspect will be released at a later time,” police said in a statement.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he planned to head to the scene and that he and his wife “are praying for them.”

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

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(CHARLOTTE COUNTY, N.C.) — A teenager from North Carolina has been missing for nearly a week after vacationing in Florida and trying to reconnect with relatives, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said.

Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old who is described as “smart, kind and full of life,” disappeared early last Friday “under deeply troubling and suspicious circumstances,” according to the family’s GoFundMe page.

Pelletier was visiting Englewood, Florida, with his mother and her fiance and wanted to reconnect with relatives from his biological father’s family, his aunt, Desiree Pelletier, told ABC News. While he was unable to see his father, who is incarcerated, he made plans to see three of his cousins on that side of the family, his aunt said.

With only a few days left in his vacation, Pelletier’s cousins picked him up at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 to take him on the three-hour drive to their house in Mims, Florida, his aunt said. His mother was planning on picking him up the next day, according to Desiree Pelletier.

But within 25 minutes of leaving, he sent his mom a text: “Help me,” his aunt said.

That was the last time his mother heard from him, according to his aunt. He also sent messages pleading for help to his grandfather and another aunt, Desiree Pelletier noted.

“Somewhere along the ride, something happened,” his aunt said.

The next morning, the teen’s mother saw the messages and missed phone calls from her son, could not get ahold of him and immediately contacted authorities, Desiree Pelletier said. She also reached out to the cousins who were with Pelletier, who said the group had been smoking marijuana, which is when the teen began to panic and pull out a knife, Pelletier’s aunt noted.

But his aunt said that alleged behavior “is not Gio” and that it does “not align” with who he is.

The cousins also told police that Pelletier “began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle,” according to a statement from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

His family said he was “abandoned on the side of the road in Bardenton, Florida,” with his backpack and phone discovered in the area by a truck driver the same day he disappeared. Bardenton is about an hour away from Englewood by car.

His aunt said the family does not believe this is a run-away and that “something is not told right.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would he say ‘Help me’ three different times to three people?” his aunt said.

Since then, the family has been continuing their search for Giovanni Pelletier, with officials saying they have received “many, many tips that unfortunately turn out to be inaccurate.”

“We love him and want him home and we just want him to be OK. As a family, we can’t function normally. We’re not doing well right now. We just want him home,” his aunt told ABC News as she held back tears.

As of Thursday, the sheriff’s office said in a statement to ABC News they “do not have any updates on this investigation and continue to ask anyone with information to come forward.”

The family is currently offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the teen’s whereabouts, his aunt said.
ABC News

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(WASHINGTON) — Above-normal activity is still expected for the remainder of hurricane season, according to the updated hurricane forecast from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The agency is continuing to predict an above-normal number of named storms for the year but with slightly less confidence than when the initial hurricane outlook was issued in May.

There is now a 50% chance of an above-normal season, a 35% chance of a near-normal season and a 15% chance of a below-normal season, according to the updated assessment, which was released on Thursday. In May, the agency forecast a 60% chance of above-normal activity.

For the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, NOAA is forecasting 13 to 18 total named storms with winds of 39 mph or greater — with five to nine of those storms predicted to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater.

Two to five of those named storms are expected to become major hurricanes between Categories 3 and 5 and winds of 111 mph or higher, according to NOAA.

As of Thursday, the 2025 season has seen four named tropical storms and no hurricanes. The names Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter have been used so far. Erin is the next name up.

Climatologically, the Atlantic season typically sees its first hurricane on Aug. 11.

“No two storms are alike,” NOAA’s National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said in a press release. “Every storm presents unique, life-threatening hazards that can impact people in both coastal and inland communities. Have a plan in place, and know the actions you should take before, during and after the wide range of hazards that the hurricane season can bring.”

On Wednesday, Colorado State University (CSU) updated its seasonal forecast for storm activity in the Atlantic Basin. While the university’s team have also maintained their previous forecast of a slightly above-average season, they said they have lower-than-normal confidence in their outlook due to a significant difference in wind speed and direction in the atmosphere over the Caribbean Sea in June and July.

Over the next two weeks, there is a 55% chance of above-average activity, a 35% chance of near-average activity and just a 10% chance of below-average activity, according to CSU.

CSU is predicting 16 named storms, eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes for the 2025 season. It will be issuing its two-week forecasts from Thursday through the peak of the season.

Several key weather and climate factors influenced the updated forecasts, according to NOAA and CSU. The sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central Atlantic are warming and are now a bit higher than normal, and cool, neutral conditions in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are expected during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. These conditions make it easier for hurricanes to form and strengthen.

“Many of the factors we identified ahead of the season are still at play, and conditions are largely tracking along with our May predictions,” Matt Rosencrans, the lead hurricane season forecaster at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, said.

ABC News’ Matthew Glasser, Dan Manzo, Kyle Reiman, Dan Peck and Sam Wnek contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The alleged gunman who fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., has been indicted on hate crime and murder charges, court records show.

The indictment against Elias Rodriguez, filed Wednesday, alleges he had “expressed support for violence against Israelis” in the days and months leading up to the killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21.

“Violence against anyone in this District will not be tolerated, especially violence which has hate at its core and is the genesis of violence,” D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday formally announcing the indictment. “The president put me here to do a job, to clean up the District, to make sure that crime doesn’t overshadow this phenomenal city, our nation’s capital.”

Pirro noted the indictment includes a provision that could allow the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Rodriguez is convicted by a jury.

Pirro also said she personally spoke to Lischinsky and Milgrim’s parents prior to her announcement, who she described as “broken” as a result of Rodriguez’s alleged actions. She said they will have an “opportunity and a right to put their inputs into what decision we ultimately make” regarding the death penalty.

Rodriguez has remained in custody since his arrest and has not yet entered a plea in his case. A public defender representing him did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

He was initially charged via criminal complaint a day after the shooting with first-degree murder, murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Pirro emphasized at the time that the charges were only initial in nature.

The indictment adds two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death and two local counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

Early last month, prosecutors in Rodriguez’s case sought an extension for time to return an indictment against him, noting the complex and unusual nature of the charges he was facing.

Federal prosecutors cite in the indictment a document allegedly authored by Rodriguez titled “Explication,” dated just one day before the shooting. In the writings, the author addresses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and suggests the latest death toll has been underestimated.

Prosecutors also point to online posts and messages allegedly written by Rodriguez dating back to January 2024 that they say showed support for violence against Israelis. Among them, on Jan. 1, 2024, Rodriguez allegedly posted to social media, “Happy New Year, Death to Israel,” according to the indictment.

Rodriguez was seen in videos shouting “Free, Free Palestine!” inside the museum just minutes after he allegedly shot Lischinsky and Milgrim dozens of times, and later allegedly told police upon his arrest, “I did it for Palestine.”

The complaint alleges that Rodriguez shot the couple in the back and then fired again at Milgrim as she tried to crawl away.

Lischinsky, 30, was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim, 26, organized U.S. missions to Israel.

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(MINNEAPOLIS) — Vance Boelter, who is accused of stalking and shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in June, pleaded not guilty in federal court on Thursday.

Boelter’s attorney entered the plea on his behalf, according to The Associated Press. Boelter, who faces murder, stalking and firearms charges, spoke very briefly in court, thanking the judge and saying he understood the charges, the AP said.

Boelter is suspected of shooting and killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in Brooklyn Park and shooting and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their house in nearby Champlin in the early hours of June 14, authorities said.

Boelter allegedly showed up to their doors, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking latex mask to carry out his “political assassinations,” prosecutors said.

Investigators recovered a list of about 45 elected officials in notebooks in his car, according to prosecutors. Two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings, officials said. One was not home, while a police officer checking the homes of other local politicians scared off Boelter from another location.

Boelter’s court appearance came as the Minnesota State Capitol on Wednesday implemented new safety measures, including fewer public entrances and an increased security presence.

Sen. John Hoffman, who suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, spoke out this week, telling the National Conference of State Legislatures that the shooting “was awful and tragic and will impact me and my family forever,” according to MPR News.

“But as a Minnesotan and as an American … we can’t let the evil of the night win and we must redouble our efforts and reclaim the reason we are all public servants,” Hoffman said.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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(PHILIPSBURG, Pa.) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee died by suicide while in custody after he was found hanging by his neck in the shower room at the Pennsylvania facility where he was being held, according to officials.

Chaofeng Ge, a 32-year-old citizen of China in ICE custody, was pronounced dead by the Clearfield County coroner at approximately 6 a.m. on Tuesday, according to ICE.

Ge was found hanging by the neck and unresponsive in the shower room of his detention pod, ICE said.

Ge’s death was determined to be a suicide after investigators discovered a handwritten note and no foul play was found, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Staff who discovered Ge immediately lowered him to the ground, began CPR and contacted emergency medical services, state police and the coroner’s office, according to ICE. 

Ge had been in ICE custody for only five days and was awaiting a hearing before the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, ICE said.

Ge was detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

He was arrested in January at a CVS after the store reported him for fraudulently using a credit card to buy gift cards, according to Lower Paxton Township police. “An investigation was initiated, where Ge was found to be in possession of numerous stolen credit card numbers located within his cell phone,” police said.

Ge was arrested for criminal use of a communication facility, unlawful use of a computer and access device fraud, according to ICE.

ICE Philadelphia’s Enforcement and Removal Operations York sub-office lodged an immigration detainer with the Dauphin County Prison one day after he was arrested.

Ge, who was from Flushing, Queens, pleaded guilty to accessing a device issued to another who did not authorize use and conspiracy to commit the same on July 31, according to ICE, and was sentenced to six to 12 months for each count and granted immediate release to the ICE detainer.

He was then taken into ICE custody and transported to the York ICE office for processing, ICE said.

“ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments,” ICE said in a statement. “Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay.”

“All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” ICE said.

The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged in a statement there was an in-custody death at the processing center. “This morning, one detainee passed away at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. All in-custody deaths are tragic, taken seriously, and are thoroughly investigated by law enforcement,” a senior DHS official told ABC News.

“ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously,” the official said.

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(NEW YORK) — Twenty-four years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) on Thursday announced three new identifications of World Trade Center victims.

Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, N.Y., Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, Calif., and an adult woman whose name is being withheld at the request of her family are the 1,651st, 1,652nd and 1,653rd victims positively identified through DNA analysis, OCME said in their announcement.

The tally represents little more than half of the 2,753 people killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 and are the first new victims identified since January 2024, according to OCME.

The three new victim identifications were the result of “ongoing outreach to families for DNA reference samples,” the announcement said, which were then analyzed by OCME using advanced DNA technology and compared to the victims’ remains, which were recovered in 2001 and 2002.

“The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams in a statement.

“Nearly 25 years after the disaster at the World Trade Center, our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham. “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”

Some 1,100 victims of the 9/11 attacks, representing roughly 40% of those who died that day, remain unidentified, according to OCME.

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