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(NEW YORK) — Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced her immediate resignation Wednesday, months after college protests over the Israel-Hamas war gripped the campus.

“I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University,” Shafik wrote in a letter to members of the university.

The announcement comes after protests broke out on the university’s campus in April, leading to arrests, property damage and backlash over the institution’s handling of the protests.

“It has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community,” Shafik said in her letter, adding, “This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community.”

“Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead. I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the new term begins,” Shafik said.

Shafik, who became the first woman and person of color to lead the university in 2023, is the third Ivy League president to step down in recent months.

Harvard President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill previously announced their resignations following Congressional testimonies on the handling of anti-Semitism on campus.

During her congressional testimony in April, Shafik told the committee that Columbia “strives to be a community free of discrimination and hate in all forms, and we condemn the antisemitism that is so pervasive today.”

Shafik said she took the job to foster a diverse community at Columbia.

“But on Oct. 7, the world changed and so did my focus,” she said.

The day after Shafik’s testimony, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested, and an on-campus tent encampment was removed after Shafik gave the New York Police Department the green light to clear the protesters. What followed was weeks of protests and widespread tent encampments that culminated in the occupation of the university’s Hamilton Hall.

In May, Columbia University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences passed a vote of no confidence in Shafik.

“I have tried to navigate a path that upholds academic principles and treats everyone with fairness and compassion,” Shafik wrote in her letter. “It has been distressing — for the community, for me as president and on a personal level — to find myself, colleagues, and students the subject of threats and abuse.”

Shafik, who previously led the London School of Economics and worked for the World Bank, announced she will return to the U.K. following her resignation.

“I am honored to have been asked by the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary to chair a review of the government’s approach to international development and how to improve capability,” Shafik said.

Katrina Armstrong, MD, who leads the university’s medical school and medical center, was announced as the interim president following Shafik’s departure.

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(NEW YORK) — An Arizona man pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials on Tuesday, having repeatedly urged fellow social media users to shoot FBI agents and attack politicians, authorities said.

Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, leveled a series of threats against FBI agents, elected officials and the judge overseeing right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones’ defamation case, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Tomasi posted the graphic threats over a more than two-year period between May 2021 and November of 2023, primarily on the social media platform ‘www.patriots.win‘, which describes itself as the “community of choice for President Donald J. Trump.”

Tomasi — who was living in Colorado and Arizona at the time of the offenses — pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials, per a Department of Justice press release. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Among the offenses detailed in the original indictment were a November 2021 threat to sexually assault a congresswoman.

Tomasi also called for the execution of another member of Congress in March 2022, declaring: “He’s one of them. Kill every corrupt politician.”

The defendant repeatedly threatened FBI agents, writing in November 2021: “FBI has no legal ability to enforce anything. Shoot on site.” In an August 2023 post, Tomasi called for “instant death” for FBI agents. “Shoot the FBI first ask questions later,” he wrote. “They are terrorists that deserve nothing but to be shot on site.”

Tomasi also posted a video of him dancing with two guns in a post titled, “My Let’s Go Brandon dance,” a reference to a derogatory meme about President Joe Biden.

In a Department of Justice press release, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona said the “disgruntled defendant” was “prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home.”

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(NEW YORK) — A 37-year-old backpacker has died after suffering “sudden onset medical complications” while hiking at a national park in Michigan, authorities said.

The currently unnamed 37-year-old female hiker from Battle Creek, Michigan, was with a hiking partner late Monday afternoon near Lake LeSage at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan when authorities say she began to experience “sudden onset medical complications,” according to a statement from the National Park Service detailing the incident.

“As her condition deteriorated, she was eventually unable to walk, lost consciousness, and stopped breathing,” park officials said. “CPR was provided but attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.”

Other backpackers in the area were able contact Michigan State Police who subsequently relayed the message to a National Park Service dispatch center, NPS said.

“Park ranger/EMTs located and stayed with the party Monday evening. Early Tuesday morning a crew of Isle Royale staff responded to transport the party from a remote location,” authorities said.

“The Isle Royale community extends their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” NPS continued.

An investigation into the woman’s death is currently ongoing.

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(NEW YORK) — A 28-year-old mother has been missing for two weeks under what police in Virginia said are believed to be “involuntary” circumstances.

Mamta Kafle was last seen on July 31 in Manassas Park, Virginia, about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C, the Manassas Park Police Department said. She hasn’t had any contact with family or friends since then, police said.

Her husband reported her missing on Aug. 5, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said.

Authorities said they believe Kafle is “involuntarily” missing, citing the length of time she’s been missing.

“Investigators have conducted several follow-ups with neighbors, friends, co-workers and the husband,” police said in a statement. “The investigators are also utilizing several investigative tools to help in an attempt to locate Mamta Kafle.”

Kafle works as a registered nurse, according to her friend and former colleague, Sunita Basnet Thapa.

Basnet Thapa told ABC Arlington, Virginia, affiliate WJLA-TV the two bonded over both being from Nepal, and that she was a mentor to Kafle. She attended an event Tuesday in Manassas Park to raise awareness about Kafle’s disappearance and press for updates.

Basnet Thapa told WJLA they have “no clue what is going on,” adding that she has been waiting for news for 14 days.

The case remains active, police said. Lugo said in a statement to WJLA that Kafle was entered as missing in a law database “immediately,” and detectives “immediately started investigating this case.”

Kafle’s friend, Nadia Navarro, who organized Tuesday’s gathering, told WJLA that it is unlike the mother to leave her 11-month-old daughter.

“Even if she was desperate, even if she might have been facing something, she wouldn’t have left her daughter,” Navarro told WJLA. “She was very self-sacrificial that way, no matter what would have been happening.”

ABC News was unable to reach Kafle’s family.

Her husband spoke to a crowd gathered in support of Kafle on Monday by phone, saying that he couldn’t attend because he was caring for their daughter, according to WRC-TV.

“I need to find her as soon as possible, and then using all the tools — community, society, police,” he told the crowd.

Friends are planning to hold a search for Kafle on Thursday afternoon.

Kafle is 5 feet tall, weighs 132 pounds and has black hair and dark brown eyes, police said. She was last seen wearing blue scrubs, police said.

Police urge anyone with information to call the Manassas Park Police Department at 703-361-1136 or submit an anonymous tip to Manassas/Manassas Park Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330.

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(NEW YORK) — The murder trial against Robert Telles — the former Clark County public administrator accused of killing journalist Jeff German in September 2022 — began with opening statements on Wednesday.

Telles, 47, has been accused of stabbing the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter to death outside his home after an investigation into corruption in his office destroyed his political career and marriage. German’s story detailed the alleged hostile work environment in Telles’ office, which included accusations of bullying, retaliation, and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer. Telles denied the allegations.

In her opening statement Wednesday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly walked through the timeline of the murder and how Telles came to be pinpointed as the suspect.

“In the end, this case isn’t about politics,” Weckerly said. “It’s not about alleged inappropriate relationships. It’s not about who’s a good boss or who’s a good supervisor or favoritism at work — it’s just about murder.”

Telles was arrested days after German was found dead outside his Las Vegas home. DNA evidence found in Telles’ home tied him to the crime scene, according to police, and a straw hat and sneakers — which the suspect was seen wearing in surveillance video — were found cut up in his home.

His DNA was also found on German’s hands and fingernails, police said.

Police took Telles into custody with what they said were non-life-threatening, self-inflicted stab wounds.

Telles’ attorney, Robert Draskovich, defended his client in his opening statement, suggesting he was framed for German’s death.

Draskovich said the “old guard” in the public administrator’s office was upset by Telles’ efforts to root out and eliminate internal corruption.

He also claimed that, due to German’s track record of reporting on corrupt figures, other people may have wanted him dead.

“There were others that had far more motive to make it look like [Telles] was the killer, and to conduct this killing because Jeff German was a good reporter — he would ultimately get to what the truth was,” Draskovich said.

Draskovich suggested Telles should be presumed innocent due to a lack of DNA evidence found in his car and on his clothing, and said police “never positively identified” a car present at the crime scene — which matched a description of Telles’ car — as his.

He also emphasized that Telles’ cellphone was not detected in the area at the time of the murder. Police have said they believe Telles left his phone at home during the alleged murder.

His suicide attempt, Draskovich contended, was not out of guilt, but because his “life was coming apart.”

Draskovich praised Telles, detailing his career and describing him as a “loving father and husband.”

“He’s a family man,” the defense attorney said.

Testimony in the case against Telles is now underway, and Draskovich has said Telles will testify during the trial.

Telles has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and could face life in prison if convicted.

German was the only journalist killed in the United States in 2022, with a total of at least 67 journalists killed worldwide that year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo previously described the case against Telles as “unusual,” and said that “the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”

“It is troublesome because it is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and the watchdog for government,” Lombardo said. “And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately such as we did in this case.”

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(NEW YORK) — The state rested its case on Wednesday afternoon after the second day of testimony in the trial of Susan Lorincz — the Florida woman who is charged in the fatal shooting of her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens through a closed door.

The defense began presenting their witnesses on Wednesday afternoon, which could include two of Owens’ sons, Isaac, 13, and Israel, 10, who witnessed his mother’s shooting.

Owens family attorney Anthony Thomas told ABC News on Wednesday that while prosecutors decided not to call the boys to testify, it is unclear if the defense will ask them to take the stand.

Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, spoke out in a press conference on Wednesday morning and said that she wishes her grandkids “did not have to testify, but if this is what it takes to get justice, and this is what we have to do.”

“[Lorincz] did kill my daughter; that in itself, is hurtful. But also the fact that one of [my grandchildren] could have been injured or killed as well is beyond any emotion or feeling that can truly be expressed,” Dias added. “She has no regards for any form of human life, certainly not my family.”

According to a June 6, 2023, statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), Lorincz shot Owens, a Black mother of four, through a closed door in the presence of her now 10-year-old son after she went to speak with Lorincz about a dispute over Owens’ children playing near her home. Lorincz called 911 after fatally shooting Owens and admitted to the shooting.

Lorincz, who is white, was arrested on June 6, 2023, and charged with first-degree felony manslaughter for fatally shooting Owens on June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida. She pleaded not guilty on July 10, 2023, and was held on a $150,000 bond. If convicted, Lorincz faces up to 30 years in prison, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

A host of neighbors, including two children, sheriff’s deputies, a 911 dispatcher, crime scene investigators and forensics experts were among those who were called to testify by the prosecution.

A focus of the state’s argument over the past two days was on the first 911 call that Lorincz made to report “trespassing” on June 2, 2023 — minutes before she ended up shooting Owens. According to witnesses, including the sheriff’s deputies who responded to the shooting, law enforcement was already on their way to Lorincz’s home when the shooting occurred because she had called 911 to report three children — one Latino and two Black — were “trespassing” on her property.

Troy Gann, a 911 operator, said on Tuesday that he received a call from Lorincz, who reported children “badgering her” and “trespassing” on her property. Sheriff’s deputies were then dispatched to her home.

Michael Stringer, a patrol deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, testified on Tuesday that after receiving a call about trespassing at Lorincz’s home, he and a deputy trainee were dispatched “immediately” to her home, which was 10-15 minutes away, but said that while he was headed to Lorincz’s home, the call was upgraded to a shooting.

He described seeing the victim (Owens) lying on the ground and described detaining Lorincz, who was inside her home at the time of their arrival. Asked if he observed any weapons on Owens or near Owens, he said, “no.”

During opening arguments on Tuesday, the defense argued that Lorincz was acting in self-defense because she feared for her life, while prosecutors stressed that Owens was “unarmed” and fatally shot through a “locked” door.

“The death of AJ Owens is a tragedy. There is no doubt about that, but what the evidence will show is that in her mind, in her soul, in her core, Susan Lorincz felt she had no choice,” public defender Morris Carranza said. “It was either Susan or AJ. Susan chose to defend herself.”

The defense claimed that Owens told Lorincz that she was going to “kill” her, while prosecutors told jurors in opening remarks that they would hear from witnesses who were present during the confrontation who will deny this claim.

Amid the defense’s claim that Owens was trying to “break” down Lorincz’s front door, the state called Lorincz’s former landlord Charles Gabbard to the stand on Tuesday.

Gabbard testified that prior to the shooting he had repaired a jam on Lorincz’s front door. He said that her door was “structurally sound” after he repaired it, despite some cosmetic damage. He said that the door was sturdy and had a chain, a deadbolt and a lock.

During cross-examination, Gabbard said that Lorincz did not tell him how the door was damaged but that “it was clear that someone slammed” the door. He said that after repairing it, he was planning to replace Lorincz’s door at some point. Asked by Lorincz’s attorney Carranza if the crack in the door was “substantial,” Gabbard said, “Yes.”

On Wednesday the jury was shown the previously released interrogation video of Lorincz’s detention, where she made the claim that Owens was trying to “break” into her home, and much of the testimony and cross examination focused on Lorincz shooting Owens through a locked door, with questions about the sturdiness of the door.

Judge Robert W. Hodges of Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit, who is presiding over the case, said on Monday that the trial is expected to be over by Friday.

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(NEW YORK) — Marking a new journey in NASA’s exploration of Mars, the Perseverance rover is set to begin a monthslong, steep and challenging ascent up a crater, the space agency announced Wednesday.

The Perseverance rover, nicknamed “Percy,” is the centerpiece of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, working to collect data in preparation for future human exploration of the Red Planet.

The car-sized spacecraft has spent two and a half years exploring the Mars Jezero Crater floor and river delta and beginning the week of Aug. 19, will start the ascent up the western rim of the crater.

“Perseverance has completed four science campaigns, collected 22 rock cores, and traveled over 18 unpaved miles,” Art Thompson, Perseverance project manager at of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a press release Wednesday.

“As we start the Crater Rim Campaign, our rover is in excellent condition, and the team is raring to see what’s on the roof of this place,” Thompson added.

In what will be the “most challenging” journey for the rover to date, Perseverance will rely on auto-navigation capabilities while encountering slopes of up to 23 degrees on the pre-planned path up the crater.

When Perseverance summits the crater, which scientists have dubbed “Aurora Park,” the rover will have gained approximately 1,000 feet in elevation.

Researchers are looking forward to the new frontier of data that awaits the rover on the crater rim, saying the mission expects “many more discoveries to come.”

Eleni Ravanis, a University of Hawaiì at Mānoa scientist on Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z instrument team and one of the Crater Rim Campaign science leads, said the findings will have “significant implications” in understanding the Red Planet.

“Our samples are already an incredibly scientifically compelling collection, but the crater rim promises to provide even more samples that will have significant implications for our understanding of Martian geologic history,” Ravanis said in the release.

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(NEW YORK) — Ernesto has become a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday after hitting Puerto Rico overnight and leaving power outages and flooding in its wake.

The center of then-Tropical Storm Ernesto passed within 40 miles of San Juan, Puerto Rico, early Wednesday, producing strong winds and heavy rain.

More than 728,000 customers are without power in Puerto Rico, just shy of half the island, according to LUMA, a service provider. The island’s eastern and central regions are the most impacted.

LUMA said only power lines are down, not the infrastructure that delivers power. It will need 24 to 48 hours to assess damage before providing any time frame for repairing the lines.

The primary cause of the outages were high winds, which have been recorded at speeds of 50 mph or more, according to Juan Saca, the president and CEO of LUMA Energy.

“In Puerto Rico, vegetation under the power lines is a major issue. The movement of trees between the lines can easily cause outages,” Saca said.

Despite the challenges, Saca said LUMA is better prepared than ever to restore power.

Additionally, 235,000 customers are without water and over 400 people are in shelters, according to Puerto Rican officials.

Hurricane Ernesto will continue to strengthen as it approaches Bermuda in the next few days.
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Officials are asking people to leave their homes only if absolutely necessary. Many villages are completely isolated because of the river levels and multiple routes are closed.

Officials asked people to donate blood due to low resources. Twenty-three hospitals are using electric generators and 80 flights have been canceled.

The highest rainfall total recorded Wednesday midday was 9.6 inches in Naguabo, Puerto Rico.

All tropical storm warnings have been canceled for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands, but flash flooding still remains a concern in Puerto Rico due to heavy rain. Rain was ending late Wednesday afternoon.

A hurricane watch has now been issued for Bermuda.

On Culebra island, east of Puerto Rico, sustained winds of 68 mph were reported with a gust up to 86 mph. A METAR Observation Station at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico reported sustained winds of 48 mph and a gust of 74 mph.

On the forecast track, Ernesto will continue to strengthen Thursday into Friday. It may become a Category 3 hurricane by Friday morning with winds up to 115 mph.

Friday night into early Saturday, Ernesto will be making its approach to Bermuda as either a low-end Category 3 hurricane or high-end Category 2 hurricane. Wind and rain is expected there.

The East Coast will see high surf and rip currents through this weekend as Ernesto moves parallel, but well away from, the coast.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Tuesday night.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi had warned residents to stay home starting on Tuesday evening, when the tropical storm-force winds are forecast to reach the island. Total rainfall could reach up to 10 inches in some spots.

ABC News’ Jessica Gorman and Josh Hoyos contributed to this report.

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(ASHBURN, Va.) — A suspect has been identified in a burglary reported at a Trump for President 2024 campaign office in Virginia, authorities said Wednesday.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said it has secured a warrant for the arrest of Toby Shane Kessler, 39, on the charge of burglary in connection with a break-in reported at the office in Ashburn on Sunday night.

The sheriff’s office said it is working with other law enforcement agencies to locate Kessler, who they said does not have a fixed address and has a California driver’s license.

The burglary occurred at approximately 8:11 pm on Sunday and was captured by surveillance cameras inside the office, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators determined the suspect “forced entry into a back door of the location and spent a brief period of time inside before leaving,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

“He appears to have left nothing behind, and it is still unclear what, if anything, he took with him,” the sheriff’s office said, adding the investigation is ongoing.

The suspect was captured in the surveillance footage wearing dark clothing, a dark cap and a backpack. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone who believes they have seen Kessler to contact them at 571-918-1869.

“Mr. Kessler has a history of criminal behavior and appears to have been in the Washington metropolitan area at least since 2018,” the sheriff’s office said.

The campaign office, which is leased, also serves as the headquarters of the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee, the sheriff’s office said.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ press secretary, Chloe Smith, said Tuesday that their office was monitoring the situation.

“It’s outrageous that anyone would break into a political office,” Smith said in a statement to ABC News. “Criminal acts are not tolerated in Virginia.”

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(LOS ANGELES) — The 1986 cold case murder of a teen has been solved after a DNA match led investigators to a convicted serial killed on death row.

When presented with the DNA evidence, William Lester Suff, a 70-year-old convicted serial killer, admitted to stabbing 19-year-old Cathy Small multiple times in the chest and leaving her on a California road after an argument, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Lt. Patricia Thomas.

On Feb. 22, 1986, South Pasadena police responded to a report of a woman lying in the street. When officers arrived, they found the woman unresponsive in the middle of the street, wearing a nightgown and suffering from several stab wounds throughout her body, Thomas said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene. She had no identification and was listed as Jane Doe No. 17, Thomas said. She was found to have died from multiple stab wounds and strangulation, Thomas said.

On Feb. 25, 1986, detectives received a call from a resident in the Lake Elsinore area who was concerned the victim was his roommate. After seeing her remains, the man identified the victim as Small, Thomas said.

The roommate told detectives Small was a prostitute and lived at his house for a few months. Small told her roommate a man named Bill was picking her up and giving her $50 to drive with him to Los Angeles.

He said never saw or heard from Small again, Thomas said.

The case remained unsolved despite detectives following up on numerous leads throughout the years, Thomas said.

On Oct. 11, 2019, detectives responded to the scene of a natural death across the street from where Small’s body was found.

The coroner’s investigator found several disturbing items in the house, including numerous photos of women who appeared to have been assaulted and held against their will and a newspaper article about the identification of Small after her murder, Thomas said.

While the dead man’s DNA did not match any crimes, it was through this search that investigators discovered none of the items of evidence from Small’s murder — including a sexual assault kit and the victim’s clothing — were ever tested for DNA, Thomas said.

The DNA evidence was finally tested in August 2020, more than 34 years after Small’s killing, which revealed the presence of two male donors, one of whom was identified as Suff and the other as an unknown male.

Suff is a notorious convicted serial killer — also known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer or the Lake Elsinore killer, Thomas said.

In July 1995, Suff was found guilty and sentenced to death for 12 homicides that occurred in the Riverside County from 1989 to 1991, Thomas said.

Suff would admit under questioning that he was living in Riverside County and working in Lake Elsinore at a computer repair shop in 1986. On the day of the murder, Small went into the repair shop and gave him her phone number.

He called her later that day and he picked her up, after which they got into an argument and he became enraged because she knocked his glasses off his face. He retrieved a knife he kept in the vehicle and stabbed her multiple times in the chest as she sat in the passenger seat, Thomas said.

At the time of her death, Small had two small children and a younger sister, Thomas said. Detectives said her sister was relieved that the killer was found, but Small’s mother had died years before he was identified.

“Cathy had a family who cared about her deeply. It is horrifying that her life was taken away so violently and in such a tragic way,” Kathryn Barger, a member of the LA County Board of Supervisors, said during a press conference. “Justice will be served for Cathy and her family.”

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