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(NEW YORK) — State officials seeking to combat a rise in voter intimidation during the midterm elections can find protection in a 57-year-old anti-discrimination law, according to voting rights experts.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is, along with the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, the strongest civil voting protection on the books, says Sean Morales-Doyle of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice, which on Friday released a new multi-part guide outlining key anti-intimidation laws as a resource for states.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 doesn’t require intent to intimidate in order to prove violation of that law,” said Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center’s voting rights and election program. “So the person who’s doing the intimidating doesn’t have to mean to be intimidating.”

The release of the guide comes as baseless claims of 2020 election fraud have led to an increase in threats against voters and election workers in several states. In the last week, 10 cases of alleged voter intimidation at drop box locations in Arizona were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution, after witnesses reported numerous individuals, some armed and in “camo-clad gear,” filming and photographing voters as they returned their ballots.

“Part of what makes what we’re seeing in Arizona that’s different than what we’ve seen is in the past is … usually in previous elections, when you hear about instances of voter intimidation it tends to be a lone actor behaving badly at a polling place. It’s not an organized recruitment campaign, and that’s what’s happening in Arizona,” Morales-Doyle told ABC News.

Even though the alleged intimidation in Arizona didn’t occur at a polling location, Morales-Doyle said the voters are still protected under the law.

“You can violate voter intimidation laws at the polling place, you can violate it nowhere near a polling place; if you’re intimidating people and scaring them away from exercising the right to vote, then you are violating federal law,” he said.

The new Brennan Center offering, which it calls “The Voter Intimidation and Election Worker Intimidation Resource Guide,” outlines the common federal and state legal protections for voters and voting, as well as an overview of applicable federal laws and information about laws specific to Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

“While these are not new concerns, the sources and the targets of these threats have shifted in 2022,” Brennan Center counsel Jasleen Singh and fellow Katie Friel said in announcing the resource guide.

In the aftermath of the alleged voter intimidation in Arizona, the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino filed a lawsuit this week accusing the alleged perpetrators, as well as Clean Elections USA and the group’s founder, Melody Jennings, of conducting a “coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign” with the “express purpose of deterring voters … from depositing their ballots.”

“The people who are doing it are making references to this Clean Elections USA when they do it,” said Morales-Doyle. “I think it’s exactly why what we’re seeing is so concerning right now, that there is actually this organization going on.”

On Friday, a federal judge denied the advocacy groups’ motion for a temporary restraining order against CEUSA, Jennings, and the ten unnamed accused perpetrators — but did not close the case.

Neither Jennings nor Clean Elections USA immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

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(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in Arizona Friday declined to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to keep several people accused of voter intimidation from gathering near ballot boxes and surveilling voters.

In the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, the nonprofit advocacy groups Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino accused ten unnamed individuals — as well as Clean Elections USA and the group’s founder, Melody Jennings — of carrying out surveillance in a “coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign” at ballot drop box locations, “with the express purpose of deterring voters … from depositing their ballots.”

The suit accused them of violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.

In his ruling, the judge said he found that “defendants’ conduct does not fall into any traditionally recognized category of voter intimidation” and that the plaintiffs lacked “evidence that Defendants’ conduct constitutes a true threat.”

Voto Latino and Arizona Alliance also filed motions asking the court to grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to bar the defendants from “gathering within sight of drop boxes; from following, taking photos of, or otherwise recording voters or prospective voters, those assisting voters or prospective voters, or their vehicles at or around a drop box; and from training, organizing, or directing others to do the same.”

In his order denying both motions, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi said he “acknowledge[d] that Plaintiffs and many voters are legitimately alarmed by the observers,” but ultimately ruled that the requested preliminary injunctive relief “implicates serious First Amendment considerations.”

“An individual’s right to vote is fundamental. But so too is an individual’s right to engage in political speech, assemble peacefully, and associate with others,” Liburdi wrote, adding that the defendants were not acting with the intention of discouraging people from voting, but by a desire “to prevent what [the defendants] perceive to be widespread illegal voting and ballot harvesting” so “that persons who attempt to break Arizona’s anti-ballot harvesting law will be exposed.”

“On this record, therefore, the Court finds that a reasonable observer could interpret the conduct as conveying some sort of message, regardless of whether the message has any objective merit,” which falls under the protection of the First Amendment, the judge said.

Following the ruling, attorneys for the plaintiffs appealed the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Neither Jennings nor Clean Elections USA immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

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(MILWAUKEE) — A Wisconsin man is facing a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after a video circulated online that appeared to show him grabbing a Black man around his neck after a dispute about an alleged bicycle theft, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

The Milwaukee Police Department told ABC News on Friday that Robert Walczykowski, 62, was charged in connection with the altercation seen in the video.

In the video, Walczykowsk, who is white, accuses 24-year-old Trevon Burks, who is Black, of stealing a bike from his friend’s yard.

“I didn’t touch it,” Burks says in the video, denying Walczykowski’s accusations.

A bystander filmed the video of the incident which took place earlier this month. In the video, the bystander lets Walczykowski know that he’s recording.

“Go ahead, record me,” Walczykowski says in the video as he appears to hold Burks by the neck.

“Let go of his neck, he’s not going anywhere,” the bystander says in the video.

Walczykowski eventually let Burks go, and Burks left the scene before police officers arrived, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, citing the criminal complaint.

Milwaukee police did not comment on whether Burks is suspected of stealing the bicycle or whether he will face any charges in connection with the dispute.

Burks’ family told Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN that he has developmental delays. “My son didn’t do anything wrong and, if I was to get justice, I would want [Walczykowsk] to pay for what he did,” Burks’ mother, Tracey, said during a news conference, according to WISN.

Walczykowski and his attorney did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

Outraged by the incident, community members have protested in front of Walczykowski’s house since the video appeared online, waving “Black Lives Matter” flags. Other videos show people donating bicycles and other gifts to Burks.

Walczykowski will make his first court appearance Nov. 2, according to court records.

The police department told ABC News that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office will handle the case from here. The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

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(NEW YORK) — The Florida medical board committee on Friday approved a prospective rule that will ban medical or surgical gender affirming care for trans youth under the age of 18. The committee’s recommendation will be passed to the board, who will make the official ruling next Friday.

The meeting, open to the public, was met with boisterous and emotionally-charged commentary on both sides of the proposed rule. Uproar ensued when the opportunity to provide public testimony was cut short, with several attendees still awaiting a chance to address the committee.

“I wasn’t allowed to speak at all during the meeting today. And not to toot my own horn, but I do feel like I was one of the qualified people to speak in there as a transgender minor,” Jacob Wiley, a trans teenager, said afterwards at an Equality Florida press conference.

Prior to the ruling, the board heard testimony from those in support and opposition. A number of adults in different stages of de-transitioning spoke in support of the rule, citing multiple mental and physical complications they experienced as a result of gender affirming care. Oppositional testimony came from transgender individuals or trans youth advocates that cited the risk to a youth’s mental health, including increased risk of suicide, if gender affirming care were to be limited or prohibited.

If approved, the rule would limit care for the treatment of gender dysphoria in Florida. Gender dysphoria is when a person experiences emotional distress because because of misalignment between their biological sex and their gender identity.

The rule would prohibit puberty blockers, hormones, cross hormone therapy and gender affirming surgery for people under the age of 18, with an exception for individuals enrolled in IRB-approved, university-centered clinical research trials. There are currently no active clinical trials in Florida related to the provision of gender affirming care, and whether the length of these trials would be adequate to allow full transitory care cannot be guaranteed.

Concerns over irreversible consequences of care including hormonal therapy and gender affirming surgery were raised in the meeting; however, for those who have not yet gone through puberty or are undergoing puberty, the usage of “blockers” are often the first step in medical transition and according to the AAP, these are known to be safe, temporary, and reversible.

The board brought in several experts to talk about the research that has been done on the effects of gender affirming care on transgender youth.

Meredithe McNamara, a pediatrician and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, criticized the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for their recommendation in banning gender affirming care in June during her presentation, saying it contradicted the general medical consensus on the importance of care for trans people. Specifically, the Florida AHCA report stated that there was not enough research to prove gender affirming care was effective or safe.

However, McNamara pointed to the list of accredited medical institutions, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that deem gender affirming care as safe and valuable for gender-diverse people.

“This consensus is based on a solid body of evidence with more than 16 studies confirming that standard medical treatments for gender dysphoria are safe and effective,” McNamara said.

Medical research on the transgender community is limited, but studies on transgender adults suggest gender affirming care, including surgery, results in significantly lower odds of psychological distress, tobacco smoking, and suicidal ideation.

Research shows that people who have gender-affirming surgery had significantly lower odds of psychological distress, tobacco smoking, and suicidal ideation compared with trans people with no history of gender-affirming surgery.

An endocrinologist, Michael Laidlaw, supports sole treatment with mental health care in lieu of this care in combination with pharmacological and/or surgical interventions for transgender youth. He told the board that some of the effects of gender affirming care are irreversible and can cause severe complications such as infertility. However, pediatricians and endocrinologists have told ABC News that puberty blockers only present real risks after puberty and are not a risk to youth. Additionally, hormone blockers alone do not impact future fertility, according to the AAP.

Prior to this ruling, transgender Floridian residents had already been barred from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care starting on August 21.

The move comes as Florida legislators, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, continue to crack down on LGBTQ protections and identities. Studies have found that discrimination contributes to the high rates of mental health conditions, suicidal ideations and more among LGBTQ populations.

Alicia Zellmer, MD, is a resident physician in Internal Medicine, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(WASHINGTON) — An attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband has left Washington rattled amid an overall rise in threats against members of Congress.

Paul Pelosi was hospitalized after being “violently assaulted” by an intruder who broke into the couple’s residence in San Francisco early Friday morning, a spokesman for Pelosi said. Sources told ABC News the attack is suspected to be targeted, and the suspect was apparently looking for Pelosi herself.

The House speaker was in Washington with her protective detail at the time, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

U.S. Capitol Police on Friday confirmed statistics showing concerning statements and threats have more than doubled since 2017.

That year, the agency reported 3,939 cases of both concerning statements and threats. In June 2017, a gunman opened a fire as Republican politicians practiced for the annual congressional baseball game, severely wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise and injuring three others.

The number of threats and concerning statements rose each year after, police said, totaling 8,613 cases in 2020 and 9,625 cases in 2021.

In the first three months of this year alone, the U.S. Capitol Police opened roughly 1,820 cases.

Former Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton, confronted with the rising numbers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last year, said the agency was working on bettering their response to such threats. Those steps included opening field offices in Florida and San Francisco.

“We still have a ways to go, but we are making improvements. We’re taking our steps now,” Bolton told the panel.

This summer, the House sergeant-at-arms’ office began covering the costs of installing and maintaining security equipment at all lawmakers’ homes. A memo obtained by ABC News showed the program would cover up to $10,000 in upgrades and monthly monitoring fees starting Aug. 15.

Pelosi herself been the target of several threats. In the days after the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, a man was arrested and sentenced to 28 months in prison for threatening to shoot Pelosi. In April of this year, a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for threatening to behead Pelosi and New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Some members of Congress have been outspoken about the threats they’ve received.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., in June revealed on ABC’s “This Week” that someone wrote a letter threatening to execute him, his wife and their 5-month-old baby. Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, warned there would be “”violence in the future” — “Until we get a grip on telling people the truth, we can’t expect any differently,” he said.

Kinzinger, responding to the assault against Paul Pelosi, said Friday “every GOP candidate and elected official must speak out, and now.”

GOP Sen. Susan Collins, whose home was once broken into, told the New York Times earlier this month that she “wouldn’t be surprised if a senator or House member were killed.”

“What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence,” she told the newspaper.

Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were quick Friday to condemn the attack against Pelosi.

President Joe Biden called Pelosi on Friday to express his support, the White House said in a statement, and he continues to “condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was “horrified and disgusted” by the reports of Paul Pelosi’s assault. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Pelosi’s main rival in the chamber, reached out to her to check in on Paul and said he’s praying for a full recovery and is thankful they caught the assailant,” McCarthy spokesperson Mark Bednar said.

“We can have our political differences, but violence is always wrong [and] unacceptable,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter.

But Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, appeared to make light of the attack while speaking at a rally with 7th Congressional District GOP U.S. House candidate Yesli Vega.

“There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California,” Youngkin said on Friday. “That’s what we’re gonna go do. That’s what we’re gonna go do.”

– ABC News’ Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

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(BROKEN ARROW, Okla.) — Six children were killed in an apparent murder-suicide at their home in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, suburb, according to police.

The two adult suspects were also found dead at the home in Broken Arrow after crews responded to a fire at the house Thursday afternoon, Broken Arrow Police Chief Brandon Berryhill said at a news conference Friday.

The children ranged in age from 1 to 13 years old, the chief said.

Officials don’t believe any of the victims died from the fire, but the medical examiner will make the final determination, Broken Arrow Fire Chief Jeremy Moore said. Guns have been recovered from the home, Berryhill said.

Fire crews responded to the house around 4:05 p.m. and found two adults in the front of the house “obviously deceased,” and their deaths appeared criminal in nature, Moore said. The fire was focused on one room in the back of the house, and while trying to extinguish that fire, responders found the children, Moore said.

There’s no threat to the public, Berryhill said.

Police have not been called to this home in recent years, Berryhill said.

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(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — A Grand Rapids police officer charged with second-degree murder of Patrick Lyoya will know Monday if his case goes to trial.

A judge will review evidence presented in this week’s preliminary hearing and decide if there’s probable cause that Christopher Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, intentionally or recklessly caused the death of Lyoya. If probable cause is determined, the case may go to a jury trial.

Schurr has pleaded not guilty.

Lyoya, a 26-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was shot in the head on April 4 after Schurr pulled him over for a faulty license plate. His death prompted protests throughout Grand Rapids.

Body camera video showed Schurr shouting at Lyoya to “get in the car.” The footage was released nine days after the shooting.

Schurr can be heard asking Lyoya if he spoke English and then demanding that Lyoya show his driver’s license. Lyoya turned to a passenger in the car, closed the door and started to walk away from Schurr, according to the video.

Lyoya started to run. Schurr grabbed Lyoya and struggled with him before eventually forcing him to the ground, shouting “Stop resisting,” “Let go” and “Drop the Taser,” according to the video. The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police.

Police said Lyoya grabbed at Schurr’s stun gun during the altercation. Schurr then shot Lyoya while he was on the ground, according to cellphone footage of the incident.

Cellphone footage from Lyoya’s friend Aime Tuiishme showed the moment Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head. The fatal shot was confirmed by both an independent autopsy report as well as the Kent County medical examiner.

Neighborhood resident Wayne Butler spoke to the court on Thursday, describing the altercation as “wrestling” and noted that Lyoya was not “on the offensive.”

Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids Police Department in June after waiving his right to a discharge hearing.

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(WASHINGTON) — Investigations involving a domestic violent extremism nexus doubled from 2020 to 2021, according to a new report released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI.

The law enforcement agencies say that in 2020, the FBI was conducting 1,400 domestic terrorism investigations, and by the end of 2021 they were conducting 2,700.

The agencies say a large part of the increase was due to the events and investigations surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“One of the most significant terrorism threats to the Homeland we face today is posed by lone offenders and small groups of individuals who commit acts of violence motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances,” the report says. “Of these actors, domestic violent extremists represent one of the most persistent threats to the United States today. These individuals are often radicalized online and look to conduct attacks with easily accessible weapons.”

The congressional mandated report was released nearly two years late by the FBI and DHS but no reason was provided.

Although there is no federal domestic terrorism charge, the report explains that there are a myriad of charges that can be brought and the case still have a domestic terrorism nexus.

“Individuals whose conduct involves DT or a threat thereof may be prosecuted by any USAO under a wide range of criminal statutes, some of which on their face relate to DT, and others of which do not,” the report says.

The number of domestic terrorism referrals also increased by almost a third.

In FY 2020, the FBI received approximately 5,669 referrals of possible DT incidents; and in FY 2021, the FBI received approximately 8,375 referrals of possible DT incidents.

Racially motivated violent extremists made up 40% of the investigations in 2020, and in 2021 38% of investigations centered around anti-government extremism.

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(NEW YORK) — Parts of Southwest Florida that were left unrecognizable in the wake of Hurricane Ian are still cleaning up the remnants of the widespread destruction one month after the monster storm made landfall.

Hurricane Ian reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble in places like Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island after it ripped through Southwest Florida with Category 4 winds and menacing storm surge on Sept. 28.

So far, cleanup and recovery has been a slow and painstaking process, Holly Smith, mayor of Sanibel Island, told ABC News.

Recent images out of the regions hardest hit by the monster storm show the magnitude of work that remains to pave the way for rebuilding.

A photo out of Fort Myers Beach shows piles of rubble that remain among foundations torn apart by winds topping 150 mph. The area, flanked by restaurants and businesses, was previously frequented by tourists and locals.

The amount of work done so far, especially the speed of the temporary repairs for the Sanibel Island causeway, are “nothing short of miraculous,” Smith said. The open causeway is now allowing for residents, business owners and cleanup crews with permits to access the island to survey the damage, Smith said.

The destruction of Sanibel Island, a barrier island off the coasts of Fort Myers Beach and Pine Island, is “extensive,” Smith said. The electrical grid has been “decimated,” and while there is running water, sewage systems are not operating optimally, she added.

The mayor has remained in her Sanibel Island home, sticking mainly to the couple of rooms powered by a small generator, she said. When she surveys the island, still in recovery and debris removal, she sees condominium complexes that have completely been washed away, mountains of debris and homes that were completely destroyed.

It will take years, not months, to rebuild, Smith said. But the signs of life returning to the island are already evidence.

One grocery store, Jerry’s Foods on Periwinkle Way, is up and running, Smith said. One school, grades Kindergarten through 8th grade, has been relocated to another part of Lee County, she added.

“We’re resolved to get back together and build this Sanibel again,” she said.

Homes and trailer parks lining the coast were also decimated by the waters rushing in from the Gulf of Mexico during the storm.

Cleanup crews were seen using forklifts to transfer large pieces of drywall, building foundations and furniture into dumpsters.

The pier at Fort Myers Beach, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area, is also in the process of being rebuilt after seawaters toppled over the structure as the storm system pushed onto land.

At least 127 people have died as a result of Hurricane Ian, according to local officials. After Ian passed, it prompted the largest urban search and rescue response in Florida history to find survivors.

The total economic damage from Hurricane Ian could reach up to $75 billion, according to a projection released earlier this month by Enki Research, a data firm that studies the financial impact of storms.

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(NEW YORK) — The largest fire department in the country has officially welcomed its first female commissioner.

Laura Kavanagh was sworn in Thursday morning as the head of the New York City Fire Department. She had been serving as acting commissioner of the department since February.

Kavanagh, 40, was surrounded by other top female officials in the mayor’s administration for what Mayor Eric Adams called a “historic appointment.”

“To say it is an honor of a lifetime is an understatement,” said Kavanagh, who will oversee the agency’s 17,000 employees, including firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, and a $2 billion budget.

She acknowledged her place as the first female leader of the FDNY in its 157-year history.

“This is the type of FDNY commissioner I will be — one that knows that I will succeed only if every person in my department and in our city sees my place at the table as also their own,” she said. “This moment, me being first, only matters if I am not the last.”

Adams said his administration conducted a national search for the next FDNY commissioner, but that they kept coming back to Kavanagh.

“Her style of leadership and commitment is just a reflection of what this city has to offer,” he said.

Kavanagh has worked for the agency for nearly a decade, including as first deputy commissioner. She became acting-fire commissioner after longtime Commissioner Daniel Nigro retired without naming a successor.

Adams touted her work in the FDNY’s response to the Ebola outbreak of 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic. She also oversaw a firefighter recruitment campaign that saw the department’s most diverse applicant pool in its history, including graduating the largest class of women in three decades, he said.

In March, 13 women were among the graduating class of probationary firefighters. In August, eight women were among the graduates, bringing the total number of female firefighters in the city to 141, the most in FDNY history, the city said. Amid efforts to diversify the department, a recent New York City Council report found that women are underrepresented, with under 2% of firefighters being female.

Kavanagh’s appointment was met with support from several firefighting and EMT advocacy organizations and unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association; the Uniformed EMS, Paramedics, & Fire Inspectors Local 2507; the Uniformed EMS Officers Association, Local 3621; the FDNY Vulcan Society; the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters; and the United Women Firefighters Association.

“Women have bravely served in the FDNY since 1982. This appointment of Laura Kavanagh highlights the ability, dedication and service which women demonstrate every day to the people of New York,” Jackie-Michelle Martinez, president of the United Women Firefighters, said in a statement. “As the number of female firefighters increases, there will be continued interest in ensuring and creating a fair and amicable work environment.”

Kavanagh’s appointment follows in the footsteps of another historic first for the city. Earlier this year, Keechant Sewell became the first woman to serve as commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the largest police department in the country.

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