(NEW YORK) — A Kansas man has been indicted on charges he made threats on Facebook targeting a Nashville Pride event scheduled for this upcoming weekend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Middle Tennessee announced Tuesday.
Joshua Hensley, 25, allegedly posted on Facebook in April threatening to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs” to attack the event, and on the same day also posted he would “commit a mass shooting,” prosecutors said.
He was arrested at his home by the FBI last Thursday and has a detention hearing scheduled for Friday in Kansas, the Department of Justice said.
Hensley, a Hoisington, Kansas, resident, was charged with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat in connection to the event, which is to be held on June 24 and 25, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Middle Tennessee said in a press release.
“We will not tolerate hate-based, threats of violence designed to intimidate Tennesseans,” U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis said. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to ensure that the civil rights of all persons are protected.”
Hensley faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Tennessee is one of a handful of states that has introduced legislation this year targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, including policies banning gender-affirming care.
Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation into law in March that would ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.
The Department of Justice filed a complaint in April challenging the law, asking a U.S. District Court to issue an order to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1.
The law restricts medical procedures specifically for gender-transitioning youth that would impact access to puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries for transgender people under 18.
Violent threats against the LGBTQIA+ community have increased and are intensifying, the Department of Homeland Security said in a briefing in May.
Within the last year, domestic violence extremists and people who commit hate crimes have increased threats of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community, the DHS document said.
“These issues include actions linked to drag-themed events, gender-affirming care and LGBTQIA+ curricula in schools,” DHS said.
A federal grand jury indicted a Maryland man in July for allegedly posing as a federal officer and targeting gay men in a series of attacks at a Washington, D.C., park.
Michael Thomas Pruden was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of assault on federal land, one count of impersonating a federal officer and a hate crime sentencing enhancement “alleging that Pruden assaulted four of the victims because of their perceived sexual orientation,” the Justice Department said at the time.
Pruden pleaded not guilty to all counts, according to court records.
His next status hearing is on July 18, court records show.
As for Hensley, the FBI is currently investigating the case.
At this time, it’s unclear who the attorney is representing Hensley.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
(NEW YORK) — A portion of a Florida county has been placed under quarantine as state officials work to get rid of a giant African land snail (GALS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) said Tuesday.
The quarantine comes weeks after state officials found the snail in the Miramar area of Broward County, Florida, according to FDACS.
Giant African land snails are considered detrimental to agriculture, the FDACS said.
The snail is known to eat at least 500 different plant species that are deemed economically important, including, “breadfruit, cassava, cocoa, papaya, peanut, rubber, most varieties of beans, peas, cucumbers, melons and plants of horticultural, cultural and medicinal value,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Under the quarantine rule, it is illegal for people to move the giant African land snail from the impacted area without an agreement in place, the FDACS said.
People are also not allowed to remove affected plants, soil, yard waste, debris, compost, or building materials from the quarantine area, according to Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ rules.
State officials will use the pesticide metaldehyde to treat the area, as it’s approved to be used in a selection of vegetables, crops, fruits and some plants in residential areas, the FDACS said.
People living in the designated treatment area will be notified by state officials at least one day in advance before the pesticide treatment takes place, officials said.
“Metaldehyde works by disrupting the mucus production ability of snails and slugs,” the FDACS said on its website. “This reduces their digestion and mobility, and makes them susceptible to dehydration. Snails and slugs that have eaten metaldehyde often seek hiding places, become inactive and begin to die within days.”
GALS were first introduced into Miami in 1966 and by 1973, over 18,000 snails, alongside their eggs, were discovered and destroyed, according to the USDA.
The snails were declared eradicated twice in Florida, first in 1975 after being spotted in 1969, and a second time in 2021, after being seen in Miami-Dade County in 2011, according to state officials.
The giant African land snail isn’t the only pest harmful to agriculture.
Scientists and various state agriculture departments urged people who came across the spotted lanternfly last year to squish it because of its harmful effect on agriculture.
The spotted lanternfly originated in Asia, but was first found in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014, and soon after in other states in the Northeast, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request on how many miles of the area was placed under quarantine and how long it would last.
File image of the Titan submersible prior to commence diving. (Ocean Gate)
(NEW YORK) — A submersible carrying five people has gone missing while on a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The deep-sea vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning with a 96-hour oxygen supply. The United States Coast Guard, in coordination with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces, immediately launched a search and rescue operation for the 21-foot sealed craft, named Titan.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
USCG: Canadian aircraft detected ‘underwater noises’ but search ‘yielded negative results’
“Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area,” the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted early Wednesday morning. “As a result, ROV operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises. Those ROV searches have yielded negative results but continue.”
The data from the P-3 has been shared with U.S. Navy experts for further analysis, the Coast Guard added.
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
Lawsuit alleged flaws with Titanic sub now missing
A former employee of OceanGate alleged in a 2018 counterclaim lawsuit that he was fired for raising concerns about quality control and testing of potential flaws in the same experimental submersible that went missing this week.
David Lochridge, an engineer and submarine pilot, claimed in his counterclaim against OceanGate that he was hired in 2015 by the Everett, Washington, company to ensure the safety of all crew and clients during the submersible and surface operations of the vessel called Titan. But when he expressed concerns about the design and testing of the minisub’s hull, he said he was terminated by the company.
OceanGate had initially sued Lochridge alleging, among other things, breach of contract, fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets — all claims he denied.
In its lawsuit, OceanGate accused Lochridge of breaching his contract by discussing the company’s confidential information with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration “when he filed a false report claiming that he was discharged in retaliation for being a whistleblower.”
Jun 20, 10:15 PM EDT
Latest Coast Guard bulletin spells out timeline for missing sub search
The U.S. Coast Guard sent out its latest release Tuesday night on the search for the missing submersible at the Titanic crash site.
According to the latest release:
Sunday, June 18, 8 a.m. ET: Submersible launches, supposed to resurface at 3 p.m., but an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, it loses contact.
Sunday, June 18, 5:40 p.m. ET: Coast Guard receives report of overdue submersible.
Monday, June 19: Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and C-130 Hercules aircraft, as well as a Canadian P8 aircraft equipped with underwater sonar capability, search for the missing submersible, according to a previous release.
Tuesday, June 20, 7 a.m. ET: Bahamian research vessel Deep Energy arrives.
Tuesday, June 20, 4 p.m. ET: C-130 crew from Air National Guard 106th arrives.
Jun 20, 8:33 PM EDT
Experts expressed Titan safety concerns in 2018 letter
Members of a committee specializing in submersibles expressed “unanimous concern regarding the development” of Titan in a 2018 letter addressed to OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is one of the passengers aboard the missing vessel.
The letter was obtained by The New York Times and was later authenticated by ABC News.
The letter warned of possible “catastrophic” problems with Titan’s development that could have “serious consequences for everyone in the industry.” The letter goes on to say that OceanGate’s safety claims were “misleading to the public” and insisted Titan be reviewed by a third-party organization.
The letter, which was addressed from the Marine Technology Society, was never approved to be sent to OceanGate though was quickly leaked to its CEO, according to committee chair William Kohnen.
“The letter did represent in 2018 the consensus by many people in the industry that they were not considering following the standard safety protocols and designs that the industry uses,” Kohnen told ABC News.
Though he wishes it was not leaked at the time, nor now to The New York Times, Kohnen said he stands by the letter and its warnings.
“The company had indicated that their state of innovation was beyond, beyond what was allowable within the regulatory standards we have today and that they would proceed without certification,” Kohnen said. “That worried a number of people in the industry.”
Kohnen acknowledged that OceanGate did “heed” some of the comments made in the 2018 letter.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile and Victor Ordoñez
Jun 20, 6:02 PM EDT
NASA weighs in on missing submersible
NASA released a statement Tuesday on the Titan, saying it remains “hopeful the crew will be found unharmed.”
“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center had a Space Act Agreement with OceanGate, and consulted on materials and manufacturing processes for the submersible. NASA did not conduct testing and manufacturing via its workforce or facilities,” the agency said.
-ABC News’ Gina Sunseri
Jun 20, 6:17 PM EDT
Search teams have covered 7,600 square miles
Search and rescue teams have now covered 7,600 square miles — an area bigger than the state of Connecticut — as they scour the ocean for the missing submersible, Coast Guard officials said.
A grid depicting the expanding search area is expected Tuesday night, according to a public information affairs lieutenant for the First District of the U.S. Coast Guard.
-ABC News’ Miles Cohen
Jun 20, 3:09 PM EDT
US Navy sending salvage experts, equipment to help with submersible
The U.S. Navy said it’s sending to the search site experts and equipment “designed to provide reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects.”
The equipment, which can lift up to 60,000 pounds, and the experts will arrive in Canada Tuesday night, the Navy said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Tuesday that the Navy was”on standby” to help with the search for the missing submersible, because the Navy has “some deep-water capabilities that the Coast Guard wouldn’t necessarily have.”
President Joe Biden is “watching events closely,” Kirby said, adding that Biden and the White House offer their thoughts “to the crew onboard, as well as to the — what is no doubt — worried family members back on shore.”
Jun 20, 1:24 PM EDT
3 Air Force C-17’s transporting equipment to Newfoundland
Three U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft will be transporting commercial equipment from Buffalo, New York, to Newfoundland, Canada, to help with the search efforts, according to a U.S. official.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jun 20, 1:16 PM EDT
Search area larger than Connecticut, about 41 hours of oxygen left
Efforts to locate the missing submersible are ongoing, and the “complex” search covers an area larger than the state of Connecticut, Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said at a news conference Tuesday.
Crews are scouring the ocean 900 miles east of Cape Cod and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Canada, he said.
The missing five-person crew on the submersible has about 41 hours of oxygen left, Frederick noted.
“We will do everything in our power to effect a rescue,” Frederick said.
“We have a group of our nation’s best experts,” he said, and once the sub is located, “those experts will be looking at what the next course of action is” to rescue the crew members.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew and their families and their loved ones,” Frederick added.
Jun 20, 12:58 PM EDT
Former ABC News correspondent recounts moment his sub was trapped in Titanic’s propeller
In 2000, Dr. Michael Guillen, then an ABC News correspondent, was filming from the wreck of the Titanic when his vessel became trapped in the propeller.
“When we collided with the propeller, and I started seeing those big chunks of metal raining down on us … the first reaction I had was, ‘This can’t be happening,'” he recalled to ABC News on Tuesday.
“We got caught by this underwater turn and just drove us right into the blades,” Guillen said.
“This voice came into my head and said, you know, ‘This is how it’s going to end for you,'” he recalled. “I’ll never forget those words.”
“I’m very aware of what these poor souls on board the ship the Titan are experiencing,” he said. “I am just heartbroken about it.”
Jun 20, 11:35 AM EDT
French sending assistance
At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, a French ship named Atalante is diverting to the area of the missing submissive and should reach the area Wednesday night.
The ship has an exploration robot that can dive up to 4,000 meters, according to a spokesman for France’s Ifremer Institute.
Jun 20, 9:04 AM EDT
‘It’s a race against time’
Per Wimmer, an explorer and global financier, told ABC News he was “shocked” and “horrified” to hear of the missing submersible.
“It felt very personal. … I’ve been wanting to go down to the Titanic for more than a decade,” Wimmer said.
He estimated that there’s been between 150 and 200 missions to the Titanic.
There “are very, very few submersibles in the whole world that can go down to the depth of Titanic, which sits at 3,800 meters, or about 12,000 feet,” Wimmer said. “It’s very deep — most submersibles can go down to about 1,000 meters.”
“It’s a race against time, because there’s only 96 hours of oxygen on board. And after that, if you haven’t reached the surface, you starve of oxygen,” he said.
“Our best hope at the moment is that the safety mechanism will be activated,” he said. “It is supposed to be able to float to the surface, little by little, and then they can open the hatch and hopefully get out again. That is the only hope we have, because you do not have enough time to get another submersible that can go that deep.”
Jun 20, 8:19 AM EDT
What to know about the 5 people aboard the missing sub
Renowned explorers and a father-son duo were among the five people aboard a submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday while touring the Titanic wreckage, ABC News has learned.
ABC News has confirmed and identified four of those on aboard as Hamish Harding, a British businessman, pilot and space tourist; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver and Titanic expert; Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman, and his son Suleman Dawood.
Jun 20, 7:48 AM EDT
US Coast Guard commander talks search for missing sub
The United States Coast Guard commander leading the search for a missing submersible off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, said Tuesday morning that crews in multiple aircraft have flown over an area of the Atlantic Ocean “roughly about the size of Connecticut” while “looking for any signs of surfacing.”
“As we continue on with the search, we’re expanding our capabilities to be able to search under the water as well,” Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, told ABC News’ Robin Roberts during an interview on Good Morning America.
A commercial vessel with remotely operated vehicles is now on scene that will allow rescuers to search underwater, according to Mauger.
“This is a complex case,” he added. “The Coast Guard doesn’t have all the resources to be able to affect this kind of rescue, although this is an area that’s within our search zone.”
In many cases, Mauger said, the Coast Guard’s role is to coordinate all of the assets and technical expertise that can be used in a search, in addition to operating aircraft or ships when necessary.
“In this particular case, we’ve established a unified command with the United States Navy, with the Canadian Armed Forces, with the Canadian Coast Guard and with the private operator OceanGate Expeditions to make sure that we understand what’s needed and deploy all available equipment to the scene that could be used to locate this submersible, whether it’s on the surface or down beneath the surface,” he said.
Crews have been working “around the clock” to locate the deep-sea vessel since it lost contact with its operator on Sunday morning, according to Mauger.
In the last 24 hours, a Canadian aircraft has been dropping sonar buoys into the water that can pick up sound the submersible may be emitting. Vessels that have the capability to listen with their own sonar equipment are also on scene, according to Mauger.
“If they are making sound, that’s certainly one of the ways that we’re going to use to locate them,” he said.
Jun 20, 6:18 AM EDT
Missing sub is believed to be deeper than NATO rescue capability
A tourist submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday is believed to be at depths that greatly exceed the capabilities of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), according to a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.
“As the host nation for NATO’s multinational submarine rescue capability, we continue to monitor the incident in the North Atlantic and will guide and assist in any response activity as appropriate,” the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday.
The U.K. has not been approached to offer assistance in the ongoing search for the deep-sea vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, according to the spokesperson.
Initial reports indicate that the depths of water involved greatly exceed that which the NSRS team can safely operate — 610 meters for the NSRS submersible and 1,000 meters for the NSRS remotely operated vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
The NSRS is based at the home of the U.K. Royal Navy Submarine Service in HM Naval Base Clyde, the U.K. Royal Navy’s headquarters in Scotland. Introduced in 2006, the tri-national capability team can respond to a stricken submarine in rescuable water which is capable of mating with the NSRS submarine rescue vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
Jun 20, 5:03 AM EDT
Former Navy sub captain on rescue options
Rescuers racing against the clock to save the five people trapped in a tourist submersible nearly two miles deep in the Atlantic Ocean are facing major obstacles that could make saving the people onboard extremely difficult, according to a former U.S. Navy submarine commander.
Retired Capt. David Marquet told ABC News on Monday that this type of rescue operation is complicated because there aren’t nearby U.S. or Canadian underwater vessels that can go as deep as the Titanic wreckage, which sits 13,400 feet below the ocean’s surface. Also, the ocean is pitch black at that depth.
“The odds are against them,” Marquet said. “There’s a ship in Boston that has this ability to either lower cable and connect to it or have a claw. It’s still a thousand miles away.”
Even if a vessel was able to locate the submersible and lower a cable, it’s extremely difficult to safely navigate the waters and attach it, according to Marquet.
“You’ve got to get it exactly right,” he told ABC News. “It’s sort of like … getting one of those toys out of those arcade machines. In general, you miss.”
Rescuers do have one advantage, Marquet said, as weather conditions off the coast of Newfoundland are not rough and will not disturb any boat or vessel there.
Marquet added that if the five people aboard are still alive, they would be asked to sleep to conserve their oxygen.
“We would put the vast majority of the crew to sleep because that’s when you’re using the least amount of oxygen and you’re expelling the least amount of carbon dioxide,” he said.
Jun 20, 4:27 AM EDT
What to know about the missing sub
A submersible on a tour of the Titanic wreckage was reported overdue by its operator OceanGate Expeditions on Sunday, prompting the United States Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue effort for the 22-foot, 23,000-pound vessel.
Designed with life support to sustain five crew members for 96 hours, the submersible would need to be rescued in three days to save its five passengers, according to the Coast Guard.
Stockton Rush founded Washington-based OceanGate in 2009 to make deep-sea exploration more accessible to scientists and tourists. Fourteen years, more than 200 dives and three submersible designs later, the company now finds itself in a desperate search to recover the submersible carrying five people aboard that’s gone missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
OceanGate confirmed Monday it had lost contact with a submersible, saying in a statement: “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
(NEW YORK) — As the search for the missing Titanic tour submersible and its five passengers continues, the dangers of venturing 13,000 feet down to the ocean floor to see the wreckage of the infamous sunken ship are coming to light. A former ABC News science editor knows them all too well after a voyage to the wreckage more than 20 years ago went awry.
In September 2000, Michael Guillen, a trained physicist and then-science editor for ABC News, was invited on an expedition run by a group of Russians to be the first journalist in history to make the journey to report at the wreckage site in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Despite Guillen’s deep fear of water, he felt he could not turn down the monumental assignment, he told ABC News on Tuesday.
After setting sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia, the crew traveled about 2.5 miles to the sunken ship — about a 2.5-hour expedition — when “something happened,” Guillen said.
The submersible started the tour at the bow of the ship, making its way to the stern, toward the propeller that had broken into two pieces when the ship sank in April 1912. As Guillen admired the contrast between the shiny brass propeller and the gray, crumbling ruins surrounding it, the submersible got caught in a high-speed underwater current and slammed right into the propeller blades, he said.
“At first, we sensed the collision,” Guillen said. “There was no doubt about it.”
Guillen was in shock and disbelief as he lay on his stomach in the claustrophobic submersible, witnessing through the porthole giant rusted pieces of the Titanic fall on their vessel.
The entire crew immediately knew the kind of peril they were in and fell silent. Guillen said they could see that the pilot was “at the edge of his seat” and kept quiet for the better part of an hour so as not to distract him.
Immediately after the crash, his scientific mind went into overdrive to try to find a solution — a way out.
While there was another submersible in the region, Guillen knew that the likelihood of that vessel being able to pull them out was very low, especially given the hostile environment: pitch-black darkness and pressure that could kill a human instantly.
“It’s not like, you know, they can come and pull you out of some mudslide,” he said.
And then he came to the realization that there was no way out, he said. Terrified he was going to die, he thought of his wife, Laurel, and possibly never seeing her again.
“I remember at one point thinking to myself, ‘You know, for ABC News, I’ve traveled all over the world.’ I think of the North Pole, the South Pole; I covered the Persian Gulf War. I almost got shot during the live shot I was doing. Bullets were flying all over the place, but I had managed to survive all that. I had managed to get away clean. But I realized at that point that this was going to be the end. And I remember very clearly, in fact, that this voice came into my head — and I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life — it said, ‘This is how it’s going to end for you,'” he said.
And then a miracle occurred.
Before, there had been straining in the submersible’s engine. But in the next moment, Guillen described suddenly feeling a sense of buoyancy after the pilot had maneuvered his way out.
“Because you’re down there and it’s pitch-black — unless the pilot has a spotlight on it, it’s pitch-black — and so you’re only going by your senses,” Guillen said, adding he began to have “a floating feeling.”
Guillen then turned to the pilot, a former MiG pilot, who said in a low-pitched Russian accent, “No problem.”
The 2.5-hour journey back to the surface afterward was quite the ordeal, Guillen said.
They later learned that the icy current had wedged the submersible into the blades of the Titanic’s giant propeller.
Experts had trained Guillen on the dangers that exist in waters that deep, but in 2020 when Barbara Walters asked him if he would recommend the voyage to others, he emphasized the “real risk” a trip like that entails — even if it is labeled as a tourist experience.
“This is not Disneyland,” he said. “This is the real world. Mother Nature is very unforgiving.”
Guillen said he believes that there must have been something “catastrophic” to cut off communication from the Titan, the submersible that lost contact on Sunday.
During his own excursion, they communicated with the surface the entire time — not that it did them any good at the time, he said.
The passengers on board the missing Titan include British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, renowned Titanic researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the operator of the tour.
The Titan, a 21-foot submersible, went underwater Sunday morning, and lost contact about 1 hour and 45 minutes later.
The vessel was designed to have 96 hours of oxygen available for all five passengers and will likely run out of oxygen by 6 a.m. EDT on Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Having gone through his own harrowing experience aboard a submersible, Guillen is anguished over the search for the five crew members aboard the Titan, he said.
“I’m very aware of what these poor souls on board the ship the Titan are experiencing,” he said. “I am just heartbroken about it.”
He added, “I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone.”
(CALIFORNIA) — The largest representative study on homelessness since the mid-90s found the state’s income inequality and high housing costs left people vulnerable to homelessness – particularly older residents and residents of color.
California is home to 30% of the nation’s homeless population and half of the nation’s unsheltered population – despite making up only 12% of the U.S. population – according to the study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco.
More than 171,000 people experience homelessness daily in California, two times more than the next highest state, New York, the report states.
Highlights from the report’s findings
The most frequently reported economic reason was loss of income.
“Participants living on the economic margin, with high housing costs, low incomes and little savings, had little margin for error,” the report said. “Loss of income or decrease in work propelled many living on the economic margins into homelessness.”
The report states that 22% of people reported lost or reduced income was a reason for losing their last housing. Ten percent said that non-housing costs, such as healthcare or food, had increased and left them unable to afford rent. Eight percent noted their rent had increased.
In the six months prior to homelessness, the median monthly household income for the homeless people surveyed was $960. A high proportion of them were burdened by rental costs, paying more than 30% of their income in rent.
However, economic, health and social issues were often intertwined.
Survey participants also reported job loss due to injuries, illness, or the need to provide caregiving to family members. Some reported job loss occurred after contracting COVID without job protections that would allow them to miss work during their sickness or to isolate. Thirteen percent of participants said substance use was their reason for leaving their last shelter, while 11% said someone close to them became sick, disabled or died. Nine percent said they themselves became sick or disabled.
Some say they experienced discrimination in the labor market, based on their disability, race, immigration status, or their language. This led to a lack of employment opportunities, reduced hours or wages, lower pay than promised and more.
One participant, who uses a wheelchair, told researchers it’s been difficult to find a job: “Everywhere I go, I ask. I mean I’ve been all over with employment. It’s difficult, especially with the disability and wheelchair. You know, I can fix and dress myself up nice. But, once they see the [wheelchair] – you know?”
Who makes up the homeless population?
The vast majority of homeless people in the state were Californians, despite myths about homeless migration, according to the report. Ninety percent of participants lost their last housing in California, and 75% of people live in the same county they resided in before becoming homeless, according to the study.
The homeless population in California is also aging – with 47% of the adults surveyed aged 50 or older.
Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed were white, 26% were Black, 26% were Latino and 12% were Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. Black and Native Americans were disproportionately represented among the homeless — the state’s population is 6% Black and roughly 2% Native or Indigenous, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One in five participants were formerly institutionalized, which can include past incarceration. They say they faced challenges such as barriers to employment and lack of assistance from service providers that left them stuck on the streets.
Sixty-nine percent of participants were cisgender men, and 30% were cisgender women. One percent identified as trans or gender-nonconforming, 90% of participants were single adults, 7% were adults in families and 3% were aged 18 to 24.
Recommendations from the report
Researchers recommend six key policy changes based on the findings in the report.
They urge an increase in affordable housing accessible to extremely low-income households, as well as expanded targeted homelessness prevention efforts, including financial support and legal assistance in places accessible to those vulnerable to homelessness — i.e., jail exits or social service agencies.
“Having experienced homelessness firsthand, I vividly recall the relentless fight for survival, the pervasive shame that haunted me, and my unsuccessful endeavors to overcome homelessness on my own,” said Claudine Sipili, a member of the study’s Lived Expertise Board, in a statement.
Sipili continued, “The study holds great significance for me because it aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness. I hope it will inform the development of effective strategies, policies and programs, address the issue in a dignifying way and support individuals in their transition from homelessness to housing stability.”
Researchers also recommend providing support to match the behavioral needs of the population, including low barrier mental health services, substance abuse services and harm reduction services.
It is also recommended to embrace household income support through training, as well as outreach on job search and transportation. For those who are unsheltered — or not yet completely homeless but in unstable housing — an increase in racially equitable outreach and services is also recommended.
“As we drive toward addressing the health and housing needs of Californian’s experiencing homelessness, this study reinforces the importance of comprehensive and integrated supports,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a statement.
(CALIFORNIA) — The largest representative study on homelessness since the mid-90s found the state’s income inequality and high housing costs left people vulnerable to homelessness – particularly older residents and residents of color.
California is home to 30% of the nation’s homeless population and half of the nation’s unsheltered population – despite making up only 12% of the U.S. population – according to the study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco.
More than 171,000 people experience homelessness daily in California, two times more than the next highest state, New York, the report states.
Highlights from the report’s findings
The most frequently reported economic reason was loss of income.
“Participants living on the economic margin, with high housing costs, low incomes and little savings, had little margin for error,” the report said. “Loss of income or decrease in work propelled many living on the economic margins into homelessness.”
The report states that 22% of people reported lost or reduced income was a reason for losing their last housing. Ten percent said that non-housing costs, such as healthcare or food, had increased and left them unable to afford rent. Eight percent noted their rent had increased.
In the six months prior to homelessness, the median monthly household income for the homeless people surveyed was $960. A high proportion of them were burdened by rental costs, paying more than 30% of their income in rent.
However, economic, health and social issues were often intertwined.
Survey participants also reported job loss due to injuries, illness, or the need to provide caregiving to family members. Some reported job loss occurred after contracting COVID without job protections that would allow them to miss work during their sickness or to isolate. Thirteen percent of participants said substance use was their reason for leaving their last shelter, while 11% said someone close to them became sick, disabled or died. Nine percent said they themselves became sick or disabled.
Some say they experienced discrimination in the labor market, based on their disability, race, immigration status, or their language. This led to a lack of employment opportunities, reduced hours or wages, lower pay than promised and more.
One participant, who uses a wheelchair, told researchers it’s been difficult to find a job: “Everywhere I go, I ask. I mean I’ve been all over with employment. It’s difficult, especially with the disability and wheelchair. You know, I can fix and dress myself up nice. But, once they see the [wheelchair] – you know?”
Who makes up the homeless population?
The vast majority of homeless people in the state were Californians, despite myths about homeless migration, according to the report. Ninety percent of participants lost their last housing in California, and 75% of people live in the same county they resided in before becoming homeless, according to the study.
The homeless population in California is also aging – with 47% of the adults surveyed aged 50 or older.
Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed were white, 26% were Black, 26% were Latino and 12% were Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. Black and Native Americans were disproportionately represented among the homeless — the state’s population is 6% Black and roughly 2% Native or Indigenous, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One in five participants were formerly institutionalized, which can include past incarceration. They say they faced challenges such as barriers to employment and lack of assistance from service providers that left them stuck on the streets.
Sixty-nine percent of participants were cisgender men, and 30% were cisgender women. One percent identified as trans or gender-nonconforming, 90% of participants were single adults, 7% were adults in families and 3% were aged 18 to 24.
Recommendations from the report
Researchers recommend six key policy changes based on the findings in the report.
They urge an increase in affordable housing accessible to extremely low-income households, as well as expanded targeted homelessness prevention efforts, including financial support and legal assistance in places accessible to those vulnerable to homelessness — i.e., jail exits or social service agencies.
“Having experienced homelessness firsthand, I vividly recall the relentless fight for survival, the pervasive shame that haunted me, and my unsuccessful endeavors to overcome homelessness on my own,” said Claudine Sipili, a member of the study’s Lived Expertise Board, in a statement.
Sipili continued, “The study holds great significance for me because it aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness. I hope it will inform the development of effective strategies, policies and programs, address the issue in a dignifying way and support individuals in their transition from homelessness to housing stability.”
Researchers also recommend providing support to match the behavioral needs of the population, including low barrier mental health services, substance abuse services and harm reduction services.
It is also recommended to embrace household income support through training, as well as outreach on job search and transportation. For those who are unsheltered — or not yet completely homeless but in unstable housing — an increase in racially equitable outreach and services is also recommended.
“As we drive toward addressing the health and housing needs of Californian’s experiencing homelessness, this study reinforces the importance of comprehensive and integrated supports,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — As college students leave their campuses behind for a much-needed summer rest, some tend to leave behind the remnants of their dorm life.
But those used and worn-out pillowcases, lamps and other trinkets eventually end up in landfills, adding to the already growing waste problems across the globe, according to environmentalists.
A professor at Barnard College and student volunteers, however, are working to give those dorm leftovers a second life.
“We ask them to bring it here and we sort it and we save as much as we can for the fall to sell to the incoming students. And what we can’t save, we donate locally,” Sandra Goldmark, a Barnard professor of sustainability who runs the school’s “Give and Go Green” program, told ABC News.
Goldmark said the students are processing more than 20,000 pounds of used goods and last year they re-sold almost a third of what they collected. The students have sorted, cleaned and in some cases refurbished everything from a microwave to king-size pillows.
Goldmark said her goal is to help the world rethink our relationship to “stuff” and how to create that circle of re-use at home. The school’s program is similar to other circular economy services such as online buy nothing groups and social media forums.
Goldmark noted that buying second-hand items makes a big difference. For example, roughly 12 million pounds of furniture is thrown out annually, and 80% of those discarded items end up in landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Fifty-five percent of global emissions come from the production and use of everyday items like food and cars and clothes,” she said.
Goldmark also pushes for the repair and restoration of broken objects and giving them to interested users. She runs a design lab for students where they can learn how to fix everything from ceramics to wires to a lamp.
“I think that starting with repair and starting with fixing is a really simple, tangible thing that you can do and that anybody can do at any scale,” Goldmark said.
The professor said she hopes that more campuses and organizations take note of the program and continue to spread the word about the benefits of a circular economy.
“If we could create a system where it was just as easy for you to get used forks and decorative pillows as it is for you to get new ones, that would be a big step forward,” she said.
(CHICAGO) — More than 70 people were shot, 13 fatally, in Chicago over the holiday weekend, including a father of four who was gunned down at a large family Father’s Day park gathering, according to police.
The violence over the Father’s Day and Juneteenth holidays also left a number of teenagers injured, including a 14-year-old boy who died after being shot multiple times on a street in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the city’s West Side, according to a review by ABC News of weekend incident reports from the Chicago Police Department.
Police officials said at least 75 people were shot across the city in 51 separate incidents that occurred between 6 p.m. on Friday and 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
“Every time I read and hear about another life that is lost because of violence, my heart breaks,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a news conference on Monday. “Fifteen-year-olds, 14-year-olds, you all know I’m raising children in Chicago. It hurts.”
The series of shootings came amid declines in both homicides and shootings this year in Chicago compared to 2022. Prior to the weekend, homicides in Chicago were down 7% from the 257 slayings that occurred in the first half of 2022, according to the Chicago Police Department’s crime statistics. Shooting incidents are also down 5% this year compared to this time last year, the crime data shows.
This weekend’s shootings marked one of the most violent holiday weekends this year in Chicago, surpassing Memorial Day weekend when 53 people were shot, 11 fatally, in 42 separate incidents across the city, according to police. At least 31 people were shot last weekend in Chicago, four fatally, in 26 separate incidents, police said.
Father’s Day park shooting
Among those killed this weekend was a 32-year-old father of four, identified as Brian Ross, who was shot to death along with another man during a large family Father’s Day gathering at Smith Park in the Roseland community. Ross’ relatives told ABC station WLS in Chicago that the gunshots were fired from a passing car, killing Ross and the 37-year-old victim, whose name was not immediately released.
“They literally stopped where they were at, opened fire on them, didn’t care about the kids being around or nothing. And, by the grace of God, no kids get hit,” Ross’ wife, Kandace Ross, said. “They didn’t care about nothing or nobody because there were kids out there. There were women out there, there were grandmas, anybody. They just came and just shot it up just so they can, I don’t know, brag about it.”
Cmdr. Tyrone Pendarvis of the Chicago Police Department said the shooting unfolded just before 8 p.m. and that in addition to the two men gunned down, three others were hit by gunfire and treated at a hospital.
“It’s unfortunate today that this occurred because it was a fine day and people just enjoying their family activity, but violence prevails in the city and it’s unfortunate that these five individuals were shot,” Pendarvis said at a news conference.
Car-to-car gunfire
One man was killed and three others were wounded in a shooting Monday in the Ashburn neighborhood on the city’s South Side, police said. The victims were riding in a car when gunmen in another vehicle headed in the opposite direction opened fire, police said. A 20-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
The three other victims, including a 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, were struck by bullets and treated at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to police. Four guns were recovered at the scene, but no arrests were announced.
Also on Monday, a 32-year-old man was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital after being shot multiple times while driving through the West Garfield neighborhood on the city’s West Side at about 7:25 a.m., according to police. The circumstances of the shooting remained under investigation Tuesday and no arrests have been announced.
Fight prompts fatal shooting
Four men were shot, one fatally, in the Austin neighborhood early Sunday after a fight broke out and a fifth man fighting pulled and gun and opened fire, according to police. The shooting occurred just before 3 a.m. in the Austin neighborhood of the city’s West Side. The victim who died, a 31-year-old man, was shot multiple times and taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No arrests were announced.
Among others fatal shootings victims over the weekend were a 48-year-old man, who was discovered Saturday with a gunshot wound to the head in the Woodlawn section of the city’s South Side, and a 58-year-old man who was shot and pronounced dead at the scene also on the city’s South Side, police said.
A 32-year-old man was fatally shot just after 11 p.m. on Sunday in the vestibule of a fast-food restaurant in the West Pullman neighborhood of the city’s South Side when he got into a physical altercation with the unidentified man who shot him. No arrests have been announced.
(NEW YORK) — Four people were killed and two others remain in critical condition after a fire caused by a lithium-ion battery broke out in an e-bike repair shop and tore through a New York City building overnight, authorities said.
Reports of smoke and fire coming from the Manhattan building, which has an e-bike repair shop on the ground floor and residential units above it, came in just after midnight Tuesday, New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
Firefighters pulled six residents from the building in critical condition, though four have since died, Kavanagh said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries, authorities said.
“It is very clear that this was caused by lithium-ion batteries and e-bikes,” Kavanagh said at a press briefing Tuesday near a pile of charred and mangled rubber, bicycle frames and electrical components.
Information on the victims has not yet been released.
Following the fire, which occurred in lower Manhattan near Chinatown, the Red Cross said it was providing emergency housing to eight households — including 23 adults and two children.
The location — HQ E-Bike Repair — was known to the fire department, which had cited it for violations in 2021 and 2022, fire officials said.
HQ E-Bike Repair was cited for multiple fire code violations in August 2022, found guilty and fined $1,600, according to Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn. The violations were related to the charging of and number of batteries at the location, he said.
The officials recently did surveillance at the property and found violations regarding the number of batteries, Flynn said.
Kavanagh stressed the danger associated with e-bike fires, which she described as more akin to an “explosion” than a “smoldering fire.”
“The sheer volume of fire is incredibly dangerous,” she said. “We’ve said this over and over — it can make it nearly impossible to get out in time.”
Including Tuesday’s incident, there have been 108 fires related to lithium-ion batteries this year in New York City, resulting in 13 fatalities, according to Kavanagh. By this time last year, the city had two fatalities from similar incidents, she said.
The mayor’s office recently enacted e-bike safety legislation that, among other measures, bans the resale of bikes or batteries and restricts the reconditioning of used batteries. Though some 65,000 e-bikes were purchased before the law took effect in New York.
“So even as we regulate them, we have to make sure we’re getting the word out about how dangerous these unregulated bikes are and the fact that they are here already in the city,” Kavanagh said.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA
(NEW YORK) — Hunter Biden, the president’s son, has agreed to plead guilty to a pair of tax-related misdemeanors and enter a deferred prosecution program for one felony gun possession charge, which would potentially end a yearslong probe, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Biden will acknowledge his failure to pay taxes on income he received in 2017 and 2018, according to the agreement. In exchange, prosecutors will recommend probation, meaning he will likely avoid prison time. For the gun charge, he will agree to pretrial diversion, with the charge being dropped if he adheres to certain terms.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 20, 10:45 AM EDT
AG Garland declines to comment, left decision on deal to Weiss
A spokesperson for Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to comment when asked about the plea deal reached with Hunter Biden.
Garland is currently overseas in Stockholm, Sweden for the EU/US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial meeting.
The decision to enter this deal was entirely left to U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ discretion, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Garland has previously told Congress that Weiss had full authority to bring whatever charges he may deem proper in accordance with DOJ’s guidelines.
He has also testified repeatedly that Weiss’ investigation has remained free from any improper political interference, which he affirmed in a press conference last month when asked about allegations by a purported IRS whistleblower who has sought to alert congressional leaders about potential misconduct in DOJ’s handling of the probe.
-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin
Jun 20, 10:33 AM EDT
Republicans on Capitol Hill vow to continue investigation into Bidens
While the federal investigation is over, the investigations will continue on Capitol Hill. The investigative committees have indicated they intend to keep pursuing Hunter Biden’s business dealings in foreign countries and whether he was trading on his family name.
The chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, R-Ky., issued a statement saying this reveals a “two-tiered system of Justice” and calls it just a “slap on the wrist.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted it was a “stunt” to make Hunter Biden “look like he is just cooperating with DOJ.”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders
Jun 20, 10:21 AM EDT
Trump calls plea agreement ‘a mere traffic ticket’
Former President Donald Trump, who was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and could face him again in 2024, has posted to his Truth Social, calling the plea agreement “a mere ‘traffic ticket'” and saying “Our system is broken.”
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc., called it a “sweetheart deal” and added, “The American people need President Trump back in office to appoint a truly independent special prosecutor that will finally bring justice.”
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim
Jun 20, 10:16 AM EDT
President, first lady say they ‘love’ and ‘support’ son
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have released a statement through a spokesperson supporting their son.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” White House spokesperson Ian Sam said in a statement. “We will have no further comment.”
Jun 20, 10:08 AM EDT
Plea agreement could end yearslong probe
Federal authorities with the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware, led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump-era appointee, opened their investigation into Hunter Biden in 2018. The investigation spilled into public view in December of 2020, shortly after Joe Biden secured the presidency, when Hunter Biden confirmed the probe into his “tax affairs.”
Prosecutors have since examined a range of potential crimes as part of their investigation and brought several witnesses before a federal grand jury empaneled in Wilmington, Delaware.
The impetus for the probe and investigators’ primary focus was whether Hunter Biden paid adequate taxes on millions of dollars of his income. The younger Biden paid off at least one significant tax liability of nearly $2 million in 2021 with the help of a Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer name Kevin Morris, ABC News has reported.
Beyond his taxes, investigators scrutinized a gun application form signed by Hunter Biden in 2018. On the form, he checked a box indicating he was not an “unlawful user” of drugs, despite later acknowledging that he was indeed addicted to crack cocaine around that time, ABC News has reported.
A Yale-trained lawyer, Hunter Biden repeatedly said he was cooperating with investigators and remained “100% certain” that he would be cleared of any wrongdoing. Joe Biden has said he’s never spoken to his son about his foreign business and recently said Hunter Biden “has done nothing wrong.” There are no indications that the federal investigation involved the president in any way.
The White House has repeatedly sought to distance the president from the probe, and Attorney General Merrick Garland assured Congress that there would not be “interference of any political or improper kind.”
Jun 20, 10:05 AM EDT
Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax charges, enter pretrial program for gun charge
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to a pair of tax-related misdemeanors as part of a deal that would potentially end a politically fraught and yearslong probe into his personal and professional life, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Under an agreement negotiated with the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware, the younger Biden, 53, will acknowledge his failure to pay taxes on income he received in 2017 and 2018. In exchange, prosecutors will recommend probation, meaning he will likely avoid prison time.
The agreement also includes what is known as a pretrial diversion for one felony count related to illegal possession of a firearm, which would not require Hunter Biden to submit a plea on that charge and stipulates that prosecutors would agree to drop it if he adheres to certain terms over a specified period of time.
If a federal judge accepts the deal, Tuesday’s development would mark the conclusion of an investigation that has dogged not only Hunter Biden, but also his father, whose political foes have latched onto the younger Biden’s overseas business dealings to level allegations depicting the entire Biden family as corrupt.
