(NEW YORK) — U.S. airlines are gearing up for the busiest Memorial Day holiday since before the pandemic.
United Airlines said it’s preparing for its busiest Memorial Day in over a decade, expecting to carry nearly 2.9 million passengers from Thursday May 25 to Tuesday May 30.
The airline said it will see the most passengers Friday, May 26, when it expects to transport 500,000 customers.
Delta Air Lines said it’s expecting to fly 2.8 million customers over the holiday – a 17% increase from the number of passengers it flew during last year’s Memorial Day weekend.
American Airlines said it will carry more than 2.9 million customers, operating over 26,000 flights this upcoming holiday.
“The busiest airports over Memorial Day weekend will be Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles, all with more than half a million passengers departing over the weekend,” Haley Berg, economist at Hopper, said in an interview with ABC.
According to AAA, airports could see the busiest Memorial Day Weekend since 2005, with 5.4% more passengers than 2019.
“Despite high ticket prices, demand for flights is skyrocketing,” AAA said in a news release.
(SCHOHARIE, N.Y.) — A limousine company operator was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter for a 2018 crash in upstate New York that left 20 people dead.
Nauman Hussain was in charge of the day-to-day operations of Prestige Limousine when the company rented the stretch Ford Excursion SUV to a group celebrating a 30th birthday party on Oct. 6, 2018.
The limo was traveling on a downhill stretch of road when it went through an intersection and crashed into a parked Toyota Highlander in Schoharie, a town about 40 miles away from Albany. All 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians were killed.
The limo had failed an inspection by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles the month prior to the crash and the driver did not have the appropriate driver’s license to be operating that vehicle, state officials said at the time.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators found in a 2020 report that the vehicle had failed an inspection just over a month before the crash, and that one of the brakes was non-operational at the time of the incident.
Prestige Limousine “knowingly” operated a limousine in “poor mechanical condition” the day of the crash, according to the NTSB. The agency also said the company’s maintenance program was not “effective” to ensure passengers’ safety.
Hussain pleaded guilty to 20 counts of criminally negligent homicide in 2021. The trial came after a judge threw out a plea deal reached with Schoharie County prosecutors last fall that would have spared him a prison sentence.
Jurors heard six days of witness testimony before prosecutors rested their case on Monday. Prosecutors have argued that Hussain removed an out-of-service sticker from the limo’s windshield prior to the crash, Albany ABC affiliate WTEN reported.
The defense filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against Hussain, which the judge denied, saying there is sufficient evidence for the second-degree manslaughter counts, according to WTEN.
The defense did not call any witnesses before resting on Monday.
Jurors deliberated for several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday before reaching their verdict. He was found guilty of all 20 counts of second-degree manslaughter, his top charge in the case.
Gasps and crying could be heard in the courtroom as the verdict was read.
Hussain, who had been out on bail during the trial, was remanded into custody following the verdict. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 31. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
During the trial, defense lawyer Lee Kindlon argued the accident was caused by faulty repair work on the brake system, according to The Associated Press.
The incident was the deadliest transportation crash in the U.S. since 2009.
In the wake of the incident, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on stretch limos, among other reforms.
ABC News’ Amanda Maile contributed to this report.
(TALLHASSEE, Fla.) — PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free expression, and Penguin Random House, one of the country’s largest book publishers, filed a lawsuit Wednesday targeting a Florida school district for removing certain books from the shelves of public school libraries.
Authors and parents of children affected by the book bans in the Escambia County School District have also joined the federal lawsuit, which is asking for books to be returned to school libraries.
The lawsuit argues that the school board’s removal and restriction of books that discuss racism and have LGBTQ themes violates the First Amendment. Several authors whose books have been impacted by book bans across the country, including David Levithan, George M. Johnson and Ashley Hope Pérez, are backing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges, in every decision to remove a book, “the removals have disproportionately targeted books by or about people of color and/or LGBTQ people, and have prescribed an orthodoxy of opinion that violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”
Members of the school board declined ABC News’ requests for comment. Local news outlet Pensacola News Journal reported that the district purged their book selection after a teacher challenged more than 100 books for inappropriate content.
Recent legislation in Florida, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, have led to restrictions and removals of books across the state, impacting stories representing marginalized communities, critics of the legislation argue.
“Young readers in Escambia schools and across the nation deserve a complete and honest education, one that provides them with full access in libraries to a wide range of literature that reflects varied viewpoints and that explores the diversity of human experiences,” said Pérez, in a statement. Her book, “Out of Darkness,” is one of the most targeted books in the U.S.
She continued, “as a former public high school English teacher, I know firsthand how important libraries are. For many young people, if a book isn’t in their school library, it might as well not exist.”
The “Stop WOKE Act” restricts lessons and training on race and diversity in schools and in the workplace, particularly anything that discusses privilege or oppression based on race. WOKE in the bill stands for “Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees.”
The Parental Rights in Education law states instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards,” according to the bill’s language.
A record-breaking 1,269 demands were made to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since the American Library Association began collecting data over 20 years ago, the association said.
A record 2,571 unique books were targeted for censorship in 2022, a 38% increase from 2021 when 1,858 titles were targeted.
Book bans particularly affect books written by and about people of color and queer communities, according to the ALA.
Penguin Random House has faced book bans involving several of their titles throughout the years, including “1984” and “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison and more.
“Books have the capacity to change lives for the better, and students in particular deserve equitable access to a wide range of perspectives. Censorship, in the form of book bans like those enacted by Escambia County, are a direct threat to democracy and our constitutional rights,” said Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House.
Malaviya continued, “We stand by our authors, their books, and the teachers, librarians and parents who champion free expression.”
(NEW YORK) — Sayfullo Saipov, the ISIS-inspired attacker who was convicted of killing eight people earlier this year, was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences on Wednesday.
Saipov was convicted in January of all 28 counts he faced in connection with carrying out the deadly attack along a Manhattan bike path with a rented Home Depot truck.
The Uzbekistan native was spared the death penalty after jurors deadlocked on sentencing for the nine charges he faced that were eligible for capital punishment and instead agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
Judge Vernon Broderick noted the “sheer unrepentant nature” of Saipov before he imposed eight consecutive life sentences, plus 260 years and two concurrent life sentences.
“The conduct in this case is among the worst, if not the worst, I’ve ever seen,” Broderick said. “The eight people you murdered in cold blood were living their best lives.”
The judge scolded Saipov for his indiscriminate killing, which he said left their families forever scarred.
“You did not care and do not care about their suffering,” Broderick said.
Ahead of the judge’s sentencing, survivors of the attack and families of those killed delivered heart-wrenching statements to the court as Saipov sat at the defense table in a navy smock, full beard and glasses.
Marion Van Reeth was unconscious for over a week, lost both of her legs and suffered paralysis below her waist after she was struck by Saipov. She introduced herself through tears.
“Mr. Saipov, I am one of your victims,” Van Reeth said.
She spoke from a wheelchair, telling Saipov that she would never be able to walk like he can.
“Are you still convinced that your cruel act against innocent people was the right thing? Do you still see yourself as a soldier for ISIS?” she asked. “I really hope over time you will be able to rethink your beliefs.”
Monica Missio’s son, Nicholas Cleves, was the last of the eight people killed when Saipov sped down a Hudson River bike path in the truck.
“I am a mother subsumed by grief,” Missio told the court. “I’m going to grieve for Nicholas for the rest of my life because my love for him is endless.”
Cleves was the only New Yorker killed in the deadliest terror attack in the city since Sept. 11. His mother said the 23-year-old grew up a few blocks from where he was struck and killed as the truck hurtled through pedestrians and cyclists at 66 mph.
“People witnessed him getting struck and catapulted into the air,” Missio said. “I am haunted by the brutal way Nicholas died.”
She added that she has “nothing but contempt” for Saipov.
Cleves’ aunt, Nicole Missio, called Saipov and his attack evil.
“I don’t care if the monster lives or dies. I never did,” she told the court. “But I’m especially disturbed by the thought that if his relatives knew or could see that he was radicalized then they have blood on their hands, too.”
Hernan Mendoza was one of five friends from Argentina who were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation in New York when they were killed in the attack. His widow, Ana Evans, could not make it to court in person so submitted a statement in writing: “I can only think of Hernan and our children, who can never again exchange glances, gestures, smiles or signs of support with their father. Equally incredible and terrifying is the disaster that a single person can cause.”
The wife of Alejandro Pagnucco, another Argentinian killed in the attack, castigated Saipov for keeping his neck bent and eyes down during victim impact statements.
“Saipov, you cannot even look at us. You cannot raise your face and look,” Pagnucco’s wife, Maria, said, her voice rising in anger. “You’re worthless. You do not even deserve a place in this world. You are worth nothing. You are pitiful. You have humiliated your family. You have humiliated your father and your mother. Your last name brings shame. God is ashamed.”
The father of the attack’s first victim, Ann-Laure Decadt, also questioned Saipov, who did not look up.
“Mr. Saipov, you drove that truck into my beloved daughter and you killed her,” he said. “Why, Mr. Saipov? Why did you do this to her?”
Federal prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum to the judge this week that Saipov deserved multiple life sentences “to provide just punishment” for the Oct. 31, 2017, attack.
“The defendant’s conduct before, during and after his attack warrants a sentence that reflects the extraordinary depravity of his crimes. The government respectfully requests that the court impose the maximum statutory penalty on each count of conviction,” prosecutors said in the sentencing memorandum filed Monday.
The sentencing memorandum included statements Saipov made after the attack.
“Saipov admitted that his goal was to kill as many people as possible, and that he was happy with what he had done. Saipov smiled and asked to hang an ISIS flag in his hospital room. Saipov admitted that he had decided to commit an attack a full year before he executed it, and that he had spent two months planning his truck attack,” prosecutors said.
The jury agreed Saipov intentionally killed his victims after “substantial planning and premeditation” and did it for ISIS. However, the jury did not unanimously find Saipov represented a future danger or would likely commit acts of violence while in prison.
Saipov will spend at least 22 hours a day alone in his cell at ADX in Florence, Colorado, following his sentencing.
(NEW YORK) — Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” while pursued by paparazzi in Manhattan on Tuesday night, according to a spokesperson for Harry.
The couple accused paparazzi of being “highly aggressive” and driving on the sidewalk and running red lights at they pursued the famous pair for two hours.
“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the spokesperson said.
Harry and Meghan appeared Tuesday night at the Ziegfeld Ballroom as Meghan received the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award at the foundation’s annual gala.
The foundation was co-founded by feminist icon and activist Gloria Steinem, a friend of Meghan’s, who presented her with the award.
The New York Police Department said in a statement: “On Wednesday evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
The NYPD is running down reports that members of the paparazzi had license plates covered on their motorcycles, scooters and cars, and that they were driving on sidewalks and backwards on streets.
Harry, Meghan and her mother were taken to the 19th Precinct following the chase to calm the situation. They then continued to a location where they were staying.
The couple also warned that people should not share photos of the incident.
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said.
The couple has widely criticized the press and paparazzi and asked for privacy in the past.
Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana of Wales, was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said it was “a bit reckless and irresponsible” for paparazzi to chase Harry and Megan and he noted echoes of Princess Diana’s death as he took questions from reporters during an unrelated event.
“I don’t think there are many of us who don’t recall how his mom died,” Adams said. “I thought that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.”
The mayor, however, expressed skepticism the chase lasted two hours.
“I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour high speed chase,” the mayor said. “But if it’s 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous.”
In his first statement confirming their relationship in 2016, Prince Harry called out the “abuse and harassment” Meghan Markle faced from the press amid speculation that the couple were dating.
In a statement issued by Kensington Palace at the time, Prince Harry said he “has never been comfortable” with the significant curiosity surrounding his private life, rarely taking “formal action” on the “very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him.”
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” the statement read. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.”
The royal couple stepped down from their role as senior members of the royal family in 2018. In a docuseries released since, the couple has said they are prioritizing privacy for their children, with Harry saying the constant harassment from paparazzi and press that he endured throughout his childhood was never fair.
ABC News’ Mark Osborne and Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.
Two inmates escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center, authorities said. — WPVI
(PHILADELPHIA) — An inmate accused of killing four people has been taken apprehended after escaping from a Philadelphia jail more than a week ago, police said.
Ameen Hurst, 18, was taken into custody without incident at a home in Philadelphia, the city’s police commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, announced Wednesday morning. No other details on the arrest were provided.
Hurst is accused of killing someone in December 2020, fatally shooting two people in March 2021 and, a few days later, fatally shooting a man who had just been discharged from a Philadelphia correctional facility, according to Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.
The teenager was one of two inmates who had escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center on May 7 through a hole in the recreation yard’s fence, authorities said.
The second inmate — 24-year-old Nasir Grant — was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals on May 11, police said.
Grant had disguised himself as a woman and was wearing “full female Muslim garb and a head covering” when he was caught, said Robert Clark, supervisor deputy marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Marshal’s Office were involved in the search for the two inmates.
The two men were discovered missing from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center during a headcount on the afternoon of May 8, according to Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney. They had escaped through the fence the night before but were erroneously considered accounted for during three subsequent headcounts, according to Carney.
Hurst had initially been brought to the facility in March 2021 on multiple counts of murder, while Grant was being held since September 2022 on charges including criminal conspiracy, narcotics and firearm violations.
Two people have been arrested in connection with their escape, police said. Michael Abrams and Xianni Stalling, both 21, face charges including escape, conspiracy and hindering apprehension.
(NEW YORK) — A member of the Idaho jury that convicted Lori Vallow Daybell in the murders of her two youngest children is speaking out for the first time.
“Growing up, you talk about good and bad, god and evil. And I think for the first time in my life, I put a face to evil,” juror Saul Hernandez told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Wednesday on Good Morning America.
Lori and her husband, Chad Daybell, were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the 2019 deaths of her two youngest children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow. The children were last seen alive in September 2019 and were reported missing by extended family members that November. Their remains were found on Chad’s property in eastern Idaho’s Fremont County in June 2020, according to authorities.
The couple were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad’s ex-wife, 49-year-old Tamara Daybell, who died of asphyxiation of in October 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married. Chad was also charged with his former wife’s murder.
Both Lori and Chad pleaded not guilty to their charges. Last month, a Fremont County judge allowed their cases to be tried separately, with Lori’s first and Chad’s expected to start at a later date.
Lori was deemed fit to stand trial last year following a 10-month stint at an Idaho mental health facility. Her defense attorneys had said they did not plan to raise a mental health defense at the guilt-phase portion of the trial.
During Lori’s six-week trial, prosecutors argued that she and her husband thought the children were zombies and murdered them. Chad has authored many religious fiction books and is Lori’s fifth husband. The couple both reportedly adhered to a doomsday ideology, with Lori at one point claiming she was “a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming in July 2020” and didn’t want anything to do with her family “because she had a more important mission to carry out,” according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
The defense characterized Lori as a devoted mother who loved her children and Jesus, but that all changed near the end of 2018 when she met Chad.
As a juror, Hernandez said he felt Lori’s beliefs began with “curiosity” but were solidified “once Chad came into the picture.”
“They wanted to believe something that only applied and benefited them, only applied and benefited those people they liked, their circle that they liked and they wanted to be around,” Hernandez told ABC News.
Prosecutors argued that Lori set a plan for the children’s murder in motion in October 2018 “using money, power and sex,” and that she and her husband “used religion to manipulate others.” Lori was additionally charged with grand theft related to Social Security survivor benefits allocated for the care of her children that prosecutors said were appropriated after they were reported missing and ultimately found dead. Meanwhile, Chad was additionally charged with two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he had on Tamara for which prosecutors said he was the beneficiary.
Prosecutors also shared photographs of Lori and Chad dancing on a beach during their wedding in Hawaii when her children’s bodies were buried in his backyard. Hernandez told ABC News that he was “disgusted” by the images while sitting in the jury.
“I didn’t want to look at them,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe how someone can be that happy when your kids are in the ground. And the person that was key in all of this is sitting across from you, smiling at you and dancing with you on the beach.”
Last Friday at a Boise courthouse, the 12-member jury reached a verdict after two days of deliberations, finding Lori guilty on all charges. The defense declined to comment on the verdict at the time.
Hernandez revealed that the deliberations took two days because he was the only juror holding out on one of the murder charges.
“I just didn’t feel like at that timeline with Tylee, we were quite there yet,” he told ABC News. “And if we were, I perhaps was missing it.”
But on the second day, after reviewing the evidence, Hernandez agreed that Lori was guilty.
“I don’t think, as a human being, you are ever really prepared to experience this,” he told ABC News. “As the case progressed, as the evidence came to light, testimony was shared, it was harder to look at her.”
Lori faces up to life in prison without parole. The judge had granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the death penalty in her case.
(RALEIGH, N.C.) — The North Carolina Legislature voted Tuesday night to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a 12-week abortion ban.
Republican lawmakers passed the bill along party lines last week, which reduced the state’s ban on abortion from 20 weeks to the end of the first trimester, but it was quickly blocked by the Democratic governor.
However, Republicans hold a super majority in both the Senate and the House after Rep. Tricia Cotham switched from the Democratic party to the GOP in April and were able to nullify Cooper’s veto.
The bill, known as “The Care for Women, Children and Families Act,” offers exceptions in cases of rape and incest up to 20 weeks’ gestation and for fetal anomalies up to 24 weeks’ gestation.
The current exception that allows an abortion if the life of the mother is in danger will remain in place.
Before an abortion is performed, pregnant people must receive a consultation in-person at least 72 hours prior to the procedure about the potential risks of receiving an abortion and other options, including adoption or that the father is liable to pay child support.
Research has shown that abortions performed in a clean area with properly trained staff are very safe. Between 2013 and 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the national case-fatality rate was 0.41 abortion-related deaths per 100,000 legal abortions.
The pregnant person must also receive an ultrasound prior to the abortion as well as a notice that they can look at “the remains” after the procedure is completed.
Providers who perform an abortion past 12 weeks will be required to provide information to the state Department of Health and Human Services, including “the probable gestational age” of the fetus, its measurements and an ultrasound image as well as how the provider determined the pregnancy fell into one of the exceptions.
Any physician who violates the bill will be subject to discipline from the North Carolina Medical Board, which includes potentially being placed on probation, public reprimanding, paying a fine, educational training or having their license revoked.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade over the summer, 15 states have ceased nearly all abortion services.
Florida will be the 16th state once a new six-week abortion ban is implemented — but only if the state’s current 15-week ban is upheld as legal challenges play out in court.
Additionally, Utah passed a bill earlier this year banning abortion clinics in the state. Starting May 3, the state’s health department would not be allowed to grant new licenses, but it was blocked by a state judge Tuesday.
(KEENE, Texas) — A man and a 12-year-old boy were charged with murder after the pre-teen allegedly shot and killed a Sonic Drive-In employee in Texas, according to authorities.
Police responded to 911 calls Saturday night about a shooting at the fast-food restaurant in the 300 block of South Old Betsy Road in Keene, Texas, the Keene Police Department said.
Police allege that 20-year-old Angel Gomez was behaving disorderly in the parking lot of Sonic when he was confronted by Matthew Davis, 32, an employee at Sonic.
ABC News reached out to Sonic for comment but have not yet received one.
According to Keene police, the argument between Davis and Gomez turned physical, leading the 12-year-old, who was a passenger in the vehicle Gomez arrived in, to allegedly grab a gun and shoot Davis.
Gomez and the 12-year-old allegedly fled the scene after the shooting, police said.
Upon arriving at the scene, police found Davis on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was airlifted to Harris Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to law enforcement officials.
During the police investigation into the shooting, Gomez returned to the scene and was arrested, Keene police said.
The ongoing investigation led authorities to find the juvenile suspect in the town of Rio Vista and take him into custody. Police also discovered multiple firearms.
Davis’ family set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs and according to the page, Davis leaves behind a 10-year-old son.
