E. Jean Carroll leaves the courthouse on Sept. 6, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined a request from President Donald Trump to reconsider its rejection of his appeal in the 2023 E. Jean Carroll case.
The decision means it’s the end of the line for Trump’s bid to overturn a $5 million jury award to Carroll, which the writer’s representatives said was paid in July.
The Court did not explain its decision and there were no noted dissents. No request for a rehearing has been granted since the 1960s.
A jury determined in 2023 that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, and that he defamed her in a 2022 social media post by calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!”
In 2024, following a separate trial, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegations of sexual abuse.
Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, is continuing to appeal that judgment with a petition to the justices currently pending. They are expected to decide later this year whether or not to take up the case.
In his appeal, Trump alleges that his 2019 comments about Carroll — which were later found to be defamatory — were “official” statements as president and therefore immune from use in a legal case against him.
Nick Reiner appears with Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on February 23, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Chris Torres/Pool/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — The fight over Nick Reiner’s trust fund is expected to play out Monday in probate court in Los Angeles, with the 32-year-old looking to access money from the fund for his defense.
Nick Reiner is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, renowned director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, in the family’s home in December.
An indictment unsealed last week charges Nick Reiner with two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait, according to prosecutors. He also faces a special allegation that he used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife. The 32-year-old pleaded not guilty and has been appointed a public defender.
Nick Reiner is now looking to access more than $500,000 he says he’s owed from a trust fund, saying he wants to use that money for his legal defense.
A financial steward for the trust fund argues that a piece of California law known as the “slayer statute” prevents a person from receiving trust fund money from a person they intentionally killed.
The steward said Nick Reiner is innocent until proven guilty, and if he’s found not guilty, he would get the money. However, if the funds were given to Nick Reiner now and he were later found guilty, there would be no way of getting the money back.
Nick Reiner remains held on no bond and is next due in court on Sept. 15 for a pretrial hearing. No trial date has been set.
Indonesian military and rescue personnel search through debris at a damaged building following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on August 15, 2026. (Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas/Handout))
(NEW YORK) — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Indonesia just hours after a more powerful magnitude 7.7 quake struck off the coast of the eastern part of the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
At least 47 people have been killed, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), with the earthquakes knocking down some buildings and leading hundreds to evacuate amid fears of a tsunami, officials said.
At least six others were injured and two more are missing, according to the Associated Press.
More than 300 houses were destroyed or damaged, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency.
More than 100 public facilities have also been destroyed or damaged, including 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, six offices and five places of worship.
Emergency crews, including members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, were conducting evacuations and assessing damage.
The agency said the earthquake, which struck shortly before 5 a.m. local time, was strongly felt across the province of East Nusa Tenggara.
The quake initially triggered fears of a tsunami, and a warning from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, issuing alerts to stay away from beaches and calls for people to evacuate. However, those warnings later expired, according to the Associated Press.
Before then, about 2,000 residents in the Nagekeo Regency on the Flores island “carried out self-evacuation as a precautionary measure after the earthquake and due to the early warning of a tsunami,” the disaster management agency said.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located about 60 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to USGS.
There were a number of strong aftershocks reported nearby, including a 6.1 quake and a 5.9 quake also north of Ende, according to the USGS.
Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11, 2026, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione admitted to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking counts.
Mangione, wearing tan prison clothes, addressed the court himself, saying, “After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back … I learned UnitedHealth would be holding an investor conference in New York City.”
“I then researched the event online. I observed the annual conference of America’s largest healthcare organization with the stated mission to make the healthcare system better for everyone,” he said.
“I traveled to New York and emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to kill Brian Thompson … I shot Mr. Thompson in the back,” he said, adding, “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Earlier in the hearing, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the court, “Mr. Mangione is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time,” and Mangione himself then affirmed he was prepared to plead guilty.
Members of Thompson’s family, including his wife and mother, are sitting in the front row of the courtroom, marking the first time they’re appearing in court. Thompson’s wife appeared to be crying as the hearing began. Executives from UnitedHealthcare are also in attendance.
When asked for his full name, Mangione replied, “Luigi Nicolas Mangione,” and he affirmed his age, 28, and schooling at the University of Pennsylvania.
He told the judge he took a sleep medication two days ago but said it did not cloud his judgment.
The judge asked Mangione if he understood that he’d give up his right to a trial if he pleaded guilty, and Mangione responded yes.
Federal prosecutor Dominic Gentile explained that Mangione stalked Thompson with the intent to kill him and his conduct resulted in Thompson’s death.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett told Mangione a guilty plea would expose him to a possible life sentence.
“Do you understand that?” the judge asked, and Mangione replied, “yes.”
The judge confirmed there is no plea deal.
A guilty plea could complicate Mangione’s murder prosecution in state court, where trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. His federal trial was set for Jan. 5.
Defense attorneys have already tried to dismiss the murder charges on double jeopardy grounds. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is prepared to move forward, arguing stalking and murder address different harms.
About three dozen members of the public — including at least one person who camped out in a tent overnight — lined up outside the courthouse Friday morning to try to secure a seat in the courtroom.
Mangione’s supporters are often outspoken during his hearings, but there were little-to-no demonstrators on Friday morning. And with the federal court limiting what members of the public can wear, Mangione’s supporters were not donning their normal shirts proclaiming his innocence.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, in Midtown Manhattan, and he was captured in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that Mangione was indicted on first-degree murder charges on Dec. 17, 2024, and federal prosecutors announced separate charges of stalking and murder on Dec. 19, 2024.
Mangione pleaded not guilty in the separate state and federal cases.
The charges in both cases have narrowed over the last year. In the federal case, Garnett in January threw out the murder and firearm charges, leaving two counts: stalking – travel in interstate commerce and stalking – use of interstate facilities.
In the state case, Judge Gregory Carro last September dismissed the first-degree murder and terrorism charges. In the state case, Mangione is still charged with murder in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second-degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, third-degree and fourth-degree.
Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11, 2026, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Mangione has come to this point once before and backed out. If he moves forward with the anticipated guilty plea, he is guaranteed no leniency. According to sources, there is no plea bargain with federal prosecutors and Mangione could face life in prison.
A guilty plea could complicate Mangione’s murder prosecution in state court, where trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. His federal trial was set for Jan. 5.
Defense attorneys have already tried to dismiss the murder charges on double jeopardy grounds. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is prepared to move forward, arguing stalking and murder address different harms.
Members of Thompson’s family, including his widow, and executives from UnitedHealthcare are expected in the federal courtroom in Manhattan for Friday’s 11 a.m. hearing. Members of Mangione’s family are not expected to attend, sources said.
About three dozen members of the public — including at least one person who camped out in a tent overnight — lined up outside the courthouse Friday morning to try to secure a seat in the courtroom.
Mangione’s supporters are often outspoken during his hearings, but there were little-to-no demonstrators on Friday morning. And with the federal court limiting what members of the public can wear, Mangione’s supporters were not donning their normal shirts proclaiming his innocence.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, in Midtown Manhattan, and he was captured in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that Mangione was indicted on first degree murder charges on Dec. 17, 2024, and federal prosecutors announced separate charges of stalking and murder on Dec. 19, 2024.
Mangione pleaded not guilty in the separate state and federal cases.
The charges in both cases have narrowed over the last year. In the federal case, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in January threw out the murder and firearm charges, leaving two counts: stalking – travel in interstate commerce and stalking – use of interstate facilities.
In the state case, Judge Gregory Carro last September dismissed the first-degree murder and terrorism charges. In the state case, Mangione is still charged with murder in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second-degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, third-degree and fourth-degree.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Lala continues to track through the central Pacific Ocean and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Lala is moving west-northwest at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and is approximately 455 miles east-southeast of Hilo.
Hurricane warnings remain up for Hawaii County while tropical storm watches remain in place for Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe.
Lala is forecasted to continue gradually strengthening Friday into Saturday as it makes a close approach to the Big Island early Saturday.
While the exact timing and intensity of the impacts are still uncertain and will ultimately depend on how close Lala tracks to the Hawaiian islands, heavy rain, strong winds and rough surf impacts are likely this weekend.
Heavy rainfall and gusty winds will begin to impact the Big Island Friday, bringing the possibility of life-threatening mudslides and landslides, especially across areas with steep terrain.
Lala is forecasted to bring rainfall of 8 to 12 inches across Maui and the Big Island, with the highest totals reaching up to 25 inches across the higher elevations of the Big Island. The remainder of the Hawaiian Islands are forecasted to receive 4 to 6 inches of rainfall.
Large and dangerous surf, especially on the Big Island, is also expected this weekend. The greatest impacts are expected along exposed windward and southern shores. The prolonged period of heavy surf may cause localized coastal flooding and significant beach erosion.
Isabelle Johnson, 38, has been charged with killing 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Florida)
(FREEPORT, Fla.) — Isabelle Johnson, a suspected murderer who authorities say had been using multiple disguises and identities, has been arrested and taken into custody, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
“We got her,” officials said in a post on social media late Thursday. “Isabelle Johnson is in custody.”
Johnson, 38, has been charged with the murder of 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart who was found dead in a shallow grave in June in Florida after he had gone missing in May, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say Johnson used multiple identities to evade authorities, calling her a “master manipulator.”
Coulthart was reported missing on May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums complex in Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.
Unidentified remains were found on a Freeport, Florida, property on June 25 — after investigators were able to identify where Coulthart’s body had been buried, according to the sheriff’s office.
A DNA match confirmed the remains were Coulthart’s in July, the sheriff’s office said.
Five others have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder, including two people accused of aiding Johnson evade investigators, the sheriff’s office said.
Tarps are hung on scaffolding outside The Kennedy Center on June 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Kennedy Center board voted on Thursday to close the famed cultural institution for two years for renovations and to again add President Donald Trump’s name to the facade, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, said in a statement.
U.S. sailors tow an EA-18G Growler, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 133, on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, July 30, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
(WASHINGTON) — The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on Wednesday demanding more information about the extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln amid the war with Iran and raising further questions about the Navy’s ability to preserve service members’ well-being while sustaining its current “operational tempo.”
In his letter, Sen. Richard Blumenthal noted the Lincoln has been deployed for more than 250 days and has gone more than 200 days without a port call.
“There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages en route to the ship to be lost in transit for months,” Blumenthal wrote. “These reports warrant immediate attention, but they also raise a broader question: whether the Navy can sustain the operational tempo now being demanded of its carrier force, particularly as this Administration repeatedly commits U.S. forces to conflicts of its own choosing and increasingly relies on aircraft carriers to sustain those operations.”
His letter comes amid reports that the sailors are exhausted and, according to Military Times, one family member alleges a sailor attempted to go overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that a sailor went overboard last month from the Lincoln and was quickly recovered. The incident is under investigation, the official said.
Hegseth on Thursday pushed back on reports of a sailor going overboard from the Lincoln and accounts of sailors struggling through an unusually long deployment have been “completely misrepresented.”
“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth told Newsmax. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.”
A Navy official told ABC News in a statement that the Lincoln has not seen an uptick in mental health issues and has “not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.”
But it acknowledged sailors are strained.
“We know that extended deployments place a significant strain on our service members and their families, and we are grateful for the resilience and sacrifices they make in support of our nation’s security,” the statement said.
A U.S. official told ABC News on Thursday that the Navy’s data shows its not uncommon for suicidal ideation to occur on deployed ships and that typically the rates are higher at the start of a deployment. The official said the data shows the Lincoln is following that trend and so far there have been no deaths or suicides since the it departed from San Diego last November.
The 5,000 sailors aboard the carrier have access to mental health assistance as well as chaplains, according to the official.
The ship was slated for a normal six-month deployment to the Pacific but has been extended on an unusually long nine-month deployment due to the war with Iran, where it was redirected earlier this year. It’s not clear when it will be allowed home and is currently serving in North Arabian Sea.
Cao told Lincoln families during a town hall last week that another carrier will eventually swap out with the Lincoln, though he did not provide a timeline.
A U.S. official told ABC News on Thursday that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is homeported in Japan, will replace the Lincoln as part of a long-planned rotation of ships.
Blumenthal notes in his letter that the Lincoln is not an isolated case, highlighting the prolonged deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford earlier this year.
“Recent carrier deployments have repeatedly stretched beyond their originally anticipated durations, suggesting that extended deployments may be becoming a feature rather than an exception of the Navy’s force-generation model,” Blumenthal wrote.
Blumenthal wrote that Lincoln’s extended deployment is especially concerning because of the war.
“The Administration has yet to adequately explain the objectives, end state, or anticipated duration of those operations. If the Administration intends to maintain a prolonged military campaign or an elevated carrier presence in the region, it must explain how it intends to ensure today’s operational requirements do not create tomorrow’s readiness crisis,” Blumenthal wrote.
The letter requests responses from Hegseth and Cao about the Navy’s plan for sustaining carrier strike groups in the Middle East for the next 12 to 24 months, about who authorized extensions of the Lincoln’s deployments and when, and about what military objective the Lincoln’s extended deployment is aimed at achieving.
Blumenthal also requests an accounting of the “habitability, supply and quality-of-life problems” aboard the Lincoln, and he asks for further information on what metrics the Navy is using to address “fatigue, morale, mental health and crew readiness.”
Blumenthal is not the only Democrat to weigh in.
Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee, told CNN on Thursday that reports of a sailor jumping from the ship are “another reminder of how the president and his team, while asking for a huge increase in defense spending for all sorts of exotic new undertakings like the Trump-class battleship or Golden Dome missile defense system, are not making the investments in the daily lives and the care and the support of our sailors and soldiers, airmen and marines that they deserve.”
Coons said this is an example of how the U.S. has “pushed our Navy to the limit.”
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement to ABC News, “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are committed to ensuring that the brave American patriots serving our country in uniform are equipped with the resources necessary to counter any threat to the United States.” Coons said he is only aware of media reports about the Lincoln and has not been briefed on it.
Coons blamed “unscheduled, unplanned deployments to the Southern Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific for repeated strikes against Venezuela and alleged drug boats, long deployments into the Middle East” and the “now six month war against Iran and deployments around the world because of increasing threats” for straining the Navy.
Democrats earlier this year blocked the Senate from proceeding with consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act, a massive, must-pass defense bill that authorizes pay raises for the troops and funding for the military, due to their objection to the administration’s actions in Iran that Congress has not authorized.
A number Democrats in Congress have posted concerns about the Lincoln. Sen Ruben Gallego called for the Navy to allow a bipartisan congressional delegation to visit the Lincoln and investigate.
Sen. Mary Kelly wrote that “long deployments are hard” but that “they are a lot harder when the mission isn’t well defined and there is no end in sight.”
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Lala has formed in the central Pacific Ocean and is forecast to strengthen, possibly nearing hurricane strength, in the coming days as it approaches the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday.
A hurricane watch was issued Thursday for the Big Island.
The storm is currently about 680 miles east-southeast from Hilo, Hawaii, on the east coast of the Big Island, as of Thursday afternoon. Winds are 40 mph.
Tropical Storm Lala could reach near-hurricane strength in the next several days as the storm is forecast to gradually strengthen.
The storm is currently moving west at 10 mph. It is expected to pass near or just south of the Big Island on Saturday and pass south of the other Hawaiian islands the rest of the weekend.
Heavy rain, strong winds and rough surf are likely this weekend. The exact timing and intensity of the impacts are still uncertain and will depend on the Lala’s exact track.
Heavy rainfall on the Big Island on Friday could bring life-threatening mudslides and landslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.
