National

(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills into law on on Friday that seek to limit the harm caused by social media to children and teens by requiring parents and guardians to consent to their children having accounts and by prohibiting social media companies from designing addictive features.

“Our administration is very concerned about how social media is affecting our children. Youth rates of depression and other mental health issues are on the rise, and social media companies know their products are toxic,” Cox said in a recording posted online. “As leaders and as parents we have a responsibility to protect our young people.”

As of March 1, 2024, social media companies will be required to verify the adult age of Utah residents seeking to open or maintain social media accounts. Those under the age of 18 will need the consent of a parent or guardian.

Social media companies will also be required to allow parents full access to their child’s account, create curfew settings that blocks access overnight, prohibit direct messages from anyone the child hasn’t followed or friended and block underage accounts from search results.

Social media companies will also be prohibited from collecting a child’s data or target their accounts for advertising, according to the law.

Violations may be reported to the Consumer Protection Division, which can fine social media companies up to $2,500 per violation and can seek additional remedies through courts.

A second law, which will go into effect on Dec. 31, will implement penalties on social media companies that target users under the age of 18 with addictive algorithms. Social media companies will be prohibited from “using a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction to the company’s social media platform,” according to the law.

Violators could face a fine of $250,000 and a penalty of up to $2,500 per child who is exposed to an addictive feature. Companies that perform quarterly audits and address addictive feature violations within 30 days could avoid the fine, according to the law.

Parents will also be able to sue social media companies directly for the financial, physical or emotional harm to their children. For those under the age of 16, harm would be presumed under the law and social media companies would have to prove otherwise.

“Utah’s leading the way in holding social media companies accountable – and we’re not slowing down anytime soon,” Cox said in a tweet.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.) — The Fairfax County Police Department released body camera footage of the fatal police shooting of Timothy Johnson, 37, who allegedly stole a pair of sunglasses in a Northern Virginia mall.

The surveillance and body camera videos from Feb. 22 were shown publicly for the first time during a Thursday press conference led by Police Chief Kevin Davis, who announced that the officer who fired the fatal shot has been dismissed from the department.

“The other discharging officer has been served a notice administratively separating him from the Fairfax County Police Department. This notice was served today. He will no longer be a Fairfax County police officer,” Davis said.

The other officer involved has been placed on modified restricted duty, he said.

Melissa Johnson, the mother of Timothy Johnson, told ABC News she “was pleased to hear about the administrative separation” of one of the officers; however, she “was not pleased to hear about the continuation of restricted duty” for the other.

“They both discharged their weapons. They both had their weapons out,” Johnson’s mother said, adding that for the first time since Wednesday, she felt like she could breathe.

She also told ABC News that she viewed the body camera video Wednesday before it was released.

“No parent should have to view something like that,” she said.

According to police, store surveillance video shows Johnson at a Nordstrom department store inside Tysons Corner Center allegedly stealing at least one pair of sunglasses.

Shortly after the alleged theft, an anti-theft alarm was activated as Johnson was leaving the store, police said, prompting officers to pursue Johnson in a foot chase.

Body camera footage shows police chasing Johnson as he exited the garage and ran toward a dark, wooded area. There, shots can be heard on the footage, one shot hitting Johnson’s chest, according to the police.

Police said they immediately rendered aid to Johnson until a local fire and rescue department arrived.

Johnson was then taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

According to Davis, “The officer’s actions do not meet the expectations of our police department.”

“They drew their guns and shot and killed him and the only thing they knew was that he was accused of allegedly taking a pair of sunglasses,” Melissa Johnson said at a previous press conference.

Police said no weapon was found at the scene.

Both officers are both still under investigation, according to the police department.

The officers did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MONTICELLO, Minn.) — A Minnesota nuclear plant where 400,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked last year is temporarily shutting down after discovering a smaller leak this week.

Xcel Energy said it will begin powering down its plant in Monticello on Friday to expedite repairs needed to permanently resolve a leak of tritium-contaminated water. The length of the shutdown has not yet been determined but should not impact customers’ electric service, the Minneapolis-based utility company said.

Xcel Energy and state agencies publicly announced last week the initial leak of roughly 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium — a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants that emits low levels of radiation.

The initial leak was detected in late November through routine groundwater monitoring systems and occurred in a water pipe that runs between two buildings at the plant, which is located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

The leak does not pose any health and safety risk to the local community or the environment and the tritium levels are below Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety thresholds, Xcel Energy said. State officials monitoring the cleanup of the water also said the leak had not reached the Mississippi River or contaminated drinking water sources.

Xcel Energy said it had been capturing the water from the leaking pipe and rerouting it back into the plant for re-use until it could install a replacement pipe in mid-April. Though on Wednesday, monitoring equipment indicated that over the past two days “a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater,” the company said in a press release on Thursday.

The new leakage is estimated to be in the “hundreds of gallons” and “will not materially increase the amount of tritium the company is working to recover and does not pose any risk to health or the environment,” Xcel Energy said.

Continued monitoring has determined that the leaked water “remains fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water,” the company said.

“While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,” Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement. “We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process.”

The company reported to state officials on Thursday that the new leak was still ongoing, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which is overseeing the cleanup of the impacted groundwater along with the Minnesota Department of Health.

The agencies said they are “encouraged” by the “immediate action” taken by Xcel Energy to address the leak.

“State agencies have no evidence at this point to indicate a current or imminent risk to the public and will continue to monitor groundwater samples. Should an imminent risk arise, we will inform the public promptly,” the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a statement Thursday.

So far about 32% of the released tritium has been recovered, Xcel Energy said Thursday.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A dangerous tornado outbreak is headed to the South, where intense, long-track tornadoes reaching EF-3 or higher are possible Friday afternoon and evening.

Damaging winds and large hail are also a threat all the way to Tennessee and Indiana, as is flash flooding, which could stretch from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania.

The storms will start up in eastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas Friday afternoon and will strengthen in the evening along the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee.

To the north, along the Ohio River Valley, Friday thunderstorms could spark several inches of rain and flash flooding.

The same storm system will bring snow from Iowa to Michigan on Saturday morning.

This storm will then move into the Northeast on Saturday, bringing rainy, windy and chilly conditions.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) — Arizona officials are searching for a large coyote who they say injured two toddlers in separate attacks in Scottsdale this week.

Both toddlers were treated for minor injuries and released following the incidents on Saturday and Wednesday, according to Arizona’s Game and Fish Department.

“The coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past,” the department said in a statement on Thursday. “Parents of toddlers in the area should keep their children close when outdoors and be vigilant.”

The Game and Fish Department said it’s patrolling the area with help from Scottsdale police.

The department asks anyone who spots a coyote to immediately call 623-236-7201.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel investigators are expected to question Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran Friday in testimony that could prove key to their decision on whether to charge former President Donald Trump with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Corcoran was expected to testify as soon as Friday, sources said, after an appeals court ruled Wednesday that Corcoran must testify in the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving the White House.

The three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Trump’s attorneys to block Corcoran from having to testify and hand over records to special counsel Jack Smith’s team, according to court records.

The appeals court ruling came five days after D.C. district judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which Corcoran had previously asserted attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the filing told ABC News.

According to sources familiar with the filing, Smith wants information from Corcoran on whether Trump or anyone else in his employ was aware of the signed certification that was drafted by Corcoran and signed by Trump attorney Christina Bobb, which was submitted in response to a May 11 subpoena from the DOJ seeking all remaining documents with classified markings in Trump’s possession.

That certification was later discovered to be false, prompting the eventual court-authorized search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in which FBI investigators recovered more than 100 classified documents — including some located in Trump’s personal office, according to previously released court documents.

Smith’s investigators specifically want to ask Corcoran whether Trump was aware of the statements in the certification, which claimed a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago had been conducted, and if Trump approved of it being provided to the government, sources familiar with the filing said.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents.

“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” a Trump spokesperson told ABC News Wednesday. “The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle. The real story here is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

Katherine Faulders and Alexander Mallin, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel investigators are expected to question Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran Friday in testimony that could prove key to their decision on whether to charge former President Donald Trump with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Corcoran was expected to testify as soon as Friday, sources said, after an appeals court ruled Wednesday that Corcoran must testify in the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving the White House.

The three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Trump’s attorneys to block Corcoran from having to testify and hand over records to special counsel Jack Smith’s team, according to court records.

The appeals court ruling came five days after D.C. district judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which Corcoran had previously asserted attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the filing told ABC News.

According to sources familiar with the filing, Smith wants information from Corcoran on whether Trump or anyone else in his employ was aware of the signed certification that was drafted by Corcoran and signed by Trump attorney Christina Bobb, which was submitted in response to a May 11 subpoena from the DOJ seeking all remaining documents with classified markings in Trump’s possession.

That certification was later discovered to be false, prompting the eventual court-authorized search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in which FBI investigators recovered more than 100 classified documents — including some located in Trump’s personal office, according to previously released court documents.

Smith’s investigators specifically want to ask Corcoran whether Trump was aware of the statements in the certification, which claimed a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago had been conducted, and if Trump approved of it being provided to the government, sources familiar with the filing said.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents.

“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” a Trump spokesperson told ABC News Wednesday. “The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle. The real story here is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Four Florida families filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, Board of Medicine, and Board of Osteopathic Medicine, over the state ban against gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

The ban prohibits puberty blockers, hormones, cross-hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for people under the age of 18. The families behind the lawsuit have transgender youth who would be impacted by the restriction.

The families say they fear for their children’s mental and physical health as some studies have shown gender-affirming care has been found to improve mental health of transgender youth.

According to the press release regarding the suit, the Does are a military family who moved to Florida when John Doe was stationed there as a Senior Officer in the U.S. Navy. Jane Doe said she has concerns about her 11-year-old daughter receiving the care she needs.

“Like most parents, my husband and I want nothing more than for our daughter to be healthy, happy, and safe,” said Jane Doe, concerning her 11-year-old daughter, in the release. “Being able to consult with our team of doctors to understand what our daughter is experiencing and make the best, most informed decisions about her care has been critically important for our family.”

She continued, “This ban takes away our right to provide her with the next step in her recommended treatment when she reaches puberty.”

Another family, called the Boes for anonymity, are also challenging the ban on behalf of their 14-year-old son.

“This ban puts me and other Florida parents in the nightmare position of not being able to help our child when they need us most,” said Brenda Boe. “My son has a right to receive appropriate, evidence-based medical care … That has been ripped away by this cruel and discriminatory rule.”

Gender-affirming care has been targeted across the country – with at least eight states with policies or laws that restrict it.

However, major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary for transgender people.

In an email from the Department of Health to ABC News, a spokesperson responded with a gif of Gov. Ron DeSantis that stated “If you want to waste your time on a stunt, that’s fine. But I’m not wasting my time on your stunt.”

Ladapo, the Board of Medicine, and Board of Osteopathic Medicine have not yet responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) — For autistic drivers, a police stop or emergency while driving can be a scary situation, according to Joanne G. Quinn, the executive director of the non-profit, The Autism Project.

Sirens, flashing lights, and a law enforcement member asking questions can be too much to handle for someone who is autistic, Quinn, who has an autistic son, told ABC News.

“There is no way to know how you’ll react in one of those encounters,” she said. “And sometimes individuals’ reactions or how they answer a question can get them into trouble with an officer who doesn’t know they’re autistic.”

A bill introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives this week would give autistic drivers an option to alert others about their disability with special designations on their license and vehicle.

Lawmakers said it would improve the safety of autistic drivers, however, some advocates argued that in its current form, the specialized license could lead to discrimination and harassment.

Rhode Island House Rep. Samuel Azzinaro introduced the bill that would allow the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to offer an optional driver’s license “that is clearly marked ‘autism,'” and decals that are “marked ‘autism'” that can be affixed to a vehicle in a “conspicuous place,” according to the legislation’s current language.

Drivers would also have the option of receiving blue envelopes that contain “information regarding ways to enhance effective communication between a police officer and a person with autism spectrum disorder,” the bill said.

Connecticut launched a similar blue envelope program for autistic drivers in 2020.

Quinn said she supported the bill’s purpose, because it would help resolve an ongoing issue affecting the autistic community, which is communication between them and law enforcement.

She said first responder academies have been improving their training to understand how to communicate with autistic individuals properly, and her group has made videos to educate those departments about the community.

However, Quinn said there is still work to be done, especially when it comes to emergencies, and a designated license and information card would go a long way.

“Either it’s a pullover or a crash, they see the [marker], hopefully, they are educated to know what it is, and in the glove compartment is information about the driver,” Quinn said. “The purpose for our community is if it’s a stop in the highway it gives the officer a heads up.”

During a hearing on the bill Wednesday, some autistic residents also expressed support. Toby Silva, a 17-year-old Rhode Island resident who spoke through an electronic device, told lawmakers that he researched the Connecticut law and said Rhode Island would benefit from similar options for drivers.

“The goal is to avoid misunderstanding between the officer and the driver,” he said.

Some advocates, however, warned that putting an autistic person’s disability in big letters on an official ID can lead to problems.

Mireille Sayaf, the executive director of the Ocean State Center For Independent Living, sent a letter to the House of Representatives’ Health & Human Services Committee Wednesday, noting that such a designation on an official identification document would “lead to stereotyping and breaches of the individual’s confidentiality.”

“While the intent behind the bill to improve interactions with law enforcement is good, we feel that there are less intrusive ways to accomplish this goal that would lead to less stigma for persons on the autism spectrum,” she wrote.

Quinn said she agreed that the wording or markings on those special licenses and car decals must be more discreet.

“There should be another way, like a blue dot, or strip that is subtle and law enforcement should be informed about it,” she said.

Azzinaro, who didn’t immediately return messages to ABC News’ request for comment, told the committee that the bill’s language is not final and he is open to tweaking it based on the community’s input.

He also told the committee that he would consider a recommendation for drivers to apply for a special placard on their dashboard.

Quinn said whatever comes of the bill, it is important that lawmakers hear more from autistic drivers and residents, and she encouraged the community to weigh in.

“We need the neurodivergent voice and we need them at the table to tell us what works best for them,” she said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Darryl Campbell, better known as the rapper and hip-hop podcaster Taxstone, was convicted Thursday in New York of manslaughter in connection with the 2016 shooting of a bodyguard during a concert at Irving Plaza.

A jury in Manhattan found Taxstone guilty of shooting and killing Ronald McPhatter and seriously injuring three others.

He will be sentenced next month for what District Attorney Alvin Bragg called a “tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue.”

The shooting stemmed from a longtime feud Taxstone had with Roland Collins, known as rapper Troy Ave, who testified against him, prosecutors said. McPhatter was Troy Ave’s bodyguard.

Rapper TI was performing when the shots were fired. Troy Ave was on deck to perform.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DENVER) — A student who was required to be patted down at the start of each school day allegedly shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver, authorities said.

The suspect, Austin Lyle, 17, fled the school after the Wednesday morning shooting, Denver police said. His body was discovered in nearby Park County on Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt, officials said.

Lyle allegedly shot the school administrators as they patted him down in the school’s office area, which officials said is away from other students and staff.

The injured faculty members were both hospitalized. Eric Sinclair remains in serious condition and Jerald Mason has since been released from the hospital, according to the hospital and school district.

The suspect’s daily searches were part of a “safety plan” that was a result of “previous behavior,” officials said at a Wednesday news conference.

Last year Lyle was expelled from Overland High School in Aurora for allegedly violating school policy, a spokesperson for the Cherry Creek School District told ABC News.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that in 2021 Lyle was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.

It is unclear if that is the same incident that led to his dismissal from Overland High School, but sources told ABC News that school leadership described Lyle to police as “potentially violent” and a “threat to the safety of the school” after a series of events in the 2021-2022 school year, including bringing a weapon to Overland High School prior to his dismissal.

This year at East High School, Lyle appeared to be a “loner” who didn’t seem to have friends, according to two East High School students who did not want to be named.

For East High School, Wednesday wasn’t the first incident of gun violence for the school this year.

Last month, East High School students went to a city council meeting to call for action on school safety and gun violence after a 16-year-old student was fatally shot near the school, according to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH.

The superintendent said Wednesday that the school will be closed for the rest of this week, and that the building will now have two armed officers present through the end of the school year.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, in a statement, said removing school resource officers was a “mistake” and said they should be quickly returned.

Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero announced Thursday that all district schools will be closed Friday for a “mental health day.”

“I want to extend my heartfelt apologies to the East High School community and the larger DPS community,” he said in a letter. “No student or employee should have to carry the fear of potential violence when they walk into our buildings each day.”

Marrero encouraged students to “pause and process the challenging events this year” and provided contact information for multiple support services.

He noted that among the year’s “challenging events” was a significant data breach this month that comprised many employee names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers and passport numbers. The breach was unrelated to the shooting.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that the administration’s “hearts go out to the families of the two school administrators and in Denver today and to the entire school community.”

Jean-Pierre noted that President Joe Biden unveiled another executive action aimed at tackling gun violence last week but that “as the president said in the State of the Union, Congress needs to do something.”

The mayor also called on Congress to pass “common sense” gun legislation.

“Parents are angry and frustrated, and they have a right to be,” he said. “Easy access to guns must be addressed in our country — Denver cannot do this alone.”

This shooting comes two years to the day after a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that claimed 10 lives.

ABC News’ Nic Uff and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.