(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has arrived for a hearing Monday in his classified documents case that is being held in a special secure facility due to the sensitive nature of the materials involved.
The hearing, in Fort Pierce, Florida, is being held under seal in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF — a specially-equipped secure room for viewing highly classified materials.
Trump’s co-defendants in the case, aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, are not attending the hearing as they do not have clearance to access classified information.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case, is hearing arguments from attorneys for Trump and his two co-defendants on their “defense theories of the case” and how “any classified information might be relevant or helpful to the defense,” according to a court filing detailing the schedule.
Special counsel Jack Smith will then present arguments to Judge Canon outside the presence of Trump’s attorneys.
The judge also asked the parties to reserve Tuesday for further proceedings “as necessary.”
During pretrial proceedings, Smith’s team and Trump’s attorneys have clashed over how much discovery information should be redacted — or completely withheld from public view — in certain court filings.
Judge Cannon previously ruled that Smith’s team must file a cache of documents on the public docket, but in a motion last week Smith urged Cannon to reconsider her ruling, saying that doing so would, among other things, reveal the names of potential witnesses in the case, “exposing them to significant and immediate risks of threats, intimidation, and harassment.”
“These risks are far from speculative in this case,” Smith argued in his filing. “Witnesses, agents, and judicial officers in this very case have been harassed and intimidated, and the further outing of additional witnesses will pose a similarly intolerable risk of turning their lives upside down.”
Smith is asking the judge to suspend her ruling until the matter is resolved, suggesting that he might try to appeal the ruling to a higher court if Cannon doesn’t reverse course.
The case is currently scheduled to go to trial on May 20, but ongoing disputes between the parties could delay that date.
Trump has been attempting to delay the trial for several months. In a court filing last year, Trump’s attorneys argued that the extraordinary nature of the case means there should be no reason to expedite the trial.
“Thus, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(A), based on the extraordinary nature of this action, there is most assuredly no reason for any expedited trial, and the ends of justice are best served by a continuance,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
Trump was indicted last June for allegedly refusing to return hundreds of classified documents and thwarting the government’s efforts to get them back. The former president has pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing.
Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
(HOUSTON) — A woman opened fire with a long gun inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Texas on Sunday afternoon before being shot and killed by off-duty police officers, authorities said.
The armed woman, who was between the ages of 30 and 35 years old, entered the Lakewood Church in Houston just before 2 p.m. local time alongside a 5-year-old boy, who was critically wounded in the shootout with police. A 57-year-old man, who is not believed to be involved in the incident, was also shot but is in stable condition, according to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner.
The suspect was gunned down by two off-duty officers who were working security at the church. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Finner said.
The injured child is hospitalized in critical condition, according to Finner.
When asked if the responding officers shot the child, the police chief told reporters he didn’t know. He added, “If it was, unfortunately, and that female, that suspect, put that baby in danger, I’m gonna put that blame on her.”
The suspect claimed to have a bomb, but no explosives were found by police, according to Finner.
“She had a long gun and it could’ve been a lot worse,” Finner said during a press conference on Sunday.
The shooting unfolded shortly before the church’s 2 p.m. Spanish language service was set to begin. Osteen’s Lakewood Church is one of the largest megachurches in the United States.
“I can only imagine what would have happened if this happened during the 11:00 service,” Osteen said. “She could have done much worse damage.”
(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 12, 9:09 AM
Israel knew location of 2 rescued hostages in Gaza for weeks, source says
The location of two hostages rescued early Monday from the Gaza Strip was known for weeks, but the special operation was delayed several times due to fears it would cost the hostages their lives, an Israeli source told ABC News.
It took Israeli forces about 40 minutes from the time they entered the building in Rafah in southern Gaza, where the two hostages were being held, to placing them on a helicopter that flew them out of the area, according to the Israeli source.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 9:00 AM
Netanyahu vows ‘continued military pressure, until total victory’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hailed the military’s announcement that two Israeli hostages were rescued from the war-torn Gaza Strip.
“Fernando and Louis, welcome home,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their release. Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages.”
“We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home,” he added.
The two hostages — Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 — were among those kidnapped in southwestern Israel and taken across the border to Gaza amid the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. They were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 12:41 AM
IDF spokesperson details hostage rescue
Members of the Israeli forces that saved two hostages from Rafah, shielded the hostages from gunfire with their own bodies during the rescue operation, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters during a briefing early Monday morning.
“Police SWAT team members protected the hostages with their own bodies” during the firefight that ensued when Israeli forces entered the room where the hostages were being held, Hagari said.
The rescue operation began at 1:49 a.m. local time on Monday, when IDF forces “breached the building,” he said. Armed Hamas militants were on the second floor, Hagari told reporters.
Israeli forces had been preparing for the operation to save the two hostages “for a while,” Hagari said.
ABC News’ Dana Savir
Feb 11, 3:48 PM
What we know about the conflict
The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 28,176 people have been killed and 67,611 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 383 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.
Feb 11, 3:19 PM
Biden speaks with Netanyahu about possible military operation in Rafah
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with Biden calling the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.”
In their Sunday call, Biden told Netanyahu a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians have fled to for safety, “should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring” civilian safety, the White House said in a statement.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought refuge in Rafah after being displaced from their homes since Israel’s military offensive began, according to the United Nations.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
A senior administration official told reporters that Biden’s “over the top” comment was “not specifically addressed” during the two leaders’ call on Sunday. Biden instead reiterated that he wants to see Hamas defeated, though it “must be done while ensuring that operations are … conducted in a way that ensures innocents are protected to the extent possible,” the official said.
When pressed on if Israel has indicated whether moving more than 1 million civilians in Rafah out of harm’s way is feasible, the senior official said that Israel has “made clear they would not contemplate an operation without it.”
The official added that plans to get enough U.S.-procured flour to feed nearly 1.5 million Gazan residents over six months are “coming along,” but that logistical issues need to be worked out.
In Biden’s nearly 45-minute phone call with Netanyahu, the two leaders spent about two-thirds of the conversation discussing the ongoing hostage deal negotiations, the senior official said.
The official said a framework for the hostage deal, which has been “a primary focus” for Biden over the last month, is now in place, though there are gaps that need to be worked through. Later, the official conceded that some of those gaps are “significant,” but said progress has been made in the last three weeks.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:41 AM
Biden Netanyahu to speak Sunday, US official says
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plan to speak Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News
Biden called the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.” When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:24 AM
Netanyahu defends Gaza bombardment after Biden criticizes ‘over the top’ defensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending the Israeli military’s continued bombardment of Gaza, targeting Hamas fighters, after President Joe Biden criticized the campaign as “over the top” given the dire conditions and high death toll in the Palestinian territory.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said he appreciated the president’s support thus far and laid the blame for civilian casualties on the Hamas terrorist group, which launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. Unprovoked attack, murderous attack on Oct. 7,” Netanyahu said, adding, “I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population in which the terrorists embed themselves and use them as human shields.” The Israel Defense Forces has said it is only targeting Hamas and other militants in Gaza and alleges that Hamas deliberately shelters behind civilians, which the group denies.
Karl pressed Netanyahu on the number of deaths, with the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health estimating more than 28,000 killed. Netanyahu acknowledged many civilians had been killed but claimed — without presenting evidence — that Israel’s military is currently killing more Hamas fighters than civilians.
Feb 10, 4:49 PM
IDF says it killed 120 Hamas terrorists, claims tunnels found in northern Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed approximately 120 Hamas terrorists and destroyed 20 Hamas infrastructure sites in Shati and Tel al-Hawa in northern Gaza.
The IDF said it found a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school which led to an underground tunnel which passes under the UNRWA’s headquarters in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel was over 2,296 feet long, according to the IDF. The IDF alleged that Hamas militants used the space under the UNRWA’s headquarters as an electrical supply room.
The UNWRA said it had no knowledge of the facility’s underground, but the “recent media reports” merit an “independent inquiry,” which the agency is unable to perform due to the ongoing war.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Feb 10, 6:34 AM
More deaths in Rafah as ‘disastrous’ invasion looms
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in Rafah early Saturday, just hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.
Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline but the announcement set off widespread panic as more than than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza’s territory.
It’s not clear where much of that population could turn to next as word of the potential invasion plans capped a week of increasingly public friction between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.
U.S. officials have said an invasion of Rafah without a plan for the civilian population would lead to disaster.
Feb 09, 2:58 PM
Hostage may have been killed from IDF attack in Gaza, Israeli forces say
The Israel Defense Forces presented information to the family of hostage Yossi Sharabi, who died in Gaza, telling the family that Sharabi may have been killed when a building adjacent to an IDF target in Gaza collapsed, ABC News has learned. It’s also possible Sharabi may have been killed by Hamas, the IDF said.
Sharabi was confirmed dead in mid-January, but this is the first time the IDF has presented their findings on how Sharabi may have died to his family.
The IDF has determined that the buildings its forces hit was a “legitimate target,” but also found “lessons” that were “learned regarding target approval processes and the required dialogue between all relevant military authorities for the approval of a target,” when reviewing how Sharabi died, ABC News has learned.
Feb 09, 10:16 AM
Israel says it will come up with plan to evacuate civilians in Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to come up with a “dual plan” to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip before “disbanding” Hamas battalions allegedly located there, according to his office.
“It is impossible to achieve the war objective of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday. “On the other hand, it is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones.”
“That is why the Prime Minister directed the IDF and the defense establishment to bring to the cabinet a dual plan for both the evacuation of the population and the disbanding of the battalions,” the office added.
Rafah is the southernmost governorate of Gaza, where more than half of the 2.3 million population has sought refuge after being displaced from their homes amid Israel’s military offensive in the Hamas-ruled enclave, according to the United Nations. The U.N. and other aid organizations have expressed concern over where civilians would go if Rafah, which the IDF previously designated a safe zone, becomes the next target in Israel’s war against Hamas.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 09, 7:16 AM
‘Thousands more could die’ if fighting escalates in Rafah, UNICEF warns
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund on Friday urged Israel and Hamas to refrain from escalating fighting in Rafah, the southernmost governorate in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people have sought refuge after being displaced from their homes.
“UNICEF is urgently calling on the parties to refrain from military escalation in Rafah Governorate in Gaza where over 600,000 children and their families have been displaced — many of them more than once,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “An escalation of the fighting in Rafah, which is already straining under the extraordinary number of people who have been displaced from other parts of Gaza, will mark another devastating turn in a war that has reportedly killed over 27,000 people — most of them women and children.”
“Thousands more could die in the violence or by lack of essential services, and further disruption of humanitarian assistance,” she added. “We need Gaza’s last remaining hospitals, shelters, markets and water systems to stay functional. Without them, hunger and disease will skyrocket, taking more child lives.”
ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Edward Szekeres and Morgan Winsor
Feb 08, 4:06 PM
US wouldn’t support Israel entering Rafah if civilians aren’t considered: Kirby
The U.S. would not support Israel sending its military into the southern Gaza city of Rafah — where many Gaza residents have fled for safety — if Israel does not consider the impact to civilians, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
“More than a million Palestinians are sheltering in and around Rafah. That’s where they were told to go,” Kirby said. “The Israeli military has a special obligation, as they conduct operations there or anywhere else, to make sure that they’re factoring in protection for civilian life — particularly civilians that were pushed into southern Gaza by operations further north.”
“Given the circumstances and the conditions there that we see right now, we think a military operation at this time would be a disaster for those people,” Kirby said.
Kirby noted that the U.S. has not seen any Israeli plans “that would convince us that they are about to or imminently going to conduct any kind of major operations in Rafah.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 08, 3:29 PM
State Department aware of reports of 2 US citizens detained in Gaza
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel acknowledged Thursday that the U.S. was aware of reports that two American citizens had been detained by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza but said he couldn’t share anything more.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens overseas,” Patel said. “We are aware of these reports, and we are currently seeking additional information. But I don’t have any additional information to share and would not be able to at this point, given the privacy considerations.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, “Obviously, this is the kind of thing to take very seriously. So, we’ll be talking to our Israeli counterparts and trying to get information, more context here, about what happened.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 08, 12:30 PM
Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in coming days, source says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in the coming days, an Israeli political source told ABC News.
Egypt and Qatar are co-hosting a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, according to Egyptian state TV.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Feb 08, 7:33 AM
Aid groups sound alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah
Aid organizations are sounding the alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah, the southernmost governorate of the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people are displaced.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned Thursday that expanded military operations on overcrowded Rafah would “lead to more civilian deaths and risk the aid system in Gaza coming to a halt.”
“An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to,” Angelita Caredda, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement. “Conditions in Rafah are already dire, and a full-scale Israeli military operation will lead to even more loss of civilian life. Aid workers have been grappling with insecurity and insufficient aid for months. Attacks in areas where they provide food, water and shelter means this life-saving support will be impeded, if not entirely stopped.”
“Repeated relocation orders issued by Israeli authorities over four months of hostilities have forced tens of thousands of people to flee multiple times to areas that are not safe and where shelter is not available,” Caredda added. “Palestinians are being pushed into tiny corners, narrow alleys, and overcrowded shelters while residential areas continue to be pounded.”
The Israel Defense Forces originally designated some of the relocation areas in Gaza as “safe zones,” but they have been heavily bombarded, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The United Nations estimates that 67% of the coastal enclave, or 246 square kilometers, has been placed under evacuation orders amid the latest outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas.
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee warned Wednesday that more military operations in Rafah would “significantly disrupt aid transfers from Egypt and prevent aid agencies from delivering even the most basic services to the Palestinian people who were told by Israel they would be safe there.”
“More than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million population are seeking refuge in Rafah, with the majority residing in temporary shelters, tents, or exposed to the elements,” Bob Kitchen, vice resident of emergencies at the IRC, said in a statement. “Within the last 48 hours, airstrikes on residential zones in Rafah have killed at least 11 Palestinians, two of them children. If Israel expands its operations further south, it would mean the renewed forced displacement of more than a million people who have nowhere left to go; and it would end the humanitarian lifeline from Egypt.”
“If they aren’t killed in the fighting, Palestinian children, women and men will be at risk of dying by starvation or disease,” Kitchen added. “There will no longer be a single ‘safe’ area for Palestinians to go to as their homes, markets, and health services have been annihilated.”
Both the IRC and the Norwegian Refugee Council are calling for the warring sides to agree to an immediate cease-fire.
Feb 07, 5:00 PM
Blinken: Hamas counteroffer has ‘clear nonstarters,’ but there’s ‘space for agreement’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes a hostage deal is still within reach, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier comments rejecting Hamas’ counteroffer.
“We had an opportunity to discuss with the Israeli government the response that Hamas sent last night to the proposal that the United States, Qatar and Egypt have put together to bring the remaining hostages and extend the humanitarian pause,” Blinken said at a news conference in Israel Wednesday. “What I can tell you about these discussions is that while there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas’ response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there.”
Blinken later added, “These things are always negotiations. It’s not flipping a light switch.”
Blinken said he plans to meet with the families of hostages on Thursday.
As for Israel’s growing offensive in Gaza, Blinken stressed that “any military operation that Israel undertakes needs to put civilians first and foremost in mind.”
Blinken said he had outlined specific measures the U.S. expected to see during his “extensive” talks with Netanyahu and Israeli national security leaders.
He said Israel should open a border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza to help improve the flow of humanitarian aid.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 07, 3:23 PM
Freed hostages react to Netanyahu rejecting deal
Freed Israeli hostages and families of those still being held hostage by Hamas are speaking out, pleading for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a hostage deal, after the prime minister on Wednesday rejected the current proposed deal.
Netanyahu called the deal “delusional,” and described it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre.
Adina Moshe, who was released after being held hostage for 49 days, said Wednesday, “We love our country. … But I want my country back and its morality that is gone.”
“I fear for the lives and fates of the hostages,” Moshe said. “I’m afraid we’ll have nothing to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please, prime minister: If you continue on this path, there will be no more hostages to release. Restore our trust — release them now.”
Sahar Calderon, a 16-year-old who was released after being held hostage for 54 days, said, “Every hour there was hell. . … A terrorist glared at me for 24 hours with murder in his eyes, and every minute I feared being raped.”
Calderon’s father is still being held hostage.
“I am grateful to the government for bringing me back, but what about my father, who is abandoned anew every day, uncertain if he will live or die?” she said. “Bring him back — do not make me lose faith in our country a second time.”
Feb 07, 1:45 PM
Israeli prime minister rejects hostage deal proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected the current proposed hostage and cease-fire deal, calling it “delusional,” and describing it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre. But Netanyahu did not say negotiations were closed.
To the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said in Hebrew, “Your loved ones are always standing before my eyes. … We do not stop working for the release of our abductees — even now.”
“The continuation of military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the abductees,” he said. “Surrendering to the delusional demands of Hamas … not only will not lead to the release of the abductees, it will only invite another massacre.”
Netanyahu also said it would be “a matter of months” to reach Israel’s objectives and achieve “total victory” of completely dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he told Secretary of State Antony Blinken in their meeting Wednesday, “We are within touching distance of a complete victory, which will also be the victory of the entire free world — not only of Israel.”
Netanyahu also said the Israeli military operation will expand to the city of Rafah, where thousands of Gaza residents have fled and are living in makeshift shelters.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd and Jordana Miller
Feb 07, 12:20 PM
New round of hostage negotiations to take place in Cairo: Egyptian state TV
Egypt and Qatar will co-host a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, Egyptian state TV reported.
Feb 07, 10:41 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, Blinken reaffirmed Israel’s right to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and the need to protect civilians in Gaza, according to the State Department. Blinken also stressed the importance of a two-state solution — a prospect Netanyahu has vocally opposed.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor
Feb 07, 7:22 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 06, 7:33 PM
US House fails to pass Israel aid bill
The U.S. House failed to pass a $17.6 billion standalone bill to provide aid to Israel.
The bill failed 250-180 during a vote Tuesday evening.
The GOP measure was being considered under suspension, which required a two-thirds majority to pass.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who unveiled the standalone bill over the weekend, blamed President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for its failure.
“The decision by President Biden and Leader Schumer to torpedo this bill to aid the Israeli people in their fight against Hamas is a disappointing rebuke to our closest ally in the Middle East at their time of great need,” Johnson said in a statement following the vote.
The Biden administration had issued a veto threat to the bill on Monday, saying it “strongly opposes” the measure after a bipartisan group of senators came to an agreement on a national security supplemental that includes Israel aid.
Schumer said he was against the bill and wanted Israel aid coupled with aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and the border.
Feb 06, 4:50 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
However, after receiving the response from Hamas, Israeli officials indicated a deal is still “far off,” according to Israeli political sources.
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
Feb 06, 4:02 PM
31 hostages are dead and remain in captivity in Gaza, Israeli sources say
The bodies of 31 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli sources. The 31 hostages either died while being held captive by Hamas or were killed on Oct. 7, the sources said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Feb 06, 1:31 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 9:48 AM
Blinken meets with Egypt’s president amid push for new truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in the neighboring Gaza Strip.
Their “meeting focused on developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, exchanging detainees and providing access of needed relief aid to end the severe humanitarian catastrophe in the sector,” according to a readout from Egypt’s presidency.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since war erupted between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 05, 11:54 AM
UN secretary-general opens independent review into UNRWA
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Monday that he has appointed an independent review group to determine whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is “doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”
The probe comes amid Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.
“These accusations come at a time when UNRWA, the largest U.N. organization in the region, is working under extremely challenging conditions to deliver life-saving assistance to the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip who depend on it for their survival amidst one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” Guterres said in a statement.
The independent review group will begin its work on Feb. 14 and will provide an interim report by late March. A final report is due April 2024, according to Guterres.
The probe is separate from an investigation the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight is conducting into the allegations.
UNRWA has said it is investigating the allegations and took swift action against those accused of participating in the attack. However, the United States and other top donors have suspended their funding to the agency, which is the biggest humanitarian aid provider in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 8:43 AM
Food convoy hit by Israeli naval gunfire in Gaza, UNRWA says
A food aid convoy waiting to move into the north of the Gaza Strip was struck by Israeli naval gunfire on Monday morning, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Thankfully no one was injured,” Tom White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Feb 03, 4:52 PM
House plans vote on standalone Israel aid bill next week
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Saturday the House will vote on a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package next week.
“Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package. During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues obtained by ABC News.
This news is a major reversal after House Republicans previously approved a $14.3 billion Israel funding package that included cuts to IRS funding. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not bring this legislation to the floor for vote because of Democrats’ opposition to IRS funding cuts.
Johnson again emphasized the Senate negotiated supplemental will face an uphill battle in the House and attacked Senators for excluding him and the House from the bipartisan talks.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Feb 03, 3:21 PM
IDF deploys 3 divisions to northern border amid Hezbollah attacks
The Israeli military has deployed three divisions to the northern border amid Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Saturday.
He said the IDF is working to “reshape the security reality” on the northern border, so that some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks can return to their homes.
“We do not choose war as our first option but are certainly ready, and preparing for it all the time, if need be,” Hagari said.
The IDF has struck more than 150 cells, killing some 200 terror operatives, mostly members of Hezbollah, and targeted more than 3,400 Hezbollah sites since the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to Hagari.
(NEW YORK) — American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid, aired an ad during Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night rebooting a commercial aired during the 1960 presidential campaign for the candidate’s uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.
The ad substitutes photos of RFK Jr. for photos of his uncle while keeping the same jingle.
The $7 million ad, which flooded television screens across America in the second quarter of the game, sought to tie RFK Jr. to his storied family, even as some of his relatives have publicly disavowed his candidacy over his anti-vaccine opinions.
In a statement to ABC News, the super PAC’s co-chair Tony Lyons said, in part, “RFK Jr. offers us real change along with freedom, trust and hope. Like his uncle and his father, Kennedy is a corruption-fighter, and it’s no wonder the DNC is trying every old trick and inventing new tricks to stop him. The public sees through it all and won’t stand for it.”
Kennedy’s campaign was “surprised and grateful” about the ad.
“We are pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values PAC for running an ad during the Super Bowl where more than 100 million Americans got to see that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is running as an independent candidate for President of the United States,” press secretary Stefanie Spear said in a statement to ABC News on Sunday night.
At least one member of the Kennedy family spoke out against the ad.
Bobby Shriver, son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, posted on X, “My cousin’s Super Bowl ad used our uncle’s faces- and my Mother’s. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA. She strongly supported my health care work at @ONECampaign & @RED which he opposes.”
Kennedy later addressed the spot on X.
“I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain,” he wrote on the social media site. “The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you.”
Kennedy’s independent candidacy has attracted some voters disaffected by America’s two major parties. Though polling suggests his support is low enough to make him a long shot to win the election, he may have enough backing to cause headaches for the Democratic and Republican nominees.
(WASHINGTON) — Two of the studies cited in a ruling that suspended federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone were retracted by a medical journal earlier this week.
Sage Publishing said it issued the retractions from the journal Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology because of methodology issues and conflicts of interest. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in March on the case — about access to mifepristone, the drug used in medication abortions — which cited the studies.
Medicated abortions account for about half of all abortions, according to according to Guttmacher Institute, an organization committed to advancing reproductive rights.
Kacsmaryk primarily cited one of the studies from 2021 to justify that anti-abortion rights medical groups and physicians had a right to bring their case to the court. In his order, he wrote that they have that right because “they allege” that the effects of “chemical abortion drugs” can put a lot of pressure on doctors during complications and emergencies. Along with some other key findings, the cited study alleged that “chemical abortion significantly increased the risk of an emergency room visit.”
A 2022 study that Kacsmaryk also used in his order is based on the same dataset as the 2021 study and has most of the same authors. It analyzes the increased risks of concealed medical abortion during an emergency room visit. The judge used the study to illustrate what he argued were the dangerous side effects of the approved drug.
Both studies analyzed Medicaid data that tracked patients’ emergency room visits 30 days after having an abortion.
The FDA has said that “mifepristone is safe when used as indicated and directed.”
Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian conservative legal advocacy group working to outlaw abortion, filed the initial lawsuit that Kacsmaryk ruled on. Its legal counsel said the group isn’t concerned about the retractions’ impact on the case.
“ADF has never relied on these studies for the issues that are currently before the Supreme Court,” ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist said to ABC News in an email. “So this will not have any impact on the court’s consideration.”
Mary Ziegler, University of California, Davis law professor and expert on law, history and politics of reproduction, said the study retractions likely won’t impact the case headed before the Supreme Court next month.
“I don’t think the fact that it was retracted would necessarily even change the justices’ reasoning,” she said.
There’s already been suspicion in some parts of the court about the academic data and reasoning, Ziegler said.
“This is likely to be sort of a non-story for the justices and for Judge Kacsmaryk, because it’s sort of baked in for a lot of people that there’s going to be differing perception of fact,” she said.
Sage referred to “fundamental problems” with the methodology, errors in the analysis of the data and “misleading presentations of the data,” that served as the basis for the retractions. The publisher noted in the retraction notice that those findings “invalidate the authors’ conclusions in whole or in part.”
In addition to those issues, Sage found that most of the authors, including principal author James Studnicki, were affiliated with Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion rights advocacy organization. The initial peer reviewer was also affiliated with the same institute. These conflicts of interest were not disclosed when the study was first released, according to Sage’s notice.
In an email statement to ABC News, Studnicki, vice president and director of data analytics at Lozier Institute, said they “fully complied with Sage’s conflict disclosure requirements” and didn’t withhold any information they were required to share.
He added that Sage hasn’t required authors from pro-abortion rights organizations, including the Guttmacher Institute, to report their employment affiliations as conflicts of interest.
Journal “editors rely on the authors to self-declare” their potential conflict of interest, a Sage spokesperson told ABC News in an email. “If a reader inquires about an author’s potential conflict of interest in a published article,” Sage conducts an investigation to look into those concerns, which is what happened in this case, according to the retraction notice.
Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
(HOUSTON) — Officers are responding to reports of a shooting at pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, according to Houston police.
It appears “a possible shooter is down,” shot by one of the deputies at the scene, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said some Harris County deputies also work at the church as a part-time job.
The church confirmed shots were fired, adding, “Please pray for Lakewood and our community.”
There is an active situation involving shots fired at Lakewood. Law enforcement is on the scene.
That is all the information we have at this time. Please pray for Lakewood and our community.
(KANSAS CITY, Mo) — A mother in Kansas City, Missouri, has been arrested and charged in the death of her 1-month-old infant after allegedly mistakenly placing the baby in an oven instead of a crib, the prosecutor’s office said.
Mariah Thomas, 26, has been charged with a Class A felony, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, in the death of her baby, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Saturday.
“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” Baker said in a press release. “We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life. We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”
Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the Manheim Park neighborhood of Kansas City at around 1:30 p.m. local time Friday, responding to a call about a nonbreathing infant, according to court documents filed Saturday and obtained by ABC News.
Upon arrival, officers observed the infant victim had apparent burn wounds, according to the court documents. The Kansas City Fire Department responded and declared the 1-month-old dead at the scene, according to the court documents.
Thomas alleged she was putting the child down for a nap and accidentally mistakenly placed the child in the oven instead of the crib, according to the court documents.
“I thought I put [infant’s name redacted] in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven,” Thomas allegedly told the infant’s grandfather, who gave a statement to police, according to the court documents.
Court records do not yet show if Thomas has an attorney representing her.
If convicted, Thomas could face anywhere from 10 years to life in prison, according to Missouri state law.
(PALM SPRINGS, CA) — A helicopter carrying six people, including the CEO of a Nigerian bank, crashed in California’s Mojave Desert, killing all people on board, officials said.
The two crew members and four passengers departed from Palm Springs, California, at 8:45 p.m. Friday and were en route to Boulder City, Nevada, about 26 miles outside of Las Vegas, officials said.
On board was Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife and his son, said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization and former finance minister of Nigeria.
Terribly saddened by the news of the terrible loss of Herbert Wigwe , Group CEO Access Bank @HerbertOWigwe , his wife and son as well as Bimbo Ogunbanjo in a helicopter crash. My deepest sympathies and condolences to the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Group…
A meteorologist was working to analyze exact weather conditions to confirm local witness reports of rain and a “wintery mix” including snow, Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Saturday.
The Eurocopter EC-130 helicopter didn’t have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder, nor was it required to, according to Graham.
(LONDON) — King Charles III has made his first public appearance since Buckingham Palace announced he was diagnosed with cancer.
Charles, 75, and his wife, Queen Camilla, were seen attending church in Sandringham on Sunday.
On Monday, Charles began his cancer treatment and the palace announced his diagnosis.
The palace has not specified the type of cancer, the stage of cancer or the type of treatment, but British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC that the king’s cancer was “caught early.”
“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” the king said in a statement Saturday. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement. It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the U.K. and wider world. My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Charles was advised to postpone all his public-facing duties but will continue his state business and official paperwork, according to the palace.
Prince Harry, who lives in California, traveled to London this week to see his father, staying in the United Kingdom for about 24 hours before heading back to the U.S.
(ATLANTA) — Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Sunday pushed back on former President Donald Trump’s argument that he should be granted legal immunity for his actions while he was in the White House.
“My personal opinion is, no one is above the law,” Kemp told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
“You know, I’ve continued to talk about following the law and the Constitution and that’s what I’m going to continue to do in the great state of Georgia,” Kemp said.
His comments come as Trump faces four looming trials for 91 criminal charges. Trump has denied all wrongdoing, including in the federal case alleging he participated in an illegal effort to overturn the 2020 election results. (He has pleaded not guilty.)
Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were both pressured by Trump to help reverse his loss in the state that year. When they refused, they became the target of Trump’s anger — with Kemp then facing a Trump-backed primary challenger during his 2022 reelection campaign, which he went on to win.
Kemp said on “This Week” that that victory showed how continuing to focus on the 2020 presidential election could be harmful for conservatives. It was a warning that he’d also shared with other top Republicans, he said.
“We’ve got to tell people what we’re for. We’ve got to stay focused on the future. Quit looking in the rearview mirror. I believe that the voters that are going to decide this presidential election are tired of hearing about the 2020 election and want to focus on what candidates are going to do for them in the months and years ahead,” Kemp said, echoing past veiled criticism of Trump’s fixation on the last race.
“We showed in the 2022 election if you run on issues and your record and tell people what you’re going to do for them in the future, you can be very successful,” Kemp said, arguing that voters are looking for “leadership” during crisis.
On Saturday, speaking at a political conference at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, Kemp said that it’s “pretty clear [voters] aren’t sold on what Republicans will do if they win this November.”
Asked on “This Week” to elaborate on what he was referring to, Kemp cited what he sees as voter “frustration.”
“I just think at any level, whether it’s the presidential race, people are that are running for the United States Senate, Congress, local races, I think there’s been a lot of frustration out there amongst the American people of politicians trying to destroy the other side versus telling people why you should vote for us,” he said.
Kemp has yet to endorse in the 2024 Republican primary; however, when asked about the state of the race and the calls for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who campaigned for Kemp during the 2022 midterms, to end her campaign after losing to Trump in the early voting states so far, he said, “I would encourage her to keep fighting.”
“If I was the Trump campaign, you know, I would be pushing to get Nikki Haley out. If I was Gov. Haley, I’d be, you know — she feels strongly about what she’s doing and the message that she’s bringing to the American people, then I would encourage her to keep fighting,” he said.
“I think you need to let the process play out,” he said.
Asked to respond to Trump’s recent remarks suggesting Haley’s husband — Maj. Michael Haley, a South Carolina national guardsman who is currently serving a voluntary deployment in Africa — left to get away from her on the campaign trail, Kemp said he would let Trump “answer that question” while defending military families.
“I think it’s unfortunate for anybody to be criticizing our men and women serving overseas regardless of whether they’re overseas fighting a battle or on the border doing the same,” Kemp told Karl.
Kemp spoke most bluntly about the situation at the southern border and criticized what he called Biden’s utter failure to address immigration issues.
Kemp was among more than a dozen Republican governors that joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the U.S.-Mexico border last week. On Sunday, Kemp criticized Congress for being unable to agree on new immigration legislation after many Republicans — and Trump — came out against a bipartisan deal in the Senate that would tighten border security.
“I think people in D.C. ought to be voting on policy, not what somebody’s telling them what to do. That’s just my personal opinion. I’ll let you know each of the senators and the representatives speak to that,” Kemp said.
“But I also think, for President Biden, trying to pass the buck and blame Republicans now about the issue at the border, it’s just a simple lack of leadership,” he said, highlighting the fact that Democrats had control of the legislative and executive branches from 2020 to 2022 and also didn’t pass new laws.
Biden has maintained he is taking major action in order to cut back on illegal border crossings while allowing migrants to seek humanitarian protections.
The White House has also said Congress isn’t helping because they won’t approve more border resources amid GOP skepticism of Biden.
“People have been working on this for the last 10 or 20 years. Just secure the dang border, that’s what the people want,” Kemp said on Sunday.
“We’ve got to secure the whole southern border,” he continued. “And it takes the president to do that.”
