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14 face charges related to alleged cocaine ring at Penn State fraternities

August 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Charges were announced Monday against 14 people in connection with an alleged cocaine-trafficking operation involving students associated with two Penn State fraternities, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office said.

Thirteen current or former students, as well as a student’s father, face felony or misdemeanor charges, according to a press release. At least four defendants are current students, the attorney general’s office said.

“This was a coordinated and highly profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers, and pledges,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “In fact, according to the evidence uncovered, cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities.”

Penn State officials placed the Delta Upsilon fraternity on an interim suspension, the school said in a statement. The other fraternity, Sigma Chi, where members were allegedly involved, is not recognized as an official fraternity at the school, the statement said.

The allegations stem from 2023 and 2024, Penn State said, adding that both fraternities operate off campus.

The investigation, which the attorney general dubbed “Operation Drugs Unlimited,” found that two members of the group — Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson — were alleged to have been the main suppliers to the group, roles that included “making regular trips to Philadelphia and New York for large quantities of cocaine,” officials said.

“The cocaine was then cut and packaged — primarily at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses — and distributed mainly to Penn State University students,” according to the attorney general’s office.

Officials said they tracked how the cocaine was allegedly obtained, packaged and sold, saying, “Most of the payments were made in cash or via payment apps.”

Abbatiello and Robinson, along with two others, Mohammed Hurabi and Lars Zeepvat, face charges including felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and related offenses, the office said. Another person, Robert Zanolla, faces charges of felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as related misdemeanors, the office said.

The eight remaining student-age defendants face misdemeanor counts of possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, the office said.

“Paul Robinson is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstructing the investigation,” the release said, identifying him as the father of one of the students.

The charges were announced by Sunday’s office in cooperation with the State College Police Department and the 54th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.

“We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” said Andrea Dowhower, Penn State’s vice president for Student Affairs, in a statement.

Dowhower added, “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can. We will continue to enhance our efforts around health and safety and hazing educational efforts for all our organizations.”

DOJ asks appeals court to reinstate human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia

August 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice has asked an appeals court to reinstate the criminal human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

In May, a federal judge granted Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss the case, finding that the federal government failed to rebut Abrego Garcia’s “presumption of vindictiveness.”

“Because the presumption of vindictiveness remains unrebutted, the indictment must be dismissed,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw wrote in May.

In a brief filed Monday, attorneys for the DOJ urged an appellate court to overturn Judge Crenshaw’s May ruling, arguing that the decision to indict Abrego Garcia was supported by “legitimate reasons.”

“The decision to seek an indictment against Abrego Garcia for human smuggling was made by career prosecutors based on the evidence, the law, and their firm belief that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garcia had committed the offenses charged,” the DOJ said in a press release. “The indictment and prosecution of Abrego Garcia in the Middle District of Tennessee was not vindictive, and the evidence before the district court established that it was not.”

Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March of last year to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to a fear of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which he denies.

He was brought back to the U.S. last June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, after which U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis released him from ICE detention while he awaited trial.

In May, Judge Crenshaw highlighted the involvement of high-ranking DOJ officials in the case, pointing to public statements made by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to conclude that the government could not justify its sudden shift from wanting to deport Abrego Garcia to prosecuting him.

In its filing Monday, the DOJ argued that Blanche’s public comments in an interview regarding the deportation case “do not reflect a vindictive motive.”

“At a minimum, nothing in his interview supports an inference that the United States pursued charges ‘solely’ to retaliate against Abrego for his civil suit,” the DOJ argued. “The district court’s contrary reasoning — which did not even address the full quotation — is illogical and clearly erroneous.”

The criminal charges in Tennessee stem from a 2022 traffic stop disclosed in an April 2025 press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security, which touted a “bombshell investigative report” alleging that Abrego Garcia was a suspected human trafficker. He was not charged or arrested during the traffic stop, which lasted for more than an hour.

“Instead of investigating the November 2022 traffic stop to identify who was responsible for the human smuggling, Blanche started the investigation to implicate Abrego,” Judge Crenshaw wrote in May. “He did so to justify the Executive Branch’s decision to remove him to El Salvador.”

Trump contradicts Vance, says nukes, not oil prices, No. 1 priority in Iran

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump contradicted Vice President JD Vance on Monday after the vice president asserted last week that the administration’s top priority amid the Iran war was to keep the price of oil and gas down for Americans.

In a social media post on Monday morning, Trump said that the “number one Goal is, and always will be” that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.

Last Thursday, Vance laid out a different order of priorities on Fox News, saying that “goal No. 1” for the administration amid the war was to “keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.”

“And then obviously, goal No. 2 is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” he added. “I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals.”

Vance’s comments about prioritizing gas prices diverge from the president’s stated mission of eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. And while some Republicans have acknowledged gas prices are too high, Trump said he won’t apologize for it.

In the past, the president had outright rejected the idea that the domestic American economy should factor into military decisions around Iran.

“Not even a little bit,” Trump said back in May when asked to what extent financial pressure on Americans was motivating him to strike a deal.

“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that’s all.”

Asked about Vance’s comments aboard Air Force One last Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “both goals are equally as important to the president.”

“Of course, we want to keep gas prices low. That’s why the administration has done so much to keep the markets stable, but also ensuring Iran can never get a nuclear weapon is the president’s priority with respect to the ongoing conflict, and it’s something he’s going to see through one way or another,” she added.

Trump’s apparent rebuke of the vice president came just minutes after “Fox and Friends” anchor Lawrence Jones reacted to Vance’s comments during the program’s Monday morning broadcast, and called for “more clarity” from the White House on the U.S. objectives. Roughly eight minutes later, the president posted his message.

“It also looks like we got an answer from the president about what is priority No. 1 for the United States,” Jones said about an hour later in the broadcast as he relayed the details of the president’s post.

While the status of the Strait of Hormuz has become a central focus of the war — injecting volatility into the global energy market even as the conflict between the two countries has ebbed and flowed — Trump has repeatedly argued that the cost of not intervening in Iran would far outweigh the higher gas prices Americans are dealing with now.

The average price of a gallon of regular is $4.02 according to GasBuddy, up 7 cents form last week and up more than a dollar per gallon since the start of the war.

Speaking at the New York police academy last Friday, Trump told the gathered crowd that he would not apologize for the price of gas.

“[Iran’s] the No. 1 state sponsor of terror in the world. We don’t want to have them have nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you’re at $4. It’s OK. I mean, it’s, I’m not — I’m not — I will never apologize. I did the right thing.”

Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial adjourned

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A judge in New York on Monday gave prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office until Oct. 9 to respond to Luigi Mangione’s motion to dismiss his state murder indictment, effectively meaning that Mangione’s state murder trial — which had been set to begin on Sept. 8 — is adjourned.

On Friday, Mangione pleaded guilty to both federal stalking counts in his federal case and admitted to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

Immediately following Mangione’s guilty plea, his attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges he’s facing in state court under New York’s double jeopardy law.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Trump scales back US-South Korea drills, cites ‘very good’ ties with Kim Jong Un

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” he said.

Trump said the exercises send “inappropriate and hostile” signals to North Korea, a country he says has been “unthreatening and respectful” towards America during his presidency.

The annual U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield began on Monday. An official from the South Korean Ministry of Defense told ABC News that the military exercise now underway “will be carried on as planned.”

South Korea is a longtime U.S. ally and hosts roughly 28,500 American troops. The U.S. presence on the peninsula has traditionally been intended to prevent a resumption of cross-border hostilities, with the Korean War of 1950-1953 having never officially ended.

In 2006, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon and has since been expanding its atomic weapons stockpile — despite international condemnation and sanctions led by successive U.S. administrations — alongside a ballistic missile research program which has produced munitions capable of reaching the continental U.S.

In recent decades, the U.S. presence in South Korea has also become an important point of leverage in the strategic contest between Washington and Beijing, the latter having long served as Pyongyang’s prime patron.

Trump’s announcement came after North Korea on Friday threatened a strong response against the U.S. and South Korea in response to the planned drills.

In his post to social media, Trump also cited South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. military effort against — and “denuclearization” of — Iran, though said the issue was “somewhat unrelated (?)” to his decision to scale back the U.S.-South Korean drills.

In response to Trump’s statement, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ABC News it hoped the “friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to meaningful dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang and pave the way for discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

“The South Korean government has actively participated from the outset in international discussions aimed at securing a ceasefire in Iran and restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry added.

Trump has long lauded his relationship with Kim, though the president’s first term began with an extended period of tensions that saw Trump repeatedly refer to Kim as “little rocket man” and threaten Pyongyang with “fire and fury.”

But the discord gave way to a detente that saw Trump and Kim meet in person three times in 2018 and 2019 — first in Singapore, then in Vietnam and later in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

But despite seemingly improved ties and the in-person meetings, Trump failed to achieve his stated goal of North Korean denuclearization.

Since talks with Trump broke down in 2019, Pyongyang has maintained a steady rhythm of ballistic missile tests. Earlier this month and with the U.S.-South Korea military drills approaching, North Korea conducted two ballistic missile launches in quick succession.

Recent years have also seen North Korea pull closer to both Russia and Iran, putting Pyongyang in opposition to the U.S. and its allies in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow-Pyongyang ties have reached an “unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership.”

ABC News’ Joohee Cho and Hakyung Kate Lee contributed to this report.

Trump-linked crypto venture World Liberty Trust granted bank status in unprecedented move for president

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A Trump-appointed national bank regulator granted a wing of the Trump family’s crypto business conditional approval to establish a bank charter, opening the door for larger clients and potentially heightened profits.

The decision marks the first time in U.S. history that a company owned by the sitting president’s family has been granted bank status, as Democratic lawmakers express concerns over potential conflicts of interest.

In a letter published Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Co., an organization that is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members,” according to its website, the ability to issue stablecoin cryptocurrency tied to the U.S. dollar.

World Liberty Financial, the listed sponsor of the conditionally approved trust, has previously relied on a third-party crypto company, BitGo, to provide a stable digital currency. Friday’s approval allows the Trump family’s business to cut out the middleman and provide the service directly.

Digital currencies, like Bitcoin, are historically volatile and therefore less appealing for entities making large transactions.

Crypto tied to more stable values, like the U.S. dollar or the price of gold, can be more attractive to big spenders and can be “marketed for use as a means of making payments, transmitting money, or storing value,” according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The decision allows the Trump-linked business to act as a bank, issuing digital currency to clients for transactions. Clients would exchange the U.S. dollar for the stablecoin, with profits going directly to the Trump family’s crypto business.

The president’s family has seen extensive profit from World Liberty Financial, securing around $5 billion in the company’s first days after going public, according to the token’s value at the time, with major investments from individuals and foreign nations continuing to fuel the company’s value.

Trump himself has made more than $1.4 billion in business revenue from his family’s crypto ventures, according to his released financial disclosures.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly has maintained that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public,” and said that no conflict of interest exists in part because the president’s assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Typically, a blind trust would operate with an independent trustee.

“President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children,” Kelly said. “There are no conflicts of interest.”

State-backed Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX invested another $2 billion in the company in May 2025, promising to use the Trump family’s USD1 stablecoin in large transactions with crypto exchange company Binance.

The deal later came under scrutiny when the Trump administration then agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite prior administration concerns that they may make their way to China.

“We thank MGX and Binance for their trust in us, and I think it’s only the beginning,” World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff said after announcing the deal, alongside the president’s son Eric Trump at a crypto convention in Dubai.

Witkoff is the son of the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the OCC to halt approval of Trump-linked business ventures, writing a letter to the comptroller in January. As an executive branch office, the president has ultimate authority over the OCC, though the office considers itself independent.

“For the first time in history, the president of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company,” Warren wrote.

Following the OCC’s preliminary approval, Warren described the decision as the “most brazen act of self-dealing our financial system has ever seen.”

“I’m introducing a bill to stop this kind of unprecedented corruption,” Warren said in a post on social media.

“The Comptroller and staff acted consistently with their statutory duties and ethical obligations with respect to the Application,” the OCC wrote Friday. “OCC staff reviewed this Application in accordance with the agency’s established policies and procedures.”

The charter application will not be fully approved until some conditions are met, including increasing the company’s capital, the OCC said.

Supreme Court rejects final Trump appeal of $5 million E. Jean Carroll verdict

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Supreme Court rejects final Trump appeal of million E. Jean Carroll verdict

Supreme Court rejects final Trump appeal of $5 million E. Jean Carroll verdict — 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 case in probate court as accused killer looks to access trust fund for defense

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(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.

2nd earthquake hits Indonesia following powerful magnitude 7.7 quake

August 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(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.

Photos from the area showed damage to buildings.

Sen. Warren demands answers from RFK Jr. over ‘calamitous’ response to cyclosporiasis outbreak

August 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeking more information about what she called the administration’s “calamitous” response to the cyclosporiasis outbreak and expressing concern that politics could be to blame.

“I write regarding the administration’s calamitous response to the biggest outbreak of cyclosporiasis in U.S. history, and the extent to which the outbreak and botched response may be the result of incompetence and corruption. As Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), you are responsible for overseeing the federal government’s response to this outbreak. Yet, the administration’s handling of this crisis has been marred by missteps that raise serious questions about its decision-making,” Warren wrote in the letter.

ABC News has reached out to HHS for comment on the letter.

Nationwide, there are now at least 24,000 cases of confirmed or suspected cyclosporiasis across 47 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have died from the parasitic gastrointestinal illness and at least 740 people have been hospitalized. Typically, there are about 3,000 cases in a given year.

The Food and Drug Administration has now traced almost 10,000 cases to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms across 17 states.

In her letter, Warren asserts that Taco Bell, where some of the tainted lettuce was traced, “provided earlier and seemingly clearer guidance to consumers than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CDC, and other federal food safety agencies.”

Warren also noted that Taylor Farms made donations to political organizations aligned with President Trump last year.

Federal Election Commission records show Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc., the parent company of Taylor Farms, made a $1 million donation in March 2025 to MAGA Inc., a PAC aligned with Trump.

The letter also raises concerns that the White House may have worked with Taylor Farms to delay warnings to the public about the tainted food supply. The letter points to a Wall Street Journal report that Taylor Farms lobbyists engaged with the White House to ask for more time and more proof before federal agencies implicated the company in the outbreak.

A source familiar with the situation told ABC News the FDA contacted Taylor Farms on July 14 to request a call; the company indicated it wasn’t available until July 15. The source said Taylor Farms did not meet the established 24-hour timeline from the FDA to determine whether it would take voluntary action. ABC News has reached out to Taylor Farms for comment.

Taylor Farms announced the voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce across several states on July 17. The company also said it suspended production from that distributor.

Taylor Fresh Foods, when asked by ABC News for comment on Warren’s letter, said it “acts in the interest of science and consumer health, not politics.”

“We categorically reject suggestions that we attempted to receive or received favorable regulatory treatment due to political contributions or other improper influence. Any such allegations are false,” said a spokesperson for Taylor Fresh Foods.

“Taylor Fresh Foods is a pioneer and industry leader in traceability. We fully support and endorse the Food Traceability Rule and have already implemented traceback protocols across our operations ahead of the compliance deadline,” the spokesperson added.

ABC News has also reached out to the White House for comment on the letter.

On July 21, ABC’s Elizabeth Schulze asked Kennedy about the cyclosporiasis outbreak and whether the federal government had it under control.

“We do have the outbreak under control,” Kennedy responded. “We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we’ve identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall.”

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