(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York has rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to move his hush-money criminal case into federal court.
“Trump has failed to show that the conduct charged by the Indictment is for or relating to any act performed by or for the President under color of the official acts of a President,” Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote in his ruling Wednesday.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.
He had argued the case belonged in federal court because Trump reimbursed his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, who made the payment to Daniels, while Trump was in the White House.
“Trump also has failed to show that he has a colorable federal defense to the Indictment,” Hellerstein said in his ruling.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued the hush payment had nothing to do with Trump’s presidential duties.
(CONCORD, N.H.) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday that he will not run for reelection next year, elevating the race to replace him to the heart of the gubernatorial map in 2024.
Sununu, a Republican who is serving his fourth two-year term as his state’s executive, hails from a prominent family in New Hampshire and is considered near-royalty in local political circles. His announcement leaves the GOP field wide open — but not empty.
Former state Senate President Chuck Morse quickly jumped into the race and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte teased an upcoming announcement, too.
In a letter to supporters, Sununu wrote that “public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state.”
He went on to tout his time in office, including lowering the unemployment rate and cutting taxes.
“Be assured we will keep working and that the Granite State will continue to be our priority for the next 18 months,” he wrote.
Sununu repeatedly won reelection in his swing state, often by yawning margins, and on some issues he established a brand separate from that of the national GOP, including by vociferously supporting access to both firearms and abortion.
He had hinted at his decision several times over the course of the summer.
“I’m in my fourth term, probably out of here in 18 months or so. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m going to run again, but I’m really not sure,” Sununu said in an interview in June.
He was pushed by Republican critics of Donald Trump to run for the White House next year, though he declined, worrying too many primary competitors would actually help the former president clinch the nomination.
“The stakes are too high for a crowded field to hand the nomination to a candidate who earns just 35 percent of the vote, and I will help ensure this does not happen,” he wrote in an op-ed column for The Washington Post last month.
It’s unclear what the governor plans to do after leaving office. While the 2024 presidential primary race is still in its early stages, he has said he’s given advice and insight to some of the candidates — and spoken openly about who he thinks could be competitive.
Morse, now seeking to succeed Sununu, ran for the U.S. Senate last year against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan with broad establishment support (after Sununu himself said he would stay put in the governor’s mansion). Morse ended up losing the primary to hard-liner Don Bolduc, who then went on to lose to Hassan by about 10 points.
“Like most everyone else in New Hampshire I’m thankful for everything that Governor Sununu has done to make New Hampshire the state it is today. I’m proud to have worked with him to put together a conservative, pro-jobs, pro-growth, family first economic agenda that has made New Hampshire the envy of New England and the nation,” Morse said in a statement.
Ayotte served one term as senator before losing reelection to Hassan in 2016, falling short by just over 1,000 votes. She said in a statement that “I look forward to announcing some big news in the coming days.”
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the leading Democratic candidate in the gubernatorial race, said in a statement that the contest presents New Hampshire voters an opportunity for a “new direction.”
“As I’ve had conversations with people across our state I’ve heard over and over that we need a governor that will support our cities and towns, lower costs, strengthen public education, build affordable housing, and protect our reproductive rights. I’m running for Governor to do just that,” she said.
Sununu’s decision not to seek another term makes New Hampshire among Democrats’ better flip opportunities next year. Democrats have not held the governor’s mansion since Hassan left office in early 2017 after winning her Senate seat.
The campaign arms for both parties insisted they will be heavily involved in the race, previewing the pitched battle ahead.
“The RGA is committed to ensuring the Granite State continues to have the leadership of a Republican Governor who will prioritize the health, safety and prosperity of the people of New Hampshire,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, the chair of the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement.
The Democratic Governors Association, meanwhile, indicated it will tie the race’s Republican candidates to the broader GOP brand, led by Trump.
“No matter which MAGA candidate becomes the nominee, the DGA is eager to hold them accountable to flip this seat and elect a new Democratic governor who will at long last fix the biggest issues impacting working families,” said DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper.
(ROME) — The intense heat gripping Europe won’t end soon and according to the European Space Agency bulletin, it has only just begun.
The prolonged sizzling temperatures in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and more countries on the continent, are potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.
Rome shattered records on Tuesday with a high temperature of 108 F, according to Italy’s national meteorological service. The meteorological service also issued red alerts for extreme heat throughout southern Italy, and the islands of Sicily, and Sardinia with temperatures all above 40°C.
Italian meteorologists predict the brutal heat to continue, especially in the southern half of the country. Antonio Sano from Il Meteo weather service, told ABC News that the high pressure from Africa to the Mediterranean region is pushing air up directly from the Saharadesert, causing the heat wave.
“Today was the hottest day in Rome at 42 C. By the end of the week, we expect thunderstorms to cool the north of the country slightly, but temperatures in the south of Italy will continue to rise for the foreseeable future,” Sano said.
The Italian Ministry of Health is urging regions to increase house-call services so the sick and elderly don’t have to endure the heat and leave their homes. They also set up heat stations at hospitals for emergency cases.
Forecasters predict the historically high temperatures will continue to scorch cities across
European cities, such as Madrid, Seville and Athens, all reached temperatures of well over 100 F Tuesday, and also showed no signs of a cooling down throughout the rest of the week, according to forecasts.
European extreme heat tied to climate change
The ESA said such intense heat is due to global warming.
“As climate change takes a grip, heatwaves such as this are likely to be more frequent and more severe, with worse consequences,” the agency stated in the bulletin issued Tuesday.
Climate experts warn that this trend of such extreme heat waves in the Northern Hemisphere have been growing since the 1980s, and are likely to continue. Dr. John Nairn, a Senior Extreme Heat Advisor at the World Health Organization, said the current heatwave in Europe, and around the globe is directly related to climate change.
“Climate change is causing the loss of polar ice, which leads to the weather pattern staying in one place,” Nairn said.
Other climatologists concur.
Dr. Kai Kornhuber, a research scientist at Columbia University in New York City, told ABC News the extreme heat can be attributed to human activities.
“The emission of greenhouse gases directly translates into a higher likelihood of such extreme heat weather events,” Kornhuber said Tuesday.
He also said that circulation patterns have become more stationary, leading to persistent high-pressure systems, meaning the heatwaves last longer, and are more severe.
As the ruthless heat shows no signs of slowing down, tourists are adjusting their travel plans and daily schedules by staying indoors during the day.
Jim Jones, a college student from the University of Richmond in Virginia, just returned from a study abroad program in Seville, Spain. He said the daily temperatures were over 100.
“My friends and I did not go out much during the middle of the day. We took advantage of the cooler mornings and late evenings instead,” Jones told ABC News.
Some tourists are canceling their trips to heat-affected areas. A couple from Killorglin, Ireland, told ABC News they changed a planned trip to Malta.
“We have some health issues and did not want to go into the extreme heat. It would not be enjoyable for us to stay in the hotel all day,” Norma and Dave Waugh told ABC News. “It is more comfortable in Ireland for now, and we cango to Malta when it cools down.”
(WASHINGTON) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday morning, highlighting the foundations of the U.S.-Israel relationship in addition to addressing antisemitism amid tensions between Israel and some members of Congress.
Herzog received a standing ovation when entering the House chamber — a rare bipartisan display despite some Democrats expressing criticism of the nation’s leadership — and started his address reminiscing about 1987, when his father, then-President Chaim Herzog, spoke before Congress.
“That moment, in which I learned of the life he gave for the State of Israel, spoke to the very core of the bond forged between the people of the United States and the people of Israel, how the nations we built overcame loss, how deeply our stories complement each other, [and] how far we have all come, together,” Herzog said.
During his address, Herzog said the greatest challenge Israel and the United States face is the Iranian nuclear program.
“Let there be no doubt: Iran does not strive to attain nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran is building nuclear capabilities that pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East and beyond. Every country or region controlled or infiltrated by Iran has experienced utter havoc,” he said.
Preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a key priority of Israel, Herzog said.
“Allowing Iran to become a nuclear threshold state — whether by omission or by diplomatic commission — is unacceptable. The world cannot remain indifferent to the Iranian regime’s call to wipe Israel off the map,” he added.
Herzog said Israel has “taken bold steps toward peace” with its Palestinian neighbors but “true peace cannot be anchored in violence.”
He’s optimistic about a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and “it is time to design the next stage of our evolving friendship and our growing partnership together.”
“When the United States is strong, Israel is stronger. And when Israel is strong, the United States is more secure,” he said.
Attacking Jewish people anywhere in the world is antisemitism, Herzog said, highlighting President Joe Biden’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. Reported antisemitic incidents reached all-time high in 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The Israeli president also alluded to recent remarks by some Democrats, including Jayapal, Ocasio-Cortez, and others, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for his approach toward West Bank settlements.
“I am not oblivious to criticism among friends, including some expressed by respected members of this House. I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it,” he said, drawing laughs from the gallery.
“But criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the State of Israel’s right to exist. Questioning the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, is not legitimate diplomacy, it is antisemitism,” he added.
Several House progressives were absent from the chamber, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal who walked back her initial comments that Israel is a “racist state” — remarks that resulted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote affirming Israel is not a racist or apartheid state and condemning antisemitism. Jayapal voted for the resolution. Her office confirmed to ABC that she skipped the Wednesday address “due to scheduling conflicts.”
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Ilhan Omar, and Cori Bush, all of whom were among the nine House progressives who voted against the resolution on Tuesday, skipped Herzog’s address. Reps. Raul Grijalva and Nydia Velazquez, who supported the resolution, also did not attend.
Herzog also referenced protests over judicial reform in Israel — a key sticking point for House progressives — saying it’s “no secret that over the past few months, the Israeli people have engaged in a heated and painful debate.”
It’s an “intense debate” and is the “clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel’s democracy,” he added.
Herzog closed his speech saying “Am Yisrael Chai,” which means “The Jewish nation lives.”
“God Bless the State of Israel and God Bless the United States of America,” he said, receiving a big standing ovation and cheers in the House chamber.
(WASHINGTON) — Two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify for the first time publicly about their claims that the Justice Department mishandled its yearslong investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden – allegations disputed by both the Justice Department and the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney who led the government’s case.
Gary Shapley, a 14-year IRS veteran, and his deputy, known only as “Whistleblower X,” were expected to reiterate allegations to Republican-led House committees that they’ve previously leveled in private accusing U.S. Attorney David Weiss of granting favorable treatment to the president’s son.
The deputy who testified was revealed to be named Joseph Ziegler.
“Based on this experience, I am here to tell you that the Delaware USAO (U.S. Attorney’s Office) and Department of Justice handling of the Hunter Biden tax investigation was very different from any other case in my 14 years at the IRS,” Shapley is expected to tell the committee, according to testimony before the House Oversight Committee obtained by ABC News.
In June, the younger Biden struck a deal with Weiss’ office to plead guilty to a pair of tax-related misdemeanors and enter into a diversion program to avoid prosecution on a felony gun charge. He will likely avoid jail time if a judge signs off on the arrangement next week in Delaware.
Republicans decried it as a “sweetheart deal,” and have pointed to Shapley’s allegations as evidence of a justice system that benefitted the president’s son.
But Weiss himself has directly disputed some of Shapley’s most troubling claims, notably that Justice Department leaders rebuffed Weiss’ request for special counsel status.
“To clarify an apparent misperception and to avoid future confusion, I wish to make one point clear: in this case, I have not requested Special Counsel designation,” Weiss wrote earlier this month in a letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Central to Wednesday’s hearing will be Shapley’s credibility as a witness.
Republicans have framed him as a nonpartisan bureaucrat who came forward at great risk to his career.
But as taxpayers evaluate the merit of Shapley’s claims, Democrats have sought to highlight Shapley’s decision to hire Empower Oversight, a legal and public relations team comprised of former staffers from the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa – one of the Senate’s fiercest Biden family critics.
Andrea Bryant applied for a Give A Mile flight to go see her mother who was in the hospital in Seattle. — Courtesy of Andrea Bryant
(NEW YORK) — When Ileen Paden’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and began showing signs of dementia, she knew she couldn’t give him the care he needed at home. After 36 years of marriage, Paden stayed in Indiana while Charles went to a nursing home in Dallas, Texas, aided by funding from the Veterans Administration.
“It was very hard to let him go,” Paden said of her husband, Charles. “But I knew I wasn’t doing him any good keeping him here.”
Over Charles’ three years in Texas, Paden visited as often as possible, but she didn’t have much money and was receiving disability benefits herself. As her husband’s condition began to deteriorate, she worried she might not get to see him again.
Then on TikTok, a hospice nurse she followed mentioned the organization Give A Mile, which used donated frequent flyer miles to help arrange flights for people separated from their loved ones. Paden applied immediately. Give A Mile responded within an hour, and in December, Paden, her daughter and her granddaughter flew to Dallas to be with her husband for the last time, she told ABC News.
During the December visit, Paden stayed overnight at Charles’ facility and they talked late into the night. Her granddaughter, who hadn’t seen him since she was a toddler, crawled up onto his bed and gave him a hug. They spent most of their three-day visit at the nursing home, helping out and spending time with him.
“That brought a lot of joy,” said Paden. “I can’t believe they actually had this kind of program because it was perfect. That’s what we needed: to see him one last time.”
Give A Mile also enabled Andrea Bryant to see her mother one last time. During an international trip, Bryant’s mother suffered a pulmonary embolism, leading to her being placed on life support in Istanbul. After lengthy and expensive dealings with the hospital in Turkey through an interpreter, Bryant and her sister arranged an international medical flight to bring her mother home. Her mother’s coworkers at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, where she worked as a nurse, got the hospital to accept her as a patient.
Bryant was following in mother’s footsteps and going to nursing school, and she had children and grandchildren to support. Through the ordeal, she spent tens of thousands of dollars from her savings to transport her mother back to the United States. She had no idea how she would afford the trip from her home in Houston to see her mother in Seattle for the last time.
One of the instructors at her school told her about Give A Mile. After she applied, Give A Mile quickly approved her application and sent her a flight within 12 hours.
“These people gave me the opportunity to see my mother for the very last time and hold her hand again and be with my sisters at the hospital by her side,” said Bryant. “If it would not have been for them, I don’t know that I would have seen my mom again.”
Give A Mile has made a difference for countless families like Paden’s and Bryant’s. Founded in 2013 by Canadian tech executive Kevin Crowe, Give A Mile is a non-profit organization with the mission of helping people get flights to travel and see their loved ones for the last time before they pass away. To arrange flights, Give A Mile asks for donations of frequent flyer miles or cash.
Crowe formed Give A Mile as a tribute to his friend Ryan, who died from brain cancer at the age of 37. Crowe cared for Ryan in his final months alongside his family, and he witnessed firsthand the value they found in spending time together before he died.
“It’s great to go to Super Bowls and it’s great to go on trips and hit up Vegas,” said Crowe. “But these are the moments of life that are really the prize, the little moments with our children, the people we love, our friends and family.”
After Ryan’s death, Crowe learned that trillions of frequent flyer miles go unused every year and came up with the concept for Give A Mile.
Since then, the organization has provided over 1,000 flights with over 36 million miles donated.
The process of applying for a flight through Give A Mile is simple. The application is short and asks for financial information, personal details and medical verification. From there, a flight review team looks at the application and moves as quickly as possible to approve it and arrange flights.
“We can’t help everybody,” said Crowe. “As applications come in, we assess them based on the resources we have at that moment. … If you meet the criteria, we’re going to do all our best to make that flight happen for you.”
To donate, people can pledge miles for long or short haul flights through major airlines and rewards programs. Give A Mile partners with United and Air Canada, which hold campaigns for the organization throughout the year, where people can donate any amount above 1,000 miles. The organization also accepts cash, which helps with flights to remote areas or when flights can’t be booked with miles.
For Crowe, the founder, a thousand flights and 36 million miles are just the start. He wants to reach a billion miles donated.
And some of the donors who will help him build toward that goal are people the organization has previously helped. After Paden’s husband passed away in Texas, her family decided to pay it forward. In lieu of flowers, they asked for donations to Give A Mile.
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has grown to $1 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing, the game’s third-largest prize ever.
The jackpot has a cash value of $516.8 million, before taxes.
The Powerball, which was last hit on April 19, has now had 38 consecutive drawings without a winner.
The winner would have the choice between annual payments over 30 years, which increase by 5% each year, or a lump sum payment.
“This has turned into a historic jackpot run; this is only the third time in Powerball’s 31-year history that a jackpot has reached the billion-dollar threshold,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director. “It only takes one ticket to win this massive jackpot or any of Powerball’s other cash prizes. If you win the jackpot, sign your ticket, put it somewhere very safe, and reach out to your local lottery.”
The biggest jackpot in Powerball history was a $2.04 billion prize claimed by a man in Altadena, California, in November 2022. The only other time the Powerball jackpot crossed a billion was when three tickets won a $1.586 billion prize in January 2016.
The drawing will be held just before 11 p.m. ET.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
(NEW YORK) — Faced with an ongoing labor shortage, some 911 centers are rethinking how to hire and retain workers.
From increasing base pay to fostering a culture that elevates dispatching as a unique profession, industry leaders told ABC News that they hope the changes can help rebuild their workforces following widespread challenges during and after the pandemic.
Between 2019 and 2022, one in four jobs at public safety communications centers were vacant, according to a recent report from the National Association of State 911 Administrators and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
Filling those jobs in a competitive work environment has been difficult, according to Andrew Dameron, Denver’s director of Emergency Communications, who described competing with companies like Uber and Grubhub for employees during and after the pandemic.
The stakes are high for 911 centers facing the ongoing work shortage, according to April Heinze, the 911 operations director for the National Emergency Number Association. Understaffed centers risk burning out their remaining employees, cutting additional services, or leaving callers with increased wait times.
“It’s the difference between life and death. It’s that simple,” Sharon McDonough, director of the 911 dispatch center in Tucson, Arizona, told ABC News about increased wait times due to understaffing. “We don’t know what’s on the other end of that phone, and that person might be dying right in that moment or about to be killed right in that moment.”
Beyond those material harms, Dameron described a broader concern that understaffing causing long wait times could contribute to the breakdown of trust between 911 centers and the communities they serve.
“If your residents lose faith that dialing 911 will enable them to get the help that they need, then you start to erode faith in the entire system,” Dameron said.
When did the staffing shortage peak?
Emergency departments, such as the ones in Denver and Tucson, are primarily staffed by civilians and employ two types of workers. Telecommunicators answer calls placed to 911 and other non-emergency lines while dispatchers communicate with first responders, McDonough said.
In smaller cities and towns, those roles are often handled by the same person and might work within the same building as first responders.
Generally, these positions only only require a high school diploma, passing a background check and training. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay for the work, which requires 24-hour staffing, averages around $46,670 a year.
“In some situations, individuals make more money at fast food restaurants than they could be serving the public and 911,” Brian Fontes, the CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), told ABC News.
Moreover, the high-pressure work often puts these professionals at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to experts.
“They got to listen to this person screaming and crying on the phone, they maybe even heard them being assaulted, and then they have no idea what happened next,” McDonough told ABC News. “They have no idea what happened next, so there’s some real moral injury that happens.”
McDonough and Dameron added that the lack of flexibility to work remotely during the pandemic and job opportunities during the “Great Resignation” created a workforce shortage by 2021 as “staggering” numbers of workers left the job. Professionals listed the job’s stress and low wages as the top reasons for leaving the field, according to the NASNA/IAED report.
“I could go work at a GEICO call center and probably make more [with] a whole lot less trauma,” McDonough said.
As workers left the job, the remaining staffers at some call centers began taking on more overtime, creating a “miserable circle” of overworked employees, according to McDonough.
Addressing the workforce shortage
Denver centers have responded to the shortage by increasing the starting salary by 45% since 2020, according to Dameron.
Tucson’s 911 center improved its vacation policy and work schedule flexibility and pursued an intentional cultural shift to respect the profession of emergency telecommunication, McDonough said. For example, rather than displaying posters of first responders, their call center instead uses wall space to display call takers and dispatchers, which McDonough says places more importance on the role of 911 professionals separate from first responders like police and firefighters.
McDonough’s approach to improving the perception of 911 professionals to attract and retain candidates is not uncommon. In June, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety unveiled a new recruiting campaign – “911 Dispatcher: It’s Your Calling” – focusing on the importance of public safety telecommunicators.
“You’re talking to someone as they’re dying, or you’re talking to someone as they’re giving birth,” McDonough said. “These incredible moments bring anxiety and stress, but they’re also really incredibly meaningful.”
Other noticeable improvements include increasing the number of trainees to accommodate for turnover and hiring crisis call takers to handle calls not suited for an armed police response, according to McDonough. On average, she said her call center refers about 1,000 calls monthly to crisis professionals trained in psychology rather than police or fire departments.
What problems remain?
Even under the best of circumstances, these policies take time to work. Denver still has a roughly 27-second wait time, far from the preferred national standard of 15 to 20 seconds set by NENA. Dameron expects an improvement in the wait time once their larger class of new hires, who still need to be fully trained, become cleared for independent work.
Additionally, smaller dispatch centers often need more funding to compete in a competitive labor market or purchase better equipment.
“In the United States, we have haves and have-nots when it comes to funding,” Heinze said about the localized nature of funding for dispatch centers.
While 40% to 60% of departments have the money to deploy next-generation 911 technology — which works better with digital communications like smartphones — poorer departments struggle to work with outdated equipment, according to Heinze.
911 dispatchers and telecommunicators are also classified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as clerical or secretarial workers, which limits the mental health and wellness services these workers can obtain, including workers’ compensation, according to Heinze.
“If they experience post-traumatic stress injuries, workman’s comp does not cover 911 professionals because they are not considered part of the protected services classification,” Heinze added.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Four women and an OB-GYN are expected to testify at hearings on Wednesday and Thursday as part of a lawsuit filed against the state of Texas over its abortion bans.
The women are some of the 15 individuals party to the lawsuit who have alleged that their lives were put at risk due to Texas’ abortion laws, claiming they were denied livesaving emergency care.
Lawyers representing the women are seeking a preliminary injunction on Texas’ abortion laws that would allow for lifesaving abortions. They are asking the court to provide a “remedy applied to patients whose life, health or fertility is at risk from an emergent medical condition,” Molly Duane, a lead attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said during opening statements Wednesday.
“Tens of thousands of Texans have already been denied abortions. By any measure, Texas is in a health care crisis. The only issue in this case, however, is who should be getting abortions, under the medical exception to the abortion ban and two years later, still, no one knows,” Duane said.
“In the words of the state’s own expert, it is ‘the blind leading the blind on the ground,'” Duane said.
Prosecutors appearing on behalf of the state of Texas claimed the suit was due to dissatisfaction with medical care that the plaintiffs received and that they did not approve of Texas laws.
“Plaintiffs simply do not like Texas’ restrictions on abortion,” Cindy Fletcher, a representative for the state in the lawsuit, said.
Plaintiffs testifying at the hearings include Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks; Ashley Brandt, who was forced to leave the state for abortion care after one of the twins she was carrying was diagnosed with a fatal condition; Samantha Casiano, who was forced to carry a nonviable pregnancy to term and give birth to a baby who died four hours later; Dr. Austin Dennard, an OB-GYN who had to travel out of state to receive abortion care for a nonviable pregnancy; and Dr. Damla Karsan, a Houston-based OB-GYN representing her patients.
‘I went from feeling physically OK to shaking uncontrollably’
In her testimony Wednesday, Zurawski said she went into sepsis after doctors said they could not induce labor because her fetus still had a heartbeat. Zurawski said she was told she had an incompetent cervix, premature dilation of her cervix, and would miscarry.
Her water broke later that evening but she did not miscarry until three days later, she said.
“I went from feeling physically OK to shaking uncontrollably. I was freezing cold even though it was 110 degrees out. My teeth were chattering violently. I couldn’t get a sentence out. My husband Josh asked me how I was feeling on a scale from 1 to 10. I didn’t know the difference between 1 and 10 — which one was higher,” Zurawski said.
“[I was] completely devastated. I’d just been given the worst news of my life, and I was terrified because I didn’t know what was going to happen. Again, this was my first pregnancy. I didn’t know what labor would be like, I didn’t know if I would go into labor. I didn’t know if I’d get sick. It was terrifying,” Zurawski said.
She said she suffered two bouts of sepsis and one of her fallopian tubes has since been permanently closed. Zurawski also needed several procedures to remove scar tissue and reconstruct her uterus after it collapsed.
“I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. It felt like the worst flu I had ever had in my life. I was so sore. Every muscle in my body was so sore that I couldn’t sit up without assistance. I couldn’t roll over. I actually lost control of my bowels and soiled the bed multiple times, which was absolutely humiliating,” Zurawski said.
Zurawski said she did not feel comfortable traveling to receive care elsewhere.
“We looked into it briefly but we quickly learned that I would either have to drive at least eight hours to get to a state where they could provide an abortion or we would have to fly and we didn’t feel like that would be safe, especially since the physician had advised that we not be more than 15 to 20 minutes from a hospital,” Zurawski said during her testimony.
Zurawski — who has done three egg retrievals since going into sepsis — said she still wants to have children and is having difficulty getting pregnant due to complications from developing sepsis.
Texas’ abortion bans
The suit alleged that Texas’ abortion bans have denied the plaintiffs and countless other pregnant people necessary and potentially lifesaving medical care because physicians in the state fear liability, according to the suit.
Texas has several abortion laws in place, prohibiting all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, except in medical emergencies, which the laws do not define. One of the bans — called SB 8 — prohibits abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which kept several plaintiffs from accessing care despite their pregnancies being nonviable, according to the suit.
Under Texas’ bans, it is a second-degree felony to perform or attempt an abortion, punishable by up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The law also allows private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion.
The suit is the first to be filed by women impacted by the abortion bans since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, ending federal protections for abortion rights.
The lawsuit is filed against the state of Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton — who was recently impeached — and the Texas Medical Board. A date has not yet been set for a hearing, according to Duane.
(UPPER MAKEFIELD, Pa.) — A search for a 2-year-old girl and her 9-month-old brother who were washed away with their mother in a flash flood in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is expected to be scaled back on Wednesday after officials said rescue crews combed the entire flood zone more than a dozen times.
Severe weather Wednesday morning in the search area was delaying rescue crews from resuming the search for 2-year-old Matilda “Mattie” Sheils and her 9-month-old Conrad Sheils, according to the Upper Makefield, Pennsylvania, Police Department.
“The area and conditions will be continuously monitored throughout the day and if we are able to deploy our assets, we will do so. This setback has us all frustrated as we are desperate to bring Mattie and Conrad home,” police officials said in a statement.
The children have been missing since Saturday afternoon when they and their family were caught in the deluge while driving on Route 532 to a barbecue, authorities said.
The children’s mother, 32-year-old Katie Seley, died after she grabbed Mattie and Conrad and tried to escape their vehicle but ended up being swept away in the violent weather event near Upper Makefield Township, officials said.
Seley was among five people killed in the storm. Her body was recovered on Sunday.
Rescue crews are expected to scale back the search on Wednesday after more than 100 emergency personnel spent the past four days scouring the flooded area along Hough’s Creek, Chief Tim Brewer of the Upper Makefield Fire Company said. He said crews have used cadaver dogs in ground searches of the creek’s banks and have deployed sonar equipment and drones to search the creek, a tributary that leads to the Delaware River.
“We have searched the entire flood zone more than a dozen times,” Brewer said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, adding that the search covered roughly 117 acres.
Brewer said the focus of the search will switch on Wednesday to a “dive rescue operation.”
“That will mean underwater assets mainly in the creek and we will work out from there. We still have K-9 assets in place, but we are going to begin to scale down,” said Brewer, adding that crews have searched and re-searched the area.
“Tracking logs are over 160 miles, meaning we have backtracked several times,” Brewer said.
The tragedy unfolded around 5:30 p.m. Saturday when more than 7 inches of rain fell within 45 minutes, causing Hough’s Creek to spill its banks and generating a “wall of water” that took drivers on Route 532, also known as Washington Crossing Road, by surprise, Brewer said. He said 11 cars were washed away in the flash flood and at least one was found 1.5 miles from where it was swept into the creek.
The missing children and their family are from South Carolina and were in Pennsylvania visiting friends and relatives when disaster struck.
Mattie and Conrad’s father, Jim Sheils, and their grandmother grabbed ahold of the missing siblings’ 4-year-old brother and escaped their car as it and other vehicles were being washed away, according to officials. The father, grandmother and 4-year-old were found alive, officials said.
“They were caught in a flash flood,” Brewer said. “The wall of water came to them, not the other way around.”
Besides Katie Seley, four other people were confirmed dead in the Bucks County flooding. They were identified by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office as Enzo Depiero, 78, and Linda Depiero, 74, both of Newtown Township, Pennsylvania; Susan Barnhardt, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey; and Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown Township.
The coroner’s office said all of the victims died from drowning.
