(MASSAPEQUA, N.Y.) — Rex Heuermann appeared “traumatized” at his arraignment on Friday in the Gilgo Beach murders of three sex workers, his defense attorney Michael Brown said.
Brown, Heuermann’s defense attorney, spoke exclusively with ABC News on Tuesday in front of the Suffolk County courthouse about his client, who is charged with murdering the women whose bodies were found along Long Island’s South Shore in 2010. The 59-year-old architect is the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, police said.
Heuermann, who was arrested near his New York City office last Thursday, was assigned to Brown, a criminal defense attorney based out of Suffolk County. Brown said that when he first met with Heuermann at the arraignment on Friday, the suspect appeared traumatized following his arrest.
Brown spoke further with ABC News on Heuerman’s condition when he met with him again at the county jail. “Nothing struck me as unusual about him. He was articulate, he was intelligent, he was soft spoken,” Brown said.
Brown said this case will be challenging for him and his co-councils as Heuerman appears to have “been convicted in the media already and the media public opinion.”
“When you have a high profile case like this, initially you have to be concerned about getting a jury that hasn’t been biased, that hasn’t convicted him, just based on what they’ve read in the newspapers and what they’ve heard on social media. So that’s going to be a challenge,” Brown stated.
Brown said the state has amassed “circumstantial evidence” against his client including phone records that correspond to burner phones used by the victims’ murderer, internet searches and DNA evidence found in a burlap sack that one of the bodies was buried in.
Brown further elaborated that he deems this evidence circumstantial as there were no eyewitnesses to the murders and no confessions from his client.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney told ABC News on Monday that Heuermann wouldn’t have been charged if they weren’t confident in their case.
Currently, Brown is assembling his legal team and says that he and his team are in a “wait and hold pattern” for discovery.
Heuermann has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, and has been called the “prime suspect” in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. All four women were found in the same area of the beach, bound in the same fashion.
Investigators said Tuesday they were digging into Heuermann’s life and checking to see if they could tie him to unsolved murders or missing persons cases throughout New York state, an NYPD official told ABC News.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
Rex Heuermann is shown in this booking photo released by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. — Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department
(NEW YORK) — Investigations into the Gilgo Beach murder suspect have expanded beyond New York state in the days following his arrest in connection with the Long Island slayings.
Rex A. Heuermann, 59, a Manhattan architect, has been charged with the murders of three women whose bodies were found on Long Island’s South Shore in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities in Nevada said Tuesday they are investigating a connection between the accused serial killer and Las Vegas.
“We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas,” the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement.”
Police are trying to determine whether they should be searching any locations in Vegas and what those sites might be.
The search for forensic and physical evidence in the Long Island case has also expanded to property Heuermann owns in Chester, South Carolina, where authorities seized his Chevrolet Avalanche in connection with the investigation. A witness to Costello’s disappearance reported seeing a Chevrolet Avalanche, according to court records.
Investigators on Tuesday were digging into Heuermann’s life and checking to see if they could tie him to unsolved murders or missing persons cases throughout New York state, an NYPD official told ABC News.
The suspect’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database, available to all law enforcement agencies in New York.
Heuermann was arrested in Manhattan last week and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found covered in burlap along Ocean Parkway on Long Island’s South Shore in December 2010. He was also named the “prime suspect” in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a fourth woman discovered in the same spot, police said.
More than 200 firearms were found at his Long Island home, officials said.
“We wanted to take him into custody somewhere outside the house, because of access to those weapons,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told ABC News.
The guns explain why police would have chosen to arrest him away from home, former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
Investigators would have searched databases and discovered that Heuermann had dozens of gun permits, Boyce said.
“You don’t want to go into that house — you want to take him off-premise,” Boyce said. “This way it’s safer for everybody.”
Heuermann is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 1.
Heuermann’s defense attorney, Michael Brown, said in a statement Monday: “There is nothing about Mr. Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents. And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”
(SANTA FE, N.M.) — A small plane crashed into a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Tuesday, resulting in an unspecified number of fatalities.
The home, located just south of the Santa Fe Regional Airport, caught fire in the crash.
The twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed into a home around 9:05 a.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It is unknown how many people were on board, the FAA said.
New Mexico State Police said they are investigating the fatal plane crash and that the scene is active.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are also investigating the crash. A preliminary report from the FAA is expected by Wednesday.
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Scorching temperatures continue to shatter records amid a relentless heat wave across the United States.
Tuesday marked the 19th consecutive day that temperatures at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded in Arizona’s capital, breaking a record that was set in 1974. A high of 116 degrees was reported at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, tying a record for the same date set in 2005, according to the National Weather Service.
Phoenix shattered another record for going eight straight days without overnight temperatures dipping below 90 degrees. Monday night’s 95 degrees was just shy of the record warmest low of 96 degrees set in 2003. The city is expected to continue with the record-setting trend.
Meanwhile, heat index values in Miami, Florida, reached 109 degrees on Monday, marking the 16th consecutive day that they were at or above 105 degrees. That doubled the city’s previous record of eight straight days set in 2017.
Temperatures have been at or above 100 degrees in El Paso, Texas, for the past 32 days with no end in sight. A high of 109 degrees was reported on Monday, breaking the city’s previous daily record of 106 degrees set in 1980.
Grand Junction, Colorado, saw a high of 107 degrees on Monday, breaking its previous daily record of 104 degrees set in 1971. That also tied the all-time heat record for the area set in 2021.
Temperatures hit 101 degrees in Casper, Wyoming, on Monday, breaking the city’s previous daily record of 99 degrees set in 1977.
Overall, Earth has seen its 15 hottest days on record in the past 15 days. In other words, global temperatures have yet to return to levels recorded prior to July 3. The sweltering trend is expected to continue.
The latest forecast shows hot temperatures will persist for a swath of the U.S. on Tuesday, with 72 million people across 15 states under heat alerts from California to Florida, including the entire state of Louisiana.
Both heat index values and temperatures are expected to reach the 100s in the South again on Tuesday.
This week, heat index values and temperatures in the 120s are forecast to continue for California’s Death Valley while 110s continue for Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Heat index values are expected to remain in the 110s for Corpus Christi, Texas.
(LOS ANGELES) — As the Hollywood-paralyzing strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went into its fifth day Tuesday, the studios and producers accused the union of mischaracterizing the labor negotiations.
The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) released a statement, claiming the actors’ union walked away from a $1 billion deal.
“SAG-AFTRA continues to mischaracterize the negotiations with AMPTP. Not only does its press release deliberately distort the offers made by AMPTP, it also fails to include the proposals offered verbally to SAG-AFTRA leadership on July 12,” the studios and producers said in a statement released on Monday.
The AMPTP statement apparently came in response to one issued by SAG-AFTRA on Monday, in which the union accused the studios and producers of taking advantage of workers.
“Here’s the simple truth: We’re up against a system where those in charge of multibillion-dollar media conglomerates are rewarded for exploiting workers,” the union statement reads.
SAG-AFTRA’s national board voted Thursday to go on strike after it said negotiations that started on June 7 broke down. The union’s 160,000 members formed picket lines Friday morning from Hollywood to New York.
The union’s contract expired at 11:59 p.m. PT Wednesday.
Currently, no negotiations are going on and both sides appear far apart in their demands.
It is the first time since the 1960s that both SAG-AFTRA and the 11,000-member Writers Guild of America are striking at the same time. The writers union has been on strike since May 2.
The biggest roadblock in the negotiations are concerns over streaming residuals, the impact of AI technology and union member earnings.
AMPTP represents such companies as Amazon, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, HBO and The Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC News.
In its statement released on Monday, SAG-AFTRA claimed that AMPTP is “committed to prioritizing shareholders and Wall Street.”
The union is asking for a 11% general wage increase in the first year of a new contract, but claimed the AMPTP is only offering a 5% wage hike.
In addition to a pay hike, SAG-AFTRA said it proposed a comprehensive set of provisions to grant informed consent and fair compensation when a “digital replica” is made or an actor’s performance is changed using artificial intelligence. The union also said it proposed a comprehensive plan for actors to participate in streaming revenue, claiming the current business model has eroded our residual income for actors.
The AMPTP claimed it offered the union increases in wages, pension and health contributions and residuals totaling more than $1 billion over a three-year contract. The producers and studios claimed their offer also included protections with respect to the use of AI.
The producers and studios claimed the proposal it offered the union is “the most lucrative deal we have ever negotiated.”
“The AMPTP’s goal from day one has been to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with SAG-AFTRA,” the AMPTP statement on Monday said. “A strike is not the outcome we wanted. For SAG-AFTRA to assert that we have not been responsive to the needs of its membership is disingenuous at best.”
Actor Kenrick Sampson of the HBO series “Insecure,” was among the union members walking a picket line in Los Angeles on Monday. He accused the AMPTP of “being greedy and inhuman.”
Traditionally, actors have been paid a residual every time a TV show or movie they appeared in is aired in syndication or anywhere in the world. With streaming, shows don’t go into reruns, but live perpetually on platforms and can be played by viewers anytime. Sampson and other actors said residual payments for streaming programs have been reduced to meager amounts.
For example, Sampson told ABC News’ “Nightline” that he received an envelope last week with more than 50 residual checks for streaming programs he appeared in.
“And out of 50 of them, I wouldn’t even venture to say 10 of them equaled a dollar,” Sampson said.
A video that actress Kimiko Glenn, who starred in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” posted on TikTok of her foreign royalty statement from streaming residuals recently resurfaced, showing that out of nearly 60 recurring appearances on the show, she received $27.30.
“The sad reality is that for the past 10 years my residual checks have looked like this,” Glenn told “Nightline.” “At this point, you have to get a side hustle, you have to sort of have several different income streams to make this life work. And it didn’t use to be that way.”
(WEST COLUMBIA, S.C.) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday tried to walk a fine line when asked about former President Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 — in light of the news that Trump has been told he is the target of the federal investigation into the insurrection and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
At a press conference in South Carolina, where DeSantis is campaigning, ABC News’ Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked if the governor believes Trump bears any responsibility for what happened two years ago.
“Criminal charges [are] not just because you may have done something wrong. It’s — did you behave criminally? And I think what we’ve seen in this country is an attempt to criminalize politics and to try to criminalize differences. So I don’t know what was all about that,” said DeSantis, who is Trump’s biggest Republican primary rival.
Repeating a familiar part of his pitch to GOP voters, DeSantis also insisted that as president he would “end” what he claimed was the “weaponization of these [government] agencies.”
“I will get that job done. We will make it happen.”
Both Attorney General Merrick Garland and special counsel Jack Smith, the independent prosecutor who is overseeing the Department of Justice’s investigations of Trump, have defended their work.
“Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor. He has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity,” Garland said last month. “Any questions about this matter will have to be answered by their filings in court.”
Trump has denied all wrongdoing. He faces two indictments already — one in New York state court, related to hush money he paid to an adult film actress during the 2016 election; and one in federal court in Florida related to his alleged mishandling of government secrets while out of office.
He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Polling shows his support among Republican voters has not dimmed since charges were brought against him, though voter surveys show the public believes both cases are at least somewhat serious.
On Tuesday, when pressed again on whether he thought Trump’s actions related to Jan. 6 were wrong, DeSantis said that there was more the former president could’ve done more from the White House as the Capitol was overrun.
“Look, there’s a difference between being brought up on criminal charges and doing things like, for example, I think it was shown how he was in the White House and didn’t do anything while things were going on,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “He should have come out more forcefully, of course. … But to try to criminalize that, that’s a different issue entirely.”
A previous committee convened in the House that investigated Jan. 6 found, according to its work, that Trump “chose not to act” for approximately three hours after initially giving a speech near the White House encouraging supporters to march to the Capitol — before later telling rioters to leave the complex.
During a House Jan. 6 committee hearing last year, former White House officials painted a picture of Trump sitting in a private dining room off the Oval Office watching the events of Jan. 6 unravel on TV.
Before the attack on the Capitol, Trump had encouraged his supporters to march to where Congress was convening to certify his defeat by Joe Biden. Trump later told the rioters to leave and spoke out against the violence but also tweeted, “These are the things and events that happen” and said to the rioters directly, in a video recorded from the White House, “Go home, we love you.”
DeSantis also talks campaign spending
While the governor remains the No. 2 most popular candidate in the GOP primary, according to early polls analyzed by FiveThirtyEight, he has persistently trailed Trump by double digits.
Last week, ABC News reported that according to sources, DeSantis’ campaign had cut about a dozen staffers with more shakeups expected soon.
Sources said the campaign decided to cut costs — as the DeSantis camp had assessed that it burned through cash too quickly and hired too many people early in the campaign.
DeSantis’ campaign reported a second-quarter fundraising haul of roughly $20 million but burned through nearly $8 million in the first six weeks of his White House bid, according to his official filing.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked DeSantis on Tuesday if his campaign grew too big, too fast.
“No,” he said.
“When you start, there are certain investments that you make. We really believe having an important apparatus on the ground is important in caucus states and then early states, also making investment and really growing the ability to attract more supporters, financially and all that. And so that’s just kind of what you need to do,” he said.
“You hear some of these narratives. It’s like, good lord, how do you spend in the second quarter? … Trump spent more than we did,” he continued.
“So I think that we’ve done very, very well,” DeSantis maintained. “We’re continuing to do very well. … But at the end of the day, it’s what are you doing on the ground and in places like Iowa and New Hampshire that really, really important.”
He told Rachel Scott that he believes his campaign will continue to build “momentum.”
“I think most of you saw we were in Iowa last weekend. There’s a lot of great stuff going on the ground for us there. … And so we’re just going to continue building that momentum there.”
“It’s a state-by-state process,” he said, “and doing well in those states makes a huge difference.”
DeSantis brushed off a question by another reporter on whether his campaign can make it to the South Carolina primary later into the calendar next year.
“I don’t think we will have very many candidates by then,” he said, “but we will certainly be one of them.”
DeSantis’ staffing changes come amid a reported change in media strategy for the campaign, which had believed DeSantis could continue shunning mainstream media outlets and sticking to more friendly platforms like Fox News and conservative news media — but as ABC News reported last week, sources said the governor’s team has begun leaning toward having DeSantis begin doing mainstream network interviews and possibly town halls.
CNN’s Jake Tapper will interview him on Tuesday afternoon.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Will Steakin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday amid continued tension with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government.
The meeting with Herzog, whose role as president is largely ceremonial, and Biden’s recent invite to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him in the United States reflected the strength of the U.S-Israeli alliance despite the two nations’ recent, public disagreements over the rightward tilt of Netanyahu’s government and nationwide protests opposing him.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday,” Biden told Herzog at the start of their meeting, “America’s commitment to Israel is firm, and it is ironclad.”
The meeting with Herzog came one day after Biden extended the invitation to Netanyahu to meet on American soil. The offer stalled for months as Biden criticized Netanyahu’s attempts to overhaul Israel’s judicial system and support for building more Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Despite his figurehead status, Herzog has urged compromise in recent months as Netanyahu attempts to weaken Israel’s judiciary, which the prime minister contends has too much power but critics warn is critical to preserving the country’s system of checks and balances.
“Israeli democracy is sound, strong, and resilient,” Herzog said Tuesday. “We are going through pains, we are going through heated debates, [and] we are going through challenging moments, but I truly, truly believe — and I would say this to you, Mr. President, as I’ve said it as head of state to the people of Israel — we should always seek to find amicable consensus, and I agree with you on that, as well.”
Biden, in an interview with CNN earlier this month, called Netanyahu’s government “one of the most extremist” in Israeli history.
But Netanyahu’s office described the Monday call between the two leaders during which Biden extended the invite to Netanyahu as “warm and long.”
Still, Biden “expressed concern about continued settlement growth” and “reiterated in the context of the current debate in Israel about judicial reform the need for the broadest possible consensus, and that shared democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship,” the White House said.
Tuesday’s meeting also came after Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called Israel a “racist state.” After receiving blowback, the Democrat from Washington state apologized, and the White House said it was “glad” she did so.
But several Democrats said they planned to skip a speech Herzog is scheduled to deliver to Congress on Wednesday to protest the government’s policies.
On Tuesday, House Republicans sought to capitalize on Jayapal’s comments by introducing a resolution to reaffirm Israel is not a racist state and to condemn antisemitism — an attempt by the majority to drive a wedge between Democrats as the party contends with differing stances within its ranks toward Israel.
“It was truly shameful to see so many left-wing Democrats spending time spewing venom and vitriol at our most cherished ally,” former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, told a conference of Christian Zionists on Monday.
Lauren Peller and Alexandra Hutzler contributed reporting to this article.
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats are salivating at their prospects to flip the House next year — but even as party operatives boast of having “the full recipe” for success, they acknowledge they’re still gathering all the needed ingredients.
“Republicans are, for one reason or another, holding some seats that are really tenuous, and the math is pretty favorable,” said former Democratic Congressional Campaign Executive Director Tim Persico. “But there’s a lot of work to be done between now and then.”
Conservatives won control of the House in 2022 but have only a five-seat majority. In next year’s election, 18 Republicans will be defending seats in districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020, and recent court rulings on redistricting have given hope to Democrats of drawing more advantageous seats in states like Louisiana and New York.
At the same time, Democrats believe Donald Trump’s continued sway over his party’s base will limit the ability of GOP candidates to moderate on the trail.
But, operatives said, winning back the House in 2024 — and potentially winning back unified control of Congress and the laws it writes, or serving as a check on Republicans who could retake the Senate — will mean recruiting serious contenders in each of these races while avoiding potentially ugly primaries.
None of the eight Democratic strategists working on or familiar with House races who spoke to ABC News for this story said they were losing sleep over the work ahead, noting the many months remaining to find strong candidates. All agreed the party shouldn’t rest on its laurels, though.
Democrats’ recruitment push is already underway, setting up several likely rematches between potentially vulnerable Republican incumbents and challengers whom they narrowly beat last year.
Like the strategists who spoke with ABC, aides for the targeted conservatives also projected confidence, with one slamming his possible opponent as “extreme.”
Among the expected do-overs — primaries pending — are Rudy Salas versus Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., who won by about 3 points in 2022 when Biden took his district by 13 points; and Adam Gray versus Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., who won last year by 0.4 percentage points in a district Biden won by nearly 11 points.
Still, the field remains up in the air in several other districts around the country. Democrats have yet to nab top-tier recruits to take on other Biden-district Republicans like California Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel, Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggins, New York Rep. Nick LaLota and New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean.
“If they had a really good candidate running against them, they should be sweating bullets. But that hasn’t happened yet,” said Democratic strategist Jon Reinish, referencing incumbents like Kim and Steel.
Recruitment efforts are anticipated to ramp up as the calendar narrows, with filing deadlines starting later this year.
“It’s already started. You’re seeing folks announce, you’re seeing folks take meetings in D.C. The motors are working, and I think it’s gonna probably become a bit more heated in the fourth quarter of this year. And we’ll see a lot of announcements happening between the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2024,” said one Democratic strategist involved in House races, who like some others in this story asked not to be quoted by name to discuss internal matters.
Still, Democrats said they can only do so much to shape the primary fields to their liking.
Several operatives voiced worries about candidates who may be too progressive — or merely perceived that way — to win in their districts, even if Biden repeats his victories there.
These strategists said that top of mind for Democrats is Oregon’s Jamie McLeod Skinner, a progressive candidate who unseated then-Rep. Kurt Schrader in last year’s primary and then went on to lose to now-Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer by 2 points in a district Biden won by 9 points.
“In a suburban district … you want a moderate, business-friendly Democrat to run that’s far more in step with the district. Otherwise, Republicans are just going to say, ‘This is a far, far, far to the left candidate,'” Reinish said. “They’ll talk about socialism, etc., and that resonates — and then you’ve taken yourself out of contention.”
In a statement to ABC News, McLeod defended her “pragmatic leadership” on affordable housing and disaster preparedness and accused “Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s MAGA agenda” of “undermining our fundamental freedoms, like banning access to abortion.” A spokesperson for Chavez-DeRemer told ABC News, in part, “The congresswoman remains focused on rising above the partisan noise and delivering results for Oregonians. She is confident that voters will send her back to Congress.”
Crowded nominating contests elsewhere could also pose a risk to Democrats.
The party is fielding several nominees in several primaries in Biden-won districts, including races for the chance to take on Arizona Rep. David Schweikert, New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Chavez-DeRemer.
Candidates in those contests could have to empty significant chunks of their war chests to emerge as their party’s nominee — though strategists insisted that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“Spending money that far out may not help you that much in the general election. But if you spend the money for a primary that’s in August or in July, that can sometimes just bleed into the general election. So it doesn’t necessarily put you behind the eight ball. Not all primaries are created equal,” said J.J. Balaban, a Democratic ad maker.
Party experts said the competition required in contested primaries also presents a double-edged sword, offering hopefuls the chance to cut their teeth ahead of a tough general election — or get punched in the mouth.
Among the Democratic primaries that boast prominent candidates is the one to take on Lawler. It already includes former Rep. Mondaire Jones and Liz Gereghty, the sister of Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer.
Jones, who used to represent the district before running for a different seat in 2022 due to redistricting, is expected to boast broader name ID. Gereghty, though, has won the endorsements of groups like Emily’s List and it’s still unclear if Whitmer’s new PAC, designed to help federal candidates, will weigh in on the race.
Balaban, whose client list includes Jones, said he does not anticipate the race for that nomination to get too ugly — but strategists conceded bruising primaries pose long-term risks.
“Primaries create the opportunity in particular for strong candidates to refine their message, build their donor base early, to become battle-born, ready for tough general elections. It gives them all of those opportunities. Where it gets much more challenging and dicier is when Democrats start to beat each other up,” said former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Dan Sena.
Some in the party also recognize that they’re trying to unseat strong Republican candidates who have been able to win at least one term in inhospitable territory, in part by establishing brands separate from that of the national GOP. A House Democratic strategist likened it to a “façade” that the party must pierce with voters.
“We’re gonna need to continue what has already been a strong recruitment cycle here in order to match up well against some of these Republicans,” this person said. “I hate complimenting Mike Lawler, but he’s done a really good job of putting on this façade as a moderate while voting as a pretty extreme person. But the façade is maintained for the moment, so you need a strong challenger who can challenge him.”
Lawler’s campaign spokesman Chris Russell pushed back, saying, in part: “The only facade being perpetuated in this race is courtesy of Mondaire Jones, who’s trying to hide his extreme record.” Russell also contended that Lawler was the moderate choice.
Democrats are nonetheless staying upbeat about their chances of flipping the House.
While there are still pending questions like Biden’s strength heading into reelection — given many voters’ continued apathy about his age and concerns over the economy — and ongoing redistricting fights, Republicans in swing districts are being squeezed by tough votes forced by the GOP’s right flank, including on third-rail issues like abortion, and Trump is pushing a controversial agenda that helped Biden win in precisely the same districts Democrats are targeting now.
“I think the Democrats have all of the tools and a battlefield that can deliver the House for them. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Sena said. “There are still multiple X factors that that will ultimately play a significant role in whether the Democrats take the House. However, right now, they seem to have the full recipe to be able to take it back.”
(HENDERSON, Nev.) — Police searched a home in the Las Vegas area on Monday night in the long-dormant murder case of Tupac Shakur, according to a law enforcement source.
“LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on July 17, 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation,” Las Vegas police said in a statement. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The celebrated hip-hop artist was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, in Las Vegas and died in the hospital six days later from his injuries at the age of 25. No arrests have been made.
During his short but prolific career, he sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including the diamond-certified album “All Eyez on Me,” which included the hit “California Love (Remix).”
Tupac was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has actually received more support from Republican rather than Democratic donors, among those who gave him the most money in the first months of his 2024 White House bid, according to an ABC News analysis of his most recent financial filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Kennedy on Friday reported a haul of more than $6.3 million in donations, nearly all of which came from individuals.
Of the 104 donors who gave more than $6,000 to Kennedy — close to the legal maximum donation of $6,600 across the entire cycle — 39% had histories of donating to Republicans and 30% had only ever donated to Republican candidates and causes.
Just 23% of Kennedy’s top donors exclusively gave to Democrats in the past, and 65% had never donated to a Democrat. Only 13% had a history of giving to both parties.
Kennedy — an attorney and activist and nephew of President John F. Kennedy who has repeatedly spouted conspiracy theories and misinformation on public health issues — has seen his support base grow among some far-right figures like InfoWars host Alex Jones and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, both of whom have spread falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election.
Kennedy has also frequently garnered praise from former President Donald Trump, who over the weekend called him “a very smart guy” who has “hit a little bit of a nerve.” (Previously asked for his thoughts on Trump, Kennedy has said both “I’m proud that … [he] likes me” and “I’m not going to attack other people personally.”)
His campaign is attracting the attention of some prominent Republican donors, the FEC filing shows — at least seven of whom have given more than $100,000 to GOP candidates and causes.
Those people include Ken Fisher, founder and executive co-chair of Fisher Investments, who has donated millions of dollars to Republicans. Fisher’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his support.
Collectively, the seven donors have raised more than $5.4 million for Republicans.
Despite being a member of a famous family and despite being married to actress Cheryl Hines, Kennedy’s campaign appears not to have gotten much traction in Hollywood: The FEC filing shows guitarist Eric Clapton among the donors. (Clapton has criticized COVID-19 vaccines and anti-COVID-19 measures; his $5,000 was refunded because he isn’t a U.S. citizen.)
A representative for Clapton declined to comment to ABC News.
On the campaign trail, Kennedy has frequently argued he has his ability to bring people together. He launched his long shot bid against President Joe Biden in April.
“What I’m trying to do in this race is bring people together, is to try to bridge the divide between Americans,” he said during a NewsNation town hall last month.
Kennedy’s campaign received just $13,200 from two political action committees: American Values 2024 — which is backing him — and Purple Good Government PAC.
The latter, which in 2022 donated $100,000 to a PAC-aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has previously received large donations from venture capitalist David Sacks, who held a fundraiser for Kennedy earlier this year.
In an interview with ABC News, American Values Co-Chairman Mark Gorton said that he believes Kennedy can appeal to a broad swath of Americans. (A Kennedy campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
“Bobby, I think he’s basically, you know, drawing from people who are … outside the system, or at the very least want to see the system seriously reformed,” Gorton said.
According to a spokesperson, American Values has raised $11 million so far from an even split of Republican and Democratic donors.
