(PHILADELPHIA) — Officials are expected to unveil on Wednesday a plan to repair an elevated section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that collapsed when a tanker truck caught fire in the underpass.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt and other officials will provide an update on the coordinated response to the I-95 collapse during a press conference at 11 a.m. ET. They are set to announce a reconstruction plan along with a timeline, according to Philadelphia station WPVI-TV.
Shapiro had told reporters on Sunday evening that “the complete rebuild” is expected “to take some number of months.”
The section collapsed on Sunday morning as a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline attempted to navigate a left-hand turn after exiting at the Cottman Avenue offramp of I-95 in Pennsylvania’s largest city, according to officials. Losing control through its turn, the truck fell on its side and ruptured its own tank. Once ignited, the fuel burned at a high enough heat to structurally compromise the concrete and steel I-beams of the overpass, officials said.
The northbound lanes of the affected segment collapsed, while the southbound lanes are compromised and will also need to be replaced. Crews have since removed most of the collapsed structure along with the tanker truck that was trapped beneath, officials said. They are now working to demolish the structurally unsound southbound portion of the roadway. The full demolition will likely be finished later this week, according to officials.
The Pennsylvania State Police said Monday that a body was recovered from the wreckage and turned over to the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner and Coroner. While authorities have yet to identify the remains, the family of Nathaniel Moody told ABC News that he was the driver of the tanker truck and had died in the crash. Moody leaves behind a son and two daughters, his family said.
I-95 is one of the busiest travel corridors in the United States and serves as the main north-south highway on the East Coast. An average of more than 160,000 vehicles travel across the impacted section in Philadelphia every day, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(WASHINGTON) — A “unity” team running for the White House next year may sound farfetched — one Republican and one Democrat teaming up to share a platform and a presidential ticket — but some Democrats say they are worried that such a possibility could spoil Joe Biden’s reelection hopes.
And they’re looking to stop it.
No Labels is the group floating a bipartisan team-up if 2024 features the increasingly likely rematch of Biden versus Donald Trump, both of whom face weak approval ratings. Democrats, burned by third-party candidates who may have tipped key states in 2016 — when, for example, Hillary Clinton lost Michigan to Trump by 11,000 votes while Libertarian Gary Johnson earned 172,000 ballots — are sounding the alarm that No Labels could similarly siphon votes from Biden.
In response, Democrats are mounting a scattered effort to blunt the outside group’s efforts.
Among No Labels’ gripes are what they decry as attempts to block access to the ballot in certain states. And while both Democrats and No Labels agree avoiding a Trump presidency is a priority, the feud has sparked a debate over whether efforts to pump the breaks on a third-party bid amount to suppression or due diligence.
“I will tell you, I lose sleep about this,” said veteran Georgia Democratic strategist David Brand.
He likened a hypothetical No Labels ticket to Democrats’ version of Ross Perot, the outside candidate who drew nearly 20% of the vote in the 1992 presidential election while incumbent George H.W. Bush narrowly lost to Bill Clinton.
“I have not spoken to anyone who’s doesn’t take this seriously,” Brand said, urging Democrats to be as “humanly and legally” aggressive as possible to keep No Labels off the ballot.
No Labels officials strongly refute that their potential ticket plans to serve as any kind of “spoiler,” casting it solely as an insurance policy and insisting that if polling numbers show a third-party bid has no path to victory, they will take an “off-ramp.” No specific person has been floated as a nominee — though some names like Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have been speculated about — and a ticket would not be formally anointed until after Super Tuesday during the primary next year.
But for now, No Labels is dogged both in its belief in a national appetite for a bipartisan ticket and its efforts to clinch spots on the ballot in 2024.
The group points to polling it commissioned showing that voters would back a third-party ticket — without surveying precise candidates — and it has plans to qualify for ballots in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Their ticket, the group suggests, would be moderate in ideology, arguing that most Americans reject party extremes.
No Labels does not have to disclose its funders but is committed to raising $70 million for a third-party ticket in 2024.
In a statement, a spokesperson said, “We never share the names of our supporters because we live in an era where far-right and far-left agitators and partisan operatives try to destroy and intimidate organizations they don’t like by attacking their individual supporters.”
Benjamin Chavis, a No Labels national co-chair, told ABC News he is “very confident” the group will hit its goal.
“And the reason why we’re confident and our confidence grows each week is because of the responses that we get from the American people in all these states,” he said.
Still, Chavis and No Labels’ chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, insisted repeatedly in a nearly 45-minute interview that the momentum of a ballot access campaign wouldn’t prevent the group from pulling the plug if need be.
“No Labels is on the record, we will not be a spoiler in any case … to the interests of Donald Trump,” Chavis said.
Those assurances have done little to ease Democrats’ worries, with many party operatives maintaining that any third-party bid has no chance — and some not taking No Labels’ word that it would back out if it lacks adequate support.
“The voters that swung to the Democratic side after Trump came on the scene, I do not believe yet that they are permanent fixtures in the Democratic Party, which is why I really think a No Labels-type unity ticket or whatever you want to call it could potentially attract enough of those voters. And that would be, I think, tragic for our country,” said Pennsylvania-based strategist Mike Mikus.
Third Way, a center-left think tank, published a memo in March accusing No Labels’ potential ticket of boosting Trump and noting No Labels has “not explained their criteria” that would dictate leaving the race.
The think tank also helped coordinate an op-ed hitting No Labels.
And the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump GOP group, released a statement insisting it wasn’t trying to undermine No Labels but claiming that “objective math” suggested a third-party ticket was fated for defeat.
The Democratic Party in Arizona is suing No Labels and the Democratic secretary of state, contesting No Labels’ status as a third party in Arizona and accusing it instead of being a “dark money” group. And in Maine, the Democratic secretary of state sent letters to residents who signed forms registering with the No Labels Party seeking to ensure they indeed meant to register.
Some Democrats have also spoken out.
“No Labels is wasting time, energy, and money on a bizarre effort that confuses and divides voters, and has one obvious outcome — reelecting Donald Trump as President,” Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger said in a statement.
No Labels is not ready to definitively say the obstacles are part of a coordinated effort but claims it is being treated differently than other third parties.
“On the one hand, you don’t want to be conspiratorial,” said Clancy, the chief strategist. “On the other hand, when you talk to our people up in Maine, and they talk about in past elections when the Green Party or the Libertarian Party would make an effort to get on the ballot, it was a non-issue and the people who signed those registrations certainly never got the kind of letters are signatories got.”
“So, you can’t help but think we’re getting a little special attention because we’re injecting some unwelcome competition,” he said.
Officials in those states, however, told ABC News their efforts are nothing unusual.
Arizona’s Democratic Party claims No Labels hasn’t properly registered as a party, and Maine’s Department of the Secretary of State says they only sent letters to voters registered with No Labels after getting complaints from voters saying they thought they were signing up to support the idea of a third party — not necessarily switch their registration to one. And when letters were sent, bold text indicated that if voters indeed wanted to register with No Labels, no further action had to be taken.
Maine officials also said at least one resident complained that the form they were asked to sign was explicitly advertised as a form that wouldn’t impact registration.
“As the elections administrator, who the parties are, who the candidates are on the ballot are not something we take position on. But we want voters to be well-informed of their First Amendment rights to be associated with a party or no party affiliation of their choosing,” said Emily Cook, the communications director for Maine’s Department of the Secretary of State.
Chavis, No Labels’ co-chair, accused the moves of representing an “eerie similarity” to efforts to suppress the Black vote in the 20th century.
But Democrats backed up officials in Maine and Arizona, and strategists swatted away concerns on whether the roadblocks are politically motivated — saying they’re just fine with them if they’re legal.
“No Labels is kind of the ‘Seinfeld’ of political parties. It’s a party about nothing. And I think they’re pretty clearly out there to sabotage,” said one operative, Jared Leopold.
“Absolutely, Democrats should aggressively try to stop ballot access if there is reason to do so,” he added. “There’s a lot at stake here. And I think Democrats need to play hardball.”
(ATHENS, Greece) — Rescue efforts were underway Wednesday after a fishing vessel carrying migrants capsized and sank in the Mediterranean Sea, about 54 miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece.
At least 104 people have been rescued and 59 have died, the Greek Coast Guard said. Unconfirmed early estimates put hundreds of migrants — perhaps as many as 650 — on board when the boat began to sink at about 2:30 a.m. local time.
The Greek Coast Guard was in charge of the rescue operation, which included six Coast Guard vessels, a Greek Navy frigate, a military transport plane, an Air Force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency.
Survivors are being brought to a hospital on Kalamata, a city in southern Greece, officials said. Mayan Queen IV, a 300-foot yacht, picked up some survivors.
(LONDON) — The global number of children forcibly displaced from their homes reached a record 43.3 million by the end of 2022, fueled by conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, according to estimates released Wednesday by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
That figure has doubled in the last decade, UNICEF said, despite efforts to integrate and protect displaced children. Of the 43.3 million children living in forced displacement by the end of last year, 25.8 million — almost 60% — were internally displaced by conflict and violence. Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine forced more than two million Ukrainian children to flee the country and displaced over one million children inside Ukraine, according to the estimates.
Moreover, extreme weather events around the world, including the catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa and the unprecedented floods in Pakistan, led to another 12 million displacements of children over the course of 2022. The worldwide number of refugee and asylum-seeking children also hit a new high of 17.5 million by the end of last year, according to UNICEF estimates.
“For more than a decade, the number of children forced to flee their homes has risen at an alarming rate, and our global capacity to respond remains under serious strain,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement Wednesday. “The increase is in step with the consistent onslaught of conflict, crises and climate disasters around the world. But it also highlights many governments’ underwhelming response to ensure every refugee and internally displaced child can keep learning, stay healthy and develop to their full potential.”
Most of these children will spend their entire childhoods in displacement, according to UNICEF. Refugee and internally displaced children are among the most vulnerable, with many denied access to education and health care.
The estimates came as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees announced Wednesday that the global number of people living in forced displacement has climbed to a record 110 million, spurred by Sudan’s eight-week-old conflict.
“Greater political will is required to address the drivers of displacement and provide long-term solutions for children on the move,” Russell added. “A record number of refugee, migrant and displaced children — a global population that rivals that of Algeria, Argentina or even Spain — demands a commensurate response.”
(NEW YORK) — The unexpected death of U.S. Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie is putting a spotlight on a pregnancy complication that disproportionately impacts Black women.
Bowie, 32, was found dead last month in her home near Orlando, Florida.
At the time of her death, Bowie was around eight months pregnant and was in labor, according to an autopsy report released this week by the office of the medical examiner in Orlando.
The autopsy report, obtained by ABC News, ruled that Bowie’s death was “natural,” noting that possible complications included respiratory distress and eclampsia.
Bowie, whose only medical condition listed on the autopsy is bipolar disorder, had no drugs or alcohol in her system, according to the report.
Eclampsia is a medical emergency that happens when a pregnant woman with preeclampsia develops seizures, which can lead to coma or death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While eclampsia is more rare, preeclampsia, a condition of high blood pressure and kidney damage during pregnancy, is common, affecting as many as 1 in 25 pregnancies in the U.S., according to the CDC.
As a Black woman, Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist, was among the population most affected by preeclampsia, data shows.
According to the Preeclampsia Foundation a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, the rate of preeclampsia is 60% higher among Black women than white women, and Black women are more likely to develop severe preeclampsia.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also lists being Black as among the “moderate risk” factors for preeclampsia, a condition for which the exact cause is not known.
Bowie’s race also put her in the highest risk category for death due to pregnancy-related complications.
In the U.S., Black women and Native American women are two to three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, according to the CDC. Across all races, the U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with around 700 women dying each year as a result of complications due to pregnancy.
Kimberly Holland, Bowie’s longtime agent, told ABC News that she spoke with Bowie just a few weeks before her death. She said the track star did not mention any difficulties with her pregnancy.
“She was filled with so much joy. She was so happy. It was one of our best conversations in a long time,” said Holland, the founder of Icon Management, later adding, “She never complained about any discomfort or that she was having any problems. She was getting prepared to have the baby in a couple of weeks.”
Holland said she wants Bowie to be remembered not just for her success on the track field, but with a call for change when it comes to maternal care in the U.S.
“It’s just unfortunate that someone has to pass before we highlight it. It’s like we’re always working in the rear instead of being proactive,” Holland said. “So, if this can help someone else in some kind of way, by changing some laws or bringing more attention to Black women that experience these types of complications, then I want to do that, because I know if Tori were here and she can help someone in any way, she definitely would.”
What women need to know
Preeclampsia happens when a pregnant woman who previously had normal blood pressure develops high blood pressure with protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to the CDC.
Women who have underlying high blood pressure before pregnancy, known as chronic hypertension, can also develop this condition.
In more rare instances, preeclampsia can develop in the postpartum period up to six weeks after birth.
Some health conditions can also increase the risk of developing preeclampsia, including some autoimmune disorders, diabetes, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, sickle cell disease and kidney disorders.
Signs of preeclampsia include new or worsening headaches, vision changes, swelling in the face, hands or feet, sudden weight gain and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC.
In some cases, women have no symptoms of preeclampsia, according to the CDC, which stresses that is why women need to regularly see a health care provider during pregnancy.
Black women are less likely to receive adequate medical care, research shows, which is why increased access to medical care is one step in the right direction toward addressing these disparities.
In addition to getting regular routine prenatal care, it’s important to take all medications prescribed by a doctor during pregnancy, especially medications that treat high blood pressure. A heart-healthy lifestyle that reduces the risks of any cardiovascular condition prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy can also help.
If someone is at higher risk of preeclampsia, the U.S. Preventive Services Task force recommends taking daily low-dose aspirin after 12-weeks gestation during pregnancy to help prevent preeclampsia. Talk to your doctor about whether this might be the right option for you.
Importantly, a woman should talk to her doctor about any risk factors or new or worsening symptoms during pregnancy, and should not start or stop any medications without consulting a doctor first.
(NEW YORK) — Wawona Frozen Foods, Inc. has issued a voluntary recall on large bags of frozen fruit that were sold at Costco Wholesale stores in five states.
The recall includes year-old, 4-pound packages of Wawona Frozen Foods Organic DayBreak Blend that were distributed from April 15, 2022, to June 26, 2022.
“The DayBreak Blend includes organic frozen strawberries grown in Mexico which may have the potential to be contaminated with Hepatitis A,” a recall notice posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website stated.
The impacted products were sent to Costco locations across Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington.
Wawona Frozen Foods said the recall was issued “out of an abundance of caution” and that there have been no reported illnesses as of time of publication.
“While the Organic DayBreak Blend was distributed to Costco stores last year, they have ‘Use By’ dates of 09/23/2023, 09/29/2023, 09/30/2023 and 10/18/2023 therefore consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled blend, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a refund,” the recall notice stated.
The products are no longer available in store for purchase and any Organic DayBreak Blend products currently on shelves with different lot codes or purchase dates are not subject to this recall.
“Wawona Frozen Foods is fully cooperating with federal health officials as well as Costco to ensure consumers are alerted about the recalled Organic DayBreak Blend distributed by Wawona Frozen Foods last year,” the recall notice stated.
Click here for full product images and lot code information.
Hepatitis A is “a vaccine-preventable liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Hepatitis A is very contagious,” the CDC states. “It is spread when someone unknowingly ingests the virus — even in microscopic amounts — through close personal contact with an infected person or through eating contaminated food or drink.”
The hepatitis A virus can remain active in frozen foods.
According to the CDC, people who contract hepatitis A “may feel sick for a few weeks to several months but usually recover completely and do not have lasting liver damage.”
“In rare cases, hepatitis A can cause liver failure and even death; this is more common in older people and in people with other serious health issues, such as chronic liver disease,” the CDC states.
Symptoms of hepatitis A can include fatigue, nausea, stomach pain and yellowing of the skin known as jaundice, and can last up to two months, according to the agency.
“The best way to prevent hepatitis A is to get vaccinated,” the CDC states.
(HOUSTON) — A 4-year-old police K-9 named Aron with one-and-a-half years of experience on the force has died from heat exhaustion after being left in an air-conditioned patrol car that unexpectedly shut off when the officer was away from the vehicle.
The incident occurred on Monday in Houston, Texas, when the handler of the K-9 left the dog in a “running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work,” read a statement from the Houston Police Department announcing Aron’s death.
“When Aron’s police handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine had been shut off and Aron was in distress,” authorities continued.
Aron was immediately transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic but ultimately succumbed to heat exhaustion.
Houston Police Department vehicles are “equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the car windows if for some reason the vehicle shuts down,” HPD said. “This did not happen in this instance.”
The Houston Police Department says it will now be investigating Aron’s death to figure out what exactly happened and how the vehicle malfunctioned so that a similar incident can be prevented from happening in the future and all HPD vehicles that transport K-9s will immediately be inspected prior to being deployed again to ensure that all of their systems are in good working order.
Said the Houston Police Department: “Please keep Aron’s handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron.”
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(MIAMI) — Former President Donald Trump made his first appearance Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Miami after he was indicted in an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
Trump, who has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety, entered a not guilty plea through his attorneys and did not speak at all during the court appearance.
Trump has been charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 13, 10:10 PM EDT
Pence says he can’t defend what is alleged against Trump
Former Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview that he could not defend what was alleged against the former president.
After reading the indictment, Pence called the allegations charging former President Donald Trump “very serious” in an audio interview Tuesday with the Wall Street Journal.
“As the father and father-in-law of two men that currently serve in the Armed Forces of the United States, I will never diminish concerns over the handling of classified materials,” Pence said. “I can’t defend what has been alleged here, but the president is entitled to his day in court.”
Jun 13, 10:04 PM EDT
Trump attacks special counsel in speech
Trump also specifically took aim at special prosecutor Jack Smith and the Department of Justice — the government agency he once led as president.
Trump also said during his speech that they made the right move in not bringing charges against former Vice President Mike Pence for his handling of classified documents.
“He totally exonerated Mike Pence. I’m happy about that. Mike did nothing wrong, but he happened to have classified documents in his house,” Trump told his supporters before name-calling Smith, who he said does “political hit jobs.”
“I will tell you, I’m here. And I love you all. And we can take them,” he added.
Jun 13, 9:28 PM EDT
Trump claims he had right to documents
Former President Trump wasted no time slamming the indictment against him over his alleged mishandling of classified documents but remained as defiant as ever during his first official remarks since he was arraigned in federal court.
“Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country. Very sad thing to watch,” Trump said in a speech Tuesday evening at his Bedminster club.
“It’s a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation,” he added.
Trump once again falsely claimed that he was able to keep classified documents under the Presidential records act.
“I had every right to have these documents,” Trump said.
Jun 13, 7:41 PM EDT
Trump returns to New Jersey
Former President Donald Trump’s plane landed in Newark, New Jersey.
He will depart to his Bedminster club to greet a host of supporters, GOP donors and other guests.
-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds
Jun 13, 4:56 PM EDT
Trump heads back to New Jersey
Former President Donald Trump’s plane has departed Miami and is now en route to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump will address his supporters Tuesday night.
Jun 13, 4:14 PM EDT
Trump makes stop at Cuban restaurant
Former President Donald Trump is making a stop at Versailles, a restaurant in Little Havana at the heart of Miami’s Cuban exile community.
He was greeted with cheers and shook hands and snapped photos with excited supporters.
Some patrons sang “Happy birthday” to Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday.
“We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff,” Trump said in brief remarks. “You see the crowds and everything else — we have a country that is in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen.”
Trump’s aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, attended the restaurant stop with the former president.
Jun 13, 4:07 PM EDT
Trump leaves courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has left the Miami federal courthouse after pleading not guilty to charges including willful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Trump, alone in the motorcade, with only his Secret Service detail in his car, is next heading to a local business in Miami, sources told ABC News.
Later in the day, Trump will fly to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he’ll address his supporters Tuesday night.
Jun 13, 3:47 PM EDT
Trump enters not guilty plea
Defense attorney Todd Blanche entered a not guilty plea on behalf of former President Donald Trump.
Trump was frowning at some points and was looking down toward the floor for most of the hearing.
Trump was already in the courtroom by about 2:45 p.m., ahead of the scheduled 3 p.m. start time. Seated at the same table as Trump was his aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta.
Trump waited in the courtroom for about 10 minutes before the judge arrived.
At first Trump appeared slumped in his chair, but when the judge asked for him to be officially arraigned, the former president sat up a bit and crossed his arms.
At one point during the arraignment, the magistrate judge asked Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise if they were permanent attorneys, and they indicated they were.
Trump was barred from speaking to any witnesses about the case, except through counsel.
Nauta did not enter a plea because he does not have local representation. He’s set to return to court on June 27.
Jun 13, 3:03 PM EDT
Special counsel Jack Smith in courtroom with Trump
Special counsel Jack Smith is currently in the courtroom for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment. It’s very unusual for a top prosecutor to attend such an early court appearance in a case.
This marks the first time Trump and Smith are in the same room.
Other prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers are also present.
Jun 13, 2:12 PM EDT
Trump completes booking process at courthouse, will head to courtroom
Former President Donald Trump is inside the Miami federal courthouse ahead of his 3 p.m. appearance.
Former President Donald Trump leaves his Trump National Doral resort, June 13, 2023 in Doral, Fla.
While the former president is inside the courthouse, many members of Trump’s team are staying in the motorcade, sources told ABC News.
Trump spokesperson Alina Habba spoke to reporters outside the courthouse while the former president was inside the building.
Trump’s booking process has been completed, sources told ABC News. He was not expected to be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken, sources told ABC News.
Supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump have congregated outside the courthouse with signs and costumes to make their voices heard.
Jun 13, 1:55 PM EDT
Trump arrives at federal courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Miami federal courthouse ahead of his 3 p.m. appearance.
Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken, sources told ABC News.
The booking process is not expected to take long, a law enforcement official told reporters, adding that it’s “the same process that everyone goes through.”
Jun 13, 1:48 PM EDT
Trump riding in car alone
As former President Donald Trump motorcades to the courthouse, he is riding in his car alone, sources told ABC News.
Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Chris Kise, are in the car behind him. Trump aide Walt Nauta, who is also charged in the federal indictment, is also riding in that car with his attorney, Stanley Woodward.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Jun 13, 1:32 PM EDT
Trump leaves Doral club to head to court
Former President Donald Trump has left his Doral, Florida, golf club to motorcade to the Miami federal courthouse for his 3 p.m. appearance.
Some supporters with Trump flags lined the street outside Doral.
Jun 13, 1:03 PM EDT
Crowds calm outside courthouse, Miami mayor says
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told ABC News that the crowd outside the courthouse “seems manageable” ahead of former President Donald Trump’s arrival.
“Everything seems, right now, very calm. We are hopeful that it remains that way,” he said.
Jun 13, 11:28 AM EDT
Trump not expected to be handcuffed
As negotiations reach final stages, ABC News has learned from sources that former President Donald Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or be required to empty his pockets when he’s processed at the courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump is also not expected to have a mugshot taken, according to sources.
His hands are expected to be scanned electronically, sources added.
Trump will be asked for his name and social security number when he’s processed, a law enforcement official told reporters.
The booking process is not expected to take long, a law enforcement official said, adding that it’s “the same process that everyone goes through.”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky and John Santucci
Jun 13, 11:20 AM EDT
How serious are obstruction charges?
Of all the federal charges that former President Donald Trump and his aide Walt Nauta face in the investigation into the alleged mishandling of top secret government documents, obstruction is one of the most serious, according to legal experts.
Claire Finkelstein, the founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, noted that the obstruction charges in the indictment against Trump and his aide carry as much serious weight as the charges related to keeping the top secret documents, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Finkelstein said an obstruction charge can cover a broad range of alleged activities, from as simple as lying to investigators, to as major as destroying evidence. But she said it all comes down to one clear allegation: that the accused deliberately interfered with an ongoing criminal investigation.
The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump alleges that he willfully retained documents containing the nation’s most sensitive secrets, including nuclear programs, after he left office, showed some of them on at least two occasions and then tried to obstruct the investigation into their whereabouts.
Federal prosecutors allege that the classified documents included “defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”
Boxes of the documents were allegedly stored in locations around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, including a ballroom stage and a bathroom, according to prosecutors.
Jun 13, 9:28 AM EDT
Trump not expected to be handcuffed
As negotiations reach final stages, ABC News has learned from sources that former President Donald Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or be required to empty his pockets when he’s processed at the courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump is also not expected to have a mugshot taken, according to sources.
His hands are expected to be scanned electronically, sources added.
Jun 13, 8:25 AM EDT
Chris Christie calls Trump’s conduct ‘inexcusable,’ ‘self-centered’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took aim at former President Donald Trump during a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall Monday night, calling Trump’s conduct “inexcusable” for someone who wants to occupy the Oval Office.
“He has shown himself, and I think most particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed, and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view, if what the American people want is in conflict with what Donald Trump thinks is best for him,” Christie said.
“I mean, put aside taking the documents in the first place,” Christie said. “But then when you start getting asked … nicely with a letter from the archivist saying, ‘Could you please give it back,’ and you ignore it, ignore it, ignore it. Then they come with a grand jury subpoena, and then, according to the indictment, you tell your lawyers to tell them we don’t have anything even though you have dozens and dozens of boxes of material. That’s obstruction of justice, if it’s true.”
Jun 13, 8:11 AM EDT
Lawyers Todd Blanche, Chris Kise expected to attend court appearance
Former President Donald Trump is expected to be joined by his lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise at Tuesday’s court appearance in Miami, sources told ABC News. Meetings with additional local attorneys are ongoing.
Blanche is representing Trump in the Manhattan criminal case while Kise represents Trump and the Trump Organization in other matters.
Jun 13, 5:12 AM EDT
Trump to appear in court at 3 p.m.
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
He’s accused of willfully retaining documents containing the nation’s most sensitive secrets, including nuclear programs, after he left office, prosecutors said. He allegedly showed some of the documents to people on at least two occasions and then tried to obstruct the investigation into their whereabouts, prosecutors claim.
Trump denied any wrongdoing over the weekend, saying: “We did absolutely nothing wrong. Take a look at the Presidential Records Act. We did it by the book. Perfect.”
Trump is expected to arrive at and depart from the Miami courthouse via secure private access points that would make it impossible for the public or journalists to see him.
Trump aide Walt Nauta, who was also charged in connection with his handling of government documents, is also due in court at 3 p.m.
(NEW YORK) — A man who was kayaking with his fiancée is presumed to have died after his vessel began sinking and disappeared into near-freezing water.
The kayaker — 37-year-old Travis Valenti from Massapequa, New York — was kayaking on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park in Washington state last Friday at approximately 2:10 p.m. when his vessel suddenly began taking on water and his fiancée attempted to rescue him, according to a statement from the National Park Service detailing the incident.
“Mr. Valenti attempted to continue paddling but ultimately had to abandon his kayak and entered the water,” officials from NPS said. “As Mr. Valenti’s fiancée attempted rescue, her kayak overturned, resulting in her also entering the water.”
Valenti’s fiancée was able to swim to shore to alert staff from the nearby Log Cabin Resort that her partner had become submerged and was struggling to swim back. Neither of them were wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.
Log Cabin resort staff immediately responded to the area where Valenti was last seen but were unable to locate him in the water.
“On-shore bystanders and Mr. Valenti’s fiancée assisted Rangers and personnel from Clallam County Fire District 2 with identifying the area he was last seen, which was estimated to be more than a quarter mile offshore and roughly 400-500 feet deep,” NPS said of the lake in Washington located about 200 miles by car to the northwest of Seattle. “Rangers searched for Mr. Valenti by vessel for more than 2-hours but were unable to locate him.”
A secondary search of the area was carried out the next day but Valenti still remains missing and is presumed dead.
Lake Crescent hovers around 50 degrees around this time of year due to its location and depth, and sudden immersion into cold water can immediately impact a person’s breathing as well as their ability to move their limbs, according to NPS.
“Swimmers are encouraged to use a buddy system,” NPS said following Valenti’s death. “Boaters should always wear a life jacket and understand the risks of recreating on large bodies of water, such as underwater hazards, wind, waves, and water temperature.”
(ATHENS, Greece) — Rescue efforts are underway after a fishing vessel carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, about 54 miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece.
At least 104 people have been rescued, the Greek Coast Guard said. Early estimates put as many as 700 migrants on board when the boat capsized and began to sink, officials said.
The boat had been launched from Tobruk, Libya, and was headed for Italy, officials said.
The Greek Coast Guard is in charge of the rescue operation.
