News

Colleges prepare for potential spread of monkeypox on campuses as outbreak grows

by
Colleges prepare for potential spread of monkeypox on campuses as outbreak grows
Colleges prepare for potential spread of monkeypox on campuses as outbreak grows
Jon Lovette/Getty Images/Stock

(NEW YORK)– Colleges and universities have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of students this fall, heralding a much-anticipated return to normalcy on campuses, with COVID-19 cases beginning to abate again across the country.

However, following the nation’s growing monkeypox outbreak, there are growing concerns from health experts that this second virus could once again disrupt the upcoming school year given the potential spread of the virus through sexual networks and close contacts during physical and social activities.

“Monkeypox is most likely to spread through dense social networks where frequent close contact occurs. College campuses are a potentially high-risk environment where this virus could take hold and should be a target for surveillance efforts,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

Experts say the greatest risk of transmission is prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with a person with monkeypox. It is also possible to spread the virus through bedding and towels contaminated with infected lesions.

More casual contact, such as brushing past someone or speaking face to face, is significantly less risk, experts say.

A handful of universities, including Bucknell University, Georgetown University and West Chester University in Pennsylvania, have already reported cases in their communities, prompting college officials to roll out monkeypox education programs, and stock up on test kits.

“I think college campuses need to be very aware of the possibility” of monkeypox spreading into their student populations, Dr. Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and professor of public health at Montclair State University, told ABC News. “It would be foolish to think that it won’t happen on these college campuses where we know that infectious diseases have the opportunity to spread quickly.”

The shift to a more urgent strategy comes after the Biden administration declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, last week, with the number of reported cases growing exponentially in recent weeks.

Across the globe, nearly 32,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported, including more than 11,000 cases in the U.S. — the most of any country. All but one U.S. state — Wyoming — have now confirmed at least one positive monkeypox case.

The majority of cases, in the current monkeypox outbreak, have been detected in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. However, health officials have repeatedly stressed that anyone can contract the virus.

“As much as this has, thus far, been largely confined to a single population, it doesn’t take much for that expand when you have so many people living together or in close contact as frequently as you do at schools and colleges,” Dr. Alexandra Brugler Yonts, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told ABC News.

Keeping students safe

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to release specific guidance for curbing the spread of monkeypox at colleges and universities, the agency recently published guidance for congregate living settings, which includes dormitories at institutes of higher education.

The CDC recommends that institutions provide clear updates on the status of the outbreak to residents, respond to cases by testing and keeping in contact with local health officials and ensure that those who test positive wear a mask and stay in isolation for monkeypox.

Similar to quarantine periods associated with COVID-19, experts noted that universities will once again have to consider how to best support students who are isolating with monkeypox.

“Drawing from the covid playbook, setting up infrastructure for testing and contact tracing, is a reasonable strategy ahead of any possible outbreak this fall,” Brownstein said.

At this time, no quarantine is recommended for individuals who have been exposed to the virus. However, for those who do test positive, isolation is recommended until the monkeypox lesions have completely healed with a new layer of skin which can take up to four weeks — significantly longer than what is currently recommended for those who are COVID-19 positive.

“Some universities had isolation housing for COVID, but most of those have sort of relinquished that inventory so that we can have more students living on campus, and so making sure we have the space for those students to stay safely is going to be very important,” Silvera said.

How colleges are preparing

In light of the recent upsurge in monkeypox cases, colleges and universities from coast to coast have begun to create informational programs to ensure students are educated on the risks associated with monkeypox, as well as the key symptoms and signs, in order to adequately spot potential cases within the community.

At the University of Texas at Austin, university officials recently sent a letter out to students and faculty, alerting them to the global spread of monkeypox.

“UT has a longstanding public health infrastructure and implements mitigation protocols when faced with known or emerging communicable diseases, and we collaborate on strategies needed to reduce the incidence or spread within our population. Monkeypox will be handled as we would most other communicable illnesses with similar modes of transmission,” wrote Dr. Terrance Hines, executive director and chief medical officer at the university.

Some universities, including Northwestern and Bucknell, have set up monkeypox pages on their websites, with information pointing students to resources about the virus.

“I think that level of information is really the first step,” Silvera said.

And at North Carolina State, officials confirmed to ABC News that the university has “limited testing and vaccines available by appointment” for monkeypox.

With students set to return to campus at Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, school leadership is preparing to urge students to follow the same health protocols as they have with COVID-19.

“I think that the key to being prepared is education and communication with our students, and so many of the same best practices that we encourage our students to follow around COVID-19 — hand hygiene, social distancing, monitoring for symptoms — are the same for monkeypox or any other infectious disease,” Summer McGee, Ph.D., president of Salem Academy and College, told ABC News.

In addition, health experts stressed that it will be critical that colleges not single out or stigmatize certain populations in their messaging.

Students should be on alert, health experts say

The increase in cases across the country has left some students feeling anxious about their return to school.

Camila Heard, a Los Angeles Community College District student who heads to campus this month, said she doesn’t “feel too good” about going due to the threat of monkeypox.

Heard noted the multiple precautions she’s taken to avoid contracting the virus, including always carrying sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and wearing a mask.

Experts say students with monkeypox should refrain from sharing towels, sheets and other materials and that all students should be honest about their symptoms and contact history with potential partners, roommates, or friends.

“I think you have to be very mindful of what, at this point, what your behaviors are,” Silvera said. “So think about who you’re interacting with, who you’re having that close physical contact with. Be open and honest in your communication about where you have been, and signs and symptoms.”

“This is not the time to ignore the signs and symptoms,” she added. “If you’re not feeling well, make note of that. Put on a mask, try to limit the amount of physical contact you’re having with other people, and that can hopefully help to prevent the spread of this disease.”

Avery Edelmon, who is immunocompromised, currently lives in a dorm and begins classes next week at Tarleton State University in Texas — one of the states leading the country in monkeypox cases.

“I’m pretty nervous about going to class and I kind of know that if I want to be as safe as can be, I’ll have to put that on myself,” she told ABC News.

Immunocompromised people are at higher risk for developing severe disease due to monkeypox, according to the CDC.

It will also be critical for students to responsibly monitor themselves and seek care, should they develop symptoms, health experts stressed.

“The same thing we tried to say with COVID-19, if you’re sick, stay home. Well, if you’ve got a pustules or vesicle or rash, cover it up, and go get it checked out,” Brugler Yonts said. “Don’t just go to that party, like it’s no big deal.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Suspect charged with attempted murder in on-stage attack of author Salman Rushdie

by
Suspect charged with attempted murder in on-stage attack of author Salman Rushdie
Suspect charged with attempted murder in on-stage attack of author Salman Rushdie
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — A suspect has been charged with attempted murder in the attack on author Salman Rushdie at a speaking event in New York state.

Rushdie, who has faced death threats over his writing, was scheduled to give a lecture at the education center Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, in southwestern New York, Friday morning.

At around 11 a.m., a man “ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer,” according to New York State Police.

Rushdie was stabbed at least once in the neck and abdomen and was transported by helicopter to a trauma center in Erie, Pennsylvania, police said.

His agent told ABC News Friday that Rushdie is undergoing surgery and is on a ventilator. The author will likely lose one eye as a result of the attack, his agent said. The nerves in his arm were also severed and his liver was damaged in the stabbing, his agent said.

The alleged attacker is Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, a law enforcement official told ABC News. He was arrested at the scene by a New York State Police trooper.

State police were working with the Chautauqua County district attorney to determine “appropriate charges,” Major Eugene Staniszewski, a troop commander for New York State Police, told reporters during a press briefing Friday afternoon.

Matar has since been charged with attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said Saturday. He was arraigned Friday night and remanded without bail, Schmidt said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Matar had a lawyer.

Law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told ABC News that “a preliminary investigation into the suspected perpetrator’s probable social media presence indicates a likely adherence or sympathy towards Shi’a extremism and sympathies to the Iranian regime/Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

The officials say investigators found photos on Matar’s phone of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Iraq’s pro-Iranian militia movement, who were killed by U.S. forces in a drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, 2020.

Police believe the suspect acted alone and were in the process Friday of obtaining search warrants for items including electronics and a backpack found at the scene that they believe belong to the suspect, Staniszewski said.

The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, he said.

The suspect had a pass to access the event, officials said.

In the aftermath of the attack, Rushdie, 75, was seen being tended to while on the stage.

The interviewer, Henry Reese, 73, suffered a minor head injury during the attack, police said. He was treated for a facial injury at a nearby hospital and has since been released, police said.

Chautauqua Institution president Michael Hill said during Friday’s press briefing that security “has been a top priority,” and that they had a state trooper and sheriff presence at the event.

“We’ll continue to look at providing the maximum security that we can,” Hill said. “This has never happened in our entire history. Chautauqua has always been an extremely safe place. We will continue to be working to keep that tradition going.”

Those in the audience expressed shock at the attack.

“He rushed the stage, it looked like he was punching him,” Patrick Fogarty told Erie, Pennsylvania, ABC affiliate WJET. “It was all over very fast.”

John Stein told WJET he was worried about security given Rushdie’s notoriety.

“Somebody just ran up on stage,” he said. “It was so quick. I was just thinking, am I really seeing this?”

Stein said when the attacker started to run off the stage following the assault he was apprehended with the help of a handful of attendees.

“People in the audience had gone up on the stage when they saw this and then grabbed the attacker, who still had a knife, I think,” he told the station. “A lot of bravery.”

One or two doctors in the audience also went on stage to help provide medical assistance, he said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the attack “horrific,” saying she has directed state police to “further assist however needed in the investigation.”

“Here is an individual who has spent decades speaking truth to power, someone who has been out there, unafraid, despite the threats that have followed him through his entire adult life,” Hochul remarked during a press briefing on an unrelated matter on Friday.

The British-Indian writer faced years of death threats after his novel, “The Satanic Verses,” was published in 1988.

The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accused the author of blasphemy over the book and in 1989 issued a fatwa against Rushdie, calling for his death.

Rushdie spent years in hiding, which he chronicled in his 2012 memoir, “Joseph Anton.” The book was nominated for the United Kingdom’s top nonfiction award, the Samuel Johnson prize.

In 1998, the Iranian foreign minister said that the country no longer supported the fatwa against Rushdie, though a bounty for his death continues to be offered by an Iranian religious foundation. In 2012, the group increased the bounty from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.

Others have been attacked in connection with “The Satanic Verses,” which was banned in several countries following its publication. Among them, Hitoshi Igarashi, who translated the book into Japanese, was stabbed to death in 1991 on the campus where he taught literature.

Rushdie has authored over a dozen books, including the Booker Prize-winning “Midnight’s Children,” and is a former president of the literary and human rights organization PEN America.

PEN America expressed “shock and horror” at the attack on Rushdie.

“We can think of no comparable incident of a public violent attack on a literary writer on American soil,” Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, said in a statement.

“Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered,” she continued. “While we do not know the origins or motives of this attack, all those around the world who have met words with violence or called for the same are culpable for legitimizing this assault on a writer while he was engaged in his essential work of connecting to readers.”

Penguin Random House, which will publish Rushdie’s “Victory City,” next year, released a statement Friday evening on the attack.

“We are deeply shocked and appalled to hear of the attack on Salman Rushdie while he was speaking at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. We condemn this violent public assault, and our thoughts are with Salman and his family at this distressing time,” chief executive officer Markus Dohle said.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the attack was “reprehensible.”

“Today, the country and the world witnessed a reprehensible attack against the writer Salman Rushdie,” Sullivan said in a statement. “This act of violence is appalling. All of us in the Biden-Harris Administration are praying for his speedy recovery.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, Somayeh Malekian and Benjamin Siu contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Fetterman, ‘grateful’ in return to PA Senate race, rips Oz and leaves supporters analyzing his health

by
John Fetterman, ‘grateful’ in return to PA Senate race, rips Oz and leaves supporters analyzing his health
John Fetterman, ‘grateful’ in return to PA Senate race, rips Oz and leaves supporters analyzing his health
Nate Smallwood/Getty Images

(ERIE, Pa.) — In front of a crowd nearly triple the anticipated turnout, John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for Senate in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, spoke for roughly 11 minutes on Friday in his first public campaign appearance since suffering a stroke in May.

Dressed in a hoodie and flanked by his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, at a convention center in Erie, Fetterman discussed his stroke and threw jabs at his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in front of an energized crowd his campaign said exceeded 1,300 people.

The lieutenant governor briefly paused in the middle of several sentences and sometimes repeated words. In an interview last month with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said he was working with a speech therapist and insisted he had “nothing to hide” regarding his health.

“Tomorrow is, three months ago, my life could have ended,” he said, remembering the moment he said his wife noticed he was having a stroke on the way to a campaign event. “Let me just tell you right now, in front of everyone, Gisele saved my life.”

“Tonight, for me, it’s about being grateful,” he said.

Keeping his remarks light on policy, Fetterman took several shots at Oz, whose campaign has made a daily habit of reminding voters of Fetterman’s absence, publicizing a running “Basement Tracker.”

“Are we in Erie, or have I fit 1,400 people in my basement?” Fetterman roared at the start of his speech.

In a statement Friday night, Oz’s communications director, Brittany Yanick, called Fetterman “a no-show for the commonwealth” and said, “Pennsylvanians deserve answers now from Fetterman. It’s been far too long.”

Fetterman’s campaign chose Erie because its voters are notorious for being unpredictable and indicative of statewide margins. Donald Trump won Erie County in 2016 before it swung to Joe Biden four years later. The county was decided both years by fewer than 2,000 votes.

“If you can’t win Erie County, you can’t win Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said on stage.

Local leaders touted Fetterman’s popularity in Erie, saying it was a city where he often campaigned and vacationed.

“I think for a lot of people in this community, they look at somebody like John Fetterman and they go, ‘He understands us. He’s been here.’ They kind of think about him as a member of this community,” said Jim Wertz, Chair of the Erie County Democratic Party.

“Fetterman has spent more time here as an elected official than anyone I can remember since he first ran for Senate in 2016,” he added, referring to Fetterman’s first campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.

Fetterman’s campaign expressed enthusiasm after the event, with a spokeswoman, Emilia Rowland, telling ABC News she thought the lieutenant governor “sounded great” and that the campaign had hoped for a turnout of “500 at best.”

Liz Allen, president of the Erie City Council, said she was “impressed.”

Fetterman’s recovery from his stroke is personal for Allen, 70, a lifelong Erie resident, who described to ABC News her brother’s steady recovery from a stroke in 2019.

“My brother went back to work, but there was a period of time where he struggled to get the right word, and I think he is as sharp and as smart as ever,” she said. “I have seen somebody have a stroke and recover and it does take time.”

Some attendees told ABC News after the event they believed Fetterman did not look fully healthy.

Mark Rathi, 62, of Crawford County, said the candidate “seemed a little bit off his game” before adding that he supported Fetterman because of how he connects with people.

Rita Lynch, 82, told ABC News she was “glad [Fetterman] came, but I think he’s got to be careful because you could tell he was sweating a lot.”

Lynch said she hopes Fetterman’s campaign aides ease the candidate back onto the trail.

“I think it was a beginning for him, the first one since the stroke, and that’s always a challenge,” she said.

Bob Nierakto, 81, of Erie, said he was “disappointed” in what he called Fetterman’s lack of energy.

“It doesn’t matter why he lacked the energy. He just has to have it,” he said. “I was looking for the fire, I was looking for the passion, I was looking for the enthusiasm, and I was looking for him to nail it. And he didn’t nail it,” said Nierakto, adding that he was committed to voting for Fetterman in November.

“I’m waiting for him to come out so I can give him a talk,” he said with a laugh, as he stood by the exit.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One dead, more than 20 injured as strong winds cause music festival stage collapse

by
One dead, more than 20 injured as strong winds cause music festival stage collapse
One dead, more than 20 injured as strong winds cause music festival stage collapse
Manuel Augusto Moreno/Getty Images/Stock

(CULLERA, Spain) — At least one person was killed and more than 20 others were injured when strong gusts of wind caused parts of a stage to fall at a music festival in Spain, officials said.

Three of the injured were in serious condition on Saturday, an official with the Valencia government said.

An “unexpected and violent gale” moved through the grounds of the Medusa Festival in Cullera, Spain, at about 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, the organizers said in a statement.

As the weather worsened, the organizers ordered the area around the stage to be evacuated, they said, adding, “Unfortunately, the devastating meteorological phenomenon caused some structures to cause unexpected events.”

Videos taken at the scene showed pieces of a stage breaking off in strong gusts of wind.

Local media reported that a 28-year-old man had been killed.

“The Medusa Festival management would like to express our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends affected by the fatal consequences that occurred last night,” the organizers said in a statement.

The electronic music festival began on Friday.

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

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U.S. real estate market may be cooling, depending on who you ask

by
U.S. real estate market may be cooling, depending on who you ask
U.S. real estate market may be cooling, depending on who you ask
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Just a few months ago, the real estate market was favorable to people selling homes. The amount of buyers was increasing, the number of listings were down and interest rates were dropping, it seemed, across the country.

Now, brokers are saying the market has shifted.

“Today, week after week, we see more and more inventory come on the market and demand is down,” broker Justin Itzen, who sells high-end homes in Orange County, California, told ABC News’ “Nightline.”

“Buyers have more to choose from, they can be more selective,” he said.

In expensive coastal markets such as Orange County, there has been a notable drop in homebuyer interest and other signs of a cooling market, according to Taylor Marr, chief economist of real estate listings site Redfin.

At large, the share of home listings that have been on the market for more than 30 days has increased more than 12% from last year, according to a Redfin report released last week.

As interest rates increase due to inflation, from 2-3% last year for certain mortgages to between 5-6% this month, buyers are more hesitant to take out loans.

“We did feel a very aggressive slowdown,” said Itzen, that happened almost overnight. “During open houses it was like, ‘where’s all the buyers?’”

Iesha McTier-Whyte, a broker who sells middle to high-end homes in the Newark, New Jersey area told ABC News’ “Nightline” that she has experienced the same, but doesn’t view it necessarily as a bad thing.

“It’s nice to see [the market] cool down and kind of go back to the basics,” she said. “What we experienced last year was like no other.”

Justin Itzen’s real estate partner, Gio Helou, said “buyers are [now] able to actually go through the natural home buying process,” instead of making extraordinary sacrifices to try to secure a home.

And yet the rising interest rates have put pressure on buyers in certain ways.

One couple, Deni and Tim Sherman, started looking to buy a home in California this spring and reached out to Gio Helou for help. They found the process extremely stressful.

“Homes were going within days for way over the asking price,” said Tim Sherman.

When they found a home they wanted to buy in Huntington Beach, California, they said they considered liquidating investments to buy it.

Not only was it “15% over the asking price,” said Tim Sherman, “but it was now over the market estimates of what the property was worth.”

The house fell through, but they were finally able to buy a house. Helou had sent it to them and they put an offer immediately, solely based on photos.

Their home in Dallas sold in a day, they said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘I wanted to take off my skin’: Ukrainian women recount rape by Russian soldiers

by
‘I wanted to take off my skin’: Ukrainian women recount rape by Russian soldiers
‘I wanted to take off my skin’: Ukrainian women recount rape by Russian soldiers
Antonio Hugo Photo/Getty Images

(LONDON) — The three Russian soldiers arrived at Victoria’s house claiming they needed to seize her cell phone. But they weren’t looking for phones.

Victoria, a 42-year-old Ukrainian woman, told ABC News she and another woman, a neighbor, were raped by two of the Russian soldiers occupying her village near Kyiv in March.

ABC News spoke to the two women who agreed to talk about what they say happened to them, on condition that their location and last names not be revealed.

Another soldier, a commanding officer who was not involved in the assault, threatened Victoria, she says.

“He looked at me and said, ‘You see, our boys have had a drink and want to have fun,'” Victoria recounts. “I understood that something terrible would happen.”

Two of the soldiers took the women to a house converted into headquarters for the Russian occupiers and raped them, they say.

That neighbor, 44-year-old Natalya, recounted the events to ABC News.

“He says, ‘do you want everything to be fine with your son? So get upstairs and do as I tell you,'” Natalya recalled, describing her encounter with one of the Russian soldiers she says raped her. “He was like an animal…And that rifle was hanging around and swinging.”

Natalya says she later learned the soldiers killed her husband after she was taken away. Its unclear how many soldiers or which ones were involved in the killing. The family buried her husband the next day.

The two Russian soldiers the women say raped them have not yet been identified but face international arrest warrants, according to Kateryna Duchenko, the Ukrainian prosecutor in charge of sexual violence cases committed by Russian soldiers. Both cases are being investigated with slim chances of the suspects being taken under custody or doing any prison time, she said.

Stories of rape and other atrocities at the hands of Russian troops are not unheard of in small towns and suburbs of Kyiv. Residents of Bucha and Borodyanka have reported human rights violations including rape, murder and torture by Russian forces during the invasion.

Russian authorities have not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment on the cases.

“The last case [we identified] was in occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region, where allegedly 10 Russian soldiers raped a woman,” Duchenko said.

Communication with residents inside Russian-occupied territories is extremely difficult, making the investigation and prosecution of these cases nearly impossible, Duchenko said.

“We know she is alive and that she had medical treatment and those details are all we’ve got,” Duchenko said on the limited information in the case in Zaporizhzhia.

The United Nations reported in June it had collected 124 reports of alleged acts of conflict-related sexual violence but qualified that number as “the tip of the iceberg” and added that it did “not reflect the scale of sexual violence in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

Victoria and Natalya say they are now undergoing counseling with a psychologist about their trauma.

“I wanted to take off my skin and throw it away,” Victoria says. “The person I was before the war is no longer there. I became more aggressive. I began to fight more for my own.”

Natalya says she is still coming to terms with the assault.

“Many people have asked me, why aren’t you crying, why haven’t you gone crazy?” she said.

In June, Ukrainian authorities said they opened the first trial on sexual violence committed by a Russian soldier, according to the Kyiv Post. The suspect will be tried in absentia.

Duchenko’s office says it is working on prosecuting two other cases of sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers in addition to the case opened in June. The suspects will also be tried in absentia, since they are not in Ukrainian custody.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump investigation live updates: FBI collected top secret docs from Mar-a-Lago

by
Trump investigation live updates: FBI collected top secret docs from Mar-a-Lago
Trump investigation live updates: FBI collected top secret docs from Mar-a-Lago
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The FBI executed an unprecedented raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, in search of evidence that sources tell ABC News is tied to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

It’s believed to be the first search by the federal agency of the residence of a current or former U.S. president. Trump and other Republicans have sharply criticized the raid as a partisan attack and have demanded an explanation.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Aug 12, 3:27 PM EDT
DOJ investigates potential violation of at least 3 separate criminal statutes

ABC News has obtained what appears to be the search warrant executed at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.

The warrant has not yet been posted on the docket. ABC News is not yet publishing the warrant and property receipt.

The filing, which includes two attachments (“Attachment A” and “Attachment B”) indicates that the Justice Department, in its search of the Mar-a-Lago estate, is investigating potential violation of at least three separate criminal statutes, including a statute under the Espionage Act.

Attachment B states that the property to be seized by agents includes “all physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime or other items illegally possessed” in violation of 18 USC 793, a statute under the Espionage Act involving the gathering, transmitting or loss of defense information; 18 USC 2071, which involves any federal government employee who, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records; and 18 USC 1519, obstruction of justice.

Under the receipt showing property that was seized from Trump’s estate, agents note they recovered 11 sets of documents of various classifications ranging from confidential to top secret and sensitive compartmented information.

The receipt identifies one set referring to “various classified/TS/SCI documents,” four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents and three sets of documents described as confidential. It appears that there were 21 boxes taken.

Other items included in the receipt include one labeled “Info re: President of France,” an executive grant of clemency for Trump ally Roger Stone, binders of photos, a “potential presidential record” and a leather-bound box of documents.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said, “The Biden administration is in obvious damage control after their botched raid where they seized the President’s picture books, a ‘hand written note,’ and declassified documents. This raid of President Trump’s home was not just unprecedented, but unnecessary—and now they are leaking lies and innuendos to try to explain away the weaponization of government against their dominant political opponent.”

–ABC News’ John Santucci, Alex Mallin and Katherine Faulders

Aug 12, 12:43 PM EDT
House Republicans attack integrity of DOJ and FBI

Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee defended former President Donald Trump while attacking the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI during a press conference on Capitol Hill Friday.

“President Donald Trump is Joe Biden’s most likeliest political opponent in 2024 and this is less than 100 days from critical midterm elections,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, said. “The FBI raid of President Trump is a complete abuse and overreach of its authority.”

Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Michael Turner, R-Ohio, told reporters that Republicans on the committee are “glad” the Department of Justice has begun the process of releasing “some” of the information about the raid to the public, but called for more. Turner said committee Republicans want access to the affidavit outlining the “imminent security threat” justifying the raid.

“Our request remains that the director of the FBI and the attorney general disclose to this committee the imminent national security threat upon which they based their decision to order a raid on the president’s home, again underscoring that there were many other options available to them,” Turner claimed. “We believe after the release today that these questions will remain unanswered.”

“The real story will be with the release of the affidavit itself,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., added. “The bureau and the attorney general and the DOJ obviously made the decision that this extreme measure was necessary. We will await their rationale for why that extreme measure was justified and not some lesser intrusive means.”

Turner did not call for the public disclosure of the underlying affidavit, which is expected to remain under seal, but did say that members of the intelligence committee and other committees of jurisdiction should have access. He called on committee Democrats to support a subpoena for this affidavit if there is non-compliance.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy dodged ABC News’ questions about whether he supports the release of the warrant authorizing the raid, instead saying he’d like to see the subpoena against Trump.

Trump received a subpoena in the spring for documents that he did not return to the National Archives, ABC News has reported. It’s unclear to what extent, if at all, he complied. The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed the existence of a subpoena.

Stefanik promised a “fulsome investigation” if Republicans retake the gavel in November.

“House Republicans are committed to immediate oversight, accountability and a fulsome investigation to provide needed transparency and answers to the American people,” Stefanik said.

The group also emphasized that they’re in “full support” of those who serve in the FBI and law enforcement agencies and condemned any violence against agents, while also repeatedly calling into question the credibility of law enforcement.

Aug 12, 12:28 PM EDT
Pelosi slams GOP for rhetoric following raid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is blasting Republicans for their rhetoric following the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.

Asked by ABC News about concerns over possibly increasing levels of violence against law enforcement and public officials after recent rhetoric from the GOP, Pelosi said Friday that she knows “very well how vicious” some of those threats can be, and said they’ve been “exacerbated” by former President Donald Trump.

“You would think there would be an adult in the Republican room that would say, ‘Just calm down. See what the facts are and let’s go for that.’ Instead of … instigating assaults on law enforcement,” Pelosi said.

When asked if she wants Congress to open more investigations into the material that Trump allegedly took, Pelosi said she’s not currently making plans for that and is going to let the investigation unfold.

Pelosi said she was not briefed on any aspect of the FBI raid or what classified information was being held.

She said she only knows “what’s in the public domain,” but she added, “if the nature of these documents is what appears to be, this is very serious.”

Aug 12, 8:44 AM EDT
Washington Post: Nuclear documents sought at Mar-a-Lago

The Washington Post is reporting that classified documents related to nuclear weapons were among the items agents sought by federal agents at Mar-a-Lago.

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Justice Department and the FBI believed Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting that Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.

Aug 12, 8:00 AM EDT
DOJ believes Trump held onto sensitive classified documents and associates questioned, sources say

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Department of Justice and the FBI believed former President Donald Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications, and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.

The information was sensitive enough that authorities wanted to take it back into possession immediately.

-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Alexander Mallin, Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders, and John Santucci

Aug 12, 7:07 AM EDT
Trump calls for ‘immediate release’ of search warrant

Former President Donald Trump is calling for “the immediate release” of the warrant that allowed FBI agents to search his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday.

“Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me much as they have done for the last 6 years,” Trump said late Thursday in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical,” he added. “The world is watching as our Country is being brought to a new low, not only on our border, crime, economy, energy, national security, and so much more, but also with respect to our sacred elections!”

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Florida to ban gender-affirming care under Medicaid for transgender recipients

by
Florida to ban gender-affirming care under Medicaid for transgender recipients
Florida to ban gender-affirming care under Medicaid for transgender recipients
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Florida will soon bar transgender residents from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care, according to the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration. The rule goes into effect Aug. 21.

Several accredited medical institutions, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services say gender-affirming care can improve the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse people.

These organizations recommend gender-affirming care for the treatment of “gender dysphoria” — when a person experiences emotional distress because their assigned sex at birth and gender identity don’t align.

“Because gender-affirming care encompasses many facets of healthcare needs and support, it has been shown to increase positive outcomes for transgender and nonbinary children and adolescents,” reads guidance from HHS. “Gender-affirming care is patient-centered and treats individuals holistically, aligning their outward, physical traits with their gender identity,” the guidance continues.

However, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration changed its rules Thursday. Medicaid can no longer be used to pay for medications and surgeries of those diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the state.

A 2019 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that about 32,000 of the roughly 152,000 U.S. trans adults enrolled in Medicaid at the time lived in states that denied coverage for gender-affirming care.

AHCA proposed the change in a June memo, recommending limitations on puberty blockers, hormones, sex-reassignment surgeries and “any other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

AHCA proposed the change in a June memo, recommending limitations on puberty blockers, hormones, sex-reassignment surgeries and “any other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, also released a memo in June on gender-affirming care.

He claimed treatments like sex-reassignment surgery, and hormone and puberty blockers are not effective treatments for gender dysphoria based on three cited studies that dispute the general medical consensus on the condition.

He said federal medical guidelines are “about injecting political ideology into the health of our children. Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18,” he said in a statement.

Almost simultaneously, the Florida State Board of Medicine voted on Aug. 5 to begin formulating a rule that would deny gender-affirming care to people under the age of 18 and require adults to consult with their doctors before receiving such care.

In a recent press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis railed against gender-affirming care.

“You don’t disfigure 10, 12, 13-year-old kids based on gender dysphoria,” DeSantis said in a recent press conference. “I think these doctors need to get sued for what’s happening.”

He also made claims that children with gender dysphoria often regret their gender-affirming care; however, a 2021 study from researchers across the country found that the total number of people who regret their care is almost non-existent.

Health care providers have told ABC News that gender-affirming surgeries are not used on minors.

These moves led to outrage from LGBTQ groups and health care providers across the country.

“Science, medicine, and evidence-based approaches have demonstrated time and time again that transition-related care is medically necessary and life-saving care, and if this proposal is adopted, it will go against the recommendation of every major medical association,” said Sarah Warbelow, Human Rights Campaign Legal Director in a statement. “The truth matters and so does protecting Florida’s youth and their families.”

Under DeSantis’ leadership, Florida has continuously battled against professional and activist-based recommendations for gender inclusivity. Recently, several of the state’s agencies openly dismissed nondiscrimination recommendations from the federal level. In July, the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, went into effect.

Supporters of the law say that children should not be learning about gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3. Critics say it will silence and shame LGBTQ identities in the classroom.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Author Salman Rushdie attacked at speaking event in New York state

by
Suspect charged with attempted murder in on-stage attack of author Salman Rushdie
Suspect charged with attempted murder in on-stage attack of author Salman Rushdie
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Author Salman Rushdie was attacked at an event in New York state on Friday, according to witness accounts and law enforcement reports.

Rushdie was scheduled to give a lecture at the education center Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, in southwestern New York, Friday morning.

At around 11 a.m., a man “ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer,” according to New York State Police.

Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to the hospital, police said. His condition is unclear.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed to ABC News there was a stabbing at the event where Rushdie was speaking.

The suspect was taken into custody by a state trooper, police said.

In the aftermath of the attack, Rushdie, 75, was seen being tended to while on the stage.

The interviewer suffered a minor head injury during the attack, police said.

The Chautauqua Institution said it is “currently coordinating with law enforcement and emergency officials on a public response” following the attack on its stage and will provide more details at a later time.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the attack “horrific,” and said she has directed state police to “further assist however needed in the investigation.”

“Here is an individual who has spent decades speaking truth to power, someone who has been out there, unafraid, despite the threats that have followed him through his entire adult life,” Hochul remarked during a press briefing on an unrelated matter on Friday.

Police have not commented on a possible motive in the assault, and the suspect has not been identified.

The British-Indian writer faced years of death threats after his novel, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988.

The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accused the author of blasphemy over the book and in 1989 issued a fatwa against Rushdie, calling for his death.

Rushdie spent years in hiding, which he chronicled in his 2012 memoir, Joseph Anton. The book was nominated for the United Kingdom’s top nonfiction award, the Samuel Johnson prize.

In 2018, the Iranian foreign minister said that the country no longer supported the fatwa against Rushdie, though a bounty for his death continues to be offered by an Iranian religious foundation. In 2012, the group increased the bounty from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.

Others have been attacked in connection with “The Satanic Verses,” which was banned in several countries following its publication. Among them, Hitoshi Igarashi, who translated the book into Japanese, was stabbed to death in 1991 on the campus where he taught literature.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump investigation live updates: Pelosi slams GOP for rhetoric following raid

by
Trump investigation live updates: FBI collected top secret docs from Mar-a-Lago
Trump investigation live updates: FBI collected top secret docs from Mar-a-Lago
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The FBI executed an unprecedented raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, in search of evidence that sources tell ABC News is tied to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

It’s believed to be the first search by the federal agency of the residence of a current or former U.S. president. Trump and other Republicans have sharply criticized the raid as a partisan attack and have demanded an explanation.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Aug 12, 12:43 PM EDT
House Republicans attack integrity of DOJ and FBI

Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee defended former President Donald Trump while attacking the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI during a press conference on Capitol Hill Friday.

“President Donald Trump is Joe Biden’s most likeliest political opponent in 2024 and this is less than 100 days from critical midterm elections,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, said. “The FBI raid of President Trump is a complete abuse and overreach of its authority.”

Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Michael Turner, R-Ohio, told reporters that Republicans on the committee are “glad” the Department of Justice has begun the process of releasing “some” of the information about the raid to the public, but called for more. Turner said committee Republicans want access to the affidavit outlining the “imminent security threat” justifying the raid.

“Our request remains that the director of the FBI and the attorney general disclose to this committee the imminent national security threat upon which they based their decision to order a raid on the president’s home, again underscoring that there were many other options available to them,” Turner claimed. “We believe after the release today that these questions will remain unanswered.”

“The real story will be with the release of the affidavit itself,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., added. “The bureau and the attorney general and the DOJ obviously made the decision that this extreme measure was necessary. We will await their rationale for why that extreme measure was justified and not some lesser intrusive means.”

Turner did not call for the public disclosure of the underlying affidavit, which is expected to remain under seal, but did say that members of the intelligence committee and other committees of jurisdiction should have access. He called on committee Democrats to support a subpoena for this affidavit if there is non-compliance.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy dodged ABC News’ questions about whether he supports the release of the warrant authorizing the raid, instead saying he’d like to see the subpoena against Trump.

Trump received a subpoena in the spring for documents that he did not return to the National Archives, ABC News has reported. It’s unclear to what extent, if at all, he complied. The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed the existence of a subpoena.

Stefanik promised a “fulsome investigation” if Republicans retake the gavel in November.

“House Republicans are committed to immediate oversight, accountability and a fulsome investigation to provide needed transparency and answers to the American people,” Stefanik said.

The group also emphasized that they’re in “full support” of those who serve in the FBI and law enforcement agencies and condemned any violence against agents, while also repeatedly calling into question the credibility of law enforcement.

Aug 12, 12:28 PM EDT
Pelosi slams GOP for rhetoric following raid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is blasting Republicans for their rhetoric following the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.

Asked by ABC News about concerns over possibly increasing levels of violence against law enforcement and public officials after recent rhetoric from the GOP, Pelosi said Friday that she knows “very well how vicious” some of those threats can be, and said they’ve been “exacerbated” by former President Donald Trump.

“You would think there would be an adult in the Republican room that would say, ‘Just calm down. See what the facts are and let’s go for that.’ Instead of … instigating assaults on law enforcement,” Pelosi said.

When asked if she wants Congress to open more investigations into the material that Trump allegedly took, Pelosi said she’s not currently making plans for that and is going to let the investigation unfold.

Pelosi said she was not briefed on any aspect of the FBI raid or what classified information was being held.

She said she only knows “what’s in the public domain,” but she added, “if the nature of these documents is what appears to be, this is very serious.”

Aug 12, 8:44 AM EDT
Washington Post: Nuclear documents sought at Mar-a-Lago

The Washington Post is reporting that classified documents related to nuclear weapons were among the items agents sought by federal agents at Mar-a-Lago.

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Justice Department and the FBI believed Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting that Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.

Aug 12, 8:00 AM EDT
DOJ believes Trump held onto sensitive classified documents and associates questioned, sources say

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Department of Justice and the FBI believed former President Donald Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications, and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.

The information was sensitive enough that authorities wanted to take it back into possession immediately.

-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Alexander Mallin, Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders, and John Santucci

Aug 12, 7:07 AM EDT
Trump calls for ‘immediate release’ of search warrant

Former President Donald Trump is calling for “the immediate release” of the warrant that allowed FBI agents to search his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday.

“Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me much as they have done for the last 6 years,” Trump said late Thursday in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical,” he added. “The world is watching as our Country is being brought to a new low, not only on our border, crime, economy, energy, national security, and so much more, but also with respect to our sacred elections!”

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

+ More