(NEW YORK) — At least 14 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported in central Florida.
In an email to state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the Florida Department of Health revealed the outbreak is linked to a gym, reported ABC News affiliate WFTV.
The letter from the department did not list the name of the gym, but WFTV reported that a Crunch Fitness in Ocoee — 12 miles west of Orlando — had members reporting cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
Crunch Fitness told the station it is working with the health department, has closed off parts of the gym and is testing its pool and spa systems “out of an abundance of caution.”
Neither the Florida Department of Health nor Crunch Fitness immediately returned ABC News’ request for comment.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into your lungs.
Legionella bacteria are found naturally in freshwater but typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The disease does not spread from person to person, but outbreaks can grow if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters and other plumbing systems.
Legionnaires has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.
Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.
About one out of every 10 people who develops Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications, according to the CDC. Among those who develop Legionnaires’ disease during a stay in a health care facility, about one out of every four people will die, the federal health agency added.
(WASHINGTON) — The suspect accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, made his initial appearance in court Friday.
Brian Cole Jr. of Virginia was arrested by federal authorities Thursday following a massive probe that had stymied investigators for almost five years.
Members of his family seated in the gallery audibly gasped and broke down in tears as Cole entered the courtroom and sat down next to his attorney, John Shoreman.
Cole’s legs and arms were shaking throughout the duration of the hearing as he listened to the judge read him his rights and detail the two charges Cole currently faces, which carry a maximum sentence of up to 30 years if he is convicted.
Cole did not enter a plea in court.
During the hearing, government attorneys said that Cole sat for an interview with the FBI for four hours Thursday after his arrest, and that they plan to provide a transcript of the interview to Cole’s attorneys over the weekend.
Law enforcement sources tell ABC News that Cole admitted to investigators that he planted the bombs, but investigators have not yet officially identified a motive.
According to sources, investigators who interviewed Cole feel initial indications are that Cole believed there was fraud in the 2020 election.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told ABC News’ Pierre Thomas on Friday that Cole told investigators he was “disappointed in various aspects of the election.”
Counsel for the government told the court that they will seek Cole’s continued detention through trial, based on the seriousness of the offenses he now faces. The judge set a detention hearing for Dec. 15.
As Cole departed the courtroom members of his family stood up and shouted, “We love you Brian!” Another shouted, “We’re here for you, baby!”
Family members and Cole’s attorney declined to comment to reporters outside of court after the hearing concluded.
(WASHINGTON) — The man who is accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee offices on Jan. 5, 2021, told investigators he was “disappointed” in the results of the 2020 election, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
Brian Cole Jr. also said that that he got rid of the unusual shoes that investigators were looking for, according Pirro.
“He told us that he had those sneakers and that he got rid of them after he placed the pipe bombs,” Pirro told ABC News in an exclusive interview Friday.
When asked if she would go further in saying that Cole offered a full confession, Pirro would go no further, saying, “I don’t want to get ahead of this, but what I can tell you is that the combination of video evidence, forensic evidence, as well as the items, the receipts and — it makes it very clear that we can prove this case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Authorities arrested Cole, 30, on Thursday after identifying him as the suspect in the case following a yearslong investigation.
He made his first court appearance Friday and did not enter a plea.
The distinctive Nike Air Max Turf sneakers seen in CCTV images had long been a focus of investigators who were hoping they would lead to the suspect.
Pirro said that based on the evidence, it is “unmistakable” that Cole is the suspect, after having gone through 3 million pieces of data.
“In my mind, they were on the right path when it was clear that the cell phone was pinging in the exact locations where we had the video of the suspect walking along the area,” Pirro said. “Everywhere he walked, his cell phone was pinging at the cell tower. So it is unmistakable that he was the guy who was walking along and placing those items,” she said.
Pirro confirmed ABC News’ reporting that Cole is talking to authorities and that they say he expressed concern about the 2020 election.
“He was disappointed in various aspects of the election,” Pirro said.
She said “it really isn’t clear” if Cole is a supporter of either President Donald Trump or former President Joe Biden.
“This guy was an equal opportunity bomber,” Pirro said. “He put a bomb outside the Republican National Committee and the Democrat National Committee. He was disappointed to a great deal in the system, both sides of the system, and for me as a prosecutor, my job is to prove what his intent was in placing those pipe bombs, and what he intended to do, and what we can prove, and we can prove that.”
She said they won’t stop investigating this case and will continue to execute search warrants and find information.
Pirro was adamant that the public will see the facts of this case, regardless of politics.
“Look at me,” she said. “You will see the facts. You will see the evidence. You will see the truth as we go forward with this case. The law requires it, it demands it, and it is what we will deliver.”
A judge ruled on Tuesday that a judgement could not be entered against blogger Milagro Cooper for the defamation count in a lawsuit filed by hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in October 2024.
Cooper was found liable for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and promotion of an altered sexual depiction by a Miami jury on Monday.
However, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga ruled that a media defendant “precludes judgement for Plaintiff on the defamation per se claim because it is uncontested that Plaintiff did not provide Defendant pre-suit notice,” according to the court’s final judgment obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.
In Florida, a media defendant must be served by the plaintiff with a legal notice at least five days before filing a defamation suit, according to court documents obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial in November that Cooper, who is known on social media as blogger Milagro Gramz, participated in a targeted and coordinated social media campaign to harass, intimidate and defame her.
Pete alleged Cooper was a “paid surrogate” for rapper Tory Lanez and spread lies on his behalf. Lanez was convicted of shooting and injuring Pete in a July 2020 incident.
(LOS ANGELES) — The judge decreased the damages Cooper owes Pete from $75,000 to $59,000, according to legal documents. Altonaga upheld the other two counts of intentional infliction of emotional distress and promotion of an altered sexual depiction.
“Cooper ultimately prevailed on Ms. Pete’s leading accusation, defamation, and the jury awarded a nominal amount of damages compared to millions of dollars Ms. Pete demanded from Ms. Cooper throughout the course of the litigation,” Cooper’s attorney said in a statement on Wednesday obtained by ABC News.
Pete’s attorneys said in a statement obtained by ABC News after the jury’s verdict on Monday that Cooper is also required to cover costs for the rapper’s legal bills.
“Request for costs and fees shall not be submitted until after any post-trial motions are decided or an appeal is concluded, whichever occurs later,” the judge stated in her final judgment.
ABC News has reached out to Pete’s attorneys, but requests for comments were not immediately returned.
The lawsuit alleges that Cooper spread lies about Pete to punish her and attempt to discredit her after she publicly named Lanez as her shooter.
“She’s created a space for a lot of people to come speak negatively about me,” Pete said in trial testimony last month of Cooper, referencing social media posts where the blogger attacked Pete’s character, casting her as a liar and mentally unstable.
Cooper, who took the stand earlier in November, testified that as a blogger, she discussed the shooting on her social media accounts without the influence of Tory Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson.
But Cooper did acknowledge that she spoke with Peterson and was hoping to have him as a guest on her channel. She also testified that she received payments from Peterson’s father, Sonstar Peterson, but claimed they were for “personal” reasons like her children’s birthdays and “promotional” work.
The jury was shown social media posts in which Cooper claimed that Pete was not shot.
When asked if she believed that Pete was shot, Cooper said, “I can’t say she lied about that because I wasn’t there,” but then Cooper said that she believed that Pete was not shot and had stepped on glass — a claim that Pete made in her initial statement to police.
Peterson is not named as a defendant in Pete’s defamation lawsuit but was asked to give a deposition ahead of the trial. ABC News has reached out to his attorneys, but requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Peterson, who chose not to take the witness stand during the 2022 trial, pleaded not guilty and his defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was not the shooter.
Peterson was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 8, 2023, after he was convicted in December 2022 of felony assault for shooting and injuring Pete in both of her feet in an incident that occurred in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
His legal team appealed his conviction, but it was upheld on Nov. 12 by a federal court in Los Angeles.
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this story said the judge dismissed the defamation charge. Under Florida law, a media defendant must be served by the plaintiff with a legal notice at least five days before filing a defamation suit so, in this case, that judgement could not be entered.
The seal of the Department of Justice is seen before a news conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, December 4, 2025, announcing the arrest of Brian Cole Jr., who allegedly placed pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee offices on January 6, 2021. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
(FLORIDA) — A federal judge in Florida has granted the Trump administration’s motion to unseal grand jury transcripts from the initial federal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein in the mid-2000s. The order also grants the government’s request to modify any protective orders in place that would inhibit public disclosure.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith – a Trump appointee – determined that the language of the recently-enacted Epstein Transparency Act “overrides” federal rules prohibiting the public disclosure of grand jury materials.
“The Act applies to unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials that relate to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Smith wrote in an order Friday. “Consequently, the later-enacted and specific language of the Act trumps Rule 6’s prohibition on disclosure. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that United States’ Expedited Motion to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts and Modify Protective Order…is GRANTED.”
Smith is one of three federal judges asked by the DOJ to unseal grand jury materials in cases involving Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Smith is the first to rule. Two judges in New York are expected to issue their decisions next week.
This is the second time the DOJ has gone to those courts asking for the grand jury materials to be unsealed. Those earlier attempts – before the Epstein Transparency Act was passed, requiring the disclosure of materials related to Epstein’s cases within 30 days with certain exceptions — were rejected by each court.
Smith’s order does not address redactions to the records to protect the privacy interests of Epstein’s victims. It will be up to the DOJ to make those redactions, as administration officials have promised to do before disclosing records to the public.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida used two separate grand juries during their initial probes in the mid-2000s of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking of minors. Neither grand jury was asked to indict Epstein, and there was never a federal criminal prosecution of Epstein in Florida. Instead, Epstein and federal prosecutors negotiated a non-prosecution agreement which resulted in Epstein’s guilty pleas in state court.
Witnesses express concerns about privacy in New York cases
In the New York cases, the courts have received input and objections from witnesses, victims and others expressing concerns about personal privacy, redaction of victim information and the potential impacts the court’s rulings could have on public disclosure of the Epstein files.
Annie Farmer – a witness who testified against Maxwell at her criminal trial in 2021 – urged the judges to make “abundantly clear” that any decision they make about the DOJ’s motions “does not affect the Department of Justice’s ability to release documents subject to the [Epstein] Transparency Act,” including materials contained in the 300 gigabytes of data the government has said it has in its possession.
“While Ms. Farmer remains hopeful that the instant motions reflect a bona fide desire by the Government to provide greater transparency into Epstein’s crimes, she is wary of the possibility that any denial of the motions may be used by others as a pretext or excuse for continuing to withhold crucial information concerning Epstein’s crimes,” wrote Sigrid McCawley, counsel for Farmer and other Epstein and Maxwell accusers.
The Epstein Transparency Act contains a number of exceptions that could allow the DOJ to withhold or redact certain records, including records that could result in victim identification or a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” There is also an exception for records related to any “active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
The DOJ faces a Dec. 19 deadline to comply with the law’s provisions.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer – who will decide the DOJ’s motion on the Maxwell docket – also received letters from attorneys for two men; one a potential witness at the Maxwell trial who wasn’t called and another whose name had been contained in court files in civil litigation against Maxwell but who had successfully argued for his name to be redacted when those records were unsealed.
“I submit that all personally identifiable information regarding my client is within the ambit of the Act’s permitted withholdings and that this information must be redacted pursuant to the Act, because that disclosure without redaction would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of my client’s personal privacy,” wrote Avrom Robin, an attorney for the witness who wasn’t called.
The attorneys for both men argued that the language of the Epstein Transparency Act contains no specific mention of grand jury materials and that the government’s motion to unseal those records should be denied. Absent such a ruling, they argue that the names of their clients should be redacted or remain under seal.
The Department of Justice has been ordered by the courts to respond to the concerns raised in the letters by Monday.
Candice Hickson is shown in this undated booking photo. Tennessee District Attorney General Frederick H. Agee, 28th Judicial District, Gibson, Crockett, and Haywood Counties
(TENNESSEE) — A Tennessee mother is facing a criminal charge and her two children were removed from her custody after investigators said they consumed her THC hemp gummies, leading to their hospitalization.
The children, both under the age of 8, have been placed under the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services after their mother failed a drug test for methamphetamine, according to the district attorney general.
Candice Hickson is being charged with child neglect and endangerment, according to an arrest warrant. Her bail is set at $25,000, according to the warrant.
“Our Office will prosecute this case within the letter of the law, balancing the need to help Ms. Hickson get treatment for her addiction, so that she can eventually reunite with her children in a safe environment,” District Attorney General Frederick Agee said in a statement.
Hickson called 911 to report a possible overdose after her two children consumed her gummies last week at their home in Milan, Tennessee, according to the arrest warrant. When officers arrived on the scene, both children were unresponsive.
Hickson told officers the children were able to reach the gummies when she went to the bathroom and she was not sure how many the children had consumed, according to the arrest warrant.
The children were then taken to Le Bonheur Hospital in Memphis and released within 48 hours, according to the district attorney general.
THC hemp gummies are legal for adults 21 years and older in Tennessee, according to state law.
“Although we take any case where children are harmed very seriously, we are unaware of any incident in Tennessee or the U.S. where a child, teenager, or adult has died solely from consuming legal Hemp THC gummies,” Agee said.
He added, “However, this is a cautionary reminder to parents to secure legal substances that might cause adverse reactions away from their children, especially those drugs with more potent and addictive effects like Oxycodone, Xanax, Hydrocodone, and other opioids.”
Hickson is expected to appear again at Gibson County General Sessions court on Dec. 16. No attorney was listed for Hickson.
Hiram Carrero, 18, accused of lighting a homeless man on fire aboard a northbound number 3 train, is taken from the New York Police Department 9th Precinct in New York, on Dec. 4, 2025. Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News via TNS via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A teenager is facing a federal arson charge for allegedly setting a sleeping homeless man on fire on a New York City subway train, officials said.
Hiram Carrero, 18, was arrested on Thursday night and appeared in Manhattan federal court on Friday, authorities said.
The 56-year-old victim was asleep on a 3 train when, around 3 a.m. Monday, the suspect walked into the car at 34th Street Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, according to police. Surveillance images released in the federal complaint show the victim completely alone in the subway car.
Carrero allegedly approached the victim and set his legs on fire, investigators said. Carrero then allegedly fled the train right when the doors were closing, according to the complaint.
The victim was still covered in flames when he exited the subway car at Times Square, the next stop, the complaint said. Surveillance footage showed him sitting on the platform with flames rising from his upper legs.
Law enforcement responded and extinguished the blaze and then rushed the victim to a hospital in critical condition, the complaint said.
On Friday, Carrero made his initial appearance in court where a federal magistrate ordered him released. Prosectors are appealing to a district court judge.
Carrero was initially arrested on state charges including attempted murder.
The family of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Saturday, says they will remember her as a happy, bubbly, straight-A student with a bright future ahead. (Kepner family)
(BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.) — Weeks after 18-year-old Anna Kepner mysteriously died on a cruise ship and her stepbrother was named a “suspect” by his parents in a court filing, the stepbrother’s mom appeared at a hearing, fighting to retain custody of her younger child.
Kepner died on the Carnival Horizon in November while on a Caribbean vacation with her grandparents, father, stepmother, siblings and stepsiblings.
A copy of the death certificate provided to ABC News by Kepner’s family showed the Florida high school cheerleader “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).” An autopsy report has not been released and authorities have not announced whether they believe Kepner’s death was in fact a homicide.
The FBI and medical examiner’s office haven’t commented on the case.
The stepbrother’s parents, Thomas Hudson and Shauntel Hudson, are fighting over custody, and have in court documents referred to the stepbrother — who is a minor — as a suspect in Kepner’s death.
At a hearing in Brevard County, Florida, on Friday, the judge didn’t find that the Hudsons’ youngest child is in imminent danger of harm by continuing to live with Shauntel Hudson and her husband, Chris Kepner, who is Anna Kepner’s father.
The “suspect” stepbrother has been living with Shauntel Hudson’s relatives since the family returned from the cruise.
Shauntel Hudson’s attorney said she didn’t know how long he would remain with relatives, given that the family isn’t sure what the outcome will be of the FBI’s investigation into Anna Kepner’s death. Shauntel Hudson said she’s been informed it’s possible investigators could charge her son with a crime as officials await results from toxicology tests.
Her attorney also informed the court they’re waiting on “psychological and psychiatric testing.”
Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
(KERRVILLE, Texas) — Hundreds of 911 calls during the July 4 Texas flood that devastated the Hill Country have been released from hard-hit Kerr County.
The Kerrville Police Department released the calls late Thursday following Freedom of Information Act requests from eight media outlets.
“We want to caution the public that what you will hear on these calls is distressing. Some callers did not survive,” Kerrville Police Chief Chris McCall said in a video message on Thursday ahead of the release.
ABC News is currently reviewing the 911 calls.
The first call related to flooding in western Kerr County came in to the police department’s 911 center at 2:52 a.m. on July 4, according to McCall.
Over the next six hours, the center, which receives all 911 calls for Kerr County, answered 435 calls, he said.
Two people were working at the time, the police chief said while commending the operators for their handling of “extraordinary call volumes.”
“I’m immensely proud of our telecommunications operators,” he said. “These public safety team members showed incredible perseverance as they faced high call volumes and did their best to provide assistance and comfort to every caller.”
Some calls were transferred to neighboring dispatch centers based on the protocols regarding high volume, he said. Once they obtained critical information from callers, the operators “were faced with the difficult decision to disconnect and move on to the next call,” McCall said.
The 911 calls are being released in their entirety, without redaction.
“The recordings contain disturbing content, which our community, employees, and family and friends of loved ones lost may find highly distressing,” the police department said in a statement. “Listener and audience discretion is advised.”
Over 130 people were killed in flash flooding across the Hill Country region, including at least 117 in Kerr County, officials said. At Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls sleepaway camp located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, 28 people — including 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s director — died as rapidly rising floodwaters inundated the camp.
Thursday’s release follows the release of 911 from other counties in the Hill Country, including Gillespie and Kendall counties.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Megan Varner/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted 8-3 on Friday to remove the universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to make vaccine recommendations based on the mother’s testing status.
The recommendations state that if a mother tests negative for hepatitis B, parents should decide, with the guidance of their health care provider, whether the shot is right for their newborn — referred to as “individual-based decision-making,” according to a document with the ACIP voting language.
The vote includes that newborns who do not receive the hepatitis B birth dose get an initial dose no earlier than 2 months old.
The voting language document emphasized there is no change to the recommendation that infants born to women who test positive or have unknown status to be vaccinated.
The language document also included a footnote that parents and health care providers should consider whether the newborn faces risks, such as a hepatitis B-positive household member or frequent contact with people who have emigrated from areas where hepatitis B is common.
In a second vote, the ACIP voted 6-4, with one abstention, that parents of older children should talk to their doctor about hepatitis B antibody testing before considering subsequent hepatitis B vaccination.
The testing would determine whether an antibody threshold was achieved and should be covered by insurance.
The CDC acting director, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, is expected to sign off on the change.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
