(STERLING, Va.) — A senior adviser to the super PAC backing Gov. Ron DeSantis for president participated Thursday in a LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, along with the Florida governor’s 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.
Phil Cox, who serves as a senior adviser to Never Back Down super PAC, and who also advised the governor during his successful 2020 reelection bid, teed off Thursday morning at the controversial Saudi-backed tournament, according to multiple sources and a schedule of the event obtained by ABC News.
Cox hit the links just a few hours after Trump’s own tee time earlier in the morning, sources told ABC News.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tournament raised eyebrows when it launched last year, with critics calling it an example of “sportswashing,” the process by which a group will launder its reputation with professional sporting events.
Trump’s golf courses have hosted several LIV tournaments over the last year.
Cox’s appearance Thursday at the tournament on Trump’s property follows news that the consulting group GP3, of which Cox is a partner, recently clinched a deal with the Saudi-financed LIV tour.
Cox is one of the GP3 consultants who works on the LIV account, according to The New York Times.
Sources tell ABC News that the business relationship between Cox and the LIV tournament has begun to ruffle feathers among those close to the Florida governor.
“I’m an unpaid, volunteer adviser to Never Back Down and proud to support Governor DeSantis,” Cox said in a statement to ABC News.
Officials with Never Back Down super PAC did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. A spokesperson for Never Back Down previously told The New York Times regarding Cox, “there is no conflict here with his outside businesses.”
Cox, a longtime Republican operative, previously served as executive director of the Republican Governors Association.
DeSantis’ presidential campaign officially kicked off Wednesday night with a live Twitter Spaces event that was marred by technical glitches and was subsequently mocked by Trump on his Truth Social platform.
(VALLEY MILLS, Texas) — A Texas family is mourning the loss of a beloved father and the hospitalization of his young son following a lightning strike.
Matthew Boggs was walking his sons Elijah, 11, and Grayson, 6, home after school on May 15, when lightning struck him and Grayson, according to Stephanie Burris, who is Boggs’ first cousin.
Burris told “Good Morning America” that the father and sons were walking together on the family’s driveway in Valley Mills, Texas, after Boggs picked up his sons from the bus stop.
At a separation in the driveway, Elijah veered left, while Grayson and Boggs, 34, veered to the right together, according to Burris.
Burris said family members who were home at the time told her Boggs reached down and grabbed Grayson’s hand after the two had separated from Elijah, and told his son that he loved him.
Just seconds later, the lightning bolt struck, killing Boggs and severely injuring Grayson.
“His last words were, ‘I love you buddy,’ to his son,” Burris said of her cousin.
The local sheriff’s office confirmed the lightning strike in a May 16 Facebook post.
“On arrival, responders located an adult male and a 6 year old child who were not responsive,” the statement read. “Responders determined that the adult male was deceased and the child was unresponsive, but breathing.”
Burris said the lightning strike appeared to come out of nowhere, noting there were few clouds in the sky and Boggs’ mom, who lives next door, was outside mowing the lawn at the time.
Grayson is currently being treated at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center in Temple, Texas, where he remains on a ventilator.
“It seems like he’s making very small progress every day, but we don’t know if it’s purposeful,” Burris said. “Until he’s off [the ventilator], we’re not going to know the extent of his deficits.”
The hospital declined to comment on Grayson’s condition, citing patient confidentiality.
Burris has started a GoFundMe account to help support Grayson in his ongoing recovery, as well as Elijah and the boys’ mother Kayla Boggs.
“As we learned more about the extent of Grayson’s injuries, he’s going to need some sort of care for the rest of his life,” Burris said, adding, “There has been such an outpouring of love and support for them. It’s just amazing.”
Burris said the family is focused on Grayson’s recovery and remembering Boggs, whom she described as a devoted dad.
At the time of the lightning strike, Grayson was just three days away from finishing kindergarten, and Boggs was three months shy of his 35th birthday.
“When it came to the boys, they were his world,” Burris said. “They were his little buddies. They loved to wrestle and play video games.”
She continued, “One of Elijah’s favorite things with his dad was when they would go swimming at the pool. They really let loose and would just play for hours and have so much fun in the water.”
(NEW YORK) — Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon will stand trial in May 2024 for allegedly defrauding donors to the “We Build the Wall” online fundraising campaign, a Manhattan judge said Thursday.
Judge Juan Merchan set a trial date of May 27 of next year — two months after former President Donald Trump is set to stand trial before the same judge for allegedly falsifying business records related to Stormy Daniels’ hush money payment.
As president, Trump pardoned Bannon on his last night in office after Bannon was indicted on federal charges of defrauding donors to the “We Build the Wall” crowdfunding effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The state charges Bannon now faces were brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and allege that Bannon and “We Build the Wall” defrauded 430 Manhattan-based donors out of $33,600. Across New York state, there were more than 11,000 donors defrauded out of more than $730,000, according to the indictment.
Bannon pleaded not guilty to the charges in September.
Prosecutors say “We Build the Wall” raised $15 million from donors across the country based on “false pretenses,” citing a pledge organizers made that the group’s president would take no salary. Instead, the campaign’s president, Brian Kolfage, received a salary of $250,000 that was secretly funneled to him by Bannon, prosecutors say.
The indictment quotes Bannon telling donors at a June 24, 2019, fundraising event, “Remember, all the money you give goes to building the wall.”
If convicted, Bannon faces two counts of money laundering, which carry a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison, as well as additional felony counts of conspiracy and scheme to defraud along with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to defraud.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Three former Jackson Police Department officers were indicted by a grand jury last week on homicide charges in the death of Keith Murriel, a Mississippi man who died in police custody on Dec. 31, 2022.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody E. Owens, II, announced the charges against former officers Kenya McCarty, Avery Willis and James Land in a press conference on Wednesday.
“All three officers have been indicted for homicide,” Owens said. “The District Attorney’s office would like to acknowledge the brave actions of the entire Jackson Police Department. And we do not think the actions of a few represent the bravery of so many.”
Owens said that McCarty and Willis were each charged with second-degree murder, while Land was charged with manslaughter.
ABC News has reached out to attorneys for McCarty and Land but requests for comment were not immediately responded to. Efforts to reach Willis directly for comment were unsuccessful. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
Daryl Washington, an attorney representing the family of Murriel, told ABC News in a statement on Thursday that the indictment brings “a level of comfort” to the family.
Family of Brianna Grier, Georgia woman who fell out of moving police vehicle, files wrongful death lawsuit
“It’s been an extremely difficult time for the family, knowing that Keith’s death was totally preventable,” Washington said.
“Although the family would much rather have Keith here with them, there is a level of comfort knowing that the officers have been indicted for the egregious crime they committed last December,” he added. “We know that this is only the first step in a long process, but we are encouraged by the thorough investigation that was conducted and believe the officers will be held fully accountable for their wrongful actions.”
The city of Jackson released body camera footage of the incident on Wednesday that was reviewed by ABC News and shows officers tasing Murriel several times as they try to handcuff him. Murriel can be heard repeatedly urging the officers to stop.
“The hardest thing for the family is hearing Keith telling the officers to stop,” Washington told ABC News on Thursday.
Following Murriel’s death, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into the incident.
ABC News has reached out to the MBI for a copy of the final report, as well as a copy of Murriel’s autopsy.
Jackson City Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who urged the MBI to release the video earlier this year, told reporters that the video is “voluminous” and is made up of footage from various officers’ cameras, as well as camera footage from the surrounding area that captured Murriel’s encounter with police.
“We believe that we have seen actions which are excessive, disheartening and tragic,” Lumumba said.
Members of Murriel’s family, who, according to Washington, have been calling for months on the MBI to release the body camera video, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in April against officers involved in this case.
“We chose not to release the video at that time because we did not want to compromise the ongoing investigation,” Lumumba said.
“We wanted to make it clear while we were releasing this video that we are on the side of justice and want to see justice take place,” he added.
Newly appointed Jackson Police Department Chief Joseph Wade offered his condolences to Murriel’s family during the press conference on Wednesday and pledged to be transparent.
“We strive at the Jackson Police Department to create community trust. When we fail, we create community distrust,” Wade said, urging the community to continue to support the officers who “put their lives on the line every day.”
“We at JPD will continue to be transparent and we will continue to have accountability measures in place – not only from the bottom up, but from the top down as we move forward,” he added.
Former Jackson Police Chief James Davis announced his retirement on Friday and Wade was named interim police chief.
Lumumba publicly disagreed with Davis in February after police released a statement saying that Murriel experienced a “health emergency” that led to his death.
According to a Jackson Police Department news release given to the ABC affiliate, WAPT, in January officers responded at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 31 2022, to a call for service in the 500 block of E. Beasley Road.
“While at the location, officers successfully took an individual into custody who experienced a medical emergency,” JPD said in the release, according to the affiliate. “American Medical Response was summoned to the location to render aid; unfortunately, the individual was pronounced deceased on the scene.”
Asked during the press conference on Wednesday if Davis’ departure had anything to do with the backlash over the incident that led to Murriel’s death, Lumumda said, “no.”
“I shared that, you know I had a different take on it, but that had nothing to do with his decision to retire and my decision to accept his retirement,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — A recent high school graduate from Louisiana is missing after going overboard while on a trip to the Bahamas, school officials said.
Cameron Robbins, who attended University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, was on a trip with a group of students when he went overboard Wednesday night, school officials said.
“As of this interview right now he has not been located,” Kevin George, director of the Laboratory School, told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ midday Thursday.
The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast said Thursday that it is assisting with search efforts for a missing U.S. citizen “believed to have fallen overboard from a sunset cruise near Nassau” on Wednesday.
A Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the search is for Robbins.
The incident was reported between 11:30 p.m. and midnight local time Wednesday, according to Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Estrada.
The Coast Guard is providing air assistance in the ongoing search and rescue mission, which is being led by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Estrada said.
The Bahamas vacation was not a school-sanctioned trip but included students from several high schools in the area, including between 10 and 15 students from the Laboratory School, George said.
The school just held its graduation on Sunday.
George described Robbins as a “great kid” and athlete who had been with the school for 13 years, since the start of his education.
“Just one of those kids that you’re so proud of once they cross the stage,” George said.
Students held a prayer circle for Robbins Thursday morning following news that he was reported missing, holding hands outside the Laboratory School, located on the main campus of Louisiana State University.
“It’s a tight-knit family,” George said. “The kids reached out to us wanting to know, could they do a prayer circle. Obviously we agreed. We really appreciated their leadership in this trying time.”
Robbins has a sister who is a junior at the school, according to George, who said he spoke to their father Thursday morning.
“It’s just a really emotional time for us right now,” George said. “Just trying to send up our prayers and give our support.”
“Let’s continue to pray and pray that we find Cameron safe and sound,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Ahead of the slate of blockbuster films hitting theaters this summer, MoviePass is back with a new plan that could help moviegoers save money at the box office.
“We’re really excited to be able to let everybody in,” MoviePass CEO Stacy Spikes told Good Morning America.
The company that lets you see any movie at any theater is back with three new subscription options.
Subscribers can choose from three different tiers: basic, standard or premium, depending on their viewing habits, which range in price from $10 a month to $30 a month.
“Each month, you’re going to get a certain amount of credits,” Spikes explained. “You [can] go to matinees or things where you can use fewer credits and then if you say ‘I really want go Friday or Saturday night,’ you’re going to use more credits there. And each month, they replenish and if there’s a month you don’t go to the movies, your credits just roll over.”
Spikes and his co-founder sold a majority stake in the company, which was first started in 2011, in 2017, and the subscription price was later changed to a $10-per-month model for unlimited movies. The service was later shut down in 2019, following several unsustainable subscription changes and price decreases.
“It went bankrupt as we properly figured it would, and then last year I bought it back,” Spikes said. “We’ve gotten the experience really down tight. And we’re already seeing lots of people that are already on the platform. The beautiful thing is you can cancel anytime. There is no contract. You are not locked into a single theater.”
This summer, 42 theatrical releases are expected and Spikes said he’s seen a renewed energy from Hollywood.
“We’ve seen more studios commit to the overall production of theatrical releases and I think we are seeing a new golden age of cinema,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge sentenced Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison Thursday for his role leading a seditious conspiracy to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory that culminated in the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rhodes sentence is now the longest to date handed down to a defendant charged in connection with the Capitol assault.
For the first time in a Jan. 6 case, D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta accepted the government’s recommendation to apply an enhancement for terrorism in Rhodes’ sentencing. Judge Mehta agreed with prosecutors that Rhodes “inspired the use of violence” in his followers to disrupt the certification and that his conduct met the legal definition of terrorism intended to influence the actions of government.
Judge Mehta cited the stockpile of weapons the Oath Keepers had amassed just outside of Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, as well as Rhodes’ orders for members to delete incriminating messages after the Capitol assault.
“You, sir, present an ongoing threat and peril to this country,” Judge Mehta told Rhodes just before handing down his sentence.
Before his sentence was handed down, Rhodes opted to address Judge Mehta in defiant remarks maintaining his innocence and describing himself as a “political prisoner.”
“Like President Trump, my only crime is opposing those who are destroying our country,” Rhodes said.
In his own remarks just before handing down his sentence, Mehta pushed back directly on Rhodes’ claims of being a political prisoner, saying instead he poses an “ongoing threat to this country.”
“For decades it is clear that you wanted the democracy in this country to devolve into violence,” Mehta said. “You’re not a political prisoner. You’re here because 12 jurors in D.C. who acquitted you of multiple counts found you guilty of sedition.”
“It could have been a far uglier day … and people should not forget that,” he said of Jan. 6.
The harshest sentence thus far for a defendant charged in connection with Jan. 6 was 170 months, or just over 14 years.
The Justice Department was seeking 25 years for Rhodes, with a prosecutor saying in court Thursday that a harsh sentence was critical “to ensure the respect for the rule of law that is essential to the survival of our democracy.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy said Rhodes “doggedly drilled in the minds of those on his chats, and those followers of the Oath Keepers the lie of the election fraud, and the false need to act like the Founding Fathers in order to save in his view, our Constitution and our country.” She said it was “neither the first time nor the last time that he will seek to organize political violence in our country,” and pointed to statements he made from jail just four days ago to a protest gathered outside where he said it would “take regime change” to fix the wrongs being done by the Biden Administration.
“It’s not going to stop until its stopped,” Rakoczy said, quoting Rhodes’ remarks.
Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States last November. A jury found he and other members of the group played a principal role in disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
The decision marked the first successful seditious conspiracy conviction by a jury since 1995.
Justice Department prosecutors sought 25 years for Rhodes, their highest recommendation yet for a defendant charged in connection with Jan. 6.
In their sentencing recommendation to Judge Mehta, they argued repeatedly that harsh sentences for all the Oath Keepers charged in the conspiracy were necessary in order to deter future potential attacks against democracy.
Juries in two separate trials returned convictions against Rhodes and eight of his associates on a variety of serious felony charges, though three from the group were acquitted of the most serious charge of seditious conspiracy.
Relying on a trove of messages between the group’s members discussing “civil war” in the event of Biden taking office, prosecutors argued that Rhodes and his co-conspirators were willing to take any action necessary, including using force, to stop the certification.
Prosecutors also presented extensive evidence of the group’s planning in advance of Jan. 6, showing how members stashed a massive cache of weapons at a hotel just outside city limits that the government argued would be transported into Washington in the event Trump invoked the Insurrection Act.
Stemming from unfounded claims of election fraud, the defendants railed against the government in private chats and social media posts.
Rhodes remained defiant in remarks before his sentence was ultimately handed down on Thursday.
On Wednesday, police officers who defended the Capitol and a Senate aide who carried the official 2020 election documents spoke in court to explain the continuing trauma they face more than two years after the riots.
“We were assaulted time and time again,” D.C. police officer Christopher Owens told he court. He talked about the violent mob repeatedly grabbing at his police gear, even trying to take his weapon.
His voice heavy with emotion, Owens described coming home to his family and his wife sobbing after seeing his bruised and battered his body.
“We experienced physical trauma, emotional trauma and mental trauma,” he said.
Judge Mehta thanked each of the witnesses for their remarks and government service.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a near-normal hurricane season for the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
There is a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season, NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad told reporters during a media briefing on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting between 12 to 17 named storms that have top winds of at least 39 miles per hour, Spinrad said. Of those storms, five to nine are forecast to become hurricanes, including four major hurricanes at a Category 3 or above, Spinrad said.
This year is warmer than last year, creating conditions that could allow tropical systems to intensify, Matt Rosencrans, lead hurricane season outlook forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, told reporters. The wet African monsoon season is currently very active, which could help produce long-lived tropical cyclones.
In addition, even though there is a developing El Nino, which usually suppresses the activity, the Atlantic still could see near-normal tropical activity.
“The stronger than an El Nino event, usually the less amount of storms you have,” Rosencrans said.
The U.S. saw 14 named storms in 2022. Three of those hurricanes caused a collective $117 billion in damages, U.S Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves told reporters.
“Hurricanes and the destruction they cause can have devastating impacts to affected communities, and to local economies,” Graves said.
Spinrad emphasized the necessity to prepare for devastating storms.
“Remember, it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” he said. “Regardless of the statistics I shared if one of those named storms is hitting your home, your community. It’s very serious.”
Major strides have been made in recent years in the accuracy in which NOAA is able to forecast hurricanes, Graves said. For example, the accuracy of the forecast track has improved by 40% since 2017, and the lead time hurricane forecast by two days, NOAA said. In addition, the seven-day track forecast now has the same accuracy as the five-day track forecast, Graves said.
NOAA will be implementing more powerful supercomputers, developing upgraded forecast models and employing better satellite observations to better track hurricanes in the future, Graves said.
A retrospective analysis of storms in the North Atlantic basin from 2020 to 2022 showed the new hurricane model provided up to a 15% improvement in track and intensity forecasts over existing models, Spinrad said.
“These additional days of preparedness can make all the difference in places like Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the country in mitigating the destruction and saving countless lives,” he said.
Overall, the number of storms has not increased due to climate change, but the hazards that result have increased, such as more storm surge and heavier rainfall. In a warmer climate, the atmosphere can hold more water, therefore producing heavier rainfall. With sea level rise and more people living along the coast, storm surge becomes a greater problem.
The U.S. is seeing “more and more” impacts from hurricanes, Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell told reporters.
“They are going to be stronger, they will last longer,” she said. “FEMA will be ready to support you.”
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a six-week abortion ban into law Thursday, with it going into effect immediately. The new ban prohibits all abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, which generally occurs at six weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions, according to the ban.
“With my signature, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is now law and will begin saving the lives of unborn children immediately,” McMaster said. “This is a great day for life in South Carolina, but the fight is not over. We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges and are confident we will succeed. The right to life must be preserved, and we will do everything we can to protect it.”
Abortion providers Planned Parenthood and Greenville Women’s Clinic have filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban and seeking a temporary restraining order that would prevent enforcement of the law.
“Abortion providers have asked a state trial court to block S. 474 on the grounds that it violates South Carolinians’ constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection, and substantive due process by banning abortion, providing inadequate protections for patients’ health, conditioning sexual assault survivors’ access to abortion on the disclosure of their personal information to law enforcement, violating the Medicaid Act, and improperly targeting Planned Parenthood through an unconstitutional bill of attainder,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement.
McMaster signed a previous so-called “heartbeat ban” into law in 2021, but it was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court in January.
Fifteen states have ceased nearly all abortion services since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion rights.
Under the new ban, abortions are permitted to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, to prevent the serious risk of a substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, in cases of rape and incest and if the fetus has a fatal anomaly, according to the ban. The exception does not include psychological and emotional conditions.
Conditions listed under the exception include molar pregnancy, partial molar pregnancy, blighted ovum, ectopic pregnancy, severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, abruptio placentae, severe physical maternal trauma, uterine rupture, intrauterine fetal demise and miscarriage, according to the bill.
Anyone who violates the ban is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined $10,000, face prison time of up to two years or both. Physicians or medical providers found guilty of performing illegal abortions will also have their licenses revoked.
Planned Parenthood said, along with its partners, that it is prepared to challenge the ban in court.
“Abortion is already difficult to access in South Carolina, with only three abortion clinics in the state and a range of limitations on access imposed by state lawmakers. South Carolina ranks 43rd — in the bottom 10 of all states — with the highest maternal mortality rates. Women here are three times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than the average U.S. woman,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement.
‘Sister senators’ fight against ban
A group of five women senators, the only five in the legislative body, has fought against the bill. The group, who’ve adopted the term “sister senators,” told ABC News that a short holiday week near the end of the legislation session would be the time the men would “shove it down our throats.”
Even before the vote they had a sense that a back-room deal had been made to get it through. After three attempts, the senators’ filibuster failed to block the bill from passing.
“Women are 51% of the South Carolina population [but hold] only 14% of the General Assembly and even less than that in the Senate. What I believe is that women are going to show up at the ballot box,” state Sen. Sandy Senn said.
The group of women are very different — three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — but they are all religious mothers who are certain this bill passing in the state Senate would be bad for women in the state. None of them viewed themselves as women’s rights advocates or feminists and they all said they were “pro-life.”
“We all believe in life. We believe in life for the woman as well as a life for the child,” state Sen. Margie Bright-Matthews told ABC News.
They needed two men to cross over to vote with them on Tuesday to block the ban, but one of their previous allies had gone dark, which they knew wasn’t a good sign.
Abortion options for women in the Deep South are now closing fast, with Florida’s six-week ban awaiting a court ruling soon and North Carolina’s 12-week ban taking effect.
What is in the ban?
Women will be required to have to in-person doctors appointments before they can receive an abortion.
Under the ban, pregnant women cannot be criminally prosecuted or face civil liability for violations of the ban.
If the fetus is alive in utero, physicians are required to make reasonable efforts to preserve the life of the unborn child, provided that does not pose a risk to the health of the pregnant women, according to the bill. Entities that violate this will be fined up to $50,000, according to the bill.
Physicians who perform abortions under the health exceptions have to rationalize why they believe the woman qualifies for the exception in her medical records, according to the bill.
Abortions performed under the rape and incest exceptions must report it to the sheriff in the county in which the abortion was performed within 24 hours. Physicians must tell the patient they will report the rape before the abortion is performed.
Physicians are also required to maintain a copy of the patient’s records for seven years after an abortion is performed under the exception. Failing to do so would be a felony with up to two years of imprisonment and a $10,000 fine on the physician, according to the bill.
Pregnant women upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of the law can seek actual and punitive damages against the violator.
(WASHINGTON) — With just seven days until potential default, House members are heading home for Memorial Day recess — without a debt ceiling deal in sight.
“Every hour matters,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott on Thursday. “That’s why the White House has to become very serious about this.”
McCarthy refused to say whether Republican and White House negotiators will meet Thursday as the countdown continues toward June 1 — the date Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen predicts the U.S. may become unable to pay all of its bills.
The speaker still expressed optimism the two sides will come to an agreement.
“We worked well past midnight last night,” McCarthy said. “And yesterday, I thought, was a very good day. We made some progress. There are still some outstanding issues, and I’ve directed our teams to work 24/7 to try to solve this problem.”
Even if a debt ceiling deal is reached, Congress faces a serious time crunch to pass legislation before the end of the month. After a bill is drafted, McCarthy’s pledging to give House members 72 hours to review it, a concession he offered to conservative hardliners roadblocking his speakership vote at the start of this year. Then the Senate will have to take up the bill before it goes to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Complicating the matter further is the Memorial Day recess. The House is expected to gavel out Thursday, and the Senate left town last week, though leadership in both chambers has directed lawmakers to be prepared to return to Washington immediately if a deal is struck.
Several Democrats have voiced frustration in recent days over the status of negotiation, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., dinging McCarthy’s plans to adjourn.
“It’s my understanding that the designees of both President Biden as well as Speaker McCarthy will continue to talk, but it is unfortunate that House Republicans have chosen to get out of town before sundown,” said in a news conference.
Jeffries hit Republicans for a “manufactured crisis” over the debt ceiling, accusing the party of holding the economy hostage.
“Republicans are driving us down a dangerous road of default,” Jeffries said in a news conference. “Or have presented the American people with another unacceptable choice, which is devastating cuts to children, devastating cuts to Medicaid, devastating cuts to nutrition, devastating cuts to education, devastating cuts to public safety and devastating cuts to our veterans.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus leader Rep. Pramila Jayapal voiced similar concerns, warning Wednesday that progressives “are not going to take a deal that hurts working people.”
Jeffries said Thursday Biden “is continuing to hold the line” on the spending cuts Republicans are seeking.
As the politics play out, credit rating agency Fitch warned Thursday it was putting U.S. credit rating on watch for a possible downgrade.
Pressed for his reaction, McCarthy said he wasn’t concerned.
“I am concerned about, at the end of the day, if you do not have a deal worthy of the American public, you should be worried about Fitch. I’m not,” he said.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
