(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York on Monday denied former President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay the trial in the defamation and battery case brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Carroll sued Trump in November, alleging he defamed her by calling her a liar when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. She added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attacker regardless of the statute of limitations.
Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s allegations.
Trump sought a one-month delay of the trial, slated to begin on April 25, arguing a “cooling off” period was necessary following intense media coverage of his criminal indictment in Manhattan last month in connection with an alleged hush money payment to an adult film actress.
The judge called the suggestion that the coverage could preclude the selection of a fair jury “pure speculation.”
“There is no justification for an adjournment,” Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled. “This case is entirely unrelated to the state prosecution.”
The judge included a pointed reminder that the postponement Trump sought may be a mixed blessing.
“Events happen during postponements. Sometimes they can make matters worse,” Kaplan wrote in this decision, noting the multiple criminal and investigations Trump faces.
“Developments in at least one of these matters, as well as actions and statements by Mr. Trump in relation to any, may well give rise to intense publicity that, in some respects, Mr. Trump might claim to be prejudicial in this case,” the judge said. “Mr. Trump’s suggestion that a one-month trial postponement in this case would ensure the absence of any such developments in the period immediately preceding jury selection is not realistic.”
(NEW YORK) — Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House will vote in “the coming weeks” on legislation to raise the debt ceiling and cut federal spending as he continued to blame President Joe Biden for not negotiating and accused him of “misleading the public.”
“I want to talk to you about the debate that’s not happening in Washington but should be happening over our national debt. It’s a debate that directly affects the lives of every American,” McCarthy said.
His latest salvo in the showdown comes as the White House has warned that, if House Republicans fail to pass a debt ceiling increase by this summer with no budget cuts attached, it would create financial chaos in world markets.
McCarthy said a $31 trillion debt is “too high” and the “problem is getting worse, not better.”
“Without exaggeration, America’s debt is a ticking time bomb that will detonate unless we take serious, responsible action. Yet how has President Biden reacted to this issue? He’s done nothing. So, in my view, he’s been irresponsible,” McCarthy said.
Biden and McCarthy met 75 days ago on Feb. 1, but the two leaders have not met or spoken about the debt ceiling since — beyond trading claims to reporters.
The president has not budged on his refusal to negotiate over the debt limit and has dismissed GOP efforts to combine a debt ceiling vote to a deal on the budget.
“Mr. President, with all due respect, enough is enough. This is not how the leader of the free world should act. Your partisan political games are provoking the very crisis you claim you want to avoid greater dependency on China, increasing inflation, and threatening Medicare and Social Security,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy says defaulting on our debt is “not an option” but blames the Biden administration for not engaging in negotiations with House Republicans.
“Make no mistake: The longer President Biden waits to be sensible, to find agreement, the more likely it becomes that his administration will bumble into the first default in our nation’s history,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy says a “no strings attached” debt limit increase will not pass.
“In the coming weeks, the House will vote on a bill to lift the debt ceiling into next year, save taxpayers trillions of dollars, make us less dependent on China, and curb high inflation — all without touching Social Security or Medicare,” McCarthy said.
He claimed the bill will limit federal spending, economic dependence on China, and the growth of spending over the next 10 years to 1% annual growth. The bill will also “claw back” billions of dollars in unused COVID-19 related spending, he said.
“Our proposal will also include restoring work requirements that ensure able-bodied adults without dependents earn a paycheck and learn new skills. That will grow our economy and help the supply chain,” McCarthy said.
This bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate. McCarthy is hoping this will bring Biden to the negotiating table.
Ahead of McCarthy’s speech on Monday, the White House accused him of “holding the economy and full faith and credit of the United States hostage.”
“Speaker McCarthy is holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage, threatening our economy and hardworking Americans’ retirement,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a written statement. “A speech isn’t a plan, but it’s clear that extreme MAGA Republicans’ wish lists will impose devastating cuts on hardworking families, send manufacturing overseas, take health care and food assistance away from millions of people, and increase energy costs — all while adding trillions to the debt with tax cuts skewed to the super-wealthy and corporations.”
Bates drew attention to when former Presidents Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan spoke out against debt-ceiling brinksmanship. And he noted that reporting on what McCarthy might call for in his speech “has shown no consensus within the Republican conference.”
“MAGA House Republicans can’t even agree what they are holding the debt limit hostage over,” Bates wrote. “Their proposals are all over the map, but they all have one thing in common: devastating cuts to programs that working families rely on to lower costs and make ends meet.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also slated to respond to McCarthy’s New York Stock Exchange speech, with his office saying that on Monday he’ll call on McCarthy “to stop the partisan games and show us his plan to avoid defaulting on our national debt and provoking global financial catastrophe.”
McCarthy closed out his speech on Monday saying, “Well, if there’s one thing I hope America has learned about me in these first 100 days since I was elected speaker, it’s this: I will never give up.”
He said he has “full confidence that if we limit” federal spending, the U.S. will end dependence on China, curb inflation and protect Social Security and Medicare for the next generation.
“I’m here to tell you I want a responsible, sensible debt ceiling that puts us on an economic path to make America stronger. That works for every American. But that cannot happen if the president continues to ignore the problem and he can’t continue any longer. The day is coming. I do not want to see this president bumble into a default. I want to sit down and solve the problem together,” McCarthy said.
(WASHINGTON) — A group of Republican lawmakers on Monday called for a ban on the use of TikTok by their colleagues in Congress, escalating an attack on the China-based social media app over data security fears that has rapidly gained momentum on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Thom Tillis are among 17 Republican lawmakers issuing the request to leaders of the Senate Rules Committee and the Committee on House Administration.
“We urge you to amend the House and Senate rules to bar members of Congress from continued use of TikTok and take any other appropriate measures to mitigate the risks of this de-facto, spyware app,” the elected officials said in a letter to committee leaders.
“Some members of Congress who regularly use the app have minimized the security threat to our nation, and their defense is not compelling, considering there are several popular social media apps that are not at the same risk for the potential transfer of sensitive, private information to an adversarial foreign government,” they added.
There is no evidence that TikTok has shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government or that the Chinese government has asked the app to do so, cybersecurity experts previously told ABC News.
Still, there’s reason to believe the Chinese government could compel the company to share data on U.S. users or manipulate content on the app to forward a pro-China agenda, the experts cautioned.
The letter from some conservative lawmakers arrives less than a month after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced roughly five hours of bipartisan hostility during high-profile testimony before a House committee.
“It is clear from the testimony and comments from TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, that all members of Congress must lead by example and immediately stop using the platform for official communications,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
In December, the U.S. enacted a law banning the use of TikTok on government devices by almost four million federal employees.
More than half of U.S. states have taken steps toward a partial or full ban of TikTok on government devices.
Some lawmakers and advocates, however, have sought to extend the ban to all U.S. users.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted last month to approve a bill that would give Biden the authority to ban TikTok.
The Biden administration last month endorsed a different bipartisan bill, which does not specifically target TikTok but empowers the federal government to ban electronics or software with foreign ties, such as TikTok.
A potential ban of TikTok, which counts more than 150 million U.S. users, raises concerns about limits placed on free speech and would likely face a legal challenge, some experts and civil liberties advocates told ABC News.
A group of federal lawmakers from across the political spectrum has taken up opposition to a TikTok ban, including conservative Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
The critics of a ban say such a move would be tantamount to censorship.
In the letter on Monday, proponents criticized some of their colleagues for continuing to use TikTok, though the letter did not identify any such members of Congress by name.
“It is troublesome that some members continue to disregard these clear warnings and are even encouraging their constituents to use TikTok to interface with their elected representatives,” the lawmakers said.
(NEW YORK) — House Republicans have taken their attack on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to New York City, holding a hearing on what they say is a local crime crisis, a move Democrats have lambasted as a “political stunt.”
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan convened the House Judiciary Committee Monday morning at the Jacob Javits Federal Building — just around the block from the Bragg’s office.
Earlier this month, he brought up former President Donald Trump on a 34-count indictment, drawing fire from Republicans who claimed he should be focused on city crime instead.
The committee said witnesses would tell lawmakers how “Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.”
Among the announced witnesses are Jose Alba, a former bodega clerk who faced a murder charge after fatally stabbing an attacker in 2022; Joseph Borgen, the victim of an antisemitic attack in Times Square; as well as Madeline Brame and Jennifer Harrison, two women impacted by violent crime who’ve become advocates for victims rights in New York. Harrison recently told Fox News that crime victims are “distraught” over Bragg’s leadership.
Robert Holden, a Democratic New York City councilman, and Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the New York City’s Detectives’ Endowment Association, are also set to appear before the committee.
Bragg’s record as district attorney is a frequent target of Republicans, but the issue intensified in recent weeks over his prosecution of Trump. Jordan in particular has emerged as one of Bragg’s biggest foes on Capitol Hill as he leads a congressional probe into Bragg’s investigation of Trump.
Tensions boiled over last week when Bragg suedJordan for what he called an “unprecedentedly brazen and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress.”
The House Judiciary Committee’s hearing has prompted fierce debate over crime in Democratic and Republican areas, with each side pointing to various statistics to make its case.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, during a recent press conference, said the House GOP’s field hearing made “no sense.”
“I’m a little disappointed that they’re coming here complaining about crime here when per capita, their crime is through the roof,” Adams said.
“Don’t be fooled, the House GOP is coming to the safest big city in America for a political stunt,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office quickly fired back after the hearing was announced.
Bragg’s office also took aim at Jordan specifically, pointing to one analysis which found the murder rate in New York City is lower than that of Columbus, Ohio.
Jordan responded on Twitter, “If New York City is the ‘safest big city in America,’ then why are so many people leaving?”
While New York County had a population decline of 98,505 in 2021 mostly attributable to net domestic outmigration, the county — home to Manhattan — had population growth of 17,472 in 2022, according to data released last month by the United States Census Bureau.
The GOP caucus of the House Judiciary Committee pointed to a website that provides neighborhood statistics called NeighborhoodScout.com, which showed that the violent crime rate for Manhattan was 5.21 per 1,000 residents, compared to 4.26 for Mansfield — though both cities had higher rates than most U.S. cities.
The New York Police Department recently announced violent crime decreased during the first three months of this year, with shootings falling by 23% and homicides falling by 12.7% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
(WASHINGTON) — A convicted stalker from Colorado is asking the Supreme Court this week to toss out the law that put him in prison for sending hundreds of messages on social media to a singer-songwriter who felt threatened by the contact.
Billy Raymond Counterman, who spent four-and-a-half years behind bars, says he never intended to harm rising-star performer Coles Whalen, whom he’d never met, and that the First Amendment protects his ability to communicate with a public figure.
Whalen said she feared for her life and that the years of incessant messages from Counterman on Facebook inflicted significant emotional distress and sent her into hiding. She no longer performs openly in public.
“It’s very unfortunate that another individual, completely unprovoked, would be able to take that opportunity from her, to live the life that she wanted to live,” Marita Whalen, Coles’ younger sister and former roommate, said in an interview with ABC News.
The First Amendment protects most speech but not libel, obscenity or what the Supreme Court has called “true threats.” Those can result in prosecution.
In taking up Counterman’s appeal, the justices are set to clarify when a threat becomes a crime.
“The question here is whether you have to prove intent before you can put someone in prison for making a ‘true threat,'” said Jay Schweikert, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, one of several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, that say punishing Counterman was wrong.
“No one’s here defending the messages that he was sending as model behavior for how to communicate with a public figure,” Schweikert told ABC News. “It’s whether it constituted a threat for which he could be put in prison for four and a half years.”
“We have a lot of heated speech online,” he added, “and the First Amendment does not allow the government to make that a crime.”
Counterman first made contact with Whalen in 2010, but the tone and frequency of his messages evolved over the six years that followed.
Though Whalen never responded, Counterman’s communications ranged from the familiar — “I’m going to the store would you like anything?” — to the unsettling: “I’m currently unsupervised. I know, it freaks me out too, but the possibilities are endless.”
Some messages, Marita Whalen said, were downright alarming.
“You’re not being good for human relations. Die. Don’t need you,” Counterman wrote Coles Whalen in one missive.
“There were messages where Mr. Counterman would reference details about where [Coles] had been or the vehicle she was driving, who she was hanging out with,” Marita Whalen said. “It had a significant impact on her — that lightheartedness that she used to always carry, sharing that joy with other people, it really got dampened. She became much more protective and afraid.”
Coles Whalen was so afraid, her sister said, that she got a permit to carry a gun, hired a bodyguard for some concerts and went to court to obtain a restraining order against Counterman even though she had never seen him in person.
Coles Whalen declined ABC News’ request for an interview to protect her privacy and security.
“We were convinced that he was an unstable individual and his actions would be unpredictable. We felt that he was very dangerous, and law enforcement agreed,” Marita Whalen said.
Colorado law says threats become illegal when a “reasonable person” would suffer “serious emotional distress” from the communications.
In 2016, authorities arrested and charged Counterman with “stalking — serious emotional distress.” A jury later convicted him, and a judge imposed a sentence of four-and-a-half years behind bars.
“Under Colorado law, the specific intent of the stalker, in this case, is not the relevant factor,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told ABC News. “It’s whether the victim would reasonably experience the fear of physical violence because of the nature of the threats.”
Counterman, who has already completed his sentence, argues in court documents that not having to prove intent risks “essentially criminalizing misunderstandings.”
“If the Supreme Court upholds this conviction, then a huge swath of online speech is open to potential criminal prosecution,” Schweikert said.
But experts say a balancing act is required in the digital age and that law enforcement is in a tough spot.
“In a case of stalking, stalkers are often oblivious to reality. And if you require the state to have to show that they understood that their words were threatening and creating this fear of physical violence, you could actually let a lot of stalkers go,” Weiser said.
“This case is about establishing a precedent that will govern not just the law of stalking, but cases of domestic violence, threats against schools or houses of worship and many other contexts,” the attorney general added.
As the high court now takes up the debate, the Whalen family said they hope the justices don’t reopen old wounds with a decision overturning Counterman’s conviction.
“It’s terrifying, honestly, to think that we might go back to a place where a victim might feel that they’re not going to believe me that this is truly threatening when clearly she felt that her life was at stake,” Marita Whalen said.
As for Coles Whalen: “She is incredibly resilient and a very strong person,” Marita Whalen added. “She has that inherent spark of joy within her, and really there’s no life circumstance or individual that can take that from her.”
(DADEVILLE, Ala.) — Four people were killed and 28 others injured when a mass shooting broke out at a crowded sweet 16 birthday party in rural Dadeville, Alabama, on Saturday night, authorities said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 17, 9:32 AM EDT
Police have ‘solid leads’ but need help from public
The Dadeville Police Department has “solid leads” as they search for the suspected shooter, but authorities still need help from the public, Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan Floyd told ABC News on Monday.
Floyd asked anyone with photos or videos from Saturday night’s sweet 16 party to come forward.
Due to the department’s manpower and resources, Floyd said the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations is taking the lead with the investigation.
-ABC News’ Elwyn Lopez
Apr 16, 7:00 PM EDT
Star high school athlete killed in shooting
One of the four people killed in the mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama, was a star high school football player and track team member, his coach told ABC News.
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a senior at Dadeville High School, had committed to attending Jacksonville State University on a football scholarship, said coach Roger McDowell.
McDowell said Dowdell was at a sweet 16 birthday party at a venue in Dadeville Saturday night when a shooting erupted.
In addition to those killed, at least 28 people were injured. McDowell said Dowdell’s mother, who was a chaperone at the party, was among those hurt, shot twice in the legs.
Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State’s head football coach, said in a post on Twitter Sunday, that the death of Dowdell and the other victims is a “senseless tragedy.”
“He was a great young man with a bright future,” Rodriguez tweeted. “My staff and I are heartbroken and hope that everyone will support his family through this difficult time.”
McDowell said he also knew a teenage girl who was killed in the shooting. He said she was a senior and the manager of the track and football teams.
In addition to being a standout wide receiver, Dowdell was also a member of the high school track team, McDowell said.
“Phil was humble with a major smile,” McDowell told ABC News. “He had one goal to get to the NFL and take care of his mom.”
The number of people injured during the course of the incident is 28, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Sunday.
Some of those injuries are critical, and there’s a wide variety of injures, according to the ALEA.
Authorities didn’t mention a suspect or suspects, or an arrest, as of Sunday evening. Police said earlier in the day there was “no public safety risk at this time.”
Central Alabama Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for any information.
-ABC News’ Matt Foster
Apr 16, 4:20 PM EDT
Biden calls on congress to enact gun reform
President Joe Biden released a statement Sunday calling on Congress to enact “common sense” gun control legislation in response to shootings over the weekend in Alabama and Kentucky that left a total of six people dead.
“This morning, our nation is once again grieving for at least four Americans tragically killed at a teen’s birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama as well as two others killed last night in a crowded public park in Louisville,” Biden said. “Jill and I are praying for their families, and for the many others injured and fighting for their lives in the wake of this weekend’s gun violence.”
As he has done in previous mass shootings, Biden urged Congress to enact gun reform legislation.
“What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park?” Biden said. “Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising — not declining.”
Biden said the level of gun violence in America is “outrageous and unacceptable,” and noted that Americans “agree and want lawmakers to act on common sense gun safety reforms.”
“Instead, this past week Americans saw national Republican elected leaders stand alongside the NRA in a race to the bottom on dangerous laws that further erode gun safety. Our communities need and deserve better,” said Biden.
Apr 16, 1:05 PM EDT
Biden briefed on Dadeville shooting
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the deadly shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, according to the White House.
Biden and his staff are closely monitoring the investigation and has been in touch with local officials and law enforcement to offer support, according to the White House.
Apr 16, 12:40 PM EDT
Police chief pleads for prayer
An emotional Dadeville police chief pleaded for prayer for his city on Sunday and law enforcement investigators pleaded for tips from the public in finding those responsible for a shooting at a birthday party that left four dead and multiple people injured.
“The city of Dadeville is a tight-knit community, full of wonderful people. I ask you to please keep our community in your prayers. I ask you to please keep my police department in your prayers,” Police Chief Jonathan Floyd said at a news conference.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed the shooting broke out at a birthday party and asked for any witnesses to call the state police tip line at .
Burkett also confirmed that four people were killed and “a multitude” of people were injured, but did not disclose the conditions of those wounded.
Burkett did not take questions during the news conference. He released no information on whether any arrests have been made in the incident.
Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Raymond Porter said grief counselors will be at Dadeville schools on Monday, but did not say whether any students were among the dead or injured.
The district will make “every effort to comfort” children impacted, said Porter.
“Don’t lose sight of the fact that those are the ones most impacted by this situation,” said Porter, who also called on local clergy to reach out to families of those killed or injured to offer assistance.
“I’m also asking that you please do not let this moment define what you think of the city of Dadeville,” Floyd said. “What we’re dealing with is something no community should have to endure.”
Apr 16, 10:48 AM EDT
Loved ones of those killed, injured say shooting preceded by argument: Pastor
Ben Haynes, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dadeville, told ABC News Sunday morning that he’d been at a hospital overnight with the families of those killed and injured.
Haynes said family members told him gunfire erupted inside a small venue where a birthday party was taking place when tempers flared during an argument. Haynes said there were more than 50 people at the party when the shooting occurred.
Apr 16, 10:14 AM EDT
‘I grieve with Dadeville’: Alabama governor
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey released a statement Sunday expressing grief over a shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, that left four people dead and multiple others injured.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge,” Ivey tweeted.
(NEW YORK) — House Republicans are setting up camp in New York City to hold a hearing on local crime, a move Democrats have lambasted as a “political stunt.”
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, will gather on Monday at the Jacob Javits Federal Building — just around the block from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who earlier this month brought up former President Donald Trump on a 34-count indictment.
There, the committee said, lawmakers will hear from witnesses on how “Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.”
Among the announced witnesses are Jose Alba, a former bodega clerk who faced a murder charge after fatally stabbing an attacker in 2022; Joseph Borgen, the victim of an antisemitic attack in Times Square; as well as Madeline Brame and Jennifer Harrison, two women impacted by violent crime who’ve become advocates for victims rights in New York. Harrison recently told Fox News that crime victims are “distraught” over Bragg’s leadership.
Robert Holden, a Democratic New York City councilman, and Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the New York City’s Detectives’ Endowment Association, are also set to appear before the committee.
Bragg’s record as district attorney is a frequent target of Republicans, but the issue intensified in recent weeks over his prosecution of Trump. Jordan in particular has emerged as one of Bragg’s biggest foes on Capitol Hill as he leads a congressional probe into Bragg’s investigation of Trump.
Tensions boiled over last week when Bragg suedJordan for what he called an “unprecedentedly brazen and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress.”
The House Judiciary Committee’s hearing has prompted fierce debate over crime in Democratic and Republican areas, with each side pointing to various statistics to make its case.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, during a recent press conference, said the House GOP’s field hearing made “no sense.”
“I’m a little disappointed that they’re coming here complaining about crime here when per capita, their crime is through the roof,” Adams said.
“Don’t be fooled, the House GOP is coming to the safest big city in America for a political stunt,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office quickly fired back after the hearing was announced.
Bragg’s office also took aim at Jordan specifically, pointing to one analysis which found the murder rate in New York City is lower than that of Columbus, Ohio.
Jordan responded on Twitter, “If New York City is the ‘safest big city in America,’ then why are so many people leaving?”
While New York County had a population decline of 98,505 in 2021 mostly attributable to net domestic outmigration, the county — home to Manhattan — had population growth of 17,472 in 2022, according to data released last month by the United States Census Bureau.
The GOP caucus of the House Judiciary Committee pointed to a website that provides neighborhood statistics called NeighborhoodScout.com, which showed that the violent crime rate for Manhattan was 5.21 per 1,000 residents, compared to 4.26 for Mansfield — though both cities had higher rates than most U.S. cities.
The New York Police Department recently announced violent crime decreased during the first three months of this year, with shootings falling by 23% and homicides falling by 12.7% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
(NEW YORK) — The start of the trial in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which was scheduled to get underway Monday, has been delayed by one day, the judge in the case announced Sunday night.
Judge Eric Davis said the trial would get underway on Tuesday.
Jury selection in the case began on Thursday and was scheduled to continue on Monday, with opening arguments scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Under the new schedule, jury selection is now expected to resume on Tuesday morning.
Dominion has accused the conservative network of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories that the voting machine company had somehow rigged the 2020 presidential election in Joe Biden’s favor, in what Dominion claims was an effort to combat concerns over declining ratings and viewer retention.
Fox has defended its coverage, dismissing the suit as a “political crusade in search of a financial windfall.”
(LONDON) — Dozens of civilians have died and hundreds have been injured in Sudan as forces loyal to two rival generals battle for control of the resource-rich North African nation for a third day.
Since heavy fighting erupted in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Saturday, at least 97 civilians have been killed in the crossfire while 365 others have been wounded, according to a statement released Monday morning from the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, a pro-democracy group monitoring casualties. The group noted there was “a number of injuries and deaths that are not included” because some “hospitals could not be accessed due to the difficulty of mobility and security situation in the country.”
While the violence has spread from Khartoum to other parts of Sudan, “the heaviest concentration of fighting” is centered in the densely populated capital, according to the World Health Organization, the global health arm of the United Nations.
The WHO said in a statement Sunday that it is “monitoring the health needs and resources across Khartoum and other affected cities to ensure that limited supplies are directed to where they are most needed.” However, movement in the capital “is restricted due to the insecurity creating challenges for doctors, nurses, patients, and ambulances to reach health facilities, and putting at risk the lives of those who need urgent medical care,” according to the WHO.
“Supplies distributed by WHO to health facilities prior to this recent escalation of conflict are now exhausted, and many of the nine hospitals in Khartoum receiving injured civilians are reporting shortages of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids, medical supplies, and other life-saving commodities,” the agency added. “There are also reports of shortages of specialized medical personnel, including anesthesiologists. Water and power cuts are affecting the functionality of health facilities, and shortages of fuel for hospital generators are also being reported.”
The clashes are the culmination of weeks of tensions between Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary group. So far, neither has shown any indication of backing down. The two men were once allies who had jointly orchestrated a military coup in 2021 that dissolved Sudan’s power-sharing government and derailed its short-lived transition to democracy, following the ousting of a long-time dictator in 2019.
As the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations met in Japan on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that they “have been consulting very closely on the situation in Sudan.”
“We’ve also been in close touch with partners in the Arab world, in Africa, in international organizations,” Blinken said. “There is a shared deep concern about the fighting, the violence that’s going on in Sudan, the threat that that poses to civilians, that it poses to the Sudanese nation and potentially poses even to the region.”
“There is also a very strongly shared view about the need for Generals Burhan and Hemeti to ensure the protection of civilians and noncombatants as well as people from third countries, including our personnel who are located in Sudan,” he added, “and also a strongly held view — again, across all of our partners — on the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to talks — talks that were very promising in putting Sudan on the path to a full transition to civilian-led government.”
The United States has been “closely in touch” with its embassy in Khartoum “to make sure that our personnel is safe and accounted for, which is the case,” and also “with any American citizens in Sudan to make sure that those who are registered with the embassy and that we’re actually in contact with get all the information they can about how to remain safe and secure,” according to Blinken.
Lakshmi Parthasarathy, 32, is one of the U.S. citizens currently in Khartoum. When the fighting broke out early Saturday, Parthasarathy said the sound awoke her and she initially thought it was a thunderstorm. But then she looked outside her window.
“There was massive amounts of smoke and it was very clear it was gunfire,” Parthasarathy told ABC News in a remote interview on Sunday. “We went onto the roof and there were people running and we saw jets, and it looked like all-out war was happening like right there.”
“It’s basically been non-stop now since yesterday morning,” she added. “It doesn’t sound like it’s de-escalating. It’s definitely a scary experience.”
Parthasarathy, a software engineer and travel blogger from Boston, said she is staying at an Airbnb rental located less than a mile from the central part of the Sudanese capital, near the presidential palace and the shuttered international airport, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place. She described the scene as “very chaotic” but noted that there are also “areas of calm” in Khartoum.
It’s Parthasarathy’s first time in Sudan and she has been traveling around the vast country for the past several weeks but only arrived in the capital a few days ago. She said her family is worried about her but that she has made several Sudanese friends who are helping her feel safe and has also registered with the U.S. embassy in Khartoum in case the situation worsens. She noted seeing many people flee the city but said most are staying indoors, particularly at night.
“It’s unclear to anyone what’s happening and where this is going,” Parthasarathy told ABC News. “I really didn’t expect this. This is not part of the plan. I’m nervous about what happens next.”
(BOCA CHICA, Texas) — SpaceX is set for a Monday morning launch of its powerful Starship rocket — which is expected to eventually carry passengers to the moon and Mars.
The uncrewed launch of the world’s largest rocket will mark the first flight test of a “fully integrated” Starship spacecraft and the so-called Super Heavy rocket, SpaceX said.
The 150-minute test window opened at 7 a.m. CT Monday, SpaceX said and is currently aiming for a 8:20 a.m. CT launch. A live webcast of the flight test began 45 minutes before expected liftoff.
The timing comes after the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday approved SpaceX’s launch of the nearly 400-foot-tall rocket from a remote site on the southernmost tip of Texas near Boca Chica Beach.
During a Twitter “Spaces” event for subscribers Sunday evening, Musk warned to set expectations “low.”
Following blastoff, the first stage of the Super Heavy rocket is expected to splash down about 20 miles off the coast of Boca Chica while the Starship vehicle orbits around the globe before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii.
For this first flight test, SpaceX said it will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of the booster.
SpaceX said this flight test will “inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship,” which is designed to carry up to 100 people on long-duration, interplanetary flights.
NASA has already announced plans to use a Starship to put astronauts on the lunar surface in 2025.
ABC News’ Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.
