Sen. Pete Ricketts leaves the Senate floor after a vote in the U.S. Capitol, September 30, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is heading to Grand Island, Nebraska, for a rally on Monday evening, the latest in a campaign travel swing that includes notable stops in red states and one that comes as both parties eye critical races in the state.
Last week, Trump held rallies in Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio; Nebraska is similarly red-leaning. Trump won the statewide vote in Nebraska three times by around 20 points each time. In 2020 and 2024, the Democratic candidate each time got one electoral college vote from Nebraska because Nebraska splits its electoral college votes.
But in the Senate race this year in Nebraska, incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, first elected to the Senate in 2024 in a special election after previously serving as Nebraska’s governor, is facing a closely watched general election matchup against independent Dan Osborn, a union steamfitter who ran a closer-than-expected race for Senate in 2024 against GOP Sen. Deb Fischer.
Early in-person voting in Nebraska begins on Monday, the day of the rally.
Ricketts has argued that he’s best suited to keep delivering for Nebraska and that his opponent is secretly a Democrat.
There is no Democrat on the ballot for Senate in Nebraska, as the Democrat who won the Senate primary withdrew. Democrats are rallying behind Osborn as one of a few red-state independents running for Senate this year, although Osborn has insisted he won’t caucus with either party.
Ricketts has alleged that “Democrat Dan,” as he nicknamed Osborn during a recent debate, is trying to mislead voters while planning to effectively serve as a Democrat.
Ricketts has also faced newfound scrutiny after an ad released by an outside group last week featured a woman who called out his vote in 2022, while governor, to pardon a man who served a prison sentence for sexually assaulting her. Ricketts told reporters after the ad was released, “The pardon was granted nearly three decades after the crime, and anyone who knows me knows that I have always protected Nebraskans. That is my job, and it always has been.”
Osborn, meanwhile, has argued that he will be a fully independent voice for Nebraska and that voters there need change.
He also recently apologized for leaked audio from a campaign event where he maligned hypothetical Trump voters as having lives that “suck,” saying he was trying to discuss the anger he said Trump tapped into during his presidential runs.
ABC News has not independently obtained the audio; Osborn has not disputed the remarks.
Trump, in a recent video he posted on his social media platform, praised Ricketts as someone who “will always put Nebraska first, and he’ll always put America first,” while slamming Osborn as someone who “will say anything to win. He’s dying to get to Washington so he can betray you, but we will not let that happen.”
There’s also a major U.S. House race in Nebraska, although it’s not in the congressional district where Trump is going on Monday. Grand Island is in the state’s 3rd District, represented by Rep. Adrian Smith and favored to remain Republican-held.
But the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha, is a top target for Democrats. Incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon is retiring; Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, a Republican, and businesswoman Denise Powell, a Democrat, are running.
Ricketts has indicated during recent interviews that he will attend Monday’s rally, telling media outlets on Wednesday, “We will welcome President Trump to Grand Island on Monday, and we will be talking about the things we’ve done between Senate Republicans and the president to put more money back in people’s pockets.”
Harding, however, will not be at the rally, his spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Thursday, because of “previously scheduled events.” Harding has Trump’s endorsement, although he has also sought sometimes to show where he disagrees with Trump.
Given Nebraska’s agriculture industry, the rises in the prices of fertilizer and fuel because of the war with Iran hurting trade have become major issues, as has the administration’s temporary lift on beef tariffs, which both Ricketts and Osborn have criticized.
Sen. Pete Ricketts leaves the Senate floor after a vote in the U.S. Capitol, September 30, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is heading to Grand Island, Nebraska, for a rally on Monday evening, the latest in a campaign travel swing that includes notable stops in red states and one that comes as both parties eye critical races in the state.
Last week, Trump held rallies in Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio; Nebraska is similarly red-leaning. Trump won the statewide vote in Nebraska three times by around 20 points each time. In 2020 and 2024, the Democratic candidate each time got one electoral college vote from Nebraska because Nebraska splits its electoral college votes.
But in the Senate race this year in Nebraska, incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, first elected to the Senate in 2024 in a special election after previously serving as Nebraska’s governor, is facing a closely watched general election matchup against independent Dan Osborn, a union steamfitter who ran a closer-than-expected race for Senate in 2024 against GOP Sen. Deb Fischer.
Early in-person voting in Nebraska begins on Monday, the day of the rally.
Ricketts has argued that he’s best suited to keep delivering for Nebraska and that his opponent is secretly a Democrat.
There is no Democrat on the ballot for Senate in Nebraska, as the Democrat who won the Senate primary withdrew. Democrats are rallying behind Osborn as one of a few red-state independents running for Senate this year, although Osborn has insisted he won’t caucus with either party.
Ricketts has alleged that “Democrat Dan,” as he nicknamed Osborn during a recent debate, is trying to mislead voters while planning to effectively serve as a Democrat.
Ricketts has also faced newfound scrutiny after an ad released by an outside group last week featured a woman who called out his vote in 2022, while governor, to pardon a man who served a prison sentence for sexually assaulting her. Ricketts told reporters after the ad was released, “The pardon was granted nearly three decades after the crime, and anyone who knows me knows that I have always protected Nebraskans. That is my job, and it always has been.”
Osborn, meanwhile, has argued that he will be a fully independent voice for Nebraska and that voters there need change.
He also recently apologized for leaked audio from a campaign event where he maligned hypothetical Trump voters as having lives that “suck,” saying he was trying to discuss the anger he said Trump tapped into during his presidential runs.
ABC News has not independently obtained the audio; Osborn has not disputed the remarks.
Trump, in a recent video he posted on his social media platform, praised Ricketts as someone who “will always put Nebraska first, and he’ll always put America first,” while slamming Osborn as someone who “will say anything to win. He’s dying to get to Washington so he can betray you, but we will not let that happen.”
There’s also a major U.S. House race in Nebraska, although it’s not in the congressional district where Trump is going on Monday. Grand Island is in the state’s 3rd District, represented by Rep. Adrian Smith and favored to remain Republican-held.
But the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha, is a top target for Democrats. Incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon is retiring; Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, a Republican, and businesswoman Denise Powell, a Democrat, are running.
Ricketts has indicated during recent interviews that he will attend Monday’s rally, telling media outlets on Wednesday, “We will welcome President Trump to Grand Island on Monday, and we will be talking about the things we’ve done between Senate Republicans and the president to put more money back in people’s pockets.”
Harding, however, will not be at the rally, his spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Thursday, because of “previously scheduled events.” Harding has Trump’s endorsement, although he has also sought sometimes to show where he disagrees with Trump.
Given Nebraska’s agriculture industry, the rises in the prices of fertilizer and fuel because of the war with Iran hurting trade have become major issues, as has the administration’s temporary lift on beef tariffs, which both Ricketts and Osborn have criticized.
A U.S. B-1 bomber taxis to the runway to depart for home at RAF Fairford on Oct. 4, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. (David Brown/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The United States removed its heavy bombers from a base in the United Kingdom it had used to launch strikes on Iran, amid an investigation into a suspected plot to attack the base.
At least a dozen planes, including B-1 bombers, were redeployed to the United States from Royal Air Force Fairford, according to the Pentagon, which did not specify when or why the planes departed.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Defense Department official said in a statement on Sunday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday morning that the aircraft redeployment reflects a “regular rotation” and that he “wouldn’t directly tie” the suspected plot regarding RAF Fairford to the action.
“[I]t’s not unusual to see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out,” Rubio said.
The Pentagon’s statement on the departure came after five men were arrested last month on terror charges near RAF Fairford.
They were arrested in possession of three vans in the village of Whelford, which is about 2 miles from the base, which hosts the U.S. Air Force and has since February been serving as a key hub for American operations against Iran — including for heavy bombers like the B-1.
The five were later released on bail after “extensive interviews,” authorities said.
The suspects, who have not been charged, “remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom, said on Sept. 28.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC News in late September that there were “strong indications” that Iran “played a part in what happened.”
The Department of Defense said in its Sunday statement that the “U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements.”
“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the statement said.
A U.S. B-1 bomber taxis to the runway to depart for home at RAF Fairford on Oct. 4, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. (David Brown/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The United States removed its heavy bombers from a base in the United Kingdom it had used to launch strikes on Iran, amid an investigation into a suspected plot to attack the base.
At least a dozen planes, including B-1 bombers, were redeployed to the United States from Royal Air Force Fairford, according to the Pentagon, which did not specify when or why the planes departed.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Defense Department official said in a statement on Sunday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday morning that the aircraft redeployment reflects a “regular rotation” and that he “wouldn’t directly tie” the suspected plot regarding RAF Fairford to the action.
“[I]t’s not unusual to see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out,” Rubio said.
The Pentagon’s statement on the departure came after five men were arrested last month on terror charges near RAF Fairford.
They were arrested in possession of three vans in the village of Whelford, which is about 2 miles from the base, which hosts the U.S. Air Force and has since February been serving as a key hub for American operations against Iran — including for heavy bombers like the B-1.
The five were later released on bail after “extensive interviews,” authorities said.
The suspects, who have not been charged, “remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom, said on Sept. 28.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC News in late September that there were “strong indications” that Iran “played a part in what happened.”
The Department of Defense said in its Sunday statement that the “U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements.”
“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the statement said.
Computer graphic image of a virus as seen like through a microscope. (Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department is monitoring a reportedly fatal case of “pneumonia of an unknown etiology” linked to a plague research laboratory in Russia.
“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners,” a spokesperson from the State Department said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” the spokesperson added.
Where the case of plague has been detected
Health authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region launched anti-epidemic measures after an employee of a plague institute was diagnosed with “pneumonia of an unknown etiology,” the country’s sanitary watchdog agency, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed on Sunday.
The lab involved is the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, in southern Siberia, Russia.
The statement comes after some Russian media and public figures reported a death potentially due to the plague and linked to a lab worker. Russian officials did not provide further details on the worker.
The Russian agency’s statement said that “no accidents have been detected at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute while working with pathogenic microorganisms.”
Their statement added that “the sanitary and epidemiological situation” in the Irkutsk Region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, is “stable.”
How Russian authorities are responding
Regional governor Igor Kobzev said in a statement on Friday that people who had contact with a resident who contracted a “particularly dangerous infection” were placed under medical observation.
Responding to the growing speculation, the governor on Monday said that “no microorganisms associated with the woman’s professional activities were found in her biomaterials” and that no other lab workers have sought medical help in recent days.
Officials said none of the identified contacts were showing symptoms so far and their laboratory tests were negative, according to Kobzev.
Before Rospotrebnadzor reported that the employee’s illness was due to pneumonia with an unknown cause, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of Buryatia, a region neighboring Irkutsk Oblast, suggested that a woman may have died of the plague.
Citing Buryatia’s health officials, Tsydenov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Friday that “the woman who died – possibly from the plague – in the Irkutsk Region had not visited Buryatia,” assuring Buryatia residents that “there are no plague outbreaks in the republic.”
Amid the investigation, some protective measures have been announced in the region. A mask mandate has been implemented at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant in Shelekhov, according to the plant’s director, Artem Fominykh.
“Better safe than sorry,” Fominykh wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Saturday, asking the employees to “follow the precautions.” He added that some conflicting information about the situation is circulating in Shelekhov, and urged the plant employees to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms.
US response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Sunday that it is “monitoring the situation closely” with the State Department.
“The safety and security of U.S. citizens is our highest priority,” the CDC said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
“Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early. Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world,” the statement added.
What to know about plague and its transmission
Plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, according to the CDC.
Humans can contract the disease after being bitten by an infected rodent flea, coming into contact with contaminated fluid or tissue from an infected animal or by inhaling infected droplets in the air.
There are three types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Symptoms often include fever, chills, and weakness.
Pneumonic is the most serious form and the only one that can potentially spread between people. It occurs when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets, according to the CDC.
Bubonic plague is infamously responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe during the 1300s. While the disease still exists, modern medicine and public health efforts have made it less threatening.
Plague can be treated with a course of antibiotics. The earlier antibiotics are received, the higher are the chances of a full recovery.
The U.S. averages about seven cases of plague each year, mostly on the West Coast in states such as Arizona and New Mexico, according to the CDC. It’s been more than a century since the U.S. has seen a documented case of person-to-person spread of plague, per the CDC.
A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on Sept. 30, 2026, in Tzafria, Israel. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The alleged attacker on the FlyDubai flight to Israel was intending to crash the plane into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation.
As ABC News has previously reported, Hamam Al-Hammani, an Omani national, had been flagged by Oman Air as a security risk and was suspended as a trainee copilot for that airline in 2024 for possessing extremist materials, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials, raising questions about how he was hired at FlyDubai.
Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.
“We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” FlyDubai said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.
“We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements. We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators.”
FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had “temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” and saying “a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by FlyDubai, is underway.”
A disaster was averted when the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who plunged the plane thousands of feet in an apparent attempt to crash it, in what Israeli officials are saying was an act of terror.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intention was to “crash the plane, killing everyone on board” Flight 1073 from Dubai.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, was able to drag the suspect from the cockpit, take control of the plane and level it before a third pilot took over and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia, according to other passengers.
The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
Al-Hammami was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and remains in custody.
“He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on Sept. 30, 2026, in Tzafria, Israel. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The alleged attacker on the FlyDubai flight to Israel was intending to crash the plane into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation.
As ABC News has previously reported, Hamam Al-Hammani, an Omani national, had been flagged by Oman Air as a security risk and was suspended as a trainee copilot for that airline in 2024 for possessing extremist materials, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials, raising questions about how he was hired at FlyDubai.
Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.
“We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” FlyDubai said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.
“We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements. We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators.”
FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had “temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” and saying “a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by FlyDubai, is underway.”
A disaster was averted when the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who plunged the plane thousands of feet in an apparent attempt to crash it, in what Israeli officials are saying was an act of terror.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intention was to “crash the plane, killing everyone on board” Flight 1073 from Dubai.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, was able to drag the suspect from the cockpit, take control of the plane and level it before a third pilot took over and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia, according to other passengers.
The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
Al-Hammami was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and remains in custody.
“He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
TOKYO and LONDON — The III Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan confirmed on Monday that Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, a Marine lance corporal, was the service member arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murdering a Japanese woman in a city near a U.S. base.
Ballard is assigned to the III MEF, a spokesperson told ABC News, adding that the force would not release further personal or administrative details “to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and adhere to privacy regulations.”
Asked whether the arrest has prompted any additional measures, including changes to liberty or personnel restrictions, 1st Lt. Tyler N. Thomas, media engagement officer for the III MEF, told ABC News, “All U.S. service members in Japan are subject to strict off-duty conduct and liberty guidelines.”
“While we continuously review our security posture and force discipline, we have no announcements regarding changes to liberty policies at this time,” Thomas added.
Ballard, who was named on Sunday by the Japanese media, was arrested on Sunday after the woman’s body was found early on Saturday in Naha, the capital city of the Okinawa prefecture. Police identified the deceased as Anna Yagi, 39, saying she was pronounced dead at the scene after being found at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Ballard was arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery. Police found Anna Yagi’s backpack near the hotel with her wallet still inside. Surveillance video indicates the suspect left the scene on foot.
Investigators are examining Ballard’s movements before and after the incident and the nature of his relationship with Yagi.
Japanese officials lodged what they described as a “strong” protest against the United States on Sunday, as word of the apparent killing spread.
“The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Sunday.
Shinjiro Koizumi, the Japanese minister of defense, said late on Sunday that his office summoned local U.S. military leaders to convey “Japan’s extremely serious concern regarding the robbery and murder incident that occurred in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, while strongly protesting to the U.S. side.”
When asked whether the case could fuel distrust of the U.S.- Japan alliance, Koizumi said the incident must not be allowed to shake public confidence in that alliance, including among Okinawa residents.
The United States has more than 50,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines stationed throughout Japan, including on several bases in Okinawa, an island chain in the south. Okinawa hosts a large share of the U.S. military presence in Japan and remained under U.S. administration until its 1972 reversion to Japan.
Ballard’s force, the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said on Sunday that it was “actively cooperating with Japanese authorities,” adding, “We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”
USA, New York, Finger Lakes Region, Ithaca, Cornell University, elevated view of McFaddin Hall, summer (Walter Bibikow/Getty Images)
Some of the fraternity brothers later accused of sexual assault at Cornell University attempted to contain the allegations in the weeks following the incident, apparently worried about what would happen to their own reputations and futures on campus, according to text messages, phone calls, and other records reviewed by ABC News.
Students who later spoke to campus authorities described the efforts by some in Chi Phi as “damage control” to ensure the woman allegedly assaulted — now known as Jane Doe — was “not upset about the situation,” according to school records reviewed by ABC News.
The fraternity brothers’ efforts came as Jane Doe’s perception of what occurred that evening in October 2024 appeared to change from believing the sexual encounters were largely consensual to describing them in a phone call as a “gang rape.”
“The only way for me to heal is to know what happened,” the woman, then a Cornell junior, told one of her alleged attackers, Matthew Ingalls, over the phone one day before she went to the Cornell University Police Department on Nov. 8, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC News. “That’s why I’m trying to just piece it together, you know, like I’m just like confused.”
Ingalls, according to police records of the incident, invited Jane Doe to the fraternity house. He has not responded to requests for comment but previously denied wrongdoing as have the other brothers named in a civil suit brought by Doe. Ingalls has not been charged with a crime.
During Cornell’s investigation, he said he was too intoxicated to consent and suggested that Jane Doe actually assaulted him, according to school records reviewed by ABC News.
The Oct. 19, 2024 incident at the Chi Phi house has led to a national outcry and brought renewed urgency to the American debate over sexual violence and what constitutes consent between adults when alcohol, drugs and pressure intersect.
ABC News has reviewed records from Cornell’s internal investigation — which began in November 2024 and lasted through May 2025 — as well as communications between the students at the center of the allegations that shed light on how Doe’s account of the incident evolved, as the men involved appeared to portray the story to seem more benign.
Jane Doe has described an evening that started casually when she went to visit her friend and his fraternity house. It soon would turn into a nightmare, she later told police, as a sexual encounter between Jane Doe and two men grew to include others all while she was plied with alcohol and drugs.
“They tried to contact [Jane] almost every day after it happened to, I guess, keep them on her good side and keep her happy and not upset about the situation,” Jane Doe’s friend later told campus authorities the following May, according to records reviewed by ABC News.
Those efforts apparently were unsuccessful. Jane Doe reported the incident to Cornell Police as a rape and the allegations triggered a response from the leadership of Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter, according to text messages obtained by ABC News.
“F—-,” one brother wrote in a group chat on Nov. 8, 2024. “Should I call [Jane]?”
“Wait a bit for me and [Executive Board] to figure out what we’re doing cuz there are a couple of other things going on,” the fraternity’s president wrote. “When was the last time you spoke to [Jane]?”
The same day that Jane Doe went to police, Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity was suspended, and the allegations triggered a monthslong investigation by Cornell University, which resulted in two men being expelled while others were suspended.
Cornell Police began investigating the incident in November 2024, memorializing her first report: “A female undergraduate student reported that she was recently raped by 8-10 men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.”
Prosecutors did not seek additional records of the incident beyond Jane Doe’s six-page statement to campus police and did not review the voluminous record of the internal probe.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a statement last week that Doe’s original statement suggested the sex and drug use was consensual.
Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul removed the local DA from the case and named state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation of the incident. Separately, Cornell has announced an outside law firm would be tapped this week to review the university’s handling of the allegations and subsequent investigation.
‘What y’all did would be classified as gang rape’
In the days immediately following the incident, Jane Doe stayed in touch with some of the men she later accused of assaulting her – at first sharing concerns about her reputation and physical health.
“I will also say this is f—–g RUINING my life temporarily. My reputation is destroyed and I’m utterly ashamed. I’m f—–g pissed cause this many people shouldn’t know and I feel like I know who some of the rats in the room were,” she wrote to Ingalls, who had invited her to the fraternity that night.
Within two days of reporting the incident to police, Jane Doe contacted Ingalls and two other men allegedly involved in the incident to get their assessment of what happened that evening. She said she had been to the emergency room and going through therapy in order to deal with the physical and psychological fallout. She recorded the phone calls and later provided them to Cornell University.
“If I just know what happened, then I can feel a little bit better and move on and maybe be able to stay at this school,” Doe told Ingalls, according to a recording of the call.
She mentioned that she had sustained physical harm from the episode, was struggling to finish the semester and could not understand how the events of the evening transpired.
Ingalls was insistent: “You did tell me you were sober, by the way,” he said, according to the recording. “You did, you said you hadn’t been anywhere.”
She pushed back, saying “That is not true. I never would have said that.”
Jane Doe also asked about how so many people ended up in the bedroom where the sexual encounters took place over the course of hours.
“Do you remember how any of these guys walked in?” she asked.
“The door was just unlocked…the party was sort of like crowded…there was nowhere else to go,” he responded.
Nowhere in that conversation did Ingalls mention the messages he sent into his fraternity’s Snapchat group in which he openly invited others to the room.
“Like you can walk in and whip it out,” the Ingalls wrote in the group, which had nearly 60 members. “Boys come whip it out.”
Those messages were provided to university investigators and have been obtained by ABC News.
At one point in the call, Jane Doe described the incident bluntly: “What y’all did would be classified as gang rape.”
“It’s possible that both of us like remember this and it’s not true,” Ingalls said at another point during the call.
“I don’t think that that’s true. No, no, because I remember looking up and being like that is too many people,” she responded.
‘F—k, should I call [Jane]?’
When Chi Phi was notified about the chapter’s temporary suspension the same day Jane Doe went to police, some of the brothers tried to figure out the source of the allegation, according to text messages reviewed by ABC News.
“What’s the plan of action? Should I call [Jane Doe)? I don’t think she would have reported this,” Ingalls wrote in a small group chat.
Chi Phi’s then-president urged Ingalls to wait, pointing to how Cornell University initially listed the incorrect date for the alleged incident.
Within the chat, the brothers tried to reconcile what date the incident took place by comparing the themed parties that took place that month.
“Wait that was the night with [Jane Doe],” one brother wrote. “What party did we have on the 19th?”
“The 25th was the risky business party,” one brother wrote, while the incident took place the prior week during their Hawaii-themed party.
When police later questioned witnesses to the incident, one brother told police the incident had been discussed casually during a fraternity meeting, rather than a coordinated response.
“These guys were just being idiots and like we’re very open about doing this kind of gross thing to most people and so that was it,” one brother said. “We didn’t like have it aside – like this happened once. No it was like just a quick thing.”
‘If the evidence is convincing enough to let us go….’
Months later, when Jane Doe made a statement before one of Cornell’s internal investigative hearings, she explicitly called out what she described as “the coverups these boys attempted.”
Investigators looked into at least one instance when Ingalls appeared to ask one witness to “submit new evidence” that could exonerate him.
“You could submit new evidence that could get me and [Name Omitted] dismissed immediately. Even if [Jane Doe] found out it doesn’t matter, if the evidence is convincing enough to let us go then it’s proof she lied.”
“I don’t have evidence,” the woman – a friend of Jane Doe – said over Snapchat.
The friend shared the message with Jane Doe, who reported it to the university. The witness later told campus investigators that Ingalls sent her other messages to convince her to believe his account.
“From the beginning, after it happened and [Jane Doe] started telling me that it was not consensual from the beginning,” she said. “He wants to convince me that she is lying and he tried to convince me in other messages like this one that she was lying and he said that, ‘You know that she’s lying And you know that we would never do this.’”
Caleb Flynn listens to the reading of his guilty verdict inside the Miami County Court of Common Pleas, Sept. 29, 2026, in Troy, Ohio. (Pool via ABC News)
An Ohio man who was found guilty of murdering his wife and staging the crime scene to make it seem as if an intruder had broken into their home and fatally shot the mother of two is set to be sentenced on Monday.
Caleb Flynn, 40, a former pastor who once appeared as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2013, was found guilty of aggravated murder and multiple counts of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn.
The jury deliberated for nearly 2 1/2 hours before reaching a verdict on Sept. 29, finding him guilty of all charges. His sentencing hearing is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET Monday. He faces up to life in prison without parole.
Caleb Flynn called 911 early on Feb. 16 to report that his wife had been shot by an intruder at their home in Tipp City, north of Dayton. He was arrested three days later.
Prosecutors alleged that Caleb Flynn “executed” his wife by shooting her twice in the back of the head in bed so that he could be with his mistress and manipulated the crime scene to make it seem as if an intruder had broken in through the garage.
During closing arguments, Miami County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Joseph pointed to evidence including the physical scene and a side garage door he said was made to look as if an intruder had damaged it, Caleb Flynn’s 911 call, text messages between the defendant and his mistress discussing the end of his marriage and digital records from the night of the shooting, which he argued “leads straight to the defendant.”
“The evidence showed that being the victim would allow the defendant to keep his lucrative job working for Ashley’s family business, he would benefit from Ashley’s life insurance, and he could keep his position as a working worship leader with zero impact to his reputation within the church,” Joseph said during closing arguments on Sept. 29 in the Miami County courtroom. “The evidence does not tell the story of an intruder.”
Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan argued during his closing that the state’s evidence is circumstantial, and that the only thing prosecutors proved was that Caleb Flynn was having an affair.
“Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn’t solve the case,” Mulligan told jurors.
Caleb Flynn did not testify during the trial and the defense called no witnesses.
He denied killing his spouse in an interview with police days after the deadly shooting, according to video shown during the more than weeklong trial.
His former mistress testified for the state during the trial, reading from some of the more than 100,000 messages they exchanged over her two days of testimony.
“If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Caleb Flynn said in one message from May 2025, Botner testified.
Following the guilty verdict, Mulligan told reporters that he expected there to be a notice of appeal filed.
When asked what appellate issues they have, he said, “There’s a lack of evidence on prior calculation and design.”
Prosecuting Attorney Paul Watkins, whose office prosecuted the case, thanked the jury “for their dedication to justice in this case.”
In a statement read by Watkins, Ashley Flynn’s family said they “refuse to let the evil that ended Ashley’s life have the final word in her story.”
“Ashley loved Jesus with her whole heart. Her faith wasn’t simply something she simply spoke about. It was how she lived,” the statement said. “She loved people well, found joy beyond her circumstances, prayed boldly for her family, and wanted her life to point people to Jesus.”
“Most of all, she loved being a mom,” the statement continued. “She prayed over her girls, taught them to love God, and showed them what it looked like to live with faith, kindness, joy, and grace.”
