New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump

New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump
New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump

(WASHINGTON) — New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted on at least one count of alleged fraud, becoming the second political figure in a span of two weeks to face prosecution after President Donald Trump’s public demand that the Justice Department move “now” to charge his political enemies, according to sources. 

The contents of the indictment were still not unsealed as of Thursday late afternoon. 

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan presented evidence to a federal grand jury Thursday seeking an indictment on charges of mortgage fraud against James, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. 

A spokesperson for James’ legal team declined to comment to ABC News.

Halligan was named U.S. attorney by Trump after Trump ousted her predecessor, Erik Siebert, who sources say had expressed doubts internally about bringing cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey. 

As ABC News first reported, sources said Siebert and other career prosecutors in Virginia determined there was no clear evidence James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, but Trump officials nevertheless pushed Siebert to bring criminal charges against her. 

“It looks to me like [James] is very guilty of something, but I really don’t know,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office in September when he confirmed he wanted Siebert “out” of the job. 

James, as New York AG, successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year and leads multiple lawsuits challenging his administration’s policies. 

Trump administration officials have argued that James committed mortgage fraud because one of the documents related to her 2023 home purchase, they say, falsely indicated the property would be her primary residence. The investigation began after Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent the DOJ a criminal referral about James in April. 

However, investigators determined that the document — a limited power of attorney form used by James’ niece to sign documents on her behalf when James closed on the home — was never considered by the loan officers who approved the mortgage, sources said.

Halligan last month brought an indictment against Comey on charges of making a false statement and obstruction related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020, just days after Trump issued a public demand for his Justice Department to act “now” to bring prosecutions against Comey, James, and California Sen. Adam Schiff.

“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and Leticia???” Trump wrote in a social media post directly addressing Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and will seek to have his case dismissed for vindictive prosecution.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Connecticut woman appears in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police

Connecticut woman appears in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police
Connecticut woman appears in court for allegedly attempting to poison man with antifreeze in wine: Police
Connecticut State Police

A Connecticut woman appeared in court on Thursday after she was charged with allegedly attempting to poison a man with whom she shares a child by putting antifreeze in his wine at his home in Ridgefield, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Kristen Hogan, 33, was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of interference with an officer after she admitted to pouring ethylene glycol — a “poisonous ingredient within antifreeze and other household products” — in a bottle of wine from which the man drank, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

During her court appearance on Thursday, Hogan’s bail was set at $1 million. She was told not to contact several individuals placed under protective orders and required to surrender all firearms.

On Sept. 12, police interviewed the 34-year-old male victim, who had been hospitalized “sometime in early August” and underwent a blood test that revealed he had ethylene glycol in his system, the affidavit said.

The victim, who has not been identified, said during the interview that he had “family over for dinner and that his stepmother had brought an unopened bottle of wine,” officials said. The victim and his family drank some of the wine, with the remainder being “corked and placed in the fridge at the end of the night,” officials said.

Then on Aug. 10, five days after the family dinner, the victim said he “consumed a small amount of the same wine,” went to bed and then “woke up in the middle of the night multiple times and became increasingly ill,” officials said.

At 6 a.m. the next day, the victim “woke up vomiting and called his father for advice,” who directed him to call his mother, who lived in the area, officials said.

Once at his home, the victim’s mother found her son “slurring his words, staggering, and vomiting,” and then decided to take him to the hospital, officials said.

The hospital “initially believed he was experiencing a stroke” but then determined that the victim was “exhibiting signs of an ethylene glycol poisoning,” the affidavit said. The victim was then placed on dialysis and admitted to the ICU, officials said.

Once authorities arrived at the hospital, the victim told them that he believed Hogan, with whom he shares a child, had poisoned the wine “based off the fact her phone uploaded data” to his Wi-Fi router a few days earlier and that she was the “last person other than himself to be in the residence prior to him drinking the already opened wine,” officials said.

The victim told officials he “believed that a motive for him being poisoned is the fact that Hogan would become the full owner of the residence and would gain full-time custody of their child,” officials said.

On Sept. 30, a final lab report indicated that “ethylene glycol was detected in the wine,” officials said.

Police also went through Hogan’s phone, which revealed searches for “various lethal amounts of poisons” and “how much mono ethylene glycol would kill you” after the victim was hospitalized, the affidavit said.

In an interview with police, Hogan said she and the victim had been separated since May but that she had “more recently started living back at the same residence” where the victim lived, officials said.

Hogan also said she “never intended to kill him, but just wanted to make him sick as payback for being mentally abusive,” the affidavit said.

Officials said Hogan had also claimed she was in Rhode Island when she was supposed to be in court with the victim on Aug. 7 regarding a complaint she had filed but that she was actually at the victim’s residence, to which she had full access, the affidavit said.

Hogan also told officials that she has poured “a very small amount” of the same substance into the man’s iced tea bottle on a separate date, the affidavit said.

“If undetected or untreated, ethylene glycol ingestion can cause serious or fatal toxicity,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement to ABC News, Hogan’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said it is “premature to comment on any specifics.”

“What we know is that Kristen is a loving mother who misses her children dearly right now. These are just accusations and we will be diligently investigating and defending her against these claims,” Sherman said in a statement.

Her next court date is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Missing 23-year-old Philadelphia woman was harassed by unidentified individual before disappearing: Police

Missing 23-year-old Philadelphia woman was harassed by unidentified individual before disappearing: Police
Missing 23-year-old Philadelphia woman was harassed by unidentified individual before disappearing: Police
Officials in Philadelphia are searching for Kada Scott, a 23-year-old woman who has been missing for nearly a week. Philadelphia Police Department

(PHILADELPHIA) — A 23-year-old Philadelphia woman has now been missing for nearly a week, with police saying she was being harassed by an unknown individual before disappearing.

Kada Scott was last seen by her mother on Saturday evening when she was leaving for work at a nearby nursing home, police said.

Scott arrived at work but left “prior to her shift’s completion,” and has not been seen since, John Craig, captain of the Philadelphia Police Department, said during a press conference on Wednesday. It was not clear what time Scott left work, but officials said her shift typically was from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“This is completely out of character,” Craig said during the press conference.

She was reported missing to police on Sunday, with law enforcement saying they have “some concern, more so than usual” regarding her disappearance due to worrying phone calls she was receiving.

“In the days leading up to her disappearance, Ms. Scott related to her family and friends that an unknown individual or person had been harassing her via phone,” Craig said.

Craig said officials have not identified the person who was allegedly harassing Scott, but are continuing to investigate “very thoroughly.”

Police are canvassing the neighborhood for video, interviewing friends and family and looking at Scott’s cellphone data — including taking a “deep dive” of her social media — in their efforts to locate Scott. Officials are also speaking to Scott’s co-workers at the nursing home, Craig said.

“We have no cellphone activity or social media activity, and she has not reached out to family or friends,” Craig said.

Officials were able to recover Scott’s vehicle, which was located in the parking lot of the nursing home where she worked, Craig said.

Scott, who officials described as a “very bright, energetic woman,” is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair, police said.

“I just need her to come home and be safe. That’s what I fear — she’s not safe,” Scott’s mother, Kim Matthews, told Philadelphia ABC station WPVI.

Scott’s name has also been entered into the National Crime Information Center database, Craig said.

Anyone who has information on Scott’s whereabouts is urged to call 215-686-3353, police said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman allegedly used dating apps to rob older men, say police

Woman allegedly used dating apps to rob older men, say police
Woman allegedly used dating apps to rob older men, say police
Detectives say Adva Lavie turned online dating into an offline crime spree. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

(LOS ANGELES) — A woman has been accused of using dating apps to meet men and then burglarize their homes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Adva Lavie is wanted for a string of burglaries in which she allegedly targeted older men, posing as a romantic companion on virtual dating platforms and social media, according to officials.

The suspect is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 104 lbs. with brunette hair and hazel eyes. Lavie is believed to drive a black Porsche SUV or white Mercedes-Benz.

She is also known to use the aliases Mia Ventura, Shoshana or Shana, according to officials.

When contacted by ABC News, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they had no additional information to provide about the suspect or her alleged crimes.

Officials are asking anyone with information about Lavie or incidents in which she may have been involved to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or Los Angeles Police Department.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house found alive: Sheriff’s office

Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house found alive: Sheriff’s office
Indiana woman reported missing after ‘suspicious’ fire in her house found alive: Sheriff’s office
Britney Gard is seen in an undated photo released by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Putnam County Sheriff’s Office

(PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind.) — An Indiana woman who was reported missing last week following a “suspicious” fire in her house has been found alive, authorities said. 

Britney Gard, 46, last had contact with her family the evening of Sept. 30, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. She was considered a missing endangered person “due to her unknown whereabouts,” the sheriff’s office said.

Following an extensive investigation, she was found in a wooded area about 2 1/2 miles from her home, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday evening. She was being cleared by medical staff and no additional details were available, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities responded to Gard’s home on Oct. 1, following a 911 call for a fire at her home in Bainbridge, located about 40 miles west of Indianapolis, the sheriff’s office said. Smoke was reported coming from the residence around 7:40 p.m., the office said.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze, which investigators believe is “suspicious in nature,” Putnam County Sheriff Jerrod Baugh said in a statement on Friday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Baugh said in an update on Wednesday.

No one was found in the fire-damaged home, and attempts by family and friends to contact Gard following the fire have been unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said. She was not located following a drone-assisted search of the area and searches of a pond on the property following the fire, the sheriff’s office said.

Gard was supposed to attend her daughter’s volleyball game on Oct. 1, but did not show up, her sister, Stephanie Bowen, told Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV.

“Her car’s at home, her purse is at home. She’s nowhere to be found, and the house is on fire. It makes no sense,” Bowen told WRTV on Monday.

“I just feel like there’s something here bigger that we don’t know,” she said.

The search continued this week for the mother of two, with dozens of people, including her sisters, looking through cornfields and wooded areas near Gard’s property on Monday, WRTV reported.

Drones were deployed in the area, and conservation officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have been conducting searches of the ponds at the residence and in the surrounding area, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.

Detectives also worked with the FBI and Indiana State Police, “looking for any leads into the current and past locations of any and all devices that could lead investigators to the location of Britney Gard,” Baugh said Wednesday.

Amid the search, Bowen urged people to be “vigilant” and to check their home security cameras.

“Britney, we love you,” she told WRTV on Monday. “We hope to see you safely return home.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘My kids could die’: Military mom begs Johnson to pass bill to pay troops during shutdown

‘My kids could die’: Military mom begs Johnson to pass bill to pay troops during shutdown
‘My kids could die’: Military mom begs Johnson to pass bill to pay troops during shutdown
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) attends a news conference on the government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on October 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — In a rare appearance on C-SPAN on Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson heard from one military mom who begged him to bring the House back to session to pass a standalone bill to provide military troops pay during the government shutdown.

The person was identified on the call as “Samantha” — a Republican from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, who said she’s “very disappointed” with the Republican Party over the shutdown.

She said her “kids could die” if her family experiences a lapse in pay on Oct. 15.

If a government shutdown continues into next week and Congress does not pass a measure to pay the troops or reopen the government, that date will mark the first time in recent history when service members missed a paycheck amid a shutdown.

“I think that it is awful, and the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families is insane,” Samantha told Johnson.

She acknowledged feeling “very shaky” over the situation.

“Just want you to hear a little bit about my family. I have two medically fragile children. I have a husband who actively serves this country. He suffers from PTSD from his two tours in Afghanistan,” she said during the call. “If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get to get the medication that’s needed for them to live their life, because we live paycheck to paycheck.”

She pressed Johnson on the standalone bill.

“I’m begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die,” Samantha said. “We don’t have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly. You could stop this, and you could be the one that could say military is getting paid.”

The speaker — a Republican — expressed sympathy for Samantha and her family.

“Samantha, I’m so sorry to hear about your situation,” Johnson said, adding stories like hers is “what keeps me up at night.”

“The reason I’ve been so angry this week, and they’ve been calling me out on media — ‘Johnson’s angry.’ I am angry because of situations just like yours,” the speaker said.

However, when asked at a news conference in the Capitol on Wednesday if he would bring the House back to session and move a bill on the floor to pay military troops if the shutdown drags into next week, Johnson suggested he would not do so. 

“We already had that vote. It’s called the [continuing resolution],” Johnson said at the news conference, referring the House GOP stopgap bill to fund the government until Nov. 21. The measure has failed to advance in the Senate.

Johnson also pointed to the continuing resolution while speaking with Samantha, arguing another vote on the floor to pay the troops would also fail in the Senate.

“We had a vote to pay the troops. It was the continuing resolution three weeks ago. Every single Republican but two voted to keep the government open so that your paycheck can flow. Every Democrat in the House, except for one, voted to close it. The Democrats are the ones that are preventing you from getting a check,” Johnson said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump draws international praise as broker of Israel-Hamas deal

Trump draws international praise as broker of Israel-Hamas deal
Trump draws international praise as broker of Israel-Hamas deal
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

(LONDON) — World leaders on Thursday issued a wave of statements commending Israel and Hamas for agreeing to the first phase of a ceasefire deal, with many also praising U.S. President Donald Trump for his administration’s role in brokering the deal.

“I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. “This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres issued statements with wording closely matching Starmer’s. Each praised Trump, then also included an appeal to Israel and Hamas to abide by the terms of the agreement.

Those statements and many others like them followed Trump’s announcement on Wednesday evening that the warring parties had “both signed off” on the first phase of a ceasefire plan. 

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump said in a statement posted on social media.

The full details of that deal were still coming into focus on Thursday, but the broad outline included a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release by Hamas of the remaining hostages, according to Trump. An as-yet unknown number of Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released from Israeli jails. Nearly 2,000 prisoners are believed to be under discussion for release.

Israeli officials were preparing on Thursday to ratify the deal. The details of the agreed-to deal had not been released as of Thursday morning.

White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Egypt on Wednesday for the final negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Washington, where he interrupted a White House roundtable to notify Trump that an agreement to the deal was near.

The administration’s efforts drew applause from Trump’s allies in Washington, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who in a statement hailed it as “a truly historic achievement,” as well as from leaders and aid organisations farther afield.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement posted on social media he wanted to thank “all those involved in this vital effort.”

“I wish to extend my deepest thanks to POTUS Donald Trump for his incredible leadership toward securing the release of the hostages, bringing an end to the war, and creating hope for a new reality in the Middle East,” Herzog said. “There is no doubt that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for this. Should he visit us in the coming days, he will be received with immense respect, affection, and gratitude by the people of Israel.”

Praise for the deal also came from the Palestinian Authority, which governed the Gaza Strip until a violent 2007 seizure by Hamas, the terror organization that at that time executed or expelled many of the Authority’s civil leaders. The Authority, which currently controls civil operations in parts of the West Bank, said in a statement that President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the deal, calling it a “prelude to reaching a permanent political solution.”

“He also commended President Trump and all mediators for their significant efforts in reaching the agreement, affirming the State of Palestine’s readiness to work with relevant mediators and international partners to ensure its success, in order to achieve stability and a lasting and just peace in accordance with international law,” the Authority’s statement said. 

The statement also said Palestinian “sovereignty over the Gaza Strip belongs to the State of Palestine.” The details of the agreed-to deal had not been released as of Thursday morning.

Guterres, of the U.N., said on social media he welcomed the agreement, praising the “diplomatic efforts” of the United States and the others who moved the deal forward, including Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. He called it a “desperately needed breakthrough.”

“The UN will support the full implementation of the agreement & will scale up the delivery of sustained & principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery & reconstruction efforts in Gaza,” Guterres added.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the deal amounted to a “foundation for a lasting peace, grounded in a two-state solution.”

“Its implementation paves the way for the long-awaited release of all Israeli hostages, a ceasefire in Gaza, and an end to the severe humanitarian crisis on the ground,” Costa said on Thursday.

The Catholic Church’s local patriarchate also issued a statement praising the deal, saying it “welcomes the joy” of the announcement. 

“It is good news, and we are very happy. It is a first step, the first phase. Of course, there are many others, and surely there will be other obstacles,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said in a statement.

He added, “But now we have to rejoice about this important step that will bring a little more trust for the future and also bring new hope, especially to the people, both Israeli and Palestinians.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza: What to know about proposed deal and next steps

Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza: What to know about proposed deal and next steps
Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza: What to know about proposed deal and next steps
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images

(LONDON and TEL AVIV) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his cabinet to discuss the proposed Gaza Strip ceasefire deal on Thursday, with the cabinet and the wider government expected to approve the blueprint to end the two-year-old war.

The cabinet will meet after days of intense negotiations in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Israeli and Hamas representatives hashed out the final details of a plan based on the 20-point proposal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump last month.

Netanyahu is expected to convene his cabinet meeting at 5 p.m. local time — 10 a.m. ET. The cabinet is expected to approve the deal, after which the proposal will be put to the wider government. A government vote to ratify the deal is then expected at around 6 p.m. local time — 11 a.m. ET.

The cessation of all fighting by the IDF and Hamas will go into effect after the Israel government ratifies the deal, according to an Israeli official.

Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of the deal, in which all remaining hostages — alive and dead — will be released from Gaza in exchange for an as-yet undetermined number of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. Nearly 2,000 prisoners are believed to be under discussion for release.

The Israel Defense Forces will also pull back to the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza — a reference to a proposed ceasefire map released by the White House last month showing multiple stages of withdrawal. The full details of the agreed-to deal have not been made public and the exact location of that “line” may have shifted during the negotiations.

A senior Israeli official told ABC News that the 72-hour window for Hamas releasing all hostages will begin after the Israeli government ratifies the deal, which it is expected to do on Thursday.

The 20 hostages thought to still be alive are therefore expected to be released all in one group on Sunday or Monday, the official said.

An Israeli official told ABC News that the IDF will have 24 hours to move to the yellow line once the deal is ratified by the government.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump said in a post to social media, explaining the first phase of the agreement.

“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” the post continued.

Key Arab and Muslim said in supportive statements that they would back the White House plan, all pressing Hamas to accept the blueprint that could end more than two years of intense fighting in the Gaza Strip, which has been largely destroyed by Israeli offensives since the war began after Hamas’ surprise terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Intense strikes across Gaza continued on Thursday, even as the final elements of the deal were hammered out by negotiators in Egypt.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump’s use of the National Guard faces critical legal tests

Trump’s use of the National Guard faces critical legal tests
Trump’s use of the National Guard faces critical legal tests
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — In two courthouses on opposite sides of the country, Donald Trump’s attempt to send troops into Democratic-led cities will face a critical legal test on Thursday.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hold oral arguments at noon on whether to lift a lower court’s order blocking the deployment of troops into Portland, while a District Judge in Chicago has a hearing at the same time to consider stopping the deployment of the National Guard in Illinois.

The dueling hearings sets the stage for one of the most high-profile legal battles since President Trump took office, as local governments turn to the courts to stop what some judges have described as blurring of the line between military and civilian rule.

Chicago
Ahead of the Chicago hearing, U.S. District Judge April Perry set a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to confirm when National Guard troops are set to arrive in Illinois, where they are set to be deployed and the scope of their activities.

Lawyers for the city of Chicago and state of Illinois have argued that the deployment of National Guardsmen will decrease public safety, exacerbate tensions in the city and infringe on the state’s sovereignty.

“By design, state and local governments operate closer to the people they serve, allowing them to tailor their activities to their communities’ needs. Federalism is not merely an administrative arrangement; it is a structural protection of liberty,” they wrote in a filing. “When the federal government assumes a role traditionally reserved to the States, it blurs the constitutional lines that define who is responsible for public safety.”

Portland
Meanwhile, as the Chicago hearing takes place, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments about whether to lift a lower court’s order blocking the deployment of 200 federalized members of the Oregon National Guard into Portland.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit issued an administrative stay of that order to preserve the status quo as the lawsuit moves through the court.

Oregon argues that the deployment of troops is “part of a nationwide campaign to assimilate the military into civilian law enforcement” and is based on “inaccurate information” about the conditions in Portland.

“Defendants’ nearly limitless conception [the law] would give the President discretion to repeat this experiment in response to other ordinary, nonviolent acts of civil disobedience across our Nation. The public interest is served by a judicial order preserving the rule of law in the face of unprecedented and unlawful Executive action that threatens grave and irreparable damage to our State and the Nation,” lawyers for the state said in a recent filing.

A federal judge on Sunday expanded her order to bar any state’s National Guard from entering Portland after concluding that the Trump administration was attempting to work around her temporary restraining order by using troops from other states.

That second order has not been formally appealed yet, although the broader issue may arise during the hearing as the Trump administration challenges judicial limits on the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard.

“Congress did not impose these limits on the President’s authority to federalize the Guard, nor did it authorize the federal courts to second-guess the President’s judgment about when and where to call up the Guard to reinforce the regular forces in response to sustained and widespread violent resistance to federal law enforcement,” lawyers for the Trump administration wrote in a filing earlier this week.

In an amicus brief filed on Thursday, a group of former secretaries of the Army and Navy and retired four-star admirals and generals encouraged Judge Perry to express caution about the broader use of the National Guard in domestic operations.

“Domestic deployments that fail to adhere to [Posse Comitatus Act] threaten the Guard’s core national security and disaster relief missions; place deployed personnel in fraught situations for which they lack specific training, thus posing safety concerns for servicemembers and the public alike; and risk inappropriately politicizing the military, creating additional risks to recruitment, retention, morale, and cohesion of the force,” lawyers for the former military leaders wrote.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

4 people, including 2 children, found dead in ‘suspicious’ incident inside San Francisco home

4 people, including 2 children, found dead in ‘suspicious’ incident inside San Francisco home
4 people, including 2 children, found dead in ‘suspicious’ incident inside San Francisco home
ABC News/ KGO

(SAN FRANSCISCO) — Four people, including two children, have been found dead in a “suspicious” incident inside a San Francisco home, authorities said.

San Francisco police officers responded to a home on the 900 block of Monterey Boulevard at approximately 1:23 p.m. on Thursday to perform a well-being check on a family residing in the home. But when the officers arrived, they discovered four “unresponsive individuals” who were declared dead on scene, according to a statement from the Sam Francisco Police Department.

Police said the deaths appeared to be an isolated incident, reiterating that there is no general threat to the public, but also calling the deaths “suspicious” in nature.

Officers say two of the four people found dead are kids, according to ABC News’ San Francisco station KGO.

Neighbors who live next to the family say that they are heartbroken.

“I was just coming back from school, and I heard it from my mom and I just, you know, my heart dropped,” Teo Brouwers, who lives next door to the home, told KGO.

“I don’t have the words right now. I’m in bit of shock. We are in shock, it’s a tragedy and we’re thinking about the family. We are processing the information right now,” Belinda Hanart, who also lives next door, said to KGO.

“Our bedroom is on their side, and we have two dogs so. There was no noise, nothing, and I think it was the most disturbing part we didn’t hear anything. Nothing,” Hanart continued. “We knew it was a family of four with two girls. The older one was probably 12- to 13-years-old and a dog, and it was a very normal family with normal family routine,” said Hanart.

The names of the dead have not yet been released and police are not saying what they believe happened, but did confirm that crimes were committed inside the home.

Investigators were asked if an attacker or assailant could have been one of the four found dead in the home, according KGO.

“That is a possibility. We’re not confirming any of that at this time but that is a possibility of this incident,” said Officer Robert Rueca of the San Francisco Police Department.

“We heard them more than we saw them and it was just normal family life, like kids in the garden trying to get the dog inside, and having barbecue for summer nights, that’s it. Just like us,” said Hanart.

The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting a parallel investigation and will determine the cause and manner of death.

The San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail was notified of the suspicious deaths and is leading the ongoing investigation.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.