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Almost 50 million Americans on alert for severe weather outbreak in Plains, Midwest

April 25, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A severe weather threat is shifting back to parts of Kansas and Oklahoma on Saturday after damaging winds, hail and tornadoes impacted the region over the past week.

A level 4 of 5 “moderate risk” has been added for southeast Oklahoma, including Ada and McAlester, for the potential for very large hail (larger than baseballs), strong tornadoes, and damaging winds.

A level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk” is up for northeastern Oklahoma and far eastern Arkansas, including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Broken Bow and Enid, in Oklahoma, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Damaging winds and very large hail are the primary threats with these storms, but a few tornadoes, some potentially strong, cannot be ruled out with these storms.

This will be a later day event, with storms not likely to begin firing off until after at least 3:00 p.m. CT. Once storms get going, the atmosphere will be very favorable for discrete storms to intensify across eastern Oklahoma going into the evening hours.

Storms will continue to fire off during the evening up to just after sunset and will continue through the overnight hours across eastern Oklahoma, far northeast Texas and western Arkansas.

Beginning Sunday, a potent storm system will form southeast of the Rockies and swing northeast across the Plains, bringing more severe weather to the Plains on Sunday before the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches into the Midwest on Monday.

Almost 50 million Americans will be on alert for severe storms on Sunday or Monday – almost 8 million for Sunday, and almost 40 million for Monday.

For Sunday, a level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk” is up for much of Kansas as well as portions of western Missouri, including Wichita and Kansas City. Tornadoes, some being strong, as well as damaging winds and large hail are all possible with storms in this area.

A level 2 of 5 “slight risk” is also up for parts of northern Texas, northwestern Arkansas, western Missouri, far southwest Iowa, southern Nebraska, most of Oklahoma and much of the remaining areas of Kansas.

Like Saturday, severe storms will likely not begin firing off until the late afternoon. When storms do get going though during the evening, the atmosphere will be favorable for discrete thunderstorms to grow and intensify, producing tornadoes (some possibly strong), damaging winds and large hail.

For Monday, the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches from the lower Mississippi River valley up to the Midwest for Monday. A level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk” is up for cities like St. Louis; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Evansville, Indiana; Paducah, Kentucky; and Rockford, Illinois.

A level 2 of 5 “slight risk” is up for cities like Memphis; Louisville, Kentucky; Chicago; South Bend, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Mason City, IIowa.

While there is some uncertainty in exact timing and setup with Monday’s storms, the potential for tornadoes with some being strong, as well as widespread damaging wind gusts, large hail, and spotty flash flooding is increasing for Monday for these areas.

With any discrete supercell thunderstorms that form and maintain themselves in this atmosphere, the “tornadic potential could maximize, with a few long track, particularly damaging tornadoes possible,” according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center.

This will likely be a late afternoon and evening setup regardless, with discrete storms or clusters of storms tracking in a line from Milwaukee and Chicago down to St. Louis and into northern Arkansas around the evening commute on Monday.

These storms will sweep east into the overnight hours, with Indianapolis; Paducah, Kentucky; and Memphis likely seeing storms later in the evening.

This storm system will also bring heavy rain to the central U.S., with some of it possibly falling in a short time with the heaviest storms. Because of this, isolated flash flooding is possible with these storms into the new week.

Heavy rain will also come to the Great Lakes on Monday, which could reinvigorate the flood risk given how saturated the ground still is from the historic rainfall from a few weeks ago combined with rapid snowmelt.

For Tuesday, we can see the severe weather threat shift to parts of the South as this potent system continues to move east. Places like Memphis; Little Rock, Arkansas; Tyler, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi, will have to watch for potential severe weather later in the day.

Some showers, humidity in the Southeast
The drought in the Southeast continues to worsen as two wildfires continue to burn in southeast Georgia.

Some rounds of rain and possibly isolated thunderstorms will move into the region later today and late Monday into Tuesday, with each round bringing around 0.5 to 1 inch of rain.

The rain will not tame the wildfires alone, especially if it doesn’t fall directly where the fires are. If there are any isolated thunderstorms, there is the chance that lightning could ignite additional wildfires in the already dry region.

However, the increased humidities and any rain that does fall on the fires this weekend into early next week will help with controlling ongoing fires and quickly manage any new fires if any should occur.

The rain will not make much of a dent on the drought situation across the region. For example, Georgia needs between 12 and 18 inches of rainfall to end the current drought.

The two notable fires in southeast Georgia, the Pineland Road Fire and the Highway 82 Brantley County Fire, continue to burn.

Meanwhile, the fire threat will be in the southern High Plains this weekend. Parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, as well as the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma are under fire weather alerts this weekend.

1 missing USF doctoral student found dead, roommate charged with murder: Sheriff

April 25, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(TAMPA, Fla.) — The remains of one of the two missing University of South Florida doctoral students were discovered by investigators Friday and his roommate was arrested, authorities said.

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced on Saturday.

Investigators found the remains of Limon on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Friday morning, Joseph Maurer, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters Friday.

The search for Bristy continues, the office said.

Investigators have been searching for Limon and fellow USF doctoral student Bristy since they went missing on April 16.

“We are still actively searching for Nahida,” he told reporters during a news conference Friday.

Maurer said investigators received a 911 call for a domestic violence disturbance around 9 a.m. Friday at a residence where Limon’s roommate, Abugharbieh, had barricaded himself.

Abugharbieh was previously interviewed by police during their investigation into the disappearances, Mauer said.

Following a brief standoff, the suspect surrendered, Maurer said. He was seen exiting the home with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

Abugharbieh was initially charged with unlawfully holding or move a dead human body in unapproved conditions, failure to report a death to the medical examiner or law enforcement (intent to conceal), tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery, the sheriff’s office said.

The suspect is not a current USF student or employee, school officials said.

Abugharbieh will have his first court appearance on Saturday morning.

USF President Moez Limayem said in a statement Friday that there is “no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community.” He expressed “deep sadness” over Limon’s death and prayed for Bristy’s “safe return.”

The cause of Limon’s death is being determined, Maurer said. He had no further details about Bristy’s condition.

Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy, the sheriff’s office said.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, according to the USF Police Department.

On Thursday, officials received new information to warrant upgrading their status from missing to endangered, which indicates they are at risk of physical injury or death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff did not provide any more details about the investigation or search efforts.

Limon and Bristy are friends, and a mutual acquaintance reported them missing, campus police said.

Limon was last seen at his Tampa residence at approximately 9 a.m. on April 16, according to police.

He had attended the university since fall 2024 to study geography and environmental science and policy, school officials said.

Bristy was last seen at the USF Tampa campus at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building at approximately 10 a.m. on April 16, police said.

She has attended the university since fall 2025 to study chemical engineering, school officials said.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628.

-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

Judge orders Trump, DOJ to justify why president’s $10B IRS lawsuit should proceed

April 25, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Judge orders Trump, DOJ to justify why president’s B IRS lawsuit should proceed

Judge orders Trump, DOJ to justify why president’s $10B IRS lawsuit should proceed — President Trump Signs Executive Order At The White House (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge is raising concerns about whether Donald Trump’s attempt to sue the IRS for $10 billion can proceed, signaling she could throw out the case because the president oversees the government entities he is suing.

Judge Kathleen Williams raised the issue in an order on Friday denying a request to delay the case amid possible settlement talks.

She noted that Trump and the defendants — the Treasury Department and IRS — may not be “sufficiently adverse” to one another for the case to proceed.

“Moreover, although President Trump avers that he is bringing this lawsuit in his personal capacity, he is the sitting president and his named adversaries are entities whose decisions are subject to his direction. Indeed, President Trump’s own remarks about this matter acknowledge the unique dynamic of this litigation,” she wrote.

Williams ordered both Trump’s lawyers and the Department of Justice to submit briefs about why the case should proceed and set a hearing for next month. For the case to proceed, Trump’s lawyers and the DOJ need to establish that the lawsuit is “a dispute between parties who face each other in an adversary proceeding.”

“Typically, adverseness is found in a situation where one party is asserting its right and the other party is resisting,” she noted.

But with Trump in charge of the very government entities he is suing, Williams noted that the required adverse relationship between the parties may not exist. She added that Trump has signed multiple executive orders tightening the president’s control over the executive agencies like the Department of Justice.

“One such employee of the executive branch, the Attorney General, has a statutory obligation to defend the IRS when it is hailed into court, but then is ostensibly required by executive mandate to adhere to the President’s opinion on a matter of law in such a case. This raises questions over whether the Parties here are truly antagonistic to each other,” Williams noted.

Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department in January related to the unauthorized disclosure of tax information during Trump’s first term.

A government contractor with the IRS pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing the tax information of Donald Trump and other wealthy Americans and leaking it to media outlets in 2019 and 2020.

In a court filing last week, lawyers for the Trumps said that they were “in discussions” with the Department of Justice to potentially resolve the lawsuit and requested a deadline extension so they can “engage in discussions designed to resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation.”

The filing said both sides agreed to the 90-day extension. The Department of Justice had not yet responded to the lawsuit and faced an impending deadline this month.

The Trumps, in the suit, argued that the IRS and Treasury Department should have had “appropriate technical, employee screening, security, and monitoring” to prevent the theft of tax information.

A group of former government officials last month filed an amicus brief with the court to raise concerns about the ethics of the president suing his own government for billions.

“This case is extraordinary because the President controls both sides of the litigation, which raises the prospect of collusive litigation tactics,” the amicus filing said. “To treat this case like business as usual would threaten the integrity of the justice system and the important taxpayer and privacy protections at the heart of this case.”

Appeals court says Trump’s order suspending asylum claims at the border is unlawful

April 25, 2026 by WDNY Radio

An appeals court on Friday affirmed a district court’s ruling that an executive order invoked by President Donald Trump to suspend immigration asylum claims is unlawful.

In a divided 2-1 ruling, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a court order saying the Immigration and Nationality Act allows migrants who cross the southern border apply for asylum.

“The INA does not allow the President to remove Plaintiffs under summary removal procedures of his own making,” the court wrote. “Nor does it allow the Executive to suspend Plaintiffs’ right to apply for asylum, deny Plaintiffs’ access to withholding of removal under the INA, or curtail mandatory procedures for adjudicating Plaintiffs’ Convention Against Torture claims.”

On Day 1 of his second term in office, President Trump issued an executive order he called “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion,” which aimed to block immigrants from seeking asylum and other forms of relief once they enter the United States and to allow for their swift removal from the country.

Friday’s ruling means that migrants who make it to U.S. soil, whether at a legal port of entry or in between, can legally seek asylum as has been allowed in previous administrations.

The Trump administration will likely appeal the decision, which could set up a possible showdown at the Supreme Court.

“This decision will potentially save the lives of thousands of people fleeing grave danger who were denied even a hearing under the Trump administration’s horrific asylum ban,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who argued the appeal.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said they “strongly disagree” with the ruling and that “this will not be the last word on this matter.”

“America’s asylum system was never intended to be used as a de facto amnesty program or a catch-all, get-out-of-deportation-free card. President Trump’s top priority remains the screening and vetting of all aliens seeking to come, live, or work in the United States,” the spokesperson said. “We will use all of the tools in our toolbox to ensure that the integrity of our legal immigration system is upheld, fraud is uncovered and expeditiously addressed, and illegal aliens are removed from the country.”

17-year-old girl identified as victim killed in shooting at Mall of Louisiana, officials say

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(BATON ROUGE, La.) — A 17-year-old girl, Martha Odom, has been identified as the victim killed in a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, officials said Friday, and a 17-year-old suspect is in custody.

Five others were wounded when gunfire broke out during a fight between two groups in the food court on Thursday afternoon, police said.

One of the injured, a 43-year-old man, remains in the hospital in critical condition, Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said.

Lafayette’s Ascension Episcopal School described Odom, a senior at the school, as a “joyful presence whose kindness and infectious enthusiasm brought light to all who knew her.”

The school said two students were wounded and two others were witnesses.

One suspect in the shooting, 17-year-old Markel Lee, turned himself in on Friday, and faces charges including first-degree murder and multiple counts of attempted murder, Morse said at a news conference.

Morse said police are asking for the public’s help to find a second suspect wanted in connection with the shooting.

The five people detained on Thursday have been released pending further investigation, Morse said.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the shooting a “deeply troubling act of violence” that appears to have been driven by “neighborhood gang disputes that seem to want to spill out in our public places, putting innocent people in danger and taking the life of an innocent young lady.”

“This conduct is not going to be tolerated in this state,” he said at the news conference.

An employee at the mall at the time of the shooting told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ, “I heard a loud ‘pop’ and then another ‘pop.’ … I turn around and I see people dropping to the floor and then I saw the gun. … And he was turning around, shooting randomly.”

“I called security and said, ‘Shots fired in the food court, people are down, people are hit.’ And then the cops came and it was just total chaos … blood was everywhere,” she said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” she said.

The Mall of Louisiana is closed on Friday “out of respect for the victims.”

“Our deepest sympathies are with everyone who was impacted by the senseless act of violence that took place here today,” the mall said in a statement.

1 missing USF doctoral student found dead, roommate in custody: Sheriff

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(TAMPA, Fla.) — The remains of one of the two missing University of South Florida doctoral students were discovered by investigators Friday and his roommate was taken into custody, authorities said.

Joseph Maurer, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters that investigators found the remains of Zamil Limon on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Friday morning. Investigators have been searching for Limon and fellow USF doctoral student Nahida Bristy since they went missing on April 16.

“We are still actively searching for Nahida,” he told reporters during a news conference Friday.

Maurer said investigators received a 911 call for a domestic violence disturbance at around 9 a.m. at a residence where Limon’s roommate had barricaded himself.

Following a brief standoff, the suspect, who was interviewed by police earlier in the week, surrendered, Maurer said.

The roommate was being charged with several counts including tampering with evidence, failure to report death and domestic violence, according to Maurer.

The cause of Limon’s death is being determined, Maurer said. He had no further details about Bristy’s condition.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, according to the USF Police Department.

The sheriff did not provide any more details about the investigation or search efforts.

Limon and Bristy are friends, and a mutual acquaintance reported them missing, campus police said.

Limon, who was pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen at his Tampa residence at approximately 9 a.m. on April 16, according to police.

Bristy, who is studying chemical engineering, was last seen at the USF Tampa campus at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building at approximately 10 a.m. that day, police said.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628.

-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

Could the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz trigger a global recession? Economists weigh in

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Thousands of canceled flights in Europe over a spike in jet fuel prices. An energy emergency declaration in the Philippines. A two-week school holiday in Pakistan to conserve fuel used by commuters.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran triggered dramatic steps in a slew of countries bent on weathering one of the worst oil shocks in history, stoking concern by some about a possible global recession.

Economists disagree about whether the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz will ultimately drive the world’s economy into a downturn, in part because the duration of the waterway’s effective closure remains murky. The outcome holds implications for the livelihoods of billions of people and the performance of companies big and small across the globe.

Some analysts said they fear the oil shortage will soon become so dire that crude prices could rise sharply driving up costs for an array of goods and hammering shoppers. The fallout could squeeze businesses and shrink growth, they said.

Others proved more optimistic, pointing to a smaller rise in oil prices than some feared and a recent track record of economic resilience in the face of trade wars and other turmoil. A worldwide downturn, they said, would require a much more prolonged closure of the strait.

“The longer this drags on, the costlier it becomes,” Ryan Sweet, chief global economist at Oxford Economics, told ABC News.

Still, Sweet added: “Whether or not this will cause a global recession, it’s premature to say.”

The conflict, which began on Feb. 28, prompted Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global supply of oil and natural gas.

The vast majority of oil that passes through the strait is bound for Asian markets. But since oil prices are set on a global market, prices have climbed for just about everyone as buyers chase fewer barrels of crude.

On Tuesday, Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran, averting a resumption of wide hostilities, although the move left the strait under Iran’s effective control. The U.S., meanwhile, has mounted a blockade of Iranian ports in the strait, squeezing a key source of government funds derived from oil exports, while exacerbating the global petroleum shortage.

The Brent futures price, the benchmark index for global oil trading, registered at about $106 a barrel on Friday. That price stood about 50% higher than its pre-war level.

Higher oil and gasoline prices risk a pinch at the pump, as well as additional costs for just about every product delivered across the globe on trucks or ships that run on diesel fuel.

“Oil feeds into inflation, which reduces raw purchasing power — how much bang for their buck people have,” Sweet said. “That slows the economy.”

Still, oil prices remain below the highs reached after some previous economic shocks. In 2022, the price of Brent crude surged above $139 per barrel in March, just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. gasoline prices shot up as high as $147 a barrel.

Some economic forecasts issued in recent weeks projected that global economic growth could escape the crisis relatively unscathed, as long as the war reaches a resolution in short order and oil prices avoid a steeper climb.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) last month predicted that global gross domestic product (GDP) growth would “remain broadly stable” at 2.9% in 2026. That forecast matched projections issued by the OECD in December, before the war.

The OECD touted strong tech investment and lower-than-expected tariffs, citing “carry-over from robust outcomes in 2025.”

Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that GDP growth would register at a solid pace of 3.1% in 2026, noting that the global economy had withstood “higher trade barriers and elevated uncertainty last year.”

The forecasts from the OECD and IMF worked under the assumption of a resolution to the conflict by the middle of this year, acknowledging the impact could worsen if it stretches on for longer.

Some economists, by contrast, consider the economic threat a more urgent risk.

Paul Krugman, an economics professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center and a former columnist at the New York Times, criticized the IMF projection on Substack on Monday, faulting the group for “seriously underestimating how badly the global economy could be hit.”

“In my view, a full-on global recession is more likely than not if the Strait remains closed for, say, another three months, which seems all too possible,” he said.

Rosier forecasts fail to adequately factor in the risk of a significant rise in oil prices over the near term, Krugman said, warning of widespread “demand destruction” as oil becomes increasingly scarce. Under such a scenario, a surge in oil prices would make it unaffordable for many buyers, forcing them to find alternatives or forgo energy use altogether.

Technical definitions vary about what constitutes a global recession, but the gist is a period of sluggish or negative economic growth. For the World Bank, a global recession amounts to a contraction in global per capita GDP; while the IMF considers GDP growth below 2% sufficient to warrant the label of a recession.

A six-month impasse in the strait could push global oil prices as high as $190 in August, Oxford Economics said in a blog post last month. That price shock would send global inflation to 7.7%, near its peak in 2022, the independent economic advisory firm said.

“But unlike 2022, when the global economy kept growing through the price shock, the severity of this disruption tips the world into outright contraction,” Oxford Economics added.

In addition to its optimistic baseline projection, the IMF issued a downbeat prediction in the event of a more severe disruption of oil markets that stretches into next year. Under those circumstances, the global economy “would come close to experiencing a recession,” the IMF said, noting that it defines a global recession as annual GDP growth below 2%.

Growth below 2% has happened four times since 1980, the group said.

Across the board, economists acknowledged a high degree of uncertainty as the Iran war unfolds. Plus, some said, the negative effects will be unevenly distributed, hitting harder in low-income countries as well as those who depend on oil that passes through the strait.

While the full extent of economic wreckage remains unknown, the prospect of an extended global impact is all but certain, Sweet said.

“This will take a long time to get back up to resembling anything close to normal,” he added.

Trump says the world’s become a ‘casino’ after US soldier accused of betting on Maduro raid

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump, responding to the arrest of an American soldier for allegedly betting on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, said the world “has become somewhat of a casino.”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday he was unaware of the arrest of Gannon Ken Van Dyke, which was first reported by ABC News, but that he’d “look into it.”

Federal investigators said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on the prediction market Polymarket just days before President Trump announced Maduro’s capture by U.S. special forces in early January. In total, Van Dyke’s series of bets won more than $409,000, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

Trump was asked on Thursday if he was concerned about online prediction markets, through which bets are regularly placed on geopolitical events, such as the war in Iran, and the potential for insider trading.

“Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” Trump responded. “And you look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is.”

“No, I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff,” the president continued. “But they have all these different sites. They have predictive markets. It’s a crazy world. It’s a much different world than it was.”

One of Trump’s namesake companies, Trump Media and Technology Group, announced last year that it would launch a prediction betting marketplace called Truth Predict. The White House has said all of President Trump’s assets, including his majority stake in Trump Media and Technology Group, are being held in a trust controlled by his sons.

Polymarket has cultivated close ties to the Trump family, announcing last August that the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., would join its advisory board. Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, also invested in Polymarket.

ABC News on Friday reached out to the White House for comment on Truth Predict and Trump Jr.’s involvement in Polymarket.

Polymarket on Thursday said they referred Van Dyke’s suspicious trades to the Justice Department and cooperated with its investigation. “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today’s arrest is proof the system works,” their statement said.

Van Dyke, who was involved in Maduro’s capture, was charged with unlawful use of confidential information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud and wire fraud.

He appeared in court on Friday and was expected to be released on $250,000 bond. He is set to make another court appearance on April 28 in Manhattan federal court, where the complaint was filed.

On Thursday, Trump appeared to compare Van Dyke’s arrest to the betting scandal baseball great Pete Rose faced.

“That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Rose, who died in 2024, was a Cincinnati Reds star and later the team’s manager who received a lifetime ban from the sport after betting on games, including Reds games.

“Pete Rose they kept him out of the hall of fame because he bet on his own team,” Trump said on Thursday. “Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team.”

There are already two Republicans who are calling for a pardon for Van Dyke.

“I don’t agree with what he did and he should be required to disgorge all the profits however, unless the DOJ plans on doing Congress next, this is not justice,” Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote on X.

ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Peter Charalambous and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

Person linked to missing USF students in custody after barricading themselves: Police

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(TAMPA, Fla.) — A person who investigators said was linked to the disappearance of two University of Southern Florida doctoral students was taken into custody Friday, police said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a “barricaded subject connected” to the probe into the whereabouts of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, who went missing on April 16.

“The situation has been resolved. One individual is in custody,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Friday afternoon, without giving more details.

Limon and Britsy, both 27, were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, according to the USF Police Department.

Officials received new information to warrant upgrading their status from missing to endangered, which indicates they are at risk of physical injury or death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

The sheriff did not provide any more details about the investigation or search efforts.

Limon and Bristy are friends, and a mutual acquaintance reported them missing, campus police said.

Limon, who is pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen at his Tampa residence at approximately 9 a.m. on April 16, according to police.

Bristy, who is studying chemical engineering, was last seen at the USF Tampa campus at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building at approximately 10 a.m. that day, police said.

Both students have been entered into state and national missing persons’ databases.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628.

-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

Soldier who made $400K betting on Maduro’s removal makes 1st court appearance

April 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Soldier who made 0K betting on Maduro’s removal makes 1st court appearance

Soldier who made $400K betting on Maduro’s removal makes 1st court appearance — Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Wall Street heliport ahead of his appearance in federal court in New York, US, on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — The special operations soldier who was indicted this week for allegedly using classified information to make more than $400,000 betting on the capture of Nicolas Maduro appeared in a federal courtroom in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday.

Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who made the wager on the prediction market Polymarket, will be released on a $250,000 appearance bond.

He agreed to surrender his passport, limit travel to parts of New York and North Carolina, limit drinking “in excess,” and no longer possess a firearm unless it’s part of his active military service.

Van Dyke entered the courtroom shackled at his hands and feet and only spoke briefly to acknowledge he understood the charges and penalties. He is currently being represented by a public defender.

He is set to appear in federal court in New York City on April 28.

Federal investigators said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on Polymarket just days before President Donald Trump announced Maduro’s capture.

The series of bets — which netted more than $409,000 — immediately prompted scrutiny within the world of prediction markets and resulted in a monthslong investigation about whether inside information was used to place the bets.

Van Dyke was indicted on charges that included unlawful use of confidential information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud.

When, after placing the bets, he saw reports about unusual trading associated with the mission, Van Dyke allegedly tried to hide the evidence of the trades by attempting to delete his Polymarket account and change the email address registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account, according to the indictment.

“Rather than safeguard that information as he was obligated to do, VAN DYKE decided to use that classified information to place trades on a prediction market platform for his personal profit,” the indictment said. “VAN DYKE subsequently tried to conceal his unlawful use of classified U.S. Government information by attempting to obscure the source of his unlawful proceeds and to disguise his connection to the accounts linked to the illicit trades.”

While prediction markets are primarily regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, suspiciously-timed trades on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have sparked concerns about insider trading. In addition to the $400,000 Maduro bet, another Polymarket user made roughly $550,000 through a series of bets related to the U.S. striking Iran and the removal of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Asked on Thursday what he thought about about Van Dyke’s wagers, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team.”

“Pete Rose, they kept him out of the Hall of Fame because he bet on his own team. Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team,” Trump said. “I’ll look into it.”

Regarding concerns about federal employees making insider trading bets on the Iran conflict and other developments, Trump said “the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.”

“You look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is. No, I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff. But they have all these different sites. They have predictive markets. It’s a crazy world. It’s a much different world than it was.”

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