(NEW YORK) — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Sunday that the United States is in “one of the most dangerous moments America has ever faced” with President Donald Trump using the federal government to try to punish his political opponents.
“The United States is now employing the full power of the federal government, the FCC, the Department of Justice, in order to punish, lock up, take down off the air all of his political enemies,” Murphy told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “As you know, this is what happens in Iran. This is what happens in Cuba. This is what happens in China, in deeply repressive states in which if you have the courage to stand up and speak truth to power, you are silenced. I mean, there is no more fundamental right in America than the right to protest your government.”
Murphy said Trump’s threats to have the Federal Communications Commission reexamine licenses for television broadcasters that repeatedly criticize him is an effort to use the government to silence critics.
“Listen, every single president, every single politician has drawn issue with something that a media figure has said and may use the power of persuasion to try to get them to change what they say. That’s very different than using the power of government in a coercive way that’s actually illegal. The Supreme Court has said, no, you cannot use the regulatory power of the government to say to a broadcaster, if you don’t say what I want you to say, as the president, United States, there will be a official legal consequence that’s illegal”
(NEW YORK) — The federal indictment that makes Luigi Mangione eligible for the death penalty if he’s convicted of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson should be dismissed because a “torrent of prejudice from multiple public officials” violated his constitutional rights and made it impossible for him to receive a fair trial, defense attorneys argued in a new court filing Saturday.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges, including one death-eligible count of using a firearm to commit murder, that accused him of tracking Thompson’s whereabouts, traveling to New York where Thompson was attending an investor conference, stalking him on the street and then firing several shots from a 9mm pistol.
The defense conceded there is a high bar to dismiss an indictment due to pretrial publicity but argued, “there has never been a situation remotely like this one where prejudice has been so great against a death-eligible defendant.”
Defense attorneys pointed to what they called a “dehumanizing, unconstitutional” perp walk in New York, during which Mangione was televised clambering out of a helicopter in shackles.
“This was done solely to prejudice him and without the slightest legitimate law enforcement objective,” defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Avi Moskowitz argued.
“The United States Attorney General as well as law enforcement personnel and the highest New York City elected official took every opportunity to prejudice Mr. Mangione’s chances of having a fair grand jury hearing and fair legal proceedings in this death penalty case,” the defense’s filing said. “Placing their own, and their administration’s, political agendas above the constitutional safeguards assured to every criminal defendant, and especially one facing a death sentence, they serially violated the constitution, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, this court’s local rules and traditional notions of fairness.”
The defense pointed to public statements, social media posts and television appearances by Attorney General Pam Bondi that they said made clear the decision to seek the death penalty was based on politics and not merit.
In April, Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione if he is convicted of Thompson’s murder.
“Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement at the time.
“The Attorney General of the United States is telling the public that based on her personal experience as a capital prosecutor who tried death penalty cases throughout her career that Mangione is guilty and should be executed,” the defense said. “In addition, she also called the incident ‘an act of political violence’ even though Mr. Mangione was charged in a complaint with stalking a single person who was not a politician, or an activist, and who was not otherwise engaged in politics.”
Meanwhile, a judge this week dismissed two state murder charges related to acts of terrorism as Mangione made his first Manhattan courtroom appearance in five months.
Judge Gregory Carro tossed out first and second-degree murder charges that accused Mangione of murder as a crime of terrorism. The judge said the evidence presented to the grand jury was insufficient to support the terrorism charge.
The rest of the indictment remains, with the judge refusing to dismiss another second-degree murder charge, to which Mangione has pleaded not guilty.
“We respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree,” the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a statement following the ruling.
(NEW YORK) — Some pop-up showers and thunderstorms are possible on Saturday, mainly to the north of areas hit hardest by flash flooding recently, but there is no organized threat of flash flooding today as tropical moisture begins to thin out. No flood alerts are currently in effect.
However, another burst of monsoonal moisture will bring a low threat (Level 1 of 4) of flash flooding to parts of the Desert Southwest Sunday into Monday.
Isolated downpours and thunderstorms could bring localized areas of flash flooding to parts of far southern California and Arizona for Sunday.
For Monday, the low flood threat shifts east into parts of New Mexico.
Any burn scar areas will be especially prone to dangerous flash flooding which could trigger debris flows and mudslides. Burned soil lowers the threshold for flash flooding, meaning even lower rainfall totals can lead to significant flash flooding and other impacts, which unfold quickly.
Into the rest of next week, dry and quiet weather is forecasted for much of the Southwest.
Over the last couple of days, heavy rain and flash flooding drenched the Southwest and even became deadly in one instance.
In Barstow, California, a 2-year-old was swept away after their family’s car was swept off a road and overtaken by floodwaters. The City of Barstow announced on Friday that “After more than 20 hours of extensive search and rescue operations, emergency responders located the child’s body.”
Flash flooding occurred in other parts of the Southwest as the heaviest downpours dropped 1 to 2 inches of rain in around an hour for some spots, causing some roads to be washed out and anything in the way of rushing floodwaters to be swept away.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle Tropical Storm Gabrielle continues to churn in the central Atlantic, fighting off unfavorable atmospheric conditions.
Gabrielle is slowly improving in structure late Saturday morning but continues to deal with wind shear and dry air, all conditions that tropical cyclones struggle to survive in.
The storm is expected to move into an area with less wind shear and dry air, as well as warm water, allowing it to likely become a hurricane by late Sunday.
However, it will not bring any direct impacts to land as it stays east of Bermuda early next week and eventually turns northeast across the north-central Atlantic by the middle of next week.
If it does become a hurricane, Gabrielle would become the 2nd hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. On average, the 2nd hurricane forms around August 26, making this hurricane almost a month later than normally expected.
Hurricane hunter flights are scheduled to fly into Gabrielle to get a better idea of the storm’s current structure and strength.
The National Hurricane Center is also watching a weak tropical wave located off the west coast of Africa as it produces some disorganized thunderstorms.
It has a 20% chance of development in the next seven days as it slowly treks across the central Atlantic. If it does become more developed, it would likely take the same track as Gabrielle, avoiding any direct impacts for land.
Tropical activity in the Atlantic is forecasted to slowly ramp back up over the next few weeks as conditions gradually become more favorable for development.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
(NEW YORK) — Conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s memorial service will take place on Sunday, little more than a week after his murder sent shockwaves through American politics.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several top administration officials are slated to speak at the event, which is being held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona and is expected to draw tens of thousands of mourners.
Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 in front of a large crowd at Utah Valley University, the first stop of Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour” that invited students to debate him on hot-button issues.
President Trump announced Kirk’s death that night, and a manhunt ensued for the gunman. Authorities on Sept. 12 identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect. Robinson was charged this week with multiple counts, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty.
Kirk, 31, founded Turning Point USA at age 18 and rose to become one of the most prominent conservative voices in the country. His influence, particularly with young people, helped propel Trump to office. But some of his comments on gun violence, LGBTQ issues, race and more often drew criticism from liberals and others.
A top ally to Trump and a close friend to many in the administration, Kirk’s killing rattled many inside the White House.
The president said he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Vance escorted Kirk’s casket from Utah to Arizona on Air Force Two.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and their two young children. Erika Kirk, who has been elected to replace her husband as the CEO for Turning Point USA, vowed “the movement my husband built will not die.”
“No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it,” Erika Kirk said in emotional remarks days after his death. She will also speak at Sunday’s service.
Other high-profile figures who are scheduled to deliver remarks include Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Attendees have been asked to wear red, white or blue to the service.
The memorial event has been designated as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event by the Department of Homeland Security, meaning it will have the same level of security as the Super Bowl or the Boston Marathon.
Local officials said they wouldn’t be surprised if more than 100,000 people gather for the memorial.
Kirk’s death was met with bipartisan condemnation from public officials, as top lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised alarm about the rising tide in acts of violence against public officials.
President Trump vowed to go after individuals and groups he claims contribute to political violence, though has predominately blamed the “radical left” as a problem and not acknowledging recent attacks against Democrats.
Vice President Vance and several administration officials are calling for punishment for people who they say have celebrated Kirk’s death or mocked him online. Some prominent MAGA figures have gone so far as to say Kirk’s death means “war.”
Democrats have pushed back on the rhetoric. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, blasted Trump’s “finger-pointing” and said it won’t help turn down the temperature. Critics have called the conservative call for a crackdown on Democrats a threat to free speech.
(NEW YORK) — Russia carried out a “massive” attack across Ukraine Friday night into Saturday morning, using more than 600 drones and missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Russia confirmed Saturday that it had “launched a massive strike using long-range air- and ground-based precision weapons and attack drones against Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises developing the Sapsan tactical missile system, producing multipurpose strike and reconnaissance drones, robotic combat vehicles, interceptor UAVs, and loitering munitions.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that “the strike’s objectives were achieved” and “all designated targets were hit.”
However, Ukraine said their air defense systems repelled most of the projectiles, even though they confirmed at least three people were killed and dozens of others were injured, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Russian strikes targeted Ukraine’s central city of Dnipro and the wider Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as the Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, and also communities in the Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions, according to Zelenskyy.
“The enemy aimed at our infrastructure, residential areas, and civilian enterprises,” the Ukrainian president said in a post on X. “In Dnipro, a missile with cluster munitions directly struck an apartment building.”
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorize civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” he added. “That is why a strong international response is needed.”
Meanwhile, one month after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed in-person meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy has yet to come to fruition.
Russia has steadily intensified its long-range strikes on Ukraine. During one such strike last week, around two dozen Russian drones entered Poland — by far the largest-ever of Russian drones into NATO airspace. At least three of the drones were shot down by responding Polish and Dutch fighters.
NATO has responded by launching Operation Eastern Sentry, which it says will enhance its air defense posture all along the bloc’s eastern edge. Some allies are pushing for more action. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski, for example, has suggested that NATO should shoot down Russian drones operating over western Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, are still pushing for the expanded sanctions and tariffs that Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose on Russia in response to Moscow’s refusal to accept a ceasefire or peace deal.
“And if the world does not deliver a truly tangible response to Russia’s prolonging of the war, if sanctions and tariffs are postponed, if the Russian army can already launch drones with impunity even against Poland — Putin will continue to see it as permission to wage war,” Zelenskyy said.
(NEW YORK) — A new book by two artificial intelligence researchers claims that the race to build superintelligent AI could spell doom for humanity.
In “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All,” authors Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares claim that AI development is moving too fast and without proper safety measures.
“We tried a whole lot of things besides writing a book, and you really want to try all the things you can if you’re trying to prevent the utter extinction of humanity,” Yudkowsky told ABC News.
Yudkowsky says major tech companies claim superintelligent AI — a hypothetical form of AI that could possess intellectual abilities far exceeding humans — could arrive within two to three years. But he warns these companies may not fully understand the risks they’re taking.
Unlike the chatbots many people use today, superintelligent AI could be fundamentally different and more dangerous, according to Soares.
“Chatbots are a stepping stone. They [companies] are rushing to build smarter and smarter AIs,” he told ABC News.
The authors explain that modern AI systems are “grown” rather than built in traditional ways, making them harder to control. When these systems do unexpected things, developers can’t simply fix the code.
“When they threaten a New York Times reporter or engage in blackmail … that’s just a behavior that comes out of these AI’s being grown. It’s not a behavior someone put in there on purpose,” Soares said.
Soares compared AI abilities to human abilites as a professional NFL team playing against a high school team.
“You don’t know exactly what the plays are. You know who’s going to win.” He suggested AI could potentially take over robots, create dangerous viruses or build infrastructure that overwhelms humanity.
While some argue AI could help solve humanity’s biggest challenges, Yudkowsky remains skeptical.
“The trouble is, we don’t have the technical capacity to make something that wants to help us,” he told ABC News.
The authors advocate for a complete halt in superintelligent AI development.
“I don’t think you want a plan to get into a fight with something that is smarter than humanity,” Yudkowsky warned. “That’s a dumb plan.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Friday failed to advance both the House-passed short-term government funding bill and the Democrat counter-offer.
The Senate action came just hours after the House sent them the short-term funding bill.
The Democrat funding bill with extraneous health care provisions failed to advance, as expected, by a vote of 47-45.
The Senate then voted to block the Republican short-term funding bill just hours after the House passed it. It failed by a vote of 44-48.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul cast votes against the legislation. Democrat Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for it.
This leaves the Congress no closer to a government funding solution with the Oct. 1 deadline fast approaching.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A public memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed on Sept. 10 while speaking on a college campus, is being held Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the service at State Farm Stadium, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top administration officials.
Trump said he will deliver remarks at the service. The president previously said he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Being called “Building a Legacy, Remembering Charlie Kirk” — the service is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time, or 2 p.m. ET, according to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded. Attendees have been asked to wear red, white or blue.
The event will be streamed live on ABC News Live, which is available on ABCNews.go.com, ABC News apps and across streaming platforms. Live blog coverage with up-to-the-minute developments will be available on ABCNews.go.com.
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, which is “reserved for events of the highest national significance,” a department official said.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University for his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited public debate on college campuses.
Authorities on Sept. 12 identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect. Robinson was charged this week with multiple counts, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty.
Kirk is survived by his wife and their two young children. Erika Kirk, who has been elected to replace her husband as the CEO for Turning Point USA, is also slated to speak at Sunday’s service.
Other speakers for Sunday’s service include Vice President Vance, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
(BARSTOW, Calif.) — A desperate search is underway in Barstow, California, for a 2-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters Thursday evening, authorities said.
Xavier Padilla Aguilera was traveling with his father, Brandon Padilla Aguilera, 26, when their vehicle was swept off a main road in Barstow, California, about 115 miles northeast of Los Angeles, by rushing flood waters around 7:14 p.m., according to Barstow Police.
The father and son became separated from their vehicle as flood waters carried them northward, police said. Brandon was later rescued and taken to Barstow Community Hospital, where he was treated and released.
Xavier, who his family told ABC News station KABC-TV has autism and is nonverbal, was last seen wearing black pants, a black shirt, and black and white Nike shoes.
The incident occurred during a day of severe weather that brought powerful thunderstorms to Southern California. In Oak Glen, dramatic video obtained by ABC News showed a massive mudslide cascading down a hillside, destroying everything in its path.
A massive multi-agency response was launched, including teams from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Police, California Highway Patrol, and San Bernardino County Fire’s Swift Water Rescue Team. Local volunteers from the Desert Recovery Group and community members joined the search effort, according to authorities.
“We have a bunch of volunteers out here who are still looking,” Xavier’s aunt, Leanna, told ABC News station KABC-TV. “If you guys can, if you live in the area, if you have bright lights… anything that can help us look through the dirt, the mud – anything to help us find him, we greatly appreciate it.”
Police suspended the official search until daylight Friday, according to KABC-TV.
Anyone with information about Xavier’s whereabouts is urged to contact local authorities immediately.
(NEW YORK) — A federal judge has tossed President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House, calling the complaint “decidedly improper and impermissible.”
U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday on Friday struck the complaint and gave the president’s lawyers 28 days to refile their lawsuit.
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner,” Merryday wrote.
In the lawsuit, which was just filed on Tuesday, Trump’s attorneys alleged that the Times has become a “leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods,” arguing that a series of articles about Trump — including a report that Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly warned the president would rule like a dictator, an article about the making of “The Apprentice,” and a report about the controversy that has followed Trump — amounted to libel.
Judge Merryday, in a blistering four-page ruling, said he was throwing out the suit because it “unmistakably and inexcusably” violates the rules that govern civil lawsuits.
“A complaint is a short, plain, direct statement of allegations of fact sufficient to create a facially plausible claim for relief and sufficient to permit the formulation of an informed response,” he wrote. “Although lawyers receive a modicum of expressive latitude in pleading the claim of a client, the complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude.”
In tossing the suit because Trump’s complaint was procedurally improper, the judge did not weigh in on the merits of Trump’s defamation claim, giving his lawyers 28 days to refile it in a “professional and dignified manner.”
Merryday, who was appointed by President Geroge H. W. Bush, said the complaint contains eighty pages of repetitive claims and praise for President Trump, but fails to establish the two counts of defamation alleged. He lambasted Trump’s lawyers for forcing him to “labor through” the “superfluous” praise about Trump’s show “The Apprentice,” as well as the size of his real estate empire and the “historic fashion” of Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.
“Even assuming that each allegation in the complaint is true … a complaint remains an improper and impermissible place for the tedious and burdensome aggregation of prospective evidence, for the rehearsal of tendentious arguments, or for the protracted recitation and explanation of legal authority putatively supporting the pleader’s claim for relief,” the judge wrote. “As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.”
Filed in the Middle District of Florida, the lawsuit named The New York Times and Times reporters Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Michael Schmidt as defendants. The lawsuit also named as a defendant Penguin Random House, the publisher of Craig and Buettner’s book “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.”
“Today, the Times is a fullthroated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party. The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents,” the lawsuit claimed.
Trump’s lawyers allege that The New York Times and Penguin Random House sought to not only damage the president’s “hard-earned and world-renowned reputation for business success,” but also hurt his chances of winning the 2024 election.
A New York Times spokesperson said Tuesday that the suit had no merit.
“It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting,” the Times spokesperson said. “The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
“This is a meritless lawsuit,” said a Penguin Random House spokesperson. “Penguin Random House stands by the book and its authors and will continue to uphold the values of the First Amendment that are fundamental to our role as a book publisher.”
In July, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after the Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein a bawdy letter in 2003 that was included in a book made for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which Trump has denied.
In response to that suit, a spokesperson for Journal owner Dow Jones said, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
