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Former FBI agent weighs in on hunt for apparent Stockton serial killer

October 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Police are on the lookout for the person responsible for six murders so far in Stockton, California.

Police released only a few details about the string of murders and when they happened: a 35-year-old man fatally shot at 12:31 a.m. on July 8; a 43-year-old man fatally shot at 9:49 p.m. on Aug. 11; a 21-year-old man fatally shot at 6:41 a.m. on Aug. 30; a 52-year-old man fatally shot at 4:27 a.m. on Sept. 21; and a 54-year-old man fatally shot at 1:53 a.m. on Sept. 27.

Another shooting, of a 46-year-old Black woman at Park Street and Union Street in Stockton at 3:20 a.m. on April 16, 2021, was also linked to the investigation, police said. The woman survived her injuries in that shooting, they said.

Police said late Monday that another homicide investigation had been linked to the case: The shooting death of a 40-year-old Hispanic man in Oakland, California, at 4:18 a.m. on April 10, 2021.

Former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett spoke with ABC News Live’s Linsey Davis Monday about the cases and his perspective on the ongoing investigation.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Police say that they have physical evidence linking the five killings. Can you give us an example of what might constitute as physical evidence?

BRAD GARRETT: Probably ballistics, which is going to be my guess, because, Linsey, every [case] has been described as people being shot in the back, which would suggest the shooter is not having any physical contact with the victims. So it’s not uncommon for serial killers to continue to use the same weapon. So have they ballistically linked the five of them? Perhaps.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Perhaps all of the victims are men, four of them Hispanic, who were all alone and ambushed late at night or in the early morning, just as choice of victims or methods reveal a certain suspect profile or anything about the killer’s personality, that that might help track them down.

GARRETT: I’m not sure about that yet. If you look at the locations, they’re all in general proximity, not necessarily in the same neighborhoods. This strikes me as an opportunity serial killer. In other words, he’s walking around looking for victims. Is he looking for Hispanic males? We don’t know that.

The key is with each homicide, can they pull up additional CCTV? Are they going to get lucky and find a witness who sees him get into a car? I can tell you they’re really searching the cameras, I suspect, in Stockton to see if they can track him once he leaves the scene, all those little pieces of information. But the absolute thing that will get him caught is him continuing to kill people because he’s going to continue to leave clues, which is almost textbook.

ABC NEWS LIVE: If we look at the timetable here, you had more than a month between the first and second killings, but then the fourth and fifth were just six days apart. Does it seem, based on that, that he could be escalating?

GARRETT: Maybe or this may be an opportunity. Was he off from work? Does he work odd hours? Does he not even live or work in Stockton?

Again, all of these little pieces of information become much more relevant as you focus down on an individual. And hopefully, that’s going to occur in short order because, I mean, it’s just horrible. Five people dead. And this strikes me as a guy that’s going to keep going until he gets caught.

ABC NEWS LIVE: And what is that? What strikes you? Is it just rare that somebody who is potentially a serial killer doesn’t just stop after five?

GARRETT: You have to understand that they’re driven by a compulsion of nothing else, a compulsion to kill people. Sometimes it’s just the thrill. And after you kill the first person, presuming the person in July is the first person he’s killed, then each one becomes easier. But the high that he gets from committing these crimes is what drives him. And so you will see eventually maybe him going to another victim. They might be close together. They might not be. But it’s also somebody that I think has familiarity with Stockton because he’s in various neighborhoods. He’s probably either walking around, cruising around in a vehicle, or looking for lone individuals when it’s dark. That way it gives him less resistance, less likelihood someone’s going to see him, and that’s really sort of his cover, it appears, with each one of these murders.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Is there something there that might something so small that might help crack a case like this?

GARRETT: Yes. For example, let’s go back to ballistics. ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, have a ballistics data set. If this weapon was used in the past, there’s a possibility they might be able to link it that way. It’s just hard to say, but there are little clues like that. Or the guy makes a slip and he says something to someone. Maybe not admit what he’s been doing, but it’s just enough for that person to reach out to the police and say, there’s something not right. You need to check this guy out.

Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s trial won’t take place until November 2023

October 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon will stand trial in November 2023, a judge in New York said Tuesday.

Bannon is charged with defrauding donors to the “We Build the Wall” campaign, which was an independent effort intended to raise money for former President Donald Trump’s signature policy project.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Bannon promised 100% of money raised would go toward building a wall along the U.S. southern border. However, he allegedly concealed his role in diverting some of the $15 million in donations toward the campaign’s chief executive, who had pledged to take no salary.

Bannon has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy and scheming to defraud investors.

Prosecutors said during a brief hearing Tuesday they had turned over four terabytes of evidence to Bannon’s defense attorney.

“There’s a great deal of it — hundreds of thousands of pages,” defense attorney David Schoen said. “Discovery is very detailed — bank records, witness interviews.”

Schoen, who also represented Trump during his second impeachment, asked for 10 months to file motions, a request Judge Juan Merchan said was “not in the realm of reality.”

Instead, the judge gave the defense until Feb. 6 to file motions. Prosecutors have until June 6 to reply before the judge’s rulings in September.

A few protesters greeted Bannon as he entered and left court. He made no statements.

Elon Musk set to purchase Twitter after reversing course

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed the completion of a deal to acquire Twitter on Tuesday, reversing a monthslong effort to terminate the agreement.

Musk — the richest person in the world, according to Forbes — put forward a proposal to Twitter that would complete the deal at Musk’s original offer price of $54.20 a share at a total cost of roughly $44 billion, a person familiar with the proposal told ABC News.

In a statement, Twitter said it plans to agree to a deal at the price proposed by Musk.

“We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the SEC,” the company said on Tuesday. “The intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share.”

Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk in July over his effort to terminate an acquisition agreement. That trial is set to begin in less than two weeks.

Musk reached an acquisition deal with Twitter in April, but over the ensuing weeks, he raised concerns over spam accounts on the platform, claiming Twitter had not provided him with an accurate estimate of their number.

Twitter rebuked that claim, saying it had provided Musk with information in accordance with conditions set out in the acquisition deal.

“This is a clear sign that Musk recognized heading into Delaware Court that the chances of winning vs. the Twitter board was highly unlikely and this $44 billion deal was going to be completed one way or another,” Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at Wedbush, an investment firm, told ABC News Tuesday in an email.

The move from Musk marks the latest reversal of course in a saga that started in January when the billionaire first invested in Twitter. By March, Musk had become the largest stakeholder in Twitter and the following month the social media company announced that Musk would join its board. Days later, however, Musk said he had decided against joining the board.

In April, Musk offered to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share, valuing the company at about $44 billion. The offer amounted to a 38% premium above where the price stood a day before Musk’s investment in Twitter became public. Roughly 10 days later, Twitter accepted Musk’s offer.

One month later, however, Musk said he had put the deal “temporarily on hold,” citing concern over what he said was the prevalence of bot and spam accounts on the platform. Roughly two hours later, Musk said he was “still committed” to the deal.

Eventually, Musk moved to terminate the deal in July. Soon after, Twitter sued Musk in Chancery Court in Delaware to force him to complete the deal.

A scheduling decision made by the court in July — to hold the trial over five days in October — appeared to align more closely with a timeline requested by Twitter, which had sought a four-day trial in September. Musk asked the court to set a trial date no earlier than mid-February 2023.

Now, according to the deal, the court case is off if the two sides reach a deal.

Twitter stock closed Tuesday at $52.01, up 22% for the day.

Christian Walker says father Herschel Walker’s campaign ‘has been a lie’

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Less than 24 hours after accusing his father of “destroying” lives following a report in the Daily Beast that an ex-girlfriend claimed Georgia GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker paid the cost of her abortion more than a decade ago, Christian Walker has doubled down on his scathing response in a pair of videos on Tuesday.

The younger Walker, an outspoken conservative social media personality and podcast host, accused his father of repeatedly lying throughout the campaign, which also faced reports of Walker’s alleged extramarital affairs and “secret” children months ago.

“I stayed silent as the atrocities against my mom were downplayed. I stayed silent when it came out that my father Herschel Walker had all these random kids across the country – none of whom he raised. And you know my favorite issue to talk about is father absence. Surprise! Because it affected me. That’s why I talk about it all the time. Because it affected me,” Christian Walker said in a video Tuesday morning.

“Family values people? He has four kids, four different women. Wasn’t in the house raising one of them. He was out having sex with other women. Do you care about family values? It was silent lie, after lie, after lie.”

Christian Walker went on to address parts of the Daily Beast’s recent reporting that Herschel Walker reimbursed a woman for the cost of an abortion.

Herschel Walker has denied the reports about affairs and paying for anyone’s abortion. The former football star said he will file a defamation lawsuit against the Daily Beast during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Monday.

“I can tell you right now, I never asked anyone to get an abortion,” Walker told Sean Hannity. “I never paid for an abortion — it’s a lie.”

ABC News has not been able to confirm the Daily Beast’s reporting.

“The abortion card drops yesterday – it’s literally his handwriting in the card. They say they have receipts – whatever. He gets on Twitter, he lies about it. OK, I’m done,” Christian Walker said. “Everything has been a lie.”

Hershel Walker is battling against incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. He’s maintained a staunch anti-abortion position as a candidate, aligning himself with a bill proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would institute a national ban on most abortions after 15 weeks.

“I am a proud pro-life Christian, and I will always stand up for our unborn children. I believe the issue should be decided at the state level, but I WOULD support this policy,” Walker said after Graham announced the measure.

Christian Walker said he and his mother, Cindy Grossman, had the opportunity to tank his father’s campaign on “day one” – but have opted to stay silent on assurances that Herschel Walker would “get ahead of his past” on the campaign trail. Grossman has accused her ex-husband of threatening to choke and shoot her. She recounted her experience in a 2008 interview with ABC News’ Bob Woodruff.

“We were talking and the next thing I knew,” Grossman said during the interview, “he just kind of raged and he got a gun and put it to my temple.'”

Walker said in a 2008 interview that he does not remember the incident, though not disputing the claims. “If I can remember it, I’ll talk about it,” he said.

After retiring from football, according to his memoir, “Breaking Free,” Walker’s mental health and 16-year marriage deteriorated. He discussed the book in a 2008 interview with “Nightline,” telling ABC News that many of his struggles stemmed from what he described as a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.

Walker has said that he has made a full recovery and taken responsibility for any past transgressions.

“Herschel addressed these issues in detail with Bob Woodruff 14 years ago — he even wrote a book about it,” Mallory Blount, a spokesperson for the Walker campaign, told ABC News in May. “The same reporters who praised him for his courage are now trashing him because he is a Republican.”

But in his book, Walker does not address several claims about his behavior — some of which are documented in police records. Walker did not write, for example, about allegations that he once held a gun to his ex-wife’s head.

“I haven’t told any stories. I’m just saying don’t lie. Don’t lie on my mom, don’t lie on me. Don’t lie on the lives you’ve destroyed and act like you’re some moral family man.” Christian Walker said on Tuesday.

Though a prominent conservative firebrand, Christian Walker has not appeared in a major way with his father on the trail. He said he attended one event with his father last year, but nothing since.

Herschel Walker seldom mentions Christian Walker on the campaign trail. One time of note, however, was when the candidate shared with supporters that he told his son “you’re not that special” before he went to college.

In a follow-up Twitter video, Christian said a litany of Republicans have called him asking him why he isn’t stumping for his father. He claims he told them he isn’t getting involved and refuted commentators who have attempted to extrapolate the relationship between him and his father based on social media posts.

“For certain political pundits to pull up old pictures I’ve posted of my dad thinking they can police and determine my relationship with my dad was…if you want to pull stuff up, I’ll pull stuff up. Don’t try me. Don’t test my authenticity,” Christian Walker said.

ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

Young women are angry about abortion rights, but will they tip the midterm elections?

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — Brenna Lyons, a young mom living with her husband and toddler son in Augusta, Georgia, suffered a miscarriage last spring.

The procedure she required to remove tissue from her uterus was the same used for a woman getting an abortion, called a “dilation and curettage.”

At the time, Georgia’s six-week abortion ban wasn’t in place. And because her fetus no longer had a heartbeat, she shouldn’t have been impacted by the law anyway.

Still, Lyons wonders: Had the law been different at the time, would her doctors have believed her that she was miscarrying? Could they have denied her the procedure to avoid legal trouble? Would she have been forced to pass the pregnancy at home by herself instead of getting help right away?

Lyons, who is pregnant again, says those questions haunt her and her female friends with similar experiences. And they are fired up to vote next month.

“I have friends in Arkansas who have voiced the same kind of concern that the law just puts that hesitance there, that pause” on what’s legal and what’s not, she said.

“Whereas when we had a constitutional right (to an abortion), our doctors felt like they could do what they needed to do to protect us,” she said.

As the nation inches toward a midterm election next month where Republicans have high hopes of major gains, poll watchers are eyeing whether women like Lyons and her friends could become a kind of wild card that tips the outcome of close races.

According to a survey released Tuesday and paid for by the right-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute, abortion rights now dominate what younger female voters care about – surpassing inflation, crime and immigration by a significant margin.

Also, young women overwhelmingly say abortion should be legal, including nearly half who say there should be no restrictions on it at all.

While it’s unclear if that passion might translate into actual votes – the survey was taken in August with the midterm elections still weeks away – today’s abortion debate is emerging as a kind of “generational defining moment” in US politics that could impact future elections, said Dan Cox, director of AEI’s Survey Center on American Life.

“No one cares about this issue more than young women,” he said. “In fact, and I’ve never seen this before in roughly 15 years of polling, abortion is ranking as the most important issue” in that group.

AEI’s survey released Tuesday echoed similar findings that Democrats hope will sway tight races.

The final impact though is far from clear. Complicating the election outlook is that the woman most directly impacted by abortion restrictions – namely Black women living in the South where bans are most prominent — aren’t the majority of voters.

In Georgia, for example, before it’s six-week ban took effect this summer, Black women sought out 65 percent of the abortions in the state, compared to 21 percent of whites, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control of and Prevention.

Advocates say poverty and a lack of affordable health care, including contraceptives, are to blame.

Yet, the majority of voters in Georgia’s recent elections are white and over 65 — a demographic typically more concerned with inflation and cost of living, than abortion. That’s a major liability for a candidate like Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is running again for Georgia governor after narrowly losing four years ago to Republican Brian Kemp.

Jasmine Keith, an Atlanta-based organizer for the New Georgia Project, a voter rights group originally founded by Abrams, wants to change that equation.

Keith spent a recent weekend handing out emergency conception with voter guides at a block party in a Walmart parking lot in South Fulton. Another weekend, she helped to host an event at a roller-skating rink called “Rollin’ With Repro” for “an afternoon of roller skating, reproductive justice and voter education.”

The majority of people she speaks with are young and Black, like her, and very concerned, she said.

“A lot of people don’t know,” she said of Georgia’s six-week ban. “And when they do find out, I feel like it’s a push for them” to vote.

Emily Greene, who runs the organization’s Augusta office and has been working on voter engagement efforts since she was a teen, said she’s sensed a difference in voters this election.

“They’re just ready … They want to go. They won’t be pushed back down,” Greene said of voters.

But to political strategists and pollsters like Cox, the question remains whether voters passionately in favor of abortion rights will show up at the polls this November in a new way.

Lyons, for example, is a long-time voter who said she would have punched a ticket for Democrats anyway.

“For certain constituencies, for certain segments of the population, I think it’s going to have profound political impacts long term,” said Cox.

For Lysons, she has decided to speak up more on the issue.

Her goal? “Hopefully be a voice for someone who feels like they can’t speak up, can’t be heard, can’t make it to the polls,” she said.

How recovery efforts are going in Lee County after Hurricane Ian

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(FORT MYERS, Fla.) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s southwestern coast, search and rescue efforts are ongoing, as the region takes steps to recover from the devastating storm.

Lee County — home to Fort Myers and the barrier islands Sanibel and Pine — was especially hard-hit by the powerful Category 4 storm, with Fort Myers Beach frequently referred to as “ground zero” by local officials.

At least 55 people died due to Ian in the coastal county, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office — more than half of the 100 storm-related fatalities statewide reported so far.

The damage in the county is widespread: Power infrastructure has been destroyed, boil water notices are in place, debris — from trees to boats — block roads, more than half of traffic lights are out and barrier islands are inaccessible by car.

As the community attempts to take stock of the storm’s impact, it is still unsafe for many residents to return to the area, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno warned.

“I need patience,” Marceno said during a press briefing Tuesday. “We know people want to get back. They want to see their homes. They want to see if they have a home. They want to grab a photo album — things that cannot be replaced by insurance or money.

“We want to make sure we give people when it’s safe, the first second it’s safe, a chance to do that,” he continued.

Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said it could be “30 days as a minimum” before people are safely able to go back.

“It is really dangerous to be in Fort Myers Beach right now,” Desjarlais said during a press briefing Monday. “There is no power. There is no water.”

Search and rescue efforts ongoing

More than 840 rescues have been conducted in Lee County since Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, Marceno said Tuesday.

Marceno said crews are currently following up search efforts of properties and identifying if anyone is in need or is unaccounted for, as the search and rescue mission continues “around the clock.”

“We’re probably still another three to four days left in search and rescue and recovery,” he said Tuesday. “So that’s a rough time frame that could go in either direction.”

Desjarlais said it is unclear how many people are unaccounted for. Eight urban search and rescue teams are working to locate residences and if there are any deceased people in the rubble to preserve evidence before heavy equipment is brought in, local officials said.

Restoring barrier island access

Ian knocked out the main modes of transport to several of Lee County’s islands. The Sanibel Causeway, which connects the island to the mainland, and the Matlacha Pass Bridge, which connects nearby Pine Island to the mainland in Cape Coral, were destroyed.

The Florida National Guard has been airlifting vehicles and other assets onto Pine and Sanibel islands, as well as evacuating people. The U.S. Coast Guard has also been running waterborne evacuations for residents of the islands.

In the short term, the state Department of Transportation is working on building a temporary gravel bridge to Pine Island.

“These repairs are needed for first responders and residents to access the island, as well as other recovery efforts such as power restoration and debris removal,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said in a press release this week.

The bridge is on track to open by Saturday, officials said.

“This is not gonna be a bridge you’re going to want to drive 45 mph over … but at least you’ll have connectivity to the mainland,” DeSantis said during a press briefing Monday.

He said his administration would be trying something “similar” for the causeway to Sanibel Island, with a bid process underway.

The county is working on a temporary ferry service to assist residents of Sanibel Island, with boat access currently restricted to approved contractors and residents, Marceno said.

Turning on power and water

Nearly half of the county remains without power, according to state data.

DeSantis said Monday that the electrical co-op for the state of Florida will be sending 1,000 additional linemen from across the state to help Lee County’s power restoration efforts. The National Guard will begin flying electrical personnel onto Pine and Sanibel islands, he said.

The Lee County Electric Co-op has bumped up its restoration timeline to Saturday from Oct. 23 for all impacted areas except for Pine Island and Sanibel, the governor’s office said.

The water is slowly being restored as water pressure normalizes, Desjarlais said Monday. The Army Corps of Engineers is working to identify and assess several fractures in water infrastructure as part of the efforts to restore running water in Lee County. Some residents who have running water may be under a boil water notice.

In the meantime, the state and Florida National Guard have set up several distribution points for food, water and ice throughout mainland Lee County.

Public schools temporarily closed

Due to the lack of power and water, as well as damage to buildings, Lee County public schools are closed this week, the district said.

The damage to school buildings is varied, school leaders said.

“We have some schools that we believe are ready to open, others need minimal work,” Lee County School District Superintendent Christopher Bernier said in a video message Monday. “Some of our schools will require significant repairs and, as expected, there are a few that have damage that may be beyond repair.”

Building inspectors are conducting more comprehensive assessments, and some students and staff may be relocated depending on the damage, he said.

“This is not going to stop us from opening our schools as soon as we can,” Bernier said. “While we are not opening this week, we are certainly not waiting until January.”

ABC News’ Matt Foster and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.

What is ‘recession fatigue’ and how to combat it

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Nearly a third of Americans say they’re not prepared for a recession and they aren’t taking action to get their finances ready for one, according to a recent Bankrate poll.

Experts are calling it “recession fatigue” and it might be why younger generations in particular are failing to take active steps to weather an economic downturn.

“Recession depression, recession fatigue — whatever you want to call it, the hits to Americans’ financial security keep on coming, first with the devastating coronavirus pandemic, followed by 40-year-high inflation and now the growing risk of another downturn,” said Bankrate.com analyst Sarah Foster. “Sustaining motivation for two-plus years to prepare for tough economic times can no doubt feel exhausting.”

Bankrate’s poll found 40% of Gen Z (ages 18-25) say they aren’t prepared for a recession and aren’t taking any steps to get their finances in order. That compares with 31% of unprepared millennials (ages 26-41), 30% of Gen X (ages 42-57) and 27% of baby boomers (ages 58-76).

Gen Zers also say the pandemic interrupted their formative years and feel slighted that major life events, like proms and high school and college graduations, had to be canceled.

“Recession fatigue is the awkward cousin of revenge spending,” Foster said. “Americans were deprived of so many activities that brought them joy. It’s kind of like financial apathy.”

Experts say some Americans may not be preparing for a recession because they simply don’t know how. Many have never experienced an environment of high inflation and rising interest rates. For many Gen Zers, the closest they’ve come to a severe economic downturn is seeing how the Great Recession of 2007-2009 affected their parents.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently warned that the central bank’s aggressive interest rate hikes to combat stubbornly high inflation may cause “some pain,” including a rise in the unemployment rate.

A growing number of Americans now believe the Fed will not be able to achieve a “soft landing,” or bringing prices under control without tipping the economy into recession. According to a recent survey from MassMutual, 49% of respondents said they think there will likely be a recession next year. Experts seem to agree. A survey from the audit, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton finds 72% of CFOs think the Fed’s rate hikes will spark a recession.

While the best time to prepare for a recession is often before it even begins, it’s never too late to get your financial house in order.

Start by identifying unnecessary spending and decide where you can cut back. Consider cutting subscriptions for monthly magazines or streaming services, eat out less or stop ordering food delivery.

Put the money you’re saving into an emergency fund. As a general rule of thumb, try to have at least three to six months of expenses set aside in case of a job loss or unexpected medical expense.

Once you have your emergency fund, prioritize paying down your debt, especially balances on high interest credit cards.

The Fed’s rate hikes are pushing the cost of unpaid balances even higher. Over the past six months, the average annual percentage rate on a credit card has jumped from 16.17% to 16.65%, closing in on a record high of 17.14% in 2019, according to the Fed.

If you’re carrying balances on multiple credit cards and you have good credit, consider consolidating them into a 0% interest rate transfer card or consider taking out a lower interest personal loan to pay off your higher interest credit card debt.

Finally, find a side hustle you enjoy. That doesn’t necessarily mean taking on a second job. It could mean turning your hobby, like jewelry making or photography, into an extra revenue maker.

Elon Musk proposes to buy Twitter at original price, reversing effort to nix agreement

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed the completion of a deal to acquire Twitter on Tuesday, reversing a monthslong effort to terminate the agreement.

Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk in July over his effort to terminate an acquisition agreement. That trial is set to begin in less than two weeks.

Twitter rebuked that claim, saying it had provided Musk with information in accordance with conditions set out in the acquisition deal.

Eventually, Musk moved to terminate the deal in July. Soon after, Twitter sued Musk in Chancery Court in Delaware to force him to complete the deal.

Now, it appears the court case may not take place, if the two sides reach a deal.

Northeastern employee who allegedly duped FBI about explosive package arrested by police

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BOSTON) — A worker at Northeastern University’s virtual reality lab was arrested Tuesday for arranging an apparent hoax that evacuated parts of campus and touched off a search at other Boston colleges and universities, according to the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston.

Authorities have charged Jason Duhaime with one count of conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and one count of making materially false statements to a federal enforcement agent.

Duhaime was employed as the new technology manager and director of the immersive media lab at Northeastern University.

“In a recorded 911 call and in a subsequent recorded conversation with a federal law enforcement agent, Duhaime reported that he was injured by ‘sharp’ objects expelled from a plastic case that he opened inside the Immersive Media Lab (the ‘Lab’) on the evening of September 12, 2022,” the complaint said.

There was no evidence the package, contained in a hard plastic Pelican case, ever exploded. The package also included a threatening letter directed at the lab, the complaint said.

The FBI said Duhaime himself authored the threatening letter and the case contained no “sharp” objects. Agents are still investigating a motive.

Forensic analysis of one of the computers seized during a search of Duhaime’s office at Northeastern allegedly revealed a word-for-word electronic copy of the letter stored in a backup folder. Meta data associated with the file reflected a date and time of Sept. 13 at 2:57 p.m., roughly four hours prior to when Duhaime called 911, according to United States Attorney Rachael Rollins.

It’s unclear if Duhaime has obtained a lawyer.

Northeastern is a private research university located in Boston.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

Eight-month-old among four family members kidnapped in California

October 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Northern California authorities are searching for four family members, including an 8-month-old girl, who were kidnapped for unknown reasons.

Eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri and her parents — 27-year-old mother Jasleen Kaur and 36-year-old father Jasdeep Singh — were taken against their will from a business in Merced County on Monday, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. The baby’s uncle, 39-year-old uncle Amandeep Singh, was also kidnapped, the sheriff said.

No motive is known, the sheriff said. Merced County is located between San Francisco and Fresno.

Authorities have released images of the unknown kidnapping suspect.

“It’s imperative that we get some information on this. So far, as I know, no contact has been made, no ransom demands, nothing from the suspects,” the sheriff said.

“We’ve got evidence to indicate that the individuals involved in this destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover their tracks,” Warnke said, though the sheriff did not elaborate on the evidence.

“We’ve got detectives out canvassing, we’ve had aircraft out looking for evidence. People are gonna be working 24 hours on this until we get a break in this,” he said. “We’ve got to bring this family home safely.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at 209-385-7445.

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