(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — The Jan. 6 rioter seen in photos wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” hoodie inside the U.S. Capitol building has been arrested in Virginia on charges stemming from a dog attack.
Robert Keith Packer, 60, was arrested on Thursday “following an investigation into an animal-related incident” that had occurred on Monday in Newport News, a city spokesperson said.
Packer was charged with one count of animal attack resulting from owner’s disregard for human life, a felony, the spokesperson said. He was also charged with attacking while at large and no city license, both misdemeanors.
Civil charges have also been filed against Packer, including dogs running in a pack and vicious dog, the spokesperson said.
Police told Newport News ABC affiliate WVEC that four people were taken to the hospital with dog bites stemming from the attack.
“As part of the investigation, authorities seized one adult dog, six 11-week-old puppies, four live rabbits, and one deceased rabbit from the property,” the spokesperson said.
The case is being investigated by the city’s Animal Services division, police said.
“As part of the investigation, authorities seized one adult dog, six 11-week-old puppies, four live rabbits, and one deceased rabbit from the property,” the spokesperson said.
The case is being investigated by the city’s Animal Services division, police said.
Federal prosecutors in the Jan. 6 case said that Packer has been a “habitual criminal offender for 25 years with 21 convictions for mostly drunk driving, but also for larceny, drug possession, and forgery.” He was incarcerated for several previous offenses, they said.
He was ultimately pardoned, after President Donald Trump issued a sweeping series of pardons for defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack earlier this year.
(PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Md.) — A Maryland man has been arrested and charged in the killing of a 19-year-old woman who was reported missing last month, Prince George’s County police announced Friday.
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, of Bowie, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Dacara Thompson of Lanham.
On Aug. 31, Maryland State Police discovered a body in neighboring Anne Arundel County. The remains were later identified as Thompson, prompting a joint investigation with county detectives.
Investigators said surveillance footage showed Thompson approaching a black SUV in the early morning hours of Aug. 23. After speaking to the driver, she entered the vehicle.
Police said the SUV went to a home in the 12000 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie, where evidence indicates she was killed in a bedroom.
Hernandez-Mendez allegedly had access to the SUV and lived in the bedroom where the killing occurred, investigators said.
Detectives are working to determine whether Hernandez-Mendez and Thompson knew each other before Aug. 23.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not released a cause of death, but investigators said they expect the case to be ruled a homicide.
Hernandez-Mendez is being held without bond.
Police urged anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 301-516-2512 or call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
(LONDON) — A high-rise building in Gaza City was leveled by an Israeli strike on Friday, videos verified by ABC News show. Mushtaha Tower was located in the west of the city, near several large tent encampments where Palestinian civilians are sheltering.
Video reviewed and verified by ABC News shows the moment the tower collapses, rippling the canvas of an encampment’s tents. The verified footage shows at least three Israeli projectiles hitting the tower — people can be seen running as smoke engulfs the tent encampment.
Israeli officials claimed the building belonged to Hamas, shortly after issuing evacuation orders.
“Now the bolt is being removed from the gates of hell in Gaza,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in Hebrew in a Friday post on X. “When the door opens, it will not close and IDF activity will increase — until the Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and disarmament — or they will be destroyed.”
Earlier Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement warning that “over the coming days,” it “will attack several buildings that have been converted into terrorist infrastructure in preparation for expanding the operation into Gaza City: cameras, surveillance rooms, sniper and anti-tank missile launching positions, and command and control centers.”
Mashtaha Tower management denied the Israeli accusations, issuing a statement after the high-rise was destroyed.
“We confirm that the tower, since its targeting last year, has been under strict supervision by the management, and only displaced civilians are allowed entry,” they wrote.
“We categorically confirm that the tower is free of any cameras or security equipment, and that all its floors are open and uncovered, containing no cameras, light or heavy weapons,” the building’s management added.
Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, said in a statement that Israel’s “attempts to justify targeting residential towers and destroying the city of Gaza with false claims of their use by Hamas are nothing but flimsy excuses and blatant lies, aimed at covering up its heinous crimes against unarmed civilians and continuing the policy of extermination and total destruction of the Gaza Strip.”
Mashtaha Tower was believed to be empty due to the forced evacuation. However, one of the largest displacement camps is located near the site, where hundreds of families are currently living in tents.
At least 69 Palestinians were killed and 422 injured over the past 24 hours as a result of Israeli forces, Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health said on Friday. Among those were six people killed and 190 injured while trying to collect humanitarian aid, according to the health ministry.
Three people starved to death in the war-torn Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health also said Friday. At least 376 people have died of starvation, including 134 children, since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 surprise terrorist attack in Israel, according to the health ministry.
(WASHINGTON) — Two 17-year-olds have been arrested in the murder of congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday.
Investigators are still searching for a third suspect.
Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was killed by a stray bullet in Washington on June 30.
“He was an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him,” Pirro said. “His death is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how violence too often visits us in the nation’s capital.”
The two suspects arrested are being charged as adults with first-degree murder, she said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the media during a press conference at City Hall on March 03, 2025 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Advisers to President Donald Trump have been making efforts over the last few weeks to persuade New York City Mayor Eric Adams to end his reelection bid, sources tell ABC News, and the push has gained momentum in recent days with a potential ambassador post in Saudi Arabi being floated among the options to get Adams to drop out.
Sources tell ABC News the talks are fluid and could fail, but point to a recent in-person meeting between Trump adviser Steve Witkoff and Adams in Florida as a clear push to get this done.
Adams is said to be weighing his options, including opportunities in the private sector, though sources caution for now that a decision is not imminent.
“Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families — and I remain the best person to lead this city forward,” Adams said in a statement reacting to reports of the discussions Friday.
“While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker,” Adams said.
Sources tell ABC News the Trump team has been hearing from Republican donors in New York pleading with Trump aides to get involved out of fear that Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who currently leads in polling, could win the November contest.
“Then it’s on to Sliwa, but that’s a tougher nut,” one source familiar with the efforts told ABC News, referring to Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, who has publicly vowed to stay in the race.
“I’d prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City,” Trump said Thursday night when asked by reporters for his thoughts on the New York City contest. “So I would, I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one. And I think that’s a race that could be won.”
If Adams and Sliwa were to exit, that would mean Mamdani’s remaining major rival would be former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running on the independent line after losing the June Democratic primary.
Cuomo, sources told ABC News, was spotted Friday morning meeting with political activist and power broker Al Sharpton, who has not made any endorsement in the race.
The deadline set by the New York City Board of Elections to finalize names on the November ballot is Sept. 11. Adams’ name would remain on ballot if he doesn’t end his campaign before then.
James Nichols, a student at Jacksonville State University, has been missing since Aug. 28, with officials across the East Coast aiding in search efforts, according to police and the university. (Jacksonville State University)
(JACKSONVILLE, Ala.) — A college student from Alabama has been missing for over a week, with officials across the East Coast aiding in the search efforts, according to the university’s police department.
James Nichols, a student at Jacksonville State University, has not been seen since Aug. 28, the university said in a press release on Thursday.
Nichols, who is from Ohatchee, Alabama, is believed to have departed the campus on Aug. 28 at approximately 3 a.m. in his 1999 blue, four-door Chevrolet Malibu, with an Alabama license plate of 11AEM5U, officials said.
His vehicle was recorded that morning traveling north on Highway 431 in Glencoe, Alabama, officials said. The next day, the car was spotted in Pawling, New York, which is approximately 73 miles from New York City.
Jacksonville State University Police Chief Michael Barton said officers are now in contact with law enforcement in New York, and the case has been “entered into the national criminal justice database.”
Barton said officers have been “working around the clock since the report was made late Tuesday.”
“We look forward to locating James, connecting with him and confirming he is safe,” Barton said.
Officials said anyone with information on Nichols’ whereabouts should contact the Jacksonville State University Police Department at 256-782-5050 or any local law enforcement agency if they live outside of Alabama.
The university said no further details regarding the ongoing investigation will be provided at this time “out of respect for Nichols’ family.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office at the White House on September 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Friday renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War, a White House official and sources familiar with a draft of the executive order told ABC News.
The formal renaming of the department would require Congress to act, but the order is expected to say the new name can be used in official correspondence and ceremonial contexts and non-statutory documents.
The Secretary of Defense may also use the title of Secretary of War, the White House confirmed.
Trump has teased the renaming for months and last month told reporters he didn’t think he needed congressional approval to change the name.
“We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that,” Trump said last month.
Trump has said multiple times he doesn’t believe the name “Department of Defense” is strong enough.
“It used to be called the Department of War. And it had a stronger sound … We have a Department of Defense. We’re defenders,” Trump said during an executive order signing in the Oval Office last week, surrounded by a number of his Cabinet officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In 1789, the Department of War was created by Congress to oversee the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy was later separated into its own department.
After World War II, President Harry Truman put all armed forces under one organization that was renamed the Department of Defense.
“It was clear from World War II that warfare was going to be joint and combined, so it was just necessary … It was clear to some as early as the 1930s that you would have to integrate military affairs and war and preparations for war, the Treasury Department” with “intelligence, allied policy issues and domestic industrial policy,” said Richard Kohn, a professor of military history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In other words, fighting a war became about more than just war, Kohn said, and the Truman administration wanted a broader agency to encompass all of that.
Additionally, “defense was what was talked about in the 1940s, not just war-making,” Kohn said.
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Fresh jobs data on Friday showed a continued hiring slowdown in the first such release since a dismal jobs report last month prompted President Donald Trump to fire the top official tasked with compiling labor statistics. The reading fell well short of economists’ expectations.
The U.S. added 22,000 jobs in August, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure showed a sharp decrease from 79,000 jobs added in the previous month. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, but it remained at a historically low level.
A previous jobs report showed a sharp slowdown of hiring over the summer, eliciting concern among some economists about a possible recession.
The U.S. added an average of about 28,000 jobs over three months ending in July, which marked a major cooldown from the roughly 196,000 jobs added on average over the previous three-month period, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showed.
The jobs report on Friday included a downward revision for the month of June, saying the U.S. labor market had lost 13,000 jobs that month, much lower than a previous estimate of 14,000 jobs added. It marked the first monthly job loss since December 2020.
The latest jobs data holds implications for a widely expected interest rate cut when top Federal Reserve policymakers gather in two weeks.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell recently said the central bank would “proceed carefully” but he hinted at the possibility of an interest rate cut, appearing to indicate greater concern for flagging employment growth than rising prices.
The lower-than-expected reading on Friday could cement a potential interest rate cut, which would amount to the first interest-rate adjustment since last year.
Late Thursday, investors pegged the chances of a quarter-point rate cut this month at 97%, according to CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment. As of Friday morning, the odds of a a quarter-point cut had risen to 99%.
Hours after the release of the weak jobs report last month, Trump removed BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer. The jobs report featured downward revisions, prompting Trump to suggest without evidence that the job statistics had been “manipulated.” The BLS routinely revises estimates of jobs added in previous months.
McEntarfer, a Biden appointee who was confirmed by the Senate in 2024, had served in the federal government for two decades.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy,” McEntarfer said in a social media post after her dismissal. “It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.”
William Beach, a former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by Trump, condemned McEntarfer’s dismissal.
“The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau,” Beach posted on X.
McEntarfer did not respond to an earlier ABC News request for comment.
As a replacement for McEntarfer, Trump nominated E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation. Antoni is a longtime critic of the BLS and a contributor to the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025.
“Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” Trump said of Antoni in a social media post.
(ELLABELL, Ga.) — United States immigration authorities have arrested at least 450 people in a raid on a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, federal officials confirmed Friday.
The Hyundai facility, located in Ellabell, Georgia — approximately 30 miles west of Savannah — was raided “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes,” according to a statement from a public affairs officer with the Department of Homeland Security.
“This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy, and protecting workers from exploitation,” the statement continued.
Hyundai released a statement regarding the raid, saying it was aware of the incident and “closely monitoring the situation and working to understand the specific circumstances.”
“As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company,” Hyundai said.
In a press briefing on Friday, the South Korea’s foreign ministry said it has conveyed its “concerns and regret” to the United States over the raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant, “urging special attention to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are not violated.”
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said.
Consular officials were sent to the plant and local diplomatic missions were told to set up a task force to address issues related to the raid.
“This investigation is focused on ensuring accountability for those who violate the law and upholding the rule of law,” the DHS spokesperson said.
Federal officials are planning a press briefing to release more information “regarding a recent criminal search warrant and enforcement actions to combat illegal employment practices in the state of Georgia,” according to DHS officials.
Members of the National Guard and members of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies stand outside the main hall of Union Station, on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Some Washington, D.C. residents fanned out across the halls of Congress on Thursday, urging lawmakers to end President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
The demonstrations came the same day the U.S. Army extended orders for the Washington, D.C., National Guard to remain on active duty in the nation’s capital through Nov. 30, two U.S. officials told ABC News.
In small groups of five, demonstrators carried a letter from advocacy group “Free DC” to congressional offices calling on lawmakers to “do everything in your power to end the occupation of Washington, D.C., as swiftly as possible.”
The letter, obtained by ABC News, described Trump’s declaration as “an ongoing and increasing danger to D.C. residents” and a “direct threat to democracy in the United States and the governing power of the U.S. Congress.”
“This is an active military takeover of the capital. It is a textbook indicator of backsliding democracy and intensifying authoritarianism,” the letter stated. “This might come off as alarmist, but in the last 100 years of history, the pattern is clear and we are witnessing it in real time.”
White House Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday, “Cracking down on crime should not be a partisan issue, but some Democrats and activists are trying to make it one.”
“It’s bizarre that these liberal activists would protest the significant drops in violent crime in DC thanks to President Trump’s historic effort to Make DC Safe Again,” Jackson said.
The activists also pressed lawmakers to reject nearly a dozen Republican-backed bills that would expand federal power in the District. Some D.C. residents paired up with seasoned organizers to knock on doors and meet congressional staffers.
“I just feel like our democracy is slipping away,” said Michelle Castro, who has lived in D.C. for 24 years but said she stepped inside the Capitol for the first time Thursday.
Castro, the daughter of an Air Force veteran, joined the advocacy group Free D.C. after the deployment of armed troops. “As a military family, seeing the troops in the streets is very upsetting,” she told ABC News. “To see our military being used as political tools is just wrong. It’s not American. It’s not why they signed up.”
Castro said she had attended rallies before but never lobbied lawmakers. For many D.C. residents, the nation’s capital can feel like two separate cities, one for politics and federal workers, and another where locals live without voting representation in Congress beyond Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
“As a D.C. resident, just feeling like there’s no one, I don’t have a person to go to their office or to call,” Castro said. “Whenever they’re like, ‘Call your reps,’ I’m like, who do I call?”
For others, the deployment stirred painful family memories. Julie Cruz, who said her great-grandparents were murdered by the Nazis, said she grew up visiting relatives in East Germany and seeing Russian soldiers with machine guns on the streets.
“I personally find it very traumatizing to see troops occupying our city,” she said. “They should be going home to their families and their communities.”
Not everyone is protesting the law enforcement surge in the District.
“D.C. became one of America’s most dangerous cities because of failed, soft-on-crime policies that devastated innocent families while coddling the very criminals terrorizing our states and it made our capitol unsafe for residents, for visitors, for members of Congress, and unfortunately, even for our interns and our staff,” said Republican Rep. Ron Estes.
In June, one of Estes’ interns, 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby, Massachusetts, was fatally shot.
“We’re having to turn our attention in Congress on doing what the District of Columbia, its mayor and their leadership should have done long ago, and that’s to keep the city safe,” the congressman said.
Tarpinian-Jachym’s killing remains unsolved. Authorities have offered a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
“President Trump has rightfully exercised his authority to restore law and order here over the last few weeks, and what a tremendous job our federal law enforcement officers have done for this city,” he said. “This is what happens when you have leadership that actually cares about public safety,” he added.
The D.C. Police Union, which represents the members of the Metropolitan Police Department, welcomed Trump’s move, saying the department hit a 50-year low in staffing and needed the federal help.
Union chairman Gregg Pemberton said the federal surge has made D.C. officers’ jobs “easier.”
“You have more law enforcement officers, you have less work, you have less crime,” he said.
He added, “We want to get back to a place where MPD is doing 100% of this job.”
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose careful rhetoric has drawn both Trump’s praise and activists’ scorn, has been negotiating with the administration as she tries to protect the city’s limited autonomy.
On Tuesday, Bowser released a new order, which she called a plan for exiting the crime emergency declared by Trump. The mayor’s plan calls for continuing the work of the “Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center,” which Bowser’s office says will manage the city’s response after the initial 30-day lapses.
“My 100% focus is on exiting the emergency and that’s where all of our energies are,” Bowser said. “I think in creating the EOC, we mean to demonstrate … that we are organized to best use our own public safety resources and any additional public safety resources, and I think that’s the message for the Congress.”
Still, tensions are high. Several residents have circulated a “no confidence” letter targeting Bowser’s leadership, while local activists and even some councilmembers blasted her for thanking Trump for the surge of federal law enforcement, which brought down crime.
On Wednesday, D.C.-based politicians met privately with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who pledged to help with their efforts in the Senate. Maryland Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey, recalling Washington’s violent crack epidemic in the 1990s, said federal intervention was not the answer.
“When I first became a prosecutor here in Washington, D.C., it was 1990, that was the height of the crack fight, 450 to 500 homicides per year,” Ivey said. “They called it Dodge City. We fought against that, and under home rule, the leadership turned it around. Now we’ve got some of the lowest crime rates in 30 years.”
Councilmember Robert White called D.C. “ground zero for saving democracy.”
“It is clear the president has said he is doing this in Maryland and New York and California, now in Louisiana,” White said. “So democracy will be stripped away everywhere, not just in D.C. We just happen to be ground zero. That is why we must stop it now.”
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George urged unity: “We need to be strong, and we need to be united. Home rule in the District is what we are fighting for. That is all of our North Star.”
