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Democrats host town halls to hear from voters, fire up supporters — but is their message resonating?

March 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BETHLEHEM, PA) — At a “People’s Town Hall” on Thursday held by the Democratic National Committee, in a church located in a Pennsylvania district that Democrats lost to Republicans in 2024, party leaders fired up the crowd when slamming the White House and congressional Republicans over Medicaid, federal government cuts, and other issues.

Town halls are among the strategies that Democrats are using to try to get their base fired up against the Trump White House — but attendees there and at other events say they’re still looking for the Democratic Party to take on Republicans more directly.

DNC chair Ken Martin, speaking at the Bethlehem event, called President Donald Trump and key adviser Elon Musk “cowards,” riling up the crowd by framing the work of the duo in stark terms.

“There’s nothing moral about what these cowards are doing, and there’s nothing moral about what we saw today in Washington, D.C., as Donald Musk — Donald Trump and his president, President Musk, decided to do, signing that executive order eliminating the Department of Education, which is going to have a disproportionate impact on the disabled community and so many children throughout this country,” Martin told the crowd, amidst boos towards Trump and Musk.

And Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who received among the loudest applause of any of the panelists, took a starker tone: “Don’t let anybody tell you that we’re in a constitutional crisis,” Raskin said.

“Because that is too passive-sounding. That’s too ambiguous. This is an attack on the Constitution of the United States, and we’re going to defend the Constitution of the United States!”

Republicans face fierce pushback at in-person events

The Democratic Party claims that it’s holding these town halls as a way to hear directly from voters.

“The purpose of these town halls is not for us to spread our message, but us to hear from people throughout this country right now who are facing deep and serious impacts to their own lives, to their neighborhoods and communities, because of what this administration is doing,” Martin told ABC News on Thursday after the town hall.

But Martin and others, explicitly, are also emphasizing the idea that Democrats are showing up and hosting these events while Republicans are pulling back from hosting in-person events or facing fierce pushback from constituents when they do. Some of the loudest applause in the church on Thursday came when speakers criticized the district’s representative, Ryan Mackenzie — who in 2024 narrowly flipped the seat held by Democrat Susan Wild.

Arnaud Armstrong, a spokesman for Mackenzie, told ABC News in a statement on Wednesday that Mackenzie has answered questions at in-person events and would run a telephone town hall on Thursday night to allow for more people to speak with the congressman, including people with disabilities or seniors who might struggle to make it to an in-person event.

During that telephone town hall, Mackenzie said, “This is the best way that I have found to reach literally thousands of people at once and be able to have this kind of conversation.”

Disillusioned Democrats

The town halls come as Democratic voters show disillusion with their party.

A recent CNN/SSRS poll taken in early March found that 52% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents felt that the leadership of the Democrats is taking the party in the wrong direction, and that 57% felt that the party should mainly work to “stop the Republican agenda.”

While waiting in line outside to enter the town hall, some residents of Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley region told ABC News that President Donald Trump’s actions struck close to home or worried them — but that they felt disillusioned with the broader Democratic response so far.

‘Very mixed feelings’ on Democrats’ response to Trump

Carole Ostfeld, a retired teacher from Allentown, Pennsylvania, came bearing a sign that said “Hands off Medicaid.” She and her husband David told ABC News that they came out to the town hall in order to protest Trump and Musk, including because of Trump’s actions with the Department of Education.

But asked how they feel about the Democratic response to the Trump administration, Carole Ostfeld said, “I’ve got very mixed feelings –“

Her husband added, “It needs to be more.”

Asked if Democrats’ messaging is resonating with them, Carole Ostfeld said it is — but, “as they say, you can’t fight city hall,” as Republicans are in power.

Another attendee, Ann Frechette of Easton, Pennsylvania, said the news about Trump signing an order to dismantle the Department of Education, which came that day, struck close to home. “I have a son in college who benefits from a Pell Grant,” she told ABC News. “And I’m afraid that that Pell Grant will disappear, that monies like that will disappear. He’s on Medicaid, I think he may lose his health insurance. There’s so many things.”

But the broader Democratic response was disillusioning her as well. While she praised some individual lawmakers, including Raskin, she added, “I think the Democrats in general, they don’t — I’m a Democrat, but my party doesn’t seem to get the message that was delivered last November. I would like people to stand up to what is being done.”

Firing up supporters

That said, the town hall itself was by many measures a success — or at least, the Democratic speakers were able to fire up their supporters.

All of the pews were filled, with some attendees standing on the back or the sides of the sanctuary; and the crowd gave thunderous standing ovations to the speakers multiple times – particularly when, for instance, Raskin spoke about taking on Trump or former Democratic Rep. Susan Wild criticized the incumbent representative.

People paid attention as audience members shared their own stories and questions, and then applauded them warmly, cheering on their peers in a clear show of support.

During a question and answer portion of the town hall, attendees raised concerns about the future of Medicaid, educational programs, and other issues.

Another attendee, Terri Neifert, told the crowd that she has lived in Bethlehem almost her entire life and became disabled after a fall at a grocery store, which changed the trajectory of her life. She said she managed to get her degree and to support her family through Medicare, food banks, and Social Security disability.

“If they cut Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps… I would lose everything,” Neifert told the crowd.

Neifert received a round of applause from the audience, and other attendees went up to her after the event wrapped to thank her for sharing her story.

Asked by ABC News after the town hall how she was feeling by then about the Democrats’ response to the Trump administration, Neifert — similar to other attendees — focused on the road ahead.

“It looks like it’s gonna be a fight, and an uphill battle… more public outcry, more marches, and Congress needs to pull up their big boy pants and start doing their job,” Neifert said.

Going on the road

Some Democrats or Democratic-aligned allies are taking a different tack than the town halls — and going on the road.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been on the road for weeks with what he calls the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, making stops for rallies in both right- and left-leaning districts. The Democratic Party has shown support for his efforts, reposting social media posts from Sanders about the tour.

Out there on Sanders’ tour, some attendees said they’re disillusioned with the party’s response to Trump.

“They gotta be a little tougher,” one rally attendee told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl at the Denver event. Another was blunter: “Quit being a bunch of doormats.”

But — in a sign that the rallies may be a successful tactic for Democrats to reach their base — they’re attracting thousands of people. Sander’s Denver appearance, alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., brought in more than 30,000 attendees.

Sanders said it was the largest rally he’s ever hosted — bigger than the rallies on his two presidential runs.

Sanders himself has his own criticism for the Democratic Party, telling Karl in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” that the Democrats should have done more for working people when they had control of the Senate.

“And since then, do I think the Democrats have been effective in rallying the American people, in stopping Trump’s movement toward oligarchy and authoritarianism? No, I don’t,” Sanders told Karl.

Donna Brazile, a former DNC chair and an ABC News contributor, said on “This Week” after Sanders’ interview, said, “Bernie Sanders is filling a void, a major void left after, of course, the defeat of Kamala Harris last year by Donald Trump. This void has to be filled because there’s so much anger, anger not just in red districts, but also in blue districts.”

That void is one that Democrats hope to fill with these events.

Martin, asked by ABC News after the Bethlehem town hall if he thought the messages of the Democrats is going to resonate in Republican districts or with Democrats themselves, said that wasn’t really the point.

“It’s really not about the message resonating,” Martin said. “What this is about is listening to people. Hearing the concerns of Americans right now throughout this country, who deserve to be heard, right?”

Martin added later: “We’re going to fill a void for them, and we’re going to talk to more people throughout this country.”

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Isabella Murray, Jonathan Karl, Meghan Mistry and Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.

Details of US-Russia talks on Ukraine won’t be published, Kremlin says

March 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — The details of talks between the U.S. and Russia that took place in Saudi Arabia on Monday will not be made public, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“After all, this is about technical talks,” Peskov said, as quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency. The discussions, he added, went “into details so, certainly, the content of these talks will not be made public for sure. This is something that should not be expected.”

“Currently, the reports made [by the delegations] to their capitals are being analyzed, and only later it will be possible to speak of any understanding,” Peskov added.

Monday’s closed-door talks in Riyadh lasted for 12 hours, a source told Tass. A source told the RIA Novosti state media agency that a joint statement on the negotiations was to be issued on Tuesday.

Grigory Karasin, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, who took part in the talks in Riyadh, told Tass that “the dialogue was detailed and complex but quite useful for us and for the Americans.” Karasin added, “We discussed numerous issues.”

The talks were expected to include discussions on a potential ceasefire in the Black Sea, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. That proposal, Peskov said, came from President Donald Trump and was agreed to by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A proposed pause in long-range attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure targets was also expected to be part of discussions. Though Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both agreed to the proposal in principle last week, cross-border strikes have continued.

U.S. and Ukrainian representatives held talks after the American meeting with the Russian team concluded, a source familiar with the discussions told ABC News.

On Monday, responding to another round of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy wrote on social media that “the war was brought from Russia and it is to Russia that the war must be pushed back. They must be the ones forced into peace. They are the ones who must be pressured to ensure security.”

On Monday night into Tuesday morning, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched one missile and 139 drones into the country, of which 78 drones were shot down and 34 lost in flight without causing damage.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down five Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea.

ABC News’ Anna Sergeeva, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Will Gretsky, Ellie Kaufman and Guy Davies contributed to this report.

How a Texas woman was slain a week before her wedding

March 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(DALLAS, TEXAS) — Weddings symbolize a future filled with tomorrows. However, for Dallas woman Laura Grillo, there would be no wedding, no honeymoon and no future.

Urged by her best friend, Heather Nabor, and maid of honor, Grillo followed the ritual in the bridal salon, ringing a handbell when she selected her dress.

“I remember we finally picked out her dress and that perfect outfit for the perfect day,” Nabor told “20/20” “Making the wish, ringing the bell, I kinda talked her into it. I’m glad I did that.”

She never got to wear it — just a week before her big day, around noon on Nov. 13, 2015, she was found lying in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor.

When officers and emergency service workers arrived, they discovered Grillo dead. A shell casing was found on the floor — Grillo had been shot.

“Inside the master bedroom there was a safe on the dresser, the door was open, and there was two plastic totes that were turned over on the bed,” Detective Jeff Freeman, who worked on the case, told “20/20.” “It didn’t look as far as burglary that was interrupted or anything like that. It just didn’t look right to me.”

Since Grillo’s fiancé, John Makris, was captured on surveillance video at a Home Depot store across town at the time she was killed, after interviewing him police determined he couldn’t have killed her.

Nonetheless, his behavior following Grillo’s death raised questions.

Originally from Greece, Makris was a contractor.

Detectives recalled what Makris said at the scene when they asked him who lived in the house — before he was told that Grillo had died.

“He stated that it was him, the kids, his mother and the victim’s brother,” Freeman said. “But he never did say the victim’s name. That was a huge red flag. Because maybe he knew a lot more of what was going on.”

After finding out that the wedding flowers were non-refundable, Laura’s best friend says he repurposed them for the funeral, and asked a neighbor to help scrub Grillo’s blood off the kitchen floor using Grillo’s own toothbrush.

Jesus Treviño, one of two employees seen with Makris on the morning Grillo was attacked, was questioned by investigators — and disappeared.

Treviño was ultimately located in the Clearwater, Florida, area and taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. Treviño refused to talk, so investigators turned to Makris’ other employee seen with Makris the morning of the murder, James Vileda.

During a four-hour interview, he gave a troubling account of a plot, a crime and a cover-up.

He told police he received a call from Treviño — an old friend — about a new job. Vileda said that the conversation quickly shifted from working on a construction job to becoming an accomplice in a murder.

Vileda claimed that Grillo’s death was not a robbery gone wrong. He said it was a murder for hire, orchestrated by the man Laura Grillo was just days away from marrying –her fiancé, Makris.

In September 2018, Makris was convicted on a murder-for-hire charge and sentenced to life in prison. Treviño was convicted of capital murder and received a life sentence, while Villeda pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for his testimony and got a 25-year sentence.

From prison, Makris tried to have custody of their daughter awarded to his mother, so she could raise her in Greece. He did not succeed, and she was adopted by Grillo’s best friend Nabor — the woman who would have been her maid of honor.

ABC News reached out to Makris at the Texas prison where he is serving his life sentence, but he declined our request for an interview.

23andMe has filed for bankruptcy. What could happen to users’ genetic data?

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Over the weekend, genetic testing and biotechnology company 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Founded in 2006, the company became popular with millions of Americans who sent in samples of saliva with the promise of learning about their ancestry and genetic health predispositions.

However, following a class-action settlement from a data breach, the resignation of the entire board of independent directors, layoffs and its drug development division closure, the firm has experienced business troubles and said it may be looking for a buyer.

“The Company intends to continue operating its business in the ordinary course throughout the sale process,” 23andMe said in a statement this week. “There are no changes to the way the Company stores, manages, or protects customer data.”

23andMe directed ABC News to its statement in a request for comment as well as to an open letter to its customers.

The bankruptcy filing has led to concerns over what will happen to the personal and genetic information of 23andMe’s more than 15 million consumers worldwide.

“I don’t think they ever built sufficient consent into people sending them information, saying, ‘We’ll do our best to protect it, but we can’t promise,”‘ Dr. Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told ABC News.

“So, what you might have thought was safe and secure is clearly not, as the bankruptcy is making clear now, but hasn’t been from the beginning,” he added.

Anya Prince, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law with research interests in health and genetic privacy, said what happens to the data 23andMe collects is covered by the company’s privacy policy.

In the event of a bankruptcy or sale, a user’s 23andMe data can go to a new company or be sold in bankruptcy, Prince noted.

“The privacy policy also says that the new company has to follow the existing privacy policy, which sounds great, but the existing privacy policy also says that it can be changed at any time,” Prince told ABC News. “So, the new company could adopt the same privacy policy and then change it in ways that maybe the customers don’t like.”

I. Glenn Cohen, a professor of health law and bioethics at Harvard Law School, told ABC News that in one of 23andMe’s bankruptcy filings, the company indicated that any bidder would have to express compliance with the current privacy statement.

However, it’s not uncommon for a new company to issue a new privacy statement and to ask people to click through to agree, he said.

One example of a change could be in how a new company would handle handing over data to law enforcement.

“Under the current 23andMe privacy rules, they will wait for a valid subpoena, search warrant or court order” before sharing data with law enforcement, Cohen said. “It’s possible this new company would have a different approach and would get you to opt in to their privacy statements such that the information might be more readily shared with law enforcement or possibly with employers and insurance.”

Additionally, about 80% of 23andMe users have selected the additional opt in for their data to be used for medical research.

Under existing 23andMe policy, when the data is shared with companies for research, it doesn’t have names attached to the genetic samples. While the data might be anonymous for the company that is conducting the research, it isn’t necessarily anonymous at 23andMe, experts told ABC News.

Cohen said that data will also transfer over to a new company as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

This information is not protected by HIPAA, which is a law that protects patient privacy and ensures the security of health information.

“Unlike your health records, which are covered by HIPAA, your electronic health records, and the kind of data you share with your doctor … 23andMe does business with you as a consumer, not as a patient,” Cohen said. “You don’t get those overall federal health privacy protections that we give, for example, to the data you share with your doctor.”

Added Caplan: “The privacy law we have applies to information in health care settings. It doesn’t apply to protecting information that you gave freely to a private company.”

Consumers have the option of deleting their account and asking for their sample to be destroyed, especially if they are in a state that has a genetic privacy law, such as California.

California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta put out a press release with steps on how to delete genetic data, destroy a test sample and to revoke permission for genetic data being used in research.

“There might be people out there who say, ‘I’m fine with that, I think the risks are low, and I’m happy for a new company to share my data in x, y or z way,'” Prince said. “But to the extent that that it’s somebody who does say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that that’s how my data can be shared, or I just I trusted 23andMe but I don’t know whether I trust the next company that might have this data, then they might want to consider going in and deleting that account.”

Former Yankee Brett Gardner’s teen son died on family vacation to Costa Rica: Officials

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(COSTA RICA) — The 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner was vacationing with his family in Costa Rica when he suddenly fell ill and died in his sleep, according to the U.S. State Department.

Miller Gardner’s death was announced Sunday in a statement by his father and mother, Jessica Gardner, that was released on the Yankees’ X account.

Brett and Jessica Gardner said their son died in his sleep on Friday while on vacation, after falling ill along with several other family members.

The Gardners said their youngest child “has left us far too soon.”

On Monday, the U.S. State Department confirmed to ABC News that Miller Gardner died while he was in Costa Rica.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Costa Rica on March 21,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time.”

The State Department did not say what city the Gardners were staying in at the time of the teen’s death.

“We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st,” the statement from Gardner and his wife read. “Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”

The couple also expressed deep gratitude for the support and encouragement they’ve received.

“We are confident our faith, family, and friends will help us navigate this unimaginable loss,” the Gardners wrote in the statement. “Our prayers go out to Miller’s teammates and friends, as well as to all other families who have lost a child far too soon as we share their grief. Please respect our wishes for privacy as we mourn and search for healing.”

In addition to Miller, Brett and Jessica Gardner also share an older son, Hunter Gardner.

Brett Gardner, a former outfielder, spent his entire 14-season MLB career with the Yankees. He was named an American League All-Star in 2015 and won a Golden Glove Award in 2016, and was part of the team that won the World Series in 2009, just one year after making his major league debut. He retired following the 2021 season.

In the wake of the news of Miller Gardner’s death, the Yankees shared a separate statement on Facebook, offering “unconditional and absolute” love to the Gardner family, while also acknowledging their need for privacy during this difficult time.

“Words feel insignificant and insufficient in trying to describe such an unimaginable loss,” the Yankees’ statement reads. “It wasn’t just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years — so did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller.”

“We grieve with Brett, Jessica, Hunter and their community of family and friends in mourning the loss of Miller, who had a spark in his eyes, an outgoing and feisty personality, and a warm and loving nature,” the statement added.

“May Miller rest in peace,” the statement concludes.

House Republicans eye hearings on Judge Boasberg, bill to rein in federal judges

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As President Donald Trump’s battle with the judiciary escalates, House Republicans are eyeing ways to rein in judges from blocking parts of his agenda.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said on Monday his panel will hold hearings next week on U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who is at the center of the administration’s legal fight over deportation flights and the Alien Enemies Act.

Trump accused Boasberg — an Obama appointee who was first named to a lower Washington, D.C., court by President George W. Bush — of bias and called for his impeachment after he blocked the administration from using a centuries-old law to deport more than 200 alleged gang members to El Salvador.

Trump and his Republican allies, including Jordan, have also taken issue with the use of injunctions and temporary restraining orders to halt Trump policies nationwide as the courts weigh the merits of each case.

“It really starts to look like Judge Boasberg is operating purely political against the president, and that’s what we want to have hearings on — this broad issue and some of what Judge Boasberg is doing,” Jordan said on Fox News.

Jordan said he thought Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will do the same.

In addition to hearings, Jordan said he expects House Republican leadership to move forward with a bill from California Rep. Darrell Issa aimed at limiting some judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions.

Issa’s bill — entitled the “No Rogue Rulings Act” — would put restrictions on federal judges issuing orders providing injunctive relief that impacts the entire country outside their districts.

Jordan called it a “good piece of legislation.” The bill was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee before lawmakers broke for recess earlier this month.

Speaker Mike Johnson appears to be warming up to the idea of potentially impeaching judges who rule against Trump, saying “everything is on the table.”

“Impeachment is an extraordinary measure. We’re looking at all the alternatives that we have to address this problem. Activist judges are a serious threat to our system,” Johnson said Monday afternoon.

Johnson confirmed that the GOP-led House will hold hearings to “highlight the abuses” of federal judges — saying lawmakers “may wind up questioning some of these judges themselves to have them defend their actions.”

“We’ll see about limiting the scope of federal injunctions,” he added. “One judge should not be able to suspend and uphold everything that a president does on their issues. I think the American people agree with that.”

Over the weekend, Johnson appeared to endorse the measure, writing on X that the House is “working overtime to limit the abuses of activist federal judges.”

“Speaker Johnson’s indicated he’d like to get this bill to the floor next week and move it through the process,” Jordan told Fox News. “So, we think there’s some things we can do legislatively, and then, frankly, there’s the broader issue of all these judges’ injunctions and then decisions like Judge Boasberg … what he’s trying to do, and how that case is working.”

Meanwhile, the push from Trump, Elon Musk and several Republican hardliners to impeach Boasberg and other judges faces steeper obstacles.

Johnson has not said where he stands on pursuing impeachment, but given the slim House majority, it would be extremely difficult to get the House Republican conference together to vote to impeach a judge.

If the House were to successfully impeach a judge, the Senate would be compelled to act in some way, but the odds of a Senate conviction are almost zero, as it would require support from at least 14 Democrats.

As the rhetoric ramps up between the Trump administration and the courts, the U.S. Marshals Service is warning federal judges of an increase in threats, ABC News reported. Chief Justice John Roberts last week issued a rare public statement amid Trump’s attacks on Boasberg, saying impeachment was not “an appropriate response” to legal disagreements and that the correct path forward was the appeals process.

Multiple incendiary devices found at Tesla dealership in Texas: Police

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Multiple incendiary devices were found at a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas, on Monday morning, according to the Austin Police Department.

Officers located the “suspicious devices” after responding to a Tesla dealership on U.S. Route 183 just after 8 a.m. local time and called the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad to investigate, police said in a statement.

The devices were determined to be incendiary and were “taken into police custody without incident,” officials said.

Police said it is an ongoing investigation, and had no further information to release at this time.

Recent attacks aimed at Tesla dealerships, vehicles and charging stations have been reported in Las Vegas; Seattle; Kansas City, Missouri; and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as other cities across the United States since Tesla CEO Elon Musk began his role with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

In a public announcement Friday evening, the FBI said incidents targeting Teslas have been recorded in at least nine states since January, including arson, gunfire and graffiti.

“These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night,” the FBI said in the public service announcement. “Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes.”

The FBI urged the public to be vigilant and to look out for suspicious activity in areas around Tesla dealerships.

Trump officials accidentally shared Yemen war plans via group chat with media: Report

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Members of the Trump administration coordinated highly sensitive Yemen war plans on an unsecure group chat, which accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, he wrote in a report for the publication on Monday.

White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes shared with ABC News the statement he provided The Atlantic confirming the veracity of a Signal group chat, which Goldberg said included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain. The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our servicemembers or our national security,” Hughes said in the statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Judge keeps block on Trump gang deportations, says they face ‘torture, beatings’ in El Salvador

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A federal appeals court is hearing arguments Monday over the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act last week to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador with no due process.

The hearing comes hours after a federal judge ruled that the migrants deserved to have a court hearing before their deportations to determine whether they belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang.

In a ruling denying the Trump administration’s request to dissolve his order blocking the deportations, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that Trump’s “unprecedented use” of the Alien Enemies Act does not remove the government’s responsibility to ensure the men removed could contest their designation as alleged gang members.

Trump last week invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime authority used to deport noncitizens with little-to-no due process — by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a “hybrid criminal state” that is invading the United States. Boasberg temporarily blocked the president’s use of the law to deport more than 200 alleged gang members to El Salvador, calling the removals “awfully frightening” and “incredibly troublesome.”

An official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subsequently acknowledged in a sworn declaration that “many” of the noncitizens deported last week under the Alien Enemies Act did not have criminal records in the United States.

“The Court need not resolve the thorny question of whether the judiciary has the authority to assess this claim in the first place. That is because Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on another equally fundamental theory: before they may be deported, they are entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all,” Judge Boasberg wrote in his ruling Monday, adding the men were likely to win their case.

Judge Boasberg acknowledged that the use of the Alien Enemies Act “implicates a host of complicated legal issues” but sidestepped the larger question of whether the law was properly invoked, instead focusing on the due process deserved by the men. He added that the men have been irreparably harmed by their removal to an El Salvadoran prison where they face “torture, beatings, and even death.”

“Federal courts are equipped to adjudicate that question when individuals threatened with detention and removal challenge their designation as such. Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge,” he wrote.

Judge Boasberg also cast doubt on the Trump administration’s allegation that the decision risks national security, noting that the men would still be detained within the United States if they had not been deported.

During a court hearing on Friday, DOJ lawyers acknowledged that the men deported on the Alien Enemies Act have the right to a habeas hearing — where they could contest their alleged membership in Tren de Aragua — but declined to vow that each man would be given a hearing before they were removed from the country.

A three-judge appeals panel is hearing arguments Monday over the Trump administration’s request to overturn Judge Boasberg’s ruling blocking the deportations.

If the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Boasberg’s blocking of the president’s use of the centuries-old wartime law, the Trump administration could exercise the authority to deport any suspected migrant gang member with little-to-no due process.

Lawyers representing the Venezuelan men targeted under Trump’s proclamation have argued that the president exceeded his authority by using the Alien Enemies Act against a gang — rather than a state actor — outside of wartime.

“The President is trying to write Congress’s limits out of the act,” the plaintiffs argued, adding that U.S. presidents have used the law three other times during or immediately preceding a war.

But the Trump administration has argued that the judiciary does not have the right to review the use of the Alien Enemies Act, alleging the deportations fall under the president’s Article II powers to remove alleged terrorists and execute the country’s foreign policy.

“The President’s action is lawful and based upon a long history of using war authorities against organizations connected to foreign states and national security judgments, which are not subject to judicial second guessing,” DOJ lawyers have argued in court filings.

The Trump administration is asking the appeals court to overturn Boasberg’s temporary restraining order blocking the deportations, while Judge Boasberg continues to examine whether the Trump administration deliberately defied his order by sending the men to an El Salvadoran prison rather than returning them to the United States as he directed.

“The government’s not being terribly cooperative at this point, but I will get to the bottom of whether they violated my order and who ordered this and what’s the consequence,” Boasberg said on Friday.

With deportations under the Alien Enemies Act temporarily blocked, the Trump administration has vowed to use other authorities to deport noncitizens. Over the weekend, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that the country had reached an agreement to resume repatriation flights of Venezuelan migrants from the U.S.

“We’re going to keep targeting the worst of the worst, which we’ve been doing since day one, and deporting from the United States through the various laws on the books,” border czar Tom Homan told ABC’s Jon Karl on Sunday.

The three-person panel hearing today’s arguments includes two judges nominated by Republican presidents, including one nominated by Trump himself. The D.C. Circuit is the last stop before the Trump administration could take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Trump nominated three judges during his last term, solidifying the court’s conservative majority.

Trump appoints former personal attorney Alina Habba as US attorney for New Jersey

March 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday named Alina Habba, his personal attorney-turned-White House counselor, to serve as the next interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.

“Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career, and she will fight tirelessly to secure a Legal System that is both ‘Fair and Just’ for the wonderful people of New Jersey,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Habba told reporters outside the West Wing after the announcement that she’s going to do a “bang-up job” tackling corruption.

“As you know, I’ve stood by President Trump, his family, the [Trump] organization, and many other clients in that state where I’ve been born and raised, and I’m raising my babies now, but there is corruption, there is injustice, and there is a heavy amount of crime right in [Sen.] Cory Booker’s backyard and right under Governor [Phil] Murphy, and that will stop,” Habba said without making any specific allegations of corruption.

Asked who she will go after, she said, “We’ll see when I get in there.”

Pressed on whether she would go after politicians, she shot back that the media would “love that narrative.” When it was pointed out that she had mentioned politicians in her remarks, she said, “I didn’t,” but when reminded that she had mentioned Booker and Murphy, she admitted it.

“Correct, because I think Cory Booker and Governor Murphy have failed the state of New Jersey. If you look at what happened in crime, what’s going on in Newark, what’s going on in Camden, this has been a neglected state,” she said. “It is one of the most populated states for its size, and it needs to stop. We’re going to do a bang-up job. I cannot wait. It’s a great honor.”

Habba did not answer repeated questions on why Trump appointed her to the role on an interim basis rather than permanently, and she would not say if she had political ambitions in New Jersey.

“I look forward to working with [Attorney General] Pam Bondi, with the Department of Justice, and making sure that we further the president’s agenda of putting America first, cleaning up mess and going after the people that we should be going after, not the people that are falsely accused,” she added. “That will stop in the great state of New Jersey, starting now.”

Earlier Monday Habba posted on X, “I am honored to serve my home state of New Jersey as Interim U.S. Attorney and I am grateful to President Trump for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility. Just like I did during my time as President Trump’s personal attorney, I will continue to fight for truth and justice. We will end the weaponization of justice, once and for all.”

Trump said Habba would replace the current interim U.S. attorney, John Giordano, who he will nominate to be the ambassador to Namibia.

Habba rose to fame as a member of Trump’s circle after several years in private practice in New Jersey.

After working as a merchandiser at fashion company Marc Jacobs for two years, Habba attended Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Pennsylvania, graduating in 2011. She served a yearlong clerkship with then-New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Codey Jr. then worked in private practice for eight years at two separate firms before starting her own practice in 2020, focusing on civil and commercial litigation.

After reportedly becoming acquainted with Trump through membership in his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, Habba’s big break with the former president came when she represented him in a $100 million lawsuit against the New York Times and his estranged niece, Mary L. Trump.

The New York Times lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, and Habba’s other cases for Trump have resulted in a mixed record. She received praise from Trump after Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant who accused the former president of sexual assault, dropped her defamation case against Trump.

But when Habba filed a lawsuit claiming that Hillary Clinton and others conspired to damage Trump’s reputation, the judge overseeing the case dismissed the suit, accused Trump of “using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries,” and fined Trump and Habba nearly $1 million.

Habba became linked to Trump by serving as his legal spokesperson on the heels of his four criminal indictments, and appearing by his side every day he has attended his civil fraud trial in New York. Along the way, her firm has been paid $3.6 million from Trump’s political action committees, according to records reviewed by ABC News.

She has cited her experiences with the former president to not only defend his conduct but also his character. Appearing on Fox News after Trump was indicted for the unlawful retention of classified documents in Florida, she said of Trump, “He’s the most ethical American I know.”

In announcing her appointment as counselor to the president in December, Trump said “Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team. She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles, and countless days in Court.”

-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report

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