(FALL RIVER, Mass.) — A 10th victim has died as a result of injuries sustained in a devastating fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, according to the district attorney’s office.
Brenda Cropper, 66, was hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday night’s five-alarm blaze at the Gabriel House, and succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced on Thursday.
The other residents killed have been identified as: 64-year-old Rui Albernaz, 61-year-old Ronald Codega, 69-year-old Margaret Duddy, 78-year-old Robert King, 71-year-old Kim Mackin, 78-year-old Richard Rochon, 86-year-old Eleanor Willett and 77-year-old Joseph Wilansky. The name of one victim, a 70-year-old woman, has not been released.
Dozens were hurt at the Gabriel House, which was home to about 70 people.
The fire “was destined to kill 50-plus people,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said at a news conference on Wednesday, praised the “heroic” first responders who he said saved dozens of lives.
Firefighters who rushed to the scene have described seeing faces in windows and “having to decide who they needed to rescue,” Bacon said, overcome with emotion.
One responder pushed through the heavy, black smoke inside the building to break into rooms and pull out nonambulatory residents, he said.
A captain at the scene found it “eerily quiet” when he responded to the front door, where flames were blowing out, the chief said.
“He knocked down the fire very quickly, to the point that countless lives were saved,” Bacon said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The district attorney’s office said it “does not appear to be suspicious.”
Bacon noted the fire started in a room on the second floor.
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats walked out before Republicans voted on Thursday to advance President Donald Trump’s nomination of Emil Bove — the controversial top Justice Department official who formerly served as Trump’s defense attorney — to a seat on the powerful Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
The Democrats left before Republicans forced the vote for Bove’s lifetime appointment on the appeals court that oversees districts in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bove has repeatedly drawn criticism from Democrats in the opening six months of Trump’s presidency for cultivating a reputation as one of President Trump’s chief enforcers at DOJ.
The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to advance Bove means he will next face a vote in the full Senate.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker spoke furiously from the dais, pleading with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley to allow further debate on Bove’s nomination, but Grassley declined.
“What are you afraid of about even debating this?” Booker asked Grassley.
“Sir, with all appeals to your decency, with all appeals to your integrity, with all appeals to past jurisdictions and past precedent, why are you doing this?” Booker asked.
More than 900 former Justice Department employees sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday urging lawmakers to vote down Bove’s nomination.
He has fired scores of one-time career officials at Main Justice and the FBI, including prosecutors who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations of Trump as well as the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Bove also was at the center of the department’s controversial decision to drop the federal corruption case against New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, which led to the resignations of multiple prosecutors who argued the effort appeared to be a ‘quid pro quo’ to secure Adams’ cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
Adams and Bove have both denied any such “quid pro quo” arrangement, but in agreeing to drop the charges the federal judge overseeing Adams’ case dinged the Justice Department writing, “Everything here smacks of a bargain.”
“Mr. Bove’s trampling over institutional norms in this case, and in others, sent shockwaves through the ranks — cratering morale, triggering mass departures, and eroding the effectiveness of DOJ’s vital work,” the prosecutors wrote of Bove’s actions. “Prosecutorial authority carries profound consequences on individuals’ lives and the integrity of our public institutions; wielding it without impartiality is a flagrant abuse of that power.”
More recently, however, Bove’s actions have come under scrutiny as the subject of a whistleblower complaint by fired DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, who has accused Bove and other top DOJ officials of repeatedly discussing how they could potentially disobey court orders that seek to restrict the Trump administration’s immigration actions.
Reuveni’s complaint alleged that in one meeting Bove suggested saying “f— you” to courts who may try to block deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
During his confirmation hearing, Bove disputed much of Reuveni’s complaint — though he only said he could “not recall” using such an expletive to describe their response to a court order.
“Each one of the undersigned would testify, under oath, that we have never — and would never — tell a Justice Department attorney to consider defying a court order,” the letter said. “Moreover, the Justice Department’s later defiance of judicial mandates in the cases where Mr. Bove previewed doing so further suggests that disregarding court orders was Mr. Bove’s intent all along.”
Republicans on the committee rushed to Bove’s defense in the wake of the whistleblower complaint, and accused Reuveni of partnering with Democrats in seeking to tank Bove’s nomination by filing it with the committee just 24 hours before he was set to appear publicly before them.
Responding to the former DOJ officials’ letter Wednesday, department official Brian Nieves attacked Justice Connection as a “political hit squad masquerading as a support network” and said “they certainly don’t speak for DOJ.”
“They speak for a bitter faction angry they no longer call the shots,” said Nieves, a deputy chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their attacks on Emil Bove are dishonest, coordinated, and disgraceful.”
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats walked out before Republicans voted on Thursday to advance President Donald Trump’s nomination of Emil Bove — the controversial top Justice Department official who formerly served as Trump’s defense attorney — to a seat on the powerful Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
The Democrats left before Republicans forced the vote for Bove’s lifetime appointment on the appeals court that oversees districts in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bove has repeatedly drawn criticism from Democrats in the opening six months of Trump’s presidency for cultivating a reputation as one of President Trump’s chief enforcers at DOJ.
The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to advance Bove means he will next face a vote in the full Senate.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker spoke furiously from the dais, pleading with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley to allow further debate on Bove’s nomination, but Grassley declined.
“What are you afraid of about even debating this?” Booker asked Grassley.
“Sir, with all appeals to your decency, with all appeals to your integrity, with all appeals to past jurisdictions and past precedent, why are you doing this?” Booker asked.
More than 900 former Justice Department employees sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday urging lawmakers to vote down Bove’s nomination.
He has fired scores of one-time career officials at Main Justice and the FBI, including prosecutors who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations of Trump as well as the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Bove also was at the center of the department’s controversial decision to drop the federal corruption case against New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, which led to the resignations of multiple prosecutors who argued the effort appeared to be a ‘quid pro quo’ to secure Adams’ cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
Adams and Bove have both denied any such “quid pro quo” arrangement, but in agreeing to drop the charges the federal judge overseeing Adams’ case dinged the Justice Department writing, “Everything here smacks of a bargain.”
“Mr. Bove’s trampling over institutional norms in this case, and in others, sent shockwaves through the ranks — cratering morale, triggering mass departures, and eroding the effectiveness of DOJ’s vital work,” the prosecutors wrote of Bove’s actions. “Prosecutorial authority carries profound consequences on individuals’ lives and the integrity of our public institutions; wielding it without impartiality is a flagrant abuse of that power.”
More recently, however, Bove’s actions have come under scrutiny as the subject of a whistleblower complaint by fired DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, who has accused Bove and other top DOJ officials of repeatedly discussing how they could potentially disobey court orders that seek to restrict the Trump administration’s immigration actions.
Reuveni’s complaint alleged that in one meeting Bove suggested saying “f— you” to courts who may try to block deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
During his confirmation hearing, Bove disputed much of Reuveni’s complaint — though he only said he could “not recall” using such an expletive to describe their response to a court order.
“Each one of the undersigned would testify, under oath, that we have never — and would never — tell a Justice Department attorney to consider defying a court order,” the letter said. “Moreover, the Justice Department’s later defiance of judicial mandates in the cases where Mr. Bove previewed doing so further suggests that disregarding court orders was Mr. Bove’s intent all along.”
Republicans on the committee rushed to Bove’s defense in the wake of the whistleblower complaint, and accused Reuveni of partnering with Democrats in seeking to tank Bove’s nomination by filing it with the committee just 24 hours before he was set to appear publicly before them.
Responding to the former DOJ officials’ letter Wednesday, department official Brian Nieves attacked Justice Connection as a “political hit squad masquerading as a support network” and said “they certainly don’t speak for DOJ.”
“They speak for a bitter faction angry they no longer call the shots,” said Nieves, a deputy chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their attacks on Emil Bove are dishonest, coordinated, and disgraceful.”
(UNION, Maine) — A 17-year-old has been arrested in the alleged murder of Sunshine Stewart, a paddleboarder who was found dead after being reported missing in Maine earlier this month.
Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police revealed Thursday. The 48-year-old was found dead on July 3 at Crawford Pond in Union, a popular recreation spot near the campground where she was staying.
The suspect, who is male, was arrested without incident Wednesday night, police said. He is from Maine and came to the pond area to spend summer vacation time with his family, according to an official familiar with the investigation.
The suspect, who has not been named by police, was transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, according to Maine State Police.
The Office of the Chef Medical Examiner in Augusta determined the manner of death was a homicide.
The condition of the body when it was found indicated the death was not a suicide or an accidental drowning, officials said.
The tragedy had left the residents of small, tight knit community scared.
Stewart rented a camp site at Mic Mac Family Campground for the summer season on May 1. She had only stayed on the grounds for two or three nights prior to her disappearance on the evening of July 2. The owner of the campground said she has provided hours of video to authorities in case it can prove useful.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Heat advisories are in effect from Texas to New Hampshire as dangerous temperatures grip the eastern half of the U.S.
In the Northeast on Thursday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is forecast to skyrocket to 105 degrees in Washington, D.C.; 103 degrees in Philadelphia; 97 in New York City; and 93 in Boston.
In the South, an extreme heat warning has been issued south of Memphis, Tennessee, and in eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.
The heat index will soar to a life-threatening 103 degrees in Charlotte, North Carolina; 106 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee, and Shreveport, Louisiana; 107 in Memphis; and 108 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi.
The heat will dissipate after Thursday, but it’s expected to return next week, with nearly two-thirds of the eastern U.S. facing warmer than normal temperatures.
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate narrowly approved a White House request to claw back $9 billion from the federal budget, including funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
The final vote early Thursday morning was 51-48 with Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting with Democrats against the rescissions bill.
President Donald Trump requested the cuts, which include significant cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The passage marks a win for Trump, who called the cuts a priority even though some Republicans voiced opposition.
A number of Republicans that represent states with rural communities — such as Murkowski of Alaska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota — have expressed concerns about cuts to public broadcasting that could affect the ability of certain communities to access emergency alerts.
The bill now returns to the House with a deadline for final passage on Friday. The House must pass the bill on or before Friday in order to meet the deadline on this package.
The final vote happened after an hourslong and slow-moving vote-a-rama — or marathon voting session — during which Democrats offered numerous amendments to the bill. The bulk of Democratic amendments focused on trying to fight back against cuts to both public broadcast and global health that are in the bill.
The Senate’s process to advance the package began on Tuesday night when Republicans narrowly advanced the rescissions package with the assist of the tie-breaking vote of Vice President J.D. Vance.
Three Republicans crossed the aisle on Tuesday night to cast votes against the bill after raising concerns about the lack of detail in the White House’s rescission plan: Sens. Collins, Murkowski and Mitch McConnell.
(NEW YORK) — Dialogue heard on a cockpit voice recording indicates that the captain of the Air India flight that crashed in June, killing 260 people, may have turned off the fuel just after takeoff, prompting the first officer to panic, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with U.S. official’s early assessment.
A preliminary report released last week included detail about the switches, saying that the fuel to the plane’s engines appeared to have been shut off just seconds after the plane lifted off.
According to that preliminary report, shortly after takeoff, the plane’s fuel cutoff switches for both engines went from the “RUN” position to the “CUTOFF” position, one after another within one second — shutting off fuel to both engines.
In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he hit the cutoff switch, according to the preliminary report. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” that report stated.
The WSJ report added detail to that conversation, saying the dialogue “between the flight’s two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s two engines,” according to the WSJ’s sources.
ABC News’ Clara McMichael contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, met Wednesday with congressional Democrats in Washington as he continues his outreach to members of New York’s congressional delegation, some of whom still have not said whether they’ll endorse him.
Some of those members have pointed to concerns over his progressive policy proposals or how he has declined to criticize the pro-Palestinian phrase “Globalize the intifada,” although he himself has not used the phrase and has emphasized policies to combat antisemitism.
Most members leaving a breakfast meeting organized by key ally Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York at a Washington restaurant did not disclose what was discussed, although Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., said the meeting was focused on strategizing after Mamdani’s stunning win in the primary and Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., a Muslim member of Congress, told ABC News that the meeting was focused on skills Mamdani could share and about his background.
“It was a ‘skill-share’ where he just talked about the way in which he’s embodied his experience as an organizer, as a local elected, but also like as a young Muslim man, born and raised in one of the most diasporic cities in the world, and as a Muslim elected, I was not only inspired by it, I learned a lot.”
When asked by ABC News if she thinks Mamdani is appealing to moderates, Simon said, “Listen, he’s winning,” and praised his ability to reach out to people across races and backgrounds.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., continues to hedge on whether he’ll endorse Mamdani but is set to meet with him in New York this week.
Ocasio-Cortez told reporters that members showed up in good faith even if they weren’t fully onboard with him.
Asked what she’d say to skeptics, including members of the New York delegation who haven’t endorsed Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez responded, “Get to know him. You know, this is not about having any kind of hard line. I think that, if anybody is skeptical, I would say, get to know him. And once you get into a room with him, kick the tires yourself and make your own assessment, instead of just kind of making assessments from what you may see on television.”
Later, while leaving votes at the Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez said discussion around the phrase “Globalize the intifada” did not come up at the event.
Mamdani has faced questions about comments he made about the controversial phrase while speaking on a podcast hosted by “The Bulwark”, where he said he could see that and similar phrases being reflective of “standing up for Palestinian human rights” and that he did not want to discuss the “the permissibility of language.”
He has emphasized hearing and understanding different perspectives on the phrase, which some say is a call for nonviolent uprising by Palestinians against Israeli control; others see it as a call for violence against Israelis and/or Jews. Mamdani has not used the phrase himself.
He has also emphasized policies to protect Jews and to combat antisemitism in New York.
President Donald Trump has attacked the Democratic socialist as a “100% Communist Lunatic” and a “nutjob” and other Republicans have used him to depict Democrats as “radical socialists” and out of step with the country.
Asked by a reporter if she thinks the Democratic Party is moving in a more socialist direction, Rep. Debbie Dingell said, “It’s a question by the media to try to stigmatize the Democratic Party. Every member of Congress runs in a district that is unique, and we all can learn from each other.”
Dingell praised Mamdani as “bright” and praised his campaigning.
“Donald Trump and he both get out and they talk to people, and they listen to people, and they understand how people feel. And he’s using social media the way that Donald Trump has,” she said. “And you know what? All of us in life have different perspectives, different experiences … everybody can learn from — if we take the time to listen to each other, see what they’re doing. Learn. We can all learn.”
Some congressional Democrats said they still had doubts about Mamdani.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, whose New York district partially includes a swath of Queens, told reporters on Wednesday that he was still critical of how Mamdani’s policy proposals could mean higher taxes and that he has not decided if he’ll endorse a candidate in the general election for mayor.
Asked by ABC News if he had considered going to the breakfast hosted by Ocasio-Cortez, he said, “I have other things on my calendar.”
The meeting came two days after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who conceded in the Democratic primary, said he would actively run an independent bid for mayor. Mamdani is also set to face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden.
After the meeting organized by Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani went to Capitol Hill for a meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a fellow democratic socialist who had endorsed Mamdani during the primary.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting as he prepared to catch a train back to New York, Mamdani said both the meeting with Democrats and the meeting with Sanders went well, and that he and the Democrats discussed “just the ways in which you want to unite the party.”
Asked if he’s winning over House Democrats who are skeptical about him, Mamdani said, “I think that we are continuing to grow our coalition.”Sanders said, “I think the issues that he’s campaigning on, the need to create a city that is affordable for working class people, is exactly what has to happen in New York.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use cane sugar in its iconic drink in the U.S.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
In a brief statement on its website, Coca-Cola said: “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon.”
High-fructose corn syrup has been Coca-Cola’s primary sweetener in U.S. products since 1985. The company currently uses cane sugar in products sold in several other markets, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East. The company also sells a limited amount of Coke in the U.S. made with sugar as a kosher option for Passover — distinguished by its yellow caps, instead of red.
A noted Diet Coke enthusiast, Trump’s relationship with the beverage giant has been well-documented.
Ahead of the inauguration for his second term, Trump received a special Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle from Coca-Cola Company Chairman and CEO James Quincey.
Why the change?
Trump didn’t specify a reason for the change. However, the announcement comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative gains traction, which advocates for removing HFCS from American food products. The initiative cites research linking HFCS to various health issues that contributes to obesity and chronic illness.
However, studies are mixed on whether cane sugar is healthier than HFCS, with research suggesting that any added sugars, regardless of what type, increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Dietitians recommend limiting added sugars of all varieties to less than 50 grams per day for most adults. One 12-ounce can of Coke has roughly 39 grams of sugar.
Coke’s switch from sugar to corn syrup
Coca-Cola’s 1985 transition to high-fructose corn syrup in the United States was primarily a business decision, the company said. The change coincided with rising sugar prices and agricultural policies that made corn syrup a more economical alternative.
(JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ) — One person died and 13 others were injured, including eight children, after being struck by lightning on Wednesday in New Jersey, officials said.
The strike hit the ground near a group at the Black Knight Bowbenders archery range, a well-known community site that regularly hosts events, Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina told ABC News’ New York station, WABC.
The Jackson Township Police Department said it received a call shortly after 7 p.m. reporting multiple people struck by lightning, resulting in a male being administered CPR, while multiple other victims were being triaged.
A 61-year-old male, who was identified by the mayor as an instructor, died from his injuries. Officials are continuing to gather information before releasing his identity, according to the mayor.
The injuries ranged from “burns to non-specific complaints of not feeling well,” the police department said in a statement to WABC.
All were transported to nearby hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center. One person with more serious injuries was taken to the Livingston Burn Center.
This was the twelfth lightning fatality this year.
“This is such a tragedy,” Reina said to WABC. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and all those injured tonight. It’s difficult to understand what happened.”
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the area Wednesday evening.
Much of northwest and central New Jersey was also under flood watches through Wednesday night, with storms expected to produce heavy downpours following a deadly deluge earlier this week.
A common misunderstanding is that a thunderstorm needs to be severe to be life-threatening, but that is not true. A casual summer thunderstorm that has a few rumbles of even distant thunder can be deadly.
Whether it’s raining or if it’s completely cloudy overhead or partially sunny as a storm builds, if thunder can be heard, there is a danger being outside and you should seek shelter immediately.
ABC News’ Darren Reynolds, Jason Volack and Daniel Manzo contributed to this report.
