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(LOS ANGELES) — When Los Angeles Police Department officers went racing toward a potential kidnapping call downtown this week, callers indicated a true kidnapping was underway, according to police.
Police say the caller stated that several individuals were involved, but did not identify themselves.
Officers and an LAPD supervisor say they arrived on scene to find an agitated crowd as federal agents were taking part in an immigration enforcement arrest, which have been increasingly common in Los Angeles as the Trump administration has surged resources to the city in recent weeks.
The arrests prompted days of protests earlier this month, which saw both peaceful marches and violent clashes with law enforcement.
The alleged kidnapping, which happened Tuesday morning, has similarities to an incident earlier in June when federal agents, driving cars that appeared to be civilian vehicles, crashed into a car while making an immigration arrest, prompting calls to the LAPD of a hit-and-run accident. The agents left, with their apparent target in handcuffs, after the encounter and before police arrived.
LAPD traffic officers responded and investigated the case as a hit and run, not initially knowing it had been a federal immigration arrest.
The LAPD says federal agents do not notify the police department of planned enforcement activity in advance. The department is in the dark on when or where operations will unfold or what methods federal agents will use.
They say this is partly because the department has been prohibited from immigration enforcement in a policy that goes back to 1979. And now, California law prohibits police agencies from working with federal immigration agents.
During recent federal immigration operations, agents involved almost completely cover their faces with masks or other coverings to protect their identities. They also typically wear street clothing and professional sports team hats along with tactical vests that often don’t clearly identify which agency they are with, besides the words “Police” or “Federal Agent.” They don’t display any serial number, badge number or name to identify themselves.
The lack of transparency by federal agents has California lawmakers proposing legislation that would require most federal, state and local law enforcement operating in the state to wear uniforms of some kind, clearly show a badge, identifiable information and their faces would have to be uncovered.
“Law enforcement officers are public servants, and people should be able to see their faces, see who they are, know who they are,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-Calif., when introducing the bill. “Otherwise, there is no transparency and no accountability.”
Wiener and the co-authors of his legislation are calling it the “No Secret Police Act.”
Lawmakers say the masks intimidate and the lack of any police uniforms and gear can make it unclear if the federal agents are even real law enforcement or are imposters posing as police to commit crimes or take advantage of the situation.
“What we have been seeing in the last few weeks are law enforcement — some local, some federal — who are wearing masks to completely hide their faces while they are carrying out deportation and other enforcement activities,” said Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair Jesse Arreguin, D-Oakland.
The legislation would, however, allow SWAT team members to cover their faces along with law enforcement who need to cover uniforms for wildfire gear and medical-grade masks over their faces if there is an airborne threat like smoke, a chemical agent or a virus.
In Tuesday’s potential kidnapping call, the LAPD says they found a woman partially handcuffed who moved toward officers and stood next to an LAPD patrol SUV. Police say that is when a federal agent approached and apprehended her. The LAPD says it was not involved in her detention or arrest. But officers moved onlookers out of the roadway and, like this month’s protests, were tasked with clearing the street and maintaining order and public safety.
But community activists allege local police allowed the “kidnapping” to go forward. “Guess who were protecting the kidnappers who were kidnapping our people? LAPD officers. They completely protected the ICE operation that kidnapped our people,” Ron Gochez, founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Union del Barrio, which has been reporting ICE sightings in real time on social media, told ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC.
But the LAPD said it did not take part in the federal operation and will “not participate in or assist with civil immigration enforcement,” according to a police statement. Rather, the LAPD said its officers remained on scene to “de-escalate tensions, move pedestrians out of the roadway, and allow emergency vehicles safe passage.”
(WASHINGTON) — Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was briefly hospitalized Wednesday morning after he got lightheaded at the gym, his spokesperson told ABC News.
He was treated for dehydration and released Wednesday, the spokesperson said, after going to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the New York Democrat was back at work at the Capitol, the spokesperson said.
“He wants to remind everyone to drink some water and stay out of the heat,” the spokesperson added.
(WASHINGTON) — Following his closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit on Wednesday, President Donald Trump didn’t rule out sending Ukraine monetary and defense aid as he voiced frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During his press conference at the conclusion of his trip to The Hague, Netherlands, Trump signaled a willingness to provide Ukraine with additional aid and sell or send Patriot air-defense missiles to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
“They do want to have the anti-missile, missiles,” Trump said of Ukraine. “As they call them the Patriots, and we’re going to see if we can make some available.”
Trump’s openness comes as Zelenskyy told ABC News earlier this month the United States diverted anti-drone weapons, previously promised to Ukraine under a Biden administration agreement, to the Middle East.
“You know, they’re very hard to get. We need them to. We were supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective,” Trump said.
“As far as money going, we’ll see what happens. There’s a lot of spirit,” Trump added.
Trump also appeared to shift his tone when describing his conversation with Zelenskyy, a relationship marked by many pivots.
“He was very nice, actually. You know, we had little rough times sometimes. He was uh – couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’d like to see an end to this. I do,” he said of Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy offered similar praise of Trump, calling their meeting “long and substantive” while affirming he told him Ukraine is ready to buy more U.S. weapons.
“With the President, we discussed the protection of our people — first and foremost, the purchase of American air defense systems to cover our cities, our people, churches, and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American arms manufacturers. Europe can help as well,” Zelenskyy said. “We also talked about possible joint drone production. We can strengthen each other.”
During his press conference, Trump added Zelenskyy was fighting a “brave” and “tough” battle while putting pressure on Putin to show more willingness to end the conflict.
“Look. Vladimir Putin really has to end that war. People are dying at levels that people haven’t seen for a long time.”
Then, when pressed on why he wasn’t able to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine quickly as he adamantly claimed while on the campaign trail, Trump again pointed the blame towards Putin.
“It’s more difficult than people wouldn’t have any idea,” Trump said.
“Vladimir Putin has been more difficult. Frankly, I had some problems with Zelenskyy. You may have read about him, and it’s been more difficult than other wars.”
Trump’s public praise of Zelenskyy marks a shift in tone for the President, who has had public battles with the leader of Ukraine.
Most notably in February, a public Oval Office spat between the two officials led to a scrapped bilateral mineral deal, which wasn’t finalized for two months until the pair sat down together on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Then, in recent weeks, as Trump focused on negotiating an agreement between Iran and Israel, he left last week’s G7 Summit in Canada early, skipping out on a bilateral with Ukraine.
However, after their meeting on Wednesday, Trump displayed more compassion for the situation in Ukraine in a moment highlighted by his exchange with a Ukrainian reporter who said her husband was a Ukrainian soldier while she and her children fled to Warsaw for safety.
“Wow, that’s rough stuff, right? That’s tough,” Trump said, asking the reporter many personal questions before answering her policy question.
“That’s very good question. And I wish you a lot of luck. I mean, I can see it’s very upsetting to you. So say hello to your husband. Okay?” Trump said.
(NEW YORK) — The stock market has been on a tear in recent weeks, shrugging off newly imposed tariffs, caution at the Federal Reserve and war in the Middle East.
The S&P 500 has soared 20% since an April low suffered after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement. Over that period, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has climbed 28%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has jumped 12%.
Over the past month — even as a U.S.-China trade tensions resurfaced and the Iran war broke out — the S&P 500 climbed more than 5%.
Concern among investors about topsy-turvy economic policy has given way to cautious optimism about a dialed-back tariff posture and continued economic growth, some analysts told ABC News. While day-to-day price swings will likely persist, they added, the current outlook points to further gains over the remainder of the year.
“The market is making a pretty concerted effort to try to look past some of these near term disruptions,” Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at PNC Financial Services, told ABC News.
In recent weeks, Trump has rolled back some of his steepest levies, easing costs imposed upon companies and alleviating concern about a sharp surge of inflation.
A trade agreement last month between the U.S. and China slashed tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies and triggered a surge in the stock market. Within days, Wall Street firms softened their forecasts of a downturn.
The downshift of tariffs has coincided with data demonstrating a healthy economy.
Fresh inflation data earlier this month showed a slight acceleration of price increases, but inflation remains near its lowest level since 2021. Hiring slowed but remained sturdy in May as the uncertainty surrounding on-again, off-again tariffs appeared to curtail hiring less than some economists feared, a government report this month showed.
The outbreak of tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel earlier this month sent stocks falling and hiked oil prices. Those challenges proved short-lived, however, as stocks resumed their gains and oil prices eased amid a ceasefire.
“The stock market doesn’t care about geopolitical events,” Ivan Feinseth, a market analyst at Tigress Financial, told ABC News. “The market might react for a day or two, but it was nothing sustained.”
Investors have also placed hope in an expected lowering of interest rates at the Fed. So far this year, the central bank has taken up a wait-and-see approach, holding interest rates steady as policymakers await the potential effects of tariffs. A recent Fed forecast suggested a likely pivot, however, predicting two quarter-point cuts this year as well as two quarter-point cuts next year.
“The stock market’s recent strength reflects growing optimism around a soft landing, improving corporate earnings and the potential for lower interest rates ahead,” Brian Buetel, managing director at UBS Wealth Management, said in a statement last week.
Still, the market faces meaningful risks, analysts said.
Trade tensions could worsen and tariffs could escalate, some analysts said, while noting the difficulty of anticipating exactly where the levies will land. A resumption of hostilities in the Middle East could drive up oil prices and hamper global economic growth, they added. A burst of tariff-induced inflation could nudge the Fed toward a cautious approach and delay potential interest rate cuts.
“Despite the market getting close to its highs, getting too enthusiastic is probably not what’s called for at this point,” Ma said. “It’s still a back-and-forth market.”
Nevertheless, analysts expect an upswing in the stock market over the remainder of 2025. Feinseth forecasted an uptick in the S&P from its current level of 6,090 to 6,500, which would mark an increase of 6%. Ma predicted similar gains, saying the market would rise at least 5%.
“We think the overall end destination is one that will be palatable for markets,” Ma said. “But it will be a bumpy path from here to there.”
(WASHINGTON) — With the Fourth of July just days away, law enforcement and federal officials are on guard about Iranian retaliation in the United States, despite officials saying there are no specific, credible threats at this time.
This comes after the U.S. military’s strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities by B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
“We would be foolish to assume that they’re not plotting revenge even if we can’t see it right now. It will come, and we need to maintain vigilance because if we don’t, they will use the element of surprise to their advantage and cause harm,” said Elizabeth Neumann, a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism during the first Trump administration.
Even before Saturday’s bombing mission in Iran, the U.S. was at a heightened level of security after a string of high-profile terrorist attacks occurred across the country in the first six month of 2025 — including a deadly truck ramming rampage in New Orleans on New Year’s Day and a June 1 Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado.
The wave of extremist violence has come against a backdrop of a rising number of assaults, vandalism and harassment nationwide linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
In the wake of the U.S. mission to cripple Iran’s ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, released a message on social media saying, “We will not surrender.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened in a speech that his country will seek revenge that will have “everlasting consequences” and accused the United States of committing “dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.”
“In accordance with the U.N. Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people,” Araghchi said.
On Monday, Iran carried out a missile attack on the United States’ Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. U.S. Central Command said both U.S. and Qatari forces “successfully defended” against the attack and that no casualties were reported.
Later in the day, President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been agreed upon between Israel and Iran, but tensions remained high into Wednesday.
‘A long memory’
In reponse to the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear apparatus, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a nationwide bulletin, saying the ongoing conflict is “causing a heightened threat environment in the United States” and warning that “low-level cyber-attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct against US networks.”
Neumann, an ABC News contributor, said Iran’s initial response to the U.S. bombing of three of its nuclear facilities is similar to what the country did following the Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. strike in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Forces.
Five days after Soleimani’s death, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on the U.S. Al Asad airbase in western Iraq. The attack left over 100 U.S. service members with traumatic brain injuries, according to the Pentagon.
“We were definitely very concerned about the potential for something to happen in the homeland,” said Neumann, who was working in the DHS under the first Trump administration when Soleimani was killed.
Neumann said the DHS’s Iran specialists assumed Iran would activate sleeper cells possibly in the United States and that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite militia group, would launch terrorist attacks against U.S. interest.
But Neumann said Iran’s attack on the Al Asad airbase was used by Iran to appease its domestic audience by publicly displaying pictures of the attack to give the impression they were pushing back against the United States.
“Since they mostly control the airwaves in Iran, they can kind of get away with it. They don’t actually have to do a major military strike and hurt us the way that we’ve hurt them because they can just kind of manufacture the story that they want for their domestic audience,” Neumann said.
Neumann recalled that at the time, the DHS rapidly prepared an assessment of what Soleimani’s assassination could mean for the United States and released a bulletin similar to the one DHS put out this week. But after the attack on the Al Asad airbase, Iran’s response quieted down.
“The Iranian regime … has a long memory and they recognize that they do not have the strength right now to get back at us,” Neumann said. “But they will wait and they will look for opportunities to cause harm.”
She noted that in August 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard attempted to pay an individual $300,000 to kill John Bolton, the National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, saying it was likely in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
In November 2024, the Department of Justice announced that three people, including one described as an “asset” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, were charged in Iran-linked murder plots, with one of them accused of trying to assassinate then-President-elect Trump to avenge the killing of Soleimani.
Iran could turn to ‘crude or escalatory tactics’ employing proxies
A threat assessment by the Center for Internet Security that was released after the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, said, “Tehran is likely to leverage a combination of direct, proxy, and irregular/inspired forces to conduct physical, cyber, or terrorist attacks against US interests both at home and aboard.”
“In light of Israeli strikes and the degradation of the Iranian proxy network in the Middle East, Iran will likely seek to re-establish deterrence against its adversaries, potentially relying on crude or escalatory tactics and informal networks,” according to the assessment. “US interests — particularly Embassies and military bases overseas — are likely to be targeted, and it is possible that Tehran will order or encourage attacks on the US government institutions, businesses, critical infrastructure, or civilians.”
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, widespread surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists that ignited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the DHS and FBI have repeatedly issued warnings that large-scale events are prime targets of violence.
“Violent extremist messaging continues to highlight major sporting and cultural events and venues as potential targets, and threat actors — including domestic violent extremists (DVEs), homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and other mass casualty attackers not motivated by an ideology — previously have targeted public events with little to no warning,” according to the joint bulletin put out in May by the DHS and FBI.
Given the nation’s alarming security threat, the FBI is planning to reallocate potentially thousands of FBI agents away from immigration enforcement work to focus on cyber threats and counterterrorism efforts, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Tuesday. Months ago, as ABC News has previously reported, the FBI directed agents from around the country, many of them working on counterterrorism and cyber issues, to focus instead on helping DHS conduct immigration enforcement operations.
‘Lone wolf’ and cyberattacks
Richard Frankel, a retired FBI agent, said that no credible threats against the U.S. homeland have been uncovered, “but there has been a lot of chatter.”
Frankel said in an ABC News Live interview on Monday that the FBI has been briefing the governors across the country about the heightened threat.
“They’re going to tell the governors that they need to maybe heighten their protection of special sights,” said Frankel, an ABC News contributor, adding that the New York Police Department has added extra security to landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum as well as synagogues and other religious institutions.
Don Mihalek, a retired senior Secret Service agent and a national security and law enforcement consultant, said a major concern for law enforcement is that Iran or its proxies will try to elicit “lone wolf” attackers, who are radicalized online, to create mayhem on its behalf.
“I think that’s the bigger issue that everybody is worried about because I don’t think the Iranians are dumb enough to launch a state-sponsored, flag-waving attack against the continent of the United States,” Mihalek, an ABC News contributor, said. “But I think they definitely could get some guy in a basement who is antisemitic, who is anti-U.S., who just needed that little push to go to the local shopping center or a mall some place and conduct a low grade, low level attack that would disrupt that part of the United States and if it was coordinated it would have a significant impact on the U.S.”
Mihalek noted the possibility of Iranian sleeper cells being activated in the United States to organize and execute attacks.
During a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked by Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, how many Iranian sleeper cells currently exist in the United States.
“Congressman, I can’t talk about that in this setting. But what I can tell you is I know Homeland Security, I know the FBI, and they are focusing on doing everything we can to keep our nation safe. And they will continue to do that,” Bondi said.
Asked by Gonzales how many active cases of threats to the homeland the DOJ currently has open, Bondi answered, “Countless” without elaborating.
And just flagging DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s comments on the threat from Monday:
Reporters asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday about the possibility that people who have crossed the border illegally could be Iranian-affiliated, radicalized actors.
“We’re aware that some of these folks that may have come into our country could’ve been radicalized and so that is why we go out every day to identify individuals that could be a threat to our homeland,” Noem said. “We recognize that as tensions escalate, there could be more of a potential for threats here at home. That’s why we’re at an elevated threat right now and we will continue to stay diligent.”
Nome said that in the past, there have been people who have been radicalized both in the United States and abroad.
Asked about concerns over the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, Noem said, “There’s been concern since I took this job.”
“We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America,” Noem said. “It’s not just Iran. It’s North Korea, Russia, China — consistently every single day are trying to threaten our way of life.”
How can the average citizen help?
Mihalek said another worry for law enforcement is that Iran or its supporters will attempt to commit cyberattacks in the United States.
In 2023, then-White House deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger told the Associated Press that an Iranian hacker group known as “Cyber Av3ngers” had conducted low-level cyberattacks on U.S. water authorities in multiple states and were responsible for a string of ransomeware attacks on the health care industry.
Mihalek said the average citizen could play a significant role in protecting themselves and helping law enforcement thwart attacks, particularly during large events scheduled around the Fourth of July.
“If you see something strange or have somebody in your orbit who is acting strange, you want to let somebody know so they can look at it and investigate it. Often when that happens, the threat is mitigated before it becomes a problem,” Mihalek said. “The other part is if you’re going out some place, you’re going to an event, take the time to look for the exits, how to get out of some place, pay attention to your surroundings and listen to your gut.”
(NEWARK, N.J.) — New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she assaulted law enforcement officers outside of an immigration detention facility, her office said.
McIver appeared in a federal court on Wednesday for her arraignment after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment earlier this month charging her with “assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering” with federal law enforcement officers.
The Democratic congresswoman has alleged the prosecution is politically motivated and her office called the charges “baseless.”
“Rep. McIver has confidently entered her official plea: not guilty. She is crystal clear that she will not back down as leaders across this country are targeted for speaking up,” her spokeswoman, Hanna Rumsey, said in a statement Wednesday. “These charges have always been about politics and Rep. McIver will not be deterred from doing the work the people of New Jersey elected her to do. The Congresswoman will not fold.”
On May 9, McIver and several other members of Congress were at Delaney Hall, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, to conduct oversight.
Tensions escalated when a federal officer ordered Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to leave a secured area of the facility or face arrest, and pushing and shoving allegedly occurred, according to prosecutors.
“During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him,” the Department of Justice said in a press release following the indictment. “McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer.”
Following the indictment, McIver said the “facts are on our side.”
“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” she said in a statement at the time. “This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. But it won’t work — I will not be intimidated.”
Supporters of McIver gathered outside the Newark federal court on Wednesday, with some calling for the closure of Delaney Hall.
If convicted, the maximum penalty for the charges in the indictment ranges from one to eight years, according to interim New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.
“As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties,” Habba, President Donald Trump’s former defense attorney, said in a statement following the indictment. “While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.”
Baraka was arrested at the facility and charged with trespassing, though Habba later dropped the charge.
An American Airlines plane. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
(LAS VEGAS) — An American Airlines flight returned safely to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport following an “engine issue” on Wednesday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Two videos showed what appeared to be smoke and flames coming from an engine while the plane was in the sky.
Matthew Villasista was at the Las Vegas National Golf Club when he saw what appeared to be smoke coming from the plane.
“We could hear lots of booming noises, almost like a boombox. It sort of stopped us in our tracks to hear the noises,” he told ABC News.
Mark Jackson was in a parking lot when he said he heard what sounded like “large fireworks.”
“When we looked up and saw what was really happening, I was shocked and super sad thinking about how scared everyone on board must be,” Jackson told ABC News. “Those brave pilots working under some heavy pressure. It just looked like it was dropping rapidly.”
American Airlines Flight 1665 — an Airbus A321 — was heading to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, the FAA said.
(FRISCO, Texas) — A Texas grand jury has indicted a teenager for first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of another teen at a track meet, in a case prosecutors said has “shaken” the community.
The deadly stabbing occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2 during a track and field championship involving multiple schools in the district.
Karmelo Anthony, a then-17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, was arrested and charged in the murder of Austin Metcalf, 17, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School who police said was stabbed during an altercation in the bleachers at the meet.
A grand jury has since indicted Anthony for first-degree murder, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced Tuesday. Willis said his team had presented evidence for several weeks before the Collin County grand jury returned the indictment. A trial schedule is yet to be set.
“We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond,” Willis said in a statement. “That’s understandable. When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core. But the justice system works best when it moves with steadiness and with principle. That’s what we’re committed to. And that’s exactly what this case deserves.”
Willis’ office noted that 17-year-olds are considered adults in the Texas criminal justice system. If convicted, Anthony faces five to 99 years, or life, in prison, the office said.
The teen has allegedly said he acted in self-defense, according to court records, a claim also raised by his defense attorney.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, called the indictment an “expected and routine step in the legal process,” and said the teen “looks forward to his day in court.”
“It’s only in a trial that a jury would hear the full story, one that includes critical facts and context that the grand jury simply didn’t get to hear,” Howard said.
“We expect that when the full story is heard, the prosecution will not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt that Karmleo Anthony may have acted in self-defense,” he added.
The stabbing occurred under the Memorial High School tent in the stadium bleachers, according to the arrest report. Responding officers said they spoke to multiple witnesses, including one who reported the altercation began after Metcalf told Anthony to move out from under their team’s tent, according to the arrest report.
The witness reported that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, “Touch me and see what happens,” according to the arrest report.
Metcalf grabbed Anthony to move him, according to a witness, and Anthony allegedly pulled out what the witness described as a black knife and “stabbed Austin once in the chest and then ran away,” the arrest report stated.
Anthony allegedly confessed to the killing and officers say he told them he was protecting himself, according to the arrest report.
Following the indictment, Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA that he’s “pleased that we are moving forward.”
“With the first degree murder indictment, it now goes into the court system,” Jeff Metcalf said in a statement to WFAA. “I fully believe that justice will be served for Austin Metcalf. I look forward to the forthcoming trial. But it will never bring my son back.”
Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, spoke out on the incident at a press event in April, saying the family has “been under attack.”
“Whatever you think what happened … my three younger children, my husband and I didn’t do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about,” she said.
Anthony was initially held on $1 million bond following his arrest, though he was released from the Collin County Jail after a judge reduced his bond to $250,000.
As part of his bond conditions, he has been ordered to be on house arrest, be supervised by a parent or designated adult at all times and have no contact with Metcalf’s family, according to court records.
Both the Metcalf and Anthony families have launched fundraisers that have each raised more than $500,000.
(ASBURY PARK, N.J.) — A lifeguard is in the hospital after she was impaled by an umbrella at a New Jersey beach on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The woman was found on the ground near the lifeguard stand with an umbrella stake that had pierced the front of her left shoulder and was sticking out the back of her arm by about 1 foot, Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy told ABC News.
She was being treated by her fellow lifeguards, Keddy said, and when the fire department officials arrived they took over and stabilized her. The fire department responders also cut the umbrella stake in the front and in the back to make the wound more manageable, he said.
Paramedics then responded and took the lifeguard to a hospital, Keddy said, adding she was conscious and alert the whole time.
“She’s a tough young woman,” the chief said.
The circumstances surrounding the impalement were not immediately clear, but Keddy said his advice to beachgoers is to always make sure umbrellas are placed securely in the sand and are carried with the point down.
(WASHINGTON) — At a confirmation hearing Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s pick for the director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Susan Monarez, faced questions about her stance on vaccines — after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has recently made controversial choices around them
Monarez was clear in her support for vaccines.
“I think vaccines save lives. I think that we need to continue to support the promotion of utilization of vaccines,” Monarez said.
Her comments came as she was asked by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders about a recent decision reported by POLITICO that Kennedy has decided to end U.S. funding for a global vaccine alliance, Gavi.
“I wasn’t involved in that decision making. If I’m confirmed as a CDC director, I will certainly look into it, and I’m happy to follow up with you,” Monarez said.
Kennedy has long held many vaccine-skeptic views, refuted by experts and high-quality studies, long before he joined the administration, but he has insisted he is not “anti-vaccine” and rather “pro-safety.”
Earlier this month, Kennedy removed all 17 sitting members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with new members. The move has been controversial, with some experts saying it makes the U.S. “less prepared for infectious disease threats.”
Monarez also stood apart from Kennedy on her views on autism, and whether there is any link between the neurological disorder and childhood vaccinations — which Kennedy has long raised as a potential reason for rising rates of autism diagnoses.
“I have not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism,” Monarez said, asked by Sanders if she agrees with the American Medical Association’s stance “that there is no scientific proven link between vaccines and autism.”
Kennedy, in his own confirmation hearing, refused to acknowledge that there is not a link between vaccines and autism, causing him to nearly lose the key vote of Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican and a doctor.
Kennedy has since launched a major effort at NIH to look into the causes of rising autism diagnoses.
The myth that vaccines cause autism was born out of a fraudulent 1998 study, hypothesizing that the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine caused intestinal inflammation, which, in turn, led to the development of autism.
The paper has since been discredited by health experts, retracted from the journal in which it was published, and its primary author, Andrew Wakefield, lost his medical license after an investigation found he had acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in conducting his research.
More than a dozen high-quality studies have since found no evidence of a link between childhood vaccines and autism.
Monarez outlined her credentials in her opening statements, touting her experience with health technology and public health. She also laid out her goals as the CDC director, which includes restoring public trust, modernizing public health infrastructure and employing evidence-based rapid decision making.
“These priorities support the president’s and the secretary’s vision of a healthier America. To achieve them, I will lead with integrity, transparency and purpose, and work with Congress to maximize health outcomes and protect the American people,” Monarez said in her opening statement.
Trump tapped Monarez to lead the CDC in March after the administration withdrew Trump’s other pick, Dr. David Weldon, to head the agency citing the fact that he did not have the votes needed to be confirmed.
Monarez, if confirmed, will work with Kennedey to “prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!” Trump said in a social media post announcing her nomination.
Monarez has served as the acting CDC director since late January.
She has experience in both the public and private sector — including working in the government under former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump’s first term and Joe Biden. Her work has included strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, too.
She has also led projects to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve health outcomes.
