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Trump threatens to put ICE agents in airports starting Monday amid DHS funding impasse

March 21, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he is ready to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to U.S. airports starting Monday if Democrats don’t agree to a funding package to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

“I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, ‘GET READY.’ NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!” the president wrote in a post to his social media platform.

In an earlier social media post on Saturday, Trump wrote that unless Democrats “immediately sign an agreement” he will move to deploy ICE agents into American airports and conduct security enforcement “like no one has ever seen before.”

Trump said that operations would include immigration enforcement. It’s currently unclear what security roles, exactly, ICE agents will take on in airports.

The White House referred ABC News back to the president’s post when asked what capacity Americans can expect to see ICE operating in at airports.

Trump’s statements come after Democrats on Friday blocked legislation to reopen DHS for the fifth time since the partial shutdown began in mid-February.

Democrats have demanded changes to policy surrounding ICE and Customs and Border Protection in exchange for votes to fund all of the department. Republicans, meanwhile, have rejected Democratic efforts to fund other agencies in DHS like the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Thousands of TSA employees have now missed their first full paychecks, and travelers are facing long lines at airports around the country.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, during an appearance on Fox News earlier Saturday, called on Democrats to negotiate with Republicans.

“I just wish they would stop using the American people as leverage. Make them go through pain so Democrats can get what they want legislatively,” Duffy said.

On Capitol Hill, in a rare Saturday morning press conference, Senate Majority Leader John Thune also urged Democrats to agree to a funding deal.

“At some point, the Democrats are going to have to take yes for an answer. I know they think this is politically good for them. It is not,” Thune, R-S.D., said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers met behind closed doors with White House border czar Tom Homan throughout the week. The latest meeting concluded late Friday night.

“We need to get the government open and we’ll keep talking until it has,” Homan told ABC News after the meeting.

Thune said he believed that meeting was “productive” and confirmed that the Trump administration added to its offer on DHS funding and submitted legislative text, though lawmakers have not publicly discussed what the new offer from the White House entails.

Thune said he hopes additional meetings take place over the weekend.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in speech on the Senate floor on Saturday, urged Republicans to support a Democratic effort to fund TSA while other negotiations continue.

“It is unacceptable for workers and travelers and entire airports to get taken hostage in political games, but that’s what the Republicans are doing,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

“It is unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms, but that’s what the Republicans have been doing. Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, with no strings attached,” Schumer added.

Schumer said Democrats are “having productive conversations on reforming ICE and CBP” but that the process is “ongoing.”

“But we must fund TSA now. Let us keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE, but let us start sending paychecks to TSA workers now. Let us end the long lines at the airport now,” Schumer said.

Robert Mueller, former FBI director and special counsel, dies at 81

March 21, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led the bureau in the tumultuous decade following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and who later served as special counsel overseeing the politically charged investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has died, his family announced. He was 81.

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night,” a family statement said. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”

The FBI Agents Association also weighed in on the passing of Mueller, noting he led the bureau “during a period of significant change and played an important role in strengthening its ability to confront evolving national security threats while maintaining its core criminal investigative mission.”

Mueller was the second-longest serving FBI director in the agency’s history. He had a decorated career in public service, cultivating a reputation for steady leadership, dedication to country and commitment to protecting the nation’s security.

Born in New York City on Aug. 7, 1944, Robert Swan Mueller III studied politics at Princeton University, and then earned a masters in international relations from New York University.

Upon leaving the Marines in 1970 at the rank of captain, Mueller attended the University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1973 and then spending the next 28 years working as a U.S. attorney in San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C., as well as three years at the Department of Justice Criminal Division.

During his time at the DOJ, Mueller investigated the Gambino crime family and also prosecuted the men responsible for bombing a Pan Am Flight in December 1988, as well as former Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega.

On July 5, 2001, Mueller was appointed to be director of the FBI, nominated by then-President George W. Bush. His tenure there saw the bureau’s focus shift from domestic investigations to tackling foreign terrorists after the 9/11 attacks, during which time Mueller developed a reputation among agents for being no-nonsense.

After serving his full 10-year term as FBI director, Mueller agreed to then-President Barack Obama’s request to remain in the position for two more years, after which he returned to the private sector in 2013.

In May 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to oversee the investigation of alleged Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. The investigation focused primarily on the 2016 Donald Trump presidential campaign and returned numerous high-profile indictments, including political consultant and lobbyist Roger Stone, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and 32 others.

Mueller submitted his controversial report in March 2019, which did not find that the Trump campaign had worked with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Two months later, he stepped down from his special counsel position and returned to private life.

Addressing the 2017 graduating class at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, Mueller advised the graduates to live their lives with “integrity, patience and humility.”

“Whatever we do, we must act with honesty and with integrity, and regardless of your chosen career, you’re only as good as your word,” Mueller declared. “If you are not honest, your reputation will suffer, and once lost, a good reputation can never, ever be regained.”

Senate once again fails to advance DHS funding bill

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Democrats once again on Friday blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security on Friday as they continue to insist on reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection in exchange for funding the agency.

It marks the fifth time since the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security — which began in mid-February — that the funding bill has failed to be advanced in the Senate.

The vote comes as many federal workers continue to go unpaid and travelers face massive lines at airports as Transportation Security Administration employees working without pay call out.

The bill that Republicans put forward on Friday to fund all of DHS would have needed 60 votes to advance. It fell short by a vote of 47-37.

Parts of DHS — from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Transportation Security Administration — are shut down amid a funding fight over ICE.

Democrats have said they will fund the department only if changes are made to the agency in the wake of the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Democrats said that they will continue to block funding until their demands on body cameras, judicial warrants and unmasking officers are met.

“Democrats have been very clear what we are asking for here since late January, and our asks have not changed,” Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a speech on the Senate floor Friday.

There are signs of potential progress though as Border Czar Tom Homan met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday to discuss DHS funding, and Majority Leader John Thune told ABC News that there will be another meeting between lawmakers and Homan later Friday.

These meetings follow repeated demands by Democrats for the White House to engage in the negotiations over ICE reform.

Thune said that Friday’s meeting with Homan would be critical in determining whether there could be movement on funding.

“We’re going to find out if Dems are serious. There were a couple of areas yesterday that they had identified, in additions to some of the, you know, reforms the administration had recommended that to me could find a path forward,” Thune said. “The question is, are Dems serious? Or do they see this as a political issue and something that benefits them.”

Murray, who was part of the negotiations with Homan Thursday, said that the conversations were “productive,” but that the “basic challenges remain.” She said that Democrats remain “very far apart” from Republicans and the White House on a path forward.

With long airport security lines plaguing travelers across the country, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are feeling the heat to hammer out a deal.

“This needs to be resolved,” Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said. “I mean, there are genuine disputes about ICE reforms. I think no one wants to see a return of what we saw in Minneapolis. But that doesn’t mean we should be holding the rest of these federal employees hostage again.”

As negotiations continue there have been efforts by Democrats to fund other agencies in DHS other than ICE — like the Coast Guard, TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. But Republicans have blocked those efforts, saying that Democrats need to negotiate a full funding package rather than taking a piecemeal approach.

“Democrats have tried again and again to get paychecks to TSA and CISA and the Coast Guard and FEMA — agencies that are doing really important work right now,” Murray said. “The only reason these workers are going without pay right now is because Republicans are holding their funding hostage so they can try to give ICE even more money without including any necessary reforms.”

While there is some FY2026 funding for ICE, the agency received a $75 billion infusion of funding over the next decade through the already-passed “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Democrats are expected to continue efforts to fund these agencies, including TSA, while negotiations proceed. But right now, it does not seem that Republicans are open to this approach.

Dangerous flooding on Hawaii’s Oahu island prompts evacuations, warning of possible dam collapse

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(OAHU, Hawaii) — Dangerous flooding is impacting Hawaii’s Oahu island, prompting evacuations and a warning from local officials of a possible dam collapse, as major rains pummel the area for the second significant rain event in a week.

An evacuation order was issued early Friday morning local time for Haleiwa and Waialua, including areas near the Wahiawa Dam, according to Oahu Emergency Management, which warned that the dam “may collapse or breach at any time.”

The dam “has not failed but is at imminent risk of failure,” Oahu Emergency Management said mid-morning local time Friday.

“Potential for life-threatening flooding and catastrophic amounts of fast-moving water in downstream areas,” the agency warned.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the Hawaii National Guard has been activated and other resources are being deployed across Oahu amid the “severe storm.”

“We are coordinating closely with state and county partners to support evacuations, open shelters, and keep our communities safe,” he said on X.

The latest flood threat comes a week after a damaging flood event that washed away roads and damaged homes.

A flash flood emergency was issued for northern Oahu earlier Friday for “catastrophic” flooding. Local emergency personnel had reported “life-threatening flash flooding” early Friday across northern Oahu, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“Floodwaters have cut off road access in and out of Haleiwa, and widespread flooding of roadways and low-lying areas is ongoing,” the NWS said, warning that “significant runoff continues to produce high water levels and dangerous flooding impacts.”

The Hawaii Department of Transportation advised of several road closures in the area early Friday due to flooding.

Flood conditions were expected to worsen, with more heavy rain forecast for the region throughout the day. The NWS warned that mudslides could occur in steep terrain areas.

The heaviest rain will be Friday through Saturday for most islands — with the Big Island getting the heaviest rain on Sunday.

Thunderstorms will be possible at times, which may include damaging winds.

Flood watches are in effect for the Hawaiian Islands through Sunday, with at least 2 to 7 inches of rain possible during the event.

ABC News’ Kyle Reiman contributed to this report.

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

Trump reverses course in Colorado House race, backing GOP incumbent he once scorned

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump made a stunning reversal Friday by again backing a Colorado House Republican for reelection a month after he publicly scorned him and endorsed his opponent.

In a lengthy social media post, Trump said he would no longer back Hope Scheppelman’s bid in the Republican primary for Rep. Jeff Hurd’s seat in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, after she accepted an offer to join his administration.

“Together with them, we decided that Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, should in no way, shape, or form, be impeded from winning the District in that the Democrat alternative is a DISASTER for our Country,” he said in his social media post.

In February, Trump withdrew his endorsement of Hurd, lashing out against him in a social media post after he voted to rebuke the president’s tariffs on Canada.

“Hurd is one of a small number of Legislators who have let me and our Country down,” Trump said in the February social media post.

In Friday’s announcement, the president changed his mind.

“Every true MAGA supporter and Republican, if they truly care about saving our Country, will do everything in their power to unify together, and defeat the Crazed Radical Left Democrats this November,” he said.

The district has been red since 2011, and has traditionally been seen as a strong Republican area.

Trump said he spoke with Scheppelman, a Navy veteran and nurse, and her husband, about his decision and offered both of them positions in his administration in a “capacity to be determined.”

“Hope and Steven are wonderful and patriotic Veterans of our U.S. Navy, and loyal supporters of our Historic MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Movement,” Trump said in the post.

Hurd thanked Trump for the endorsement in an X post Friday.

“The President and I share the same goals: securing the border, American energy dominance, and helping working families,” he said.

Scheppelman, whose social media pages feature a picture of her and Trump posing with thumbs-up signs, said in a statement on X that she would suspend her campaign given Trump’s request.

She said Hurd “now has the opportunity to correct his naive voting record and support President Trump, and our slim Republican majority in the U.S. House, in our shared battle to save the country we love.”

“If he does not, I will run again in 2028 and defeat [Hurd] in order to give the citizens of Colorado’s 3rd district, and all of America, the representation we deserve,” Scheppelman added.

Trump’s involvement a welcome development for House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson protecting a historically small majority this fall.

By backing Hurd, the GOP avoids another contentious primary in a long red district, as the incumbent is running unopposed.

Alex Kelloff, a Democratic candidate running for the House seat, responded to the president’s announcement Friday on X.

“Trump is worried we’re going to win this seat, a testament to all the work our campaign has been doing the last 11 months,” he said.

The Colorado primary is set for June 30.

-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Nearly 90,000 bottles of children’s ibuprofen voluntarily recalled

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Nearly 90,000 bottles of children’s ibuprofen are being voluntarily recalled due to the potential presence of a foreign substance.

According to a notice from the Food and Drug Administration, Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. received complaints from customers who reported “a gel-like mass and black particles” in the drug products.

Four-ounce (120 ml) bottles of Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension are impacted by the recall. The FDA said the children’s medications, intended for pain relief from the common cold, flu, sore throat, headache and toothache and a fever reducer, were manufactured in India for Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

Recalled children’s ibuprofen products have lot codes of: 7261973A and 7261974A and bear an expiration date of 01/31/2027, according to the federal agency.

The FDA is classifying the recall as a Class II, which the agency defines as anything where the “use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

ABC News has reached out to Taro Pharmaceuticals and its parent company Sun Pharma for comment.

What to know about South Pars, the largest natural gas field in the world and lifeline for Iran, after Israeli strike

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Israel’s strike on the world’s largest natural gas field could severely impact Iran’s energy sector and several nearby Gulf states, energy experts told ABC News.

On Wednesday, Israel launched air strikes on South Pars, a natural gas field that covers about 3,700 square miles and serves as a vital source of fuel for Iran. It is located offshore in the Persian Gulf and contains about 1,800 trillion cubic feet of usable gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

South Pars accounts for about 70% of the gas Iran consumes, Ira Joseph, a senior research associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told ABC News.

David G. Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at the University of California at San Diego, agreed on the importance of South Pars to Iran.

“It’s the single most important natural gas field to Iran,” he told ABC News. “If you start tanking the Iranian economy, eventually, other parts of that infrastructure are going to start falling apart too.”

South Pars is part of a giant gas field that transverses to other nations — another section, the North Dome, is part of the same natural gas field but lies in Qatari territorial waters.

Combined, South Pars and the North Field account for about 10% of the gas traded in the world and about 20% of the world’s liquified natural gas (LNG) annual exports, Joseph noted.

Iran also exports gas into Turkey, Iraq and Central Asia — so those exports have been disrupted by the war, according to Joseph. Turkey acquires up to 15% of its gas from Iran, he added.

The U.S. is relatively insulated from natural gas price shocks due to the strikes on Iran’s gas fields because the U.S. is a big producer and doesn’t have enough export capacity to fully link itself to Asian and European markets, Catherine Wolfram, a professor of energy economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told ABC News.

Countries like Japan, Korea and the Europeans who are dependent on imports will take a big hit to their supply as a result of the attack on South Pars, she said.

But the impacts of the strikes on the South Pars field extend “far beyond” energy prices, Naho Mirumachi, a professor of environmental politics at King’s College in London, told ABC News.

The current volatility of gas production can have “serious” impacts on agriculture and the global production of food, especially since natural gas is vital for fertilizer production, she noted. Fertilizer shortages or higher prices of fertilizer will likely translate to increases in food costs, according to Mirumachi.

“Food production cannot wait for gas production to return to normal, so farmers and businesses could face declining crop yields,” she said.

There has never been an attack of this magnitude on South Pars field because of a historical understanding within the region to not disrupt or inhibit each other’s vital infrastructure, according to the University of California’s Victor.

“There had been a kind of norm that exists in many wars, which is, don’t attack each other’s vital infrastructure,” he said. “Both sides had an interest in not obliterating each other’s energy infrastructure and then causing this enormous harm in the global market.”

The strike on South Pars triggered an escalation of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region.

Iran launched a series of retaliatory strikes against the vital energy infrastructure in nearby Gulf states. It issued evacuation orders for several energy assets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, before hitting the world’s largest LNG terminal — an import and export facility — at Ras Laffan in Qatar.

“Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region & its environment,” a spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.

In a social media post late Wednesday, President Donald Trump said neither the U.S. nor Qatar was aware Israel would attack the South Pars Gas Field, calling for Israel to not do so again unless Iran continues attacking Qatar’s LNG facilities.

“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar,” Trump said.

Iran warned that it would target energy facilities throughout the region.

The attacks on energy centers began on March 7, with Israeli air strikes on major Iranian oil storage facilities causing “black rain” to fall on the Tehran, Iran’s capital with nearly 10 million residents. The Israeli military said the facilities were struck because they were “used by the Military Forces of the Iranian Terror Regime in Tehran.”

On March 11, the International Energy Agency announced it would release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve — the largest-ever release of reserve oil in the group’s history — in response to the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the global oil supply passes through the waterway, which lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The U.S. also executed a strike on Kharg Island on March 13. The small island is situated in the Persian Gulf, off the southwestern coast of Iran, and processes 90% of Iranian oil exports.

Every military target on Kharg Island was “obliterated,” Trump said in a social media post. But its oil infrastructure was left intact.

The conflict has sent energy prices soaring, with Brent crude — the international standard for oil — peaking at $119 per barrel on Thursday morning.

Friend speaks out after Kouri Richins found guilty of fatally poisoning husband with fentanyl: Exclusive

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — After Kouri Richins was charged with murder for fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, a friend of the Utah mother of three had a difficult time reconciling that.

In an exclusive interview with “20/20,” Ali Staking said she and her children were “devastated” about the sudden 2022 death of 39-year-old Eric Richins.

“I said, along the way, ‘Sometimes it looks like Kouri might have done it,'” Staking recalled saying to her children. “Then my kids would say, ‘Well, did she?’ And I’d say ‘I don’t think so. But, you know, it sometimes looks like it.'”

A Summit County jury ultimately found 35-year-old Kouri Richins guilty of aggravated murder on Monday, after prosecutors argued during the three-week trial that she killed her husband for financial gain by giving him a lethal dose of fentanyl in a cocktail.

Eric Richins was found dead in bed on March 4, 2022. An autopsy determined that he died from fentanyl intoxication, and the level of fentanyl in his blood was approximately five times the lethal dosage, according to the charging document. The medical examiner determined the fentanyl was “illicit fentanyl,” not medical grade, according to the charging document.

Kouri Richins, who self-published a children’s book on grief following her husband’s death, was arrested in May 2023 following a lengthy investigation.

The charges alleged that she spiked his drink with a lethal dose of fentanyl that she purchased illicitly, and that she also gave her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl on Valentine’s Day two weeks before his death in an initial, failed attempt to kill him.

Prosecutors argued that Kouri Richins wanted a “fresh start” and to leave her husband, but didn’t want to leave his money. They said she was in “financial desperation” due to her house flipping business’ debts and needed a significant influx of cash immediately.

According to prosecutors, she believed she would have financially benefited from her husband’s death — without realizing that his assets were in a trust overseen by one of his sisters.

A jury found her guilty of all five counts, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, after about three hours of deliberations on Monday. She was also found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband’s life with his forged signature and also for submitting a claim following his death.

Kouri Richins, who had pleaded not guilty and asserted her innocence from jail, did not testify during the trial and the defense called no witnesses. Her sentencing has been scheduled for May 13. She faces 25 years to life in prison.

Staking, who testified during the trial, said she was “very surprised that there was no defense.”

ABC News contributor Brian Buckmire suggested this was a reflection of the defense’s confidence.

“They may believe the prosecution didn’t make out their case, that having any witness on the stand wouldn’t make sense because they’ve already won their case,” he told “20/20.”

Staking said it was “surreal” learning that Eric Richins had died, describing him as a “dedicated dad” and a “goofy cowboy dude who loved to dance.”

“He had so much more life to live and he wanted so much for his boys,” she said. “I’m gonna remember just how much he loved them.”

Kouri Richins also faces more than two dozen charges in a separate case filed last year, including allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021. The charging document alleges she submitted falsified bank statements in support of mortgage loan applications for her realty business, committed money laundering and issued bad checks.

The charges in the case also allege she murdered her husband for financial gain as she “stood on the precipice of total financial collapse.”

She has not yet entered a plea to those charges.

Staking said she wants Eric Richins to be remembered as a “loving dad.”

“I believe Eric is with his kids all the time every day,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anywhere else he’d wanna be.”

2,200 more Marines, 3 Navy ships likely headed to Middle East: Officials

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Three Navy ships carrying 2,200 Marines left San Diego earlier this week for a previously scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific, but two U.S. officials tell ABC News their ultimate destination is likely the Middle East.

The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is aboard the USS Boxer, the USS Comstock and the USS Portland — along with 2,000 sailors.

If it receives final orders to the Middle East, joining the 31st MEU, it will be an increase of close to 9,000 additional forces to the region.

The 31st MEU is still on its way to the Middle East from Asia after receiving orders from the Pentagon last Friday. Those Marines and ships are likely to arrive in the region sometime next week.

It will take two weeks for the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group to get to southeast Asia, then additional time to make its way to the Middle East if it gets final orders to go there.

Included in the MEU: ground forces, a logistical element and aviation units that include fighter jets, MV-22 Ospreys and attack helicopters.

Last week’s deployment of the 31st MEU to the Middle East has sparked speculation as to whether they might be used to seize Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf — crucial to Iran’s oil trade — or carry out raids on the Iranian shoreline around the Strait of Hormuz.

For now, the U.S. Navy Third Fleet says the 11th MEU is conducting routine operations in its area of operations.

“An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific to conduct routine training that ensures the continued warfighting readiness of Navy and Marine forces operating in the area,” the U.S. Navy Third Fleet said in a statement.

18-year-old Loyola University student shot, killed while walking with friends in Chicago: Police

March 20, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — An 18-year-old student at Loyola University in Chicago was shot and killed while walking with her friends near campus, authorities said.

The group was walking near Tobey Prinz Beach Park, less than 1 mile from the university’s Lake Shore campus, when an unknown male walked up to them at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Chicago police said.

The male showed a gun and opened fire toward the friends, police said.

The victim was shot in the head and died at the scene, police said, adding that no one else was injured.

Loyola University president Mark Reed identified the slain student as Sheridan Gorman.

“This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her,” Reed said in a statement.

Reed said the university is offering counseling services and is in touch with law enforcement.

“Based on the information available to us now, there is no ongoing threat to our campus community,” he said.

Gorman was also a “beloved” student at her former high school in Westchester County, New York.

“We are so deeply shattered by this tragic and senseless loss,” Yorktown Central School District Superintendent Ron Hattar said in a statement. “Sheridan was loved by all who knew her, and her impact on students and staff alike was profound. She was a shining light for so many people.”

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