Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Image)
(FORT PEARCE, Fla.) — A jury has been selected in the criminal trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last year.
After three days of jury selection, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon finalized a group of twelve jurors and four alternates Wednesday.
Routh, who is representing himself at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges that risk sending him to prison for life, including attempting to kill a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The selection of the jury came after Routh accused prosecutors of discriminatory practices, causing tensions to flare in the courtroom.
Prior to Judge Cannon finalizing the jury, Routh — who lacks any legal education or training — made what is known as a “Batson challenge” after he said prosecutors struck two Black potential jurors.
“We have a racist situation that is occurring,” Routh alleged. “It is blatantly obvious.”
Judge Cannon responded to the allegations by accusing Routh of improperly conferring with his standby lawyers, who remain in court to assist him with technical matters. She said she heard “whispers” from the defense table that suggested Routh was getting legal advice from his standby attorneys — something Judge Cannon has prohibited as a condition for Routh to represent himself.
She did not elaborate any further on the “whispers” and declined to inquire further into Routh’s alleged conversation with his lawyers, which is protected by attorney-client privilege.
“It seems to me you are using your attorneys for more than just technical things,” Cannon said.
Routh denied the claim, saying he is turning down their help and came up with the Batson challenge on his own.
“I am hearing whispers,” Cannon said. “I heard a whisper that sounded like more than technical advice.”
The situation deescalated after prosecutors explained their rationale for excluding one of the jurors, and Judge Cannon denied Routh’s challenge. Prosecutors claimed they only removed one Black juror after he provided inconsistent answers to some of the questions on the jury questionnaire.
“The U.S. has offered a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for their preemptory strike,” Judge Cannon said.
Prosecutors allege that after planning his attack for months, Routh hid in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
With Trump just one hole away from Routh’s position, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line and fired at him, causing him to flee, according to prosecutors. Routh was subsequently arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.
(NEW YORK) — A 350-billion-year-old rock discovered on the Red Planet is “the closest we’ve come to discovering ancient life on Mars,” according to NASA.
Potential signs of microbial life were found in a rock sample collected by the rover in 2024 from an ancient dry riverbed on Mars’ Jezero Crater — an area of rocky outcrops on the edges the Neretva Vallis, a river valley carved by water rushing to the canyon billions of years ago, NASA officials announced in a press conference on Wednesday.
The sample, named “Sapphire Canyon,” contains potential biosignatures, which are substances or structures that might have a biological origin, NASA said.
“To be clear, it’s not life itself, but a signature, like seeing a fossil or leftovers from a microbial process,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said Wednesday. “It could have been formed billions of years ago. We’re sharing this first result with the world and inviting continued analysis.”
The finding is the closest astronomers have ever come to discovering life on Mars, Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator, told reporters in Wednesday’s news conference.
“The identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars,” he said.
The sample was collected in 2024 from a rock named “Cheyava Falls.” The arrowhead-shaped rock measures about 3.2 feet by 2 feet and contains what appears to be colorful spots that could have been left behind by microbial life.
Fox said the leopard-spotted rock had never been seen before on the Martian surface. Using the rover’s organic chemical detector to analyze the spots, scientists at Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found iron, phosphorus and sulfur arranged in patterns consistent with minerals like vivianite (hydrated iron phosphate) and greigite (iron sulfide) that could have “potentially been made by ancient life.”
Higher-resolution images revealed a distinct pattern of minerals arranged into reaction fronts — or points of contact where chemical and physical reactions occur, according to NASA.
NASA said that vivianite is frequently found on Earth around decaying organic matter and in sediments and peat bogs. Greigite is produced by certain forms of microbial life on our planet.
“On Earth, these minerals are often byproducts of microbial metabolisms. Non-biological explanations exist, but this is the strongest evidence yet for a possible biosignature on Mars,” said Joel Hurowitz, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University, who is one of the experts involved in the project. “To be certain, we must eventually return these samples to Earth.”
Hurowitz said that other non-organic reasons could explain the findings, but added that “The combination of chemical compounds we found in the Bright Angel formation could have been a rich source of energy for microbial metabolisms.”
The findings were released on Wednesday in a peer-reviewed scientific journal article published in Nature.
The formation’s sedimentary rocks are composed of clay and silt — materials that are “excellent preservers” of past microbial life on Earth, NASA said.
The discovery was “particularly surprising” because the sample was taken from the youngest sedimentary rocks the mission has investigated, contrary to an earlier hypothesis that assumed signs of ancient life would be confined to older rock formations, according to NASA.
NASA said the only way to confirm the findings is to return the sample to Earth. However, the Trump administration has recommended eliminating the funding for a program that would have returned Mars samples to Earth.
“This is a potential biosignature. That means it could have a biological origin, but more study is required. These findings are the result of decades of strategic exploration, thousands of scientists, and missions building on each other,” said Lindsay Hays, senior scientist for Mars Exploration at NASA.
Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021 and has been studying the red planet’s Jazero Crater region ever since. It’s collected and analyzed 30 samples so far and has room for six more.
“NASA’s commitment to conducting Gold Standard Science will continue as we pursue our goal of putting American boots on Mars’ rocky soil,” Duffy said in a statement.
Security footage captures the moment of an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2025. (Photo by Security Camera/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(DOHA, Qatar) — Israel has informed the U.S. that the chances of success of its strikes Tuesday on a Hamas residence in Doha, Qatar, have “decreased significantly,” two Israeli sources familiar with the matter told ABC News — likely confirming Hamas’ assertion that the strikes failed to kill top Hamas officials.
Five Hamas members and a Qatari official were killed in the strike. Hamas’ senior leaders survived the strike, Hamas said Tuesday.
“There was a meeting of the negotiating team and some Hamas leaders to discuss the ideas sent by the United States and the paper sent by President Trump,” Hamas political bureau official Suhail al-Hindi told Al Jazeera of when the strike took place.
Among those killed were the son of a senior Hamas leader, Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya — the head of the Hamas movement in Gaza and the head of Hamas’ negotiating team for a ceasefire with Israel — and an aide. Al-Hayya himself survived, according to Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel acted “wholly independently,” and took “full responsibility” for the strike in Doha on Hamas leadership in a brief statement Tuesday.
Netanyahu said he “convened the heads of Israel’s security organizations,” at noon local Israeli time Tuesday and “authorized a surgical precision strike” on Hamas leadership.
The strike targeted the residential headquarters of several members of the Hamas Political Bureau in Doha, according to Qatar.
Israel has faced criticism over the attack, with Arab nations, the United Kingdom and France all condemning the attack that took place on sovereign land.
“I’m not thrilled about the whole situation. It’s not a good situation, but I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today,” Trump said.
“I was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every aspect, and we got to get the hostages back, but I was very unhappy about the way that went down,” Trump said.
Qatar also condemned the attack, saying the “criminal attack constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar,” a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.
Qatar said it will continue to mediate ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, as it has done alongside Egypt.
Hamas leadership and its primary negotiators have been based in Doha for years while trying to get a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli officials said the strikes on Doha were “completely justified,” alleging this Hamas leadership initiated and organized the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“Israel’s security policy is clear — Israel’s long arm will act against its enemies everywhere. There is no place for them to hide,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement Wednesday.
“If the Hamas murderers and rapists do not accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and the disarmament of their weapons — they will be destroyed and Gaza will be destroyed,” Katz said.
Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the region. Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by Iran in June in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, with Qatari forces helping the U.S. to intercept the missiles.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. “feels badly” about the location of the attack and added that “unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” in a statement read by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Eighty migrants from Guatemala are deported to their country with a United States military plane at the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Following the near deportation of 76 Guatemalan minors over Labor Day weekend, attorneys for the minors are scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday to seek a preliminary injunction blocking similar removals.
A judge over the weekend temporarily blocked the deportation of the unaccompanied minors without due process, just as they were sitting on the planes preparing to depart.
In a new court filing, the minors’ attorneys said that immigration officials are interviewing unaccompanied minors from other countries with an eye toward removing them in the same manner.
Justice Department officials have said the 76 minors were being removed in accordance with the law and at the request of the Guatemalan government and the minors’ legal guardians, but attorneys for the minors say some of children did not have parents who had requested their return, and that some minors expressed a fear of returning to Guatemala.
The new filings included declarations from immigrant advocates and minors from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
“I recently received a visit from HSI [Homeland Security Investigations], but they never asked me if I wanted to go back to Honduras,” said a 17-year-old from Honduras, whose name was redacted in the declaration.
The teenager, who said they are afraid to return to their home country, said that at an immigration hearing last month, a judge said he had a list of minors who had agreed to voluntary removal, and that the teen’s name was on it.
“I do not know why I was on the list,” the 17-year-old said.
According to a declaration filed by Roxana Avila-Cimpeanu, deputy director of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, a number of Honduran children have been questioned by Department of Homeland Security officials.
“We have no details as to how these children were chosen, or who is in charge of the plan,” she said. “We have no information as to whom we need to reach out to share that children have expressed fear or have possible relief.”
In another declaration, a 16-year-old from El Salvador, who said they fled their home country because they fear they will be “harmed or killed by the police,” stated they have been asked to participate in interviews with government officials.
According to several declarations, many of the minors who immigration attorneys and advocates believe are being targeted for removal have pending immigration proceedings. The attorneys argue that the Trump administration is violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which outlines specific procedures for unaccompanied minors, including ensuring they are placed in immigration proceedings.
“Defendants’ argument that they can expel hundreds of children in the middle of the night with two hours’ warning relies on the fallacy that they were acting pursuant to authority to ‘reunify’ them with their parents,” attorneys representing the minors said. “That argument is illogical and illegal.”
In court filings, the attorneys also argued that the Trump administration does not have authority to transfer unaccompanied minors from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement to DHS.
They said the court should reject the Trump administration’s “invocation of nonexistent statutory authority'” arguing that the administration is putting hundreds of children “at risk of imminent, irreparable harm if they are expelled with no remedy.”
(NEW YORK and LONDON) — Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country’s prime minister said, in a torrent of activity that triggered a response from the NATO country’s air force, which scrambled and downed several of the drones.
“Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said early on Wednesday on social media. “I am in constant communication with the Secretary-General of NATO and our allies.”
Two Polish F-16s and two Dutch F-35s were deployed to “help ensure safety in Polish skies,” the military said. The operations ended early on Wednesday, Warsaw said, adding that the search continued for downed drones and potential impact sites.
The country’s military command described the violations as “unprecedented,” saying they amounted to “an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Polish authorities did not report any casualties related to the drone incursion.
Tusk said this marked the first time in history that Russian drones had been shot down on NATO territory, which he said “changes the political situation.”
Tusk told parliament on Wednesday that Warsaw had requested the invocation of NATO Article 4. The clause allows a NATO member to convene a meeting of allies to consult on an issue that could threaten its security.
“Today we must say very loudly and clearly to the entire Western world and all our allies — Article 4 is only the beginning of deeper cooperation for the security of our skies and our border, which is NATO’s border, and words alone are by no means enough,” Tusk said.
“This is not just a war for Ukrainians,” he added. “This is a confrontation that Russia has declared against the entire free world.”
Tusk said that at least 19 Russian drones entered the country’s airspace late Tuesday and into early Wednesday, some of which crossed over from Belarus, and at least three were subsequently shot down by Polish and NATO forces.
Poland previously invoked Article 4 on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which triggered urgent NATO consultations at the time.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a statement Wednesday morning that allies had held discussions after Poland’s Article 4 request. “Allies expressed solidarity with Poland and denounced Russia’s reckless behavior,” Rutte said. “A full assessment of the incident is ongoing. What is clear is that the violation last night is not an isolated incident.”
“Allies are resolved to defend every inch of allied territory,” Rutte added. “We will closely monitor the situation along our eastern flank, our air defenses continually at the ready.”
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Wednesday, a White House official told ABC News. The official added that Trump and the White House are “tracking the reports out of Poland.”
NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) said in a statement to social media that German Patriot surface-to-air missile systems based in Poland were placed on alert and that an Italian airborne early warning aircraft was deployed during the incursion. A NATO aerial refueling aircraft was also launched.
Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, a spokesperson for SHAPE, said in a statement, “This is the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in Allied airspace.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday referred journalists’ questions to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
“This is not within our competence, it is the prerogative of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Peskov told reporters.
Asked to comment on accusations by Europe and NATO that the incident was a Russian provocation, Peskov replied, “The EU and NATO leadership accuse Russia of provocation on a daily basis, most often without even attempting to present any arguments.”
Peskov added that Russia had not received any requests for contact from Poland’s leadership.
In a post to Telegram, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its “massive strike” was only aimed at targets within Ukraine. “No targets on the territory of Poland were planned,” it said.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident as “simply unacceptable.” He in a post to X, “I call on Russia to put an end to this reckless escalation. I reiterate to the Polish people and their government our full solidarity.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in post to X, “Europe is in a fight. A fight for our liberty and our ability to determine our destiny for ourselves.”
“Today, we have seen a reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland and Europe’s [airspace] by more than 10 Russian Shahed drones,” von der Leyen added. “Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland.”
European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas described the incident as “the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began,” adding that “and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental.”
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, meanwhile, said in a post to X, “We stand by our NATO allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy early on Wednesday described the violation as “another escalation step.”
“An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe,” he said in Ukrainian on the messaging app Telegram.
It was not immediately clear whether Russia had intended to send the drones into NATO airspace. Russian and Ukrainian drones have been known to go off course during long-range strikes due to electronic warfare measures employed by the combatants.
The incursions occurred during a major Russian strike on Ukraine, which the air force in Kyiv said consisted of 415 drones and 35 missiles. Of those, 386 drones and 27 missiles were intercepted or suppressed, the air force said.
The Kremlin did not immediately issue a statement but Zelenskyy positioned the violation as anything but an accident — saying it might have been considered one if it had been just one drone that crossed the border.
Zelenskyy called for consequences for Russia, saying Moscow “must feel that the war cannot be expanded and must be ended.”
Military officials in Poland earlier said the country’s airspace was “repeatedly violated by drone-type objects” in the overnight hours amid Russian strikes on targets in Ukraine.
“An operation is underway aimed at identifying and neutralizing the objects,” the Polish military said in one of its initial statements, each of which urged people to stay at home.
The most threatened areas had been Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie, Poland said. Polish security services said they sent an SMS message to cellphones in the area — sending the type of alert that’s become a nightly occurrence in neighboring Ukraine.
Earlier, the Polish military said it had scrambled jets and was taking “preventative” action during the “massive attack” carried out by Russia on facilities in Ukraine.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness,” the military said in the earlier statement.
Tusk, the Polish prime minister, convened an extraordinary government meeting early on Wednesday, bringing together the country’s emergency and military officials.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who also serves as foreign affairs minister, met prior to that meeting with Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister, according to Poland. Jacek Najder, Poland’s representative to NATO, was also present, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.
“The security of Polish women and men is the greatest priority,” the ministry said prior to the meeting.
Tusk in the emergency cabinet meeting said the there was “no reason to panic,” according to the Chancellery.
“The procedures were implemented correctly, the decision-making process was flawless, and the threat was effectively eliminated thanks to the resolute actions of commanders, soldiers, and our allies,” Tusk said during the meeting, according to his office. “I am deeply grateful.”
The Defense Ministry in Belarus — which is aligned with Russia and has assisted its invasion of Ukraine — said in a statement that its forces also downed drones that went off course “as a result of the impact of the parties’ electronic warfare assets.”
Minsk said it shared information with neighboring Poland and Lithuania regarding the incoming drones. “This allowed the Polish side to respond promptly to the actions of the drones by scrambling their forces on duty,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that Polish forces had also notified Belarusian forces of incoming unidentified aircraft from Ukrainian territory.
A Lithuanian Defense Ministry official told ABC News that there were no violations of Lithuanian airspace overnight.
In Romania — which borders Ukraine to its southwest — the Defense Ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response to a “group of aerial drones in the area of the Ukrainian town of Valcov, on the border with Romania.”
No drones entered Romanian airspace, the ministry said in a statement.
ABC News’ Dada Jovanovic, Morgan Winsor, Natalia Popova, Oleskiy Pshemyskiy, Patrick Reevell, Anna Sergeeva, Anne Flaherty and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Wholesale prices unexpectedly dropped in August, clocking in lower than economists expected and defying concerns about a tariff-induced spike in costs suffered by suppliers.
Producer prices fell 0.1% in August, rolling back some of a sharp increase in wholesale prices that took hold in the previous month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday.
Since President Donald Trump began escalating tariffs earlier this year, the monthly wholesale-price measure has drawn close attention as an indicator of a potential pass through to consumer prices.
In July, producer prices rose 0.9%, exceeding economists’ expectations and stoking fear of an eventual hike in prices paid by shoppers. The downshift in wholesale prices last month could ease some of those worries, though analysts will gain further clarity from consumer price data scheduled to be released on Thursday.
The wholesale price data on Wednesday held some cause for concern, however. A measure of core producer prices – which strips out volatile prices for food and energy – jumped 0.3% in August, which marked the fourth consecutive month of increases for that measure.
Overall, wholesale prices climbed 2.8% over a year ending in August, which marked the largest one-year jump in the index since March.
The fresh data arrives at a challenging time for the nation’s economy. In recent months, inflation has picked up while hiring has slowed, posing a risk of an economic double-whammy known as “stagflation.”
Fed Chair Jerome Powell recently hinted at the possibility of an interest rate cut, appearing to indicate greater concern for flagging employment growth than for rising prices. Investors widely expect a quarter-point interest rate cut when Fed policymakers meet later this month.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested on Aug. 22 for stabbing a 23-year-old woman on Charlotte’s light rail, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is demanding the suspect who was charged for fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte light rail be “awarded THE DEATH PENALTY.”
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, who was arrested on Aug. 22 after he fatally stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, which could make him eligible for the death penalty, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life. Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most — Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said in a statement on Tuesday.
There was no apparent interaction between Brown and Zarutska before the unprovoked stabbing, officials said.
Ferguson described the incident Tuesday as a “terroristic act” and said he and North Carolina FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr. spoke to Zarutska’s mother and uncle to alert them of the federal charges. Ferguson said the family is “suffering like any of us would be.”
Zarutska’s family said in a statement on Tuesday they are “heartbroken beyond words” and are “calling attention to a broader crisis in public safety and systemic failure.”
“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way. No family should have to go through this,” the family said.
(NEW YORK) — The sun was getting ready to rise over a rural lake in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, when a sheriff’s deputy shined his flashlight inside Ryan Borgwardt’s minivan parked just yards away from the water’s edge.
There was no one inside the car.
As the deputy took out his binoculars and gazed over the pier to see if he could spot anyone in the distance that morning in August 2024, he almost certainly could not have imagined that not only would Borgwardt not be found stuck in the lake, but would end up being traced across the world to the country of Georgia.
“I guess everything kind of hinged on me dying in the lake,” Borgwardt told investigators in a December 2024 interview obtained by ABC News this week.
A husband and father of three, Borgwardt gained national attention last year after disappearing following an apparent trip to the lake to kayak and resurfacing months later in a video recorded in an undisclosed location where he maintained he was safe.
Borgwardt, who could not be reached for comment for this report, pleaded no contest last month to obstructing an officer and was sentenced to 89 days in jail. He also agreed to pay $30,000 in restitution to law enforcement to cover what was spent searching for him and apologized for his actions at his sentencing.
According to law enforcement, Borgwardt texted his wife of 22 years on the day he went kayaking that he was getting ready to head back to shore.
He never made it home that night. A team of first responders eventually found Borgwardt’s kayak, but he was nowhere to be found.
Now, hundreds of records released by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office are shedding light on how Borgwardt made it from that Wisconsin lake all the way to Georgia, where he sought to build a life with a woman he met on the internet, according to prosecutors.
Officials previously declined to release these records to ABC News while the case against Borgwardt was pending.
The newly released documents range from receipts for Borgwardt’s bus tickets –from Madison, Wisconsin, to Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport — to footage of Borgwardt crossing the border into Canada, and communications between American law enforcement and the woman he was in contact with while he was overseas.
“It is extremely important to explain why we want to speak with you,” Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Matthew Vande Kolk wrote to the woman, who had written in Russian that Ryan had become a good friend of hers over the previous year when she had been going through problems in her life.
“When is the last time that you spoke with Ryan,” Vande Kolk asked in one email. “We need to know he is ok.”
The communications show that Vande Kolk was ultimately able to get in touch with Borgwardt over email and Telegram, a messaging app.
“I realize I created this mess and now everyone is trying to put the pieces together,” Borgwardt wrote in one email to Vande Kolk. “I am really sorry about that. It would have just been much easier if no one looked for me.”
In another email, Borgwardt explained how, back in Wisconsin, he made it from the edge of the lake all the way to the bus station in Madison.
“I kayaked out there with my small fishing net,” he wrote. “I tossed the phone. I inflated a small child inflatable raft good for about 250 lbs. After flipping the kayak, I spent the next 1 – 2 hours trying to paddle back to shore. (seemed like forever) But the winds, waves and the short “toy” paddles didn’t work well that night, but worked enough. I got to shore somewhere across from the area that I parked.”
Borgwardt wrote that he then rode an electric bike he had left in the brush for 66 miles.
“No one will truly ever forgot [sic] what I did, even if they somehow forgive me,” Borgwardt wrote to Vande Kolk. “I can possibly come back to try and clean up as much as possible.”
Borgwardt ultimately made the choice to fly from Batumi, Georgia, back to the United States, where he was ultimately brought in for questioning by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
“I think the only thing I was keeping secret was where I was at,” Borgwardt told investigators, according to a video of the interview. “I was adamant not to lie … so I really don’t think there’s anything that was a lie. I think I just didn’t say too much.”
Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025
(NEW YORK) — Don’t be fooled by the lack of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Basin.
The peak of hurricane season is here, and activity could soon ramp up, despite the relative quiet currently occurring in the tropics, according to meteorologists.
The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center. Historically speaking, about two-thirds of all Atlantic hurricane season activity occurs between Aug. 20 and Oct. 10.
But the Atlantic Basin remains quiet with no tropical development expected over the next week.
“For the next seven days, things look pretty quiet,” David Zierden, the Florida state climatologist and head of the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, told ABC News.
However, forecasters anticipate an increase in activity during the second half of the month as conditions become more favorable for tropical cyclone development.
The remainder of September and October will likely be active, Zierden said.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center long-range Global Tropical Hazards Outlook shows a rising probability of tropical development over the central Atlantic Ocean in the latter part of September, as large-scale environmental conditions gradually become more favorable for tropical cyclone activity.
Tropical weather experts at Colorado State University echo these predictions, saying overall atmospheric conditions, including wind patterns, will shift in a manner that supports a notable increase in activity.
In mid-September, the upper atmosphere and wind shear should become more favorable for the formation and strengthening of storms, Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, told ABC News.
Last month, NOAA predicted above-normal activity for the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The agency forecasted 13 to 18 total named storms with winds of 39 mph or greater, including five to nine storms predicted to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater and two to five storms expected to become major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher.
The average number of named storms in the Atlantic Basin during one season is 14, with seven of them becoming hurricanes.
So far this season, there have been six named storms. Only one storm has formed into a major hurricane.
Hurricane Erin formed on Aug. 11 and intensified into a Category 5 storm less than a week later. While the hurricane brought a prolonged period of rough surf and dangerous rip currents to the northeastern Caribbean and the East Coast of the U.S., it remained offshore.
Separately, Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina in early July.
The next named storm will be called Gabrielle.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively quiet so far due to hostile atmospheric conditions that discourage the formation of tropical cyclones as well as the dust blowing from the Sahara Desert, Francis said.
September and October often see some of the busiest activity for hurricanes because sea surface temperatures can be at their highest, Zierden said. Higher temperatures provide “ample fuel” for the formation and intensification of tropical cyclones, he added.
Currently, waters in the Gulf and Caribbean are “very warm,” Francis said.
“So when a disturbance does come along, it’ll have plenty of fuel,” Francis said.
During the two busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record — 2020 and 2005 — both years saw about half of the total number of named storms for the season occur after Sept. 3.
Hurricane activity in 2024 demonstrated how active late September and early October can be for tropical development.
Hurricane Helene, which caused devastating flooding in North Carolina, formed on Sept. 24, 2024, while Hurricane Milton, which caused widespread destruction in Florida, formed on Oct. 5, 2024.
During this time of year, tropical activity tends to develop in the Caribbean or Gulf, rather than near Africa, which also complicates response efforts, Francis said.
“That gives people less time to prepare,” she said.
(NEW YORK and LONDON) — Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country’s prime minister said, in a torrent of activity that triggered a response from the NATO country’s air force, which scrambled and downed several of the drones.
“Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said early on Wednesday on social media. “I am in constant communication with the Secretary-General of NATO and our allies.”
Polish and allied aircraft — including Dutch F-35 fighter jets — were airborne overnight to “help ensure safety in Polish skies,” the military said. Those operations ended early on Wednesday, Warsaw said, adding that the search continued for downed drones and potential impact sites.
The country’s military command described the violations as “unprecedented,” saying they amounted to “an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Polish authorities did not report any casualties related to the drone incursion.
Tusk said this marked the first time in history that Russian drones had been shot down on NATO territory, which he said “changes the political situation.”
Tusk told parliament on Wednesday that Warsaw had requested the invocation of NATO Article 4. The clause allows a NATO member to convene a meeting of allies to consult on an issue that could threaten its security.
“Today we must say very loudly and clearly to the entire Western world and all our allies — Article 4 is only the beginning of deeper cooperation for the security of our skies and our border, which is NATO’s border, and words alone are by no means enough,” Tusk said.
“This is not just a war for Ukrainians,” he added. “This is a confrontation that Russia has declared against the entire free world.”
Tusk said that at least 19 Russian drones entered the country’s airspace late Tuesday and into early Wednesday, some of which crossed over from Belarus, and at least three were subsequently shot down by Polish and NATO forces.
Poland previously invoked Article 4 on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which triggered urgent NATO consultations at the time.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was “consulting closely with Poland,” Allison Hart, a spokesperson for the bloc, said on social media. She confirmed “numerous” drones had entered Poland and said that NATO defenses had been activated.
NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said in a statement to social media that German Patriot surface-to-air missile systems based in Poland were placed on alert and that an Italian airborne early warning aircraft was deployed. A NATO aerial refueling aircraft was also launched.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday referred journalists’ questions to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
“This is not within our competence, it is the prerogative of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Peskov told reporters.
Asked to comment on accusations by Europe and NATO that the incident was a Russian provocation, Peskov replied, “The EU and NATO leadership accuse Russia of provocation on a daily basis, most often without even attempting to present any arguments.”
Peskov added that Russia had not received any requests for contact from Poland’s leadership.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident as “simply unacceptable.” He in a post to X, “I call on Russia to put an end to this reckless escalation. I reiterate to the Polish people and their government our full solidarity.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in post to X, “Europe is in a fight. A fight for our liberty and our ability to determine our destiny for ourselves.”
“Today, we have seen a reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland and Europe’s [airspace] by more than 10 Russian Shahed drones,” von der Leyen added. “Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland.”
European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas described the incident as “the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began,” adding that “and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy early on Wednesday described the violation as “another escalation step.”
“An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe,” he said in Ukrainian on the messaging app Telegram.
It was not immediately clear whether Russia had intended to send the drones into NATO airspace. Russian and Ukrainian drones have been known to go off course during long-range strikes due to electronic warfare measures employed by the combatants.
The incursions occurred during a major Russian strike on Ukraine, which the air force in Kyiv said consisted of 415 drones and 35 missiles. Of those, 386 drones and 27 missiles were intercepted or suppressed, the air force said.
The Kremlin did not immediately issue a statement but Zelenskyy positioned the violation as anything but an accident — saying it might have been considered one if it had been just one drone that crossed the border.
Zelenskyy called for consequences for Russia, saying Moscow “must feel that the war cannot be expanded and must be ended.”
Military officials in Poland earlier said the country’s airspace was “repeatedly violated by drone-type objects” in the overnight hours amid Russian strikes on targets in Ukraine.
“An operation is underway aimed at identifying and neutralizing the objects,” the Polish military said in one of its initial statements, each of which urged people to stay at home.
The most threatened areas had been Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie, Poland said. Polish security services said they sent an SMS message to cellphones in the area — sending the type of alert that’s become a nightly occurrence in neighboring Ukraine.
Earlier, the Polish military said it had scrambled jets and was taking “preventative” action during the “massive attack” carried out by Russia on facilities in Ukraine.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness,” the military said in the earlier statement.
Tusk, the Polish prime minister, convened an extraordinary government meeting early on Wednesday, bringing together the country’s emergency and military officials.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who also serves as foreign affairs minister, met prior to that meeting with Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister, according to Poland. Jacek Najder, Poland’s representative to NATO, was also present, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.
“The security of Polish women and men is the greatest priority,” the ministry said prior to the meeting.
Tusk in the emergency cabinet meeting said the there was “no reason to panic,” according to the Chancellery.
“The procedures were implemented correctly, the decision-making process was flawless, and the threat was effectively eliminated thanks to the resolute actions of commanders, soldiers, and our allies,” Tusk said during the meeting, according to his office. “I am deeply grateful.”
The Defense Ministry in Belarus — which is aligned with Russia and has assisted its invasion of Ukraine — said in a statement that its forces also downed drones that went off course “as a result of the impact of the parties’ electronic warfare assets.”
Minsk said it shared information with neighboring Poland and Lithuania regarding the incoming drones. “This allowed the Polish side to respond promptly to the actions of the drones by scrambling their forces on duty,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that Polish forces had also notified Belarusian forces of incoming unidentified aircraft from Ukrainian territory.
A Lithuanian Defense Ministry official told ABC News that there were no violations of Lithuanian airspace overnight.
In Romania — which borders Ukraine to its southwest — the Defense Ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response to a “group of aerial drones in the area of the Ukrainian town of Valcov, on the border with Romania.”
No drones entered Romanian airspace, the ministry said in a statement.
