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After months of cuts, State Department says it’s officially shuttering USAID

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The State Department said Friday it was officially shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development, in what could deal a final blow to the beleaguered foreign aid agency.

In a memo distributed to USAID employees and obtained by ABC News, Jeremy Lewin, the agency’s new deputy director and a former Department of Government Efficiency official, wrote that the State Department “intends to assume responsibility for many of USAID’s functions and its ongoing programming.”

The State Department “will seek to retire USAID’s independent operation” immediately and “assess” whether to rehire some unknown number of officials to “assume the responsible administration of USAID’s remaining life-saving and strategic aid programming,” the memo said.

“This transfer will significantly enhance efficiency, accountability, uniformity, and strategic impact in delivering foreign assistance programs — allowing our nation and President to speak with one voice in foreign affairs,” according to the memo.

“It will also obviate the need for USAID to continue operating as an independent establishment,” the memo said.

As part of the move, the memo said, “all non-statutory positions at USAID will be eliminated.”

Trump administration officials, including Elon Musk’s DOGE group, have leading a widespread effort to dismantle the agency by laying off thousands of employees, revoking funding for more than 80% of its programs, and shedding its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

The decision to completely dissolve a federal agency is expected to prompt legal scrutiny, according to experts who said such a move would typically require congressional approval.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the administration was officially moving to sunset USAID and that foreign aid would now officially be administered by the State Department.

“Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over,” Rubio said in his statement. “We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens.”

“We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country,” Rubio said in his statement.

Critics of the Trump administration say its efforts to nullify the agency will cripple American influence overseas and carry devastating effects for some of the most vulnerable populations in the world, which relied on U.S. funding for health care, food, and other basic needs.

The State Department also said that its leadership, along with USAID leadership in place, had notified Congress of their intent to reorganize some USAID functions within the State Department by July 1 of this year.

The overall push to eliminate USAID and the reduction of the agency’s staff is being challenged in multiple court cases.

Tesla Cybertruck vandalized with swastika in NYC: Police

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Police in New York are searching for two individuals who were caught on video surveillance vandalizing a Tesla Cybertruck in Brooklyn.

At approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday, two unidentified suspects “carved the word ‘Nazis’ and a swastika on the doors of a parked unoccupied Tesla,” the New York Police Department said. The incident, which occurred in front of 730 Monroe Street in Brooklyn, was captured on video surveillance.

After vandalizing the vehicle, the suspects “fled on foot in an unknown direction,” police said.

The incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force, police said. Officials said anyone with more information regarding the vandalism is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477.

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

A man was arrested this week for allegedly setting Tesla vehicles on fire in Las Vegas earlier this month and is facing federal charges in the alleged Molotov cocktail attack.

On Monday, the FBI announced the establishment of a task force to address the incidents targeting Teslas.

“The FBI will be relentless in its mission to protect the American people. Acts of violence, vandalism, and domestic terrorism — like the recent Tesla attacks — will be pursued with the full force of the law,” the FBI said in a statement to ABC News.

Lone offenders appear to be the ones carrying out these attacks, according to an FBI and Department of Homeland Security assessment obtained by ABC News on March 21.

“While they may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes, these tactics can cause accidental or intentional bodily harm,” the assessment said. “Some individuals with political or social goals are likely to view the publicity surrounding these past incidents as validation that these tactics are successful in drawing public attention, and they may be galvanized to engage in similar violence.”

ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Another 2 law firms targeted by Trump sue to block executive order

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Two law firms — Jenner and Block and WilmerHale — filed suit against the Trump administration on Friday to block executive orders signed by President Donald Trump last week that targeted their attorneys’ security clearances and bring to a halt any interactions they may have with the federal government.

“The Order threatens not only Jenner, but also its clients and the legal system itself,” Jenner and Block said Friday in its lawsuit. “Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate.”

Jenner and Block and WilmerHale are the latest firms seeking to counter what has been a rapid onslaught by the White House seeking to target individual firms that have hired or otherwise represented Trump’s political enemies.

“The President’s sweeping attack on WilmerHale (and other firms) is unprecedented and unconstitutional,” the lawsuit said. “The First Amendment protects the rights of WilmerHale, its employees, and its clients to speak freely, petition the courts and other government institutions, and associate with the counsel of their choice without facing retaliation and discrimination by federal officials.”

The firms’ legal challenges against what they have described as blatantly “unconstitutional” executive orders come on the heels of successful effort by the law firm Perkins Coie, which earlier this month secured a court order blocking similar executive action signed by Trump.

The lawsuits, filed in federal court in D.C. on Friday, accuse Trump of engaging in a sweeping campaign to intimidate major law firms who have represented plaintiffs currently suing the administration, or who have represented or at one point employed those he dislikes.

“These orders send a clear message to the legal profession: Cease certain representations adverse to the government and renounce the Administration’s critics — or suffer the consequences,” the Jenner and Block suit said. “The orders also attempt to pressure businesses and individuals to question or even abandon their associations with their chosen counsel, and to chill bringing legal challenges at all.”

Both lawsuits were initially assigned Friday to D.C. District judge Beryl Howell, who previously enjoined the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order against the law firm Perkins Coie — and described it as very likely unconstitutional. But on Friday afternoon, Howell ordered them to be randomly reassigned to a different judge — noting they raise separate factual and legal questions than the Perkins Coie case.

Earlier this week, Howell rejected an effort from the Trump administration to have her removed from overseeing the Perkins Coie lawsuit after they argued she showed clear bias against Trump.

Carolina wildfires: High winds, low humidity significantly increase threat

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(ASHEVILLE, N.C.) — Strong winds and low humidity could create significant problems for firefighters in the Carolinas on Friday, as wildfires continue to rage throughout both states, officials said.

Red flag warnings are in place for the western Carolinas on Friday with wind gusts reaching 30 mph and a relative humidity as low as 20%, officials said.

“We’ve never had a fire quite like this,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said during a press conference from the site of the Table Rock Complex Fire on Friday. “You’ve seen the movie ‘The Perfect Storm,’ well this might be the perfect fire.”

The high winds come as fires are already raging across both states.

In North Carolina, the Black Cove Complex Fire, located about 30 miles southeast of Asheville, is the highest priority fire in the United States, burning nearly 7,000 acres, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

As of Thursday, the Deep Woods Fire, located 5 miles northwest of Columbus, North Carolina, has burned 3,373 acres and is 30% contained, officials said.

Several other fires continue to blaze in North Carolina, including the Alarka Fire in Swain County, which has burned 911 acres and is only 5% contained, and the Rattlesnake Branch Fire, which has torched 629 acres and is 5% contained, officials said. Additionally, the Freedom Farm Fire has burned 130 acres and is 60% contained, according to the Leicester Fire Department.

“The concern is, until they are contained, we have to be on alert,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Thursday.

In South Carolina, the Table Rock Complex Fire — located on the South-Carolina-North Carolina border — spread significantly on Thursday, burning 8,769 acres with a perimeter of 34.8 miles, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Officials said weather conditions on Friday are a “concern for increased fire activity.” As of Friday, the Table Rock Complex Fire is zero percent contained, with more than 1,400 homes and businesses evacuated, the forestry commission said.

The Table Rock Complex Fire also includes the Permission Ridge Fire, located in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, which itself has grown to 1,992 acres and is zero percent contained as of Friday, officials said.

“Containment will be very difficult to achieve,” Scott Phillips, head of the South Carolina Forestry Commission, said during a press conference Friday.

The South Carolina National Guard has dropped 612,000 gallons of water to help put out these flames, officials said.

A statewide ban on outdoor burning remains in effect in North Carolina and South Carolina, officials said.

These fires are located in steep terrain that has been covered with downed trees and dried vegetation left over from Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities and killed over 230 people back in September.

On Friday, firefighters “hope to complete burnouts of existing unburned areas and focus on improving and holding existing firebreaks,” the forestry commission said.

An elevated fire risk is also in place for most of Georgia, Virginia and eastern Tennessee, officials said.

There have not been any reported injuries from any of the wildfires.

Rain will move in on Sunday and Monday, which could alleviate firefighters and help diminish the flames, officials said.

Trump weighs in on House special election races in Florida as GOP fights to keep majority

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In a pair of back-to-back rallies held over the phone on Thursday night, President Donald Trump praised the two Republican candidates in the upcoming special elections for Florida’s 6th and 1st Congressional districts, amid recent concerns among Republicans over whether their candidate in the 6th Congressional District, State Sen. Randy Fine, can keep the seat in Republican hands.

Fine has lagged behind his Democratic opponent, Josh Weil, in fundraising, and Republicans have expressed concerns about his campaign, although many still believe he will be able to hold the seat in the ruby-red district.

The special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which is on the state’s eastern coast and includes the city of Daytona Beach, is being held on Tuesday, April 1, to fill the vacancy created by former Rep. Mike Waltz when he resigned to become Trump’s national security adviser.

The tele-rallies also came amid broader concerns among Republicans about maintaining their razor-thin majority in the U.S. House, and on the same day that Trump asked Rep. Elise Stefanik to withdraw her nomination to be United Nations ambassador, citing “a very tight Majority” in the U.S. House.

House Republicans currently hold a narrow majority with 218 Republicans to 213 Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson has a two-vote cushion for his majority.

Fine, at the start of the telephone rally for him, emphatically praised Trump and said he would serve in Congress as one of the president’s strongest allies.

“Mr. President, I’m immensely grateful for your unwavering support, trust and confidence in me. I believe that God saved your life in Butler, Pennsylvania, so that you could save the world,” Fine said, referencing the July assassination attempt Trump survived. “And it will be one of the most profound honors of my life to be one of your foot soldiers as you make America great again.”

Trump praised Fine’s early endorsement of him during the 2024 election cycle, adding, “that’s why Randy will always have a very open door to the Oval Office. He will be there whenever I need him, and he wants to be there whenever we need him. He wants to be there for you.”

“I’ve gotten to know him under pressure situations, and he can react well under pressure. So go vote for Randy,” Trump said later.

Fine reiterated he would work to carry out Trump’s agenda in Congress.

“It’s not overstating things to say that your agenda is at stake in this election, and this district can’t let you down. Your agenda is on the ballot on April 1,” he said.

During the earlier telephone rally supporting the Republican candidate in the 1st Congressional District, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Trump praised Patronis’ work in Florida and framed the special election as important for his own agenda.

That special election, which will determine who takes the seat vacated by now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz, has gotten less concern from Republicans.

“The 1st Congressional District is special, and I won it by a lot, and Jimmy is going to win it by a lot. And remember, you’re five days away from this all important special election taking place in your district on Tuesday, April 1, so April Fool’s Day. So it’s going to be the fool for the Democrat candidate, who happens to be terrible,” Trump said of Patronis’ Democratic opponent Gay Valimont, a gun violence prevention activist.

Praising Patronis, Trump said, “Jimmy’s done an outstanding job as the chief financial officer of the state of Florida, helping to guide your state to tremendous economic success. And now he wants to keep on fighting for Florida in Congress.”

Patronis, speaking after Trump, told listeners, “Look, if you’re not fired up to hearing the president right now, then you need to get your pulse checked with President Trump and the White House. A Republican majority in Congress — we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform this country.”

Utah becomes 1st state to ban fluoride in drinking water

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SALT LAKE CITY) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill making the state the first in the nation to ban fluoride in drinking water.

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

Administration asks Supreme Court to lift judge’s block on deportations under Alien Enemies Act

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court a second time to urgently lift U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s temporary restraining order blocking the deportations of alleged Tren de Aragua gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.

“Only this Court can stop rule-by-TRO from further upending the separation of powers — the sooner, the better,” Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in an emergency application to the court.

The appeal follows Wednesday’s 2-1 ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding Boasberg’s order and defending his jurisdiction in the matter.

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

Army bringing in more assets to reach missing US soldiers’ vehicle in muddy bog in Lithuania

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The search for four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing in their vehicle during a scheduled training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania, is ongoing Friday, with officials bringing in more assets to help with the recovery mission, the Army said.

The soldiers, who are all based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, went missing on Tuesday while operating a M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, the Army said. On Wednesday, the 70-ton vehicle was found submerged in about 15 feet of water and mud in a training area, the Army said.

“Most likely, the M88 drove into the swamp,” and the vehicle “may have just gone diagonally to the bottom,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told ABC News via phone.

Sakaliene said Thursday that the search has shifted from rescue to a “complicated” recovery mission.
The Army said crews are “working around the clock to drain water, dig, and dredge the mud that surrounds the vehicle.”

“The area around the site is incredibly wet and marshy and doesn’t support the weight of the equipment needed for the recovery of the 70-ton vehicle without significant engineering improvements,” the Army said in a statement Friday. “Draining the area has been slow and difficult due to ground water seepage.”

“A large capacity slurry pump, cranes, more than 30 tons of gravel, and subject matter experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are just some of the assets that arrived on site,” the Army said. “The Polish Armed Forces have also volunteered a unit of military engineers, which is bringing in an additional water pump, tracked recovery vehicles, other additional equipment and supplies needed along with 150 personnel.”

A specialized U.S. Navy dive crew is also expected to arrive on site by Saturday, the Army said.

“This will be a long and difficult recovery operation, but we are absolutely committed to bringing our soldiers home,” Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor said in a statement.

Sakaliene said Thursday the Lithuanians will also remain dedicated to the recovery.

“Working with American soldiers has always been close to our hearts,” she said. “They are not just allies — they are family to us.”

Another law firm targeted by Trump, Jenner and Block, suing to block executive order

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The law firm Jenner and Block filed suit against the Trump Administration Friday seeking to block an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week that targeted its attorneys’ security clearances and essentially shuttered any interactions with the federal government.

“The Order threatens not only Jenner, but also its clients and the legal system itself,” the firm said Friday in its lawsuit. “Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate.”

Jenner and Block is now the second of five firms targeted by Trump to bring a legal challenge against what it describes as a blatantly “unconstitutional” executive order, following a successful effort by the law firm Perkins Coie to have a federal judge temporarily block a similar order that targeted it over its representation of then-candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in D.C. Friday, accuses the Trump Administration of engaging in a sweeping campaign to intimidate major law firms that either represented or once counted among its ranks individuals who he has labeled his political enemies.

“These orders send a clear message to the legal profession: Cease certain representations adverse to the government and renounce the Administration’s critics — or suffer the consequences,” the suit said. “The orders also attempt to pressure businesses and individuals to question or even abandon their associations with their chosen counsel, and to chill bringing legal challenges at all.”

The filing comes amid a crisis that has gripped other “Big Law” firms in Washington, as top attorneys debate whether to fight back, cut a deal or stay quiet wondering whether they will be singled out next.

On Thursday, Trump signed another executive order targeting WilmerHale — citing its hiring of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and two of his top deputies, after they had investigated the 2016 Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

In a statement reacting to the order, a spokesperson for WilmerHale said they planned to pursue “all appropriate remedies to this unlawful order.”

Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann and estranged wife reach divorce settlement

March 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann and his estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, have reached a divorce settlement, according to court records.

Ellerup filed for divorce shortly after Heuermann was arrested in July 2023.

The terms of the divorce settlement, filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court Thursday night, are not public. A judge will review the settlement and must sign off on the divorce to make it final.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of seven women whose remains were found discarded on Long Island between 1993 and 2011.

Prosecutors with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office have said Ellerup and the couple’s children were out of town when the victims were killed.

Heuermann is expected back in court Friday as his lawyers ask a judge to disqualify some of the DNA evidence pertaining to nuclear DNA results obtained from hairs recovered from six victims: Maureen Brainard Barnes, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack.

The new DNA technique is whole genome sequencing of the DNA within a hair; scientists take all the fragments of DNA and assemble them on the human genome.

Traditional DNA sequencing looks at 15 to 24 points of comparison, while whole genome sequencing looks at 100,000 or more points and the methodology yields only one possible donor.

Heuermann’s defense argued the new DNA methodology has never been tested in New York courts, but prosecutors have said the technique is already used in the medical community and is consistent with what the court system has allowed.

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