FBI Director Kash Patel holds a news conference at Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — FBI Director Kash Patel sparred with the Senate Appropriations Committee’s top Democrat over the director’s alleged questionable behavior when Patel appeared before the panel for a budget hearing on Tuesday.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the ranking member of the committee, addressed reports of Patel’s alleged misuse of FBI resources and a story in The Atlantic that alleged he has had “bouts of excessive drinking” and job performance issues.
“What we are learning about what’s happening at the FBI is anything but normal,” Van Hollen said. “Director Patel, as you ask for more taxpayer resources, we cannot look away from the credible, extremely troubling reports about your misconduct at the FBI.”
Patel said last month that he’s “never been intoxicated on the job,” following the report. Patel sued The Atlantic over the article, demanding $250 million in damages.
Van Hollen later grilled Patel on the report asking Patel if, per The Atlantic report, he had “episodes of excessive drinking.”
Patel shot back, calling the report a “total farce.”
In a heated exchange, Patel then claimed without evidence that Van Hollen was “slinging margaritas” just over a year ago with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant who the government said in court was erroneously deported to El Salvador.
The moment is a reference to when Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia, who had been deported against a judge’s orders to the notorious CECOT prison. At the time, the senator said at one point during the meeting monitored by the El Salvador government, El Salvador officials put glasses on the table where they were meeting that appeared to have liquid inside with salt or sugar rims on top.
Van Hollen insisted that neither he nor Abrego Garcia touched those glasses and said it was clear they didn’t based on photos of the meeting taken by El Salvadoran officials.
Patel is appearing alongside other Department of Justice agency heads regarding the agencies’ 2027 budget requests. Patel is joined by Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole, United States Marshals Service Director Glady Serralta and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Robert Cekada.
When Patel last testified on Capitol Hill in September 2025, he faced questions from Democrats about the assassination of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk and his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies runs up court against the Detroit Pistons in the second half of an NBA game at Little Caesars Arena on January 24, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke has died, the team confirmed on Tuesday. He was 29.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the team said in a statement on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the great Memphis community will not be forgotten.”
The circumstances surrounding his death are not known at this time.
The Canadian-American forward began playing in the NBA in 2019. He was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder and immediately traded to Memphis.
He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team in his rookie season.
“As one of the longest-tenured members of the Grizzlies, Brandon was a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Brandon’s family, friends and the Grizzlies organization.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(SAN ANTONIO) — Six people, including a teenager, were found dead inside a shipping container at a Texas rail yard near the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said.
A seventh person who was found dead along train tracks in an area outside San Antonio is also believed to have been part of the same group in what is a suspected smuggling incident, authorities said.
The six bodies were discovered Sunday at the Union Pacific rail yard in Laredo, police said. An employee at the rail yard called police after discovering the bodies during a routine rail car inspection, police said.
The victims include a 14-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man from Honduras, as well as a 29-year-old woman and two men — aged 45 and 56 — from Mexico, according to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
So far, the woman has been confirmed to have died from hyperthermia, according to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office, which said it is “highly probable that hyperthermia was the cause of death for the entire group.”
The body of the seventh person was found Monday afternoon near tracks in Bexar County, some 150 miles north of Laredo, according to authorities. The man, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, was carrying a Mexican voter registration card, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
“At this point, the prevailing theory is that he’s a resident of Mexico that was among that group that was being smuggled into the country in one of these shipping containers,” Salazar said during a press briefing on Monday.
It is unclear if the man had died while in the shipping container and his body was dumped, or if he died in a fall from the train, he said, noting that the medical examiner will be determining the cause and manner of death.
Salazar said the shipping containers can only be opened from the outside, and that sensors go off when they are opened.
He said the train is believed to have originated in Del Rio, Texas, where the sensor did go off, presumably to load people on. The sensor went off again near where the body of the seventh person was found in Bexar County, he said.
“The fact that a sensor hit from here indicates someone opened that from outside,” Salazar said. “Our belief at this point is that it was most likely smugglers, coyotes that opened it from the outside.”
It is unclear if there were more people on the train who were successfully let out at that point, he said.
Salazar said the train continued on and was split up at a station, with half of it going to Houston and the other half to Laredo, where the six other people were found dead.
One of the people found dead in Laredo is believed to have contacted a relative on Saturday from inside the shipping container, saying in a message that “it was getting very, very hot, and that they were having some physical trouble as a result of it,” Salazar said.
The relative, who lives in a different state, contacted police, and San Antonio officers were dispatched to a location several miles from where the body was found in Macdona and did not find anything, he said.
The Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement Tuesday it is “working in close coordination with the Mexican Consulate to facilitate communication with the families of the deceased, ensure positive identification, and assist in the repatriation process as efficiently as possible.”
Homeland Security Investigations and Texas Rangers are also investigating the incident, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Union Pacific said it is “saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.”
ABC News’ Laura Romero contributed to this report.
A sign displays the prices of unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — A Chevron gas station in Los Angeles elicited headlines in recent weeks for charging an eye-popping $8.71 a gallon, becoming an emblem for the spike in fuel costs set off by the Iran war.
Sky-high gas prices nationwide owe primarily to a historic oil shock that followed Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But a lesser-known contributor helps account for just how high prices have gotten, at least at some name-brand stations selling fuel from the likes of Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil.
Branded stations, which make up almost half of gas stations nationwide, charge about 6 cents more per gallon on average than their unbranded counterparts, according to data from the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), a Dow Jones company, for the week ending on May 2. That price gap marks little change from where it stood before the war, OPIS data showed.
In at least one state, the price disparity runs significantly higher. Gas at a Chevron station in California costs an average of 48 cents more per gallon than the price at an unbranded station, the California Energy Commission (CEC) found in 2024. After Chevron, the most expensive average gas prices in California were found at Shell, 76 and Arco-branded stations, the CEC said.
Some analysts said the higher price of branded gas is due to additional costs, such as proprietary additives in the fuel, as well as a producer’s marketing budget and the payment forked over by stations for guaranteed access to its gas – costs that are passed on to consumers.
Other analysts and a California state watchdog, however, have said that the price disparity may stem from the market dominance of a handful of companies, allowing them to drive up the retail price.
The scrutiny comes as some large oil companies like British Petroleum, Valero and Marathon Petroleum report soaring profits amid the Iran war, though Chevron and Exxon saw profits decline due in part to one-time paper losses stemming from financial hedges meant to protect them against a possible price drop.
The price of an average gallon of gas currently stands at $4.52, an increase of $1.54 per gallon since the war began on Feb. 28, AAA data showed. That amounts to a nearly 52% jump in about two-and-a-half months.
Patrick Penfield, a professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University, said the recent surge in prices could prompt a reexamination of the costs baked into the price at the pump, including the added charge for branded gas.
“When you see such big price increases for gasoline, everything should be looked at,” Penfield said.
Chevron did not directly respond to an ABC News request for comment. However, Jim Stanley, director of media relations at the Western States Petroleum Association, a industry trade group, contacted ABC News at Chevron’s request.
Drivers choose branded gas stations as a matter of customer preference centered on issues like lighting, bathroom cleanliness or location, Stanley said.
“Any branded product – whether it’s medication or groceries or clothing – is going to generally cost more than a generic alternative,” he added.
Stanley further said roughly 95% of branded gas stations operate as franchises, meaning they enter into agreements with big-name companies but retain self-ownership.
“Branded gas stations can have these brand standards that they hold their franchisees to: a higher standard than an independently owned store,” Stanley added.
Kelly Davila, a spokesperson for Exxon, said the company doesn’t “own or operate our retail stations.”
Shell declined to respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Phillips 66, the parent company of 76, did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. Neither did Marathon Petroleum, the parent company of Arco.
Branded gas stations account for about 45% of stations nationwide, selling gas under the name of a major fuel company, OPIS data shows. Each of the brands touts a unique blend of additives that it says improves the gasoline and eases its effect on car engines. The extra ingredients go beyond the minimum standards mandated by federal and some state regulators, Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at Dow Jones Energy, told ABC News.
“At the end of the day, all gasoline has to meet a federal standard,” Cinquegrana said. “The branded gasoline goes above and beyond that minimum requirement.”
Higher prices charged by name-brand stations – a dynamic that stretches back decades – can be traced in part to spending on the development and production of the additives, Cinquegrana added: “They’re trying to recoup some of that investment.”
Some analysts, however, said it remains unclear whether the added ingredients deliver a meaningfully improved product.
“Regardless of each company’s claim, there is not sound evidence supporting the fact that additives do indeed improve the quality of gasoline, at least to the extent that the consumers perceive it to,” a study issued by the non-profit RAND corporation found in 2010.
The California Division of Petroleum Market Oversight (DPMO), a state watchdog agency, last year said it was “unable to independently verify claims that branded gasoline is superior to unbranded gasoline.”
When asked about studies disputing the value of additives, Stanley, of the Western States Petroleum Association, declined to comment.
The higher price of branded gas also owes to marketing budgets borne by the big-name companies as well as elevated costs paid by retailers as part of agreements with the brands that guarantee them priority access in the event of a supply shortage, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a study of the issue published in 2005.
“Gas stations pay more for a contract for branded gasoline because they have a guarantee of supply. And they have a major global brand backing them up,” Cinquegrana said.
Some analysts and a California watchdog disputed those explanations. Rather, they said, the higher prices may reflect market power enjoyed by the large firms, giving them leeway to raise prices without fear of competition.
“My own reading of the data is that the branded companies are able to take advantage of a lack of a competitive market and are acting almost like an oligopoly,” Paasha Mahdavi, a professor of energy governance and political economy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told ABC News, using a term that describes an industry dominated by a small number of companies.
Mahdavi focused on the relatively large price gap in California between branded and unbranded gas, which has widened in recent years.
In 2019, branded gas from companies like ExxonMobil, Arco, Valero and Chevron cost an average of 20 cents more per gallon in California; within five years, that price disparity had climbed to 31 cents, according to a DPMO study issued last year. Over that same period, the profitability of oil refiners in California has increased, DPMO said.
The rise in refinery profitability may be traced to the “exercise of market power by gasoline suppliers,” DPMO added, saying 90% of in-state refining capacity is controlled by four companies. As a result, elevated wholesale prices could be passed along the supply chain, DPMO said.
The largest companies appear to have “pretty strong control of not only upstream assets like oil and gas, but also control of the gas stations that are preferred by consumers based on location,” Mahdavi said. “They’re able to charge a higher premium.”
Valero did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Stanley, of the Western States Petroleum Association, said he is unsure why California features a larger gap in price between branded and unbranded gas than other states. One contributor, he said, could be the relatively low density of gas stations in the state.
“Competition brings down costs. When a retailer doesn’t see that same level of competition, you can see that reflected in higher prices.”
Stanley faulted environmental regulations in California for high overall gas prices.
“Branded or unbranded, gas in California is the most expensive in the country. That’s because of supply constraints that have been created by state policies.”
Mahdavi further said that the locations of branded gas stations may carry additional costs due to higher rents, accounting for some of the price gap.
The rise in prices during the Iran war offers an opportunity to revisit the factors that contribute to the price at the pump, according to Mahdavi.
“We can shine more light on what is driving these higher prices,” he said.
In this photo illustration, the PayPal logo is displayed on the screen of a smart tablet. (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — PayPal has agreed to waive $30 million in processing fees in order to resolve a federal investigation into an investment program that sought to boost Black and minority-owned businesses, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The probe is just one of a number launched under the Trump Justice Department scrutinizing companies that launched diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that Republicans have cast as unlawful and discriminatory.
DOJ had been probing whether PayPal’s program, which was launched in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd amid social unrest around the country, violated a federal law prohibiting creditors from discriminating against applicants based on race.
In order to avoid further investigation, the company has agreed to waive processing fees for roughly $1 billion in transactions — estimated at $30 million — “for eligible American small businesses that are veteran-owned or engaged in farming, manufacturing, or technology.”
The announcement by DOJ does not explain why PayPal’s transaction fee waivers will be directed to those specific classes of small businesses.
It has also agreed to launch a new small business initiative that does not account for “the race or national origin of the business owners.”
“This Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s vow to root out illegal DEI from every corner of corporate America,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the settlement. “American corporations are on notice: you will face our aggressive enforcement if you use race or national origin to discriminate against qualified Americans.”
The settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by PayPal, and under the agreement, the DOJ acknowledges it “has not made any determinations or findings regarding PayPal violating [the Equal Credit Opportunity Act] or any other federal law related to the economic opportunity fund.”
“For more than two decades, PayPal has helped small businesses start, scale, and thrive by expanding access to digital financial tools,” a PayPal spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “We’re excited to launch the Small Business Initiative to infuse American small businesses with even more economic opportunity.”
Marty Makary attends an executive order signing in the Oval Office on April 18, 2026.(Allison Robbert/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
His departure was in the works after he clashed publicly with lawmakers, major pharmaceutical companies and President Donald Trump himself. He was scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Makary, who is a surgeon by training, gained notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing against masks for children and vaccine mandates, and criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for citing Israeli data in recommending boosters rather than conducting its own research.
Since taking office in March 2025, the commissioner has focused his efforts on reshaping vaccine policy in the U.S. and transforming American diets.
Makary appeared in a video on X alongside Kennedy when the secretary announced in May 2025 the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC’s immunization schedule for “healthy children and pregnant women.”
“There’s no evidence healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children,” Makary said at the time.
Last year, Makary appeared at a news conference announcing the HHS and FDA would be implementing a series of measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes and colorings from America’s food supply by the end of 2026.
Makary said at the time that the agencies are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in cereal, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more — claiming American children “have been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals.”
Makary also supported Kennedy’s updated federal dietary guidelines earlier this year. The guidelines recommended that Americans limit highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates but also advocated for consuming red meat and full-fat dairy, a reversal of past nutrition guidance.
“For decades, we’ve been fed a corrupt food pyramid that has had a myopic focus on demonizing natural healthy saturated fats, telling you not to eat eggs and steak and ignoring a giant blind spot: refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, ultra-processed foods,” Makary said. “In this new guidance, we are telling young people, kids, schools, you don’t need to tiptoe around fat and dairy. … You don’t need to push low-fat milk to kids.”
In early May, Trump criticized Makary for not moving quickly enough to approve flavored vape and nicotine products, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s advisers informed him that Makary was delaying the president’s effort to “save” vaping,” a pledge Trump made on social media during his presidential campaign, according to the Journal.
Massachusetts State Police said at least one person was left wounded after a gunman began shooting into traffic in Cambridge on Monday afternoon. (ABC News)
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Two people were shot and left with life-threatening injuries after a gunman began shooting into traffic in Cambridge on Monday afternoon near Harvard University, according to officials.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press briefing after the incident that a gunman with an assault-style rifle was “actively firing in an erratic fashion at various vehicles.”
The shooting occurred in the vicinity of Memorial Drive and River Street before 1:30 p.m.
A trooper and a civilian, a former Marine, fired their weapons and struck the gunman, who was later identified as Tyler Brown, multiple times, according to the DA. Brown is under arrest and is hospitalized, Ryan said.
Brown is now facing six new felony charges, including two for assault with intent to murder.
He was under probation supervision for a previous crime, according to the DA.
Brown was sentenced to five to six years in state prison and three years of probation in August 2021 after he fired at Boston Police. Brown pleaded guilty to eight charges, including armed assault with intent to murder and attempted assault and battery by means of discharging a firearm, according to a 2021 statement from the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Brown was also previously required to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, according to the DA’s office.
Brown was also on probation at the time of the 2021 incident for a 2014 assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife) and witness intimidation conviction, according to the DA’s office. He was sentenced to four to five years in state prison for violating his probation to be served concurrently.
The DA’s office had recommended Brown be sentenced 10 to 12 years, criticizing the lower sentence.
“My office recommended a significant sentence for Mr. Brown given the nature of his offenses and the trauma andharm he inflicted. I am disappointed in the sentence that was imposed,” then-District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a 2021 statement.
The two people who were struck by gunfire were in their vehicles at the time.
Aerial footage from ABC News’ Boston affiliate WCVB showed the gunman being apprehended by police at the scene.
WCVB footage also showed a black Dodge sedan off the side of the road after an apparent crash.
A rifle was seen on the grass in the area, according to WCVB.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that there is no ongoing threat to the public, but asked that residents “avoid the area to allow public safety personnel to do their work.”
Lisa Schill, a witness to the shooting, told WCVB she was in a school van on the way to pick up kids at school. She said she left the van and began running from the incident on foot.
“I was running for my life,” Schill told the publication.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks to the Border Security Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center on May 6, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that members of the media “should not be surprised” if they receive subpoenas for information related to their sources on stories pertaining to national security-sensitive matters, following a Wall Street Journal report that the outlet received subpoenas stemming from its coverage of the war in Iran.
“Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration,” Blanche said. “Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
: In this aerial view, salvage crews continue to remove wreckage from the Dali six weeks after the cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge May 08, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(BALTIMORE) — The federal government indicted two foreign companies Tuesday in connection with the cargo ship crash that collapsed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
A shoreside superintendent of the M/V Dali, the vessel involved in the crash, was also charged by federal prosecutors.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
French police officers stand in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery in Paris, France, on October 19, 2025. Robbers break into the Louvre and flee with jewelry on the morning of October 19, 2025. (Photo by Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(PARIS) — A man was arrested in France for allegedly planning a terror attack that may have sought to target the Louvre Museum in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry and prosecutors in Paris.
Officials told ABC News the investigation began after the suspect was stopped by police in Paris on April 28, where he was allegedly driving with a forged license. Officials said the man’s phone was accessed after that traffic stop.
The Interior Ministry said the attack that was allegedly being planned would probably have targeted the museum, which is the world’s most-visited, but said the man was arrested before details of the attack had been fully formulated.
Police said the suspect also was planning an attack specifically targeting members of the Jewish community in Paris, the ministry said.
The man, a 27-year-old Tunisian national, was arrested on May 7 and was in pre-trial detention, officials said. ABC News has reached out to the man’s lawyer for comment.
An investigation was opened on Monday “on the grounds of terrorist association with the goal to commit crimes against individuals,” according to the French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators accessed the suspect’s phone, officials said, and found jihadist propaganda videos, hundreds of images of firearms and knives, ISIS-related imagery used on social media and encrypted communications with overseas contacts, who are believed to be potentially linked to extremist networks.
The suspect, according to what was found on his devices, discussed knowledge of access routes into the Louvre, possible placement of explosives inside the museum and production of ricin toxin, officials said.
The man who was arrested arrived in Europe via Lampedusa, Italy, in 2022 and was residing in the Paris region without residency status, officials told ABC News.
Investigators reported to prosecutors that the suspect denied any intent to commit a crime during questioning, claiming his activities were driven by “curiosity” about ISIS ideology.
