(WASHINGTON) — Vice President JD Vance fumbled The Ohio State University football team’s national championship trophy during a celebration at the White House on Monday.
President Donald Trump hosted the Buckeyes after they won the College Football Playoff National Championship against the University of Notre Dame in January.
When Vance went to pick up the football-shaped trophy off a table at the end of the event, the 24-karat gold, bronze and stainless steel trophy nearly toppled over behind him before two players caught it. The base dropped to the ground to gasps from the crowd.
Vance went on to hold the trophy separate from the base.
Though the Pentagram-designed piece appeared to break, the trophy and base are two separate pieces so that the 26.5 inch-tall, 35-pound trophy can be hoisted in the air. The 12-inch-tall base weighs about 30 pounds.
Vance, a graduate of Ohio State, joked about his fumble afterwards, saying on X, “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it.”
During the celebration, Vance additionally recounted his joke about asking Trump if he could skip the final inaugural ball on Jan. 20 to attend the championship game in Atlanta.
“The president said, ‘No, but we’ll have him at the White House,'” Vance said.
Trump recounted key moments from the team’s season and shook hands with the players.
Following remarks, the team captains presented Trump with a jersey with “TRUMP 47” written on the back as a band played Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his idea of sending U.S. citizens to foreign prisons, telling El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele he wanted to send “homegrown criminals” to his country next, according to a video posted by Bukele’s office on X.
The comments came as Trump welcomed Bukele, a key partner in his migrant deportations, to the White House amid controversy over the Supreme Court saying the administration should “facilitate” the return of a migrant from Maryland wrongfully sent to a notorious Salvadoran mega-prison.
As the two men entered the Oval Office, before reporters were allowed in the room, Trump discussed his proposal to send what he called American “criminals” accused of violent crimes to El Salvador and told Bukele he needed to build more prisons to house them.
“Homegrown criminals next,” Trump said, according to a livestream posted by Bukele’s office. “I said homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You gotta build about five more places.”
Bukele was heard responding “alright” and others in the room laughed.
“It’s not big enough,” Trump added.
Trump and various White House officials have repeatedly floated the idea of sending U.S. citizens to El Salvador and other places — something legal experts have said would be flatly unconstitutional.
On Monday, during a spray with reporters, Trump said his team was “studying” the issue.
“If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no problem,” Trump said. “Now we’re studying the laws right now, Pam [Bondi] is studying. If we can do that, that’s good.”
“And I’m talking about violent people. I’m talking about really bad people. Really bad people. Every bit as bad as the ones coming in,” he continued.
Bukele first offered to house violent U.S. criminals shortly after Trump was inaugurated.
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the proposal from Bukele back in early February, he called the it “an act of extraordinary friendship.” Though at the time, Rubio also noted there would be constitutional questions about such a move, saying there are “obviously legalities involved.”
Bukele on Monday said he was “very eager to help” the Trump administration.
“In fact, Mr. President, you have 350 million people to liberate. You know, but to liberate 350 million people, you have to imprison some,” Bukele said.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
(FRISCO, Texas) — The $1 million bond has been reduced for the 17-year-old student charged with murder in the stabbing of another student at a Texas high school track meet.
Karmelo Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial High School, was detained following the deadly stabbing, which occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2 during a track and field championship involving multiple schools in the district.
Austin Metcalf, 17, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School, died after police said another student stabbed him during an altercation in the bleachers at the meet.
Anthony was initially held on $1 million bond. During a hearing on Monday, a Collin County judge set his bond at $250,000, online court records show.
Should he post bond, he has been ordered to be on house arrest, be supervised by a parent or designated adult at all times and have no contact with Metcalf’s family, according to court records. He also needs prior court approval to leave the house and must check in with the court bailiff weekly until the case is indicted into a different court, the court records show.
Judge Angela Tucker said she considered several factors in setting the new bond amount, including Anthony’s age, lack of past criminal history and close ties to the community, Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reported.
Members of both teens’ families attended the hearing, according to WFAA.
Anthony is newly represented by Dallas defense attorney Mike Howard, who asked for $150,000 bond, according to WFAA. The prosecution argued the Anthony family was able to pay the $1 million bond through funds raised through the platform GiveSendGo, according to WFAA. The fundraiser had more than $416,000 in donations as of Monday afternoon. Anthony’s father told the court the family doesn’t have access to those funds yet, WFAA reported.
ABC News has reached out to Howard for comment.
The Dallas-based social justice organization Next Generation Action Network, which is advocating for Anthony, said the reduced bond “gives Karmelo and his family a much-needed window of relief and a chance to prepare for the road ahead.”
“The Next Generation Action Network is currently working with the Anthony family to get the bond processed and will keep the community updated regarding his release,” the organization said in a statement on X.
The stabbing occurred under the Memorial High School tent in the stadium bleachers at approximately 10 a.m. on April 2, according to the arrest report.
Responding officers said they spoke to multiple witnesses, including one who reported the altercation began after Metcalf told Anthony to move out from under their team’s tent, according to the arrest report.
The witness reported that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, “Touch me and see what happens,” according to the arrest report.
Metcalf grabbed Anthony to move him, according to a witness, and Anthony allegedly pulled out what the witness described as a black knife and “stabbed Austin once in the chest and then ran away,” the arrest report stated.
Anthony allegedly confessed to the killing and officers say he told them he was protecting himself, according to the arrest report.
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Harvard University is refusing to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration, potentially risking billion in federal funding.
In a letter on Monday, Harvard University President Alan Garber said the school “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights” by agreeing to a series of terms proposed by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration demanded Harvard end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, adopt merit-based admissions and cooperate with immigration authorities — or risk losing $9 billion in federal funding. Garber at the time said the loss of funding would “halt life-saving research.”
Harvard’s rejection of Trump’s demands marks the first time a majority university has pushed back against funding threats made by the Trump administration.
In a letter Friday, the Trump administration argued that the school “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment” and proposed terms including changing the school’s governance, adopting merit-based hiring, shuttering any DEI programs and allowing “audits” to ensure “viewpoint diversity.”
In response, Harvard’s president said the school is committed to making changes to create a “welcoming and supportive learning environment” and reaffirmed the school’s vow to fight antisemitism. However, he argued the Trump administration’s requests would go too far.
“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI,” Garber wrote. “And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
The confrontation follows similar actions against other prestigious universities. Last month, Columbia University agreed to comply with the administration’s demands regarding campus policies and governance after its federal funding was suspended following campus protests. The agreement came after the administration cited concerns about antisemitism and public safety.
The Department of Education has also initiated investigations into Cornell University and Northwestern University, according to White House officials. The Trump administration has halted more than $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell and $790 million to Northwestern due to investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
A New Mexico man has been arrested and federally charged in connection with two separate arson attacks on a Tesla dealership and the Republican Party’s state headquarters in Albuquerque, according to newly unsealed court documents.
Jamison Wagner is alleged to have set fires at a Tesla showroom in Bernalillo on Feb. 9 and vandalized several vehicles in the parking lot with phrases including, “Die Elon,” “Tesla Nazi Inc” and “Die Tesla Nazi,” according to a federal complaint.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(ORANGE CITY, Fla.) — A Florida woman has been arrested for selling human remains on Facebook Marketplace, according to the Orange City Police Department.
Kymberlee Schopper, 52, was arrested last week and charged with the purchase or sale of human organs and tissue, according to court records.
“This is something I haven’t seen in the 17 years that I’ve worked for this agency,” Orange City Police Department Capt. Sherif El-Shami told ABC News. Orange City is located about a half hour north of Orlando.
Police began looking into Schopper’s store, Wicked Wonderland, back in December 2023, when they received a tip regarding a business within the city “attempting to sell human bones,” according to the charge affidavit.
The tip included images from the store’s Facebook page, which “advertised various human bones for sale, complete with pricing information,” the affidavit said.
Schopper’s store was allegedly selling two human skull fragments for $90, a human clavicle and scapula for $90, a human rib for $35, a human vertebrae for $35 and a partial human skull for $600, the affidavit said.
Police spoke to Ashley Lelesi, the co-owner of Wicked Wonderland, who said the store had been selling human bones for “several years and was unaware that it was prohibited in the state of Florida,” the affidavit said.
She confirmed to authorities that the store featured “multiple bone fragments, all purchased from private sellers,” the affidavit said. Lelesi said she had documentation for these transactions, but “could not provide it at that moment,” the affidavit said.
Schopper and Lelesi later met with police, where Schopper showed documentation from PayPal, but she had “redacted certain information to protect their privacy,” the affidavit said.
Schopper told police the bones were “indeed educational models” and that a warrant would be required if further information was needed, the affidavit said.
Police submitted five pieces of human bones from Wicked Wonderland as evidence, with the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office finding that the fragments “likely represent two different individuals — one of possible archaeological origin and the other of anatomical origin,” according to the affidavit.
Schopper was taken into custody on Thursday and was released on a bail of $7,500 on Friday, according to court records. It is not immediately clear if Schopper has obtained a lawyer.
Lelesi has also been charged with the same crime, El-Shami told ABC News. It is not clear whether Lelesi is in police custody or has obtained a lawyer.
Schopper’s arraignment has been scheduled for May 1, according to court records.
(SAN DIEGO) — A 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook Southern California on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered in San Diego County but was felt as far north as Los Angeles.
No injuries or damage have been reported, according to Cal Fire San Diego.
The building “rocked for a long time,” said Greg Allen, a Washington resident visiting San Diego.
“Everything was moving, the blinds and everything,” he told ABC News. “Then we heard people going down the stairs. And since we’re from out of town, we figured we should probably leave the building also.”
A 3.3 magnitude foreshock hit on Sunday afternoon, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said, and Monday morning’s earthquake was followed by several aftershocks in the 2 and 3 magnitude range.
Extreme damage is not expected, Jones said. Damage is possible to old buildings or buildings with poor foundations, she said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed and the state is coordinating with local authorities, according to the governor’s office.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — A lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man and alleged gang member who was deported in error to El Salvador, said Monday that it might take a contempt order to prompt the U.S. government to return him from that country.
As ordered by a federal judge, U.S. officials over the weekend confirmed in a court filing that Abrego Garcia is being held in the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador — but ignored the judge’s order to detail what steps the government is taking to facilitate his return.
“At some point, if somebody gets held in contempt, you might see quicker movement there,” Benjamin Osorio, an attorney for Abrego Garcia, told ABC News’ Start Here.
The Supreme Court last week unanimously ruled that U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis “properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”
The high court also said, “The Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps.”
Top U.S. officials Monday indicated that they did not intend to take any steps to retrieve Abrego Garcia from El Salvador.
“That’s up to El Salvador,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in an Oval Office meeting with President Trump and the visiting El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. “If El Salvador … wanted to return him, we would facilitate it.”
Asked by reporters about Abrego Garcia, President Bukele responded, “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
Judge Xinis on Friday ordered the Trump administration to provide daily updates on Abrego Garcia’s status, after which another attorney for Abrego Garcia said that he would ask the judge to “take appropriate steps” if the administration doesn’t make a good-faith effort to respond.
“Whether it’s DOJ or DHS getting held in contempt and the judge taking some move there, we’ll see how that plays out,” Osorio said Monday. “I imagine if they they stall too much, that’s what you’re going to see.”
The attorney said he was glad to hear from the administration that Abrego Garcia is “alive and well,” because, he said, “to my knowledge, nobody, not his wife, not his attorneys, nobody’s had contact with him.”
Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador whose wife is a U.S. citizen and who has 5-year-old child, was issued a 2019 court order barring his deportation to El Salvador, where his attorneys say he escaped political violence in 2011. Despite the court order, he was deported in March to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison following what the government said was an “administrative error.”
The Trump administration claims Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which his lawyers and his wife deny, and have argued in legal filings that because Abrego Garcia is no longer in U.S. custody, the courts cannot order him to be returned to the U.S. nor can they order El Salvador to return him.
Friday’s hearing came a day after the U.S. Supreme affirmed Judge Xinis’ earlier ruling ordering the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump, speaking with reporters, said that he wasn’t well-versed in the case, but that “if the Supreme Court said bring somebody back, I would do that. I respect the Supreme Court.”
On Sunday, however, an ICE official said in court filings that Abrego Garcia’s “membership in MS-13” makes him ineligible to be removed from that country.
“I understand that he should not have been removed to El Salvador because the immigration judge had also granted Abrego Garcia withholding of removal,” said ICE official Evan Katz. “However, I also understand that Abrego Garcia is no longer eligible of withholding of removal because of his membership in MS-13 which is now a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
U.S. officials, however, have publicly provided no evidence that Abrego Garcia is a MS-13 member, and he has not been charged with any crime.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, meeting at the White House on Monday, were pressed repeatedly on what’s next regarding the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant from Maryland.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters in the Oval Office, “It’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio called him a citizen of El Salvador.
Bukele, the self-described “world’s coolest dictator” who has become a key ally in the administration’s controversial migrant deportations, indicated, when a reported asked, that he would not take action to release Abrego Garcia.
“I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” Bukele said.
The Supreme Court last week ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia. Trump on Friday said, “If the Supreme Court said bring somebody back, I would tell them to do that. I respect the Supreme Court.”
Trump appeared to amend that statement, though, in a social media post over the weekend where he suggested the fate of those deported now rests with Bukele.
“Looking forward to seeing President Bukele, of El Salvador, on Monday! Our Nations are working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity. President Bukele has graciously accepted into his Nation’s custody some of the most violent alien enemies of the World and, in particular, the United States,” Trump wrote. “These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government.”
The Justice Department argued in court filings that the courts had “no authority” to direct how the executive branch engages in foreign relations and argued the administration could not interfere with El Salvador’s sovereignty. Another hearing is set in the case for Tuesday.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting, President Trump said he thought Bukele was “doing a fantastic job” and “taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we really wouldn’t be able to take care of from a cost standpoint.”
“We have some very bad people in that prison, people that should have never been allowed into our country, people that murder drug dealers, some of the worst people on Earth are in that prison and he’s able to do that,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida on Sunday. When pressed further about the alleged human rights abuses reported at El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison CECOT, President Trump said, “I don’t see it. I don’t see that happening.”
The Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrants they allege to be Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, though have done so with seemingly little due process.
Rubio, in a social media post over the weekend, said the efforts continued with another 10 alleged criminals associated with MS-13 and Tren de Aragua deported to El Salvador.
Rubio wrote that the “alliance” between Trump and Bukele “has become an example for security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
Plus, Trump and several officials have floated sending U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes to the infamous El Salvador prison — something legal experts have said would violate the Constitution.
“The president has discussed this idea quite a few times publicly. He’s also discussed it privately,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week.
“These would be heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation’s laws repeatedly. And these are violent repeat offenders in American streets,” Leavitt continued.
“The president has said if it’s legal, right, if there is a legal pathway to do that, he’s not sure. We are not sure if there is. It’s an idea that he has simply floated and has discussed, very publicly, as in the effort of transparency,” she said.
(LONDON) — A Russian ballistic missile strike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least 34 people on Sunday morning, emergency services said, as many there celebrated Palm Sunday.
“The enemy struck the civilian population again,” acting Mayor Artem Kobzar wrote on Telegram. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said that at least 34 people — including two children — were confirmed killed, with 117 others injured, including 15 children. Two missiles struck the center of the city, authorities said.
A day after the massive attack, President Donald Trump repeated familiar talking points blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion, and claiming his predecessor and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin.”
“The War between Russia and Ukraine is Biden’s war, not mine,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Monday, echoing remarks he made to reporters on Sunday. “I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening.”
Trump added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “respected” him, and said he is “working diligently to get the death and destruction to stop” though did not directly mention the current peace negotiations.
The Sumy City Council said the strike hit multiple buildings, including residential ones. “On this bright day of Palm Sunday, our community suffered a terrible tragedy,” Kobzar wrote.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said the missiles used cluster munitions, which spray smaller sub-munitions over the target area. “A cluster munition missile is something the Russians do to kill as many civilians as possible,” Yermak wrote on Telegram. “The strike on the city of Sumy is a deliberate shelling of civilians.”
Zelenskyy said on Telegram that the “terrible strike” hit “an ordinary city street, ordinary life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street.”
“And this is on a day when people go to church: Palm Sunday, the feast of the lord’s entry into Jerusalem,” he added. “Only a scoundrel can act like this. Taking the lives of ordinary people. My condolences to the relatives and friends. A rescue operation is underway now. All necessary services are working.”
“A tough reaction from the world is needed,” Zelenskyy wrote. “The United States, Europe, everyone in the world who wants an end to this war and murders. Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible.”
“Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and air bombs,” Zelenskyy said. “We need the kind of attitude towards Russia that a terrorist deserves.”
Foreign leaders and officials condemned the strike. Among them was Trump, who told reporters on Sunday that the attack was “terrible,” adding, “I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post to X, “Everyone knows: this war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it — with blatant disregard for human lives, international law, and the diplomatic efforts of President [Donald] Trump.”
“Strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire on Russia,” Marcon added. “France is working tirelessly toward this goal, alongside its partners.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the incident as, “The Russian version of a ceasefire.”
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, wrote on X that the strike “by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency. There are scores of civilian[s] dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war.”
ABC News’ Natalia Popova, Natalia Kushnir and Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.
