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(NEW YORK) — Human remains have been found in a suitcase that was drifting in the East River in New York City, police said.
The discovery was made on Wednesday at approximately 5:30 p.m. when authorities from the NYPD Harbor Unit were called to the East River close to Governor’s Island and retrieved the suitcase with the human remains inside, according to ABC News’ New York City station WABC.
The suitcase was subsequently taken to Pier 16 where an initial investigation was launched and authorities confirmed the existence of human remains in the suitcase.
Police did not immediately confirm how long the body could have been there for or if they had any leads on how the individual could be but did say that the medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death in due course.
No further details regarding the case have been provided and the investigation into the death is currently ongoing.
(WASHINGTON) — Protesters gathered nationwide Wednesday as part of a movement opposing the Trump administration’s policies and Project 2025, the controversial conservative presidential wish list.
The protests, which took place largely in state capitals, were organized by an online movement dubbed 50501 — meaning 50 protests, 50 states, one day.
The grassroots effort has been organized across social media sites using hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, calling on Americans to “fight fascism.”
Protesters marched and gathered in cities including Atlanta, Austin, Boston and Philadelphia, holding signs with messages like “Silence is violence,” “Defend democracy,” “Impeach Trump” and “Death to fascism.”
Vermont college student Andy Cole was among those protesting outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday.
“I came out here today because it’s important for people to be here,” Cole told ABC Montpelier affiliate WVNY. “As a young person, it’s important for me to be here. As a human, it is important for me to be here.”
“I would not be able to sleep at night if I didn’t become engaged and didn’t be active in my community, especially with everything that’s happening right now,” Cole continued.
In the first weeks of his new term, President Donald Trump has signed a slew of executive orders, some of which are already facing legal challenges.
Protesters on Wednesday highlighted Trump’s immigration policies, carrying signs saying “No human is illegal,” as the administration takes unprecedented action to remove as many undocumented migrants from the United States as possible.
Demonstrators also protested actions targeting LGBTQ+ people, the same day that Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Last week, he signed an order seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.
Protesters also called to save the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs.
Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said this week he was “in the process” of “shutting down” the agency with the backing of Trump, as part of efforts to trim the size of the federal government and eliminate waste.
Many demonstrators took aim at Musk in particular, highlighting his efforts to dismantle government agencies and gain access to government data. Signs with the message “No one voted for Elon Musk” could be seen at multiple protests.
Vice President JD Vance alluded to that sentiment on X on Wednesday, saying, “They did however vote for Donald Trump who promised repeatedly to have Elon Musk root out wasteful spending in our government.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s day of action, an Instagram account claiming to be the official account of the 50501 movement shared flyers for planned protests with phrases like “Reject fascism” and “We the people reject Project 2025.
A “Declaration of Equal Liberty” posted to the Instagram account claims that Project 2025’s “rhetoric intends to divide, isolate, and alienate our society, as well as dismantle the foundational liberties of our country by attacking our institutions.”
Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 on the campaign trail but went on to nominate several of its authors or contributors to his administration.
ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — At least 37 giant live beetles measuring 4 to 5 inches have been found concealed inside of multiple packages of Japanese snacks, potato chips and chocolate at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.
The contraband was discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists assigned to LAX during a physical examination of a shipment arriving from Japan via air cargo last month.
Upon inspection, authorities ended up discovering discovered 37 live giant beetles — worth an estimated $1,480 — hidden in packets of Japanese junk food.
“They may look harmless but in reality, smuggled beetles pose a significant threat to our vital agriculture resources,” said Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “Beetles can become a serious pest by eating plants, leaves, and roots and by laying eggs on tree bark which damages our forests.”
Sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, exotic insects are highly popular and often sold online and underground, authorities said.
“The illegal trade of exotic insects bring hefty profits for those willing to take the risk of circumventing U.S. laws and regulations,” CBP said in their release regarding the case on Wednesday.
Importing live insects into the U.S., require a U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine permit, or a letter issued by PPQ Plants, Pathogens and Biocontrol unit, according to CBP.
The seized beetles were turned over to USDA officials, who will determine the final destination of the insects, meaning they will likely be donated to local zoos that have permits for live insects or be preserved in a local insect collection.
“CBP agriculture specialists combine their scientific knowledge of harmful pests and plant diseases with their expertise in detecting and intercepting these threats before their enter our country,” said Andrew H. Douglas, CBP LAX Port Director. “We are very proud of their contributions to our national security mission.”
On an average day in 2023, CBP agriculture specialists seize an estimated 3,287 prohibited plants, meat and animal byproducts and intercept over 231 agricultural pests that could potentially harm America’s agricultural resources.
(LONDON) — A hotel guest in the Netherlands got the surprise of their life when they returned to their hotel room and discovered a seal taking a nap in their room, according to authorities.
The unnamed guest was staying at Pier 7, a hotel in the beach town of Vlissingen approximately 70 miles southwest of Rotterdam, when staff at the hotel received a call from their restaurant downstairs informing that that a guest had reported a seal in their bedroom, according to a statement from the Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation.
“We often get strange messages,” the statement said. “But when we received a message tonight we couldn’t believe it at first.”
The guest at the hotel, which has rooms directly leading onto the beach, is thought to have accidentally left their door open, allowing the seal to barge into their room while they were out, officials said.
“Fortunately, our valued colleagues from Reddingsteam Zeedieren Nederland RTZ (Marine Animals Rescue Team Netherlands RTZ) were quickly there to assist our ambulance workers,” said the Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation.
“The RTZ employees have enough experience and put the seal, who had become quite grumpy due to his disturbed beauty sleep, in a seal basket and he was relocated to a safe, quieter place,” the statement continued.
The grey seal was “completely relaxed” and was able to be moved along without incident, officials said while also taking the time to warn people that they may look adorable, but they can bite and should not be approached or touched.
“A grey seal [can find] you in the craziest places” animal welfare experts said. “They look for a resting place and sometimes lie in the middle of a terrace or on the road.”
“These guests’ holiday became an adventure to never forget,” officials said following the incident. “You only experience this in our beautiful Vlissingen, right?”
Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — New legislation in Congress aims to tackle a financial burden weighing on millions of households — rent that is “too damn high,” as one New York City housing activist famously claimed.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and co-sponsored by eight other Senate Democrats, targets companies that collect data on rental markets from landlords and then use the data for an algorithm to help broadly determine rents.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Klobuchar called it a “high-tech” version of collusion, saying companies that use these models are widely sourcing rents from competitors and colluding to drive up costs for consumers. The landlords plug in their nonpublic information related to rents into the RealPage software and then are able to receive pricing recommendations, circumventing normal competitive strategies for setting rents. The bill, she said, wouldn’t prevent landlords from using algorithms — but it would stop companies from illegally working together to set higher rents.
“It’s just textbook collusion,” Klobuchar said. “It’s clearly illegal for these landlords who compete with each other to get together for dinner one night and go, ‘Hey, let’s all set our rents high and then we won’t compete with each other.’
“Well, this is just a high-tech, sophisticated way of doing it, and our laws need to be as sophisticated,” she said.
Last year, the Justice Department sued real estate software company RealPage, which is the most-used company providing algorithmic pricing. The lawsuit alleged RealPage engaged in a collusion scheme with landlords that resulted in higher rent across the country.
“We constantly interact with algorithms, whether shopping online, paying rent, booking a flight, hailing a ride, buying insurance. I mean, that happens,” Klobuchar said. “But we’ve got to draw the line when they’re actually being used to fix prices, to hurt consumers, and that is exactly what I believe, and the Justice Department believes, has been going on.”
A report by the Biden administration’s Council of Economic Advisers found that algorithms like the one used by RealPage added over $90 a month to average rents in Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Tampa and Washington, D.C. — and added over $130 a month to rents in Dallas, Denver and Atlanta.
In 2023, the algorithmic pricing added a total of $3.8 billion to the price of rentals nationwide, according to the report.
The report also found that RealPage is used to determine rent for nearly 1 in 4 multifamily properties.
In a statement in December, RealPage defended its software, saying it was built to be legally compliant and enhances competition for customers in rental housing.
“We remain unwavering in our belief that RealPage’s revenue management software benefits both housing providers and residents,” it said.
“Housing is still the largest monthly expense for most households, and that includes rent,” Klobuchar said. “We have clear documentation from economists that this price-fixing by algorithms increased the rents by nearly $4 billion in 2023 — we know this is happening, and it’s so hard for people to get by now anyway.”
Rents have been one of the most stubborn drivers of high, post-pandemic inflation — up 4.3% over the past year, according to the government’s latest consumer price index report. That outpaces the overall annual inflation rate, which stands at 2.9%.
The legislation introduced by Klobuchar, called the “Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act,” would require rental companies to disclose if they are using algorithms to set rents. And it would direct the Federal Trade Commission to study how these algorithms are affecting competition.
It will need bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled Senate and House to have a future. Klobuchar said she is optimistic the bill can garner support from Republicans.
While former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice was aggressive on antitrust enforcement, aided by then-FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan, the Trump administration also has interest in propelling the issue. Antitrust cases against Google and Meta were initiated under Trump’s first term, and Vice President J.D. Vance was vocal about taking on powerful monopolies while in the Senate. One of his former aides, Gail Slater, will now take a leading attorney role at the DOJ.
In announcing Slater’s position, President Donald Trump said Big Tech companies have “run wild for years.”
Still, Klobuchar admitted that seeing the hefty showing of tech CEOs at Trump’s inauguration — the “broligarchs,” as she called them — gave her pause.
“But there are some good people that are going to keep doing this work within the bowels of the Department of Justice. So my hope is that there will be continued antitrust enforcement,” she said.
In the meantime, Klobuchar urged renters to do their own research, with the awareness that there are “forces out there” raising rents in most metropolitan areas.
“Why not ask when you’re going to rent: ‘Are you involved with RealPage or one of these companies that sets rents?'” she said.
(NEW ORLEANS) — The anticipation surrounding Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans is not just about which team will win, it’s whether or not the city can pull the game off without a serious security breach.
New Orleans has hosted 10 Super Bowls in previous years, but Sunday’s game at the Superdome is different. Just over a month before Sunday’s kick-off, the city was the target of a terrorist attack on New Year’s Day in which a driver racing down Bourbon Street killed 14 people, injured 57 others, and heightened fears among locals that the city is unprepared for the estimated 100,000 visitors expected to arrive this week.
“New Orleans never had a reputation as a high target type place” for terrorism, “it was always ‘the Big Easy,'” said Eric Cook, executive chef and owner of St. John, a restaurant in the city’s Central Business District that is just a short walk from the stadium. The attack, he said, “really made everyone realize we’re all vulnerable at any time. I have concerns about it, I really do.”
Security concerns were heightened this week after President Donald Trump announced he is planning to attend the game, a first for any sitting president.
NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier said the NFL changed its security plan since the attack and is “constantly monitoring what is going on in the environment and security worlds” in the days leading up to the game. She said more than 2,700 state, federal, and local law enforcement will be present in and around the Superdome and private drones are prohibited. She declined to talk in specific about other measures the league is taking, citing security concerns.
In the weeks following the Bourbon Street attack, the FBI gave the game a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 rating, “defined as a significant event with national and/or international importance that requires extensive federal interagency support,” according to a threat assessment the agency released in late January.
The FBI said the game, along with days of activities leading up to kick-off, make it “an attractive target for foreign terrorist organizations, homegrown violent extremists, domestic violent extremists, lone offenders, hate crime perpetrators, and those engaged in other reportable targeted violence due to their potential to cause mass casualty incidents and draw attention to ideological causes.”
The report warns that a copycat attack is possible since “vehicle ramming has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors in the west.” Other factors contributing to the threat environment is unrest in the Middle East, the high number of pre-game events in the city, the use of unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems, and the potential of cyberattacks “designed to facilitate short-term financial gain or highly visible, symbolic disruptions.”
Eric DeLaune, a special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, is tasked with coordinating federal efforts around the Super Bowl. “In the days ahead, there will be a significant increased law enforcement presence in New Orleans, some of which will be visible and obvious,” he told reporters Monday.
A congressional delegation led by Alabama Rep. Dale Strong, the chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, this week toured the site of the Bourbon Street attack and the Superdome before a briefing by the NFL and law enforcement officials.
“This tragedy could happen in any state, any city—that is why it is so important that we invest in local law enforcement and give them the capabilities they need to prevent crimes before they happen,” Strong said in a statement
Guns allowed, but not coolers
The Bourbon Street attack triggered a state of emergency from the state, which Gov. Jeff Landry followed up weeks later with an executive order that established a wide security perimeter around Bourbon Street, from Canal to St. Ann Streets and Royal to Dauphine Streets. Coolers and ice chests are prohibited and bag checks conducted by the Louisiana State Police will start Wednesday at every entry point leading to Bourbon Street.
For French Quarter residents like Glade Bilby, who has called the neighborhood home for more than 40 years and is president of French Quarter Citizens, a non-profit that focuses on quality of life issues, the added security is “welcome.” He said, however, the security focus on Bourbon Street is limiting.
Another attack “could happen anywhere,” he said. “If this happened on Barracks, Gov. Nichols, it still affects the French Quarter which is an international brand. If you’re really intent on doing evil, you’ll be able to do it no matter what.”
Bilby is among many here who have been vocal all week about the contraction established by Landry which prohibits coolers into the security perimeter while state law allows people to carry in firearms without a permit. “That’s very problematic. It ties one hand behind law enforcement’s back,” Bilby said.
When Landry took office last year, he signed into law legislation to allow for the carrying of a concealed handgun without a permit or training. He rejected pleas from lawmakers in New Orleans to make the French Quarter and other entertainment districts in the city exempt. That means, according to Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche “there’s nothing that can be done legally with respect to people bringing firearms into the French Quarter.”
If law enforcement discovers a checked bag contains a handgun, “they have no recourse but to let them walk into the French Quarter, and that poses a real threat,” Goyeneche told WWL radio last month.
Landry’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. He has not commented on rejecting the carve-out on his gun legislation for the French Quarter but said upon signing the gun bill: “It’s fundamentally clear—law-abiding citizens should never have to seek government permission to safeguard themselves and their families.”
New Orleans City Councilmember Joe Giarrusso said the city will continue to advocate to state lawmakers that an exception should be made to prohibit conceal carry in the French Quarter because the environment is so unique.
“You have so many tourists packed into a small space and we’re encouraging people to drink alcohol inside and outside. That’s the ethos of what is going on there,” he said. “Alcohol and guns don’t mix. This is not a partisan issue.”
Investigations pending
Besides the refusal to carve out the French Quarter as a gun-free zone, concerns remain that the city hasn’t learned a lesson from the security gaps that safety officials have said made it easier for Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas, to drive a truck for at least three blocks in the early morning of New Year’s Day.
Two investigations — one by the city council and a second launched by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill — are looking into why protective columns designed to block vehicle traffic were removed and why other anti-vehicle barriers were not deployed.
“The People of Louisiana deserve answers,” said Murrill. “We are committed to getting a full and complete picture of what was done or not done, and more importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again.”
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told the city council she hired former New York Police Commissioner William J. Bratton to serve as a consultant to investigate the security lapses.
Bratton did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the investigation.
Still, for all the promises and pending investigations and final reports, the big game will still proceed Sunday. Cook said an outcome without a major safety incident will be critical for businesses like his own that saw traffic drop following the New Year’s Day attack.
“We hope the success of this weekend will generate more trusting folks to come down here and visually see that New Orleans is open for business and we’re safe and we’re prepared,” Cook said.
Giarrusso admitted that New Orleanians are “weary and wary” but have no choice but to move forward.
“The whole point of terrorism is to prevent people from doing what in free society people are allowed to do,” he said. “We have to find a sweet spot of finding reasonable safety protection for people and ensuring we’re leading our lives the way we’re supposed to.”
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is demanding swift action after ABC News’ exclusive reporting about hidden links in DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence tool that could potentially send data to a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company.
“I think we should ban DeepSeek from all government devices immediately. No one should be allowed to download it onto their device,” Gottheimer, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC News.
A new bill Gottheimer proposed on Thursday is called the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” and it would require the Office of Management and Budget to develop guidelines within 60 days for the removal of DeepSeek from federal technologies, with exceptions for law enforcement and national security-related activity.
The bill would ban DeepSeek from federal devices as well as any future product developed by High-Flyer, the artificial intelligent tool’s hedge fund backers.
This comes after the U.S. House of Representatives chief administrative officer issued a memo urging staffers against using DeepSeek last week.
Gottheimer is one of the lawmakers behind the TikTok bill, which passed in April 2024 and led to a 24-hour blackout for the app’s American users the day before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
There are fears DeepSeek could pose a risk to national security after Ivan Tsarynny, CEO and founder of cybersecurity research firm Feroot, told ABC News he found hidden code with the capability to send data to servers under the control of the Chinese government.
“Even though we all know DeepSeek is a Chinese organization, what is really, really standing out is now we see direct links to servers and to companies in China that are under control of the Chinese government. And this is something that we have never seen in the past.”
“There are technologies that are embedded into the DeepSeek website that are tracking us. They have the capability to track across any other website… your interests outside of DeepSeek,” Tsarynny told ABC News. “The type of queries, type of questions, types of topics that you ask and analyze in DeepSeek makes a very, very sensitive, very personal profile.”
DeepSake and High-Flyer have not responded to repeated requests for comment.
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(LOS ANGELES) — Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for MLB star Shohei Ohtani, is set to be sentenced Thursday on federal charges related to stealing nearly $17 million from the Dodgers player, nearly a year after the gambling controversy first surfaced.
Mizuhara, 40, admitted to fraudulently transferring the money from Ohtani’s account for more than two years to pay his gambling debts, including impersonating the athlete on two dozen occasions in calls to the bank, according to a plea agreement in the case.
Prosecutors called the scheme “deep” and “extensive” fraud and that Ohtani was “harmed substantially” by Mizuhara’s actions.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty last year to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum of 30 years in prison, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries up to three years in prison. A sentence of 48 months was recommended by the probation officer.
Mizuhara, a permanent resident of the U.S., also faces a risk of deportation back to his native Japan upon completion of the federal sentence, prosecutors said.
Mizuhara asks judge for mercy
In a three-page letter to Judge John Holcomb filed ahead of Thursday’s hearing, Mizuhara asked for a “merciful and not punitive” sentence and set out to explain why he committed the fraud.
He described mounting financial stresses that he said led him to use an online sports betting website run by Mathew Bowyer starting in 2021. He said that due to his “ignorance to the gambling industry,” he did not realize it was an illegal gambling business until early 2024.
“Being desperate for money at the time, I stupidly thought this might be an opportunity to help myself out financially and started to use his website for sports betting. And before I knew it, the results were the complete opposite,” Mizuhara wrote. “My gambling debt had grown so much that I could not find any way to pay it but to use Shohei’s money … I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money but this was the only solution I could think of at the time.”
Mizuhara also said that the offseason was “physically and mentally” harder while detailing some of his errands for Ohtani, such as driving him to trainings, taking his dog to the vet and fixing his bicycle — saying he had “almost no true days off.”
“I felt like I was getting severely underpaid but I was afraid to speak up for myself as I was on a one year contract every year and I didn’t want to upset them and end up getting fired,” he wrote.
Mizuhara said he hopes to use his experience to help others dealing with gambling problems. He also outlined the impact a prison sentence would have on his wife.
“I understand that I have made a decision that will impact my entire life and I am not making excuses for what I have done. I am not trying to justify my actions in any way. I am asking that you will look at me as a man and believe change can happen,” he said. “I don’t believe an apology will fix my wrong. I am prepared [to] accept my consequences. I am asking for a little mercy from the court concerning my sentence you will hand down.”
He lastly said he is “truly sorry” for violating Ohtani’s trust in him.
Defense, government make case for sentence
Mizuhara’s attorney asked the judge to impose an 18-month sentence, arguing in a memorandum that the interpreter was devoted to his work for Ohtani but suffers from a “longstanding gambling addiction, which was uniquely exacerbated by his grueling work and exposure to high-stakes bookmakers in the world of professional athletes.”
Mizuhara “made a terrible mistake as a result of his serious gambling addiction, an anomaly in an otherwise law-abiding life in which he was dedicated to his career as an interpreter for Mr. Ohtani and other baseball players,” his attorney, Michael Freedman, wrote.
The defense attorney also said Mizuhara’s reputation here and in Japan has been “irretrievably stained” and that he “will continue to suffer as a result of harm to his reputation and career in the global press and through certain deportation.”
Prosecutors, meanwhile, asked the court to impose a prison sentence of 57 months while disputing what they called “unsupported claims” by the defense on the extent of Mizuhara’s gambling problem and the financial problems he had said led him to Bowyer’s illegal sports betting business.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Mitchell wrote in a response to the defense’s sentencing filings that the government could find no proof of a long-standing gambling addiction, and that Mizuhara did not have “such a ‘tremendous debt’ that it forced him to steal millions of dollars from Mr. Ohtani, as he claims.”
Mitchell also questioned whether Mizuhara is “truly remorseful or whether they are just sorry they were caught” and highlighted portions of Mizuhara’s letter to the judge, in which he detailed his offseason duties for Ohtani.
“The government does not question defendant’s work ethic, but only his characterization of the work and his true intention,” Mitchell wrote. “Instead of using this opportunity to apologize and show true remorse, he has used it, in a public filing, to complain about his work and Mr. Ohtani.”
In addition to the prison sentence, the government asked for three years of supervised release, restitution of $16,975,010 to Ohtani and $1,149,400 to the IRS.
Sentencing comes nearly year after firing
Mizuhara worked with the Angels as Ohtani’s interpreter and then in the same capacity with the Dodgers, until the team fired him nearly a year ago, in March 2024, after the gambling controversy surfaced.
Ohtani addressed the scandal at the time during a press briefing, saying in a prepared statement through an interpreter, “I am very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this.”
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to the federal charges in June 2024.
According to the plea agreement, from November 2021 to March 2024, Mizuhara transferred nearly $17 million from the account to associates of the bookmaker in more than 40 wires without Ohtani’s permission.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers prior to last year, the richest deal in sports history.
Bowyer pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges for running an illegal gambling business that took unlawful sports bets from hundreds of customers, including Mizuhara, the Department of Justice said. He is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
Mizuhara also admitted in the plea agreement to falsely claiming that his total taxable income for 2022 was $136,865 when, in fact, he failed to report an additional $4.1 million in income.
“The source of the unreported income was from his scheme to defraud the bank,” the DOJ said, noting that he owes approximately $1,149,400 in additional taxes for the tax year 2022, plus additional interest and penalties.
His sentencing has been postponed several times after the defense asked for more time to prepare and for a forensic psychologist to complete a report about Mizuhara’s gambling.
(NEW YORK) — It may have been a frigid January for much of the U.S., but that didn’t stop the planet from breaking another temperature record.
Earth just experienced its warmest January on record, according to data analyzed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Despite a record-breaking snowfall in the south, persistent cold temperatures across the northeast and an emerging La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean, which is supposed to cool things down, January 2025 was still warmer than any previous start to the year in the organization’s dataset going back to 1940.
The average surface air temperature was 55.81 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1991-2020 average for the month of January. It also makes the global average temperature over the past 12 months 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
For context, the Paris Agreement — which President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from last month — set 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit as a ceiling to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Similarly, global daily sea surface temperatures across most of the world’s oceans remain well above average and registered as the second-highest January value on record, just behind 2024.
Last month’s temperature was unprecedented compared to similar global climate cycles in the past, where temperatures dropped with El Niño long gone and La Niña conditions in place.
The increase’s magnitude and persistence have shocked many climate experts, leaving them somewhat puzzled about what else could be behind the remarkable rise.
In addition to human-amplified climate change and natural global climate cycles, a growing amount of research suggests that a decrease in atmospheric aerosols could be a significant contributor to the rapid warming.
Atmospheric aerosols are tiny particles that reflect sunlight into space and reduce global temperatures. However, their concentrations have greatly diminished due to international efforts to reduce air pollution in recent decades. Now, more sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface, creating a heating effect.
For decades, we’ve been removing aerosols from our air without fully realizing the potential cascading effects of these actions.
To help solve this puzzle, climate scientists are eagerly awaiting the first batch of operational data from NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite, PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem), launched nearly a year ago. This data will provide more insight into how various atmospheric aerosols behave and interact with each other.
(NEW ALBANY, Ohio) — Police are looking for a motive after a man allegedly killed one person and injured five others in a workplace shooting at an Ohio manufacturing facility, officials said.
Officers responded to an active shooter report at a New Albany facility run by KDC/One, a beauty products manufacturer, around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, New Albany police said.
One victim was found dead inside the building and five others were hospitalized in unknown conditions, police said.
About 150 employees were safely evacuated, police said.
The suspect, identified as employee Bruce Reginald Foster III, fled the scene just before police arrived, New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones said.
Foster, 28, was taken into custody Wednesday morning at a home in Columbus, Jones said.
A motive remains under investigation, Jones said at a news conference Wednesday.
Authorities interviewed the evacuated employees and “nobody had reported that there was any conflict or that [Foster] was in trouble at work,” Jones said.
The chief described the victims as Foster’s co-workers and said they likely knew each other.
New Albany is a safe community, but “any community in America can fall victim to random workplace violence,” New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding said at the news conference.
Foster legally bought the gun used in the shooting in September 2024, authorities noted.
