A visitor looks at the new official portrait of King Charles III, painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, displayed at the Philip Mould gallery, on Pall Mall, central London, on May 16, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — A recently unveiled portrait of King Charles was vandalized in a London museum on Tuesday by an activist animal rights group, the group said.
Two of the group’s supporters “pasted the face of the iconic British character Wallace over His Majesty’s,” the group said in a press release.
“The action highlighted the cruelty on RSPCA Assured farms the group had exposed over the previous weekend,” the group said.
The artwork by Jonathan Yeo, a U.K.-based artist, was unveiled during a ceremony in May at Buckingham Palace.
The six-foot-tall painting portrait is on view at the Philip Mould Gallery through June 21.
(WASHINGTON) — In a sweeping change that could improve millions of Americans’ ability to own a home or buy a car, the Biden administration will propose a rule Tuesday to ban medical debt from credit reports.
The rule, which will be announced by Vice President Kamala Harris and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, comes as President Joe Biden beefs up his efforts to convince Americans his administration is lowering costs, a chief concern for voters in the upcoming election.
The rule, which has been in the works since September, could go into effect sometime next year, Chopra told ABC News in an exclusive interview ahead of the policy announcement.
“Our research shows that medical bills on your credit report aren’t even predictive of whether you’ll repay another type of loan. That means people’s credit scores are being unjustly and inappropriately harmed by this practice,” Chopra said.
CFPB’s research estimates that the new rule would allow 22,000 more people to get approved for safe mortgages each year — meaning lenders could also benefit from the positive impact on peoples’ credit scores, by being able to approve more borrowers.
Some major credit report companies have already stopped using medical debt to calculate peoples’ credit worthiness, including Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. FICO and VantageScore also recently started factoring medical debt less heavily into their scores.
But 15 million Americans still have $49 billion of medical debt that is hampering their scores, the CFPB found. This rule would extend the practice to all credit reporting in the U.S.
Medical debt is extensive in the U.S. It affects two in every five Americans, according to the health policy research organization KFF, and a vast majority have debt in the thousands.
Once those debts go to collections, credit scores take a hit, which means car and home loans are harder to come by or are only offered with high interest rates — leading to a slippery slope for people who are already struggling with their bills.
Lexi Coburn, 33, first ran into that issue nearly a decade ago. She took on medical debt in 2013, when she was 23 years old and uninsured.
Her feet were too swollen to walk, so she went to the emergency room, unsure where else she could go to get medical care without insurance. She was told she had early onset arthritis.
The $425 bill from that visit was not in Coburn’s budget, so she left it unpaid. Growing up, her family frequently didn’t have the income to cover medical expenses, she said, and she felt ill-equipped to handle the medical system any differently as a young adult.
Though she was later able to enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Coburn’s medical debt still grew to over $2,300 — including another $1,532 from dental work and a separate ER visit, both in 2019.
The consequences became clear when she tried to get a car.
“Immediately my medical debt was in the way of qualifying for a good loan that didn’t have an outrageous payment per month,” Coburn said.
“The most frustrating aspect for me was in my mid 20s, when I wasn’t making a lot of money, I needed to be able to get transportation to get to my job,” Coburn said.
She saw a perilous financial cycle mounting. Coburn’s bills and subsequently low credit score got in the way of “being able to thrive enough to pay off the debt,” she said. “So it just felt like a domino effect.”
The new CFPB rule also seeks to address the issue of incorrect, confusing and complicated medical bills, which often lead to long, drawn-out disputes between patients and billing departments — a complaint that the CFPB, as the agency tasked with consumer empowerment, receives in droves, Chopra said.
“Too often, we see that people are receiving bills that are inaccurate. Many patients are fighting over these bills for months, only to find that it then appears on their credit report,” he said.
Experts who support the CFPB’s proposed rule also point to the already-low success rate for collecting on medical bills.
“We know empirically that the repayment rates are incredibly low for medical debt, and so it’s already the case that people aren’t really paying it down. So I don’t think this policy change is going to change the behavior that dramatically,” said Matt Notowidigdo, a professor at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business who studies health economics.
Linda Davis, a 61-year-old resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a type of lung disease, and uses a power wheelchair because of a lower back injury. She said she doesn’t think she’ll ever pay off her medical bills, which she estimates to be between $45,000 and $50,000.
“People might be mistaken and think, oh, well, she’s got Medicare, she’s all set. That’s not the case at all, and it can screw your whole life up. It takes control of your whole life,” Davis said.
She said her monthly income covers rent, electricity, her cell phone bill and groceries, but that she doesn’t have room in her budget for her medical bills.
“You find out [after the procedure], you’ve got all these medical bills, and what are you supposed to do with them all? You know, there’s no way on God’s green earth I could pay all those medical bills. Even if I paid a small amount every month, I wouldn’t live long enough to pay them all,” Davis said.
To Notowidigdo and many other health economists, addressing the root cause of America’s medical debt issue would mean enrolling more people in adequate health care coverage on the front end, “rather than dealing with unpaid medical bills from lack of insurance or not generous enough insurance on the back end,” he said.
Of course, for now, those large bills and low repayment rates are already a challenge for hospitals and health care systems.
If the CFPB rule leads to fewer people paying the bills, it could be the patients who suffer, some experts warned.
Ge Bai, a professor who studies accounting health policy at Johns Hopkins University, predicted that hospitals will have to make up for that loss in other ways. More stringent payment efforts, like requiring payment before patients receive medical care, could leave low-income patients worse off.
“I think in the short run, it will be great news for patients, and probably we’ll see patient advocacy groups pushing it. However, I think in the long-run, when the long-term negative effects emerge, probably we’re going to see more pushback,” Bai said.
Industry groups, like the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, have echoed Bai’s concerns.
“There’s too much at stake for Americans’ access to quality health care by taking actions that only negatively affect the cash flow to the health care community without finding ways to replace those funds,” ACA CEO Scott Purcell said when CFPB first announced it was looking into the policy change.
Chopra rejected the notion that more people will default on their health care debts as a result of the rule, saying they’ll still have to face other penalties that come with debt.
“Those individuals will still be subject to collection actions, lawsuits and more. There are plenty of ways that people get penalized for not paying their bills. I just don’t want to see the credit reporting system be weaponized against people who already paid them,” Chopra said.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building and United States Courthouse on July 26, 2023 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Mark M
(WILMINGTON, Del.) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden is on trial in Delaware on three felony charges related to his efforts to obtain a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs.
The younger Biden, who pleaded not guilty last October after being indicted by special counsel David Weiss, has denied the charges. The son of a sitting president has never before faced a criminal trial.
The trial comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment made to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
The frequency of updates may be limited due to federal court restrictions:
Jun 11, 7:13 AM Jury to resume deliberations
The 12 jury members who for the past week heard vivid and personal details about President Joe Biden’s family are set to continue their deliberations this morning in the federal gun trial of his son, Hunter Biden.
In their closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors argued that Hunter Biden lied on a federal gun-purchase form when he said he was not a drug addict, telling jurors “if this evidence did not establish that Hunter Biden was a crack addict and an unlawful user, then no one is a crack addict or an unlawful user.”
But defense attorney Abbe Lowell urged the jury to acquit his client, telling them, “We have had Hunter’s life in our hands. And now we have to give it to you.”
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison — though legal experts believe he would not serve time due to his being a first-time, nonviolent offender.
Deliberations are scheduled to resume today at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Jun 10, 5:57 PM Transcript shows Hunter Biden affirmed decision not to testify
Hunter Biden, in court today, affirmed his decision not to testify in his own defense, telling the judge “I do” when she asked him if he understood it was his own decision to make, according to the transcript of the proceedings released after court was dismissed for the day.
“Did you make a decision not to testify voluntarily?” Judge Maryellen Noreika asked him, according to the transcript.
“I did,” he said.
The questioning from Noreika occurred during a sidebar with Hunter Biden, his attorneys, and prosecutors that was conducted out of earshot of reporters but released as part of the transcript.
“You understand you have the right to testify in your own defense?” the judge asked Hunter Biden, per the transcript.
“I do,” he said.
“If you don’t testify, you understand your decision not to testify cannot be held against you and I will instruct the jury to that effect?” she asked.
“Agreed,” he responded.
“It’s your decision and yours alone to make, do you understand that?” the judge asked.
“I do,” he responded.
“It’s not your attorney’s decision, it’s not the government’s decision, it’s not my decision, you understand all that?” she asked.
“I do,” he said.
Jun 10, 4:44 PM Day 1 of jury deliberations ends with no verdict
The jurors in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial have been dismissed for the day, after deliberating for one hour with no verdict.
Hunter Biden left the courthouse after the jury was dismissed.
The jurors will be back tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET to resume their deliberations.
Jun 10, 3:44 PM Jury begins deliberations
The jury has begun deliberations on the three felony counts Hunter Biden faces in his federal gun case.
Prior to the jury getting the case, the government rebutted defense attorney Abbe Lowell’s closing argument by asserting again that Hunter Biden was a drug addict when he bought the gun at the center of the case and that he knew it — beyond a reasonable doubt.
There are “seven ways to Sunday” to show Hunter Biden was an addict and it was “preposterous” that he — a “Yale-educated lawyer” — didn’t know he was buying a gun while knowingly addicted, prosecutor Derek Hines argued.
Hines rebutted Lowell’s characterization of the government’s treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden as “cruel.”
Naomi Biden was “completely uncomfortable” because “she couldn’t vouch for the defendant’s sobriety,” Hines argued.
Hines closed by saying that if the jury doesn’t determine Hunter Biden is a crack addict based on the evidence in the case, “then no one is a crack addict of unlawful use.”
Judge Maryellen Noreika then delivered the final portion of her instructions and sent jurors to begin their deliberations.
The judge indicated that she would not keep jurors past 4:30 or 4:45 p.m. ET today.
Jun 10, 3:00 PM Defense calls government’s case ‘conjecture and suspicion’
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell, in his closing argument, urged jurors to dispense with the government’s “conjecture and suspicion” and find his client not guilty on all three counts.
“We have had Hunter’s life in our hands” until now, Lowell said, referring to his legal team. “And now we have to give it to you.”
Lowell repeatedly referred to prosecutors’ case as a “magicians’ trick” — to “watch this hand and pay no attention to that one,” as he said — arguing that prosecutors failed to “fill in the gaps” about Hunter Biden’s drug use around the time of his firearm purchase “because they don’t have the proof.”
Lowell also referred to prosecutors’ strategy of showing Hunter Biden’s pattern of drug use as an “accordion,” meant to “compress” the timeline and make it seem to jurors that he was actively using drugs in October 2018, when he said on a government form that he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun.
The defense attorney also attacked some of the tactics prosecutors used, calling their treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden “extraordinarily cruel” and saying that many of their questions and evidence were introduced with the intention of “embarrassing Hunter.”
He also asked jurors to recall gaps in the recollections of Hunter Biden’s then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, and suggested they should remember the immunity agreement she struck with prosecutors for her testimony.
“These are serious charges that will change Hunter’s life,” he said of the three felony charges the president’s son faces, adding that “it’s time to end this case.”
Following Lowell’s closing, the government was scheduled to have a short rebuttal, at which point the judge was to finish her jury instructions before the jury gets the case.
Jun 10, 1:40 PM Evidence supports ‘only one verdict’ prosecutor tells jury
Prosecutor Leo Wise used witness testimony and Hunter Biden’s own words from his memoir and text messages to argue that the president’s son “knew exactly what he was doing” when prosecutors say he falsely claimed he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun in 2018.
“Take the defendant’s word for it,” Wise said as he showed the jury excerpts from Hunter Biden’s book that described his drug use and addiction.
Wise, showing the jurors a side-by-side comparison of testimony regarding his truck from his daughter Naomi Biden and then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, said their testimony is “circumstantial evidence ” that shows “the defendant used crack in the truck” days after purchasing the firearm.
Naomi Biden testified that she returned the truck to her father “clean” on Oct. 19, 2018, and Hallie Biden testified that a few days later she found Hunter Biden’s gun in the vehicle along with drug paraphernalia and drug remnants.
Wise also showed the jury a calendar of the month of October 2018 that showed the cash withdrawals made by Hunter Biden. “None of the cash was for rehab,” Wise said.
The evidence, Wise told jurors in conclusion, “supports only one verdict.”
Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell then began his closing arguments.
Jun 10, 1:23 PM Hunter Biden ‘knew he was using drugs,’ prosecutor argues
Prosecutor Leo Wise, continuing his closing argument, laid out his case for conviction by telling jurors that the evidence in the case was “ugly” but “necessary” to establish Hunter Biden’s drug use during the time in question — as well as in the months before and after.
“He knew he was using drugs,” Wise told the jury, a reference to the standard the jury must reach for conviction — that Hunter Biden had to “knowingly” lie on the gun-purchase form on which he said he was not addicted to drugs.
“That’s what the evidence shows,” Wise said.
Wise emphasized repeatedly to the jury that the government is not required to show specifically that Hunter used drugs when he owned the gun from the Oct. 12-23, 2018 — but rather they must “establish that pattern.”
To that end, Wise referenced the text messages spanning back to 2015 in which Hunter Biden appeared to purchase drugs or reference his addiction, as well as the testimony from his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and ex-girlfriend Hallie Biden, who said they either found his drug paraphernalia, saw him use drugs, or talked to him about it.
Wise also pointed to the testimony of ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, who testified she saw Hunter Biden using drugs in late September 2018 — just two weeks before he bought the gun.
“You can convict on that alone,” Wise told the jury.
Wise also referenced Hunter Biden’s memoir, “Beautiful Things,” saying it was a “searingly painful” but “honest” description of himself and his addiction.
The evidence showed Hunter Biden “habitually used,” Wise said.
Jun 10, 12:34 PM ‘None of that matters’ prosecutor says of large Biden contingent
Prosecutor Leo Wise began his closing argument by referencing the many Biden family members packed into the courtroom galley today.
“All of this is not evidence,” Wise said to the jury as he gestured toward the gallery where First lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family are jammed into the front three rows.
“You may recognize them from the news, from the community,” Wise told them. “None of that matters.”
Wise then reiterated the government’s opening remarks that no one is above the law, telling the jury that the case is no different from others — regardless “of who the defendant is.”
Jun 10, 12:14 PM Biden family members jam into courtroom
Hunter Biden came to court today with what appears to be the largest number of friends and family members yet to appear at his trial.
The first row of the gallery was so packed with members of the Biden family this morning that the security guard on the end nearly fell off. The entire first three rows and some of the fourth row were filled with friends and family members — about 25 in total.
First Lady Jill Biden, her daughter Ashley Biden, and Hunter Biden’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden sat together in the front row, with Ashley Biden at one point comforting the others by putting her arm around her mother and then patting Melissa Biden’s back.
Through the morning’s lengthy sidebars and delays, Hunter Biden repeatedly engaged with them, chatting with them and exchanging hugs when he could.
When the defense rested its case, he stood up and hugged his uncle James Biden in the front row and appeared to say, “Love you.”
After another break, he returned to the courtroom holding the first lady’s hand.
Jun 10, 11:54 AM Jury told not to judge Hunter Biden for not testifying
Judge Maryellen Noreika, in her initial instructions to jurors, explained how they are to apply the law to the facts of the case for the three criminal counts Hunter Biden faces.
“You must not attach any significance to the fact that the defendant did not testify,” she read aloud in the courtroom, after the defense decided not to call Hunter Biden to the stand.
The judge defined “knowingly,” the central term by which jurors must determine if Hunter Biden bought the gun at the center of the case “knowing” he was an addict or user of drugs, after he stated on the gun-purchase form that he was not.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 12:05 p.m. ET, after which the judge will give the jury her final instructions and their deliberations will begin.
Jun 10, 11:36 AM Closing arguments up next after Hunter Biden does not testify
Closing arguments will begin at about noon ET after Hunter Biden chose not to testify in his federal gun case.
The defense rested without him taking the stand, after which prosecutors presented a brief rebuttal case, then the judge gave the jury their initial instructions.
Jun 10, 11:17 AM Judge reads initial jury instructions
Following the prosecution’s rebuttal case, the judge read the jury their initial instructions.
Court is then expected to break for lunch, with closing arguments currently scheduled for the afternoon.
The judge will then give the jury their final instructions before they begin deliberations.
Jun 10, 11:05 AM Prosecutors rest rebuttal case
The government rested its rebuttal case after a brief cross-examination of FBI special agent Erika Jensen, who testified about location and text message data relevant to the case.
Attorneys then gathered for another sidebar conference.
Jun 10, 10:54 AM FBI witness returns to witness stand
After a lengthy sidebar, overflow room cameras suddenly turned on to show prosecutors questioning a previous witness, FBI agent Erika Jensen, suggesting that the defense has rested its case and prosecutors are introducing a rebuttal case before the trial moves on to closing arguments.
If so, that would indicate that Hunter Biden did not testify in his own defense.
Jun 10, 8:40 AM Judge reviews motions regarding jury instructions
This morning’s proceedings are underway.
Judge Maryellen Noreika began by reviewing with both parties motions by the defense to change proposed jury instructions.
The jury is expected to be brought back into court at 9 a.m. ET.
Jun 10, 8:14 AM Hunter Biden arrives at courthouse
Hunter Biden has arrived at the courthouse for Day 6 of his federal gun trial, accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.
First lady Jill Biden arrived shortly afterward.
President Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and sister Valerie Biden also arrived.
The two waited outside until the court opened at 8 a.m. ET.
Jun 10, 7:17 AM The big question: Will Hunter Biden take the stand this morning?
As the second week of Hunter Biden’s gun trial gets underway this morning, defense attorneys will confront their most consequential decision: whether to put their client on the witness stand.
To allow Hunter Biden to testify in his own defense would carry myriad risks, as the president’s son would likely face a grueling cross-examination from a prosecution team that has shows itself adept at eliciting testimony supporting their central contention in the case — that Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs at the time he purchased the handgun at heart of the case.
Jurors witnessed that on Friday, when Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, struggled to explain text messages she sent her father in October 2018 after he had purchased the gun — in which she seemed to express concern about his addiction, despite testifying moments earlier about how “great” her father seemed at the time.
If Hunter Biden decides not to take the stand, jurors could possibly have the case by the end of the day, after closing arguments and jury instructions.
Court is scheduled to get underway earlier than usual today, at 8:15 a.m. E.T.
Jun 07, 2:07 PM Defense to decide if Hunter takes stand as court breaks for weekend
In an unexpected move, court recessed for the day following the lunch break, with the defense telling the judge they are “down to that last decision” — suggesting that they will determine over the weekend if Hunter Biden takes the stand Monday in his own defense.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the court the defense decided not to call one of its expert witnesses.
It also appears defense attorneys reversed course on testimony from Hunter Biden’s uncle James Biden, who was already at the courthouse and who Lowell had earlier indicated would be testifying. James Biden was subsequently seen leaving the building.
Prosecutors said they are “still considering” whether they will put on a rebuttal case after the defense rests.
Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed the jury, telling them to “enjoy a long weekend.”
“We are starting to wrap the evidence in this case,” she said.
The parties are scheduled to be back in court Monday at 8:15 a.m. ET.
Jun 07, 1:19 PM Naomi Biden says her dad ‘seemed great’ after gun buy
Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, testified that her father “seemed great, he seemed hopeful” when she saw him on Oct. 18 or 19, 2018, in New York, where she was returning his vehicle to him — several days after he purchased the gun at the center of the case and just days before his then-girlfriend Hallie Biden discovered and discarded it.
Earlier, in August, Naomi Biden described visiting him in Los Angeles, where he was in a drug rehab program. “He seemed the clearest I’d seen him since my uncle died,” she said, referring to Hunter Biden’s brother Beau Biden.
It was important testimony for the defense in their attempt to show that Hunter Biden was not using drugs around the time of the gun purchase.
Defense counsel Abbe Lowell asked Naomi Biden about the car trip she and her then-boyfriend took from Washington, D.C., to New York in mid-October 2018 to return her father’s truck — a Ford Raptor — to him.
On cross-examination, prosecutor Leo Wise asked Naomi Biden if she ever witnessed her father using drugs — she said she had not — or whether she would know if he was using drugs based on his behavior.
“I guess not,” she said.
Wise also established that Naomi Biden did not leave any drugs or drug residue in the vehicle before returning it to her father — suggesting that the drug residue and paraphernalia Hallie Biden observed in the car days later arrived there after Hunter Biden retrieved the truck.
Jurors also saw some emotional text messages between Naomi Biden and her father during that mid-October timeframe.
“I’m really sad, I can’t take this,” she wrote her father, adding that “I really want to hang out with you.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so unreachable,” Hunter Biden replied. “It’s not fair to you.”
On the stand, Naomi Biden spoke quietly, at one point saying, “Sorry, I’m nervous.” Her husband, Peter Neal, sat in the gallery next to first lady Jill Biden, and had his hand over his mouth for much of the testimony.
Hunter Biden appeared emotional and was seen at times touching his face during her testimony.
When her testimony concluded, she embraced her father before leaving the courtroom, and court recessed for lunch.
Jun 07, 12:22 PM Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi takes the stand
Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi took the stand as the defense’s third witness.
Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip are pictured on June 4, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 11, 6:23 AM Israel’s actions during hostage rescue may amount to war crimes, UN agency says
United Nation human rights officials said they were “profoundly shocked” by the Israeli operation that freed four hostages in central Gaza over the weekend, adding that actions by both Israel and Hamas “may amount to war crimes.”
“The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution — as set out under the laws of war — were respected by the Israeli forces,” the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, or OHCHR, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The rescue operation in a refugee camp in Nuseirat killed as many as 274 people, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Monday. Hundreds of others were injured, the ministry said. Many of those injured and killed Palestinians were civilians, OHCHR said on Tuesday.
But OHCHR also said it was “deeply distressed” about the way the militant groups continue to hold hostages, “most of them civilians, which is prohibited by international law.”
By holding those hostages in densely populated areas, Hamas militants are putting civilians and the hostages at risk, the agency said.
“All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes,” OHCHR said.
Jun 10, 4:11 PM More than 200 killed during hostage rescue raid: Gaza Ministry of Health
At least 274 people were killed and another 698 were injured during Saturday’s Israeli rescue operation that saved four hostages from Hamas custody in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
Israeli special forces were disguised as Palestinian refugees looking for a place to live when they entered the buildings where hostages were being held in the rescue operation, two Israeli security sources told ABC News.
The hostages were rescued from two locations in Nuseirat, a camp that has become home to thousands of refugees who’ve fled fighting throughout Gaza.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Jun 10, 4:09 PM UN Security Council adopts US draft resolution supporting Gaza cease-fire deal
The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a U.S. draft resolution urging Hamas to accept the latest cease-fire and hostage release deal.
Nate Evans, spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said in a statement ahead of the vote that the deal would enable a pause in fighting, the freeing of a number of hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance, among other things.
“Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same,” Evans said. “Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal.”
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made a similar case just before the vote, saying every day the war goes on “needless suffering continues.”
“Colleagues, after eight months of devastation and pain and trauma, what is needed now more than ever is for the fighting to end in a sustainable way,” she said. “The United States and every single country in this chamber wants to see an immediate cease-fire with the release of hostages. We’ve heard those calls time and time again since Oct. 7. Now the opportunity is here. We must seize it.”
Hamas said in a statement they “welcome” what was included in the U.N. Security Council resolution “regarding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.”
Jun 10, 3:16 PM Israeli special forces dressed as Palestinian refugees to go undercover before hostage rescue operation: Sources
Israeli special forces were disguised as Palestinian refugees looking for a place to live when they entered the buildings where hostages were being held in the Israeli rescue operation this weekend, two Israeli security sources told ABC News.
Special forces were already in position near the buildings where the hostages were being held before they were given the “go” command by Israeli forces, the sources added.
The “go” command was given at 11 a.m. local time, sources said.
The helicopters carrying the hostages and wounded police officers landed at Sheba Medical Center in Israel starting at 12:15 p.m. local time and the last helicopter landed at 12:45 p.m. local time.
The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security forces, Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli SWAT team members participated in the rescue operation, now called “Operation Arnon” by the Israeli military. The name of the operation was given to honor the one security officer who was killed during the operation.
– ABC News’ Dana Savir
Jun 10, 11:06 AM US calls for Security Council vote on Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal resolution
The U.S. is calling for the United Nations Security Council to vote on a draft resolution urging Hamas to accept the ceasefire-hostage release deal on the table, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the UN.
“Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same,” the statement read. “Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal.”
The Security Council vote has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jun 10, 9:19 AM Blinken urges Middle East to ‘press Hamas to say yes’ to proposal
On a tarmac in Egypt, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out his objectives for his tour through the Middle East this week, calling on countries with connections to Hamas to push them to take the cease-fire deal on the table, while also emphasizing the need to develop a “day after” plan for Gaza, calling it “a critical moment.”
“My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region: If you want a cease-fire, press Hamas to say yes,” Blinken said. “If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to get all the hostages home, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to put present Palestinians and Israelis alike on the path to more durable peace and security, if you want to prevent this conflict from spreading, press Hamas to say yes.”
He said a cease-fire would open a path to “more durable security, calm, peace in Gaza.”
“For that, it’s critical that we continue to work on plans for the day after to make sure that when it comes to security in Gaza, when it comes to governance, when it comes to reconstruction, we have the plans in place to come forward,” he said. “That’s going to be a critical part of my conversations here in the region as we go on to Israel and then to Jordan and then to Qatar.”
Blinken didn’t say when he expected Hamas to give its formal response to the proposal but said “there’s a sense of urgency among all concerned.”
“Our Egyptian counterparts were in communication with Hamas as early — as recently as a few hours ago,” he said. “Ultimately, I can’t put myself, none of us can put ourselves, in the minds of a Hamas or its leaders, so we don’t know what the answer will be.”
Blinken was adamant that Israel stood behind the proposal, stressing it was only Hamas preventing it from being implemented.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jun 10, 8:56 AM 4 rescued hostages ‘in less severe condition’ physically than expected
The four hostages rescued from Gaza this weekend are physically “in less severe condition than we kind of prepared for,” said Itai Pessach, head of the medical team at the Sheba Medical Center, where the hostages are being treated.
But the worry is mainly on the long-term psychological impact, as “they underwent continuous, psychological abuse,” Pessach told ABC News.
The rescued hostages — Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 — were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They were all rescued in good condition, the IDF said.
Argamani has been discharged while the three men remain at the hospital. But Argamani will still be receiving medical treatment from the Sheba team for an indefinite period, Pessach said.
“It’s a very, very long process of rehabilitation. And we received captives that came back six months ago, and we’re just now starting to see the initial post-traumatic response coming up,” Pessach said. “They have seen a lot of war-related things that happened and all of that is part of their trauma, and we will need to care for that.”
“When you see the eyes and you see, you know, they get silent for a second and you understand that there’s a trigger, there’s something in their minds, and you see a tear, or they ask to be left alone for a moment or something like that. This is when you really feel, under the surface there’s so much that’s waiting for us,” Pessach said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dana Savir, Omer Manor and Hugo Leenhardt
Jun 09, 11:34 PM US calls for Security Council vote on Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal resolution
The U.S. is calling for the United Nations Security Council to vote on a draft resolution urging Hamas to accept the ceasefire-hostage release deal on the table, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the UN.
“Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same,” the statement read. “Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal.”
The State Department said it was consulting with Israel on the draft resolution last week, even though Israel is not a member of the Security Council. A specific vote time has not yet been set, but State Department officials anticipate it will happen in the coming days.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jun 09, 6:23 PM United States doubling down on efforts for Israel to reach a cease-fire
The United States is doubling down efforts to reach a cease-fire deal as pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar this week to discuss a cease-fire agreement that secures the release of all hostages, according to the State Department’s announcement Friday.
While Blinken traveling to the region should not be seen as a marker of further progress in reaching a deal, he will be putting pressure on the respective countries’ officials when he’s there.
A U.S. official told ABC News the intelligence that the U.S. provided to Israel in the latest hostage rescue operation was related to “support with locating individuals.”
Currently, there are five American hostages the U.S. believes are still living and three that the U.S. has confirmed are deceased.
The White House is not commenting on the resignation of Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz on Sunday, as they don’t comment on domestic Israeli politics.
-ABC News’ Selina Weng
Jun 09, 3:39 PM Gantz resigns from emergency government in blow to Netanyahu
Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced Sunday that he was resigning from the emergency government because of what he has described as a lack of a plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “day after” in Gaza.
During a televised news conference, Gantz announced he was resigning from the coalition government, taking with him his State Party and the seats it held in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s coalition government will still retain a majority, but the move by Gantz is considered a major blow to the prime minister.
“Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing towards a true victory,” Gantz said. “For this reason, we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart, yet wholeheartedly.”
He also called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections.
Gantz was set to make the announcement on Saturday but called it off amid the news of an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza that led to the rescue of four Israeli hostages.
Gantz is a member of Israel’s three-member war Cabinet, which includes Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
On Saturday, Netanyahu appealed to Gantz on X, saying, “This is the time for unity and not for division. We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz — do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity.”
Following Gantz’s resignation, Netanyahu released a statement on X, saying, “Israel is in an existential war on several fronts.”
“Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign — this is the time to join forces,” Netanyahu said. “Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and the achievement of all the goals of the war, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas.”
Netanyahu added, “My door will remain open to any Zionist party that is ready to get under the stretcher and assist in bringing victory over our enemies and ensuring the safety of our citizens.”
In May, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, saying he would resign if the prime minister did not approve a post-war plan by June 8, saying at the time, “While the Israeli soldiers show supreme bravery on the front, some of the men who sent them into battle behave with cowardice and irresponsibility.”
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans this week plans to move ahead with a full chamber vote on holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur on his handling of classified documents.
The Rules Committee will meet Tuesday afternoon to mark up the contempt resolution. If that passes, the resolution then heads to the full House for a vote.
The vote has been in limbo since two House committees — Oversight and Judiciary — voted along party-lines last month to advance a report recommending that Garland be held in contempt.
But it was not clear if Republicans had enough support to clear the measure with their razor-thin majority. Regardless, GOP leadership is plowing ahead this week with a vote in which House Speaker Mike Johnson can afford only two defections if all members are voting and present.
The speaker said in recent weeks he expects the contempt resolution will ultimately clear the House.
While the Department of Justice has made a transcript of Hur’s interview with Biden available to the GOP-led committees, House Republicans argue the audio tapes are necessary to their investigation into the president.
“The purpose of getting the audio tapes of the Biden interview is because the committees have to do their legislation work. They use the audio to evaluate the work and the accuracy of the special counsel. We have the transcript; there should be no surprises here,” Johnson said at a news conference last month.
Before the Judiciary committee last week, Garland continued to defend his decision to not turn over audio tapes of the interview, over which President Biden asserts executive privilege.
“I will not be intimidated. And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending our democracy,” Garland said at the hearing.
The resolution, if passed, would direct the speaker of the House to refer the case to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for possible criminal prosecution.
In the past, Congress has held Cabinet officials in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a House subpoena, including Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in 2019 and then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2012.
Congress held Peter Navarro, a former top trade adviser in the Trump administration, in contempt of Congress in 2022 for defying records and testimony to the now defunct House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Navarro was recently sentenced to four months behind bars.
Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 for not complying with the Jan. 6 select committee, has been ordered to report to jail on July 1.
FILE – Governor Andrew Cuomo holds press briefing and makes announcement to combat COVID-19 Delta variant at 633 3rd Avenue Aug. 2, 2021. (Lev Radin, Pacific Press, LightRocket via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will appear Tuesday before a congressional subcommittee to speak about his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including its highly-scrutinized handling of nursing homes.
The transcribed interview will take place behind closed doors with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at 10 a.m. ET. The GOP-led panel issued a subpoena in March for Cuomo, a Democrat, to sit for a deposition.
Cuomo’s appearance comes on the heels of the subcommittee’s hearing last week with Dr. Anthony Fauci as Republicans continue to try to put the country’s response to COVID-19 in the spotlight amid a contentious 2024 presidential election cycle.
Fauci defended against Republican criticisms of his leadership and pushed back on their assertions about the origins of the virus.
The questioning of Cuomo is expected to largely focus on his administration’s instruction to nursing homes in the early days of the pandemic to accept residents recovering from the virus after they were discharged from hospitals.
The directive was issued in March 2020 and rescinded weeks later. Cuomo has long defended the policy as having been based on federal guidance, but the move faced criticism that it led to increased deaths in nursing homes.
Cuomo’s administration was also pilloried for having allegedly misreported the overall number of COVID-related deaths at New York nursing homes. At first, officials counted only residents who had died in such facilities, excluding residents who died in hospitals.
Cuomo attributed the discrepancy to a delay as his office prioritized federal requests for data over state requests. Though one of his top aides at the time admitted his office withheld certain numbers due to concerns it would be used against them by the Trump administration.
Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said Cuomo’s testimony is “crucial to uncover the circumstances that led to his misguided policies and for ensuring that fatal mistakes never happen again.”
“It appears that politics, not medicine, was responsible for these decisions,” Wenstrup said in a in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s testimony. “Former Governor Cuomo owes answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson, pushed back on the chairman’s characterizations in a statement to ABC News.
“The Department of Justice has looked at this issue three times, as have the Manhattan District Attorney, the Attorney General and the New York State Assembly, all determining that the actual facts and evidence did not support any claim of wrongdoing, and no MAGA farce of a congressional hearing is going to change that,” Azzopardi said in a statement.
“Despite the politicization of people’s real pain, the facts remain: DOH medical professionals issued its March 25th admissions advisory based on federal CDC and CMS guidance — just as 11 other states — Democrat and Republican — did,” Azzopardi added.
Cuomo, who gained national attention for his often combative performances at multiple COVD-related briefings, was once heralded for his political leadership during COVID but became a pariah in his own party both over the nursing home controversy and later sexual harassment allegations that forced his resignation.
(WASHINGTON) — Taxpayers will front the majority of first lady Dr. Jill Biden’s travel between Paris, France, and Wilmington, Delaware, last week when she broke away early after D-Day commemorations to attend Hunter Biden’s trial, only to return to Paris a day later.
When officials travel, they fly on military planes, which are paid for by the government. But for personal, unofficial travel, they must reimburse the government for “the full coach fare for all flights,” according to U.S. Code.
According to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the cost of the one-way trip from the airport in Paris to the airport in Wilmington, Delaware, is about $111,500, based on an eight-hour flight and the Air Force’s hourly reimbursement rate charged to other federal agencies for use of a Boeing C-32 (the type of plane Dr. Biden usually flies in, for security reasons). Dr. Biden made a round trip from Paris to Wilmington for an estimated $223,000.
The Air Force lists the reimbursable rate for use of this aircraft at $13,816 per hour. It is unclear what percentage of the total cost would be covered by the reimbursable rate that the Air Force charges other federal agencies for the use of the aircraft.
The Democratic National Committee will reimburse the value of two first-class tickets for the two trips she made in between the two cities, according to a DNC spokesperson, although when asked by ABC News, they did not specify how much that would be.
The DNC spokesperson did tell ABC News what they will pay is in line with what they are supposed to by law at the “specified rate.”
The cost of a first-class ticket from Paris to Wilmington is $6,655, per a search on Google flights, which would suggest the DNC will pay $13,310 instead of the full $223,000. That leaves an outstanding balance of around $209,690 to be paid for out of taxpayer funds.
Dr. Biden has been in the courtroom for most of Hunter Biden’s trial, missing only one day to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy last Thursday. That night she flew back to Wilmington to be at her son’s trial on Friday. She flew back to Paris in time for a state visit on Saturday. President Joe Biden remained in France for the 80th anniversary commemoration.
The White House and the first lady’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes alongside her boyfriend Billy Evans, walks back to her hotel following a hearing at the Robert E. Peckham U.S. Courthouse on March 17, 2023 in San Jose, California. (Philip Pacheco/Getty Images)
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ appeal will be heard at a federal courthouse in San Francisco on Tuesday.
The hearing arrives one year after Holmes began a more than 11-year sentence at a Texas prison for defrauding investors with false claims about her company’s blood-testing technology.
In a 47-page court filing in November, Holmes’ attorneys said the prosecution failed to prove a cornerstone of its case: that Holmes hoodwinked investors while knowing full well the deficiencies of her product.
“The public narrative regarding the spectacle of Theranos’ downfall is that the company’s technology simply did not work and Holmes knew it,” Holmes’ attorneys wrote. “But Holmes’ intent and knowledge on this central question were intensely contested at trial.”
“Substantial evidence showed that Holmes and Theranos’ scientists believed in good faith that Theranos had developed technology that could accurately run virtually any blood test,” the attorneys added.
Holmes’ attorneys focused their appeal on the judge’s decision to permit testimony from ex-Theranos clinical lab director Kingshuk Das as a source of information about key events rather than as an expert witness.
The defense also took issue with limits placed on cross-examination of another key witness and the case’s treatment of voided blood test results.
In a previous filing, the prosecution strongly rebuked the alleged grounds for appeal. Prosecution attorneys challenged allegations of missteps in the case and cited evidence of misrepresentations about the product made by Holmes.
“Her claims are meritless, but, regardless, unavailing given the overwhelming evidence and independent categories of fraudulent statements Holmes made,” prosecutors said in a court filing last August.
Judge Edward Davila, who oversaw the trial of Holmes, ordered her to report to prison last year after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied her request to remain free pending an appeal.
In denying a previous attempt to delay Holmes’ prison sentence, Davila said she had failed to raise a “‘substantial question of law or fact’ that is ‘likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial on all counts.'”
The appeal hearing on Tuesday marks the latest development in a legal saga that turned the former billionaire entrepreneur, who swore her startup could run hundreds of tests on a single drop of blood, into a symbol of excess and deception in Silicon Valley.
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former romantic partner of Holmes and president of the now defunct blood testing company, began serving his nearly 13-year sentence at a prison in San Pedro, California, last April. Balwani, who was second in command to Holmes at Theranos, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy.
In November 2022, Holmes was sentenced to 135 months, or 11 1/4 years, in prison.
Holmes was convicted the following January on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy while at the helm of Theranos.
The verdict followed a four-month trial that detailed Holmes’ trajectory from a Stanford University dropout in 2003 to a star business leader on the cover of Fortune magazine a little more than a decade later.
But in October 2015, a bombshell Wall Street Journal report came out, detailing the turmoil within Theranos. As Holmes and her company were hit with official scrutiny, her fortune quickly dwindled. Less than a year later, Forbes downgraded its assessment of Holmes’ net worth from $4.5 billion to $0.
University of California Police officers face pro-Palestinian protesters outside Dodd Hall in the University of California Los Angeles in Los Angeles, June 10, 2024. (Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — About 25 people were arrested Monday night as they attempted to set up a tent encampment on the University of California Los Angeles campus, university police said in a statement.
“The individuals are in the process of being cited, issued 14-day stay away orders from UCLA property, and released,” the UCLA Police Department said. “Approximately 150 protesters remain in the area as of the latest update.”
The arrests follow a series of tense days in late April and early May on the school’s campus, where pro-Palestinian protesters had created a sprawling encampment surrounded by plywood and metal barricades. Counter-protesters had clashed with the group on at least one occasion.
Police from several departments descended on the earlier encampment on May 2, arresting dozens of protesters and dismantling the tents and barricades.
About 100 people marched on Monday afternoon through campus, entering at least one hall and disrupting a final exam, police said.
The group, which was associated with a registered student organization, also set up “unauthorized and unlawful” encampments at several locations around campus. They used “tents, canopies, and barricades with patio furniture,” police said.
University officials asked the group to leave two locations — the Janss Steps and the Kerckhoff patio — and the group complied, police said.
The group had by early evening made their way to the courtyard between Dodd Hall and the School of Law, where they were seen assembling another tent encampment, police said.
“The group restricted access to the general public in violation of University policy and also disrupted nearby final exams,” police said in a statement.
About 25 people were arrested under a California law barring “Willful Disruption of University Operations,” police said.
One additional person had been arrested for interfering with a police officer as the group set up their first encampment, police said. That person was cited and released, police said.
“As a result of the unauthorized and unlawful encampments at the three locations, the group damaged the Shapiro fountain, spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, stripped wire from electrical fixtures, and vandalized vehicles,” police said.
(NEW YORK) — Four instructors from Cornell College in Iowa were stabbed in a “serious incident” while overseas in China, university and Chinese officials said.
The incident took place in a public park in Jilin City, China, on Sunday, according to the statement. A Chinese official said on Tuesday that the instructors had been “attacked while sightseeing” in Beishan Park.
“All the injured were immediately sent to the hospital and received proper treatment. None of them are in danger of life,” said Lin Jian, spokesperson for the foreign ministry. “The police initially determined that this case was an isolated incident and is currently under further investigation.”
A 55 year-old suspect “collided” or “bumped into” one of the instructors and then proceeded to attack that instructor and three others with a knife, the Jilin Public Security Bureau said Tuesday. A Chinese tourist was also injured, and the suspect was arrested, police said.
Cornell College has a partnership with Beihua University and the instructors were accompanied by a local faculty member when the incident occurred, the university said.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement on X Monday, saying she’s been in contact with Iowa’s federal delegation and the state department “in response to this horrifying attack.”
“Please pray for their full recovery, safe return, and their families here at home,” Reynolds wrote.
In a statement, the Department of State said it was “aware of reports of a stabbing incident in Jilin, People’s Republic of China.”
“We are monitoring the situation and have no further comments at this time,” the department’s statement read.
Lin, the Chinese official, said cultural exchanges such as the one the instructors were undertaking were “in the common interests” of the U.S. and China.
“China has always taken effective measures and will continue to take relevant measures to effectively protect the safety of all foreigners in China,” Lin said Tuesday. “The sporadic cases will not affect the normal development of Sino-US cultural exchanges.”
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
