Jake Reiner, Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner, and Michele Reiner attend the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Jake Reiner, the eldest son of renowned director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, is speaking out in a rare statement, saying, “I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it’s not a dream.”
“This truly is my living nightmare,” he said in a post on Substack on Friday.
“One thing I keep coming back to is how frightened they must have been,” Jake Reiner said of his parents. “They were the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them. They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world.”
Jake Reiner’s brother, Nick Reiner, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges for the deaths of their parents and is due back in court next week.
Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14, 2025. The night before, Nick Reiner — who had been living on his parents’ property — got into an argument with Rob Reiner at a holiday party and was seen acting strangely, sources told ABC News. Nick Reiner was taken into custody hours after the bodies were discovered.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 68, married in 1989 and had three children: sons Jake and Nick and daughter Romy.
Jake Reiner described his parents as his “guiding lights, the foundation of who I am as a human being, and the most giving people I have ever known.”
“The love they have for me, my brother, and my sister is truly unconditional. And the love they have for each other in their marriage is something I always looked up to as the standard of what a successful relationship looks like,” he wrote.
Jake Reiner called his mom his “confidant” and said they could talk for hours.
“Anytime I was going through a tough time or had a complicated issue to hash out, I leaned on her brilliant perspective,” he wrote.
“My mom was the one who helped me move in and out of dorms and apartments at Syracuse University and continued to help me move in and out of apartments when I began my broadcasting career,” he said. “Her support for me never wavered, and I always felt how much she loved me. I feel her presence everywhere, every single day. I miss her so much.”
Jake Reiner said his father — the famed director, producer and actor known for massive Hollywood hits including “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally…” – was the same way at home and in public.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell listens to a question during a Principles of Economics class at Harvard University on March 30, 2026 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Sophie Park/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice is expected to drop its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as soon as Friday, ending a standoff that threatened to delay the confirmation of Powell’s successor at the central bank, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Senior DOJ officials have contacted senators in recent days, including Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, informing them of the plan to drop the probe and refer the matter regarding alleged cost overruns at the Fed’s Washington headquarters to the bank’s internal watchdog, the sources said.
The Fed’s independent inspector general conducted an audit of the building renovation costs in 2021 and Powell had already asked the watchdog to take a fresh look at the $2.5 billion project last year.
Powell’s term ends next month, but he said in March that he would stay in the position until President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Fed, Kevin Warsh, is confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve declined to comment. Reached by ABC News, a spokesperson for Tillis declined to comment.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has been insistent that her investigation of alleged cost overruns at the Fed would continue despite a ruling last month from D.C. District Judge James Boasberg that tossed out subpoenas she had sent to Powell.
“This investigation continues. I am in the legal lane. There are others who are in the political lane. I don’t intersect those two lanes,” Pirro said in a news conference on Wednesday.
“I am going forward,” Pirro said. “We are appealing the decision of Judge Boasberg — the idea that a judge can stand at the door of a grand jury and tell a prosecutor you’re not allowed to go in when the United States Supreme Court has said you can go into a grand jury based on rumors and suspicion, is an order that we think must be appealed, and we are continuing in this investigation.”
At the time of Boasberg’s ruling, Tillis urged Pirro not to continue with her investigation.
“We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on,” Tillis said in a post on X moments after the decision was made public in March. “Appealing the ruling will only delay the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair.”
It is not immediately clear if prosecutors will seek to drop their appeal of Boasberg’s order as a result of the directive to close the probe into Powell.
In a video message in January, Powell revealed the investigation and called it an attempt by the Trump administration to put political pressure on the Fed to lower interest rates.
An end to the DOJ’s investigation is expected to pave the path for Kevin Warsh, to get confirmed through the Senate. Tillis told ABC News on Tuesday he supports Kevin Warsh as the nominee but will not advance his nomination until the DOJ’s probe is dropped.
Tillis first announced in January that he would block nominees in opposition to the investigation which has been branded as “weak” and “frivolous.”
“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question,” Tillis said in a January statement. “I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed — including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy — until this legal matter is fully resolved.”
Tillis’ blockade has proved difficult for Senate Republican leadership to work around because of his position on the narrowly divided Senate Banking Committee. His opposition, paired with that of all Democrats on the panel, has made it impossible for Warsh to advance out of the committee to a vote on the full Senate floor.
Psilocybin mushrooms stand ready for harvest in a humidified “fruiting chamber” in the basement of a private home on July 28, 2023 in Fairfield County, Connecticut. (John Moore/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday it is issuing national priority vouchers to three companies to help fast-track the review of certain psychedelic medications.
The companies are studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder and methylone for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“These medications have the potential to address the nation’s mental health crisis, including conditions like treatment-resistant depression, alcoholism and other serious mental health and substance abuse conditions,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a press release.
“As this field moves forward, it is critical that their development is grounded in sound science and rigorous clinical evidence,” the statement continued. “We owe it to our nation’s veterans and all Americans who are suffering from these conditions to evaluate these potential therapies with urgency.”
The agency also announced it is allowing an early phase clinical study of noribogaine hydrochloride, the principal psychoactive substance of the drug ibogaine, to move forward following an Investigational New Drug submission.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order over the weekend directing the FDA to expedite its review of certain psychedelics.
The order aims to accelerate research and approval of psychedelic-based therapies to help treat mental health conditions including PTSD, depression and addiction.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — More than a dozen reported tornadoes tore through part of the Central U.S. on Thursday night, including a powerful storm in northwestern Oklahoma that spurred a tornado emergency from the National Weather Service.
A tornado emergency is the highest alert level for tornadoes.
The weather service said a “large and destructive tornado” was confirmed on the ground at 8:21 p.m. local time in the area of Enid, Oklahoma, near Vance Air Force Base, and urged residents to take cover.
“You are in a life-threatening situation,” the weather service said. “Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible.”
Enid, a city of roughly 50,000 people, is located about 90 miles north of Oklahoma City
Garfield County Sheriff Cory Rink told Oklahoma City ABC station KOCO that search-and-rescue operations were underway in “hard-hit” areas. He said he did not have word yet on any injuries.
A county emergency management official told KOCO there were reports of 10 to 11 people with minor injures and that the search and rescue operations in the Grayridge area was wrapping up.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, in a social media post, asked for prayers for the Enid community, which he said “has been severely impacted” by Thursday’s tornado.
“I have spoken with Enid’s local leaders and will continue working with them as they assess the damage and identify needs,” he said in the post.
Overall, there were 17 reported tornadoes Thursday night from Oklahoma to Iowa, and there were still several active tornado warnings along a line of dangerous storms stretching from Oklahoma to Missouri to Iowa.
Thursday is the first day of a multiday outbreak of severe weather for the Plains.
Paige Shiver speaks during an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Paige Shiver, a former executive assistant with the University of Michigan football team, said she felt that former head coach Sherrone Moore manipulated her during their nearly four-year relationship she characterized as an “open secret” within the athletics department.
Speaking out for the first time since Moore was arrested last December for trespassing, Shiver, 32, told ABC News that what started out as a consensual relationship became one in which she felt trapped over time. She said Moore, 40, told her he was in a loveless marriage and would soon divorce his wife, and that every time she tried to end the relationship, he would threaten suicide or plead with her not to leave.
Moore “had complete control over me, over my emotions, over my career, and he knew that, and he used it against me,” she said. “Every time I tried to pull away, every time I tried to get out of even Michigan, he always had a way to pull me in and make me feel that I couldn’t leave him because he was so miserable without me.”
Moore was sentenced to 18 months of probation this month after being fired for the relationship. He had faced a up to six months of jail time after pleading no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device. A felony home invasion charge was dropped as part of a plea deal.
The charges are related to a Dec. 10 incident in which Moore entered Shiver’s apartment the same day he was fired, according to police, who said he blamed Shiver for his firing and threatened to kill himself with butter knives. Shiver said she feared for her life and asked him repeatedly to leave.
“He’s six four and he comes in with his hood up, looking down at me, saying I ruined his life and is crying,” she said. “He’s not listening to me. And it’s like he knew he had control over me. He knew he had power over me.”
According to text messages Shiver shared with ABC News, Moore texted “I hate you” and “My blood is on your hands” to Shiver after the incident.
When asked for a response to Shiver’s account, Ellen Michaels, Moore’s attorney, said that “Sherrone Moore has closed this chapter.”
In response to a request for comment about Shiver’s claims, the university provided a statement, reading: “The University of Michigan terminated Sherrone Moore promptly upon discovering his undisclosed workplace relationship with a direct report. His conduct violated university policy, and we expect more from our leaders. The University of Michigan is committed to ensuring a professional and respectful workplace for all members of its community.”
In December, university President Domenico Grasso said the school was investigating the situation involving Moore “to uncover any additional germane and material information and to assess whether there may be related misconduct by others.”
Shiver started as an intern in the program in October 2021 and said her romantic relationship started months later in January 2022. She was promoted to be Moore’s executive assistant when he was promoted to head coach in 2024.
She described Moore during this time as emotionally dependent on her, a relationship she said the department encouraged.
She said she was often told by senior coaches to console Moore “to calm him down” when he was upset, sometimes during game halftimes. She said she went along with it because she feared for her job security. “No one cared about my feelings. They wanted to use me to help him so that they could get through the season,” she said.
“He and other coaches had control over my career, especially him. I mean, he could fire me in a second,” she said. “People knew, but no one was doing anything about it.”
In May 2022, during her relationship with Moore, Shiver said she discovered she was pregnant. At the time, she said her doctors advised she have an abortion to avoid complications from Pompe Disease, a rare and progressive disorder she was diagnosed with years earlier. Moore, Shiver said, told her she “had to do what’s right” for her body. She had the abortion that July.
Last October Shiver says she denied the relationship during an interview with the university human resources department.
She told ABC News that she didn’t disclose the relationship because she didn’t trust the process that she felt had protected Moore for years.
“They knew the things that he was doing to me and no one did anything about it because they cared more about winning football games, not having another scandal, and trying to protect the head coach,” she said.
She waited until December to tell attorneys hired by the university about the relationship.
Shiver is no longer employed by the University of Michigan. She said that, besides her disappointment with the university, she was disappointed that Moore only received probation.
“I don’t think it reflects what he did to me,” she said. “He took no accountability.”
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Crime scene barrier tape (Getty Images/Tetra Images)
(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Five suspects are in custody in a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge that killed one person and injured multiple others, police said.
The shots were fired in the food court, police said, describing it as a targeted incident during a fight between two groups, and not a random act of violence.
Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said during a press conference Thursday night that officials are looking for more suspects believed to be involved. “In no way is this investigation over, and we do believe that there’s more people involved,” he said.
Morse said one handgun has been recovered from the scene.
Five people injured in the shooting were being treated at area hospitals, according to Baton Rouge police. The nature of their injuries is unclear. Police had initially said 10 people were injured before updating the total number of casualties to six.
All shoppers have been evacuated from the mall, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said.
The scene has been secured, police said.
“I heard a loud ‘pop’ and then another ‘pop,'” a mall employee told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ. “… I turn around and I see people dropping to the floor and then I saw the gun. … And he was turning around, shooting randomly.”
“I called security and said, ‘Shots fired in the food court, people are down, people are hit.’ And then the cops came and it was just total chaos … blood was everywhere,” she said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” she said.
Police Chief Morse said that officials believe the violence began after some kind of disagreement. “It looks like guns were pulled afterwards, exchanged right in front of some of the food counters in the food court,” he said.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he’s aware of the shooting and is coordinating with law enforcement.
“Please keep the victims and their families in your prayers,” Edwards said in a statement.
Mayor Sid Edwards said during the press conference Thursday night that “Baton Rouge has a history of pulling together in tragedy, and that’s tragic unto itself.”
The Mall of Louisiana confirmed in a statement that it would be closed all day on Friday “out of respect for the victims.”
“Our deepest sympathies are with everyone who was impacted by the senseless act of violence that took place here today,” the statement read.
Dwight Rust Jr. was charged this week with the first-degree murder of his wife, Michelle Rust. (Baltimore County Police Department)
(BALTIMORE, Md.) — Dwight Rust Jr. this week appeared virtually for his first appearance in a Maryland court, a day after being arrested for the first-degree murder of his wife, Michelle Rust, 24 years ago.
Baltimore County District Court Judge Krystin Richardson ruled in favor of prosecutors pushing to hold Rust, 48 without bail on Wednesday afternoon. He remains held at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
Rust first reported his wife missing on July 20, 2002, as the couple was preparing for their 3-year-old son’s birthday party. He said that Michelle Rust had left around 9:30 a.m. that morning to pick up some last-minute items from Walmart, but never returned. She was 24 years old at the time, and her body has never been found.
It is unclear what evidence might have led investigators to arrest Dwight Rust Jr. early Tuesday. The criminal indictment, obtained by ABC News, reveals little about why prosecutors believe Rust was responsible for her murder. In the indictment, Rust is charged with murdering his wife sometime “on or about” July 19 and July 20, 2002.
State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger declined to comment beyond the indictment. A spokesperson for the Baltimore County Police Department also declined to comment further.
In the bail review hearing on Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Jacey Sheckells argued that Rust was attempting to start a new life with another woman when his wife went missing. According to Sheckells, Rust was having an affair with the woman.
Prosecutors requested that Rust be held without bail due to concerns he might try to intimidate witnesses.
Rust’s attorney, Jeremy Eldridge, denied the state’s allegations, maintaining Rust’s innocence.
“Having an affair with somebody doesn’t mean you’re going to murder,” he told ABC News after the hearing on Wednesday afternoon. “The state’s own witnesses, a lot of them, knew that he was ending the marriage. If people know that you’re breaking up with somebody, you’re not going to go and murder them. That doesn’t make any sense.”
In the years since, Rust has remarried and has been working for an HVAC company in the area.
“He has cooperated with law enforcement at every turn,” Eldridge said. “He’s given multiple statements and anything that the police have ever wanted or asked of him, he’s done without reservation.”
In cooperating over the past 24 years, Eldridge said Rust has also agreed to property searches by authorities.
When Michelle Rust failed to return from the trip to Walmart in 2002, Dwight Rust Jr. called her parents to see if she had stopped by their home. The family all together set out to search for Michelle Rust at nearby Walmart stores, but found no trace of her.
Her father-in-law, Dwight Rust Sr., found her green 1998 Dodge Caravan abandoned on a road that was just 10 minutes from their home. According to police, the ignition key had been broken off in the door. Investigators were unable to find the rest of that key chain, or any of the clothing and jewelry Michelle Rust was wearing when she went missing.
As Michelle Rust was diabetic and needed insulin, hundreds of family members, friends and volunteers quickly joined searches through woods, hospitals and pharmacies in the area to locate her.
Within months, still with no sign of Michelle Rust, police announced that they had concluded foul play was involved in her disappearance. The family also offered a $10,000 reward for any information related to the investigation.
A year after her disappearance, The Baltimore Sun reported that police had not yet ruled out Dwight Rust Jr. as a suspect.
“We pray and hope he is not responsible,” Ray Lins, Michelle’s father, told The Sun at the time.
In 2023, investigators returned to hunt for new evidence in the case. A group of forensic science students from Towson University assisted by using ground-penetrating radar to search for soil disturbance in the backyards of two properties. These homes formerly belonged to the couple and to Dwight Rust Jr.’s parents just next door.
“There’s no finality. Twenty-four hours a day, it goes through your mind: Where is she?” Michelle Rust’s father, Ray Lins, told The Sun in 2003. “People use the word closure. We love her. We miss her. And we don’t know what happened.”
When reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon, Ray and Gwen Lins declined to comment.
Rust faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for first-degree murder if convicted.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, April 27.
The seal of the US Department of Justice on a podium prior to a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department’s internal watchdog announced Thursday it is launching an audit into the DOJ’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act that mandated the release of the department’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a statement from deputy inspector general William Blier.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans early Thursday morning approved a blueprint for their budget bill to fund immigration enforcement after an all-night voting marathon.
The vote marks the first step in a new plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since mid-February — making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The budget resolution, which kicks off the drafting process of a bill that Republicans said would provide billions of dollars to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, was approved by a vote of 50-48.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul joined with the Democrats in voting against the resolution. All other Republicans voted in favor of it, except for Sen. Chuck Grassley, who missed the vote as he recovers from a procedure to remove gallstones.
The Senate approved the resolution at about 3:36 a.m. after a vote-a-rama that lasted approximately six hours.
During that time, the Senate considered 17 amendments. Democrats, as promised, forced a number of votes on affordability-related items. Their amendments aimed at lowering the cost of everyday expenses — ranging from health care to electricity to childcare to gas prices.
Though a number of Democratic amendments won the occasional Republican supporter, Republicans ultimately defeated every Democratic-led amendment.
“What kind of bubble are they living in? How apart are they from people’s real needs? And instead, take that money, which should have gone to lowering people’s costs, and giving it to an agency that everyone knows needs reform,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on the Senate floor after the GOP budget blueprint passed.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, vowed that Republicans are going to work to “get the job done” by June 1 — the deadline publicly set by President Donald Trump for Republicans to fund the immigration enforcement agencies.
“The vast majority of Republicans stuck together to do something Democrats are refusing to do: Fully fund the Border Patrol and ICE for three and a half years through the Trump presidency,” Graham said in a statement Thursday morning.
But the overnight vote-a-rama was just the first step in what could be a lengthy reconciliation process.
The GOP’s budget resolution now heads to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson hopes his rank and file will sign off on the Senate’s resolution next week. If approved, House members may begin directing committees to craft their bill that meets the instructions in the budget resolution. If House and Senate Republicans agree on legislation, both chambers will have to pass it again. That will include a second vote-a-rama in the Senate.
The GOP’s funding push for ICE and CBP comes amid the record-long DHS shutdown, now in its 68th day.
Many federal employees across DHS, including the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have gone without pay as Congress struggles to advance a funding deal. Throughout the shutdown, ICE and CBP have continued to receive funds due to an influx of cash provided in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress last summer, and the administration has redirected other funding to support TSA workers.
Democrats have said they won’t support funding for ICE and CBP without reforms to their operating procedures, after two American citizens in Minneapolis were fatally shot by federal agents earlier this year.
Republican leaders, meanwhile, are expected to hold off on passing a full DHS funding bill until they can successfully fund the two immigration enforcement agencies.
“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t isolate and, as I say, make an orphan out of key agencies of the department. And there’s some concern on our side that if you do the bulk of the department first before that, then they could be left out. We can’t allow for that,” Speaker Johnson said earlier this week.
Chemicals are removed from a home in Syosset, New York. (WABC)
(SYOSSET, N.Y.) — A New York father and son were arrested and charged after investigators discovered chemicals at their residence that had been combined to create explosive materials, according to police.
Investigators discovered the chemicals while they were looking into a “bias incident” in which a swastika was drawn in a male bathroom at Syosset High School on Wednesday, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Investigators alleged the 15-year-old boy drew the swastika, police said.
Francisco Sanles, 48, has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of criminal facilitation, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
The unnamed teen has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, aggravated harassment and making graffiti, police said.
When the chemicals were found, officers evacuated the home and began evacuating the residents of neighboring homes.
“The Nassau County Fire Marshal, Arson Bomb Squad, Nassau County Police Emergency Service Unit (ESU) were all notified and responded to the scene. The Nassau County Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Response Team also responded and carefully removed the hazardous material from the home,” police said in a statement Thursday.
Further investigation revealed Sanles paid for the various chemicals on several occasions. He was then arrested, according to police.
Students and staff at Syosset High School were notified of the bias graffiti and ongoing investigation in an email from the school district on Wednesday night, according to a copy obtained by WABC.
“I am writing to inform you that the District found swastikas and racial epithets above urinals at Syosset High School. The District immediately commenced an investigation and notified the Nassau County Police Department. Our investigation identified the person responsible and this is now a criminal matter with an active police investigation,” the school district wrote.
“We are cooperating fully with our partners in law enforcement and remain in constant contact with them as their investigation continues. This student will also face serious consequences pursuant to the District’s Code of Conduct,” the district said.
Sanles will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead, police said. The unnamed teen will be arraigned in Nassau County Family Court, police said.
No attorney information for Sanles and his son is listed in court records.
