(NEW YORK) — Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will report to prison on Tuesday to begin a more than 11-year sentence for defrauding investors with false claims about her company’s blood-testing technology.
Holmes, who was sentenced last fall, has failed in multiple requests to delay her incarceration as she awaits a ruling on an appeal.
The watershed moment on Tuesday follows 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.
A federal judge earlier this month ordered Holmes to report to prison after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied her request to remain free pending an appeal.
Judge Edward Davila, who oversaw the trial of Holmes, allowed her a short postponement of the start of her sentence to May 30 as she made final arrangements, including child care for her two young children.
Holmes will report to Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. The minimum security facility houses other white collar criminals, including reality TV star Jen Shah, from the cast of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former romantic partner of Holmes and president of the now defunct blood testing company, began his nearly 13-year sentence at a prison in San Pedro, California, last month. Balwani, who was second in command to Holmes at Theranos, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in December.
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.'”
Earlier this month, Holmes and Balwani were ordered to pay $452 million in restitution to those who suffered damage from the company’s fraud.
Davila called on them to pay $125 million of that sum to media titan Rupert Murdoch, an investor in Theranos. Other victims in the case included the family of former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and the Walton family, the founders of Walmart. Walgreens and Safeway, which had also struck multi-million dollar deals with Holmes to employ Theranos’ technology, were also included in a set of entities designated as victims deserving of restitution.
In November, Holmes was sentenced to 135 months, or 11 1/4 years, in prison.
Holmes was convicted in 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.
Facing charges of massive fraud from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Holmes agreed to forfeit control of Theranos in 2018.
(WASHINGTON) — A critical deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling was announced over the weekend, and lawmakers in Washington now face one week to pass the bill in both chambers of Congress before the predicted deadline when default would begin.
Unless the $31.4 trillion borrowing limit is increased, the U.S. will run out of cash to pay all of its bills in full and on time — the so-called “X-date” — as early as June 5, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Despite the breakthrough on an agreement between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, legislative hurdles remain to get the 99-page debt and spending bill to Biden’s desk by next Monday.
The narrow margins in the House and Senate mean both Democratic and Republican moderates will likely have to back the bill.
May 27: Deal announced
Biden and McCarthy, after weeks of back and forth, announced on Saturday that they had reached a deal in principle on a two-year government budget in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling through January 2025.
May 28: Bill text is unveiled
The legislation, named the “Fiscal Responsibility Act,” was publicly released on Sunday evening.
That started a 72-hour countdown, which is the period of time McCarthy promised to his members to review the legislation before a vote in the House.
Addressing reporters outside his office, the speaker touted what he called efforts to improve transparency and process in Congress — for the public.
“I’m trying to change the House where it works again,” he said.
May 30: Lawmakers will return, rules committee to meet
Members are due to return Tuesday from the Memorial Day recess.
The House Rules Committee, made up of nine Republicans and four Democrats, is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. ET to set the parameters under which the debt ceiling bill will be considered.
Two of the nine Republicans have publicly criticized the agreement: Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Chip Roy of Texas, both with the hardline House Freedom Caucus.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a fiscal hawk, has also been considered a possible holdout, though McCarthy singled him out for praise on Sunday for successfully proposing a fallback measure for spending cuts in the deal with the White House.
If all three were opposed to the bill in committee, a Democrat would need to join the remaining Republicans to vote to advance the bill to the full House.
McCarthy, arriving at the Capitol on Monday, said he wasn’t worried about the committee meeting.
May 31: House to vote
The bill is expected to go to the House on Wednesday evening.
The number of votes needed to pass the legislation, if all members are present, is 218.
Currently, Republicans hold the House 222-213 and, theoretically, some Democrats would be needed if there are more than four conservative defections.
But lawmakers from the wings of both parties have expressed dissatisfaction with some of the details of the deal.
Some members of the Freedom Caucus, who sought more sweeping spending reductions, have said they will try to stop it from passing the House.
Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Progressive Caucus, likewise on Sunday said congressional leaders should “worry” about garnering enough support from the group given qualms with the compromise with Republicans.
The White House and Republican leadership have been holding calls and briefings to sell the deal, with more meetings planned, ABC News has reported.
McCarthy predicted to ABC’s Trish Turner on Sunday that a majority of Republicans will support it. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on CBS’ Face the Nation he expects that there “will be Democratic support once we have the ability to actually be fully briefed by the White House” but he wouldn’t predict what the number of votes would look like.
He also said, “I do hope and expect to see a significant number of House Republicans voting for this agreement. It’s my understanding that they are committed to producing at least 150 votes, if not more.”
Upon departing the White House Sunday afternoon en route to Delaware, Biden told ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze that there’s “no reason” the debt limit deal shouldn’t get done by June 5.
The president also said he’s been working the phones speaking to a “number” of legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Two congressional Democratic sources described the White House’s sell as a “full court press.”)
“I never say I’m confident with the Congress … but I feel very good about it,” Biden said.
May 31 or later: Senate consideration
Assuming the debt ceiling bill passes the House on Wednesday night, the Senate would immediately begin processing the legislation, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has told colleagues.
Unanimous consent would allow the chamber to skip debate and quickly hold a vote, but it would take just one lawmaker to hold up proceedings.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, previously said he would use every procedural tool available to delay a bill if it didn’t have what he called “substantial spending and budgetary reforms.” On Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested he would create a similar roadblock because, he argued, the debt agreement was a “catastrophe for defense.”
Schumer alluded to the possibility of hang-ups in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Sunday.
“Senators should prepare for potential Friday and weekend votes,” he wrote.
If a filibuster materializes, it could delay final passage for as long as a week — beyond the estimated default deadline of June 5.
A key endorsement for the deal came Sunday from McConnell, who called on his colleagues to “act swiftly and pass this agreement without unnecessary delay.”
“The United States of America will not default on its debt,” McConnell said in a statement. “Today’s agreement makes urgent progress toward preserving our nation’s full faith and credit and a much-needed step toward getting its financial house in order.”
June 5: The “X-date”
There’s little room for error in Congress in order to pass legislation by next Monday.
The Treasury Department announced last week that its new “X-date” estimate was June 5, providing lawmakers with a bit of extra time to pass a deal. Yellen had earlier warned the U.S. could run out of money to pay all of its bills as early as June 1.
“Based on the most recent available data, we now estimate that Treasury will have insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations if Congress has not raised or suspended the debt limit by June 5,” Yellen wrote in a letter to McCarthy on Friday.
Biden said Sunday he thought the legislation would make it to his desk.
“The speaker and I made clear from the start that the only way forward was a bipartisan agreement,” he said. “That agreement now goes to the United States House and to the Senate. And I strongly urge both chambers to pass that agreement.”
(NEW YORK) — At least two Americans have died and 17 have suspected or probable cases of a potentially deadly infection linked to an outbreak at cosmetic surgery clinics in Mexico.
The infected patients contracted fungal meningitis after having procedures under epidural anesthesia in Matamoros, Mexico — just across the border from Brownsville, Texas — according to the state’s Department of Health Services.
More than 200 people across the U.S. who underwent operations between Jan. 1 and May 13 of this year may be at risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite the closure of River Side Surgical Center and K3 Clinica, people developed symptoms of fungal meningitis weeks later.
Here are the signs to look for and how the infection can be treated before it’s too late:
What is fungal meningitis?
Meningitis is a type of infection and inflammation affecting the fluid and three meninges — or membranes — that protect the brain and spinal cord.
Fungal meningitis specifically occurs after someone contracts a fungal infection that spreads to the brain or spinal cord, according to the CDC.
Signs and symptoms can appear weeks after initially developing the infection and include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and an altered mental state.
How do people contract fungal meningitis?
Many fungi are too small to see with the naked eye so it’s easy for people to breathe in or ingest microscopic spores, the CDC says.
Fungal meningitis is not contagious and cannot spread from person to person.
“While rare, outbreaks of fungal meningitis following medical and surgical procedures have occurred,” the CDC says on its website. “Healthcare providers can find information on testing and treatment options for patients with suspected or confirmed fungal meningitis. These options are applicable to patients regardless of where exposure occurred.”
How is fungal meningitis treated?
To be diagnosed with fungal meningitis, a patient gives samples of blood or cerebrospinal fluid that are tested for the presence of fungi.
If results are positive, patients are then given high doses of antifungal medications intravenously, according to the CDC, which may include amphotericin B — a medication that stops the growth of fungi.
Next, patients are given antifungal medications by mouth, the health agency said, which may include itraconazole or fluconazole.
There is no specific timeline for how long a patient takes these medications; it will depend on the patient’s immune system. For example, those with underlying conditions weakening the ability of the body to fight infections, including cancer or HIV/AIDS, may have a longer course of treatment.
Is fungal meningitis deadly?
There is no data on the number of deaths per year from fungal meningitis but public health experts say it can turn deadly if not identified and treated quickly.
A 2017 study on an outbreak in Virginia found that 9.678% of the people who developed fungal meningitis died even after receiving treatment and 100% with fungal meningitis who did not receive treatment died.
One of the two patients who died in this current outbreak is Shyanne Medrano, a 31-year-old mother from Houston, according to local ABC affiliate KRGV-TV.
She began to feel sick not long after visiting K3 Clinica in March to receive a Brazilian butt lift.
Weeks later, Medrano was admitted to a hospital with symptoms of the infection. She later developed a blood clot, a family member told KRGV. On May 16, two months after the procedure, Medrano died.
Can I prevent fungal meningitis?
There are no vaccines that protect against fungal meningitis. The CDC does recommend several prevention measures.
These include avoiding areas that contain a lot of dust, staying inside during dust storms, avoiding activities that involve close contact to dirt and cleaning skin injuries with warm water and soap to avoid the odds of developing an infection.
Kansas kicks off their 50th anniversary tour on June 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and guitarist and founding member Richard Williams is certainly excited to be celebrating such a big milestone.
“Fifty, it’s a big number, it’s half a century,” Williams tells ABC Audio. “Suddenly there’s like a ‘whoa’ moment that’s, like, ‘Wow, 50 years, that’s a lot.’” He described the tour as “a celebration of the entire career.”
Williams says when Kansas first got together, their biggest dream was simply “to record an album and then get it played on the radio if we were lucky,” and then possibly get to open for some big national acts.
“We couldn’t imagine dreaming beyond that,” he says. “You know, the world stage and being a headlining act and continuing to make records and all that was so distant that it wasn’t even a thought. That wasn’t a dream. … the last 49 years have been all gravy.”
And at 73, Williams has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. He insists fans shouldn’t expect to hear news of a retirement tour, noting, “What’s the point, unless it’s a money grab.”
Williams adds, “It’s really more a matter of how long can I do it. According to my doctors, I’m in great shape. Barring, you know, illness or death, I’m here. I’m going to be doing this until I can’t.”
Kansas currently has dates confirmed through January 28, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A complete tour schedule can be found at kansasband.com.
Disney’sThe Little Mermaid swam to the top of the domestic box office in its opening weekend, grabbing an estimated $95.5 million for the three-day weekend and $117.5 million over the four-day. That’s slightly below expectations, but good enough to capture the fifth-best Memorial Day Weekend of all time, if estimates hold up. Last year at this time, Top Gun: Maverick kicked off the summer with the best Memorial Day Weekend ever, 160.5 million.
The news wasn’t quite so rosy overseas, where the film banked a disappointing $68.1 million. Worldwide, the live-action remake of the Disney animated classic — starring Halle Bailey, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Melissa McCarthy — has grossed $185.6 million. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
Fast X took second place, picking up an estimated $22.9 million between Friday and Sunday and $28.5 over the long weekend at the domestic box office. The film, in its second week of release, added an estimated $24.3 million at the international box office, pushing its two-week global tally past the $500 million mark.
Disney-Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 pulled up in third place in North America with an estimated $19.9 for the traditional weekend and $25.3 million through Monday.
Fourth place went to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which scooped up an estimated $6.2 million in North America between Friday and Sunday and $8.3 million over the holiday weekend. Its worldwide total now stands at $1.2 billion.
Rounding out the top five was The Machine, based on Bert Kreicher‘s standup show of the same name. It grossed an estimated $4.9 million over the three-day weekend and $5.8 million over the four-day.
Elsewhere, About My Father, starring comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro bowed in sixth place with an estimated $4.25 million and $5.3 million at the domestic box office.
You Hurt My Feelings, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies, debuted with an estimated $1.8 million from 912 theaters.
(LONDON) — Several drones struck Moscow early on Tuesday, damaging residential buildings in the Russian capital, the mayor said.
The attack “caused minor damage to several buildings” in a residential area, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. Some residents were evacuated from their apartments due to “safety reasons” as first responders surveyed the damage, Sobyanin said.
“All municipal emergency services are currently at the scene of the incident,” the mayor wrote on his official Telegram channel. “They will find out the circumstances of what happened.”
No one was seriously injured in the attack. Two people sought and received medical attention on site but did not require hospitalization, according to Sobyanin.
Russian emergency services told state news agency TASS that drone-like fragments were found around at least one of the buildings and that apartment windows were shattered on several floors.
Moscow Oblast Gov. Andrey Vorobyov said several drones were shot down as they approached the capital, according to TASS.
It’s believed to be the first major drone attack on a residential area of Moscow. The attack came as Russia continues to wage war in neighboring Ukraine.
On May 3, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones. Russia later blamed the United States for the attack, a claim rejected by Washington.
(HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) — Nine people, including children, were injured Monday night in a Memorial Day shooting along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida after a dispute broke out between two groups, according to police.
One person of interest has been detained, and police are seeking an additional suspect who is still on the loose, Hollywood Police Department Public Information Manager Deanna Bettineschi said.
Four juveniles between the ages of 1 and 17 were shot, including a child between 15 and 18 months old, Bettineschi said, as well as five adults ages 25 to 65. One person is in surgery and the rest of the victims are stable at this point, she added.
Hollywood Beach Mayor Josh Levy said he was “saddened and angered” by the shooting and that “innocent bystanders” were injured as a result of the altercation between two groups.
“People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families, and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public and to have an altercation with guns in the public setting with thousands of people around them is beyond reckless,” he said during a press conference.
Police are asking locals to avoid the area as the investigation continues.
Bettineschi also asked anyone who might have video or photos of the incident to send them to pdvideorequest@hollywoodfl.org.
Hollywood Beach is along Florida’s eastern coast, about 10 miles south of Fort Lauderdale and 20 miles north of Miami.
(SITKA, Alaska) — The Coast Guard is searching for four missing people after a luxury charter fishing boat sank off the coast of Alaska.
Rescuers located one deceased individual near the vessel partially submerged near a small island close to Sitka, Alaska.
Kingfisher Charters, a Sitka-based company that operates all-inclusive fishing trips, reported the missing vessel to the Coast Guard on Sunday evening. The vessel was last seen on Sunday afternoon near Kruzof Island, less than 10 miles from the small rocky island where the ship was found, according to the Coast Guard.
“We’re working quickly to locate the unaccounted-for individuals,” Coast Guard Commanding Duty Officer Trevor Layman said, citing multiple “unknowns” involved in the search.
Kingfisher Charters offers all-inclusive fishing packages and operates guided trips on 30-foot power boats that can carry up to six anglers on a boat, according to the company website.
The Coast Guard did not immediately provide information about the missing fisherman.
Kingfisher Charters did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The Sitka Fire Department and nearby vessels are assisting the Coast Guard in the search efforts. The Sitka Fire Department declined to comment on the search, referring all questions to the Coast Guard.
Sitka often attracts anglers from across the United States for its king salmon and halibut fishing – both currently in season. Located in Alaska’s Southeast panhandle, Sitka has over 8,000 residents across Baranof Island.
ABC News’ Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.
(HINDS COUNTY, Miss.) — Two inmates allegedly escaped from a Mississippi jail on Monday, just weeks after four others broke out from the same facility.
Michael Lewis and Joseph Spring were both found missing during Monday morning’s headcount at the Raymond Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s office in Hinds County, which encompasses Jackson.
It was not immediately clear how they escaped. The sheriff’s office said there was a “breach in the facility.”
Weeks earlier, on April 21, four other men broke out of the same jail by escaping through the roof. Two of those detainees were apprehended, one was killed in a shootout with law enforcement and the fourth was found dead in a car in New Orleans.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
