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6-year-old is sole survivor after family is killed in Texas mall shooting

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ALLEN, Texas) — A mom, dad and 3-year-old son were all killed in this weekend’s mass shooting in Allen, Texas, officials said, with the family’s 6-year-old son the sole survivor.

The victims have been identified as Kyu Song Cho, 37, his wife Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son, James.

The Chos, who lived in Dallas, were among the eight victims killed by a gunman who opened fire on shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday.

Their 6-year-old son, William, was the only survivor of the family, according to a GoFundMe page.

James “was sweet and smart, and he was so cute,” his day care teacher, Trinity Whitley, told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. “And he was brilliant child. I’ve never actually met a 3-year-old that was that smart. He could read and he was writing his own name.”

“He usually wore elephant bibs and shirts,” she said. “He loved elephants.”

Kyu Cho was an immigration attorney.

He used “his own experience as an immigrant in the early 1990s with his broad range of legal skills, in order to better understand and identify with his clients and to help them with their uniquely specific immigration matters,” according to his profile on his employer’s website. “In his free time, Kyu enjoys participating in church activities, watching his two young boys grow up, and spending time with his family.”

Cindy Cho was a dentist who went by Cindy Kang at her practice.

“Our whole team loved her very much, and we are absolutely heartbroken,” said Coughlin. “Dr. Kang was the sweetest, most beautiful soul with the kindest heart. She was an outstanding dentist, mother, wife, daughter, friend, and faithful woman of God.”

“Our prayers go out to all the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy,” Coughlin added. “Please pray for these families.”

ABC News’ Alyssa Pone and Brandon Baur contributed to this report.

Judge sets hearing date on Trump’s motion to move criminal case to federal court

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday set a hearing next month to consider whether former President Donald Trump should be allowed to move his criminal case from State Supreme Court in Manhattan to federal court.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein set the hearing for June 27.

“In the meantime, proceedings may continue in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County,” Hellerstein’s order said.

That means Trump and the Manhattan district attorney’s office must, as ordered at a hearing last week, work together to pick a trial date for some time in February or March 2024.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records related to a hush payment to adult film actress Story Daniels in the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign.

Trump’s attorneys sought to move the case to federal court “because the case involves important federal questions since the indictment charges President Trump for conduct committed while he was president of the United States that was within the ‘color of his office’ and the charges involve alleged federal and state election law violations that have a federal preemption defense.”

The allegations against Trump are based on reimbursement checks written to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, who made the payment to Daniels. The reimbursements were logged as legal expenses when in fact the payment was made for campaign purposes, prosecutors said.

The charges of falsifying business records were elevated to felonies because prosecutors alleged the true nature of the reimbursements to Cohen were falsified to conceal tax or election crimes.

“There has never been a prosecution under New York State law based on an alleged violation of election law pertaining to a federal election. And there are serious federal preemption issues with such a prosecution,” defense attorney Susan Necheles wrote in her motion on Tuesday.

The district attorney’s office has until June 15 to respond to Trump’s motion.

Rep. George Santos charged by federal prosecutors in New York

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Rep. George Santos has been charged by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The charges remain under seal so the nature of the allegations is currently unclear.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

2 sisters, in 2nd grade and 4th grade, among dead in mall shooting

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ALLEN, Texas) — Eight victims were killed when a gunman opened fire on shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, on Saturday.

Here is what we know about the lives lost:

Kyu Song Cho, Cindy Cho and James Cho

Kyu Song Cho, 37, and his wife Cindy Cho, 35, who lived in Dallas, were among those killed, officials said.

Their 3-year-old son, James Cho, also died.

“He usually wore elephant bibs and shirts,” his day care teacher told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. “He loved elephants.”

Elio Cumana-Rivas

Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, lived in Dallas, according to investigators.

Cumana-Rivas, a native of Venezuela, was the fifth of six brothers, said one of his older brothers, Gregory Smith Cumana. He called Cumana-Rivas a hard worker who moved to the U.S. “in search of the American dream.”

“Even if he was angry, he always had that smile and his way of making you see that even if there were problems, you had to keep going,” he said.

Christian LaCour

Christian LaCour, 20, an on-duty security guard at the outlet mall, also died in the shooting, his sister, Brianna Smith, confirmed to ABC News.

Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey on Tuesday commended LaCour, who he said evacuated someone to safety and then was shot while “courageously remaining to help others.”

“He was a really sweet kid,” Smith said. “I’m sad that he’s gone.”

His mother, Tracye LaCour, asked for privacy, telling ABC News they are praying for the families of the other victims.

Daniela Mendoza and Sofia Mendoza

Daniela Mendoza, a fourth grader, and sister Sofia Mendoza, a second grader, were both killed in the shooting, Wylie Independent School District Superintendent David Vinson said in a statement.

The Texas Department of Public Safety didn’t identify the girls by their names but did say two girls, ages 8 and 11, were among those killed.

“Daniela and Sofia were the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” their principal, Krista Wilson, said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken and words cannot express how deeply they will be missed.”

Daniela and Sofia’s mom, Ilda, is in critical condition from the shooting, Vinson said.

“Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” Vinson said.

“We are not announcing the news to students, as we want our parents to be able to have those conversations,” Vinson added. “Every school’s counseling team is equipped to support those who may be struggling, so please do not hesitate to reach out.”

Aishwarya Thatikonda

Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26, an engineer who lived in McKinney, Texas, was also among the victims, Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reported.

She was at the mall with a friend, who was injured and hospitalized, a family representative told WFAA

Thatikonda’s family plans to have her body sent to India, where her relatives are located, WFAA reported.

ABC News’ Miles Cohen, Peter Charalambous and Alyssa Pone contributed to this report.

Woman accused of killing 2 NYU students in Puerto Rico detained by police

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — The woman accused of fatally shooting two NYU students in Puerto Rico on Saturday has been detained, officials said.

Officials identified the two students as Franco Medina, 29, and Sergio Palomino Ruiz, 28. They were in Puerto Rico to celebrate a friend’s birthday, according to ABC News New York station WABC.

The female suspect, seen in video released by police, is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Authorities said the shooting occurred on Loiza Street in San Juan. Police said they are looking for additional suspects.

“The NYU community is brokenhearted and shocked by the deaths of two MBA students in Puerto Rico, victims of senseless, tragic gunfire,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said. “Our information is that the two students were bystanders caught in an altercation between two unrelated groups.”

According to Beckman, Ruiz and Medina were part of a small group of students who traveled to Puerto Rico on vacation.

“NYU grieves today with the family, loved ones, and friends of these students, whose lives ended tragically, suddenly, and far too early,” Beckman said.

The university said it is providing counseling services to support students and those who knew the victims.

“The University has been in touch with the remaining group members to offer them support and aid; none of the others were injured. NYU has also reached out to the families of the slain students to provide whatever assistance we can and to express the sympathies of the University community,” Beckman said.

Students from the NYU Stern School of Business organized a GoFundMe to help the families of Ruiz and Medina.

ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.

Democrats want full accounting of Harlan Crow’s gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Democrat-led Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking more information on the extent of billionaire Harlan Crow’s gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The panel’s 11 Democrats requested itemized lists of gifts worth more than $415, real estate transactions, travel and lodging accommodations and admissions to private clubs provided by Crow to any justice or members of their families.

“As part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ongoing efforts to craft legislation strengthening the ethical rules and standards that apply to the Justices of the Supreme Court, we request that you provide the Committee with certain information by May 22, 2023,” a letter sent Monday to Crow said.

The lawmakers also sent letters to the holding companies of Crow’s jet and yacht as well as to Topridge Camp — his private resort in the Adirondacks — seeking more information on any gifts to Thomas or any other justice.

“Like we’ve said: if the Court won’t implement ethics reform itself, Congress must,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tweeted about the letters. “This is the next step.”

The letters follow a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week in which legal experts testified on whether Congress has the authority to require the high court to adopt an enforceable code of conduct.

Republicans have accused Democrats of “selective outrage” in going after Thomas and say it’s part of the party’s effort to delegitimize the Supreme Court’s conservative majority.

“This is not about judicial ethics,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said during the hearing. “This is not about rules that should apply to judges across the board. We could have a reasonable discussion about that. This is about applying a double standard to Clarence Thomas, and only Clarence Thomas.”

Thomas has faced intense scrutiny since ProPublica reported last month that Thomas received luxury trips from Crow for years and did not disclose them on his financial filings.

Thomas said it’s been his understanding that “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.”

There were deeper financial ties between the two men, with Crow paying for tuition at two private schools for Thomas’s grandnephew, another ProPublica report last week said. The total sum for tuition was not known, but it could’ve exceeded $150,000, the organization reported.

In response to the report on Crow paying for the tuition, Crow’s office said in a statement provided to ABC News that he “has long been passionate about the importance of quality education and giving back to those less fortunate, especially at-risk youth” and that he and his wife have supported many young Americans through schooling. Thomas did not comment on the report.

Amid Democrats’ push for ethics reform, all nine Supreme Court justices signed a statement rebutting proposals for independent oversight as they reaffirmed voluntary adherence to a general code of conduct.

“This statement aims to provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how justices address certain recurring issues and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions,” they wrote.

The back-and-forth between the two federal branches comes as public opinion of the court is at a low, polling shows. A new poll from ABC News/Washington Post found 51% of Americans think justices base their rulings mainly on their personal political opinions, not on the law.

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer contributed to this report.

Dianne Feinstein announces return to Capitol Hill after monthslong absence

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Dianne Feinstein will return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a nearly three-month absence, an aide for the California Democrat confirmed to ABC News.

News of her return was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Feinstein, 89, is set to return after she was hospitalized in February with a case of shingles. She was released in early March and had been continuing her recovery at home.

Her nonattendance in the Senate, which impacted some of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, spurred debate within her own party about whether she should resign.

Some Democrats, including California Rep. Ro Khanna and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, argued the federal judiciary could be harmed if Feinstein didn’t step down.

But others, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, came to Feinstein’s defense, saying she was being unfairly singled out.

“I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way,” Pelosi said in April. “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.”

Feinstein issued a statement last week expressing confidence that judicial nominees who have stalled in committee will be confirmed upon her return.

“While the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced eight strong nominees during my absence, I’m disappointed that Republicans on the committee are blocking a few from moving forward. I’m confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote,” the senator said.

Last month, Senate Republicans blocked a request by Democrats to temporarily replace Feinstein on the judiciary panel while she recovered.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting member of Congress, has been under scrutiny for years amid reports questioning her age or mental faculties. She’s pushed back against criticism multiple times, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2020, “I don’t feel my cognitive abilities have diminished.”

Feinstein announced earlier this year that she will not be seeking reelection in 2024.

“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years,” she said in her announcement.

Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee are among the Democrats who have declared their candidacy for Feinstein’s vacated seat.

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” nominated for an Americana Award

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Bonnie Raitt has another chance at winning an award for her track “Just Like That.”

The tune has been nominated for Song of the Year at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards. She’s up against Allison Russell’s “You’re Not Alone,” featuring Brandi Carlile; Zac Bryan’s “Something in the Orange”; Margo Price’s “Change of Heart”; and Charley Crocket’s “I’m Just A Clown.”

“Just Like That,” the title track to Raitt’s 18th studio album, won Song of the Year at this year’s Grammy Awards, beating out hit tunes by the likes of Lizzo, Adele, Harry Styles, Beyoncé and more.

The Americana Honors & Awards will take place September 20 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

High-stakes debt ceiling summit between Biden, congressional leaders gets underway at White House

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A high-stakes meeting on the debt ceiling got underway Tuesday afternoon at the White House as lawmakers stare down a June 1 deadline to reach a deal or risk default.

The sit-down between President Joe Biden and top congressional leaders — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — is the first major discussion on the issue since Biden and McCarthy last met in February.

The lawmakers declined to take questions as they arrived in the Oval Office but were expected to speak afterward.

“We’re going to get started, we’re going to solve all the world’s problems,” a smiling Biden quipped with a hint of sarcasm as the meeting kicked off.

Leaving the Capitol for the White House, McCarthy told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, “We hope the president is finally willing to negotiate.”

Biden has said raising the debt ceiling is non-negotiable.

Both sides still seemed miles apart on a debt ceiling fix ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, though a rare point of agreement did emerge: opposition to a short-term solution.

“He’s gotta stop ignoring problems,” McCarthy said about Biden earlier Tuesday. “And why continue to kick the can down the road? Let’s solve it now.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during the daily briefing, “A short-term extension is not our plan, either. That is not our plan.”

Jean-Pierre reiterated the Biden administration’s view that it is Congress’ duty to enact a clean raise to the debt ceiling without conditions.

Republicans have demanded federal spending cuts in exchange for a debt ceiling increase. The House GOP narrowly passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act last month to lift the limit for one year while also reducing funding for federal agencies to 2022 fiscal year levels and limiting growth in government spending to 1% per year.

McCarthy said he believed a deal in principle on the matter is needed by next week in order to avert default, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns could come as soon as June 1 though there’s still uncertainty about the exact date when the government would be unable to pay all of its bills.

The speaker went on to say he was not optimistic about Tuesday’s negotiations at the White House.

“Why should I have high expectations if he wasted three months and put us in jeopardy?” McCarthy told reporters.

The White House told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce Biden wouldn’t give Republicans an “off-ramp” in the negotiations.

“The exit strategy is very clear, do your job. Congress must act, prevent a default,” Jean-Pierre said when asked by Bruce what a successful meeting would look like.

Administration officials have warned adversaries like China and Russia could take advantage if the U.S. were to default, and economists state there would be wide-reaching impacts that could trigger a global financial crisis.

“It’s widely agreed that financial and economic chaos would ensue,” Yellen said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week”.

If the U.S. were to default for the first time in history, Americans are split on who would bear responsibility.

A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found 39% would mainly blame the Republicans in Congress, while virtually as many, 36%, say they’d mainly blame Biden. Sixteen percent volunteer that they’d blame both parties equally.

ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, Jay O’Brien and Gabe Ferris contributed to this report.

Man accused of multiple murders sought in Philadelphia jail breach

May 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(PHILADELPHIA) — A manhunt is underway for two inmates, including one facing multiple murder charges, who escaped from a Philadelphia detention center through a hole in the recreation yard’s fence, authorities said.

The two men were discovered missing from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center during a headcount Monday afternoon, according to Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney.

They escaped Sunday around 8:30 p.m. and were erroneously considered accounted for during three subsequent headcounts, before being discovered missing during the 3 p.m. Monday headcount, according to Carney.

“We are adamant and working tirelessly to get these two dangerous individuals back in custody,” Carney told reporters during a press briefing Monday evening. “We had protocols in place, and those protocols were not followed, so that will be part of our investigation.”

“But the goal here now is to make sure that these two individuals are apprehended promptly and brought back into custody,” she continued.

The commissioner identified the escaped inmates as Ameen Hurst, 18, who was brought to the facility in March 2021 on multiple counts of murder, and Nasir Grant, 28, who was being held since September 2022 on charges including criminal conspiracy, narcotics and firearm violations.

The Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Marshal’s Office are involved in the search for the two men.

“We are working very quickly to try to get them back,” Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters.

Hurst is considered “very dangerous,” Vanore said. The inmate is accused of killing someone in December 2020, fatally shooting two people in March 2021 and, a few days later, fatally shooting a man who had just been discharged from a Philadelphia correctional facility, Vanore said.

Hurst and Grant were housed in the same unit in different cells in the correctional facility and are believed to be together, authorities said.

Blanche said the correctional facility is on lockdown and she has reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to conduct a “facility vulnerability assessment and security assessment as soon as possible.”

The facility is also reviewing security footage as part of its investigation into the breach and reviewing the three headcounts to see “why they did not detect those two individuals missing,” she said.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said a $20,000 reward for each man is being offered for information that leads to their arrest.

“The No. 1 responsibility right now is to get these guys off the street,” Kenney told reporters.

The next priority is to have the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections assess the system, he said.

“Clearly the system screwed up and people didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” Kenney said. “But we’re going to find out exactly who, exactly how often and what we got to do to shore it back up again.”

Kenney said they will get to the bottom of it and “deal with the fallout from there.”

“I’m really angry about it,” the mayor said. “There’s no reason for this.”

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