Monday’s episode of The Bachelor was a night of surprises as three ladies left the competition — two deciding to go home and another in a shocking elimination.
Things between Zach and Christina seemed to be heating up after their one-on-one date last week, during which she met his family and went on to snag the date rose. However, he had second thoughts on Monday after hearing about her behavior around the other ladies.
It seemed Christina couldn’t stop rubbing it in about her date with Zach and the strong connection they formed. It finally came to a head following Monday’s group date that saw Charity snag the rose and not her. Christina voiced her “confusion” over the outcome, complaining, “Honestly, I’m mad that it wasn’t me.”
Christina’s remark brought Charity to tears and angered the others on the date, with Brooklyn accusing the 26-year-old Nashville-based content creator of trying “intimidate and manipulate” and that she was “calculated.”
Zach’s was alerted to the Christina situation by Brianna, who brought it to his attention after informing him that she was leaving the competition. After hearing similar stories from several other women, Christina was sent home at the rose ceremony.
Elsewhere, Bailey also left the competition after Zach confirmed her fear that their relationship wasn’t moving in the right direction, and a pair of one-on-one dates yielded roses for Katie and Aly.
Here are the 14 women remaining after Monday night’s episode:
Aly, 26, a healthcare strategist from Atlanta, Ga.
Anastasia, 30, a content marketing manager from San Diego, Calif.
Ariel, 28, a marketing executive from New York City, N.Y.
Brooklyn, 25, a rodeo racer from Stillwater, Okla.
Charity, 26, a child and family therapist from Columbus, Ga.
Davia, 25, a marketing manager from Charleston, S.C.
Gabriella “Gabi,” 25, an account executive from Pittsford, Vt.
Genevie, 26, a neonatal nurse from Baltimore City, Md.
Greer, 24, a medical sales rep from Houston, Texas. — First Impression Rose
Jessica “Jess,” 23, an e-commerce coordinator from Winter Springs, Fla.
Kaitlyn “Kaity,” 27, an ER nurse from Austin, Texas.
Katherine, 26, a registered nurse from Tampa, Fla.
Kylee, 25, a postpartum nurse from Charlotte, N.C.
Mercedes, 24, a nonprofit owner from Bloomfield, Iowa
(KENOSHA, Wis.) — The family of a 12-year-old girl in Kenosha, Wisconsin, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against police and the city after accusing an off-duty police officer of kneeling on the girl’s neck while trying to break up a fight she was allegedly involved in.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by ABC News, was filed on behalf of the girl’s father Jerrel Perez and his daughter, who is identified as Jane Doe because she is a minor. The complaint names Kenosha Police Officer Shawn Guetschow, the City of Kenosha and the Kenosha Unified School District in the Eastern District of Wisconsin as defendants.
“As a direct and proximate result of the unlawful use of force by Guetschow, Jane Doe suffered physical injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, cervical strain, and recurrent headaches, which has required Jane Doe to undergo medical treatment for her injuries,” the complaint alleges. “As a direct and proximate result of the unlawful use of force by Guetschow, Jane Doe suffered emotional distress, mental trauma, and anxiety, including severe emotional distress, which has required Jane Doe to undergo mental health treatment and counseling and to change schools.”
Video of the incident, which took place during lunchtime in the cafeteria at Kenosha’s Lincoln Middle School on March, 4, 2022, was captured by students.
A video taken by one of the students at the school was obtained by ABC News and shows the officer, who was later identified as Guetschow, responding to a fight between two students. Guetschow was working part-time as a security officer for the Kenosha Unified School District at the time of the incident, officials said.
The 12-year-old girl, who was in the sixth grade, appears to push the officer and then he pins her to the ground and appears to kneel on her neck, according to the video. It is unclear what happened before or after.
Attorney Sam Hall, who is representing the Kenosha Unified School District and Guetschow, told ABC News in a statement on Monday that the school district “will vigorously defend itself and Officer Shawn Guetschow in the civil litigation filed today by Mr. Jerrel Perez.”
“Officer Guetschow continues to recover from injuries he sustained during a physical altercation with a student during lunchtime in the school cafeteria,” Hall said. “As Officer Guetschow was attempting to break up the fight, he was pushed to the ground, his head violently striking a table as he fell to the floor. Officer Guetschow suffered a concussion, significant swelling and a contusion of the head during this incident.”
Hall said in the statement that the school district was informed last week that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will not pursue any charges against Guetschow.
The family indicated in May 2022 that they intend to a file a lawsuit through a notice of complaint.
The family’s attorney, Drew DeVinney, told ABC News on May 12, 2022, that the family’s decision to file a lawsuit is “in response to the Kenosha County District Attorney’s decision to criminally charge Jane Doe.”
Asked about the nature of the charges, the Kenosha Police Department did not return a request for comment, but in March 2022, police confirmed to ABC News that a charge of disorderly conduct was referred to juvenile court for Jane Doe, as well as the other student involved in the fight.
Amid a national push for police reform after the death of George Floyd — an unarmed Black man who was killed after a police officer knelt on his neck — Wisconsin banned the use of police chokeholds in June 2021 except in life-threatening situations or when a police officer has to defend themselves. Chokeholds include various neck restraints.
“Guetschow had multiple opportunities to remove his knee from Jane Doe’s neck and failed to do so,” the complaint alleges. “Guetschow’s use of a chokehold and the duration of the chokehold was an unreasonable and unlawful use of force.”
Guetschow resigned from his role with the school district on March 15, 2022, Tanya Ruder, chief communications officer for the Kenosha Unified School District, previously confirmed to ABC News.
In his resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News last year, Guetschow cited the “mental and emotional strain” that the public attention surrounding the incident has brought on his family, as well as what he says is “the lack of communication and or support” that he has received from the district.
Kenosha police Lt. Joseph Nosalik previously confirmed to ABC News that Guetschow was still employed by the police department as of May 2022 and was placed on desk duty amid an investigation.
Asked about the status of the investigation and whether Guetschow was still employed by the department, a spokesperson for the Kenosha police department did not return a request for comment.
(NEW YORK) — More than 4,300 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria early Monday, according to officials.
The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.
Both Turkey and Syria have declared a state of emergency.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 06, 9:39 PM EST
More than 4,000 people dead in Turkey, Syria following earthquake: AFAD
The death toll continues to climb in Turkey and Syria 24 hours after the earthquake struck.
More than 4,300 people have died in the two countries following the devastating earthquake, officials said.
According to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management Organization (AFAD), 2,921 people have died in the country from the earthquake, with 15,834 people sustaining injuries.
Approximately 6,217 buildings have collapsed and about 7,840 people have been rescued from the debris and rubble, according to AFAD officials.
In Syria, 1,411 people have died since the earthquake struck the region, officials said.
Feb 06, 6:12 PM EST
Biden calls Erdogan, offers support following quake
President Biden called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this afternoon, following the earthquake that caused devastation in Turkey and Syria, the White House said.
Biden extended condolences and “reaffirmed the readiness of the United States to provide any and all needed assistance to our NATO Ally [Turkey] in response to this tragedy,” according to the White House.
“[Biden] noted that U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 06, 5:16 PM EST
No US citizens among Turkey casualties so far: State Dept.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday that while the department has not confirmed that any Americans were killed in the recent earthquakes abroad, officials were “realistic” about the high chances of that changing.
“We’re all very sober about the implications of this and the fact that many countries, many nationalities are likely to be implicated just given the massive toll and destruction that this earthquake has cost,” Price said.
In the meantime, he confirmed that all State Department staff in Turkey are accounted for.
The American consulate in Adana, Turkey, would be able to host first responders coming in from foreign countries, Price added.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 4:54 PM EST
13,000 injured in Turkey
As the death toll climbs to 2,316 in Turkey, another 13,000 people in the country are reported to be injured, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
At least 5,606 buildings in Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 06, 4:25 PM EST
Death toll climbs to 3,700
At least 3,727 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,379 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
In Syria, at least 1,411 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 06, 2:04 PM EST
Death toll climbs over 2,700
At least 2,701 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
In Syria, at least 1,050 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 1:28 PM EST
Turkey declares seven days of mourning
Turkey has declared a seven-day mourning period in the wake of the devastating quake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
“Our flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, in all our country and foreign representations,” Erdogan said.
More than 3,400 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed and over 11,000 people are hurt, according to Turkish officials.
Feb 06, 1:19 PM EST
US deploying two search and rescue teams
The U.S. is deploying two 79-person urban search and rescue teams to Turkey, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
“The president has authorized an immediate U.S. response. So right now, in addition to personnel currently on the ground, we are in the process of deploying additional teams, including two 79-person urban search and rescue teams, to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and to help address the needs of all those who have been hurt or displaced by the earthquake,” Kirby said.
Feb 06, 12:40 PM EST
Death toll nears 2,500
At least 2,494 people have died in Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.
In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 11:34 AM EST
No casualties on US base
There are no known casualties among U.S. personnel assigned to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, and no major damage to facilities, a base spokesperson told ABC News.
The base is roughly 125 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.
The 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik “is still mission operational,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Air Force is prepared to assist Turkey if called upon, according to the spokesperson.
Feb 06, 11:03 AM EST
More than 4,200 buildings destroyed
More than 2,800 buildings across Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkey’s Emergency Management Agency, while over 1,400 buildings were demolished in Syria, according the Syrian Civil Defense Agency.
At least 45 nations have pledged to send volunteers and other aid to Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Feb 06, 10:45 AM EST
Death toll climbs to 2,300
At least 2,343 people have died in Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,500 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.
In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 9:54 AM EST
Biden ‘deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation’
President Joe Biden tweeted that he’s “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation” from the earthquake.
“I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkey and provide any and all needed assistance,” he tweeted.
Feb 06, 9:14 AM EST
UK deploys emergency response teams to Turkey
The United Kingdom announced Monday it is “immediately” deploying emergency response teams to Turkey to assist rescue efforts following a deadly earthquake and powerful aftershocks.
According to a press release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, 76 U.K. search and rescue specialists, four search dogs as well as rescue equipment will arrive in Turkey on Monday evening. A U.K. emergency medical team is also being sent to assess the situation on the ground.
“We stand ready to provide further support as needed,” U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.
In northwestern Syria, where the quake was also felt, the U.K.-aid funded volunteer organization White Helmets has activated a significant search and rescue response and mobilized all its resources to respond to emerging needs. The U.K. government is in contact with the United Nations on emergency humanitarian support to those affected in Syria, according to the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“The British Embassy in Ankara is in close contact with the Turkish authorities to understand how we can best support those on the ground,” Jill Morris, British Ambassador-Designate to Türkiye said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes today We pay tribute to the brave Turkish first responders working to save lives.”
The U.K. government’s announcement came on the heels of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) declaring a “level 4 alarm” in the wake of the pre-dawn earthquake, calling for international assistance.
Feb 06, 7:25 AM EST
Monday’s quake was as powerful as the strongest ever recorded in Turkey
Monday’s deadly earthquake in Turkey, which was felt in Syria and other surrounding countries, was as strong as the most powerful one on record in Turkish history.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Turkey in 1939, killing approximately 30,000 people. Monday’s quake in southeastern Turkey had the same magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Earthquakes frequently occur in Turkey, which is situated on top of major fault lines.
Some 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.
Feb 06, 7:02 AM EST
7.5 magnitude aftershock hits Turkey
Several hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey early Monday, a powerful aftershock measuring 7.5 hit the country’s Kahramanmaras province around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Feb 06, 5:42 AM EST
Death toll jumps to over 1,200 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s earthquake has killed at least 912 people in several Turkish provinces and injured 5,382 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced during a press conference.
Thousands of buildings were destroyed, Erdogan said.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, is deploying 1,898 search and rescue workers along with 150 vehicles in response to the deadly earthquake. Turkey’s national police force has deployed 130 tactical unit members with mobile command centers and kitchens to the city of Kahramanmaras, near the quake’s epicenter. A total of 300,000 blankets were also sent to the region, which is deep in winter weather.
Meanwhile, at least 239 people were killed and some 600 were injured in government-held areas of Syria, according to Syrian state media. In rebel-controlled areas, at least 147 people were killed, according to the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based monitoring group, put the overall death toll at 320.
Feb 06, 12:12 AM EST
US ‘profoundly concerned’ by ‘destructive earthquake’ in Turkey, Syria
The United States “is profoundly concerned” by the reports of the “destructive earthquake” in Turkey and Syria, and “will continue to closely monitor the situation,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement late Sunday night.
“We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance,” Sullivan added, noting that U.S. President Joe Biden “has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake in Turkey at magnitude of 7.8.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cleveland 114, Washington 91
Boston 111, Detroit 99
LA Clippers 124, Brooklyn 116
Chicago 128, San Antonio 104
Sacramento 140, Houston 120
Dallas 124, Utah 111
Milwaukee 127, Portland 108
Golden State 141, Oklahoma City 114
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Islanders 2, Philadelphia 1
Florida 7, Tampa Bay 1
New Jersey 5, Vancouver 4 (OT)
NY Rangers 5, Calgary 4 (OT)
Dallas 3, Anaheim 2 (SO)
Arizona 3, Minnesota 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas 88, Texas 80
Miami 81, Duke 59
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — In the latest development in Florida’s conflict with Walt Disney World, a bill filed Monday during the state’s special legislative session would give Gov. Ron DeSantis the ability to appoint a board to run Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District — the small, autonomous region that encompasses the company’s theme parks outside Orlando.
Those selected by the governor for the oversight board would then go through confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Currently, Disney elects the members because it owns the district, essentially allowing the company to govern the region around its businesses.
According to the 189-page bill, none of the appointees to the oversight board could be recent Disney employees or have had a contractual relationship with a theme park within the past three years.
Another change that would be enacted would be the name of the district. The bill would rename it the “Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.”
The proposal follows a law passed by the state legislature last year to eliminate the current district, which has granted Disney expansive authority over the carved-out area around its parks.
Instead of eliminating the district, the new bill gives the governor authority over who runs it.
The changes all come after Disney publicly criticized a controversial DeSantis-backed law banning discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain K-12 classrooms.
The Parental Rights in Education Law has been dubbed by critics as “Don’t Say Gay,” while its supporters say it ensures age-inappropriate topics are kept out of class.
Disney, citing concerns of discrimination, has said it “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.” (The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News.)
DeSantis’ office insisted on Monday that the changes to the district were an effort to ensure corporate accountability.
“Florida is dissolving the Corporate Kingdom and beginning a new era of accountability and transparency,” Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ press secretary, said in a statement.
Griffin explained that the proposed government oversight of the special district would allow imposing taxes on Disney for possible road projects outside the district’s boundaries and imposing Florida law on the area.
The legislation would also keep the district’s current financial obligations in place, including outstanding debts, staying in line with DeSantis’ promise that neighboring Orange and Osceola counties would not be responsible for the district’s $1 billion debt despite the legal changes.
Disney said in a statement on Monday that they were watching the “the progression of the draft legislation, which is complex given the long history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.”
“Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year,” said Jeff Vahle, the president of Walt Disney World Resort.
With Republicans having control of both chambers of the state legislature, the bill is likely to be considered quickly before being approved and sent to DeSantis to become law.
(WASHINGTON) — When President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday with new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sitting over his shoulder, looming between the two will be a possible standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling.
The management of how to increase the borrowing limit, which the Treasury Department has indicated will need to be done as soon as June to make sure none of the federal government’s bills go unpaid, is shaping up to be the first major obstacle that McCarthy and Biden must work together to overcome.
The conflict, along with the potentially calamitous economic consequences of a debt default, will no doubt color some of Biden’s remarks on Tuesday as he looks to reassure the 53% of Americans who are “very” concerned about that outcome, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.
Biden and McCarthy agree that the nation cannot default on its debt.
But with the Treasury already using “extraordinary measures” to keep the United States out of the red, that’s about all they agree on.
Now that Republicans narrowly control the House, raising the debt limit cannot be accomplished without GOP votes, giving McCarthy increased influence over negotiations, if he can wrangle his conference. But McCarthy captured the gavel in the House only after a protracted speaker election that required him making concessions to the right wing of his party.
Many of those members see a debt limit hike as a powerful bargaining chip in their efforts to slash what they see as out-of-control federal spending. McCarthy has taken to their position.
The speaker looked to preempt the president’s State of the Union speech in remarks on Monday night in which he outlined what he saw as the major risks the nation faces by failing to cut its spending. He described the $31.4 trillion national debt as the “greatest threat to our future.”
“President Biden wants Congress to raise the debt limit yet again … without a single, sensible change to how government spends your hard-earned money. None. Does that sound responsible to you?” McCarthy said. “What Americans want — and what Republicans are fighting for — is a responsible debt limit increase that puts us on a path towards a healthier economy.”
But that’s a nonstarter for the Biden administration, which maintains that the debt limit must be raised without any political negotiation or bargaining, as has been done under both parties over many years.
“It’s just that simple. There should be no hostage-taking here. There should be no attempts to exploit the debt ceiling or to leverage it,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing last month.
Biden has also pushed McCarthy to “show me your budget” — a call for the Republican speaker to outline exactly which cuts to the federal budget he’d like to see made in exchange, given his criticism of federal spending.
McCarthy has yet to present such a budget and his remarks on Monday night again lacked details about what sorts of specific cuts he’d call for.
And while McCarthy has publicly insisted that decreasing funds for Medicare or Social Security is “off the table,” Democrats and the White House have pointed to the ambiguity around his plan to suggest otherwise.
McCarthy’s comments on Monday came after he and Biden discussed the debt limit and other issues at White House last week, their first meeting since McCarthy became speaker. The sit-down yielded no commitments or outcomes, but both McCarthy and Biden described it optimistically.
“I think, at the end of the day, we can find common ground, I really do,” McCarthy told reporters in the White House driveway.
A few minutes later, the White House released its take on the meeting, saying the two men had a “frank and straightforward dialogue” and that the conversation would continue.
Both parties said no concessions were made.
Separately, top Biden administration officials have indicated that the White House will negotiate on spending and the budget in parallel talks — as long as the debt ceiling is raised without strings attached.
“One is not appropriate for negotiation; the other one is,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
The emerging impasse echoes the 2011 debt crisis, during which the country came so close to default that its creditworthiness was downgraded for the first time in the nation’s history.
At the time, the Republican-controlled House was again looking to exact spending concessions from a Democratic president.
Months before a deal, brokered in part by then-Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, was passed, then-President Barack Obama addressed the nation’s debt in his own State of the Union address.
Obama called for a five-year freeze to domestic spending that would “require painful cuts” to slow ballooning debt growth.
“I’m willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without,” he. “But let’s make sure that we’re not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.”
(MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) — If you ever needed artificial intelligence’s help to plan a friend’s baby shower, your time has come, as Google officially unveiled an AI program it’s calling Bard, seemingly its answer to the viral ChatGPT.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced Bard on the company’s blog Monday, calling it “an important next step” in AI for the search engine giant.
“Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models,” Pichai said. “It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.”
The company’s new AI chatbot is based on its Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) and is only available to a select group of testers.
Based on a video shared by Pichai on Twitter, users could use Bard to compare two Oscar-nominated movies, come up with ideas for lunch based on the ingredients in a person’s refrigerator or know about the latest discoveries from the James Webb Telescope.
Google said Bard would be widely available to the public in the next few weeks.
“It’s a really exciting time to be working on these technologies as we translate deep research and breakthroughs into products that truly help people,” Pichai said.
Bard is seemingly Google’s answer to ChatGPT, an AI-driven program that exploded in popularity in the last few months after users shared posts of the tool composing Shakespearean poetry, writing music lyrics and identifying bugs in computer code.
Created by artificial intelligence firm OpenAI, ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, is a chatbot — a computer program that converses with human users. The program uses an algorithm that selects words based on lessons learned from scanning billions of pieces of text across the internet.
Microsoft, which invested in OpenAI in 2019 and 2021, announced last month that it’s extending its partnership with the firm and investing billions of dollars into the company.
According to Forbes, Microsoft is investing up to $10 billion into ChatGPT and may incorporate it into its Bing search engine.
ABC News’ Arthur Jones II and Max Zahn contributed to this report.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Embattled crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried agreed on Monday to stop using Signal and other encrypted messaging apps as a condition of his release on bail, according to a letter his attorney filed with the court.
However, Bankman-Fried sought permission from the judge to use WhatsApp with monitoring software installed on his devices and to send ordinary texts.
Prosecutors had sought to limit how Bankman-Fried communicates while he is out on bail, citing concerns over possible efforts to influence potential witness testimony. According to his attorney, Bankman-Fried, who has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges stemming from the collapse of FTX, and the government resolved their dispute and proposed a jointly agreed-upon bail modification to the judge.
“The defendant shall not use any encrypted or ephemeral call or messaging application, including but not limited to Signal. The defendant shall be permitted to place voice calls, FaceTime calls, and Zoom audio and video calls, and use iMessage, SMS text message, email, and Facebook messenger,” the letter from defense attorney Marc Cohen said.
Bankman-Fried dropped his opposition to a ban on him reaching out to former FTX and Alameda Research employees after “the government exempted certain individuals from the proposed no-contact condition,” the letter said.
The letter did not specify which individuals were exempt.
Late last month, federal prosecutors wrote a letter to the judge in the case seeking new conditions of his release because they say Bankman-Fried made “recent attempts” to contact prospective witnesses in his criminal case.
“The imposition of these new conditions is justified in light of the nature of the case, as well as the defendant’s recent attempts to contact prospective witnesses,” assistant United States Attorney Danielle Sassoon wrote in the government’s letter.
“It has recently come to the Government’s attention that the defendant has been in direct communication with the current General Counsel of FTX US who may be a witness at trial, and who is represented by counsel,” the letter continued.
Bankman-Fried has been free on a $250 million bond after he was charged with fraud and conspiracy following the collapse of the crypto platform he founded, FTX.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — The ongoing water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, has reluctantly become a new normal for Glenda Barner and her family.
“I do not trust the water. I do not drink it. I haven’t drunk that water in years. I always have bottled water for me to drink,” Barner, 69, told ABC News.
Mississippi’s capital city has had more than 300 notices in the last two years that require residents to boil water before using it, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, leaving residents without easy access to clean water for days and sometimes weeks at a time.
Experts and local leaders blame historic divestment, poor infrastructure and extreme weather for the exacerbated crisis. Complications with the city’s water plant and distribution system often cause low water pressure and bacterial water contamination.
Barner, a grandmother of seven, says she often has to prepare meals for her entire family using bottled water, going through two to three cases for just one meal.
“There are days when you sit and just say, ‘we shouldn’t have to go through this.’ And I think about it not just for myself, but as a city. We shouldn’t have to go through this. We really shouldn’t. But, what can we do? We rely on our officials to do what they need to do to fix it and it’s not getting done.”
Tonight, on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, the streaming evening newscast at 7 p.m. ET, Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott embarks on a new series, “Through the Cracks,” to follow the money on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The federal legislation was signed into law in 2021 to repair failing infrastructure across the country.
When President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on August 10, 2021, he vowed to address infrastructure woes in historically disadvantaged communities, specifically naming Jackson in his address. “Never again can we allow what happened in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi. We can never let it happen again,” Biden said.
Since then, the Biden administration has awarded billions in funding for more than 7,000 road, bridge and clean water projects across the country, many of which he has touted on the tour during the launch of recent projects in major cities.
In 2022, Mississippi received $459 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill to address water infrastructure directly, but ABC News has learned that city leaders in Jackson did not apply for funding for clean water projects in 2022. They applied this year.
Jackson is expected to receive one of the largest federal investments for water infrastructure in the country, according to White House officials. Barner expressed her frustration with not being able to see the impact of those investments since the law was enacted over a year ago.
“You depend on your city, your state government to help you in times like this. But they’re having infighting over the politics of it,” Barner told ABC News. “They say they’re allocating money. Where’s the money? Who’s spending the money? What’s the money being spent?” Barner continued.
Tracking the Money
The water crisis in Jackson didn’t happen overnight.
There have been years of finger pointing. City Democratic leaders say state Republicans have left behind a capital city – where over 80 percent of the residents are Black and a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba told ABC News the challenges for state and city leaders to work together are “deeply rooted.”
“There is a lot of not only partisan divide, there’s racial or environmental injustice at play. And this hasn’t just been our reality in the middle of the water crisis. This is our reality each and every day in Jackson, Mississippi,” Lumumba told ABC News.
“It’s not only one that is based on a blue city and a red state, not only based on a predominantly Black city through leadership that does not look like the city from the state level, but it’s also the rural versus urban divide that we have in Mississippi.”
Republican leaders have pushed back against claims of racial injustice. Gov. Tate Reeves has accused city leaders of failing to devise a clear plan to address the water system.
The partisan stalemate has contributed to the delay of federal infrastructure law funding allocations for Jackson’s aging water system.
The EPA recently launched an investigation looking into whether state officials discriminated against Jackson based on race. Reeves denies those allegations.
The state is expected to submit a plan to the EPA for how that federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money will be spent. The agency is mandating that nearly 50% of its funding goes to disadvantaged communities like Jackson.
“You also have the EPA administrator that has the ability to hold all parties accountable if they don’t cooperate, to ensure that we find a solution for the people of Jackson,” Michael Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told Scott.
“All of us have to focus on the solution,” Regan said.
Even without the money from the infrastructure bill – the city of Jackson is still receiving more than $814 million from federal funding through EPA grants, The American Rescue Plan and Congressional Omnibus Funding.
Ted Henifin, a federally appointed third-party manager of the Jackson water system, is in charge of figuring out where that goes.
In his newly released financial plan obtained by ABC News, Henifin lays out how he intends to fix the city’s water distribution system and create investments that could make Jackson’s water system financially self-sustainable.
The plan spans 20 years, though some improvements will be seen in the first five.
“We can’t do it any faster. We’re doing the best with the resources we have, but we need more patience,” Henifin told Scott.
Residents are where they have been for years – waiting for something to change and still keeping hope that one day avoiding tap water will not be a way of life.
“You just have to keep a positive attitude and say it is going to get better and you keep hoping it’s going to get better,” Barner said, “ This is bipartisan. This isn’t Black, white, red, yellow, Democrat, Republican. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about people having clean drinking water.”
ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Meghan Mistry contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A 38-year-old man suspected of shooting an off-duty NYPD officer has been arrested in Rockland County, New York, where he was found hiding out in a hotel, police sources told ABC News.
The unidentified officer, who remains hospitalized, attempted to buy a car on Ruby Street in Brooklyn on Saturday night after the details of the purchase were arranged on social media, police said.
When the officer arrived, the suspect immediately displayed a gun and announced the robbery, police said. Gunfire was exchanged and the officer was hit and transported to the hospital in critical condition, according to police.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday that the officer was “fighting for his life.” The mayor provided an update Monday and said the officer’s family was making decisions about his future.
The unidentified suspect has nearly two dozen prior arrests, including for strangulation, grand larceny, and aggravated harassment, and is believed to be part of a two-man stick-up crew that has been linked to at least three robberies in the area, according to sources.
One of the suspect’s alleged prior robberies utilized a Facebook Marketplace scam, according to police sources, like the one involved in the shooting of the off-duty officer.
Detectives had been watching multiple locations but ended up catching him at the hotel, sources said. They also searched the suspected getaway car, a dark-colored BMW with tinted windows, which was recovered in Manhattan, according to sources.
The suspect, who was handcuffed with the wounded officer’s handcuffs, is expected to be returned to the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn and charged with attempted murder of the officer, according to police sources.
