(STOCKTON, Calif.) — A suspect has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl at a high school in Stockton, California, in what officials said appears to be a random attack.
The student was killed when a trespasser, initially described as a man in his 40s, entered Stagg High School on Monday and stabbed her multiple times. Responders immediately began lifesaving measures, but she was pronounced dead at a local hospital, Stockton police said.
“A trespasser entered the front of our school today, stabbed one of our students multiple times,” Stockton Unified School District Superintendent John Ramirez Jr. said at a press conference Monday. “Unfortunately, she did not make it. The assailant was taken, was detained, and taken into custody immediately.”
“The school was also put on lockdown to assure the safety of the rest of our students,” he added. “We began to work with local law enforcement immediately and they’ve taken over the investigation.”
Anthony Gray, 52, was arrested in connection with the stabbing and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on murder, police said late Monday.
“Detectives believe this appears to be a random act and they are trying to determine why this student was targeted,” the Stockton Police Department said on Facebook.
Gray is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Officials had said Monday they did not have a motive for the attack but said the man was not a parent.
Ramirez praised the school’s resource officer for acting quickly to apprehend the suspect, saying it helped to prevent the stabbing from continuing.
“When the incident happened, there were staff immediately there,” he said. “It had been so quick that they weren’t able to stop it, but they were there immediately.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden gave his first public reaction to a federal judge striking down the government’s transportation mask mandate, telling reporters on Tuesday that Americans should make their own decisions on wearing masks on planes — further muddying White House and administration messaging on pandemic mitigation efforts.
“That’s up to them,” Biden said, after a reporter asked, “Should people continue to wear masks on planes?”
When asked then if his administration would appeal the judge’s ruling, Biden only said, “I haven’t spoken to the CDC yet,” referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Later, when asked again whether his administration would appeal, Biden reiterated that he hasn’t received a briefing from the CDC and said he does not yet know what he plans to do.
“Follow the science,” Biden told reporters.
Biden boarded Air Force One earlier Tuesday wearing his face mask, traveling to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to tout the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The White House said that masking would be required for those traveling with the president, adding it’s “in line with CDC guidance.” But on the way back to Washington, Biden opted not to wear one as he, once again, boarded Air Force One.
While Biden did not take the chance Tuesday to strongly defend the CDC mandate, after a Florida judge characterized it as CDC overreach, White House press secretary Jen Psaki delivered a different message to reporters not even an hour ahead of Biden, saying the White House continues to encourage people to mask up while traveling.
Despite the mandate no longer being enforced, but some localities still requiring face masks, Psaki said the White House disputes “the notion that people are confused” over the ruling and next steps.
“We’re continuing to encourage people to wear masks in public transit. They’ll make that decision because it’s obviously not being implemented at this moment in time, but we’ll continue to abide by CDC guidance,” she said.
But Psaki did signal the administration might appeal, saying, “Typically, yeah. It typically takes a couple of days to review and make an assessment.”
U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Mizelle struck down the mask mandate on public transportation Monday — effectively voiding the requirement on planes, trains and buses as well as inside airports across the country, writing in her decision that the mandate “exceeds the CDC’s statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking under the [Administrative Procedure Act].”
Psaki called it a “disappointing decision” at her briefing Monday as the White House had just learned of the ruling, and hours later an administration official said the order was no longer in effect as agencies evaluated what to do next.
A spokesperson from the Department of Justice told ABC News it was “reviewing the decision.”
ABC News Contributor Dr. John Brownstein, a professor at Harvard Medical School and chief innovation officer of Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News Live on Tuesday that the decision “sets a really tough precedent for public policy.”
“Everybody wants to remove the masks, but we are going to see an increased spread — and it’s not really up to a single judge to set public health policy for the entire country,” he said. “It’s going to put a lot of people at risk.”
Addressing how some local requirements will still be in effect, Brownstein said, “It’s going to be confusing for people to fully understand what they’re required to do and what is optional at this point.”
Last week, the Transportation Security Administration extended the mask mandate until May 3, citing a rise in COVID cases across the country with the new BA.2 variant. It’s unclear whether the administration would have continued it beyond that point.
White House COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha weighed in with his first public comment Tuesday afternoon, calling the decision “deeply disappointing” and suggesting people continue to mask up on planes — as he says he will.
“CDC scientists had asked for 15 days to make a more data-driven durable decision,” Jha tweeted. “We should have given it to them”.
Luke Combs isn’t revealing his secrets when it comes to the one question that has puzzled fans about a particular line in his song, “When it Rains it Pours.”
Luke took to Twitter recently to address a question that fans have long debated regarding a lyric in the hit song, where after winning $100 on a lottery ticket, the superstar uses his earnings to purchase two 12-packs of beer, prompting one fan to beg the question, “why didn’t @lukecombs just buy a 24-pack instead of two 12 packs?”
The singer himself saw the Tweet in question and coyly responded, “Two different kinds or beer? It was on sale? You’ll never know.”
This led to a domino effect of other questions from fans who were curious about what type of beer he purchased and suggested that the rationale may be that many gas stations don’t carry cases of 24 bottles, while others pointed out that he won a round of golf for three people, yet the sport is typically played in teams of four.
“When it Rains it Pours” is featured on Luke’s debut album, This One’s For You, and became his second #1 single.
Camila Cabello is feeling more positive these days, and she has her new album, Familia, to thank.
Speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Camila opened up about grappling with anxiety and “intrusive, obsessive thoughts” before embarking on her third studio effort. “It was a couple months where I didn’t go back in the studio. I was just doing therapy. I was literally not functioning. I felt not able to work,” she revealed.
“Part of that healing was going in the studio and being like, “I’m not going to do it if it’s not fun,” she recalled. “It has to be something that helps me in feeling better and getting better because I can’t take this as a source of anxiety or stress.”
Camila also built a support network when working on her new album and collaborated with people she could be emotionally vulnerable with and trust. “I think sometimes mental health stuff can make you isolate, and then that isolation makes your mental health a lot worse. And it’s kind of like this vicious cycle,” she remarked.
The “Havana” singer said enacting those changes “was a life-changing experience for me,” because it gave her a new music-making process she fell in love with. She added, “This album process… Re-inspired me in terms of lyrics.”
“It’s the first time I put out an album and been immediately just ready to go back in and keep writing,” Camila declared. “It just felt like fun and joyful and easy, I’m just like, I’m ready to go back in, hang out with my friends, and write about some more feelings that I’m having.”
“I’m in a much better place right now in terms of anxiety and mental health, like the best I’ve ever been,” she said.
Earlier this month, The Zombies launched a 2022 North American tour, marking the first time the British Invasion legends have been out on the road since 2019.
Zombies keyboardist and main songwriter Rod Argent tells ABC Audio that it’s been great to again be performing for their fans, adding, “[I]t was so energizing just playing with the band again.”
The two-part tour features nearly 50 total concerts, and The Zombies also have a 25-show European trek in September and October. The 76-year-old Argent admits that it’s a bit daunting thinking about doing so many gigs after a two-year-plus hiatus, noting, “I feel pretty good at the moment, but it makes you wonder with your stamina…So…I want to try and keep things in proportion and be careful, but it is great to play.”
The Zombies’ concerts feature plenty of their classic early tunes, including hits like “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” but they also include a few songs from a new studio album that Argent says the band expects to release sometime this year.
“I think it’s basically a very good album,” Rod offers. “I’ve written nine songs for the album. [Frontman] Colin [Blunstone wrote] one that we finish up…the album with, which is a lovely sort of breath to say goodbye to…the album…So all that’s very exciting.”
Argent says he’s “really hoping” the album will be released by the time the band kicks off its second 2022 North American leg, which begins June 21 in Belleville, Canada, and runs through July 28-30 stand in Park City, Utah.
The Zombies’ current leg continues tonight in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and runs through a May 1 show in Fall River, Massachusetts. Visit TheZombiesMusic.com for the full schedule.
Terrible people treating each other terribly is one way to describe the new Amazon Prime Video limited series A Very British Scandal, which launches on Friday. Claire Foy and Paul Bettany star in this true story of a 1960’s sex and divorce scandal that rocked Britain, with a LOT of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll’s dirty laundry spread far and wide.
So what’s it like playing character’s that were horrible? Bettany tells ABC Audio he doesn’t believe in the old actor’s adage that you can’t judge the characters you play.
“I do tend to judge my characters,” he admits. “I mean, I think that is often nonsense. You can’t play [Adolph] Hitler and not judge him.”
Foy adds, “But it is true, though, that you do get to a point where…once you understand the human being, it’s very difficult to hate them because you kind of go everybody’s got their stuff going on haven’t they? Right.”
When it came to her role as the Duchess, Foy says it also took her a while to get to that point, sharing, “She’s very privileged and entitled. So it was really difficult to be not just be really annoyed with her all the time. But I did get there.”
Even so, Foy hopes the series helps audiences understand the traumas that made the Duchess the way she was.
“She had eight miscarriages, fell down a lift shaft nearly died, almost died of septicemia, she had a speech impediment and was basically treated incredibly badly by her mother,” Foy explains. “Everybody has those sorts of things and it’s just about finding them and trying to use that so that the audience kind of comes with you on the journey of them as opposed to just hating their guts.”
Alex Chan Tsz Yuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
Russian forces have since retreated from northern Ukraine, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. The United States and many European countries accused Russia of committing war crimes after graphic images emerged of dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv. The Russian military has now launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, as it attempts to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 19, 11:40 pm
Russia could be making probing attacks ahead of larger assault in Donbas: US official
As Ukrainian forces brace for a full-scale assault in the eastern part of the country, a U.S. official said the increased pace of operations from Russian forces in the past 24 hours could be probing attacks or the beginning of the main battle for the Donbas.
The defense official said the Russian offensive to seize southeastern Ukraine will likely involve a frontal assault from inside Russia and a double envelopment, or encircling, of Ukrainian forces in the Donbas. Russian forces will come south from Izyum and troops in the Berdyansk area will move north to encircle Ukrainian forces in the Joint Forces Operations area in the Donbas.
But the U.S. defense official said Ukraine has the advantage in the region since they have prepared a defense for years, including digging trenches, preparing anti-armor traps and ambush locations and more.
The U.S. and other countries have now provided close to 70,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as well as 30,000 anti-aircraft missiles and 7,000 launchers to fire them, according to the defense official.
As for stopping the shipments of those weapons, the U.S. believes Russia will target the paths and roads in western Ukraine being used to ship Western military aid into Ukraine even though it has not done so yet. Still, it’s believed with the amount of weaponry being delivered to Ukrainian forces, it will be impossible to stop it all.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Tampa Bay 6, Chi Cubs 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 2, Toronto 1
NY Yankees 4, Detroit 2
Kansas City 4, Minnesota 3
LA Angels 7, Houston 2
Seattle 6, Texas 2
Oakland 2, Baltimore 1
Chi White Sox at Cleveland (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 6, Arizona 1
NY Mets 5, San Francisco 4
NY Mets 3, San Francisco 1
Washington 1, Arizona 0
St. Louis 5, Miami 1
Milwaukee 5, Pittsburgh 2
Colorado 6, Philadelphia 5
San Diego 6, Cincinnati 2
Atlanta 3, LA Dodgers 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Miami 115, Atlanta 105
Memphis 124, Minnesota 96
New Orleans 125, Phoenix 114
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 3, Winnipeg 0
Toronto 5, Philadelphia 2
Minnesota 2, Montreal 0
Detroit 4, Tampa Bay 3
Florida 3, NY Islanders 2 (OT)
Boston 3, St. Louis 2 (OT)
Nashville 3, Calgary 2 (SO)
Los Angeles 2, Anaheim 1
Ottawa 4 Vancouver 3 (SO)
San Jose 3, Columbus 2
Des Rocs and The Blue Stones are uniting for a U.S. tour this summer.
The joint outing, dubbed the Once in a Lifetime tour, launches June 10 in Milwaukee, and wraps up July 23 in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 22.
Des Rocs will be touring behind his debut full-length album, 2021’s A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place, while The Blue Stones will be supporting their 2021 sophomore effort, Hidden Gems.
The follow-up to the Judas Priest frontman’s 2020 autobiography, Confess, is titled Biblical: Rob Halford’s Heavy MetalScriptures, and will arrive November 1.
A press release describes Biblical as a “lively encyclopedia and manifesto in which Halford shares his opinions, memories, and anecdotes regarding every element of the rock and roll lifestyle: from tours to tattoos, riffs to riders, and drugs to devil horns.”
“After my penitence with Confess, it’s time for me to be Biblical and take our congregation through all the ins and out and ups and downs of what it takes to make the life of the Metal God,” Halford says. “So get comfy in your pew and prepare for the light of revelations by becoming Biblical!”
