Former NBA player Damon Jones departs after his arraignment hearing at U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on November 24, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges he tipped off sports bettors about an injured LeBron James and used his own celebrity to lure high rollers to rigged poker games.
Jones, 49, is the first defendant in either case to plead guilty following the arrests of nearly three dozen people at the start of the pro basketball season.
Jones, who wore a black suit and black shirt, entered his guilty pleas during back-to-back hearings Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association," Jones said during the hearing before Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Todd Blanche, acting US attorney general, during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 27, 2026. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- Attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a federal judge Tuesday to demand that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issue a correction to allegedly "false" statements he made in the aftermath of the indictment of the organization last week, according to a legal filing.
In a motion to the judge presiding over their criminal case in the Middle District of Alabama, attorneys for the SPLC accuse Blanche of lying in an interview he gave to Fox News last Tuesday when he claimed the government did not have information showing the organization has shared information it learned from informants with law enforcement.
"Those statements are false," attorneys for the SPLC wrote. "Weeks before the indictment, undersigned counsel provided information to the government demonstrating unequivocally that the SPLC had shared information from its informants with law enforcement."
Blanche, who earlier this month replaced Pam Bondi as attorney general, announced last week that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the group with wire, bank fraud and money laundering offenses related to its paying of informants to infiltrate hate groups.
The attorneys write that they previously requested Blanche issue a correction to the statements but that counsel for the government refused.
They specifically cite an April 6 meeting that SPLC attorneys had with prosecutors in Alabama in which they explained in detail how some of their past cooperation with the government had resulted in an indictment of a member of a well-known extremist group.
The SPLC then sent a letter to the DOJ, which they requested it share with the grand jury, detailing six categories that they argued showed the organization using informants to dismantle white supremacist organizations, which they said undercut the core of the government's case that argues SPLC used the informants to boost such groups.
The organization is asking the judge overseeing the case to order the disclosure of grand jury transcripts and issue a separate order restricting the government from making further "prejudicial" statements that could taint a possible jury pool.
Daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, Maurene Comey, leaves the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse on November 13, 2025 in Alexandria, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- A federal judge in New York on Tuesday blocked the Justice Department's attempt to move Maurene Comey's lawsuit over her firing as a federal prosecutor out of court.
Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, has joined a private law practice but is suing for unlawful termination after she was fired last year from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
The Justice Department argued that her case belongs before the Merit Systems Protection Board and not in federal district court.
Judge Jesse Furman decided the case belongs with him because Comey was fired pursuant to the president's executive authority and not the usual procedures for civil servants.
"Maurene Comey was, by all accounts, an exemplary Assistant United States Attorney. In her nearly ten years working at the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, she was assigned some of the country's highest profile cases, and she consistently received the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike," the judge's opinion said.
"Comey was notified by email from Department of Justice officials in Washington, D.C., that her employment was terminated, effective immediately," the judge wrote. "She was given one and only one reason for her removal: Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which 'vest[s]' the 'executive Power' in the President."
The DOJ, in court filings, has characterized Comey's case as routine.
"A federal employee's claims that removal from federal service was arbitrary and capricious or conducted in a manner that did not provide the process to which they contend they were due is not a novel issue," government attorneys said.
Comey, who prosecuted high-profile defendants including Sean Combs, Robert Hadden, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged she was fired "because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both."
A man named Cole Allen, who appears to be the same person as the suspect in the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2026, is interviewed by KABC in Los Angeles in March 2017. (KABC)
(WASHINGTON) -- Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting, appears to have been a highly intelligent person, albeit shy, and was at one point a devoted Christian, according to conversations with individuals from his past.
The California native was tackled by law enforcement after the gunfire Saturday night inside the Washington, D.C., Hilton hotel, where thousands of journalists as well as President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet were gathered for the annual dinner. Allen did not reach the ballroom, where the dinner was underway. A Secret Service member was shot during the incident, but the bullet hit the agent's protective vest, officials said.
Allen, 31, faces three felony counts of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Allen's former pastor, Rev. Movses Janbazian, struggled to square the man described by federal officials as an aspiring killer with the hard-working student who attended sermons each week at Pasadena United Reformed Church in South Pasadena.
"Nice, gentle, smart young man," Janbazian told ABC News. "It's obviously very surprising to hear his name appear in the news in this way."
Janbazian said Allen joined the United Reformed Church congregation during his time at Caltech, where he studied mechanical engineering. Allen would frequently bring coursework to church -- evidence, he said, of what a "competitive program" he was enrolled in. Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017 and he received a master's degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025.
Paul Thompson, a neighbor of the Allen family, described Allen as "not very sociable," but maintained that he "had no idea that he was capable of that kind of violence."
"I've seen him a hundred times coming and going ... but I've never had a conversation with him," Thompson said.
Allen's father, on the other hand, was "kind of like the neighborhood mayor -- knows everybody by first name," Thompson said.
"Everybody likes him. He's a very sociable guy," Thompson said of Allen's father.
"This is going to be very, very difficult ... on his family," Thompson added.
Allen was most recently working as a tutor and students said he demonstrated a knack for competently teaching a wide range of subjects. A group of high school students who were tutored by Allen shared a statement describing him as "generally very intelligent" and "normal and friendly."
Joel Devereux, the father-in-law of Allen's brother, described Allen to ABC News as "very quiet, polite, smart" in their limited interactions, but said he seemed "distant from his family" and "doesn't normally hang around them."
Allen -- who officials say traveled by train from California to D.C. -- allegedly left a note which said that administration officials were his targets, "not including [FBI Director Kash] Mr. Patel," and were "prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest," according to the criminal complaint against him.
Allen allegedly wrote that Secret Service agents were targets "only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible," the complaint said.
The note said hotel security, Capitol police and the National Guard were "not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)," and hotel employees and guests were "not targets at all," the complaint said.
The note said he would "go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary," adding, 'I really hope it doesn't come to that," according to the complaint.
Allen appeared in court on Monday and did not enter a plea. He's set to return to court for a detention hearing on Thursday.
ABC News' Susan Zalkind contributed to this report.
A wooden judge's gavel and sounding block on a desk with a blurred courtroom in the background. (imaginima/Getty)
(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. Army special forces soldier who was indicted last week on charges of using classified information about the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to make more than $400,000 on Polymarket is set to appear in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday.
Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is scheduled to be arraigned following his release last week on a $250,000 bond.
In what is believed to be the first case of insider trading on a prediction market, prosecutors alleged that Van Dyke used classified information from his work in the planning and execution of the Maduro capture to place 13 bets on the outcome of the operation.
Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke placed bets on Dec. 27 through the evening of Jan. 2 -- hours before soldiers entered Venezuelan airspace for the pre-dawn operation. After President Donald Trump made the operation public later that day, Van Dyke allegedly profited $409,881 from his $33,034 in bets.
"The defendant allegedly violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement last week. "That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law."
The indictment also alleges that Van Dyke attempted to hide the evidence of the illegal trades by attempting to delete his Polymarket account and changing the email address associated with his cryptocurrency exchange account.
Following his arrest on Thursday, Van Dyke briefly appeared in a North Carolina courtroom on Friday. After acknowledging that he understood the charges and potential penalties, he signed a bond and agreed to surrender his passport, limit travel to parts of New York and North Carolina, and no longer possess a firearm unless it is part of his active military service.
His case is being overseen in New York by U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, who is also presiding over the high-profile federal case against alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione.
Amid mounting criticism of prediction markets for allegedly enabling insider trading, Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan said his company is "constantly" monitoring for suspicious activity and referring cases to authorities. Coplan argued that the public nature of prediction markets makes it easier to crack down on insider trading.
"The transparency afforded by onchain markets makes global compliance more effective than ever. Every trade is public, permanent, and auditable. Bad actors leave a trail," he said.
A 64-year-old man has been arrested in connection to a 1991 cold case murder that rocked Northern California 35 years ago, according to authorities. (Placer County Sheriff's Department)
(BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz) -- A 64-year-old man has been arrested in connection to a 1991 cold case murder that rocked Northern California 35 years ago.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office announced a breakthrough on Monday in the 1991 kidnapping and murder case of Cindy Wanner, confirming that 64-year-old James Lawhead Jr. was arrested by authorities in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Friday.
Wanner was 35 when she vanished from her Granite Bay, California, home on Nov. 25, 1991. Her 11-month-old baby was found abandoned at the home in a highchair. Wanner's car and coat were still at the home.
Wanner's body was found three weeks later, strangled to death, in a remote area outside Foresthill, about 40 miles away from her home.
Lawhead Jr. was identified as the suspect by investigators thanks to advanced DNA analysis and testing, authorities said. He was 30 at the time of the crime and had been released from prison in early 1991 after serving 11 years of a 19-year sentence for prior sex crimes involving a child.
He appeared to have vanished completely, with no official documentation of his whereabouts since 2005. It turned out that Lawhead Jr. had been living in Arizona under a new identity as Vincent Reynolds.
In connection with the breakthrough, Lawhead Jr.'s 71-year-old sister, Terry Lawhead Steele, was arrested in South Carolina on Saturday on an accessory charge.
“Although Steele had spoken with law enforcement several times over the years, including with our detectives just weeks ago, and claimed she had not heard from her brother in more than 20 years, investigators discovered James Lawhead had been living in a home she owned,” Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Evidence also showed the two had remained in communication.”
Detectives served a search warrant at her San Clemente, California, home on Sunday as part of the investigation.
“This is one of the most notorious and heinous cold cases we have here in Placer County. We’ve never given up pursuing justice for Cindy and her family, we hope this is a small step in the healing process,” Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said. “This breakthrough and arrest reflect the commitment of our office to solve cases; it’s why we pin on the badge and take the oath to serve. Our work is not done. James Lawhead will be brought back to Placer County where he will answer to the charges for this crime.”
Lawhead Jr. is currently booked in Arizona, where he will be extradited to Placer County to face charges. Detectives are also exploring the possibility that Lawhead Jr. could be responsible for additional crimes. It is unclear if Lawhead Jr. has obtained a lawyer.
“This arrest is a powerful reminder that time does not erase responsibility, and it does not diminish our commitment,” said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. “Cold cases are not forgotten cases—they remain urgent, they remain personal, and they remain a promise we intend to keep.”
“Even when the path is long and difficult, there is hope. We will continue this work -- steadfast and unwavering -- because you deserve answers, you deserve justice, and you deserve to know that you are never forgotten,” said Gire.
Vilbrun Dorsainvil told ABC News he is "scared" of going back to Haiti. (Courtesy of Vilbrun Dorsainvil)
(NEW YORK) -- Marlene Noble, 35, has lived more than 30 years of her life in the United States.
After being abandoned by her biological family after a hurricane hit her home country of Haiti, she was brought by Catholic Charities to the United States, where she was later adopted.
But when she turned 18, she learned that her adoptive family had not properly submitted the adoption and immigration paperwork, leaving her in legal limbo.
She spent years trying to fix her status -- including filing for citizenship on her own in her mid‑20s and consulting multiple lawyers -- before eventually applying in 2020 for Temporary Protected Status, which she was granted in 2023.
But now, Noble finds herself again facing uncertainty as the Trump administration's move to end TPS -- which provides work authorization and protection from deportation to people whose home countries are deemed unsafe -- faces a high‑stakes test at the Supreme Court amid the administration's immigration crackdown.
"America is my home, and it has been for 31 years," Noble told ABC News. "It took three years for me to get granted TPS. So a lot of hard work went into this, just to have it potentially ripped away from me ... It's kind of cruel and inhumane to rip that away from us."
Noble says she is "scared" about Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing, where the justices will consider whether the administration acted unlawfully in seeking to terminate TPS for Haitians and other groups.
The outcome could directly affect the futures of tens of thousands of TPS holders from Haiti and Syria.
In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said TPS was "never intended to be a de facto asylum program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades."
"The Trump administration is restoring integrity to our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe, and we expect a higher court to vindicate us in this," the spokesperson said. "We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side."
In previous statements, DHS has also argued that, after reviewing country conditions and consulting with other U.S. government agencies, the DHS secretary determined that Haiti no longer meets the conditions for TPS designation.
But immigrant advocates and plaintiffs in the case argue that Haiti is not safe. They point to the State Department's "do not travel" advisory that warns Americans not to go to Haiti because of gang violence, kidnapping and political instability. And just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration extended its ban on U.S. aircraft operating in and near Haiti due to safety concerns.
"The State Department advises people to do not go there," said Vilbrun Dorsainvil, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case. "They know for sure that if we get back we will get killed, kidnapped."
Dorsainvil, a former doctor in Haiti and currently a registered nurse in Springfield, Ohio, told ABC News that when he found out the Trump administration canceled TPS, he "stayed home for, like, for more than two weeks without going outside."
"I was very scared of what might happen to me," he said. "I didn't go to work, I didn't go to church, you know, visit any friends. I just stayed home because I was very scared that they would take me."
Dorsainvil said he arrived in the U.S. in March 2021 on a tourist visa and then later was approved for TPS status.
"I bought a house. I have a mortgage," he said. "I help a lot of people getting better in the hospital. I love the job I'm doing. I am useful here."
"The idea of going back there right now is scaring me, it's killing me inside," Dorsainvil said. "I hope they will see the good we are bringing to the community. I hope they will see the situation in Haiti right now ... it's not safe for anyone ... and I pray they would let us stay here."
While Wednesday's arguments will focus on the TPS status of Haitians and Syrians, the high-profile case has cast a ripple across other communities who fear they might be the next population to lose their status.
Anil Shahi, a TPS holder from Nepal, said he plans to protest outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of the 1.3 million people who rely on TPS. A founding coordinator for United for TPS Nepal -- an organization that represents more than 1,400 TPS holders from that country -- Shahi said that the Trump administration's revocation of TPS status has forced TPS holders to live in a state of uncertainty about their legal status.
"The uncertainty is a huge killer. It's very painful. You don't know what's going to happen ... you're scared," he told ABC News. "You cannot just pick up and leave."
DHS designated Nepal for TPS in 2015 following a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the country that resulted in more than 8,800 deaths. The Trump administration sought to terminate the country's TPS status in June 2025, though the change is the subject of an ongoing legal challenge.
According to Shahi, many Nepali TPS holders fear what might come next, in part because their personal information is readily available to authorities. With TPS recipients being vetted every 18 months, their addresses and personal data are known to the federal government.
"The government knows where we live. They know where we work. They have everything documented, right?" Shahi said. "So we are like a low-hanging fruit for them. It's really easy for them to come after us if they really wanted to. And that's what makes people really scared."
Shahi said that Nepali TPS holders will be anxiously awaiting news from the Supreme Court, believing the outcome of Wednesday's oral argument could indicate how their own legal fight will end.
At 56 years old, Shahi has lived the majority of his life in the United States and said he can't imagine relocating to Nepal. He said that many Nepali TPS holders have U.S.-born children, and more than a hundred members of United for TPS Nepal own small businesses like restaurants, convenient stores, and beauty salons.
"I felt like I was a foreigner in my own country," Shahi said about the last time he visited Nepal. "That was the point I realized I'm like really American, more than Nepali."
In this booking photo released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Hisham Abugharbieh is shown. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
(FLORIDA) -- The man accused of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students allegedly asked ChatGPT about disposing of a body three days before the victims were last seen alive, according to court filings.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of his roommate, Zamil Limon, and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. The two 27-year-old students were last seen alive on April 16, and a mutual friend reported them missing the following day after being unable to reach them both, authorities said.
Detectives located Limon's remains on the side of a Tampa bridge on Friday, according to the motion. His naked body was in "numerous black utility trash bags and was in advanced stages of decomposition," according to a motion for pretrial detention filed by prosecutors. There were deep cuts at his hips "to permit folding of the legs into the bag," and his wrists and ankles appeared to be bound, according to the filing.
The Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Limon had sustained numerous lacerations and stab wounds to his abdomen and lower back and his cause of death was "multiple sharp force injuries," the filing stated.
Human remains were recovered from waterways near the bridge on Sunday amid a search for Bristy, 27, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Positive identification has not been determined at this time, authorities said.
Bristy is "believed to have been disposed of in a similar way' to Limon, the motion stated.
Motion outlines evidence of alleged premeditated murder
The 23-page motion detailed digital and physical evidence -- including phone, shopping and other activity -- that prosecutors allege show Abugharbieh committed premeditated murder.
On April 13, three days before the two students were last seen alive, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT, "What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster," according to the motion.
Prosecutors noted that ChatGPT answered "that it sounds dangerous," and then Abugharbieh allegedly asked, "How would they find out."
Two days later, he allegedly asked, "Can a VIN number on a car be changed," according to the filing.
On the day the two students were last seen alive, detectives determined Abugharbieh's vehicle was in the same area in Clearwater Beach, around the same time of the last pinged location of Limon's phone, it noted.
Shortly before 11 p.m. that night, Abugharbieh allegedly received a Doordash delivery at the apartment of items purchased from CVS -- "trashbags, Lysol wipes, Febreze, Funyuns, and Irish Spring Body Wash" -- according to the motion. He had also allegedly ordered duct tape, fire starter, charcoal, trash bags and lighter fuel from Amazon earlier in the month, according to the motion.
Around 12:26 a.m. on April 17, he allegedly asked ChatGPT, "are cars checked at the Hillsborough River state park."
About an hour later, around 1:30 a.m., his phone stopped on the Howard Frankland Bridge, according to the filing. It was on the bridge again nearly three hours later, including in the exact location where Limon's body was found a week later, according to the filing.
A third roommate in the apartment reported seeing Abugharbieh dispose of multiple cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster on site sometime late on April 16 or early on the morning of April 17, according to the motion. Limon's wallet and glasses, bloodied clothing and Bristy's iPhone case were among the items located in trash bags in the compactor, according to the filing.
On April 19, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT, "will Apple know who is the new iPhone user after the previous user," according to the filing.
On April 23, he asked, "What does missing endangered adult mean," according to the filing. That day, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced it had elevated the status of the two missing USF students to endangered.
Other ChatGPT messages noted in the filing focused on firearms, according to the motion. Abugharbieh allegedly asked on April 15 if you can "keep a gun at home with out a license," and, on April 19, "will my neighbors hear my gun" and "Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head," according to the motion.
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Suspect denies any role in disappearance
Blood evidence was uncovered in the apartment, including the suspect's room, where there were two "distinct patterns on the floor which appeared to have a relatively humansized shape," the filing stated.
Trash bags found under the suspect's bed were similar to the ones located in the compactor and on the bridge, according to the filing.
Abugharbieh was interviewed by detectives multiple times and denied having anything to do with their disappearance, according to the motion.
When asked about his vehicle being in Clearwater Beach on April 16, he allegedly initially said he was fishing, according to the filing. When confronted about Limon's phone also being in the area, he allegedly said he drove Limon and Bristy to Clearwater Beach at Limon's request, and said that they were "both alive when he dropped them off," the filing stated.
When asked about the boxes in the compactor, Abugharbieh "advised he removed old clothing he no longer wanted," the filing stated.
He had lacerations on his left pinky, which he allegedly told detectives were from cutting onions, as well as his upper tricep area and left and right legs, according to the filing.
"Based on the totality of the circumstances, interviews, evidence, and data, evidence would show Hisham Abugharbieh utilized a bladed instrument to fatally wound Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy multiple times which caused their deaths," the filing stated.
The motion does not state an alleged motive in the crime.
Prosecutors seek no bond
Abugharbieh is being held without bond and his next detention hearing is set for Tuesday morning.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said prosecutors "will argue that Abugharbieh remains a danger to our community and should be held without bond until trial."
"Our hearts are with both students' families during this incredibly difficult time, and we are keeping them in our thoughts as they await answers," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement.
The suspect has been assigned a public defender. The public defender for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Abugharbieh was arrested on Friday. He had barricaded himself at a residence and surrendered following a brief standoff, authorities said. He was seen exiting the home with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
The suspect is not a current USF student or employee, school officials said.
A family member told investigators that Abugharbieh "was known to struggle with managing his anger and was violent with family in the past," according to the motion.
United States President Donald Trump, right, speaks to Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a North Atlantic Council plenary meeting during the the NATO summit on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Kin Cheung - Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump will host King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House for a highly anticipated state visit this week as the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom is under a microscope amid the war with Iran.
"I look forward to the dinner. We're having King Charles come; he's a friend of mine. We're really looking forward to it, we've spoken, and we're going to have a great time," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last week.
While Trump has repeatedly praised King Charles as a "friend" whom he's known for years, his relationship with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been another story as the president has repeatedly assailed the U.K. and other NATO allies over the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran.
"This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with," Trump said of Starmer in March as he criticized the U.K. for not doing more to support the war.
Starmer has waved off concerns about the relationship between the two countries.
"The special relationship is in operation right now," Starmer said in the wake of Trump's comments last month. "We are working together in the region, the U.S. and the British working together to protect both the U.S. and the British in joint bases, where we're jointly located and we're sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way."
Trump says visit could help repair damage
Amid his criticism of the U.K.'s support of the war with Iran, Trump said the Charles' visit -- the U.K.'s constitutional and ceremonial head of state -- may help restore any damaged ties between the two allies.
"Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes," Trump told the BBC in a phone interview on Thursday when asked if the visit could help repair the relationship.
But whether pomp and circumstance with the king will translate into real geopolitical gains remains to be seen. Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Friday that he was "going to talk about everything" with the king, including Iran, NATO and the U.K.'s digital services tax.
"I like Starmer, but..."
While Charles will officially represent the U.K. on the visit, Trump has repeatedly attacked Starmer, the U.K.'s top elected official, since the start of the war with Iran on issues both foreign and domestic.
Amid rising global oil prices, Trump has renewed his call for Starmer to begin drilling for oil in the North Sea and criticized the prime minister for his handling of immigration.
"I like Starmer, but I think he's made a tragic mistake in closing the North Sea oil. You see, your energy prices are the highest in the world. And I think he's made a tragic mistake on immigration," Trump told the U.K.'s Sky News on April 14.
The president has even gone as far as to compare Starmer to Neville Chamberlain -- the British prime minister infamous for his appeasement policy towards Nazi Germany before World War II -- over Starmer's purported refusal to send the U.K.'s navy to the Middle East at the start of the war.
"He made a public statement that we will send equipment after the war is over. It was a -- well, you know, that's a Neville -- Neville Chamberlain-type statement, and Germany, the same thing. He said, 'We didn't start this war.' Well, we helped them with Ukraine," Trump told Fox News on April 12 about efforts to arm Ukraine in its war with Russia.
I response to Trump's comments, Starmer said, "We do have mine-sweeping capability, I won't go into operational matters, but we do have that capability -- that's all focused, from our point of view, on getting the strait fully open."
But he reiterated his position that the U.K. would not join the conflict.
"My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure -- and there's been some considerable pressure -- we're not getting dragged into the war. The U.K. is not getting dragged in," he said. "That's not in our national interest, because I’m not going to act unless there’s a clear, lawful basis and a clear thought-through plan.”
Trump expressed surprise in a meeting with his Cabinet on March 26 that Starmer did not do more to send support to the U.S. amid the war.
"I think he's [Starmer] a lovely man, I do. I think he's a lovely man, but I think he did something that was shocking; he didn't want to help us. And maybe in particular that country, you know, the longest bond, the longest ally, Australia, too. Australia was not great," he said.
Moments later, Trump questioned whether the U.S. would be there for the U.K. and NATO in the future.
"I mean, we're always going to be there -- at least we were, I don't know about it anymore, to be honest with you, I have to be honest. We were always there when they needed help, we always would have been there when they needed help," Trump said.
But asked whether the political fallout from the war would impact his visit with Charles, Trump said no.
"No, he's a friend of mine. He's a great gentleman. As you know, he honored me and our country; he really honored our country. But we had an amazing time. I've known him as Prince Charles; I know him as King Charles," Trump said.
"I'm proud of him. He's fighting a tough battle. He's tough," Trump added. "He's going to be here very soon, as you know, we're going to have a state dinner, it's going to be great."
Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez is seen circa October 2024 in a photo released by the FBI. (FBI)
(FLORIDA) -- A truck driver went missing while transporting vehicles from Georgia to Florida in a possible hijacking, according to the FBI, which is investigating his "suspicious disappearance."
Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez, 41, was last seen on April 17 at a rest stop on I-95 south in Brevard County, Florida, according to the FBI's Tampa field office.
He arrived at the truck stop in Grant-Valkaria at approximately 1:21 a.m. and rested for several hours, the FBI said. At 7:49 a.m., the truck drove south one exit and then turned north, according to the FBI.
"Soon after, Gonzalez became unreachable and the truck was reported missing," the FBI stated in a missing person bulletin.
The truck was located in Port Wentworth, Georgia, on April 17, though Gonzalez was not there, according to the FBI. Several vehicles were also missing.
"Since the discovery of the truck, three vehicles have been located in Florida," the FBI said. "Others are still missing, along with Gonzalez."
Gonzalez, a CDL driver for an unidentified trucking company, had picked up multiple vehicles from the Port of Brunswick in Georgia on April 16 and was supposed to drop them off in Miami, the FBI said.
The FBI described Gonzalez as being 5'11" and weighing 200 pounds. He is bald and has a brown beard and moustache, brown eyes and multiple tattoos, including a tattoo of the word "Elisia" on his right forearm.
Anyone with videos or photographs taken in and around the area of the Grant-Valkaria rest stop between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on April 17 are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online.
Armed Secret Service agents stand on stage during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, April 25, 2026, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) - A Secret Service after-action review is underway to examine the security and possible lapses from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in the wake of Saturday's shooting, according to officials briefed on internal procedures at the agency.
The review is being conducted as a matter of standard procedure, which requires that such a probe be conducted whenever there is an "attack on a protectee."
The review will go step-by-step through security planning and preparation, the deployment and assignment of personnel, and what occurred once the suspect rushed the Secret Service checkpoint in a failed effort to access the Washington Hilton ballroom, where the dinner was being held.
The Secret Service declined to comment to ABC News on the after-action review.
"The Secret Service is constantly looking to improve its protective methods and learn from both successes and failure, like what happened at the Washington Hilton," said retired senior Secret Service official Don Mihalek, an ABC News contributor. "Those lessons often translate to better protective tools, training and tactics to make the agency better."
The White House also plans to meet with Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security leadership early this week "to discuss protocol and practices for major events" involving President Donald Trump, according to a senior White House official.
"The meeting will discuss the processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday's attempt, while exploring additional options to ensure all relevant components are doing everything possible to secure the many major events planned for President Trump in the months ahead as he gears up to celebrate America 250," the official said.
The White House emphasized its confidence in Secret Service leadership and praised the agents for intercepting the attacker and preventing further harm.
Trump has also repeatedly praised the Secret Service since Saturday's shooting. He told Fox News on Sunday, "They were strong, relatively speaking, compared to what the potential threat was -- the Secret Service and all law enforcement was ... I thought they were outstanding."
The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen, was tackled by law enforcement after gunfire inside the Hilton, where thousands of journalists as well as Trump and members of his Cabinet were gathered for the annual dinner, officials said.
Allen was detained near the main magnetometer area for the event, with surveillance video showing him running past security officials. Allen -- who is a trained mechanical engineer working as a tutor in California -- was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, police said.
A Secret Service member was shot, but the bullet hit the agent's protective vest, Trump said.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Monday that the suspect's "intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could."
Allen appeared in court on Monday to face three felony counts of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Allen did not enter a plea.
The judge scheduled a detention hearing for Thursday and ordered Allen to be temporarily detained until then. Allen's preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
FBI personnel walk towards the house connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, in Torrance, CA on Saturday night, April 25, 2026. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Allen, 31, walked in wearing a blue jumpsuit and took his seat at the defense table. The Torrance, California, native faces three felony counts of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. This is the third assassination attempt President Donald Trump has faced.
The first count of attempting to assassinate the president carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, if convicted.
Allen did not enter a plea.
As Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh asked Allen the routine series of questions for defendants charged in federal court, he nodded and readily answered with, "Yes, your honor."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine said the government was seeking Allen's continued detention pending trial.
Ballantine said Allen attempted to assassinate Trump using a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and said he was also carrying a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol, three knives "and other dangerous paraphernalia."
Public defender Tezira Abe indicated the defense may seek to contest detention, noting he has no prior arrest record and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Sharbaugh scheduled a detention hearing for Thursday and ordered Allen to be temporarily detained until then. Allen's preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Monday that the suspect's "intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could."
Allen appears to have shared social media posts that were critical of Trump and his administration -- including calling for Trump’s removal -- on the social media platform Bluesky.
In addition to sharing posts denouncing Trump’s policies -- including the war with Iran, increased ICE enforcement actions, and the U.S. diminished support for Ukraine -- Allen also appeared to share posts criticizing a reporter in connection with the correspondents' dinner. His account shared posts that described an effort to highlight press freedoms related to the event as "pathetic" and akin to a "white flag ... [to] wave in defeat."
A Bluesky spokesperson said, “Violence has no place in our public discourse, and we are committed to providing people with the platform and tools to engage in healthy conversation."
"Our Trust & Safety team is actively reviewing and taking action against content that violates Bluesky’s Community Guidelines, including posts that amplify misinformation, or glorify violence or harm," Bluesky said.
Allen -- a trained mechanical engineer working as a tutor -- was tackled by law enforcement after the gunfire inside the Washington Hilton, where thousands of journalists as well as Trump and members of his Cabinet were gathered for the annual event.
A Secret Service member was shot during the incident but the bullet hit the agent's protective vest, Trump said. The president said he spoke with the agent and he was in good spirits.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 6 Allen made a reservation at the Washington Hilton for Friday through Sunday.
Allen traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago on Tuesday, and then from Chicago to D.C. on Thursday and Friday, according to the criminal complaint. He checked into his hotel room at the Hilton at 3 p.m. Friday, the complaint said.
At about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Allen approached a security checkpoint on the hotel's terrace level, which leads toward the ballroom, the complaint said. As Allen ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun, Secret Service "heard a loud gunshot" and an officer was shot in his ballistic vest, the complaint said.
That same officer fired toward Allen multiple times; Allen fell to the ground but was not shot, the complaint said. Allen "was not injured, other than some kind of scrape on his knee," Pirro said.
Allen bought his pistol in 2023 and his shotgun in 2025, the complaint said.
ABC News' Lauren Minore, Luke Barr, Nicholas Kerr, Ivan Pereira, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, John Santucci, Michelle Stoddart, Lucien Bruggeman, Oren Oppenheim, Katherine Faulders and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
(CHICAGO) -- Two police officers were shot at a hospital in Chicago on Saturday morning and one was in critical condition as the medical facility went on lockdown, local officials said.
The shooting was reported at around 11:00 a.m. local time at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, according to the hospital.
The unidentified suspect is now in custody, according to Alderperson Andre Vasquez of Chicago's 40th Ward.
"Please shelter in place if you are in the surrounding area or avoid the area," he said in a social media post
Vasquez said that one of the officers was in critical condition.
The hospital said there was no "active threat" within the hospital and patients and staff are safe.
"The campus is currently closed while law enforcement leads their investigation," the hospital said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Severe weather outlook for Saturday, April 25, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) -- A severe weather threat is shifting back to parts of Kansas and Oklahoma on Saturday after damaging winds, hail and tornadoes impacted the region over the past week.
A level 4 of 5 "moderate risk" has been added for southeast Oklahoma, including Ada and McAlester, for the potential for very large hail (larger than baseballs), strong tornadoes, and damaging winds.
A level 3 of 5 "enhanced risk" is up for northeastern Oklahoma and far eastern Arkansas, including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Broken Bow and Enid, in Oklahoma, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Damaging winds and very large hail are the primary threats with these storms, but a few tornadoes, some potentially strong, cannot be ruled out with these storms.
This will be a later day event, with storms not likely to begin firing off until after at least 3:00 p.m. CT. Once storms get going, the atmosphere will be very favorable for discrete storms to intensify across eastern Oklahoma going into the evening hours.
Storms will continue to fire off during the evening up to just after sunset and will continue through the overnight hours across eastern Oklahoma, far northeast Texas and western Arkansas.
Beginning Sunday, a potent storm system will form southeast of the Rockies and swing northeast across the Plains, bringing more severe weather to the Plains on Sunday before the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches into the Midwest on Monday.
Almost 50 million Americans will be on alert for severe storms on Sunday or Monday – almost 8 million for Sunday, and almost 40 million for Monday.
For Sunday, a level 3 of 5 "enhanced risk" is up for much of Kansas as well as portions of western Missouri, including Wichita and Kansas City. Tornadoes, some being strong, as well as damaging winds and large hail are all possible with storms in this area.
A level 2 of 5 "slight risk" is also up for parts of northern Texas, northwestern Arkansas, western Missouri, far southwest Iowa, southern Nebraska, most of Oklahoma and much of the remaining areas of Kansas.
Like Saturday, severe storms will likely not begin firing off until the late afternoon. When storms do get going though during the evening, the atmosphere will be favorable for discrete thunderstorms to grow and intensify, producing tornadoes (some possibly strong), damaging winds and large hail.
For Monday, the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches from the lower Mississippi River valley up to the Midwest for Monday. A level 3 of 5 "enhanced risk" is up for cities like St. Louis; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Evansville, Indiana; Paducah, Kentucky; and Rockford, Illinois.
A level 2 of 5 "slight risk" is up for cities like Memphis; Louisville, Kentucky; Chicago; South Bend, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Mason City, IIowa.
While there is some uncertainty in exact timing and setup with Monday's storms, the potential for tornadoes with some being strong, as well as widespread damaging wind gusts, large hail, and spotty flash flooding is increasing for Monday for these areas.
With any discrete supercell thunderstorms that form and maintain themselves in this atmosphere, the "tornadic potential could maximize, with a few long track, particularly damaging tornadoes possible," according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center.
This will likely be a late afternoon and evening setup regardless, with discrete storms or clusters of storms tracking in a line from Milwaukee and Chicago down to St. Louis and into northern Arkansas around the evening commute on Monday.
These storms will sweep east into the overnight hours, with Indianapolis; Paducah, Kentucky; and Memphis likely seeing storms later in the evening.
This storm system will also bring heavy rain to the central U.S., with some of it possibly falling in a short time with the heaviest storms. Because of this, isolated flash flooding is possible with these storms into the new week.
Heavy rain will also come to the Great Lakes on Monday, which could reinvigorate the flood risk given how saturated the ground still is from the historic rainfall from a few weeks ago combined with rapid snowmelt.
For Tuesday, we can see the severe weather threat shift to parts of the South as this potent system continues to move east. Places like Memphis; Little Rock, Arkansas; Tyler, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi, will have to watch for potential severe weather later in the day.
Some showers, humidity in the Southeast The drought in the Southeast continues to worsen as two wildfires continue to burn in southeast Georgia.
Some rounds of rain and possibly isolated thunderstorms will move into the region later today and late Monday into Tuesday, with each round bringing around 0.5 to 1 inch of rain.
The rain will not tame the wildfires alone, especially if it doesn't fall directly where the fires are. If there are any isolated thunderstorms, there is the chance that lightning could ignite additional wildfires in the already dry region.
However, the increased humidities and any rain that does fall on the fires this weekend into early next week will help with controlling ongoing fires and quickly manage any new fires if any should occur.
The rain will not make much of a dent on the drought situation across the region. For example, Georgia needs between 12 and 18 inches of rainfall to end the current drought.
The two notable fires in southeast Georgia, the Pineland Road Fire and the Highway 82 Brantley County Fire, continue to burn.
Meanwhile, the fire threat will be in the southern High Plains this weekend. Parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, as well as the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma are under fire weather alerts this weekend.
In these photos released by the University of South Florida Police Department, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy are shown. (University of South Florida Police Department)
(TAMPA, Fla.) -- After a University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead on a bridge Friday, his roommate was arrested and charged with his murder and that of another doctoral student who remains missing.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced on Saturday.
Abugharbieh made his first appearance in court on Saturday morning and is being held without bond until his next detention hearing on Tuesday, April 28 at 9:00 a.m.
Investigators found the remains of Limon on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Friday morning, Joseph Maurer, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, told reporters Friday.
The search for Bristy, a fellow USF doctoral student, continues, the office said.
Investigators have been searching for Limon and Bristy since they went missing on April 16.
"We are still actively searching for Nahida," he told reporters during a news conference Friday.
Maurer said investigators received a 911 call for a domestic violence disturbance around 9 a.m. Friday at a residence where Limon's roommate, Abugharbieh, had barricaded himself.
Abugharbieh was previously interviewed by police during their investigation into the disappearances, Mauer said.
Following a brief standoff, the suspect surrendered, Maurer said. He was seen exiting the home with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
Abugharbieh was initially charged with unlawfully holding or move a dead human body in unapproved conditions, failure to report a death to the medical examiner or law enforcement (intent to conceal), tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect is not a current USF student or employee, school officials said.
Abugharbieh will have his first court appearance on Saturday morning.
USF President Moez Limayem said in a statement Friday that there is "no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community." He expressed "deep sadness" over Limon's death and prayed for Bristy's "safe return."
The cause of Limon's death is being determined, Maurer said. He had no further details about Bristy's condition.
Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy, the sheriff's office said.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, according to the USF Police Department.
On Thursday, officials received new information to warrant upgrading their status from missing to endangered, which indicates they are at risk of physical injury or death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff did not provide any more details about the investigation or search efforts.
Limon and Bristy are friends, and a mutual acquaintance reported them missing, campus police said.
Limon was last seen at his Tampa residence at approximately 9 a.m. on April 16, according to police.
He had attended the university since fall 2024 to study geography and environmental science and policy, school officials said.
Bristy was last seen at the USF Tampa campus at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building at approximately 10 a.m. on April 16, police said.
She has attended the university since fall 2025 to study chemical engineering, school officials said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628.
-ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
President Trump Signs Executive Order At The White House (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- A federal judge is raising concerns about whether Donald Trump's attempt to sue the IRS for $10 billion can proceed, signaling she could throw out the case because the president oversees the government entities he is suing.
Judge Kathleen Williams raised the issue in an order on Friday denying a request to delay the case amid possible settlement talks.
She noted that Trump and the defendants -- the Treasury Department and IRS -- may not be "sufficiently adverse" to one another for the case to proceed.
"Moreover, although President Trump avers that he is bringing this lawsuit in his personal capacity, he is the sitting president and his named adversaries are entities whose decisions are subject to his direction. Indeed, President Trump's own remarks about this matter acknowledge the unique dynamic of this litigation," she wrote.
Williams ordered both Trump's lawyers and the Department of Justice to submit briefs about why the case should proceed and set a hearing for next month. For the case to proceed, Trump's lawyers and the DOJ need to establish that the lawsuit is "a dispute between parties who face each other in an adversary proceeding."
"Typically, adverseness is found in a situation where one party is asserting its right and the other party is resisting," she noted.
But with Trump in charge of the very government entities he is suing, Williams noted that the required adverse relationship between the parties may not exist. She added that Trump has signed multiple executive orders tightening the president's control over the executive agencies like the Department of Justice.
"One such employee of the executive branch, the Attorney General, has a statutory obligation to defend the IRS when it is hailed into court, but then is ostensibly required by executive mandate to adhere to the President's opinion on a matter of law in such a case. This raises questions over whether the Parties here are truly antagonistic to each other," Williams noted.
Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department in January related to the unauthorized disclosure of tax information during Trump's first term.
A government contractor with the IRS pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing the tax information of Donald Trump and other wealthy Americans and leaking it to media outlets in 2019 and 2020.
In a court filing last week, lawyers for the Trumps said that they were "in discussions" with the Department of Justice to potentially resolve the lawsuit and requested a deadline extension so they can "engage in discussions designed to resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation."
The filing said both sides agreed to the 90-day extension. The Department of Justice had not yet responded to the lawsuit and faced an impending deadline this month.
The Trumps, in the suit, argued that the IRS and Treasury Department should have had "appropriate technical, employee screening, security, and monitoring" to prevent the theft of tax information.
A group of former government officials last month filed an amicus brief with the court to raise concerns about the ethics of the president suing his own government for billions.
"This case is extraordinary because the President controls both sides of the litigation, which raises the prospect of collusive litigation tactics," the amicus filing said. "To treat this case like business as usual would threaten the integrity of the justice system and the important taxpayer and privacy protections at the heart of this case."
Crime scene barrier tape (Getty Images/Tetra Images)
(BATON ROUGE, La.) -- A 17-year-old girl, Martha Odom, has been identified as the victim killed in a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, officials said Friday, and a 17-year-old suspect is in custody.
Five others were wounded when gunfire broke out during a fight between two groups in the food court on Thursday afternoon, police said.
One of the injured, a 43-year-old man, remains in the hospital in critical condition, Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said.
Lafayette's Ascension Episcopal School described Odom, a senior at the school, as a "joyful presence whose kindness and infectious enthusiasm brought light to all who knew her."
The school said two students were wounded and two others were witnesses.
One suspect in the shooting, 17-year-old Markel Lee, turned himself in on Friday, and faces charges including first-degree murder and multiple counts of attempted murder, Morse said at a news conference.
Morse said police are asking for the public's help to find a second suspect wanted in connection with the shooting.
The five people detained on Thursday have been released pending further investigation, Morse said.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the shooting a "deeply troubling act of violence" that appears to have been driven by "neighborhood gang disputes that seem to want to spill out in our public places, putting innocent people in danger and taking the life of an innocent young lady."
"This conduct is not going to be tolerated in this state," he said at the news conference.
An employee at the mall at the time of the shooting told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ, "I heard a loud 'pop' and then another 'pop.' ... I turn around and I see people dropping to the floor and then I saw the gun. ... And he was turning around, shooting randomly."
"I called security and said, 'Shots fired in the food court, people are down, people are hit.' And then the cops came and it was just total chaos ... blood was everywhere," she said.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life," she said.
The Mall of Louisiana is closed on Friday "out of respect for the victims."
"Our deepest sympathies are with everyone who was impacted by the senseless act of violence that took place here today," the mall said in a statement.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Wall Street heliport ahead of his appearance in federal court in New York, US, on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(RALEIGH, N.C.) -- The special operations soldier who was indicted this week for allegedly using classified information to make more than $400,000 betting on the capture of Nicolas Maduro appeared in a federal courtroom in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday.
Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who made the wager on the prediction market Polymarket, will be released on a $250,000 appearance bond.
He agreed to surrender his passport, limit travel to parts of New York and North Carolina, limit drinking "in excess," and no longer possess a firearm unless it's part of his active military service.
Van Dyke entered the courtroom shackled at his hands and feet and only spoke briefly to acknowledge he understood the charges and penalties. He is currently being represented by a public defender.
He is set to appear in federal court in New York City on April 28.
Federal investigators said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on Polymarket just days before President Donald Trump announced Maduro's capture.
The series of bets -- which netted more than $409,000 -- immediately prompted scrutiny within the world of prediction markets and resulted in a monthslong investigation about whether inside information was used to place the bets.
Van Dyke was indicted on charges that included unlawful use of confidential information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud.
When, after placing the bets, he saw reports about unusual trading associated with the mission, Van Dyke allegedly tried to hide the evidence of the trades by attempting to delete his Polymarket account and change the email address registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account, according to the indictment.
"Rather than safeguard that information as he was obligated to do, VAN DYKE decided to use that classified information to place trades on a prediction market platform for his personal profit," the indictment said. "VAN DYKE subsequently tried to conceal his unlawful use of classified U.S. Government information by attempting to obscure the source of his unlawful proceeds and to disguise his connection to the accounts linked to the illicit trades."
While prediction markets are primarily regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, suspiciously-timed trades on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have sparked concerns about insider trading. In addition to the $400,000 Maduro bet, another Polymarket user made roughly $550,000 through a series of bets related to the U.S. striking Iran and the removal of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Asked on Thursday what he thought about about Van Dyke's wagers, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "That's like Pete Rose betting on his own team."
"Pete Rose, they kept him out of the Hall of Fame because he bet on his own team. Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team," Trump said. "I'll look into it."
Regarding concerns about federal employees making insider trading bets on the Iran conflict and other developments, Trump said "the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino."
"You look at what's going on all over the world, in Europe and every place, they're doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don't like it conceptually, but it is what it is. No, I think that I'm not happy with any of that stuff. But they have all these different sites. They have predictive markets. It's a crazy world. It's a much different world than it was."
: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell listens to a question during a Principles of Economics class at Harvard University on March 30, 2026 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Sophie Park/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- The Department of Justice is dropping its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, ending a standoff that threatened to delay the confirmation of Powell's successor at the central bank, District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Friday.
Senior DOJ officials have contacted senators in recent days, including Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, informing them of the plan to drop the probe and refer the matter regarding alleged cost overruns at the Fed's Washington headquarters to the bank's internal watchdog, sources told ABC News.
The Fed's independent inspector general conducted an audit of the building renovation costs in 2021 and Powell had already asked the watchdog to take a fresh look at the $2.5 billion project last year.
"This morning the Inspector General for the Federal Reserve has been asked to scrutinize the building costs overruns -- in the billions of dollars -- that have been borne by taxpayers," Pirro write on X Friday. "I expect a comprehensive report in short order and am confident the outcome will assist in resolving, once and for all, the questions that led this office to issue subpoenas."
"Accordingly, I have directed my office to close our investigation as the IG undertakes this inquiry," Pirro wrote. "Note well, however, that I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so."
Powell's term ends next month, but he said in March that he would stay in the position until President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Fed, Kevin Warsh, is confirmed.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai, in a statement to ABC News, said "American taxpayers deserve answers about the Federal Reserve’s fiscal mismanagement, and the Office of the Inspector General’s more powerful authorities best position it to get to the bottom of the matter."
Desai added the administration remains certain that the Senate will "swiftly confirm" Warsh.
A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve declined to comment. Reached by ABC News, a spokesperson for Tillis also declined to comment.
Pirro had been insistent that her investigation of alleged cost overruns at the Fed would continue despite a ruling last month from D.C. District Judge James Boasberg that tossed out subpoenas she had sent to Powell.
"This investigation continues. I am in the legal lane. There are others who are in the political lane. I don't intersect those two lanes," Pirro said in a news conference on Wednesday.
"I am going forward," Pirro said. "We are appealing the decision of Judge Boasberg -- the idea that a judge can stand at the door of a grand jury and tell a prosecutor you're not allowed to go in when the United States Supreme Court has said you can go into a grand jury based on rumors and suspicion, is an order that we think must be appealed, and we are continuing in this investigation."
At the time of Boasberg's ruling, Tillis urged Pirro not to continue with her investigation.
"We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on," Tillis said in a post on X moments after the decision was made public in March. "Appealing the ruling will only delay the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair."
It is not immediately clear if prosecutors will seek to drop their appeal of Boasberg's order as a result of the directive to close the probe into Powell.
In a video message in January, Powell revealed the investigation and called it an attempt by the Trump administration to put political pressure on the Fed to lower interest rates.
An end to the DOJ's investigation is expected to pave the path for Kevin Warsh to get confirmed through the Senate. Tillis told ABC News on Tuesday he supports Warsh as the nominee but will not advance his nomination until the DOJ's probe is dropped.
Tillis first announced in January that he would block nominees in opposition to the investigation, which he has branded as "bogus."
"If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question," Tillis said in a January statement. "I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed -- including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy -- until this legal matter is fully resolved."
Tillis' blockade has proved difficult for Senate Republican leadership to work around because of his position on the narrowly divided Senate Banking Committee. His opposition, paired with that of all Democrats on the panel, has made it impossible for Warsh to advance out of the committee to a vote on the full Senate floor.
: Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- The New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel, addressed the media Thursday after a series of photos were published allegedly showing him with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.
In his remarks, Vrabel said that his “actions don't meet the standard I hold myself to” and his initial response to the pictures was an attempt to protect his family, saying that the photos showed an innocent interaction.
"I just know I'm going to take the necessary steps with the people I care about -- that's my family and this team," said Vrabel.
Vrabel and Russini are both married to other people. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14.
"I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now -- before my current contract expires on June 30," Russini wrote in her resignation letter. "I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career."
Vrabel declined to comment on the most recent photos, saying "my priorities are my family and this football team. In that order,” according to ESPN.
Vrabel did confirm at a news conference Tuesday that he has had "difficult conversations with people I care about," including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players following the initial publication of the photos.
It is not clear if the New England Patriots will discipline Vrabel but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN on Thursday that this is a team matter and does not fall under the league's personal conduct policy.
"The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel's decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being," the team said in a statement. "Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.”
Vrabel confirmed that he will start seeking counseling, saying "I can only say that whatever my family needs, that's what I'm going to provide," Vrabel said.
