ABC News Live Rundown: Thursday, January 5, 2023
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ABC NewsTrump trial live updates: Cohen testifies Trump signed false invoices for hush money repayment
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. Michael Cohen testified about the April 9, 2018, FBI raid on his hotel room and office as part of a federal investigation related to the Stormy Daniels matter.
- ABC News
Temperatures measured during summer 2023 'unparalleled' to past 2,000 years, researchers say
A closer look at tree rings is adding to the growing list of evidence that shows unprecedented temperatures measured on Earth over the past year. The summer of 2023 was the warmest in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropical regions -- from about New Orleans to the North Pole -- in the past 2,000 years, according to a study published in Nature on Tuesday. Land temperatures in this section of the Northern Hemisphere were 2.07 degrees Celsius -- or about 3.73 degrees Fahrenheit -- higher in the summer of 2023 than instrumental averages between 1850 and 1900, researchers discovered after combining measurements from thousands of meteorological stations to analyze the June-through-August surface air temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere's extra-tropical region, which include 30 to 90 degrees north, according to the study.
- Good Morning America
8 killed when bus carrying 53 farmworkers crashes in Florida
Eight people were killed when a bus carrying about 53 farmworkers crashed and overturned on West Highway 40 in central Florida, according to state officials. About 40 victims have been taken to medical facilities, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said. The bus veered off West Highway 40, went through a fence and then overturned, officials said.
- Good Morning America
Memorial to be built in honor of Buffalo massacre victims unveiled
As residents of Buffalo, New York, commemorate two years since a self-professed white supremacist gunned down 10 Black people at a grocery store, the final design for a permanent memorial has been unveiled to honor those killed in what President Joe Biden on Tuesday called "an unconscionable act of racial hatred." The memorial, titled "Seeing Us," is comprised of 10 arching interconnected pillars inscribed with the names of the people killed in the attack at a Tops store on Buffalo's East Side. The project will include a new building, which New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said will serve as a central hub for education, exhibitions and other community events.
- Good Morning America
DOJ requests judge order Steve Bannon to begin prison sentence
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday requested the judge overseeing ex-Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon's criminal contempt of Congress case to order that he begin his four-month prison sentence, after an appeals court last week upheld his conviction. Prosecutors said there is no legal basis for Judge Carl Nichols to continue the stay on Bannon serving his sentence after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' conclusive ruling that rejected the basis for Bannon's appeal on all grounds. It's not immediately clear when Nichols will rule on the request.
- Good Morning America
Wars propel global displacements to record high of 75.9 million in 2023, monitor says
A record 75.9 million people were displaced by the end of 2023 by conflict, violence and national disasters, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said in a report released Tuesday. At least 68.3 million people were living in displacement by the end of 2023 as a result of conflict and violence, the highest-ever figure since data became available, according to the report. Conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gaza have fueled the rising figures, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the record total, the report found.
- Good Morning America
After months of tension over Rafah, White House appears to recalibrate strategy on Israel: ANALYSIS
After the war of words between the U.S. and Israel over a planned major military offensive into Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, escalated to new heights over the weekend, the White House is now appearing to be hitting the reset button -- saying it was time to "get back to [the] basics" of the conflict. "There has been a lot more heat than light in the recent coverage and commentary about the war between Israel and Hamas," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters during a press briefing on Monday. Sullivan then took more than ten minutes to lay out the Biden administration's view of the war, reiterating many of points officials have been expressing since the days following Hamas' October 7th attack -- Israel's right to defend itself, the moral obligation to minimize civilian suffering, and the urgent need to secure a cease-fire deal in exchange for the release of hostages.
- Good Morning America
5 things to watch in Tuesday's primaries in Maryland, West Virginia, and Nebraska
Downballot races in Maryland, for example, have led to bitter intraparty fights and questions over the role of spending in some races; while Senate primaries in West Virginia could offer a glimpse of who might replace retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. And Biden himself could face another protest vote in Maryland.
- Good Morning America
'It's a real thing': Drivers and passengers report motion sickness in EVs
An oft-touted advantage of owning an electric vehicle is one-pedal driving, when drivers can slow down a vehicle simply by lifting off the throttle. "It can cause some people to get sick," John Voelcker, a former editor of Green Car Reports and a contributing editor at Car and Driver, told ABC News. Voelcker said he has felt queasy at least twice while riding in the back seat of a Tesla.
- Good Morning America
Body of man traveling down Colorado River on wooden raft with dog found in Grand Canyon National Park
The body of a man who had been traveling down the Colorado River on a wooden raft has been found in Grand Canyon National Park, officials said. Thomas Robinson, a 58-year-old man from Santa Fe, New Mexico, was believed to have attempted to travel down the Colorado River on a wooden raft with his dog before abandoning the vessel at Lees Ferry, just a few miles south of Arizona’s border with Utah, according to a statement from the National Park Service detailing the incident. National Park Service personnel were notified of a body in the Colorado River near river mile 6 on Friday.
- ABC News
Experts say more needs to be done to help protect children from online predators
Protecting children and teens from online dangers is no easy feat. It's an ever-changing landscape and in many ways, it's easier than ever for predators to target children online. In 2023, reports of child online exploitation made to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tip Line rose by more than 12%, surpassing 36.2 million reports.
- ABC News
Melinda French Gates resigns from Gates Foundation, gets $12.5 billion for philanthropy
Melinda French Gates announced her resignation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and her plans to "commit" to her own philanthropic work. In an Instagram post on Monday, the philanthropist, activist, best-selling author and mother shared that she has decided to step down from her role as the co-chair of the foundation, noting that her last day of work will be June 7. "This is not the decision I came to lightly," Melinda French Gates explained in the caption.
- ABC News
Ukraine says 30,000 Russian soldiers attacking amid border offensive in Kharkiv region
Ukraine said it is battling 30,000 Russian soldiers at the border near Kharkiv, as thousands of civilians have been evacuated due to heavy fighting in the region. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine told ABC News on Monday that Russia is using 30,000 of its 50,000 soldiers amassed at the border to attack, as the Kremlin continues its new northeast offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an address Monday that he has sent reinforcements to the region as they continue to counter Russian attacks.
- Good Morning America
What to know about Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's kids
Tom Brady is a football legend who is also a proud father of three children. Brady is also the father of 16-year-old John "Jack" Edward Thomas Moynahan, from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan. On Mother's Day, Brady took to Instagram to celebrate all the mothers in his life, including both Moynahan and Bündchen.
- ABC News
'Locker room talk' defense was Melania Trump's idea, Michael Cohen testifies
Michael Cohen took the stand at former president Donald Trump’s hush money trial on Monday, testifying that Trump told him it was Melania who came up with the infamous “locker room talk” defense. When the Access Hollywood tape dropped in October 2016, Cohen said he became very concerned about the impact it could have on Trump’s presidential election. In the 2005 video, Trump could be heard boasting that "when you’re a star" you can "do anything" to women, including "grab them by the p----."
- ABC News
Trump allies, potential VP contenders flock to Manhattan courthouse
Political allies of former President Donald Trump, many of whom are possibly jockeying for future positions with him, have begun to attend his New York hush money criminal trial as it enters its fourth week, highlighting how Trump has attempted to make New York his campaign stomping grounds in the wake of his required court attendance. On Tuesday, Trump's former Republican challenger and now a staunch supporter Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to attend court with him, according to his spokesperson. Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott traveled with Trump to court last week.
- ABC News
4 big takeaways from Day 16 of Trump's hush money trial
The criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump reached a crescendo Monday when the state's star witness, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, testified about his ex-boss directing him to "just take care of" a payment to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of his 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen claimed that Trump blessed those negotiations, approved the final deal, and signed off on the reimbursement plan in the final days before his presidential inauguration. Cohen testified that the sole purpose of the scheme was to protect Trump's political fortunes and obscure his role in orchestrating the arrangements.
- ABC News
Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage demolished in controlled explosion after delays
Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage was demolished in a controlled explosion on Monday evening after being delayed due to lightning near the site on Sunday. Engineers set off controlled explosives in the steel remains of the Key Bridge to help remove the debris from the freighter that crashed in March. Ongoing storms in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. region had delayed the demolition since Friday.
- ABC News
KP.2 is now the dominant COVID variant. Experts say US may see a summer increase in cases
For the last few months, JN.1 has been the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States, making up the majority of cases. A new variant, however, has taken over and may lead to an increase in cases this summer. KP.2, which is an offshoot of the omicron variant, currently accounts for an estimated 28.2% of COVID cases after making up just 1.4% of cases in mid March, according to data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
- ABC News
Israel-Gaza live updates: US aware of American doctors trapped in Gaza
As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, renewed negotiations are underway to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, as Israeli forces continue to prepare for an apparent invasion of the southern Gazan town of Rafah. National security adviser Jake Sullivan stressed the U.S. is working "urgently and relentlessly" to get a hostage deal in place, but did not have any major progress to share Monday. On where the hostage negotiations stand currently, Sullivan turned to the architect of the Good Friday agreement in Ireland.