ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with Executive Director of the Gun Violence Archive Mark Bryant on the recent bipartisan gun safety bill and what it means in terms of the latest string of mass shootings.
Against the backdrop of a divisive 2024 presidential campaign, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will take up the monumental question of whether a former president turned presumptive GOP nominee can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to stay in power after the last election. The case, Donald J. Trump v. United States, presents an unprecedented constitutional quandary for the court brought about by equally unprecedented actions by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden by a margin of 7 million popular votes. The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts pressed by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding, for his attempts to overturn the electoral vote count certifying Biden's victory.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, for the first time since overruling Roe v. Wade, will consider the scope of a state abortion ban and whether a federal law governing emergency care protects access to abortion at hospitals when a woman's health is at risk. Idaho's Defense of Life Act, which took effect in August 2022, prohibits nearly all abortions, with exceptions for reported cases of rape or incest or when "necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman." The Biden administration sued the state, claiming its law conflicts with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) of 1986, which requires emergency room physicians at hospitals that receive Medicare funds to offer "stabilizing treatment" to all patients whose health is in jeopardy.
A juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death with bullets lodged in its brain, spinal cord and heart and now authorities are offering a handsome reward for information on who committed the gruesome act. Authorities from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received a report on March 13 that a juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found washed ashore on West Mae’s Beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and that it had injuries consistent with being shot by a firearm. “A member of the public reported the stranding to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline,” read a statement from the NOAA released on Tuesday.
A former police officer suspected in the killings of his ex-wife and girlfriend has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, officials said Tuesday night. Oregon State Police Captain Kyle Kennedy said the suspect -- Elias Huizar -- led Troopers on a chase after a failed traffic stop on the I-5 in Eugene around 2:40 p.m. PT. No troopers were hurt in the incident, according to Kennedy.
The Senate on Tuesday night passed a package to deliver $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan -- a bipartisan win months in the making. Merkley and Welch -- as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against the legislation along with 15 Republicans. The legislation, which includes four bills that passed in the House over the weekend with bipartisan support.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has filed felony charges against the man accused of breaking into Mayor Karen Bass’ home on Sunday morning. The suspect – Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29 – was charged with felony residential burglary with a person present charge, felony vandalism charge and one prior strike from a previous case in Massachusetts, Gascon said. Hunter was being arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos has suspended a long shot comeback bid to represent New York's 1st Congressional District, he said on Tuesday, insisting that his challenge to incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota would "all but guarantee" a Democrat takes the seat in November. "I don't want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don't have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don't want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems," Santos, who has said he was switching his party affiliation from Republican to independent, said in a statement on X. LaLota has been dismissive of Santos but not of Santos' challenge itself, previously calling his former colleague an "embarrassment" and "one of the most bizarre people I have ever met" but saying he would take the race "seriously."
Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran on Friday, a senior U.S. official told ABC News. The strike followed Iran's April 13 attack, when Tehran sent a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel, according to Israeli military officials. Iran's attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of Gaza.
Nine more couples are suing an in vitro fertilization provider saying it destroyed their embryos, but still implanted the nonviable embryos despite knowing they were not viable. In a joint lawsuit filed Tuesday, the couples allege that workers at Ovation Fertility in Newport Beach, California, exposed the embryos to lethal amounts of "poison." The couples underwent implantations of the nonviable embryos between Jan. 18, 2024, and Jan. 30.
Hoping for a break in the homicide investigation of Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca, investigators have released security video of a person of interest wanted in the killing. The Chicago Police Department posted a series of surveillance videos of an unidentified man wanted in the fatal shooting early Sunday, in which 30-year-old Huesca's gun and car were taken after he was gunned down while on his way home after work.
Whenever Alyssia Marte needs a boost of joy, she goes to her best friend's house. There, her friend's toddler-aged daughter gets so excited to see her, she does a happy dance. Marte, who lives in New Jersey, shared a video on TikTok showing the dance the toddler does each time she sees her.
A woman is facing second-degree murder charges after she allegedly drove into a child's birthday party in Michigan, killing two children and injuring several others, officials said. Marshella Chidester, 66, allegedly struck a building at the Swan Creek Boat Club in Newport Saturday afternoon, and her car came to rest about 25 feet inside the building, according to the sheriff and prosecutors. An 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were killed, Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffery Yorkey said.
A single explosion resulting from an Israeli shelling in December destroyed more than 5,000 specimens in Gaza's largest and oldest IVF clinic, according to the director of the medical center. An estimate of 4,000 embryos and an additional 1,000 specimens of sperm and unfertilized eggs stored at the Al Basma center in Gaza City were lost, Dr. Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, the founder and director of the clinic, told ABC News. Among these were the embryos of 45-year-old Najwa Abu Hamada.
Philip Seymour Hoffman's sister, Emily Barr, recalled her brother's talent and detailed in part how she coped with his death, in a new essay titled "Encyclopedia Brown: A Story for My Brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman." In the essay, published in The Paris Review on Monday, Barr recalled approaching the librarian at her public library in order to collect magazine clippings that mentioned her late brother in order to keep his memory alive.
Vanessa Bryant, the mother of four daughters with her late husband Kobe Bryant, is a proud mom. The businesswoman, philanthropist and former model proudly shared her appreciation for her eldest daughter Natalia Bryant. "You are what every parent hopes and prays for," Vanessa Bryant wrote on Instagram in celebration of her daughter's 21st birthday.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced it has reached a $138.7 million settlement deal with victims of the disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to resolve their claims of wrongdoing against the FBI in its failures to investigate allegations of sexual abuse. "For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability," Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement.
The United Kingdom approved controversial legislation on Tuesday that allows the government to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda, with deportation flights expected to start this summer. The so-called Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill completed its passage through the U.K. Parliament in the early morning after almost eight hours of debate overnight, clearing the way for it to soon receive royal assent and become law. The legislation, which aims to deter migrants from entering the U.K. illegally via small boats with hopes of claiming asylum once they reach the shore, had been stalled in Parliament for two months as lawmakers in both houses repeatedly proposed and rejected amendments.
When federal agents raided the house of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs last month -- as part of a case in which Combs denies wrongdoing -- it wasn't the FBI but rather agents from Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, who led the way.
A California homeowner is speaking out after a close call Sunday with a dust devil, which nearly lifted away their backyard bounce house. Yvonne Iribe told Los Angeles ABC station KABC what was supposed to be a fun afternoon quickly turned into a terrifying incident. The dust devil kicked up enough wind to also flip over the family's trampoline.
"American Idol" will honor late contestant Mandisa in an upcoming episode. The episode, set for April 29, will feature a tribute to the season 5 alum and Grammy winner, who was found dead in her home on April 18 at the age of 47. "Before we go to break, we wanted to take a moment to honor a dear member of the 'Idol' family who we sadly lost this week, Mandisa," host Ryan Seacrest said during Sunday's episode.