ABC News’ national security and defense analyst Mick Mulroy and former senior CIA field operative Darrell Blocker discuss the counteroffensive's significance and the ongoing war crime investigations.
Denise Dowse, best known for her roles in "Insecure" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" has died after a battle with viral meningitis. "I want to take this moment to thank our friends and family for all of the love and prayers," she wrote. "It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse, has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life."
Law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation into Salman Rushdie's attack told ABC News that "a preliminary investigation into the suspected perpetrator's probable social media presence indicates a likely adherence or sympathy towards Shi'a extremism and sympathies to the Iranian regime/Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." Author Salman Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture at an education center, the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, in southwestern New York, Friday morning. Rushdie was stabbed at least once in the neck and abdomen, after a man ran up on stage and attacked him and his interviewer.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Uvalde amid growing criticism of his level of engagement with a community still reeling from the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School. Arriving Friday morning at the town's municipal airport, Abbott said, "I'm here to help out the folks of Uvalde." State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat from San Antonio, suggested that the governor's visit might have been a political calculation -- particularly given his hesitancy to heed their calls for gun reform.
The Great Lakes Water Authority said it discovered a break early Saturday on a 10-foot water transmission main that distributes drinking water from its Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility. Out of an "abundance of caution," the water authority issued a precautionary boil water advisory that initially covered 23 communities serviced by the water main, representing an estimated 935,000 people, it said in a statement. After reviewing water pressure data, the water authority later lifted the advisory for 11 of the communities and added one, with 13 communities now covered as of Saturday afternoon.
A suspect has been charged with attempted murder in the attack on author Salman Rushdie at a speaking event in New York state. Rushdie, who has faced death threats over his writing, was scheduled to give a lecture at the education center Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, in southwestern New York, Friday morning. At around 11 a.m., a man "ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer," according to New York State Police.
Authorities are investigating after a car crashed into a Virginia pub, injuring over a dozen people and sparking a fire. Fifteen people were injured and the crash caused a structural fire, which was extinguished, the Arlington County Police Department said. Authorities have determined that a rideshare driver with a passenger was traveling north on North Courthouse Road when "he left the roadway and crashed into the restaurant," the Arlington County Police Department.
Scientists have a message about the spotted lanternfly: If you see one, squish it. While that may sound harsh for bug lovers out there, experts say spotted lanternflies can be devastating to agriculture. "It's a good idea if you can kill them, to do that," Brian Eshenaur, a senior extension associate for ornamental crops at Cornell University's pest management division, told ABC News.
Utah residents were left puzzled over what caused a loud boom Saturday morning that reportedly shook some homes and was captured on home security cameras. Officials were quickly able to rule out an earthquake or seismic activity, and it was not related to the state's military installations, Gov. Spencer Cox said on Twitter. "We've received many reports of people feeling or hearing a 'boom' ~8:32 am. We can confirm that it was not an earthquake," the University of Utah Seismograph Stations tweeted.
In front of a crowd nearly triple the anticipated turnout, John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for Senate in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, spoke for roughly 11 minutes on Friday in his first public campaign appearance since suffering a stroke in May. Dressed in a hoodie and flanked by his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, at a convention center in Erie, Fetterman discussed his stroke and threw jabs at his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in front of an energized crowd his campaign said exceeded 1,300 people. "Let me just tell you right now, in front of everyone, Gisele saved my life."
Najib Mohammadi had high hopes for his life in the United States when he, his pregnant wife Susan and two small children left Afghanistan in July 2021. Mohammadi, 37, feels lucky he is safe and knows he is better off than others: he speaks English and the SIV program gives his family a pathway to citizenship. Earlier this year, an Afghan evacuee living in Pennsylvania whom Mohammadi had trained in the Afghan army called and asked him if life was easier in Sacramento.
Colleges and universities have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of students this fall, heralding a much-anticipated return to normalcy on campuses, with COVID-19 cases beginning to abate again across the country. “I think college campuses need to be very aware of the possibility” of monkeypox spreading into their student populations, Dr. Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and professor of public health at Montclair State University, told ABC News.
At least one person was killed and more than 20 others were injured when strong gusts of wind caused parts of a stage to fall at a music festival in Spain, officials said. Three of the injured were in serious condition on Saturday, an official with the Valencia government said. As the weather worsened, the organizers ordered the area around the stage to be evacuated, they said, adding, “Unfortunately, the devastating meteorological phenomenon caused some structures to cause unexpected events.”
Just a few months ago, the real estate market was favorable to people selling homes. The amount of buyers was increasing, the number of listings were down and interest rates were dropping, it seemed, across the country. “Today, week after week, we see more and more inventory come on the market and demand is down,” broker Justin Itzen, who sells high-end homes in Orange County, California, told ABC News’ “Nightline.”
The gun used in the fatal shooting on the "Rust" movie set could not have been fired without pulling the trigger, according to an FBI forensic report obtained Friday by ABC News. Actor Alec Baldwin shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western, which he was producing and starring in, last year. The actor believed he was handling a "cold gun" -- one without live ammunition -- when it went off and a live bullet struck Hutchins, killing her.
A redacted copy of the warrant and related papers from the FBI's search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago indicates that the Justice Department is investigating the potential violation of at least three separate criminal statutes, including under the Espionage Act. The filing -- released Friday by the court, at the government's request and with Trump's agreement -- includes the warrant, two attachments ("Attachment A" and "Attachment B") and an inventory of what was taken from Mar-a-Lago during the FBI operation on Monday in Palm Beach, Florida. Attachment B states that the property to be seized by agents includes "all physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime or other items illegally possessed" in violation of 18 USC 793, a statute under the Espionage Act involving the gathering, transmitting or loss of defense information; 18 USC 2071, which involves any federal government employee who willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records; and 18 USC 1519, obstruction of justice.
The Southern Baptist Convention announced Friday it is under investigation by the Department of Justice following the release of a 288-page report that found that the denomination's top leaders ignored sexual abuse allegations and disparaged survivors for more than two decades. "Individually and collectively each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation," a statement from organization leaders read. It continued, "While we continue to grieve and lament past mistakes related to sexual abuse, current leades across the SBC have demonstrated a firm conviction to address those issues of the past and are implementing measures to ensure they are never repeated in the future."
An Ohio boy was surprised with a puppy for his 12th birthday this week and his emotional reaction has social media users tearing up alongside him. Sarah Grimpo shared a TikTok video of her son's big surprise that has since been viewed more than 30 million times in just two days. The video shows Grimpo's son Adam unwrapping a birthday present, which turns out to be a "Stranger Things"-themed walkie-talkie dog toy and another basketball dog toy.
Every House Democrat on Friday voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) over uniform Republican opposition, sending the multibillion-dollar climate, health and tax bill to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The package, which similarly passed the Senate on Sunday along party lines, was approved around 6 p.m. by a vote of 220-207. Democrats in the chamber were seen celebrating what they are sure to champion as a legislative achievement -- which aims to make prescription drugs and health insurance cheaper while raising taxes on the wealthy, cutting the deficit, investing in clean energy and curbing climate change -- ahead of a contentious midterm cycle, when they will be up against the president's low approval ratings and other headwinds.
Whether you are planning a tropical vacation in the Caribbean or a day of relaxation in your backyard oasis, there are lots of little fashion and beauty buys that can help set the tone. From fabulous caftans to mood-setting candles, here are several items that certainly pass the vacation vibe check.
Perhaps no midterm primary is getting more attention than that of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, whose race next week could be the highest-profile test yet of the voter backlash -- or lack thereof -- to a Republican participating on the House Jan. 6 committee and whether anti-Trump conservatives have a path forward within their own party. As it stands, Cheney's chances for reelection are slim: Her opponent, Wyoming attorney Harriet Hageman, bests her in past head-to-head polling match-ups, according to FiveThirtyEight, helped in part by a blessing from former President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Cheney released an ad crystalizing her closing argument: The "big lie" about the 2020 election -- and Trump's embrace of it -- is ruining democracy.
