(LANSING, Mich.) -- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday ordered the state's National Guard to limit its mission in Washington exclusively to events tied to the nation's 250th anniversary celebration, drawing a line against the military's prolonged presence in the capital and threatening to pull Michigan troops if they're assigned to any other mission.

In a letter to Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, the commander of the Michigan National Guard, Whitmer wrote she "has not deployed—and will not deploy—the Michigan National Guard to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission," referring to the Guard's ongoing presence and patrols across the city.

"If the National Guard is unable or unwilling to ensure the Michigan National Guard is only supporting the America 250 mission," she added, "then I will end Michigan’s support for the America 250 mission."

The Michigan National Guard has deployed 161 troops to Washington in recent weeks, while Minnesota has sent another 107, according to service figures, making them the first Democrat-led states to contribute sizable contingents to the capital since President Donald Trump surged National Guard forces there in August.

Puerto Rico has also deployed 155 National Guard troops to the capital ahead of the July Fourth weekend, while the U.S. Virgin Islands has sent 83.

There is precedent for National Guard units from across the country being activated for major events in Washington, including presidential inaugurations and the response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It is likely National Guard units would again be drawn from multiple states to support security operations tied to America’s 250th birthday celebrations.

It remains unclear how the two missions -- ongoing security operations focused largely on high-traffic areas around the Capitol and downtown, and event-driven support for anniversary celebrations -- would be separated in practice.

For most of the so-called "Safe and Beautiful" mission, the force has been drawn almost entirely from Republican-led states, aside from the District of Columbia National Guard. Troops have largely been assigned to high-visibility patrols around Washington's tourist corridors and several downtown Metro stations, while also assisting with litter collection and graffiti removal.

The deployment has focused on some of the city's safest and most heavily trafficked areas and is expected to continue through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.

An analysis from the think tank Niskanen Center found that the Guard’s presence hasn’t reduced violent crime but has reduced property crime. It also noted troops are far more expensive than police officers, estimating it costs $607 per Guardsman per day, compared with roughly $384 per day for a D.C. police officer, underscoring the higher cost of relying on military personnel with limited legal authority and civil training.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated the Guard’s deployment to the capital would cost roughly $660 million this year, though that projection assumed an average force of about 3,000 troops, including pay, food and lodging for troops in hotels.

The estimate does not fully capture the federal government’s longer-term personnel costs, including the accrual of veterans’ benefits tied to active-duty service, such as retirement and education benefits.

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(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.) -- A car crashed into the outdoor dining area of an Urbane Cafe in Simi Valley, California, on Monday afternoon, killing one person and injuring five others, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 2:30 p.m. near Tierra Rejada and Madera roads in a busy shopping center, according to Simi Valley Police.

Aerial footage from ABC News Los Angeles station KABC showed a white Tesla lodged in the restaurant's outdoor patio after the collision.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while five others suffered minor injuries, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Authorities have not released the identity of the person who died, and additional information about the victims was not immediately available.

Investigators said they are still working to determine the cause of the crash. The Tesla driver was a 64-year-old woman with four juvenile passengers in the car, police told KABC.

The driver and one passenger were taken to a hospital for minor injuries, according to KABC.

"We're still trying to determine if speed was involved. We do know that the Tesla was going northbound through the parking lot. It was attempting to make a right-hand turn to go eastbound toward Madera and, unfortunately, did not make the turn and went over the sidewalk when it struck the female victim," Simi Valley police Sgt. Rick Morton told KABC.

Earlier this month, a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a home in Katy, Texas, killing a woman. Her family has since filed a lawsuit against Tesla and the driver, alleging the vehicle's driver-assistance technology contributed to the crash.

Tesla has disputed those claims, saying the driver manually overrode the system by pressing the accelerator. Federal safety officials are investigating the crash.

Authorities have not said whether any driver-assistance technology was engaged at the time of Monday's crash.

"We don't believe it was an intentional act, but until we can determine what the cause was, whether it was mechanical failure or there was impairment by the driver, it's still to be determined," Morton said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Doug Band, a former close adviser to President Bill Clinton, is on Capitol Hill Tuesday for a closed-door interview with the congressional committee probing the government's investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Band, who began his tenure with Clinton as an intern in the mid-1990s, is expected to be questioned by the House Oversight Committee about the former president's interactions and travels with Epstein in the years after Clinton left the Oval Office in 2001.

Often described as one of the architects of Clinton's post-presidential endeavors, including the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative, Band can also expect to be pressed about his own communications with Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, which were made public earlier this year by the Justice Department as part of the release of files mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

"We know that Mr. Band set up several meetings between Clinton and Epstein," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters on his way into the hearing room. "We know Mr. Band accompanied Mr. Clinton on several flights on Epstein's jet. We know that Mr. Band also had a lot of communication with Ms. Maxwell, so that'll be a topic of several questions."

Emails between Band and Maxwell included talk of meetings with Epstein and numerous exchanges containing suggestive innuendo and cheeky nicknames for each other like "babycakes" and "booboo," according to files released by the DOJ.

The bulk of the messages were exchanged between 2001-2004, before Epstein first faced criminal charges in Florida in 2006. 

Band, 54, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. An attorney expected to accompany Band to the interview did not reply to a message seeking comment in advance of Band's appearance in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Band told The New York Times that his messages with Maxwell occurred when he was in his 20s and unmarried -- and he denied any romantic involvement with Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking and other offenses.

"There was absolutely no physical relationship that occurred between us. Ever," Band said in a statement to the Times, in which he referred to Maxwell as "a monster."

The committee is also expected to query Band about his explosive claim -- reported by Vanity Fair in 2020 -- that the former president had visited Epstein's private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands in early 2003. The article, which centered on Band's contentious split with the Clintons, did not detail how Band knew about the purported island trip or if he had any evidence to bolster his claim.  

Records created by Epstein's pilots made public through civil litigation show Clinton -- and an entourage that typically included Band -- aboard Epstein's plane on more than two dozen flight legs in 2002-03, but none of those flights went to the island, according to the pilot's logs. Clinton, Epstein and Maxwell have all denied that the former president had ever been to Little St. James, as Epstein's island was known.

"He never, absolutely never went. And I can be sure of that because there's no way he would have gone," Maxwell told then then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a recorded interview last summer.

"I've never been to that island," Clinton said in his own interview with the Oversight Committee in February.

The former president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to his association with Epstein. He has said he stopped interacting with Epstein before any criminal allegations surfaced and has denied knowledge of any of Epstein's crimes.

Clinton told the committee that he and Band were once "close," and that Band had been one of the people he tasked to "operationalize" plans to develop the Clinton Global Initiative in his early post-presidency years.

"He worked for me for years," Clinton said. "[H]e arranged airplane flights and things like that and was doing work on the first Clinton Global Initiative in 2005. And I know that he knew both Epstein and Maxwell. I do not know to what extent he was in contact with them."

In her interview with Blanche, Maxwell said she began spending time with Clinton after he left the White House in 2001, as he was forging his post-presidential path through the establishment of the Clinton Foundation and, later, the Clinton Global Initiative.

"I was part of the beginning process of the Clinton Global Initiative. And that was something that I helped with and that was me, and Epstein may have helped me help them," she said, according to a transcript of the July 2025 interview.

"I started spending time with the former president and with Doug and his team," Maxwell said. "I had no purpose, really, other than I had -- obviously offered something. I don't know, ideas." 

Band's appearance before the Oversight Committee is voluntary and will not be recorded. The committee has typically released transcripts of interviews after they are reviewed for accuracy and redacted to remove any potential references to alleged victims.

In recent weeks the committee has heard from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and two of Epstein's former assistants, Sarah Kellen and Lesley Groff.

Later this summer, interviews are scheduled with former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz, and Epstein's former private banker at JPMorgan Chase, Jes Staley.

Comer has indicated that a report on the investigation's findings will be issued by the end of the year.

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(NEW YORK) --A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to the Midwest, the South and the East Coast this week.

The extreme heat hit the Midwest first. On Monday, the heat index -- what temperature it feels like with humidity-- soared to the triple digits in Minneapolis and Chicago.

On Tuesday, the worst of the heat will stretch from the Great Lakes to the South to the central Gulf Coast.

The heat index is forecast to hit 105 degrees in Chicago, 111 in Detroit, 110 in Louisville, Kentucky, 106 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 105 in Houston.

Chicago has activated cooling centers throughout the city, including at community service centers, senior centers, libraries, city colleges and police districts. Chicago Public Schools said all summer programming will be inside Monday through Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the heat will continue in the Midwest and the South and also spread into the Northeast.

The heat index is forecast to reach a scorching 108 degrees in Detroit, 105 degrees in Houston, 102 in New York City, and 104 in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The heat will stay in place in the Great Lakes and the South Thursday, with temperatures climbing even higher in the Northeast. The heat index could hit 107 degrees in New York City, 111 in Philadelphia and 110 in Washington, D.C.

There will be minimal relief overnight, which makes the heat even more dangerous.

The unrelenting heat continues Friday with the heat index forecast to reach 102 in Detroit, 106 in Memphis, Tennessee, 102 in Tampa, Florida, and 109 in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. At least 13,000 Americans have died from heat since 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On the Fourth of July on Saturday, the heat index will remain dangerously high, forecast to hit 104 in New York, 109 in Washington, D.C., and 108 in Philadelphia.

Click here for tips on how to stay safe.

ABC News' Dan Peck and Michelle Simmons contributed to this report.

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(TAMPA, Fla.) -- A judge in Florida set Detroit Lions NFL cornerback Terrion Arnold's bond at $1 million on Monday, denying the prosecutors' request that he remain held without bond on charges alleging he orchestrated a kidnapping in which three men were robbed and beaten at gunpoint.

The 23-year-old NFL player is one of seven people arrested in connection with the "targeted armed robbery" last February in Tampa, police said.

Arnold is accused of "coordinating and directing" the codefendants in an alleged conspiracy to "lure" the three men to an apartment, where prosecutors say they were beaten in retaliation for the alleged theft of more than $200,000 worth of Arnold's personal property from an Airbnb in which he had stayed with friends days earlier in Largo, Florida, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.

Arnold surrendered to authorities on Wednesday and was initially denied bond following his arrest on multiple armed robbery and kidnapping charges. He faces a potential sentence of up to life in prison if convicted on the charges, prosecutors said.

A county prosecutor alleged during a detention hearing in Tampa on Monday that Arnold was "the reason why this gets set in motion."

"There's three individuals that had guns pointed in their faces because of this defendant," Kevin Riley, an attorney with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office, said.

Defense attorney Harvey Steinberg asked the judge not to find probable cause. He argued that the evidence presented so far only shows that Arnold was "suspicious" that his phone was taken and wanted to confront someone, but that there is "zero evidence" that he was aware that there was going to be a beating or guns involved.

"Did my client direct them? Nope," Steinberg said.

Judge Christopher Sabella found there was probable cause, calling the case "serious," but denied the state's motion to detain Arnold ahead of trial. He set bond at $1 million, saying the amount was "consistent with the serious nature of the charges."

Among the bond conditions, Arnold must surrender his passport and is only allowed to leave his residence for work or legal purposes.

The state had asked that Arnold be required to wear an ankle monitor, which the judge denied after Arnold's defense argued that the monitor would make him unable to work due to strict NFL requirements regarding attire.

"I don't want to interfere with his ability to make a living," Sabella said, adding that he suspects Arnold will have a "paparazzi monitor" that will make his whereabouts known.

"If he shows up on a beach in Tahiti, he'll be on social media," Sabella said. "If he violates the conditions of his bond, he will be found."

Arnold, who was in handcuffs during the court appearance, could be seen smiling with his attorneys following the hearing.

The incident occurred on Feb. 4, three days after multiple items belonging to Arnold and others were stolen from an Airbnb he had rented, according to police. On Feb. 3, Arnold and others reported a loss totaling more than $250,000 to the Largo Police Department, police said.

The men, all in their late teens, were allegedly beaten and pistol-whipped by two of the co-defendants, while a third streamed the assault to Arnold and other suspects who were traveling to the apartment, police said. Investigators uncovered a group chat in which Arnold and another suspect allegedly gave directions during the assault, police said.

After arriving at the apartment, Arnold allegedly directed the other suspects to go inside, at which point the victims were robbed during the ongoing assault, police said. Their wallets, phones, jackets, cash and jewelry totaling more than $6,200 were stolen, according to the criminal report.

Nearly two hours after arriving at the apartment, the victims were escorted out by armed suspects and left in their vehicle, police said. Arnold never entered the apartment or interacted with the victims, based on the police statement.

The victims reported the incident to Tampa police and "positively identified the suspects," police said. The three victims had "visible injuries from being battered," police said.

Arnold allegedly suspected that two of the three victims were responsible for the theft, though investigators ultimately determined that none of them were involved, Tampa police said.

Cell phone evidence and "corroborating testimony" from the co-defendants also "helped establish Arnold's role in planning and directing the crimes," the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said.

Among the six codefendants arrested in connection with the case, four men are being held without bond, while two women pleaded guilty on Wednesday to robbery and kidnapping charges, according to the state attorney's office. As part of their plea agreements, they are required to testify truthfully in proceedings related to the case, the office said.

Arnold's sports management team said he "categorically denies any involvement in the matters underlying the allegations made against him and maintains his innocence."

"There is no credible evidence linking Mr. Arnold to these allegations," Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports and Entertainment Agency, said in a statement to ABC News. "Instead, the government appears to be relying on testimony from multiple convicted felons who have admitted their own involvement and may have substantial incentives to shift blame in an effort to lessen their sentences."

Following Monday's hearing, White said the the judge's ruling "confirms that there is very little evidence to even suggest any criminal involvement by Mr. Arnold."

The Lions said in a statement to ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ that they are "aware of the legal situation" involving Arnold and "will not comment at this time out of respect for the ongoing legal process."

Arnold, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, played at the University of Alabama and was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft.

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(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- A 31-year-old woman was killed by an alligator while swimming in a river in Florida, officials said.

The victim, her boyfriend and her best friend were hiking on Sunday when they stopped to swim in the Econlockhatchee River in Seminole County, just north of Orlando, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

They were in about 3 feet of water when an alligator bit the victim on both arms, FWC spokesperson Chad Weber said.

"The boyfriend was the one that made the [911] phone call. He was trying to get her from the alligator's mouth," Weber said at a news conference Monday.

The woman died on the way to the hospital, Weber said.

Two alligators in the area -- one 12 feet long and the other 13 feet long -- have been captured, according to officials. The FWC noted that 13 feet is considered a very large alligator.

Maj. Jay Russell with the FWC called the incident "incredibly tragic."

This attack comes two days after a 28-year-old man was killed by a crocodile on a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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(NEW YORK) -- A JetBlue Airways pilot reported hitting a drone as the flight was on approach for landing at JFK Airport on Monday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The plane, which was coming from Las Vegas, landed safely, and the airline and FAA said no damage or evidence of collision was found during the post-flight inspections. The agency will investigate the incident, it noted in its statement.

"Safety is JetBlue's first priority, and we will assist with any relevant investigations," the airline said in its statement.

The drone hit the JetBlue plane right above the cockpit and at about 3,000 feet, the pilot told an air traffic controller. The audio was recorded and obtained from ATC.com.

"We collided with a drone back there in the turn as we were coming to ASALT, just wanted to pass to you," the pilot tells an air traffic controller, referencing the waypoint for flights arriving in the New York City area.

The pilot noted that they did not need any assistance and were good to continue with the landing.

Though the FAA says it receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports each month, unauthorized drone operations near flights and airports are illegal under FAA regulation. The drone operators could be subject to fines, criminal charges and even possible jail time, according to the law.

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(NEW YORK) -- Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Edward Davis, current sports agent Paolo Zamorano and three others were indicted Monday for their alleged roles in a sports gambling scheme in which authorities said Beasley was bribed to manipulate his performance in NBA games.

With their inside knowledge, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Beasley’s co-defendants placed sports bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a Jan. 26, 2024 game between the Bucks and Cavaliers, Beasley allegedly told his then-Milwaukee teammate Davis he intended to underperform his usual rebounding prowess.  

In exchange, Beasley expected a bribe payment and Davis disseminated the information to co-defendants so they could place fraudulent wagers, the indictment said.

Many of the fraudulent wagers were successful, authorities said.

The following month, when the Bucks were playing the Hornets, Beasley allegedly told Davis he would underperform his usual scoring and overperform his rebounding.  

Davis allegedly passed the information to co-defendants and they placed successful fraudulent wagers, the indictment said.

In a third example from the indictment, Beasley allegedly told Davis he would overperform his rebounding in a March 2024 game against the Clippers.

"An indictment is nothing but a probable cause one sided charging document," Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney said in a statement. "It is not evidence and Malik maintains his presumption of innocence throughout this two year investigation.  We ask that people reserve judgment until all the facts are known."

In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators placed fraudulent wagers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars conditioned on Beasley’s fixed performance in the influenced games at issue via multiple betting operators, the indictment said.

“As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, bribing then-NBA player Malik Beasley to fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers, enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks,” said United States Attorney Joseph Nocella.

“Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a current NBA player agent who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public.”

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(NEW YORK) -- Accused killer Luigi Mangione will stand trial in Manhattan federal court beginning Jan. 5 with jury selection, followed by opening statements on Jan. 25, Judge Margaret Garnett said Monday.

Garnett said she hoped to hold the trial this fall but Mangione's state trial, scheduled to begin Sept. 8, makes that "impossible."

“In my view it's simply impossible for us to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully engaged in the state trial,” Garnett said.

Mangione, wearing beige jail clothing, did not speak during Monday's hearing. His appearance was delayed about 20 minutes after he got stuck in an elevator with U.S. marshals.

Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said New York State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro will hold firm to the Sept. 8 start.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he stalked UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson before shooting and killing him in December 2024 in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione has also pleaded not guilty to state charges.

For the federal trial, hundreds of prospective jurors from Manhattan, the Bronx and New York City's northern suburbs will fill out questionnaires in December. Garnett said she would not post the questionnaire on the public docket until all prospective jurors finish filling it out, saying that the need for a fair and impartial jury overrides the customary expectation of public access to the document.

The defense said it might ask the judge to include additional questions depending on the outcome of Mangione's state trial.

The jury will be comprised of 12 jurors and six alternates.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Supreme Court has denied President Donald Trump's appeal of the $5 million jury finding in the 2022 defamation case brought against him by the writer E. Jean Carroll. 

The decision means the judgment against Trump stands and that he will have to pay it.

A New York jury in 2023 awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after it found Trump liable for sexually abusing her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s, and for defaming her in 2022 when he denied the allegations by calling them "a Hoax and a lie" and saying, "This woman is not my type!"

Responding to Monday's decision, Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement, "Today's Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll. His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today's ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions."

Trump had argued that the judge in the case should not have allowed the jury to view an excerpt from the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump is heard describing lewd behavior that he downplayed as "locker room talk." 

Trump also faulted the trial judge for allowing testimony from two women -- Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff -- who claimed that Trump had sexually assaulted them, which Trump denies.

A federal appeals court said the evidence was properly admitted and, even if it wasn't, there was no major harm to Trump. 

"The petition does not challenge -- indeed, does not mention -- the Second Circuit's holding that were there any error here, it did not prejudice petitioner," Kaplan argued.

Trump is also appealing a separate but related defamation judgment involving Carroll that ordered him to pay $83 million.

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(NEW YORK) -- Alex Murdaugh is back in court on Monday for the first time since the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his double murder conviction over “shocking jury interference.”

Newly assigned Judge Debra McCaslin is set to hold a status conference to determine a schedule for a new trial as well as resolve some evidentiary issues.  

The status conference comes more than three years after a South Carolina jury found Murdaugh guilty of murdering his son and wife in a gruesome crime that captured global headlines.

The South Carolina Supreme Court threw out that conviction last month after concluding that a court clerk tainted the jury’s verdict by making comments to the jurors that “egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility and his defense.”

“Both the State and Murdaugh's defense skillfully presented their cases to the jury as the trial court deftly presided over this complicated and high-profile matter. However, their efforts were in vain because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the ruling said.

Murdaugh has remained in prison since the ruling, as he is also serving out concurrent sentences for state and federal financial crimes, to which he pleaded guilty. While Murdaugh has acknowledged he lied and stole from his former clients, he has consistently maintained his innocence related to the 2021 double murder.

“Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided,” Murdaugh’s lawyers said after the May ruling. His lawyers recently filed a civil lawsuit against Hill for allegedly violating his right to a fair trial.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson -- who recently won the Republican primary for governor -- has vowed to “aggressively” retry the murder case “as soon as possible.” Monday’s conference is likely to provide the first indications of how quickly the case might be retried.

Ahead of the conference, Murdaugh’s lawyers filed a series of motions to change the venue of the trial and access evidence in the case. They have argued that Murdaugh cannot have a fair trial in the countries where his family name has been “synonymous with the local legal system for nearly a century.”

“The basis for this motion is that this is among the most heavily publicized criminal prosecutions in the history of this State. For years Defendant, his family, and the law firm with which his family was associated for generations have been the subject of saturating, sensational, and continuous media coverage,” the motion said.

Murdaugh’s lawyers also filed motions to request access to DNA evidence in the case for independent lab testing, as well as enable Murdaugh to access a computer to review evidence from prison.

Prosecutors have not yet filed their response to those motions. 

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(JACKSON, Miss) -- Police in Mississippi are searching for a suspect after two woman and a toddler were shot and killed on Saturday.

The women, aged 26 and 20, were found dead alongside a 2-year-old, Jackson Police Department Chief RaShall Brackney told reporters early on Sunday.

Police had responded to a call for an aggravated assault on the 300 block of Queen Alexandria Lane at about 10:10 p.m. on Saturday, Brackney said, adding, "And what they found was something horrifying."

All three victims had "multiple" gunshot wounds, she said.

Police early on Sunday said they were searching for a Red Mitsubishi Mirage that "was taken." Brackney did not say whether police had identified a suspect, but said that the person who had taken the vehicle was thought to be "armed and dangerous and is related to this triple homicide that we have here."

In an update later on Sunday, police said they had found the vehicle in North Jackson, but it was "unoccupied at the time it was located."

Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement that the city would begin deploying additional resources to combat gun violence.

"Our city is hurting. In recent days, we have seen a troubling rise in gun-related violence, shootings, and senseless loss of life," he said. "No family should have to face the pain of losing a loved one to violence. Violence against the innocent is intolerable, and as your Mayor, I will not accept this as the norm for our community."

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(NEW YORK) -- A woman was killed on Sunday in Tennessee as she attempted to rescue her son, who had been swept away in high waters, a local sheriff's office said, as a flash flood threat was in effect for parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, where four other deaths were recorded.

The Grainger County Sheriff's Department in Tennessee said Mary Evelyn Nicole Manning-Kellione, 39, was killed on Sunday after she went to rescue her son after rising water carried him into a culvert.

"The son was able to surface at the other end and came to safety when he realized his mother was in the water," the office said in a statement. "Rescue personnel located the individual lodged inside the culvert."

The National Weather Service (NWS) Prediction Center had upgraded the flood threat on Sunday for parts of Kentucky and Tennessee to a level 3 out of 4 "moderate risk."

Kentucky residents had been bracing for another round of relentless rain, a day after flash flooding killed at least four people and the governor declared a state of emergency.

The heaviest rain had been expected in southeast Kentucky and parts of Tennessee, including Owensboro and Somerset, Kentucky, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible, according to the NWS, and daily totals could reach up to five inches in some parts.

Several flash-flood warnings were issued on Sunday morning as ongoing heavy rain and flooding were reported in southern Indiana and northeast Tennessee.  A flash flood emergency has been issued for Metcalf, Cumberland and Clinton counties for ongoing life-threatening flooding, according to the NWS. Between 2.6 and 8 inches of rain have reportedly fallen over these areas.

There have been reports of multiple water rescues with some evacuations and homes flooded in Clinton County. Clinton County and the City of Albany, Kentucky, have issued states of emergency due to ongoing flooding.

Northwest North Carolina, which was hit by flash floods over the weekend, is also at an "elevated risk" of flash flooding on Sunday, according to the NWS.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update early Sunday afternoon in a video posted to X, saying in part that nine counties in all had declared states of emergency, some of which "got hit with record or almost record amounts of rain in very short periods of time," he said. Search and rescue efforts remain underway, he said.

Beshear advised residents to stay off of the roads if they can. "Bridges have been wiped out, entire roads have been wiped away and there is still standing and moving water,” he said. He added that he'd activated the state's price-gouging laws to prevent merchants from increasing prices on essential goods, and had also signed an emergency order “so pharmacies in areas that are hit can go ahead and fill people’s prescriptions that have been washed away or are no longer safe to take.”

The severe weather comes after a weekend of deadly flash flooding that occurred in Kentucky.

More than 10 inches of rain fell on Saturday in parts of the state, prompting flash flooding and deaths.

Beshear announced late Saturday that four people were killed in floods that hit central Kentucky and spread into northeast Tennessee and northwest North Carolina.

"Kentucky, I have some tough news to share," the governor wrote in a social media post on Saturday, announcing the deaths.

Three fatalities occurred in Madison County, Kentucky, and one flood-related death happened in Jackson County, Beshear said.

According to the Madison County Coroner, of the three fatalities in the county, two of the deaths, one adult male and one adult female, occurred at a residence in Richmond.

The third death was an adult male who was swept away in his vehicle on Tates Creek Road in Madison County, the coroner said.

Beshear declared a statewide state of emergency on Saturday.

“This is a serious flooding event, where teams have already had to conduct multiple water rescues from vehicles and homes across the commonwealth," Beshear said.

As crews from Kentucky to North Carolina clean up from the storms, a prolonged spell of extreme heat is forecast to settle in across the Midwest and Northeast this week.

Heat alerts have been issued across the Plains to the Ohio Valley and south to the Tennessee and Mississippi Valleys.

An excessive heat warning has been posted for Kansas City, Missouri, through Thursday night.

Temperatures in Kansas City are expected to climb into the 90s on Sunday.

On Monday, widespread highs in the 90s are forecast across the country's midsection, but high humidity will make it feel hotter.

Excessive heat watches are expected to go into effect for Minneapolis and Chicago on Monday, with the temperature feeling like the triple digits during the afternoon hours.

In Minneapolis, the temperature could feel like 110 on Monday afternoon.

-ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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(LOS ANGELES) -- As several wildfires burn across the West, parts of the Four Corners region will once again see an extremely critical fire weather danger which could help current or new fires rapidly grow and become more dangerous.

The largest wildfire in Utah, the Cottonwood Fire, has burned more than 71,000 acres and remains 0% contained. Meanwhile, the Iron Fire has burned more than 40,000 acres and is 38% contained, while the Cherry Fire -- a merger of the Maple Peak Fire and the original Cherry Fire -- has burned an estimated 20,000 acres and is 0% contained.

Six states in the West are under Red Flag Warnings for dangerous fire weather conditions today, with some continuing to see them through Sunday.

The greatest risk area for fire weather conditions later Saturday is for parts of the Four Corners: eastern Utah, western Colorado, northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. This area is under the level 3 of 3 threat with an extremely critical fire weather risk in place. Hot, extremely dry and windy conditions are bringing favorable conditions for new fires to spark and spread rapidly.

Vegetation in the area is incredibly dry, providing ample, quick-burning fuel for wildfires. In the extreme risk area, sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph are forecast with relative humidity values dipping into the single digits.

These conditions will promote extreme fire behavior in an area already dealing with large uncontrolled wildfires. Existing wildfires could explode in size and move erratically with new fires potentially growing rapidly as well.

Breezy and dry conditions will continue across this portion of the West this weekend; however, cooler temperatures will be settling in.

All of this comes after many states in the West, including Utah, saw their lowest snowpack on record this winter and are now under extreme drought conditions, which is furthering the critical fire weather danger in the region.

Severe thunderstorms and flooding
The threat for flash flooding and severe storms continues in parts of the country on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, rounds of heavy rain are moving through parts of southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, and these areas remain under a Flood Watch until later this morning for the potential of flash flooding.

Flood Watches extend from southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas to northern West Virginia and southern Ohio for potentially heavy rain today into tomorrow. This includes places such as Charleston, West Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Evansville, Indiana; and Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Some of these pockets of rain could have strong storms that produce gusty winds and lightning.

Two pockets of severe weather for Saturday include those centered over North Carolina and the other up towards the northern High Plains.

For much of North Carolina, a level 2 of 5 threat for severe storms is up for later Saturday into the evening for the potential for storms producing damaging winds.

Back towards the northern High Plains, a level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk” of severe storms is up for parts of west-central North Dakota, eastern Montana and northwest South Dakota – including Minot, North Dakota, and Glendive, Montana.

A level 2 of 5 threat for severe storms extends further into Montana and the Dakotas and also reaches down to western Nebraska, which includes Bismarck, North Dakota; Rapid City, South Dakota; Sheridan, Wyoming; and Valentine, Nebraska.

Storms here could produce damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.

Extreme heat on the move
Over the weekend, extreme heat will be building in the center of the country, starting in the southern Plains on Saturday and becoming more expansive across the central U.S. by Sunday.

There is growing confidence that a dangerous heat wave will impact millions across the Midwest early next week, with big heat also building across much of the East Coast by midweek.

By Monday, widespread highs in the 90s are forecast across the Midwest, with afternoon temperatures soaring into the upper 90s in Minneapolis.

Humid conditions will make it feel even hotter with heat index values potential reaching the triple digits in many areas.

Chicago and Detroit will see highs reaching the mid-to- upper 90s by Tuesday and Wednesday.

And a large swath of the I-95 corridor is set for a heat wave beginning Tuesday as the heat builds east, with temperatures at or above 90 from Washington, D.C., to New York and stay through at least midweek.

Meanwhile in the West, below average temperatures arriving this weekend will likely linger across the region through at least the first half of next week. 

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(NEW YORK) -- A child visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was injured by a bison on Friday, according to park officials.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time near Mud Volcano, just north of Fishing Bridge.

The 12-year-old visitor was transported by emergency medical personnel to a nearby hospital, according to a release from Yellowstone National Park, which did not detail the extent of the injuries.

No further details on the encounter were released. The incident remains under investigation.

Park officials warned that the wildlife in Yellowstone, including bison, can be dangerous and become aggressive if people "do not respect their space."

"Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal," the park said. "They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened."

Last year, park officials reported two separate incidents of a person being gored by a bison in Yellowstone after approaching it too closely.

There were two reported incidents of a person injured by a bison in 2024 and one in 2023, park officials said.

Park goers are advised to stay at least 25 yards away from all large animals -- including bison, as well as elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes -- and at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars.

"If wildlife approach you, move away to maintain the required distance," the park said. "Never approach, touch, feed or crowd wildlife, even if an animal appears calm."

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(LOS ANGELES) -- The judge declared a mistrial Friday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year, with the jury unable to reach a verdict.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of "maliciously" starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

He was indicted on three federal counts -- destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire -- which carry up to 45 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty.

The jury began deliberating Wednesday morning. They reported being deadlocked Thursday afternoon, noting that there were two jurors with unwavering stances. The jury remained deadlocked on Friday, with 10 for not guilty and two for guilty, and Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said his office plans to retry the case.

"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," Essayli said in a statement on social media. "We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts."

Rinderknecht's attorney, Steve Haney, said the jury was deadlocked on all three charges, including one accusing him of starting the initial fire. He maintained that Rinderknecht never set that fire and said his client was "encouraged" that the jury "resoundingly found that the government's case was not strong."

"Obviously, an acquittal would have been preferred," Haney added, though he called the 10-2 deadlock a "resounding defeat for the government."

Haney said the government needed a "scapegoat" and "picked on the convenient loner."

"All they did is attack his character and present no evidence, no direct evidence at all, that he maliciously started a fire," Haney said.

One of the jurors who was on the not guilty side told reporters that she felt there were a "lot of holes" in the government's case.

"I don't think there was enough evidence to say he started the first fire," Syrena, 49, who declined to give her last name, told reporters upon leaving the Los Angeles courthouse on Friday.

Even if she did find him guilty of starting the first fire, she said she didn't feel comfortable blaming someone for the Palisades Fire if the initial fire wasn't properly extinguished.

"I'm not going to put somebody down for that entire thing," she said.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025.

Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds and eventually became the Palisades Fire, which leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.

Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident, was arrested in Florida nine months after the Palisades Fire.

Prosecutors alleged he was upset about a past relationship, was fixated on wealth disparity and climate change in messages with ChatGPT and wanted "revenge" against society for his problems.

The government also alleged he was fixated on Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Following the December 2024 shooting, they say he searched for news on Mangione as well as used the search terms "free Luigi Mangione," "lets take down all the billionaires" and "reddit lets kill all the billionaires." 

Prosecutors said Rinderknecht ended up working on Dec. 31, 2024, because he had no plans to celebrate New Year's Eve. They said he went to Skull Rock Trailhead in Topanga State Park after dropping off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades.

They alleged he used a BIC lighter to ignite the Lachman Fire, which they said was not found to be caused by lightning, fireworks or power lines. 

Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times to report the fire while close to the ignition site of the Lachman Fire, and took videos of it, according to prosecutors. He also made a screen-recording on his iPhone of himself attempting to call 911, which prosecutors argued during closing statements was suspicious and pointed to his guilt.

When interviewed in the wake of the Palisades Fire, he told investigators that he saw no fireworks in the area when the Lachman Fire started, prosecutors said. When asked why someone would start a fire in the Pacific Palisades, he mentioned wealth disparity could be one of the reasons why, according to prosecutors.

The defense said Rinderknecht went to the area to watch fireworks, and argued that the Lachman Fire was started by fireworks. Haney said Rinderknecht called 911 to try to stop the fire, and that the government found no evidence that he was planning a fire.

During closing statements, Haney argued there was no direct evidence supporting that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire and questioned the government's theory that it was a "holdover" blaze that developed into the Palisades Fire.

Over two weeks, jurors heard testimony from arson and fire experts, saw digital and cellular evidence and heard audio of Rinderknecht's interviews with investigators and his 911 call reporting the Lachman Fire. They also heard testimony from those impacted by the Palisades Fire.  

The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, allowed them to spread quickly.

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(CALIFORNIA) -- A U.S. soldier died earlier this month after being struck by an M2 Bradley fighting vehicle during a large-scale training exercise in California, an Army spokesperson said.

Adrian Bonsey, 29, was a combat engineer assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

Bonsey was on foot June 10 in a training area in the Mojave Desert during hours of limited visibility when he was run over by the 27-ton armored vehicle at about 4:30 a.m., the spokesperson said. The incident remains under investigation.

"This is a devastating loss for our entire division," Maj. Gen. John Lubas, the 3rd Infantry Division commander, said in a statement. "Adrian was an exceptional soldier who was committed to our mission and proudly serving our nation. We are heartbroken and will wrap our arms around his family, loved ones and fellow Soldiers during this difficult time."

Bonsey, a New York native, joined the Army in 2023, and was stationed at Fort Stewart for two months, the Army said. He previously served at Fort Carson, Colorado, and deployed to Poland in 2024.

The Bradley is manned by a three-soldier main crew and built to carry six additional troops into combat while providing fire support with its 25mm chain gun and M240C 7.62mm machine gun. It is also armed with TOW anti-tank missiles. The vehicles were heavily relied upon during the early years of the Iraq war.

Bonsey was taking part in a significant training exercise at the National Training Center, located in the Mojave Desert, the Army's premier combat training venue, where units spend about a month conducting large-scale exercises designed to replicate war conditions. The rotations serve as the Army's final validation before units are considered ready for potential combat deployments abroad.

The Army lost 31 soldiers in training accidents in 2025, with fatalities split between aircraft crashes and ground incidents, Army figures show. Most of the ground deaths involved military vehicles, often in rollover incidents.

Since 2020, the service has averaged roughly two vehicle-related fatalities each month, but have been on a downward trend since the mid-2000s when deaths were triple, coinciding with frantic scrambles to train units to pour them into the Iraq war surge.

Army investigations have repeatedly pointed to the same factors contributing to fatal training incidents including sleep deprivation, inadequate training and inexperienced leaders supervising high-risk exercises. In some cases, commanders overseeing the training had only recently assumed their positions, the investigations found.

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(WASHINGTON) -- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he had issued two subpoenas to Leon Black after Comer said the private equity billionaire refused to answer some of the committee's questions about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during Black's closed-door appearance before the panel Friday.

Black, who was appearing before the panel as part of its ongoing probe into the government's investigation of Epstein, walked out of his transcribed interview during questioning.

Comer told reporters that the two subpoenas compel Black to appear for a deposition on July 16 as well as produce purported nondisclosure agreements that he was questioned about.

"During today's voluntary transcribed interview, Mr. Black stated he wouldn't answer questions about NDAs. Answers about the terms and substance of these NDAs are critical to our investigation," Comer said. "We owe it to the American people to provide transparency and ensure accountability for survivors."

"NDAs are between him and other women. We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDA? We don't know everything about the NDAs, so that's very important to our investigation, so the subpoenas were issued. We expect to see back here in a few weeks," Comer said.

"This is very important for our investigation, Comer said. "We knew for a long time there were NDAs out there by various people. Obviously, they're very hard to obtain, and with this subpoena, we expect to get those NDAs in hand."

Asked about Black's responses during the interview, Comer said, "his response was that he wasn't allowed to discuss the terms of the NDAs."

Ranking committee member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said he agreed with Comer's decision to issue the subpoenas.

"The NDAs are central to us understanding what actually happened. There are real accusations, and there are survivors who have accused Mr. Black of horrific things," Garcia told reporters.

Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, claimed to reporters that the decision to serve Black with the subpoenas during the interview was "a premeditated political decision" and claimed that Epstein "had no involvement" with the purported nondisclosure agreements.

"They made a premeditated political decision to serve him with subpoenas after less than an hour of questioning, and before they even asked a single question about his legitimate payments to Epstein," she said. "This was nothing more than a planned political stunt. Mr. Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not."

The latest in a series of rich and powerful people questioned about their relationship with Epstein as part of the Oversight panel's probe, Black maintained a social relationship with Epstein since the mid-1990s and eventually paid him more than $170 million for "tax and estate planning advice," according to the Senate Finance Committee.

Black has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes, though his financial payments to Epstein served as a lifeline to the convicted sex offender in the years after Epstein's 2008 prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told reporters after Black's appearance, "this is the first time" a witness during this probe has walked out in the middle of an interview.

"It's because we had very important questions about Leon Black's past with Jeffrey Epstein," he said. "This is also the first time I heard someone gush poetically about how smart and how great Jeffrey Epstein was."

"He was smug," Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Az., said of Black's appearance. "He refused to answer the questions but at the same time was emphasizing how he was being transparent because this was voluntary. But when pressed on critical questions about his own sexual abuse and the allegations against him and non-disclosure agreements, he absolutely refused to answer these questions," she said.

Ansari said Black was "speaking fondly of Epstein while also claiming they were not close."

'Bona fide advice'

In his appearance before the committee Friday, Black said he was unaware of Epstein's "demonic life" and that the money he paid Epstein was for legitimate services and "bona fide advice," according to a copy of his opening remarks reviewed by ABC News.

Black's prepared remarks during his closed-door interview cast him as the victim of "ugly and vicious" narratives around Epstein, saying he has been the subject of baseless allegations and conspiracy theories about Epstein and that "extraordinary damage has been done to me and my family."

"I wish I had never met Epstein. I regret ever doing business with him. My association with him, the frivolous but destructive litigation, the endless rumor mill, have created a toxic environment for my wife and family, which I deeply regret," the prepared remarks said.

Addressing the massive amount of money he paid Epstein, Black, in his remarks, said those were legitimate payments and that he was never blackmailed by Epstein.

"Let me state unequivocally that I have never abused a woman. I have never been with an underage woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I was never blackmailed by Epstein. I was not involved with, and had no knowledge of, any of Epstein's heinous conduct," his prepared remarks said.

According to Black, Epstein lived a "Jekyll and Hyde" existence and that he, at first, only saw the positive side, including his "unrivaled network of relationships with individuals in finance, academia, science, politics." Black, in his remarks, said his relationship with Epstein began as personal but grew overtime to helping manage his family investment office.

"With hindsight, I now see that Epstein exaggerated, embellished, manipulated, and outright lied -- prolifically and without concern for me or my family. And I now see that his deceit was not limited to me but also extended to numerous highly sophisticated individuals," Black's prepared remarks said.

While Black said that Epstein "took credit for other people's ideas" and made false claims about investments, Black also argued Epstein was able to resolve "a massive estate problem" for him that "would have destroyed enormous value." According to Black's remarks, he originally thought he was paying Epstein $95 million in net fees, though that was actually $158 million because Epstein lied about the tax deductibility of the payment.

Black also said in his prepared remarks that he was aware of Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, but that Epstein lied about the nature of the crime.

"Epstein told me that it was an isolated incident resulting from a fake ID. Five years after his conviction, I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I had not," he said, according to his prepared remarks.

According to Black, he cut ties with Epstein in 2018 after Epstein failed to repay most of a $30 million loan. Black said he grew "tired of his relentless pursuit of more and more money from me for professional services."

While Black, according to his remarks, said that he was "glad" to answer the committee's questions, he noted that he will "not speak about the personal lives of adult women" that he believes should not be connected to Epstein.

"I am here to voluntarily answer questions about the work that Epstein did for me and for the services for which I paid him. I am not here to answer questions about my personal life which would be hurtful to my wife, children and family. And I will not speak about the personal lives of adult women who have not chosen, and do not deserve, to be connected, by me or anyone else, to Epstein," Black said, per his remarks.

'The most groundbreaking deposition'

Comer told reporters before Friday's proceedings that this "could be a pretty significant" interview.

"So, of all the witnesses that have come thus far, this one has the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition, in my opinion," Comer said.

"There's a lot of concerning things in the documents. There are a lot of statements from the survivors that are very concerning as well, with respect to Mr. Black," Comer said.

The chairman said the committee would ask Black "hundreds and hundreds of questions about financial transactions, about bank violations, about emails, documents, pictures, and communication with survivors."

Comer said the committee's investigation is "on a timeline."

"This Congress will expire the end of this year, so we want to certainly get done as quickly as possible, said Comer, who added that "we hope" acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will sit for an interview.

"I'll remind everyone the purpose of our investigation to get the truth to the American people and determine how the government failed the survivors by not prosecuting Epstein," Comer said.

Garcia told reporters prior to Black's appearance that Epstein "would not have been able to commit the horrific crimes without the support of Mr. Black."

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said, "We want him to answer the tough questions about what he knew about Jeffrey Epstein and whether he was involved with some of the crimes himself."

"Leon Black was one of Jeffrey Epstein's primary sources of income, flooding him with cash at a time when he was already a registered sex offender. Black has not yet offered a compelling explanation regarding the origination and execution of Epstein's extraordinary compensation scheme for alleged tax advice," Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in a letter to the House Oversight Committee earlier this month. The Senate Finance Committee is leading its own investigation of Epstein's finances.

Black has long been scrutinized over his relationship with the disgraced financier -- describing it as a "horrible mistake" -- and was forced out of his firm Apollo Global Management following an external investigation that revealed payments to Epstein totaling at least $158 million.

"Knowing all that I have learned in the past two years about Epstein's reprehensible and despicable conduct, I deeply regret having had any involvement with him," Black said during a 2020 Apollo earnings call. "With the benefit of hindsight, working with him was a horrible mistake on my part. I am not seeking to excuse that decision, but I do believe it may be helpful to convey some relevant facts."

While the investigation concluded that Black and others were aware of Epstein's 2008 conviction, a report summarizing its findings said that Black was not "involved in any way with Epstein's criminal activities at any time" or aware of the "scope and details" of Epstein's sex trafficking. Black has never been charged with a crime.

"When Black first retained Epstein, he believed that Epstein had served his time for the originally charged offenses and believed that it was not inappropriate to give Epstein a second chance, as many other prominent figures in business, science, politics and academia had done," the report said.

'Saving you from yourself'

The release of the Department of Justice's Epstein files earlier this year cast more scrutiny on Black, whose name appears in the files more than 8,000 times. Epstein at one point appeared to serve as a middleman to pay $100,000 to a woman with whom Black allegedly had an affair, according to emails included in the files, and routinely served as a fixer for issues involving his finances.

"Leon, as you are well aware, there is little I won't do for you or at least try to do as a friend, and a great deal that I have already done (both known and some things that will need to remain unknown)," Epstein wrote to Black in a 2014 email. In another email in 2017, Epstein described his relationship with Black as "saving you from yourself."

In a statement to ABC News, Black's attorney Susan Estrich pointed to the external investigation conducted for Apollo that found Black "had no awareness of the criminal activities that led to Epstein's arrest in 2019" and noted that Black has called for an independent investigation of his relationship with Epstein.

Wyden of the Senate Finance Committee has called on the House Oversight members to scrutinize the $170 million that Black paid Epstein between 2012 and 2017 for purported tax and estate planning. According to Wyden, those payments are sixty times more than what Epstein paid his other tax and estate professionals during the same timeframe.

"Black is a well-advised businessman with access to sophisticated attorneys, yet it appears Epstein was able to shake him down for money that he wasn't legally owed. This suggests that Epstein may have extorted Black or performed other unseemly tasks on his behalf," Wyden wrote earlier this month.

Attorneys for Black have pushed back against Wyden's accusations, accusing him of harassment and saying that the billionaire has cooperated "voluntarily and without compulsion."

"We are aware of no other private citizen subjected to more written requests from you over the same period," Black's attorneys wrote in an April 2026 letter to Wyden. "Your continued attempts to invade into matters pertaining to Mr. Black's personal life -- without the support of any legitimate legislative purpose -- appear targeted to unfairly harass Mr. Black in a manner that completely disregards the proper scope of Congress's investigative powers."

According to the 2021 external report, Epstein was paid proportionally to the amount of money he saved Black and that Epstein "provided advice that conferred more than $1 billion and as much as $2 billion or more in value to Black"; however, the report also acknowledged that Epstein's advice was often not useful and that he was "generally a disruptive and caustic force."

The external report said investigators found "no evidence suggesting that Black ever compensated Epstein for any service other than Epstein's legitimate advice on trust and estate planning" and other issues. 

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(GREENBELT, Md.) -- President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal retention of national security information. 

Bolton entered his plea to the single felony count in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang.

The guilty plea makes Bolton thus far the only successfully prosecuted case in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies.

Bolton had faced 18 counts of unlawful transmission and retention of national defense information for allegedly sharing notes with his wife and daughter -- some of which contained information classified as high as Top Secret -- during his time serving in the first Trump administration.

Bolton changed his plea to guilty with respect to count 12 of his indictment. 

Sitting in court Friday alongside his attorney Abbe Lowell, Bolton answered a series of questions from Judge Chuang acknowledging his rights and his voluntary decision to plead guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

When asked if he was pleading guilty because he is, in fact, guilty, Bolton responded to Chuang: "I am, your honor, I'm sorry for it."

Judge Chuang set Bolton’s sentencing hearing for Oct. 28. 

According to terms of the plea agreement outlined by prosecutors in court, the government will not seek a sentence of more than 60 months and Bolton has agreed to forfeit approximately $2.2 million to resolve the case.

Judge Chuang will ultimately have final discretion over how much time Bolton could serve, if any. 

Bolton also agreed to serve 100 hours of community service and is forfeiting any retirement pay tied to his time in federal service. 

The count he pleaded guilty to involves keeping classified national security information in diaries, according to sources. Bolton was expected to maintain that he did not take documents with classification markings out of government offices. 

"Mr. Bolton knew how to handle classified information, where it should be stored, how it should be stored, and with whom he could share that information," U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes told reporters outside court following Bolton's guilty plea. "He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information. Nevertheless, as Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law." 

Hayes said the specific count Bolton pleaded guilty to involved Bolton's unlawful retention of intelligence about an adversary's plans for an attack conducted against U.S. forces in another country. 

"It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program," Hayes said.

Bolton, who was national security adviser for part of the first Trump administration, was indicted by a grand jury in October 2025 on charges that he allegedly unlawfully transmitted and retained classified documents.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Maryland, charged Bolton with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information as well as 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information. 

Prosecutors had accused Bolton of using a non-government personal email account and messaging application to transmit to two unauthorized family members at least eight documents that contained information classified at levels ranging from "secret" to "top secret."

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(TAMPA, Fla.) -- Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold faces multiple felony charges in Florida for allegedly orchestrating a kidnapping in which three men were robbed and beaten at gunpoint, authorities said.

The 23-year-old NFL player is one of seven people arrested in connection with the "targeted armed robbery" in Tampa, police said. 

Arnold is accused of "coordinating and directing" the codefendants to "lure" the three men to an apartment, where they were allegedly beaten in retaliation for the alleged theft of more than $200,000 worth of his personal property from an Airbnb he had stayed at with friends days earlier in Largo, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.

The men, all in their late teens, were allegedly beaten and pistol-whipped by two of the co-defendants, while a third streamed the assault to Arnold and other suspects who were traveling to the apartment, police said. Investigators uncovered a group chat in which Arnold and another suspect allegedly gave directions during the assault, police said.

After arriving at the apartment, Arnold allegedly directed the other suspects to go inside, at which point the victims were robbed during the ongoing assault, police said.

Nearly two hours after arriving at the apartment, the victims were escorted out by armed suspects and left in their vehicle, police said. Arnold is not said to have entered the apartment or interacted with the victims, based on the police statement.

The incident occurred on Feb. 4, three days after multiple items belonging to Arnold and others were stolen from an Airbnb he had rented, according to police. On Feb. 3, Arnold and others reported a loss totaling more than $250,000 to the Largo Police Department, police said. 

Arnold allegedly suspected that two of the three victims were responsible for the theft, though investigators ultimately determined that none of them were involved, Tampa police said. 

"Investigators believe, based on evidence gathered, that Arnold was the primary conspirator," the Tampa Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.

The victims reported the incident to Tampa police and "positively identified the suspects," police said. The three victims had "visible injuries from being battered," police said.

Cell phone evidence and "corroborating testimony" from the co-defendants also "helped establish Arnold's role in planning and directing the crimes," the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said.

Arnold surrendered to authorities Wednesday night, prosecutors said. He was booked on four counts of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping, online jail records show. He faces a potential sentence of up to life in prison if convicted on the charges, prosecutors said.

He remains held on no bond following his initial appearance in Hillsborough County court on Thursday. His pretrial detention hearing has been scheduled for Monday. The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said it plans to argue that Arnold should remain behind bars until his trial.

Among the six codefendants arrested in connection with the case, four men are being held without bond, while two women pleaded guilty on Wednesday to robbery and kidnapping charges, according to the state attorney's office. As part of their plea agreements, they are required to testify truthfully in proceedings related to the case, the office said. 

"No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. A dispute over missing property does not justify kidnapping, violence, or retaliation," Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. "This arrest is the result of months of investigative work and collaboration between the Tampa Police Department and our prosecutors. We will continue to pursue justice for the three victims by holding everyone accountable for their roles in this crime."

Arnold's sports management team said he "categorically denies any involvement in the matters underlying the allegations made against him and maintains his innocence."

"There is no credible evidence linking Mr. Arnold to these allegations," Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports and Entertainment Agency, said in a statement to ABC News. "Instead, the government appears to be relying on testimony from multiple convicted felons who have admitted their own involvement and may have substantial incentives to shift blame in an effort to lessen their sentences."

The Lions said in a statement to ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ that they are "aware of the legal situation" involving Arnold and "will not comment at this time out of respect for the ongoing legal process."

Arnold, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, played at the University of Alabama and was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft.

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