4 hostages rescued in Israeli operation that took weeks of planning
Israeli special forces announced "We have the diamonds" upon finding the hostages and rescuing one of them held by Hamas.
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ABC NewsNYC church redefines acceptance for LGBTQ+ people
Pope Francis formally signed off on allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples in December 2023. The Church of St. Francis Xavier, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, provided services for AIDS patients while others refused, including being one of the first to bury a person who died of the virus during the epidemic of the 1980s. “We came and we never left,” Roe Sauerzopf told ABC News Live, recalling the first time she and her wife, Paula Acuti, had attended Sunday Mass at St. Francis, and how they immediately felt “safe” to be themselves.
- ABC News
Family of Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas to help with search: 'We want Taylor home'
Wednesday marks one week since Taylor Casey, 41, went missing while attending a yoga retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Chicago woman's mother, Colette Seymore, is among a small group traveling to the Bahamas on Wednesday to help in the search, according to a statement from Casey's family. Seymore spoke to ABC News about the situation.
- ABC News
Supreme Court appears poised to allow emergency abortions in Idaho for now: Report
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday "inadvertently and briefly" uploaded what it said was a "document" about a ruling in a yet-to-be-released, high-profile case over Idaho's ban on abortions that reportedly indicates the court is poised to require the state allow emergency access -- for now. "The Court's Publications Unit inadvertently and briefly uploaded a document to the Court's website," Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement. Bloomberg News was first to report the errant posting and said the document appeared to indicate that the justices had voted to dismiss the Idaho case as "improvidently granted."
- ABC News
Fossilized skull of Neanderthal child with Down syndrome reveals communal caregiving among species
Fossils from the skull of a Neanderthal child that likely had Down syndrome shed light into the collaborative and communal caregiving that likely aided the child to survive to about age 6 -- unlikely for early hominins with congenital defects, according to new research. The fossil fragments, excavated from the Cova Negra archaeological site in Valencia, Spain, were determined to be of Neanderthal child's ear who lived up to 273,000 years ago and showed congenital malformations consistent with Down syndrome, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Advances. When researchers did a CT scan of the small fragment of the temporal lobe, the bone where the inner ear is located, they reconstructed the inner ear that showed five abnormalities associated with Down syndrome, which had never been detected before in a Neanderthal, Mercedes Conde-Valverde, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Alcala in Spain, told ABC News.
- ABC News
Justice Department charges Russian for allegedly hacking Ukraine's government systems in 2022
Federal prosecutors say they're looking for a Russian civilian who allegedly hacked dozens of Ukrainian government agencies in the lead-up to the 2022 invasion. Amin Stigal, 22, is wanted for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and damage, for his alleged role in the cyberattacks, the Department of Justice said after it unsealed the indictment Wednesday. The DOJ alleged that Stigal supported the Russian GRU's activities by setting up infrastructure for them to conduct cyberattacks, and is alleged to have used a so-called "WhisperGate" malware to target the government entities that included military units and critical infrastructure systems.
- Good Morning America
Nicole Kidman and daughter Sunday Rose don matching looks at Paris Fashion Week
"Like mother, like daughter" was the apparent theme of Nicole Kidman's recent rare appearance with her daughter Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban in Paris. The duo was seen attending Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2024-2025 couture show during Paris Fashion Week wearing coordinating long black dresses and dark shades. Kidman was photographed wearing a sparkling, fitted, floor-length mock turtleneck dress paired with dark rectangular-framed sunglasses.
- Good Morning America
US attorney may consider charges in Matthew Perry death amid drug investigation
The investigation into the ketamine supplied to actor Matthew Perry before his untimely death in October is nearing its end, and it will soon be up to the U.S. Attorney's Office to decide if anybody is charged, senior Los Angeles Police Department sources told ABC News. The U.S. attorney could also refer the case back to state prosecutors if they do not choose to file federal charges. The investigation has been ongoing since Perry’s death and includes the LAPD, Drug Enforcement Administration, USPS and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
- ABC News
Central Oregon wildfire grows to 2,415 acres, prompting emergency declaration
A wind-driven wildfire that ignited on Tuesday in Central Oregon spread overnight to 2,415 acres and was threatening homes as residents were ordered to evacuate, officials said. The Darlene 3 Fire burning in Deschutes County was 30% contained Wednesday, according to the Central Oregon Fire Management Service. Fanned by gusty winds, the blaze quickly spread through a pine forest near homes in La Pine, a small town of about 2,500 people in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, officials said.
- Good Morning America
Katy Perry rocks red dress featuring lyrics from her new song 'Woman's World'
Katy Perry is no stranger to showing off big, bold fashion moments. The singer was recently photographed in Paris wearing a red one-shouldered minidress by Balenciaga, pairing it with tights and black pumps.
- ABC News
Highland Park parade shooting suspect rejects guilty plea deal, crushing victims' families: 'Evil and manipulative'
The suspected Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooter declined to change his plea to guilty at a Wednesday hearing, crushing victims' families who watched on in the courtroom. Robert Crimo III is accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens of others in the mass shooting at a 2022 Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Crimo was expected to plead guilty to seven counts of murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm at the hearing, according to The Associated Press.
- ABC News
Jewish, Palestinian Columbia professors co-teach class on complexities of Israel-Hamas conflict
Columbia University professors Ari Goldman and Gregory Khalil, each with their unique perspectives as individuals of Jewish and Palestinian descent, respectively, co-teach the complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The two professors are embarking on a joint educational mission at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism.
- Good Morning America
'The Notebook' actress Gena Rowlands is living with Alzheimer's disease, son says
Gena Rowlands, best known for playing the older version of Allie Calhoun in the romantic classic "The Notebook," has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, according to her son, the film's director Nick Cassavetes. Rowlands, 94, now battling the disease in real life, played a character in the film who famously struggled with her memory at a later age, setting the stage for the telling of the story's plot. "I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer's and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she's had Alzheimer's," Cassavetes told Entertainment Weekly in a story this week.
- ABC News
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Biden admin contact with social media companies
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a First Amendment challenge to the Biden administration's communication with social media companies in an effort to remove misinformation on the platforms about COVID-19 and the 2020 election. The 6-3 opinion was authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
- Good Morning America
American reporter Evan Gershkovich arrives in Russian court for secret espionage trial
The trial of Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist charged with espionage in Russia, began on Wednesday behind closed doors, as U.S. officials accused the Kremlin of using the case "to achieve its political objectives." The proceedings in Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg, a city hundreds of miles from Moscow, will mark the first time prosecutors have laid out their evidence against the Wall Street Journal reporter, who they’ve accused of working for the CIA. The case against the journalist has been widely denounced by U.S. officials and press-freedom advocates, along with Gershkovich's paper's editor and publisher.
- ABC News
What to know about the Volkswagen-Rivian partnership
Volkswagen on Tuesday said it would invest up to $5 billion in Rivian, an electric vehicle startup based in California. The move sets the stage for a partnership that could benefit both companies and reshape the growing EV industry. The joint venture, which the two companies said would focus on software development, grants Volkswagen access to Rivian's engineering expertise while bolstering Rivian with a much-needed cash infusion.
- Good Morning America
President Biden pardons veterans convicted under regulation used to keep LGBTQ members from serving
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has pardoned U.S. veterans who were convicted by the military under a regulation that allowed people to be kicked out for being gay. The White House said in a statement announcing the pardons that the decision will impact thousands of veterans, though officials declined to give a specific number. "Today, I am righting an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves," Biden said in the statement, calling it a "full, complete and unconditional pardon."
- ABC News
Kenyan president withdraws controversial tax bill amid deadly protests
In a major turn of events, Kenyan President William Ruto announced Wednesday afternoon from the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, that he is withdrawing the contentious 2024 finance bill. "I will decline to assent to the bill," Ruto said. "I have agreed with MP's that it becomes our collective decision," said Ruto.
- Good Morning America
Travis Kelce talks meeting royal family at Taylor Swift concert: 'Absolute delight'
Travis Kelce is opening up about meeting members of the royal family at girlfriend Taylor Swift's recent Eras Tour show in London. "I gotta say, Prince William was fantastic," Jason Kelce said, "but the highlight was Princess Charlotte."
- Good Morning America
Supreme Court poised to deliver major rulings on presidential immunity, abortion access
The Supreme Court, nearing the end of its term, is poised to soon deliver rulings in high-profile cases on everything from presidential power to abortion access. The timing means key decisions, some with enormous consequences for the 2024 campaign, could be handed down just before President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump meet on stage in Atlanta for their first debate. Blockbuster cases still to be resolved include whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution on charges stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss; whether hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters were improperly charged with obstruction; and whether a federal law protecting emergency care overrides a state abortion ban.
- ABC News
Why the Biden-Trump debate matters more than you think
The theme of American politics over the last decade is polarization: Specifically, we've seen a lot of it. Prepare to hear a lot of this discourse again this week, when President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in the first debate of the presidential general election on Thursday night. The theory that polarization means debates don't matter is straightforward: When 95 percent of voters vote for the candidate with the same partisan identity as them, gaffes matter less because fewer supporters will be turned off; strong performances, too, matter less because there are fewer voters to court.