(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Authorities are searching for answers after a shooter killed six people at a private Christian elementary school in Tennessee's capital city on Monday morning.
The suspect -- identified as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville -- had a detailed map of the Covenant School and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry before gunning down three students and three staff members, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. A motive remains unknown.
"We have not been able to determine a motive as of yet. The investigation is still very much ongoing," Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
The slain children were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The deceased adults were identified as 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, who was head of the school, police said.
The suspect was armed with at least two assault-style rifles as well as a handgun. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally and locally, according to police.
About 14 minutes after the initial 911 call came in, officers shot and killed the suspect in a lobby area on the second floor of the school, police said.
Investigators believe the suspect was a former student. The suspect had a map "of how this was all going to take place" as well as "writings," and it appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to Drake.
Drake had told reporters that the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn't immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News that the suspect was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the suspect that included the use of the pronouns he/him.
The Covenant School is for students in preschool through sixth grade. There are about 209 students and 40 to 50 staff members. It does not have a school resource officer, police said.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- A shooter armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun killed three students and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday morning, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by police as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville, had a detailed map of Covenant School, a school for students in preschool through sixth grade, and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry to the school, police said.
The children were identified by Nashville police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The slain adults were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61; Mike Hill, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school, according to police.
Peak was a substitute teacher and Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.
The suspect was shot and killed by authorities in a lobby area on the second floor of the school roughly 14 minutes after the 911 call was placed, according to police.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake had said the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn't immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News the shooter was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the shooter that included the use of the pronouns he/him.
Drake also said authorities believe the suspect was a former student.
No one who was shot survived, officials said.
Drake said he "was literally moved to tears to see" the young students as they were "ushered out of the building."
The suspect was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun, officials said. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally, investigators said.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on Monday night released images of three weapons, as well as footage of the suspect driving and parking at the building, allegedly shooting through the door and walking around inside the facility while holding a gun.
The suspect had a map "of how this was all going to take place," and writings, according to Drake. It appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to the chief.
Authorities said the suspect entered the school through a side entrance and went from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots. It appears all the doors were locked and the suspect allegedly shot through a door, officials said.
The shooting was reported at 10:13 a.m. and the suspect was dead by 10:27 a.m., according to police. The officers who fatally shot the suspect were later identified by police as Rex Englebert, a four-year veteran of the force, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran of the MNPD.
A car found near the school helped authorities identify the suspect, and authorities responded to the suspect's home, Drake said.
Police later announced that they seized "a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other evidence" from the home.
In a statement Monday night, the Covenant School said its community "is heartbroken."
"We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our church and school," the statement read, in part. "We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing."
Throughout the day and afternoon, students were reunited with concerned parents. Families of the staff said they were shocked with the violence that had transpired.
Alex Apple told ABC News Live that his mother works at the school's front desk, and she was at her car when she got an alert saying to shelter in place.
"She got out of her car, heard the gunshots, so she fled," he said.
The school has about 209 students and about 40 to 50 staff members, officials said. Police said the school does not have a school resource officer.
President Joe Biden called the shooting "a family's worst nightmare."
The president once again urged Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, saying, "It's about time that we begin to make some more progress." Biden ordered flags at half-staff through Friday to honor the victims.
First lady Jill Biden said Monday, "I am truly without words. Our children deserve better."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted that he's "closely monitoring the tragic situation."
"Please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community," Lee said.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper thanked first responders for their swift action and called on Nashville residents to reach out and help one another.
"In this dark hour let us support each other," he said during a news conference.
Tennessee state Rep. Bo Mitchell spoke to Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime on Monday night, saying: "My two teenage boys leave, and with every expectation, I expect them to come home in the afternoon. We've got three parents tonight; their children did not get to come home today and it is sad."
Mitchell said he spent hours with students' parents on Monday, who wanted him and his colleagues to take action.
"Not a single parent asked me for a thought or a prayer," he said. "They asked for me and my colleagues to have some courage and do something about this."
Some parents took to social media in the wake of the Covenant School shooting to express their frustration of yet another mass shooting.
Kimberly Garcia, who lost her daughter, Amerie Jo Garza, in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, tweeted, "When is enough going to be enough?"
"6 more innocent lives TAKEN? But it's not the guns right ? Wake up people," she wrote.
Lives Robbed, a group made up of some Uvalde victims' families advocating for changes in gun laws around the country, also tweeted their support for the Nashville families who lost loved ones Monday.
"We are with you. This is why we fight for change," the group tweeted.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- The shooter who attacked students and teachers at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday was identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who law enforcement said may have once attended the school.
A website that appears to be associated with Hale indicates that Hale was a Nashville-based graphic designer and illustrator who created logos and branding to "help tell a company's story" and "bring a whimsical and light-hearted feel."
A police spokesperson told ABC News that Hale was assigned female at birth, and pointed to a social media account linked to Hale that included use of the pronouns he/him.
In a brief phone interview with ABC News, Hale's mother, Norma Hale, said, "It is very, very difficult right now" for the family, before asking for privacy.
"I think I lost my daughter today," she said.
A neighbor of the family told ABC News that Audrey Hale lived at the family's home with Hale's parents, who the neighbor described as "very nice" and "very religious."
Hale graduated from Nashville's Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022, school president and CEO Cyrus Vatandoost confirmed to ABC News.
"While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student," Vatandoost said of Hale. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, to the victims and their families and to our city."
A post on the school's Facebook that has since been removed indicated that Hale earned at least one award for strong academic performance.
"Aside from art, I enjoy binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports," Hale wrote on a personal website. "There is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground. Animals are my second passion, so I also enjoy spending time with my two cats."
Hale's LinkedIn account also lists work as a part-time grocery shopper with the food delivery service Shipt and mentions past employment as a cat sitter.
Founded in 2001, the Covenant School is a private Presbyterian school in Nashville with some 200 students in pre-K through sixth grade, according to the school's website.
(NEW YORK) -- The people of Moore, Oklahoma, may be used to rebuilding.
About 800 homes in the Oklahoma City suburb were destroyed or damaged in 1999 by a powerful F5 tornado, with wind speed peaking near 300 miles per hour. They rebuilt.
Four years later, Moore was hit by an F4, destroying about 500 homes. They rebuilt again.
In 2013, the community was hit a third time by an F5 tornado that wrecked about 1,100 homes.
After the three costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history and dozens of deaths, Moore rebuilt differently, quietly rolling out a new building code in 2014.
The following year, the town was hit again by a less powerful F3 tornado.
"Some of the same homes that were rebuilt, using the new code, were hit, and they did not receive the amount of damage that a non-fortified home received," said Elizabeth Weitman, Moore's community development director. "So we know it works. Why other cities aren't doing this?"
As small towns across the Mississippi Delta recover after a weekend of deadly tornadoes, community leaders face the challenge of rebuilding. For towns like Rolling Fork, Mississippi, rebuilding efforts are expected to be extensive, with homes left as a path of timber piles, insulation, and plastic siding.
Community leaders in towns like Moore and Joplin, Missouri -- which suffered devastating tornadoes in 2013 and 2011, respectively -- described their rebuilding as a time-sensitive balancing act straddled by multiple conflicting desires.
A chief part of that balancing act is cost. Mandating large-scale construction changes to improve storm resiliency can price out residents from rebuilding, especially in poorer communities.
Moore town officials said they believe they’ve struck that balance with their updated 2014 building code -- including continuous plywood bracing, wind-resistant garage doors and framing anchors -- which they say has improved the town's resiliency for future tornadoes. The low-cost, adding roughly $3,000 for new construction, of their 12 code changes has made the shift towards resilient construction accessible for local residents, especially those with insurance to cover construction costs.
"I think it's really important to understand what Moore Oklahoma has done; they are probably the shining example of what can happen after a really awful event," said Ian Giammanco, lead research meteorologist for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
Rolling Fork uses a building code from 1999, meaning even modern buildings may lack newer construction techniques that would improve their ability to weather storms, according to Giammanco.
Though it's unlikely that any building could withstand the kind of winds that Rolling Fork encountered Friday night, Giammanco stresses that building codes fundamentally changed in the 2000s.
Beginning in the 1980s, scientists and engineers began to understand better how wind impacts buildings; by the early 2000s, building codes began to reflect the new understanding, Giammanco said. Improved anchor bolts could more firmly connect a building's walls to its foundation, while improved bracing latched a roof to its supporting walls.
Don Davis, vice president of the Building Owners & Managers Association, said the impact of modern building codes is evident in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes.
"You'll find pockets of entire communities that are newer and were built up to the most recent building code, and you will find that they're still fully intact and survived, with very little damage, if any, at all," he said. “And if you compare that to some of the structures that were much older, right next to them, those buildings were blown away, there was nothing left.”
Despite the impact of these code changes, many towns still rely on outdated codes, including Rolling Fork, according to Giammanco.
Some communities also have to grapple with the question of cost. After a deadly tornado killed 161 people in Joplin, the city decided against mandating "hardened '' safe rooms to new constructions to improve survivability.
"I had a call from an elderly citizen who said just adding that $5,000 to her cost, [she] would not be able to rebuild," said Joplin's director of planning and development, Troy Bolander.
Joplin emerged stronger after the storm because it communicated with and encouraged community members to rebuild, according to Bolander and Public Information Officer Lynn Iliff Onstot.
Bolander said that town leadership embraced low-cost solutions that improved resiliency, such as requiring hurricane clips that better fasten roofs to walls, as well as reinforcing concrete foundations -- changes that roughly cost $2,000.
"What we try to do is [find the] balance where you can increase resiliency, but not make it cost prohibitive for somebody to rebuild," he said.
While both Joplin and Moore have been success stories by rebuilding after their tragic tornadoes and even growing their populations, officials warned that residents can face severe financial barriers to rebuilding.
"Only those who have access to insurance and education really are going to return to normal, or do better," said Chauncia Willis, the president of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management.
A 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office noted that federal disaster aid is "fragmented across more than 30 federal entities," making it harder for vulnerable communities to navigate federal programs successfully. The challenges low-income residents face in securing aid "leads to a longer recovery time, if they recover at all," Willis said.
"Recovery does not happen for everyone … many people are driven into further poverty after a disaster," she said.
In an interview with ABC News, Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said he would confidently approach the challenge of rebuilding his town from the rubble, noting that assistance from the federal government would be a key to rebuilding, especially for uninsured residents.
"We're starting with ground zero to build this community back," he said.
(NEW YORK) -- Communities in the South awoke Monday morning reeling from a deadly tornado outbreak and powerful thunderstorms.
Over the weekend, at least 27 tornadoes were reported across five states -- Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Officials said at least 21 people died in Mississippi, where one long-track twister left a trail of destruction for about 59 miles. There was at least one storm-related death in Alabama, where officials said a man succumbed to his injuries after being rescued by first responder.
President Joe Biden approved disaster relief for Mississippi on Sunday.
The latest forecast shows the same storm system will linger in the Southeast on Monday with damaging winds, large hail and an isolated tornado threat. Parts of southern Georgia and South Carolina will be in the bull's-eye, including the cities of Columbus, Savannah and Charleston.
Flood watches and flash flood warnings were also issued for parts of Alabama and Georgia, where up to 7 inches of rain already fell.
A new storm is set to arrive on the West Coast on Monday night, bringing heavy rain and wind along the shore and heavy snow to the mountains. The heavy rain is expected to reach the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday morning, but gusty winds will begin Monday. Parts of northern California could see local rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Northern California, where local snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 feet is possible over the coming days.
This new storm system is forecast to sweep across the country, brining more severe weather to Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday. Areas from Texas to Wisconsin could see a major outbreak of severe weather on Friday, with threats of tornadoes, damaging winds and huge hail.
ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Dan Amarante, Matt Foster, Kenton Gewecke, Rob Marciano, Will McDuffie, Juan Renteria, Jim Scholz and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- The six victims of a fatal shooting at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, have been identified by law enforcement officials.
Three children and three staff members were killed at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade, on Monday morning.
The Metro Nashville Police Department identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
Here's what we know about the victims so far:
Katherine Koonce, 60
Koonce was the head of the Covenant School, according to police.
Cynthia Peak, 61
Peak was a substitute teacher, according to investigators.
Mike Hill, 61
Hill was a custodian, investigators said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(PHILADELPHIA) -- A nearby chemical spill in Philadelphia has local residents on high alert, after officials initially recommended that residents use bottled water "out of an abundance of caution."
The city of Philadelphia on Monday said the tap water from the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant is safe until "at least through 3:30 p.m. tomorrow."
The city had previously said this is because the water "currently available to customers was treated before the spill reached Philadelphia."
"There is no need to buy water at this time," the city said Sunday. "Customers can fill bottles or pitchers with tap water with no risk at this time."
The initial recommendation came after a spill in nearby Bucks County on Friday due to a ruptured pipe at a chemical plant, officials had said.
Although residents were urged to use bottled water, city officials said contaminants "have not been found" in the local water system.
An estimated 8,100 gallons of latex finishing material, a water-soluble acrylic polymer solution, was released into Otter Creek in Bristol, Pennsylvania, on Friday. Officials said Saturday the release was due to a pipe rupture at a nearby chemical plant, Trinseo PLC.
"It's like the material you find in paint," said senior vice president of manufacturing and engineering at Trinseo, Tim Thomas, according to ABC Philadelphia station WPVI. "It's your typical acrylic paint you have in your house, that's what really this material is, in a water base."
As testing on the city's water continues, officials said that besides finding no contaminants in the water, the health risks are "very low if present at all."
No acute effects are associated with low-level exposure, the city said.
"Our best information is that people who ingest water will not suffer any near-term symptoms or acute medical conditions," Philadelphia officials said." We foresee no reason to seek medical attention related to this event."
The Coast Guard announced the chemical spill, as well as its efforts to help that include coordinating with local and federal agencies to investigate the incident.
"We are working with the responsible party and local and federal agencies to ensure a safe response effort," Capt. Jonathan Theel, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, said in a statement. "We are also working with our State counterparts in Pennsylvania."
Currently, the Coast Guard has not received any calls of injured or affected wildlife.
(SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif.) -- A train carrying raw material derailed in California on Monday, according to San Bernardino County fire officials. There were no passengers on the Union Pacific train, but multiple cars containing iron ore derailed, officials said.
According to Union Pacific officials, 55 train cars, including two locomotives, derailed at 8:30 a.m., local time.
One locomotive suffered a minor leak, which is being investigated by hazmat officials, county fire officials said.
There were no injuries and no active fires, as well as no threat to the public or the environment, San Bernardino County Fire tweeted.
In a statement to ABC News, Union Pacific confirmed that the derailed cars did have iron ore, which spilled, but that it isn't hazardous and that there were no hazardous materials on the train.
"The crew was not in the cab at the time of the derailment and there was uncontrolled train movement," Union Pacific said in a statement. "The crew was not injured."
The derailment is currently being investigated, Union Pacific said.
The incident comes more than a month after a Norfolk Southern foreign train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing vinyl chloride, ethyl acrylate and isobutylene into the environment.
Norfolk Southern officials had conducted a controlled burn of toxic chemicals from the train a few days after the derailment, which worried residents who expressed concerns they were exposed to high levels of the colorless gas vinyl chloride, which easily burns and is associated with an increased risk of several cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Earlier this month, 28 cars of another Norfolk Southern train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, but no hazardous materials were involved, officials said.
The four empty tankers were previously carrying diesel exhaust fluid and an additive commonly used in wastewater treatment, according to Clark County, Ohio officials.
According to the United States Geological Survey, iron ore is important for steel production as it is the source of primary iron for steel and iron industries around the world.
In December, a Union Pacific freight train carrying iron ore derailed in Southern California, according to the Associated Press. There were no reported injuries.
ABC News' Matthew Fuhrman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) -- A grand jury is continuing to weigh charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Manhattan district attorney's probe into the 2016 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
No current or former president has ever been indicted for criminal conduct.
Here is how the news is developing. All times Eastern. Check back for updates:
Mar 27, 4:30 PM EDT
Former publisher of the National Enquirer seen leaving DA's office
David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, was seen leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office with his lawyer on Monday.
Pecker testified before the grand jury for about an hour, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Pecker, who allegedly helped arrange the payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, previously spoke to the grand jury in January.
The district attorney’s office may have called Pecker to bolster Michael Cohen’s earlier testimony about the purpose of the payment.
Mar 27, 7:29 AM EDT
Manhattan grand jury expected to reconvene Monday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump is expected to reconvene on Monday, sources tell ABC News.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
Mar 26, 4:48 PM EDT
GOP oversight chair defends getting involved in NY Trump probe
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Sunday defended taking the escalatory step of getting Congress involved in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation of Donald Trump by using his position to request answers from the prosecutor, Alvin Bragg.
"If Mr. Bragg wants to come in and explain to us what he what he's doing, and he makes a good explanation, he makes a good argument and we see that we're in an area where we shouldn't belong, such as the Republicans -- some of the Republican senators -- say, then we will back off," Comer, R-Ky., said on CNN. But, he added, "I don't believe that Bragg would be doing this if Donald Trump were not running for president, and that's something that we would like to ask Mr. Bragg as well."
Pushed by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who said Bragg is investigating potential violations of state and not federal crimes, Comer said, "This is about politics. This is a presidential candidate."
Comer insisted that he would be more accepting of the investigation if it was being brought by the Department of Justice rather than a local district attorney, though he later said he wanted all "meddling" to end.
Bragg's office has signaled that they may be moving closer to a charging decision -- such as for falsifying business records, sources have said -- in relation to $130,000 that Trump paid the adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election in order to prevent her from going public with an affair claim.
Trump denies all wrongdoing, including a relationship with Daniels.
He falsely said that he would be arrested last week and has urged protests.
-ABC News' Adam Carlson and Cheyenne Haslett
Mar 25, 7:46 PM EDT
Republicans urge Alvin Bragg to comply with their request for documents, testimony
In a new letter Saturday, the Republican leaders of three powerful House committees responded to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's rebuff of their request for documents and testimony related to the Trump probe.
Reps. Jim Jordan, James Comer and Brian Steil argued in the 8-page letter they have legislative purpose for demanding such material.
Bragg's office pushed back against the chairmen's original request on March 20, stating it would "not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process."
Leslie Dubeck, Bragg’s general counsel, responded that it was "an unlawful incursion into New York's sovereignty."
In a new statement Saturday, Bragg's office said it is "not appropriate for Congress to interfere with pending local investigations."
"This unprecedented inquiry by federal elected officials into an ongoing matter serves only to hinder, disrupt and undermine the legitimate work of our dedicated prosecutors," his office said.
Read more about the GOP request for information on the Trump case here.
-ABC News' Lauren Peller
Mar 24, 10:30 PM EDT
Mayor Adams’ office condemns threat to DA Bragg
A spokesman for New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement Friday evening condemning the threatening letter sent to District Attorney Alvin Bragg that included powder later deemed non-hazardous.
"While we cannot comment on the specifics of any ongoing investigation, no public official should ever be subject to threats for doing his or her job," the statement read.
The spokesman added, "I'm confident that every elected official in the City, including Manhattan DA Bragg, will continue to do their work undeterred, and anyone found to be engaging in illegal conduct will be brought to justice."
Mar 24, 5:35 PM EDT
DA Bragg stresses 'safety' for staff after threat sent to him
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked his staff for their "strength and professionalism" in an email sent Friday and reassured them the powder sent to him in a letter discovered earlier in the day was not hazardous.
The email, which was obtained by ABC News, was sent to Bragg's 1,600-member staff about three hours after the letter was discovered in a basement mail room on Friday.
"I want to reiterate my message from Saturday: your safety is our top priority," the email said, referring to an earlier message to staff obtained by ABC News that followed former President Donald Trump’s social media call for protest and an inaccurate prediction he would be arrested on Tuesday.
The latest message revealed that some in the office had received "offensive or threatening phone calls or emails" and Bragg apologized for what he called the "distressing disruptions."
Bragg concluded with his often-repeated vow to apply the law evenly and fairly.
He also mentioned a film shoot occurring this weekend outside the courthouse at 60 Centre St. could include simulated explosions.
Mar 24, 4:33 PM EDT
Letter threatening to kill 'Alvin' found at Manhattan DA's office: Sources
A white powder was discovered in the mailroom at 80 Centre Street, where the Manhattan District Attorney has offices and where a grand jury has been meeting to hear evidence in former President Donald Trump's case, according to a court official. The powder was determined to be non-hazardous, officials said.
The powder came in an envelope addressed to "Alvin," an apparent reference to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according police sources.
Inside the envelope was a letter containing the typewritten message, “Alvin: I am going to kill you," with 13 exclamation points, according to sources.
This envelope followed a series of unfounded threats that targeted municipal offices in New York this week.
"For three days we got four emails," Susan Stetzer, district manager at Manhattan Community Board 3, told ABC News on Friday.
At least one of the messages prompted the court to pause a hearing in the New York Attorney General’s civil lawsuit against Trump.
None of the email messages mentioned Trump by name. One included what Stetzer described as a "horrible homophobic rant."
According to Stetzer, the messages came from @mail.ru domains and some contained Cyrillic characters. The FBI is aware but does not immediately assess that the emails came from Russia, according to a law enforcement official.
"We did not get one today so I’m hoping it stops," Stetzer said.
New York City courthouses will see increased security, the Office of Court Administration said Friday.
Mar 24, 4:12 PM EDT
White powder addressed to 'Alvin' found at Manhattan DA's office
A white powder was discovered in the mailroom at 80 Centre Street, where the Manhattan District Attorney has offices and where a grand jury has been meeting to hear evidence in former President Donald Trump's case, according to a court official. The contents of the envelope were determined to be non-hazardous, officials said.
The powder came in an envelope addressed to "Alvin," an apparent reference to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according police sources.
This envelope followed a series of unfounded threats that targeted municipal offices in New York this week.
"For three days we got four emails," Susan Stetzer, district manager at Manhattan Community Board 3, told ABC News on Friday.
At least one of the messages prompted the court to pause a hearing in the New York Attorney General’s civil lawsuit against Trump.
None of the email messages mentioned Trump by name. One included what Stetzer described as a "horrible homophobic rant."
According to Stetzer, the messages came from @mail.ru domains and some contained Cyrillic characters. The FBI is aware but does not immediately assess that the emails came from Russia, according to a law enforcement official.
"We did not get one today so I’m hoping it stops," Stetzer said.
New York City courthouses will see increased security, the Office of Court Administration said Friday.
Mar 24, 4:08 PM EDT
Trump escalating attacks on Manhattan DA
Former President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his staff. Overnight, Trump posted on social media that if he were to be indicted it could result in "potential death and destruction."
Senior administration officials at the Department of Homeland Security are continuing to "watch closely, particularly in the online environment" surrounding a potential indictment against former President Donald Trump, a senior administration official said.
There is nothing "that rises to the level of being credible and specific" or "actionable," the administration official said. However, the official said that online "there are always things that emerge that will cause people to take note and possibly raise concern."
As the grand jury continues, the lines of communication with local authorities like the NYPD and Capitol Police have been "wide open."
"It's been a several day period of, I'd say, very open and continued information exchange between and among federal and state partners, focused on this issue," a senior administration official said.
Senior administration officials at the Department of Homeland Security are continuing to "watch closely, particularly in the online environment" surrounding a potential indictment against former President Donald Trump, a senior administration official said.
There is nothing "that rises to the level of being credible and specific" or "actionable," the administration official said. However, the official said that online "there are always things that emerge that will cause people to take note and possibly raise concern."
As the grand jury continues, the lines of communication with local authorities like the NYPD and Capitol Police have been "wide open."
"It's been a several day period of, I'd say, very open and continued information exchange between and among federal and state partners, focused on this issue," a senior administration official said.
-ABC News' Luke Barr
Mar 23, 11:31 AM EDT
DA says compliance with GOP's requests for information would interfere with investigation
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s general counsel responded to House Republicans Thursday, telling them compliance with their requests for information would interfere with a legitimate law enforcement investigation.
General counsel Leslie Dubeck noted the House inquiry only resulted from former President Donald Trump’s social media post.
“Your letter dated March 20, 2023 (the "Letter"), in contrast, is an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution," Dubeck wrote. "The Letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry."
Mar 23, 9:50 AM EDT
Grand jury won't meet about Trump case this week
The grand jury hearing evidence of former President Donald Trump’s role in alleged hush money paid to Stormy Daniels will not meet about the case for the remainder of the week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The grand jury is meeting Thursday to consider a different case, the sources said. The grand jury news was first reported by Business Insider.
The grand jury is expected to reconvene Monday to consider the Trump case, at which time at least one additional witness may be called to testify, the sources said.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
It is not uncommon for grand juries to sit in consideration of multiple cases at once.
Mar 23, 7:37 AM EDT
Manhattan grand jury expected to reconvene Thursday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump is expected to reconvene on Thursday, sources tell ABC News.
Mar 23, 5:28 AM EDT
Trump could still be elected president if indicted or convicted, experts say
According to law, former President Donald Trump can be elected president if indicted -- or even convicted -- in any of the state and federal investigations he is currently facing, experts tell ABC News. But there are practical reasons that could make it a challenge, experts say.
Trump said earlier this month at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that he would "absolutely" run for president even if he were to be criminally indicted.
"I wouldn't even think about leaving," Trump told reporters ahead of a speech. "Probably it will enhance my numbers."
Mar 22, 12:51 PM EDT
Manhattan grand jury to reconvene as early as Thursday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump in connection to the Stormy Daniels hush payment investigation is not meeting on Wednesday, sources told ABC News. The earliest the grand jury would reconvene is Thursday, sources said.
The grand jurors were called Wednesday morning and told they were not needed during the day as scheduled, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The grand jurors were told to be prepared to reconvene on Thursday when it’s possible they will hear from at least one additional witness, the sources said.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing grand jury matters.
-ABC News' John Santucci and Luke Barr
Mar 22, 8:25 AM EDT
With Trump case looming, what is an indictment?
Criminal prosecution proceedings typically start with an arrest and a court appearance, but legal experts say that on many occasions, especially in white collar crimes, suspects aren't hit with charges or a visit from an officer until long after an official investigation is underway.
Typically, if a crime is being investigated, law enforcement agents will make an arrest, file initial charges and bring a suspect to be arraigned in court, Vincent Southerland, an assistant professor of clinical law and the director of the criminal defense and reentry clinic at NYU School of Law, told ABC News.
After this arraignment, prosecutors would impanel a grand jury for a formal criminal indictment. Southerland, who has been practicing law in New York state for 19 years, said this process includes giving the jury evidence, possible testimony and other exhibits before they can officially charge a person with felonies.
A Manhattan grand jury is currently investigating Trump's possible role in the hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The former president has denied any wrongdoing and having an affair with Daniels. His attorneys have framed the funds as a response to an extortion plot.
-ABC News' Ivan Pereira
Mar 21, 6:11 PM EDT
Pence discourages protests if Trump indicted
Former Vice President Mike Pence discouraged any protests should a grand jury indict Donald Trump.
"Every American has the right to let their voice be heard. The Constitution provides the right to peaceably assemble. But I think in this instance, I would discourage Americans from engaging in protests if in fact the former president is indicted," Pence said Tuesday when asked by ABC News if Americans should protest a possible indictment.
Pence said he understood the "frustration" while calling the case "politically motivated."
"But I think letting our voices be heard in other ways, and in not engaging in protests, I think is most prudent at this time," he said.
-ABC News' Libby Cathey
Mar 21, 11:00 AM EDT
McCarthy grows frustrated as Trump questions persist at House GOP retreat
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy again ripped into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg when asked about the potential charges against former President Donald Trump at a Tuesday press conference at the House GOP retreat in Orlando.
When McCarthy was asked directly if had concerns about Trump's alleged conduct regarding the alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, he didn't answer the question and instead pivoted to talking about Hillary Clinton and Bragg.
"What we see before us is a political game being played by a local. Look, this isn't New York City, this is just a Manhattan," McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he hasn’t spoken to Trump in three weeks.
When asked if Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party, McCarthy took a jab at the press: "In the press room, for all of you, he is."
-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Will Steakin
Mar 21, 10:14 AM EDT
Grand jury to reconvene on Wednesday
A grand jury will reconvene on Wednesday to continue to weigh charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Manhattan district attorney's probe into the 2016 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, paid $130,000 to Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign to allegedly keep her from talking about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump.
Trump has denied the affair and his attorneys have framed the funds as an extortion payment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is mulling whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records, after the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment then logged the reimbursement as a legal expense, sources have told ABC News. Trump has called the payment "a private contract between two parties" and has denied all wrongdoing.
Trump this weekend wrote on his Truth Social platform that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday.
The U.S. Secret Service is coordinating security plans with the NYPD in the event of an indictment and arraignment in an open courtroom in Manhattan, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The two agencies had a call Monday to discuss logistics, including court security and how Trump would potentially surrender for booking and processing, according to sources briefed on the discussions. White collar criminal defendants in New York are typically allowed to negotiate a surrender.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at the Covenant School outside Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. The alleged shooter, an unidentified 28-year-old woman, was killed by police.
Here is the timeline of what we know took place, according to investigators. All times are local.
10:13 a.m.: Nashville Police receive a call of an active shooter inside Covenant School.
The suspected shooter allegedly entered the Christian school through a side entrance and made her way from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots, police said.
Officers entered the school and began clearing it when they heard shots coming from the second level, according to investigators.
A team of five officers arrived on the second level and saw a female shooter who was firing. Two officers officers engaged her and she was fatally shot, according to investigators.
10:27 a.m. The suspected shooter is declared dead, investigators said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) -- While a slew of professional and collegiate athletic teams have recently changed their names to do away with racially charged titles, George Washington University has joined the move by changing the nickname for its teams.
Known as "Colonials," the university's sports teams were the source of controversy when students said the name had a negative connotation regarding violence toward Native Americans and other colonized people.
The original list of replacement names started at 10, and in what the school is calling "Moniker Madness," the campus community has narrowed the options to four after receiving "nearly 20,000 points of feedback from the GW community," according to a news release.
"It has been energizing to see so many members of the GW community participate in the development of our new moniker," said Ellen Moran, vice president for communications and marketing. "As we begin this next phase of feedback, I hope all GW community members continue joining us in this deliberate and thoughtful process for developing the new moniker."
The final four nickname options narrowed down during the "First Impressions" phase of decisions are "Ambassadors," "Blue Frog," "Revolutionaries" and "Sentinels."
The next phase, "Try It on For Size," which runs from March 20 to April 28, will include feedback from students, faculty, staff and alumni. During this phase, the community will have a chance to view "hype videos" of each name option and be able to select branded merchandise for each moniker option.
This renaming joins the many athletic teams who have recently undergone brand changes due to negative racial connotations, including Cleveland pro baseball team's change from Indians to Guardians and the Washington football team's change from Redskins to Commanders.
While some athletic teams are changing their names, some teams, like the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, argue their teams' original names are crucial to their history.
"While the origin of the team's name has no affiliation with American Indian culture, much of the club's early promotional activities relied heavily on imagery and messaging depicting American Indians in a racially insensitive fashion," the Kansas City Chiefs website says. "Over the course of the club's 60-plus-year history, the Chiefs organization has worked to eliminate this offensive imagery and other forms of cultural appropriation in their promotional materials and game-day presentation."
While there are still growing calls for the Kansas City Chiefs to change their name, they have not budged and instead established an American Indian Community Working Group in 2014 that banned headdresses and face paint at games and retired the use of Warpaint as an ambassador of the Chiefs, among other things.
As for George Washington University, the board of trustees will announce a new nickname for its athletic teams by the 2023-24 academic school year. The university mascot, George 1, that's been around since 1948, will remain the same.
The school's official guiding principles released in January for the new moniker outline three themes, "Shaping the Future," "Free to Be Bold" and "At the Center of Power," and three personality traits, tenacious, electric and open, for the new moniker to embody.
(NEW YORK) -- The Fox News producer who sued the network last week alleging she was "conditioned and coerced" to give false testimony in the billion-dollar defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems has now been fired, according to amended complaints filed on Monday morning.
In amended complaints filed in Delaware and New York Monday morning, former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg expanded on her earlier complaints, alleging that Fox News attorneys directed her to testify during her deposition in a way that would "inculpate" her and host Maria Bartiromo while "exculpating ... certain blame worthy male colleagues."
"Ms. Grossberg's deposition testimony, as manufactured by Fox News, put Ms. Grossberg and Ms. Bartiromo squarely on the frontline of the Dominion/Fox Lawsuit so they could be scapegoated as sacrificial female lambs," the complaint alleges.
Dominion filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News in March 2021, accusing the network of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories about the voting machine company in the wake of the 2020 election, in order to combat concerns over ratings and viewer retention.
Grossberg filed a pair of lawsuits last week accusing the network of fostering a "toxic atmosphere victimizing women."
The former producer has now left open the door to testifying on behalf of Dominion at trial, saying in the complaint that she "will never testify on behalf of Fox News" and that she will "only testify -- if at all -- on behalf of Dominion."
In a statement responding to Grossberg's new complaint Monday, a Fox News representative said, "Like most organizations, FOX News Media's attorneys engage in privileged communications with our employees as necessary to provide legal advice. Last week, our attorneys advised Ms. Grossberg that, while she was free to file whatever legal claims she wished, she was in possession of our privileged information and was not authorized to disclose it publicly."
"We were clear that if she violated our instructions, Fox would take appropriate action including termination," the statement said. "Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox's privileged information. We will continue to vigorously defend Fox against Ms. Grossberg's unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees."
As part of her new allegations, Grossberg in the Delaware complaint claims she was unable to review or correct her deposition transcript despite asking to do so at least six times. She claims that "her testimony might not be completely accurate."'
"Ms. Grossberg attests that she would have answered differently had she not been conditioned and intimidated by the Fox News Attorneys," the complaint states, in reference to one of Grossberg's answers that was used in Dominion's public filings.
Grossberg, a producer with Tucker Carlson Tonight, alleges that after being deposed by Dominion attorneys, she communicated to Fox's lawyers "that Mr. Carlson's name had come up, but that she protected him," according to the amended complaint. Specifically, Grossberg alleges that during her deposition she was shown a text message of Carlson calling Trump-aligned attorney Sidney Powell the "C word," which she says she falsely testified did not bother her.
Referring to Carlson's senior producer, Alexander McCaskill, the complaint alleges that "Mr. McCaskill said he was happy with the answers she had given and suggested they order the staff lunch to celebrate her defense of Mr. Carlson's misogynistic-laden texts that were shown to her."
In reality, the complaint states, Grossberg "knew full well, largely based on public information, that Mr. Carlson was very capable of using such disgusting language about women in the workplace." But, says the complaint, she was "was conditioned to constantly remember that she could not do anything to jeopardize" her position on Carlson's staff, "so she again kept quiet."
The complaint alleges that Grossberg was fired from the company on Friday in "yet another thinly veiled act of retaliation."
"When Fox News realized that it could not stop Ms. Grossberg from speaking her truth to the world in her immutable 'public filings' -- either by intimidation, obfuscation, or baseless attempts at judicial intervention -- it terminated her employment," the complaint says.
(NEW YORK) -- The deadly tornado outbreak that pummeled the South this weekend sent residents scrambling for a safe place to hunker down in the middle of the night.
Here's what you need to know about staying safe if you don't have a basement:
Tornado watch vs. tornado warning
A tornado watch means you should head toward a shelter, while a tornado warning signals that you should be in a shelter immediately.
The first tornado watch for western Mississippi was issued at 5:15 p.m. local time over the weekend. The first tornadoes hit Rolling Fork, Mississippi, at 7:57 p.m. local time.
What to do in high-rises and homes without basements
ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee encourages people to not rely on their bathtub for safety.
Zee said she would move her family to the nearest rated shelter as soon as a tornado watch was issued if she didn't have an underground shelter. Not everyone, however, has easy access to internet or transportation.
For Rolling Fork, the closest rated tornado shelter is 17 miles west in Mayersville, Mississippi.
The safest community shelters are ones that are rated to withstand 200 mph winds.
In the wake of this weekend's tornadoes, storm chaser Edgar O'Neal saw "complete and utter devastation" in Rolling Fork, calling it one of the worst scenes he's witnessed.
"Houses gone, gas stations destroyed ... people wandering the street clearly in shock," O'Neal told ABC News.
"It's devastating and it's heart-shaking," Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told ABC News. "Now we've got to put the pieces back together again."
(WEST READING, Pa.) -- Seven people are dead and several others are injured after an explosion at a chocolate factory Friday in West Reading, Pennsylvania, police and city officials said.
Two additional bodies were recovered from the rubble at the site of the factory Sunday night, West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben said at a press conference. While they still need to identify the victims, it's believed they're the two people who were previously considered missing, the chief said.
One person had been found alive overnight in the rubble, officials said earlier.
Tower Heath said earlier its hospital in West Reading received 10 patients from the explosion. Of those, two were admitted and are in good and fair condition and six have been discharged. Two others were transferred to other hospitals, it said.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag issued an emergency declaration Saturday to access more resources for emergency responders on the scene.
An investigation to determine the official cause of the fire will be conducted, officials said.
"In the initial incident report from Berks County to PEMA, a reference to a gas leak was included. It is really important to note that incident reports from counties are a snapshot in time of the understanding of the incident at the time the report was made," Ruth A. Miller, PEMA's communications director, said in a statement.
The explosion occurred around 4:57 p.m. at the RM Palmer Company in West Reading, located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It caused destruction to one building nearby and damaged another.
Kaag, a former volunteer firefighter, called the incident "pretty scary," adding that it was so strong it pushed a building back 4 feet. The mayor said the factory building was "pretty leveled" and crews will "probably" be working through the weekend to clear the debris.
In a statement Saturday, RM Palmer said it is "devastated by the tragic events."
"We have lost close friends and colleagues, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all who have been impacted," the company said. "We are sincerely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all of the first responders and for the support of our Reading community, which has been home to our business for more than 70 years."
The company said it will continue to coordinate with local and national agencies to assist in the recovery process. It added that it has been unable to get in touch with the families of impacted employees due to downed communication systems but "will be providing additional information and making contact with employees, impacted families, and the community as soon as possible."
Images of the scene showed smoke and flames billowing from the factory on Friday evening.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was on site Saturday surveying the damage and "to pledge our support as the community recovers," he tweeted.
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) -- Two people were killed and five were injured in a pair of shootings in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday evening, local police said.
Little Rock Police officials said they'd opened a homicide investigation after the shootings, which happened within moments of each other along Asher Avenue. It was initially unclear if the incidents were related, authorities said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Police said they were alerted at about 9:25 p.m. local time that two people were injured in a shooting near the intersection of Asher and University avenues.
"Moments later, near Asher Avenue and Adams Street, multiple people were shot resulting in two homicides," officials said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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