Attorneys for Olympic canoeist David Hearn asked the internal watchdogs at the Justice and Interior departments on Tuesday to investigate the circumstances surrounding his arrest, indictment and the dismissal of the case, according to a letter seen by CBS News.Hearn’s case garnered national attention, after he was falsely accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and subsequently indicted on a charge of felony destruction of government property.Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, later moved to dismiss the case after she said new information had come to light showing the damage had been caused by a contractor’s “botched installation,” not vandalism. “Because of the actions of various DOJ and DOI employees, Mr. Hearn was deprived of his liberty, indicted for a crime he did not commit, threatened with incarceration of up to 10 years, and endured the defaming of his name and reputation by high-ranking government officials,” Hearn’s attorneys wrote in the letter to DOJ Inspector General Don Berthiaume and DOI Inspector General Caryl Brzymialkiewicz.Those officials, they pointed out, included Pirro, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and President Trump.”The DOJ OIG and the DOI OIG must conduct detailed and comprehensive investigations to determine what happened inside their agencies that led to the shocking and indefensible treatment of Mr. Hearn,” they wrote. “Anything less than a full and fair review would be a betrayal of your mission and perpetuate the outrageous mistreatment of Mr. Hearn.”Hearn was initially detained in jail for five hours on June 19, after he stopped by the Reflecting Pool during a bike ride. He put his hand into the water and touched a piece of the liner that had already come loose before he was asked by a member of the National Park Police to remove his hand from the water.His lawyers said that during his five-hour detention, he was never read his Miranda rights or permitted to make a phone call, and that he only learned he was initially facing misdemeanor charges when he found two citations stuffed into a brown paper bag with his other belongings shortly after his release from custody.A grand jury in the D.C. Superior Court later indicted him on the felony count on July 2.Despite a request from Hearn’s attorneys to preserve the physical evidence in the case, his lawyers said the government fenced off the area around the Reflecting Pool in question and undertook repairs to the section of the liner that was at the heart of the indictment.By the end of July, Pirro moved to dismiss the case altogether, alleging that the Interior Department had delayed producing materials to prosecutors that undermined the evidentiary basis for the case.”The record reflects an indictment obtained through unusual haste and a prosecution shaped from the outset by political pressure and built on an inadequate investigation,” Hearn’s lawyers wrote in the letter to the inspectors general.Pirro was later spotted toting a large box into the White House that sources later confirmed to CBS News contained evidence from the case that she presented to Mr. Trump, after he lashed out at her for dismissing the case against Hearn.The White House has since held meetings with prosecutors to explore whether other charges could be brought. But a Superior Court Judge foreclosed that possibility on Oct. 1, after he ruled that the case had to be dismissed with prejudice — meaning it cannot be brought again.”Should the Court dismiss this case in a fashion that allows the government to reinitiate prosecution in the future, the Court would be exposing him to the risk that, due to pressure from the President Of the United States apparently motivated at least in part by Mr. Hearn’s political views, he would again be charged with a crime that prosecutors have determined he did not commit,” the judge wrote in the opinion dismissing the case.The letter alleges that prosecutors had exculpatory evidence in hand before they sought an indictment against Hearn. It also alleges that Pirro improperly approached one of the defense’s expert witnesses who was inspecting the Reflecting Pool and peppered the expert with questions.”Defense counsel was given no notice that the encounter would take place and was not present for it, and the government has never produced any report, note, or record of the exchange,” Hearn’s attorneys wrote. They continued, “A U.S. Attorney who personally interrogates a represented defendant’s testifying expert, in the field, surrounded by her own staff and without notice to counsel, is not gathering evidence—she is testing how the defense intends to prove its case.”They also accused Pirro of running afoul of the rules of professional conduct for attorneys when she spoke publicly about the case during a press conference, and questioned whether the sole grand jury witness in the case had been recalled in order to “manufacture” a damages estimate to help support the felony charge.Hearn’s lawyers also complained that Pirro’s statements announcing the indictment “extended well beyond the bare fact of the charge.””[S]he previewed anticipated witness testimony, vouched for the credibility of government witnesses, opined directly on Mr. Hearn’s guilt, and characterized the alleged conduct as ‘anarchy’ and ‘criminal behavior’ — conduct implicating the trial-publicity and prosecutorial-conduct constraints of D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct,” Hearn’s attorneys wrote. A Justice Department spokesperson said, “The Office of the Inspector General operates independently and makes its own decisions about what to review.”This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/olympian-david-hearn-reflecting-pool-justice-interior-dept-inspector-general/

Thousands of people gathered at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Monday in support of “Jane Doe,” the former student who alleges she was drugged and raped by multiple members of a fraternity in October 2024.The “Justice for Survivors” rally was organized by over 20 student organizations who led a late afternoon march to Day Hall, which houses the university’s administrative offices and had been vandalized by activists overnight.  Students, faculty, and residents from across the state took part in the protest calling for Cornell administrators to resign over their handling of the case.”We are known as the rape school,” Saya Taylor, a Cornell sophomore, said at the rally. “We can be known as leading a nationwide reform movement.”Demonstrators held signs accusing the Ivy League school of protecting the alleged rapists and demanding accountability.”Jane Doe deserved a campus that supported her,” Taylor said. “Jane Doe deserved an administration that delivered a fair and proper judicial process. Jane Doe deserved a police department that would actually follow up on her case. Instead, she was silenced.”Late Monday, the Cornell University faculty introduced a resolution declaring it has no confidence in the administration’s ability to address the “ongoing crisis of sexual assault” on campus. According to NBC News, the proposal is expected to be considered by the Faculty Senate on Oct. 14.”The goal is to really force systemic change,” Faculty Senator Paul Ortiz said in a statement to NBC. “Women need to feel safe.” On Monday night, Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff and Ryan Lombardi, the school’s vice president for student and campus life, met with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, which pressed them on their response to Jane Doe’s allegations.Cornell students participate in a protest over the university’s handling of the “Jane Doe” case on Oct. 5.Spencer Platt via Getty Images”We’re all angry. I understand that anger,” Kotlikoff said, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. “People want easy answers to this.”He added: “This passion, if appropriately channeled, can help us as a community address this issue.”On Tuesday, Cornell’s board of trustees announced it has retained former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, a partner at law firm King & Spalding, to lead an independent review of how the university responds to sexual assault on campus.”As part of that broader mandate, Yates and her team will conduct a detailed review of the University’s response to the allegations involving Jane Doe and members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024, including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to the matter,” the board of trustees said in a statement.The developments came hours after audio of a phone call between Jane Doe and one of the accused fraternity members, recorded weeks after the alleged incident, was released by ABC News. During the call, Jane Doe said she was “10 shots deep” when she arrived at the Chi Phi fraternity house and was now struggling to remember what had caused “so much damage on my body and brain.””The only way for me to heal is to know what happened,” she said. “That’s why I’m trying to just piece it together, you know, like I’m just like confused.” The fraternity member told her that she consented to having a threesome with him and another fraternity brother.  He also insisted that Jane Doe had told him she had not been drinking when she showed up.”You did tell me you were sober, by the way,” he said. “You said you hadn’t been anywhere.””That is not true. I never would have said that,” she replied.The Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Oct. 1.Matt Rourke/APAt one point during the Nov. 7, 2024, call, Jane Doe told him, “If I wanted to take this somewhere, what y’all did would be classified as gang rape.” The fraternity member then suggested that their memory of what transpired may be inaccurate.”I have racked my brain for this mystery,” he said. “You know, it’s possible that both of us, like, remember this, and it’s not true.”Jane Doe pushed back: “No, because I remember looking up and being like, ‘That is too many people.'”Read more from Yahoo: A timeline of the Cornell University rape caseABC News also reported this week that a day after a campus-wide alert notified students of the reported rape at Chi Phi, Cornell’s police department received an anonymous tip from a caller who said that the fraternity’s leadership asked a potential witness to stay quiet because “the reputation of all involved and the frat would be ruined” if details were made public.According to the report, one female student also told Cornell investigators that the fraternity “held a meeting essentially to get all of the men on the same page about what happened.”The fraternity members described the incident as a “consensual orgy,” but expressed concern that it “would be bad for our image,” the same student told investigators.A student wears a Jane Doe name tag during a rally at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Oct. 5.REUTERS / REUTERSOther calls and text messages obtained by ABC News suggested that some of the fraternity members attempted to contain the allegations in the weeks that followed.”When was the last time you spoke to [Jane Doe]?” the fraternity’s president wrote in the messages to the member who invited Jane Doe to the house.”Yesterday … what’s the plan of action?” he replied. “Should I call [Jane Doe]? I don’t think she would have reported this.” Jane Doe, who was 20 at the time of the alleged 2024 rape, reported the incident to Cornell University police on Nov. 8, 2024.She filed a civil lawsuit on Sept. 16 against the school, seven current and former Chi Phi fraternity members, the Tri-Delta Alpha Beta sorority where she lived, and a local bar where she said she was served alcohol on the night of the alleged incident.All of the men identified in Jane Doe’s civil suit have denied any wrongdoing, according to the New York Times. None has been charged with a crime. And Chi Phi remains banned from campus.Students participate in the march and protest at Cornell University on Oct. 5.Spencer Platt via Getty ImagesIn court papers filed on Monday, the owners of Moonies Bar and Nightclub denied that they “sold, furnished or assisted in procuring alcoholic beverages to any person under [the] legal drinking age” or “any visibly intoxicated person.”They also said they “neither knew nor should have known any assault would occur,” and had no obligation to protect Jane Doe from “sudden criminal acts of third parties off premises.”Cornell University has come under intense scrutiny for its handling of the case.In an eight-minute video statement released on Saturday, Kotlikoff, Cornell’s president, said the university “must do better.””What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” Kotlikoff said. “It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use. It also raises questions around the investigations conducted after the allegations were reported.”People participate in a “Justice For Survivors” rally at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Oct. 5.Spencer Platt via Getty ImagesNew York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Friday that the woman was “failed” by those obligated to protect her, including university police and a prosecutor who initially declined to bring charges.Hochul said that she had lost faith in Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten and appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor to oversee the criminal investigation.”This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable,” the governor said. “And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”Meanwhile, Jane Doe’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said that his client has received “multiple threats” in recent days.”There are people out there trying to track her down,” Giuffra said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “They said we’re gonna shut you up. You’re gonna still get hurt by us. You’re gonna pull this lawsuit out or we’re gonna do something to hurt you even more.”This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/cornell-rape-case-latest-students-protest-for-jane-doe-as-university-president-says-were-all-angry-171906056.html

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Monday as neighboring Pennsylvania battles its largest measles outbreak in three decades.As of Oct. 3, New York has recorded 108 measles cases so far this year, 92 of those since mid-July across 18 rural counties where communities are under-immunized, according to Hochul’s order.”After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a state disaster emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease,” Hochul said in a statement. “No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.”Measles cases surpass 1,000 in Pennsylvania amid the state’s largest outbreak in decadesIt marks the first time a state has issued an emergency order since measles cases began rising last year. At least 95% of measles cases in the U.S. have been among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.The order allows registered nurses to order the collection and testing of specimens for suspected measles cases.Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo – PHOTO: New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference, Oct. 2, 2026, in New York.Early symptoms include cough, runny nose, fever as high as 104 Fahrenheit and red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Two to three days after symptoms start, patients may develop Koplik spots, which are tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth on the inner cheek.Three to five days after symptoms start, patients may experience a rash, first appearing on the face at the hairline before moving downwards to the neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs and feet. Fever may spike even higher than 104 F when the rash appears, the CDC says.The order, in effect until Nov. 4, allows pharmacists in New York to vaccinate ⁠children as young as age 2 with the MMR shot. It also expands who can administer MMR vaccines to include emergency medical technicians-paramedics, advanced EMS and midwives.Additionally, it suspends a previous requirement that health care professionals who administer vaccines to those aged 19 and older receive consent before reporting vaccination to New York City or New York State immunizations registries. All MMR vaccinations of children and adults must be reported within 72 hours.How hospitals, clinics in Pennsylvania are responding to the measles outbreak”Department staff are working closely with local health departments and regional partners to track and contain the current measles outbreak,” Dr. James McDonald, commissioner for the New York State Department, said in a statement. “The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is the best protection — protecting nearly all people against disease who receive the recommended doses.”The state said it has administered more than 1,000 MMR shots in rural areas since July.Meanwhile, Pennsylvania health officials are now reporting more than 1,000 measles cases. Nearly 200 people have been hospitalized and the state has reported five measles-associated deaths, which is the most any state has reported in over 30 years.This outbreak follows a trend of growing outbreaks in the U.S. over the last two years.Earlier this year, South Carolina reported the end to a measles outbreak of 997 cases. Last year, Texas reported an outbreak of 762 cases.Kateryna Kon/science Photo Library/Getty Images – PHOTO: Measles virus particle, illustration.Nationally, nearly 4,000 cases have been confirmed this year in the U.S., with infections reported in almost every state, according to the CDC. It’s the highest number of illnesses from measles since 1991.The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective in preventing measles infection, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says.Infants aged 6 to 11 months living in or traveling to high-risk outbreak areas may receive an early third dose of the MMR vaccine.However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2025-26 school year, 92.4% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 95.2% seen in the 2019-20 school year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.School vaccine exemptions also reached a record high last school year. Recent CDC data showed that vaccine exemptions for kindergarteners increased to 4.2% during the 2025-26 school year. This is up from 3.6% compared to the previous school year and 2.2% during the 2020-21 school year.This article originally appeared on ABC News at https://abcnews.com/Health/new-york-declares-state-disaster-emergency-rising-measles/story?id=137032064

The former CIA officer arrested after authorities discovered roughly $40 million worth of gold bars in his Virginia home pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to a single count of wire fraud, admitting he defrauded the U.S. government out of nearly $200 million for his personal benefit. Alexandria Sherrif’s Office via AP – PHOTO: CIA Official Gold BarsDavid Rush was previously described by prosecutors as a “master manipulator” who used his clandestine position to amass millions worth of gold bars and luxury watches — though the government prior to Tuesday’s hearing was tight-lipped over the extent of his alleged deception and the total amount he sought to profit off his job.Former CIA officer who had 303 gold bars in his home ordered detainedThis is a developing story. Please check back for updates.This article originally appeared on Good Morning America at https://abcnews.com/Politics/plea-hearing-set-former-cia-officer-allegedly-gold/story?id=137015337

President Donald Trump said Monday night that he will no longer use taxpayer funds to pay for a multimillion-dollar pro-Trump ad blitz ahead of the midterm elections, saying his super PAC will now pay for them. But he appears to have no plans to reimburse the federal government for funds already used on the ads, a White House official said Tuesday.“The President’s [social media post] was not referring to reimbursement,” the official told ABC News.While Trump dismissed criticism of the ads as “a rather standard thing to do,” he posted Monday that he had decided to pay for them on his own dime.”I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc,” Trump wrote, referring to his super PAC.Eric Lee/Reuters – PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks with media before boarding Marine One as he travels to Grand Island, Nebraska, on the South Lawn of the White House, Oct. 5, 2026.The move came after the U.S. government bankrolled a series of ads that aired nationally and heavily featured the president. One of the ads was a direct copy of a spot Trump’s campaign ran in 2024.A White House official confirmed to ABC News Monday night that MAGA Inc. will pay for ads moving forward but defended them as something previous administrations have used.”Presidential Public service announcements are nothing new. Administrations of both parties have used public service announcements to explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction,” the official said.Trump defends spending millions on taxpayer-funded promotional ads: ‘For the country’Earlier Monday, Vice President JD Vance defended using taxpayer money to run the ads, claiming they are “public service announcements.””They’re not partisan. They’re not — you know, it’s not like we’re advocating for a particular candidate. We’re trying to tell a story, I think, about how great the United States of America is,” Vance said.Trump defended the ads last week at an event in the Oval Office, saying they were “for the spirit of our country” and not a political endorsement for Republican candidates on the ballot this November or for his administration’s policies.”You have to understand; I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country,” Trump said. “Now, if somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money. But these are ads for the country,” he said.U.S. Government – PHOTO: A fourth taxpayer-funded ad that promotes President Donald Trump’s policies ahead of the midterm elections shows scenes of Trump and the U.S. military amid the war in Iran as audio of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the president play over them.Trump has implored Republican voters to “pretend” that he is on the ballot in the November midterm elections to boost voter turnout for GOP congressional candidates.The federal government has spent at least $2.5 million to air the TV ads, according to an estimate from AdImpact, an advertising agency that analyzes ad spending across television.A total of $20 million from the Department of Homeland Security’s budget had been allocated for the effort.Ethics watchdogs and several Congressional Democrats — as well as some Republicans — have said the ads are inappropriate. Some critics have said the ads could violate federal propaganda law.Four ads have been aired over the last two weeks. One features Trump in monochrome, slowly walking down a hallway, describing “the final battle” against “the deep state,” “the globalists,” and “the sick political class that hates our country.”U.S. government video – PHOTO: The Trump administration appeared to run an ad on Fox News that has drawn criticism from Democrats as violating federal rules preventing the use of tax dollars for political purposes.Another ad includes a montage of clips and images of Trump at events and rallies featuring onscreen text about the “largest tax cuts in history.”The latest ad, released last week, focuses on the U.S. war with Iran, now in its eighth month. Audio of Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plays in the background as U.S. military footage, including unclassified strikes, is displayed.The video in the ad appears to be the same as one played during the Republican midterm convention last month. And it played last Wednesday before Hegseth addressed 600 service members in his State of the Force speech at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia.This article originally appeared on ABC News at https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-super-pac-pay-controversial-promotional-ad-campaign/story?id=137019187