(WASHINGTON) -- The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will leave the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it was sent just after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, in the "coming days," two U.S. officials tell ABC News.

The Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier and was nearing the end of its first operational deployment when it was redirected to the eastern Mediterranean the day after Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent the carrier and the five other surface warships to deter Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran from broadening the conflict regionally, saying at the time: "As part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas' attack on Israel."

In December, Austin extended the carrier's deployment for a third time to maintain that deterrence role as tensions in the region remained high.

A senior U.S. official and a U.S. official told ABC News that in the "coming days," the carrier and other surface ships that make up the strike group will return to the carrier's home port of Norfolk, Virginia, as originally scheduled so it could prepare for future deployments.

The senior U.S. official stressed that the carrier's return will keep to that schedule and that even with the Ford's departure, the United States will still have a lot of military capability in the region and flexibility, including the deployment of additional cruisers and destroyers in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

"We have nothing to announce today," said a Defense Department spokesman when contacted for comment.

Last week, the amphibious assault ships USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall arrived in the eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea to reunite with the USS Mesa Verde.

The move reunited the three ships that had originally deployed together in July from North Carolina, as well as the 2,200 U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard the ships.

In the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, other countries also sent warships to the eastern Mediterranean -- creating the largest naval presence in that region in decades -- as part of an effort to deter Hezbollah and Iran.

A second U.S. Navy carrier strike group, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, had originally been ordered to join the Ford in the eastern Mediterranean but was ordered to the Persian Gulf region to deter Iran from broadening the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Eisenhower remains deployed to the Middle East and is currently in the Gulf of Aden east of Yemen, where tensions have risen in recent weeks as Houthi militants have used drones and ballistic missiles to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea region, purportedly as a show of support for Hamas.

Several U.S. Navy destroyers from both the Ford and Eisenhower strike groups have been deployed to the Red Sea, where they have brought down Houthi drones and missiles headed either in their direction or toward Israel.

Tensions escalated Sunday as U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and sank three small boats carrying Houthi militants in the Red Sea, killing the crews, after U.S. warships responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, military officials said.

Helicopters from the Eisenhower and the destroyer USS Gravely fired in self-defense after being shot at by Houthi militants aboard three fast small boats that were attacking a commercial vessel.

All the militants aboard three boats were killed, and a fourth boat fled, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

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(TOKYO and LONDON) -- Japanese officials issued a major tsunami warning and evacuation warnings after a powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 struck the west coast on Monday afternoon.

The earthquake struck at about 4:10 p.m. local time, with its epicenter on the Noto Peninsula, along the Sea of Japan, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for the peninsula and surrounding Ishikawa Prefecture. The agency warned of waves up to about 5 meters, or about 16 feet.

Authorities were urgently directing the population to move to higher ground. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office issued a statement telling residents nearby to evacuate immediately. People were being urged on Monday not to go to the coast and to stay away from waterways.

Tsunami threats were in effect along Japan's west coast, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center. Outside of the major tsunami warning area, a tsunami advisory has been issued for the entire Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu and Western Hokkaido island.

Monday's warning is the first time a major tsunami warning has been issued since 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude quake struck Tohoku, causing disastrous and deadly tsunami waves.

Initial tsunami waves were already striking land on Monday evening, with some reportedly reaching about 1.2 meters along the Noto Peninsula, along with surrounding Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures. Tsunami waves have so far been reported as far north as Hokkaido Prefecture.

Kishida appeared briefly before television cameras at his residence, saying the government was collecting information and assessing the situation. His administration set up a disaster response office, he said. He vowed to get an accurate assessment of the situation and said that saving lives was his utmost priority.

"I urge local residents in the affected areas to evacuate," he said. "Others in the region must be vigilant, be on the lookout as further quakes may hit."

The earthquake could be felt in Tokyo, where it sent power lines and light fixtures swaying.

Video broadcast on local TV showed collapsed concrete statues and damage to buildings. Bullet trains in the region were suspended. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways reportedly cancelled flights to and from the region. Hospitals in the region were reporting power outages, perhaps complicating treatment of the injured.

No abnormalities in regional power reactors have been reported. Hokuriku Electric Power Company, which runs a nuclear power plant in Shika, in Ishikawa Prefecture, said in a press release that it was checking the status of its equipment.

Waves up to a meter were possible in North Korea and Russia, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.

"Don't let your guard down, move away from the coast," was the continuing message from Japanese authorities as night fell.

"Things can turn catastrophic in an instant," authorities said. "The first wave may not be the largest."

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(NEW YORK) -- After setting New Year's resolutions, it is those days and weeks after January that can catch up with even the best of intentions.

So how do you make your New Year's resolution stick?

Experts say it is important to remember it is a journey, not an overnight fix, especially when it comes to the most common of resolutions, weight loss and exercise.

"The reason why people make resolutions every year is because it’s really hard," said Maya Feller, a New York-based registered dietitian nutritionist. "You first started eating when you were 6 months old, so that’s many years of learned food behavior. Change is not going to happen overnight."

Feller and other experts shared their top tips for making sure your health and wellness resolutions become true lifestyle changes.

Solidify your intention

Even just a few days into January is the right time to remind yourself why you chose your resolution, according to Feller.

"Sometimes after just a few days of changing your diet you feel good and feel like you can let it go," she said. "In the early part of January, reevaluate your motivation and say, 'Why am I doing this again? I'm making this intentional choice again.'"

Rebecca Scritchfield, a Washington, D.C.-based dietitian and certified exercise physiologist, said it's also important to remember your "why" multiple times daily.

"What’s going to help keep you motivated is continuing to think about the benefits you’re receiving, in both the short term and the long term," she said. "The more you focus on the benefits every time you do it, you’ll see the good earlier. What you want to say is, 'There’s too much good in this for me to stop.'"

'Layer' the changes

Feller advises her clients to pick the "low-hanging fruit" when they make a plan for their resolutions.

"If you’re eating two vegetables a day, make it four," Feller said. "Once you’ve hit that, reevaluate again and ask yourself, 'Why am I doing this and what do I have to add on?'"

She also compares improving eating habits to building a house, where you start by making sure you have a solid foundation and build up from there.

"You have to put the foundation down and solidify the behavior," she said. "It is behavior change. That’s the thing about nutrition."

Say no to the quick fix

Both Feller and Scritchfield stress that going for the quick solution, like a plan promising you'll lose 15 pounds in January, will not be sustainable and may even leave you worse off.

"You might lose 15 [pounds] but you’re not going to continue it with that approach," she said. "It's better to have the small success so you can continue to step forward."

Scritchfield said taking the more moderate, long-lasting approach to healthy eating and exercise demands that you let go of the shame or fear that comes from overindulging in the holiday season.

"You're going to be so tempted in the new year to fall for an extreme plan because you’re feeling like you want to make a change and you’re also being told there is something wrong with where you are right now," she said. "The more important value is feeling like you have a good life and feeling happy with your habits."

"Go down the road of, 'It’s OK to be where I am and what’s the next goal that I think is interesting to me and will also help me create a better life,'" she said. "Walk down that road of kindness as opposed to something that is short term."

Don't set a 'dead person's goal'

Scritchfield describes this type of goal as, "Any goal a dead person can do better than you, like, ‘I’ll never eat chocolate cake.'"

"Saying you’re going to eliminate it, unless you truly believe you’ll never have it again and you’ll live a good life without it, is a waste of time," she said. "Instead, work on a better structure so you know that it will come but a structure that is manageable to you and doesn’t feel like deprivation but feels like a positive change."

Scritchfield used an example of a person trying to quit drinking soda. Instead of saying you will never again drink soda, develop ways to cut back on soda while increasing a better habit, like drinking water.

"Say, 'I’m going to carry water with me and I’m going to fill it up twice before I drink a soda," she said. "Or, 'I want to limit my soda to one a day after lunchtime and I want to make sure I have two full waters before I do that.'"

For those who would like to increase their water intake, Scritchfield gave a tip she uses in her own life.

"I put rubber bands on my water bottle," she said. "I add one each time I finish a bottle."

Write down your resolution, and be flexible

Writing down your New Year's resolutions, your motivation and your plan for action help solidify your commitment, experts say.

"Make sure it’s written down, not just in your head," said Dr. Marcelo Campos, a practicing physician and lecturer at Harvard Medical School. "Post it on your fridge or your wall to remind yourself about the commitment you made."

"With anything that we do in life, it’s a good idea to have things written down that we can track over time," he said, adding that goals should be specific and measurable.

Writing down your resolutions and action plan can also help you share it with others, which experts say is another key for long-term success.

After making a plan and implementing it, also be flexible if the plan is not working for you.

"If someone is doing it on their own and struggling they may need to say, 'I need to look at a different modality," Feller said. "If it’s not working, there’s no reason to beat a dead horse."

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(NEW YORK) -- A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her children has been found and arrested abroad, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

Kimberlee Singler, 35, was taken into custody in the United Kingdom on Dec. 30, Colorado Springs Police said Sunday evening. Singler has been accused of lying about a burglary at her home earlier this month in which two of her three children were found dead, Colorado Springs police previously said. Singler is suspected of killing two of her children and injuring a third.

Authorities said Sunday no further information would be shared until a later date.

Prior to her arrest in the U.K., Singler was last seen on Dec. 23, police previously said. A warrant had been issued for her arrest on four counts of felony murder in the first degree, two counts of felony attempted murder, three counts of felony child abuse and one count of felony assault in the first degree.

After receiving a 911 call for a burglary on Dec. 19, Colorado Springs police responded to the scene and found Singler and an 11-year-old girl both injured as well as a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy deceased, authorities said.

The mother and injured daughter were treated at the scene before they were transferred to an area hospital, police said at the time.

Upon further investigation, police previously said the initial report of a burglary was "unfounded."

Police established a probable cause for the murders on Dec. 26 and obtained an arrest warrant for Singler.

A court set a $10 million bond for Singler, but the details of the arrest warrant were sealed under a court order, police said.

Singler's 11-year-old daughter is recovering and is safe and accounted for in the Colorado Springs area, police added.

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(NEW YORK) -- One ticket in Michigan won the first Powerball jackpot drawing of the year, winning an estimated $842 million. The estimated cash value for the drawing is $425.2 million, according to the lottery.

The winner bought the ticket at the Food Castle in Grand Blanc, Michigan, located just outside Flint, the Michigan Lottery said. The person has yet to reach out to the lottery.

The winning numbers drawn on Monday night were 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and the Powerball was 1. The power play was 3x.

There had been 34 consecutive Powerball drawings without a jackpot winner.

One ticket in Florida and one in Texas matched five numbers and the power play and were each awarded $2 million.

Tickets bought in California, Connecticut, Florida and Maryland were each awarded $1 million.

Monday’s $842.4 million jackpot is the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot ever won and the 10th largest jackpot won in U.S. lottery history. The jackpot also is the second-largest lottery jackpot ever won in Michigan.

The last prize of 2023 -- an estimated $760 million -- was the fourth jackpot to exceed more than $500 million that year. The year's largest jackpot prize of $1.765 billion was won on Oct. 11 in California. The second largest prize was $1.08 billion, which was won on July 19 in California, according to Powerball.

Powerball tickets are sold for $2 each.

The odds of winning the jackpot prize are one in more than 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The game's largest prize ever -- of $2.04 billion -- was won on Nov. 7, 2022.

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(LOS ANGELES) -- Ten people were shot, two fatally, during a New Year's party in downtown Los Angeles, police said.

The shooting occurred Monday around 1 a.m. local time at an unsanctioned warehouse party, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told ABC Los Angeles station KABC-TV.

Two victims died at the scene and eight others were transported to area hospitals in various conditions, police told KABC. Most of the injured victims self-transported to the hospital, police said.

No further details on the victims have been released.

A suspect remains at large, police told KABC. There is no suspect information at this time.

The incident is possibly gang-related, police told KABC.

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(NEW YORK) -- A missing foreign exchange student from China was found safe inside a tent on a Utah mountainside following a dayslong search in what police called a case of "cyber kidnapping."

Kai Zhuang, 17, was reported missing Thursday night by his high school, according to the Riverdale Police Department. The teen's parents told school officials that they received a photograph of Zhuang from his alleged kidnappers indicating he had been abducted, police said.

His family told police they had transferred ransom money to bank accounts in China "due to continuous threats from the kidnappers," the Riverdale Police Department said. They also provided the photograph, which appeared to show Zhuang being held captive and in danger, police said.

The teen's host family was not aware he was missing and there were no signs that he was forcefully taken from his Riverdale home, police said. The family heard him at the home early Thursday, police said.

Riverdale police said they worked with the FBI, U.S. Embassy in China and Chinese officials to try to locate him in what they suspected to be a cyber kidnapping. Perpetrators of this crime tend to target foreign exchange students and tell their victims to isolate themselves and make themselves appear to be held captive in an attempt to extort the victims' family for ransom, police said. Victims comply out of fear that their family will be harmed, police said.

Investigators learned Zhuang had purchased camping equipment and attempted to go camping in Provo, about 75 miles south of Riverdale, on Dec. 20, but local police were concerned for his safety and arranged transportation to return him to his host family, Riverdale police said.

The victim did not disclose to police or his host parents at the time that cyber kidnappers were controlling him, Riverdale police said.

Investigators believed Zhuang was now isolating himself at the direction of the cyber kidnappers in a tent in the Brigham City canyon area, about 27 miles north of Riverdale, amid dangerously cold temperatures, police said.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Drone team and Brigham City police assisted in searching a large area along the Wasatch front in Brigham City for the teen. A Riverdale police detective who hiked the mountainside on foot came across the teen "alive but very cold and scared" inside the tent in a wooded area on Sunday, police said.

"The victim was relieved to see police," Riverdale police said. "The victim had no heat source inside the tent, only a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping."

First responders cleared the teen of any major medical concerns at the scene.

"The victim only wanted to speak to his family to ensure they were safe and requested a warm cheeseburger, both of which were accomplished on the way back to Riverdale PD," police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Riverdale police urged anyone who has become the target of cyber kidnapping to discontinue contact with the suspects and not send them money, and to contact their local police department immediately.

"I want foreign exchange students to know they can trust police to protect them and to work with police to ensure their safety as well as their family's safety abroad," Riverdale Chief Casey Warren said in a statement.

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(KYIV, Ukraine) -- Russia launched an attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities early Tuesday, continuing its escalated large-scale attacks on residential areas, local officials said.

Air raid sirens in Kyiv began to sound just before 6 a.m. The attacks, which also hit Kharkiv, lasted about four hours, with Russia launching about a dozen ballistic missiles and about 35 Iranian-made drones, Ukrainian officials said.

At least five people were killed and 101 were injured in Tuesday's attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"Putin is ringing in 2024 by launching missiles at Kyiv and around the country as millions of Ukrainians again take shelter in freezing temps," U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink said on social media.

She added, "Loud explosions in Kyiv this morning. It's urgent and critical that we support Ukraine now -- to stop Putin here."

The Russian Defense Ministry said it was targeting Ukrainian missile and drone plants in Kyiv and its suburbs, as well as "depots storing missiles, ammunition and air-launched weapons supplied by the West."

"The strike achieved the objective. Every target was hit," the defense ministry said.

Russia's military had targeted civilian areas in Ukraine over the weekend, launching at least nine missiles and at least 49 drones before 6 a.m. Sunday.

Russian officials accused Ukraine of a strike on Saturday in Belgorod, Russia. That strike killed at least 21 people, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility.

During a visit to a military hospital on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Belgorod strike a "terror attack."

"Just a strike, a targeted strike on the civilian population," he said. "Of course, it is a terror attack, there is no other way to describe it."

ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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Michelle Yeoh has a lot to celebrate as the new year kicks off.

The Oscar winner, 61, took to Instagram on January 2 to share that she and her husband, Jean Todt, are now grandparents.

"A little miracle on the first day of 2024," she captioned a photo of her hand holding a newborn baby's foot. "We are so truly blessed… can't tell u how happy I am for this very very special bundle of joy."

Yeoh later revealed that the child belongs to her stepson Nicolas Todt. Alongside a photo of her and her husband embracing, Yeoh wrote, "Thank you darling Nicolas and Darina for making us the happiest and proudest Grandparents!! Welcome baby Maxime."

Nicolas Todt also shared the news to his Instagram on Tuesday, noting that "both mother and son are very well and we could not have started the year better!"

Yeoh and Jean Todt married in July after a 19-year engagement. The couple, who first met in June 2004, tied the knot in Geneva.

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(NEW YORK) -- Days after Elon Musk bought X for $44 billion last year, he strolled through the glass doors at company headquarters carrying a kitchen sink.

"Let that sink in," he said.

Now, Musk faces a difficult reality of his own: A sharp decline in the value of X totaling tens of billions of dollars in losses.

The mutual fund Fidelity values the company at less than a third of its worth at the time of the acquisition, Axios recently reported.

That revelation adds urgency to a lingering question among some observers: Would Musk sell?

An ongoing advertiser boycott and continued payments on the company's debt pose challenges that could make a sale attractive, experts told ABC News.

Musk, however, is unlikely to sell because economic incentives appear secondary in his approach to the company and such a move could be construed as an acknowledgment of defeat, some experts said. Plus, they added, the losses have put Musk in a weak position if he were to unload the ailing asset.

"It's never a good look if you're trying to sell a melting ice cube to the ice market," Eric Talley, a law professor at Columbia University who focuses on mergers and acquisitions, told ABC News.

X, formerly known as Twitter, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Before the acquisition, advertising sales made up the vast majority of the company's income, earnings reports showed.

Since Musk acquired the company last year, advertising revenue has fallen about 50%, Musk said in a post on X in July.

That decline came before a wave of advertising exits from X in November after Musk made an antisemitic remark on X. The ad exodus included Comcast, IBM, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Musk apologized for the post in November but added a crude denunciation of the advertisers that had withdrawn from the platform in protest.

"I don't want them to advertise," Musk said at The New York Times DealBook Summit in New York. "If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising money, go f--- yourself."

Musk, who describes himself as a "free speech absolutist," has characterized the acquisition of X as an effort to establish a digital town square unencumbered by limits on expression.

On top of that, he holds an ambitious long-term vision for Twitter as an "everything app" that serves not only as a messaging and media-sharing platform but also a versatile tool in which users pay friends, purchase products and book reservations.

"It's very hard to say whether he'd be willing to sell, and that's because it's not obvious to me he's behaving as an economic actor," Ann Lipton, a professor at Tulane University who studies corporate law, told ABC News. "He might view a sale at a discount as something like an admission of failure."

Paul Barrett, a professor at New York University Law School and deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, put it a different way: "Selling X at its current much-reduced value would constitute an enormous blow to a tech mogul who has an enormous ego."

Still, some experts said Musk would go forward with a partial sale as soon as this year, precisely because he needs to raise funds to expand the capabilities of the platform.

"He'll rip the Band-Aid off but raise outside capital," Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at the investment firm Wedbush, told ABC News.

To purchase the company, Musk borrowed roughly $12.5 billion from major lenders such as Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Barclays.

So far, Musk has made hundreds of millions in payments on that debt. But the revenue losses have put pressure on him to renegotiate the terms of the loans, said Talley.

If the debt load persists and revenue declines further, Musk will encounter an increasingly difficult position.

"That's when people get antsy," Talley said.

Speaking at the conference in November, Musk acknowledged that the company faces existential risks but indicated a willingness to endure them.

"What the advertising boycott is going to do is it's going to kill the company," Musk added. "The whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company and we will document it in great detail."

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Willem Dafoe will be honored with the first star of 2024 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Dafoe will be honored with his star in the category of Motion Pictures.

Dafoe has had a long and storied career, having starred in over 100 films and been nominated for four Academy Awards. Radio personality Ellen K will serve as the emcee of the event, while Patricia Arquette and Pedro Pascal will give speeches.

“Willem Dafoe is an immensely talented and versatile actor who has become a prominent figure in the film industry. He has captivated audiences with his remarkable performances, often portraying characters with a unique intensity and complexity,” producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ana Martinez said. “The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor Willem with the first Walk of Fame star of 2024!”

The ceremony will take place on Monday, January 8, at 11:30 a.m. in Hollywood, California. It will be livestreamed exclusively on walkoffame.com.

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Former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay and husband Bryan Abasolo are divorcing after more than four years of marriage.

Lindsay, the first Black lead in Bachelor franchise history, met Abasolo on season 13 of The Bachelorette in 2017. The couple tied the knot on August 24, 2019.

Abasolo filed for divorce on January 2, listing New Year's Eve as the date of separation and citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. He is seeking spousal support.

"After more than 4 years of marriage, Rachel and I have made the difficult decision to part ways and start anew," Abasolo wrote in a statement shared to Instagram, calling his role as a husband his "proudest role so far."

"My parents have been married forever and I'm a family man, but sometimes loving yourself and your partner means you must let go," he continued. "I wanted you to hear it from the source before the blogs start making up their own reality."

Lindsay has yet to address the breakup on social media but called 2023 "one of the hardest years of my life" in a recap post shared to Instagram on December 31, in which Abasolo is tagged.

ABC News has reached out to Lindsay's representative for comment on the divorce announcement.

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Former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay and husband Bryan Abasolo are divorcing after more than four years of marriage.

Lindsay, the first Black lead in Bachelor franchise history, met Abasolo on season 13 of The Bachelorette in 2017. The couple tied the knot on August 24, 2019.

Abasolo filed for divorce on January 2, listing New Year's Eve as the date of separation and citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. He is seeking spousal support.

"After more than 4 years of marriage, Rachel and I have made the difficult decision to part ways and start anew," Abasolo wrote in a statement shared to Instagram, calling his role as a husband his "proudest role so far."

"My parents have been married forever and I'm a family man, but sometimes loving yourself and your partner means you must let go," he continued. "I wanted you to hear it from the source before the blogs start making up their own reality."

Lindsay has yet to address the breakup on social media but called 2023 "one of the hardest years of my life" in a recap post shared to Instagram on December 31, in which Abasolo is tagged.

ABC News has reached out to Lindsay's representative for comment on the divorce announcement.

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(TOKYO) -- The warning lights that tell pilots whether a runway is clear were not working at the Haneda Airport the night a Japan Airlines plane caught fire after colliding with a coast guard aircraft, according to official aviation data.

A NOTAM message, a notice containing information essential to pilots and other personnel concerned with flight operations, issued on Dec. 27 alerted pilots that the light system was down for the foreseeable future.

It is unclear whether the the lack of warning lights on the runway played a role in how the incident unfolded. The investigation is ongoing.

As a Japan Airlines plane caught fire on a runway in Tokyo on Tuesday, the flight crew directed hundreds of passengers off the aircraft using megaphones and "their own voices," the airline said Wednesday.

"The aircraft's announcement system malfunctioned during the evacuation," the airline said in a press statement.

All 367 passengers and 12 crew members were evacuated after the plane struck a Japan coast guard aircraft while landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Eight infants were on board the Airbus A350.

The airline in a statement on Wednesday detailed the moments before and during the landing, saying the three crew members in the cockpit had been given permission to land.

Air traffic control did not clear the Japan coast guard plane to enter the runway before the collision, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, citing transcripts released Wednesday by the country's transportation ministry. All passengers on the Japan Airlines plane evacuated through three emergency exits, the airline said. The passengers "successfully performed an emergency evacuation," as the plane began to be consumed by flames, the airline said.

At least 14 passengers requested medical consultations. One person had bruising and 13 others requested consultations "due to physical discomfort," the airline said.

The flight, JAL516, had left New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, Japan, on time at about 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday. It "did not experience any issues or irregularities" during its departure or the flight, Japan Airlines said. It landed late at 5:47 p.m.

"According to interviews with the operating crew, they acknowledged and repeated the landing permission from air traffic control, and then proceeded with the approach and landing procedures," Japan Airlines said in a statement.

The plane struck a Japan coast guard aircraft, killing five of the six crew members on board, according to Japanese officials. Videos from the scene showed the larger plane erupting in flames as it moved down the runway.

The Airbus was a total loss after it was engulfed in flames on the runway, the airline said.

The aircraft, which had been registered as JA13XJ, was delivered to Japan Airlines on Nov. 10, 2021, Airbus said in a statement on Tuesday. Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines powered the aircraft.

The French plane manufacturer said it was sending "a team of specialists" to Japan to assist French and Japanese investigators studying the crash.

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(SEOUL, South Korea) -- South Korea’s Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung is hospitalized in an intensive care unit after going through surgery for internal jugular vein reconstruction on Tuesday, officials said.

Only one person a day can visit the patient, therefore no further information about his health status is available, but he is conscious, according to Democratic Party officials.

Lee was attacked in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police.

While walking with a group of reporters answering questions, the attacker approached Lee and stabbed him in the neck. Lee then collapsed on the ground. The moment was caught on video.

The man responsible for the attack is being held at the police station in Busan for investigation. Police are waiting for the arrest warrant to be issued.

Lee was transferred to Seoul National University Hospital via helicopter, Democratic Party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told journalists in front of Busan University Hospital on Tuesday.

Doctors found damage to Lee's jugular vein, the spokesperson said at the time.

Lee was attacked while answering questions from the press after touring the site of Gadeokdo New Airport. The assailant approached him shouting for an autograph, and then attacked him, according to police.

Police confirmed that Lee suffered a wound that was about one centimeter wide.

Police briefed journalists on Tuesday, saying the suspect is a man born in 1957, adding that the exact circumstances of the attack are currently under investigation. The weapon allegedly used by the suspect is about 18 cm long and was purchased through the Internet, police said.

President Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidency over Lee in the 2022 general election.

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(SEOUL, South Korea) -- South Korea’s Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung is hospitalized in an intensive care unit after going through surgery for internal jugular vein reconstruction on Tuesday, officials said.

Only one person a day can visit the patient, therefore no further information about his health status is available, but he is conscious, according to Democratic Party officials.

Lee was attacked in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police.

While walking with a group of reporters answering questions, the attacker approached Lee and stabbed him in the neck. Lee then collapsed on the ground. The moment was caught on video.

The man responsible for the attack is being held at the police station in Busan for investigation. Police are waiting for the arrest warrant to be issued.

Lee was transferred to Seoul National University Hospital via helicopter, Democratic Party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told journalists in front of Busan University Hospital on Tuesday.

Doctors found damage to Lee's jugular vein, the spokesperson said at the time.

Lee was attacked while answering questions from the press after touring the site of Gadeokdo New Airport. The assailant approached him shouting for an autograph, and then attacked him, according to police.

Police confirmed that Lee suffered a wound that was about one centimeter wide.

Police briefed journalists on Tuesday, saying the suspect is a man born in 1957, adding that the exact circumstances of the attack are currently under investigation. The weapon allegedly used by the suspect is about 18 cm long and was purchased through the Internet, police said.

President Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidency over Lee in the 2022 general election.

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(SEOUL, South Korea) -- South Korea’s Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung is hospitalized in an intensive care unit after going through surgery for internal jugular vein reconstruction on Tuesday, officials said.

Only one person a day can visit the patient, therefore no further information about his health status is available, but he is conscious, according to Democratic Party officials.

Lee was attacked in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police.

While walking with a group of reporters answering questions, the attacker approached Lee and stabbed him in the neck. Lee then collapsed on the ground. The moment was caught on video.

The man responsible for the attack is being held at the police station in Busan for investigation. Police are waiting for the arrest warrant to be issued.

Lee was transferred to Seoul National University Hospital via helicopter, Democratic Party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told journalists in front of Busan University Hospital on Tuesday.

Doctors found damage to Lee's jugular vein, the spokesperson said at the time.

Lee was attacked while answering questions from the press after touring the site of Gadeokdo New Airport. The assailant approached him shouting for an autograph, and then attacked him, according to police.

Police confirmed that Lee suffered a wound that was about one centimeter wide.

Police briefed journalists on Tuesday, saying the suspect is a man born in 1957, adding that the exact circumstances of the attack are currently under investigation. The weapon allegedly used by the suspect is about 18 cm long and was purchased through the Internet, police said.

President Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidency over Lee in the 2022 general election.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(UVALDE, Texas) -- Roland Ramirez was shocked when he saw the headlines coming out of his hometown, Uvalde, Texas. As director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer for the NFL’s Houston Texans, Ramirez was living across the state when he learned that 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School.

Ramirez told ABC News that he knew some of the victims’ families, and that a former classmate's daughter was injured in the shooting and underwent difficult surgeries. He wanted to help, and, almost immediately, Ramirez would feel the full support of his NFL affiliation.

“When tragedy struck his hometown in May 2022, our players immediately started gathering money to support the grieving community in honor of Roland. They raised $200,000 and, in support of their generosity, we matched their gift,” said Hannah McNair, vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation. “That was really what started the special relationship we have with the team and the entire Uvalde community.”

In a season where the players faced extreme adversity, Ramirez was able to be the connective tissue introducing the Houston Texans into the small, rural community of Uvalde. The Texans met student-athletes and gave back to the youth athletic programs, but he would soon learn the impact extended beyond the high school players.

Former Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey told ABC News, “They look at us as superheroes, but I looked at them. Sometimes during football, we get so caught up in wins and losses, who didn't score this many points or who didn't, you know, make these tackles, and you look at life, and life still goes on, and people still have things going on in life.”

Kirksey said he was inspired by the Coyotes, Uvalde High School’s football team, when he visited Uvalde -- three months after the shooting -- with the Texans’ owners, some coaches and players. He stayed in touch with Coyotes senior captain Justyn Rendon, offering support throughout the season. Rendon was selected among his peers to represent the jersey No. 21, honoring the 21 victims of the tragedy.

In continued support, Kirksey also gifted the team new custom Nikes in their school colors: maroon and gray.

“As a high school kid, you know, taking me back to when I was in high school, you always want to have a fresh pair of kicks,” said Kirksey.

As the 2022 season unfolded, a plethora of surprises were planned for the Coyotes program, including the Texans outfitting the team with new uniforms and cleats, inviting the student-athletes to the Texans season opener and, during that game, wearing “Uvalde Strong” decals on their helmets in solidarity, among others.

The Texans also nominated Coyotes coach Wade Miller for one of the highest high school coaching awards.

“Coach Miller exemplifies the best in high school coaching,” said McNair. “We nominated him for the NFL’s High School Coach of the Year Award in 2022 because he led and continues to lead the team with the highest character and integrity.”

The Texans gave Coach Miller and Justyn Rendon tickets to the Super Bowl in February. It was a trip of a lifetime for both of them.

Football, in Texas, became a rallying point amid a community immersed in grief.

“They fought together, ... and for them to be able to at least enjoy some Friday nights, enjoy some football games and do things like that that are out of the norm each and every day. I hope those players will always carry some pride with him knowing that they help that community and help each one of those families that were suffering,” said Ramirez.

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(NEW YORK) -- Mortgage rates have plummeted in recent weeks, boosting the prospects of homebuyers previously stifled by high borrowing costs.

Many forecasters predict mortgage rates will drop further, however, since the Federal Reserve expects to cut its benchmark interest rate this year.

Those circumstances pose a quandary for buyers: Jump into a newly attractive market that promises thousands of dollars in gains or wait for the possibility of an even more favorable one.

Homebuyers would be well-served by a leap into the current market, since the movement of mortgage rates often proves difficult to predict and purchasers reserve the ability to refinance if rates continue to fall, experts told ABC News.

But that approach does carry risks, some experts added, noting the loss of additional time to pad one's finances as well as the possibility of a decline in home value after the purchase if the market worsens.

"If you need to buy a property, go ahead and buy it," Marti Subrahmanyam, a professor of finance and business at New York University, told ABC News. "Don't try to time the market."

Last year, mortgage rates reached their highest level in more than two decades.

But rates have declined sharply over the past few months. As of last week, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage stood at roughly 6.6%, according to FreddieMac. That amounts to more than a percentage point drop from a peak reached in October.

Each percentage point decrease in a mortgage rate can take away thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in costs each year, depending on the price of the house.

The fall of mortgage rates coincided with an announcement from the Fed that it expects to cut interest rates this year by an amount equivalent to three quarter-point reductions.

Such plans would reverse a near-historic series of rate increases over the past year that sent mortgage rates soaring.

Mortgage rates closely track with 10-year treasury bond yields, which last month reached lows last seen in August. Those yields are highly sensitive to the Fed's interest rate moves.

"Treasury rates are coming down -- and as treasury rates come down, so will mortgage rates," Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, told ABC News.

Even though mortgage rates could continue to fall, experts said, it makes sense to jump into the market because shifts in rates often defy expectations.

"I would be wary of advising prospective homebuyers to delay their purchase in hopes of better terms in the future," Julia Fonseca, a professor at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It's very hard to time the market."

Lu Liu, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, echoed this view.

"Households should make their housing decisions in line with their needs," Liu told ABC News. "It's very hard to accurately predict long-term interest rates."

Plus, experts added, homebuyers can opt to refinance their homes at relatively low cost if rates move further downward.

"It's quite efficient to refinance," Wachter said.

This approach does carry some downsides, however, some experts noted.

If homebuyers move quickly, they cut down the time available to add to their savings before taking on the significant expense of a mortgage.

Purchasers also run the risk of snatching up a house right before the market declines, in which case the home could lose value almost immediately.

"The risks are that housing prices may plummet," Wachter said, noting that such an outcome would likely require a severe recession that triggers layoffs and tanks demand for homes.

Optimism has grown about the outlook for the U.S. economy, however. Experts widely expect the economy to slow but not shrink over the next year.

"That risk of significant declines in housing prices I believe is off the table," Wachter said.

Ultimately, the decision to buy a house requires a case-by-case assessment of factors that extend well beyond borrowing costs, some experts said.

"Whether now is a good time to jump back in depends on your personal situation," Liu said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday led a delegation of 64 Republicans in a trip to the southern border as the GOP seeks to ramp up election-year pressure on President Joe Biden and Democrats to reach a deal on immigration restrictions.

The group toured the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry and held an afternoon news conference, during which the GOP lawmakers continued their demands for tougher restrictions and criticism of President Biden amid the tumult at the southwest border.

"It's been an eye opener," Johnson said at the news conference. "One thing is absolutely clear: America is at a breaking point with record levels of illegal immigration and today we got a firsthand look at the damage and the chaos the border catastrophe is causing in all of our communities. The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable."

Johnson called it a "disaster of the president's own design."

President Biden, returning to Washington late Tuesday, put the onus on Republicans to agree to bipartisan legislation to fund immigration operations.

"We gotta do something," he told reporters when asked about the situation at the southwest border. "They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border."

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, in a statement early Wednesday, slammed Republicans for blocking Biden's request for funding and leaving Washington for holiday recess without a resolution.

"In fact, right now, instead of joining the Biden Administration and members of both parties in the Senate to find common ground, Speaker Johnson is continuing to block President Biden's proposed funding to hire thousands of new Border Patrol agents, hire more asylum officers and immigration judges, provide local communities hosting migrants additional grant funding, and invest in cutting edge technology that is critical to stopping deadly fentanyl from entering our country," Bates said.

The Biden administration has put forth a supplemental funding request that includes nearly $14 billion for the border as well as aid for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine. The border provisions would include money to hire more border agents and immigration judge teams. Republicans have been insistent on tying the aid to more sweeping border changes, including tougher asylum protocols.

"If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin by defending America's national security," Johnson said, which prompted a "here here" and "that's right" from other members in attendance.

Johnson, who contended Biden can act unilaterally without legislation to make border changes, called for the administration to reinstate former President Donald Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy and other provisions. He also called H.R. 2 -- the GOP immigration bill passed by the House last year that would restart border wall construction and more -- the "necessary ingredient." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier Wednesday hit Republicans for continually pointing to H.R. 2, which Democrats have rejected as "draconian."

Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, went so far as to say "no money" should be used "to process or release into the country any new migrants."

"We should put that one sentence in must-pass legislation," Jordan said.

The influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border is fueling a fierce immigration debate that will be a central campaign message for Republicans in 2024.

The U.S.-Mexico border saw a record number of migrant encounters in December. Sources told ABC News that preliminary data showed there were 302,000 encounters last month alone -- an increase from the 242,416 encounters in November and 240,9988 in October.

Though the White House announced Tuesday it was reopening the Eagle Pass port of entry along with three others in Arizona and California due to the drop in migrant encounters in recent days.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, House Republicans are moving ahead with their effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The House Homeland Security Committee is expected to hold its first hearing on Jan. 10, a spokesperson for the panel confirmed to ABC News. The committee, which has conducted a yearlong probe into Mayorkas, is seeking to impeach him for his handling of and his role in the "unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border."

Responding to the committee's proceedings, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News the GOP majority is "wasting valuable time and taxpayer dollars pursuing a baseless political exercise."

Mayorkas has been involved in the congressional negotiations over border provisions, and recently traveled to Mexico City with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with the country's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and their Mexican counterparts behind closed doors to address urgent immigration issues.

Key Senate negotiators returned to Washington on Tuesday to continue talks on the supplemental aid package, sources familiar with the discussions told ABC News. The rest of Congress isn't due back until next week.

Biden administration officials, in a press call Tuesday, said talks are "moving in the right direction."

Schumer also said Wednesday that progress was being made, but noted "this is a very difficult issue" with challenges to overcome.

He also appeared to knock the Republican delegation to Texas, saying it was "nice" to go to the border "but the way to get something done is work as we are in the Senate on a bipartisan solution to the border crisis, which will then unlock money for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday earned an endorsement from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer -- whom Trump called a "Globalist RINO" who is "totally out-of-touch" with Republican voters, effectively tanking Emmer's speakership bid in October.

Emmer said Wednesday that it's time for the GOP to unite behind Trump.

"Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. We cannot let them. It's time for Republicans to unite behind our party's clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President," Emmer wrote on X.

During October's chaotic speaker battle following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Emmer was among the House GOP leaders who threw his hat in the ring for the House's top job. However, Trump posted on his social media platform that "voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!"

Emmer's endorsement came a day after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise backed the former president. When Scalise ran for the open speaker job in October, Trump snubbed him -- instead backing House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan. Scalise took the nomination over Jordan in a secret ballot.

Trump later helped sink Scalise's speakership bid after he questioned his health, bringing up Scalise's cancer diagnosis.

Scalise said Tuesday he was "proud" to support the former president.

"I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden's failed policies," Scalise posted on X.

With endorsements from Emmer and Scalise, Trump now has the backing of all top four House Republican leaders. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik have already endorsed the former president in his 2024 White House bid.

Johnson and Stefanik have been vocal Trump supporters and were among the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Johnson also led the charge to get 125 of his Republican colleagues -- including Stefanik -- to sign an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, supporting Texas' lawsuit that would have invalidated the election results in key battleground states.

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(NEW YORK) -- Regular use of hearing aids is associated with decreased death rates in U.S. adults with hearing loss, a new study out of USC found.

The findings highlight the importance of encouraging people to use hearing aids and of ensuring everyone who needs hearing aids can get them, according to the study's authors.

"Hearing is so important for just maintaining health across our life course," said Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins and an author on the study.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, seven million people -- 1 out of every 14 people -- will have hearing loss severe enough to require treatment. The most common causes of hearing loss are exposure to loud noises and natural aging-related degeneration, both of which affect the inner hair cells of the ear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everyone will develop some degree of hearing loss during their life, said Lin: "It's inevitable."

The research team studied 10,000 adults from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), a collection of data from the CDC. Out of the 1,700 adults with hearing loss, only 13% used hearing aids regularly, which the study defined as at least once a week or at least five hours a week. After 10 years, compared to people who had irregularly or never used hearing aids, 24% fewer of the regular hearing aid users had died. That was the case even when taking into account things like income, medical history and other demographic differences.

"I always had tremendous interest in how hearing loss impacts a lot of health outcomes, and also wanted to see if hearing aids can actually modify it," said Dr. Janet Choi, an otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon who specializes in ear-related disorders, and the lead researcher of the study. Choi herself was born with hearing loss and started wearing hearing aids as an adult.

The study can’t explain why hearing aid use was linked with reduced deaths, but Choi says it may be because hearing aids help mitigate risk for other conditions like depression, dementia and social isolation.

Previous studies have linked hearing loss and social isolation, which can increase risk for heart disease, dementia and depression. The study was not able to examine these specific medical conditions, but is the first large study to investigate whether hearing aid use, as an intervention for hearing loss, could prevent death.

Regular hearing aid users tended to belong to a higher socioeconomic class, self-identify as white, and have fewer medical conditions, the study found. Cost can be prohibitive, as one pair can cost as much as $4,500 and needs to be replaced every few years, said Lin. While some private insurers cover hearing aids, Medicaid coverage varies by state and most Medicare plans do not cover hearing aids at all.

"This type of hearing care is essentially all out of pocket. For an average American, it could be your third-largest material purchase after a house and a car," he said.

Other barriers to hearing aids might include lack of access to care, according to Choi. Getting a well-fitting pair of hearing aids includes multiple visits to the otolaryngologist, audiologist, and the hearing aid center, all of which come with their own transportation and language barriers.

In some cases, primary care physicians may not be recommending enough patients to go see a hearing specialist, according to Dr. Doug Backous, president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

"It's probably the most under-screened symptom in a primary care office," he said.

On top of that, there remains a lot of stigma around using hearing aids.

"A lot of people come to me with hearing loss and communication difficulties but they're not willing to try hearing aids, they'll say, 'I don't think I'm there yet' or 'I don't want to look old'," Choi said.

Strategies to increasing hearing aid use are multifactorial, from training more audiologists to implementing accessible hearing assessments, according to both Lin and Backous. One promising breakthrough is the availability of over the counter (OTC) hearing aids, which first became available in 2022 after a new FDA rule went into effect.

Advocates like Dr. Lin hope that OTC hearing aids will remove prescription barriers, help drive down prices in a more competitive market, and lead to more innovative features. Others are more skeptical.

"I think they're a good entry point," Backous said.

He hopes that OTC hearing aids will ultimately raise awareness to see a specialist for a more comprehensive hearing assessment, and a prescription for custom-fit hearing aids.

As the U.S. population ages, and as more younger Americans turn to hearing aids, Choi says she feels that her research may add to the case for hearing aids as a protective medical treatment against worsening disease or death. But there’s still more to learn -- such as if hearing aids benefit younger adults with mild hearing loss who may not yet realize it.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions still in our field," Choi said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Starbucks will become the first nationwide coffee retailer to accept reusable cups for mobile orders, effective immediately, the coffeehouse chain said in a release Wednesday. Customers will now also have the same reusable cup option for drive-thru orders for the first time.

Coffee drinkers can now fill a "clean, personal cup for every visit," whether their order comes via drive-thru, mobile, or cafe purchase at all company-operated and participating licensed stores, according to the release.

"With the majority of Starbucks beverages enjoyed on the go, this milestone unlocks a big opportunity for customers to choose reusables and supports Starbucks' commitment to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030," Starbucks said in the release.

The company also noted the effort to more broadly encourage reusable cups falls in line with Starbucks' 2022 goal of reducing cup waste sent to landfills.

"At Starbucks, we envision a future where every beverage can be served in a reusable cup," Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer, said in a statement.

"Offering customers more options to use a personal cup when they visit Starbucks marks tangible progress towards the future. We know our customers are passionate about the planet, and now, they can join us in our efforts to give more than we take, no matter how they order," Kobori's statement continued.

The new program comes with a financial incentive as well. Customers who use a personal cup will receive a ten-cent discount on their beverage. For Starbucks Rewards customers in the U.S., participating customers will receive 25 Bonus Stars.

The release instructs customers at drive-thru locations to notify the barista that they have a reusable cup. Next, "baristas will collect customers' personal cup without the lid using a contactless vessel to ensure hygiene and safety. The beverage will be returned the same way."

For mobile ordering, customers should select "Customization" and "Personal Cup" and hand their personal cups to the barista once they arrive at the store.

The release emphasizes the importance of making sure personal cups are.

"For customers' safety and ours, baristas cannot rinse personal cups in Starbucks equipment sinks. For this reason, no dirty cups will be accepted," the company said in the release.

According to Starbucks, after a "personal cup test" at 200 drive-thrus across Colorado last spring, the company decided to go forward with the program nationwide.

"As long as we are following all our procedures and steps, it doesn't add any more time, and it is actually making customers happier," said Brook, a partner who worked at a store that participated in the Colorado test, per the release. "This has been a really big hit."

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(NEW YORK) -- Dozens of families who are suing Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, won a legal victory Tuesday when a judge in California ruled their lawsuit against the social media giant may continue.

Over 60 family members of children who allegedly obtained illegal drugs through Snapchat are part of the lawsuit, Neville et al v. Snap Inc., which was first filed in October 2022. In all but two cases, the child died after ingesting the drugs allegedly obtained through Snapchat.

Snap previously attempted to get the lawsuit dismissed back in October, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lawrence P. Riff ruled Tuesday that the parents' lawsuit may continue to trial.

In his ruling, the judge overruled Snap's objections to 12 of 16 claims in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that "Snap and Snapchat's role in illicit drug sales to teens was the foreseeable result of the designs, structures, and policies Snap chose to implement to increase its revenues," according to court filings shared by the Social Media Victims Law Center, which is representing the families.

Some of Snapchat's features that set it apart from other apps -- like automatically deleted messages, geolocation functionality and the My Eyes Only privacy feature -- make illegal activities harder to track and are especially attractive to drug dealers, the lawsuit alleges.

Television host Dr. Laura Berman and her husband Sam Chapman's son Sammy was 16 years old and a junior in high school when he died in 2021 after overdosing on a fentanyl-laced pill from a person he allegedly met on Snapchat, according to Chapman and Berman.

"He did not mean to take fentanyl. He did not want to take fentanyl," Berman, whose family is part of the lawsuit, told ABC News in December. "But what he took was counterfeit, and it was fentanyl."

Amy Neville, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, told ABC News' Good Morning America in October that her son Alexander was 14 years old and preparing for his freshman year of high school when he died in 2020 after taking a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill that Neville said he allegedly obtained from a person he met on Snapchat.

"Kids are losing their lives, and they swept it under the rug. They had their chance to do the right thing, and they chose profits over people," Neville told GMA, referring to Snapchat. "The way that we are going to bring Snapchat and other social media companies to the table is through lawsuits and legislation. That is plain and simple."

In response to the judge's ruling allowing the lawsuit to move forward, Ashley Adams, a spokeswoman for Snap Inc., told GMA the social media company will "continue to defend" itself in court.

"The fentanyl epidemic has taken the lives of too many people and we have deep empathy for families who have suffered unimaginable losses," Adams said in a statement. "At Snap, we are working diligently to stop drug dealers from abusing our platform, and deploy technologies to proactively identify and shut down dealers, support law enforcement efforts to help bring dealers to justice, and educate our community and the general public about the dangers of fentanyl."

Adams continued, "While we are committed to advancing our efforts to stop drug dealers from engaging in illegal activity on Snapchat, we believe the plaintiffs' allegations are both legally and factually flawed and will continue to defend that position in court."

Snap Inc. has said previously that the company uses "cutting-edge technology" in trying to keep users safe. The company has also pointed to its work supporting law enforcement investigations into drug dealers, and its work creating a Family Center to help provide parents with more visibility into their kids' actions on Snapchat.

Matthew P. Bergman, the attorney for the families, said that Tuesday's ruling marks a "first" in the effort to "hold social media companies accountable."

"Today's ruling marks the first time a court has allowed parents to hold social media companies accountable for facilitating the sale of deadly drugs," Berman said in a statement Tuesday. "Fentanyl is the largest killer of kids under 18 and social media plays a huge role the deadly drug sales that have resulted in a 350% increase in teen deaths over the past three years."

He continued, "Parents who lost children to fentanyl poisoning will now be able to move forward with lawsuit, uncover evidence of Snapchat's contribution to illegal drug sales and by holding Snap legally accountable spare other families the unspeakable grief they experience every day."

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(NEW YORK) -- A Florida man was charged with allegedly threatening a member of Congress, saying he was going to "come and kill" the member's children, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Michael Shapiro, 72, allegedly phoned a member of Congress' Washington, D.C., office five times on Dec. 19.

Each time he called he allegedly left threatening messages.

"Hey mother-{expletive], you [expletive] a Chinese spy. You mother-[ expletive], I'm gonna come after you and kill you [n-word]," he said, according to court documents.

"I'm gonna kill your children," the next message he left said, according to documents.

Shapiro allegedly left threatening messages to members three times before, and he pleaded guilty in 2019 to making threats to members of congress.

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(NEW YORK) -- The family of an incarcerated man allegedly killed by his cellmate in a Broward jail is demanding answers.

Janard Geffrard, 29, was allegedly killed by cellmate 35-year-old Kevin Barnes after a Dec. 16 beating, according to his family's attorney, Josiah Graham.

Barnes, who investigators say confessed to the beating, said he did it because the victim was "gay," according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC News. Geffrard was an out gay man, Graham said.

"The news of his death was obviously a complete shock to the family," said Graham in an interview. "His mom is particularly devastated. Because this is her firstborn son."

Graham added that Geffrard was also a father to a 10-year-old son who celebrated his first birthday without his father Tuesday.

He continued, "It's nothing that any parent should go through, hearing the fact that your child passed away is one thing, but to hear that they were brutally executed because they were gay -- it's just a completely entirely different scenario you're dealing with."

Barnes is facing charges of attempted murder, "evidencing prejudice while committing the offense."

In a statement to ABC News, Barnes' legal representatives said they "will be conducting our own investigation into what occurred and are unable to comment at this time."

"No one deserves to be brutally assaulted for 20 consecutive minutes without anyone intervening," said Graham. "The family wants to know that he was loving. He's the type of person that he would give his shirt off his back. He would give you his last dollar."

According to the affidavit, an official who watched surveillance footage of the fatal incident said Barnes walked over to where the cell's toilet is positioned, out of view from the cameras, according to the affidavit. Several minutes later, Barnes was allegedly seen choke-holding his cellmate from behind.

The victim's name is redacted in the documents and the surveillance video footage from inside the detention facility is exempt from release under the Florida statute 119.071, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Barnes was allegedly observed "kneeling down still in the same position with only his head in view," remaining in that position for two more minutes until he let his cellmate go and walked away. The cellmate could not be seen in the video, according to the reporting officer. Barnes was allegedly seen pacing around the cell for ten minutes, before making "a stomp like maneuver with his feet toward the ground" where he had held his cellmate in a chokehold position.

Police say that deputies found the cellmate unresponsive inside of his cell and bleeding from his mouth.

When a deputy arrived at the cell more than 20 minutes after the apparent start of the altercation, they found the victim lying on the floor against the wall. Barnes was detained and removed from the cell pending further investigation, the affidavit read.

Barnes did not attempt to notify deputies of the victim's condition or attempt to get him medical assistance in the minutes that elapsed after he choked the victim, according to the affidavit.

According to Graham, Geffrard was declared brain dead 10 days after the incident and was kept on life support for organ donations.

Broward Sheriff's Office's (BSO) Internal Affairs Unit has an open and active administrative investigation into the incident, according to the law enforcement agency.

Two BSO employees, a detention deputy and a detention technician, are on administrative investigative leave with pay, according to BSO.

Geffrard was arrested in May 2023 and was determined to be "incompetent" and unfit to stand trial in November, according to Broward County documents provided by Graham.

Barnes was incarcerated over "a probation violation and grand theft auto case," according to the Miami Herald. He was also found to be "incompetent." Geffrard was arrested over a burglary charge, according to Broward County documents.

"The next step is to determine a proper placement for someone who's mentally ill," said Graham. "Do we just house him in the jail indefinitely? Or do we place him in some type of rehabilitative facility at a hospital? Does he go home? That determination had not been made at the time he was killed."

Barnes had also been declared unfit to stand trial, according to Broward County documents.

In a letter sent to Sheriff Gregory Tony at the Broward Sheriff's Office, public defender Gordon Weekes called for outside oversight into "abuse, medical neglect, and conditions of confinement" within Broward County jails following Geffrard's death.

"Individuals held in detention have a right to be safe from violence by other inmates, staff, and detention deputies," he said. "Even though the entirety of the attack was captured on video, no deputy intervened."

Weekes also called for the release of the surveillance footage in the letter.

Geffrard's family is calling for jail reforms that address issues of mental health and surveillance in jails to ensure that a deadly incident like this does not happen again. The family says they intend to bring forward a wrongful death claim in his death.

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(LONDON) -- Sudan's Rapid Support Forces Chief Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo said the RSF is open to an "immediate" and "unconditional" cease-fire with the Sudanese army, as the conflict in Sudan grinds on into its ninth month.

The RSF is "committed to ending [the] war," Dagalo, who is known as Hamedti, said, calling the ongoing conflict the "worst crisis" in the northeast African nation's history.

"We are now extending our hands for peace," said Dagalo on Tuesday, speaking at a joint press conference in Addis Ababa with former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, as the RSF signed the Addis Ababa Declaration with the Taqadum civilian coalition -- the paramilitary group's clearest commitment to ending the conflict thus far.

Dagalo invited the Sudanese Army to do the same. The warring generals have reportedly not met face-to-face since the start of the conflict in April.

"In the declaration we agreed on the one army. There is no way Sudan would, I think, stay as a peaceful country if we have this multiplicity of armies," Dagalo said.

The RSF chief is on the last stop of his regional tour, his first trip outside Sudan since the onset of the conflict. As diplomatic efforts to forge a cease-fire and a meeting between the waring generals continue, Dagalo on Wednesday held talks with Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi. Dagalo also visited Djibouti, Ethiopia and Uganda.

Fighting erupted in Sudan on April 15, a culmination of weeks of tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule.

Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Dagalo, who were once allies who jointly orchestrated a military coup in 2021, are now engaged in a vicious power struggle.

Artillery fire between the RSF and SAF is reported to have intensified in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, in recent days.

Millions have been caught in the crossfire. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said more than 7.2 million people have been displaced within and outside Sudan's borders.

In Sudan's Wad Madani and surrounding areas in Al Jazirah state, over 500,000 people have been displaced in recent clashes between the RSF and SAF.

In eastern Chad, testimonies from some of the now half a million Sudanese refugees who fled to eastern Chad tell "unspeakable horrors," Stephen Cornish, MSF director general, said in statement sent to ABC News.

"The situation is close to catastrophic. From insufficient access to food, water, and shelter to concerns about proper hygiene, it's a daily struggle for those who have left almost everything behind," said Cornish. "What I have seen in Chad during this emergency has shocked me to my core."

The MSF says they have seen ''high incidence" of malnutrition, and high cases of diarrhea and malaria. In eastern Chad's Adré transit camp, an estimated 150,000 people are living through precarious' conditions.

"The people suffering from this crisis are predominantly women and children, and many are also victims of large-scale violence … Now relocated to the desert, these refugees cannot face this ordeal alone," Cornish said.

In a statement on Jan. 1, Sudan's National Day, the U.S. State Department said Sudan is suffering from "one of the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crises." The conflict was "needless," U.S. officials said.

"This conflict has resulted in war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, grave food insecurity, widespread displacement, and a collapsing healthcare system," the statement said. "It has also dangerously deepened divisions in Sudan along ethnic, tribal, and regional lines."

"The United States continues to stand with the people of Sudan and will work to end the conflict so that in the coming year, the Sudanese people can begin to realize the peace, security, and prosperity they deserve," it continued.

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(PERRY, Iowa) -- A student was killed and five people injured in a shooting Thursday morning at Perry High School in Iowa, officials said.

The suspected shooter -- a student at the high school -- is also dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Criminal Investigation.

Five students were among the shooting victims, including a sixth grader who died, Mortvedt told reporters during a press briefing Thursday afternoon.

Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was also among those shot, the Perry Community School Board and the Easton Valley School District confirmed.

One victim was in critical condition, while the other four were stable, Mortvedt said.

An active shooting incident was reported at approximately 7:37 a.m. local time, police said.

"Police officers responded within minutes. They immediately made entry and witness students and faculty either sheltering in place or running from the school," Mortvedt said.

The suspected shooter -- identified as 17-year-old Dylan Butler -- was found dead with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun, Mortvedt said.

Mortvedt did not share any details on a possible motive.

"Anything into the background of him is part of the investigation and we're obviously going to take a deep dive into that," he said.

The suspect "made a number of social media posts in and around the time of the shooting," Mortvedt said. "Law enforcement is working to secure those pieces of evidence."

The suspect is believed to have acted alone, he said.

A "rudimentary" explosive device was also located in the school and rendered safe, Mortvedt said.

"There is no further danger to the public. The community is safe," Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante told reporters during an earlier press briefing.. "We're just now working backwards, trying to figure out everything that happened and make notifications."

Jody Kurth told reporters that her stepson was struck in the back and arm in the shooting, but is "doing really well."

She said her daughter texted her about the shooting.

"It was absolutely horrifying, that's one of the worst moments of my entire life," she said. "But the best phone call I got was saying that they were OK."

"I really never thought that Perry would have an issue like this," she added.

The shooting occurred before the school day had started, and there were very few students and faculty in the building, "which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense," Infante said. Thursday was the first day of school back from the winter break.

The school district will be closed on Friday, school officials said.

The FBI's resident agent at its Des Moines office has responded to the scene to assist the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the FBI said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also on scene.

The U.S. attorney general has been briefed on the incident, a Department of Justice spokesperson said.

Perry is located in the suburbs northwest of Des Moines.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the "senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core."

"Our hearts are heavy today and our prayers are with the Perry community," she said during Thursday afternoon's press briefing. "This strikes at the heart of everything we hold dear."

President Joe Biden is monitoring the shooting, the White House said Thursday.

"Our hearts break for the families of the victims in yet another act of senseless gun violence," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

"It's only the fourth day in the year, in the new year, and we are already faced with yet another horrific school shooting. And the question that we ask, is when will enough be enough?" she said.

ABC News' Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- A Connecticut woman will be the first non-resident of Vermont to use the state's medical aid in dying law on Thursday morning, according to local reports.

Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old from Bridgeport, is suffering from terminal ovarian cancer and fallopian tube cancer. The five-year survival rate for these cancers is 31%, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Currently, there are nine other states aside from Vermont -- California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington -- as well as the District of Columbia where medical aid in dying is legal.

Until recently, Oregon was the only state that allowed terminally ill non-residents to seek physician-assisted suicide after a ruling in 2022 that it was unconstitutional to deny medical aid in dying to those who didn't live in Oregon.

Bluestein and a physician, Dr. Diana Barnard, sued Vermont in summer 2022 claiming its residency requirement violated Vermont's state constitution.

"Ms. Bluestein has lived a happy and meaningful life and does not want to die," the lawsuit reads. "Should her suffering become unbearable, however, she wishes to have the option of medical aid in dying available to her."

She reached a settlement in March 2023 after the state waived the residency requirement for Bluestein, allowing her to access medical aid in dying in Vermont.

Shortly after, in May 2023, Vermont become the second state to remove a residency requirement from its law, permitting doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to any terminally ill patient who is aged 18 or older. The bill was signed by Gov. Phil Scott.

According to local reports, Bluestein is set to die by lethal injection at 10 a.m. ET.

In 2022, she told The Associated Press that she watched her mother die of cancer and didn't want her children to experience the same thing.

"She said, 'I never wanted you to see me like this,'" Bluestein said of her mother.

"I don't want my children to see me like that, either. I'd like their last memories of me to be as strong as possible, to interact with them and not in an adult diaper curled up in a fetal position, drugged out of my mind," she continued.

While medical aid in dying is still a point of contention for many, as of 2018, a Gallup poll found that 72% believe doctors should be able to help terminally ill patients die while a slim majority, 54%, believe it is morally acceptable.

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To Variety, Beef Golden Globe nominee Steven Yeun has both confirmed his rumored involvement in Marvel Studios' team-up movie Thunderbolts as well as his regrets he had to quit the project.

It wasn't confirmed what role The Walking Dead veteran and co-star of the Oscar-winning Minari would have had in the film, which unites a cast of MCU players into a Suicide Squad-like team.

To the trade, Yeun blamed the movie's strike-delayed shooting schedule for his difficult decision. Bumped to July 2025, the film, which stars David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Florence Pugh, among others, has yet to get back underway following the strike's resolution.

"I think for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it," the actor explained, noting director Jake Schreier "is going to do an incredible job."

"It took a lot of drafts on email to make sure that I conveyed the sincerity of how sorry I was to have to back out," Yeun adds, noting he hopes the door hasn't been shut because of it.

"I wanna do a Marvel movie," the actor says. "I have some ideas. But I heard if you put it out there, you’ll never get it, so I’ll keep it close to my chest."

Yuen also noted he thinks "it's too early" to reveal his ideas, adding, "I probably pissed off too many people leaving, so I'm just gonna say, 'Thank you for having me.'"

Well, at least Yeun can be satisfied for now voicing the titular superhero in Prime Video's well-received adult-themed animated show Invincible.

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(NEW YORK) -- The influx of new stuff that makes its way into homes over the holiday season can be overwhelming for families, but so can figuring out what to do with it all.

For parents hoping to declutter post holidays in the most sustainable way possible, there are ways to discard old toys while minimizing environmental harm by preventing them from ending up in a landfill.

TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycling company, is requesting toys that families no longer want but are not suitable for curbside recycling, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, told ABC News. The waste management company sorts, cleans, shreds, crushes and melts down the toys into materials that are later used to make goods like lunchboxes and flower pots.

An estimated 3 billion toys are sold in the U.S. every year, according to The Toy Association, a business trade association.

The "vast majority" of toys are thrown out after just one child has played with them, Szaky said.

The company said it has prevented at least 550,000 pounds of landfill waste over the last four years with the recycling of more than four million toys. In the last four years, TerraCycle has launched six different free toy recycling programs in the U.S. taking items that typically cannot be recycled, such as pet toys and pool inflatables, Szaky said.

Toys can be sent to TerraCycle by either requesting a shipping label sponsored by a brand -- such as prominent toy company Hasbro -- or by purchasing a "Zero Waste Box."

"The industry is really caring more and more and this is because people are asking, 'Well, what happens to my toy once my child is done playing with it?'" Szaky said.

Szaky emphasized that recycling is not a perfect solution and that it is still up to the toy industry and consumers to push for better alternatives to dealing with plastics and other waste.

Much of the plastic that was sent to recycling centers ended up in a landfill, Lisa Ramsden, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA and one of the authors of the report, told ABC News in 2022.

Consumers can also help prevent unnecessary waste by making conscious purchasing decisions, such as really considering whether their child will actually enjoy the toy for a long period of time before they buy it, Szaky said.

Buying toys used -- or selling old ones online -- is also key to keeping toys out of landfills, according to experts.

The most popular resale brands include Squishmallows, Disney, Lego, American Girl and Barbie, according to Poshmark. The most popular category of toys include stuffed animals, dolls and accessories, action figures and playsets, building sets and blocks as well as learning toys, the company said.

Other good places to donate toys include charities, local "Buy Nothing" groups, hospitals, children's shelters, day care centers and houses of worship, according to Good Housekeeping.

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(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump's businesses received millions of dollars from foreign entities located in 20 different countries during his presidency, according to a new report released Thursday by Democrats on the House Oversight committee.

The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, released the report and provided documents from Trump's former accounting firm that show that 20 governments, including China and Saudi Arabia, paid at least $7.8 million during Trump's presidency to business entities that included Trump International Hotels in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, and Trump Towers in New York.

The 156-page report by House Democrats is entitled "White House For Sale."

In the forward to the report, Raskin wrote, "By elevating his personal financial interests and the policy priorities of corrupt foreign powers over the American public interest, former President Trump violated both the clear commands of the Constitution and the careful precedent set and observed by every previous commander in chief."

The reports says that, according to "limited records" obtained by the committee, Saudi Arabia likely paid Trump-owned business at least $615,422 during Trump's first term in office.

"While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was making these payments, President Trump chose Saudi Arabia as the destination of his first overseas trip -- a choice that was unprecedented among U.S. presidents," the report says.

The report claims that the payments violated the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause, a rule that bars the president and other federal officials from accepting money or gifts from foreign governments without Congressional approval.

"Through entities he owned and controlled, President Trump accepted, at a minimum, millions of dollars in foreign emoluments in violation of the United States Constitution," Democrats write in the report. "The documents obtained from former President Trump's accounting firm demonstrate that four Trump-owned properties together collected, at the least, millions of dollars in payments from foreign governments and officials that violated the Constitution's prohibition on emoluments 'of any kind whatever' from foreign governments."

In a statement to ABC News, Eric Trump, the former president's son who helps run the Trump Organization, said the House Democrats' "narrative is insane," citing profits that Trump voluntary donated to the Treasury Department to offset his business earnings from foreign entities.

"We do not have the ability or viability to stop someone from booking through third parties - Expedia etc - hence the voluntary donation of profits ... which has been covered ad nauseam," Eric Trump said. "That narrative is insane, especially given there is no President in United States history who was tougher on China than Donald Trump… a President who introduced billions and billions of dollars worth of tariffs on their goods and services."

ABC News reported in 2018 that Trump had voluntarily donated $151,470 to the U.S. Treasury, which a Trump Organization attorney said "fulfills our pledge to donate profits from foreign government patronage at our hotels and similar business during President Trump’s term in office."

However, government ethics watchdogs questioned the amount of the donation, saying the methodology used did not require the Trump Organization to account for revenues earned from foreign-government patrons of unprofitable Trump properties.

In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed lawsuits accusing Trump of profiting from his presidency, on the grounds that he is no longer in office.

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The Golden Globes has announced another round of presenters for Sunday's awards telecast.

The Color Purple's producer Oprah Winfrey will be among those getting some time at the podium, the organization announced, as are Barbie's Simu Liu, America Ferrera and Issa Rae.

Across the Spider-Verse's voice talents Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore will also be aboard, joining previously announced presenters including Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Suits' dynamic duo Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht.

The Golden Globes are set to take place at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday, January 7, and will be broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Easter Sunday actor and stand-up comedian Jo Koy is hosting.

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(NEW YORK) -- The final food recall of 2023 could still be in some people's fridges or freezers, so it's time to check on any raw ground beef you may have on hand to ensure 2024 starts off with safe, healthy meals.

Valley Meats, LLC, has recalled approximately 6,768 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Dec. 31.

"The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that samples of ground beef products submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis tested positive for E. coli O157:H7," the agency wrote.

The items recalled by the Coal Valley, Illinois-based manufacturer were produced Dec. 22, 2023, and shipped to distributors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan for further distribution to restaurants.

The products subject to this recall bear an establishment number EST. 5712, marked inside the USDA inspection label.

See the full details of all eight recalled products below:

• 12-pound box package containing "ANGUS GROUND BEEF PATTIES" with product code 1208PL, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 7:36:38 a.m. to 08:00:48 a.m.
• 16-pound box packages containing "ANGUS GROUND BEEF PATTIES" with the product code 1253PL, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 7:25:50 a.m. to 08:00:36 a.m.
• 28-pound box package containing "Ground Beef Patties" with product code 72287, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 12:44:00 p.m. to 12:54:32 p.m.
• 28-pound box packaging containing "Ground Beef Patties" with product code 72287, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamp 1:02:55 p.m.
• 24-pound box packaging containing "Ground Beef Patties" with product code 72284, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 1:10:09 p.m. to 1:10:17 p.m.
• 13.5-pound box packaging containing "GROUND BEEF PATTIES" with product code 1103, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 1:41:55:55 p.m. to 1:57:53 p.m.
• 20-pound box packaging containing "GROUND BEEF" with product code 8515, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, and time stamps between 1:16:24 p.m. to 1:31:15 p.m.
• 40-pound box packaging containing "GROUND BEEF" with product code 8020VP, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, and time stamps between 1:34:54 p.m. to 2:00:49 p.m.

As of time of publication, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Distributors and customers who may have purchased these products are urged by the USDA not to use them or distribute them further.

FSIS is also "concerned that some product may be in institutional or restaurant refrigerators or freezers." The agency urged restaurants and institutions "not to serve these products" and instead throw them away or return the ground beef to the original place of purchase.

Valley Meats did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

People can become ill one to 10 days after consumption of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, or STEC bacteria. Symptoms of E. coli bacteria include vomiting or diarrhea (sometimes bloody) that worsens over several days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover within a week; some may develop a more severe infection.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The former member of the right-wing extremist group, the Proud Boys, who went missing just before he was set to be sentenced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.

Christopher Worrell, 52, was initially charged with assaulting law enforcement officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He was found guilty of those charges -- but four days before his sentencing in August 2023, he cut off his ankle monitor and fled, leading to a six-week manhunt.

When the FBI arrested Worrell in September at his house Naples, Florida, he was unresponsive and had night-vision goggles, a wallet with approximately $4,000 in cash and a bag with new camping gear inside.

Worrell later told investigators that he had faked an opioid overdose as a strategy to delay sentencing. Sheriff's deputies were required to guard Worrell in his hospital room during his five-day alleged recovery.

The government said Worrell "plotted" his trip to D.C. with other Proud Boys. He brought weapons such as a shield and pepper gel and used that gel on Capitol Police officers who were fighting the mob at the Capitol.

"Once on Capitol grounds, Worrell spewed vitriol for half an hour at the overwhelmed officers restraining the mob," according to an Aug. 13 sentencing memo filed by the Justice Department. "And when he saw an opportunity to pepper spray the police line from deep within the crowd, Worrell took it."

Worrell later bragged that he had "deployed a whole can" and was "f------ handing it to them."

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.

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(NEW YORK) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a lawsuit against 17 bus and transportation companies helping to send asylum-seekers to the city as it deals with major budget issues surrounding the crisis.

The city is seeking $708 million in the lawsuit to cover costs for caring for migrants.

"New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone," Adams said in a statement. "Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor [Greg] Abbott's scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system.

He continued, "These companies have violated state law by not paying the cost of caring for these migrants, and that's why we are suing to recoup approximately $700 million already spent to care for migrants sent here in the last two years by Texas."

The lawsuit has yet to be reviewed by the county clerk.

New York City has struggled to keep up with the financial burden of tens of thousands of migrants coming into the city since Abbott began Operation Lone Star. Abbott said on Dec. 29 the state had sent "over 33,600" migrants to New York City since August 2022.

The transportation companies named in the lawsuit include: Buckeye Coach, Carduan Tours, Classic Elegance Coaches, Coastal Crew Change Company, Ejecutivo Enterprises, El Paso United Charters, Garcia and Garcia Enterprises, JY Charter Bus, Lily's Bus Lines, Mayo Tours, Norteno Express, Roadrunner Charters, Southwest Crew Change Company, Transportes Regiomontanos, VLP Charter, Windstar Lines and Wynne Transportation.

"As of November 27, 2023, the Defendants have earned millions of dollars in revenues from Texas for implementing the Texas Governor's plan," the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit cites section 149 of the New York Social Services law, which requires "[a]ny person who knowingly brings, or causes to be brought a needy person from out of state into this state for the purpose of making him a public charge ... shall be obligated to convey such person out of state or support him at his own expense."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stood in support of the lawsuit as well.

"Governor Abott continues to use human beings as political pawns, and it's about time that the companies facilitating his actions take responsibility for their role in this ongoing crisis," Hochul said in a statement. "If they are getting paid to break the law by transporting people in need of public assistance into our state, they should be on the hook for the cost of sheltering those individuals -- not just passing that expense along to hard-working New Yorkers. I'm proud to support the mayor's lawsuit."

Adams and Hochul have each repeatedly pressed for support from the federal government to deal with the costs of migrants arriving in the city.

Adam also announced a new executive order in late December that would "improved coordination from charter bus companies transporting new migrant arrivals into New York City, ensuring the safety and well-being of both migrants and city staff receiving them."

"New York City has begun to see another surge of migrants arriving, and we expect this to intensify over the coming days as a result of Texas Governor Abbott's cruel and inhumane politics," Adams said in a statement.

Just days later, buses began dropping migrants off in New Jersey and telling them to take public transit into the city in order to avoid running afoul of the executive order.

In an August 2022 interview with "Nightline," just after the launch of Operation Lone Star, Abbott accused Adams of "playing politics" and called him a "hypocrite."

"He's also being a hypocrite because New York City is a self-declared 'sanctuary city,'" Abbott said. "And so why he's ever complaining for one moment about these people being bused into a city goes against his own self-declaration of being a sanctuary city."

The term "sanctuary city" refers to municipalities like New York City that are willing to defy federal immigration laws in order to protect undocumented immigrants.

There were a record 302,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in December, according to Customs and Border Protection.

ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Very different circumstances surround the assassination of a top Hamas strategist in Lebanon and the mysterious blasts in Iran that occurred this week, but the events have reignited the same lingering fear: that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could still spiral into a regional war -- and draw several factions with significant firepower into a devastating fight.

Although Israel has not publicly taken credit for the drone strike that killed Hamas deputy chief Saleh Arouri in Beirut on Tuesday, U.S. officials say the country was indeed behind the attack.

On Thursday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the twin blasts at an event marking the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was killed in a U.S. airstrike four years ago. While the U.S. is still gathering its own intelligence, one senior administration official told ABC News on Wednesday that the bombings were consistent with an ISIS attack.

Before ISIS had claimed responsibility for the blasts in Iran, Biden administration officials publicly emphasized there was no evidence to link Israel to the deadly explosions and flatly denied any U.S. involvement.

But Iranian authorities and officials from Hezbollah -- a Lebanese militant group that has been intermittently exchanging fire with Israeli forces for months -- were quick to blame Israel for both incidents, vowing revenge.

Before a large crowd in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi promised that "the Zionist regime" will "pay the price for this crime."

And in a public address on Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah declared that the group would retaliate for the killing of Arouri on Lebanese soil, calling the attack a "serious and heinous crime that will not remain without response and punishment."

David Daoud, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a former Capitol Hill analyst, told ABC News that he thinks the group is likely to mount a reprisal because the strike happened so close to its own nerve center.

In response to the airstrike in Beirut, the Biden administration called Arouri a "brutal terrorist" who was "centrally responsible" for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel from the neighboring Gaza Strip, which killed more than 1,200 people -- primarily civilians -- and sparked Israel's ongoing war to eradicate Hamas that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.

Experts told ABC News that ISIS' apparent culpability for the Iran blasts and the U.S.' argument that Israel was justified in targeting Arouri in Lebanon may do little to calm inflamed tensions across the Middle East.

"Things are very tense," said Dan Byman, a senior fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., and a part-time senior adviser to the U.S. Department of State on the International Security Advisory Board.

But unlike other regional threats such as the Houthis in Yemen -- another Iranian-backed militant group that claims to be targeting cargo ships in Red Sea with ties to Israel, even though many of the vessels that have come under fire have no apparent links to the country --Tehran will carefully weigh any response, according to Byman.

"Iran is unlikely to respond unnecessarily without thinking it through. Iran may escalate directly [or] Iran may escalate through groups like Hezbollah, but it's not going to do so blindly," he said.

However, Daoud said Hezbollah is unlikely to significantly ramp up its warfare.

"They have to reset the redlines, but there still seems to be no interest to kind of opening the second front in a manner that would resemble the front of Gaza," Daoud told ABC News. "They don't benefit from that."

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday that the U.S. held a similar position on the matter.

"We remain incredibly concerned -- as we have been from the outset of this conflict -- about the risk of the conflict spreading into other fronts," Miller told reporters. "I wouldn't say that our concern is any higher today than it has been from the beginning. This has been something that we've been intensely focused on."

While Miller downplayed the impact the killing of a Hamas official in a sovereign nation might have on negotiations over the release of hostages held in Hamas-ruled Gaza and other issues related to the conflict, both Daoud and Byman said the strike would have a chilling effect -- but that it may further other Israeli goals.

"In the short term at least, this is going to set back efforts to release hostages. It's very hard for Hamas to do a ceasefire when it just lost a bunch of very senior leaders," Byman told ABC News. "But part of Israel's goal is disruption, and very much what it wants to do is disrupt Hamas' connections to outside organizations."

"I think it will impact freedom of movement and visibility of these actors," Daoud said. "It may also impact the calculus of countries like Turkey or Qatar to host these officials because they may prefer to avoid having problems on their soil."

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(NEW YORK) -- TGI Fridays is starting off the new year by shuttering dozens of locations to support the restaurant chain's long-term growth strategy, which it said includes appointing a former stakeholder to lead select regional locations "into a new phase of revitalization."

The Dallas-based casual dining bar and grill chain announced it will soon be closing 36 of its "under-performing corporate-owned restaurants" in the U.S. and selling off "eight previously corporate-owned restaurants in the Northeast to former CEO Ray Blanchette."

While TGI Fridays did not specify in the release which U.S. markets would be impacted by the closures, it underscored that there will be "more than 1,000 transfer opportunities," which the company said "represents over 80% of total impacted employees."

Since 2014, TGI Fridays restaurants have depleted nationwide by more than 50%, down from 500 eateries to just 233.

The restaurant chain, known for its social, weekend-ready atmosphere and low-price happy hour specials, called the new year moves "an era of transformation," with new transitions in place to drive revenue while remaining committed to the overall guest experience.

Ray Risley, U.S. president and COO, said in a statement that TGI Friday's has "identified opportunities to optimize and streamline our operations to ensure we are best positioned to meet and exceed on that brand promise."

The sale to Blanchette comes on the heels of a recent move to bolster TGI Fridays' leadership team, which included appointments of Weldon Spangler as CEO, Risley as U.S. president and COO, and Nik Rupp as president and COO of international, and CFO.

"As we continue along our path of transformation to revitalize the Fridays brand and implement a long-term growth strategy, we see a bright future for TGI Fridays," Spangler stated in the press release. "We are at the helm of a pivotal moment that will allow us to explore boundless advancement, expansion, and innovation to keep delivering 'That Fridays Feeling' that our fans know and love."

Risley added that by strengthening the TGI Friday's franchise model and closing underperforming stores, "we are creating an unprecedented opportunity for Fridays to drive forward its vision for the future."

TGI Fridays did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment as to which locations and how many total employees would be impacted by the closures.

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(NEW YORK) -- In a small group of veterans diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury, treatment with a psychedelic drug, ibogaine was associated with improvements in daily function and mental health symptoms, a new study out of Stanford found.

"This could be one of the first treatments for traumatic brain injury," said Dr. Nolan Williams, associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford, and principal study investigator. "I think it's a moment of hope for veterans and folks with permanent neurological injury."

The Federal Drug Administration classifies ibogaine as a Schedule I drug, citing "high abuse potential" and "no accepted medical use." To receive the one-time dose, 30 Special Ops veterans traveled to a treatment site in Mexico where ibogaine use is unregulated.

The veterans received ibogaine under medical supervision while engaging in complementary activities including breathwork and yoga. Researchers found that both a few days and one month after the dose of ibogaine, the veterans reported improvement in cognitive abilities, in areas like daily life activities and interpersonal relationships, and in PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms.

Ibogaine is the psychoactive component of the iboga plant, which grows in Gabon and other countries of western equatorial Africa, and is used by local Bwiti religious practices for its hallucinogenic properties.

Mental and medical therapy currently exist for conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, but they work differently for everyone and for some are not enough, leading some to pursue unapproved therapies like ibogaine.

Although other hallucinogens, such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA, have been researched for varying psychiatric conditions, with increasingly promising results, ibogaine is still in the very early stages of this research. The drug's side effects, including the risk of inducing a potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm, may pose a challenge for future studies. The hallucinogenic properties of the drug could also be a risk for some patients. "Hallucinations for most people are brief and formative, but occasionally it could lead to significant psychological stress and poor outcomes," said Dr. Lewis Nelson, chair of emergency medicine and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers.

Researchers are not sure why ibogaine might help these different disorders, but some theorize that it acts on receptors implicated in addiction. Some experts say the hallucinogenic properties of ibogaine might allow participants to process their past experiences and emerge with new perspectives. "It's a really complex drug that's working across a lot of different systems," said Williams. "That's what makes it so powerful and so complicated to understand."

While this study adds to growing literature around ibogaine therapy, Williams cautions against being too hopeful about ibogaine being a cure-all, especially since the medication was administered internationally with other complementary therapies. Nelson agreed, pointing to similar effects for other hallucinogens like psilocybin and MDMA. "This drug gives me a great experience and now I'm done with the drug and I feel great," said Nelson. "Did the drug do it or did the experience do it?"

Questioning how future research would help balance benefits and risks of ibogaine, "What's an acceptable death rate? I guess a little bit of that depends on how efficacious it is," Nelson said.

For Williams and Nelson, these uncertainties emphasize the need for more trials in the United States. Controlled, supervised administration of the treatment could help remove some of the confounding factors, and reverse abnormal heart rhythms if they start. Future research trials would need many more participants to show efficacy and safety, and more rigorous evaluation for the cardiac side effects, said Nelson.

The road to ibogaine as a widely available therapy remains long and uncertain. There are already concerns about ethical and safe sourcing of the natural compound, and its applicability to structurally marginalized populations, as research pools for psychedelics remain predominantly white.

For now, Stanford researchers are gathering one-year follow-up data on the same veterans, while other studies are underway internationally, and some states discuss changing policy and increasing research funding to facilitate studying ibogaine.

"These are really tough diseases, so I love the fact that we're looking at alternative treatments," said Nelson. "We nibble around the edges and we struggle, and there's not a lot of great therapies. I just think we have to be honest with ourselves about how good and safe the treatment is before we go out there and unleash it on the community writ large."

Angela Y. Zhang, MD (she/hers), is a pediatric resident at University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) -- While Dry January -- giving up alcohol for the month of January -- has been shown to have benefits like better sleep and increased energy, giving up drinks could also help you live longer and look younger, research shows.

"Everyone will feel better [after] a month of alcohol-free. Everyone," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified physician in OB-GYN and obesity medicine, who has participated in Dry January for the past seven years.

Here are three things to know about how replacing a cocktail with a non-alcoholic alternative, even for a month, can help you live longer, feel better and potentially make you look younger.

1. Alcohol use is related to age-related diseases

There are a number of negative health effects of alcohol consumption, particularly when done in excess or binge drinking.

Beyond the risk of accidents and injury when under the influence of alcohol, it is a risk factor for diseases including several cancers -- such as breast and gastrointestinal cancers -- liver disease, stroke, heart disease, and mood and memory problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many of which can lead to premature death and early aging.

"Alcohol's negative impact ripples across communities, affecting our bodies and minds, burdening our health care systems and leaving a trail of shattered lives," Dr. Michael Caldwell, chief medical officer of Dry January USA, the U.S. branch of Alcohol Change UK -- the charity that launched the Dry January movement a decade ago -- told ABC News.

Studies do show some of these negative health effects can improve as alcohol consumption is reduced, which can help people live longer lives.

A 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal found that among nearly 100 participants abstaining from alcohol for a month, and 50 who did not, moderate-heavy drinkers who abstained had improved health markers including lower insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure and certain cancer-related biological markers.

2. Alcohol can worsen skin conditions

Alcohol use is also related to skin health.

A 2019 study of over 3,000 women ages 18 to 75 found that heavy alcohol use, defined as eight or more drinks per week, was associated with under-eye puffiness, increased upper facial lines, blood vessels and the loss of volume in the face.

Alcohol is dehydrating, which can decrease the skin's elasticity and cause it to have a dry appearance.

Studies have shown that alcohol use can also worsen skin conditions, including psoriasis, an inflammatory disease that visibly damages skin.

3. Alcohol is linked to biological aging

Beyond diseases and visible signs of aging, alcohol consumption is also associated with biological aging.

A large 2022 study published in Nature analyzed nearly 250,000 biological samples in the United Kingdom and found that higher alcohol consumption resulted in shorter telomer length, a potential biological marker of aging that can contribute to more age-related diseases.

While studies specifically looking at anti-aging effects of alcohol cessation are lacking, some evidence has shown negative health effects can be improved as alcohol use is reduced, which can help people live longer lives.

As mentioned previously, the 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal found that among nearly 100 participants abstaining from alcohol for a month, and 50 who did not, moderate-heavy drinkers who abstained had improved health markers including lower insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure and certain cancer-related biological markers.

Doctors also say what is known about the negative health effects of alcohol use can be used to understand how cutting back could slow age-related diseases, visible signs of aging, and prevent people from mental health declines with age.

"Consumption dehydrates our skin and increases inflammation, which promotes premature aging," Caldwell said, adding that reducing alcohol intake may mean "your mental health will improve, you will be more present with increased clarity of thought and you will have more meaningful relationships."

How to get started reducing alcohol use

For anyone deciding to participate in Dry January or looking to simply cut back on their alcohol consumption, Ashton recommends telling friends you're participating, which helps provide accountability.

Ashton also recommends marking successful days off on a calendar to track progress, and trying mocktails or other non-alcoholic beverages, especially if triggering social situations cannot be avoided.

There are also mobile apps, such as Try Dry, run by Alcohol Change UK, that can provide similar tracking and accountability reaching the Dry January goal.

"Even for a short period of time, you will gain much more than you realize by reducing and eliminating alcohol use from your life," Caldwell said.

Ashton warned that the Dry January movement is not meant to be a tool for people struggling with alcohol addiction.

"I can't emphasize this enough," she said. "This is not for abstinence and sobriety reasons, but if you cut try to cut down and you are struggling, please seek professional help."

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMSA) confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). For information and resources about alcohol-related problems and health, visit the website of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) HERE.

Dr. Jade A Cobern, M.D., MPH, is a board-certified pediatrician specializing in general preventive medicine and is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(LONDON) -- Oscar Pistorius, the former South African runner who competed in both the Olympics and Paralympics, has been released from prison on parole nearly 11 years after he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The South African Department of Correctional Services announced Friday that Pistorius, 37, was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home.

Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide in 2014 after fatally shooting Steenkamp, a 29-year-old South African model, four times at his home on the morning of Feb. 14, 2013. He claimed he fired his gun after mistaking her for an intruder.

“The Department of Correctional Services affirms that a decision taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board on 24 November 2023 to place inmate Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius on parole, effectively from 5 January 2024," the South African Department of Correctional Services said in a statement Friday.

Steenkamp's mother said the pain of her murder is still "raw and real."

"Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back," June Steenkamp told ABC News in a statement Friday. "We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence."

However, Steenkamp's mother said the conditions of Pistorius' release on parole have "affirmed" her family's belief in the South African justice system.

"We have always known that parole is part of the South African legal system, and we have always said that the law must take its course," she added. "The conditions imposed by the parole board, which includes anger management courses and programs on gender-based violence send out a clear message that gender based violence is taken seriously."

Pistorius' parole will last until Dec. 5, 2029. He is expected to serve the remainder of his 13 years and 5-month sentence at his uncle's home in Waterkloof, a suburb of Pretoria, under stringent parole conditions.

In accordance with South Africa's "General Parole conditions," Pistorius must be home at "particular hours" of the day. He is not allowed to consume "alcohol and other prohibited substances," the South African Department of Correctional Services said.

Pistorius must also attend compulsory programs identified by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board and is restricted from conducting any media interviews, according to the South African Department of Correctional Services.

The murder trial of the six-time Paralympic gold medalist -- popularly known as the "Blade Runner," a name derived from the Carbon-fibre prosthetics he wore while racing -- was publicized around the world. Pistorius was initially sentenced to six years behind bars in 2016, but that later increased to 13 years and five months after prosecutors argued the prison term was too lenient.

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(NEW YORK) -- If you have a friend who suggests grabbing dinner at 5 p.m., or a co-worker who you see eating her first meal at noon, she is probably doing the latest wellness trend: Intermittent fasting.

The idea of fasting is, of course, thousands of years old but the idea of fasting for a certain time period every day has more recently become a buzzy wellness trend.

The good news, according to experts, is that this is one nutrition trend that is safe and effective.

"It's nice when something is popular and actually safe," said Robin Foroutan, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Morrison Center in New York City and a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Here are 10 questions answered about intermittent fasting (IF).

1. What is IF?

Intermittent fasting is simply limiting the times during which you eat.

The eating patterns in fasting range from alternate day fasting -- where you fast for 24 hours and then eat normally the next 24 hours -- to a plan like the 5:2 diet where you fast for two days of the week and eat normally the other five days.

The buzziest type of fasting today, and the most practical for most people, is the version of intermittent fasting, or time-restricted feeding, where you eat typically only in an eight-hour time period.

This version of IF just pushes your first meal to later in the day and your last meal to earlier in the evening.

2. How do I get started?

You can do it tomorrow. One benefit of intermittent fasting is you do not have to go out and buy 5 pounds of kale or grass-fed beef and cook elaborate recipes.

You can begin this way of eating with your current diet. The only way to start is to figure out the eating window of time that will work for you and give it a try.

3. Are there specific hours for IF?

Foroutan recommends establishing an eating window from around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. to around 6 or 7 at night.

There is no set definition of the hours of intermittent fasting, according to Foroutan.

There is also no research yet that confirms that eating within a period of 10 hours, for example, is better than eating within a 12-hour time frame, so you can make the plan work for you.

4. Is the advice I've always heard to start the day with breakfast wrong?

No. Both pieces of nutritional advice -- to fast and to eat breakfast soon after waking up -- can be right because each individual is so different.

"There is no one right way. There is no one right diet for everyone," Foroutan said. "You do have to listen to your body cues."

If you are trying intermittent fasting and waking up ravenously hungry, Foroutan recommends shifting your fasting hours forward and eating your first meal earlier.

5. Does it matter what time I stop eating?

Yes. You should stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed, according to Foroutan.

"The early dinner seems to be the most important according to the research," she said. "Finishing eating at an earlier time is the most beneficial."

6. Do I need to change my diet, too?

Only if you want to lose weight, according to Dr. Jason Fung, founder of the Intensive Dietary Management (IDM) Coaching Program.

"If you want to maximize fasting, you should really stick to a whole, non-processed foods diet," he said. "But even if you eat exactly the same thing but eat in a concentrated period of time, research shows there are still benefits, that your insulin levels are lower and your insulin resistance is lower."

He added, "And when you eat in a concentrated period of time, you tend to eat less overall."

7. What if my stomach starts growling while I'm fasting?

In general, the advice is to keep going with your fast, but listen to your body.

"You are going to get hungry because you’re used to eating three times a day," Fung said. "But the hunger doesn’t continue to rise. If you don’t eat, then the hunger hormone, ghrelin, goes back down to baseline."

People who are intermittent fasting should stay well hydrated. In addition to water, coffee, green tea and bone broth may be options to consume during fasting hours, depending on the guidelines you've set.

Listen to your body and keep in mind that the goal of intermittent fasting is to feel better, not worse, Foroutan said.

"If you are dragging through the day with headaches and you're hungry and you're distracted and can't think, you're probably not doing it right or this plan isn't for you," she said. "You should be feeling better in the short term, too."

8. What are the health benefits of intermittent fasting?

Research shows that, overall, intermittent fasting helps decrease cholesterol, decrease insulin in the blood, results in some weight loss and reduces inflammatory markers.

However, more studies are needed to determine whether intermittent fasting improves actual diseases like heart disease and diabetes, experts say.

In healthy, normal weight, overweight or obese adults, there is little evidence that intermittent fasting regimens are harmful physically or mentally. It appears that almost any intermittent fasting regimen can result in some weight loss, but more studies are needed to determine whether this weight loss is sustainable, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Foroutan said she has seen first-hand in her practice intermittent fasting improve things like digestion, gas, bloating and even sleep.

9. What is happening in my body when I fast?

When you fast, you are allowing your body to use up its stored food energy and cleaning out excess fat and sugar, according to Fung.

"You store food energy when you’re eating and you burn food energy when you’re fasting and it should be a normal cycle," he said. "You don’t have to keep shoving a muffin in your mouth every two hours to stay alive. Your body is able to handle it."

10. Is there anyone who should not do it?

Yes, children, people who are underweight or malnourished and people who have a history of eating disorders should not do intermittent fasting, experts say.

People with Type 1 diabetes and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are also cautioned against intermittent fasting, and should only do so with medical guidance.

Editor's note: This piece was originally published on June 28, 2018.

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(NEW YORK) -- Randy Roedema, a former Aurora, Colorado, police officer will be sentenced Friday after being convicted of criminally negligent homicide and assault in the third degree in the August 2019 death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain.

A jury found Roedema guilty on Oct. 13 in the first trial concerning McClain’s death. Roedema had pleaded not guilty.

For criminally negligent homicide, a class 5 felony, and assault in the third degree, a class 1 misdemeanor, Roedema could face several years in prison.

Another officer, Jason Rosenblatt, who was simultaneously tried was found not guilty on charges of reckless manslaughter, assault in the second degree and criminally negligent homicide. The first officer on the scene, Nathan Woodyard, was found not guilty on charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Two paramedics connected to McClain’s death were separately convicted of criminally negligent homicide in McClain’s death on Dec. 23.

Paramedics Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper were accused of administering an excessive amount of ketamine to sedate McClain after his encounter with police.

Cichuniec was also found guilty of assault in the second-degree unlawful administration of drugs. Cooper was found not guilty of assault in the second-degree unlawful administration of drugs.

They were both acquitted of assault in the second degree with intent to cause bodily injury. They had both pleaded not guilty to their charges.

In a statement following the convictions of Cichuniec and Cooper, Elijah's mother Sheenen McClain said that three convictions out of five "isn't justice and that the only thing the convictions serve is a very small acknowledgment for accountability in the justice system."

In August 24, 2019, McClain was confronted by police while walking home from a convenience store after a 911 caller told authorities they had seen someone "sketchy" in the area.

McClain was unarmed and wearing a ski mask at the time. His family says he had anemia, a blood condition that can make people feel cold more easily.

When officers arrived on the scene, they told McClain they had a right to stop him because he was "being suspicious."

In police body camera footage, McClain can be heard telling police he was going home, and that "I have a right to go where I am going."

Woodyard placed McClain in a carotid hold and he, Roedema and Rosenblatt moved McClain by force to the grass and continued to restrain him.

McClain told officers during their encounter that he was having trouble breathing. McClain was choking on his vomit while restrained, prosecutor Jonathan Bunge stated in the trial.

When EMTs arrived at the scene, McClain was given a shot of 500 milligrams of ketamine for "rapid tranquilization in order to minimize time struggling," according to department policy, and was loaded into an ambulance where he had a heart attack, according to investigators.

McClain weighed 143 pounds, but was given a higher dose of ketamine than recommended for someone his size and overdosed, according to Adams County coroner's office pathologist Stephen Cina in his testimony.

McClain's cause of death, which was previously listed as "undetermined," was listed in an amended autopsy report as "complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint." The manner of death remained listed as "undetermined" as it was in the initial report.

He died on Aug. 30, 2019, three days after doctors pronounced him brain dead and he was removed from life support, officials said.

The prosecution in Roedema's case argued that the officers violated department protocol by using excessive force against McClain. Bunge argued that the two men failed to de-escalate the situation. The defense argued they were following department protocols.

"When Elijah is on the ground handcuffed, he's saying over and over and over again, 'I can't breathe. Please help me,'" said Bunge during opening arguments.

The defense said that the officers followed their department policies and training, instead blaming McClain's death on the EMTs who later arrived at the scene and gave McClain a shot of ketamine. A defense attorney for Cooper, the EMT, argued there is a lack of protocol for the situation these paramedics found themselves in.

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(NEW YORK) -- Beginning in December, after the end of the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expanded its ground operation in Gaza — both in the south, and more recently, in the central region of the territory.

This has also resulted in more evacuation warnings for civilians in areas of combat, and with the addition of warnings for cities in the central region, 60% of Gaza's territory is now under evacuation orders, according to an analysis by ABC News.

By cross-referencing the IDF evacuation warnings, sent on social media as well as leaflets dropped on Gaza, with the IDF's map dividing Gaza into blocks, ABC News has been able to create an overall picture of every evacuation warning the IDF has announced.

Up to 1.9 million people — or more than 85% of the population — have been displaced throughout the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, according to a Jan. 2 report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Dr. Elizabeth Ferris, the director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, said the "unprecedented" scale of displacement in Gaza creates a range of serious consequences.

Displacement causes poverty, Ferris said, as people lose their assets, homes and livelihoods. Mental health and physical safety are put in jeopardy, she said.

Multiple displacements compound harm, she said, adding that children are particularly traumatized and re-traumatized by repeated displacements.

"It's much more difficult to bounce back," Ferris said. "There's a limit to resilience in terms of being able to cope with these kinds of situations."

When it comes to evacuation orders, Ferris said it's important that messages are widely distributed in languages people understand and through means they can access.

The IDF issues evacuation orders in Arabic through multiple avenues, including the leaflets dropped on Gaza and updates on social media.

But a UN expert said the IDF's evacuation orders have been "inaccurate, self-contradictory" and too dependent on "electricity and telecommunications networks" that Gazans may not have access to.

When the temporary truce ended on Dec. 1, the IDF introduced a map of Gaza divided into small, numbered blocks. Israel announced the map system as a way to direct specific evacuations of civilians; however, experts say the reality on the ground, like difficulties accessing internet service and unfamiliarity with the new map system, means people aren't always sure what to do.

ABC News spoke with people as they traveled toward the southern city of Rafah. They described traveling from one place to another as they tried to heed evacuation orders in Gaza.

Muhammad Alyan said he and his family fled northern Gaza City and walked to Khan Yunis in the south. After arriving in Khan Yunis, leaflets fell from the sky instructing them to move again.

"Now we are heading to Rafah. Where do we go? There was nowhere left to go," Alyan told ABC News.

Additionally, when the IDF announces evacuation zones, the map graphics that accompany its announcements don't always match the text announcement of what blocks are meant to evacuate, or even the location of the blocks, according to an analysis by ABC News.

On Dec. 2, a map with highlighted areas of Khan Younis said to evacuate. However, the text of the announcement also warned of several blocks encompassing two towns north of the city to leave as well.

The IDF told ABC News it has asked for temporary evacuations to safe areas "in order to minimize the risk posed by remaining in areas of intense hostilities." It said the warnings are delivered in multiple ways including "a dedicated website in Arabic, millions of pre-recorded phone calls and tens of thousands of live phone calls, and millions of leaflets."

"The IDF will act against Hamas wherever it operates, with full commitment to international law, while distinguishing between terrorists and civilians, and taking all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians," the IDF statement said.

Despite the confusion residents say they feel about evacuation orders and the block maps, they are generally continuing to evacuate areas where the IDF announces ground operations.

This has exponentially grown the populations taking refuge in the few remaining safe areas where millions are sheltering in schools and makeshift tent camps.

Juliette Touma, director of communications for UNRWA, said about 1 million people are now living in Rafah alone, a city which prewar had a population of about 150,000 people.

"Rafah historically is one of the poorest areas in the Gaza Strip. It does not have the civilian infrastructure that can support such a huge influx of displaced people," Touma said.

Even known shelters, which are where the IDF directs people in their evacuation warnings, are no longer an option for displaced people, Touma said.

"Our own shelters in the area are just massively overcrowded, we cannot take more people anymore. And so, what happened is that people started living anywhere they could," Touma said.

The IDF's last two evacuation notices, for Bureij and Nuseirat camps, have directed people to shelter in the central city of Deir Al Balah. Satellite imagery shows new camps are forming around tents set up in empty fields and lots, indicating existing shelters and tent camps are at capacity in Deir Al Balah.

As IDF ground operations continue, experts say even more people will flood the few remaining areas free of ground combat, but the space and resources to accommodate them are running out.

Hamas launched its surprise terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to the Israeli prime minister's office. Since Israel launched its counter-offensive, more than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

ABC News' Samy Zyara and Luis Yordan contributed to this story.

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(NEW YORK) -- Days away from the first ballots cast in the 2024 primary election, former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over his Republican rivals and tops President Joe Biden in some head-to-head polls.

Trump's standing appears to stem in part from widespread frustration over Biden's handling of the economy. Only 30% of voters approve of what Biden has done on that issue, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll from the fall.

While such voter sentiment has drawn significant attention, less focus has been paid to what Trump plans to do if he takes the reins of the economy next year.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Here's what to know about Trump's economic proposals for a potential second term and how some economists view them:

Trade

Trump plans to ratchet up a confrontational trade policy instituted during his first term, promising to impose tariffs on most imported goods.

Speaking with Fox Business in August, Trump said the tax on imported items could ultimately stand at 10%.

Trump also plans to tighten constraints on China-made products, including a "4-year plan to phase out all Chinese imports of essential goods," according to a set of proposals released in February.

Stephen Moore, who previously served as an economic adviser to Trump and says he has helped shape Trump's 2024 agenda, told ABC News that the tariff policies would hinder foreign producers and make domestic industries more competitive.

In turn, the policy would create jobs and boost manufacturing in the U.S., Moore said.

"Trump wants jobs here in America," Moore added. "He wants things made in America."

Many economists, including Moore, believe that a near-universal tariff would raise the prices of many consumer goods, however.

The price increases would primarily hurt low- and middle-income households, since consumer spending makes up a disproportionately large share of their expenses, Alan Blinder, a professor of economics at Princeton University and a former member of the Council of Economic Advisors under President Bill Clinton, told ABC News.

Gregory Daco, chief economist at global consulting firm EY, noted that the elevated prices could also weigh on consumer spending and in turn slow economic growth. Plus, he added, the potential shift toward American manufacturing would carry sizable up-front expenses.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," Daco told ABC News. "It takes time to build factories and it costs a lot."

Tax cuts

The revenue generated by a sweeping set of tariffs would allow the Trump administration to reduce taxes for individuals and companies, the Trump campaign said in February.

But the details of a tax cut proposal remain uncertain, Moore said. "This is all in motion," Moore added. "Nothing has been decided."

Trump is committed, however, to extending the tax cuts signed into law during his first term when they begin to phase out in 2025, Moore added.

"He clearly wants to make sure the tax rates don't go up as they're supposed to do if they let his tax plan expire," Moore said.

However, a recent report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, said that making permanent the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 would add $3.5 trillion to the nation's deficit.

The U.S. currently holds roughly $31.4 trillion in debt. In a report in February, the CBO projected the federal debt will grow nearly $20 trillion by the end of 2033.

"Extending the tax cuts would only worsen the already deep budget deficit problem that we're dealing with," Blinder said.

While the economy registered strong growth over the year after Trump's tax cut took effect, the measure accounted for little or none of the performance, according to a study from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service in 2019.

"The tax cuts did not create investment or productivity miracles," Blinder said. "Nobody should've expected that they would."

Energy

Trump has vowed to slash U.S. energy and electricity costs by ramping up domestic production of fossil fuels.

On the campaign trail, Trump has summed up this approach with a slogan: "Drill, baby, drill."

The agenda includes tax breaks for producers of oil, gas and coal.

Trump also plans to do away with much of the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate measure in U.S. history, which includes incentives for clean energy projects and the purchase of electric vehicles, the Financial Times reported in November.

Under Biden, meanwhile, the U.S. set a record for oil output this year. As of December, the country was on pace to increase its supply of oil by an average of 1.4 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency, a government group.

Blinder, of Princeton, questioned a potential expansion in production of fossil fuels, which make up a key driver of climate change. Economic policy should strike a balance between productivity and environmental concerns, Blinder said.

"One basic principle of taxation is you want to tax bad things and subsidize at least some good things," he added. "I find it hard to see that with providing tax breaks for fossil fuels."

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(PORTLAND) -- The Boeing 737 MAX 9 that was forced to make an emergency landing a few moments after takeoff on Friday had only made it to about 16,000 feet before a door plug fell out, opening a hole in the fuselage next to seat 26A.

Had the Alaska Airlines flight made it to its cruising altitude of more than 30,000 feet, the situation may have been much more dire, with passengers potentially walking around the cabin, said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

"We could have ended up with something so much more tragic," Homendy told reporters late Saturday.

NTSB investigators arrived in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday to begin their investigation into what happened on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. The board's "Go Team" included experts on "structures, operations and systems."

That team is expected to work closely with officials from Boeing, Alaska Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration, and associations representing pilots and flight attendants, Homendy said.

The FAA said earlier Saturday it was temporarily grounding certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory until they were inspected. The FAA said the pause would affect about 171 planes worldwide.

Sunday evening, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he cancelled a two-day leadership summit and instead will hold an all-employee safety meeting from the 737 factory in Renton, Washington on Tuesday.

Calhoun also sent out a company-wide memo to staff addressing the incident and ensuring that safety is a top priority.

"When it comes to the safety of our products and services, every decision and every action matters. And when serious accidents like this occur, it is critical for us to work transparently with our customers and regulators to understand and address the causes of the event, and to ensure they don’t happen again. This is and must be the focus of our team right now. I am deeply grateful to our colleagues who have been working tirelessly on our company’s response over the past two days," his statement partially read.

"The FAA's first priority is keeping the flying public safe," the administration said in an update Sunday. "We have grounded the affected airplanes, and they will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied that they are safe."

Boeing said in a statement that safety is "our top priority."

"We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane," Boeing said.

Homendy said the situation had been designated as an "accident" rather than an "incident." That designation is used by the NTSB when an aircraft "receives substantial damage."

The NTSB announced that the plug that fell out of the fuselage had been found by a teacher in their backyard Sunday.

The organization plans to retrieve it.

It had covered a section of the fuselage wider than a window. Typically, when an airline purchases an aircraft, Boeing constructs the frame and inserts plugs based on the carrier's needs.

The particular aircraft used on Flight 1282 had been certified for 189 passengers, so Alaska wouldn't need emergency exit doors installed where the door plug was, Homendy said. If the plane had been configured for a higher density, like 215 or 220 passengers, it would have needed exit doors.

Six crew members and 171 passengers were on board Flight 1282 bound for Ontario, California, the airline said.

"The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority," Alaska said in a statement, "so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation."

ABC News' Amanda Maile, Meredith Deliso, Riley Hoffman and Sam Sweeney contributed to this story.

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