Man Accused of Attacking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Home Pleads not Guilty to Attempted Murder

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Man Accused of Attacking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Home Pleads not Guilty to Attempted Murder

(Headline USA) The man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of attempted murder and attempted arson.

Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama, wearing an orange jail uniform, did not speak as his attorney entered the pleas during his arraignment in state court. The 20-year-old also faces federal charges.

Moreno-Gama, of Spring, Texas, hurled the flammable bomb at Altman’s home last month, setting an exterior gate alight before fleeing on foot, authorities allege. Less than an hour later, he went to OpenAI’s headquarters about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away and threatened to burn down the building, they say.

Diamond Ward, the public defender representing Moreno-Gama, said after the hearing that her client was experiencing a mental health crisis and had been excessively charged.

“Daniel is a kind, hard-working person who has been publicly advocating for peaceful measures to address the danger of AI on humanity,” she said.

She attributed Moreno-Gama’s actions to “a mental health crisis and not any desire to harm” and suggested prosecutors were trying to curry favor with Altman and were ignoring evidence of her client’s mental health issues.

During the hearing, Ward requested a mental health evaluation for Moreno-Gama. The judge granted the request and scheduled another hearing for later this month to discuss the results.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said last month that Moreno-Gama carried out a “targeted attack on Mr. Altman” and that prosecutors had evidence to substantiate the charges.

Moreno-Gama’s parents said in a statement shortly after the attack that he has never harmed anyone and recently began having mental health issues.

Authorities said Moreno-Gama, who works part-time at a pizzeria and is attending community college, expressed hatred of artificial intelligence in his writings, describing it as a danger to humanity and warning of “impending extinction,” according to court filings.

Officials haven’t said whether Altman was home at the time of the attack.

The state charges, which also include attempted arson and attempted criminal threats, carry penalties ranging from 19 years to life in prison.

Federal prosecutors charged Moreno-Gama with possession of an unregistered firearm, and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives. Those charges carry respective maximum prison sentences of 10 years and 20 years.

Moreno-Gama made an initial appearance in federal court on Friday.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

White House East Wing Debris Dumped at Nearby Golf Course Has Toxic Metals, Report Says

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White House East Wing Debris Dumped at Nearby Golf Course Has Toxic Metals, Report Says

(Headline USA) Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing that was dumped at a nearby public golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, the National Park Service said.

An interim report by a Virginia engineering firm says the toxic metals, along with PCBs, pesticides, petroleum byproducts and other chemicals were detected at levels above laboratory reporting limits in soil at the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic golf course that President Donald Trump plans to renovate.

The park service began dumping debris from the East Wing onto the golf course in October, and more than 30,000 cubic yards (810,000 cubic feet) of excavated soil had been transported to the site as of last month, the report by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said. The report was requested by the park service.

The nonprofit DC Preservation League has sued the Trump administration, arguing that the dumping was unlawful and possibly hazardous. The group also is challenging the Republican administration’s takeover of the golf course, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southeast of the White House, and others in the city.

The suit is one of several legal battles challenging Trump’s extraordinary efforts to put his mark on public spaces in the nation’s capital, including renaming and shuttering the Kennedy Center and building a 250-foot-tall (76-meter-tall) triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

At the end of last year, a separate group of preservationists filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the administration from demolishing the East Wing so it could build a ballroom, a project slated to cost $400 million.

A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, said in an email Tuesday that the soil removed from the White House “was tested multiple times, by multiple parties, and this project passed all standards set by law.”

While the agency does not comment on litigation, “this thorough process was followed to ensure the transfer was safe for the public,” spokeswoman Katie Martin said.

The Preservation League’s executive director, Rebecca Miller, said Tuesday that experts were still analyzing the engineering report. The group also is concerned about whether the Trump administration is complying with federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, she said.

Debris from the East Wing demolition is so prevalent that it causes golfers to detour around piles of it, Miller said. “If you Google you’ll see lots of photos of golfers walking past it,” she said in an interview.

The Trump administration’s plans to renovate the 105-year-old course to make it a professional-level course would permanently alter its historic character and layout, Miller said.

A federal judge told the government on Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid the legal dispute.

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn’t going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet, but she indicated she would take a harsh view of any major alterations made without prior notice.

Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that is co-representing the Preservation League, said in a press release that “further scrutiny will be required related to potential toxins that were dumped at East Potomac Park by the administration as part of the destruction of the East Wing of the White House.”

Test results released by the government “suggest the Defendants dumped a cocktail of contaminants — and despite indications of the refuse’s contents, they continued dumping it,” the group said.

Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the park service, said during Monday’s court hearing that there was no immediate plan to begin tree removal, but added that a safety assessment was underway.

Trump, an avid golfer, also plans to renovate a military golf course just outside Washington that has been used by past presidents for decades.

In her statement, Martin said the Interior Department is “committed to continuing the relationships we have built with the local golf communities to ensure these courses are safe, beautiful, open, affordable, enjoyable, accessible, and world-class for people living in and visiting the greatest capital city in the world.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

FAA Employee Accused of Threatening to Kill Trump

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FAA Employee Accused of Threatening to Kill Trump

(Headline USA) Federal Aviation Administration employee in New Hampshire is accused of sending an email to the White House threatening to kill President Donald Trump after using his work computer to research assassination attempts and related topics.

Dean DelleChiaie, 35, of Nashua, was expected to make an initial court appearance Tuesday on a charge of interstate communication of a threat against the president. According to federal prosecutors, he sent a message April 21 using his personal email account in which he identified himself and said he was going to “neutralize/kill” the president.

That came nearly three months after police and U.S. Secret Service officers questioned DelleChiaie about searches made on his computer at the FAA, where he was employed as a contractor involved in mechanical engineering.

According to court documents, DelleChiaie used his work computer in January to search for information about how to get a gun into a federal facility, the percentage of the population that wants the president dead, the location of the vice president’s home and the names of his children. He later asked the FAA’s information technology department to delete his search history, but the department instead reported the request to authorities, and DelleChiaie was suspended.

When interviewed at his home Feb. 3, DelleChiaie admitted to making the searches and was remorseful, Secret Service Special Agent Nathaneal Gamble wrote. He also told investigators he owned three guns, was depressed and that while he was upset with the Trump administration, he had no interest in assassinations.

DelleChiaie, whose attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment, was arrested Monday, just over a week after a gunman tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that incident, in which a Secret Service officer who was wearing body armor was shot but not seriously injured.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Bear Attack Injures Two Hikers in Yellowstone National Park

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Bear Attack Injures Two Hikers in Yellowstone National Park

(Headline USA) Two hikers were injured in a bear attack on a popular hiking trail near Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful geyser, park officials said Tuesday.

The attack was described by officials as a single event Monday afternoon along the Mystic Falls Trail.

A large area of the park near the Midway Geyser Basin was temporarily closed pending an investigation. The area includes at least five trails and several backcountry campsites.

Park officials said one or more bears were involved, but did not specify which species. The park has populations of both grizzly bears and black bears, which can be difficult to tell apart at times. Grizzlies can be more aggressive and they grow much larger — as much as twice as big as black bears. Black bears usually have darker coloring.

Further information — including whether the victims were hiking together and whether they were hospitalized for their injuries — was not being immediately released, said Yellowstone spokesperson Ashton Hooker.

Yellowstone gets more than 4 million visits by tourists annually and attacks by grizzlies or black bears are rare.

In September, a hiker suffered injuries to his chest and arm in an attack on the Turbid Lake Trail northeast of Yellowstone Lake, and a grizzly killed a woman just west of Yellowstone in 2023. The last fatal bear mauling in the park was in 2015 when a 63-year-old Billings, Montana man was killed while hiking alone in the park’s Lake Village area.

The fate of bears that attack humans is typically dictated by the circumstances of the encounter.

Following the 2015 fatal attack, officials captured and killed an adult female grizzly because it had eaten part of the victim’s body and hid the rest, which is not normal behavior for a bear defending its young.

By comparison, last year’s attack on the Turbid Lake Trail happened during a surprise encounter between the victim and the bear. The animal’s reaction was considered natural, so it was not relocated or killed.

The heavily traveled Mystic Falls trail where Monday’s attack occurred includes a loop that leads to a 70-foot (21-meter) tall waterfall. The trailhead is about two miles (three kilometers) northwest of Old Faithful.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Police Search for Suspects in Oklahoma Shooting that Sent 18 People to Hospitals

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Police Search for Suspects in Oklahoma Shooting that Sent 18 People to Hospitals

(Headline USA) A weekend shooting at a lakeside park in Oklahoma that left nearly two dozen people injured erupted when a group began arguing at an unsanctioned party packed with young adults, a witness said Monday.

Authorities were continuing to search for suspects Monday in the shooting that critically injured at least three of those hurt. No arrests have been made.

It wasn’t clear how many of the injured had been shot, police said Monday in a statement. It provided few answers about what had happened.

The shooting broke out Sunday night at a public park near a campground at Arcadia Lake, a popular swimming and boating spot in Edmond, just north of Oklahoma City, said Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward.

Jeremiah Braxton estimated 250 people showed up at the party. He said the trouble began when a group of girls started arguing over boyfriends. “It just started a whole bunch of chaos,” he said.

“Everybody got scared, dudes was panicking, women was panicking, people seeing their friends fight,” Braxton said.

The 18-year-old said he heard shots ring out in different directions for several minutes as he ran toward the lake. Those hit included two of his friends, he added.

At least 18 people were treated at hospitals in the Oklahoma City area. One healthcare system said the victims it treated ranged in age from 16 to 30. It said three people were in critical condition and four were listed as serious.

Police in Edmond said Monday that the party had been promoted across social media, drawing a large crowd of mostly young adults from across the Oklahoma City area.

Edmond Mayor Mark Nash said the shooting took place at a public park where spaces can be reserved for large gatherings. “To our knowledge, there was no reservation through the parks department,” he said.

Nash declined to answer questions about the shooting, saying police were handling the investigation.

“We’re already taking steps to review and strengthen park operations, permitting processes and security measures,” the mayor said.

Some of those injured were transported for medical attention while others sought treatment on their own, authorities said.

Integris Health said it treated 13 people at its hospitals in Edmond and Oklahoma City. Seven remained in Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, including three in critical condition.

OU Health said it received five people at its trauma center but didn’t elaborate.

While police did not provide more details about the party, a flyer circulated on social media after the shooting suggested that an event called Sunday Funday was scheduled at a pavilion near the lake until midnight.

It advertised food, drinks, music and “good vibes, good people.”

Arcadia Lake is dotted with picnic pavilions, campgrounds, a fishing pier, and swimming beaches. Built in the 1980s for outdoor recreation and flood control, the lake also provides water to the city of Edmond, a suburb of about 100,000 residents.

Forty years ago, Edmond was the site of one of the deadliest workplace shootings in U.S. history. On Aug. 20, 1986, postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them. He then killed himself.

Over the weekend, another shooting at a party in the Texas Panhandle left two teens dead and 10 other people wounded. Police in Amarillo said two persons opened fire at an apartment complex early Saturday.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Senate Republicans Unveil $72 Billion Budget Package to Fund ICE, CBP

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Senate Republicans Unveil $72 Billion Budget Package to Fund ICE, CBP

(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) Republicans are forging ahead with legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and U.S. Border Patrol along party lines.

The two Senate committees tasked with constructing a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill both unveiled the text of their proposals late Monday night.

Taken together, the bills allocate a grand total of $72 billion for federal immigration enforcement operations over the next three years.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the advance funding will “help provide certainty for federal law enforcement” and prevent the country from being “dragged backwards by Democrats’ radical, anti-law enforcement agenda.”

The package includes over $38 billion for ICE and roughly $26 billion for CBP, of which $3.5 is for investment in border security improvements, located in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee’s portion.

Republicans also ensured that the Department of Homeland Security as a whole – which houses ICE and CBP – would receive an extra $5 billion, while the Department of Justice would receive $1.5 billion and the Secret Service $1 billion.

The $1 billion for Secret Service is allocated within the Senate Judiciary Committee’s portion of the package and is meant to fund “security adjustments and upgrades” to the East Wing Modernization Project, which the Trump administration is replacing with a ballroom.

The committee added a limitation in the bill, however, specifying that “[n]one of the funds made available… may be used for non-security elements” of the project, referring to the construction of the ballroom itself.

Republicans have argued that the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which took place in the banquet hall of the Washington, D.C. Hilton, proves the security need for a White House venue.

Trump initially pitched the ballroom project as being privately financed through donations and not tax dollars.

Committee markups of the bills are expected in May, followed by floor debate before final votes. President Donald Trump wants the budget reconciliation package on his desk by June 1.

Using the budget reconciliation process to provide annual appropriations for government agencies is unprecedented. But congressional Republicans felt it their only option after Senate Democrats blockaded immigration enforcement funding, causing a 76-day shutdown of DHS.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said the use of reconciliation “was not my preferred path. Yet, this is the reality before us.”

“I thoroughly regret the erosion of the appropriations process Senate Democrats have instigated, and the consequences that were paid by everyday Americans,” Cole added. “It’s not a standard I accept.”

Hegseth: Ceasefire Holds Despite Iranian Aggression

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Hegseth: Ceasefire Holds Despite Iranian Aggression

(Morgan Sweeney, The Center Square) Despite Iranian forces opening fire on American warships in the Strait of Hormuz Monday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire still holds and the U.S. is continuing Project Freedom.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S.-declared ceasefire that began in early April and was indefinitely extended two weeks later effectively ended Operation Epic Fury, while the U.S. runs with a new operation to free up the flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth assured reporters and observers Tuesday that the military’s new operation is purely “defensive in nature” and more limited in scope than Operation Epic Fury.

“To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday.

Project Freedom began Monday, at Trump’s direction, and though Iran opened fire on U.S. warships the same day and the U.S. retaliated, Epic Fury’s ceasefire holds, according to Hegseth.

Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a condition of the ceasefire that has not been met, driving global oil prices higher as about 20% of the world’s oil flows through the Strait. However, the strait was not part of Operation Epic Fury’s stated objectives, and the administration had said Epic Fury would take only about 4 to 6 weeks. The administration would also have had to obtain congressional approval to continue Epic Fury into May.

Hegseth touted the transit of two American commercial ships Monday through the strait as a sign of Iran’s weakening grip.

“Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear. We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the strait. They do not,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth and Caine did not speak to whether Project Freedom signified a commitment from the U.S. to escort ships through the strait, but emphasized the U.S. wasn’t “looking for a fight.”

“We’re not looking for a fight. But Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway,” Hegseth said.

Medicaid Millionaires Exposed in Ohio

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Medicaid Millionaires Exposed in Ohio

(José Niño, Headline USA) Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak has uncovered what he calls the most egregious squandering of taxpayer money he has witnessed in 20 years of journalism.

Rosiak devoted two months to combing through data the Department of Government Efficiency made public in February. For the first time ever, Americans can see exactly what companies are charging Medicaid. His analysis shows Ohio shelled out $1 billion for home health care in 2024, with evidence suggesting some of the services billed were nothing more than “companionship & conversation.”

“I set my sights on Ohio, which like Minnesota has been granted waivers to expand Medicaid well beyond its original purpose,” Rosiak wrote. “Under the guise of health care, Ohio pays people to go to Medicaid beneficiaries’ homes to perform ‘homemaking’ and ‘chores’ like cooking and cleaning. The people performing these ‘personal services’ tasks don’t even have to be health care workers — and in many cases, are actually relatives of the Medicaid recipient.”

Because these services happen behind closed doors in private residences, nobody can confirm whether the workers actually showed up or did anything at all. One home health operator explained the appeal to Rosiak. “Well if the government is going to pay you to do it. People see it as lucrative, so they just jump on it.”

One windowless building at 6161 Busch Boulevard in Columbus contains 94 separate companies registered to bill Medicaid. Each occupies a cramped office frequently identified only by a piece of paper displaying a generic name ending in “Home Health LLC.” Records show this single address charged taxpayers $66 million over several years.

Rosiak uncovered troubling backgrounds among many company owners. Future installments of the “Medicaid Millionaires” series will profile a politician running an $11 million home health company apparently as a side venture, a woman who converted her cleaning business into a health provider and invoiced Medicaid nearly $100,000 in her first month, a million dollar operation owned by a couple with multiple convictions for fraud and violence, and a man imprisoned for Medicaid fraud who pleaded poverty when ordered to pay restitution while his associates control a sprawling benefits empire.

“These are not business geniuses, nor even people with any training or specialty in the health field,” Rosiak wrote. “They have often failed at a variety of businesses, before suddenly becoming millionaires in home health care.”

The scheme works simply. A 40 year old immigrant receives payment for spending time with his own 65 year old mother. A middleman company holding the required billing credentials collects a fee. Proving the services never happened would require the mother to testify against her own child.

The Trump administration has launched a Medicaid fraud task force headed by FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Vice President JD Vance. Rosiak notes they might consider starting in Vance’s home state.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

RINO Don Bacon Sides w/ Democrats to Extend Haitian TPS

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RINO Don Bacon Sides w/ Democrats to Extend Haitian TPS

(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., voted with every Democrat to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and is reportedly considering additional extensions for El Salvadorans and Venezuelans, drawing sharp criticism from immigration hawks.

LindellTV posted video of a confrontation with Bacon over his vote. “When our reporter asked why, @RepDonBacon lectured on ‘decency,’ called her a ‘hardcore anti-immigrant person’ – then told her to read the New Testament,” the outlet reported.

The exchange highlighted tensions within the Republican Party over immigration policy. Bacon defended Haitian TPS recipients by claiming they are “legal now” and “paying taxes.”

LindellTV pushed back against Bacon’s argument, claiming “over 90% of Haitian TPS holders entered illegally,” that “60% are on public assistance,” and that “TPS has been ‘temporary’ since 2010.” According to the American Immigration Council, Temporary Protected Status was created by Congress in the Immigration Act of 1990 as a humanitarian measure for foreign nationals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. The AIC also noted that Haiti was designated for TPS in 2010 following the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed an estimated 200,000 or more people. As The Forum noted, more than a decade and a half later, that “temporary” status has been repeatedly extended, and is now the subject of active litigation in federal courts.

Critics argue the program has become a de facto permanent residency pathway that undermines legal immigration channels and burdens American taxpayers.

Bacon’s decision to vote with Democrats and his confrontational response to the reporter have raised questions about whether he is aligned with his own district and the broader Republican base on immigration.

“Is he out of touch with the MAGA base and his own district?” LindellTV asked. “Americans want secure borders and real immigration reform NOT open-ended welfare magnets and endless extensions.”

Bacon represents Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a swing district that includes Omaha. He has won reelection in competitive races but faces pressure from both moderate and conservative wings of the party.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Texas Cracks Down on Sketchy Chinese U.S. Citizenship Scheme

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Texas Cracks Down on Sketchy Chinese U.S. Citizenship Scheme

(José Niño, Headline USA) Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against a Houston area birth tourism facility that allegedly helped more than 1,000 Chinese nationals secure American citizenship for their newborns, Breitbart reported.

The suit names the De’Ai Postpartum Care Center along with operators Lin Suling and Lai Wan Lin Chan. Paxton revealed the legal action last Wednesday, charging that the business was “exploiting birthright citizenship by unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals into Texas for the sole purpose of giving birth.”

Filed in Fort Bend County, the complaint alleges the center violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and multiple sections of the Texas Penal Code. Paxton contends the operation instructed Chinese customers to lie about their reasons for traveling when applying for tourist visas.

“But this is not tourism. Tourist visas cannot be issued for this purpose. This is an unlawful scheme that perpetuates fraud on the government and violates Texas law,” the lawsuit states.

Court filings point to a recent TikTok video as proof the defendants intended to help clients evade detection. “Indeed, just last week, Defendants posted a video to TikTok acknowledging that the federal government is ‘strictly’ policing birth tourism and alerting Chinese women that ‘applying after pregnancy can easily lead to refusal.’ To overcome this prohibition, and avoid detection, Defendants recommended that women apply for their tourist visas ‘before pregnancy.'”

The operation launched in 2008 at a single Fort Bend County location handling up to five deliveries daily, according to court records. It has since expanded to four residential properties where expectant mothers stay during their pregnancies. Officials believe the facility can now handle as many as 20 births per day. The defendants have allegedly claimed credit for more than 1,000 American born babies.

The center advertises on Chinese social media platforms and offers services extending well beyond childbirth. The lawsuit alleges the defendants work “to coach expectant families through the visa process,” including preparing applications and preparing for interviews with U.S. Consulate officials in China. After delivery, the center promises to handle all necessary legal processes for the issuance of birth certificates, Social Security numbers, U.S. passports, and travel documents.

Paxton wants a permanent injunction forcing the center to close its Texas operations and is pursuing civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The case arrives as the Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of birthright citizenship for children born to mothers with minimal connections to the United States, including those who entered illegally.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

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