It was a “Saturday Night Live” GOP locker room party for Brett Kavanaugh after the Senate confirmed his seat on the Supreme Court.

By Holly Yan, Elizabeth Joseph and Darran Simon
CNN Newsource

A limousine carrying several couples to a birthday party failed to stop at an intersection in upstate New York and struck a parked vehicle, killing 20 people in the deadliest transportation accident in the United States in nearly a decade, according to authorities and a family member.

The 2001 Ford Excursion limo was traveling southwest on State Route 30 when it didn’t stop at the intersection with State Route 30 A and collided with an SUV in a parking lot shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday in Schoharie, New York State Police First Deputy Superintendent Chris Fiore said.

All 18 people in the limo, including the driver, were killed, Fiore said Sunday. Two pedestrians near the unoccupied parked 2015 Toyota Highlander also were killed, he said.

Valerie Abeling told CNN her niece, Erin Vertucci and Erin’s husband Shane McGowan, who were married in June, were among the victims in the limo.

“My family is just going through a lot,” Abeling said. “It’s a horrible tragedy and there’s no words to describe how we feel.”

Authorities are still notifying the families of victims and declined to release the victims’ names, according to Fiore.

‘These were young couples’

Abeling said the group was heading to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown — located about 43 miles away — to celebrate the 30th birthday of Vertucci’s and McGowan’s friend, who got married last month. That friend and her three sisters and their spouses were all killed, Abeling said.

“These were young couples, just got married and had their whole lives ahead of them,” Abeling said.

Vertucci and McGowan “were very much in love,” Abeling said.

“My niece was four years older than him, and she said she found the love of her life,” she said. “He was very sweet and very kind and very funny.”

Fiore said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families following this horrific tragedy.”

He said authorities were able to figure out the direction the limo was traveling and what occurred, based on evidence found at the scene. He said there were witnesses.

Fiore said authorities couldn’t answer several questions at this point, such as whether the limo’s occupants were wearing seat belts, whether the vehicle’s brakes were working or whether the driver was speeding.

The speed limit at the intersection is 50 mph, Fiore said.

‘I heard a loud bang’

A National Transportation Safety Board team arrived Sunday to investigate. The team expects to remain on the scene for about five days, NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said.

“Twenty fatalities, it’s just horrific,” Sumwalt said. “I’ve been on the board for 12 years and this is one of the biggest losses of life … that we’ve seen in a long, long time. Colgan Air up at Buffalo killed 40 people, 50 people, but this is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February of 2009.”

The crash happened outside an Apple Barrel Country Store & Cafe. Resident Bridey Finnagen said the crash was loud enough to hear from down the road.

“I heard a loud bang. I came out my front door to see what was going on,” Finnagen told CNN affiliate WTEN.

“I saw a lot of people here at the Apple Barrel out in the parking lot. Then I heard screaming. Then I saw this large van, a very unusual looking vehicle, out here in Schoharie in the bushes and really wrecked, hit a tree.”
State and local authorities respond to the scene about 40 miles west of Albany.

State and local authorities respond to the scene about 40 miles west of Albany.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the first responders who “worked through the night to help.”

“I join all New Yorkers in mourning these deaths and share in the unspeakable sorrow experienced by their families and loved ones during this extremely difficult time.”

CNN’s Madeleine Thompson, Keith Allen, Tony Marco, Tonju Francois and Mimi Hsin Hsuan Sun contributed to this report.

By Eric Bradner, Manu Raju, Phil Mattingly and Dana Bash
CNN Newsource

Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation was suddenly thrown into doubt Friday after Republicans and the White House agreed to a one-week delay so the FBI can investigate sexual assault allegations facing President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

“I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,” Trump said in a statement. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”

The fast-moving developments Friday mean that the full Senate will not vote early next week, as expected.

Members voted Friday night to formally open consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination, a procedural move that allows Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep his options open.

The delay is the result of a last-minute change of heart by Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, whose stunning move to force an investigation was quickly backed by several senators considered swing votes on Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Flake made the demand for the FBI probe after a chaotic scene at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in which the panel advanced Kavanaugh by an 11-10 party line vote — saying his vote was conditioned on a probe taking place, and that he would oppose Kavanaugh on the floor of the Senate unless his demand was met.

Swing votes Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin subsequently backed an FBI investigation before they’ll vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

The Judiciary Committee officially requested the FBI investigation, saying it should probe “current credible allegations” against Kavanaugh, and Republicans said it would be up to the FBI to decide what allegations are considered credible.

It was Flake, Collins and Murkowski who set the terms of the investigation, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

A separate Republican source familiar with the matter told CNN that the undecided GOP senators believe a key FBI focus should be on, but not limited to, Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s friend who Christine Blasey Ford has alleged was also in the room during the alleged assault and is also named as a witness to other incidents alleged by Julie Swetnick.

Judge has said he does not recall incidents alleged by Ford or Swetnick. Kavanaugh has denied allegations made by Ford and Swetnick.

The FBI is looking at the accusation of another woman, Deborah Ramirez, who has alleged Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at dormitory party while the two were undergraduate students at Yale.

The FBI has reached out to Ramirez, her attorney said, confirming a report in The Washington Post.

“We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation,” the attorney, John Clune, said in a statement. “Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.”

Kavanaugh has denied Ramirez’s allegation, which was reported by The New Yorker.

“This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen, Kavanaugh said in a statement last Sunday when The New Yorker published the article. “The people who knew me then know this did not happen and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple.”

Separately, on timing, a senior GOP leadership aide told CNN the agreement among the three key Republican senators and GOP leadership was to take the first key procedural vote on the Senate floor on the nomination no later than next Friday. It could happen earlier if the FBI is finished before then.

The expectation is that like other FBI background checks, the results of the FBI’s investigation will be private and put in Kavanaugh’s file and made available to senators but not the public, the aide said.

The tumult came just hours after Kavanaugh appeared to be on solid footing, with Republicans rallying to his side after his denials of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation in a Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday.
In a statement Friday, Kavanaugh said he would “continue to cooperate” with the FBI.

By Niara Savage

In a new development in the ongoing investigation of the shooting death of 25-year old Daniel Hambrick, Andrew Delke, the officer who shot Hambrick three times in the back, has been charged with criminal homicide.

These charges represent not only the first time in years that an on-duty Nashville officer has been charged after shooting someone, but also a step towards justice for the Hambrick family.

Daniel Hambrick was the only child of his mother, Vickie Hambrick who is legally blind. According to a cousin of the late Daniel Hambrick, she often depended on her son to help her navigate the world and overcome the unique challenges presented by her disability.

The charges against Delke hinge partly on the fact that the officer, who was supposed to be searching for stolen cars, lost track of a vehicle he had previously been following. After pulling into a parking lot with the vehicle he falsely believed was the one he had pursued earlier, Delke preceded to chase down a fleeing Hambrick, who he believed may have been associated with the misidentified vehicle.

The officer has since been released on 25,000 bond, and has been fully suspended from duty. As Delke awaits an October 30th hearing, and the nation anticipates what rebuke–if any–awaits him, the words of Daniel’s mother hang in the air: “I just want justice for my son. That’s all I’m asking. And for all the black guys and young women, I want justice for them.”

By Susan Scutti
CNN Newsource

Ebola virus disease has sickened 150 people and caused the deaths of at least 69 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeastern region, the nation’s Ministry of Health reported Monday.

Of these 150 cases, 119 have been confirmed and 31 are probable. An additional 31 deaths have occurred among probable and suspected cases, which would bring total Ebola deaths to 100 once confirmed. Forty-one people have recovered, according to the ministry.

“We have passed the sad mark of 100 deaths,” Dr. Peter Salama, WHO deputy director-general of emergency preparedness and response, said Tuesday. “The response is facing a series of grave obstacles.”

After weeks of control efforts having made impact, Salama expressed concern the outbreak could now worsen due to attacks in the region, movement of people and distrust in the community.

“We are now extremely concerned that several factors may be coming together over the next weeks to months to create the potential perfect storm,” he said, outlining the harms of “active conflict limiting our ability to access civilians, distrust by a community, already traumatized by decades of conflict and of murder, driven by a fear of a terrifying disease but also exploited and manipulated by local politicians prior to an election.”

Parts of the local population are refusing treatment because of distrust and superstitions, he said.

A violent clash in Beni on Sunday, attributed to the Alliance of Democratic Forces, led to the death of at least 21 people, including 17 civilians, according to Salama.

“The response at this stage is at a critical juncture,” he said. “We have seen an increased frequency and increased severity of attacks by armed opposition groups in recent weeks.”

In a tweet, Salama communicated that the Ebola response teams in the city of Beni were on lockdown beginning Sunday.

WHO #Ebola response teams in Beni #DRC are on lockdown today, unable to move because of security concerns following violence by armed rebel groups over the weekend when many civilians were killed.

— Peter Salama (@PeteSalama) September 24, 2018

Those on lockdown include the teams that distribute vaccinations, those who track family, friends, and others who came in contact with those infected, and those who educate the public by working directly with the community.

In its daily report, the Ministry of Health stated that “many residents of the city of Beni took to the streets on Sunday to protest the growing insecurity in the area.”

The Ministry added that field activities will resume “as soon as calm returns to the city.”

This suspension of activity in Beni was addressed by Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, Minister of Health, in a separate statement posted Monday.

“All the pillars of the response remain fully operational,” he wrote. He specified that the Beni Ebola Treatment Center remains open to patients, vaccinations continue and free health care remains available at approved centers, including to victims of violence.

Teams of healthcare personnel in areas outside Beni are continuing to conduct fieldwork, including providing vaccinations, according to WHO.

But “80% of people that are at risk of Ebola, at direct and immediate risk, were unable to be followed up yesterday in Beni,” Salama said Tuesday.

‘Wide geographical spread’

The North Kivu province is the epicenter of the outbreak, though some cases have been reported in neighboring Ituri province as well, according to WHO. Together, the two provinces, which are among the most populated in the nation, border Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan.

Congo is concurrently experiencing a long-term humanitarian crisis that includes intermittent armed conflict, according to WHO. As a result, other health epidemics, including cholera, measles and polio, as well as human trafficking, are flourishing there.

More than 1 million internally displaced people are in North Kivu and Ituri, according to WHO; the movement of refugees through and out of the provinces is a potential risk factor for the spread of Ebola.

In a tweet posted Monday, Salama stated that a case in Tchioma, an area of Congo that borders Uganda, “raises concern about further spread.”

Case of #Ebola in Tchioma #DRC raises concern about further spread:

1. This is a newly affected area
2. It is in an area which borders Uganda
3. The person actively avoided our teams and refused care

Multidisciplinary team travelled Sunday, arrived today to set up response.

— Peter Salama (@PeteSalama) September 24, 2018

On Tuesday he explained “this case is very close to the Kasen airport on the the riverbanks of lake Albert which has of course direct connectivity across the lake to Uganda. That area is entirely surrounded by a different rebel group…We are dealing now with 3 active armed opposition groups.”

Public health teams are also investigating nine suspected cases not included among the 150, the ministry reported.

“We now have wide geographical spread of Ebola,” said Salama. “Into red zones, into border areas with surrounding countries such as Uganda.”

On average, Ebola kills about half of those infected, but case fatality rates in individual outbreaks have varied from 25 percent to 90 percent.

Ebola, which causes fever, severe headache and in some cases hemorrhaging, most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates, such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees.

This is a second, separate outbreak that has occurred in Congo so far this year, according to the World Health Organization.

A previous outbreak, which began in May and ended in July, affected a western region of the country where 54 cases of Ebola virus were recorded, including 33 deaths.

Beginning with the 1976 discovery of Ebola in an area that is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country has experienced 10 outbreaks, including this year’s outbreaks.

Thousands vaccinated

Since August 8, the Ministry has been inoculating people at high risk of an Ebola infection: primary and secondary contacts of those with confirmed Ebola infections.

More than 11,700 people have now been vaccinated, according to Salama, who described this as “the largest scale we have ever seen of the use of Ebola vaccine in the midst of a response.”

Despite the successful Ebola vaccine campaign, WHO encountered some community resistance in a small village, Ndindi, surrounding the city of Beni. Ndindi has been responsible for a large number of Ebola cases over the last few weeks.

The experimental rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine, made by pharmaceutical company Merck, proved highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea, according to WHO.

Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with either bodily fluids or objects contaminated by someone ill with the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In some cases, the virus is spread from contact with someone who has died from the disease. The virus enters the body through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth. People can get it through sexual contact, as well.

“Beyond the medical response, the only way to end the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic remains the mobilization and commitment of the community alongside the health authorities,” Kalenga said in a statement.

Salama called for a continued response from the International Community to ensure provinces and countries are prepared.

“We call on governments In surrounding countries to accelerate their preparedness, which they have begun, to ensure that if – as is increasingly possible – this outbreak spreads across international borders we are all collectively prepared to top it before it gets out of control,” he said.

CNN’s Jacqueline Howard, Meera Senthilingam and Nina Avramova contributed to this report.