Today in History: Abu Ghraib torture images made public
Today is Monday, April 28, the 118th day of 2025. There are 247 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On April 28, 2004, the world first viewed images of prisoner abuse and torture by U.S. troops at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, via a report broadcast on the CBS television news program '60 Minutes II.'
Also on this date:
In 1789, mutineers led by Fletcher Christian took control of the ship HMS Bounty three weeks after departing Tahiti, setting the ship's captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and 18 other crew members adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans after attempting to flee the country.
In 1947, a six-man expedition led by Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl set out from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day, 4,300 mile (6,900 km) journey across the Pacific Ocean to the Polynesian Islands.
In 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was stripped of his WBA title after he refused to be inducted into the armed forces.
In 1994, former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had passed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In 2001, a Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia carrying the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito, and two cosmonauts on a journey to the International Space Station.
In 2011, convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping a California girl, Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted in 1991 at the age of 11 and rescued 18 years later. (Phillip Garrido was sentenced to 431 years to life in prison; Nancy Garrido was sentenced to 36 years to life.)
Today's Birthdays: Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 95. Actor-singer Ann-Margret is 84. Chef Alice Waters is 81. TV host-comedian Jay Leno is 75. Actor Mary McDonnell is 73. Musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 72. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is 65. Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin is 61. Golfer John Daly is 59. Rapper Too Short is 59. Actor Bridget Moynahan is 54. Actor Jorge Garcia is 52. Actor Penelope Cruz is 51. TV personalities Drew and Jonathan Scott are 47. Actor Jessica Alba is 44. Actor Harry Shum Jr. is 43. Singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez is 30.
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Newsweek
2 hours ago
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California Democrat Reacts as ICE Reportedly Held Detainees in Basement
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The reported detentions come amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with valid documentation—including green cards or visas—have been detained and face legal jeopardy. President Donald Trump has pledged the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and in the initial months of his second term his administration has deported about 100,000 illegal immigrants, many as a result of his invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which grants the president authority to deport non-citizens without appearing before a judge, among other wartime authorities. What To Know Immigration lawyers and impacted families told CBS News that their clients and relatives went to ICE check-in appointments at the federal building this week and were taken into custody and held in the basement. Some people were reported to have spent the night in the basement. A CBS report cited an attorney who said one of her clients—a couple and their two children—spent the night in a room without beds with limited access to food and water. The woman was later released because of medical concerns related to her high-risk pregnancy. Other reports include detainees being held without food or water for hours. In its statement to Newsweek, ICE added: "ICE takes very seriously it's [sic] mandate to care for people in their custody with dignity and as mandated by law." It continued: "Inaccurate statements pushing a false narrative do nothing but put ICE law enforcement personnel and our communities at risk while distorting our mission of public safety and secure borders." Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/AP Gomez told Newsweek in a video interview that the reports are "scary because a lot of these folks are people who had followed the asylum process, doing the normal check-in, and that they had deportation stays and then they were held anyways." He said his office is concerned about whether detainees are being fed, receiving necessary medical care and held in appropriate conditions, as the facility is "not meant to have overnight detainees." The building has an immigration court, Gomez explained, saying that people checked in and "then they were detained and sent to the basement." He said the rise in detentions at ICE appointments is "not normal." Across the country, there have been numerous reports of people being taken into custody during scheduled check-ins with the agency. He noted the increase in these types of detentions may be tied to the rollback of a previous policy that discouraged arrests at sensitive locations such as churches, hospitals and schools. Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order revoking those protections. Gomez told Newsweek that the consequences of making arrests in these sensitive locations "are severe," saying, "if you can grab somebody at a hospital, then they're less likely to get the healthcare that they people stop showing up. "I think people are scared. They're feeling that the process that they knew was in place is being upended. That fear leads people not going to work," as well as not engaging in social life and addressing their health care needs, he said. What People Are Saying Juan Proaño, chief executive officer of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told CBS News: "They're having to literally house these immigrants in a makeshift detention center, which on its face is illegal. It is beyond inhumane treatment for any immigrant and in this particular case, you're talking about Trump administration, DHS, ICE have gotten way ahead of themselves. They haven't necessarily planned this properly and don't have the capacity required in order to continue with large-scale deportation." What Happens Next Gomez told Newsweek that he hopes to visit the facility on Saturday, noting that as a member of Congress, he has the right to "visit any facility that's detaining migrants." He said on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: "@DHS—I demand to go in to get answers. We need to know why law-abiding asylum seekers are being detained, separated, and treated like criminals." He told Newsweek: "I think it's just going to get worse before it gets better. But we're going to fight back as much as we can through the courts, through Congress, through the public, and try to get people to understand the consequences of Trump's immigration policies."
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Today in History: June 7, James Byrd Jr. killed in hate crime
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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Photos show alleged crypto kidnapping victim 'having a good time' at Soho townhouse
The Brief Newly obtained photos show alleged Italian kidnapping victim Michael Carturan at the posh Soho townhouse of accused torturers John Woeltz and William Duplessie. One photo shows him shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. Another video shows him having sex with a woman. Carturan reported escaping on May 23, alleging threats and torture for his Bitcoin password; suspects face charges including kidnapping and assault. NEW YORK - Photos obtained by TMZ reveal a wild scene inside the Soho townhouse where Italian crypto investor Michael Carturan was allegedly tortured and held captive by John Woeltz and William Duplessie. What we know TMZ's photos depict Carturan, whose face is blurred, shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. The images, captured between May 11 and May 13, show multiple people in the room, though it's unclear if Woeltz or Duplessie are present. A video, not shown in this report, appears to show Carturan having sex with a woman. What they're saying Charles Latibeaudiere, executive producer at TMZ, said these photos show this case in a new light. "It definitely paints a much different picture from what police and prosecutors have said went down in that Soho townhouse. The question is: Did it change? So what we've seen in these photos that we've obtained, Michael the Italian investor seems to be enjoying himself with the women who are there," Latibeaudiere said. Former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar commented that the photos and video suggest Carturan was a willing participant, appearing to enjoy himself. "The photos and video is good for the perpetrators," Alcazar told FOX 5 NY, "It seems like he was a willing participant. It sure looked like he was having a good time." Alcazar noted that police will identify and question everyone in the videos and photos to verify the events, including checking DNA evidence and fingerprints. The backstory Carturan escaped on May 23, reporting to police that the suspects used a saw to cut his leg and threatened him for his Bitcoin password. Prosecutors say Duplessie and Woeltz lured the victim to the posh townhouse on May 6 by threatening to kill his family. For 17 days, the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high, prosecutors allege. Duplessie and Woelyz face several changes, including kidnapping and assault. The Source This article uses reporting from TMZ, the Associated Press and background from former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar.
