New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had “lost faith” in the local investigation into an alleged rape involving Cornell University students as she appointed a special prosecutor to take over the case.

The Democratic governor announced Thursday that she had signed an executive order naming Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the investigation. The case centers on a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members.

“New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I’ve lost faith in the Tompkins County District Attorney’s ability to fairly oversee it,” Hochul said.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued.”

Hochul’s decision followed the release of a transcript in which the alleged victim told Cornell police she was “100 percent” certain she had been raped.

According to the transcript obtained by CBS New York, the woman told a campus police investigator that she had been drinking and taking drugs on the night of the alleged attack, leaving her with gaps in her memory.

Even so, she said she could separate consensual sexual activity earlier in the evening from what she alleged happened later at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house.

Asked whether she had been comfortable with the encounter at the beginning of the night, the woman—identified in court records only as Jane Doe—said: “Yeah, as much as I can be, because again, I was super drunk when I got there… But I was pretty OK with all of this.”

“And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time,” she added.

Jane Doe said she could not remember the final part of the evening, which she described as the point “where I was raped.” She also said she did not know precisely how many men had sex with her.

However, when asked to characterize what occurred, she told investigators: “I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped.”

The transcript indicates that the campus police investigator questioned Doe while helping her prepare a written statement about the alleged assault.

As he asked what she had said when the men sought sex, the investigator cautioned that some questions might sound accusatory. He said he needed precise answers to determine which charges could potentially be filed.

Doe said she knocked one man’s hand away and told him she was uncomfortable. She also recalled telling another man “no” several times, or saying she was too tired to have intercourse.

“Was it ‘no’ or was it ‘eh, I’m tired?’” the investigator asked.

“I think it’s ‘I’m tired,’” the alleged victim responded.

Later on in the interview, the police officer asked Jane Doe whether she became tired of answering the men’s questions and ultimately gave in to them.

‘Yes. It was coercion, yes,’ she replied, according to the transcript, adding that she was ‘completely and totally incapacitated.’

The transcript also shows that the investigator documented her account, read it back to the accuser and asked her to clarify or correct it, according to CBS News.

Then, on the second day of the interview, Jane Doe reviewed the revised six-page statement.

When she then went to sign it, the transcript shows, the alleged victim said: ‘I’m very confident about this.’ 

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of that signed 2024 statement. 

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But he told CBS News on Tuesday he had never before seen the transcript showing what Jane Doe told campus police. 

The District Attorney said he will now seek a copy of the transcript and follow up with Cornell police.

‘Nobody knows this information about the transcript and that gives me something to really dig into because that changes the landscape for me,’ he said.

Cornell officials, meanwhile, said its police department provided the results of the school’s investigation to the District Attorney’s Office as prosecutors reconsider whether to bring charges against the alleged rapists.

University officials have also said it agreed to undertake an independent investigation into its handling of the matter.

The case gained renewed attention after Jane Doe filed a civil suit on September 16.

It alleges that Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca.

She alleges she was pressured to take ketamine and given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before being repeatedly sexually assaulted as additional fraternity members entered the room.

The complaint alleges seven men eventually participated and that Doe became ‘completely incapacitated.’ She says the ordeal continued until around 5.45am, when she lost consciousness.

It also claims that during the assault, one fraternity member posted to a ‘Chi Phi Actives’ Snapchat group that there was ‘free p***y’ upstairs, referring to Doe. 

‘Like you can walk in and whip it out,’ another member allegedly responded, according to a screenshot described in the filing. 

Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police on November 8 after friends encouraged her to come forward, according to the lawsuit.

Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that day.

The defendants have not all publicly responded to the allegations, but at least two have denied wrongdoing.

Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, said the alleged incident ‘did not happen.’

‘At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way. Period,’ Saland said.

‘We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words.’

Defendant Scott Norris separately denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging sending one message cited in the complaint.

‘I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use,’ Norris said. ‘I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened.’

For Doe, her attorney says the consequences have stretched far beyond the night at the center of the lawsuit.

He has claimed his client continues to suffer from anxiety, depression and sleepless nights and stopped attending Cornell following the alleged attack.

‘She is basically stalled, and her life is devoted to dealing with the trauma,’ Giuffra previously told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s like a constant, constant reminder.’

‘You could give her all the money in the world; nobody wants to have this as their story. Nobody wants to have this in their lives.’

WASHINGTON — Europe will release a “massive amount” of diesel from its emergency reserves, President Trump said Friday after urging U.S. allies to draw on their stockpiles.

“Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Officials did not immediately say how much fuel Europe plans to release or when it will reach the market. Trump’s announcement came after an emergency G7 meeting on the global energy situation chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Elysee Palace said Trump and Macron spoke Thursday night about “the need to work together to address rising fuel prices and ensure the global availability of refined petroleum products.”

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The announcement came as gasoline prices continued to retreat from highs reached in early September. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.40 Friday morning, down more than 9 cents from the previous week, according to AAA.

Diesel averaged $6.37 per gallon, a decline of 15 cents from the record price reached Sept. 22.

Voters have identified the rising cost of living—including fuel prices—as their leading concern ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Reuters reported Friday that Trump could sign an executive order as soon as next week intended to bring down diesel prices. It was not immediately clear whether the measure would include an export ban, an option analysts have speculated about in recent weeks.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai pilot who forced open the cockpit door after being stabbed by his copilot during a midair attack, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was fighting to stay alive when he made the split-second decision.

“You are my biggest idol, and I feel incredibly proud that you called and encouraged me. At that moment, I was fighting for my life,” Machchhar told Modi during a phone conversation on Friday.

Machchhar said he had fallen to the cockpit floor and realized the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude. Drawing on 17 years of experience as a pilot and 11 years as a captain, he understood what was unfolding even while seriously injured.

“As I lay there, I could feel the aircraft plunging. While I was being beaten, I told myself, ‘This is the last push, Smit. Do it. The door is right there,’” he recalled. “Somehow, I managed to open it. Everyone rushed in, and each person played an equally important role in the rescue. I was trying to save myself, but I also knew I could not allow anyone else to die.”

Opening the cockpit door gave Israeli passengers the opportunity to enter, restrain the copilot and help regain control of the FlyDubai aircraft. The plane had dropped more than 14,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds.

Machchhar’s actions have drawn widespread praise, including from Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and passengers aboard the flight. Reflecting on the ordeal, the pilot said his faith helped him endure the pain and fear.

“Whenever I am in pain, I know one thing: I chant the Hanuman Chalisa. I believe God saved me,” Machchhar said.

Modi told the injured pilot that people across India had been praying for his recovery.

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“Yesterday, prayers and chants were offered in temples and holy places across the country for your long life. We are all praying for your health, and you will recover very soon. India is eagerly waiting to welcome you,” Modi said.

“People are chanting mantras for you. Your courage, patience and presence of mind allowed you to make a decision in a fraction of a second and save so many lives,” Modi said. “Today, the entire country can say with pride that we Indians are not killers; we are life savers. Even after suffering so many injuries, while fighting for your own life, you continued to think about the passengers. You have brought honor to 1.4 billion Indians, and that is why I feel proud from the heart.”

Machchhar suffered a stab wound to the head, while his arm was “basically split in two” during the attack, Netanyahu said in a Thursday interview with Fox News. Despite the severity of his injuries, the pilot said he remains optimistic about making a full recovery.

“I am not viewing these injuries as ordinary wounds because that could affect my recovery,” Machchhar told Modi. “I see them as part of a journey that will move forward gradually and take time. I am very confident that I will recover and become completely healthy again.”

The aircraft was safely brought down in Saudi Arabia by a second flight crew traveling on board. After being stabilized there, Machchhar was transported to a hospital in the United Arab Emirates, where he continues to recover.

“I am fine, and everything is all right,” Machchhar assured Modi.

A slain New York Times executive gave his daughter a children’s book about grieving the death of a mother—even though her mother was still alive, according to allegations in a court filing.

Candice Jang said she was frightened by the birthday present Jonathan McKinsey allegedly selected for their daughter.

The book, The Memory String, tells the story of a young girl mourning her mother’s death, SFGATE reported.

“Jonathan has previously threatened to kill me and my parents,” Jang wrote. “… I cannot know what Jonathan intended by selecting that particular book.”

Given those alleged threats, Jang said the choice of book was “deeply disturbing and frightening.”

McKinsey, who was assigned female at birth and later transitioned to become a transgender man, was embroiled in a bitter divorce when his in-laws allegedly shot him in a California parking lot last weekend.

McKinsey had served as head of engineering for games player experience at The New York Times since 2023. He and Jang presented sharply conflicting accounts of their relationship.

The couple accused each other of domestic violence in filings before Alameda County Superior Court during the divorce proceedings. Jang received a temporary restraining order in October 2025.

McKinsey sought his own restraining order in December 2025, one week before Jang’s temporary order was due to expire.

In his December restraining-order application, McKinsey accused Jang of physically and emotionally abusing him on a weekly basis.

He alleged that Jang struck him on the head with a frying pan in 2013 and continued hitting him until he agreed to eat a cockroach, SFGATE reported.

The filing also alleged that Jang submerged a cat in a bucket, though McKinsey said he was able to revive the animal.

McKinsey further accused Jang of mistreating their children.

He also claimed that his mother-in-law, Shili Chen, became angry after seeing his son Wyatt ask to wear dresses belonging to his sister, Alexis.

According to the filing, McKinsey told Chen that his son was going through a “phase.” He alleged that she responded by berating both him and the child.

McKinsey alleged that Chen called the boy a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert,” then directed the same slurs at McKinsey while criticizing him for being transgender, the filing stated.

McKinsey alleged in his restraining order filing that when he begged Chen to stop berating his son, his mother-in-law then turned her anger toward him.

‘She blamed me for Wyatt wanting to wear his sister’s dresses and told me to get out of “her house” even though we were in the home owned by Candice and I,’ McKinsey wrote in the filing.

He added that he attempted to make his wife hire outside help to prevent Chen from ever watching their children again, but he claimed Jang refused.

McKinsey also filed allegations of abuse from Jang in their relationship, including claiming that she tried to push him into suicide, according to his court filings.

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According to McKinsey, his wife told him he should take his own life because ‘no one would want to be with someone as f***ed up and transgender like me.’

Jang went on to file her own restraining order against McKinsey last year, alleging he had ‘threatened to kill me and my parents.’

McKinsey had previously faced two counts of misdemeanor child abuse, following a police report in 2023 accusing him of slapping their six-year-old son in the face and leaving a ‘large bruise in the shape of a handprint’ on his face.

Jang also claimed McKinsey had previously been violent with her in 2018 when he grabbed her wrist hard enough to leave bruises.

In that incident, deputies said they arrived at McKinsey’s home to find a two-year-old left unattended in an upstairs bedroom while McKinsey had left to go shopping.

McKinsey was charged with cruelty to a child by endangering health and corporal injury to a child, both misdemeanors, and was freed on a $50,000 bail.

The bail was conditional on him completing 12 parenting classes. McKinsey pleaded not guilty in both incidents.

Jang’s restraining order and domestic violence protection order against McKinsey was granted last year, leading McKinsey to respond by requesting a domestic violence protection order against her and filing for divorce.

He had since sought more time with the three children, noting that he had been limited to two hours of supervised visits per week since last fall, Alameda County court documents show.

McKinsey made the allegations that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and at one of their children in his petition for a protection order.

The New York Times tech executive further accused Jang of being abusive during medical procedures related to his transition, claiming that at one point she tried to pull medical tubes from his body shortly after he underwent a procedure, according to the Mercury News.

He also alleged that Jang’s father, Shouyong Zhang, 77, punched him in the chest while he was recovering from a double mastectomy.

At the time of his killing, he was out on bail and had been trying to enter a mental health diversion program, which would have resulted in the charges being dropped upon completion, according to Mercury News.

In subsequent court documents, an attorney for Jang wrote that McKinsey ‘is simply prone to domestic violence and child abuse,’ noting that the incidents she cited in her previous complaint were ‘far from the first time’ he ‘committed physical violence against me or my family members’.

‘Due to his violent and negligent history, our children are simply not safe when left unsupervised and in his care,’ Jang wrote in a court filing last month.

The killing occurred a week before a hearing was scheduled in McKinsey and Jang’s divorce case.

It remains unclear whether Zhang and Chen may have been motivated to allegedly kill McKinsey over the claims of abuse or disagreements over his gender identity.

‘Part of our investigation is looking for motives from all angles as well as looking at the histories and relationships of everyone involved and associated with the victim and suspects,’ Captain Michael Campos, of Dublin Police Services, told the Post.

After McKinsey was shot dead on Saturday, a neighbor told the San Francisco Chronicle that McKinsey had recently moved out of the home he shared with his wife and three children.

Zhang and Chen’s arraignment has been scheduled for Wednesday. The couple are facing a slew of charges, including murder, felony conspiracy, child endangerment and dangerously firing a gun.

Newly released body-camera footage captures the tense moment police realized they had found Luigi Mangione, ending a five-day manhunt.

“It’s f–king him, dude,” one male officer is heard telling colleagues as a female officer removed a magazine of ammunition from Mangione’s backpack, CNN reported.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2024—five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in Manhattan.

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Some sections of the extensive police video were shown during a court hearing last year. The footage was made public only after a Manhattan judge ruled that it could be released.

Mangione, 28, recently pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges related to Thompson’s death. He has also asked a judge to dismiss the state murder case, arguing that his guilty plea means he is protected by double-jeopardy laws.