News Wrap: Judge says Trump's lawsuit against IRS filed for 'improper purpose'

GEOFF BENNETT:

In the day's other headlines: A federal judge in Florida issued a scathing ruling today regarding President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, saying it was filed for, as she put it, an improper purpose.

Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, also referred the lawyer who brought the case to the Florida bar for possible disciplinary action. President Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax information by an agency contractor. The DOJ settlement of the case included the creation of a $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund, which was scrapped after bipartisan criticism.

In Maine, Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation after ICE agents shot and killed a motorist earlier today. Bystander radio shows officers administering aid to the victim in the city of Biddeford, south of Portland. Bullet holes can be seen in the windchill. Immigration advocates say the victim was a 26-year-old from Colombia.

Senator Angus King says Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him an agent fired in self-defense after a man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon. King also says the man killed was not the target of the warrant agents were serving, as was also the case in last week's fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. The agents involved were not wearing body cameras. DHS has not yet commented on the shooting.

Ukraine is joining nine other nations in creating a coalition to protect Europe from the threat of Russia's ballistic missiles. The air defense arrangement was announced today at a gathering of world leaders in Paris. It's seen as an alternative to the U.S. Patriot missile system.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the summit, seeking greater European support to counter Russian attacks. He says this new coalition would help deter further aggression from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator):

Right now in Ukraine, it happens that we do not have missiles to shoot down ballistics. This is a fact. This is the truth. That is exactly why we have started a new anti-ballistic program.

GEOFF BENNETT:

For his part, President Putin promised more strikes against Ukraine in response to recent drone attacks on Russian oil targets. Moscow launched more than 100 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian officials say at least two people were killed and dozens more injured.

In Thailand, an investigation is under way into a fire that consumed a Bangkok bar, killing at least 27 people and injuring dozens more. Eyewitness footage shows the blaze bursting from the bar's door. Local officials say the fire erupted late Sunday night, Bangkok time. Thai authorities say many of those killed were found in windowless bathrooms, where they may have been seeking shelter.

One of the bar's workers describes how he tried in vain to save his brother.

KAEWUDON PONGPANEE, Fire Victim (through translator):

I took a fire extinguisher with another staff, and we tried to spray it towards the front entrance. I tried stepping forward to the fire, but I couldn't get near it. I heard people crying for help, and so I was even more determined to save my brother, but I couldn't get in. There was smoke, soot, and the heat. I couldn't get inside.

GEOFF BENNETT:

Bangkok officials say most of the victims died from smoke inhalation. The fire was the city's deadliest in 17 years.

An American aid worker who tested positive for Ebola is now in stable condition at a hospital in Germany. The individual had been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has now confirmed more than 1,900 cases and at least 702 deaths from the outbreak. Dozens of health workers at one hospital have gone on strike over their working conditions and unpaid salaries.

And the virus continues to spread, with health officials saying it's now in two more provinces. Today, the University of Oxford launched its first human trial of a vaccine aimed at reining in the outbreak.

California and 11 other states are challenging Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. In a lawsuit filed today, they argue the $81 billion deal would extinguish competition and threaten jobs in the media industry. The Justice Department has already signed off on the deal, which would combine the likes of HBO Max and CNN with CBS and Paramount+, among others.

A Paramount spokesperson said today the company plans to -- quote -- "vigorously defend the transaction."

Meantime, on Wall Street, stocks struggled over renewed worries about Iran. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 140 points to start the week. The Nasdaq dropped more than 400 points. The S&P 500 also ended in negative territory.

And acclaimed New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died. He's perhaps best known for big screen moments like this as the daring paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant from the "Jurassic Park" franchise.

(SCREAMING)

SAM NEILL, Actor:

Don't move. He can't see us if we don't move.

GEOFF BENNETT:

Over a five-decade career, Neill appeared in more than 150 films and TV shows, ranging from art house favorites like "The Piano" to other blockbusters, including "The Hunt for Red October."

In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer. While he ultimately recovered, the experience led him to reflect on his life and career.

SAM NEILL:

I just wanted to live longer because life's good. And I feel very blessed with the life I have had. It's sort of -- I have sort of rambled between things, just sort of muddled along. But most of it's been a great pleasure.

GEOFF BENNETT:

His family says he died cancer-free and described his passing as sudden and unexpected. Sam Neill was 78 years old.