Your Morning: ‘Fighting families’ in Portland seek justice

Portland killings: Investigators may be closing in on a person of interest in the killings of four Portland women. Five women, all under age 35, were found dead over three months in 2023. After initially determining the murders were unrelated, authorities later concluded the deaths were connected. The victims included Kristin Smith, found in a field Feb. 19, 2023; Charity Perry, discovered near a state park April 24; Bridget Webster, found April 30; and Ashley Real, located in a rural area May 7. The medical examiner determined blunt force trauma as the cause of death for 32-year-old Joanna Speaks, whose body was discovered in a rural area. Police have not tied Speaks’ death to the other four women. What to know about the case > 

Mothers share bond: NewsNation spoke with the mothers of the women who now share a bond they never hoped to have. “We are very thankful to have each other. We call ourselves the fighting families,” one mother told NewsNation. Another family member said: “They are our girls. Putting their faces together, saying, ‘Hey,’ something is up. Either we have a serial killer, or we have five homicidal maniacs. I don’t know which one would be worse.” Watch the interview > 

Person of interest: A person of interest possibly linked to the killings, Jesse Lee Calhoun, is currently jailed on a parole violation and could be released next month. The convicted felon had his sentence commuted in 2021 by then-Oregon Gov. Kate Brown for helping battle wildfires while imprisoned for burglary, car theft and assaulting an officer. The latest >

Editor’s note: This section of the newsletter mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk 24/7. Crisis resources > 

Investigation: NewsNation has confirmed that the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI in the investigation into the death of Mica Miller. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said it has been in contact with the federal agencies “since the early stages of the Mica Miller investigation.” The latest > 

Mica Miller: The death of Mica Miller, whose disappearance drew national attention, was ruled a suicide after an investigation by the sheriff’s office. The 30-year-old of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound April 27 at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. Mica’s family has claimed her marriage to Pastor John-Paul Miller was marred by abuse and toxicity. John-Paul Miller’s attorney says the pastor denies any abuse. Details of the case >

Fentanyl: The number of fentanyl seizures by law enforcement more than quadrupled between 2017 and 2023, according to data from the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program. About 50,000 pills containing fentanyl were seized in 2017, but researchers found the figure shot up to more than 115 million pills in 2023. Fentanyl in pill form is becoming increasingly common, with pills accounting for roughly half of illicit fentanyl seizures last year, compared to 10% in 2017. Who the Drug Enforcement Administration cites as the primary sources of fentanyl being smuggled into the U.S. >

Fixer-turned-foe: Donald Trump’s one-time personal attorney Michael Cohen is set to take a round of questioning from the former president’s attorneys as early as Tuesday. What to expect > 

‘Everything required Mr. Trump’s sign-off’: Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, will return to the stand after he delivered testimony Monday, placing Trump at the center of the hush money scheme that prosecutors say was aimed at stifling stories that threatened his 2016 campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. Breakdown of Cohen’s testimony > 

Blocked from exiting: Two American doctors who volunteered to provide medical care in Gaza say they were stuck without safe passage Monday after Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border. Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah, from Southern California, and Dallas-based Dr. Mahmoud Sabha say they went to Gaza on May 1. Both were scheduled to leave Rafah on Monday but have since been told there is no longer a safe way to leave. A State Department spokesperson told NewsNation it is aware of reports of U.S. citizen doctors unable to leave Gaza, adding the U.S. government has no control over the border crossing or who is permitted to depart Gaza. Full report > 

Rafah: Around 450,000 Palestinians were driven out of Rafah over the past week, the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday. There were roughly 1.3 million people sheltering in Rafah before Israel moved into the city, and no food has entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for the past week. Israel says Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold in the war that started after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The latest >