D4vd arrested; Strait of Hormuz reopens; latest on White House ballroom — Searched - April 17, 2026

[0:06] I'm Ashan Singh. It's Friday, April 17th. You've got questions and we've got answers. [0:10] This is Search, where we're breaking down what you're asking right now in real time. [0:14] Let's get right to it. We've got our Maya Ephraim here. She oversees our online search trends. [0:18] Maya, it's a Friday. What are people searching for today? [0:22] Hi, Ashan. A massive update in a case that has dominated search trends for months. [0:26] Singer David has been arrested in connection with the alleged disappearance and death of a 14-year-old girl. [0:31] Police say her remains were discovered in a car registered to him. [0:34] Now searches are spiking for the latest in the case, the charges against him, and the victim's cause of death. [0:40] Moving to the Middle East, both Tehran and the White House say the Strait of Hormuz is now open to commercial vessels. [0:46] Searches for is the war with Iran over have jumped 120% in the last few hours. [0:51] But while the blockade is paused, the U.S. Navy is still on high alert and there isn't a permanent resolution yet. [0:57] And finally, a federal judge has thrown a wrench into the president's plans to remodel the White House. [1:01] People are searching to find out what's next with the ballroom renovations. [1:05] And the news has caused renewed interest in who is funding this renovation, how much it will cost, and more on a reported secret facility. [1:12] Wow. A lot of news as we head into the weekend. [1:15] Maya, thanks so much and we'll check back with you in a bit. [1:17] Okay, let's dive a little deeper into one of your top searches. [1:20] Singer David arrested on suspicion of murdering that 14-year-old girl. [1:24] We've got our Alex Stone and he's been following the case from the jump. [1:27] Alex, thank you so much for joining us. [1:29] It's been a crazy 24 hours for you. You actually broke the news that David had been arrested. [1:34] How did you get the scoop? [1:35] Well, I mean, Asha, it's working the story. [1:38] We've been working it for seven months now and talking to investigators and sources who have been briefed on it [1:44] and those who are part of the investigation and those who are close to David and Celeste Rivas and that we knew something was probably coming down soon. [1:54] We thought it might have been back around Valentine's Day is kind of what it was looking like. [2:00] And that was because a grand jury was investigating the case. [2:04] And there were some holdups with the grand jury and that didn't come. [2:07] But we knew the LAPD was looking into it. [2:10] They were investigating it and that something was coming. [2:12] Yeah, Alex, people online are searching. [2:14] Has David actually been charged yet? [2:16] No, he has not been charged. [2:17] And we expect charges will probably come on Monday, maybe on Tuesday. [2:23] But they're coming. [2:24] It's pretty typical with an arrest that they work with the DA's office. [2:29] They get enough probable cause to make an arrest, which is what they've done in this case. [2:33] And then they give the case over once they've made the arrest to the DA, in this case the L.A. County DA, to decide on charges. [2:40] And those will probably come on Monday. [2:42] But they have a pretty good idea if after seven months they have now moved forward to make the arrest, [2:48] that they're going to get charges, probably murder charges, it looks like. [2:51] He's being held right now, Oshin, on suspicion of murder. [2:54] And then those charges likely to come on Monday. [2:57] Yeah, Alex, people want to know, what is the relationship of David and Celeste Rivas-Hernandez actually like? [3:02] Yeah, well, police wanted to know that as well. [3:06] And they've been looking into that now for seven months of what was the relationship. [3:10] There are those who are close to Celeste Rivas who they say that they met on TikTok, that it was known that she ran away. [3:18] She had been missing for about a year with a guy named David, but they didn't know much more about who it was. [3:24] And there are fans of David, David Burke being his legal name, who say that she was not a secret, [3:30] that she had been in his inner circle for a while and been on live streams and been around him and seen around him. [3:38] But nobody had physically seen her in quite a while. [3:42] Investigators believe, according to our sources, that they had had a relationship for some time, [3:46] that they'd met on social media. [3:47] It was probably intimate in some way. [3:51] But remember, he's 21. [3:53] She was, when she was found, her body was found, 14 years old. [3:57] But they believed that they had been together 12, 13 years old, and then that she had ran away to be with them. [4:04] So there was some knowledge among those close to both sides of them that they were together, [4:12] but there weren't a lot of details that were known. [4:15] Alex, thanks so much for your time, and we'll be with you on this case. [4:18] Thank you again. [4:19] Now to our Marcus Moore. [4:20] He's been reporting from Beirut, Lebanon, all week for us. [4:23] He's going to get to your questions about the Strait of Hormuz and what's going on in the region. [4:27] Marcus Moore, thank you so much for joining us. [4:29] The Strait of Hormuz, is it actually open, Marcus? [4:32] Well, that's the word we're getting, Ashan, from U.S. and also Iranian officials. [4:38] They say that the Strait of Hormuz is open, [4:42] while U.S. officials are saying that it's open to ships going to and from non-Iranian ports. [4:48] But based on what we're hearing right now, for all intents and purposes, the Strait is open. [4:53] It's one thing to say it's open, Marcus, but is it actually safe to navigate right now? [4:56] Do we know? Are people navigating the Straits? [5:00] You know, that's a very good question. [5:03] I can tell you, I do know of one empty cruise ship that passed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier today. [5:12] There may have been a couple of other ships that have passed. [5:14] So the traffic has not picked up, and there is concern about safety, [5:18] particularly about any potential mines that are out there. [5:22] But there's been some reporting about certain routes that have been established to help those ships get around any danger there. [5:33] And it's also worth noting that we've spoken directly to seafarers who are floating in the middle of the Gulf there, [5:42] unloaded tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. [5:43] And they've been stuck there for some 50 days, really since this war began. [5:48] And they're telling us that they still don't feel safe, still feel safe there. [5:52] And so those boats are still docked, so to speak. [5:55] Yeah, Marcus, it feels like news of the Strait opening is so touch and go, given where the conflict is right now. [6:01] What do we know about the status of the ceasefire with Iran? [6:05] The ceasefire is still in place. [6:07] Everyone says that it is a fragile ceasefire, but it remains. [6:11] And it is set to expire on Wednesday of next week. [6:15] And so then the question becomes, will it be extended, [6:18] or will they be able to establish another, a broader peace deal more long-term? [6:24] Marcus, thanks so much for joining us, and make sure you stay safe out there. [6:27] Now to your third top search story, President Trump's White House ballroom, [6:30] and what's going on with construction. [6:32] I've got our Selena Wang reporting live from the White House. [6:35] Selena, thank you so much for joining us. [6:37] Selena, this is a project that's been going on for a couple of months right now, [6:41] but the judge just halted construction. [6:43] Why now? [6:44] Well, actually, Ashton, the judge made that decision weeks ago on March 31st to halt construction, [6:49] but he recently clarified the ruling, saying that he is not halting construction underground, [6:55] this security-related construction. [6:57] But the ruling that this judge initially had was absolutely scathing. [7:01] It was a colorful ruling. [7:02] It had a lot of exclamation marks in it. [7:04] He said that the president is the steward of the White House, [7:07] but he is not the owner, writing that unless Congress approves this project, construction has to stop. [7:14] Yeah, Selena, people are looking up online. [7:15] Who's actually funding this project, and how much does it cost? [7:19] Yeah, I mean, the price tag is very high. [7:21] President Trump earlier this month said that it could cost $400 million. [7:26] That is up from his initial estimate of $200 million. [7:28] And Trump has repeatedly said that this would be funded by private donations, [7:33] but the security-related construction would be footed by taxpayers. [7:37] Selena, people are buzzing online. [7:39] Does this ballroom have a secret facility in it? [7:42] Shed some light on that. [7:43] Yeah, so not exactly secret. [7:45] So first of all, underneath the East Wing, there's been something that's called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, [7:50] the PEOC, who was constructed during World War II for President Roosevelt. [7:55] And in reaction to this federal judge's ruling, the Trump administration has been arguing that [7:59] this ballroom construction is also about a big national security upgrade with this massive underground bunker. [8:06] Trump actually posted on Truth Social this week that the ballroom would, quote, [8:10] include bomb shelters, a state-of-the-art hospital and medical facilities, protective partitioning, [8:15] top-secret military installations, a protective missile-resistant steel, drone-proof ceilings and roofs, [8:23] military-grade venting, and he goes on to list a whole bunch of other items. [8:27] Yeah, Selena, I guess you don't know what you got until it's gone, [8:29] but what was the East Wing historically actually used for? [8:32] Yeah, I mean, it was traditionally the home of the First Lady's office and staff. [8:36] It was also used to welcome visitors and tourists to the White House. [8:40] Selena, thanks so much for joining us. [8:43] We just ran through your top searches, but what else is on your timeline? [8:46] Let's get back to Maya. Maya, what other stories are trending today? [8:51] Well, Austin, if you're seeing your summer plans, travel plans get more expensive by the minute, [8:54] you're not imagining it. [8:56] Europe is facing a critical jet fuel shortage because of the Iran War, [8:59] and experts warn that the continent has only about a six-week supply remaining. [9:03] Now major airlines like KLM are already slashing flights because of the rising jet fuel costs. [9:08] So between the shortage and the rising oil prices, airlines are passing those costs directly to consumers. [9:15] And if the Strait of Hormuz ceasefire doesn't lead to a permanent fix, [9:18] you can expect record high airfares in the coming months. [9:21] It's about to get more expensive. [9:22] Yeah, Maya, looks like we're going to be staycationing this summer. [9:25] Thank you so much. [9:26] Coming up, one search always leads to another. [9:29] We've got a trending topic, but that's just the surface. [9:32] There's some beef over meat prices. [9:34] That's up next in The Spiral. [9:47] Welcome back to Search. [9:48] Today's top searches are only part of the story. [9:50] A simple scroll can sometimes take you down a deep rabbit hole. [9:54] It's time now for The Spiral. [10:02] All right, you guys are asking questions about 801 Chop House, [10:05] and we're following your clicks and curiosity, [10:07] and it looks like you guys want to know why the steakhouse chain filed for bankruptcy, [10:11] and what to know about meat prices that keep going up. [10:14] So let's break it down. [10:15] We've got Andrew Dimbert up first, then Benga Adjelore. [10:18] He's an economic and agriculture expert. [10:21] Guys, thank you so much for joining us. [10:24] Let's start at the steakhouse chain filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [10:27] Our Andrew Dimbert is in our newsroom in New York. [10:30] And, Andrew, I feel like us East Coasters are going to get dragged [10:33] for not being too familiar with 801 Chop House. [10:35] It depends on where you live, though, right? [10:37] I think it's really big in the Midwest. [10:39] What actually is 801 Chop House, and why is it filing for bankruptcy? [10:44] No, I'm right there with you as an East Coaster. [10:46] It's a niche but popular steakhouse. [10:48] They've got locations in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and a bunch of other states. [10:53] They're filing for bankruptcy here in order to restructure or lower some of its debt. [10:58] Now, the restaurant group says that because of two locations, [11:01] Minneapolis and Denver, that weren't, well, well done, so to speak, [11:05] that led to $18.7 million of liabilities. [11:09] So they filed for bankruptcy in Chapter 11 court, [11:12] trying to lower and restructure some of that debt to save their other locations [11:15] and hopefully turn the business around, Ashton. [11:17] Andrew, way to work that in there. [11:19] Does that mean that all eight locations are actually closing? [11:22] No. [11:25] In fact, the opposite as of right now. [11:27] All of those locations are still fully operational. [11:29] You can go ahead, make a reservation, sit down, order a porterhouse, medium and rare, [11:34] if you're like me. [11:34] But more importantly, you know, those operations continue, [11:37] and those employees can still get paid. [11:40] And the restaurant group says there are no plans to close those eight locations. [11:44] In fact, providing a statement to ABC News a short time ago, [11:47] saying that the companies that own and operate the restaurants are not in bankruptcy [11:50] and there are no plans or need for them to file bankruptcy. [11:54] But I've got to tell you, though, when companies typically file for bankruptcy, [11:57] companies that have multiple locations, especially in the food and beverage industry, [12:01] one of the fastest ways to shed debt here is to close more locations. [12:06] As of now, that's not the plan. [12:08] Yeah, Andrew, yesterday we saw a shoe company pivot to AI. [12:12] How does this restaurant chain plan to restructure its business? [12:17] You know, you've got to get creative here if you don't want to close additional stores. [12:20] One of the ways that you could do that is to sort of try to renegotiate with creditors and lenders, [12:25] not all that dissimilar to, like, say, you or I calling our credit card company and saying, [12:29] hey, can you lower my APR? Can you lower my monthly payment? [12:33] You know, I'm in a little bit of financial stress right now to figure out a long-term plan. [12:37] But there are also some troubling signs ahead. [12:39] You've got the rising costs of beef as well as the rising costs of gas and groceries [12:43] and pretty much everything else. [12:45] It's just becoming more expensive for Americans to go out and eat, [12:48] and therefore they're not going to restaurants as often. [12:51] So the company is going to have to get creative here if they want to keep those other eight locations open, [12:56] which is the plan. [12:57] Andrew, thank you so much. [12:58] We've got to get a steak soon, man. [12:59] Let's now bring in center on budget and policy priorities economist Binga Ajalori, [13:04] and he used to work at the USDA to talk about the rising price of meat [13:08] and the economic impact on consumers. [13:10] Binga, thank you for joining us. [13:11] People are asking about the rising cost of beef. [13:14] Why is the price of beef so high? [13:17] So the biggest reason that the price of beef is so high is that the supply of cattle has been diminishing, [13:22] and so with lower supply, there's going to be higher prices. [13:25] One of the things that's happening there is that we've had a recent drought, [13:28] which is limited how much can be grazed, and also there's an issue of feed for the cattle. [13:32] So with those things, those are causing the price to go up. [13:35] And more importantly, we have to think about the broader context, [13:38] where the war in Iran is causing higher price for fuel and fertilizer, which are inputs for cattle. [13:44] So this is an issue of cattle population. [13:47] Are there any thoughts of when this could come down? [13:49] Because this feels like a long-term issue. [13:52] This is going to be a long-term issue, and we're not going to be able to expect it to go down [13:56] because we're not going to be able to increase the cattle supply enough to be able to lower prices. [14:01] What we have to hope for is better weather and also lower input costs in terms of fertilizer and fuel. [14:07] Yeah. Run me through some of the key points of why the prices have actually gone up. [14:11] So one of the things is that you have the number of cattle, and if you have a drought, then there's no place to graze. [14:19] And so a lot of these ranchers out there have had to call their herd because they're just not going to be able to sell it [14:23] and not be able to raise as much. [14:25] So now you have lower cattle, higher prices. [14:27] The administration tried to import more from Argentina, but it's not going to be enough. [14:32] Then you have to be able to raise cattle. [14:34] You have to have feed for the cattle. [14:36] And so that is going to be lower with lower farmland and things like that. [14:40] And so you have all these factors going into it that just makes it more difficult to raise more cattle. [14:45] Yeah. Bingo, in the short term, what can make the price of meat actually go down? [14:49] And is the war having an impact on this pricing? [14:51] So the war is having a huge impact because then you think about transportation costs. [14:56] So, you know, fuel, we're talking about oil, we're talking about diesel. [14:59] And so those are things that are going to make it more expensive. [15:01] And so as you had before, that is having impacts on restaurants, at grocery stores, things like that. [15:07] And so it's one of those things where you just have to figure out, are there other cheaper alternatives? [15:10] So pork, even though those prices are going up, it's a little bit less. [15:14] You think about vegetables, things like that. [15:15] It's just people are going to have to shift, moving away from meat to other kind of products. [15:20] Yeah, you touched on it a bit. [15:21] How is this impacting people at the grocery stores? [15:23] Are people spending more on daily needs? [15:27] So people are definitely spending more on daily needs. [15:29] While grocery prices in the last few weeks haven't been going up as much, over the last year, we've had huge increases in grocery prices. [15:36] So people have been making decisions about how to, you know, maybe buy in bulk, buy, you know, store brand, things like that. [15:42] People have figured out ways to alternatives. [15:45] Bingo, thank you so much for joining us. [15:47] Still ahead, it might be at the top of your feed, but what's the vibe? [15:50] We've got your top pop culture and entertainment searches with Roxy Diaz, including all the hype over the new Avengers trailer that just dropped. [15:58] Vibe Check is next. [15:59] It's time now for our Vibe Check, a look at what's buzzing in entertainment and pop culture. [16:21] Our Roxy Diaz joins me now for more on what's trending on your feeds. [16:25] Roxy, it's a Friday. [16:26] Give me some good vibes. [16:28] Oh, I got some good ones for you. [16:29] Talk about a music video location made for a pop princess. [16:33] Overnight, Olivia Rodrigo dropped the music video for Drop Dead. [16:37] It's the lead single on her third album. [16:39] And get this, the main location is none other than the Palace of Versailles. [16:44] Yeah, we're talking about Marie Antoinette's old home. [16:46] We see her all about twirling around and Rodrigo's playing a pink guitar in one of the residences of the former queen of France. [16:54] Rodrigo's album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, is set to be released June 12th. [17:00] And now, the Avengers are assembling again. [17:03] For the first time in seven years, stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are back on stage together to promote the new movie, Out This Winter. [17:11] And they had a bit of, let's call it a frosty interaction on stage. [17:28] Things are still a little tense. [17:32] In case you don't know, Robert Downey Jr. will be the villain in the next movie. [17:36] So that fake fight on stage makes sense. [17:40] Avengers Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th. [17:43] And a reminder, Disney is the parent company of ABC News. [17:46] And if you're not all caught up on the Summer House drama, let me catch you up right now. [17:51] So Summer House star, Ciara Miller, is speaking out after her castmates, Wes Wilson and Amanda Botella, after they released a joint statement announcing that they're dating, Wes is actually Ciara's ex-boyfriend. [18:04] And Amanda was her best friend. [18:07] Drama. [18:07] Ciara is finally breaking her silence in Glamour Magazine's cover story with some choice words for her former bestie saying, quote, [18:14] Ciara goes on to say that that's what's done in the dark, always comes in the light. [18:27] And sometimes you really don't even have to do anything except to sit back and let the universe handle it all. [18:32] So this is what I'm going to do. [18:33] I'm going to leave this for the comment discussion, all right? [18:36] Is it ever okay to date your friend's ex? [18:40] I don't know about that. [18:42] Roxy, let me be the first comment. [18:44] Unequivocally, no. [18:44] It's not an option. [18:46] Not if they're a real one, right? [18:47] Come on now. [18:47] Not if you're a real one, exactly. [18:49] And Roxy, I hear you have a special announcement for us. [18:52] Oh, I am so, so, so excited. [18:55] After 30 years, an American classic is back. [18:59] American Gladiators is streaming now on Amazon Prime. [19:02] I'm co-hosting alongside WWE superstar Mike The Miz. [19:06] The show returns with fans' favorite obstacles, including joust, whiplash, hang tough, and yes, the world-famous Travelators. [19:13] Contenders are competing to become, of course, the next American Gladiator champion. [19:17] And there's $100,000 on the line as well. [19:21] But they have to face our new class of Gladiators. [19:23] We have Hurricane. [19:24] We have Blaze, Steel, Neon, and more. [19:27] They really, really want to be crowned the next American Gladiator. [19:31] So, Ashton, I don't know. [19:33] Did you ever joust around in your living room, or did you try to play American Gladiators in your living room? [19:38] Roxy, I grew up watching reruns of American Gladiator. [19:40] And I got to tell you, there was a rumor in my middle school that our sixth-grade gym teacher was a former American Gladiator. [19:46] So, I'm going to need you to look that up for me. [19:48] Because still, to this day, I never got an answer. [19:51] And I wonder every now and then. [19:53] Roxy Diaz, thank you so much for joining us. [19:56] Thank you. [19:56] I'm Ashton Singh, and this is Searched on ABC News Live, where your questions meet real answers. [20:02] Thanks so much for tuning in for our first week. [20:05] And a big thank you to our team behind the scenes working to make this show a reality. [20:09] We've got a lot more of your searches to get to, so we'll keep at it. [20:12] We'll leave you with what's trending right now on abcnews.com. [20:15] You can scan that QR code right there to catch up. [20:18] Gio Benitez will be back with you on Monday, and we'll see you guys there. [20:21] We'll see you guys next time.