National Headlines
Water begins refilling Reflecting Pool after Trump’s renovation to repaint it ‘American flag blue’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Water began refilling the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office. Trump showed a video during an unrelated event with water bubbling into the freshly painted basin at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. “That’s clean, beautiful water,” the president said. Live video showed water accumulating in the center of the basin, with workers and trucks still inside the pool. Trump noted the work to paint the shallow basin a deep shade, which he calls “American flag blue,” was completed Wednesday. The administration said in a court filing that it was set to be filled with water no later than Sunday. Trump also announced a plan to build ... Read More
National Park Service ranger dies after falling into a crevasse on Alaska’s Mount McKinley
DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska (AP) — A ranger in Alaska died after falling into a crevasse on North America’s tallest mountain, the National Park Service said. Robin Pendery of Enumclaw, Washington was a seasonal mountaineering ranger assigned to Denali National Park and Preserve. She fell Thursday while on climbing patrol on Mount McKinley, and died despite immediate rescue efforts, the park service said. The death is under investigation. It comes only a week after three climbers from a Latvian mountaineering expedition died after falling near a treacherous pass on McKinley. A fourth climber was rescued. They were part of a seven-person team traversing a route known for its exposed sections, where many climbers have died or been injured ... Read More
A federal judge strikes down Trump administration immigration policy affecting 39 countries
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy enacted after the shooting of two National Guard members that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to stay and enter the U.S. In a ruling harshly criticizing the administration, U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. said the policy “threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” and he accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law. “In enacting its latest immigration policies, USCIS: claims statutory and regulatory authority that it does not possess; makes decisions without the reasoned explanations that it must provide; acts without regard for the reliance interests of applicants ... Read More
Brendan Banfield sentenced to life for elaborate double-murder plot to get rid of his wife
Christine Banfield is seen in an undated photo. (Photo obtained by ABC News.)(NEW YORK) -- A Virginia man found guilty of killing his wife and a stranger lured to their home in an elaborate plot to get rid of his spouse so he could be with his au pair was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, with the judge calling the crimes "unfathomable."Brendan Banfield was convicted in the 2023 murders of his wife and a man prosecutors said he "catfished" on a fetish website. Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield pretended to be his wife to lure the man to their Fairfax County home for what was believed to be a consensual fake rape scenario in order to frame that stranger ... Read More
Former CIA officer who had 303 gold bars in his home ordered detained
The CIA symbol is shown on the floor of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- A former CIA officer accused of stealing money from the government by lying about his academic credentials and military experience who authorities said had roughly $40 million worth of gold bars stashed in his house was ordered detained pending trial Friday by a federal judge in Virginia. David Rush was described by a Justice Department prosecutor as a "master manipulator" who "cannot be trusted" -- detailing a damning track record of lies that the government says only grows by the day as the FBI and intelligence community continue their investigation. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. ... Read More
Coast Guard takes custody of dinghy amid new search for Lynette Hooker in Bahamas
U.S. Coast Guard dive team searches for clues in the disappearance of Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas, June 4, 2026. (ABC News)(NEW YORK) — The Coast Guard has taken custody of the Hookers' dinghy amid the new search for Lynette Hooker, an American woman who went overboard in the Bahamas and vanished two months ago.The Coast Guard is using divers, underwater drones and a K9 as it explores new areas not previously searched.This week's search comes after forensic evidence found on electronic devices belonging to Lynette Hooker's husband, Brian Hooker, led investigators to new areas of interest, U.S. officials said. One U.S. official told ABC News that what Brian Hooker told investigators does not match the GPS data recovered from his devices.Lynette Hooker went missing on ... Read More
Homicide convictions reversed for paramedics involved in 2019 death of Elijah McClain
Elijah McClain in an undated photo. (Family photo)(NEW YORK) -- The Colorado Court of Appeals reversed the convictions of two former Aurora paramedics, who were convicted in December 2023 of criminally negligent homicide in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man who was walking home from a convenience store.In reversing the convictions, the judge ruled on Thursday that the case should be sent back to the district court for a possible retrial.McClain's case gained national attention, particularly in the wake of the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, becoming one of the prominent cases that fueled Black Lives Matter protests across the country.Sheneen McClain, Elijah McClain's mother, reacted to the reversal of the convictions in a ... Read More
Karen Read files lawsuit against Massachusetts State Police, Canton Police after acquittal
Karen Read and Alan Jackson greet her supporters after she is acquitted on many of the charges against her on June 18. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald via Getty Images)(Canton, Mass.) -- Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department nearly a year after she was acquitted of killing her police officer boyfriend.Prosecutors had accused Read of fatally hitting John O'Keefe with her car outside of another officer's home and leaving him to die in a blizzard in January 2022, to which she pleaded not guilty.Her first trial ended in a hung jury. In her second trial she was found not guilty of the most serious charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter and ... Read More
Brendan Banfield to be sentenced for elaborate double-murder plot to get rid of his wife
The judge's gavel and scales as a symbol of the judiciary and justice. (SimpleImages/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- A Virginia man found guilty of killing his wife and a stranger lured to their home in an elaborate plot to get rid of his spouse so he could be with his au pair is set to be sentenced on Friday.Brendan Banfield was convicted in the 2023 murders of his wife and a man prosecutors said he "catfished" on a fetish website. Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield pretended to be his wife to lure the man to their Fairfax County home for what was believed to be a consensual fake rape scenario in order to frame that stranger for his wife's murder.A jury found ... Read More
Appeals court to hear arguments over whether Trump’s ballroom plans can continue
A 31-page report on the White House ballroom submitted to the panels reviewing the project show the proposed addition to the White House from additional angles and features new renderings of the project. Commission of Fine Arts(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's plans to build a White House ballroom are in the hands of three appellate judges who will hear oral arguments Friday over whether construction should be allowed to continue.The panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will weigh the Trump administration's request to throw out a lower court judge's order halting the construction, in a lawsuit brought by historic preservationists. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in late March that Trump has gone beyond his ... Read More
Father kills 2 daughters, their mother in Miami stabbing murder-suicide
Miami police car (tzahiV/Getty Images)(MIAMI) -- A man, woman and two girls were found stabbed to death in what investigators believe is a murder-suicide in Miami.Investigators said they believe 42-year-old Ryan Charles Whiten killed 46-year-old Melanie Lauren Hyer, 11-year-old Savannah Whiten and 8-year-old Sienna Whiten before taking his own life, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Ryan Charles Whiten was the biological father of Savannah Whiten and Sienna Whiten, and Hyer was the girls' mother, according to the sheriff's office. Doral Police Officers responded to a residence in Miami-Dade for a welfare check on Tuesday at around 7:30 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.Officers entered the residence when they arrived on the scene to find a woman, man and two girls all ... Read More
Alleged Ohio fraudsters filed false health claims, purchased luxury cars
A composite posted to the Department of Justice's X account, June 4, 2026. (Department of Justice)(WASHINGTON) -- Senior Justice Department leaders on Thursday announced a number of cases against those who they say perpetrated fraud in Ohio.Four people, including two state of Ohio employees, were charged with a $30 million fraud scheme targeting the state's behavioral health department.Two of the defendants owned businesses which claimed to provide behavioral health services for young adults that attend summer camps, church groups and recreational programs, according to the Justice Department.The Justice Department alleges the two businesses submitted fraudulent claims for services that were never rendered. After the claims were not submitted because one of the behavioral health organizations' accreditation was invalid, the two allegedly conspired ... Read More
Temperatures soar in the Northeast as Great Plains brace for more severe weather
Northeast temperatures are heating up. (ABC News)(NEW YORK) -- As residents of the Great Plains brace for more severe weather stretching into the weekend, summer-like temperatures are heating up the Northeast.From New York City to Raleigh, North Carolina, temperatures are expected to be in the 90s on Friday and Saturday before a cold front arrives on Sunday.The temperature in Raleigh is expected to hit 100 this weekend. Washington, D.C., is also forecast to see 90-degree temperatures through Saturday.Humidity is not expected to be much of a factor in the Northeast as dew points remain low, meaning the "feels-like" temperatures will be nearly identical to the actual temperatures.Some areas of the West are expected to see triple-digit temperatures. Phoenix, Arizona, could reach 110 ... Read More
Senate rejects first Dem effort to bar Trump from creating $1.8B settlement fund
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans cleared a first hurdle on Thursday as they are trying to pass legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, narrowly rejecting a Democratic effort to permanently block Trump from creating a $1.776 billion settlement fund for allies who claim they were persecuted by the government. Republicans still face a gauntlet of Democratic amendments before the bill can advance, setting up a daylong test of party unity. More votes on the settlement fund are planned, including proposals from Republicans, and it was unclear if GOP leaders would be able to beat them all back and pass the legislation. “I can’t predict how it comes out,” Thune told reporters between discussions with some of the ... Read More
Lawmakers ask DOJ to investigate additional alleged abusers named by former Epstein assistant
Jeffrey Epstein's former assistant Sarah Kellen arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, May 21, 2026 in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Thursday asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations of sexual abuse raised by a former assistant to Jeffrey Epstein during her interview with the committee last month, according to a letter from Comer and three other Republican lawmakers.Sarah Kellen, a longtime personal assistant to Epstein, told the Oversight Committee that she was sexually abused by Epstein for over a decade, and disclosed for the first time allegations that she was also abused by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted accomplice, and by two other ... Read More
Man allegedly had explosive device in his carry-on bag at California airport: TSA
Federal authorities say this explosive device was found at a TSA checkpoint at the Sacramento International Airport on May 30, 2026. (TSA)(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- A man was arrested and faces a federal charge after an explosive device was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at a California airport, federal authorities said.Kimani Osayande Jones, 49, was detained at the Sacramento International Airport on Saturday after attempting to go through a security checkpoint, according to the Transportation Security Administration.Jones was "wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves on his hands" at the time, TSA said in a press release on Wednesday.In his carry-on bag, he had an M-type explosive device -- meaning an improvised explosive -- and a "torch lighter ... Read More
Man, woman dead in murder-suicide after hours-long SWAT standoff
Harris County Sheriff's Office Patrol Bureau Major Earl Dean speaks to reporters after a man and his girlfriend were found dead in a murder-suicide after an hours-long standoff with police. (Harris County Sheriff's Office)(HOUSTON) -- A man and woman were found dead in a Houston apartment after an hours-long standoff with the sheriff's department, according to officials.A 20-year-old woman and the 23-year-old suspect were found dead in the apartment, Harris County Sheriff's Department Patrol Bureau Maj. Earl Dean said at a press conference on Monday.Deputies received a report of man "frantic" on his phone just before 2 p.m. Monday, saying he "accidentally shot his girlfriend," Dean said.At the scene, deputies made contact with the man, who refused to obey their ... Read More
Multiple victims dead, officer shot in ‘traumatic’ domestic violence incident: Police
Nighttime shot of unfurled police tape next to flashing lights from a police car. (halbergman/Getty Images)(SANDY, Ore) -- Multiple people were killed and an officer was shot and wounded in a domestic violence situation in Oregon, officials said.When officers responded to a shooting and domestic disturbance shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday, the officers came under gunfire and returned fire, Sandy Police Chief Patrick Huskey said at a news conference.One officer was shot multiple times, Huskey said. The officer has been hospitalized in stable condition and expected to survive, he said.Multiple victims are dead, the chief said, but he did not say how many victims or their identities.While the suspect was barricaded in the home, police urged residents to lock their ... Read More
Cruise ship killing: Stepbrother can stay out of jail, judge rules
A Carnival Cruise ship is docked at the PortMiami as the company becomes one of the first to be sued under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse on May 02, 2019, in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)(FLORIDA) -- The 16-year-old boy accused of killing his stepsister on a cruise is allowed to stay out of jail with certain restrictions, a federal judge in Florida ruled.In February, after the teen was charged as a juvenile, the 16-year-old was permitted to live with his uncle instead of being held in custody. But in April, when the case was moved to adult court, prosecutors said the teen should be detained."We do not know what triggered ... Read More
Google employee charged with using inside information to make $1 million on Polymarket
In this Dec. 19, 2023, file photo, a sign is posted in front of an office at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, FILE)(NEW YORK) -- A Google employee fraudulently made more than $1 million by using inside information to place Polymarket bets on what users were searching for on Google, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in New York. For Michele Spagnuolo, these were sure bets because, as a Google software engineer, he had access to company data that tracked user searches, according to the complaint, which said Spagnuolo "misappropriated confidential and valuable nonpublic information from his employer and used that information to place a series of Google-related bets on Polymarket, a prediction market platform."Spagnuolo, 36, is ... Read More
Advocacy group asks NY bar to investigate Todd Blanche’s role in Abrego Garcia case
Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a rally for him as he arrives for his first check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office the day after a federal judge ordered his release from a detention in Pennsylvania, on December 12, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. An undocumented immigrant who had been living in the United States since 2011, Abrego Garcia was detained by federal agents and deported to the CECOT prison in El Salvador in March 2025, which the Trump Administration (NEW YORK) -- A legal advocacy group has asked the New York bar to investigate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for potential violations stemming from his role in the prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.The letter, from the Campaign for ... Read More
White House says Americans in Africa exposed to Ebola will be sent to Kenya facility
Health workers wearing protective equipment are disinfected after leaving the isolation area at the General Referral Hospital during the Ebola outbreak response on May 21, 2026, in Mongbwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern," as the death toll and number of confirmed cases continue to rise. (Photo by Michel Lunanga/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The White House confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. is setting up a health facility in Kenya to receive Americans who are exposed to the Ebola virus while in regions affected by the ongoing outbreak.According to an administration official, the U.S. will establish what they called a ... Read More
Beloved dad killed in Washington state chemical tank rupture: ‘We are so heartbroken’
An undated photo of Gilbert Bernal with his wife Maria and grandson Jameson provided by his daughter Geovana who said he died in the chemical tank rupture in Washington state on May 26, 2026. (Courtesy of Geovana Bernal)(LONGVIEW, Wash.) -- A beloved husband, dad and grandfather was killed in the chemical tank rupture at a pulp and paper mill in Washington state, according to his daughter.Geovana Bernal told ABC News that her father, Gilbert Bernal, died in Tuesday morning's incident at his workplace, Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington.At least one person was killed, multiple people suffered critical injuries and nine employees remain missing, officials said. The ongoing recovery efforts are "extremely complex" due to the unstable tank, which contains white liquor, a chemical ... Read More
Judge grants James Comey’s request to delay his seashell trial
Author James Comey, former FBI Director, speaks at the Barnes & Noble Upper West Side on May 19, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- A federal judge on Tuesday granted former FBI Director James Comey's request to delay his criminal trial for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump by posting a photo of seashells.U.S. District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan scheduled the trial to begin on Oct. 21.The former FBI director's arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30. Prosecutors did not object to the request to delay the proceedings. Comey was charged with threatening to kill Trump by posting a photo on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged in the numbers "86 47." Citing the slang meaning of "86" as to ... Read More
Trump to visit Walter Reed Tuesday for 3rd time since returning to office
U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday for his "annual dental and medical evaluations," as announced by the White House earlier this month. A White House official confirmed Tuesday's visit to ABC News. The White House said the appointment will consist of "routine annual dental and medical assessments." The visit will be Trump's third scheduled medical appointment at Walter Reed in 13 months.Trump will soon celebrate his 80th birthday.The president underwent a physical examination at Walter Reed in April 2025. In a ... Read More
Evacuation zone shrinks after ‘worst-case scenario’ of Southern California chemical tank explosion averted, officials say
An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)(LOS ANGELES) -- The evacuation zone around a failing chemical tank in Southern California is shrinking after officials said the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion has been averted.The temperature inside the tank is now a steady 92 degrees with the big stream of water turned off, Orange County officials said Tuesday. Once the Methyl methacrylate cools and turns into a solid, the threat of a release goes away, Orange County Fire Department Capt. Wayhowe Huang said at a press conference Tuesday.No chemical has leaked out, and there is nothing in the air, Huang said.Things are looking good enough ... Read More
Woman killed by patio umbrella while dining at South Carolina restaurant: Coroner
(SUMMERTON, S.C.) A woman died after being struck by a patio umbrella during strong winds at a lakeside South Carolina restaurant over Memorial Day weekend, officials said. The incident occurred Saturday evening at a restaurant along Lake Marion in Summerton, authorities said. The woman and her husband were dining on the restaurant's patio "when a sudden strong wind blew an umbrella from a table," striking the woman in the head and neck area, the Clarendon County Coroner's Office said in a statement. First responders found the woman unresponsive with lacerations to her head and neck area, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner's office. The victim is a woman from Huger, South Carolina, the coroner's ... Read More
19 injured in crowd stampede at South Carolina motorcycle festival
At least 19 people were injured when a stampede broke out, May 24, 2026, at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, according to police. (Horry County Fire Rescue)(ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C.) --At least 19 people were injured early Sunday in a crowd stampede at an annual motorcycle festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, authorities said.The incident at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival occurred just after 1 a.m. local time near a stage at the event. Police suspect it was started by an individual who suddenly began running through the crowd, officials said."At no time were there any confirmed fights, weapons, or direct threats to public safety. The situation appears to have ... Read More
Evacuation orders issued in California city over chemical tank: ‘It fails or it blows up’
An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)(CALIFORNIA) -- An "emergency hazmat incident" in California has prompted evacuations, with officials warning that a chemical tank at an aerospace facility is in "crisis" and will either fail or explode.Firefighters initially responded to a leak at an aerospace manufacturing company in Garden Grove on Thursday, for vapor releasing from a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Officials updated Friday that there is no active gas leak or plume, but that the tank is "actively in crisis" and unable to be secured. Damage to a valve on the tank has "created additional operational challenges," ... Read More
Family of Indiana woman who died after Tim Hortons altercation to view full video of incident
A still from a video released by the Fort Wayne Police Department of an incident at a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 13, 2026. (Fort Wayne Police Department)(FORT WAYNE, Ind.) -- The family of a 75-year-old woman who died following a physical altercation with an employee at a Tim Hortons in Indiana will be able to see the full, unredacted surveillance footage of the incident, officials confirmed on Friday.The full video will not be released to the public at this time, the Fort Wayne Mayor's Office told ABC News."The Grayson family will be able to see the entire video," a spokesperson for the mayor's office said in a statement. "There are no plans to show additional video to the ... Read More
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