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Vance kept up false claims about Haitian migrants after aide was told they were baseless

(WASHINGTON) -- An aide to Ohio Sen. JD Vance was informed by a top Springfield, Ohio, official earlier this month that claims about Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs were false but the vice presidential nominee went ahead with spreading the rumor anyway, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by ABC News.

City manager Bryan Heck, in a Sept. 9 phone call, told a Vance staffer the "claims were baseless" when asked if they were true.

A city spokesperson confirmed to ABC News the accuracy of the Wall Street Journal's reporting about the call.

Still, Vance did not delete a post on X he wrote that same morning asserting "reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country." One day later, former President Donald Trump amplified the claim on the ABC News presidential debate stage with millions of viewers tuned in.

The Vance campaign, in an effort to defend the vice presidential pick, provided the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday with a police report to try to substantiate his claims. But the woman in the report, Anna Kilgore, told the Journal she was mistaken.

ABC News spoke with Kilgore, who lives near downtown Springfield, on Wednesday afternoon. Kilgore said her cat Missy Sassy went missing and they believed their Haitian neighbors were to blame for the disappearance. After filing the police report, Kilgore's cat returned home safely several days later.

She told ABC News that she apologized to her Haitian neighbors who have lived next door for the past year, and they were very gracious and there seemed to be no hard feelings.

ABC has requested the police report but has not independently obtained it.

When asked what led her to believe her neighbors were behind the cat's disappearance, Kilgore said, "because of rumors I heard." When pressed on where she heard those rumors she continued with, "on Facebook and TikTok."

Kilgore is a Trump-Vance supporter with signs and flags outside of her home. She was also wearing a "Trump 2024" t-shirt while speaking to ABC News.

When asked what she would say to Vance and his campaign, she simply said, "I wish I could take it all back."

ABC News also asked her if this situation would have any impact on her vote in November, to which she simply said, "No."

ABC News has reached out to Vance's campaign for a statement on the Wall Street Journal report but has not yet received a response.

Vance appeared on several talk shows on Sunday where he was pressed about the Springfield controversy, which has led to the community experiencing threats.

He largely defended bringing national attention to the issue of immigration in Springfield. The Ohio town did experience an influx of 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants who are legally authorized to live and work there, and as a result some city resources have been strained. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced measures to expand primary care access, allocate funds for translation services and more.

"If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast," Vance said on CNN.

CNN anchor Dana Bash followed up with Vance about what he said about having to "create stories," and Vance responded: "It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it."

"I didn't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris's policies. Her policies did that," Vance added.

Harris on Tuesday said it was a "crying shame" what was happening to the Springfield community and criticized Trump and Vance for engaging in "that hateful rhetoric."

Mel Gibson reportedly scouting locations in Malta for his ‘Passion of the Christ’ follow-up, ‘The Resurrection’

Mel Gibson is apparently scouting locations for The Resurrection, the follow-up to his 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.

This piece of news came from the Italian-language publication ItalPress, which reported the actor, producer and director has met with Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and checked out locations on the island he governs, Malta.

The publication says Gibson is heading up an 11-member team in conjunction with the Malta Film Commission for the sequel, which will reportedly have Jim Caviezel reprising his role as Jesus Christ. According to ItalPress, also are on the docket for Gibson and company are locations in Morocco, Italy and Israel.

Co-written and produced by Gibson, The Passion of the Christ was for a time the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time — that is, before Ryan Reynolds put on his Deadpool suit back in 2016, a fact Reynolds in character specifically mentions in 2018's Deadpool 2.

Gibson's film earned more than $612 million against a budget of around $30 million.

What you need to know about the Venezuelan gang that Texas is targeting

AUSTIN (TEXASTRIBUNE) – Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the Venezuelan gang a foreign terrorist organization and asked the Department of Public Safety to create a strike team targeting them.

What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that started in a prison in the state of Aragua and has since expanded into Central America and the United States, including Texas, New York, Colorado and Wisconsin. The group focuses on human smuggling and other criminal activity that targets migrants, such as kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking.

According to a report from Transparency Venezuela, the group adopted its name between 2013 and 2015 but may have begun operations earlier.
What is Texas doing to target the gang?

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a proclamation on Sept. 16 that declares the gang a foreign terrorist organization. He also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to mobilize a strike team with state troopers, Texas Rangers, and other law enforcement groups to pursue the gang wherever they are known to be operating in Texas.

Declaring the gang a foreign terrorist organization means gang members could face increased sentences for crimes such as distributing illegal drugs. State law also authorizes civil penalties against foreign terrorist organizations.

Texas doesn’t have a database that tracks individuals affiliated with Tren de Aragua, but Abbott announced that law enforcement officers would work to create one.

How does the gang operate?
The group started by extorting businesses in Venezuela and then began trafficking humans into Colombia, Peru and Chile. According to Abbott, the organization seeks to infiltrate countries and set up a base of operation for their criminal activity. DPS Director Steve McCraw said El Paso was the gang’s “ground zero.”
Is the gang a major public safety threat in Texas?

According to Abbott, there has been Tren de Aragua activity in Texas since 2021. He said more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas for crimes such as human smuggling, and another more than 200 are wanted.

Michael Shifter, a senior fellow with the Inter-American Dialogue, a foreign policy think tank, said the gang poses a greater risk to Latin American countries such as Peru, Colombia and Chile. Still, Shifter said, the organization should be taken seriously.

“It is clearly a major problem that needs to be dealt with,” he said. “I think there’s reason to be confident that U.S. law enforcement can handle it.”
Did the gang take over a hotel in El Paso?

During his press conference, Abbott noted that more than 100 TDA members had been arrested at the Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso on charges including human smuggling and possession of illegal drugs. Some media reports described it as a “takeover” of the hotel by the gang.

The 121-year-old hotel was shut down on Sept. 12 because of broad criminal activity, not because of any specific gang, according to the El Paso County Attorney. The hotel had operated without a valid certificate of occupancy and was the scene of persistent criminal activity including aggravated assaults, criminal trespass, public intoxication and burglary, according to the county attorney’s office. Police reports note that criminal activity increased in the hotel because of Tren de Aragua.

How is the gang’s activity playing into U.S. politics?
When he announced the state crackdown on the gang, Abbott said Texas has seen “slow but increasing activity of TDA in our state” which he blamed on President Joe Biden. “The fact of the matter is, this is something that has exploded in the aftermath of the president saying that if you’re from Venezuela, you’ll be allowed in the United States.”

In January, the Biden administration announced a humanitarian parole program allowing certain people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to live and work lawfully in the U.S. for up to two years.

Abbott’s press conference came on the heels of the presidential debate, where former president Donald Trump brought up online right-wing reports of Venezuelan gangs “taking over” a Colorado apartment complex.

Shifter said Abbott’s move must be looked at in the context of the upcoming presidential election, since Trump has hammered on the narrative that undocumented immigrants are invading the country, committing crimes and stealing jobs from Americans.

“Trump has clearly highlighted this in the debate and is trying to stoke fear,” Shifter said. “I think Gov. Abbott is trying to ratchet it up saying this is a major transnational group and the Biden-Harris administration has not been effective in containing it.”

This article was originally publishing in The Texas Tribune.

Los Angeles County reports a rare handful of local dengue cases

(LOS ANGELES) -- While Los Angeles County is reporting three locally acquired cases of dengue this year -- which is rare for the region -- there have been at least 3,085 cases nationally of locally acquired virus so far this year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There has been about double the number of locally acquired dengue cases so far this year nationally compared to last year, according to the CDC. Puerto Rico currently makes up the bulk of those cases – with over 2,960 reported. The U.S. territory declared a public health emergency back in March.

"The City of Baldwin Park is aware of the recent cases of locally acquired dengue in our community. While the risk of transmission remains low, we must take this situation seriously and act proactively," said Mayor Emmanuel J. Estrada.

Dengue viruses spread through mosquito bites. The most common symptom is a fever with aches and pains, nausea, vomiting and rash. Symptoms usually begin within two weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito and last 2-7 days. Most people recover after about a week.

Locally acquired cases mean that the people infected have no history of traveling to an area where dengue normally spreads. Local dengue transmission is typically common in tropical and subtropical areas of the world – including Florida, and U.S. territories in the Caribbean.

Last year, there were only two locally acquired cases reported in the state of California, the first local cases in the state reported in over a decade, according to CDC data.

The CDC issued a health alert in June warning health care providers of an increased risk of dengue virus infection this year. Globally, new cases of dengue have been the highest on record, according to the CDC. The agency also noted that cases are likely to increase as global temperatures increase.

The best way to prevent dengue is to avoid mosquito bites, according to the CDC.

Firefighters nearing victory in battle against 3 massive wildfires near Los Angeles

(LOS ANGELES) -- Firefighters are nearing victory in the battles against three major wildfires near Los Angeles that have burned more than 117,000 acres, destroyed nearly 200 structures and injured 23 people, officials said.

More than 8,000 firefighters combating the Bridge, Line and Airport fires, all burning within 70 miles of each other, have significantly increased containment lines around the blazes while taking advantage of cooler weather in Southern California over the past week, officials said.

The biggest fire, the Bridge Fire, had charred 54,795 acres as of Wednesday after igniting Sept. 8 in the Angeles National Forest, 31 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The blaze was 37% contained on Wednesday, Cal Fire said.

"Conditions were calm last night as firefighters continued their diligent work in strengthening containment lines and validating their progress," Cal Fire said in an updated statement on the Bridge Fire Wednesday, adding that firefighting helicopters were not needed overnight.

The Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties has destroyed 75 structures, including at least 33 homes in Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy, and injured four people, officials said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The Line Fire

Firefighters upped containment on the Line Fire in San Bernardino County to 50% on Wednesday, keeping it to "minimal fire growth overnight," according to Cal Fire. Like the other active blazes in the Los Angeles area, the Line Fire has been fueled by extremely dry vegetation, officials said.

Since it was ignited by a suspected arsonist on Sept. 5, the Line Fire has burned 39,181 acres, according to Cal Fiire. The blaze has damaged four structures, destroyed one and injured four people, including three firefighters, authorities said.

"Firefighters are strengthening control lines and mopping up hot spots," Cal Fire said.

The fire prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy the state National Guard to support the ongoing response.

Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sept. 11 to free up resources in an effort to bring the three fires under control.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a 34-year-old man from Norco, California, was identified as the suspect who started the Line Fire, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. During a video arraignment on Tuesday, Halstenberg pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of arson, including aggravated arson and causing great bodily injury.

The Airport Fire

The Airport Fire -- which broke out on Sept. 9 in an unincorporated area of Orange County and spread to Riverside County -- had burned 23,519 acres as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The blaze is 35% contained.

"Firefighters are prioritizing continued fire line construction and reinforcement by adding more layers of protection in problem areas," Cal Fire said in a fire update.

The fire has been the most destructive of the three blazes, destroying 160 structures, including homes and businesses, and damaging 34 others, according to Cal Fire. At least 15 people, including two firefighters, were injured, Cal Fire said.

The Airport Fire was sparked by county public works crews working on a fire prevention project by trying to move boulders to prevent public access -- mostly by motorcyclists -- to an area of the canyon with a lot of dry vegetation that could ignite easily, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 24,000 firefighters were battling 55 large active wildfires across the nation on Wednesday.

So far in 2024, 37,269 wildfires have erupted across the country, burning more than 7.3 million acres, up from 2.1 million acres at this time last year, according to the fire center.

Tortilla the “runaway” tortoise returned to Pittsburg family

PITTSBURG, Texas – Here’s a feel good story: Tortilla the tortoise has been returned with the help of local animal control to its family in Pittsburg. Our news partners at KETK report that on Wednesday morning, officials made an announcement that they found an “unusual pet.” It took less than three hours for the owners to identify their hard-shelled family friend, and Tortilla, the African Spurred Tortoise, returned home.

Former city secretary facing felony theft charge

OVERTON – The former Overton City Secretary and Municipal Court Clerk was arrested for using city funds for personal use by purchasing gasoline for her boat according to our news partners at KETK. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Katherine McCandless for felony theft on Sept. 16 and her bond was set at $10,000. According to the Overton Police Department, they were made aware of an unauthorized charge on their city fuel credit card on Sept. 10 and began investigating. In their investigation, police determined McCandless used the fuel card to purchase a 40 gallons of gasoline pumped into her personal recreational boat. Police said that McCandless made 20 unauthorized charges on the fuel card between June 5 and Aug. 19, totaling to $1,192.64. Rusk County Jail records indicate McCandless has posted bail.

Jean Smart kicks off ‘SNL”s 50th season with Jelly Roll; Ariana Granda, Michael Keaton coming back, too

Saturday Night Live has revealed that Jean Smart will be the first guest host of the show's 50th season on Sept. 28. It will mark her debut on the stage of Studio 8H.

Smart and her HBO show Hacks were honored Sunday at the 76th Emmy Awards with an upset win for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Smart picking up her sixth trophy.

Incidentally, Jelly Roll, who was featured in the Emmys in memoriam statement, will be Smart's musical guest.

SNL also announced that stand-up comic Nate Bargatze is returning with Saturday Night Live veteran Coldplay on Oct. 5; Wicked star Ariana Grande will be Oct. 12's guest host, with Stevie Nicks as her musical act.

The Oct. 19 show will feature Michael Keaton, with Billie Eilish returning as musical guest, while Nov. 2 show will welcome back John Mulaney, with Chappell Roan making her SNL debut.

Setting 12-team playoff bracket not the same as ranking top 12 teams

GRAPEVINE (AP) — Let’s forget all that has happened to Florida State since the Seminoles were 13-0 after winning the ACC title game with a third-string freshman quarterback last season. FSU fans certainly wish they could.

Back before that unprecedented snub last December, when the Seminoles became the only Power Five team in the 10 seasons of the four-team format to be left out of the College Football Playoff.

How would those Seminoles have fared if there had been a 12-team playoff bracket then?

The Associated Press took part in one of a series of mock exercises conducted by CFP officials to provide insight into how the 13-member selection committee’s process will work for the expanded playoff that begins this season.

In the exercises, there was certainly a spot in the 12-team field for an undefeated Florida State, and even a first-round bye as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. Still, the Seminoles didn’t finish in the top four of any of the final rankings.

Rank and seed not the same
How is that possible? Remember that the rankings and the seedings that will be used to fill out the 12-team bracket aren’t the same. A second-, third- or fourth-ranked team by the CFP could end up no higher than the No. 5 seed and playing a first-round game at home. There also could be teams ranked in the CFP’s top 12 that get left out of the playoff.

Both of those scenarios played out during the mock session attended by the AP.

“Ranking and seeding are going to be different, and people are going to be surprised if they assume that their team is ranked one way and that they’re going to be seeded in that same way,” said Rich Clark, the CFP’s new executive director. “So it could be really a big difference, a shocker.”
The rankings

The CFP selection committee will still compile its weekly top 25, evaluating and ranking teams over seven rounds of balloting each week. The first of the six rankings this season will be released Nov. 5, and the final one Dec. 8, the day the playoff bracket is revealed.

Any group of three of more teams can be reconsidered after each round, but there can be no modifications to the final ranking to avoid rematches or games between schools from the same league once the playoff begins. The committee is charged to pick the “best” teams without predicting or speculating about head-to-head matchups that haven’t and may not happen.
The seedings

In the previous format, the playoff teams were the top four in the final CFP rankings no matter their conference. Last year, that was Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama, with ACC champion Florida State on the outside looking in at No. 5.

The new format: The CFP’s five highest-ranked conference champions and its next seven highest-ranked teams overall make the playoff. If you look at the current AP Top 25 using this format, the top four seeds this week would be top-ranked Texas, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Miami and No. 12 Utah. Georgia, the AP’s No. 2 team behind the Longhorns, would be seeded fifth. Five of the seven at-large teams would be from the Southeastern Conference, and the Big Ten would fill the other spots.
Crafting a bracket

During the mock exercises, participants first put together a list of the best 25 teams from the 2023 season, utilizing the same data committee members used last December. Current conference affiliations were then applied during the seeding after that ranking was set, with Washington picked No. 1 ahead of last year’s national champion Michigan, followed by Texas, Alabama and Florida State.

If not for that twist, last year’s Power Five conference champs would have been seeded 1-5, just like they were ranked.

With Washington instead considered the Big Ten champ and No. 1 seed, Michigan dropped to the fifth seed. Texas (SEC), Florida State (ACC) and 14th-ranked Arizona (Big 12) were between them. Only conference champions can be one of the top four seeds that get a first-round bye.

Undefeated Conference USA champion Liberty, not in the mock final top 25, was then voted in as the top remaining conference champion and the No. 12 seed.

Once the parameters for conference champions were applied to the 12-team bracket, inserting Arizona and Liberty from outside the top 12-ranked teams, No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 12 LSU dropped out of playoff consideration.

SMU won the American Athletic title last season and was ranked 22nd. But the Mustangs are now in the ACC and weren’t recognized as the fifth highest-ranked conference champ. If they had been, they would have been in ahead of Liberty, with only LSU knocked out and Ole Miss then making the playoff.

The result
Using all those twists and turns, the bracket ended up looking like this — which Seminoles fans would have liked to see:

No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Ohio State. Winner vs. No. 1 Washington in the Rose Bowl.

No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Michigan. Winner vs. No. 4 Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl.

No. 10 Missouri at No. 7 Georgia. Winner vs. No. 2 Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

No. 11 Penn State at No. 6 Alabama. Winner vs. No. 3 Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

Conference contractual agreements still apply for bowl placements in the quarterfinal round, sending Washington to the Rose (Big Ten) and Texas to the Sugar (SEC). Proximity for the top two seeds, whether they make it to the semifinals or not, determines those placements. In this case, the winner of the Washington half of the bracket goes to the Cotton Bowl, instead of the top-seeded Huskies potentially having to go across the country. The team out of the Texas half would go to the Orange Bowl, sending the Longhorns out of their home state again with a victory.

Teamsters union opts to not endorse any presidential candidate

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the most prominent and influential unions in the country, said Wednesday it will not endorse any presidential candidate this year.

The 1.3-million-member union has historically thrown its weight around in presidential cycles and endorsed Democratic presidential candidates in recent cycles, with 1988 being the last time it supported a Republican, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. However, hours before the union was set to announce its highly coveted endorsement on Wednesday, the Teamsters released polling of union members showing a nearly two-to-one preference for former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.

"The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables. Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business," Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, who took on the role in 2022, said in a statement.

"Democrats, Republicans, and Independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect every one of them. We strongly encourage all our members to vote in the upcoming election, and to remain engaged in the political process," he added. "But this year, no candidate for President has earned the endorsement of the Teamsters' International Union."

Blue-collar union workers have been a mainstay of Democratic support for several cycles, but Trump has made inroads with voters without a college degree, a key demographic that helped eat away at Democrats' union advantage.

Most of the country's largest unions, including the AFL-CIO and United Auto Workers union, endorsed President Joe Biden before he dropped out, and that support was reiterated for Harris after she took over as Democrats' nominee. The Teamsters, however, stayed out of the fray.

The union sought to hold meetings with Biden and Trump, and it met with Harris earlier this week before making any decision.

O'Brien ruffled Democrats' feathers when he addressed the Republican National Convention earlier this summer -- a move that was fiercely criticized by some of his counterparts -- and praised Trump, though he accused the former president of backing "economic terrorism" when he expressed support for firing striking workers, which is illegal under federal law.

“I want to be clear. At the end of the day, the Teamsters are not interested if you have a ‘D,’ ‘R,’ or an ‘I’ next to your name,” O’Brien said on the stage in Milwaukee. “We want to know one thing: ‘What are you doing to help American workers?’ As a negotiator, I know that no window or door should ever be permanently shut.”

The union's decision Wednesday marks a blow for both candidates.

Trump had wooed the union, inviting O'Brien to Mar-a-Lago and culminating in O'Brien's primetime RNC speech.

Harris, meanwhile, has sought to shore up support among non-college educated voters, particularly in the industrial Midwest, a key region in this year's election where the Teamsters hold sway. The Biden administration has also repeatedly touted its pro-union bona fides, and Biden himself became the first sitting president in history to walk a picket line. However, unions were peeved at the role the administration played in averting a rail strike in late 2022.

After the union's announcement, the Harris campaign said she has "stood strong with organized labor for her entire career."

"As the Vice President told the Teamsters on Monday, when she is elected president, she will look out for the Teamsters rank-and-file no matter what - because they always have been and always will be the people she fights for," Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement.

Trump's campaign said while the Teamsters didn't endorse a candidate, "they want President Trump back in the White House."

"These hardworking men and women are the backbone of America and President Trump will strongly stand up for them when he's back in the White House," Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The internal polling the Teamsters released earlier Wednesday showed that straw polls of members supported Biden over Trump by an 8-point margin, 44-36%.

In explaining its decision, the Teamsters union cited the lack of "majority support" for Harris and "no universal support among the membership" for Trump. However, it did note that Harris had pledged to sign pro-union federal legislation and that Trump would not commit to vetoing national "right to work" legislation, which would allow workers to opt in or out of unions in unionized workplaces -- laws that are enacted in several states that national groups like the Teamsters say weakens collective bargaining power.

Still, the Teamsters' National Black Caucus and several Teamsters' local chapters got out in front of the national organization and endorsed Harris on their own in recent weeks, including Local 623 in Philadelphia, which pointed to work done during the Biden administration, Harris' pledge to "expand union rights" and challenge "any anti-union 'right to work' legislation," and the "threat posed by Donald Trump."

ABC News' Fritz Farrow, Oren Oppenheim, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

Dozens injured after wagon overturns at Wisconsin apple orchard: Authorities

(CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.) -- More than two dozen people were injured, including three critically, after a wagon overturned at an apple orchard in Wisconsin, authorities said.

The incident was reported Wednesday morning at Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Chippewa Falls.

Elementary school-age children, parents and other chaperones were on a field trip at the time and were on a wagon ride, according to Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes.

A tractor was pulling two wagons at a "low speed" on a public road when the accident occurred, Hakes said.

One of the wagons began to lose control and turn sideways as it descended a hill and overturned, resulting in injuries to both children and adults, Hakes said.

"It's a traumatic day for a lot of people," Hakes told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency personnel were dispatched for a "tractor accident involving two hay wagons with kids and adults," Chippewa Fire District Deputy Chief Cory Jeffers told reporters.

The fire department activated its mass casualty protocol so that outside agencies could help respond to the incident, Jeffers said. One helicopter from the Mayo Clinic was called in, he said.

Twenty-five individuals were transported from the scene to various agencies, Jeffers said. One patient was transported via the helicopter and nine via ambulance, Hakes said. Some were also transported in personal vehicles, he said.

Three people have life-threatening injuries and five have serious injuries, according to Hakes.

Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire received seven patients from the incident who are being treated for minor to serious injuries, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

Hakes said he believes all patients are in stable condition.

Authorities did not release additional details on the victims, including how many were children.

Hakes called the incident "heart-wrenching."

"As a parent myself, it's a parent's greatest fear that something happens to their children," he said.

He said he responded to the scene and helped calm the children and reunite them with their parents.

"The children were extremely brave, very resilient," he added.

The scene has since been cleared, Jeffers said. All of the children who were still at the scene have been reunited with their families, he added.

The children attended St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, the school's principal confirmed.

"At this point, we are focusing on reuniting the children with their caregivers," Principal Peter Micheel said in a statement to ABC News. "Whenever we face a challenging time, we commit everything to the Lord's care and trust his guiding hand."

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ABC News left a message with the orchard seeking comment.

Chippewa Falls is located about 12 miles northeast of Eau Claire.

ABC News' Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

Speaker Johnson’s funding plan expected to fail as shutdown deadline approaches

(WASHINGTON) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday will forge ahead with a vote on his government funding plan despite it being expected to fail.

"We'll see what happens with the bill," Johnson told reporters. "The quarterback's calling the play. We're going to run the play. I'm very confident."

Johnson's measure would fund the government for six months but also includes the SAVE Act, a bill backed by GOP leadership and former President Donald Trump that would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. Democrats have said the legislation is a non-starter, noting it is already illegal for non-citizens to cast a ballot in federal elections.

Johnson was set to try to pass the funding plan last week but pulled it from the floor because he didn't have the votes.

Some Republicans in his caucus oppose the measure because they say it would contribute to the deficit while defense hawks say they won't vote for it because the six-month extension would effect the Department of Defense's readiness.

Still, he's dug in on the measure and is not talking about what the next steps should be if it fails. Congress needs to pass a funding measure before Oct. 1 to avoid a shutdown.

Trump has openly called for Republicans to let the government close if they don't pass the SAVE Act. He wrote on his social media platform that if they "don't get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET."

Asked about Trump's comments that Republicans should let funding lapse in such a scenario, Johnson responded “No, look, President Trump and I have talked a lot about this. We talked a lot about it with our colleagues who are building consensus on the plan. We all believe that election security is of preeminent importance right now."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chamber's top Republican, said it would be "politically beyond stupid" to allow a shutdown to take place with just seven weeks until Election Day.

"I think we first have to wait and see what the House sends us. My only observation about this whole discussion is the one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown," McConnell said. "It'd be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election, because certainly we'd get the blame."

Democrats have urged Johnson to drop his funding plan and bring a clean short-term measure to the floor to keep the government open.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters last week that the only path forward is a bipartisan agreement that does not include “extreme” measures, such as the SAVE Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday also urged the House to pass a clean bill.

"In order to avoid a shutdown, the worst thing our colleagues in the House can do right now is waste time on proposals that don't have broad bipartisan support," Schumer said.

ABC News' Allison Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

Trump to hold Long Island rally in effort to court New Yorkers

(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump's efforts to appeal to New York, a blue state, continue with a large-scale rally in Long Island on Wednesday -- Trump's second rally in the state on top of the multiple campaign stops he did in between his court appearances for his New York civil fraud trial.

Trump is set to speak Wednesday evening at the Nassau Coliseum -- a venue that holds 16,000 spectators, but the campaign alleges 60,000 tickets were requested, which would make it one of Trump's largest rallies this campaign cycle.

Outside the Coliseum ahead of Trump's event, vendors lined up selling various Trump merchandise. The celebration, which included music blaring through speakers, featured golden cars with Trump's face on the front and bedazzled Trump jackets.

The line for attendees stretched around the building hours before doors opened.

Trump's rally is set for the same day he was initially scheduled to be sentenced in his New York civil fraud trial. The judge in the case delayed his sentencing from Sept. 18 until Nov. 26 -- after the presidential election.

Ahead of his Wednesday rally, Trump has worked to court New Yorkers by promising to reverse a tax policy he signed into law in 2017. In a post on his social media platform, Trump claimed he would "get SALT back," suggesting the elimination of the cap on state and local tax deductions. In his 2017 tax law, Trump capped deductions at $10,000.

A majority of New York's congressional Republican delegation have been pushing to reverse the SALT deduction cap on Capitol Hill, spearheading the ongoing debate around the issue.

However, while many local Republicans have celebrated Trump's posture change, it also comes as he has recently rolled out a series of tax breaks, raising concerns about significant increases to the deficit.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? VOTE FOR TRUMP! I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more," the former president posted on his social media network ahead of his Wednesday rally.

In May, Trump pledged to turn New York red during a campaign rally in deep-blue South Bronx, New York, attempting to court the Hispanic and Black voters that make up a majority of the area's population.

"We have levels of support that nobody's seen before ... Don't assume it doesn't matter just because you live in a blue city. You live in a blue city, but it's going red very, very quickly," Trump said at the time.

The Trump campaign has worked to court New Yorkers this campaign cycle, attempting to at least pull enthusiasm away from Democrats and help make down-ballot races more competitive.

This is also his first large-scale campaign rally after an apparent assassination attempt on Trump while he was golfing in West Palm Beach on Sunday. The day prior, Trump held a town hall where nearly 4,000 Michigan voters attended; the Nassau rally is expected to be four times the size.

Trump had also made multiple smaller campaign stops in New York City before and after his mandated court appearance throughout his seven-week hush money payment criminal trial earlier this year to highlight several campaign messaging at each stop.

In mid-April, he visited a small bodega in Harlem that was the scene of a fatal stabbing two years earlier to highlight what he claimed was the failure of Democratic prosecutors in New York to ensure public safety as they prosecute him. Later that month, he visited a construction site in midtown Manhattan to boast support from union workers and working class voters.

Family members found shot to death at their Vermont home in triple homicide: Police

(PAWLET, Ver.) -- A man, his wife and her 13-year-old son were found shot to death at their Vermont home, state police said, with authorities looking for a suspect.

Officers responded to a report of a "suspicious person" early Sunday, Vermont State Police said. The investigation led them to a home in the town of Pawlet, where they found the three victims dead, police said.

State police identified the victims on Tuesday as Brian Crossman Sr., 46, who was a Pawlet government official; his wife, Erica Crossman, 41; and her son and his stepson, Colin Taft, 13.

All three died from gunshot wounds and their deaths have been ruled as homicides by the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, state police said. Brian Crossman was shot in the head and torso, Erica Crossman was shot in the head and her son had multiple gunshot wounds, state police said.

No one is in custody in connection with the homicides, Vermont State Police said Tuesday.

"Initial work by detectives indicates this was an isolated event with no identified threat to the community," state police said.

No additional details are available at this time amid the ongoing investigation, police said.

Brian Crossman had joined the Pawlet Select Board this year, where he served as a liaison to buildings and development and to the town's highway department, according to the town's website.

Flowers were left in his honor at the Pawlet Town Hall ahead of a board meeting Tuesday night, Albany, New York, ABC affiliate WTEN reported.

Pawlet Select Board Chair Mike Beecher remembered him as a "friend and neighbor" and a "hardworking community member."

"This tragedy that struck him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shaken and grieving," Beecher said in a statement Tuesday. "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating loss. The town of Pawlet will work to get through this as we always get through hard times, by supporting each other and doing our best to carry on."

Pawlet, a town of about 1,400 people, is located in western Vermont on the New York state line.

Kilauea volcano erupting in remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

M. Zoeller/US Geological Survey / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

(HILO, Hawaii) -- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, one of the most active in the world, is erupting again, prompting a volcano watch alert in surrounding areas, according to officials.

The eruption is occurring within a remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Lava began flowing from a new fissure vent that opened from east to west within the volcano's Nāpau Crater early Tuesday morning, the USGS said.

Several lava fountains about 32 feet high and pools of lava on the floor of the crater were observed by helicopters flying over the eruption Tuesday morning.

A separate fissure west of the Nāpau Crater began emitting lava on Monday, stopping after a few hours and then resuming activity later that evening, according to the USGS, which also noted that the eruption was preceded by a sequence of below-ground earthquakes.

About 17 earthquakes were detected beneath the Kilauea summit region between Monday and Tuesday. The earthquakes occurred at depths between .6 and 1.9 miles below the ground surface, the USGS said.

The USGS issued a volcano watch – known as a code orange – which means that an eruption is either likely or occurring but with no, or minor, ash.

There is no immediate threat to life or infrastructure, but residents nearby may experience volcanic gas emissions related to the eruption, the USGS said.

Yet hazards remain around the Kilauea caldera from the instability of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall, the USGS said. Ground cracking and rockfalls can be enhanced by earthquakes.

Volcanic smog, known as vog, presents airborne health hazards to people and livestock and has the potential to damage agricultural crops and other plants, according to the USGS.

The USGS further warned that additional ground cracking and outbreaks of lava around the active and inactive fissures in Kilauea are also possible.

Another potential hazard is Pele's hair, a volcanic glass formation produced from cooled lava that's stretched into thin strands. The USGS warns that winds could carry lighter particles from the strands downwind. Contact with the particles can cause skin and eye irritation, according to the USGS.

Eruptions at Kilauea have been destructive in the past. In 2018, more than 600 properties were destroyed by heavy lava flow that stretched from the Kilauea summit to the ocean.

Unusual eruptions that were described as being similar to a "stomp-rocket toy," a children's toy that involves launching a rocket into the air after stomping on the release mechanism, contributed to the severity of the lava flow and could potentially impact future eruptions, according to a paper published earlier this year in Nature Geosciences.

The area surrounding the rim of Kilauea's Halemaʻumaʻu crater has been closed to the public since 2008 due to the hazards.

ABC News' Bonnie Mclean contributed to this report.