WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday signed executive orders related to immigration, including one that requires English-language proficiency for commercial motor drivers, such as truckers. That requirement already exists, but Trump said it “has not been enforced in years,” making roads less safe.
Another order will direct state and federal officials to publish lists of “sanctuary city” jurisdictions, or places where local authorities often don’t cooperate in enforcing federal immigration regulations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says those cities “obstruct” enforcement.
Trump signs orders aimed at helping law enforcement and cracking down on immigrants in the country illegally
One of the orders signed by Trump orders states and federal officials to publish lists of jurisdictions often referred to as “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal officials’ efforts to arrest immigrants in the country illegally.
A second order signed by Trump calls for increasing access to excess military for state and local law enforcement. It also calls for bolstering legal support for officers accused of wrongdoing while carrying out their official duties.
Trump in the order directs the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s “to create a mechanism to provide legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law.” signs order on English-language rules for truckers
Trump signs order on English-language rules for truckers
Trump has signed an executive order reinforcing an already existing federal law requiring English-language proficiency as a requirement for commercial motor drivers.
In the ordered issued Monday evening, Trump contends the “requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe.”
“My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English,” the order states.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Amazon’s first batch of internet satellites rocketed into orbit Monday, the latest entry in the mega constellation market currently dominated by SpaceX’s thousands of Starlinks.
The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket carried up 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites, named after the frigid fringes of our solar system beyond Neptune. Once released in orbit, the satellites will eventually reach an altitude of nearly 400 miles (630 kilometers).
Two test satellites were launched in 2023, also by an Atlas V. Project officials said major upgrades were made to the newest version. The latest satellites also are coated with a mirror film designed to scatter reflected sunlight in an attempt to accommodate astronomers.
Stargazers oppose the fast-growing constellations of low-orbiting satellites, arguing they spoil observations. Others fear more satellite collisions.
Founded by Jeff Bezos, who now runs his own rocket company, Blue Origin, Amazon aims to put more than 3,200 of these satellites into orbit to provide fast, affordable broadband service around the globe.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX already has launched more than 8,000 Starlinks since 2019. The company marked its 250th Starlink launch Sunday night. More than 7,000 Starlinks are still in orbit some 300-plus miles (550 kilometers) above Earth.
The European-based OneWeb satellite constellation numbers in the hundreds in an even higher orbit.
Amazon already has purchased dozens of rocket launches from United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin for Project Kuiper, as well as others.
“There are some things you can only learn in flight” despite extensive testing on the ground, said Rajeev Badyal, the project’s vice president.
“No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey,” he said in a statement ahead of the evening liftoff.
The first liftoff attempt earlier this month was nixed by bad weather. It took until now to secure another spot in the launch lineup at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The official trailer for season 4 of Welcome to Wrexham has arrived. The docuseries follows Ryan Reynolds and RobMcElhenney's journey of purchasing the Welsh football club and turning the underdog team into successful winners. Season 4 premieres May 15 on FX and will be available to stream on Hulu ...
Miles Teller is set to star in an upcoming romantic drama film called Winter Games for Paramount Pictures. According to Deadline, the movie will take place during the Winter Olympic Games and revolves around an overlooked skier and a self-sabotaging hockey legend. The duo's romantic connection could threaten her chances to medal and his shot at a comeback. PaulDowns Colaizzo will direct the film from a script he wrote with Pat Cunnane ...
Miami Vice is coming back. Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski is set to direct a new Miami Vice movie for Universal Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dan Gilroy will write the script for the upcoming film ...
(VATICAN CITY) -- The cardinal of Baghdad, Louis Raphael Sako, reportedly told journalists at the Vatican on Tuesday that he expects a "short conclave" that could select Pope Francis' successor in as little as two days.
"It will be a short conclave, two, three days," Sako said, as quoted by Italy's ANSA news agency, speaking to reporters before today's general congregation.
"There is a very fraternal atmosphere and a spirit of responsibility," the cardinal said.
When asked if he had an idea of ??who he would vote for to become the new pope, Sako replied: "I have a very clear idea but I cannot say it."
The conclave to elect the Catholic Church's 267th leader will begin Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican announced on Monday. Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin the process.
Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
ABC News' Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.
Yurii Tynnyi/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
(LONDON) -- U.S. and Russian officials continued Ukraine peace discussions as the Kremlin announced a three-day ceasefire during May's Victory Day celebrations -- and as Kyiv cited continued Russian missile and drone attacks as evidence Moscow has no genuine interest in peace.
The proposed three-day ceasefire, from May 8 to 10, is the "beginning of direct negotiations, without preconditions," for an end to the war in Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.
Ukraine has not agreed to the three-day ceasefire, instead insisting Russia should cease fire immediately in comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials.
On Monday, Russia's Foreign Ministry released a transcript of an interview with Lavrov in the Brazilian Newspaper O Globo, in which he set out maximalist demands for a deal.
Among Moscow's demands, Lavrov reportedly said, are Ukraine's non-admission to NATO and future non-aligned status and international recognition of Russian control of all Ukrainian regions claimed annexed by the Kremlin -- including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, both of which are only partially occupied by Russian forces.
Lavrov also said Russia is still seeking the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine, the lifting of international sanctions and the return of frozen Russian assets.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lavrov by phone "at Lavrov's request" on Sunday, the State Department announced on Monday. Rubio has previously said the U.S. is still evaluating whether the Kremlin is serious about reaching an agreement to end its three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
The conversation was a follow-on to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow last week, with Rubio and Lavrov discussing "next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks" and "the need to end the war now," per the State Department's readout.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, on Monday unilaterally announced a ceasefire to mark Victory Day -- the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example," its statement said. "In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response."
Zelenskyy was dismissive of the proposal.
"Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States," he wrote in a statement posted to Telegram.
"Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire -- just to provide Putin with silence for his parade," he continued.
"We value human lives, not parades," Zelenskyy wrote. "That's why we believe -- and the world believes -- that there is no reason to wait until May 8. The ceasefire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward. It must be immediate, full, and unconditional -- for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy."
Ukrainian officials documented multiple Russian violations of the previous limited 30-day ceasefire on targeting civilian and energy infrastructure earlier this year.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce downplayed the significance of the three-day ceasefire during a briefing on Tuesday.
"What they have been working toward is a ceasefire -- a complete, full, durable ceasefire -- not a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else -- a complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict," she said.
She also passed along a message she said Rubio had relayed to her a short while ago about the state of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine: "We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict. How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to the president. If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process."
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the slow progress being made on reaching a deal to end the war, an agreement he claimed on the campaign trail he would secure within 24 hours of returning to office.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters he wants a deal to end the war in "two weeks or less," but later said a little more time might be acceptable. The president added he was "very disappointed" that Russia continued to carry out strikes in Ukraine days after he appealed to Putin to stop the attacks while negotiations continued.
Vice President JD Vance told conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Monday that he is not certain that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be reached, but that he remains optimistic.
"The biggest breakthrough is that we've got both of them talking about what they would need in order to stop fighting but what one side needs is different from what the other side needs," Vance said.
"It's the job of diplomacy to try to bring those two sides together," Vance added. "I can't say 100% certainty, Charlie, we're going to be able to do it, but I do think that we're trying very hard, and I feel more optimistic about it today than I did two weeks ago, and I feel more optimistic two weeks ago than I did two months ago."
Vance added that the administration has found itself "frustrated" with Russians and Ukrainians during the peace talks.
"If I could bring people on the inside, I think what they see is that sometimes you're incredibly frustrated with Ukrainians," he said. "Sometimes you're incredibly frustrated with the Russians."
"You know, that is the nature of the negotiation as you're going back and forth, and sometimes you just want to throw your hands up, but that's what President Trump doesn't let us do," Vance said.
Meanwhile, cross-border strikes continued into Tuesday morning, with Ukraine's air force reporting 100 Russian drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said it shot down 37 of the drones with another 47 lost in flight without causing damage.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight.
ABC News' Will Gretsky and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) -- Severe weather continues to impact the Midwest on Tuesday as intense storms are affecting millions of people.
The atmosphere did not recover well from Monday morning’s severe weather in the region, enabling the storm line to roll through in the later afternoon and evening as millions were impacted by intense weather events.
There were two reported tornadoes, one near Kenyon, Minnesota, where a farm suffered damage, and one near Fall Creek, Wisconsin, where structure damage was also recorded, though no injuries reported.
Other reports include a roof blown off a shed near Morristown, Minnesota, and roof damage to a large commercial warehouse near Kenyon -- both of which may be related to the Kenyon but has not yet been fully confirmed.
Ten states reported storm damage from hail, wind and tornadoes, from Texas all the way to the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Elsewhere, hail up to the size of baseballs was reported in parts of Kansas, and hail larger than a baseball was reported in Oklahoma.
Severe storms are still underway on Tuesday morning in northern Texas and Oklahoma as golf ball-sized hail has already been reported early Tuesday in Oklahoma amid numerous severe thunderstorm warnings.
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas until 10 a.m. CT.
More than 50 million Americans are in today’s storm zone stretching 14 states from Texas to New York as super cellular storms are expected to begin around 3 p.m. CT along this entire path and continue into the evening hours.
There are two areas of heightened severe potential -- an enhanced risk from west Texas to southwest Oklahoma including Midland, Lubbock and Wichita Falls in Texas -- and the other from Louisville, Kentucky to near Watertown, New York, encompassing Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Buffalo, though the severe threat is not expected to continue past midnight for the northeastern portion of this system.
However, in Texas and Oklahoma, the severe threat may linger into the early morning hours of Wednesday with the severe potential including severe wind gusts, large to very large hail and a few tornadoes.
Flash flooding could also be a major concern for the Texas and Oklahoma portion of this event.
Given the scenario expected to play out starting Tuesday afternoon and overnight into Wednesday, which includes multiple rounds of very heavy and hours-long thunderstorms over the same consecutive locations, widespread flash flooding is expected.
However, because the ground in this area is already saturated from weekend flooding, this is an even more dire forecast and is primed for numerous potentially life-threatening flash floods.
The topsoil is already full, and streams are already high, meaning the water will have nowhere to go but stay above ground, and it may flood areas that don’t usually see flooding.
On Wednesday, the moderate risk will slide just east, extending from north of Dallas to Branson, Missouri, where there is also a chance for those heavy storms to produce damaging wind, large hail and a few tornadoes.
Meanwhile, a flood watch is in effect from north Texas to central Missouri for more than 6 million Americans across five states until Thursday morning and some areas could see more than 5 inches of rain in a 12-hour period.
(WASHINGTON) -- In a speech to a joint session of Congress in March, President Donald Trump took direct aim at diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying hiring and promotion practices should be based on merit, not race and gender.
"We've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and indeed the private sector and our military. And our country will be 'woke' no longer," said Trump, using the term some conservatives have adopted to negatively describe progressive values.
In the first 100 days of his new administration, Trump has wielded the power of the Oval Office in an attempt to root out DEI programs beyond the federal government, threatening to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding and grants from universities, including Harvard University, unless they fall in line.
A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on Sunday indicated that the country is almost evenly split on the issue. While 51% of respondents said they believe DEI efforts help level the playing field, 47% said such policies create unfair discrimination.
Despite the president's claim that DEI in America is history, supporters say Trump's war against what they refer to as "wokeism" is far from over.
"It's definitely not over. And those of us who want to see corporate America get back to neutral and focusing on uniting Americans around creating value rather than dividing us on the basis of race and sex, we have a long, long way to go," said Stefan Padfield, executive director of the Free Enterprise Project, which is part of National Center for Public Policy Research, a non-partisan conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
Padfield said one of his primary focuses is on "reversing what we might refer to as the woke capture of corporate America" by filing shareholder proposals, engaging in litigation and conducting educational research across the nation."
"One of the things that I and others on our side are concerned about is this idea and this notion that somehow we've won," Padfield told ABC News.
Using the analogy of the Allied troops storming the beach at Normandy during the 1944 D-Day invasion, Padfield said, "Could you imagine if the Allied forces just packed up and left and claimed to have won World War II after they took Normandy beach? It would be a very different world."
"So, we've got a very long march to go and certainly the proponents of DEI and related ESG [environmental, social and governance] agendas, they're making very clear that they're not going to go quietly, certainly," Padfield said.
Target boycott
In a letter dated Feb. 12, 2025, a coalition of the nation's largest civil and human rights organizations, including the NAACP and the National Urban League, asked for an urgent meeting with congressional leadership "to discuss actionable steps to protect diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans."
The letter was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "We are deeply concerned about the recent executive actions by the Trump Administration that seek to undo decades of bipartisan support for civil and human rights," the coalition wrote.
"Diversity is and will always be one of America’s greatest strengths because a diverse America is an innovative and prosperous America," the letter said. "Diversifying our institutions, providing opportunities, and working to ensure that everyone is included are not partisan values. These values strengthen our nation and are rooted in our country’s history of advancing equal opportunity and 'liberty and justice for all.'"
The letter goes on to characterize the actions taken by the Trump administration as "misguided" and, according to the coalition, "seek to erode progress and stifle opportunity for all."
The letter emphasizes that America’s strength and leadership "in an increasingly diverse and competitive world depends on our ability to be an inclusive society." It goes on to say that history has shown that without clear-cut guidelines that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion, institutions will "continue discriminatory and exclusionary patterns that hold us all back."
Some corporations have taken Trump's cue and have started to eliminate or roll back DEI programs. After Minnesota-based retailer Target announced in January that it would phase out some of its DEI initiatives, the Rev. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest, Georgia, organized a 40-day "fast" of Target.
Bryant said he encouraged followers of his movement to fight back with their pocketbooks and not shop at the chain's stores from the first day of Lent, March 5, until Easter Sunday.
In an interview with ABC News, Bryant said he announced at his church on Easter that the "fast" is now a full-fledged boycott of Target.
"We began the boycott against Target because the Black community felt betrayed," Bryant said.
Among the programs Target said it is phasing out is one established in the wake of the 2020 police-involved killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man. The program assists Black employees in building meaningful careers and promoting Black-owned businesses.
"For them to roll back DEI, it was felt as a slap in the face," Bryant said.
Bryant noted that the Montgomery bus boycott led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1955 and 1956 lasted 381 days.
"We have just been boycotting Target for 10 weeks and I think that the African American community is resolved that we’re not going back into the store until we see a market change," Bryant said.
In response to the boycott, Target, which has 2,000 stores nationwide and employs more than 400,000 people, said in a April 23 statement, "We have an ongoing commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all team members, guests, and suppliers."
"It's core to how we support and grow our business," Target said. "We remain focused on supporting organizations and creating opportunities for people in the 2,000 communities where we live and operate."
But Target isn't the only major U.S. company scaling back on DEI programs. McDonald's, Meta, Walmart, Ford, John Deere and Harley-Davidson have all announced they are eliminating some DEI programs.
Some of the companies changed their DEI programs after coming under pressure from conservative groups.
Conservative political commentator and anti-woke activist Robby Starbuck publicly attacked Walmart's DEI programs. This prompted the big-box retail giant to announce it was rolling back diversity policies and pivoting from the term DEI in internal communications.
After Walmart said it was eliminating the use of the phrase "DEI" altogether, Starbuck said in a social media post, "This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America."
In a statement to ABC News, Walmart said, "Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since our founding 62 years ago and continues to guide us today. We can deliver on it because we are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America."
Universities under fire
The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal funding and grants from universities nationwide that decline to roll back DEI programs or curb protests on campuses, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations that the administration deems antisemitic.
Some universities have fought back against the administration.
The Trump administration threatened to withhold from Harvard University $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value after demanding that the school end its DEI programs, adopt what the administration deems merit-based admissions, and cooperate with immigration authorities.
But Harvard President Alan Garber has refused to give in to the White House's demands, writing in an April 14 letter addressed to members of the Harvard community, that the school "will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights" by agreeing to the terms proposed by the Trump administration.
On April 21, Harvard sued the Trump administration, asking a Massachusetts federal judge to block Trump's funding freeze, arguing that it is "unlawful and beyond the government's authority." Harvard also argued that by withholding funds, the Trump administration is violating the First Amendment, flouting federal law, and threatening life-saving research.
"All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution's ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions," Harvard's lawyers wrote.
Trump's Department of Education has also attempted to pressure public schools K-12 to do away with DEI programs or risk losing federal funding. Education groups sued the administration over the move.
Federal judges in both Maryland and New Hampshire issued rulings this month siding with the education groups.
"This Court takes no view as to whether the policies at issue here are good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair," wrote U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher of Maryland, a Trump appointee, on Thursday. "But this Court is constitutionally required to closely scrutinize whether the government went about creating and implementing them in the manner the law requires. The government did not."
New Hampshire U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty also issued an order Thursday partially blocking the Department of Education from withholding funding to public schools that did not end DEI programs.
"Ours is a nation deeply committed to safeguarding academic freedom, which is of transcendent value to all of us and not merely to the teachers concerned," McCafferty wrote, adding the "right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is…one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes."
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to the rulings on Thursday.
Two sides, similar arguments
Supporters of doing away with DEI programs claim the policies are racist, discriminatory and further divide the nation, while advocates for keeping the programs argue it is racist, discriminatory and divisive to end them.
Rev. Bryant told ABC News that he believes Trump is pursuing his "war on woke" to appeal to his base.
"I think he's playing to his base of uneducated white males, who for some reason feel threatened," Bryant said. "They’re getting ready to see that America is better when we're together, not when we are segregated."
Bryant said Trump's fight against wokeism has been an attack on civil rights that demonstrators have shed blood and died for going back to the 1950s and 1960s.
"It looks like we’re going back to yesteryear and it’s a very disturbing probability," Bryant said.
On the other hand, Padfield described most DEI programs in corporate America as "overt racial discrimination."
"It’s problematic because it sets the corporation up for legal liability and it’s problematic on a moral basis because that’s not the country that we want to live in, where some of our most powerful institutions have decided that the way to get what they want in terms of demographic outcomes is just start brazenly and, in fact, proudly, discriminating on the basis of race and sex," Padfield said.
Padfield added, “The problem is that the pro-DEI solution actually makes things worse and divides us further. And what I’m hoping for is that ultimately corporate America wakes up and starts addressing these inequalities on a colorblind basis."
(LONDON) -- At least 22 people have been killed and three others were injured in a fire at a restaurant in northern China on Tuesday afternoon, according to Chinese state media.
The blaze broke out at around 12:25 p.m. local time on Tuesday in the city of Liaoning, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency and national broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to treat the injured, assist victims' families and investigate the cause of the fire, Xinhua and CCTV reported.
Investigators have not yet discovered the cause of the fire but, according to the Associated Press, images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) -- As President Donald Trump nears the 100th day of his second presidency, polling shows Americans largely disapproving of his handling of the economy, tariffs, and recent stock market turmoil.
But his 2024 voters largely say they're still confident in his handling of the economy, and they overwhelmingly stand by their vote for Trump.
"I believe Trump will turn things around; I'm glad he's president," said Jessianna Bartier, 53, of Ohio. "With Biden, I felt there was so much waste. He was causing a lot of damage economically," she said, and she had felt depressed by the former president's efforts. "Trump has definitely got his work cut out for him."
According to a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, only 39% of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the economy; fewer approve of his handling of tariffs on imported goods or recent stock market turmoil. Seventy-one percent of Americans said that Trump's handling of tariffs will contribute to inflation in the United States, although 59% think tariffs will create more manufacturing jobs.
But among Americans who voted for Trump in 2024, 87% approve of how he is handling the economy, while 78% approve of his handling of tariffs. A softer 71% said they approve of his handling of recent turmoil in the stock market.
Furthermore, among 2024 Trump voters, 74% think his economic policies will put the U.S. economy on a stronger foundation for the long term; at the same time, 45% of those voters think it's very or somewhat likely that his economic policies will cause a recession in the short term.
An overwhelming 96% of those who voted for Trump believe how they voted was the right thing to do.
Bartier, a former flight attendant, now works as a bartender and lives in Ohio. She said she used to be a Democrat but became Republican as she "started dating more mature men." She said she has always voted because "my voice matters."
Bartier said her family is struggling financially at the moment, because her fiance lost his job and her own income is "definitely not enough."
But she's optimistic that Trump will be able to strengthen the economy.
She has mixed feelings about Trump on some issues, saying she appreciates his border crackdown but is at odds with his views on LGBTQ issues and abortion.
But on tariffs, she said she feels they may cause challenges at first but will be effective later on -- although the recent stock market turmoil does give her pause.
"I think the tariffs are, in the short term, going to hurt us economically; but in the long term, [they're] going to bring back jobs to America," she said. She acknowledged feeling uncertain about how the tariff news impacted stocks: "Do I like seeing the Dow go down on itself? No."
"[Trump's] gonna do what he's gonna do. He's kind of a rogue agent," Bartier added.
Anthony Romano, 64, a retired purchasing agent who lives by himself in Philadelphia, said he feels positive about Trump but has some concerns about the stock market.
"Overall I think he's doing a really good job," Romano said, but he added that it "seems like the stock market has been crashing -- it'll put a lot of stress on people."
Stocks have fluctuated in the wake of what some experts described as continued uncertainty over the White House's tariff policies and announcements. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that the White House is "setting the fundamentals for a strong dollar, a strong economy, a strong stock market".
Romano said he's still confident in the president, citing Trump's experience as a businessman.
"I have my trust in him; he knows what he's doing," he said.
Another of Trump's voters who took the poll, Deborah Williams, 71, of Nevada, considers herself an independent politically and said she just retired from running a home-based business. Her husband, 78, has a part-time job and earns minimum wage.
She said she's keeping an eye on the economy, especially given their dwindled income, and is "cautious about where I'm spending my money these days," including with travel.
On tariffs, she has mixed feelings. She's concerned they could impact prices and may be being done too bluntly, but called Trump's philosophy behind them "a noble idea."
"I want America to be the tough kid on the block again," Williams said, and she does not want think Americans should be paying for or subsidizing other countries' expenses. "Trump's my man for doing that at this point," she said, adding later, "He has the opportunity to put our economy back together by playing hardnose with some of these people we import from."
The poll only asks respondents for their first names; some respondents contacted by ABC News declined to share their last name.
Irene, 63, who works for the library and local government in a northern New Jersey town, told ABC News that she has mixed feelings over how the Trump administration has rolled out tariffs.
"I'm kind of favorable for the tariffs, because I think we have been taken advantage of by different countries," she said. "It's just that, maybe he's going a little overboard or too fast with all of this. And the tariffs are going to affect a lot more than they were originally going to."
She hasn't felt any impact on her or her family's finances yet. Asked what she hopes to see from the White House going forward, she said she was hoping for the economy she felt America had during the first Trump administration.
"I look back to when he was in the office the first four years, and I just felt like the economy was in better shape," she said, mentioning interest rates and gas prices. "I was kind of hoping we could get somewhere towards that point."
She also told the poll she feels a recession is somewhat likely, and she hopes it does not impact the jobs she holds or her finances.
"But I'm at the point where I'm trying to get in a better financial position, just in case that recession should happen, it won't hit me as hard," she said.
That has not caused her to rethink how she voted for Trump in November: "I'm still behind my vote because I definitely didn't have a good feeling about the Democrats," she said.
The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® April 18-22, 2025, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,464 adults. Partisan divisions are 30%-30%-29%, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, including the design effect. Error margins are larger for subgroups. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.
(WASHINGTON) -- A police SWAT team bursts into a home with little warning, only to quickly realize that it's the wrong address and the occupants inside are innocent victims of the officers' mistake.
The scenario has played out in American communities for years -- sometimes resulting from bad intelligence, others from inadvertent officer errors -- often leaving property damaged and families traumatized.
Legal immunity for cops can mean little restitution.
A major case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday could clear a path for some victims of wrong-house raids to sue for damages under an exception to immunity under federal law.
"It's just a simple matter of fairness," said Patrick Jacomo, an attorney with Institute for Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy group litigating the case.
The plaintiffs -- Trina Martin, her teenage son Gabe, and ex-partner Toi Cliatt -- have spent seven years seeking to sue the FBI for damages after agents mistakenly raided their Atlanta home in 2017.
"I thought someone was breaking in, and it was so chaotic that I thought they had a mission, and the mission was to kill us," said Martin in an interview with ABC News Live.
Toi Cliatt, who scrambled out of bed at the sound of flash-bang grenades exploding in his living room, described seeking shelter in a closet before the agents detained him.
"They threw me down on the floor and they were interrogating me, and they were asking me questions. And I guess the answers that I was responding to them with didn't add up," Cliatt said. "And that's when I realized that they were in the wrong place."
"The lead officer came back and he gave us a business card and he apologized and then he left," said Martin.
The couple said their home sustained $5,000 of damage from burned carpet, broken doors and fractured railings. The emotional trauma is harder to quantify. "It's countless," Cliatt said.
Martin's 7-year-old son Gabe, who sought cover under his bed in terror during the incident, says the experience dramatically altered his life.
"I see the world differently now. I didn't really have a childhood growing up because of that," said Gabe, now 13. "So, it really kind of changed me as a person."
The FBI denied the family's claims for restitution. The Trump administration, which is defending the agency at the Supreme Court, argues sovereign immunity shields the government from damages claims.
"Cops are human and they make mistakes. And a lot of times the mistakes that are being made are because there's not enough due diligence, there's not enough research going into it," said Anthony Riccio, former First Deputy Superintendent of Chicago Police Department. "The result of it can be devastating for the family impacted."
Most law enforcement agencies don't keep track of wrong house raids or publicly report data, legal experts say. Civil Rights advocates estimate hundreds of cases of wrong-house raids nationwide each year; most victims are not compensated for the physical or emotional harm that often results.
"We have a right to be safe in our homes, and when officers are acting bad -- for lack of a better word -- then individuals have the right to hold them accountable," said Anjanette Young, a Chicago social worker whose apartment was mistakenly raided by police in 2019.
Young's case has become one of the most high-profile examples of the problem. Body camera video from the incident captures the 49-year-old handcuffed naked and bewildered in her living room just after 7 p.m. on a Thursday evening.
"You got the wrong house. I live alone!" she is heard on tape pleading with the cops. "Tell me what's going on!"
Young says it took officers 40 minutes to realize they had the wrong address. They left her without any remedy, she said.
"I've been diagnosed with major depression and PTSD, and as a clinician myself, I understand what that means," she said. "Time does not cure it. It is something that you live with and you have to learn how to manage it."
A 2023 review by Chicago's inspector general found that officers had committed at least 21 wrong-house raids over a four-year period. Young sued the city of Chicago and received a nearly $3 million settlement in 2021, but other victims aren't so lucky.
"The problem with the Anjanette Young case was the information given to the officers was fictitious. A paid informant provided fictitious information in order to get money from the police department," said Riccio. "When the officers showed up to execute the warrant, they were in the house for seconds before they realized, this is bad information."
The impacts can be severe.
An Austin, Texas, police SWAT team responding to a gunfight, blew up the front door of Glen and Mindy Shields' home in 2023 causing thousands of dollars in property damage. The suspect lived across the street. The city denied any wrongdoing and -- as is often the case -- claimed immunity.
When cops showed up outside Amy Hadley's home in South Bend, Indiana, in 2022, her teenage son emerged with his hands up as some officers began to openly question whether the suspect lived there. They raided the home anyway. Police later said they had indications the suspect had posted to Facebook from inside.
"Police not only have things like qualified immunity to protect them, but in a case where the police work for the federal government, they have entire doctrines that effectively act like federal immunity," said Jaicomo.
Trina, Toi and Gabe now hope the Supreme Court will help them pierce that shield.
Congress carved out an exception for federal law enforcement immunity from civil liability suits in 1974 for victims of "assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, or abuse of process" by an officer.
The government denies the exception applies to the Martin case.
"What the Martins are looking for in this case is to be made whole for the mistake that was made by the FBI, but much more broadly than that is to ensure that they might be one of the last families that this happens to in America," Jaicomo said.
The case comes as advocates for victims of police misconduct and mistakes say President Donald Trump is rolling back guardrails on law enforcement.
The Trump Justice Department has put a freeze on federal civil rights investigations into cops and vowed to reconsider consent decrees with police departments found to have engaged in a pattern of misconduct.
That includes agreements with the cities of Louisville and Minneapolis for police reforms agreed to after the 2020 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in their respective cities.
"The Justice Department had in recent years been really taking a close look, at where things are going wrong, where you see a pattern of constitutional violations. And what the Trump Justice Department appears to be doing is backing away from that process," said ACLU legal director Cecilia Wang.
Anjanette Young says communities don't need to wait for the feds.
In Illinois, she's lobbying state and local officials for strict new rules on search warrants to prevent cops from raiding the wrong house, including new steps to vet intelligence on a suspect's location; requiring a 30 second wait after knocking before breaking down a door; and, mandatory use of tactics least intrusive to someone's home and property.
"It's not okay to harm people and then not fix the harm," Young said.
Retired Chicago police officer Riccio agrees. "Whether that's repairing the damage or providing them with some sort of compensation for what they've experienced, yeah, absolutely," he said.
The Martins say that kind of restitution is the exception rather than the norm. Now, they hope the nation's highest court will change that.
"For seven long years it felt like they were turning their backs on us," Martin said. "I felt unheard, and it was easier to just give up, you know? And I didn't want to give up."
(PITTSBURGH) -- A funeral home director has been charged after allegedly throwing out the bodies of thousands of pets and giving owners the ashes of other animals, collectively charging them over $650,000 in the process, prosecutors said.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday that Jacob Vereb -- owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- has been charged with improper disposal of “thousands of dogs and cats” for which owners paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes, and other services, stealing over $650,000 from customers between 2021 and 2024," according to a statement from the Pennsylvania's Attorney General’s Office.
“Vereb took money in exchange for private cremation services, then disposed of many of the pets at a landfill and provided customers with ashes of other, unknown animals,” officials said.
The funeral home, which also worked with human remains, was only alleged by authorities to have defrauded customers who brought in their pets but the investigation identified more than 6,500 victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties, officials continued.
”This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs. I commend our investigative team for a comprehensive review of voluminous records which uncovered this long-running pattern of theft and deception.”
Due to the vast numbers of people affected, the Office of Attorney General has launched a website to engage with victims where victims can provide their contact information, share victim impact statements, and receive updates on the criminal case. The website will also help concerned citizens to determine if they are victims in this case, officials said.
“Nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses worked with the Office of Attorney General to confirm that Vereb collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but did not receive the actual ashes of their pet,” the Attorney General’s Office said. “Eternity Pet Memorial received the pets directly from consumers or through area veterinarians.”
Vereb, 70, was charged on Monday with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and deceptive business practices after surrendering Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance, officials said.
Brian B. Bettencourt/Toronto Star via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) -- New treatments and simple blood tests could change how doctors detect and treat Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report from the Alzheimer's Association.
Blood tests to detect Alzheimer's are not yet approved for everyday use, but in research studies, they have improved the accuracy of diagnosis by up to 91%. Right now, doctors rely on brain scans called PET scans to find amyloid plaques or do a spinal tap to check for abnormal levels of proteins like beta-amyloid and tau.
These tests are expensive, invasive and not always easy to access. Blood tests could make it much simpler to find early signs of the disease and be more widely available.
"If you get a diagnosis early, you're actually able to access treatments that you cannot take later on in the disease process," Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Alzheimer's Association spokesperson, said in an interview with ABC News.
The report highlights that diagnosing Alzheimer's earlier could open the door to treatments when they have the best chance of working, helping people stay mentally sharper for longer and giving families more time to plan for the future.
In the past two years, the FDA has approved two new drugs -- Leqembi and Kisunla -- that can slow the progression of early Alzheimer's. While they are not cures, they can help people preserve memory and thinking skills longer, offering more time with a better quality of life.
This marks a major shift from older Alzheimer's treatments, which could only manage symptoms without slowing down the disease much. However, these new drugs carry significant challenges, including high costs, the need for frequent brain scans to monitor serious side effects and the risk of swelling or bleeding in the brain. In addition, only people in the early stages of Alzheimer's are eligible to receive these treatments.
"Ultimately, we would love to see an array of treatments that are available that tackle different aspects of Alzheimer's, different factors that are contributing to it," Edgerly said.
She noted that more than 140 different treatments are now in development, aiming to target different symptoms and stages of the disease.
The report also lays out an updated understanding of Alzheimer's risk factors, dividing them into two categories. Some risks -- like age, genetics and family history -- cannot be changed. Others -- including diet, exercise, blood pressure, cholesterol, hearing and vision health -- are within a person's control. Addressing the modifiable risks can have a significant impact on a person's Alzheimer's risk, the report noted.
In fact, Edgerly said that nearly half of all dementias could be preventable by taking better care of modifiable risks earlier in life.
"I could help reduce my risk of getting Alzheimer's in later life if I'm really good about treating high blood pressure in my 40s and 30s," she explained.
The report also announced the launch of ALZ-NET, a new nationwide tracking system that follows patients in real time to collect data on the long-term safety and effectiveness of the new medications, and to better understand who benefits most from early intervention.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia, is a neurodegenerative condition that can start developing 20 years before symptoms appear. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
Currently, more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, many of whom remain undiagnosed, according to the report. By the year 2060, that number is expected to grow to more than 13 million.
Edgerly said she hoped that faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment will improve care for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients.
"The opportunities it would present to find people earlier in the process without having to go through six months or a year to get to that diagnosis would make a huge difference in helping people access treatments during the timeframe where they could be helpful," she said.
Dr. Allen Chang is the chief resident of the Geriatric Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program at Dalhousie University and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NANWALEK, ALASKA) -- Two people are dead and another was seriously injured following a plane crash in Alaska on Monday, the Alaska Department of Public Safety told ABC News.
No details have been released as to what caused the crash.
"The Alaska State Troopers are on scene of a plane crash in Nanwalek," the Alaska DPS said in a statement on Monday night. "Two adults were killed in the incident and one adult was seriously injured and medevaced to an Anchorage area hospital."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(CHATHAM, IL) -- Four minors are dead after a vehicle crashed into a building hosting an after-school camp in Chatham, Illinois, officials announced at a press conference on Monday afternoon. They ranged in age from 4 to 18 years old, according to a statement from the Illinois State Police.
Multiple others were injured in the incident, which took place shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday. The extent of their injuries is unknown, though several were hospitalized and one was airlifted from the scene of the accident.
The car struck three individuals outside of the YNOT (Youth Needing Other Things) Outdoors Summer Camp, and a fourth person was killed inside, according to Chatham Police Department.
Authorities described the situation as chaotic and urged families to use the reunification site to speed up the victim identification process.
"The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation," the ISP statement said.
Police said the driver is considered a suspect, though no charges or arrests have been announced. Their identity has not yet been released.
"Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement posted on X on Monday night.
"Parents said goodbye to their children this morning not knowing it would be the last time," the statement continued. "My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they're experiencing -- something that no parent should ever have to endure."
Pritzker added that his office was monitoring the situation and he thanked first responders for assisting.
The ISP is working with the CPD to investigate, they said in a statement on Monday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
