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(ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn.) -- A northern Minnesota county declared a state of emergency and an air quality alert was issued on Tuesday due to wildfires raging across northern Minnesota and Canada.

St. Louis County in northeast Minnesota issued a State of Local Emergency and a State of Local Disaster due to wildfire damage and the utilization of public resources needed.

The U.S. Forest Service reported at least 17 wildfires burning across Superior National Forest, including three in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, on Tuesday.

"I've seen a lot of fire in my 25 years on this forest," Nick Petrack, fire staff officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, said at a Wednesday press conference. "This is probably the most and the largest number of fires that I have seen in July."

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert across much of the state due to wildfire smoke from 9 a.m. on Tuesday through 11 a.m. Friday.

Air quality reached the hazardous category in parts of the state Wednesday afternoon. The agency advised anyone in the hazardous region to avoid all outdoor activity and remain indoors.

Firefighters and first responders are continuing to evacuate visitors and nearby residents as the fires burned across the region.

Petrack said it is "no easy feat" evacuating visitors from the region, as first responders access parts of the boundary waters via canoe.

Phil Manuel, incident meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said in the press conference that hot, dry and windy conditions, along with a high number of lightning strikes, have allowed the fire to spread.

"Normal high temperatures here are in the upper 70s," Manuel said. "Where have we been the last three days? Over 100 degrees in some cases. I saw some temperatures of 104."

Though rain is in the forecast in the coming days, Manuel said the scale of the fires and the low probability that rain would stop the fires entirely.

"Odds are, these fires will be here until it snows," Manuel said.

While fires are natural in these forests, as they are fire-dependent ecosystems, blazes at this scale are not normal, officials said.

The fires have burned through at least 33,000 acres as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Officials said they are awaiting the arrival of federal first responders who plan to assist in firefighting efforts.

In a social media post Wednesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said two groups of YMCA campers stranded by the wildfires near the Minnesota-Canada border were rescued.

The smoke has also spread into Michigan. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy issued an air quality alert for Wednesday and Thursday across the state.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Michiganders to limit time spent outdoors, especially seniors, children and anyone with respiratory conditions.

Tom Hall, agency administrator for Superior National Forest, said in the press conference that first responders conducted 17 air rescues on Monday and none have been conducted since.

St. Louis County said it set up temporary evacuation points at a municipal center to serve people from St. Louis and Lake Counties impacted by the fires. It said public health staff is at the evacuation points to connect people with necessary resources.

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(NEW HAVEN, Conn.) -- Yale University said it's negotiating with the Department of Justice over a potential resolution of the Trump administration's findings of alleged racial discrimination in its medical school’s admissions processes, according to a statement by the university's president.

President Maurie McInnis also confirmed for the first time that the DOJ's inquiry extends beyond Yale's medical school, with two pending investigations into admissions processes at Yale College and Yale Law School.

The statement issued on Monday describes recent university-wide changes to admissions processes to meet federal guidelines, stating that "academic strength" is its main consideration when evaluating Yale College applicants.

"We now state explicitly that academic strength has long been the predominant criterion in our holistic evaluation of applicants," McInnis said.

ABC News has reached out to Yale University and the Department of Justice for a comment.

In May, following a yearlong investigation, the DOJ released a letter of findings alleging that the Yale School of Medicine discriminated based on race in its admissions practices. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- which prohibits discrimination in any program receiving federal funding -- requires that the government seek a voluntary resolution with the institution following an investigation.

McInnis characterized Yale's decision to engage in this process as "standard" and "required" by law, saying in her statement: "These investigations concern university compliance with federal law...As a university committed to the rule of law, we take that obligation seriously."

Three legal experts on higher education told ABC News that although, historically, it has been customary for universities to undergo the resolution process, they say it is not required. 

"Going back several administrations, there was always the opportunity to say, 'No, thank you. I don't want to go through voluntary resolution,'" explained Dr. Peter Lake, law professor and director of Stetson University's Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy. "...Most institutions wouldn't pick that option for various reasons because the consequences could be very severe."

However, norms surrounding the voluntary resolution process have been called into question since the start of President Donald Trump's second term, according to legal experts.

“In this instance, and I think that this is why a lot of individuals at Yale and others are raising alarm over a quick settlement is that, we are in uncharted waters with how this administration has used legal mechanisms to try to get higher education to do what it wants,” said Dr. Neal Hutchens, a professor at the University of Kentucky specializing in legal and policy issues in higher education.

“This is pushing an investigation based on a DOJ memorandum that may not have conclusions or interpretations of law that are necessarily sound or that would be backed by courts,” Hutchens continued. “I think there are real questions there, and so, I think there are some real legal questions about why you would necessarily fold too quickly on this.”

Dr. Jonathan Feingold, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, told ABC News that he believes Yale does not "even come close" to violating federal law and criticized the university for engaging with the Trump administration in "good faith."

“From my perspective, as someone who cares about higher education but has no personal relationship with Yale, even the posture of treating the Trump administration's investigation as legitimate in entering this sort of process is a betrayal to the entire Yale community,” he said.

Feingold also sees the pursuit of settlements -- in lieu of litigation in court -- as a common tactic by the Trump administration to place what he sees as undue pressure on universities.

He explained, "I think the institution would benefit, and the community would benefit, actually, from the litigation because you get to put all facts on the table and you don't get to allow the Trump administration to sort of manufacture the story that it wants to."

When reports of potential resolution talks first circulated last week, a wide coalition of critics emerged -- including the national American Association of University Professors, the Yale undergraduate student government, and Connecticut senator and Yale Law School alum Richard Blumenthal. In various petitions and statements, they have called for the university to resist a settlement and to defend its admissions practices through legal channels.

While Yale's talks follow a string of settlements between American universities and the Trump administration, other universities have resisted talks with the Trump administration -- most notably Harvard University, which is currently fighting DOJ lawsuits over its admissions records and handling of campus protests.

“For instance, Harvard engaged with the new government, but certainly didn't just accept the demands, and they challenged it in court,” Hutchens told ABC News. “And so, I think Harvard charts a path of just not acquiescence or just not folding, that Yale will have a decision potentially to make.”

In early June, the DOJ announced investigations into the admissions practices of fifteen additional medical schools. These investigations have not yet concluded.

Following McInnis' statement Monday evening, the Yale chapter of the AAUP -- which represents 300 Yale faculty -- renewed their call for transparency.

A spokesperson for the Yale AAUP chapter confirmed to ABC News Tuesday that they are currently reviewing legal options, including litigation to “assert our rights as faculty in this matter.” 

“[This case] has implications for Yale, but there are [also] a lot of institutions around the country that are wanting to understand what they can do in terms of race-neutral alternatives to still try to assemble classes,” said Lake. 

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a motion Wednesday asking for a stay and a preliminary injunction barring the U.S. government from "sharing the confidential information of Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian Government" while the issue is adjudicated in court.

The filing came a week after the organization sued the Trump administration over those allegations.

According to that complaint, many Iranian asylum seekers are pro-democracy protesters, members of religious minorities, or members of the LGBTQ community who have sought refuge in the U.S. -- and that disclosing their confidential information to the Iranian government puts them "at risk of persecution, torture, and death" should they be deported back to Iran.

Wednesday's motion also asks the government "to take the necessary steps to prevent the removal of any detained individuals whose confidential information has already been shared with the Iranian Government," according to the filing.

In the filing, the IALDF alleges that the sharing of information was started in March of 2025, and that since late September 2025, at least three deportation flights have taken place, returning more than 100 Iranian nationals to Iran.

The filing includes 11 declarations by Iranian detainees in the U.S., more than half of which describe interactions, while in detention, with Iranian officials who knew details about their asylum claims.

"It's shocking to think that at the same time the United States is engaged in hostilities with Iran, that the United States is handing over immigration files from ICE to the Iranian Interest Section in Washington, DC," said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney for Public Citizen who filed the case on behalf of IALDF. "These files are full of extremely confidential and sensitive information."

"It basically spells out all the reasons somebody in the United States fears being returned to Iran and that could be because they participated in pro-democracy demonstrations; it could be because they have converted to a minority religion like Christianity; it could be that they're part of the LGBTQ community," Kirkpatrick said. "That kind of information is exactly the kind of information that they -- that would result in their persecution if they went back to Iran."

"They are terrified," said Ali Rahnama, the interim executive director of IALDF, saying they're scared not only for themselves but for family and friends back in Iran. "I want everyone to know these are not statistics; these are human beings who trusted the U.S. government and our laws," he said.

The documents in the filing also relate details about an alleged phone call and meeting between IALDF board member Cyril Mehri and a senior Iranian official with the Iranian Interest Section in the United States. "According to the Senior Official, ICE has provided the Iranian Government with immigration documents related to each detainee, including asylum applications and related case files," the filing said.

The IALDF argues that the government's actions in sharing information without the consent of the detained individuals are unlawful.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied sharing information with the Iranian government, writing in a social media post, "These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE. ICE meets and works to get travel documents for detainees with every country. ICE is committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives."

"Consistent with established protocols, ICE provides illegal aliens the opportunity to contact their consular post and facilitates consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy," the DHS post said. "We will continue to use all lawful options to deport illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities."

A State Department spokesperson, following the filing of the lawsuit last week, said that the department, as a general matter, does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation, or on private diplomatic discussions.

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(NEW YORK) — A Florida woman is on the run as she faces a murder charge in the death of a man found in a shallow grave last month, according to police. 

Isabelle Johnson, 38, has been charged with killing 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office. 

Coulthart was reported missing on May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums complex in Florida, according to the sheriff's office. 

Unidentified remains were found on a Freeport, Florida, property on June 25 after investigators were able to identify where Coulthart's body had been buried, according to the sheriff's office.

On July 9, the sheriff's office and the Niceville Police Department received DNA confirmation identifying the remains as Coulthart, according to the sheriff's office. 

Investigators have been searching for Johnson, who is wanted on an open count of murder and is believed to be "actively evading law enforcement," according to the sheriff's office. 

The sheriff's office released a last known video of Johnson obtained from a business in Destin days after Coulthart's remains were found.

Five others have been charged and arrested in connection with the murder, including two people who allegedly helped Johnson evade law enforcement after the alleged murder, the sheriff's office said. 

"Anyone found to have helped or is still assisting Isabelle Johnson avoid arrest will be charged accordingly," Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement Saturday.

"If you give her a place to stay, help her hide, or lie for her, you will face consequences. This is a homicide case. We will not allow anyone to get in the way of this investigation," he said.

Johnson is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. 

Johnson may be using multiple identities and is known to use several aliases, including Harley, Jessica Elaine Bowman, Jessica Elaine Thrush, Jessica Dowdy and others, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office said Johnson is considered dangerous and instructed the public not to approach her if she is spotted. 

Anyone with information on Johnson's whereabouts is asked to contact the Walton County Sheriff's Office at (850) 892?8111. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850?863?TIPS (8477). A cash reward may be available for information leading to her location and arrest. 

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(WASHINGTON) -- Kathy Ruemmler, who once served as White House counsel for President Barack Obama and later worked as the top lawyer for investment bank Goldman Sachs, on Wednesday told House investigators that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a "masterful liar," according to a copy of her prepared remarks reviewed by ABC News.

Ruemmler is appearing Wednesday in a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee in its ongoing probe of the government's handling of the investigations into Epstein.

Ruemmler never represented Epstein as an attorney, though documents in the Epstein files suggested she frequently provided legal and public relations advice to him. When Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, one of the first phone calls he made was to Ruemmler.

"If I knew then what I know now about who Epstein really was, I never would have accepted an initial meeting with him. It was a mistake to deal with him, and I regret it," Ruemmler told the committee, according to her prepared remarks.

Ruemmler said she never saw any "evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Epstein" and would have reported him had she seen evidence of abuse. When he was indicted in 2019, Ruemmler said she was "shocked" by the allegations and cut ties with Epstein.

"I was shocked by the indictment, which alleged that Epstein had intentionally enticed and recruited minor girls to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for cash. Those horrific allegations -- which covered conduct that had occurred almost 10 years before I met Epstein -- contradicted what I had understood about the nature and scope of that prior conduct," she said.

While she said she was aware of Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to prostitution-related charges, Ruemmler said she trusted the plea deal was "a proportionate and final resolution of his criminal conduct. She added that the high-profile individuals who she thought were associated with Epstein suggested he was no longer engaging in criminal conduct, adding that he appeared to have "remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct."

"Epstein was a masterful liar, and he clearly lied to me. I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing, and I know now that he often exaggerated his relationship with me to others," she said, according to her prepared remarks. "I understand how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for anyone victimized by Epstein to see him going about his life without facing the type of accountability and consequences that he deserved. I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him."

Ranking Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, speaking to reporters during a break in the proceedings, expressed doubt about the truthfulness of some of Ruemmler's answers to the panel's questions.

"I think it is difficult to see how she's being completely truthful in there with the answers that she's giving the committee," Garcia said, adding that he felt she was "unwilling to take any responsibility for her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein."

"Let's remember that she continued to have a relationship. She was one of the last people he spoke to before he passed, and during that period of his life, she knew about the conviction, and yet she continued to have -- to interact, to be friendly, to make jokes about massages that entire time," Garcia said. "For her to continue to engage in these kind of playful activities with Jeffrey Epstein, and then for her to deny when we can all read the emails in the files about her making jokes about massaging ... it just, I don't buy that, and I don't think we buy that."

Ruemmler faced renewed scrutiny over the relationship after the Department of Justice's release of Epstein files earlier this year showed a trove of emails from 2014 to 2019 between her and Epstein.

In the emails to Epstein -- who she occasionally referred to as "Uncle Jeffrey" and compared to an "older brother" -- Ruemmler thanked him for lavish gifts, got advice about her career, and lambasted lawyers representing Epstein's victims.

"Victim's rights, my ass," Ruemmler wrote in a February 2015 email about a case related to the Crime Victims' Rights Act.

Amid the renewed scrutiny, Ruemmler announced plans earlier this year to step down as Goldman Sachs' chief legal officer and general counsel, and a spokesperson for the bank at the time said she "regrets ever knowing" Epstein.

In March, the House Oversight Committee sent letters to a group of individuals associated with Epstein -- including Ruemmler, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, billionaire Leon Black, and others -- to request they participate in transcribed interviews as part of their Epstein probe.

"Ms. Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee," Jennifer Connelly, a spokeswoman for Ruemmler, said in a statement following the request. "At the time she interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, she was a practicing criminal defense attorney and shared a client with him. She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part."

Despite her initial plan to depart from Goldman Sachs by June, Ruemmler continues to advise the bank on its search for a new general counsel. During an interview Monday on CNBC, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said he is "really pleased" and "very grateful that she continues to help the firm."

"Kathy stepped away because of the noise," he said. "Kathy has agreed to act as an adviser and help us navigate through until a new general counsel is seated. We're running a search. We're deep into that search. We will seat a chief legal officer at some point, you know, in the near term. And once that person is seated, Kathy will move on and do other things." 

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