(WASHINGTON) -- A federal judge on Friday issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration from establishing its $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" after expressing concerns that senior officials have not put in their commitment to not move forward with the fund in writing.  

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema repeatedly cited acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s refusal to commit to not moving forward with the fund under penalty of perjury, as well as President Donald Trump’s own words suggesting he was disappointed that the government might not establish the fund. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(BOSTON) -- Boston police are searching for two suspects wanted for committing an armed robbery at a lemonade stand.

Two kids were running a lemonade stand in South Boston when, at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, the "unknown suspects made several passes by the stand," Boston police said.

The suspects -- described as boys about 14 and 11 years old -- then went up to the kids and asked if Apple Pay was accepted, police said.

Before the children could answer, the suspects grabbed a box of cash, and the older suspect showed a gun in his waistband, police said.

The suspects fled the scene, police said.

The cash box had about $50 inside, police said.

Police ask anyone with information to call the detectives 617-343-4742 or submit a tip anonymously at 1-800-494-TIPS.

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(NEW YORK) -- A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the cryptocurrency fraud conviction of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

The opinion came the same week Bankman-Fried submitted his application for a presidential pardon.

Bankman-Fried was convicted of masterminding one of the largest financial frauds in history stemming from the collapse of the crypto-exchange FTX. He is serving a 25-year prison sentence.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
 

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(UVALDE, Texas) -- Former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo is set to return to a Texas courtroom on Friday, as the judge overseeing his criminal trial weighs moving the case out of Uvalde and whether the whole thing might have to wait because US Customs and Border Protection has refused to cooperate.

Arredondo in 2024 was charged with 10 counts of endangering students by failing to quickly respond to the 2022 mass shooting. The criminal case has stalled due to two ongoing civil lawsuits that seek to force agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol Tactical Unit -- involved in taking down the gunman -- to testify in the case.

Nineteen students and two of their teachers were killed when Robb Elementary School was attacked by a former student on the last day of school, May 24, 2022.

Arredondo led the response to the 2022 shooting rampage, and prosecutors allege that he ignored his training by waiting some 77 minutes before agents stormed a classroom and killed the gunman. Earlier this year, a jury acquitted former school police officer Adrian Gonzales on similar charges after a three-week trial.

Families of the victims responded to that verdict with outrage and some are looking to Arredondo’s trial as another opportunity for justice.

"We had a little hope, but it wasn't enough," Jacinto Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie died in the shooting, said after Gonzales’ acquittal in January. "Again, we are failed. I don't even know what to say."

Arredondo has pleaded not guilty, arguing he followed his training and saying he did not consider himself as the incident commander that day, though investigators said he was just that. Arredondo's attorney Paul Looney told ABC News that he believes the case against Arredondo is weaker than the failed prosecution of Gonzales.

“They tried the one they thought that they had the best shot at, but now they're going to put everything they've got into doing this one, because they do want to win at least something,” Looney said.

Friday’s status conference comes as Judge Sid Harle weighs the future of the case. The judge has said he wants to determine how the trial against Arredondo can proceed amid the ongoing litigation with CBP and whether -- as in the case of Gonzales -- the trial ought to be moved out of Uvalde.

Both Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell and Arredondo filed federal lawsuits to compel the federal agents to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify at trial.

“The three border patrol agents whose cooperation is now being sought by District Attorney Mitchell -- two of whom participated in the actual killing of the gunman and the third who was present in the hallway during most of the incident -- are essential to the pending Texas criminal prosecution,” Mitchell wrote in her lawsuit.

CBP attorneys have argued that the request for testimony is unreasonable, unnecessary and “negatively impacts CBP operations and national security” by taking up resources and potentially disclosing sensitive information.

Attorneys have argued that CBP revealed enough information through the investigative summaries prepared by the Texas Rangers and a report released by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

“It is unclear from your request how testimony from the identified CBP employees is genuinely necessary to the proceedings,” an attorney for CBP said in a court filing.

Earlier this year, a new judge was assigned to the lawsuit filed by Mitchell, and this week she filed a motion to schedule a status conference in that case. Looney, who filed a separate lawsuit largely mirroring the District Attorney’s, said he anticipates the litigation will take another eight months to a year.

Friday’s hearing will be held in Uvalde, though the trial of Gonzales was held in Corpus Christi to find an impartial jury, due to the widespread impact of the shooting on the Uvalde community.

Arredondo’s lawyer said he expects Harle to grant his motion for a venue change, though he claimed there is “no sense of urgency” to resolve the venue issue while the case remains stalled by the ongoing civil litigation.

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(NEW YORK) -- The amount of solar power generated in the U.S. is continuing to grow despite efforts from the Trump administration to slow down the renewable energy sector, according to two reports released this week.

The U.S. has generated more power from solar compared to coal for the first time, according to a report by Ember, a think tank focused on the clean energy transition. In May 2026, solar supplied 12.8% of U.S. electricity, while coal supplied 12.2%, according to an analysis of official monthly and preliminary hourly generation data.

A record 45.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar energy was generated in May 2026, exceeding the output from May 2025 by 17%, the think tank found. The record could be broken again in the upcoming summer months, as solar output typically peaks in June and July.

The amount of energy from coal generated in the U.S. has been nearly cut in half in the last five years, falling from 19.7% of total power generated in May 2021 to 12.2% last month. Production of coal power rose slightly in May 2026, to 43.4 Twh, but it remained 11% below May 2025 levels.

"Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows just how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the U.S. electricity system," Nicolas Fulghum, an Ember senior data analyst, said in a statement.

Another report, also released this week, further points to the growing solar sector in the U.S. In the first quarter of 2026, the U.S. has added 7.8 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity with more than 6 million solar installations nationwide, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie.

Electricity demand continues to surge, especially from tech companies seeking to secure power sources to meet the growing demands of AI and the data centers that run them, according to the report.

Solar power is the fastest-growing source of electricity in the U.S., according to Climate Central, an environmental nonprofit.

There is currently enough solar installed in the U.S. to power about 50 million households, according to SEIA. By 2034, there will be enough solar capacity to power 100 million households.

The growth is continuing "despite headwinds in Washington," according to a press release by SEIA.

In August 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency canceled Solar for All, a $7 billion Biden-era solar grant program intended to help pay for resident solar projects and lower energy bills for middle to low-income households.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin wrote on X at the time that the EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to "keep the program alive," touting the move as a savings to U.S. taxpayers.

States won by President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election accounted for 74% of all solar capacity installed in the first quarter, according to the SEIA report. Texas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona and Mississippi ranked among the top 10 states for new solar additions.

"In a world of fluctuating fuel prices, energy buyers have made it clear that they want the security, low cost, and speed of solar and storage, which commanded a massive 91% of all new capacity built in Q1," Darren Van’t Hof, interim president and CEO of the SEIA, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is attempting to bolster the coal industry in the U.S. with the allocation of more than $700 million in federal funds to upgrade coal power plants and U.S. exports.

The administration is using wartime authorities under the 1950 Defense Production Act to allot $425 million to 13 existing coal plants and $75 million for an export terminal in California, as well as another $185 million in grant funding from the Energy Department to build two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a plant in Maryland, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Coal construction has significantly declined since the 1970s and 1980s, according to the EPA. No utility-scale coal construction has occurred in the past decade.

Trump has touted coal as clean in the past, but experts say coal emits carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and several other pollutants. Scientists says it is a direct contributor to global warming and human-amplified climate change.

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(NEW YORK) -- Only 3% of individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first 14 months of the second Trump administration had a violent felony conviction, according to an ABC News analysis of government data.

The findings, based on data tracking the current Trump administration's immigration crackdown, come after President Donald Trump had pledged to target the "worst of the worst" criminal offenders among the nation's migrants.

Based on government data analyzed by ABC News as provided by ICE in response to a FOIA requests to the Deportation Data Project and the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, the findings show that immigration enforcement has affected more than 400,000 individuals with no violent criminal history, including parents and spouses of U.S. citizens.

While the 3% figure is consistent with rates seen under the Biden administration, the data shows the Trump administration is not detaining a higher proportion of violent offenders despite a significant overall increase in total detentions.

'President Trump's promise'

Under Trump, there has been record high detention population, currently at around 60,000 in federal immigration custody. The most detainees under the previous administration was 39,748 in November 2023, according to a nonprofit data gathering group.

According to the government data, of the 438,537 people detained between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 11, 2026, 13,018 had a violent felony conviction in the United States. The analysis defined "violent felony" as homicide, sexual assault, robbery, or assault.

The data also showed that in the first eight months of 2025, ICE apprehended the parents of approximately 14,450 U.S.-born children. This eight-month figure nearly surpassed the total for all of 2024 and surpassed the yearly totals for both 2022 and 2023.

Of those apprehended during the administration's first seven months, more than 9,700 children saw at least one parent placed into immigration detention -- more than in previous years. Of those detained, parents of more than 7,000 children were eventually deported. Of the more than 4,700 deported parents, 265 had a violent felony conviction. And of the more than 6,400 detained parents, 322 had a violent felony conviction.

In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said, "Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump's promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists. This data is being cherry picked by the Deportation Data Project to peddle a false narrative."

The Deportation Data Project provides minimally processed and unprocessed data supplied to them directly by ICE via FOIA.

"Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are criminal illegal aliens," the statement went on to say. "We are continuing to go after the worst of the worst -- including gang members, pedophiles, and rapists. Many of the individuals that are counted as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more; they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S."

"Further, every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally," the statement said regarding charges of unlawful entry, which is generally a civil violation, not a criminal offense.

'Economic consequences'

Andrea Flores, the founder of Securing America's Promise and a former Department of Homeland Security official, said the policy of mass deportation could lead to a child welfare crisis.

"So many children are losing primary caretakers or going to guardians," Flores said in a Zoom interview. "We are going to have a class of children who lose their parents under this administration that is bigger than we probably have seen in modern history."

DHS said in a statement that ICE does not separate families and that "parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates."

In the first eight months of 2025, ICE also apprehended 4,843 spouses of U.S. citizens. During the first seven months of the term, more than 2,000 of these spouses were deported. Of the more than 2,000 spouses of U.S. citizens deported during the first seven months of the term, 165 had a violent felony conviction.

"We cannot underplay what it means to have even just a spouse go to detention, because what if they are the primary earner in that household?" Flores said. "We're talking about economic consequences. We're talking about the emotional costs of not having access to that family member."

Trump administration officials have said that its crackdown on illegal immigration is primarily targeting dangerous and violent criminals living in the U.S. illegally, but they have also maintained that anyone residing in the country without legal status is subject to removal.

Methodology

ABC News analyzed enforcement trends by merging two primary sources: data provided by ICE via FOIA requests to the Deportation Data Project and ICE data provided to the University of Washington Center for Human Rights. The data provided to the Deportation Data Project includes data from the Department of Homeland Security's PERSIST database, which shows the full lifecycle of immigration cases from January 2022 through early March 2026.

The data provided to the University of Washington Center for Human Rights includes I-213 records, which are the documents created when immigration officers arrest a noncitizen. These records span from January 2022 through late August 2025.

Publicly available data from ICE and DHS show detention populations and numbers on removals.

Statistics regarding the total number of parents and spouses apprehended were calculated using the University of Washington dataset alone. To determine how many of those individuals were specifically detained or deported, ABC News matched records across both databases using unique identifiers such as the date of arrest, gender, country of citizenship, and birth year.

The analysis focused on a subset of the data where a definitive match could be made between the two sources. The merged dataset allowed ABC News to track the progression of individual cases from the initial arrest through federal custody to identify parents and spouses who were ultimately held in facilities or removed from the country.

ABC News' estimates for the number of U.S. citizens who had a parent or spouse arrested, detained and deported are likely an undercount. ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, first reported similar data in March.

ABC News' analysis of U.S. citizens who had a parent or spouse detained is limited to only individuals for whom arresting agents wrote an I-213 report, which represents the vast majority of individuals arrested by ICE, but is not everyone who has been detained. To perform the analysis, any possible duplicates in the data were not counted.

Flores said these numbers will likely grow.

"We have seen some recent reporting as well that the numbers are going into the tens of thousands in terms of children who have been impacted by a detained parent," Flores said. "There are 4 million U.S. citizen children in current estimates who have a parent that isn't documented."

ABC News' Ryann Jones and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.) -- A 5-year-old girl who went missing when she was swept away in the ocean in Laguna Beach, California, has been found dead, city officials said.

Her body was found Thursday morning about one-quarter mile north of where she went into the water, Laguna Beach officials said.

The girl went missing at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday near Treasure Island Beach, officials said. She was with her mother and a sibling near the shoreline when the three of them were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions, the city officials said.

Bystanders ran into the ocean and were able to rescue the mother and one of her children, but the 5-year-old remained missing, officials said.

The search and recovery effort continued on Wednesday, with rescuers working "under challenging and hazardous ocean conditions, including large surf, powerful currents, and limited underwater visibility," city officials said.

The search ended Wednesday evening after rescuers worked more than 30 hours and covered more than 90 square miles, the Coast Guard announced.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the child's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in a statement. "Suspending a search is an extremely difficult decision."

"This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community," Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to the young victim's family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss."

"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our Marine Safety, Fire, and Police personnel, as well as every agency that assisted in this effort," the mayor added. "These men and women put themselves in harm's way, entering the same dangerous ocean conditions in an attempt to bring this young girl home to her family."

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(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Vance Boelter, the man charged in the attacks against Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, changed his plea to guilty in his federal case on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.

When Boelter admitted that he shot Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman several times and then put a gun to her head and killed her, sobs broke out in the courtroom, ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP reported.

Boelter pleaded guilty to all six counts: two stalking counts, two murder counts and two federal firearm-shooting offenses, the DOJ said.

"The terms of our offer to Mr. Boelter were: if you plead guilty and take consecutive life sentences, we will take the death penalty off the table," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said at a news conference Thursday.

This week, a Justice Department spokesperson said federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty because a federal judge ruled earlier this year in an unrelated murder case that interstate stalking charges do not rise to the level to support a capital crime.

"Political violence is a scourge in our nation," Rosen said in a statement. "We now expect Vance Boelter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without parole."

"Today's guilty plea cannot return what was taken from these families, but it makes clear that anyone who chooses to bring this kind of violence to our communities will answer for that choice," ATF St. Paul Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joe Persails said in a statement.

The crimes unfolded on June 14, 2025, when Boelter disguised himself as a police officer and fatally shot Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home, according to prosecutors.

That same day he drove to the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and shot the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, and attempted to shoot their daughter, according to prosecutors.

John and Yvette Hoffman sat in the front row of the courtroom as Boelter admitted to firing multiple shots at them, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The Hoffman family said in a statement on Thursday, "There is not justice when our family and our state will never truly heal. While the legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires something more from all of us."

"The choice we've made is to go forward with public service and being present for our community," the family said. "The opportunity to justice is for Minnesotans and Americans to serve is to treat people with respect, to stop de-humanizing each other, and to stop dividing our country with hate and rhetoric.”

Following the attacks, police said they found a notebook in Boelter's abandoned, fake police car containing a list of elected officials who investigators suspect were targeted in a plot that the Minnesota U.S. attorney described at the time as the "stuff of nightmares."

Prosecutors said Boelter traveled to the homes of two other state lawmakers only to find no one at those locations.

Boelter has also pleaded not guilty to state charges. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Thursday that it will move forward with the state case. He faces charges of: two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating a police officer, officials said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A partial lockdown at the Pentagon implemented in response to a potential air quality issue has been lifted after no hazards were found, according to the Pentagon's chief spokesman.

Portions of the Pentagon had gone into a shelter-in-place earlier Thursday, after officials locked down multiple floors and hallways in response to a potential air hazard situation, according to three officials.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement earlier that building monitoring systems detected an air-quality issue, prompting precautionary measures while officials work to determine the source and extent of the problem.

In an update Thursday, Parnell said subsequent testing "confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed."

Sources told ABC News earlier that authorities were investigating what caused a sensor to alert for a potential hazardous air quality issue at the Pentagon. Additional testing occurred to verify whether there was any hazard or if the sensor was faulty, multiple sources said.

In a message sent to Pentagon employees earlier Thursday, employees in certain corridors on select floors were urged to remain in place while awaiting testing results, which it noted could take one to two hours.

The Arlington County Fire Department said its hazardous materials team had responded to the Pentagon in support of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency's Hazmat Team "during a hazardous materials incident."

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(NEW YORK) -- The New York Knicks' historic comeback against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday ignited celebration as well as chaos outside Madison Square Garden as some fans went berserk, prompting dozens of arrests.

Rowdy fans got into fistfights, climbed scaffolding, blocked Midtown Manhattan traffic, set off fireworks and smoke bombs, ripped down street signs, climbed poles, jumped atop taxis and other moving vehicles, and damaged police vehicles, according to authorities and videos of the mayhem posted on social media.

And the Knicks haven't even won the championship -- yet. The team leads the best-of-seven series 3 games to 1, and can close it out in San Antonio on Saturday night.

But one fan hoisted themselves up in a bucket lift in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night to encourage the fans to party like it's 1973, the last time the Knicks won an NBA championship.

Another fan climbed on top of a big-rig truck stuck in a traffic jam, while a group of fans was caught on video stomping on a Citi Bike.

Ten police officers were injured in the post-game revelry, including one who was struck in the face with a glass bottle, the New York Police Department said.

Some Knicks fans even showed up at the hotel where the Spurs were staying and threw eggs at San Antonio's 7-foot-4 star Victor Wembanyama, according to online videos.

The wild scenes played out after the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to win the game. The biggest comeback in NBA Finals history was capped by a high-flying tip-in shot by Knicks' forward OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left in the game.

A fan watch party initially planned for Wednesday outside Madison Square Garden was canceled at the last minute by Garden officials in a dispute over the crowd being limited to 1,000 people and the strict rules enacted by police and city officials on spectator behavior.

"The NYPD wants New Yorkers to be able to enjoy these celebrations, but our primary responsibility is to ensure that everyone can do so safely," the NYPD said in a statement on Thursday morning. "Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game. This demonstrates exactly why the NYPD has increased our presence in and around Madison Square Garden."

At multiple locations blocks from the Garden, crowds refused numerous verbal commands to disperse, police said. In total, there were 56 people taken into custody, including 15 who were arrested and 41 who were released with criminal court summonses, according to the NYPD.

Fans were arrested on suspicion of assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon (a knife), reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, and trademark counterfeiting, the NYPD said.

But the lockdown of streets adjacent to the Garden didn't stop Knicks fans from trying to get as close as they could to the arena.

During the Wednesday's game, thousands of unruly fans began gathering at various places north of Madison Square Garden. As the game progressed, the crowds became increasingly destructive, some jumping atop moving vehicles in the area.

At one point, about a dozen people, most wearing Knicks jerseys, jumped on top of a cab stuck in traffic and stomped on and busted the front windshield, while several revelers took turns using belts to whip the hood of the taxi, according to bystander video.

"We haven't seen a miracle like this since the birth of Jesus," a fan yelled into a camera.

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(NEW YORK) -- Dangerously high temperatures and humidity are prompting heat advisories from the East Coast to the Midwest to the West Coast.

Here's the latest forecast:

In California's Bay Area, a heat advisory is in effect Thursday in San Jose, Oakland and Freemont, with temperatures forecast to hit 103 degrees.

California’s Central Valley is also under a heat advisory for temperatures up to 105 degrees in Bakersfield and Fresno from Thursday to Saturday.

In the Midwest, heat advisories are in effect Thursday from Detroit to South Bend, Indiana, to Cleveland, where the heat index -- what temperature it feels like -- is expected to near 100 degrees.

And in the Northeast, a heat advisory spans a massive area from Burlington, Vermont, to Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday and Friday.

The heat index on Thursday could hit 99 degrees in New York City and 103 in Baltimore.

On Friday, the heat index is forecast to soar to 101 degrees in New York City, 104 degrees in Philadelphia, 102 in Washington, D.C., and 107 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Record highs are possible in New York, D.C. and Raleigh.

Commuters in the Northeast should also be prepared for severe thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday evenings.

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(NEW YORK) -- The detection of New World screwworm in cattle does not pose a risk to beef consumers, and humans are unlikely to become infected by the parasite themselves, experts told ABC News.

There have been a total of six cases of New World screwworm (NWS) detected among animals in the U.S. since the beginning of the month -- in four cattle, one goat and a dog, according to the latest update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The goat was newly confirmed as the latest case to be infested with New World screwworm, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a press conference Monday.

The screwworm likely migrated from Mexico and Central America, Ben Weinheimer, president and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, told ABC News. The U.S. closed the border to Mexican cattle coming into the country in 2024 as a result of the screwworm outbreak in the region, Derrell Peele, a livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, told ABC News.

Officials continue to investigate the case of the dog that they believe likely may have been infected in Mexico, Rollins said. The screwworm typically spreads by transport of either livestock or pets, Peele said.

The screwworm does not currently present a food safety issue, Rollins said, adding that there is "no need to panic." A screwworm infection does not affect the meat, Peele said.

"These developments obviously represent a serious threat to our livestock and wildlife, but they haven't caught us off guard," Rollins said. "We have been tracking this pest for a long time, and we have fought before, and we will do so again."

Americans can continue to feel confident about consuming beef safely, Dustin Pendell, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and director of the Collaborating Center for the Economics of Animal Health, told ABC News.

The outbreak marks the first time the screwworm has been detected in the U.S. in decades. The USDA officially declared the screwworm eradicated from the U.S. in 1966 and successfully eliminated a small outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2017, which occurred primarily among endangered Key deer.

Screwworms infestations begin when a female fly lays eggs on open wounds or other parts of the body in live-warm-blooded animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The screwworm is "very treatable" if caught early, which allows the animals to be minimally impacted, Weinheimer said.

The USDA uses the sterile insect technique to treat for screwworm. The highly effective treatment involves sterilizing screwworm pupae -- the immobile stage of the screwworm before metamorphosis -- by exposing them to gamma radiation and then releasing them into the wild to mate with fertile females. The females then lay unfertilized eggs that never hatch, ending the reproductive cycle.

Millions of sterile flies have already been released in the affected area, USDA officials said.

State officials also apply containment protocols, including establishing quarantine zones, in order to contain infestations, Weinheimer said.

"You've seen this huge surge in response by the federal and state officials to stay on top of it as much as possible," Weinheimer said.

Construction of a new sterile fly production facility is underway at Moore Air Base in Texas and is expected to be completed by November 2027, Rollins said. Once completed, along with other facilities, an estimated 500 million sterile flies will be released on a weekly basis.

Screwworms are actually a fly larva that burrows into and eats living flesh, unlike regular maggots that only feed on dead and decaying matter, according to the CDC.

Symptoms in animals could include a wound that has not healed or a wound that smells foul, Ann Hohenhaus, senior veterinarian and director of pet health information at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, told ABC News last week. White larva may also be visible within the skin lesions, Hohenhaus said.

Infected cattle may not feel well and may stop producing milk and gaining weight, Hohenhaus said. The parasite can also infect a herd quickly if treatment does not begin early enough, she added.

Infection in humans is not common, Hohenhaus said.

People who have open wounds or small breaks in the skin -- such as a scratch, insect bite or recent surgery scar -- could be at increased risk of screwworm infection if they are in areas where the flies are present, according to the CDC.

Those who have open or unhealed wounds should see a physician should they believe they were exposed to the parasite, Hohenhaus said.

The outbreak is not expected to cause beef prices -- which are already at an all-time high -- to increase, the experts said.

The current drought conditions in the U.S. is making it difficult to expand herds because there isn't enough grass available to feed on, Pendell said, adding that hay and other supplemental feeds increase costs even more.

In addition, geopolitical issues, such as the war in Iran, are causing fertilizer and fuel costs to increase, William Secor, a livestock economist at the University of Georgia, told ABC News.

"Cattle prices are going to continue to be high for quite a while because of these issues," Pendell said.

However, the costs from the screwworm will be absorbed by producers, and consumers will likely not see any further price increases from the outbreak alone, Secor said.

ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.

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(FRISCO, Texas) -- Karmelo Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday.

In a one-page document filed with the court in Collin County, Texas, Anthony said he could not afford an attorney for the appeal and asked the court to appoint one.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also released a new photo of Anthony, 19, in which he's seen sporting a shaven head and wearing a sleeveless tunic.  

He was transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit, a prison near Navasota, just outside of Houston, according to Texas officials, where he will begin his 35-year imprisonment sentence, as he is now in state custody.

Anthony was found guilty of murder over the fatal stabbing of Metcalf, another teen, at a high school track meet last year.

The deadly stabbing occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2, 2025, during a track and field competition involving multiple schools in the district.

Police said Metcalf, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School, was stabbed during an altercation under his school's tent in the stadium bleachers.

Witnesses told officers that the two got into an argument over Anthony, a then-17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, being under Metcalf's school tent during the rainy track meet, according to the arrest report.

Multiple current and former students recounted the incident during the trial.

One witness testified that Anthony was asked to leave the tent about 15 times. Some witnesses recalled Anthony saying, "Touch me and see what happens," during the altercation. Another witness quoted Metcalf as telling Anthony, "I'm not going to fight you."

Witnesses recounted that Metcalf shoved or nudged Anthony, who was sitting on the bleachers, before Anthony stabbed him with a pocket knife. The blade perforated Metcalf's right ventricle, and he was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital.

Prosecutors called the stabbing "senseless" and "plain and simple murder," while the defense argued that Anthony acted in self-defense.

The jury began deliberating midday Tuesday before reaching the guilty murder verdict in three hours, according to a court spokesperson. The jurors also could have considered manslaughter, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years.

The same jury reached a decision on the sentence after several more hours of deliberation on Tuesday.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) -- El Nino conditions are present and expected to strengthen in the coming months, bringing potentially significant impacts to our weather, the upcoming hurricane season and global temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA issued an El Nino Advisory on Thursday, meaning El Nino conditions are observed and expected to continue. Its latest forecast calls for a strong El Nino to likely develop in the fall, with a 63% chance of a very strong El Nino between November 2026 and January 2027, which could rank among some of the strongest such events on record.

NOAA also noted that stronger El Nino events only make certain impacts more likely and do not always guarantee strong impacts.

El Nino refers to the warmer-than-average phase of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural cycle where sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean rise and fall. The cooler-than-average phase is called La Nina, while near-average conditions are known as ENSO-neutral.

NOAA ranks the strength of El Nino events by measuring the sea surface temperature departure from average (anomaly) across this region, classifying events as weak, moderate, strong or very strong.

Forecasters say confidence in a strong to very strong event later this year has increased now that the spring season has passed. This is largely because spring in the Northern Hemisphere is when sea surface patterns across the tropical Pacific Ocean are in a transitional phase contributing to lower model accuracy.

"We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Nino event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement.

While adjectives such as "super" and "extreme" are popular ways of describing the strength of an El Nino event on social media, NOAA and the WMO classify the strength as weak to moderate, strong, and very strong. The WMO noted in a recent statement that "the term [[super]] is not part of standardized operational classifications."

El Nino and La Nina events occur at irregular intervals, typically every 2 to 7 years. El Nino has been somewhat more frequent than La Nina in past observations, but both phases vary in timing and intensity from one cycle to the next.

As Earth's climate warms, however, identifying and measuring these events becomes more challenging because temperature differences are superimposed on the long-term ocean warming trend.

"As the climate warms, interpreting anomalies becomes more challenging," said Dr. Tim Stockdale, principal scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). “Rising background temperatures can make recent El Nino events appear stronger than they are, and La Nina events seem weaker."

To address these challenges, NOAA and ECMWF updated the way they measure El Nino and La Nina this year, using a new index which compares sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific to global tropical ocean conditions rather than just that region’s historical data. NOAA calls this new method the Relative Oceanic Nino Index (RONI), which helps remove the effect of overall ocean warming.

The WMO notes that there is no evidence that human-amplified climate change increases the frequency or intensity of El Nino events.

Typical El Nino impacts across the United States

Impacts from El Nino, similar to La Nina, tend to be most consistent and pronounced from late autumn through early spring following the event’s onset, NOAA says. There is usually a delay between the onset of the event and many of the associated effects.

Experts caution that the impacts on weather patterns are nuanced. Each season is different, and typical El Nino conditions don’t always materialize.

"Every El Nino is different in terms of timing, magnitude, and geographic extent, and such differences lead to variability in the impacts -- on temperatures and rainfall, for example -- on a global scale," Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior staff researcher at Columbia Climate School, said.

Typically, during El Nino, the northern half of the United States and parts of Alaska are more likely to see warmer-than-average temperatures, with near- to below-average temperatures favored along the southern tier of the U.S., most likely from Texas to the Southeast.

For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed along the southern tier of the U.S. in parts of California, the Southwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast. Below-average precipitation is frequently observed across parts of the northern Rockies, south-central Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.

El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the southern Rockies, south-central Plains, mid-Atlantic and coastal areas of the Northeast, with below-average snowfall favored in the northern Rockies, northern Plains and Great Lakes regions.

El Nino's influence on hurricane season activity

El Nino conditions often suppress tropical activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds. In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.

This was reflected in NOAA’s hurricane outlook released on May 21, with the agency predicting below average tropical activity for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season with above average activity likely in the eastern Pacific.

"El Nino increases convection (thunderstorms) across the eastern and central Pacific, which causes downstream wind shear over the Atlantic from strong upper-level winds," said Andy Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.

Vertical wind shear, which refers to changes in wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, is often a primary factor in below-average hurricane season activity. Strong vertical wind shear can tear a developing tropical system apart or even prevent it from forming, NOAA says.

"The rising motion over the Pacific also leads to increased subsidence (sinking air) over the Atlantic, which suppresses thunderstorms and tropical cyclone development," Hazelton added.

El Nino’s impact on tropical activity will largely depend on how quickly it intensifies. Even so, El Nino is only one of several important variables which influence tropical activity.

Other factors, such as sea surface temperatures, also play an important role in tropical cyclone development and strength. Unseasonably warm ocean waters can partially offset the effects of unfavorable atmospheric winds, according to forecasters.

Global temperature records could be challenged again

2024 ranked as the planet’s warmest year on record, following the last El Nino event, which emerged in mid-2023 and persisted through spring 2024, according to NOAA. However, the return of El Nino means global temperature records could be challenged again in the near future, depending on its peak intensity and duration.

While global air and sea surface temperatures are currently falling short of new record highs, climate scientists warn this pause is unlikely to last. Record highs in global average temperature often occur during El Nino years, combined with the long-term global warming trend driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

"Warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Nino, together with its tendency to favor warmer conditions in many areas, often contribute to warmer than normal global annual temperatures," Jon Gottschalck, Chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said.

According to NOAA, 2025 ranked as the third-warmest year on record globally, trailing 2024 and 2023. The slightly lower ranking came amid recent La Niña conditions, which typically cause a temporary dip in global average temperatures.

There is usually a delay between the onset of El Nino and its peak impacts on global temperatures, NOAA says. As with the most recent event, its greatest influence often occurs in the months after it peaks, which can keep global temperatures elevated into the following year.

According to the latest outlook from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the likelihood that 2026 will rank among the five warmest years on record is about 98.5%, while the probability of it becoming the warmest year is less than 1%. However, those odds could rise significantly in 2027, depending on how the event unfolds.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Wednesday told the House Oversight Committee probing the government's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein that Gates "never victimized anyone" and that meeting with Epstein "was a grave error in judgment," according to his prepared opening remarks.

Gates, appearing in a closed-door setting, faced questions about his relationship with the late financier, marking one of the most high-profile interviews conducted by the Oversight Committee since it began probing the government's handling of its investigations into the notorious sex offender. 

Gates told lawmakers that when he first began to engage with Epstein, and throughout the time he spent with him, he was aware that Epstein had a criminal conviction that was sexual in nature, but insisted he did not know the details of Epstein's crimes, according to multiple sources familiar with the interview. 

Gates told lawmakers that he was not friends with Epstein and that they didn't socialize beyond dinners where Epstein suggested that he could help Gates raise money for philanthropic endeavors. Gates said that no young women were present at the dinners, sources said. 

Included among the millions of documents released by the Justice Department this year in response to the Epstein Transparency Act are draft emails where Epstein claimed Gates had extramarital affairs resulting in a sexually transmitted infection -- a claim Gates has denied. 

Gates acknowledged having two extramarital affairs that Epstein later learned about. He said that he met those women separately from Epstein and that Epstein never offered women to him, according to sources.  

Gates said that he doesn't know for sure when Epstein first learned about his extramarital affairs, but he believes his former science advisor Boris Nikolic informed Epstein about them, sources said. 

'I have never victimized anyone'

"I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone," Gates testified in his closed-door appearance, according to a copy of his prepared opening statement.

Gates said that Epstein sought to "foster a personal relationship" with him, but said his focus remained on using Epstein to recruit new donors for Gates' global health initiative.

"My interactions with Epstein began with a limited number of preliminary meetings -- three in 2011 and two in 2012 -- during which I talked about the goals of my work," Gates said, according to his statement. "We began more extensive conversations in 2013 and 2014. The discussions focused on identifying potential giving structures, such as donor-advised funds, and how to enroll individuals he claimed were interested in making significant contributions."

Gates said he can "recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues" but added he "did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed," per the statement.

He also told the committee that he Epstein learned "sensitive information about my personal life" -- including that he had been unfaithful in his marriage to Melinda French Gates.

"These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family," Gates said, according to the statement. "As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities -- in addition to many lies that he layered on top -- to pressure me to re-engage with him. He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda."

In brief remarks to reporters on his way in Wednesday morning, Gates said, "I'll start with an opening statement in the hearing room. I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, important work of the committee to find justice for the victims." Following his appearance, Gates did not answer questions from reporters as he left the Capitol.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee's ranking Democrat, said during a break that Gates was being "cooperative" in answering the committee's questions, but noted at times he was "pushing back."

"So far, Mr. Gates has been cooperative and answering our questions," Garcia said.

Garcia said Gates referenced other individuals who were involved with Epstein, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia said "there has been a lot of apologies" from Gates.

"He is sorry he associated with Epstein so much ... but in the end what is done is done," he said.

Comer seeks Blanche appearance

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) first reached out to Gates in March to schedule the behind-closed-doors interview, writing in a letter that the tech billionaire might "have information that will assist in its investigation." In recent weeks, the Committee has conducted similar transcribed interviews with former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Epstein's longtime executive secretary Lesley Groff. 

Comer told reporters Wednesday morning that he also wants Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general and President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, to answer questions before the panel.

"I'm communicating with the Department of Justice. I would like for Todd Blanche to come in in July, Comer said. "He's got, you know, I think we all know he has a big confirmation coming up, but I've always wanted Blanche to come in."

Comer would not specify whether he intends to seek a transcribed interview or a public hearing with Blanche. Asked what he hopes to learn from Blanche, Comer said, "I think that the main thing that we have for Blanche is the question on, you know, what, if any, documents are left out there."

Garcia said during a break that he would like Blanche to sit for a videotaped deposition under oath, although he'd prefer a public hearing. ABC News first reported on Garcia's request in a June 2 letter he sent to Comer in which he sought "video-taped, transcribed interviews" with Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.

"It's very important to us that that is a deposition that is under oath and it's videotaped and released to the American public," Garcia told reporters Wednesday.

To date, the committee has only recorded video of the depositions it's held with witnesses under subpoena, as opposed to the transcribed interviews where witnesses have appeared voluntarily.

Comer also said that he is seeking a transcribed interview with attorney Alan Dershowitz after consulting with some of Epstein's victims in the wake of Groff's transcribed interview on Tuesday. Dershowitz, when contacted by ABC News, said he is eager to testify before the panel and that he "has a lot of relevant information" about the disgraced financier. 

"I would be the most relevant person for them to call," Dershowitz said. "I want it to be open. I want it to be under oath."

Dershowitz claimed to have information that would contradict some of the testimony the committee has already heard, arguing that some of Epstein's victims were "complicit." 

"The area is much grayer than it looks," Dershowitz said. 

Very, very painful times'

Gates' association with the late financier has roiled his nonprofit and reshaped the public perception of the tech billionaire who was once the world's richest man. HIs relationship with Epstein faced a new wave of scrutiny earlier this year when the Department of Justice's release of Epstein files included correspondence between the two men, as well as cryptic notes drafted by Epstein that hinted at Gates' extramarital affairs. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gates apologized to the staff of his nonprofit during a town hall in February and acknowledged that he had affairs with two Russian women that Epstein later discovered. A spokesperson for Gates in a 2023 statement said that Epstein "tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr. Gates."

"In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told ABC News. 

Melinda French Gates -- who previously said her 2021 divorce from Bill Gates was driven in part by his association with Epstein -- said earlier this year that the documents brought back memories of "some very, very painful times" in their marriage.

"Whatever questions remain there ... those questions are for those people, and for even my ex-husband," she said on NPR's Wild Card podcast about what she described as a societal "reckoning" over the Epstein files. "They need to answer to those things, not me."  

Members of the Oversight Committee have expressed a desire to learn whether Epstein used his sex trafficking network to lure in wealthy and influential men to blackmail -- allegations that the DOJ and FBI said they found "no credible evidence" of last year. 

Neither of the women who Gates acknowledged having affairs with -- a Russian bridge player and nuclear physicist -- were said to have been introduced to Gates by Epstein, though a spokesperson later said that Epstein sought to "leverage" his knowledge of one of his past relationships to "threaten" Gates. 

The interview is also likely to touch on how Epstein was able to ingratiate himself with Gates just three years after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates has previously said he was aware of an "18-month thing" that limited Epstein's travel, and he regrets not further investigating Epstein's background.  

According to documents released earlier this year by the Department of Justice, Gates first met Epstein in 2011. 

"I won't have time to do another meeting and I won't be able to do the dinner with Jeff Epstein," Gates wrote in a 2010 email to Boris Nikolic, his former science advisor. "I was looking forward to the dinner."

Gates later said he hoped he could leverage Epstein's relationships with "very rich people" to support his global health philanthropic efforts. 

"The focus was always: he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end," Gates told 9News Australia in February. 

'No fund was ever created'

According to documents released by the DOJ, both men continued to communicate for at least three years, with Epstein at one point urging Gates to use a specific philanthropic vehicle known as a "donor advised fund" to make charitable contributions. At the time, Epstein compared donor advised funds to "cloud computing for the giving world."  

"It is a good analogy," Gates wrote in a February 2014 email. "It is clearer to me now than before and it could be a great thing." 

But by December 2014, Gates appeared to cool on Epstein's proposal, suggesting in an email that the plan was not viable for him. 

"In terms of the DAF I don't think we have any people at this point who will move to do something soon," Gates wrote. "It is a good idea, but it won't come together with 4-6 partners anytime soon." 

In a statement earlier this year, the Gates Foundation said it did not move forward with Epstein's fund and never transferred any funds to the disgraced financier. 

"On the basis of Epstein's claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health and development, a small number of foundation employees interacted with Epstein to try to secure this potential funding. Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created," a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said in February. 

By March, the Gates Foundation commissioned an external review to assess its past engagement with Epstein as well as its policies for vetting philanthropic partnerships. Foundation officials said in a statement they expected to get an update about that review later this summer. 

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(NEW YORK) --  A former NYPD detective pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of misconduct and receipt of unlawful gratuities after he sent inappropriate messages to two women and had sex with a woman shortly after she was arrested.

Matthew Lambert resigned from the NYPD in December 2025.  He was sentenced to two years' probation and is no longer eligible to be a police officer elsewhere in New York state.

“The defendant’s disturbing conduct is unacceptable for a member of law enforcement,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a statement announcing the guilty plea. 

In March 2024, while investigating a missing package, Lambert texted the victim, “Not to be inappropriate, but do people tell you that you look way younger than you are.”  He also sent a message saying, "Celebration drinks when this is over?” and “If you say no, I’m still gonna work hard on your case. I promise.”

The woman eventually blocked Lambert's phone number. Lambert and his lawyer did not answer questions going into and out of court.

During a separate investigation, Lambert texted an assault victim, "You are absolutely beautiful. I was shocked when I met you. I mean no disrespect to you and your relationship. I’m saying this in a respectful way. If that’s even possible.”

In May 2024, Lambert arrested a woman for petit larceny and told her he could “probably” issue her a desk appearance ticket and release her from custody.

Lambert also showed her a picture of his penis and, as they walked out of the station house, said, “I told you I was going to get you out,” prosecutors said.

Later that day, Lambert texted the woman, "If you want I could come say hello. Up to you. You tell me if you want me to.”

Lambert drove to the woman's house, and they had sex in his car.  Afterward, he sent additional texts, including “You’re so cool,” and “Thanks for hanging out.”

“In addition to sending extremely inappropriate messages to victims while he was investigating their cases, he abused his power to engage in a sexual encounter with a woman he had arrested just hours earlier. This is not how anyone should be treated – whether a victim, witness, or person accused of a crime," Bragg said.

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(NEW YORK) -- More than 40 million people from Kansas City to Chicago are in the path of severe weather on Wednesday, a day after a tornado tore through a Michigan town, damaging numerous homes.

Destructive winds in excess of 70 mph, tennis ball-sized hail, and strong tornadoes are all possible across the Midwest on Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday.

Some areas of the Midwest are at risk of multiple rounds of storms that could produce flash flooding.

Minneapolis; Omaha, Nebraska; and Wichita, Kansas, are also under a level 2 out of 5 threat for severe weather on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday, the threat for severe weather will be at a 3 out of 5 for parts of Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois -- including the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin and Springfield, Illinois. The areas are at risk of destructive winds of up to 80 mph, large hail and strong tornadoes.

On Thursday morning, Iowa is expected to see a destructive storm complex roll through the state and into Wisconsin.

'It literally sounded like a freight train'

The blustery weather comes on the heels of an EF-1 tornado that ripped through the town of Freeland, Michigan, about 13 miles north of Saginaw, on Tuesday afternoon. The twister damaged 40 homes and businesses in the community, local officials said.

The tornado ripped the roof off an auto shop as workers hunkered down inside.

"I was in my shop, and then it was like all of a sudden, my brother came running out. He said, 'We got to take cover.' When somebody says, 'We gotta take cover,' it's too late," Al Wisniewski, owner of AW Racecars, told ABC affiliate station WJRT in Flint, Michigan.

Wisniewski said he sheltered in place in his automotive shop as the twister hit.

"It literally sounded like a freight train coming through here," said Wisniewski, adding that neither he nor other workers in the shop were injured. "The whole building was shaking and everything, and there's no place to go."

Also on Tuesday, the town of Lanesville, Indiana, about 17 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky, was hit with flash flooding after more than a half-foot of rain fell in two hours, officials said.

Storm threat moving East amid summer-like heat in New York City

On Thursday, New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, are forecast to be at a level 2 out of 5 threat for severe weather.

Meanwhile, temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are expected to rise along with the humidity.

New York City and Washington, D.C., are forecast to reach the 90s on Thursday and possibly on Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, Raleigh, North Carolina, is forecast to hit the century mark on Thursday and Friday.

Heat indices, or what the temperature feels like, are expected to be in the mid-90s to near 100 degrees from New York to the Vermont border.

But the summer-like weather in the Northeast is also expected to come with severe weather. Storms are expected to reach cities along the I-95 corridor in the Northeast on Thursday evening.

The mix of hot and severe weather in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is expected to continue into Friday.

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(PHILADELPHIA) -- A vigil and protest will be held in honor of a Penn State University student who was fatally shot about one block from his Philadelphia home.

William "Billy" Schmidt, 22, was shot in the chest at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday in an apparent robbery, according to Philadelphia police.

No arrests have been made, police said on Wednesday.

Billy Schmidt had been watching the NBA Finals game with his friends at a bar and was walking home when he was shot, his father, Bill Schmidt, told Philadelphia ABC station WPVI.

"He was a really good person who cared about everybody," Bill Schmidt said. "... For him to get shot like that is a travesty."

The vigil and protest, called "Justice for Billy," will be held Thursday evening in Philadelphia.

"We are taking our streets back. ... we won't stop until our community is safe," the flyer said.

The 22-year-old was studying digital journalism and media at Penn State World Campus, according to the university.

"We are heartbroken over the tragic death of William Schmidt, and we share our deepest condolences with his family and friends," a Penn State spokesperson said in a statement.

ABC News' Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

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(LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.) -- A search is underway for a girl who was swept away in the ocean in Southern California, officials said.

The incident unfolded at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday near Treasure Island Beach in Laguna Beach, city officials said. The girl was with her mother and a sibling near the shoreline when they were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions, officials said.

Bystanders ran into the water and were able to rescue the mother and one of her children, but the other child remains missing, officials said.

The Coast Guard, the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol are involved in the search, officials said.

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(ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.) -- Federal authorities are executing a search warrant at a Southern California facility where fears of a catastrophic explosion over a failing chemical tank led to tens of thousands of people being ordered to evacuate last month, according to federal officials.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency are on site Wednesday executing a federal search warrant signed by a judge as part of a federal investigation into the tank incident at GKN Aerospace that prompted a state of emergency in Orange County.

"Obviously, we want to know exactly what happened and determine whether any federal laws were violated, and that's the purpose of the search today," Essayli told reporters at the scene of the facility in Garden Grove, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

Essayli said chemists and scientists from the EPA have been brought from across the country to collect evidence as part of the probe, including taking soil samples.

"We're here to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," he said, declining to discuss the case further due to the active investigation.

Federal authorities are expected to be at the site for most of Wednesday, Essayli said.

The situation began unfolding on May 21 at GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company that builds engines and landing gear for both commercial and military aircraft. A chemical tank filled with toxic chemicals was showing signs of overheating, which could cause it to overheat or spill, officials said.

The 34,000-gallon tank contained methyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The chemical is primarily a respiratory irritant. Short-term exposure can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as breathing problems, according to the EPA.

During the height of the crisis, when officials thought they faced only two options -- an explosion or chemical spill -- about 50,000 people in the city of Garden Grove and several surrounding communities were under evacuation orders.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in Orange County in response to the incident.

Following a dayslong effort to cool the contents of the tank and stabilize it, officials determined there was no longer a threat of an explosion, fire or chemical leak and no risk to the public, and all remaining evacuation orders were lifted on May 26.

During a Garden Grove City Council meeting on Tuesday, GKN Aerospace Senior Vice President Steve Carlin apologized for the disruptive and "unsettling" incident.

"On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant, I want to say I'm sorry that this event, this incident occurred," he said.

He said the company is in the early stages of investigating and reviewing what happened on May 21, "so it'd be too early for us to draw any conclusions one way or the other."

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer launched a criminal probe into the incident last month, ordering the company not to destroy or manipulate any records, his office said.

The probe seeks to determine how a major military and commercial aircraft gear manufacturer could have allowed such a toxic failure to occur, according to the district attorney.

GKN previously declined to comment specifically on the district attorney's investigation.

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