(NEW YORK) -- An American cruise ship passenger who has been quarantining at a Nebraska facility after being exposed to hantavirus said he plans to remain there for the full 42 days.

Jake Rosmarin, who is from Boston, has been at Nebraska's National Quarantine Unit since May 11. He said staying the full six weeks is the best way to keep his loved ones safe.

"I have been traumatized by this whole experience. I'm afraid to leave this room until I know that the chance of me getting sick is 0%," he told ABC News. "I want to know when I leave that the chances of me risking other people, my family, friends, the general public, I want know that my risk isn't minimal. I want that also to be 0%."

Not all of the 18 Americans who were sent to the facility are staying the full 42 days, which was recommended by health officials.

The incubation period -- or the time that passes between exposure and when the first symptoms appear -- for the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is believed to be behind the cruise ship cluster, is 42 days.

After the mandatory 21-day quarantine period, many have returned home to self-quarantine for the next 21 days, Rosmarin said. It's unclear how many left and how many are staying.

On Friday, the New York State Department of Health said two New Yorkers who were quarantining in Nebraska are returning to the state this week.

The two people will be transported via non-commercial flights and complete the remainder of their 42-day monitoring period in residences located out of New York City.

The health department said the individuals have agreed to remain at home and avoid contact with other people. Plans are in place in the event the two people develop symptoms, health officials said.

Rosmarin -- who had been traveling by himself -- said he wanted to stay in Nebraska because those quarantining at the facility have quick access to medical care and testing, the latter of which is twice a week.

"Once you go home, you're not gonna be able to be tested," he said. "So, if you start getting sick, like you may not find out right away and you might not be able to get that care as quickly as possible."

Rosmarin said he has tried to establish a routine during his time in quarantine, which includes getting up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and exercising on a stationary bike.

He said he passes the time by completing puzzles, putting together Lego sets and crocheting.

"I have a calendar where I cross off the days going down," Rosmarin said. "I watch new TV shows, new movies. I started a book and, honestly, the days have been flying by. The fact that it's already been 21 days is kind of crazy to me."

As of May 27, the World Health Organization said the total number of hantavirus cases remains at 13 and all linked back to the MV Hondius cruise ship.

Additionally, the number of deaths remains at three, including a married Dutch couple and a female German national.

"Given the long incubation period of up to six weeks, it is not unexpected that cases continue to be reported until the end of the six weeks since last exposure," the WHO wrote in a bulletin last week.

ABC News' Greg Romero contributed to this report.

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(MOUNT AIRY, N.C.) -- A manhunt for the suspect who allegedly shot two Virginia sheriff's deputies, one fatally, ended Sunday night when law enforcement officers used a drone to zero in and capture him in North Carolina, authorities said.

Michael Puckett, 55, was allegedly armed with a handgun and ringing the doorbell of a home in Mount Airy, N.C., when officers moved in at about 8:32 p.m. ET and made the arrest, ending an intense three-day search for the fugitive, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

Puckett's capture came after the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service offered a combined $60,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office identified Deputy Logan Utt, a military veteran and a member of the agency since 2023, as the deputy who was killed in the exchange of gunfire with Puckett on Friday night at a home near Richmond, Virginia.

A second Carroll County sheriff's deputy was injured in the shooting when a bullet struck him in his bulletproof vest, Carroll County Sheriff Kevin A. Kemp said in a statement over the weekend.

Utt and the other sheriff's deputy were sent to the home around 9:26 p.m. local time to conduct a welfare check when they came in contact with Puckett, who allegedly opened fire on them, Kemp said.

The deputies returned fire as Puckett allegedly fled the scene, Kemp said, who added that a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.

The search for Puckett expanded to North Carolina after the fugitive was spotted on Sunday around 6:56 a.m. ET on a wildlife game camera in Surry County, north of Mount Airy, the Wytheville, N.C., police department said in a statement on Facebook.

North Carolina law enforcement officers swarmed the Mount Airy neighborhood where Puckett was seen, establishing a perimeter and deploying a drone, according to the SBI.

"SBI Agents, utilizing a drone, located the suspect moving from one location to another and made the arrest as he was ringing the doorbell of the residence. The suspect was still armed at the time of arrest," the SBI said in its statement.

Kemp called Utt a "hero," whose "lifelong dream" was to become a sheriff's deputy.

"Deputy Utt was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished family member, friend, and respected member of our law enforcement family," Kemp said. "His service, courage, and dedication will not be forgotten."

ABC News' Benjamin Stein, Matt Foster and Michael Pappano contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- Usha Vance, the second lady of the United States, is rolling out her annual summer reading challenge for its second year in an effort to enhance childhood literacy and curb some of the summer reading loss that comes during the summer months, she told ABC’s Linsey Davis in an exclusive interview.

“It is the second one. Last year it was an idea that we had really at the last minute as we were thinking about ways to enhance childhood literacy and get kids reading over the summer and sort of stave off some of the summer learning loss that traditionally happens every year," Mrs. Vance said. "So we did a little pilot program and it was a success beyond what we had hoped.”

“This year we're having a big rollout all over the country,” she added, highlighting partnerships with schools, libraries and other institutions across the country.

The program's aim is for children from kindergarten to eighth grade to read 12 books of their choice this summer.

“Our summer reading challenge is really simple. All kids have to do is pick up 12 books, anything that they like," Mrs. Vance said. "If a kid likes reading about squirrels, as one did last year, read 12 books about squirrels. If a kid loves history, read books about history."

"So you read those books, write them down on a log and send them to whitehouse.gov/read and we'll receive them, send a certificate,” Mrs. Vance said.

Participants will receive a special prize, as well as a chance to visit the White House, according to Mrs. Vance, which she said she hoped would motivate kids to participate.

“We'll also enter all of the kids into a raffle to come visit the White House, come spend some time in D.C., and sort of enjoy all that D.C. has to offer,” Mrs. Vance said.

Linsey Davis’ full exclusive interview with second lady Usha Vance will stream Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ABC News Live Prime.

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(SANDY, Ore) -- Multiple people were killed and an officer was shot and wounded in a domestic violence situation in Oregon, officials said.

When officers responded to a shooting and domestic disturbance shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday, the officers came under gunfire and returned fire, Sandy Police Chief Patrick Huskey said at a news conference.

One officer was shot multiple times, Huskey said. The officer has been hospitalized in stable condition and expected to survive, he said.

Multiple victims are dead, the chief said, but he did not say how many victims or their identities.

While the suspect was barricaded in the home, police urged residents to lock their doors and stay inside.

The suspect surrendered around 8 p.m., police said, and the shelter in place order has been lifted.

The chief called the shooting a "traumatic event for our community."

Sandy Mayor Kathleen Walker said in a statement, "Our Sandy community grieves the unimaginable loss of lives from a domestic violence incident. ... Please keep our officer, the victims and their loved ones, and everyone in our community in your thoughts."

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(FRISCO, Texas) -- The murder trial of a Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing another student at a high school track meet is set to get underway.

Karmelo Anthony was indicted on first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025.

Jury selection is scheduled for Monday and Wednesday at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to a court spokesperson. Opening arguments will begin on Thursday if a jury is seated, the spokesperson said.

Judge John Roach has imposed a gag order in the case, restricting what those involved can say, due to the attention the case has garnered.

He has also barred any electronics, including cellphones, from the courtroom during the trial, and no photography, video recording, audio recording or livestreaming are allowed.

"Due to the significant public and media interest in this case, the Court finds that specific procedures are necessary to ensure the Defendant's right to a fair and impartial trial, the orderly administration of justice, the safety and security of all participants, and reasonable public access consistent with constitutional requirements," he wrote in an order on the trial proceedings.

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

Police said Austin Metcalf, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School, was stabbed during an altercation under his school's tent in the stadium bleachers. Anthony, a then-17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, was taken into custody.

Responding officers said they spoke to multiple witnesses, including one who reported the altercation began after Metcalf told Anthony to move out from under their team's tent, according to the arrest report.

The witness reported that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, "Touch me and see what happens," according to the arrest report.

Metcalf grabbed Anthony to move him, according to a witness in the arrest report, and Anthony allegedly pulled out what the witness described as a black knife and "stabbed Austin once in the chest and then ran away," the arrest report stated.

Anthony allegedly confessed to the killing and officers say he told them he was protecting himself, according to the arrest report.

Anthony was initially held on $1 million bond, which a Collin County judge reduced to $250,000.

As part of his bond conditions, he has been ordered to be on house arrest, be supervised by a parent or designated adult at all times and have no contact with Metcalf's family, according to court records. He also needs prior court approval to leave the house, the court records show.

Prior to the gag order being issued, Anthony's mother spoke out in the wake of the shooting, saying her family "has been under attack."

"Whatever you think what happened ... my three younger children, my husband and I didn't do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about," his mother, Kala Hayes, said.

"I don't know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial. Our son deserves the same rights under the law that everyone is afforded to," she said.

On the day of the stabbing, Metcalf's family said they were heartbroken over what they called the "senseless" act of violence.

"It was really senseless. I don't know why a person would do that to someone, just over that little argument," Metcalf's twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, who was at the track meet, told ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA.

"Just doesn't make any sense," their mother, Meghan Metcalf, told WFAA. "Just because the kid was mad, my son is not here anymore, and I don't understand it."

Hunter accepted a posthumous diploma on his brother's behalf at his high school graduation on May 22. The emotional moment led to a 30-second standing ovation, WFAA reported.

Following the deadly stabbing, the Frisco Independent School District called it an "unprecedented situation" in an email sent to the high schools that attended the track meet.

"Frisco ISD shares in the grief of everyone impacted by this heartbreaking loss, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the victim's family, students, staff, and our community during this difficult time," the district said.

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(NEW YORK) -- New England residents were rocked Saturday after a fast-moving meteor in the Earth's atmosphere sent a loud boom that was heard in parts of the state.

NASA told ABC News in a statement that the meteor, also known as a "fireball," was detected around 2:06 p.m. and was traveling at a speed of 75,000 mph.

"The meteor appears to have fragmented at an altitude of 40 miles over northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire. The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud noise," NASA said.

A NASA spokesperson said the fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower but said it was a natural object and not space debris or a satellite re-entering the atmosphere.

NASA later said it "was a daytime bolide that produced" meteorite fragments that fell "in the middle of Cape Cod Bay."

Several people took to social media in the afternoon to post videos of the sound heard throughout the eastern part of the state.

"We are getting numerous reports from residents of hearing a loud boom sound. It was heard over the eastern part of the state. Unknown origin no reports of hazards at this time," the Watertown Police Department said in a statement.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said in a statement they also received similar reports of "an audible boom and ground tremors."

At the time the agency issued its statement, it said there were no known emergency, police or fire requests connected to the boom and there was not believed to be any public safety threat.

The United States Geological Survey said Saturday evening that the boom was from a suspected bolide, which is the scientific term for a meteor that explodes in the atmosphere.

"Unlike earthquakes which occur at discrete location in the earth, sonic boom events occur along a linear path in the atmosphere," the USGS said.

ABC News' Matthew Glasser contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A federal judge ordered on Friday that a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son from Ghana cannot spend another night at a Washington, D.C.-area airport where they have been detained for more than a week.

Anabella Gyasi arrived at Dulles International Airport on May 19 with a valid tourist visa to bring her son to the United States for medical treatment, and she had been detained in a holding room by Customs and Border Protection since then, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

ACLU-VA Executive Director Mary Bauer hailed the ruling, saying, "Today the court ordered in no uncertain terms that Ms. Gyasi and her son are not to spend another night in Dulles Airport."

"Ms. Gyasi's health and the viability of her pregnancy have both been endangered for more than a week as a result of the Trump administration's dangerous and unlawful detention practices," Bauer said, referring to the administration's ongoing immigration crackdown.

"While we're relieved that Ms. Gyasi and her son will soon be free from this nightmare, no one should be subjected to the inhumane conditions they endured," Bauer added.

Gyasi and her son were heading back to Ghana on Friday, a person familiar with the case told ABC News. 

The ACLU filed a habeas petition for Gyasi and her son on Tuesday, alleging they are being detained "despite long-standing regulations and policies requiring that certain at-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and children, be released." The petition also pointed to a court settlement that requires children to be transferred out of detention within 72 hours.

The 38-year-old mother first brought her son to the U.S. in 2024, when he was 2 years old, to see a specialist for physical abnormalities affecting both of his hands, according to the habeas petition. At that appointment, Gyasi was told her son was too young for corrective surgery.

Earlier this month, Gyasi scheduled a pre-operation appointment at a children's hospital in Ohio and planned on traveling with the same tourist visa she had previously used, according to her lawyers.

A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that Gyasi was in CBP custody at Dulles and said she "will remain in custody pending her immigration hearing."

The DHS spokesperson called the allegations about the conditions of her detention as "false." 

"Everyone in CBP custody, including this individual, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a doctor, medication, and food," DHS said.

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(STAFFORD COUNTY, Va.) -- Five people were killed and 44 were injured in a massive crash between a bus and multiple vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday morning, according to state authorities.

The accident unfolded at about 2:35 a.m. on I-95 south in Stafford County, about 45 miles south of Washington, D.C., the Virginia State Police said.

As traffic slowed for a work zone, a bus did not slow down and struck a Chevrolet Suburban, police said.

The bus then hit other cars, while the Suburban was forced into an Acura SUV and other cars, police said.

The Acura caught fire, police said. Four of the five people killed were in the Acura: a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts, police said.

The fifth victim killed, a 25-year-old woman, was in the Suburban, police said.

Forty-four people were taken to hospitals, including three with critical injuries, police said.

The bus -- which was en route from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina --was carrying about 34 people, police said, noting that the bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, suffered injuries.

Charges are pending, police said.

The crash initially closed all lanes of I-95, Virginia's Department of Transportation said, causing massive delays for the Friday commute. All lanes have since reopened.

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(DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Ala.) -- One of the four climbers who fell while ascending Mount McKinley in Alaska has been rescued from the 17,200-foot basin, according to the National Park Service.

The search for the remaining three climbers, who also fell while climbing Mount McKinley at 18,200 feet, is now a recovery mission, the NPS said.

The NPS said it does not know the status of the rescued survivor.

"Due to terrain and conditions at the site, a high-altitude helicopter was unable to land and instead conducted the evacuation using a long-line extraction. The climber was transported to the Kahiltna Base Camp and then transferred to a LifeMed air ambulance for transport to a hospital," the NPS said Friday.

Mount McKinley -- located in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve -- is the tallest peak in North America, according to the NPS.

The climbers, part of a seven-member climbing team, fell in the vicinity of Denali Pass, according to the NPS. 

The NPS received a report of the incident at around midnight Thursday after two other climbers were evacuated by helicopter from the mountain at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, as part of a separate incident, the NPS said. 

Three members of the climbing team returned to High Camp at 17,000 feet after attending to their fallen partners, the NPS said. 

The NPS said it is actively responding to the incident. Weather conditions on the mountain are improving and will soon enable helicopter operations, the NPS said. 

The extent of the climbers' injuries and their condition remains unknown, the NPS said. 

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(NEW YORK) -- A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged in the nonfatal shooting earlier this year of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis was arrested in Texas on Friday, more than a week after prosecutors announced the charges, officials in Minnesota said.

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

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told members of the House Oversight Committee Friday that the Justice Department had released all the documents required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but that she did not lead every aspect of the process, according to a copy of her prepared opening statement.

After a tumultuous year at the DOJ that was largely defined by her controversial handling of the Epstein files, Bondi participated in a nearly four-hour closed-door interview with the House Oversight panel Friday.

"As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself," Bondi said, according to her prepared opening statement. "I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche."

Following her appearance, Bondi, in a social media post, disputed Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia's claim that she "continues to push all of the investigation and the blame on Acting AG Todd Blanche."

"NOT TRUE," Bondi posted. "I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General."

The second Trump cabinet official to testify behind closed doors as part of the Oversight Committee's yearlong Epstein probe, Bondi was expected to face questions about reneging on her promise to publicly release the DOJ's files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which ultimately prompted Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act forcing the release of millions of documents.

As Bondi walked into the hearing room Friday morning, a group of Epstein survivors shouted, "Tell the truth." She did not answer questions from reporters.

"Before we start today, I want to reiterate what I have said many times regarding the Department’s handling during my tenure as Attorney General of the voluminous materials that are now commonly known as the Epstein Files," Bondi told the panel according to her prepared remarks. "To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act."

"There were redaction errors," the former attorney general said. "But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency."

Trump removed Bondi as attorney general in April after sources said he grew frustrated with her handling of the Epstein files and the unsuccessful prosecutions of his perceived political opponents.

"Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump wrote on social media announcing her departure. "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future."

Earlier this week, Axios reported that Trump had appointed Bondi to serve on an advisory panel on AI policy, tasked with coordinating cooperation between the government and tech leaders.

In an unusual arrangement, a DOJ spokesperson said that Bondi would be accompanied during Friday's transcribed interview by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon and other DOJ personnel, in order to "assist the Committee in understanding the Department's role in implementing and complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act during her tenure."

"Because former Attorney General Bondi oversaw the Department at the time the Act was enacted and carried out, DOJ's presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of Department processes, facilitate any necessary clarifications, and support a complete factual record for the Committee," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week.

The DOJ originally sought to have Bondi avoid appearing by arguing that the subpoena the committee issued "no longer obligates her to appear" since she left the role of attorney general. Bondi ultimately agreed to testify voluntarily after the top Democrat on the committee introduced a resolution to hold her in contempt for failing to appear.

Shortly after beginning her tenure as attorney general last year, Bondi faced immediate pressure from Trump's MAGA followers and others to begin releasing the DOJ's files from its investigations of Epstein and his associates. Speaking to Fox News in February 2025, Bondi said Epstein's client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review" and said the release of the files was a "directive by President Trump."

However, when the DOJ released the "first phase" of the Epstein files that month -- inviting, with great fanfare, conservative influencers to receive the files -- it was determined that nearly every document released was already public. By July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a joint memo that no further documents would be released, citing victim privacy and the assertion that the documents warranted no further investigations -- a decision that sparked backlash from much of the MAGA base.

"To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the memo said.

Bondi later defended her statement about Epstein's client list by clarifying she was referring to the Epstein files generally along with other files released by the Trump administration, including documents related to JFK and MLK Jr. The DOJ/FBI memo also said that their review of the files "revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.

Despite the memo stating that no further investigation was warranted, Trump in November ordered Bondi to investigate Epstein's ties to Bill Clinton and other prominent Democrats. At the time, Bondi said the DOJ would "pursue this with urgency and integrity" and assigned the matter to the U.S. attorney in Manhattan.

The Justice Department's subsequent release of Epstein files following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act prompted bipartisan criticism when the DOJ improperly redacted files -- both exposing victim identities while concealing other information --- and declined to release millions of additional files by claiming they were duplicative, privileged or contained sensitive victim information.

Bondi's deputy and successor, now-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, acknowledged the release of sensitive victim information was "horrible" and "inexcusable."

He said the DOJ is finished investigating Epstein.

"And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward," Blanche said in April.

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(NEW YORK) --A fire erupted on Amtrak work trains in a Hudson River tunnel between New York and New Jersey early Friday, suspending Penn Station service for NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road commuters.

LIRR service resumed by the morning rush hour, but the NJ Transit suspension into Penn Station lasted through mid-day Friday. Around 1 p.m., NJ Transit said it was resuming trains into and out of Penn Station, but it warned that commuters should still be prepared for delays and cancelations.

Two Amtrak work trains collided in the Hudson River tunnel at about 1:25 a.m., impacting the electrical system and igniting a fire, said Janno Lieber, head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Several workers were injured, according to ABC New York station WABC.

One NJ Transit passenger called the experience "frightening," telling ABC News, "Someone yelled there was a fire on the track ... there was a very loud explosion that shook the train and caused the lights to go out. We didn't move for maybe 8 to 10 minutes."

"I rely on NJ Transit to get to work, so I am now deeply concerned about how I will commute safely moving forward," the New Jersey resident said.

Amtrak service was also impacted. Trains south of Penn Station were suspended all Friday morning and Amtrak warned of "lengthy delays" north of Penn Station.

On Friday afternoon, Amtrak announced that its Penn Station service resumed, but said travelers should expect residual delays.

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(NEW YORK) -- Two people died in a collision between a rider on an electronic scooter and another on a bike on the bike path during the morning commute on a New York City bridge on Thursday.  

Francis del Valle, 39, who was operating the scooter, and Dmytro Stechenko, 35, who was on a pedal bike, were heading in opposite directions on the Queensboro Bridge around 8:20 a.m. when they collided, according to police.

Both victims were rushed to New York Presbyterian-Queens, where they were pronounced dead.

Del Valle was driving the Blade GT II scooter, according to investigators, which sells for $1,700 and is advertised to go "zero to 53 [miles per hour] in 3.9 seconds."

The electric stand-up scooter is illegal to operate on New York City streets because it can reach speeds of more than 50 miles per hour, in excess of what the city allows for e-mobility devices.

Following the incident, it appeared the NYPD was directing bicyclists to use the south outer roadway, according to investigators. That part of the bridge has been pedestrian-only since the bridge's lanes were reallocated in May 2025.

The north outer roadway used to be shared by cyclists and pedestrians, but that was becoming too crowded and dangerous. Two dozen people were injured there between 2021 and 2025.

Rachel Huynh, a friend of del Valle, told WABC that he left behind a wife and two children.

"His wife is in bad shape, especially with the kids. I can't imagine. He was a really great husband to her, and they've been going out to vacations, exploring the whole world," she told WABC.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement that the city is reviewing the crash and reiterated that fast e-scooters are illegal in the city.

"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe, and the Mamdani administration will continue to work to remove these illegal devices from our streets and bring accountability to micromobility use," the spokeswoman said.

Transportation safety groups also echoed the mayor's office's warning.

"Our thoughts are with their families, friends, and community. Crashes like these are entirely preventable. Scooters that travel this quickly have no place in our bike lanes," Ben Furnas, the executive director of the non-profit Transportation Alternatives, said in a statement.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A federal judge in Virginia on Friday ordered a temporary freeze on any payments coming from the Trump administration's "Anti-Weaponization Fund" as she considers arguments in a lawsuit brought by a former Jan. 6 prosecutor to block the fund permanently. 

The order from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema specifically bars the administration "from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund," including transfers of money or consideration of claims from individuals who may argue they are victims of political persecution. 

The $1.776 billion fund, announced last week, was established by the Justice Department to compensate those who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration.

It was created in exchange for President Donald Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS as well as two civil claims for $230 million related to the Russia collusion investigation he faced during his first term in office and the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate -- sparking accusations of self-dealing and a bipartisan uproar over the possible use of taxpayer money to pay rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, pressed about the fund earlier this month, said, "Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they're a victim of weaponization."

Friday's order did not weigh in on the legal merits of the case brought by former Jan. 6 prosecutor Andrew Floyd and other plaintiffs suing under the basis that the fund is unlawfully discriminatory under claims that it would only presumably benefit political allies of President Trump. 

Judge Brinkema ordered an expedited briefing schedule in the lawsuit and a hearing set for Friday, June 12, to consider whether to grant a longer term freeze barring the administration from moving forward with the fund. 

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- An immigration law attorney whose career has spanned over two decades said he has never experienced a hearing like the one he had in Annandale, Virginia.

“Normally, these master calendars will have 10 people, maybe sometimes 15, but usually in that range. The judge opened the hearing and said well, we have 100 cases on today's docket,” attorney Joseph M. Perez told ABC News.

Master calendar hearings are when immigrants in deportation proceedings first appear before a judge and are informed of their rights and the charges they may be facing. It’s a crucial first step in deportation proceedings that can occur on an individual basis or in groups of a few people.

But in recent weeks, attorneys like Perez said they are seeing as many as 100 people slotted for the same time with little to no notice in advance, prompting them to call these hearings “mega masters,” which they say could be a new tactic by the Trump administration aimed at deporting as many people as quickly as possible.  

Multiple attorneys told ABC News that, in some cases, scheduled master calendar hearings are being abruptly canceled and consolidated into larger proceedings.

On Monday, attorney Briana Carlson represented a client in Virginia at one of the hearings and the judge announced she had 80 cases on the docket, she said. Her client’s hearing had originally been scheduled for July.

“He was scheduled for a hearing in July, which we knew about, but we were preparing an application for relief, and so my paralegal happened to check the portal for that relief, and that's when she found the new hearing date that had been advanced to today, which no one received notice of,” she said.

Carlson said that when she reached out to an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia, for a different case that had also been rescheduled, a clerk notified her that the court had received a nationwide directive to advance master calendar hearings if they’re scheduled in July or later.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, an agency within the Department of Justice that oversees immigration courts, did not deny the existence of the directive, and in part, said the agency “prioritizes the timely completion of all cases.”

“Unnecessary delay hurts both aliens with meritorious claims and the American public who wish to see aliens with non-meritorious claims removed as quickly as possible. As it continues to add new immigration judges, EOIR will continue to make scheduling adjustments to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

NPR was first to report on the so-called “mega masters” hearings.

Reports of the massive hearings across the country have prompted the American Immigration Lawyers Association to issue guidance to lawyers, urging them to constantly check their online calendars to see if their cases have been rescheduled.

Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres, Practice and Policy Counsel at AILA, says there’s growing concern that the Trump administration is placing individuals who do not have attorneys in these consolidated hearings in an attempt to force them to miss a hearing, which can automatically trigger a final order of removal.

“The goal is for people that are not showing up, they're going to get an in absentia removal order, and that is going to help the court kind of clear their backlog, as we know, is one of the main goals of this administration,” Dojaquez-Torres said.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration proposed a rule that, if approved, would increase the fee for migrants ordered removed in absentia from $5,130 to $18,000. Critics of the fee increase say it’s an attempt to force undocumented immigrants to self-deport.

In the notice announcing the proposed rule, the administration said the fee is meant to help reimburse ICE for the costs of immigration enforcement.

Perez said that the shift to larger master calendar hearings is shortsighted.

“They want to accelerate things, but there's also existing scheduling orders. Scheduling orders are issued by every court; they lay out how the case is going to proceed, what days you have to send the documents for. They're advancing these cases to a date upon which you do not have enough time to comply with the scheduling order, so they really haven't thought about the whole thing here,” he said.

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(HAWAII) -- Police in Hawaii said they're searching for a 36-year-old man wanted in connection with three homicides within days.

"Over the past 48 hours, our island has experienced three separate homicides in the Puna district, all of which we believe are connected and involve a single suspect," Hawai'i Island Police Chief Reed Mahuna said at a news conference. Hawai'i Island is also known as the Big Island.

"We have mobilized significant resources and personnel to address this situation swiftly and thoroughly," the chief said. "Bringing this suspect into custody without anyone further being harmed is the No. 1 priority."

The suspect is identified as Jacob "Jake" Daniel Baker, of Pāhoa, Hawaii, police said. A gun wasn't used in any of the homicides, but Baker "should be considered armed and extremely dangerous," Mahuna said.

The first death was discovered Monday evening, when an officer responded to a home and found a 69-year-old man partially submerged inside a cement pond, police said.

On Tuesday afternoon, officers responded to a home just 400 to 500 feet away from the first victim and found a 79-year-old man dead from apparent blunt force trauma, police said.

On Tuesday night, the third victim -- a 69-year-old man -- was found dead about 19 miles away from the first two locations, police said.

No motive is known, police said. There's no known connection between the victims besides the first two living near each other, police added.

"These are a tragic series of events and our thoughts are with those who are grieving," the chief said.

Anon Shine, whose father, Bob Shine, was among the victims, told ABC News, "My dad was a very community-minded person who was a fixture of the Puna community."

In his rural farming neighborhood, residents live off the land and value "community over money or status," she said.

Shine said her "warm-hearted" dad "was a community organizer and just such a giving man."

A woman filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against Baker last week. According to court documents, she wrote, "Jacob Baker has threatened my life, the life of a disabled man[,] three people currently living on the farm[,] multiple threats in the past … 3 people are not comfortable in their homes."

Police urge anyone who sees Baker to not approach him and to immediately call 911.

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(NEW YORK) -- A new economic report identified a "remarkable" rise in food insecurity, potentially explaining gloomy consumer outlooks despite strong economic fundamentals.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report on Wednesday identifying uncertain access to adequate food and consumer pessimism on the rise in certain vulnerable groups across the country.

The report, which relies on newly collected data from the Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), found a "remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children."

It also identified "a contemporaneous increase in pessimism among the same groups, along with a sharp decline in job-finding expectations."

The report found that between late 2025 and early 2026, there was an increase in households reporting they had to skip meals, use food banks, rely on SNAP benefits or dip into savings to cover groceries, which are up 2.9% from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted earlier this month.The survey showed that the percentage of those who didn’t have enough food or kids missed a meal more than doubled from June 2020 to early 2026.

More specifically, it found that, of households with income under $50,000 a year, 16% reported not enough food or kids missing meals in late 2025 and 19.7% recorded those circumstances in early 2026. That's up from just 6.7% in mid 2020.

The survey noted that 40.1% of the same subset of respondents reported dipping into their savings in early 2026 versus 37.8% in late 2025 and 29% in mid-2020.

Among respondents with a high school diploma, the survey found 10.7% had received food donations in mid-2020, compared to 18.8% in late 205 and 20.9% in early 2026.

Food insecurity, the SCE report notes, "is associated with poor health outcomes as well as lower educational attainment, worker productivity, and lifetime earnings."

The report also highlighted the existence of "solid economic fundamentals," such as "low unemployment, historically high household net wealth, and resilient consumer spending" despite a growing sense of consumer pessimism, suggesting "a 'K-shaped' economy, in which consumption growth in recent years has been driven largely by higher-income and college-educated households while lower-income households have seen fewer gains."

It says the findings concerning food insecurity are likely a helpful guide to understanding generally low consumer sentiment, despite an economy with "solid economic fundamentals."

"While not necessarily causal, the observed positive association between food insecurity and overall consumer pessimism, together with the increase in the incidence of food insecurity, especially among households at the bottom of the K-shape, point to a potential explanation for the unusually low recent levels of consumer sentiment at a time when the hard economic data paint a more positive picture," the report reads.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Farms all over the country are bracing for the impact of drought after months of little precipitation, experts told ABC News.

More than 60% of the continental United States has been under moderate drought or worse conditions since April 7, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The nation as a whole has experienced a dry, warm period that began in the early autumn of 2025 and has pushed into recent weeks, Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist, told ABC News.

Long-term drought trends have put Midwest crops at risk

Farms in the Midwest that produce winter wheat have been especially impacted, Rippey said. The largest region that produces winter wheat -- the Great Plains stretching from Montana to Texas -- has been hit the hardest by drought as well as some spring freezes, Rippey added.

Up to 44% of this year's winter wheat is rated as very poor to poor, according to the latest data from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), released on Tuesday. Nebraska is at the top of the list, with 82% of its winter wheat crop rated very poor to poor, but states like Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are experiencing high rates of poor crop as well, according to the NASS.

While there was good moisture when the winter wheat was planted in the fall, extremely dry conditions from the beginning of March through the first half of May prevented optimal growing conditions, Brad Fuller, president of the Western Horizons Corporation and a consulting agronomist to many farms in Kansas, told ABC News.

Agriculture experts are expecting a 32% abandonment of winter wheat in the U.S. this year, according to the USDA's Wheat Outlook. Such a high abandonment rate has only happened once since the Dust Bowl era in 1933 -- in 2022 when drought conditions were at record highs, Riddey said.

The issues have also extended to the cattle industry due to poor rangeland and pasture conditions as a result of the dry conditions, Riddey said.

"A lot of the rangeland and pastures out in the middle section of the country are also in pretty rough shape heading into the key hay production season," Riddey said.

Farmers in the Midwest are holding out hope for the spring-planted crops. But conditions were so dry in recent weeks that some growers skipped planting crops like corn or sorghum, Fuller said.

"We've had places in southwest Kansas that have gone well over 200 days without more than a half an inch of rain," he said.

Farms in the West could be at risk as well

The West is facing dry, hot conditions in the near future, coming off "devastatingly" warm months in March and April, Riddey said. To exacerbate the situation, some reservoirs -- especially Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the largest in the country -- are experiencing low water levels due to the lack of snowpack during the winter.

These reservoirs are crucial for farms in the West that supply the rest of the country, Steven Fassnacht, a professor of snow hydrology at Colorado State University, told ABC News. About 75% of the nation's lettuce and leafy greens are grown in California, according to the state's Department of Food and Agriculture.

When there's less surface water, farmers in California will turn to groundwater, Amanda Fencl, director of climate science for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told ABC News. But overuse of groundwater can decrease the water quality and lower the groundwater table, causing the land above it to sink. Overuse of groundwater can also alter the soil moisture, making it drier and lower, Fassnacht said.

Lake Mead could reach a record-low level of 1,036 feet of elevation in 2026, according to the 24-month study released by the Bureau of Reclamation last week. Lake Powell is also projected to drop to a new record-low level in the coming months, surpassing the previous record of around 3,520 feet set in 2023, Cody Moser, senior hydrologist at the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center, said during a webinar on May 7. The Colorado River basin as a whole is currently sitting at 49% of storage of its historic average, Riddey said.

"There are a lot of pieces of pie for that limited Western water," Riddey said.

Small, family-run farms would be most impacted by water shortages, Fencl said. They may be faced with having to take certain crops out of production or changing which crops they decide to harvest.

Drought conditions typically lead to lower yields and loss in profits, Fencl added.

What will climate conditions be like in the near future?

While it has been raining in the Midwest in recent days, it's not nearly enough to make up for the dry conditions over the last eight months, Riddey said.

"It's not going to recover from just a couple of rain events," he said. "It will take some time."

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Monsoon season is expected to start in early July and last through August and September. After that, the development of El Niño conditions in October will bring more drought relief into the fall, winter and spring of 2027, Riddey said.

"All indications are we should see a pretty active monsoon that could provide some relief, but we have to get between now and monsoon onset," he said.

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(PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.) -- A man is dead and a woman was critically injured after a home exploded in Plainfield Township, Michigan, on Tuesday, according to the sheriff's office.

The home was completely destroyed with debris on fire when deputies and fire personnel responded to the scene after nearly 50 calls reported an explosion and house fire around 4 a.m., according to the Kent County Sheriff's Office.

"The fire was intentionally set, we believe, by the husband at this point, intending to be a murder-suicide at the residence," Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir told reporters.

Officials have not released the names of the man and woman in the explosion, but said they believe "the husband" set the fire, Muir said. The woman was associated with the address, according to authorities.

Two neighbors -- a teenager who lived next door and another man who lived nearby -- pulled the injured woman from the home after the explosion, according to the sheriff's office. She was treated on the scene and taken to the hospital in critical condition, the sheriff's office said.

"We are very proud of them for stepping up and helping someone in need during an extremely dangerous situation," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

"Without their actions, it is likely she would have perished in the fire. She has some significant medical-related issues right now and we are hoping for a recovery," Muir said.

Hours later, a dead man, believed to be the person registered to the address, was found at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but investigators preliminarily believe a source of natural gas was released in the basement and used to start the fire, Alpine Township Fire Chief Jeremy Kelly said.

Investigators believe the explosion was a "domestic-related situation at the home," Muir told reporters.

There are no concerns of any gas leaks or other home explosions in the area, Muir said.

"We want to relay to the family affected by this our deepest sorrows for having to deal with a situation so tragic," Muir said. 

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