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(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Monday agreed to fly the rainbow pride flag on federal grounds at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after the National Park Service’s removal of the flag was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, agreed to fly the flag at the site as part of a resolution to the lawsuit filed on Feb. 17 by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, Village Preservation and Equality New York.

The site became the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights in 2016. The pride flag was permanently installed at the site during the Biden administration in 2021, but was removed by NPS in early February.

The move drew sharp criticism from a group of local lawmakers, officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, who rallied at the site on Feb. 12 and installed their own pride flag there to replace the one removed by the government. As the lawsuit moved forward, NPS did not remove the flag that was installed by advocates.

According to court documents, NPS agreed that the pride flag will fly at the site alongside the American flag and the NPS flag.

The Gilbert Baker Foundation, which is named after the artist who created the pride flag in 1978, celebrated the lawsuit’s resolution and the government’s agreement to fly the flag at the monument.

“The Rainbow Flag is more than a symbol — it is a global emblem of hope, visibility, and the ongoing struggle for equality,” Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, said in a statement announcing the agreement. “Its presence at Stonewall, the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, is both historically and culturally indispensable. Restoring the flag affirms the truth of our history and the legitimacy of our continued fight for dignity and inclusion.”

ABC News reached out to the Interior Department and NPS for comment.

The NPS communications office confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News in February. It said that, under federal guidance, “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions.”

“Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs,” the statement continued.

The monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.

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(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) — A Texas man has been charged with traveling to California to allegedly throw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman‘s house, according to court records unsealed on Monday.

The suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, was allegedly caught on video surveillance outside the CEO’s home in San Francisco, according to court records. 

Around 4 a.m. Friday, the suspect allegedly “threw an incendiary destructive device” at Altman’s house, which sparked a fire on an exterior gate, San Francisco police said. No one was injured, police said.

The suspect was arrested about an hour later outside OpenAI’s headquarters, where he was allegedly threatening to burn down the building, according to police.

Moreno-Gama, who allegedly had kerosene in his backpack, was seen trying to hit the building’s glass with a chair, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors said they also found a document in which Moreno-Gama allegedly expressed anti-AI-executive sentiments.

He allegedly had a list of names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors.

“MORENO-GAMA stated he “killed /attempted to kill” Victim-1,” court documents said. “MORENO-GAMA also wrote, ‘Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message.'”  

In a separate incident, two people have been arrested for allegedly firing shots at Altman’s house on Sunday morning, police said.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who earlier this year dismissed the deportation cases of students advocating for Palestinian rights, the union representing immigration judges confirmed Monday.

Roopal Patel, who was appointed as an immigration judge in 2024, ruled in February that there were no grounds to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University. Ozturk was held in detention in Louisiana for 45 days.

Nina Froes, who was also appointed as a judge in 2024, dismissed deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was arrested by immigration authorities immediately following his citizenship interview last April.

Froes and Patel are among 113 immigration judges who have been fired during the current Trump administration. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, six judges were terminated this past weekend alone.

It’s unclear if the two judges were terminated directly because of their rulings in the deportation cases of the students.

News of the dismissals was first reported by The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration court judges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said on social media that the firings “violated every basic due process.”

“Donald Trump is purging immigration judges who aren’t rubber stamps for his cruel, inhumane mass deportation agenda,” Goldman said. “In just over a year in office, he has fired more than 100 judges and threatened others who refused to comply with his wishes.”

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(WASHINGTON) — A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister during a family cruise vacation, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

Anna Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Cruise ship Horizon in November while the ship was in international waters and heading to Miami, prosecutors said.

The DOJ alleged the stepbrother “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner. The Florida high school senior died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials said.

The boy was initially charged as a juvenile, prosecutors said. He’s now been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.

Anna Kepner’s father, Chris Kepner, is married to the suspect’s mother, Shauntel Kepner.

Chris and Shauntel Kepner said in a statement Monday, “Our family is devastated by the loss of Anna and continues to grieve this unimaginable tragedy.”

The couple said the 16-year-old suspect has not yet been taken into custody, which they said has left them “deeply concerned and troubled.”

“We believe accountability is critical and are seeking clarity on this matter,” they said, adding, “We are placing our trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

“This situation is deeply painful and complex for our entire family,” the Kepners said. “Anna was deeply loved, and we remain committed to honoring her life and memory every day.”

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(WINN PARISH, La.) — A Mexican migrant died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers, becoming the 47th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.

In the notification, ICE said that Cabrera was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center.

“Despite life-saving efforts, at approximately 8:51 a.m., an onsite physician at WPMC pronounced Cabrera deceased,” the agency said.

Clemente is the 15th Mexican national to die in ICE custody since the administration began its immigration crackdown in 2025.

Last month, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz called the recent deaths part of “an alarming, unacceptable trend” since the administration took office.

“These deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence,” she said in Los Angeles.

ICE said that Clemente had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, as well as an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm these claims.

The increase in ICE deaths has coincided with an unprecedented rise in federal immigration detention. The number of people being held recently climbed to a record 70,000, the highest level in the agency’s 23-year history.

According to an ABC News analysis of ICE data, the first 14 months of the current term have been the deadliest period at federal detention centers since the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News’ analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and just 1 per 100,000 in 2022.

In a previous statement, an ICE spokesperson said, “Consistent with data over the last decade, death rates in custody are 0.009% of the detained population. As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens — including providing access to proper medical care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the statement said. 

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(NEW YORK) — A federal judge on Monday threw out President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal after Trump sued the paper last July for its reporting on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book.

In his order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that Trump failed to prove that the Wall Street Journal knowingly published false information in the paper’s July article on an alleged letter from Trump that was included in Epstein’s 50th birthday book in 2003.

“Because President Trump has not plausibly alleged that Defendants published the Article with actual malice, both Counts must be dismissed,” the order said.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Trump could attempt to refile the case by April 27.

In court filings, Trump’s lawyers had argued that the article and surrounding coverage were a “deliberate smear campaign designed to damage President Trump’s reputation” and subject the president to “public hatred and ridicule.”

In a 17-page ruling, Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that President Trump came “nowhere close” to the legal standard to prove that the Wall Street Journal acted with malice when it published its reporting about the birthday letter.

Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department’s Todd Blanche last year that Epstein had asked her to coordinate contributions to a book celebrating his 50th birthday, but said she could not recall if President Trump, then a private citizen, was among those who responded.

Trump filed the suit by arguing that the Journal “acted with serious doubts about the truth of their reporting” because the president had claimed the letter was fake. However, Judge Gayles concluded that the reporters “attempted to investigate” the letter and did not act recklessly just because Trump denied its authenticity.

“To establish actual malice, ‘a plaintiff must show the defendant deliberately avoided investigating the veracity of the statement in order to evade learning the truth,'” the ruling said. “The Complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite.”

The White House has continued to deny the authenticity of the letter after it was released by the House Oversight Committee in September.

Judge Gayles reached his conclusion without having to make a factual determination about the authenticity of the letter.

“Because the Court finds that the Complaint fails to adequately allege actual malice, it declines to address these issues at this juncture. Moreover, whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein’s friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation,” he wrote.

Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in July against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones, its owner Rupert Murdoch, and the reporters who filed the story.

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(NEW YORK) — At least one person was killed and six others were injured in a shooting inside a Chick-fil-A restaurant on Saturday night in Union Township, New Jersey, according to authorities.

As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests had been made as the investigation continued in the shooting at a Chick-fil-A on Route 22 in Union Township, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

“I have been briefed on the shooting last night in Union Township. As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground,” Gov. Sherill said in a statement on Sunday morning. “My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families.”

The fast-food restaurant was initially placed on lockdown following the shooting, which occurred around 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“While no arrests have been made at this time, the preliminary investigation reveals this does not appear to be a random act of violence and there is no immediate ongoing threat to general public,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Two officials familiar with the matter told ABC News that preliminary information indicates the shooting was targeted and may have stemmed from a drug or gang dispute. The person who was fatally shot is believed to have been the target of the shooting, the officials said.

The other victims, according to the officials, were either employees or bystanders.

The Union Township Police Department is investigating the shooting and referred inquiries to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

A father of one of the Chick-fil-A employees working Saturday night told ABC New York station WABC that his son called him in a panic, saying that multiple suspects wearing masks entered the establishment. The father said his son told him several of his co-workers were injured in a shooting.

A Lyft driver told WABC that as he was finishing up a trip nearby, he heard at least seven gunshots that appeared to come from inside the restaurant.

“When I finished the trip, I go to Chick-fil-A to buy two burgers. I see the police, I heard the shots very close,” the driver said.

A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered by Union County Crime Stoppers for information resulting in an indictment and conviction.

“Our community is heartbroken and shaken by the tragic act of violence that occurred last night at a local Chick-fil-A. What should have been an ordinary evening has left families grieving, individuals injured, and our entire Township in shock,” Union Township Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier said in a statement released on Sunday Afternoon.

“This tragedy is a painful reminder of the work that remains to ensure the safety of our communities. Violence has no place in the Township of Union, and we will continue to stand together – stronger and more united – in the face of it,” Guerra-Frazier added.

The prosecutor’s office asked the community to remain vigilant and report any information about the shooting to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office or the Union Township Police Department.

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(NEW YORK) — Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man on a subway platform at Grand Central Station in New York City on Saturday after he stabbed at least two people, according to the NYPD.

Officers were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 this morning.

Police said the man had been acting erratically on the train and slashed at least two people on the 4/5/6 platform. The slashing wounds are severe but the victims are stable in the hospital.

The suspect refused repeated commands to drop what police described as a machete before an officer opened fire, killing him, according to the NYPD.

There is no connection to terrorism, police said.

The identity of the knife-wielding suspect was not immediately released.

The NYPD will hold a news conference at the scene.

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(NEW YORK) — NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.

A “textbook” splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.

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(NEW YORK) — NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four-person crew completed a 695,081 -mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.

A “textbook” splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.

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