An FBI agent enters the home of John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, August 22, 2025 in Bethesda, Maryland./ ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Federal agents were seen Friday morning searching the residence of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, ABC News has learned.
The federal agents, along with approximately six FBI vehicles, were seen at Bolton’s home for over an hour early this morning around 7 a.m.
Local Montgomery County police were observed by ABC News blocking both entrances to Bolton’s street but have since left and opened the street to through traffic.
Agents were observed coming in and out of the house, but it is unclear if anything was removed from inside Bolton’s home.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin. Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Ingrid Lewis-Martin accepted more than $75,000 in bribes while serving as chief adviser to New York Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged Thursday in four separate conspiracy indictments that also named eight others, including some of the mayor’s associates.
Lewis-Martin, who was previously charged with accepting more than $100,000 in bribes, is now alleged to have conspired to steer city contracts for shelters to house asylum-seekers to preferred property owners in exchange for a $50,000 cash payment allegedly accepted by her son, Glenn Martin II, who is also charged.
In a different indictment, Lewis-Martin is alleged to have taken $2,500 from two Brooklyn business owners, Gina and Tony Argento, in exchange for convincing city transportation officials to abandon a plan to redesign McGuinness Boulevard.
Lewis-Martin and the city’s deputy commissioner for real estate services, Jesse Hamilton, are alleged in the third indictment to have conspired to fast-track development projects in exchange for renovations on their homes.
In the fourth indictment, Lewis-Martin allegedly conspired to obtain approval for a residential renovation project in exchange for thousands of dollars of catering for events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in classic bribery conspiracies that had a deep and wide-ranging impact on City government,” Bragg said in a statement announcing the indictments. “As alleged, Lewis-Martin consistently overrode the expertise of public servants so she could line her own pockets.”
Lewis-Martin, who previously pleaded not guilty, is now charged with conspiracy and bribery charges.
“New York City officials and employees have a duty to serve the public fairly and equitably and the vast majority fulfill that sacred responsibility each and every day. Today’s Indictments, however, allege that the Mayor’s former Chief Advisor, at times in concert with the Deputy Commissioner for Real Estate Services in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, repeatedly and persistently abused her senior government position to enrich herself and her family,” Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said in a statement.
Lewis-Martin and her son both pleaded not guilty to the latest charges on Thursday. During the arraignment, the prosecutor told the judge that “if you were willing to pay, Ms. Martin was open for business,” and as alleged in the criminal complaints, she accepted both cash and seafood.
Her lawyer, Arthur Aidala, called the new charges “politically motivated” and a “distortion of the truth.”
He maintained in a statement on Wednesday ahead of the release of the indictments that Lewis-Martin “has broken no laws, and she is not guilty.”
“Despite a lifetime of service as a law-abiding public servant, Ingrid is being forced to enter court with little information,” he said in the statement. “What she does know is this: she has always served the City with integrity, and she will firmly plead not guilty to every charge.”
Adams, who is now running for reelection as an independent instead of a Democrat, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, a spokesperson for his campaign said.
“While Ingrid Lewis-Martin no longer works for this administration, she has been a friend and colleague of the mayor for over 40 years, and he knows her as a devoted public servant; she has declared her innocence, and his prayers are with her and her family,” the spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, said in a statement. “Mayor Adams also recognizes that Jesse Hamilton has pleaded not guilty, and like anyone accused, he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. His commitment to New Yorkers is unwavering — no distraction will ever take his eyes off the ball or his dedication to this great city we all call home.”
Lewis-Martin resigned from her position days before surrendering on bribery and money laundering charges in December 2024.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office probe is separate from federal corruption charges that were brought and then subsequently dropped against Adams. The mayor was indicted last year in the Southern District of New York on five counts in an alleged long-standing conspiracy connected to improper benefits, illegal campaign contributions and an attempted cover-up.
The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the charges, prompting the resignation of several top prosecutors. In April, a federal judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived.
The Justice Department sought to have the case dismissed to free up Adams to cooperate with the mayor’s immigration agenda, though it wanted the case dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be brought again.
Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — The biggest Powerball jackpot of the year continues to grow, with an estimated prize of $700 million after no ticket matched all winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing.
The lucky winner of Saturday’s drawing could choose between the full jackpot paid in annual installments over 29 years or a one-time cash payment of $316.3 million before taxes, according to Powerball.
Wednesday night’s drawing marked the 36th consecutive round without a grand prize winner since a $204.5 million ticket was claimed in California on May 31. The numbers drawn on Wednesday were 31, 59, 62, 65, 68, and Powerball 5.
While nobody matched all six numbers, Wednesday’s drawing produced several other winners, according to Powerball. A Tennessee player matched five numbers and included the Power Play option, securing a $2 million prize. Two other tickets matched five numbers for $1 million each.
Additionally, 30 tickets won $50,000 by matching four numbers plus the Powerball, with eight of those winners doubling their prize to $100,000 through the Power Play option.
The current jackpot towers above other 2025 prizes, though it hasn’t reached the heights of 2024’s staggering $1.3 billion jackpot claimed by Cheng “Charlie” Saephan in Oregon last April. The second-highest prize this year was a $526.5 million jackpot won by a California ticket holder.
Players can purchase $2 tickets in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some states offer online purchasing options through official channels or licensed services. The drawing is scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET on Saturday.
For an additional dollar, players can add the Power Play option, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. In select states, a separate Double Play option allows participants to enter a second drawing for up to $10 million.
A Placer County Sheriff vehicle. George Rose/Getty Images
(PLACER COUNTY, Calif.) — A missing hiker was found safe after getting lost for days in steep terrain in Northern California, according to officials.
Placer County Sheriff’s Office crews searched for the hiker, whose name was not released, for days after he went missing on Monday in the Euchre Bar area, near the North Fork American River.
The man was first reported missing when he sent a text to 911 saying that he was lost and without food or water, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dispatchers were unable to reestablish contact with the man after he texted 911, but authorities said they were able to obtain approximate coordinates of his location.
Deputies found the hiker’s vehicle at the trailhead. Aerial resources including a helicopter and drones were deployed but were unable to get to the hiker through the dense tree canopy, authorities said.
A full search and rescue mission was launched, according to the sheriff’s office, including specialized mountain rescue team members.
More than 50 search and rescue members, including nine K9 teams, were deployed over the next two days. Falcon 30 and additional drone teams assisted with aerial searches during the day, while deputies remained staged at the trailhead overnight.
Dive teams also began sourcing the riverbanks on Wednesday. The hiker was found at around 11 a.m. local time by the dive team along the shore of the river.
“The hiker was tired, hungry, and thirsty – but otherwise okay,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“We want to send a huge thank you to all the volunteer Search and Rescue team members, including several from allied agencies. They dedicated countless hours over several days to search in extremely challenging terrain. Their commitment and expertise were instrumental in bringing this case to a positive outcome,” the sheriff’s office said.
Heat alerts issued in the West, August 21, 2025. ABC News
(LOS ANGELES) — A heat wave hitting the West, sending temperatures soaring past the century mark, is expected to persist into the weekend, with the most intense and prolonged heat expected in the Desert Southwest.
Extreme heat warnings are in effect for wide swaths of the Desert Southwest, extending into Southern California, where the temperature in Palm Springs is forecast to reach 105 on Thursday.
The temperature in Phoenix is expected to climb to 113 degrees on Thursday afternoon, threatening a daily record of 114, and making Arizona’s capital city one of the hottest cities in the Southwest.
The hot spell is expected to continue in Phoenix and Tucson, as triple-digit weather extends through the weekend.
Residents of Las Vegas will also be sweltering during the heat wave. The temperature in Vegas is expected to hit 111 on Thursday and on Friday.
California’s San Joaquin Valley will be baking in 100-degree weather from Bakersfield and Fresno to Sacramento, where the temperature is expected to reach up to 107 on Thursday.
Los Angeles is forecast to reach 96 degrees on Thursday and Friday, and drop only to 95 on Saturday, challenging daily record highs.
The extreme heat in Southern California is also fueling elevated fire weather concerns. Red flag warnings are in place through Saturday for parts of northern Los Angeles County and Ventura County, where extreme heat combined with low humidity and breezy conditions could cause the rapid spread of any fires that ignite. Isolated thunderstorms will also be possible on Friday through the weekend, with any lightning strikes being capable of starting new fires.
U.S. President Donald Trump. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A New York appeals court has thrown out a half billion dollar civil fraud judgment against President Donald Trump, his family and his company.
A judge ruled last year that they repeatedly inflated Trump’s net worth to secure better loan terms over a decade of business dealings.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — SpaceX’s Starship is about to face its 10th test flight following explosions on previous launches.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has promised that the world’s most powerful rocket and spacecraft will one day take humans to Mars and beyond. But leading up to its 10th launch, scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Starship has yet to achieve all its mission goals. And the last three flight tests, plus a static engine test in June, ended in explosions.
“We now have serious questions whether the architecture of Starship is in fact feasible or not,” said Olivier de Weck, the Apollo Program professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. “I’m much, much less concerned about the Super Heavy booster. But the upper stage, the Starship itself, I’m starting to have some serious doubts about whether they’ll be able to make it work. Certainly, with the payload that they have in mind.”
Starship’s 10th flight test will lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The company has yet to successfully launch and land the stainless-steel spacecraft, which is being engineered to be fully reusable and would be able to carry up to 100 people to deep space destinations.
Can Musk achieve his vision? During a presentation in May, Musk shared his vision for how Starship will eventually make humans multiplanetary, something he said is necessary to ensure the survival of humanity.
“Progress is measured by the timeline to establishing a self-sustaining civilization on Mars. That’s how we’re gauging our progress here at Starbase,” Musk said. “Rapidly reusable reliable rockets is the key.”
De Weck agrees that aiming for a human presence on Mars is a worthwhile endeavor, but he thinks it will take decades to land astronauts on the Mars surface and return them to Earth. He said while Starship’s Super Heavy booster, the first stage that lifts the spacecraft into orbit, has been “pretty successful,” he questions the design of the Starship itself, and its ability to carry humans into space safely.
De Weck said the company is facing challenges with convergence, an engineering concept where the goal is for all the vehicle’s systems to function correctly together.
“Convergence means that with every test, every launch you do, the prior problems that you saw on the prior launch have been addressed,” explained de Weck. “The problem that SpaceX has right now with Starship is every launch that they do, yes, they address the battles, so to speak, from the prior launch, but now the fix that they made causes new problems that didn’t show up on the prior launch.”
De Weck described the process as playing “Whac-A-Mole,” where each fix causes new problems that weren’t an issue in earlier configurations. This has been a challenge for the company in previous test flights.
Musk has acknowledged the challenges of his endeavor, writing on X that “There is a reason no fully reusable rocket has been built – it’s an insanely hard problem. Moreover, it must be rapidly & completely reusable (like an airplane). This is the only way to make life multiplanetary.”
Problems with previous test flights In mid-June, a Starship exploded on the launch pad during a pre-flight engine test.
SpaceX determined that “the vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand.” An analysis by the company found that the likely cause was the failure of a pressurized tank that stores gaseous nitrogen for the ship’s environmental control system, which triggered the explosion.
That explosion occurred less than a month after test flight nine ended prematurely when the “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly” due to several mechanical failures minutes into the flight, according to SpaceX.
The company also lost the first stage heavy booster during the test after it appeared to explode while splashing down in the Gulf. SpaceX blames “higher than predicted forces on the booster structure” for the loss.
Test flight eight in March ended after what SpaceX described as a “hardware failure” with one of the upper-stage Raptor engines, leading to fuel igniting where it shouldn’t have. The company believes the vehicle then automatically self-destructed. Debris was spotted across South Florida and the Atlantic, prompting temporary ground stops at nearby airports.
A similar failure occurred in January 2025 during Startship’s seventh flight test when stronger-than-expected vibrations caused a propellant leak, explosion and the loss of the spacecraft.
In a post-incident report, SpaceX said it has made “hardware and operational changes” to improve the reliability of Starship and the Super Heavy booster during the next mission.
“Each launch is about learning more and more about what’s needed to make life multiplanetary and to improve Starship to the point where it can be taking ultimately hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to Mars,” Musk said during his address in May.
Can ‘agile engineering’ solve Starship’s challenges? SpaceX has achieved significant technical milestones with each flight test, however. The company returned the Super Heavy booster to Earth on two occasions, catching it with giant robotic “chopsticks” attached to the launch tower and reused one of them from a previous launch. Flight test nine also demonstrated the vehicle’s suborbital trajectory by reaching suborbital space before mechanical failures ended the mission. And with each subsequent mission, SpaceX makes upgrades and changes to the booster and spacecraft based on the learnings.
Despite the setbacks, the company’s test schedule has remained aggressive, with launches often just months apart. That pace is central to SpaceX’s iterative engineering process, which de Weck describes as “rapid prototyping or agile engineering.”
“We’ll find problems, we’ll test it rapidly, and we’ll fix it as we go. And we gradually approach a perfect product. That does not work as well for safety-critical systems and where the cost of failure is high,” de Weck said.
For flight ten, de Weck says the most important thing to watch is what happens after booster separation during the midstage of the mission.
“I want to see a proper ignition of those engines, the Raptor engines on the upper stage, and then a coasting phase, a cruise phase without any explosions, premature engine shutdowns, and just a relatively clean reentry,” he said.
Even with another mid-phase failure, however, de Weck doesn’t believe that SpaceX would end the program or go back to the drawing board for a new design.
“I think they’re going to keep going at least until 15, 16, 17 flights. I don’t see them abandoning anything before 20 flights,” de Weck said.
As for Musk, his vision is a day when SpaceX is manufacturing two to three Starships a day and sending Starships to the Moon and Mars on a daily, if not hourly basis.
“We could be out there among the stars making science fiction no longer fiction,” said Musk.
Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Search efforts for a Minnesota man who was last heard from in July have been suspended after 20 days as authorities say that his “most optimistic survival odds have run out.”
Grant Gardner had planned on a three-day hike “through the Misty Moon Lake area, eventually summiting Cloud Peak,” according to a statement from Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming. He was last heard from when he contacted his wife on July 29 saying he had made it to the summit, but “since that time there has not been any contact with Gardner,” officials said.
On Wednesday, after a 20-day search, authorities announced that they have suspended search and rescue operations for Gardner in consultation with his family members.
“During the past 20 days, Big Horn County and Wyoming SAR personnel have been searching diligently for Mr. Grant Gardner of Minnesota,” Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn said in his statement. “In consultation with family members, I have made the heartbreaking and difficult decision to suspend active search and rescue operations for Mr. Gardner. Our teams have exhausted all resources and personnel over the last 20 days. With weather conditions and other factors updated in our search models, we have to face the reality that the most optimistic survival odds have run out.”
Officials discovered Gardner’s vehicle earlier this month in the parking lot of the West Ten Sleep trailhead — where he began his journey — and also learned via the hiking log at the trailhead that he had entered the area “as he had indicated in his hiking plan,” officials said.
Phone records also revealed that he had reached the summit at Cloud Peak — which is around 13,000 feet — at approximately 7 p.m., which was concerning to officials due to the “lack of visible trails through cliffs, timber line, boulder fields and other hazards that had to be navigated after dark before reaching clear trails and safe terrain,” officials said.
“Our teams will rest, then begin search and recovery efforts as time and evidence allow. Many citizen volunteers and outdoors people are continuing to search for clues in an effort to bring peace to this family,” Blackburn said. “On behalf of the family, they want to personally thank each and every one of you who have offered time, resources, and prayers on their behalf. While grieving, they are humbled, and grateful beyond words.”
Officials said they have extensively searched for Gardner using helicopters, planes, foot teams and canines, but “conditions are extremely challenging,” with at least two rescuers suffering from “medical conditions” and needing treatment.
Bighorn National Forest is over 1 million acres, with 191,000 acres dedicated to the Cloud Peak Wilderness area, which is where Gardner is believed to have been traveling, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Many team members feel like they have lost a battle by not finding Grant at this time, however, it was not for a lack of effort on anyone’s part,” Blackburn said. “We hope clues will surface that will help bring a final closure to this tragedy in due time.”
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Erin may not make landfall, but it still could have a devastating consequences for East Coast residents.
The first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season is forecast to cause rough surf, large waves and life-threatening rip currents for much of the East Coast despite churning northward several hundred miles offshore.
Average sea levels for many East Coast communities are now about a half foot higher today than they were just a few decades ago, climate scientists say, intensifying coastal erosion along the U.S. coastline.
Some of the biggest waves from Erin could occur in the evening during high tide, Kimberly McKenna, interim executive director of the Coastal Research Center at Stockton University in New Jersey, told ABC News. But states will have to “wait and see” just how harmful Erin is to the coasts, McKenna added.
Coastal erosion is part of the planet’s natural cycle, but warming global temperatures and rising sea levels are worsening the damage to the coast’s natural barriers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Human-amplified climate change is making coastal areas more vulnerable, as more intense storms increase the risks of flooding and shoreline erosion, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, a 2023 summary of the latest climate science research findings by 14 different federal agencies.
Higher water levels allow waves, tides and storm surges to penetrate farther inland, eroding dunes and beaches more easily.
Human modifications to coastal landscapes, such as seawalls and levees, can worsen flood risks, accelerate erosion and hinder the ability of coastal ecosystems to naturally adapt, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Since 1970, the North Carolina coastline has experienced an average sea level rise of 7 inches, according to the Interagency Task Force on Sea Level Change.
By 2050, the U.S. East Coast is projected to experience an average sea level rise of 10 to 14 inches.
Solutions such as shoreline “hardening” — which involves the installation of seawalls, groins, rip-rap and levees — as well as beach nourishment, which includes adding sand to beaches, can help protect coasts, according to Climate.gov.
McKenna expects the beaches in New Jersey will be able to withstand the impacts of Erin.
“Right now, a lot of our beaches are pretty wide and can handle some of the wave impacts that are proposed,” McKenna said.
By Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Erin was located about 350 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It is expected march north, parallel to the East Coast, over the next 24 hours, and then race northeast across the north Atlantic Ocean into the upcoming weekend.
Impacts such as destructive waves, high rip currents and coastal flooding are expected from Wednesday through Saturday morning as Erin moves northeast.
In North Carolina, beaches in the Outer Banks are eroding at some of the fastest rates on the East Coast, according to the EPA.
The area’s low elevation makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, experts say.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated by ferry from barrier islands in the southern part of the Outer Banks by Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein issued an emergency declaration ahead of the storm due to the threats of coastal flooding, beach erosion and dangerous surf conditions.
“North Carolinians along the coast should get prepared now, ensure their emergency kit is ready, and listen to local emergency guidelines and alerts in the event they need to evacuate,” Stein said.
Officials in three New England states are searching for Mason Payne, a 23-year-old who led Massachusetts police on a high-speed chase, dragged a state trooper and then fled into Connecticut, according to the Shelton, Connecticut, Police Department. Shelton CT Police Department
(SHELTON, Conn. ) — The hunt is on for a Vermont man who led Massachusetts police on a high-speed chase, dragged a state trooper and then fled into Connecticut, according to the Shelton, Connecticut, Police Department.
On Tuesday afternoon, police in Dover, Vermont, said Mason Payne, 23, was involved in an armed domestic assault. Later that night at approximately 10 p.m., he was stopped in Holyoke, Massachusetts, by a state police trooper, officials said in a statement on Wednesday.
During the stop, Payne dragged the trooper several feet with his vehicle before fleeing. The pursuit ended for safety reasons, police said.
Payne, of Weathersfield, Vermont, was last seen driving an older model black Audi sedan, police said. Officials said the vehicle might “possibly” have temporary Vermont plates.
Payne is considered armed and dangerous and has made threats to harm law enforcement officers, according to police.
Anyone who sees Payne or his vehicle should not approach but instead call 911 and “provide as many details as possible,” officials said.
