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(MIAMI) — U.S. authorities in South Florida are stepping up efforts to crackdown on a recent surge in weapons smuggling to Haiti and the Caribbean, according to Homeland Security officials.

An unusual uptick in the number of high-caliber weapons coming out of the U.S. is believed to be connected with spikes in violence driven by transnational criminal organizations.

“It’s been alarming and disturbing to see the spike of violence coincide with a spike in weapons trafficking out of Miami towards Haiti,” Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Miami, told ABC News.

HSI is actively pursuing dozens of open investigations in the region related to smuggling. Officials are hesitant to release exact numbers and specifics to avoid compromising prosecutions.

“We will push these investigations as far as we can,” Salisbury said. “It’s not just the people buying guns, it’s not just the people shipping guns — we will go after and, if we can, prosecute the individuals who are receiving the guns out of these countries. That does include both trying to extradite them back to the United States in some cases and working our foreign offices and our foreign counterparts to help prosecute them down in these countries.”

The enforcement crackdown has been coordinated through multiple federal agencies that are part of specialized teams including Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Commerce.

One area of particular focus is the Miami river, home to one of the most unique ports of entry in the United States due to the distance it spans into the interior of the United States.

The Haitian freighters that dock along the 3-4 mile stretch of river are different than the hyper-organized container ships typically seen at large ports. These smaller vessels that dock along the Miami river are more like giant tugboats. Individual packages are often loaded by hand, making it a prime situation for smuggling.

“We’re not going to tolerate this activity,” Salisbury said. “We’re not going to let South Florida willingly be a launching pad for weapons heading down to these countries.”

Last month marked one year since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse which led to a scourge of gang violence that persists today.

Hurricane season, which runs from June to November in the Caribbean, also threatens to further destabilized the island nation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecasted an increased likelihood of tropical storms turning into major hurricanes.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Back to school means back-to-school lunches, but this year they’re costing more with food prices increasing nationwide.

Pandemic relief funds that ensured free meals for all kids ran out in June and school nutritionists are blaming higher costs on inflation, supply chain problems and the lasting effects of the pandemic.

The national school lunch program serves 29.7 million children daily and, of those lunches, 20.2 million are free as of 2021, according to the Education Data Initiative”

“We know that families are struggling right now,” said Willow Kriegel, director of nutrition services for the West Des Moines Community Schools in Iowa. “Gas prices are high and food costs. We know that things are more expensive.”

Kriegel said that her school district had to raise prices by 25 cents per meal. While raising the costs helps somewhat, Kriegel said it’s still not enough to break even.

In Kriegel’s district alone, she said cafeterias are $109,000 in school meal debt.

To help counteract the growing debt, Kriegel said she applied for nine out of her 13 schools to get free and reduced lunches. Those requests were granted, but Kriegel said she knows many other schools aren’t as lucky.

Overall, the national public school lunch debt sits at $262 million a year. Still, a million-and-half students pay full price for lunches they can’t afford, according to the Education Data Initiative.

“I was really waiting for, you know, our legislators to come through and extend the free meals for all students, at least for one more year, while we’re all struggling.” said Kriegel who was president of the Iowa School Nutrition Association last year.

Congress increased federal reimbursements for lunches this school year with the Keep Kids Fed Act, which passed in June and provided 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast.

But that extra funding is not enough to bring schools back to the Summer Food Service Program reimbursement rates as during the pandemic, said Diane Pratt-Heavner with the School Nutrition Association.

Alternative lunches, shaming over meal debt can have negative impacts on students’ psyches, experts say

“Even even with additional assistance from Congress, which we’re grateful for, schools will still see a slight drop in federal reimbursements,” said Pratt-Heavner.

Kriegel, in Iowa, said her school is facing staffing shortages and she and other managers are having to cook food themselves. Kriegel said her biggest concern is that she won’t be able to offer students the options and nutritious food that goes beyond state and national requirements.

“I treat them all like they’re my own little 5-year-old,” said Kriegel.

Kriegel’s daughter is starting school this fall and Kriegel says her daughter Olivia knows she’s not going to be a lunch-box kid.

But feeding kids can be a challenge when shipments are delayed.

“You know, when we make a menu change, it’s not as easy as just going to the store and buying a different chicken product,” said Kriegel.

“We spend hours a day extra hunting for products and getting outages and shortages and trying to adjust our menus and then that changes. It’s like a ripple effect.”

“School meal program budgets have very limited amount of funds to use for preparing and serving school meals,” said Pratt-Heavner.

She said taking on school lunch debt can limit nutritionists’ options and keep them from offering more choices to picky kids.

“We’re really trying to get out the word to families. Even if you don’t think you are eligible, go ahead and apply for free or reduced price meals,” said Pratt-Heavner.

Delaware has the highest average school lunch debt per student at $188.49. It also has one of the highest number of schools who belong to Community Lunch Programs, which makes meals free for entire schools.

Aimee Beam with the state’s School Nutrition Programs said Delaware is looking at various ways to reduce that debt. She said that school districts are using money from their school nutrition account to waive the cost of their reduced price breakfast and breakfast.

“The students that would normally have to pay up to 30 cents for breakfast won’t have to pay anything, so that can eliminate the potential for the debt in that area,” said Beam.

“Our biggest concern is the supply chain issues; to get the product that we need to serve the compliant meals,” said Beam.

Beam said the most important thing is to remind parents to fill out their meal eligibility form so that students won’t have to go into debt, and schools can afford to feed the children.

“No child should have to worry about whether mom and dad completed an application or put money on their lunch account,” said Pratt-Heavner.

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(NEW YORK) — Officials at Yellowstone National Park discovered what appeared to be part of a human foot in a shoe in one of the deepest hot springs in the park.

The incident occurred on Tuesday when a park employee discovered part of a foot in a shoe floating in the Abyss Pool which is located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park.

“Evidence from the investigation thus far suggests that an incident involving one individual likely occurred on the morning of July 31, 2022, at Abyss Pool,” Yellowstone National Park said in a statement. “Currently, the park believes there was no foul play.”

It is not clear who the foot belonged to but the park suggested that there may have been a death linked to the spare body part that was found though this has not been confirmed by Yellowstone or any authorities.

The Abyss Pool has a depth of more than 50 feet and, according to Yellowstone National Park, is one of the deepest hot springs in the park with an average approximate temperature of 140 degrees.

“Visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas and exercise extreme caution around thermal features,” the park said in a statement. “The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface.”

After the discovery of the appendage, the West Thumb Geyser Basin and parking lot were closed to park visitors but has since been reopened.

An investigation by Yellowstone National Park law enforcement officers is currently ongoing.

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(CHESTERFIELD, S.C.) — Eight students were injured in a school bus accident in South Carolina Friday afternoon, school officials said.

The bus was carrying 24 students from a middle school and elementary school in the Chesterfield County School District when the accident occurred around 4 p.m. in the town of Jefferson, the district said.

Eight students on the bus were transported to the hospital with injuries, the district said.

“The district superintendent, transportation staff, and area principals are working the accident,” school officials said in a statement.

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

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(ALEXANDRIA, Va.) — A member of a group of British Islamic State terrorists dubbed “the Beatles” by their hostages was sentenced Friday in U.S. federal court to 8 concurrent life terms for kidnapping and murdering freelance journalist James Foley, as well as participating in the detention and murders of three other Americans.

The sentencing of El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, comes on the eighth anniversary of Foley’s murder which was broadcast across the world in a chilling beheading video by ISIS. Elsheikh was also convicted and sentenced for the kidnapping and murder of journalist Steven Sotloff, human rights activist Kayla Mueller and aid worker Peter Kassig.

Elsheikj, who was captured in Syria in 2018 alongside fellow “Beatle” Alexanda Kotey, was described by prosecutors at his sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as the most notorious, highest-ranking member of ISIS to face trial in the U.S. The foursome had held hostage 26 Westerners and murdered four Americans and several British and Japanese nationals in Syria.

Kotey was sentenced to life in prison in April.

Judge T.S. Ellis on Friday described the crimes as horrendous, noting Elsheikh’s involvement in the sexual abuse of Mueller, his decision to provide false testimony to law enforcement and his role as a leader of the group.

Due to a prior agreement with the United Kingdom, neither Elsheikh nor Kotey faced the death penalty. Another member of the group, Mohammed Emwazi, was killed in a drone strike in Syria in 2016. A fourth member, Aine Lesley Davis, was arrested in Turkey and extradited earlier this year to the United Kingdom to face terrorism charges.

Following the sentencing, Elsheikh immediately filed an appeal with the court citing ineffective council. Ellis rebutted to the defense, “I think you have been diligent.”

Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, addressed Elsheikh directly during her testimony Friday, saying, “Love is so much stronger than hatred. I pity you Elsheikh.”

She told reporters Friday that more than 67 U.S. nationals are currently detained and held hostage abroad.

Foley said in an appeal to President Joe Biden, “I urgently call on our President Biden to employ our shrewdest negotiation to quickly bring these innocent Americans home, lest they die in captivity as our sons and daughter did.”

After the death of her son, Foley founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for Americans that have been held hostage abroad and promotes the safety of journalists worldwide.

She added, “Let this sentencing make clear to all who dared to kidnap, torture or kill any American citizen abroad. That U.S. justice will find you wherever you are, and that our government will hold you accountable for your crimes against our citizens.”

Marsha and Carl Mueller, the parents of Kayla Mueller, told reporters Friday that they have not given up looking for their daughter’s remains. The couple is working with private entities to try to find Kayla and learn exactly what happened to their daughter. They told reporters they met with FBI Director Christopher Wray who told them, “we are not going to stop until we find Kayla.”

The 26-year-old was on a humanitarian mission in Turkey in August 2013 when ISIS kidnapped her after she crossed the Syrian border to visit a hospital. In February 2015, U.S. officials confirmed that she died while in ISIS custody.

Elsheikh declined to speak at Friday’s sentencing. Marsha Mueller told reporters, “I was hoping he would be but I wasn’t shocked that he is going to appeal.”

Carl Mueller said of Elsheikh, “He’s obviously cold with no remorse throughout the whole trial and I still think he believes he was doing the right thing.”

Both families said they met with Kotey. Marsha Mueller told reporters Kotey” did articulate some remorse” and that she was grateful for that.

Foley stressed the need for the government to act swiftly in cases in cases where Americans are held, to avoid making the process of bringing them home more complicated.

Carl Mueller had tough words for the Obama administration who he said had “every opportunity to bring [Kayla] home” during the 18 months she was reportedly held captive.

“They definitely have learned their lesson and our children was the cost of that and hopefully, in the future, our government will do like so many others did, and get their people home. Not leave them in there for 18 months.”

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(LOS ANGELES) — An emotional Vanessa Bryant took the stand Friday in her invasion of privacy trial over photos taken at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, basketball star Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter.

Bryant filed a lawsuit several months after the 2020 crash against Los Angeles County, alleging that first responders took graphic photos of human remains at the scene as “souvenirs” and shared them with others. She is claiming she suffered emotional distress and is suing for an undisclosed amount of damages for negligence and invasion of privacy.

Bryant, the final plaintiffs’ witness, was overcome with emotion in the Los Angeles federal courtroom on Friday as she shared her fear and anxiety over the photos.

“I never had a panic attack before this,” she told the jury.

Bryant said she learned from a Los Angeles Times report that deputies had taken photos of the crash site. She said she lives in fear every day that they could be leaked and wants “justice for my husband and my daughter.”

Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna, were headed to a basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks along with others connected to the basketball program on Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Calabasas. All nine people on board, including the pilot, were killed.

Orange County financial adviser Chris Chester is also suing the county over photos taken of his wife and daughter, who were killed in the same crash. In July, U.S. District Judge John Walter decided to consolidate Bryant’s and Chester’s cases into one trial.

Chester took the witness stand on Thursday, telling the jury he was in “disbelief” after hearing reports that deputies and firefighters took and shared photos of his wife, Sarah, and their 13-year-old daughter, Payton.

“It was grief on top of grief,” he said, calling for “justice and accountability.”

LA County maintains that first responders did not share any photos publicly from the scene of the crash. It also attests that an investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that all of the photos were destroyed.

During the trial, which began Aug. 10, the defense has also maintained that the photos have not surfaced online since the tragedy. Multiple county fire and sheriff’s personnel have also testified that they deleted whatever crash-site pictures they had on their cellphones.

Both Bryant’s and Chester’s lawsuits argue that the photos were shared before being deleted by first responders.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who ordered deputies to delete the photos, is also expected to testify on Friday as the first witness for the defense.

ABC News’ Kyla Guilfoil contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The Northern Lights may be visible as far south as Pennsylvania and Iowa on Friday, Space Weather Prediction Center from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The remarkable sky lights may come down farther south due to a geomagnetic storm that began on Wednesday, experts said.

The storm is the result of a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which is a powerful burst of magnetized plasma from the sun’s corona, its outermost layer.

Scientists detected two CMEs erupting on the sun and aimed for Earth, which they expected to arrive on August 18.

The CMEs can combine to create a geomagnetic storm, scientists say, to reach strong levels that may create auroras closer to the equator than usual.

The auroras, which make up what we know as the Northern Lights, form when high-energy particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere. The particles glow because they excite the gasses in the sky.

Stronger energy brings the glowing particles farther from the poles, experts say.

Leading up to the stronger storm, scientists said a coronal hole high-speed stream arrived on Thursday night to create a more minor geomagnetic storm.

A coronal hole is a cooler area in the sun’s outermost layer that can generate high-speed solar wind that is full of charged particles that can get spread across the solar system.

These high-speed streams can create auroras on Earth, too.

Typically, auroras are most visible from December to February, but viewers have strong chances from September to November, too, experts say.

Stronger solar weather is needed for such a view in the summer months.

Alaska is known as a top U.S. destination for seeing the lights, but visitors can also expect a view in northern Maine during favorable conditions, scientists say.

Experts say that less densely populated areas, where the night sky remains darkest, are most favorable for northern viewing of the magical sky lights.

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(WATSONVILLE, Calif.) — Three people are dead after two small planes collided mid-air at a California airport on Thursday, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. local time at the Watsonville Municipal Airport in Watsonville, an agricultural area located about 50 miles south of San Jose, officials said.

The two planes were attempting to land when they collided, the city of Watsonville said on social media. “We have reports of multiple fatalities,” it said.

A single-engine Cessna 152 and a twin-engine Cessna 340 “collided while the pilots were on their final approaches,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

One person was in the Cessna 152 and two were in the Cessna 340, the agency said. No injuries were reported to anyone on the ground.

The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office said Friday that all three onboard the planes were killed in the crash. The names of the victims will be released following family notification.

The city tweeted Thursday that it was “absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of several people.”

“The City of Watsonville sends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who passed,” it added.

“We are grieving tonight from this unexpected and sudden loss,” Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker said. “I want to express my deepest and most heartfelt condolences.”

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to an aircraft collision on Aviation Way near the airport and secured the scene with the Watsonville Police Department.

“This afternoon, two planes collided and came to rest at and near the Watsonville airport. There are multiple fatalities right now,” Lt. Patrick Dimick said. “There are multiple fatalities. We cannot confirm anything else at this time as we’ve just secured the airport for the NTSB and FAA to arrive and conduct their investigation.”

An investigation is underway by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA.

ABC News’ Michelle Mendez and Alex Stone contributed to this report.

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(WINTER SPRINGS, Fla.) — A Florida woman was killed Thursday by lightning that also struck her child and a dog, authorities said.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in Winter Springs, a small city in central Florida’s Seminole County, some 15 miles north of Orlando. The Winter Springs Police Department said it received multiple reports of people possibly being struck by lightning near Trotwood Park at about 2:20 p.m. local time and deployed officers to the scene. Lightning appeared to have “hit a nearby tree, energizing the area and striking the victims,” police said.

The Seminole County Fire Department also responded and provided immediate lifesaving aid to the victims on site. A woman and her child were subsequently transported to area hospitals for treatment, where the mother died, according to police.

“The child and K9 have been seen by medical professionals and are doing fine,” the Winter Springs Police Department said in a press release Thursday. “We are not releasing the names so the family may grieve from this unfortunate event.”

Seminole County Public Schools confirmed that the victims included a Keeth Elementary School student and their parent.

“SCPS and Keeth Elementary School remain committed to the safety and security of all students and will continue to take safety precautions in the event of inclement weather,” the school district said in a statement via social media on Thursday. “Additional counselors will be on campus to support students and/or staff impacted by this event.”

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said it was “a tragic day in the City of Winter Springs and the entire Seminole County Community.”

“Please say a prayer for the family who has lost a mother, and all of those involved and affected by today’s storm,” Lemma said in a statement via social media on Thursday. “Our team responded to assist the City and family — and remains ready to support the school district and community with any needs.”

The death brings the total number of lightning-related fatalities in the United States so far this year to 14. Based on the past decade, an average of 18 lightning deaths occur in the country by mid-August, according to data compiled by John Jensenius, a meteorologist with the National Lightning Safety Council who retired from the National Weather Service in 2019 after more than 41 years with the agency.

Lightning is a major cause of storm-related deaths in the U.S. A lightning strike can result in cardiac arrest, though only about 10% of victims are killed, according to the National Weather Service.

Nevertheless, lightning strikes can leave a person with various degrees of disability and many long-term health problems, including muscle soreness, headaches, cognitive problems and nausea.

The odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 15,300, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory.

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(UVALDE, Texas) — Uvalde residents, including families of Robb Elementary School shooting victims, have signed and sent a petition against assault weapons to Randy Klein, the owner of Oasis Outback, the local sporting goods store where the gunman retrieved the AR-15 he used to shoot at the school.

ABC News has reached out for comment.

“The members of this group feel strongly about our second amendment rights and support your establishment’s commitment to selling guns and ammunition,” the petition reads. “However, we come to you today with a request.”

It continued, “Out of RESPECT for and in support of those affected by this catastrophe, we strongly urge you to cease the sale of assault rifles and the ammunition paired with them.”

The petition also asks for Klein to end the handling of gun transfers of this style of firearm from gun retail stores and manufacturers.

“Doing so will ensure that children across Uvalde County will never have to worry about a new purchase of this type of weapon,” the petition reads.

In a Wednesday meeting of the “Uvalde Strong for Gun Safety” group, a local pediatrician and gun safety advocate Roy Guerrero said that Klein will have 30 days to respond to the petition. Guerrero urged others to sign and mail in the petition themselves.

If Klein refuses to respond or meet with victims’ families, the residents behind the petition have several plans of action – including protests, media campaigns, and calls to legislators.

“I’m not here to hurt anyone’s business, but I am here to do the right thing,” Guerrero said.

Several meeting attendees and petitioners – including parents of Robb Elementary School victims – have said they are gun owners themselves and are pleading with business owners and local leaders to make a change.

“You can’t meet us at a happy medium? Just raising the age on [gun purchases]?” said Nikki Cross, the aunt of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia and who is a gun owner herself. “I think that would be tremendous to start.”

In Texas, there are few restrictions on purchasing firearms. People 18 and older can legally purchase long guns, and “law-abiding Texans” can carry handguns without a license or training.

The Uvalde city council and school board have passed resolutions calling on Gov. Greg Abbot to increase the age for purchasing assault rifles.

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which advocates for gun control and studies gun laws across the country, four of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S., including the Uvalde tragedy, have happened in Texas.

Abbott has blamed the mass shooting in Uvalde on mental health issues. He has said that law enforcement believes increased gun violence is due to the growing prevalence of people with mental health issues, not lax gun laws.

Meeting attendees said they plan to keep pushing for gun safety policy, in hopes that no one forgets the May 24 tragedy.

“Nobody understands what a victim’s parent is going through, or a family member is going through,” said one attendee. “They want to sit there and they want to bash [us]. But yet, you have no idea. You’re already back to your normal life like it’s nothing.”

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