News

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Friday issued a sweeping policy directive requiring most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees living in the U.S. to return to their home countries to apply for and complete their green card applications.

“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson Zach Kahler said in a statement. “From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances.”

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

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Gas prices stand near their highest level in four years as millions of Americans ready themselves to hit the road over Memorial Day weekend.

The national average for a gallon of gas on Friday stood at $4.55, which amounts to a roughly 42% rise from this time last year, AAA data showed. Gas prices surged in recent months as the Iran war choked off global oil supply.

Six states boast average gas prices above $5, including Washington and Alaska. California, the state with the nation’s highest gas prices, offers drivers an average gallon of $6.13, according to AAA.

Roughly 39 million people are expected to travel by car over the Memorial Day holiday, exceeding last year’s total, AAA forecasted.

“Travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA travel, said in a statement.

Americans will spend about $2 billion more on gasoline over the four-day Memorial Day weekend compared to a year ago, amounting to an added cost of roughly $22 million per hour, Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said in a post on X on Friday.

Nineteen states are expected to post record-high Memorial Day gas prices, among them Colorado, Ohio, Missouri and New Mexico, De Haan said.

Crude oil is the main ingredient in auto fuel, accounting for more than half of the price paid at the pump, according to the federal U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Middle East conflict triggered a historic oil shortage, driving up crude prices and hiking the cost of auto fuel.

The surge in oil prices came about after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global crude supply.

The U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures price — a benchmark of U.S. oil prices – has soared 50% since the outbreak of war on Feb. 28.

The U.S. is a net exporter of petroleum, meaning the country produces more oil than it consumes. But since oil prices are set on a global market, U.S. prices move in response to swings in worldwide supply and demand.

Oil prices have fallen slightly this week, however, as negotiations have given rise to hope among traders about a possible resumption of normal tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

As a result, De Haan said, gasoline prices may drop over the weekend, falling to an average below $4.50 by Memorial Day.

Roughly one of every 10 low-income households is spending more than 10% of its monthly income on gas, Bank of America said in a research report shared with ABC News last month, citing internal data. For middle- and upper-income households, the share spending that much on gas drops stands at about one of every 20.

Oil prices remain well below the highs reached after some previous economic shocks. In 2022, the price of Brent crude surged above $139 per barrel in March, just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. oil prices shot up as high as $147 a barrel.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — President Donald Trump said he will “try” and make his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding this weekend, which is reportedly taking place in the Bahamas — though he said the event is “not good timing” for him given his responsibilities surrounding the war in Iran.

During an event in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said his son wants him to come his wedding with fiancée Bettina Anderson but that the president has “a thing called Iran — and other things.”

“He’d like me to go, but it’s going to be just a small, little private affair, and I’m going to try and make it,” Trump said. “This is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. That’s one I can’t win on.”

“If I do attend, I get killed. If I don’t attend, I get killed by the fake news,” Trump said. “Hopefully they’re going to have a great marriage.”

Donald Trump Jr. is the eldest son of the president who has five children with his ex-wife, Vanessa Trump.

Vanessa Trump announced on Instagram Thursday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SAN DIEGO) –The family of Caleb Vasquez, one of the teenage suspects involved in the deadly Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, has released a statement saying they are “deeply sorry for the pain and devastation caused” and that their son’s alleged actions “do not reflect the values we raised our family with or the beliefs we hold in our hearts.”

Three people were murdered before the two suspects, aged 17 and 18, took their own lives and were found dead in a vehicle nearby, officials said

“Over the last several days, our family has been trying to process the horrific actions carried out by our son against the Islamic Center San Diego Community,” read a statement released on Thursday from Colin Rudolph, the attorney for the Vazquez family, and obtained by ABC News’ San Diego affiliate KGTV. “We want to begin by acknowledging that nothing we say or do could ever repair the damage his actions have caused. We are completely heartbroken and devastated by what has happened. We condemn these hateful and violent actions entirely.”

“As much as we mourn the child we raised and love, we mourn even more deeply for the innocent lives of Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad,” the statement continued. “We honor and thank them for their heroic actions that day, which prevented the loss of even more innocent lives. Our hearts and prayers are with each of their families during this unimaginably tragic time.”

Abdullah, who was a security guard, Kaziha and Awad were killed in the shooting on Monday, authorities said, with investigators saying they are currently considering the incident as a hate crime.

Abdullah has been hailed as a hero for stymying the suspects, who were just 15 feet from 140 children. Kaziha, a community elder, was the first person to call 911 and Awad rushed from across the street where he lives to help when he heard the shooting, community members and advocates said.

The two suspects, aged 17 and 18, were found dead in a vehicle nearby, police said. Authorities are investigating two teenagers, Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, as the suspected attackers in the shooting.

Investigators are examining a lengthy document circulating online that is comprised of two hate-filled essays totaling 75 pages allegedly written by the suspected shooters, sources told ABC News.

Both essays promote white nationalism and express a hatred for immigrants, racial minorities and others, as well as anger toward women who prefer taller men, according to sources. Vazquez allegedly writes he is an “accelerationist” in his essay, echoing nihilistic rhetoric, sources said.

It’s unclear when the essays were actually written — a section intended to identify the “targets” is left blank, sources said.

Police are investigating how the suspects obtained firearms in the shooting, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said Tuesday. The guns belonged to the parents of one of the suspects, he said, but did not confirm if the guns were safely locked up or stored.

During searches of two residences associated with the suspects, authorities seized “numerous pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, tactical gear, as well as electronics,” Mark Remily, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Pentagon unveiled another batch of its so-called UFO files on Friday, part of a rolling release of once-classified material ordered released by President Donald Trump.

Friday’s release included more than 50 previously classified videos and other documents related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), the official term used by the federal government to describe UFO’s.

Among the newly released files are a video from an infrared sensor operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in April 2024 showing an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S.

Another video labeled “Syrian UAP instant acceleration” was taken from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2021 and uploaded to a classified network in 2024, according to the Pentagon.

After multiple investigations, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has found no evidence that any of these incidents are of an extraterrestrial nature — but military officials admit many remain “unresolved” and cannot be explained.

So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs — which have long been an object of public fascination — following the directive from Trump.

Another of the newly released records — a video from 2020 taken in an undisclosed area under U.S. Central Command — appears to show a sphere flying over a population center before it eventually flew higher, off into the sky.

Also included in the files is a written account from a senior U.S. intelligence officer last year who described seeing “two large orbs flare up” alongside their helicopter while on a mission. The officer wrote they were “orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions.”

Fighter jets then scrambled to identify the objects — but couldn’t, the officer recounted. He said “the same orbs we had encountered were now ‘chasing’ the fighters … We were virtually speechless after these observations.”

Two weeks ago, the Pentagon released the first batch of files from various federal agencies, some dating as far back as the late 1940s. Those files were posted on a new website that has already received more than a billion views worldwide, according to the Pentagon’s top spokesman.

“In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects,” Trump said at the time in a post on his social media platform. “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Senior personnel at a telecommunications company orchestrated a “calculated embezzlement scheme” to divert millions of dollars into their own pockets, federal prosecutors in New York charged in the first case of its kind that involved self-reporting by the company that allowed the corporation to avoid criminal charges.

Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof and Khanh Thuong Nguyen allegedly misappropriated more than $20 million from Telekom Malaysia’s U.S. subsidiary using false statements, forged records, fictitious transactions and corporate and individual impersonations to deceive counterparties, suppliers, auditors and supervisors, the indictment said.

Lockman, 48, of Dublin, California, Yusof, 44, of Livermore, California, and Nguyen, 48, of Manassas, Virginia, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. All three were taken into custody last month and were released on bond. They have not yet entered pleas.

Their parent company, Telekom Malaysia Berhad, reported the alleged fraud to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan last month and the company has been cooperating with the ongoing investigation, prosecutors said.

It’s the first prosecution to result from a self-reporting program U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced earlier this year. Telekom Malaysia received a conditional declination of charges against the company provided it cooperates, pays restitution and agrees to report any future criminal conduct for the next three years.

“Today’s fraud charges come within weeks of receiving a self-report from the company,” Clayton said in a statement announcing the charges. “As alleged, Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof, and Khanh Thuong Nguyen perpetrated a sprawling fraud to steal over $20 million. The defendants deceived counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and their own supervisors. As a result of the fact that the conduct was reported to this Office and quickly investigated, the defendants will now be held to account for fraudulently lining their own pockets.”

According to the indictment, the defendants first schemed to sell Telekom. Malaysia’s broadband capacity without authorization and divert the proceeds to their own accounts. Then, they allegedly impersonated one of Telekom Malaysia’s suppliers and intercepted payments the company made to that supplier.

They also allegedly impersonated employees and interns and captured their salaries. The fourth component of the fraud involved reimbursements for fabricated work expenses, officials said.

As one example, the indictment said the trio collaborated to request reimbursement for expenses incurred for a work trip to Las Vegas in December 2025. In fact, no such trip occurred. According to the indictment, when the parent company requested pictures from the trip, the defendants hastily organized a trip to Las Vegas and photographed scenes with Christmas trees to make it appear as though photographs had been taken in December.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.

At least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to the documents. 

The cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Those cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs. 

Many of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites “funding shortfalls and limited resources.”

Other cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical officers, including training for officers preparing to command helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service plans.

“The Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements, to include major training and readiness events,” Col. Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement. 

The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding shortfall.

The medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year starts. 

Last week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony before lawmakers.

“We haven’t canceled anything,” LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.

LaNeve seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned, which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for comment.

Military spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and former U.S. officials explained. 

The service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of the bare minimum military requirements to fly. 

All of the Army’s major formations are being directed to make cuts, officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being canceled is likely much more significant.

Just to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6 million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events were also canceled. 

The shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with one describing it as “a perfect storm.”

Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown, which involved border construction projects and assistance missions along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions. 

Additionally, rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel, as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and training events. 

The service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which is projected to cost about $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the summer.

The financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war, which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29 billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases damaged in Iranian strikes.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.

On Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations, warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict escalated.

“The [fiscal 2026] budget didn’t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury,” Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee. “You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we’re burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.