In this handout image released by the U.S. Air Force, a A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” flies through Hurricane Melissa on October 27, 2025 over the Caribbean Sea. Lt. Col. Mark Withee/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” encountered heavier than normal turbulence while flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday morning and were forced to turn back.
The team is now returning to its operating location in Curacao after experiencing “forces stronger than normal” that warranted a safety inspection before they could continue, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron wrote on social media.
A similar situation arose on Monday, when a “Hurricane Hunters” flight “left the storm early” after experiencing severe turbulence on Monday as well, the National Hurricane Center said.
Despite being forced to return once on Monday, the Air Force shared jaw-dropping video as the “Hurricane Hunters” flew into the eye of the storm multiple times over the course of the day.
Melissa has a “well-defined” 10 nautical mile wide eye, according to the NHC.
The storm is expected to hit Jamaica on Tuesday and is forecast to be the worst storm in the island’s history.
The storm, which has near-record-breaking winds of 185 mph on Tuesday morning, is now moving at 9 mph as it approaches the western part of the island.
Melissa is expected to bring catastrophic winds, rain, flooding and storm surge.
Melissa is then forecast to cross eastern Cuba on Tuesday night or early Wednesday, and then move near or over the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, according to the NHC. The hurricane could reach the vicinity of Bermuda on Thursday night.
(NEW YORK) — New York’s intermediate appellate court should overturn President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money convictions because his trial was “fatally marred” by faulty evidence and overseen by a judge who should have recused himself, his attorneys argued in a court filing late Monday.
Trump’s formal appeal, 17 months after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts, asks the Appellate Division’s First Department to reverse what his lawyers call the “most politically charged prosecution in our Nation’s history.”
Trump was found guilty in May 2024 after a six-week trial over a scheme to conceal a $130,000 payment his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her from talking about a long-denied affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump reimbursed Cohen in monthly installments that prosecutors said amounted to falsified records.
“The DA, a Democrat, brought those charges in the middle of a contentious Presidential election in which President Trump was the leading Republican candidate. These charges against President Trump were as unprecedented as their political context,” Trump’s attorneys at the white shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell wrote in their appeal.
Under New York state law, falsifying business records becomes a felony if the records were falsified to commit or conceal another crime. The appeal accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of trying to “twist New York law” to persuade the jury that Trump violated election statutes.
“Targeting alleged conduct that has never been found to violate any New York law, the DA concocted a purported felony by stacking time-barred misdemeanors under a convoluted legal theory, which the DA then improperly obscured until the charge conference. This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction,” the appeal argued.
Leaning into a decision by the Supreme Court made after the trial that limited the use of evidence related to a president’s “official acts,” Trump’s lawyers also argued the New York Judge Juan Merchan erred by allowing evidence protected by presidential immunity. According to Trump’s lawyers, testimony from Trump’s former communications director Hope Hicks — later described by prosecutors as “devastating” for Trump — as well as evidence taken from his Twitter account and other protected conversations were improperly considered by the jury.
“The trial was fatally marred by the introduction of official Presidential acts that the Supreme Court has made clear cannot be used as evidence against a President,” the appeal said.
The appeal also took aim at Judge Merchan, arguing that a $15 donation he made to President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and another $20 in donations to Democratic-aligned organizations demonstrated political bias. Before the trial, the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics concluded that those donations — as well as Merchan’s daughter’s work for a digital ad agency that worked with Democratic officials — did not create a conflict for Merchan.
Following Trump’s conviction, Judge Merchan, on the eve of Trump’s inauguration, sentenced him to an unconditional discharge — the lightest possible punishment allowed under New York state law — saying it was the “only lawful sentence” to prevent “encroaching upon the highest office in the land.”
Lufthansa plane is seen at the airport in Balice near Krakow, Poland on August 28, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(BOSTON) — A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston Saturday after a man allegedly stabbed two passengers with a metal fork, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Indian national Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, allegedly stabbed two unidentified 17-year-old passengers with the fork, one in the shoulder and one in the head, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Following meal service, Minor A was sleeping lightly in a middle seat when he allegedly awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him,” the press release said. “It is alleged that Usiripalli used his right hand to strike Minor A in the left clavicle area with a metal fork. Usiripalli then allegedly lunged toward Minor B – who was seated to Minor A’s right in a middle seat in the center row of the aircraft – and struck Minor B in the back of his head with the fork. Minor B suffered a laceration to the rear of his head.”
“When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Immediately afterwards, Usiripalli allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member,” according to the press release.
“As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody,” the press release said.
Usiripalli was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to the press release.
Lufthansa said in a statement that the flight diversion “was necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled.” The statement added that “all passengers were provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights.”
Usiripalli was in the U.S. on a student visa for a master’s program in biblical studies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if found guilty, the press release said, adding that Usiripalli will appear in federal court in Boston on an as-yet undetermined date.
ABC News’ Ayesha Ali and Clara McMichael contributed to this report.
An exterior view of PPG Paints Arena before the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 1, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
(PITTSBURGH) — A hockey fan was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after falling from the upper level of the arena during a Pittsburgh Penguins game on Monday, according to the team and local public safety officials.
On Monday at approximately 7:15 p.m., officials were alerted that an individual had fallen from the 200 level of PPG Paints Arena during the Penguins-Blues game, the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said in a statement.
During the fall, the individual — identified as an adult male — struck another fan who was in the suite below before continuing to fall to the 100 level of the stadium, officials said.
“He was like, teetering a little bit, and then he fell forward. Somehow, he just kept sailing over the seats, and I think his head hit the Plexiglas, or safety glass, and shattered it,” Todd Derr, another game attendee, told Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE.
Paramedics responded immediately and located the patient, who was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, officials said.
The person who was struck by the falling fan during the incident was “evaluated by paramedics on scene and declined transport to the hospital,” officials said.
Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall, officials said, with the Penguins and OVG Management Group also “closely monitoring the situation.”
After the game, Penguins coach Dan Muse said his “thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
“Obviously we all come here for a sport and a game and you hear something like that and that puts everything else aside,” Muse said on Monday night.
The status of the man’s condition as of Tuesday was not immediately clear.
The incident comes after a 20-year-old man fell 20 feet onto the outfield warning track during a Pittsburgh Pirates game in April. The man’s friend, 21, was charged for allegedly providing alcohol to the underage fan who fell from the bleachers onto the field during the seventh inning of the Pirates-Cubs game on April 30.
Abby Zwerner attends a hearing for a civil lawsuit she filed against the Newport News Public Schools, Oct. 27, 2023, in Newport News, Va./ (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — A civil trial is underway in Virginia nearly three years after a then-6-year-old student shot his first grade teacher in an elementary school classroom.
The teacher, Abby Zwerner, is seeking $40 million over the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, according to the civil complaint.
The complaint alleges that the school’s assistant principal at the time, Ebony Parker, failed to act after being informed multiple times the student had a firearm on the day of the shooting.
The student took the firearm out of his pocket and aimed it at Zwerner while she was seated in the classroom, according to the complaint. The bullet went through her hand and then into her chest, and Zwerner was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.
Opening statements took place Tuesday morning in the civil trial, which has been scheduled to run through Nov. 6, according to the online docket.
ABC News has reached out to Parker’s attorney for comment but did not receive a response. Zwerner’s attorneys told ABC News they are not providing any comments during the trial.
Three other defendants initially listed in Zwerner’s complaint — two other school administrators and the Newport News School Board — have since been dismissed from the lawsuit.
Parker has also been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the shooting — one count for each bullet that was in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled to start next month.
Parker resigned from her position shortly after the incident.
The civil complaint alleges Parker’s administrative style was to “permit students to engage in dangerous and disruptive conduct and impose no consequence for breaking the rules, thereby placing all persons in the vicinity of the school and in the community at risk.”
On the day of the shooting, two students told a school staffer that the 6-year-old student had a gun in his backpack, according to the complaint. When confronted, the student reportedly denied it but refused to provide the staffer with his backpack, according to the complaint.
During recess that day, Zwerner told the staffer she saw the student “take something out of his backpack before recess and place it into the pocket of his hoodie sweatshirt,” according to the complaint. The staffer searched the backpack during recess but did not find a gun, according to the complaint. When the staffer reportedly told Parker the student had “informed students that he had a gun” and no weapon was found in his backpack, Parker “did nothing,” the complaint alleged.
According to the complaint, a classmate told another first grade teacher that the 6-year-old student had shown him the firearm during recess. After the teacher reported this to the school office, Parker allegedly did not allow anyone to search the student for the firearm, according to the complaint. Within an hour, the student shot Zwerner, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges Parker acted with gross negligence and in “reckless disregard” for Zwerner’s safety.
Zwerner said she has undergone multiple surgeries following the shooting, and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and has nightmares stemming from the incident.
Zwerner told Hampton, Virginia, ABC affiliate WVEC in an interview a year after the shooting she does not think she will be able to teach again due to the “anxiety, the PTSD and the fear.”
The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect in connection with the shooting, which she is currently serving. Taylor was also sentenced to 21 months in prison on federal firearm and drug charges, which she has since served.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers remarks as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers an announcement on his Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dining Room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. has carried out strikes against four more alleged drug vessels in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday, killing 14 people.
“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth wrote on X, where he posted a video of the strikes.
The latest action brings the total number of people believed to have been killed to more than 50.
According to Hegseth, there was one survivor from Monday’s round of strikes.
“Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue,” he wrote on X.
The strikes are part of what the administration has called its “war” against drug cartels. The U.S. military has now hit 10 alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The use of lethal force, however, has raised several legal questions.
In addition to the strikes, the U.S. last week ordered the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and its accompanying aircraft to the waters around Central and South America — a move designed to ratchet up pressure against the Venezuelan government.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Tylenol caplets are displayed on September 22, 2025 in San Anselmo, California. The Trump administration will reportedly link use of the painkiller acetaminophen during pregnancy to autism during a White House press conference today. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, claiming that they deceptively marketed the over-the-counter medication to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders.
“Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks,” Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday. “These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. … By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”
This is the first lawsuit from a state government since President Donald Trump claimed last month that Tylenol use during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism, despite limited evidence to suggest an association.
Johnson & Johnson sold the drug for decades and its consumer health division spinoff, Kenvue Inc., has been selling the drug since 2023.
In a statement, Kenvue pushed back on the attorney general’s claims, saying it is “deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children.”
“Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated,” the statement read. “We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Amazon has announced that it will cut an estimated 14,000 jobs from its corporate workforce as it focuses on “reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources,” according to the company.
Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, announced the organizational changes on Tuesday, saying that those affected would be informed later in the day.
“Last year, [Amazon CEO Andy Jassy] posted a note about strengthening our culture and teams — explaining how we want to operate like the world’s largest startup, the importance of having the right structure to drive that level of speed and ownership, and the need to be set up to invent, collaborate, be connected, and deliver the absolute best for customers,” Galetti said in the announcement on Tuesday.
“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs,” Galetti continued.
Galetti said that the people affected in the reduction of the estimated 14,000 roles — about 4% of their workforce of an estimated 350,000 people — would be supported in the coming weeks and months.
“We’re working hard to support everyone whose role is impacted, including offering most employees 90 days to look for a new role internally (the timing will vary some based on local laws), and our recruiting teams will prioritize internal candidates to help as many people as possible find new roles within Amazon,” Galetti said.
“For our teammates who are unable to find a new role at Amazon or who choose not to look for one, we’ll offer them transition support including severance pay, outplacement services, health insurance benefits, and more,” Galetti continued.
Amazon said that they would continue hiring in “key strategic areas while also finding additional places we can remove layers, increase ownership, and realize efficiency gains.”
“What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly,” said Galetti. “We’re convicted that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.”
“I don’t know of any other company with the breadth of Amazon, the number of exciting bold bets we’re making, and all the ways we can make customers lives better and easier around the world,” Galetti continued.
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is considering replacing senior field office leaders at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with leaders from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to multiple law enforcement officials.
The change would represent a shift by the administration to try and get more deportations, as the White House has been pushing for, according to law enforcement officials.
As many as 12 field office directors could be replaced by border patrol officials in the coming days, a law enforcement source told ABC News.
The field offices range from Los Angeles to Philadelphia — and all of this is spearheaded by Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Commander at Large Greg Bovino.
Bovino’s tactics have drawn the ire of at least one federal judge who called him to testify about potentially ignoring a court order.
Internally at DHS, Bovino has drawn praise from senior DHS leadership. It would also be a shift for ICE — which typically keeps promotions in-house.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted on X on Monday, saying, “This is one team, one fight. President Trump has a brilliant, tenacious team led by @Sec_Noem to deliver on the American people’s mandate to remove criminal illegal aliens from this country.”
“As we said, we have no personnel changes to announce right now, but we remain laser focused on RESULTS and we will deliver,” McLaughlin added.
(NEW YORK) — When the tens of thousands of runners hit the streets this Sunday for the New York City Marathon, they’ll be competing in weather conditions a bit warmer than experts say is optimal for peak performance. While the “sweet spot” for competitive running varies by gender and ability, researchers believe the ideal marathon running conditions are somewhere between 39 degrees and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
But according to a new analysis by Climate Central, climate change is threatening the optimal conditions that help elite runners break world records and amateurs achieve their personal bests.
The report from the nonprofit science research group found that as our planet continues to warm due to human-amplified climate change, ideal marathon conditions will become increasingly rare for many events worldwide.
According to Climate Central’s research, 86% of the 221 global marathons reviewed are less likely to have ideal weather on race days by 2045 because of climate change. Of those races, all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors will be affected, including the famous New York City and Boston Marathons.
For elite male runners, the Tokyo Marathon currently offers the world’s best odds for ideal race-day conditions, but the Climate Central analysis found that it’s also facing the sharpest decline in the odds of perfect weather by 2045 as global temperatures rise.
This year’s Tokyo and Berlin marathons were hit by heat waves that Climate Central said were made two to three times more likely by climate change. Those heat waves pushed the race-day temperatures well above the window for peak performance. And by 2045, the chances of an ideal weather day for the Tokyo Marathon will decrease from 69% to 57% for the elite men. For Berlin, the odds go from 40% to 29% for the elite women.
Overall, from 2025 to 2045, for the elite men, the likelihood of optimal temperatures on race days declines in Tokyo, Boston, London, New York and Berlin. For the elite woman, they are facing a reduced chance in London, New York, Chicago, Berlin and Sydney.
Climate Central notes that while elite female runners are “uniquely resilient, maintaining optimal performance at higher temperatures than elite men and other runner types,” ideal race-day conditions for these elite women athletes are still projected to decrease in the decades to come.
“Climate change has altered the marathon. Dehydration is a real risk, and simple miscalculations can end a race before it begins,” said Catherine Ndereba, a former Marathon World Record Holder, two-time World Marathon Champion, four-time Winner of Boston Marathon and two-time Winner of Chicago Marathon.
Ndereba added, “We’re not just training to run anymore; athletes have to adapt how they deal with the conditions, including in how they eat and hydrate.”
Climate Central recommends that race organizers consider starting the events closer to sunrise, but the organization stresses that only meaningful climate action and reducing the use of fossil fuels can safeguard marathons’ future.
