(NEW YORK) — A man with a history of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity set off an “incendiary device” outside a Manhattan federal building that houses an immigration court, authorities said.
Video captured the moment the suspect poured a liquid and then ignited it outside 26 Federal Plaza, sparking a massive fire. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said the suspect used fireworks to set the blaze.
Two people — a federal employee and a civilian — suffered minor injuries and were treated and released, officials said.
Barnacle called it an “anti-government attack on a federal facility.” He said the suspect had an incendiary device, a pellet gun and a sign reading “ICE Off Our Streets.”
The suspect was taken into custody, the FBI said, and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A dozen purported members of the Bad Boys 7, a set of the Trinitarios, were indicted Monday on racketeering conspiracy charges that accused them of five murders, including the carjacking death last August of Ariela La Langosta, a nightlife influencer with more than half a million followers on Instagram.
She was shot multiple times and found dead in her car on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon.
La Langosta, 33, whose real name was Ariela Mejia-Polanco, was a mother of two.
Her family said she left her job at Ikon New York around 4:30 that Sunday morning. The Westchester County Police Department said she was found deceased a few hours later, about 8 a.m., behind the wheel of her car on the eastbound Cross County Parkway near the Broad Street exit in Mount Vernon.
King Charles III welcomes Andy Burnham, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government, on July 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Andy Burnham officially became British prime minister on Monday — the country’s seventh leader in 10 years — having already been elected as the leader of the country’s Labour Party last week.
Burnham, who until recently was serving as the mayor of Greater Manchester, succeeded outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Speaking outside the prime minister’s official residence — 10 Downing Street — on Monday morning, Starmer said, “Today I am here to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as prime minister. My work is done.”
“I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve. I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved. Thank you very much,” Starmer added.
Of his successor, the outgoing prime minister said, “I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success. He has my full support.”
After his address, Starmer traveled the short distance to Buckingham Palace to formally inform King Charles III of his resignation. Burnham then also traveled to palace where the king asked him to form a government.
The new prime minister then traveled to Downing Street to give his first address, telling the assembled press that Britain must show “that we can regain our stability.”
Burnham said his appointment will serve as “a circuit-breaker” for the country, pledging to deliver a new political and economic model and a 10-year plan.
Among the new prime’s commitments were to address cost of living concerns, help young people into work, end homelessness, re-industrialize the country, put “life’s essentials back under public control” and push for more local powers.
Through the rest of Monday, Burnham is expected to begin appointing cabinet ministers from Number 10.
Starmer announced that he would step down in June, following months of domestic political turmoil. Despite leading Labour to a historic majority in parliament in the 2024 general election, Starmer faced persistent external and internal criticism over his perceived failure to deliver rapid change after 14 years of Conservative Party rule in Britain.
Many in Starmer’s party had written to the prime minister asking him to step down following local elections in May, which saw the party lose more than 1,000 seats on local councils, results that were widely interpreted as a repudiation by British voters of Labour’s performance under the prime minister’s leadership.
Starmer long said he intended to see out his full five-year. Announcing his resignation in June, Starmer said, “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
Burnham was the only candidate in the subsequent leadership election, ultimately winning nominations from 379 of the 403 Labour members of parliament — of the 650 MPs in total — in the House of Commons.
In accepting the leadership of Labour last week, Burnham said his mission was “to bring back hope” and address decades of economic inequality plus falling living standards.
“We must recognize that this generation of politicians — myself included — have failed to challenge a political culture and an economic model that simply doesn’t work well enough for ordinary people,” he said.
Burnham will become the seventh leader to take the reins of the country in 10 years, a reflection of the political and economic turbulence that has beset the country since the Brexit vote in 2016.
The incoming prime minister said he would also make British politics “less toxic, adding, “I will work to build a new politics. The country is crying out for it.”
Burnham, 56, was born in the Lancashire region of northern England. Burnham started out as a journalist, writing for trade magazines, before transitioning to work as a Labour parliamentary researcher while in his early 20s.
Burnham rose through the party ranks before being elected as the MP for his hometown of Leigh, in Greater Manchester, in 2001. He held that seat for 16 years, during which time he was appointed to several cabinet positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
During Labour’s years in opposition, Burnham bid to become Labour leader twice, but was defeated by — and then served in shadow cabinets of — Labour leaders Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.
In 2017, Burnham left parliament to become the mayor of Greater Manchester. In his victory speech, Burnham heralded what he called “the dawn of a new era, not just for this city region but for politics in our country. It has been too London-centric for too long. The old political and party structures haven’t delivered for all people and for all places.”
Burnham is associated with the center left of the Labour Party, and has described himself as a socialist. Burnham’s time as Manchester mayor saw him emerge as a major proponent of shifting investment and political power out of London, and earned him the nickname “the King of the North.”
ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.
An undated photo of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was believed to be recovered after going missing on July 4, 2026. (Courtesy of the Wells Family)
(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — Family and friends of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells will gather on Monday for his funeral as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver a eulogy at the service at Center Pointe Church in Wells’ hometown, Ocean Springs.
The 18-year-old went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and family attorney Ben Crump.
“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
Wells’ body was recovered two days later, according to officials.
Authorities said they believe the college football player drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
Wells’ family is desperate for answers and sent his body to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, Crump noted.
Ledbetter told ABC News that the sheriff’s office welcomes the family’s independent investigation.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he said.
“We’re working towards the same goal as the family — we want a thorough investigation,” the sheriff said.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, told ABC News her son was a “bright light,” recalling that “his smile, his energy was just, just so infectious.”
An undated photo of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was believed to be recovered after going missing on July 4, 2026. (Courtesy of the Wells Family)
(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — Family and friends of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells will gather on Monday for his funeral as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver a eulogy at the service at Center Pointe Church in Wells’ hometown, Ocean Springs.
The 18-year-old went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and family attorney Ben Crump.
“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
Wells’ body was recovered two days later, according to officials.
Authorities said they believe the college football player drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
Wells’ family is desperate for answers and sent his body to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, Crump noted.
Ledbetter told ABC News that the sheriff’s office welcomes the family’s independent investigation.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he said.
“We’re working towards the same goal as the family — we want a thorough investigation,” the sheriff said.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, told ABC News her son was a “bright light,” recalling that “his smile, his energy was just, just so infectious.”
Cup of coffee with beans (Ricky Herawan / 500px/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Drinking up to five cups of coffee a day is safe for most adults, and regular coffee consumption may be linked to a lower risk of stroke, diabetes and heart failure, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The official report, published Monday in the journal Circulation, addresses years of conflicting advice regarding caffeine and the heart.
“Coffee is potentially linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart failure, though its relationship with blood pressure is complex and data isn’t entirely consistent across the board,” said Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified cardiologist and ABC News Medical Unit Fellow.
For decades, doctors frequently advised people with heart issues to avoid stimulants. However, this comprehensive review marks a major shift by distinguishing between natural coffee beans and synthetic caffeine.
While older guidelines relied heavily on lower-quality studies, the AHA panel integrated recent clinical trials showing that even for patients who have had a procedure to address an irregular heart rhythm, daily coffee can cut the risk of the condition returning by 39%.
Habitual coffee consumption was also associated with a 20% to 30% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The AHA warns that your daily brewing method drastically impacts these potential health benefits, however. These heart-healthy links apply strictly to paper-filtered or instant coffee. Unfiltered options, including a French press, espresso, or Turkish coffee, retain a natural compound called cafestol. Cafestol raises low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that can clog arteries over time.
Crucially, these positive heart associations do not translate to highly concentrated synthetic caffeine products like energy drinks, shots, or pills. The AHA notes that high-caffeine energy drinks are consistently linked to cardiovascular harm. These products are associated with sudden spikes in blood pressure and acute episodes of irregular heart rhythms, even in healthy adults.
“The AHA distinguishes between coffee and energy drinks, which can pose significant cardiovascular harm,” said Miao. “In large amounts, energy drinks can trigger life-threatening heart rhythm issues and even cardiac arrest.”
Your ideal caffeine limit is heavily influenced by your genetics. Inherited variations in a liver enzyme gene called CYP1A2 dictate how fast your body metabolizes stimulants. While some people can easily clear 400 milligrams of caffeine, which is about three to five cups of coffee, others may experience sleep disruption and blood pressure spikes with far less caffeine.
Doctors still caution that anyone with an underlying heart problem or existing risks of developing heart disease or stroke should talk to their provider about what amount of coffee or caffeine may be safe for them to consume.
“Consume caffeine in moderation, not solely for potential health benefits,” Miao advised. Everyone’s sensitivity is different, so if you have any underlying conditions or concerns, please talk to your doctor.”
Yonathan Daniel, M.D., is an internal medicine resident physician at NYU Langone Health and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit
Second lady Usha Vance and U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrive for a military mothers celebration in the East Room of the White House on May 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump and the first lady honored America’s military mothers at the event ahead of Mother’s Day. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President JD Vance announced on Sunday that second lady Usha Vance gave birth to the couple’s fourth child, a son named Alec Neel Vance.
Vance said both Usha and the baby “are happy and healthy” and thanked the medical teams at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit.
“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” the vice president wrote on X.
JD and Usha Vance share three other young children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.
The couple announced they were expecting their fourth child in January, writing on social media, “Our family is growing!” They met while studying at Yale Law School and got married in 2014.
The vice president often speaks about his family and marriage, and has been a leading voice in the Trump administration’s efforts to encourage the public to have more children.
“I want more babies in the United States of America. I want more happy children in our country, and I want — and I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them,” Vance said in one of the first speeches of his vice presidential term at the March for Life event in Washington last year.
“And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world and to welcome them as the blessings that we know they are here at the March for Life,” he added at the time.
In June, Usha Vance sat down with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis for a wide-ranging interview. The second lady shared her thoughts about her husband’s political future and the biggest surprise she learned about President Donald Trump.
When asked whether she would like to see JD Vance as president one day, Usha Vance said, “I am not a particularly politically ambitious person; I would like to see him happy. I would like to see him making contributions that matter and whatever form that takes is a form that I’ll be supportive of,” she said.
The second lady said that the biggest surprise to her, as she’s gotten to know President Trump, has been his sense of humor and his gentleness toward children.
“He has a really good sense of humor and has a sort of gentleness towards his children, towards other people’s families and children,” she said. “It shows a lot of caring about what they’re going through and what is happening in their lives.”
Mail-in ballots following a primary election at San Francisco County’s election operations facility at City Hall in San Francisco, California, US, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., handed the Trump administration a temporary win on Friday in its attempt to increase federal oversight of elections.
In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold a lower court ruling, which had blocked the U.S. Postal Service from attempting to restrict mail-in voting.
However, the Trump administration does not yet have a green light to move forward with the proposed rule. A separate judge in Massachusetts blocked the policy last month, and that injunction still stands.
The cases center on a proposed rule from the U.S. Postal Service that sought to compel states to create lists of approved voters, as well as impose stricter regulations on mail-in ballots.
Last month, Postmaster General David Steiner told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that under the proposed rule, the Postal Service would refuse to deliver mail-in ballots in states that do not turn over their voter lists.
“Yes or no — if a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposed rule?” asked Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.
“Under our proposed regulation, no. We would tell the state that we need the manifest,” Steiner said.
The NAACP, which brought the lawsuit, had previously sued the Postal Service in 2020, seeking to challenge delays in delivering mail-in ballots heading into that year’s presidential election. The two sides settled in 2021, with the Postal Service agreeing to “prioritiz[e] . . . the timely delivery of Election Mail” for every national election through 2028.
In Friday’s ruling, the appeals court said the Trump administration is likely to succeed because the lawsuit is premature — since the rule itself is not yet finalized — and not covered by a 2021 settlement between the NAACP and Postal Service.
The appeals court also said the Trump administration demonstrated they would be irreparably harmed if the Postal Service can’t finalize and implement the rule in time for the midterms.
“In this context, ‘there can be no do over’ once the election occurs,” the ruling said.
While the Trump administration cannot yet move forward with the new rule, the D.C. Circuit’s ruling signals that the Trump administration may be able convince other appeals courts to let them implement the policy while the lawsuits move through the courts — potentially past the November elections.
Wildfire smoke from Canada shrouds the sun as it rises behind the Chrysler Building in New York City, July 17, 2026. (Gary Hershorn/ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Dangerous wildfire smoke is impacting more than a dozen states on Saturday morning as air quality alerts span from the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes to New England, south through the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
More than 900 wildfires are burning across Canada, sending smoke into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, though a storm system moving through Saturday could help clear some of the haze.
The Midwest and Upper Great Lakes are expected to see poor air quality through the weekend as northwesterly winds push a plume of smoke into the region.
Meanwhile, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe storms across parts of the Ohio Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor, including New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., could be affected. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo are also expected to see strong storms.
The rounds of showers and storms will bring the threat of damaging winds, hail, a few tornadoes and chances for flash flooding in certain areas.
Flood watches are in effect for parts of the Northeast, including New York City and Philadelphia, through Saturday evening as heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding.
Elsewhere, monsoonal moisture is expected to extend from West Texas and southern New Mexico into central and northern Arizona and southern Utah, where daytime heating could trigger thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
A severe storm threat also extends into parts of Virginia and the Carolinas, where scattered storms could produce damaging winds and heavy rainfall as Charlotte, Raleigh and Virginia Beach are among the cities that could be affected.
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the FY2027 budget request on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The late Sen. Lindsey Graham will be honored later this month with separate services in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina, after the Republican died unexpectedly on July 11.
Graham’s office announced Friday that the senator’s life and legacy will be celebrated Tuesday, July 28 in Washington before separate services Wednesday, July 29 in South Carolina: Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district Graham represented.
While Graham’s office did not announce a location for the service in Washington, congressional sources told ABC News that the event is being held at the Washington National Cathedral. Graham’s office said that additional details regarding the services are forthcoming.
It’s not yet clear whether President Donald Trump will attend or have a role in the services.
Graham, a Trump ally who died serving in his fifth term in the Senate, was born in Central, South Carolina, in 1955. He graduated from Daniel High School in Central in 1973, according to his congressional biography.
Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday after she was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster just days after her brother’s death. Trump supported her appointment, calling it a “fabulous tribute” to Lindsey Graham, who at a young age became Darline Graham’s legal guardian after the deaths of their parents.
On Friday, Trump called on Darline Graham to run in the upcoming special primary election for Senate in South Carolina, which would set her up to potentially fill the seat of her late brother in a more permanent way.
Darline Graham has not yet announced whether she intends to run for the seat for the full term. A source involved with South Carolina politics told ABC News on Friday that she has been having conversations about running in the special election.
ABC News has reached out to Darline Graham’s office, but did not immediately hear back.
Darline Graham, who lives in Lexington, South Carolina, has served since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.
She also previously held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the governor’s office said.
A special-election primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 to determine a Republican candidate for the Nov. 3 general election ballot — though a runoff could occur two weeks later if no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes.
