(NEW YORK) — The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will likely experience above-average activity, the National Hurricane Center announced on Thursday.
Between 13 and 19 named storms are expected for the 2025 season, which starts on June 1 and lasts until Nov. 30, according to the NHC. Storms are named when become tropical storms or stronger.
Meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict between six and 10 hurricanes and between three and five major hurricanes, at Category 3 or higher.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Bitcoin surged to a record high on Thursday, vaulting more than 3% in early trading and hurtling past $110,000 for the first time.
The price of bitcoin stood at $111,385 on Thursday, extending a sharp rise that stretches back to the November election of President Donald Trump, a cryptocurrency supporter and investor.
Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, jumped 6%. The $TRUMP memecoin, a crypto coin launched by the president in January, increased nearly 6%.
A surge in the value of some cryptocurrencies in recent days followed a Senate vote to advance the GENIUS Act, an industry-backed bill that aims to regulate some digital currency.
The measure establishes rules targeting stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the value of another asset, often the U.S. dollar.
If enacted, the bill could allow such crypto coins to become a mainstream tool for digital payments and other financial instruments, setting the stage for an influx of investment in digital currency.
Critics say the measure fails to address conflict-of-interest concerns exemplified by Trump, and it risks endangering consumers and the wider economy with a weak set of restrictions.
Trump, who also backs a cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial, has denied any wrongdoing involving his crypto ventures.
The record high for bitcoin also coincides with a spike in Treasury yields amid deficit concerns centered on a domestic policy bill passed by the U.S. House on Thursday.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday found the tax policies backed by Trump would add $3.8 trillion to the national debt. The finding comes days after a U.S. credit downgrade at Moody’s in part due to the country’s deficit.
Higher yields increase the cost of U.S. borrowing and add strain to the nation’s finances. In theory, investors may seek out alternatives to the U.S. dollar as debit yields face upward pressure.
Bryan Armour, the director of passive strategies research at financial firm Morningstar, attributed the recent rise in the price of bitcoin to both industry regulation and bond market fears.
“I suspect it’s a mix of regulatory adoption and fear for the dollar given the expectation of high government spending,” Armour said.
The price of bitcoin has surged about 40% since the presidential election. Over that period, the S&P 500 has declined 2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq has dropped 3%.
In July, Trump told the audience at a cryptocurrency conference in Nashville, Tennessee, that he wanted to turn the U.S. into the “crypto capital of the planet.”
Trump promised to weaken federal oversight of cryptocurrency and establish the federal government’s first strategic bitcoin reserve.
In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing the reserve of digital currencies, saying the move would position the U.S. “as a leader among nations in government digital asset strategy.”
On Thursday, Trump is set to attend a gala with hundreds of top investors in his memecoin, which an announcement described as an “intimate private dinner.”
The move elicited concern among some critics as a possible means of exchanging access to the president for financial gain.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Thursday, in a rare deadlocked 4-4 ruling, said Oklahoma cannot create the nation’s first religious charter school funded directly with taxpayer dollars.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not take part in the decision, recusing from the case early on, presumably given her ties to the Notre Dame law clinic that supported the Catholic diocese, but she did not explain her decision.
The Supreme Court issued a one-line opinion upholding the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling that taxpayer-funded religious schools would violate both the state and U.S. constitutions.
“The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court,” the Supreme Court wrote in an unsigned ruling so it is not known how each justice voted on the issue.
The court action leaves in place lower court rulings that said the arrangement would have violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
The decision is a setback for a religious freedom movement that has notched major gains in recent years under the Supreme Court’s current conservative majority, including rulings allowing the use of taxpayer-funded school vouchers, scholarships, and capital improvement grants by religious organizations.
The ruling is almost certainly not the final word on the issue, however.
Because the Supreme Court divided evenly, its decision is not a binding precedent nationwide and sets the stage for the entire court to reconsider the issue in a future case, perhaps from another state.
The decision is being greeted with relief by advocates for public schools and independent charter schools, who feared that a ruling in favor of St. Isidore of Seville, the Oklahoma Catholic school, would create major disruptions to education systems nationwide.
Forty-five states have charter school programs, encompassing 8,000 schools that serve 3.8 million kids.
Some states, opposed to funding of religious charter schools, had warned they may be forced to curtail their charter programs or end them entirely.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Longtime gangster Ralph DeLeo, once the purported “street boss” of the Colombo crime family, plotted to “murder no fewer than three people who played roles in his most recent criminal conviction,” federal prosecutors alleged in a new court filing.
DeLeo, 82, was released from prison a year ago under supervised release after he served time for racketeering.
He was arrested earlier this month. It was not clear why until the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston said in a court filing that DeLeo was “actively planning to kill two current and one former federal official, all of whom were involved in the federal criminal case resulting in DeLeo’s 2012 conviction.”
According to the court filing, DeLeo was asking around for “personal identifying information, including home addresses and names of immediate family members, relating to the federal officials” which he referred to as his “retribution.”
Federal agents said they recovered “hard copy packets” of personal information for the individuals along with “a burglary kit, marijuana, vials of steroids, and a handwritten note regarding silicone masks.”
The burglary kit contained a pry-bar, mini crowbar, bolt cutters, and lock-picking tools, prosecutors said.
The FBI said DeLeo was allegedly “actively communicating with known felons,” including codefendants from the racketeering case that put him in prison.
DeLeo has a “long and violent criminal history” that federal prosecutors said began in the 1970s as an associate of the Patriarca family in Providence.
Prosecutors asked for his detention, arguing he is a danger.
“DeLeo’s criminal history, which includes a conviction for murder, proves that he is more than capable of acting on his threats,” prosecutors said. “DeLeo has been fixated on seeking revenge for years.”
(MCLEAN, Va.) — A non-fatal shooting was reported outside CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Thursday morning, the Fairfax Police Department said.
The incident happened around 4:00 a.m., a police spokesperson said.
“The main gate is currently closed, employees should seek alternative routes,” a CIA spokesperson said. “Additional details will be made available as appropriate.”
Fairfax police said officers are in the area to direct traffic while the CIA conducts their investigation. There are no road closures at this time.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Two members of the Israeli Embassy staff — a couple about to get engaged — were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in what the FBI believes may be a targeted attack.
The shooting has sparked outrage and has been condemned as an “unspeakable” act of antisemitism after officials said the suspect, who is in custody, shouted “free, free Palestine” following the shooting.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar identified the two embassy staff members who were killed as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
He said the pair were attending a Jewish conference of the American Jewish Committee when they were gunned down “in a horrific terrorist attack.”
“This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th massacre,” Sa’ar added. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did.”
An official with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to reporters during the presser that Lischinsky and Milgrim were not diplomats but embassy staff. Lischinsky was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim organized U.S. missions to Israel.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was promptly taken into custody at the scene and is being questioned by police, Smith said.
The FBI said on Thursday it is conducting “court authorized activity” in Chicago that is believed to be related to the suspect in the shooting.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the early indicators point to the shooting being a “targeted attack.”
“The US Attorney’s office is on scene with me, and our WFO management team, at the Washington Field Office reviewing the evidence to determine additional actions,” Bongino said. “The shooting happened a short distance from our Washington Field Office. Our FBI police officer, assigned to the external post on the WFO property, immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack. Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence. Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads.”
After the shooting, officials said Rodriguez attempted to enter the building where the event was taking place and was stopped by event security, Smith said.
Once in custody, he implied that he had committed the shooting and began to chant, “free, free Palestine,” Smith said.
He also explained where he had allegedly ditched the gun used in the shooting, which was promptly recovered, according to officials.
“There is no active threat,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during the press conference at the Metropolitan Police Department.
“I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump posted a statement about the shooting on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”
Emergency call centers began receiving calls around 9:08 p.m. reporting a shooting in the area, Smith said.
When emergency responders arrived, the man and one woman were found at the scene, not breathing, she continued. At least one of the victims was first transported to a local hospital in critical condition, sources told ABC News.
The two victims had been exiting the event at the museum when the incident occurred, officials confirmed.
“The couple that was gunned down tonight were about to be engaged,” Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said at the press conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.”
He also shared that he had received a call from President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, pledging the support of the U.S. in combating antisemitism.
Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, confirmed with ABC News that the AJC had hosted an event at the museum on Wednesday night, adding, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue. At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”
The incident took place near the FBI field office in D.C. A top spokesperson for the FBI posted on X that there was a bureau presence at the scene working in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro went to the scene shortly after the incident, Bondi said in a post on X.
“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” she wrote.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in the aftermath of the shooting saying he was “shocked” at the murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“The Prime Minister spoke with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and received an immediate update on the details of the incident,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister sends strength to the Ambassador and the embassy employees.”
“My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer,” Netanyahu said. “I have instructed to increase security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for representatives of the state.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the Secret Service on Wednesday night increased the security posture and patrols for the Israeli Embassy and the residence of the Israeli ambassador, officials said.
In New York City, the NYPD expanded its presence and security measures at Jewish and Israeli facilities and locations connected with the Israeli government. The increased security will remain in place indefinitely and is both visible and hidden, officials said.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism” in a post on X.
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he wrote.
United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X, “We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared reactions to the incident on social media Thursday morning, with Harris calling the attack a “shocking act of antisemitic violence.”
“Jews must be able to gather without fear or violence. We will not be silent and we will never let antisemitic terror defeat us. May the memory of Yaron and Sarah be a blessing,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and worked to combat antisemitism as second gentleman, wrote on X.
(SAN DIEGO) — A small plane has crashed in a neighborhood of San Diego on Thursday morning, starting a large fire and damaging at least 15 homes and multiple cars, fire officials said Thursday.
Officials are working to to get everybody out of the neighborhood and they will be going home to home to find out if there is anybody inside, San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a press conference, referring to it as “like a movie scene.”
The plane directly hit multiple homes and cars, setting them ablaze, before running down the street, Eddy said.
No patients have been transported as of now, with officials searching to see if anyone is inside the impacted area, Eddy said.
The small private jet crashed seconds before landing at about 3:45 am. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane was flying from Wichita to Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport when it crashed. It was roughly 500 feet in the air at its last radar check-in, according to the FAA.
“A Cessna 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California, around 3:45 a.m.local time on Thursday, May 22. The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the FAA said in a statement.
Residents have been instructed to avoid the area near near Sculpin Street and Santo Road as crews work.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — After weeks of internal GOP wrangling, the Republican-led House early Thursday passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” critical to advancing President Donald Trump’s tax and immigration agenda.
A smiling Speaker Mike Johnson announced the massive measure passed by a single vote — 215-214 — and was greeted with applause. He had struggled to get it done — as he had promised — by Memorial Day, before lawmakers go on recess.
The sweeping package of tax cuts, Medicaid reform and immigration spending delivers on many of the president’s domestic campaign promises.
Following debate that stretched Wednesday through the entire night and into early Thursday morning, the vote was a triumphant moment for Johnson, who conquered sharp divisions among his conference “through a lot of prayer” amid a historically low 3-vote majority.
“The bill gets Americans back to winning again, and it’s been a long time coming,” Johnson proclaimed during his speech on the floor moments before the final vote. “It quite literally is again morning in America, isn’t it, all right?”
Trump celebrated the passage of what he called “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL” in a social media post, calling it the “most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!”
He said it fulfilled his campaign promise of “No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime.” He also recognized the tax deductions when consumers purchase an American-made vehicle, funding for the Golden Dome defense system, and the “TRUMP Savings Accounts” incorporated in the legislation.
“Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill!,” Trump wrote.
“Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” Trump added, before slamming Democrats.
During the final House vote, Republican lawmakers approached the speaker with congratulatory handshakes and back slaps. Someone also played Queen’s “We Are The Champions” off a phone for about 10 seconds while the vote was underway.
Republicans cheered, whistled and applauded when the threshold for passage was achieved at 6:54 a.m.
The successful vote, with one GOP lawmaker voting present, sends the reconciliation bill to the Senate, where the Republican majority is expected to revise the legislation over the next month or longe
Two House Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio, opposed the vote alongside the entire House Democratic Caucus. Rep. Andy Harris, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, voted present.
Johnson took a victory lap following the vote – holding a news conference alongside his leadership team and committee chairs – after Republicans pulled off the improbable and passed the president’s signature legislative package.
“It’s finally Morning in America again,” Johnson beamed as he reported his earlier comment. “The media and the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this stuff. They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump’s America first agenda, but this is a big one, and once again, they have been proven wrong.”
After a marathon hearing that ended overnight, the House Rules committee voted 8-4 to tee up action on the House floor.
The committee vote came after changes to several of the bill’s provisions, including a change to when Medicaid work requirements would kick in.
Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, one of the GOP holdouts that had put the bill’s fate in question, was absent for the committee’s votes.
The key procedural step was needed before advancing the legislation to a final vote.
That meeting came after earlier negotiations with hard-liners fell apart Tuesday. The GOP is far from unified around the bill, which they earlier had said they hoped to move to a vote on Wednesday. Several sticking points, primarily regarding Medicaid work requirements and a cap on state and local tax deductions, still need to be worked out.
After the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The meeting was productive and moved the ball in the right direction. The President reiterated how critical it is for the country to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill as quickly as possible.”
Clearing the House is just the first hurdle for the bill — it will also have to pass muster with a Senate Republican conference that is already telegraphing that they plan to make changes.
Here are the major changes to the bill in the 42-page amendment:
Medicaid: The start date for new Medicaid work requirements will now kick in “no later than December 31, 2026.” The original bill had the work requirements starting in 2029.
This alteration is a win for hardliners who have for days been pushing for steeper spending cuts to be included in the package. Medicaid work requirements are expected to reduce spending in the bill.
There is also a new incentive for states to not expand Medicaid. Medicaid expansion states are increasing state-directed payments up to 110% to maintain the structure.
State and Local Tax Deductions: SALT deduction rises to $40,000 for incomes under $500,000. This is a substantive change from the $10,000 cap that was implemented by Republicans in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This is a concession geared toward satiating blue-state Republicans in states like New York and California. Many of them conditioned their support for the package on lifting or raising the cap on these deductions. Moderates will brand this as a big win.
Maga Savings Account: The amendment changes the names of these accounts. Instead of MAGA Accounts, they will now be called “Trump” Accounts. The president’s last name appears in the manager’s amendment +50 times.
Expedited cuts to clean energy credits: Some of Biden-era clean energy tax credits will phase out sooner, allowing Republicans to recoup costs to apply toward the overall cost of the bill. To receive credits, new projects must break ground within 60 days or be “placed in service” by the end of 2028.
Billions in border security reimbursements: The Department of Homeland Security appropriates $12 billion to states for costs associated with Biden-era border actions through September 30, 2029. The DHS Secretary can authorize grants to assist with immigration enforcement.
Ends tax on silencers: The manager’s amendment delists silencers from the National Firearms Act, effectively ending a tax on transferring silencers.
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
(DALTON, Ga) — A Georgia teenager who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being mistakenly stopped for a traffic infraction she did not commit earlier this month was granted bond Wednesday, according to her attorney.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn, authorities said. The local police department and prosecuting attorney dismissed charges against her related to the mistaken traffic stop, though she was detained by ICE agents for being in the country illegally.
The Department of Homeland Security said following her detainment that it is committed to ordering Arias-Cristobal to “self-deport” to Mexico and that she “admitted to illegally entering the United States and has no pending applications with USCIS.”
During a bond hearing on Wednesday, Arias-Cristobal was granted $1,500 bond, the minimum amount possible under the law, according to her attorney.
“The government did not wish to appeal. The family will pay the bond ASAP and Ximena will be home with her family tomorrow afternoon at the latest,” her attorney, Dustin Baxter, said in a statement.
The next hearing in the case has not been scheduled, another one of her attorneys, Charles Kuck, told ABC Chattanooga, Tennessee, affiliate WTVC, adding, “It would be remarkable if it is before mid-2026.”
Arias-Cristobal, a student at Dalton State College, was being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, ICE records show.
The teen came to the U.S. with her parents when she was 4 years old and is ineligible for relief from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily protects some migrants from deportation if they were brought to the country as children, an attorney for Arias-Cristobal told ABC News.
Arias-Cristobal was not eligible to register for the DACA program because it ended before she became eligible to apply at 16 years old.
Her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was separately detained by police — and later ICE — two weeks before his daughter for speeding and driving without a license, according to DHS. Her father was released on bond from ICE custody last week, WTVC reported.
“Both father and daughter were in this country illegally and they have to face the consequences,” DHS said in a statement last week. “The United States is offering aliens like this father and daughter $1,000 apiece and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Stocks closed down significantly on Wednesday as bond yields spiked amid deficit concerns centered on a tax cut measure under consideration in the U.S. House as part of a megabill supporting President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 817 points, or 1.9%, while the S&P 500 declined 1.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.4%.
The sell-off on Wall Street coincided with a surge in bond yields, which in turn raised the cost of U.S. borrowing and stoked investor fears about the wider impact across the economy.
The 10-year Treasury yield jumped from 4.48% to 4.58%, reaching its highest level since February.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday found the tax policies backed by Trump would add $3.8 trillion to the national debt.
The bond sell-off arrives at a moment of heightened volatility in Treasury markets. Long-term bond yields soared last month in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.
A U.S. credit downgrade at Moody’s last week further roiled debt markets.
Bond yields rise as bond prices fall. When a sell-off hits and demand for bonds dries up, it sends bond prices lower. In turn, bond yields move higher.
The yield for long-term Treasury bonds helps set interest rates for a host of consumer loans, including mortgages and credit cards.
When interest rates rise, businesses also face higher borrowing costs, making it less likely that firms would move forward with an office expansion or round of hiring, analysts previously told ABC News. In turn, such conditions risk an economic slowdown.
