A burnt-out van is covered in crime-scene tape where a series of explosions occurred on July 7, 2026 in Damascus, Syria.. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least two explosions were reported in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, as French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the city to meet with the country’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The Syrian Arab News Agency said that the explosions occurred near the Ministry of Tourism building and that at least 18 people — including four security personnel — were injured.
Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the report. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.
Writing on X after the explosions but without explicitly mentioning the blasts, Macron said, “Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination. My visit continues.”
Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Assad was forced to flee the country after government forces collapsed in the face of a surprise offensive launched by a coalition of rebel groups, led by Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday. “I have come to express France’s commitment to the Syrian people. For a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbors. Together, let us open a new chapter of stability and peace,” he wrote in a post to X.
Last week, a device exploded in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
Illustration of Legionella pneumophila bacteria (Roger Harriss/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Health officials in New York City said they are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease.
As of July 6, 23 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been confirmed in two of Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhoods, according to the New York City Department of Health. So far, no deaths have been associated with the cluster.
In a notice to the two neighborhoods — Carnegie Hill and Yorkville — the department said it believes the likely source of the bacteria is a cooling tower in the area, which sprays a mist that contains the bacteria.
The health department said there is no issue with any building’s plumbing system and that residents in the affected areas can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their air conditioners.
“All cooling towers in [the] area are being sampled and tested in the NYC Public Health Lab,” Mark Levine, the city’s comptroller, wrote in a post on X on Sunday evening. “It unfortunately takes several weeks for cultures to grow.”
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.
The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater but amounts generally don’t lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.
Legionnaires’ disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.
Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.
About one out of every 10 people who develop Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications, according to the CDC. Among those who develop Legionnaires’ disease during a stay in a healthcare facility, about one out of every four people will die, the federal health agency added.
The NYC health department said anyone who lives or works in the affected areas — or has visited since late June — and is experiencing flu-like symptoms should contact a healthcare provider immediately. The ZIP codes for the areas are 10028, 10128, and 10075.
(MAINE) — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday pushed back on an allegation of sexual assault, calling it “categorically false,” adding that he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
In a report from Politico published on Monday, Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend, alleged that Platner, while they were dating five years ago, forced her into having sex without her consent after she had repeatedly called for him to stop.
ABC News has not confirmed the contents of the Politico story.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
President Donald Trump walks over to Marine One after landing in Air Force One on July 03, 2026 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he is constructing a granite helipad for Marine One on the White House South Lawn, and said it will be paid for by Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, which makes helicopters that transport the president.
“So, now we’re building a helipad, a beautiful helipad, and it’s got the seal of the White House on it, in granite, in carved granite. It’s really a beautiful thing,” Trump said while taking reporter questions at an event in the Oval Office.
Trump said Sikorsky would pay for the construction.
“It’s about $5 or $6 million. They’re paying the full cost,” the president said.
A Lockheed Martin spokesperson, in a statement provided to ABC News, said the company “has a long history of supporting projects” in Washington, D.C., and across the country.
“This specific contribution was made to the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service’s non-profit organization,” the spokesperson said. “Our engagement with the federal government is guided by rigorous ethics and compliance standards and conducted in full accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.”
Lockheed Martin delivered a new fleet of Sikorsky helicopters to the Air Force in 2024, but the White House has had to keep using an older fleet for South Lawn departures and arrivals because they burn the grass. Trump on Monday said the helicopters not only singed the grass but also “ripped it out.”
The newer helicopters have been used when the president is away on travel.
A spokesperson for Sikorsky said in a statement that the new helicopter, a VH‑92A Patriot, “is a recognizable patriotic asset known around the globe for safety, security and reliability.”
The U.S. Navy awarded Sikorsky Aircraft a $1.24 billion contract to replace the Marine One helicopter fleet. The deal was agreed to under President Barack Obama’s administration.
“It brings increased capabilities for the no‑fail mission supporting the Commander‑in‑Chief around the world. The helicopter delivers increased performance and reduced maintenance costs and time over the current fleet of presidential helicopters,” the Sikorsky spokesperson said.
The helipad will be Trump’s latest construction project at the White House.
The East Wing was demolished last year to make way for construction of Trump’s massive White House ballroom. The ballroom addition has sparked numerous legal challenges.
Trump installed plaques underneath portraits of presidents at the White House — dubbed the “Presidential Walk of Fame” — along the West Wing Colonnade.
He also paved over the grass at the White House Rose Garden to create a patio with tables, and installed two massive flagpoles on the North and South lawns. More recently, scaffolding was erected for restoration work on the building’s stone columns.
Trump commented on the work while hosting a lunch at the new Rose Garden Club.
“A lot of love is being put in the White House,” the president said.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
The flooded interior at a BJ’s Wholesale Club is seen following a partial roof collapse at the store in Ocean Township, New Jersey, July 6, 2026. (Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office)
(OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J.) — The roof of a BJ’s Wholesale Club in New Jersey partially collapsed during heavy rain on Monday, temporarily entrapping two people who were able to safely escape, authorities said.
No injuries have been reported following the incident at the big-box store in Ocean Township, authorities said.
Video from the store’s security camera captured the collapse, showing a portion of the roof fall near the bakery section as a deluge of water flooded the interior. Local officials have confirmed they are looking at the video as part of an investigation into the incident.
Multiple agencies responded to the store around 11:16 a.m. ET following reports of the partial roof collapse, authorities said. There were 27 people inside the store at the time, including two who became partially entrapped but were able to free themselves and safely leave, according to local authorities.
First responders conducted a “comprehensive search” of the building, and a drone and K-9 teams were also involved in the search effort to ensure no one remained inside, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Ocean Township Police Department said in a joint statement.
The collapse occurred as heavy rain pummeled the area, resulting in “extreme flooding,” the sheriff’s office said. Up to six inches of rain was reported in the area over the past 24 hours, with most of the rain falling since early Monday morning.
“This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a statement about the collapse. “We commend all first responders who worked with urgency under challenging circumstances. Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weather affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for.”
ABC News has reached out to BJ’s Wholesale Club for comment.
Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners Director Thomas Arnone commended the “swift response” by agencies in the incident while urging residents to stay alert for updates regarding flash flooding and other storm-related damage in the area.
The heavy rain that was occurring at the time of the roof collapse has since ended, though additional rounds of rain are possible through the evening hours.
A flood watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. ET Monday in Monmouth County, according to the National Weather Service.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. (CDC)
(DETROIT) — Cases of a parasitic infection are continuing to rise in at least two states, local health officials said.
As of July 6, nearly 700 cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection, were confirmed, an official from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) told ABC News on Monday. This is an increase from the roughly 300 cases reported on Thursday.
The 678 cases have predominantly been confirmed the southeast region of Michigan including Wayne County, where Detroit is located.
Typically, the state has 50 cases per year, meaning cases are currently about 13.5 times higher than on average.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, an infectious disease physician, epidemiologist and the chief medical executive for the state of Michigan, described the 678 figure as a “moving target,” meaning that cases are likely to continue rising.
“There is a significant lag time between exposure to contaminated produce or contaminated materials and development of symptoms,” she told ABC News. “So it can take a week, sometimes even two weeks between exposure and development of symptoms.”
She added that there may be some infected individuals who are only now reading news reports and getting tested, so there may be even more delayed diagnoses.
Additionally, in Ohio, there were 177 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 2, Ken Gordon, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Health’s communications office, confirmed to ABC News.
Cases have been confirmed across 43 counties in Ohio so far this year, according to Gordon. Most of those cases — 171 — were reported since June 20.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 145 cases have been detected in 17 states since May 1, excluding Michigan, as of June 16, with at least 20 people hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The CDC said cases ranged between age 5 and 86, with a median age of 42, and 61% were female.
So far, no cases have been linked between states and health officials are still investigating if there is a common source of the outbreak in Michigan.
The parasite usually spreads through food or water contaminated with feces, according to the CDC.
Foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, such as raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce and cilantro, according to the CDC. The agency further said it takes about one week from the time of infection to become symptomatic, but that time can range from two days to two weeks.
Bagdasarian said MDHHS’s working hypothesis is that the outbreak is linked to contaminated produce, but it’s unclear which produce, how long it has been on the shelf or where it’s been distributed.
“We are making sure that we’re issuing guidance to the public as well as to restaurants and commercial kitchens so that folks know the safest way to eat produce right now,” she said. “If folks are making the switch and consuming all of these products as safely as possible, that could mean that we are still seeing cases where people were exposed.”
Some patients do not experience any symptoms but, for those who do, the most common symptom is “explosive watery diarrhea,” doctors previously told ABC News. Other symptoms can include cramping, bloating, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting, the doctors said.
Since cyclosporiasis symptoms can resemble other illnesses, it may be hard for a patient to determine what they are infected with.
While a traditional stomach bug will have symptoms that typically disappear within 24 to 48 hours, cyclosporiasis symptoms may last for days or even weeks, Bagdasarian noted.
“If you believe that you could have cyclosporiasis, it’s really important to see your healthcare provider and to mention cyclosporiasis, just in case they haven’t heard about this outbreak happening right now, and ask for stool testing, because not all stool testing routinely will include cyclosporiasis,” she said.
The CDC said the infection is very unlikely to spread from person to person because it takes at least one to two weeks outside the body for the parasite to become infectious after someone passes a bowel movement.
Local and federal authorities are working to find the cause of cases in various states and to see if there are any connections. So far none have been identified.
Cyclosporiasis is treated with the oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), commonly sold as Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim, taken for 10 days, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that people can prevent infection by thoroughly washing produce, cutting away bruised or damaged parts of fruits and vegetables and refrigerating pre-prepared or pre-cut produce.
“Grabbing a scrub brush can also be helpful,” Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical correspondent, said on “Good Morning America Weekend” on Sunday. “And an important note here, this type of parasite doesn’t easily go away with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. So, good old handwashing is really key here.”
ABC News’ Megan Fahrney contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump walks over to Marine One after landing in Air Force One on July 03, 2026 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he is constructing a granite helicopter landing pad for Marine One on the White House South Lawn, which he said will be paid for by Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin that makes helicopters that transport the president.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A Smithsonian Institution sign is seen on the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall on March 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian Institution of engaging in “extreme political activism” and presenting “a radical view of American history.”
The report, which was published on Saturday, July 4, particularly took aim at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), accusing its leadership of adopting “an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.”
The report accuses the museum of “anti-White activism,” “illegal alien activism,” and “transgender activism.” It also includes many photos of materials the White House has identified as problematic.
Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian, which oversees 21 museums, galleries and the national zoo, told ABC News that the institution remains committed to impartial learning.
“For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so,” the spokesperson said on Sunday.
In his most recent public comments, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday morning that the institution is “in pursuit of the promise of America.”
The report, which was published by the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, comes amid an ongoing White House review of the Smithsonian as well as a separate internal review launched by the Smithsonian into its own exhibits and processes. Asked about the status of the internal review, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian did not comment.
The White House review was launched in response to President Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
The executive order directed Vice President J.D. Vance, in consultation with the president’s advisers on domestic policy, “to remove improper ideology” from Smithsonian institutions, arguing that materials that cast America in a “negative light” have no place in federal cultural institutions.
“The serious concerns raised in this report are not about a few exhibits or a few controversial labels,” the report says. “As it stands today, it would benefit most Americans, especially parents bringing their children for a tour, if the Smithsonian’s flagship history museum had a label at every entrance that reads: ‘Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don’t want you to love your country.'”
What’s in the report?
The report includes dozens of examples of exhibits and materials in exhibits that the White House has determined to be examples of “radical activism.”
For instance, the report highlights an exhibit titled “Many Voices, One Nation,” and claims that its contents attempt “to instill within visitors its belief that migration and immigration, including the granting of citizenship to illegal aliens, is a defining modern-day civil rights and human liberty issue.”
The report also takes issue with displays about transgender people, including an exhibit titled “Girlhood” that profiled transgender media personality and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Jazz Jennings.
“One of the clearest examples of NMAH’s radical ideology is its refusal to correctly identify or define what a woman is,” the report states — reinforcing language from Trump’s January 2025 executive order, which outlined that this administration’s policy would be to “recognize two sexes, male and female” based on biology.
Overall, the report takes issue with materials addressing “white supremacy,” “racism” and the country’s history of “slavery,” “conquest” and “exclusion.”
The report claims that the museum fails to substantially represent the founders of the United States and that the exhibits cast America as “a problematic country irredeemably conceived, founded by deeply flawed men, and still operating today as an instrument of systemic racism and oppression.”
Sarah Weicksel, executive director of the American Historical Association, previously told ABC News that the White House is seeking to create “a narrowly sanitized version of the American past” at federal cultural institutions “that fits comfortably” into Trump’s executive order.
The American Historical Association (AHC), which represents 10,000 historians across various educational and cultural institutions in the U.S., has publicly defended the Smithsonian and urged the White House to “respect and value the expertise of the historians, curators, and other museum professionals who conduct the review and revision of historical content according to the professional standards of our discipline.”
ABC News reached out to AHA for further comment.
What comes next?
The report does not specify action points related to correcting the so-called “activism,” but does reference the fact that the Smithsonian Institution is largely funded by the federal government and U.S. taxpayers.
“That means the public has a right to expect that it will operate as a faithful steward of the Nation’s historic and cultural heritage, not as a vehicle for ideological campaigns,” the report says.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees 21 museums and galleries and the national zoo, it currently receives more than $1 billion in federal funding — about 62% of its funding — and the remainder of the funds come from “trust funds or non-federal funds, including contributions from private sources” and revenues from Smithsonian enterprises.
Bunch has been leading the Smithsonian since 2019 but the institution is overseen by a 17-member governing body, known as the Board of Regents. Bunch, who met with Trump at the White House on Aug. 28, 2025, repeatedly affirmed the Smithsonian’s “independence” from political influence.
Referencing his conversations with Trump in a Sept. 3, 2025 letter to the institution’s employees, Bunch underscored the independence of the Smithsonian, saying it was “paramount.” He also told employees that the institution remains committed to telling the “American story” and “will always be, a place that welcomes all Americans and the world.”
A logo sits outside the Microsoft pavilion during the second day of the Mobile World Congress 2015 at the Fira Gran Via complex on March 3, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Microsoft said on Monday it will lay off 4,800 employees and that the job cuts would be especially pronounced in its Xbox department.
The layoffs will affect 2.1% of Microsoft’s global workforce, Amy Coleman, executive vice president and chief people officer, said in a public memo to employees.
Coleman attributed the layoffs in part to a shakeup in the tech sector wrought by artificial intelligence. None of the terminated roles will be replaced by AI, Coleman noted. At the same time, she acknowledged: “AI is changing how work gets done.”
“Our business is changing because the world around it is changing. The way technology is built, deployed, and used is transforming faster than at any point in my time here,” Coleman said.
In a separate statement, Microsoft said a large share of the job cuts would impact its Xbox department, which oversees the company’s popular video game console.
In all, Xbox would slash 1,600 jobs as part of the layoffs announced on Monday, as well as an additional 1,600 cuts through the end of fiscal year 2027, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said in a public memo to employees.
“We are beginning the most significant restructure in XBOX history,” Sharma said, adding, “Our business today is not healthy.”
Sharma pointed to weaker-than-expected performance for Xbox’s subscription service, Game Pass, which charges a monthly fee for access to a collection of games. The company faced stiff competition in its efforts to increase output of new games, Sharma added.
“We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios,” Sharma said.
Xbox will not cancel any of its first-party, publicly announced games or projects as part of the new plans, Sharma said.
Shares of Microsoft fell about 1% in early trading on Monday.
(NEW YORK) — More than 60 million people from Ohio to Massachusetts and Virginia are bracing for possible flash flooding on Monday following a deadly holiday weekend heat wave that left much of the East Coast sweltering in triple-digit temperatures.
New York City and Long Island appear to be in the center of the storm zone, with a level 3 out of 4 threat for flash flooding. Southern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts are also expected to get heavy rain.
Up to 3 inches of rain per hour is possible in some parts of the Northeast, and some areas could receive up to 8 inches.
A flood watch is in effect for the entire New York City metropolitan area through Monday night.
A flash-flood warning has been issued for more than 2.5 million people in the Philadelphia area, where flooding was already reported Monday, including in the Lemon Hill Park neighborhood in North Philadelphia.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released an online video statement on Sunday, advising New Yorkers to take precautions.
“We ask New Yorkers in this time to stay safe, stay prepared, and to keep an eye out for one another,” said Mamdani, adding that city workers were out over the weekend clearing catch basins and preparing neighborhoods that are historically flood-prone for the impending storm.
The mayor asked New Yorkers who live in basement apartments to plan to evacuate.
“If you see water rising around you, move to higher ground,” Mamdani said.
The storms expected on Monday follow a multi-day heat wave. Parts of the mid-Atlantic and South saw heavy rain on Sunday night.
At one point, more than 800,000 utility customers from Oklahoma to Connecticut lost electricity on Sunday, including 85,000 in New York, according to the website PowerOutage.com.
In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said that thunderstorms on Friday night and over the weekend knocked out power to nearly 300,000 utility customers and that wind gusts of up to 80 mph toppled trees and power lines.
At least 25 people are suspected to have died in New Jersey from the sweltering heat wave that had enveloped a large portion of the country, officials said.
At least 60,424 utility customers in New Jersey, 43,664 in New York, more than 95,000 across Pennsylvania and at least 100,000 in Michigan remained without power on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.com.
New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington told reporters at the news conference on Saturday that many of the people who perished in the heat in New Jersey were found in homes without air conditioning.
