(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to reduce the Department of Education to its essential functions. The directive tells what’s left of the agency to prioritize sending money to school choice programs across America.
These programs — which are also referred to as school vouchers and school freedom — allow parents to take tax dollars allocated for their children to attend public schools and, in most cases, use that money to send them to private schools.
The argument supporting this movement is that private schools often provide a better education for children.
In Tennessee, where supporters of the programs refer to them as scholarships, State House Rep. Todd Warner is a proud product of rural public schools. He’s a self-described “die-hard Republican,” but told ABC News that he believes what some conservatives are currently trying to do to education is wrong.
“Public schools are the backbone of the community,” Warner said. “On Friday nights, Friday night lights, the football game. It’s where everybody comes together. It’s where we tailgate and see each other’s family before the game. It’s where we cheer each other’s children on.”
For the past four years at the Tennessee Statehouse, Warner represented what he refers to as “country folk” from counties so red that Confederate flags continue to fly over a few homes and monuments.
“I’m in favor of reducing the Department of Education on the federal level,” Warner said. “I would love to see President Trump send more money back to the states. I’m good with that, but I don’t want to see that go to the private sector. I want to see it help our public schools.”
Warner is currently working to limit the number of vouchers in Tennessee.
He may have a life size Trump cutout in his office and hang his red hat on the wall above a dead buck, but Warner told ABC News that he doesn’t mind being called a sellout in Nashville because he knows that at home in the district he represents south of the city, his constituents know that isn’t who he is.
“You know, the best memories in life that I have,” Warner said. “Some of them are in the public school, in high school, you know, with those teachers, with those coaches. And it’s that way in a lot of rural Tennessee. I mean, it’s the public school or it’s nothing.”
(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — A Florida man was arrested after driving a car into a group of protesters at a Tesla dealership on Saturday, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect, 44-year-old Andrew Dutil, “drove his vehicle, jumping the curb onto the sidewalk at a slow rate of speed into a crowd of protestors,” police said in a statement.
Police received “numerous calls” regarding a black Nissan SUV driving “up on a curb in front of the Tesla dealerships almost striking multiple pedestrians,” according to police.
The protesters moved out of the way to avoid being struck by Dutil’s vehicle, police said.
When police arrived on the scene, Dutil’s car was parked on the curb in front of the dealership with multiple people surrounding it, authorities said.
Dutil was arrested and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail “without incident,” police said.
There were no reported injuries among the protesters, police said.
Karen Holland, who was participating in the peaceful protest, told police that Dutil’s vehicle “drove by earlier in the day and was yelling at all of the protestors,” officials said.
When Dutil returned and started driving up on the curb toward protesters, Holland said she was “in fear for her life and believed she was going to get struck by the vehicle,” police said.
Dutil was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent, police said.
The incident Friday comes as many Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations have suffered vandalism, arson attacks and protests since CEO Elon Musk began his role with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Additional protests occurred at Tesla dealerships in Colorado Springs, Boston, Memphis and Milford, Connecticut, over the weekend. In Boston, demonstrators were seen holding signs that read, “This ends here,” and “Recall Elon.”
In a public announcement on Friday, the FBI said incidents targeting Teslas have been recorded in at least nine states since January, including arson, gunfire and graffiti.
“These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night,” the FBI said. “Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes.”
Another recent Tesla incident occurred in Fargo, North Dakota, where fire crews found a “small fire in wood chips at the base of the electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot” early Friday morning, according to the Fargo Fire Department.
Officials said the fire is considered “suspicious” and the cause is under investigation. It is unclear whether the fire damaged the chargers, authorities said.
The New York City Police Department is also asking for the public’s help in identifying two men who spray-painted a swastika on a Cybertruck on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday named Alina Habba, his personal attorney-turned-White House counselor, to serve as the next interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.
“Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career, and she will fight tirelessly to secure a Legal System that is both ‘Fair and Just’ for the wonderful people of New Jersey,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Habba vowed to “end the weaponization of justice, once and for all” in her new position.
“I am honored to serve my home state of New Jersey as Interim U.S. Attorney and I am grateful to President Trump for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility,” she posted on X. “Just like I did during my time as President Trump’s personal attorney, I will continue to fight for truth and justice. We will end the weaponization of justice, once and for all.”
Trump said Habba would replace the current interim U.S. attorney, John Giordano, who he will nominate to be the ambassador to Namibia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Second lady Usha Vance will be part of a delegation traveling to Greenland this week, after President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that the U.S. should own and control the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Vance’s office announced the trip on Sunday, describing it as one dedicated to learning about Greenlandic culture with stops at historical sties and its national dogsled race.
But White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will be joining her, the National Security Council confirmed to ABC News.
“The U.S. has a vested security interest in the Arctic region and it should not be a surprise the National Security Advisor and Secretary of Energy are visiting a U.S. Space Base to get first-hand briefings from our service members on the ground,” National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede, in a statement to Greenland’s Sermitsiaq newspaper, called the upcoming visit part of a “very aggressive American pressure against the Greenlandic community” and called for the international community to step in to rebuke it.
Trump reintroduced his first-term suggestion for U.S. ownership of Greenland, the world’s largest island and a semiautonomous territory within Denmark, during the presidential transition. It again prompted Greenland officials to emphasize the island territory is not for sale.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland in early January, weeks before the inauguration. Trump Jr. said it was a personal visit and that he was not meeting with officials, though the president still celebrated it and alluded to a “deal” that he said “must happen.”
At one point, he notably declined to rule out military force to acquire Greenland.
Trump officials have pointed to Greenland as a key interest for national security as China and Russia ramp up activity in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth minerals — the accession of which has become part of Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
In his joint address to Congress earlier this month, Trump said his administration needed it for “international world security.”
“And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said.
Trump’s interest in Greenland comes as he’s pushed similar land grabs of Canada and the Panama Canal. Amid a trade war with Canada, Trump has called for America’s northern ally to become the 51st state, though his nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada has noted that it’s a sovereign state.
Ahead of her visit to Greenland on Thursday, second lady Vance released a video saying she was going to “celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations and to express hope that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years.”
The National Security Council said Waltz and Wright “also look forward to experiencing Greenland’s famous hospitality and are confident that this visit presents an opportunity to build on partnerships that respects Greenland’s self-determination and advances economic cooperation.
“This is a visit to learn about Greenland, its culture, history, and people and to attend a dogsled race the United States is proud to sponsor, plain and simple,” the National Security Council said in its statement.
But Greenland’s prime minister, in a Facebook post, said Vance’s trip “cannot be seen only as a private visit.”
Egede added, “It should also be said in a bold way that our integrity and democracy must be respected, without any external disturbance.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Second lady Usha Vance will be part of a delegation traveling to Greenland this week, after President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that the U.S. should own and control the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Vance’s office announced the trip on Sunday, describing it as one dedicated to learning about Greenlandic culture with stops at historical sties and its national dogsled race.
But White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will be joining her, the National Security Council confirmed to ABC News.
“The U.S. has a vested security interest in the Arctic region and it should not be a surprise the National Security Advisor and Secretary of Energy are visiting a U.S. Space Base to get first-hand briefings from our service members on the ground,” National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede, in a statement to Greenland’s Sermitsiaq newspaper, called the upcoming visit part of a “very aggressive American pressure against the Greenlandic community” and called for the international community to step in to rebuke it.
Trump reintroduced his first-term suggestion for U.S. ownership of Greenland, the world’s largest island and a semiautonomous territory within Denmark, during the presidential transition. It again prompted Greenland officials to emphasize the island territory is not for sale.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland in early January, weeks before the inauguration. Trump Jr. said it was a personal visit and that he was not meeting with officials, though the president still celebrated it and alluded to a “deal” that he said “must happen.”
At one point, he notably declined to rule out military force to acquire Greenland.
Trump officials have pointed to Greenland as a key interest for national security as China and Russia ramp up activity in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth minerals — the accession of which has become part of Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
In his joint address to Congress earlier this month, Trump said his administration needed it for “international world security.”
“And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said.
Trump’s interest in Greenland comes as he’s pushed similar land grabs of Canada and the Panama Canal. Amid a trade war with Canada, Trump has called for America’s northern ally to become the 51st state, though his nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada has noted that it’s a sovereign state.
Ahead of her visit to Greenland on Thursday, second lady Vance released a video saying she was going to “celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations and to express hope that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years.”
The National Security Council said Waltz and Wright “also look forward to experiencing Greenland’s famous hospitality and are confident that this visit presents an opportunity to build on partnerships that respects Greenland’s self-determination and advances economic cooperation.
“This is a visit to learn about Greenland, its culture, history, and people and to attend a dogsled race the United States is proud to sponsor, plain and simple,” the National Security Council said in its statement.
But Greenland’s prime minister, in a Facebook post, said Vance’s trip “cannot be seen only as a private visit.”
Egede added, “It should also be said in a bold way that our integrity and democracy must be respected, without any external disturbance.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Venezuelan migrants removed by the Trump administration to El Salvador last week deserved to have a court hearing before their deportations to determine whether they belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, a federal judge ruled Monday morning.
In a ruling denying the Trump Administration’s request to dissolve his order blocking the deportations, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that Trump’s “unprecedented use” of the Alien Enemies Act does not remove the government’s responsibility to ensure the men removed could contest their designation as alleged gang members.
Trump last week invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime authority used to deport noncitizens with little-to-no due process — by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a “hybrid criminal state” that is invading the U.S.
“The Court need not resolve the thorny question of whether the judiciary has the authority to assess this claim in the first place. That is because Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on another equally fundamental theory: before they may be deported, they are entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all,” Judge Boasberg wrote in his ruling Monday, adding the men were likely to win their case.
Judge Boasberg acknowledged that the use of the Alien Enemies Act “implicates a host of complicated legal issues” but sidestepped the larger question of whether the law was properly invoked, instead focusing on the due process deserved by the men. He added that the men have been irreparably harmed by their removal to an El Salvadoran prison where they face “torture, beatings, and even death.”
“Federal courts are equipped to adjudicate that question when individuals threatened with detention and removal challenge their designation as such. Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge,” he wrote.
Judge Boasberg also cast doubt on the Trump administration’s allegation that the decision risks national security, noting that the men would still be detained within the United States if they had not been deported. During a court hearing on Friday, DOJ lawyers acknowledged that the men deported on the Alien Enemies Act have the right to a habeas hearing — where they could contest their alleged membership in Tren de Aragua — but declined to vow that each man would be given a hearing before they were removed from the country.
Boasberg’s ruling comes as a federal appeals court prepares to hear arguments Monday over the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act for last week’s deportations.
If the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Boasberg’s blocking of the president’s use of the centuries-old wartime law, the Trump administration could exercise the authority to deport any suspected migrant gang member with little-to-no due process.
Lawyers representing the Venezuelan men targeted under Trump’s proclamation have argued that the president exceeded his authority by using the Alien Enemies Act against a gang — rather than a state actor — outside of wartime.
“The President is trying to write Congress’s limits out of the act,” the plaintiffs argued, adding that U.S. presidents have used the law three other times during or immediately preceding a war.
But the Trump administration has argued that the judiciary does not have the right to review the use of the Alien Enemies Act, alleging the deportations fall under the president’s Article II powers to remove alleged terrorists and execute the country’s foreign policy.
“The President’s action is lawful and based upon a long history of using war authorities against organizations connected to foreign states and national security judgments, which are not subject to judicial second guessing,” DOJ lawyers have argued in court filings.
Last week, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the president’s use of the law to deport more than 200 alleged gang members with no due process, calling the removals “awfully frightening” and “incredibly troublesome.” An official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subsequently acknowledged in a sworn declaration that “many” of the noncitizens deported last weekend under the Alien Enemies Act did not have criminal records in the United States.
The Trump administration is asking the appeals court to overturn Boasberg’s temporary restraining order blocking the deportations, while Judge Boasberg continues to examine whether the Trump administration deliberately defied his order by sending the men to an El Salvadoran prison rather than returning them to the United States as he directed.
“The government’s not being terribly cooperative at this point, but I will get to the bottom of whether they violated my order and who ordered this and what’s the consequence,” Boasberg said on Friday.
With deportations under the Alien Enemies Act temporarily blocked, the Trump administration has vowed to use other authorities to deport noncitizens. Over the weekend, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that the country had reached an agreement to resume repatriation flights of Venezuelan migrants from the U.S.
“We’re going to keep targeting the worst of the worst, which we’ve been doing since day one, and deporting from the United States through the various laws on the books,” border czar Tom Homan told ABC’s Jon Karl on Sunday.
The three-person panel hearing today’s arguments includes two judges nominated by Republican presidents, including one nominated by Trump himself. The D.C. Circuit is the last stop before the Trump administration could take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Trump nominated three judges during his last term, solidifying the court’s conservative majority.
Interior view of destroyed Nasser Hospital following the Israeli attack in Khan Yunis, Gaza/Abdallah F.s. Alattar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — A senior Hamas official was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday, the terror group and the Israel Defense Forces said, as Israel expanded its renewed campaign into the Palestinian territory.
Ismail Barhoum, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in the strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Hamas confirmed, describing the attack as a “cowardly” assassination. Hamas said Barhoum was receiving medical treatment in the hospital when he was killed.
The IDF and Israeli Security Agency said in a joint statement that the attack targeted a “key terrorist in the Hamas terrorist organization” who was “operating inside” the hospital, which is the largest in southern Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the Israeli strike targeted the hospital’s surgical wing and occurred when “many patients and wounded” were inside the hospital. Videos from the scene showed a fire inside the building following the strike.
The ministry said that “many others” — including medical personnel — were wounded in the strike, “with varying degrees of injuries.” The attack, it added, “also caused panic and forced the complete evacuation of the department after a large portion of it was destroyed.”
Nasser Hospital has been shelled several times by Israeli forces since war broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, following Hamas’ surprise attack into southern Israel.
IDF forces raided the hospital in February 2024, when the IDF said it had intelligence that hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack had been held there. Israel has repeatedly alleged that Hamas was using the facility as a “command-and-control center.” Hamas has denied using Nasser and other Gaza hospitals for military purposes.
Israel resumed its air and ground campaign in Gaza last week, ending the ceasefire agreed with Hamas in January.
At least 673 people have since been killed and 1,233 injured by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire ended, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The total death toll in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, is now at 50,021, according to the ministry.
ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Will Gretsky and Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a Louisiana case involving politics, race and voting maps with potential implications for the 2026 midterm elections.
The justices are considering a dispute over how Louisiana’s congressional districts were drawn after the 2020 census.
Louisiana has six congressional districts — four represented by Republicans and two by Democrats. The Democratic districts are majority black residents.
A group of non-black citizens is challenging those Democratic districts, saying the state relied too much on race as a factor in how the lines were drawn. The group is requesting that the state only have one majority black district.
The state and civil rights groups — on the same side — are defending the map, conceding that officials did consider race as part of a mandate by the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minority voters were given a fair shot at representation. Still, the state and civiil rights groups are insisting that it did not predominate in decision making.
The Supreme Court is being asked to clarify rules for how states can draw maps that comply with two competing rules : VRA mandates to protect minority voter rights and the Equal Protection Clause, which ensures that everyone is treated equally under the law.
The balancing act could have consequences for who controls power in Washington.
Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, which means every single seat could be key to the balance of power after the 2026 midterm elections.
A decision in the case is expected by the end of June.
(POLK COUNTY, N.C.) — Evacuation orders were issued Sunday for parts of Polk County, North Carolina, where three large wildfires have burned more than 3,000 acres combined and two of the blazes remain out of control, according to authorities.
The three separate fires — the Black Cove Fire, Deep Woods Fire and the Fish Hook Fire — were all burning about 30 miles southeast of Ashville, according to the North Carolina Forest Service.
The fire ignited last week but grew rapidly over the weekend, fueled by low humidity and dry vegetation, officials said. The fires are burning in an area where Hurricane Helene swept through in September, leaving behind numerous downed trees, which are also helping to fuel the fires, officials said.
The Black Cove Fire had burned 2,076 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday night, according to Kelly Cannon, spokesperson for Polk County government. The Deep Woods Fire was also 0% contained on Sunday after burning 2,545 acres, Cannon said.
Evacuation orders issued Saturday evening by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety remained in effect Sunday for residents in the area of the Black Cove Fire, officials said.
The Fish Hook Fire in Polk County was 50% contained on Sunday, after burning 199 acres, Cannon said. Evacuation orders were lifted Sunday, allowing residents to return to their homes.
The causes of the fires remain under investigation.
Due to multiple wildfires in the area, the North Carolina Division of Air Quality issued a “Code Red” alert signaling unhealthy air for Polk County, and a “Code Orange” in Rutherford County, signaling unhealthy air for people sensitive to smoke. South Carolina wildfires
Wildfires extended into neighboring South Carolina, prompting Gov. Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency on Saturday.
A wildfire in the Table Rock State Park on the South Carolina-North Carolina border in Pickens County, South Carolina, started on Friday night and quickly spread to 35 acres, according to McMaster.
On Sunday, the Table Rock Fire had grown to 110 acres, according to Pickens County Emergency Management. Information on how much of the fire has been contained as of Sunday afternoon was not immediately available.
McMaster said his executive order declaring a state of emergency for the Table Rock Fire area will help bolster resources for firefighters working to contain the blaze. The governor said his order includes a statewide ban on residents setting outdoor fires until further notice.
“Given the elevated risk of wildfires throughout the state, the statewide burning ban will remain in effect until further notice. Anyone who violates this ban can and will go to jail,” McMaster said.
It’s the second time this month that McMaster declared a state of emergency in his state due to wildfires. A series of wildfires broke out during the weekend of March 2 and 3 in the Carolina Forest near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in Horry County, quickly spreading to more than 1,600 acres and threatening the communities of Walkers Woods and Avalon before firefighters brought the blaze under control, according to the South Carolina Forest Commission.
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — One person is dead and three others are still missing after a boat capsized on St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department responded to a reported capsized vessel with multiple people in the water at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Four people were pulled from the water upon arrival of first responders and four more were unaccounted for.
Multiple agencies’ boats, search teams, helicopters and a drone unit continued search efforts for the missing people. One of the four missing people was found dead.
The search for the remaining three missing people continued through the night and into the morning.
The boat, which had flipped over, has been recovered and towed, officials said.
