(NEW YORK) — Butterfly populations have dropped by 22% across 554 recorded species in the United States, according to a new study in the journal Science.
“Our national-scale findings paint the most complete — and concerning — picture of the status of butterflies across the country in the early 21st century,” the study said.
The study, titled “Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century,” counted 12.6 million butterflies, analyzed 76,957 surveys and partnered with 35 monitoring programs to examine buttery population trends from 2000 to 2020.
Total butterfly abundance decreased across the U.S. by 1.3% annually, leading to a cumulative 22% decline, the study said.
Approximately 107 butterfly species declined by more than 50% in the last 20 years, whereas only 3% increased, the study said. But, that actually is not a shock to researchers, since the declines are common across species, whereas increases are rare, the study said.
“Over the two-decade study period, 33% of individual butterfly species showed significantly declining trends in abundance,” the study said.
The dip in butterfly population was seen across the country, but the Southwest was hit the hardest, which is “consistent with other findings that butterflies are disproportionately declining in arid and hot climates,” the study said.
The reason for this significant drop in butterfly populations is due to several factors, one being rising temperatures and changing climates, according to the study.
“With climate change, butterfly species in North America may find the southern limits of their ranges becoming too warm while the northern limits of their range become more hospitable,” the study said.
Other threats to this insect include habitat loss and pesticide use, the study said.
Researchers said there is a potential to increase the butterfly population through “habitat restoration, species-specific interventions and reducing pesticide use.”
Overall, researchers said this population study serves as an “urgent need to protect butterflies from further losses.”
“Expansive efforts in conservation planning and action for insects could prevent widespread future losses and create and maintain the environments in which butterflies and other at-risk species can thrive,” the study said.
Monarch butterflies, for instance, are one example of a thriving species.
The population of monarch butterflies nearly doubled in population in 2024-25 versus 2023-24, according to a survey released Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico and Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Natural Areas. However, the population is still significantly below the long-term average.
This year, monarchs covered 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres the year before, the survey said. This increase in monarchs is directly related to improved weather conditions in 2024, but “climatic variations” in the insect’s breeding areas of Canada and the U.S. as well as insecticide pose a looming threat for the winged creature.
(NEW YORK) — The Justice Department on Friday put three federal prosecutors in Manhattan on leave, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Two of the prosecutors — Andrew Rohrbach and Celia Cohen — worked on the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Rohrbach also worked on the successful prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, former crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried and lawyer Michael Avenatti.
Cohen worked on multiple mob cases and prosecutions of violent street gangs.
The third individual placed on leave — a member of the office’s civil division — posted about Elon Musk and Ed Martin, a leader of the Stop the Steal movement and President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., the sources said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
The Justice Department moved to dismiss corruption charges against Adams, prompting the resignations of several prosecutors in New York and Washington, including Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, who accused the mayor and the Justice Department of negotiating a quid pro quo.
(NEW YORK) — In this first episode of a new podcast published Thursday, California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, an LGBTQ ally, broke with his party, saying that transgender athletes playing in female sports is “deeply unfair.”
“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said on his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.”
Newsom’s comments came during a conversation with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who leads conservative group Turning Point USA and played a critical role in garnering youth support for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Newsom, sometimes viewed as a 2028 presidential hopeful, also agreed that the political ad that hurt former Vice President Kamala Harris the most in her presidential campaign was her previous support for providing taxpayer-funded gender transition-related medical care for detained immigrants and federal prisoners. Trump’s campaign had played back her remarks in a widely-circulated ad.
“She didn’t even react to it, which was even more devastating,” Newsom said.
Newsom also pointed to his own work in expanding LGBTQ rights, while referencing current law in the state of California that allows transgender athletes to participate in school sports that reflect the gender they identify with.
Newsom himself was a trailblazer in expanding LGBTQ rights: in 2004, as mayor of San Francisco, he allowed same-sex marriages to proceed even though they were not yet allowed nationwide.
He referenced that moment while discussing his alignment with Kirk’s views on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I’ve been a leader in the LGBTQ places, as, you know, back in 2004 [I] was marrying same sex couples. And I know we have [a] difference [of] opinion on marriage equality, and so I’ve been at this for years and years, I take a backseat to no one,” Newsom said, before discussing how he heard people talking about transgender athletes.
On the podcast, Newsom also called for compassion toward transgender individuals, even while discussing the sports issue: “There’s also humility and grace. You know, that, these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.”
LGBTQ rights groups criticized Newsom’s remarks, saying that they came amid national backlash to transgender individuals and their rights.
The Human Rights Campaign, a major national LGBTQ rights advocacy and lobbying group, said in a statement shared on social media that with discussions nationwide in legislatures about restricting same-sex marriage or transgender rights, “this is not a moment to sit politely in the face of authoritarian bullies or throw people under the bus for political posturing.”
“Singling out trans kids to score political points is never going to help someone pay their rent, keep Medicaid or get a job, but it will make it seem like Gov. Newsom believes our civil rights are up for grabs,” the organization wrote. “Californians – and ALL Americans – need leaders who have courage in their convictions, and who will show up for them, in the faces of people who want to see us all back in the closet.”
The organization also pointed to a 2013 law in California that allowed students to be part of sport teams matching their own gender identity. The American Civil Liberties Union praised the law in 2013 as “ensuring transgender youth have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state.”
Newsom briefly referenced the law in his discussion with Kirk, highlighting that it was passed before he became governor.
Two members of the California state legislature, Assemblymember Chris Ward and state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, released a statement through the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus criticizing Newsom’s remarks as well, saying they were “profoundly sickened and frustrated” by what he said.
“Sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not,” they wrote. “We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks. All students deserve the academic and health benefits of sports activity, and until Donald Trump began obsessing about it, playing on a team consistent with one’s gender has not been a problem since the standard was passed in 2013.”
Newsom’s remarks came just a month after Trump signed an executive order intending on banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The White House has said the action is meant to protect women in sports from harm and from facing opponents who they say have an unfair advantage.
LGBTQ advocacy groups have criticized the administration’s action and general rhetoric as discriminatory and as having razor-sharp focus on issues of transgender rights to the exclusion of economic and other issues.
(LONDON and ROME) — Pope Francis’ “overall condition remains stable within his complex medical situation and the prognosis remains reserved,” the Vatican said Friday.
The pope “spent about 20 minutes in prayer in his chapel on the 10th floor apartment and the rest of the day alternated between rest, physiotherapy, prayer and a bit of work,” the Vatican said.
He continues to use “high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night as he has done these past days,” according to the Vatican.
The pope “had a tranquil night and woke shortly after 8 a.m.” on Friday morning, the Vatican said, coming a day after he made his first public comments since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.
The 88-year-old pope “remained stable compared to previous days” and did not have “episodes of respiratory insufficiency” on Thursday, his 21st day in the hospital, the Vatican said in its evening update.
While Friday marks his 22nd consecutive day in hospital, the pontiff offered up hope on Thursday in the form of his first public comments since being hospitalized.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you,” the pope said in a recorded statement made in Spanish. The statement was played at the start of the rosary in St. Peter’s Square.
The pope “continued with respiratory and motor physiotherapy with benefit,” the Vatican press office, the Holy See, said Thursday in its evening update. “Hemodynamic parameters and blood tests remained stable. He did not present fever.”
“The doctors are still maintaining the prognosis as reserved,” the Vatican said.
The Vatican said that, “in view of the stability of the clinical picture,” it won’t provide another medical update on the pope until Saturday.
Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States Secret Service said it has seized a Russian cryptocurrency exchange website, according to court documents unsealed on Friday.
The Justice Department also charged the two administrators of that website with a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme, court documents said.
Between 2019 and 2025, Aleksej Besciokov, 46, a Lithuanian national and Russian resident, and Aleksandr Mira Serda, 40, a Russian national, allegedly controlled and operated Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Moscow.
The two allegedly “operated Garantex to launder the proceeds of criminal activity, including ransomware, computer hacking, narcotics transactions, and sanctions violations, and profited from the laundering. Garantex offered its services to the public first through the website Garantex.io and then through Garantex.org. Garantex also misled law enforcement, including the Russian police, about the identities of its customers,” the documents said.
The Justice Department said that since April 2019, Garantex has processed $96 billion in crypto transactions and noted that those proceeds were allegedly used to fund illicit activities.
“The seizure of website domains associated with Garantex’s operations and the freezing of over $26 million in cryptocurrency strikes a serious financial blow to cybercriminals worldwide,” said Michael Centrella, assistant director of the Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations. “Alongside our U.S. and international law enforcement partners, this coordinated action will prevent additional funds from falling into the hands of criminals.”
Court documents said Besciokov allegedly knew there were two different accounts linked to North Korean cyber threat actors but still let them use the cryptocurrency exchange.
The company was also under sanctions from the U.S. since at least 2022.
“By in and around early 2023, BESCIOKOV and his co-conspirators had also redesigned Garantex’s operations to evade and violate U.S. sanctions and induce U.S. businesses to unwittingly transact with Garantex in violation of the sanctions,” the indictment said. “For example, Garantex moved its operational cryptocurrency wallets to different virtual currency addresses on a daily basis in order to make it difficult for U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges to identify and block transactions with Garantex accounts.”
Besciokov and Serda also allegedly took steps to conceal themselves from Russian law enforcement, according to the court records.
(WASHINGTON) — Firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will have reverberating impacts on how meteorologists across the country forecast the weather, according to experts.
Last week, many NOAA employees took to social media to announce that they had been terminated after weeks of uncertainty as the Trump administration continues to make cuts at federal agencies. But the widespread firings of meteorologists who make safety determinations based on upcoming weather and climate conditions could be detrimental to the government’s ability to protect Americans in times of disaster, experts told ABC News.
NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS), which is a part of NOAA, are responsible for both routine and extreme weather forecasting nationwide – tracking hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, tsunamis and other potentially life-threatening events. The union representing staffers at NOAA and the NWS told ABC News in an emailed statement that 586 probationary employees were terminated from NOAA on Feb. 27, with 108 of those cuts coming from the NWS.
The National Weather Service was already short-staffed ahead of the cuts, with more than 600 vacancies at the start of 2025, National Weather Service Employees Organization General Counsel Richard Hirn said in the statement. In addition, 500 employees, including 172 NWS employees, accepted a deferred resignation and began their administrative leave the next day.
“Which means that hundreds of operational personnel who usually staff the 122 NWS forecast offices, 13 River Forecast Centers, and two tsunami warning centers will disappear overnight,” Hirn told ABC News.
It’s unclear whether there will be sufficient staffing left at any number of regional forecast offices to continue 24/7 operations, Hirn said, adding that “there are only a dozen or so forecasters assigned to each office when fully staffed.”
The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory announced on Feb. 27 that the office’s communication services would “be taking an indefinite hiatus” due to a reduction in staff.
In addition, the loss of satellite operators at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland, and the Wallops Island Command and Data Acquisition Station in Wallops Island, Virginia, could impact the ability of the NWS to track and maintain the weather data used to forecast and provide severe weather warnings, Hirn said.
Many essential functions, such as satellite information, weather and its effect on airplane engine health, come from these offices, said Craig McLean, former NOAA director of research, during a news conference last Friday.
“Leaving NOAA understaffed will inevitably lead to additional chaos and confusion beyond what we’ve had over the last several weeks and is going to be a negative impact on people’s lives,” McClean said.
The cuts will lead to significant consequences for weather forecasting accuracy, sea navigation, the fishing industry and air safety, Democrats and former NOAA leadership officials said in a news conference the Friday after last week’s dismissals. Officials also expect an early termination of leases on a portion of the 620 facilities run by NOAA across the country.
“All of NOAA’s mission responsibilities have been impacted – every office in NOAA,” Rick Spinrad, former NOAA administrator, said during the news conference. “Every office in NOAA was hit by these indiscriminate, misguided, ill-informed terminations.”
The terminations come as the U.S. heads into tornado season, with hurricane season not too far behind, Spinrad said. Seasonal outlooks will be impacted in addition to the immediate weather forecasting products, Spinrad added.
“Musk and his fake officials, the DOGE tech bros, have been rummaging through our most sensitive data without authority in violation of the law for weeks now,” House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said in a statement. “And this has come with sweeping, indiscriminate layoffs of nonpartisan public servants. Park rangers, firefighters, scientists – all of these people, whose purpose is to serve everyday Americans, have had the rug pulled out from under them. And we will all be worse off for it.”
Among the fired scientists were a researcher at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey; a NWS meteorologist in Anchorage, Alaska; a physical scientist with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction; and the meteorologist in charge at the NWS Louisville office, according to posts to social media.
Hirn said the union was aware of up to an additional 800 probationary NOAA employees could soon be terminated following the initial dismissals. Those additional cuts do not yet appear to have happened.
In a statement to ABC News, NOAA and the NWS declined to comment on or confirm the staffing cuts, saying that the agency does not comment on personnel matters, but NOAA National Press Officer for Weather Susan Buchanan emphasized the agency’s ongoing commitment to meteorology.
“NOAA remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience,” Buchanan said. “We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.”
On Monday, demonstrators gathered outside of NOAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to protest the employee dismissals.
“NOAA workers across the country are really kind of tense and waiting to hear what may happen,” Sarah Cooley, former head of NOAA’s ocean acidification program, told ABC News during the protest.
Tom Di Liberto, an ousted public affairs specialist and climate scientist with NOAA, told ABC News that his job before he was dismissed was to help communicate to the public exactly what NOAA does.
“If you ever wondered what the weather was like outside, if you’ve ever been to the ocean, you’re interacting with NOAA,” Di Liberto said. “If you ever looked at temperature on your phone, that’s probably NOAA data coming to you. Every aspect of everything we do outside is related to what NOAA does, which is why this is such a dangerous thing. You’re playing games with potentially lifesaving information to go out to people, or making that harder to get out the people.”
ABC News’ Matthew Glasser, Cheyenne Haslett, Daniel Manzo, Daniel Peck and Ginger Zee contributed to this report.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(GAINES COUNTY, Texas) — The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 198, with 40 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, with 80 unvaccinated and 113 of unknown status. At least 23 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Just five cases have occurred in people vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, followed by children ages 4 and under.
The Texas death was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A possible second measles death was recorded on Thursday after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus. The New Mexico Department of Health said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
Gaines County is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 137 cases confirmed among residents, according to DSHS. More than 90% of cases have been identified in just six counties, which account for less than 1% of the state’s total population, the department said.
State health data shows the number of vaccine exemptions in Gaines County have grown dramatically.
Roughly 7.5% of kindergarteners in the county had parents or guardians who filed for an exemption for at least one vaccine in 2013. Ten years later, that number rose to more than 17.5% — one of the highest in all of Texas, according to state health data.
The CDC has separately confirmed 164 cases in nine states so far this year in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Texas.
The total, however, is likely an undercount due to delays in reporting from states to the federal government.
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Of the cases, 3% are among those who received one dose of the MMR shot and 2% are among those who received two doses.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
Texas health officials are recommending — for those living in the outbreak area — that parents consider an early dose of MMR vaccine for children between ages 6 months and 11 months and that adults receive a second MMR dose if they only received one in the past.
Earlier this week, the CDC said in a post on X that it was on the ground in Texas, partnering with DSHS officials to respond to the measles outbreak.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about negotiating a nuclear deal, while also threatening military action if an agreement isn’t reached.
Trump said he sent the letter on Wednesday during an interview with Fox Business, a clip of which was released by the network on Friday.
“There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal,” Trump told Fox host Maria Bartiromo.
“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily,” Trump said. “But the time is happening now, the time is coming up. Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”
Bartiromo asked the president if he gave Iranian leadership an ultimatum.
“No I didn’t say, ‘You better.’ I said, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate,’ because it will be a lot better for Iran. I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump warned.
This isn’t the first time Trump has sent a message to Khamenei. In 2019, with the help of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he sent a similar message, but the Iranian leader publicly rejected that offer to talk.
Khamenei reportedly said at the time, “I do not consider Trump as a person worth exchanging any message with.”
Trump’s comments proposing a nuclear deal come after he withdrew the U.S. from an agreement reached between Iran and the Obama administration during his first term in office. That nuclear deal, established in 2015, allowed Iran to enrich uranium only up to 3.67% purity and maintain a stockpile of uranium of 300 kilograms.
Last month, Trump signed a memorandum that seeks to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran, including pushing its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from possessing nuclear weapons capability.
“I’m going to sign it, but hopefully we’re not going to have to use it very much. We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran,” he said.
Asked about what kind of deal he’d like to see, Trump responded: “We’re going to see. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. With me, it’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
As he spoke on the issue in the Oval Office, Trump also said he’s left instructions to “obliterate” Iran if they ever carried out an assassination.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Friday said he would turn up the heat on Russia until it reaches a ceasefire and peace deal with Ukraine.
Trump threatened Russia with sanctions and tariffs in a Truth Social post.
“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you,” he posted without further details.
The Biden administration previously issued sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine three years ago.
Trump has come under criticism for not being tough on Putin during his negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict. He has falsely and repeatedly claimed that Ukraine started the war.
The president’s post came hours after Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine in which it deployed 261 missiles and drones that targeted energy and gas infrastructure in various regions, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Trump administration also paused military aid and intelligence data with Ukraine this week, following last week’s explosive argument between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. added fewer jobs than economists expected in February, the first full month under President Donald Trump, according to government data released on Friday.
Employers hired 151,000 workers last month, falling short of expectations of 170,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, which remains a historically low figure.
Stock market futures appeared to shrug off the disappointing report. Each of the three major stock indexes ticked up in the minutes following the data release.
Hiring picked up from January but fell slightly below the average number of jobs added each month last year.
Employment increased in a range of sectors, including health care, social assistance and finance, data showed.
However, the federal government shed 10,000 workers in February, indicating potential impact from employee cuts initiated by the Trump administration.
The fresh jobs report arrives during a turbulent period for U.S. stocks and trade relations in the aftermath of tariffs issued by the Trump administration earlier this week.
Despite the temporary withdrawal of some tariffs on Thursday, stocks dropped as fallout from the policy continued to roil markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday tumbled about 425 points, or 1%, while the S&P 500 fell 1.7%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq sank 2.6%.
The tariffs stand among a flurry of economy-related directives issued since Trump took office, including spending cuts and the targeting of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The Trump administration has also terminated tens of thousands of federal employees, though such cuts are not expected to appear fully in the February report, in part due to the timing of surveys conducted by officials who collect the data.
Meanwhile, the economy is weathering a bout of resurgent inflation that stretches back to the final months of the Biden administration.
Consumer prices rose 3% in January compared to a year ago, registering a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Egg prices, a closely watched symbol of rising costs, soared 53% in January compared to a year ago. BIrd flu has decimated the egg supply, lifting prices higher.
In February, a key gauge of consumer confidence registered its largest monthly drop since August 2021, the nonpartisan Conference Board said last month.
The share of consumers who expect a recession within the next year surged to a nine-month high, the data showed. A growing portion of consumers believe the job market will worsen, the stock market will fall and interest rates will rise, the report added.
Still, some measures of consumer sentiment improved. Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions moved higher, while an uptick in purchasing plans for a home extended a monthslong recovery.
Mortgage rates have dropped for seven consecutive weeks, FreddieMac data showed. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 6.63%, its lowest level since December.
