The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building on a day with an extreme heat warning in New York City, July 2, 2026. (Gary Hershorn/ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to more than two dozen states across the Midwest, the South and the East Coast.
The heat wave began in the Midwest on Monday and has since spread east, where it’s set to last into the Fourth of July weekend.
With holiday travel in full effect, Amtrak canceled over a dozen trains in the Northeast Thursday due to the heat.
On Thursday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is expected to hit a scorching 111 degrees in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., 106 in Boston, 102 in Chicago, 108 in Detroit, and 110 in Nashville, Tennessee.
New York City’s heat index is forecast to reach 110 degrees, which has only happened three times in the last 80 years.
The city has activated its heat emergency plan and is opening hundreds of cooling centers.
“I’m also asking every employer to plan ahead with their teams, build in flexibility, and make sure that no one is put at risk during their jobs this week,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
On Friday, the heat index is forecast to hit 108 degrees in New York, 105 in Boston, 112 in Washington, D.C., and 111 in Memphis, Tennessee.
There will be minimal relief overnight, which makes the heat even more dangerous.
On the Fourth of July on Saturday, the heat will improve slightly for the Northeast, but will still feel like the triple digits, with the heat index expected to reach 103 degrees in New York and 107 in D.C.
By Sunday and Monday, the strongest heat and humidity will settle over the Southeast. Raleigh, North Carolina, is expected to feel like 107 degrees and Savannah, Georgia, will feel like 105 degrees.
Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. At least 13,000 Americans have died from the heat since 2018, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Frankie Muniz and Paige Price attend People’s ‘Ones to Watch’ at NeueHouse Hollywood on October 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Frankie Muniz and his wife Paige Price are ending their marriage after 10 years together.
The former couple shared a joint Instagram post on Wednesday with a statement by Muniz.
“After 10 beautiful years together, we’ve grown in ways that made us realize our relationship feels most natural and strong as a deep friendship and as co-parents,” he wrote. “We share an incredible son who remains the center of our world, and we’re both happier, stronger parents because of the love and growth we’ve shared.”
Muniz continued, “I’m endlessly grateful to Paige for everything she’s done for me and our family. She put her own dreams on hold so I could chase mine, and she was always my biggest supporter. That foundation of respect and friendship isn’t going anywhere.”
The Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair star said that despite the news of their separation, they will continue building Muniz Racing together and co-parent their son, Mauz Mosley Muniz, who was born in 2021.
The actor wrote, “We’re closing one chapter with gratitude and opening the next with bright futures ahead, for us as individuals and especially for our son. Thank you for the love and support.”
“We both choose to not entertain any questions on this matter,” he added. “Please respect our families privacy during this time.”
ABC News has reached out to a representative for Muniz for comment.
According to People, Muniz and Price met in 2016 and got engaged in November 2018. They eloped in October 2019 and married at a wedding in February 2020.
Their son was born on March 22, 2021.
In April, Price supported Muniz at the New York City premiere of Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair.
HR recruitment manager holding resume in hands while having an interview in a modern office. (Xavier Lorenzo/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Hiring slowed markedly in June, falling short of economists’ expectations and displaying a wobbly labor market amid elevated inflation set off by the Iran war.
The U.S. added 57,000 jobs in June, according to the federal government’s monthly jobs report, which marked a decline from 172,000 jobs added in May.
The sluggish pace recorded in June departs from strong performance for the labor market so far in 2026. Employers added a robust average of about 114,000 jobs each month from January to May, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showed.
The unemployment rate fell slightly from 4.3% in May to 4.2% in June, the BLS said. Unemployment remains low by historical standards.
The professional and business services sector led job gains, adding 36,000 positions in June. Significant job gains also came in healthcare, though the pace of job growth slowed in that sector.
Hiring had proven unexpectedly resilient, despite a rise in costs borne by businesses and shoppers.
The Middle East conflict, which began on Feb. 28, prompted the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global oil supply. The standoff triggered one of the largest oil shocks ever recorded.
The pace of annual inflation stands at 4.2%, clocking in at more than twice the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.
The combination of elevated inflation and a resilient labor market has raised the chances of an interest rate hike, futures markets show, posing a risk for corporations eager to keep borrowing costs relatively low.
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh briefly sent stocks tumbling this month during his first press conference atop the central bank. Warsh voiced a commitment to bringing inflation down to the Fed’s desired level.
“Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” Warsh told reporters in Washington, D.C. “This committee will deliver price stability.”
Futures markets peg the odds of an interest rate hike in September at about 64%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment.
To be sure, the path forward for interest rates remains highly uncertain. Oil and gasoline prices have eased in recent weeks in response to negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, offering hope of a cooldown of inflation in the absence of rate increases.
On Wednesday, Warsh weighed in on the bullish side of an ongoing debate among policymakers, investors and the general public about the potential impact of AI on the labor market and wider economy.
The technology could create jobs and boost productivity, strengthening the economy of the U.S. and other nations, according to Warsh.
“This is a big paradigm shift both for the conduct of our policy and for our economies,” Warsh said. “I think the jobs will be greater. Prosperity will be stronger.”
Smoke is seen as two major fires burn after a drone and missile attack by Russian forces on July 2, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
(LVIV, LONDON and NEW YORK) — At least 20 people were killed and dozens of others were injured after Kyiv came under attack from a “massive” barrage of Russian ballistic missiles and drones overnight, Ukrainian officials said, describing multiple explosions across the capital.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, published an updated death toll on his Telegram channel. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said the attack’s main target was Kyiv. More than 90 people had been injured across the country.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the attack as “massive.” President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said first responders in the capital were “clearing the rubble, searching for people, and providing assistance.”
“Damage has been reported at more than 20 sites across the city, most of them ordinary residential buildings,” Zelenskyy said. “There was also damage to an ambulance station, a research institute, a hotel, and businesses.”
Moscow targeted Ukraine with more than 70 missiles, nearly half of which were ballistic, along with almost 500 drones in the overnight attack, Zelenskyy said.
Damage has been reported in every district in Kyiv. The worst hit was the Darnytskyi district, where part of a nine-floor apartment building collapsed, leaving people trapped inside, Klitschko. Search and rescue teams are still looking for those thought to be under the rubble, including a 15-year-old girl and her family.
Another air raid alert has been issued in Kyiv right now due to Russian drones.
In Holosiivskyi district, the roof of a multi-story residential building was on fire, Klitschko said. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, in the center of the capital, there was a fire on the roof of a hotel.
During the strikes, the mayor urged residents to stay in shelters. Klitschko said earlier that of the 34 people initially recorded as injured in the strikes, 32 were taken to the hospital; two others were treated on the spot.
The strikes targeting Kyiv came hours after the Ukrainian military struck a large Russian oil refinery in Ufa, and a military complex in the Penza region, Zelenskyy said. The night before, Ukraine also struck a satellite communications center in the Moscow region, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s strikes on Russia came amid a mounting pressure campaign by Kyiv seeking to push Russia to end the war, which in February entered its fifth year.
An analysis from a U.S. think tank published on Wednesday said troop casualties in the war — missing, killed and wounded — had surpassed 2 million, including as many as 600,000 deaths.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said in that report that the figures heavily skewed toward Russian losses, with roughly three Russians killed or wounded to every one Ukrainian killed or wounded.
Russian casualties amounted to 1.4 million people, according to the data, including 450,000 who had been killed in the war, the report said. Ukrainian forces have suffered 525,000 to 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths, the study said.
Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian military releases data detailing their own battlefield casualties.
The report’s authors, drawing on information collected from Western governments, including the U.S., and on open source information, said Russia also lost territory in April and May. Overall, the report’s authors said, 2026 has been counterproductive for the Russian military, and that Moscow may be losing the war.
Offering historical perspective, the report says Russian fatalities in Ukraine are more than four times greater than all U.S. fatalities in all wars combined since World War II, and more than nine times greater than all Soviet and Russian fatalities in all wars combined since World War II.
Russia’s advances in key Ukrainian areas “are among the slowest rates of advance in any war over the last century,” the report stated.
In Kyiv on Thursday, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the chair of Ukraine’s parliament, accused Moscow of using missiles and drones to deliberately target civilians, which turned “an ordinary night in the capital of a European state into a struggle for survival.”
“This crime, like every one before it, must be met not only with condemnation, but with a resolute response: stronger air defence for Ukraine, tougher sanctions against Russia, and inevitable accountability for everyone responsible,” he said on social media.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus who got to the top of the Empire State Building climb down the tower’s spire in New York City, July 1, 2026. (WABC)
(NEW YORK) — A daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wendesday are expected to appear in court Thursday after spending the first night of their purported engagement in separate holding cells.
Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, Russians with a current address in East Orange, New jersey, were held overnight at at 100 Centre Street, where the Manhattan Criminal Court is located.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was still reviewing the charges and writing the criminal complaint overnight.
Police and Empire State Building security personnel are reviewing surveillance video to determine how the two entered and evaded screening at the observation deck.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov, who have gained an online following for their death-defying skyscraper climbs around the world, stayed on top of the skyscraper for several minutes as cameras rolled on the action before coming down on the spire, the New York Police Department said.
Kuznetsov, who is also known as Ivan Beerkus, appeared to propose to his longtime girlfriend before they were taken into custody.
Both face multiple charges — including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, violation of a local law, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct and possession of burglar’s tools — according to police.
Security was supposed to have been hardened following previous attempts by trespassers to take selfies near the spire.
Officials said they believe the two may have observed building employees and may have used a worker entrance to get around the screening.
ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) delivers an opening statement during the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chair of the Federal Reserve, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Social Security fund will run out of money in as little as six years, a shorter time frame than previously estimated, according to a report released earlier this month by the programs’ trustees.
News of the funding cliff prompted a pair of lawmakers to reach across the aisle and propose a rescue plan in an opinion piece last week for the New York Times.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called for lifting a cap on the amount of annual income subject to the payroll tax that funds Social Security. Currently, the cap stands at $184,500.
In other words, the plan would require individuals making more than $184,500 per year to pay taxes on the entirety of their income, potentially generating trillions in additional funds for the program over the next 10 years.
The proposal could, in theory, help administrators avoid painful solutions for recipients, such as a reduction of Social Security payments.
Legislation reflecting the proposal has not been introduced. In the New York Times, Moreno and Warren said they are “working on legislation.” Spokespeople for Moreno and Warren declined to comment on the status of the measure.
Here’s what to know about a new bipartisan proposal for safeguarding Social Security:
Is Social Security in financial trouble?
Yes, the program faces an ever-tightening budget squeeze over the next handful of years, according to a report this month from the Social Security fund’s trustees.
The Social Security trust fund will run dry in 2032, unless Congress combines the program’s old-age and disability funds, in which case insolvency would arrive in 2034, the report found. A finding last year from the program’s trustees predicted Social Security would become insolvent in 2033 or 2034.
The program generates revenue through a payroll tax paid by employees and employers, setting the income apart from the overall federal budget. Since the early 2010s, however, Social Security has paid more in benefits than it takes in through taxes, shrinking the program’s available funds, according to a study issued by the Urban Institute earlier this year.
The budget shortfall has been exacerbated by a decline in births and a reduction of immigration, resulting in fewer taxpayers at the same time that many Baby Boomers have begun receiving benefits. The One Big Beautiful Bill also removed a tax on Social Security benefits, depleting another source of the program’s revenue.
What is the Social Security reform proposal from Warren and Moreno?
The bipartisan reform proposal would tweak the payroll tax that funds Social Security.
The program is funded by a 12.4% payroll tax, which is evenly split between employers and workers. The tax, however, applies only to a maximum of $184,500 in annual income, meaning any income beyond that amount remains tax free.
The proposal put forward by Warren and Moreno would lift the cap on taxable income, allowing the tax to apply to the entirety of a person’s income even if they make more than $184,500 per year.
“Since the vast majority of Americans make less than that, most people are paying Social Security taxes on 100 percent of their earnings while the highest earners are paying on only part of theirs,” Warren and Moreno said in a co-authored opinion piece in the New York Times.
The elimination of the cap on taxable income would generate about $3.4 trillion in added revenue over the next decade, according to an analysis from the non-partisan Peterson Institute. The policy change would close more than half of the program’s funding gap, the group said.
“With rising prices and artificial intelligence causing economic uncertainty for the future, Social Security must remain a stable foundation to help retirees afford life’s basic necessities,” Warren and Moreno said.
The proposal drew opposition from at least one conservative lawmaker. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, faulted the plan for what he described as a “giant tax increase.”
“We need to secure social security, we need to protect it, we need to make it stronger,” Husted told “The Guy Benson Show” last week. “But I’m not on board with the approach that they’ve outlined.”
What are some alternative reforms for funding Social Security?
As the program’s budget woes have deepened in recent years, elected officials and researchers have proposed a range of solutions. As with any financial shortfall, the fixes either increase revenue or slash expenses.
An alternate means of increasing tax revenue for the program involves ratcheting up the payroll tax by one percentage point from 12.4% to 13.4%, the Peterson Institute said. That move would generate $601 billion in additional revenue over 10 years, closing about a quarter of the program’s funding gap, the group added.
If Congress fails to address the projected budget shortfalls, automatic cuts will dial back Social Security benefits by about 25% in 2032, the Social Security fund’s trustees said earlier this month.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan bill introduced in the House proposed establishing an independent commission composed of 13 members appointed by leaders in Congress and the president. The commission would seek out fixes for the long-term sustainability of the program. The bill, which counts three cosponsors, has been appointed to two House committees for consideration.
As the years pass, the task of reforming Social Security becomes a greater and greater challenge, the Urban Institute said.
“Waiting only makes the changes larger and more difficult,” the group added.
A Culex mosquito, primary vectors for several viral and parasitic diseases inside a house in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, March 3, 2026. (Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A record number of West Nile virus cases have been recorded for this time of year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend.
At least 48 cases of West Nile have been reported so far this year compared to an average of 10 typically by the end of June. This is the highest number of infections reported at this point in year since 2004, according to the federal health agency.
Additionally, at least 23 states are reporting West Nile activity, which is the highest number recorded over the last 10 years, CDC data shows.
The illness is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the contagious U.S., with several thousand cases and over 100 deaths reported on average each year.
With millions gathering outside for Fourth of July, the CDC is urging Americans to take precautions and reduce their risk of mosquito bites.
Since 1999, the disease has killed more than 3,300 Americans. Cases have historically peaked in August and are mostly reported from June through October.
While many people infected do not develop symptoms, about one in five do. Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the CDC. Most symptoms soon disappear, though weakness and fatigue may last for weeks or months.
Fewer than 1% of people infected develop severe illness that affects the central nervous system, including inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), the CDC says.
Risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death increase with older age; certain medical conditions including cancer, high blood pressure and kidney disease; and a weakened immune system.
There are currently no vaccines for West Nile virus, nor disease-specific treatments. The CDC recommends rest, fluids and over-the-counter medications to treat the infection. Those with severe illness may need to be hospitalized and receive additional support treatments, such as intravenous fluids.
Businessman typing on laptop computer keyboard at desk in office. (tadamichi/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Wednesday voiced optimism about artificial intelligence, describing the technology as a “paradigm shift” that would likely make the United States a “big winner in the medium-term.”
“We are in the first or second inning of this revolution,” Warsh said in Sintra, Portugal, at a conference organized by the European Central Bank.
Warsh, who took the helm of the Fed last month, weighed in on the bullish side of an ongoing debate among policymakers, investors and the general public about the potential impact of AI on the labor market and wider economy.
The technology could create jobs and boost productivity, strengthening the economy of the U.S. and other nations, according to Warsh.
“This is a big paradigm shift both for the conduct of our policy and for our economies,” Warsh said. “I think the jobs will be greater. Prosperity will be stronger.”
Business investment in AI has helped drive recent U.S. economic growth, some studies show.
A surge of AI spending accounted for roughly two-thirds of gross domestic product growth over the first half of 2025, JPMorgan Asset Management found, outpacing the contribution made by hundreds of millions of U.S. consumers. Many of the nation’s largest companies have poured funds into the chips and data centers necessary to operate AI.
AI chipmakers, meanwhile, have helped deliver stock market gains this year, allowing the major indexes to overcome a lackluster stretch for many of the tech giants that previously lifted markets.
Shares of fast-rising AI chipmakers have boosted major indexes. Micron has soared 265% in value this year. Sandisk has climbed a staggering 750% over that period.
For now, however, AI has failed to achieve gains on a scale near its immense costs, some analysts previously told ABC News. A product like AI would typically generate revenue in the form of sales either direct to consumers or to third-party businesses using the technology to enhance their offerings. AI has faced challenges on both fronts, some analysts said.
Speaking on Wednesday, Warsh signaled that he expects a shift in sentiment among businesses regarding the impact of AI.
“While we might see business surveys that say ‘no big deal,’ my speculation is six months from now the surveys will be saying quite the opposite,” Warsh said.
The Philadelphia Police Department is searching for the two suspects wanted in the murder of 22-year-old William “Billy” Schmidt on June 6, 2026. (Philadelphia Police Department)
(PHILADELPHIA) — One of the teen suspects in the fatal shooting of a Penn State University student was arrested in Colorado after the Philadelphia Police Department said it had obtained arrest warrants for two 16-year-old boys.
Azzubair Outen-Fleming was arrested in Colorado Springs at a distant relative’s home, the U.S. Marshals Service of Philadelphia said in a social media post.
Outen-Fleming and Kaiseem Smith are wanted for murder and related offenses for the June 6 slaying of 22-year-old William “Billy” Schmidt, police announced on Tuesday.
Billy Schmidt had been watching the NBA Finals with his friends at a bar and was walking home when he was shot in the chest in an apparent robbery, according to police and his family.
Schmidt was studying digital journalism and media at Penn State World Campus, the university said.
He was set to graduate in December and hoped to work in sports broadcasting, his sister, Anna Schmidt, told ABC News.
She said her brother “was one of the nicest, most genuine and honestly, goofiest, people there is.”
Outen-Fleming was arrested by the U.S. Marshals’ Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, officials said.
“He was arrested at a distant relatives home after attempting to deny his identity,” the U.S. Marshals of Philadelphia said. “He is housed at the Zebulon Pike Youth Center waiting extradition back to” Philadelphia.
Police ask anyone with information on the suspects’ whereabouts to call the department’s tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
A soccer ball on the grass in the field by the net (Marcia Straub/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. men’s national team defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night in their highest-stakes 2026 World Cup match so far, clinching a spot in the round of 16.
It was the U.S. men’s team’s first World Cup knockout win in 24 years.
The U.S. takes on Belgium on July 6.
U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, who scored a goal in the first half, was handed a controversial red card in the 64th minute following a clash with an opposing player. The red card makes him ineligible for the next match.
Later, Malik Tillman followed up Balogun’s goal with a free kick in the 82nd minute, padding the U.S. lead.
Wednesday’s win, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, came after the team’s impressive first-place record in the group stage. The USMNT finished the group stage with a 2-1 record, with wins over Paraguay and Australia before a loss to Turkey, which occurred once the team had already secured a spot in the next round.
The matchup versus Bosnia-Herzegovina was the U.S. men’s team first knockout game following the earlier group stage.
After 48 teams descended upon Canada, Mexico and the United States, 32 teams remained in the knockout stages, which started earlier this week, vying to hoist the trophy on July 19.
With its loss, Bosnia-Herzegovina is eliminated from the World Cup.
Earlier Wednesday, Belgium defeated Senegal 3-2, securing its spot in the next round.
On Tuesday, Mexico defeated Ecuador to advance.
The round of 32 kicked off to a dramatic start on Monday, with Brazil coming from behind to beat Japan 2-1 before Paraguay eliminated Germany in penalty kicks , in one of the most shocking upsets of the tournament so far.
Morocco also topped Netherlands on Monday to clinch a spot in the next round.
