Town cars and taxis are viewed in the Financial District in the early hours of the morning on June 4, 2015 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A 56-year-old Westchester County woman plunged to her death after stepping out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, sources told ABC News.
The woman, from Briarcliff Manor, New York, parked her car at West 52 Street and Fifth Avenue just before 11:20 p.m. Monday, the sources said.
She stepped out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and into an uncovered manhole, falling about 10 feet, sources said.
The woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, sources said.
No construction was ongoing, and the manhole cover was discovered about 15 feet away from the opening, according to sources.
Con Edison said it is “actively investigating” the incident.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole. We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority,” Con Edison said in a statement Tuesday.
cting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing questions Tuesday on the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate those who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration.
Blanche, testifying on the Justice Department’s 2027 budget request, is making his first appearance before lawmakers since he was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as acting attorney general in early April after Pam Bondi was removed from the position.
The fund, which was first reported last week by ABC News, has already drawn condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle amid growing questions over how the funds will be distributed and whether they could be awarded to political backers of the president and even potentially the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Blanche, in defense of the fund, sought to compare it to an Obama-era initiative that set up ways to settle claims brought by Native Americans who had alleged they had been subject to widespread mistreatment by the government.
He also argued that the fund won’t solely be used to compensate supporters of the administration.
“It’s not limited to — to Republicans, … it’s not limited to Biden weaponization, it’s not limited to in any way, scope or form to Jan. 6 or to Jack Smith,” Blanche said. “There’s no limitation on the — on the claims.”
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen lambasted Blanche for seeking to compare the $1.776 billion fund to the Obama-era initiative for Native Americans.
Van Hollen noted that specific fund received sign off from a federal judge, whereas Monday’s announcement had no judicial involvement or approval.
Blanche won’t rule out payouts for individuals who assaulted law enforcement
Pressed whether individuals who assaulted Capitol Police officers would be eligible for payments, Blanche said, “Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they’re a victim of weaponization.”
Blanche wouldn’t commit to setting a policy that bans funds being distributed to anyone who assaulted police, saying the commissioners overseeing the fund will be tasked with deciding who is eligible.
Blanche claims there will be ‘full transparency’ on fund, but with caveats
In an exchange with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, was questioned over whether disbursements from the $1.776 billion will be subject to public disclosure.
Blanche said he wanted to be “careful” in his answer given privacy laws that might restrict the Justice Department from disclosing certain information, but otherwise said there would be “full transparency” via regularly quarterly reports that will be released by the department regarding the commission’s actions.
“The reason why I want to be careful of my answer is because there’s obviously laws that exist around privacy that would — may prevent some of the information that commission takes in from being fully public,” Blanche said. “Beyond that, there will be full transparency, and I commit to you that beyond the … laws that exist around privacy and privileges and whatnot.”
Beartooth has announced a U.S. tour in support of the band’s upcoming album, Pure Ecstasy.
The headlining trek launches Nov. 11 in Boston and will conclude Dec. 19 in Wheatland, California. The bill also includes Don Broco, Magnolia Park and Windwaker.
Presales begin Tuesday at noon ET, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BeartoothBand.com.
Pure Ecstasy, the follow-up to 2023’s The Surface, is due out Aug. 28. The single “Free” and the title track are out now.
RAYE and sister Abby-Lynn Keen aka Absolutely attend The Ivors Academy Honours 2025 on Oct. 2, 2025 in London, England (Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Ivors Academy)
RAYE sings “Where Is My Husband!” every night on her tour. Meanwhile, one of her openers already found hers.
RAYE’s opening acts are her sisters, who record under the names Absolutely and Amma. Absolutely, born Abby-Lynn Keen, has just gotten engaged to her boyfriend Noah, who according to his Instagram page is also a musician. “I am the happiest girl in the world,” she wrote on her Instagram Story.
RAYE congratulated the happy couple on her own Story, writing, “My sister just got a ringggggggggg. @the.absolutely @noahurrea I JUST LOVE YOU BURSTING WITH JOY FOR YOU MY BEAUTIFUL ABBY & NOAH.”
She added, “May no weapon fashioned against you both EVER prosper AMEN.”
RAYE also commented under Absolutely’s post, which features plenty of photos of the couple’s engagement party. “We are finally going to have a brother @amma,” she wrote.
In addition to RAYE, born Rachel Keen; Amma, born Lauren Keen; and Absolutely, there’s a fourth Keen sister who is currently not in the spotlight.
As for RAYE’s thoughts on the title of her hit song, she told Billboard, “Sometimes I’m very assured and confident and happy with my life, and then some days I’m watching a rom-com, and I’m like, ‘Where? Where?’ But it’s not serious. I’m not crying myself to sleep every night — just some nights.”
Cardi B performs onstage during the Little Miss Drama Tour at The Kia Forum on February 15, 2026, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Cardi B may be the drama, but she’s also the leading nominee for the BET Awards 2026. She’s received six nominations, including album of the year for her sophomore project Am I The Drama?, best female hip-hop artist, best collaboration for “Errtime Remix” featuring Jeezy and Latto, video director of the year with Patientce Foster and viewers choice for “Outside.”
Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist follow closely behind the Bronx rapper, with five nominations each. Both are up for viewers choice — Kendrick for “Chains & Whips” with Clipse and Mariah for “Burning Blue” — as well as best collaboration.
Doechii has been nominated for four awards, tying with Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto. A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, Jill Scott and Kehlani each earned three nominations, as did Metro Boomin, SZA, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, T.I. and YK Niece.
This year’s show will also feature the presentation of two new categories: the Fashion Vanguard Award, recognizing a global figure whose fashion has shaped style narratives and culture, and the Pulse Award, celebrating creators or content that advance Black culture online.
Fashion Vanguard nominees include A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Colman Domingo, Doechii, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor and Zendaya. Pulse Award nominees include 85 South Show, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, Charlamagne Tha God, Don Lemon, Druski, It Is What It Is, Joe and Jada, On the Radar and R&B Money Podcast.
The BET Awards are set for June 28 in Los Angeles, with Druski serving as host. It will air at 8 p.m. ET and 8 p.m PT on BET and be simulcast on BET HER, CMT, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon (NAN), Paramount, POP, VH1, Comedy Central and TV Land.
Static-X performs in concert at Germania Insurance Amphitheater on August 18, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Gary Miller/WireImage)
Static-X has canceled the remainder of the band’s 2026 tour dates due to “serious medical issues.”
“The situation is unavoidable and requires immediate attention,” the “Push It” band writes in a Facebook post published Monday. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience, and we promise to return to the stage, bigger, stronger and faster in 2027.”
The band adds, “We appreciate your continued love and support and look forward to seeing you all again very soon!”
Static-X currently consists of bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay, all of whom played on the band’s 1999 debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip, as well as an anonymous masked singer known only as Xer0 in place of late frontman Wayne Static, who died in 2014.
Rod Stewart performs during the 55th Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 26, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage)
While Rod Stewart has famously declared that he doesn’t want to retire, he now seems to be hinting at it — at least when it comes to touring.
While calling in to the British sports network talkSPORT on Monday to discuss his favorite soccer team, Rod, 81, was asked what his upcoming touring plans were. He told the hosts that after performing at a private event in Monaco, he was headed to Las Vegas for his latest run of shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which start on May 27.
“I’ve got 40 odd shows this year, and that’s that’s not really…enough,” he added. “And I’m touring the U.K. next year, doing the O2 [arena] and that’ll probably be it, I think. I’ll have to do something new. Come on your show more often, maybe.”
Asked if he still gets a “massive buzz” from being onstage, Rod agreed, noting, “There’s nothing like it. There’s no drink, alcohol or drug will give you that buzz … to see all those smiling faces out there and … send them all home happy is just God’s gift. It’s wonderful.”
The 2027 shows Rod referred to haven’t actually been announced yet. The rest of this year will see him playing a mix of headlining shows, a few dates with Richard Marx, some festivals and yet another run of Vegas shows in August.
In late 2024, when Rod announced his ongoing One Last Time tour, he said it would be the end of “large-scale world tours” for him. He then added, “I have no desire to retire. I love what I do, and I do what I love.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, May 19, CBS will air Forever Young: A GRAMMY Salute to Rod Stewart LIVE.
his photo taken on May 17, 2026 shows an exterior view of a hospital that has been designated as an Ebola treatment center in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC. TO GO WITH “Update: DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to rebel-held city, Rwanda closing down border” (Photo by Str/Xinhua via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least 513 suspected cases and 131 suspected deaths have been recorded in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials said Tuesday.
Congolese Minister of Public Health Samuel Roger Kamba said during a press briefing in French that authorities will determine which of these deaths “are actually linked to the disease.”
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during the United Nation agency’s annual World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, recalled how he declared Congo’s current Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, saying it was the first time a WHO chief had done so before convening an emergency committee.
“I did not do this lightly,” Tedros said. “I did it in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations, after consulting the ministers of health of both countries, and because I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic. We will convene the Emergency Committee today to advise us on temporary recommendations.”
At least 30 cases of Ebola virus disease have been confirmed in the ongoing outbreak in Congo, from the northeastern province of Ituri. In addition, there are more than 500 suspected cases and over 130 suspected deaths, according to Tedros.
Cases have been reported in urban areas, including one of Congo’s largest cities, Goma, the rebel-held capital of the eastern province of North Kivu, Tedros said.
Uganda has also confirmed two cases in its capital Kampala, including one death, among two individuals who traveled from neighboring Congo, according to Tedros.
This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics, Tedros said.
On Tuesday, Dr. Anne Ancia, WHO’s representative in the DRC, said more than 40 experts were deployed to the field on Sunday and the WHO has sent 12 tons of supplies, with six more tons coming.
Supplies include personal protective equipment for front line healthcare workers, laboratory samples, tents, drugs and other treatments.
“What I see here in the field is extremely vulnerable people, a [fragile] population,” Ancia said. “But I see also people working together while facing great uncertainty as to the [scale] or the extent of this outbreak.”
She said the surveillance capacity is limited in the affected region, which could be why the outbreak is spreading rapidly.
“We really need to go fast to really try to stop the spread of the disease further,” she said. “We don’t understand yet the extent of the spread of the disease.”
According to The Associated Press, more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Congo and Uganda, but this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.
An American doctor working in the DRC is among those who has tested positive for Ebola amid the outbreak, according to an international Christian missions organization.
Dr. Peter Stafford, a medical missionary with the missions organization Serge, was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital, the group said Monday.
He sought testing “after presenting symptoms consistent with the virus,” Serge said in a statement.
Dr. Satish K. Pillai, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Ebola response, said the agency had activated its Emergency Operations Center through its country offices in the DRC and in Uganda, and is deploying technical experts that have been requested from Atlanta headquarters.
Pillai added that the risk to the U.S. general public remains low.
The CDC said earlier Monday that it is preparing to restrict entry for travelers arriving from parts of central Africa where an Ebola outbreak has been declared, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
On Sunday, the CDC said in a statement that a “small number of Americans” were directly affected by the Ebola outbreak.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News on Monday that his agency is “working on” the Ebola outbreak.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud, Eric M. Strauss and Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), during a healthcare affordability event in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News on Monday that his agency is working to address the recent hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks, marking the first time he’s commented publicly on the Ebola outbreak since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed than an American had been infected with the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“Yeah, we’re working on it,” Kennedy told ABC News when asked if he was worried about the outbreaks. The secretary’s comments come after the CDC said a “small number of Americans” are directly affected by the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Kennedy did not respond when asked what his message might be to Americans who are concerned about the diseases potentially spreading in America. He told reporters in the Oval Office last week that the U.S. had the hantavirus outbreak “under control.”
“We have this under control and we’re not worried about it,” he said at the White House’s maternal healthcare event on May 11th. Kennedy also noted that the CDC has been working on the outbreak since day one.
The CDC said there have been no confirmed hantavirus cases in the U.S. linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship and 18 passengers remain under observation at the University of Nebraska.
Meanwhile, Kennedy’s brief comments about the outbreaks came following a roundtable event announcing nearly $1 billion in new funding to states to address PFAS in drinking water at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday.
The secretary has been on a midterm blitz recently, touting the administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement during stops including Ohio and California.
At a subsequent event featuring Kennedy and other health leaders at the White House, Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Heidi Overton stressed that “there are no cases of Ebola in America.”
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Heidi Overton stressed during the event that “there are no cases of Ebola in America.”
“We want to keep it that way and we are doing everything we can to support Americans in the region,” Overton added.
Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, left, and Marty Kemp, Georgia’s first lady, second left, watch as Derek Dooley, Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Georgia, second right, speaks during a campaign event at Whitetail Coffee Shop in Milton, Georgia, on Friday, May 15, 2026. (Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump might not have been in attendance at the Atlanta Press Club Republican primary debate for U.S. Senate last month, but his presence filled the room.
“I am running for the United States Senate so that I can go to the Senate and be a warrior for Donald Trump and his ‘America First’ policies,” said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter in his opening statement.
When Carter’s House colleague and opponent in the Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, was asked about the direction in which the Republican Party should go once President Trump is no longer in office, Collins told the moderator “we need to continue Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda,” adding, “it’s one of the reasons that I ran.”
In a midterm cycle where Trump’s endorsement power has taken down incumbents, plucked winners out of crowded special elections, and fueled intra-party spending wars, the president has not yet backed a candidate in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia.
The absence of a Trump endorsement in the race has led both Carter and Collins to focus their campaigns around winning over Trump’s base – and maybe even Trump himself – as they both vie for the president’s backing in what is expected to be one of the most competitive states on the map this year, one that could decide the balance of power in Congress.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2026, and Tuesday’s primary could decide who goes head-to-head with the rising star in the Democratic Party in November.
Brian Kemp, the two-term Republican governor of Georgia who turned down calls to run for the Senate seat himself this year, is supporting neither congressman. Kemp has instead thrown his political weight behind former college football coach Derek Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley.
Kemp has made calls to donors to rally support for Dooley, a Kemp advisor told ABC News. Kemp’s PAC, Hardworking Americans Inc., has also poured millions in the race to help support Dooley, who calls himself a “political outsider.”
Kemp has had a rocky relationship with the president himself, after contesting Trump’s claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. However, Kemp remains popular among Georgians, winning reelection against a Trump-endorsed primary challenger in 2022.
Tuesday’s primary races in Georgia will be a test of Kemp’s own political power in the state; the outgoing Georgia governor has not ruled out a potential 2028 presidential run.
The real test of Trump’s influence in Georgia will come in the Republican primary to replace term-limited Kemp as governor, where the president’s early endorsement of current Lt. Governor Burt Jones failed to clear the field and instead set the stage for a competitive primary battle against billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who is neck and neck with Jones in the polls.
But unlike Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr – who are also running in the Republican primary for governor but are making appeals to more traditional GOP voters – Jackson is not shying away from running in the “Make America Great Again” lane, even without Trump’s backing.
“I’m a conservative outsider and a businessman that wants to bring business solutions to Georgia, just like President Trump did,” Jackson said at the primary debate for governor.
Trump hosted a tele-rally for Jones earlier this month, where he reiterated his endorsement for the longtime Trump loyalist.
“There’s a lot of confusion. Everyone’s saying I endorsed them. I didn’t. I endorsed a man named Burt Jones,” Trump told supporters on the call.
On the other side of the aisle, the Democratic candidates for governor are also talking about Trump – in how best to fight his policies.
“Unlike some people, I’m not running for governor to be Donald Trump; I’m running to stand up to him,” said former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the latest ad from her campaign, which calls out Jackson and Jones over their courting of Trump’s favor.
Bottoms is endorsed by former President Joe Biden and is widely considered the frontrunner in the Democratic primary race, but it is unclear whether she will meet the vote threshold to avoid a runoff. Democratic opponents that Bottoms could face in a potential runoff include former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and former Georgia state Sen. Jason Esteves.
In Georgia, if one candidate does not receive 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election on June 16. And with so many well-known contenders for office this year, runoffs may be more likely on both sides of the aisle, up and down the ballot.
