The Islamic Center of San Diego is seen after a shooting on May 18, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
(SAN DIEGO) — Amin Abdullah, the security guard who was killed along with two others in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, is being hailed as a hero as police say “his actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives.”
The shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, was reported shortly before noon local time, police said.
While officers were responding to the mosque, the police department “began to receive calls from just a couple blocks away that we had more active gunfire,” officials said at a news conference Monday.
The security guard appeared to play a “pivotal role” in keeping the shooting from “being much worse,” police said, noting that the victims were all found in front of the Islamic Center.
“His actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives today,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said of Abdullah.
“We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque,” Wahl continued.
Sam Hamideh, whose son attends the school next to the Islamic Center, told ABC News’ San Diego affiliate KGTV that Abdullah would have done anything to help the people inside.
“Even when the day was going wrong you could just smile … he just had that kind of heart and he always really cared,” Hamideh said.
Both suspects, ages 17 and 18, are dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.
Authorities are investigating a potential motive but said the shooting is currently being considered a hate crime.
“There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” Wahl said.
Anti-Islamic writings were found in the vehicle with the two teens, sources told ABC News.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Taha Hassan, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, said at a news conference.
Hassan said he’s sending “prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here, and also the other mosques, and all the places of worship in our beautiful city.”
Tazheen Nizam, the executive director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement, “We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”
-ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
Burrowing sea anemone from the San Julian Peninsula in Argentina. (The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census/Agustín Garese)
(NEW YORK) — Marine scientists have discovered a record number of new species living in the depths of the world’s oceans over the past year.
A total of 1,121 new marine species were discovered in a single year, marking a “significant step” in the research needed to understand and protect the oceans, according to the scientists behind The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, the world’s largest mission to accelerate ocean species discovery.
The whopping number of discoveries marks a 54% jump in identifications in a single year, the researchers said.
Among the new species discovered include corals, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins and anemones — some found living at depths of more than four miles beneath the ocean surface.
The “Ghost Shark” Chimaera, a distant relative of sharks and rays, was discovered in the Coral Sea Marine Park off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Chimaeras are among the most mysterious inhabitants of the deep ocean, the researchers said. They predate dinosaurs and diverged from rays and sharks into their own distinct evolutionary lineage nearly 400 million years ago.
Symbiotic bristle worms were found living within a “glass castle” on volcanic seamounts in Japan. The “castle” is actually intricate chambers of a glass sponge, whose skeleton is made of crystalline silica.
The ribbon worm, a predator marked by striking pigmentation, was discovered close to the surface, between depths of 3 and 16 feet.
A striking new species of shrimp — the Mediterranean shrimp — was also found in a sea cave off Marseille, France, the researchers said. It is marked by a vivid orange banding and intricate appendages.
The species were identified amid 13 expeditions across some of the world’s most remote and least-explored ocean regions, as well as nine discovery workshops, the researchers said.
“This year, Ocean Census has shown what is possible when scientific ambition is matched by global collaboration at scale,” Mitsuyuku Unno, executive director of the Nippon Foundation, said in a statement. “Through expeditions reaching polar depths to tropical seas, and the science to turn samples into discoveries, this team is revealing the extraordinary richness of ocean life.”
Up to 90% of ocean species remain undiscovered, previous research has suggested.
Documenting the breadth of species living in the oceans is necessary for policymakers and marine managers to properly protect the ocean, the researchers said.
The average time between a species’ initial discovery and its formal “description” in scientific literature is historically about 13.5 years, which puts species at risk of extinction before they are even catalogued, the researchers said.
“With many species at risk of disappearing before they are even documented, we are in a race against time to understand and protect ocean life,” Michelle Taylor, head of science at Ocean Census, said in a statement. “For too long, thousands of species have remained in a scientific “limbo” because the pace of discovery couldn’t keep up.”
To address this, marine scientists are now recognizing “discovered” as a formal scientific status that can immediately be recorded.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, campaigns during Fiesta on Hamilton ahead of a primary election in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US, on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Pennsylvania will hold a primary election on May 19. Photographer: Joe Lamberti/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania are headed to the polls on Tuesday in primaries that will set up matchups critical for both control of the state and the House in the 2026 midterm elections.
Both parties know how key the state is to their efforts.
“The road to the majority in the House of Representatives runs through Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Republican Party Executive Director James Markley told ABC News.
And Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, a Democrat, told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz in a recent interview, “The path to a Democratic majority in Congress is places like Allentown, places like Scranton.”
A marquee race for governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat first elected as governor in 2022 after almost two decades in state politics, is set to vie for a second term. He faces speculation that he’ll run for president in 2028 but has said he currently remains focused on 2026.
Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity is set to be the GOP’s standard bearer for governor. She has said she hopes to unseat Shapiro by pointing to challenges Pennsylvanians still face with affordability and other issues.
Neither candidate faces any opponents on their primary ballots.
The battle for the 7th District
Across the state, Democrats are targeting four House districts held by Republicans in Pennsylvania — among the highest number of seats the party is targeting in any state.
One of those four seats is Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, which includes the Lehigh Valley. Incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican, is set to try to win a second term in Congress, and is unopposed in the Republican primary.
In 2024, he flipped the seat once held by then-Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat, by just 1 percentage point, but he says he’s confident he’ll be able to hold the seat.
“What we’ve seen is that all four of the [Democratic] candidates have raced to the left, and they’ve all mirrored each other on the radical-left policies,” he told ABC News, saying later that he feels voters trust him on delivering for the region.
The four-way Democratic primary in the district has both candidates with distinct backgrounds as well as some party infighting.
Gov. Josh Shapiro himself has thrown his support behind Bob Brooks, a union leader and former firefighter. Brooks has excited supporters with his blue-collar bona fides and the chance for him to galvanize working-class Pennsylvanians to support him.
However, Brooks has faced scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans over how he appeared to get so much institutional support — including from Shapiro and from progressive stalwart independent Sen. Bernie Sanders — before the primary.
“I’m a 20-year firefighter, union leader, and baseball coach, and I’ve had nearly every job in the book — dishwasher, snowplow driver, bartender, and Teamster…. A lot of politicians want to talk about the affordability crisis. I’ve lived it,” Brooks said in a statement to ABC News.
Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, is also on the ballot and has decried the institutional support going to Brooks. Crosswell is a former Republican who resigned from the Justice Department in February 2025 because he disagreed with how the DOJ wanted to drop corruption charges against then-New York City mayor Eric Adams.
“I’m the only candidate in this race who hasn’t either been a career politician or been hobnobbing around them, and that includes Bob Brooks. So I think I had a lot more in common with everyday Americans,” Crosswell told ABC News in an interview.
Brooks’ campaign has emphasized local support for him from state lawmakers, local Democratic groups, and local labor groups.
The other Democrats on the ballot in Pennsylvania’s 7th District are Lamont McClure, a former Northampton County executive, and Carol Obando-Derstine, who served as an aide to former Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
Other key districts
The other three districts that are likely to be battlegrounds are Pennsylvania’s 1st, 8th and 10th districts. Similar to Mackenzie, none of the Republican incumbents in those districts have any primary opponents.
In the 1st District in the Philadelphia suburbs, incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is set to try to win a sixth term in Congress. Bob Harvie, a Shapiro-backed Bucks County commissioner, and Luca Simonelli, a mathematician and political newcomer, are vying in the Democratic primary for the chance to flip the seat.
And in the 8th District, Rep. Rob Bresnahan is set to try to win a second term in Congress after flipping the seat previously held by then-Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in 2024 by a slim margin. Paige Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will be set to be Democrats’ standard-bearer to flip the seat. She faces no primary challengers.
In the 10th District, incumbent Rep. Scott Perry, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, is set to try to win an eighth term in Congress. The Democrats vying to unseat him in their own primary are Janelle Stelson, a Shapiro-endorsed former local television anchor who was the district’s Democratic nominee in 2024, and Justin Douglas, a Dauphin County commissioner.
Another key race to watch in Pennsylvania, although not one is considered a battleground, is the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 3rd District. The deeply-blue district, which covers a swath of Philadelphia, is opening up as incumbent Rep. Dwight Evans is retiring.
State Sen. Sharif Street, progressive state Rep. Chris Rabb, and pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford are the frontrunner candidates. Whoever wins is on a glide path to Congress as no Republicans are running for the seat.
ABC News’ Julia Cherner contributed to this report.
Tracee Ellis Ross attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
Tracee Ellis Ross is headed to Broadway to show off her acting chops, as she has announced she’ll be starring in Every Brilliant Thing.
“She said yes to joy. And now she’s saying yes to Broadway,” an Instagram post for the play reads. “Tracee Ellis Ross makes her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing. July 7-August 9 only.”
“I’ve got something really exciting to share, so are you ready?” Tracee adds in a video announcement. “Drumroll please. … I will be making my, hold your horses, Broadway debut. That’s right. In the Tony Award-nominated play Every Brilliant Thing.”
“I am so excited, and I am also so nervous, which I think is appropriate,” she continues. “It is a one-person show that is also not a solo show, it is a monologue that is told by the actor—which in this case will be me—with the audience, which makes every performance special and different.”
According to the play’s website, Every Brilliant Thing follows a person looking “back at their life and the glimmers of hope that carried them through. All told through a list of every wonderful, beautiful, and delightful thing—big, small, and everything in between—that makes life worth living.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who earned a Tony Award nomination for best lead actor in a play for his performance, ends his run May 24. He’ll be replaced by Mariska Hargitay on May 26, before Tracee begins her stint at the Hudson Theatre on July 7.
“I really hope you can come and see me on Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing,” she says.
Tracee Ellis Ross is set to make her Broadway debut in the Broadway production of Every Brilliant Thing. She will take over the role from Mariska Hargitay, who is also set to make her Broadway debut in the production, taking over for Daniel Radcliffe May 26. Ross starts performances on July 7. Every Brilliant Thing is nominated for best revival of a play at the 2026 Tony Awards …
It seems Ella Enchanted is getting a TV series adaptation. Deadline reports that a series based on the 2004 Miramax film that starred Anne Hathaway is in development at Disney+. Hathaway is set to executive produce the show, which the outlet reports is being written by Anyone But You scribe Ilana Wolpert …
A24 has acquired the film Club Kid after it premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Jordan Firstman wrote, directed and stars in the film, which follows a washed-up party promoter who’s forced to turn his life around when he finds himself responsible for his 10-year-old son. “Bringing @jtfirstman’s CLUB KID home from Cannes,” A24 wrote in its announcement post …
“I’ve performed several times at awards shows,” he says. “And every night that I’ve done it, I always stand out there and I’m in my head while I’m singing. I’m like, ‘That’s Chris Stapleton. That’s George Strait. That’s Miranda Lambert. The GOATs.'”
“[I’m] singing with Lee Ann Womack, country music royalty, on national television,” he continues. “And if I did it seven nights a week for the rest of my life, I still don’t think I would really feel like I belong with those people. So, maybe just for a night, I do.”
Ella Langley set a new record for the most wins by a single artist in a night on Sunday, taking home seven trophies.
“I keep wondering when this is gonna feel like real life and it [has] yet to [have] done that,” she reflects. “I’m just so grateful. I’m so grateful to be here, and I’m so grateful that I get to do what I love to do with the people that I love to do it with. I’ve wanted this my whole entire life.”
Ella went on to reveal why she got so choked up as she accepted the female artist award.
“My whole entire life, I’ve watched these award shows, and I’ve watched a lot of these people that love me and support me up here from back home in my living room on the TV. And standing up onstage and looking out at those women that have continuously had my back made me emotional,” she says.
If you missed the 61st ACMs, you can stream it in its entirety on Prime Video.
Lady Gaga already has a Sports Emmy on her trophy shelf, but now, she’s reportedly aiming for a Primetime Emmy as well.
Varietyreports that Gaga is submitting “The Dead Dance,” the song she wrote for the Netflix series Wednesday, for Emmy consideration in theoutstanding original music and lyrics category. She co-wrote the song with producers Andrew Watt and Cirkut, and it appears in season 2 episode 7, soundtracking a dance routine performed by the characters of Enid and Agnes.
Last September, Emma Myers and Evie Templeton — who play Enid and Agnes — joined Gaga onstage in London to perform the dance routine while she sang “The Dead Dance.” Gaga also made a cameo appearance in season 2 of Wednesday as Rosaline Rotwood, a former teacher at Wednesday’s school.
Gaga told the Netflix site Tudum, “The inspiration for ‘The Dead Dance’ was a breakup, and it’s about how we sometimes feel when it’s over — how a relationship ending can kill our ability to feel hopeful about love. In the song, I say, ‘I’ll keep on dancing till I’m dead,’ meaning that I’m acknowledging that, and I’m going to keep going. I’m also saying, ‘I’m taking the power back.’”
Emmy nominations will be announced July 8.
As for the Sports Emmy Gaga already won, it was for her performance of “Hold My Hand” during the Super Bowl 59 pregame show.
for KING & COUNTRY, The Most Beautiful Colours Tour (Dylan DePaul)
Fans will get a preview of the new album by for KING + COUNTRY on the duo’s upcoming fall tour.
The Most Beautiful Colours Tour, in support of their album of the same name, gets underway Sept. 24 in Spokane, Washington, and is set to wrap up Oct. 18 in Boston. You can sign up for presale access by texting “MIRACLE” to 615-257-9555. Presale tickets will be available starting May 19, with tickets going on sale to the general public May 22 at 10 a.m. CT.
Another taste of the new album will come June 5, when Joel and Luke Smallbone release their latest single, “Miracle.”
“Our new forthcoming album … is our most hope-filled yet, and we feel there’s no better way to celebrate than to spend these evenings together across North America this fall,” Joel and Luke say in a statement. “It’s our hope that you leave these shows with a deep sense of optimism and joy in the midst of all you may face in the world today.”
But you don’t have to wait for September to see for KING + COUNTRY: They also has some tour dates scheduled for July, and they’re also hosting an event called Hometown Weekend in Franklin, Tennessee, from Aug. 14 through 16. It will feature a preview of the next album, as well as a concert, special guests and more.
Meanwhile, the duo’s film Drummer Boy, inspired by their popular rendition of the Christmas favorite “The Little Drummer Boy,” will arrive in theaters in November. Joel stars in the movie, and also co-directed it with the duo’s brother, Ben Smallwood. A press release describes the movie as a “Christmas musical about two brothers who find themselves on opposite sides of the American Revolutionary War.”
‘Megalithic Symphony’ album artwork. (Red Bull Records)
Did you forget AWOLNATION’s Megalithic Symphony is now 15 years old? Well, blame it on your ADD, baby.
Indeed, Aaron Bruno and company’s 2011 debut album celebrated its decade-and-a-half anniversary in March. Now they’re celebrating the milestone with a special virtual event.
The AWOLNATION YouTube channel is airing a live rewatch party for the video for “Sail,” the breakout single off of Megalith Symphony, starting Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. That’ll be followed by a behind-the-scenes video about the making of Megalithic Symphony exclusive to members of YouTube premium.
The song “Sail” is certified Diamond by the RIAA and spent 79 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, which is fourth-most all time. Its original video has over 355 million views on YouTube.
Megalithic Symphony also spawned the singles “Not Your Fault” and “Kill Your Heroes.” AWOLNATION released a 10th anniversary reissue in 2021.
The most recent AWOLNATION album is 2024’s The Phantom Five.
