(NEW YORK) — Severe weather is possible for 16 million Americans across the Southern U.S. from Texas to South Carolina on Tuesday.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for parts of eastern Texas and northern Louisiana– from Tyler, Texas to Shreveport, Louisiana, through 6 p.m., local time on Tuesday — mainly for large hail and strong winds, according to experts.
Areas from Jackson, Mississippi, to Dothan, Alabama, are facing the highest threat of very large hail and damaging winds, with a low chance of tornadoes in the area, according to meteorologists.
Meteorologists said the stationary front will bring another round of severe storms from Louisiana to Georgia.
In addition to severe weather, temperatures are expected to hit triple digits in Texas this week, as a heat wave envelops part of the state.
A heat advisory has been issued for much of southern Texas as the heat index– the feels-like temperature– will soar over 110 degrees in certain areas, according to meteorologists.
The heat index in Corpus Christi will reach 112 degrees by Wednesday afternoon, while San Antonio’s heat index is forecast to be 106 degrees.
The heat index in Corpus Christi will reach 112 degrees by Wednesday afternoon, while San Antonio’s heat index is forecast to be 106 degrees.
The actual temperature is forecast to reach up to 105 degrees in some parts of Texas.
Midland is expected to reach 104 degrees on Thursday and Friday, Dallas is projected to hit 102 degrees on Friday and Saturday, and San Antonio will hit 105 degrees on Friday and 103 degrees on Saturday, according to meteorologists.
The extreme heat could adversely impact people’s health, meteorologists warned.
(NEW YORK) — As former President Donald Trump was being arraigned in Florida Tuesday on charges related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office, a federal judge in New York dealt him another legal blow.
Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed writer E. Jean Carroll to amend a pending defamation lawsuit against Trump to include allegedly disparaging comments he made about her last month after he was found liable for sexually assaulting her.
A jury last month found Trump liable for battery and defamation after Carroll alleged that Trump defamed her in a 2022 Truth Social post by calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!” when he denied her claim that he raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
Carroll’s amended complaint includes comments Trump made online and in a CNN town hall following the May 9 verdict in Carroll’s civil lawsuit. “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE — A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!'” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform following the verdict.
The pending suit, which is separate from the New York lawsuit, seeks $10 million in damages on top of the $5 million the Manhattan jury awarded Trump in the other case.
“We look forward to moving ahead expeditiously on E. Jean Carroll’s remaining claims,” Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said.
Trump, who has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her, last week asked the Manhattan judge to reconsider the $2 million in compensatory damages because the jury did not find Trump raped Carroll as she long alleged.
“The Court should order a new trial on damages or grant remittitur because contrary to Plaintiff’s claim of rape, the Jury found that she was not raped but was sexually abused by Defendant during the 1995/1996 Bergdorf Goodman incident,” the filing from Trump’s attorneys said.
“Such abuse could have included groping of Plaintiffs breasts through clothing or similar conduct, which is a far cry from rape. Therefore, an award of $2 million for such conduct, which admittedly did not cause any diagnosed mental injury to Plaintiff, is grossly excessive under the applicable case law,” said the filing.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(MIAMI) — Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday after he was indicted in an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
Trump has been charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Trump has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 13, 7:41 PM EDT
Trump returns to New Jersey
Former President Donald Trump’s plane landed in Newark, New Jersey.
He will depart to his Bedminster club to greet a host of supporters, GOP donors and other guests.
-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds
Jun 13, 4:56 PM EDT
Trump heads back to New Jersey
Former President Donald Trump’s plane has departed Miami and is now en route to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump will address his supporters Tuesday night.
Jun 13, 4:14 PM EDT
Trump makes stop at Cuban restaurant
Former President Donald Trump is making a stop at Versailles, a restaurant in Little Havana at the heart of Miami’s Cuban exile community.
He was greeted with cheers and shook hands and snapped photos with excited supporters.
Some patrons sang “Happy birthday” to Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday.
“We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff,” Trump said in brief remarks. “You see the crowds and everything else — we have a country that is in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen.”
Trump’s aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, attended the restaurant stop with the former president.
Jun 13, 4:07 PM EDT
Trump leaves courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has left the Miami federal courthouse after pleading not guilty to charges including willful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Trump, alone in the motorcade, with only his Secret Service detail in his car, is next heading to a local business in Miami, sources told ABC News.
Later in the day, Trump will fly to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he’ll address his supporters Tuesday night.
Jun 13, 3:47 PM EDT
Trump enters not guilty plea
Defense attorney Todd Blanche entered a not guilty plea on behalf of former President Donald Trump.
Trump was frowning at some points and was looking down toward the floor for most of the hearing.
Trump was already in the courtroom by about 2:45 p.m., ahead of the scheduled 3 p.m. start time. Seated at the same table as Trump was his aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta.
Trump waited in the courtroom for about 10 minutes before the judge arrived.
At first Trump appeared slumped in his chair, but when the judge asked for him to be officially arraigned, the former president sat up a bit and crossed his arms.
At one point during the arraignment, the magistrate judge asked Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise if they were permanent attorneys, and they indicated they were.
Trump was barred from speaking to any witnesses about the case, except through counsel.
Nauta did not enter a plea because he does not have local representation. He’s set to return to court on June 27.
Jun 13, 3:03 PM EDT
Special counsel Jack Smith in courtroom with Trump
Special counsel Jack Smith is currently in the courtroom for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment. It’s very unusual for a top prosecutor to attend such an early court appearance in a case.
This marks the first time Trump and Smith are in the same room.
Other prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers are also present.
Jun 13, 2:12 PM EDT
Trump completes booking process at courthouse, will head to courtroom
Former President Donald Trump is inside the Miami federal courthouse ahead of his 3 p.m. appearance.
Former President Donald Trump leaves his Trump National Doral resort, June 13, 2023 in Doral, Fla.
While the former president is inside the courthouse, many members of Trump’s team are staying in the motorcade, sources told ABC News.
Trump spokesperson Alina Habba spoke to reporters outside the courthouse while the former president was inside the building.
Trump’s booking process has been completed, sources told ABC News. He was not expected to be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken, sources told ABC News.
Supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump have congregated outside the courthouse with signs and costumes to make their voices heard.
Jun 13, 1:55 PM EDT
Trump arrives at federal courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Miami federal courthouse ahead of his 3 p.m. appearance.
Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken, sources told ABC News.
The booking process is not expected to take long, a law enforcement official told reporters, adding that it’s “the same process that everyone goes through.”
Jun 13, 1:48 PM EDT
Trump riding in car alone
As former President Donald Trump motorcades to the courthouse, he is riding in his car alone, sources told ABC News.
Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Chris Kise, are in the car behind him. Trump aide Walt Nauta, who is also charged in the federal indictment, is also riding in that car with his attorney, Stanley Woodward.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Jun 13, 1:32 PM EDT
Trump leaves Doral club to head to court
Former President Donald Trump has left his Doral, Florida, golf club to motorcade to the Miami federal courthouse for his 3 p.m. appearance.
Some supporters with Trump flags lined the street outside Doral.
Jun 13, 1:03 PM EDT
Crowds calm outside courthouse, Miami mayor says
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told ABC News that the crowd outside the courthouse “seems manageable” ahead of former President Donald Trump’s arrival.
“Everything seems, right now, very calm. We are hopeful that it remains that way,” he said.
Jun 13, 11:28 AM EDT
Trump not expected to be handcuffed
As negotiations reach final stages, ABC News has learned from sources that former President Donald Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or be required to empty his pockets when he’s processed at the courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump is also not expected to have a mugshot taken, according to sources.
His hands are expected to be scanned electronically, sources added.
Trump will be asked for his name and social security number when he’s processed, a law enforcement official told reporters.
The booking process is not expected to take long, a law enforcement official said, adding that it’s “the same process that everyone goes through.”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky and John Santucci
Jun 13, 11:20 AM EDT
How serious are obstruction charges?
Of all the federal charges that former President Donald Trump and his aide Walt Nauta face in the investigation into the alleged mishandling of top secret government documents, obstruction is one of the most serious, according to legal experts.
Claire Finkelstein, the founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, noted that the obstruction charges in the indictment against Trump and his aide carry as much serious weight as the charges related to keeping the top secret documents, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Finkelstein said an obstruction charge can cover a broad range of alleged activities, from as simple as lying to investigators, to as major as destroying evidence. But she said it all comes down to one clear allegation: that the accused deliberately interfered with an ongoing criminal investigation.
The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump alleges that he willfully retained documents containing the nation’s most sensitive secrets, including nuclear programs, after he left office, showed some of them on at least two occasions and then tried to obstruct the investigation into their whereabouts.
Federal prosecutors allege that the classified documents included “defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”
Boxes of the documents were allegedly stored in locations around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, including a ballroom stage and a bathroom, according to prosecutors.
Jun 13, 9:28 AM EDT
Trump not expected to be handcuffed
As negotiations reach final stages, ABC News has learned from sources that former President Donald Trump is not expected to be handcuffed or be required to empty his pockets when he’s processed at the courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump is also not expected to have a mugshot taken, according to sources.
His hands are expected to be scanned electronically, sources added.
Jun 13, 8:25 AM EDT
Chris Christie calls Trump’s conduct ‘inexcusable,’ ‘self-centered’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took aim at former President Donald Trump during a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall Monday night, calling Trump’s conduct “inexcusable” for someone who wants to occupy the Oval Office.
“He has shown himself, and I think most particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed, and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view, if what the American people want is in conflict with what Donald Trump thinks is best for him,” Christie said.
“I mean, put aside taking the documents in the first place,” Christie said. “But then when you start getting asked … nicely with a letter from the archivist saying, ‘Could you please give it back,’ and you ignore it, ignore it, ignore it. Then they come with a grand jury subpoena, and then, according to the indictment, you tell your lawyers to tell them we don’t have anything even though you have dozens and dozens of boxes of material. That’s obstruction of justice, if it’s true.”
Jun 13, 8:11 AM EDT
Lawyers Todd Blanche, Chris Kise expected to attend court appearance
Former President Donald Trump is expected to be joined by his lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise at Tuesday’s court appearance in Miami, sources told ABC News. Meetings with additional local attorneys are ongoing.
Blanche is representing Trump in the Manhattan criminal case while Kise represents Trump and the Trump Organization in other matters.
Jun 13, 5:12 AM EDT
Trump to appear in court at 3 p.m.
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
He’s accused of willfully retaining documents containing the nation’s most sensitive secrets, including nuclear programs, after he left office, prosecutors said. He allegedly showed some of the documents to people on at least two occasions and then tried to obstruct the investigation into their whereabouts, prosecutors claim.
Trump denied any wrongdoing over the weekend, saying: “We did absolutely nothing wrong. Take a look at the Presidential Records Act. We did it by the book. Perfect.”
Trump is expected to arrive at and depart from the Miami courthouse via secure private access points that would make it impossible for the public or journalists to see him.
Trump aide Walt Nauta, who was also charged in connection with his handling of government documents, is also due in court at 3 p.m.
Primus frontman Les Claypool has announced a fall tour with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade side project.
The outing kicks off October 11 in Oakland and will wrap up with a Halloween night show in Nashville. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 16, at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit LesClaypool.com.
Claypool first started the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade in 2000 while Primus was on hiatus. When Primus got back together in 2003, the Frog Brigade then went on hiatus and remained inactive until this year, when Claypool reformed the project for a tour that kicked off in May.
(WASHINGTON) — The White House is responding after several transgender guests exposed their chests at the administration’s Pride celebration this past weekend.
The incident drew backlash as inappropriate, including from conservative commentators like CJ Pearson who suggested online that it brought “shame” on the country.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, “The behavior was simply unacceptable. We’ve been very clear about that.”
“It was unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate their families,” she continued. “So, you know, we’re going to continue to be clear on that. … It’s not appropriate. It’s disrespectful. And let’s not — it really does not reflect the event that we hosted to celebrate the LGBTQ+ families.”
The individuals in the video won’t be invited to future events, Jean-Pierre said.
“This has not occurred before,” she said. “This was not a normal thing that has happened under this administration. But we’ve been very clear about how we saw this particular behavior.”
The Bidens welcomed hundreds of LGBTQ families from across the country on Saturday to mark Pride month. The administration described the event as the largest-ever Pride celebration at the White House.
Rose Montoya, a transgender model and activist, posted a one-minute video to TikTok showing different aspects of the event. At one point, Montoya can be seen meeting President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
At another point, the video shows Montoya and other individuals bearing their chests while posing in front of the White House South Portico. Montoya is seen covering her bare chest with her hands.
“Are we topless at the White House?” someone can be heard saying in the video. It’s not clear who the other individuals are in the video.
Montoya responded to criticism to the toplessness in a separate TikTok post on Monday.
“My trans masculine friends were showing off their top surgery scars and living in joy, and I wanted to join them,” she said in the video. “And because it is perfectly within the law in Washington D.C., I decided to join them and cover my nipples just to play it safe.”
Montoya didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News on the White House’s reaction. On Instagram, she wrote that she would be “making a public statement … soon.”
At the Pride event, President Biden spoke out against anti-LGBTQ legislation being introduced and passed in various state legislatures around the country.
He also had a message for “the entire community,” but particularly for transgender youth.
“You are loved. You are heard. You are understood,” he said. “And you belong.”
(LEESVILLE, La.) — As part of the national campaign to change the names of U.S. Army installations to cut ties with Confederate figures in America, Louisiana’s Fort Polk was redesignated to Fort Johnson Tuesday morning.
The campaign includes renaming nine U.S. Army bases, including North Carolina’s Fort Bragg changed to Fort Liberty, Texas’ Fort Hood changed to Fort Cavazos and Georgia’s Fort Benning changed to Fort Moore, among other changes.
Fort Polk was originally named after Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, a Confederate commander.
Now, the Fort Johnson base is honored for Sgt. William Henry Johnson, an African American World War I Medal of Honor recipient who served in the all-Black 369th U.S Infantry Regiment.
“Sgt. William Henry Johnson embodied the warrior spirit, and we are deeply honored to bear his name at the Home of Heroes,” said Brig. Gen. David W. Gardner, commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, in the press release.
The North Carolina native served one tour of duty on the western edge of the Argonne Forest in France’s Champagne region from 1918-1919, and became one of the first Americans to be awarded France’s highest award for valor, the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, former President Theodore Roosevelt called Johnson one of the five bravest Americans to serve in World War I.
After his death in July 1929, Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2003, and most recently, the Medal of Honor in 2015.
More names are expected to be changed through the renaming campaign, including Georgia’s Fort Gordon changed to Fort Eisenhower to commemorate Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Virginia’s Fort A.P. Hill will be changed to honor Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
SZA has had it with the online harassment and body shaming often aimed at Lizzo. In a series of tweets shared June 13, she questioned the lack of support for her friend during times when she’s being criticized on social media.
“I be wondering where all the virtue signaling ,well spoken s*** talking, internet warriors are when someone genuine needs defending. Where the f*** do y’all be at for lizzo ? Do y’all actually know how to support others or only tear them down,” SZA wrote in a tweet.
When asked whether people ever “go to war for Lizzo” on Twitter, she shared her belief that it doesn’t happen enough, stating, “For as much free love, encouragement and positivity she embodies n shares on every app daily ? The ratios’s don’t add up.” She added she doesn’t care who disagrees with her opinion, as “it’s been on my mind for a minute” and “makes me upset.”
“Jus want everyone to practice kindness and shutting tf up more often cause G****** ITS UGLY OUTSIDE ALREADY,” SZA tweeted. “Why add?”
SZA’s mini rant comes just days after Lizzo defended herself against a new set of fatphobic posts. Noting she sees posts like this daily, she admitted they take a toll her and have begun “to make me hate the world.”
“I’m not trying to BE fat I’m not trying to BE smaller I’m literally just trying to live and be healthy,” Lizzo wrote on Twitter, adding, “Y’all don’t know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F****** FARM.”
On Instagram, she let fans know she “WILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT YALL MAKE IT FOR FAT PEOPLE TO SIMPLY EXIST. MINDING YOUR BUSINESS IS *FREE*.”
Def Leppard is giving fans even more ways to have fun with their Def Leppard – Let’s Rock It! match 3 game app. The band just announced they’ve added new levels to the game so fans can “rock out harder than ever before.”
And to promote the new updates, Def Leppard has launched a new giveaway with plenty of prizes, including the big prize of an exclusive Jackson guitar, as well as band merch and gift cards.
Def Leppard – Let’s Rock It! is currently available on the app store or Google Play.
As for Def Leppard, they are currently in Europe on their tour with Mötley Crüe. The tour hits Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, June 14. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.
Nicki Minaj seemingly underwent breast reduction surgery. Alongside a post of her teasing “Barbie World,” her upcoming collaboration with Ice Spice, she wrote in the comments, “New boobs who dis?” Nicki previously shared her desire to downsize, potentially to an A cup, on Instagram Live in May 2022, HipHopDX reports.
Fans seem to think a Playboi Carti and NBA YoungBoy collab is on the way. Speculation began after Carti returned to his socials and shared a photo of YoungBoy wearing an upside-down cross chain on his Instagram Stories. Wafi amin Lalani posted a closeup of the chain, which he says was YoungBoy’s gift ahead of their “new collab album.”
Ahead of his upcoming project, Killer Mike released “Scientists & Engineers” featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane. Mike previously shared that Dre almost pulled out the track, but stayed after hearing Eryn’s part of the song.
Naturi Naughton and her husband, Two Lewis, have welcomed a baby boy named Tru Xavier Naughton-Lewis. He’s their first child together and Naturi’s second.
Doechii put her spin on Beyoncé’s “America Has A Problem,” which can be found on YouTube. Her version follows Kendrick Lamar‘s remix of the record.
50 Cent, his G-Unity Foundation and the Sacramento Kings are keeping kids active with their new Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Youth Sports and Mentoring League. “I think idle time is the devil’s time. Especially in inner cities where you got so many different distractions, so many different influences, positive and negative,” 50 told The Sacramento Beeof the program. “They get a chance to be part of that team effort. I think it teaches them lessons that are priceless in the early stages.”
Patricia Heaton knows a thing or two about playing a medical professional. Her first break in Los Angeles was playing a doctor on Thirtysomething, and now she’s taking on the role of a VA doctor in Mending the Line with Brian Cox and Sinqua Walls.
Walls plays a Marine traumatized by the loss of his unit, and after returning stateside has trouble transitioning back into society, thanks to post-traumatic stress disorder. Cue Brian Cox, who plays an equally damaged vet who shows Walls the healing power of nature through fly-fishing, a sport recognized as positive and impactful therapy for military veterans with PTSD.
“There’s something very meditative about it,” Heaton tells ABC Audio “The sound of the water … visually what it looks like. It being in the quiet of nature … it takes a lot of concentration to fly fish, and patience and humility.”
June is PTSD Awareness Month, and Heaton thinks it’s the perfect time for everyone to look at their own mental health and not let personal fears get in the way of healing. “I think that people are afraid that the trauma that they’re sitting on … if they expose it, will be bottomless,” she says. “That they won’t be able to ever come back from it.”
Heaton speaks from experience, having lost her mother at a young age. But she says there’s strength in numbers when it comes to living fully again. “Sometimes it’s messy and ugly-looking and you’re sticking your head in a towel and sobbing so nobody will hear you … but that’s OK,” she says. “And you will find other people who understand what you’re going through and be beside you as you go on that journey.”
