US military is ‘always an option’ for Trump to acquire Greenland, White House official says
(WASHINGTON) — The White House said Tuesday President Donald Trump and his advisers are discussing a range of options to acquire Greenland — adding “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option.”
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Ohio authorities are searching for a suspect after a dentist and his wife were found murdered inside their home earlier this week.
Columbus Police Patrol officers responded to the home of Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, on Tuesday morning after a welfare check was requested, according to an incident report viewed by ABC News.
When officers arrived, they found the couple suffering from apparent gunshots wounds. Paramedics arrived and the pair were declared dead shortly after, police said.
Spencer Tepe had multiple gunshot wounds while Monique Tepe had at least one gunshot wound to the chest, according to local ABC News affiliate WSYX.
Police did not find obvious signs of forced entry and no firearms were recovered at the home. Currently, the deaths are not believed to be a murder-suicide, WSYX reported.
Two small children were also found in the residence unharmed, according to the incident report.
The welfare check was requested after Spencer Tepe did not show up for work at Athens Dental Deport. The owner, Dr. Mark Valrose, called 911, telling dispatchers Tepe was always on time for work.
“I’m on vacation, but this individual, Spencer, works with me, and he did not show up to work this morning. And we cannot get a hold of him or his family,” Valrose told dispatchers, according to audio of a 911 call reviewed by ABC News. “He’s been reliable, and we cannot get in touch with him, his wife, his family, anybody that lives in that house.”
Police records indicate that authorities were initially contacted at 9:03 a.m. and that an officer responded to the home at 9:22 a.m. but received no answer and left, WSYX reported.
A person called police at 9:58 a.m., reporting that they heard children inside and nobody was answering the door, according to audio reviewed by ABC News.
A third 911 call was placed after the same person reported that they could see Spencer Tepe’s body inside the home and that he appeared dead, according to the audio call.
Columbus Police scanner audio shared by Broadcastify indicates that the 911 caller believed they heard one of the children yelling before calling again to report the body in the house.
The Tepes were married in 2021 and were one month shy of celebrating their five-year anniversary, Spencer Tepe’s brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told WSYX.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
(NEW YORK) — Another winter storm will be affecting tens of millions of Americans this weekend, adding more snow to the harsh weather that has already caused the deaths of over 100 people since last week, according to officials.
Snow began falling in parts of eastern Tennessee, the Carolinas, and southern Virginia on Friday. Parts of northeastern Tennessee have already gotten up to three inches of fresh snow.
Through Saturday, this storm will begin to rapidly intensify over the Atlantic Ocean and offshore of the Mid-Atlantic, with winds quickly increasing as snow continues to fall over the Southeast.
With strong gusts between 35 and 60 mph and heavy snow, blizzard conditions are possible for millions late Saturday afternoon into the evening from eastern Georgia to Maryland.
Both South Carolina and North Carolina are under the Winter Storm Warning for up to a foot of snow and strong winds that will lead to whiteout conditions and dangerous travel.
The snow forecast shows a widespread 6-12 inches across the Carolinas, into western Tennessee and southeastern Virginia. Snow will start tapering off early Sunday morning.
“Major” winter storm impacts are expected for much of the Carolinas into southeastern Virginia.
Dangerous travel conditions leading to major travel disruptions, blizzard conditions, gusts up to 70 mph, coastal flooding, and beach erosion will all be possible with the peak of the storm on Saturday.
As of Saturday morning, more than 1,500 flights have been cancelled.
The storm moves out to sea on Sunday, with models continuing to keep it well off the coast and not bringing any significant snowfall to the Northeast, which was hit with heavy snow last week.
While the snow may be out of the way by Sunday, the freezing temperatures will remain.
A wide swath of America from the Upper Midwest down to the Deep South and out to the east are waking up with dangerously cold temperatures, which will linger into early next week for most.
Cities like Washington, D.C., Detroit and Green Bay had wind chills at zero Saturday morning, while New York City, Nashville and Little Rock had wind chills down into the single digits.
Through the weekend, places like Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Syracuse, New York, are under a Cold Weather Advisory until Sunday for wind chills between -15 and -25.
The New York City area remains under a cold weather advisory this morning for wind chills as low as -10 possible just before sunrise.
The bitter, and in some cases extreme, cold extends all the way to the Gulf Coast this weekend.
In Florida, an Extreme Cold Warning is in place for Sunday morning, where wind chills could reach the upper-teens in West Palm Beach, and Orlando could reach as low as 12. Jacksonville could also see wind chills on Sunday morning down to 9 and Tallahassee down to 10.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) seal on the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI has invited elections officials around the country for a call later this month on the agency’s “preparations” for the high-stakes midterm elections, according to a letter sent to election officials and reviewed by ABC News.
The letter, which went out earlier this week, states that the FBI call will also include election officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, United States Postal Inspection Service and Election Assistance Commission.
“To prepare for the 2026 US midterm elections, your election partners at the FBI, DOJ, DHS, USPIS, and the EAC would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff… We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections,” FBI staffer Kellie Hardiman, who signed the letter with the title “FBI Election Executive,” wrote.
The letter went to most election officials in the United States, according to a source familiar with the letter.
The offices of Arizona’s secretary of state and Utah’s lieutenant governor — the office that oversees elections in that state — confirmed to ABC News that they are among the offices that received the invite for the briefing, set to be held on Feb. 25.
The letter was first reported by Crooked Media.
Although it’s not unusual for government officials to have an election-security dialogue, the invite comes amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing false claims of voter fraud and the recent FBI raid of an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia.
The stakes are high for the upcoming midterm elections with the House majority on the line — as Republicans have a slim majority in the chamber.
