Air Force B-52 bomber crashes shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California
An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California, June 15, 2026. (KABC)
(CALIFORNIA) — An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, the base said.
“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,” the base said in a statement.
The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. local time.
The base has closed the airfield and said all inbound planes are being diverted.
The Air Force and NASA conduct test flights of new and developmental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.
The B-52 Stratofortress — which typically carries a crew of five — is a long-range bomber first introduced in the 1950s that remains a central part of the U.S. military’s air power. Built by Boeing, the aircraft is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons over long distances and has been used in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to operations in the Iran war.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Jack Avery of Why Don’t We performs onstage during 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball 2019 at Dickies Arena in Dallas, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for iHeartMedia, FILE)
(LOS ANGELES) — A social media influencer is accused of plotting to kill a pop singer in an alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy that prosecutors say stemmed from a “bitter custody dispute” over their daughter.
The influencer, 24-year-old Gabriela Gonzalez, allegedly conspired with her father and then-boyfriend to hire a hitman to kill Jack Avery, the father of her 7-year-old daughter, several years ago, prosecutors in Los Angeles County said in a press release this week.
Avery, 26, is a former member of the boy band Why Don’t We, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a press release.
Sometime between 2020 and 2021, Gabriela Gonzalez allegedly sought the help of her boyfriend at the time, 26-year-old Kai Cordrey, to hire someone on the dark web to kill Avery, prosecutors said.
She allegedly repeatedly told one witness that she wanted Avery dead and discussed hiring a hitman and that the “intended killing was discussed as occurring in Los Angeles and being made to look like a car accident,” the warrant for her father’s arrest stated.
Her father, 59-year-old Francisco Gonzalez, was “deeply involved in the custody conflict” and was the alleged source of the funds for the murder-for-hire plot, according to his arrest warrant.
Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Cordrey $10,000 back in April 2021 “as front money to use in locating, hiring and paying someone to kill Avery,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release on Tuesday.
Two months later, Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Cordrey another $4,000 “after the alleged hit man asked for the additional funds,” the office said.
“Several days later, Cordrey allegedly requested that Avery be killed within a couple of days,” prosecutors said.
Cordrey spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman about the alleged murder-for-hire plot in September 2021, during which he allegedly said Avery was the target and “discussed payment and proof of death,” prosecutors said.
“In a subsequent conversation, Cordrey allegedly told the purported hitman that Gabriela Gonzalez wanted the murder to happen and Francisco Gonzalez could pay for the expense,” prosecutors said.
Gabriela Gonzalez, her father and Cordrey have been charged with one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
Gabriela Gonzalez was arrested on Monday and is being held on no bail, online jail records show. She was set to be arraigned on Thursday. Attorney information was not immediately available.
Her father was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Los Angeles County. Court records show he is being represented by a public defender. ABC News has reached out to the public defender’s office for comment.
It is unclear if Cordrey is in custody at this time.
If convicted as charged, all three face 25 years to life in state prison.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the FBI began the “lengthy investigation” before the case was turned over to his office.
“This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder,” Hochman said in a statement. “Most fathers raise their children to respect the law, but here we have a dad who allegedly helped his daughter and her boyfriend break the law in the most sinister way imaginable.”
Gabrielle Gonzalez has nearly 1 million followers between her Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Her father has a law practice in Seminole County. His firm had no comment on his charges.
Avery spoke out about the case on Thursday, saying in a post on Instagram that his “focus is on being the best father I can be.”
“I’m thankful to have sole custody of my daughter, Lavender, who is safe, healthy, and deeply loved,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to build a peaceful and stable life for her.”
Avery expressed his “sincere gratitude” to his family, friends, law enforcement, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office “for their support throughout this process.”
In an interview on “The Zach Sang Show” last year, Avery said two FBI agents showed up at his residence and that “someone hired someone to kill me.” He did not publicly identify any suspects.
He said he was “traumatized.”
“I stayed in my house for like a month straight. I didn’t leave,” Avery said during the interview. “I was so scared. I was looking out my window every night.”
(NEW YORK) –A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to the Midwest, the South and the East Coast this week.
The extreme heat hit the Midwest first. On Monday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity– soared to the triple digits in Minneapolis and Chicago.
On Tuesday, the worst of the heat will stretch from the Great Lakes to the South to the central Gulf Coast.
The heat index is forecast to hit 105 degrees in Chicago, 111 in Detroit, 110 in Louisville, Kentucky, 106 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 105 in Houston.
Chicago has activated cooling centers throughout the city, including at community service centers, senior centers, libraries, city colleges and police districts. Chicago Public Schools said all summer programming will be inside Monday through Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the heat will continue in the Midwest and the South and also spread into the Northeast.
The heat index is forecast to reach a scorching 108 degrees in Detroit, 105 degrees in Houston, 102 in New York City, and 104 in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The heat will stay in place in the Great Lakes and the South Thursday, with temperatures climbing even higher in the Northeast. The heat index could hit 107 degrees in New York City, 111 in Philadelphia and 110 in Washington, D.C.
There will be minimal relief overnight, which makes the heat even more dangerous.
The unrelenting heat continues Friday with the heat index forecast to reach 102 in Detroit, 106 in Memphis, Tennessee, 102 in Tampa, Florida, and 109 in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. At least 13,000 Americans have died from heat since 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On the Fourth of July on Saturday, the heat index will remain dangerously high, forecast to hit 104 in New York, 109 in Washington, D.C., and 108 in Philadelphia.
Washington Dulles International Airport is shown on May 22, 2026, in Dulles, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge ordered on Friday that a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son from Ghana cannot spend another night at a Washington, D.C.-area airport where they have been detained for more than a week.
Anabella Gyasi arrived at Dulles International Airport on May 19 with a valid tourist visa to bring her son to the United States for medical treatment, and she had been detained in a holding room by Customs and Border Protection since then, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
ACLU-VA Executive Director Mary Bauer hailed the ruling, saying, “Today the court ordered in no uncertain terms that Ms. Gyasi and her son are not to spend another night in Dulles Airport.”
“Ms. Gyasi’s health and the viability of her pregnancy have both been endangered for more than a week as a result of the Trump administration’s dangerous and unlawful detention practices,” Bauer said, referring to the administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
“While we’re relieved that Ms. Gyasi and her son will soon be free from this nightmare, no one should be subjected to the inhumane conditions they endured,” Bauer added.
Gyasi and her son were heading back to Ghana on Friday, a person familiar with the case told ABC News.
The ACLU filed a habeas petition for Gyasi and her son on Tuesday, alleging they are being detained “despite long-standing regulations and policies requiring that certain at-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and children, be released.” The petition also pointed to a court settlement that requires children to be transferred out of detention within 72 hours.
The 38-year-old mother first brought her son to the U.S. in 2024, when he was 2 years old, to see a specialist for physical abnormalities affecting both of his hands, according to the habeas petition. At that appointment, Gyasi was told her son was too young for corrective surgery.
Earlier this month, Gyasi scheduled a pre-operation appointment at a children’s hospital in Ohio and planned on traveling with the same tourist visa she had previously used, according to her lawyers.
A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that Gyasi was in CBP custody at Dulles and said she “will remain in custody pending her immigration hearing.”
The DHS spokesperson called the allegations about the conditions of her detention as “false.”
“Everyone in CBP custody, including this individual, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a doctor, medication, and food,” DHS said.
