Entertainment

‘Harry Potter’ first look finds Gryffindor wizard heading to quidditch pitch

Dominic McLaughlin stars in the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ TV series. (Aidan Monaghan/HBO)

More Harry Potter is headed our way.

HBO has shared a new image of Dominic McLaughlin in costume as the titular wizard from its upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

The photo finds Harry walking toward the quidditch pitch at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while wearing the signature Gryffindor quidditch robes. His robe bears his last name on the back, as well as his player number, which is seven.

A large group of Hogwarts students is gathered ahead of him entering the pitch, which is decorated with flags representing both the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses. There’s also a flag supporting Fred Weasley and George Weasley, the older brothers of Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley.

The photo is captioned “Tomorrow” alongside a lightning bolt emoji, a reference to Harry’s forehead scar. This tease has fans assuming even more will be released about the upcoming show within the next 24 hours.

HBO shared first-look photos of McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter and Nick Frost in costume as Hagrid in July 2025. The photos were released the same week cameras officially started rolling on the series as it began production at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England, the same location where all eight of the Harry Potter films were made.

McLaughlin leads the cast alongside Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, who play Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

The upcoming HBO show is described as a faithful adaptation of the books by J.K. Rowling, who serves as an executive producer on the series. Multiple seasons of the show are planned, with each one bringing the Harry Potter characters on new adventures.

The Harry Potter series will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.

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Politics

Potential DHS funding deal taking shape, but roadblocks still ahead

The U.S. Capitol is seen on March 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Senators on both sides of the aisle as well as the White House seem to be increasingly optimistic that a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security is on the horizon — as Transportation Security Administration lines grow at airports and lawmakers feel the pressure.

Republican Sen. Katie Britt, a key negotiator for the GOP, told reporters Monday evening that there was a solution on DHS funding. Her comments came after she and other GOP negotiators — Sens. Markwayne Mullin (who was later confirmed to be the DHS secretary), Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno and Steve Daines — met with President Donald Trump at the White House Monday.

The atmosphere on Capitol Hill appears ripe for a DHS funding deal — as the partial shutdown of the department stretches into its 39th day.

Some Senate Republicans are beginning to coalesce around a proposal to fund every agency inside DHS — except immigration enforcement and removal operations. Components of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, like Homeland Security Investigations, which handles things like human smuggling investigations, could still be funded.

Some Republicans have pushed for tackling immigration funding in separate legislation down the road — potentially in another reconciliation bill, which only requires a simple majority to pass.

“Conversations are ongoing but this deal seems to be acceptable,” a White House official said Tuesday.

As the partial shutdown drags on, ICE has money to continue its operations, following a $75 billion cash infusion over five years in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that Trump signed into law last summer. ICE agents continue to be paid, while their other DHS colleagues are not.

Democrats — who are blocking DHS funding and demanding ICE reforms following the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis — still haven’t publicly agreed to anything, although they’ve been open to this piecemeal funding approach for weeks.

Democratic senators on Monday expressed sentiments that talks were trending in a positive direction. 

“Democrats and Republicans have been trying to come to some negotiation, and I’m hearing that there is a potential solution,” Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said.

It’s not yet clear how an emerging deal factors in Trump’s demand over the weekend that Republican not make a deal with Democrats on DHS funding without also passing his voting and gender-affirming care legislation, the SAVE America Act

The legislation would restrict mail-in ballots, require photo ID at polling places and mandate that states obtain proof of citizenship before registering a person to vote in a federal election. Trump has tacked additional provisions onto the list of things he would like to see in the law: banning transgender women from playing in women’s sports and gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

SAVE America Act provisions could also be included in a future reconciliation bill, although nothing is set in stone, and the legislation may not meet strict budget rules to be included in a reconciliation package.

Pressure on lawmakers is mounting as lines grow at airports across the country and tens of thousands of workers, including TSA officers, go without pay. Senators continue to get paid.

ICE agents sent by Trump are now stationed at more than a dozen airports across the nation to assume some of the duties of TSA officers affected by the partial shutdown.

While these recent developments mark the most progress on a DHS funding deal in weeks, it’s still a long way from a done deal. Even if the Senate agrees on a deal and passes it, it would still need to go back to the House.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

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Entertainment

‘Bridgerton’ season 5 in production, announces show’s first queer lead couple

Masali Baduza and Hannah Dodd pose for a photo ahead of leading ‘Bridgerton’ season 5. (Netflix)

Bridgerton is so back. Well, back in production on season 5, that is.

Netflix has announced that cameras have started rolling on the fifth season of the hit romance series Bridgerton. This new season will feature the middle Bridgerton daughter Francesca as its lead. It will also be the first season of the series to have a queer couple at the forefront of the story.

“Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons,” the season’s official logline reads. “But when John’s cousin Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.”

Hannah Dodd will once again star as Francesca Stirling, the Countess of Kilmartin, in this new season. Francesca, who “has long felt out of place in the world,” according to a description from Netflix, “will make discoveries about herself that could change everything” in season 5.

Masali Baduza will return as Michaela Stirling, Francesca’s love interest and the cousin of her late husband. Underneath her “charming and vivacious exterior hides a vulnerable young woman who is quick to run the second she feels discomfort. But this season, Michaela must face her vulnerability head-on as she’s forced to navigate her relationship to her late cousin’s legacy — and to Francesca,” according to a description from Netflix.

Bridgerton season 5 will consist of eight episodes. Jess Brownell serves as its showrunner and executive producer, while Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica and Chris Van Dusen also executive produce.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

2 children, 1 adult hurt in stabbing at Florida middle school: Sheriff

In this image released by the Walton County Sheriffs Office, law enforment vehicles are shown at the scene of a stabbing investigation at Walton Middle School in Defuniak, Fla., on March 24, 2026. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Florida)

(DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla.) — Two students and one adult were hurt in a stabbing at a middle school in Florida on Tuesday, authorities said.

The incident was reported at 7:22 a.m. at Walton Middle School in DeFuniak Springs, about 45 miles north of Destin, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.

At 7:30 a.m., the suspect — a student at the school — was detained one block away, according to the sheriff’s office.

The conditions of the adult and two students were not immediately clear.

The school has canceled classes for the day, the sheriff said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Politics

Trump voted by mail in Florida special election despite his rhetoric opposing it

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Public records show that President Donald Trump voted by mail in the special election occurring Tuesday for the statehouse district that includes his Mar-a-Lago estate in spite of his longstanding rhetoric against voting by mail and his efforts to push through the SAVE America Act, which includes restrictions on mail-in voting.

According to public records available on the Palm Beach County elections website, Trump voted by mail ballot in the special election for Florida’s 87th House district.

Trump has spoken critically about voting by mail for years. As recently as Monday, during remarks in Memphis, Tennessee, the president said that “mail-in voting means mail-in cheating — I call it mail-in cheating — and we got to do something about it all.”

A White House spokesperson, in response to a request for comment, said that Trump has supported “commonsense exceptions” to allow Americans to use mail-in ballots, including for “illness, disability, military, or travel,” but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to it being “highly susceptible to fraud.”

An analysis from the Brookings Institution from November 2025 found that voter fraud is rare in voting by mail.

“As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,” spokesperson Olivia Wales wrote in a statement.

Trump frequently visits his Mar-a-Lago estate and was there as recently as Monday morning.

The SAVE America Act, promoted by Trump, would place some new requirements and restrictions on voting by mail.

Florida’s 87th House district special election was scheduled after Mike Caruso, who previously represented the district, was appointed to a county role. Democrats have been eyeing the district as one they could potentially flip, with an eye toward the irony of flipping the president’s home district. Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, have been promoting Republican candidate Jon Maples in an effort to keep the seat in GOP hands.

This is not the first time Trump has voted by mail while president. He voted by mail in the 2020 Florida presidential primary — after he switched his formal place of residence from New York to Florida in September 2019.

Other presidents have voted in elections in their home states while in office. Then-President Joe Biden, for instance, flew to Delaware to vote in the 2022 primaries.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Politics

Trump voted by mail in Florida special election despite his rhetoric opposing it

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Public records show that President Donald Trump voted by mail in the special election occurring Tuesday for the statehouse district that includes his Mar-a-Lago estate in spite of his longstanding rhetoric against voting by mail and his efforts to push through the SAVE America Act, which includes restrictions on mail-in voting.

According to public records available on the Palm Beach County elections website, Trump voted by mail ballot in the special election for Florida’s 87th House district.

Trump has spoken critically about voting by mail for years. As recently as Monday, during remarks in Memphis, Tennessee, the president said that “mail-in voting means mail-in cheating — I call it mail-in cheating — and we got to do something about it all.”

A White House spokesperson, in response to a request for comment, said that Trump has supported “commonsense exceptions” to allow Americans to use mail-in ballots, including for “illness, disability, military, or travel,” but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to it being “highly susceptible to fraud.”

An analysis from the Brookings Institution from November 2025 found that voter fraud is rare in voting by mail.

“As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,” spokesperson Olivia Wales wrote in a statement.

Trump frequently visits his Mar-a-Lago estate and was there as recently as Monday morning.

The SAVE America Act, promoted by Trump, would place some new requirements and restrictions on voting by mail.

Florida’s 87th House district special election was scheduled after Mike Caruso, who previously represented the district, was appointed to a county role. Democrats have been eyeing the district as one they could potentially flip, with an eye toward the irony of flipping the president’s home district. Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, have been promoting Republican candidate Jon Maples in an effort to keep the seat in GOP hands.

This is not the first time Trump has voted by mail while president. He voted by mail in the 2020 Florida presidential primary — after he switched his formal place of residence from New York to Florida in September 2019.

Other presidents have voted in elections in their home states while in office. Then-President Joe Biden, for instance, flew to Delaware to vote in the 2022 primaries.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

World news

American held captive in Afghanistan released, Taliban says

(LONDON) — An American held in Afghanistan has been freed, the Taliban said Tuesday.

Dennis Coyle of Colorado was released after a letter from his family was sent requesting his release on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, the Taliban foreign ministry said. His period of detention was then deemed “sufficient” and his release was approved by a court, according to the ministry.

The Taliban claimed Coyle had been detained for “violating the applicable laws of Afghanistan.”

The Taliban thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping to facilitate Coyle’s release.

Earlier this month, U.S. special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler said three innocent Americans were currently being held in Afghanistan.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

LaGuardia Airport crash: 1 of the 2 killed pilots identified

NTSB investigators walk the scene of the March 22 collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a firefighting vehicle on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, March 23, 2026. (NTSB)

(NEW YORK) — Antoine Forest has been identified by his family as one of the two pilots killed when a regional Air Canada jet collided with a Port Authority airport vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

Sunday night’s on-the-ground crash killed both pilots, left dozens injured and prompted LaGuardia to shut down for more than 12 hours.

The collision happened shortly after Air Canada Flight 8646, which was carrying four crew members and 72 passengers, touched down from Montreal around 11:45 p.m., according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. The plane, which was operated by Jazz Aviation, struck a rescue-and-firefighting vehicle responding to another aircraft, officials said.

Preliminary data shows the plane was traveling between 93 and 105 mph when it impacted the fire truck, FlightRadar24 told ABC News.

At least 43 people — from the plane and the fire truck — were taken to hospitals, officials said.

One passenger on the flight, Joe, said that as the plane was landing, he noticed some emergency vehicles on the tarmac.

“Right before the impacts, we felt something, maybe like an emergency brake that was pulled, or some kind of hard stop, before we hit the truck,” Joe, who did not want to use his last name, told ABC News Live. “But prior to that, there was nothing out of the ordinary that I had noticed.”

“Because I was seated in the emergency aisle, somebody in the plane had shouted, ‘Emergency exits open,'” Joe said. “So at that time, I pulled the lever down, attached the door, put it to the side of the plane, and a few of us had exited through the emergency exit onto the wing of the plane. And FDNY and Port Authority Police directed us to slide down the wing. … It was very low to the ground and easy to get off.”

Joe, who was on the flight with his fiancé, said Monday evening that they were “pretty shaken up, still kind of in shock.”

“And just heartbroken for, obviously, the pilots, and all those that are injured,” Joe said.

He said he believes the pilots “saved many lives on that flight — and my heart’s just broken for them.”

LaGuardia shut down after the crash and slowly resumed flights at 2 p.m. Monday. The runway where the collision occurred will remain closed until 7 a.m. Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Entertainment

In brief: ‘Hacks’ season 5 gets official trailer and more

The official trailer for the fifth and final season of Hacks has arrived. The Emmy-winning comedy series premieres its final season beginning April 9 on HBO Max. It will consist of 10 episodes and debut a new one each week, with two new episodes on April 30 and May 7, leading up to the series finale on May 28. According to the season’s logline, it follows what happens “in the aftermath of mistaken and unflattering news reports” that Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has passed away. She and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) then “return to Las Vegas more determined than ever to secure Deborah’s legacy as a comedian.” Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter and Carl Clemons-Hopkins also star …

Richard Gadd’s follow-up to Baby Reindeer now has a premiere date. His new show Half Man will premiere to HBO on April 23. Gadd stars alongside Jamie Bell in the upcoming limited series …

HBO has announced that Mahershala Ali has joined season 2 of its series Task. “Welcome to Delco,” the network captioned a photo of Ali to announce his joining the show. The first season of Task starred Mark Ruffalo as Agent Tom Brandis, and season 2 will now find Ali stepping into the role of his counterpart …

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