Category: National

(WASHINGTON) — As the city of Philadelphia fights to preserve the slavery memorial at the President’s House, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can remove and replace the exhibit at the site of President George Washington’s former home.

The Thursday ruling comes after the Trump administration stated in a court filing on Wednesday that it removed panels at the exhibit — some of which were restored in February following a judge’s order — because they allegedly “disparage” Americans.

The outdoor memorial, “From Enslavement to Emancipation,” is located at Independence National Historic Park. The exhibit tells the stories of the nine people enslaved by Washington.

The unanimous appeals court decision tosses a February district court ruling that ordered the National Parks Service (NPS) to restore the panels that were removed from the site. NPS took down the outdoor memorial in January before it was partially restored in February after a district court ruling, but not all materials were returned to the site.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that while the city had standing to sue, the lower court wrongly interpreted the contract claims brought by the city and determined that they don’t have merit. 

“In sum, the City has standing to sue because it alleges that its contractual rights were violated, but we should not, as the District Court did, mistake that jurisdictional determination for a conclusion that the City’s underlying statutory and contract claims have merit. They do not,” the appeals court ruling said.

ABC News reached out to the city of Philadelphia but requests for comment were not immediately returned.

Asked about the appeals court ruling and about a potential timeline for replacing the exhibit, a spokesperson for the Interior Department on Thursday provided ABC News with a three-word statement: “Trust in Trump.”

The city of Philadelphia argued in a lawsuit filed in January that by removing the panels “without notice,” NPS violated various congressional laws, as well as a 2006 agreement NPS made with the city and laid out the terms for building the exhibit, which opened to the public in 2010.

Amid pending litigation, NPS shared proposed changes to the panels at the slavery memorial that were published on its website in April.

The images shared by NPS don’t show photos of the original panels, but share proposed new panels and revised text. Of note, are proposed changes to the panels titled “Presidents Washington and Adams on Slavery,” and “The Constitution and Slavery.”

The appeals court’s ruling said, “These new panels are full of historical context. They highlight the momentous events that took place in the President’s House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park. They acknowledge the evil of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies, and, by telling the story of the nine slaves that Washington kept in the President’s House, remind us of their essential humanity.”

The ruling added, “Given all these developments, we cannot agree with the District Court that the exhibit removal six months ago was NPS’s last word on the matter.”

Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), the advocacy group founded by attorney Michael Coard in 2002 to advocate for the building of the memorial, criticized the [proposed changes in an April statement, calling the replacement panels “deeply offensive.”

“The National Park Service’s most recent posting of proposed replacement panels at the President’s House Slavery Memorial is deeply offensive and represents yet another troubling attempt to distort and censor American history,” the group’s statement said, criticizing NPS for not consulting with ATAC before proposing the new panels.

“What we are seeing now is not restoration–it is revision,” ATAC’s statement added. “It is an attempt to sanitize history and present a version of the past that is more comfortable, but far less truthful.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Interior Dept. told ABC News in a statement on April 9 that the changes underscore the administration’s commitment to “celebrating and acknowledging the full breadth of our nation’s history.”

“The hard work and sacrifices of the men and women who built this nation deserve to be remembered and honored,” the spokesperson said. “By telling the full story, every triumph, every challenge, and every step towards a more perfect union we strengthen our shared understanding and ensure that future generations inherit not just the land we love, but the truth of the journey that brought us here.”

The Interior Department told ABC News in several statements that the removal of the exhibit was made in compliance with a March 27, 2025, executive order in which President Donald Trump ordered the Interior Dept. to remove content that cast the United States’ “founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”

In the public filing on Wednesday, which stems from a separate lawsuit challenging the removal of materials at national parks across the country, the Interior Department indicated that while most glass panels at the slavery exhibit were restored in February after a judge’s order, the “large format metal panels were damaged and not restored.”

The government did not specify in the list the process for recreating the metal panels, writing “TBD” in that section.

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(NEW YORK) — Some lucky stargazers in the United States will have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the next solar eclipse, according to astronomy experts.

On Aug. 12, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from some parts of the U.S., from Alaska to North Carolina, according to NASA. Most of Canada, much of Europe and northwestern Africa will also be able to see the partial eclipse, according to NASA.

Those in the U.S. and southern Canada will only see a small “bite” taken out of the solar disk as the moon clips the sun, NASA said.

But the full show — a total solar eclipse — will pass over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and northern Spain, according to the National Solar Observatory.

A sunset eclipse will even be visible for viewers along the western part of the eclipse path, from mainland Europe to Africa, according to NASA. A sunset solar eclipse occurs when the sun is setting while still partially eclipsed.

After Aug. 12, the next total solar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 2, 2027, in southern Spain and North Africa.

The difference between a total and partial solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon slips in front of the sun. Viewers located in the center of the moon’s shadow then experience a total solar eclipse, according to NASA. The moment of totality is when the moon completely covers the sun.

A partial solar eclipse occurs when watchers are inside the moon’s shadow but outside the path of totality, according to NASA.

When the solar eclipse will occur

In the U.S., the maximum of the partial solar eclipse will occur in Anchorage at 8:21 a.m. local time but midday on the mainland. The maximum will occur in Bangor, Maine, at 1:53 p.m.; in Boston at 1:55 p.m.; in Detroit at 1:36 p.m.; in New York City at 1:54 p.m.; and in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., at 1:53 p.m., according to NASA.

The total solar eclipse will occur at midday in a small, remote region of northern Russia. From Greenland to Iceland, totality will occur from late afternoon to early evening.

In Spain and northwestern Portugal, the sun will be fully eclipsed during the late evening, shortly before sunset, according to NASA. A sunset solar eclipse is a “rare spectacle,” according to Space.com.

How to watch the eclipse safely

Anyone who plans to watch the partial solar eclipse will need safe solar viewing glasses to protect their eyes, according to NASA.

UV radiation, whether from natural sunlight or artificial rays indoors, can damage the surface tissue, cornea and lens of the eye, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The only time viewers can look directly at the eclipse without eye protection is during the brief moments of totality, when the moon completely covers the sun. It is never safe to look directly at a partial solar eclipse without eye protection.

Viewers can also use handheld solar viewers and other safe solar filters that block out most of the Sun’s light and prevent eye damage.

An indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector to cast images of the Sun, can also be used to see the partial phases of the eclipse, NASA said. The device has a small opening that projects an image of the Sun onto a nearby surface.

It is not safe to look at the eclipse through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer because the concentrated solar rays could burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury, NASA said.

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(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles Police Department said it’s investigating an incident in which an officer shot and killed a dog while answering a 911 call, which turned out to be a false alarm over a woman celebrating the New York Knicks’ historic championship win on Saturday.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement Wednesday that the department is thoroughly investigating the incident, which he called “incredibly tragic,” and vowed transparency.

Around 8:55 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a 911 call of a woman screaming inside a condo in Canoga Park, the LAPD said.

Witnesses and the son of the woman, however, later told ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC that she was just celebrating the Knicks’ victory that night.

The LAPD said that while officers were speaking with a resident in the apartment at the center of the 911 call, a “large dog was barking by her side at the officers.” The dog was wearing a Knicks shirt, witnesses told KABC.

The woman closed her door momentarily after officers asked her to secure the dog, who was named Jameson, police said. After she reopened it, the dog exited the apartment and allegedly “charged at one of the officers,” prompting one of them to open fire, according to the LAPD.

Cell phone video circulated online of a woman crying over the dog’s body, shouting “We were just celebrating the Knicks.”

The neighbor who called police told KABC that they felt guilty about calling 911, but sincerely thought the woman was in trouble.

McDonnell sympathized with Jameson’s family.

“The loss of a pet is deeply personal. For many, a dog is not simply an animal; it is a companion, a source of comfort, and a member of the family,” McDonnell said in his statement.

“There is no incident more serious than when an officer fires a service weapon. For this reason, the LAPD has a specialized division of investigators specifically trained to handle these types of incidents. A thorough, multi-layered examination of this weekend’s incident in Canoga Park is already underway, but it will take time to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability,” he added.

A memorial for Jameson was formed outside the condo and an online fundraiser has raised thousands of dollars for its family.

Local activists have called for more details about the incident, including body camera footage from the officers who responded to the call.

“The tragic killing of Jameson was unnecessary and unwarranted,” Najee Ali, a senior organizer with the Los Angeles National Action Network, said during a news conference Tuesday.

“We demand immediate accountability, which can only happen through the prompt release of the body-worn camera footage and the names of the officers responsible for shooting and killing Jameson,” he added.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also released a statement on Wednesday, saying that a thorough investigation will be conducted.

“Every life lost to violence is a tragedy, and we know that the devastating loss of Jameson will be felt by his family forever,” she said.

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(SENATOBIA, Miss.) — An officer who fired upon a vehicle, killing a 1-year-old boy, outside a Walmart in Mississippi has been placed on administrative leave, officials said, as outraged community members call for justice amid an ongoing investigation into the deadly shooting.

The incident occurred Sunday afternoon outside a Walmart in Senatobia, located in northwestern Mississippi about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.

Law enforcement officers who responded to a shoplifting call encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, with one opening fire when the driver allegedly drove toward them, the bureau said. The child was killed and an adult critically injured, officials said.

One-year-old Kohen Wiley, his mother and a family friend were in the vehicle at the time, according to Ben Crump Law, which has been retained by the victim’s family. Kohen was killed and the family friend was critically injured, the law firm said.

The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on leave, according to Senatobia city officials. The decision was made during a meeting with city officials on Tuesday.

The name of the officer has not been released. 

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, who oversees the bureau, promised transparency in the investigation. 

“To make no mistake, this is a very tragic situation,” Tindell said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “I want the public to be assured that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation will conduct its independent investigation.”

He said five agents are working on the case, gathering evidence and witness statements, to ultimately present to the state’s attorney general’s office. He said investigators are also working to get security footage from Walmart.

“I would ask that the public maintain patience as much as possible,” Tindell said. I know this is a very frustrating time, but maintain patience as this process is done.”

Tindell declined to get into the details of the case due to the ongoing investigation. He said body-camera footage will be released once the investigation is completed.

Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Kohen’s family, said the child’s mother has not been charged with any crime and that she says she was “trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car.”

“They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old,” Crump said in a statement. “We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”

Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, said in a video released through her attorneys that her friend was being pursued for allegedly shoplifting diapers.

“I raised my baby up trying to show them that he was in the car,” she said. “By the time I sat my baby down, it was like three to four shots. One of the shots hit him in his ribcage.”

Wiley said her friend was driving the vehicle at the time.

“They tried to say that she forcefully was trying to drive and hit them, but they was all on the right side and she was driving towards the left,” she said.

Protesters outraged over the deadly shooting gathered outside the Senatobia City Hall on Tuesday for a rally, some holding signs saying “Justice for Kohen.”

Later that night, protesters gathered in the Walmart parking lot where the shooting occurred, shouting, “No justice, no peace.” Officers in riot helmets and gas masks formed a line at the front doors of the store, at one point appearing to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The Walmart temporarily closed, before reopening on Wednesday morning.

“We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement on Monday in response to the shooting. “The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We’re working with law enforcement as they continue investigating.”

City officials called the deadly shooting a “heartbreaking tragedy” while urging residents to await the results of the investigation.

“We understand that emotions are high and that many questions remain. We respectfully ask our community to avoid speculation and the spread of unverified information while the investigation is underway,” the city said in a statement on Tuesday. “Please allow the investigative process to take its course so that the facts — not rumors or assumptions — guide our understanding of this tragic event.”

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(PHILADELPHIA) — The Trump administration can replace the slavery exhibit at the President’s House in Philadelphia, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel tosses out a February district court injunction that ordered the National Parks Service (NPS) to restore the panels that were removed from the site.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the lower court does not have the jurisdiction over the claims that were brought against the Interior Department and the National Park Service by the city of Philadelphia.

NPS took down the outdoor memorial, which honors the lives of the nine enslaved Africans who were held at the site by President George Washington, in January. The exhibit was partially restored in February after a district court ruling, but not all materials were returned to the site. ABC News reached out to the city of Philadelphia and the Interior Department for comment.

In April, NPS published proposed changes to the panels.

“These new panels are full of historical context. They highlight the momentous events that took place in the President’s House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park,” the appeals court ruling said.

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

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(CLARK COUNTY, Wash.) — Heart-stopping video has been released showing the moment a deputy in Clark County, Washington, saved a 2-year-old boy who was left alone in a hot car on a 92-degree day.

Witnesses called 911 in May to report the child in a parked car, and the witnesses tried to create shade around the car as they waited for responders, the Clark County Sheriff’s Department said on Wednesday.

Deputy Ben Hulsey arrived at the scene to find the 2-year-old strapped in his car seat, “sweating heavily, with his head tilted to the side and not responding,” the sheriff’s department said. The car had a small crack in the back window, authorities said.

Hulsey broke a window to rescue the little boy, who was checked by medics, authorities said.

Investigators determined the boy was left alone for about 16 minutes, the sheriff’s department said. When deputies found his parents, they had been inside a nearby grocery store for almost 30 minutes, authorities said.

The parents are facing reckless endangerment charges, the department said.

“Never leave a child or pet alone in a vehicle. Not even for a few minutes,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement Wednesday. “If you see a child or pet left alone in a vehicle and believe they’re in distress, don’t hesitate to call 911. That’s exactly what these community members did.”

At least seven children have died in hot cars so far this year in the U.S., according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org. Last year, at least 37 children died in hot cars across the country, KidsAndCars.org said.

Click here for what to know to keep your children safe.

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(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened overnight but its energy is still powerful enough to cause serious flooding and other issues in the southeast Thursday.

A rare High Risk, level 4 of 4, for life-threatening flood potential was in place over southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and western Florida panhandle along the central Gulf Coast Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). 

Historically, a third of all flood-related fatalities and 80% of all flood-related damages occur in such high-risk areas, according to NWS data.

Areas under the High Risk advisory include Pensacola, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and the Mississippi cities of Gulfport, McComb and Hattiesburg. 

Rainfall rates of multiple inches per hour are possible, and some areas could see up to 20 inches of rainfall accumulation. 

Extremely heavy rain already hit the Gulf states Thursday morning. Kenner, Louisiana, near the New Orleans airport, saw a radar estimated rainfall rate of 6.5 inches per hour.

Some Gulf areas are under a level 3 of 4 risk for flooding, including Montgomery, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Tornadoes are also possible in the central Gulf Coast Thursday. 

The life-threatening flood threat will continue into the overnight hours and people need to remain aware of their flood risk overnight into early Friday morning, forecasters warn. 

More heavy rain will continue in the South on Friday and more sporadically on Saturday. 

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(NEW YORK) — Recently released polling on Americans’ opinions of artificial intelligence gives us an updated look at how people are interacting with AI, what they are using it for and whether they are skeptical of the technology.

About half of American adults (49%) said that they have used chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot before, up from 33% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center report released Wednesday.

The study found 42% of adults who used chatbots used them to search for information, 38% used it for work tasks, 25% for fun or entertainment, 24% for creating or editing images or videos, 20% for medical advice and another 20% for diet and fitness information.

About a quarter of Americans — 24%– said they used chatbots daily, according to Pew.

The Pew study found that, overall, while Americans under 50 years old were more likely than those 50 and older to use chatbots, use has risen over time among adults of all ages. And while men and women both use chatbots at roughly the same rate overall, more men use chatbots on a daily basis than women.

The share of Americans using AI bots for advice and information on health has also increased. A KFF study released Wednesday found that 29% of Americans said they used AI tools or chatbots at least monthly for information and advice on health, up from 17% in 2024.

Most of these users, 56%, are confident they can determine what is true and what is false when accessing health information on chatbots. Younger adults were more confident than older adults.

Still, Americans are skeptical of AI chatbots.

Pew found that more Americans (40%) said that AI will have a negative impact on society over the next 20 years while only 16% said it will have a positive impact. Americans are also more negative on AI’s impact on themselves: 31% said it will have a negative impact over the next 20 years rather than a positive one (23%).

Younger adults are more wary about the impacts that AI will have on society and themselves than older adults, according to Pew. Nearly half of adults under 30 (48%) believe that AI will have a negative impact on society, compared to 39% of those 30 to 49 and 37% of those 50 and older. While 37% of adults under 30 said the impact on themselves will be negative, that falls to 30% among those 30 to 49 and 28% of those older than that.

Americans largely think AI is moving too fast: A 63% majority of adults said that AI is advancing too quickly, according to Pew, while 19% said it was moving at the right pace and just 2% said it was moving too slowly.

Americans are also concerned about personal information and AI. Pew found about 7 in 10 adults (71%) said that the use of AI will make personal information less secure.

While Americans don’t trust big tech or AI companies to do what’s best, they also don’t trust the government to keep them in check.

A CNN poll, also released Wednesday, found 69% of Americans saying they trust companies developing AI tools “a little” or “not at all” to do what is best for their users.

Pew found a similar share of Americans voicing skepticism that the U.S. government will regulate AI effectively (67%).

Democrats have become less confident in the government regulating AI. In a 2024 Pew Research Center poll, 54% said they had not much or no confidence in the government regulating AI effectively, rising to 74% in the new Pew poll. Republicans’ lack of confidence has declined over the same period from 70% to 61%. This divergence in the views of Democrats and Republicans over time may be because there was a Democratic president in 2024 and a Republican president now.

The Pew Research Center poll was conducted Feb. 17-23 among 5,119 U.S. adults with an error margin of +/- 1.6 percentage points, including 2,605 AI chatbot users with an error margin of +/- 2.2 percentage points.

The KFF poll and the CNN poll were both conducted May 7-31 among 2,480 U.S. adults and have an error margin of +/- 2.7 percentage points.

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(NEW YORK) — In the foothills of the Appalachians, where a coal plant once operated, now sits a massive data center operated by Google — and it’s about to get even bigger.

This week the tech giant announced a $1.5 billion expansion of its Jackson County, Alabama site. The company gave ABC News a rare exclusive look inside the campus — including its high-security server room — as public backlash grows against the buildout of data centers nationwide.

“There’s a lot of negative sentiment,” Thomas Gamble, the Southern Corridor Area Manager for Google Data Centers, told ABC News. “As we’re building, we’re trying to figure out the best, most efficient use of all the power, the water, any of the systems we can.”

Gamble, who grew up just five miles from the sprawling campus, said that the company pays for 100% of the power it uses at the facility, where corridors stacked with servers feed global demand for the company’s offerings, from maps to email to video streaming.

“We’re just a lot of servers storing information, just like books are in your library,” Gamble said.

Google is one of several big tech companies that has signed on to a voluntary “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” pushed by the Trump administration that seeks to protect American households from paying more for electricity costs associated with the construction of new data centers.

But the public remains skeptical. A Gallup poll conducted this spring found that 71% of Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their area, citing concerns about quality of life, the economy, local resources, pollution, water usage, electricity bills, and AI in general.

Of the poll respondents who said they would be in favor of a data center in their area, two-thirds cited local economic benefits as the reason.

ABC News has observed this debate play out in contentious town halls across the country, where impassioned residents and local leaders wrestle over the presence of these facilities, which developers say deliver hundreds of jobs and renewed investment in regions that may be otherwise neglected.

Lawmakers in at least 14 states are now considering slowing or banning the development of data centers. Proposed moratoriums in these states all target new facilities, and in some cases, include requirements to study the impacts of data centers.

Opponents of data centers argue that moratoriums will allow additional time to explore their effects on local communities, while proponents argue the moratoriums will hamper AI development and hurt local economies.

The map below shows states that have recently considered moratoriums, and the status of bills that include language on data center development. Click on or scroll over any of the shaded states for details on the bills.

Back in Jackson County, Chamber of Commerce president Rick Roden says Google’s data center has made him more excited about the future than he’s ever been.  

“This changes our history, this changes our future, and we’re now known as a technology area,” he told ABC News. “We know that that’s going to open doors that we would have never had open before, just because we landed Google.”

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(LOS ANGELES) — The eight people killed in an Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crash in California have been identified.

The B-52 was on a “routine test mission” Monday morning when it crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base and burst into flames, officials said.

Everyone on board was killed: four crew members, one civilian and three contractors, officials said.

The victims were identified by the base as: Col. Gregory Watson, 53, weapon systems officer, Boeing; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, weapon systems officer, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, pilot, Boeing; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, weapon systems officer, 419th Flight Test Squadron; Maj. Robert Dee, 40, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron; Jeromy Smith, 32, flight test engineer, 419th Flight Test Squadron; and Christopher Rischar, 41, flight test engineer, JT4 contractor.

“They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing Commander, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with their families, loved ones and fellow Airmen, Air Force civilians and mission partners affected by this tragedy.”

Two Boeing employees were among the victims. Boeing said in a statement, “The loss of Miles and Greg is deeply felt across our teams, and our hearts remain with their families, loved ones and those who worked with them.”

The cause of the crash is under investigation, a process that will likely take several months, Col. James Hayes, deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing at the base, said Monday.

Test missions take place multiple times a day at Edwards Air Force Base, Hayes said.

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