Category: National

(NEW YORK) — The National Parks Service (NPS) removed the rainbow flag that sat on a flagpole inside the Stonewall National Monument near Christopher Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

The site was designated a national monument by President Barack Obama in June, 2016, becoming the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights.

The communications office for NPS, which is overseen by the Department of the Interior, confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday morning. It said that, under federal guidance, “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions.”

“Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs,” the statement continued.

The office of Interior Sec. Doug Burgum reiterated the sentiment in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, saying that federal policy governing flag displays “has been in place for decades,” and “recent guidance clarifies how that longstanding policy is applied consistently across NPS-managed sites.”

The pride flag inside the monument was permanently installed by NPS in 2021, and was the first pride flag to be flown over federally-funded land.

Steven Love Menendez, a New York-based advocate for LGBTQ+ rights who launched the movement for the permanent pride flag to be installed at the site in 2017, questioned the timing of its removal.

“It’s a targeted attack on the community, right? Because the flag was there. It’s not that they never gave permission for it to be erected. They did give permission for it to be erected, and now they’re using some legal language to try to make an excuse for taking it down,” Menendez said. “Why now? That’s the question the administration needs to answer. Why now? It was already up, and my response is, it’s solely based on hate.”

The Stonewall National Monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.

“Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one,” Obama said in 2016.

Menendez said that, during Pride Month in 2017, he got a permit from NPS to install a pride flag inside the monument and his request was granted. Once the month was over, he noted that the flag was taken down. Menendez said he was “very passionate” about people being able to see the pride flag when they visited the monument, so he petitioned NPS in 2017 for the installation of a permanent flag.

According to ABC station in New York City, WABC, NPS was expected to participate in a dedication ceremony for a permanent rainbow flag inside the monument on National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, 2017. But amid opposition from the Trump administration, NPS withdrew from the ceremony — a move that drew widespread criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates, WABC reported.

At the dedication ceremony, the city of New York flew their own rainbow flag on city land outside the Stonewall National Monument and it wasn’t until 2021 when the Biden administration approved the permanent installation of a pride flag inside the monument on federal land. The city flag has remained in place, but the flag on federal land was removed by NPS this week.

“For me, [the rainbow flag] is a sense of pride and joy and celebration and victory for our community. … This flag represents our victory and our triumphs,” Menendez, who attended the 2017 ceremony, told ABC News on Tuesday. “[Removing] it feels like a slap in the face to the community, you know, a punch in the gut. They’re taking away our symbol of pride.”

The removal of the flag comes after President Donald Trump directed Sec. Burgum in a March 2025 executive order to remove “divisive” and “anti-American” content from museums and national parks.

Asked if the removal of the pride flag was in response to Trump’s order, NPS did not comment.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The National Parks Service (NPS) removed the rainbow flag that sat on a flagpole inside the Stonewall National Monument near Christopher Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

The site was designated a national monument by President Barack Obama in June, 2016, becoming the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights.

The communications office for NPS, which is overseen by the Department of the Interior, confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday morning. It said that, under federal guidance, “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions.”

“Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs,” the statement continued.

The office of Interior Sec. Doug Burgum reiterated the sentiment in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, saying that federal policy governing flag displays “has been in place for decades,” and “recent guidance clarifies how that longstanding policy is applied consistently across NPS-managed sites.”

The pride flag inside the monument was permanently installed by NPS in 2021, and was the first pride flag to be flown over federally-funded land.

Steven Love Menendez, a New York-based advocate for LGBTQ+ rights who launched the movement for the permanent pride flag to be installed at the site in 2017, questioned the timing of its removal.

“It’s a targeted attack on the community, right? Because the flag was there. It’s not that they never gave permission for it to be erected. They did give permission for it to be erected, and now they’re using some legal language to try to make an excuse for taking it down,” Menendez said. “Why now? That’s the question the administration needs to answer. Why now? It was already up, and my response is, it’s solely based on hate.”

The Stonewall National Monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.

“Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one,” Obama said in 2016.

Menendez said that, during Pride Month in 2017, he got a permit from NPS to install a pride flag inside the monument and his request was granted. Once the month was over, he noted that the flag was taken down. Menendez said he was “very passionate” about people being able to see the pride flag when they visited the monument, so he petitioned NPS in 2017 for the installation of a permanent flag.

According to ABC station in New York City, WABC, NPS was expected to participate in a dedication ceremony for a permanent rainbow flag inside the monument on National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, 2017. But amid opposition from the Trump administration, NPS withdrew from the ceremony — a move that drew widespread criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates, WABC reported.

At the dedication ceremony, the city of New York flew their own rainbow flag on city land outside the Stonewall National Monument and it wasn’t until 2021 when the Biden administration approved the permanent installation of a pride flag inside the monument on federal land. The city flag has remained in place, but the flag on federal land was removed by NPS this week.

“For me, [the rainbow flag] is a sense of pride and joy and celebration and victory for our community. … This flag represents our victory and our triumphs,” Menendez, who attended the 2017 ceremony, told ABC News on Tuesday. “[Removing] it feels like a slap in the face to the community, you know, a punch in the gut. They’re taking away our symbol of pride.”

The removal of the flag comes after President Donald Trump directed Sec. Burgum in a March 2025 executive order to remove “divisive” and “anti-American” content from museums and national parks.

Asked if the removal of the pride flag was in response to Trump’s order, NPS did not comment.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TUCSON, Ariz.) — FBI Director Kash Patel has released images and video of an “armed individual” in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.

The images showed a masked man wearing gloves, a backpack and armed with a holstered handgun at the front door of Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson-area home around the time investigators suspect she was abducted on Feb. 1.

“[L]aw enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” Patel said in his post.

Savannah Guthrie posted the images to her Instagram account, with the message, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”

Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 1, according to authorities. A Monday ransom deadline by persons claiming to be Guthrie’s abductors passed as the search for her continues.

Patel said the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s office worked with “private sector partners” in recent days to recover the video footage, which Patel said had been “lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors, including the removal of recording devices.”

“The video was recovered from residual data located in the backend systems,” Patel said. “Working with four partners – as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was briefed on the latest details in the case and was reviewing the video footage posted online by Patel.

“We’re just praying for the safety of Nancy Guthrie and that she will return home soon. And the President directed me to please encourage all Americans with any information to call the FBI, and we hope that this case will come to a positive resolution as soon as possible,” Leavitt said.

The latest development in the case came a day after Savannah Guthrie made an impassioned plea to the public to help solve her mother’s disappearance.

“We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,” Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram video, speaking directly to the camera. It was the fourth video that Guthrie and her two siblings had released on social media since their mother vanished.

The exact time of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is unclear. Her doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m., on Feb. 1, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. At 2:12 a.m., the camera software detected a person, and at 2:28 a.m., Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone, which was left behind at her house, Nanos said.

Over the weekend, the Guthrie family received a demand for a bitcoin ransom by a Monday deadline by a party claiming to be Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings said they’d pay for their mother’s return.

“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram video over the weekend. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

After the ransom deadline passed Monday evening, the FBI released a statement, saying its agents continued to work around the clock on the case and that more were being sent to Arizona to assist in the investigation.

“The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time,” the FBI said in its statement.

The bureau added that additional personnel from FBI field offices nationwide would continue to be deployed to the Tucson area to work on the case

“We are currently operating a 24-hour command post that includes crisis management experts, analytic support, and investigative teams. But we still need the public’s help,” the FBI’s statement said. “Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home.”

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

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(WASHINGTON) — Federal authorities are expected to unseal the affidavit they filed in support of their search of a Fulton County, Georgia, election office last month, after a federal judge ordered the document be unsealed by the end of the day Tuesday.

FBI agents on Jan. 28 seized 700 boxes containing ballots and other materials associated with the 2020 election from the county’s  Elections Hub and Operations Center after obtaining a search warrant. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that there was voter fraud in the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia, that contributed to his election loss.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump nominee, on Sunday ordered the government to unseal the affidavit that was filed in support of the search warrant, subject to “the redaction of the names of non-governmental witnesses.”

In his ruling, Boulee noted that the government did not oppose the unsealing of the affidavit, which could provide more information on the search and the investigation that lead to it. 

The ruling came after Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts filed a motion seeking the unsealing of the affidavit, as well as the return of the election documents that were seized.

Pitts said in a statement he was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling.

“Fulton County will continue to pursue every legal option to seek the return of election records and to defend our elections from possible takeover,” Pitts said. “Even in the midst of this unprecedented legal action, we will not allow our staff to be deterred or distracted from preparations for the 2026 election, which will be once again free, fair, transparent and legally compliant.”

While the judge on Sunday ordered the release of the affidavit that was the basis for the search warrant, the warrant itself authorized the FBI to search for “All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election” in addition to tabulator tapes from voting machines and 2020 voter rolls, according to a copy of the warrant that was obtained by ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB following the raid.

The warrant said the material “constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offense.”

The warrant listed possible violations of two statutes — one which requires election records to be retained for a certain amount of time, and another which outlines criminal penalties for people, including election officials, who intimidate voters or to knowingly procure false votes or false voter registrations.

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(TUCSON, Ariz.) — ABC News has confirmed that law enforcement will imminently release an image of a potential suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.

Guthrie was taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 1, according to authorities. A Monday ransom deadline by persons claiming to be Guthrie’s abductors passed as the search for her continues.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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(SUMTER COUNTY, Ga.) — Authorities are continuing the search for two murder suspects who escaped from a Georgia jail on Sunday.

Rickey Martin, 20, and Kentravious Holmes, 21, escaped Sumter County Jail at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

The two inmates were also in custody on charges including aggravated assault and aggravated battery, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. 

Martin is 5 foot 4 inches and weighs 120 pounds. He is a Black male with un-twisted dreads, according to the sheriff’s office.

Holmes is 5 foot 8 inches in height and weighs 155 pounds. Holmes is a Black male with un-twisted dreads and multiple tattoos on his face and neck, including a “$” sign, a broken heart and “Baby Kay” over his right eye, according to the sheriff’s office. 

Anyone who sees either individual or has any information on their whereabouts, is asked to call 911 or the Sheriff’s Office directly at 229-924-4094.

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(CLARK COUNTY, Ohio) — Schools and county offices in Ohio’s Clark County received multiple bomb threats targeting the Haitian community on Monday, prompting classes in Springfield to be canceled for the day, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.

There is no credible threat to the public at this time, according to the FBI’s Cincinnati office, which said it is “aware of a number of hoax threats in Central Ohio.”

The emailed threats were directed at schools and public facilities, according to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue. County offices began receiving threats referencing pipe bombs around 7:45 a.m. Monday, DeWine said.

“These are threats that also referenced Haitians,” DeWine said during a press briefing on Monday. “The whole essence of the threats were the Haitians should be out, get rid of the Haitians.”

Duffel bags were found outside the Clark County Municipal Court and Public Safety Building in Springfield, DeWine said.

Police responded and no suspicious devices were found, according to Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott. There are “no substantiated threats to the community,” the chief said in a statement.

The Springfield City School District said it is closing all buildings on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”

“This is a despicable act,” DeWine said. “It’s caused kids to miss a whole day of school today.”

“We will do whatever we need to do to keep the schools open,” he later said.

Several streets that closed off in downtown Springfield have since reopened, officials said.

The governor said threats were also received in other parts of the state with “similar rhetoric,” but it’s unclear if they were from the same people. The threats were also emailed, according to Elliott.

The FBI is investigating. 

“While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention,” the FBI Cincinnati said in a statement.

The region is no stranger to these kinds of threats. In September 2024, several bomb threats rattled Springfield after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance doubled down on false claims that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating pets. 

These latest threats come as the Trump administration fights in court to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. 

Addressing Monday’s threats, Rue said the community “has faced a familiar situation that understandably caused concern.”

“I want to be clear, there is no immediate or credible threat to the public at this time,” Rue said in a statement. “These matters are being taken seriously and addressed with the highest level of caution and professionalism.” 

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(ROCKVILLE, Md.) — A student was shot inside a high school in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, according to Montgomery County police.

One person is in custody in connection with the shooting at Thomas S. Wootton High School, police said.

The school is on lockdown, according to police. Rockville is about 20 miles north of Washington, D.C.

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(NEW YORK) — Scientists are getting a better understanding of why spotted lanternflies, the invasive species wreaking havoc in the Northeast every spring, have been thriving since their invasion into the U.S.

The flying insect, identified by its distinctive spotted wings, originated in Asia and likely arrived in the U.S. around 2014 through a single introduction, after which it began to multiply exponentially, Kristen Winchell, an associate professor of biology at New York University, told ABC News.

Ever since, the lanternflies have swarmed urban regions in the Northeast, while wildlife experts have encouraged people who come across them to squish them immediately to further prevent their spread.

Researchers say they now have a better idea of how the insects have managed to adapt and spread so quickly in the U.S.

New genomic analyses of the insect indicates that the spotted lanternflies likely adapted to urban settings in Shanghai, China – including heat, pollution and pesticides – which is allowing them to thrive in the Northeast U.S. corridor, according to a paper published in The Royal Society journal. The insects showed adaptations in genes associated with stress response, according to the paper.

“They were adapting to thrive in urban environments in the native range, and that primed them then to be successful in whatever the next urban environment they landed in,” said Winchell, who co-authored the paper.

Researchers believe the lanternflies arrived in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in a shipment of stone from South Korea via their native range in urban Shanghai, Fallon Meng, a doctoral candidate at NYU’s Department of Biology, told ABC News.

Their egg masses have easily survived the harsh Northeast winters, so they would have “no problem” surviving in a climate-controlled shipping container, Winchell said.

Lanternflies have been spotted as far north as Boston, Mass., and Providence, R.I., although how much farther north they can survive is yet to be determined, Winchell said.

Spotted lanternflies were able “take over” an unfamiliar ecosystem and a new climate despite the low genetic diversity from the single introduction, Winchell said. They are genetically similar across their 125-mile range in the U.S., the research found.

“The loss of genetic diversity in this population, which should theoretically constrain any sort of adaptation or variation in traits in the invasive environment, should possibly limit their spread,” Winchell said.

The insects have also been known to hitch rides on trains and ferries, as well as humans’ backpacks, Winchell said, adding that researchers expect them to spread west next, toward Chicago.

“The females carry a lot of eggs, and so it just takes one to lay a successful clutch of eggs,” Winchell said.

Spotted lanternflies feed on tree sap using piercing mouthparts. The piercing doesn’t necessarily damage the trees, but their excrement, which is high in sugar, stains the trees and blocks photosynthesis, which eventually suffocates the trees, the researchers said.

Tree of Heaven, an invasive species in the U.S. that’s native to Asia, is their tree of choice, but they have the potential to impact apple orchards, maple trees and vineyards in the Northeast.

They can also sequester toxins from the Tree of Heaven, which makes them toxic to certain animals that may eat them, which in turn negatively impacts the food chain.

Invasive management efforts in cities may be necessary to curb further spread of the spotted lanternfly, according to the paper. In the meantime, researchers said, the the advice to stomp on them when you see then still stands.

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(NEW YORK) — The largest nursing strike in New York City could be nearing the end as thousands of nurses reached tentative agreements with some hospitals, according to the nurses’ union.

Approximately 10,500 members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) reached agreements with Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside and West, NYSNA said in an announcement on Monday morning

The nurses will hold ratification votes and, if the agreements are ratified, return to work at the end of the week, the union said in the announcement.

Some 4,200 nurses are continuing to strike at NewYork-Presbyterian, with no agreement reached yet.

An ABC News request for comment sent to Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside and West did not immediately receive a response.

The nurses, who began striking on Jan. 12, said they were fighting over fair wages and compensation, safe staffing levels, and workplace safety.

The union previously said hospitals have threatened to cut health care benefits for frontline nurses and to roll back safe staffing standards that were won by nurses in a strike two years ago.

“For four weeks, nearly 15,000 NYSNA members held the line in the cold and in the snow for safe patient care,” NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said a statement. “Now, nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai systems are heading back to the bedside with our heads held high after winning fair tentative contracts that maintain enforceable safe staffing ratios, improve protections from workplace violence, and maintain health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs for frontline nurses.” 

The agreement includes increasing the number of nurses to improve patient care, protecting health benefits, protecting nurses from workplace violence, and increasing salaries by more than 12% over the three-year contract, according to NYSNA.

“I’m so proud of the resilience and strength of NYSNA nurses,” Pat Keane, NYSNA executive director, said in a statement. “They have shown that when we fight, we win. Nurses sacrificed their own pay and healthcare while on strike to defend patient care for all of New York. We helped galvanize a movement for worker and healthcare justice that reached beyond New York City.”

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

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