(NEW YORK) — The first major heat wave of the summer will bring another day of dangerously high temperatures to the East Coast on Wednesday before relief moves in.
The oppressive heat shattered records across the Northeast on Tuesday. New York City and Philadelphia hit 99 degrees, breaking the city’s daily record highs. Baltimore and Newark, New Jersey, soared to 104 degrees and 101 degrees, respectively, also setting new daily records.
On Wednesday, more than 120 million Americans from Louisiana to New Hampshire remain under heat alerts.
Excessive heat warnings are in effect for a number of cities, including Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Richmond, Virginia; Charleston, West Virginia; and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Overall, the heat won’t be as extreme as Monday and Tuesday, but Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia could still break records with highs close to 100 degrees.
The heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is forecast to reach 99 degrees in New York City, 105 in Philadelphia, 108 in D.C. and Wilmington, 104 in Charleston, South Carolina, and 106 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Relief from the oppressive heat will arrive on Thursday.
Click here for what you need to know to stay safe in the heat.
Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman via TNS via Getty Images
(MOSCOW, Idaho) — The woman who said she will offer key eyewitness testimony in Bryan Kohberger’s upcoming capital murder trial repeated that claim at least four times, to three different officers, after she was pulled over last year, according to police footage obtained by ABC News.
The body camera and dashcam footage, along with a police report from the unrelated September 2024 incident were released last weekend by police in Pullman, Washington, in response to a public records request.
In the videos, the woman explained to police that among her many life stressors, she was due to take the stand in the high-profile trial of the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in 2022. She had been pulled over on Sept. 4, 2024, first for driving with expired registration, then was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, the police report said.
After the woman was placed under arrest, she told officers that she was the DoorDash driver who, in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, dropped off food for Xana Kernodle, one of the four killed that night. Police believe Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death by a masked intruder in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, just minutes after the DoorDash driver pulled away.
Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the four Idaho college students’ stabbing deaths. He could face the death penalty if convicted. His lawyers insist that he is innocent, and that he was driving around alone on the night when the killings occurred. The woman, in talking to police while in custody, reiterated that she would be testifying “against Bryan” four times, to three different officers.
“I’ve gotta testify against Bryan next year. I’ve got enough crap going on,” she told one officer through sobs, handcuffed in the back of the police vehicle.
As she was driven to the Pullman Police holding facility, the woman again repeated that claim.
“I’m supposed to testify against Bryan next year,” she said, “The guy that killed all the freakin’, all the girls over in Moscow.”
“Well, this won’t change any of that,” the officer said.
“Yea well, I got a DUI on my record? That’s gonna look like crap,” the woman said.
“I think maybe be more concerned about the drug use than the DUI,” Pullman Police Officer Breauna Carpenter said.
The woman responded, “Yeah.”
The woman’s DUI charge was later amended to first-degree negligent driving and she pleaded guilty.
While being questioned at the Pullman Police holding facility ,the driver once again said, to a third officer, “Now I have to testify in that big murder case here, ’cause I’m the Door Dash driver.”
When asked, she clarified the “murder case with the college girls … I’m the DoorDash driver, I saw Bryan there. I parked next to him.”
The driver has not responded to a request for comment from ABC News.
Prosecutors have already signaled they will want to use Kernodle’s DoorDash order in their case against Kohberger. They have told the court the driver’s presence at the crime scene would help them establish a “timeline of events” for Kernodle before the killings, and to corroborate their witnesses’ testimony, according to court records.
The case against Kohberger is largely circumstantial. As of now, the DoorDash driver could well be one of only two people still alive who could put the intruder in the vicinity of the crime scene on the night the students were killed.
Also expected to testify — the girls’ surviving roommate who told police she saw a masked, male intruder with “bushy eyebrows” in the home right around the time the killings occurred. That descriptor was given to investigators early on, and has been a hallmark of the case since the start.
Jury selection is scheduled to start Aug. 4 in Boise, Idaho. Opening arguments are set for Aug. 11.
A protester holds a photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is back in the U.S. after being mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador, is set to appear in court in Tennessee on Wednesday for a hearing to address the conditions of his release after a magistrate judge ordered that he should not be detained while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges.
However, he is not expected to go free because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will likely take him into custody.
On Sunday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes acknowledged that determining whether Abrego Garcia should be released is “little more than an academic exercise” because ICE will likely detain him due to an immigration detainer the government has on him.
Yet the judge said the government failed to prove there is a “serious risk” that Abrego Garcia will flee or that he will obstruct justice in his criminal case.
Abrego Garcia has been the subject of a prolonged legal battle since he was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed the undocumented immigrant was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which his family and attorneys deny.
The Trump administration, after arguing for nearly two months that it was unable to bring him back, returned him to the U.S. earlier this month to face charges of allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S. while he was living in Maryland. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In her 51-page ruling, Judge Holmes raised questions about some of the evidence the government presented during a June 13 hearing — much of which she said consisted of “general statements, all double hearsay from two cooperating witnesses.”
Statements from the two witnesses about Abrego Garcia’s alleged MS-13 membership contradicted each other, Holmes said. One cooperating witness, according to the special agent who testified during the hearing, said that the Salvadoran “may belong to MS-13.” But a second witness, according to the special agent, said that in ten years of acquaintance with Abrego Garcia, there were no signs or markings, including tattoos, indicating that he is a member of MS-13.
“Even without discounting the weight of the testimony of the first and second male cooperators for the multiple layers of hearsay, their testimony and statements defy common sense,” Holmes said.
“The government alleges that Abrego is a longtime, well-known member of MS-13, which the Court would expect to be reflected in a criminal history, perhaps even of the kind of violent crimes and other criminal activity the government describes as typically associated with MS-13 gang membership,” Holmes said. “But Abrego has no reported criminal history of any kind.”
Statements from the cooperating witnesses introduced during the June 13 hearing accused Abrego Garcia of trafficking drugs and firearms and of abusing women and minors that he allegedly transported.
(Merritt Island, Fla.) — After several postponed launches, Axiom Space’s four private astronauts are finally on their way to the International Space Station (ISS).
The multinational crew lifted off successfully aboard a SpaceX Dragon launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida early Wednesday at 2:31 a.m. EDT. The Dragon will dock with the ISS at approximately 7 a.m. EDT on Thursday.
In the final minutes before lift-off, SpaceX mission control wished the crew well, telling them to “Enjoy the ride and science the heck out of all your experiments.”
After the launch, it took about nine minutes for the spacecraft to reach orbit and begin its more than 28-hour journey to the ISS. SpaceX successfully returned the first-stage booster to Earth a little over seven minutes into the mission, with it landing nine miles from the launch site. The company plans to reuse the booster on a future mission.
For a time, the launch was in danger of being scrubbed when mission control had an issue with uploading wind conditions to the Dragon’s launch escape system. The data is crucial, as it enables the computer to accurately target an offshore splashdown location if the capsule needs to unexpectedly separate from the rocket in the event of an emergency.
The mission was delayed several times due to mechanical issues with the Falcon 9 booster and the ISS itself. NASA postponed the launch temporarily so it could evaluate repair work made to the Russian-built and maintained Zvezda Service Module.
For years, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, has been attempting to seal air leaks in the module. In the days leading up to the Axiom launch, a “new pressure signature” was detected in an area with a long-standing leak. NASA said that the agency and Roscosmos have agreed on a technical solution to make the Axiom mission possible.
“NASA and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation and collaboration on the International Space Station. This professional working relationship has allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach and now Axiom Mission 4 launch and docking will proceed,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro in a statement.
The AX-4 mission marks another milestone for Axiom as it advances plans to build the world’s first commercial space station, Axiom Station, before NASA retires the ISS in 2030. Wednesday’s mission is the fourth team to visit the ISS since Axiom began partnering with NASA in 2022. The astronauts use their time aboard the station to conduct research, undergo training and participate in various scientific activities.
“The AX-4 crew represents the very best of international collaboration, dedication, and human potential. Over the past 10 months, these astronauts have trained with focus and determination, each of them exceeding the required thresholds to ensure mission safety, scientific rigor and operational excellence,” said Allen Flynt, Axiom Space’s chief of mission services, during a pre-launch press conference.
The four-person crew is traveling to the ISS aboard a newly built SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX says this is the second time the Falcon 9 booster has been used and the maiden flight of a new Dragon capsule—named Grace—that includes multiple design upgrades.
“This is the first flight for this Dragon capsule, and it’s carrying an international crew—a perfect debut. We’ve upgraded storage, propulsion components and the seat lash design for improved reliability and reuse,” said William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability.
Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now director of human spaceflight at Axiom, is commanding the mission. Whitson, who has already spent 665 days in space across three long-duration NASA missions, also commanded Axiom’s AX-2 mission in 2023, adding another 10 days in orbit. She now holds the record for the most cumulative time spent in space by a woman.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Peggy Whitson back. This will be her fifth trip to space—three with NASA and now two with Axiom,” Dana Weigel, NASA’s manager of the International Space Station Program, said. “She’s made substantial contributions to ISS and now helps lay the foundation for future commercial missions.”
Joining Whitson on the AX-4 mission are astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary. This will be the first time that nationally-sponsored astronauts from those countries have visited the ISS. It has also been more than 40 years since those three countries sent someone into space.
Indian Air Force pilot and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the mission’s pilot, will be the second person from India to go to space and the first since 1984. Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewsk, a mission specialist and a European Space Agency project astronaut, will be the second person from his country to head to space and the first since 1978. And Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer and mission specialist, will be the second Hungarian astronaut to rocket into space. That country’s last space mission was 45 years ago.
“For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission marks a return to human spaceflight after more than 40 years, and their first missions to the ISS. It’s a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we work together across borders, disciplines, and cultures,” Flynt said.
The AX-4 mission will last up to 14 days, during which the crew will conduct about 60 scientific studies and experiments. The company said 31 countries have contributed to the research plan, and the projects will focus on biological, life and material sciences, as well as Earth observation. Axiom said that the work done at the station will help the company advance its goal of building Axiom Station, which would be the world’s first commercial space station.
To lay the foundation for its space station, Axiom plans to attach several of its commercial modules to the ISS while it’s still operational. When the ISS is decommissioned, those modules will detach from the station and become part of the privately run Axiom Station.
Unlike space tourism, which is operated independently of NASA and government support, the Axiom mission is part of NASA’s private astronaut mission program. This private-public partnership provides selected commercial space companies with access to the ISS and technical and logistical support from NASA.
“NASA’s framework for private astronaut missions gives industry responsibility for launch, free flight, and landing,” Weigel said.
“It’s an incredible time for spaceflight. These missions help train teams, build partnerships and shape the future of low Earth orbit,” she added.
SpaceX’s Dragon program has completed 52 launches and 17 human spaceflight missions while safely transporting 66 crew members from 17 countries. It has facilitated over 1,000 research experiments in microgravity and delivered 300,000 pounds of cargo to the ISS.
(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave has set in, leaving nearly 150 million people from Texas to Maine under heat alerts on Monday.
In some regions of the country, including the Northeast, thermometers are expected to rise this week to the highest temperatures in more than decade.
Nearly 50 cities could see daily high temperature records broken, including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“This level of HeatRisk is known for being rare and/or long duration with little to no overnight relief, and affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said in an advisory issued Monday morning.
A heat wave is a continuous period of abnormally hot weather, generally lasting over two days, according to the NWS.
However, the definition of a heat wave varies by region. In the Midwest and the Northeast, a heat wave is defined as three or more consecutive days of at least 90 degrees.
On Monday, the heat index, a measurement of what the sweltering weather feels like as opposed to the actual temperature reading, is forecast to soar above 100 degrees for much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as in the Midwest from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Memphis, Tenn.
Philadelphia is forecast to reach a high of 100 degrees on Monday, a temperature the city hasn’t seen since July 2012.
In anticipation of the first heat wave of the season, Philadelphia city officials declared a heat health emergency that began at noon on Sunday and will stay in place until at least 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Philadelphia’s health commissioner, said a heat health emergency is declared when the temperature gets high enough to increase “the risk of getting sick or dying from the heat” — especially for elderly people, individuals with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women.
“The best way to protect our loved ones is to make sure they can get into air conditioning during the hottest part of the day,” Raval-Nelson said in a statement.
Philadelphia is opening more than 40 cooling centers across the city to help people beat the heat.
In New York City, the temperature surpassed 90 degrees by 11 a.m. and expected to rise to the mid-90s to upper 90s on Monday afternoon and reach the upper 90s on Tuesday.
The last time New York City hit 100 degrees was in July 2012.
“Extreme heat will not just be uncomfortable and oppressive for New Yorkers this coming week, it will be brutal and it will be dangerous,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
On Tuesday, temperatures across the Northeast and Midwest are expected to be slightly higher than on Monday, and the heat index will make cities like Syracuse, New York, and Burlington, Vermont, feel over 100 degrees.
Nighttime temperatures are expected to provide little relief and could be particularly dangerous for people without air conditioning. Overnight temperatures are forecast to be hovering near 80 degrees.
The heat wave is expected to subside on Wednesday, but it will take until Thursday for much of the eastern United States to see real relief from the extreme temperatures.
Elsewhere across the country, the cold front that will help break the heat wave will move through the upper Midwest, producing severe thunderstorms from Kansas to Michigan. The primary risks for the Midwest will be damaging winds, hail, flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes.
