Talk of the Town
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Florida has referred President Donald Trump’s attorneys for potential disciplinary action over their filing of the $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that resulted in the creation of the now-defunct “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Minnesota’s Democratic governor for cyberattacks on the state’s water systems even though U.S. officials previously told ABC News authorities are investigating whether Iran or hackers associated with the country could be behind them.
“We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack and they blame it on Iran. I don’t think so. I think, I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent,” Trump said a Cabinet meeting at Camp David.
Walz pushed back against Trump’s comments in statements on social media Friday.
“Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too. This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran,” Walz wrote in a social media post.
The governor also noted federal cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) weakened cybersecurity.
“DOGE took an axe to CISA and left the U.S. exposed to cyber attacks. Thankfully, our experts in Minnesota were able to identify the vulnerability quickly and work with local communities to stop it,” Walz wrote.
More than 30 water systems in Minnesota were targeted in a cyberattack Sunday and Monday, according to Minnesota IT Services (MNIT).
MNIT said the attackers targeted systems to remotely monitor and control equipment, including the programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which are used for remote access.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in an alert Thursday that cyber threat actors are targeting PLCs and modifying passwords to “to lock out operators” from U.S. water systems.
MNIT said there are no active requests from Minnesota localities for residents to change their water use and that it is working with federal investigators in the probe. The agency said it has not determined who was responsible.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a statement Friday that she spoke with U.S. National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross about the attacks and said the director “confirmed that at this point there are no effects on services.”
“Director Cairncross and I discussed updated technology, recognizing that resources are an issue for so many communities, not just in Minnesota but across the country,” the senator wrote.
Klobuchar added that the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency have issued warnings to water utilities across the country about potential cyberattacks.
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(NEW YORK) — Gulf Coast states already dealing with massive floods are bracing for even more extreme weather as the first tropical storm of the season could form as early as Tuesday night.
Tropical Storm watch issued for 2 states
The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch on Tuesday for the Gulf Coast from southeast Texas –including the cities of Brazosport, Galveston and Port Arthur– to parts of southwestern Louisiana.
Potential Tropical Cyclone One, the name of the low-pressure system developing, is forecast to become a tropical storm later Tuesday or early Wednesday along the Gulf Coast.
If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.
A hurricane is not expected to form, according to the latest forecast.
Very heavy rain is forecast for New Orleans as early as Wednesday evening or as late as Thursday morning, depending on how quickly the storm develops. New Orleans is under a flood watch.
Winds will gust over 40 mph at times along the coast and coastal flooding may also become an issue, according to the forecast.
Deadly flash flood threat continues in the South
A woman in Bandera County, northwest of San Antonio, Texas, called 911 on Monday morning, saying her car was being swept away into a creek by floodwaters, the county’s sheriff’s office said on social media.
Within moments, the call dropped, the office said, and hours later the woman was found dead in the vehicle “several miles downstream” of its initial entry point, the sheriff’s office said. The woman was not immediately identified.
In San Antonio, Houston and Waco there were stalled vehicles due to high waters on roads. In Shreveport, Louisiana, there were water rescues and water entering buildings.
In St. Martin, Mississippi, ramps to I-10 and I-110 were closed due to high waters. South of there, at Kessler Air Force Base, several roads became impassible.
More than 17 million Americans remain on Tuesday under a flood watch from Texas to Mississippi.
Heavy rainfall may lead to localized significant flash flooding from Corpus Christi to Houston to Lafayette and Alexandria, Louisiana, and McComb, Mississippi. A level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place there.
The greatest risk is likely along a frontal boundary laid over central Louisiana and into southeast Mississippi — rainfall may be heavy for a few hours in this area on Tuesday and could lead to significant flooding.
Rains closer to the coast are going to be more difficult to sustain but there is certainly enough ingredients there that if they get going, localized instances of significant flash flooding are possible.
Tomorrow, the level 3 of 4 flood threat is for Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Lafayette.
On Thursday, the level 3 of 4 flood threat moves to Baton Rouge through Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL and Birmingham, AL.
This heavier rain for Wednesday and Thursday will come from a developing tropical low over the western Gulf.
The National Hurricane Center gives it a 60% chance of forming into a tropical storm later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first of the season.
Severe weather outbreak in the Midwest on Wednesday
About 40 million Americans are in the storm zone where a severe weather outbreak is expected on Wednesday
The greatest likelihood for a destructive outbreak is in Illinois and Indiana, and possible for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, too.
A level 4 of 5 moderate risk for destructive storms is in place for central Illinois and northern Indiana on Wednesday. This includes Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign and Bloomington, Illinois, along with Rensselaer, Indiana.
Large and long-lived tornadoes are possible, along with destructive wind gusts up to 80 mph, and hail up to the size of baseballs.
The level 3 of 4 risk includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Fort Wayne.
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Mangione has come to this point once before and backed out. If he moves forward with the anticipated guilty plea, he is guaranteed no leniency. According to sources, there is no plea bargain with federal prosecutors and Mangione could face life in prison.
A guilty plea could complicate Mangione’s murder prosecution in state court, where trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. His federal trial was set for Jan. 5.
Defense attorneys have already tried to dismiss the murder charges on double jeopardy grounds. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is prepared to move forward, arguing stalking and murder address different harms.
Members of Thompson’s family, including his widow, and executives from UnitedHealthcare are expected in the federal courtroom in Manhattan for Friday’s 11 a.m. hearing. Members of Mangione’s family are not expected to attend, sources said.
About three dozen members of the public — including at least one person who camped out in a tent overnight — lined up outside the courthouse Friday morning to try to secure a seat in the courtroom.
Mangione’s supporters are often outspoken during his hearings, but there were little-to-no demonstrators on Friday morning. And with the federal court limiting what members of the public can wear, Mangione’s supporters were not donning their normal shirts proclaiming his innocence.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, in Midtown Manhattan, and he was captured in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that Mangione was indicted on first degree murder charges on Dec. 17, 2024, and federal prosecutors announced separate charges of stalking and murder on Dec. 19, 2024.
Mangione pleaded not guilty in the separate state and federal cases.
The charges in both cases have narrowed over the last year. In the federal case, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in January threw out the murder and firearm charges, leaving two counts: stalking – travel in interstate commerce and stalking – use of interstate facilities.
In the state case, Judge Gregory Carro last September dismissed the first-degree murder and terrorism charges. In the state case, Mangione is still charged with murder in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second-degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, third-degree and fourth-degree.
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