Silver Fire in California spreads to 1,000 acres, prompts evacuations
A vegetation fire in California rapidly spread to 1,000 acres on Sunday, prompting evacuations of parts of Inyo and Mono counties. (Cal Fire)
(BISHOP, CA) — A vegetation fire in California rapidly spread to 1,000 acres on Sunday, prompting evacuations of parts of Inyo and Mono counties.
The fire was first reported just after 2 p.m. PT near Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road north of Bishop, California, a city east of Fresno, according to Cal Fire.
Officials named the fast-moving blaze the Silver Fire.
Cal Fire said Sunday evening that the blaze crossed Highway 6, threatening multiple structures and power lines. The fire remained at 0% containment as of 8 p.m. PT.
There are no known injuries associated with the fire, officials said.
Fighting the blaze was impacted by strong winds, with gusts reaching up to 35 mph at Bishop Airport, according to Cal Fire, which noted extreme turbulence grounded some firefighting aircraft.
The National Weather Service forecasts continued windy conditions for the region, with a High Wind Warning in effect through Monday evening.
ABC News’ Timmy Truong and Tristan Maglunog contributed to this report
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to preserve the contents of the chat in which top national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes in Yemen as they were taking place earlier this month.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the top cabinet officials named in a lawsuit by the government transparency group American Oversight to retain any messages sent and received over Signal between March 11 and March 15.
Benjamin Sparks, a lawyer representing American Oversight, raised concerns that “these messages are imminent danger of destruction” due to settings within Signal that can be set to delete messages automatically — prompting Judge Boasberg to order the Trump administration file a sworn declaration by this Monday to ensure the messages are preserved.
The lawsuit — which names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the National Archives as defendants — asked a federal judge to declare the use of Signal unlawful and order the cabinet members to preserve the records immediately, as Signal’s deleting of messages violates governmental record-keeping requirements.
The use of the Signal group chat was revealed Monday by The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who said he was inadvertently added to the chat as top national security officials, including Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, were discussing the military operation.
According to screenshots of the Signal messages published by The Atlantic, the messages were set to disappear after a certain timeframe. Originally, the messages were set to disappear after one week. Then, according to screenshots of the messages published by the magazine, on March 15 — after Hegseth sent the first operational update — the messages were set to disappear after four weeks.
Judge Boasberg declined, for now, to order administration officials to disclose if Signal had been used by the Trump administration in a wider context.
“I don’t think at this point that that’s something that I would be prepared to order,” he said.
On the heels of Trump early Thursday accusing Boasberg on social media of “grabbing the ‘Trump Cases’ all to himself,” the judge began the hearing by providing a detailed description of the D.C. District Court’s automated system for assigning cases, including how each judge is allotted “electronic cards” to ensure cases are fairly distributed.
“That’s how it works, and that’s how all cases continue to be assigned in this course,” Judge Boasberg said.
Boasberg earlier this month temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 alleged gang members to El Salvador without due process, leading the White House to call for his impeachment and publicly attack him as a “Democrat activist” and a “radical left lunatic.”
Lawyers for the Department of Defense, prior to Thursday’s hearing, filed a declaration stating that they have requested that a copy of the Signal messages in question be forwarded to an official DOD account so they can be preserved.
A second declaration, from a lawyer for the Treasury Department, stated that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with Bessent’s chief of staff, has retained all messages beginning with Mike Waltz’s messages on March 15.
Trump and other top administration officials have downplayed the use of the Signal to discuss the attack, saying classified information was not shared in the chat, despite the exchange including information on the weapons systems being used and the timing of the strikes.
(NEW YORK) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil — a leader in Columbia University’s encampment movement — on Saturday night, claiming that his student visa had been revoked, according to attorney Amy Greer in a statement to ABC News.
However, Khalil is in the United States on a green card and not on a student visa, Greer said Sunday.
Despite informing agents about his legal status, ICE detained him, she said.
At one point during a phone call with agents, they hung up on Greer, a representative of her law firm told ABC News.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin addressed Khalil’s arrest on Sunday night, saying, “On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student. Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
“ICE and the Department of State are committed to enforcing President Trump’s executive orders and to protecting U.S. national security,” she added.
Secretary of State Marc Rubio also shared an article about Khalil on Sunday night and posted on X, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
Greer is challenging Khalil’s arrest but has been unable to locate where he is being held, she said.
“Overnight we filed a habeas corpus petition on Mahmoud’s behalf challenging the validity of his arrest and detention,” she said. “Currently we do not know Mahmoud’s precise whereabouts.”
Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant and a U.S. citizen, was unable to find him at an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he was purportedly transferred, Greer said — adding that he might have been transferred to Louisiana.
“ICE’s arrest and detention of Mahmoud follows the U.S. government’s open repression of student activism and political speech, specifically targeting students at Columbia University for criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza,” she said. “The U.S. government has made clear that they will use immigration enforcement as a tool to suppress that speech.”
The arrest occurred just days after President Donald Trump took to social media threatening to defund universities that allowed “illegal protests” and claiming “agitators” will be sent back to their home countries.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump posted on Truth Social on March 4.
Columbia released the following statement on Sunday: “There have been reports of ICE around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings.”
“Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community,” the statement continued.
(LOS ANGELES) — Tory Lanez was hospitalized on Monday after a fellow inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi attacked the rapper at around 7:20 a.m. local time, a spokesperson for the prison told ABC News.
“Staff immediately responded, activated 911 and began medical aid. Peterson was subsequently transported to an outside medical facility for further treatment,” the spokesperson said.
The rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting and injuring fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, in July 2020.
The prison spokesperson did not provide further comment when asked about the nature of Peterson’s injuries, whether he has been released from the hospital or whether a suspect has been charged in the attack.
However, the rapper’s verified Instagram account shared a post to his stories, saying: “Tory was stabbed 14 times, including seven wounds to his back, four to his torso, two to the back of his head and one to the left side of his face. Both of his lungs collapsed, and he was placed on a breathing apparatus. He is now breathing on his own.”
“Despite being in pain, he is talking normally, in good spirits and deeply thankful to God that he is pulling through,” the post continued. “He also wants to thank everyone for the continued prayers and support.”
Crystal Morgan, an attorney representing Peterson, confirmed to ABC News on Monday afternoon that the rapper was attacked at the correctional facility and remains hospitalized.
Morgan said she had not been able to obtain any information about his condition and was “in the dark” like everyone else. Morgan added she called Peterson’s family to notify them of the attack.
The prison’s Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office launched a probe into the incident, while the Office of the Inspector General has been notified, the spokesperson said.
ABC News has reached out to the DA’s office for additional comment.
Peterson was found guilty on Dec. 23, 2022, of three charges for shooting and injuring Pete in both feet as they left a party in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
He was initially charged in October 2020 with one felony count each of assault with a semi-automatic firearm (personal use of a firearm) and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, according to charging documents obtained by ABC News.
He was also charged ahead of his trial in December 2022 with an additional felony count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez, who chose not to take the witness stand during the trial, pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
His defense attorneys argued during the trial that Lanez was not the shooter and he has maintained his innocence in multiple social media posts since his sentencing last year.
During his sentencing hearing, prosecutors read an impact statement from Pete — who testified during the trial — in which she called for Peterson to “be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice.”
“He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. He tried to position himself as a victim and set out to destroy my character and my soul,” Pete said in her impact statement.
Peterson was denied bond by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Sept. 14, 2023, as his legal team appeals his 10-year sentence.
