Tropical Storm Bertha takes shape off the Florida coast, prompting storm alerts
A tropical depression that formed in the Gulf off the west coast of Florida, July 19, 2026, is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha. (Sadik Demiroz/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A tropical storm watch is in effect Monday for parts of the Gulf Coast after a tropical depression formed over the weekend and is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha late Monday or Monday night.
The National Hurricane Center said it is closely monitoring what is currently Tropical Depression Two, which formed Sunday.
The tropical storm watch has been issued from the Florida panhandle to the southeast Louisiana coast, including Panama City and Pensacola, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Tropical storm conditions, including strong winds and rain, are possible in the watch area by late Monday.
As of 11 a.m. ET Monday the tropical depression was a weak and disorganized system centered about 120 miles south of Panama City and drifting northwest at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph. A tropical storm is defined as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph.
After the depression becomes a storm, it’s expected to slowly strengthen over the next few days and move mostly parallel to or along the Gulf Coast. The latest forecast puts the system near or south of New Orleans by Wednesday.
The storm could impact the Louisiana coast and the areas of southeast Texas on Wednesday and into Thursday. Tropical storm conditions will be possible from New Orleans to Houston.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible across Florida on Monday and into Monday night, mostly along the Gulf Coast and panhandle.
A possible storm surge of 1 to 3 feet could impact the area from Indian Pass, Florida, located about two hours southwest of Tallahassee, to the Chassahowitzka River, about 90 minutes north of Clearwater on the Gulf coast. The rough surf could produce life-threatening rip currents.
From Monday evening through Wednesday, thunderstorm activity is expected to shift toward southern Alabama and Mississippi. Widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected in the area along the Gulf Coast through Friday, with isolated totals up to 8 inches possible.
FBI personnel walk towards the house connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in Torrance, CA on Saturday night, April 25, 2026. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Cole Allen, the suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, is expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court on Monday.
Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is a trained mechanical engineer working as a tutor who traveled across the country to perpetrate “as much damage as he could,” sources and officials said.
Local authorities said the suspect was tackled by law enforcement after gunfire inside the Washington Hilton, where thousands of journalists as well as President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet were gathered for the annual event.
Allen was detained near the main magnetometer area for the event, with surveillance video showing the suspect running past security officials. Interim D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffrey Carroll told reporters that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Carroll said the preliminary information is that he was a “lone actor.”
Law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation said that Allen was declining to answer questions but allegedly made some non-specific reference to targeting administration officials.
A Secret Service member was shot during the incident but the bullet hit the agent’s protective vest, Trump said after the incident. The president said he spoke with the agent and he was in good spirits.
Shortly before the White House press briefing, Trump posted a video showing agents subduing the suspect, who he said “charged a security checkpoint armed with many weapons.”
Law enforcement officials said that Allen is believed to have booked a room in the Washington Hilton, where the dinner took place, in early April.
Investigators believe the suspect arrived in Washington by train, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday during an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“We believe he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, D.C.,” Blanche said.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro told reporters Saturday night, “It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could.”
Pirro said the suspect was being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She said additional charges could follow.
Allen is a trained mechanical engineer working as a tutor, according to a LinkedIn page connected to him.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated in 2017 from CalTech, where he listed memberships in the school’s Christian Fellowship and Nerf Club. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering before earning a master’s degree from Cal State-Dominguez Hills in 2025, the profile said.
Allen characterized himself on LinkedIn as an “Indie Game Developer” who created a video game he described as “a skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality,” according to the game’s Steam page.
Allen’s current employer, C2 Education, named Allen its “Teacher of the Month” in 2024, according to a post on LinkedIn. The tutoring company said in a statement that they were cooperating “fully” with law enforcement and denounced the “horrifying incident” at the dinner, but omitted in its statement details of Allen’s work history.
A group of high school students who were tutored by Allen shared a statement late Sunday describing Allen as “generally very intelligent” and “normal and friendly.”
Allen is not registered with any political party; his voter registration in Los Angeles County lists him as “no party preference,” according to voter registration records viewed by ABC News.
A Secret Service after-action review examining the security and possible lapses is already underway, according to officials briefed on internal procedures at the agency. The review is being conducted as a matter of standard procedure, which dictates that such a probe must be done whenever there is an “attack on a protectee.”
The review will go step-by-step through security planning and preparation, the deployment and assignment of personnel, as well as what occurred once the suspect rushed the Secret Service checkpoint. The Secret Service declined to comment on the after-action review.
ABC News’ Lauren Minore, Luke Barr, Nicholas Kerr, Ivan Pereira, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, John Santucci, Michelle Stoddart, Lucien Bruggeman, Oren Oppenheim, Katherine Faulders and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
A 2-year-old girl has died after being left in a hot minivan while in the care of a babysitter, police in Florida said.
Officers found the little girl when they responded to a home around 1:35 p.m. Sunday in Hallandale Beach, about 20 miles north of Miami, Hallandale Beach police said.
The heat index – what the temperature it feels like with humidity – soared to 101 degrees on Sunday in Hallandale Beach.
The 2-year-old was taken to a hospital and later declared dead, authorities said.
It’s not clear how long she was in the car. Police said prosecutors are reviewing the case and “no charging decision has been made at this time.”
“This is a heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts are with the child’s family, and everyone affected by this tragedy,” the Hallandale Beach Police Department said in a statement. “We also want to use this moment to remind every parent, guardian, and caregiver in our community: Always check the back seat before locking your vehicle and walking away.”
This is at least the 10th child to die in a hot car in the U.S. this year, 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 from hot car dangers.
A still photo from a video released by the Pentagon that appears to show an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S. (Pentagon)
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Pentagon unveiled another batch of its so-called UFO files on Friday, part of a rolling release of once-classified material ordered released by President Donald Trump.
Friday’s release included more than 50 previously classified videos and other documents related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), the official term used by the federal government to describe UFO’s.
Among the newly released files are a video from an infrared sensor operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in April 2024 showing an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S.
Another video labeled “Syrian UAP instant acceleration” was taken from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2021 and uploaded to a classified network in 2024, according to the Pentagon.
After multiple investigations, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has found no evidence that any of these incidents are of an extraterrestrial nature — but military officials admit many remain “unresolved” and cannot be explained.
So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs — which have long been an object of public fascination — following the directive from Trump.
Another of the newly released records — a video from 2020 taken in an undisclosed area under U.S. Central Command — appears to show a sphere flying over a population center before it eventually flew higher, off into the sky.
Also included in the files is a written account from a senior U.S. intelligence officer last year who described seeing “two large orbs flare up” alongside their helicopter while on a mission. The officer wrote they were “orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions.”
Fighter jets then scrambled to identify the objects — but couldn’t, the officer recounted. He said “the same orbs we had encountered were now ‘chasing’ the fighters … We were virtually speechless after these observations.”
Two weeks ago, the Pentagon released the first batch of files from various federal agencies, some dating as far back as the late 1940s. Those files were posted on a new website that has already received more than a billion views worldwide, according to the Pentagon’s top spokesman.
“In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects,” Trump said at the time in a post on his social media platform. “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!”
