Tropical Storm Jerry forms in central Atlantic: Where it’s heading next
Tropical Storm Jerry – Satellite Map ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A new tropical storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, but it will likely follow the pattern of other storms that have stayed mostly out to sea, forecasts show.
Tropical Storm Jerry formed in the central Atlantic late Tuesday morning and is expected to gradually strengthen as it moves west-northeast over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The system, currently located about 1,300 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands, has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving quickly to the west at 24 mph.
The NHC has warned that Tropical Storm Watches may be required in the northern Leeward Islands by late Tuesday, but the system is not predicted to impact the continental U.S.
The overall weather pattern in place favors storms curving north up across the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and away from the U.S.
Jerry, the 10th named storm of the season, is forecast to make that turn to the north on Friday.
Several other storms this season, including Hurricanes Erin, Gabrielle and Humberto, stayed in the Atlantic Ocean without making landfall.
By the end of the upcoming weekend, Jerry could track close enough to Bermuda to bring some impacts. But it is too early to make any specific predictions for possible impacts.
It will all depend on the exact track and how the storm evolves over the next few days.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
Derrick Perry speaks with ABC News on Good Morning America./ABC News
(TRAVESE CITY, Mich.) — A former Marine who helped confront the suspect in a stabbing rampage at a Walmart in Michigan is speaking out in an exclusive broadcast interview after the terrifying incident that authorities said was an act of terrorism.
Nearly a dozen people were randomly injured in the attack on Saturday before a group of citizens — including Derrick Perry, who was armed with a gun — helped prevent the suspect from leaving or harming others, authorities said.
“I didn’t think of anything other than trying to get him away from people and get him isolated and get him to put the knife down and just to kind of focus on me instead of everyone that was yelling and screaming in the background,” Perry, a married father of three, told “Good Morning America” on Monday.
The suspect allegedly entered the Walmart store in Traverse City, about 150 miles north of Grand Rapids, Saturday afternoon and began attacking people with a folding knife, authorities said.
“It appears that these were all random acts,” Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon, adding that the attacks began near the checkout area.
The victims range in age from 29 to 84 and include a Walmart employee, Shea said.
A group of citizens, including a firearm-wielding Perry, confronted the suspect in the parking lot in a dramatic scene that was captured on video by a bystander. A deputy then took the suspect — 42-year-old Bradford James Gille — into custody, authorities said.
“I commend them,” Shea said of the citizens who helped. “It’s not very often that we have citizens that are willing to step up and take action.”
Gille was formally charged Monday with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. He did not enter a plea during his arraignment, and a judge overseeing the hearing said an attorney will be appointed to represent him.
Magistrate Tammi Rodgers set Gille’s bail at $100,000 cash and ordered him to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Aug. 6 and a preliminary hearing on Aug. 12.
The magistrate granted the prosecutor’s request for high bail for Gille, alleging that he had committed “one of the most serious crimes that one could commit in the state of Michigan.”
Prosecutors said each charge against Gille carries a possible life sentence if he is convicted.
(NEW YORK) — High school students, especially 12th graders, are reading and learning math and science at historic lows, according to a new report from the National Assessment of Education Progress.
The new report, known as the Nation’s Report Card, was released Monday by the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, and the Department of Education. It is the first nation’s report card to be released since the coronavirus pandemic.
The report shows almost half of high school seniors are now testing below basic levels in math and reading, and approximately 35% are at or above a proficient reading level, while 32% of them had a below “basic” reading proficiency.
By comparison, 37% of high school seniors were reading at or above proficiency in the 2019 report card, and 40% were at or above reading proficiency in 1992.
In math, the report shows only about 22% of 12th graders performing at or above proficiency standards.
The report card also looked at eighth graders and their science ability and found 31% of them were performing at proficient or above proficient standards.
Another key issue the report highlighted was absenteeism, with the number of absent students in schools rising among all age groups since the pandemic.
According to the report card, in 2024, approximately 31% of 12th graders specifically reported missing at least three or more days of school in the previous month, an increase from 2019, when the rate was 26%.
Educators and policymakers say it is critical for parents to stay engaged and regularly check in with students and their teachers about assignments and any absences.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the report’s findings “devastating” in a statement Tuesday.
“Today’s NAEP results confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows across all of K-12,” McMahon said, adding, “Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before.”
The Department of Education has notably been cutting staff and services under McMahon’s leadership, including the researchers who produced the new nation’s report card. President Donald Trump has also tasked McMahon with dismantling her department altogether and handing control over education agendas to the states.
“Success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested,” she said Tuesday.
Marty West, a professor of education at Harvard University, told ABC News the results are concerning because only a portion of American students are getting the education they deserve.
“What troubles me most about the patterns that we’re seeing is that the declines are largest for our lowest-performing students — those in the bottom quarter of the distribution. Meanwhile, high-scoring students – those at the 90th percentile are doing just about as well as ever,” West said. “So, this really highlights the extent with which American schools right now are really only preparing some students for success at the post-secondary level.”
The moon rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as the Tribute in Light is tested ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City on September 8, 2025. Gary Hershorn/ABC News
(NEW YORK) — The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack on the World Trade Center is still killing New York City firefighters 24 years later.
On Tuesday, the New York City Fire Department will remember 39 members who died in the past year of illnesses related to their work during the rescue and recovery efforts at what was then known as The Pile.
Their names will be added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall during a Tuesday afternoon ceremony at the department’s Brooklyn headquarters. The inscription on the wall says, “Dedicated to the memory of those who bravely served this department protecting life and property in the City of New York in the rescue and recovery effort at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 World Trade Center.”
The FDNY has lost more than 400 members to World Trade Center illnesses, surpassing the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11 itself.
Overall, 2,753 people were killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Thursday will mark 24 years since the terror attacks. The annual commemoration ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan will begin at 8:40 a.m. Thursday.
