Tropical storm warnings extended up to North Carolina as Chantal approaches
ABC News
(SURF CITY, NC) — Tropical storm warnings have been extended up to Surf City, North Carolina, as Tropical Storm Chantal is offshore from the southeastern U.S. on Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm has maximum sustained wind of up to 45 mph and is moving north at just 3 mph.
The center of the storm is located about 105 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms from Chantal’s outer bands are impacting portions of the South and North Carolina coastline Saturday afternoon along with increasing rough surf and dangerous rip currents.
Chantal is forecasted to continue tracking north towards South Carolina later Saturday, where it is forecast to make landfall on South Carolina on Sunday morning as a weak tropical storm.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin Saturday evening for portions of the Carolina coastline from South Santee River to Surf City, where the Tropical Storm Warning is in effect.
Tropical storm conditions are possible beginning later today south of the South Santee River to Edisto Beach in South Carolina where the Tropical Storm Watch is in effect.
Heavy rainfall across the coastal Carolinas will cause some flash flooding through Monday, with storm total rainfall of 2 to 4 inches and local amounts up to 6 inches expected for the Carolinas.
Chantal will bring minor storm surge for parts of the Carolina coastline, with between 1 to 3 feet of storm surge possible for coastal areas under the Tropical Storm Warning.
The system is also expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along parts of the East Coast from northeastern Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states over the next couple of days.
The third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season forms on average around Aug. 3, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Michele Jokinen, Minnesota House Public Information Services
(CHAMMPLIN, Minn.) — Two days after a man in a mask knocked on their door, identified himself as a police officer and opened fire on them, Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are recovering and “both incredibly lucky to be alive,” their family said.
“We continue our healing journey and are humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received from across the state and our nation,” the family said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
Early Saturday morning, the gunman knocked on the Hoffmans’ door in Champlin, Minnesota, identified himself as a police officer and then went in the house and shot the couple, according to court documents.
At 2:05 a.m., the Hoffmans’ child called 911 to report their parents had been shot, according to court documents.
John Hoffman was shot nine times and Yvette was shot eight times, Yvette said, according to a message released by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Vance Boelter, who was arrested early Monday, is accused of shooting and wounding the Hoffmans and then shooting and killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.
After the Hoffmans were shot, officers proactively went to Hortman’s house in the nearby town of Brooklyn Park.
“When officers arrived at approximately 3:35 a.m., they saw the Ford SUV with police-style lights and immediately saw Defendant, still dressed as a police officer, shoot an adult man … through the open door of the home,” according to court records.
“We are devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark, and our hearts go out to all those who knew and loved them both,” the Hoffmans said in their statement.
“There is never a place for senseless political violence and loss of life,” they said.
The Hoffmans also said they had “deep and profound” gratitude for the work of law enforcement officials who tracked down the suspect.
Boelter has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, with the second set of charges related to the shooting at the Hoffmans’ house. He’s due in court on Monday.
ABC News’ Darren Rynolds and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The newly sworn-in head of the Social Security Administration told agency staff this week that when he was first offered the job in the Trump administration, he wasn’t familiar with the position and had to look it up online.
Frank Bisignano, a former Wall Street executive, said during a town hall with Social Security managers from around the country on Wednesday that he wasn’t seeking a position in the Trump administration when he received a call about leading the SSA.
“So, I get a phone call and it’s about Social Security. And I’m really, I’m really not, I swear I’m not looking for a job,” Bisignano said, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by ABC News. “And I’m like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So, I’m Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I’m one of the great Googlers on the East Coast.”
“I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?'” said Bisignano, who now oversees one of the largest federal agencies that’s responsible for distributing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans.
“Put that as the headline for the Post: ‘Great Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler’ or whatever,” said Bisignano, who throughout the meeting repeatedly bemoaned media leaks from within the agency.
While Bisignano, who previously served as chairman and CEO of financial technology company Fiserv Inc., brings experience managing large organizations and overseeing complex payment systems to his new role, he has no prior history working in government or with the Social Security system.
A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
In Wednesday’s 90-minute call, Bisignano sought to calm concerns about the future of the agency amid recent leadership turnover and scrutiny from Elon Musk’s government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.
He told the managers in the meeting that Social Security was “not going away,” adding that President Trump also agrees with that.
“This is America’s, you know, safety net — it’s not going away. And hopefully you hear me say this every day,” he said. “You know who wants me to tell people that? Guess. The president.”
“I’ve gotten notes about, ‘Will the turmoil of the last five months end? Are you here to cause more turmoil?'” he said. “I don’t think it’s the turmoil of the past five months, although I will be the fifth since, you know, November, right?” Bisignano said, referring to being the fifth person put in charge of the critical agency since Trump was reelected in November.
“Are we having fun yet? Are we OK?” he asked those on the call.
Bisignano told the managers that they needed to believe that DOGE was “helping to make things better” even if “it may not feel that way.”
“Who’s heard of DOGE? Raise your hand, right? Your bias has to be, because mine is, DOGE is helping make things better. It may not feel that way, but don’t believe everything you read.”
He said DOGE would be involved in rebuilding the Social Security website and integrating artificial intelligence into the agency’s phone support systems.
The head of the agency also told managers that the SSA must adopt a “digital-first” mindset to meet the expectations of the American public, comparing the agency to how consumers interact with tech giants like Amazon.
“You’re competing with experiences that people have with Amazon, right? So if I could get something done at Amazon, why can’t I get something done the same way with Social Security? That’s how people think.”
Bisignano’s officially joins the agency following months of upheaval at the SSA, which has seen a revolving door of leadership amid DOGE’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the agency by modernizing its operations and cutting costs. Among the changes DOGE is pushing are staff reassignments, digital infrastructure overhauls, and the controversial outsourcing of certain administrative functions, according to sources.
Bisignano also said he does not intend to implement reductions in force, or RIFs, at the agency, at least for now. “I have no intent to RIF people, OK? Because that’s the big question,” he said.
When the Wall Street veteran was named Trump’s pick to lead the agency, he faced backlash from Democrats and activists who claimed his selection threatened the future of the Social Security program. In early May, lawmakers, union leaders, and activists protested his selection outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Senate vote on his nomination.
On Wednesday’s call, Bisignano appeared to revel in the news.
“Did you guys know there was a protest against me? Who knows there was a protest against me?” he said. “I like that protest — I want to prove them so wrong, man, this is going to be most fun I ever had.”
“I mean, think of that — a poor boy from Brooklyn, from a multi-generational household with a dad who worked in the federal government, and senators picketing that I’m going to ruin it,” he said. “No way — make it great, right?”
Bisignano, during the call, returned several times to his concerns about leaks to the press, suggesting that he would sniff them out.
“My father was a DA and I’m a detective at heart, so I can figure stuff out,” he said.
(MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz.) — Officials are investigating a possible homicide after two teenagers were found dead in an isolated area of Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday morning, deputies responded to a call for service in the area of Mount Ord, a remote hiking and camping area between the cities of Mesa and Payson.
Once on the scene, officials located “two deceased individuals,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Officials said they are thoroughly looking at the circumstances surrounding this incident as part of a homicide investigation.
“At this time, our focus is conducting a comprehensive and meticulous investigation to ensure justice for the victims and their loved ones. We are coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners and ask for patience and respect for the investigative process as we work through the facts,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The victims were identified as 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and an unnamed 17-year-old, the sheriff’s office said. At a memorial for the two teenagers, friends and family identified the 17-year-old as Evan Clark, according to ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV.
In a statement, a representative for Kjolsrud told KNXV the family is “heartbroken to confirm the tragic loss of our beloved Pandora, whose life was taken from us far too soon.”
Kjolsrud’s mother said her daughter was a “bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had an unusual ability to make every person she met feel special and loved.”
“She was a friend to many and a beloved daughter. She lived life in a big way and was always up for an adventure,” her mother told KNXV on Thursday.
The two teens were students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, according to a letter the principal wrote to parents on Thursday. The school said it is providing a team of psychologists and counselors on campus to offer support and resources for students.
Authorities said anyone with any additional information regarding this incident should contact the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at 602-876-TIPS.
