(NEW YORK) -- Air quality alerts are in place on Thursday across at least 18 states, from Minnesota to New Hampshire to Virginia, as dangerous smoke continues to waft into the U.S. from Canadian wildfires, including more than 100 blazes burning out of control.

Smoke from at least 850 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to reach U.S. locations including New York City. At least another nine large fires are burning in northern Minnesota.

On Thursday afternoon, Minneapolis surpassed Detroit for having the worst measured air quality in the world among major cities, according to the air quality monitoring website IQAir.

Earlier Thursday, Detroit, which dropped to second on the list, reached an air quality index, or AQI, of nearly 570. IQAir rates the most dangerous air quality index, described as "hazardous," as 301 or above.

Chicago was third on the IQAir's AQI scale for the worst air quality on the planet while Toronto, Ontario, was sixth on Thursday afternoon. Toronto is more than 1,100 miles from where some 180 wildfires are burning in sparsely populated areas of Ontario province.

Meanwhile, all of New York State, including New York City, and parts of New Jersey are under an Air Quality Advisory on Thursday due to the wildfire smoke.

The extreme smoke will continue through Thursday evening in the Upper Midwest, including northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan, the New York City area and across the Northeast. Heavy smoke will also stretch from Chicago to Detroit and from Philadelphia to Boston. 

New York City could see orange skies on Thursday afternoon as dense plumes of hazardous smoke continues pour into the area.

According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, 859 active wildfires are burning as of late Thursday afternoon, including 37 new fires that ignited Thursday. At least 109 of the wildfires were burning out of control Thursday afternoon, according to the agency.

So far this year, according to the agency, Canada has had 3,549 wildfires that have burned a total of 2.3 million hectares, or more than 93,000 square miles, which is roughly the size of the United Kingdom.

The smoke and ash from the Canadian wildfires was even affecting commercial air traffic. On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was slowing arriving flights into the Philadelphia International Airport due to low visibility from wildfires smoke.

An American Airlines pilot told Philadelphia air traffic controllers on Thursday that ash was sticking the windshield of his aircraft, according to a recording of the communications provided by ATC.com.

"I've never seen it stick to the windshield like this," the pilot was heard telling air traffic controllers.

American Steve Ventling of Montana told ABC News that he witnessed the Canadian wildfires up close this week when a blaze began while he was on a fishing trip in Northern Ontario. Ventling shared photos with ABC News of billowing smoke and flames quickly spreading through a lakeside forest.

"I've seen plenty of fires in my lifetime. Nothing prepared me for this. The flames exploded through the treetops. Entire trees vanished in seconds," said Ventling, adding that he and others he was fishing with evacuated the area in a boat.

On Wednesday, the wildfire smoke cast a yellowish haze over New York City, leaving a strong stench of smoke in the air.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned that "a combination of dangerous heat and unhealthy air" will continue to be a serious threat to the health of New Yorkers on Thursday.

"This is very serious," Mamdani said at a news conference on Thursday morning. "We are reaching into a level of air quality that is dangerous for every single New Yorker."

In a social media post on Wednesday night, Mamdani advised New Yorkers to "stay somewhere cool with air conditioning, limit your time outdoors, drink plenty of water, and check on your neighbors – especially older New Yorkers and anyone with a health condition."

The mayor said the city is providing free masks to help people cope with the smoke.

By Thursday noon, air quality was rated as "unhealthy" in New York City, with air quality in the Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley regions forecast to also become unhealthy before the end of the day, according to the air monitoring site AirNow.

Air quality in the Central and Western New York regions and the Eastern Lake Ontario region of New York state were rated as "very unhealthy," according to AirNow.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said smoke will be thick on Thursday and spread across the rest of the state throughout the day.

“Distant wildfires have impacted New York State in recent years, and this week unfortunately will be no different with expected hazy skies and poor air quality," Hochul said in a statement on Wednesday. "We are now closely tracking these conditions and I strongly encourage New Yorkers to stay informed and take appropriate precautions to stay safe. Sensitive groups should take particular caution."

By Friday morning, the smoke is expected to push farther south, affecting areas through Ohio and Virginia, including Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, throughout the day. 

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(NEW YORK) -- A bird strike likely caused last year's tourist helicopter crash in New York City's Hudson River that killed all six people on board, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The more than 2,000 pages of information released by the NTSB is not the final report and does not state the probable cause, but the documents show the chopper slammed into multiple large birds before the crash.

The birds hit the rotor blades and the horizontal stabilizer, according to an analysis by the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab. Samples of “mixed species” of birds were found, including Canada Geese and black-backed Gull. Canadian Geese can sometimes weigh more than 10 pounds each.

Videos showed the rotors flying off the helicopter as it plummeted to the water. 

The chopper crashed into the Hudson in April 2025 while carrying a pilot and a family from Spain: Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children.

One witness told ABC News she watched the helicopter "fall out of the sky" from her apartment window.

"I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river," she said.

Bird strikes are common; there were 20,876 bird strikes to civilian aircraft in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Wildlife strikes to Civil Aircraft report. 

It is not clear when the NTSB’s final report -- which will list the probable cause of the crash -- will be released.

ABC News has reached out to the helicopter company for comment. New York Helicopter Charter inc. shutdown following the crash.  

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(NEW YORK) -- At least one person has died as a result of the flash flooding emergency currently ongoing in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed on Thursday.

The death was reported overnight between Kerrville and Comfort, Texas, Abbott said. More than 70 people have been rescued so far, he added.

Rescue operations are underway for people stranded in homes and potentially larger facilities, with 1,300 emergency personnel responding, according to the governor.

For the third day in a row, torrential rain prompted flash flood emergency warnings for Texas Hill Country as water levels in creeks and rivers rose rapidly.

Three flash flood emergencies were issued Thursday across Texas Hill Country.

As of early Thursday morning, there were two flash flood emergencies, impacting Kerrville -- the city where the deadly Camp Mystic flooding occurred in July 2025 -- Hunt, Uvalde and Knippa.

Evacuations and water rescues were reported in all four areas, with warnings of life-threatening flash flooding and reports of water entering buildings.

The Guadalupe River at Hunt rose from 9 to 19 feet between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. CT, cutting off access to some roads and bridges. Just before 6 a.m., the Guadalupe River gauge measured 37 feet at Hunt, and more rise is possible, according to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office.

No camps along the river had sustained any damage as of Thursday afternoon, Abbott said. Warning sirens were activated and functioned properly.

The National Weather Service issued another flash flood emergency later Thursday morning along the Pedernales River, located just north of the Guadalupe River.

A large and deadly wave was moving down the Pedernales River -- with the gauge at Fredericksburg rising to more than 31 feet and counting, according to the NWS.

Engineers assessed the bridge over the Guadalupe River on Highway 87 into Comfort, Texas, due to fears that the force of the water may have made it unstable, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarcyz told ABC News. The engineers concluded that the bridge is structurally sound for now, ABC News has learned.

The fast-moving water below the bridge could be seen carrying debris within the current. The water is starting to recede, but authorities anticipate there could be a second wave later Thursday. They do not believe it will be anywhere near the level seen in the morning. 

A "large and deadly flood wave" that began along the Guadalupe River around Kerrville moved downstream through Center Point onto Comfort and Waring, Sisterdale, Crown and Bergheim.

The river gauge at Center Point rose 32 feet in four hours and was expected to reach a crest similar to the catastrophic July 4, 2025, river flood.

A rainfall rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour was forecast for the region. Up to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the Uvalde area over the previous 48 hours -- more than six months' worth of rain for this area -- with 8 inches falling in 2 hours.

On Wednesday afternoon, the NWS issued a flash flood emergency warning for Boerne, located in Texas Hill Country about 55 miles southeast of Camp Mystic, urging residents to relocate to higher elevations immediately.

A rain gauge near Boerne measured 3.5 inches of rain within one hour Wednesday morning, according to the NWS. The Cibolo Creek rose 10 feet in just 90 minutes and measured at a record-high level of more than 22 feet.

A flash flood emergency was also issued Wednesday for D'Hanis, Texas, about 60 miles southwest of Boerne. The Seco Creek was rapidly rising, prompting local officials to advise those in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground without delay.

Intense rainfall began in parts of Texas Hill Country on Tuesday, where some areas received between 6 inches and 16 inches of rainfall in 24 hours.

The NWS had previously issued a high risk for flash flooding -- a level 4 out of 4 -- for the same region on Wednesday due to a forecast of an additional 6 to 12 inches of rain.

A "high risk" is a rare occurrence. It's only issued about 4% of days, but accounts for around one-third of all flood-related fatalities and 80% of all flood-related damages, according to the National Weather Service.

When will the heavy rain, flooding risk end

The flood watch across Texas Hill Country remains in effect through Thursday.

The same area faces a level 4 of 4 risk for flash flooding on Thursday, with the heaviest rain expected between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. Another round of heavy rain could occur Thursday night.

Isolated additional rain totals of more than a foot are possible through Thursday, forecasts show.

There is the potential for life-threatening flash flooding through Thursday night, with an additional 4 to 8 inches of rain possible on top of what has already fallen.

By Friday, the heaviest rain will start moving north of Texas Hill Country. The region will finally see drier conditions from Friday, lasting into next week.

Why Texas Hill Country is prone to flash flooding

Texas Hill Country is often referred to as "Flash Flood Alley," one of the most flood-prone regions in the U.S., because the weather and landscape in the south-central Texas allow for rapid flood events, according to the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI).

The "alley," which stretches from Dallas to San Antonio and encompasses the Colorado and Guadalupe River basins, is highly susceptible to dangerous flood events due to its steep terrain, shallow soil and repeated high rainfall events.

Much of the region is situated on a floodplain between tall hills, funneling any rainfall into rivers and creeks, causing them to rapidly rise. In addition, the clay soil does not easily absorb water and triggers high water runoff once wet, the TWRI said.

Major floods have occurred over nearly all sections of the Guadalupe River Basin, according to U.S. Geological river streamflow records dating back to the 1800s.

High rainfall intensities are a common occurrence because the Gulf provides an infinite source of moist air, as does the Pacific, which produces monsoonal moisture as well as cool air masses from the north that converge to produce extreme rainfall events.

Last year, more than 100 people died, including 25 girls at Camp Mystic, as a result of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River during the Fourth of July weekend.

The torrential rain that turned the river into a raging wall of water was fueled by unique atmospheric conditions, meteorologists and climate scientists told ABC News last year.

Heavy rain combined with slow-moving thunderstorms caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in less than an hour, officials said.

ABC News' Melissa Griffin and Faith Abubey contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A new bill in Washington, D.C., would allow foster youth to help define their own families — and it's crafted by the very young people it seeks to serve.

Former and current foster youth helped create the Support, Opportunity, Unity and Legal Relationships Act, known as the SOUL Act. It's a Washington, D.C., bill that would allow teens -- ages 16 and up -- to legally enlist multiple guardians, blood relatives or other trusted adults for support without having to completely cut legal ties to their birth parents.

Five of the youth involved in the legislation process sat down with ABC News' Alex Presha in an exclusive interview for ABC News Live Prime.

The SOUL Act, which received unanimous support in the D.C. City Council, was signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser and sent to Congress where it has bipartisan support. It's expected to take effect in September.

Kay Kay, 26, was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and placed in the foster care system when she was eight years old. She and the other foster youth advocates did not want to give their last names to ABC News for privacy reasons.

Kay Kay said her mother -- who was raising her and her four sisters alone -- just didn't have the resources to care for them. "My mom did what she could," Kay Kay told ABC News. "We all knew we was in poverty."

She said she shuffled between foster homes and relatives until she turned 16 years old. Kay Kay learned to advocate for herself, figuring out her rights and speaking up as a teenager. She said she demanded that social workers include her in decisions about her own life.

"I was just speaking up for myself, like in an advocacy role," Kay Kay said. "I thought I just always was an advocate for myself, for people, for thing. ... I just always had that spirit in me." That experience is what motivated her to team up with other current and former foster youth to help make a difference for the next generation.

"This would be the first permanency plan embracing that social norms and a family dynamic look different for each and every person," Cierra, 28, a foster youth advocate and former foster child who worked on the bill, said to Washington, D.C., councilmembers during a council hearing she attended to advocate for the bill. Kay Kay, along with over 20 other youths who lived through D.C.'s foster care system, were enlisted by the Children's Law Center and Family & Youth Initiative to craft the legislation.

If successful, our nation's capital would be the second jurisdiction with a law like this on the books. Kansas passed similar legislation in 2024.

Through the SOUL Act, trusted adults who are chosen by youth and have been approved by the city, can aid them in making decisions about education, financial management, accessing health care and can even provide financial assistance and a home for them to live in.

"Your family can be your coach, your family can be your teacher, your family can be that auntie, uncle, cousin," Princess, 27, an advocate and former foster child who worked on the bill, said in an interview with Presha. "Your family can, should be, and will always be your choice, no matter what anybody tells you. And I hope that they carry that within their hearts."

Many D.C. teens choose to stay in the foster care system for resources, like education programs, housing placement and an assigned social worker after they age out, according to the Children's Law Center. And while some have family members who can support them in certain ways, not all can provide a stable place to live. Under the new law, teens would be able to build their "SOUL family" and maintain that stability.

Youths who age out of foster care without support are more likely to experience housing insecurity, incarceration, unemployment, or have children at an early age, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

According to federal data, between 15,000 to 20,000 young people a year exit the foster care system -- nationally -- without adoption, a legal guardian or reunification with their biological family. In D.C., 18% of foster youth age out of the system without that support -- twice the rate of the national average.

The estimated annual cost of a "SOUL family" in Washington, D.C., is about half of the price for a current foster care placement -- $24,000 per year vs. $45,000 per year — according to the Children's Law Center.

"I'm hoping that the youth can have something that I never had...Every child deserves a great childhood," said 19-year-old- Zaniya.

Cierra continued, "I believe that there is a youth who's coming after me who deserves a community...doesn't matter about your behavior, doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter where you came from. You deserve to have a family."

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(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) -- A teenager has been arrested in the 2025 fatal shooting of three people outside of a DMV in Kentucky. Another shooter remains at large, police said. 

The unnamed teen, who was 17 years old at the time of the murders, has been charged with three counts of murder complicity, five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and receiving stolen property, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. 

The teen is now 19 years old, according to police. 

The teen was identified as one of the three shooters after police used a DNA profiles obtained from a stolen vehicle to tie him to the killings, according to the LMPD. 

Investigators believe a second shooter was killed in a separate incident and said they are working to identify the third shooter.

The February 2025 shooting happened outside the Driver's License Regional office in Valley Station, Kentucky, according to LMPD. 

The three shooters allegedly approached a line of people standing in line to go into the DMV and opened fire toward the line, fatally shooting three people, Louisville Metro Police Department Lt. Les Skaggs said at a press conference Thursday. 

Leslye Harbin Jr., 18, died at the scene while his mother, 33-year-old Antwanette Chillers, and another victim, 29-year-old Raysa Valdes, were taken to a hospital where they died, Skaggs said.

The three shooters fled the scene of the shooting in a vehicle, Skaggs said.

LMPD marked vehicles were parked near the scene while officers were at a business next door, according to Skaggs. By the time the officers reached the scene the suspects had fled, Skaggs said. 

Shortly after the shooting, police identified a suspect vehicle, enabling them to track the vehicle’s movements. Investigators were able to recover the vehicle the same day, police said. 

The vehicle was stolen from a dealership, but the dealership had not noticed the vehicle was missing until after the shooting had occurred, according to Skaggs. It had been stolen several days before the shooting, he said. 

Investigators obtained evidence from the vehicle, which was sent to DNA Labs International. DNA Labs International was able to get several DNA profiles from inside the vehicle, Skaggs said. 

In the last 17 months, detectives have written and served around 50 search warrants to obtain evidence that helped them identify the individual arrested Wednesday, Skaggs said. 

The DNA profiles have also helped investigators identify other people who may be involved in the murder, Skaggs said. 

One possible suspect identified by the DNA profile has since been murdered in a separate incident, police said.

Police are still working to identify the third suspect in this incident. 

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(RUSKIN, Fla.) -- Two deputies were airlifted to a Florida hospital Thursday after they were shot while approaching a suspect who was accused of holding a woman hostage overnight, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Chris Dmuchowski, was shot by a third responding deputy and died after being transported to the hospital, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies arrived on the scene on West Shell Point Road in Ruskin, Florida, after a report that the suspect had taken his ex-girlfriend hostage overnight, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a press briefing Thursday.

The suspect allegedly restrained his ex-girlfriend at her residence and threatened to kill her, and then released her after she regained consciousness in the morning, Chronister said.

That morning, she went to a sheriff's office building to request an order of protection, after which authorities sent a drone to the scene upon identifying the suspect and learning of his criminal record, according to the sheriff.

An exchange of gunfire ensued in the parking lot outside of the residence after the suspect exited the building, the sheriff said.

"Our suspect ambushed our deputies from the moment they arrived on scene," Chronister said. "He was intent on taking the life of a deputy sheriff."

The suspect opened fire at two deputies, striking one in the face and another in the neck area, after which a third deputy approached and shot the suspect multiple times, Chronister said.

Dmuchowski was a one-time convicted felon on charges of tampering with physical evidence.

The sheriff's office said there is no threat to public safety at this time.

"Thank you to every single deputy who was on scene and responded to this scene today," Chronister said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's longtime teleprompter operator is believed to have made tens of thousands of dollars by placing bets on more than a dozen of Trump's speeches on the prediction market Kalshi, federal investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission found, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president who has been operating Trump's teleprompter since 2016, is in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations he used his inside knowledge of the president's speeches to win more than $100,000, the sources said.

According to the sources, Kalshi alerted its regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to the suspicious activity on its "Mentions" market, where users can bet on whether specific words, phrases or topics are uttered during a public speech.

"Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators," Kalshi's lead lawyer, Bobby DeNault, said in a statement provided to ABC News.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday afternoon, following ABC News' report, that Perez has been put on unpaid administrative leave. Leavitt said she spoke with President Trump about it, and he thought it was a "disgrace" and made the decision himself to put Perez on unpaid leave.

Leavitt said she was unaware of any other White House staffers who have made such trades.

"The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle when contacted by ABC News.

A spokesperson for the CFTC declined to comment.

In addition to February's State of the Union address, sources said CFTC investigators discovered that Perez placed bets on more than a dozen Trump speeches over a three-month period, including a December primetime address, a January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and Trump's remarks in March during a Medal of Honor ceremony.

Later in March, the White House issued an internal memo warning staff against using nonpublic information to place bets on prediction markets, sources previously confirmed to ABC News.

Perez continues to serve as one of Trump's teleprompter operators -- a role he has served since Trump's first presidential campaign.

Of all Trump's closest aides, sources say Perez typically has the final eyes on nearly all of the president's prepared remarks -- and is often known to take last-minute edits from Trump himself. He previously came under scrutiny by congressional and federal investigators over the edits that were made prior to the delivery of Trump's remarks surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump is known to frequently deviate from his prepared remarks, as he himself often acknowledges.

"You know, when you go up here, you take a big chance, especially me because I go off teleprompter about 80% of the time," Trump said during remarks in January to the Detroit Economic Club, another speech federal investigators believe was among those Perez betted on.

In certain instances, investigators uncovered times when Perez would back out of certain bets mid-speech when Trump skipped over a portion of the speech that included a word he had previously bet would be mentioned, the sources said.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, Perez sat for an interview with regulators in recent months and acknowledged some of the trades. At some point during the investigation, the sources said the CFTC alerted federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who declined to open a criminal investigation.

Regulators at the CFTC have expressed a willingness to settle with Perez, and have discussed terms with him that would require Perez to give back his profits and refrain from making similar trades, according to sources familiar with the ongoing discussions.

Kalshi has a policy against users placing bets based on information obtained as part of their jobs.

Last month, the company updated its policies to require users to disclose their place of employment.

"If you have information by virtue of your job or your employment, something that you have a legal duty surrounding, and you have an obligation not to take that, misappropriate it for yourself," DeNault told ABC News in May.  

The Department of Justice in recent months brought the two first cases of insider trading on prediction markets, involving a special forces soldier who allegedly bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and, separately, a Google employee who allegedly bet on user searches using internal company data. Both pleaded not guilty.

President Trump has occasionally criticized prediction markets, but said in April that he supports them because the United States could be "left out in the cold" if the country does not allow companies like Kalshi and Polymarket to operate.

"Well the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino, and you look at what's going on all over the world in Europe and every place they're doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don't like it conceptually, but it is what it is," Trump told reporters.

Last October, Trump's social media company, Trump Media and Technology Group, announced it was looking into launching its own prediction market offering.

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(NEW YORK) -- A man is in custody after he allegedly snuck into an NBC building at New York City's Rockefeller Center on Thursday morning, authorities said.

The suspect said he was looking for "Today" show weather anchor Al Roker, and he allegedly repeatedly uttered a racial slur, police said.

He also made other statements that lead police to believe he is emotionally disturbed, police said.

The man was detained by an NYPD officer working a paid detail, police said.

Charges are pending, police said.

ABC News has reached out to NBC for comment.

NBC News told Variety in a statement, “An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security."

"The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured," NBC said.

NBC said it takes "the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios."

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(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Minneapolis' air quality ranked the worst in the world among major cities Thursday due to thick smoke from wildfires burning throughout northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada.

Much of the city's air quality entered the "hazardous" category Wednesday night and remained there into Thursday. 

Parts of the city reached an air quality index, or AQI, of 460. A hazardous AQI is categorized as 300 and above. 

The air quality in Detroit also ranked worst in the world alongside Minneapolis. 

All people are advised to remain indoors while the air quality is hazardous. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged residents to "please take this seriously" in a post on X Thursday morning.

"If you can, stay indoors, avoid activity outside, and keep indoor air as clean as possible," Frey said in the post. "The risks are greater for kids, older adults, and anyone with heart or lung conditions."

As of midday Wednesday, there are 15 active wildfires burning across Superior National Forest, including four in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service noted several fires have merged since earlier reports.

In a press briefing Wednesday, officials warned the fires could keep burning until the fall. 

While light rain is in the forecast in northern Minnesota on Thursday, Phil Manuel, incident meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said in the briefing it would not be enough to put out the fires.

"How are we going to end this? Weather's going to have to change," Manuel said. "It takes rain with a name to put out big fires."

The fires in northern Minnesota come amid a slew of wildfires raging throughout Canada, which are sending dangerous smoke down to the Northeast and upper Midwest of the United States. 

More than 183 wildfires were burning in Ontario on Wednesday, its Ministry of Natural Resources reported.

The Minnesota fires spread so rampantly because of hot, dry and windy conditions, as well as increased lightning strikes, officials said during the briefing.

Temperatures in the area recently rose into the 100s, while they typically only get to the upper 70s at this time of year, Manuel said.

First responders conducted door-to-door evacuations to bring residents and visitors to safety, and were continuing evacuations as of Wednesday, according to officials.

Firefighters continue working to extinguish the fires in coordination with Canadian first responders.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Rep. Joaquin Castro, along with more than 110 Democratic members of Congress, has sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin urging the shutdown of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

The facility, which is the only family detention center in the country, was closed during the Biden administration but was reopened last year as part of the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown. 

In the letter, which was first obtained by ABC News, they write, "There is no humane way to imprison a child and their family. It is nothing more than a trailer prison that detains families. In fact, the Dilley facility is the only place in the United States dedicated to detaining families with children who have not been charged with a crime."

"Former and current detained families describe horrific conditions perpetuated by CoreCivic and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that are meant to strip them of their dignity and make them feel hopeless," the letter says, referring to the private prison contractor that operates the Dilley facility.

The letter outlines how parents have described "horrendous conditions at Dilley," including allegations of food "contaminated with worms and mold," drinking water that leaves detainees feeling sick, lights that stay on through the night and inadequate education and medical care that has led to "severe depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation amongst their children," according to the letter.

Medical care "is delayed, denied, and in many cases outright dismissed, even when children are suffering life threatening medical emergencies," the letter says, describing an alleged incident in which a young boy was not taken to the hospital until after several days of "severe stomach pain," after which he was diagnosed with appendicitis and required surgery. 

Immigrant advocates, medical professionals and lawmakers have previously raised concerns about conditions at the South Texas facility. 

ABC News in February interviewed a couple who said their 1-year-old daughter contracted COVID-19 and RSV during their 60-day detention. The family alleged that medical staff at Dilley dismissed their daughter's symptoms.

Rep. Castro raised his own concerns about a 2-month old he encountered while visiting another family at the facility in February.

At the time, the top medical official at the Department of Homeland Security, which operates the nation's migrant detention centers, disputed any suggestion that detainees are being denied proper care.

"These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE," DHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sean Conley told ABC News in a statement. "It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, women's health, mental health services, any needed follow up medical appointments, as well as 24-hour emergency care."

"This is better, more responsive health care than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives," Conley's statement said.

"These representatives remain quiet about the humanitarian crisis that was manufactured by the Biden Administration's open border policies over the last four years and the scores of children exploited, trafficked and missing," a DHS spokesperson said. "Do they plan to mention the psychiatric impact on the tens of thousands of children who were smuggled across the border -- many by human and sex traffickers?"

"We've jumpstarted our efforts to rescue children who were victims of sex and labor trafficking by working with our state and local law enforcement partners to locate these children. President Trump and DHS are laser-focused on protecting children and will continue to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reunite children with their families," the spokesperson said.

"These allegations are not consistent with documented conditions at Dilley," CoreCivic spokesperson Steven Owen said in a statement. "Independent state and local testing confirms the water -- the same municipal water the surrounding community drinks -- is safe. Families receive three meals daily from menus reviewed and approved by a registered dietitian, and care from pediatricians, child psychiatrists and other clinicians who serve them every day with skill and compassion."

"Decisions about who is detained and for how long rest with the federal government, not CoreCivic," Owen said.

The Democrats' letter claims that children are held at the Dilley facility beyond the general 20-day limit established under the Flores Settlement Agreement, a legal settlement from the 1990s that outlines appropriate protections and conditions for detaining minors.

"Families at Dilley report being held well beyond that limit with no clear timeline or explanation," the letter says. "In February and March 2026, the government has stated that children's average time in custody at Dilley was approximately 57 days, and the median time in custody was approximately 44 days, with 92 children being detained for 61-90 days, and 80 children detained for more than 91 days."

A DHS spokesperson, responding to a February ABC News report about the extended custody times, said, "For years, the Flores consent decree has been a tool of the left to promote an open borders agenda. It is long overdue for a single district in California to stop managing the Executive Branch's immigration functions. The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our immigration system."

"No child should be in a place like the Dilley Trailer Prison," Castro said in a statement. "Under Trump, ICE is ripping children away from their families, school, and lives. They should be treated like kids -- not criminals. I am grateful that over 100 of my colleagues in Congress are joining the fight to shut down the Dilley Trailer Prison."

In addition to shuttering Dilley, the letter demands that DHS terminates the contract it has with CoreCivic, alleging that "CoreCivic is prioritizing profits over humane treatment of its detainees."

"No child and family should be imprisoned for seeking safety by legitimately following United States immigration laws," the letter says. "The United States has the tools, the resources, and the legal framework to process these families without detention."

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(HOUSTON) -- A man is facing charges after allegedly critically wounding another person in a shooting at a Kroger grocery store near Houston, authorities said.

Deputies responded to an active shooter report at the Cypress grocery store Wednesday afternoon and quickly apprehended the suspect, 20-year-old Kaden Ausbrooks, as he was leaving the store, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office.

The shooting victim was taken to a hospital and is listed in "stable but critical condition" on Thursday, authorities said.

Ausbrooks is also being treated at a hospital, authorities said. He is being guarded by deputies, authorities said, and when he's released, he'll be booked for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury.

One witness called the shooting "terrifying," telling ABC Houston station KTRK, "I heard some yelling. ... Then round fired, then some more rounds fired, at least two or three, everyone bolted out."

Kroger said in a statement it was "deeply saddened."

"We are cooperating with local law enforcement, who have secured the store and parking lot," Kroger said. "The store will remain closed while the police investigation continues, and we have initiated counseling services for our associates."

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(KATY, Texas) -- The driver in a deadly Tesla crash in Texas pressed the accelerator to 100% before colliding into a house, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

On June 19, the driver, Michael Butler, was behind the wheel of a 2025 Tesla Model 3 electric car when it went off the road and crashed into a home in Katy, killing 76-year-old resident Marta Avila, officials said.

Butler, who said the car was in self-driving mode, was arrested for manslaughter on July 1. He's not entered a plea and is set to be arraigned next month.

The NTSB said on Wednesday that, at the time of the collision, "the driver had engaged Tesla's Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), Full Self Driving (FSD) (Supervised)."

But data shows that before the crash, Butler "manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%," the NTSB noted.

The Tesla was driving over 70 mph when it struck the house, the NTSB said, noting that the speed limit on Avila's residential road is 30 mph.

"All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar crashes," the NTSB said in a statement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating, the NTSB said.

Butler's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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(SAN FRANCISCO) -- The Coast Guard said it has suspended search operations for the three people unaccounted for after a boat capsized and sank in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island.

Jarod Toczko, the commander for U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, told reporters earlier that the decision to suspend the search was not easy, but his teams swept through 950 square nautical miles and hadn't found the missing people or the boat.

"We have completely saturated the search area," he said.

"We always hold out hope," he later added.

Overall, crews spent a total of 54 combined hours searching for the missing people, the Coast Guard said in a statement late Wednesday announcing the search had been suspended.

Authorities said they believe 20 people were aboard the Volare, a 50-foot cabin cruiser based out of Stockton, California, when it was hit by a wave Tuesday evening, causing it to capsize.

One man who was aboard was taken to the shore severely injured and, despite CPR being administered, was pronounced dead, officials said. He was identified on Wednesday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa.

A dog was also killed in the incident, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen told reporters Wednesday.

Three people were taken to the hospital and later released, according to Crispen.

Crispen told reporters that authorities believe that there was a memorial service that the 20 passengers, all adults and mostly comprised of family members, were taking part in on the vessel when it capsized.

Toczko told reporters that there was a "high possibility that individuals could have been trapped in the vessel."

One survivor said it was a memorial for her sister, ABC San Francisco station KGO reported.

Rescuer Justin Marceline told KGO that some passengers were "banging on the windows, trying to get out" of the boat.

"It was pretty wild, seeing that, honestly," Marceline said, adding that conditions in the water were "really bad."

"The people that were bobbing in the water, we pulled them out first," Marceline said. "The people in the water were elderly folks, they were conscious, but people were too tired and worn out."

Toczko praised the work of the Good Samaritans who jumped to save the passengers.

"No question, no doubt...those people saved lives," he said.

The San Francisco Fire Department said it initially received a call for a fire on the boat at 3:30 p.m. local time. However, authorities said they haven't yet seen evidence that there was a fire on board.

Earlier, authorities said they believed there were 19 people aboard and that they were looking for two missing passengers.

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(ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn.) -- A northern Minnesota county declared a state of emergency and an air quality alert was issued on Tuesday due to wildfires raging across northern Minnesota and Canada.

St. Louis County in northeast Minnesota issued a State of Local Emergency and a State of Local Disaster due to wildfire damage and the utilization of public resources needed.

The U.S. Forest Service reported at least 17 wildfires burning across Superior National Forest, including three in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, on Tuesday.

"I've seen a lot of fire in my 25 years on this forest," Nick Petrack, fire staff officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, said at a Wednesday press conference. "This is probably the most and the largest number of fires that I have seen in July."

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert across much of the state due to wildfire smoke from 9 a.m. on Tuesday through 11 a.m. Friday.

Air quality reached the hazardous category in parts of the state Wednesday afternoon. The agency advised anyone in the hazardous region to avoid all outdoor activity and remain indoors.

Firefighters and first responders are continuing to evacuate visitors and nearby residents as the fires burned across the region.

Petrack said it is "no easy feat" evacuating visitors from the region, as first responders access parts of the boundary waters via canoe.

Phil Manuel, incident meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said in the press conference that hot, dry and windy conditions, along with a high number of lightning strikes, have allowed the fire to spread.

"Normal high temperatures here are in the upper 70s," Manuel said. "Where have we been the last three days? Over 100 degrees in some cases. I saw some temperatures of 104."

Though rain is in the forecast in the coming days, Manuel said the scale of the fires and the low probability that rain would stop the fires entirely.

"Odds are, these fires will be here until it snows," Manuel said.

While fires are natural in these forests, as they are fire-dependent ecosystems, blazes at this scale are not normal, officials said.

The fires have burned through at least 33,000 acres as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Officials said they are awaiting the arrival of federal first responders who plan to assist in firefighting efforts.

In a social media post Wednesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said two groups of YMCA campers stranded by the wildfires near the Minnesota-Canada border were rescued.

The smoke has also spread into Michigan. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy issued an air quality alert for Wednesday and Thursday across the state.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Michiganders to limit time spent outdoors, especially seniors, children and anyone with respiratory conditions.

Tom Hall, agency administrator for Superior National Forest, said in the press conference that first responders conducted 17 air rescues on Monday and none have been conducted since.

St. Louis County said it set up temporary evacuation points at a municipal center to serve people from St. Louis and Lake Counties impacted by the fires. It said public health staff is at the evacuation points to connect people with necessary resources.

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(NEW HAVEN, Conn.) -- Yale University said it's negotiating with the Department of Justice over a potential resolution of the Trump administration's findings of alleged racial discrimination in its medical school’s admissions processes, according to a statement by the university's president.

President Maurie McInnis also confirmed for the first time that the DOJ's inquiry extends beyond Yale's medical school, with two pending investigations into admissions processes at Yale College and Yale Law School.

The statement issued on Monday describes recent university-wide changes to admissions processes to meet federal guidelines, stating that "academic strength" is its main consideration when evaluating Yale College applicants.

"We now state explicitly that academic strength has long been the predominant criterion in our holistic evaluation of applicants," McInnis said.

ABC News has reached out to Yale University and the Department of Justice for a comment.

In May, following a yearlong investigation, the DOJ released a letter of findings alleging that the Yale School of Medicine discriminated based on race in its admissions practices. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- which prohibits discrimination in any program receiving federal funding -- requires that the government seek a voluntary resolution with the institution following an investigation.

McInnis characterized Yale's decision to engage in this process as "standard" and "required" by law, saying in her statement: "These investigations concern university compliance with federal law...As a university committed to the rule of law, we take that obligation seriously."

Three legal experts on higher education told ABC News that although, historically, it has been customary for universities to undergo the resolution process, they say it is not required. 

"Going back several administrations, there was always the opportunity to say, 'No, thank you. I don't want to go through voluntary resolution,'" explained Dr. Peter Lake, law professor and director of Stetson University's Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy. "...Most institutions wouldn't pick that option for various reasons because the consequences could be very severe."

However, norms surrounding the voluntary resolution process have been called into question since the start of President Donald Trump's second term, according to legal experts.

“In this instance, and I think that this is why a lot of individuals at Yale and others are raising alarm over a quick settlement is that, we are in uncharted waters with how this administration has used legal mechanisms to try to get higher education to do what it wants,” said Dr. Neal Hutchens, a professor at the University of Kentucky specializing in legal and policy issues in higher education.

“This is pushing an investigation based on a DOJ memorandum that may not have conclusions or interpretations of law that are necessarily sound or that would be backed by courts,” Hutchens continued. “I think there are real questions there, and so, I think there are some real legal questions about why you would necessarily fold too quickly on this.”

Dr. Jonathan Feingold, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, told ABC News that he believes Yale does not "even come close" to violating federal law and criticized the university for engaging with the Trump administration in "good faith."

“From my perspective, as someone who cares about higher education but has no personal relationship with Yale, even the posture of treating the Trump administration's investigation as legitimate in entering this sort of process is a betrayal to the entire Yale community,” he said.

Feingold also sees the pursuit of settlements -- in lieu of litigation in court -- as a common tactic by the Trump administration to place what he sees as undue pressure on universities.

He explained, "I think the institution would benefit, and the community would benefit, actually, from the litigation because you get to put all facts on the table and you don't get to allow the Trump administration to sort of manufacture the story that it wants to."

When reports of potential resolution talks first circulated last week, a wide coalition of critics emerged -- including the national American Association of University Professors, the Yale undergraduate student government, and Connecticut senator and Yale Law School alum Richard Blumenthal. In various petitions and statements, they have called for the university to resist a settlement and to defend its admissions practices through legal channels.

While Yale's talks follow a string of settlements between American universities and the Trump administration, other universities have resisted talks with the Trump administration -- most notably Harvard University, which is currently fighting DOJ lawsuits over its admissions records and handling of campus protests.

“For instance, Harvard engaged with the new government, but certainly didn't just accept the demands, and they challenged it in court,” Hutchens told ABC News. “And so, I think Harvard charts a path of just not acquiescence or just not folding, that Yale will have a decision potentially to make.”

In early June, the DOJ announced investigations into the admissions practices of fifteen additional medical schools. These investigations have not yet concluded.

Following McInnis' statement Monday evening, the Yale chapter of the AAUP -- which represents 300 Yale faculty -- renewed their call for transparency.

A spokesperson for the Yale AAUP chapter confirmed to ABC News Tuesday that they are currently reviewing legal options, including litigation to “assert our rights as faculty in this matter.” 

“[This case] has implications for Yale, but there are [also] a lot of institutions around the country that are wanting to understand what they can do in terms of race-neutral alternatives to still try to assemble classes,” said Lake. 

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(SAN FRANCISCO) -- One person is dead and three others are missing after a boat with more than a dozen passengers aboard capsized and sank in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday, according to local authorities. 

Authorities said they believe 20 people were aboard the Volare, a 50-foot cabin cruiser based out of Stockton, California, when it was hit by a wave, causing it to capsize.

The man who died was taken to the shore severely injured and, despite CPR being administered, was pronounced dead, officials said. He was identified on Wednesday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa.

Three people were taken to the hospital and reported to be in stable condition. They were expected to be released later Tuesday.

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen told reporters that authorities believe that there was a memorial service that the 20 passengers, all adults and mostly comprised of family members, were engaging in on the vessel when it capsized. One survivor said it was a memorial for her sister, ABC San Francisco station KGO reported.

Rescuer Justin Marceline told KGO that some passengers were "banging on the windows, trying to get out" of the boat.

"It was pretty wild, seeing that, honestly," Marceline said, adding that conditions in the water were "really bad."

"The people that were bobbing in the water, we pulled them out first," Marceline said. "The people in the water were elderly folks, they were conscious, but people were too tired and worn out."

The San Francisco Fire Department said it initially received a call for a fire on the boat at 3:30 p.m. local time. However, authorities said they haven't yet seen evidence that there was a fire on board.

Earlier, authorities said they believed there were 19 people aboard and that they were looking for two missing passengers.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a motion Wednesday asking for a stay and a preliminary injunction barring the U.S. government from "sharing the confidential information of Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian Government" while the issue is adjudicated in court.

The filing came a week after the organization sued the Trump administration over those allegations.

According to that complaint, many Iranian asylum seekers are pro-democracy protesters, members of religious minorities, or members of the LGBTQ community who have sought refuge in the U.S. -- and that disclosing their confidential information to the Iranian government puts them "at risk of persecution, torture, and death" should they be deported back to Iran.

Wednesday's motion also asks the government "to take the necessary steps to prevent the removal of any detained individuals whose confidential information has already been shared with the Iranian Government," according to the filing.

In the filing, the IALDF alleges that the sharing of information was started in March of 2025, and that since late September 2025, at least three deportation flights have taken place, returning more than 100 Iranian nationals to Iran.

The filing includes 11 declarations by Iranian detainees in the U.S., more than half of which describe interactions, while in detention, with Iranian officials who knew details about their asylum claims.

"It's shocking to think that at the same time the United States is engaged in hostilities with Iran, that the United States is handing over immigration files from ICE to the Iranian Interest Section in Washington, DC," said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney for Public Citizen who filed the case on behalf of IALDF. "These files are full of extremely confidential and sensitive information."

"It basically spells out all the reasons somebody in the United States fears being returned to Iran and that could be because they participated in pro-democracy demonstrations; it could be because they have converted to a minority religion like Christianity; it could be that they're part of the LGBTQ community," Kirkpatrick said. "That kind of information is exactly the kind of information that they -- that would result in their persecution if they went back to Iran."

"They are terrified," said Ali Rahnama, the interim executive director of IALDF, saying they're scared not only for themselves but for family and friends back in Iran. "I want everyone to know these are not statistics; these are human beings who trusted the U.S. government and our laws," he said.

The documents in the filing also relate details about an alleged phone call and meeting between IALDF board member Cyril Mehri and a senior Iranian official with the Iranian Interest Section in the United States. "According to the Senior Official, ICE has provided the Iranian Government with immigration documents related to each detainee, including asylum applications and related case files," the filing said.

The IALDF argues that the government's actions in sharing information without the consent of the detained individuals are unlawful.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied sharing information with the Iranian government, writing in a social media post, "These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE. ICE meets and works to get travel documents for detainees with every country. ICE is committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives."

"Consistent with established protocols, ICE provides illegal aliens the opportunity to contact their consular post and facilitates consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy," the DHS post said. "We will continue to use all lawful options to deport illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities."

A State Department spokesperson, following the filing of the lawsuit last week, said that the department, as a general matter, does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation, or on private diplomatic discussions.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Kathy Ruemmler, who once served as White House counsel for President Barack Obama and later worked as the top lawyer for investment bank Goldman Sachs, on Wednesday told House investigators that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a "masterful liar," according to a copy of her prepared remarks reviewed by ABC News.

Ruemmler is appearing Wednesday in a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee in its ongoing probe of the government's handling of the investigations into Epstein.

Ruemmler never represented Epstein as an attorney, though documents in the Epstein files suggested she frequently provided legal and public relations advice to him. When Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, one of the first phone calls he made was to Ruemmler.

"If I knew then what I know now about who Epstein really was, I never would have accepted an initial meeting with him. It was a mistake to deal with him, and I regret it," Ruemmler told the committee, according to her prepared remarks.

Ruemmler said she never saw any "evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Epstein" and would have reported him had she seen evidence of abuse. When he was indicted in 2019, Ruemmler said she was "shocked" by the allegations and cut ties with Epstein.

"I was shocked by the indictment, which alleged that Epstein had intentionally enticed and recruited minor girls to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for cash. Those horrific allegations -- which covered conduct that had occurred almost 10 years before I met Epstein -- contradicted what I had understood about the nature and scope of that prior conduct," she said.

While she said she was aware of Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to prostitution-related charges, Ruemmler said she trusted the plea deal was "a proportionate and final resolution of his criminal conduct. She added that the high-profile individuals who she thought were associated with Epstein suggested he was no longer engaging in criminal conduct, adding that he appeared to have "remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct."

"Epstein was a masterful liar, and he clearly lied to me. I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing, and I know now that he often exaggerated his relationship with me to others," she said, according to her prepared remarks. "I understand how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for anyone victimized by Epstein to see him going about his life without facing the type of accountability and consequences that he deserved. I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him."

Ranking Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, speaking to reporters during a break in the proceedings, expressed doubt about the truthfulness of some of Ruemmler's answers to the panel's questions.

"I think it is difficult to see how she's being completely truthful in there with the answers that she's giving the committee," Garcia said, adding that he felt she was "unwilling to take any responsibility for her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein."

"Let's remember that she continued to have a relationship. She was one of the last people he spoke to before he passed, and during that period of his life, she knew about the conviction, and yet she continued to have -- to interact, to be friendly, to make jokes about massages that entire time," Garcia said. "For her to continue to engage in these kind of playful activities with Jeffrey Epstein, and then for her to deny when we can all read the emails in the files about her making jokes about massaging ... it just, I don't buy that, and I don't think we buy that."

Ruemmler faced renewed scrutiny over the relationship after the Department of Justice's release of Epstein files earlier this year showed a trove of emails from 2014 to 2019 between her and Epstein.

In the emails to Epstein -- who she occasionally referred to as "Uncle Jeffrey" and compared to an "older brother" -- Ruemmler thanked him for lavish gifts, got advice about her career, and lambasted lawyers representing Epstein's victims.

"Victim's rights, my ass," Ruemmler wrote in a February 2015 email about a case related to the Crime Victims' Rights Act.

Amid the renewed scrutiny, Ruemmler announced plans earlier this year to step down as Goldman Sachs' chief legal officer and general counsel, and a spokesperson for the bank at the time said she "regrets ever knowing" Epstein.

In March, the House Oversight Committee sent letters to a group of individuals associated with Epstein -- including Ruemmler, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, billionaire Leon Black, and others -- to request they participate in transcribed interviews as part of their Epstein probe.

"Ms. Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee," Jennifer Connelly, a spokeswoman for Ruemmler, said in a statement following the request. "At the time she interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, she was a practicing criminal defense attorney and shared a client with him. She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part."

Despite her initial plan to depart from Goldman Sachs by June, Ruemmler continues to advise the bank on its search for a new general counsel. During an interview Monday on CNBC, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said he is "really pleased" and "very grateful that she continues to help the firm."

"Kathy stepped away because of the noise," he said. "Kathy has agreed to act as an adviser and help us navigate through until a new general counsel is seated. We're running a search. We're deep into that search. We will seat a chief legal officer at some point, you know, in the near term. And once that person is seated, Kathy will move on and do other things." 

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(NEW YORK) — A Florida woman is on the run as she faces a murder charge in the death of a man found in a shallow grave last month, according to police. 

Isabelle Johnson, 38, has been charged with killing 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office. 

Coulthart was reported missing on May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums complex in Florida, according to the sheriff's office. 

Unidentified remains were found on a Freeport, Florida, property on June 25 after investigators were able to identify where Coulthart's body had been buried, according to the sheriff's office.

On July 9, the sheriff's office and the Niceville Police Department received DNA confirmation identifying the remains as Coulthart, according to the sheriff's office. 

Investigators have been searching for Johnson, who is wanted on an open count of murder and is believed to be "actively evading law enforcement," according to the sheriff's office. 

The sheriff's office released a last known video of Johnson obtained from a business in Destin days after Coulthart's remains were found.

Five others have been charged and arrested in connection with the murder, including two people who allegedly helped Johnson evade law enforcement after the alleged murder, the sheriff's office said. 

"Anyone found to have helped or is still assisting Isabelle Johnson avoid arrest will be charged accordingly," Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement Saturday.

"If you give her a place to stay, help her hide, or lie for her, you will face consequences. This is a homicide case. We will not allow anyone to get in the way of this investigation," he said.

Johnson is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. 

Johnson may be using multiple identities and is known to use several aliases, including Harley, Jessica Elaine Bowman, Jessica Elaine Thrush, Jessica Dowdy and others, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office said Johnson is considered dangerous and instructed the public not to approach her if she is spotted. 

Anyone with information on Johnson's whereabouts is asked to contact the Walton County Sheriff's Office at (850) 892‑8111. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850‑863‑TIPS (8477). A cash reward may be available for information leading to her location and arrest. 

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump has overturned the temporary pause on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement traffic stops, according to a source familiar with the discussion, allowing the traffic stops to resume.

This comes after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin gave the directive to halt the traffic stops, a law enforcement source told ABC News on Tuesday.

In an email sent to ICE deportation officers, a senior ICE official wrote that the vehicle stops were paused "immediately," according to the email reviewed by ABC News.

"All personnel are instructed to prioritize other existing operational methods, outside of vehicle stops, to conduct immigration enforcement activities," the official wrote.

Multiple sources said the pause was temporary and that ICE officers would receive new training on vehicle stops.

Additionally, one source said that ICE officers can conduct some vehicle stops during the pause but only in the presence of a local law enforcement officer trained to make vehicle stops that partners with ICE under the agency's 287(g) program.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that the agency won't "disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics," but added that it's "always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets."

In an interview on Fox News, border czar Tom Homan confirmed the temporary pause and said DHS will review the past few incidents. 

“It is not a policy change, it is a temporary pause," Homan said. "Look – last couple of shootings, ICE leadership along with DHS wants to look at these last couple incidents and look, is there something that could have been done better? Is there any training that could be improved? Or simply is ICE doing their job and bad things happen when people don't comply with law enforcement officers? I think it going to be a short pause and I am confident that ICE is well trained in vehicle stops and you're going to see us keep moving forward."

On Monday, 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine, after agents tried to stop the car he was driving, according to Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.

Guerrero, a Colombian national, was not the target of the operation and ICE agents had been given a final order for another man they were targeting to be removed from the U.S., King told ABC News.

An ICE spokesperson said that the agency was “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal," and when an “illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle,” ICE agents “attempted to conduct a vehicle stop.”

“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon,” ICE said.

The Maine Attorney General's Office said "the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot."

Witness Daniel Boucher told ABC News that he watched agents pull the shooting victim from his car and put him on the ground.

"I heard the young man say, 'I tried to stop.' I clearly heard him say that," said Boucher, adding that he overheard one of the ICE agents allegedly say the driver tried to run him over.

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