Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on Sept. 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
After a former student alleged she was gang raped at a fraternity house on campus in 2024, Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff announced on Tuesday that all parties and social events at fraternity houses are suspended for the rest of year while the university considers whether fraternity life can continue at the Ivy League school.
The announcement comes as the faculty prepares to consider a vote of no confidence for the university administration.
In a statement announcing "measures to strengthen campus safety" Kotlikoff said that any fraternity that hosts an in-house party will receive an emergency suspension.
"These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue," Kotlikoff said.
A then-undergraduate student identified only as Jane Doe made a complaint to campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident occurred, that she had been raped by a group of men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. She has filed a civil suit against the men and the university alleging that she had been drugged and raped.
"I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community," Kotlikoff said Tuesday. "It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe. We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action."
No criminal charges have been filed in the case, but an investigation by the New York attorney general is ongoing. All seven fraternity brothers named in the civil lawsuit have denied wrongdoing.
Kotlikoff also announced that Cornell is adding to the number of staff members assigned to help individuals who report sexual misconduct, and is engaging the New York State Police to investigate sex assault allegations.
The university's faculty is expected to begin deliberating a resolution of no confidence Wednesday. A vote is expected later this month.
Unmasked federal agents outside immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, June 24, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Department of Homeland Security official said Tuesday that unaccompanied migrant children are being offered $3,000 to self-deport.
The official told ABC News that minors who are in government custody, are 14 years or older, and have no gang affiliation are eligible for the stipend.
A spokesperson said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is "leading efforts to rescue these children and stop their exploitation."
Last year, the Department of Homeland Security offered minors $2,500 to voluntarily leave the country as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
One legal service provider told ABC News that DHS began offering the $3,000 incentive earlier this month. Attorneys and advocates say the tactic comes as the Trump administration increasingly targets unaccompanied children for deportation.
The federal government recently assembled a team of government attorneys to represent migrant children in court after the administration cut ties with a number of immigration advocacy groups that had previously provided those services.
Immigration advocacy groups have raised concerns about the initiative, arguing that the same government seeking to deport the minors under the administration's immigration crackdown should not be representing them in court.
A DHS spokesperson told ABC News, "Many of the children who came across the border unaccompanied were allowed to be placed with sponsors who were smugglers and sex traffickers."
"Unlike the previous administration, President Trump and DHS take the responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reunite children with their families," the spokesperson said.
In this May 26, 2016, file photo, riders aboard the Raging Bull roller coaster scream out as they head into a dip at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. (Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune via TNS via Getty Images)
Immediately after a person was killed and others were hurt while riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Six Flags announced it temporarily shut down nine similar hypercoasters in six theme parks across North America.
"The safety of our guests and associates remains one of our highest priorities," Six Flags said in a statement Monday.
The coasters closed include Nitro in Great Adventure; Raging Bull in Great America; Behemoth and Leviathan in Canada's Wonderland; Goliath in Magic Mountain; Fury 325 and Thunder Striker in Carowinds; and Orion and Diamondback in Kings Island.
Some of these coasters exceed 90 miles per hour and stand more than 300 feet, according to Six Flags.
All but one of the coasters were manufactured by roller coaster design company Bolliger & Mabillard, which has designed coasters for many Six Flags parks and other amusement parks around the world since 1988.
The Swiss-based company said in a statement to ABC News Tuesday that it was "actively investigating the incident," and declined to comment "further until we have a better understanding of what happened."
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected," Bolliger & Mabillard said.
The Goliath coaster at Magic Mountain was manufactured by the now defunct Swiss-based company Giovanola.
A hypercoaster, as defined by Six Flags, "generally refers to steel roller coasters over 200 feet (61 meters) tall that prioritize airtime and speed over inversions. They often feature large camelback hills designed to maximize weightlessness."
Raging Bull is the oldest of the closed coasters, opening at Great America in Illinois in 1999, seven years before Goliath opened, according to the park.
Six Flags touted the ride as the "world's first hyper-twister roller coaster," with a 202-foot drop and speeds of 73 miles per hour.
Orion in the Ohio-based Kings Island is the newest ride, debuting in the summer of 2020, according to Six Flags. The ride is 5,321 feet long with a 300-foot drop and a max speed of 91 miles per hour, the park says.
Fury 325 is the longest, fastest and tallest of the closed rides, according to Six Flags.
The coaster, part of the North Carolina Carowinds park, has a top speed of 95 miles per hour, a length of 6,600 feet and a peak height of 325 feet, Six Flags said.
ABC News' Jason Volack contributed to this report.
Student Isabel Breslin works on her laptop during a sit-in protest at Cornell University, Oct. 7, 2026, in Ithaca, N.Y. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
Lawyers for one of the men named in a civil lawsuit brought by a former Cornell University student who alleged she was sexually assaulted at a school fraternity in 2024 is asking a New York judge to impose a gag order in the case, arguing the publicity surrounding the case risks tainting potential jurors.
Attorneys for Diego Sarabia on Monday asked for "narrowly tailored restrictions" that would prevent lawyers and parties in the civil case from commenting on the allegations outside of court.
"Since this action began, Plaintiff's counsel has repeatedly addressed the merits through widely disseminated media statements," the motion said. "These statements present disputed allegations and interpretations of evidence to the public before discovery and trial."
A then-undergraduate student identified only as Jane Doe made a complaint to campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident occurred, that she had been raped by a group of men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. She has filed a civil suit against the men and the university alleging that she had been drugged and raped.
No criminal charges have been filed, but an investigation by the New York attorney general is ongoing.
The case has rocked the university and started conversations about treatment of alleged sexual assault on college campuses across the country.
James Knox, an attorney for Sarabia, argued that a gag order would limit "possible juror prejudice" and prevent the potential release of sensitive information that could lead to " threats, doxing, intimidation, and extrajudicial contact." Knox also submitted to the court a list of what he described as "prejudicial statements" made by Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for Jane Doe.
"Plaintiff's counsel has been trying his case in the media since filing the lawsuit," the motion alleged. "A full cataloguing of the media tour he has engaged in would be far lengthier than necessary to establish the potential risks these statements are incurring upon the fair administration of justice in this case and upon the parties."
In a statement responding to the motion, Giuffra said, "The Defense has tried to rebut the claims in this case by engaging in a wholesale leaking of confidential documents, giving interviews calling Ms. Doe's story into question and calling her lawsuit immoral. These attempts to shift the narrative have not been successful."
"The Defense is now attempting to silence me and Ms. Doe because we have been so successful in rebutting their ineffectual attempts to undermine her story," the statement said. "Truth always wins out."
Sarabia is accused in the lawsuit of grabbing and kissing Jane Doe before "pouring lines of Ketamine all over her body and snorting them." He has denied wrongdoing, and according to Cornell documents reviewed by ABC News, he previously argued that the interaction was consensual.
Last week, a member of the Marine Corps who shares the same name as one of the defendants in the case asked the court to restrict some of the filings in the case because he and his family have been the subject of "continued and ongoing harassment, including death threats from members of the public."
Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond agreed to seal some of the filings on Friday, condemning what she described as "misguided vigilantism."
"This Court strongly condemns the reported acts of threats and doxing, which can only be characterized as brash, reckless, and ultimately dangerous internet vigilantism, " the judge wrote. "Our society has developed procedures and legal mechanisms over the course of centuries to ensure justice and due process are afforded to all. When certain actors decide to work outside those robust and developed frameworks, innocent people often get hurt. That is precisely what has happened here."
One person died and several others were injured in an "incident involving a roller coaster" at a Six Flags amusement park in Georgia, authorities said.
The incident occurred at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, according to police.
"Officers assigned to the park, along with uniformed patrol officers, responded to the scene," the Cobb County Police Department said in a statement. "Detectives with our Major Crimes Unit are responding to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident."
Police did not release any further details on the incident.
Distraught witnesses described the horrific incident to a local station, saying they saw a man fall from the amusement park's Goliath roller coaster and hit the ride several times, and that the fall was captured on their souvenir pictures.
Riders on the Goliath were seen being evacuated off the roller coaster on Monday, after it stopped near the top of the ride.
A Six Flags spokesperson said that the "park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation."
"We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends, and loved ones. We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected."
The spokesperson said it has "temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks."
The spokesperson added that they will not be releasing additional information at this time "out of respect for the family's privacy."
Six Flags Over Georgia is located in Austell, west of Atlanta. The Goliath roller coaster reaches an elevation of 200 feet and speeds up to 70 mph, according to the amusement park's website. The ride first opened in 2006.
On the night of Christa Pike's botched execution, when 911 callers called for medical assistance, there appeared to be some confusion between them and first responders, according to a transcript and audio recording of the calls.
"We've been carrying out an execution tonight. We've administered 10 grams of pentobarbital. The person is not yet deceased. That started approximately 1 hour ago. And we're calling for an ambulance," an individual who called from the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville said, according to a transcript of the first 911 call released by the Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center.
The call came in at 8:40 p.m. CT on Sept. 30, according to the transcript.
During the call, the dispatcher asked for a code to confirm that the call was verified, but the caller said they didn’t have one. "How do they not have a code?” the dispatcher asked.
Other calls from that night showed Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center personnel working to confirm the incident, following the initial 911 call.
One woman from the center reached out to Tennessee Department of Correction Central Control around 9 p.m. CT, saying she was trying to verify the "failed execution."
"We have responders that are standing by," the woman said, according to audio of the call. "We're just trying to verify."
The person at Central Command responded that no one from their facility called.
At 9:08 p.m. CT, one of Pike's attorneys — Kelly Gleason with the Tennessee Office of the Post Conviction Defender — called 911 requesting "immediate life-saving care," according to the Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center.
Three minutes later, an individual with the Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center called Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch requesting that a trooper respond so that EMS personnel at the scene could enter the prison. The caller reported that someone at the prison's front gate told EMS "to come in because they need the ambulance and that this is an actual thing that's happening, and not someone that's like swatting," but that EMS could not enter without an officer on scene.
During the initial 911 call, when asked by the dispatcher if Pike was breathing normally, the caller said, "No. The breathing is very labored and slow," according to the transcript.
Asked if there was any chest pain, the caller said, "I don't know. The person is not conscious," according to the transcript.
In her 911 call, Pike’s attorney reported that Pike was "still alive and breathing, and needs immediate life-saving care," according to audio of the call.
Pike was "not awake, and she was snoring," Gleason said in the call.
The dispatcher said that they were working on getting Tennessee Highway Patrol to the prison.
The first 911 call was determined to be exempt from public release under Tennessee law, according to the Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center, which said in a statement that it has "made a good-faith effort to provide additional information by preparing a written account of the initial call based on a review of the audio recording."
Pike, the lone woman on Tennessee's death row, was initially on a ventilator following the execution attempt before regaining consciousness nearly a week later, her attorneys said. She has since been released from the hospital and transferred back to prison, her attorneys said Saturday.
Pike was sentenced to death after being convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
She is the first person reported to have survived lethal injection after being given medications, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, whose executive director referred to the failed attempt as "the worst we've ever seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era."
Pike's attorneys raised concerns about her execution in the months leading up to it, arguing the medications used in the execution carried a huge risk of pain and suffering. They said she suffered burns on her arms from the pentobarbital and was having cognitive issues upon regaining consciousness following the botched execution.
Pike's attorneys have called on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to commute her sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Lee ordered a temporary halt to scheduled executions in the state following Pike's botched execution and Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada announced his resignation earlier this month.
The governor's office said it appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review of the Tennessee Department of Correction's execution attempt that "will seek to determine whether the protocol was followed and consider whether additional recommendations are necessary to ensure the State's protocol continues to be lawful and effective."
Philadelphia police officials said an Anthropic AI model submitted a false tip, July 18, 2026, in a homicide investigation. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
An Anthropic artificial intelligence model submitted a false tip in an unsolved murder case to a Philadelphia Police Department website, the company and police officials said.
In a detailed report released to the public, the tech company said its Claude Haiku 4.5 AI model submitted the fabricated tip over the summer to the police department's unsolved murders page.
"Unsolved cases involve real victims, grieving families and investigators working to secure answers. Technology companies must take all appropriate steps necessary to prevent their systems from submitting false information to law enforcement," the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) said in a statement.
The police officials said the incident occurred at 11:27 p.m. local time on July 18 and that the tip purportedly came "from someone who might have information about the case."
"I may have information regarding this case. I recall seeing someone matching the description in the area around [the street named on the page] during that same time period. Please contact me if this information is relevant," the Claude Haiku 4.5 AI model wrote on a form it submitted to the website, according to Anthropic's statement.
The police department said the tip was flagged as spam and was never forwarded to homicide investigators. Officials did not explain why the tip went to spam.
The PPD said it didn't know about the false tip until Oct. 7, when Anthropic notified the department about the incident. Anthropic told the PPD that it discovered the incident on Sept. 28, according to the police department's statement.
Anthropic said it also notified the White House about the incident.
Unrelated to the false tip incident, President Donald Trump gathered the nation's top tech leaders in September, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for a meeting in which they signed what the president called "constitution" to police themselves amid dire warnings from AI leaders about the technology. Trump said the self-policing agreement is "morally binding."
"The City of Philadelphia takes this incident very seriously. The company must strengthen its safeguards to prevent similar incidents from impacting city systems without the city's knowledge," the PPD's statement said. "The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the City is unacceptable."
Anthropic, according to its report released on Friday, said the Claude Haiku 4.5 made the false report while it was "generating and performing example tasks on randomly selected webpages."
"Claude was instructed never to log in, create accounts, enter personal data, make purchases, or submit anything destructive, but the instructions did not rule out form submissions," Anthropic said in its report.
The PPD did not disclose which unsolved homicide Anthropic's AI model submitted the tip on.
Anthropic's acknowledgement came after the company disclosed earlier this year that its review of cybersecurity transcripts found three incidents "in which a Claude model researched the internet from within or while interacting with a third-party evaluation environment, and then gained unauthorized access to the real systems of three different organizations."
The false police tip was made around the same time an OpenAI autonomous AI agent allegedly accessed the computer systems of the AI start-up firm Hugging Face without authorization during a cybersecurity test. That incident prompted a lawsuit filed against OpenAI by the Legal Advocates for Safe Science & Technology (LASST), a nonprofit artificial intelligence safety group.
"Hugging Face was a serious incident and we've taken a series of actions in response to it, but this lawsuit is completely without merit," Drew Pusateri, a spokesperson for OpenAI, told ABC News last month.
Anthropic downplayed the incident involving the false police tip, saying in its report that it and the others it has identified "had minimal real-world impact."
The PPD said the safeguards it has in place limited the impact of the incident.
"The department's regular investigative process for crime tips requires human review and vetting before any tips are disseminated for investigative follow-up," the police department said.
The PPD added, "Regardless of who submits information or how it reaches the department, a tip is a lead to assess -- not an established fact. Investigators evaluate its credibility and seek corroborating evidence. An automated submission does not bypass that process."
Anthropic said it has ended the testing process that led to the false police tip and has taken additional steps to improve its security and monitoring measures to "reliably catch behaviors like these."
The company released its updated model -- Claude Haiku 5.5 -- on Oct. 7, the same day it notified PDD about the false tip.
Manhole cover for the New York City sewer. (Joel Carillet/istockphoto/Getty Images)
Multiple people were seen dropping into a Manhattan manhole early Sunday morning, according to police, marking yet another incident in recent weeks involving people entering or exiting manholes across New York City.
Police are searching for three men seen entering a manhole on West 141st Street, in New York City's Hamilton Heights neighborhood, shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, New York Police Department sources told ABC News.
By the time police arrived, the men were gone, the sources said.
The manhole incident follows a separate incident just days earlier on Oct. 9, when police say four men and a woman were spotted emerging from a manhole on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The group drove away in a black SUV and left behind shovels and other tools, according to police sources.
Police believe these urban scavengers pose no threat and instead are looking for valuables dropped or swept away after it rains.
The events over the weekend follow similar recent instances of individuals seen entering or exiting the manholes found across New York City streets.
Last month, in a separate incident, police arrested two individuals in connection with a sighting of people climbing out of a manhole near a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed briefly during the U.N. General Assembly in September.
The NYPD and federal agents conducted additional sweeps of the area out of an abundance of caution given the U.N. General Assembly and the proximity to Netanyahu's hotel, but nothing suspicious was found.
The same week, on Friday, Sept. 25, police said three men were spotted climbing out of the sewer at Bay Ridge Parkway and 17th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, at 4:34 a.m.
The manhole was closed by the time police arrived.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a campaign rally for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong on Aug. 2, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C.-area residence was searched early Monday morning, a Department of Justice spokesperson said, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Sources tell ABC News that the investigation relates to Omar's immigration paperwork. Omar, who was first elected to the House in 2018, is the first Somali-American in Congress.
In recent history, the Justice Department's practice has been to advise prosecutors not to take any overt investigative steps against members of Congress or candidates within 60 days of an election. The midterm elections, during which Omar is up for reelection, take place in 22 days, with early voting starting in Minnesota later this week.
Omar came to the U.S. as a refugee when she was a child and has been living in the country since she was 12 years old. She is a U.S. citizen.
"Today in the Washington, D.C. area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice," a DOJ spokesperson said. "This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation."
It's unclear whether Omar was at her D.C.-area residence at the time of Monday's search. Omar's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the search or her whereabouts.
Omar, who represents Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, has been a central political target for the administration and its broader efforts to cast the Somali community as criminal and un-American.
"How about Ilhan Omar? She comes from Somalia. She comes from Somalia. They don't have a government. They don't have police. They don't. All they have is crime and squalor. And she comes into our country, and she says, 'My constitution allows me.' She's talking about our constitution, what they've done to Minnesota, these people from Somalia, what they've done to Minnesota, should never be allowed. And let's see what happens. JD Vance and our people are looking at it very strongly," Trump said during a rally on Saturday.
In social media posts earlier this year, Trump also said Omar "should be in jail" and "sent back to Somalia."
Trump's remarks directed at Omar have drawn criticism, and Omar said earlier this year that Trump's rhetoric has led threats against her to "skyrocket."
The White House referred all comment requests to the Department of Justice.
Vice President JD Vance, who the administration has tasked with leading the so-called "anti-fraud efforts" said during a White House briefing in May that the administration was going to look into Omar for immigration fraud allegations.
Omar has previously denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
Last month, White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed in an interview with Fox News that the Department of Homeland Security was looking into Omar, but wouldn't disclose the extent of those allegations noting that it was part of an "ongoing criminal investigation."
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel are fueling flood threats, October 11, 2026, along the Southern California coast and in several Western states. (ABC News)
About 70 runners and volunteers participating in Utah's Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated from the rugged outdoor race course on Sunday after being stranded overnight by a heavy rainstorm that hit the area, authorities said.
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday that it coordinated with race organizers to assist the stranded runners, who had been unable to safely leave the affected areas.
Destination Trail, which organizes and manages the race, said in an update on Sunday afternoon that buses were evacuating the final group of affected participants, who were stuck at an aid station near the Bridger Jack Mesa in the Bear Ears National Monument.
"We know this isn't how anyone hoped Moab 240 would go," Destination Trail said in a social media post to the stranded participants. "So many of you trained for months and traveled a long way to be here, and we're truly sorry the race ended this way. Sometimes the weather has other plans, and when it does, everyone’s safety has to come first."
Race officials said additional supplies were delivered to aid stations ahead of the storm, providing the stranded runners and volunteers with heated tents, hot food and plenty of water.
The Moab 240 race is a 241.8-mile ultramarathon that takes runners through the desert, canyons, slick-rock formations and two mountain ranges, while surrounded by Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
The race started on Friday in Moab, Utah, and was slated to end on Tuesday.
Moab 240 organizers announced Sunday that the rest of the race has been called off due to bad weather.
The organization said in a statement on Facebook that the weather has become too dangerous to safely continue, with conditions expected to get worse Sunday evening. Runners are being held at their nearest aid stations and are being told to shelter there until crews can pick them up.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, which made landfall in Baja California, continued to sweep across the West on Sunday, fueling flooding in several Western states, including Utah.
A combination of large ocean swells stirred up by Rachel and prolonged swells due in part to an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave has produced major flooding along Southern California's coast and is fueling coastal flooding in Southern California and heavy rainstorms in Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
In an aerial view, people walk near coastal floodwaters amid strong waves and high tides generated by Tropical Storm Rachel, October 9, 2026, in Newport Beach, California. An emerging El Niño and oceanic Kelvin wave moving up the coastline have compounded conditions in the region. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, along with a separate storm system over the Western United States, continued to sweep across the West on Sunday, fueling flooding in several Southern California coastal communities.
Post-Tropical Storm Rachel made landfall in Baja California Saturday night, but as it moved in, its impact was already being felt along the West Coast.
A combination of large ocean swells stirred up by Rachel and prolonged swells due in part to an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave has produced major flooding along Southern California's coast.
One of the hardest-hit areas has been Newport Beach in Orange County, which has been experiencing flooding since Friday.
Main drags like Balboa Boulevard in Newport Beach and numerous adjacent streets have been drenched in floodwaters.
The City of Newport Beach declared a local emergency on Saturday in response to the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Rachel.
"This declaration will help the City secure additional resources as crews continue working to protect homes, property and public safety," the city said in a statement on Saturday, adding that elevated surf and "unusually high ocean water levels" are expected to continue through the weekend, with the highest tides anticipated Sunday.
All of the city beaches and piers in Newport Beach are closed until further notice, the city said.
"Stay away from these areas. Flooding and hazardous conditions pose serious safety risks," the city advised residents in its statement.
Tropical Storm Rachel became post-tropical late Saturday night about 80 miles south-southeast of San Diego. However, its remnants and the separate system over the West will continue to fuel a flash flood threat across portions of the Southwest, as well as bring rough surf and gusty winds, on Sunday and into Monday.
The flash flood threat is expected to continue to unfold on Sunday, with the greatest risk to parts of Southern California, northwest Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwest Utah, where a level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place.
The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Orange County beaches that starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday and continues through Tuesday afternoon, warning of potentially significant flooding and beach erosion fueled in part by Tropical Storm Rachel's remnants.
The greatest concern is high tide through Sunday morning and swells from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel could create dangerous conditions with beach erosion and seawater once again flooding beach roads and paths.
Other cities along the Southern California coast -- including Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and San Clemente -- were distributing sandbags to the public on Sunday in preparation for possible flooding.
In Seal Beach, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, police reported that "due to elevated surf and coastal flooding concerns" beach parking lots were being closed on Sunday "as a precaution to protect life and property."
On Saturday, the outer bands from Tropical Storm Rachel brought gusty winds and heavy rain to parts of Southern California and Arizona.
Wind gusts of over 60 mph were reported during thunderstorms that hit Menifee and Temecula, California. Heavy rain of up to 1 to 2 inches was reported with these storms as well, causing isolated instances of flash flooding and debris flow.
Gusty winds also produced a dust storm near Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday with near-zero visibility reported.
Law enforcement officials are at the scene after a man was struck by a vehicle driven by an ICE agent during chase, according to the Harris Courty Sheriff's Office, on Oct. 10, 2026, in Harris County, Texas. (KTRK)
A man was hospitalized after he was struck by a vehicle driven by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who was allegedly pursuing him and another man on Saturday, Texas law enforcement officials and ICE said.
Maj. Anthony McConnell of the Harris County Sheriff's Office's Special Investigation Bureau told reporters that around 7:20 a.m. local time, law enforcement officers were called to Clay Road near Highway 6 just outside Houston after the unidentified ICE agent called 911 for an ambulance for the man, later identified by ICE as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who was struck.
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement that the agency was attempting to arrest another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, a Mexican national who they allege had a criminal record and a final order of removal by a judge.
The ICE agent allegedly observed Mendoza-Cervantes and Parra-Hernandez, who the agency alleged was undocumented, enter a car and attempted a car stop, according to ICE.
McConnell said the ICE agent allegedly was pursuing the man and another person in their car and during the chase, the driver and the passenger left their vehicle on foot.
Surveillance video of the incident reviewed by ABC News appears to show the agent maneuvering his vehicle in the direction of the man running and striking him with the vehicle.
ICE alleged in a statement that "Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck."
Parra-Hernandez appeared to suffer a broken leg, McConnell said. He was taken to the hospital and is in ICE custody, according to ICE.
ICE didn't immediately list any criminal history about Parra-Hernandez.
McConnell referred further inquiries about the incident to ICE.
"We're here to investigate the crash," he told reporters.
Deputies were collecting video evidence from nearby buildings as part of their investigation, McConnell said. No arrests have been made.
Mendoza-Cervantes was not found as of Sunday afternoon, ICE said.
Family members of Parra-Hernandez, community leaders and officials of the immigration FIEL Houston held a news conference in Houston on Sunday.
"We have been in contact with Miguel’s family, and they are very worried about his health. He is alive but is supposed to undergo surgery for his leg, which is broken in three places," said Cesar Espinosa, executive director at FIEL Houston.
Espinosa demanded accountability from ICE and called for a transparent investigation of the incident.
"We have more questions than answers. The biggest question we have is why does this keep happening? We demand answers and transparency from all agencies involved," Espinosa said.
Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones called on ICE to provide all evidence to the Harris County Sheriff's office and to cooperate with the investigation, adding that she was "horrified" about the incident.
"We demand full transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law," she said in her statement.
Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin said, "Time is of the essence in getting the facts, and the public deserves clear, accurate answers."
"ICE must cooperate fully with the local investigation," Kamin said. "My office supports Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and District Attorney Sean Teare in their ongoing independent investigation, and the Harris County Attorney's Office stands ready to assist and support these critical efforts. We will continue to monitor developments closely as the facts become clear."
The Texas incident comes two days after ICE agents shot a man inside his car with his 5-year-old son in the backseat in New York City during an attempted arrest.
Oscar Belgal, 28, is currently being held in custody and awaiting court appearances following the incident.
ICE alleged Belgal, a Dominican national, "weaponized his vehicle," and rammed ICE vehicles. Surveillance footage released by the police showed the initial encounter where two armed men approached Belgal's car and hit the driver side window.
Several New York City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, condemned ICE's actions and called on the federal government to remove them from the city.
The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation stands on the campus of Cornell University on Oct. 8, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
A second defendant named in Jane Doe's lawsuit alleging forcible drugging and gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house is asking a judge to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James from the case.
Winston Lee joined fellow Chi Phi fraternity brother Gillio Lopes in seeking James' removal as special prosecutor.
Lee argued the attorney general and Gov. Kathy Hochul "have together created a blatant appearance of impropriety" and James herself "has already publicly prejudged the guilt" of the subjects of her investigation.
"This public political stunt by the Governor and the AG to make repeated public statements, remove the case from the elected county prosecutor, and prejudge guilt in a criminal investigation for political advantage a month before election day is unethical and in violation of the law," Lee's attorney, Teny Geragos, said in a court filing Friday. "The AG is unquestionably biased, as her own public statements show."
The woman at the center of the case, an undergraduate student identified only as Jane Doe, told Cornell campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident occurred, that she had been raped by eight to 10 men at the campus' Chi Phi fraternity house. Each of the men has denied wrongdoing to investigators, in public statements, or through their lawyers.
Hochul last week appointed James to investigate the case.
In Friday's court filing, Geragos cited a social media post by James in which the AG said, "What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I'm holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you're not alone. We stand with you."
"It is the height of unfairness that an uncharged person like Mr. Lee, presumed to be innocent, should be investigated by anyone -- much less the AG -- who has already publicly endorsed the purported victim and concluded the accused are guilty," Geragos said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the New York attorney general's office said, "In this and every investigation, the Office of the Attorney General is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law."
James, asked Thursday evening about her comments on social media, said, "Those comments demonstrate empathy, and what we need now more than ever in our body politic is more empathy. The governor of the great state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, assigned me to analyze this case and to judge it and to do it without bias. She's requesting an unbiased investigation and a thorough investigation, and we will do that based on the facts and based on the evidence."
"Politics stops at the door in my office," James said. "I can assure New Yorkers that we will engage in a thorough investigation, which will be based on the facts and the law, and guided by the evidence."
Hochul, following James' social media post, said, "I have every confidence in our attorney general to do what she has always done: look at the facts, examine the record, and draw the proper conclusions. That’s exactly what’s going to happen in this case."
An Avianca airline plane sits on the tarmac at El Dorado International Airport on Aug. 31, 2020, in Bogota, Colombia. (Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images)
Multiple passengers and crew members were injured when an Avianca flight headed to New York City experienced "unexpected turbulence" and diverted to Miami, the Colombian airline said.
Avianca Flight 42 landed safely at Miami International Airport around 3:25 a.m. Friday, "after the crew reported severe turbulence," according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Six passengers and three crew members were "affected by the turbulence," Avianca said in a statement. Ultimately, eight people were transported to the hospital, according to the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, including one person with a trauma injury.
The flight had departed from Medellin and was bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Avianca said it diverted the flight to Miami "as a precaution and in accordance with the airline's safety protocols" and is now assisting passengers in continuing on to New York.
"Avianca remains in contact with the affected passengers and crew members as it continues to respond to the situation," the airline said. "The safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations."
People fill sandbags that were provided by the city of Orange Beach as they prepare for the possible arrival of Hurricane Isaias on Oct. 8, 2026, in Orange Beach, Alabama. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Evacuation orders have been issued for several counties in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama as Hurricane Isaias, now a powerful Category 3 storm, inches closer to landfall.
The storm could bring 9 feet of storm surge to parts of Florida, along with high winds, torrential rain and potential tornados. The storm is also forecasted to bring tornados and heavy rain throughout Alabama, according to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Isaias could make landfall late Friday into early Saturday morning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey have issued state of emergencies for dozens of counties that are in the storm's path.
On Thursday, Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation order for all non-residents, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County. This includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and Dauphin Island in Mobile County.
"We often hear in emergency management: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. That is the approach we need with this particular storm system," Ivey said in a video statement.
DeSantis ordered evacuations for Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Franklin and Gulf counties. Florida residents can check the status of the evacuation order via an online map that is being updated by the state's Division of Emergency Management.
“There will be impacts,” DeSantis said at a news conference Friday where he urged residents to heed the warnings.
"If you're in the panhandle, assume that you are going to lose power. Prepare that you are going to lose power,” he added.
Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore echoed the governor's concerns at a news conference and warned residents, "Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast."
Travis Tompkins, emergency manager for Escambia County, said residents should take the evacuation orders seriously.
"We want to make sure that those barrier islands, the Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Energy Point, the low-lying areas — evacuate," he added.
The governor said the state's Highway Patrol had more than 300 troopers ready to assist with evacuations, emergency response and recovery operations.
The Florida Department of Health is preparing more than 100 ambulances for possible evacuations and patient transportation, according to the governor.
Wildlife and emergency response agencies have also staged boats, high-water vehicles, aircraft and other equipment for potential search-and-rescue operations, he said.
Hurricane Isaias is a Category 3 storm currently headed toward the Gulf Coast, with landfall expected Friday evening along Florida's Panhandle.
The storm strengthened from a high-end Category 2 hurricane into a Category 3 hurricane Friday morning ahead of landfall, which is expected between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Rain reached the Florida Panhandle early Friday and is expected to spread across the central Gulf Coast as tropical-storm-force winds are expected to pick up, followed by hurricane-force winds in the afternoon.
Landfall is expected within 40 miles east or west of Pensacola, possibly between Pensacola and Destin with the most destructive conditions expected near the storm's center and east of where it makes landfall, meaning the area from Pensacola to Panama City could bear the brunt of the hurricane.
The storm was located about 195 miles south of Pensacola Friday morning as maximum sustained winds reached 120 mph.
Destructive conditions are expected and power outages could last for an extended period, particularly in the Florida Panhandle.
The last hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Milton, which came ashore south of Tampa near Siesta Key, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2024 -- exactly two years ago from Friday. In 2025, the U.S. went through its first year in a decade without a hurricane making landfall.
A hurricane warning is currently in effect from just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, through Mobile and Pensacola to Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida where wind gusts in these areas could reach 75 to 110 mph.
Storm surge of 5 to 7 feet is also possible from Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Pensacola, Miramar Beach, Laguna Beach, Panama City, Destin, Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, Florida.
The storm surge forecast from the Santa Rosa/Okaloosa County Line, Florida, to Grayton Beach, Florida increased to 9 feet Friday morning.
A storm surge of 4 to 6 feet is possible in Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where the rising water could be accompanied by waves reaching up to 30 feet in some places.
Evacuation orders are in place for many low-lying and coastal areas in Florida.
Evacuations are particularly important in areas at risk of storm surge, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Friday morning.
"The surge is really what puts people's lives in jeopardy if they haven't heeded evacuation orders," DeSantis said. "We always say: You hide from the wind, but you run from the water."
A tropical storm warning is also in effect from the eastern coast of Louisiana north to Tallahassee, Florida, and extended further north Friday morning to encompass Birmingham, Alabama.
Hurricane-force winds are expected to occur along Isaias's track up to 100 miles inland from the coast. Wind gusts are possible up to 120 mph.
The storm is expected to fluctuate in strength throughout the afternoon as it approaches the coast, and may weaken after landfall.
Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 15 inches, are possible across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend region of Florida.
The coastal Carolinas and southern Appalachians could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain, with isolated amounts reaching 10 inches and the rest of the Southeast is expected to see widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches, with some localized areas receiving up to 5 inches.
Flash and urban flooding are likely across the region, with considerable impacts possible across much of southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia. River flooding is also expected, and some areas could experience significant flooding.
DeSantis said Floridians should assume they will lose power and prepare accordingly, including ensuring adequate food, water, gas and medications for a 72-hour duration.
The Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Transportation and other emergency response teams have mobilized in preparation for power outages, rescues and evacuations.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay looks on at Zarzuela Palace on June 14, 2013, in Madrid, Spain. (Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 was awarded Friday to Navanethem Pillay "for her efforts to promote peace and international law."
Calling her a person "with exceptional courage and integrity" and somebody who "has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order," the Nobel Institute said that Pillay "has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted."
"Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career," the Nobel Institute said. "Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion. A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time."
Pillay has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court in her career. She was also the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and, until recently, she chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Pillay is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.
"In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence," the Nobel Institute said. "Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time."
"In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law -- national and international -- underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts non-violently. Peace requires justice," the Nobel Institute added.
"History has shown that a world operating without the rule of law is unjust, unwise and inhumane. The judges -- those who guard the thin red line between order and chaos -- are therefore highly deserving of our praise," the Nobel Institute said in their announcement. "But today, as these same judges are sanctioned, and their institutions are attacked, we need people of courage, vision and determination -- qualities that Navi Pillay demonstrates in her work on the bench."
Pillay, who was born in 1941 and has two daughters, holds a Master of Law and a Doctorate of Juridical Science from Harvard University.
"The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 springs directly from Alfred Nobel’s will," the Nobel Institute said. "Navi Pillay strengthens fraternity between nations and -- by systematically advancing the use of tribunals for peace and justice -- she provides substance, direction and motivation for peace conferences in their modern form."
"Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time," the Nobel Institute added. "Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law. Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world."
The announcement was made by the chair of The Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks during a press conference at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, Oct. 9, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in a residential New York City neighborhood Thursday afternoon during what the agency called a "targeted enforcement operation."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling the incident an "outrage," said the man was in a vehicle with a 5-year-old child at the time.
"School had just gotten out. The street was crowded with families and children. When the ICE agent opened fire, a 5-year-old child ... was in the back seat of the car," Mamdani said in a late-night press conference on Thursday. "Thank God that child is physically unharmed."
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the 28-year-old man who was shot was taken to the hospital with a gunshot to the neck below his left ear and arrived in stable condition. She said the boy, who authorities believe to be the man's son, was safe and in the care of a family member.
DHS says shooting happened during 'targeted enforcement operation' The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. ET in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Marble Hill, the NYPD said.
During a news conference Friday, Marcos Charles, DHS's executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations, said that ICE officers attempted to arrest the suspect, Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national who had an ICE detainer, and used their vehicles to block Belgal.
Charles said Belgal has alleged associations with the Trinitarios gang and has a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and "multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession."
He alleged that the gang was involved in a shooting of a CBP officer two years ago and Belgal had knowledge of the incident.
Charles alleged that Belgal "weaponized his vehicle" and smashed it into ICE vehicles.
"Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the life of their partners and the general public were in danger, and fired weapons," Charles said.
Belgal was struck in the neck and ICE agents rendered aid before he was transported to the hospital, Charles said. He was later moved to a detention facility outside New York, according to Charles.
Charles said that DHS would pursue several criminal charges.
"We will continue to place him in removal proceedings, and we will continue to try to remove him from this country as quickly as possible following his charges," he said.
When asked about the child in the car, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE officers were not aware the 5-year-old was in the car during the car stop. Mullin blamed Belgal for putting the 5-year-old in that situation.
"The focus on what took place is absolutely absurd," he said.
Officers were wearing body-worn cameras, according to Mullin, and the body-worn cameras were on.
Mullin did not commit to releasing the footage and said there is a joint FBI and HSI investigation into the shooting underway.
NYPD: ICE officer fired 7 rounds
At the press conference Thursday night with the mayor, Tisch said the man who was shot has two prior arrests in New York City, including one for robbery in 2023 to which he pleaded guilty to grand larceny and another in 2025 for the criminal sale of a controlled substance, which is still pending.
Tisch said the NYPD, which had no involvement in the shooting, responded to the scene after the shooting, finding several men in "various forms of attire," including some in construction-style vests, face masks and at least one carrying a long gun.
She said when officers arrived, the man who was shot was handcuffed and seated on the ground before NYPD officers placed him in one of their vehicles, rendered aid and took him to the hospital.
Evidence collected from the scene indicates at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds, Tisch said. There was ballistic damage to the windshield of the man's vehicle, a Honda CR-V, and the back window was also shattered.
The moments leading up to the shooting were captured on NYPD surveillance cameras, Tisch said.
The video shows the man backing into a parking spot near a fire hydrant before a plainclothes federal law enforcement officer approaches the driver's side door with his gun drawn, Tisch said. Another plainclothes officer approaches by the driver's side headlight, she said.
The vehicle then starts to drive away and goes out of camera view, Tisch said. The NYPD cameras did not capture the shooting itself, she said.
An ICE vehicle, a gray four-door sedan, had damage to the front panel and the lower panel was fully disconnected, Tisch said.
The NYPD released body camera footage of their officers responding to the scene after the shooting. The footage showed the suspect sitting on the street as he was being treated for his wound.
Bystanders are seen in the video shouting and cursing at the federal officers.
Mamdani said he spent 2 hours on phone with Trump, Mullin
At the press conference Thursday, Mamdani said he spent two hours on the phone with President Donald Trump and Mullin seeking to negotiate the release of the man who was shot.
But he said his efforts were not successful.
In a statement late Thursday night, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had also spoken with Trump and the DHS secretary about the shooting.
"I expressed outrage on behalf of New Yorkers and urged them to halt ICE enforcement operations in New York," Hochul said. "I also asked that any body camera footage of the shooting be released to the public so we can establish the facts and get to the truth."
City officials have been told that ICE has been using a nearby Target parking lot on 225th Street as a staging area.
Protesters gathered in the hours following the shooting, some holding anti-ICE signs, as law enforcement worked the scene.
Later, hundreds of protesters gathered outside New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in upper Manhattan, where the man who was shot was being treated.
Mullin chastised the mayor and protesters during a news conference Friday.
"It's shameful that you have a mayor that puts criminals above law-abiding citizens," he said.
In this June 10, 2025, file photo, federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, FILE)
The Trump administration has quietly organized a team of government attorneys to represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court, according to a federal notice.
The announcement, posted by the Department of Health and Human Services, says that HHS lawyers under a new agency division will "provide direct legal services to unaccompanied alien children."
The development comes after the administration cut ties with a number of immigration advocacy groups that had previously provided those services.
Some of the duties listed in the notice include entering appearances on behalf of migrant children in immigration court and providing representation throughout an individual migrant child's immigration proceeding.
Some immigration advocacy groups have raised concerns about the move, saying that the same government that is targeting migrant children under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown would also now be representing the minors in court.
"It is unconscionable that the same government that is attacking and trying to deport children would also pretend to provide them legal defense in immigration court," said Michael Lukens, the executive director of the immigrant advocacy group Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, which used to receive funding through a government contract that was terminated.
"A fair day in court, which every child deserves, requires meaningful and independent advocates. HHS' plan to assign government attorneys to defend kids is a boldly unethical position," he said.
A spokesperson for the HHS did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
In December 2023, the Acacia Center for Justice became the prime contract holder with HHS for the Unaccompanied Children Program, overseeing subcontracts with more than 100 service providers that provide legal representation to more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children.
But earlier this year, the government cut ties with the group and awarded a controversial anti-human trafficking organization a no-bid $158 million contract to provide legal services to migrant children. In August, a small Texas law firm withdrew from consideration for a $150 million federal contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children after immigrant advocacy groups raised concerns about the firm's degree of experience in immigration law.
The two awards prompted a group of Democratic lawyers to send a letter to HHS regarding their concerns over the government's efforts to award new federal contracts to politically connected firms that they said lack immigration experience.
"Unaccompanied minors are the most vulnerable population in the immigration system," Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Tx., previously told ABC News. "We have a moral and statutory duty to provide them with quality legal representation. The Trump administration's attempt to cut out longstanding providers who are equipped to handle these cases jeopardizes the well-being of children."
Immigrant advocacy groups have alleged that unaccompanied children and their sponsors are among those being targeted under the administration's aggressive immigration crackdown. Last year, ABC News reported that the administration was directing immigration agents to track down unaccompanied migrant children in the United States.
"If [HHS] attorneys are assigned to represent unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, every federal agency involved in these children's cases, including HHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, would effectively be on the same side of the courtroom," said Jennifer Podkul, the Chief of Global Policy and Advocacy for Kids in Need of Defense.
"This creates a closed system in which the government serves as custodian, prosecutor, judge, and now potentially counsel, leaving children with little opportunity to have their cases heard through a truly independent and fair process," Podkul said. "Putting HHS attorneys in this role risks creating yet another pathway to fast-track vulnerable children toward deportation rather than ensuring their rights, safety, and best interests are protected."
People pack La Jolla's Windansea Beach on a hot and humid summer day as large surf generated by Hurricane Marie pounds the Southern California coast, September 5, 2026 in San Diego. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Last month was the warmest September on record for the contiguous United States, surpassing the previous record set in 1998, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Lower 48 recorded above-average temperatures for the 20th straight month, continuing a streak that began in February 2025. So far, four months this year have ranked as the warmest on record: March, July, August and September. NOAA’s temperature records date back to 1895.
Above-average temperatures were recorded in 43 states last month, with eight states experiencing their warmest September on record: Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. In contrast, Oregon was the only state with below-average September temperatures.
The new record was primarily driven by exceptionally warm overnight low temperatures rather than extreme daytime highs. An estimated 80 million people experienced their warmest September nighttime temperatures on record, according to the report.
While parts of the contiguous U.S. experienced persistently drier-than-average conditions, some regions saw beneficial rainfall with above-average precipitation recorded.
In the Southwest, Arizona experienced its wettest September since 1983, with New Mexico seeing its wettest since 1941. Overall, the Southwest received more than twice its average September precipitation last month.
Hawaii experienced its wettest September since 2015, fueled in part by Hurricane Lowell. The state received 10.83 inches of precipitation, which is 6.42 inches above the monthly average.
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released on October 8, about 55% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, a slight decrease compared to the beginning of September. Last month, drought expanded or intensified across much of the southern Plains, Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys.
Meanwhile, drought conditions improved in parts of the Southwest, northern Plains and Upper Midwest. In Puerto Rico, conditions improved significantly, with severe drought coverage dropping from more than 60% at the start of September to less than 30% by the end of the month.
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