(NEW YORK) -- Tropical Storm Arthur has formed in the Gulf near the middle Texas coast, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for upper Texas and Louisiana coastlines, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected in these areas in the next 12 to 24 hours. The NWS National Hurricane Center extended the warnings for more locations in Texas Wednesday afternoon as the storm strengthened.

Maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph around noon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Arthur is expected to hug the coastline Wednesday and begin moving inland Wednesday night, weakening after it leaves the Gulf and moves inland over Louisiana.

The tropical threat is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, and some isolated totals up to 20 inches through early Friday from the Texas and Louisiana coasts into central Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle.

Life-threatening flash flooding is possible, according to the NWS. A flood watch is in effect from Houston to Atlanta.

Over localized areas, storms may dump 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour. This could occur in areas including the region near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and within the southern half of Mississippi, forecasts show.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center added a level 2 out of 5 "Slight Risk" for severe weather for parts of eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Gulfport and Hattiesburg.

Storm surge combined with the normal tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. Between 2 to 4 feet of storm surge is possible from Port Bolivar, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana.

Isolated weak tornados are possible in southeast Texas, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi Wednesday afternoon through night.

By 7 a.m. Thursday, the storm will bring heavy, potentially flooding rain to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area. The storm will have moved further east by 8 p.m. Thursday, bringing heavy rain from Atlanta to Montgomery to Mobile, Alabama.

On Friday morning, heavy rain will be possible in the Florida panhandle and parts of Carolinas by around 7 a.m.

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(NEW YORK) -- Nearly 12,000 residents and over 2,000 structures have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out Tuesday in Washington state, spreading to 250 acres. No injuries have been reported. 

The fire was 0% contained as of Tuesday night.  

Officials said there "was an urgent need for evacuations," in a press conference on Tuesday. 

"Our teams are working hard to protect your homes. Stay out of the area. Please don't come back, that makes it very challenging for our crews," Spokane Fire District 9 Fire Chief Brian Mather said. 

The active fire is expected to last a couple of days, according to Mather. 

"Wind-driven fires are very, very dangerous. They're dangerous to work in. They move very rapidly," Mather said. 

"We have a lot of fuel in that area, it's a very densely populated area, and it's tough conditions," Mather said. 

There are 10 to 15 aircraft assigned to the fire with more expected, officials said. 

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he has been briefed on the fire and is monitoring the situation closely. 

"I just requested a fire management assistance declaration from FEMA, which I expect to be approved this evening. This gives our state access to federal funding for extraordinary costs in fighting this fire," he wrote in a post on X.

The fire started on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m., according to Spokane County officials. A red flag warning was issued around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Spokane Fire District said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Anguished relatives of the Gilgo Beach, New York, serial killing victims aimed decades of anger at their loved ones' killer, Rex Heuermann, as they gave victim impact statements at his sentencing on Wednesday.

"I can't even put into words the eviscerating hatred I have for you," said Jasmine Robinson, cousin of victim Jessica Taylor, who would have turned 43 on Wednesday. "You fill me with so much repugnance."

Another cousin, Violet Swager, remembered Taylor as "fierce, kind, compassionate, beautiful and intelligent."

She said to Heuermann, "You chose small women because you’re nothing more than a weak, disgusting coward."

Heuermann, 62, who gave his own brief statement in court, was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison.

In April, he pleaded guilty to killing seven women: Taylor, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Valerie Mack and Sandra Costilla. He also admitted to killing an eighth woman, Karen Vergata, though he was not formally charged in her death.

Brainard-Barnes' sister Missy Cann broke down in tears as she read a statement prior to the imposition of the sentence.

"You are a coward who preyed on vulnerable, innocent women," Cann said.

Mack's parents, Ed and JoAnn Mack, said Heuermann robbed their daughter of the chance to achieve her dreams.

"I would like to say to Mr. Heuermann, what you have done to our family is beyond what words can express," JoAnn Mack said. "Even though justice is done, it cannot replace what you have taken from us."

Barthelemy's sister, Amanda Funderberg, recalled how Heuermann tormented her after the murder by calling her and saying he was letting Barthelemy's body rot.

Funderberg turned to stare down Heuermann in the courtroom, telling him, "You can look at me while I'm talking -- it has been about 17 years since we've spoken."

She called him an "ogre" and a "repulsive monster."

Waterman's daughter, Liliana Waterman, who was 9 when her mother was killed, recalled finding out about how her mother died while scrolling on her phone.

"In an instant my world shattered,” Liliana Waterman said. "I have spent 16 Mother's Days without her."

Heuermann gave his own brief statement in court, saying, "There are no words I can say."

"The words I would say have no meaning and I’m going to leave it there," he said softly.

Someone in the gallery shouted, "Speak up!"

When Heuermann said nothing more, an incredulous Judge Timothy Mazzei asked, "Are you a little bit sorry for what you did [to] these poor, innocent women? Are you at least a little bit sorry for that?"

Heuermann responded quietly, "Yes I am."

After Mazzei pronounced the consecutive life sentences, the judge told the court officers to "get him outta here!"

The victims' families broke out into applause, shouting "ogre, ogre," before Heuermann was cuffed and led out of the courtroom.

In April, Heuermann agreed to serve three consecutive life sentences followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years-to-life, according to prosecutors. Part of Heuermann's plea agreement also requires him to be interviewed by the FBI's behavioral analysis unit.

Prosecutors said the New York City architect targeted sex workers, strangled them and dumped their bodies near Long Island's Gilgo Beach over the course of 17 years. The Gilgo Beach cases went unsolved for years, until Heuermann's arrest in 2023.

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(WILMINGTON, Del.) -- A 19-year-old man died and another was critically injured in a targeted shooting at a Delaware hospital, police said.

The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon at a hospital in Wilmington, prompting a lockdown.

The suspect in the shooting -- 23-year-old John Wallace-Bey -- was taken into custody Tuesday night in Philadelphia, about 40 miles northeast of Wilmington, and is awaiting extradition to Delaware, police said.

Law enforcement officials earlier told ABC News a hospital employee was suspected of shooting two co-workers.

"Our preliminary investigation has determined that this was a targeted, isolated incident," police said in an update.

The shooting occurred at Wilmington Hospital around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Both shooting victims were 19-year-old men, police said. The wounded victim remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, police said Wednesday.

The name of the victim who died will be released at a later time, police said.

Wallace-Bey faces charges including first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and carrying a concealed deadly weapon, police said.

Police believe the incident is strictly a workplace shooting, the law enforcement officials said.

"Regardless of what the motive is in this incident might have been, there is never an excuse for violence, and there is never an excuse for gun violence," Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos said during a press briefing Tuesday.

The hospital was on lockdown as officers searched the building, though the lockdown has since been lifted, police said Tuesday.

"I want to offer my thoughts and prayers for the employees at Wilmington High Hospital, who I know experienced a terrible day today," Wilmington Mayor John Carney said during Tuesday's press briefing. "It's hard to imagine what they were thinking as they were barricaded in rooms across the hospital as our law enforcement teams went through and cleared each of the floors."

Carney commended the law enforcement officers who responded for the "bravery that they showed in the face of this unthinkable threat."

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer condemned the deadly violence.

"Every Delawarean deserves to feel safe, whether at home, at school, at work, or seeking care at a hospital," he said at the briefing. "Today is a sobering reminder that no one is immune from the devastation of gun violence."

Meyer said the incident hit close to home for his family, noting that just minutes earlier, he went with his wife, Dr. Lauren Meyer, an emergency room physician, as she reported to work at the hospital.

"What I saw were heroes going to work in that building, and heroes who were involved in life-saving efforts leaving at the end of their shift," he said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Attorneys for Luigi Mangione plan to present an "affirmative psychiatric defense" at his state trial, alleging he was suffering an "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Judge Gregory Carro said at a hearing Wednesday.  

Carro ordered Mangione's attorneys to turn over his psychiatric records to prosecutors immediately.

Carro also agreed to dismiss one of the criminal counts related to possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine.

Prosecutors consented to drop the charge after a ruling earlier this year that prohibited them from using the magazine at trial because it was improperly searched by the officers who arrested Mangione in Pennsylvania.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges after he was arrested for allegedly gunning down Thompson, a husband and father of two, on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024.

Mangione's state trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8 and his federal trial is set for next year.

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(NEW YORK) -- America has lost about half of one of its most prominent and iconic landscapes, and protecting what's left is key to ensuring healthy ecosystems and biodiversity in the future, experts told ABC News.

The continental U.S. has lost about half of its historic grasslands prior to European settlement, according to a press release from America's Grasslands Coalition, a network of conservation organizations, researchers and government agencies that aims to restore North America's native prairie and grassland ecosystems. An estimated 98% of native tall grass prairies has been eradicated, Ryan Sensenig, a grassland ecologist at the University of Notre Dame, told ABC News.

While grasslands are typically associated with the Great Plains, they used to exist in nearly every region of the U.S., Dwayne Estes, co-founder and executive director of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute told ABC News.

Grasslands were common everywhere from the Atlantic coastlines to the Mississippi River and into the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast,  according to experts. Regions that are not typically associated with grasslands, including New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, were covered in them, Estes said.

They are part of the very fabric of North America's natural heritage, "from sea to shining sea," Patrick Keyser, director of Tennessee's Center for Native Grasslands, told ABC News.

Grasslands continue to be threatened, experts say

Today, grasslands continue to disappear at an "alarming rate," the coalition said.

Invasive plant species have infiltrated many of the natural grasslands, said David Wedin, director of the University of Nebraska’s Center for Grassland Studies. And most recently, development of housing, shopping malls and interstate highways -- and now data centers -- are popping up in areas that would have been grasslands, Keyser said.

Currently, grasslands cover about 1 million square miles in the continental U.S., according to America's Grasslands Coalition. This includes savannahs and shrublands.

The most prominent pockets of native grasslands that still exist today are in the Flint Hills of Kansas, which contains about 4.5 million acres of grasslands, and the Nebraska Sandhills, which has about 12 million acres of grasslands.

The area of Nebraska is still an intact grassland. Much of the land is privately owned cattle ranches, but there is still a lot of native grassland and species left there, Wedin said.

Central Montana also contains scattered patches of native grasslands, Keyser said.

There are more than 1,000 native grasses that have been documented in the U.S. The two species of dominant native grasslands in the U.S. include the big bluestem, a robust grass that can grow to 10 feet tall and make for "excellent" cattle forage, and the little blue stem, a much smaller plant that is common on sandier, drier soils, Keyser said.

When US grasslands began to vanish

Indigenous communities relied on grasslands to survive, Sensenig said. They would practice prescribed burning to maintain the grasslands and enhance its biodiversity, Sensenig said. Native Americans would use the plant species for basket-weaving and currency and feed on the grazers, such as bison, elk and deer, Sensenig added.

"Eastern Massachusetts was historically dominated by grasslands before European settlement, and in that area people used to eat these things called prairie chickens regularly," Keyser said, adding that prairie chickens require extensive grassland for their habitat.

Other evidence of grasslands on the East Coast includes thousands of insect and plant species that are tied to grasslands that still exist in the region, Estes said.

Grasslands east of the Mississippi River have been gone for "a very long time," Estes said.

As early as the 1690s, grasslands began to disappear from places like Philadelphia and Baltimore, even before the nation was founded, Estes said.

In the 1700s and 1800s, pioneers began to clear land where there were fewer trees to create their farms. They tended to prioritize semi-open areas, Keyser said.

"Eastern grasslands were lost so long ago that basically they've been erased from society's collective memory," Estes said. "They were lost before the camera was invented."

Grasslands continued to be eradicated as settlers migrated West.

The Transcontinental Railroad later brought settlers into the Great Plains in the 1870s, and gasoline-powered tractors led to widespread plowing of the native grasslands in the region, Keyser said.

"So, consequently, what had been a grassland ecosystem became a cornfield," Keyser said.

Why grasslands are so important

Grasslands play a vital role in supporting wildlife, storing carbon, sustaining food systems and maintaining ecosystem balance, according to America's Grasslands Coalition.

Grasslands also store huge amounts of carbon, which helps to regulate the atmosphere, Sensenig said. It is important for soil conservation, water regulation and wildlife habitat, Wedin said.

Grasslands are thought to store 30% of the world's soil-based carbon -- and 80% of that carbon is beneath the ground in the soil, Sensenig said.

Keystone herbivore species such as the American bison, elk and mule deer live in grasslands and help to regulate the rich plant biota for other creatures to thrive, Keyser said. Birds, pollinators and smaller mammals, such as prairie dogs, also depend on the open, grassy ecosystem and assist in maintaining the biodiversity, Estes said.

Grassland ecologists are concerned about the gradual degradation of grasslands due to lack of management and climate change and other changes to the environment, such as intensive modern agriculture, Wedin said.

"These sorts of chronic, low-level threats have a cumulative impact on our grasslands," Wedin said.

Nearly half of 2,014 Americans surveyed are unfamiliar with grasslands, according to findings released Wednesday by America's Grasslands Coalition.

Increasing appreciation and awareness of America's grasslands is key to accelerating conservation action, according to the coalition.

The upcoming 250th birthday of America is an integral time to raise awareness of the importance of grasslands, Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of wildlife conservation at the World Wildlife Fund, said in a statement.

"As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this is a moment to recognize the landscapes that have shaped the nation," Hemley said. "From iconic species like bison to the communities that depend on them, grasslands are part of that heritage -- and protecting them is part of our shared future."

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(CHICAGO) -- For former President Barack Obama and former first Lady Michelle Obama, the opening of the Obama Presidential Center Friday is the culmination of their shared journey from Chicago’s South Side to the White House.

In their first joint network TV interview since leaving office in 2017, the couple reflected on their accomplishments in their eight years in the White House and the hope they have for the country ahead.

"People are a little discouraged right now," Barack Obama told ABC News' Robin Roberts in an interview that aired Wednesday on "Good Morning America." "But, again, I believe that we go through these cycles, and there's going to be a younger generation that pops up and there are going to be leaders who pop up."

The former president said since leaving office, he has largely refrained from inserting himself too much into public policy debates as he sees himself these days as less of a “player” and more of a “coach” for the new generation of leaders.

"You pick and choose your spots. I'm not suggesting I've done it perfectly," he said, going on to cite the example of how George Washington stepped away from politics after his time in office.

"He kind of said, 'All right, I've done my stint. And now I'm going, you know, back home,'" Barack Obama said of the nation's first president. "I think Michelle, you know, very much would prefer a quieter life for us. And on the other hand, there've been some folks who would like to see me out every day, right, banging the drum."

With the Obama Presidential Center, part of the hope, he said, is to "encourage the next generation of leadership."

The center’s campus encompasses 19 acres in Chicago’s Jackson Park, just steps from the University of Chicago. At a cost of $850 million, it includes 3.7 acres of parkland, offices for the Obama Foundation, an auditorium for public events, public art and athletic facilities, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

In collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration, the Obama presidential archives are fully digital.

The center’s centerpiece is a four-story museum that places the Obama years within a greater context of social change, starting with the Declaration of Independence and spanning the civil rights and labor movements, as well as the grassroots political movement in Chicago that led to Barack Obama’s political ascent.

Obama on his greatest accomplishment in office
When asked by Roberts what he considers the greatest accomplishment of his two terms in office, Barack Obama cited the passage of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010, which expanded Medicaid, provided greater consumer protections, and lowered health insurance costs, especially for households at or below the federal poverty level.

He said the legislation continues to show that his administration represented all of America.

"For all the resistance from our political opposition, the Affordable Care Act has now helped 50, 60 million people, and continues to help people even though the current Congress has tried to weaken it and taken away some of the subsidies that were really helping a lot of working people," the former president said. "I'm very proud of the message we sent to the country that we're representing everybody."

In addition to his legislative accomplishments, museum also tells the story of Barack Obama's political ascendancy and how the core messages of “hope” and “change” were critical to his campaign for his first term.

Despite the harsh partisanship of today’s political culture, Michelle Obama said those messages are still possible.

“People just have to be fed up enough. They have to want more," she said. "And I think the presidential center hopefully will remind people of just how close we are to moving this country in the direction that we want to move it in."

Michelle Obama said an exhibit in the center that reflects on the Obamas' position as the first Black first family in the history of America reflects that.

"You have one exhibit where people thought that it could never happen, that a Black man, a Black family would never live in the White House. That America would never accept that," she said. "And lo and behold, the whole country, you know, the vast majority of the country believe differently."

Amid the museum's focus on the promise of democracy, Barack Obama said Americans, in times of disagreement, can focus on making their voice heard with their vote.

"The premise of this country is everybody gets a right to say, 'No, I don't agree with that. I challenge that. No, Obama, I think you're making a mistake,' you know?" he said. "And then we have a conversation about it, and then it gets settled in an election. And if enough people decide I didn't know what I was doing, then you move on to the next person."

Tune into the ABC News special "The Obama Legacy: First Joint Interview Post-White House," streaming Thursday, June 18, on Disney+ and Hulu.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.

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(NEW JERSEY) -- Six people were injured, including three teenagers, in an apparently targeted acid attack in New Jersey, police said.

A juvenile has been arrested in connection with the incident, with charges pending, a police spokesperson said Tuesday.

The incident occurred Monday night in a residential area of Jersey City, officials said.

The victims were outside when "individuals riding in a vehicle drove up and threw what is believed to be sulfuric acid at them," Kim Wallace Scalcione, a spokesperson for Jersey City's Department of Public Safety, said in a statement.

"The incident appears to have been targeted and may have stemmed from a dispute between a large group of people earlier in the day," she said.

The victims were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, including skin burns and peeling. One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was transferred to a burn unit on Tuesday to be treated for second-degree burns to her face and scalp, Wallace Scalcione said.

Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said he has directed police to "use its full resources" on the investigation, which remains ongoing.

"My thoughts are with those hurt in this horrific attack, and I want our communities to know that violence like this has absolutely no place on our streets," Solomon said in a statement.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The FBI disrupted an alleged plot targeting the "UFC Freedom 250" fights at the White House on Sunday that included explosive drones designed to target buildings in the area to spark a mass evacuation, according to authorities.

Five people are in custody as of Tuesday morning, authorities said, and one person has been formally charged. The suspects were allegedly in Signal chats discussing preoperational plans, according to court documents, with some of those involved in the plot allegedly traveling to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13.

FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials warned in a bulletin earlier this month that the fights were "attractive symbolic targets." There were no credible threats listed in the bulletin at the time.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held in the evening on Sunday, June 14, on the grounds of the White House. Billed as a celebration of America's 250th anniversary, it also coincided with the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who was in attendance.

The alleged plot involved explosive-laden drones, according to court documents, which were designed to hit buildings in the area to spur a mass evacuation.

A "second wave" targeting a security checkpoint was then planned, authorities said.

In a statement to ABC News, FBI Director Kash Patel praised the "rapid action" of the FBI and its partners, that involved a "a multi-state operation."

Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint on Tuesday charging 19-year-old Tycen Proper, of Ohio, with conspiring against the United States, attempted murder of an officer of the U.S. and firearms charges in connection with the alleged weekend plot.

Officers with the Knox County Sheriff's Office and Danville Police Department were dispatched to Proper's home on June 10 after his mother raised concerns about his recent actions including firearms purchases and communications with certain individuals online, according to the complaint.

When officers spoke to his parents, they said Proper had recently met people online and had been planning "recons" with them. They also said he had plans to leave to meet up with them the weekend of June 13, according to the complaint.

Proper's father told investigators the 19-year-old had recently acquired camping gear, food, ballistic plates, a new shotgun and rifle and "lots" of ammunition, using roughly $3,000 of money he had received for graduation, the complaint alleges.

Proper's mother told investigators he "had recently begun interacting with a group online that was comprised of individuals who claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based" who had "expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions," according to prosecutors.

The suspect's mother also told investigators she had observed him engaging in physical training and that she had overheard recent conversations her son had allegedly been having with this online group, the complaint said.

Proper allegedly told his mother he couldn't tell her exactly what they were planning but described "recon" and "hit and run" missions which she believed meant conducting shootings and leaving, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors said Proper also allegedly quit his job recently in preparation to meet the individuals he was interacting with online.

During an interview on June 11 at the medical facility, Proper allegedly admitted to planning a coordinated attack at the UFC event held at the White House, according to prosecutors.

Proper told investigators that members of the group he was communicating with "believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt" and that their coordinated attack would help bring about a revolution, according to the complaint.

He told investigators he was allegedly planning to drive to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to meet up with other members of the group -- taking his weapons, body armor and ammunition including an AR-15, according to the complaint.

"PROPER said that although he was not going to the protest in order to shoot people, several other members of the group were intent on violence," the complaint alleged.

The complaint alleged that a review of Proper's cellphone revealed Signal chats aligning with the alleged plotting and members specifically discussed escape and evasion resources for the attack, a location of a potential "safe house" and other plans -- one of which included members of the group planning to travel from the White House to the Potomac River to escape.

In one of the chats, Proper allegedly identified Sen. Marsha Blackburn as a target for her support for Israel and then sent other images of politicians including Sen. Jim Justice, Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, Rep. Carol Miller and Rep. Riley Moore, according to the complaint.

Proper was transported to the local hospital after the interview where they submitted an application for admission based on "homicidal ideations," the complaint said.

Proper has not entered a plea yet, according to court records. An attorney for Proper did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

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(NEW YORK) -- Gulf Coast states already dealing with massive floods are bracing for even more extreme weather as the first tropical storm of the season could form as early as Tuesday night.

Tropical Storm watch issued for 2 states

The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch on Tuesday for the Gulf Coast from southeast Texas --including the cities of Brazosport, Galveston and Port Arthur-- to parts of southwestern Louisiana. 

Potential Tropical Cyclone One, the name of the low-pressure system developing, is forecast to become a tropical storm later Tuesday or early Wednesday along the Gulf Coast.

If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. 

A hurricane is not expected to form, according to the latest forecast.

Very heavy rain is forecast for New Orleans as early as Wednesday evening or as late as Thursday morning, depending on how quickly the storm develops. New Orleans is under a flood watch. 

Winds will gust over 40 mph at times along the coast and coastal flooding may also become an issue, according to the forecast.

Deadly flash flood threat continues in the South

A woman in Bandera County, northwest of San Antonio, Texas, called 911 on Monday morning, saying her car was being swept away into a creek by floodwaters, the county's sheriff's office said on social media.

Within moments, the call dropped, the office said, and hours later the woman was found dead in the vehicle "several miles downstream" of its initial entry point, the sheriff's office said. The woman was not immediately identified.

In San Antonio, Houston and Waco there were stalled vehicles due to high waters on roads. In Shreveport, Louisiana, there were water rescues and water entering buildings.

In St. Martin, Mississippi, ramps to I-10 and I-110 were closed due to high waters. South of there, at Kessler Air Force Base, several roads became impassible.

More than 17 million Americans remain on Tuesday under a flood watch from Texas to Mississippi. 

Heavy rainfall may lead to localized significant flash flooding from Corpus Christi to Houston to Lafayette and Alexandria, Louisiana, and McComb, Mississippi. A level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place there. 

The greatest risk is likely along a frontal boundary laid over central Louisiana and into southeast Mississippi -- rainfall may be heavy for a few hours in this area on Tuesday and could lead to significant flooding. 

Rains closer to the coast are going to be more difficult to sustain but there is certainly enough ingredients there that if they get going, localized instances of significant flash flooding are possible. 

Tomorrow, the level 3 of 4 flood threat is for Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Lafayette.

On Thursday, the level 3 of 4 flood threat moves to Baton Rouge through Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL and Birmingham, AL. 

This heavier rain for Wednesday and Thursday will come from a developing tropical low over the western Gulf. 

The National Hurricane Center gives it a 60% chance of forming into a tropical storm later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first of the season. 

Severe weather outbreak in the Midwest on Wednesday

About 40 million Americans are in the storm zone where a severe weather outbreak is expected on Wednesday

The greatest likelihood for a destructive outbreak is in Illinois and Indiana, and possible for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, too. 

A level 4 of 5 moderate risk for destructive storms is in place for central Illinois and northern Indiana on Wednesday. This includes Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign and Bloomington, Illinois, along with Rensselaer, Indiana.

Large and long-lived tornadoes are possible, along with destructive wind gusts up to 80 mph, and hail up to the size of baseballs.

The level 3 of 4 risk includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Fort Wayne.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- The death of a Central Park carriage horse that collapsed last week while on a ride with two passengers was caused by a foreign toxic plant, according to a necropsy publicized on Tuesday by the union representing carriage drivers.

The Transport Workers Union of America said the horse, Deniz, was giving a ride near East 90^th Street in Manhattan on June 9 when it paused to eat a shrub along the curb.

A short time later, the 16-year-old horse collapsed and died, according to the necropsy performed by Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, the union said.

Two passengers were in the carriage when the incident happened, police said.

The plant was a Japanese yew, an ornamental that is toxic and deadly to horses, according to the report. 

The union cited the necropsy report to counter growing calls from activists and the Central Park Conservancy to ban carriage horses due to how they're treated.

"Deniz's tragic death was not caused by neglect or abuse or the fact he was a carriage horse -- as some animal rights activists and elected officials claimed," Alexander Kemp, TWU's administrative vice president, said in a statement.

"Poor Deniz died because the people running the Park Conservancy never warned anyone that there were deadly yew plants in the park. This is negligence at the highest level of the conservancy," he added.

The Central Park Conservancy pushed back Tuesday against the TWU's accusations and argued in a statement that the union's "negligence" resulted in the horse's death.

The conservancy noted that horses are prohibited by city law from eating any vegetation anywhere in the Central Park.

"The same rule requires carriage drivers and operators to attend to their horses at all times in order to keep them safe and healthy. Perhaps if they had, Deniz would not have suffered as he did, and died," the Central Park Conservancy said in a statement.

There have been seven carriage horse related incidents in the last 13 months within the park's vicinity, including one in January where a horse dashed into traffic and crashed into cars, according to the Central Park Conservancy.

Some animal activist groups, like PETA, have long protested horse-drawn carriage rides in the park, arguing that the animals are put in danger because of nearby car traffic and forced to work in poor conditions, especially in extreme weather.

Deniz had passed a physical exam conducted by the NYPD's Mounted Unit veterinarian in March, according to the TWU.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A woman was shot and killed on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning in what police are calling a "tragic" domestic violence homicide, and the suspect was fatally shot by police on a bus nearby.

Several people witnessed the shooting, which unfolded at about 7:10 a.m., and saw the alleged gunman flee on a bus, Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Jeff Carroll said at a news conference.

Officers tracked down the bus, pulled it over and started evacuating passengers, Carroll said.

About five passengers remained on the bus when officers approached the suspect, Carroll said.

When the suspect pulled a gun from his bag and pointed it at an officer, two officers shot at the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Carroll said.

The suspect's gun had an extended magazine, "so there was the potential for lots of ammunition to be in that gun," Carroll said.

The victim and the suspect had a "prior relationship, ... so we believe that is probably the motive," Carroll said.

"This is the second domestic homicide that we've had this year," he said. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all the individuals that are involved in the situation. It's a very tragic situation."

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(CALIFORNIA) -- An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, the base said.

"Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing," the base said in a statement.

The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. local time.

The base has closed the airfield and said all inbound planes are being diverted.

The Air Force and NASA conduct test flights of new and developmental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.

The B-52 Stratofortress -- which typically carries a crew of five -- is a long-range bomber first introduced in the 1950s that remains a central part of the U.S. military's air power. Built by Boeing, the aircraft is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons over long distances and has been used in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to operations in the Iran war.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(BUFFALO, N.Y.) -- More than four years after he gunned down 10 Black people in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, Payton Gendron's federal trial reaches a crucial point on Monday in selecting a jury that will decide whether he lives or dies.

Gendron, who will turn 23 next week, has already pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from the May 14, 2022, attack at a Tops supermarket, including domestic terrorism motivated by hate. He is serving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Gendron, according to his attorneys, has proposed pleading guilty to the 27-count federal indictment, including 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, but the Department of Justice has rejected his offer.

"The United States believes the circumstances in Counts 11-20 of the Indictment are such that, in the event of a conviction, a sentence of death is justified," federal prosecutors said in January 2024, when they announced the decision to pursue the death penalty against Gendron.

On Monday, about 1,200 potential jurors who filled out an initial questionnaire were summoned to appear at the U.S. District Court in Buffalo to complete a more extensive inquiry to determine whether they can serve as fair and impartial jurors.

Based on their responses, Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, who is overseeing the case, and the attorneys involved hope to whittle the potential jury pool down to several hundred.

Those who make the cut will be brought back in August to be questioned by the lawyers and judge, who are hoping to seat 12 jurors and at least six alternates for the trial scheduled to begin in October.

Gendron has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

Garnell Whitfield, the former Buffalo fire commissioner, whose 86-year-old mother, Ruth Whitfield, was killed in the supermarket attack, said he plans to attend Monday's court proceedings.

Whitfield told ABC News that he's hoping that the upcoming trial will expose those whom he says helped radicalize Gendron, including the social media companies that allegedly provided the addictive algorithms that fed Gendron's hate of Black people.

"I'm more concerned with that than I am with him. He's a dead man walking as far as I'm concerned," Whitfield said.

Social media companies are not defendants in the trial, have not accused of any wrongdoing by prosecutors.

Whitfield and other relatives of those killed and wounded in the attack filed a lawsuit in May 2023 against several social media companies alleging they facilitated the teenage killer's white supremacist radicalization by allowing racist propaganda to fester on their platforms. The outcome of the case is still pending in the state Supreme Court. The social media companies have denied all wrong doing.

During his sentencing in the state case in May 2023, Gendron apologized to the relatives of the victims, saying he was "very sorry for all the pain" he caused and "for stealing the lives of your loved ones."

"I did a terrible thing that day," Gendron said in court. "I shot and killed people because they were Black. Looking back now, I can’t believe I actually did it. I believed what I read online and acted out of hate. I know I can’t take it back, but I wish I could, and I don’t want anyone to be inspired by me and what I did."

Gendron planned the massacre for months -- including previously traveling twice to the Tops store he targeted, a more than three-hour drive from his home in Conklin, New York -- to scout the layout and count the number of Black people present, according to state prosecutors. Wearing tactical gear, body armor and wielding an AR-15-style rifle he legally purchased and illegally modified, Gendron committed the rampage on a Saturday afternoon when prosecutors said he knew the store would be full of Black shoppers.

The attack was caught on a Tops supermarket surveillance camera and a helmet camera worn by Gendron that he used to livestream on Twitch. Before the attack, he also posted a racist screed online containing the names of past mass shooters he admired.

Brian Buckmire, an ABC News legal analyst, said Gendron's attorneys are aiming at seating jurors who can set aside the defendant's guilty plea and decide the case based on the facts presented at trial.

"This is not a case of guilt or innocence; this is a case ... of attempting to save his life," he said.

Buckmire said that in the current phase of jury selection, potential members of the panel will likely be asked about their personal beliefs about the death penalty.

He noted that the judge in the case has already denied a request from the defense to move the trial from Buffalo in Erie County to Rochester in Monroe County.

"So, it's deep in the heart of where all of this harm happened," Buckmire said.

Buckmire said the defense is facing an uphill battle and will likely focus on trying to persuade the jury that Gendron should not be put to death.

"From a fact-based standpoint, it’s hard to say he’s not guilty," Buckmire said. "I think the only argument here and the only strength of anything they can make out here is he doesn’t deserve the death penalty because of his age [and] the influences he had."

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(SENATOBIA, Miss.) -- A child was killed after an officer fired upon a vehicle following a reported shoplifting at a Walmart in Mississippi, authorities said.

An adult was also critically injured in the shooting, which occurred Sunday afternoon outside a Walmart in Senatobia, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

Law enforcement officers who responded to a shoplifting call at the Walmart encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, the bureau said.

"Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one," the bureau said in a statement, noting that the information is preliminary. "An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene."

The individuals in the vehicle went to a local hospital, where the child was pronounced dead, according to the bureau. One of the adults also had critical injuries, it said.

Authorities did not provide further details on the shooting victims, including the age of the child killed.

The Senatobia Police Department and Tate County Sheriff's Office were involved in the shooting incident, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which did not provide details on the officer who discharged the weapon or how many times the gun was fired.

No officers were seriously injured, the bureau said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting and will ultimately share its findings with the state's attorney general's office.

"This is an open and ongoing investigation. No further comment will be made at this time," a spokesperson with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told ABC News on Monday in response to multiple questions on the incident.

Senatobia is located in northwestern Mississippi, about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.

The Senatobia Police Department said the officer-involved shooting occurred just after 2 p.m. Sunday.

"We are committed to full transparency," the Senatobia Police Department said in a statement. "As the investigation progresses and facts are verified, we will share as much information as possible."

A Walmart spokesperson said they are working with law enforcement amid the investigation.

"We're saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store," the spokesperson said. "The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority."

Senatobia Alderman Chris McConnell urged residents to "rely on official information and allow the investigative process to proceed."

"Please join me in praying for everyone involved, their families, our law enforcement officers, first responders, and the entire Senatobia community," he said in a statement.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Vice President JD Vance on Monday spoke about the settlement that would extend the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and pave the way for 60 days of technical negotiations to end the war, saying it has been signed "digitally."

Vance said the agreement marked a moment in which Iran has a "two-path" option.

"On the one hand, if they continue to try to rebuild their nuclear program, this deal ensures they will never have the resources to do that," Vance told ABC News' "Good Morning America" in an interview on Monday. "On the other hand, if the Iranians are willing to give a long-term commitment -- along with proper verification -- to giving up that nuclear weapon, we’re willing to welcome them into the world economy, to lift some sanctions and to turn over a new leaf in that relationship."

Iranian officials have long publicly maintained that the country's nuclear program operates only for civilian purposes, although Western officials have said their uranium enrichment has gone beyond what would be needed for civilian use. Iran has also said it does not have ambitions to create nuclear weapons, a claim that American officials have disputed.

Vance's interview followed a Sunday social media post from President Donald Trump, who said the United States and Iran reached an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire in the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

Vance said that the deal had already been digitally signed by parties, but also maintained that there would be a signing ceremony on Friday -- though it's unclear exactly what the Friday signing will mean if the deal has already been signed digitally. The vice president did say that the full text of the agreement would be released at some point this week and that negotiations were expected to continue.

The exact contents of the agreement is still unclear, and he remained vague about what specifics were in the the text of the already-signed agreement.

When pressed by "Good Morning America" Anchor George Stephanopoulos about whether this deal was the president going back on promises that Iran would need to provide "unconditional surrender," Vance responded that "what this deal fundamentally does is it reopens the Straits of Hormuz."

"You see, oil prices have already come down substantially just in the last 24 hours," Vance added.

Vance also said that the deal includes provisions that Iran will stop funding terror groups, though he did not expand on what exactly that means.

As a potential deal was reportedly coming together on Friday, Vance took to social media to push back on what he described as "fake information" about the potential terms, which he said were expected to include financial incentives for Iran. Vance said funds would not be released to Iran "for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting."

Vance also said that since the deal was digitally signed on Sunday, no money for Iran has been released, "and that won't change, George," Vance said.

Vance on Monday said forward momentum for the deal would hinge on Iranian officials "doing the right thing," including allowing for some form of verification to show that Iran is not working toward building a nuclear weapon.

"This is fundamentally a win-win for the American people," Vance said. "What the president has said is he wants it to be a win for the Iranian people as well. But that requires some real trust building and some real positive conduct from the Iranian political system."

"We're going to see if that happens," he added. "If it does, they're absolutely going to find the president of United States and the entire team a willing partner, to make their country more prosperous."

Stephanopoulos pressed Vance about whether Israel's comments that they are not party to the agreement amid their continued hostilities in Lebanon, asking Vance whether that might complicate the peace settlement.

"Well, George, everything's going to complicate the deal, as you know, in this region of the world, even a ceasefire, sometimes they're a little bit dirty," Vance said. "It goes from shooting a lot to shooting a little to shooting not at all. But what we fundamentally believe is that this is going to be a good deal for the people of Israel, for the people of the Gulf, the people of America, and again, potentially for the people of Iran as well."

A landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, followed two years of negotiations. It imposed restrictions on Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran, in that 2015 deal, agreed to international monitoring and to keeping its nuclear program "solely for peaceful purposes," according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

Trump withdrew the U.S. that deal in 2018, during his first term.

"There are all of these ways I could explain the ways this deal is fundamentally better for the American people than the JCPOA," Vance said on Monday. "But the fundamental difference is that the Gulf Coast coalition, our Arab partners in the region, they hated the JCPOA, because they felt that it emboldened Iran to be a bad actor. They love this deal because they feel that it's going to create a totally new dynamic in the Middle East."

ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- Areas in Texas are seeing from 3" to more than 5" of rainfall within hours, leading to flash flooding in places like Waco and Austin, with a flood watch in effect for much of central and southern Texas.

Flash flooding on I-35 in Waco led to water rescues and stranded vehicles. The Texas Game Wardens said on social media that their rescue teams and local partners were responding to "numerous" calls involving people trapped by floodwater.

Videos from the area show the flooding as well as first responders helping some of those who were stranded.

"I am sincerely lucky to be alive. When I got there, there were no first responders," Rick Smith, who filmed a video showing people wading through waist-high water, wrote on social media. "I am so thankful that retaining wall held up otherwise this situation could've been a horrible tragedy. There were many of us literally trapped on I 35."

A stationary frontal boundary is draped across the South, bringing daily flash flood risks to the region through the week ahead.

A flood watch continues for central and southern Texas through much of Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi through Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, depending on location. Torrential rainfall rates of 2" to 4" per hour are possible.

Houston is under a level 3/4 moderate risk for excessive rainfall and flash flooding for four days in a row -- Monday through Thursday. Significant flood events are possible each day.

A low pressure system from the Gulf could bring more rain to South Texas mid to late week, hence the high rain and flooding potential there.

A widespread 4" to 6" is expected across southeast Texas, much of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Thursday.

The Houston area and other pockets of the South could see more than half-a foot of rain, and in a worst-case scenario depending on what happens later in the week, a 5-day total of 10" plus is possible for the Houston region.

Dangerous heat in the Pacific Northwest

Record high temperatures started in western Washington and Oregon on Sunday -- with new high temp record for Seattle (89) and Portland (94).

Record highs will be possible again on Monday, with highs near 100 for Portland and near 90 in Seattle.

An extreme heat warning continues on Monday for Portland, along with a heat advisory for Seattle. Temperatures will be cooler on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the 70s for Seattle and 80s for Portland.

Severe threat mid-week

Wednesday, a level 3/5 enhanced threat is in place from Missouri through central Illinois and Indiana. Destructive wind, large hail, and strong tornadoes are possible.

Indianapolis, St. Louis, Springfield and Peoria, Illinois, and Columbia, Missouri, are included in the threat.

A level 2/5 is in place for Chicago, Columbus, Kansas City, Wichita and Toledo.

ABC News' Jessica Gorman and Camilla Alcini contributed to this report. 

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(NEW YORK) --- Millions of Americans are under severe weather threats as storms and summer heat continue on both coasts.

This severe weather threat will impact parts of the central United States, from Texas to Illinois.

A flood watch is also in effect for parts of eastern Kansas, western Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas until Sunday morning.

A level 3 of 5 "enhanced risk" is in effect for parts of Nebraska, Oklahoma, eastern Kansas and much of western and central Missouri -- including Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Springfield, Missouri.

The main threats are damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.

The severe weather threat shifts back to parts of the East Coast with more than 50 million on alert for severe storms on Sunday.

A level 2 of 5 "slight risk" is up from northern North Carolina to upstate New York and includes Raleigh, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; New York City; Pittsburgh; and Albany, New York.

The main threats are damaging winds, large hail and lightning.

Heading into next week, the severe weather looks to stall for a couple of days before ramping back up by the middle of the week.

The summer heat and humidity continues in the South, with heat advisories in effect for millions from the Carolinas and Florida out to Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The Northeast will see lower humidity this weekend so the heat will not be as dangerous despite temperatures in the 80s and 90s.

An extreme heat warning is already in place for the Portland, Oregon, area where a life-threatening heat wave is expected Sunday through Tuesday with temps reaching 95 to 100 degrees.

For the West coast, a heat advisory is in place in California's central valley from Redding to Bakersfield with high temps from 100 to 105 possible. Closer to the Bay Area, high temps around 100 are possible for San Jose and Santa Clara. 

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(MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.) -- Two women wanted in Maryland for allegedly killing the mother of one of the suspects were captured in Ohio after an individual who offered to help them realized from media coverage that they were wanted for murder, authorities said.

The arrests came nearly three weeks after the victim, 67-year-old Hilde Henderson, is believed to have been killed at her apartment at a senior living community in Silver Spring, Maryland, authorities said.

Officers conducting a welfare check on May 26 found Henderson dead from blunt force trauma, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. She is believed to have been dead for four days, police said.

The victim's daughter, 29-year-old Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, and the daughter's girlfriend, 36-year-old Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, were subsequently identified as suspects in the homicide, police said. Police obtained an arrest warrant charging them both with first-degree murder and released their photos amid the search for the suspects.

Following a nationwide search, the two were ultimately arrested Wednesday in Genoa, Ohio, thanks to a local tip, police said.

A woman in Genoa unwittingly offered to help the couple, until she and her friend grew suspicious and learned of the ongoing manhunt by searching one of their names online, according to ABC Toledo affiliate WTVG.

Adrienne Behrman told WTVG that the suspects came into her workplace and told her they were homeless, so she offered to help and invited them to stay at her apartment.

"I've been down and out myself -- homeless, without money, you know, just not wanting to be a charity case or anything like that, and I just felt like I was led to help them," Behrman told the station.

Behrman recounted, though, that the more questions she asked them about where they were from and where they wanted to go, "things were not adding up."

She told her concerns to a friend, Nikki Peters, who said she noticed that the last name of one of the suspects from a Cash App payment request for cigarettes didn't match the name she had been told, WTVG reported.

"That didn't make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name," Peters told WTVG.

While searching Tjongarero-Henderson's name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.

"I almost passed out," Peters told the station. "[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out."

"That didn't make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name," Peters told WTVG.

While searching Tjongarero-Henderson's name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.

"I almost passed out," Peters told the station. "[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out."

Behrman said she called 911, WTVG reported.

"That orchestrated the whole thing the way that it needed to be done in order for them to be apprehended and no one else to be hurt," Behrman told the station.

Tjongarero-Henderson and Raebel are being held at the Ottawa County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Maryland, authorities said.

Police have not released details on what evidence led them to identify the couple as suspects in the case.

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(MINNESOTA) -- A missing woman was found in a Minnesota puddle of mud where she told her rescuers she had been stuck for days. 

Kathryn Woessner, 68, was last seen on June 3 before her rescuers found her on June 6, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. 

Woessner did not have any personal belongings with her, according to the sheriff’s office. 

Woessner told the men who rescued her that her car was stuck and she was trying to get out when she went around to the other side, slipping and falling into a puddle that was probably 2 feet deep, according to Mike Gravalin and Adam Sandbeck, the two men who saved her. 

Woessner told the men the mud was like quicksand, they told KSTP. 

Woessner told the men she had been stuck on her back for days and she was seriously sunburned on her face, Gravalin and Sandbeck told KSTP.

Due to her medical conditions, she was taken to Essentia Health- St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brained, according to the sheriff’s office. 

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