(HOUSTON, Texas) -- Less than a week after returning from their historic 10-day, 694,481-mile journey to the moon and back, the Artemis II crew answered questions on Thursday about their successful mission.

During a news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, home of the Mission Control Center, the three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut spoke fondly of their time aboard the Orion spacecraft, Integrity, and recalled how they came together as a crew during the first mission to the moon in more than 50 years.

Reid Wiseman, who served as the Artemis II commander, said, "What an amazing journey that was. First and foremost, Victor, Christina, Jeremy, just thank you. This was an unbelievable adventure, and it was made possible by this crew and the support of each other throughout the whole thing." 

He added, "We are bonded forever. I mean, that's the closest four humans can be and not be a family."

"I am here to tell the world: we launched as friends, and we came back as best friends," he added.

When asked by ABC13 reporter Nick Natario whether the gravity of what they've accomplished has hit them and how it may have changed them, the crew said they were focused on completing the mission.

Victor Glover, the pilot for the mission, added, "We did what we said we were going to do, and now we've got to step out and just face that reality."

Christina Koch, one of the flight's mission specialists, said, "When my husband looked me in the eye on that video call and said, 'No, really, you've made a difference.' It brought tears to my eyes, and I said, that's all we ever wanted."

She added, "When we come before you now, we've done this together. We took your hearts with us and your hearts lifted our hearts."

Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian to travel into deep space, said, "I found it really refreshing to find out how people have followed the mission and been creative with the mission and there's lots of funny stuff online. And that really resonates with me a lot, and it just reinforces something I already knew, but humans are just great people in general. We don't always do great things. We're not always in our integrity, but our default is to be good and to be good to one another." 

When asked if the experience of traveling to deep space created a "sense of universal connectedness," Wiseman said, "I turned to Victor, and I said, I don't think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we're looking at right now, because it was other worldly and it was amazing."

In terms of their sleep about Orion, Koch said that "space sleep is the best sleep ever," and now that she's back on Earth, she said, unlike after her International Space Station mission, this time, "every time I've been waking up or in the first few days, I thought I was floating. I truly thought I was floating and I had to convince myself I wasn't."

Wiseman complimented the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System and said it's ready for the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027.

"My own personal opinion, they could put the Artemis III Orion on the Space Launch System tomorrow and launch it, and the crew would be in great shape," said Wiseman. "This vehicle really handled very well."

When asked what they brought with them on the trip, Wiseman said he took some notes from friends, some great quotes and a bracelet that his daughter had made for him a few years prior. 

The crew was asked what advice they would give to younger people "who are looking skywards."

Wiseman said one thing that he thinks society has lost is the pursuit of challenging goals.

"You have to go do really hard, really challenging things and you have to go move the needle," said Wiseman. "We have to get our hands out there and engaged. Our hands and our minds have got to be engaged."

Glover encouraged young people to "really get comfortable asking questions and then listening to their peers, but also their mentors. I think that's been a game-changer for all of us."

Koch added that people should "find your fulfillment," "do what scares you," and "support those around you."

Hansen said people should "just follow the example that people saw here, don't do it alone, and share what you're trying to accomplish with others, because you need the support of others to do big things, and so share your goals. Be brave enough to share them."

With the next Artemis mission scheduled for as early as next year, the crew discussed their contributions to what comes next for NASA and its pursuit of a moon base.

"We were very much lifted up by the notion that we would get to contribute to astronauts doing this all over again, much sooner than we thought that we were going to be focused on the moon base, on surface operations," said Koch. "And I would say, if nothing else, we are feeling even more excited and just ready to take that on as an agency."

Wiseman added that "if we had a first flight lander on board that thing, I know at least three of my crewmates would have been in it, trying to land on the moon."

"We have to be willing to accept a little more risk than we were willing to accept in the past, and to just trust that we will figure it out in real time. We're not going to be able to pound everything flat before we go. We're going to have to trust each other and crews and Mission Control to work through real problems," Hansen added.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The federal judge presiding over the White House ballroom case on Thursday clarified his ruling to say that security-related work can go on, particularly below ground, but that work on the ballroom itself still cannot proceed without authorization from lawmakers.

Judge Richard Leon ruled on March 31 that President Donald Trump can't build the planned ballroom without authorization from Congress.

In addition to issuing Thursday's clarification, Judge Leon stayed his ruling by another seven days to allow the White House to pursue further appeals.

The revised decision came at the direction of a D.C. Circuit appeals court panel, which ruled 2 to 1 last Saturday that Leon's initial ruling needed to be clarified.

But in elaborating on the exceptions in his order, Leon also warned the Trump administration that security concerns are not a "blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity," saying that it is "neither a reasonable nor a correct reading" of his order for the White House to claim that the ballroom is itself part of a security upgrade, as it did in a recent court filing. 

"It is, to say the least, incredible, if not disingenuous, that Defendants now argue that my Order does not stop ballroom construction because of the safety-and-security exception!" Leon wrote.

Leon said his revised order would allow for "below-ground construction of national security facilities, work necessary to provide for presidential security, and construction necessary to protect and secure the White House and the construction site itself."

Trump officials argued that items such as bulletproof windows, missile-resistant columns and drone-proof roofs -- features of the planned ballroom -- were necessary to enhance security of the executive mansion.

"While these features may well be beneficial, Defendants have not provided any national security justification for why these features must be installed immediately such that they should be excluded from the scope of the injunction," Leon said, noting the appeals court panel's own presumption that it would likely take months, if not years, for those upgrades to be completed.

Leon concluded his opinion by saying he has "no desire or intention to be dragooned into the role of construction manager," and trusts that Trump and his aides will implement his ruling "in good faith and with the benefit of this clarification."

Pointing to his latest stay, which is now set to expire next Thursday, Leon warned in a footnote that "any above-ground construction over the next seven days that is not in compliance with my Amended Order is at risk of being taken down pending the resolution of this case."

The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit court following the judge's revised order Thursday.

Trump also blasted Leon's clarification in a social media post Thursday afternoon.

"This highly political Judge, and his illegal overreach, is out of control, and costing our Nation greatly," Trump wrote.

Saying that the ballroom project will include "Bomb Shelters, a State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Installations, Structures, and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass," Trump claimed that Judge Leon's ruling means that "no future President, living in the White House without this Ballroom, can ever be Safe and Secure at Events, Future Inaugurations, or Global Summits."

The White House announced the construction of a 90,000-square foot ballroom in late July, and demolition began suddenly on the East Wing in late October when workers were spotted tearing down the wing of the White House.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in December seeking to stop the ballroom construction until the project completes the standard federal review process and the administration seeks public comment on the proposed changes to the White House.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was charged with assault for allegedly pointing a gun at the heads of two motorists in Minneapolis in February, the Hennepin County Attorney's office said Thursday.

According to the prosecutor's complaint, Gregory Morgan Jr., an ICE agent in Minneapolis, was ending his shift on Feb. 5 and was a driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a person allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass them, and the agent then allegedly brandished a firearm at them. 

Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a warrant has been issued nationwide for his arrest. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity said in a news conference Thursday that Morgan has not been taken into custody but hopes he'll turn himself in.

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to ABC News' request for comment.

The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.

Moriarity said Thursday that Morgan was driving "illegally" on the shoulder, "appearing to bypass shoulder traffic."

The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor's complaint.

"There were no markings on Defendant's vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens," according to the complaint. "Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2. Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant's appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible." 

That is when they called police to report what had happened, the complaint said. 

Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.

According to the prosecutor's complaint:

"[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1's vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled 'Police Stop.' [Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to 'back up.' Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building."

Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling.

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(NEW LENOX, Ill.) -- One of Pope Leo's brothers was the victim of a false bomb threat on Wednesday night, according to the New Lenox, Illinois, police department.

Officers received a call at 6:29 p.m. for a reported bomb threat at a private residence, officials said.

"Upon receiving the report, officers were immediately dispatched to the scene and established a secure perimeter to ensure the safety of nearby residents. Out of an abundance of caution, surrounding homes were notified, and asked to evacuate," according to a statement from the police department. "Specialized units, including the Will County Sheriff's Office bomb sniffing K9 were requested to assist in the investigation."

There were no explosives, and no injuries, according to police.

"The incident remains under investigation as authorities work to determine the origin of the report. Making false reports of this nature is a serious offense and may result in criminal charges," the statement says. "Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the NLPD at 815-485-2500 or submit an anonymous tip through the Village of New Lenox website."

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(NEW YORK) -- The husband of an American woman who is missing in the Bahamas has left the islands two days after being released by local authorities, his attorney said Wednesday, as the search continues for his wife, Lynette Hooker.

The attorney for Brian Hooker said his mother is not well.

Meanwhile, cadaver dogs from the U.S. Coast Guard are now being used to help with the search for Lynette Hooker, local police told ABC News.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force said in a statement Thursday that the search and recovery work is ongoing, with operations involving "extensive shoreline patrols, sea patrols, aerial drone surveillance, and submersible drone operations."

Lynette Hooker has been missing since the evening of April 4. Her husband reported she went overboard on a dinghy.

When the 55-year-old Michigan woman and her husband departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay, bad weather caused her to fall off the dinghy, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested on April 8 and questioned by police. He was released on Monday without charges.

Brian Hooker told ABC News on Tuesday that he was staying in the Bahamas with a "sole focus" of finding his wife, "no matter how likely or unlikely that is."

He said at the time that he planned "to go back to the boat, and then hire or beg people to help me go find some areas to search."

Brian Hooker's attorney did not allow him to answer questions about what happened the night his wife went overboard due to the pending investigation.

When asked if there was anything he wishes he'd done differently, Brian Hooker was emotional, saying, "I will always think there was something I could have done differently. My one job, my one job was to look out for her, and that has not happened. And I'm gonna keep looking out for her now, the best I can." 

ABC News' Brian Andrews contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Cerina, in their home before taking his own life, police said Thursday.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters that there was an "ongoing domestic dispute surrounding a complicated, messy divorce."

Police responded to a domestic call at the couple's Annandale, Virginia, home in January, Davis said, but no charges were filed from that incident. The couple were separated but still living together inside the house, according to Davis.

"Former Lt Gov Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night," he said.

Davis said that the shooting took place around midnight and the couple's two teenage children were inside the home.

Their son, the eldest child, called 911, according to Davis.

"[It's] a traumatic event for those children to live through," he said.

Fairfax served as the state's lieutenant governor between 2018 and 2022.

The investigation is ongoing.

Police responded to a domestic call at the couple's Annandale, Virginia, home in January, Davis said, but no charges were filed from that incident.

Davis said Cerina Fairfax had set up several cameras in the house prior to the January domestic call, and that footage from the cameras had evidence from Thursday's incident.

Davis added that the camera footage previously led investigators to determine that the January 911 call, where the former lieutenant governor alleged his wife assaulted him, was uncorroborated.

The couple had been married for 19 years and had met while they both attended Duke University.

Cerina Fairfax had a private practice in Fairfax, Virginia. She graduated from VCU’s Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry in 2005, according to the bio on her practice's page.

"She is committed to serving not only her patients but others as well through participation in community outreach programs, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, vocational training programs, and contributions to local charities and nonprofits intended to aid individuals and/or organizations helping those in need," her bio read.

Justin Fairfax served as the state's lieutenant governor between 2018 and 2022. He had served as a private attorney and assistant DA before he first ran for office in 2013 in the Virginia attorney general's race, where he lost by 4,500 votes.

In 2017, he won his bid to be lieutenant governor and became the second Black American in the state's history to hold the position.

During his tenure, Justin Fairfax was accused by two women of past sexual abuse. Although he denied the allegations, several prominent Virginia Democrats, including Sen. Tim Kaine, called for his resignation.

Justin Fairfax was never criminally charged for those allegations and he remained in office until his term was up.

Justin Fairfax ran for governor in 2021 but lost in the Democratic primary.

Davis reflected on the tragedy of the situation and the trauma inflected on the surviving children.

"It's tragic in nature, certainly a fall for fall from grace for a relatively high profile family that seemingly had had a lot of things going in their favor. So tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred," he said.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spencer released a message on X Thursday saying she was praying for the Fairfax children.

"Dr. Fairfax was a devoted mother, beloved dentist in the Fairfax County community, and engaged supporter of her alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University. My prayers are with the Wanzer and Fairfax families as they mourn their own loss, endeavor to make sense of this tragedy, and comfort the Fairfax children," she said.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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(ALASKA) -- Four people, including a child, who got trapped on an ice floe during a seal hunting expedition in Alaska were safely rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, calling it one of the most "challenging missions" the helicopter crew has ever flown.

The daring rescue occurred early Sunday, approximately 10 miles west of Chefornak, a remote village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region in southwestern Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers reported to the Coast Guard at 4:24 p.m. on Saturday that a "group of four people on a subsistence seal hunting expedition required assistance after being trapped on the ice for over 24 hours," the Coast Guard said in a press release.

The group managed to free the 18-foot vessel overnight, but moving ice prevented it from reaching the shore, the Coast Guard said.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak reached the scene at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, and all four people -- three adults and one child -- were safely hoisted aboard, according to the Coast Guard, which released video footage of the rescue.

The conditions at the time included 28-degree air temperature and 29 mph winds, the Coast Guard said.

The individuals were transported back to Chefornak with no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said.

"Our entire crew agreed this was one of the most challenging missions any of us had ever flown," Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Chavarria-Aguilar, pilot-in-command for the helicopter, said in a statement. "We battled nearly every Alaska-centric aviation weather hazard imaginable, such as flying over 800 miles in near-zero visibility through mountainous terrain, blowing snow and icing conditions." 

"It was a long, difficult night, but I'm so proud of everyone involved who worked seamlessly together to bring four people home safely," he added.

The Coast Guard noted that the hunting party had three forms of communication on their vessel -- including satellite-based -- which "greatly enhanced" the aircrew's ability to find and rescue them.

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(NEW YORK) -- Federal prosecutors arrested the organizer of New York City's controversial SantaCon bar crawl Wednesday after they say he allegedly kept a lot of the holiday joy for himself.

Stefan Pildes, 50, is facing federal wire fraud charges that accuse him of siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable funds for his own use, including for concert tickets and vacations.

SantaCon is an event held annually in December in which thousands of attendees dress as Santa Claus and other holiday characters and travel to bars and restaurants throughout the day. 

The event is billed as "a charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year to spread absurdist joy" that charges attendees tickets that cost between $10 and $20, the indictment said.

"When one Attendee, for example, asked what she would receive for purchasing a ticket, the SantaCon Email responded, in part, 'your donation goes to charity and it is only a few bucks and that good feeling will warm your heart faster than whiskey and gingerbread,'" the indictment said.

But of nearly $3 million Pildes raised since 2019, he allegedly diverted more than half to an entity he used as a slush fund, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors allege Pildes used the money for personal expenses, including $365,000 to renovate a lakefront property in New Jersey, $124,000 toward the lease of a "luxury Manhattan apartment," a "$100,000 investment in a boutique resort in Costa Rica founded by a personal friend," and a nearly $3,000 birthday dinner, the indictment said.

He is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Pildes pleaded not guilty and was released on $300,000 bail on Wednesday afternoon. 

He is allowed no contact with any of the organizers of Santa Con, the judge said.

The government is working on a plan to notify victims of his alleged fraud, prosecutors said.

The bar crawl has become a controversial event in Manhattan with complaints from local leaders and residents accusing some intoxicated Santa-dressed revelers of causing disturbances during the day.

New York police have issued several summonses and made some arrests at past SantaCons.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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(ATLANTA) -- A Department of Homeland Security employee was "brutally shot and stabbed to death," Monday, according to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, in a shooting spree across the Atlanta area, in which one other person was killed and a third is in critical condition.

Lauren Bullis was walking her dog on Monday, when she was randomly attacked, allegedly stabbed and shot by Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old born in the United Kingdom who was naturalized in 2022, Mullin said.

"He possesses a prior criminal record that includes convictions for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, and assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and now stands accused of murdering @DHSgov employee Lauren Bullis by shooting and stabbing her while she walked her dog," Mullin wrote on X.

Mullin said Abel was arrested for reportedly shooting a woman to death outside a restaurant before "randomly shooting a homeless man multiple times" outside a supermarket. ABC affiliate WSB reported that man is in critical condition.

Police said Abel, 26, shot and stabbed Burris about four hours later, according to WSB.

Police raided a home that the suspect rented near where Burris was attacked and arrested Abel, WSB reported, who faces at least six charges, including murder, aggravated assault and possession of a gun as a convicted felon.

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(LOS ANGELES) -- Federal authorities are investigating after a California resident reported that a large chunk of ice fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of a house and landed on a couch.

The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Friday at a home in Whittier in Los Angeles County, according to local officials. 

The resident reported hearing "what sounded like an explosion" and found a large block of dirty-looking ice on the living room couch, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn's office said in a press release on Tuesday.

The ice had crashed through the roof and ceiling, according to Hahn's office, which released photos of the damage to the home. 

No one was injured in the incident, Hahn's office said. 

Local law enforcement and fire personnel responded and classified the situation as a "suspicious circumstance," and the resident submitted a report to the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Hahn. 

The home is under the Los Angeles International Airport landing approach. Data from Flightradar24 shows there were planes flying over the house around the time of the incident, and there is a plane over the house approximately every 3 minutes.

Hahn has called for a "thorough and timely" investigation into the incident in a letter to the FAA. The letter, dated Tuesday, noted that a "large mass of ice penetrated the roof of a residential home, causing significant structural damage and posing substantial risk of injury or loss of life."

"While such incidents are rare, the potential consequences are extremely serious," Hahn wrote. "Whether the material originated from aircraft systems, waste leakage, or another source, this event raises important concerns about aviation safety over densely populated communities in Los Angeles County."

The FAA said it is investigating, and that the agency investigates every report it receives alleging ice fell from an airplane and damaged property.

The homeowner, Thania Magana, had reached out to Hahn on Saturday, "requesting assistance ensuring this incident is properly investigated," Hahn's office said.

Magana told ABC Los Angeles station KABC that the ice smelled bad and she's concerned that she touched it.

"We definitely want to know what it consists of and if it's going to affect our health," she told the station.

If the ice was due to a plane, Magana told KABC that she wants to "understand why it happens, because even right now as we're speaking, there's a plane flying over us and it's scary."

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(NEW ORLEANS) -- An apparent Molotov cocktail was used to start a fire outside a Tesla sales office in New Orleans, according to federal officials.

The incendiary device sparked a blaze at the office's front door just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and New Orleans police.

No one was injured, but the business suffered damage, police said.

No arrests have been made, police said. 

ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- A rare asteroid will soon be visible to the naked eye in a rare celestial event, according to astronomers.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis – named after the Egyptian deity of chaos, darkness and fire – is expected to safely pass close to Earth on April 13, 2029, according to NASA.

The asteroid will pass within roughly 20,000 miles of Earth – nearly 12 times closer than the moon's average distance from Earth, and closer than many satellites in geosynchronous orbit – making it one one of the closest approaches ever recorded for an object if its size and a "very rare event," according to NASA.

The approach will be visible to observers on the ground in the Eastern Hemisphere, weather permitting, according to NASA. It will be close enough that sky-watchers won't need a telescope or binoculars to see it, astronomers say.

When Apophis was first discovered in 2004, it was labeled a potentially hazardous asteroid because of the possibility that it could impact Earth in 2029, 2036 or 2068, according to NASA.

After closely tracking the asteroid and its orbit using optical telescopes and ground-based radar, astronomers are now confident that there is no risk of Apophis impacting Earth for at least 100 years.

The Earth's gravitational pull could change the asteroid's orbit around the sun as it passes in 2029, making the orbit slightly larger or the orbital period slightly longer, but the risk of impact with Earth will remain the same, NASA says. Its close passage will also afford astronomers around the world the opportunity to learn more about the asteroid.

Apophis is the Greek name for the Egyptian god known as Apep. The name was proposed by the astronomers who discovered the asteroid: Roy Tucker, David Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi of the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona.

The asteroid is a relic of the early solar system from about 4.6 billion years ago, made of leftover raw material that was never part of a planet or moon, according to NASA. Though its exact size and shape is unknown, it has a mean diameter of about 1,115 feet and a long axis of at least 1,480 feet.

Apophis' surface is weathered due to eons of exposure to space weather, including solar wind and cosmic rays, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Observatories around the world and in space will observe the asteroid's historic approach to Earth in order to better understand its physical properties.

NASA has redirected a spacecraft to rendezvous with Apophis shortly after its close approach in 2029, while the European Space Agency is sending a spacecraft to study it.

When the April 2029 flyby occurs, Apophis will become a member of the "Apollo" group, the family of asteroids that cross Earth's orbit but that themselves have orbits around the sun that are wider than the Earth's, according to the ESA.

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(WASHINGTON) --A federal appeals court on Tuesday halted a criminal contempt inquiry into former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials for last year's deportation of more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison, marking the second time in less than a year that the probe has been frozen.

A divided panel of judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered an end to the inquiry, concluding that the probe into whether the officials knowingly defied a court order with the deportations "encroaches on the autonomy" of the executive branch.

The Trump administration, in March 2025, invoked the Alien Enemies Act -- an 18th century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process -- to deport two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order and ordered that the planes be turned around, but Justice Department attorneys said his oral instructions directing the flight to be returned were defective, and the deportations proceeded as planned.

Boasberg subsequently sought contempt proceedings against the government for deliberately defying his order, and had concluded that "probable cause exists to find the government in criminal contempt" -- but his inquiry was frozen by the same appeals court last year.

When Boasberg attempted to continue with his probe within the confines of the court's order, the Trump administration filed an interlocutory appeal to stop the investigation outright.

"The district court proposes to probe high-level Executive Branch deliberations about matters of national security and diplomacy," Judge Neomi Rao, one of two Trump appointees on the panel who ruled in favor of the government, wrote in Tuesday's order. "These proceedings are a clear abuse of discretion, as the district court's order said nothing about transferring custody of the plaintiffs and therefore lacks the clarity to support criminal contempt based on the transfer of custody."

Judge J. Michelle Childs dissented from the majority and argued that Boasberg should have the latitude to proceed with basic fact-finding into the deportations.

"There is no question that there could be much to fear in a factual inquiry about the actions of potential contemnors who may have defied a court order. However, that does not mean that this court must intervene to end a criminal case before it begins, even for the Executive Branch," she wrote.

In a sharply worded dissent, she argued that "the fate of our democratic republic" depends on whether courts can properly investigate and punish contempt.  

"Without the contempt power, the rule of law is an illusion, a theory that stands upon shifting sands," she said.

Lee Gelernt, the lead counsel representing the Venezuelans, said in a statement, "The opinion is a blow to the rule of law. Our system is built on the executive branch, including the president, respecting court orders. In this case there is no longer any question that the Trump administration willfully violated the court’s order."

The Venezuelan nationals were ultimately released to their home country from CECOT in a prisoner swap last July.

ABC News' Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- More than 50 million people across the Midwest are bracing for severe weather on Tuesday, a day after baseball-sized hail and multiple tornadoes were reported in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kansas.

The threat of damaging storms has shifted slightly south from where strong winds blew the roofs off several buildings on Monday, including the collapse of a nursing home roof in Lodi, Wisconsin.

A level 3 out of 5 "enhanced risk" for severe storms is in place on Tuesday for parts of Iowa, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, far northern Indiana, far northwestern Ohio and southern Michigan. Strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible for parts of the Midwest on Tuesday, including the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa and Detroit.

A level 3 out of 5 "enhanced risk" for severe storms is also in place on Tuesday for parts of central Oklahoma. Some tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible for parts of the south-central Plains on Tuesday, including Oklahoma City.

A widespread area from the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to the U.S.-Canadian border in Michigan is under the threat of slightly less severe storms on Tuesday.

Tornadoes, especially in Oklahoma, are possible, along with large hail and damaging winds.

In the Northeast, there is also a chance for severe storms in parts of the region on Tuesday, with damaging wind gusts expected from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, including the cities of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Binghamton and Albany, New York, and Burlington, Vermont.

The storms are expected to pop up in the Northeast sometime after 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday and continue into the evening.

The severe weather comes after destructive storms hit on Monday in parts of rural Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kansas.

At least 14 tornadoes were reported on Monday across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The sheriff's office in Franklin County, Kansas, reported that three people suffered minor injuries when a suspected tornado touched down in Ottawa, Kansas.

Video taken by ABC Kansas City affiliate station, KMBC, showed the roofs ripped off several buildings in the Ottawa area, including a motel in the city.

In nearby Hillsdale, Kansas, in Miami County, more than 50 homes were damaged by a suspected tornado, according to the Red Cross, which was providing support for displaced families.

On Wednesday, severe storms are expected to be in place from Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa, to southern Wisconsin. Parts of Kansas, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio, including the cities of Pittsburgh and Cleveland, could also be in the path of severe weather on Wednesday.

In Michigan, heavy rains over the past few days, combined with snow melt, caused flooding on Monday when several rivers, including the Manistee River in northwest Michigan's Lower Peninsula, overflowed, officials said. Several roads and bridges were washed away in the flood and some homes were damaged by the floodwaters, authorities said.

The Manistee River, near Sherman, Michigan, reached a new record level on Monday and was still rising early Tuesday morning as heavy rain continued to fall. The river has surpassed 18 feet, topping its previous record of 16.9 feet set in April 2014, authorities said.

Residents living downstream from two Michigan dams were advised to evacuate after seepage was found at the base of the Bellaire Dam in Antrim County. The Cheboygan Dam in Cheboygan County, near Lake Huron, was at risk of failing, authorities said Monday night.

Rain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is expected to taper off on Tuesday afternoon, but another round of thunderstorms is expected to bring more rain to the area on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, increasing the flooding threat and adding pressure to the Bellaire and Cheboygan dams.

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(NEW YORK) -- Brian Hooker, whose wife was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy, told ABC News he is staying on the island with his "sole focus" on finding her.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, has been missing for over a week. She and Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker was arrested on Wednesday and questioned by police. He was released on Monday without charges.

Hooker described being in police custody as “hell.”

“It was a little different chapter of hell in a giant hell that I’m in,” he said, overcome with emotion.

He told ABC News on Tuesday morning that he will stay in the Bahamas until his visa runs out.

He said his "only focus is to go back to the boat, and then hire or beg people to help me go find some areas to search."

"I want you to know Lynette and I loved each other the most -- we’ve been together almost half our lives," Brian Hooker said. "My sole focus is finding Lynette, no matter how likely or unlikely that is. This search for Lynette has been interrupted by the investigation. I understand that investigations have to take place, but I’m going as soon as I can to start finding Lynette."

Brian Hooker’s attorney did not allow him to answer questions about what happened the night his wife went overboard due to the pending investigation.

When asked if there was anything he wishes he’d done differently, Brian Hooker was emotional, saying, “I will always think there was something I could have done differently. My one job, my one job was to look out for her, and that has not happened. And I’m gonna keep looking out for her now, the best I can.”

“I'm going to keep going. I'm not leaving until I'm told to leave or convinced that it's fruitless,” he said.

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(WINN PARISH, La.) -- A Mexican migrant died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers, becoming the 47th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.

In the notification, ICE said that Cabrera was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center.

"Despite life-saving efforts, at approximately 8:51 a.m., an onsite physician at WPMC pronounced Cabrera deceased," the agency said.

Clemente is the 15th Mexican national to die in ICE custody since the administration began its immigration crackdown in 2025. 

Last month, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz called the recent deaths part of "an alarming, unacceptable trend" since the administration took office.

"These deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence," she said in Los Angeles. 

ICE said that Clemente had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, as well as an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm these claims. 

The increase in ICE deaths has coincided with an unprecedented rise in federal immigration detention. The number of people being held recently climbed to a record 70,000, the highest level in the agency's 23-year history.

According to an ABC News analysis of ICE data, the first 14 months of the current term have been the deadliest period at federal detention centers since the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News' analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and just 1 per 100,000 in 2022.

In a previous statement, an ICE spokesperson said, "Consistent with data over the last decade, death rates in custody are 0.009% of the detained population. As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens -- including providing access to proper medical care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives."

"It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care," the statement said. 

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration on Monday agreed to fly the rainbow pride flag on federal grounds at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after the National Park Service's removal of the flag was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, agreed to fly the flag at the site as part of a resolution to the lawsuit filed on Feb. 17 by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, Village Preservation and Equality New York.

The site became the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights in 2016. The pride flag was permanently installed at the site during the Biden administration in 2021, but was removed by NPS in early February.

The move drew sharp criticism from a group of local lawmakers, officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, who rallied at the site on Feb. 12 and installed their own pride flag there to replace the one removed by the government. As the lawsuit moved forward, NPS did not remove the flag that was installed by advocates.

According to court documents, NPS agreed that the pride flag will fly at the site alongside the American flag and the NPS flag.

The Gilbert Baker Foundation, which is named after the artist who created the pride flag in 1978, celebrated the lawsuit's resolution and the government's agreement to fly the flag at the monument.

"The Rainbow Flag is more than a symbol -- it is a global emblem of hope, visibility, and the ongoing struggle for equality," Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, said in a statement announcing the agreement. "Its presence at Stonewall, the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, is both historically and culturally indispensable. Restoring the flag affirms the truth of our history and the legitimacy of our continued fight for dignity and inclusion."

ABC News reached out to the Interior Department and NPS for comment.

The NPS communications office confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News in February. It said that, under federal guidance, "only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions."

"Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site's historic significance through exhibits and programs," the statement continued.

The monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.

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(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) -- A Texas man has been charged with traveling to California to allegedly throw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's house, according to court records unsealed on Monday.

The suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, was allegedly caught on video surveillance outside the CEO's home in San Francisco, according to court records. 

Around 4 a.m. Friday, the suspect allegedly "threw an incendiary destructive device" at Altman's house, which sparked a fire on an exterior gate, San Francisco police said. No one was injured, police said.

The suspect was arrested about an hour later outside OpenAI's headquarters, where he was allegedly threatening to burn down the building, according to police.

Moreno-Gama, who allegedly had kerosene in his backpack, was seen trying to hit the building's glass with a chair, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors said they also found a document in which Moreno-Gama allegedly expressed anti-AI-executive sentiments.

He allegedly had a list of names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors.

"MORENO-GAMA stated he “killed /attempted to kill” Victim-1,” court documents said. “MORENO-GAMA also wrote, 'Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message.'"  

In a separate incident, two people have been arrested for allegedly firing shots at Altman's house on Sunday morning, police said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who earlier this year dismissed the deportation cases of students advocating for Palestinian rights, the union representing immigration judges confirmed Monday.

Roopal Patel, who was appointed as an immigration judge in 2024, ruled in February that there were no grounds to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University. Ozturk was held in detention in Louisiana for 45 days.

Nina Froes, who was also appointed as a judge in 2024, dismissed deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was arrested by immigration authorities immediately following his citizenship interview last April.

Froes and Patel are among 113 immigration judges who have been fired during the current Trump administration. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, six judges were terminated this past weekend alone.

It's unclear if the two judges were terminated directly because of their rulings in the deportation cases of the students.

News of the dismissals was first reported by The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration court judges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said on social media that the firings "violated every basic due process."

"Donald Trump is purging immigration judges who aren't rubber stamps for his cruel, inhumane mass deportation agenda," Goldman said. "In just over a year in office, he has fired more than 100 judges and threatened others who refused to comply with his wishes."

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(WASHINGTON) -- A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister during a family cruise vacation, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

Anna Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Cruise ship Horizon in November while the ship was in international waters and heading to Miami, prosecutors said.

The DOJ alleged the stepbrother "sexually assaulted and intentionally killed" Kepner. The Florida high school senior died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials said.

The boy was initially charged as a juvenile, prosecutors said. He's now been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.

Anna Kepner's father, Chris Kepner, is married to the suspect's mother, Shauntel Kepner.

Chris and Shauntel Kepner said in a statement Monday, "Our family is devastated by the loss of Anna and continues to grieve this unimaginable tragedy."

The couple said the 16-year-old suspect has not yet been taken into custody, which they said has left them "deeply concerned and troubled."

"We believe accountability is critical and are seeking clarity on this matter," they said, adding, "We are placing our trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity."

"This situation is deeply painful and complex for our entire family," the Kepners said. "Anna was deeply loved, and we remain committed to honoring her life and memory every day."

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