Rail strike averted after 20 hours of negotiations
Tens of thousands of railway workers were set to walk off the job Thursday due to long hours and inadequate pay, but a deal was reached overnight between rail companies and union officials.
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ABC NewsHomeland Security proposes change to asylum-seeking process
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday a proposed change to the process for those seeking asylum in the United States that would streamline security assessments. The new proposal would allow asylum officers to determine earlier in the process whether an asylum-seeker is a national security risk and therefore ineligible to stay in the United States, the agency said. The new rule aims to allow that determination to be made during the initial screening phase over a number of reasons including "terrorism, national security or criminal bar," the agency said.
- ABC News
Miss USA names new 2023 titleholder after former winner resigned title
The Miss USA pageant named the new 2023 titleholder as Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss Hawaii USA and the first runner-up in the 2023 Miss USA competition on Thursday, according to the pageant's Instagram page. The announcement comes after former Miss USA Noelia Voigt announced that she would resign the title on Monday, citing mental health. Miss USA also announced Gankiewicz will be officially crowned in her home state of Hawaii next week.
- ABC News
Trump trial live updates: Judge, slamming defense, denies 2nd motion for mistrial
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. Judge Juan Merchan dismissed court for the day following the late hearing.
- ABC News
Priyanka Chopra shares 'husband appreciation post' for Nick Jonas starting new film
Priyanka Chopra is proud of her husband, Nick Jonas. On Thursday, the actress shared a sweet message to Jonas on Instagram and praised his work ethic as he embarks on a new project. "So happy to be reunited as he starts filming Power Ballad," Chopra continued.
- ABC News
Israeli contestant advances to final despite protests, controversy at Eurovision Song Contest
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Sweden on Thursday to oppose the participation of an Israeli contestant in the semifinals of the massively popular Eurovision Song Contest. Protesters in Malmo, Sweden -- where the competition is being held after the country won the 2023 contest -- could be seen waving Palestinian flags and chanting "boycott Israel." Controversy has surrounded the song "Hurricane" by 20-year-old Eden Golan, Israel's contestant, with many demanding she be excluded from the competition over Israel's war in Gaza.
- ABC News
Mom of 3 to spend Mother's Day deployed with daughter
This Mother's Day will be a special one for Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer DeCou, who is currently deployed in Japan with her daughter, Senior Airman Jenaka DeCou. Although the 44-year-old mother of three has been in the U.S. Air Force for the past 26 years, it's the first time she is serving on deployment alongside her 21-year-old daughter, who followed her mom's footsteps into the military. The DeCous come from a military family, and Jennifer DeCou said her grandfathers, who served in the Army and Air Force, inspired her to enlist.
- ABC News
2 skiers still missing in Utah avalanche; 1 digs himself out: Police
A search and rescue effort is underway for two skiers missing in an avalanche on Utah's Lone Peak, after a third dug himself out and called for help, according to the Unified Police Department of Salt Lake City. The skiers are believed to have been buried by an avalanche in the backcountry, according to police. Large, dangerous avalanches are rare this late in the ski season because daytime warmth typically stabilizes the snowpack, the Utah Avalanche Center's Craig Gordon told reporters.
- ABC News
Man sentenced to 27 years for stabbing 3 officers in Times Square on New Year's Eve
Trevor Bickford was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Thursday for a "brazen" 2022 New Year's Eve knife attack in Times Square that seriously injured three New York City Police Department officers, the Department of Justice said. Bickford, who was 19 at the time of the attack, came from Maine in December 2022 intending to carry out a jihadist attack on officers in uniform with a "machete-style knife," prosecutors said.
- Good Morning America
Tornadoes strike across 7 states with more severe weather on the way
The threat for tornadoes continues Thursday following an outbreak of deadly storms throughout the Midwest and South over the past few days. As of Thursday afternoon, at least 17 tornadoes had been reported in the previous 24 hours across seven states. There have been nearly 100 reported or confirmed tornadoes across 18 states since Monday.
- ABC News
Witnesses tell lawmakers US intel community downplaying cases of mysterious 'Havana syndrome'
Witnesses testifying at a congressional hearing have accused the U.S. intelligence community of deliberately downplaying dozens of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) affecting U.S. personnel, often referred to as "Havana syndrome." "It is my view that the executive branch, particularly at the behest of and manipulation by officials within CIA, is not truthfully reporting what it knows," said Mark Zaid, an attorney representing more than two dozen victims of "Havana syndrome," citing U.S. intelligence that he says he's seen in his work but could not reveal in an unclassified setting. An assessment released last year by the U.S. intelligence community found it was "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was behind the cases of the so-called "Havana syndrome" affecting U.S. diplomats, intelligence community members, and Defense Department officials.
- Good Morning America
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travel to Nigeria: What to know about their trip
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are no longer working royals -- having stepped away from the role four years ago -- but for the next several days, the Sussexes will be on a trip that looks similar to their royal tours of the past. Harry and Meghan, who now live in California, on Friday will begin a three-day visit to Nigeria, a country in West Africa that they are both visiting for the first time. Harry and Meghan's visit has no affiliation with Britain's royal family, and is instead at the invitation of the country's Chief of Defense Staff, its highest-ranking military official.
- ABC News
Mental health support at crucial point for fire survivors on Maui
For the thousands of people who survived the Maui fires last August, the trauma of what they lived through still lingers. Lahaina painter Kirk Boes and his wife Laura have lived on Lahaina together for more than 40 years. “There's the initial disbelief, just denial,” Boes told ABC News.
- Good Morning America
Norwegian launches new cruise discount for teachers, complete with onboard credit
This Teacher Appreciation Week, Norwegian Cruise Line is extending an all-new year-round discount for teachers planning their next vacation. Educators and staff from the U.S. and Canada can now get an exclusive 5% discount off the regular fare, plus a $50 onboard credit once they register and verify their status through NCL. "We are proud of our history of thanking educators for their hard work and commitment to shaping the next generation of future leaders," Norwegian Cruise Line President David J. Herrera said in a statement with the newly announced promo.
- Good Morning America
Aldi lowers prices on 250 grocery store items to help shoppers save this summer
With grocery store prices on everyday essentials steadily climbing, one retail giant is aiming to help alleviate sticker shock this summer by lowering prices on hundreds of products. Earlier this week, Aldi announced it will further drop its everyday low prices on more than 250 summer essentials from picnic necessities to barbecue basics, which the company says will pass along $100 million in savings through Labor Day. "ALDI is always looking for ways to help customers save money, but with more experts warning of persistent inflation, the time was right to deliver even greater discounts on our already low prices for the second year in a row," Dave Rinaldo, president at ALDI U.S., said in a statement.
- ABC News
'No easy way out': Biden faces anger from all sides as he navigates Israel-Hamas war
President Joe Biden is taking heat from all sides as he faces what could be the most fraught moment in the Israel-Hamas war since fighting broke out seven months ago. A dizzying number of recent developments, both at home and abroad, have underscored the politically perilous path Biden finds himself on as he navigates criticism from Republicans and Democrats unhappy with his approach to the conflict. All this mixed up with his reelection campaign in which polls show voters say they trust Donald Trump to do a better job in the same tough situation.
- Good Morning America
How eating ultra-processed foods could lead to increased risk of death, study shows
Whole foods in their natural state -- such as fresh fruit and vegetables, grains and lean proteins -- are up against rapidly growing options for ready-to-eat, ultra-processed packaged bites that underdeliver on flavor and nutrition after being refined from what was once a nutrient-dense ingredient into an amalgamation of artificial laden products. A new 30-year correlation study published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal found that diets high in ultra-processed foods -- such as ready-to-eat meats and artificially sweetened beverages -- are associated with slightly increased risk of death. Ultra-processed commercial, packaged foods that are made mostly of industrial-generated colors and additives make up the majority of the average American daily intake in 2018 and are now linked to a modest increase in death.
- ABC News
Student loan rates set to reach 16-year high: 'It's a shock'
The borrowing cost for student loans is poised to reach a 16-year high. The interest rate on a federal undergraduate student loan is expected to climb to 6.5% in July, which would mark its highest level since 2008, financial-aid expert Mark Kantrowitz told ABC News. The current interest rate of a new student loan is 5.5%.
- ABC News
Judge rejects Hunter Biden's appeal on gun charges, paving way for trial in June
A federal appeals court has rejected Hunter Biden's effort to throw out gun charges against him, paving the way for a trial to begin next month. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday dismissed an effort by the president's son to have his felony gun case in Delaware thrown out, rejecting his challenge to the charges on procedural grounds. The three-judge panel said in its short ruling -- just four pages total -- that it did not consider the merits of Biden's challenge at this stage, instead saying it was the improper time for them to take up such an appeal.
- Good Morning America
4 seriously hurt when Transair Boeing 737 skids off runway during takeoff in Senegal
A Boeing 737-300 airplane crashed during takeoff at Senegal's Blaise Diagne International Airport, local officials said. Air Senegal flight HC301, which was operated by Transair, "overran the runway" at about 1:14 a.m. on Thursday, Senegal's Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Air Transport said in an statement in French. Blaise Diagne is the main airport servicing Dakar, the Senegalese capital.
- ABC News
Study explores elephant greetings and how they change based on social relationships
As it happens, researchers are learning more about how the animals greet each other, and how relationships among the social species could impact that communication. African elephants use different combinations of gestures and vocalizations in their greetings, such as ear-flapping and vocalizations – behavior that may promote individual recognition and social bonding, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Communications Biology. The study, which monitored the vocalizations and physical actions of nine semi-captive elephants living in a savannah within the Jafuta Reserve in Zimbabwe, also found that the elephants may change how they greet one another depending upon whether the other elephant is looking at them.