Freeze alerts issued as temperatures plunge in the East after summer-like spell

Don't put away those winter coats just yet.

Summer-like temperatures will give way to chillyweatheracross the Northeast beginning on Monday as residents in the Midwest and Plains clean up after a spell of severe weather that spawned multiple tornadoes.

Morning temperatures are forecast to be near 40 degrees along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to New York Monday and into Tuesday, just days after 90-degree weather enveloped much of the East.

It may be even colder from Chicago to Boston, where morning temperatures are expected to dip into the mid-30s on Tuesday, with some morning frost possible.

In parts of the Midwest from Minneapolis to Detroit, temperatures could fall to below freezing.

Just days after temperatures soared into the 90s, settingdaily high temperature recordsin Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia, the weather is expected to turn significantly cooler to start the workweek

At least 35 tornadoes reported across 10 states

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Some places in the Northeast could also approach record low temperatures. Come Tuesday morning, places like Trenton, N.J., Scranton, Pa., Syracuse, N.Y., and Manchester, N.H., will likely see temperatures fall to below freezing and could break or tie their respective record low temperatures for the day.

The cold snap will be short-lived, as temperatures return to a more spring-like feel by Wednesday across the East, with summer-like weather returning by Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the Midwest and Plains were cleaning up from days of severe weather that saw numerous tornadoes develop, some causing damage across Minnesota and Michigan.

50 million people on alert for severe weather from Texas to Michigan

The National Weather Service has preliminarily confirmed 50 tornadoes between April 12 and April 17 across 12 states, most of them in Illinois and Wisconsin. However, tornadoes were also confirmed during that time frame as far west as California and as far east as Vermont, according to the NWS.

At least 15 tornadoes were confirmed by the NWS in Illinois, 10 in Wisconsin, seven in Oklahoma and five in both Missouri and Iowa. Michigan and Kansas both had two tornadoes confirmed by the NWS.

The cold front that caused the severe weather late last week is continuing to move east into the Northeast on Sunday, bringing rain and even high-elevation snow showers to parts of the region before pushing off the coast later in the day.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 21, 2026

Freeze alerts issued as temperatures plunge in the East after summer-like spell

Don't put away those winter coats just yet. Summer-like temperatures will give way to chillyweatheracross the Northeast begin...

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US received 6,000 applications for air traffic control roles in last 12 hours, transportation secretary says

WASHINGTON, April ‌17 (Reuters) - ‌The U.S. ​Federal Aviation Administration ‌received ⁠6,000 applications ⁠for ​air ​traffic ​control ‌roles in the ‌last ​12 ​hours, ​Transportation ‌Secretary Sean ​Duffy ​said ​on ‌Friday.

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(Reporting by ​Courtney ​Rozen)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 18, 2026

US received 6,000 applications for air traffic control roles in last 12 hours, transportation secretary says

WASHINGTON, April ‌17 (Reuters) - ‌The U.S. ​Federal Aviation Administration ‌received ⁠6,000 applications ⁠for ​air ​traffic ​control ...

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Prosecutor says families were 'blindsided' by FSU shooting video

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Prosecutors said new body camera and security footage from the deadly2025 shooting at Florida State Universityshould never have been released after the videos were accidentally made public without proper redactions following a flood of records requests in the case.

A Florida State University (FSU) student isaccused of opening fireat the school's student union, killing two people and injuring five others with gunfire in April 2025, according to authorities. The suspect,Phoenix Ikner, faces charges of first-degree murder and the death penalty.

Recently released videos showed moments of panic inside the student union as bystanders realize what's unfolding and the moment an FSU police officer takes down Ikner to arrest him. But when theTallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, requested copies of the videos, the State Attorney's Office of the Second Judicial Circuit said "some protected records were mistakenly released" when fulfilling a previous records request.

"Due to this error, there is an ongoing review of pending records requests to address and remove the records that were inadvertently released," the State Attorney's Office said. "Once this review has been completed, your records request will be answered."

What do the videos show?

The footage featured across news outlets, including local TV news stations WTXL and WCTV, begins seconds before an FSU police officer rides up to the scene and fires his first shots at Iknerwhile still seated on his motorcycle.

"Stay on the ground now," the officer yelled after firing at least a dozen bullets.

He then took off running toward Ikner as a bystander ran past him trying to get away. Another officer's camera later showed a handcuffed Ikner lying on the ground as officers waited for medics to attend to the facial wound he endured when the officer "neutralized" the threat.

Before this, soundless surveillance camera footage showed Ikner running through the union with his gun, with one camera angle even catching him chasing down two students. Students could be seen studying, eating, and working on their computers. Within seconds, everyone scrambled to exit the building and avoid flying bullets.

Later footage showed that other officers' cameras captured the process of clearing the campus and releasing students from classrooms. Students are seen walking out of classrooms and buildings with their hands up, and some who have phones in hand on calls with loved ones.

One video snippet showed an officer helping a wounded victim alongside paramedics.

"Let me check your blood pressure," a paramedic could be heard saying. "Run that way," the officer shouted to a student who was running by. "Keep your hands up and run that way for me."

More body camera footage from the officer who shot down Ikner showedFSU Police Chief Jason Trumbowerpraising him for his heroism.

"Are you the one who shot him?" Trumbower asked. "I shot him, yes, sir," the officer said.

"OK, good job," Trumbower replied. "You good?"

FSU shooting:Florida investigates ChatGPT, OpenAI over alleged role in shooting

Why won't the State Attorney's Office release the footage?

State Attorney Jack Campbell told the Tallahassee Democrat he knew people would argue that the videos are already out there, so there's no reason to withhold them now. He disagreed.

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"Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Campbell said. “Just because I made one mistake doesn’t mean I should make another."

Campbell explained that the videos were accidentally released without proper redactions after a deluge of record requests piled up asking for Ikner's chat logs with ChatGPT. The Tallahassee Democrat broke news thata lawsuit was being filedagainst the leading AI chatbot.

Records showed Ikner was in "constant communication" with the chatbot before the shooting occurred.

Campbell said he immediately shut down the release of footage from his office once he realized what happened and took full responsibility for the mistake because raw videos weren't supposed to be released for several reasons.

Chief among them is that surveillance footage cannot be given out, he said, because it allows future criminals to see where cops are surveilling, which could potentially aid them in evading arrest. There are videos where officers were seen running up to victims, and victims are identified. Campbell said victims' names and faces are supposed to be redacted, especially those who asked to remain confidential.

And on a personal level, Campbell said he had promised the victims they could view the footage first.

"I had told the victims that I would let them see (them) in a controlled and intimate setting before they had to see it on the news," he added.

Campbell said he's very upset this happened and that he hurt the victims' families. They were alerted as soon as he saw what happened.

"We blindsided them," he said.

'He is a hero':Security footage shows principal tackle gunman at Oklahoma school

What happened in the FSU shooting?

Authorities said a suspect opened fire near FSU's student union at about 11:50 a.m. local time on April 17, 2025, striking multiple people and triggering a campus-wide lockdown as students ran for cover.

Campus police arrived at the scene "almost immediately" and shot the suspect, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said at the time. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the hospital with "serious but non-life-threatening injuries," according to Revell.

Two victims,Robert MoralesandTiru Chabba— who were not students — were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Six people were hospitalized for injuries, including five who suffered gunshot wounds and another person who was injured while running away from the shooting.

Ikner allegedly brought two firearms to campus the day of the shooting, a 12-gauge shotgun and a .45 caliber Glock, according to a Leon County grand jury report. Both were taken from the home of his stepmother, a veteran deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office, and his father.

Tallahassee police later revealed that Ikner "was shot once, in the jaw" and had been "neutralized" by an FSU police officer early in his attack. Ikner waslater released from the hospital.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat:FSU shooting video was accidentally released to the public: Prosecutor

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 18, 2026

Prosecutor says families were 'blindsided' by FSU shooting video

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Prosecutors said new body camera and security footage from the deadly2025 shooting at Florida State Universityshould ...

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US and Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza truce as ceasefire process stalls

The US and Hamas held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement, two Hamas sources said.

A delegation led by senior US advisor Aryeh Lightstone met chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Tuesday night, according to the sources. Lightstone was joined by Nickolay Mladenov, the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, officials said. CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in the Qatari capital Doha last September, pressed Lightstone about the need for Israel to fully implement its commitments to the first phase of the agreement — including an end to strikes and the entry of more humanitarian aid — in order to move to the next phase, the sources said.

The truce, brokered in October, brought an end to two years of war in Gaza, even as it failed to answer substantive questions about the future of the devastated territory, including the role of Hamas in any future security or governing role. Hamas has reasserted its control over the portion of Gaza not occupied by Israel and the Israeli military has continued to carry out frequent strikes in the territory.

Tuesday’s meeting came days after Lightstone met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure Israel’s commitment to fully implement its requirements under the first phase of the ceasefire, said a US source and a diplomat familiar with the meeting. One source said Israel agreed to implement those requirements if Hamas committed to disarmament.

Meetings between Hamas, representatives of the Board of Peace and international mediators have aimed to reach an agreement over the next phase of the ceasefire deal: the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international force to Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the devastated territory.

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But multiple sources said those talks repeatedly stalled over demands that Hamas agree to disarm before Israel has fulfilled its phase one commitments. Hamas and multiple international organizations operating in Gaza have said Israel is not upholding its side of the deal, something Israel has denied while accusing Hamas of its own violations.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 765 people in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect in October, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

A senior Hamas source said the militant group views the proposal as unbalanced and one that “reduces the whole process to a single clause – disarmament – while other first phase obligations are postponed or marginalized.”

“The proposed paper reflects a major imbalance in the ordering of priorities: Israel’s security first, while Palestinians’ humanitarian, political, and administrative rights are postponed,” the source said.

The source said Mladenov has taken to relaying Israel’s demands and warning that Israel will return to war if Hamas does not agree to disarm.

“It even reached the point where Mladenov conveyed veiled threats: accept the paper or face a return to war,” the source said.

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 15, 2026

US and Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza truce as ceasefire process stalls

The US and Hamas held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement...

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Taste Of Summer For Millions As Record Heat Builds In East, Including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington

Record heat is forecast for the mid-Atlantic and Southeast in the week ahead, with summerlike temperatures soaring into the 80s and even 90s in places like Washington and Atlanta by mid-week.

This surge of summerlike heat will build day by day, putting dozens of daily record highs in jeopardy.

So keep those warm-weather clothes out for a while as highs will run as much as 20 to 30 degrees above average for mid-April through at least late-week.

When The Heat Arrives Where You Are

Although not record territory, much warmer than average temperatures will impact the Plains and Midwest through the weekend.

Highs will be in the 80s as far north as Minnesota and South Dakota. So just because we aren’t shattering records across the country’s mid-section, doesn’t mean you won’t be warm.

This warm air mass will continue eastward during the early part of the week ahead, peaking by mid-week across much of the East.

(MAPS:10-Day Forecast US Highs/Lows)

We could see the first 90 degree days of 2026 in many locations, including Atlanta, Raleigh, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

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Much of the Southeast will climb into the 80s over the weekend and stay there for roughly a week, as temperatures feel more like a summer sizzle than early spring.

Dozens of records could fall across the Southeast multiple days in a row, from Tuesday until at least Thursday.

This includes places like Chattanooga, Nashville, Atlanta, Augusta and Charlotte.

The Northeast Will Sizzle Too

The heat arrives in the Northeast by Monday and continues to build each day.

New York City goes from highs in the mid-50s on Sunday, to highs in the mid-70s on Monday, then well into the 80s by Tuesday.

On Wednesday, we could see record highs in places like Richmond, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Trenton, New Jersey. Many locations across the Ohio Valley could also be in record territory. Columbus, Ohio, could set records on Wednesday, as temperatures top out in the mid 80s.

Atlanta is exepcted to climb to the 90s by Friday and is expected to break daily high records Wednesday through Friday. The city has only seen 4 days at or above 90 degrees in the month of April in history. It would be the first since 1986 and the earliest 90 degree day on record.

Just like in typical spring fashion, there is an end in sight. Models suggest another pattern change by next weekend, bringing relief from the extreme heat.

Jennifer Grayis a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 15, 2026

Taste Of Summer For Millions As Record Heat Builds In East, Including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington

Record heat is forecast for the mid-Atlantic and Southeast in the week ahead, with summerlike temperatures soaring into the 80s and eve...

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Bodycam video contradicts St. Louis police's earlier account in fatal shooting of 17-year-old

Body camera video released Monday shows a St. Louis police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old in the back of the head as he fled, contradicting anearlier police statement that the teen pointed a gun at officers.

Al Watkins, an attorney for the family of Emeshyon Wilkins, obtained the video as part of the discovery process in a federal lawsuit against the police department. Watkins said his office tried and failed to get the video through a records request.

“They fought that video issue for over a year,” Watkins told The Associated Press. “We had to file a federal lawsuit to get it. That’s not transparent. That’s not integrity. Indeed, it’s irresponsible.”

Wilkins was shot and killed in June 2024, just two weeks after he turned 17. He had no prior criminal history, Watkins said. Wilkins was Black.

Police said it all started when detectives attempted to stop an SUV that was reported stolen. Police said there was a brief pursuit; Watkins described it as a slow-speed chase. He said the SUV was only going around 10 mph.

The pursuit ended with Wilkins fleeing the vehicle on foot, with two officers in pursuit. One officer held a taser; another a firearm, the suit says.

The video shows the officer armed with a gun yelling at the teen to get on the ground as he raises the firearm. The officer can be heard telling the teen to drop a gun. The teen keeps running, and then the officer fires.

One of the four bullets struck the teen in the back of the head, killing him, the suit says. In the teen's pocket was a firearm, but it was disassembled, in multiple pieces, and incapable of being fired, the suit says.

The video didn't show the teen holding the firearm in his hand or pointing it at the officer.

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“There was no threat to the public, and you look at the video, and there were no furtive movements,” Watkins said.

Police acknowledged Monday, following the release of the video, that “information provided by a third-party to investigators in the immediate aftermath of the incident was not consistent with the actual events or what was initially shared with the community.”

The department said it now sends a member of the department’s body-worn camera unit to such scenes so that footage can be reviewed by investigating commanders before detailed public accounts are provided.

“In this case, an earlier review of body-worn camera footage would have provided greater clarity than what was available in the initial moments following the incident,” the statement says.

St. Louis still bears the scars from the 2014 fatal shooting by a white police officer of 18-year-old Michael Brown — who was Black and unarmed — in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. Some witnesses said Brown had his hands up in surrender.The Ferguson officer was clearedof wrongdoing and resigned, and Brown’s death led to months of protests.

Watkins said the public was assured change would happen. But now he said the police officer who killed Wilkins was placed on desk duty, with pay. He questioned why the process is taking so long.

“The family needs answers, and the only way answers can be given is if there is justice that is open and transparent,” Watkins said.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office said it received the police investigative report in October. But the statement says the office also completes its own “review of the evidence and law to determine whether there is a basis for criminal liability.”

“The CAO is committed to reviewing each matter as expeditiously as possible while ensuring that all available evidence and legal considerations are carefully and thoroughly evaluated,” the statement says.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 15, 2026

Bodycam video contradicts St. Louis police's earlier account in fatal shooting of 17-year-old

Body camera video released Monday shows a St. Louis police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old in the back of the head as he fled, c...

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Iran war diverts US military and attention from Asia ahead of Trump's summit with China's leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — In 2011, President Barack Obama declared it was time for America to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter the rise of China. Fifteen years later, the U.S. finds itself stillat war in the Middle Eastand has pulled military assets from the Asia-Pacific as it aims to eliminate the threat posed by Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

Iran US Asia

The demands of the Iran war also caused President Donald Trump todelay by several weekshis highly anticipated trip to China, deepening worries that the U.S. is once again getting distracted at the cost of its strategic interests in Asia, where Beijing seeks to unseat the U.S. as the regional leader.

Those skeptical of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East say the war is preventing Trump from adequately preparing for his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month, when economic interests are on the line, and they warn that a failure to focus on Asia and maintain strong deterrence could lead to greater instability, if China should believe the time is ripe toseize the self-governed island of Taiwan.

“This is precisely the wrong time for the United States to turn away and be sucked into another intractable Middle East conflict,” said Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Rebalancing to Asia is highly relevant to America’s national interests, but it has been undercut by many bad decisions.”

Others defend the president's approach, arguing that the forceful steps he is taking elsewhere, including inVenezuelaand Iran, serve to counter China globally.

“Beijing is the chief sponsor for the adversaries that President Trump is dealing with sequentially, and it’s wise to do this sequentially,” Matt Pottinger, who served as a deputy national security adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a recent podcast.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said conflicts may not be confined to a single theater, suggesting that China could call upon its “junior partners” elsewhere to divert U.S. attention if it should move against Taiwan.

“Most likely it will not be limited, something in the Indo-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific,” Rutte said, speaking Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington. “It will be a multi-theater issue.”

Repercussions in Asia of the Iran war

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently led a bipartisan group of senators toTaiwan,Japan and South Korea, where they heard concerns about the impact of the war on energy costs and about the departure of U.S. military assets, including missile defense systems from South Korea and a rapid-response Marine unit from Japan.

She sought to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to deterring conflicts in Asia and shoring up regional stability.

“Failure is not an option,” Shaheen told The Associated Press after returning from Asia. “We know China has already said they intend to take Taiwan by force if they need to, and they’re on an expedited time schedule. And we also know that what happened in Europe, in the war in Ukraine, in the Middle East is affecting those calculations.”

Kurt Campbell, who served as deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration, said he’s worried that the military capabilities that the U.S. had patiently accumulated in the Indo-Pacific region might not return in full even after the Iran war ends.

The longer the conflict goes on, the more it will pull resources and focus away from Asia, said Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies the U.S. strategy in Asia. He added that future arms sales to the region also will be negatively affected.

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“The United States has expended substantial numbers of munitions in the Middle East and will have to keep an increased force presence there, some of which has been redirected from Asia,” Cooper said. “Meanwhile, Xi Jinping’s wisdom in preparing a ‘war time’ economy by stockpiling and adding alternate energy sources has shown itself to be beneficial.”

Shaheen said the U.S. defense industry will struggle to meet the demand to replenish the weapons stockpile. “We’re working on a number of strategies to improve that, but at this point, timelines for weapons delivery are slipping,” she said.

The senator from New Hampshire said she's encouraged that Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are stepping up their own defense.

After 15 years and 3 presidents, pivot to Asia remains elusive

Obama's strategic rebalance to Asia reflected his understanding that the U.S. must be a player in the Pacific to harness the region’s growth and ensure continued U.S. leadership in the face of China's rising influence.

“After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia-Pacific region,” Obama said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. “So make no mistake, the tide of war is receding, and America is looking ahead to the future that we must build.”

But the strategy was set back when a proposed trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with key U.S. regional partners failed to get through the U.S. Senate. After Trump first took office in 2017, he withdrew the U.S. from the partnership and launched a tariff war with China.

His Democratic successor, Joe Biden, kept Trump's tariffs on China and tightened export controls on advanced technology, while strengthening regional alliances to counter China.

Middle East again grabs US attention

By the time Trump rolled out his national security strategy in late 2025, the U.S. strategy in Asia had been narrowed to military deterrence in the Taiwan Strait and the First Island Chain, a string of U.S.-aligned islands off China's coast that restrict its access to the Western Pacific.

The national security document says it's in the economic interest of the U.S. to secure access to advanced chips, which are sourced primarily from Taiwan and are needed to power everything from computers to missiles, and to protect shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

“Hence deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” the document says. “We will build a military capable of denying aggression anywhere in the First Island Chain.”

The Middle East, it says, should be getting less attention: “As this administration rescinds or eases restrictive energy policies and American energy production ramps up, America’s historic reason for focusing on the Middle East will recede."

Then came the Iran war.

AP writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 14, 2026

Iran war diverts US military and attention from Asia ahead of Trump's summit with China's leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — In 2011, President Barack Obama declared it was time for America to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and...

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