America 250: David Muir climbs up to the Statue of Liberty's torch

World News Tonight" anchor David Muir kicked off ABC News' celebration of America's 250th birthday by climbing up through Lady Liberty's right arm to reach the torch, standing over 300 feet in the air.

A gift from the people of France in 1886, the statue was there to welcome more than 12 million immigrants over six decades -- from the opening of Ellis Island as an immigration center in 1892 to its closure in 1954.

ABC is marking America's 250th anniversary with 24 hours of programming called "Disney Celebrates America" across ABC, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, National Geographic, FX, Freeform, and ABC News Live.

The multi-platform broadcast, led by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, will feature coverage across all 50 states, beginning 10 p.m. ET on July 3 and running through July 4.

While taking the ferry to Liberty Island, Muir spoke to Captain Hamilton Clancy, who grew up in the shadow of the statue as his grandfather used to be the superintendent of Liberty Island.

"It's impossible to fully imagine what it was like for the immigrants all those years ago, turning the corner and seeing that torch for the first time," Muir said.

"They were the bravest people that I can possibly imagine," Clancy said, speaking of the courage of the immigrants who came through New York Harbor to start a new life in an unfamiliar land.

It is believed that around 40% of Americans can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island, according to the National Park Service.

In the 1980s, there was a restoration project ahead of the statue's centennial celebration. The original torch could not be restored due to severe damage over the years, so it was replaced with an exact replica. Muir met with Tony Soraci, the grandson of Italian immigrants and one of the workers who helped with that restoration project.

The pair stepped into the museum on Liberty Island to see the original torch that Soraci helped preserve.

She'd been up there for 100 years -- she's out in the middle of the ocean," Soraci said of the toll the first century took on the statue.

While making his way up to the top of the statue, Muir met up with Matt Housch, a historian with the National Park Service.

As they were climbing the double helical staircase to the crown of the statue, Muir got a glimpse of the intricate copper patchwork inside the statue.

"The copper is so thin, it's really just, like, almost two pennies in your hand, and the outside has that green patina," Housch said. "The inside we see is dark like a penny, and you can also really see all the rivets that are in each copper piece."

French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue in a way that made sure all the people arriving in New York Harbor would see the face of Lady Liberty the moment they got there.

"[Bartholdi] didn't know that the most immigrants in history were gonna come into New York City," Housch said. "That was gonna happen years later."

"I've never seen anything like this," Muir said as he took in the spectacular view from the torch. "Welcome to New York Harbor. You can hear the ferry pulling off. Wow. This is what all of those immigrants saw as they pulled into the harbor."

The statue was designed with the flexibility to sway and withstand aggressive weather.

"One of the things you notice right away up here, when you're standing on the torch at the Statue of Liberty -- which they've given so few people access to -- are the winds up here," Muir said. "You can actually feel the Statue of Liberty swaying with the wind, and architects designed it that way -- with that purpose in mind to withstand the weather all these years."

Just like the many immigrants that came through New York Harbor and were greeted by the statue years ago, visitors are welcomed by the statue every day. Around 3.8 million people come to see it every year, according to data from the National Park service.

"For generations of immigrants crossing the Atlantic, coming here to the United States, this was the first view they would see when they pulled into New York Harbor, the torch of the Statue of Liberty high above the harbor," Muir said. "It was the signal of something, the chance of a new life right here in America."

Related Topics

 

Iran live updates: Indirect US-Iran technical talks end with 'positive' progress, mediators say

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

The U.S. and Iran again traded aerial strikes over the weekend, a back-and-forth that followed an Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Washington said. The U.S. and Iran agreed on Sunday to stop those attacks and allow tankers to move freely through the strait, a U.S. official told ABC News.

Delegations from the United States and Iran entered negotiations this month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

Trump says Iran gets a 'week off' as funeral for Khamenei begins

In a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has “knocked the hell out of Iran,” while claiming that Iran is "dying to settle."

Trump added that the United States "gave [Iran] a week off for a funeral, because we’re nice” ahead of Iran starting a dayslong funeral Saturday for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei months after an airstrike killed him at the start of the war.

Footage showed Khamenei's coffin draped with the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban. It was placed, along with four other coffins of his slain family members, on a large black platform that resembled the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of Islam's holiest site in Mecca.

Khamenei's body is expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala, the great Shi'ite centers of Iran and Iraq, before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country's holiest pilgrim shrine.

-ABC News' Rashid Haddou

US and Iran talks conclude with 'positive' progress, mediators say

The latest round of indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran have concluded with "positive" progress, according to a statement posted on Thursday by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Qatar and Pakistan mediated the talks in Doha, Qatar.

US and Iran talks conclude with 'positive' progress, mediators say

The latest round of indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran have concluded with "positive" progress, according to a statement posted on Thursday by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Qatar and Pakistan mediated the talks in Doha, Qatar.

Parties have agreed to continue discussions over the coming period," the mediators said, according to the statement.

Another round of talks was expected to be scheduled "at the earliest possible time" after Tehran holds a state funeral for the former Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, which is to begin on Friday.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

Vance says Iran will not collect tolls in Strait of Hormuz

Vice President JD Vance continued to defend the administration’s position on Iran as negotiations to fully end the war appear to have stalled out, saying there would be no tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I just want to be very clear here this is not going to end in a place where the Iranians are collecting tolls on ships going through the Strait of Hormuz,” Vance said in an interview with the conservative podcaster Michael Knowles.

"In fact, I feel quite confident that we're not gonna have a tolled Strait of Hormuz in the future," he added.

This comes as Iranian officials continue to insist the opposite.

"Passing through the Strait is free of charge only for 60 days. Iran will not give up its rights in the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances. The Strait of Hormuz is valuable when traffic increases day by day, not less. We should not turn the Strait of Hormuz into our enemy," Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tuesday.

Vance dismissed the signals from Iran’s own government about the negotiations, saying that they were trying to posture for their domestic audience.

“What they're saying right now for the consumption of their domestic audience, it really doesn't matter. What matters is what's going to happen,” Vance said.

President Donald Trump previously warned that if talks fail, the U.S. could impose a toll on the critical shipping channel.

2 dead, 1 injured after shooting breaks out in Dearborn, Michigan, mall

 Two people are dead and at least one more is injured after a shooting broke out between two parties at Fairlane Town Center mall in Dearborn, Michigan, on Friday, police said.

"It appears this was not a random act of violence. this was between two parties that knew each other here at the mall. A fight began that escalated in gunfire," Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin told reporters Friday.

Police responded to a report of a shooting just before 1:30 p.m. local time to find three gunshot victims, according to police.

Two of those shot have now died -- one at the mall and the other at a hospital, Shahin said.

"The loss of life is tragic," Shahin said.

A number of people are being interviewed by police at the station, Shahin said.

"These kinds of acts of violence are completely unacceptable," the police chief added.

Trump posts video of himself on Mount Rushmore ahead of remarks at the national memorial

 President Donald Trump kicked off a weekend of celebrations for America's 250th birthday with a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday.

Ahead of the speech, Trump posted a video on social depicting a gilded Mount Rushmore with his face chiseled into the national memorial next to Abraham Lincoln, after the White House earlier suggested Trump could be an "addition" to the mountain where the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt are also etched.

"Tomorrow, we mark 250 years of glorious independence and 250 years of majestic American freedom. Nothing like it," Trump said in his opening remarks. 

The birth and survival of the American nation under God is, quite simply, the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands. Ever. That is ever, ever, ever. No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would strike an "optimistic, inspiring tone" in his speech.

"President Trump is set to give an inspiring an optimistic address tonight at Mt Rushmore, where he will answer the age old question, 'What does it mean to be an American?' The speech will also serve as a fierce rebuke to Communism and defend the ideas that make America the greatest country in the history of the world," she said in a statement provided to pool reporters traveling with Trump. 

In the video Trump posted on social media ahead of his speech, a Trump voice-over says, "I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come," before a 3D graphic of Trump set into Mount Rushmore emerges and rotates. "And we're gonna have a lot of fun tonight," the voiceover continues. 

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to ABC News earlier Friday: "There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump," White House . 

Trump has previously mused about putting his likeness on the granite peak. He called it a "good idea" on social media in 2020. But so far in his second term, there's been no significant movement toward making that a reality.

The White House did not respond to questions about whether there are actual plans to add the president's likeness to Mount Rushmore and, if so, in what capacity. 

Before his speech Friday, Air Force One conducted a flyover over Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota ahead of the president's remarks.

The Mount Rushmore festivities also include performances by military bands and tributes to the Armed Services. It will culminate in a large fireworks display, the first fireworks show at the national memorial in years, according to the National Park Service.

The "Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks" celebration begins Saturday at 7 p.m. in the nation's capital. The president has teased a long speech to mark the occasion, which is being billed as the largest firework display ever held on the National Mall. 

Trump has already called the event the "most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all."

Festivities for the nation's 250th anniversary are unfolding as extreme heat blankets much of the country. Trump, though, earlier this week said high temperatures wouldn't stop him from making his remarks in Washington.

Breaking news

 🚨 BREAKING: Ali Khamenei Funeral Underway as World Dignitaries Arrive

🇮🇷 The funeral ceremony for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is now underway, as world leaders, senior officials, and regional dignitaries arrive to pay their respects amid tight security in Tehran.

Thousands of mourners have gathered in the Iranian capital, filling major streets and public squares as funeral prayers and ceremonial tributes continue. State media showed large crowds waving Iranian flags and chanting slogans during the solemn procession.

Leaders and diplomatic representatives from across the Middle East, Asia, and beyond are attending the ceremony, underscoring the global significance of the moment and the potential geopolitical impact of Iran’s leadership transition.

⚠️ Security has been significantly heightened as authorities remain on alert over regional tensions and concerns about possible unrest during the high-profile gathering. Political analysts say the funeral marks a historic turning point that could shape Iran’s domestic politics and regional strategy for years to come.

💬 “The funeral symbolizes both mourning and a major moment of transition for Iran.”

🌍 Global leaders are closely watching developments as questions grow over Iran’s next chapter.

Follow @Global Flashpoint for live global updates.

#iran #ALIKHAMENEI #GlobalFlashpoint #middleeast #tehran

Taylor Swift weds Travis Kelce in Christian Dior wedding dress

 

Taylor Swift said "I do" to Travis Kelce in a Christian Dior Haute Couture wedding gown she collaborated on with designer Jonathan Anderson, a rep for the singer confirmed to ABC News.

Like his bride, Kelce also wore Christian Dior Haute Couture for their wedding ceremony Friday, and the couple both wore custom-made shoes by Christian Louboutin.

Both Swift and Kelce worked "in close collaboration" with Anderson on their wedding ceremony looks, Swift's representative said in a statement.

Swift also accented her look with Cartier jewelry, according to her representative.

No official photos of the wedding have been released by the couple, who hosted a two-day wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Guests including Hugh Grant, Abby Wambach, Jason Sudeikis and Ethan Hawke were seen wearing black-tie attire as they arrived at MSG on Friday.

In choosing Anderson to design her wedding dress, Swift chose a designer just a few years her senior, at 41, and one who was named creative director at Dior just over one year ago.