Disney Celebrates America: What to expect on July 3 and 4 as ABC marks America's 250th anniversary

ABC is marking America's 250th anniversary with 24 hours of unparalleled programming called "Disney Celebrates America."

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

The coverage kicks off at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, July 3 with an unforgettable landmark, artistic event transforming the public's experience of the Statue of Liberty with the Consulate General of France and Muir taking viewers along for a rare look inside of Lady Liberty.

As the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, July 4, ABC News will bring audiences to the first parade in the nation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.Good Morning America" will have a special three-hour show which will include co-anchors Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan sharing their own American journeys.

After "GMA," ABC News anchors and correspondents will welcome viewers to the 7 Wonders of America and cities across the country, showcasing the majestic geography, cultural heritage and pivotal moments that define 250 years of American history, along with celebrations, performances and interviews with leading newsmakers.In the afternoon, ESPN will air the finals of The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, with champions Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo set to return to Coney Island to seek a new world record.

On the night of July 4, after a special edition of "World News Tonight," ABC will host the Star-Spangled Bash in Nashville, featuring performances from artists including Reba McEntire, Nick Jonas, Boyz II Men, Tim McGraw, Brothers Osborne and Lauren Daigle.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in downtown Nashville for the bash, which is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and airs at 8 p.m. ET.

The event will also feature one of the largest fireworks and drone shows in the U.S., set to a live score by the Nashville Symphony.

Iran live updates: Israel targets Hezbollah in Lebanon, as US and Iran agree to stop strikes over strait

 

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.

The fighting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran and based in Lebanon, has threatened to throw off track ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

The U.S. on Friday announced a "framework" for future talks between Israel and Lebanon, which would be facilitated by Washington, seeking to end the fighting in Lebanon. Hezbollah on Saturday responded to that framework, saying in a statement it was rejecting the agreement, continuing its resistance and holding on to its weapons.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have said Israel plans to remain in a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Air Force struck overnight alleged Hezbollah command centers in Nabatieh and Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon, the IDF said early Monday.

"Additionally, troops struck and dismantled a launcher that Hezbollah continued using to attack them," the IDF said on social media.

Man, 28, dragged out to sea and killed by crocodile at popular resort: Police

 A 28-year-old man was killed in a crocodile attack on a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday evening, according to state authorities.

The victim, who was from Mexico, was on the beach in front of the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa when he was allegedly attacked by the reptile and dragged out to sea, Jalisco State Police said in a statement on Sunday.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. local time, police noted.

The victim’s body was recovered Saturday morning about 300 meters offshore after an overnight search and rescue operation at sea and on land.

Manhunt underway after 2-year-old, 2 women killed in 'horrifying' Mississippi shooting, police say

 Police in Mississippi are searching for a suspect after two woman and a toddler were shot and killed on Saturday. 

The women, aged 26 and 20, were found dead alongside a 2-year-old, Jackson Police Department Chief RaShall Brackney told reporters early on Sunday. 

Police had responded to a call for an aggravated assault on the 300 block of Queen Alexandria Lane at about 10:10 p.m. on Saturday, Brackney said, adding, "And what they found was something horrifying."

All three victims had "multiple" gunshot wounds, she said. 

Police early on Sunday said they were searching for a Red Mitsubishi Mirage that "was taken." Brackney did not identify a suspect, but said that "currently we believe that suspect, obviously, is armed and dangerous and is related to this triple homicide that we have here." 

In an update later on Sunday, police said they had found the vehicle in North Jackson, but it was "unoccupied at the time it was located."

Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement that the city would begin deploying additional resources to combat gun violence.

"Our city is hurting. In recent days, we have seen a troubling rise in gun-related violence, shootings, and senseless loss of life," he said. "No family should have to face the pain of losing a loved one to violence. Violence against the innocent is intolerable, and as your Mayor, I will not accept this as the norm for our community."

Iran live updates: US and Iran agree to stop strikes, US official says

 

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.

Delegations from the United States and Iran meet last weekend at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, where they entered negotiations aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed last week by both countries.

US and Iran agree to stop strikes, allow vessels through Strait of Hormuz: US official

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to stop attacks and allow vessels to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told ABC News.

The official said technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the memorandum of understanding, but did not provide further details on timing.

-ABC News' Rachel Scott

Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain failed: US official

All drones and missiles launched by Iran at Kuwait and Bahrain "were shot down, intercepted, or failed to reach their intended targets," a U.S. official told ABC News.

"There were no U.S. injuries or impacts to American locations,” the official said.

They stressed that Iran had failed in its attacks.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

US-Iran talks still planned despite strikes: US official

Despite the escalating attacks and threats, a senior Trump administration official told ABC News the two sides are still talking.

Technical talks with Iran on how to implement the memorandum of understanding are still planned for the coming days, the official said.

The official added that no talks have been canceled, and both sides are still exchanging messages through deconfliction channels.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

IDF striking in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu says

In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the IDF is striking in southern Lebanon.

"As part of Operation Closing Verse, the IDF has now destroyed the underground terror infrastructure of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of the village of Majdal Zun in southern Lebanon," Netanyahu said in the statement, which was also posted to his office's official X account.

"The tunnel, which is over 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep, contained hundreds of weapons and several launch silos intended to strike the territory of the State of Israel and its citizens. Israel informed the United States and the American representative in Lebanon in advance of the destruction of the infrastructure," the post further said.

"IDF commanders and fighters will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure, remove threats from northern communities, and maintain the security of Israeli citizens," the post concluded.

IDF says it killed Hezbollah militant who allegedly killed Israeli soldier

The Israeli military says its troops killed a Hezbollah militant that it said was responsible for the death of an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan, southern Lebanon, overnight.

"IDF soldiers from the Golani Brigade Combat Team encountered a Hezbollah terrorist after entering a suspicious structure in the area of Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon. As a result of the encounter, Captain David Hazutt fell, and an additional IDF soldier was lightly injured," the IDF statement said.

"Following extensive searches conducted by IDF soldiers in the area, the terrorist was located in one of the structures near the point of the encounter and was eliminated by the soldiers," the statement continued, adding that the IDF "will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to IDF soldiers and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers."

-ABC News' Claire Bower

Iran claims sole responsibility for restoring Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Sunday that only Iran is responsible for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring shipping traffic to pre-war levels.

"These arrangements are being adopted and implemented, and responsibility for them rests with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Araghchi said during a news conference alongside his Iraqi counterpart on Sunday. "No other body or country bears any responsibility in this regard."

The minister's comments followed U.S. strikes on Iranian targets, which came after officials in Washington accused Tehran of targeting a tanker in the strait. Both the United States and Iran have claimed in recent weeks to have control over the strait.

Europe's record heat has overwhelmed Paris mortuaries and left families in distress

 

PARIS -- Every few minutes, the mortuary owner's phone rings. Since a record-smashing heat wave started taking lives and storage space for bodies in Paris and beyond, the funeral directors and mourning families calling him mostly have the same question: Do you have room for one more?

With all 32 places in his cold room taken, Zouhaeir Hertelli reluctantly has to gently say “Non,” over and over and over again.

“We're facing a really catastrophic situation," he said. “I'm getting hundreds of calls."

As the historic heat wave shifted its deadly temperatures eastward this weekend to other parts of Europe, France began counting the human cost it left in its wake.

The statistical and public health work of tallying heat-related deaths could take weeks or months. But it's already apparent that the toll exacted by the intense, unrelenting extreme temperatures was terrible in France, the first country hit from mid-June, particularly among older people who died at home.

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We're dealing with an enormous spike of deaths because of the heat wave and we're really full, full, full,” Hertelli said.

In its first preliminary estimate, the national public health agency said deaths surged during the heat wave's peak in France last week, which roasted most of Europe's largest country with temperatures that soared in many places above 40C (104 F) and also broke records for nighttime highs — an exhausting one-two punch for fatigued bodies.

Public Health France said there were more than 1,200 deaths last Wednesday, when France registered its hottest-ever day, breaking a record that had been set just the previous day.

Deaths then increased to more than 1,400 on Thursday and another 1,400 on Friday, it said. By way of comparison, the pre-heat wave death rate in April and May was around 900 to 1,000 per day, it said.

The agency cautioned that its estimate of at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three sizzling days alone is expected to increase as more death certificates come in for people who died at home and in care facilities for older people, where most deaths are still not registered electronically."Mortality will as a consequence be higher than these first figures,” the agency said.

It said that 85% of the deaths registered so far during the three days it studied involved people aged 65 and above and that there was a sharp increase in deaths at home — up by about 40% — particularly in the Paris region.

Hertelli and others in the funeral industry said Paris mortuaries quickly ran out of storage space. City Hall said two temporary storage units, with 20 places each, were installed for municipal mortuaries and that city hospitals provided another 50 additional places.

Still, Hertelli said funeral directors he spoke to told him they were having to store bodies as far away as Chartres — 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Paris — and in other regions around the capital. To open more space, he said he has asked authorities for permission to temporarily install refrigerated containers outside his mortuary, which is next to Paris' Orly airport, but is still waiting for a green light.

“Families are suffering,” he said. “We have no solution to offer them, because the funeral homes are full. So we are deeply affected, we have empathy for them, but there’s nothing we can offer. We are really facing a problem, a big problem," he said.

Historic high temperatures in 2003, surpassed this time, were blamed for 15,000 deaths, provoking a national reckoning about care of older people, who were particularly hard-hit. More than 5,700 deaths were also attributed to heat during an exceptionally hot summer last year.

Véronique Bertrand, a Paris funeral director, said she fears that lessons have been forgotten.

“Most of the deaths that we are dealing with at the moment were people who were living alone at home, isolated. Given the circumstances in which they were found, there can be no other conclusion than that these were deaths caused by the heat," Bertrand said.

“I think people absolutely need to wake up, that solidarity needs to come back, that what happened in 2003 led to a movement in that direction, with people thinking about their neighbors, of those around them who live alone and perhaps checking from time to time that they're drinking water and are being looked after," she said.

"With the passing years, we’ve perhaps forgotten that it could happen again and that things would even perhaps be worse.”

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