(WASHINGTON) — Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from his position, the institution said Tuesday, after seven years of leading the world’s largest museum, education and research complex.

“I have fought for as long as I can. I love this country and I love the Smithsonian and I will always work to defend our more perfect Union,” Bunch told ABC News in a statement, confirming his resignation on Tuesday.

Bunch’s resignation comes amid mounting attacks against the Smithsonian from the Trump administration, which has accused Smithsonian leadership of presenting a “radical view” of American history and threatening to withhold federal funds and support.

“It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian,” Bunch said in a statement. “I have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and what a privilege it has been. There is no place like the Smithsonian—it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”

Bunch, who has been a part of the Smithsonian Institution for the past 38 years, was named secretary in June 2019, making him the first African American and first historian to serve in the role. Bunch did not reference the ongoing attacks from the White House in his parting statement.

“It is time for my next chapter, a chapter that will allow me to continue to protect the integrity of the Smithsonian and to champion the importance of a history that illuminates and celebrates the complex story of our nation,” Bunch said. “The Smithsonian has been a reservoir of science, history, art and culture that freely allows the public to find knowledge, understanding, clarity, education, hope and a bit of joy. I will always carry the Smithsonian within me.”

Bunch reflected on his legacy in a July interview with ABC News to mark America’s 250th birthday.

Asked about the White House’s criticism of the Smithsonian, Bunch said, “I think that for me it’s — I’m always open to any criticism, any comments. We want to be in the best institutions we can be.”

He added, “But I feel very strongly that a nation has to understand the totality of its past, the complexity of its past, in order to understand greatness of a nation.”

In July, the White House released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian Institution of engaging in “extreme political activism” and presenting “a radical view of American history.”

The report, which was published by the White House Domestic Policy Council, took aim at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), accusing its leadership of adopting “an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.”

The report came amid a review of the Smithsonian that was launched in response to President Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025, executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

The executive order directed Vice President J.D. Vance, in consultation with the president’s advisers on domestic policy, “to remove improper ideology” from Smithsonian institutions, arguing that materials that cast America in a “negative light” have no place in federal cultural institutions.

Amid escalating attacks from the White House, NMAH Director Anthea Hartig became the first Smithsonian official in July to testify on the issue before Congress.

In her testimony, Hartig pushed back against the White House July 4 report, asserting that the museum “does not take sides” in political debates.

“Our work is governed by the Smithsonian standards of scholarship, accuracy, independence, and nonpartisanship,” Hartig said in her opening remarks before a House Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency. “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.”

Bunch, who met with Trump at the White House last August, has repeatedly affirmed the Smithsonian’s “independence” from political influence.

Referencing his conversations with Trump in a September 2025 letter to the institution’s employees, Bunch underscored the independence of the Smithsonian, saying it was “paramount.” He also told employees that the institution remains committed to telling the “American story” and “will always be, a place that welcomes all Americans and the world.”

The Smithsonian is overseen by a 17-member governing body, known as the Board of Regents.

Franklin D. Raines, chair of the Board of Regents, said board members will announce an acting secretary as they begin a national search for Bunch’s successor.

“I have had the honor of working with Lonnie Bunch for more than two decades, first when he was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and ultimately when he became the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian,” Raines said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have seen firsthand how Secretary Bunch’s leadership of our 21 museums and the National Zoo has illuminated the nation’s past, opened pathways to new knowledge and powered creativity and innovation.”

ABC News’ Kyra Phillips and John Santucci contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Lindsay Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington said he is hopeful for an agreement between the defense and the district attorney after Clancy’s trial ended last week in a hung jury.

Reddington also said he hopes President Donald Trump would consider a pardon for his client.

“Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady and the person she is, what she’s been through, and consider a pardon,” Reddington said Tuesday in an interview on “Good Morning America.”

Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder charges for the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and infant son Callan at the family’s home in Duxbury, a Boston suburb, on Jan. 24, 2023.

Clancy’s five-week trial ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4, after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict following over a week of deliberations.

When asked about the trial on the day the mistrial was declared, the president told reporters that he was following it, saying, “It’s on television so much, it’s hard not to follow it.”

“Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” he said of Clancy. “But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be mental institution or jail or something, but I guess they’re going to go through another trial. It’s too bad.”

When asked for comment on Reddington’s remarks, the White House pointed back to Trump’s comments Friday. 

The president has broad authority to issue pardons and commutations, but the power is strictly limited to federal offenses. In her trial, Clancy faced state offenses in being charged with three counts of first-degree murder and was not convicted, therefore she is not eligible for a pardon by the president. Instead, she would need to appeal to state authorities in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

When it comes to the prospect of beginning a retrial for Clancy, Reddington said he hopes he and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz are able to come to an agreement.

“He’s a very hard-charging prosecutor, a conservative gentleman,” Reddington said of Cruz. “I hope however after sitting through this trial and seeing the evidence that was presented from the government as well as from the defense, that he would revisit that issue and hopefully would be able to work something out that would be acceptable to both sides.”

In remarks on Sept. 4 after the mistrial was declared, Cruz declined to announce an immediate decision about retrying Clancy.

“I appreciate the fact that there are strong feelings and opinions tied to this case,” Cruz said outside the courthouse. “However, our job is to set aside our feelings and focus solely on the facts. The facts are Lindsay Clancy killed her three children and the evidence suggested to us that she was in control of her actions when she committed those homicides.”

The two sides are scheduled to be in court on Sept. 29 to determine next steps following the mistrial.

Reddington said he was “upset” with the mistrial because of information he said the jury foreperson provided about the lone juror holdout, whom Reddington has said was a male juror.

“He had agreed, according to the note from the forelady, that he had doubt but he would not present the law of reasonable doubt as presented by the judge,” Reddington said. “That’s not right and that’s why I was upset.”

Throughout Clancy’s trial, much of the testimony centered on whether or not Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis — considered a psychiatric emergency, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life, and whether she should be held criminally liable for the killings.

Jurors in Massachusetts are instructed that in order to prove a defendant is criminally responsible for their conduct, prosecutors must “prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not suffer from a mental disease or defect at the time of the alleged offense,” according to the Massachusetts Court System.

Reddington said that critics who call the so-called insanity defense a rationalization don’t understand what he says Clancy went through.

“These people don’t understand,” he said. “They don’t know what she went through. They didn’t see her text messages. They didn’t see her journal. They didn’t see the notes that she wrote.”

He continued, “She reached out to everybody and anybody that would listen to it and kept saying, ‘I am not good. I am not well,’ and it wasn’t good.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are not on your own.

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A 38-year-old Ohio man was arrested Sunday after allegedly “pushing his way” through a crowd at a fair where Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Ohio, was speaking, according to authorities.

The suspect, identified by police as Patrick Havas, allegedly knocked two people to the ground before being taken into custody, according to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

“After his arrest, two handguns and a set of ‘brass knuckles’ were recovered,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. “Investigators say no weapons were ever brandished or even removed from their holsters.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a later statement that Havas was booked at the Mahoning County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault.

Acton was not harmed, according to the OSHP, members of whom were with Acton at the time as part of her protective unit.

The alleged incident took place at the Canfield Fair in Canfield, Ohio, located near Acton’s hometown of Youngstown, around 60 miles outside of Cleveland.

“Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Addie Bullock, Acton’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday, referring to Acton’s husband. “This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement earlier Sunday that the alleged incident occurred when a “man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.”

“Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” DeWine said in a statement on social media Sunday, adding that he and his wife spoke with Acton and “she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok.”

“This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly,” DeWine said.

Acton previously served under DeWine when he appointed her as director of the Ohio Department of Health in 2019.

She is now running for governor in the November general election against Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, whose campaign also issued a statement Sunday.

“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Ramaswamy’s communications director Connie Luck said in a statement. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt.”

Ramaswamy was also scheduled to appear at the Canfield Fair Sunday afternoon. His campaign did not immediately respond to questions from ABC News about whether the event took place. 

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Miami — Five people are dead and five people are injured after an Amazon Air cargo plane from Puerto Rico overran a runway at Miami International Airport, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news conference Sunday evening.

The names of the deceased and the injured have not been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it is sending a team, led by NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, to investigate the incident, which took place Sunday afternoon.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Amazon confirmed the incident in separate statements.

“21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the FAA statement said.

“We can confirm that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport today,” Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement, adding that it was a “fast-moving situation” and that Amazon was “working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened.”

“Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected,” the statement added.

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 shows the plane was going approximately 128 mph as it went off the runway.

A ground stop at Miami International Airport was lifted around three hours after the incident, with two of the four runways now reopened, according to officials. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Severe, damaging thunderstorms targeted parts of the Southeast on Saturday, with more severe weather possible on Sunday.

Several homes were damaged due to fallen trees in Rogersville, Tennessee and the community of Persia, Tennessee, and injuries were reported. In North Carolina, Fayetteville Airport reported a 72 mph wind gust from thunderstorms.

On Sunday, a level 2 out of 5 “slight risk” for severe weather is in effect for parts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, including Atlanta, Savannah, Columbia, Charleston and Charlotte.

Damaging winds and flash flooding are the main threats, but some hail is also possible.

The same “slight risk” for severe weather exists Sunday in parts of Montana, including Great Falls and Butte. Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats with storms later today in the area.

While portions of the Southeast faced severe weather for the first part of the holiday weekend, it’s important to note that overall, much of the country is experiencing quiet conditions weather-wise for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

For the Labor Day holiday on Monday, there is no organized severe weather threat as much of the country continues to enjoy rather tranquil weather. Some areas could still see scattered thunderstorms which could bring lightning, gusty winds and downpours in spots.

Triple-digit heat scorches the Southeast

Dangerous heat persists for millions as the holiday weekend continues, with more than 40 million Americans under heat alerts Sunday from Kansas to Georgia.

Heat indices are soaring into the triple digits across this large swath of the country later Sunday afternoon.

Cooler and more comfortable conditions continue to settle in for much of the Northeast and will do the same farther south along much of the East Coast later Sunday.

Afternoon high temperatures will be in the mid-80s in Washington, D.C., Sunday and in the 70s in New York City Sunday and on Monday.

Raleigh, North Carolina will see highs decrease to the mid-80s Sunday after a long stretch of brutal heat.

However, parts of the Plains and South will remain very hot through the new workweek. An Extreme Heat Warning remains in place for Kansas City through Tuesday. Highs will be in the mid-90s each day, with feels-like temperatures up to 105 degrees during the afternoon.

Flash flood threat

On Sunday, the potential for flash flooding returns to parts of the Southwest, with a level 2 of 4 risk over parts of southern Nevada, northern Arizona and Utah.

This includes many national parks in Arizona and Utah on Sunday, including Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, all which recently experienced significant flash flooding impacts from monsoon storms.

A Flood Watch has been posted for Sunday across portions of Utah, including Cedar City, Beaver Richfield and Price, as well as Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.

While the threat is not as widespread and intense as the previous event, scattered thunderstorms later in the day could bring downpours and frequent lightning. Flash flooding is possible where the heaviest rain develops.

Any burn scar areas from recent wildfires in Utah and Arizona will be especially vulnerable to any heavy rain that falls on Sunday.

Tropical storm warning issued for parts of Hawaii

Hurricane Lowell and Tropical Storm Karina will bring high surf impacts to the Hawaiian Islands through the holiday weekend, while Lowell is expected to bring heavy rain to Hawaii.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for Kauai County on Sunday, saying tropical storm conditions were expected for Kauai Northwest Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters and Kauai Channel on Monday morning and lasting through Tuesday afternoon.

Lowell has weakened slightly back to a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. It’s moving to the north-northwest at 6 mph with the center currently located roughly 600 miles southwest of Honolulu.

Lowell is forecast to remain a major hurricane over the next 24 hours but a weakening trend is expected to take over as it continues its turn to the north. The tropical system is still forecast to pass west of the main Hawaiian Islands late Monday into Tuesday.

Lowell is already bringing high surf to the south- and southeast-facing shores of the islands. A High Surf Advisory in effect for waves up to 12 feet along these shorelines.

While landfall is not expected, some of the outer bands of Lowell could impact the western Hawaiian Islands early this week.
 

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