GREEN MAG

For the first time in over a century, historians say a new stop on the Underground Railroad has been discovered, fully intact, in New York City.

The site is hidden in the Merchant's House Museum, the only 19th-century home in Manhattan with both its interior and exterior preserved.

Tucked away in the walls on the second-floor is a chest of drawers that visitors have walked past for decades. But inside one of the drawer shelves is a hidden passageway -- just barely large enough for an upright person to fit through, leading 15 feet underground.

Museum staff have known about the existence of the passageway since the 1930s. However, they were only able to officially link it to the now-iconic Underground Railroad recently, after years of research.

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That journey began two years ago when the museum's historian, Ann Haddad, discovered that the builder and designer of the house, Joseph Brewster, was an abolitionist. That set off a muti-pronged effort by staff, volunteers and outside experts to research everything from general history of New York City, Brewster's life and architecture of the time.

"I've cold-called many academics and said, like, 'I have this thing, like, will you listen to me talk and I get your feedback on it?' Just because, you know, it just felt so big that we really wanted to ask and ask and ask," Camille Czerkowicz, the Merchant House's Curator & Collections Manager, told ABC News.

One of the most exciting discoveries came when they learned of Brewster's connections to integrated churches in New York.

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"He sold this house to become an elder at this church, and we learned from church archives that Brewster actually approved the construction of a false floor in the church that he had built, "Emily Hill-Wright, the museum's Director of Operations, told ABC News. "And so to me, that was a really compelling piece of evidence, because it showed that this is not just a one-off, that Brewster has a pattern of putting sort of these hiding spaces in buildings that he has constructed."

At the time of the house's building in the 1830s, the city was staunchly pro-slavery, even as slavery had been abolished in New York. Assisting freedom seekers was illegal, and pro-slavery riots and kidnappings abounded.

In addition to the immense dangers faced by Black Americans, Hill-Wright explained, "Anyone with a known connection to anti-slavery work or abolition was a target, and your life could be in danger."

While Brewster's feats were noble, they were not isolated. Anti-slavery efforts at the time were led by the Black community, said Czerkowicz and Hill-Wright. The museum is continuing to research what organizations and individuals may have been involved in assisting Brewster with the home's construction.

The Merchant's House is now the earliest known site of Underground Railroad activity in New York City, according to the museum.

On the significance of this discovery, Hill-Wright said, "By necessity, of course, these spaces were incredibly secretive, and so today, there are very, very, very few intact spaces like this one. Many Underground Railroad sites have other types of documentation, whether it's really strong oral history or, very rarely, there are written records, but it is very rare to have a physical space like ours that is as intact as our space is."

Having always offered visitors a look into domestic life for a merchant and his family in the 19th century, the Merchant's House is now working to broaden its offerings for this new layer of historical significance. Museum staff are continuing their research, and Czerkowicz and Hill-Wright hope that sharing their discovery with the public will allow for new opportunities in that effort.

The museum remains open to the public, with plexiglass soon to be installed around the Underground Railroad site so anyone may come to see it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Friday that it has carried out anotherdeadly strike on a vesselaccused of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea.

U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations." It said the strike killed three people. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.

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Friday's attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration's strikes on alleged drug boats to 133 people in at least 38 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that "some top cartel drug-traffickers" in the region "have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean." However, Hegseth did not provide any details or information to back up this claim, made in a post on his personal account on social media.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America and hasjustified the attacksas a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing "narcoterrorists."

A shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that took effect early Saturday impacts the agency responsible for screening passengers and bags at airports across the country. Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-daygovernment shutdownthat led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.

Transportation Security Administrationofficers are expected to work without pay while lawmakers remain without an agreement on DHS' annual funding. TSA officers also worked through the record shutdown that ended Nov. 12, but aviation experts say this one may play out differently.

Trade groups for the U.S. travel industry and major airlines nonetheless warned that the longer DHS appropriations are lapsed, the longer security lines at the nation's commercial airports could get.

Here's what to know aboutthe latest shutdownand how to plan ahead.

What's different about this shutdown?

Funding for Homeland Securityexpired at midnight. But the rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.

According to the department's contingency plan, about 95% of TSA workers are deemed essential personnel and required to keep working. Democrats in the House and Senate say DHS won't get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations.

During past shutdowns, disruptions to air travel tended tobuild over time, not overnight. About a month into last year's shutdown, for example, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. That same day, the governmenttook the extraordinary stepof ordering all commercial airlines to reduce their domestic flight schedules.

John Rose, chief risk officer for global travel management company Altour, said strains could surface at airports more quickly this time because the TSA workforce also will be remembering the last shutdown.

"It's still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks," Rose said.

What is the impact on travelers?

It's hard to predict whether, when or where security screening snags might pop up. Even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there's just a single security checkpoint.

That's why travelers should plan to arrive early and allow extra time to get through security.

"I tell people to do this even in good times," Rose said.

Experts say flight delays also are a possibility even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the DHS shutdown.

Airlines might decide to delay departures in some cases to wait for passengers to clear screening, said Rich Davis, senior security adviser at risk mitigation company International SOS. Shortages of TSA officers also could slow the screening of checked luggage behind the scenes.

What travelers can do to prepare

Most airports display security line wait times on their websites, but don't wait until the day of a flight to check them, Rose advised.

"You may look online and it says two-and-a-half hours," he said. "Now it's two-and-a-half hours before your flight and you haven't left for the airport yet."

Passengers should also pay close attention while packing since prohibited items are likely to prolong the screening process. For carry-on bags, avoid bringing full-size shampoo or other liquids, large gels or aerosols and items like pocketknives in carry-on bags.

TSAhas a full liston its website of what is and isn't allowed in carry-on and checked luggage.

At the airport, Rose said, remember to "practice patience and empathy."

"Not only are they not getting paid," he said of TSA agents, "they're probably working with reduced staff and dealing with angry travelers."

Will the shutdown drag on?

The White House has been negotiating with Democratic lawmakers, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the end of the week before senators and members of Congress were set to leave Washington for a 10-day break.

Lawmakers in both chambers were on notice, however, to return if a deal to end the shutdown is struck.

Democrats have said they won't help approve more DHS funding untilnew restrictionsare placed on federal immigration operations after the fatal shooting ofAlex PrettiandRenee Goodin Minneapolis last month.

In a joint statement, U.S. Travel, Airlines for America and the American Hotel & Lodging Association warned that the shutdown threatens to disrupt air travel as the busy spring break travel season approaches.

"Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay, which increases the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights," the statement said.

While the United States isn't leading in the medal count, Team USA is looking golden at this year'sWinter Olympic Games.

Team USA haswon 16 medalsso far and four of them are gold. The American team is in third place for total medals.

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Breezy Johnsonwon goldin women's downhill skiing on Sunday, becoming only the second American woman to accomplish the feat. It was the first Olympic medal of her career, and the first gold medal for Team USA at this year's Winter Games. She tearfully stood at the podium to accept her gold, afterwards saying,"it doesn't feel real yet."

Team USA's second medal came on Sunday after a nail-biting figure skating team event. Ilia Manlin, also known as the "Quad god" stepped onto the ice with the gold medal hinging on his performance. The breakout star delivered, earning Team USA enough points to defeat Japan.

On Wednesday, Elizabeth Lemley, 20, won gold in her Olympic debut in women's moguls. Her teammate, Jaelin Kauf, took the silver. Speedskater Jordan Stolz took the gold in men's 1,000-meters, setting an Olympic record.

Norway currently leads in the gold count, with eight gold medals for the winter sports powerhouse. They are tied with host nation, Italy, for total medals with 18.

MILAN (AP) — Kristi Yamaguchi thought she had done enough to win the gold medal at the 1992Winter Olympicsin Albertville, France.

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Figure Skating

Even the dress she was wearing that night was accented with gold.

But it wasn't until Yamaguchi heard her scores while sitting in the kiss-and-cry area just off the ice inside Halle Olympique, longtime coach Christy Ness by her side, that everything became real. First came solid technical marks in the old 6.0 scoring system, then came huge artistic scores of almost 5.9 across the board, catapulting Yamaguchi out of her seat to wave at the fans.

"It was just such an incredible moment," she recalled.

Showcasing such moments — the unscripted exuberance and unbridled joy — is a big reason why the kiss-and-cry exists. So are those cute, endearing moments, like when Yamaguchi accidentally sat back down on a big stuffed teddy bear.

Then there is the opposite end of the competitive spectrum, moments that put on display skaters at their lowest. That was whatIlia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold. The world watched as the heavy favorite to triumph at the Milan Cortina Games sat through several agonizing minutes of dejection.

It raises the question: As more emphasis is placed on the mental health of athletes, should the sport of figure skating continue such a voyeuristic practice of having scores revealed to them — the good, yes, but especially the bad — in such a nakedly public way?

"I guess it's just always been part of the sport. I wouldn't know it without it," Yamaguchi told The Associated Press. "You are always going to have that element of tension while you're waiting for the scores to come up. TV is all about getting good TV moments, so why not create a place where you showcase the emotions of the athletes in the moment?"

Showcasing the best and worst

It makes sense for those moments of sheer happiness.

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir shared a moment of serene joy as they learned they had won on home soil. Over the years, French skater Kevin Aymoz has become famous for his kiss-and-cry celebrations, including one where he broke down in tears upon taking over first place at the 2023 world championships in Japan.

"It's thrilling," Aymoz said, "when you see those scores come up."

Yet there have been just as many cringe-worthy moments in figure skating, too.

At the 2014 Sochi Games, Yuna Kim of South Korea looked positively deflated the moment she learned her bid for back-to-back titles had ended with a silver medal. Four years later, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Gabrielle Daleman could only bury her face in her hands after the Canadian's disappointing free skate, her painful reaction beamed to a global audience.

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She no doubt would have preferred sitting backstage when her scores were read.

The subject of the kiss-and-cry is not such a debate at the senior level, where athletes are essentially professionals. They understand that the drama created by the moment is good for the sport, and good for their own brands. It humanizes them to fans watching in the stands or at home, creating a sort of emotional bond that can pay long-term dividends.

Safeguarding athletes

But what about junior- and novice-level skaters, including those not even teenagers yet, who may get to revel in the soaring highs of hearing a good score but must also suffer through the soul-crushing lows of hearing a poor one?

After all, the International Skating Union pointed to mental health as one of the primary reasons following the 2022 Beijing Games for increasing the age limit for senior-level skaters from 15 to 17 in time for the Milan Cortina Games.

"In our Congress in 2018 this was a topic, a heated discussion, pros and cons — 'Do we want the best skaters or do we want to pay more attention to the well-being of an athlete?'" ISU president Jae-youl Kim said. "Then at our last Congress in '24, we invited Gracie Gold, and we devoted a whole session to safeguarding young athletes."

Gold, the former two-time U.S. champion, has been an outspoken proponent for the mental health of skaters. She laid out her own struggles in her 2024 memoir, "Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F(asterisk)cking Up, and Figuring It Out."

Yet the ISU has rarely discussed the propriety of the kiss-and-cry, so ingrained is it in the sport of figure skating.

Instead, it seems to have doubled-down on the drama.

High-pressure 'hot seat'

During last year's world championships, the ISU introduced a "hot seat," where the current leader must sit in sight of the crowd until someone beats them. For the Olympics, there is not only a hot seat but a "podium box" where second and third must sit.

"It's a high-pressure environment," acknowledged Amber Glenn, who helped the U.S. win team gold earlier in the Winter Games, and who will compete in the individual event next week. "I think we are getting to the point where we are kind of trying to find a balance of what is good for the sport and what is good for the athlete."

In the meantime, the kiss-and-cry will remain centerstage for some of the most emotional moments of the Olympics.

"It is the good and bad," Yamaguchi said. "I think everyone has just accepted that's part of the sport."

AP Olympic coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics