(SACRAMENTO) — Authorities are looking for a suspect who crashed a helicopter after trying to steal it from Sacramento Executive Airport in California early Wednesday.
No one was injured in the crash and no one is in custody, Sacramento police said.
The attempted theft of the chopper took place around 5 a.m. local time, according to officials. Sacramento police told ABC News officers responded to reports of multiple helicopters being broken into, including one that appeared to have been operated resulting in a crash.
The stolen helicopter was a Bell 429, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA said it was unclear how many people were on board or their conditions.
The incident is under investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that he spoke with Russia’s defense minister about what he called “risky” behavior by Russian fighter jet pilots who the U.S. says caused an American drone to crash into the Black Sea near Ukraine.
“This hazardous episode is a part is part of a pattern of aggressive, risky, risky and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace,” Austin said at a news conference with Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.
“I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu. As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s important that great powers be models of transparency and communication. And the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate as military aircraft in a safe and professional manner,” he said.
Austin would not get into the content of his call with Sergei Shoigu, but emphasized the importance of keeping lines of communication open.
“I think it’s really key that that we’re able to pick up the phone and engage each other,” he said.
Asked if the incident — during which the U.S. says one Russian jet collided with the MQ-9 Reaper drone’s propeller — constitutes an act of war, Milley said he would not go that far, saying the U.S. does not know if the collision itself was deliberate.
“We know that the intercept was intentional. We know that the aggressive behavior was intentional. We also know it was very unprofessional and very unsafe,” Milley said. “The actual contact of the fixed-wing Russian fighter with our UAV, the physical contact of those two, not sure yet, that remains to be seen.”
Russia has denied any collision.
“As far as an act of war goes, I’m not gonna go there. Incidents happen. And, and clearly, we do not seek armed conflict with with Russia. And, and I believe that at this point, we should investigate this incident and move on from there, but we will continue to exercise our rights in international airspace,” he continued.
The drone is about 4,000-5,000 feet under the Black Sea, and recovery will be “very difficult,” according to Milley. He said that while the U.S. doesn’t have any ships in the region, “we do have a lot of allies and friends in the area. And we’ll work through recovery operations.”
Austin said the Pentagon is still working to declassify images of the interception, but would not say when that might happen.
“We are still going through videos and photographs to ascertain what we can release, what we can provide. But in terms of what the video shows, we remain confident in the facts that we have conveyed thus far,” Austin said.
Earlier, in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the incident between a Russian jet and a U.S. drone over the Black Sea “at the very least looks like this was just reckless behavior by a Russian pilot.”
Asked by co-anchor George Stephanopoulos if this was just a “dumb” move as one U.S. Air Force official stated, Kirby said, “that’s what it looks like right now.”
He said the message from the U.S. to the Russian ambassador called into the State Department Tuesday was, “don’t do this again.”
“We’re not minimizing this. I mean, you don’t bring in the Russian ambassador because you’re failing to take something seriously, we are taking it seriously and the message was don’t do this again. We’re going to continue to fly in international airspace over international waters. Where this drone was, that’s going to continue and we expect the Russians to observe international law and to not interfere with our legal operations,” Kirby said.
Kirby wouldn’t go into details when asked if he’s concerned if the drone technology could fall into Russian hands, but that the U.S. is working to recover the drone from the Black Sea, admitting that will be a challenging task.
“I can tell you we’re comfortable that should anything be taken by the Russians, their ability to exploit useful intelligence will be highly minimized. That said it’s our property and obviously we’re looking – we’re looking to see what we can do to maybe recover — that will be challenging in the Black Sea, it’s very, very deep water, but it’s our property,” he said.
Asked how the U.S. can prevent this kind of incident from happening again, Kirby said it comes down to “lines of communication staying open.”
“We have ways of communication with the Russians directly, and that’s a good thing. That’s one way to try and minimize the risk of miscalculation,” he said.
Kirby said the White House is “absolutely” concerned about the Russians escalating in other ways while its forces are stalled in Ukraine.
“Escalation concerns have been with us since the beginning of this war, George. And you don’t know exactly what Mr. Putin will do on any given day or how he will react to any outcomes on the battlefield,” Kirby said.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
David Byrne has contributed the music to comedian John Mulaney’s new Netflix comedy special.
John Mulaney: Baby J, which was recorded at Boston’s Symphony Hall in February, is set to premiere April 25. It will be his third comedy special for the streaming service, following 2015’s The Comeback Kid and 2018’s Kid Gorgeous.
This isn’t the first time Byrne and Mulaney have worked together. Byrne appeared in the comedian’s Netflix children’s special, John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch, which debuted in December 2019.
The news comes just days after Byrne performed at the Oscars with Son Lux and Stephanie Hsu. His Everything Everywhere All At Once tune, “This Is A Life,” was nominated for Best Original Song. It lost to “Naatu Naatu” from the movie RRR.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A U.S. Food and Drug Administration analysis did not find a clear association between the COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid and illness rebound, the FDA said in a new report.
Rebound rates are around the same in people who took the drug and those who didn’t, the study said. It’s the first time the FDA has weighed in on COVID-19 rebound.
“Virologic and/or symptomatic rebound may occur as part of the natural progression and resolution of COVID-19 disease, irrespective of PAXLOVID treatment,” the FDA wrote. Around 10 to 16% of people with COVID-19 had rebound symptoms, according to the FDA’s analysis.
Multiple high-profile people experienced COVID-19 rebound after taking Paxlovid, including President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci— it was a major talking point around the drug. This new report offers data to counterbalance those anecdotal reports.
Pfizer, which makes Paxlovid, said it’s running two additional studies to try and understand symptom rebound.
One will look at rebounds in immunocompromised patients who take Paxlovid for different amounts of time. The second will check if patients who take Paxlovid and then have symptom rebound should take another course of the drug.
The info was part of the FDA’s briefing document ahead of a meeting of the agency’s advisors Thursday, where they’ll discuss whether the FDA should fully approve Paxlovid. The drug is currently available because of the FDA’s emergency use authorization.
A February study showed COVID rebound is “common” for those who did not take antiviral treatments, “but the combination of symptom and viral rebound is rare.”
The FDA approved pharmacies to prescribe Paxlovid in July 2022.
“The FDA recognizes the important role pharmacists have played and continue to play in combatting this pandemic,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement last year. “Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients who are eligible to receive this drug for the treatment of COVID-19.”
Overall, the drug has worked as promised, doctors said, by dramatically reducing the chances that an older or high-risk individual might wind up hospitalized or dead.
Doctors have said that Paxlovid is most effective when given as soon after a diagnosis of COVID-19 as possible. Taking it later during the course of the illness may result in the drug not being as effective.
What’s more is that it might help prevent long COVID.
A study released in November 2022 by the Veterans Administration looking at the medical records of 56,000 people found that taking Paxlovid early decreased the chances of experiencing “long COVID” by some 25%.
Emmy winner John Mulaney is returning to Netflix on April 25 with a new stand-up special, John Mulaney: Baby J.
It will be the third special on the streaming service for the actor, writer, comedian and new dad.
Mulaney and Olivia Munn welcomed their first child, Malcolm, in 2021.
The special was shot in Boston’s Symphony Hall in February 2023; David Byrne is supplying the music for the special.
Mulaney previously starred in the stand-up specials The Comeback Kid in 2015 and Kid Gorgeous in 2018. He also starred in a variety special for the streamer in 2019 called John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch.
(NEW YORK) — Google is expanding use of its health care artificial intelligence, including helping detect diseases, such as cancer, earlier and answering medical questions.
During the technology company’s annual The Check Up event on Tuesday, employees announced several new updates and partnerships that they claim will help expand access to care and make the field more equitable.
“The future of health is consumer-driven,” Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Google’s chief health officer, said at the event held in New York City. “People will expect a mobile-first experience with more personalized insights, services and care. That means enterprises, including Google, will need to evolve to meet consumers where they are.”
The company unveiled the latest version of its medical large language model, which is designed to provide answers to medical questions, called Med-PaLM 2.
Last year, when it was first introduced, Google said it was the first AI system to get a passing score — meaning more than 60% — when answering multiple choice and open-ended questions that appear on U.S. medical licensing exams.
Google said the latest iteration consistently answered medical exam questions on an “expert” level, scoring 85%.
During the event, Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam, a research lead at Google Health, showed examples of some of the questions Med-PaLM 2 might answer including “what are the first warning signs of pneumonia?” and “can incontinence be cured?”
Many times, the answers were similar to — and even more thorough than — the answers clinicians provided to the same questions.
However, the company admitted it’s not ready to be rolled out yet in the real world due to some gaps in answering some medical questions, including not be as detailed.
“You can see from this sort of work that we’re still learning,” Karthikesalingam said.
Google also announced new partnerships that will help detect diseases earlier and identify health information more quickly.
The first partnership, with Kenya-based Jacaranda Health — which focuses on the health of expectant mothers and newborns — is to use AI to replace traditional ultrasound machines.
AI could be implanted in low-income areas that don’t have the machines or have very few of them, which are costly and requires training workers, so more pregnant women can be monitored.
Another partnership with Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan will explore using AI models using ultrasound for breast cancer detection rather than traditional mammograms, which can also be costly.
Google is also partnering with the Mayo Clinic to see how AI can help for patients receiving radiation, a common cancer treatment.
The company says its AI may help speed up a process called contour delineation, in which clinicians use CT scans to outline healthy organs and tissue at risk so the radiation can be directed towards the tumor.
Google is also expanding the ability of its search engine to provide information about affordable health care providers.
Hema Budaraju, the senior director of product, health and social responsibility at Google Search, said the company had used Duplex to help users find community health centers that offer free and low-cost care and are adding more doctors with appointments that can be booked online.
“We also know how important it is when you’re searching for healthcare providers that the information you find is accurate, like the clinic’s phone number and address,” she said. “Duplex called hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers in the U.S. to verify their information on Google Search and we’ve used this technology to verify if providers accept certain Medicaid plans in their state.”
As previously reported, Roger Waters’ May 28 show in Frankfurt, Germany, was canceled by the local city council, which called Waters out for allegedly being “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites” and noted his support for boycotting Israel.
In a statement to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the Pink Floyd star’s management in London says he plans to take action, and has “directed his attorneys to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustified decision and ensure that his fundamental human right to freedom of expression is protected.”
A concert in Munich has reportedly been canceled, as well, and the statement adds, “if left unchallenged, this blatant attempt to silence him could have serious and far-reaching consequences for artists and activists around the world.”
They add the cancelations were “unconstitutional,” “unjustified” and based “on the false accusation that Roger Waters was anti-Semitic, which he is not.”
Waters’ This Is Not A Drill tour is set to hit Lisbon, Portugal, on Friday. A complete list of Waters’ dates can be found at rogerwaters.com.
On Instagram Wednesday, James Gunn revealed that he is directing his script for Superman: Legacy after all.
The Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director-turned-co-CEO of DC Studios broke the news in a very personal caption to a comic picture of Supes sitting on a cloud and smiling.
“Yes, I’m directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025,” he began, noting his brother Matt cried when he heard the date: It was their late father’s birthday.
James explained he once turned down a chance to direct a Superman film “years ago”: “I didn’t have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved.”
“Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes,” Gunn said, explaining that convinced him to take the job.
“Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it,” he expressed, adding, “I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”
As reported, Gunn and Peter Safran‘s tenure as co-CEOs/co-chairmen of DC Studios hit early turbulence with some fans when it was announced Henry Cavill wouldn’t be returning as the Man of Steel after he appeared as such in the after credits of Black Adam.
The former Witcher star had happily told fans late last year that he was indeed back as the hero, only to regretfully inform them weeks later that it wasn’t to be. “This news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” he said at the time.
(NEW YORK) — Stormy Daniels met with prosecutors Wednesday at the request of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, her attorney said in a tweet, as the office continues its ongoing criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s role in a hush money payment made to Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed,” her attorney, Clark Brewster, wrote in the tweet.
Daniels met with prosecutors over Zoom, said a source familiar with the investigation.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, paid $130,000 to Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign to allegedly keep her quiet about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump. The former president has denied the affair and his attorneys have framed the funds as an extortion payment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is mulling whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records, after the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment then logged the reimbursement as a legal expense, sources have told ABC News.
“Thank you to my amazing attorney … for helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice,” Daniels wrote in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.
(PHARR, Texas) — Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told lawmakers on Wednesday that parts of the southern border are in “crisis” and that U.S. authorities do not have “operational control” despite recent declines from the historically high levels of illegal migration seen in the past year.
“The migration flow represents challenges and — in some areas — a crisis situation,” Ortiz said, citing the more than 900,000 unauthorized migrant encounters so far this budget year.
Ortiz painted a complex and dynamic picture of the southern border in testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, noting that Border Patrol apprehensions over the past two months have “declined significantly.” In January, apprehensions hit the lowest point since the early weeks of the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Protection data.
“Challenges and crisis are nothing new for the Border Patrol, and I’m incredibly proud of our personnel as well as our many partners,” Ortiz said.
House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., asked Ortiz point-blank if the U.S. is currently meeting the definition of “operational control” at the southern border, as defined by federal law.
“No, sir,” Ortiz responded.
However, by that measure, no administration in U.S. history has ever achieved such control. Title 8 of the U.S. Code defines operational control as the “prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States,” a task complicated by the vast size and geographic variety of the southwest.
The Border Patrol itself has defined operational control differently than under Title 8. Instead of setting the bar at sealing the border between official crossing points, the agency has defined control as its ability to respond to specific and immediate threats.
Still, Ortiz told the House committee, there were problems that Congress could help solve.
“Today’s border environment requires a whole-of-government solution to include international engagements, resourcing and consequences which could be in the form of legislative or policy adjustments,” Ortiz said. “And that is where I asked for your help. We need more options.”
In a statement on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Ian Sams accused Republicans of “playing partisan games at the border,” noting their lack of support for President Joe Biden’s border security funding proposals.
“Perhaps House Republicans could take the time at this hearing to look the Chief of the Border Patrol in the eye and honestly explain to him why they want to slash the funding needed to combat fentanyl trafficking, stop unlawful border crossings, and conduct other important law enforcement efforts at the border,” Sams said.
While conservatives in Congress have approved funds to the border multiple times under Biden, they have since said more money isn’t appropriate without different border policies. Others, like Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, have called Biden’s proposed border funding “more talk with no action” because it doesn’t fix issues with border agent staffing and more.
Republican House committee members held Wednesday’s hearing at South Texas College near the border in Pharr, Texas. Green opened the hearing by admonishing Democrats for not attending.
Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, pulled out of the hearing over what he said were Republican attempts to “score political points.”
“After careful consideration, Committee Democrats have decided not to participate in the Republicans’ field hearing this week,” Thompson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it has become clear that Republicans planned to politicize this event from the start, breaking with the Committee’s proud history of bipartisanship.”
Thompson said Democrats plan to visit the southern border as soon as this week.
