(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Philadelphia 117, New Orleans 107
Toronto 125, Charlotte 113
Denver 110, Detroit 105
Boston 128, Sacramento 75
LA Clippers 116, Washington 115
LA Lakers 106, Brooklyn 96
San Antonio 134, Houston 104
Golden State 130, Dallas 92
Minnesota 109, Portland 107
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 6, Arizona 3
Ottawa 5, Buffalo 0
Dallas 5, New Jersey 1
Carolina 4, Vegas 3 (OT)
NY Islanders 4, Philadelphia 3
Florida 5, Winnipeg 3
Edmonton 3, Vancouver 2 (OT)
Nashville 4, Seattle 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auburn 55, Missouri 54
Baylor 74, Kansas St. 49
Duke 71, Clemson 69
Illinois 56, Michigan St. 55
Kentucky 82, Mississippi St. 74
Villanova 67, DePaul 43
UConn 96, Georgetown 73
UCLA 75, Arizona 59
Wisconsin at Nebraska (Postponed)
Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(MELBOURNE, Australia) — After immense international backlash, Tennis Australia has reversed course on its ban of spectators donning T-shirts in support of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai at the Australian Open.
Peng, who was formerly ranked No. 1 globally in women’s doubles, has retreated from the public eye and social media after accusing a retired top Chinese Communist Party official of sexual assault last November. The saga has garnered international backlash over China’s handling of sexual assault claims, and attempts by Chinese state-run media to assuage international concern for Peng’s safety have only prompted further global skepticism about the case.
A Tennis Australia spokesperson confirmed the ban reversal to ABC News on Tuesday, saying the organization would take a “common sense approach” to enforcing its policy against political materials as long as there are no disruptions to the event. The apparent U-Turn came after videos on social media showed security and police confronting activists wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words: “Where is Peng Shuai.”
Tennis great Martina Navratilova blasted the initial ban, calling it “just pathetic” on Twitter. After hearing of the reversal, Navratilova lauded Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley and the tournament organizers for “doing the right thing here!”
Tiley confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that T-shirts supporting Peng will be permitted, but banners are still barred due to safety concerns.
“What we’ve said is that if anyone comes on site with an intent to disrupt and use the Australian Open as a platform for themselves and really disrupts the comfort and the safety of our fans, then they’re not welcome,” Tiley told the local newspaper. “However, if someone wants to wear a T-shirt and make a statement about Peng Shuai, that’s fine.”
Tiley continued: “But what’s not fine is if that someone brings in a big banner and it’s got big poles attached to it and it’s used as something [which is dangerous], it really takes away from the comfort and safety of the fans. We’ll stick to those terms and conditions.”
International tennis superstars including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have lent their voices to the growing chorus of concerns for Peng, with both athletes sharing posts about the saga on Twitter using the hashtag #whereispengshuai.
Peng re-emerged at a public event in the run-up to the Beijing 2022 Olympics in mid-December, and the International Olympic Committee released a photo last month of her participating in a video call with IOC head Thomas Bach. Correspondence purportedly from Peng that backtracks her sexual assault claim have also been published by Chinese state-run media outlets.
Despite the purported evidence that she is safe, the global Women’s Tennis Association announced last month that it was suspending all WTA tournaments in China, including in Hong Kong.
“Chinese officials have been provided the opportunity to cease this censorship, verifiably prove that Peng is free and able to speak without interference or intimidation, and investigate the allegation of sexual assault in a full, fair and transparent manner,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a lengthy statement on Dec. 1 announcing the suspension. “Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation.”
Simon said the WTA has repeated its calls for a full and transparent investigation, without censorship, into Peng’s accusation. He also called on other international leaders to “speak out so justice can be done for Peng, and all women, no matter the financial ramifications.”
(WASHINGTON) — As the U.S. continues to warn that the threat of a Russian attack on Ukraine remains “imminent,” there is one dissenting voice that has grown stronger — Ukraine’s.
From President Volodymyr Zelenskyy down, the Ukrainian government has tried to urge calm, with senior officials making clear in recent days they don’t see the risks now as any more heightened than over the last eight years of Russian-stoked conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, for example, said the number of Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders “are not enough for a full-scale invasion.” Instead, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is using the troop build-up “primarily to politically blackmail the West and pressure Ukraine,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
“Russia’s tactical goal is provoke integral divisions in our society, sow fear and panic, to destabilize the internal situation,” she added.
Ukrainian concern that fear and panic could spread, sending Ukraine’s economy spiraling or creating political turmoil, has started to create divisions between the U.S. and Ukraine — despite efforts on both sides to make clear they stand united against any Russian aggression.
“All is under control. There are no reasons to panic,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address to his country Monday night — but the speech spent more time on COVID-19 than Russia.
Some of the steps the U.S. has taken in recent days, some in Kyiv fear, are playing into Moscow’s playbook — stoking fear and panic.
That includes the State Department’s decision to draw down the U.S. embassy, ordering diplomats’ families to evacuate and authorizing non-emergency staff to depart if they choose.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price called it a “prudent precaution,” but his Ukrainian counterpart, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko criticized it as “a premature one and an instance of excessive caution.”
“The Russian Federation is currently taking active efforts to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. A large amount of misinformation, manipulation, and fakes are spreading in Ukrainian and international media in order to cause panic among Ukrainians and foreigners, intimidate business, and undermine the economic and financial stability of our state. In this situation, it is important to soberly assess the risks and stay calm,” Nikolenko added.
Just four countries have followed the U.S., to varying degrees — the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Germany.
“We cannot allow ourselves for that to happen – that our economy falls. If people cross into a state of panic, that is a dangerous situation for our country, and it will be far easier to then manipulate us, and that is Russia’s goal,” warned Aleksey Danilov, a top Ukrainian national security official.
Some economic damage is already apparent. Yields on Ukrainian sovereign Eurobonds in U.S. dollars suddenly shot up to 11-14% on Jan. 14 and have risen even higher since — losing Ukraine access to the international financial market, according to Anders Åslund, a senior fellow at the Stockholm Free World Forum.
“Ukraine’s emerging economic problems are entirely due to the shadow cast by the threat of a dramatic escalation in Russian military aggression,” Åslund wrote for the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
The White House and State Department defended the administration’s decisions and rhetoric, denying that drawing down the embassy, putting 8,500 U.S. troops on alert, and warning of an “imminent” threat have escalated the situation.
“I will let others assess, but there are 100,000 troops — Russian troops — on the border of Ukraine and no clarity that the leader of Russia doesn’t intend to invade. That sounds pretty dangerous to me,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
But 100,000 is not enough for an invasion, according to Malyar and the top commander for Ukraine’s forces on the frontlines. Lt. Gen. Oleksander Pavlyuk told ABC News last week that Ukraine had assessed Russian had 127,000 troops in total, although the U.S. still says approximately 100,000. Either way, Ukraine’s own army is approximately 200,000 strong now, and many more Russian troops would be needed to invade a country the size of Texas.
The number of Russian troops is also “not increasing in the way that today many are representing,” Danilov, who serves as secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, told the BBC in an interview Tuesday. “Is it unpleasant for us? Yes, but for us, it’s not news. If for someone in the West that has become news, well, I’m sorry.”
Still, Psaki denied there was daylight between Washington and Kyiv, adding, “We are in constant contact with Ukrainians to reiterate our support, to convey updates on shipments of supplies, military equipment — something that’s been happening over the last several days.”
Nikolenko too highlighted that military cooperation, praising “its proactive diplomatic position and for strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including the provision of weapons and equipment.”
Asked about the differences, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine Kristina Kvien denied there were any. In an exclusive interview Tuesday where a shipment of U.S. Javelin anti-tank and other weapons was being unleaded, she told ABC News, “President Zelenskyy is taking the threat very seriously, and he is being careful to make preparations as needed.”
The Ukrainian people have “been living with Russian threats for a long time, so I would say that they are just a bit more ‘sang-froid’ as they say in French. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t take them seriously,” added Kvien, the embassy’s chargé d’affaires.
In Kyiv, there is calm, if at least more talk now about the threat of a Russian attack — whether across the border, in cyber space, or through continued efforts to destabilize Ukraine’s government and economy.
“This looks and feels different … It certainly has people a lot more alert, especially if you watch the news all the time,” said Reno Domenico, an American businessman who has lived in Ukraine for 15 years. But he said the cafes remain full, and people are out shopping because, “People don’t panic, and panic is a bad thing. You make bad decisions when you panic.”
After the U.S. Embassy urged Americans to consider departing immediately, Domenico said more people started talking about the possibility. While everyone should have a plan, he added, his is to stay put for now.
ABC News’s Patrick Reevell contributed to this report from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Desiree Adib from New York.
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday she is running for reelection.
“While we have made progress much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives. This election is crucial: nothing less is at stake than our Democracy. But we don’t agonize-we organize. I am running for re-election to Congress to deliver For The People and defend Democracy. -NP,” Pelosi said in a tweet.
As rumors continued to swirl over Pelosi’s possible retirement, she is putting them to bed — for now.
She could always announce a resignation in the coming months, depending on which party keeps the House after the midterm elections — or she could choose to stay if she wins her seat.
The reelection announcement does not mean she will necessarily be running for the speaker’s gavel should Democrats keep the House.
And if they do retain the majority through the midterms and she stays in office, Democrats will likely be looking for fresh leadership.
Last January, the House narrowly reelected Pelosi as speaker with 216 votes, giving the California Democrat a fourth term as its leader.
Pelosi, who is the only woman to ever serve in the leadership role, has previously said she will not run for speaker after 2022.
(KYIV, Ukriane) — The acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine told ABC News Tuesday that an order for diplomats’ families at the embassy to leave the country was issued because Russia could attack “any day now” if it chose.
Kristina Kvien, the embassy’s charge d’affairs, made the remarks after standing in the bitter cold with a Ukrainian deputy defense minister to receive a 79-ton delivery of American military aid at Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport, intended to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
The U.S. State Department on Sunday ordered diplomats’ families to leave and authorized non-emergency staff to depart if they choose, in light of the threat of a possible Russian invasion, as Moscow masses over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. Ukraine’s government has criticized the decision, calling it “premature” and “excessively cautious.” The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany have since followed suit in various forms, but the majority of European countries have said so far they do not believe such a step is warranted.
Kvien told ABC News the decision on the partial evacuation was taken out of an “abundance of caution” given the scale of the Russian build up.
“The decision was made because right now Vladimir Putin and Russia have built up such military might on the border that they could take an action any day now,” she said. “And with that in mind, we felt that out of an abundance of caution, we had to make sure that our embassy families were safe. So that was the basis for a decision.”
Kvien said Russia had built up so many troops it “means that Russia could do anything at any moment.”
“It’s like a gun to the head of Ukraine,” she said. “And we don’t think that Ukraine should have to live with a loaded gun to its head.”
Ukrainian officials have publicly disagreed with the U.S. assessment that a Russian attack could take place at any moment. A deputy defense minister, Hanna Malyar, on Tuesday said the number of Russian troops at the border currently is “not enough for a full-scale invasion.”
In general, Ukrainian officials are more skeptical that Russia will really go through with a major attack and in recent days they have become increasingly vocal in contesting the picture coming from the U.S. that an attack is imminent. The head of Ukraine’s national security council, Alexey Danilov, on Monday told the BBC that “the number of Russian troops is not increasing in the way many people are presenting it”.
Ukrainian officials instead have suggested they believe Russia’s build up is currently intended to destabilize Ukraine with the threat of attack, including by undermining its economy. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in video addresses has urged Ukrainians not to panic and that the threat of invasion is not worse now than when Russia began the conflict in 2014.
Kvien said she believed Ukraine’s government views the threat seriously.
“I do think that President Zelenskyy is taking the threat very seriously, and he is being careful to make preparations as needed,” she said.
“They’ve been living with Russian threats for a long time. So I would say that they are just a bit more, ‘sang froid’ as they say, in French. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t take them seriously,” she said.
The U.S. military aid shipment landing on Tuesday was the third to arrive in a week, part of a $200 million security aid package approved to help Ukraine defend itself and deter Russia.
The delivery included 276 Javelin anti-tank missiles, over 800 SMAW-D shoulder-fired “bunker buster” missiles, 170 pounds of 50-caliber ammunition and bomb disposal suits.
Kvien said the weapons demonstrated the U.S.’ “absolute, rock-solid support” for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The U.S. is still seeking to avert a Russian attack through diplomacy. Russia has demanded guarantees from the U.S. that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the alliance will pull back forces from eastern European countries that joined after the Cold War.
The U.S. has already ruled that out but has proposed discussing other security issues, such as limits on missiles deployments and military exercises.
Kvien repeated there are “some areas” that the U.S. is able to talk about with Russia to try to address its concerns, such as “arms control, better transparency in terms of military exercises,” but she reiterated that Ukraine’s choice to try to join NATO was not on the table. She said she hoped Putin would choose to take the path of diplomacy.
“I think that it’s the only reasonable path. I think it’s the only path that ultimately will lead to a more secure Europe, which Mr. Putin says he would like to have,” she said.
(WASHINGTON) — Right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones appeared before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, he disclosed on his show, telling his audience he invoked the Fifth Amendment to protect himself against self-incrimination “almost 100 times.”
Jones, who was subpoenaed by the committee to provide testimony and records, spoke at a Jan. 5 rally in Washington, D.C., and was also in contact with organizers of the rallies scheduled for Jan. 6, when pro-Trump rioters attacked Capitol Police and disrupted the electoral vote count.
“I went there to have a peaceful political rally, to put peaceful political pressure on Congress,” Jones said. “It’s a horrible historic fiasco and I wish it never happened.”
Jones said the virtual interview with the committee was “extremely interesting to say the least,” and that investigators were “polite” and “dogged.”
He told investigators — who gave him the impression that they regularly monitor his shows — that he had no knowledge of any plans for violence on Jan. 6.
Jones said the committee had “overall pretty reasonable” questions, even though he declined to answer nearly 100 of them.
“I wanted to answer the questions, but at the same time, it’s a good thing I didn’t,” he said. “I’m the type that tries to answer things correctly, even if I don’t know all the answers, and they can then kind of claim that’s perjury” he said.
Jones said the committee showed emails and text messages to him during their session — some of the thousands of records investigators have obtained from dozens of witnesses during their monthslong investigation.
He also said he “had not seen” a clip from his show on Dec. 31, 2020, when a guest host, Matthew Bracken, floated the notion of storming the Capitol to disrupt the electoral vote count.
Jones said investigators also questioned him about his participation in a “Stop the Steal” rally at the Georgia Capitol, and about who he was in touch with in the Trump White House.
“They asked me if we were with Proud Boys and if we were with Oath Keepers,” he said, recalling eating at a Hooters restaurant at his Georgia hotel with members of the far-right group.
“All I know is what I saw and what I witnessed,” he said.
On his show after the Captiol attack, Jones said the White House had asked him to “lead the march” to the Capitol. But on his show Monday, he said he never supported efforts to enter the Capitol and that his main point of contact was Trump campaign fundraiser Caroline Wren, who helped organize the rally outside the White House on Jan. 6.
Biffy Clyro has announced a North American headlining tour.
The outing launches April 17 in Chicago, and will wrap up May 9 in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 28, at 10 a.m. local time.
“America — we’ve missed you, it’s been way too long!” the Scottish rockers proclaim. “We can’t wait to come and play for you all again, it’s going to be special.”
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BiffyClyro.com.
Biffy will be touring in support of their last two records, 2020’s A Celebration of Endings, and 2021’s The Myth of the Happily Ever After.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ronnie Scotts
Van Morrison has received a lot of media attention lately for his outspoken views protesting the U.K.’s COVID-19 safety policies, which he considers overly restrictive and believes are unfairly causing great harm musicians’ livelihoods. That being said, Morrison has just postponed the four upcoming Florida concerts he had lined up in February due to COVID-related issues, and he also revealed that his three-show Las Vegas residency that’s slated to take place next month also may be rescheduled.
“With the surge in Covid cases as a result of the omicron variant in the US, we have made the very difficult decision to reschedule our upcoming dates originally planned for February to later in the year,” a message on Morrison’s Facebook page reads. “Our primary concern is the safety of our much valued audience.”
The Florida shows now are scheduled for April 20-21 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, and April 23-24 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.
In addition, the message states, “[W]e are also working hard to reschedule Vegas shows.” The concerts, which will take place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, currently still appear to be confirmed for their original dates — February 18, 19 and 20.
The Facebook note adds, “All tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dates…We greatly appreciate your continued support and apologize profusely for any inconvenience this has caused. We understand it’s important you have plenty of time to change long-standing plans.”
To check out Van’s full touring itinerary, visit VanMorrison.com.
Earlier this month, plans for an art exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art inspired by music from dozens of acts, including U2 and No Doubt, was announced. Now you’ll be able to buy your own version of those artworks — for a hefty price.
The exhibit, “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined,” marks the 30th anniversary of Interscope Records and features over 50 original works by visual artists relating to a particular album or song from the Interscope catalog.
As previously reported, the U2-themed art was based on the band’s 2000 hit “Beautiful Day,” and was created by John Currin, while two No Doubt songs from the band’s 1995 breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom served as inspiration for two separate pieces of art that will be featured in the exhibit — “Just a Girl” by Julie Curtiss and “Spiderwebs” by Lucy Bull.
Starting January 27, you’ll be able to buy limited-edition vinyl albums featuring the artwork from the exhibit. There will be 100 copies of each album available, and each will come with a numbered archival quality print of the artwork on the cover. On top of that, each album will be delivered in a custom Gucci box. The price? $2,500 each.
The albums will be released in groups, with the first group being available to purchase from January 27 through January 31, exclusively via the app for the livestream shopping platform NTWRK. All profits will go to a charity foundation which is building a school in L.A.
The “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined” exhibit will be on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from January 30 to February 13. For more info, visit LACMA.org.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, the man who led rioters up the stairs and away from the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021, broke his yearlong silence Monday when he appeared on the podcast “3 Brothers No Sense.”
“It could have easily been a blood bath,” Goodman says on the show. “So kudos to everyone there that showed a measure of restraint in regards to deadly force, because it could have been bad.”
Goodman’s heroics were caught on camera in what became a viral video that came to light during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, which revealed Goodman also guided Sen. Mitt Romney back to the Senate chamber, helping him narrowly avoid contact with the rioters.
The officer’s description of the day is one in which he kicked into “go mode” and relied heavily on previous military training to guide him. He said his decision to move up the stairs with the protestors wasn’t entirely by choice because he thought “they would have followed me anyway.”
“Any situation like that you want to de-escalate, but at the same time you wanna survive first,” Goodman says.
He also discusses his newfound fame and explains that he has chosen to stay out of the spotlight to protect his family’s privacy.
“I keep asking myself that question every day like who the hell am I?” Goodman says. “I’m the guy everybody keeps saying saved the Senate… I don’t need no statue, though, that’s one more thing for a bird to prop up and take a dump on.”
Up until Monday, Goodman has avoided media appearances. The podcast interview was conducted by the three hosts, one of whom, Officer Byron Evans, serves as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police.
Earlier this month, “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir sat down with three Capitol Police officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
