(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order Monday protecting gender-affirming health care.
In celebration of Pride Month, Executive Order 32 will protect access to transgender care for people by preventing the use of city resources to detain, prosecute or investigate any individual who is providing or receiving gender-affirming health care services.
“As states across the nation continue their onslaught of attacks on our LGBTQ+ neighbors, New York City is doing what we have always done — standing up for justice and against discrimination,” said Adams in a statement.
He continued, “This executive order reaffirms the fact that hate has no place in our city and that all people deserve the right to gender-affirming care and protection against prosecution for being who they are.”
Gender-affirming care can refer to social affirmation, puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical procedures, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At least 19 states have banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, with some efforting or implementing restrictions to care for transgender adults, as well.
Supporters of the bans for trans youth argue that transgender people should wait until they are legally adults before making these decisions.
Critics say gender-affirming care restrictions are an infringement on the rights of families to make their own health decisions.
Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and more than 20 others agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial and medically necessary.
“Health care is a basic human right and no one should be punished for providing or seeking care that is essential to a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. is nowhere near out of the woods from the dangers of smoke billowing from hundreds of wildfires burning throughout Canada.
A grayish haze continued to linger over much of the Northeast on Monday, nearly a week after the air quality emergency in the region began to confine millions of people indoors.
Philadelphia’s Air Quality Index measured at 101 on Monday morning, or “Code Orange,” which is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with pre-existing lung and heart conditions, according to AirNow.gov.
New York City teetered toward Code Orange as well, with an AQI of 100 on Monday morning. Other major cities that remained in “Code Yellow,” or “moderate” air quality, included Boston, at 94; Buffalo, New York, at 76; Baltimore at 71 and Washington, D.C. at 65.
Canada suffered an “unprecedented” start of the wildfire season, which will continue to remain severe throughout the summer due to warm and dry conditions, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week as more than 400 wildfires burned throughout the country. A fire season outlook issued by the Canadian government last week said “the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country throughout the 2023” is due to ongoing drought and forecasts for warm temperatures.
There are currently 450 active wildfires burning in Canada, with more than 4.8 million acres burned, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. More than 220 of the active fires have been deemed out of control, fire officials said.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer called on Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Sunday to double the number of firefighters being sent to Canada in order to prevent a “summer of smoke” in the Northeast.
For weeks, the smoke from wildfires in different regions in Canada has been making its way South. In May, air quality alerts were issued in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona due to wildfires burning in Alberta. By May 31, smoke from wildfires burning on the other side of the country, in Nova Scotia, led to the first stretch of air quality alerts in the Northeast.
By last week, major cities in the Northeast were breaking records for deteriorating air quality due to wildfires burning in Quebec– with New York City reaching 484, nearly reaching highest end of “hazardous” AQI ratings at 500. The AQI in places like India and China are around 150 on any given day, according to IQAir, a website that publishes air quality data around the world.
As the wildfires continue in Canada and eventually start on the West Coast of the U.S., the smoke being emitted from the heavy flames will continue to compromise air quality as it moves east, experts said.
(EAGLE PASS, Texas) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said authorities will install a floating water barrier to prevent migrants from attempting to cross rivers in heavily trafficked areas of the Rio Grande Valley.
The barrier will be made up of a string of buoys that can be placed and dismantled in different areas throughout the border, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McCraw said at the ceremony.
“We’re securing the border at the border,” Abbott said. “What these buoys will allow us to do is prevent people from even getting to the border.”
The governor announced the initiative at a bill-signing ceremony on Thursday, where he signed six border-related bills.
McCraw said the first 1000-foot stretch will be placed by July 7 in Eagle Pass, Texas, which shares the border with the Mexican city of Piedras Negras. The buoys will range in size but will be about four feet long, he said.
When contacted by ABC News, a spokesperson for the city of Piedras Negras said they had been given no information about the barrier. It’s unclear if any other local Mexican officials have been consulted with or told about the governor’s plans.
The announcement followed the signing of several bills meant to address border security, including one that designates Mexican Cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
McCraw said safety risks were assessed before deciding to place the string of buoys.
“We don’t want anybody getting hurt, in fact, we want to prevent people from getting hurt, prevent people from drowning,” McCraw said.
Rochelle Garza, President of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the plan would only add to the risks immigrants face when crossing the river.
“Gov. Abbott continues to overreach and violate our U.S. Constitution by meddling in federal immigration and border issues. We need the Federal government to ensure that those seeking the safety of our country are welcomed with dignity. And we need our state government to focus on investing in our border communities. People already face the risk of drowning in the Rio Grande due to plants, debris, and an unpredictable current – these barriers would only add to the danger they already face,” said Garza.
DPS did not respond to a request for comment when asked if it had and information that signaled the placement of the buoys could lead to an increase in deaths for people attempting to swim across.
The current near Eagle Pass can be particularly dangerous. There are areas that are sometimes shallow enough to cross on foot, but sudden drop-offs and a strong current has led to drownings.
Bishop Evans, a sergeant with the Texas National Guard deployed to the border under Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star drowned in April 2021 attempting to save two migrants who appeared to be struggling to stay afloat in the river near Eagle Pass. His family spoke with ABC News as they sought more information from the Texas Military Department.
In June 2021, a spokesperson for the Texas National Guard told ABC News throw-ropes had been ordered but not delivered by the time Sgt. Evans went beyond his duties and dove into the water.
“If it could happen to Bishop, then certainly it could happen to anyone,” Sgt. Evans’ aunt Felisha Pulled told ABC News.
(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — Demolition is underway Monday at the site of the Davenport, Iowa, apartment building that partially collapsed last month, claiming three lives.
Parts of the six-story building crumbled on May 28, sending residents fleeing for safety.
Eight people were rescued in the first 24 hours after the collapse. On May 29, officials said there was no credible information that anyone was missing and the city would move forward with plans to begin demolishing the remaining structure the next day.
But that night, rescuers found a ninth person alive inside and pulled her out of a fourth-story window.
On May 30, the city’s demolition plans were put on hold as officials announced that five residents were still unaccounted for.
On June 1, officials announced that three residents remained missing: Ryan Hitchcock, 51; Daniel Prien, 60; and Branden Colvin, 42. Their bodies were recovered in the days that followed.
A tanker fire caused part of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse, June 11, 2023. — WPVI
(PHILADELPHIA) — Repairs on Interstate 95 are expected to take “months” after an elevated section collapsed in Philadelphia on Sunday morning when a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, officials said.
“With regards to the complete rebuild of I-95 roadway, we expect it to take some number of months,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told a press conference on Sunday evening, adding that he plans to issue a disaster declaration to “expedite this process” and “immediately draw down federal funds.”
Shapiro said he had spoken directly to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg who assured him there would be “absolutely no delay” in getting federal funds to safely and swiftly rebuild the “critical roadway.”
In the meantime, officials are looking at “interim solutions to connect both sides of I-95 to get traffic through the area,” according to Shapiro. All lanes between the exits for Philadelphia’s Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue are closed in both directions indefinitely, local ABC station WPVI reported.
The northbound side of the affected segment “completely collapsed,” while the southbound lanes are “not structurally sound to carry any traffic,” Shapiro said. One vehicle remains trapped beneath the collapsed roadway, according to the governor.
“We are still working to identify any individual or individuals who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse,” he said, before later clarifying that no one on I-95 at the time was injured or killed in the incident.
I-95 is one of the busiest travel corridors in the United States and serves as the main north-south highway on the East Coast. An average of more than 160,000 vehicles travel across the impacted section in Philadelphia every day, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the collapse and his administration is in communication with Shapiro as well as Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to offer federal support and assistance.
A team of specialists from the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Pennsylvania State Police, will also be on site Monday to begin the on-scene portion of their safety investigation into the incident. A preliminary report will be available in two to three weeks, according to the NTSB.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Matt Foster and Amanda Maile contributed to this report.
(PARK CITY, Utah) — A Utah woman who is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a detention hearing.
Kouri Richins, 33, was arrested in May and charged with aggravated murder and multiple counts of drug possession in connection with the death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, who was found dead at the foot of their bed last year, according to the probable cause statement in the charging document. The mom of three authored a children’s book on grief in the wake of her husband’s death.
Ahead of the detention hearing in Park City, Richins’ attorneys argued in recent court filings that the realtor should be eligible for bail because there is “no substantial evidence to support the charges.”
Prosecutors allege that Eric Richins was poisoned by a lethal dose of fentanyl on the night of March 3, 2022, according to the charging document.
Kouri Richins allegedly told police following his death that they were celebrating her closing on a house for her business that night and she “made Eric a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where Eric consumed it while sitting in bed,” according to the probable cause statement.
She allegedly said she went to sleep with one of their children who was having a night terror and returned to her and her husband’s bedroom around 3 a.m., where she found him “cold to the touch,” according to the charging document.
An autopsy determined that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, and that the level of fentanyl in his system was five times the lethal dosage, according to the charging document. The medical examiner indicated the fentanyl was “illicit fentanyl,” not medical grade, and that it was likely ingested orally, according to the charging document.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for their residence following the toxicology report, including for electronics, and alleged that a search of Kouri Richins’ phone uncovered “several communications” with an acquaintance of hers who had various drug counts, according to the initial charging document. The acquaintance reportedly told authorities they sold Kouri Richins fentanyl pills six days before Eric Richins was found dead, prosecutors allege.
Kouri Richins’ lawyers argued in the new filings that law enforcement never found fentanyl in their family home, and that there are “inconsistencies” in witness statements from someone reported to have been present at the alleged drug deal, including regarding dates and payments of the alleged pill transactions, between the initial and amended charging documents.
Regarding the alleged fatal poisoning, her lawyers said Kouri Richins made her husband a drink that he “consumed two sips of” and that he continued to use his phone for more than two hours. They stated that Kouri Richins had slept in one of her children’s rooms because their child was having a nightmare and when she woke up around 3 a.m. she discovered her husband “cold and not breathing” and called 911, the filings stated.
Her lawyers also addressed various financial dealings involving the couple that were detailed in the amended charging document.
Among them, prosecutors alleged that “unknown to Eric Richins,” Kouri Richins allegedly purchased four life insurance policies on her husband’s life between 2015 and 2017 amounting to nearly $2 million in death benefits. Kouri Richins’ lawyers refuted the allegations that she took out life insurance policies without her husband’s knowledge, arguing in new court filings that he would have known about them.
Her lawyers also responded to claims in the amended charging document that Eric Richins “broke out in hives” after eating a sandwich his wife had prepared for him on Valentine’s Day last year and reportedly used an EpiPen. Her lawyers argued that their nanny did not witness him acting ill or use an EpiPen.
A judge issued a partial gag order earlier this month, limiting what the prosecutors and defense can discuss, amid national interest in the case.
A month prior to her arrest, Kouri Richins appeared on a Good Things Utah segment on Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX to promote her new children’s book on processing grief. In the segment, Kouri Richins said her husband of nine years died “unexpectedly” and that his death “completely took us all by shock.”
(NEW YORK) — More than 40 million Americans are on alert for possible severe storms that may bring isolated tornadoes.
Americans from Denver and Dallas to Columbus may experience damaging winds up to 70 mph and large hail more than 2 inches in diameter, according to meteorologists.
That severe weather chance is all due to a strengthening low-pressure system that moved across the Heartland on Sunday morning. As that storm pushes east, it will bring rain chances for much of the East Coast throughout Monday, meteorologists said.
That storm would also end any remaining wildfire smoke in the air across the eastern U.S., meteorologists said. There still may be some hazy skies Monday, but once that storm moves by, the smoke will also head out.
On Monday, severe storms are possible from central Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
Moderate to large hail and damaging winds are forecast for some storms up the East Coast, meteorologists said.
Parts of central and southern Texas are forecast to feel the heat this upcoming week, with temperatures hitting record highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s. The feels-like temperatures will be between 100 to 115 degrees throughout the week, according to meteorologists.
Meteorologists warned that the extreme heat could adversely impact people’s health.
The rising heat brings an increased risk of wildfires across the southwest, according to meteorologists.
Headed into the work week, a red flag warning is in effect for much of southern New Mexico and the combination of dry heat and gusty winds will keep the critical fire danger in the area.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A portion of Interstate 95 has collapsed in Philadelphia following a large vehicle fire, according to authorities.
Emergency dispatchers received a call for an accident response on the off-ramp of I-95 at 6:22 a.m. on Sunday, Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief Derek Bowmer said Sunday. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found heavy fire from a vehicle underneath the I-95 overpass, Bowmer said.
The highway is completely collapsed on the northbound lanes, while the southbound lanes are compromised, Bowmer said.
The incident was then upgraded to a hazmat situation, Bowmer said. Crews have extinguished the fire, but there is some runoff from possible fuel or gas lines. The cause of the fire is unknown, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told ABC News.
The accident occurred between Exit 32 for Academy Road and Exit 30 for Cottman Avenue in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported.
All northbound lanes between Exit 25 at Allegheny Avenue and Castor Avenue and Exit 32 at Academy Road and Linden Avenue are currently shut down, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Southbound lanes between Exit 32 and Exit 30 at Cottman Avenue and Rhawn Street are also closed.
That portion of I-95 is expected to remain shut down for an extended period of time, according to the DHS. The southbound overpass is in critical condition, according to the Pennsylvania DOT.
The fire was so big it had overtaken both northbound and southbound lanes on the highway, witness Lisa Taormino, who was commuting southbound on I-95 about 20 minutes before it collapsed, told ABC News.
Video taken by Taormino, and posted to social media, showed flames and smoke billowing from the northbound lane into the southbound.
“It wasn’t until I reached the bridge part that it was starting to be compromised and the structure wasn’t as sound as it should have been,” Taormino said. “There was another car behind me that looked like it was going to back up instead of traveling across the bridge.”
Other videos posted to social media show large plumes of dark smoke hanging over the highway.
Multiple agencies are involved in the response to the crash, with some expressing concern regarding the runoff due to the proximity to the Delaware River. Health officials will determine the environmental impact.
Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued statements saying that they are closely monitoring the accident.
The collapse will have “significant impacts” on the city and region until reconstruction is complete, Buttigieg wrote in a later tweet.
“This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete,” Buttigieg tweeted. “Our department will be there with support throughout the process of I-95 returning to normal.”
There is no information on any injuries or occupants involved in the vehicle fire, Bowmer said.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A portion of Interstate 95 has collapsed in Philadelphia following a large vehicle fire, according to authorities.
Emergency dispatchers received a call for an accident response on the off-ramp of I-95 at 6:22 a.m. on Sunday, Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief Derek Bowmer said Sunday. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found heavy fire from a vehicle underneath the I-95 overpass, Bowmer said.
The highway is completely collapsed on the northbound lanes, while the southbound lanes are compromised, Bowmer said.
The incident was then upgraded to a hazmat situation, Bowmer said. Crews have extinguished the fire, but there is some runoff from possible fuel or gas lines. The cause of the fire is unknown, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told ABC News.
The accident occurred between Exit 32 for Academy Road and Exit 30 for Cottman Avenue in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported.
All northbound lanes between Exit 25 at Allegheny Avenue and Castor Avenue and Exit 32 at Academy Road and Linden Avenue are currently shut down, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Southbound lanes between Exit 32 and Exit 30 at Cottman Avenue and Rhawn Street are also closed.
That portion of I-95 is expected to remain shut down for an extended period of time, according to the DHS. The southbound overpass is in critical condition, according to the Pennsylvania DOT.
The fire was so big it had overtaken both northbound and southbound lanes on the highway, witness Lisa Taormino, who was commuting southbound on I-95 about 20 minutes before it collapsed, told ABC News.
Video taken by Taormino, and posted to social media, showed flames and smoke billowing from the northbound lane into the southbound.
“It wasn’t until I reached the bridge part that it was starting to be compromised and the structure wasn’t as sound as it should have been,” Taormino said. “There was another car behind me that looked like it was going to back up instead of traveling across the bridge.”
Other videos posted to social media show large plumes of dark smoke hanging over the highway.
There is no information on any injuries or occupants involved in the vehicle fire, Bowmer said.
Multiple agencies are involved in the response to the crash, with some expressing concern regarding the runoff due to the proximity to the Delaware River. Health officials will determine the environmental impact.
Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued statements saying that they are closely monitoring the accident.
The collapse will have “significant impacts” on the city and region until reconstruction is complete, Buttigieg wrote in a later tweet.
“This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete,” Buttigieg tweeted. “Our department will be there with support throughout the process of I-95 returning to normal.”
Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to offer federal support and assistance.
“The I-95 corridor is a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and FHWA has offered support and assistance to state and local officials to help them safely reopen this section of I-95 as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for the FHA said in a statement.
(WINONA COUNTY, Minn.) — A Minnesota man has been charged with murder in the death of the mother of his children, who was found dead in a rural area more than two months after she was reported missing, prosecutors said.
Adam Fravel, 29, is being held on a $2 million unconditional bond after being charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Madeline Kingsbury, 26, prosecutors said.
Kingsbury was last seen alive the morning of March 31, when she and Fravel dropped their two young children off at a day care before returning to her home in Winona, police said. She was reported missing after a concerned friend requested a welfare check and police officer found Kingsbury’s cellphone, wallet and ID in her home but could not locate her.
After an extensive search, authorities located the body of Kingsbury on Wednesday concealed in brush in a wooded area north of Mabel, Minnesota, authorities said.
“She had a bright future, and Mr. Fravel took that from her,” Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman said during a Friday press conference announcing the charges.
Sonneman added that Fravel could be charged with first-degree murder at a later date, adding that the case is still ongoing.
Fravel told police that he and Kingsbury were in an on-and-off relationship for the past seven years but they had recently separated and were in the process of moving out of their shared home when she went missing, according to a complaint obtained by ABC News. Fravel indicated that two weeks prior to her disappearance, Kingsbury told him she had started a relationship with another man, the complaint stated.
Fravel had told investigators that the morning Kingsbury went missing, he left the house in Kingsbury’s van around 10 a.m., but when he returned later that day, she was not there, police said.
Police found Kingsbury on a property maintained by the Fravel family with a knotted towel wrapped around her head and neck, and her body was wrapped in a bed sheet identified as originating from Kingsbury and Fravel’s shared residence, according to the complaint.
The complaint stated that Fravel reportedly admitted to being “infatuated” with the case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old travel blogger who authorities say was strangled to death by her boyfriend in August 2021 while the two were on a cross-country road trip. Petito’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, died by suicide.
“Fravel also admitted that he had made a statement to Madeline about her ending up like Gabby Petito,” the complaint stated. “Fravel claimed he was trying to make a joke.”
The complaint also included an excerpt from Kingsbury’s phone conversations in which she confronted Fravel about an alleged incident of domestic violence.
“You know I am not really OK with or over the fact that you put your hand around my neck and pushed me down in front of the kids earlier…” the message from Kingsbury to Fravel reads.
A preliminary autopsy determined that Kingsbury’s cause of death was homicide and homicidal violence, according to the complaint.
Fravel’s first court appearance is set for July 20.
In the weeks after Kingsbury was reported missing, Fravel denied having anything to do with her disappearance.
“Over the course of the last 12 days, my family and I have been subject to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children,” Fravel said in a statement released by his attorney on April 14.
He said he has been cooperating with authorities and that investigators advised him not to attend press conferences or searches “due to safety concerns.”
Fravel and Kingsbury’s children, ages 2 and 5 at the time of their mother’s disappearance, are currently in the custody of Winona County and are with Kingsbury’s parents, ABC Saint Paul affiliate KSTP reported.
When asked about the custody of the children, Sonneman acknowledged that Fravel, who does not have custodial rights, might be able to get supervised and secured visitation rights of their children if he secures bail.
