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Russian missiles strike Kyiv, injuring 2, city officials say

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Monday, injuring at least two people, the city’s administration said.

Moscow fired cruise and ballistic missiles at the city beginning about 3 a.m., officials said in a message posted on the Telegram messaging app.

At least two people were injured, including one who was hospitalized, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s administration.

About 34 cruise and ballistic missiles were fired, along with about 23 Shahed drones, the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine said.

Air defenses in Ukraine destroyed at least nine ballistic and 13 cruise missiles, the government group said. Twenty of the drones were destroyed and three “did not reach their targets,” it added.

A Russian missile struck one of the city’s Islamic Cultural Centers, located in a mosque, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that “Russia has no regard for spiritual or human values, and no respect for any religion or faith.”

“The world must see that Russia’s war is not only against Ukraine, but also against humanity, dignity, and human life,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “Such barbaric acts have no place in our modern world. They must be strongly condemned and met with firm action by the international community.”

The early morning attack arrived a week after Russia launched a countrywide assault on Ukraine, strikes that were among the largest such aerial attacks since the war began in 2022, according to Zelenskyy.

Russia last Monday fired at least 127 missiles and 109 drones in an attack that lasted over eight hours.

The strikes on Monday arrived on the first day of a new school year for children throughout Ukraine, “despite the war and all the challenges,” Zelenskyy said.

“Ukraine is doing everything possible to provide children with maximum opportunities,” he said on social media. “All of our schools and higher education institutions that are operating today are a testament to our people’s resilience and Ukraine’s strength.”

Monday’s attack on Kyiv came a day after Russia hammered Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, with ballistic missiles and glide bombs, injuring dozens of people.

At least 47 people, including seven children, were injured in the Kharkiv strikes, according to Ukrainian emergency services officials. Three people were rescued after being buried by rubble, officials said.

The Russian strikes on Kharkiv followed a wave of drone strikes launched by Ukraine inside Russia over the weekend that damaged an oil refinery near Moscow.

Zelenskyy said the purpose of the drone strikes inside Russia is to bring home the war to Russia.

“The terrorist state must feel what war is. We are working to ensure that as many Russian military facilities, logistics hubs, and critical components of their war economy as possible fall within the reach of our weapons,” Zelenskyy said in a Sunday evening address. “With our drones and missiles, we can accomplish part of the missions. But true peace — a real end to this war — is a complex task. To force Russia into peace, to move them from deceitful rhetoric about negotiations to taking steps to end the war, to clear our land of occupation and occupiers, we need effective tools.”

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.

Israel-Gaza live updates: Funeral underway for slain American hostage

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the latest round of cease-fire discussions appears to have reached an impasse.

Meanwhile, after six hostages were found dead in Gaza, protests erupted in Israel. Protesters have demanded its government bring the hostages home.

Here’s how the news is developing:

16 minutes ago
Funeral underway for slain American hostage

A funeral procession is underway in Jerusalem for slain Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The 23-year-old was one of six murdered hostages recovered this weekend.

The Israeli Ministry of Health said the six hostages were killed “in a number of short-range shots” between Thursday and Friday morning.

The funeral comes one day after thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the deaths of the six hostages.

2 hours and 31 minutes ago
Tel Aviv braces for fresh protests

More than 1,000 people have gathered in the northern Israeli city of Tel Aviv for continued anti-government protests, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.

Other marches are taking place elsewhere in Israel. A general strike — called by Histadrut, Israel’s largest trade union — also began on Monday morning in protest of the government’s failure to free those still held hostage inside Gaza.

Police reported violent clashes with anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, saying officers had arrested 29 people.

The current wave of demonstrations was sparked by the recovery of the bodies of six of Hamas’ hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and David Brennan

3 hours and 57 minutes ago
Israel Police accuses Tel Aviv marchers of ‘brutal’ vandalism, violence

The Israel Police has condemned what it called “brutal vandalism” during a night of anti-government demonstrations in Tel Aviv, sparked by the deaths in captivity of six of Hamas’ Gaza hostages.

In a statement, the Police Spokesperson’s Unit said officers arrested 29 suspects for a range of offenses including disorderly conduct, assaulting officers and vandalism.

The violence followed a planned protest at the Kaplan Junction in Tel Aviv, the statement said, after which “hundreds of protesters” left the approved demonstration area and moved to the Ayalon Highway, “with the intent to disrupt traffic and public order.”

Some marchers “violently pushed against barricades and officers, leading to a confrontation during which a policewoman was injured and lost consciousness,” the statement said. The officer was evacuated for medical treatment.

As officers attempted to clear the area, some protesters “breached security perimeters, blocked the Ayalon Highway, and set fires, while firing fireworks that nearly hit officers,” police said.

“The Israel Police strongly condemns the acts of vandalism and violence directed at officers,” the statement read. “We will pursue legal action against those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.”

The protesters were demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government agree to a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.

A general strike called by Israel’s largest trade union — Histadrut — began on Monday morning in a bid to pressure the government into reaching an accord with the militant group.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and David Brennan

8:12 PM EDT
Harris calls parents of slain Oct. 7 hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli hostage who was found dead in Gaza on Saturday along with five other Oct. 7 hostages, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The vice president and her husband called parents Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin on Sunday to “express our condolences following the brutal murder of their son by Hamas terrorists,” Harris said in a statement on X.

“My heart breaks for their pain and anguish,” Harris continued.

“I told them: As they mourn this terrible loss, they are not alone. Our nation mourns with them,” Harris said.

4:59 PM EDT
Protest erupts in Tel Aviv as demonstrators demand cease-fire deal

Protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv Sunday night, demanding a cease-fire agreement and the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas terrorists.

The demonstration came a day after Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of six hostages in tunnels under the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters were seen waving Israeli flags as they demanded a cease-fire agreement, chanting “Deal. Now.”

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule

3:25 PM EDT
6 killed in IDF strike on Gaza school, says Gaza Civil Defense

At least six people were killed on Sunday when Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike on a school in Gaza City, according to Gaza Civil Defense.

The IDF said in a statement that the strike was aimed at Hamas terrorists they allege were operating a command-and-control center inside the Safad school to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against the IDF and Israel.

“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence,” the IDF said in a statement.

The Gaza Civil Defense confirmed the Safad school was hit in the IDF strike, but said the school houses displaced people from the Al-Zeitoun area east of Gaza City.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaulé

Russian missiles strike Kyiv, injuring two, city officials say

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Monday, injuring at least two people, the city’s administration said.

Moscow fired cruise and ballistic missiles at the city beginning at about 3 a.m., officials said in a message posted on the Telegram messaging app.

At least two people were injured, including one who was hospitalized, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s administration.

About 34 cruise and ballistic missiles were fired, along with about 23 Shahed drones, the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine said.

Air defenses in Ukraine destroyed at least nine ballistic and 13 cruise missiles, the government group said. Twenty of the drones were destroyed and three “did not reach their targets,” it added.

Russia last Monday fired at least 127 missiles and 109 drones in an attack that lasted over eight hours.

The strikes on Monday arrived on the first day of a new school year for children throughout Ukraine, “despite the war and all the challenges,” Zelenskyy said.

Harris-Walz campaign readies Labor Day blitz, courting union votes alongside Biden

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(DETROIT) — Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will blitz the country on Labor Day, the Harris campaign said, as they make a concerted effort to court union workers ahead of the election.

Harris will kick off Labor Day in Detroit, Michigan, meeting with union members and delivering brief remarks, the campaign said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Debbie Dingell will join Harris, the campaign said.

Labor groups and leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, Building Trades, IATSE and the SEIU, will also join, the campaign added.

Harris will then join Biden in Pittsburgh at a union hall for the pair’s first joint campaign event since Biden dropped his bid for reelection. They will both deliver informal remarks, the Harris campaign said. The United Steelworkers, AFSCME, and other unions will be in attendance, as well as Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bob Casey, Mayor Ed Gainey and Reps. Summer Lee, Madeleine Dean and Chris Deluzio.

Walz and his wife, Gwen, will start off the day meeting with laborers in St. Paul, Minnesota, before attending Laborfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to prominent labor groups, including SEIU, Teamsters, and United Autoworkers, Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Gwen Moore and Mayor Cavalier Johnson will be there, the campaign said.

Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff will be in Newport News, Virginia, to participate in Rep. Bobby Scott’s annual Labor Day Cookout to deliver remarks, the campaign said.

“Vice President Harris always put workers first and held powerful interests accountable. As California’s attorney general, she fought wage theft to make sure workers got the pay they earned. As senator, she fought tirelessly for the most vulnerable workers, walking the picket line with UAW and McDonald’s workers and introducing a domestic workers’ bill of rights,” the campaign said in a statement.

“Vice President Harris chairs The White House Task Force on Worker Organizing, which made it easier for working people to exercise their right to join a union,” the campaign continued.

“Meanwhile, Trump was one of the most anti-worker and anti-union presidents in history,” the Harris campaign later added, criticizing former President Donald Trump. “He stacked the National Labor Relations Board with anti-labor advocates. He hurt autoworkers, shipped jobs overseas, and lined the pockets of the super wealthy and big corporations at the expense of the middle class.”

Waymo takes to the streets in more cities

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Waymo, the self-driving car division of Alphabet, first began offering its autonomous rideshare service on the streets of San Francisco earlier this year. Now the company is expanding, recently launching in Los Angeles.

Waymo’s electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs operate as taxis, except there’s nobody in the driver’s seat. Using cameras, sensors and even microphones, it ferries riders to their destinations – if all goes according to plan – just as a human driver would.

“There is nobody behind the driver’s seat at all — in fact, often there’s nobody in the car at all, and it’s driving to pick somebody up,” says Andrew Chatham, senior director of commercialization, scale, and infrastructure at Waymo. He spoke with ABC Audio in LA for a new exhibit at the famed Petersen Automotive Museum highlighting the story of Waymo.

“So we use a variety of sensors on the car. There’s cameras, there’s radars and lidar — which is a laser range finding system. We take all that information, we look 360 degrees around us, multiple times a second, and we drive,” says Chatham.

And Waymo claims driving in one of their cars with the computers doing the work – accelerating, braking, stopping, and changing lanes – is actually safer than driving with a human behind the wheel.

“It’s very clear that it is ready for the streets — we’ve seen from statistics that it is safer than human drivers, so if you’re comfortable with those, you should be pretty comfortable with Waymo,” says Chatham. “Even more comfortable.”

But not everyone is comfortable.

“We’ve heard of these cars shutting down when they lose cell service, traffic being backed up, they don’t know how to maneuver through more, you know, winding roads. Blocking emergency vehicles. And also there’s an aspect of jobs being lost,” says Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez.

“So as far as I can tell, there’s some things where we just have to put our foot down and this is one of them,” he says.

This summer, police in Phoenix, where the company also operates, pulled over a Waymo vehicle for driving into oncoming traffic while trying to navigate around a construction area. That maneuver is why Councilmember Soto-Martinez says he doesn’t want them on his streets.

“We are elected to provide safety, to deal with transportation issues, and so many other things for our residents, that’s what we are voted for,” says Soto-Martinez.

Waymo said the incident in Phoenix happened due to “inconsistent construction signage.”

But like it or not, self-driving cars are the future, according to Rahul Jain, a professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in electrical and computer engineering and works with Google.

“This is really inevitable, it’s going to happen,” says Jain, though he adds that wide-scale adoption of self-driving technology is likely a long way off.

“Twenty years might be the right timespan, when we see this technology reduce in cost enough, and also advanced sufficiently that it will be in passenger vehicles that people can buy,” he says.

Even still, Jain says the technology is currently safe for passengers, so much so that the next step for autonomous vehicle companies could be removing the vehicle’s steering wheel.

“There’s definitely going to be some transition as this technology evolves, you know, then it will be awhile before people become comfortable, and then we can feel comfortable with the steering wheel also missing. But I don’t think we’re there yet,” says Jain.

Chatham says, in general, his company’s technology is always learning. Already, the cars know to pull over when they detect the sound of a siren or flashing emergency lights. Next, he says, Waymo is tackling how autonomous vehicles behave in inclement weather conditions.

“Sure, on the map the lane is over here, but according to how everybody else is driving and where the divots are in the snow, it looks like the lane is really over here,” says Chatham. “And that’s something that the car starts to reason about and it’s getting more intelligent with AI about exactly where we want to drive to be like a human.”

But Councilmember Soto-Martinez has another issue: driverless taxis could mean a human is out of a job.

“It’s definitely taking jobs right now. I mean, there are autonomous vehicles driving folks around with the many issues,” he says. “In my community, those jobs are often done by people who just arrived in this country. … If that’s going to be outsourced to an autonomous vehicle that is gonna cause all these safety concerns, I have big issues with that.”

Jain says history would show technology always takes jobs, and that jobs change over time.

“Eventually there is some adjustment in the labor market. People find other kinds of jobs, and start to do more interesting jobs than I guess, driving cars around,” says Jain.

Chatham says while nobody is driving the cars, plenty of people are working at Waymo.

“Waymo’s provided a lot of jobs. We’ve do use several human beings to run the service, we have people operating the depots, we have people working in desk-based jobs. I’m employed by Waymo,” says Chatham.

“And I think it’s also easy to forget that people spend a lot of their time just sitting in traffic, beholden to the steering wheel that they’re sitting behind. And they can free up that time, and make people productive. That is time back in people’s lives,” he adds.

Waymo is already looking at what their next vehicle will look like, a custom built van-like vehicle designed by a Chinese firm called Zeekr.

“The base vehicle is really built as a versatile platform. This is really a vehicle that’s built to be a high thru-put taxi service. It’s very comfortable,” says Chatham.

Listen to this story and more on ABC Audio’s new special, On The Move:

Several people shot outside Ohio high school reunion, investigators say

September 2, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(CLEVELAND) — Multiple people were shot outside the Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio, early on Monday, investigators said.

The number of people who were injured and their conditions were not yet known, East Cleveland Police told ABC News’ Cleveland affiliate WEWS. The injured were transported to University Hospital, police said.

The shooting occurred at around 2 a.m. on Monday during a reunion event at the high school, investigators said.

The shooting prompted a response from multiple jurisdictions, including local police and emergency services.

East Cleveland City Council President Twon Billings told WEWS that the Shaw High School reunion is a weekend-long event that brings together graduations and community members of all ages.

Billings told WEWS he was devastated by the shooting, and suggested that a local police shortage affected the events that transpired Monday morning.

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

ABC News’ Juwon Funes contributed to this report.

Three confirmed dead after small plane crashes into residential neighborhood in Oregon: Officials

September 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A small, twin-engine plane crashed into a residential neighborhood Saturday in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, killing two people aboard the aircraft and one on the ground, authorities said Sunday.

The Cessna 421C plane slammed into a row of townhouses near Heartwood Circle in Fairview after experiencing mechanical issues, according to a statement from the Gresham Fire Department.

Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis confirmed Sunday that the pilot of the aircraft and a single passenger were killed, as well as a resident of one of the townhouses the plane crashed into.

The names of those killed were not released.

The plane crashed near Troutdale Airport around 10:20 a.m. local time, hitting a power pole or tower, which caused a brush fire. The aircraft then crashed into a building of connected townhomes, igniting a fire in two structures, before spreading to a fourth, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference Saturday.

At least five families have been displaced, with a sixth condo currently being evaluated, according to Lewis.

Two transmission lines from Portland General Electric remained down Saturday afternoon, according to officials.

Fairview is about 15 miles northeast of Portland.

Debris from the crash is scattered across multiple areas, and the sheriff’s office is securing the scene to assist the FAA investigation.

Photos show thick smoke and a burning home after the plane crashed.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.

Jared Polis defends Harris’ shifts on policy

September 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado defended Vice President Kamala Harris’ shifts on policy between her 2020 presidential campaign and her White House bid this year as Republicans seize on perceived discrepancies.

Polis, a Harris ally, told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that Harris’ shifts on issues like fracking, the border wall, health care and others are the sign of someone who can adapt as needed.

“I think it’s a sign of a good leader, that they learn and evolve over time,” Polis said. “Whether it’s a move to the middle, the left, the right, it’s really about what works. Kamala Harris is a pragmatic leader who looks at data and science and makes the best decisions she can.”

“Democrats are a broad tent party, and they have people who are conservative, they have people who are liberal,” he added when asked if Democrats running for president in 2020 had veered too far to the left. “What Kamala Harris has said, and I take her at her word, is she’s going to be a leader for all Americans, a president for all Americans. And that means, regardless of your ideology, there’s going to be a place for your viewpoints.”

Republicans have seized on what they cast as flip-flops on a range of issues from her 2020 campaign, when progressive fervor gripped the Democratic Party.

During an interview with CNN on Thursday — her first in-depth interview since accepting the Democratic nominee, Harris insisted that her values hadn’t changed — an argument Polis echoed on Sunday.

When pressed on Harris’ past support for “Medicare for All” — a proposal she no longer supports — the Coloradan said the vice president is still invested in making health care more affordable.

“As a basic value, should every American have access to health care? Absolutely. Almost every other wealthy country does that. We do it very poorly,” he said. “I think she understands that Americans want to have their choice of health care, but can we do better and save people money on health care? Absolutely.”

Harris in 2019 also lambasted the border wall proposed by then-President Donald Trump, calling it at the time a “medieval vanity project” and that she would not support funds for it. Now, she is touting support for a bipartisan border security bill that Republicans blocked from advancing at Trump’s direction, which included roughly $650 million for border wall construction — shy of the $18 billion Trump sought in 2018.

Polis said Harris was right to cast Trump’s border wall proposal as ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money, but that walls and other barriers in certain places along the border could prove effective.

“That’s true that the border wall that Donald Trump has proposed is a huge boondoggle and waste of taxpayer money. He effectively talked about a wall across the entire border, rather than using barriers of different kinds effectively in a cost-effective manner, including imagery from satellites, including on-the-ground intel to secure and lock down the border. What Kamala Harris is for is securing it in the most cost-effective way possible,” Polis said.

49ers’ Ricky Pearsall shot in ‘attempted robbery’ in San Francisco: Police

September 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was shot during an “attempted robbery” in San Francisco’s Union Square, according to police.

The 23-year-old “sustained a bullet wound to his chest and is in serious but stable condition,” the San Francisco 49ers said in a statement.

Shortly before 4 p.m. local time, police responded to a report of a shooting and found two men “suffering from injuries,” San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.

“During the attempted robbery, a physical altercation ensued, and both the suspect and victim were injured,” according to SFPD.

Preliminary information indicates the wide receiver was targeted for a Rolex watch he was wearing, sources confirmed to ABC News.

Pearsall was walking along a street when a 17-year-old suspect from Tracy, California, approached and tried to rob him, police said during a briefing outside of San Francisco General Hospital.

Police said Pearsall was not targeted because he is a football player, it was a random street robbery.

The suspect is in custody and charges are pending at this time, police said in a statement.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told a press conference that the investigation into the incident was still active.

“This kind of violence is simply unacceptable in our city, and we will do everything in our power to work with District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to assure that justice is served in this matter,” he said.

Asked whether the suspect had accomplices, Scott replied: “Right now, we believe it was one lone person. That may change as we get video evidence.”

Jenkins told the press conference that she expected to make a charging decision “by the middle of next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday.” Any charges will be filed in a juvenile court given the suspect’s age, Jenkins added.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, meanwhile, described the incident as “terrible and rare.”

Pearsall — a first-round draft pick — had been dealing with a shoulder injury during the preseason and returned to practice last week, according to the National Football League.

ABC News’ Erica Morris contributed to this report.

One dead in shooting at Michigan State Fair, police say

September 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NOVI, Mich.) — One person was killed and another hospitalized after a shooting at the Michigan State Fair on Saturday, police said.

The fair is being held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the city of Novi. The Novi Police Department wrote on X there is no threat to the community following what it called the “isolated incident.”

A city spokesperson confirmed to ABC News’ Detroit affiliate WXYZ that there had been a shooting, describing the situation as very fluid.

Witnesses told WXYZ that fairgoers fled after hearing the shots. “We’re all trying to run, duck off somewhere,” one person said.

There was a large police presence surrounding the area following the shooting. The Novi Police Department said the incident remains under investigation.

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

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