Signage is displayed outside a Wendys Co. restaurant in El Sobrante, Calif., May 6, 2020. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Wendy’s announced it will launch new menu prices that will fluctuate depending on the time of day.
The country’s second-largest burger chain, which has 6,000 restaurant locations, said the change will begin next year.
Customers could pay $1 more for a sandwich like the Baconator during the lunch rush, for example.
“Historically, companies just set one price that was constant across time. Pricing algorithms allow companies to change prices throughout the day or perhaps even throughout an hour,” Zach Brown, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, told ABC News’ Good Morning America.
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said the company will spend $20 million on high-tech digital menu boards that can update prices in real time, similar to surge pricing strategies adopted by rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, airlines and hotels.
“During the busy times, they can obviously increase profits then,” Brown said. “And also, some consumers will want to shift to the less busy times when demand is lower and prices are lower.”
Wendy’s is already receiving a frosty reaction to the price change announcement with one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “Surge pricing is just Price Gouging by any other name.”
Wendy’s told ABC News in a statement that its dynamic menu pricing can “be competitive and flexible with pricing, motivate customers to visit and provide them with the food they love at a great value. We will test a number of features that we think will provide an enhanced customer and crew experience.”
Some experts say customers could see more menu pricing changes ahead at other fast food chains, including McDonald’s and Burger King, especially if Wendy’s sees a boost in its bottom line after implementing dynamic pricing.
(NEW YORK) — A storm system sweeping across the United States is forecast to bring severe weather to the Midwest on Tuesday before reaching the Northeast on Wednesday.
Before heading east, the cross-country storm dumped several feet of snow on the Cascade Range and northern Rocky Mountains in the Northwest on Monday. The snowfall was so heavy in Washington state that Interstate 90 had to be shut down in both directions.
As of Tuesday morning, a slew of snow and wind alerts associated with this storm were in effect across the country from coast to coast.
The storm is expected to move into the Midwest, the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley regions on Tuesday evening with severe thunderstorms that could produce huge hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. The major cities that could be affected include Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus and Cleveland.
The storm is forecast to make its way to the Northeast and the Interstate 95 travel corridor on Wednesday, unleashing heavy rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms from Washington, D.C. to Boston.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will host top congressional leaders at the White House Tuesday as he and fellow Democrats remain at odds with House Republicans over aid to Ukraine and government funding with a partial shutdown deadline just days away.
The “Big 4” leaders sitting down with the president are House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
The last time the group met was in mid-January to discuss how to break a stalemate over border policy and foreign aid.
Since then, Speaker Johnson, who rejected both a bipartisan border deal and stand-alone foreign aid bill out of the Senate, has been requesting a one-on-one session with President Biden but has so far been denied. The White House had criticized Johnson for his shifting views on how to move forward with the issues. Biden last week signaled he’d be willing to meet with Johnson if he had “anything to say.”
During Tuesday’s meeting with all four congressional leaders, Biden will try to “push forward” his supplemental funding request to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“What the president wants to see is we want to make sure that the national security interests of the American people get put first, right?” Jean-Pierre said when asked what Biden would consider a successful meeting. “That it is not used as a political football, right? We want to make sure that gets done.”
She continued, “And we also want to see that the government does not get shut down. It is a basic priority or duty of Congress to keep the government open.”
Jean-Pierre also contended Biden, in past meetings, “moved the ball” on issues like the debt ceiling and border legislation.
“We have seen some movement,” she said. “We have seen the president’s leadership on this.”
The two-year mark of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine passed this weekend. Since Republicans took control of the House, no new aid has been approved by Congress to help Ukraine stave off Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Johnson dismissed the stand-alone foreign aid bill for not including border changes, and it was not brought to the House floor before lawmakers left earlier this month for a two-week recess. On the issue of Ukraine aid itself, Johnson previously said he wants answers from the administration on what exactly the endgame is for Ukraine and how the U.S. funds would be used to reach that goal.
Biden, in remarks last Friday, urged House Republicans to take up the Senate-passed foreign aid bill that would provide $60 billion to Ukraine as well as funding for Israel and Taiwan. Not supporting Ukraine, Biden warned, “will never be forgotten in history.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, in an interview on ABC’s This Week, put the onus on Johnson, saying “one person can bend the course of history” if he allows a vote on Ukraine aid. Sullivan said the administration believed it would ultimately receive bipartisan support.
“Right now, it comes down to his willingness to actually step up to the plate and discharge his responsibility at this critical moment,” Sullivan said. “And history is watching.”
Meanwhile, if lawmakers can’t reach a spending agreement by Friday night, a partial shutdown will ensue affecting several agencies. If by March 8 there is still no legislation passed, a total government shutdown will occur.
Schumer, in a letter to colleagues ahead of lawmakers’ return to Washington on Monday, pinned blame on a possible shutdown and lack of foreign aid on the “extreme wing” of the Republican party.
“The fact is when Democrats and Republicans embrace compromise and cooperation, the Congress can invest in the American people, avoid an extreme Republican government shutdown, and fulfill our shared responsibility to protect our national security both at home and abroad,” Schumer wrote.
Johnson also issued a statement swiping at Schumer, accusing Democrats of playing “petty politics.” Republicans, he said, would be focused on reining in spending.
“At a time of divided government, Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon,” the speaker wrote on X.
(WASHINGTON) — Michigan’s presidential primary on Tuesday offers both the most visible test yet of electoral anger with President Joe Biden for his response to the Israel-Hamas war — and another test of voter interest in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s waning GOP campaign.
Critics of the president who say he’s been too lenient on Israel in its bombardment of Gaza as it fights against Hamas are urging voters to cast “uncommitted” primary ballots to express their displeasure and push for the White House to be less supportive of Israel’s tactics.
Biden’s campaign has met with community leaders in Michigan, which has a notable Arab population, and the president has suggested that he wants Israel to change course while still backing them against Hamas militants in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack. But protests have continued as the death toll in Gaza rises.
Meanwhile, Haley is seeking a strong showing in the state as she tries to chip away at former President Donald Trump’s gargantuan primary lead — an advantage that was underscored by his 20-point win in her home state over the weekend.
Here are three things to watch in Michigan on Tuesday night:
How big will the ‘uncommitted’ vote be?
Biden has sought to walk a fine line over the war in Gaza, criticizing Israel’s operations there as being “over the top” while declining to condition further aid to Israel on steps like a permanent cease-fire or negotiations with the Palestinians.
That strategy has earned him detractors on both sides — with Republicans saying he should be less critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and progressives and Arab Americans pushing for a tougher stance.
On Tuesday, that displeasure will be quantifiably measured.
The president’s victory is not particularly in question in the primary, given that he faces no major opponents and has seen large victories in the early nominating races so far. However, Michigan is an incredibly narrowly divided swing state, and any drop off could spell trouble for November.
The state also has the largest population of people of Middle Eastern or North African descent of all the battlegrounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wayne County, home to Dearborn and Detroit, has the largest percentage of any county.
Trump won Michigan by under 11,000 votes in 2016, and Biden won the state by about 154,000 votes in 2020. More than 300,000 people in Michigan cite ancestry from the Middle East and North Africa, according to the 2020 census, easily exceeding the last two margins of victory in the state.
The Biden campaign has recognized the backlash. A spokesperson said in a statement, in part, that he is “working hard to earn every vote in Michigan.”
High stakes for Whitmer
Biden isn’t the only Democrat who could be affected by the results on Tuesday.
The state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is frequently cited as a possible presidential candidate in 2028 after winning her seat in 2018 and then romping to reelection in 2022, proving her ability to handily win one of the most important states in the Electoral College.
Her wins were fueled by support from moderates, suburbanites and Black voters — all constituencies Biden will need to shore up if he wants to win this November.
Whitmer is also one of eight national co-chairs of Biden’s reelection campaign, and her ability to help turn out voters for him in the state later this year could help pad her resume — and burnish her goodwill in the party — ahead of what will almost certainly be a crowded primary in 2028.
The governor has increased her appearances on the trail on Biden’s behalf, though she too has gotten flak both for statements that were considered too supportive of Israel or not supportive enough.
What’s going on with the Republican primary?
Republicans are holding their own primary Tuesday — and it’s confusing.
That’s because the party is also hosting a nominating convention on March 2. Sixteen delegates will be awarded based on Tuesday’s results and 39 will be awarded next month, when only elected party officials can vote.
The split was produced when the Democratic-controlled state government moved up the primary date to comply with Biden’s preferred overall primary calendar. However, the Republican Party’s rules prevent certain states from holding contests before March 1, so the Michigan GOP implemented a hybrid system to avoid being penalized by the national party.
State Republicans are also grappling with heightened uncertainty in the midst of a power struggle over the Michigan GOP.
Former Chair Kristina Karamo was ousted from her position earlier this year, with the Republican National Committee recognizing former Rep. Pete Hoekstra as the new state party leader. However, Karamo insists she’s still in charge and is suing.
Overall, however, Trump is the heavy favorite to win the primary. Haley has banked on possible crossover support, given that Democrats and independents can vote in the GOP primary, but the greater focus on Biden could draw their votes to that contest instead.
Cars sit parked in front of a Kroger Co. grocery store in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Sunday, April 26, 2020. (Stacie Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to halt the Kroger and Albertsons merger, according to court documents filed in federal court. The merger would represent two of the largest grocery store chains in the United States combining forces.
Kroger announced that it intended to acquire Albertsons for $24.6 billion in October 2022, and that deal, according to the FTC, would lead to higher grocery prices for millions of Americans.
“This supermarket mega merger comes as American consumers have seen the cost of groceries rise steadily over the past few years. Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons would lead to additional grocery price hikes for everyday goods, further exacerbating the financial strain consumers across the country face today,” said Henry Liu, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Essential grocery store workers would also suffer under this deal, facing the threat of their wages dwindling, benefits diminishing, and their working conditions deteriorating.”
Kroger stores are in 36 states and include companies like Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, Kroger, and Quality Food Centers. Albertsons operates stores in 35 states under regional names including Albertsons, Haggen, Jewel-Osco, Pavilions, Safeway and Vons.
If the merger were completed, Kroger and Albertsons would operate more than 5,000 stores and approximately 4,000 retail pharmacies and would employ nearly 700,000 employees across 48 states, according to the FTC.
Kroger says the FTC lawsuit will “actually harm” Americans instead of helping them, according to a statement released after the lawsuit was filed.
“The FTC’s decision makes it more likely that America’s consumers will see higher food prices and fewer grocery stores at a time when communities across the country are already facing high inflation and food deserts,” the statement reads. “In fact, this decision only strengthens larger, non-unionized retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon by allowing them to further increase their overwhelming and growing dominance of the grocery industry.”
Kroger says customers would benefit from lower prices and more choices following the merger close. The company says it has committed to investing $500 million to begin lowering prices Day One post-close, and an additional $1.3 billion to improve Albertsons stores.
California Attorney General Bonta issued a statement calling the proposed merger “bad for workers.”
“This megamerger is bad for workers, for agricultural producers, and for California communities. In some markets in Southern California, Kroger-Albertsons is expected to be the only one-stop grocery option. Today, we are going to bat for a more just and competitive economy, one where companies need to compete for labor and where prices and service matter,” Bonta said in the statement.
Bonta and the attorneys general from Washington D.C., Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Wyoming joined the lawsuit.
“Bottom line: this merger will benefit the shareholders of these companies, not regular Arizonans. I am proud to stand with the FTC and my fellow attorneys general in suing to block this anticompetitive, anti-consumer, and anti-worker merger,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ark., applauded the FTC lawsuit.
“The FTC found that the merger would likely reduce competition and raise prices—putting further strain on working families in our state who are being crushed by the high inflation caused by the Biden administration’s policies. I appreciate and support the FTC’s thorough analysis and decision to take action to block this merger for the benefit of Alaskans,” Sullivan said.
(NEW YORK) — More than four months since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 27, 5:54 AM Netanyahu ‘surprised’ by Biden’s remarks on potential cease-fire deal, source says
A senior Israeli political source told ABC News on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “surprised” by U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks that he was hopeful a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas could be in place “by next Monday.”
Feb 27, 5:42 AM Qatar says no breakthrough in talks between Israel, Hamas
A spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that there is no breakthrough to announce concerning a potential deal between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire and hostage release.
“Many developments have occurred. Nothing to announce today, but we feel optimistic,” the spokesperson told reporters.
The spokesperson said the talks remain “ongoing” and they cannot comment on U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks that a deal is expected by next Monday.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, has been mediating talks between the warring sides.
Feb 27, 5:30 AM Hamas’ demands in negotiations ‘are still delusional,’ Israeli official says
An Israeli official told ABC News on Tuesday that Hamas’ demands in ongoing negotiations “are still delusional.”
“Military pressure and determined negotiation have helped free 112 hostages to date. Israel will get the remaining hostages home,” the official said. “A deal was done in November and another deal can be made once Hamas comes to reality. Hamas demands are still delusional.”
Feb 26, 6:28 PM Biden ‘hopes’ for cease-fire in Gaza by next Monday
President Biden said he “hopes” to have a cease-fire in Gaza by March 4.
“I hope by the end of the weekend,” the president told reporters Monday. “My national security advisor tells me that we’re close, it’s not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.”
The comments came during a stop at Van Leeuwen’s ice cream shop in New York City as the president visited NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers.
Feb 26, 4:03 PM State Department says there’s been ‘progress’ in hostage talks
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday that there’s been “progress” in hostage talks over the last few days, but he said it’s unclear whether Hamas would accept the latest proposal.
“We’ve had progress with the conversations we’ve had between Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar,” Miller said.
He was then asked if they might reach a deal before Ramadan, which begins on March 10.
“I can’t make that assessment because it depends on Hamas. We believe a deal is possible and we hope Hamas will agree to one,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 26, 12:16 PM Aid to Gaza has dropped by half since January, UNRWA says
Humanitarian aid to Gaza dropped by 50% from January to February, according to Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
“Aid was supposed to increase not decrease to address the huge needs of 2 million Palestinians in desperate living conditions,” Lazzarini said on social media Monday. “Among the obstacles: lack of political will, regular closing of the crossing points & lack of security due to military operations + collapse of civil order.”
Lazzarini stressed the need for a cease-fire.
Feb 25, 7:06 PM Netanyahu’s office presents war cabinet with plan to evacuate Gazans from ‘areas of fighting’
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has presented Israel’s war cabinet with a “plan for evacuating the population from the areas of fighting in the Gaza Strip,” a release from the office said early Monday local time.
“In addition, the plan for providing humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip in a manner that will prevent the looting that has occurred in the northern Strip and other areas was approved,” the statement added.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Feb 24, 4:34 PM Israel agrees to updated framework in cease-fire, hostage deal
Israel has agreed to an updated framework that would establish a six-week cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, an Israeli source told ABC News. The development follows talks in Paris, which includes officials from the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt.
While Israel says it’s waiting to hear back from Hamas on whether it will accept the updated language from this weekend’s talks, Israel is pushing forward with plans to enter Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X that operational plans and evacuation plans in Rafah are ready to be approved by his cabinet.
As part of the proposed deal, Israel has agreed to release jailed Palestinians at a higher ratio than the previous deal, which was 3 to 1. Up to 400 Palestinian prisoners could be released in this new deal.
The Israel Defense Forces will redeploy but not withdraw from Gaza.
-ABC News’ Marcus Moore
Feb 23, 1:23 PM Blinken calls Israeli settlement expansion ‘inconsistent with international law’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is signaling a possible shift back to a long-standing U.S. policy rejecting Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, calling it “inconsistent with international law.”
Asked at a press availability in Argentina for his response to Israel’s purported plans to build thousands of new settlement homes in the area, Blinken responded, “We’ve seen the reports, and I have to say we’re disappointed in the announcement.”
“It’s been long-standing U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administration alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace. They’re also inconsistent with international law,” Blinken said. “Our administration maintains firm opposition to settlement expansion, and in our judgment, this only weakens — doesn’t strengthen — Israel security.”
The Biden administration has condemned Israeli expansion in the West Bank for years, but the State Department had not yet gone so far as to say they ran afoul of international law after Blinken’s predecessor, Mike Pompeo, said in 2019 that the U.S. would no longer view Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as violations.
But before delivering his rebuke, Blinken made note of what he called a “horrific terrorist attack” on a Jewish settlement in the West Bank this week and said the U.S. would continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and its people.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 22, 2:57 PM Over 85,000 people in Gaza could die in next 6 months if war escalates, report finds
More than 85,000 people in Gaza could die over the next six months if the war between Israel and Hamas escalates, epidemiologists from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found.
The epidemiologists presented findings about death tolls in three potential scenarios: if a cease-fire is reached, if the war remains as it is, and if the war escalates.
If a cease-fire is reached, more than 11,000 people will die over the next six months, the findings estimate, based on current conditions inside Gaza.
If the status quo of the war is maintained, more than 66,000 people will die during the same period, the findings show.
And in the worst-case scenario, if the war escalates, more than 85,000 people could die, the report found.
These numbers are in addition to the more than 29,000 people who have already died in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Feb 22, 2:18 PM Israeli war cabinet approves sending negotiators to Paris talks
The Israeli war cabinet on Friday approved sending Israeli negotiators to hostage and cease-fire talks in Paris. The war cabinet’s decision will be brought to the Israeli security cabinet for approval later on Friday night.
Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. officials are also expected to be at Friday’s talks in Paris, according to reports.
Feb 22, 12:18 PM Israel concludes 1-week operation inside Nasser Hospital in Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces said Thursday that its soldiers have concluded their one-week operation inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where the IDF said it arrested at least 200 suspected Hamas members.
The World Health Organization said earlier this week that it helped evacuate some of the critically ill patients from the hospital.
On Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said eight patients who died because of a lack of electricity at Nasser Hospital were still in their beds inside of the hospital among living patients. The IDF denied these claims.
Feb 22, 3:35 AM One dead, several injured in shooting near Jerusalem, Israeli authorities say
At least one person was killed and several others were injured Thursday in a shooting on a main road just outside Jerusalem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Israeli authorities.
Highway 1 was packed with cars when gunfire erupted Thursday morning near a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. Three “terrorists” armed with automatic weapons pulled up in a vehicle, got out and opened fire at cars that were standing still in the traffic jam, according to the Israel Police.
Israeli security forces who were already on scene “neutralized” two of the suspects, police said. A third suspect who had tried to escape was later found and also “neutralized,” according to police.
Medics arrived and “ran from vehicle to vehicle” searching for victims, according to Israel’s rescue service MDA. A man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene while several others were transported to area hospitals, including four people who were moderately injured with gunshot wounds, MDA said.
Feb 21, 2:59 PM Israeli Minister Gantz expresses cautious optimism about new hostage deal
Israeli Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism that a new outline for a possible hostage deal could move forward.
Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, said at Israel’s Defense Headquarters Wednesday that there are “attempts” to “promote a new outline” for a hostage deal, and there are “initial signs that indicate the possibility of moving forward.”
“We will not stop looking for the way, and we will not miss any opportunity to bring the girls and boys home,” Gantz said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Dana Savir
Feb 21, 1:02 PM 8 bodies remain in Nasser Medical Complex among living patients, Gaza Ministry of Health says
Eight patients who died because of a lack of electricity at Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza are still in their beds inside of the hospital among living patients, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Wednesday.
The Ministry of Health said the bodies are still in the hospital because Israeli forces refuse to remove them.
The bodies “have begun to swell and show signs of decomposition, posing a danger to other patients,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Israeli authorities denied these claims and said no bodies are still inside Nasser Hospital.
The Israel Defense Forces has been operating inside of Nasser Hospital for the last week. On Monday, the IDF announced its soldiers had arrested 200 suspected Hamas members at Nasser Hospital.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Camilla Alcini
Feb 21, 8:28 AM Israel considering sending delegation to Egypt for new round of talks, source says
Israel is weighing the possibility of sending a delegation back to Egypt for continued negotiations over a potential cease-fire or hostage deal with Hamas, an Israeli political source told ABC News on Wednesday.
There is some cautious optimism over the latest round of talks in Cairo, the source said.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been mediating talks between the warring sides.
Feb 21, 8:14 AM Israel preparing to reopen Karni border crossing to facilitate aid to northern Gaza, source says
Israel is preparing to reopen the Karni border crossing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the northern Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source told ABC News on Wednesday.
Israel shuttered the Karni crossing, located on the border between southwestern Israel and northeastern Gaza, when Palestinian militant group Hamas came to power in the enclave in 2007 before permanently closing the crossing in 2011.
Northern Gaza has been isolated by the Israeli military and almost completely cut off from aid for weeks, according to the United Nations.
Feb 21, 7:56 AM UN food agency pauses deliveries to northern Gaza
The World Food Program, the food assistance arm of the United Nations, announced Tuesday that it is pausing deliveries of food aid to the northern Gaza Strip “until conditions are in place that allow for safe distribution.”
The decision came after a WFP convoy heading north from Gaza City was “surrounded by crowds of hungry people close to the Wadi Gaza checkpoint” on Sunday, the agency said. The same convoy faced “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order” when it tried to resume its journey north on Monday, according to the WFP.
“Several trucks were looted between Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah and a truck driver was beaten. The remaining flour was spontaneously distributed off the trucks in Gaza City, amidst high tension and explosive anger,” the WFP said in a statement Tuesday. “The decision to pause deliveries to the north of the Gaza Strip has not been taken lightly, as we know it means the situation there will deteriorate further and more people risk dying of hunger.”
An analysis released Monday by the Global Nutrition Cluster, a humanitarian aid partnership led by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), found that 15.6% of children under the age of 2 are acutely malnourished in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by the Israeli military and almost completely cut off from aid for weeks, compared to 5% in southern Gaza, where most aid enters the war-torn enclave. The acute malnutrition rate across Gaza was less than 1% before the war began last October, according to the report.
Feb 20, 2:21 PM Hostages held in Gaza have received medicine, Qatar says
Qatari officials said hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have received the medication that was part of a deal brokered last month.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said it has asked Qatar for evidence that the medicine was delivered.
“Israel will examine the credibility of the report and will continue to work for the peace of our abductees,” the office said in a statement.
Feb 20, 12:21 PM US draft resolution calls for temporary cease-fire
The U.S. voted against a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire at Wednesday’s United Nations Security Council meeting, The Associated Press reported.
The U.S. was the only nation of the 15 permanent Security Council members to vote against the measure, according to the AP.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “an unconditional cease-fire without any obligation for Hamas to release hostages” was irresponsible.
“While we cannot support a resolution that would put sensitive negotiations in jeopardy, we look forward to engaging on a text that we believe will address so many of the concerns we all share — a text that can and should be adopted by the council, so that we can have a temporary cease-fire as soon as practicable, based on the formula of all hostages being released,” she said.
The U.S. has been circulating its own draft resolution on Gaza that calls for a temporary cease-fire conditioned on the release of all hostages, while also condemning Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war, according to senior administration officials familiar with the matter.
If the proposal were to be adopted by the U.N. Security Council, it would mark the first time the body has formally condemned Hamas’ actions.
The officials say the draft also makes clear “that under current circumstances a major ground offensive into Rafah should not proceed” and that there can be no reduction in territory in the Gaza Strip or any forced displacement of Palestinians, while also calling on Israel “to lift all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance, open additional humanitarian routes, and to keep current crossings open.”
The senior officials signaled that American diplomats wouldn’t rush the text to a vote and that they intended on “allowing time for negotiations.”
While hostage talks have sputtered over the past couple of weeks, senior administration officials said they were making some progress.
“The differences between the parties, they have been narrowed. They haven’t been sufficiently narrowed to get us to a deal, but we are still hopeful and we are confident that there is the basis for an agreement between the parties,” one official said.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 20, 11:34 AM US votes against immediate cease-fire
The U.S. voted against a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire at Wednesday’s United Nations Security Council meeting, The Associated Press reported.
The U.S. was the only nation of the 15 permanent Security Council members to vote against the measure, according to the AP.
The U.S. has said an immediate cease-fire could impede the negotiations looking to free hostages and agree to a pause in fighting, the AP said.
Feb 20, 11:07 AM IDF operating inside Al-Amal Hospital
Israeli forces, which already entered Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, are also now operating inside the nearby Al-Amal Hospital, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to ABC News.
“Al-Amal Hospital is currently under multiple attacks, as Israeli forces have directly targeted the third floor of the hospital, resulting in the burning of two rooms,” and “the hospital’s water lines were targeted,” the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
Over 8,000 patients were evacuated from the hospital earlier this month, but almost 100 patients still remain inside, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
Feb 20, 7:13 AM WHO helps transfer 32 critical patients out of Gaza’s besieged Nasser Hospital
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it has helped to successfully transfer 32 critically ill patients, including two children, from besieged Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.
The WHO said its staff led two “life-saving,” “high-risk” missions at the medical complex in Khan Younis on Sunday and Monday, in close partnership with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “amid ongoing hostilities and access restrictions.” Staff at Nasser Hospital had requested the transfer of patients after the facility became “non-functional” following an Israeli military raid on Feb. 14 after a weeklong siege, according to the WHO.
“Weak and frail patients were transferred amidst active conflict near the aid convoy,” the WHO said in a statement. “Road conditions hindered the swift movement of ambulances, placing the health of patients at further risk.”
“Nasser Hospital has no electricity or running water, and medical waste and garbage are creating a breeding ground for disease,” the organization added. “WHO staff said the destruction around the hospital was ‘indescribable.’ The area was surrounded by burnt and destroyed buildings, heavy layers of debris, with no stretch of intact road.”
The WHO estimates that 130 sick and injured patients and at least 15 doctors and nurses remain inside Nasser Hospital. As the facility’s intensive care unit was no longer functioning, the only remaining ICU patient was transferred to a different part of the complex where other patients are receiving basic care, according to the WHO.
“WHO fears for the safety and well-being of the patients and health workers remaining in the hospital and warns that further disruption to lifesaving care for the sick and injured would lead to more deaths,” the organization said. “Efforts to facilitate further patient referrals amidst the ongoing hostilities are in process.”
Prior to the missions on Sunday and Monday, the WHO said it “received two consecutive denials to access the hospital for medical assessment, causing delays in urgently needed patient referral.” At least five patients reportedly died in Nasser Hospital’s ICU before any missions or transfers were possible, according to the WHO.
Nasser Hospital is the main medical center serving southern Gaza. Ground troops from the Israel Defense Forces stormed the facility last week, looking for members of Hamas who the IDF alleges have been conducting military operations out of the hospital. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza and is at war with neighboring Israel, denies the claims.
“The dismantling and degradation of the Nasser Medical Complex is a massive blow to Gaza’s health system,” the WHO said. “Facilities in the south are already operating well beyond maximum capacity and are barely able to receive more patients.”
Feb 20, 5:26 AM Aid groups warn of potential ‘explosion in preventable child deaths’ in Gaza
A new analysis by the Global Nutrition Cluster, a humanitarian aid partnership led by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, found that 90% of children under the age of 2 in the war-torn Gaza Strip face severe food poverty, meaning they eat two or fewer food groups a day.
The same was true for 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza, according to the report released Monday. And at least 90% of children under 5 are affected by one or more infectious disease, with 70% experiencing diarrhea in the past two weeks, the report said.
In Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, where most humanitarian aid enters, 5% of children under 2 are acutely malnourished, compared to more than 15% in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by the Israeli military and almost completely cut off from aid for weeks, the report said. Before war broke out last October between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas, the acute malnutrition rate across the coastal enclave was less than 1%, according to the report.
The report also found that more than 80% of homes in Gaza lack clean and safe water, with the average household having one liter per person per day.
“The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza,” Ted Chaiban, deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations at UNICEF, said in a statement. “We’ve been warning for weeks that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a nutrition crisis. If the conflict doesn’t end now, children’s nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences.”
Feb 19, 12:31 PM Gaza’s health ministry accuses IDF of turning Nasser Hospital into ‘military barracks’
Israeli troops have turned Nasser Hospital, the main medical center serving the southern Gaza Strip, into a “military barracks” and are “endangering the lives of patients and medical staff,” according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The health ministry said Monday that patients and medical staff inside Nasser Hospital are now without electricity, water, food, oxygen and treatment capabilities for difficult cases since Israeli ground troops raided the facility in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis last week.
The World Health Organization, which warned on Sunday that Nasser Hospital “is not functional anymore,” said more than 180 patients and 15 doctors and nurses remain inside the hospital.
The WHO said it has evacuated 14 critical patients from the hospital to receive treatment elsewhere.
The Israel Defense Forces alleges that Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza, has been conducting military operations out of Nasser Hospital and other medical centers in the war-torn enclave — claims which Hamas denies.
Donald Trump Jr. speaks to supporters at a rally for his father, Republican Presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 23, 2024 in Charleston, S.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
(JUPITER, Fla.) — Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, received and opened a letter containing an unidentified white powder Monday evening, sources tell ABC News.
A hazmat team visited Trump Jr.’s home in Jupiter, Florida, after he received the piece of mail, a source with knowledge of the incident told ABC News.
“The test results of the substance came up inconclusive on what it was exactly, but officials on the scene do not believe it is deadly,” a spokesperson for Trump Jr. said in a statement to ABC News.
The Jupiter Police Department did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment.
This is the second known incident where the younger Trump has received an envelope containing a suspicious white powder.
In 2018, during the Trump’s presidency, Donald Trump Jr.’s then-wife Vanessa opened an envelope addressed to him and was rushed to the hospital as a precaution. A man from Massachusetts was subsequently arrested and sentenced to five years of probation in connection to sending numerous threatening letters containing suspicious powder to multiple high-profile individuals, including Trump.
The police said at the time that a preliminary test showed the substance was not dangerous.
Donald Trump Jr. has been on the campaign trail with his father, speaking at events in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in recent months.
He is also slated to appear at a major fundraiser for his father in Washington, D.C., next month alongside Trump’s allies in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sens. Steve Daines, Tim Scott and JD Vance.
The Daily Beast was the first to report the incident.
Emergency vehicles line the feeder road outside Lakewood Church during a reported active shooter event, Feb. 11, 2024, in Houston. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
(HOUSTON) — Houston authorities released graphic security and police body camera footage Monday of the Feb. 11 shooting inside Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.
The videos show the suspect, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, walking into the house of worship and holding her 7-year-old son’s hand while she carried an assault-style rifle and a bag that investigators said contained another rifle.
Moreno and her son got into the church lobby and attempted to enter the sanctuary, but the entrance doors were locked, according to police. People inside the church are seen running for cover in the video as Moreno walks through the halls with her weapon and son.
The footage also shows an off-duty Houston police officer, who worked church security, exchanging gunfire with the suspect.
A Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent, who was also working security for the church, heard the gunfire and approached Moreno with his service weapon as she was firing her rifle, according to police and as seen in the footage.
Moreno can be heard yelling that she is going to blow up the church and that she has a bomb in her bag during her exchange with the TABC agent.
“All I need is help,” she can be heard yelling in the body camera footage.
The TABC agent opened fire at the suspect when she refused orders to drop her weapon, according to police.
Security camera footage showed her son, who was later identified by relatives as Samuel, putting his hands on his ears during the gunfire exchange.
Moreno was ultimately struck by a bullet and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her son was shot in the head and rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
A 47-year-old man was shot in the hip, taken to the hospital and later released, police said.
No bomb was found at the scene.
A motive remains under investigation. Police are delving into the background of Moreno, who has a well-documented history of mental health issues and a criminal record, according to a recent ABC News review of documents and records.
A sticker saying “Palestine” was on the AR-15 rifle police recovered from the shooting, investigators said.
“We do believe that there was a familial dispute that has taken place between her ex-husband and her ex-husband’s family,” some of whom are Jewish, police said at the time.
Samuel’s grandmother, Walli Carranza told ABC News two days after the shooting that she believed the shooting was “predictable and preventable.” She also said that her daughter-in-law’s mental health issues were well-known, and she did not receive any help.
“Despite the fact she had schizophrenia, she was allowed to own guns,” Carranza told ABC News.
(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) — An investigation is underway after an explosive device was detonated outside the office of the Alabama attorney general this weekend, officials said.
No one was hurt in the Saturday morning incident in Montgomery, Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement on Monday.
“The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will be leading the investigation, and we are urging anyone with information to contact them immediately,” Marshall said.
On Monday, at 8:19 a.m. local time, Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) received notification of a suspicious package near the intersection of Washington Avenue and South Bainbridge Street in Montgomery. It was determined that the suspicious package was an explosive device that was detonated in the early morning hours on Saturday, according to the ALEA.
While a motive has not been released, the incident came one day after Marshall said he won’t prosecute in vitro fertilization providers or families in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling that embryos should be considered children.
Witness Terrence Bradley looks on from the witness stand during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on Feb. 16, 2024 in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)
(ATLANTA) — A Fulton County judge has ruled that special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, must retake the stand in former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case to testify on topics not covered by attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.
Following a meeting with Bradley on Monday, Judge Scott McAfee notified attorneys in the case via email that some communications between Wade and Bradley do not fall under attorney-client confidentiality, the sources said.
Michael Roman and several other co-defendants in Trump’s election case are seeking Willis’ disqualification from the case on the grounds that she benefited financially from a “personal, romantic relationship” with Wade, who she hired for the case.
Willis and Wade have admitted to the relationship but said it “does not amount to a disqualifying conflict of interest” and that the relationship “has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis.”
The defense contends that Bradley has evidence that Wade and Willis’ relationship began before Wade was hired, which would contradict what Willis and Wade told the court. Bradley largely declined to answer questions from the defense during a Feb. 15 hearing on the matter, citing attorney-client privilege.
His return to the stand could potentially lead to significant revelations as the defense continues its effort to disqualify Willis from the election case and have the charges dismissed.
Bradley could be required to testify as early as Tuesday.
Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Four defendants subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants.
The former president has blasted the district attorney’s investigation as being politically motivated.
