(NEW YORK) — For three Israelis who have been waiting two months for the safe return of their families from Hamas captivity, this year’s Hannukah celebrations have been anything but joyful.
Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise terror attack on Israel.
In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, the majority of whom were women and minors.
Still, there are at least 135 hostages still held by Hamas, and no immediate indications that more will be released.
“There [are] a kind of small moments of let’s say happiness and assurance that everything can happen and we can bring everyone home back because some of them got back, But besides that, it’s really horrible, horrific,” Or Gat, whose brother Carmel Gat is still held by Hamas, told ABC News.
Adva Adar is one of the many who were able to reunite with their loved ones after the terror group released them. Her grandmother Yaffa Adar was freed by Hamas during the cease-fire and later released from the hospital.
Even though Yaffa Adar is back home, Adva Adar said she is even more worried about those still in captivity, including another one of her relatives, based on what her grandmother experienced.
“It was very hard both physically and mentally and she survived hell,” Adva Adar said. “I really think that we should take everyone back home now. We have no time. They have no time.”
Gat expressed frustration with the Israeli government that they are not doing enough to free their families.
“We are feeling that we should do the negotiations. We should take care of our families because it’s not happening otherwise,” he said.
Adva Adar, whose relative Tamir Adar is also a hostage, agreed.
“I really believe that the Israeli government and the international community have to demand nothing else but the return of each and every one of the hostages,” she said.
As the three try to navigate through the holiday season, they are painfully aware they are without their loved ones and why.
“Right now, I don’t feel like it’s a special time when they’re going through Holocaust,” Ephrat Mor Carmel, relative of Omer Wenkert who is still held by Hamas, said. “I think this is the way to describe what they are going through: Holocaust.”
Gat said they are trying to find ways to find hope and light during the dark times.
“We’re not going to get out of it soon, but maybe we can start, you know, to try to heal the wound,” Gat said, but that is once the hostages are released alive and well. For now, he says “… we’re still in this Holocaust.”
(AMHERST, Va.) — Several Virginia elementary school students needed medical attention Tuesday after eating gummy bears laced with what authorities said was fentanyl.
The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office said seven children at Central Elementary School in Amherst, Virginia, “experienced a reaction to ingesting gummy bears” while at school.
School administrators immediately notified emergency services of the incident, according to Amherst County Public Schools.
The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office later tested the gummy bears, and the results came back positive for fentanyl.
Five of the students had to receive medical attention. EMS transported two students for medical attention, and three students were driven by their parents, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the Amherst County Public Schools superintendent’s office, they “confirmed that the bag was brought from home by a student.”
“We will work with the Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation,” read a statement the office released Tuesday night. “The families of the students have been notified of the results. We will provide another update as more information becomes available.”
The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident.
(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve will announce an interest rate decision on Wednesday, unveiling its latest policy move amid a near-historic series of rate hikes deployed to fight inflation.
That string of rate increases has coincided with a cooldown of inflation but also has elevated interest payments for everything from credit card loans to mortgages.
The announcement is set to arrive a day after the release of government data showing that price increases slowed slightly last month.
Inflation has fallen significantly from a peak of about 9% last summer but remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed’s target.
Economists widely expect the Fed to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday since inflation has moderated and some areas of the economy have shown signs of a slowing down.
Such a decision would match the choice made by the Fed at its most recent meeting in September, when the central bank paused its inflation fight amid growing optimism that the U.S. could achieve normal price levels without falling into a recession.
Many economists and observers even expect the Fed to begin instituting rate cuts as soon as next year.
Since last year, the Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate at the fastest pace in more than two decades in an effort to slow prices increases.
The rate hikes appear to have put the brakes on the housing market and discouraged businesses from major investments that would carry onerous borrowing costs.
The economy maintained robust employment growth last month but fell well short of the breakneck pace exhibited over the previous year, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday showed.
Still, consumer spending has proven resilient. Black Friday sales did gangbuster business as the nation entered a holiday shopping season expected to test shoppers, who account for nearly three-quarters of U.S. economic activity.
Resilient holiday spending could provide additional fuel for the economy as observers hope for continued expansion but fear the downward pressure imposed by interest rate hikes.
Lately, the economy has rebuked such concerns. The gross domestic product grew at an annualized pace of 4.9% over three months ending in September, more than doubling growth of the previous quarter and easing worries about a possible recession, a report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis in October showed.
In recent months, mixed signals from the economy have complicated the Fed’s effort to bring down inflation while averting a recession, an outcome known as a “soft landing.”
In theory, the economy should eventually falter as it becomes more expensive for businesses and consumers to borrow. However, the economy has so far resisted an overall slowdown.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C. last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the complex economic picture faced by the central bank.
“Inflation has been coming down but it’s still running well above our 2% target,” Powell said. “Given how far we have come, along with the uncertainties and risks we face, the committee is proceeding carefully.”
While mixed economic data creates significant uncertainty, the status of the Fed’s inflation fight remains clear, Powell said, noting that the task will require a further slowdown in price increases.
“The process of getting inflation sustainably down to 2% has a long way to go,” Powell said. “We remain strongly committed.”
(NEW YORK) — The temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended on Dec. 1, and Israel has resumed its bombardment of Gaza.
The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Dec 13, 6:27 AM EST
IDF commander among 10 killed overnight, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces reported the deaths of 10 service members overnight, including a high-ranking officer, making Tuesday one of the deadliest days for the country’s military since the ground invasion began in Gaza.
Nine troops died in a single incident, an ambush in northern Gaza, officials said, marking the deadliest incident over the past month for the IDF.
At least 115 service members have been killed since Israel’s ground invasion began. A total of 444 have been killed since Oct. 7, officials said.
Dec 12, 7:31 PM EST
Biden says he doesn’t know if there are hostages in Gaza tunnels
President Joe Biden said he does not know for a fact if there are any hostages in the tunnels under Gaza amid reports that Israel began flooding some of them to target Hamas.
“There [are] assertions being made that they’re quite sure there are no hostages in any of these tunnels, but I don’t know that for a fact,” Biden told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday. “I do know that, though, that every civilian death is a national tragedy.”
Asked if he has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how long he believes the operation in Gaza should last, Biden declined to give a timeline.
“I want to make sure that we don’t forget what we’re doing here. We have to support Israel because they’re an independent nation,” he said, adding that the “brutality” of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel is “beyond comparison.”
Dec 12, 4:35 PM EST
Israel pumping seawater into some Gaza tunnels
Israel has recently started to pump seawater into Hamas’ underground network of tunnels, two U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News. It seems the flooding has been limited as Israel evaluates the effectiveness of this strategy compared to its other techniques.
The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Israeli Defense Forces has not publicly commented.
ABC News previously reported that Israel was exploring a range of options to take out Hamas’ tunnels, including flooding them with seawater — an approach some worried could have devastating long-term environmental impacts and other ramifications for Gaza’s civilian population.
In 2015, Egypt used seawater to flood a section of tunnels in the southern stretch of the enclave to disrupt smuggling activity, which led to complaints about damaged homes and crops, as well as contaminated water supplies.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Shannon Crawford and Justin Gomez
Dec 12, 3:44 PM EST
Biden says Netanyahu needs to ‘strengthen’ and ‘change’ the Israeli government
President Joe Biden said at a campaign reception that Israel is starting to lose support and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to “strengthen” and “change” the government to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” Biden said, adding that the government “doesn’t want a two-state solution.”
“You cannot say there’s no Palestinian state at all in the future. And that’s going to be the hard part,” he said.
“Bibi’s got a tough decision to make,” Biden said, referring to Netanyahu.
Biden added, “In the meantime, we’re not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process.”
The president also recounted a recent conversation with Netanyahu, saying, “It was pointed out to me — I’m being very blunt with you all — it was pointed out to me that — by Bibi — that. ‘Well, you carpet-bombed Germany. You dropped the atom bomb. A lot of civilians died.'”
“I said, ‘Yeah, that’s why all these institutions were set up after World War II to see to it that it didn’t happen again — it didn’t happen again,” Biden said. “Don’t make the same mistakes we made at 9/11. There was no reason why we had to be in a war in Afghanistan at 9/11. There was no reason why we had to do some of the things we did.”
ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Mary Bruce and Justin Gomez
Dec 12, 1:34 PM EST
IDF recovers bodies of 2 more hostages
The Israel Defense Forces said it has recovered the bodies of two more hostages: 28-year-old Eden Zecharya, who was taken hostage from the Supernova music festival, and 36-year-old soldier Ziv Dado.
The IDF said its special forces recovered their bodies in Gaza and brought them back to Israel.
Dado was a husband and father of a 5-month-old girl.
“Ziv loved helping others, especially underserved populations,” the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said. “During his military service, he received certificates of excellence, was beloved by his commanders and superiors.”
Zecharya’s boyfriend died in the Oct. 7 attack while she was injured and kidnapped.
Zecharya “was filled with joy for life” and planned to study digital marketing, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said.
She was devoted to her two dogs, and “in her last phone call, she managed to ask her father to look after her dogs,” the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said.
Dec 12, 1:16 PM EST
8-year-old girl in Gaza: ‘Save us’
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens by the day, ABC News spoke with several children in Gaza whose lives have been upended.
“We started building tents with our own hands,” said Neda, an 8-year-old girl. “People became literally crazy. Whenever we found anything good or not, we would wear it.”
“Oh world, save us from this war,” Neda said. “We are young people, children who want to live like the rest of the children in the world.”
She wondered, “They wanted to remove Hamas, but what is our fault?”
Rama, a 9-year-old girl, said her “house was shaking” from “all the missiles.”
She asked, “If they bomb all the hospitals, where will we be treated?”
At a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden said Israel is starting to lose support and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has to strengthen and change” the government to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Bibi’s got a tough decision to make,” Biden said, referring to Netanyahu, according to a pool report.
“This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” Biden said, adding that the government “doesn’t want a two-state solution.”
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Dec 12, 11:59 AM EST
IDF recovers bodies of 2 more hostages
The Israel Defense Forces said it has recovered the bodies of two more hostages: 27-year-old Eden Zakaria, who was taken hostage from the Supernova music festival, and 36-year-old soldier Ziv Dado.
The IDF said its special forces recovered their bodies in Gaza and brought them back to Israel.
Dec 12, 11:27 AM EST
Biden to meet with family members of American hostages
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden will hold a meeting at the White House with family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas, according to a White House official.
This appears to be the first in-person meeting between Biden and relatives of hostages. The president held a Zoom call with the families on Oct. 13.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Dec 12, 10:41 AM EST
Kerem Shalom crossing at Israel-Gaza-Egypt border opens
The Kerem Shalom crossing at the Israel-Gaza-Egypt border opened on Tuesday to expand the amount of aid into Gaza, according to COGAT, the Israeli agency for civilian coordination with the Palestinians.
The first batch of humanitarian aid trucks underwent inspection at Kerem Shalom Tuesday morning and is now en route to the Gaza-Egypt Rafah border crossing, COGAT said.
The simultaneous security checks at the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Israel-Egypt Nitzana crossing will double the volume of aid delivered through Rafah and admitted into the Gaza Strip, COGAT said Monday.
Dec 12, 8:20 AM EST
Twenty killed in airstrikes on Rafah in southern Gaza, health ministry says
At least 20 people were killed in airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The city has been designated a safe zone by the Israeli military for displaced civilians in war-torn Gaza.
Dec 12, 6:03 AM EST
IDF says 20 soldiers killed by accident in Gaza since start of war, most by friendly fire
Twenty Israeli soldiers have been killed by accident in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, most by friendly fire, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday that a total of 105 soldiers have died since ground operations were launched in Gaza, 20 of which were considered accidents. Of those 20 accidental deaths, 13 were due to friendly fire, one was caused by firing irregularities and six were accidents involving weaponry, machinery or trampling, according to the IDF.
Dec 12, 5:19 AM EST
Biden says commitment to Israel is ‘unshakable,’ but warns ‘the whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight’
U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday evening, reaffirming his country’s support for Israel as the war in the Gaza Strip continues.
“My commitment to the safety of Jewish people, and the security of Israel and its right to exist, is independent — as an independent Jewish state is unshakable,” Biden said.
But the president cautioned that Israel has to “be careful” because “the whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight.”
“We can’t let that happen,” he said.
Biden also highlighted efforts his administration is taking to secure the release of hostages still being held by militants in Gaza and the continuation of military support for Israel “until they get rid of Hamas.”
“We’ve gotten more than 100 hostages out and we’re not going to stop till we get everyone on the home,” he added.
He also touted U.S. efforts to “lead the world in humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinian civilians” in Gaza.
Dec 11, 5:17 PM EST
Physician shot inside Gaza Hospital: Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières said one of its surgeons inside the Al-Awda hospital was injured by a shot fired from outside the facility.
“Reports coming out of Al-Awda hospital are harrowing and we are gravely worried for [the] safety of patients and staff inside. Let us be clear: Al Awda is a functioning hospital with medical staff and many patients in vulnerable condition. Targeting medical workers as they care for their patients is utterly reprehensible, utterly inhumane,” Renzo Fricke, MSF’s head of mission, said in a statement.
The international humanitarian group said the attacks on the hospital have killed five staff so far including two of their members.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 11, 4:28 PM EST
Israel targeting 2 hospitals in northern Gaza: Palestinian Health Ministry
Israeli forces are targeting and operating near two hospitals in northern Gaza, the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the Al-Awda Hospital, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The director of Al-Awda Hospital, Ahmed Muhanna, said Israeli tanks were surrounding the hospital.
Doctors Without Borders said one of its surgeons was injured inside Al-Awda Hospital by a shot fired from outside the facility.
“Reports coming out of Al-Awda hospital are harrowing and we are gravely worried for safety of patients and staff inside,” Doctors Without Borders said.
The Israel Defense Forces said it could not comment on troops’ locations.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Jordana Miller and Cindy Smith
Dec 11, 4:15 PM EST
Israel doesn’t intend to stay permanently in Gaza: Defense minister
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that Israel “will take any measures in order to destroy Hamas, but we have no intention to stay permanently in the Gaza Strip.”
“We only take care of our security and the security of our citizens alongside the border with Gaza and elsewhere,” Gallant said.
Gallant said “a new civil body will be established to try and look after the welfare of the residents.”
“The key condition is that this body will not act with hostility towards the state of Israel,” Gallant said. “All the rest, in my opinion, can be discussed. It certainly will not be Hamas, and also will not be Israel. We will maintain our freedom to act, to operate militarily against any threat.”
Speaking directly to Hamas, Gallant said, “To the terrorists, to their commanders and to the battalion commanders: surrender. If you surrender, you can save your lives. If not, your fate is sealed.”
Dec 11, 3:09 PM EST
‘Cruelty I hadn’t seen before’: Psychiatrist who treated hostages
Dr. Renana Eitan, a psychiatrist who treated people held by Hamas, said some of the now-released hostages experienced “cruelty that I haven’t seen before.”
“I’ve been a psychiatrist for over 20 years,” she said. “We are [a] national center for sexual trauma and for PTSD for the refugees from Africa, so I thought I saw all the worst PTSD patients.”
Some hostages were held “in inhumane sanitary conditions” and “subject to severe physical, sexual and mental abuse,” Eitan said.
“I have never seen anything like that before,” Eitan said.
“One of the patients, she was kept in total darkness for four days. This is inhumane. She became psychotic. She had hallucinations,” Eitan said. “I’ve never seen such things in my life.”
According to the Israel Defense Forces, 137 people are still being held hostage by Hamas.
Dec 11, 2:58 PM EST
Kerem Shalom crossing at Israel-Gaza-Egypt border to open Tuesday
The Kerem Shalom crossing at the Israel-Gaza-Egypt border will open on Tuesday for security checks on aid shipments from Egypt, according to COGAT, the Israeli agency for civilian coordination with the Palestinians.
The simultaneous security checks at the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Israel-Egypt Nitzana crossing will double the volume of aid delivered through the Gaza-Egypt Rafah crossing and admitted into the Gaza Strip, COGAT said.
Dec 11, 2:21 PM EST
Protesters calling for cease-fire chain themselves to White House fence
A group of 18 protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza chained themselves to the White House fence on Monday.
The protesters were from Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that defines itself as “Jews organizing toward Palestinian liberation.” They chanted, “Biden, Biden pick a side, cease-fire not genocide,” and, “Cease-fire cannot wait, no Hanukkah to celebrate.”
U.S. Park Police said its officers used bolt cutters to remove the chains from the fencing and cleared the group from the area after roughly 30 minutes.
The demonstration came hours before President Joe Biden holds a Hanukkah reception at the White House.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Dec 11, 1:58 PM EST
134 UNRWA workers killed since beginning of the war, UN says
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said 134 of its workers have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began two months ago.
Although northern Gaza was the first region intensely targeted by Israeli forces, the UNRWA said half of its killed staffers died in middle and southern Gaza.
There are 1.9 million people now displaced in Gaza, where conditions are continuing to deteriorate, the UNRWA said.
Dec 11, 12:21 PM EST
IDF says it recovered explosives, rifles in UNRWA-labeled bags in Gaza home
The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers found explosives, AK-47 rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade hidden inside UNRWA-labeled bags in a home in Gaza.
The IDF said it also found long-distance rockets inside a truck near a school in Gaza.
The Israeli army has “directed aerial strikes on dozens of terrorists in the Gaza Strip” over the last day, the IDF said, and “in one incident, armed terrorists spotted exiting a medical clinic during operational activity were struck by the IDF.”
Dec 11, 6:43 AM EST
104 Israeli troops killed since fighting began, IDF says
At least 104 Israeli service members have been killed since the country’s war with Hamas began on Oct. 7, Israel Defense Forces officials said Monday.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Dec 10, 5:29 PM EST
Global health organizations call for immediate cease-fire over dire conditions in Gaza
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the World Health Organization released updates on a deteriorating situation in Gaza, imploring for an immediate cease-fire to allow aid to enter and civilians to take shelter.
The MSF is seeing a “complete collapse” in the healthcare system in Gaza, the organization said. It has been 10 days since MSF was forced to stop providing support to Martyrs and Beni Suheila clinics due to the Israeli forces’ evacuation orders for the area, according to the statement.
In Rafah, on the southernmost area of the Gaza Strip and where people from Khan Younis and central Gaza have been pushed to, health services are extremely limited, according to MSF.
“The United Nations Security Council must demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire, to lift the siege and ensure unrestricted aid to the entire Gaza Strip,” the MSF statement read.
Meanwhile, according to the WHO, a mission it conducted with partners to deliver essential trauma and surgical supplies to Al-Ahli hospital to cover the needs of 1500 people, and to transfer 19 critical patients, was successful.
The high-risk delivery was managed despite active shelling and artillery fire in the region, according to a statement from the organization.
The hospital itself has been substantially damaged, and in acute need of oxygen and essential medical supplies, water, food and fuel as well as medical personal, the WHO said.
“We cannot wait any longer for a sustained ceasefire and a safe, scaled-up humanitarian response,” WHO officials said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretzky
Dec 10, 4:49 PM EST
IDF claims it has struck 3,500 targets in Gaza since end of cease-fire
Since the end of the cease-fire on Dec. 1, the Israeli Air Force has struck 3,500 targets in the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces confirmed to ABC News on Sunday.
Many of the targets hit by the IAF were identified by IDF forces on the ground, IDF officials said in a statement.
Since beginning of the war, more than 22,000 “terror targets” have been struck in the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.
Among the targets hit by the Israeli forces are ones in Jabalya, Shejaiya, Beit Hanoun and Khan Yunis, the IDF said. Troops are also conducting raids on Hamas terrorist strongholds across the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.
Numerous terrorists have been killed in the raids and terrorist infrastructure has been destroyed, according to the IDF.
Additionally, IDF naval troops are operating off the coast of the Gaza Strip, striking terror targets from the sea and supporting IDF ground troops, according to the IDF.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Dec 09, 3:14 PM EST
Biden administration approves emergency tank ammunition sale to Israel
The Biden administration approved the possible sale of tank ammunition to Israel through an emergency order, circumventing Congress.
In a release, the State Department notified Congress about the emergency sale on Friday.
“The Secretary of State determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended,” the release states.
The sale — of 120mm tank cartridges and related equipment — is estimated to cost $106.5 million.
(NEW YORK) — A high school security guard pleaded guilty to manufacturing, selling and mailing homemade explosives with a teenage accomplice after more than half a ton of explosive materials were recovered, authorities say.
Angelo Jackson Mendiver, the 27-year-old suspect from Bakersfield, California, had been working as a campus security supervisor at Arvin High School when, according to the United States Attorney’s Office from the Eastern District of California, Mendiver began conspiring to “fulfil transactions and send explosives in the mail to residents of other states.”
“Mendiver used an Instagram account to sell explosives and explosive materials and worked closely with a male juvenile Bakersfield high school student,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“On June 1, 2023, a federal search warrant executed at Mendiver’s residence resulted in the seizure of approximately 500 pounds of explosives and explosive materials,” authorities continued. “Agents seized another 500 pounds of explosives and explosive materials from the juvenile’s residence. At both residences, agents found other items used to make explosives.”
Officials say that in one Instagram message to the unnamed juvenile, Mendiver sent a photo of titanium salute — an explosive mixture — followed by two videos he took of homemade explosive devices that he had made and the statement that “homemade kills all consumer.”
Following an ongoing investigation, Mendiver, on Monday, ended up pleading guilty to conspiring to engage in manufacturing and dealing in explosive materials and mailing explosive devices, as well as making false statements to FBI agents, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Mendiver is now scheduled to be sentenced on April 1, 2024 and, if convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,00 fine for each count.
“The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case against Mendiver is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bakersfield Police Department.
President Joe Biden, right, shakes hands with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine as he hosts a meeting in the Oval office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy capped off a whirlwind day in Washington on Tuesday with a press conference alongside President Joe Biden, who said Ukraine’s “freedom is on the line” as a massive military aid package remains stalled in Congress where Republicans are pushing major changes to border policy.
The two leaders addressed reporters following a meeting in the Oval Office, laying out their vision for Ukraine’s future and what role the U.S. should play in helping the Eastern European nation stave off Russia’s invasion.
“[Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine,” Biden said. “We must, we must, we must prove him wrong. The United States Congress must act.”
Biden also had this message for Zelenskyy: “Mr. President, I will not walk away from Ukraine and neither will the American people.”
Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its support and said together the two nations can “strengthen democracy’s arsenal.”
But despite Zelenskyy’s visit, it appears Congress is heading into its winter holiday recess without a resolution on the Biden-backed supplemental aid package that includes billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as border enforcement.
The funding is tied up in a legislative fight as Republicans insist on significant changes to border security and immigration policy, though their exact demands remain publicly unclear.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a staunch supporter of continuing Ukraine aid, wasn’t optimistic the impasse would be broken by the time lawmakers leave for holiday recess. McConnell told reporters earlier Tuesday that it was “practically impossible” to get the funding package across the finish line before Christmas even if an agreement is reached soon.
He also said, however, that addressing the border is key.
“When it comes to keeping America safe, border security is not a side show — it is ground zero,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that, telling reporters, “I’ve … made very clear from day one that our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security.”
“The border is an absolute catastrophe,” he said.
Republicans are putting pressure on the White House to do more in the negotiations, while Biden on Tuesday accused Republicans of holding critical aid hostage.
“If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing,” he said.
Biden said his team is working with Senate Democrats and Republicans to try to find a “bipartisan compromise” on border policy, saying Congress does need to “to fix the broken immigration system here at home.”
“Compromise is how democracy works, and I’m ready and offered compromise already,” he said. “Holding Ukraine’s funding hostage in an attempt to force through an extreme Republican partisan agenda on the border is not how it works.”
Asked if he heard what he wanted from lawmakers in his own meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday or if he was more concerned than he was before, Zelenskyy said he felt support but had to “separate” words and action.
“I got the signals, they were more than positive,” he said. “But we know that we have to separate words and particular result. Therefore we will count on particular result.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized House Republicans for planning to leave town at the end of the week for recess.
“They say it’s an emergency at both the border and in Ukraine — you don’t go home for three weeks,” Schumer said.
Some Senate Republicans agree they should stay in town until they can strike an agreement.
“Not negotiating, walking away and letting us go for two or three weeks without negotiating in my opinion is irresponsible. We’ve got to move in real time,” North Carolina’s Thom Tillis told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce.
Earlier Tuesday, during his Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden announced a $200 million military package under the presidential drawdown authority — a fund that is running low, which is why the administration is requesting more from Congress.
The two had also planned to discuss how they can strengthen the aid Ukraine is getting, and Ukraine possibly joining the European Union.
“Everything we talked about today will help us in the year 2024,” Zelenskyy said afterward. “Today’s discussions in the White House and in Congress across both parties and both chambers, with the speaker were very productive. And I thank you for the bipartisan support as we approach Christmas on behalf of all of our Ukrainian families.”
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2023. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — In some of his strongest public comments to date acknowledging criticism of Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the country was starting to lose support around the world due to what he said was “the indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “tough decision to make,” Biden said during a fundraising event, while noting that Netanyahu understands that “he’s got to make some moves to strengthen [the Palestinian Authority] — strengthen it, change it, move it.”
“You cannot say there’s no Palestinian state at all in the future. And that’s going to be the hard part,” he added, according to a transcript of his remarks at a closed-door reception in Washington.
“But in the meantime, we’re not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process. Not a single thing,” he continued.
Biden said the current Israeli administration is “the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” adding that some members of Israel’s leadership “don’t want a two-state solution,” which is viewed by the U.S. and many other allies to Israel as the most likely pathway to peace.
While Biden and Netanyahu have not seen eye-to-eye on many issues, in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, the president has largely overlooked those differences, standing beside his friend of many decades in solidarity and even traveling to Israel in the early weeks of the war to show his support.
Netanyahu has not directly addressed Biden’s comments, but he has repeatedly defended Israel’s actions in Gaza and rejected condemnation from other countries, saying in November that Israel would “stand firm against the world if necessary.”
“No international pressure, no false allegations about [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and our state” will impact Israel’s insistence on protecting itself, Netanyahu said at a press conference in November.
At a White House press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Tuesday, Biden underscored the brutality of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, calling the group “beyond comparison,” but saying he also believes he has made clear to the Israelis that “the safety of innocent Palestinians is still of great concern.”
“The actions they’re taking must be consistent with attempting to do everything possible to prevent innocent Palestinian civilians from being hurt, murdered, killed,” Biden said.
Biden’s Tuesday remarks appear to go a step beyond his recent comments on the conflict, where he has also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting Israel and its right to defend itself.
During a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday, Biden vowed his “commitment to the safety of Jewish people, and the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is unshakable.”
However, he also cautioned that Israel needs to “be careful” because “the whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight,” adding, “We can’t let that happen.”
Biden may have been alluding to a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that demands an immediate cease-fire — a position opposed by both the U.S. and Israel, though the U.S. did successfully lobby Israel to permit several pauses in the fighting to allow for aid and hostages to move within particular regions of the conflict. While the U.S. was able to veto a similar resolution presented by the 15-member U.N. Security Council last week, it was unable to prevent the Tuesday resolution from being adopted since no country has veto power over the full body. The resolution, which passed in a 153-10 vote with 23 countries abstaining, is not legally binding.
Although Biden’s schedule on Tuesday was dominated by Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, a White House official said that he would meet in-person for the first time on Wednesday with family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
(NEW YORK) — Global Veg Corp has issued a recall of all lots and codes of its 5-pound packages of Aviator brand Sundried Tomato Halves (Lot #060923/1) due to the possibility of “undeclared sulfites,” according to an announcement from the New York-based company dated Dec. 4 and posted Friday on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website.
The company said in a statement to ABC News that it was aware of affected products being sold in New York and New Jersey, and not nationwide, as the statement on the FDA website indicated.
Products were distributed in “4x5lbs cartons,” according to the company.
The label on each product includes language stating the product’s origin — Turkey — as well as the phrase “Imported and distributed by GLOBAL VEG CORP NEW YORK.”
According to the company announcement posted to the FDA website, the recall was initiated following routine sampling of the product by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food inspectors, followed by analysis by “Food Laboratory personnel” that the company said “revealed that the sulfite containing product was distributed in packages that did not reveal the presence of sulfites.”
The announcement highlighted the potential health risk of sulfites to the consumer, noting that those “who have a severe sensitivity to sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they consume this product.”
The company said no incidents of illness or adverse reactions have been reported to date.
Global Veg Corp told ABC News in an email Tuesday that “a few dozen sun-dried tomato cartons were mislabeled in New York” and have since been relabeled, in addition to any boxes the company had left in stock. The company said the products were otherwise “safe” and that the issue was solely connected to labeling.
The company asked consumers who purchased the recalled sun-dried tomato products to return them to the place of purchase to be refunded in full.
Consumers can contact the company at 201-367-0517 with questions.
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans are teeing up a vote as early as Wednesday to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The resolution will direct three powerful committees to continue investigating Biden to see if there are “sufficient grounds” to impeach him.
House Republicans, since retaking taking control of the chamber in January, have focused their attention on the Biden family’s business dealings, particularly those of the president’s son, Hunter. But they have so far found no hard evidence President Biden was directly involved in or benefited from the practices, as they’ve repeatedly alleged.
Speaker Mike Johnson has defended the probe, characterizing it as a “legal decision,” and previously projected optimism the resolution will pass. But after the historic expulsion of Rep. George Santos, the House GOP has only a three-vote margin of error.
“We have to take the next step,” Johnson said Tuesday at a news conference alongside other GOP leaders. “We’re not making a political decision. It’s not. It’s a legal decision. People have feelings about it one way or the other. We can’t prejudge the outcome; the Constitution does not permit us to do so. We have to follow the truth where it takes us. And that is exactly what we’re going to do.”
House Democrats contend the vote is “the culmination of the extreme MAGA Republican yearlong agenda exacting political retribution on behalf of Donald Trump.”
“It’s painfully obvious that they are trying to hurt President Biden politically to help President Trump get reelected,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Tuesday.
Here’s what to know:
Why are Republicans holding this vote?
The impeachment inquiry has been underway since Sept. 12, when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy unilaterally launched the probe — a move seen as an attempt to appease conservative hard-liners on the verge of their revolt against his leadership.
McCarthy did so without first holding a vote on the House floor. It appeared at the time he wouldn’t have had the necessary support for the measure to pass.
The action was met with backlash from Democrats and the White House, and marked a reversal from McCarthy’s own criticisms of House Democrats for initiating their first impeachment inquiry into former President Donald Trump without a vote. House Democrats did authorize the inquiry a few weeks later, though didn’t authorize an inquiry for his second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Now, Speaker Johnson argues they have “no choice” but to hold a vote, saying the White House is obstructing the Republicans’ investigation.
“We’ve come to this impasse where following the facts where they lead is hitting a stone wall because the White House is impeding that investigation now,” Johnson said Tuesday.
The White House has challenged some congressional requests, in part asserting the “Constitution requires that the full House authorize an impeachment inquiry before a committee may utilize compulsory process pursuant to the impeachment power.”
The White House has also said Republicans have already accessed 35,000 pages of private financial records and at least 36 hours of testimony. Ian Sams, the White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, called the impeachment inquiry resolution a “baseless stunt.”
“The American people are yet again going to see a clear contrast in priorities: President Biden who is focused on solving the challenges facing America and the world, and extreme House Republicans who only focus on stupid stunts to get attention for themselves,” Sams said in a statement last week.
What will the vote mean?
Republican leaders said formalizing the inquiry will strengthen their subpoena power to obtain more documents and testimony.
And House GOP Majority Whip Emmer emphasized Tuesday that, “voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal impeachment.”
“We will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead,” Emmer said. “And if they uncovered evidence, treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards impeachment proceedings be considered.”
Moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who said he’ll vote in favor of the impeachment inquiry, was asked Tuesday if a vote to impeach Biden is inevitable if the inquiry is formalized. “I don’t think so,” he responded.
“I may be an outlier on this. I think it’s more important to have this information for the elections, let the voters decide,” Bacon said. “And I don’t know that you’re gonna see a high crime or misdemeanor, but I think the voters deserve to know what did the Bidens do.”
(LOS ANGELES) — A Russian national was charged after allegedly sneaking onto a plane in Denmark bound for Los Angeles International Airport — and not telling the FBI why he was headed for the United States.
Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava allegedly flew to LAX from Copenhagen, Denmark, on Nov. 4 despite not being on the flight manifest, according to a criminal complaint.
Ochigava “was unable to produce a passport or a visa to enter the United States,” according to the complaint. When questioned by authorities, Ochigava “gave false and misleading information about his travel to the United States, including initially telling CBP that he left his U.S. passport on the airplane,” the complaint says.
During the flight, Ochigava was observed switching seats, eating “two meals during each meal service, and at one point attempted to eat the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew,” the complaint says.
The complaint says Russian nationals must have a valid visa and passport to enter the U.S. When authorities searched his bag, Ochigava allegedly had some parts of a passport and an Israeli ID card but nothing complete. When officers allegedly tried to run his name, nothing came up, according to the complaint.
In an interview with the FBI, Ochigava allegedly said he had a PhD in economics and marketing from a Russian university.
Ochigava “claimed he had not been sleeping for three days and did not understand what was going on” and “stated he might have had a plane ticket to come to the United States, but he was not sure,” according to the complaint.
The Russian said he could not remember how he got on the plane and would not explain how or when he got to Copenhagen or what he was doing there, the complaint adds. He allegedly said he could not remember how he got on the plane.
A lawyer for Ochigava did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
