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Hospital sees baby boom with quadruplets, eight sets of twins at once in NICU

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — A hospital in California is experiencing a baby boom of multiples in its neonatal intensive care unit.

Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s hospital in Los Angeles is currently caring for one set of quadruplets in its NICU, as well as eight sets of twins.

The quadruplets were born on July 4, a hospital spokeswoman told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

Prior to that, the NICU had been caring for 10 sets of twins, but two sets were recently discharged, according to Bevin Merideth, R.N., the NICU’s associate director of nursing.

“We’re used to having multiples in the NICU. It’s not uncommon for multiples to not be able to carry to term,” Merideth told GMA. “It’s not something that’s uncommon in the NICU, but it was like four twins, five twins, six twins, and once we got to 10, we realized this is a record.”

“It’s almost half our unit,” Merideth added, noting the hospital’s NICU has 45 beds total.

Caring for a record number of twins in the NICU is especially poignant for Merideth, who was a teenager when her twin sisters were born at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and cared for in the same NICU where she now works.

“They were my first preemie babies, I call them,” said Merideth, who noted seeing her twin sisters cared for so well helped inspire her career choice. “I immediately was like, ‘I want to be a NICU nurse,’ and have never left the NICU. I started in the NICU and have been here 25 years.”

Merideth said some of the twins currently in the NICU have been there for as long as six or seven weeks, while others entered more recently. She noted there is no explanation for the multiples baby boom, saying, “It just happened.”

Merideth said she’s watched as the newborns’ parents have bonded over being the new parents of multiples as they pass the time in the NICU.

“Just walking, you see them talking to each other,” Merideth said. “Just having something in common, they’ve bonded over it.”

Samantha Pearlman’s twin daughters have been in the NICU for six weeks, a time during which she said she’s connected with many of the other parents of twins.

“I love that there are multiple twins in the NICU with us. I found out just by being in the same bay with them or getting to know some of the parents and exchanging numbers,” Pearlman said in a video shared by Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. “We’ve been keeping in touch, which is really wonderful.”

“I was surprised there were two, let alone 10 sets of twins, but it’s been great to connect with other parents and see their journey,” added Jordan Edelstein, whose twin daughter and son are also being treated at the hospital. “It’s comforting to see so many other families experiencing the same thing.”

Merideth said she and her fellow nurses are already looking forward to keeping in touch with the record-breaking sets of twins as they get older.

“It’s always nice to see how they’re growing and thriving at home,” she said. “That’s why we do what we do, to see them being toddlers and kids and graduating. It’s very hopeful.”

President Zelenskyy says Ukrainian counteroffensive is ‘advancing’ but ‘we want to do it faster’

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(KYIV, Ukraine) — Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive has allowed their forces to take the “initiative” in the war against Russian invaders but “we want to do it faster,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz in a wide-ranging new interview previewed on Good Morning America Thursday.

“What is your assessment of how the counteroffensive is going right now?” Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent, asked Zelenskyy in the sit-down from his nation’s capital.

He said that he supported his military’s assessment that the operation, which began in earnest last month, was “going to plan.”

“We would all like to see the counteroffensive accomplished in a shorter period of time, but there’s reality,” he said. “We are advancing. We are not stuck in one place.”

While Ukraine has succeeded in liberating a number of villages in recent weeks, progress has not matched the lightning speeds of last fall’s campaign — which saw Ukraine reclaim thousands of square miles of territory in one week in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials said at the time.

“Today, the initiative is on our side,” Zelenskyy told Raddatz. “We are advancing, albeit not as fast [as we would like]. But we are advancing.”

Raddatz also asked about whether Ukraine can succeed without F-16s, the fighter aircraft Ukraine has asked for but not yet been provided and if the U.S. and others had been too slow to provide critical military equipment.

“F-16 or any other equipment that we do need will give us an opportunity to move faster, to save more lives, to stand our ground for a longer time,” Zelenskyy said. “Well, some weapons have been provided, on the other hand, helps us save lives and we appreciate that. Of course, foot dragging will lead to more lives lost.”

Despite the grinding progress and heavy losses, Ukraine’s military leaders remain confident that the operation, seen as key to securing a satisfactory peace, has been proceeding as expected, Zelenskyy said.

The U.S. has been a key ally as Ukraine has prepared to push back into occupied territory. Last week, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that the new offensive is “going to be very difficult, it’s going to be very long and it’s going to be very, very bloody.”

Zelenskyy told Raddatz in Kyiv that it was “too early” to report major successes on the battlefield.

Analysts suggest that Ukraine is keeping a large proportion of its assembled forces in reserve — with the hope of launching a major attack once a weak point has been identified along the front lines, which stretch for thousands of miles through eastern Ukraine.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, expressed confidence when he was asked by Raddatz earlier this week if he was confident of retaking the key city of Bakhmut.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “I’m sure.”

More from Raddatz’ interview with Zelenskyy in Ukraine will air on ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on Thursday and on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

Reaching ‘drop dead’ deadline, Trump aide Walt Nauta to be arraigned in classified docs case

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI) — Walt Nauta, the longtime aide to former President Donald Trump who was federally charged alongside him last month in the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, is scheduled to be arraigned in Miami Thursday morning — marking the third time an arraignment has been scheduled for Trump’s codefendant.

Nauta, who first worked for Trump in the White House before accompanying him to Florida following Trump’s presidency, is facing six counts as part of the criminal case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.

Nauta’s arraignment has been repeatedly delayed due in part to his inability to obtain local counsel to represent him. A magistrate judge in Miami warned Nauta’s attorney last week that Thursday’s arraignment should be considered the “drop dead” deadline.

The longtime aide first appeared in court in Miami with Trump in June, but was not arraigned because he did not have local representation. He and Trump sat with each other at the defendants’ table, separated by Trump’s attorney, for the duration of the hearing.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Nauta, 40, was then set to be arraigned last week, but an attorney for Nauta, Stan Woodward, told the judge that Nauta still had not retained local counsel, and was also unable to get to Florida due to travel issues.

Nauta wanted to “express his sincerest condolences to the court,” Woodward told the judge.

“He takes very seriously the charges,” Woodward said.

Members of the special counsel’s team did not oppose a delay in the arraignment, but asked for the delay to be as “brief as possible.”

Smith was not present for the hearing, but members of his team, including Jay Bratt and David Harbach, were in court for the government.

Trump pleaded not guilty last month to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities. He has denied all charges and denounced the probe as a political witch hunt.

Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at Trump’s direction, in an effort to prevent the documents from being turned over to authorities.

In one instance, prosecutors allege that boxes were moved out of a storage room at the Palm Beach estate before Trump’s attorney searched the room for documents to hand over to investigators in compliance with a grand jury subpoena seeking their return.

According to the indictment, Nauta was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes.

Nauta, a Guam native who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, worked in the Trump White House, where in 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, according to Navy records. Trump, according to investigators, subsequently promoted Nauta to be his valet, otherwise known as a “body man.”

After Trump left the White House and moved to Florida, Nauta left the Navy and continued to work for the former president. In August 2021, Nauta became Trump’s executive assistant, serving as his personal aide, a role in which he “reported to Trump, worked closely with Trump and traveled with Trump,” according to the federal indictment.

Two firefighters die while battling blaze aboard ship in New Jersey

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEWARK, N.J.) — Two firefighters died while battling a blaze aboard a cargo ship docked in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday night, officials said.

Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson confirmed the deaths during a press conference early Thursday, a few hours after it was announced that a search was underway for two firefighters at the scene.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told reporters that firefighters are still working to extinguish the flames.

Firefighters were dispatched to the Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal at around 9:30 p.m. ET after receiving a report about multiple vehicles on fire aboard a ship named the Grande Coaster Eadoirio. They managed to put out the main body of the blaze, but the flames had extended to multiple levels of the vessel, according to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage.

The United States Coast Guard also responded to the fire, describing the vessel in a Twitter post as a “roll on/roll off vehicle cargo ship.”

Suspect arrested after stabbing at Levi’s Stadium soccer game

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Police in Northern California have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing another man during the Mexico-Qatar soccer game on Sunday night.

The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) and the Sacramento Police Department took the suspect — Alejandro Garcia-Villanueva — into custody at his home in Sacramento after a judge issued an arrest warrant on attempted murder. Garcia-Villanueva was arrested without incident, authorities said.

Police said the victim was stabbed with a knife near his upper collar bone during the Mexico-Qatar CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match on Sunday after getting into a confrontation with Garcia-Villanueva. The suspect was identified following the use of “advanced video technology” at Levi’s Stadium and “vital community input,” police said in a Facebook post.

The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance after receiving medical assistance from public safety personnel, according to authorities. He is recovering from his injuries, Univision reported, via San Francisco ABC station KGO-TV.

Police had identified a woman as a person of interest in connection with the incident, but she was released at the scene after authorities determined she did not commit a crime, SCPD said.

ABC News was unable to immediately locate a legal representative for Garcia-Villanueva.

Authorities also searched the suspect’s residence after a judge issued a search warrant, and they “located evidence,” according to their Facebook post.

An investigation into the incident is still ongoing, police said.

Following judge’s order, DOJ releases slightly less-redacted version of affidavit for Mar-a-Lago raid

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Wednesday released a slightly less-redacted version of the affidavit used to justify last summer’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, hours after a federal judge ordered the department to do so.

The new version included no meaningful revelations about the DOJ’s probe, but demonstrated the breadth of evidence investigators had already accumulated prior to the raid.

FBI agents raided the Florida property last August in search of classified documents that authorities say Trump refused to return after leaving the White House. Last month the former president pleaded not guilty to a 37-count indictment that included 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

The 32-page affidavit, signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart prior to the raid in early August of 2022, includes details that ultimately wound up in the charging documents for Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta.

Among the newly released material is a photograph of at least 40 boxes in a room at Mar-a-Lago, the purpose of which, investigators wrote, “was to show FPOTUS the volume of boxes that remained in the STORAGE ROOM.”

Investigators also referenced security camera videos obtained as part of an earlier subpoena, one of which showed Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage area “approximately three and a half hours” before escorting a member of Trump’s legal team through the area.

In the document, investigators wrote that they believed several areas of the estate potentially contained classified documents.

Accordingly, they wrote, “Based on the foregoing facts and circumstances, I submit that probable cause exists to believe that evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed in violation 18 U.S.C. §§ 793(e), 2071, or 1519 will be found at the PREMISES.”

“Further, I submit that this affidavit supports probable cause for a warrant to search the PREMISES,” investigators wrote.

The document was released after Reinhart ruled on Wednesday against the full affidavit being unsealed, but ordered that “additional portions of the search warrant application should be unsealed,” according to the court filing.

The DOJ last August released a redacted version of the affidavit after a coalition of news organizations, including ABC News, had argued that the release was in the public interest.

DOJ officials had opposed the unsealing, saying in court filings that “There remain compelling reasons, including to protect the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security, that support keeping the affidavit sealed.”

Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the case and has called the probe a political witch hunt.

Man with guns arrested near Obama home ‘attempted to evade’ Secret Service: Prosecutors

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Jan. 6 defendant arrested near the Washington, D.C., home of former President Barack Obama last week attempted to evade the Secret Service and was looking for “entrance points” along the street to enter the restricted area, court documents filed by prosecutors Wednesday said.

Taylor Taranto allegedly made “several concerning statements” while livestreaming outside the Obama home, prosecutors said in a memo ahead of Taranto’s detention hearing originally set for Wednesday afternoon. (The hearing was subsequently rescheduled.)

Taranto is facing misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but despite the lower-level allegations, the federal government asked he be locked up pending his trial.

In the detention memo, the government also alleges Taranto re-posted a post from former President Donald Trump citing what was supposedly the location of the Obama home.

“On June 29, 2023, Former President Donald Trump posted what he claimed was the address of Former President Barack Obama on the social media platform Truth Social. Taranto used his own Truth Social account to re-post the address,” the government said.

“On Telegram, Taranto then stated, ‘We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s,'” according to prosecutors.

“Taranto differs from other misdemeanor defendants charged for participating in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol,” the detention memo filed by federal prosecutors said. “Taranto has continued to act on the same motivations that caused him to breach the Capitol by communicating threats to lawmakers who oppose his views. He has attempted to express those threats by breaching an elementary school where he projected footage of the January 6 attack because of his impression that such conduct would convey ‘shockwaves’ to a member of Congress who resided nearby, doing so because of his belief that the Congressman ‘hated’ Capitol riot participants.”

Federal prosecutors allege that Taranto used his YouTube channel to livestream himself at a Maryland elementary school, where he, among other things, walked around the school, into the gymnasium and used a film projector to project a film related to Jan. 6.

He said he chose the school because of its proximity to Rep. Jamie Raskin’s house, a Democrat on the House’s previous Jan. 6 committee and leading Trump critic, but said he didn’t tell his viewers where Raskin lived because he wanted Raskin “to myself,” prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also alleged that Taranto threatened House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, former President Obama and former Obama aide and current Biden White House official John Podesta.

“Coming at you McCarthy. Can’t stop what’s coming. Nothing can stop what’s coming,” he allegedly said during a livestream.

Taranto’s lack of an address frustrated law enforcement attempting to locate and arrest him.

Prosecutors also said he made several threats to blow up federal buildings.

Taranto has 20 firearms registered to him and two were with him in the car when authorities searched his car after he was arrested last week, they said.

“To date, the remaining 18 guns are at large; law enforcement has neither custody of those guns nor knowledge of their whereabouts,” the detention memo says.

Tartanto allegedly entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 and fought with other rioters using a purported cane, which prosecutors said was for the explicit purpose of using as a weapon.

In June, he was also, according to prosecutors, outside of the D.C. jail, in what is called “Freedom Corner,” an area for supporters of those arrested during the Jan. 6 riot to protest their detention.

“Taranto has been banned from the area due to his offensive conduct toward other protestors,” court documents say. “It has also been reported that he was displaying erratic. and incoherent behavior.”

Criminal charges called for against deputies, officer in alleged assault of two Black men

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the investigation involving two Black men allegedly assaulted by one officer and five deputies continues, national activists and Mississippi residents held two press conferences Wednesday urging for criminal charges to be brought against all parties allegedly involved.

The men involved, Eddie Terrell Parker and Michael Jenkins, with support from their attorneys and community, also demanded the termination and prosecution of Rankin County Mississippi Sheriff Bryan Bailey “for operating a criminal police department that tortures Black people and American citizens.”

On Jan. 24, five Rankin County deputies and one Richland Police Department officer entered the residence of Jenkins and Parker without a warrant that resulted in both Black men being beaten, sexually assaulted with a sex toy and shocked with Tasers for roughly 90 minutes while handcuffed, according to the attorneys. According to the lawsuit, officers attempted to sexually assault the men with a sex toy before making them shower together.

Eggs were also hurled at the two men, and Jenkins was shot in the mouth by one of the deputies, the lawsuit states. Deputies say they were there to carry out a late drug raid.

Attorneys for Jenkins and Parker are also pushing for the arrest and indictment of all six officers mentioned in the lawsuit allegedly involved in the shooting of Jenkins, urging criminal charges against these officers.

The press conferences outside the Attorney General’s office and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department came just days after Richland County Police Chief Nick McLendon announced that former Officer Joshua Hartfield, was “implicated” in the Jan. 24 incident and has since resigned from the department.

The release also details that Hartfield was off-duty at the time of the incident.

“We must express our deepest disappointment that a member of our department is claimed to be involved in a situation that goes against our department’s commitment to serve and protect the public,” McLendon said in the release. “Upon receiving the information regarding the allegations against Hartfield, immediate action was taken in line with our strict standards of responsibility and accountability. Hartfield was placed on administrative leave, subjected to disciplinary action, and subsequently tendered his resignation from the Richland Police Department.”

Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office declined to comment due to the active investigation.

“She has the power to put charges towards those officers for what they did,” said activist John C. Barnett, referring to the attorney general. “She also has the power to investigate and charge Chief Bailey.”

The lawsuit alleges Bailey failed to discipline and reprimand the defendants.

Priscilla Williams-Till, a family member of Emmett Till and founder of the Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation, was also present during the press conferences.

“As a family member of Emmett Till, 68 years ago we still did not get justice for Emmett Till,” Williams-Till said during the press conference. “Today I stand here as a spokesperson on behalf of these families, to say give them justice.”

Last week, Bailey announced that the four remaining Rankin County Sheriff’s Department deputies allegedly involved in the incident were terminated, with one previously resigning before the announcement.

“We have cooperated with all investigation efforts related to this incident and have provided all information and data requested in a timely manner,” Bailey said in his release. “This will continue until all investigative efforts are complete and justice is served. We cannot, however, confirm or deny any specific facts related to this incident because of active and ongoing investigations.”

Bailey did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request to comment.

Jenkins and Parker filed a lawsuit last month in collaboration with Black Lawyers for Justice against the sheriff’s department and related parties seeking $400 million in damages.

Although Sheriff Bailey did not name the deputies who have resigned or been terminated, the defendants in the plaintiffs’ lawsuit include Rankin County Deputies Hunter Elward, Brett Mc’Alpin and Christian Dedmon, and three unidentified deputies under the name “John Doe.”

None of the named officers immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and the Department of Justice.

“The FBI Jackson Field Office, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi have opened a federal civil rights investigation into a color of law incident involving the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI will conduct the investigation in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner,” the FBI Jackson statement read.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the National Press Office for the FBI and MBI declined comment.

Bailey and McLendon both announced they are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Jenkins was charged with aggravated assault and the possession of two grams of a controlled substance in the January event. Parker was charged with obstruction of justice, according to the attorneys.

Both Jenkins and Parker deny the substance found in the residence belonged to them.

Dramatic video released of Russian fighter jets ‘harassing’ US drones over Syria

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. military released dramatic video of a tense encounter on Wednesday over the skies of eastern Syria as Russian fighter jets were seen “harassing” three American military drones carrying out a mission against the Islamic State group, an official said.

In a statement, the U.S. Air Force general in the Middle East labeled the run-in “unsafe and unprofessional behavior” and called on Russia to stop what he called “reckless behavior” that has been carried out by pilots flying over eastern Syria where the U.S. still has 900 troops assisting in anti-terrorism efforts.

The conduct “threaten[s] the safety of both U.S. and Russian forces,” he said.

Wednesday’s incident is the latest in a string of dozens of what officials describe as provocative Russian flights over eastern Syria, which prompted the U.S. to send F-22 Raptors to deter flights above American military bases there.

Multiple cameras and sensors aboard the three MQ-9 Reaper drones captured in vivid detail how the Russian Su-35 jets on Wednesday dropped parachuted flares in the drones’ path and one of the jets used its afterburners in front of one of the drones.

The quick declassification of the video capturing the encounter recalled a similar video release in March to show a Russian pilot’s similar harassment of an MQ-9 flying in international airspace above the Black Sea, resulting in a collision, officials said then.

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the commander of the Ninth Air Force and the combined forces air component commander for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement that Russia initiated the altercation.

“Against established norms and protocols, the Russian jets dropped multiple parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing our aircraft to conduct evasive maneuvers,” Grynkewich said.

“Additionally, one Russian pilot positioned their aircraft in front of an MQ-9 and engaged afterburner, thereby reducing the operator’s ability to safely operate the aircraft,” he said.

“We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS,” he added.

In mid-June, CENTCOM announced that it was deploying F-22 Raptors to the Middle East to deter Russian flights above American bases in eastern Syria.

“Russian Forces’ unsafe and unprofessional behavior is not what we expect from a professional air force. Their regular violation of agreed upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of CENTCOM, said then. “Alongside our partners and allies, we are committed to improving the security and stability in the region.”

Defense officials have said that there have been dozens of incidents in recent months where Russian jets have overflown American bases without using a safety line that has been in use for years to prevent miscalculations.

Two million sign-ups in 2 hours: What to know about newly launched Threads

July 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has officially launched Threads, a new “conversation” app that appears to be the firm’s long-awaited counterpart to Twitter.

The app surpassed “2 million sign-ups in the first two hours,” Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Threads page.

Zuckerberg and Elon Musk averted a cage fight last month, but the companies they oversee — Meta and Twitter, respectively — are now squaring off in direct competition.

Zuckerberg’s latest platform — which launched Wednesday, a day earlier than anticipated — offers a place “where communities come together to discuss everything from topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” an app store description said.

“Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world,” the app store description added.

Users, who must be at least 12 years old, are afforded the option to log into Threads through a preexisting Instagram account. For users under 16, (or under 18 in certain countries) their accounts will default to a private profile when they join Threads.

The platform allows users’ posts to be up to 500 characters, including links, photos and videos running up to 5 minutes in length.

A privacy policy provided in the app store indicated that Threads may collect data from users related to a slew of categories: health and fitness, financial information, contact information, search history and purchases, among others.

Twitter, by comparison, collects information from users during use of the platform, when users provide the information directly and when Twitter receives data from third parties, the company’s privacy policy says.

Responding sarcastically to news of the app, Musk criticized Meta in a tweet: “Thank goodness they’re so sanely run,” he said.

The comment made reference to language reportedly used by Meta executives in a derisive description of Musk’s performance atop Twitter.

Meta and Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the launch of the app.

The new app from Meta arrives days after Twitter weathered its latest in a string of difficulties under Musk, suffering an outage over the weekend across thousands of users in multiple countries, according to online tracking site DownDetector.

In turn, the platform imposed “temporary limits” on the number of posts users could view in a single day, Musk said on Saturday.

Musk, who runs Tesla and SpaceX, stepped down as CEO last month but retained a prominent role in the company as its executive chairman and chief technology officer.

In recent months, Twitter has appeared to take aim at services offered by Meta. In May, Twitter added encrypted messaging and announced plans to offer voice calls — both key features of Meta-owned WhatsApp.

The jockeying between the two companies escalated into apparent animosity between Musk and Zuckerberg last month.

In response to a post mentioning a Meta-owned counterpart to Twitter, Musk said in a tweet that he was willing to fight Zuckerberg in a “cage match.”

On Instagram, Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of Musk’s tweet and a caption: “Send Me Location.”

The fight between the rival billionaires has not materialized. On Monday, however, Musk trained with Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Georges St-Pierre, according to a tweet from St. Pierre that included a photo of Musk.

The launch of Threads also drew criticism from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who targeted the app’s data collection policy.

“All your Threads,” Dorsey said. “Belong to us.”

Dorsey previously criticized Musk’s leadership at Twitter, saying in April that “all went south” at the platform after Musk’s acquisition, CNBC reported.

Earlier this year, Dorsey launched his own alternative app: Bluesky Social. The platform remains invite-only as it undergoes testing. The company has not offered a timeline for when it plans to make the site public.

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