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Couple speaks out on decision to get abortion after fetus diagnosed with rare genetic conditions

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The same month the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, a couple in Kansas, thousands of miles away from Washington, D.C., faced their own abortion decision.

Breanna O’Brien said she was 20 weeks pregnant with her first child in June and in the process of decorating the nursery when she and her husband Kyle received a devastating diagnosis.

The O’Briens said doctors told them the fetus had Xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) and Trichothiodystrophy (TTD), two rare and severe genetic conditions that they said can cause significant disability and a shortened life span.

“I thought what is this, like it doesn’t make sense,” Breanna O’Brien told ABC News’ Rachel Scott. “You’re talking about one in a million and it just happens to be our baby and it’s our first baby, our first pregnancy, an incredibly wanted baby.”

The O’Briens said they spoke with genetic counselors and parents of children with TTD and XPD before making the decision to terminate the pregnancy.

“The more we learned about it, I could not put my baby through that,” Breanna O’Brien said. “It’s a cruel disease and it’s really horrible.”

“It would not be a normal life and the quality of life would be so low that I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Kyle O’Brien added.

The O’Briens, who described themselves as devout Catholics, said they struggled with their church’s teachings on abortion and their own experience.

“Being a Catholic, there’s a serious sense of Catholic guilt and that you’re going to hell for making this decision,” said Breanna O’Brien. “And I would rather go to hell than have my baby live in a prison for three short years.”

However, once they made what Breanna O’Brien called the “best decision” for their baby, the couple said they learned they would not be able to access abortion care in their home state of Kansas.

Kansas permits abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, and has additional regulations that include requirements for counseling, parental consent for minors and a waiting period.

Breanna O’Brien said she was not able to access abortion care in Kansas before 22 weeks, so she had to travel two states away, to Illinois, to have an abortion.

“It was preposterous that we had to go to an out-of-state clinic, that’s not at a hospital, to get the care we need,” she said, adding that the clinic she went to served people from 22 different states.

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling on abortion rights, gave power back to states to decide abortion access.

In the weeks since the court’s ruling, at least 15 states have ceased nearly all abortion services.

Nearly all of the states surrounding Kansas — including Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas — have issued near-total abortion bans since the Supreme Court’s decision. Kansas has so far kept its law allowing abortion care before 22 weeks of pregnancy.

On Aug. 2, voters in Kansas voted on an abortion-related amendment in the first state-level test on abortion access since the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In an election that saw record turnout, voters rejected an amendment to remove the right to abortion from the state’s constitution. Had the amendment passed, it would have given the state’s GOP-controlled legislature the power to pass new abortion restrictions.

The O’Briens said that while they are still mourning the loss of their unborn child, they wanted to share their story as they see abortion access impacted across the country.

“You have your beliefs and you can make that choice when you have it, but we have the freedom here to make the best choice for our son,” said Kyle O’Brien. “You don’t think it can happen and you don’t think you’d ever exercise the freedom until you need it.”

Heavy rain batters South Korea, flooding Seoul neighborhoods and killing at least 10

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SEOUL, South Korea) — Heavy rain with thunder and lightning has battered South Korea’s central areas for two straight days, causing damage, injuries and deaths.

Ten people have died and seven more have been reported missing in the heavy rain in the last two days, according to South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. A family of three living in a semi-basement apartment died when their home flooded, in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, officials said.

The heaviest-ever rainfall since South Korea began tracking precipitation data has flooded subway stations and submerged roads and homes.

Korea Meteorological Administration said the rainfall was a result of a strong collision between dry cold air coming from the North and hot humid air from the South.

Thousands of vehicles were submerged in Seoul on Monday night, forcing drivers to abandon their cars on the flooded road to get home. Muddy water brimmed over the river onto the streets and into the vehicles. Public sewers overflowed, not being able to hold the amount of rain that poured fast and hard.

“It rained 140 millimeters (5.5 inches) Monday night in the Dongjak district, Seoul, in just one hour. Seoul city’s annual precipitation is 1,400 millimeters (55 inches), which means that in just one hour, one-tenth of Seoul city’s yearly rainfall poured in just one part of the city in a very short period,” Lee Young-joo, professor of fire prevention science at the University of Seoul, told ABC News.

Hundreds of people living in mountainous areas in Seoul were evacuated to prevent damage from landslides Monday night. Civil service workers relocated residents living in lower-level homes and near mountains to temporary shelters. The heavy rain that poured after 6 p.m. Monday was especially harsh on people commuting from work to their homes.

“When I got off work, water was up to my knees and children were struggling to wade through the flooded water,” Seoul citizen Dong-Ug Yoon told ABC News about his difficult commute home. “The subway station was full of dirt. The shopkeeper of the underground convenience store was visibly emotional, trying to hold off the water gushing from the station stairs into her store.”

Gangnam district, well known for its posh streets and office buildings, was hit aggressively by the rain due to its topographical traits. The Gangnam subway station area is known to be 30 feet lower than the neighboring subway stations, making it more vulnerable to heavy rain and flood.

“Cars and buses were submerged in the flood so I had to park my car on a relatively safe side of the road and walk home. It took almost two hours trying to find roads that weren’t underwater yet,” Yewon Lee, an organist living in Seoul, told ABC News. “When I returned early this morning, I found other vehicles that floated down and collapsed into my car.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government repaired the drainage facility in Gangnam after the area flooded from heavy rain in 2010.

Lee, the professor, said at the amount of rain that poured since Monday was way over the scale a reasonable drainage system could handle.

President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered officials during an emergency meeting Tuesday to “respond all-out with a sense of alertness.” He ordered officials to put in place preemptive entry restrictions in areas prone to landslides and flooding and for swiftly communicating the measures to the public.

How schools are trying to address the national teacher shortage

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Back-to-school season is in full swing — and running up against the ongoing national teacher shortage.

In 2019, the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank, estimated that by 2024, the U.S. would need more than 300,000 teachers to fill the demand for educators nationwide.

Several factors have worsened the problem in the last two years: Teachers have retired or walked away from the profession citing the coronavirus pandemic, higher levels of disrespect from students and parents, excessive lesson planning and safety concerns among other things.

Dr. Christy Foust, a former teacher, said a low salary was just one factor that drove her out of the profession.

“Would you stay in your job if you’re not paid enough based on your education and your experience?” Foust told ABC affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida.

Teacher Aubriele Jarman said once she realized her work life was negatively impacting her personal life, she decided to step back from her job.

“I was definitely very emotional about leaving the kids, but I just started to realize that I needed to do it for myself,” Jarman told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “I felt a lot of guilt leaving because I know that there is that shortage.”

In the midst of this crisis, many school districts around the country say they are struggling to fill dozens to hundreds of open positions.

“As an elementary principal back in the ’90s, I would have 100 to 150 applicants for a kindergarten to second grade position. And I’m currently sitting at five for both,” Rich Appel, superintendent for the School District of Horicon in southeastern Wisconsin, told Green Bay, Wisconsin, ABC affiliate WBAY-TV.

The American Federation of Teachers or AFT, a union that represents approximately 1.7 million educators, presented several solutions in a July report to address the teacher and staff shortages, including increased pay and benefits, improving teacher-administrator relations, decreasing class sizes, reducing standardized testing and paperwork, and diversifying the teacher workforce.

“We have a teacher shortage because we have a shortage of respect for public school educators. A shortage of the professional working conditions which makes it difficult for teachers and other staff to meet their students’ needs. We have a shortage of pay for what is arguably the most important job in the world. And we have politicians who want to ban books and censor curriculum rather than help teachers meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of kids,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement to GMA, in part referencing efforts by a growing number of state, local and federal politicians to ban certain topics from the classroom, including references to racism and LGBTQ+ issues.

“The teacher shortage is the direct result of the culture war and the shortage of conditions, respect and pay — and we are not going to fix the one without addressing the others,” Weingarten continued.

“Some people will say this will never happen, it costs too much money,” Weingarten added. “But many things can be started today at no cost — taking steps to build a culture where professionals work together and with parents to provide the best possible education to students, reduce paperwork and focus more on teaching than testing. These are all important steps that can help make this a more sustainable, respected profession.”

How school districts are responding to the shortage

Education officials across the country are testing a variety of methods to combat teacher fatigue and boost morale, in addition to upping pay and benefits. Here are a few ways school districts have tried addressing the problem so far:

Financial incentives

Some school districts are providing bonuses and stipends to retain and attract new teachers, in addition to boosting base pay.

District of Columbia Public Schools, in the nation’s capital, is offering teachers signing bonuses of $2,500 if they commit to teaching one of the “highest need content areas,” such as special education, elementary education and visual and performing arts.

In Nevada, school districts including Clark County School District, the fifth largest school district in the U.S. where students returned to school Monday, is offering $5,000 retention bonuses for teachers who stay for the 2022-2023 school year and $4,000 relocation bonuses for teachers who move over 100 miles or out of state in order to teach in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. Washoe County School District in the northwestern region of the state is offering teachers a one-time stipend of $1,500 for new teachers and $2,500 for returning teachers.

For the upcoming school year, the Austin Independent School District is offering a $2,000 retention stipend for teachers and other staffers. The district is also adding on a $500 signing bonus for pre-K teachers and physical education teaching assistants as well as a $1,000 signing bonus for special education teaching assistants.

Relaxed qualifications

Some states are dropping certain requirements for those interested in teaching. Individuals in Arizona, for example, will no longer need a bachelor’s degree to teach after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill last month. They can start working within a classroom before they finish a degree program and while they’re in school to complete their degree.

In Arizona, as well as Alabama, teachers with expired licenses will also have an easier time renewing them, with Alabama offering teachers a one-time renewal option without any academic requirements.

Shortened school weeks

Some school districts, especially those in rural areas, have switched to four-day school weeks already; Marshfield R-I School District in southwestern Missouri and Jasper Independent School District in southeastern Texas, will switch to a four-day week starting this fall.

John Seybold, superintendent of the Jasper Independent School District, told GMA in April that teacher burnout “has been an issue for a long time, but since COVID, it has seemed to expand, and it’s becoming more and more of an issue.”

“The four-day week kind of makes it a little more manageable for them because there’s so much pressure placed on our teachers,” he said at the time. “As a school district, ultimately the best thing we can do for kids is put the best possible teacher in front of them every day.”

Housing help

It’s no secret that the cost of living has increased and inflation remains high enough that some districts have looked into providing a longer-term solution for bringing in and keeping teachers in their local communities.

Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City, California, south of San Francisco, for instance, has developed a housing complex for teachers and district staff that offers more than 120 rental units at below-market rates.

Recruiting foreign teachers

Okeechobee County School District in central Florida has recruited teachers from overseas, and has hired educators from multiple countries, including India, the Philippines, Mexico, Jamaica and Peru, in part to help ease their local teacher shortage.

US consumers may suffer from Pelosi’s Taiwan trip: Experts

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan last week, the world braced for China’s response. Within hours of her departure, China began military exercises around Taiwan, leaving the world wondering how far China is willing to take its response.

Evidence suggests China will not stop at military drills.

“The last time we [saw] a crisis like this was in 1996,” Kai Hao Yang, assistant professor of economics at Yale School of Management, told ABC News. “At that time [the] computer chips market was not dominated by Taiwan manufacturers yet, plus the market was a lot smaller than it is right now.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned of economic consequences during a call with President Joe Biden before Pelosi’s trip.

So how would U.S. consumers be impacted? First, China could hamstring Taiwan’s ability to export products. Taiwan is one of the United States’ top 10 trade partners. In addition to vehicles and machinery — important Taiwanese imports — the island is also home to TSMC, the largest manufacturer of computer processor chips in the world.

“Some people talk about China blockading Taiwan’s ports so Taiwan’s chips can’t go out,” Ming-Jen Lin, professor of economics at National Taiwan University, said in an email to ABC News. “If this really happens, it’s another story. But I think we are far from there.”

If China took this action, it could force U.S. tech companies to use chips manufactured in the U.S., which would increase prices for consumers.

“The unit cost of producing a chip is 50% higher in the U.S. than in Taiwan,” Lin said.

The second way China’s retaliation threatens the American consumer is if Beijing chooses to impose economic penalties on U.S. trade. These actions could mean rising prices for American consumers and more supply-chain headaches.

“Chinese escalation could further exacerbate the supply-chain problem we’re facing right now,” Yang said.

Former U.S. ambassador to China and former U.S. senator, Max Baucus, is more optimistic about the fallout.

“I think there’ll be short-term disruption,” Baucus told ABC News, “but I don’t think long term because business is so important to both countries.”

China is at a crossroads with where to go next. A war would be catastrophic and business sanctions are less than ideal.

“China worships at the altar of stability,” Baucus said. “And they want to keep the country’s economy stable. And that means business.”

For many decades, American consumers have valued China’s ability to produce inexpensive goods. Those days, however, could be numbered.

“The cheap price era of the past 20 years is definitely over,” Lin pointed out. “I am not saying it will happen overnight, but definitely gradually.”

For now, American consumers have more to be worried about, like 40-year-high inflation and a possible recession. But economic uncertainty lies ahead as China and U.S. communication finds itself at a standstill.

Snapchat safety features for parents announced

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Snapchat announced a new in-app family center on Tuesday, which is designed to start conversations between parents and minors about safer social media usage.

In the new family center, parents will have the ability to see which Snapchat friends have sent their children messages, photos or videos within the last week. Parents will also have the option to report any suspicious or concerning accounts to Snapchat’s trust and safety teams, the company said.

Snapchat’s move is part of a growing trend of social media companies attempting to deal with real-world relationships and safety on a digital plane.

“I think there were three things that probably rushed into my mind immediately, which were well done, it’s about time, and let’s keep going,” Chris McKenna, the founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization focused on creating safer digital spaces for kids, told ABC News.

Experts said the key to a healthier relationship with families while living in a digital age still starts with communication and cooperation.

“Now, of course, those parents or guardians are not going to be able to see the content of any chats or content being exchanged between individuals, but at least they’ll have a better idea of who they’re talking to,” Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and professor of Criminology at Florida Atlantic University, told ABC News. “And ideally that will lead to the promotion of additional conversations related to safety, related to security and privacy and trust.”

Snapchat is not the only social media company to take this route. Instagram released similar safety updates last year, and social media companies have come under increased scrutiny recently for their misinformation and abuse online. Instagram now has a feature that allows parents and guardians to set time limits on their teens while using the app and a break reminder feature, both of which are not on Snapchat’s family center.

“It’s a very complicated challenge, trying to find a tool that’s going to sort of answer and provide an opportunity to help make that process maybe a little bit easier for parents, but at the same time, sort of respect the autonomy of the teens that are using the products as well,” Emily Mulder, a program director at the Family Online Safety Institute, told ABC News.

Teens have also been feeling this shift in how families deal with digital safety and what it means for their privacy as they grow up in an increasingly connected world.

“Personally, I don’t think I would use it,” Ashleigh Facey, a 17-year-old high schooler who’s concerned about her personal privacy, told ABC News. “I can see why they want to do that though, because there’s kids that are like really young using these apps now.”

Heather Facey, Ashleigh’s mother, feels differently about the matter and likes the idea of a family center on social media.

“Absolutely, I think that would be great. That type of thing is what parents want to hear about,” she said. “It would be something I would most definitely want to have access to and implement.”

Experts like McKenna, who is also a parent, agree, but he said direct communication is still the best way to grow healthy familial bonds.

“There is no parental control that replaces the need for amazing parents who have intentional, truthful, direct, frequent, persistent and consistent conversations with your children. There’s no toggle that replaces you….No passive parenting in the digital age,” McKenna said.

Stolen artifacts sold to US collectors will be repatriated to Cambodia, officials say

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Cambodian artifacts will return to their home country after being smuggled and sold to U.S. collectors and institutions.

The 10th Century Khmer sandstone statue “Skanda on a Peacock” was among the Cambodian antiquities looted from Angkor Wat, Koh Ker and other archeological sites during Cambodia’s periods of civil war and civil unrest that stretched from the 1960s to the 1990s.

“Skanda on a Peacock” is largely viewed as a masterpiece of artistic achievement and an important part of the Cambodian cultural heritage, according to experts.

On Monday, authorities announced “Skanda on a Peacock” and 30 other items will be repatriated to Cambodia after they were seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and the New York field office of the Department of Homeland Security.

The ancient works of art, more than 1000 years old, were “ripped from their country,” said Ricky Patel, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, adding that the works were treated like ordinary commodities rather than the treasures they are.

All the pieces were sold to U.S. collectors and institutions by Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for his lengthy involvement in illegal trafficking of looted Cambodian antiquities.

Latchford, a dual citizen of Thailand and the United Kingdom, was charged with wire fraud, smuggling, conspiracy and related charges. The indictment was dismissed after he died on Aug. 2, 2020, in Thailand.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Latchford trafficked in works that are culturally valuable to the Cambodian people and he said the U.S. was “delighted” to return them.

“It’s like a return of the souls of our culture,” Keo Chhea, Cambodian ambassador to the U.S, said in a statement.

Mattel brings back its nostalgic Barbie Totally Hair doll

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Mattel has brought back one of its most iconic dolls: Barbie Totally Hair.

Since initially debuting 30 years ago, the toymaker has released an updated version of the ’90s doll. The original launch was available in blond or brunette hair colors and came with an accompanying styling gel.

Barbie’s new take on the doll includes four dolls with their own unique hairstyles, textures, fashion looks and themes. Each doll also has a really long mane of 8.5 inches of hair — reaching down to its ankles.

Children also get to enjoy the doll’s vibrant pops of hair color, as well as more than 15 styling accessories that include everything from color-changing hair clips to scrunchies.

“Totally hot, totally cool! Totally Hair #Barbie is back for the ultimate throwback, with a look inspired by our original bestselling doll with extra-long hair and rockin’ accessories,” the brand captioned a video of the new assortment of dolls on Instagram.

The latest Totally Hair lineup features four dolls centered around star, heart, flower and butterfly themes — with each having its own fun flair.

“Thirty years ago, we made waves with Barbie Totally Hair, which would go on to become the bestselling Barbie doll of all time,” Mattel Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls Lisa McKnight said in a statement.

She continued, “This year we’re headed back to our roots with the release of our 30th anniversary Totally Hair dolls, leaning into the nostalgia factor and bringing back all 8.5 inches of magical and playable hair for young kids to act out their most imaginative Totally Hair storylines. Hair has always been a huge part of Barbie’s identity, so it was a dream come true to add some 2022 flair on one of our most iconic dolls.”

The new Barbie Totally Hair Doll assortment is currently available at select online retailers and will be sold at more mass retailers later this fall.

Ashton Kutcher says he’s ‘lucky to be alive’ after developing rare autoimmune disorder

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Ashton Kutcher says he’s “lucky to be alive” after he says he developed vasculitis, a rare condition.

In a first look from Monday night’s new episode of National Geographic’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge from Access Hollywood, the Punk’d creator opened up to the British adventurer about developing a rare disorder, while the two walked through the jungles of Costa Rica.

“Two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis,” Kutcher said. “It knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing — it knocked out all my equilibrium. It took me, like, a year to build it all back up.”

While Kutcher did not mention what specific disorder he had, vasculitis is generally defined as swelling that affects the walls of your blood vessels, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Also known as angiitis or arteritis, some cases of vasculitis may be caused by autoimmune disorders that occur “when your immune hurts your blood vessels by mistake,” according to the institute.

The National Institutes of Health said it’s unknown what happens, but when it does, the blood vessels swell and can close off. Symptoms can vary depending on what kind of vasculitis a person has, but general symptoms include tiredness, fever, aches and pains, loss of appetite and weight loss, according to the NIH.

Vasculitis can also cause ear and nose problems, eye problems, genital ulcers, heart palpitations, joint pain, lung problems, nerve issues, skin rashes or swollen, dry lips or tongue, according to the NIH. Treatment can include prescription medicines or over-the-counter pain medication to relieve symptoms and reduce inflammation, the agency said.

“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, until you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be able to see again. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be able to hear again. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be able to walk again,'” Kutcher told Grylls in the clip.

He added, “The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you, to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun, right? You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”

The new episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls, premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET on National Geographic. In clips teasing the new episode on social media, Kutcher is seen pushing himself to the limit as Grylls takes him through the Costa Rican jungle and crossing a ravine. Clips also show Grylls pranking Kutcher about crocodiles in a river as they look for fish to eat.

You can watch Kutcher’s adventure on Disney+ starting Aug. 10.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.

Rep. Colin Allred details how climate, tax, health care bill will lower everyday costs

August 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As the United States faces decades-high inflation, people across the country are looking to lawmakers for respite.

Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Texas joined ABC News on GMA3 to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping climate, tax and health care package that the Senate passed over the weekend. The bill is now set for a vote in the House this week.

GMA3: So many American families are in a financial crisis right now. Tell us what makes this bill historic and what it’s actually going to do for those families who need some relief?

ALLRED: Well, it’s going to help you lower the cost of your health care. For the first time in so long, that we’ve been pushing for this, Medicare is going to have the ability to negotiate to lower the cost of prescription drugs. And it will be the drugs that we don’t have the market mechanisms to hold down the costs… So those are the ones that are really hitting families the hardest.

It’s also going to make sure that, if you’re using the individual market, that your rates stay low. That’s something we started in the American Rescue Plan. It’s extended those benefits.

But also for your homes, it’s going to encourage you — to give you tax credits toward getting more efficient energy use in your home, but also more efficient energy grids. So it should lower your costs overall in terms of what you’ll be paying to keep the lights on and the AC on, which we’re needing a lot of here in Texas right now.

GMA3: It is called the Inflation Reduction Act. You didn’t mention inflation in that answer… So are you comfortable selling this to your constituents as something that’s going to bring down inflation?

ALLRED: Well, it lowers costs. And that’s also a way of combating inflation, because when you have to spend more in some areas, if you can lower costs in other areas, that’s basically the same thing in terms of balancing out your budget and trying to help working families get by.

I was raised by a single mother who was a public school teacher here in Dallas. I know what it’s like to go to the store and wonder, are you going to be able to get all the things you need for the week? And so this is what we’re trying to do, is find areas that we can control, where we can lower your costs.

So much of what we’re dealing with in terms of inflation is a global issue that’s happening around the world caused by the pandemic and also the war that Russia [caused by] invading Ukraine.

So there’s some things that we can’t control. The areas where we can, that’s what we should target. And that’s all we’re trying to do here.

GMA3: How confident are you that this bill will make it to the president soon and in its current form? What still needs to be done?

ALLRED: Well, now that it’s gotten through the Senate, we have to get it through the House. And there’s always going to be some back and forth with my colleagues. That’s just the way that the House works. But I do think that we’ll pass it this week and send it to the president’s desk.

This is a huge win for President Biden but, more importantly, for the American people. This is the biggest investment that we’ve ever made in combating climate change.

[The bill is] going to allow us to do so many things that we need to do to try and really head off what we know is a coming climate disaster for us down the road.

GMA3: Congressman, while we have you here… Brittney Griner, who is still being held in prison in Russia… Are you comfortable right now, relatively speaking, with where this process is?

ALLRED: Yeah, well, listen, I’ve known of Brittney since she was in high school when I was playing football at Baylor University. And she was a standout basketball player in Houston. And we were going to try and recruit her to come to Baylor to be part of our incredible women’s basketball team, which she eventually did. And she’s one of the best basketball players in the world. She’s a Texan, and she’s somebody who we’re working extremely hard to get home.

Everybody should just know that the trial, so to speak, that you just saw was a sham. In Russia, if you reach that point, you have about a 98% chance that you’re going to be convicted. So it’s not really a trial.

And also that she was held, and is still being held, basically to exert pressure on the United States. And so we are doing everything we can to get her and Paul Whelan home.

But I actually do think that it’s a positive that we’re through the trial and sentencing phase, because we’ve known from the beginning that the Russians weren’t going to seriously discuss a swap with us until that happens.

So as sad as it’s been to see her receive a nine-year sentence and all of those things and to see the stress that she’s been under, it also means that we are closer to getting her home.

New Mexico police identify 4th man in possible string of killings of Muslim men

August 8, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — The fourth Muslim man killed in a possible string of murders in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been identified as a 25-year-old native of Pakistan, according to police.

Naeem Hussain was found dead from a gunshot wound on Friday near Truman Street and Grand Avenue in Albuquerque’s Highland Business neighborhood, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

Police are investigating whether the killing is connected to the shooting death of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, on Aug. 1, as well as the murder of Aftab Hussein, 41, on July 26 — both of whom are also from Pakistan.

The November 2021 murder of Mohammad Ahmadi, another Muslim man from Afghanistan who was killed outside a business he ran with his brother, could be connected, as well, police said.

A dark gray or silver Volkswagen with four doors and tinted windows is suspected of being used in the recent homicides. There is a possibility that the model of the car is a Jetta, police said.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has sent additional state police to provide support to the Albuquerque Police Department and FBI, she announced on Saturday.

“I am angered and saddened that this is happening in New Mexico, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement after Hussain’s death was announced. “This is not who we are.”

The community has “never gone through anything like this before,” Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said during a press conference Saturday, ABC Albuquerque affiliate KOAT reported.

“This is really a surreal time for us. We’re in fear of the safety of our children, our families,” Assed said.

ABC News’ Patricio Chile and Christopher Looft contributed to this report.

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