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Kentucky governor GOP primary, other races to watch Tuesday

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — It may be springtime in 2023, but it’s election night in America on Tuesday.

Kentucky Republicans Tuesday will choose their nominee to try to knock off Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in the state’s gubernatorial race in November, easily the marquee race of the year.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia will host a pair of consequential races, nominating a Democratic candidate for Philadelphia mayor — who will ultimately be the overwhelming favorite to win a general election in the sapphire blue city — and choosing who to fill a vacant state House seat, which could decide which party controls the chamber.

And in Jacksonville, Florida, a mayoral runoff is emerging as a test of just how strong Republicans — and GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis — are in Florida.

Here are the races to watch Tuesday night:

Kentucky Republican gubernatorial primary

The top billing of the night goes to Kentucky, where state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft and Agriculture Commissioner Daniel Quarles are vying for the chance to take on Beshear, who has remained popular despite his state’s red hue.

The three are largely aligned on policies, but slight distinctions have helped define the race.

Cameron started off the primary as the frontrunner, boasting broad name recognition and deep ties to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s powerful network. He also entered the race with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Craft has highlighted her support for Trump and her service in his administrations as ambassador in New York while dumping millions of her own money to buoy her campaign. Observers in the state believe that Cameron remains the frontrunner but that Craft’s millions spent on television advertising hammering Cameron have helped make the primary a real race.

Craft also won DeSantis’ endorsement Monday, offering an eleventh hour shot in the arm and shaping up the race to be a minor proxy war between Trump and DeSantis, who are soon anticipated to clash in the Republican presidential primary.

Quarles, meanwhile, has focused much of his campaign less on personality and more on having fleshed out policy platforms, releasing policy positions each week. Should it turn out that Cameron and Craft undercut each other with increasingly vicious attacks, Quarles could benefit.

The primary is anticipated to be a low turnout affair, with the secretary of state predicting turnout to hover around 10%, inserting an added level of uncertainty into the race.

Whoever the nominee is will face a challenge in unseating Beshear, who has garnered praise for his handling of natural disasters that hit Kentucky during his first term as governor.

Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary

The Democratic primary to replace term-limited Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney is shaping up to be a gauge of whether progressives can keep up their momentum after clutch wins in Wisconsin and Chicago.

Former City Council members Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker and Allan Domb, former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and grocery store magnate Jeff Brown are the main contenders for the nomination.

Polling has shown a tight race among the five, with large percentages of undecided voters looming.

Gym, however, has become a favorite of progressives across the country, championing a “Green New Deal” for local schools and winning the endorsements of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Whoever wins the primary will be the overwhelming favorite given Democrats’ heavy registration advantage. The primary also has the chance to elevate who could be the first female mayor of the city — which has had 99 male mayors.

Pennsylvania House special election

Democrats narrowly won back the Pennsylvania state House in the 2022 midterms — but that one-seat majority is at risk in a special election Tuesday.

The Philadelphia-area race is featuring Democrat Heather Boyd and GOP candidate Katie Ford and normally would be a safe race after former state Rep. Mike Zabel won reelection with 65% of the vote last year before resigning over sexual harassment allegations.

However, potentially due to the stakes of the race or the aftermath of Zabel’s scandal, Democrats and Republicans are both investing big dollars over the seat.

Democrats have warned that a Ford win would let Republicans not only let the state legislature serve as a blockade to Gov. Josh Shapiro but also introduce a constitutional amendment scrapping abortion rights in the state, something state Republicans have denied.

Jacksonville mayoral runoff

A mayoral runoff in Jacksonville is set to serve as a check on Republicans’ strength in Florida after big wins in the 2022 midterms.

Donna Deegan, a Democrat, and GOP candidate Daniel Davis are fighting for the chance to succeed term-limited Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican.

The northeast Florida city, home to almost 1 million people, is the largest city in the country to have a Republican mayor. The city voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, but DeSantis won it convincingly last year.

Polling has been close in the race, which has been focused largely on crime and policing. However, it could also serve as a test of DeSantis’ strength before he launches an expected presidential bid after he came out in support of Curry.

Man got into national security adviser’s home undetected by Secret Service: Sources

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — An unidentified man entered national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s Washington, D.C., home in late April, prompting a Secret Service investigation, according to an agency spokesperson.

Sullivan was home at the time and confronted the intruder, and the incident was over in a matter of minutes, according to sources familiar with what happened.

This occurred with a detail of special agents outside the home who apparently never saw the man enter or leave the home. The man apparently entered through an unlocked door, according to sources.

The Secret Service immediately deployed technology that alerts when an unlocked door is opened, sources said, and a spokesman said the agency is examining the actions of the agents.

“Secret Service is examining a security incident that took place at a protectee site,” Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service director of communications, said in a statement to ABC News.

“While the protectee was unharmed, we are taking this matter seriously and have opened a comprehensive mission assurance investigation to review all facets of what occurred,” Guglielmi said. “Any deviation from our protective protocols is unacceptable and if discovered, personnel will be held accountable. Modifications to the protective posture have also been made to ensure additional security layers are in place as we conduct this comprehensive review.”

A source familiar with the incident told ABC News that the man appeared to be intoxicated and didn’t know exactly where he was, and it appeared that he didn’t know he was in the home of the national security adviser.

Sullivan, like most high-profile executive branch members, has an around-the-clock Secret Service detail that monitors outside of his Washington, D.C. residence.

The incident was first reported by the Washington Post.

The White House referred requests for comment to the Secret Service.

At least 150 rounds fired by gunman, officers during New Mexico shooting: Police

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(FARMINGTON, N.M.) — At least 150 rounds were fired by an 18-year-old gunman and responding officers during an apparently random shooting in a neighborhood in northwestern New Mexico on Monday, authorities said.

Three people driving through the area were killed shortly after the gunman opened fire at approximately 10:56 a.m. local time in a residential area of Farmington, about 15 miles south of the border with Colorado, police said.

The suspect — identified by police Tuesday as Beau Wilson, a student at Farmington High School — was shot dead by officers at 11:06 a.m., police said.

A motive remains unclear at this stage in the investigation, police said.

“This incident appears to be purely random,” Farmington Deputy Chief Kyle Dowdy told reporters Tuesday. “It had no specific targets or motives to be identified at this time.”

Most of those shot were driving through the area, Farmington Deputy Chief Baric Crum said. Those killed included a woman in her 90s and the victim’s daughter, who was in her 70s, Crum said. The third victim was also in her 70s, he said.

The deceased victims were identified by police Tuesday as Shirley Voita, Melody Ivie and Gwendolyn Schofield.

Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a third died at a hospital, police said. Six other victims, including two police officers, were treated at San Juan Regional Medical Center and have since been released, the hospital said. Other victims were treated at the scene, authorities said.

Police have not found any links between the suspect and the victims, police said.

“We’ve discovered nothing that leads us to believe that this suspect knew any of the people,” Dowdy said. “That we’re pretty confident in, because this was pretty random. Because the shooting was arbitrary and up and down the street.”

The suspect walked through the neighborhood, shooting “indiscriminately” at houses and cars, Dowdy said. At least six houses and three cars were hit by gunfire over the course of a nearly quarter-mile crime scene, Dowdy said.

Hundreds of 911 calls came in during the incident, Dowdy said.

Four officers engaged the suspect in a firefight, and the suspect was ultimately killed, Crum said.

At least 150 rounds have been found at the crime scene so far, though investigators do not know who fired what yet, Dowdy said.

“We’re still counting — that’s legitimately going to go up,” he said. “At this point, we’ve got approximately 150 [rounds] exchanged between everyone.”

One of the wounded officers was shot while responding to the scene, while the second was shot during the firefight with the gunman, Crum said. The two injured officers — one from the Farmington Police Department and one from New Mexico State Police — have since been released, officials said.

The suspect was armed with multiple firearms, including an assault-style rifle, police said. Dowdy said the suspect purchased one firearm in November 2022, a month after he turned 18, and police believe he obtained the others from a family member.

Wilson had “minor infractions” as a juvenile, though nothing in his history would have led him to be on their radar, Dowdy said.

Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett thanked residents for their help in supporting law enforcement amid the response.

“There were many acts of bravery that occurred yesterday,” Duckett said.

ABC News’ Ivan Pereira, Matthew Fuhrman and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

Biden cuts upcoming foreign trip short amid debt ceiling showdown

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — With time running short to address the debt ceiling or risk default ,President Joe Biden is cutting his upcoming foreign trip short amid the ongoing debt talks, a source familiar told ABC News Tuesday.

Biden is set to depart Wednesday to meet with G-7 leaders in Japan, but will now travel back Sunday and no longer visit Papua New Guinea or Australia.

Biden would have become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Papua New Guinea and was scheduled to join the Quad summit in Australia. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans had criticized Biden’s plans to go abroad as lawmakers face a possible June 1 default deadline.

White House spokesman John Kirby earlier Tuesday said they were “reevaluating” the trip but stressed Biden could handle both foreign and domestic priorities while away.

“He can travel overseas and manage our foreign policy and our defense policy and look after our national security commitments in an important region like the Indo-Pacific and also work with congressional leaders to do the right thing, raise the debt ceiling, avoid default so the United States credibility here at home and overseas is preserved,” Kirby said.

Negotiations on the debt ceiling resumed at 3 p.m. Tuesday when Biden, McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell met at the White House.

“We don’t have that much time left. We want to make sure we avoid a default but they’ve got to get serious and they haven’t been serious about any of these negotiations,” McCarthy told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott on Tuesday ahead of the meeting.

Asked about Biden’s international trip, McCarthy said he believes “the American public wants to have an American president focused on American problems and solutions.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Tuesday called on Biden to cancel his trip altogether.

“He can’t fly halfway around the globe just as negotiations are gaining momentum,” Cornyn said.

Biden’s schedule isn’t the only issue as the House is set to be out of town starting May 26 and will return on June 5, while the Senate will be away from May 22 to May 29, according to tentative schedules.

Adding pressure ahead of Tuesday’s debt ceiling summit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the economic shock that would result from an unprecedented default “could lead to a recession.”

“It’s essential Congress act as soon as possible,” she said as she delivered remarks in downtown Washington, stating they’re already seeing “the impacts of brinkmanship” and “default would generate an economic catastrophe.”

Yellen has repeatedly warned the U.S. could default in early June, possibly as soon as June 1, though the exact date remains uncertain.

Yellen wrote Monday in a letter to McCarthy the Treasury was already seeing adverse impacts on the economy as negotiations continue — including increased borrowing costs — and more harm could come if lawmakers wait until the final hour to strike a deal.

Schumer also laid out possible consequences of a default.

“If you want to own a home, default would take that dream and run it through the shredder. If you want to protect your 401(k), default would rob you of your livelihood,” Schumer said.

The so-called “Big Five” last met a week ago to talk debt ceiling, a meeting that ended with no movement toward a deal. Staff-level conversations have continued since then between the administration and congressional leaders.

Biden and Democrats have insisted Republicans take default off the table, and separate the debt ceiling from the 2024 budget. Republicans, on the other hand, have said they’ve done their job by passing the Limit, Save, Grow Act last month to raise the debt ceiling and enact deep spending cuts.

Possible areas of agreement on budget talks include clawing back billions of dollars in unspent COVID-19 relief and reforming the permitting process for energy projects, sources familiar with the talks told ABC News.

Schumer said Tuesday the fiscal talks “are separate but simultaneous to our responsibility to avoid default.”

“Democrats will not use the threat of default to get what we want,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Nobody should use default as a hostage.”

McConnell, meanwhile, said it’s up to Biden to “pretend the last election didn’t happen or sit down with the speaker and deal responsibly with out nation’s test.”

“Time is of the essence, of the essence. So for the second time, i’ll be glad to sit in at the white house to support speaker McCarthy and to urge President Biden to start operating in reality,” McConnell continued.

Biden said over the weekend he remained “optimistic” both sides be able to come to a solution.

“I really believe there is a desire on their part as well as ours to reach an agreement” he said during a bike ride in Delaware. “I think we’ll be able to do it.”

But McCarthy on Monday downplayed any signs of progress, telling ABC News both sides were “nowhere near coming to a conclusion.”

“I don’t think we’re in a good place,” McCarthy later said during a pro-police press conference. “I know we’re not.”

ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and John Parkinson contributed to this report.

Secret Service investigating intrusion at home of Biden’s national security adviser

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — An unidentified man entered National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s Washington, D.C., home in late April, prompting a Secret Service investigation, according to an agency spokesperson.

“Secret Service is examining a security incident that took place at a protectee site,” Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s director of communications, said in a statement to ABC News.

A source familiar with the incident told ABC News that the man was intoxicated and didn’t know exactly where he was, and it appears that he didn’t know he was in the home of the national security adviser.

Sullivan, like most high-profile executive branch members, has an around-the-clock Secret Service detail that monitors outside of his Washington, D.C. residence.

The incident was first reported by the Washington Post.

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

Complications arise in the West as early heat wave causes snowpack to melt rapidly

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The early season heat wave in the West is causing complications up and down the coast.

The Pacific Northwest is in the midst of a record-breaking streak of high temperatures for this time of year, with Portland seeing multiple days of 90-degree temps.

More record highs are possible Tuesday in Portland, Spokane, Washington, and Boise, Idaho. The high temperatures have arrived more than a month ahead of usual.

The scorching temperatures have continued further south and east as well. In California, triple-digit temperatures are forecast in some cities. Palms Springs is forecast to hit 103 degrees on Tuesday.

The rapid melting is causing some complications, with rushing water from mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevadas, the Colorado Rockies and the Cascades posing danger for flooding, mudslides and landslides.

In Huntsville, Utah, some people had to evacuate their homes on Sunday due to flooding of the Ogden River.

A portion of State Road 504 in Cowlitz County, Washington, was completely destroyed by a fast-moving mudslide off the Cascade Mountains.

Campgrounds at Yosemite National Park were closed starting on Monday over flooding threats as the snow continues to melt at a fast pace.

Heavy water flows from the Sierra Nevadas could be seen rushing into the park. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch in the region until Friday.

Yosemite was forced to close in February after more than 15 feet of snow fell during a blizzard. Olympia, Washington, hit a record 92 degrees on Monday, surpassing the previous record of 85 degrees set in 1958.

Last month, storm runoff caused flooding of several agricultural fields in the San Joaquin Valley due to an overflowing Lake Tulare Basin.

But the major melt of the massive snowpack has yet to occur, according to the California Department of Resources.

The flooding is expected to be so severe that the National Weather Service has advised people in the region to avoid swimming in river water this summer, especially in the San Joaquin and Merced rivers.

Child missing since 2017, featured in Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ found safe in North Carolina

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ASHEVILLE, N.C.) — A girl abducted in Illinois in 2017 when she was 9 has been found safe in North Carolina.

Kayla Unbehaun, 15, was located by police in Asheville, North Carolina, after a store employee called the police after recognizing the teen’s mother, who allegedly abducted her daughter in 2017, according to the Asheville Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

“It was the right thing to do,” the employee who said she called the police, told ABC News, requesting her identity and store not be published.

After investigating the kidnapping, officers consulted with the South Elgin Police Department to identify Heather Unbehaun, who kidnapped her daughter Kayla Unbehaun nearly six years ago, according to the Asheville Police Department.

“It is unusual, but it’s good that when someone does suspect that they recognize someone, no matter how old the story might be, that they are not afraid to give us a call so we can come to investigate,” Asheville Police Lt. Diana Loveland told ABC Asheville affiliate WLOS.

Her father, Ryan Iskerka, last saw then-9-year-old Kayla Unbehaun in 2017 after her mother, who did not have custody of the child, abducted Kayla Unbehaun on July 5, 2017, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe,” Iskerka said in a statement shared by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “I want to thank @ElginPDFD, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”

The case received attention in news reports and social media in the six years since the abduction. A photo of both Kayla and Heather Unbehaun was featured on an episode of Netflix’s “Unsolved Mysteries,” in an episode devoted to abductions by parents.

“When I found out you were gone, my heart was shattered into a million pieces….But there is nothing I want more than to have you back in my life,” Iskerka wrote in a public note on his daughter’s 12th birthday in 2020.

Heather Unbehaun was wanted in Illinois for child abduction, with an outstanding extradition warrant for her arrest. She is being held in the Buncombe County Detention Facility in North Carolina with a $250,000 bond, according to the Asheville Police Department.

As he struggles in polls, Asa Hutchinson calls support for Trump ‘inflated’

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, struggling to keep up with his competitors in early polling for the Republican nomination for president, said Tuesday on “GMA3” that support for President Donald Trump is “inflated.”

Asked about a polling average from FiveThirtyEight showing support for Hutchinson at 1% and support for Trump at a staggering 52%, Hutchinson said he’s in the race for the long haul and that his support will grow.

“It’s a long campaign we’re starting here. I expect to move up. And I also believe that Trump’s numbers are inflated now,” he said. “And I think that people are looking for new leadership and a new direction. America needs somebody that brings out the best of our country and doesn’t appeal to our worst instincts.”

Responding to Hutchinson’s comment, a spokesperson for Trump intentionally called him “Ada,” as the former president has done. He also included a swipe at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not announced he is seeking the GOP nomination but is consistently polling as Trump’s closest competitor.

“Ada is polling at 1%, which means that Ron DeSantis is polling closer to the bottom of the field than he is to President Trump,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in an email to ABC News.

Asked on “GMA3” if he would support Trump if he won the Republican nomination, Hutchinson hedged — and reminded how the Republican National Committee has said it will require candidates to take a loyalty pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee in order to participate in its debates.

“I don’t expect that he’ll be the nominee, and I do expect that I will be supporting the nominee,” he said. “I hope that it’s me. I want to be able to participate in the debate. And I expect one of those requirements is that you’ll have to support the nominee of the party. I always have done that.”

“I’m a strong Republican, but now’s not the right time for Donald Trump and his leadership in the future,” he added. “We need somebody that can actually win in November, that can bring in independents and suburban voters that can appeal to the best of our country and help bring us together.”

Hutchinson returns to Iowa this week from several voter-facing events as his campaign has indicated he’s going all in on the Hawkeye State.

Hutchinson finished his second term as governor of Arkansas earlier this year after decades of public service including three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving in the George W. Bush administration as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as the nation’s first Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Border Protection. He announced his intention to run for the GOP nomination for president in an exclusive interview last month on ABC’s “This Week” ahead of an official campaign launch in his hometown.

While he has not shied away from taking on Trump so far, Hutchinson has been careful not to isolate voters who have previously supported Trump either.

Democratic congressman introduces resolution to expel Rep. George Santos

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., introduced a resolution on the House floor Tuesday afternoon to expel GOP Rep. George Santos.

“I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. … Rep. George Santos be, and hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives,” he said.

House Republicans can schedule this vote within two legislative days, but are likely to table it. It would need two-thirds majority to pass.

Santos told ABC News while leaving the House floor, “Whatever happens innocent until proven guilty.” He added that he hadn’t seen the resolution yet and hasn’t had conversations with leadership.

Santos, R-N.Y., was indicted May 10 on 13 criminal counts, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York said.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“I have my right to fight to prove my innocence,” Santos told a mass of reporters who gathered outside the courthouse on Long Island.

House Republican leadership has stopped short of calling for Santos to resign, but at least 12 House Republicans have said Santos should resign or be expelled from Congress, including many Republican lawmakers from New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last week he would not support Santos’s bid for reelection and said that if the House Ethics committee recommended he resign then McCarthy would agree with that recommendation.

Garcia said his resolution to expel Santos is about putting Republicans on the record.

“There hasn’t been action and so now’s the appropriate time to make sure that Republicans are on record if they’re going to actually stand by someone that is a serial liar and a fraud. And they’re gonna have to record a vote, and the American people will be watching their votes,” said Garcia.

Garcia already introduced a resolution to expel Santos at the start of this congressional session, but after inaction on the legislation, he is now offering a privileged motion in hopes to speed up the timeline on a vote.

“My hope has always been that he would resign and so I think that the initial expulsion resolution was building to, ideally, the speaker taking this up in the Ethics Committee, which is what should have happened, but there’s been no action in ethics to take up the resolution,” Garcia said. “Speaker McCarthy obviously has empowered George Santos on a variety of votes.”

Garcia deferred questions about the timeline and likelihood of it passing to McCarthy and other members of Republican leadership.

“I think we’ll see what the House leadership is going to decide, what the votes will actually be,” he said. “I think it’s still up to them. There’s a couple of different options that they have but we want to see an expulsion vote and we want to see him expelled.”

McCarthy didn’t respond to ABC News when asked about the resolution as he was leaving the Capitol for his White House meeting on the debt ceiling.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told ABC News she wants to look at precedent before deciding how she’ll vote.

“I want to look at precedent and history and how it’s been done in the past and for what reasons,” she said. “I just want to have that information before I make that decision. I also want to make sure that an individual that’s getting expelled has due process.”

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

Child missing since 2017 found safe in North Carolina

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ASHEVILLE, N.C.) — A girl abducted in Illinois in 2017 when she was 9 has been found safe in North Carolina.

“It was the right thing to do,” the employee who said she called the police, told ABC News, requesting her identity and store not be published.

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