Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Making the most of the attention-getting White House visit by BTS, the South Korean supergroup, President Joe Biden has tweeted out a video of their time together in the Oval Office.
The international K-pop sensation met with Biden Tuesday to address efforts to stop Anti-Asian hate crimes.
“We want to say thank you sincerely for your decision … such as signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law,” said RM, the Grammy-nominated group’s leader, in the video posted late Tuesday.
“So we just want to be a little help, and we truly appreciate the White House and the government’s trying to find solutions,” he continued.
In the nearly minute-long White House video, the superstar group is seen walking through the Rose Garden to the Oval Office door, where Biden greets them.
It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit. Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.
“This is an important month here in America,” Biden told BTS, in recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which ended Tuesday.
“A lot of our Asian-American friends have been subject to real discrimination,” he said. “Hate only hides. When good people talk about it and say how bad it is, it goes down. So, thank you.”
Before meeting with Biden, they spoke at the top of a jam-packed White House press briefing.
Each member took a turn coming to the podium to speak about what they hoped to accomplish. The members spoke in a mix of English and Korean, and were translated after the fact.
Speaking in Korean, BTS expressed their grief about the surge of hate crimes, including ones targeting Asian Americans, and said the group would like to use this opportunity to speak out again.
Last year, BTS tweeted a statement condemning Asian hate after attacks in Atlanta-area spas left eight women dead, six of whom were of Asian descent. In the statement, they also reflected on their own experiences facing discrimination.
“We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look,” BTS said. “We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.”
The group added that “what is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians.”
In their press briefing remarks, BTS also recognized their fans, known as “ARMY,” crediting them for their White House visit.
They also highlighted the importance of embracing others’ differences and respecting each other.
Since BTS’ 2013 debut, they skyrocketed to international fame for their smash hit songs like “Fake Love,” “ON” and “Butter.”
“It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit,” Biden tweeted when sharing the video. “Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.”
“I look forward to sharing more of our conversation soon,” he added.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
(EDNA, Texas) — A Texas man worked for days on end to customize caskets for the 19 children who were killed after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last Tuesday.
Trey Ganem, the owner of SoulShine Industries, a company that specializes in custom caskets and urns, said he was contacted by a trooper and funeral directors after the shootings to see if he could help.
“They know I deal with a lot of children and that I can make sure that things get done as far as doing customization and doing something special because this wasn’t your typical funeral arrangements,” Ganem, 50, told Good Morning America.
SoulShine Industries teamed up with Cherokee Casket Company of Griffin, Georgia, and trucking companies to acquire the child-sized caskets and ship them to Texas. The caskets were donated and arrived for Ganem and his team in Edna, Texas, on Friday, ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
“We got to talk with the families and the funeral directors have helped us, and it’s just been wonderful to be able to know exactly what they wanted and [ensure] each one [is] personalized to that specific person,” Ganem said.
One casket was painted a glossy blue and prominently features the bright red and yellow shield of Superman, DC Comics’ legendary superhero.
Another blue casket has a cheery green dinosaur chasing a green bat on its lid.
A third casket is coated in white paint with pink accents and includes a TikTok logo on top.
“When they’re telling me that their son or daughter loved baseball or softball or TikTok, they light up because now they’re remembering the good things and the fun times that they had when they were alive and here, and we incorporate all that into the caskets,” Ganem said.
He said he feels speaking with the families and parents of the children directly has started the healing process.
“We’re bringing light to this time,” he said. “When they start talking about a dinosaur holding a flashlight with a pickle, that’s gonna put a smile on your face. It’s kind of one of those things where we listen to what they have to say. We cry with them. We hug each other but in the end, we make the most beautiful creation and the last resting bed for their loved ones.”
Ganem and his team rushed to complete the special caskets in time for the scheduled funerals and visitations in Uvalde. The first two funerals were held Tuesday, one for Amerie Jo Garza and another for Maite Rodriguez, both 10 years old.
“Our emotions when we finished the last casket, we all just looked at each other and we started crying and when you’re hugging, it was like, ‘we did it and they all turned out beautiful.’ We did 19 caskets in three and a half days. But it was just a relief.”
Twenty-one individuals — 19 third and fourth grade students and two teachers — were killed in the May 24 shooting after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School with an AR-15 style rifle and opened fire.
Ganem estimates at least 30 people chipped in to help sand caskets, make deliveries, brought food and offered a hand in some way.
“The community was fantastic just trying to help us and they wanted to do whatever they could to help the families in Uvalde also,” he said.
“It’s beautiful, to be able to know the joy that we’re going to bring for them.”
(NEW YORK) — The crackdown on Russian oil is helping push gas prices in the U.S. to record highs.
For the first time ever, seven states — Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — have gas prices averaging over $5 a gallon.
Nationally, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas now stands at $4.67.
As much of the world tries to put pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, experts believe gas prices will continue to soar.
The U.S. has already banned Russian oil imports and now, the European Union is saying that it will also embargo the vast majority of oil imports from Russia.
Rick Mave/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 31, 8:22 pm
US sending Ukraine ‘more advanced’ rocket systems, Biden says in op-ed
The U.S. will provide Ukraine with “more advanced rocket systems and munitions,” President Joe Biden confirmed in a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday.
The systems “will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned last week that providing more advanced rockets would be a new “unacceptable escalation” because they could hypothetically be used to strike within Russian territory.
But Biden told reporters Monday that the U.S. will not “send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia,” and he and the administration are making efforts to emphasize that these new rocket systems will be used by the Ukrainians on the battlefield in their own country.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
May 31, 8:21 pm
5.2 million kids need humanitarian help
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left 5.2 million kids in need of humanitarian help, according to UNICEF.
At least 262 children have been killed and another 415 have been hurt since Feb. 24, UNICEF said.
Nearly two-thirds have been displaced, UNICEF said.
May 31, 2:09 pm
Chemical plant hit by Russian air strike, local official says
Russian air strikes hit a tank with nitric acid at a chemical plant in Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, according to Luhansk’s regional governor, Serhiy Haidai.
Haidai is urging residents to stay inside and to wear protective face masks.
Haidai also said Russian forces have made significant gains and are in control of “most” of Severodonetsk.
He said about 60% of homes are completely destroyed and the city’s critical infrastructure is nearly completely destroyed. Ongoing shelling is preventing civilians from evacuating.
May 31, 11:43 am
EU to finalize ban of nearly 90% of Russian oil imports
The European Union Council plans to finalize a ban on nearly 90% of Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said Tuesday at a joint press conference with EU Council President Charles Michel, following Monday’s special meeting of the European Council.
Von der Leyen said they will soon return to the issue of the remaining 10% of pipeline oil.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 31, 8:23 am
Russia vows to ‘ensure unhindered passage’ of grain shipments if Ukraine de-mines waters
Russia’s top diplomat vowed Tuesday to “ensure unhindered passage” of grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to the Mediterranean Sea, if Ukraine removes the mines from its coastal waters.
“Ukrainian representatives should de-mine the coastal waters within Ukraine’s territorial sea, which have been mined,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference. “If the de-mining problem is resolved — and we’ve been bringing the attention of our worried Western counterparts to this problem for many weeks — then the Russian Navy will ensure unhindered passage of those vessels in high seas to the Mediterranean and further on to their destination points.”
Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fuel and fertilizer has skyrocketed worldwide, worsening hunger crises. Russia and Ukraine produce a third of the world’s supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow’s offensive.
Lavrov, however, blamed the situation on Kyiv and the West.
“For longer than a month now, the Russian side has been taking measures to guarantee the unhindered export of Ukrainian grain by vessels that are currently stranded in Ukrainian ports,” Lavrov added. “Therefore, the initiatives concerning food security that have been voiced should be implemented bearing in mind that the Russian side has long guaranteed everything that depends on us. As for the Western countries that have artificially caused numerous problems by closing their ports to Russian vessels and cutting logistical and financial chains, they should certainly think hard whether it’s more important for them to advertise themselves taking advantage of food security problems, or take practical steps to resolve this problem. It’s for them to choose.”
May 31, 5:42 am
Up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in fight for Severodonetsk
As Russian forces battle for control of a key eastern Ukrainian city, up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in the crossfire, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“I am horrified to see Severodonetsk, the thriving city where we had our operational headquarters, become the epicentre of yet another chapter of the brutal war in Ukraine,” NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland said in a statement Tuesday. “We fear that up to 12,000 civilians remain caught in crossfire in the city, without sufficient access to water, food, medicine or electricity. The near-constant bombardment is forcing civilians to seek refuge in bomb shelters and basements, with only few precious opportunities for those trying to escape.”
Over the past week, the Oslo-based humanitarian organization has been working with local Ukrainian partners to provide thousands of monthly food and hygiene parcels to civilians remaining in Severodonetsk and the greater Luhansk Oblast, according to Egeland. The city is the last still held by Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast.
“But now the intensified fighting makes aid delivery impossible,” he added. “We cannot save lives under the hail of grenades.”
NRC has been operational in Ukraine since 2014, serving people affected by conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of eastern Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region.
“Almost one hundred days since the war in Ukraine escalated, we have seen bombs destroy critical infrastructure across the country and reduce entire cities like Severodonetsk to rubble,” Egeland said. “More than 14 million men, women and children are displaced within Ukraine or sheltering in other countries with no idea when they will be able to safely return to their homes.”
May 31, 4:50 am
Russians, Ukrainians fight street by street in key eastern city
Russian and Ukrainian forces are believed to be fighting street by street on the outskirts of Severodonetsk, a key city in Ukraine’s east, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.
“Russia’s capture of Lyman supports its operational main effort, which likely remains the encirclement of Sieverodonetsk and the closure of the pocket around Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast,” the ministry said. “Heavy shelling continues, while street fighting is likely taking place on the outskirts of Sieverodonetsk town.”
After several days of fighting, the Russian military claimed Saturday to have fully seized the strategic town of Lyman, which serves as a railway hub in the Donetsk Oblast, west of Severodonetsk.
“Russia’s political goal is likely to occupy the full territory of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” the ministry added. “To achieve this, Russia will need to secure further challenging operational objectives beyond Sieverodonetsk, including the key city of Kramatorsk and the M04 Dnipro-Donetsk main road.”
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans traveled for Memorial Day weekend at levels not seen since before the onset of the pandemic.
It marked a return to normalcy for many and a chance to gather with family and friends.
But in reality, the situation was far from normal — with confirmed COVID-19 cases nearly six times higher than last Memorial Day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And case totals are likely even higher than are being reported this year with the widespread availability of at-home testing.
This week also marks the eighth consecutive week of increasing COVID-19 cases in the U.S., the data shows.
On average, the U.S. is reporting nearly 110,000 new cases every day, and for the seventh consecutive week, COVID-19 cases among children have also increased. Last week, 112,000 additional pediatric COVID-19 cases were reported, a doubling of case counts from the four weeks prior, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). Last year, at this time, the U.S. was reporting around 10,000 pediatric cases a week.
The U.S. also continues to see an increase in the overall number of patients requiring care for COVID-19. On average, more than 3,500 virus-positive Americans are being admitted to the hospital each day.
However, the hospitalization level is nowhere near its peak, and while virus-related deaths are ticking up, they are not near peak levels either.
Last week, updated CDC data also revealed that more than half of the U.S. population is now living in a county that has a high or medium community risk level for COVID-19.
A total of 55.7% of Americans are currently living in a high or medium community risk county. Nearly a quarter of those people — 23.1% — are living in a high-risk community, while just under a third — 32.6% — are living in a medium risk county.
The high community level suggests there is a “high potential for healthcare system strain” and a “high level of severe disease” and thus, the CDC recommends that people wear a mask in public indoor settings, including schools, while under the medium risk level, if an individual is considered at “increased risk,” they are recommended to speak with their healthcare provider about whether or not they should wear a mask.
There are signs that some areas of the country may be seeing a slow of infections. In New England, new case rates have declined by 18% in the last week, according to CDC.
However, many areas of the region — including counties in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, as well as the northern part of Pennsylvania — are still considered high risk.
Amid the rise in infections, a growing list of school districts and universities are now moving to bring back mask requirements.
Last week, students in Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island, were made to put their masks back on, ahead of the end of the school year amidst increasing infection rates in the community.
In Delaware, where every county is currently considered “high” risk for COVID-19, according to the CDC’s definition, the University of Delaware reinstated its masking requirement for all indoor spaces, and across the country, in California, officials at the University of California Los Angeles and University of Hawaiʻi both recently brought back their face covering requirements.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 01, 5:44 am
Russia now occupies over half of key city in Ukraine’s east
Over half of Sieverodonetsk is now likely occupied by Russian forces, including Chechen fighters, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday in an intelligence update.
The ministry said fighting intensified in the streets of the key eastern Ukrainian city on Monday and Tuesday, “with Russian forces pushing closer to the town centre.” Sieverodonetsk is located in the war-torn Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region.
“Russian ground operations remain tightly focused, with the weight of fire power concentrated within a small sector of Luhansk Oblast,” the ministry said.
“Beyond the Donbas, Russia continues to conduct long-range missile strikes against infrastructure across Ukraine,” the ministry added. “The strategically important bridge links Ukraine with Romania and with Ukraine’s ports on the Danube, which have become critical to Ukrainian exports after the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports by Russia.”
(HONG KONG) — After more than two months of harsh lockdown, China’s largest city, Shanghai, began to unlock at the stroke of midnight Wednesday.
As metal fencing came down around most communities and private vehicles returned to the roads, spontaneous gatherings popped up across the city, with selfies on the historic Bund promenade along the Huangpu riverfront and street-corner hangouts amongst reunited friends in the Former French Concession.
The Chinese authorities appeared to have tamed the omicron variant outbreak that stopped China’s financial and commercial capital in its tracks for more than 65 days. On Tuesday, the last day of full restrictions, Shanghai recorded 15 COVID-19 cases, down from some 25,000 daily cases in early April.
It appears China is the first country to have controlled the highly transmissible omicron variant with a strict lockdown, likely because it is the first country that tried. Though Shanghai avoided the large numbers of deaths other cities and countries have faced, it has come at huge economic and social costs.
The citywide lockdown originally began on March 28 as a two-part four-day lockdown that was supposed to act as a circuit-breaker of sorts, but was extended and chaotically implemented to the frustration of many residents.
Shanghai authorities avoided using the term “unlocking” when thanking the city’s 25 millions residents for their cooperation in a statement posted on their official WeChat channel Wednesday morning, more than two months after the lockdown began.
“We will return life and businesses to normality,” the Shanghai Communist Party committee said in the WeChat statement. “Shanghai will do its utmost to make up the lost ground caused by the virus outbreak.”
On Wednesday, public transportation fully resumed service, shopping centers and supermarkets reopened to limited capacity, and state-owned companies asked their employees to return to their offices. Authorities also announced that high school and some middle school students can return to their classrooms beginning June 6.
The Shanghai government had said in mid-May that they hoped to return the city back to normal by the end of June.
China’s no tolerance “zero-COVID” strategy, however, will remain in force and, increasingly, will likely stay in place for the long term. The focus now is on constant testing to avoid another citywide lockdown scenario like Shanghai’s.
Shanghai residents will need to have a valid PCR test taken within 72 hours to access most places, including public transportation, supermarkets and restaurants. China has set up a vast network of tens of thousands of testing booths within a 15-minute walk for most residents in Shanghai and across the country’s largest cities, like Beijing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. The aim is to nip any silent transmission in the bud.
While the majority of Shanghai residents are now allowed to roam outside their neighborhoods, according to local government data, there are still 17 neighborhoods in the city still under full lockdown restrictions.
China’s lockdown measures have battered the country’s economic growth beyond Shanghai. According to Japanese investment bank Nomura, at least 130 million residents are still in full or partial lockdowns across 16 cities in China, hammering supply chains and consumer confidence.
According to China’s own government statistics, domestic retail sales fell 11.1% in April.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned last week that the economy will struggle to grow this quarter and may miss its projected target this year just as Bloomberg Economics released a report predicting that the U.S. economy will outpace that of China’s for the first time since 1976.
(MARATHON, Fla.) — A woman was killed and two children injured in a parasailing accident in the Florida Keys on Monday, authorities said.
The individuals were parasailing shortly before 5:30 p.m. when the vessel’s tow line snapped, causing them to drag across the water, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement incident report.
The winds had “picked up” and the parasail struck the Old Seven Mile Bridge near Pigeon Key, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement Tuesday.
According to an incident report from the FWC, a strong gust of wind “pegged” the parasail, which is jargon for when the parasail chute becomes controlled by the wind speed rather than the operation of the vessel.
When this took place, the captain “cut the line” that was tethered to three parasailers,” who then “dropped from an unknown height and dragged through the water by the inflated parasail,” according to the FWC incident report.
“The chute continued to drag the victims through and across the surface of the water” until the collision, the report stated.
The woman and one of the boys were unconscious following the collision, police said. A good Samaritan helped bring the three individuals to a nearby dock, according to the incident report.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that Station Marathon boat crews, partner agencies and a good Samaritan recovered a deceased woman and rescued two children on Monday. The good Samaritan arrived on the scene, took the three parasailers aboard and brought them to Sunset Grill Marina where they were transferred to EMTs, the Coast Guard said, and were then taken to Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene after first responders attempted life-saving measures, police said. The boy regained consciousness and was transported to Miami Children’s Hospital for treatment, authorities said. His current condition is unclear. The other boy suffered minor injuries, authorities said.
“Our condolences are with the family and loved ones of those affected by Monday’s accident,” Capt. Jason Ingram, Coast Guard Sector Key West commander, said in a statement. “This was a tragedy for a family seeking to enjoy their visit to the Florida Keys. Our team, and our partners at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, are investigating the accident to determine the causal factors and mitigate future casualties to make the waterways as safe as possible.”
There were between 10 to 12 family members at the scene, including the woman’s husband, according to the incident report.
The victims were from Schaumburg, Illinois, and had been on a parasail ride with Lighthouse Parasail, based in Marathon, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC incident report identified the woman as Supraja Alaparthi.
ABC News did not immediately hear back from Lighthouse Parasail for comment.
(UVALDE, Texas) — The Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Independent School District police force are no longer cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s investigation into the massacre at Robb Elementary School and the state’s review of the law enforcement response, multiple law enforcement sources tell ABC News.
The Uvalde police chief and a spokesperson for the Uvalde Independent School District did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News.
According to sources, the decision to stop cooperating occurred soon after the director of DPS, Col. Steven McCraw, held a news conference Friday during which he said the delayed police entry into the classroom was “the wrong decision” and contrary to protocol.
Reached by ABC News, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety said, “The Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde CISD Police have been cooperating with investigators. The chief of the Uvalde CISD Police provided an initial interview but has not responded to a request for a follow-up interview with the Texas Rangers that was made two days ago.”
Last Tuesday’s attack, one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, left 19 children and two adults dead.
(UVALDE, Texas) — Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was sworn in as a city council member Tuesday night.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said members were sworn in per the city’s charter.
“Out of respect for the families who buried their children today, and who are planning to bury their children in the next few days, no ceremony was held,” he said in a statement obtained by ABC News Austin affiliate KVUE-TV.
“Our parents deserve answers and I trust the Texas Department of Public Safety/Texas Rangers will leave no stone unturned,” McLaughlin continued. “Our emotions are raw, and hearts are broken, and words are sometimes exchanged because of those emotions.”
“I want Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to know that I misunderstood statements I thought he said. We both attended the same law enforcement briefing. We appreciate the concern Dan Patrick has for the citizens of Uvalde and local law enforcement,” the mayor added. “I ask everyone to pray for us, the citizens of Uvalde as we grieve, and live through the pain, and the healing process.”
The ceremony comes exactly one week since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The first funerals for two of the victims, both 10, took place on Tuesday.
Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News Tuesday that the Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Independent School District police force are no longer cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s investigation into the massacre and the state’s review of the law enforcement response.
The Uvalde police chief and a spokesperson for the Uvalde Independent School District did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News regarding their cooperation with the investigation.
