(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department filed a complaint to challenge a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth, arguing the law violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
The department is asking a U.S district court to issue an order to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1.
The law restricts medical procedures specifically for the purpose of gender transitioning, which would impact access to puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries for transgender people under 18.
The new policy states that these restrictions supersede “any common law rule regarding a minor’s ability to consent to a medical procedure.”
The DOJ argues in the complaint, filed Wednesday, that the ban discriminates against transgender people on the basis of sex and gender identity, as these procedures remain available to non-transgender people.
“By denying only transgender youth access to these forms of medically necessary care while allowing non-transgender minors access to the same or similar procedures, SB 1 discriminates against transgender youth,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary.
Gov. Bill Lee, who signed the legislation, defended the law.
“Tennessee is committed to protecting children from permanent, life-altering decisions,” he said in a tweet. “This is federal overreach at its worst, and we will work with Attorney General Skrmetti to push back in court and stand up for children.”
Gender-affirming care has been proven in several studies to improve the mental health of transgender youth, who are more likely to face anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations and more due to discrimination and gender dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria refers to the psychological distress of presenting as a gender that doesn’t feel like one’s own, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
“The right to consider your health and medically-approved treatment options with your family and doctors is a right that everyone should have, including transgender children, who are especially vulnerable to serious risks of depression, anxiety and suicide,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
At least 13 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah — have passed laws or policies that restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of legal majority, which is the threshold for legal adulthood. Meanwhile, other states including California, Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico have passed laws or policies protecting transgender youth care.
Critics of these bans, including LGBTQ advocates and allies, argue that restrictions will impact the mental health of transgender youth, who already face discrimination and violence. They argue these bans infringe on a family’s right to make medical decisions with their doctors.
Supporters of the bans, including some conservative lawmakers, argue that transgender people should wait until they are legally adults before making these decisions.
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin and Cheris Rudy contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — With “love and thanks,” Rep. Jamie Raskin announced Thursday that he was now in remission from cancer four months after first sharing his diagnosis.
A scan showed Raskin was “negative” for discernible cancer cells and had received a preliminary diagnosis of being in remission, “with a 90% prognosis of no relapse,” he said in an open letter.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love,” he said, going on to thank “my family, my friends, my constituents and my colleagues” and “the many thousands of people—both Marylanders and those of you living much further away—who have reached out to me over the last five months with expressions of prayer, best wishes, concern, solidarity, sympathy and moral encouragement.”
“Not to mention beautiful gifts of bandanas, homemade scarves and sweaters, Capitol Police baseball caps, hospital scrubs, wool hats, chocolate chip cookies, mandel bread, pea soup, vegan matzoh ball soup, and gorgeous paintings, poems and letters that I will treasure forever,” he continued.
On Twitter, he shared video from Tuesday when he “rang the bell” to mark the end of his cancer treatment and thanked medical staff at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital, “who serve with splendid kindness—and saved my life.”
The Maryland Democrat said in December that he had been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and would be undergoing chemotherapy while continuing to work on Capitol Hill, where he began to wear distinctive bandanas — a reflection of his hair loss from treatment and a nod to musician Steven Van Zandt.
“I give all honor to Little Steven for creating this look for American men going through something,” he told HuffPost in late January. (Van Zandt subsequently gifted him a bandana, wishing him a “rapid recovery.”)
Raskin, a lawyer and former state lawmaker first elected to the House in 2016, saw his profile rise after serving as a manager in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment. Raskin went on to serve on the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. He previously survived colon cancer.
While undergoing treatment, Raskin received support from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. “We’re all rooting for you,” Oversight Committee Chair James Comer told him during a meeting in January.
In his Thursday open letter, Raskin said his heart was full — and his body was tired.
“I have many things that I want to say to the people across America who have stood by me and helped carry me through this prolonged challenge, and I will come to say them soon,” he said. “Right now my hemoglobin and white blood cell counts are plunging from my final five-day round of chemotherapy, and I am afraid I lack the energy to properly thank you all and express the enormity of my feelings about the enduring beauty and promise of our country.”
“In the meantime,” he said, “I just want to send you my profound appreciation.”
(WORCESTER, Mass.) — Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts airman accused of leaking highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, is asking a magistrate judge to release him from pretrial detention, though prosecutors allege the 21-year-old is a flight risk and, if released on bail, say he could “further disseminate classified information” and “take refuge with a foreign adversary.”
Teixeira walked into the courtroom for his Thursday detention hearing handcuffed, wearing a long rosary necklace and an orange jumpsuit. The 21-year-old looked at his family members sitting in the first two rows, and one woman in the front row began to cry.
The federal magistrate judge, David Hennessy, heard arguments Thursday about whether Teixeira should be kept in federal custody ahead of his trial, but Hennessy said he needed more time to review before making a decision.
Federal prosecutors argued in a Wednesday court filing that Teixeira “poses a serious flight risk” and it would be “all too easy” for him, if released on bail, “to further disseminate classified information” and “take refuge with a foreign adversary.” Prosecutors also claimed that Teixeira took “a series of obstructive steps” intended to prevent investigators from understanding the scope of what he allegedly did and they outlined in detail the reasons they believe he poses a danger to the public if allowed to be released from detention, pointing to the “virtual arsenal of weapons” he possessed at residences he occupied that are owned by his mother and father.
Prosecutors argued Thursday that Teixeira is both a flight and national security risk. They said evidence showed he had performed hundreds of searches on the classified network, accessing it almost daily, including at times from inside his mother’s home. They pointed out he’d accessed far more classified information that he had ever posted, and suggested that information would drive foreign adversaries to potentially contact or help him, and given his untrustworthy nature, he would be likely to flee, comparing him directly to Edward Snowden.
Teixeira’s public defender argued in a new filing that even if Hennessy finds Teixeira poses a risk of flight or obstruction, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member should still be permitted to remain out of pretrial detention in the custody of his father or confined to a home with the presence of either his father, mother, stepfather, Air Force personnel or his lawyers.
Teixeira’s lawyer, Allen Franco, suggested that Teixeira could have restrictions imposed on him like location monitoring, barring him from accessing the internet or contacting any potential witnesses in the case and bond that could be secured by both his parents’ homes.
Teixeira’s father testified Thursday that he was prepared to serve as a third-party custodian pending his son’s release. His father testified that all of his guns have been removed from his home and he indicated he’d be prepared to report his son to the authorities should the 21-year-old violate the terms of his release.
Teixeira’s dad said he doesn’t have any computers in his house, and that he’d remove his password-protected tablet if his son were to be released. He also was willing to remove his internet-connected television from the house.
Teixeira’s lawyer further disputed that he’d be a flight risk by pointing to how, when Teixeira became aware of his impending arrest, he sat on his mother’s porch and read a Bible as he waited for law enforcement to arrive.
Franco in his filing also addressed the government’s detailing of Texeira’s suspension during his sophomore year in high school over allegations he made violent and racist threats. The incident “was thoroughly investigated” at the time, Franco wrote, and Teixeira was allowed to return to school after a “handful” of days following a psychiatric evaluation.
Franco revealed that the incident was also “fully known and vetted by the Air National Guard prior to enlisting and also when he obtained his top-secret security clearance.”
Teixeira’s attorney also argued that the government has offered “no evidence” that his client ever intended for information shared within the Discord server “to be widely disseminated.”
“There is no allegation in the affidavit that Mr. Teixeira had any intent for these documents to become widely available on the internet or desired to disrupt the geopolitical affairs of the United States,” his attorney wrote. “Thus, there is no reason to suggest that, if released, Mr. Teixeira has any motivation, desire, or current ability to commit any actions like those alleged in the complaint affidavit or in the government’s supplemental motion for detention.”
Teixeira, a native of Dighton, Massachusetts, has been charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information as well as willful retention of classified documents, which collectively carry a maximum of 15 years in prison. He has yet to enter a plea.
The FBI-Boston tactical team arrested Teixeira on April 13 and he made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston the following day.
The criminal complaint alleges that Teixeira “improperly and unlawfully retained and transmitted national defense information to people not authorized to receive it.” The leaked documents apparently contain top-secret information about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other parts of the world. Teixeira allegedly accessed a government document on Feb. 23 and posted it online the following day, according to the complaint. It’s the disclosure of that one document that forms the basis of the initial charges.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso, Aaron Katersky, Luis Martinez and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Brittney Griner said “digging deep” helped her get through her detainment at a Russian prison last year.
“I’m no stranger to hard times,” the WNBA star said, tearing up during her first press conference since being freed from a Russian prison late last year. “You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This was a pretty big one.”
Griner, who is entering her 10th season in the WNBA, all with the Phoenix Mercury, said she relied on her hard work during practices to get her through the ordeal.
“I know this sounds so small, but dying in practice and just hard workouts, you found a way to just grind it out, just put your head down and just keep going, keep moving forward. You can never stand still,” the 32-year-old center said. “And that was my thing — just never be still. Never get too focused on the now and just looking forward to, you know, what’s to come.”
Griner thanked everyone who played a part in bringing her home, shouting out the WNBA and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others, as she also urged people to continue to fight for others who Americans wrongfully detained overseas, such as former Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
“I have that mindset — no man, no woman left behind. So it hurts,” she said, noting that her father was a Marine and she comes from a military family. “It hurts, it hurts. Because no one should be in those conditions. Like hands down, no one should be in any of the conditions that I went through or they’re going through.”
“I hope that everyone continues to bring awareness and fight to bring home everyone,” she continued.
Griner said her agent has been in touch with the family of Gershkovich, who the U.S. has determined was wrongfully detained by Russia, and “just sharing knowledge.”
“It goes a long way, because, I mean, you’re in foreign territory. You’re in unknown waters,” she said. “There’s been a lot of communication between both teams.”
Griner was returning to play for her Russian club, UMMC Ekaterinburg, when she was taken into custody at a Moscow-area airport in February 2022 in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia.
She pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 7. She appealed the sentence, but was quickly rejected in October.
Griner was freed in December when the U.S. swapped the WNBA star for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner said she does not plan to play overseas again, unless it’s representing the U.S., while lamenting it was unfortunate she and other players had to do that to “pay my light bill.”
“It’s a shame that we have to leave our families for holidays,” she said. “Hopefully that changes.”
While detained, Griner said looking at photos of her family and getting letters of support gave her hope.
“It gives you a spark of life,” she said.
Among those in attendance at Thursday’s press conference were Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner.
“Round of applause for my wife, honestly,” Griner said. “She had the hardest job. Thank you so much, babe, for being there for me. You the one.”
In advance of the season, which starts next month, the team said Thursday it will unveil a 30-foot-wide mural on the Footprint Center, its home arena in downtown Phoenix, that features the faces of Griner and more than a dozen detained individuals.
The team said it plans to bring more attention to the plight of detainees throughout the season, including a letter-writing campaign at home games.
The efforts are through a partnership with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign that advocates for American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas home and provides resources to their families.
“Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention educated our organization, fan base and the Valley about the plight of hostages around the world and their families here at home,” Mercury President Vince Kozar said in a statement. “We learned that, outside personal safety, the biggest fear is being forgotten and we know those currently being held do not automatically have the same public platform or receive the same media attention Brittney’s case did.”
(NEW YORK) — E. Jean Carroll returned to the witness stand on Thursday in her federal battery and defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
Defense attorney Joe Tacopina suggested Carroll had political motives for filing her suit. He showed the jury an email that contained a draft excerpt from the book Carroll wrote. One chapter refers to her alleged rape by Trump.
“He’s poisoning my water, he’s polluting my air, he’s cooking my planet … and as he stacks the courts, my rights over my body are being taken away state by state. I’m afraid my right to free speech will go next. So now I will tell you what happened,” the message said.
Carroll replied that the message contained a draft that was never published.
Tacopina then questioned why Carroll could not pinpoint a date the alleged rape occurred.
“I wish to heaven we could give you a date,” Carroll said.
Tacopina suggested Carroll only told her story about Trump to sell a book.
“You thought including the story about Donald Trump while he was still president would help sell the book?” he asked.
“I thought so but I was wrong,” Carroll said. She had previously testified her book did not sell well.
Tacopina then asked, “In two decades you don’t call the police, correct?” Carroll replied, “Correct.”
“In two decades you never revealed this story in your hundreds of your advice columns, correct?” Tacopina said.
“Correct,” Carroll said.
“Only when you were trying to get a publisher and sell your book?” Tacopina asked, to which Carroll replied her story came out after The New York Times published its landmark story about Harvey Weinstein.
“And when that happened, across the country, women began telling their stories. And I was flummoxed. Can we actually speak up and not be pummeled? I thought well this may be a way to change the culture of sexual violence. The light dawned. I thought we can actually change things if we actually tell our stories,” Carroll said.
“So it was Harvey Weinstein and all the women against him that caused you to leap into action?” Tacopina asked.
Carroll answered, “It caused me to realize that staying silent does not work. We have a chance of limiting the harm that happens.”
Carroll also told the jury she was assaulted by then-CBS chairman Les Moonves after an interview. She said she and Moonves entered an elevator and then “he pushed me up against the wall.”
She did not sue Moonves, Carroll said, because “he did not defame me. He did not call me a liar.”
Carroll, however, sued Trump in November 2019 “because he called me a liar. Because he said I accused other men of rape. He said I was an operative or in a conspiracy with the Democratic Party … and he said I was too ugly to rape. So I sued him.”
Carroll said no one told convinced her to sue but she “had a conversation” with Republican lawyer and Trump critic George Conway, who Carroll said “does not like Donald Trump.”
After Trump’s defense attorney claimed Carroll was out for money, she said she was not struggling financially when she filed her lawsuit and was not looking for a large payoff.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about getting my name back,” Carroll said, who added that she is constantly under threat.
“This morning, for instance, I thought I would just take a peek at my Twitter. And there it was again, the onslaught of the lair, slut, ugly, old. It’s not a great way to begin the day. But I could not be more proud to be here.”
On Wednesday, Carroll described in sometimes graphic terms the pain of the alleged assault and the weight of Trump’s body against her.
“I remember him being — he was very large and his whole weight came against my chest and held me up there, and he leaned down and pulled down my tights,” Carroll, who testified for nearly three-and-a-half hours, said.
Her testimony may have also given the defense an opening since Carroll conceded she “wasn’t 100% certain” when the alleged attack occurred.
“This question, the when, the when, the date has just been something that I am constantly trying to pin down. It’s very difficult,” Carroll said.
Carroll’s attorneys asked her whether she had watched The Apprentice, Trump’s reality television show. When she said she had, her attorney, Michael Ferrara, asked why.
“I love the premise of ambitious young businesspeople competing for a job. I thought that was really quite witty and it was different. It was so much better than, you know, the dating contests and the beauty contests and those — this was a real contest where you could watch it and learn a thing or two. It was very — it was beautifully produced,” Carroll said.
It remains unclear if Trump will testify himself. The judge demanded to know this week whether Trump will appear, telling the defense that it was time to “fish or cut bait.”
Trump has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her.
The trial is expected to last about five days. The nine-member jury of six men and three women is weighing Carroll’s defamation and battery claims and deciding potential monetary damages.
This week’s trial is taking place as Trump seeks the White House for a third time while facing numerous legal challenges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his handling of classified material after leaving the White House and possible attempts to interfere in the Georgia’s 2020 vote. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Monday she would decide whether to file criminal charges against Trump or his allies this summer.
Carroll’s lawsuit is her second against Trump related to her rape allegation.
(WASHINGTON) — Washington was still buzzing Thursday about how, during Wednesday’s White House State Dinner featuring performances by a trio Broadway stars, the guest of honor — South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol — instead stole the show with his rendition of Don McClean’s “American Pie.”
After Yoon revealed that the American karaoke bar classic was his favorite song in school, President Joe Biden coaxed him into delivering a performance.
“Well, we want to hear you sing it,” Biden said to Yoon, who obliged.
Despite speaking through an interpreter during the entire day of public events, Yoon had no trouble with the English lyrics as he burst into song, belting out several lines from the iconic tune then receiving boisterous cheers and a standing ovation from guests including Angelina Jolie.
Unexpected moment at the state dinner when the president of South Korea sings “American Pie.” pic.twitter.com/Dus6BiBU9E
“The next state dinner we’re going to have,” Biden, who energetically pumped his fists during the performance, said, putting his arm around Yoon, “you’re looking at the entertainment.”
Biden added, “I had no damn idea you could sing.” But he, evidently, did have an idea — at least of Yoon’s love for the song.
Following the performance, he told Yoon: “I understand that you like the guitar as well,” then gifted him an autographed acoustic guitar from Don McLean himself.
The entertainment portion of the event also showcased performances by singers Lea Salonga, Norm Lewis, and Jessica Voski performed a medley of five classic Broadway hits — “This Is The Moment,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “On My Own,” “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” and “Somewhere.”
The dinner followed Biden and Yoon’s bilateral meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, during which the pair discussed working together to deter North Korea’s nuclear threats, promote peace in the Taiwan straits, stand with Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion and more.
Yoon’s state visit this week also marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S. and South Korea’s alliance, forged in the aftermath of the Korean War.
The light-hearted moment and other festivities at the State Dinner took place against the backdrop of diplomatic and economic tensions between the countries.
A recent leak of classified U.S. intelligence documents seemingly showed Washington was spying on South Korea’s leadership. Yoon downplayed the spying suggestion during Wednesday’s press conference, stating the two nations are in communication and are “sharing necessary information” as the U.S. investigation into documents’ disclosure plays out.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
Mother and calf elephants inhabit a dry deciduous forests in Sri Lanka. — Shermin de Silva
(NEW YORK) — Habitats for Asian elephants have decreased by more than 64% across the continent, equating to about 3.3 million square kilometers — more than 850 million acres — since the year 1700, according to a new study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
The timeframe coincides with colonial-era use of land in South Asia and the agricultural intensification that followed.
Biologically, elephants are important for their ecosystems and are nicknamed the “ecosystem engineers,” author Shermin de Silva, an assistant professor of ecology at the University of California, San Diego, and founder of elephant conservation nonprofit Trunks & Leaves, told ABC News.
The findings are significant because Asian elephants are extremely adaptable and able to live in a range of habitats, including open grasslands that are relatively dry and lush, dense rainforests, De Silva said.
“That makes them a really good indicator species or a proxy for lots of different types of ecosystems,” she said.
The study underscores how much the landscapes in Asia have changed over time, De Silva said.
In the late 1600s and early 1700s, a “massive change” began to take place for the elephants, researchers found. Land use practices that began in the colonial era gave way to the industrial revolution in Europe, leading to the exploitation of resources around the world, De Silva said.
“These landscapes that were previously appropriate for elephants … we lost nearly two thirds of them over this past 300-year period,” De Silva said. “And what we have today is highly fragmented.”
Researchers also believe the rise of industrial agriculture in the mid-20th century also contributed to the severe habitat loss, De Silva said.
Mainland China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam and Sumatra have each lost more than half of their suitable elephant habitat range, the researchers said. The greatest declines occurred in China and India.
The only exception was in Borneo — which has actually gained suitable habitat for elephants because they are restricted to one part of the island, De Silva said.
The findings are helping scientists to prevent populations from dropping further, especially since elephants do not breed quickly, which could lead to a slow population collapse, De Silva said.
Asian elephants are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
In regions where Asian elephants exist today, only 50% of the land is suitable for them to live, De Silva said.
And an increase of elephant-human conflict has resulted from the loss of suitable habitat.
“As a result, elephants can be killed. People can also be injured or killed,” De Silva said.
(ATLANTA) — The number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors increased during the second year of the pandemic, new federal data showed.
The percentage of high school female students who seriously considered attempting suicide rose from 24.1% to about one-third, or 30%, between 2019 and 2021, according to the latest results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The percentage of those who made a suicide plan increased from 19.9% to 23.6% and there was also an increase in suicide attempts from 11.0% to 13.3%, according to the CDC survey.
Differences were seen when it came to students’ ages, race/ethnicity or gender identity.
For example, 9th and 10th-grade girls were more likely to seriously consider attempting suicide than 12th-grade girls.
Ninth graders who were seriously considering suicide increased from 23.7% in 2019 to 30.7% in 2021 and 10th graders saw an increase from 23.6% to 33.6% over the same period. However, for 12th-grade girls, the risk went up from 24.0% in 2019 to 25.6% in 2021.
Freshman and sophomore high school girls were also more likely to make a suicide plan and attempt suicide compared to senior high school girls, according to the CDC.
“Because of the increased prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among female students, particularly for those in 9th- and 10th-grade, the importance of early prevention and intervention to prevent suicide is evident,” the authors wrote.
In 2021, Black students were nearly 1.5 times more likely than white female students to report having attempted suicide.
Compared to white female students, Hispanic female students had increased rates of suicide attempts requiring medical attention.
Additionally, LGBQ+ students had higher rates of reporting attempted suicide than heterosexual students, the CDC said.
Those identifying as lesbian or gay were found to have nearly 1.9 times higher rates, identifying as bisexual nearly 3.3 times higher rates, and identifying as questioning 1.5 times higher rates compared to heterosexual students.
Meanwhile, when it came to suicidal thoughts and behaviors among male students, percentages were relatively stable between 2019 and 2021.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted every other year and surveys thousands of high school-age children from public and private schools between grades 9 and 12 across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Although suicide is the 11th leading cause of death overall in the United States, it is the third among U.S. high school students between the ages 14 and 18, accounting for one-fifth of all deaths among this age group, the report said.
The authors said the findings in the report are consistent with trends before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rising rates of suicide risk among teen girls may be linked to how measures, such as social distancing and remote learning, may have increased students’ social isolation and anxiety.
Common risk factors for suicide include a history of depression and other mental illness, bullying, loss of relationships, and social isolation, according to the CDC.
The CDC team added that understanding why rates were stable among male students, even during an event such as the pandemic, “could yield insights into protective factors.”
“A comprehensive approach to suicide prevention, which reduces risk and supports youths at increased risk, provides support to those at risk and can ultimately save lives,” they wrote.
It comes after a report released earlier this year from the CDC showed teen girls were experiencing record-high levels of feelings of sadness and acts of violence.
Nearly three in five — or 57% — of girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, up from 36% in 2011 and the highest levels seen in the past decade, the data found.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have liberated nearly 30,000 square miles of their territory from Russian forces since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, but Putin appeared to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The missile struck a block that had apartments, houses and a historic building, according to Zelenskyy.
“The terrorists will not get away with this yet another crime against humanity,” the president said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 26, 12:50 PM EDT
Zelenskyy has 1st call with China’s Xi Jinping since war began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what was the two leaders’ first official contact since January 2022, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi announced that he will send a special envoy to visit Ukraine and “other countries” to work on a political solution.
“I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Twitter.
The Chinese government’s official position still refuses to call the war an “invasion.”
The call between the two leaders is said to have lasted an hour, according to Zelenskyy’s office.
“Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine’s number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Karson Yiu, Cindy Smith and Will Gretsky
Apr 25, 1:03 PM EDT
At least 2 dead, 10 injured in strike that hit Ukrainian museum
At least two people were killed and 10 injured after a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian museum Tuesday, officials said.
The local history museum is located in the city center of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely. Our history, our culture, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media while sharing a video that showed the damaged building. “Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”
Apr 24, 5:48 AM EDT
Russian passports pushed on occupied Ukraine
Russian officials have warned Ukrainians in occupied Kherson that they may be “deported” if they don’t accept Russian passports, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Monday.
“Russia is using passports as a tool in the ‘Russification’ of the occupied areas, as it did in Donetsk and Luhansk before the February 2022 invasion,” the ministry on Twitter.
Residents of Kherson have been warned of penalties for those who don’t accept Russian passports by June 1. Some may be removed from the territory or may have their property seized, according to the U.K.
Apr 23, 11:42 PM EDT
Russia says US has denied journalist visas, vows it ‘will not forgive’
Russia said Sunday that the U.S. has denied visas to Russian journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to New York.
Lavrov promised that the decision will not be forgotten by their side.
“The country that calls itself the strongest, smartest, most free, fairest has chickened out, has done a silly thing and shown what its sworn assurances on protecting freedom of speech, access to information and so on are worth,” he told reporters at the airport before his flight to New York.
“Most importantly, you can be sure: we will not forget, we will not forgive this,” the minister told the pool of journalists who have not been granted U.S. visas.
The journalists had planned to cover Lavrov’s appearance at the United Nations to mark Russia’s chairmanship of the Security Council.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called the U.S.’s decision “outrageous” on Sunday, Interfax, a Russian news agency, reported.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva, Edward Szekeres, Natalia Shumskaia
Apr 21, 3:35 PM EDT Over 16,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in the EU so far
Over 16,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained in the European Union, Josep Borrell, an EU representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said Friday.
The EU has delivered over $600 million of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, according to Borrell.
-ABC News’ Oleksiy Pshemyskiy
Apr 20, 7:08 PM EDT
Russian warplane accidentally fires weapon into Russian city of Belgorod: Defense ministry
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that ammunition from a Russian Su-34 military aircraft fell in Belgorod, a city in the southern region of Russia.
“On the evening of April 20, during the flight of the Su-34 aircraft over the city of Belgorod, an abnormal descent of an aviation munition occurred,” the agency said.
The ministry claimed buildings were damaged but there were no immediate reports of victims. An investigation is underway, according to the agency.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 20, 5:18 PM EDT
Ukraine’s ‘rightful place’ is in NATO: Secretary-General
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, to highlight the more than €150 billion of support to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion.
“Allies are now delivering more jets, tanks, and armored vehicles, and NATO’s Ukraine fund is providing urgent support,” he said in a statement. “All of this is making a real difference on the battlefield today.”
While in Ukraine, the secretary-general visited Bucha and paid his respects to the victims of Russian atrocities.
He also laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, paying tribute to all those who have lost lives or suffered wounds in defense of their homeland.
“Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help to make this possible,” Stoltenberg said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 20, 4:13 PM EDT
Russian athletes will not be accepted in 2024 Olympics if war goes on: Paris mayor
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, which is hosting the 2024 summer Olympics, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian athletes “cannot be accepted in Paris,” if the war with Ukraine is still ongoing when the games begin.
“Paris is the capital of human rights,” Hidalgo said in a statement. “We are trying to convince athletes, international federations and countries. We stand with you.”
Hidalgo and Vasco Cordeiro, the president of the European Committee of the Regions, met with Zelenskyy as part of the International Summit of Cities and Regions Thursday.
Zelenskyy thanked Hidalgo for her support and presented her with Ukraine’s “Rescuer City” honorary award.
-ABC News’ Max Uzol and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
(QUINCY, Mass.) — Massachusetts man Brian Walshe pleaded not guilty on Thursday to killing his wife, mother of three Ana Walshe, who has been missing since New Year’s Day.
Brian Walshe was indicted by a grand jury last month for murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body.
Prosecutors said in court on Thursday that Brian Walshe suspected his wife was having an affair in December 2022, and Brian Walshe’s mother, with her son’s “input and direction,” hired a private investigator to surveil Ana Walshe. Brian Walshe’s attorney, however, said in court that her client didn’t support his mother’s hiring of a private investigator.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Ana Walshe told a friend she believed Brian Walshe would be incarcerated as a result of the federal case he was facing for art fraud, and she was prepared to leave him, prosecutors said.
Ana Walshe hasn’t been seen since the early hours of Jan. 1. Brian Walshe told their babysitter that Ana Walshe had returned to Washington, D.C., for a work emergency, according to prosecutors.
On Jan. 1, Brian Walshe was seen on surveillance video at Lowe’s buying items including: five 5-gallon buckets, a hacksaw, towels, a framing hammer, a Tyvek full coverage suit, shoe guards, a mop, trash bags and other cleaning products, according to prosecutors. He was seen on surveillance video later that day buying hydrogen peroxide and jugs of ammonia, prosecutors said.
The next day, Brian Walshe was seen on surveillance video at Home Depot buying three more 5-gallon buckets, a hatchet, plastic sheeting, 24 pounds of baking soda, and another Tyvek suit, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors believe Brian Walshe made a series of Google searches including: “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to”; “how long before a body starts to smell”; “how to stop a body from decomposing”; “how to embalm a body”; and “what’s the best state to divorce.” He also allegedly Googled “dismemberment” and “what happens when you put body parts in ammonia,” according to prosecutors. There were more Google searches for “hacksaw best tool to dismember” and “can you be charged with murder without a body,” according to prosecutors.
Brian Walshe told police on Jan. 5 that the couple had no problems in their marriage other than his pending criminal case, according to prosecutors.
Brian Walshe told police his wife had left home with her Prada bag and Hunter boots, which authorities later recovered from a dumpster along with Ana Walshe’s COVID-19 vaccination card, prosecutors said. The dumpster also had several of the items Brian Walshe was seen on video buying, including a hatchet, a hacksaw, a hammer and a Tyvek suit, according to prosecutors.
Brian Walshe’s attorney said in court Thursday that he had agreed to give his phones and iPads to police and allowed his home to be searched, stressing, “He’s been nothing but cooperative in this.”
The defense asked for bail, arguing that Brian Walshe is his children’s primary caretaker, but he was ordered held without bail. Brian Walshe is set to return to court in August.
