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Marjorie Taylor Greene to testify under oath about Jan. 6

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday will become the first member of Congress to publicly testify under oath about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Monday night, a federal judge allowed a legal challenge by a group of Georgia voters to move forward as they seek to disqualify Greene from running for reelection, citing her alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The voters argue a provision of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment known as the “disqualification clause” prevents Greene from holding federal office.

Passed shortly after the Civil War, the Disqualification Clause bars any person from holding federal office who has previously taken an oath to protect the Constitution — including a member of Congress — who has “engaged in insurrection” against the United States or “given aid or comfort” to its “enemies.”

An avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, Greene has denied any involvement in the attack and said she is appealing.

Judge Charles Beaudrot will preside over Friday’s hearing and witnesses will also be called to testify.

The time frame for the judge to render his decision on whether or not Greene should remain on the ballot is tight. Early voting for the Georgia primary begins May 2 and the primary itself is on May 17.

In an interview Tuesday with ABC News affiliate WTVC, Greene called the legal challenge a “scam.”

“All I did was what I’m legally and allowed to do by the Constitution as a member of Congress, and that was I objected to Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes from a few states,” Greene said.

Greene also said she was a “victim” on Jan. 6.

Mike Rasbury, one of the voters challenging Greene’s eligibility to run for reelection, said in a statement that Greene “took an oath of office to protect democracy from all enemies foreign and domestic … However, she has flippantly ignored this oath and, based on her role in the January 6 insurrection, is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution from holding any future public office.”

Rasbury will be in the courtroom when Greene testifies.

Ron Fein, a lawyer representing the voters and legal director of Free Speech For People, told ABC News in an email that the Georgia “voters who filed this lawsuit have a right to have their challenge heard” and that he looks forward to questioning Greene under oath.

James Bopp, Greene’s attorney, told ABC News Tuesday that the challenge to Greene is “absurd” and that it shouldn’t be up to judges to decide who represents Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.

Bopp also represents GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who is facing a similar challenge against his reelection from a group of voters in North Carolina.

Cawthorn’s lawsuit to dismiss the challenge to his reelection is set for oral arguments May 3 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia.

Speaking on Fox News Monday night, Greene told host Tucker Carlson that Democrats are trying to keep her name off the ballot, maintaining she had nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol.

“I have to go to court on Friday and actually be questioned about something I’ve never been charged with and something I was completely against,” Greene said.

The challenges against Greene and Cawthorn are part of a larger legal effort to prevent anyone allegedly involved in the events surrounding Jan. 6 — or who supported it — from running for reelection.

Similar challenges are being brought against GOP Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and theoretically could be brought against Trump if he decides to run for office again in 2024.

Best Buy recalling over 770,000 air fryers due to fire and burn hazards

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Best Buy is recalling approximately 772,000 air fryers after reports of the device catching on fire or melting.

The recall, posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, affects certain Insignia air fryers, which were sold across the United States and in Canada.

According to the CPSC, Best Buy has received 68 reports from U.S. consumers and 36 reports from Canadian consumers of the air fryer or air fryer ovens catching fire, burning or melting.

These include seven reports of minor property damage and two reports of injuries, including an injury to a child’s leg.

Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled product and return it to Best Buy for a refund in the form of a store credit, Best Buy said. The company said it is also contacting known purchasers directly to arrange returns.

No survivors after small plane crashes near General Mills plant in Georgia: Police

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COVINGTON, Ga.) — A small plane crashed in the lot of a General Mills plant in Georgia shortly after takeoff Thursday evening, killing all aboard, authorities said.

The plane took off from the Covington Municipal Airport around 6:45 p.m., Covington Police Department Captain Ken Malcom said during a press briefing.

Witnesses told police it appeared that the aircraft, believed to be a Cessna twin-engine propeller plane, was having trouble gaining altitude and that it sounded like there was engine trouble.

Malcom said the plane then suddenly veered and crashed into the lot of the General Mills plant, located about a mile from the airport. The plane went down in an isolated area that stored tractor-trailers, some of which caught fire, he said.

There were no survivors, Malcom said. It is unclear how many people were aboard the plane, and police are working to determine who the victims are, he said.

No one was injured on the ground, according to Malcom, who noted that many lives were potentially saved since the plane didn’t crash directly into the plant.

Fire personnel was still working to put out the fire at the scene several hours after the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.

Minnesota family of four, suspected gunman found dead in apparent murder-suicide

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(DULUTH, Minn.) — A family of four, including two children, were fatally shot while sleeping in their Minnesota home in what police believe to be a murder-suicide incident, authorities said.

The suspected gunman, a relative of the family, was found dead in the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Duluth Police Department Chief Mike Tusken said.

“It’s just a sad day,” a visibly shaken Tusken said during a briefing on the incident Thursday.

“In 32 years, we haven’t seen anything like this, when we’ve had four victims of a homicide,” he said.

The victims were publicly identified by police following next-of-kin notification as Riana Lou Barry, 44; Sean Christopher Barry, 47; Shiway Elizabeth Barry, 12; and Sadie Lucille Barry, 9.

Duluth police had responded to the home in the East Hillside neighborhood shortly after noon on Wednesday, stemming from a request for a welfare check in neighboring Hermantown regarding an individual experiencing a mental health crisis.

A family member had provided the Hermantown Police Department with a message the suspect allegedly sent to them and later posted on social media indicating that he intended to harm himself and other family members, authorities said.

Hermantown police were unable to locate or make contact with the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad. They provided Duluth police with the address of the Duluth home owned by the suspect’s aunt and uncle, authorities said. Duluth police had also received information that the suspect had access to a weapon, Tusken said.

Duluth police who responded to the home heard what they believed to be a single gunshot as they knocked on the door, authorities said.

After securing the scene, police initially used robots and drones to search the premises, though the devices were unable to enter all the rooms, Tusken said. A room-by-room search by a tactical team found the victims in their beds dead from apparent gunshot wounds, he said. A family dog was also found dead, he said.

A 9mm handgun was found near the suspect, the chief said.

A 911 call history search did not indicate any prior concerns involving Cole-Skogstad, police said.

“This is a tragedy for Minnesota, a tragedy for, certainly, the city of Duluth and for this community,” said Tusken, who added that he hopes getting the facts out will provide some “closure and healing.”

No further details were provided amid the ongoing investigation.

Duluth City Council President Arik Forsman told reporters he knew the family, who was known for selling Girl Scout cookies at an East Hillside church.

“No family or community should have to go through what has been happening over the last 24 hours,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words the sadness that I feel as a councilor, as a Duluthian and as a father.”

“That was compounded when the names were released, because these folks were my neighbors in Lakeside,” he continued.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said the incident is “deeply painful” for the community.

“As a parent and member of a family, it is wrenching to consider what the Barry family might be feeling,” she said in a statement. “There is only loss to every part of this story. To the Barry family: our community mourns with you and we share in your pain. Because your loss is our community’s loss.”

Michigan GOP convention tests Trump’s endorsement power in key battleground state

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — Thousands of Michigan GOP leaders are gathering in Grand Rapids on Saturday to decide which candidates will make it onto November’s ballot in what will be a major test of former President Donald Trump’s hold over the state party.

Trump has made his presence known in the state, endorsing candidates up and down the ballot, mainly focusing on whether or not they believe his baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

In two of the most closely watched races of the weekend, Trump has endorsed Kristina Karamo for secretary of state and Matt DePerno for attorney general. Both have become sounding boards for his unfounded election claims.

DePerno, a lawyer, filed suit seeking to audit the 2020 election results in Antrim County; however, those efforts were dismissed by a Michigan court Thursday. Karamo was part of the Supreme Court lawsuit that was eventually rejected seeking to overturn the 2020 results after claiming she personally witnessed election fraud in Detroit.

DePerno is facing state Rep. Ryan Berman and former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, who is seeking a rematch against incumbent Dana Nessel after losing in 2018. Karamo is running against state Rep. Beau LaFave and Cindy Berry, a Chesterfield Township clerk.

“It’s true that any past party president, you know, would be a very influential endorsement,” Matt Grossmann, a political science professor at Michigan State University, told ABC News. “What is not routine at all is that the president is making a decision on the basis of people’s views of whether the last election was stolen or not.”

In Michigan, party delegates nominate candidates for most statewide offices at party conventions rather than holding primaries. The party will formally nominate those candidates in August.

This is the earliest Michigan Republicans have ever held the convention as the party looks to maximize its chances of flipping seats in the battleground state. Trump lost Michigan in 2020 by about 150,000 votes.

“These candidates need the time really to make the case as to why you should be elected,” Gustavo Portela, communications director for the Michigan Republican Party, told ABC News. “It also gives the party an opportunity to back them financially.”

The former president’s particular focus on the state sets up a showdown between the two Trump-endorsed candidates and their opponents this weekend. Trump has also endorsed 10 candidates for seats in the state legislature.

Some in the party have signaled they want to shift away from focusing on 2020. On April 11, Michigan counties held conventions to choose the delegates who will represent them at this week’s state convention. In Macomb County, people were seen on video shouting over each other and trading insults. The night ended with a vote removing the county party chairman and staunch supporter of the former president, Mark Forton.

Amid the infighting among the two wings of the party, Portela says Saturday’s decision will ultimately be determined by who has the best chances of winning in the midterms.

“I understand the president is always going to be involved, but ultimately it comes down to the delegates and what they have to say,” he said.

Biden to sign executive order protecting old-growth forests on federal lands

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday calling to protect old-growth forests on federal lands, strengthen reforestation initiatives and global partnerships to end deforestation, and take more steps to protect critical forests from wildfires.

Under the order, the Interior Department and the Department of Agriculture will conduct the first inventory of old-growth trees on federal lands and use that information to develop new policies to protect critical forests. Federal agencies will be asked to set reforestation targets for 2030.

The order will also call for the strengthening of partnerships with states, tribes, private landowners and other stakeholders to protect forests from wildfires, including by requesting $6.1 billion for wildfire risk reduction in the president’s 2023 budget.

“We’re talking about additional steps and the administration’s plan to conserve, restore and replant our federal forests with a particular focus on on some of the crown jewels of these federal lands, stands of old-growth trees,” a senior administration official told reporters Thursday night. “These old-growth forests are significant carbon sinks, yet many of them are under really tremendous threat from climate driven droughts and wildfires.”

Another senior administration official added, “America’s forests are among our most important climate solutions. They absorb more than 10% of U.S. annual greenhouse gas emissions, while providing a plethora of additional benefits for wildlife flood control and clean water, clean air.”

The first step, however, will be to decide what is considered “old-growth,” because there is no official definition of which trees or forests fit this category.

Old-growth forests are considered especially important to protect, because older trees and more diverse ecosystems have the potential to capture carbon in the soil and plants. Protecting them from deforestation has been a big international priority with 137 countries pledging at COP26 to end forest loss by 2030.

When asked about how these initiatives would deal with the impact of logging on taking down old trees, a senior administration official said the president is taking “the exact right approach” to define and track down these old-growth trees and then use that information and science to determine the best path forward.

But some organizations, such as Food and Water Watch, have indicated that Biden’s action on forests is not nearly enough. Climate activists are expected to protest outside Biden’s event in Seattle on Friday.

“President Biden seems to think we’re celebrating the first Earth Day in 1970, rather than in depths of the climate crisis in 2022,” Thomas Meyer, the national organizing manager of Food and Water Watch, said in a statement. “Protecting forests without addressing the root cause of the climate crisis, namely the continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels, will do very little to slow global warming.”

“The president has many effective tools at his disposal to address the climate and public health impacts of fossil fuels in a serious way,” Meyer added. “He should start by following through on his pledge to end fracking on public lands and stop offshore drilling, and directing his agencies to reject all new fossil fuel infrastructure.”

Good Morning America will have more Friday morning with National Geographic and the importance of protecting endangered trees.

Florida House passes bills splitting up Black voters, eliminating Disney’s district

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted during a special session Thursday to send two highly controversial bills — one that greenlights Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to redraw the state’s 28 districts into a GOP-friendly configuration that splits up Black voters and another that would eliminate Walt Disney World’s special district — to the governor’s desk for signature.

DeSantis’ map, if it survives expected legal challenges, would wipe out any gains by Democrats made during the national redistricting process by adding four Republican-leaning seats and eliminating three highly competitive seats from the previous map. That would leave the state with 18 Republican-leaning and eight Democrat-leaning seats and threaten the already razor-thin majority Democrats hold on the House of Representatives.

It would also split up Black voters by slashing the number of Black-majority districts in half from four to two and overhauling Florida’s 5th District, which stretches in North Florida from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and is represented in Congress by a Black Democrat — Rep. Al Lawson.

The measure that would eliminate Walt Disney World’s status was put forward by Republicans after Disney vowed to help repeal Florida’s highly-controversial Parental Rights in Education Law, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which limits the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. The bill would terminate the 25,000-acre Reedy Creek Improvement District that Walt Disney World uses to operate as its own municipality, along with five others.

ABC News is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which also owns Walt Disney World.

Florida Democrats’ attempt to block the two votes failed Thursday despite a group taking to the House floor with signs in protest moments before the legislature was to vote around midday.

One of those protestors was Rep. Angie Nixon, who demanded the legislature draw its own map rather than move forward with the one submitted by DeSantis and his advisers.

“Our demands are clear. The legislature needs to draw maps,” said Nixon. “The Republicans in leadership need to come to the Democratic leadership, and we’re going to draw some constitutional maps. Those are our demands and we will not be moved.”

Democrats were able to stave off the special session for an hour, but Republicans eventually returned to the chamber and moved to push both bills successfully, over yells and chanting from dissenters.

“This is how Democracy dies: with a round of applause,” wrote Rep. Anna Eskami on Twitter moments after the legislature approved the redistricting map.

DeSantis, a Republican, originally called the special session after vetoing a GOP-backed version of redistricting maps passed through the Florida House and Senate, claiming that the preservation of districts that lump voters together by race was unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, DeSantis vowed to submit a “race-neutral” map.

“We are not going to have a 200-mile gerrymander that divvies up people based on the color of their skin. That is wrong,” said DeSantis. “That is not the way we’ve governed in the state of Florida and so that will be that. And obviously, that will be litigated.”

On Wednesday, the Republican-led Florida Senate voted to pass the two bills, which are expected to be signed into law by the end of the week.

When will vaccines be authorized for kids under 5? Here’s what we know

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — When a judge on Monday overruled the mask mandate on public transportation, parents with kids too young to be vaccinated felt renewed anxiety about the country moving too quickly toward pre-pandemic normalcy while they were still stuck in a pre-vaccine world.

But there is hope that parents will be able to vaccinate their kids under five years old soon — perhaps as early as June, according to top Biden administration officials.

Neither vaccine companies, Moderna or Pfizer, have fully submitted their data to the FDA yet, the FDA said on Thursday.

But Moderna, which has a two-dose vaccine for children under five, is expected to officially file a request for authorization with the Food and Drug Administration by the end of April, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.

And Pfizer, which has been conducting clinical trials on a three-dose vaccine for kids under five, is expected to have results by early May, which it will then turn over to the FDA. In a recent podcast interview, the company’s CEO said he expects an authorization sometime in June.

In the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration has already notified the members of its independent panel, which would review the vaccine data ahead of the authorization, to reserve time for a meeting as soon as June 1, according to a source familiar with the plans. However, the dates were flexible and could get pushed back.

The question, however, is whether regulators will authorize Moderna a few weeks ahead of Pfizer, or wait to authorize them at the same time — in June — in an effort to minimize confusion.

In an interview on Thursday with CNN+, White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that regulators will wait.

Fauci said that the purpose of authorizing both at once, rather than Moderna a few weeks ahead of Pfizer, would be to not “confuse people.”

“It’s going to be two separate companies, two products that are similar but not identical, particularly with regard to the dose,” he said, explaining that Moderna’s regimen for kids under five is two doses, while Pfizer’s is three doses.

“And what the FDA wants to do is to get it so that we don’t confuse people,” Fauci said.

Asked multiple times by CNN’s Kasie Hunt why parents couldn’t be expected to navigate having two options separately authorized around the same time, particularly for those who are eagerly waiting for a vaccine as soon as possible and would take whichever came first, Fauci said he couldn’t answer.

“I can’t really honestly answer that question because I don’t know the answer to that question. Because I don’t have all the data in front of me,” Fauci said, adding that the data before the FDA was confidential while it was under review.

Still, Fauci confirmed that Pfizer’s vaccine would likely be authorized in June, meaning the wait would only be a few weeks, at most.

It would be unusual for the FDA to make a decision based on expected vaccine uptake, though Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief, has said that it’s a priority to handle the authorization of vaccines for young kids with extensive care so parents trust the final product. In older age groups, like kids 5 to eleven, only around a quarter of kids have been vaccinated since it was authorized five months ago.

“We know that in this population, we have to do our job extremely well to … ensure that there is a very good evaluation of the safety and effectiveness, so that when we make our recommendation, people will trust that recommendation,” Marks said at a press conference last month.

On Thursday, the FDA said it would work with urgency to authorize vaccines for kids once the companies submit the data, while also “adhering to our rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness.”

The agency also said that lower case counts and hospitalizations since the omicron surge had no effect on the urgency of the process.

“It is inaccurate to say that minimal hospitalizations and death play a part in any timeline as one death of a young child is tragic,” FDA spokesperson Abby Capobianco said in a statement.

But questions remain about the potential for regulators to authorize both vaccines at once, which could mean parents have to wait a few weeks longer to vaccinate their young children.

Dr. Diego Hijano, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, cautioned against the FDA “overthinking” and trying to predict how people will take vaccine news.

When it comes to vaccine hesitancy, “most people have made their choice already,” said Hijano, who is also an investigator for the Pfizer vaccine trials.

“So the fact that we are still wondering how it will affect people’s confidence in the vaccine — people’s confidence in vaccine has not changed significantly over the last year,” Hijano said.

Instead, Hijano vouched for authorizing the Moderna vaccine as soon as its ready. Even if the vaccine is two shots now, he said he predicted that the Moderna shot, like the Pfizer vaccine, would eventually be a three-shot vaccine — as most vaccines now are with the addition of boosters — and they would be very similar.

“Today, there are no options,” Hijano said. “And the Moderna vaccine data, it’s really good. So why wouldn’t you offer that to parents that want something to protect their kids?”

But Hijano also stressed that the timeline for kids under five getting vaccinated has been unpredictable. To help with anxiety, he’s moved away from focusing on dates and advises parents to try to find ways to feel normal in the meantime.

“I think at this point, parents should just sit back and say the vaccine will be ready when it’s ready. We cannot plan around when the vaccine is going to be ready,” Hijano said.

“So the way we have been approaching this with parents is, ‘Okay, let’s just take a step back and say, what are the things we can do to protect kids under five? And when the vaccine becomes available, then you vaccinate them.’ But at this point, that’s very uncertain,” he said.

Maine confirms deadly case of rare tick-borne illness

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(AUGUSTA, Maine) — A Maine resident has died from a rare but potentially dangerous tick-borne illness, health officials said.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it has confirmed a fatal case of Powassan virus, an illness spread by the bite of infected deer (aka black-legged) or woodchuck (aka groundhog) ticks.

The person, a resident of Waldo County in south-central Maine, developed neurologic symptoms and died in the hospital, according to the Maine CDC. The person likely became infected in Maine, health officials said. No further details on the case were provided.

“Ticks are active and looking for a host to bite right now,” Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine CDC, warned residents in a statement. “I urge Maine people and visitors to take steps that prevent tick bites.”

Cases of Powassan virus are very rare, with about 25 reported each year in the U.S. since 2015, according to the Maine CDC. Since 2010, Maine has identified 14 cases, the agency said.

Though rare, the number of reported cases of people sick from the virus has increased in recent years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases occur in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions from late spring through mid-fall, it said.

Many people infected with Powassan virus do not get sick, according to the Maine CDC. Symptoms can start one week to one month after the bite and can include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, memory loss, slurred speech or seizures. The virus can also cause serious neurologic problems, like brain inflammation, known as encephalitis, which can be deadly.

There is no vaccine to prevent Powassan or medicine to treat the disease. The best protection against any tick-borne disease is to prevent tick bites in the first place.

Health officials advise avoiding tick habitats — wooded and bushy areas with tall grass — whenever possible and to stay in the middle of trails when hiking. People can further protect themselves with EPA-approved repellants on skin and clothing.

During tick season, people should perform tick checks on themselves every day, especially after leaving a tick habitat and upon returning home. They should also check their clothing, gear and pets for ticks.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: European Council president holds call with Putin

April 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(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 now launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, as it attempts to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Apr 22, 9:30 am
European Council president holds call with Putin

European Council President Charles Michel and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Friday. Michel said afterwards on Twitter that he “strongly urged for immediate humanitarian access and safe passage from Mariupol and other besieged cities all the more on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.”

Michel also said he “firmly reiterated” the EU’s support for Ukraine and “condemnation and sanctions for Russia’s aggression.”

According to the Kremlin’s readout of the call, Michel asked Putin to have direct contact with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin said Putin “reaffirmed the well-known position on this matter, noting that such a possibility depends, in particular, on concrete results in the ongoing negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, during which the Ukrainian side is showing inconsistency and is not ready to seek mutually acceptable solutions.”

Apr 22, 8:15 am
UK to reopen embassy in Kyiv

The United Kingdom announced Friday that it will soon reopen its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

The U.K. Embassy in Kyiv, in northern Ukraine, was forced to temporarily close in late February due to Russia’s invasion. A contingent of British staff remained in western Ukraine to provide humanitarian and other support. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Friday that the embassy will reopen next week, “dependent on the security situation,” according to a press release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

“The extraordinary fortitude and success of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces, means we will shortly be re-opening our British Embassy in Kyiv,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the Embassy team and their work throughout this period.”

The embassy premises in Kyiv are currently being made secure before staff return, starting with U.K. ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons. The U.K. continues to advise its citizens against all travel to Ukraine, according to the FCDO.

-ABC News’ Guy Davies

Apr 22, 7:58 am
Russia aims to ‘contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol,’ UK says

Russia’s decision to blockade a steel plant in Mariupol “likely indicates a desire to contain Ukrainian resistance” in the strategic port city “and free up Russian forces to be deployed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.

The Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant is the last holdout for Ukrainian fighters in besieged Mariupol.

“A full ground assault by Russia on the plant would likely incur significant Russian casualties, further decreasing their overall combat effectiveness,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, heavy shelling and fighting continues across eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region as Russian forces seek to advance further toward settlements including Krasnyy Lyman, Buhayikva, Barvinkove, Lyman and Popasna, “as part of their plans for the region,” according to the ministry.

“Despite Russia’s renewed focus they are still suffering from losses sustained earlier in the conflict,” the ministry added. “In order to try and reconstitute their depleted forces, they have resorted to transiting inoperable equipment back to Russia for repair.”

Apr 22, 6:34 am
Putin to speak with European Council president

Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a telephone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel on Friday before meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Putin will now have an international conversation,” Peskov told reporters Friday. “It will be the President of the European Council, Michel. And then during the day, Putin is scheduled to have an operational meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council.”

The U.S. has assessed that the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol remains contested, and that Russian airstrike activity remains focused there and on the Donbas region, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.

Russia now has 85 battalion tactical groups, each made up of roughly 800 to 1,000 troops, inside of Ukraine, the official said. More of these groups are headed to the Donbas region, the official said.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

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