(WASHINGTON) — The House Judiciary Committee wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland alerting him of potential “criminal conduct by Amazon and certain of its executives,” in a letter written by members of the committee and obtained by ABC News.
The judiciary committee, led by Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, alleges Amazon lied to Congress over whether it used data it collected from third-party sellers.
“Throughout the course of the Committee’s investigation, Amazon attempted to cover up its lie by offering ever-shifting explanations of what it called its ‘Seller Data Protection Policy,'” the letter says. “Among other things, in written statements to the Committee, Amazon made a distinction between the “individual” seller data that Amazon supposedly protected and the “aggregated” seller data that its private-label business could use.”
Amazon also allegedly lied to Congress about manipulating consumers’ search results, according to the committee.
“After Amazon was caught in a lie and repeated misrepresentations, it stonewalled the Committee’s efforts to uncover the truth. The Committee gave Amazon a final opportunity to provide evidence either correcting the record or corroborating the representations it had made to the Committee under oath and in written statements,” the letter says. “Instead of taking advantage of this opportunity to provide clarity, however, Amazon offered conclusory denials of adverse facts. In a November 1, 2021 communication to the Committee, a senior Amazon official dismissed the reports as inaccurate, attributing them to ‘key misunderstandings and speculation.'”
The judiciary committee further accused Amazon of refusing to turn over any documents related to the investigation they claim to have run on the manipulation of consumer search results.
The bipartisan letter also claims Amazon obstructed a congressional investigation.
“Amazon and its executives appear to have been “acting with an improper purpose” “to influence, obstruct, or impede . . . the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had,” the letter says. “Amazon has declined multiple opportunities to demonstrate with credible evidence that it made accurate and complete representations to the Committee during the Committee’s digital-markets investigation. The Committee’s findings and credible investigative reports suggest that Amazon’s representations were misleading and incomplete. And Amazon’s failure to correct or corroborate those representations suggests that Amazon and its executives have acted intentionally to improperly influence, obstruct, or impede the Committee’s investigation and inquiries.”
All of these reasons, the letter says, amount to enough substance for a Justice Department referral “to investigate whether Amazon or its executives obstructed Congress or violated other applicable federal laws.”
“There’s no factual basis for this, as demonstrated in the huge volume of information we’ve provided over several years of good faith cooperation with this investigation,” an Amazon spokesperson told ABC News.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the department has received the letter and will review it.
Lawmakers in the State House voted in favor of bill HB 675, which makes it a felony to provide such care. Now the bill goes to the State Senate.
Anyone who provides or knowingly gives permission for a child or teen to receive hormone therapy or physical alterations to affirm their gender identity would be punished under this law and could face life in prison.
Gender affirmation is when transgender people make changes to their lives in accordance with their gender identity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That can be done through a change of clothing, hairstyles, mannerisms, names and pronouns.
Gender affirmation can also come in the form of hormone therapy or surgeries to alter one’s physical characteristics.
On the House floor, State Rep. Ilana Rubel told a story of her friend’s child who knew he was transgender from a young age. After he transitioned — publicly expressing oneself as another gender — Rubel said she saw him turn from a troubled youth to a successful college student.
“This is obviously not a step that a family takes lightly,” Rubel said. “This is a step that comes after literally thousands of hours of agonizing. There is no parent in the world who is just finding a way to force sex-change treatments on to their kids.”
She added, “They do this because they realize after endless excruciating probing that this is what their child needs.”
Rubel also noted that gender-affirming care is supported by medical organizations such as the American Medical Association, Idaho Medical Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics and more.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bruce Skaug, said he does not support underage gender reassignment surgeries or therapies and claimed that “Europe is pulling back from this type of procedure now because they’ve seen negative effects and there’s no positive mental health effect for children,” though he did not cite specific research or examples.
“We need to stop sterilizing and mutilating children under the age of 18,” Skaug went on. “This is a mental illness that needs to be treated,” referring to trans identities.
He suggested that people rely on “old fashioned counseling, talk therapy” and “traditional psychology methods” to address trans identities and needs in youth.
Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel at Human Rights Campaign, said she is disappointed that “some politicians in Boise have decided to follow Texas and Alabama down the path of imposing felony criminal penalties upon doctors who are simply doing their jobs.”
She noted that a recent study found that gender-affirming care reduces the risk of moderate or severe depression by 60% and suicidality by 73%.
(NEW YORK) — South Korea elected Yoon Suk-yeol, of the conservative People Power Party, as its 20th president on Wednesday. Yoon claimed victory in a tight race against Lee Jae-myung, of the ruling Democratic Party.
“I learned a lot while carrying out the campaign, what is needed to be a leader of a country, how to listen carefully to the people,” Yoon said in his victory speech. “This election process and competition are all for the people. Election is over now, and we need to be all one for the people and our Republic of Korea,” he said as supporters cheered and chanted “regime change”.
Results show a close race with 48.61% of ballots going to Yoon, and Lee garnering 47.78%.
About 77% of South Korea’s 44 million eligible voters cast ballots in this election, according to the country’s National Election Commission. Yoon will replace President Moon Jae-in.
Yoon jumped into politics last June after a 27-year career as a prosecutor. He achieved fame during his career for his aggressive prosecution of political players, including former President Park Geun-hye.
He is well-known for his quote at a parliamentary inquiry after prosecuting his own boss, then-Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, in 2013 — “I am not loyal to the person but loyal to the organization.”
Moon appointed Yoon as the prosecutor general in 2019 to lead a national political campaign to investigate corruption, but Yoon spent most of his term going after President Moon’s ruling party officials, ministers and presidential aides.
Yoon’s break with Moon intensified after indicting Moon’s then-closest aide and former justice minister, Cho Kuk, in 2019 on several charges including bribery and document fraud. That angered Moon’s supporters and Yoon eventually stepped down from position amid political pressure.
He was courted by the People Power Party last year to run for the presidency.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(HEALDSBURG, Calif.) — A group of grade-schoolers is inadvertently bringing joy, laughter and some wise words to thousands of strangers, all thanks to their Peptoc art project.
Peptoc is the brainchild of art teacher Jessica Martin and artist Asherah Weiss, who worked with the K-6 students at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, California. The children created vibrant flyers and posters filled with charming drawings and reassuring messages.
But it’s the second component of Peptoc – a free hotline – that has unexpectedly gone viral.
To experience Peptoc, simply dial 707-998-8410 and you’ll be greeted by several students who will give you multiple options to choose from:
“Please listen to the following options for encouraging messages. If you’re feeling mad, frustrated, or nervous, press 1. If you need words of encouragement and life advice, press 2. If you need a pep talk from kindergarteners, press 3. If you need to hear kids laughing with delight, press 4. If you would like to make a donation to support this project, please press 6. For encouragement in Spanish, press 5.”
The kids are full of suggestions: punch a pillow or go scream outside if you’re frustrated; indulge in ice cream if you’re sad or angry. They can be the cheerleader that’ll pull you right out of an afternoon slump: Try it again! Believe in yourself! It’s OK to be different!
Another favorite? “Estás triste, va compra donas!” (Spanish for “If you’re sad, go buy doughnuts!”)
“There’s a pretty clear reason why this is so popular. We’re in a very broken world right now and we need to hear this, from children especially,” Martin told “Good Morning America.”
The artist and educator, who has led the art program at West Side for the last four years, said it was powerful to hear the young students share their positivity despite setbacks like the pandemic and ongoing challenges like wildfires.
“It was really hard for me to hold it together when I was recording them,” Martin recalled. “The overwhelming sweetness of these kids … was crushing me but also, it broke my heart a little bit too, because a lot of these kids, what they were saying — they’re in first and second grade — what they were saying was very profound and it really spoke to their life experience.”
Weiss, also an alum of West Side, has been sharing the students’ creative work and posting the flyers around Healdsburg. “Someone thought I was putting up a lost dog poster or something like that and they’re like, ‘Oh, what did you lose?’ And then they realized what we were doing and they were very, very happy to see that outside their door,” the 34-year-old recalled.
Martin added that she has received messages from people from around the world after Peptoc went live on Feb. 26.
“I just heard back from a bunch of people from Argentina and it ranges from a whole cancer ward of patients getting chemotherapy, to a lady who just found out her mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to a fellow high school teacher just saying how incredible the project was. It’s touched a lot of people, so we’re pretty proud of these kids,” Martin said.
“One little small, easy act of kindness can easily touch millions in just a few days,” she added.
Martin said she and the school are determined to maintain Peptoc “for months or years” and is raising funds online to keep it going indefinitely. She pointed out that another hotline, Callin’ Oates, which lets callers request any Hall & Oates song, has been going strong for the last decade.
“Within the first few days, we were getting 500 calls an hour and we had to find $800 a day with that volume,” Martin said. “I eventually was able to talk with the president (of hotline service Telzio) and she donated a million minutes to the project. We’re currently now getting 5,000 calls an hour. And that million minutes, I think, probably will last us through the end of next week.”
For Martin, the runaway success and response to Peptoc shows how necessary arts education is in schools.
“If this isn’t proof to fund arts, I don’t even know what to say,” she said.
As for the future of Peptoc, Martin is planning to work with students to record more advice, including additional Spanish messages. She and Weiss hope the students will continue to learn from the powerful project too.
“You don’t ever know how your work is going to be received,” Weiss said. “But just to take the courage to do something is what the message I want people to take from this.”
Added Martin: “I hope that the memory of this experience they’ll carry that with them through their life, that they won’t feel like they’re helpless in a dark world.”
(NEW YORK) — Pfizer announced Wednesday it is launching a clinical trial to study the effectiveness of its COVID-19 antiviral pill in young children.
The treatment, Paxlovid, was authorized in December 2020 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in patients aged 12 and older who have mild-to-moderate symptoms and are at increased risk of severe illness.
The new trial is planning to enroll 140 children between ages 6 and 17 who will be split into two groups.
One group will weigh between 44 and 88 pounds and the other groups will weigh more than 88 pounds.
The group that weighs more than 88 pounds will be given the dose currently authorized for teens and adults while the group that weighs less will be given a smaller dose.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 11 million children under the age of 18 in the United States alone have tested positive for COVID-19, representing nearly 18% of reported cases and leading to more than 100,000 hospital admissions,” Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer and president of worldwide research, development and medical at Pfizer, said in a company statement.
“There is a significant unmet need for outpatient treatments that can be taken by children and adolescents to help prevent progression to severe illness, including hospitalization or death,” Dolsten said.
Children under age 6 will not be included in this study, but Pfizer said research is ongoing to determine the best dose for the youngest of children
Pfizer’s pill was hailed as a game-changer because it was the first COVID treatment that did not require an infusion, making it more convenient to give to patients.
The pill is made up of two medications: ritonavir, commonly used to treat HIV and AIDS, and nirmatrelvir, an antiviral that Pfizer developed to boost the strength of the first drug.
Together, they prevent an enzyme the virus uses to make copies of itself inside human cells and spread throughout the body.
Paxlovid is currently given as three pills twice daily over the course of five days.
Clinical trial data showed the pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for COVID patients by 89% within three days of the onset of symptoms compared to a placebo.
According to clinicaltrials.gov, the pediatric trial has three locations including Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(BALTIMORE) — A Maryland man who earlier this year became the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, according to the University of Maryland Medicine, where the transplant was performed.
David Bennett, 57, died on March 8, according to University of Maryland Medicine. The hospital did not say what caused his death, noting only that his “condition began deteriorating several days ago.”
“After it became clear that he would not recover, he was given compassionate palliative care,” the hospital said in a statement. “He was able to communicate with his family during his final hours.”
Bennett, a father of two, suffered from terminal heart disease and was deemed ineligible for a conventional heart transplant because of his severe condition, University of Maryland Medicine said in January, at the time the transplant was announced.
On New Year’s Eve, University of Maryland Medicine doctors were granted emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to try the pig heart transplantation with Bennett, who had been hospitalized and bedridden for several months.
Bennett said at the time that he saw the risky surgery as his last option.
“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” he said the day before the surgery, according to University of Maryland Medicine. “I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover.”
Pig hearts are similar in size to human hearts and have an anatomy that is similar, but not identical.
Xenotransplantation, transplanting animal cells, tissues or organs into a human, carries the risk of triggering a dangerous immune response, which can cause a “potentially deadly outcome to the patient,” University of Maryland Medicine said at the time of the transplant.
Dr. Bartley P. Griffith, a professor in transplant surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the doctor who surgically transplanted the pig heart into Bennett, said he is “devastated” by his death.
“He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family,” Griffith said in a statement. “Mr. Bennett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and steadfast will to live.”
Bennett’s family said in a statement they are “profoundly grateful” to Griffith and the rest of the medical team that performed the transplant on Bennett, who had been a patient at University of Maryland Medicine since October 2021.
“Their exhaustive efforts and energy, paired with my dad’s insatiable will to live, created a hopeful environment during an uphill climb. Up until the end, my father wanted to continue fighting to preserve his life and spend more time with his beloved family, including his two sisters, his two children, and his five grandchildren, and his cherished dog Lucky,” the family said in a statement. “We were able to spend some precious weeks together while he recovered from the transplant surgery, weeks we would not have had without this miraculous effort.”
“We have felt the prayers of the world during this time and humbly ask that those prayers continue to be offered on behalf of the medical teams, technology companies, research labs, grant writers and innovative initiatives of the future,” the family continued. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end. We also hope that what was learned from his surgery will benefit future patients and hopefully one day, end the organ shortage that costs so many lives each year.”
Experts said at the time of Bennett’s transplant, that though it is groundbreaking, it does not minimize the ongoing need for human organ donations.
Around 110,000 people in the United States are on the organ transplant waiting list, and more than 6,000 patients die each year before getting a transplant, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
(NEW YORK) — Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis, U.S.-based businesses with ties to Ukraine have seen an influx of support from their local communities.
Restaurants like Veselka in New York City, which has served traditional Ukrainian fare since 1954 — from borscht to pierogis– are offering meals with a side of activism.
“We are deeply saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine and incredibly appreciative of the outpouring of support for our Ukrainian community,” the restaurant wrote on its website. “100% of proceeds from every bowl of borscht in-store and take-out go to aiding efforts in Ukraine.”
The restaurant partnered with the Razom For Ukraine organization to handle all donations. Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, created a space for people to meet and collaborate on opportunities to both amplify Ukrainian voices in the U.S. and support Ukraine directly through individuals and organizations.
Two Boots Pizza also joined the effort creating two specialty pies — the Mr. Ze, made with kielbasa sausage from renowned butcher J. Baczynsky, and the Lesya, made with Veselka’s borscht and non-dairy cheese. Proceeds from the specialty slices will be donated to Razom for Ukraine.
“As the conflict in Ukraine unfolds, we have seen consumer searches for Ukrainian businesses soar on Yelp. In February 2022, searches increased 602% from January and were up over 2000% compared to February of 2021,” a spokesperson for Yelp told Good Morning America. “We’re seeing some first-party reviewers directly link their choice to visit a Ukrainian-owned establishment as an act of solidarity.”
Laika Cheesecakes and Espresso, a Ukrainian-owned bakery outside San Antonio, Texas, said it has raised over $100,000 in donations to assist Ukraine.
“We are donating ALL OF OUR SALES from the weekend not just profits,” the bakery said in a post on Instagram. “There were multiple reasons why we decided to do it this way. We thought it would be more transparent than counting profits since that can be interpreted differently. This was also so we could have people know they were helping as much as possible and that we were giving as much as possible.”
According to the bakery, the line was around the block over the weekend with about 3,000 people in attendance and a wait time of nearly three and a half hours.
“People still stayed to contribute-even when we had been completely sold out for hours,” the bakery said. “We sold over 4,500 pieces of cheesecake — jars and slices. Individual donations excluding the sales were over $25,000!”
Pushkin, a family-run, modern Ukrainian restaurant in San Francisco that serves traditional comfort foods like pelmeni and vareniki — little dumplings boiled and served with a big scoop of sour cream — hailed The Golden City’s residents for the influx of support.
The restaurant welcomed donations and held a bake sale over the weekend to raise money for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. The team announced on Instagram that they collected $6,500 from the sold-out event and detailed how the money was directly donated to Nova Ukraine and Global Giving Ukraine’s Crisis Relief Fund.
Chefs, food bloggers, influencers and more are using their personal and professional social media platforms to organize additional support for Ukraine online.
Earlier this month, James Beard-nominated Gage & Tollner pastry chef Caroline Schiff joined forces with other New York City-based chefs to #cookforukraine with boxes of 12 sweet and savory pastries to support an array of nonprofits aiding Ukraine. Within days of launching their effort, she announced on Instagram that due to overwhelming interest and support, the pre-ordered boxes for pickup at the end of the month have already sold out, raising a total of $10,000.
Cookbook and culinary shop Now Serving in Los Angeles has also enlisted its community of bakers, pastry chefs, makers and restaurants to participate in a bake sale on March 12 to help Ukrainian children and families through UNICEF UK’s Ukraine Appeal.
(WASHINGTON) — When Ketanji Brown Jackson last month to the U.S. Supreme Court, some of the loudest cheers came from a trio of women who have been by Jackson’s side for the last 30 years.
“It was a lot of screaming and jumping and so excited,” Nina Simmons told ABC News of the reaction she and her friends had to the nomination of Jackson, their college roommate.
Lisa Fairfax, another roommate of Simmons and Jackson, said of the exact moment Biden introduced Jackson as the nominee, “That moment was emotional, watching her actually stand behind the president when she was introduced and then watching her step forward.”
If the Senate approves her nomination, Jackson, currently an appellate court judge, will make history as the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s high court.
By her side through her history-making judicial career have been Fairfax, Simmons and Antoinette Coakley, all of whom roomed with Jackson as undergraduate students at Harvard University, and then as law students, also at Harvard.
The three women are accomplished in their own right — Simmons is senior counsel at Washton & Gitto LLC; Fairfax is the Presidential Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and Coakley is a professor of law at Northeastern School of Law — but they said they saw early on that Jackson would reach the top of her profession.
“I remember years ago when we were in our college room, our college dorm, saying to Ketanji, ‘You are going to be the first Black woman on the US Supreme Court. You are going to be it,'” said Coakley. “It was that clear back then.”
Jackson, now a 51-year-old mother of two, stood out for her ability to bring people together, according to her friends.
“Ketanji can organize something, bring people together and she recognizes the strength of everyone and makes sure that you recognize your strengths as well,” said Simmons, who recalled Jackson’s support when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014.
“One day I woke up and Ketanji and Lisa are at my door,” said Simmons. “That was a time where I wasn’t telling people. I wasn’t really sharing it, and she showed up, didn’t ask any questions, she just showed up.”
The friends, who nicknamed themselves “the ladies,” also recall a lighter side of Jackson, whom Biden described as “an exceptionally qualified and historic nominee.”
“I think people don’t know that she’s funny, and that she’s an amazing storyteller,” Coakley said.
Added Simmons, “She loves to dance. [When] we were in college and law school, we’d be the first ones out there. She’d be dancing, having a good time.”
And even as their careers took them to different places following law school, Coakley, Simmons and Fairfax said Jackson rooted them onto success.
“I’m now a law professor and Ketanji was actually instrumental in helping me make that transition,” Fairfax said. “She really made me feel like I could do it, supported me through the process.”
“For Ketanji, it was not sufficient just for her to be successful,” added Coakley. “She wanted for all of us to be successful as well, and so we all benefited, I think, from that relationship and that has sustained us all these years.”
(WASHINGTON) — Scammers are impersonating law enforcement and government officials, in an effort to extort money and personal information, the FBI warns.
Often times, the scammers will “spoof” authentic numbers and credentials “of well-known government and law enforcement agencies,” the agency said in an announcement Monday.
The FBI says scammers will say a person’s identity was used in crime, such as a drug deal or money laundering scam, and they will ask for personal information to verify their identity such as their Social Security number and date of birth.
“The victim is threatened with arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment if they do not pay to remove charges or assist in the investigation against the “real” criminals,” the FBI said.
“Payment is demanded in various forms, with the most prevalent being prepaid cards, wire transfers, and cash, sent by mail or inserted into cryptocurrency ATMs. Victims are asked to read prepaid card numbers over the phone or text a picture of the card. Mailed cash will be hidden or packaged to avoid detection by normal mail scanning devices. Wire transfers are often sent overseas so funds almost immediately vanish,” the announcement said.
Scams also come in the form of text messages requiring government IDs to fix a passport renewal.
The FBI urges consumers to protect themselves saying that “officials will never contact members of the public or medical practitioners by telephone to demand any form of payment, or to request personal or sensitive information.”
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, don’t appear to have advanced closer to the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 09, 9:08 am
US to send two Patriot anti-missile batteries to Poland
The United States said it’s sending two Patriot anti-missile batteries stationed in Europe to Poland as a “defensive deployment” at the request of the Polish government.
While testifying before Congress Tuesday on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said there were discussions underway with the Polish government about a possible deployment of Patriot batteries. The U.S. military’s European Command (EUCOM) later confirmed that two batteries already in Europe would be deployed to Poland.
“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense and at the invitation of our Polish allies, General Wolters, Commander of U.S. European Command, has directed U.S. Army Europe and Africa to reposition two Patriot Batteries to Poland,” EUCOM spokesman Capt. Adam Miller said in a statement Tuesday. “This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to U.S. and Allied forces and NATO territory. This is a prudent force protection measure that underpins our commitment to Article Five and will in no way support any offensive operations. Every step we take is intended to deter aggression and reassure our Allies.”
The move came hours after the U.S. dismissed Poland’s offer to transfer all of its MiG-26 fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany to boost Ukraine’s fight against Russia, with Pentagon press secretary John Kirby saying in a statement Tuesday that “we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one.”
Poland is expecting delivery later this year of two Patriot batteries it had bought in 2018. The air defense systems are intended to shoot down incoming missiles, so their deployment to Poland means there are concerns about dealing with any incoming missile fire into the country, which shares a 330-mile border with Ukraine. It was unclear exactly where in Poland the Patriot batteries would be placed.
Mar 09, 8:40 am
Ukraine warns of radiation risk after power cut at Russia-occupied Chernobyl plant
Ukraine warned Wednesday that electricity has been entirely cut to its Chernobyl nuclear power plant and radioactive substance could be released because its storage facility cannot cool spent nuclear fuel.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 1,000-square-mile restricted area of deserted land surrounding the shuttered plant, was seized by Russian forces just hours after they launched their invasion on Feb. 24. The plant, situated between the Belarus-Ukraine border and the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.
Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection announced via Twitter on Wednesday that the “Kyiv high-voltage line is currently disconnected due to the damage caused by the occupiers.”
“As a result, the Chernobyl station and all nuclear facilities in the Exclusion Zone are without electricity,” the agency tweeted.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also confirmed the news on Twitter, saying the only electrical grid supplying Chernobyl and all its nuclear facilities occupied by Russian forces “is damaged,” causing a loss of power supply.
“I call on the international community to urgently demand Russia to cease fire and allow repair units to restore power supply,” Kuleba tweeted.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it “sees no critical impact on safety.” The nuclear watchdog of the United Nations tweeted that the “heat load of spent fuel storage pool and volume of cooling water” at Chernobyl is “sufficient for effective heat removal without need for electrical supply.”
Some 20,000 spent nuclear fuel assemblies are stored in Chernobyl’s storage facility and “need constant cooling,” which is only possible if there is electricity, according to Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection.
“If it is not there, the pumps will not cool. As a result, the temperature in the holding pools will increase,” the agency tweeted. “After that evaporation will occur, that will lead to nuclear discharge.”
Kuleba noted that reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power Chernobyl.
“After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent,” he tweeted. “Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately!”
Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection warned that “the wind can transfer the radioactive cloud” to other areas of Ukraine as well as Belarus, Russia and elsewhere in Europe. There is also no ventilation inside the Chernobyl storage facility.
“All personnel there will receive a dangerous dose of radiation,” the agency tweeted.
Meanwhile, the facility’s fire extinguishing system is not functioning and the agency warned of “a huge risk of fire caused by shelling.”
“The fight still goes on making it impossible to carry out repairs and restore power,” the agency tweeted.
Mar 09, 8:08 am
Russia responds to Poland offering fighter jets to help Ukraine
Russia warned Wednesday of “an extremely undesirable and potentially dangerous scenario” if other countries use their airfields to support Ukraine.
When asked by reporters during a daily press briefing to comment on Poland’s announcement Tuesday that it’s “ready” to “immediately” hand over all its MIG-29 fighter jets “free of charge” to a U.S. air base in Germany to boost Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The [Russian] Defense Ministry has already commented on the possibility of using any other airfields for takeoffs of military planes.”
“This is an extremely undesirable and potentially dangerous scenario,” he added.
Mar 09, 6:12 am
Over 2.15 million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR
More than 2.15 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency.
The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) amounts to nearly 5% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in just two weeks.
More than half of the refugees are in neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.
Mar 09, 5:19 am
Ukraine says humanitarian corridors confirmed with Russia, Red Cross for Wednesday
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said six humanitarian corridors have been agreed with Russian officials and confirmed with the International Committee of the Red Cross to operate during a temporary cease-fire Wednesday.
According to Vereshchuk, the evacuation routes for civilians are open from towns north of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, where there has been heavy fighting, as well as from the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol, where an evacuation failed yesterday. Another route goes from the town of Izium near hard-hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and another from the eastern city of Volnovakha, where civilians have been trying to evacuate for several days. Another route leads from northeastern city of Energodar, where shelling caused a fire at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant last week.
Vereshchuk said Russian officials had sent a letter to the Red Cross confirming the routes and a cease-fire for Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time. She called on Russia to keep to its commitment and not to violate the cease-fire, as she said it did in Mariupol and Volnovakha on Tuesday.
“We ask Russian forces to commit to their obligations and keep the ceasefire till 9 p.m. as agreed,” Vereshchuk said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Vereshchuk noted that an orphanage with 55 children and 26 staff also needs to be evacuated from Vorzel, a town just north of Kyiv.
“The evacuation of them will be done as a separate special operation,” she said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday that it has discussed the interaction on the Ukraine track with the Red Cross.
Mar 08, 9:59 pm
Biden calls family of US Marine detained by Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden called the parents of Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia for nearly three years and whose case has gotten renewed attention amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The president spoke to Joey and Paula Reed after an event in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, according to the White House.
On the call, the president reiterated his commitment to doing everything he can to bring their son home, to staying in close touch with them through his national security team and to finding a time to meet in person, the White House said.
A Reed family spokesperson also confirmed to ABC News that Biden called them to apologize for not being able to stop and meet them in person.
The family says they have been asking to meet with the president for several months to help free Reed, a Texan who they say has been denied treatment for suspected tuberculosis, and specifically asked to meet the president in Texas on Tuesday but were denied.
Reed and another former Marine, Paul Whelan, have spent years in Russian custody on charges that their families and American officials say were fabricated by Russia in order to seize them as bargaining chips.
