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‘High risk’ of armed conflict over Ukraine, Russian defense ministry warns

December 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(MOSCOW) — Russia’s deputy defense minister warned foreign ambassadors of a “high risk” of conflict between the country and its neighbor Ukraine — one day after President Vladimir Putin threatened “diverse” military and technical responses if the West doesn’t address his stated concerns.

These latest messages from Moscow are the kind that have had U.S. and other western officials on edge that Putin will launch an assault on Ukraine, even after President Joe Biden warned him doing so would bring massive penalties.

The Biden administration has repeatedly called for diplomacy with Russia to de-escalate tensions and end the war in Ukraine’s eastern provinces, nearly eight years after Russian troops armed separatist forces in a conflict that continues to simmer and claim lives.

But Russia’s demands for security guarantees, including that Ukraine be barred from joining NATO, have been called “unacceptable” by U.S. officials — possibly purposefully so, so that Russia can later claim to have given diplomacy a shot.

Russia has said it has no plans to invade but demanded the U.S., NATO, and Ukraine take seriously its concerns.

“We didn’t make the proposals just to see them blocked in terms of the diplomatic process, but for the purpose of reaching a negotiated diplomatic result that would be fixed in legally binding documents. We will aim at this,” Putin said Sunday.

His Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin blamed NATO again Monday for provoking conflict by sending warships and reconnaissance planes to back Ukraine. That echoes a statement last week by his boss, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who claimed Ukraine, with U.S. mercenary help, is preparing a chemical weapons attack.

“The alliance has recently switched to the practice of direct provocations accompanied by the high risk of turning into armed confrontation,” Fomin said during a meeting that included envoys from 14 NATO countries.

It’s the kind of false pretext for an invasion that U.S. officials and analysts have warned Russia may create to justify an invasion.

“Russia is ostensibly outraged by a crisis of their own making,” said Mick Mulroy, a senior Trump administration Pentagon official and ABC News national security analyst. “It was Russia that put around 175,000 troops on the border and threatened to invade again if its demands were not met — ‘Do what I ask, or I will attack and occupy a sovereign country against all international norms.'”

The estimated number of Russian troops near Ukraine have ranged from 60,000 to over 100,000, with one leaked U.S. intelligence document warning Russia could be prepared to swiftly deploy as many as 175,000. U.S. officials have cited those troop movements, along with Russian propaganda attacks on Ukraine, which they say have increased tenfold, and bellicose rhetoric as evidence of a possible invasion.

But diplomacy could stave off war. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to hold talks in January to address each side’s concerns, along with talks between NATO and Russia and meetings at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, according to U.S. officials. The OSCE, a key security forum, has deployed a war monitor in eastern Ukraine for years as the conflict has taken some 14,000 lives.

After coordinating a meeting between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-controlled separatists last week, the OSCE declared Thursday that both sides showed a “strong determination to fully adhere” to a July 2020 ceasefire agreement. The statement was heralded by Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the State Department, whose spokesperson said, “We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion.”

There has been no “resultant peace.” Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling that last for hours on Sunday. There had been five times more ceasefire violations this month than last December, according to the OSCE.

But there was some notable Russian troop movements, according to state-run Interfax news agency, which reported that more than 10,000 troops pulled back from near Ukraine’s borders after military drills. The Kremlin also said Monday that it made sense to engage NATO directly about its security concerns, in addition to the U.S.

Whether that is yet a sign for hope that war can be avoided is unclear. U.S. officials have said it’s still unknown whether Putin has decided to invade, with tens of thousands of troops still in the area, including in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia invaded and seized in 2014.

Holiday travel nightmare continues with COVID-related flight cancellations

December 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The omicron variant continues to wreak havoc on holiday travel from coast to coast.

Over the weekend, airlines reported more than 3,000 flight cancellations with at least one stop in the U.S, according to FlightAware, and the travel troubles don’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. As of 11:30 a.m. Monday morning, nearly 1,000 flights had already been canceled, and the number was steadily creeping up by the hour.

United, Delta, JetBlue, American and Alaska cited the recent COVID-19 surge as one of the reasons for the cancellations because it has left them with crew shortages. In an effort to avoid more disruptions, JetBlue and Alaska have even resorted to offering extra pay to healthy employees who can pick up additional shifts.

Winter weather in the western part of the country didn’t help — slamming airports in Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver. Those three airports accounted for more than 600 flight cancellations on Sunday alone.

“COVID delivered this disruption,” Spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association Capt. Dennis Tajer said. “And it just shows you how tight the buffer is in the airline business right now, where they’re trying to fly as many flights as possible with just a handful of folks. So this is a little bit of a, you can’t plan for something like this, but you certainly should have a little bit better of a buffer, especially in this important travel period where folks are trying to get to their families.”

A majority of the flight cancellations luckily landed on traditionally slow travel days — Christmas Eve and Christmas — but there are still an estimated 16.5 million more fliers before the end of the holiday travel rush, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

“Omicron places airlines in a very tough position,” aviation expert Henry Harteveldt told ABC News. “Still reeling from major financial losses in 2020, airlines don’t want to forfeit any opportunity to generate revenue and, possibly, profits. Plus, no airline wants to cancel fully booked flights at any time — especially at Christmas. Given the random nature of how omicron strikes people, it’s also impossible for airlines to know who will get sick.”

He says that for now there is no end in sight to the travel chaos.

“It’s impossible to predict an end date for the omicron-related cancellations,” Harteveldt said. “Unlike when an airline suffers a disruption caused by weather, this virus is random. The best way to estimate its impact on airlines and other industries is to look at the broader trend.”

Airlines for America, the group that lobbies on behalf of all major U.S. airlines, has been calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the quarantine time for fully vaccinated individuals in attempt to minimize disruptions from the omicron surge.

“The omicron surge may exacerbate personnel shortages and create significant disruptions to our workforce and operations,” Nick Calio, A4A’s CEO, said in a letter on Thursday to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

Calio proposed the isolation period to be shortened to five days from symptom onset for breakthrough infections.

“In turn, those individuals would be able to end isolation with an appropriate testing protocol,” Calio wrote.

The letter comes after Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways, both A4A members, also asked for isolation periods for fully vaccinated individuals to be shortened.

ABC News’ Joanne Aran and Erielle Reshef contributed to this report.

Five dead, officer injured in ‘killing spree’ across Denver, police say

December 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(DENVER) — A shooter allegedly went on a “killing spree” across the Denver area, killing four and wounding three, including a police officer, officials said on Monday.

The violence unfolded in Denver, with gunshots reported in at least four locations, and ended more than an hour later in neighboring Lakewood, where the suspect died, officials said. Authorities did not publicly identify the suspect.

“We believe that this individual was responsible for this very violent series of events that took place in the Denver metro area,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said in a press conference.

The incident began at about 5 p.m. on Monday in downtown Denver, where the suspect shot three people, Pazen said. Two women were killed and a man was injured, he said.

Police received a call moments later about a second shooting nearby, where one man was killed, Pazen said. Gunshots were then reported at a third location, but no injuries were reported, he said.

“Denver police officers identified a vehicle associated with this incident. There was a pursuit that ensued,” Pazen said. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the individual, the suspect, here, and our officers.”

There were no injuries in that exchange, Pazan said, but the suspect disabled a police vehicle and fled into neighboring Lakewood.

Lakewood Police then responded to a report of a shooting at about 6 p.m., said John Romero, the department’s public information office. One person was killed in that incident, he said.

Lakewood police then located the suspect’s vehicle at a shopping center, Romero said. The suspect shot at officers, before fleeing on foot to a nearby store and then a Hyatt Place hotel, he said. The suspect shot a clerk at the hotel, Romero said.

The suspect shot and injured a Lakewood officer while fleeing the hotel, Romero said. That officer was in surgery, Romero said during the press conference.

The suspect and officers then exchanged gun fire, and the suspect was shot and killed, Romero said.

“This is the holiday season. To have this type of spree take place is not normal for our community,” Pazen said. “We cannot lose sight of the victims in this, the people who are still fighting for their lives, including a Lakewood agent.”

An investigation is ongoing, officials said. Neither the FBI nor the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are currently involved in the investigation, spokespeople for each said.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

What the CDC’s latest COVID-19 quarantine recommendations mean for you

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Amidst growing pressure as COVID-19 cases surge across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now announced that it will shorten the recommended isolation time for asymptomatic people who test positive for COVID-19, and update guidance for people who have been exposed to the virus.

“The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on Monday.

The change in guidance is based on data which shows that “the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after,” according to the CDC.

Guidance for asymptomatic individuals differs greatly depending on one’s vaccination status.

Here’s what you need to know:

Anyone COVID-19 positive should quarantine for at least five days

Anyone, regardless of vaccination status, who tests positive for COVID-19 and is asymptomatic, should isolate themselves for at least five days, the CDC said.

If you continue to have no symptoms after five days, the CDC states that you may leave isolation if you “continue to mask for five days to minimize the risk of infecting others.”

However, if symptoms, such as a fever, are present, you should continue to stay home until your fever, or the other symptoms, resolve. If your symptoms resolve after five days, and you are without fever for 24 hours, the CDC said you are free to leave your house with a mask on.

According to the CDC, an isolation period of five days, followed by wearing a well-fitting mask around others, will minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others.

What to do if you are exposed to COVID-19, and unvaccinated or not boosted

If you are exposed and unvaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, the CDC now recommends that you quarantine for five days, followed by “strict mask use” for five days after your quarantine. This guidance also applies to people who are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose of the vaccine — or more than two months out from their Johnson & Johnson Vaccine — but not yet been boosted.

However, if a five-day quarantine is not feasible, the CDC said it is “imperative” that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times and when around others, for 10 days after exposure.

Fully vaccinated, but still not eligible for a booster

If you were fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine within the last six months, or you completed the primary series of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last two months, the CDC said you do not need to be quarantined after an exposure; however, you should still wear a mask for 10 days, following the exposure.

No need to quarantine if you are boosted and asymptomatic

If you have received your booster shot, you do not need to quarantine after an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days following the exposure.

If symptoms do occur, the CDC stressed that you should immediately quarantine, until a negative test confirms that the symptoms are not due to COVID-19.

All individuals who have been exposed are recommended to get a COVID-19 test around five days after exposure.

The CDC pointed people to preliminary data from South Africa and the United Kingdom, which demonstrates that vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine is approximately 35%, while a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose restored vaccine effectiveness against infection to 75%.

“These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: Get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission and take a test before you gather,” Walensky said.

COVID-19 live updates: CDC shortens recommended isolation period for some patients

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 816,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:
-Biden says ‘we have to do better’ on COVID testing shortages
-Fauci says vaccine requirement for US flights should be ‘considered’
-NYC administers 180,000 booster shots in less than a week
-4 cruise ships report COVID outbreaks
-Surge in omicron cases will ‘get worse,’ Fauci says

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

Dec 27, 4:37 pm
CDC shortens recommended isolation time for some infected patients

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday afternoon it will shorten the recommended isolation time for some people infected with COVID-19.

Patients who are asymptomatic will have to isolate for five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others, under the new guidance. Previously, the isolation period was 10 days for everyone.

Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure, the CDC said.

Dec 27, 4:37 pm
Much of Texas runs out of monoclonal antibody treatment

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Monday that centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and The Woodlands ran out of sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody effective against the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The federal government won’t be able to ship more supplies of the treatment until January, the department said.

Those centers will still be able to provide monoclonal treatment for any patient who hasn’t contracted the omicron variant, according to the department.

Dec 27, 2:30 pm
France to require employees to work from home 3 days a week

French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Véran announced a host of new measures Monday to combat the rising COVID-19 cases.

The country has recorded 30,383 cases in the last 24 hours, according to officials.

Starting Jan. 3, all companies will be required to have their employees work from home at least three days a week, when possible.

France will also limit large indoor gatherings 2,000 people and outdoor gatherings to 5,000.

Officials also announced a ban on eating and drinking in movie theaters and on public transportation. The new measures will be in effect for at least three weeks, officials said.

ABC News’ Ibtissem Guenfoud

Dec 27, 1:40 pm
Pediatric hospitalizations in US rising to highest levels since fall

Pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the U.S. are surging to their highest levels since early September.

Across the country, almost 2,000 children are hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus, according to federal data.

This is a roughly 60% from one month ago.

On average, about 260 children are being admitted to the hospital each day.

On a state level, more children are hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York than in any other state in the U.S.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Search for man who went missing at California ski resort continues amid avalanche warning

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Search and rescue crews are battling severe weather as they are hunting for a man last seen on Christmas Day at a California ski resort, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Rory Angelotta, 43, was reported missing to police around 10 p.m. on Dec. 25 after he failed to show up for Christmas dinner with friends, authorities said.

Police said Angelotta’s ski pass was last scanned at 11:30 a.m. that day at the Northstar Ski Resort in Truckee. An emergency ping from his cell phone was sent just five minutes before his pass was scanned, which showed him making a short call from the area before being turned off. His vehicle was also discovered by police parked in the Northstar parking lot, officials said.

Severe weather has hampered search and rescue efforts, according to the sheriff’s office. After being suspended Sunday night due to weather, the search continued Monday amid whiteout conditions.

To make matters more challenging, heavy snow has the area under an avalanche warning, according to the U.S. Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center, which officials said has limited the search to established areas of the resort and along the edges.

“The hope is that if the weather clears up today, searchers will be able to get to more of the remote areas he may have gone,” Mike Powers, a public information officer with the sheriff’s office, told ABC News.

The Avalanche Center said “large natural avalanches and human-triggered avalanches are expected” through Tuesday morning in the mountains.

Angelotta moved to the Truckee area from Colorado in October, according to the sheriff’s office, and was the general manager of the Surefoot ski shop at the Northstar Ski Resort. A post from Surefoot’s Instagram account described Angelotta as an “experienced backcountry skier.”

“We are hopeful that he has been able to hunker down and stay warm,” the shop wrote.

Northstar tweeted Monday that its mountains would be closed for the second day in a row, citing blizzard conditions and “a large overnight snowfall.”

California has seen an abundance of snow this month, with the U.C. Berkley Sierra Snow Lab reporting a record-breaking 193.7 inches in December on Monday, smashing the previous record of 179 inches set in 1970.

The lab reported heavy snow continuing into Monday. It’s possible that measurements could surpass 200 inches for the month by the end of the day.

The Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Nevada County Search and Rescue and Northstar Ski Patrol are working with the sheriff’s office to find Angelotta.

Anyone that has seen or spoken with Angelotta since Christmas Day can contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office at 530-886-5375. Police said he was believed to be wearing a navy blue Fly Low jacket, blue helmet and black goggles.

Santa Monica offering families displaced by historical construction projects priority in affordable housing

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The city of Santa Monica, California, will start offering priority placement for its coveted affordable housing program to families and their descendants who were displaced by urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 60s.

The new effort aims to repair some of the historical actions that predominantly hurt Black and brown communities, as aggressive construction projects and highway-building some 70 years ago resulted in hundreds of families being evicted from their homes in the southern California coastal city.

“The city of Santa Monica is eager to share the new affordable housing priority for historically displaced households with families who were displaced from Santa Monica in the 1950s,” Constance Farrell, the public information officer for the city of Santa Monica, told ABC News on Monday.

“We encourage our former residents and their descendants to learn more about the program and we look forward to working with you to access this new opportunity,” Farrell said.

The pilot program will provide priority in city-funded and inclusionary housing for up to 100 applicants from households (including their children or grandchildren) that were displaced by the development of the Civic Auditorium in the Belmar Triangle neighborhood or the construction of the I-10 Highway in the Pico neighborhood. Inclusionary housing refers to residential developments in which rents are capped at affordable levels for income-qualifying households, according to the city’s website.

Farrell said applications will open on Jan. 18, 2022, and further information on the application process can be found at the city’s website.

About 600 predominantly Black families in Santa Monica’s Pico neighborhood lost their homes due to freeway construction, The Los Angeles Times reported. Among them were the grandparents of Nichelle Monroe, who told the Los Angeles Times that the impact of this displacement is still painful and palpable for her family today.

“If you had something and you lost it due to eminent domain, due to racism, you’re thinking about it and it affects your every move thereafter,” Monroe told the local newspaper. “It’s almost like PTSD. It affects how you think of yourself in society, what you believe is possible in that society.”

City officials, meanwhile, told the outlet that they hope the program can be a model for the nation and that they hope other communities will follow suit.

The police-murder of George Floyd in 2020 has been linked to a national reckoning on the lingering impacts of decades of racially unjust policies in the U.S. — from Jim Crow laws to redlining — and how policymakers and beyond can offer repair for the historical wrongdoings.

In a high-profile case earlier this year, Los Angeles officials voted to return a stretch of beachfront land that was seized by the city from a Black family 97 years ago, to their descendants.

Prosecutor seeks reduced sentence for truck driver who got 110 years for fatal crash

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Prosecutors filed a motion earlier this month asking for a reduced sentence for Rogel Aguilera Mederos, the truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for a 2019 fatal crash on I-70, outside Denver, that killed four people and injured several others.

In a hearing on Monday morning, District Attorney Alexis King asked the court to reconsider Mederos’ original sentence and suggested a range of 20-30 years behind bars instead. The judge scheduled a hearing on Jan. 13, 2022 and requested more information from prosecutors and the defense, asking them to file additional memos by Jan. 10.

“You know this is an exceptional case and requires an exceptional process,” King said in brief remarks to the media following the hearing on Monday afternoon. “In finding its verdict, the jury recognized the extreme nature of the defendant’s conduct, which warrants a prison sentence. The defendant caused the death of four people, serious bodily injury to two others and the impact of his truck caused damage to many more in our community.”

Judge A. Bruce Jones, who was the judge in this case, questioned during the hearing whether he has jurisdiction to act based on the DA’s motion and said that if Mederos appeals or requests a new sentence through a separate motion, he may no longer have jurisdiction over this case.

Jones also questioned how re-sentencing could impact Mederos’ ability to file an appeal or his right to request a re-sentencing through what is known as Rule 35b. Following input from Mederos’ attorneys, who spoke during the hearing, Jones asked that the next hearing take place before Mederos’ time to appeal runs out.

The motion to reconsider the sentence comes after the case garnered national attention. A Change.org petition advocated for a commutation for Mederos, saying the crash was “not intentional.” Nearly 5 million people have signed the online petition.

Mederos’ attorney, James Colgan, told ABC News in a phone interview Monday that efforts to reconsider the sentence are “disingenuous.”

“I find it interesting that two weeks ago they were fine with 110 years and only now that public outcry has blown in their face do they not want 110 years,” Colgan said. “It’s just politics.”

Mederos was charged with 42 counts — the most serious of which was first-degree assault, a class-three felony, and was found guilty by a Jefferson County jury of 27 counts.

Police said Mederos was driving at least 85 mph before the crash on a stretch of the highway with a 45 mph speed limit for commercial vehicles.

After his brakes failed, Mederos drove past a runaway truck ramp and crashed into stopped traffic, police said.
Crash victims speak out amid push for governor to commute truck driver’s 110-year sentence

A runaway truck ramp is essentially an escape lane or exit that allows a vehicle that is experiencing brake problems to stop safely.

Prosecutors argued that after the brakes failed, Mederos intentionally passed the ramp — one of the reasons that some crash victims and families of those who died argued Mederos should serve time in prison.

Colgan told ABC News that Mederos’ defense team “never agreed with prosecutors that he intentionally avoided the ramp” during the trial.

“By the time he realized it was there, he was past it,” Colgan said, adding that Mederos was “under a lot of stress” as he attempted to get his truck into gear to attempt to brake.

Mederos, who was not intoxicated at the time, testified that after his brakes failed, he crashed into vehicles that had stopped on the highway due to backed up traffic.

Prosecutors sought the minimum penalties for each of the charges — the highest of which is 10 years, but the number of the charges and a law that says that some have to be served consecutively resulted in the lengthy sentence.

Jones, who was the judge in the case, said that he would not have chosen the lengthy sentence if he had the discretion.

The deadline for Mederos and his legal team to appeal is 49 days following sentencing, which would be Jan. 31, 2022. Mederos also has up to a year from the Dec. 13 sentencing to file a motion under Rule 35b for the judge to reconsider his sentence.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is considering an application of clemency for Mederos that asks for a commutation.

ABC News’ Michelle Mendez contributed to this report.

More than 2,700 flights canceled since Christmas Eve

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The end of the holiday weekend continued to be anything but merry for thousands of air travelers across the country.

There have been more than 2,000 flight cancellations since Christmas Eve as the recent COVID-19 surge has resulted in crew shortages and disrupted several airlines.

This came on the day after Christmas, which had been forecasted to be the third busiest air travel day for return flights.

As of 4:30 p. m. Sunday, 1,016 flights were canceled, according to FlightAware.

On Christmas Day, 997 flights were canceled and another 689 flights were canceled on Christmas Eve, FlightAware data showed.

There are already cancellations for the start of the week. FlightAware has noted 114 cancellations for Monday, with United Airlines reporting 49 cancellations.

Delta and JetBlue have called on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the quarantine period for vaccinated individuals to five days, to ease the crew shortage.

Passengers are urged to check with their airlines and airports for up-to-date information on their flights.

Despite the disruptions, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1,533,398 people at airport checkpoints nationwide on Christmas. This is the lowest number of travelers we’ve seen since Dec. 14.

The agency said between Dec. 20 and Dec. 25 it screened over 11,589,000 passengers. It expects 30 million people to take to the skies between Dec. 20 and New Year’s Day.

UK tabloid acknowledges legal loss to Duchess Meghan with front-page statement

December 27, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — After a failed appeal earlier this month, Britain’s The Mail on Sunday included a front-page notice on Dec. 26 to readers that it lost the legal battle over publishing parts of a handwritten letter Megan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, wrote in 2018 to her now-estranged father, Thomas Markle, in 2019.

“The Duchess of Sussex wins her legal case for copyright infringement against Associated Newspapers for articles published in The Mail on Sunday and posted on Mail Online – SEE PAGE 3,” read a line at the bottom of the front page of the newspaper.

At the top of the third page was a short piece giving more details regarding the duchess’ lawsuit with the tabloid.

“Following a hearing on 19-20 January, 2021, and a further hearing on 5 May, 2021, the Court has given judgment for the Duchess of Sussex on her claim for copyright infringement,” it read. “The Court found that Associated Newspapers infringed her copyright by publishing extracts of her handwritten letter to her father in The Mail on Sunday and on Mail Online.”

An additional line indicated this was just one part of the agreement handed down by the court in February and upheld in May. “Financial remedies have been agreed.”

The statement was also published on Mail Online the same day, with links to the court rulings included.

“This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right,” Meghan said in a statement after the latest appeal. “While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.”

Meghan now lives in California with her husband, Prince Harry, and their two children, son Archie and daughter Lilibet.

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