(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday said he expects the incoming Republican majority will give in to its “lowest common denominator” members by pursuing decisions like removing him from his committee assignments.
In an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” Schiff was asked by co-anchor Jonathon Karl about GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s promise to kick Schiff off the intelligence committee, to which Schiff responded that he thinks McCarthy will follow the lead of hardline lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
“Well, I suspect he will do whatever Marjorie Taylor Greene wants him to do. He’s a very weak leader of this conference, meaning that he will adhere to the wishes of the lowest common denominator, and if that lowest common denominator wants to remove people from committees, that’s what they’ll do,” Schiff said.
McCarthy has said that removing lawmakers like Schiff from their committee posts was a precedent set by Democrats when they and some Republicans voted to strip Greene of her committee work as punishment for her history of inflammatory and conspiratorial statements.
McCarthy has also claimed Schiff, who sits on the special House committee investigating last year’s insurrection, used his intelligence chairmanship to politicize his committee.
On “This Week,” Schiff took another view.
“It’s going to be chaos with Republican leadership. And, sadly, the crazy caucus has grown among the Republicans,” he added, noting that some newly elected Republicans representing deep-red districts are bringing firebrand reputations similar to Greene’s.
Karl also asked Schiff if he thought Attorney General Merrick Garland made the right decision by appointing a special prosecutor to oversee the Justice Department’s investigations into former President Donald Trump, who just launched a third presidential campaign.
The department is investigating both Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his alleged mishandling of sensitive and classified government documents after leaving office. He denies wrongdoing.
“It’s the right thing to do, and most particularly if you ensure that it won’t cause any delay,” Schiff said. “So, if the same prosecutors that have been investigating the former president and others can be moved on to the special prosecutor’s team, then there’s every reason to do it, no reason not to do it.”
Schiff’s “concern,” he said, was on the urgency of the work.
“Leading up to this point … they were very slow at the department to work up the multiple lines of effort to overturn the election. It took them a long time to get started, and the delay has already been baked in. I hope that the special prosecutor will move with alacrity,” he said.
During the final weeks of the House Jan. 6 committee’s work before the Republican majority takes over, Schiff said he and the other committee members were weighing what kind of criminal referral to make about Trump’s actions — “I think the evidence is there,” he said — and what response to make to Trump resisting their subpoena.
“We have very limited options,” Schiff said while calling Trump “cowardly.”
Schiff also lambasted Elon Musk’s decision to let Trump back onto Twitter after the former president’s account was suspended after the insurrection.
“It’s a terrible mistake, Schiff said. “The president used that platform to incite that attack on the Capitol.”
Likewise, Schiff said he disagreed with the Biden administration’s decision to back a claim of legal immunity for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in connection with the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a U.S. resident.
“We ought to put our value on life not oil, and I think this is a tragic decision,” Schiff said.
As for 2024 and the next presidential race, Schiff said he was backing Joe Biden, who just turned 80, should Biden run for a second term: “I think he’s extremely capable … If he wants to continue, I’m for him.”
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — Five people were killed and dozens others were injured in a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado, officials said.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, allegedly began shooting as soon as he walked into Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez told reporters during a news conference Sunday morning.
At least two people, whom authorities described as heroes, then confronted Aldrich and fought with him, which saved more lives, police said.
The first 911 call came in at 11:56 p.m. Saturday and an officer was dispatched to the scene seconds later, Lt. Pamela Castro, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department, told reporters. The first officer arrived at midnight, and the suspect was detained by 12:02 a.m., Castro said.
At least two guns, including a long gun, were recovered from the scene, police said. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
In addition to the five victims who died, at least 25 people were injured, according to Colorado Springs city officials.
Aldrich was injured and remains in the hospital, police said. His release will be determined by medical personnel, Castro said.
UCHealth Memorial Hospital North in Colorado Springs is caring for five patients who were injured in the shooting, according to a statement from the hospital.
Patients were also taken to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central and Centura Penrose Hospital, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
Officials are in the process of identifying the victims, Vasquez said.
Club Q, on North Academy Boulevard, hosts a weekly drag show and live DJ on Saturday nights, according to its website. The club described the shooting as a “hate attack,” saying it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.”
The club is a safe haven for the LGBTQ community, Vasquez said, adding that he is saddened and heartbroken by the attack that took place there.
Aldrich was arrested in a June 2021 bomb threat incident after the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office was alerted that he was in possession of a homemade bomb, law enforcement officers briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
He was charged with two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, but no explosives were found in his home, Colorado Springs radio station KRDO reported.
Colorado’s red flag law, which went into effect in 2020, allows relatives, household members and law enforcement to ask a judge to order the seizure of a gun owner’s weapons if that owner is believed to be a risk to themself or others.
It is unclear whether the law would have stopped the suspect from targeting the club, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder told ABC News.
Elder did not recall the circumstances surrounding Aldrich’s 2021 arrest, he said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted in response to the attack that he is “horrific, sickened, and devastated.”
“My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured and traumatized in this terrible shooting,” he said, before thanking the first responders who “responded swiftly” to the shooting.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends,” the club said in a statement posted on Facebook. “We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
President Joe Biden issued a statement in the wake of the shooting, saying that “the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years,” drawing comparisons to the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando.
“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often,” Biden said. “We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate.”
Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper described the shooting as “horrendous,” tweeting that the LGBTQ community needs to be protected from “this hate.”
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet tweeted that he was “sending strength to those who were injured, the survivors, and Colorado’s LGBTQ community.”
“As we seek justice for this unimaginable act, we must do more to protect the LGBTQ community and stand firm against discrimination and hate in every form,” Bennett said.
“Our hearts are broken for the victims of the horrific tragedy in Colorado Springs, and their loved ones.” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement Sunday. “This unspeakable attack has robbed countless people of their friends and family and an entire community’s sense of safety. You can draw a straight line from the false and vile rhetoric about LGBTQ people spread by extremists and amplified across social media, to the nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year, to the dozens of attacks on our community like this one.”
Other politicians also took to Twitter to express dismay over the attack. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted that he was “sickened and horrified” over the violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
“And devastating attacks like these will only become more common if we don’t fight back, Schiff wrote. “It must stop.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., tweeted that he was “deeply saddened and angered” but the senseless hate.
“We cannot, and will not, allow hate and violence to win,” Nadler wrote.
ABC News’ Jenna Harrison, Ahmad Hemingway, Josh Margolin, Amanda Morris, Bonnie McLean, Molly Nagle and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A man was arrested Saturday for allegedly making threats against the New York City Jewish community, authorities said.
The 21-year-old man from Suffolk County, New York, made a series of increasingly concerning statements about attacking a synagogue in New York City, according to police sources.
The threat, which was uncovered Friday by NYPD counterterrorism officers and FBI agents, did not involve a specific synagogue, police said.
An intelligence alert was issued that included a photo of the man, identified as Christopher Brown, and stated that the individual had allegedly “made recent threats to unknown Jewish Synagogues in the New York Area.”
“Sharp-eyed” MTA police officers spotted the man entering Penn Station in Manhattan with another individual on Saturday, where he was found with a knife, according to NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
A subsequent search of an apartment where the suspect visited turned up an illegal Glock 17 firearm, sources said.
A 30-round magazine and several other items were seized in the search, police said.
Today, we’re extremely grateful to NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners who uncovered and stopped a threat to our Jewish community. This morning’s arrests in Penn Station and weapon seizures are proof of their vigilance & collaboration that keeps New Yorkers safe. pic.twitter.com/p7ptKPgBSj
“As a joint investigation now continues to establish a strong prosecution, Police Department commanders are strategically deploying assets at sensitive locations throughout New York City,” Sewell said.
Brown, of Aquebogue, New York, has been charged with making a terroristic threat, aggravated harassment and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.
A second man, identified as 22-year-old Matthew Mahrer of Manhattan, has also been charged with criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the incident, police said.
Federal prosecutors are still considering additional charges, sources said.
It is unclear if the two men have an attorney who can speak on their behalf.
The arrests come more than two weeks after the FBI announced the “broad threat” to New Jersey synagogues on Twitter and urged people to “stay alert” and “take all security precautions.”
The FBI later said it identified the source of the threat made against an unspecified New Jersey-area synagogue. Once the young man was located, authorities realized there was no threat, sources said.
An 18-year-old man from Sayreville, New Jersey, was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce, the Justice Department said.
(NEW YORK) — More than six months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose forces began an offensive in August, has vowed to take back all Russian-occupied territory. But Putin in September announced a mobilization of reservists, which is expected to call up as many as 300,000 additional troops.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Nov 19, 12:49 PM EST
US warns Russia’s eroding situation could lead to ‘more nuclear saber-rattling’
Russia’s eroding situation could lead Russian President Vladimir Putin to “more nuclear saber-rattling,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Saturday.
“The ripples of Russia’s invasion has traveled far beyond Europe. Beijing, like Moscow, seeks a world where autocrats can stamp out the flame of freedom,” Austin said while addressing the Halifax International Security Forum.
Austin said the deadly explosion in Poland this week was the result of the “recklessness of Putin’s war of choice.”
“Russia’s invasion offers a preview of a possible world of tyranny and turmoil that none of us would want to live in. And it’s an invitation to an increasingly insecure world haunted by the shadow of nuclear proliferation,” Austin said.
He went on, “Putin’s fellow autocrats are watching and they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation.”
Nov 18, 2:36 PM EST
Trace of explosives found at Nord Stream pipelines, Swedish prosecutors say
An investigation into the cause of a leak from the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea revealed “extensive damage” and several “foreign items,” some with detectable “explosive residue,” the Swedish Security Service and a prosecutor said Friday.
“The advanced analysis work is still in progress – the aim is to draw more definitive conclusions about the Nord Stream incidents. The investigation is extensive and complex and will eventually show whether anyone can be suspected of, and later prosecuted for this,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist and the Swedish Security Service said in a statement.
Several blasts near the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines on Sept. 26 caused leaks. Officials are still investigating the cause of the blasts. Major pipelines which supply natural gas from Russia to Europe, were shut off in September. While they were not in use at the time of the blast, the pipelines were filled with natural gas.
Nov 17, 1:53 PM EST
Russian strike on Ukraine’s Dnipro leaves 23 injured
A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has left 23 people injured, 15 of whom are in hospital. One person is in grave condition, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Local officials earlier said the strike had left at least 14 people dead.
Air raid sirens went off in several Ukrainian cities including Odessa and Zaporizhzhia. Officials said four missiles were shot down in Kyiv.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Joe Simonetti and James Longman
Nov 17, 1:23 PM EST
Polish officials grant Ukrainian investigators access to site of missile explosion
Polish authorities have granted Ukrainian investigators access to site of the missile explosion, as an investigation into the origin of the missile continues, according to Jakub Kumoch, an aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who denies that the missile originated from Ukrainian air defense, has been requesting access to the site.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Nov 17, 12:57 PM EST
Ukrainian officials refute US estimates on number of killed, injured soldiers
Top Ukrainian security officials are refuting U.S. estimates of how many Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war. Last week, the U.S. chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, said around 100,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or injured.
Ukrainian officials are now saying that figure is “not entirely true.”
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s secretary of National Security and Defense Council, said the casualty figures are “definitely not those.”
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Nov 17, 11:35 AM EST
Biden says Zelenskyy’s statements on Poland missile incident are ‘not evidence’
President Joe Biden was asked by reporters Thursday what his reaction was to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denying that the missile that landed in Poland was Ukrainian.
“That’s not the evidence,” Biden responded.
On Wednesday, the White House told reporters it had “seen nothing” to contradict the assessment that the explosion in Poland was likely caused by a Ukrainian defense missile.
“We will continue to assess and share any new information transparently as it becomes available. We will also continue to stay in close touch with the Ukrainians regarding any information they have to fill out the picture,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Lauren Minore
Nov 16, 3:00 PM EST
Zelenskyy disputes claim that missile blast in Poland was fired by Ukraine’s air-defense system
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed back Wednesday against claims that a Ukrainian defense missile landed in Polish territory on Tuesday, killing two.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that the Russian-made missile likely came from Ukraine’s air-defense system.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he backs Duda’s assertion.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Matt Seyler and Tom Soufi Burridge
Nov 16, 12:48 PM EST
Ukrainian air defense missile likely caused deadly blast in Poland: US official
The U.S. believes that the missile strike was likely due to a Ukrainian air defense missile, according to a U.S. official. The missile strike killed two Polish civilians.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Nov 16, 9:08 AM EST
CIA director met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv after meeting Russian counterpart
CIA Director Bill Burns traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, following a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Turkey, according to a U.S. official.
Burns was in the Ukrainian capital during Tuesday’s widespread Russian missile strikes.
“He is safe and was safely in the U.S. embassy during the strikes,” the official said.
While in Kyiv, the official said, Burns “discussed the U.S. warning he delivered to the head of Russia’s SVR not to use nuclear weapons and reinforced the U.S. commitment to provide support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”
Nov 16, 7:27 AM EST
Polish police share photo of large crater from missile
Poland’s national police force posted an image on Twitter on Wednesday purportedly showing the site of Tuesday’s missile blast, which left two people dead.
The photo showed authorities collecting evidence from a large crater in the ground, alongside debris and a destroyed vehicle.
The Polish Police said in the tweet that its “officers have been securing the area” since the blast happened in the southeastern village of Przewodow, which is close to the border with Ukraine. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that the projectile was “probably a Russian-made S-300 missile” and, so far, appeared to be an “unfortunate accident.”
W #Przewodów, gdzie doszło do wybuchu policjanci od początku zdarzenia zabezpieczają teren. Policyjni eksperci m. in. z @CBSPolicji, #CLKP, Biura Kryminalnego @PolskaPolicja wspólnie z innymi służbami szczegółowo wyjaśniają okoliczności zdarzenia i zabezpieczają dowody. pic.twitter.com/ohBP0rT4u7
Nov 16, 7:10 AM EST
Kremlin notes ‘reserved and far more professional reaction’ from US to missile incident
Russia on Wednesday noted the “reserved and far more professional reaction” of the United States compared with other countries following Tuesday’s missile blast that killed two people in Poland.
“In this case, one should take note of the reserved and far more professional reaction of the American side and the American president,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing in Moscow.
Peskov said the U.S. government’s reaction “stood in contrast to the absolutely hysterical reaction of the Polish side and a whole number of other countries.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that it’s “unlikely” the missile was fired from Russia but that he and other leaders of the G-7 and NATO would support Poland’s investigation into what happened. Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that the projectile was “probably a Russian-made S-300 missile” but that, so far, it appeared to be an “unfortunate accident.”
Nov 15, 9:18 PM EST
Biden says it’s ‘unlikely’ missile that hit in Poland was fired from Russia
Following his meeting with leaders of the G-7 and NATO on Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Tuesday night that it’s “unlikely” the missile that hit Poland was fired from Russia, but that the group would support the investigation into what happened.
When asked if it’s too early to say whether the missile was fired by Russia, Biden responded: “There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that till we completely investigate, but it’s unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we will see.”
“I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened,” Biden said, and then determine the next steps, adding that there was “total unanimity” among leaders today on this decision.
The president added that recent Russian missile attacks were also a point of discussion this morning.
“They have been totally unconscionable, what they are doing, totally unconscionable,” he said.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Nov 15, 7:47 PM EST
Polish president says rocket may have been Russian-made; investigation underway
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday night that a rocket that landed near the Polish-Ukrainian border, killing two Polish citizens, may have been Russian-made. Though he said that there is no conclusive evidence at this time of who launched the missile and that an investigation is underway.
Duda said he has also spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Joe Biden.
Stoltenberg said earlier that NATO is monitoring the situation.
Nov 15, 6:41 PM EST
Biden speaks with Polish president, offers ‘full US support’
President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Polish President Andrzej Duda and “expressed deep condolences for the loss of life in Eastern Poland,” according to the White House.
Biden “offered full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation” and the two agreed “they and their teams should remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds,” the White House said.
Polish officials confirmed that two Polish citizens were killed in an explosion Tuesday in the area of Hrubieszów. They were the owner of a granary that was stuck and a tractor driver who was transferring corn to the facility, according to local officials.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Tomek Rolski
Nov 15, 5:21 PM EST
Biden administration asks Congress for $37.7B for Ukraine
The White House said Tuesday it has asked Congress for $37.7 billion in additional funding for Ukraine.
The funding would include defense support and humanitarian assistance and be for the rest of the current fiscal year, which runs until Sep. 30, 2023, according to the White House.
“Together, with strong, bipartisan support in the Congress, we have provided significant assistance that has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield — and we cannot let that support run dry,” Shalanda Young, the head of the White House budget office, said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday on the funding request.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Nov 15, 4:47 PM EST
State Department investigating reported strike in Poland, will determine ‘appropriate next steps’
State Department officials are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the reported strike in Poland, Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
Calling the reports “incredibly concerning,” Patel said they were in close communication with the Polish government and other NATO allies to “gather more information.”
“We can’t confirm the reports or any of the details at this time. But I can assure you we will determine what happened and what appropriate next steps would be,” he said during a briefing Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan has spoken with Chief of the National Security Bureau of Poland Jacek Siewiera, according to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
“We’ve seen the reports out of Poland and are working with the Polish government to gather more information,” Watson said in a statement, also adding that the White House cannot confirm the reports or any details at this time.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the reports and will be speaking with Polish President Andrzej Duda “shortly,” the White House said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford and Ben Gittleson
Nov 15, 1:52 PM EST
Polish PM calls urgent meeting amid unconfirmed reports of rockets landing in Poland
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called a meeting of the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs amid unconfirmed reports that the NATO ally was hit with stray Russian missiles.
According to Polish media, two stray Russian rockets landed in Polish territory killing two people. The rockets reportedly landed in the Polish town of Przewodów, near the border with Ukraine. These reports have not yet been independently confirmed by ABC News.
-ABC News Tom Soufi Burridge and Will Gretsky
Nov 15, 11:48 AM EST
Lviv loses 80% of electricity, heating and hot water stopped, mayor says
After Russia hit critical infrastructure in the Lviv region, the area lost 80% of its electricity supply. The city’s heating and hot water supply has also stopped and there are mobile service interruptions, according to Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv.
Sadovyi warned residents to stay in shelters.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Nov 15, 11:45 AM EST
Zelenskyy lays out ‘peace formula’ to ‘G-19,’ which Lavrov calls ‘unrealistic’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday demanded that Russia end its invasion and reiterated that the territorial integrity of his country is not up for negotiation.
Appearing via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskyy addressed the leaders of the Group of 20 at a summit in Bali as the “dear G-19” — an apparent snub to Russia, whose foreign minister was attending the event.
“Apparently, one cannot trust Russia’s words and there will be no Minsk 3, which Russia would violate immediately after signing,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the Minsk 1 and 2 agreements signed in 2014 and 2015, respectively, which aimed to bring an end to fighting at that time. Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 before using Kremlin-backed proxies to seize territory in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
“I want this aggressive Russian war to end justly and on the basis of the U.N. charter and international law,” he added. “Ukraine should not be offered to conclude compromises with its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence. We respect the rules and we are people of our word.”
The Ukrainian president called on the United Nations to dispatch a mission to assess the damages to his country’s energy infrastructure from Russian missile strikes. He said Russian forces should also withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Ukraine and in Europe — so that the International Atomic Energy Agency — the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog — can take control of the site together with Ukrainian officials.
In addition, Zelenskyy said his country needs a framework that guarantees the long-term security of his country and he called again for a special tribunal to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. He called this series of proposals Ukraine’s “peace formula” and all of them, he said, must be achieved before there is an end to the ongoing war.
“If Russia wants to end this war, let it show it with actions,” Zelenskyy said. “We will not allow Russia to wait us out, to grow its forces and then start a new series of terror and global destabilization. I am sure that it is necessary and possible to stop this destructive Russian war now.”
In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was attending the G-20 summit in Bali, called Zelensky’s demands “unrealistic.”
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge and Patrick Reevell
Nov 15, 10:11 AM EST
Strikes on Kyiv part of Russian strikes across Ukraine
There are reports of Russian strikes in several regions throughout Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to G-20 leaders.
The head of the regional administration in Kharkiv confirmed strikes in that region. Ukrainian media reported that people in the Zhytomyr region are without power after strikes.
There are also unconfirmed reports of explosions in the Lviv region, Rivne and Kryvyi Rih.
-ABC News’ Tom Burridge
Nov 15, 9:22 AM EST
Kyiv hit with a series of missile strikes
There have been a series of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, with the city’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitchko, saying two residential buildings have been hit and several missiles were shot down by air defense.
So far there are no details on casualties; however, unverified videos circulating show an apartment block engulfed in flames.
Nov 14, 3:17 PM EST
International Atomic Energy Agency to dispatch security missions to 3 nuclear plants
The International Atomic Energy Agency will send security missions to three nuclear plants in Ukraine, the agency announced Monday.
Safety and security experts will be dispatched to the South Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne Nuclear power plants following a request from Ukraine, the IAEA said in a statement. A security mission will also be conducted at the Chernobyl site, said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The IAEA already has a team of experts continuously present at the country’s largest such facility, the Zaporizhzhya plant, and has been carrying out safety measures and checks at three other locations in Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian government following allegations by the Russian Federation about activities there, according to the agency.
“From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the IAEA has been doing everything it can to prevent a nuclear accident with potentially serious consequences for public health and the environment,” Grossi said. “We have delivered nuclear safety and security equipment, produced impartial assessments of the situation, and provided technical expertise and advice.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretzky
Nov 14, 3:06 PM EST
UN General Assembly calls on Russia to pay reparations
The United Nations General Assembly has approved its fifth resolution this year that supports Ukraine and rebukes Russia, declaring that Moscow should pay for damages caused by its invasion.
The resolution, which 94 countries voted in favor of, calls for the creation of “an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury” resulting from the war.
The resolution was co-sponsored by Canada, Guatemala, Netherlands and Ukraine. China was among the 14 countries that voted against it. There were 73 absentations.
While not legally binding, General Assembly resolutions have been viewed by Western powers as a powerful messaging tool through the conflict, communicating worldwide opposition to Russia’s invasion.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Nov 14, 1:21 PM EST
US citizen among prisoners freed in liberated Kherson
A U.S. citizen has been freed from prison in Kherson, the southern city that Russia had occupied for about eight months, according to a member of Ukraine’s parliament.
Swede Merekezi was arrested in Kherson in July and had not been in contact with officials for “a long time,” Ukraine parliament member Alexandr Kovaliov said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday.
Merekezi was in Ukraine to defend “our country’s independence” and will be heading home on Monday, Kovaliov said.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said they are aware of unconfirmed reports but declined to comment further due to privacy concerns.
“This once again proves the cohesion and hard work of our team,” Kovaliov said.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford and Will Gretsky
Nov 14, 6:31 AM EST
Zelenskyy visits Kherson after liberation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Monday visited Kherson, the southern city that Russia had occupied for about eight months.
He handed out awards and was seen speaking to soldiers and civilians. Video footage showed Zelenskyy waving to residents who waved at him from an apartment window and yelled, “Glory to Ukraine!”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the visit, other than to say that it was Russian territory.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Nov 13, 1:36 PM EST
Ukrainians celebrate Kherson liberation
Russian forces completed their retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday. Now, Ukrainians are celebrating the liberation.
Nov 12, 2:45 PM EST
Banksy mural unveiled in Ukraine
Renowned street artist Banksy debuted a new work in a war-torn Ukrainian town in the Kyiv region.
The anonymous British artist posted photos of a mural to Instagram on Friday in Borodyanka, which was liberated from Russian forces in April.
The piece, which depicts a young girl doing a handstand on a pile of concrete rubble, was painted onto the wall of a building destroyed by shelling.
Fans were taking photos of the work, as well as several others presumed to be by the artist, in the region on Saturday.
Nov 11, 3:15 PM EST
Satellite images show damage to bridge near Kherson
New satellite images from Maxar, a Colorado space technology company, show massive damage to Kherson’s Antonovskiy Bridge and other structures after the Russian withdrawal across the Dnipro River.
The bridge is the main way to cross over the Dnipro River near the city of Kherson.
Photos show several sections of the key bridge have been completely destroyed.
ABC News’ Stephen Wood
Nov 11, 10:54 AM EST
Russians leave Kherson Oblast, not just the city
Russian forces have retreated not just from the city of Kherson, but the rest of Kherson province that surrounds the city and lies north of the Dnipro River.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its 30,000 troops have now crossed to the other bank of the river, a figure that is in line with how many forces U.S. officials had estimated were in Kherson.
Russians claimed they are continuing to shell areas around Kherson that they’ve just left, which could be a concern for Ukrainian troops who will be in the range of Russian artillery fire while in the city.
Russia also claimed that fire damage is being inflicted on the accumulations of manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Nov 11, 10:06 AM EST
Russia says withdrawal from Kherson complete
Russian forces have completed their retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, saying the last of its troops crossed over to the other side of the Dnipro river.
In a statement carried by Russia’s state news agencies, the ministry said the withdrawal was completed at 5 a.m. Moscow time on Friday.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Nov 10, 3:53 PM EST
Pentagon announces $400M in aid to Ukraine
The Pentagon announced a new $400 million defense package for Ukraine on Thursday.
The new aid will include four short-range Avenger air defense systems, which is a first for the packages approved for the war in Ukraine. It will also include more missiles for HAWK air defense systems, more anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, HIMARS ammunition, precision-guided artillery rounds and Humvees.
The Ukrainians will need some training on the Avengers, according to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh, who did not give an estimate on when the systems might arrive and be ready to use.
With this latest drawdown, the U.S. has now committed more than $18.6 billion for the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Nov 10, 11:51 AM EST
US estimates 100,000 Russians killed or wounded in Ukraine
A new U.S. assessment estimates 100,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine, according to Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The U.S. last gave an estimate in early August that the number of Russians killed and wounded was between 70,000 and 80,000.
“There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering, you’re looking at maybe 15, 20, 30 million refugees, probably 40,000 Ukrainian innocent people who are civilians have been killed as collateral damage,” said Milley.
He added, “You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”
He pointed out that Russia invaded Ukraine with a force of 170,000 troops.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Nov 09, 12:54 PM EST
Oligarch close to Putin says Russian troop retreat was necessary
Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who runs the private military company Wagner, said Wednesday that Russia’s retreat from the key Ukrainian city of Kherson was painful but necessary.
Prigozhin, nicknamed “Putin’s Chef” due to his restaurant and catering businesses, said Russian troops had to withdraw from Kherson because they were nearly surrounded by Ukrainian forces and cut off from supply lines.
“Neither I, nor Wagner abandoned Kherson,” Pigozhin said. “Without question, it is not a victorious step in this war, but it’s important not to agonize, nor to fall into paranoia, but to make conclusions and work on mistakes.”
He praised Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin for making the decision to withdraw Russian troops and saving the lives of thousands of soldiers.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Nov 09, 11:32 AM EST
Russian troops retreat from key Ukrainian city
Russia’s defense minister and top commander in Ukraine announced Wednesday that Russian troops will pull back from the key city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Defense minister Sergey Shoigu said he accepted a proposal from Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin to order Russian forces to retreat to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, in effect abandoning the city of Kherson.
Surovikin said it was a “very difficult decision” and justified it as necessary to save the lives of Russian soldiers and to preserve their capacity for future operations.
“Besides that, it frees up part of the forces and resources, which will be employed for active actions, including offensive, in other directions,” Surovikin said in the televised meeting with Shoigu.
Kherson is the only regional capital the Russians have occupied since 2014. The city and the surrounding area act as a gateway to Crimea Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Nov 09, 3:21 AM EST
White House denounces Griner transfer to penal colony
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star detained in Russia, has been transferred to a penal colony, a move decried by White House officials.
“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement early Wednesday. “As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony.”
Griner’s lawyers said in a statement that she was transferred on Nov. 4 from a detention center in Iksha. She’s now on her way to a penal colony in an undisclosed location.
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” the lawyers, Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement. “In accordance with the standard Russian procedure the attorneys, as well as the U.S. Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination.”
The White House said it had made a “significant offer” to Russian officials to “resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”
“In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
She added, “The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia — including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.”
ABC News’ Cindy Smith, Ahmad Hemingway and Tanya Stukalova
(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — The University of Virginia will host a public memorial service on Saturday to honor the three football players killed in a mass shooting earlier this week on the Charlottesville campus.
Lavel Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler, both wide receivers on the team, and linebacker D’Sean Perry were killed on Sunday when a gunman opened fire on a bus full of students returning home from a class field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C., university officials said. Two other students — Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan — were injured, the school said.
A suspect — identified as 22-year-old UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former walk-on player for the team — was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt. A motive hasn’t been released.
The UVA football team was scheduled to play its final home game of the season on Saturday against Coastal Carolina University. The school announced the game will be canceled to instead host a memorial service as the community mourns the victims of the shooting.
The memorial service is scheduled to be held in the John Paul Jones arena at 3:30 p.m. local time and will also be livestreamed here.
“There’s nothing normal about what we’re going through as a community,” UVA President Jim Ryan said in a video message this week. “I hope you are taking care of yourselves, taking it easy on yourselves, and leaning on each other.”
Ryan said the football team’s decision to cancel the game was supported by the head football coach and the university’s athletic director.
“I’m ready for somebody to pinch me and wake me up and say that this didn’t happen,” the head football coach, Tony Elliott, said at a news conference earlier this week.
Elliott called the slain players three “beautiful, young, human beings” with “unbelievable” futures ahead of them.
The memorial service follows a silent vigil held at the campus on Monday night that was attended by hundreds.
In other tributes, members of UVA’s basketball team warmed up on Friday for a game against Baylor in Las Vegas while wearing shirts in memory of the three students.
A memorial decal honoring Chandler, Davis and Perry has also been worn on the helmets of college football players this weekend, including during Saturday’s Duke-Pittsburgh game.
The suspected gunman is facing three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to University of Virginia Police Chief Timothy Longo. Jones also faces two counts of malicious wounding and firearm charges in connection to the two other students, Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Hingeley said.
Jones did not enter a plea at his first court appearance Wednesday. He is set to return to court on Dec. 8.
Amid the criminal investigation, Ryan said the school will conduct an external review of its interactions with the suspect to consider whether “we did all we could to prevent or avoid this tragedy.”
“This will likely take a while, but we will share — and act upon — what we ultimately learn,” he said in the message. “It’s possible, and perhaps likely, that we will never find one single thing that will explain this. It may also be that we never truly understand why this happened.”
(LAS VEGAS) — As the Republican Party continues to reel from its disappointing midterms showing, prominent conservatives are participating in this weekend’s Republican Jewish Coalition’s leadership meeting.
The annual meeting in Las Vegas is a popular stop for party figures looking to connect with a key voting bloc. With midterms in the rearview mirror and focus shifting to 2024, a host of potential Republican presidential candidates will take the stage this weekend.
Former President Donald Trump, who announced his 2024 candidacy this week, will give virtual remarks on Saturday.
On Friday, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined their visions for the party.
Despite underperforming in key battleground states during the midterm elections, Pence celebrated Republicans winning majority control of the House and the end of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership.
“Thank you for all you did to ensure Republican victories across this country and thank you for electing a new Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives and ending the speakership of Nancy Pelosi,” Pence said.
House Republicans are already moving full steam ahead with investigations into the Biden administration and his family. This week, Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and James Comer of Kentucky pledged to “pursue all avenues” of wrongdoing and called probes into the president’s family a “top priority.”
Pence said congressional oversight had a “critical role” but also urged the party to create an “optimistic” agenda in time for the 2024 cycle.
“It’s important to make the argument against the administration’s policies in public debate,” he continued. “I truly do believe that to win the future, we as Republicans and our elected leaders must do more than criticize and complain. We must unite our party around a bold optimistic agenda that offers a clear choice and lays a lasting foundation for victory in 2024 and beyond.”
Pence largely avoided any direct criticism of Trump in his remarks.
Pompeo, meanwhile, made an effort to separate himself from Trump. He referred to a Washington Post headline that declared he was one of Trump’s most loyal cabinet members.
“I did everything that I could to be loyal to the oath I took when I raised my right hand. It was for the country,” he said. “It wasn’t loyalty to a person, a party or faction, it was to you and the promise we had made to the United States of America.”
Pompeo was also not shy about teasing a possible run in 2024, alluding to a future presidential debate with Pence.
“Who knows, the next time we’re together, we might be on stage with multiple podiums,” he said.
Addressing the GOP’s midterm underperformance, Pompeo said he wished Republicans had “done better” at the polls.
“Personality and celebrities aren’t going to get it done. We can see that,” he said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan took the toughest tone on Friday, saying what should have been a red wave “was barely a ripple.”
Other attendees slated to speak at the annual meeting are former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
(NEW YORK) — Americans will soon be gathering for Thanksgiving, celebrating the holiday semi-normally for the first time in more than two years.
However, it comes at a time when respiratory viruses are surging across the United States. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have risen from 14,824 the week ending Oct. 29 to 16,512 the week ending Nov. 5.
Similarly, the CDC estimates that cases of influenza increased by 1.6 million cases last week, now totaling over 4.4 million this season.
Additionally, although COVID-19 infections have plateaued in recent months, CDC data shows that transmission rates in previous years picked up around late November.
As families gather, they may wonder if they should make sure they test negative beforehand, mask while with their loved ones, invite unvaccinated family members — or even gather at all?
ABC News spoke to public health experts who offered advice on how to have as safe of a holiday celebration as possible.
“We want to keep you safe during this holiday time period, if it’s RSV, if it’s flu, if it’s COVID,” Dr. Rebecca Weintraub, a physician and assistant professor in the department of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News. “All of the routine viruses are showing their muscle this season. They are ready and prepared, and we need to be just as prepared so that we can gather as much as possible in person with our loved ones.”
Make sure you’re up to date on your vaccines
The experts recommend before gathering being up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots.
For Americans aged 5 and older, they can receive the bivalent booster, which protects against BA.4 and BA.5, subvariants of the original omicron variant. For those under age 5, only the primary vaccine series is available.
For the flu, the CDC recommends everyone over 6 months old get vaccinated. If a child is aged 8 or younger and has never received a flu vaccine dose better, they should consider getting two doses.
“I think a lot of people are going to be seeing their parents,” Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of Rutgers School of Public Health, told ABC News. “And people my age have older parents. Older people are more likely to succumb to the ravages of COVID-19. So, getting boosted as an approach to protect your parents seems like a pretty good idea to me.”
Weintraub suggested if anyone is gathering with unvaccinated people to spend time outside, which reduces the risk of transmission.
“If you are concerned that you may be around those that have not completed their vaccination course or have chosen not to be vaccinated or cannot be vaccinated, we would recommend congregating outside, bringing a table outside to have an early dessert, for example, running a family game outside playing football outside,” she said.
Consider getting a rapid test before gathering
Before attending a Thanksgiving gathering, the experts recommend that Americans consider taking a rapid test.
Rapid at-home tests are also known as antigen tests. They look for antigens, or proteins from the coronavirus, which are different than polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that look for genetic material from the virus.
“Just make sure if you’re going to test, test as close to the event as you possibly can,” Dr. Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, told ABC News. “That will be helpful in reducing the spread of this virus.”
Weintraub also recommended checking the expiration dates because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the expiration dates for several brands of at-home tests.
Don’t attend dinner if you feel sick
The experts recommend staying home if you have any symptoms including coughing, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose or fever.
This is because COVID, flu and RSV all predominantly spread the same way — by coming into contact with respiratory droplets from the nose and throat of infected people that are expelled when they cough or sneeze.
“It’s better not to give the gift of an infection to someone over a holiday that could really be serious for them, even if it’s not serious for you,” Rimoin said.
Halkitis said he had to follow this advice three weeks ago when he was feeling congested. At first, he thought he was just a little under the weather.
“At some point, some synapse fired in my brain and said, maybe you should actually test yourself and, lo and behold, it was positive for COVID-19,” he said. “I stayed home the whole following week. I didn’t go to work or anything, not because I was feeling horrible. I could have worked perfectly fine, but I took a responsibility not to infect people.”
Halkitis continued, “So, if people are feeling sick, even slightly sick, even if they even if they test positive and have no symptoms, they should stay home.”
Wear a mask indoors
Although the public appetite for mask wearing is low, experts recommend wearing masks in indoor crowded spaces before attending the event.
People can also consider wearing a mask during the holiday if they are near a high-risk individual.
“Masks are great tools,” Rimoin said. “Masks will be able to prevent spread of respiratory pathogens if worn correctly.”
She continued. “I think it’s important that people go back to the basics about how we protect ourselves using some basic public health measures. They work for COVID-19, they work for RSV and they work for influenza, and really any respiratory virus.”
Ventilation and handwashing
Experts recommend making sure that on the day of the event, the room is properly ventilated, and guests practice good handwashing, thoroughly with soap and water.
Ventilation can include opening doors and windows, if the weather isn’t too cold, or buying air filters.
“Open windows, open doors, if you’re in a place that is warm,” Rimoin said. “And if you aren’t, as many people aren’t right now, you can do a lot to improve ventilation. You can get HEPA filters.”
High efficiency particulate air filters can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Halkitis also suggested having hand sanitizer readily available, explaining, “I’d have it so that all the reminders are there for people to actually undertake these health behaviors while they’re in the home with each other.”
(NEW YORK) — Among the many inspiring stories at this year’s New York City Marathon, one first-time marathoner was determined to make an impact on a cause very dear to his heart, running to raise awareness and defeat the stigma surrounding the struggle with mental health.
“The last couple of years have been so difficult for everybody,” said 32-year-old Chris Vetter of Port Washington, New York, who has struggled with anxiety since he was in high school. “I wanted to be a part of something bigger … that’s why I chose to run with a mental health charity.”
For Vetter it was personal. “My anxiety attacks were so bad, one time I actually thought I was dying. I thought the room was caving in and collapsing,” he said.
He said he was also deeply affected watching his twin sister’s battles with severe depression and bipolar disorder in high school and in college.
He gets emotional talking about her.
“A really big part for me is my twin sister. In high school she wasn’t going to school every day … I was sleeping on her pull-out bed couch in her bedroom, trying to figure out how do I make her happy, how do I make her feel different. She’s my twin sister. I still want her to be the happiest person she possibly can be every single day.”
Vetter raised money for Still I Run, a nonprofit running community that works to promote the benefits of running for mental health. He was selected from hundreds of applicants.
Still I Run CEO and director Sasha Wolff founded the nonprofit following her own battles with depression.
“After I was hospitalized for depression and anxiety, I found running,” she said. “I have not stopped running for my mental health since because it’s that sense of accomplishment, that confidence, there’s the chemical reaction going on in your brain.”
Exercise in general and running in particular have long been linked with positive health benefits. Serotonin, dopamine and endorphins are all hormones our bodies produce while running and are known to reduce anxiety and depression.
Licensed clinical social worker Cristen Van Vleet, a runner herself, talks to her clients about running for anxiety.
“Part of what happens when someone is anxious is … we get caught in our own head,” said Van Vleet. “When we get outside, things become larger than us. We have to focus on our breathing. We have to focus on our heart rate. It takes the focus off of the hamster wheel that has happened in our brain that puts us in an anxious state.”
Vetter said running has allowed him to “just be in my own zone. I can collect my thoughts.”
And he sees the parallels between running and mental health.
“Sometimes you’re running downhill and you can’t stop your legs and everything’s kind of snowballing downhill,” he said. “And then sometimes you’re running back uphill and everything’s going better. And then also sometimes you’re just on flat road and everything’s OK. But that’s life, too.”
The “Still I Run” team raised over $40,000 at the marathon.
“It feels amazing but the job’s not done … this is only the beginning just for my own personal journey and I want to continue on that mission,” Vetter said.
He now wants to spread the message of how running can really improve one’s mental state.
“At the end of the day, you feel better … you’re able to think about everything so much clearer. I encourage everybody to just get outside and run,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — The United Nations on Tuesday officially declared that the global population had reached 8 billion, highlighting massive growth in the last few decades and the decades to come, but also raising concerns about food scarcity and prices around the world.
Every night around 828 million people go to bed hungry, according to the World Food Program (WFP), a United Nations organization focusing on providing food assistance globally.
Since 2019, the number of people facing significant food insecurity has increased from 135 million to 345 million, according to WFP.
“We are on the way to a raging food catastrophe,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, this week. “People in five separate places are facing famine.”
The global population has been growing slowly since the 1950s, falling under 1% in 2020.
The latest projections by the U.N. show the global population may reach 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to peak at around 10.4 billion during the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.
India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country next year, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.
The world produces enough food yearly, around 4 billion tons, to feed everyone, but around one-third of all food made, approximately 1.3 billion tons of fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat, goes to waste, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, that’s enough calories to feed every undernourished person.
Experts said that other parts of the growing food insecurity problem are rising food prices and malnutrition, proving most detrimental to women and children.
“When you look at the food price crisis, it’s particularly foods that are nutritious and are high in vitamins and minerals that these children need that are the most costly,” Saskia Osendarp, executive director of the Micronutrient Forum and co-coordinator of Standing Together for Nutrition, a consortium of nutrition, economics, food and health system experts, told ABC News.
Osendarp added that if women and children cannot afford or have access to healthier, vitamin-rich foods, they risk having micronutrient deficiencies.
When food prices increase, households switch to cheaper staple foods and processed foods instead of buying more nutritious — and generally more expensive– foods, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, decreasing the quality of their diets, Osendarp said in an April op-ed in Nature magazine.
About one in two preschool-aged children and two in three women of reproductive age globally experience at least one micronutrient deficiency, according to a report from the Lancet Global Health.
Malnutrition can also lead to significant health problems, particularly in children, who may develop cognitive and developmental issues, as well as how they perform in school, Osendarp said.
“We call this hidden hunger because you don’t immediately notice it, but you do see it in individuals that lack these critical vitamins,” she said. “It has devastating impacts on their survival, their immunity, their health, but also on their growth and overall development. The impacts will last for a long time.”
At the G20 Summit, Guterres told world leaders that if there isn’t an organized action plan, then affordability issues this year will lead to food shortages in 2023.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also increased food prices, as both countries are important suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil.
In May, Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos that Russia’s war in Ukraine had caused global food and fertilizer shortages, resulting in increased prices for consumers and farmers around the world.
“It is just another catastrophic effect of Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Power said at the time.
Over half of the projected global population growth up to 2050 will happen in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
According to the U.N., food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is at 66.2%, the highest in the world.
Over half of the world’s undernourished live in Asia and more than one-third live in Africa, with the situation worsening because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a U.N report.
Last month at the Committee on World Food Security, WFP executive director David Beasley said the world is facing threats of mass starvation and that global leaders must act and provide humanitarian support.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud, Julia Jacobo and Gabriel Pietrorazio contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday, marking the first time a sitting president has reached that milestone while in office and fueling speculation about how his advancing age will affect his political future.
Biden — who was the oldest person to assume the presidency in January 2021, just 61 days after his 78th birthday — has said he intends to make another White House bid, even as his age-adjacent peers, including 82-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have made the decision to step away from leadership in order to make way for a younger generation.
“My intention is that I will run again. But I’m a great respecter of fate and this is ultimately a family decision. I think everybody wants me to run but we’re going to have discussions about it. And I don’t feel any hurry one way or the other to make that judgment.” he said last week, after helming what many say is the most successful midterm election for a sitting president’s party in decades, though noting that those results would not have an impact on his decision to run again.
Biden is the oldest person to serve as commander in chief in the nation’s history. Should he seek reelection in 2024 and win, the president would be 86 by the end of his second term. He has said he’ll talk over his future with his wife and the rest of his family over the holidays.
Biden has said he is hoping that he and his wife “get a little time to actually sneak away for a week around between Christmas and Thanksgiving” and that his decision to run for reelection will likely “be early next year we make that judgment.”
During a White House briefing with reporters on Friday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the first lady would be having a brunch for Biden on Sunday for his birthday, following his granddaughter Naomi’s wedding at the White House the previous day.
“Usually, they celebrate on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving because everyone is going to the family is going to be here this weekend, he will have an opportunity to celebrate his birthday he wanted on his actual day,” she said.
Biden’s birthday comes right as national conversation is focused on the age of those at the top of Democratic leadership, just days after Pelosi announced that she would step down from leadership as House Democrats transition into the minority for the next Congress.
“The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” she said during her farewell speech on the House floor.
In a lengthy statement after her announcement, Biden noted his long history with Pelosi.
“I’ve seen her in action during my career as Senator, Vice President, and now as President,” he said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, also announced they would step aside from their leadership posts shortly after Pelosi’s declaration.
New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, 52, officially declared his bid for Democratic leader on Friday. Reps. Katherine Clark, 59, will vie for minority whip and Pete Aguilar, 43, is bidding to be caucus chair, ushering in a generational shift in House Democrats’ top spots.
On the future of the Democratic Party, Pelosi told reporters, “That’s up to them, I want it to be whatever they want it to be.”
Pelosi has maintained support for Biden throughout months of questions about his political future, particularly another run for the White House.
When asked by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” last Sunday, Pelosi said she thinks Biden should run again.
“Yes, I do. I mean President Biden has been a great president for our country. He has accomplished so much,” she said. “He has been a great president, and he has a great record to run on.”
Biden, known in public life for his long history of personal tragedy, has maintained that he is a “respecter of fate” regarding his decision to move forward as standard-bearer for his party and the nation.
“Fate has intervened in my life many many times. If I’m in the health I’m in now — from a good health. And, in fact, I would run again,” he said during a sit down interview at the White House with ABC News’ David Muir late last year.
But he’s faced a good deal of opposition–from both Democrats and Republicans– surrounding his seemingly likely decision to move forward for reelection.
One ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in late September found that 56% of Democrats and independents that tend to vote for Democrats said they wanted “someone other than Biden” to run in the next presidential election.
A number of Democrats have said they wish Biden would step aside for a “new generation of leadership” echoing what Pelosi noted in her departure from control.
During the campaign cycle, Democrats such as Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, have openly suggested he shouldn’t run for another term.
Biden’s health and mental acuity is sure to be subject to intense scrutiny if he were to announce his 2024 bid for the White House, especially from Republicans who have long ridiculed his infamous gaffes during speeches, among other motor skill missteps.
In September, Biden asked about the whereabouts of Indiana GOP congresswoman Jackie Walorski, who was killed in a car crash earlier this year, during a White House conference.
The only candidate in the running so far for the 2024 presidential contest is 76-year-old former President Donald Trump, who launched his third White House campaign Tuesday evening. Trump was the second-oldest person to assume the presidency, at 70 years old.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Ally Hutzler and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
