News – Page 2173 – 105.7 WDNY

Republicans say they’ll push ahead with Hunter Biden probe despite some warnings from within

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Congressional Republicans say they’re poised to push ahead with an investigation into President Joe Biden’s family, including his son Hunter, in the coming session — despite warnings from some in their own caucus not to pursue “hyper-partisan” oversight probes.

Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and James Comer of Kentucky, two high-ranking members expected to helm powerful committees when Republicans take control of Congress in January, outlined their plans during a press conference on Thursday, pledging to “pursue all avenues” of wrongdoing and calling investigations into the president’s family a “top priority.”

Beyond their interest in Hunter Biden’s overseas business endeavors, which are already the subject of a Justice Department investigation, the lawmakers said their primary focus is finding out whether his father, President Biden, was more involved in those dealings than previously known.

“We’re not trying to prove Hunter Biden is a bad actor. He is,” Comer said. “Our investigation is of Joe Biden.”

But several voices from within their own party have balked at the prospect of targeting the president’s family, calling it a distraction from the issues voters care about and a political miscalculation that could exacerbate growing tensions within the party after a lackluster midterm performance. Republicans had hoped to comfortably win control of the House, but instead they appear poised to take control with a razor-thin margin.

Barbara Comstock, a former Republican congresswoman from Virginia, said pursuing Hunter Biden and others is a losing strategy, and would signal to voters that the party has failed to learn its lessons.

“When voters deliver such a dramatic rebuke, where expectations of a ‘red wave’ fail to come through, it’s time for humility and introspection,” said Comstock, an ABC News contributor. “And rabid oversight of Hunter Biden is not at all the message Republicans should take away from the midterms.”

Some new arrivals in Washington echoed that sentiment.

“If parts of our party want to go into these investigations, that’s their prerogative,” said Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., during an interview on Fox News this week. “I don’t want to waste my time in Washington engaging in hyper-partisan issues, I want to deliver results.”

On Thursday, Jordan, who is expected to take over the House Judiciary Committee, and Comer, the current ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, accused president’s son of committing a bevy of crimes, including tax evasion, wire fraud, and human trafficking, without providing evidence. They said they “would love” to speak with Hunter Biden, but did not announce plans to issue a subpoena.

Comer said his Oversight panel would focus on obtaining over 150 Suspicious Activities Reports, or SARs, pertaining to Hunter Biden from the Treasury Department. SARs are reports filed by financial institutions to flag questionable banking transactions, but do not amount to crimes.

As part of their efforts to more closely connect President Biden to his son’s business efforts, Republicans shared a copy of an email Hunter Biden purportedly wrote to a building manager seeking a spare set of keys to a new office for his “business partners” — a list that included his father’s name.

Several of the claims leveled by Republicans on Thursday have been publicly known for years, dating back to a Senate report published ahead of the 2020 election. That report, penned by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., found Hunter Biden’s overseas work “awkward” and “problematic,” but identified no wrongdoing.

DOJ investigators are examining whether Hunter Biden paid adequate taxes on millions of dollars of personal income, including money he made during business pursuits in China and Ukraine. Hunter Biden has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, ethically or criminally, but has acknowledged that his family ties likely bolstered his career. He has not been charged with any crimes.

A Democratic spokesperson for the current Oversight Committee called the probe a “desperate attempt to return Trump to power,” following former President Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that he is again running for president in 2024.

“Today’s press conference rehashed the same tired, partisan talking points Republicans have been using for years, ignoring the clear message Americans sent that they want real solutions — not partisan bickering,” the spokesperson said.

A lawyer for Hunter Biden declined to comment on Thursday’s press conference.

American woman’s death in Mexico investigated as femicide

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico) — An American woman’s death in Mexico is being investigated as a femicide, a form of gender-based violence, according to the Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office.

The family of Shanquella Robinson, 25, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is desperate for answers after she died while vacationing with friends in Mexico last month.

Robinson went to San Jose del Cabo, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, with six friends on Oct. 28. They stayed at a rental villa in Fundadores, an exclusive gated community with vacation homes and a private beach club, Robinson’s parents told Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC-TV in a recent interview.

The next day, Robinson’s parents got a frantic telephone call from their daughter’s friends saying she had died.

“They said she wasn’t feeling well, that it was alcohol poisoning,” Robinson’s mother, Sallamondra Robinson, told WSOC-TV.

However, the Mexican Secretariat of Health’s autopsy report and death certificate for Robinson, obtained by ABC News, lists her cause of death as “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” with no mention of alcohol. The document also states that the approximate time between injury and death was 15 minutes, while a box asking whether the death was “accidental or violent” was ticked “yes.”

According to the document, which was dated Nov. 4, Robinson was found unconscious in the living room of a residence on Padre Kino Avenue, near Fundadores Beach Club, in San Jose del Cabo on the afternoon of Oct. 29.

The Fundadores Beach Club did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Thursday.

Robinson’s parents described their late daughter as a hardworking business owner who had a “great heart.”

“It’s like a nightmare. I can’t even sleep,” Robinson’s father, Bernard Robinson, told WSOC-TV. “I just want some truth because this doesn’t add up right.”

In recent days, a video — not verified by ABC News — has surfaced online purportedly showing a woman attacking Robinson. Speaking to WSOC-TV, Robinson’s mother identified the people in the footage as the friends who accompanied her daughter to Mexico and said she believes it was taken during the trip. In the video, someone can be heard asking if Robinson “could at least fight back.” It’s unclear when and where the video was taken.

“It was never a fight. She didn’t fight. They attacked her,” Sallamondra Robinson told WSOC-TV. “She did not deserve to be treated like that.”

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City told ABC News on Wednesday that its staff “are aware of Shanquella Robinson’s death and are providing consular services to her family.”

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Charlotte, North Carolina, told ABC News on Thursday that the agency has been in contact with Robinson’s family.

As the mystery deepens and questions remain, the State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur released a statement Wednesday saying it is continuing to investigate Robinson’s death.

The office said it received a call on Oct. 29 at approximately 6:15 p.m. local time from a “public security member” who reported the death of a foreign woman in a room of a house in the Fundadores Beach Club area in San Jose del Cabo. Investigators were sent to the scene and are still collecting “more evidence to achieve the accurate clarification of the events, without ruling out any hypothesis,” according to the office.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

Ukrainian investigators allowed on site of missile strike in Poland as investigation continues

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Polish officials granted Ukrainian investigators access on Thursday to the site of the missile strike that hit a Polish village and killed two people earlier in the week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday disputed a claim by Poland that Tuesday’s missile strike came from Ukrainian air defenses. Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier had called the incident a “tragic accident.”

“I have no doubt that it was not our rocket,” Zelenskyy told reporters. He said Ukraine should be a party to the investigation over the strike.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in an on-camera briefing Wednesday said there’s “nothing that contradicts President Duda’s preliminary assessment that this explosion was most likely the result of a Ukrainian air defense missile that unfortunately landed in Poland.”

After arriving at the White House early Thursday morning, President Joe Biden was asked for his reaction to Zelenskyy denying that the missile that landed in Poland was Ukrainian. “That’s not the evidence,” Biden responded.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken evaded questions from reporters about the disconnect between Ukraine and Western powers on the origin of the missile, saying he couldn’t get ahead of the investigation and that officials are still gathering information. Blinken also said allies are in regular contact with Ukraine and are sharing the information they have.

“President Zelenskyy has been in touch with the Polish president himself to clarify the facts. The chair of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said that Ukraine is pursuing a comprehensive analysis of what happened. So we also have among all of us–Ukraine, Poland, the United States, our NATO allies, G7 Partners–a commitment to follow the facts,” Blinken told reporters Thursday.

According to a Polish official, Duda sees “no obstacles” for Ukrainian observers to take part in an investigation into the causes of the missile blast. The decision will ultimately depend on the agreement with other members of the NATO alliance, said Jacek Siewiera, the head of the Polish National Security Office, in an interview on radio RMF FM Thursday.

The missile caused an explosion Tuesday about 10 miles from the Polish-Ukrainian border, in the farming village of Przewodow, killing the owner of a granary that was struck and a tractor driver who was transferring maize and corn to the facility, according to Poland’s Law and Justice Ministry.

In response to the incident, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday called an urgent meeting with the Polish Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs. Duda said the NATO ally also strengthened the readiness of the Polish armed forces, including air defenses.

The Polish foreign minister also summoned the Russian envoy to explain the explosion near the Ukrainian border.

The incident came on the same day Russian forces fired 90 missiles into Ukraine, affecting power systems, enterprises and residential buildings, according to Zelenskyy.

Russia denied responsibility for the missiles that landed in Poland. After Polish authorities released images from the site, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the wreckage was elements of an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile, which it claimed is used by the Ukrainian Air Force.

Duda said that it was probably a Russian-made S-300 missile, but that there is no evidence that it was a missile launched by the Russians.

Russia claimed that its precision strikes were carried out on targets within Ukrainian territory and at a distance no closer than 35 km from the Ukrainian-Polish border.

The U.S. has experts on the ground assisting with the Polish-led investigation, Austin said Wednesday.

There is a debris field in Poland and other forms of data are going to be available from various technical means. Officials are expected to have confirmed data as to the point of origin, point of impact and what the angle of the weapon system was the flight trajectory “shortly,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters Wednesday.

After he was briefed on the incident, President Joe Biden spoke with Duda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday.

Biden expressed “deep condolences for the loss of life in Eastern Poland” and offered “full U.S. support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” the White House said in a statement.

Hours after the explosion, the White House held an emergency roundtable meeting with G-7 and NATO world leaders in Bali, Indonesia regarding the explosion in Poland. Biden met with leaders of Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the EU.

After the meeting, Biden told reporters it is “unlikely” that the missile that hit Poland was fired from Russia and said leaders would support the investigation into what happened.

“I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened,” Biden said.

Biden also said that recent Russian missile attacks on Ukraine have been “totally unconscionable” and were a point of discussion at the meeting. The White House also condemned the attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure, calling them “barbaric.”

Russia called Biden’s response “reserved and far more professional reaction” compared to other countries.

However, Austin and the White House blamed Russia on Wednesday for the ongoing conflict.

“Whatever the final conclusions may be, the world knows that Russia bears ultimate responsibility for this incident, which launched another barrage of missiles against Ukraine specifically intended to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure,” Austin said.

ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Luis Martinez, Will Gretsky and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

Former Trump Organization CFO testifies that decision to skirt taxes was his alone

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg testified Thursday that it was his decision alone to commit tax fraud by paying no taxes on the fringe benefits he received from the Trump Organization.

Weisselberg, who in August pleaded guilty to skirting nearly $2 million in income taxes, is testifying as part of a plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in the trial of former President Donald Trump’s namesake real estate company on tax fraud charges.

The Trump Organization is accused of paying the rent on Weisselberg’s Manhattan apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife, garage expenses, tuition for his grandchildren, furniture for his house in Florida, and other personal expenses — all without the required taxes being paid.

“You were entrusted to account for these things properly,” the company’s defense attorney, Alan Futerfas, asked Weisselberg. “No one gave you permission to commit tax fraud?”

“Correct,” Weisselberg replied.

“And your decision not to pay taxes was solely to benefit Allen Weisselberg?” Futerfas asked.

“Correct,” Weisselberg answered.

“Were you aware, aside from you, of anyone else knowing you failed to report the value of these rental payments on your tax returns?” asked Futerfas.

“No,” replied Weisselberg.

“This decision not to report was yours and solely to benefit you?” Futerfas asked.

“That’s correct,” Weisselberg answered.

Prosecutors believe Weisselberg’s conduct implicates the company because his position as chief financial officer meant he was entrusted to act on the Trump Organization’s behalf.

One day in 2012, Weisselberg testified, Trump was in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower with Weisselberg when Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. walked in with checks to sign for Weisselberg’s children’s school tuition.

Weisselberg said that Trump chuckled, turned to Weisselberg, and said, “I may as well pay for your grandkids too.”

Trump began signing three checks per year for each of Weisselberg’s two grandchildren to attend Columbia Grammar School at a total annual cost of about $100,000, Weisselberg said. The jury saw images of some of the checks.

“I said, ‘I’m going to pay you back for this,'” Weisselberg testified.

Weisselberg said he paid back Trump by instructing company controller Jeff McConney to reduce his salary and bonus by the same amount as the tuition payments and his rent, car leases and other personal expenses the Trump Organization was paying. In 2015, that amount was more than $195,395, according to a spreadsheet displayed for the jury.

“I paid back the entity that paid my salary,” said Weisselberg.

“You didn’t tell Mr. Trump you were reducing your compensation, did you?” Futerfas asked.

“I never did,” Weisselberg responded.

By reducing his salary, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said the company benefited because it was able to save on payroll taxes.

“Did you know the Trump Payroll Corporation was falsifying your W2?” Hoffinger asked.

“I knew my payroll reporting was incorrect, yes,” replied Weisselberg, who conceded that the practice saved the company money.

Weisselberg testified that the company stopped paying personal expenses for him and other executives in 2017 as part of a “cleanup process” when Donald Trump was elected president.

Prosecutors have suggested that the company knew the practice was wrong but allowed it to continue until Trump’s campaign and presidency brought new scrutiny.

“We were going through an entire cleanup process of the company to make sure that since Mr. Trump is now president that everything was being done properly,” Weisselberg said.

Once the Trump Organization stopped paying his rent, his car leases, his grandchildren’s tuition and other personal expenses, Weisselberg said he asked for a $200,000 raise to cover the costs.

Weisselberg said he is still being paid $640,000 a year and is expecting a $500,000 bonus at the end of the year despite pleading guilty to 15 criminal charges and no longer working in the office as chief financial officer, according to his testimony.

“This was about saving you money?” Futerfas asked Weisselberg about the perks he received.

“It was my own personal greed that led to this, yes,” Weisselberg responded.

“Did you conspire with any member of the Trump family?” asked Futerfas.

“No,” replied Weisselberg.

“Do you believe the owners of the company relied on you to do the right thing?” Futerfas asked.

“Yes,” Weisselberg answered.

“Did you honor the trust that was placed in you?” Futerfas asked.

“I did not,” Weisselberg replied. He appeared to get emotional as the cross-examination pressed on.

“Are you embarrassed about what you did?” asked Futerfas.

“More than you can imagine,” Weisselberg replied.

ICE detainees at one facility appear to have undergone ‘excessive’ gynecological procedures: Senate report

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees appear to have undergone “excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures,” at one of their privately managed facilities according to a Senate report released this week.

Whistleblower and advocacy groups lodged complaints in 2021 into the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, which is managed by LaSalle Southeast, alleging that a doctor was giving unnecessary hysterectomies on ICDC detainees.

The Senate committee did not disprove the whistleblower allegation, but said the doctor in charge of the facility, Dr. Mahendra Amin who holds no board certifications, was a “clear outlier” with regard to the number of procedures performed and the type of procedures he performed.

“ICDC housed roughly 4% of female ICE detainees nationwide from 2017 to 2020. Dr. Amin accounted for roughly 6.5% of total OB-GYN visits among all ICE detainees in the same time period,” the report says. “However, he performed nearly one-third of certain OB-GYN procedures on ICE detainees across the country between 2017 and 2020 and more than 90% of some key procedures.”

Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations — the committee that produced the report — decried the findings.

“This is an extraordinarily disturbing finding, and in my view represents a catastrophic failure to respect basic human rights,” he said in a statement.

An independent doctor whom the committee had look at Dr. Amin’s procedures, found he had “poor performance” on basic OB-GYN treatments and did not “follow the current recommendations regarding pap smears mangement.”

The 108-page report says Dr. Amin is under criminal investigation and soon after ICE discovered these treatments they moved all detainees from the facility.

The committee also found that there were “failures” to secure informed consent of detainees at offsite medical procedures performed on them.

“Anyone held in the custody of the U.S. government should receive proper medical care,” the report says. “The Subcommittee’s investigation into ICDC found that was not always the case for the female ICE detainees at that facility. Additionally, for years, deficiencies in detainee medical care that were identified by multiple DHS oversight components went unaddressed.”

At a hearing on Wednesday, the head of ICE’s medical treatment said because ICE terminated the contract with the Irwin County Detention Center, the recommendations of the report couldn’t be fully implemented.

Pelosi stepping down from House Democratic leadership

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stepping down from House Democratic leadership but will remain in Congress.

Pelosi, 82, made the announcement in a dramatic floor speech on Thursday after gaveling the House into session, receiving a hearty standing ovation from her colleagues.

“With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Pelosi said, noting she will continue to represent her California district, as she has for 35 years. “The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.”

The first woman to hold House speakership — Pelosi is the Democratic Party’s longest-serving House leader. Her decision will have a major impact on Democrats in their new position as House minority.

Pelosi’s fellow California delegation sat in the front of the chamber as the announcement was made.

House Democratic leadership — Reps. Pete Aguilar, Katherine Clark, Hakeem Jeffries, Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer — all sat together in the chamber, and were joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Not many Republicans were in the chamber to hear her speech. Notably absent was House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who celebrated his party’s control of the House Wednesday night by telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “We have fired Nancy Pelosi.”

Pelosi began her speech with an ode to the Capitol itself, describing how she saw it for the first time when she was young as she accompanied her father, the late Maryland Rep. Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., to his swearing-ceremony.

“This is the most beautiful building in the world because of what it represents,” Pelosi said. “The Capitol is a temple of our democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals.”

“When I first came to the floor at 6 years old, never would I have thought that I would go from homemaker to House speaker,” she said.

Pelosi reflected on her time working with “three presidents”: George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden — notably not mentioning former President Donald Trump.

She celebrated the increase in diversity of the caucus over the years, noting when she came to Congress in the 1990s there were just 12 Democratic women in the group. Today, she said, there’s more than 90.

“And we want more,” she said, which received another standing ovation.

Pelosi’s spokesperson Drew Hammil said Wednesday she planned to make remarks on her political future, doing so just hours after ABC News projected that Republicans had officially won majority control in the U.S. House, ending a four-year Democratic majority despite a strong midterm showing for the party.

Pelosi delivered a warning in her speech that the Jan. 6 insurrection showed the democracy is still fragile, and so “must be forever defended.”

And despite losing the House, Pelosi said the midterm elections showed Americans “resoundingly rejected violence and insurrection, and in doing so, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

“And now we owe to the American people our very best to deliver on their faith, to forever reach for the more perfect union, the glorious horizon that our founders promised,” she said.

A source told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott that Pelosi took home two different versions of floor speeches Wednesday night. As she arrived at the Capitol Thursday morning, Pelosi, wearing white and flanked by her top aides, did not respond to questions about her political future.

Pelosi had said the attack on her husband Paul would impact her decision to stay in House leadership post-midterms. On Thursday, she took a moment to thank and praise her husband as “my beloved partner in life and my pillar of support.”

Prior to the attack, several members have called for a younger generation of Democratic leadership. The top three Democrats in the House are all in their 80s.

While it’s unknown who exactly will succeed Pelosi, she addressed the next generation of leaders on Thursday, saying she’s “grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.”

Among the top contenders for the jobs are Jeffries of New York for speaker, Clark of Massachusetts for minority whip and California’s Pete Aguilar is expected to be the caucus chair.

The current two other top leaders in the Democratic caucus, Hoyer and Clyburn, are stepping aside from their roles. The leadership elections are scheduled for the end of November.

President Joe Biden released a lengthy statement just after the speech concluded chronicling Pelosi’s career with praise and commending her for her “dignity.”

“Because of Nancy Pelosi, the lives of millions and millions of Americans are better,” Biden said, “even in districts represented by Republicans who voted against her bills and too often vilify her.”

“History will note she is the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history,” the president said. “There are countless examples of how she embodies the obligation of elected officials to uphold their oath to God and country to ensure our democracy delivers and remains a beacon to the world.”

Wrong-way driver arrested after crashing into 25 police recruits out for a run

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — A man driving the wrong way who plowed into dozens of police recruits who were out for a run in Los Angeles early Wednesday has now been arrested, officials said.

The driver, 22-year-old Nicholas Gutierrez, has been arrested for suspicion of attempted murder on a peace officer, the sheriff’s department said on Thursday.

About 75 recruits were on the run with 25 of them suffering injuries in the crash. The group was mostly Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department recruits, but also included others from nearby police departments, including Pasadena and Glendale.

“It looked like an airplane wreck, there were so many bodies scattered everywhere,” LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference Wednesday.

Five of the recruits were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries and 16 have minor injuries, officials said at a news conference.

Injuries included head trauma, loss of limb and broken bones, officials said. At least one victim was on a ventilator, the sheriff said.

Gutierrez suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher said Wednesday.

The cause of the crash is unknown. The California Highway Patrol said it’ll investigate whether the crash was intentional or the result of distracted driving or driving under the influence.

Villanueva said Gutierrez blew a 0.0 on a Breathalyzer test.

“It looks like it’s an accident, a horrific accident,” Villanueva said.

The recruits were running on a routine route at the time of the crash, which took place around 6:29 a.m. Wednesday, while it was still dark out, officials said.

“Road guards” wearing reflective vests ran on the outside of the recruits, officials said.

The sheriff’s office also had two patrol cars escorting the runners.

The accident took place just outside of a fire station, so firefighters immediately raced to the scene, officials said.

Some recruits estimated the car was going about 30 mph, officials said.

“It is hard to see, because these young people are getting ready to go put themselves in the line of danger in their career. And who knows that while you’re training to do that you are actually in harm’s way,” Kelliher said at a news conference. “So my heart goes out to all of them as they pursue this career. I hope that they all have speedy recoveries.”

Up to 5 feet of lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Western New York is bracing for an “extreme” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 5 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.

The long-duration event is expected to bring snow belts to the south of Buffalo and Watertown on Thursday, with “intense bands” of lake-effect snow across the two cities Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Up to 5 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible for the south side of Buffalo Friday morning.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency in 11 counties due to the storm, with hazardous travel conditions and lower power outages likely.

“This is considered an extreme event,” Hochul said during a press briefing Thursday morning. “That means it’s dangerous. That also means it’s life-threatening.”

Hochul said that conditions in Buffalo and other parts of western New York will be “very similar to 2014,” when the region saw upwards of 5 feet of snow during a deadly storm.

More than 350 plows, 5,700 utility crews and the National Guard have been deployed and are standing by, she said. Parts of the New York State Thruway will also be closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday.

“This can go on for a number of days,” Hochul said. “The cleanup is going to take some time.”

Schools in the region are preparing for closures on Friday due to the storm, including in Buffalo.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz advised private businesses to close on Friday if the forecast holds.

“We are gonna have a doozy,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

The city of Buffalo has brought in private contractors to handle the snow in addition to state support, according to Mayor Byron Brown.

“This is not the normal snow event that we get, so the public has to be patient,” Brown told reporters. “This is a major snowstorm.”

Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. There were 13 fatalities due to the storm. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet.

Outside of New York, lake-effect snow is forecast in Erie, Pennsylvania, and northeast of Cleveland, Ohio.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Victoria Arancio and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.

New FTX CEO says he’s never seen ‘complete failure’ of corporate controls in his career, including at Enron

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The new FTX CEO brought into shepherd the company through bankruptcy proceedings said he has never seen such a “complete failure” of corporate controls in his career, including during the Enron scandal.

“Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here,” John Ray, who also oversaw the Enron bankruptcy proceedings said in a court filing on Thursday. “From compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad, to the concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated and potentially compromised individuals, this situation is unprecedented.”

The former CEO of the crypto-exchange platform Sam Bankman-Fried has received scrutiny over the handling of the company after it filed for bankruptcy last month, from the Justice Department and state and federal regulators, according to previous court filings.

In 2001, Houston-based energy corporation Enron filed the biggest bankruptcy claim in U.S. history, and many of its executives were sent to prison for securities fraud.

Ray said FTX corporate funds were used to purchase executives and advisers houses in the Bahamas.

“In the Bahamas, I understand that corporate funds of the FTX Group were used to purchase homes and other personal items for employees and advisers,” Ray said. “I understand that there does not appear to be documentation for certain of these transactions as loans, and that certain real estate was recorded in the personal name of these employees and advisers on the records of the Bahamas.”

Ray says that Bankman-Fried claimed to have millions of users, which hasn’t been verified by his team.

“The FTX.com platform grew quickly since its launch to become one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Mr. Bankman-Fried claimed that, by the end of 2021, around $15 billion of assets were on the platform, which according to him handled approximately 10% of global volume for crypto trading at the time. Mr. Bankman-Fried also claimed that FTX.com, as of July 2022, had “millions” of registered users. These figures have not been verified by my team,” Ray said.

He said he also has “substernal concerns” about the financial filings of the company.

“Although the investigation has only begun and must run its course, it is my view based on the information obtained to date, that many of the employees of the FTX Group, including some of its senior executives, were not aware of the shortfalls or potential commingling of digital assets. Indeed, I believe some of the people most hurt by these events are current and former employees and executives, whose personal investments and reputations have suffered. These are many of the same people whose work will be necessary to ensure the maximization of value for all stakeholders going forward,” he said.

Hundreds of Pennsylvania homes evacuated after tanker crash spills thousands of gallons of fuel

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BETHLEHEM, Pa.) — Hundreds of homes in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, are being evacuated after a gasoline tanker carrying about 6,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel overturned early Thursday, according to police.

Police evacuated residences within a 1,000 foot radius of the overturned truck through reverse 911 calls and officers going door-to-door. The truck driver was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

The Bethlehem Fire Department, Lehigh County Haz-Mat Team, Rapid Response, Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, City of Bethlehem Water and Sewer and other agencies are on the scene determining the extent of the spill, assisting with clean up and determining what residences are safe to return to, according to police.

Police said the events leading up to the accident are still under investigation. Clean up will continue throughout the day.

Police have closed off W. Union Boulevard between Pennsylvania Avenue and Beverly Avenue and told residents to avoid the area if possible.

The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region confirmed they are responding to a “significant fuel oil spill affecting hundreds of homes” in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

“At the request of Northampton EMA, we are responding to the area of Paul Ave & West Union Blvd in Bethlehem (PA) following a significant fuel oil spill affecting hundreds of homes,” the American Red Cross said in a tweet regarding the incident on social media. “Currently, we are providing canteen services to responders, mobilizing shelter teams to support the evacuation site, and coordinating with local officials to determine community needs and next steps. This response (& spill) is still active.”

A local middle school campus is being used as a shelter for displaced families and are operating on a two-hour delay to opening as a result.

“Due to a fuel spill on the west side of Bethlehem, our school is being used as a shelter for displaced families,” according to a statement posted on the Bethlehem Area School District’s website. “We will delay the opening of school for two hours to ensure that our building is ready to function normally for students and staff while also serving our community’s needs.”

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

+ More