(LONDON) — Prince Harry is taking legal action again against Associated Newspapers Ltd., the publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline.
The duke of Sussex is joining singer Elton John, Canadian filmmaker David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley, actress Sadie Frost and Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon OBE in legal action against the publisher, alleging they are “the victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy,” according to a press release from the London-based law firm Hamlins.
Hamlins is representing Harry and Frost in the lawsuit, according to the law firm. John, Lawrence, Hurley and Furnish are being represented by the law firm Gunnercooke, also based in London.
The group alleges in the press release that Associated Newspapers Ltd. hired private investigators to “secretly place listening devices inside people’s cars and homes,” commissioned individuals to “surreptitiously listen into and record people’s live, private telephone calls while they were taking place,” paid “police officials, with corrupt links to private investigators, for inside, sensitive information,” impersonated individuals “to obtain medical information from private hospitals, clinics, and treatment centers by deception,” and accessed “bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation.”
“They have now therefore banded together to uncover the truth, and to hold the journalists responsible fully accountable, many of whom still hold senior positions of authority and power today,” the press release stated.
Harry has not commented on the legal action.
In a statement to ABC News on Thursday, a spokesperson for Associated Newspapers said they “utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old.”
“These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims — based on no credible evidence — appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere,” the spokesperson added.
Last year, Harry won “significant damages” from a settlement in a libel suit against Associated Newspapers Ltd., a spokesperson for Harry said at the time.
The Mail on Sunday had published a story with the headline “Top general accuses Harry of turning his back on the Marines” months earlier in October 2020. MailOnline had published a similar story with the headline “Top general accuses Prince Harry of turning his back on the Royal Marines after stepping down from ceremonial role as part of Megxit deal.”
The newspaper later ran a correction and issued an apology to Harry, stating that it had “made a donation to the Invictus Games Foundation,” which Harry founded in 2014.
The amount of the settlement was not made public.
In July of this year, Harry also won an early victory in a separate libel lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday over a story that Harry’s lawyers said made it seem as if he had “lied” about his family’s security arrangements and tried to manipulate public opinion of those arrangements. Lawyers for Associated Newspapers Ltd. had argued there was “no hint of impropriety” in the story, which they claimed was not defamatory.
British High Court Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled that parts of that story were potentially defamatory, saying the story suggested Harry had been “spinning the facts” and misleading the public on the matter. However he rejected claims from the Duke of Sussex’s lawyers that the article suggested Harry had “lied” about the issue.
The judge’s ruling, as the BBC noted at the time, was the first stage of the lawsuit. The case is ongoing and further court hearings will determine whether Harry will be successful in his libel suit.
In December 2021, the Court of Appeal in London ruled in favor of the dduchess of Sussex in her own separate lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd. for publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her now-estranged father. The decision upheld an earlier ruling from the British High Court, which determined Associated Newspaper’s publication of parts of that letter was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.”
Associated Newspapers said in a statement at the time that it was “disappointed” by the ruling and “considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.”
(NEW YORK) — The Florida Department of Transportation began soliciting bids to fly migrants to cities including Boston and Los Angeles starting in July, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
“The Department of Transportation (“Department”) manages a program to relocate out of the State of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States (“Unauthorized Aliens”),” the documents obtained under a public records request say. “Under the supervision of a Department Project Manager, a vendor will, upon demand of the Department or certain designated state and local law enforcement or criminal justice agencies (“Partner Agencies”), arrange or provide either ground or air transportation and other related services (collectively, “Relocation Services”), to assist in the voluntary relocation of Unauthorized Aliens who are found in Florida and have agreed to be relocated to another state in the United States or the District of Columbia.”
Rebekah Davis, general counsel at the Florida Department of Transportation,, solicited perspective figures from James L. Montgomerie a representative of air charter company VSC Global, which, according to public records is located in Destin, Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimately flew migrants using a different charter company to Martha’s Vineyard last month, following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s action of busing migrants to New York City, Washington, D.C., and other East Coast cities.
“4 to 8 x people going from Crestview to Boston area is approx $35, 000.00,” he writes in an e-mail dated July 26, 2022. “4 to 8 x people going from Crestview to Los Angles area is approx $60, 000.00. This is based on using a 8 x seat KingAir 350 Turbo Prop,” he says.
“If you need to move more than 8 x people I would recommend using a mid-sized biz jet that can accommodate up-to 12 people. 8 to 12 x people going from Crestview to Boston area is approx $55,000.00 8 to 12 x people going from Crestview to Los Angles area is approx $90,000.00 We are certainly willing to provide you with pricing information on specific ad-hoc requirements on a case by case basis.”
Davis responds by saying the information was “helpful.”
She also seemingly solicited on-demand jet company Wheels Up, which sent a brochure over, as well as a Florida-based company specializing in the transport of inmates and does work for the Florida Department of Corrections.
(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:
Oct 08, 12:10 PM EDT
Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant loses remaining external power source due to shelling: IAEA
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plane lost its last external power source due to renewed shelling, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement Saturday.
The plant is now relying on emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions, according to Grossi.
The plant’s connection to the power line was cut at around 1 a.m. local time. Sixteen of the plant’s diesel generators started operating automatically, providing its six reactors with power. After the situation stabilized, 10 of the generators were switched off, according to Grossi.
“The resumption of shelling, hitting the plant’s sole source of external power, is tremendously irresponsible. The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant must be protected,” Director General Grossi said. “I will soon travel to the Russian Federation, and then return to Ukraine, to agree on a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant. This is an absolute and urgent imperative.”
Oct 08, 7:28 AM EDT
Three killed in bridge blast, official says
Three people were killed on Saturday in the explosion that collapsed portions of the bridge linking Russia to Crimea, a Russian official said.
The Russian Investigative Committee also said it had identified the driver of the truck that was allegedly blown up on the bridge.
Russia’s response should be tough, said Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
“If the Ukrainian trace is confirmed in the state of emergency on the Crimean bridge, the consequences will be inevitable,” Slutsky wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
He said he has no doubt that “Kyiv is behind the organization of this attack.” Ukrainian officials have not taken credit for the blast. Ukraine’s official government Twitter account tweeted the phrase “sick burn” after the explosion, but did not directly reference the blast.
“This is not just an emergency,” Slutsky wrote. “It could be an act of state terrorism.”
The railway infrastructure restoration has been started after the fire on the bridge was contained and extinguished, Crimean Railway said.
Oct 08, 6:38 AM EDT
Truck blast caused bridge damage, Russia says
Russian officials said the explosion that damaged the key bridge linking Crimea and Russia came from a truck.
“Today at 6:07 a truck was blown up on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge from the side of the Taman Peninsula,” Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee posted online. “It resulted in the ignition of seven fuel tanks of the train, along the direction of the Crimean Peninsula. There was a partial collapse of two automobile spans of the bridge. The arch over the navigable part of the bridge was not damaged.”
Russian investigators were at the scene, attempting to “establish the circumstances of the explosion,” the committee said.
Russian supply lines into Crimea were likely to be disrupted by the blast. Crimean authorities said they would instead get supplies from Russia’s newly annexed territories.
Oct 08, 4:45 AM EDT
Bridge ‘down’ between Russia and Crimea
The bridge between Russia and Crimea was partially destroyed on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said the Kerch Bridge had “gone down.”
“The guided missile cruiser Moskva and the Kerch Bridge — two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea — have gone now,” the ministry said on Twitter, referencing Russia’s Moskva vessel, which was destroyed in April. “What’s next in line, russkies?”
Videos and photos posted by official Ukrainian accounts on social media on Saturday appeared to show the aftermath of an explosion, with plumes of smoke rising above the water.
At least one section of the bridge appeared to have partially fallen into the Kerch Strait, the waterway between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
A railway bridge running alongside the vehicle bridge also appeared to be damaged.
Oct 07, 4:07 PM EDT
Russian officials say its premature, there is no need to cancel New Year, Christmas festivities to put funds toward war
A source in the Kremlin said Saint Petersburg, Russia, authorities choosing to cancel Christmas and New Year citywide events to funnel the funds toward the war in Ukraine is premature, according to Russian News Agency Interfax.
“We consider it clearly premature and undeveloped,” the source said according to Interfax.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said its armed forces have all the necessary equipment for the war in Ukraine, saying there is no need to cancel events in Russian regions to save funds for military personnel, said Colonel-General Viktor Goremykin, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Earlier on Friday, St. Petersburg officials announced they had decided to cancel the planned festivities and the funds would be used to equip the mobilized. A similar decision was made by the authorities of the Leningrad region.
Oct 07, 2:16 PM EDT
Shelling outside Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant damaged power line to reactor, IAEA says
Shelling outside the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, damaged the power line to one of the reactors, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Friday.
The damage was caused to reactor six on Thursday, forcing the unit to temporarily rely on emergency diesel generators, according to Grossi.
Two of the experts who had been at the plant for over five weeks, were replaced Friday. There are now four IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhya plant.
“Again and again, the plant’s courageous, skilled and experienced operators find solutions to overcome the severe problems that keep occurring because of the conflict. However, this is not a sustainable way to run a nuclear power plant. There is an urgent need to create a more stable environment for the plant and its staff,” Grossi said in a statement.
Oct 07, 1:44 PM EDT
White House says no new intel sparked Biden comments on Putin’s nuclear threat
After President Joe Biden made comments suggesting Russia may use nuclear weapons, the White House says there is no new information to suggest an imminent threat.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden’s comments have been “very consistent” and he was reinforcing how seriously the U.S. takes Russia’s threats about using nuclear weapons.
“Russia’s nuclear rhetoric has been reckless and irresponsible. But if the Cuban missile crisis has taught us anything, it is the value of reducing nuclear risk and not brandishing that,” she said speaking to reporters Friday.
Jean-Pierre also called Putin’s comments irresponsible as a leader of a nuclear power.
“We won’t be intimidated by Putin’s rhetoric, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture, nor do we have indications they are prepared to use them but Putin can de-escalate this at any time, and there is no reason to escalate,” Jean-Pierre said.
Oct 07, 1:31 PM EDT
St. Petersburg cancels New Year, Christmas festivities to put funds toward war with Ukraine
Traditional Christmas and New Year celebrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia will be canceled and all previously allocated money for the festivities will be channeled to finance volunteers and mobilized troops involved in the war with Ukraine, according to TASS, a Russian news agency, which cited a statement from the municipal authorities.
All the available funds will be channeled into a special account to pay for gear for volunteers and mobilized citizens, according to TASS.
“During a session with Governor Alexander Beglov with members of the municipal administration it was decided to cancel previously scheduled events dedicated to New Year festivities,” the statement said, according to TASS.
Oct 07, 11:33 AM EDT
Top Ukrainian adviser criticizes Noble Peace Prize decision
A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the Nobel Peace Prize for its decision to award Russian and Belarusian human rights defenders alongside Ukraine’s, reflecting a widespread sentiment in Ukraine that it has been unwillingly lumped in with two countries engaged in attacking it.
“Nobel Committee has an interesting understanding of word ‘peace’ if representatives of two countries that attacked a third one receive @NobelPrize together. Neither Russian nor Belarusian organizations were able to organize resistance to the war. This year’s Nobel is ‘awesome’,”Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter.
Oct 07, 9:55 AM EDT
Biden says Putin ‘is not joking’ about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons
President Joe Biden made some of his most clear and striking assessments on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats of using a nuclear weapon.
For the “first time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have the direct threat of the use of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path that they are going. That’s a different deal,” he said at a fundraiser in New York City on Thursday.
“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily [use] a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.”
Biden said Putin’s military is “underperforming” in Ukraine and he may feel threatened.
Biden said he knows Putin “fairly well” and has spent “a fair amount of time with him” and warned that Putin is serious.
“He is not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, or biological, or chemical weapons because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming,” Biden said.
“There’s a lot at stake,” Biden said. “We are trying to figure out what is Putin’s off ramp? Where does he get off? Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself in a position that he does not – not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?”
Oct 06, 2:27 PM EDT
Zaporizhzhia power plant perimeter has mines: IAEA
There are mines along the perimeter of Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said at a press conference in Kyiv Thursday after holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The facility is currently under the control of Russian forces.
“There have been indications that in the perimeter of the plant there are some mines, yes,” Grossi said, before denying that there are any mines inside the plant itself.
Grossi is headed to Russia next to push for a security zone to be set up around the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Grossi told reporters that the IAEA considers Zaporizhzhia a Ukrainian facility.
“I think the IAEA, as an international organization, has a mission, has a legal parameter to do it. And what I will be is very consistent as I have been from the very beginning. We are not changing our line. We are continuing saying what needs to be done, which is basically avoid a nuclear accident. At the plant, which is still a very, very clear possibility. Yes,” Grossi said.
Oct 06, 1:45 PM EDT
Ukrainian official confirms advance into Luhansk region
The village of Hrekivka in Ukraine’s Luhansk region has been liberated, its governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Friday, adding that fierce fighting continues for other settlements.
“I’ve seen some soldiers already posted a photo of them standing on the background of the sign ‘Hrekivka,’ so its not a secret anymore — it is already liberated. And we keep moving in that direction,” Haidai said.
“After liberating Lyman [in Donetsk at the end of last month], as expected, the main battles are on the direction of Kreminna. The occupiers are pulling their main forces there. This is where the beginning of de-occupation of Luhansk oblast lies,” Haidai said.
He added, “Luhansk region liberation will be tougher than Kharkiv region. All those Russian military who ran from Kharkiv region and Lyman ran to our direction, so the occupation forces increased in number.”
Oct 06, 4:38 AM EDT
Apartments in Zaporizhzhia struck in early morning
Russian forces struck a residential neighborhood in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia early on Thursday, officials said.
Oct 05, 2:20 PM EDT
Ukrainian officials say they found more evidence of tortures, killings in eastern Kharkiv
Ukrainian officials released images they claim show evidence of tortures and killings in eastern Kharkiv, in areas recently reclaimed from Russia.
Authorities are investigating an alleged Russian torture chamber in the village of Pisky-Radkivski, according to Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the national police in the region.
Bolvinov posted an image of a box of what appeared to be precious metal teeth and dentures presumably extracted from those held at the site.
Two bodies were found in a factory in Kupiansk with their hands bound behind their backs, while two others were found in Novoplatonivka, their hands linked by handcuffs.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
Oct 05, 6:47 AM EDT
Putin formally annexes 15% of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws finalizing the illegal annexation of four regions of neighboring Ukraine — more than 15% of the country’s territory — even as his military struggles to maintain control over the newly absorbed areas.
The documents completing the annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — in defiance of international laws — were published on a Russian government website on Wednesday morning.
Earlier this week, the Russian parliament ratified treaties making the occupied areas part of Russia. The move followed what the Kremlin called referendums in the four Ukrainian regions, which the West rejected as a sham.
The annexed areas are not all under control of Russian forces, which are battling a massive counteoffensive effort by Ukrainian troops.
Oct 04, 1:29 PM EDT
Biden, Harris speak to Zelenskyy, offer new $625 million security assistance package
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, underscoring that the U.S. will never recognize areas annexed by President Vladimir Putin as Russian territory and offering additional security assistance.
Biden announced a $625 million security assistance package that includes additional weapons and equipment, according to a statement from the White House.
Biden also promised to impose “severe costs” on any individual, entity or country that “provides support to Russia’s purported annexation.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Oct 04, 11:58 AM EDT
More than 355,000 people have fled Russia amid mobilization
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a national mobilization last month, more than 355,000 people have left the country, according to Russian independent media.
Roughly 200,000 people escaped to Kazakhstan, 80,000 left for Georgia and 65,000 departed for Finland. Some 6,000 people also fled to Mongolia and there are reports of people fleeing to Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that more than 200,000 people have been mobilized since Sept. 21.
-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova
Oct 04, 9:29 AM EDT
Ukraine makes major breakthrough in south, advancing well behind Russian lines
Ukraine has made a major breakthrough in the country’s south that now threatens to collapse part of the Russian front line there, similar to Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeast last month.
Ukrainian forces have advanced over 18 miles in two days, driving deep behind Russia’s front line in the Kherson region and advancing south along the Dnipro river.
Russian journalists reported that Russian forces on Monday were forced to pull back from the village of Dudchany. Multiple Russian military bloggers, who are often embedded with Russian troops, say that Ukrainian troops now heavily outnumber Russian troops there.
The advance, if it continues, has huge implications for the war. Russia’s position is increasingly in danger of collapsing, which would make it all but impossible to defend the city of Kherson, the capital of the region annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin four days ago.
Oct 04, 5:55 AM EDT
Zelenskyy signs decree ruling out negotiations with Putin
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a presidential decree on Tuesday formally declaring the “impossibility” of holding negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The decree backs a decision put forward by Zelenskyy’s national security council and includes the point: “To declare the impossibility of conducting negotiations with the president of the Russian Federation, V. Putin.”
The decree echoed a statement made by Zelenskyy when Putin annexed Ukrainian territory last Friday, saying it showed it is impossible to negotiate with the current president.
Oct 03, 12:22 PM EDT
Ukraine advances in south, Russia says
Ukrainian forces on Sunday evening broke through part of Russia’s defense of the disputed Kherson region, advancing from the region’s northeast into a territory Russia had claimed to annex as its own on Friday.
Ukrainian troops succeeded in pushing south along the Dnipro river, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Monday partly confirmed the advance, saying Ukrainian forces “managed to drive a wedge deep into our defense.”
It said Russian troops had fallen back to “pre-prepared lines of defense” and were using heavy artillery to halt a further Ukrainian advance. It claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine had suffered heavy losses, but acknowledged that Ukraine had an advantage in tank numbers there.
Russian military bloggers said on Sunday that Ukrainian troops advanced southwards in the direction of the village of Dudchany, several miles behind the rest of Russia’s frontline in the region.
The advance raised questions about whether Russia would be able to hold the city of Kherson, the only regional capital it managed to seize in the invasion. For weeks, military experts have said Russia’s position in the Kherson region has been deteriorating because Ukraine has destroyed the only bridges allowing Russia to re-supply its troops.
Kirill Stremousov, a Russian-installed official in the region, on social media acknowledged Ukrainian troops had advanced along the Dnipro towards Dudchany but claimed they had been halted by Russian fire and that “everything is under control.”
A continued Ukrainian advance along the Dnipro would threaten to undermine the rest of the Russian front north of the river, raising the risk Russian forces there could be cut off.
The White House National Security Council’s spokesman John Kirby noted Ukraine was making gains in the south on Monday, but caveated that they were “incremental” for the time-being.
The battle for Kherson has major military and symbolic significance for both sides. A retreat from the city would seriously undermine Russia’s annexation of one of the four Ukrainian regions declared by Vladimir Putin just days ago — Kherson is supposed to be the capital of the newly annexed region of the same name.
Oct 03, 11:18 AM EDT
Kidnapped head of Zaporizhzhia plant has been released
The head of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia has been released, after Ukrainian officials accused Russia of kidnapping him, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Ihor Murashov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, was released and returned safely to his family, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, tweeted.
Zaporizhzhia is a Ukrainian facility now occupied by Russian troops.
Oct 03, 7:26 AM EDT
Putin’s nuclear threats ‘irresponsible rhetoric,’ official says
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats that his country could strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons were “irresponsible rhetoric” from a nuclear power, a Pentagon official said.
“They are continuing to be irresponsible rhetoric coming from a nuclear power,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on “Good Morning America” on Monday. “There’s no reason for him to use that kind of bluster, those kinds of threats.”
But the U.S. was still taking the threats seriously, he said. The U.S. was “ready and prepared” to defend every inch of NATO territory, he said.
“We have to take these threats seriously. We must. It’d be easier if we could just blow it off, but we can’t,” Kirby said. “These are serious threats made by a serious nuclear power.”
Oct 03, 5:55 AM EDT
Russia ‘likely struggling’ to train reservists, UK says
Russian officials are “likely struggling” to find officers and provide training for many of the reservists who’ve been called up as part of President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said.
“Local officials are likely unclear on the exact scope and legal rationale of the campaign,” the ministry said in a Monday update. “They have almost certainly drafted some personnel who are outside the definitions claimed by Putin and the Ministry of Defence.”
Some of the reservists are assembling in tented transit camps, the ministry said.
Oct 02, 10:42 AM EDT
Former CIA chief Petraeus says Putin’s losses puts him in ‘irreversible’ situation
Former CIA chief David Petraeus said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put himself in an “irreversible” situation amid the Kremlin’s annexation of Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions.
“President Volodymyr co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Petraeus said Putin “is losing” the war, despite “significant but desperate” recent moves. On Friday, Putin said he was annexing four regions of Ukraine — a move denounced by Ukraine, the U.S. and other Western countries as a violation of international law — and, in late September, the Russian leader said he was calling up some 300,000 reservists, triggering protests and a mass exodus from Russia.
In a rare acknowledgment Thursday, Putin admitted “mistakes” in how the country carried out the mobilization.
Oct 01, 9:07 AM EDT
Russia shoots at civilian convoy, kills 22, Ukrainian official says
Russian forces are accused of shelling a convoy of seven civilian cars killing 22 people, including 10 children, according to preliminary data, Olexandr Filchakov, chief prosecutor of the Kharkiv region, told ABC News.
According to preliminary data, the cars were shot by the Russian military on Sept. 25, when civilians were trying to evacuate from Kupyansk, a settlement in the Kupyansk area, Filchakov said.
The column of shot cars was discovered on Friday. Two cars burned completely with children and parents inside, Filchakov said.
Filchakov said the bodies burned completely.
Russian forces fired at the column with a 12.5 mm caliber gun. Those who remained alive were then shot at with rifles, according to Filchakov.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
Sep 30, 11:29 AM EDT
Biden slams Russia for ‘fraudulent attempt’ to annex parts of Ukraine
President Joe Biden condemned Russia’s “fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory” in a statement Friday.
“Make no mistake: these actions have no legitimacy. The United States will always honor Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. We will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to regain control of its territory by strengthening its hand militarily and diplomatically, including through the $1.1 billion in additional security assistance the United States announced this week,” Biden wrote.
Biden also said the U.S. and its partners would be imposing new sanctions on individuals and entities inside and out of Russia “that provide political or economic support to illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.”
He added, “We will rally the international community to both denounce these moves and to hold Russia accountable. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself, undeterred by Russia’s brazen effort to redraw the borders of its neighbor. And I look forward to signing legislation from Congress that will provide an additional $12 billion to support Ukraine.”
Sep 30, 10:37 AM EDT
Zelenskyy signs application for accelerated accession to NATO
In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he has annexed occupied territories in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is applying for “accelerated accession” to NATO, saying it is already de-facto allied with the alliance’s members.
“Today, here in Kyiv, in the heart of our country, we are taking a decisive step for the security of the entire community of free nations,” he said in a statement.
Sep 30, 9:28 AM EDT
Putin formally annexes occupied Ukrainian regions
Vladimir Putin has formally annexed four occupied territories in Ukraine, the biggest land grab in Europe since World War II and one of the most egregious violations of international law since then.
It is a key moment in the war with major implications for what happens next.
Russia has annexed 15% of Ukraine’s territory, including several major cities — but right now none of the areas Putin is seizing are under full Russian control and all are facing Ukrainian efforts to retake them.
The annexation will absorb the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region, as well as parts of the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions that Russia occupies.
At a ceremony in the Kremlin today Putin signed “treaties of accession” with the Russian-installed leaders of the regions.
Meanwhile, on Red Square outside, preparations have been made for a large concert-rally to celebrate the annexation.
This is another no-going back moment for Putin. By making these territories part of Russia itself he has made negotiations even more difficult. He has locked himself into a long war and linked the survival of his regime to it.
He cannot give up the regions in negotiations — in 2020, when he changed the constitution to let him stay in power beyond his term limits he also introduced a new clause that forbids Russian president’s from giving up any Russian land.
But perhaps even more importantly, he is likely to lose parts of these regions — Ukraine is on the counteroffensive still in northeast Donbas and Kherson.
The Kremlin on Friday said it will treat attacks on the newly annexed regions as direct attacks on Russia itself. The implied threat is that Putin could use nuclear weapons in some form against Ukraine if it does not stop.
Most experts believe that for now Putin is very unlikely to use a nuclear weapon — they see his threats as bluffs. But, they say the risk he might is growing and is now the most serious it has been.
For now, many experts believe Putin would prefer to use mobilized troops to try to stabilize Russia’s front lines in Ukraine and then try to outlast the West through the energy crisis this winter. But should Ukraine continue to advance and Russia’s position in the newly annexed regions starts to collapse, the risk he will use a nuclear weapon could grow.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Sep 30, 4:20 AM EDT
Major attack on civilian convoy near Zaporizhzhia leaves many feared dead and injured
Ukrainian officials say a Russian strike on a humanitarian convoy has killed at least 23 people and wounded 28.
The convoy of about 40 vehicles was heading into Russian-occupied territory to pick up their relatives and then take them to safety when it was struck.
Videos that have emerged from the scene show destroyed vehicles along the road and what appears to me a number of casualties as well.
Sep 29, 6:31 PM EDT
Putin signs decrees for annexation of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
Russian President Vladimir Putin took the intermediary step on Thursday of signing decrees paving the way for the occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be formally annexed into Russia.
The Kremlin publicly released the decrees.
Putin is scheduled to hold a signing ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday to formally annex the two regions, along with the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
Sep 29, 7:05 AM EDT
Putin to formally annex occupied Ukraine territories on Friday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a signing ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday to formally annex the areas of Ukraine that Russia has occupied, his spokesman has said.
The ceremony will be to sign “treaties of accession” with the four regions created by Russia’s occupation forces — the two self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhzhia and Kherson regions.
Putin will also deliver a major speech to lawmakers gathered there, his spokesman said.
It is a major moment in the war — another no-going-back moment for Putin. In reality, none of the areas being annexed are under full control of Russia right now as all are seeing fighting and facing Ukrainian efforts to re-take them.
If Putin attempts to annex the occupied regions, it will be one of the most egregious violations of international law in Europe since World War II.
Sep 28, 12:21 PM EDT
State department advises US citizens to leave Russia
American citizens are being advised by the U.S. State Department to get out of Russia immediately.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has issued an alert, saying “severe limitations” could prevent it from assisting U.S. citizens still in the country.
“If you wish to depart Russia, you should make independent arrangements as soon as possible,” the alert said.
Noting that Russia has begun a military mobilization against Ukraine, U.S. Embassy officials warned Americans with dual Russian citizenship that they could get drafted by Russia.
“Russia may refuse to acknowledge dual nationals U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, prevent their departure from Russia, and conscript dual nationals for military service,” the alert said.
The alert also advised U.S. citizens to avoid political or social protests in Russia, saying Americans have been arrested in Russia for participating in demonstrations.
“We remind U.S. citizens that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are not guaranteed in Russia,” the alert said.
Sep 27, 3:56 PM EDT
66,000 Russians cross European borders since Putin announced draft
Roughly 66,000 Russian citizens have fled across borders into European countries amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last week of a military mobilization against Ukraine, the European Border and Coast Guard said Tuesday.
The number of Russian citizens pouring into Europe was up 30% compared to last week, according to the agency which also goes by the name Frontex.
Most of the Russian citizens are entering the European Union through Finnish and Estonian border crossing points, Frontex said on Twitter.
Putin announced on Sept. 21 that he is ordering the mobilization of 300,000 recruits to fight in Ukraine, prompting widespread protests and clashes with police across Russia.
In recent days, photos have emerged of huge traffic jams at border crossings. On Monday, the wait at the border between Russia and Georgia was estimated to be 40 to 50 hours, according to the independent Russian news outlet The Insider.
Sep 27, 1:56 PM EDT
‘Sham referenda’ in Russia-occupied Ukraine going Kremlin’s way
Partial results from what Ukraine and its Western allies have called “sham” referendums in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine show that more than 96% of voters favor becoming part of Russia, according to the state-owned Russian news agency RIA.
Voting has taken place over five days in the four areas — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
The early results showed that 97.93% of voters in the Luhansk People’s Republic favored joining the Russian Federation, according to the data. In Donetsk People’s Republic, early results showed 98.69% favored joining the Russian Federation.
In Zaporizhzhia, 97.81% of voters cast ballots to join Russia and 96.75% of voters in Kherson also favored joining Russia, according to the data.
President Joe Biden and other Group of 7 leaders condemned Russia’s “sham referenda” in occupied Ukrainian territories, calling it a Russian attempt to “create a phony pretext for changing the status of Ukrainian sovereign territory.”
Sep 27, 12:42 PM EDT
Leaks in major gas pipeline between Russia and Europe investigated following blasts
Leaks in a major gas pipeline running from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea have been detected after the Swedish seismic network said it registered blasts near the pipeline.
The leaks in the Nord Stream pipeline were first reported on Monday by Denmark’s maritime authority and photos released by Denmark’s Defense Command showed what appeared to be gas bubbling up to the surface.
The operator of the pipeline said the leaks were detected southeast of the Danish island Bornholm.
The underwater pipeline runs about 764 miles from Russia to Germany.
While the cause of the leaks remains under investigation, unconfirmed report reports from Germany allege authorities suspect sabotage.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of causing leaks in a “terrorist attack,” according to the BBC.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak alleged the damage to the pipeline was an “an act of aggression” by Russia toward the European Union.
Sep 27, 12:18 PM EDT
Aid to Ukraine detailed in bill to keep US government running
A continuing resolution to keep the federal government running through Dec. 16 was released by Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday morning and breaks down how $12.3 billion in the package earmarked for Ukraine will be spent.
For the first time, Congressional lawmakers, at the insistence of GOP members, will require U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to provide a report “on the execution of funds for defense articles and services provided Ukraine,” according to a summary of the resolution.
Both houses of Congress must vote on the resolution by Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
The resolution includes $3 billion for “security assistance” for Ukraine and authorizes an additional $3.7 billion in weapons for President Joe Biden to drawdown from U.S. stocks to support Ukraine’s military. It will also authorize $35 million to respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in Ukraine in an apparent reply to Russian President Valdimir Putin’s thinly-veiled nuclear threats in a televised speech last week.
In addition, the resolution calls for $2.4 billion to replenish U.S. stocks of weapons already sent to Ukraine and to provide Ukraine.
The new assistance for Ukraine would be on top of the $53 billion Congress has already approved through two previous bills.
-ABC News’ Lauren Minore and Trish Turner
Sep 26, 1:29 PM EDT
40- to 50-hour wait as people attempt to flee Russia into Georgia to avoid military draft: Report
A massive line of traffic continued to grow Monday at the border between Russia and Georgia as huge numbers of Russians seek to flee the country amid fears they will be drafted to fight in the war in Ukraine.
Drone video, posted on Twitter by the independent Russian news outlet The Insider, showed hundreds of cars and trucks backed up for miles at the Verkhny Lars border between the two countries.
The Insider reported that people are waiting 40-50 hours in the line to cross.
Tens of thousands of Russians are trying to flee the country following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last week of a military mobilization of 300,000 more troops against Ukraine. Besides the Russia-Georgia border, large crowds of people attempting to leave the country have been packing border crossings into Finland, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and others.
Sep 26, 12:08 PM EDT
New clashes break out in Russia between police and protesters over Kremlin’s mobilization
More clashes broke out Monday in Russia’s Dagestan capital city, as police tried to disperse hundreds of protesters demonstrating against the Kremlin’s military mobilization of men to fight in Ukraine.
Videos circulating on social media showed scuffles between protesters and police in Makhachkala.
On Sunday, there were violent clashes in Dagestan, with police firing warning shots and people angrily shouting chants against the mobilization.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that he is mobilizing 300,000 more troops against Ukraine.
The announcement sparked major protests in Moscow and at least 30 other cities across Russia over the weekend. At least 17 military recruitment offices have been targeted with arson attacks. A man was detained by authorities on Monday after he allegedly opened fire on a recruitment center in Siberia, severely injuring a recruitment officer.
Sep 26, 11:01 AM EDT
US sending Ukraine $457.5 million in civilian security assistance
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the U.S. will give Ukraine another $457.5 million in civilian security assistance to bolster the efforts of Ukrainian law enforcement and criminal justice agencies “to improve their operational capacity and save lives.”
Blinken said some of the funds will also go toward supporting efforts to “document, investigate, and prosecute atrocities perpetrated by Russia’s forces.” He said that since December, the United States has pledged more than $645 million toward supporting Ukrainian law enforcement.
Blinken’s announcement follows a U.N.-led investigation that found Russian troops had committed war crimes in occupied areas of Ukraine, including the rape, torture and imprisonment of children.
Sep 26, 10:14 AM EDT
Ukrainian first lady ‘worried’ about Russian mobilization
In a new interview, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenka told ABC News that recent developments in the war are upsetting, saying this is not an “easy period” for the people of Ukraine.
“When the whole world wants this war to be over, they continue to recruit soldiers for their army,” said Zelenska, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last week that he is mobilizing 300,000 more troops against Ukraine. “Of course, we are concerned about this. We are worried and this is a bad sign for the whole world.”
Zelenska, who spoke with ABC News’ Amy Robach through a translator, said Ukrainians will continue to persevere in the face of conflict.
“The main difference between our army and the Russian army is that we really know what we are fighting for,” she said.
Zelenska attended the United Nations General Assembly in-person in New York City, where she spoke to ABC News about the U.N.’s recent finding that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine by Russian troops. An appointed panel of independent legal experts reported that Russian soldiers have “raped, tortured, and unlawfully confined” children in Ukraine, among other crimes.
“On the one hand, it’s horrible news, but it’s the news that we knew about already,” she said. “On the other hand, it’s great news that the whole world can finally see that this is a heinous crime, that this war is against humanity and humankind.”
Sep 26, 5:40 AM EDT
Man opens fire at Russian military enlistment office
A man has opened fire at a military enlistment office in eastern Russia, severely injuring a recruitment officer there.
An apparent video of the shooting was circulating online, showing a man shooting the officer at a podium in the officer in the city of Irkutsk.
Irkutsk’s regional governor confirmed the shooting, naming the officer injured as Alexander V. Yeliseyev and saying he is in intensive care in a critical condition.
The alleged shooter has been detained, according to the governor.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced a high-level shake-up in its military leadership amid reports Russian forces are struggling in the war against Ukraine.
The defense ministry said Saturday that Col. Gen. Mikhail Y. Mizintsev has been promoted to deputy defense minister overseeing logistics, replacing four-star Gen. Dmitri V. Bulgakov, 67, who had held the post since 2008.
Bulgakov was relieved of his position and is expected to be transferred “to another job,” the Defense Ministry statement said.
The New York Times reported that Mizintsev — whom Western officials dubbed the “butcher of Mariupol” after alleged atrocities against civilians surfaced in the Ukrainian city in March, previously served as chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, which oversees military operations and planning.
In this previous role, Mizintsev became one of the public faces of the war in Ukraine, informing the public about what the Kremlin still calls a “special military operation.”
Mizintsev was put on international sanctions lists and accused of atrocities for his role in the brutal siege of the Mariupol.
Sep 25, 11:58 AM EDT
Russian recruits report for military mobilization
Newly recruited Russian soldiers are reporting for duty in response to the Kremlin’s emergency mobilization to bolster forces in Ukraine, according to photographs emerging from Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week a mobilization to draft more than 300,000 Russians with military expertise, sparking anti-war protests across the country and prompting many to try to flee Russia to avoid the draft.
Putin signed a law with amendments to the Russian Criminal Code upping the punishments for the crimes of desertion during periods of mobilization and martial law.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview Sunday with ABC News This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos that Russia’s military draft is more evidence Russia is “struggling” in its invasion of Ukraine. He also said “sham referendums” going on in Russia-backed territories of eastern and southern Ukraine are also acts of desperation by the Kremlin.
“These are definitely not signs of strength or confidence. Quite the opposite: They’re signs that Russia and Putin are struggling badly,” Sullivan said while noting Putin’s autocratic hold on the country made it hard to make definitive assessments from the outside.
(MATLACHA, Fla.)– Roughly three dozen pastel-colored cottages line the only road to Pine Island, the largest island along Florida’s Gulf Coast where Hurricane Ian made landfall.
To get to Pine Island from mainland Florida, drivers must first go over a bridge and through Matlacha, an island community of about 600 people — many are commercial fishermen. Residents there live at the foot of another bridge to Pine Island that was devastated by Hurricane Ian last week and serves as the only connection to the mainland.
On Wednesday, before meeting with President Joe Biden, Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Matlacha to announce that roads there had been cleared and that the bridge had been temporarily repaired so that its residents could be connected to the mainland. The work took three days, his office later said.
But a quarter mile from where the governor spoke, Matlacha resident John Lynch watched another tide roll in and another piece of his home crumble into the gulf.
The sea wall, which used to keep the waters at bay, has now partially collapsed. If it’s not repaired, he said, his cottage will wash away with the tide.
“They’re focused on the roads and the bridge, rightfully so,” Lynch, 59, said on Wednesday as he pointed to the tide that had breached the sea wall and enveloped his home on Pine Island Road.
“People are losing their homes and their businesses” that can still be saved, added Lynch who also owns the Blue Dog Bar & Grill in Matlacha that was damaged by the storm. “I’m looking for that sense of urgency to stop it from getting any worse.”
Ian battered the southwest coast of Florida at speeds just shy of a Category 5 hurricane. At least 117 have died, making it the deadliest storm there since 1935.
Matlacha is in Lee County, an area that so far has the highest number of deaths of any county in the state. When Lynch returned after the storm he watched as emergency service workers pulled bodies off the streets. He also saw his neighbors homes were swamped — their foundations cracking away.
Most of the cottages were built in the 1940s or the 1950s. They boast sweeping views of the water and docks for skiffs.
“It’s a drinking town with a fishing problem,” joked John Hayes, who also lives in Matlacha and is known by locals as “Fishcutter John.”
On Wednesday, Hayes, who works for Lynch, helped his boss lug out debris from the restaurant.
Lynch described Matlacha as a blue-collar community without the high rises like those on the ravaged neighboring barrier islands of the popular vacation destinations Sanibel and Fort Meyers Beach. He said because it’s a small community, it’s not getting as much attention as larger tourist destinations.
“We don’t have that big voice,” he said.
At least a dozen of his neighbors’ homes on Pine Island Road are still standing, he said. But the tides that typically stop at the once sturdy sea wall are now eroding the soil from underneath the structures.
In his 25 years on the island, Lynch has watched the tides get progressively higher — but never as high as they have been since the hurricane struck.
As Ian barreled in on southwest Florida last Tuesday night, Lynch and his family evacuated to Cape Coral, a city on the mainland, where he had worked as a fireman for 20 years. As soon as the sun rose on Thursday, he hitched a ride on his neighbor’s boat back to Matlacha.
He said he barely recognized the place.
It “was like a foreign landscape. I couldn’t landmark things because the landmarks were gone,” he said.
When Lynch arrived at his dock, he saw that the cottage next door to his, which is owned by his 87-year-old uncle, Alan Lynch, had been reduced to a pile of rubble.
“That was going to be his home for the rest of his life. That was the plan,” John Lynch said.
Since the hurricane hit, residents have been busy trying to control the damage. Until Thursday they were still unable to leave Matlacha, so local skippers like “Mangrove Jimmy” — who used to give mangrove kayak tours — shepherded residents back and forth to what’s left of their homes.
Lynch donated a stock of frozen chicken breasts from his restaurant to guys down the block, who have been barbecuing it for islanders as they work.
When he arrives in Matlacha, Lynch removes debris from his lot and cleans the mildew that covers his drywall. At night, he boats supplies to a 72-year-old employee who is ill and did not want to leave her home on Pine Island.
On Thursday, when authorities opened the road from the mainland to Matlacha, Lynch saw an opportunity to do something more for his home. He called in a contractor the next day to help stabilize its foundation.
But without emergency repairs to the sea wall, Lynch worries that even when power returns, he won’t be able to bring his family home.
“We’re gonna be fine no matter what,” he said. “But it might not be in Matlacha.”
(NEW YORK) — Restrictive abortion laws were temporarily struck down Friday in Ohio and Arizona, two states where abortion services have been in flux in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
In Ohio, a six-week abortion ban is indefinitely blocked while a state constitutional challenge brought by the ACLU of Ohio on behalf of abortion providers in the state proceeds.
Last month, Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins granted a 14-day restraining order against the law, which prohibits most abortions after the “fetal heartbeat” is detected, before granting the ACLU of Ohio’s request for a preliminary injunction on Friday.
The latest ruling means abortion up until 22 weeks will be legal in the state for the duration of the case.
“We are thrilled with this second major victory and relieved that patients in Ohio can continue to access abortion as we work to fight this unjust and dangerous ban in court,” the ACLU of Ohio said in a statement.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is expected to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, a court issued a stay Friday on a near-total abortion ban with criminal penalties, temporarily blocking enforcement of the ban while an appeal filed by Planned Parenthood Arizona proceeds.
The century-old abortion ban had gone into effect in late September after the Pima County Superior Court lifted an injunction on the abortion ban. The 1901 law, which has language that can be tracked back to 1864, provides no exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities and makes performing abortions punishable by two to five years in prison.
A 15-week ban, which prohibits abortions “except in a medical emergency,” was passed by the Arizona legislature earlier this year. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe, state Attorney General Mark Brnovich said he would seek to lift the injunction on the older, more restrictive law.
Since Roe was overturned, Arizona abortion providers have either suspended or limited services due to confusion over the two bans.
In issuing the stay, Judge Peter Eckerstrom stated, “Arizona courts have a responsibility to attempt to harmonize all of this state’s relevant statutes. The court further concludes the balance of hardships weigh strongly in favor of granting the stay, given the acute need of healthcare providers, prosecuting agencies, and the public for legal clarity as to the application of our criminal laws.”
Friday’s decision allows abortion care to resume in the state immediately.
“While today’s ruling brings temporary respite to Arizonans, the ongoing threat of this extreme, near-total abortion ban that has no regard for the health care of those across the state, including survivors of rape or incest remains very real,” Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona, said in a statement. “For over 100 days, Arizonans have experienced pure chaos and confusion and it has been traumatic for our physicians and staff who have been forced to notify patients that they can no longer care for them.”
ABC News’ Mary Kekatos and Libby Cathey contributed to this report.
TOLEDO, Ohio) — Three people were shot outside a high school football game Friday in Toledo, Ohio, and their conditions are not life-threatening, according to the Toledo Police Department.
The game was being played at Whitmer High School against Central Catholic at the time of the shooting. The Toledo Police Department does not have any suspects at this time.
Washington Local Schools Superintendent Kadee Anstadt released a statement following the incident, ABC affiliate WTVG reported.
“We are deeply saddened that a fun rivalry tonight was disrupted by an act of violence in the streets surrounding our event. What we know at this time is limited, and we will not speculate until further details are known. An event like this is every school district’s worst nightmare, and we ask that you keep both Central and Whitmer in your thoughts as we attempt to figure out this atrocious act,” Anstadt said.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — More than 500 children have been reunited by the Biden administration’s task force to find families separated as a result of the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy at the border, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday.
“This is a significant milestone that reflects the tireless dedication of the many public servants in the Department of Homeland Security and across the federal government, including those in the Departments of Health and Human Services, State, and Justice,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “It is a milestone that we could not have achieved without the partnership and critical work of several incredibly committed non-governmental organizations.”
Nearly 200 other children who have yet to be reunited and are in the process, Mayorkas said.
The administration had previously identified 3,855 total children who would qualify for government-assisted reunification, according to the last formal progress report from the task force in July. Since then, the administration has now reached out to about 150 families who are eligible but have not responded. Prior to the establishment of the task force, some 2,260 known children were reunified.
The work is done in connection with international non-governmental organizations including the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency. Human rights workers have fanned out across Central America, traveling over 62,000 miles to find separated parents.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to reunite children separated from their families at the United States-Mexico border,” Mayorkas said Friday.
Those admitted for reunification receive humanitarian parole for three years to live and work in the U.S. The status is similar to those who have fled Afghanistan and Ukraine over the past year. The administration continues to operate two websites — Together.gov and Juntos.gov — where families can register to check their eligibility. So far, the government has registered about 1,700. Once found eligible, families then submit documentation to receive parole, allowing them to enter the U.S.
The government is also providing families access to mental health services as part of the reunification effort.
Last month, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to approve a new round of psychological evaluations for those separated and a part of an ongoing lawsuit in Arizona federal court. Five mothers who were separated from their kids are seeking compensation for mental health damages from the U.S. government.
Lee Gelernt, the lead ACLU attorney representing migrant families said in a statement to ABC News that the progress was notable, but much more work needs to be done, noting they continue to look for 150 separated families.
“The task force should be given credit for reunifying 500 families, but unfortunately there is still a long way to go to remedy the historic wrong committed by the Trump administration,” Gelernt said. “Beyond reunification, these families deserve comprehensive relief, including a chance to remain in the United States.”
Armando Garcia and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As colder weather arrives and people head indoors in Europe, a COVID-19 wave may be looming on the continent — and could signal what’s to come for the United States.
Data from the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows cases and hospitalizations are rising in several countries.
A WHO report released Wednesday showed weekly cases reached 1.5 million this week, an increase of 8% compared to the previous week.
In France, COVID-19 rates increased 31% overall, with a marked increase in those aged 80 and older, according to the country’s health agency Santé publique France.
The health agency said both new hospitalizations and new deaths have “continued to increase,” but did not offer specific numbers.
Meanwhile, in England, about one in 50 people — an estimated 1,105,400 — had COVID-19 the week ending Sept. 24, according to data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics.
This is an increase from the one in 65, or about 857,400 individuals, who had the virus the week before.
What’s more, the current seven-day average of deaths in England sits at 65, according to government data, which is the highest figure recorded in more than one month.
Currently, in the U.S., COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are trending downward and deaths have plateaued, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, public health experts say the COVID situation in Europe is likely a foreshadowing of what’s to come in the U.S.
“We’ve seen this pattern,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News. “We’ve heard this song before, which is that winter comes and cases start rising in places that are cold and, this year, more restrictions have been dropped compared to previous years.”
“The pattern is Europe, New York, then West Coast,” he added.
In fact, there may be some warning signs this is already happening. According to the CDC’s wastewater dashboard, virus levels have risen in some regions of the country including the Northeast and Midwest.
Chin-Hong said while vaccines and boosters will help limit the number of severe COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S., there is likely a mix of vaccine fatigue and confusion over who can get the new booster.
“The Kaiser Family Foundation data was shocking to me,” Chin-Hong said. “Not even knowing is shocking, because it’s not even about not wanting to get it if you don’t even know about it.”
He continued, “So, I think that people are fatigued, they’re really tuned out of vaccine news, they tuned out of COVID news you just want to move on with life.”
However, Chin-Hong stressed that Americans should get the updated booster as soon as possible to protect themselves.
“You might want to get it sooner rather than later given what’s happening in Europe of if you’re traveling abroad,” he said. “I have an uncle who went to France and six hours before he boarded, he tested positive for COVID. So, I think there is a lot of stuff happening in Europe and it may affect your return back home.”
He also recommended the public get the flu shot to reduce their risk of getting infected with influenza and reduce the stress on the hospital system.
(PHOENIX) — In the first and likely only debate for the Arizona Senate race, Democrat Mark Kelly pitched himself to independent voters as someone who can stand up to President Joe Biden and his own party, particularly on border security.
“When Democrats are wrong, like on the border, I call them out on it, because I’m always going to stick up for Arizona,” Kelly said in his opening remarks on stage at Arizona State University’s downtown campus on Thursday. “When the Biden administration refused to increase oil and gas production, I told him he was wrong,” he offered at another point.
The debate between Kelly, his Republican challenger Blake Masters and Libertarian Marc Victor comes just one week before early ballots are sent out in a race that could determine which party has majority control of the Senate next year, as polls show the race is tightening.
“Two years ago, Mark Kelly stood right there, and he promised to be independent,” Masters said in his opening. “But he broke that promise.”
Kelly, who won a special election in 2020 by getting more votes in Arizona than Biden himself, has distanced himself from Democrats’ messaging on immigration amid a record number of arrests or detentions of migrants at the southern border.
That includes the Biden administration’s decision to lift Title 42, a controversial Trump-era public health order which cut down opportunities for migrants to make legal claims to avoid deportation during the coronavirus pandemic.
“When the president decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules that would create a bigger crisis, you know, I’ve told him he was wrong,” Kelly said. “So I’ve pushed back on this administration multiple times, and I’ve got more money on the ground.”
Kelly called the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a “mess” and said he supports some physical barriers at the border.
Meanwhile, Masters emphasized Kelly’s record of allegiance to Democrats, asking Kelly about a vote against a GOP amendment to the Inflation Reduction Act that would’ve funded additional 18,000 border patrol agents.
“There are votes that happen in DC that have nothing to do with Border Patrol agents that have might have the title on it and nothing happens,” Kelly offered.
Masters called on Kelly to “respectfully resign” if he has truly done everything he can to secure the border.
During the hour-long debate, the candidates also sparred over the 2020 election, inflation, abortion rights and water security.
Asked if Biden is the legitimately elected president, Masters at first sarcastically offered, “Joe Biden is absolutely the president. I mean, my gosh, have you seen the gas prices lately?” before acknowledging Biden as the “the legitimate president.”
But the political newcomer then pivoted into a conspiracy theory about how the FBI pressured Facebook and other big tech companies to censor information about Hunter Biden’s alleged crimes in the weeks before the 2020 election.
Masters, who said in a campaign ad last year, “I think Trump won in 2020,” has softened some stances since beating out four other candidates in the August primary and conceded under questioning from moderator Ted Simons of Arizona PBS that he hasn’t seen evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 race.
“I haven’t seen evidence of that,” Masters said, breaking from former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him over the summer.
Kelly warned that the “wheels” could “come off our democracy” if candidates like Masters, who he says continue to questioning the integrity of American elections, win this November.
On abortion — a hot-button issue in Arizona after a federal judge last month upheld a 1901 law prohibiting all abortions other than those necessary to save the life of the mother and mandating jail time for providers — the two candidates offered vastly different views.
Kelly answered “of course” when asked if he’d vote to codify Roe v. Wade, and attacked Masters for his past statements describing abortion as “demonic” and “religious sacrifice.”
“You think you know better than women and doctors about abortion,” Kelly said. “You can think you know better than seniors about social security. And you think you know better than veterans about how to win a war. Folks, we all know guys like this, and we can’t be letting them make decisions about us because it’s just dangerous.”
Masters said he’s “pro-life as a matter of conscience” with “exceptions” and falsely accused Kelly of supporting abortion “up until the moment of birth.” He said he would support a federal “personhood law” to ban all third-trimester abortions — which Kelly called “code for throwing women into jail” — as well as Sen. Lindsey Graham’s federal abortion ban after 15 weeks.
With inflation highest in the country in the Phoenix-metro area, Masters appeared most comfortable when grouping in Kelly with spending in Washington.
“Joe Biden is spending like a drunken sailor and at every single opportunity Mark Kelly just says yes. He can’t say no to Chuck Schumer. He can’t say no to Joe Biden,” Masters said. “You never have to wonder which way Senator Kelly is gonna vote.”
(UVALDE, Texas) — The Uvalde, Texas, school district, facing withering criticism over its police department’s failings both during the May 24 elementary school massacre and since, announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday.
