(NEW YORK) — As a growing number of states continue to pass strict abortion laws, Americans are facing more barriers when it comes to accessing the procedure.
However, one of the greatest obstacles pregnant people are often met with is the cost of obtaining an abortion.
An abortion can cost anywhere from $0 to more than $1,000, and it’s not just the medical costs that patients face, according to a study from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group focusing on sexual and reproductive health.
Those seeking an abortion may also have out-of-pocket costs for traveling out of town — or, in some cases, out of state — as well as food, lodging, gas, coordinating child care and accessing medication.
Now, with the Supreme Court potentially set to overturn or severely gut Roe v. Wade, attention has turned to abortion funds, which can help arrange and pay for abortion care, as well as other costs associated with the procedure.
What is an abortion fund?
An abortion fund is a nonprofit organization that provides direct funding to those seeking an abortion who may not be able to afford it.
Some funds completely or partially cover the costs strictly related to the procedure, such as for pills for medication abortions — which make up more than half of all abortions in the U.S. — or for an in-office procedure.
“We also provide what we call practical support,” Chasity Wilson, executive director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, which helps provide funding for people living in the Gulf South, told ABC News.
This includes surrounding costs such as transportation to and from abortion clinics, translation services, gas, lodging and child care — and emotional support.
In addition to local funds, there are 92 abortion funds — as of October 2021 — that are members of the National Network of Abortion Funds, which helps connect organizations across the country.
How do they work?
Some funds, such as the NOAF, allow women to call directly to ask for help paying for an abortion.
“The patient reaches out by calling our hotlines,” Wilson said. “Sometimes we also participate in solidarity funds when another fund that provides these services may reach out and say, ‘Hey, we have a person whose procedures cost $1,300 so we can spend $500, how much can you help?'”
Other funds, such as the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project — a nonprofit that helps provide funds to people seeking abortion services or emergency contraception — speak directly with clinics and providers.
“We have a network of over 700 clinics, doctors and hospitals that are networked with our fund that contact us on a daily basis to let us know that they have a patent in need of an abortion and that patient needs funding,” Sylvia Ghazarian, executive director of WRRAP, told ABC News. “When a clinic calls us, we return the call and make a pledge commitment to that clinic.”
Ghazarian said the fund will then receive the invoice from the clinic and cover the cost within the week.
WRRAP’s statistics from 2021 showed that 73% of the fund’s patients were people of color and 76% received public assistance. Additionally, NOAF’s 2021 report found that 71% of patients were Black or African American and about two-thirds were on Medicaid.
“A lot of these populations have traditionally less access to health care, but by no means does this mean these are the populations that receive abortions most frequently,” Wilson said.
Who can access them?
Some abortion funds have no requirements. Ghazarian said WRRAP helps provide funding for abortions across the U.S.
Other funds help specific groups of women based on where they live, their racial/ethnic makeup, or how far along they are in their pregnancies.
For example, the Midwest Access Coalition helps cover costs for people seeking abortions in the Midwest, while the Northwest Abortion Access Fund does the same for those living in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Women’s Fund provides support for Native or Indigenous Americans seeking to end their pregnancies.
Others, like the Brigid Alliance, help fund those who have to travel long distances to receive late-term abortions.
How do abortion funds get their funding?
Most abortion funds receive support through individual donations. Since the leak of the draft opinion, first reported by Politico, there has been a substantial increase in donations to abortion funds across the country.
The National Network of Abortion Funds told Good Morning America it received more than $1.5 million in donations within three days of the leak reporting.
Ghazarian said news of the leaked draft has left many patients confused. She said she spoke with an abortion clinic earlier in the week that was receiving calls from patients asking if their abortion appointments were still on.
Because of this, another part of WRRAP’s work is community outreach so people can know what the abortion laws are in the part of the country they live in.
“We’re trying to generate information out there not just to clinics but to communities, so that individuals know we’re still here and we will still support them no matter what,” Ghazarian said.
(KENOSHA, Wis.) — The family of a 12-year-old girl has taken the first steps towards suing a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who they say kneeled on the girl’s neck while trying to stop a fight she was allegedly involved in.
Video of the incident, which took place during lunchtime in the cafeteria at Kenosha’s Lincoln Middle School on March 4, was captured by students and went viral.
The family intends to file a lawsuit against Shawn Guetschow, who was off duty at the time of the incident, as well as Kenosha Police Chief Eric Larsen, the City of Kenosha, and the Kenosha Unified School District, according to a Notice of Claim obtained by ABC News.
“The claimants’ damages include the violation of the claimants’ rights, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent injury, past and future medical expenses, and punitive damages,” according to the document.
The claim further alleges that the girl, who is identified only as “Jane Doe” because she is a minor, “suffered a traumatic brain injury.”
Attempts to reach Guetschow were unsuccessful and it is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
ABC News reached out to the Kenosha Professional Police Association, the police union that represents the officer, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
“The allegations within the Notice of Claim are unfounded,” attorney Sam Hall Jr., who represents the school district told ABC News in a statement on Thursday. “The Kenosha Unified School District will vigorously defend itself and its employees in the event that litigation is initiated in this matter.”
When asked about the intent to take legal action, a spokesman for the Kenosha Police Department told ABC News on Wednesday that “it appears that the ‘Notice of Claim’ has been made available to mainstream media; however, we have yet to see anything.”
The family’s attorney, Drew DeVinney, told ABC News on Wednesday that the family’s decision to file a lawsuit is “in response to the Kenosha County District Attorney’s decision to criminally charge Jane Doe.”
Asked about the nature of the charges, the Kenosha Police Department did not return a request for comment, but in March police confirmed to ABC News that a charge of disorderly conduct was referred to juvenile court for Jane Doe, as well as the other student involved in the fight.
A video taken by one of the students at the school was obtained by ABC News and shows the officer, who was later identified as Guetschow, responding to a fight between two students.
The 12-year-old girl, who is in the sixth grade, appears to push the officer and then he pins her to the ground and appears to kneel on her neck, according to the video. It is unclear what happened before or after.
Amid a national push for police reform after Floyd’s death, Wisconsin banned the use of police chokeholds in June 2021 except in life-threatening situations or when a police officer has to defend themselves. Chokeholds include various neck restraints.
Guetschow, who was working part-time as a security officer for the Kenosha Unified School District, resigned from his role with the school district on March 15, Tanya Ruder, chief communications officer for the Kenosha Unified School District, previously confirmed to ABC News.
In his resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, Guetschow cited the “mental and emotional strain” that the public attention surrounding the incident has brought on his family, as well as what he says is “the lack of communication and or support” that he has received from the district.
Kenosha police Lt. Joseph Nosalik confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that Guetschow is still employed by the police department and is currently on desk duty amid the investigation. He is not facing any charges.
Kenosha officer accused of kneeling on girl’s neck resigns from school district
“She’s humiliated, she’s traumatized. Every day I gotta hear, ‘Daddy, I don’t wanna go to school,'” the girl’s father, Jerrell Perez, said at a press conference in March.
The investigation launched into the incident by the Kenosha Police Department and the Kenosha Unified School District is ongoing.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice has opened a grand jury investigation related to former President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, following the revelation in February that he had brought boxes of documents home to his Mar-a-Lago estate when he left the White House.
At least one subpoena has been issued to the National Archives, and interview requests have been made to some former aides who were with Trump during his last days in office, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The news was first reported by the New York Times.
“President Trump consistently handled all documents in accordance with applicable law and regulations,” a spokesperson for Trump said in a statement following news of the probe. “Belated attempts to second-guess that clear fact are politically motivated and misguided.”
Officials with the Department of Justice declined to comment on the matter.
National Archives officials had previously confirmed in a letter to the House Oversight Committee that some of the documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago were marked “classified,” and said they had referred the matter to the Department of Justice.
(NEW YORK) — Stargazers all over the world will have an opportunity to see a blood moon over the weekend as a lunar eclipse moves into Earth’s orbit.
The penumbral eclipse, when the moon is completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth without touching the umbra, the inner part of Earth’s shadow, is expected to begin Sunday just after 9:30 p.m. ET, according to NASA. The penumbral eclipse results in only part of the moon going dark.
The partial eclipse, when the moon appears to move into the umbra and part of the moon inside the umbra will appear very dark, will occur just before 10:30 p.m. ET.
Totality will begin just before 11:30 p.m. ET, when the entire moon is inside Earth’s umbra and transforms to a coppery-red hue. Totality will end before 1 a.m. Monday, and the penumbral eclipse will end at 2:50 a.m.
Residents in the eastern half of the U.S. and all of South America will be able to observe each stage of the lunar eclipse, and totality will be visible in much of Africa, western Europe, Central and South America and most of North America, according to NASA.
A dark environment away from bright lights will make for the best viewing conditions.
The lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align, and the moon passes into Earth’s shadow, according to NASA. “Blood moon” is the term to describe the part of the total lunar eclipse in which all the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets project onto the moon’s surface as it passes through Earth’s shadow, darkening it and giving it its crimson color.
Rayleigh scattering, the same phenomenon that gives the sky its blue color and makes sunsets red, is what causes the moon to turn red during the eclipse. Red light, which has longer wavelengths than blue light, is seen during a lunar eclipse because the only sunlight reaching the moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA.
“It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon,” according to the administration.
The more dust or clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere at the time of the eclipse, the more red the moon will appear.
During the eclipse, cloud cover is expected from Dallas to Chicago, while scattered clouds will range from Atlanta to New York. NASA will broadcast a livestream of the total lunar eclipse.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on Nov. 8. After that, another total lunar eclipse will not occur until March 13, 2025.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 13, 3:10 am
Russian troops suffer ‘significant’ loss in Donbas, UK says
Russian troops suffered “significant” loss while attempting to cross a river in the disputed Donbas region of war-torn eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.
“Ukrainian forces successfully prevented an attempted Russian river crossing in the Donbas,” the ministry said. “Images indicate that during the crossing of the Siverskyi Donets river west of Severodonetsk, Russia lost significant armoured manoeuvre elements of at least one Battalion Tactical Group as well as the deployed pontoon bridging equipment.”
“Conducting river crossings in a contested environment is a highly risky manoeuvre and speaks to the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine,” the ministry added. “Russian forces have failed to make any significant advances despite concentrating forces in this area after withdrawing and redeploying units from the Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblasts.”
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released images purportedly showing a wrecked pontoon crossing over the Siverskyi Donets river, with a number of damaged or destroyed armored vehicles on both banks.
“Artillerymen of the 17th tank brigade of the #UAarmy have opened the holiday season for [Russian forces],” the ministry said in a post on Twitter, alongside the photos. “Some bathed in the Siverskyi Donets River, and some were burned by the May sun.”
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Strategic Communications Directorate also tweeted images of the scene, purportedly showing the smoking wreckage after artillery units and land forces “destroyed all attempts by the Russian occupiers to cross the Seversky Donets River.”
May 12, 5:11 pm
Sen. Rand Paul single-handedly delays $40B in aid, pushing vote to next week
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., single-handedly sidelined the $40 billion emergency Ukraine aid bill until next week in an effort to force lawmakers to include funding for a new watchdog effort to police how the billions in taxpayer dollars are spent.
In a very rare moment, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined forces.
“There is now only one thing holding us back: the junior Senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add — at the last minute — his own changes directly into the bill. His change is strongly opposed by many members from both parties,” Schumer said Thursday. “He is not even asking for an amendment … he is simply saying, ‘my way or the highway.'”
But Paul stood his ground, highlighting the nearly $60 billion that the U.S. will have given to Ukraine if this package passes.
After Paul blocked an effort to expedite passage, Schumer reiterated that Paul will not get his desired changes without a vote and blamed Paul for slowing aid.
The aid bill has enormous bipartisan support and is expected to pass by sometime next week.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will announce Friday that $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan has been committed to police departments and public safety across the U.S.
“A very big amount of what we’re talking about today is the fact that state and local government have already committed at least $6.5 billion to various different forms of public safety, CVI [Community Violence Intervention], to preventing layoffs of police officers and vital services, and adding needed equipment,” senior administration officials said on a call with reporters Thursday night.
Biden is set to meet with mayors and police chiefs at the White House Friday and underline those investments during remarks from the Rose Garden at 3 p.m. E.T.
These funds show what has been reported from cities through the end of 2021. The COVID-19 relief law included $350 billion for state and local governments to reduce violence.
A senior administration official said Biden wants to call on communities to use these funds “now” because “we are approaching another summer and want to stress the priority of using these dollars for public safety and violence prevention.”
Ahead of Biden’s meeting today, the White House highlighted how cities are using the ARP funds to boost police budgets and protect communities.
This includes Houston, where the city’s $52 million plan puts $32 million toward mental health, domestic violence response and victim service efforts, as well as $11 million in police overtime, $3 million toward a new community violence intervention and prevention program, and $1 million for a gun-buyback initiative.
Kansas City, Missouri, was able to hire up to 150 police officers, as well as increase pay for officers and civilian staff using ARP funds. The city also budgeted $12.4 million for its Violent Crimes Division.
In Detroit, the city began using ARP funds in July 2021 and has continued to expand public safety initiatives in its $110 million plan, according to the White House, including $30 million for enhanced police patrols, $12 million for community outreach gun violence prevention programs and $11 million for expanded mental health co-response.
Cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have invested funds in new police equipment and cars, respectively.
Swimmers relax in an underground pool in Helsinki, Finland. All buildings above a certain size in Finland are required by law to have their own bunkers. – ABC News
(HELSINKI) — Finland may be world’s happiest country — at least on the surface. But Helsinki’s “underground city” tells a different story.
Beneath the capital, a massive network of bunkers and tunnels spreads out all across the city. There are than 5,000 bomb shelters in Helsinki — enough to shelter more than the city’s entire population — and more than 50,000 bunkers across the country, according to Helsinki’s Civil Defense Department. All buildings above a certain size are required by law to have their own bunkers.
“There’s a historic sense that you should always be prepared. It might not be this generation or the next generation, but Russia is likely to attack Finland in some way,” said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.
With so much ground going unutilized, the city of Helsinki has converted some of its shelters into spaces for everyday public use. There’s an underground playground, a shelter that doubles as a hockey rink, even an underground swimming pool.
This is what it’s like being Russia’s neighbor. The two countries share an 800-mile border and a long, complicated history.
For decades, Finland opted not to join any military alliance in an effort meant to appease Russia’s security concerns. As a result, Finland had to ensure it could fend for itself. So it’s not just the bunkers; conscription is still mandatory for men, and the country has about 900,000 reservists.
“We have to take care of the citizens, that’s the main reason we have this system,” said Tomi Rask, an instructor with Helsinki’s Civil Defense Department.
But the very scenarios Finland has spent years preparing for are now playing out in Ukraine, where some have been living underground for weeks.
The invasion marked a turning point for Finland-Russia relations. Public support in Finland for joining NATO is skyrocketing from roughly 30% before the war to more than 70% in the weeks after the invasion.
“We have such a horrible neighbor on the east side of Finland. We don’t have any other option than to go to NATO,” said said Finland citizen Kare Vartiainen, who ABC News met making use of the underground pool.
After years of neutrality, on Thursday, Finland’s leaders announced Finland should apply to join NATO “without delay.” Sweden is expected to follow suit.
The country’s accession would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO. It would also expand NATO’s influence in the Arctic and further unify the West, said Salonius-Pasternak. NATO would also grow stronger.
“NATO would now have two more old democratic countries, both with really capable militaries, so that effectively all of northern Europe would now be one region to defend,” he said.
There are those that are still skeptical, like Veronika Honkasalo, one of the few members of Parliament who doesn’t think Finland should join. MPs are expected to take up the issue next week.
“I’m afraid that NATO membership will increase actually the tensions in the Baltic Sea region and also will increase the tensions in Finland, especially regarding the eastern border,” she said.
Russia has already threatened “serious military and political consequences” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, saying it will have to bolster its defenses in the region and that it could decide to place nuclear weapons in the Baltics.
There are concerns about what could happen in the time period after Finland and Sweden submit their applications but before they formally join the alliance. The two countries now hoping to win over security assurances from allies, including the U.S.
On Thursday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to come to Finland and Sweden’s aid if either nation is attacked.
Finns say now is the time to act while Putin is busy with Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is prompting Finland, even with its 50,000 shelters and capable military, to decide it can no longer go it alone. It’s likely giving Putin the very thing he worked so hard to prevent: NATO’s expansion.
“We are a small nation, we need help, we need friends. And from my point of view, maybe NATO is the friend that we need,” said Rask.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military last month launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 12, 5:11 pm
Sen. Rand Paul single-handedly delays $40B in aid, pushing vote to next week
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., single-handedly sidelined the $40 billion emergency Ukraine aid bill until next week in an effort to force lawmakers to include funding for a new watchdog effort to police how the billions in taxpayer dollars are spent.
In a very rare moment, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined forces.
“There is now only one thing holding us back: the junior Senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add — at the last minute — his own changes directly into the bill. His change is strongly opposed by many members from both parties,” Schumer said Thursday. “He is not even asking for an amendment … he is simply saying, ‘my way or the highway.'”
But Paul stood his ground, highlighting the nearly $60 billion that the U.S. will have given to Ukraine if this package passes.
After Paul blocked an effort to expedite passage, Schumer reiterated that Paul will not get his desired changes without a vote and blamed Paul for slowing aid.
The aid bill has enormous bipartisan support and is expected to pass by sometime next week.
May 12, 4:50 pm
Psaki says US would support Finland, Sweden joining NATO
The United States “would support” Finland and Sweden applying to join NATO “should they choose to apply,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.
“We, of course, will respect whatever decision they make. Both Finland and Sweden are close and value defensive partners of the United States and of NATO,” she said.
If the countries do apply, Psaki said, it “should be reassuring to the American people about our own security interests.”
“Having a strong NATO alliance, a strong Western alliance, that’s a defensive alliance, by the way, it is good for our security around the world, certainly having a strong partnership with a range of countries, including Sweden and Finland,” she said.
May 12, 3:38 pm
Russian official: Finland, Sweden possible target for strike if they join NATO
Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy told a British news podcast that Finland and Sweden officials “know the moment they become members of the NATO, it will imply certain mirror moves on the Russian side.”
“If there are NATO detachments in those territories, these territories would become a target — or a possible target — for a strike,” Polyanskiy warned.
He continued, “NATO is a very unfriendly bloc to us. … It means that Finland and Sweden all of a sudden, instead of neutral countries, become part of the enemy and they bear all the risks.”
Despite repeated claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO’s expansion is a risk to Russian security, Polyanskiy insisted the addition of Finland and Sweden to the alliance would have little impact.
“I don’t think it will really be a blow to the security of Russia because these two states become members of NATO — hopefully they won’t, but if they do it would be the worst solution for them, but not for Russia,” he said. “Russia is ready to face NATO threats. Russia has made the necessary precautions for this.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that Russia “will be forced to take retaliatory steps both of military-technical and of other nature in order to stop the threats to its national security” should Finland become a NATO member.
While Britain has pledged military support for both Sweden and Finland if they were to come under attack, regardless of whether the countries are accepted into the alliance and under the umbrella of NATO’s Article 5, the U.S. has yet to make a similar bridge security guarantee.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried said, “We will surely find ways to assure Finland and Sweden, but the nature of that is still to be worked out.”
May 12, 2:08 pm
Russian missiles strike in and around Ukrainian oil refinery
About 12 Russian missiles struck in and around the Kremenchuk oil refinery in central Ukraine, according to Dmytro Lunin, head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration.
No one was injured and crews have extinguished the blaze, Lunin said.
Most missiles hit the infrastructure of the refinery, which is not operating, Lunin said.
May 12, 1:39 pm
Nearly 100 children killed in Ukraine in April alone: UNICEF official
The United Nations said it’s verified the deaths of nearly 100 children in Ukraine in April alone — and officials believe the actual figure to be considerably higher.
“More children have been injured and faced grave violations of their rights, millions more have been displaced,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi said at Thursday’s U.N. Security Council meeting. “The war in Ukraine, like all wars, is a child protection and child rights crisis.”
Education also “came to a standstill” when Russia invaded, Abdi said.
One in every six UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine was damaged or destroyed as of last week, Abdi said.
“These attacks must stop. All parties must honour their legal and moral obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and to ensure the rights of children are upheld,” Abdi said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 12, 12:19 pm
Russian missiles strike in and around Ukrainian oil refinery
About eight to 12 Russian missiles have struck in and around the Kremenchuk oil refinery in central Ukraine, according to Dmytro Lunin, head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration.
“The threat of blows remains,” Lunin warned. “Do not leave the shelters!”
The impact on the oil refinery is not yet clear.
-ABC News’ Irene Hnatiuk
May 12, 11:45 am
Ukraine negotiating to evacuate wounded soldiers from Mariupol plant
“Difficult” negotiations are underway between Ukraine and Russia to coordinate the evacuation of seriously wounded fighters from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in exchange for an unspecified number of Russian prisoners of war, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
“We are currently negotiating only 38 severely wounded fighters that can’t walk,” she said.
-ABC News’ Irene Hnatiuk
May 12, 10:40 am
Russia threatens to take ‘retaliatory steps’ following Finland’s NATO announcement
Russia “will be forced to take retaliatory steps both of military-technical and of other nature in order to stop the threats to its national security” in response to Finland’s possible accession to NATO, according to state-run TASS citing a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry added, “Finland joining NATO will seriously harm bilateral Russian-Finnish relations and the maintenance of stability and security in the North European region.”
May 12, 8:24 am
Finland joining NATO would pose threat to Russia, Kremlin says
Russia will conduct a “special analysis” and take necessary measures for national security if Finland joins NATO, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
“There is an order from the president, the supreme commander-in-chief, that a list of measures be composed to strengthen our western flanks in connection with the strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO,” Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing. “NATO has been enlarging towards us. So, clearly, all of that will be elements of a special analysis and the elaboration of measures necessary for maintaining a balance and providing our security.”
“Everything will depend on the manifestation of the further [NATO] enlargement process — how far the military infrastructure will grow towards our borders,” he added.
When asked whether Finland’s accession to NATO — the world’s biggest military alliance — would pose a threat to Russia, Peskov told reporters: “Of course it will.”
“Another enlargement of NATO does not make our continent more stable and secure,” he said.
Peskov’s comments followed a joint statement released by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announcing their support for Finland applying to join NATO.
May 12, 4:09 am
Finland says it ‘must apply for NATO membership without delay’
Finland’s leaders announced Thursday their support for the country applying to join NATO, the world’s biggest military alliance.
“During this spring, an important discussion on Finland’s possible NATO membership has taken place. Time has been needed to let Parliament and the whole society establish their stands on the matter,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement. “Time has been needed for close international contacts with NATO and its member countries, as well as with Sweden. We have wanted to give the discussion the space it required.”
“Now that the moment of decision-making is near, we state our equal views, also for information to the parliamentary groups and parties. NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security,” they added. “As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance. Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”
The Finnish Parliament will now take up the issue, with a vote expected to be held early next week.
The announcement marks a major shift in Finland’s traditionally neutral policy, triggered by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, and recent opinion polls show Finnish public support for joining NATO has surged to 76%.
Neighboring Sweden is also considering applying to join the alliance.
May 11, 4:40 pm
State Dept. maintains Putin still has ‘straightforward’ path to peace
Despite President Joe Biden saying Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t have a “way out,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price insisted the U.S. is providing the Kremlin with a “very simple” and “straightforward” exit strategy through genuine diplomacy.
“The State Department, this administration, provided an off ramp well before President Putin decided to launch this war against Ukraine … it has not closed,” Price said.
The problem, Price said, was that Russia continues to show no interest in that route.
Price repeated that one area where the U.S. was not willing to give over any ground was the potential expansion of the NATO alliance.
“NATO’s open door means an open door. That is important to us and it is nonnegotiable,” he insisted.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 11, 4:36 pm
Biden: ‘American agriculture imports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies’
President Joe Biden said the war in Ukraine is an opportunity for American farmers to step in to address shortages caused by the invasion.
“We can make sure the American agriculture imports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies,” Biden told a group at a farm in Illinois on Wednesday.
Biden said to the farmers, “With Putin’s war in Ukraine, you’re like the backbone of freedom.”
The president pointed the finger at Russia for preventing Ukraine from shipping wheat to the rest of the world.
Biden noted: “Ukraine was the world’s largest producer of wheat and corn and cooking oil — but wheat, the largest. … Ukraine says they have 20 million tons of grain in their silos right now … because of what the Russians are doing in the Black Sea, Putin has warships, battleships preventing access to the Ukrainian ports to get this grain out, to get this wheat out.”
“The brutal war launched on Ukrainian soil has prevented Ukrainian farmers from planting next year’s crop and next year’s harvest,” he added.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
May 11, 4:08 pm
1 dead, 6 hurt in bombardments in Russia’s Belgorod region
One person has been killed and six others are injured from shelling in the Solokhi village in Belgorod, Russia, according to Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. A 14-year-old boy is among the injured, the governor said.
This area is less than 7 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Gladkov said the shelling originated from Ukraine’s side of the border and that this was the most serious incident since Ukrainian forces began firing on the region. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed that Ukrainian forces are firing on Russia’s side of the border.
May 11, 3:04 pm
UK signs new security pacts with Sweden, Finland
As Sweden and Finland consider NATO memberships, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed new security pacts with the leaders of both nations on Wednesday, ensuring the U.K. could give military support even if the countries are not NATO members.
Johnson said the invasion of Ukraine “sadly” opened a new chapter.
“Our armed forces will train, operate and exercise together — marrying our defense and security capabilities and formalizing a pledge that we will always come to one another’s aid,” he said at a news conference.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 11, 12:50 pm
First Russian soldier indicted for allegedly shooting, killing Ukrainian civilian
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office has brought its first indictment against a Russian soldier for allegedly shooting and killing a Ukrainian civilian.
Vadim Shishimarinov, a 21-year-old soldier in Russia’s 4th Armored Division, allegedly fired his AK-47 at a car driven by a 62-year-old Ukrainian man, killing him at the scene, Ukraine’s prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said.
He could face a life sentence if convicted of the shooting, which unfolded on Feb. 28 in the village of Chupakhivka.
-ABC News’ Tomek Rolski
May 11, 7:52 am
Fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian forces on Snake Island, UK says
Fighting has continued on Ukraine’s Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, “with Russia repeatedly trying to reinforce its exposed garrison located there,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday in an intelligence update.
“If Russia consolidates its position on Zmiinyi Island with strategic air defence and coastal defence cruise missiles, they could dominate the north-western Black Sea,” the ministry warned.
The island is strategically located, as it provides access to Ukraine’s major port cities, including Odesa, the country’s largest seaport and one of the largest in the Black Sea basin, serving as a major gateway for grain shipments and other key exports.
Ukraine, however, has managed to successfully strike Russian air defenses and resupply vessels with drones, according to the ministry.
“Russia’s resupply vessels have minimum protection in the western Black Sea, following the Russian Navy’s retreat to Crimea after the loss of the Moskva,” the ministry added.
May 11, 6:57 am
Zelenskyy thanks House for aid, as Russia denies responsibility for Ukrainian deaths
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday thanked the U.S. House of Representatives for its approval of a nearly $40 billion package of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine in a bill passed on Tuesday.
“We are looking forward to the consideration of this important document for us by the Senate,” Zelenskyy wrote in a tweet expressing gratitude to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Joe Biden and “all friends of Ukraine” in the House.
Earlier on Tuesday, two senators unveiled a resolution calling on the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D.-Conn., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.-S.C., said the designation, which could result in further sanctions for Russia, is warranted by Russia’s war on Ukraine and conduct elsewhere under President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin is a thug, and a bully, and he will continue being an increasing threat to Europe and the world unless he is stopped,” Blumenthal said at a press conference, adding, “If there’s anybody who embodies terrorism, totalitarianism and tyranny, it’s Putin.”
The resolution was originally requested by the Ukrainian parliament, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far declined to add Russia to the list of countries — Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria — considered to be state sponsors.
Russia’s Ministry of Health sent the World Health Organization a letter in which it “strongly rejects” its responsibility for the rising death toll in Ukraine.
“The health emergency in Ukraine and neighboring countries is caused by the unconstitutional coup that took place in this country in 2014, and by the subsequent military aggression of the Kyiv regime against the population of Donbass in the period of 2014–2022,” Andrey Plutnitsky, Russia’s envoy to the WHO, wrote in the letter.
Plutnitsky called on WHO member states to pay “special attention” to “the military biological activities undertaken by a number of countries on the territory of Ukraine, which represent a significant danger to the region.”
Members of the Russian military are trying to hide their involvement in some hostilities in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service said on Wednesday.
Russian troops, including some from the air and space forces, have demanded that the command keep their involvement in the invasion secret in order to avoid further possible responsibility for war crimes, the Ukrainian intelligence claimed.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that 89 of the 90 M777 Howitzers promised to Ukraine have been handed over to the Ukrainian military.
Of the total count of 184,000 rounds of ammunition committed to Ukraine, “65 percent, so almost 120,000 rounds, are in [Ukraine],” a senior defense official said at a background briefing on Tuesday. The Russians added two battalion tactical groups to their force in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the official added, bringing the new count of operational Russian BGTs up to 99.
May 10, 11:18 pm
House approves $40 billion in Ukraine aid, sending measure to Senate
The House on Tuesday approved a nearly $40 billion package of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, the latest tranche of relief to the country the U.S. is aggressively backing in its fight against Russia.
The bill, which was finalized earlier Tuesday and includes nearly $7 billion more funding than requested by the Biden administration, was approved in a 368-57 vote, with all Democrats backing the bill and all opposition coming from Republicans.
With the vote, Congress has now directed more than $50 billion to support Ukraine in the war with Russia. The House voted 36-169 on March 9 on a $13.6 billion package for Ukraine and other key European allies.
The Senate is expected to vote on the measure in the coming days.
The package includes $6 billion to help train, equip and support the Ukrainian armed forces, and more than $9 billion to replenish the U.S. stockpiles of military equipment and ammunition in the U.S. and abroad that have been tapped to re-arm Ukraine.
The measure would also help fund and support U.S. troops stationed in Europe and the operation of a Patriot air defense missile system in Europe, and it includes more than $900 million to support Ukranian refugees with housing, counseling and English language classes, as well as helping process and screen those traveling to the United States.
Additionally, the bill directs the inspector general of the Defense Department to provide a written report to the House and Senate defense committees reviewing the Ukraine program spending within 120 days of the law’s enactment.
May 10, 6:46 pm
State Department calls on Congress to pass additional aid
The State Department is urging Congress to quickly move on passing additional funding for Ukraine, calling the aid “vital” and warning the administration’s other means of financing military support were quickly running out.
“Our assistance to Ukraine has been just as we promised: massive,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during his daily briefing Tuesday. “We have provided $4.5 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since the start of this administration, some $3.8 billion worth of security assistance since the invasion began. These are supplies — weapons — precisely what Ukraine needs to defend itself.”
But, he said, maintaining that support depends on lawmakers fulfilling the White House’s request for another $40 billion in funding.
“The fact, however, is that right now, our coffers in terms of drawdown funding — they’re dwindling,” he said. “We now have less than $100 million left and we will exhaust those funds within the next week.”
Price said the new tranche of funding would “help our Ukrainian partners and also our NATO allies do precisely what we feel it is imperative that they be positioned to do at this moment.”
Pressed on whether the administration had a limit in mind when it came to sending lethal aid to Ukraine, Price said the focus was on fulfilling its promises to “provide Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself” and ensuring “our allies — especially our allies on the eastern flank — had what they needed to deter and potentially even respond to Russian aggression.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 10, 5:32 pm
Nominee for US ambassador to Ukraine testifies in confirmation hearing
Amid a three-year vacancy and with Ukraine in the grips of a brutal war, the U.S. Senate took its first major step towards confirming an American ambassador to Ukraine on Tuesday with a hearing in its Foreign Relations Committee for President Joe Biden’s nominee, Bridget Brink.
Brink — a veteran diplomat with 25 years of experience and the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia — acknowledged the great difficulties that would come with the post but said it would be the “honor of a lifetime.”
“We face the biggest threat to peace and security in Europe in decades,” she said during her opening statements. “If confirmed, I pledge to work with you to continue our commitment to a sovereign, democratic and independent Ukraine — free to choose its own future.”
Brink has bipartisan support and her path to confirmation appears to be a smooth one, though Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the ranking member of the committee, foretold “a lot scrutiny from Washington” when it comes to moving the U.S. embassy back to Kyiv and “helping to shepherd U.S. military, humanitarian and financial aid in the right places.”
“I think it’s really important for us to be there in person and present,” Brink responded when questioned on plans to reopen the embassy in Kyiv. “I don’t know exactly how fast we will be able to do this process, but I know we are trying to do it as fast as possible and it is certainly my hope and plan, if confirmed, to be able to start my mission in Kyiv.”
She later added: “It’s necessary for us to be there on the ground.”
The nominee was also asked about the need for the aid package currently working its way through Congress.
“It is incredibly important that the supplemental move fast,” Brink said. “The needs are large.”
Brink also promised to work to assist Ukraine in holding Russia accountable for alleged war crimes.
“We are going to use every tool at our disposal,” she said. “I can tell you it’s a personal priority of mine.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 10, 3:23 pm
House expected to vote on nearly $40 billion Ukraine aid package
The House will vote on a new roughly $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced.
The request includes funding for “critically needed resources, including military aid, support for the Ukrainian economy, and humanitarian assistance for food security to address the worldwide hunger crisis.”
The White House had initially requested $33 billion in assistance for Ukraine, but congressional leaders decided to tack on an additional $7 billion for more military and humanitarian assistance.
“This package, which builds on the robust support already secured by Congress, will be pivotal in helping Ukraine defend not only its nation but democracy for the world. Time is of the essence – and we cannot afford to wait,” Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues. “With this aid package, America sends a resounding message to the world of our unwavering determination to stand with the courageous people of Ukraine until victory is won.”
The bill is expected to pass in the House, after which it would head to the Senate.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
May 10, 3:10 pm
Pelosi, lawmakers to brief Biden on trip to Ukraine
President Joe Biden will host House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress in the Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the lawmakers’ recent trip to Ukraine, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Biden previously spoke with Pelosi over the phone about her trip but wanted a more thorough discussion in person, Psaki said.
Expected to attend are: Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-NY; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.; Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass.; and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Mariam Khan
May 10, 2:59 pm
Putin has goals beyond Donbas, US says
Russian President Vladimir Putin “is preparing for prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas,” according to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
“The next month or two of fighting will be significant as the Russians attempt to reinvigorate their efforts. But even if they are successful, we are not confident that the fight in the Donbas will effectively end the war,” Haines told senators at an Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
For now, Putin’s goal is to take control of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and encircle Ukrainian forces from the north and south of the Donbas “in order to crush the most capable and well-equipped Ukrainian forces who are fighting to hold the line in the East,” Haines said.
Putin also hopes to “consolidate control of the land bridge Russia has established from Crimea to the Donbas, occupy Kherson, and control the water source for Crimea,” Haines said. The U.S. sees indications his military wants to extend that land bridge to Transnistria in Moldova, she added.
Haines said Russia might be capable of achieving “most” of those goals in the coming months. However, “We believe that they will not be able to extend control over a land bridge that stretches to Transnistria and includes Odessa without launching some form of mobilization. And it is increasingly unlikely that they will be able to establish control over both oblasts and the buffer zone they desire in the coming weeks,” she said.
Sanctions from the West are having a “pretty significant” impact on Russia, according to Haines.
“Among the indicators that one might look at are, for example, the fact that we’re seeing close to about, we predict, approximately 20% inflation in Russia; that we expect that their GDP will fall about 10%, possibly even more over the course of the year,” she said.
The fighting itself has also worn on Russia’s capabilities.
“The ground combat forces have been degraded considerably. It’s going to take them years … to rebuild that,” she said.
But that could drive Putin to other means of exerting force. Haines said, “They may rely more on things like cyber, nuclear, precision, etc. … Putin would probably only authorize the use of nuclear weapons if he perceived an existential threat to the Russian state or regime.”
Haines warned, “The current trend increases the likelihood that President Putin will turn to more drastic means, including imposing martial law, reorienting industrial production, or potentially escalatory military actions to free up the resources needed to achieve his objectives as the conflict drags on, or if he perceives Russia is losing in Ukraine.”
“The most likely flashpoints for escalation in the coming weeks are around increasing Russian attempts to interdict Western security assistance, retaliation for Western economic sanctions or threats to the regime at home. We believe that Moscow continues to use nuclear rhetoric to deter the United States and the West from increasing lethal aid to Ukraine and to respond to public comments that the U.S. and NATO allies that suggest expanded Western goals in the conflict,” she said. “If Putin perceives that the United States is ignoring his threats, he may try to signal to Washington the heightened danger of its support to Ukraine by authorizing another large nuclear exercise involving a major dispersal of mobile intercontinental missiles, heavy bombers, strategic submarines.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
May 10, 11:29 am
Russia has lost 8 to 10 generals so far, US believes
The U.S. believes eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told senators on Tuesday at an Armed Services Committee hearing.
This is slightly below the estimate from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which said up to 12 Russian generals have been killed.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
May 10, 8:18 am
Ukrainian police probe over 10,000 cases of suspected war crimes
The national police chief of Ukraine, Gen. Igor Klimenko, told ABC News on Tuesday that his officers are currently investigating 10,800 cases of suspected war crimes across the country, in areas that were previously occupied by Russian forces.
In the Kyiv region alone, police said they have so far recovered 1,262 bodies of slain civilians. The head of Kyiv police, Andriy Nebytov, told ABC News on Tuesday that his officers are currently working to identify 258 of those bodies.
Local police said five bodies were recovered on Monday, including three men who were lying in a mass grave. Police said the men had been shot in the head.
Local officers in the Kyiv region said they have found so many dead bodies of people killed when Russian forces occupied the area that they do not have the capacity to store them all in morgues. Instead, DNA samples will be taken before the bodies are buried while the process of identifying the victims is carried out.
Once the DNA process is complete, the graves of the deceased can be properly marked, according to local police.
French police officers are also in Ukraine to help with the identity process. According to Ukrainian police, technology available to their French counterparts can finish the DNA identification process within 24 hours — something which would normally take Ukrainian police three to four days.
May 10, 6:47 am
Russia paying the price for underestimating Ukrainian resistance, UK says
Russia is paying the price for underestimating Ukrainian resistance, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.
“Russia’s invasion plan is highly likely to have been based on the mistaken assumption that it would encounter limited resistance and would be able to encircle and bypass population centres rapidly,” the ministry said Tuesday in an intelligence update. “This assumption led Russian forces to attempt to carry out the opening phase of the operation with a light, precise approach intended to achieve a rapid victory with minimal cost.”
“This miscalculation led to unsustainable losses and a subsequent reduction in Russia’s operational focus,” the ministry added.
According to the ministry, these “demonstrable operational failings” prevented Russian President Vladimir Putin from announcing significant military success at Monday’s Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Although he showed no signs of backing down, Putin did not make any declarations of war or victory in his annual speech for Victory Day, a national holiday in Russia commemorating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Instead, he drew parallels between Soviet soldiers battling Nazi troops and the Russian forces fighting now in Ukraine, as he has vowed to “de-Nazify” the former Soviet republic.
“You are fighting for the motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War,” Putin said Monday during a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.
May 10, 6:30 am
US suspends tariffs on Ukrainian steel
The U.S. will temporarily suspend 232 tariffs on Ukrainian steel for one year, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced Monday.
Ukraine’s steel industry is one of the foundations of the country’s economy, employing 1 in 13 Ukrainians, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Some of Ukraine’s largest steel communities have been among those “hardest hit by Putin’s barbarism,” the U.S. Department of Commerce said in a press release, and the steel mill in Mariupol has become a “lasting symbol of Ukraine’s determination to resist Russia’s aggression.”
“Steelworkers are among the world’s most resilient — whether they live in Youngstown or Mariupol,” Raimondo said.
The pledge to slash tariffs “is a signal to the Ukrainian people that we are committed to helping them thrive in the face of Putin’s aggression,” she said, “and that their work will create a stronger Ukraine, both today and in the future.”
Ukraine is currently losing about $170 million every day due to blocked ports and the country’s export potential has fallen by more than half, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmysal said on Monday.
Ukraine also submitted a several-thousand-page questionnaire, the second part of the answers, that must be completed by countries aspiring to join the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday during his nightly address.
“It usually takes months. But we did everything in a few weeks,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president held talks with EU leaders on Monday and claimed Ukraine could be granted EU candidate status as early as June.
Russia running out of missiles
Russia has used up about half of its existing missiles during its invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Monday. But the Russians still maintain the capacity and a certain supply of components to replenish some of their depleted arsenal, Malyar added.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense also stated in its Monday intelligence update that Russia’s stockpile of precision-guided munitions “has likely been heavily depleted.” Instead, the Russian military is now using “readily available but ageing munitions that are less reliable, less accurate and more easily intercepted.”
Russia will likely struggle to replace the precision weaponry it has already expended, the ministry said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Monday that he has “never been more certain that Ukraine will win,” adding that Britain will stand “shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Fighting continued on May 9 at the Azovstal steel plant while “some occupiers were walking along the streets” of the surrounding city of Mariupol parading with flags and Ribbons of Saint George, a traditional Russian military symbol, said Petro Andriushchenko, the Mariupol mayor’s advisor. Russian forces on Monday tried to blow up the bridge used to evacuate people from the steel plant, trying to “cut off our defenders from the possibility to exit,” Andriushchenko said.
There are still more than 100 civilians trapped in Azovstal, Pavlo Kyrylenko, who heads the Donetsk military administration, told local media.
(NEW YORK) — At least 11 people are dead and dozens were rescued after a boat capsized Thursday off the coast of Puerto Rico, officials said.
The vessel, which was “suspected of taking part in an illegal voyage,” overturned shortly before noon local time Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft spotted the capsized vessel and people in the water about 11 miles north of Desecheo Island, a small, uninhabited wildlife refuge off Puerto Rico’s western coast.
The Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection responded along with the marine units of the Puerto Rico Police Department. The Coast Guard launched multiple helicopters from Air Station Borinquen and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos as part of the rescue operation.
There were 31 survivors, according to the Coast Guard. None of the passengers appeared to be wearing life jackets, it said.
The total number of passengers who were on the boat before it capsized is unclear.
The vessel was transporting non-U.S. citizens, the Coast Guard Office in Puerto Rico said.
Desecheo Island is located in the Mona Passage, a potentially dangerous strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
(HOLYOKE, Mass.) — Massachusetts has reached a $56 million settlement with the families of the dozens of veterans who died and were sickened during the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home’s widespread COVID-19 outbreak in the early months of the pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday.
“The COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was a terrible tragedy. While we know nothing can bring back those who were lost, we hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to the loved ones of the veterans,” Baker said in a press release.
Tom Lesser, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, told ABC News that the outbreak resulted in more than 160 veterans contracting the virus between March 1 and June 23, 2020, with at least 84 veterans ultimately dying from the infection.
The agreement is subject to approval by the federal district court for Massachusetts, and the terms of the settlement will cover veterans who lived at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home at any time between March 1, 2020 and June 23, 2020, and who became ill or died from COVID during that period.
According to the state, estates of deceased veterans would receive a minimum award of $400,000 and veterans who contracted COVID-19 but survived would receive a minimum of $10,000.
“There is no amount of money that can compensate our clients for the loss of their loved ones. But our clients are grateful that the Commonwealth has acted to resolve this matter without the need for protracted litigation by agreeing to compensate both the families of those who died of COVID, as well as the veterans who survived. The settlement is fair and just,” Plaintiffs’ lawyer Tom Lesser wrote in a statement.
For some of the victims’ families, the news of the settlement comes as a relief, though they remain upset at the devastating consequences of the decisions taken by the officials responsible for the state-run veterans’ home.
“I think it’s great because it’s at least some sort of acknowledgement, perhaps, but I would like to see the people with the powers that could have prevented or remedy that in it speedier fashion to be held accountable that needs to happen,” said Susan Kenney, whose 78-year-old father, Charles Lowell, contracted COVID-19 and died in the outbreak.
The loss of Lowell, an Air Force veteran who served from 1960 to 1965 during the Vietnam War, is still fresh for Kenney, who was emotional as she recalled trying to reach her father after he had fallen ill.
“Not knowing if your dad’s dead or alive and you see the death toll rising and rising… I wanted him to be cared for with honor and dignity, and we weren’t allowed that opportunity,” Kenney said.
Kenney stressed that the push from families to make changes at the Soldiers’ Home has nothing to do about the money, but rather a fight for “human rights”.
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts House passed legislation that would require additional oversight of the home.
The state also reports that it has undertaken an “expedited capital project to reimagine the future of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke and develop the right, longer-term option to meet the current and evolving needs of area Veterans.”
“Something needs to be learned from it,” Kenney said. “Unfortunately, people were put in positions of power yet did nothing to prevent and only allowed people to get complacent in their positions and protocols, and it affected our veterans greatly. And most tragically it could have definitely been prevented.”
Late last month, the Massachusetts Inspector General’s office released a report detailing the “extensive mismanagement” and “oversight failures” at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, prior to the onset of the pandemic.
According to the report, former superintendent of the home, Bennett Walsh, was “quick to anger” and actively “intimidated” employees, further retaliating against staffers who angered him or whom he believed were disloyal.
“He created a negative work environment, engaged in retaliatory behavior, demonstrated a lack of engagement in the Home’s operations, circumvented the chain of command and bristled against supervision,” investigators said.
Walsh, alongside the facility’s former medical director, Dr. David Clinton, had faced charges of elder neglect, and permitting bodily injury. However, a Massachusetts judge cited no “reasonably trustworthy evidence” and dismissed charges for both.
However, the inspector general’s report found that Walsh did not have the managerial skills, leadership capacity, or temperament for his leadership role at the facility.
In May 2020, an attorney for Walsh insisted that Walsh did not keep anyone “in the dark” about the growing crisis inside, and took several steps to notify state and local officials about the growing rate of COVID-19 infections among veterans, but that Walsh’s requests for medical assistance for the facility were denied.
