(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that Customs and Border Protection will handle asylum claims by Ukrainian and Russian nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border on a case-by-case basis.
Advocates have criticized the Biden administration alleging it has been turning away both Ukrainian and Russian refugees from ports of entry along the southern border.
‘We address an individual’s claim for humanitarian relief as they are presented to us,” Mayorkas told reporters on Thursday. “We have a number of efforts already underway … to provide humanitarian relief for individuals fleeing a war-torn Ukraine. We are looking at other programs that we can implement to expand the avenues of humanitarian relief.”
“For example, if someone makes a claim under the Convention Against Torture, or an individual presents to the Border Patrol agents, a case of acute of vulnerability such as a medical condition or otherwise,” he said, adding the department has sent refugee affairs officers to Eastern Europe.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday President Joe Biden is “willing” to welcome refugees into the United States but the administration so far has been providing funding for humanitarian aid to neighboring countries in Europe.
DHS has been tasked with the federal domestic response to the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Mayorkas believes most Ukrainian refugees ultimately will want to go back to Ukraine.
“The vast majority of Ukrainians are displaced in the countries in that region with the hope understandably of being able to return to their country,” he said.
The secretary did not offer any details on what else DHS is looking to do concerning the refugee situation in Ukraine, but the department previously stood up Operation Allies Welcome when Afghanistan was under siege by al-Qaida.
He also did not give any estimates on how many Ukrainian refugees he expects to attempt to get into the U.S.
Mayorkas said DHS has issued guidance to all CBP officers on the border reminding them of the exceptions to the Title 42 authority and how it relates to Ukrainian nationals “and everyone else” attempting to make credible fear claims at the southern border.
DHS is using Title 42 authority at the border to send the majority of adults back to their country of origin under the guise of a public health emergency. The policy was enacted at the start of the pandemic by the Trump administration.
Mayorkas said he didn’t have a timeframe for when Title 42 would be rolled back, and instead said it was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision, but did say his department is prepared.
“We plan for the possibilities, whether or not they ultimately materialize or when they materialize it is our responsibility to plan and that is what we do,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Citigroup, one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, has begun offering to pay for travel expenses for employees who travel out of state to access reproductive health care.
The new policy, which went into place this year, is “in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the U.S.,” the bank said Tuesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to the filing, Citi now provides “travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources.”
The bank, which is headquartered in New York City, has offices in states across the country, including Idaho, Texas and Florida, states that have recently passed legislation restricting access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion.
Citi did not specifically mention abortion in its filing. The bank did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Citi’s action on reproductive health care comes at a time of heightened activity on the issue across the country.
That total includes both restrictions and proactive measures, according to Guttmacher.
The activity at the state level comes as the Supreme Court is expected to rule in May or June on a consequential abortion case, Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
In the case, the state of Mississippi is arguing to uphold a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while Jackson Women’s Health, Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, argues the Supreme Court’s protection of a woman’s right to choose is well-established and should be respected.
Since the Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks, according to medical experts.
If the Supreme Court rules in Mississippi’s favor and upholds the law — as is expected because of the court’s current makeup — the focus will again turn to states.
“We’ll be watching what the details are because that could matter to in terms of whether the court seems open to arguments that abortion is unconstitutional, and states should be disallowed from having abortion be legal within their borders or not,” Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School and author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present,” told ABC News in January. “That will tell us a lot about what states are actually going to be able to do.”
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he personally believes war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, a day after President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time since Putin launched his invasion.
“Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree,” Blinken said. “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past few weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.”
Before the U.S. officially labels Putin’s actions as war crimes, Blinken said State Department experts from the Office of Global Criminal Justice are documenting and evaluating evidence for a formal determination and will share those findings with those responsible for accountability. But he acknowledged reports on intentional attacks from the bombing of a Drama Theater housing children to opening fire at people waiting in line for bread.
“These incidents join a long list of attacks on civilian non-military locations across Ukraine, including apartment buildings, public squares, and last week, a maternity hospital in Mariupol,” he said. “I doubt that any of us who saw those images will ever forget.”
“There’s going to have to be, one way or another, accountability for this war of aggression,” he said of Putin.
But he warned of more darkness to come — Russia making renewed claims of genocide, using chemical or biological weapons and blaming Ukraine, sending its “mercenaries” to join the fight, and systematically kidnapping Ukrainian officials and replacing them with puppets — which he called a “terror tactic.”
While Ukrainian officials have been engaged in talks with Russian counterparts, Blinken expressed pessimism about those talks — saying they’ve not seen “any meaningful effort” by Russia to end the war through diplomacy. If anything, he warned, Putin indicated in his remarks Wednesday that he is doubling down.
Just moments before Blinken stepped out to speak, a State Department official confirmed to ABC News that a U.S. citizen was killed Thursday in Ukraine after Chernihiv regional police reported an American was killed by Russian shelling there. Two American journalists, a filmmaker and a Fox News cameraperson, were also killed this week covering the war.
As thousands flee the violence, Biden announced Wednesday the U.S. would provide Ukraine with $800 million in additional security assistance, bringing the total in aid over the past week to $1 billion. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s central request — for a no-fly zone over Ukraine — has not been granted. However, he did offer an alternative before Congress on Wednesday: S-300s, a Soviet-era missile system that are well-suited to to defend against Russian attacks.
Following his request, NATO ally Slovakia said it’s “willing to” provide the replacements — as long as NATO fills the gap that providing its only air defense system will create in Slovakia.
“What would happen immediately when we decided to give it to Ukrainians is that we actually create a gap a security gap in NATO,” said Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad’ Thursday, at a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Bratislava. “Should there be a situation that we have a proper replacement or that we have a capability guaranteed for a certain period of time, then we will be willing to discuss the future of S-300 system.”
But it’s unclear if a guarantee has been made yet to Slovakia in order to get the systems to Ukraine. The three NATO countries that have S-300s are Slovakia, Bulgaria and Greece.
As the U.S. reaffirms it would not support a no-fly zone, despite Zelenskyy’s pleas, Austin also explained the decision and called on Putin to cease attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
“Enforcing a no-fly zone actually means that you’re in combat. You’re in a fight with Russia,” said Austin. “So, from a U.S. perspective, we’re, again, our position remains that we’re not going to do one,” he added.
Asked directly if Russia’s attacks against civilians in Ukraine constitute a war crime, Austin did not go as far as Biden and Blinken and said that the State Department is currently reviewing the reports of civilian attacks.
“If you attack civilians on purpose, target civilians purposely, then that’s not — that is a crime,” Austin said. “So, these actions are under review by our State Department, and, of course, there will be and there’s a process that will go through to review all of this.”
Amid concerns China could assist Russia with military equipment, Biden is scheduled to speak Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He will also travel to Brussels next week in a show of unity to meet with NATO leaders.
Earlier in the day, Biden welcomed Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin for a virtual bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and said the leaders were “meeting in a moment when demands on unity in the world are really accelerating,” as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
“We have to be united and we certainly are,” Biden said. “But Putin’s brutality and what he’s doing, and his troops are doing in Ukraine is just inhumane.”
The Taoiseach echoed Biden’s view of Putin’s “unjustifiable and immoral war,” saying “I share with you our horror at the barbaric attack on the civilians,” and said Biden’s leadership through this has been “firm,” “determined,” and “strong.”
“Particularly your capacity to marshal like-minded democracies, the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, the other — Canada and other like-minded democracies are coming together to respond in an unprecedented way to this barbaric attack on the women and children of Ukraine.”
ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
(DETROIT) — A federal judge in Michigan’s Eastern District Court says she will wait to decide whether former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and four others will have to appear before a jury to testify in a civil lawsuit connected to the Flint water crisis.
U.S District Court Judge Judith Levy heard arguments from attorneys representing Snyder, his former aide Rich Baird, Howard Croft, the former director for Flint’s Department of Public Works, and former emergency managers, Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Early, who made their cases in a motion hearing Tuesday to halt subpoenas issued to their clients.
Nine former state officials were indicted on Jan. 14, 2021, for a total of 42 counts of charges related to the Flint water crisis, including Snyder who is facing two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty, which he has denied. Croft was charged with willful neglect of duty. Baird received felony charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, official misconduct and extortion. Earley and Ambrose were charged with several counts of misconduct in office.
The former state officials have pleaded not guilty to their respective charges and are potential witnesses in a civil trial against two engineering companies.
The five defendants answered questions in videotaped depositions made in 2020 before they were charged. While those taped depositions could be played before a jury in the civil trial against Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) and Veolia North America (VAN), their attorneys argued they should not be forced to testify beyond that to prevent potential incrimination.
Lockwood, Andrews & Newman and Veolia North America, two contracted engineering firms that reviewed Flint’s water system, are being sued by four children who were exposed to lead contamination due to the Michigan city’s tainted drinking water. The lawsuit claims the engineering firms committed professional negligence for adequately advising city officials and not ensure the water being pulled from the Flint River was properly treated. Both LAN and VNA deny any wrongdoing, citing the city’s and state’s efforts to cut costs as the culprit behind the lead contamination.
The engineering firms were not a part of last year’s $626 million settlement litigation involving damage claims against the state of Michigan, the city of Flint, Rowe Professional services and McLaren Flint Hospital.
This latest trial will test the firms’ potential liability and could influence other pending litigations. The civil trial started on Feb. 28 and is expected to continue for several more weeks.
(NEW YORK) — As the Democratic National Committee considers changes to its primary calendar, New Jersey Democrats are pitching themselves for consideration as one of the early presidential primary states.
In a letter sent Wednesday afternoon to DNC Chair Jamie Harrison, New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chair LeRoy J. Jones, Jr. asked Harrison to consider New Jersey, suggesting the traditional lineup, which leads with Iowa caucuses, is outdated.
ABC News reviewed the letter, which was also sent to the Rules and Bylaws Committee along with their co-chairs, Lorraine Miller and James Roosevelt Jr.
“Moving to a new, modernized presidential nominating system would send a strong message that the Democratic Party is focused not on the past, but on the future. Our party cannot cling to outdated traditions that do not help us reach new voters and motivate the diverse coalition of supporters needed to win elections and enact our pro-middle class agenda,” Jones Jr. writes.
Jones Jr. argues New Jersey presents a cost-effective alternative for candidates who find other early states’ media markets too expensive, as well as a diverse state that captures many of the party’s key demographics.
“No other state affords its residents the opportunity to wake up in a city, spend the day hiking on a rural trail or mountain, and then enjoy an oceanfront view for dinner the way that New Jersey does — making our state the ideal proving ground for political candidates across urban, suburban, and rural settings. In many ways, we are truly a microcosm of the country,” Jones Jr. writes.
The DNC declined ABC News’ request for comment.
Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status has been critiqued by Democrats for years, and attacks sharpened during the last election cycle in large part due to its lack of racial diversity. Iowa is made up of 90% white residents, according to data from the U.S. Census.
President Joe Biden’s bid for office was all but written off after a stunningly poor performance at the Iowa caucuses before the 2020 election. Momentum shifted after a major endorsement in the South Carolina early state primary.
“Our party is best when we reflect the people we are trying to serve, and it’s just as plain as that,” Harrison said at The DNC spring meeting. “This process will be guided by that north star.”
During the event’s Rules and Bylaws meeting, several members pushed for modernizing the primary process, making clear that Iowa’s status was on the chopping block. Several members also expressed openness to change during the group’s winter meeting in January.
“Now is not a time for us as a party to stand on tradition; now is not the time for us as a party to stand on status quo,” said Rules and Bylaws member Mo Elleithee, who laid out a series of proposed guidelines for state parties to be considered in the early nominating contest.
But unseating Iowa is not a simple process, necessitating changes to state law and Rules and Bylaws members coming to an agreement on guidelines for early state waiver applicants by the DNC’s summer meeting, expected in either August or September.
“New Jersey lies at the center of our party’s efforts to protect our majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four frontline incumbent Democrats whose victories are critical to that mission,” writes Jones Jr. “It is time for the Democratic Party to move boldly into the future with a presidential primary calendar that reflects the diversity of our party and nation. Let’s make New Jersey one of the first primary states, and set up future Democratic Party presidential nominees for long-term success.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 17, 1:55 pm
US citizen killed in Chernihiv, Ukraine
A U.S. citizen was killed Thursday in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, a State Department official confirmed to ABC News, after Chernihiv regional police reported an American was killed by Russian shelling.
The State Department official did not provide more details.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Mar 17, 1:46 pm
Hundreds of bulletproof vests meant for Ukraine stolen in NYC
About 400 bulletproof vests that were set to be sent to aid Ukraine were stolen from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s headquarters in Manhattan’s East Village, according to the New York City Police Department.
No arrests have been made in the burglary, which took place early Wednesday, police said.
-ABC News’ Derricke Dennis
Mar 17, 12:35 pm
Biden calls Putin’s actions ‘inhumane’ in talk with Irish Taoiseach
During a virtual bilat with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Thursday, President Joe Biden said the world is “united” as Russia’s invasion in Ukraine continues.
“We have to be united and we certainly are,” Biden said. “But Putin’s brutality and what he’s doing, and his troops are doing in Ukraine, is just inhumane.”
The Taoiseach told Biden, “I share with you our horror at the barbaric attack on the civilians,” and said Biden’s leadership through this has been “firm,” “determined” and “strong.”
Biden commended Ireland for taking in Ukrainian refugees, saying it “speaks so loudly about your principles.”
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Mar 17, 8:49 am
Biden to speak with Chinese President Xi on Friday
President Joe Biden will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday about “Russia’s war against Ukraine,” among other topics, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
It’s the first time the two will speak since Russia’s invasion began and it follows National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s seven-hour face-to-face meeting in Rome with his Chinese counterpart earlier this week.
The U.S. has been ramping up its warnings to China over concerns that it could assist Moscow with military equipment and other aid.
Mar 17, 6:59 am
Russia ‘stalled on all fronts,’ UK military says
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has “largely stalled on all fronts,” the UK Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
“Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or are in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses,” the Ministry said in an update posted to Twitter.
The Ukrainian resistance “remains staunch and well-coordinated,” the update said.
“The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remain in Ukrainian hands,” the Ministry said.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 17 March 2022
Mar 16, 9:00 pm
Theater sheltering civilians hit by Russian airstrikes, Ukrainian official says
A Ukrainian official claimed Wednesday that Russian airstrikes destroyed a theater in the besieged city of Mariupol where civilians were taking shelter.
The number of victims from the bombing of the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama “is impossible to count,” Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk Region administration, said in a Facebook post.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an address tonight that hundreds of people were hiding in the theater and that the death toll is still unknown.
“Russia is killing civilians!” Kyrylenko said, adding that it is also “impossible to determine” the number of victims in Mariupol since the start of the invasion.
The city has been burying its dead in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol as it endures heavy shelling.
(ATLANTA) — Experts fear that COVID-19 cases in the United States will rise in the next few weeks as the new BA.2 variant continues to spread.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows BA.2, which is a subvariant of omicron, has been tripling in prevalence every two weeks.
As of the week ending March 11, BA.2 makes up 23.1% of all COVID cases in the U.S. compared to 7.1% of all cases the week ending Feb. 26, according to the CDC.
Although the original omicron variant still makes up the majority of America’s COVID infections, its prevalence has dropped over the same period, from 74.5% to 66.1%.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said given the growing prevalence of BA.2, he expects cases will increase within the next month.
“I would expect that we might see an uptick in cases here in the United States because, only a week or so ago, the CDC came out with their modification of the metrics for what would be recommended for masking indoors, and much of the country right now is in that zone, where masking indoors is not required,” Fauci told ABC affiliate KGTV Wednesday.
Fauci added that he believes BA.2 will become the dominant variant in the country, surpassing the original omicron variant.
He noted several European countries — such as Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom — have reported a spike in COVID-19 over the last couple of weeks.
In the U.K., 93,943 cases were recorded Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University, more than double the 45,303 recorded two weeks earlier.
“It has a transmission advantage over BA.1,” Fauci said. “Namely, it is more likely to transmit, which is the reason why we’re seeing the uptick in cases in the UK and in the European countries, that have pulled back a bit on their mitigation.”
Last month, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced any remaining COVID-19 measures in England would be dropped so the country could move into a new phase of the pandemic, which he described as “living with COVID.”
Several European countries followed suit, as did the U.S., which eased masking guidance for 70% of the country, including for schools.
Fauci said he is encouraged that BA.2 does not appear to cause more severe disease, but warned if the U.S. experiences another COVID wave, Americans must be willing to readopt mitigation measures.
“We have to be careful that if we do see a surge as a result of that, that we’re flexible enough to reinstitute the kinds of interventions that could be necessary to stop an additional surge,” he said. “I hope that doesn’t happen. But we’ll just have to wait and see.”
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden met virtually with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin Thursday after Martin tested positive for COVID-19, scrambling holiday plans in Washington and hopes that St. Patrick’s Day traditions would return in-person after two years.
“I’m really, deeply sorry for the inconvenience, that we have to meet virtually again this year — although I did at a little distance for seven-and-a-half minutes get to see you yesterday and your beautiful wife, but especially after flying all the way here to Washington, with a lot going on up in the Hill and the rest,” Biden said, speaking to the Taoiseach over video, seated next to a screen in the Oval Office.
Biden said the two leaders were meeting “in a moment when demands on unity in the world are really accelerating.”
Martin, who has isolated across the street from the White House at the Blair House, where the Irish flag is on display, used his positive diagnosis to promote vaccinations.
“Last year, we met virtually across the Atlantic. This year, we’re meeting virtually across the road, so we’re getting closer,” he joked. “But I’m feeling good, and I think that reminds us of the importance of vaccines, and, cause vaccines prevent severe illness. And that it reminds us that central message we give the people: get vaccinated if you’re not vaccinated.”
Biden, known to tout his Irish heritage, was set to host Martin for a traditional bilateral meeting and Shamrock handover, an Oval Office tradition to mark St. Patrick’s Day dating back to 1952, but the event took place virtually, as they were forced to do last year in the pandemic when the UK was under travel restrictions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seated next to Martin at Wednesday’s Ireland Funds 30th National Gala, when he learned of his positive result over a course of appetizers, but she is still moving forward with her plans to host the Annual “Friends of Ireland” luncheon on Capitol Hill, which Martin had been scheduled to attend.
Pelosi tested negative this morning with a PCR test administered by the Capitol attending physician, according to a source familiar.
“In consultation with the Office of Attending Physician, the Speaker will continue regular testing and follow CDC guidance. The Friends of Ireland Lunch today will proceed but without the participation of the Taoiseach,” her office said in a statement to ABC News.
Asked if she had any concerns for her health, Pelosi told reporters Thursday, “No, I don’t, but I get tested almost every day.”
“The Taoiseach had on a mask when he sat down but then when he started to eat, he took off the mask, and then it was right during the appetizer, they pulled him aside. We didn’t know why. But then, sometime later, when it was my turn to speak, they told how we would proceed, that he would not be speaking,” Pelosi explained during her weekly press conference.
Biden also spoke at the gala, but the White House said he was not deemed a close contact of Martin. While the president’s plans to meet Martin in the Oval Office are shot, Biden is still scheduled to attend Pelosi’s luncheon on the Hill.
“I think we, Irish, are the only people in the world who actually are nostalgic for the future,” Biden joked at Wednesday’s gala, with Martin in the audience. “But, of course, that means dealing with the present. At this time, in our time, we’ve seen more change and challenge, I believe, than any time in generations.”
Biden, 79, tested negative for COVID late last year after he was in close contact with an aide that tested positive. An aide of Pelosi’s, 81, tested positive last summer, but her spokesperson said the aide had not been in close contact with the speaker since the exposure. Both Biden and Pelosi are fully vaccinated and boosted.
The Taoiseach’s positive test rocking Washington comes as the nation largely eases COVID restrictions like mask mandates and as the White House shifts its messaging from mitigating the virus to living with it.
To that end, the White House announced Thursday morning that COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients will be replaced in April by Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, who has taken on a prominent role on television networks communing the pandemic to Americans.
Jha signaled that the role will be less about vaccine distribution and more about preparing for a future of living with the virus — but he takes on the position with little political experience, at a time when the White House desperately needs Congressional funding to be prepared, and faces the prospect of dealing with a potential new surge from the BA.2 variant.
On Thursday, Pelosi expressed her anger and disappointment over Congress’ inability to pass additional COVID relief funding after House Democrats were forced to strip $15.6 billion from the spending bill last week over concerns about how the bill would be paid for. Republicans don’t think there is a need for additional funding, and Democrats don’t want that funding to be offset by cutting into other programs.
“With all the protections of the Taoiseach of Ireland, he gets a positive diagnosis. Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, has a positive indication. What chance does a poor person with a big family, living in a small apartment working in a situation that may or may not be safe…?” Pelosi said Thursday, following a meeting with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Pelosi has been fuming that members of her own party held up passage of the COVID funding last week, sources familiar told ABC News.
“I think we need all the money we can get, to have the resources that we need to fight COVID,” she added. “The last thing we need is another variant.”
Just this week, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive for COVID, marking the first time a member of the first or second families shared a positive test result. Former President Barack Obama, who also shares an Irish heritage with Biden, also announced he tested positive for COVID one day prior.
ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett, Oren Oppenheim, Chad Murray and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — A United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo ship with 30 people onboard sank on Thursday in the Persian Gulf off the southern coast of Iran.
The ship sank due to turbulence in poor weather about 30 miles from Asaluyeh, local authorities said.
Rescuers were immediately dispatched from different parts of Iran’s southern coastline to rescue the ship’s crew, Iranian media reported.
Twenty-nine of the 30 crew members have been rescued so far, a crisis-mitigation official told Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iranian local crisis mitigation official Jahangir Dehghani told IRNA on Thursday that the rescue operation to find the missing crew was continuing.
“At present, two lifeboats … are present at the scene of the accident,” he said.
Due to the strong wind in the northwest direction, the Persian Gulf was reportedly quite rough and turbulent. Wind speeds were recorded at more than 43 miles per hour.
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percent on Wednesday, marking the first interest rate hike since 2018.
The move is intended to help curb rising inflation, and it’s anticipated that the fed will do this another six times this year.
“Meaning that, by the end of the year, interest rates could be around 2%, if they stay the course,” says ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis.
So what does this interest rate hike mean for you?
“The most immediate impact on you is the cost of borrowing,” says Jarvis. “The ability to borrow money gets more expensive — everything from new mortgages, to car loans, to credit card debt. If you look at the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage this morning, it’s already reflecting all of this, at four-and-a-half percent.”
