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American doctor previously infected with Ebola in DRC returns to US

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has returned to the United States.

Dr. Peter Stafford; his wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford; and their four children arrived safely on Monday, according to Serge, the international Christian missionary group that employs the couple.

“I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me. I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids,” Peter Stafford said in a statement. “Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”

Peter Stafford tested positive while working with patients in the DRC and was evacuated to Germany to receive specialty care. He was hospitalized at Charité University Hospital in Berlin.

Rebekah Stafford and their four children were also evacuated to Germany and moved into a separate space at the hospital as high-risk contacts.

The family was discharged from the hospital earlier this month and Peter Stafford has remained Ebola free since May 30, according to Serge. U.S. health authorities are in regular contact with Peter Stafford, Serge said.

“Our hearts remain deeply saddened for our Congolese friends and colleagues and those impacted by this outbreak,” Matt Allison, executive director of Serge, said in a statement. “Our mission is more critical than ever as we mobilize medical support and resources to partners in the area.”

Allison continued, “Thank you to those who have prayed and given sacrificially to this work. Also, we would like to express our immense gratitude to the many international organizations, governments, and partners who cared for the Stafford family and brought them home safely.”

The outbreak was first detected in the DRC’s northeastern province of Ituri, with cases officially confirmed by the health ministry on May 15. It marks the 17th outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the DRC, which is Africa’s second-largest country and its fourth-most populous nation.

Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said during a press briefing on Monday evening that the DRC has now recorded 808 confirmed Ebola cases and 192 deaths. In neighboring Uganda, at least 19 cases — mostly linked to travel — and two deaths have been confirmed, according to the Ugandan health ministry.

Central Park carriage horse’s cause of death revealed

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The death of a Central Park carriage horse that collapsed last week while on a ride with two passengers was caused by a foreign toxic plant, according to a necropsy publicized on Tuesday by the union representing carriage drivers.

The Transport Workers Union of America said the horse, Deniz, was giving a ride near East 90th Street in Manhattan on June 9 when it paused to eat a shrub along the curb.

A short time later, the 16-year-old horse collapsed and died, according to the necropsy performed by Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the union said.

Two passengers were in the carriage when the incident happened, police said.

The plant was a Japanese yew, an ornamental that is toxic and deadly to horses, according to the report.

The union cited the necropsy report to counter growing calls from activists and the Central Park Conservancy to ban carriage horses due to how they’re treated.

“Deniz’s tragic death was not caused by neglect or abuse or the fact he was a carriage horse — as some animal rights activists and elected officials claimed,” Alexander Kemp, TWU’s administrative vice president, said in a statement.

“Poor Deniz died because the people running the Park Conservancy never warned anyone that there were deadly yew plants in the park. This is negligence at the highest level of the Conservancy,” he added.

The Central Park Conservancy didn’t immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

Some animal activist groups, like PETA, have long protested horse-drawn carriage rides in the park, arguing that the animals are put in danger because of nearby car traffic and forced to work in poor conditions, especially in extreme weather.

Deniz had passed a physical exam conducted by the NYPD’s Mounted Unit veterinarian in March, according to the TWU.

British prime minister announces social media ban for kids 16 and under

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced he would be introducing a social media ban for children 16 and under in Britain on Monday.

The ban would prohibit kids age 16 and under from using “platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X,” the U.K. government said in a statement, but it is not expected to impact messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp.

“We’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back,” Starmer said in a press conference Monday, saying the social media ban will “give [kids] more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity.”

“This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations,” he added.

Social media platforms generally require users to be at least 13 years old to use their platforms and services, but those requirements may vary according to local laws.

Starmer said he hopes the legislation for the social media ban would be discussed in the U.K. parliament before Christmas and would be implemented in early 2027.

Britain is following a similar strategy as Australia, whose social media ban for kids went into effect in December 2025, but is adding more security measures, according to the government.

“The government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s,” the government said in a statement.

Other countries have also proposed social media bans or announced similar age restrictions, including Canada, Brazil and Indonesia. Several additional countries, including France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea, are looking into or developing strategies to address kids’ social media use, according to The Associated Press.

Social media companies have pushed back against proposals to ban social media for kids under 16, an important user base for the companies and their bottom line.

“We’ve invested in expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade and will continue to do so,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement, following the U.K. government’s announcement on Monday. “YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents. Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services.”

Snapchat said it shared the British government’s “objective of protecting people from online harm” but noted that “because the majority of time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn’t make them safer — it may simply push them to less safe platforms.

“We have long supported thoughtful and proportionate regulation, including the UK’s groundbreaking Online Safety Act, and remain committed to working with [the U.K.’s Office of Communications] on implementation,” a Snap Company spokesperson in a statement. “It is vital that the Government now carefully considers the scope of a ban, and how it will define and apply its exclusions.”

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and the messaging app Whatsapp, said the company also opposes a social media ban for children.

“We share the goal of keeping teens safe online, which is why we developed Teen Accounts to automatically limit who can contact them and the content they see,” a Meta spokesperson said. “Like others, we don’t think bans will achieve this goal.”

The Meta spokesperson added that such bans “risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls.”

“To be both effective and easy for parents, any restrictions must be underpinned by an age verification system on devices so people aren’t asked to hand over ID to dozens of individual services to prove their age,” they said. “We will continue to engage with the government and Ofcom as they work to implement this policy.”

When reached by ABC News, TikTok said in a statement, “We share the government’s goal of safe online experiences for teens, which is why teen accounts on TikTok have more than 50 preset safety and privacy settings, such as private accounts, and we continue to invest in the latest technologies to advance platform safety. We will examine the details of the government’s measures, and we look forward to collaborating constructively with the government on this important issue.”

ABC News has reached out to X for comment.

FBI disrupts plot targeting UFC event at White House with explosive drones: Sources

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The FBI disrupted an alleged plot targeting the “UFC Freedom 250” fights at the White House on Sunday that included explosive drones designed to target buildings in the area, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to ABC News that law enforcement became aware of the plot on June 10, the Wednesday prior to the event. He praised the “rapid action” of the FBI and its partners, including a “a multi-state operation.”

Five people are in custody as of Tuesday morning, according to sources. The alleged suspects in custody include one individual from Cincinnati, Ohio, sources said.

Twenty-three people were allegedly in Signal chats discussing preoperational plans, according to sources. Some of those involved in the plot allegedly traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 according to sources.

FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials warned in a bulletin earlier this month that the fights were “attractive symbolic targets.” There were no credible threats listed in the bulletin at the time.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held in the evening on Sunday, June 14, on the grounds of the White House. Billed as a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, it also coincided with the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who was in attendance.

The alleged plot involved explosive-laden drones, according to sources, which were designed to hit buildings in the area to spur a mass evacuation.

A “second wave” targeting a security checkpoint was then planned, according to sources.

Patel said law enforcement response included a “multi-state operation.”

“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team — we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel said in his statement. “That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”

Federal law prohibits flying drones in the airspace over the National Capital Region, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington field office told ABC News last week.

“We will have law enforcement drones for overwatch, but just to make it simple for the public, if they see a drone, we want them to report that,” Tara McLeese, the special agent in charge, said at the time.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Moscow mayor says dozens of Ukrainian drones downed in attack on Russian capital

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Dozens of Ukrainian long-range drones attacked Moscow overnight into Tuesday morning, according to the city’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, with damage confirmed at a major oil refinery and flight restrictions disrupting flights at all four of the city’s international airports.

“Over the past 24 hours, an attack by enemy drones on Moscow has continued. One of the drones damaged a facility on the territory of the Moscow Refinery. There were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene of the incident,” Sobyanin wrote in a post to Telegram. At least 60 Ukrainian drones were shot down, the mayor said.

Purported videos of the Gazprom-owned refinery in Moscow showed fire and a large plume of black smoke rising over the facility, which is located in the Kapotnya District to the southeast of the city.

Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said in a post to Telegram that 86 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over the wider Moscow region, with six people injured.

Ukrainian forces have been expanding their drone attacks toward Moscow in recent months, as just one element of its growing long-range strike campaign into Russia — which officials in Kyiv refer to as “long-range sanctions.”

Tuesday marked the ninth consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, according to statements issued by Sobyanin on Telegram. The number of drones that Sobyanin reported shot down on Tuesday was also the largest of any day since May 17.

Already this year, Sobyanin has reported the downing of more Ukrainian drones — 1,134 craft — than in all of 2025, when the mayor said Russian forces intercepted 734 Ukrainian drones en route to the capital.

The latest Ukrainian strikes came a day after a major Russian attack on Kyiv, which killed at least five people, damaged a historic cathedral and prompted Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to brand Russian President Vladimir Putin a “barbarian.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a purported video of the burning Moscow refinery on Telegram on Tuesday morning, attributing the damage to “Ukrainian long-range strikes.”

“Russia must be compelled to end the war against our people. And Ukrainian long-range weapons are one of the important components of such coercion,” Zelenskyy wrote.

“This is a just response to Russian attacks and a response to the prolongation of the war, which needs to be ended,” Zelenskyy added.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said that the Moscow refinery is one of the country’s largest, with a refining capacity of around 11 million tons of oil per year. The plant, he said, accounts for some 40% of Moscow’s gasoline needs.

“Even though Putin has deployed almost all of the key air defense and missile defense systems to Moscow, this doesn’t save the Russians. Putin is not a guarantee of safety for Muscovites,” Kovalenko wrote.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack on Moscow was one element of a larger wave of overnight strikes. The ministry claimed that Russian forces downed at least 172 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning.

Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, announced flight restrictions at more than a dozen airports across southern and western Russia, including at all four of Moscow’s international airports — Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo.

Elsewhere, flight restrictions affected airports stretching from Sochi on the Black Sea coast to Nizhnekamsk in the Tatarstan Republic, some 750 miles from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia continued its own long-range attacks overnight. The air force said in a post to Telegram that Russia launched 132 drones and two missiles into the country in its latest barrage, of which 114 drones were intercepted or suppressed

Both missiles and 16 drones impacted across nine locations, the air force said.

The latest exchanges came as Zelenskyy sat down with Western leaders — among them President Donald Trump — at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Ukrainian leader said he would use his visit to the G7 gathering to again appeal for Kyiv’s Western partners to put more pressure on Putin to end the Russian invasion.

ABC News’ Emily Chang contributed to this report.

17 million under flood watch from Texas to Mississippi

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As deadly flooding hits the South, the Midwest is bracing for a severe weather outbreak on Wednesday, which may include intense tornadoes, destructive winds and very large hail.

Deadly flash flood threat continues in the South
A woman in Bandera County, northwest of San Antonio, Texas, called 911 on Monday morning, saying her car was being swept away into a creek by floodwaters, the county’s sheriff’s office said on social media.

Within moments, the call dropped, the office said, and hours later the woman was found dead in the vehicle “several miles downstream” of its initial entry point, the sheriff’s office said. The woman was not immediately identified.

In San Antonio, Houston and Waco there were stalled vehicles due to high waters on roads. In Shreveport, Louisiana, there were water rescues and water entering buildings.

In St. Martin, Mississippi, ramps to I-10 and I-110 were closed due to high waters. South of there, at Kessler Air Force Base, several roads became impassible.

More than 17 million Americans remain on Tuesday under a flood watch from Texas to Mississippi.

Heavy rainfall may lead to localized significant flash flooding from Corpus Christi to Houston to Lafayette and Alexandria, Louisiana, and McComb, Mississippi. A level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place there.

The greatest risk is likely along a frontal boundary laid over central Louisiana and into southeast Mississippi — rainfall may be heavy for a few hours in this area on Tuesday and could lead to significant flooding.

Rains closer to the coast are going to be more difficult to sustain but there is certainly enough ingredients there that if they get going, localized instances of significant flash flooding are possible.

Tomorrow, the level 3 of 4 flood threat is for Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Lafayette.

On Thursday, the level 3 of 4 flood threat moves to Baton Rouge through Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL and Birmingham, AL.

This heavier rain for Wednesday and Thursday will come from a developing tropical low over the western Gulf.

The National Hurricane Center gives it a 60% chance of formation into a tropical storm later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first of the season.

Severe weather outbreak in the Midwest on Wednesday

About 40 million Americans are in the storm zone where a severe weather outbreak is expected on Wednesday

The greatest likelihood for a destructive outbreak is in Illinois and Indiana, and possible for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, too.

A level 4 of 5 moderate risk for destructive storms is in place for central Illinois and northern Indiana on Wednesday. This includes Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign and Bloomington, Illinois, along with Rensselaer, Indiana.

Large and long-lived tornadoes are possible, along with destructive wind gusts up to 80 mph, and hail up to the size of baseballs.

The level 3 of 4 risk includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Fort Wayne.

Fed set to make interest rate decision as inflation hits 3-year hig

June 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest decision on interest rates on Wednesday as the central bank weathers the highest inflation in three years.

The announcement will mark the first possible adjustment of the benchmark interest rate since Trump nominee Kevin Warsh began his four-year term as Fed chair last month.

The policy move is also set to arrive at a moment of flux for the nation’s economy, just days after an agreement between the United States and Iran offered hope for some price relief.

The U.S.-Iran accord, set to be formally signed on Friday, came as gasoline prices fell below $4 a gallon for the first time since March. Still, fuel costs stand well above pre-war levels, and an array of grocery prices remain elevated.

Futures markets overwhelmingly expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady when policymakers meet on Wednesday, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment.

In recent weeks, however, odds have risen for a potential interest rate hike by the end of 2026, the tool showed, granting a roughly four in 10 chance of a quarter-point increase in December.

The shift in expectations came after a stronger-than-expected jobs report earlier this month showed robust hiring in May. In theory, a resilient labor market could afford central bankers leeway to raise interest rates in an effort to dial back inflation, since elevated borrowing costs risk a hiring slowdown.

Inflation jumped for a third consecutive month as the Iran war continued to drive up prices in May, surpassing 4% for the first time in three years

The Middle East conflict prompted the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. The standoff triggered one of the largest oil shocks ever recorded, sending gasoline prices surging.

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a U.S.-Iran deal that included plans to reopen the strait. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the deal had been finalized and said it would be signed in Switzerland on Friday. Oil prices fell to their lowest level since March.

The benchmark rate stands at a level between 3.5% and 3.75%. That figure marks a significant drop from a recent peak attained in 2023, but borrowing costs remain well above a 0% rate established at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rate decision will be the first major policy move overseen by Warsh, who will address reporters during a customary press conference minutes after the central bank issues its announcement.

During his term as a Fed governor in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Warsh gained a reputation as an interest-rate “hawk,” meaning he generally preferred higher interest rates as a means of ensuring low and stable inflation.

Last year, Warsh voiced support for lower interest rates. At his Senate confirmation hearing in April, Warsh emphasized the threat posed by elevated inflation.

“When inflation surges — as it has done in recent years — grievous harm is done to our citizens, especially to the least well-off,” Warsh said.

Bucking typical norms, former Fed Chair Jerome Powell Powell will cast a vote on interest rates as a member of the Fed’s 12-person policymaking board.

Powell said he would stay on at the central bank’s board of governors after his term as chair expired as an investigation into the Fed’s office renovation continues.

The Department of Justice moved to drop a criminal probe into Powell in April, calling on the Fed’s inspector general to carry out the investigation into cost overruns tied to the renovation. Powell will remain on the Fed’s board for an indeterminate length of time, he said last month.

The criminal investigation into Powell focused on alleged false testimony to Congress about an office renovation. Powell, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, has rebuked the probe as a politically motivated effort to influence interest-rate policy. Trump denied any involvement in the criminal investigation.

Trump, Iran agree to memorandum of understanding opening Strait of Hormuz: What is in the 60-day deal?

June 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which would cease fighting on all fronts for 60 days and is expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic, a senior administration official said Monday.

The official said the signatures were done digitally and that a formal signing will happen in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday.

While the official said the details of the agreement will be released within the next 24 to 48 hours, Trump on Monday said the text of the memorandum of understanding would be released “pretty soon,” but sometime after Friday.

“This is a very powerful document, and I want it to be released. So, probably pretty soon,” Trump said during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron shortly after landing in France for the G7.

Trump said “it depends” if he will attend the signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday, but that Vance would be there.

Senior administration officials on Monday acknowledged there was still significant work to be done during the detailed nuclear negotiations to come, but asserted they now had direct relationships with “a number of people at the highest levels of Iranian government” and had reached “what we believe will be an understanding in the next phase.”

A senior administration official said the memorandum of understanding “provides for the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” which Iran closed after the war started. The official also emphasized “immediate — just to be clear here, it takes a little bit of time, because you know you have mines in the strait.”

Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, said that, according to the MOU, Iran will be responsible to provide “the security and safe traffic of the ships,” adding that Tehran will do so in cooperation with Muscat and in consultation with stakeholders.

On Monday, the president said that “the strait is already partially opened” and that it will be fully opened by Friday. They are still working to clear the area of sea mines, he said.

“I think it will adjust very, very quickly, and I think obviously the prioritization will be on the heavy tankers, you know, the gas, the oils. I think that will actually flow very quickly,” the official said.

The U.S. blockade of Iranian naval ports will lift as well, but the U.S. Navy warns that it will remain in place until the agreement is formally completed.

On the topic of tolls, the official said that the MOU ensured the Strait of Hormuz be “toll-free for 60 days,” with the expectation that it will become part of the “final agreement as well.”

Iranian officials said that a ceasefire in Lebanon is included within the deal. However, Israel’s defense minister said after the agreement was announced that Israel does not plan to remove its forces from southern Lebanon.

When pressed about Israel’s role in the MOU, one of the senior U.S. administration officials responded, saying that Israel withdrawing from Lebanon was “not a condition of the deal.”

“The deal is a ceasefire, and it will not be a one-way ceasefire, meaning that if Iran is not able to control Hezbollah, and if they attack Israeli positions or Israeli towns, Israel will have the right to defend themselves and respond,” a senior administration official said.

The senior U.S. administration official said that MOU’s outline includes “verifying that [Iran is] not building a nuclear weapon and not funding radicalism and terrorism in the region.” In return, the official said it would open up the Iranian economy.

Iranian officials have long publicly maintained that the country’s nuclear program operates only for civilian purposes, although Western officials have said their uranium enrichment has gone beyond what would be needed for civilian use. Iran has also said it does not have ambitions to create nuclear weapons, a claim that American officials have disputed.

The officials also said the MOU does not reduce the U.S. force posture in the region.

The senior administration official confirmed that so far “zero dollars of unfrozen assets” have been released to Iran at this point.

The officials made clear that there are not specific things that Iran has to do to receive sanctions relief, but that it’s tied to Iran “behaving more appropriately” in general.

“Their economy is in rough shape, and they need relief badly, and so hopefully we’ll find a way to get to a deal quickly, and if not, President Trump has a lot of tools in his arsenal that he’ll be able to use,” the senior administration official said.

Air Force B-52 bomber crashes shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California

June 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(CALIFORNIA) — An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, the base said.

“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,” the base said in a statement.

The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. local time.

The base has closed the airfield and said all inbound planes are being diverted.

The Air Force and NASA conduct test flights of new and developmental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.

The B-52 Stratofortress — which typically carries a crew of five — is a long-range bomber first introduced in the 1950s that remains a central part of the U.S. military’s air power. Built by Boeing, the aircraft is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons over long distances and has been used in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to operations in the Iran war.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Gavin Newsom says Department of Justice is investigating him, his wife

June 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating him as well as his wife, and claimed that President Donald Trump is “coming after me because I’m considering running for president.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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