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Russia-Ukraine live updates: 300 dead in airstrike on Mariupol theater, officials say

March 25, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(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 last 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 25, 7:34 am
Biden departs Brussels for Poland

U.S. President Joe Biden departed Belgium on Friday morning and was en route to Poland for the final leg of his four-day trip aimed at maintaining unity among allies and supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

Biden was seen boarding Air Force One in the European Union’s de facto capital, Brussels, at 6:42 a.m. ET. He is expected to land in Rzeszow, Poland, at around 9:15 a.m. ET, where he will receive a briefing on the humanitarian response to the millions of people fleeing Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion. He will also meet with service members from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Mar 25, 6:36 am
300 dead in airstrike on Mariupol theater, officials say

About 300 people were killed last week in a Russian airstrike on a drama theater-turned-bomb shelter in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the city’s government said Friday, citing eyewitnesses.

“We didn’t want to believe in this horror,” the Mariupol City Council. said in a statement. “But the words of those who were inside the building at the moment of this terrorist act say the opposite.”

As many as 1,500 civilians had been taking refuge in the grand, columned Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama in central Mariupol when it was struck on March 16, according to the Ukrainian government. Satellite images showed huge white letters on the pavement in front of and behind the building spelling out “CHILDREN” in Russian — “DETI” — to alert warplanes to those inside.

Video circulating online and verified by ABC News shows the immediate aftermath of the strike on the theater. People covered in dust are seen trying to make their way out of the theater, walking down from the first floor staircase in an area of the building that was still standing at the time.

Since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russian forces have been relentlessly bombarding Mariupol, destroying homes and leaving thousands of residents trapped. Ukraine has defied Russia’s ultimatum for its troops to lay down arms and surrender the strategic southeastern port city of 430,000.

-ABC News Patrick Reevell

Mar 25, 5:20 am
Russia claims to have seized 5 more localities in Ukraine

Russia claimed Friday that its forces had captured five more localities in Ukraine.

“The grouping of troops of the Russian Armed Forces advanced another 4 kilometers overnight and captured Batmanka, Mikhailovka, Krasny Partizan, Stavki and Troitskoe,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the claim.

Mar 25, 5:10 am
US, EU announce plan to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas

U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday a joint task force to “reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and strengthen European energy security,” amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Named the “Task Force for energy security,” the group will be chaired by one representative from the White House and one representative from the European Commission. They will work to ensure energy security for Ukraine and the European Union ahead of the next two winters by focusing on two main goals — diversifying liquefied natural gas supplies and reducing demand for natural gas, according to a fact sheet from the White House.

As part of the agreement, the United States will work with international partners to put more liquefied natural gas on the EU market, pledging to make at least 15 billion cubic meters available in 2022, with increases expected going forward.

The White House stressed that the task force would also work with an eye towards clean energy, looking to reduce greenhouse gas intensity of all new liquefied natural gas infrastructure as well as demand for liquefied natural gas by “accelerating market deployment of clean energy measures.” Those measures include expediting planning of clean energy projects, like wind and solar power, and using smart thermostats and heat pumps in homes.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Mar 24, 5:44 pm
Biden meets with European Council

U.S. President Joe Biden’s final meeting in Brussels on Thursday was with the European Council.

“They reviewed their ongoing efforts to impose economic costs on Russia and Belarus, as well as their readiness to adopt additional measures and to stop any attempts to circumvent sanctions,” the White House said in a statement.

The leaders said they willl continue “providing humanitarian assistance, including to neighboring countries hosting refugees, and underscored the need for Russia to guarantee humanitarian access to those affected by or fleeing the violence,” according to the White House.

They also “discussed EU-U.S. cooperation to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, accelerate the transition to clean energy, as well as the need to respond to evolving food security needs worldwide,” the White House said.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

New York City to offer free doula access in bid to reduce maternal mortality

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the United States continues to face the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, the country’s largest city is offering new support for expectant people.

New York City will begin offering free doula access to families, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.

The city will also train more doulas — trained professionals who provide support to moms before, during and after childbirth — as part of its Citywide Doula Initiative, with the goal to train 50 doulas and reach 500 families by the end of June.

The initiative will focus on reaching birthing families in 33 neighborhoods “with the greatest social needs,” according to the city’s announcement.

As part of the effort, the city will also expand its Midwifery Initiative to nearly 40 public and private birthing facilities across the city, and has charged the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with gathering data and developing a report on births and care with midwives.

“Today, we are announcing a multifaceted initiative to help reduce the inequities that have allowed children and mothers to die at the exact time when we should be welcoming a life,” Adams said in a statement. “By expanding and investing in both doulas and midwives, we are taking the steps necessary to begin to address the disparities in maternal deaths, life-threatening complications from childbirth, and infant mortality.”

New York City has a maternal mortality rate of 49.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a report released last April by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Nationally, the U.S. has faced a growing maternal mortality crisis that only increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is a crisis that also disproportionately affects women of color.

In 2020, Black women died of maternal causes at nearly three times the rate of white women, up from around 2.5 times higher than in 2019, according to CDC data.

Black women also died in 2020 at higher rates than Hispanic women, who had a rate of 18.2 deaths per 100,000 births in 2020 — a more than 40% increase from the previous year.

Pregnancy-related deaths are defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within a year of the end of pregnancy from pregnancy complications, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by the physiological effects of pregnancy, according to the CDC.

Because of the maternal mortality rate and its impact on women of color, a growing number of Black women see having a doula, particularly a Black doula, as a potentially lifesaving advocate during birth.

Dr. Jacquelyn McMillian-Bohler, a certified nurse-midwife and assistant professor in Duke University’s school of nursing, describes doulas as bridging the communication gap between health care providers and Black female patients.

“Our health literacy is poor across the board, and then when you add racism on top of that, it just creates another layer,” she told ABC News last year. “That’s what we’re doing with the doula, we’re trying to attack that health literacy piece that really affects outcomes.”

Dr. Ashanda Saint Jean, a board-certified OBGYN and chair of OBGYN for the Health Alliance Hospitals and Westchester Center Medical Health Network in New York, explained that doulas are a source of non-medical support for pregnant women before, during and after childbirth.

“A doula is a support person who has been trained and educated in labor and delivery,” Saint Jean said last year. “I’ve had a number of Black patients feel that having a doula is an extra layer of support where they’re able to more ask questions about their birthing experience and explore all measures to ensure a healthy outcome.”

Home invasion suspects posing as candy sellers sought after injuring older woman

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(OAK LAWN, Ill.) — A woman in her 70s was recovering from injuries Thursday after being forcibly held at gunpoint while suspects ransacked her home.

The home invasion took place Tuesday evening in Oak Lawn, Illinois, when a female suspect pretending to be selling candy approached the residence, police said. The older woman declined to make a purchase and closed the door.

Upon answering a second doorbell, the victim encountered the female suspect, believed to be a teenager, standing next to a man who was armed with a handgun, authorities said. He forced his way into the residence, ultimately knocking the older woman to the ground.

Home Invasion 4600 block of 105th Pl occurred the evening of March 22nd. If you can help identify the individuals pictured please contact the OLPD Detective Division at 708-907-4051 pic.twitter.com/pEkwp6K9Hx

— Oak Lawn Police Dept (@OakLawnPD) March 23, 2022

According to police, two men looted the home while the female suspect held the victim at gunpoint. The trio then fled to a getaway vehicle, a white Kia Optima, which was driven by a fourth suspect.

The woman was home alone during the incident. She sustained minor injuries in the robbery, according to police.

Authorities described one suspect as a short man, believed to be in his 30s, with short black hair and a heavyset build. The other man, believed to be in his 40s, is tall with a heavyset build and a round face. The female is tall and has a thin build. A description of the driver was not provided.

“The main priority of the police department is the safety of the community,” police said in a statement. “We will continue to actively pursue those involved in this case and all other acts of violence and crime. We plan on utilizing every resource at our disposal that will assist in the arrest of those involved.”

No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone who can identify the suspects involved in the incident are urged to contact the detective division at the Oak Lawn Police Department.

Cornell University reports indications of ‘substantial prevalence’ of COVID-19 on campus

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(ITHACA, N.Y.) — After a significant viral outbreak before winter break in December, COVID-19 infection levels at Cornell University had markedly declined, as the omicron surge receded, and students returned to campus for the spring semester.

However, as new case totals begin to tick up in the state of New York, the campus is once again reporting a viral resurgence. This week, Cornell elevated its COVID-19 alert system to “yellow,” indicating that transmission is rising, and prevalence of the virus is above predicted levels.

Between March 17 and March 23, Cornell recorded 515 positive COVID-19 infections among students, staff and faculty, according to data from the university.

“COVID-19 cases on the Ithaca campus are increasing beyond our predictions, indicating a substantial prevalence of the virus on campus,” Provost Michael Kotlikoff said in a statement on Wednesday. “This rising transmission is likely due to a number of factors, including relaxing mask requirements, the emergence of the BA.2 variant, and increased social activities.”

Data shows 97% of the student population is vaccinated, while 92% of those eligible are boosted.

At this time, all unvaccinated or unboosted students, faculty, and staff are required to participate in surveillance testing. Cornell provides symptomatic test kits to community members who are experiencing mild to moderate symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

“The majority of positive cases being reported on campus are from symptomatic testing, which tells us that there are even more asymptomatic cases within our community,” Kotlikoff wrote.

The increase comes less than two weeks after the school dropped its mask mandate for most locations, though community members are still required to wear masks when in certain settings, such as classrooms and laboratories, at health care and testing facilities, and on public transportation.

Given the resurgence, the university strongly encourages community members to get tested before and after spring break, which is not for another week.

With increasing viral transmission occurring overseas, federal officials have been warning that the U.S. is likely to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the weeks to come, as the presence of the omicron subvariant, BA.2, spreads across the country.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday her agency is “carefully” watching New England and New York City for increases of the BA.2 variant after they found slight increases in the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater surveillance.

“Currently, we’re seeing a modest uptick of sites reporting an increase of virus levels in wastewater in some communities. In fact, over the past two weeks we have seen increasing wastewater signals in New York City and parts of New England, where we are now seeing increases in cases and some increased hospitalizations,” Walensky said during a White House COVID-19 briefing.

Walensky said officials have been focused largely on hospitalization metrics, to guide potential future guidance on masking and restriction measures.

“If cases do go up, we have the framework to implement additional layers of prevention strategies at the local level to swiftly protect individuals and communities,” Walensky said.

Many experts have been warning that the virus may be already spreading rapidly across the country.

Dozens of states have moved to shutter public testing sites, with more at-home COVID-19 tests now available in pharmacies, and through the federal testing program. Most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, and thus, experts said infection totals are likely significantly undercounted.

Nationwide, BA.2, now accounts for more than a third of new COVID-19 cases. Many top health officials, including Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, have said that they anticipate that over the next few weeks, BA.2 will become the predominant variant in the U.S.

Although breakthrough COVID-19 infections surged during the omicron wave, data from the CDC shows vaccines still dramatically reduced the risk of requiring hospitalization or dying of the virus.

In January, unvaccinated adults were 9 times more likely to die of COVID-19, compared to vaccinated individuals, and six times more likely to require hospitalization.

Additionally, unvaccinated adults were about 21 times more likely to die of COVID-19 in January, and 12 times more likely to require hospitalization, compared to fully vaccinated and boosted adults.

Free COVID-19 tests ending for uninsured Americans

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Americans who don’t have health insurance will now start to see some of the free COVID-19 testing options disappear, even if they are showing symptoms.

Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest testing companies in the country, told ABC News that patients who are not on Medicare, Medicaid or a private health plan will now be charged $125 dollars ($119 + a $6 physician fee) when using one of its PCR tests either by ordering a kit online or visiting one of the 1,500 Quest or major retail locations that offer the tests, such as Walmart or Giant Eagle.

More than 30 million Americans had no insurance during the first half of 2021, according to CDC estimates.

This week, federal funding to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing and treatment for uninsured Americans officially dried up; any further infusion of cash hinges on Congress passing the White House’s request for billions more in COVID relief, which is still stuck at an impasse.

Quest has begun notifying its clients and partners they can no longer expect to be reimbursed for uninsured claims, barring additional funding from Congress.

For some of the major retail pharmacies, things are still in flux.

Walgreens told ABC News no firm decisions have yet been made. The company said it is waiting on further guidance from the White House and federal agencies and is remaining “hopeful for a path forward that ensures uninterrupted access to COVID-19 services.” CVS told ABC News it is “fully confident” a solution will be found between Congress and the administration.

But unless Congress agrees to more COVID-19 funding, it is likely companies will have to either absorb the cost of uninsured customers — or begin charging them.

Meanwhile, groups such as the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represents major retail drug stores and supermarkets such as CVS, Costco Wholesale, Hy-Vee and Albertsons, have been sounding alarm bells on the issue and pushing the Biden administration and Congress to sort things out.

“Any premature lapse in funding that splinters care access threatens to disintegrate the robust, equity-driven COVID-19 pandemic response that has so far saved more than a million lives,” NACDS wrote in recent letters to the White House as well as Senate and House leadership.

With funding for the uninsured expired, the support structure to provide equitable access to COVID-19 testing and treatment is “in imminent jeopardy,” the group wrote, warning the funding cut “could create extreme confusion at the pharmacy counter” and “result in the tragedy of increasing disparities in access to critically needed care and patients forgoing care.”

Fostering equitable access to COVID-19 care for vulnerable groups is contingent on making sure sick people get the treatment they need in time, because antiviral therapies such as monoclonals or Paxlovid must be taken within a short infection timeframe. So, getting treated is contingent upon getting tested in that limited window, to receive what is already a shrinking supply of free treatments. Getting tested in time is also contingent on being able to afford the service, which is not a given, especially for lower income families.

“The loss of access, as a result of expiring COVID-19 care programs, could undermine the nation’s broader, comprehensive response efforts, and NACDS agrees that inaction at this pivotal time could set the nation back, leave the nation less prepared, and may cost the nation more lives,” the letter read.

The American Clinical Laboratory Association — the national trade association representing some of the leading clinical labs responsible for COVID-19 diagnostics (including Quest and LabCorp) — is similarly raising concerns.

“Without question, the exhaustion of these funds will threaten access to testing for the most vulnerable Americans at a critical time in our nation’s response effort,” Tom Sparkman, ACLA’s senior vice president of government affairs and policy, wrote to House and Senate leadership this week.

Sparkman told ABC News in an interview Wednesday the funding cuts for the uninsured is two steps backward in the pandemic progress.

“We are still in a public health emergency. We’re not out of the woods yet — we don’t want to start taking apart pieces of the response. We need to remain strong and vigilant, and the uninsured funding is a critical component of that,” Sparkman said. “It’s extremely concerning.”

“We can’t start rolling up the carpet,” he said. “Not learning the lessons from past surges — of keeping a higher level of surge capacity for testing, keeping those lines warm and available — I think that would be a mistake.”

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

DOJ charges Russian officials over hacking campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department unsealed two indictments Thursday charging four Russian government employees with two separate conspiracies — outlining their alleged involvement in hacking campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. and across the globe between 2012 and 2018.

Altogether, DOJ says the hacking campaigns “targeted thousands of computers, at hundreds of companies and organizations, in approximately 135 countries.”

The unsealing of the cases and their detailed hacking schemes, according to the Justice Department, are intended to serve as a warning amid the current tensions with Russia about the “urgent ongoing need for American businesses to harden their defenses and remain vigilant.”

“The conduct alleged in these charges is the kind of conduct that we are concerned about under the current circumstances and has been addressed by various parts of the federal government,” a senior FBI official told reporters Thursday. “These charges show the dark art of the possible when it comes to critical infrastructure.”

In the first case (reported earlier on this DL after its unsealing in D.C. district court), the Justice Department unsealed charges from June of last year against Russian government employee Evgeny Gladkikh who, along with unidentified co-conspirators, carried out hacking attacks that caused two separate emergency shutdowns at a foreign energy facility. They later failed when they allegedly sought to carry out a similar attack on a U.S. company that managed similar critical infrastructure entities.

In a separate case charged in August of last year, the Justice Department charged three officers in Russia’s FSB with carrying out a two-phased campaign to “target and compromise the computers of hundreds of entities related to the energy sector worldwide.”

“Access to such systems would have provided the Russian government the ability to, among other things, disrupt and damage such computer systems at a future time of its choosing,” the Justice Department said Thursday.

The hacking attempts, according to investigators, were part of Russia’s efforts to “maintain surreptitious, unauthorized and persistent access to the computer networks of companies and organizations in the international energy sector, including oil and gas firms, nuclear power plants, and utility and power transmission companies.”

The indictment alleges that in the first phase of the attacks, the FSB officers were able to install malware on “more than 17,000 unique devices in the United States and abroad, including computer networks used by some power and energy companies. In the second phase, they carried out targeted spearphishing attacks against more than 3300 individuals from more than 500 U.S. and international companies, including U.S. agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

According to DOJ, they were actually able to successfully compromise servers that hosted websites visited by energy sector engineers — when engineers visited a compromised website their login credentials would in some cases be secretly captured by the Russian malware.

None of the individuals publicly identified by DOJ in the new indictments reside in the U.S., making it unlikely they will face arrest or extradition over the charges.

Scathing evaluation of Sweden’s COVID response reveals ‘failures’ to control the virus

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A scathing review has been released evaluating the “failures” of the policies that guided Sweden’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The review, published in the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications Tuesday, discusses how, throughout the pandemic, Sweden attempted to avoid lockdowns and stay-at-home orders implemented by many of its neighboring countries.

The authors — from Sweden, Belgium, Norway and the U.S. — said Sweden was able to achieve this by portraying advice from independent scientists as “extreme,” keeping the public in the dark regarding facts about how COVID-19 spreads and not issuing any mandates.

This is despite the country’s history of collaboration between authorities and the scientific community and the general public’s high level of trust of those in power.

As a result, Sweden had a higher COVID death rate than the surrounding Nordic nations.

“The Swedish response to this pandemic was unique and characterised by a morally, ethically, and scientifically questionable laissez-faire approach, a consequence of structural problems in the society,” the team wrote. “There was more emphasis on the protection of the ‘Swedish image’ than on saving and protecting lives or on an evidence-based approach.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden’s Public Health Agency had published two pandemic planning documents in the last decade to prepare for such an event, according to the review.

Although both focused on the value of antiviral drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent cases, they also emphasized the importance of “limiting the consequences for individuals and society” and how “the negative effects on society must be as small as possible.”

So, when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, Sweden was determined to keep its economy up and running and emphasized individual responsibility rather than collective responsibility.

According to the review, the Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs “mainly referred to the authority of the Public Health Agency,” a stark contrast from past collaboration between the government and scientists.

Unlike the strict lockdowns implemented by most of Europe, the PHA merely recommended staying at home if feeling ill, washing hands regularly, social distancing and avoiding unnecessary travel.

Meanwhile, restaurants, bars and shops remained open; children under 16 were required to attend school in person with no exceptions for those with at-risk family members; and no mask mandates were ever implemented.

The review noted that the PHA did eventually recommend face masks in hospitals and care homes in June 2020, but only when treating confirmed or suspected COVID patients.

The authors said the PHA discouraging the use of masks and claiming they were ineffective helped spread fear in the population and misinformed the public about how COVID spreads, that asymptomatic people can be infectious and that masks protect the wearer and those around them.

According to the review, there was also a lack of transparency from public health authorities. The number of ICU beds per region was not publicly available and schools often did not inform parents or teachers when students tested positive for the virus.

Then there were efforts to actively squash medical researchers who criticized Sweden’s strategy and accused authorities of not being properly prepared.

When researchers voiced their criticisms on social media, in interviews or in scientific papers, they were often reprimanded by their superiors for reasons such as not being allowed to use their university affiliation, even though this is against Sweden’s right of Academic Freedom of Speech, according to the review.

Additionally, the PHA also “discredited any critique and national/international scientific evidence” and the authors say the agency “cherry picked” scientific papers that agreed with its viewpoint.

Ultimately, this led to Sweden having worse COVID-19 outcomes than its neighboring Nordic countries.

In late December 2020, Sweden was recording an average of 44 COVID-19 deaths per 1 million people, according to Our World in Data.

By comparison, Denmark was recording 5 deaths per 1 million, Norway was recording 0.5 deaths per 1 million and Finland was recording 0.3 deaths per 1 million, the data shows.

One month earlier, a report from the Swedish Inspectorate of Health and Social Services found half the country’s deaths at the time were among nursing home residents.

About one year later in January 2022 — during the omicron wave — Sweden was faring better and recording 5 deaths per 1 million.

However, the other three countries were recording half as many deaths with Denmark recording the highest at 2.4 per 1 million, Our World in Data shows.

“The cost in terms of infections and deaths of this pandemic in Sweden has been larger in some other more densely populated and more centrally located countries, yet is still markedly higher than in the other Nordic countries,” the authors wrote. “This Swedish laissez-faire strategy has had a large human cost for the Swedish society.”

Search goes on for 2nd black box in China Eastern Airlines crash

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The commercial passenger jet that crashed Monday in southern China plunged into a mountainside with such force it created a 66-foot deep crater and shattered into pieces, officials said Thursday.

Search crews have recovered 183 pieces of the China Eastern Airlines plane and the remains of 21 of the 132 people killed in the air disaster, Zhu Tao, director of the Aviation Safety Office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said at a news conference.

One piece of the aircraft roughly 4 feet long and 4 inches wide was found on farmland 6.2 miles from the core crash site in China’s Guangxi region. Officials would not speculate on how it ended up there but said they are expanding the search area.

Zhu said search crews were still looking Thursday for the Boeing 737-800’s second black box, believed to be the flight data recorder that was installed above the ceiling of the aircraft’s rear cabin.

The plane’s cockpit voice recorder, installed in the plane’s rear cargo compartment, was recovered from the wreckage on Wednesday and is expected to be analyzed at a lab, officials said.

Zhu said most of the wreckage of Flight 5735 is concentrated in and around an impact crater measuring nearly 100 feet wide and 66 feet deep.

Among the pieces recovered are an engine blade and engine pylon, the left and right horizontal stabilizers, pieces of the wings and the plane’s aileron autopilot actuators.

“We also found crew escape ropes and fragments of crew manuals and some crew documents normally found in the cockpit,” Zhu said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The plane crashed after taking off from Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. The flight was headed to Guangzhou, a port city northwest of Hong Kong, Chinese officials said.

Early data shows the airliner plunged from 29,000 feet to 8,000 feet, leveled off and then went into a freefall, exploding into a fireball that was seen and filmed by people nearby. One video showed the plane nose-diving into the ground.

Air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to radio the flight crew when they noticed the aircraft’s rapid descent but were unable to restore communications with the crew before the crash, Chinese officials said.

U.S. intelligence doesn’t have a clear theory on what led to the plane crashing. A source tells ABC News they aren’t ruling anything out, including a possible intentional downing.

During Thursday’s news conference, Chinese officials said more than 300 family members of passengers on the doomed plane were gathered in Wuzhou in the Guangxi region and that China Eastern Airlines had dispatched 161 staff members to meet with them and provide assistance and comfort. More than 200 of the family members have been taken near the crash scene to mourn their lost loved ones, officials said.

Cory Booker delivers impassioned speech at Ketanji Brown Jackson hearing

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker delivered an impassioned speech on the third day of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings Wednesday.

As Jackson wiped away tears, Booker applauded Jackson for her historic nomination to become the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court and her path to getting there.

“You got here how every Black woman in America who’s gotten anywhere has done, by being like Ginger Rogers: ‘I did everything Fred Astaire did but backward, in heels,'” Booker said.

Despite a long list of credentials, Jackson has faced a barrage of questions from Republicans trying to brand her record as “soft on crime” or entrenched in liberal activism. Some Republicans continuously interrupted Jackson’s responses to their questions or yelled in their arguments against her confirmation or credentials. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham stormed out of the hearing and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton called her a liar during their questioning.

In his speech, Booker said the harsh line of questioning against a Black woman didn’t come as a shock.

“It’s hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom, not to see my cousins — one of them who had to come here and sit behind you,” Booker said. “She had to have your back. I see my ancestors and yours.”

“Nobody’s gonna steal that joy,” Booker said in his speech. “Nobody’s taking this away from me.”

Some online celebrated Booker’s speech, including Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts, the author of, “Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration.”

“Watching Booker express Black joy, in that space, felt like an affirmation for all the times we’ve all had to laugh or dance or cry out in exaltation in the face of racism and white supremacist systems,” Lewis-Giggetts told ABC News. “Even in the midst of clear racism and racist dog whistles, Booker could look into the face of Judge Brown-Jackson, see the long line of Black people who came before her, and rejoice with her.”

She said it felt like a reminder that no matter what systems of oppression tell them, “we are worthy and valuable.”

April Reign, a former lawyer and now racial justice activist, co-founded the advocacy organization She Will Rise in an effort to get a Black woman on the Supreme Court. She says Black women are no stranger to the barriers and treatment that Jackson is facing.

“These attacks, unfortunately, feel very familiar to me and millions of Black Women in this country, who have had to hold our tongue, steady our gaze, and endure without anyone speaking up on our behalf,” Reign said. “As Black women, we have carried this country on our backs. It was gratifying to hear Sen. Booker acknowledge that, and remind Judge Brown Jackson, and all of us, that joy cometh in the morning.”

She said she will be forever grateful that there was a Black man in such a position of power to stand up for Jackson and Black women everywhere.

Booker ended his speech by calling Jackson his “harbinger of hope.”

He continued: “This country is getting better and better and better. When that final vote happens, and you were sent on to the highest court in the land I’m going to rejoice.”

“The greatest country in the world the United States of America will be better because of you.”

New York City vaccine mandate rollback prompts concerns of double standard

March 24, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Big Apple athletes and performers who haven’t received their COVID-19 vaccine shots now won’t be barred from taking the court or stage. But some New Yorkers who are still required to show proof of vaccination are calling foul on what they see as a double standard.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that he was dropping the mandate that all city-based athletes and performers show proof of vaccination to take part in their game or event. Adams said his decision was based on the city’s low COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and the city’s goal to restart its economy.

“We have to be on the field in order to win,” Adams said during a news conference at Citi Field, where unvaccinated Mets players will no longer have to worry about not playing when the baseball season begins next month.

Until Thursday’s announcement, unvaccinated athletes could not play home games, because venues required everyone to be vaccinated for entry. Visiting players and entertainers, however, were exempt.

This affected the Brooklyn Nets after its star point guard, Kyrie Irving, repeatedly refused to get vaccinated.

Irving was listed inactive during the first three months of the season but was called up in January for road games. He scored 43 points in his last game Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Adams said the old rules put teams and performers at a disadvantage.

“This is about putting New York City performers on a level playing field,” Adams said.

Broadway performers represented by Actors Equity previously agreed to mandatory vaccinations.

“Broadway theatres anticipate no change in our protocols based on this announcement. We continue to evaluate our COVID safety protocols for audiences, cast and crew, in concert with our unions and medical experts,” Charlotte St. Martin, the president of The Broadway League, said.

The mayor added that the decision will help the venues and employees who work in the arenas and entertainment venues and local businesses.

But not everyone was thrilled with the mayor’s decision, particularly some unions representing city workers who are required to show proof of vaccination to work.

“There can’t be one system for the elite and another for the essential workers of our city. We stand ready to work out the details with the mayor, as we have been throughout this process,” Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, said.

City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams also expressed concerns about the “ambiguous messages” sent to New Yorkers about vaccine requirements.

“This exemption sends the wrong message that higher-paid workers and celebrities are being valued as more important than our devoted civil servants, which I reject. This is a step away from following sensible public health-driven policies that prioritize equity,” she said in a statement.

Earlier in the month, the mayor dropped the requirement for indoor businesses and venues, including movie theaters, to have their customers show proof of vaccination and wear a mask. He also dropped the mask mandate for schools and is set to drop the mask mandate for children 2- to 4-years old.

As of Thursday, 77.5% of all New Yorkers were fully vaccinated, and 36.3% of residents had received their booster dose, according to the city’s Health Department.

The mayor and health department have repeatedly stressed that the COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective way of preventing hospitalizations and death caused by the virus and encouraged more New Yorkers to get their shots.

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