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(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — There is growing pushback among the health care community over Florida’s decision to advise against vaccinating healthy children for COVID-19, with an increasing number of health officials coming forward to strongly criticize the move.
On Monday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo announced his state would become the first in the country to make such a formal recommendation.
“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said at the end of a 90-minute roundtable discussion in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, aimed to close the curtain on the “COVID theater once and for all.”
However, criticism swiftly followed, coming from many of the nation’s leading health officials.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, and its Florida chapter, called the decision “irresponsible,” reasserting that the COVID-19 vaccine is still the nation’s “best hope for ending the pandemic.”
“The Surgeon General’s comments today misrepresent the benefits of the vaccine, which has been proven to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and long-term symptoms from COVID-19 in children and adolescents, including those who are otherwise healthy,” American Academy of Pediatrics Florida Chapter President Lisa Gwynn said in a statement Monday.
“The evidence is clear that when people are vaccinated, they are significantly less likely to get very sick and need hospital care. There is widespread consensus among medical and public health experts about the life-saving benefits of this vaccine,” Gwynn said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have also been vocal in their support of pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations, stressing to parents that real-world data has demonstrated that vaccines are safe and effective at protecting children against severe disease, as well as against potential long-term consequences from the virus.
“Children can get sick from COVID, and some get very sick,” AAP President Dr. Moira Szilagyi said. “The virus is still circulating in Florida. … It is irresponsible to advise parents not to vaccinate their children against this virus.”
The Infectious Diseases Society of America also issued a strong statement in opposition to the move, which the organization described as “disturbing.”
“The Florida Surgeon General’s decision to recommend against COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children flies in the face of the best medical guidance and only serves to further sow distrust in vaccines that have proven to be the safest, most effective defense against severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalization and death,” Dr. Daniel P. McQuillen, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America said in a statement on Tuesday, further suggesting that Florida’s decision “put politics over the health and safety of children.”
“Vaccinating eligible children against COVID-19 not only protects them, but it also protects their classmates, friends and vulnerable family members from a virus that has left nearly 1 million people in the United States dead in its two-year wake,” McQuillen added.
Among the other voices in the chorus of concerns is Dr. David R. Nelson, president of UF Health and senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida, where Ladapo is a professor.
In a statement released Tuesday, Nelson pointed to the widespread support for COVID-19 vaccinations in children among health experts.
“UF Health and the UF College of Medicine note that while children are generally at lower risk than adults for more serious consequences of COVID-19, the risk is not zero, and the vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective, with a very low risk of adverse outcomes,” Nelson said.
Nelson noted that although at times, there can be a “significant disagreement” in the public discourse surrounding COVID-19, “the principle of scientifically sound, evidence-based medical decisions” remains critical.
“Vigorous intellectual discussion around competing opinions is at the heart of the marketplace of ideas we celebrate and is a time-honored way to advance truth. That is no less the case here,” he wrote.
Nelson also underscored the fact that Ladapo’s role as the state’s surgeon general is entirely separate from his faculty position at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also denounced the state’s decision, telling reporters that Florida’s decision was “absolutely not” a good policy.
“It’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations, when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,” Psaki said during a press briefing Monday.
However, the Florida Department of Health doubled down on their support of the surgeon general’s announcement, telling ABC News in a statement that “healthy children likely have no benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.”
“It is essential for health care practitioners to analyze existing data on the COVID-19 vaccine alongside parents when deciding to vaccinate children,” Ladapo said in a statement Tuesday. “Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits. That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated.”
ABC News’ Dr. John Brownstein and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy after the boy allegedly fired into an unmarked police car and fled on foot will be fired, authorities said Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw announced that the officer will be suspended for 30 days, starting Friday, after which she intends to dismiss him for violating the department’s “use-of-force directive.”
“Based off of the evidence that I reviewed, it was clear that the use-of-force policy was violated,” Outlaw said during a press briefing.
The officer was one of four plainclothes officers in an unmarked car conducting surveillance in South Philadelphia on March 1 shortly before 7:30 p.m. when the shooting occurred, police said.
The officers approached two juveniles — a 17-year-old boy who they wanted to question and the 12-year-old boy — with the car’s emergency lights on, according to Outlaw.
The younger boy allegedly fired at the car, striking the passenger side rear window, police said. One of the officers was struck in the eye by glass after a bullet went through the car’s window, police said.
Two other officers then returned gunfire, shooting once each, before the suspect fled on foot with the firearm, Outlaw said. An officer gave chase and fired his gun twice, striking the boy in the back, she said.
The 12-year-old boy, identified by authorities as Thomas Siderio, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said.
“It’s tragic that we have trigger-pullers as young as 12,” said Outlaw. “And it’s tragic that we had one of our own, again, go against everything who we say we are. There are no winners here.”
None of the four officers have been identified by the department due to safety concerns, the commissioner said.
The officers were placed on administrative duty following the shooting, police said. The department did not have any further information Tuesday on the status of the other officers due to the ongoing investigation.
The 17-year-old was taken into custody following the shooting. He was later released and not charged, Outlaw said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting. No charges have been filed at this time.
“The death of a child is always a tragedy, and in this instance, a factually complex and deeply troubling one based on preliminary investigative information,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement.
“Philadelphians are owed a comprehensive and transparent accounting of all activity surrounding the circumstances of young Thomas Siderio’s death and an unbiased and thorough investigation,” he continued. “When it is appropriate for us to do so, we will disclose findings of our currently active investigation and decision on whether or not to pursue any criminal charges.”
Siderio’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the four officers involved in the shooting on Thursday, their attorney, Conor Corcoran, told ABC News.
“This 12 year old was murdered at point blank range by a Philadelphia police officer,” he said in an email to ABC News.
He said the commissioner was “correct” in firing the officer in question, but disputed that the boy had a gun.
“They are claiming that young TJ possessed or fired a gun, when my information indicates that the body still has its fingernails, and so no gunpowder residue testing was performed,” Corcoran said.
(WASHINGTON) — The House is set to vote as soon as Wednesday on a bill that would codify the Biden administration’s ban on the import of Russian oil and energy products into the U.S., review Russia’s access to the World Trade organization and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act so that the U.S. can further sanction Russia.
The vote would be remarkably fast-paced for legislation — bypassing the usual legislative process in a clear indication that lawmakers want to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. And while it has support from both Democrats and Republicans, some Republicans have been lashing out at the Biden administration for its decision to ban Russian oil imports amid a chorus of bipartisan calls to do so.
Republicans, while they commended the administration for its decision to ban Russian oil, quickly turned critical of gas price hikes, as some members of the House accused Biden of allegedly turning his back on U.S. oil and gas production as the administration potentially weighs making oil deals with Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.
“First of all: President Biden, stop begging dictators to produce the energy that we need here in America. Don’t go to Russia. Don’t go to Iran. Don’t go to Venezuela when the answer is right beneath our feet. It’s time for President Biden to say yes to American energy,” House Republican Whip Steve Scalise told reporters during a press conference.
One after another, House Republicans took turns to criticize the administration.
“Never should we think that foreign oil is better than American independence when it comes to energy,” Rep. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico said.
“We’re sleeping in the bed that we made,” Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas said. “That’s what happens when you allow energy policy to be dictated by children in Europe, by woke investors on Wall Street, and by politicians who actually think that electric passenger vehicles are going to solve an energy crisis and the climate crisis.”
“We don’t need to be buying Russian energy, but we don’t need to be buying Iranian energy or Venezuelan energy. We need to produce energy of all forms and all types here in the US and do it better than anybody else in the world,” Westerman added.
Rep. August Pfluger of Texas said Biden should meet with oil and gas executives and companies while he is down in Texas today.
“In addition to his pre-planned meetings, what he should be doing is meeting with oil and gas executives and companies,” Pfluger said. “Instead of calling on terrorist regimes to fulfill our needs, what he should be doing is calling on the domestic producers who know better than anybody else in the world, how to produce the supply of energy that not only we need, but that our partners and allies around the world need.”
“The president’s first phone call should have been to the mayor of Midland, Texas, not to Maduro,” he added.
On the House floor Tuesday, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy hit Biden for shuttering the Keystone XL pipeline last year.
“Democrats want to blame surging prices on Russia. But the truth is, they’re out of touch policies are why we are here in the first place. On Day 1, the President canceled the Keystone Pipeline and stopped new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Then, he gave the green light to Putin’s pipeline,” McCarthy said.
“If we want to lower prices and protect the environment, we must prioritize American energy independence. We have the natural resources under our feet. We have the best workers in the world: drilling the wells, building the pipelines, running the rigs, and extracting the gas in the cleanest way possible,” he said.
“We just need politicians who will get out of the way,” he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the energy legislation in a letter sent to democrats Tuesday. Her announcement to codify a ban comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier Tuesday to ban Russian oil and energy imports.
Pelosi last week forcefully threw her weight behind a potential oil ban and at the time, signaled legislation would be imminent.
“Because this legislation is an urgent imperative – both morally and for our security interests – the House will consider this legislation on the floor today. It is our hope that we have a strong, bipartisan vote,” Pelosi said in a letter sent to Democrats.
The bill would ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States, take steps to review Russia’s access to the World Trade Organization, and reauthorize and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act so that the United States can impose further sanctions on Russia.
It’s unclear if the House bill would forward in the Senate.
“We first have to see what the House passes, and then we’ll discuss things with the administration and find the best way to make sure that the oil import ban is tight and tough,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
House Democrats commended Biden’s announcement and rebuffed criticisms that the administration only acted after lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation to force its hand.
“I don’t think that anything has created any pressure,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Tuesday morning.
“He’s been very clear-eyed and transparent with the American people all along the way,” Jeffries said of Biden. “I’m very confident in President Biden’s continued leadership and I don’t think anyone has pressured him into doing anything.”
The decision to ban Russian oil and energy imports is likely to cause more pain at the pump for Americans, which lawmakers are keenly aware of.
Jeffries acknowledged the high gas prices Americans are currently facing and vowed that the Democratic Party would do what it can to relieve the pressure on wallets.
“It’s certainly my hope that my Republican colleagues won’t continue to play politics with an existential crisis for Ukraine, for Europe, for the West and for democracy because that is what is at stake right now. And we have to apply maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia until it ceases and desists with respect to its aggression and the slaughtering of innocent individuals in Ukraine. It may be some sacrifice that is required across the world,” Jeffries said.
“Certainly, we are seeing incredible sacrifice by the Ukrainian people,” he added.
Jeffries also hinted that the administration could potentially ask Americans to work from home for the time being to help ease the gas crisis and avoid the daily commute.
Asked if he thinks the federal government and businesses should consider changing their policies, even as the COVID crisis has eased up, Jeffries said: “I don’t want to comment on any specific steps that the administration may be contemplating, but I think everything should be on the table in terms of an all-hands-on-deck approach. It’s not just an all of government moment. It’s an all of America moment.”
But White House press secretary Jen Psaki made clear Tuesday that the White House isn’t about to ask Americans to cut down on their gas consumption.
“Well, we’re neither going to make a prediction…nor are we going to tell Americans to stay home,” Psaki said.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Trucker protesters against COVID vaccine mandates and restrictions met Tuesday with a pair of Republican lawmakers for two hours on Capitol Hill.
Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Ted Cruz of Texas spoke with a small group of protesters from “The People’s Convoy,” who said they won’t end their now three-day long circuit along the D.C. beltway — traveling around 55-60 miles per hour along the often congested corridors of Maryland and Virginia — until they sit down with other members of Congress and their demands for the rollbacks of a national state of emergency and vaccine mandates are met.
Convoy truckers are also asking for congressional hearings on the origins of the pandemic along with an investigation into state and federal COVID responses.
“We’re gonna keep looping the beltway until heard,” said convoy organizer Brian Brase. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re not gonna leave. We’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing until we start getting more meetings like we just had today.”
Most COVID restrictions have been lifted across the country, with Washington D.C. last week eliminating vaccine and mask mandates in the city. New York City on Monday dropped its mask and vaccine requirements.
Still, the convoy, attempting to emulate the trucker convoy that shut down a major bridge in Ontario, Canada, has been traveling cross-country from California since late February.
“‘The People’s Convoy’ continues that legacy,” said Cruz, who is fully vaccinated. “They want government to leave them the hell alone.”
One point of contention for protestors who spoke during a roundtable discussion is that while COVID mandates are being rolled back, health care workers and members of the military have already been dismissed and discharged for refusing to get vaccinated.
“This is how it’s affecting our communities, our loved ones back home and we’re on the road working,” Brase said.
The convoy aimed to reach the nation’s capital last week. After adding participants and gaining national attention, it stopped 70 miles outside the city at the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told ABC News that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved requests from Capitol Police and Homeland Security to extend National Guard support at traffic control points in D.C. through Wednesday.
“These are people that are fighting for freedom. It’s just that simple,” Johnson said. “We’ve already seen tears here. I didn’t expect that, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Later on Tuesday, Florida Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, along with Thomas Massie, R-Ky., hosted an invitation-only discussion with a separate group of around 100 truckers.
“The People’s Convoy” also met with Republican lawmakers for an additional roundtable discussion with Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and a handful of other members of the House Transportation Committee.
“I’ve cried multiple times through this journey. I lost my son in September and I’m still a part of this because that’s how much I believe in this, even though I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Brase said through tears.
(NEW YORK) — Before Russian attacks on Ukraine led to mass displacement, Europe was already grappling with the Syrian refugee crisis – an issue that had bitterly divided European Union nations in recent years over what to do with the 1.1 million Syrians who sought refuge in Europe.
Meanwhile, neighboring European nations have swiftly met the influx of more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 with a united show of solidarity.
Although it is unclear if disagreements over burden-sharing will follow, according to those who study migration in Europe, experts say Ukrainian refugees face a more welcoming environment because they are white.
Andrew Geddes, Director of the Migration Policy Centre, told ABC News that there’s a stark contrast between Europe’s “very warm welcome” of Ukrainian refugees, compared to the largely “hostile” response to Syrians and other asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.
“It’s night and day,” Geddes said.
“I think the strongest contrast is with a bunch of central European countries that were very hostile to Syrian refugees, and are now quite much more favorable to Ukrainian refugees,” Geddes added, referencing Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic — European Union members that were “the most resistant” to welcoming Syrian refugees.
Meanwhile, many nonwhite refugees fleeing Ukraine, including students from Asia and Africa, have reported instances of discrimination on the borders of Ukraine, with some telling ABC News that differential treatment based on race led to difficulties in crossing into countries like Poland. But others from Africans and the Middle East have said they crossed into Poland without any issues.
United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees Filippo Grandi confirmed during a press conference last Tuesday that “there are instances” of differentiation of treatment at the borders based on race, but said he was assured that “these are not state policies.”
Grandi said he met with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau last Wednesday, who “affirmed Poland’s commitment to continue receiving all those fleeing, without distinction.” Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba responded to reports of discrimination last Tuesday, tweeting that “Ukraine’s government spares no effort to solve the problem.” He also added that Ukraine set up an emergency hotline to assist African, Asian and other students seeking to leave Ukraine.
‘Exclusionary’ asylum policies
European countries host over 1 million of the 6.6 million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees, but the vast majority are hosted by only two countries – 59% in Germany and 11% in Sweden, according to United Nations High Commission on Refugees data.
But according to Kelly Petillo, coordinator of the Middle East and North Africa programme and the European Council on Foreign Relations, this “didn’t come immediately.”
“It came after quite a bit of internal back and forth and lack of disagreement,” Petillo said, adding that the majority of Syrian refugees were allowed to enter Europe in 2016 — four years after the war in Syria began — only after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey, which was facing immense pressure at the time from the surge of migrants and asylum seekers.
The Europe Union provided financial support to Turkey to slow the flow of migrants and asylum seekers crossing into Europe by returning “irregular migrants” attempting to enter Europe through Greece to Turkey, as Turkey works “to prevent new migratory routes from opening,” according to the Migration Policy Centre.
As part of the deal, which was intended to slow migration to Europe, “the European Union agreed to resettle Syrian refugees from Turkey on a one-to-one basis,” per MPC, and the European Union also paid 6 billion euros to aid Turkey’s Syrian migrant communities.
“Since the Syria crisis erupted more than 10 years ago, we’ve seen that there was a high level of reluctancy from Europeans to share the burden amongst themselves,” Petillo said.
Austria, Greece, the Netherlands and France host between 2 to 5% of Syrian refugees in Europe, and other countries host below 2%, according to UNHCR.
Some of the Eastern European countries that largely rejected Syrian refugees have been at the forefront of welcoming Ukrainians, Geddes said, pointing to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“For migrants from outside of Europe … it’s a very, very powerful, exclusionary approach,” Geddes said.
“The EU is much more willing to internalize a refugee situation where the people who are being forced to flee are white Europeans, and has been much more reluctant to offer protection for people who are from Africa and the Middle East,” he added.
And that “double standard,” Petillo said, is not only shaped by race, religion and culture, but also by politics.
Poland received 1.2 million of those fleeing Ukraine, according to UNHCR data, and on Friday Polish President Andrzej Duda toured a border crossing facility in Korczowa, where he met with Ukrainian refugees and told reporters that Poland would welcome them with open hearts.
Geddes said that Poland’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis was the “opposite.”
As Poland continued to push back against pressure from the European Union to take in asylum seekers from Syria, Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Poland’s rightwing party and current Deputy Prime Minister, argued in 2017 that doing so would be “dangerous” and would “completely change our culture and radically lower the level of safety in our country.”
The European Union’s top court ruled in April 2020 that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic broke EU law by refusing to host refugees to relieve some of the burden from countries like Turkey and Greece.
And in November 2021, Poland was “involved in a military standoff” with Belarus to prevent asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East from crossing the Polish border, Geddes said.
More than 2,000 people were trapped in a makeshift camp on the Belarusian side as Poland blocked aid. At least 15 died in the cold last year.
And in January, Poland began building a metal wall on the border of Belarus to block migrants.
“When it comes down to it, Ukrainians are seen as European,” Geddes said, saying that there are “very strong” historical and cultural links between Poland and Ukraine — Many refugees from Ukraine have family and friends in Poland who have taken them in.
Meanwhile, asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East “are fundamentally seen as being different, racially, socially, culturally,” he added.
Islamophobia and politics
Those sentiments, which Petillo described as “othering,” were evident over the past week in the rhetoric of several prominent political leaders and various Western media figures, who made controversial statements that went viral on social media.
One journalist described Ukrainians as “civilized” in an attempt to differentiate them from other refugees and others suggested that it’s more difficult to witness the plight of Ukrainians because they “look like us.”
In the wake of the global War on Terror following the 9/11 terror attacks, Petillo said that Islamophobic language that “linked terrorism to Islam” became common in a “dangerous” political discourse regarding refugees from the Middle East.
Geddes said those anti-immigrant sentiments have been weaponized by various leaders of “the radical right” in Europe and “played a part in this exclusionary approach to migration.”
At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, Czech President Milos Zeman referred to the influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking asylum in Europe as “an organized invasion.”
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has so far welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, per UNHCR.
In a historic vote, the European Union agreed on Thursday to give Ukrainians immediate temporary protective status that allows them to work and live in EU countries and provides them with access to health care and other social services. This marks the first time that the EU has invoked this protection since it became a part of EU law two decades ago, Geddes said.
Although Germany and Sweden have made some efforts to provide protections for Syrian refugees, many remain “stuck in limbo” without access to employment, education or other social services, Petillo said.
“[They’re] not coming out officially with policies saying we want Syrians to return, but they’re doing anything they can to disincentivize Syrian refugees from staying,” Petillo said, adding that ongoing humanitarian crises have led to an ongoing flow of refugees to Europe.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 asylum seekers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa arriving to the Mediterranean by land or by sea in hopes of crossing into Europe have died – some drowning – or gone missing, per UNHCR data, including 154 so far in 2022.
(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, don’t appear to have advanced closer to the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
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 08, 3:35 pm
Officials ‘deeply concerned’ about staff and potential nuclear risks at Chernobyl
The safety of the hundreds of staff who are still on duty at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is becoming more precarious, according to multiple agencies.
About 210 personnel have on duty since Feb. 24, the day before Russian military forces entered the disaster site, and have not rotated out, according to the agency.
Nuclear material and facilities demand continuous coverage, which requires employees to operate on a rotation, fixed, or modified shifts, according to a publication from the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many psychological and physiological impacts that can affect work performance, safety, and security without an organization, the material states.
Today, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine told the IAEA that it is becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the site to replace the current personnel.
While the staff has access to food, water and medicine to a limited extent, the situation is worsening, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the IAEA.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there,” Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in a statement Tuesday.
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator also asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan for replacing the current team, which will include pausing the handling of nuclear material at the site, which includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 3:29 pm
Starbucks suspends operations in Russia ‘immediately’
Starbucks announced Tuesday it will immediately suspend all its operations in Russia, condemning the “horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia.”
“We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products,” the company’s chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement.
The company said its licensed partner agreed to immediately pause store operations and provide support for its nearly 2,000 workers.
“Through this dynamic situation, we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency,” Johnson said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 3:10 pm
McDonald’s to temporarily close restaurants, pause operations in Russia
McDonald’s announced Tuesday it is temporarily closing its restaurants and pausing operations in Russia, as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace,” the company’s chief executive officer, Chris Kempczinski, said in a statement.
McDonald’s employs 62,000 people in Russia, operating in 850 communities, the company said. It will continue paying salaries for all its employees in Russia.
“Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine,” said Kempczinski.
Kempczinski said it is impossible to predict when the company will be reopening its restaurants.
“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation,” Kempczinski said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 2:51 pm
Poland announces it is ‘ready’ to handover all its MIG-19 fighter jets
The Polish government announced Tuesday it is ready to immediately handover all its MIG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. and deploy them at the Rammstein Air Base in Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the West and NATO to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Poland, in a statement, said it is ready to provide the MIGs free of charge and asked the U.S. to backfill them with used aircrafts with “corresponding capabilities.”
“The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein,” Poland said in a statement.
A senior U.S. defense official said “we have seen the Polish government’s announcement and have nothing to offer at this time.”
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou and Luis Martinez
Mar 08, 2:06 pm
Ukrainian intelligence claims Russian general has been killed in fighting near Kharkiv
Ukrainian intelligence claimed Tuesday that a Russian general was killed in fighting near the eastern city of Kharkiv. If confirmed, this would be the second general Russia has lost in Ukraine in a week, according to reports from Russian media last week.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency identified the general as Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency also published audio of an alleged intercepted phone call between two officers from Russia’s FSB intelligence agency discussing Gerasimov’s death.
Russia has not confirmed or denied the death.
The executive director of the open source group Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, said he had confirmed Gerasimov’s death with a Russian source. Grosev said Bellingcat had also identified the FSB officer in the alleged recording.
Last week, the 41st Army’s deputy commander, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, was confirmed by Russian media to have been killed.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 08, 1:37 pm
Zelenskyy asks UK parliament to increase pressure of sanctions, make Ukrainian skies safe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.K.’s parliament Tuesday, asking it to increase the pressure of sanctions and “make our Ukrainian skies safe.”
Zelenskyy has been asking NATO and the West to enforce a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine, but the U.S. and its allies have declined the request.
The Ukrainian president was greeted with rousing applause from members of the House, who stood before he spoke.
In his speech, Zelenskyy quoted Shakespeare, saying, “We have to be or not to be. This is a Shakespearean question. Not that I have the answer, but…Yes it is to be.”
He also paraphrased the words of Winston Churchill.
“We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs. We will fight in the fields, in the seas, in the streets. We will fight on the banks of different rivers,” Zelenskyy said.
“We do not want to lose what we have,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Matt Gutman
Mar 08, 12:29 pm
European Commission releases proposal to make EU independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030
The European Commission on Tuesday released its proposed plan to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030, starting with gas.
The plan “will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gases and replace gas in heating and power generation,” according to the European Commission.
This plan could reduce the EU’s demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, according to the European Commission.
“We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
Von der Leyen said she would be discussing the Commission’s proposal with European leaders in Versailles later this week.
“Putin’s war demonstrates the urgency of accelerating our clean energy transition,” the European Commission wrote on Twitter.
Just before the invasion of Ukraine, the EU reported wholesale gas prices were around 200% higher than a year ago. The invasion aggravated the energy crisis even further.
The EU said it is reliant on imports of fossil fuels— gas, oil and coal— to meet its needs.
Last year, Russia provided around 45% of the EU’s total gas imports, 27% of the EU’s total crude oil imports and 46% of the EU’s hard coal imports, according to the European Commission.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 11:57 am
US announces ban on Russian oil imports, other energy products
The United States will ban imports of Russian oil and other energy products but will not be joined in doing so by European allies, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.
“Today, I’m announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy,” Biden told reporters during a press conference from the White House. “We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy.”
Biden said the ban means the U.S. “will deal another powerful blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The move is also expected to trigger sharply higher gasoline and other energy prices in the U.S. and worldwide.
“There will be cost as well here in the United States,” he added. “Republicans and Democrats understand, alike, understand that.”
The decision was made in “close consultation” with U.S. allies and partners around the world, particularly in Europe, according to Biden.
“Because a united response to Putin’s aggression has been my overriding focus, to keep all NATO and all the EU and our allies totally united,” he said. “We’re moving forward, understanding that many of our European allies and partner may not be in a position to join us.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Molly Nagle
Mar 08, 11:52 am
UK to phase out Russian oil by end of 2022
The United Kingdom will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year, as part of its sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, U.K. Buiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced Tuesday.
“Beyond Russia, the vast majority of our imports come from reliable partners such as the US, Netherlands and the Gulf. We’ll work with them this year to secure further supplies,” Kwarteng said on his official Twitter account.
Kwarteng noted that while the U.K. “is not dependent” on Russian natural gas, as it only makes up 4% of the U.K’s supply, he is exploring options to “end this altogether.”
“The market has already begun to ostracise Russian oil, with nearly 70% of it currently unable to find a buyer,” he added.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Mar 08, 11:31 am
Ukrainian morning show host speaks to ABC News from bomb shelter
Yegor Gordeev, host of the Ukrainian television morning show Breaking with 1+1, said he and his coworkers have had to evacuate the studio during broadcast several times as air raid sirens ring out across Kyiv.
“I’m not in studio, I’m in bomb shelter,” Gordeev told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
“In Ukraine, we have no shows now, we have no TV channels now, we have only one big broadcast for controlled information to audience, for communication with audience for everything,” he added.
It was a bloody day in the Ukrainian capital, according to Gordeev. He said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian aircraft in the center of Kyiv early Tuesday morning, while a Russian rocket destroyed the city’s largest bakery, killing 30 people.
Gordeev said he hopes for peace in his home country but he’s “not sure.”
“In 21st century, it’s barbarian war,” he said in disbelief. “Putin is unstoppable.”
Mar 08, 10:21 am
Russian Defense Ministry claims Kyiv is ‘against’ evacuation of Ukrainians to Russia
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that Ukrainian authorities are “categorically against” evacuating residents of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol to Russia.
“The authorities in Kyiv are continuing to categorically reject all main routes of evacuation from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol to the territory of the Russian Federation,” Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said at a briefing.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the Ukrainians only confirmed one of the 10 evacuation routes Russia proposed. The confirmed route is from the city of Sumy, through Poltava and to the border with Poland, Mizintsev said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed more than 2.5 million Ukrainians asked to be evacuated to Russia.
“Following the past day, 2,541,367 appeals from individual Ukrainian citizens, as well as foreigners made via various communication channels requesting to save and evacuate them from 1,917 settlements in Ukraine have already been processed in our database,” Mizintsev said.
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed checkpoints in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania “were virtually ill prepared” to receive Ukrainian refugees.
“People are forced to leave their cars and walk on foot carrying their heavy bags. Lines are up to 40 kilometers long, and the crossing time is over two days,” Mizintsev said.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 9:02 am
US says Russia seems to be observing cease-fire but unclear for how long
While the United States welcomes Russia’s declaration of a temporary cease-fire in several besieged areas of Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday it remains unclear exactly how long Russian forces will hold fire.
“We think this is obviously a welcome step that the cease-fire seems to be being observed by the Russians. They don’t exactly have a good track record in that regard. So it’s welcome to see people are able to get out,” Kirby told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“But,” Kirby added, “that cease-fire’s going to expire in a number of hours and so it’s yet to be seen how much more violent the shelling and the bombardments are going to get.”
While Ukraine has continued to call on NATO to establish a no-fly zone over the country — something Washington has already ruled out — along with more help from the U.S., Kirby said there are other steps being taken.
“We are accelerating and expediting the shipment of arms and materiel to Ukraine. In fact, another shipments arrived in eastern Europe just overnight and they will be sent in to Ukraine in the coming hours and days, and there’s more coming,” Kirby said. “And it’s not just the United States. Fourteen other nations are also providing security assistance to Ukraine to help them fight.”
But on the potential of the U.S. replacing Polish fighter jets, should Poland send theirs to Ukraine, Kirby said it was a “possibility” but was non-committal.
“We’re not going to stand in the way of another sovereign nation if they want to provide aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force. Now that’s certainly their decision and we respect that,” he said. “This issue of whether we backfill it with American jets — we’re looking at that as a possibility here, but there’s an awful lot of logistical and financial issues that have to be dealt with on how that would happen. No decision has been made yet.”
When asked about the risk of a wider war if that happens, Kirby said: “That’s a possibility that we’re always looking at.”
“That’s certainly in the back of everybody’s mind, not just the United States but in NATO nations as well. You don’t want to escalate this conflict any bigger and any worse than it already is. You’re talking about Russia, a nuclear armed power. The consequences for escalating this conflict could be devastating, not just for the people of Ukraine but for the European continent,” he said.
Mar 08, 8:40 am
US to ban Russian oil imports, source says
The White House is expected to announce a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil as soon as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Mar 08, 8:26 am
Child died from dehydration in besieged Mariupol, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a child has died from dehydration in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
“Russia is for sure to blame for the deaths of people from airstrikes and in the blocked cities,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address. “But the responsibility is also on those who during these 13 days can’t make a decision in their offices in the West, an obviously necessary decision. Those who don’t secure Ukrainian sky from Russian murderers, who didn’t save our cities from airstrikes, these bombs and missiles, although they can.”
“We have been hearing promises about support for 13 days that the jets are about to arrive,” he added. “We have heard promises about securing humanitarian corridors. They didn’t work. We don’t have time to wait. People in Mariupol don’t have time to wait.”
Zelenskyy said trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been sent to Mariupol. He accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of “forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars,” but did not give further details. Videos posted to social media on Tuesday purportedly show vehicles heading to Mariupol from other Ukrainian cities bearing signs with a red cross, but it’s not clear who pasted them there.
“The drivers are heroes who understand they can be killed by Russian troops,” Zelenskyy said. “If you kill those people, the whole world will be the witness.”
Mar 08, 7:33 am
One million children among those who have fled Ukraine: UNICEF
Out of the more than two million people who have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, half of them are children, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder called it a “dark historical first.”
Mar 08, 7:15 am
Shell pledges to stop buying Russian oil and gas
Energy giant Shell announced Tuesday plans to withdraw from its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil and natural gas, amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“As an immediate first step, the company will stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil. It will also shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia,” Shell said in a statement.
Shell will immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and not renew term contracts. The company will also change its crude oil supply chain to remove Russian volumes, but said “this could take weeks to complete and will lead to reduced throughput at some of our refineries.”
In addition, Shell will shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia, and will start a phased withdrawal from Russian petroleum products, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas.
The company apologized for buying Russian oil last week.
“We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel — despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking — was not the right one and we are sorry,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. “As we have already said, we will commit profits from the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil we will process to a dedicated fund. We will work with aid partners and humanitarian agencies over the coming days and weeks to determine where the monies from this fund are best placed to alleviate the terrible consequences that this war is having on the people of Ukraine.”
Mar 08, 6:49 am
Two children among at least 21 killed by Russian airstrike in Sumy: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 civilians, including two children, were killed by a Russian airstrike in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy on Monday night, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
The strike hit a residential area of Sumy, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which the regional prosecutor’s office said was still on the scene searching for victims Tuesday.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on Russian forces to maintain the agreed upon temporary cease-fire in Sumy and four other Ukrainian cities to allow civilians to evacuate Tuesday. She said Russian authorities have confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one evacuation route out of Sumy will be open, but Ukrainian officials are awaiting confirmation on the other routes they submitted.
Mar 08, 6:19 am
Over two million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR
More than two million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Over 1.2 million of the refugees from Ukraine are in neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.
“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Tuesday in a post on his official Twitter account.
Mar 08, 5:36 am
Russia declares temporary cease-fire for humanitarian corridors in five Ukrainian cities
Russia declared Tuesday a temporary cease-fire in five besieged cities of Ukraine, including the capital, to let civilians leave.
“For safe evacuation of civilians from populated areas, a cease-fire is declared and humanitarian corridors are opening from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol from 10:00 a.m. today,” Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing.
All five cities except Kyiv had sustained brutal, indiscriminate bombardment in recent days.
It’s the fourth attempt to hold fire and allow civilians to escape the onslaught since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have been holding talks in recent days, and the Russian delegation has previously agreed to a temporary cease-fire and opening of humanitarian corridors in parts of Ukraine. But Russia has violated its own cease-fire and shelled evacuation points, while falsely accusing Ukraine of using people as human shields.
The hard-hit cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol were reported to be quiet Tuesday morning, with a local official telling ABC News that the center of Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, is not being shelled for the first time in days.
Ukraine said Russia has agreed this time to allow civilians to evacuate not only to Russia but also to other parts of Ukraine. Columns of buses and trucks with humanitarian aid are currently headed to Sumy, Mariupol and possibly other cities.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia has confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one route out of Sumy will be open. Vereshchuk said she hopes Russia will confirm routes for the other cities and also for the eastern city of Volnovakha. She warned Ukraine has information that Russia may have plans to disrupt the evacuations by leading civilians out of the agreed safe routes, in order to claim that Ukraine is not observing the agreement.
Petro Andrushenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, said the city plans to evacuate people as long as Russian forces do not fire. A column of 60 buses and nine trucks of medical aid and food are headed to Mariupol now, and the hope is that at least 4,000 people can be evacuated via the buses plus an unknown number of private cars that will join the convoy, according to Andrushenko.
“If Russia doesn’t break it, we plan to evacuate people,” Andrushenko told ABC News via telephone Tuesday morning.
Mar 08, 2:05 am
World Bank approves $723 million in emergency support for Ukraine
The World Bank said its board approved a package of loans and guarantees for Ukraine totaling $723 million.
The funding will help the Ukrainian government pay for government services, “including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable,” the bank said in a statement on Monday.
The bank said it’s preparing an additional $3 billion in support for Ukraine and neighboring countries, which have taken in more than 1.7 million refugees since the Russian invasion began.
“The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion,” World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. “The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help.”
The funding announced on Monday includes $350 million in supplemental loans, along with guarantees totaling $139 million from the Netherlands and Sweden, the bank said. Grant financing totaling $134 million will come from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland. Japan is providing $100 million in additional financing, the bank said.
(WASHINGTON) — Top U.S. intelligence agency officials on Tuesday offered a sobering assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s objectives in Ukraine, and how the invasion could affect the safety and security of the United States.
“The [Intelligence Community], as you know, provided warning of President Putin’s plans, but this is a case where I think all of us wish we had been wrong,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the House Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on worldwide threats.
Russia’s failure to rapidly seize Kiev and overwhelm Ukrainian forces has deprived Moscow of the quick military victory they probably had originally expected would prevent the United States and NATO from being able to provide meaningful military aid to Ukraine.”
Adding that the U.S. is seeing an “ill-constructed plan, morale issues and considerable logistical issues” among Russian troops, Haines said it is “unclear” whether Russia will pursue a plan to capture all of Ukraine, but that it’s already loosening its rules of engagement.
“Russian forces are at the very least operating with reckless disregard for the safety of noncombatants, as Russian units launch artillery and airstrikes into urban areas as they have done in cities across Ukraine and near critical infrastructures such as the nuclear plant, and the IC is engaged across the interagency to document and hold Russia and Russian actors accountable for their actions,” she said.
“We assess Putin feels aggrieved. The West has not given proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose,” Haines said.
CIA Director William Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow who has studied Putin for years, concurred that the Russian president is “angry and frustrated” by the situation in Ukraine, and will likely step up his efforts.
“He’s likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties,” Burns testified. “He has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.”
“Putin has commented privately and publicly over the years that he doesn’t believe Ukraine’s a real country,” Burns continued. “He’s dead wrong about that — real countries fight back. And that’s what the Ukrainians have done quite heroically over the last 12 days.”
“I think he’s been unsettled by the Western reaction and allied resolve particularly some of the decisions the German government has taken. I think he’s been unsettled by the performance of his own military,” he said. “The big countries don’t get to swallow up small countries just because they can.”
He called Putin’s actions in the past two weeks “premeditated and savage.”
Asked about Putin’s mental state, Burns did not answer directly, but did say Putin’s views on Ukraine have “hardened over the years.”
“I think he’s far more insulated from other points of view and people who would challenge or question his views in but in my opinion that doesn’t make him crazy, but it makes them extremely difficult to deal with because of the hardening of his views over time and a narrowing of his inner circle,” he said.
National Security Agency Director Gen. Paukl Nakasone said the U.S. had gamed out scenarios for a Russian cyberattack.
“We have to get better , we have to harden our infrastructure and have ability to be resilient,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, has been charged with conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as part of the FBI’s ongoing investigation into the attack.
According to an indictment unsealed in federal court on Tuesday, Tarrio — though he wasn’t present at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — was instrumental in planning the riot.
Tarrio was arrested and released two days before the attack on separate charges stemming from an incident in November 2020, and was ordered to stay out of Washington, D.C., during the time frame surrounding the riot.
“The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021,” said a statement from the Justice Department, “and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.”
Tarrio was indicted Tuesday on one count of each conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property.
He was arrested in South Florida following the indictment.
In an interview last month with a local news station in Miami, Tarrio said he doesn’t agree with or condone what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“We went to Washington, D.C., with the intent of sitting there and supporting President Trump and then drink beer after, and obviously, I wasn’t there and I can’t tell you what was in their heads, but I think the mob mentality just took over,” he told WTVJ.
Tarrio has not yet spoken to ABC News regarding Tuesday’s indictment.
The indictment of Tarrio “shows the complex nature of the ongoing investigation,” Javed Ali, former senior counterterrorism director at the National Security Council, told ABC News.
“Despite the fact Tarrio was not physically present at the Capitol that day, the charge suggests that he played a role in organizing and communicating with other Proud Boys associates who committed crimes and have likewise been charged and arrested,” said Ali.
“In combination with the seditious conspiracy charges filed against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and several of his associates for their role on January 6th earlier this year, these legal strategies may put additional pressure on anti-government groups and deter any potential future violent plots,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — A Texas man who is the first to stand trial in the prosecution of those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was found guilty on all charges including obstruction of an official proceeding for his role in disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — The Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by LGBTQ activists, has now been passed by both the Florida Senate and House. The bill would limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Under this legislation, these lessons “may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The bill would also allow parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in these topics.
If the bill is ultimately signed into law, it would go into effect July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he supports the bill, though he hasn’t explicitly said he will sign it if it crosses his desk.
LGBTQ activists and advocates slammed the decision to move the legislation forward, saying it will harm queer youth by shunning representation and inclusion from classrooms. They also say erasing the presence of the LGBTQ community from lessons implies students should be ashamed or should suppress their gender identity or sexual orientation.
In a recent interview on ABC News’ podcast “Start Here,” Florida state Rep. Joe Harding defended the bill, which he introduced. He said the bill would not prohibit people from talking about gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms, as the bill once stated, but that it would ban curriculum and lessons.
“What we’re preventing is a school district deciding they’re going to create a curriculum to insert themselves,” Harding said.
He said the decision to talk about these topics should be left to the parents.
“Families are families,” Harding said. “Let the families be families. The school district doesn’t need to insert themselves at that point when children are still learning how to read and do basic math.”
The Biden administration has denounced the bill as anti-LGBTQI+.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” President Joe Biden said in a Feb. 8 Twitter post.
Similar bills have been seen in several other states including Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma and Kansas.
