(NEW YORK) — Ken Kurson, the former editor of the New York Observer who was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump before he left office, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two state-level misdemeanors for allegedly spying on his former wife’s computer.
Kurson, a friend of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who also helped manage Rudy Giuliani’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2008, was arrested in 2020 on federal charges that alleged a “pattern of stalking and harassment against three victims,” including one he blamed for the dissolution of his marriage, according to prosecutors.
He was pardoned by Trump in January 2021 but re-arrested on state charges in August.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors — including attempted computer trespass — that accused him of surreptitiously installing spyware on his ex-wife’s computer from his work computer at the Observer in 2015.
“I believe we have a disposition today,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Alona Katz said during an appearance in Manhattan criminal court.
If Kurson leads a “law-abiding life” for a year and performs 100 hours of community service, he can withdraw his plea and have the charges reduced to lesser violations, Katz said.
“It is acceptable to him, your honor,” defense attorney Marc Mukasey told the court.
Authorities learned of Kurson’s alleged stalking in 2018 during a background check he underwent after Trump nominated him for a spot on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
He was pardoned by Trump after his 2020 arrest, but seven months later then-Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance indicted him on state charges.
“We will not accept presidential pardons as get-out-of-jail-free cards for the well-connected in New York,” Vance said in a statement at the time the charges were announced in August.
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling ABC News Wednesday the U.S. has seen “no meaningful pullback” of Russian forces and that Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin could “pull the trigger” at any point.
More than 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday, as U.S. officials have urged all Americans to immediately leave Ukraine.
While Putin and the Kremlin claim that Russia has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders, ABC News has learned Putin had told his military forces to be ready to invade by Wednesday. It remains unclear whether he has made a decision to attack his neighbor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, celebrated a national “day of unity” Wednesday.
Russia has denied it plans to invade and has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Feb 17, 6:25 am
Russia to respond to US on NATO security guarantees
Russia will soon formally respond to the written answers that the United States sent earlier to Moscow’s demands for security guarantees that NATO not enlarge, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.
The U.S. government, at Russia’s insistence, sent written responses to two draft treaties the Kremlin published demanding guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the military alliance pull back its infrastructure from Eastern European countries that joined after the Cold War. Washington rejected those guarantees as non-starters but offered to discuss some confidence-building measures.
Lavrov was quoted by Russian state media on Thursday as saying that Moscow is planning to send its formal response “today” and that it will be published “several hours after.”
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters Moscow was “still working on” its response and that the reply would not be sent Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his government will continue to insist on discussing its key demands alongside any of the other issues.
Feb 17, 5:50 am
Ukraine accuses Russia-backed separatists of shelling kindergarten
Ukraine accused Russia-backed separatist forces of shelling a village controlled by Ukrainian government troops and hitting a school there early Thursday.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said separatists fired upon the southeastern village of Stanytsia Luhanska. The head of the community’s local administration confirmed to ABC News that they were under heavy fire on Thursday morning.
The firing has since ceased, the official told ABC News.
Footage released by Ukrainian media shows a hole blown in the wall of a kindergarten. Meanwhile, pro-Russian accounts on social media posted the footage without context, suggesting it was in a separatist-held area and calling it fake.
Russia-backed separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine have accused the Ukrainian military of a major escalation and of preparing for a full-scale offensive. The reports are headline news in most Russian media.
Feb 17, 5:32 am
Russia-backed separatists claim ‘large-scale’ shelling in Ukraine
Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine claimed a significant deterioration along the front line with Ukrainian government forces on Thursday, accusing Ukraine of launching “large-scale” shelling of civilian areas in the breakaway regions.
Fears that Russia might use such claims as a pretext to launch an invasion remain high, with Thursday’s allegations out of the ordinary. The Ukrainian government has denied any intention to launch an offensive on the separatist-held areas.
Local authorities in the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, in an area of southeastern Ukraine known as the Donbas, accused Ukrainian government forces of shelling nine population centers, using large caliber mortars that are banned by a ceasefire.
The separatists’ military forces issued “emergency statements” Thursday alleging that “the situation along the line of contact has substantially worsened” in recent days. Rodion Leshchenko, a political advisor to the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, accused Ukraine of launching a “massive provocation,” allegedly firing 200 times into Donbas.
For the past few weeks, Russian propaganda and the separatists in Donbas have been laying the groundwork to accuse Ukraine of launching an offensive, claiming that the Ukrainian government has been massing its forces and also alleging to have found evidence of atrocities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that he believes “genocide” has occurred in Ukraine.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandon J. Vinson
(WASHINGTON) — Amid tensions over a possible invasion of Ukraine, Russian aircraft intercepted U.S. Navy patrol planes in an “unprofessional” manner three separate times over the weekend, in one incident coming within five feet of an American plane, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
The Boeing-made U.S. P-8A aircraft are designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to the Navy.
“The U.S. flight crews were flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea at the time of these intercepts,” DOD spokesman Capt. Mike Kafka said in a statement Wednesday.
CNN was first to report a close encounter between U.S. and Russian aircraft.
The incidents all happened in the same general area of the eastern Mediterranean over several days, a U.S. official told ABC News. The official said it is unclear whether there was any connection with large-scale Russian naval exercises being held there.
The U.S. has used diplomatic channels to raise its concerns to Russian officials, Kafka said.
“While no one was hurt, interactions such as these could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes,” he added.
“The U.S. will continue to operate safely, professionally and consistent with international law in international waters and airspace,” Kafka said. “We expect Russia to do the same.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling ABC News Wednesday the U.S. has seen “no meaningful pullback” of Russian forces and that Russian President Vladimir Putin could “pull the trigger” at any point.
More than 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday, as U.S. officials have urged all Americans to immediately leave Ukraine.
While Putin and the Kremlin claim that Russia has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders, ABC News has learned Putin had told his military forces to be ready to invade by Wednesday. It remains unclear whether he has made a decision to attack his neighbor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, celebrated a national “day of unity” Wednesday.
Russia has denied it plans to invade and has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Latest headlines:
-Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
-UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
-Russian troops in ‘firing positions’: State Dept.
-Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
-Ukriane’s Zelenskyy addresses nation on ‘unity day’
-Moscow claims concern Kyiv preparing for attack against Donbas
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 16, 8:51 pm
Harris to meet with Ukrainian president in Munich this week
Vice President Kamala Harris this week will make one of her most significant foreign policy trips since taking office, heading to Germany to lead the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference — where she will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We are in a very decisive moment,” a senior administration official told reporters as Harris prepared to lead the U.S. delegation, calling it a “resounding signal that engagement with our allies and partners is an absolutely critical part of our overall diplomacy in our approach to this situation.”
During the Wednesday night call, senior administration officials said the tensions with Russia will be a major focus of the vice president’s time abroad, with her schedule featuring a “series of high-stakes, high-level diplomatic talks.”
Harris’ most notable meeting will be with the Ukrainian president on Saturday.
“That’ll be a real opportunity to underscore our commitment to Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity and to further coordinate the diplomatic efforts that have been underway to provide economic, and defensive security in Ukraine,” an official said.
Harris is also expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
She will deliver keynote remarks at the conference, where she is expected to address the situation on Ukraine’s borders — touching on diplomatic, military and economic coordination of allies.
“The vice president will underscore how that unity is a source of strength that will allow us to respond quickly and severely to any further Russian aggression,” an official said.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Feb 16, 7:24 pm
Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border by as many as 7,000 troops in the last few days, with some arriving Wednesday, a senior White House official told ABC News.
The assessment comes a day after the Russian government said it has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders.
The official didn’t comment on the total number of Russian forces currently along the border.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia has “more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine and Belarus and along Ukraine’s border.” It’s unclear if that number includes any of the new troops cited by the official.
Private satellite imaging company Maxar on Wednesday released over two dozen new images from the last 48 hours that continue to show Russia’s heightened military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.
They include images that show a new 20-strong attack helicopter unit deployed in Belarus, a field hospital in Belarus and a pontoon bridge that has appeared across a river in Belarus, four miles from Ukraine’s border.
At least three of the images indicate some troops have departed or are preparing to depart, according to Maxar, though it’s unclear where the troops are going.
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Patrick Reevell
Feb 16, 6:11 pm
Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
President Joe Biden had a secure call Wednesday afternoon with German Chancellor Scholz, according to the White House, ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveling to Germany on Thursday for the Munich Security Conference.
The two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “underscored the importance of continued transatlantic coordination on diplomacy and deterrence measures,” the White House said.
Scholz visited the Kremlin and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. The German chancellor has said that war is “unimaginable” and shouldn’t be an option since Ukraine has not formally requested to join NATO, as Russia demands it be barred from doing so.
“That is why it is somewhat peculiar to observe that the Russian government is making something that is practically not on the agenda the subject of major political problems,” Scholz said earlier this week.
“That is, after all, the challenge we are actually facing. That something that is not at all an issue now is being made an issue,” he said.
Feb 16, 5:10 pm
UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
British Army Lt. Gen. James Hockenhull, chief of defense intelligence, said Wednesday that the U.K. has also not seen evidence that Russia is withdrawing substantial forces from near Ukraine, matching comments from NATO and U.S. officials.
“We have not seen evidence that Russia has withdrawn forces from Ukraine’s borders. Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine,” Hockenhull said in a rare public statement.
“This includes sightings of additional armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine’s borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Russian units that are supposedly pulling back appear to actually be returning to their home bases that are already located next to Ukraine. Security analysts say that Russia appears to simply be shuffling its forces for the time being, while more continue to arrive.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian in the French Senate Wednesday also said, for now, they are unable to say whether Russian troops are withdrawing or rotating but that Russia has all the elements in place for an attack.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler, Patrick Reevell and Anna Rabe
(NEW YORK) — Tippecanoe County prosecutor Patrick Harrington is calling for the Indiana State Police to investigate an alleged incident caught on video that showed a Purdue University police officer with his elbow pressed against the neck and face of a Black student in the snow.
Purdue student Adonis Tuggle told ABC News he and his girlfriend were driving to his apartment from Purdue’s recreational center on Feb. 4 when they began to have a “disagreement.” He said they pulled over and were arguing on the side of the road when Purdue University police officer Jon Selke and other officers arrived.
Officers were called to the south side of the campus after a bystander made an “urgent” call to police saying it appeared a woman was being held against her will, Purdue University police chief John Cox said in a statement.
According to Tuggle, 24, their argument was over a “minimal topic,” and the police did not need to get involved.
“Officer Jon Selke arrived on the scene and he was automatically on go-mode just assuming it’s a threat or a dangerous situation, when in actuality, it was just a couple having a disagreement, which isn’t anything uncommon,” Tuggle told “Good Morning America.”
Tuggle said his girlfriend tried to tell Selke the situation was under control and that he was her boyfriend, but Selke told her to “shut the —- up,” according to Tuggle.
He said this escalated the situation.
“That’s when I stepped forward in front of my girlfriend to take over the conversation, and I told Officer Selke, ‘OK, so don’t tell my girlfriend to shut the —- up. There’s no need to be disrespectful,” Tuggle said.
Tuggle said Selke then grabbed his arm, threw him against his girlfriend’s truck and punched him. The two eventually fell into the snow. This is when Tuggle’s girlfriend, who has asked ABC News not to be named, begins to record the altercation.
In the video, Tuggle can be heard saying “stop it, please” and “you’re choking me” while his girlfriend asks Selke to get off of him and taps him. Selke then tells Tuggle’s girlfriend that he will tase her if she touches him again. The video ends once more officers arrive at the scene.
Neither campus police nor Selke responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The one-minute video of the incident has been shared across social media, sparking outcry and debate on and off Purdue’s campus.
“All you have to do is watch the video. What has changed in America is everyone has a cell phone. Everyone has a camera, so if it’s an officer with his knee on George Floyd’s neck or an officer at Purdue University with his elbow in Adonis’ neck, that’s brutality and that has to stop,” the Tuggle’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth said.
Tuggle was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. He paid his $250 bond and was released after an hour in the Tippecanoe County jail. Tuggle said shortly after the incident he temporarily experience a lot of pain in his shoulder and his joints.
Cox said in a statement on Feb. 9 that “no physical injuries were suffered in the incident.”
The Indiana State Police will independently review all evidence associated with the police call and response, including all available video evidence, witness statements, and police reports, Purdue said in a statement.
The evidence and results of the investigation will then be sent to Harrington, who will then decide whether to press charges.
Cox said campus police conduct an internal review whenever an officer uses force during an arrest. Cox said Selke was put on leave until further notice after the officer received death threats. It is unclear if the leave is paid or unpaid.
Tuggle’s family asked for an independent investigation before the prosecutor’s request. Stroth said the family wants Selke to be held accountable for his handling of the situation and for all body camera footage and evidence to be released publicly.
“The video from body-worn cameras will be made available, as will all findings and evidence from the internal review when complete,” Cox said in a statement.
Tuggle’s mother, Cornelia Dawson, said after watching the video, she doesn’t understand how the situation escalated.
“The only thing I’m thinking is, ‘I’m missing something.’ He had an argument and then and then what? None of it makes sense,” Dawson told “GMA.”
Dawson sent a letter to Purdue University President Mitch Daniels after the incident, asking for him to bring justice to Tuggle and to ensure that incidents like this don’t happen to any other student. She said she’s disappointed after being a Purdue supporter for so long.
“Like a lot of parents, I was walking around feeling proud. He’s at Purdue, prestigious Purdue. I became an ambassador. I bought the mugs. I had T-shirts, so I’m still in disbelief,” she said.
Purdue University said it “welcomes the prosecutor’s action and believes it to be a positive step, having previously requested an independent review by the ISP,” according to a press release.
“There are no subjects Purdue takes more seriously than campus safety, student well-being, and proper police conduct,” Daniels said in a statement on Feb. 10.
He said Purdue asked for not only a review from the ISP, but also the Purdue Police. Once both reviews are done, Daniels said all findings will be released.
Tuggle said he has interacted with police officers before and is often fearful of what could happen if a situation were to escalate.
“Like most Black males in America, especially out here in Indiana, when I see the police, unfortunately I get uncomfortable,” he said. “I get on guard trying to make sure, ‘OK, let me make sure everything’s OK, my ID information’ whatever that it is so hopefully things can go smoothly.”
Stroth is grateful that Tuggle is safe after the incident.
“He was injured and he was traumatized, and it’s serious, but thank God the outcome is different than others that we see every month in America,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — A viral video of police responding to a fight between two teenagers at the Bridgewater Commons Mall in New Jersey over the weekend has drawn outrage and prompted an internal investigation over the officer’s apparent treatment of the Black teenager.
The video, which was taken by a bystander, appears to show the two teens arguing and then they begin to throw punches at each other. Shortly after, two Bridgewater Township police officers arrived at the scene and broke up the altercation. However, only the Black teenager, who was identified as an eighth grader named Kye, was handcuffed after being thrown to the ground, the video showed.
“They basically tackle me to the ground and then the one – the male officer put his knee in my back and then he starts putting me in cuffs,” Kye told ABC News station WABC in New York, in an interview that aired Tuesday night. “And then the female officer came over and put her knee on my upper back too and started helping putting cuffs on me. And while [the other teenager] was just sitting down on the couch watching the whole thing.”
In the video, the female officer sits the other teen who exchanged punches on the sofa and then appears to put her knee on Kye’s neck as she assists the male officer in handcuffing him.
The other teenager involved in the fight, who has not been identified by ABC News, was not handcuffed.
The Bridgewater Township Police Department told ABC News in a statement that police have asked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office to assist in an internal investigation of the incident.
“We recognize that this video has made members of our community upset and are calling for an internal affairs investigation,” police said, urging anyone with additional videos of the incident to share them with law enforcement.
Frank Roman Jr., deputy chief of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, told ABC News in a statement that the incident is being investigated by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Internal Affairs Unit.
Troy Fischer, the senior general manager of the Bridgewater Commons Mall, told ABC News that after the fight, both teenagers were “immediately banned from our property for the next three years.” He directed further questions about the incident to police.
Kye told WABC-TV that the fight allegedly started after the high schooler picked on Kye’s friend, who is a 7th-grader.
“My friend was arguing with the older kid and so I kind of just jumped into a fight, and since he’s older, he was on top of me and he’s bigger,” Kye said. “I was just confused and mad about it.”
Kye’s mother, Ebone Husain, told WABC that she wants as many people to watch the video as possible.
Asked what she wants to see happen, Husain said that she wants the officers to “become unemployable.”
Amid the outrage, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy responded to the incident in a tweet on Tuesday evening.
No-knock warrants in Minnesota under scrutiny after fatal police shooting
“Although an investigation is still gathering the facts about this incident, I’m deeply disturbed by what appears to be racially disparate treatment in this video,” he wrote. “We’re committed to increasing trust between law enforcement and the people they serve.”
Bridgewater Township Mayor Matthew Moench also released a statement responding to the incident.
Moench said that he is “completely confident that the Prosecutor’s review will be impartial, objective and thorough” and urged the public not to jump to conclusions before the investigation is complete.
ABC News’ William Gretsky and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
(LVIV, Ukraine) — NATO’s secretary general warned that Russia appears to still be increasing the number of its troops near Ukraine, despite Moscow announcing it has begun withdrawing some military units from the border.
Ukraine on Wednesday held a nationwide “Unity Day,” hanging flags and holding ceremonies to sing the nation’s anthem on the day that U.S. officials had said a Russian invasion could take place. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instituted the public holiday in an apparent signal of defiance that also indicated Ukrainian skepticism that an attack would take place.
Russian officials, meanwhile, mocked claims that the attack would materialize Wednesday, saying it illustrated Western “hysteria” around Russia’s buildup of troops close to Ukraine. Russia’s military a day earlier said some of its troops have started to withdraw after completing “exercises” and on Wednesday said that process was continuing, releasing new video showing a trainload of armored vehicles rolling across a bridge from Crimea to Russia.
But NATO’s secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that despite the few videos released by Russia, the alliance so far sees no evidence of actual withdrawal and that more troops have continued to arrive.
“So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues the military buildup,” Stoltenberg told reporters before a two-day meeting of NATO’s 30 defense ministers in Brussels.
“We are, of course, monitoring very closely what Russia does in and around Ukraine. What we see is that they have increased the number of troops and more troops are on their way and so, so far, no de-escalation,” he said.
But Stoltenberg said the alliance still hoped Russia would choose a diplomatic way out of the crisis, noting recent statements from President Vladimir Putin expressing a readiness to engage with the West.
“Of course, we hear all the messages about diplomacy and we are ready to engage in diplomatic efforts with Russia,” Stoltenberg said.
Russia’s military said units from its western and southern military districts, that have amassed thousands of troops near Ukraine, have begun returning to their bases. The defense ministry on Wednesday said the western military district units had completed loading their tanks onto transports and were now beginning a “1000 kilometer” journey back to their home base.
Russia is continuing to hold huge exercises in neighboring Belarus and in the Black Sea, which are due to run until the end of this week.
Western and Ukrainian officials, as well as independent military analysts have expressed skepticism that the announced moves reflect a true pull-back, noting that previously announced withdrawals have amounted to little more than shuffling forces around.
U.S. officials also said they have not seen a real withdrawal.
“On the contrary, we continue to see forces, especially forces in the vanguard of any renewed aggression against Ukraine, continuing to be at the border, to mass at the border,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
Russia has amassed an estimated 150,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine, a presence that includes long-range artillery, advanced aircraft and dozens of attack helicopters. U.S. officials have warned in recent days that some of the troops appear to be moving into “firing positions”.
Satellite photographs from a private company and videos spotted on social media by open source researchers appear to show that for now Russia has continued to move forces closer to the border with Ukraine. A large number of cellphone videos have appeared on TikTok that seem to show convoys of tanks and armored vehicles moving in the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine.
The Russian state newspaper Izvestia cited defense ministry sources that the units re-basing were the western district’s 3rd Motor Rifle Division and the southern district’s 42nd Guards and 150th Motorized-Rifle Division. But analysts said that the units’ home base are located close to Ukraine in any case. The 3rd Motor Rifle Division is based in the town of Boguchar, only about 60 miles from the border. It means the units rather than pulling back from the border are simply moving to a different location along the border.
Belarus’ foreign minister Vladimir Makey said at a press conference on Wednesday that all Russian troops would leave his country after the joint drills end February 20.
U.S. officials continue to believe it is likely Russia will launch a large-scale invasion, potentially as early as this week, although they don’t believe Putin has made a final decision yet. ABC News learned that U.S. officials had briefed allies that Wednesday could be the day of the attack because they had information Putin has ordered his military to be ready to go from that day.
The U.S. assesses that Russia now has all the necessary forces in place to launch a major attack if Putin chooses. It believes such an attack would not be limited to eastern Ukraine but would target the capital Kyiv, aiming to decapitate the government in a lightning strike planned to be over within 72 hours. The operation would be preceded by large-scale cyber-attacks and aerial bombardments against critical infrastructure, before Special Forces enter Kyiv to target Ukraine’s leadership. Russian forces in neighboring Belarus would sweep in from the north, according to the U.S. assessment.
A cyber-attack hit the website of Ukraine’s defense ministry and two of its largest state banks on Tuesday night. The cyber defense department of Ukraine’s national security service said the DDoS attack was very large, but the damage appeared limited, it said due to preparations Ukraine had taken in recent weeks. After some disruption in online payments, the two banks, Privat Bank and the State Savings Bank, said their systems were working again. The security service said the U.S. was assisting Ukraine in protecting itself against the attack.
Ukraine’s government has appeared more skeptical of the invasion risk, with senior officials saying they did not see signs Russia was preparing to attack Wednesday.
President Zelenskyy inspected military exercises in the Rivne region near Belarus, wearing army fatigues. In an address filmed selfie-style on his phone earlier Wednesday, he told Ukrainians, “Our shared desire to live unites us, to live together in peace. We are in Ukraine and no one can defend our home like we can.”
In Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, hundreds of cadets at a local military academy gathered around a towering flag pole on Wednesday morning for a ceremony, where they sang the national anthem, which begins “Ukraine is not dead yet.”
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — With fears of a Russian attack on Ukraine remaining a “distinct possibility,” President Joe Biden is sending a stark warning to Americans about what he says could be very real economic consequences at home — especially at the gas pump.
“I will not pretend this will be painless,” Biden said Tuesday while preparing Americans to be prepared for higher energy prices in the U.S. if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack Ukraine and the Biden administration in turn puts its “powerful” sanctions in place.
The average price of a gallon of gas reached $3.51 on Wednesday, according to AAA, up roughly a dollar from a year ago and the highest level since October 2014. And in just the last month, prices in more than a dozen states have jumped 25 cents.
Russia is the second largest oil producer in the world, and if it invades and U.S. sanctions then keep its oil from the world market or make it more expensive, and ABC News Chief Business Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis reports some analysts predict prices at the pump in the U.S. could jump as much as 50 cents.
Pres. Biden says Russian invasion of Ukraine could impact energy prices.
“I will not pretend this will be painless…We’re preparing to deploy all the tools and authority at our disposal to provide relief at the gas pump.” https://t.co/D9IPWPkiUhpic.twitter.com/OzJrnsBQx4
Polls show Biden already is being blamed for higher gas prices as part of the worst inflation in nearly 40 years — more than 7% last year — and it’s a big political problem for him and Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections.
ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega pressed the White House on what Americans should be ready for.
“Worst case scenario, what should they expect if this happens,” Vega asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday.
“If Russia decides to invade, there could be consequences here at home, and that could have an impact on energy prices, which could have an impact on prices at the gas pump,” Psaki said.
“He also wanted to be very clear and direct with the American people about what the impact could be and the fact that in his view, defending democracy and liberty is never without costs, but we need to convey to the American people exactly what that could look like.”
Psaki said “all options are on the table” to help bring down the price of gasoline and President Biden has been trying to get ahead of a major impact by shoring up supplies with allies and energy producers.
“We are taking active steps to alleviate the pressure on our own energy markets and offset rising prices,” said Biden.
Several Democratic senators have introduced legislation to temporarily suspend the 18.5 cents per gallon federal gas tax for the remainder of the year to help bring the price at the pump down.
The White House has not taken a position on the proposal.
In January, senior administration officials said they had been working with countries in North Africa, Asia, Europe and Asia to “ensure the continuity of supply” and lessen the price shock that comes with a shortage.
President Biden discussed global energy supplies with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Feb. 9 and when he hosted Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the White House on Jan. 31.
Despite the outreach and calls to pump more oil, Saudi Arabia has decided to abide by a five-year-old deal between OPEC+ countries and will not increase its production to full capacity, according to The Wall Street Journal.
(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected as early as next week to loosen its guidance on indoor masking as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to drop and the White House considers a new nationwide strategy to move past the pandemic.
In a press briefing Wednesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency was looking at new metrics for relaxing pandemic guidance, including masks, and would deliver that updated guidance “soon.”
The idea would be that local communities could relax COVID restrictions, such as indoor masking, based on such factors as ICU bed capacity. While Walensky hasn’t offered specifics on what the benchmarks might entail, she has said hospitalization levels are a key barometer.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen,” Walensky told reporters.
The upcoming guidance comes as an increasing number of Democratic governors have already announced plans to lift mask mandates at the end of February or in March. Those decisions have largely been seen as a political calculation, driven by pandemic fatigue among voters.
The CDC has urged states to continue to recommend masks so long as the case number remain high, even as it considers new benchmarks. NBC News first reported on the timing of the expected guidance as early as next week.
“Omicron cases are declining, and we are all cautiously optimistic about the trajectory we are on,” Walensky said Wednesday. “Things are moving in the right direction that we want to remain vigilant to do all we can so that this trajectory continues.”
The White House denied any political involvement in the timing of the CDC’s upcoming announcement. President Joe Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address on March 1 in which he’s expected to lay out his own detailed plan to move the nation forward.
When ABC News asked at the press briefing if the Biden administration had pressed the public health agency for new guidance by the end of the month — ahead of Biden’s speech — a White House official insisted the CDC had not been given a timetable.
Jeff Zients, Biden’s chief COVID coordinator, said: “CDC is clearly in the lead here on the substance and the timing of masking guidance.”
(INDIO, Calif.) — Coachella is dropping all COVID-19 restrictions ahead of this year’s festival.
“In accordance with local guidelines, there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Coachella 2022,” a statement on the Coachella website reads.
The update comes after organizers announced last October that Coachella 2022 would require attendees to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test. That was amended from the initial policy announced by Coachella organizer Goldenvoice and its parent company, AEG Presents, which required full vaccination for admittance.
While no COVID-19 protocols will be enforced at Coachella ’22, its website notes that the policy is subject to change, depending on “applicable public health conditions.”
Additionally, the site now includes a “COVID-19 warning,” which cautions that the virus is an “extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death.”
“There is an inherent and elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place or place where people are present and there is no guarantee, express or implied, that those attending the festival will not be exposed to COVID-19,” the site reads.
Coachella ’22 takes place April 15-17 and April 22-24, and will be headlined by Billie Eilish, Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — and Harry Styles .
The festival hasn’t been held since 2019 due to the pandemic.
