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Ukraine, Russia respond to Trump’s new ceasefire deadline as strikes continue

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump on Monday sought to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to secure an end to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, announcing that he would shorten a 50-day negotiating window to “10 or 12 days from today.”

“I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him,” Trump told reporters during a visit to the U.K. “So we’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to lesser number, because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen.”

“I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump said later in the press conference. “There’s no reason in waiting.”

“I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump added. “I’m not so interested in talking anymore. He talks, we have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations, and then people die the following night in a — with a missile going into a town and hitting.”

Recent months have seen growing White House frustration with Putin, as the Russian leader repeatedly dodged ceasefire proposals while intensifying long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities and its frontline offensives.

Earlier this month, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russia to accept a ceasefire. Failure to do so, the president said, would prompt punishing new economic measures, among them secondary sanctions on nations doing business with Moscow.

Both the U.S. and Ukraine are calling for a full and immediate ceasefire, after which a peace settlement could potentially be negotiated. Moscow, however, has said that negotiations cannot take place until Ukraine makes significant concessions, among them demilitarization, its withdrawal from frontline regions and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions.

Ukrainian leaders welcomed Trump’s latest announcement.

“Clear stance and expressed determination by POTUS — right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war,” he continued. “Ukraine remains committed to peace and will work tirelessly with the U.S. to make both our countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, thanked Trump in a post to Telegram. “Putin only understands strength — and this has been communicated clearly and loudly,” Yermak said.

The Kremlin is yet to officially comment on the new deadline. But Dmitry Medvedev — the former Russian president and prime minister now serving as the deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council — framed Trump’s challenge as a dangerous escalation.

“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,” Medvedev — who, during Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine, has become known as a particularly hawkish voice within Putin’s security establishment — wrote on X.

“He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”

Meanwhile, cross-border strikes continued regardless. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed 74 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 37 drones and two missiles into the country overnight, of which 32 drones were intercepted or suppressed. The air force said two missiles and five drones impacted across three locations.

In the frontline Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine’s south, the Justice Ministry said a Russian airstrike on a correctional facility killed at least 17 people and wounded 42 others.

“This is another war crime by the Russians, who will not stop unless they are stopped,” Yermak wrote on X.

In all, Zelenskyy said Tuesday morning that 22 people were killed by Russian strikes on Ukraine over the previous 24 hours.

“Every killing of our people by the Russians, every Russian strike, when a ceasefire could have long been in place if Russia had not refused, all this indicates that Moscow deserves very harsh, truly painful and therefore fair and effective sanctions pressure,” the president said in a post to Telegram.

Manhattan shooting suspect claimed to have CTE, mentioned NFL in note, sources say

July 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The 27-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed four people at a Midtown office building on Monday carried a note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE and asking that his brain be studied, police sources told ABC News.

The note also made references to the National Football League, police said.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head and concussions.

The suspect, Shane Tamura, who the police said has a documented mental health history, played high school football.

Tamura is alleged to have shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer working security in a Midtown Manhattan office building, officials said during a press conference Monday evening.

Police have not detailed a potential motive for the killings.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a message to staff, saying one of the league’s employees was also injured in the attack.

The three-page note was described by sources as rambling. It contained references to the NFL that sources described as vague.

The shooting on Monday took place at 345 Park Ave., which houses, among other companies, the NFL’s headquarters.

Democratic senators ask Blanche to commit that DOJ won’t advocate for pardon or commutation for Maxwell

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Monday morning seeking a public commitment that the DOJ will not advocate for a pardon or commutation for Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation.

The letter comes after Blanche met with Maxwell privately for nine hours over two days last week, and after ABC News first reported that Maxwell was granted limited immunity during her meetings with Blanche.

In the letter, the senators call the “purpose and timing” of Blanche’s meeting with Maxwell “perplexing.”

“It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for the Deputy Attorney General to conduct such an interview, rather than line prosecutors who are familiar with the details of the case and can more readily determine if the witness is lying. In light of troves of corroborating evidence collected through multiple investigations, a federal jury conviction, and Ms. Maxwell’s history and willingness to lie under oath, as it relates to her dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, why would DOJ depart from long-standing precedent and now seek her cooperation?” Durbin and Whitehouse wrote.

The letter is a follow up to a letter Durbin wrote earlier this month to Attorney General Pam Bondi inquiring about alleged discrepancies in Bondi’s public comments about Epstein.

Blanche’s meeting, the senators allege, appears to be an effort to distract from Bondi’s past comments.

“It seems likely this meeting is another tactic to distract from DOJ’s failure to fulfill Attorney General Bondi’s commitment that the American people would see “the full Epstein files,” especially in light of credible reports that FBI officials were told to “flag” any Epstein files in which President Trump was mentioned and that Attorney General Bondi told the President that his name appeared in the files,” the senators wrote.

The lawmakers cite Maxwell’s “documented record of lying and her desire to secure early release” as cause or concern that she “may provide false information or selectively withhold information in return for a pardon or sentence commutation.”

When asked Monday if he would rule out a pardon for Maxwell, Trump responded by saying he has the power to give her a pardon but that he has not been asked about it yet.

“Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it,” Trump said.

Trump told reporters on Friday that it was “inappropriate” to discuss a pardon then.

In addition to commitments to not advocate for a pardon or commutation for Maxwell, the senators also asked Blanche to commit that the DOJ will provide transparency to the victims and survivors of Epstein and Maxwell with respect to decisions the department makes regarding Maxwell’s appeal to the Supreme Court, which seeks to overturn her conviction.

And they called for a release of the Epstein files.

“Rather than engaging in this elaborate ruse, DOJ should simply release the Epstein files, as Attorney General Bondi promised to do,” they write.

The senators posed a list of questions to Blanche, seeking an explanation for why Blanche believes Maxwell would now be truthful and asking what information the department believes she has that was not learned during her prosecution.

2 dead after barge strikes sailboat from youth sailing program: Officials

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI BEACH, Fla.) — Two people participating in a youth sailing program are dead after a barge struck their sailboat in Miami Beach midday Monday, officials said.

The sailboat capsized in Biscayne Bay, between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

All six people on the sailboat — an adult and five children — were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Two people were pronounced dead at the hospital and one is “currently unresponsive,” the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami said. It did not release further details, including ages, on the victims.

A counselor and children between the ages of 8 and 12 were on the sailboat, authorities said.

The Miami Yacht Club confirmed the incident involved members of its youth sailing program.

“At this time, details are still emerging, and we are actively gathering all available facts,” the Miami Yacht Club said in a statement. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of everyone involved, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities and organizations to understand the situation fully.”

The two-vessel collision prompted a large emergency response involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

The incident remains under investigation. The FWC said its officers are assisting the Coast Guard with the investigation.

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

Man sentenced for stalking and harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MARION COUNTY, Texas) A Texas man has been sentenced for stalking and harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark over social media.

Michael Lewis, 55, was arrested and charged in Indianapolis in January for “sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages” to the Indiana Fever player via his social media accounts, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said.

He pleaded guilty to harassment and stalking charges on Monday.

The judge immediately sentenced him to nearly 2 1/2 years in prison on the stalking charge, a felony, with more than six months in credit for time served, online court records show. He also received a 180-day suspended sentence for the harassment charge.

As part of the plea agreement, he cannot contact Clark and has to stay away from various locations in Indianapolis, including Fever events.

“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement, adding that with Lewis sentenced, Clark will “be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office became aware of a “possible pattern of stalking” by Lewis toward Clark in January, according to the affidavit for probable cause. Between Dec. 16, 2024, and Jan. 2, the suspect allegedly sent Clark numerous sexually explicit messages over X, according to the affidavit.

Investigators traced the X account to Lewis and determined that recent messages to Clark were sent from an IP address at a hotel in Indianapolis, which was “especially concerning given that he is a Texas resident,” the affidavit stated.

Indianapolis police officers conducted a welfare check on Lewis, of Denton, Texas, at his hotel room in Indianapolis on Jan. 8, during which they confronted him about the threatening posts, according to the affidavit.

“When asked why he was making so many posts about Caitlin Clark, Lewis said, ‘just the same reason everybody makes posts,'” the affidavit said. “When asked about posts that were threatening in nature, Lewis said it wasn’t him. Lewis claimed that this is just an imaginary relationship.”

Lewis, who claimed to be in the city on vacation, told officers the posts were a “joke” and “fantasy type thing,” and denied that they were threatening, according to the affidavit.

Officers told Lewis to stop making such posts, though he continued to post on X to Clark in the days after police contacted him, according to the affidavit.

During his initial hearing in Indianapolis in January following his arrest, Lewis said, “Guilty as charged,” when the judge greeted him.

‘We’re not shielding anything,’ Vance says of Epstein files

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CANTON, Ohio) — Speaking in Canton, Ohio, on Monday, Vice President JD Vance was asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files and took an opportunity to defend President Donald Trump and his handling of the ongoing saga, which has caused controversy among his base.

Vance went straight to Trump’s defense, saying the president has been transparent about the situation.

“First of all, the president has been very clear. We’re not shielding anything,” Vance said. “The president has directed the attorney general to release all credible information and, frankly, to go and find additional credible information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. He’s been incredibly transparent about that stuff, but some of that stuff takes time.”

Vance went on to say that Attorney General Pam Bondi is currently working on the request she received from Trump, asking her to release all credible information related to the case.

“The attorney general is hard at work on that issue right now,” Vance said of Bondi, adding that the task takes time.

“You’ve got to assemble that stuff, you’ve got to compile that stuff, you’ve got to redact some victims names so that you protect the victims,” he said.

Vance continued, claiming that the Justice Departments under former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush went “easy” on Epstein and that they didn’t thoroughly investigate the case.

Vance has been a fierce defender of the president since the fallout of the Epstein files and attacked the Wall Street Journal for its reporting that Trump allegedly wrote a “bawdy” letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday as part of a book of messages, which the president has denied.

“Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump,” Vance wrote on X in July.

Trump continues to navigate the fallout of the Epstein files. During his bilateral meeting Monday with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer in Scotland, Trump told reporters he has not been interested in anything related to the Epstein files, again, baselessly calling it “a hoax.”

“Well, I haven’t been overly interested in it. You know, it’s something. It’s a hoax that’s been built up way beyond proportion,” Trump said.

Trump continued, claiming without showing evidence that the Epstein files were handled by people who he said were his enemies.

“But think of it, those files were run by these people. They were run by my enemy. If there was anything in there, they would have used them for the election,” Trump said.

Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and died by suicide in jail in 2019.

Trump wants expedited deposition from Rupert Murdoch in WSJ Epstein suit

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is seeking an expedited deposition from News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch within the next 15 days as part of his defamation lawsuit against Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal.

Trump filed the $10 billion suit earlier this month after the Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a bawdy letter in 2003 that was included in a book made for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which Trump has denied.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, was convicted in 2008 for sex trafficking of minors then was arrested again in 2019 and died by suicide in jail shortly thereafter.

In a court filing on Monday, Trump’s attorneys said they are seeking the expedited deposition in part due to Murdoch’s “age and health,” noting he is now 94 years old.

The filing also reiterated their claim that Trump reached out directly to Murdoch before the article was published to tell him the letter was fake, and that Murdoch allegedly replied that “he would take care of it.”

Murdoch’s direct involvement, Trump’s attorneys say, “further underscores Defendants’ actual malice and intent behind the decision to publish the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements about President Trump identified in the Complaint.”

“Because Murdoch is a director and majority owner of News Corp, he sits in the unique position of having readily available all documents, communications, and other information related to the Article and the decision to publish it,” the filing states.

“Moreover, if the purported letter in the Article somehow actually exists, which it does not, and the Defendants have it in their possession, which they do not, Murdoch has easy access to it,” says the filing.

The filing says Trump’s lawyers communicated their request to Murdoch’s attorneys via phone.

The judge ordered Murdoch to file a response to Trump’s motion by Aug. 4.

In response to the suit, a spokesperson for Journal owner Dow Jones said, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

What to know about derechos amid threat to South Dakota and Minnesota on Monday

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A dangerous derecho is expected to form in parts of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Monday, with wind gusts over 75 mph likely.

A moderate threat for severe storms is in place for parts of South Dakota and Minnesota on Monday afternoon into the evening due to the threat of a derecho, a wind storm that can cause significant damage.

A derecho is a long-lived, damaging wind storm. To be classified as a derecho, wind damage must extend about 250 miles long with wind gusts of at least 58 mph along most of its length — including several gusts of 75 mph or greater, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The storm, which is most common in the warm season, can be more destructive than a tornado, leaving significant damage to property, trees and power lines in its wake.

The derecho is expected to form over parts of eastern South Dakota by Monday evening and then surge east over a wide and long-track area into parts of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, according to the National Weather Service.

Pockets of winds up to 80 to 90 mph are possible, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Severe hail and a few tornadoes are also possible in the region.

Additionally, there will be a “heavy rainfall component to the derecho threat,” and isolated instances of flash flooding are also possible in portions of the Northern Plains into the Upper Midwest, the NWS said.

Trump, in Scotland, gives more details about his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday gave more details about why his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein went south, and told reporters he hasn’t been asked for a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon.

Trump continues to face questions on Epstein, and his administration’s handling of files related to the deceased financier and convicted sex offender accused of sex trafficking minors, even overseas during a working visit to Scotland.

In a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry, Trump was pressed if a pardon for Maxwell was something he would consider and continued not to rule it out.

“Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon,” Trump said. “But nobody’s approached me with it, nobody’s asked me about it. It’s in the news, that — that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

Maxwell, a longtime Epstein associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, sat down for two meetings last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. ABC News reported that sources say it was Maxwell who initiated the talks, and that she was granted limited immunity.

Blanche has not revealed what the Justice Department learned from the some nine-hour interview, only saying he would share additional information at the “appropriate time.” Maxwell’s attorney has said she was asked about 100 different people during their conversations.

Trump was also asked on Monday about parts of his relationship with Epstein, particularly their falling out.

“But for years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate. He hired help, and I said, ‘don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again. And I threw him out of the place persona non-grata.”

“I threw him out and that was it. I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth,” Trump continued.

Trump did not offer any specifics, but as ABC News has previously reported, Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser who died by suicide in April, had accused Maxwell of recruiting her while she was working as a locker-room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000 and bringing her to Epstein’s home for a massage.

Trump went on to say he never went to Epstein’s island, and instead listed other high-profile individuals he claimed went to the island, including former President Bill Clinton. Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

“I never had the privilege of going to his island,” Trump said, “and I did turn it down, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down, I didn’t want to go to his island.”

The president repeated his denial of a Wall Street Journal report that he allegedly sent Epstein a letter that included a drawing of a naked woman in 2003 for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which the Journal reported was included in a birthday book made for Epstein that contained letters from numerous Epstein associates.

Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and claims the letter does not exist. Dow Jones, the owner of the Journal, has said it has “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting” and will defend against the lawsuit.

“I don’t do drawings. I’m not a drawing person,” Trump said on Monday. “I don’t do drawings. Sometimes you would say, would you draw a building? And I’ll draw four lines and a little roof, you know, for a charity stuff. But I’m not a drawing person. I don’t do drawings of women, that I can tell you.”

Meanwhile, House Democrats are requesting a copy of the alleged “birthday book” and an attorney who has represented hundreds of Epstein’s victims said that the estate was in possession of the book. ABC News has not confirmed the existence of the letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein for the book.

Trump on Monday also continued to say, without providing evidence, that the controversy was a “hoax” perpetrated by his political enemies, including former President Joe Biden and former FBI Director James Comey.

“Well, I haven’t been overly interested in it,” Trump said of the Epstein files. “You know, it’s something, it’s a hoax that’s been built up way beyond proportion.”

Democrat Roy Cooper launches Senate bid in North Carolina for Tillis’ seat

July 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina, officially launched his Senate bid for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ open seat in 2026 on Monday.

“I’m Roy Cooper, and I know that today, for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream. Meanwhile, the biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense. It’s time for that to change,” Cooper said in an announcement video posted on X.

In his announcement, Cooper said he believes that the next election will determine “if we even have a middle class in America anymore.” He doesn’t mention President Donald Trump directly.

“Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember, and the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore. I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina, right here where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times. Politicians in D.C. are running up our debt, ripping away our health care, disrespecting our veterans, cutting health for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires. That’s wrong, and I’ve had enough.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) responded to the news in a statement slamming Cooper as both “far left” and anti-Trump, alongside attempting to tie him to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Roy Cooper is a Democrat lapdog who spent his time as Governor sabotaging President Trump, doing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ bidding,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said partly in a statement. “When Hurricane Helene hit, Cooper’s gross mismanagement left over 100 North Carolinians dead and an estimated $53 billion in damage to businesses, homes, and infrastructure. North Carolina wants a senator who will champion working families, safety, and American values, not an incompetent, far-left career politician like Cooper who will wreck everything they care about.”

As for the Republicans’ pick, multiple sources tell ABC News that RNC Chair Michael Whatley is planning to launch a bid after being asked directly by Trump to run. Trump is hopeful that Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party before becoming RNC chair, has the knowledge of the state, the national profile and the network of relationships to run a strong campaign.

Tillis said in June that he would not seek reelection, citing “the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington” and as Trump railed against him for opposing his signature megabill.

ABC’s Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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