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Trump demands Washington Commanders reverse name change, threatens he will not facilitate deal for new stadium

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has threatened the Washington Commanders football team, stating he will not facilitate a deal for the team’s new stadium to be built in Washington, D.C., if it does not revert to its former name.

“My statement on the Washington Reskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way. I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Sunday.

In another post on Sunday, Trump called on the Commanders to “immediately” change their name.

“Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

ABC News has reached out to the Commanders for comment on Trump’s demands.

Trump also said that the Cleveland Guardians baseball team should switch back to its old name, too, and called out Ohio Senate candidate Matt Dolan, who owns the team, claiming that he lost several elections because of the name change.

“The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!,” Trump wrote on Sunday.

The Cleveland Guardians’ president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, said in a statement on Sunday that there have not been any plans to change the team’s name, according to The Associated Press.

“We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously it’s a decision we made. We’ve got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that’s in front of us,” Antonetti said.

The Guardians didn’t have any additional comment when asked by ABC News.

With the Commanders, Josh Harris, the managing partner for the team, said earlier this year that the team would not be changing its name, according to The Associated Press.

The Washington Commanders dropped its former name in July 2020 after years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans. The team adopted the generic “Washington Football Team” two weeks later, though it was only supposed to be in place for the 2020-21 season. Then in 2022, the team revealed it’s new name would be the Washington Commanders.

A 2020 study from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley found that at least half of more than 1,000 Native Americans surveyed were offended by Commanders’ previous team name, according to UC Berkeley’s website.

The practice of using Native American mascots is controversial and many tribal leaders say it is dehumanizing and perpetuates stereotypes.

In 2024, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill with unanimous consent that would allow the federal government to lease more than 170 acres of land at the site where the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is currently located, which would allow for the possibility of a new stadium to be built. The team currently plays at the Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.

The bill transfers the jurisdiction of the stadium site from the federal government to local D.C. authorities.

“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington, D.C. the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK stadium site. This bill will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans,” Harris said in a statement on Dec. 21, 2024.

ABC News’ Lauren Peller and Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

Alaska Airlines resumes operations after all flights grounded due to an IT outage, the airline says

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SEATTLE) — Alaska Airlines resumed operations late Sunday about three hours after having requested a ground stop for all of its flights, according to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that’s impacting our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved,” the airline said in a statement Sunday evening.

The airline said it resumed operations at about 11 p.m. PT.

“We apologize to our guests for this inconvenience. There will be residual impacts to our operation throughout the evening. If you are traveling tonight, please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport,” the statement continued.

On Monday, the airline said the issue was hardware-related and not the result of a cybersecurity incident.

“A critical piece of multi-redundant hardware at our data centers, manufactured by a third-party, experienced an unexpected failure,” the airline said in a statement. “When that happened, it impacted several of our key systems that enable us to run various operations, necessitating the implementation of a ground stop to keep aircraft in position. The safety of our flights was never compromised.”

ABC News has reached out to the FAA for more information.

20 dead as Bangladesh air force jet crashes on school

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) — At least 20 people were killed and 171 were injured when a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed near a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, officials said.

The aircraft crashed on the grounds of the Milestone School and College, in the city’s northern Uttara neighborhood, close to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“The rescue operation is still ongoing,” Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, the director of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, told ABC News. “It will take some more time. All injured or dead have been taken to four different hospitals.”

The single-seater, Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff after experiencing a “mechanical failure,” Chowdhury said. The pilot — Flt. Lt. Md Towkir Islam — “made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas,” Chowdhury said. “Despite his best efforts, the aircraft tragically crashed.”

Islam died from his injuries as he was being taken to hospital, Chowdhury added.

“It was a training mission, part of regular training, not a bigger exercise,” Chowdhury said. He added that the ISPR does not know yet if the aircraft had any prior technical issues.

Chowdhury said the rescue operation at the impact site is ongoing. “There may still be people inside,” he said. “We are not yet sure if everyone is out of the building. The smoke and heat are very high.”

A senior teacher at the school told ABC News that around 4,000 students study at the center. “But when the incident happened, around 1,000 students were present in the campus,” the teacher said. The plane crashed next to the school’s cafeteria.

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

Delta passenger details pilot’s ‘aggressive maneuver’ to avoid B-52 collision

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MINOT, N.D.) — A Delta regional jet on approach to Minot, North Dakota, made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a midair collision with a B-52 bomber, according to the Delta pilot.

“All of a sudden we just jerk really hard to the right — we just kept taking more turns and more turns and he gets on the announcement and says, ‘I’m sorry everybody, I’ll explain everything once we’ve landed safely,” passenger Monica Green told ABC News following the July 18 incident.

The flight, operated by SkyWest, had departed from Minneapolis. Once on the ground, the pilot apologized to passengers for the abrupt move and explained the situation.

“Given his speed … I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us. I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it,” the pilot said, according to a recording of the conversation. “So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar … long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it and thank you for understanding. Not a not a fun day at work.”

It’s unclear how close the two jets came to each other or if a cockpit alarm was activated to warn the pilots of a potential collision. Minot is home to an Air Force base with B-52 bombers.

“We are aware of the recent reporting regarding commercial and Air Force aircraft operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently looking into the matter. We can confirm that a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot AFB conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair Friday evening,” an Air Force spokesperson told ABC News on Sunday evening.

SkyWest said it’s investigating the incident.

“SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota, landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident,” according to a spokesperson.

19 dead as Bangladesh air force jet crashes on school

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) — At least 19 people were killed and 164 were injured when a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed near a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, officials said.

The aircraft crashed on the grounds of the Milestone School and College, in the city’s northern Uttara neighborhood, close to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Islam died from his injuries as he was being taken to hospital, Chowdhury added.

“It was a training mission, part of regular training, not a bigger exercise,” Chowdhury said. He added that the ISPR does not know yet if the aircraft had any prior technical issues.

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

Pat Tillman’s brother arrested on suspected arson after fiery crash into post office: Police

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — Federal postal investigators are investigating why a car slammed into a neighborhood post office early Sunday morning in San Jose, California.

The post office building caught fire and was engulfed in flames after the car went into it.

The man arrested for the incident was Richard Tillman, who is the brother of late NFL star turned U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, according to San Jose Police.

Richard Tillman, 44, was booked on suspicion of arson into the Santa Clara County Jail.

“Shortly after 3 a.m. the San Jose Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in the box lobby area at the Almaden Valley Station Post Office. The fire was extinguished with no injuries,” the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said in a statement.

Federal investigators told ABC News they are aware of and investigating spray-painted words found on the post office building and claims that the driver live-streamed driving the car into the building.

The connection of the spray-painted words to the incident is not clear at this point, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

It is unclear if the driver was impaired.

ABC News has reached out to the Pat Tillman Foundation for comment from the family.

Pat Tillman put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold following the Sept. 11 attacks and enlisted in the Army. He was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact postal inspectors at 877-876-2455.

Ex-officer convicted in relation to Breonna Taylor’s death to be sentenced

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOUISVILLE, K.y.) — The former Louisville, Kentucky, police officer convicted of a civil rights offence in relation to the death of Breonna Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in federal court.

Brett Hankison was found guilty of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights after he blindly shot into Taylor’s apartment in March 2020. Hankison’s bullets did not hit anyone.

The Department of Justice recommended that Hankison should receive one day of imprisonment in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday.

Taylor was fatally shot during the 2020 raid, during which three officers fired dozens of rounds after her boyfriend fired one round at them, striking one of the officers.

Hankison fired 10 rounds through Taylor’s sliding glass door and window, which were covered with blinds and curtains, prosecutors said. Several of the rounds traveled into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment, where three people were at the time. None of the 10 rounds hit anyone.

Texas flooding: Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for flood emergency planning

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(KERRVILLE, Texas.) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session for the state legislature on Monday to discuss emergency procedures and early warning systems in the wake of the deadly flooding earlier this month.

“We must ensure better preparation in the future,” Abbott said in a statement posted on social media.

The session is scheduled to begin at noon local time, according to a press release from his office.

More than 130 people were killed earlier this month as historic flash flooding tore through central Texas over the July Fourth weekend.

In addition to three people missing in Kerr County, there were still three people missing in Travis County and one person listed as missing in Burnet County, according to the most recent update last week.

Abbott on Sunday said the special session would address preparedness and recovery in the event of future flooding.

The agenda for Monday’s sessions is expected to include discussions on flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding and natural disaster preparations and recovery, Abbott said.

The session beginning on Monday is also expected to cover legislation proposing a congressional redistricting plan, which could if enacted create more seats for Republicans.

Microsoft SharePoint under ‘active exploitation,’ Homeland Security’s CISA says

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has posted an alert saying it is aware of “active exploitation” of a new vulnerability to Microsoft SharePoint “enabling unauthorized access to on-premise SharePoint servers.”

The exploitation activity “provides unauthenticated access to systems and enables malicious actors to fully access SharePoint content, including file systems and internal configurations, and execute code over the network,” the post stated.

“The FBI is aware of the matter, and we are working closely with our federal government and private sector partners,” the bureau said in a statement.

According to a Microsoft customer guidance blog post issued Saturday, “Microsoft is aware of active attacks targeting on-premises SharePoint Server customers by exploiting vulnerabilities partially addressed by the July Security Update.”

“These vulnerabilities apply to on-premises SharePoint Servers only,” the post added and “SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 is not impacted.”

A company spokesperson said the company has been “coordinating closely with CISA, DOD Cyber Defense Command, and key cybersecurity partners around the world throughout our response.”

“While the scope and impact continue to be assessed,” CISA Acting Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Chris Butera said in a statement, “the new common vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE), CVE-2025-53770, is a variant of the existing vulnerability CVE-2025-49706 and poses a risk to organizations with on-premise SharePoint servers.”

CISA was “made aware of the exploitation by a trusted partner and we reached out to Microsoft immediately to take action,” the statement said. “Microsoft is responding quickly, and we are working with the company to help notify potentially impacted entities about recommended mitigations.”

Eye Security, a cybersecurity firm, says it “identified active large-scale exploitation” of the new vulnerability “being used in the wild” on SharePoint servers across the world and discovered “dozens of systems actively compromised,” according to a blog post on the firm’s website. The breaches “probably” began on the evening of July 18.

According to a post by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, a threat research and security consulting firm, “These flaws allow unauthenticated attackers to access restricted functionality.”

9-year-old girl found dead after her father falsely claimed she was kidnapped in upstate New York: Police

July 21, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(TICONDEROGA, N.Y.) — A 9-year-old Canadian girl whose father had reported she had been kidnapped in upstate New York was found dead Sunday afternoon, with investigators saying she had not been abducted and they were now questioning inconsistencies in her dad’s story, according to authorities.

The body of the girl, identified by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office as Melina Galanis Frattolin, was discovered in Ticonderoga, New York, near the New York-Vermont border, about 15 miles from Lake George, where her father initially claimed she had been kidnapped on Saturday by a man driving a white van.

The report from the father led the New York State Police to issue an Amber Alert earlier on Sunday. A massive search was launched, involving State Police K-9 and aviation units, New York State Park Rangers, the Essex and Warren County sheriff’s offices, the New York State Department of Conservation, and the Ticonderoga Police Department.

“As the case progressed, law enforcement identified inconsistencies in the father’s account of events and the timeline he provided,” according to a statement from the State Police.

The investigation was ongoing Sunday afternoon as State Police took over the investigation from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

There was no immediate comment from the State Police on whether Melina’s father, who police identified as 45-year-old Luciano Frattolin, also of Canada, had been arrested in his daughter’s death.

State police did not disclose how Melina died.

“At this time, there is no indication that an abduction occurred, and there is no threat to the public,” the State Police said in its statement.

Luciano Frattolin called 911 in Warren County late Saturday night, claiming his daughter had been abducted by a stranger, according to police. The father claimed the girl was kidnapped around 9:40 p.m. at a rest stop off Interstate 87 near Lake George, where he allegedly claimed they pulled over to use the restroom, according to police radio dispatches provided by Broadcastify.

The father told police his daughter was wearing light colored shorts, a blue-and-white striped shirt and white Adidas sneakers, police said.

“The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” authorities said in an initial statement that accompanied the Amber Alert.

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