News – Page 421 – 105.7 WDNY

Trump says he had ‘good’ call with Putin but peace not ‘immediate’

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian President Putin on Wednesday, describing their call as “good” but “not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the leaders discussed Ukraine’s large-scale drone operation that targeted Russian military airfields on Sunday and “various other attacks” during their approximately 65-minute call.

“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump said.

With U.S.-brokered Ukraine-Russia peace talks still floundering despite another round of negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top officials are applying more pressure on Trump to increase the cost of what they see as Russian obfuscation.

Trump returned to office in January having vowed to end the war in 24 hours. But months of failed talks — with Kyiv and Moscow clearly still far apart on their peace demands — have left the president and his administration publicly frustrated.

Trump has threatened both — Ukraine with the withdrawal of all aid and Russia with more sanctions — with punishment if his peace-making efforts fail. Both Ukraine and Russia have sought to frame the other as the main impediment to a peace deal.

Ukraine aligned itself with Trump’s May appeal for a full 30-day ceasefire, a proposal Putin has refused. In the weeks since, Zelenskyy has pushed Trump to meet Russia’s obstinance with sanctions.

Following Monday’s talks — which lasted just over an hour — Kyiv embarked on a renewed push.

“I want to thank all Americans, all Europeans who support this approach of pressuring Russia into peace — it is extremely important,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Tuesday night, following the latest round of deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on his country — and after two headline-grabbing attacks by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet and the Kerch Strait Bridge.

“Putin does not change his behavior when he does not fear the consequences of his actions,” Zelenskyy added. “Russia must feel what war truly means. Russia must bear the losses from the war. They must really feel that continuing the war will have devastating consequences for them.”

The two sides did agree to further prisoner exchanges during the latest Istanbul talks. But both Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Andriy Yermak — the influential head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office — pushed back on the notion that the negotiations moved the needle toward a lasting ceasefire agreement.

Yermak said in a post to social media that he spoke with Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff about the talks, telling him, “Russia’s position remains unconstructive.”

“I emphasized that Russia is stalling and manipulating the negotiation process in an attempt to avoid American sanctions and has no genuine intention of ceasing hostilities,” Yermak said. “Only strong sanctions can compel Russia to engage in serious negotiations.

Sybiha said Russia “has not responded to our document outlining Ukraine’s vision for ending the war,” in a post on X summarizing Ukraine’s official conclusions from the second round of talks.

“Instead of responding to our constructive proposals in Istanbul, the Russian side passed a set of old ultimatums that do not move the situation any closer to true peace,” he said.

“This contradicts Russia’s previous promises, including to the United States, that it would put forward something realistic and doable this week in Istanbul,” Sybiha added, also calling for new U.S. sanctions on Moscow.

Trump is also facing pressure at home. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham — long influential in advising the president’s foreign policy — is among those pushing a sanctions bill through the Senate that would slap 500% tariffs on any country that buys Moscow’s energy products.

On Sunday, following a visit to Kyiv with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Graham wrote on X, “Russia indiscriminately kills men, women and children. It’s time for the world to act decisively against Russia’s aggression by holding China and others accountable for buying cheap Russian oil that props up Putin’s war machine.”

The Kremlin urged patience. “It would be wrong to expect any immediate decisions or breakthroughs here,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday of the latest talks. “But work is ongoing. Certain agreements were reached in Istanbul, and they are important. Indeed, first and foremost, it is about people. These agreements will be implemented.”

But Dmitry Medvedev — the former Russian president and prime minister now serving as the deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council — gave a darker read on the negotiations. The talks, he wrote on Telegram, “are not meant to achieve a compromise peace based on some imaginary and unrealistic conditions invented by others, but rather to secure our swift victory and the complete destruction” of Zelenskyy’s government.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Tuesday’s explosion at the Kerch Strait Bridge caused no damage, after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the latest attack on the structure.

“Well, there was an explosion, nothing was damaged, the bridge is working, the Kyiv regime continues its attempts to attack the objects of peaceful infrastructure,” Peskov said at a briefing. “The Russian side takes appropriate precautions.”

The SBU said it attacked the bridge — which links occupied Crimea to Russia’s Krasnodar Krai region and is a prominent symbol of Moscow’s control over the occupied peninsula — with underwater explosives early on Tuesday, in an operation that “lasted several months.”

The SBU claimed that the explosion “severely damaged” the “underwater supports of the piers.” The official account for the bridge said the structure was “temporarily closed” after the explosion.

The long-range strikes that have unsettled Trump continued. Ukraine’s air force reported 95 Russian drones launched into the country overnight, of which 61 were shot down or neutralized. Impacts were recorded in seven locations, the air force said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed seven Ukrainian drones overnight.

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine issued a security alert Wednesday warning Americans about the increasing intensity of Russian attacks. The embassy urged U.S. citizens to “exercise appropriate caution” and be prepared to “shelter immediately” if an air alert is announced.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Nataliia Popova and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

Boulder attack latest: Number of victims climbs to 15

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BOULDER, Colo.) — The number of victims in the Boulder, Colorado, Molotov cocktail attack has climbed to 15, prosecutors said.

Fifteen people, ranging in age from 25 to 88 years old, as well as one dog were hurt in the Sunday afternoon attack outside the Boulder courthouse, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

The suspect tried to buy a handgun at a sporting goods store in November but was denied, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Mohamed Soliman — who was arrested Sunday after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails– tried to buy the weapon on Nov. 22, 2024, but was denied based on National Instant Criminal Background Check System, according to the bureau.

The reason for his denial wasn’t disclosed. He didn’t appeal the denial, the bureau said.

About a month later, on Dec. 30, 2024, CBI denied his application for a concealed handgun permit.

After Soliman was arrested, he allegedly told investigators that he took a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen,” state court documents said.

Soliman said he used YouTube to learn how to make the Molotov cocktails, documents said. Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within “arm’s reach” when he was arrested, the FBI said.

Soliman is accused of attacking a group advocating for the hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas.

Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea.

Soliman told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” court documents said. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”

He “said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” documents said.

Soliman, a husband and father of five, was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, court documents said.

Soliman has been in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, officials said. He was granted a work permit, but that had also expired in March.

His wife and children are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the family is being processed for expedited removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Soliman allegedly said he had been planning Sunday’s attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said.

ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey, Emily Shapiro and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Baby saved by gene-editing therapy ‘graduates’ from hospital, goes home

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(PHILADELPHIA) — KJ Muldoon, a 10-month-old baby who sparked nationwide headlines after receiving a first-of-its kind gene-editing treatment, was released from the hospital this week.

KJ has spent the majority of his life at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after being diagnosed with a one-in-a-million, deadly genetic disease shortly after birth. Working quickly, his doctors were able to use new gene-editing technology called CRISPR, designing a bespoke treatment just for him.

The treatment, first infused into his body at seven months old, seems to have worked. KJ’s body, which was fighting a toxic buildup of ammonia, began to thrive and he quickly gained weight appropriate for a baby of his age.

Wearing a cap and gown to symbolize his “graduation” from the hospital, baby KJ was discharged home to his parents and siblings on Tuesday after spending 307 days at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Doctors and nurses gathered for a “clap out” on his way out the hospital doors, and he was escorted home by local law enforcement.

KJ’s metabolic condition, called carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency, affects about 1 in 1.3 million people. The disease kills 50% of babies by early infancy.

KJ “had the most severe variant,” Dr. Ahrens-Nicklas, one of KJ’s doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told ABC News.

“This meant that we had to expedite the pathway for personalized therapy we were already working on,” he said.

Gene therapy treatments have already been approved for more common genetic diseases, including the blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, which affect tens of thousands of patients in the U.S. Those treatments are sold by major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

KJ’s disease is so rare that his doctors were on their own. But thanks to the technology available at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, his doctors believed they could use a streamlined approach to make their own bespoke therapy, in-house.

CRISPR gene-editing technology was the perfect tool for a rare genetic disease like KJ’s, and potentially future babies born with slightly different genetic errors.

“Think of it like a GPS signal,” Dr. Kiran Musunuru, director of the Penn Cardiovascular Institute’s Genetic and Epigenetic Origins of Disease Program, told ABC News. “You can change where the GPS is going depending on what specific sequence of genes you want to change.”

Musunuru says there is still a lot of work to be done on this bespoke treatment to make it feasible, but he is hopeful that more babies with ultra-rare conditions can be treated this way.

ABC’s Dr. Keerthana Pakanati contributed to this report.

Manhunt continues for father police say killed 3 young daughters near Washington campground

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WENATCHEE, Wash.) — The manhunt continued on Wednesday for 32-year-old Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters near a campground in Washington, with officials saying he could be “anywhere within the nation.”

Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were killed after they left home for a “planned visitation” with Decker at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.

At approximately 3 p.m. on Monday, officials located Decker’s vehicle unoccupied near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, police said in a press release on Tuesday. Additional law enforcement officers responded to the scene and found the bodies of the three girls, but “Decker was not located,” police said.

A $20,00 reward has been offered for any information leading to Decker’s arrest, police said during a press conference on Tuesday evening.

Local officials are working with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshal’s Office in their search for Decker.

“We will not rest until we have located him,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said during the press conference. “He can be anywhere within the nation, so that’s why we have our federal partners on scene helping us bring in additional resources.”

Decker, who is homeless and has been living in his vehicle or at various motels or campgrounds in the area, is currently wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping, police said. He is a former member of the military with “extensive training,” but it is unknown whether he is currently armed, officials said.

“Travis, if you’re listening, this is your opportunity to turn yourself in, do the right thing, do what you need to do and take accountability for your actions. We’re not going to rest, and we’re going to make sure we find you. You will be brought to justice, those young ladies deserve it,” Morrison said.

Prior to discovering the girls’ bodies, police said visitation had been a part of the family’s parenting plan, but Decker went “outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for the alarm.”

On Tuesday, officials revealed the mother of the girls, Whitney Decker, contacted police on Friday with a civil complaint, saying there were concerns of Decker being “financially stressed recently” and gave authorities information on the his vehicle. In a statement provided to ABC News, Whitney Decker said she was “concerned” about the safety of her children and that she “just wants the girls back home safe and sound.”

Detectives later learned Travis Decker and his daughters did not arrive at a “planned 5K running event” on Saturday.

At the time, the investigation had not met Amber Alert criteria, officials said, but an Endangered Missing Persons Alert had been issued through the Washington State Patrol. Before the discovery of the girls’ bodies, officials said they were granted arrest warrants for Decker on three counts of custodial interference.

Details regarding the daughters’ cause of death will be kept private until officials said they can “ensure that the information we are sharing is not going to compromise the investigation.”

Decker, who is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts, according to police. Decker’s father is flying in to speak with detectives, officials said.

Officials said anyone who has any information on Decker or knows of his whereabouts should call 911 immediately. Another press conference regarding the search for Decker will be held on Wednesday evening, officials said.

CBO says Trump’s bill will add $2.4T to deficit, leave 11 million without health insurance

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

CBO says Trump’s bill will add .4T to deficit, leave 11 million without health insurance

CBO says Trump’s bill will add $2.4T to deficit, leave 11 million without health insurance — Tim Graham/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — a massive tax and immigration bill to fund much of President Donald Trump’s agenda — could add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to a new analysis out Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO released updated estimates on the legislation as focus turns to the Senate, where a handful of Republican members are expressing concerns about the deficit and changes to Medicaid.

The budget office is projecting 10.9 million more people will be uninsured in 2034 because of changes to health care.

The budget office also estimates the bill will cut taxes by $3.7 trillion and cut spending by $1.2 trillion. The CBO has not yet completed an analysis of the macroeconomic effects of the bill.

The White House preemptively defended the bill just before the CBO release, with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller accusing the nonpartisan office of being “lefty” and touting the legislation as a “dream bill.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise slammed the CBO report at a press conference with Republican leadership on Wednesday morning, taking issue with it not recognizing potential economic growth, which it will do in a later, separate estimate.

“I get we have to play by the rules of the referee, but the referee is wrong. The referee is trying to sack our quarterback,” Scalise said.

The bill narrowly passed the House in May, but now some GOP members are signaling regret on their stamp of approval. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, wrote in a social media post that she wasn’t aware of a provision related to AI regulations and that she would have voted against the bill had she known it was included. Greene called for the measure to be removed by the Senate.

Meanwhile, President Trump is set to meet with the Senate Finance Committee at the White House later Wednesday in his push to have the megabill passed.

The president’s lashed out at GOP senators who are threatening to complicate that, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

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

Suspect arrested for link to Palm Springs fertility clinic explosion: Sources

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(PALM SPRINGS, Calif) — Law enforcement officials are expected to announce the arrest of an individual allegedly linked to the primary suspect in the car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, last month, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The suspect is expected to appear in a Brooklyn federal court Wednesday afternoon before he’s moved to California, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The primary suspect in the case, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, was found dead next to the detonated vehicle, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s LA field office said last month.

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

Summer travel forecast: Busiest days to fly and how to save on airfare

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans are gearing up to head to the airport or hit the highway for summer vacations.

Here’s what you need to know before you travel:

Air travel

The Federal Aviation Administration said it predicts over 50,000 flights (including cargo flights) per day this summer, citing a 4% increase of summer flight schedules compared to last year.

United Airlines is projecting a record-breaking summer with about 50 million passengers from June to August — about 3 million more than last year.

American Airlines said it expects to operate 5% more flights this summer than it did last year. The airline said nearly five flights will depart every minute over the course of the summer.

American Airlines forecasts its busiest day to be Sunday, July 6, with nearly 6,800 flights.

Expedia said some of the busiest travel days are expected to be Thursday, June 19 (Juneteenth); Friday, June 27; Tuesday, Aug. 5, and Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Hopper recommends flying midweek, like Tuesday or Wednesday, to save up to 20% on airfare.

According to Expedia, the cheapest days to fly domestically this summer will be Tuesday, Aug. 19, and Monday, Aug. 25, due to the drop in demand as summer travel wraps up.

Expedia said the most popular domestic travel spots are Las Vegas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; Miami; Chicago; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Honolulu, Hawaii; Seattle; Los Angeles; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Internationally, Expedia said popular destinations include Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Paris; London; Tokyo; Rome; the Bahamas; and Barcelona, Spain.

Road travel

Good news for those taking road trips: Hopper said car rental prices are remaining steady from last year, averaging $47 per day.

The cities seeing the highest car rental demand are Orlando, Las Vegas and Denver, followed by Miami and Chicago, according to Hopper.

Cities in Florida are seeing the most affordable car rental rates this year, with daily average costs at $26 or less in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.

Elon Musk privately expresses frustration on a range of recent moves by Trump administration: Sources

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Elon Musk’s grievances with the Trump administration extend beyond the level of spending in the president’s signature bill, sources tell ABC News.

Multiple people who have spoken to the president and Musk described a widening rift on a range of recent moves by the administration.

Musk has privately expressed frustration about a portion of the spending bill that would cut the electric vehicle tax credit, multiple people who have spoken with the billionaire said.

After the November election, Musk called for ending the tax credit, but more recently, his company, Tesla, has become a vocal opponent of removing the provision.

“Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid,” the company posted on social media.

Musk had also grown increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration striking artificial intelligence deals with his competitor OpenAI, sources tell ABC News.

Behind the scenes, Musk raised objections about a deal that did not include his AI start-up company, but it ultimately moved forward, sources said.

Another source of tension: the withdrawal of Musk ally Jared Isaacman’s nomination as NASA administrator over the weekend, according to sources who stated that Musk was deeply disappointed by the move.

There have also been deep disagreements on trade policy. In April, Musk called trade advisor Peter Navarro a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” in a series of posts on X.

On Tuesday, Musk took to X to lambaste the funding bill to advance Trump’s legislative agenda, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” He continued to attack the bill in a flurry of X posts Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

“Mammoth spending bills are bankrupting America! ENOUGH,” Musk wrote in one post.

The White House declined to comment. A representative for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Some of these details were first reported by Axios.

Boulder suspect’s application for concealed handgun permit was denied

June 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BOULDER, CO) — The suspect in Sunday’s Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado, tried to buy a handgun in November but was denied, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Mohamed Soliman — who was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails during a pro-Israel demonstration, injuring 12 — tried to buy the weapon on Nov. 22, 2024, but was denied based on National Instant Criminal Background Check System, according to the bureau.

The reason for his denial wasn’t disclosed. He didn’t appeal the denial, the bureau said.

About a month later, on Dec. 30, 2024, CBI denied his application for a concealed handgun permit.

After Soliman was arrested Sunday, he allegedly told investigators that he took a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen,” state court documents said.