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Johnson says he won’t concede on parents proxy voting battle as impasse continues

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — With the House of Representatives at a standstill, Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to fold on his strong opposition to allowing new parents in Congress to vote remotely.

“I don’t concede on something that I believe to be unconstitutional. I can’t. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution. So, we’re going to find a path through this. We’re working on that,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I talked to everybody who voted against the rule, and we’ll work it out. So, we got time to do it, and those conversations continue.”

Earlier this week, nine Republicans sided with Democrats to torpedo a procedural rule that included language to kill Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s bipartisan discharge petition on proxy voting for new lawmaker parents.

The vote has thrown the House into disarray and paralyzed the chamber, leaving Johnson to find a way to break the impasse. The vote also called into question Johnson’s ability to control Republicans’ razor-thin majority.

House Republican leaders, including Johnson, had said they would take the unprecedented step to block Luna’s petition on proxy voting, which gives both mothers and fathers the ability to vote remotely up to 12 weeks after the birth of a child.

After the vote, Johnson said because it failed, “we can’t have any further action on the floor this week.” The rule that lawmakers voted on included language to block proxy voting — as well as other pieces of legislation.

“The reason that I said that the agenda was taken out for the week is because it was, it was all in one rule. We could have run the SAVE Act, but the rest of it would have to have been done in a different rule. And I had a big group of House Republicans who did not want to support a rule until we took care of the proxy voting situation,” he claimed.

Johnson said he is “actively working” to accommodate young mothers serving in Congress.

“While I understand the pure motivations of the few Republican proxy vote advocates, I simply cannot support the change they seek,” Johnson wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. “The procedural vote yesterday was our effort to advance President Trump’s important legislative agenda while disabling a discharge petition that would force proxy voting and open a dangerous Pandora’s box for the institution.”

“To allow proxy voting for one category of Members would open the door for many others, and ultimately result in remote voting that would harm the operation of our deliberative body and diminish the critical role of the legislative branch,” he added.

Johnson said that he wants a room for mothers to nurse right off the House floor even though there is currently one in the basement of the Capitol. He said leaders are also looking at allowing the use of government money for members to fly their infant babies to D.C. with their mothers and fathers.

“We want to accommodate mothers who want to serve in Congress, and we’re the pro-family party, so we’ll do that, but we can’t do something that violates the Constitution or destroys the institution you serve,” he said.

Trump’s targets for ‘reciprocal’ tariffs include uninhabited islands but exclude Russia and Iran

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s sweeping new set of tariffs impact friend and foe alike, but also on the list are uninhabited islands while some glaring omissions include Russia and Iran.

Trump on Wednesday unveiled “kind reciprocal” tariff rates on certain nations that the administration’s deemed the worst offenders in trade with the U.S., in addition to a minimum 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. trading partners.

“If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America because there is no tariff if you build your plant, your product in America,” Trump said as he announced the policy at the White House.

“Likewise, to all of the foreign presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, ambassadors and everyone else who will soon be calling to ask for exemptions from these tariffs, I say terminate your own tariffs, drop your barriers, don’t manipulate your currencies,” Trump added.

At the top of the list is China, which will be hit with a whopping 54% tariff rate once the additional levies are put into effect. High levies are also being placed on the European Union, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, India and more.

Israel is also a target of “reciprocal” tariffs, despite moving ahead of Trump’s announcement to cancel all remaining tariffs on American imports (which there were very few of thanks to the Israel-United Staes Free Trade agreement that has been in place since the 1980s).

Israel, though, still got hit with a 17% rate. The Israeli government is already pushing back on the Trump administration’s calculation that Israel somehow charged a 33% tariff to the U.S., with one official calling it “puzzling.”

What else is on Trump’s list

British Indian Ocean Territory — The only inhabitants of the United Kingdom territory located in the Indian Ocean are American and British military personnel and contractors stationed at a joint defense facility.

Heard and McDonald Islands — Australian external territory of mostly barren Antarctic islands; uninhabited with no imports or exports.

Norfolk Island — This is another Australian external territory, but for some reason the Trump administration has set the reciprocal tariff rate at 29%. That is far above the 10% for Australia and other external territories. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already expressed confusion over the area’s inclusion, as there is very little trade between the U.S. and the tiny island, which has a population around 2,000.

Svalbard and Jan Mayen — These are remote territories of Norway in the Arctic Ocean. The new tariff rate is just 5% less than it is for greater Norway, though an Mayen also has no permanent population.

Réunion — The island is considered to be an overseas department and region of France, has similar status to its counterparts in metropolitan France and doesn’t have its own bilateral trade agreements. It is generally treated by the U.S. as a part of France but the administration is setting the tariff rate for the island at 37% instead of the European Unions’s 20 % rate.

What is notably not included on Trump’s list

Russia — Moscow was omitted from the list and the White House has been claiming this is because sanctions preclude any meaningful trade. This is false. Trade has fallen dramatically between the U.S. and Russia since the onset of the war in Ukraine but last year the U.S. imported around $3 billion in goods from Russia (many times the dollar amount between the U.S. and many of the small island territories that did make the list).

Belarus, Cuba and North Korea — The White House made the same argument as it did for Russia for why they are not on the list, but in these countries’ cases, there is much less trade with the U.S. Although it is still on par or surpasses trade with some of the island territories.

Iran — There’s not a whole lot of trade between the U.S. and Iran because of the many sanctions against the country, but amid the Trump administration’s effort to impose “maximum pressure” against the regime, it’s notable that Tehran is only getting hit with the baseline 10% tariff.

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

US stocks sink in 1st trading after Trump’s tariffs announcement

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — U.S. stocks plunged in early trading on Thursday, just hours after President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs announcement touched off threats of countermeasures from foreign leaders.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 1,100 points, or 2.6%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 4.3%.

The S&P 500 tumbled 3.3%, setting it on pace for its worst trading day in more than two years.

The selloff hammered shares of some major multinational corporations with supply chains abroad.

Nike plummeted 11%, while Apple fell nearly 8%. E-commerce giant Amazon slid 6%.

Shares fell for each of the other so-called “Magnificent Seven,” a group of large tech firms that helped drive stock market gains in recent years.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, dropped 7%. Chipmaker Nvidia slid 4.5%.

Tesla, the electric carmaker led by Trump-advisor Elon Musk, declined 4%.

Shares of U.S. retailers that depend largely on imported products also tumbled, with Dollar Tree down 11% and Five Below seeing 25% losses.

While Trump said the tariffs would free the U.S. from dependence on foreign goods, fears of a deepened international trade war appeared to influence the stock market reaction.

During the event at the White House on Wednesday, Trump unveiled a sweeping set of baseline tariffs on all trading partners and what he described as “kind reciprocal” tariffs on nations he claimed were the worst offenders in trade relations with the U.S.

“My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day,” Trump said from the Rose Garden. “April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” he said.

The president announced the measures would include a minimum baseline tariff of 10% on all trading partners and, further, more targeted punitive levies on certain countries, including China, the European Union and Taiwan.

Trump held up a chart with a list of nations and what the new U.S. tariffs against them will be.

At the top was China, which Trump said was set to be hit with a 34% tariff rate as he claimed it charged the United States 67%.

The 34% reciprocal rate for China is in addition to a previous 20% tariff Trump slapped on the nation — bringing the effective tariff rate on one of the U.S.’s biggest trading partners to 54% total.

While the longstanding effects of Trump’s newly minted tariffs stand to be seen, some experts told ABC News ahead of Wednesday that the measures could threaten economic growth and employment since duties slapped on imports risk increasing costs for businesses that rely on raw materials from abroad.

“If both businesses and consumers start to worry and pull back their spending, that is what can tip the U.S. over into a recession,” Kara Reynolds, an economist at American University, previously told ABC News.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, described the tariffs as “the fodder for an economic downturn.”

ABC News’ Max Zahn contributed to this report.

Once-in-a-generation storm turns deadly: Where to expect tornadoes, dangerous flooding

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A four-day, once-in-a-generation weather event turned deadly on day 1 on Wednesday — and the risk for destructive storms and tornadoes will continue on Thursday, and the threat of flooding will increase.

Here’s what you need to know:

Wednesday

The rare weather event began Wednesday with a tornado outbreak that led to at least 20 reported tornadoes from Arkansas to Indiana.

At least four weather-related fatalities have been confirmed in Tennessee, according to state officials.

The governors of Tennessee and Kentucky have declared states of emergency.

“We are facing one of the most serious weather events we’ve had forecast,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned on social media. “Please stay alert, take all precautions, and be prepared.”

Thursday

On Thursday, the severe weather risk is a level 3 out of 5, bringing the chance for a few strong tornadoes from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Tennessee.

The flooding threat ramps up on Thursday as the system begins to stall and dump heavy rain over the same areas.

Overall, more than 38 million people are under a general flood watch until Sunday morning, spanning 11 states from Arkansas to Ohio including the cities of Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis; and Cleveland.

Public schools in Nashville, Tennessee, are closed on Thursday.

A particularly dangerous situation, or PDS, flood watch is in effect until Sunday morning for about 4 million people in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Cities in the PDS flood watch include Memphis; Little Rock; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Union City, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana.

On Thursday, a rare high risk (level 4 of 4) warning for excessive rainfall is in effect in northeast Arkansas, northwest Tennessee, as well as Memphis, and western Kentucky.

Friday

Friday’s severe weather threat is a level 3 of 5 for nearly all of Arkansas, with strong tornadoes possible.

A moderate risk (level 3 of 4) for excessive rainfall is in place for Friday from just east of Dallas to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Springfield, Missouri, to St. Louis.

Saturday

Saturday’s severe weather threat is a level 3 of 5 for Arkansas, Louisiana, western Mississippi and eastern Texas, with strong tornadoes possible.

For flooding, a rare high risk threat is in effect on Saturday from Memphis to Jonesboro to Evansville.

Rain totals

The four-day event will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain or more over the area from Jonesboro to Paducah.

Seven to 10 inches of rain is possible from Little Rock to Memphis to Louisville to Cincinnati.

The system will finally move east Sunday afternoon, bringing rain to the Southeast on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Amazon joins bidding war for TikTok as deadline for sale approaches: Sources

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — With the clock ticking on TikTok’s deadline to sell or face a ban in the U.S., the battle to buy the app has intensified.

Amazon has now sent a letter to the Trump administration to join the bidding war for TikTok, sources told ABC News.

President Donald Trump said over the weekend there are lots of potential buyers and said he’d like to keep the app alive. The administration has set an April 5 deadline for the app to be banned if it is not sold by it’s Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance.

On Wednesday, Trump and senior administration officials considered multiple proposals. It’s unclear if a decision has been made on how to move forward.

The mobile tech company AppLovin and a group including tech giant Oracle have also made bids to buy the app. Even if Trump approves a deal, China will still need to sign off on it.

Trump has said publicly that if an agreement isn’t reached by the deadline, he will just extend it.

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

Two meteor showers will happen simultaneously in April, astronomers say

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — April may be known for its rain showers — but when the clouds part, nighttime skygazers can enjoy meteor showers and other dazzling displays all month long, according to astronomers.

Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will be treated to simultaneous meteor showers this month. Fireballs from the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids will be streaking through the sky at the same time from April 20 to 26, according to NASA.

The Lyrids originate from the Comet Thatcher and peak during late April, when they release about 18 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

Viewers should look for the Lyrids during the darkest hours, after moonset and before predawn, astronomers say. Lyrids appear to radiate near the star Vega.

The Eta Aquarids originate from the Comet Halley and typically peak during early May every year, releasing about 50 meteors per hour at their peak, according to NASA. They are also known for their speed, traveling nearly 41 miles per second through the atmosphere.

Astronomers recommend viewing the Eta Aquarids during the predawn hours. Look toward Aquarius, where the radiance of the Eta Aquarids appears to originate from. The Eta Aquarids will be active from April 20 to May 21.

Early April is also a good time to attempt the “Messier Marathon,” a challenge in which observers attempt to view as many of the 110 Messier objects as possible — including nebulae, star clusters and galaxies, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Other notable events will take place in early April.

On Wednesday, the Pleiades star cluster appears near the Moon, according to EarthSky. On Thursday, the moon will align with Jupiter.

Several celestial objects will form a line in April. On Saturday — as well as from April 11 to 12 — the moon and Mars will come together and be joined by twin stars Castor and Pollux, according to EarthSky.

In addition, the sun’s magnetic field is still in its solar maximum, making northern lights events more frequent. Peak solar activity is expected until March 2026.

The events will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere by both telescope and the naked eye, according to astronomers.

Musk still plans a major role in midterm elections despite loss in Wisconsin: Sources

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Despite billionaire Elon Musk’s repeated warnings that “Western Civilization” was at stake if the conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race lost, the Tesla CEO and senior adviser to President Donald Trump downplayed Tuesday’s major election defeat, writing in an overnight post that he “expected to lose.”

The billionaire, who has dominated headlines since joining Trump’s administration as the aggressive head of the Department of Government Efficiency, had gone all-in on the race.

His political groups spent more than $20 million in an effort to push conservative candidate Brad Schimel across the finish line — flooding the airwaves with television ads and saturating Google and Facebook with digital spots. He deployed a ground team across the state to turn out voters, and personally handed out two $1 million checks at a rally where he appeared onstage wearing a cheesehead hat.

But it wasn’t enough.

Schimel lost by what could be a double-digit margin, handing the world’s richest man a significant political setback and prompting questions about how eager Republicans will be to embrace Musk’s involvement in future races, including the midterms.

But despite Tuesday’s result, Musk remains undeterred in his political ambitions. According to people familiar with his operation, he still plans to play a major role in helping Republicans retain control of the House in future races, including the 2026 midterms.

Sources said Musk and his team entered the Wisconsin race knowing it would be an uphill battle. Part of the calculation, according to people close to the effort, was that Democrats in Wisconsin would likely make Musk the face of their attacks regardless, so it was better to confront them directly and make the case to voters rather than let those attacks go unanswered.

Musk’s political team had seen warning signs in the final stretch. A memo from one of his groups obtained by ABC News showed that Schimel had been trailing liberal candidate Susan Crawford by double digits earlier in the race and his numbers improved after a wave of negative advertising. But in the days leading up to Tuesday, Musk’s team saw Schimel’s numbers tank, prompting the billionaire to go on a media blitz that included multiple livestream events and an interview on Fox News.

Now, Democrats are working quickly to capitalize on Crawford’s victory and portray Musk as a liability for Trump and the Republican Party.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Schimel’s loss was a referendum on Musk.

“Wisconsin voters sent a decisive message to Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and DOGE by rejecting an extreme Republican for their Supreme Court: our Democracy is not for sale,” Schumer wrote on X.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a billionaire himself who donated more than $1 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin ahead of the race, wrote on X late Tuesday night, “Elon Musk is not good at this.”

Patrick Guarasci, a Wisconsin-based political operative who served as the chief strategist for Susan Crawford’s campaign, echoed that view. He said one of the key takeaways for Democrats nationally is the importance of confronting Musk’s political efforts directly.

“We didn’t back down from a fight when Elon Musk got into this race. We didn’t go looking for that fight, but we didn’t back down from it. And I think that’s probably one of the lessons learned,” Guarasci told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday.

Still, Musk’s supporters note that the billionaire also played a central role in Trump’s 2024 presidential win, particularly focusing on Pennsylvania with similar tactics.

“[Musk] journeyed to Pennsylvania where he spent a month and a half campaigning for me … and he’s a popular guy,” Trump said at a rally after his election win. “He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers, those vote-counting computers, and we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide. So, it was pretty good, it was pretty good. So, thank you to Elon.”

Once-in-a-generation storm to bring tornadoes, historic flooding

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A once-in-a-generation extreme weather event is underway, beginning with a tornado outbreak and continuing into the weekend with four days of dangerous flooding pounding the same region.

A rare high risk (level 5 of 5) for severe weather has been issued for Wednesday evening, warning of dangerous thunderstorms, destructive wind gusts and potentially strong, large-track tornadoes from Arkansas to Illinois.

The three areas of greatest concern into Wednesday evening are those in Arkansas, where there are large and extremely dangerous tornadoes on the ground, with Particularly Dangerous Situation, or PDS, tornado warnings in effect.

The first is near Lake City, where a tornado emergency has just been issued — impacting parts of Craighead and Poinsett counties and potentially crossing right into southern Missouri. The second, near Waldenburg, impacts parts of Craighead, Poinsett and Cross counties. The third, near Almrya, impacts parts of Monroe and Arkansas counties.

Additionally, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick C. Sheehan issued a state of emergency ahead of the major storms and significant flooding expected to slam the state. The governor also requested an emergency declaration, which would seek FEMA assistance ahead of the severe forecast.
The National Weather Service warned that those in the flood zone “should prepare now for the possibility of long duration and severe disruptions to daily life.”

There were at least four reported tornadoes — one in Missouri and three in Arkansas — on Wednesday, for a total of eight reported tornadoes across Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas over a 24-hour period.

Only one tornado has been rated: The National Weather Service said that an EF-1 tornado touched the ground for 17 miles near Vernon County, Missouri, with peak winds up to 98 mph, leaving thousands without power in the region.

Throughout Wednesday, there were numerous reports of strong winds gusts, wind damage and large hail stretching from Arkansas to Ohio.

The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management said late Wednesday that four injuries were reported in Craighead County linked to the extreme weather, but there have been no fatalities. However, over 35,000 are without power, the ADEM said.

A particularly dangerous situation, or PDS, tornado watch is in effect across parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Cities in the bull’s-eye include Jonesboro, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency.

“We’re really concerned about people’s safety, especially in the overnight, because when storms or tornadoes hit while people are asleep, that’s sadly when we’ve lost the most people,” he said in a statement. “So, everybody out there, be really careful.”

But the biggest threat from this weather event is the potentially historic rainfall.

Wednesday’s severe thunderstorm threat will diminish slightly after midnight, but the threat of severe storms will persist overnight. Then, a life-threatening flash flood threat will begin to ramp up into Thursday morning — bringing another very active, dangerous weather day for millions.

In Arkansas, the cities of Memphis, Jonesboro and Little Rock are under a moderate risk (level 3 of 4) for excessive rainfall on Wednesday night — and the flash flooding threat will become more extreme and widespread on Thursday. A rare high risk (level 4 of 4) for excessive rainfall will then go into effect, impacting Jonesboro, Paducah and the Memphis suburbs.

The flooding will last into Friday and Saturday.

The four-day event will leave 10 to 15 inches of rain or more over the bull’s-eye area from Jonesboro to Paducah. Seven to 10 inches of rain is possible from Little Rock to Memphis to Louisville, Kentucky, to Cincinnati.

The system will finally be on the move on Sunday.

ABC News’ Jason Volack contributed to this report.

15-year-old girl attacked by sea lion in California

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Phoebe Beltran, 15, has always been a “water baby,” according to her mom, Bibi Beltran.

She has always had a love for swimming, she told ABC News, which was why she decided to participate in a junior lifeguard cadet program in Long Beach, California, on March 30.

In the middle of competing in the 1,000-yard swim test, she felt pain in her right arm.

“My initial reaction was, ‘I’m getting eaten in the middle of the water, it’s a shark, I’m going to die,'” Phoebe Beltran told ABC News.

Phoebe Beltran immediately screamed for help, which is when the animal — she later found out was a sea lion — let go of her arm.

She was assisted back to the shore and a lifeguard boat patrolling the water brought all the other swimmers to safety, according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

“As I was getting up onto shore, that’s when I stood up, the lifeguards saw that my arm was bleeding, they took me to the sand and started fixing me up before sending me to the ER,” Phoebe Beltran said.

Her mom heard the screams, but didn’t think it was her daughter until she saw her arm gushing with blood.

“I don’t have the words to explain the panic in a mom’s heart when they see their child like that,” Bibi Beltran said. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions.”

Phoebe Beltran had bites “localized to her arms and extremities” and was taken to the local hospital, but “did not require advanced treatment,” officials said.

She later found out the lifeguards determined the animal that attacked her was a sea lion.

Phoebe Beltran said she did not do “anything that provoked” the sea lion and she would not have swum next to it if she had seen the animal.

“It came out of nowhere, I was surprised by it and so were other people,” Phoebe Beltran said.

This incident comes after sea lions on the California coast have reportedly been displaying strange behavior, likely due to a harmful algae bloom impacting the region, according to marine researchers.

The sea lions are likely being poisoned by domoic acid, a neurotoxin within the algae blooms, which they ingest through the fish they eat, according to marine experts. Ingesting domoic acid can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans and marine mammals, according to the Marine Mammal Care Center.

“Instances of bites are quite a rare occurrence, but it is important for the public to maintain a distance of 150 feet from sea lions and other marine life on local beaches, exit the water immediately if approached by a marine mammal (do not engage) and call trained wildlife first responders if there appears to be a marine mammal in distress,” the center said in a statement to ABC News.

Justin Viezbicke, the California Stranding Coordinator for National Marine Fisheries Service, told ABC News that sea lions are not typically aggressive creatures and would normally “just run away” at the sight of humans, not attack.

“With this domoic acid poisoning, for some reason, it’s changing something in them that does create a situation where the sea lions have reacted, and that reaction has been either to bite or to chase after people or to exhibit behaviors that we would consider not normal,” Viezbicke said.

Common symptoms for domoic acid poisoning include lethargy, seizures, a bobbing and weaving of their heads and in some cases, aggression, Viezbicke said.

“Normal behavior is that they’re alert and aware of you,” Viezbicke said. “Oftentimes, with domoic acid, that awareness is really not there until you may be getting too close.”

Officials said the sea lion that attacked Phoebe Beltran had “no evidence” of being sick, just appearing to be aggressive. After the attack, the animal “left immediately and swam back out in the ocean,” the fire department said.

However, Phoebe Beltran still thinks this animal was ill.

“Knowing it happened out of nowhere, I deeply feel like it had something with it being sick,” Phoebe Beltran said. “It’s sad they weren’t able to catch it to help it and bring it back to its health, but hopefully it’s doing better on its own.”

Phoebe Beltran said her pain is “manageable,” but the emotional trauma from the incident is something she still struggles with.

“The physical wounds don’t seem that bad, but what happened took a toll on me mentally, so it’s just something I am working on getting over,” Phoebe Beltran told ABC News.

Despite the attack, Phoebe Beltran said she still plans on getting back in the water once she is completely healed, competing again for the junior lifeguard program and pursuing a career focusing on marine life.

“I came out really lucky to have my arm, it’s still working, it’s just scratches. [I hope people can] be more aware of what’s going on in the water, not to blame it on the sea animals at all,” Phoebe Beltran said.

ABC News’ Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.

Myanmar earthquake death toll tops 3,000 with hundreds still missing

April 3, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — The death toll from last week’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar rose to 3,085 people as of Thursday morning, according to an update released by the country’s military government.

Another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 others remain missing, the junta said.

The epicenter of Friday’s magnitude earthquake was near the northern city of Mandalay — Myanmar’s second-largest city. But severe damage has been reported across the country, with thousands of buildings razed, roads destroyed and bridges collapsed.

The earthquake also rocked Thailand, where at least 22 people have been confirmed killed and 35 others injured in the capital Bangkok, according to the city’s Metropolitan Administration.

Most of the casualties there were related to the collapse of a high-rise building that was under construction when the powerful quake struck the region.

Search and rescue teams have been working around the clock to find the 72 people who were reported as missing from the incident, Bangkok officials said, with hopes that some may still be alive beneath the heavy, thick layers of debris seven days later.

City officials expressed concern that it could rain Thursday, which might hinder ongoing search and rescue efforts.

“We hope that a miracle will happen,” the administration said in a situation update posted to Facebook.

“For those trapped beneath the debris, if they are still alive, the heat may not be a big issue because there are vents and it is not as hot as above,” it said. “The main problem is dehydration.”

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