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Sen. Chuck Schumer’s book tour postponed for ‘security concerns’ amid funding vote controversy

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s three planned book tour events scheduled for this week were abruptly postponed Monday morning because of “security concerns.”

Schumer, promoting his new book “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” faced backlash over voting for the House-approved government funding bill that averted a shutdown on Friday. With Democrats’ help, the Senate passed the stopgap bill hours before funding was set to lapse.

Many Democrats, including progressives, had wanted him to vote against the bill and to more strongly protest against President Donald Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ agendas.

Schumer had events planned in Baltimore, New York City and Washington, D.C., this week. Protests were planned outside of all three events.

A spokesperson for Schumer’s book tour told ABC News that “due to security concerns, Senator Schumer’s book events are being rescheduled.”

Some of the hosts of Schumer’s events, including D.C. bookstore Politics and Prose and Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, also individually cited security concerns for the cancellation.

Schumer has been facing steep criticism from his own party for voting for the funding bill.

After announcing that he would be a no vote on the proposed spending plan — a decision that could have led to a government shutdown — Schumer later said from the floor he would vote yes.

The switch-up earned him the praise of Trump, but the ire of prominent Democrats, and comes as the party struggles to mount a cohesive response to actions by the Trump administration that are reshaping the federal government, immigration policy and other key issues.

Schumer, defending his decision to vote for the funding bill, said in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday that while he did not approve of what was included in a funding bill, a government shutdown would be worse.

The Senate Minority Leader said that a shutdown would give Trump and Elon Musk, who has overseen major cuts to the federal government, more power to make decisions about what to cut, and that the shutdown would cause pain to American families.

“For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda,” Schumer said.

In a CNN appearance on Friday, Schumer framed the decision as a way to protect the Democratic Party, while downplaying intraparty disagreement over the path he took.

“My job as leader is to lead the party,” Schumer said. “And if there’s going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party. And I’m proud I did it. I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there would be some disagreements. That’s how it always is.”

Schumer also denied any insinuation he didn’t have the “overwhelming support” of his caucus, suggesting members had thanked him for his position.

Among the groups that had been organizing protests of Schumer’s book tour events was the Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC (PCCC), which wrote in an email on Sunday, “We need to make an example of Schumer and send a message to all Democratic officials that we want BACKBONE.”

“Now is the time to channel public anger, not hide from it,” PCCC co-founder Adam Green told ABC News on Monday after the events were postponed. “People are serious about Democrats not having a plan to fight Trump.”

Another major Democratic-aligned group, the Indivisible Project, called on Schumer to step aside as leader of the Senate Democrats in a statement on Saturday. Indivisible had also been planning on protesting outside of the Baltimore event.

Schumer “led the charge to wave the white flag of surrender,” Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin wrote in the statement.

Levin praised Schumer for his work in the Senate, but said that his actions had failed both the United States and the Democratic Party.

“Senator Schumer has contributed to and led many important accomplishments that Indivisible is grateful for. But with our democracy on the line, he let us, the country, and the Democratic Party down… Senator Schumer should step aside as leader. Every Democrat in the Senate should call for him to do so, and begin making plans for new leadership immediately,” Levin wrote.

The controversy also comes as recent polling shows Americans feeling disillusioned toward the Democratic Party. An NBC News poll published on Sunday (but taken before the government funding vote) found that only 27% of registered voters feel favorable about the party.

ABC News’ Averi Harper, Isabella Murray and Karen Travers contributed to this report.

Active-duty airman arrested for allegedly killing woman on South Dakota base

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(RAPID CITY, S.D.) — An active-duty airman was arrested on Friday for allegedly killing a 21-year-old woman on an air base in South Dakota, according to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

Quinterius Chappelle, 24, an active-duty airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, faces second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait, the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Saturday.

On March 4, a hiker discovered Sangrait’s body at a location south of Hill City, South Dakota, near the Pennington County and Cluster County line.

Officials said the human remains were “badly decomposed,” and the body was later identified as Sangrait, who had been missing since Aug. 10, 2024.

Sangrait was last known to be staying with a friend in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and said she was traveling to Box Elder, South Dakota, “to get some of her things, then planned to travel to California,” according to a missing persons poster shared on Facebook.

Authorities determined that Sangrait was murdered at the air base. The relationship between Chappelle and Sangrait has not yet been made clear.

“This investigation has been an excellent collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in our area to include the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Chappelle is being held at Pennington County Jail and no bond has been established, according to jail records. It is not yet clear whether Chappelle has legal representation.

The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with additional information related to Sangrait’s murder should contact the Rapid City FBI office at 605-343-9632.

Gender-affirming care may lower depression risk, study finds, but many are losing access

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Transgender adults who received gender-affirming hormone therapy had a significantly lower risk of moderate-to-severe depression over four years compared to those who did not receive such care, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The study tracked 3,592 transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse adults and found that those prescribed hormones like estrogen or testosterone had a 15% lower risk of depression symptoms, reinforcing the mental health benefits of this treatment.

The findings “support the mental health-promoting role of hormones” and their status as “a medically necessary treatment,” said Sari Reisner, an associate professor of epidemiology at University of Michigan School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors. “Hormones play a vital role in the mental health of trans people who need them.”

The study acknowledges that other factors, such as mental health treatment, social support and other influences on mood, could have affected the findings. It also did not track the duration patients received gender-affirming hormone therapy or whether they underwent other forms of gender-affirming care, such as surgery.

Transgender people in the U.S. are two to three times more likely to have a history of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study warns that mental health disparities continue to worsen in transgender and gender diverse communities, as access to gender-affirming care becomes more difficult.

Dr. Alexes Hazen, a New York City plastic surgeon specializing in gender-affirming procedures, says she has seen a rise in depression among her patients in recent months. Many have expressed concerns over the wave of state laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care, which has made finding treatment more difficult and left many feeling hopeless.

“Unfortunately, some states are not as friendly to patients and care providers,” Hazen said. “Some states have publicly stated their allegiance to trans and nonbinary folks, and those places will become safe havens for care.”

As barriers to gender-affirming care grow, the new study underscores its importance for mental health in transgender patients. These services “address the pervasive mental health inequities that trans people experience,” Reisner said, emphasizing that access to this care is both medically necessary and essential for reducing depression risk.

“Our findings underscore the importance of protecting and upholding the right to accessible healthcare for trans people,” Reisner said,

Hazen recommended community-based health centers that cater to LGBTQ+ patients as a key resource for gender-affirming care. The study also reinforced the importance of these clinics, arguing that the gender-affirming treatment they provide improves access and supports mental health, particularly for those in underserved communities.

Alice Gao, MD, MPH, is a family medicine resident at Temple Northwest Community Family Medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Sen. Chuck Schumer’s book tour postponed amid funding vote controversy

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s three planned book tour events scheduled for this week have abruptly been postponed as of Monday morning.

Schumer, promoting his new book “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” has been facing backlash over voting for the House-approved government funding bill that averted a shutdown on Friday. Many Democrats, including progressives, had wanted him to vote against the bill and to more strongly protest against President Donald Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ agendas.

Schumer had events planned in Baltimore, New York City and Washington, D.C., this week. Protests were planned outside of all three events.

A spokesperson for Schumer’s book tour told ABC News, “Due to security concerns, Senator Schumer’s book events are being rescheduled.”

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

Harvard says tuition will be free for families making $200K or less

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Harvard says tuition will be free for families making 0K or less

Harvard says tuition will be free for families making $200K or less — Harvard Yard/ Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Harvard University on Monday announced that tuition will be free for students from families with annual incomes of $200,000 or less starting in the 2025-26 academic year.

“Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth,” Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in statement.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

At least 40 killed as dozens of tornados, storms swept the country over the weekend

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In the moments before a tornado destroyed her family’s Arkansas home, Misty Drope noticed the silence.

“There’s a silence that happens before a strong storm hits you,” Drope told “Good Morning America” in an interview on Monday. “And I said, out loud, ‘Oh no, this is not good.'”

She and her family — Bruce and Keely — were standing outside what was left of their home in Paragould. The tornado that tore through the town over the weekend was the second to touch their neighborhood in less than a year.

“You’re so thankful you’re alive,” Bruce said.

At least 40 other people were killed amid more than 970 severe storm reports across more than two dozen states over the weekend. A 3-day tornado outbreak tore through at least nine states. Twelve people were killed in tornados in Missouri.

An EF-2 tornado that tore through Tylertown, Mississippi, with wind speeds up to 111 miles per hour killed at least three people, officials said.

Many of the cabins at that town’s Paradise Ranch RV Resort were reduced to rubble as the tornado tore through the camp, leaving behind a mangled mess of tree branches and building materials.

But the manager told “GMA” that there were no deaths reported there, in part because most of the cabins were empty.

Next week, about 250 campers were expected to show up, the manager said.

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

At least 40 killed as dozens of tornadoes, storms swept the country over the weekend

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In the moments before a tornado destroyed her family’s Arkansas home, Misty Drope noticed the silence.

“There’s a silence that happens before a strong storm hits you,” Drope told “Good Morning America” in an interview on Monday. “And I said, out loud, ‘Oh no, this is not good.'”

“You’re so thankful you’re alive,” Bruce said.

An EF-2 tornado that tore through Tylertown, Mississippi, with wind speeds up to 111 miles per hour killed at least three people, officials said.

Many of the cabins at that town’s Paradise Ranch RV Resort were reduced to rubble as the tornado tore through the camp, leaving behind a mangled mess of tree branches and building materials.

But the manager told “GMA” that there were no deaths reported there, in part because most of the cabins were empty.

Next week, about 250 campers were expected to show up, the manager said.

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

Trump claims Biden pardons for Jan. 6 committee ‘void, vacant’

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump claimed that former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons of members of the Jan. 6 Select Committee and others were “void, vacant, and of no future force of effect.”

Trump in a post to his Truth Social network went on to say that members of that House committee are “subject to investigation at the highest level” and baselessly accused them of being responsible for their own pardons, without Biden’s knowledge.

Making his claim about the pardons, Trump cited alleged use of an autopen during Biden’s administration.

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

Putin ‘stole’ another week of war by dodging ceasefire proposal, Zelenskyy says

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Russian President Vladimir Putin “stole” another week of war in Ukraine with his vague response to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Washington and Kyiv last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

Both Ukraine and Russia are seeking to avoid blame for prolonging Moscow’s 3-year-old war and undermining nascent U.S.-led ceasefire and peace talks. American negotiators have now met with representatives from both Kyiv and Moscow in their bid to formulate a deal.

Following the U.S.-Ukraine meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last week, the two sides proposed a full 30-day ceasefire as a springboard for a wider peace agreement. Putin said he was “for” the would-be freeze in fighting, though set out additional conditions for its implementation and suggested a pause would benefit Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has since released several statements framing Putin as intentionally hindering ceasefire talks.

“After the talks in Jeddah and the American proposal for a ceasefire on the frontline, Russia stole almost another week — a week of war that only Russia wants,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media on Sunday.

“We will do everything to further intensify diplomacy,” he added. “We will do everything to make diplomacy effective.”

Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office, wrote on Telegram, “Russia continues to attack, Ukraine is responding to the attacks and will respond until Putin stops the war.”

Zelenskyy and his top officials are striving to present Ukraine as ready for peace, seemingly hoping to neutralize repeated — and at times misleading — criticism from President Donald Trump’s administration that Kyiv, rather than Moscow, is the main obstacle to a deal.

Trump said Sunday he expects to speak with Putin by phone on Tuesday.

“A lot of work” on a potential deal was done over the weekend, Trump said. “We’ll see if we have something to announce. Maybe by Tuesday.” He said that his administration wants “to see if we can bring that war to an end.”

“Maybe we can. Maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” the president said, speaking onboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington, D.C., on Sunday night.

Fighting continues at key points along the front as the parties maneuver for advantage in further ceasefire talks.

Particular attention has been paid to the western Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces seized territory in a surprise August 2024 offensive. Russian officials have said there can be no peace talks while the area remains partially occupied.

Recent weeks have seen Ukrainian positions there collapse under intense Russian attacks, with Putin visiting the region last week and saying that Kyiv’s troops there could choose to “surrender or die.”

Both sides have also continued their long-range cross-border strikes. On Monday, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 90 of 174 Russian drones launched into the country overnight, with another 70 drones lost in flight without causing damage. Seven regions were impacted by the attack, the air force said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Monday its forces shot down 72 Ukrainian drones since Sunday evening.

Some drones attacked the Astrakhan region of southern Russia, around 500 miles from the closest Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Igor Babushkin, the regional governor, said Ukraine “attempted a massive drone attack on facilities located in the region, including the fuel and energy complex.”

Babushkin said falling drone debris sparked a fire at one facility, though did not specify where. “The situation is under control,” the governor wrote on Telegram. “One person was injured during the attack. The victim has now been taken to the hospital.”

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that “unknown drones struck a fuel and energy complex” in Astrakhan. “The intensity of the work of unknown drones is increasing,” he added.

ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

Ukraine ready to ‘do everything’ to achieve ceasefire, Zelenskyy says