News – Page 663 – 105.7 WDNY

Trump says Iran will suffer ‘dire’ consequences for any more Houthi attacks

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump on Monday said that further attacks or retaliation by the Houthis would be considered an attack by Iran and it would face “dire” consequences.p

Trump’s threat comes after the U.S. launched a new series of airstrikes against the Yemeni group beginning Saturday. The Houthis on Sunday claimed to have thwarted “a hostile attack the enemy was preparing to launch against our country.” A U.S. official told ABC News that the Houthis fired 11 drones and one ballistic missile at the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier group in the Red Sea, none of which came close to hitting any U.S. vessels.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the Houthis “sinister mobsters and thugs” said their attacks “emanate from, and are created by, IRAN.”

Trump said Iran is “dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.'”

“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” Trump said.

The Houthis claimed to have fired 18 ballistic missiles and a drone in two separate attacks over the previous 24 hours. All drones were downed by fighters — 10 shot down by Air Force planes and one by Navy planes — while the ballistic missile was not intercepted as it fell far short of the vessels, the U.S. official said.

Trump described the U.S. strikes as “decisive and powerful military action” against the Iranian-backed group. The Houthis have been targeting Western-linked shipping and launching munitions into Israel since the fall of 2022, in protest of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft and drones,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”

A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News on Sunday that U.S. air and naval assets hit dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen, including missiles, radars and drone and air defense systems. The official characterized the attacks as an opening salvo against the Houthis that sends a strong message to Iran.

The Yemeni Health Ministry said the strikes killed 53 people and injured 98 more.

Speaking with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was not concerned about retaliatory strikes related to the latest American strikes.

National security adviser Mike Waltz told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the strikes represented “an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out. And the difference here is, one, going after the Houthi leadership, and two, holding Iran responsible.”

Detailing their latest attack on U.S. Navy vessels, the Houthis said in a Sunday statement that they will “continue to ban the passage of Israeli ships through the zone of operations until the blockade on the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Nicholas Kerr and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

Fire danger continues for Oklahoma after deadly wildfires ravage state

March 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Oklahoma is under alert for fire danger on Monday after being devastated by deadly blazes over the weekend, and amid a continued fire threat in the Plains.

More than 50 million Americans are under alert for fire weather conditions on Monday. Red flag warnings and fire weather watches have been issued in more than a dozen states, from Texas and Oklahoma up to the Dakotas as well as Florida, due to the chance for high winds and low humidity.

Parts of Oklahoma, as well as Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, face a critical threat of fire danger, with gusts up to 45 mph possible along with relative humidity down to 9% in places.

The continued fire threat comes after four people were killed and over 140 injured in Oklahoma due to high winds and raging wildfires that ignited on Friday, officials said.

More than 130 fires were reported in 44 counties, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Friday.

More than 400 homes and structures have been destroyed in the fires, the agency said. That includes Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s ranch near Luther; the governor said his farmhouse experienced a “total loss” in Friday’s fires.

“We’ll be rebuilding with all of Oklahoma,” he said in a video posted to social media over the weekend.

Stillwater Fire Chief Terry Essary told ABC News on Monday that 75 structures were lost in his area alone after multiple wildfires broke out on Friday amid high winds that made for challenging conditions.

“The wind was blowing so hard,” Essary said. “It was a very helpless feeling, but you just keep at it. You do what you can, you save what you can, and you keep moving on to the next and helping as many people as possible.”

A state of emergency remained in effect on Sunday for 12 Oklahoma counties due to the wildfires and fire weather conditions, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

The fire threat continues in Oklahoma and increases in West Texas on Tuesday, with an extreme critical risk for weather conditions. Winds could gust 60 to 75 mph with relative humidity down to 7% in places. Any fires that develop in these conditions can spread easily and will be very difficult to control.

ABC News’ Mireya Villarreal and James Scholz contributed to this report.

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.

+ More