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Israeli strikes kill 78 in Gaza since ceasefire announced, officials say

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Israeli strikes killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, Gaza’s Civil Defence body in the Hamas-run territory said.

A total of 81 people were killed in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence said on Thursday. Sixty-six of those died in Gaza City, the strip’s largest urban area in the north of the territory.

Among the victims were 21 children and 25 women, the spokesperson said. More than 250 other people were injured in Israeli attacks, they added.

The strikes came despite the ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday after weeks of intense negotiations in Doha, Qatar. The final round of talks followed more than a year of failed efforts to reach an accord.

The first of three ceasefire phases is set to go into force on Sunday, though is still pending approval by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. If the first is successful, the second phase will begin after 42 days, according to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who announced the deal in Doha.

On Thursday, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of trying to renege on parts of the deal, an allegation Hamas denied, saying in a statement that “The organization is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”

Mediators hope the nascent ceasefire will form a roadmap to end more than 15 months of conflict in Gaza, which has devastated the Palestinian territory and created a vast humanitarian crisis.

Gaza Health Ministry officials said Thursday that at least 46,788 Palestinians had been killed and 110,453 injured in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on southern Israel.

Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the attack, with 253 more taken hostage by militants, according to Israeli officials. Following several rounds of hostage releases, Israeli officials say 94 abductees remain in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead. Four more hostages abducted in 2014 are still being held in Gaza by Hamas, two of whom are believed to be alive.

More than 400 Israeli soldiers and security personnel have been killed during the fighting inside Gaza, nine of whom were killed in the past week, the IDF said.

The Israel Defense Forces claims to have killed more than 15,000 Hamas fighters and other militants throughout the course of the war. Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif were among those killed since October 2023.

ABC News’ Samy Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Nasser Atta, Meredith Deliso, Somayeh Malekian and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Trump’s inauguration will be coldest in decades

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday is forecast to be the coldest in 40 years.

An arctic front will pass by Washington, D.C., on Sunday night and winds will pick up out of the northwest, ushering in arctic air.

Monday’s temperature will be at its highest — about 25 degrees — when the clock strikes Inauguration Day at midnight. Throughout the course of the day, the temperature will slowly fall.

When Trump is sworn in at noon, the temperature will be about 18 or 19 degrees. Due to the wind, the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — will be between 5 and 10 degrees.

By 7 p.m., when the inauguration balls begin, the temperature will be near 13 degrees with a wind chill of minus 1.

The coldest January Inauguration Day on record was 1985 for President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration.

The temperature that morning fell to a low of 4 degrees below zero. The temperature was just 7 degrees at noon, moving Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony inside and canceling the parade.

The daytime high was only 17 degrees.

The warmest January inauguration was also for Reagan, in 1981, at a balmy 55 degrees.

The warmest inauguration ever was 89 degrees on Aug. 9, 1974, when President Gerald Ford was sworn in following President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Inaugurations used to be held in March until the 20th Amendment was ratified in 1933, stating that the president’s term began at noon on Jan. 20.

One of the most memorable January inaugurations was President John F. Kennedy’s in 1961. A snowstorm struck D.C. the night before, and the 8 inches of snow forced people to ditch their cars and created a massive traffic jam.

North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SEOUL) — Over 12,000 North Korean troops are estimated to be fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Camille Shea told the United Nations Security Council last week.

Of those dispatched to the region, an estimated 300 North Korean soldiers in Russia have died and over 2,700 have been wounded, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service’s closed briefing to the National Assembly on Monday.

North Korean defectors who finished their almost decade-long military service in their 20’s have shared their mixed sentiments and analysis with ABC News.

“So unfortunate, that’s all I can say,” North Korean defector Lee Cheol-eun said with a grimace after watching footage of North Korean soldiers fighting in Kursk, Russia, against the Ukrainian forces.

The 37-year-old served in the Korea People’s Army security department until he escaped the regime in 2016, meaning he knows better than anyone about having to follow orders in a system that one does not believe in.

“They do not know why they have to bleed and lose lives on that battlefield, I feel empty watching them,” Lee said.

“The soldiers dispatched to Russia must be the ones who are best trained about modern warfare and should have received the basic adaptation training upon arrival. The fact that they’ve been pushed into a situation where they have no choice but to die breaks my heart,” Defector Jang Seyul, who served in the North Korean People’s Army’s intelligence agency that focuses on cyber warfare simulations, told ABC News.

The North Korean soldiers on the Kursk frontlines are the infamous “Storm Corps,” according to South Korea’s National Intelligence.

North Korea is estimated to be training at least 40,000 to as many as 80,000 Storm Corps soldiers who spend 13 years serving in the military and cut off from the outside world.

Jang recalled how dominant they were during joint battle drills.

“People would refer to them as murder weapons. They received high-level training that the regular soldiers couldn’t imagine,” said Jang.

Jang says the Storm Corps were provided with slightly larger rations of food and that they are compensated better once they are discharged considering their longer tenure of service and harsh training.

The Storm Corps are not only prepared to be physically stronger but also highly indoctrinated, according to the retired Lieutenant General Chun In-bum of the South Korean Army, referring to them as “an elite force that is one grade above the average North Korean unit.”

However, in spite of their reputation, the Storm Corps soldiers in North Korea have been seen flailing helplessly under Ukrainian drone attacks, according to footage provided by Ukrainian forces.

Seoul’s intelligence service briefed lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Monday, saying the main reason for mass casualties is due to the North Korean soldiers’ lack of understanding in modern warfare, such as drone target shots and charging without rear fire support.

General Chun In-bum said that it may be too early to determine if the North Korean soldiers were insufficiently trained, explaining that drone warfare is new to everyone on the frontlines.

“The North Koreans will be unaccustomed to the flatlands and the Ukrainian front, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be adapting, especially if they are experiencing high casualties. It’s a great motivator when you see that your life is on the line,” Chun told ABC News.

Seoul speculates that North Korea may dispatch more troops in the near future. Chun believes the same.

“So even for just rotational purposes, I think there is a high probability that more soldiers will be deployed there. Whatever the situation is, the relationship between Putin and Kim Jong Un is going to solidify and, to a degree, I’m sure the Russian people are going to appreciate that the North Koreans are sending soldiers at a moment when they are in a very difficult situation,” General Chun said.

The dispatch of North Korean soldiers’ to Russia is still an open secret within the secluded regime which has limited access to news from the outside world. Defectors and experts on North Korea in Seoul having different opinions about how the North Korean public will react once they are aware.

General Chun assumes that for the family members of the deceased North Korean soldiers, the regime will compensate them with all the benefits possible in hopes they will come to appreciate their sons’ sacrifice for their country.

But Jang, on the other hand, sees the North Korean people as less loyal than the generation before them, suggesting the regime would have to put in greater effort into explaining the soldiers’ deaths.

“Average North Korean people are unaware of the dispatch. But people who secretly communicate with the outside world, and those who listen to the propaganda broadcasting signals sent from the South probably know what is going on,” Lee told ABC News. “I hope the survivors of the Russia dispatch will return home and inform others of the injustice of the North Korean system based on their experience abroad.”

Mother of Navy SEAL recruit who died after completing ‘hell week’ demands answers about son’s death

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) –The mother of a Navy SEAL recruit who died after completing “hell week” training has told ABC News that the cases against the men she blames for her son’s death were dismissed by the Navy and she says she hasn’t been told why.

In February 2022, 24-year-old Kyle Mullen died after successfully endured the 120-hour week of brutal training that’s designed to push Navy SEAL candidates to their physical and mental limits.

His mother, Regina Mullen, is now demanding accountability for his death.

Mullen recounted parts of her son’s story on “Good Morning America” in an interview with ABC News’ Will Reeve airing on Tuesday morning.

“I got a text. It said, ‘Hell Week Secured!’” Mullen told “GMA.” “So I immediately called him and he answered and he was out of breath and he said, ‘Hey mom, I did it. Hell Week secured.’ And I said, First I’m like, ‘my God, you’re all happy.’ And then I’m like, ‘wait a minute, you all right? Are you in a hospital? You don’t sound good.’”

“All he said to me is, ‘Mom, I love you. Don’t worry about me. And he hung up,” Mullen continued.

Kyle died hours later from bacterial pneumonia, with the final medical check showing swollen legs that required him to be sent back to his barracks in a wheelchair with abnormalities in his lungs and severe trouble breathing.

A Navy investigation cited failures “across multiple systems” that led to a number of candidates being at a “higher risk of serious injury” with “inconsistent medical monitoring.”

Additionally, a “lack of training” among commanding officers and an “at all costs” mindset among the candidates was also cited in the investigation.

“We have a failed leadership and under a command that killed a man unnecessarily and injured many,” said Regina Mullen. “I think it’s pretty reasonable to ask for accountability.”

Mullen insists that Capt. Brad Geary, who was in charge of her son’s trainee class, and Cmdr. Doctor Erik Ramey are responsible.

But now, with the case being dismissed, Regina Mullen said questions still remain about the quality of her son’s medical care and that she has not yet been provided with any answers.

“The Navy’s not giving me what I’m asking for,” Mullen said. “The medical treatment of Kyle’s care — why won’t they provide it? I want the Board of Inquiry to be reinstated. This is what I really want so we can go public.”

A lawyer for Geary released a statement to ABC News saying “this case was badly mishandled from the beginning. When we were noticed for the board of inquiry it became very clear that a comprehensive investigation had never been done and the deciding officer hadn’t had access to all the evidence. Through the discovery process, the Navy was forced to gather all the relevant evidence which made continuing the case unsustainable.”

Ramey’s attorney told ABC News that “we invested a substantial amount of time investigating the case with the assistance of top medical experts. The overwhelming evidence confirmed that Dr. Ramey met the medical standard of care.”

The investigation also looked into allegations of the use of performance enhancing drugs among SEAL candidates. Authorities say they found a bottled labeled as human growth hormone in Mullen’s car. Investigators, however, “determined that [Mullen] died in the line of duty, and not due to own misconduct.”

Mullen says the medical examiner told her they did not test her son for steroid use. “She said that they didn’t test for it because it was irrelevant to the cause of death. Right. For the medical exam, for the Navy medical examiner.”

The Navy has refused to comment, “citing privacy considerations for the officers.”

“Cases sometimes take a long time and that can be frustrating,” Regina Mullen’s attorney, Kevin Uniglicht, told ABC News. “The problem in this case is that when we have a dismissal, we don’t have a basis for it. Secondly, when we’re doing our investigation and we can’t find documents, we have to question, where are the documents? Was there ever treatment? If there is treatment, why didn’t it follow the military’s protocol on medical standards?”

“We’re trying to figure out what they’re hiding. It’s simple as that,” Uniglicht continued.

Since her son’s death, Regina Mullen says she has seen some improvement, with candidate’s vitals being checked more consistently and preventative antibiotics administered prior to “hell week” so sailors don’t catch pneumonia. But, she says, more work still needs to be done.

Mullen said she still lives with the pain of her son’s death every day.

“I’m deflated, I’m upset,” Mullen said. “The pain is unreal for me. I don’t get the call anymore. I don’t get the jokes anymore. I don’t get the little cards. I don’t get that anymore.”

“Before he left the Navy, I said, ‘how am I going to live my life if something happens to you?’” Mullen continued. “He said, ‘Mom, you’re the strongest person I know. You got this.’”

“He was just trying to be a hero and protect people,” Mullen said. “And it happened by his own … own country, by his own military.”

What to know about REAL ID

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Planning to travel by air in the U.S. later this year? A regular driver’s license may not cut it.

Travelers flying through U.S. airports will soon need to show TSA agents a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a passport or another form of REAL ID-compliant identification if they want to pass through the security screening.

In an announcement this week, the TSA said it’s sticking with a May 7, 2025, deadline to start enforcing REAL ID requirements. However, officials also said they’re planning for a two-year “phased enforcement” that could allow travelers who don’t have REAL IDs to board flights — with a warning notice.

REAL ID is an effort by the federal government to make driver’s licenses and ID cards more reliable, accurate and standardized. Depending on which state your license or ID is from, REAL IDs will have a gold or black star (or a star in a bear, in the case of California) in the upper portion of the card.

The REAL ID requirement was supposed to go into effect years ago, but was delayed — in part due to state motor vehicle departments working through COVID-19 backlogs.

Federal officials are concerned about how many Americans still don’t have a REAL ID. In January 2024, only about 56% of driver’s licenses and IDs in circulation across the country comply with REAL ID. The Department of Homeland Security estimated that only 61.2% of driver’s licenses and IDs will be REAL ID-compliant by the May 7 deadline.

“We have four months ahead of us,” said Stacey Fitzmaurice, TSA’s executive assistant administrator for operations support. “There’s definitely work to be done, so we want travelers to take the time now to get their REAL ID before the deadline.”

What is REAL ID?
The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 after the 9/11 Commission recommended the federal government set security standards for states to issue driver’s licenses and identification cards.

“This came out of a recommendation that looked at the events of 9/11 and the vulnerabilities associated with that,” said Fitzmaurice. “The REAL ID requirement is as important today as it first was coming out of the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission, and we are in a much better spot today, given that all of the states have implemented the changes for REAL ID and are implementing the REAL ID licenses today.”

How to get it?
You can get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license from your state’s DMV. You must be able to prove who you are by bringing documentation that includes your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of residence and lawful status. Documents with this information could include a birth certificate, Social Security card or passport.

Who needs it?
While travelers boarding commercial flights need a REAL ID or an alternative form of approved documentation, children under 18 do not need to have a REAL ID.

For foreign travelers, foreign passports are an acceptable form of identification, according to a TSA spokesperson. The spokesperson said noncitizens who are lawfully admitted for permanent or temporary residence, have conditional permanent residence status, have an approved application for asylum or entered the country as refugees can obtain a REAL ID at their state’s DMV.

REAL ID does not work for international travel. If you’re traveling outside of the country, you’ll still need to bring your passport.

What is the ‘phased enforcement’ of the REAL ID deadline?
On Jan. 13, TSA published a final rule sticking with the May 7 deadline but allowing two-year phased enforcement of REAL ID until May 2027.

The agency described the need for a phased deadline.

In the example of TSA, if large numbers of individuals arrive at an airport security checkpoint with noncompliant driver’s licenses or ID cards, they would not be able to proceed through screening, “potentially resulting in missed flights,” the published final rule stated. “Additionally, long lines, confusion, and frustrated travelers at the checkpoint may greatly increase security risks both to passengers and TSA personnel by drawing the resources and attention of TSA personnel away from other passengers, including those known to pose an elevated risk.”

A TSA spokesperson told ABC phased enforcement would “introduce and enable a temporary warning period for those travelers.”

The TSA has not yet unveiled its plan for phased enforcement.

The regulations published this week state that agencies could choose to issue a written or verbal warning if someone attempts to use a non-REAL ID after the deadline.

“We want travelers to be prepared so that they don’t come to the checkpoints in May without a REAL ID-compliant or another acceptable form of ID,” said Fitzmaurice. “If they do — come May — not have their real ID, they could experience delays…We need to verify everyone’s identity who is going through the TSA checkpoints. And for those individuals who don’t bring identification or do not have acceptable forms of identification, we oftentimes will have to do additional requirements before they are able to go through security.”

House Democrats urge Garland to ‘take all necessary steps’ to release Jack Smith’s report on Trump classified docs case

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland to “take all necessary steps” to release special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents — and they’re encouraging him to drop the remaining charges against the president-elect’s former co-defendants in order to do so.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who earlier this week allowed the Justice Department to release the first volume of Smith’s report, which covers his election interference case against Trump, has temporarily blocked the release of the second volume covering the classified documents case due to the DOJ’s ongoing prosecution of longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago staffer Carlos De Oliveira, Trump’s former co-defendants in the case.

“As Attorney General, it is incumbent upon you to take all necessary steps to ensure the report is released before the end of your tenure, including, if necessary, by simply dismissing the remaining criminal charges against Mr. Trump’s co-conspirators, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira,” the 18 Democratic committee members wrote in a letter obtained by ABC News.

Cannon, who last year threw out Trump’s classified documents case, plans to hold a hearing Friday on whether to make the Volume Two of Smith’s report available to leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Because the Justice Department has said it will not publicly release the second volume of the report while charges are pending against Nauta and De Oliviera, the Democrats, led by ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, called on Garland to dismiss the charges ahead of Trump’s inauguration next Monday.

“To the extent that such a decision to dismiss these cases might encourage these defendants to keep enabling the corruption of their superiors, those concerns are outweighed by the many indications that Mr. Trump will simply end the prosecutions against his coconspirators upon taking office anyway and then instruct his DOJ to permanently bury this report,” they wrote.

“While we understand your honorable and steadfast adherence to Mr. Nauta’s and Mr. De Oliveira’s due process rights as criminal defendants, the practical effect of this position is that Volume 2 will almost certainly remain concealed for at least four more years if you do not release it before President-elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20,” the Democrats wrote.

Trump pleaded not guilty in 2023 to 40 criminal counts related to his retention of classified materials after leaving the White House, and later that year pleaded not guilty to separate charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Both cases were dropped following Trump’s reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.

In their letter to Garland, Democrats argued that the release of the full classified documents report was in “the public interest.”

“To the extent the tangential charges against Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira stand in the way of the overriding imperative of transparency and truth, the interests of justice demand that their cases be dismissed now so that the entirety of Special Counsel Smith’s report can be released to the American people,” they wrote.

Biden, in farewell address, warns about dangers of unchecked power in ultra-wealthy

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden, in his farewell address, reflected on a decadeslong political career but also issued a stark warning to the nation as he prepares to cede power to President-elect Donald Trump.

Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Biden said he was proud of what his administration accomplished as the country climbed out of the coronavirus pandemic and made investments in the economy, infrastructure, gun safety, climate change and more.

“In the past four years, our democracy has held strong and every day I’ve kept my commitment to be president for all Americans for one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history,” Biden said.

He commended Vice President Kamala Harris as a “great partner” as she sat nearby alongside second gentleman Doug Emhoff, first lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden.

Biden listed several of his key legislative wins, including lowering prescription drug prices, expanding benefits for military veterans exposed to burn pits, investing in domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips and more. The impact of those policies, he noted, may not be fully realized for years to come.

He also briefly highlighted the ceasefire and hostage release deal reached by Israel and Hamas earlier Wednesday, a foreign policy goal of Biden’s for more than a year that became reality just days before his departure.

He touted working with the incoming Trump administration to see through its implementation. “That’s how it should be, working together,” Biden said.

But Biden spent the majority of his remarks on something he said caused him great concern — what he said was the concentration of power in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” he said.

He spoke about the threat he said the wealthy posed to efforts to fight the dangers of climate change.

“Powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence, to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interest for power and profit,” he said. “We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our grandchildren, must keep pushing forward and push faster. There’s no time to waste.”

Biden also raised concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence, and the possibilities and dangers advancing technologies posed. He lamented the rise in misinformation online and what he described as a “crumbling” free press that he said were enabling abuses of power.

“In his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military industrial complex,” he said. “He warned us then about, and I quote, ‘the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power’ … six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well.”

Biden pushed for reforming the tax code so that billionaires pay their “fair share” and for amending the Constitution to make clear that no president is immune from criminal liability — an apparent slight at Trump, who was previously under federal indictment for his behavior after the 2020 election and is set to be sworn into office in five days.

“A president’s powers is not unlimited. It’s not absolute and it shouldn’t be,” Biden said. “And in a democracy, there’s another danger to the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes the sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division.”

“Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning,” he continued. “And people don’t feel like they have a fair shot. We have to stay engaged in the process.”

In closing, Biden reflected on his own rise as a kid from Scranton plagued by a stutter to the nation’s highest office — one that he sought repeatedly during his five decades in politics and is leaving reluctantly after withdrawing from the 2024 campaign amid Democrats’ doubts.

He described America’s promise as a “constant struggle.”

“A short distance between peril and possibility,” he said. “But what I believe is the America of our dreams is always closer than we think. And it’s up to us to make our dreams come true.”

Ultimately, Biden asserted, it will be up to the president, Congress, the courts and the American people to stand up to those with ill-intent.

“Now, it’s your turn to stand guard,” Biden said. “May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America, you love it, too.”

Cancer diagnoses rising faster in women, especially those under 50: Report

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Women are now being diagnosed with cancer more often than men in certain age groups, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.

Among adults aged 50-64, cancer rates are slightly higher in women, and women under 50 are almost twice as likely as men in the same age group to receive a cancer diagnosis.

The report, released Thursday, found that while deaths continue to decrease, troubling racial disparities persist, with white Americans more likely to survive cancer than other groups.

Meanwhile, the report echoed data from recent years suggesting a worrying increase in cancer diagnosis among younger Americans, with colon cancer rates increasing among adults 65 and younger.

Broadly, the report suggested doctors are getting better at saving lives thanks to better treatments but reinforced worrying trends around rising diagnoses of some cancers, particularly among women. Changes in screening practices, lifestyle factors, obesity, environmental hazards and lower rates of smoking in men may be contributing to the trend, the report said.

Alcohol in particular was singled out as a possible lifestyle factor that may increase the risk of some cancers.

“For colorectal cancer, for example, it seems to be really excessive [alcohol intake] that is associated with increased risk of this cancer, whereas for breast cancer, there doesn’t seem to be any safe level of alcohol, but the elevated risk is small,” said Rebecca Seigel, senior scientific director of cancer surveillance research for the American Cancer Society.

As Seigel explained, higher rates of cancer in young people could also be part of a “generational impact” where people are diagnosed earlier in life and less frequently when they are older.

Lung cancer remains particularly deadly, with 2.5 times more deaths than colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of lung cancer, but other contributors, such as radon, air pollution and genetic mutations, may be driving cases.

“Overall, in this country, nonsmoking lung cancer, by itself, would be the eighth leading cause of cancer mortality, and worldwide, it would be the fifth leading,” said Dr. William Dahut, the American Cancer Society’s chief science officer.

Disparity rates in cancer outcomes remain striking as well, especially for minority populations.

Uterine corpus cancer, for example, has lower survival rates now than 40 years ago, with Black women at 63% survival compared to 84% for white women. Black men and women also face some of the highest death rates for prostate and breast cancers.

“I think the stubborn resistance in terms of outcomes among underrepresented minorities is a concern,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society.

“We have our VOICES program, which is an attempt to enroll as many African American women from across the country in a longitudinal study, something that hasn’t been done to try to answer some of these questions as to why that persistent burden is there,” he added.

The report does include some good news. While it predicts around 1,700 deaths from cancer per day in 2025, cancer death rates have fallen by 34% since their peak in 1991, preventing nearly 4.5 million deaths over the past three decades. This progress is largely attributed to declines in smoking, earlier detection for certain cancers, and advances in treatment, including breakthrough therapies like immunotherapy and targeted drugs.

Prevention has been a critical focus too, with initiatives like smoking cessation programs and HPV vaccination playing pivotal roles in reducing cancer risk. Public health efforts targeting obesity, alcohol use and expanding access to screenings have also helped tackle preventable cancers by improving early detection.

Cancer experts stress the importance of staying current with screening recommendations. For example, the American Cancer Society recommends most people start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 or even sooner if you have a family history. For breast cancer, mammogram screening should start at age 40 for women with normal risk and earlier for women at high risk.

The report is a call for people to understand their family history better and take steps to reduce cancer risk, Dahut noted.

“Being proactive on your diet, on your exercise, avoiding tobacco, getting your vaccinations and monitoring alcohol are really all important ways to actually prevent cancer,” he said, adding that research efforts are also focused on finding new ways to detect cancer.

Miranda Guerriero, D.O., is a resident physician at University of Texas at Tyler and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Pope Francis falls, injures arm at residence, Vatican officials say

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Pope Francis fell and injured his arm on Thursday in his residence, the Vatican said.

“This morning, due to a fall at the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis suffered a bruise to his right forearm, without fractures,” the Vatican said in a statement in Italian. “The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure.”

The pontiff, 88, was seen in a photo released by the Vatican with his arm in what appeared to be a soft sling.

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

ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Helena Skinner contributed to this report.

California fires weather forecast: Winds begin to relax, but forecast to return next week

January 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The winds fueling fires in Southern California are beginning to relax, but the forecast calls for their return next week.

Offshore Santa Ana winds will continue to diminish for the majority of Southern California on Thursday.

However, a red flag warning continues for the San Gabriel and Santa Susana mountains until 3 p.m. local time today.

This morning and early afternoon, winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph will continue for the Western San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, and the I-5 corridor.

By late afternoon, offshore winds are expected to increase humidity dramatically for coastal Southern California, with up to 60% in Pacific Palisades to nearly 70% in San Diego.

A marine layer and even some clouds could bring a chance for a sprinkle to Southern California late Thursday and into Friday.

The next Santa Ana wind event is forecast to begin Monday into Tuesday, but it is too early to say how strong the winds will be.

But it could be even drier next week, with relative humidity dropping well into single digits. The low humidity and strong winds have fueled the dangerous wildfires burning around Los Angeles.

More offshore Santa Ana wind are possible Wednesday through Saturday of next week.

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