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US and Russia agree to try to end war without Ukraine at the table

February 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — High-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday over the fate of Ukraine, the negotiations taking place without Kyiv’s participation.

The State Department said the talks were aimed to discuss ending the now three-year-long war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022 and followed sustained cross-border aggression from Moscow since 2014.

Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh concluded after around five hours, according to the press pool covering the meeting, with the State Department saying the discussions represented “an important step forward” toward “enduring peace.”

The talks between Moscow and Washington end a period of some three years — since President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva before Russia invaded Ukraine — without senior-level engagement between the two nations.

The U.S. team was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The Russian negotiating delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. team agreed to establish “a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions.” Rubio told the Associated Press the two sides agreed to restore embassy staffing as part of this normalization.

The two sides also agreed to appoint “high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable and acceptable to all sides,” Bruce said, plus to “lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.”

“The parties to today’s meetings pledge to remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner,” Bruce added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the talks while visiting Turkey, suggesting Russia was reviving ultimatums it issued as part of the peace talks that took place in the early stages of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

“I have the impression that there are now some negotiations happening and they have the same mood, but between Russia and the United States,” Zelenskyy said at the Ukrainian embassy in Ankara.

“Again, about Ukraine without Ukraine,” he added. “It’s interesting, if Ukraine didn’t yield to ultimatums in the most difficult moment, where does the feeling come from that Ukraine will agree to this now?”

“I never intended to yield to Russia’s ultimatums and I don’t intend to now,” Zelenskyy said.

Lavrov and Rubio talked on the phone Saturday, according to the State Department, after a conversation between Putin and President Donald Trump last week.

While a spokesperson for Putin said the meeting would be “devoted” primarily to “restoring the entire range of Russian-American relations,” Bruce said that the meeting would be more narrowly focused on the “larger issue of Ukraine.”

After the Trump-Putin conversation, Bruce called the meeting the “second step to determine if the Russians perhaps are serious, and if they’re on the same page.”

Ukraine ‘will not recognize’ deal struck without it
Zelenskyy was not invited to the meeting. Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine “cannot acknowledge any … agreements about us without us, and will not recognize such agreements.”

“Earlier, during the war, it was considered taboo to talk to the aggressor,” the Ukrainian president said.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Putin is prepared for negotiations with Zelenskyy “if necessary,” though again questioned the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy. Putin and his officials have repeatedly framed Zelenskyy as illegitimate, citing the delay to planned Ukrainian presidential elections necessitated by martial law.

Amid the flurry of diplomatic activity, French President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of European heads of government in Paris Monday ahead of the U.S.-Russia engagement.

Macron and Trump spoke via telephone for nearly 30 minutes prior to the European meeting, a White House official said. The official called the conversation “friendly” and said it included discussion of the war in Ukraine and the U.S.-Russia bilateral meetings Tuesday.

Mike Waltz, the White House national security adviser, said on Sunday he would “push back on … any notion that [Ukrainians] aren’t being consulted.”

“They absolutely are. And at the end of the day, though, this is going to be under President Trump’s leadership that we get this war to an end,” Waltz said, conceding “they may not like some of the sequencing that is going on in these negotiations.”

Zelenskyy himself was in the Middle East, where he met with officials in the United Arab Emirates Monday, with Tuesday meetings scheduled in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Zelenskyy said he would ask Saudi de facto leader and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the U.S.-Russia meetings when in Riyadh.

The opening of White House-facilitated talks on peace in Ukraine came after Trump officials signaled potential terms for a deal in the lead up to, and during, the Munich Security Conference in Germany last week.

Ahead of the conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called a return to Ukrainian borders before Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea “unrealistic.” That “illusionary goal” — and NATO membership for Ukraine — would not be promoted by the U.S., the secretary said.

Zelenskyy told Munich attendees that Ukraine must be assured of membership in “NATO, or a reliable alternative.”

He called for the building of the “armed forces of Europe” as the Trump administration presses for more European spending on defense.

Among the attendees of Macron’s hastily organized meeting in Paris, the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Sweden said they would be open to contributing armed forces on the ground in Ukraine in a peacekeeping capacity after a potential deal is struck.

“If there is a peace deal [for Ukraine], and everybody wants a peace deal, then it’s got to be a lasting peace deal, not just a pause for Putin to come again,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in Paris.

“There’s also a wider piece here which is the collective security and defense in Europe, and here, I think we’ve got a generational challenge. We’ve all got to step up,” he added.

ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Patrick Reevell, Yulia Drozd and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Apprehensions along the southwestern border plummeted in January: CBP

February 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The number of apprehensions along the southwestern U.S. border plummeted by a third during January, according to statistics obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.

There were 61,465 apprehensions along the southwest border in January, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, down from 96,048 in December 2024.

The numbers fell even more after President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, according to the data.

In the three weeks before the inauguration, there was a daily average of more than 2,000 apprehensions, which fell to a daily average of 786 migrant apprehensions after the inauguration.

There were 176,195 migrant apprehensions along the southwest border in January 2024.

From Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, the number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border dropped 85% from the same period in 2024, according to data obtained by ABC News. In the 11 days after Jan. 20, migrants apprehended at ports of entry declined by 93%.

Trump signed executive orders shortly after taking office that declared a national emergency at the border and authorized active duty military and National Guard troops to support CPB’s law enforcement activities. The government has been using military planes to return migrants to their home countries. In addition, the administration has said it is targeting gang members and violent offenders in its crackdown. It also rescinded a policy that barred law enforcement activities at schools and churches and at courthouses.

“The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection are aggressively implementing the President’s Executive Orders to secure our borders. These actions have already resulted in dramatic improvements in border security,” said Pete Flores, acting CBP commissioner. “The reduction in illegal aliens attempting to make entry into the U.S., compounded by a significant increase in repatriations, means that more officers and agents are now able to conduct the enforcement duties that make our border more secure and our country safer.”

CBP and military troops have “dramatically increased” patrolling the southern border, according to CBP.

Numbers of monthly border apprehensions fell below 100,000 for the first time in years in November 2024, according to CBP data.

Pope’s events canceled this week as he recovers from bronchitis in hospital

February 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON and ROME) — The Vatican has announced that the Jubilee Audience on Saturday has been cancelled as Pope Francis continues recover in hospital from a respiratory tract infection.

“Due to the Holy Father’s health condition, the Jubilee Audience on Saturday, Feb. 22, is cancelled,” the Vatican said Tuesday morning. “For the celebration of the Holy Mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of Deacons, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m., in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis has delegated H.E. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Issues of Evangelization in the World.”

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press room, told reporters on Sunday that the pope had his second consecutive restful night after being admitted to the hospital on Friday.

“Pope Francis had a tranquil night. He slept well, had breakfast and read a few papers, as usual,” Bruni said.

On Saturday, the Vatican said the pope “rested all night” Friday and had no fever on Saturday morning. His treatment has been slightly modified based on further “microbiological findings,” according to the Vatican.

The Vatican added, “To facilitate his recovery, the medical staff prescribed absolute rest.”

The pope was admitted to a hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.

ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported that “several sources” revealed the pope had arrived on Friday at Gemelli Hospital very fatigued due to difficulty in breathing related to an excess of phlegm and that the treatment he was undergoing at home had not yielded the expected results.

“Pope Francis has been informed of the many messages of closeness and affection he has received and expresses his gratitude, as well as asking for continued prayers,” the Vatican added.

GOP Sen. Mullin: Trump is the only person who can force Putin to the table

February 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Sunday that President Donald Trump is the only one who has the ability to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate to end the war with Ukraine.

“Putin knows the one person that can truly change the war is the United States,” Mullin told co-anchor Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ “This Week.” “If we went all-in for Ukraine, if we went all-in with the resources we have, from air superiority to the weapons that we can deploy to Ukraine, Putin knows at that point he would be in an extremely negative position.”

“I think that being the opportunity for President Trump to talk to Putin and say, ‘Listen, we want to end the war. We don’t want to have to engage more, but we’re not going to allow you to move forward. So let’s negotiate a peace deal here, or you’re going to force our hand to be farther involved.'”

Trump announced via social media on Wednesday that his team would begin negotiations with Putin to end the nearly 3-year-long war. Trump said he and Putin discussed an end to the war in which Ukraine cedes territory captured by Russia and gives up its ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), two major concessions for Ukraine.

Many world leaders argue Trump has given into Putin’s demands before negotiations begin. Trump added that he informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his call with Putin after it concluded.

Trump originally made no mention of whether Ukraine would be involved in negotiations, but later said that they would “of course” be involved.

National security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia this week, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Waltz, Rubio and Witkoff are expected to meet with top Russian officials, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The specific timing of the trip is not clear, and it is unclear whether Ukraine will be involved in the talks.

Mullin said he is looking for a scenario in which both parties are present at the negotiating table.

“I know the negotiations are moving forward, and we want to have Ukraine and Russia both at the table, and I think the negotiations go better if both sides are looking for a peace deal, because they’re at a neutral position,” Mullin said.

Mullin praised Trump’s negotiation tactics, despite continuing backlash.

“What President Trump is doing here is actually really smart. He’s meeting with Zelenskyy. He’s having conversations with him. You’re seeing [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio. You saw, you saw that the senators and representatives both met with Zelenskyy while they were in Munich, and you’re seeing them also meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia,” Mullin said. “What that is doing, Jon, is, that’s putting both people, getting them in separate rooms, talking about what they will accept, and then finding out a negotiation path forward before you bring them to the table. A lot of times, bring people to the table too fast, Jon, it’ll blow up.”

Mullin also defended Elon Musk’s efforts to overhaul the federal government.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began directing mass layoffs after their deferred resignation program ended on Feb. 12. Initially, DOGE has its sights set on probationary employees, individuals with only a couple of years of service, which is nearly 200,000 government workers.

“Anytime you take over a situation, like Elon Musk has had many opportunities and many experiences with taking over businesses, you have to start cutting some of the fat. And unfortunately, the number one expense we have in the United States government right now is payroll,” Mullin said.

Karl noted that the largest expenses in the federal budget are for entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

Musk has promised transparency in his actions, and many Democratic lawmakers have called for him to testify in front of Congress. Whether he does should be left to Trump, Mullin said.

“That’s up to President Trump. Keep in mind, President Trump put in Musk to be a consultant, just like many successful corporations around the world, including myself, that have hired consultants to come in and look at it from an unbiased perspective,” Mullin said.

5 arrested in upstate New York torture, killing of transgender man

February 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Five people have been arrested and charged with murder after the body of a missing transgender man was discovered dumped in an upstate New York field.

The remains of the victim, identified as 24-year-old Sam Nordquist of Minnesota, were found last week in a field in Benton, New York, in Yates County, according to Capt. Kelly Swift, a New York State Police investigator.

Swift said investigators suspect Nordquist was tortured and killed in neighboring Ontario County and moved “in an attempt to conceal a crime.”

“Based on evidence and witness statements, we have determined that Sam endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hands of multiple individuals,” Swift said Friday during a news conference.

“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Swift added. “My thoughts are with Sam’s family during this time.”

The suspects arrested in the case were identified by Swift as Precious Arzuaga, 38, of Canandaigua, New York; Jennifer Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York; Kyle Sage, 33, of Rochester, New York; Patrick Goodwin, 30, also of Canandaigua, and Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York.

Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts said all five suspects have all been charged with second-degree murder under the state’s depraved indifference statute. He said the suspects have been arraigned and are being held at the Ontario County Jail without bail.

When asked whether hate crime charges are being pursued in the case, Swift said, “We haven’t ruled that out.”

It was unclear if the suspects had hired or were appointed attorneys to represent them.

“The facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,” Ritts said Friday during the press conference. “This is by far the worst homicide investigation that our office has ever been part of. No human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”

Nordquist’s family filed a missing person report with the Canandaigua Police Department on Feb. 9, after last hearing from Nordquist on Jan. 1, according to a missing person flyer issued by the Missing People in America organization.

According to the flyer, Nordquist’s family said he left Minnesota on Sept. 28, 2024, with a round-trip plane ticket to New York. The family, according to the flyer, alleged that he met a woman online who convinced him to visit her.

The family, according to the flyer, claimed Nordquist was planning to fly back to Minnesota within two weeks, but never boarded his return flight.

“I don’t understand why someone would do that to another person,” Kayla Nordquist, Sam’s sister, told Saint Paul, Minnesota, ABC affiliate KSTP. “Sam was amazing and would give the shirt of his back to anyone.”

When asked Friday about the flyer, Swift declined to comment.

Swift would not disclose details of the abuse, saying the investigation is in its early stages. However, she said, Nordquist was “subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death.”

A criminal complaint obtained by Rochester, New York, ABC affiliate WHAM alleged that the suspects sexually assaulted Nordquist with a “table leg and broomstick.” The complaint alleges that the suspects subjected Nordquist to “prolonged beatings by punching, kicking and striking [Nordquist] with numerous objects, including but not limited to sticks, dog toys, rope, bottles, belts, canes and wooden boards.”

According to the complaint, the torture allegedly took place in room 22 at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, New York, in Ontario County between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2.

Swift said investigators executed a search warrant at the hotel on Thursday, specifically searching room 22 for evidence.

Neither Swift nor Ritts would comment on the relationship between Nordquist and the suspects.

Swift said more arrests were possible and asked anyone with information about the crime to contact state police investigators.

Ritts said he anticipates a grand jury will take action in the case “very quickly.”

Elon Musk’s DOGE asks for access to IRS taxpayer data, sources say

February 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has requested access to an Internal Revenue Service system that retains the personal tax information of millions of Americans, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The system, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System, is used by IRS employees to review tax information, issue notices and update taxpayer records.

Access to the files, which is tightly controlled within the agency, had not been granted as of this weekend, several sources told ABC News.

Still, the request itself has been received with alarm both within the government and among privacy experts who say that granting Musk access to Americans’ private taxpayer data could be extraordinarily dangerous.

Musk, estimated to be the richest man in the world, has criticized federal judges for curbing his power and called for their impeachment. Musk also has alleged without evidence or examples of wrongdoing that federal workers were defrauding taxpayers.

“We do find it rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars, but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position,” Musk told reporters on Feb. 12 while in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump. “We’re just curious as to where it came from.”

Earlier this month, DOGE employees demanded access to the Treasury Department’s vast federal payment system responsible for managing trillions of dollars in government expenditures. That access triggered a lawsuit by 19 states and has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

Sources say one DOGE staffer arrived at the IRS last Thursday seeking meetings with various offices about how the IRS collects and manages data and what each business unit within the IRS does. It is not clear whether that staffer made the request to access IDRS or if it came through via the White House.

The White House did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

According to the Washington Post, which first reported the development, the IRS is considering a memorandum of understanding that would give DOGE officials access to several systems, including IDRS.

Musk and the White House have not said what federal data the DOGE team has been able to get to, or what’s been done with the data that’s been acquired.

“People who share their most sensitive information with the federal government do so under the understanding that not only will it be used legally, but also handled securely and in ways that minimize risks like identity theft and personal invasion, which this reporting brings into serious question,” said Elizabeth Laird, a former state privacy officer now with the Center for Democracy and Technology.

When pressed by reporters on what checks are in place to ensure Musk — whose companies have billions of dollars in current federal contracts — is accessing data to his advantage, the billionaire insisted that DOGE posts all of its activity on its website “so all of our actions are maximally transparent.”

The DOGE site on Sunday included a list of mostly canceled government contracts and a message on its “savings” tab: “Receipts coming over the weekend!”

According to one person familiar with DOGE’s efforts, the team acquiring access the IRS system would not allow them to change any data within it. But if granted, the access would allow unfettered access to access any person’s tax filings.

According to an IRS rulebook for the system posted online, anyone accessing IDRS is specifically not allowed to review the personal tax information of relatives, friends, neighbors or celebrities.

“IDRS users shall not access the account of any taxpayer or another IRS employee unless there is a business need and access has been formally authorized as part of the user’s official duties,” the agency rulebook stated.

The policy noted: “Willful unauthorized disclosure, access or inspection of non-computerized taxpayer records, including hard copies of returns – as well as computerized information – is a crime, punishable upon conviction, by fines, prison terms and termination of employment.”

While a district court judge in Manhattan has temporarily blocked DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department system for now, a separate ruling by another district court judge has allowed DOGE to access data at the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

UK ‘ready’ to put troops in Ukraine to support Russia peace deal, PM says

February 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on European nations to “step up” to help secure a lasting peace in Ukraine, committing for the first time to deploying British soldiers to the country to support any deal agreed with Russia.

“We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent,” Starmer wrote in an op-ed for The Telegraph published on Sunday. “This is not only a question about the future of Ukraine — it is existential for Europe as a whole.”

“The U.K. is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine,” the prime minister wrote, noting the country’s commitment to spending nearly $4 billion to support Kyiv’s forces until at least 2030.

“But it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary,” Starmer continued.

“I do not say that lightly,” he added. “I feel very deeply the responsibility that comes with potentially putting British servicemen and women in harm’s way. But any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent and the security of this country.”

Starmer’s commitment makes him one of few NATO leaders to have suggested putting allied boots on the ground inside Ukraine to support any future peace deal. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously been at the forefront of such proposals, with Baltic states including Estonia and Lithuania also among those expressing willingness.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently concrete security guarantees from Western partners are a vital part of any peace deal with Russia, and a necessary deterrent of renewed aggression from Moscow. Allies have been cool on — or outright opposed to — Ukraine’s ambition for rapid NATO accession and subsequent protection under the bloc’s Article 5 collective defense clause.

The offer of British troops comes after a turbulent week in NATO-Ukraine relations, with President Donald Trump unilaterally announcing the beginning of direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top officials making clear the limits of U.S. backing for Kyiv.

In the run up to last weekend’s Munich Security Conference in southern Germany, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine will not be offered NATO membership in the near future, that Kyiv will not be able to liberate all occupied territory and that American troops will not be sent to the country as part of any peace deal.

Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance also hit out at European allies for doing too little to support Ukraine, contain Russia and bolster their own military readiness. The continent must “step up in a big way,” Vance said, while also rattling European allies by claiming they have failed to address issues of migration and free speech.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued its push for a deal with Ukraine to secure access to some $500 billion worth of rare earth metals. Zelenskyy refused to approve a draft of the agreement this weekend, telling the Associated Press that the deal “is not ready to protect us, our interest.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio flew to Saudi Arabia on Monday — where he will be joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — for the expected beginning of talks with top Russian officials.

In a Sunday interview with Fox News, Witkoff said the U.S. delegation will “be having meetings at the direction of the president. And, hopefully, we’ll make some really good progress with regard to Russia-Ukraine.”

Pushed on whether Kyiv will be pressured into specific concessions, Witkoff responded, “I’m not dismissive of the details. They’re important. But I think the beginning here is trust-building.”

“It’s getting everything to understand that this war does not continue, that it should end,” he added. “That’s what the president has directed us to do, to negotiate a proper ending of this war. No more death.”

The mission to Riyadh comes days after Trump said he spoke with Putin over the phone about starting negotiations, adding he expected an eventual in-person meeting with the Russian leader in Saudi Arabia.

It remains unclear whether Ukraine will be involved in the negotiations. Kyiv and its European allies have urged the White House to facilitate roles for Ukrainian and European leaders in the talks.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, flew to the neighboring United Arab Emirates for an official visit. The nation has played a prominent role in Kyiv-Moscow prisoner exchange talks during the war.

“Our top priority is bringing even more of our people home from captivity,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We will also focus on investments and economic partnership, as well as a large-scale humanitarian program.”

The president’s office told ABC News that Zelenskyy will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a pre-planned bilateral visit.

Zelenskyy told NBC News on Sunday that his nation will “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia” made regarding Ukraine’s future without Kyiv’s participation.

Fierce fighting and long-long attacks continue as Kyiv and Moscow prepare for the revival of talks. On Sunday night, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 147 drones into the country, 83 of which were downed and 59 jammed.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it shot down 90 Ukrainian drones.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Selina Wang contributed to this report.

Next cross-country storm to bring snow, extreme cold

February 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The next cross-country storm is already underway with snowy weather scattered across the Cascades, Rockies and into the Plains as of Monday morning, with the system forecast to sweep south and east through into Wednesday.

Heavy snow is expected to fall throughout Kansas, southern Missouri and northern Oklahoma on Tuesday morning. By the evening, heavy snowfall is forecast to have spread to northern Arkansas and southern Missouri.

Travel is expected to be significantly affected in those areas — including on interstates — with 6 to 12 inches of snow forecast.

By Wednesday morning, the storm will bring snowfall to Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Nashville, Tennessee, could see between 3 and 6 inches of snow.

Virginia is also expected to see snow on Wednesday, with Norfolk and Richmond experiencing as much as 6 inches of snowfall. Washington, D.C. is set to escape the most extreme weather, but may also see a couple of inches of snowfall.

Coming cold snap

The snow flurries will be followed by plunging temperatures, with more than 65 million Americans now under cold weather alerts across 13 states from Texas to Minnesota.

Wind chills in North Dakota could reach 60 below zero, at which frostbite can occur on exposed skin in minutes.

Minneapolis could feel temperatures as low as 42 below zero Monday and Tuesday, with Kansas City feeling like 30 below zero on Thursday morning.

Tulsa could feel like 17 below zero Wednesday and Thursday, with Dallas feeling like 10 below zero.

Numerous daily record low temperatures are possible in this region this week.

Major storm in Eastern US brings severe flash floods

February 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

More than 110 million Americans are under alerts Sunday for flooding, mudslides and strong winds as dangerous winter weather left tens of thousands without power throughout the South and caused multiple deaths in Kentucky.

Heavy rain continued to produce serious flooding across parts of the Southern United States on Sunday morning, where rapidly rising floodwaters inundated roadways and spurred some evacuations. Meanwhile, snow and sleet made for messy weather in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Throughout Saturday and into Sunday, there were numerous flash flood warnings issued across parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina.

The impact from flooding in his state is “massive,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday in a statement on X, and there have been hundreds of water rescues and multiple fatalities.

“Evacuations are continuing as this event will continue through today,” Beshear said. “Please be careful if you have to travel.”

More than 300,000 customers spread across Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia were without power Sunday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.

In advance of the heavy rainfall and widespread flooding, Beshear issued a state of emergency, saying Saturday that the entire state would be under significant threat through at least Sunday morning.

Parts of western Kentucky and northwestern Tennessee reported receiving 4 to 7 inches of rain Saturday night into Sunday. The area around Clarksville, Tennessee, northwest of Nashville, reported getting around 7.6 inches of rain.

Beshear also said he wrote to President Donald Trump “requesting an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky due to the severe weather and impacts across our state,” which would release federal funds to aid the response.

The governor said he had also spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the acting director of FEMA.

Serious flooding around Panbowl Lake in Jackson — about 85 miles southeast of Lexington — led to the evacuation of a nursing home and a hospital as precautions.

The Louisville Metro Police Department said its river patrol and diving teams were working with local fire departments to conduct water rescues “throughout the city,” with almost 30 such rescues completed and more expected. Authorities in Simpson County, Kentucky, also reported water rescues.

Areas along the border between Kentucky and Tennessee reported the highest reported rain totals, with between 4 and 7 inches of rain.

In Tennessee, more than 50 residents of a nursing home in Macon County, about 65 miles northeast of Nashville, were evacuated to higher ground after rising water began to approach, according to the Macon County Emergency Medical Services.

Joe Pitts, the mayor of Clarksville, Tennessee, said in a statement that close to 4 inches of rain caused “alarming scenes of flash flooding” in the area. Up to 2 more inches of rain is expected through the day and into Sunday evening, Pitts said.

The National Weather Service extended a flash flood emergency for several counties in West Virginia and in southwestern Virginia until 8 a.m. Sunday, calling the flash flooding an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”

In the town of Richlands, in southwestern Virginia’s Tazewell County, residents of many areas were encouraged to evacuate, according to the local police department.

“Multiple areas of the town are currently experiencing flooding, with the river expected to rise even higher,” the police department said in a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon. “Residents in previously flooded areas are strongly advised to evacuate at once. Evacuation should not be postponed.”

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said National Air guardsmen and soldiers had been deployed to help the response. “Don’t try to outrun a flood or anything,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Get the higher ground if you need to.”

In West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in 10 counties. Evacuations were underway in southern West Virginia, with the Blue Stone River experiencing major flooding near Spanishburg.

In areas affected by heavy rain, landslides and rockslides are possible.

Storms with damaging winds and flash flooding were the main threats, but there was also the possibility of tornadoes.

Residents were urged to pay attention to severe weather warnings overnight, as the tornado risk continued into Sunday morning for parts of Georgia. Warnings could be extended east to the Atlantic coastline as the storms progress.

Snow and ice in the Northeast

Meanwhile, snow moved into portions of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Saturday afternoon, and conditions were expected to deteriorate.

The snow is expected to change to sleet and rain as this system moves through the Northeast into Sunday.

The switch from snow to sleet and rain will create slushy conditions and hazardous travel.

Snow totals could be topping a foot across parts of central and northern New England and northern New York state. For cities like Hartford and Boston, a slushy 3 to 6 inches is likely before rain falls and compacts the snow.

86 million under wind alerts

High wind alerts are in effect for more than 86 million people across 22 states for Sunday and Monday.

Gusts of up to 60 mph are possible in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic through Sunday night, while gusts of up to 45 mph are possible in the Southeast.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Atlanta at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. Wind gusts at the city’s Mercedes Benz Stadium were recorded up to 71 mph.

More than 215,000 customers were without power in Georgia as of the early hours of Sunday morning.

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio and Josh Richardson contributed to this report.

Pope Francis showing ‘some’ improvement amid hospitalization for bronchitis, Vatican says

February 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(ROME) — Pope Francis is showing “some” improvement in his lab tests as the pontiff remains hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection, the Vatican said Saturday.

The pope “rested all night” and he has no fever, the Vatican said in a statement. His treatment has been slightly modified based on further “microbiological findings,” according to the statement.

The Vatican added, “To facilitate his recovery, the medical staff prescribed absolute rest; therefore, tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 16, the Holy Father will not lead the Angelus prayer; nevertheless, he intends to send the text for its publication.”

The pope was admitted to a hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.

Medical tests are expected to continue over the weekend, Italian media reported.

“Pope Francis has been informed of the many messages of closeness and affection he has received and expresses his gratitude, as well as asking for continued prayers,” the Vatican added.

According to the ANSA Italian news agency, “multiple Vatican sources” earlier reported the pope spent “a quiet night” which is “consistent with the clinical picture for which he was hospitalized yesterday at the Gemelli [hospital] in Rome.”

All of the reports regarding the pontiff’s bill of health have been reassuring, indicating that his fever has also decreased since he was admitted to hospital, ANSA said.

ANSA also reported that “several sources” revealed that the pope had arrived on Friday at Gemelli very fatigued due to a difficulty in breathing related to an excess of phlegm and that the treatment he was undergoing at home had not yielded the expected results.

However, there is optimism at the Vatican about the new medical treatment started yesterday immediately after the tests, which established that the pontiff was suffering from an infection of the respiratory tract, according to ANSA.

Holy See spokesperson Matteo Bruni spoke to reporters in the press room on Saturday and said that Pope Francis “ate breakfast and read some newspapers.” He also added that “the tests and [medical] therapies” are continuing.

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