We’re constantly hearing about how concert tickets are way too pricey these days, but Live Nation is now offering fans a chance to see their favorite artists at a bargain price.
The concert promoter will launch its annual Concert Week next week, offering up $25 all-in tickets to over 3,800 shows this summer.
Music fans will have a whole host of concerts to choose from, including shows from artists like Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe,Bryan Adams,Rod Stewart, Bret Michaels’Parti-Gras, The Doobie Brothers,Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Foreigner,Gov’t Mule, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Santana and more.
Concert Week ticket sales run from May 10 to 16, or while supplies last. There will also be Verizon and Rakuten presales beginning May 9 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, fans can go to LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek, search for their show and then look for “Concert Week Promotion.”
We’re constantly hearing about how concert tickets are way too pricey these days, but Live Nation is now offering fans a chance to see their favorite artists at a bargain price.
The concert promoter will launch its annual Concert Week next week, offering up $25 all-in tickets to over 3,800 shows this summer.
Music fans will have a whole host of concerts to choose from, including shows from artists like Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Boy George& Culture Club with Berlin and Howard Jones, Janet Jackson, Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire, Seal, Bret Michaels’ Parti-Gras, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, The Doobie Brothers, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Foreigner, Gov’t Mule, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Santana and more.
Concert Week ticket sales run from May 10 to 16, or while supplies last. There will also be Verizon and Rakuten presales beginning May 9 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, fans can go to LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek, search for their show and then look for “Concert Week Promotion.”
What’s better than curling up on the beach with a good book?
To The View co-host and author Sunny Hostin, whose new novel Summer on Sag Harbor is available now in bookstores everywhere, there is little else that compares.
“People are always surprised that I love a good, sexy beach read,” Hostin told ABC Audio. “I enjoy sitting on the beach and reading a book like that.”
Hostin’s new novel is the second installment in her trilogy of beach reads, which focuses on stories of women of color in a genre that has historically neglected diversity.
“I thought of Toni Morrison saying, ‘If there’s a book you want to read and you can’t find it, then you write it,’” Hostin said. “It’s amazing to me the thirst that was out there for the first book. And I realized that people were looking for what I was looking for.”
And now that thirst has resulted in a TV adaptation. While she can’t share which streamer will release it just yet, Hostin recalls sharing the first novel in the series, Summer on the Bluffs, with Octavia Spencer. At the time, she had no idea where it would lead.
“I actually thought maybe she would post something on Instagram for me. And she called me and said, ‘Let me tell you why I should be your production partner.’”
Hostin says her The View co-host Joy Behar has also shown support along the way. According to Hostin, Behar is “the reason why the protagonist in the first book is in her 60s finding love again.”
“She basically said to me, ‘Don’t forget women in their 60s still have sex, OK?’ And I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll write to that,’” Hostin said. “It resonated like crazy.”
Michael Douglas will receive the Honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, kicking off Tuesday, May 16 and running through Saturday, May 27 in France.
The 78-year-old actor is being recognized for “his brilliant career as well as his engagement for cinema,” according to the press release.
“It is always a breath of fresh air to be at Cannes, which has long provided a wonderful platform for bold creators, artistic audacities and excellence in storytelling,” the Basic Instinct star said in a statement on Wednesday.
“From my first time here in 1979 for The China Syndrome to my most recent premiere for Behind the Candelabra in 2013, the Festival has always reminded me that magic of cinema is not just in what we see onscreen but in its ability to impact people all around the world. After more than 50 years in the business, it’s an honor to return to the Croisette to open the Festival and embrace our shared global language of film.”
Douglas’ extensive acting credits also include 1984’s Romancing the Stone, Black Rain in 1989, Disclosure in 1994, and his Oscar-winning performance as Gordon Gekko, a greedy New York broker in Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street.
Douglas’ first effort as a producer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, earned nine Oscar nods in 1975 and best picture.
Previous honorees include Forest Whitaker, Jodie Foster and Bernardo Bertolucci.
Thursday is May 4th, and thanks to a punny 1979 London Evening News headline and a legion of die-hard fans, it’s known the world over as “Star Wars Day.” The headline about the election of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations” — inspired a grassroots movement for Star Wars junkies to celebrate George Lucas‘ galaxy far, far away.
May 4, 2011 marked the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day, at the Toronto Underground Cinema in Canada.
ABC News’ parent company The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and has officially observed the holiday since 2013, with events at Disney parks and other celebrations.
There’s also new Star Wars content on Disney+, including the second season of the animated Star Wars: Visions, and for the younglings out there, the first kid-skewing cartoon, Young Jedi Adventures.
There’s a new Simpsons crossover, too: Maggie Simpson stars in Rogue Not Quite One.
Of course, Disney+ also has every film in the Star Wars saga, as well as the standalone films Rogue One and Solo, and more. You can also find The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the critically acclaimed Andor.
And if you must leave the house, this is the last day to see Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in theaters.
Here are the 5 highest-grossing Star Wars movies at the time of their release, according to FinanceBuzz:
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) – $936,662,225
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) – $620,181,382
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – $532,177,324
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $515,202,542
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – $431,088,295
Adjusted for inflation, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) is the highest-grossing movie in the franchisee, with a take of $1.8 billion in 2023 dollars.
(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration will support public assessments of generative AI systems like ChatGPT to educate the public about whether these new systems align with the administration’s “bill of rights” for AI that’s aimed at preventing the new technology’s misuse, The White House announced early on Thursday.
These assessments will take place at a hacker convention in Las Vegas in August, the White House said.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday plans to meet with the CEOs of Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI to “underscore” their “responsibility” as they develop AI and to “emphasize the importance of driving responsible, trustworthy, and ethical innovation with safeguards that mitigate risks and potential harms to individuals and our society,” the White House said. This meeting will be closed to the press.
The White House also confirmed that the National Science Foundation will spend $140 million to open seven new national research institutes studying AI, which will expand the number of institutes to 25 across the country.
These institutes will work with institutes of higher education, private companies and the government to “to pursue transformative AI advances that are ethical, trustworthy, responsible, and serve the public good,” the White House said.
“The new Institutes announced today will advance AI R&D to drive breakthroughs in critical areas, including climate, agriculture, energy, public health, education, and cybersecurity,” read the statement from the White House.
The White House’s budget office will also be announcing on Thursday that it plans to make public a draft of the policy guidance it plans to provide federal agencies with regarding the use of AI systems that makes sure its use “centers on safeguarding the American people’s rights and safety.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget plans to release the draft this summer and will open it up for public comment before it’s finalized, the White House said.
With regard to the public assessments of platforms like ChatGPT, the White House said that it has received a commitment “from leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Stability AI, to participate in a public evaluation of AI systems, consistent with responsible disclosure principles.” The assessments will take place at a hacker convention, called DEF CON 31, which is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas this August, according to the White House.
“This will allow these models to be evaluated thoroughly by thousands of community partners and AI experts to explore how the models align with the principles and practices outlined in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and AI Risk Management Framework,” the White House said. “This independent exercise will provide critical information to researchers and the public about the impacts of these models, and will enable AI companies and developers take steps to fix issues found in those models. Testing of AI models independent of government or the companies that have developed them is an important component in their effective evaluation.”
These are not the first steps the Biden Administration has taken regarding the issue.
In February, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that directed federal agencies to “root out bias in their design and use of new technologies, including AI, and to protect the public from algorithmic discrimination,” said the White House.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 04, 8:21 AM EDT
US calls Kremlin drone accusation ‘ludicrous’
Responding to Russia’s accusation that the U.S. was behind Wednesday’s drone attack on the Kremlin, White House spokesperson John Kirby said it was a “ludicrous claim.”
“There’s a word that comes to mind that I’m obviously not — not appropriate to using on national TV,” Kirby said on CNN on Thursday.
“I will just tell you Mr. Peskov is lying, and I mean, that’s obviously, it’s a ludicrous claim,” he added. “The United States had nothing to do with this. We don’t even know exactly what happened here, Kaitlin. But I can assure you, the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
Kirby said the U.S. does not have any information on who is behind the strike but are “trying to learn more about this as best we can.”
May 04, 6:44 AM EDT
Kremlin blames US for drone attack in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman accused the United States of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday.
“We understand well that the decision about such terror attacks are taken not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing. “Often targets are determined not in Kyiv but in Washington. They don’t Kyiv the right everytime in choosing the means. In Washington they also clearly understand that we know that.”
He added, “Without question. Such decisions — the determining of targets and means — are all dictated to Kyiv from Washington.”
Peskov said it was important that Washington understand the “danger” of such involvement in an attack.
May 04, 12:08 AM EDT
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles; no casualties or injuries reported
Russian forces launched a “complex air strike” with “drones and missiles” on Kyiv early Thursday morning, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
The air raid siren went off in Kyiv for three and a half hours during the attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration said.
There were no casualties or injuries from the strikes.
“According to preliminary information, all the missiles and UAVs were destroyed,” the Kyiv City Military Administration added.
This was the third attack on the capitol in four days, the administration said.
May 03, 5:11 PM EDT
US Embassy in Ukraine warns of ‘ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks’
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine sent an alert to Americans on Wednesday warning of an “ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks,” including in Kyiv.
“In light of the recent uptick in strikes across Ukraine and inflammatory rhetoric from Moscow, the Department of State cautions U.S. citizens of an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks, including in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast,” the alert stated.
The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to follow guidance from local authorities and to observe air alarms and shelter appropriately.
May 03, 2:43 PM EDT
At least 21 killed in Kherson region shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 people were killed and 48 injured by shelling in the Kherson region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, as the death toll continues to rise.
A railway station and market in the city of Kherson were hit in strikes, which occurred across the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, officials said.
“A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station — do you know what unites these places? The bloody trail that [Russia] leaves with its shells, killing civilians in Kherson and Kherson region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
All the victims were civilians, Zelenskyy said.
An ambulance was also damaged in the strikes, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials previously said.
May 03, 2:00 PM EDT
White House announces $300M military aid package for Ukraine
The Biden administration has announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine.
The package includes additional ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, as well as “additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities that Ukraine is using to push back against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
This marks the Biden administration’s 37th drawdown of equipment from Defense Department inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
May 03, 11:50 AM EDT
At least 12 killed in Kherson shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured by shelling in Kherson on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
A market and railway station were hit in the strikes in the southern Ukrainian city, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. An ambulance was also damaged, he said.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials said.
Four additional fatalities were reported from shelling throughout the Kherson region Wednesday, officials said.
May 03, 9:48 AM EDT
Zelenskyy denies involvement in Kremlin attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russia’s claim that his country was involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin early Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who is currently in Finland, said the claim was the prelude to a “large-scale terrorist attack” from Russia.
“First of all, Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “What for? This does not solve any military issue. But it gives RF grounds to justify its attacks on civilians.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that various attacks in Russia could be the result of “guerrilla activities of local resistance forces.”
May 03, 8:31 AM EDT
Russia says Ukraine tried to kill Putin in Kremlin with two drones
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has accused Ukraine of trying to strike Putin’s residence in the Kremlin with two drones overnight, but said they were brought down before they could reach their target.
No injuries were reported, Kremlin officials said. Putin was not at the residence at the time, they said.
Videos released on official social media channels appeared to show a drone strike the roof of the Senate Palace at the Kremlin.
The Kremlin said “the Russian side reserves the right to retaliate whenever and wherever it deems necessary.”
May 03, 1:30 AM EDT
Ukrainian drone hits Russian port, causing fire
A Ukrainian drone hit a Tamanneftegaz fuel tank in the Port of Taman, Russia, at about 2:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, Kirill Fedorov, a pro-Russian blogger, said on his Telegram channel. The Port of Taman is in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.
The fire could be seen in a video circulating online.
Local authorities confirmed the fire, which “has been assigned the highest rank,” the governor of the region said. A tank with petroleum products was hit by the drone and is burning, the governor said. No injuries were reported and there was no threat to residents, he added on his Telegram channel.
May 02, 11:45 PM EDT
All drones targeting Kyiv shot down; third attack on capital in six days
All drones that were used by Russians to attack Kyiv early Wednesday morning local time were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
There were no reported injuries or casualties, the military administration said.
This was the third attack on Kyiv in six days, the administration added.
May 02, 6:58 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
S-300 missiles belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit in Zaporizhzhia, the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, said on Telegram.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 6:12 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 12:38 PM EDT
Marine veteran killed while evacuating civilians in Ukraine
A 26-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran was killed in a mortar strike last month in Ukraine while working to evacuate civilians, his family confirmed to ABC News this week.
Cooper Andrews died on April 19 in the Bakhmut area, his cousin Willow Pastard, who is speaking on his family’s behalf, told ABC News.
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine, though did not provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
At least nine deaths of U.S. citizens who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine have been officially reported since the war began last year, according to the State Department.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 01, 3:54 PM EDT
2 dead, 40 wounded in latest Russian strikes
Two men were killed and at least 40 people, including children, were injured after Russian missiles struck Pavlograd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials said.
Serhii Lysak, the head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk, said 19 high-rise buildings, 25 private houses, six schools and preschool education institutions and five shops were hit by the missiles.
Five children were among the wounded officials said. The youngest victim is 8 years old, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
May 01, 3:07 PM EDT
Russia suffered 100K casualties in Bakhmut since December: White House
The U.S. estimates that Russia has suffered over 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action, from the battles in Bakhmut since December, White House spokesman John Kirby said Monday
Half of the 20,000 killed in action were members of the Russian-backed private military Wagner Group, according to Kirby. The majority of Wagner fighters killed were allegedly ex-convicts, according to Kirby.
Kirby said that the data came from “some downgraded intelligence,” that the U.S. has been able to collect. He was unable to provide data on deaths of Ukrainian fighters.
Kirby emphasized that the U.S. thinks Bakhmut holds “very little strategic value for Russia” and if captured by Russia it “would absolutely not alter the course of the war in Russia’s favor.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
May 01, 1:41 PM EDT
State Department confirms US citizen dies in Ukraine
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine.
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
The State Department declined to provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” It is not immediately clear when the death took place.
At least 10 U.S. citizen deaths in Ukraine have been officially confirmed by the State Department since the war began last year. The majority of those deaths were of Americans who volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainians, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 30, 5:48 PM EDT
Russian missile attack in Dnipropetrovsk region hits Ukrainian cities: Reports
A Russian missile airstrike was reported in different areas of Ukraine Sunday evening.
Sixteen Russian Tu-95 bombers were reported in the air from various airfields and explosions were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine at 10:51 p.m. local time.
“Presumably, Kh-101 cruise missiles are actively flying at the Pavlograd-1 and Pavlograd-2 railway stations, where trains with APU (Ukrainian Armed Forces) equipment and people were located,” a Russian Telegram channel, Military Chronicle, said.
Several explosions were heard in the city of Pavlograd, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local Ukrainian media reported.
An air alert was announced for the region at 9:30 p.m. local time and about 10:00 p.m., social networks began to report explosions in Pavlograd.
According to local media, repeated explosions were heard in the city at 10:20 p.m.
The strikes destroyed Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles for the S-300 complex on Pavlograd, Russian Telegram channel Intel Slava reported.
S-300s are long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Supply vehicles with reserve ammunition that belong to the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also hit, the channel said, citing eyewitness accounts.
Intel Slava is funded by the Russian government.
“The detonation of rockets has been going on for almost an hour,” the Intel Slava post said.
It’s unclear how many people were injured or killed.
-ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko and Anastasia Bagaeva
Apr 30, 2:00 PM EDT
Leader of Russian mercenary group threatens mutiny
The Russian oligarch behind the Wagner private paramilitary group fighting for the Kremlin in Ukraine is threatening a mutiny if his forces are not resupplied with ammunition soon.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner and curator of the Wagner group, penned a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigue, demanding ammunition be provided to his forces on the battlefield.
In the letter, Prigozhin wrote that if supply problems are not fixed fast, he will complain to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his mercenaries would abandon their positions in Bakhmut, Ukraine, where heavy fighting has been going on for weeks, The Moscow Times reported.
“I appeal to Shoigu with a request to immediately issue ammunition. In case of refusal, I consider it necessary to convey to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief information about the existing problem in order to make a decision and about the advisability of further presence of Wagner PMC in Bakhmut in the conditions of a shortage of ammunition,” Prigozhin wrote.
He added, “If the deficit is not replenished … we will be forced to withdraw part of the units from this territory, and then everything else will crumble. Therefore, the bell is already ringing — it is called an alarm.”
Emphasizing the urgency, Prigozhin noted that Ukraine is planning to launch a counteroffensive soon.
There was no immediate public response from Shoigu or the Kremlin.
“We need to stop deceiving the population and telling that everything is fine with us,” Prigozhin wrote. “I must honestly say: Russia is on the brink of disaster. If these screws are not adjusted today, the ‘aircraft’ will crumble in the air.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday wished Ukrainian military forces success in what he described as the “main battles” that are “coming soon.”
Zelenskyy’s statement came a day after he said at a news conference in Kyiv that Ukrainian forces will soon launch a counteroffensive, likely before F-16 fighter jets promised by Western allies arrive.
“Dear warriors, the main battles are coming soon. We must free our land and our people from Russian slavery,” Zelenskyy said at an event where he bestowed medals to members of the county’s Border Guard forces.
Apr 30, 5:52 AM EDT
Counteroffensive expected ahead of Western jet deliveries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian counteroffensive will start before Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries.
“Frankly speaking, it would help us a lot. But we also understand that we can’t drag it [the counteroffensive] out, which is why we’ll start before we receive F-16 [aircrafts] or other models,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference for Scandinavian media held in Kyiv on Saturday, according to a script provided by Reuters.
He added, “But to calm Russia down with the fact that we’d still need a couple of months to train on the aircrafts and only then we’d start; No, this won’t happen. We’ll start and go forward, while at the same time, simultaneously, I think this is very important [to receive western fighter aircrafts.]”
He said Ukraine is “capable of putting an end to this war.”
Also on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine received a signal from some countries about the readiness to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
According to Kuleba, the F-16 fighter jet is the ideal aircraft due to its technical characteristics, although Kyiv does not overlook other aircraft, either. The minister added that the decisive word on issuing F-16s will be with the United States, because these are American fighters.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres and Max Uzol
Apr 29, 1:49 PM EDT
23 dead in Russian attack on high-rise building, 17 saved from rubble
A Russian attack on a high-rise building in Uman has left 23 people dead. Among the dead were six children between the ages of one and 17 years old, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Volodymyrovych Klymenko.
Rescuers, policemen and volunteers managed to save 17 people from the rubble. Heavy machinery and special equipment were involved, according to officials.
Two more women are considered missing, officials said. But the search and rescue operation has concluded, officials said.
“My sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased. We will punish this evil. We will not allow it to grow. We will definitely stand up and win,” Klymenko said.
-ABC News’ Tatyana Rymarenko
Apr 28, 12:18 PM EDT
Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill 24, including children
Russian airstrikes targeted several cities across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 24 people, Ukrainian officials said.
The city of Uman in central Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast was the worst affected. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed. One of the strikes hit an apartment building, killing at least 22 people, including three children, and injuring another 18 people, according to Cherkasy Oblast Gov. Ihor Taburets. The attack happened at around 4:30 a.m. local time, when most people would have been asleep. An entire section of the nine-story building collapsed, with 27 apartments completely destroyed. There were 109 people who lived in that part of the building, according to Ukrainian police. Rescue teams were expected to spend all day and night searching for survivors in the rubble.
Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city and a major industrial hub located in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, was hit by “high-precision” strikes in the early morning hours, leaving a woman and a 3-year-old child dead, according to Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov.
Russian strikes also targeted Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital and largest city, but there were no reports of any casualties or damages. It was the first such attack on the capital in 51 days, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. Preliminary data shows 11 cruise missiles and two drones were destroyed in Kyiv’s airspace, the city military administration said.
Apr 28, 11:54 AM EDT
Ukraine says it’s ‘ready’ for counteroffensive
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Friday the military is “ready” to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
“It’s up to the general staff and the command,” Reznikov said during a press briefing in Kyiv. “We will do it as soon as there is God’s will, the weather and the commanders’ decision.”
Ukraine has received Patriot missile defense systems from the United States as well as Germany and the Netherlands. The Ukrainian military has been trained on how to use the systems and “mastered” them within weeks, according to Reznikov.
“The exact number of batteries, I’m sorry, I won’t say,” he added. “Let the enemy guess.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the world not to consider or call the anticipated counteroffensive “a decisive battle.” Speaking at a press conference in Odesa on Friday, Kuleba said the decisive battle is the one that will lead to the liberation of all occupied Ukrainian territories.
One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The missile struck a block that had apartments, houses and a historic building, according to Zelenskyy.
“The terrorists will not get away with this yet another crime against humanity,” the president said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 26, 12:50 PM EDT
Zelenskyy has 1st call with China’s Xi Jinping since war began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what was the two leaders’ first official contact since January 2022, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi announced that he will send a special envoy to visit Ukraine and “other countries” to work on a political solution.
“I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Twitter.
The Chinese government’s official position still refuses to call the war an “invasion.”
The call between the two leaders is said to have lasted an hour, according to Zelenskyy’s office.
“Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine’s number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Karson Yiu, Cindy Smith and Will Gretsky
Apr 25, 1:03 PM EDT
At least 2 dead, 10 injured in strike that hit Ukrainian museum
At least two people were killed and 10 injured after a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian museum Tuesday, officials said.
The local history museum is located in the city center of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely. Our history, our culture, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media while sharing a video that showed the damaged building. “Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”
Apr 24, 5:48 AM EDT
Russian passports pushed on occupied Ukraine
Russian officials have warned Ukrainians in occupied Kherson that they may be “deported” if they don’t accept Russian passports, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Monday.
“Russia is using passports as a tool in the ‘Russification’ of the occupied areas, as it did in Donetsk and Luhansk before the February 2022 invasion,” the ministry on Twitter.
Residents of Kherson have been warned of penalties for those who don’t accept Russian passports by June 1. Some may be removed from the territory or may have their property seized, according to the U.K.
(ATLANTA) — A gunman killed one and wounded four others in a mass shooting in an Atlanta medical center waiting room on Wednesday, police said.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was apprehended following an hours-long manhunt, police said Wednesday night.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 04, 8:50 AM EDT
Suspect charged with murder, aggravated assault
The suspected gunman, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
He’s due in court at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
May 03, 11:00 PM EDT
Victim identified as CDC employee
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the 39-year-old victim who was killed in Wednesday’s shooting as Amy St. Pierre.
“CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting,” it said in a statement. “Our hearts are with her family, friends and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss.”
May 03, 9:34 PM EDT
Suspect taken into custody without incident, technology ‘played a huge role’: Police
The suspect was taken into custody without incident, police said Wednesday during a press conference.
The suspect entered the medical facility shortly before noon and allegedly shot the first victim shortly after, Deputy Chief Charles Hampton said. The suspect spent two minutes in the building before exiting and going to a Shell gas station, where he commandeered a pickup truck, according to Hampton.
Officers were able to place the license plate number into the reader system, Hampton said, and received an alert at approximately 12:30 that the suspect was in Cobb County.
Technology “played a huge role,” Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said, “but technology doesn’t work without the dedicated people behind it.”
Police had checked and cleared an unoccupied building they knew the suspect had gone into, VanHoozer said, adding that a “real-time operator” took a 911 call and had an instinct that it was legitimate, and they prioritized that call.
An undercover officer made the first contact with the suspect and had backup from uniformed officers, the chief said.
May 03, 8:00 PM EDT
Suspect has been captured, police say
The suspect, Deion Patterson, has been apprehended following an hourslong manhunt, Atlanta police said.
May 03, 6:49 PM EDT
Suspect seen in Cobb County shortly after shooting, police say
Police in Cobb County said Deion Patterson was seen on video in the county around 12:30 p.m. ET, roughly 20 minutes after the shooting, though it’s unclear if he’s still in the area.
Cobb County Police Sgt. Wayne Delk said during a press briefing that after learning Patterson might be in the area, his team checked flock cameras and “did discover that the vehicle had entered Cobb County,” located northwest of Midtown Atlanta, where the shooting occurred.
“Around 12:30 p.m., we did spot what appeared to be a suspect in this area, which is why we have such a heavy presence,” Delk said.
Police did not discover the video footage until around 2:30 p.m., and Delk acknowledged it’s unclear if Patterson is still in the county.
“He might still be in the area,” he said.
The vehicle Patterson was believed to be driving was recovered by Atlanta police in a parking garage, Delk said.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
May 03, 5:24 PM EDT
3 patients remain ‘critically ill’
Of the four women who were shot and injured in the medical facility waiting room, three of them are considered “critically ill” and are in the intensive care unit, according to Dr. Robert Jansen, the chief medical officer at Grady Health.
The most seriously injured patient remains in the operating room, Jansen said, while a second victim has completed an operation.
Another victim underwent an interventional radiology procedure, which is used to repair vascular injuries, and will need more procedures in the future, he said.
The fourth patient is considered stable, he said.
-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds
May 03, 4:51 PM EDT
Sen. Warnock, in grief for his home state, begs Congress to take action
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., gave a passionate speech on the Senate floor in the wake of the latest mass shooting to strike the nation, this one unfolding in his “own backyard.”
“I rise today in shock and sorrow and in grief for my home state,” Warnock said.
Police officers work the scene of a shooting near a medical facility, May 3, 2023, in Atlanta.
Warnock noted that his two children were under lockdown at school on Wednesday amid the ongoing hunt for the Atlanta gunman.
“We behave as if this is normal — it is not normal. It is not right for us to live in a nation where nobody is safe, no matter where they are. We’re not safe in our schools. We’re not safe in our workplaces. We’re not safe at the grocery store. We’re not safe at movie theaters. We’re not safe at spas. We’re not safe in our houses of worship. There is no sanctuary in the sanctuary. We’re not safe at concerts. We’re not safe at banks. We’re not safe at parades. We’re not safe in our own yards and in our own homes,” he said. “And now, today, we can add medical facilities to that list.”
He warned, “It’s only a matter of time that this kind of tragedy comes knocking on your door.”
As a pastor, Warnock said, “I’m praying for those who are affected by this tragedy,” but he stressed, “It is a contradiction to say that you are thinking and praying and do nothing. … We pray by taking action.”
Warnock said he’s “pleading” with his colleagues in Congress to pass stricter gun reforms to “do everything we can to protect all of us and certainly all of our children.”
-ABC News’ Trish Turner
May 03, 3:50 PM EDT
39-year-old woman killed, 4 women injured
The manhunt is ongoing for the mass shooting suspect, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, Atlanta police said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Police said the gun has not been recovered.
The shooting, which unfolded in a medical center waiting room, killed a 39-year-old woman, police said.
The four injured victims, who are all women, are “fighting for their lives,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. They are ages 71, 56, 39 and 25, police said.
“As soon as possible I’ll be in touch with the families of the victims,” he said.
Patterson’s family is cooperating with the investigation, police said.
May 03, 3:17 PM EDT
Doctor recounts performing surgery as shooting unfolded 1 floor below
Dr. Timothy Simons was performing surgery one floor above the scene where the shooting unfolded.
He told ABC News he completed the surgery and then sheltered in place.
When police came to clear the building floor by floor, Simons said he was told to put his hands up to verify that he was not the shooter.
“Then they escorted us all down the stairs,” he said.
-ABC News’ Janice McDonald
May 03, 2:58 PM EDT
Carjacking may be connected to shooting
As Atlanta police search for the suspected gunman, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, they say a car was stolen “not long after the shooting” and remains missing.
“We are working to locate the carjacked vehicle and to determine whether it is connected to the shooting,” police said.
May 03, 2:31 PM EDT
Doctor saw officers swarm his building
Dr. Ahmed Ali, a radiation oncologist at the building, told ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB that he was returning from his lunch break when he saw armed officers swam the scene.
“I was worried what was happening,” he said. “Building security … they told me gunshots were coming from the 11th floor. They said there was a pool of blood in the elevator shafts when the doors opened.”
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira
May 03, 2:30 PM EDT
3 critically injured, 1 remains in ER
Of the four people who were shot and injured, three are in critical condition and one is in the emergency department, according to hospital officials.
All four are adults, officials said.
May 03, 2:02 PM EDT
1 dead, 4 injured
One person was killed and four were injured in the shooting at Laureate Medical Center in Atlanta, according to police.
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims,” police said.
Northside Hospital tweeted that it’s “cooperating with law enforcement following the shooting at our midtown #Atlanta location earlier this afternoon. We urge people in the area to shelter in place and follow instructions from law enforcement on the scene.”
Netflix has renewed Sweet Tooth, the drama based on Jeff Lemire’s DC Comics series, for a third and final season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, from executive producers Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr., is set in a post-apocalyptic world and follows a hybrid deer-boy, played by Christian Convery, and a wanderer — portrayed by Nonso Anozie — as they venture through the land. Rosalind Chao and Amy Seimetz were promoted to series regulars and Cara Gee and newcomer Ayazhan Dalabayeva were added as new cast members for the final season…
The classic 1990s sci-fi series Babylon 5 is getting animated, according to original series creator J. Michael Straczynski. “BABYLON 5 ANIMATED MOVIE coming from Warner Bros. Animation & WB Home Entertainment!” Straczynski shared Wednesday on Twitter. “Classic B5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space & a love letter to the fans. Movie title, release date and other details coming one week from today.” The original Babylon 5 ran on TNT for five seasons and spawned a miniseries and five TV movies…
Strap yourself in and get comfortable for the series finale of HBO’s Succession. “It’s 90 minutes,” composer Nicholas Britell tells Variety. “It’s a huge episode — like a movie.” The episode, directed by the show’s executive producer Mark Mylod, will air Sunday, May 28. So far, season 4 has seen the death of Brian Cox‘s Waystar Royco patriarch Logan Roy, leading to Roman and Kendall — played respectively by KieranCulkin and JeremyStrong — becoming “interim” co-CEOs. Meanwhile, The company’s pending sale to Lukas Matsson — portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård — sparked a division between the Roy children…
(NEW ORLEANS) — Corey Harrison, the fourth detainee who escaped from a Mississippi jail more than a week ago was captured in Crystal Springs, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.
A third detainee had been found dead inside a vehicle at a New Orleans truck stop on Sunday, authorities said. Casey Grayson, 34, was one of four men who broke out of the Raymond Detention Center in Hinds County last month, local authorities said.
His cause of death is pending an autopsy, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said Tuesday.
“There was drug paraphernalia and suspected narcotics recovered in close proximity to where he was discovered in the vehicle,” Jones told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday, noting that there was no foul play suspected.
Authorities believe a family member may have provided the white pickup truck that Grayson was discovered in following his escape, but “that is still under investigation,” Jones said. A security guard found him unresponsive in the truck and alerted authorities, Jones said.
Since the breach, one of the detainees was killed in a shootout with law enforcement and another was taken into custody in Texas, while a fourth remained at large.
The four detainees escaped through the roof of the Hinds County jail on April 21, according to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office. The men were discovered missing from the jail early the following day after a headcount, according to Jones. The men were pretrial detainees, meaning they were being held in prison while awaiting trial.
Grayson had been detained since mid-February and was charged with the sale of a controlled substance and grand larceny, according to Jones. The sheriff’s office received information last week that Grayson may have been in the New Orleans area, he said.
The discovery comes after one of the escaped detainees, 51-year-old Jerry Raynes, was captured in Spring Valley, Texas, in the Houston area, last week. He is in the process of being extradited to Mississippi, Jones said Tuesday.
Raynes had been in the Raymond Detention Center since January 2022 after being charged with auto theft and business burglary and has a history of escaping pretrial detention facilities, according to Jones. He faces additional charges of escape and auto theft, the sheriff said.
Another one of the escaped detainees — 22-year-old Dylan Arrington — was killed in a shootout with deputies at a residence in Leake County on April 26, according to Jones. Arrington had barricaded himself inside the home, which somehow became engulfed in flames during the standoff, Jones said.
While on the loose, Arrington was believed to be involved in a fatal carjacking in Jackson on April 24. The victim — identified as the Rev. Anthony Watts — was believed to have pulled over to help after someone crashed a motorcycle before he was fatally shot, authorities said.
Arrington had been in the detention center since April 13 after being charged with auto theft and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.
The fourth detainee was identified by the sheriff’s office as Corey Harrison, 22, who was charged with receiving stolen property and had been detained since April 7.
Jones said Tuesday that Harrison is believed to be affiliated with the Hinds County area but “I do not have an exact location on where he may be at this particular time.”
