In Brief: ‘Never Have I Ever’ drops final season trailer, and more

In Brief: ‘Never Have I Ever’ drops final season trailer, and more
In Brief: ‘Never Have I Ever’ drops final season trailer, and more

Netflix has dropped the first trailer for Never Have I Ever‘s upcoming fourth and final season. Mindy Kaling‘s coming-of-age dramedy follows the life of an Indian American teen and stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez and Ramona Young, with narration from John McEnroe. “Buckle up, nerds! Devi and the gang return for their senior friggin’ year,” reads the logline. As Devi, had seemingly gotten over her crush on Paxton and moved on to Ben, played respectively by Barnet and Lewison, it appears she will have a new distraction this season and his name is Ethan — played by Michael Cimino. Never Have I Ever, The Final Episodes, premieres June 8…(Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)

Deadline reports Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell is in talks to star alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters, a sequel to the 1996 disaster film Twister. The original film, starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, became a huge hit, earning nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office. Twisters is slated for a July 19, 2024 release…

Kevin Hart‘s action-comedy series Die Hart has gotten a third season renewal at Roku after season 2’s record-breaking premiere weekend, according to Variety. Die Hart 2: Die Harter nearly doubled the first season’s debut weekend audience on its March 31 weekend premiere, making it the No. 1 Roku Original TV series weekend premiere of all time by both unique views and streaming hour engagement, per to the streamer…

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NFL tight end Foster Moreau opens up on cancer diagnosis

NFL tight end Foster Moreau opens up on cancer diagnosis
NFL tight end Foster Moreau opens up on cancer diagnosis
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — NFL tight end Foster Moreau announced three weeks ago that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymph nodes.

The former Las Vegas Raiders player-turned-free agent was shopping for a new team and getting physical exams to assess his health and fitness when Dr. John Amoss, a team physician for the New Orleans Saints, saw a lump in Moreau’s neck.

“He sat me down and he goes, ‘You’ve heard of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, right?’ And I say, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘OK, well, from the tests that we see, that could be a strong possibility,'” the 25-year-old recalled to ABC News’ Good Morning America.

Additional testing confirmed Amoss’ suspicion, suddenly turning Moreau’s world upside down.

“I felt strong. I felt like I was running well. I mean, my offseason training was going just fine, and then he tells me something’s there that I could’ve never imagined and it rocks my world,” Moreau said.

He said for the first time in years, he cried in his mother’s arms.

“You know, it’s hard. It’s hard. And at a time where none of us could do anything other than be with loved ones and pray, she was instrumental,” Moreau said of his mother.

Before Amoss had taken a closer look at the lump in Moreau’s neck, the football player said he had noticed it before but didn’t think it could be cancer.

“I didn’t think it was anything. I thought I was coming down with a cold,” Moreau recalled.

Now, the 25-year-old encourages others to go see their doctors, even if they’re scared or don’t want to.

“I’d say to anyone who doesn’t want to get a checkup, afraid to see your doctor, afraid to take whatever test you’ve gotta take, it’s not gonna change the outcome, right? It’s better to know,” Moreau said.

Moreau said his doctors have given him a positive prognosis so far.

“It’s at stage 2, so it’s spread from the initial location. But it appears to be a slow spread and we should be able to get rid of all of it,” he said.

Moreau also feels it’s his responsibility to share his personal health journey publicly.

“This happens to everyone all the time in every walk of life every day. So for me to have the gall to think that I could get up here and be inspirational, I don’t think that I could do that. I think that there’s children in the children’s hospital that are far more inspirational. Truthfully, I’ve had some smart people in my corner who’ve told me, ‘Look, regardless, you’re gonna get up and you’re gonna inspire millions. And that’s just a part of what God’s put on your shoulders,'” he said.

He’s also tackling his upcoming cancer journey, which includes chemotherapy treatment, in the same way he approaches football.

“There’s no other way to look at it, right? So I’m preparing for my opponent, right? Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chemotherapy, I’m preparing for being on an IV, for six, seven, eight hours. Whatever it takes, right? Because I mean, there’s no other option. There’s no option,” Moreau said.

“You only have a finite amount of time on this Earth. For me, I’m gonna make it count. And right now, making it count is whuppin’ up on cancer’s butt,” he added.

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Drake Bell addresses his mystery disappearance

Drake Bell addresses his mystery disappearance
Drake Bell addresses his mystery disappearance
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

Drake Bell is speaking out after being declared missing on Thursday and then found later the same day.

He insists nothing was amiss.

Taking to social media, also on Thursday, the former Nickelodeon star joked about the situation, tweeting, “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?” He added the crying laughing emoji to the end of the post.

The tweet comes after authorities in Daytona Beach, Florida, said Bell was found safe on Thursday after police alerted the public hours earlier that the actor was “considered missing and endangered.”

“At this time we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe,” Daytona Beach police said Thursday afternoon.

There was no further information on where he was found or why he was considered missing.

The 36-year-old actor, whose legal name is Jared Bell, is best known for his role in Drake & Josh, which was a huge hit for Nickelodeon from 2004 to 2007. He has appeared in a variety of shows in guest roles since then and has had a recurring voice role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in animated shows such as Ultimate Spider-Man from 2012 to 2017, Avengers Assemble and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

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What to know about planning and pricing for domestic, international destinations as summer travel interest soars

What to know about planning and pricing for domestic, international destinations as summer travel interest soars
What to know about planning and pricing for domestic, international destinations as summer travel interest soars
Greg Bajor/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Airlines are already booking up for getaways abroad this summer and as Americans finalize travel plans, there are some important things to keep in mind.

With 75% of seats already sold on their aircrafts, Delta revealed that it has had to increase its number of international flights.

As search interest soars for summer travel, Expedia travel expert Melanie Fish told ABC News’ Good Morning America that their app has already seen “a 25% jump in flight searches over the summer” for popular domestic destinations alone, such as Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City.

“People are going back to cities, but we’re also seeing people interested in these more far-flung destinations,” Fish said.

June will likely mark peak prices for domestic travel and July for international destinations.

Hayley Berg, an economist for the travel booking app Hopper, told GMA that for anyone planning to travel domestically, “book now if you’re going to be traveling in May, June or July.”

“If you’re planning to travel at the end of the summer, think August, early September and Labor Day,” Berg said. “You have a few more weeks to find the best deals.”

London, Paris, New Zealand, Japan and Vietnam are among the most popular international destinations. But Berg suggested finding cheaper destinations or nearby arrival cities for less.

“Most travelers headed to a bucket list vacation in Europe are going to consider the big cities Rome, Paris, London,” she said. “But Portugal is typically very inexpensive to fly in and out of.”

Bianca Signez plans to take her first international trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But she told GMA that increased airfare alone for peak summer travel has already left her “really disappointed.”

“I hear that July is a great time to go to Italy, which I’m excited about, but it’s also very pricey,” Signez said. “The flight alone will cost me a little over $1,000 — I think that’s the most I’ve ever spent on a flight before.”

As airfare prices trend upwards, another option to get more bang for the buck could be to head for the high seas instead.

Cruise Critic shows that you can travel to Alaska between May and August for less than $115 per night per person, with some ships selling spots as low as $37. Meanwhile, average fares for cruises to Mexico are less than $100 per night for most of the summer.

When it comes time to plan domestic travel, experts suggested booking airfare 21 to 60 days out and at least three months in advance for international airfare.

Last year, average ticket prices were around 8% lower during these same time frames, compared to 60 to 90 days out.

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Boycotts rarely work, experts say amid Bud Light anti-trans backlash

Boycotts rarely work, experts say amid Bud Light anti-trans backlash
Boycotts rarely work, experts say amid Bud Light anti-trans backlash
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Fresh calls to boycott Bud Light volley across social media nearly two weeks after a product endorsement from Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, set off backlash among some prominent conservatives.

Far-right House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Wednesday reposted a video for her 700,000 Twitter followers that featured a rapper in a pro-Trump hoodie burning empty Bud Light boxes. Celebrities Kid Rock and Ted Nugent previously voiced similar messages.

The boycott, which coincides with a conservative push in state legislatures nationwide to restrict LGBTQ rights, is the latest in a string of efforts among advocates on the left and right to damage the bottom line of companies deemed anathema to a given group’s views.

However, the campaigns rarely succeed in hurting a company’s sales or influencing its decision making, experts told ABC News, adding that they expect the calls to boycott Bud Light to ultimately fade away with little consequence for the brand’s parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev.

“The vast majority of boycott calls fail,” Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business who studies consumer movements, told ABC News.

“They fail because you need people to have a sustained and coordinated response,” he added. “Most people fall back on what is convenient and inexpensive.”

Anheuser-Busch InBev did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Since April 1, when Mulvaney posted an Instagram video promoting Bud Light, the price of Anheuser-Busch InBev stock has fallen about 3%.

It is difficult, however, to assess the financial impact of the boycott campaign, since many factors influence a company’s performance, said Allyson P. Brantley, a history professor at the University of La Verne and author of Brewing a Boycott, told ABC News.

“With consumer boycotts, it’s really hard to figure out if they’re making an impact on a company’s bottom line,” Brantley said. “Generally, consumer boycotts don’t really work.”

Budweiser has promoted itself as an LGBTQ-friendly brand for decades, Brantley said, adding that the brand had previously drawn ire from prominent conservatives in response to such marketing.

“The company has spent a lot of money and time trying to win that market,” she said. “It’s probably something they anticipated because they’ve faced this kind of backlash before.”

Politically motivated consumer boycotts typically pass with little consequence because participants become distracted by a different cause and revert back to old consumption habits, according to Schweitzer.

“Boycotts for different things displace the old calls for boycotts,” he said. “The news cycle keeps spinning so quickly.”

The boycott against Bud Light faces a further challenge because it follows an LGBTQ-friendly ad that may encourage sympathetic consumers to buy more of the product, offsetting or even exceeding the protest, the experts said.

“The benefits of appealing to one audience may outweigh the costs of another audience,” Schweitzer said.

In some cases, however, boycotts succeed because advocates remain focused for a prolonged period and a target proves sensitive to the pressure, experts said.

In 2019, celebrities Ellen Degeneres and George Clooney called for a boycott of Brunei-owned hotels worldwide because the country punished gay sex and adultery with the death penalty.

Ultimately, Brunei decided not to impose the death penalty for offenders of the anti-gay law.

A successful boycott “requires people to be quite passionate about something,” Schweitzer said.

Mulvaney responded to the backlash in an interview on the podcast “Onward with Rosie O’Donnell.”

“I have tried to be the most uncontroversial person this past year, and somehow, it has made me controversial still,” Mulvaney said.

She continued, “I think it comes back to the fact that these people don’t understand me, and anything that I do or say then somehow gets taken out of context and used against me. And it’s so sad, because everything I try to put out there is positive.”

Matt Tumminello, president of LGBTQ marketing firm Target 10, says brands have been marketing to queer consumers for decades — and it’s a smart business strategy to be encouraged.

“This is what America looks like, and so from a business perspective, time and again, marketing studies prove that being culturally inclusive, culturally resonant, reflecting the true fabric of America drives business and drives sales,” Tumminello told ABC News.

“From a societal standpoint, I think we know that this is the right thing to do. Because visibility breeds isolation, and that’s a dangerous thing, especially for young people,” he added.

LGBTQ advocates applauded companies that have used their platforms to support the community despite political attacks. LGBTQ people are their customers too, they say.

“The best that brands can do is be ready to stand up and defend and to talk about why they did what, why their marketing plans are inclusive, and why that really matters,” said Eric Bloem, Human Rights Campaign senior director of Programs and Corporate Advocacy, in an interview with ABC News.

Pride events across the country have long been sponsored by corporations and brands across industries, from airlines to banks to department stores to beauty brands and so on.

“Progress like this often comes with backlash, but it’s important to remember that at the end of the day, transgender people are your friends, family members, neighbors, business owners, and simply everyday Americans,” said Ash Orr, a spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality, in a statement to ABC News.

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Friend of detained journalist Evan Gershkovich: ‘We need to make sure he feels he’s not alone, he’s not forgotten’

Friend of detained journalist Evan Gershkovich: ‘We need to make sure he feels he’s not alone, he’s not forgotten’
Friend of detained journalist Evan Gershkovich: ‘We need to make sure he feels he’s not alone, he’s not forgotten’
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich felt “slight unease” about reporting in Russia, but believed it was his professional duty to remain in the country to “tell the world what was going on,” his close friend, Pjotr Sauer, said in an interview with ABC News’ Kanya Whitworth.

“Evan was accredited with the foreign ministry. He had all the right papers. He was allowed to be there. And he always told me, you know, as long as I’m accredited, as long as I am able to do my work, I will be reporting on Russia,” said Sauer, a Russian affairs correspondent for The Guardian.

Gershkovich was arrested nearly two weeks ago in Russia on espionage charges that the U.S. adamantly denies. On Monday, the State Department officially designated the Moscow-based journalist as wrongfully detained, and a top U.S. hostage negotiator is now on the case. President Joe Biden spoke to Gershkovich’s family on Tuesday while heading overseas on Air Force One.

Gershkovich’s parents said in a statement they were “encouraged” by both the State Department announcement and Biden’s call.

“There is a hole in our hearts and in our family that will not be filled until we’re reunited,” the statement said.

Sauer and Gershkovich met when they both worked at the Moscow Times. Sauer said they would often talk about the political danger of reporting in Russia after the start of the war, adding that Gershkovich told him “he felt sometimes he was being followed.” Sauer, who left Russia, said he was “devastated” after learning of his friend’s arrest.

“No one could imagine Russia would go this far and accuse him of these bogus charges of espionage,” Sauer said.

“This is just a huge shock for us. This is unprecedented. No one could really see this coming. Russia hasn’t arrested a journalist on espionage charges since 1986,” Sauer said.

Gershkovich’s arrest prompted widespread outcry from Russian and international journalists around the world. The Wall Street Journal said in a statement it “vehemently denies” the allegations against their reporter. More than three dozen of the world’s top media organizations called for his release in a letter to Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

Sauer stressed the importance of keeping Gershkovich’s name in the news as his case is pending, which could take months. Sauer is also helping to lead an effort to send letters of support to Gershkovich as he remains detained.

“We need to make sure he feels he’s not alone, he’s not forgotten. And I’m sure eventually, you know, everything will be fine and we’ll get him out,” Sauer said.

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Discord admins describe ‘hyperactive kid’ who they say helped spread images of classified docs

Discord admins describe ‘hyperactive kid’ who they say helped spread images of classified docs
Discord admins describe ‘hyperactive kid’ who they say helped spread images of classified docs
Carol Yepes/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The classified U.S. intelligence documents that authorities believe were leaked in a Discord channel by a member of the Massachusetts Air Force National Guard who was arrested Thursday may have made it to the wider internet through the actions of a different young Discord user who shared them further, according to the administrator of another channel.

The admin, who goes by the username Krralj, told ABC News that he and other admins on the “wow mao” Discord server where some of the documents were shared in March spoke with a user with the name Lucca who shared the documents there after originally seeing them on another server.

FBI agents on Thursday arrested National Guard member Jack Teixeira, 21, in connection with the original leaked documents.

“Today’s arrest exemplifies our continued commitment to identifying, pursuing, and holding accountable those who betray our country’s trust and put our national security at risk,” the FBI said in a statement.

Krralj told ABC News in an interview that when he realized the material had been posted to a Discord chat server dedicated to a YouTube creator with some 243,000 subscribers, he scrambled to contain the damage.

“We were trying to damage control — get rid of the files,” Krralj, who told ABC News he is a 21-year-old college student in the Balkans, said. “Very, very quickly the chat was purged of all the messages. Afterwards, the entire chat itself was deleted.”

“We didn’t even want the documents to be spread … we don’t want to spread dangerous documents to danger lives of people,” he said.

ABC News has not verified Krralj’s real name or specific location.

After images of the documents were shared on the “wow mao” server in early March, the documents appeared on March 4 on another Discord server dedicated to the online game Minecraft, and later, on April 5, spread much wider, appearing on the website 4chan and on a pro-Russian Telegram channel.

Krralj described Lucca as young, and said he was one of the more active users in the community, adding that he was even on the server while in school during the day. He said that Lucca had been a member of the group before he joined in 2021.

“He was still like, a little kid on the server. He was a good kid, you know? He’s mid to late teens. And like he was, he’s always active … He joined the voice call to listen … when he was in school,” Krralj said.

“He is a hyperactive kid and he wants to tell everyone everything all the time,” he added.

ABC News is withholding Lucca’s name. When reached for comment, Lucca’s father told ABC News, “I am not going to talk. Please be respectful, we are dealing with kids.”

According to Krralj and other channel members, most on the server ignored the photos of the documents when they were initially posted, assuming they weren’t legitimate.

“We all thought they were fake,” Krralj said.

A review of publicly available content on the server where images of the alleged documents were posted points to pervasive racism, antisemitism and references to sexual violence. As in many niche online communities, this group appears to have a language of its own and it is difficult to discern sincere statements from ironic ones.

When asked about the content on the server, Krralj did not deny that there are members who have far right and racist views. He went on to describe the community as “a bunch of s— posters” who are “clinically online and spend way too much time on the internet.”

Asked about the documents, another admin who goes by the username Dag told ABC News, “Management believed they were either fake, already leaked documents, or a combination of both.”

Dag, who also interacted with the user Lucca, said Lucca was “mainly posting memes, playing video games with people” but also “had an interest in the theological side of the server.”

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DeSantis signs Florida’s six-week abortion ban into law

DeSantis signs Florida’s six-week abortion ban into law
DeSantis signs Florida’s six-week abortion ban into law
Chris duMond/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — A six-week abortion ban that replaces Florida’s 15-week ban was signed into law Thursday night by Gov. Ron DeSantis, after the state House of Representatives passed the bill earlier in the day.

“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families.”

DeSantis had said he would sign a six-week ban should it be sent to his desk.

The White House on Thursday called the bill “extreme and dangerous,” adding that the ban “flies in the face of fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all the United States.”

The ban prohibits all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. The ban makes exceptions for when the woman’s life or health is at risk and cases of rape or incest, under certain conditions. Even with its current ban in place, Florida has fewer restrictions compared to nearby states.

The bill passed by a vote of 70 to 40. It passed in the Senate last week.

There are four conditions in which physicians can provide abortions under the ban.

To provide abortion care under the law’s exceptions, two physicians would have to certify in writing that the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman, according to the law. This does not including psychological conditions.

If two physicians are not available, one physician would have to certify in writing that there is a medical necessity for the legitimate emergency medical procedure to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function and certify another physician is not available for consultation, the law states.

Abortions will also be permitted in cases where the pregnancy has not progressed to the third trimester and two physicians certify in writing that the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality, according to the law.

The fourth condition according to the law in which physicians can provide abortions is if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest and the gestational age of the fetus is not more than 15 weeks, as determined by a physician. At the time the woman schedules or arrives for her abortion appointment, she must provide a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record or other court order or documentation proving that she is a victim of rape or incest.

Physicians will be required to report incidents of rape or incest in minors to the central abuse hotline, according to the law.

Only physicians will be allowed to provide abortion services.

Anyone who performs or actively participates in an abortion outside these rules commits a felony of the third degree. If the abortion results in the death of the woman, the crime becomes a second-degree felony.

Abortion pills must also be disbursed in person by physicians, prohibiting abortions over telehealth visits and prohibiting the delivery of abortion pills by mail. Physicians must also be physically present in the same room as the woman when the termination of pregnancy is performed or when dispensing abortion pills.

The ban would go into effect if the Florida Supreme Court upholds the 15-week ban, which is being challenged by the Center for Reproductive Rights and other groups.

“Across the country, pregnant people are being pushed to the brink of death because they can’t get an abortion,” Elisabeth Smith, director of state policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “Yet Florida lawmakers have rushed this dangerous ban through the legislature with no concern for their citizens and how it will harm them. This bill threatens to end abortion almost entirely amid a growing public health crisis. If this ban takes effect, Floridians would be stranded in a vast abortion desert and forced to travel over 1,000 miles to get an abortion.”

“No one should have to face that, and many people will not be able to make that journey,” Smith added.

New data shared with FiveThirtyEight indicates that over 66,000 people couldn’t get an abortion in their home state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. Florida, however, surged in abortions in the wake of the ruling with people from other Southern states visiting, according to the data.

In anticipation of the ban passing, abortion providers in Florida told ABC News they’ve seen a flood of patients from other states.

“Literally every clinic session we are seeing patients from other states. Every time I’m in the health center, there is a patient — at least one if not multiple — from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, all over the Southeast, who traveled hundreds of miles to get their health care,” Dr. Sujatha Prabhakaran told ABC News.

In turn, it’s created a domino effect where women in Florida are unable to get appointments in their home state.

“That means that patients in those centers are having to travel,” Prabhakaran said. “They’re not able to access care in a timely way in their own communities. So, then they’re having to travel further south to access care in Florida.”

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Recycling plant fire fully extinguished, evacuation order still underway, Indiana officials say

Recycling plant fire fully extinguished, evacuation order still underway, Indiana officials say
Recycling plant fire fully extinguished, evacuation order still underway, Indiana officials say
KeithBinns/Getty Images

(RICHMOND, Ind.) — A large fire at an Indiana recycling plant is now fully extinguished, officials said Thursday, while an evacuation order for more than 2,000 residents remains in place.

“The fire has been fully extinguished ahead of schedule,” Richmond Mayor Dave Snow tweeted. “We’re now able to turn our attention to collecting air and water samples to determine when the evacuation order can be lifted.”

Any resident within a half-mile radius of the plant in Richmond, Indiana, was ordered to evacuate due to the “large industrial fire” on Tuesday afternoon, local officials said.

The evacuation zone impacts approximately 2,011 residents, according to a representative from the Wayne County Emergency Management Office. Officials haven’t given residents the all-clear to return to their homes.

Anyone downwind of the incident should shelter in place, according to officials.

Officials on Thursday set up transportation for residents to quickly go back to their homes to get medication or any other needs. Those who go to their residences will be escorted by law enforcement, have to wear an N95 mask and will only have a short amount of time to enter, according to Snow.

“The smoke is definitely toxic,” Indiana State Fire Marshal Stephen Jones had previously told reporters during a press briefing. “We don’t want the residents in the smoke. As the wind changes, we may change the direction of the evacuations.”

A firefighter who responded to the scene injured his ankle after he fell down a ravine, according to Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown. He was treated at a local hospital and has since been released.

A second firefighter was also injured Wednesday night while they were assisting and was overcome by heat, according to Brown. The firefighter was treated and released.

The fire was reported sometime after 2 p.m. local time Tuesday and has since been contained, Brown said. The fire is expected to burn for several days, Jones said, who also confirmed that they are conducting air monitoring.

The plant, located near the Indiana-Ohio border, is owned in part by the city of Richmond and in part by a private citizen, according to Brown.

“He has been warned several times,” the city fire chief told reporters Tuesday. “We have an unsafe citation that was issued to him. We don’t know exactly when that was but we were aware of the situation and we were dealing with the situation.”

At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Snow was adamant that the business owner will be held accountable.

The building is the former Hoffco/Comet Industries plant, which produced lawn and garden products for 60 years before closing in 2009, according to a situation report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The facility now processes recyclables, including plastics, according to Jones.

“There’s a host of different chemicals plastics give off when they’re on fire, so it’s concerning,” the state fire marshal told reporters Tuesday.

Brown said the property is about 14 acres and there is plastic everywhere. There are piles of plastic both inside and outside the buildings and semi-trailers filled with plastic. When asked how much is estimated to have burned, Brown said he estimates about 13 ½ acres of the property have burned.

During a telephone interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Snow called the fire a “worst-case scenario” and voiced concern for the air quality in the city, which is home to more than 35,000 people.

“This is something we never wanted to see happen,” Snow said.

“We want everyone to limit their exposure to that black smoke and stay far away from the area,” he added. “Not only is it a dangerous area right now … limiting your exposure to this black smoke is the best thing for your health.”

A community help line will be established, and Richmond Community Schools were closed Wednesday.

Jason Sewell of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told ABC News Thursday that samples have tested positive for chrysotile asbestos. The agency is urging residents who may have debris in their front yards to not mow the grass over fears asbestos in the debris may get kicked up into the air.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters that the agency was on the ground in Richmond within hours of the fire and began monitoring at 15 mobile locations.

“The EPA team is on the ground and will collect debris samples in surrounding communities to determine whether asbestos-containing materials may have been left at the site,” Regan said Wednesday.

Richmond resident Aaron Stevens told ABC News that he saw a “huge pillar of smoke” and heard “explosions and pops” from his home, located roughly a half mile from the plant.

“There is an odor, a burning odor,” Stevens said. “What is more disheartening is the fact that I’m hearing explosions and pops this far away.”

Stevens’ home is located within the evacuation zone, though he said he has opted not to leave because he is hobbled by a knee injury. The police officer and school board member said he has a plan if he gets another evacuation alert.

“If it gets to the point where I realize that this is really going to be unsafe, I’m within just a minute or two away from having someone come and get me,” Stevens said.

Richmond resident Brad Walton described what smelled like burning tires from his home, located about 5 miles from the fire.

“It’s just not a good smell,” Walton told ABC News, adding that he could see the smoke plume in Hamilton, Ohio, roughly 35 miles away.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 4/13/23

Scoreboard roundup — 4/13/23
Scoreboard roundup — 4/13/23
iStock

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 9, Boston 3
Baltimore 8, Oakland 7
Minnesota 11, NY Yankees 2
Detroit 3, Toronto 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 6, Philadelphia 2
Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 0
Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Vegas 3, Seattle 1
Columbus 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT)
Toronto 3, NY Rangers 2
Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 0
Buffalo 4, Ottawa 3 (OT)
Carolina 6, Florida 4
Boston 5, Montreal 4
New Jersey 5, Washington 4 (OT)
Nashville 4, Minnesota 3 (OT)
Dallas 1, St. Louis 0
Colorado 4, Winnipeg 2
Philadelphia 5, Chicago 4 (OT)
Edmonton 5, San Jose 2
Vancouver 5, Arizona 4 (OT)
Los Angeles 5, Anaheim 3

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