Shazam: Fury of the Gods topped the North American box office with an estimated $30.5 million, but the DC Comics sequel failed to match its predecessor’s 53.5-million-dollar opening gross four years ago. Overseas, Fury of the Gods — starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou, and Helen Mirren — added an estimated $35 million from 77 markets for a global haul of $65.5 million.
Scream VI dipped to second place, grabbing an estimated $17.5 million and bringing the sequel’s two-week domestic tally to $76 million. The horror film tacked on an estimated $40 million internationally, bringing its global total to $116 million.
Hanging on to third place was Creed III, delivering an estimated $15.3 million release. The third Creed movie, in its third week of release, has grabbed $127.7 million at the domestic box office, topping both its predecessors, which generated $109 million and $115 million respectively.
The prehistoric thriller 65 took fourth place with an estimated $8.5 million, for a two-week total of $22.4 million at the North American box office.
Rounding out the top five was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, adding an estimated $4.1 million. To date, Ant-Man 3 has collected $205 million domestically, ahead of the first film’s $180 million, but behind the 2018 sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s $216 million. Quantumania‘s $462 million global tally is also tracking well below the first Ant-Man‘s $519 million and the follow-up’s $622 million.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rick Allen, the drummer of Def Leppard, issued a statement exclusively to ABC News on Sunday in response to being violently assaulted in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week.
“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren [Monroe] was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space,” the statement said, adding they are focused on “healing for everyone involved.”
“We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy,” the statement continued. “We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people. To all of the fans, veterans and first responders in our global community, we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times.
Police arrested Ohio teenager Max Hartley, 19, after he allegedly attacked the 59-year-old drummer outside of the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale on March 13, a day after the band played at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, according to authorities.
Allen, who lost his arm in an accident in 1984 and has played the drums with one arm ever since, hit his head after Hartley allegedly came up from behind and threw him to the ground, according to a police report reviewed by ABC News.
A woman who reportedly tried to interfere in the incident was also allegedly attacked by Hartley, who began hitting her and dragging her by her hair, according to police.
Hartley was caught shortly after the incident and has since been charged with four counts of criminal mischief, a felony; one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of aggravated battery, according to a Fort Lauderdale police incident report.
(SCARSDALE, N.Y.) — Five minors have been killed in a crash after a vehicle veered off a highway in Westchester, New York, according to officials.
The victims, four boys and a girl, ranged in age from 8 to 17 years old, according to a news release from Westchester County Public Safety.
The Nissan Rogue the children were traveling in struck a tree and caught fire after it veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway near the Mamaroneck Road exit in Scarsdale around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, officials say.
A 9-year-old boy survived the accident, officials say.
Investigators believe a 16-year-old was driving the car, according to the release. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, officials said.
The victims are from Connecticut, police said. Their identifications will be released after next of kin are notified.
The full circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the Westchester County Police Department.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — In an exclusive ABC News interview, former Vice President Mike Pence expressed dissatisfaction with the possible arrest of former President Donald Trump and expanded on pointed remarks regarding his former boss and the Capitol insurrection — as well as his vision for the future of the country as he mulls a potential 2024 presidential bid.
In a sit-down in Des Moines, Iowa, that aired Sunday, Pence told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that Trump’s handling of Jan. 6 was one of the reasons the country and, perhaps more pointedly, Republicans need a “fresh start.”
“The president’s wrong. He was wrong that day and … I had actually hoped that he would come around in time, Jon, that he would see that the cadre of legal advisers that he surrounded himself with had led him astray,” Pence said after Karl played a clip of Trump defending the rioters. “But he hasn’t done so and it’s, I think, it’s one of the reasons why the country just wants a fresh start.”
Pence, who has been traveling across the country and recently released a memoir, has not been shy in suggesting that his party should be looking elsewhere for candidates for the White House, repeatedly saying he’s confident there will be “better choices” than Trump even as he says he has not yet made a decision about running himself.
He told Karl that any hypothetical support for Trump in the 2024 race is “yet to be seen” — though he wouldn’t rule it out while once again indicating there will be other options for the American people.
“We’re going to decide as a family whether we offer ourselves as one of them, but I think different times call for different leadership,” Pence said.
“I think the American people long for leadership at the highest level that’s focused on the issues that are affecting their lives. And also, I think they longed for leadership that will keep faith with our highest traditions,” he said.
But he remained vague about when, specifically, he might announce. He has said that he and his family hope to come to a decision by the spring but when Karl followed up, he demurred, only adding that he’s getting “closer” amid “prayerful consideration.”
Jan. 6 accountability
Since leaving office in 2021, Pence has worked to separate himself from Trump regarding the violence of Jan. 6 and the related push to overturn the 2020 presidential election. At the same time, he has said he remains proud of the administration’s work and legislative accomplishments — on lowering taxes, on military spending, on the border and more — which he reiterated in his ABC News interview, only days after again rebuking Trump’s choices around the Capitol attack.
Speaking at the white-tie Gridiron Dinner in Washington, Pence said earlier this month that “history will hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6.”
While the event wasn’t recorded, his quotes were published by journalists present — and he went further in his “This Week” interview.
“We all face the judgment of history, and I believe in the fullness of time that history will hold Donald Trump accountable for the events of Jan. 6, as it will other people that were involved,” he said.
Karl asked him: “In what ways?”
“Well it will be the judgment of history, I truly believe it. And I also think the American people will also have their say,” Pence said. “I mean the president is now a candidate for office again, he’s running for election, but as I go around the country, I’m convinced the American people have learned the lessons of that day.”
Pence said he had his own strong feelings about what happened but seemed to set that aside for a broader message as he weighs a potential campaign.
“I was angry that day. And while I believe in forgiveness, I’ve been working hard at that for a while. The president let me down that day. … but be honest with you, the emotions of that day, the emotion since, I just haven’t had time for it. To me, there’s just too many issues that we’re facing this country today under the failed policies of this [Biden] administration that I don’t have a lot of time for looking backwards.”
When pressed by Karl if he still finds Trump to be a man of his word, Pence conceded that he holds some disappointment in Trump personally, despite believing the pair delivered on their administration’s promises.
“One issue after another, I saw the president keep the word that he made to the American people and I was proud those four years to stand with him. And I know that grates on some people in the national media, Jon,” Pence said.
“As I wrote in my book, I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration,” he said, though he acknowledged, “It didn’t end well, ended in controversy.”
Karl returned to the question: “I’m not asking you about the record. I’m asking you about the man.”
“I was deeply disappointed with the president’s words and conduct in the days leading up to Jan. 6 and on Jan. 6. … And I continue to be disappointed in the fact that the president has not seen his way clear to know that by God’s grace, we did our duty that day,” he said.
What happened at the Capitol turned into a breaking point, Pence said, despite his private conversations with Trump.
“When the president committed to a peaceful transfer of power [right after Jan. 6], when he condemned the violence at the Capitol, I thought we were back on track and in the week that followed we would we spoke, I was very direct with him about my experience, and my view of it, and my belief that I’d done my duty, and we parted amicably and respectfully,” he said. “But in the months that followed, he returned to that that same rhetoric he was using before Jan. 6, rhetoric that continues much up to this day, and that’s why we’ve gone our separate ways.”
In response to Pence’s Gridiron remarks, Trump told reporters that Pence shoulders some blame for the riot due to his refusal as president of the Senate to halt the certification of the presidential election results.
Trump also knocked Pence’s lagging popularity in surveys of Republican primary voters.
“I heard his statement, and I guess he decided that being nice isn’t working because he’s at 3% in the polls, so he figured he might as well not be nice any longer,” Trump told a group of reporters aboard his plane en route to Iowa last week.
GOP fissures on Ukraine
Trump is not the only other Republican with whom Pence has found noted disagreement. On Russia’s invasion, he contrasted his view with that of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans like him who voice skepticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine as they fend off Russia’s invasion.
DeSantis recently called the invasion a “territorial dispute.” Pence stressed to Karl that he feels it is crucial to stand with the Ukrainians.
“The war in Ukraine is not a territorial dispute. It’s a Russian invasion. It’s just the latest instance of Russia attempting to redraw international lines by force,” he said, “and the United States of America must continue at a quickened pace to provide the Ukrainian military the support that they need to repel the Russian invasion, and the stakes are that high.”
Though he has said that there’s no room in the GOP for “Putin apologists,” Pence did not further criticize DeSantis by name. However, he did add that “there are voices in our party that don’t see a vital American interest in Ukraine, but I see it differently,” and he said he found DeSantis’ perspective on the matter “wrong.”
Karl asked Pence how he felt about Trump’s own recent Ukraine comments, calling for a cease-fire that might preserve the current status quo, with Russia in control of some Ukrainian land.
“Whether it’s President Trump or others in our party around the country, there are those who see some choice before us other than giving Ukraine the ability to fight and win against the Russian invasion. I believe it’s imperative that we stand firm,” Pence said, “that we continue to provide the Ukrainian military the resources that they need to repel the Russian invasion. And that will be the fastest way to secure peace and stability in Ukraine and in Eastern Europe.”
A potential Trump arrest
There is one major area where Pence and Trump see eye-to-eye: Trump’s possible arrest.
On his social media platform Saturday morning, Trump claimed that he would be taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into alleged hush money paid to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump also called for his supporters to protest.
He has denied wrongdoing, including denying having an affair with Daniels, but has admitted he paid her — once defending it as “very common among celebrities and people of wealth.”
A Trump spokesperson appeared to walk back his arrest comments in a subsequent statement this weekend, saying in part that there had been no notification that Trump’s potential arrest was coming on Tuesday and that “Trump is rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system.”
Pence echoed that to Karl.
“It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here. And I, for my part, I just feel like it’s just not what the American people want to see,” he said.
He said he believes Trump is “innocent until proven guilty.”
Karl asked Pence about his reaction to Trump calling for protests should he be taken into custody — which echoed Trump’s push for protests leading up to and during Jan. 6
Pence did not disavow Trump’s call, citing that “the American people have a constitutional right to peaceably assemble” though he stressed that any demonstration should occur “peacefully and in a lawful manner.”
ABC News has not verified Trump’s claims.
While Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office had no comment, he wrote in an email to staff obtained by ABC News that “we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
“I know that President Trump can take care of himself and — and this process will play out, if in fact an indictment comes down,” Pence told Karl. “But I just have to tell you that the politicization that we see … is deeply troubling to millions of Americans who want to see the equal treatment before the law.”
(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday pushed back on former President Donald Trump over his call to protest his potential arrest related to paying the adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“Violence is never the right answer, and I always worry about it. But this is another case of Donald Trump just trying to advance the interests of Donald Trump, not of the rest of the nation,” Warren, D-Mass., told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
“Let’s be clear about what’s going on here: No one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States, and if there has been an investigation, and that investigation should be allowed to go forward appropriately, if it’s time to bring indictments, then they’ll bring indictments,” Warren said. “That’s how our legal system works.”
In a statement on social media on Saturday, Trump claimed he would be arrested on Tuesday and that his supporters should protest to “take our nation back.” A spokesperson later walked some of that back, saying the former president was merely “highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system” and that there was no notification of an imminent arrest.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating whether Trump’s payment to Stormy Daniels — to allegedly cover up what Daniels claimed was an affair with Trump — constituted a violation of campaign finance law amid the 2016 election.
While Bragg’s office had no comment on Trump’s social media post, Bragg wrote in an email to staff obtained by ABC News that “we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
Trump has denied wrongdoing, including having an affair with Daniels, but has admitted he paid her, once defending it as “very common among celebrities and people of wealth.”
On “This Week” on Sunday, Warren said Trump was wrong to claim political persecution, a view echoed by his former vice president, Mike Pence, in a separate “This Week” sit-down.
“There’s no reason to protest this. This is the law operating as it should, without fear or favor for anyone,” Warren said.
Much of her interview was focused on the financial industry in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which led to the federal government stepping in to ensure all depositors at SVB received their money.
Karl pressed Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, on any consequences she believes should be meted out, including criminal charges, and whether she had learned from regulators if any other institutions were at risk.
She declined to speak about “private conversations” but said, “Let me be clear about what I’m calling for right now: I’m calling for an independent investigation of the [Federal Reserve] and the whole regulatory system here. The Fed doesn’t just get to do it.”
“Do you think we could see criminal charges?” Karl asked.
“It depends. … The Department of Justice has opened an investigation. I think that’s appropriate for them to do. We’ll see where the facts take them. But we’ve got to take a close look at this,” she said.
Warren reiterated her anger with what she described as the cycles of banking busts and bailouts and said it was time for the government to impose regulations on banks that are not among the biggest in the country but still hold billions of dollars in assets.
“I’m also calling on Congress … to roll back the ability of the Fed to weaken regulations and calling for these CEOs to be held accountable so that we have laws in place to get claw-backs of their bonuses, of their giant salaries. And, when you explode a bank, you ought to be banned from banking forever,” she said.
In particular, she singled out the recent history of lessening regulations on banks like SVB, urged on by executives like former President and CEO of SVB Greg Becker, who had played down the danger to the broader economy, she said.
Just days before his bank’s collapse, Becker sold more than $3.5 million of his company stock holdings while publicly appearing confident to investors, ABC News previously reported. (Becker has not responded to multiple requests for comment from ABC.)
“These big multibillion-dollar banks loaded up on risk, they boosted their short-term profits, they gave themselves huge bonuses and big salaries and they exploded their banks. And so, where we stand now is now the federal government’s got to step back in and back up these multibillion-dollar banks,” Warren said on “This Week.”
“And I think there’s two halves to this: One half is the government is clearly doing that. But there are a lot of people saying, ‘Gee, if they’ve been so lightly regulated for such a long period, it’s important to look under the hood and see what’s happening with the other banks.'”
Warren, however, declined to go after some of her fellow Democrats for supporting a deregulatory bill in 2018, saying she had no problem with removing stress tests for community banks but that regulations should be reimposed on larger institutions.
“You got more than $50 billion? Then by golly, you ought to be subjected to stress tests and decent capital requirements and so on,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — Across the country, Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that restricts transgender health care for minors.
At least eight states have passed laws or policies restricting this care, and 23 more state legislatures are considering similar legislation of their own.
Medical experts say that understanding transgender identities, gender dysphoria and how gender-affirming treatments work is key to understanding the impact these bans may have on patients.
“When it becomes too political, it becomes more about paying attention to very short sentences, but not paying attention to nuance” said Dr. Hussein Abdul-Latif, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama with a special focus on gender care.
“And that’s unfortunate, because this is not something that is very simple.”
Why do people undergo gender-affirming care?
Gender-affirming care can help treat gender dysphoria, which refers to the stress of being in a body that doesn’t feel like one’s own, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition, which provides up-to-date information on mental health conditions.
People experiencing gender dysphoria may feel that their physical body does not match their inner sense of who they are or that they do not desire the gender identity typically associated with their assigned sex at birth.
This can cause distress, depression and anxiety, according to medical experts. However, being transgender is not a mental illness.
“There’s not a blood test, there’s not an MRI we can do to determine who’s … dealing with dysphoria,” said Dr. Andrew Goodman, the medical director for Callen-Lorde, a community health center in Manhattan that specializes in LGBTQ health care. “We have to listen to people, and to trust them and what they’re telling us.”
A national survey in 2015 by The National Center for Transgender Equality reported that of the more than 27,000 trans Americans who responded, 38% of them knew they were trans before 5 years old, and 60% knew they were trans before 10.
Is gender diversity a new concept?
No. There is documentation of gender diverse individuals in a wide range of cultures around the world throughout history, dating back centuries.
Medical treatment for gender dysphoria, as it’s known today, was introduced in the early to mid-1900s in Germany.
Modern gender-affirming care is based on “decades of clinical experience and research and, therefore, they are not considered experimental, cosmetic or for convenience,” per the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards of care.
What is gender-affirming care?
Gender-affirming care is about supporting someone’s identity, said Dr. Goodman. It helps align their physical appearance with their gender identity, and can include puberty blockers, hormone medications, and surgery.
Trans individuals often transition socially — by changing their name and pronouns, or dressing differently — before beginning any medications.
“I look for the need, the crisis… when the dysphoria really starts to intensify,” said Dr. Goodman, who explained this can be when a trans youth starts seeing puberty-related changes in their body.
Puberty blockers are used in people who have not started or completed puberty. Pausing puberty allows children to explore their gender identity without the growth of permanent sex characteristics, Dr. Abdul-Latif explained.
Puberty blockers mimic the body’s natural hormone, called GnRH, which suppresses the release of testosterone for biological males or estrogen for biological females, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
These are typically offered during the early stages of puberty, according to the Endocrine Society treatment guidelines. This stage of puberty can be determined by changes in the body such as enlargement in the testicles or breast bud formation. The average age for this developmental stage is 11-12 years old for biological males and 10-11 for biological females.
If these are stopped, a child will resume undergoing puberty with little to no proven side effects, according to medical experts ABC News spoke with.
Once kids are in the later stages of puberty, typically around the age of 15, they are no longer a candidate for puberty blockers and would transition to hormone therapy, explains Dr. Abdul-Latif. They are directly given estrogen or testosterone, based on their gender identity.
Changes from hormone therapy occur slowly and are less reversible, he explains, such as changes in voice and body hair.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines recommend a thorough biopsychosocial evaluation prior to initiation of hormone therapy, including a letter from a mental health professional, informed consent from the parents in accordance with national laws, and a thorough discussion of the risks and benefits with both patients and parents.
It’s not unusual for patients to stop hormone therapy and decide that they have transitioned as far as they wish, according to Abdul-Latif.
“A very important idea that I share with them is that they can change their mind anytime they want to, even when they start hormone therapy or puberty blockers,” Abdul-Latif said. “That is important for me to make sure that they are not continuing because of fearing that they will disappoint me. I certainly would not be disappointed. I’m there to serve them.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, gender-affirming surgery is only done on adolescents on a case-by-case basis. It does not come without risk, said Goodman, but for those experiencing severe distress with their body, surgery can be a major source of relief.
Surgeries include the removal of breast tissue, creating the appearance of breast tissue, or reconstructing of genitalia.
Is gender-affirming care safe?
All medications, surgeries or vaccines come with some kind of risk and gender-affirming care is no different, according to physicians. However, knowing the risks and benefits of treatment – and of not treating a condition – can help families make an informed decision.
“I never phrase the conversation [with patients] as this is totally benign…there are risks here. But the thing that we’re really considering is are these risks worth taking on because of the benefits? Because of the misery of dysphoria, because of how much it might be holding you back?” Goodman said.
“I can point to dozens of cases in my own practice where those risks absolutely were worth the benefits. We have made people’s lives tremendously better because we started hormones when they were at a young age.”
There is evidence of a slight reduction in bone mineral density for those on estrogen therapy for male to female transition. Dr. Abdul-Latif says he warns patients of this risk beforehand and if patients start to develop pain or weakness, dosing can be adjusted to lessen the effects.
Early research shows that testosterone therapy might increase cholesterol levels. However, a study published by the American Heart Association, has not demonstrated any evidence of increased cardiovascular risk.
Those receiving hormone therapy need routine lab monitoring and may require medication to manage their cholesterol.
Oral estrogen has been shown to increase risk of blood clots. When Dr. Abdul-Latif starts a patient on this medication, he strongly encourages patients not to smoke cigarettes as that can further increase risk of blood clots. Depending on the situation, he may switch to a non-oral form of estrogen as it carries less risk.
Estrogen therapy can decrease sperm count, so Dr. Abdul-Latif recommends trans women freeze their sperm before starting therapy. The long term effects of testosterone on fertility are still being studied, however this is discussed in detail before starting hormone therapy.
But those potential risks are often outweighed by the benefits.
Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary.
Transgender youth are more likely to experience anxiety, depressed mood and suicidal ideation and attempts, often due to gender-related discrimination and gender dysphoria.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy has been proven to improve the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It’s rare for people to reverse a transition after undergoing gender affirming care, according to research published in the journal LGBT Health. Research found that those who reverse their transition often do so because of pressures from family and social stigma.
Rates of regret for gender affirmation surgery are extremely low — research shows they hover around 1%. Rates of regret for knee and hip surgeries are significantly higher, studies show.
Ultimately, said Goodman, every trans child should be addressed individually.
“This is a purely medical decision between parents and families and physicians,” said Dr. Abdul-Latif. “It does not need interference and added pressure on a family that is already under pressure.”
(NEW YORK) — On the third anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic, public health experts can point to clear instances where the United States succeeded in beating back the virus and others where it didn’t.
Even as the virus continues to spread, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that weekly cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining, and the nation survived its first winter since the pandemic began without a true winter wave.
Public health experts said that while the U.S. government and federal health agencies succeeded in many aspects — including the rollout of vaccines and at-home tests — there are also lessons to be learned from mixed messaging.
“I think it’s important to remember that we lost millions and millions of lives and that we don’t forget all the things we’ve learned,” Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, a professor of medicine and the head of infection control for Mayo Clinic, told ABC News. “So learning is one thing but retaining that memory and being ready to come together to prevent another pandemic is really important.”
Speedy rollout of the vaccines
Experts agree that the development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines is one of the country’s biggest successes.
In April 2020, the Trump administration launched “Operation Warp Speed” to fast-track the development and production of COVID-19 vaccine, providing unlimited funding and other resources to pharmaceutical companies.
The majority of vaccines, from the first steps of academic research to arriving on the market, generally take 10 or more years to be available, experts said. However, researchers were able to perform several steps usually performed in a linear fashion simultaneously, allowing companies to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization and scale up production without lessening vaccine safety requirements.
“It really unlocked a new sort of a new era of vaccine,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor. “We’ve recognized that we can develop and deploy a vaccine in actually reasonably fast pace from identification of a new virus to actual first prototype.”
“For the first time, we recognize that there’s a lot of places that can be parallel process, so the process of manufacturing, and regulatory approval can happen relatively simultaneously,” he added.
Sampathkumar said another reason the vaccines were able to be developed so quickly is because the genome sequence, or the genetic makeup, of the virus was uploaded quickly to global databases.
“We really very quickly sequenced the virus from the first case being reported in China in late December to about seven weeks later, we have the entire sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was step towards making a vaccine,” she said. “For most previous viral epidemics, it took anywhere from six to 18 months to do that. So that very first step happened so quickly and set the stage for vaccine development.”
Additionally, the relatively new technology of messenger RNA, or mRNA, was used. While most vaccines use a weakened or inactivated virus to stimulate an immune response, mRNA vaccines teach the body how to make proteins that can trigger an immune response and fight off an infection.
Because researchers can design mRNA vaccines more quickly than they can produce the live or weakened pathogens needed for a traditional vaccine, mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 were quickly developed, tested, mass produced and delivered to the general population, preventing millions of hospitalizations and deaths, according to analyses.
At-home COVID tests available for everyone
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are considered the “gold standard” when it comes to COVID-19 testing. They look for genetic material from the virus and are considered to be very accurate.
However, in the early days of the pandemic, they had a very long turnaround time because samples must be sent to a laboratory and be analyzed by a medical professional.
Companies quickly began scaling up production of rapid at-home antigen tests, which check for antigens, or proteins on the surface of the virus.
While less accurate than PCR tests, these rapid tests are still considered quite accurate when used in people with symptoms of infection and can deliver results in 15 minutes or less.
Sampathkumar said the widespread use of at-home tests was “very amazing” because it was, for many Americans, the first time they were able to test themselves at home for a virus, compared to flu tests and strep tests that are often performed at doctors’ offices, urgent care centers or hospitals.
“When you think about it, when you’re feeling sick or when you’re infectious to others, it’s the worst possible time to expect you to go to a crowded clinic or hospital,” she said.
Last winter, the Biden administration launched a website where Americans could request free at-home rapid COVID tests delivered to their doorsteps.
“Making the tests available to every person living in the U.S., you could order the tests and have them delivered to your home for free was also a major step forward,” Sampathkumar said.
Mixed messaging
Experts say public health officials made missteps by having mixed messaging about preventive measures like masking.
In February and March 2020, officials including then Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and Dr. Anthony Fauci downplayed the need for the general public to wear masks.
However, in early April, the CDC changed its guidance and recommended that everyone wear a mask or face covering.
While reports have suggested the CDC and other officials delayed recommending masking because they were worried about causing a run on masks and other PPE supplies for health care workers, experts say this also means agencies didn’t provide the clear messaging that the public needed.
“I think that that kind of mixed messaging created enormous space for doubt enormous space for skepticism among the public,” Dr. Richard Keller, a professor in the department of medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told ABC News. “It created levels of uncertainty that were really unnecessary and deep and eventually became harmful.”
The experts say it’s normal for their understanding of a virus to evolve as more information is learned, but they noted that public health officials did not do a good job of communicating that process to the public.
“That was really made clear through the pandemic: our inability to communicate the nuance of science as the science was evolving,” Brownstein said. “That was really our Achilles heel because we were not able to explain to the public that a recommendation could change based on how the science evolves.”
People viewing COVID-19 deaths as victims’ fault
Keller said that as the pandemic has worn on, many Americans have come to view COVID-19 deaths as the fault of the victims and lost a sense of compassion.
Some of this may have been the fault of public health messaging including the Biden administration calling it a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” and stressing how much more likely people are to die of COVID if they don’t get vaccinated.
According to the CDC’s most recent estimates, people who are up to date on their vaccines have a nearly tenfold lower risk of dying compared to an unvaccinated person. Other risk factors include lower socioeconomic status and/or underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
“To label this a ‘pandemic at the unvaccinated’ suggests the people who are dying are dying because it’s their own fault,” Keller said. “I think that’s a harmful message because it does a couple of things.”
“It suggests that people are to blame for their own misfortune. It also mischaracterizes the true nature of mortality statistics as ti where people are dying and what their circumstances are,” he added.
(MOSCOW) — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be a significant moment, punching a hole in the international isolation that’s surrounded Putin since the start of his invasion of Ukraine and signaling China now sees far less need to publicly distance itself from Putin amid the war.
The two-day state visit will be Xi’s first trip to Russia since the war began and comes as Western countries are increasingly concerned China is moving to more actively support Moscow and play a more assertive role in shaping the conflict, at a moment when Ukraine is readying for a much-anticipated spring counteroffensive.
“This state visit in the middle of the war shows that Xi Jinping sees the relationship with Russia as absolutely quintessential, he will not be deterred or embarrassed by the fact that Russia conducts a genocidal war against Ukraine,” Alexander Gabuev, an expert on Russia-China relations at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told ABC News. “It’s a significant visit.”
Three weeks before the invasion Putin travelled to Beijing where he and Xi declared a “partnership with no limits.” But during the war, China in practice has observed substantial limits on the level of its support for Russia. It has pursued a difficult line: trying to present itself as neutral, while largely backing Putin’s narrative of the war, and quietly helping Russia weather sanctions and prop up its military with technology and parts.
But China has never abandoned its partnership with Russia, Gabuev said, and the visit in “a way is a step up” in its support.
“Throughout last year China has demonstrated that ties with Russia are absolutely normal and unabated despite Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Gabuev. He noted joint military exercises, as well as visits by senior Chinese and Russian officials, had taken place as scheduled.
A senior Kremlin aide on Friday said Xi and Putin would sign two joint declarations announcing “the deepening of relations of an all-round partnership and strategic cooperation, entering into a new era.”
China’s commitment to Russia will face fresh pressure following the International Criminal Court’s announcement Friday of an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges. The announcement casts an uncomfortable shadow over Xi’s trip: China is not party to the ICC and does not recognize the warrant, but an enthusiastic public embrace of Putin will again undermine Beijing’s efforts to present itself as neutral, just as it is pushing to be seen as a potential peacemaker.
The United States last month began warning it believes China is considering providing Russia with lethal aid for the war for the first time. The U.S. and its allies have already accused China of helping Russia source components under Western sanctions, such as computer chips, needed to keep its war machine going. China has denied it is considering sending lethal aid.
China in recent weeks has mounted a diplomatic offensive seeking to present itself as a potential peacemaker. Last month, China published a so-called “peace proposal” and after meeting Putin, Xi is reportedly expected to speak with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time by video call.
But the Chinese proposal in reality was not a plan but largely a vague restatement of principles that support Moscow’s framing of the conflict, experts said. Its key point was an immediate ceasefire that experts say would currently favor the Kremlin by locking in its territorial gains seized from Ukraine.
“China’s vague plan is aimed not at actually ending the war, but at impressing the developing world and rebutting accusations that Beijing has become a silent accomplice to Moscow,” Gabuev wrote in an article for Carnegie.
Gabuev said the peace proposal in reality was meant to provide “diplomatic cover” for Xi’s Moscow trip and support for Russia. The proposal, he said, also was intended to allow China to present itself to countries in the Global South as seeking peace, while in fact continuing to back Putin.
It’s “really just a fig leaf,” he said.
Ukrainian officials have said they believe the Chinese proposal follows Kremlin efforts to freeze the conflict as it stands that would leave it control of occupied areas without making concessions.
“I believe that all peace plans that provide for an immediate ceasefire and preservation of the current territorial status quo are exclusively a game in favor of the Russian Federation,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Zelenskyy told a Ukrainian media outlet in February.
“The 12-point ‘plan’ does not present any actual solutions. In fact, it merely reiterates Beijing’s standard talking points on the war in Ukraine – which are closely linked to its Russia-friendly perspective and its own strategic interests,” Alicja Bachulsk, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote last month.
“Beijing is not a neutral actor,” she wrote. Western countries have warned China it will face heavy sanctions if it moves to providing Russia with lethal aid. But experts said the economic support China is already providing is important in allowing the Kremlin to continue the war.
“For Beijing, the worst-case scenario for the end of the war in Ukraine is Russia’s complete failure and subsequent regime change. The Chinese leadership will go to great lengths to prevent this from happening.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence indicated that he is not challenging all aspects of the subpoena issued last month by special counsel Jack Smith in his probe of the failed attempt by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
Pence, who has argued that he is covered by the “speech and debate clause” that shields congressional officials from testimony related to their work, was pressed by ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on whether he was objecting to every topic area covered by the subpoena.
“We’re not asserting executive privilege, which may encompass other discussions,” Pence told Karl in a sit-down for “This Week.”
Pence has invoked the speech and debate clause because in his role in Congress’ certification of the vote on Jan. 6, 2021, he was acting as president of the Senate and was a legislative branch member.
“I just believe that the work that I did preparing for and conducting on my role as President of the Senate is covered by the speech and debate clause. I believe we have the law on our side,” he told Karl.
But according to Pence’s subpoena — which has been described to ABC News by sources familiar with the document — there are a number of items that do not relate to Pence’s duty certifying the election, including documents and communications relating to efforts to contest the 2020 election and relating to Trump’s Jan. 6 rally that led to the Capitol attack.
The subpoena also asks for any documents and communications Pence has related to efforts to install Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general, which critics say would have empowered Clark to pursue baseless allegations of voter fraud. Clark emerged as a key player in Trump’s efforts to leverage the powers of DOJ to find widespread corruption in the 2020 electoral process after it became clear that Joe Biden had won the election.
Sources tell ABC News that the special counsel also wants information from Pence related to Trump attorney John Eastman and any communications Pence may have had with him or involving him. Eastman drafted a plan for Trump to cling to power by falsely claiming that Pence could reject legitimate electors during the certification on Jan. 6.
Investigators also want to know whether Pence had any communications with state or local officials related to any claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
Pence has vowed to fight the subpoena to the Supreme Court, if necessary, telling Karl, “We’re going to respect the decisions of the court, and that may take us all the way to the highest court in the land.”
Trump, for his part, is challenging Pence’s subpoena as well, but on the basis of executive privilege. The court battles, which are taking place out of public view, are shrouded in secrecy due to the confidential nature of the grand jury.
Pence’s subpoena was issued after months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Pence’s legal team.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have liberated nearly 30,000 square miles of their territory from Russian forces since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, but Putin appeared to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 19, 1:13 AM EDT
Putin arrives in Mariupol, marking first visit to newly annexed territories
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol to inspect a number of locations in the city and talk to local residents, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday.
Putin travelled by helicopter to the Ukrainian city, which has been occupied since last year by Russians. He drove a vehicle along the city’s streets, making stops at several locations.
The visit was Putin’s first to newly annexed territories.
Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin reported to Putin about construction and restoration work. In the Nevsky area, a newly built residential area, Putin talked with residents. He went inside a home at the invitation of one of the families.
Putin also inspected the coastline of the city in the area of a yacht club, a theater building that was heavily bombed with civilians sheltering inside and other memorable places of the city.
-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova
Mar 18, 11:04 AM EDT
Putin visits Crimea on anniversary of annexation
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, one day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.
Putin visited an art school and a children’s center.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world denounced as illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded that Russia withdraw from the peninsula as well as the areas it has occupied since last year.
Putin has shown no intention of relinquishing the Kremlin’s gains. Instead, he stressed Friday the importance of holding Crimea. “Obviously, security issues take top priority for Crimea and Sevastopol now,” he said, referring to Crimea’s largest city. “We will do everything needed to fend off any threats.”
President Joe Biden called the arrest warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday by the International Criminal Court “justified,” though acknowledged it might not have strong teeth.
“Well, I think it’s justified,” Biden told reporters Friday evening. “But the question — it’s not recognized internationally, by us either. But I think it makes a very strong point.”
In a earlier statement on the warrant, the White House said it supports “accountability for perpetrators of war crimes.”
“There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in the statement.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Davone Morales
Mar 17, 2:35 PM EDT
Turkey agrees to start ratifying Finland’s NATO bid
Turkey is beginning the process of ratifying Finland’s application to join NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, 10 months after both Finland and Sweden applied to become NATO members in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“At a critical time for our security, this will make our alliance stronger and safer,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.
The breakthrough came as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto was in Ankara, Turkey, to meet with Erdogan.
Erdogan said Finland fulfilled its part of the agreements and therefore he saw no reason to further delay the ratification process. Erdogan did not provide an update on Sweden’s bid.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement, “We encourage Türkiye to quickly ratify Sweden’s accession protocols as well. In addition, we urge Hungary to conclude its ratification process for both Finland and Sweden without delay. … The United States believes that both countries should become members of NATO as soon as possible.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Mar 17, 11:54 AM EDT
ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying in a statement Friday that Putin is “allegedly responsible for the war crime of” unlawfully deporting children from occupied areas of Ukraine and bringing them to Russia.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, alleging she carried out the same war crime.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the arrest warrants “have no meaning for the Russian Federation” and “are legally null and void.”
Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, tweeted that the arrest warrants are “just the beginning.”
Mar 16, 12:15 PM EDT
Russia has committed ‘wide range of war crimes’ in Ukraine: UN-backed report
Russia has committed a “wide range of war crimes” and possible crimes against humanity in Ukraine, according to a new United Nations-backed investigation.
“The body of evidence collected shows that Russian authorities have committed a wide range of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in many regions of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation,” the human rights report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine stated. “Many of these amount to war crimes and include willful killings, attacks on civilians, unlawful confinement, torture, rape, and forced transfers and deportations of children.”
Additionally, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy-related infrastructure and use of torture “may amount to crimes against humanity,” the report concluded.
The commission said it conducted interviews with nearly 600 people, inspected graves, destruction and detention sites and consulted satellite imagery and photographs as part of its investigation.
Mar 16, 11:51 AM EDT
Poland to deliver MiG-29 jets to Ukraine ‘in the coming days’
Poland plans to deliver four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine “in the coming days,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said at a press conference on Thursday.
The latest news shortens the timeline announced earlier this week by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who had said they might send the Soviet-designed fighter jets to Ukraine in the next four to six weeks.
Mar 16, 11:08 AM EDT
225 Russians killed in last 24 hours in Bakhmut
Ukrainian forces have killed 225 Russian fighters and injured another 306 in the past 24 hours in the Bakhmut area, according to Serhiy Cherevaty, the spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Ukraine army.
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a brutal battle for the city in eastern Ukraine for months, with both sides seeing high rates of casualties.
Cherevaty said that in the last day, the occupiers in the area of Bakhmut and nearby villages — including Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka and Ivanivskoho — tried to attack Ukrainian positions 42 times. There were 24 combat clashes in the Bakhmut area alone.
In total, in the Bakhmut direction, the occupiers shelled Ukrainian positions 256 times with various types of artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, Cherevaty said. Of them, 53 shellings were in the area of Bakhmut itself.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Mar 15, 12:08 PM EDT
Putin says effort underway to increase weapons production
Russia is working to increase its weapons production amid an “urgent” need, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
“Prosecutors should supervise the modernization of defense industry enterprises, including building up capacities for the production of an additional volume of weapons. A lot of effort is underway here,” Putin said at a meeting of the Collegium of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.
Putin added that the weapons, equipment and ammunition are “urgently” needed.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Mar 13, 4:04 PM EDT
White House welcomes Xi Jinping speaking to President Zelenskyy
The White House is welcoming reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to soon speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia’s invasion began, while cautioning that after speaking with Ukrainian counterparts, “they have not yet actually gotten any confirmation that there will be a telephone call or a video conference.”
“We hope there will be,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a briefing on Air Force One. “That would be a good thing because it would potentially bring more balance and perspective to the way that the new PRC is approaching this, and we hope it will continue to dissuade them from choosing to provide lethal assistance to Russia.”
“We have been encouraging President Xi to reach out to President Zelenskyy because we believe that PRC and President Xi himself should hear directly the Ukrainian perspective and not just the Russian perspective on this,” Sullivan continued. “So, we have in fact, advocated to Beijing that that connection take place. We’ve done so publicly and we’ve done so privately to the PRC.”
Sullivan said the U.S. has “not yet seen the transfer of lethal assistance of weapons from China to Russia,” after previously warning it was being considered.
“It’s something that we’re vigilant about and continuing to watch carefully,” he added.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Mar 13, 12:27 PM EDT
Russia agrees to 60-day extension of Black Sea Grain Initiative
Russia said Monday it will extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative after it expires on March 18, but only for 60 days. The announcement came after consultations between U.N. representatives in Geneva and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.
“The Russian side, noting the package nature of the Istanbul agreements proposed by UN Secretary General António Guterres, does not object to another extension of the Black Sea initiative after the expiration of the second term on March 18, but only for 60 days,” Vershinin said, according to Russian media reports.
Russia’s consultations in Geneva on the grain deal were not easy, Vershinin said. Russia will rely on the effectiveness of the implementation of the agreement on the export of its agricultural products when deciding on a new extension of the grain deal, according to reports.
Ukraine, which is a key world exporter of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and fertilizer, had its shipments blocked in the months following the invasion by Russia, causing a worldwide spike in food prices. The first deal was brokered last July.
Mar 12, 4:13 PM EDT
More than 1,100 Russians dead in less than a week, Zelenskyy says
Russian forces suffered more than 1,100 dead in less than a week during battles near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the focal point of fighting in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
During his nightly address, Zelenskyy described the battles as “Russia’s irreversible loss.”
Russian forces also sustained about 1,500 “sanitary losses,” meaning soldiers were wounded badly enough to keep them out of further action, Zelenskyy said.
Dozens of pieces of enemy equipment were destroyed, as were more than 10 Russian ammunition depots, Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Edward Seekers
Mar 10, 3:17 PM EST
Russia says Nord Stream explosion investigation should be impartial
The investigation into who was behind the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline explosion should be “objective, impartial and transparent,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian news agency Interfax.
“I do not want to threaten anyone. I do not want to hint at anything either. I just know that this flagrant terror attack will not go uninvestigated,” Lavrov added.
Russia also said it will distribute its correspondence with Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the investigation of the Nord Stream explosion among the members of the United Nations Security Council soon.
Russia claimed the three countries are denying Russia access to information and participation in the investigation, first deputy permanent representative to the U.N. Dmitry Polyansky said in an interview, according to Russian news agency TASS.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva and Tanya Stukalova
Mar 10, 3:03 PM EST
Russia says Nord Stream explosion investigation should be impartial
The investigation into who was behind the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline explosion should be “objective, impartial and transparent,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian news agency Interfax.
“I do not want to threaten anyone. I do not want to hint at anything either. I just know that this flagrant terror attack will not go uninvestigated,” Lavrov added.
Russia also said it will distribute its correspondence with Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the investigation of Nord Stream explosion among the members of the United Nations Security Council soon.
Russia claimed the three countries are denying Russia access to information and participation in the investigation, first deputy permanent representative to the U.N. Dmitry Polyansky said in an interview, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Mar 10, 9:46 AM EST
Zelenskyy says Ukraine had nothing to do with Nord Stream explosions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied that Ukraine had anything to do with the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions last year.
“As for the Nord Stream, we have nothing to do with it,” Zelenskyy said Friday.
The New York Times published a report that U.S. intelligence suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged the pipeline.
Zelenskyy also suggested that the information being spread about the involvement of pro-Ukrainian groups in the attack could be done to slow down aid to his country.
-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia
Mar 09, 2:45 PM EST
Power returns to Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after attacks
Electricity supply has been fully restored in Kyiv after Russia’s overnight barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a Telegram post Thursday.
Also, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is now “receiving electricity for its own needs from the Ukrainian grid after power supply was cut,” Russian news agency Interfax reported.
-ABC News’ Tatiana Rymarenko and Natalia Shumskaia
Mar 09, 7:25 AM EST
Russia ‘brutalizing’ Ukrainian people, White House says
Russia’s overnight barrage of missiles aimed at civilian infrastructure may have knocked heat out to as much as 40% of Ukrainians, the White House said on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to “brutalize” the people of Ukraine, John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America on Thursday.
“It also appears, George, that they were definitely targeting civilian infrastructure,” Kirby said. “I would agree with the Ukrainians. He’s just trying to brutalize the Ukrainian people”
Russian forces early on Thursday launched 81 missiles from land and sea, Ukrainian officials said. Eight uncrewed drones were also launched in what officials described as a “massive” attack.
Eleven regions and cities were targeted in an attack that lasted at least seven hours, officials said.
Kirby said on Thursday that the White House expects to see more fighting on the ground in Ukraine for at least the “next four to six months.”
“We know that the Russians are attempting to conduct more offensive operations here when the weather gets better,” he said.
Mar 09, 3:59 AM EST
Zelenskyy decries Russia’s ‘miserable tactics’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Russian officials had returned “to their miserable tactics” as they launched at least 81 missiles at Ukrainian sites overnight.
“The occupiers can only terrorize civilians. That’s all they can do. But it won’t help them,” he said on Telegram. “They won’t avoid responsibility for everything they have done.”
He added, “We thank the guardians of our skies and everyone who helps to overcome the consequences of the occupiers’ sneaking attacks!”
Mar 09, 3:34 AM EST
81 missiles launched in ‘massive’ Russian attack, Ukraine says
Waves of missiles and a handful of drones were launched overnight by Russia, targeting energy infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, officials said.
The attack on “critical infrastructure” and civilian targets lasted throughout the night, Verkovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, said on Twitter. Energy was being gradually restored on Thursday morning, the body said.
Ukraine’s parliament and military said at least 81 missiles were fired from several bases. Eight Iranian-made drones were also launched, the military said.
Ukraine destroyed 34 cruise missiles and four drones, military officials said on Facebook.
“Russia’s threats only encourage partners to provide long-term assistance to Ukraine,” said Yehor Chernev, deputy chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence.
Russia “will be sentenced as a terrorist state” for its attacks, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Rada’s chairperson, said on Twitter.
Mar 09, 12:35 AM EST
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant now running on diesel generators, energy minister says
The last line that fed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been damaged following missile strikes, and the plant is now working on diesel generators, according to the Ukrainian energy minister, Herman Galushchenko.
Mar 09, 12:16 AM EST
Emergency power outages nationwide due to missile attacks, provider says
DTEK, the largest private grid operator in Ukraine, said emergency power outages are in effect due to the missile attacks in the Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Dnipro regions.
Mar 09, 12:27 AM EST
Multiple missile strikes reported across Ukraine
Multiple explosions have been reported in city centers all over the country, including Dnipro, Odesa, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Kharkiv.
Residents in multiple areas are being asked to shelter in place, and communication and electricity has been impacted.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said multiple explosions were reported in the Holosiiv district.
The governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Syniehubov, said Russia struck the city at least 15 times overnight.
The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration said there had been no casualties and that the power supply is being restricted.
Mar 08, 2:05 PM EST
Ukraine says it was not involved in Nord Stream Pipeline bombings
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov denied Ukraine was involved in the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline, which carries natural gas from Russia to Germany. While the pipeline was not active at the time of the bombing last September, it was filled with fuel.
The denial comes after The New York Times reported that intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the Nord Stream bombings last year.
After the story broke, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned against “jumping to conclusions” about who carried out the explosion, suggesting it could have been a “false flag” operation to blame Ukraine.
German authorities were reportedly able to identify the boat used for the sabotage operation, saying a group of five men and one woman using forged passports rented a yacht from a Poland-based company owned by Ukrainian citizens. The nationalities of the perpetrators are unclear, according to a separate report by Germany’s ARD broadcaster and Zeit newspaper.
“We have to make a clear distinction whether it was a Ukrainian group, whether it may have happened at Ukrainian orders, or a pro-Ukrainian group [acting] without knowledge of the government. But I am warning against jumping to conclusions,” Pistorius said on the sidelines of a summit in Stockholm.
A Russian diplomat said Russia has no faith in the U.S.‘s “impartiality” in the conclusions made from intelligence.
