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Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russia unleashes ‘massive’ attack with 81 missiles

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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 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.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Mar 07, 4:23 PM EST
Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 200 prisoners of war on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Interfax, a Russian news agency.

During his daily evening address, Zelenskyy said 130 Ukrainians were “brought home from Russian captivity,” including privates and sergeants from the army, navy and national guard.

“Just as we remember every corner of our country that is under occupation, we remember every single person in Russian captivity,” he said.

Ninety Russians were released from the Ukrainian side back to Russia, though Russia said Ukraine originally agreed to release 160 Russians, Interfax reported.

“During the exchange of prisoners of war on Tuesday, the Ukrainian side agreed to return only 90 Russians, despite an earlier agreement on the exchange of ‘160 for 160,'” Tatyana Moskalkova, human rights ombudsman for the Russian Federation said, according to Interfax.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Mar 07, 12:09 PM EST
Up to 30,000 Russian casualties in Bakhmut: Western officials

Up to 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in Bakhmut over the last several months amid intense fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city, Western officials said in a briefing Tuesday.

The ratio of dead to injured was “unclear,” said the officials, who described Ukraine’s refusal to withdraw from the city — even though its forces are surrounded on three sides — as “a sound tactic” given that “lots of Russians are being killed.”

“What we’re seeing is a horrific level of Russian casualties for minimal gains,” they said, noting that an estimated 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded overall since the war began.

In the past 24 hours, 244 Russian troops were killed and 315 wounded in Bakhmut, Serhiy Chevrevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern group of forces, said during a national telethon on Tuesday.

The officials refused to say how many Ukrainians have been killed or injured in and around Bakhmut but claimed it was “significantly lower.”

They also were unable to put a clear time frame on when a Ukrainian withdrawal might come, though noted the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive should not be ruled out.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge

Mar 05, 5:20 PM EST
13 found dead after strike hits Zhaporizhzhia

Thirteen people have been found dead since a rocket struck an apartment building in Zhaporizhzhia, Ukraine, authorities said.

The governor there has called for a national day of mourning on Monday.

The State Emergency Situation of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia initially posted on their Telegram account Friday that seven people were dead.

So far, 11 people have been saved, and 20 people were able to evacuate the building.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Mar 03, 2:21 PM EST
Merrick Garland makes unannounced visit to Ukraine

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other international partners at the United for Justice Conference.

Garland attended several meetings while he was there.

-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin

Mar 03, 2:09 PM EST
US announces $400 million more in military aid for Ukraine

The U.S. Department of Defense announced $400 million in new military aid for Ukraine, including eight folding armored bridges for the first time.

This is the Biden administration’s 33rd drawdown of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Mar 03, 2:08 PM EST
5,000 remain in Bakhmut as Russian shelling intensifies

Around 5,000 people still remain in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, including 37 children, according to Donetsk Oblast Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The losses in Bakhmut stand at the rate of one Ukrainian solider to seven Russian soldiers, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilo said on TV.

Russian forces fighting for control of Bakhmut intensified shelling at access roads to the west, making it harder for Ukrainian forces to move in and out, Reuters reported Friday.

-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd

Mar 03, 12:20 PM EST
Blinken, Ukrainian foreign minister discuss Lavrov meeting

The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about the brief conversation that took place at the G-20 summit between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“The Secretary underscored to Foreign Minister Kuleba the United States’ enduring support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal attacks, including the ongoing targeting of civilian infrastructure and resulting civilian casualties,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Mar 02, 3:48 PM EST
US to announce more weapons for Ukraine on Friday

The U.S. will announce another assistance package for Ukraine on Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby announced Thursday afternoon, but did not detail the exact size of this next round of support.

“You’ll see us tomorrow, just unilaterally, the U.S. will have another round of assistance for Ukraine coming tomorrow. And it will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that the Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery.”

The new aid comes as President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House Friday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues.

Kirby said the leaders would discuss the “kinds of capabilities that Ukraine continues to need in the weeks and months ahead.”

He also said this will be a “true working visit” between Biden and Scholz and they are expected to discuss “recent engagements with Ukrainian officials, including the President’s trip to Kyiv and meeting with President Zelenskyy, as well as Chancellor Schultz’s meeting with President Zelensky in Paris last month.”

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Mar 02, 3:12 PM EST
Lavrov ‘diverted’ Blinken’s calls to reconsider Russia leaving START treaty

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “diverted” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s calls to reconsider the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, Russia’s foreign ministry told Interfax, Russian news agency.

“If they want to return to diplomacy, let them return. If they are engaged in self-promotion and such inexpensive PR, well, this is possible. True, the result will be appropriate,” Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1.

-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia

Mar 02, 12:36 PM EST
Blinken, Lavrov hold ‘on the go’ talk at G-20 meeting

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had an “on the go” talk during the G-20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in India, but there were no negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, a Russian news agency, Thursday.

“Blinken asked for a contact with Lavrov. Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] had communication on the go during the second session. But there were no negotiations, no meeting or so on,” the diplomat said.

Blinken had said earlier in the day during a press conference he had “spoke briefly” with Lavrov and discussed ending the war, as well as Russia rejoining the New START Treaty on nuclear arms.

“I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that could produce a just and durable peace,” he said. “The United States stands ready to support Ukraine through diplomacy to end the war on this basis.”

A senior State Department official downplayed any hopes that the conversation moved the needle on any of the topics.

-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Shannon Crawford

Mar 01, 5:12 PM EST
Ukraine says it’s shot down 80% of Russian missiles

Ukraine has shot down 80% of Russian missiles, according to Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force Serhiy Nayev.

Nayev made the assessment in a Facebook post on Wednesday about the effectiveness of the air defense system.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Three LAPD officers in stable condition after being shot by parolee at large, police say

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Three Los Angeles Police Department officers were shot Wednesday night in a “violent encounter,” police said.

The three men, all senior officers in the Metropolitan Division K-9 unit, are now in stable condition after being shot by a parolee at large, LAPD Assistant Chief Al Labrada said during an evening press conference.

The LAPD responded to calls earlier Wednesday of a parolee at large, Labrada said. When officers located him, he refused to obey commands, according to police. Officers utilized gas, but the suspect still did not comply, Labrada said, eventually exiting the residence where he was holed up and firing on the K-9 unit officers.

The suspect is dead at the scene, Labrada said. It’s unknown if the suspect was shot by officers or if it was self-inflicted.

All three officers were said to be alert while they were transported to the trauma center at LA County/USC Medical Center.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was able to have a conversation with two of the officers.

Mike Shinoda talks collaborating with “world-class talent” Demi Lovato

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Having spent so many years in a band with Chester Bennington, Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda is used to working with acclaimed and unique vocalists. That continues with “Still Alive,” his collaboration with Demi Lovato.

Speaking with ABC Audio, Shinoda calls Lovato an “insane, world-class talent” and likens working with the pop star to his time in the studio with the late Bennington.

“You could throw any vocal idea at [Bennington] and he could nail it,” Shinoda says.

“It is a lot of fun working with a superhero,” he laughs. “Whenever I get to work with somebody who’s just that damn good, it’s a treat, it’s a total blessing. I had a great time doing it.”

Shinoda co-wrote and produced “Still Alive” for the upcoming movie Scream VI, which hits theaters Friday. The movie will also feature a new Shinoda solo song, “In My Head.” Meanwhile, Shinoda and Linkin Park are releasing a 20th anniversary reissue of the group’s 2003 album, Meteora, on April 7.

“Both [‘Still Alive’ and ‘In My Head’] ended up … happening all at once over top of doing this Linkin Park stuff,” Shinoda shares. “So it was just a really fun way of looking backwards and looking forwards at the same time.”

Sam Hunt is ready to get back to basics with his Ryman show

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

As Sam Hunt prepares to headline Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Friday, March 10, he says that he’s ditching the typical big production for an acoustic-leaning setup that’s apt for a “special” venue.

“In keeping with this sort of more traditional approach that I’ve lately been taking with the songwriting, even the production, I just like the idea of maybe stripping things down in town, and we haven’t gotten to do that in a while,” Sam shares.

While it’s been “maybe seven or eight years” since he’s performed at the Mother Church of Country Music, the “Water Under the Bridge” singer says he’s determined to not let stress creep in, instead focusing on delivering a personal show.

“[I’m] just looking forward to just really getting in there and not overthinking it, not scripting it out too much,” he reflects. “And in preparation for the summer tour, getting in there and trying some songs out, playing them maybe in some new ways. But more than anything, just have a more intimate experience.”

Tickets to Sam’s upcoming Ryman concert can be purchased at the venue’s website.

Ellie Goulding announces new concert special ‘Monumental: Ellie Goulding at Kew Gardens’

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Ellie Goulding revealed she did more than advocate for conservation at West Sussex’s Wakehurst Kew Gardens last month — she performed a secret concert, which fans will soon be able to watch.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the singer announced her concert special Monumental: Ellie Goulding at Kew Gardens will premiere on Amazon Freevee on March 31. The special was directed by Liz Clare, who previously helmed An Audience with Adele.

The singer described on Instagram how meaningful it was to perform at the botanical gardens, said to be the world’s largest and most diverse. She said she was honored to “perform exclusive songs from my new album Higher than Heaven among the giant succulents and lily pads.”

She added, “I can’t wait for you to share this magical experience.”

In addition to singing some new songs and fan-favorite hits, Ellie will provide an in-depth conversation about her new album, life as a mom and the importance of conservation.

Ellie previously spoke about her visit to the gardens on Instagram and stressed the importance of its Millennium Seed Bank, which is home to over 2.4 billion seeds from across the globe. According to the bank’s official website, its purpose is to preserve the billions of seeds for the future.

She had warned in her post, “We are experiencing the rapid extinction of plant diversity, faster than any other time in the past.”

The upcoming concert special will lead up to the release of Ellie’s new studio album, Higher Than Heaven, which arrives April 7.

Lynyrd Skynyrd to go on with Florida festival one week after Gary Rossington’s death

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The show must go on for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Despite the loss of their last founding member, guitarist Gary Rossington, last Sunday, it has been confirmed that the band will play Florida’s Strawberry Festival this Sunday as planned.

“Our Festival has lost a great friend, entertainer, and music icon,” Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis shares, according to Planet Rock. “Our hearts go out to his entire family, all his fans and to the thousands of people whose lives he has enriched.”

He adds, “We know we will have a special guest and guardian angel watching over this performance.”

In addition to the Strawberry Festival, Lynyrd Skynyrd has several other shows on their schedule, including an upcoming summer tour with ZZ Top. A complete list of tour dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

Oscar producers dish on what we can expect at Sunday’s show

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The Oscars producers are giving a glimpse into what to expect Sunday night.

The biggest question is if the show and its host Jimmy Kimmel will acknowledge last year’s Will Smith/Chris Rock slap, and at a news conference Wednesday, Executive Producer Molly McNearney — Kimmel’s wife — said they planned to “acknowledge it” and then “move on.”

“We don’t want to make this year about last year,” she continued, “but yeah, it’s certainly something that we will address in a comedic fashion.”

As for what’s keeping McNearney up at night just days away from the show? She said “just deciding which jokes are going to make it and which aren’t…we have a lot of great writers and a lot of great material, and it’s a real science and the rhythm of the monologue and figure out where to take the audience.”

Adds McNearney, “I think [me and Jimmy] fought over a joke while brushing our teeth last night. One that I wanted out, he wanted in, and you know, we’ll see how it goes.”

The presentation of the Best Actress category is usually done by the previous year’s winner for Best Actor, which would be Will Smith, but since he’s banned from the Oscars for 10 years, Executive Producer and showrunner Ricky Kirshner revealed some changes have been made.

“We’ve rethought the show, and we’ve put presenters together that makes sense for the categories and you’ll see Sunday night,” he explained.

Unlike last year’s telecast, which cut some behind-the-scenes categories from the telecast, Kirhsner says “we’re going to show what it takes [to make a movie] and honor the people that make those movies.”

“[T]here are hundreds of people that make movies and a lot of people across the country don’t know what it takes,” he adds.

Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall at DC hotel

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized following a fall at a Washington, D.C., hotel, his team told ABC News late Wednesday night.

“This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment,” McConnell’s spokesperson Doug Andres said.

At this time, his team is not providing any further information on the extent of McConnell’s injuries or how long he is expected to remain in the hospital.

The Republican leader, 81, who overcame polio at a young age, suffered a fall in early August 2019 where he fractured his shoulder.

McConnell has served as the Republican leader in the Senate since 2007 and became the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate earlier this year.

Scoreboard roundup — 3/8/23

March 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING

INTERLEAGUE
Baltimore 7, Pittsburgh 4
Detroit 2, Washington 1
St. Louis 4, NY Yankees 0
Arizona 2, Texas 0
LA Angels 4, Colorado 3
Dominican Republic 9, Atlanta 0
Chi Cubs 11, Canada 7
Milwaukee 8, Great Britain 2
Nicaragua 2, NY Mets 0
Miami 11, Israel 5
San Francisco 5, United States 1
Seattle 2, LA Dodgers 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 7, Toronto 0
Kansas City 14, Chi White Sox 5
Cleveland 6, Mexico 0
Colombia 3, Oakland 2
Boston 9, Puerto Rico 3
Venezuela 9, Houston 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 10, San Diego 9

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta 122, Washington 120
Boston 115, Portland 93
New Orleans 113, Dallas 106
Cleveland 104, Miami 100
Chicago 117, Denver 96
Phoenix 132, Oklahoma City 101
LA Clippers 108, Toronto 100

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Vancouver 3, Anaheim 2 (OT)
Minnesota 4, Winnipeg 2
Detroit 4, Chicago 3

Senate overwhelmingly votes to block changes to DC criminal code as activists protest

March 8, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Senate on Wednesday voted by a lopsided margin to halt much debated changes to Washington, D.C.’s, century-old criminal code, a move supported by President Joe Biden but criticized by some local activists.

The Senate voted 81-14, with Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock voting present, to shut down the proposed changes. Thirty-three Democrats voted along with Republicans.

“It’s the opposite of good policy. It will make the crime wave even worse. It sends the wrong message that D.C. isn’t serious about violent crime,” the resolution’s lead sponsor, Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty, said on the floor.

However, he told reporters, he was “open” to working with the city council to continue to update the criminal code.

“Most Americans from all over the country visit our nation’s capital each week to meet with their federal representatives and to enjoy our national history,” Hagerty said. “Congress has a constitutional obligation to make sure these visitors can walk down the sidewalk or enjoy a meal without fear of becoming victims.”
The new code would have reduced maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, robbery and other offenses while increasing sentences for crimes including attempted murder. It would have also eliminated some mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes and would have expanded jury trials for certain misdemeanors.

The district’s city council initially passed the changes by a 13-0 margin, though Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, vetoed it. Her veto was overturned by a 12-1 vote, sending the legislation to the House.

Because of the district’s unique status, Congress has authority over its laws.

In the House, Republicans led a resolution to shut down the effort and were joined by 31 Democrats. After that February vote, President Biden said he would sign the GOP legislation, opening the floodgates for Senate Democrats to say they too supported stopping the changes to the criminal code.

The GOP-led measure to block the reforms from taking place sparked broad debate over Democrats’ messaging on crime, the best way to ensure public safety and how much autonomy the nation’s capital should have, with many Democrats — including Biden — having called for it to be a state.

Advocates of the new criminal code said the city deserves to be allowed to govern itself, noting that no Washington law has been overturned by Congress in three decades.

Supporters also cited how long the revisions were developed for a criminal code that hasn’t been updated to this degree in more than a century.

“The elected representatives of the District of Columbia, after exhaustive review made some decisions about criminal justice reform. I don’t agree with every single one of them they made, but I’ll tell you this: What they did is entirely defensible, and it certainly doesn’t rise to the level of the United States Congress for the first time in 30 years big-footing their decisions,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Wednesday.

“Think about how patronizing and paternalistic for this body not being any part of this process now suddenly saying they need adult supervision as if they are children,” added Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was raised in D.C.

Activists outside the Capitol rallied to push lawmakers to shut down the effort to scrap the changes, but to no avail.

Seventeen people were arrested, according to Capitol Police, including local elected officials who are members of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and advocacy organization leaders. At least 16 people were arrested for allegedly crowding, obstructing and incommoding another person and one was arrested for alleged defacement during a planned act of civil disobedience.

“We have come together today with one simple message for Congress, and President Biden. Keep your hands off D.C. You either support D.C. home rule or you don’t. There are no exceptions. And there is no middle ground on D.C.’s rights to self-government,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington’s only representative in Congress and who doesn’t get to vote on legislation, said at a protest.

Still, it was not enough to blunt the support for the legislation, particularly after Biden and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., said they supported it.

“I’m going to vote yes. It was a close question. But on the balance, I’m voting yes,” Schumer said Tuesday.

The White House defended Biden’s backing as a sign of his support for anti-crime efforts despite also endorsing home rule for the district.

“One thing the president believes in is making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week. “That includes D.C.”

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