Zach and the remaining ladies arrived in London for what promised to be another romantic adventure on Monday’s episode of The Bachelor — but COVID-19 had other plans, leading to a never-before-seen scenario that could drastically alter the journey ahead.
A one-on-one date saw Gabi getting the royal treatment, beginning with a trip to the perfumery that creates scents for the royal family, where she and Zach got to create their own fragrance they called “Zabi.” Next they met King Charles‘ former butler who introduced them to the royals’ famous Corgis, followed by a trip to a designer dress shop and topped off with a romantic dinner where Gabi received the date rose.
Nine of the ladies then received an invitation to “double up on love,” which turned into a tour of London — minus Zach, who was feeling “a little under the weather” and couldn’t join them.
Everyone’s worst fears were confirmed when host Jesse Palmer delivered the news that Zach tested positive for COVID, forcing him to isolate himself from the others.
The news was particularly devastating for Charity, whose first chance at one-on-one date with Zach was dashed.
Determined to push forward with the competition, regardless, Zach arranged the first-ever virtual cocktail party and rose ceremony that saw Kylee and Mercedes sent home.
Here are the nine women remaining after Monday night’s episode:
Aly, 26, a healthcare strategist from Atlanta, Ga.
Ariel, 28, a marketing executive from New York City, N.Y.
Brooklyn, 25, a rodeo racer from Stillwater, Okla.
Charity, 26, a child and family therapist from Columbus, Ga.
Gabriella “Gabi,” 25, an account executive from Pittsford, Vt.
Greer, 24, a medical sales rep from Houston, Texas. — First Impression Rose
Jessica “Jess,” 23, an e-commerce coordinator from Winter Springs, Fla.
Kaitlyn “Kaity,” 27, an ER nurse from Austin, Texas.
Katherine, 26, a registered nurse from Tampa, Fla.
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday a multi-part push to hold the freight rail industry accountable in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment.
In its announcement, the Department of Transportation set out proposals for the railroad industry, the DOT itself and Congress to follow to improve safety on rails.
For the freight railroad industry, including Norfolk Southern, the DOT called for a series of proactive steps to improve safety, including joining the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting Program and phasing in safer tank cars more quickly, instead of by a congressionally mandated 2029 deadline.
The DOT called on the railroad industry to give workers paid sick leave — a sticking point in union talks — and to let state emergency response teams know beforehand when they’re sending hazardous gas tank cars through states.
About 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month. Eleven of those cars contained hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses.
As for its own actions, the DOT said in its Tuesday notice it is advocating for a rule that will require at least two people to be on train crews and working on starting safety inspection programs for routes that often involve hazardous materials and for older tank cars.
When it comes to Congress, the DOT called for the enactment of stricter safety protocols and to increase maximum fines the department can issue to rail companies for violating safety regulations. The current maximum fine is $225,455.
“A six-figure penalty for a fatal incident is pretty much a rounding error for multibillion dollar corporations,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg said Norfolk Southern’s operating income was $4.8 billion in 2022 and the company reportedly paid shareholders $18 billion in stock buybacks and dividends while slashing their workforce and refusing to provide paid sick leave.
In a sharply worded, three-page letter sent Sunday to Norfolk Southern Railway president and CEO Alan Shaw, Buttigieg accused the Atlanta-based company of repeatedly prioritizing profit over safety — a problematic ethos within the larger transportation industry that the secretary said has contributed to several derailments over the years.
“The derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials near East Palestine, Ohio, has upended the lives of numerous residents, many of whom continue to worry about their immediate health and safety as well as the long-term effects of the dangerous materials released near their homes,” Buttigieg said in the Sunday letter. “They fear for their future, as do thousands of American communities and neighborhoods that sit along railway lines.”
(OAKWOOD, Ohio) — Multiple people were injured on Monday after an explosion at a manufacturing plant in Ohio caused fires, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
The explosion happened at I. Schumann & Co., which manufactures brass and bronze alloy, located in Oakwood, Ohio, according to ABC News Cleveland affiliate WEWS-TV.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by Monday afternoon.
There were “multiple burn victims” from inside the plant taken to the hospital, Bedford Heights Police Department Sgt. Robert Majer told ABC News.
According to WEWS, 14 people were injured in the explosion, one critically.
Debris from the explosion damaged several vehicles at a parking lot across the street from the plant, Oakwood Village Fire Capt. Brian DiRocco told reporters on Monday. Injuries stemmed from the fire and not the flying debris, according to DiRocco.
According to DiRocco, one person was pulled from the debris and received medical attention at the scene. The person’s condition is unknown.
I. Schumann & Co. did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 21, 4:41 AM EST
Putin opens Moscow speech on ‘historic events’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened his state of the union speech in Moscow with familiar touchstones, including ridding the world of Nazism and liberating Ukraine’s Donbas region.
He said of his Ukrainian invasion that the “historic events will determine the future of our country … each of us is bound by a huge responsibility.”
And he said he sought an “open dialogue” with the West, but also blamed Western countries and Ukraine’s leaders for holding the country’s people “hostage.”
“The United States and NATO have been rapidly deploying their bases and biolabs at the borders of our country,” he said.
He said Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means, adding that the West’s commitment to peace turned out to be “fraud” and a “cruel lie.”
Putin said they were open to dialogue with the West and were open to an equal system of security, but “in response we were getting dishonest answers” and specific actions to expand NATO and deploy new anti-missile systems in Europe. He said that “the whole planet is dotted” with U.S. bases.
Feb 20, 12:01 PM EST
US announces new $460 million worth of weapons for Ukraine
The Pentagon announced a new presidential drawdown of security aid for Ukraine valued at up to $460 million on Monday.
This package will include four Bradley Infantry Fire Support Team vehicles, HIMARS ammunition, artillery and mortar rounds, air surveillance radars and more.
President Joe Biden hinted at the new supplies in a press conference from Kyiv on Monday, also saying he would be announcing new sanctions “against elites and companies that are trying to evade sanctions and backfill Russia’s war machine” later this week.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Feb 20, 5:39 AM EST
Biden in Kyiv says Putin was ‘dead wrong’
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong” when he started the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said in a statement. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”
The White House released the statement from Biden as he made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, arriving in Kyiv on Monday morning.
“As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Biden said.
“Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he continued. “And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure.”
Biden added: “I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.”
Feb 20, 5:21 AM EST
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine
U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, arriving in Kyiv as Washington signals its ongoing support ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Biden’s visit came ahead of a planned meeting with NATO allies in Poland. He is expected to give a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw on Tuesday evening to offer an appraisal of international support during the first year of the war and to address “how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement earlier this month.
Biden also plans to meet in Poland with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of eastern NATO allies formed in 2015 in response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a dramatic visit to the United States in December, his first known international trip since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., before addressing members of U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.
Feb 19, 1:03 PM EST
Russia planning nuclear exercises to disrupt Biden’s Europe visit, Ukrainian military says
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has accused Russia of planning to stage “large-scale nuclear exercises” to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe next week.
The GUR said Russia is preparing for test launches of nuclear capable missiles from land and sea, the agency said in a statement Sunday on its official Telegram channel.
The GUR said a nuclear armed submarine has been placed on the “highest level” of combat readiness and that strategic bombers have been moved to a base in Tambov, Russia.
The agency claimed the exercises are intended disrupt President Joe Biden’s European trip.
“Such actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular, are an attempt to hinder Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, which is scheduled for February 20-22, through direct nuclear blackmail and to weaken international support for Ukraine,” the GUR statement said.
– ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 18, 11:41 AM EST
Harris meets with British, Finnish, Swedish PMs
Vice President Kamala Harris met with the British, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers before departing Munich on Saturday.
Amid concerns in Europe that Republican lawmakers could dampen U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, thanked Harris for saying U.S. support for Ukraine would persevere domestic political differences.
Both Marin and Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, spoke with hope about joining NATO. But in recent days, there have been signals from NATO, the Finnish and the Swedish that perhaps they will not join at the same time as they had hoped due to continued Turkish objections over Swedish membership.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 17, 3:41 PM EST
White House previews Biden trip to Poland
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby provided a preview Friday of President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Poland, saying the president’s main message will be continued support from the United States in the face of Russian aggression.
“On Tuesday evening, local time, President Biden will deliver remarks in Warsaw on how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy. President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you’ve heard him say many times, for as long as it takes,” Kirby said of Biden’s major planned address.
“As we approach the one-year mark since this invasion, we can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering and our alliances and our international coalition in support of Ukraine remain stronger than ever,” he added.
Biden is scheduled to arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Wednesday, he’ll meet with leaders from the so-called Bucharest Nine –Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — which are nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe.
Kirby was asked about Biden meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or traveling anywhere besides Warsaw, like the border town of Rzeszow, but he shot down both ideas.
“There is no meeting with President Zelenskyy scheduled for the trip right now,” he said. “Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw.”
Feb 17, 2:11 PM EST
Harris meets allies amid pressure over Ukraine aid
Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of France and Germany Friday as part of a U.S. diplomatic push in Munich to show strong, continued support for Ukraine.
Questions lingering over the leaders in Munich include how long the West can maintain its support for Ukraine –- amid declining public and political support at home –- and how Ukraine will withstand the expected Russian offensive.
A White House official said that at the meetings, the vice president planned to “recognize the courage and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine; reaffirm the support of American people for Ukraine; commend the international community on the historic actions taken since February 2022; celebrate Transatlantic unity and clarity of purpose; reaffirm our security commitments to our European allies; and condemn Russia’s continued illegal and brutal actions while calling for accountability and justice.”
She also planned to discuss “relations with China and actions to address the climate crisis,” the official said.
Feb 17, 1:20 PM EST
Belarus ready to make Russian attack planes, president says at meeting with Putin
Belarus is ready to make Russian attack planes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“Belarus has been making up to a thousand components for MC-21 and Superjet 100 planes. There used to be repair plants, but now they also make component parts,” Lukashenko said.
“We are even ready to make it in Belarus with a little support from Russia,” Lukashenko said.
Feb 16, 5:28 PM EST
Ukrainian vice prime minister tells remaining civilians in Bakhmut to evacuate
Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on the roughly 6,000 civilians still in Bakhmut to evacuate “immediately.”
Officials said they don’t want the people still in the city to put themselves and their children at risk and don’t want them to interfere with the Ukrainian army. Five civilians were killed and nine others were injured on Thursday, according to the vice prime minister.
“Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 16, 3:25 PM EST
Belarus will fight alongside Russia if it is attacked, president warns
Belarus would only join the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russia, if it is attacked, President Alexander Lukashenko told state-run Belta news agency.
“We don’t want a war. And in no case are we going to send our troops into the territory of Ukraine. Unless you commit aggression against the territory of Belarus from there. Here is my answer. It was given a long time ago,” Lukashenko said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Lukashenko’s threat in an interview with the BBC.
“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” he said. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”
Allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging post for an attack again would be a “huge mistake,” he added.
Russian forces launched part of their full-scale invasion from Belarus 12 months ago. They drove south toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, but were fought back and made to retreat within weeks, after suffering heavy casualties.
Lukashenko is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova
Feb 16, 3:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy rules out territorial deal with Putin in BBC interview
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out giving up any of his country’s territory in a potential peace deal with Russia.
In a BBC interview to mark a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, he warned conceding land would mean Russia could “keep coming back,” while Western weapons would bring peace closer.
However, he does believe Ukrainian forces can keep resisting Russia’s advance until they are able to launch a counteroffensive — although he repeated his calls for more military aid from the West.
“Of course, modern weapons speed up peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands,” Zelensky told the BBC.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 16, 12:13 AM EST
Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainians shoot down eight Russian missiles: Officials
An infrastructure object was hit in Lviv in the early morning hours of Thursday, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.
There were no casualties, and the fire from the impact has since been put out, Kozytskyi said.
Six Kalibr missiles were also shot down over the Mykolaiv region, and two Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Kherson region overnight, Odesa Military Administration spokesman Serhii Bratchuk posted on Telegram.
All eight of the missiles were fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea, Bratchuk said in the post.
Feb 15, 2:48 PM EST
6 ‘reconnaissance’ balloons shot down over Kyiv
Authorities in Kyiv are investigating who owns six balloons that were in Ukraine’s airspace and what the balloons were doing over Kyiv. The balloons were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.
After a preliminary assessment, authorities think the balloons had intelligence gathering equipment.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House
White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”
“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”
He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.
The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.
“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander
Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.
“This help is crucial for us,” he said.
Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.
“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone
Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine
President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine
Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.
“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.
Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.
“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida 4, Anaheim 3 (OT)
Boston 3, Ottawa 1
San Jose 4, Seattle 0
Philadelphia 4, Calgary 3
NY Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 2
Winnipeg 4, NY Rangers 1
(JACKSON, Miss.) — In recent years, Jackson, Mississippi, has grappled with crisis after crisis with its water infrastructure. Historic flooding in late summer and freezing temperatures in December damaged the city’s water distribution system, leaving many residents without running water or under boil-water notices for weeks at a time.
The Justice Department appointed a third-party manager in November to fix the ailing system and manage some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding earmarked to address the crisis. Ted Henifin spoke to “GMA3” hosts DeMarco Morgan and Stephanie Ramos about why the problem has gone on for so long and how the city plans to solve it.
STEPHANIE RAMOS: Ted, thank you so much for being with us. Right off the bat, can you explain what your position is?
TED HENIFIN: Yeah, it’s a tough one to explain. So the Department of Justice and EPA came to town and negotiated a deal with the city and the state Department of Health to create basically a third party to manage the system. And so that was presented to the court at the end of November. And the judge entered that order, effectively appointing me as this interim third-party manager. So I’m an officer of the court working here for the good of the citizens of Jackson.
DeMARCO MORGAN: All right, Ted, according to The Washington Post, there have been more than 100 complaints about the water. The city has had to warn residents their water may be undrinkable. The water supply was reportedly shut off for 45 days last summer. So why has this gone on for so long and what needs to happen in order to end this crisis?
HENIFIN: Well there’s been, I think, decades of under-investment here in Jackson for a variety of reasons, shrinking population, older core cities — lot of folks start moving out of those and they leave a large infrastructure that needs to be maintained and operated. As such, there’s fewer ratepayers to deal with that. There have been many, many challenges on that end. And climate change. We’ve had sort of the freeze of the century the last five years here in Jackson, like a lot of the other Southern cities. Our facilities weren’t built for that. So as those things continue, we’re really thankful to have the federal dollars available to start making those investments that need to be made. And over the next five years and a lot in the next couple of years, we’ll see some significant investments. Already today we’re really able to provide pretty consistent pressure through the system, which is a big improvement over the last several months. That’s been the biggest problem.
You can live on bottled water for a while, to take care of your drinking and teeth brushing. But no water at all, having no water to flush the toilet, wash the dishes, wash your clothes. That’s a real tragedy. Any time you have anybody without water in a water system like this, it’s terrible. So, whether it’s one or 1,000 or 2,000, it doesn’t matter. We’re really striving to eliminate that and put that in Jackson’s history as we move forward.
RAMOS: And Ted, you’re tasked with coming up with a water system financial management plan. Not easy, given all the issues there in that city. How are you tackling that? What’s in the plan and when will residents start to feel safe when it comes to the water there?
HENIFIN: I would hope they would feel safe again. Building that trust is tough, but the water has been heavily tested since the fall, with EPA on site doing additional water testing, that went all the way through January. So I was telling folks here, it’s the most-tested water in America and it was for some time and continues. We’re going to continue to have EPA come in periodically to validate the testing we’re doing. But we’ve found no issues with the water up to this point, since it’s been back in functioning fully the way it has been since the fall.
But the other parts of the plan include really creating a sustainable source of local revenue. We really need to build the rate structure that folks can afford their water and pay their bills, because at the end of the day, this federal dollar, which is wonderful to have, this money coming for infrastructure, that’s one-time money. And if we don’t do something to make sure we’ve got a sustainable plan going forward, it won’t be maintained, and we’ll find ourselves back here in 20 years.
MORGAN: Ted, I used to live in Jackson, actually went to Jackson State there, and it’s no secret that water quality issues have historically hit black and poor communities the hardest. The mayor of Jackson has accused the governor of racism over this. Is this a discrimination problem or just a problem with bad management and planning over the years?
HENIFIN: I would say, from my perspective, it’s probably more bad planning and management. But there’s been lots of challenges between the state and the city. And you have to wonder a little bit about the motivations and a lot of that. But I’ve been really trying to be forward focused, trying to solve the problem. And one of the issues that does exist and it is a continual challenge, is the location of the water treatment plants.
Both water plants are on the eastern edge of the city, one very much in the northeast corner, and the other on the eastern side of downtown. And the areas that suffer the most during our problems are really the furthest away from the plants. And those happen to be the furthest south and the furthest west. If you know Jackson State, DeMarco, then you know that’s in that southwest part of the city. And that water has to go through a lot more piping and a lot further elevation. It’s actually a higher elevation than where the river and the reservoir are. So as a result of that, they feel the pressure problems the worst, and they are some of the most disadvantaged parts of the city. Again, I don’t think that’s a direct correlation, but I do believe that we need to do a lot more to make sure that those pressure issues are resolved. And that’s one of the things we’re working on right now.
RAMOS: And we really hope that happens quickly. Ted, you’ve got a big job ahead of you. Thank you for joining us. And best of luck there in Jackson.
(NEW YORK) — A string of deadly shootings across the nation has marred the Presidents Day weekend as law enforcement officers in major cities and rural areas investigated separate violent episodes, many involving children — including a baby killed in Chicago.
Gunfire erupted over the holiday at a pre-Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, a party in Columbus, Georgia, and on a freeway in Chicago, authorities said. Among those killed were beloved Catholic auxiliary bishop gunned down in a Los Angeles home and a college campus police officer fatally shot execution-style.
In four of the shootings that have occurred since Friday, at least 16 juveniles were shot, four fatally, according to police.
Baby killed in Chicago freeway shooting
A 1-year-old girl was among three people killed when gunfire erupted Sunday night on Chicago freeway, police said.
The baby, identified as Amara Hall, was fatally shot around 10:30 p.m. while riding in an SUV in the northbound lanes of Interstate 57 on the city’s South Side, according to the Illinois State Police. A 14-year-old boy and a woman were also killed in the incident.
Three other people were wounded, including two boys — ages 13 and 14, police said.
No arrests have been announced and a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
5 shot, 1 fatally, at New Orleans parade
A pre-Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans turned chaotic Sunday night when a barrage of gunfire left a man dead and four other people injured, according to police.
The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. along the route of the popular Krewe of Bacchus parade and sent people running for cover, witnesses said.
Two men, a woman and a juvenile girl were wounded in the shooting.
One suspect was arrested but police said it appeared that additional shooters were involved. Two weapons were recovered at the scene.
A motive was under investigation.
Camryn Lafleur, 19, described the gunfire as a “continuous loud noise that kept going off.” He said he saw “faces of pure horror” fleeing the gunfire.
2 related Memphis shootings leave 1 dead, 10 injured
Three people of interest were being sought for questioning Monday in a pair of related shootings in Memphis that left one man dead and 10 people wounded, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Gunfire erupted around 12:43 a.m. Sunday at the Live Lounge in the city’s Whitehaven neighborhood, police said. Officers found two shooting victims suffering from critical injuries and learned that at least five other victims were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, according to police.
As police were investigating the nightclub shooting, gunfire broke out at an intersection about a mile away. When they arrived at that scene, officers located three victims in critical condition. One victim later died at a hospital.
Police said the second shooting stemmed from the incident at the nightclub.
No arrests have been announced and a motive for the shootings is under investigation.
2 teens among 4 killed in New Jersey murder-suicide
A family of four, including two teenagers, was found shot to death in a home in Linden, New Jersey, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide committed by the father, authorities said.
Police were called to the family’s home about 9:30 a.m. Sunday and discovered three people dead and a teenage boy gravely injured, police said. The boy was taken to a hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The boys sister, father and mother were pronounced dead at the scene.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said the brother and sister killed in the incident were ages 13 and 14.
Temple University police officer killed
An 18-year-old man was arrested Sunday in the fatal shooting of a Temple University police officer in north Philadelphia, authorities said.
Miles Pfeffer, 18, of Buckingham Township, Pennsylvania, is facing charges including murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking and related offenses in the shooting on Saturday night that killed officer Christopher Fitzgerald, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
Fitzgerald, the married father of four children, encountered Pfeffer while investigating a robbery near the Temple University campus, officials said.
A struggle allegedly occurred between Fitzgerald and Pfeffer, in which the officer was shot, officials said. After shooting Fitzgerald once, Pfeffer allegedly stood over the officer and fired several more shots at him, including at least one to the head from point-blank range, killing him, officials said.
Investigators alleged that Pfeffer attempted to rob the officer, rifling through his pockets as he lay dying in the street.
Auxiliary bishop shot dead in Los Angeles
A long-serving Catholic bishop known as a “peacemaker” was fatally shot in a Los Angeles home on Saturday, prompting police to launch a murder investigation, officials said.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who had been a priest and then a bishop during his 45 years with the church, was found dead in a home in the unincorporated Los Angeles County community of Hacienda Heights.
On Monday, police sources told ABC News that a person of interest has been detained for questioning in O’Connell’s homicide.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators said they received a medical emergency call at 12:57 p.m. Sunday and deputies responded to a home in the unincorporated neighborhood of Hacienda Heights. There, they found the 69-year-old O’Connell unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
9 juveniles wounded in Columbus, Georgia
A confrontation at a house party in Columbus, Georgia, prompted a shooting at a nearby gas station that left nine juveniles wounded, including a 5-year-old boy, police said.
The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. Friday.
A fight broke out at a house party and the violence spilled across the street to a Shell gas station, where gunfire erupted, according to Columbus police.
In addition to the 5-year-old, the other victims ranged in age from 12 to 17, police said.
No arrests were announced and a motive is under investigation.
6 killed in Mississippi shooting rampage
A 32-year-old man was arrested on murder charges after allegedly going on a shooting rampage in rural Mississippi, killing six people in three different locations, according authorities.
The shooting spree erupted Friday in Arkabutla, an unincorporated community of less than 300 people in Tate County.
The suspected gunman, Richard Dale Crum, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to the Tae County Sheriff’s Office.
Crum allegedly began the rampage outside a convenience store in Arkabutla, where a victim was shot at random while sitting in a parked car, sheriff’s officials said.
Crum then traveled three miles to ex-wife’s home where he allegedly shot her dead and wounded her husband, officials said.
Two other people were found shot to death inside a house near Crum’s Arkabutla residence and two handymen were found fatally shot on an access road to Crum’s property, according to the sheriff’s office.
Crum was arrested outside his home, where deputies seized two handguns and a shotgun.
A motive for the killing spree is under investigation.
(PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.) — An 85-year-old woman was killed by an alligator in Florida on Monday, according to state wildlife officials.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about an alligator bite in St. Lucie County, Florida.
Officials recovered the woman’s body and the alligator was captured by a nuisance alligator trapper, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the victim,” a representative for the agency said in a statement.
According to the FWC, serious injuries that stem from alligators are rare in the state.
The St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office and Florida and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
On Sunday, a 4-foot-long alligator was removed from a lake at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, city officials said.
According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the alligator was “very lethargic and possibly cold shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates.”
In August, an 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina when she was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Natural Resources.
Officials said that the alligator, a 9-foot, 8-inch male, was euthanized.
Another elderly woman in Florida was killed in July after she fell into a pond and was attacked by two alligators, authorities said.
Alligators are active during spring and summer because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, a spokesperson for FWC told ABC News last year.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Over the weekend, former President Jimmy Carter entered home hospice care, the Carter Center announced.
The center said in a statement that the oldest living president, who is 98 years old, had elected “to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” after several hospital stays.
“He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” the statement read.
Experts explained to ABC News what it means to enter hospice care and what it may entail:
What is hospice care?
Hospice care is a type of end-of-life care meant to maximize the comfort and quality of life of a terminal patient.
“Typically, hospice care requires a referral from a physician who agreed that hospice care is appropriate for the patient and so we certified that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less, based on our best knowledge and data we have if the disease runs its expected course,” said Dr. Jay Bhatt, an internist and geriatrician in Chicago and an ABC News contributor.
Bhatt said a patient suffering from several conditions can enter hospice including cancer, dementia, kidney failure, recurrent infection and more.
“Entering hospice means your caregivers are focused on managing your symptoms…and it’s oriented around alleviating suffering, during that projected time of life,” he said.
Several needs are addressed when a patient is in hospice care including physical, psychological, social, and spiritual, according to the National Association of Home Care and Hospice.
Hospice care may be misconstrued as a process used to accelerate the worsening of someone’s condition so that they may pass, but that is not the case, Bhatt said.
“This is not intended to speed up the dying process or reduce their time that they may have,” he said. “It really is focused on addressing physical health, managing their symptoms that create suffering, [and] their emotional and spiritual health.”
What is included in hospice care?
Hospice care can include a broad set of services including physician care; nursing care; a home health aide; social work services; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; and bereavement services for the patient’s family, according to the NAHCH.
These services can help manage medication for pain or other conditions, supply emotional support for mental health needs and therapy for mobility that help alleviate suffering, Bhatt said.
“Hospice care at home relies primarily on the family or personally paid caregivers to provide that day-to-day care,” he said. “But you can have a nurse or physician on call 24 hours a day to help with medications for pain or trouble breathing [or] other symptoms.”
If symptoms become too difficult to manage, a person can receive inpatient hospice care at a facility.
While hospice care may be covered by employer-provided insurance or private insurance, it began being covered by Medicare in 1983.
According to the NAHCH, more than 1.6 Medicare beneficiaries received hospice services in 2019 with Medicare expense totaling about $20.9 billion.
Qualifying for hospice care
Experts told ABC News that it’s a complex process filled with hours of discussion before a patient can receive hospice care.
A hospice physician and a regular physician, if the patient has one, have to certify that a patient is terminally ill. The patient has to accept the care as opposed to care to cure their illness, and the patient has to sign a statement choosing hospice care.
“Clearly, the recognition is that Jimmy Carter lived an incredible life; we should all be so lucky to live a life that is so full, rich and rewarding,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an ABC News contributor. “At the end of the day, it’s about patient-centered decisions and their wishes and in this particular case, I’m sure there’s been a lot of consultation with medical teams, and family.”
He continued, “These things are are complicated, you know, long conversations that require many layers of discussion within that, you know, reaching out very quick decisions that are, they’re done without, you know, without the guidance of the whole care team and family.”
How is it different from palliative care?
While hospice care and palliative care are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same, experts said.
Both are about offering compassionate comfort care, but patients in palliative care might have their symptoms treated as well as receiving treatment with the intent of curing their illness.
Additionally, while hospice care requires physicians to sign off, palliative care can begin whenever the physician and patient decide and at any stage or illness — and the illness is not required to be terminal.
“Hospice care is really focused highly on the comfort of that patient,” Brownstein said. “So, comfort care without any sort of intention for cure, whereas palliative care is broader ’cause it’s comfort care, but it could have some component of curative intent.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Monday made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, to reiterate America’s commitment for the war-torn country one year after Russia’s invasion.
Biden’s previously unannounced trip adds him to the list of sitting U.S. presidents who visited a war zone — a list that includes Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and even Abraham Lincoln, among others.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was in the White House when Confederate troops invaded Washington, D.C., in July of 1864. Lincoln left the White House and visited the battlefield at Fort Stevens.
Lincoln is thought to remain the only sitting president to come under fire. He climbed a parapet at Fort Stevens for a better view and troops began shooting. The president may have been warned by a nearby soldier — according to legend — to “get down, you damn fool!” A Union surgeon a few feet from Lincoln was hit and wounded.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Roosevelt was in office for almost the entirety of World War II. His only overseas visit to the theater of war — which encapsulated much of Europe — was on Dec. 8, 1943.
On the second anniversary of his famous speech on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt visited Allied military installations in Italy.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson first sent U.S. troops to Vietnam in March 1965 and he made two overseas visits to the war zone during his term.
In October of 1966, he visited U.S. forces in Cam Ranh Bay. A little over a year later, he returned to Cam Ranh Bay on Dec. 23, 1967.
Richard Nixon
The U.S. withdrew from Vietnam during Nixon’s time in office and he made one overseas trip before the conflict ended.
On July 30, 1969, Nixon met with South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and visited U.S. troops in Saigon.
George W. Bush
Bush oversaw U.S. troop deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of what was known as the War on Terror following the 9/11 attacks.
In his two terms, Bush made two visits to Afghanistan and four visits to Iraq.
Bush’s first war zone visit was Nov. 27, 2003, to Baghdad. He met with Iraqi leaders and addressed U.S. military personnel. He made two more trips to Baghdad and one trip to Al-Assad Air Force Base during his terms.
Bush visited Bagram Airfield and Kabul in Afghanistan in 2006. He met with then-Afghan President Hamid Karzai, dedicated a new U.S. embassy and visited U.S. troops. He returned to Kabul in 2008 and again met with Karzai and visited U.S. troops.
Barack Obama
Obama made one visit to Baghdad, in April 2009. He met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and visited U.S. military personnel.
Obama made four trips to Afghanistan, starting in March 2010, when he visited both Kabul and Bagram. He made two more trips to Bagram and one more trip to Kabul by 2014.
Donald Trump
Trump made two visits to troops overseas during his term. He first visited U.S. forces in Iraq on Dec. 26, 2018.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2019, he made a surprise visit to U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
ABC News’ Nancy Gabriner and Terry Moran contributed to this report.
