(NEW YORK) — You may already be into Dry January, or you may be deciding to start now.
Either way, the challenges of giving up alcohol for the entire month are real.
Annie Grace, the author of The Alcohol Experiment, knows firsthand. In her mid-30s she was a high-level executive who drank two bottles of wine a night.
She gave up alcohol for 30 days in order to regain control of her life.
Grace, a mom of two, no longer drinks and has gone on to write two books sharing research-driven tips for giving up booze.
“My experience in taking a break from alcohol for 30 days was that it wasn’t always easy because I went into it with a mindset of ‘missing out’ or ‘giving something up’ for 30 days, which created the forbidden fruit syndrome in my mind,” Grace told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “Often, when I would take a break from drinking, I would think about drinking constantly and crave it even more during the time that I wasn’t drinking, which is ironic.”
Based on her own experience, Grace shared her three best tips for making sure giving up alcohol “serves you, rather than creating the forbidden fruit syndrome.”
Here are her tips, written in her own words:
1. Focus on the positive
The way you approach this month will be vital to your success. If you feel like it’s going to be awful, it probably will.
Your inner reality creates your outer reality.
Approach Dry January knowing you will get through it and be successful. There might be hard times, but you’ll be okay.
Make sure your perspective is on all of the positives you can gain from the experience. I suggest you make a list of everything you stand to gain and the positives you notice along the way.
If you’re sleeping better, write it down. Lost weight? Write it down. When you start to question your resolve, consult your list.
2. Stay firm
The firmer your decision, the easier this will be. That means that realizing while it may be hard, you’re committed to staying the course.
Alcohol is addictive and on top of that, we tend to have an emotional attachment to it as well. We associate it with everything from celebrations and relaxation to socialization.
That means almost every day is full of triggers that may cause us to question our decision. Rather than leaving the possibility of drinking on the table, commit to a full 31 days alcohol free and see what changes can take place in your life due to that resolve.
3. Don’t rely on willpower
Willpower is not the answer.
You can white-knuckle it through January and manage to force your way through to the end. The problem is that once Feb. 1 rolls around, nothing has changed.
It’s the forbidden fruit syndrome. We want the exact thing we can’t have. You feel deprived and upset that you can’t have it, so as soon as you lift the ban, you’re right back where you started.
Instead of giving alcohol this pedestal of importance in your life, get out of the willpower game.
What you need to do is change your thinking around drinking.
Examine the reasons that you drink. Make a list of all the reasons that you drink: To relax, network, to deal with anxiety, to socialize, etc. Now take those reasons, one at a time and examine them.
Take them apart, see where the belief originated and if it actually holds water. Does alcohol relax you? Why do you think that? Does drinking eliminate the issue that was causing your stress? Take those issues one by one and see if alcohol really does anything to alleviate them.
This — reshaping your beliefs based upon your experiences — will be more effective than willpower ever could be.
(NEW YORK) — Eating with the seasons is a great way to consume produce at peak freshness when it’s full of both nutrients and flavor. Plus, it supports local and regional growers.
Winter dishes and cozy recipes call for things like braised beans, stews full of carrots, onions and potatoes or even roasted squash, which are all at their peak this time of year.
From January through March, here’s a snapshot of what’s in season this winter:
(Make sure to check your local farmer’s markets or seasonal growing calendar because produce availability can differ by location based on harvest and yield.)
(NEW YORK) — In the hours after Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field Monday night, thousands of concerned fans showed their support via an online fundraiser created by the young NFL star previously, which has now gone viral and surpassed $6 million in donations.
Hamlin, 24, collapsed Monday evening moments after tackling wide receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals. First responders administered CPR to Hamlin on-field before he was placed in an ambulance on oxygen and driven out of the stadium to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Concerned fans tracked the developments in real time, with many flocking to Hamlin’s 2020 GoFundMe campaign for “The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive” to lend support.
The GoFundMe saw a resurgence in donations with more than $6 million raised, as of early Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the platform confirmed to ABC News’ Good Morning America on Tuesday that Hamlin’s 2020 fundraiser “is verified.”
“We’re grateful for the kindness, generosity, and empathy our giving community shows every day, especially in moments like these. The fundraiser has raised more than $4 million since last night,” the GoFundMe spokesperson said.
Hamlin’s family posted an update to the initial fundraiser, writing that it “was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community” and now “it has received renewed support in light of Damar’s current battle and we can’t thank all of you enough. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.”
Prior to Monday evening, Hamlin’s fundraising campaign aimed at helping buy toys for kids in need, hardest hit by the pandemic, had raised $2,921.
“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” he wrote in the campaign’s initial post on GoFundMe. “I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.”
The NFL issued a statement in the wake of Monday’s incident, stating that Hamlin “received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics” following his collapse, and that he was “transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.”
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bill. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” the statement read.
Monday night’s game was officially postponed around 10 p.m. ET.
The league added that it had been in “constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game.”
Hamlin’s family also issued a statement on Tuesday morning, thanking the first responders and medical staff who assisted him, as well as the fans for their support.
“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time,” the statement read. “We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country.”
“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar,” the statement continued. “We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.”
The statement concluded, “Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us. Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them.”
(BOSTON) — William “Rick” Singer, the ringleader in a college admissions cheating scandal that spanned the country, is expected to be sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge.
The former college admissions consultant pleaded guilty in March 2019 to helping parents of dozens of well-to-do high school students cheat their way into elite universities.
His sentence will come nearly four years after his plea, as he helped prosecutors convict his former clients, including high-powered executives, fashion moguls and Hollywood actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
Singer, 62, pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of six years in prison — much more than the six-month maximum Singer’s lawyers requested.
His sentence all but marks the end of “Operation Varsity Blues,” the moniker for the prosecutors’ investigation that uncovered a cheating ring of approximately 50 defendants.
Among those prosecuted were parents who paid Singer more than $6 million, Ivy League coaches who opened sham spots on their rosters for Singer’s clients in exchange for bribes and test administrators who were paid to fudge applicants’ entrance exam scores.
Prosecutors said Singer was the mastermind of the decades-long scheme, which has since become the subject of at least four books, a Lifetime movie and a Netflix documentary.
He convinced wealthy clients to pay him bribes in order to give their children a leg up at schools such as Yale, Georgetown and the University of Southern California, prosecutors said. Singer then funneled the money through his charity he said would support disadvantaged youth, allowing his co-conspirators to write off their dues as tax deductions.
Singer was “exceptionally valuable” following his plea deal, according to prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum. He agreed to have his phone tapped to help indict his former clients and accomplices, allowing the government to secure the convictions.
Still, his cooperation was laden with missteps, prosecutors wrote. He met in person with at least six of his former clients to warn them about the investigation and was subsequently convicted of obstructing justice.
“He was the architect and mastermind of a criminal enterprise that massively corrupted the integrity of the college admissions process,” prosecutors wrote in the memorandum.
“Without Singer, the scheme never would have happened,” they added.
In his own memorandum, Singer wrote that he had forfeited his assets, including a sprawling mansion in Orange County, California, which he exchanged for a modest home in a Florida trailer park.
“I have been reflecting on my very poor judgment and criminal activities that increasingly had become my way of life,” he wrote. “I have woken up every day feeling shame, remorse and regret.”
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was dealt one defeat after another on Tuesday but insists he will not back down from his bid to for speaker of the House as the fight spills into a second day.
“Is it the day I wanted to have? No,” he told ABC News. But he insisted he still feels “very good” and confirmed there is no scenario where he is dropping his bid for speaker.
“Let’s take a different perspective,” the California representative said. “You’re sitting at 202 votes. So you need technically just 11 more votes to win. Is there anybody in the conference that can win? Okay, I don’t think that’s there. So we can go round and round. It’ll either turn out that someone will make a mistake and elect a Democrat or we’re going to find a way to work together to be able to govern.”
A fourth round of voting for the speaker of the House is expected to resume on Wednesday when the chamber gathers again at noon after members-elect adjourned shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday after three failed rounds of voting to elect a speaker.
McCarthy’s focus on pragmatism, however, still doesn’t get him to the 218 votes that he needs to take the speaker’s gavel and it appears he is hedging his bets that some of the Republicans who oppose him may either backtrack or vote present, which could help him eventually getting over the line.
Yet, there is no guarantee that will happen and no matter what perspective he takes, at the moment, he still doesn’t have the votes.
Hours after the House adjourned, McCarthy emerged from behind closed doors and admitted this wasn’t the day he had hoped for.
“I don’t really see it as a battle. I just — we’re not that far away. We only need 11 more votes to win,” McCarthy said. “I think everybody comes together so we’ll get that.”
McCarthy also said he spoke to former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, telling ABC News that Trump reiterated his support for him during their conversation.
“He thinks it’s better that all the Republicans get together and solve this,” McCarthy said. “It doesn’t look good for Republicans, but we want to be able to solve it where we’re stronger in the long run, where what we went through today, in the end, becomes a positive that we’re actually focused united.”
The chaos that ensued on Tuesday as the 118th Congress convened is now set to spill into Wednesday — possibly beyond — and the House can conduct no other business until a speaker is chosen.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who changed his vote for speaker in the third round, said on social media that “continuous votes aren’t working.”
“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps…but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds wrote. “When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.”
(KYIV, Ukraine) — There will likely be further strikes into Russian territory, Ukraine’s military intelligence head, Kyrylo Budanov, told ABC News in an interview from Kyiv, without specifically saying whether Ukraine would be behind them.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the Dec. 26 attack on Russia’s Engels Air Force Base, which is located more than 800 miles from the Ukrainian border, but Budanov admitted he was “glad to see it.”
He added the attacks would come “deeper and deeper” inside of Russia, but would only be able to comment on his country’s responsibility for the attacks after the war was over.
And when asked about attacks on Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, Budanov said, “Crimea is Ukrainian territory, we can use any weapon on our territory.”
In late December, Budanov made a public appearance in Bakhmut in Donetsk, the hottest point of the 800-mile front line. What he saw shocked him.
“Soldiers showed me a section where dead bodies are piled up like something you would see in a movie,” he said.
“There are hundreds of dead bodies just rotting away in the open field, in places they are piled on top of other bodies like makeshift walls, when Russian troops attack on that field they use those bodies for cover, like a shield,” he continued. “But it’s not working. There are actual fields of dead bodies there.”
Budanov said Russia’s weaponry is depleting, forcing it to resort to “cheaper,” more “plentiful” solutions, like the Iranian-made, self-destroying Shahed drones, which have sowed fear and panic in the population.
Tehran denies supplying drones to Russia, though the U.S. Department of Defense said Russia has bought hundreds of them.
Russia fired 84 drones at Ukraine in the first two days of 2023, all of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
The U.S. announced it would supply a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine in late December, bringing the Biden administration’s total military aid for Ukraine close to $22 billion. President Joe Biden recently signed a $1.7 trillion government funding bill that includes $47 billion of additional aid for Ukraine.
“I want to express gratitude for all the help we had, and ask to continue to support Ukraine,” said Budanov, telling U.S citizens, “I promise it will not take too long now, and every taxpayer in the U.S. will be able to see where every cent went. We will change this world together.”
Budanov also said they are expecting U.S. Bradley Armored Fighting vehicles to be sent to Ukraine soon: “We are waiting for them. We’re looking forward to them very much. This will significantly improve the combat ability of our units.”
Budanov said he expects fighting to be the “hottest” in March, adding that Ukraine is planning a major push in the spring.
“This is [when we will see more] liberation of territories and dealing the final defeats to the Russian Federation,” he said. “This will happen throughout Ukraine, from Crimea to the Donbas.”
The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly said it will not give up an inch of territory.
“Our goal, and we will achieve it, is returning to the borders of 1991, like Ukraine is recognized by all subjects of international law,” said Budanov.
As for the future of Russia, Budanov said there are several scenarios in play, but the message is clear: “You should not be afraid of the transformation of Russia. It will only benefit the whole world.”
Putin’s regime “is a laughingstock for everyone,” Budanov said, adding the Russian troops are all but reduced to defending territories they still occupy within Ukraine — “and not for much longer.”
“Russia is not a military threat to the world anymore, just a tall tale,” he added.
The only issue remaining, Budanov said, is Russia’s nuclear arsenal “and the uncontrollable regime” that will lead “the whole world to realize the necessity of Russia’s denuclearization or at least an international overseeing of its nuclear arsenal.”
“A terrorist country swinging a nuclear bat at everyone and spewing threats is not a regime that has an ethical or political right to be in control of weapons of mass destruction,” Budanov added.
Moments after the interview ended, Budanov warned our team that rockets had been fired at Kyiv from the Black Sea. Hours later, Russia unleashed another massive aerial attack against Ukraine — ringing in 2023 with terror.
(WASHINGTON) — Republicans faced a leadership drama — that has now stretched into a historic limbo — as they took control of the House on Tuesday.
As the 118th Congress convened, the first order of business in the chamber was the election of a new speaker, and current Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is so far being stymied by a group of hardliners demanding concessions.
To win the gavel, McCarthy needs a majority of the members-elect who are present and voting. But because the GOP holds only a five-seat advantage, a small number of defections is stopping McCarthy from gaining the office he’s long sought.
The House can conduct no other business until a speaker is chosen. For the first time in a century, the vote is requiring multiple rounds and, now, multiple days.
Here’s how the story is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 03, 9:36 PM EST
Speaker vote expected to resume Wednesday
A fourth round of voting for the House speaker is certain to resume after the chamber gathers again on Wednesday at noon.
Members-elect adjourned until then shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, after three rounds of voting failed to elect a speaker.
Republicans, who hold the majority, did not coalesce behind their chosen leader, McCarthy, with roughly 20 lawmakers choosing other candidates.
Walking off the House floor earlier Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told reporters that the conference wants to be unified so they can start on long-promised investigations.
He said he does not want to be the speaker, despite the backing of some McCarthy defectors — he said he wants to chair the judiciary committee.
Jan 03, 5:46 PM EST
Frustration was growing as voting wound down
House lawmakers adjourned until Tuesday as some of them grew restless following the three rounds of unsuccessful voting for a new speaker.
Signs of frustration mounted during the third vote, with Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., saying he was backing McCarthy “because I’m interested in governing.”
The voting took place as lawmakers had family and friends in town, and it was unclear at the time how deep into the night voting would go.
McCarthy had vowed to keep voting until there was a speaker, but the motion to adjourn shortly before 6 p.m. drew little opposition.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin and Benjamin Siegel
Jan 03, 5:35 PM EST
House adjourns, will resume Wednesday
The House overwhelmingly chose late Tuesday afternoon to adjourn until noon on Wednesday after a motion from Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., was adopted by voice vote
That decision came after three unsuccessful rounds saw no member-elect chosen as speaker, including McCarthy.
It’s the first time in a century that the speaker vote has taken multiple rounds.
Jan 03, 5:39 PM EST
McCarthy defector calls for ‘huddle’ to sort out speaker vote
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who changed his vote for speaker in the third round, said on social media that “continuous votes aren’t working.”
Donalds supported McCarthy during the first two rounds of voting, but then switched his choice to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. On Twitter, Donalds indicated that he does not believe McCarthy has the support to ultimately become speaker.
“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps…but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds wrote.
“When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.”
“Democracy is messy at times, but we will be ready to govern on behalf of the American people. Debate is healthy,” he added.
Jan 03, 5:07 PM EST
McCarthy loses a supporter — and 3rd round of speaker vote
In the third round of voting, 20 Republican lawmakers voted against McCarthy for speaker — the highest amount so far. Those votes went to Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
In the first two rounds, 19 Republicans voted for a different candidate. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., voted for McCarthy two times before changing his vote to Jordan.
McCarthy received 202 votes in the latest round, making it the third time he’s trailed Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Democrats have already elected Jeffries to be their caucus leader in the new Congress.
Jan 03, 4:33 PM EST
McCarthy to ABC: ‘Their secret candidate nominated me’
“We stay in until we win,” McCarthy said as he headed back onto the House floor ahead of the third round.
After huddling with Reps. Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Patrick McHenry and a few others off the floor, McCarthy told ABC News on his way back to the House floor that the prolonged vote was exactly what he was expecting to happen.
“This isn’t about me; this is about the conference now,” he said.
“If anybody wants to earn something, committee slots or others, you go through the conference to do that. You don’t get it by leveraging people. It just doesn’t happen,” he added.
McCarthy disputed that he hasn’t shown any progress throughout the afternoon.
“They put [Rep.] Jim Jordan [up as a candidate for speaker]. Remember how they all said they had a secret candidate. Their secret candidate nominated me, so where do they go now?”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Allison Pecorin
Jan 03, 4:34 PM EST
McCarthy gets new defector in third round of voting
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., switched his vote for speaker after voting for McCarthy in the first two rounds.
Donalds, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, backed Rep. Jim Jordan in the third round of voting. If every candidate who voted for Jordan on the second ballot does so again, the Ohioan will get at least 20 votes.
Jan 03, 4:37 PM EST
Historic 3rd speaker vote underway in the House
Ahead of the House entering a third vote for the speakership, Rep. Pete Aguilar again nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for Democrats, prompting “Hakeem” chants from their side of the chamber, as Republicans remain in disarray.
“For unity in Congress and progress in our country, Democrats are united behind Hakeem Jeffries. I recommend Hakeem Jeffries as our speaker,” Aguilar said to applause.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas nominated Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, again, despite Jordan losing in prior votes, his saying he didn’t want the position and asking Republicans to unite around McCarthy.
“Now, Jim has said he doesn’t want that nomination, and Jim has been down here nominating Kevin, and I respect that. Again, I have no personal animus toward Kevin,” Roy said. “But we do not have the tools or the leadership yet to stop the swamp from rolling over the American people. Jim has been doing it, he has a track record for doing that, and for those reasons, I’m nominating Jim Jordan for speaker of the House.”
Jan 03, 4:15 PM EST
Scalise says McCarthy critics are obstructing legislation
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., McCarthy’s No. 2, slammed McCarthy’s critics as obstructionists to legislative efforts to tackle issues like immigration and energy reserves.
“We all came here to get things done. To get big things done. To solve the problems. And I hope when we get through today that all the members on both sides of the aisle will get together to solve the problems,” he said when nominating McCarthy before the third round of voting.
However, he said, “we can’t start fixing those problems until we elect Kevin McCarthy” as speaker.
Scalise’s speech came after Jordan nominated McCarthy. Both men have been floated as potential alternatives if McCarthy is unable to win the majority needed to clinch the speakership.
Jan 03, 4:00 PM EST
Scalise seems to be drafting McCarthy nomination speech
ABC News’ Ben Siegel, on the House floor, spotted Steve Scalise seemingly drafting a nomination speech for Kevin McCarthy.
This would mark another twist as Republicans still struggle to coalesce around any single candidate.
Jan 03, 3:58 PM EST
White House ‘willing to work’ with GOP in new Congress but avoids weighing in on leadership fight
After two failed votes to select a House speaker on Capitol Hill, the White House said it is “certainly not going to insert ourselves” into that process but are
“looking forward to working” with the new Republican-controlled House.
Asked by ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Mary Bruce what the president wants to work on with Republicans once the House GOP leadership is in place, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t offer any specifics on what policies it wants to be first on the agenda.
“He’s willing to work with Republicans who are willing to continue to deliver for the American people,” she said. “He is very optimistic on what lies ahead and how we are going to move our country forward.”
And when asked whether it may be more difficult to work with Republicans after the ongoing leadership fight, Jean-Pierre repeated President Joe Biden’s optimism and noted bipartisan legislation that was passed in his first two years.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Jan 03, 3:31 PM EST
Jordan says he told Gaetz not to nominate him as speaker
Right after Rep. Jim Jordan spoke on the House floor following the first vote — to support McCarthy in the next round — Rep. Matt Gaetz turned the tables and enthusiastically nominated Jordan to be speaker.
But Jordan told ABC News afterward that he told Matt Gaetz not to nominate him. Jordan would go on to pick up 19 votes in the second ballot.
Gaetz had said weeks ago he thought Jordan would be a good choice for speaker.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders
Jan 03, 3:27 PM EST
McCarthy loses 2nd ballot as 19 Republicans vote for Jordan
Kevin McCarthy has fallen short of the votes needed to win House speaker for a second time.
Once again, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy — this time unanimously backing Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Jordan had urged his colleagues to back McCarthy as he nominated the California congressman for speaker. But Rep. Matt Gaetz stood up to nominate Jordan, calling him the “most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference.”
The House vote was identical to the first round: McCarthy again won 203 votes compared to Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ 212 votes.
Jan 03, 2:45 PM EST
Jordan wins enough votes to deny McCarthy speakership in 2nd vote
Enough Republicans have already voted for Jordan to deny McCarthy the speakership in a second ballot.
Just after Jordan rose to renominate McCarthy before the start of the second round of voting, nine Republicans backed the Ohioan before vote counting even got halfway through the alphabet.
Jordan was able to flip a number of Republicans who opposed McCarthy on the first ballot but didn’t vote for him, including Biggs, who voted for himself during the initial round of voting.
Jan 03, 2:31 PM EST
Gaetz nominates Jordan after Jordan urges colleagues to back McCarthy
After Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio took to the floor to encourage Republicans to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker, Rep. Matt Gaetz got up to nominate Jordan for the position.
“I rise to nominate the most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference, who just gave a speech with more vision than we have ever heard from the alternative,” the Florida congressman said.
“Jim Jordan is humble. Perhaps today, humble to a fault,” Gaetz continued. “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad. Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it.”
In the first round of voting, Jordan received six votes.
Jan 03, 2:28 PM EST
Jim Jordan nominates McCarthy in 2nd round of voting
After receiving six votes of his own on the first ballot, Rep. Jim Jordan nominated Kevin McCarthy in the second round of voting for House speaker.
“I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House,” Jordan said, prompting applause from several Republican members.
“We need to rally around him, come together, and deal with these three things, because this is what the people sent us here to do,” he added, ticking through Republican priorities in the new Congress.
“We owe it to them, the American people, the good people of this great country, to step forward to come together, get a speaker elected so we can address these three things. I hope you’ll vote for Kevin McCarthy and that’s why I’m proud to nominate him for speaker of the House,” Jordan said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Good, one of the original “Never Kevin” members, said off the House floor that he plans to vote for Jordan on the second ballot despite Jordan’s call to support McCarthy — and expects other detractors will follow.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Jan 03, 2:20 PM EST
‘Optics are terrible’: ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on GOP speaker battle
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl weighed in after the first ballot vote for House speaker.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy fell well short of the majority needed to clinch the position. He received 203 votes, while Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received 212. Nineteen lawmakers voted for someone else.
“The optics for Republicans is terrible,” Karl told ABC’s David Muir following the vote.
“They’ve taken control, they’ve won control of the House by a narrow majority, and [in the] first act of this Republican House, more votes went to the liberal Democrat candidate for speaker than went for Kevin McCarthy. Think about that David,” Karl said.
Jan 03, 2:13 PM EST
McCarthy to ABC News: Vote against him ‘exactly what we thought it’d be’
McCarthy told ABC News, after stepping off the House floor, that the current vote against him was “exactly what we thought it’d be.”
McCarthy added that this vote could go on for days and that “we got a number of members who are trying to fight for their own personal items” instead of for the country.
When asked how he what he can do to persuade the large number of members who voted against him by voting for others, McCarthy said he needs to convince them that “they don’t win gavels by trying to threaten or leverage somebody … I don’t think that’s what their constituents elected.”
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Jan 03, 1:54 PM EST
McCarthy falls short in first speaker vote
After the first round of voting, no member obtained the 218 votes needed to become House speaker, but Democrat Hakeem Jeffries earned more votes than Kevin McCarthy — on the first day of a new Republican-controlled House.
Jeffries received 212 votes to McCarthy’s 203. Far-right Republican Andy Biggs of Arizona received 10 votes, and there were nine votes for others, including six for Rep. Jim Jordan, and, in a surprise move, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas voted for Florida’s Byron Donalds.
Nineteen Republicans broke from McCarthy, who could only afford to lose four, marking a stunning defeat by 15 votes. Despite having a majority this Congress, McCarthy got fewer votes this time than the last time he ran for speaker against Nancy Pelosi.
For the first time since 1923 — and the first time since floor proceedings have been televised — the speaker’s vote appears headed towards a second ballot.
While McCarthy has signaled he’s up for more voting rounds, he faces a steep hurdle in a second vote with so many lawmakers to win over — and the potential for Republicans to nominate another member, such as No. 2 Steve Scalise.
Jan 03, 1:37 PM EST
McCarthy gets quick standing ovation after voting for himself
After standing to cast a voice vote for himself, Kevin McCarthy smiled as he got a round of applause from his GOP supporters – even as it appeared that he would lose the first ballot for speaker.
McCarthy faced enough defections from his conference – with some voting for Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona or Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio – to likely not prevail in the first tally.
But the quick standing ovation for McCarthy was both indicative of the support he still has in the House Republican Conference and the challenges of a slim Republican House majority.
Jan 03, 1:41 PM EST
Appears McCarthy will not have votes on first ballot to be elected
The majority of House Republicans applauded when Rep. Elise Stefanik rose to nominate Kevin McCarthy — but more than a dozen, most of them sitting by the center aisle in the second to last row of the chamber, sat on their hands. The applause for McCarthy was hardly thunderous.
And with every vote against McCarthy, the sounds of murmuring in the chamber grew, as it also grew more obvious that McCarthy will not have the votes on the first ballot to be elected speaker.
In contrast, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., had a sustained standing ovation when he nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY. Once the applause died down, Aguilar declared, “Today, House Democrats are united” — prompting even louder and more sustained applause from Democrats — while McCarthy sat silently and stone-faced on the other side of the aisle.
As McCarthy entered the rear of the chamber through the center door about 15 minutes earlier, he did so quietly and with little fanfare. Most people on the floor seemed not to notice. He walked all the way down to the area in front of the clerk before somebody went to talk to him, and it was a staffer for Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.
-ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl
Jan 03, 1:00 PM EST
Tense roll call vote begins
A tense roll call vote for speaker is beginning.
In alphabetical order, members are being asked to say aloud whom they are voting for as speaker.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel
Jan 03, 12:53 PM EST
Aguilar declares Democrats ‘united’ behind Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., has nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York to be the House minority leader.
Jeffries has made history as the first Black leader to be elected leader a congressional caucus. He was elected by Democrats in late November after Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced she was stepping down from the role.
“Today, madam clerk, House Democrats are united by a speaker who will people over politics,” Aguilar declared, an apparent dig at Republicans as the party struggles to unite behind a candidate for speaker.
“Hakeem Jeffries has worked his entire life to improve economic opportunity for all people. He’s committed to strengthening the American dream by lowering costs for working families, building safer communities by taking weapons of war off streets and by creating good-paying jobs in industries of the future.”
“He does not traffic in extremism,” Aguilar continued. “He does not grovel to or make excuses for a twice impeached so-called former president. Madam clerk, he does not bend a knee to everyone who would seek to undermine our democracy because, madam clerk, that’s not what leaders do.”
Jeffries and Pelosi greeted each other on the House floor on Tuesday morning.
Jan 03, 12:46 PM EST
Stefanik introduces McCarthy as GOP nominee for speaker
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., introduced Kevin McCarthy on the House floor as the GOP nominee for speaker.
Stefanik, a McCarthy ally, touted the Californian’s efforts to bolster House Republicans’ ranks by campaigning for diverse candidates from coast to coast.
“Since the day Kevin was elected as our leader, House Republicans have only gained seats and won,” she said. “Kevin knows what we stand for, he knows when to engage in the fight, and he knows how to build consensus.”
“His relentless effort has yielded an extraordinary House Republican majority,” she added. “Today’s House Republican Conference is the most diverse Republican conference in our nation’s history.”
And while her speech was mostly focused on building up McCarthy, Stefanik also offered a dig at his detractors, boasting that “Kevin McCarthy has earned this speakership of the ‘People’s House.'”
Jan 03, 12:44 PM EST
Magnetometers at House chamber entrances removed
Ahead of the vote for speaker, the magnetometers placed outside the doors of the House chamber in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have been removed, as the new GOP majority demanded.
The GOP’s new proposed House rules had called for removing the magnetometers.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Will Steakin and Nicole Moeder
Jan 03, 12:33 PM EST
VP Kamala Harris swears in new senators
As House Republicans enter the 118th Congress in disarray over who will hold the speaker’s gavel, the Democrat-controlled Senate opened with Vice President Kamala Harris swearing in new members and those who won reelection in November.
Among the new faces in the chamber are Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, Alabama’s Katie Britt and Missouri’s Eric Schmitt.
Arizona’s Mark Kelly and Georgia’s Raphael Warnock were sworn in for their first full, six-year terms.
Despite losing majority control in the House, Democrats expanded their advantage in the Senate by one seat.
Jan 03, 10:39 AM EST
McCarthy tells Republicans ‘I earned this job’: Source
In a closed-door meeting with House Republicans, Kevin McCarthy made a last-ditch case for speaker.
“I’m not going to go away. I’m going to stand until the last four friends stand with me,” he told the GOP members, according to a source in the room.
“I earned this job,” McCarthy said. “We earned this majority, and goddammit we are going to win it today.”
Jan 03, 10:33 AM EST
Rep.-elect George Santos arrives near House office
Rep.-elect George Santos, who has faced controversy and national attention for lying about or embellishing details of his background, was spotted by reporters in Congress Tuesday morning.
Santos was walking toward his office in the Longworth House Office Building, accompanied by a staffer, when he stopped and turned the other way once he saw reporters.
He declined to answer most questions, but told ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa he will vote for Kevin McCarthy for speaker.
Santos faced calls for accountability from some Republicans, but not from current Republican House leadership. He has said he will serve out his term in the House.
New members of the House will not be sworn in until a speaker is elected.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa, and Oren Oppenheim
Jan 03, 10:20 AM EST
McCarthy ready to battle for speaker’s gavel, sources say
As Republicans met behind closed doors ahead of the speaker vote, it appeared Kevin McCarthy still did not have the votes needed to be elected.
Sources close to the Republican leader say he’s ready to battle it out. It could go into multiple rounds of votes — something that hasn’t happened in 100 years — and the floor fight could drag on for hours, if not days. The longest battle for speaker was in 1856, and it took two months and 133 votes to resolve.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who opposes McCarthy’s bid, has warned, “We may see the cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, D.C. before a speaker is elected.”
All of this overshadows the start of the new Congress where Republicans have a majority in the House for the first time since 2018.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott
Jan 03, 9:43 AM EST
McCarthy arrives for GOP meeting: ‘We are going to have a good day’
Rep. McCarthy has arrived for a closed-door meeting with his fellow Republicans.
“We are going to have a good day today,” McCarthy said as he walked by reporters, who asked if he had the votes for speaker.
The California congressman then laughed as a reporter asked if he’d support Rep. Steve Scalise for speaker should he fail to get enough votes.
Jan 03, 9:42 AM EST
‘Follow Kevin McCarthy’ sign posted outside speaker’s office
Hours before the vote to elect a new House speaker, a sign has appeared in front of the speaker’s office with the message: “Follow Kevin McCarthy.”
McCarthy was set to shore up more support for his speaker bid in a closed-door meeting with the Republican caucus this morning. He faces opposition from a group of hard-line conservatives, who could sink what is his second attempt to hold the gavel.
The California congressman’s belongings have been brought into the speaker’s suite, but if he doesn’t get enough votes, he’ll have to move out.
Jan 03, 8:52 AM EST
GOP conference to hold last-minute meeting before speaker vote
The House Republican conference will meet behind closed doors at 9:30 a.m., just hours before the speaker vote begins at noon.
While McCarthy might be able to garner more support in a last-ditch appeal, his detractors have boasted that they’ll be able to muster the necessary opposition to block his bid.
Rep. Scott Perry, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus who is leading the group of hard-line conservatives opposing McCarthy’s bid, released a new statement Tuesday morning blasting the California congressman.
“In his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington,” Perry said.
Jan 03, 8:36 AM EST
McCarthy’s rise from California politics to GOP leader
Kevin McCarthy began his career as a staffer to then-Rep. Bill Thomas before chairing the California Young Republicans and later the Young Republican National Federation.
He was first elected to office in 2002, serving in the California state Assembly until 2007, when was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, he was dubbed one of the “young guns” of the next generation of conservative leadership.
McCarthy tried to become speaker in 2015 but his chance evaporated after resistance from the same kind of conservatives who are trying to block his path Tuesday. When Democrats took control of the House in 2018, McCarthy was elected House minority leader.
Jan 03, 8:26 AM EST
McCarthy’s bid for speaker unclear as new Congress set to begin
Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the next speaker of the House is still clouded in uncertainty as lawmakers head to Capitol Hill for the first day of the 118th Congress.
McCarthy and his staffers spent the day Monday setting up the speaker’s office but he may have to move his belongings out if he fails to clinch the votes needed to secure the position.
A few dozen members piled into McCarthy’s office throughout the day Monday to go over last-minute strategy. ABC News spotted three McCarthy critics during the afternoon meeting: Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert and Scott Perry.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a McCarthy supporter, told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, “the problem is the people need to realize the art of the deal. They are all Trump supporters, and you can’t be successful if you’re not willing to take the wins when you get them” when asked about those in her party who are trying to tank McCarthy’s bid.
Rep. Jim Jordan, whose name has been floated around as a potential speaker candidate, said he believes McCarthy “can get there.”
McCarthy, however, didn’t directly answer reporter’s questions about how the vote could go, telling them, “I hope you all have a very nice New Year’s” as he exited the Capitol on Monday night.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — The Mega Millions jackpot is closing in on another 10-digit jackpot in the billions after no ticket matched all six numbers that were drawn on Tuesday night.
The winning numbers that were drawn — the white balls 25, 29, 33, 41 and 44, plus the gold Mega Ball 18 — means that the estimated prize is now at an estimated $940 million — or a lump sum cash option of $483.5 million — for the next drawing which will take place this Friday evening.
“In more than 20 years since the game began in 2002, there have been just three larger jackpots than Friday’s estimated prize,” Mega Millions said in a statement announcing that nobody had won the Mega Millions jackpot. “The Mega Millions record remains $1.537 billion, won by a single ticket in South Carolina on October 23, 2018. Two years ago, a $1.05 billion prize was won in Michigan on January 22, 2021, and there was that big $1.337 billion jackpot won in Illinois last July.”
There have now been 23 consecutive drawings with no Mega Millions jackpot winner dating back to Oct. 14.
“Across the country, 68 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize,” Mega Millions said. “Twelve of those tickets are worth $40,000 each, because they also included the optional Megaplier. The other 56 third-tier winning tickets are worth $10,000 each.”
In total, there were six Mega Millions jackpots awarded in 2022, ranging from $20 million in Tennessee to $1.337 billion in Illinois. The jackpot that was awarded in the latest win in October was $502 million, shared by winning tickets in California and Florida.
“Since the jackpot was last won on October 14, the number of winning tickets at all prize levels has grown to more than 22.7 million across the country through 23 drawings,” Mega Millions said. “These include 47 worth $1 million or more, won in 19 different states from coast to coast: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.”
The drawing on Jan. 6 will be the second drawing of 2023 and, if nobody wins again, the jackpot will likely be estimated to be into the billions.
(NEW YORK) — A New Year’s Eve machete rampage targeting police officers in Times Square is the latest example of law enforcement failing to prevent an individual already on their radar from carrying out an act of violence, prompting some counterterrorism experts to call for a new model for evaluating would-be attackers.
The Times Square assault on three New York City police officers came just weeks after the suspect, 19-year-old Trevor Bickford of Maine, was placed on a federal watch list, authorities said. The FBI evaluated Bickford when his mother informed the agency he was gravitating toward Islamic extremism, officials said.
While Bickford was placed on a federal no-fly list, he took an Amtrak train to New York allegedly intent on attacking police officers, authorities said.
Bickford was taken into custody after being shot in the shoulder by a police officer. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of attempted assault. He remained in a hospital Tuesday evening, pending an arraignment.
John Cohen, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security acting undersecretary for intelligence, said the case is the latest in a string of attacks nationwide where law enforcement made contact with a suspect prior to an attack and assessed the potential for them to carry out a violent act.
“It has become increasingly clear that the protocols used by federal and local authorities to assess the risk posed by individuals who exhibit threat-related behaviors is out of date and inconsistent with the current threat facing the nation,” said Cohen, now an ABC News contributor.
Cohen noted that suspects in several recent mass casualty incidents had been evaluated by law enforcement prior to committing the acts of violence, including Payton Gendron, the teenager who pleaded guilty to killing 10 Black people in a racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York, and Nikolas Cruz, who pleaded guilty to killing 17 students in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, who allegedly killed five people and wounded 17 others at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado in November, had been arrested in 2001 on allegations of making a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of about 10 homes. A year before he killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis in 2021, Brandon Scott Hole was taken into custody by police and temporarily placed in a mental detention facility for further assessment after his mother complained he assaulted her when she asked what he was going to do with the gun, officials said.
Omar Mateen, who in 2016 killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was allowed to legally purchase an AR-style rifle and a handgun despite his name appearing on a federal watch list after being interviewed three times by the FBI in the years leading up to the massacre at the gay nightclub, according to authorities.
“We’re still, from an investigator’s perspective, looking for that Mohamed Atta,” said Cohen, referring to one of the hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks. “We’re looking for somebody who we can associate with a foreign terrorist group or looking at somebody who meets the threshold of a federal terrorism investigation.”
Cohen added, “That’s why we continue to see instances where people come to the attention of the bureau or law enforcement, they’re assessed that way, they don’t meet that threshold, they don’t become the subject of a full-field investigation, yet they go out and commit an act of violence.”
Cohen said threats today are very different from ones the nation faced on Sept. 11, 2001.
“We’re not dealing with a group of sophisticated, ideologically motivated foreign terrorists. We’re dealing with individuals, all of which, regardless of the motive, are experiencing somewhat consistent behavioral health issues,” he said.
He said a better approach, increasingly adopted by state and local agencies, is to “look at individuals holistically” when they come to the attention of law enforcement.
“What it entails is that you have specially trained law enforcement working with mental health professionals. They look at individuals holistically. Maybe they come to the attention of law enforcement initially because of their online behavior, maybe it’s other behaviors they’re exhibiting that family or others observe,” Cohen said.
He said there are reams of data culled from mass shootings and terrorist attacks showing a common pattern of behavior in perpetrators that can be used in assessing risk.
“We’re dealing with individuals, all of which, regardless of the motive, are experiencing somewhat consistent behavioral health issues,” Cohen said. “They feel disconnected from community, they’re angry, they’re searching for a sense of life meaning, they come from dysfunctional family backgrounds, they spend a considerable amount of time online viewing content placed there by terrorist groups, by extremists, content regarding past shootings and other ideological or extremist content until ultimately they connect with something or a blend of beliefs, or a blend of beliefs and grievances.”
Cohen said much of the new model for assessing the risk of such individuals is detailed in a 2015 FBI report titled, “Making Prevention a Reality.”
“Threat assessment is a systematic, fact-based method of investigation and examination that blends the collection of analysis of multiple sources of information with published research and practitioner experience, focusing on an individual’s patterns of thinking and behavior to determine whether, and to what extent, a person of concern is moving toward an attack,” the report states.
The report adds, “By engaging in the assessment and management process as soon as a person of concern is identified, threat managers are more likely to succeed in preventing a violent outcome. Steering a person in a different direction early on may mean offering assistance to someone who needs it before that person concludes violence is necessary.”
Thomas Galati, NYPD Chief of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said the suspect in Saturday night’s Times Square attack was interviewed by FBI agents last month in Maine after his mother reported concerns that her son was possibly becoming radicalized. The FBI determined Bickford allegedly wanted to fight in Afghanistan and placed him on a federal watch list to prevent him from traveling overseas, Galati said.
“The way you know they (the FBI) took the traditional approach is they viewed the primary threat as his travel to Afghanistan,” Cohen said. “So, they no-flyed him. They tried to restrict his ability to travel, but look what happened.”
By contrast, he noted a recent case in Maryland, where a teenager posted on Instagram that he wanted to shoot up his high school and was reported to a school resource officer by classmates.
“The school resource officer went to the threat management unit, which did a threat assessment and deemed the person to be high risk,” Cohen said. “They believed this person was on their way to engage in violence and they prevented it. They went to the courts, they invoked the red flag law. The person got additional mental health care.”
But Cohen conceded there are likely “thousands” of reports like the one flagged to authorities in Maryland.
“I acknowledge that it requires additional training, it requires resources, it requires a different way of looking at these issues,” Cohen said. “But the alternative is we continue to experience the weekly shootings or other mass casualty attacks that we seem to be experiencing today.”
(NEW YORK) — Iranian women were banned from the national soccer stadium and all live soccer games for more than 40 years, but that didn’t stop some women from defying the mandate.
A new ESPN 30 for 30 podcast called “Pink Card” follows three generations of women defying the ban.
Peabody Award-winning host and executive producer Shima Oliaee sat down with ABC News Live’s Phil Lipof to talk about bringing the fight toward freedom to life, her own personal identity as the daughter of her soccer-loving Iranian mom and how it all connects to the ongoing protests in Iran for women’s rights.
LIPOF:Shima, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. Iranian women have been banned from watching soccer inside that stadium, we’re told, to allegedly prevent them from temptation of men’s bare legs. How did Iran’s national soccer stadium turn into a battleground for women’s rights?
OLIAEE: As soon as [former Supreme Leader Ruhollah] Khomeini came into power, basically, all of their legal rights started being stripped one by one. And by 1981, every woman was fully veiled. They went from very Parisian-like outfits, short miniskirts. My mom said she was protesting in a miniskirt in ‘79 as a freshman in college. And it went from that to full, thick black pants, long-sleeved shirts and a full hijab or chador by the time we get to 1981.
And women were still allowed in the stadium at the time, which they’d never been banned from. They go to the national soccer stadium, Azadi Stadium. At the time it was called Aryamehr. And the guards at the gate tell them they are no longer allowed inside the stadium, that they’ve been banned from all live soccer games. The guards laughed and said, ‘Actually, on top of this, this national stadium has been renamed. It’s called Azadi Stadium. That means Freedom Stadium, and you will never be allowed inside again.’ And for 40 years that remained true.
LIPOF:I find it interesting the podcast follows four decades of experiences of different women impacted by the ban. Why four decades?
OLIAEE:What I noticed was, in the ’80s, there was a certain way that women kept hope alive, and that was also during the Iraq-Iran war, and that was in secret spaces. It wasn’t in public spaces.
But by the ’90s, and this critical game that actually happens that we describe in the series, it’s a World Cup qualifying match between Australia and Iran. The entire country explodes with joy and women are part of it. So it’s the first time in the ’90s that you see women do things that are illegal for them to do and they break into Azadi Stadium and rip off their hijabs.
LIPOF: You also choose to showcase your personal experiences, being an Iranian-American. Let’s take a look.
OLIAEE, speaking on podcast: “I often felt like that — split in two. At school, I was ashamed of telling people where my family was from. It’s not like I was fully aware of what was happening in the world — what the Gulf War was, the Iranian hostage crisis. But growing up in the ’90s in Reno, Nevada, I knew being from the Middle East wasn’t something to be excited about.”
LIPOF:There are so many ways to tell a story. You know this. Why did you feel it was important to share your own personal experience?
OLIAEE:All the Iranian women in my family were the most intimidating people in my family. So I kind of didn’t understand why, in Western media, I was seeing a lot of repressed images of women in the Middle East. And also what I would see —
[Old footage plays on screen]
Yeah, that’s my mom coming back from a coed match. Look at her! Oh my gosh, she’s so funny. Look at her! She’s like, ‘I just scored a goal.’ She’s bragging about her great — Oh my gosh. Yeah, she was MVP on her team. She let me know that.
LIPOF:Something to be proud of.
OLIAEE:She’s very sporty.
But yeah, she loved soccer. She wouldn’t talk about the trauma from Iran. She would talk about soccer. And I saw all these strong Iranian women in my family. And when I would look to Western media to understand where I came from, I would see a lot of screaming men with beards and really bad eyebrows.
There was an image that had seeped into me as an American. I had misconceptions, and I actually wanted to replace the sounds of screaming men that were kind of seared into our brain through the hostage crisis with —
LIPOF: Pictures of your mom in her uniform.
OLIAEE:With my mom freaking out about her soccer game. I mean, in the last episode, she literally cannot focus on the revolution that’s happening right now, because she’s about to win her match.
So with that, the sound of joy. And all three generations of women that I interviewed who basically defied the regime, defied death in order to even speak about what had been happening the last 20 years. They shared their joy.
LIPOF:Just before we go, you talked about executions. And right now, there are people being executed. There are people who are going to be executed. How do you think the world should be reacting to what’s happening in Iran?
OLIAEE:I mean, this is what’s so hard. It’s so easy to turn away and distract ourselves from what’s happening. I think this is what I really want people to get from the podcast. When you hear this series, what you see is that the same tactics of the regime have been used for 40 years.
They lie, too. They say, ‘Oh, we’re not executing. Oh, we’ve banned the moral police.’ All of these other stories have come out in the last several weeks as these protests have taken over Iran.
And I think the lessons that the women learned are crucial lessons for women in every country. There’s so many ways that we can learn about what not to do and also what we need to do. And I hope that that’s what this series brings, is a little bit of clarity and wisdom for today — and courage.
LIPOF:Thank you so much for joining us. You can listen to the ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast series. It is called “Pink Card” and it’s available now.
