(SELMA, Ala.) — Amanda McCloud was working in a Selma, Alabama, day care changing a toddler’s diapers when she heard the tornado sirens begin to wail.
“Most of the time, nothing ever happened,” she told ABC News about the tornado sirens she’s grown used to hearing, but she said it was different last Thursday.
There have been at least nine deaths as a result of a tornado that struck the South last week, according to authorities.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency on Thursday for Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and Tallapoosa counties, tweeting that those counties “were in the path of Mother Nature’s wrath.”
McCloud was working at the Crosspoint Christian Church’s child care and preschool in Selma, entrusted with caring for about six children that ranged in age from 7 weeks to 4 months old. Sixty children attended the preschool and nursery, with students as old as 4 years old, she said.
McCloud said she and her coworker tried to move the toddlers to a safer location within the day care once the sirens began, searching for a windowless room to shelter in place. She found all four bathrooms filled with children and staff, so McCloud said she decided to shelter with the children in her supervisor’s office.
With the power out, McCloud said she leaned over to protect a 7-week-old infant just as the worst of the storm set in.
“And then the roof just fell, like tiles and the ceiling tiles, you know, everything on top of us,” she said. “So, like it was pouring down rain on the kids.”
McCloud said she began yelling for help as the roof collapsed and exposed the children to the wind and rain.
“I was just like, ‘our roof is off, our roof is off.’ I was just screaming for help because I was hoping the bathroom people would come help us, you know, get the kids out,” she said. “But they were all probably screaming too.”
Once the fear subsided, she said she needed to get the children to another place to shelter.
“It was just pouring down rain…,” she said. “And I was like, ‘oh my god, yeah, we gotta get out of here.'”
As she tried to move the kids to a safer location, McCloud said she was surprised to find a 4-month-old child unscathed under the rubble.
“She was up under all of the ceiling tiles. And she just had a little [pacifier] in her mouth, not crying or anything,” McCloud said.
McCloud said she then tried to move the children to a bathroom, but they made a startling discovery. There was a smell of gas in the crowded bathroom where other children were hiding.
“People were coming just saying, ‘we smell gas, we smell gas!'” she said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, me too,’ because we gotta get out of the building.”
The roughly 60 children and staff of the day care then moved to a neighboring church, where parents picked up their children.
McCloud said other than some minor injuries, the children were unscathed, which she attributed to the attentiveness and maturity of the children.
“My kids really listened really good that day. It wasn’t hard moving them. They really did great,” she said.
Throughout the incident, McCloud said she worried about her daughter, a 15-year-old at a nearby high school.
“I really wanted to run down there and check on her,” she said. “But you know, I couldn’t leave my kids.”
McCloud has a simple response when asked how she handled the stress of the storm and the pressure of being responsible for other people’s children.
“I didn’t think about … what to do,” she said. “I just did it.”
(ATLANTA) — President Joe Biden on Sunday delivered a sermon at Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church in Atlanta, celebrating the late civil rights leader’s life and legacy and reflecting on the progress that Biden said was still left to be made.
Speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached, Biden spoke on what would have been King’s 94th birthday of what he called an “inflection point” in the country.
The president said that the assassinated preacher and activist’s teachings offer a path forward.
“It’s still the task of our time to make that dream a reality, because it’s not there yet. To make Dr. King’s vision tangible, to match the words of the preachers and the poets with our deeds,” Biden said. “The battle for the soul of this nation is perennial. It’s a constant struggle. It’s a constant struggle between hope and fear, kindness and cruelty, justice and injustice, against those who traffic in racism, extremism and insurrection. A battle fought on battlefields and bridges, from courthouses and ballot boxes to pulpits and protests.”
“At our best, the American promise wins out,” the president said. “At our best, we hear and heed the injunctions of the lord and the whispers of the angels.”
“But I don’t need to tell you that we’re not always at our best. We’re fallible, we fail and fall,” he continued. “But faith and history teach us that however dark the night, joy cometh in the morning.”
Biden’s speech referenced voting rights, which he unsuccessfully sought to expand in the first two years of his term and has vowed to continue focusing on, though it’s unlikely he’ll be able to get legislation through a GOP-controlled House.
“Progress is never easy, but it’s always possible. And things do get better in our march toward a more perfect union,” he said. “But at this inflection point, we know there’s a lot of work that has to continue on economic justice, civil rights, voting rights, protecting our democracy. And I’m remembering that our job is to redeem the soul of America.”
Biden’s sermon on Sunday marked the first time a sitting president had addressed the famed church, and voting rights had been anticipated to be at the fore.
Last year, King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, told Biden and members of Congress they needed to use the “same energy” behind passing the bipartisan infrastructure law and other bills to “ensure all Americans have an unencumbered right to vote.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also used remarks delivered virtually to Ebenezer Church last year to call on the Senate to “do its job” and pass voting rights legislation.
But it ultimately stalled, despite Biden’s push to change the filibuster rules to get two pieces of national voting rights bills to the finish line.
Some Republicans also criticized Democrats’ voting proposals as allowing the federal government to interfere in states’ authorities on elections.
Biden spoke on Sunday at the invitation of Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s junior senator, who has been the pastor at the church since 2005.
Following his sermon at Ebenezer, Biden will join Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network in Washington on Monday. There, he will deliver the keynote address to commemorate Martin Luther King Day.
“In the last two years, President Biden has shown a relentless commitment to not only upholding but expanding civil rights in the United States,” Sharpton said in a statement. “As we prepare for a pivotal year ahead, with the future of democracy at stake, the National Action Network is thrilled to welcome President Biden to our annual MLK Day Breakfast. I look forward to hearing how we work together in 2023 to ensure we continue Dr. King’s dream for a fairer America.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Martin Luther King III and more will also be in attendance for the National Action Network event.
In a proclamation on the holiday, Biden said King “imagined a different future for America” but that the “work continues because it remains unfinished.”
“On this day of commemoration, service, and action, let us hold up a mirror to America and ask ourselves: What kind of country do we want to be?” Biden said. “Will we honor Dr. King’s legacy by rising together — buttressed by each other’s successes, enriched by each other’s differences, and made whole by each other’s compassion? I believe we can.”
ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice was right to appoint a special counsel to investigate President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said on Sunday.
“Classified documents are to be taken seriously and they are to be handled with a great deal of care and no one is above the law,” Warnock told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “So I’m glad to see the Justice Department doing its work, and we ought to let that work proceed.”
The White House has acknowledged that multiple sets of documents with classified markings, including those from Biden’s time as vice president, were found at an old office that Biden used and at his home in Delaware.
On “This Week,” Karl pressed Warnock: “The White House knew about this back in November, even before the midterms. Do you think that they should have told us about this earlier?”
“The Justice Department is engaged in the investigation and that’s one of the questions that I think they will explore. And I don’t want to get in front of that investigation,” Warnock said.
He also said he was “glad to see that the president and his administration are cooperating.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that a special counsel, Robert Hur, would lead the investigation into the Biden documents. The White House has stressed that it was Biden’s team who first flagged the materials to the government and that they intend to be cooperative.
“We need to get to the bottom of this so that we don’t see this kind of thing happen again,” Warnock said on “This Week.”
The recently reelected senator was also asked about his priorities in the “incredibly divided Congress,” where Democrats hold a two-seat majority in the Senate and Republicans have a five-seat advantage in the House.
Warnock touted being “the 18th most bipartisan senator in the Senate,” which he linked to his background in the church. Since 2005, he has been the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist.
“When you’re a pastor, you have to welcome and embrace whoever comes through that door, and I look forward to getting good things done for the people of Georgia and for the American people,” he said.
But there were limits to those negotiations, including around raising the debt ceiling that the federal government will soon reach, risking a historic default on its debts.
Republicans have called for a borrowing increase to be tied to spending cuts, which the White House has rejected. Warnock said the process shouldn’t become chaotic.
“We have to make sure that we don’t make the work in D.C about the politics. We can do deficit reduction, we can deal with national debt. But at the same time, the last thing we ought to do is playing chicken with the American economy,” he said. “We’ve been through the onslaught of a very long pandemic that has created a lot of challenges for the American families. They pay their bills. I think they expect the government to pay its bills.”
“We can do this on a bipartisan basis, as we’ve done time and time again,” Warnock said.
Looking ahead to 2024, Warnock — who has endorsed Biden’s expected reelection bid — played down his own ambitions for the White House when Karl asked if he would consider it, should Biden not run.
“You should take a look at my life. I’m a junior U.S senator for Georgia. I continue to lead the Ebenezer Baptist church and I have a 6-year-old and 4-year-old who I owe a trip to Disney world,” Warnock said. “I’m going to remain focused on the people of Georgia and try to get a nap.”
Later Sunday, Warnock will be joined by President Biden at Ebenezer Baptist, the same church where Martin Luther King Jr. himself preached
King would have turned 94 on Sunday.
Warnock was asked by Karl who, today, embodies King’s moral leadership. The senator pointed to King’s memorial on the National Mall — “a Black man who grew up in the segregated south, who came in the 20th century to articulate the meaning of the American dream perhaps more effectively than anybody.”
“What it shows any one of us, if we’re deeply committed, if we’re driven by the North Star of our moral compass, if we center the concerns of other people rather than just ourselves, we can have an impact in a powerful way,” Warnock said.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., warned Sunday that there is a concerning risk of a default on the federal government’s debts if Democrats and Republicans are unable to compromise on raising the nation’s rapidly approaching borrowing limit.
“I think it is a real threat that both sides have to take serious,” Bacon told ABC “This Week” co-host Jonathan Karl.
“The Republicans were largely elected to get control of reckless funding. That’s the mission that their voters have given them. So, when President [Joe] Biden says he’s going to refuse to negotiate with Republicans on any concessions, I don’t think that’s right either,” Bacon said, referring to Biden’s vow not to tie a debt ceiling increase to cuts to government programs like Medicare and Social Security.
Some conservatives have said they want a deal on the borrowing limit to include a decrease on spending, reviving a similar strategy used during the Obama administration.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy contended last week that the government needed to change its spending, some of which he called “wasteful.”
Bacon on Sunday said that the White House and Democratic lawmakers must come to the table, but the narrow divide in Congress means the goal should be compromise for both parties.
“On our side, we have to realize, we control the House … the Senate is run by the Democrats … and the president is obviously from the Democrat Party, so we can’t get everything we want either,” Bacon said.
Concerns over the debt ceiling spiked when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told congressional leaders last week that the U.S. would likely hit the $31.4 trillion limit on Thursday.
After that, Yellen said, the government would use “extraordinary measures” and its current cash flow to stave off a default for several months, likely until at least June. The temporary measures could include cuts to investing in government employees’ retirement funds.
Ultimately, the only way to avoid default is if Congress authorizes more borrowing. The Biden administration has said it will seek to pass only a “clean” increase in the limit without any related cuts.
Bacon said on “This Week” that “I want our side to negotiate with the Democrats in good faith, but President Biden has to also negotiate.”
“He can’t say he refuses to negotiate. That’s a nonstarter as well,” Bacon argued, “because the mission we’ve been given is to control reckless spending, which has been not the only contributor but one of the main contributors to inflation.”
The Nebraska lawmaker said the president hadn’t yet reached out to him on the debt ceiling after reports surfaced this week that the administration had begun contacting Republicans who they believe might vote with Democrats to raise the limit.
“In the last two years, he’s invited the Republican leadership to the White House twice. That’s not a very good record,” Bacon said. “And we’ve got to do our part, too.”
Reacting to Biden documents special counsel
Separately, Bacon said he supports Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents after some sensitive materials from Biden’s time as vice president were found to still be in his possession, including at an old office he used.
Other documents with classified markings were also found at Biden’s home in Delaware, according to the White House.
Bacon noted differences between Biden’s handling of the issue — including cooperating with the National Archives and the Department of Justice — and former President Donald Trump’s reluctance to hand over similar documents. But equal treatment was warranted in the eyes of the public, Bacon said.
“I think the American people see how President Trump’s been treated on one hand and they want to see a sense of fairness,” he said. “Granted, the situations are different, but they’re both about classified information being in areas that’s illegal and the improper handling of highly classified information. So, I think it shows a sense of fairness to have a special counsel for both.”
He criticized some “hypocrisy” from Democrats and Republicans alike in how they were talking about the controversies. He pointed to how Biden had been sharply critical of Trump’s possession of classified materials after leaving office.
Bacon cited “that old adage — ‘if you live in a glass house, do not throw stones.’ And I think that President Biden was caught throwing stones.”
(WASHINGTON) — Two federal investigations into the handling of classified documents have drawn attention to a decades-old law governing presidential records.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, including materials he kept from his time as vice president.
The development comes two months after Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the Department of Justice’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office.
Both matters have raised concerns over potential violations of the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which requires that records created by presidents and vice presidents be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration at the end of their administrations.
Why was the law created?
The Presidential Records Act was a response to the Watergate scandal and former President Richard Nixon’s plans to have Oval Office recordings destroyed. The law, which has applied since the Reagan administration, makes presidential records the property of the federal government — as opposed to the personal property of the president — to ensure their preservation.
What are considered presidential records?
Under the act, presidential records are defined as “documentary materials” created or received by the president “in the course of conducting activities which relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties of the President.”
The Presidential Records Act also applies to records created by the White House Office and Office of the Vice President, as well as other components of the Executive Office of the President.
These records, which include all classified documents, can be in any media — including textual, electronic and audiovisual records — and could amount to hundreds of millions of materials in each administration.
The White House security office in every administration is tasked with properly preparing staff to preserve their records and ensure that all government documents — including those that may be classified — are accounted for and ultimately turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration when the president leaves office.
What becomes of the records?
At the end of the president’s term, the National Archives and Records Administration immediately becomes the legal custodian of the presidential records and is responsible for maintaining the materials for the development of a future presidential library.
The Presidential Records Act allows for public access to presidential records through the Freedom of Information Act, starting five years after the end of the administration. The president can restrict access to certain information for up to 12 years after leaving office.
The archivist can dispose of presidential records that they have “determined to have insufficient administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value to warrant their continued preservation.”
What happens if the act is violated?
In the Biden and Trump probes, the respective special counsels are investigating whether classified and sensitive information was mishandled in violation of any federal laws.
Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a letter Tuesday to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines that the discovery of classified information at Biden’s former office “would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act.”
Former Rep. Carolyn Maloney had expressed concern last year that records from when Trump was in office “appear to have been removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act.”
The special counsel in Biden’s case is looking at how documents ended up in his office and his home in Wilmington, Delaware, whereas Trump’s case also involves investigating potential crimes related to the mishandling of records, such as obstruction of justice.
Violations of the Presidential Records Act are seldom pursued and even more rarely prosecuted, making for little precedent in these matters. Prior to the appointment of a special counsel for Trump’s probe, legal experts told ABC News they were skeptical that the DOJ would take the unusual step of seeking criminal charges against a former president for violating the Presidential Records Act.
Trump, who is running for president for a third time, has dismissed the DOJ’s investigation as “political” and defended himself as “innocent.”
The Biden White House has said an investigation will show the classified materials were “inadvertently misplaced, and the president and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.”
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near-collision between a Delta and American Airlines aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the government agency announced.
A Boeing 737 operated by Delta stopped its takeoff roll about 1,000 feet away from where American Airlines Flight 106, a Boeing 777, had crossed from an adjacent runway on Friday around 8:45 p.m., according to the FAA.
The Delta Flight 1943 came to a safe stop on Runway 4-Left after air traffic controllers noticed the other aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner, the FAA said in a preliminary statement.
There were 145 passengers and six crew members on Flight 1943, which was flying to Santa Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic, Delta said in a statement.
The airline described the incident as a “successful aborted takeoff procedure,” adding passengers deplaned after returning to the gate. The flight was then delayed overnight due to crew resources and were provided overnight accommodations, Delta said.
Flight 1943 eventually departed at 10:17 a.m. Saturday, Delta said.
Delta Airlines will work with and assist aviation authorities on the full review of the incident, according to the statement.
“The safety of our customers and crew is always Delta’s number one priority…” Delta said in the statement. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels.”
When asked for comment by ABC News, American Airlines deferred to the FAA.
Additional information on the incident was not immediately available.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident, the agency announced Sunday afternoon.
(HOUSTON) — One person was killed and four others were wounded when a carload of armed assailants unleashed a barrage of more than 50 shots early Sunday morning on patrons outside a suburban Houston nightclub, police said.
Investigators are searching for witnesses and asking nearby businesses for surveillance video in what police described as a “scary” drive-by shooting involving multiple gunmen.
No arrests have been announced.
The shooting unfolded just outside a Lounge 33 nightclub in a shopping center in an unincorporated area northwest of Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during a news conference as investigators behind him collected shell casings and searched for evidence in a parking lot outside the nightclub.
Gonzalez said patrons of the nightclub were milling around the parking lot, some lined up at a food truck, when the shooting erupted.
He said a vehicle pulled up to the front of the nightclub just after 2 a.m., and multiple occupants got out and began firing at the crowd of patrons.
“It looks like over 50 shots were fired here, which is a very scary situation, considering there’s a mobile food truck and again the number of patrons that were outside,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting and found two men and three women suffering from gunshot wounds. He said the victims were taken to area hospitals, where one of the wounded men was pronounced dead.
The names of those shot were not immediately released.
Gonzalez said deputies were canvassing the area for witnesses, adding that most fled the scene by the time deputies arrived.
(NEW YORK) — University of Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in an early morning car crash on Sunday in Athens, Georgia, just hours after the football team held its national championship parade, according to school officials.
“The entire Georgia family is devastated by the tragic loss of football student-athlete Devin Willock and football staff member Chandler LeCroy,” the school said in a statement Sunday. “Devin and Chandler were two special people who meant so much to the University of Georgia, our football program and our athletic department. We ask that everyone keep their families in your prayers during this very difficult time.”
Two other members of the football program were injured in the crash, the school said. They are both in stable condition.
“We are all heartbroken and devastated with the loss of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement Sunday. “Devin was an outstanding young man in every way and was always smiling. He was a great teammate and a joy to coach. Chandler was a valuable member of our football staff and brought an incredible attitude and energy every single day. We grieve with their families for this tragic loss and will support them in every way possible.”
Police said they responded to the crash around 2:45 a.m. in the 900 block of Barnett Shoals Road. The 2021 Ford Expedition was traveling southbound when the vehicle left the roadway, striking two power poles and several trees, authorities said.
Willock, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene. LeCroy, 24, was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to Athens police.
A 21-year-old male passenger sustained minor injuries and a 26-year-old female passenger sustained serious injuries, authorities said.
“The UGA Athletic Association will work with our medical team as well as our mental health and performance personnel to make sure we are providing the best support possible for our staff and student-athletes who are processing this grief,” the school said in a statement. “We can provide no further comment at this time.”
Police said the investigation is ongoing and that anyone with information about the crash can contact Lieutenant Butt at 762-400-7090 or via email at john.butt@accgov.com.
(NEW YORK) — More than 10 months 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 in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the 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:
Jan 14, 11:07 AM EST
5 killed, dozens hurt in attack in Dnipro
Five people were killed and at least 27 were wounded in a Russian attack in Dnipro in central Ukraine, according to the governor.
An apartment block was struck and at least two children are among the injured, according to the deputy head of the president’s office.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 14, 9:27 AM EST
Kyiv under Russian missile attack Saturday morning
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions occurred in different districts on both banks in the city on Saturday morning and, in one of the districts, fire broke out in a non-residential area.
There were no casualties as a result of the attack that happened at approximately 6 a.m. but 18 residential houses were damaged in the region, according to the governor Oleksiy Kuleba.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Airborne Forces, Yuri Ignat, told ABC News that Ukrainian authorities think it could have possibly been a ballistic attack by Russia but could not confirm this.
“Most likely, these are missiles that flew along a ballistic trajectory from the north. Ballistics are not available for us to detect and shoot down,” Ignat said on Ukrainian television.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 13, 4:02 PM EST
Russian forces claim to have taken Soledar
Russian military leaders claim their forces took over the salt-mining town of Soledar.
Video showed Russian soldiers evacuating civilians from Soledar and nearby villages to the city of Shakhtarsk as fighting took place on the outskirts on Friday.
Serhiy Cherevaty, the Ukrainian commander of the Eastern Group of Forces, however, confirmed that fighting was going on in the region but contested Russia’s claims about the status of the city in a statement to ABC News.
“We have a clear understanding of who controls which streets in the city, but I cannot reveal those details,” he told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Patrick Reevell
Jan 12, 1:51 PM EST
Pressure mounts on NATO countries to send tanks to Ukraine
Pressure is mounting for key NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine.
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country plans to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine but only as part of an “international coalition.”
“They will be provided within the coalition, because you know that it is necessary to obtain certain official consents. But first we need to build an international coalition and we have decided to form this international coalition,” Duda said.
Duda “expressed hope” other NATO countries would provide Ukraine with tanks as well.
The United Kingdom has not made a final decision on whether to send tanks to Ukraine, according to the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The United Kingdom is considering supplying Ukraine with the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank, according to British media reports.
Germany is also facing pressure from Ukraine and other NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine. So far, they have not committed to sending any tanks to the country and neither has the United States.
Germany and the United States have both agreed to supply Ukraine with armored carriers and the Patriot air defense system.
Jan 12, 12:52 PM EST
Russians, Ukrainians give conflicting views in the battle for Soledar
Russian and Ukrainian officials offered conflicting views Thursday on the battle being waged over the eastern Ukraine city of Soledar.
Both sides described their forces as making progress in the fight for the salt mining town in the Donbas region.
“Our defenders continue to hold their positions on the most difficult frontlines and in the battle for (the) Donbas,” said Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian deputy of defense. “Today, fierce and heavy battles continue in the direction of Bakhmut, in the area of Soledar city.”
Despite the “difficult situation,” Ukrainian soldiers are desperately battling for control of Soledar, Maliar said.
“The enemy is suffering heavy losses, unsuccessfully trying to break through our defenses and capture Soledar,” Maliar said. “Today, the city’s approaches are literally littered with the bodies of Putin’s destroyed troops. Nevertheless, they move over the bodies of their fallen fighters. Our defenders show maximum resilience and heroism.”
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russian forces and mercenaries from the Wagner private military company are doing a “truly colossal job” in Soledar.
“These are absolutely selfless, heroic deeds,” Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
Peskov said the hostilities in the region will continue.
“There is still a lot of work to be done. No time to stop, no time to rub our hands and so on. The main work is yet to come,” Peskov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia’s airborne units had blocked Soledar from the north and the south and assault teams were fighting within the town limits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops are holding onto Soledar.
“The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend” to have achieved some successes in Soledar, Zelenskyy said. “But the fighting continues.”
Jan 11, 4:51 PM EST
Russian shake-up as military chief in Ukraine replaced
Russia has replaced the military chief in charge in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, will replace Sergei Surovikin, who has been commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine for the past three months. Surovikin will become one of Gerasimov’s deputies, according to Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defense, who made the new appointments.
The changes come as the progress of the Russian forces in Ukraine continues to stall.
“The increase in the level of leadership of the special operation is linked to the expansion of the scale of the tasks at hand and the need to organize closer interaction between troops,” Shoigu said.
Jan 11, 12:17 PM EST
Ukrainians deny reports the city of Soledar on verge of falling to Russia
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday denied reports that the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar is on the verge of being captured by Russian forces and claimed the battle for the city is ongoing.
The report contradicts British intelligence officials who on Tuesday said it appeared that Russian troops were close to capturing a salt mining town in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes. The British officials said Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days.
The head of the Wagner group also released a statement on Telegram Tuesday, saying his mercenaries were in control of Soledar.
But Ukrainian officials said Wednesday the city has not fallen into the hands of Russian forces and the Russian mercenary group.
“Russians say that it is under their control; it is not true,” said Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian eastern military command.
The Russian attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the fighting in Soledar as “very difficult.”
Jan 10, 4:09 PM EST
Russia not ready to launch new offensive from Belarus: Ukrainian officials
Senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that they believe any prospect of Russia launching a new offensive toward Kyiv from Belarus is “not likely at this moment.”
The latest statement from Ukrainian officials contrasted with a series of interviews they gave last month in which they suggested Russia could mount an offensive early this year and even try to take Kyiv.
“Our assessment is that the Russians aren’t in a position to make an advance on Kyiv from Belarus. And if that were their intention, it wouldn’t happen for some time,” a senior Ukrainian official said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian officials added that the mere threat of an assault from Belarus means that Ukrainian forces are “fixed” along the Ukraine-Belarus border.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Jan 10, 2:15 PM EST
Ukrainians set to begin Patriot air defense training in Oklahoma
As many as 100 Ukrainians troops will soon begin training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, two U.S. officials told ABC News Tuesday.
Fort Sill is the main artillery school for the U.S. Army and where months-long training on Patriot systems already takes place.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the Ukrainians could begin training on the Patriot system as soon as next week.
“The training will prepare approximately 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate, maintain and sustain the defensive system over a training course expected to last several months,” Ryder said.
Once deployed, the Patriot batteries will fortify Ukraine’s air defense capabilities and provide an additional way for the “Ukrainian people to defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing aerial assaults,” Ryder said.
Ryder would not give a precise time frame, but said that once the training is completed, the system will be sent to Ukraine to be put to use.
President Joe Biden announced last month that the United States will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense system. The German government also agreed this month to supply Ukraine with a second Patriot missile battery.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Jan 10, 1:30 PM EST
Russians on verge of overtaking eastern Ukrainian city
Russian troops were on the verge Tuesday of capturing a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes, according to British intelligence officials.
The Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days, the British officials said.
The attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
Despite the increased pressure on Bakhmut, Russia is unlikely to be able to encircle the city in the near future because Ukrainian forces have created a stable line of defense and control supply routes in the area, the British officials said.
The Ukrainian Army said Russian troops carried out 86 artillery strikes on Soledar in a 24-hour period, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the fighting there as “very difficult.”
Jan 06, 7:27 AM EST
Orthodox Christmas ceasefire now on for 36 hours
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a Christmas “truce” for the next 36 hours with a temporary ceasefire set to end at midnight on Jan. 7.
Air raid sirens sounded across several southern and eastern regions of Ukraine a few hours before ceasefire started.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night called the truce a “cover” to stop Ukraine from advancing in the east.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas Day on Jan. 7 but the brief unilateral Russian ceasefire called by Putin is not expected to last beyond the announced period.
The temporary ceasefire could put Ukraine in a difficult position. If it seeks to stop Russia regrouping its forces during the ceasefire, it could be accused of violating a truce it never agreed to in the first place and be portrayed as aggressive. However, if Ukraine stops fighting for the 36 hour period, it will likely face a more dangerous position when the ceasefire ends.
Jan 05, 4:01 PM EST
Germany to send Ukraine Patriot missile defense system
Germany plans to provide Ukraine with a Patriot air defense battery, the White House confirmed Thursday.
The United States agreed last month to send the first Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to protect the country against Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks targeting its critical infrastructure.
The development came as President Joe Biden spoke by phone Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz about the ongoing war.
The White House also said it would send Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Germany agreed to send Marder infantry fighting vehicles, according to the White House.
“They (Germany) reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence,” the White House said in a statement. “They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 2:22 PM EST
Biden expresses skepticism of Putin Orthodox Chirstmas cease-fire proposal
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he is skeptical of Russian President Valdimir Putin’s proposal for a cease-fire during the Orthodox Christmas holiday, suggesting it was a ploy to find some breathing room in the war with Ukraine.
“I’m reluctant to respond to anything Putin says,” Biden said.
Biden made the comments in response to a reporter’s question following unrelated remarks at the White House about the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches,” said Biden, referring to Russian missile strikes on Ukraine on Dec. 25 and over the New Year’s Day holiday. “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 10:57 AM EST
Putin calls for Orthodox Christmas truce
Russian President Valdimir Putin has called for a temporary cease-fire in the war with Ukraine to observe Orthodox Christmas, according to the Kremlin.
Putin proposed a cease-fire beginning at noon on Friday and ending at midnight Saturday, according to the Kremlin. Orthodox Christmas Day is on Saturday.
Putin instructed his minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce the ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the warring countries in Ukraine during the holiday.
The Kremlin said the truce is being called for with “Christian love, true faith and crystal truthfulness.”
There was no immediate response from Ukraine on whether its forces would abide by the truce.
Jan 05, 4:31 AM EST
Moscow religious leader calls for Christmas truce
On the eve of the Orthodox Christmas, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called for the establishment of a Christmas truce in the zone of military activities.
“I, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, appeal to all parties involved in the internecine conflict to cease fire and establish a Christmas truce from 12.00 on January 6 to 24.00 on January 7, so that Orthodox people can attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” the patriarch said in a statement, published on Thursday on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Jan 04, 5:29 PM EST
Biden confirms that US considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday the U.S. is considering giving Ukrainian troops Bradley Fighting Vehicles, confirming earlier reports that such a deal was in the works.
A Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the U.S. Army’s main armored fighting vehicle for transporting troops into combat.
It is a light armored vehicle equipped with a 25mm gun that can push through enemy lines and can take on tanks.
Ukrainian officials have been asking for the vehicle to bolster their forces.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 04, 1:21 PM EST
Putin sends new hypersonic cruise missiles into combat service
A Russian frigate armed with new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles has been sent to active duty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement during a video meeting on Wednesday with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate.
“I’m sure that such a powerful weapon will let Russia defend against potential external threats and will contribute to protect national interests of our country,” Putin said.
Shoigu added: “The focus of this deployment will be to counteract threats facing Russia and to maintain regional peace and stability together with friendly countries.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 04, 8:57 AM EST
Ukraine locates Russian outpost via data on soldiers’ cellphones
Russian soldiers using their mobile phones just after midnight on New Year’s provided Ukraine with the data to locate a Russian outpost in the city of Makiivka ahead of Ukraine’s deadly attack, according to Russia.
Six rockets were fired from U.S.-made HIMAR rocket launchers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 89 soldiers were killed in the attack but Ukrainian officials claim the death toll is much higher. Russian authorities have not yet compiled lists of the wounded and dead.
Jan 02, 3:36 PM EST
Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing ‘prolonged’ attack
During an evening address Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing a long-term attack by drones to exhaust Ukrainian air defense.
Just two days into the new year, he said the country’s defense forces shot down more than 80 Shahed drones, which are made by Iran.
“This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack,” Zelenskyy said.
“Its bet may be on exhaustion. To the exhaustion of our people, our air defense, our energy. But we must do — and we will do everything — so that this goal of the terrorists fails, like all the others.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 31, 8:14 AM EST
1 dead, 7 injured after Russia launches missile strike against Kyiv
At least one person has been killed and seven people have been injured after Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Kyiv on New Year’s Eve.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported destruction across several districts with a luxury hotel, a bridge and police stations among the locations impacted.
It’s currently unclear how many locations have been destroyed as a result of direct hits and how many were from falling debris from intercepted rockets.
New Year’s Eve is one of Ukraine’s biggest holidays.
Dec 30, 10:28 AM EST
Putin expects China’s Xi to make state visit in spring
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he’s expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to Russia in the spring of 2023.
Putin said he’s looking to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.
Putin said the visit would “demonstrate to the world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations.”
Dec 29, 5:08 PM EST
Zelenskyy praises Air Force for ‘repelling’ Russian missile barrage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising his country’s air defense, saying it “successfully repelled” a barrage of Russian missiles fired at Kyiv and other targets early Thursday.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 54 missiles and 11 attack drones.
“Our warriors all over Ukraine distinguished themselves and I thank all our Air Commands: Center, South, East and West,” Zelenskyy said.
He specifically cited the efforts of the 96th Kyiv, 160th Odesa and the 208th Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigades, saying their “results are the best today.”
Zelenskyy said several Russian missiles evaded Ukraine’s air defense and hit several infrastructure targets.
“Our power engineers and repair crews are doing everything to make Ukrainians feel the consequences of the terrorists’ strike as little as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
As of Thursday evening, he said there were power outages in most regions of Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv as well as the Lviv, Odesa, Kherson, Vinnytsia and Zakarpattia regions.
“But this is nothing compared to what could have happened, if it was not for our heroic anti-aircraft troops and air defense,” Zelenskyy said.
Dec 29, 11:40 AM EST
Ukrainian missile shot down in Belarus: Defense ministry
Belarus’ defense ministry said its air defenses had downed a Ukrainian S-300 missile in a field on Thursday morning during one of Russia’s largest missile attacks against Ukraine since the start of the war.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, played down the incident in a video message posted on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, saying local residents had “absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” Konovalov said.
He compared the incident to one in November when an S-300 believed to have strayed after being fired by Ukrainian air defenses landed in NATO member country Poland, and initial fears of an escalation in the war were rapidly defused.
Konovalov said the Ukrainian missile was shot down by the air defense forces around 10 a.m. local time Thursday. Fragments of the downed missile were found near the village of Gorbakha in the Brest region.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 29, 10:32 AM EST
Russia continues ‘escalating’ missile campaign, US Embassy says
Moscow has been “cruelly” targeting Ukrainian civilians by launching attacks against utilities during the winter, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said on Thursday.
The rebuke came as Russia fired missiles at cities throughout the country on Thursday. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said 69 missiles were launched, fewer than the 100 missiles that officials had estimated earlier in the morning. Officials said 54 missiles were intercepted.
Two civilians were killed as a result of shelling in the Kharkiv area, according to the region’s governor.
“The Kremlin continues its escalating campaign of missile attacks, cruelly wielding cold & dark against” Ukrainians, U.S. Embassy officials said on Twitter. “Families are again hunkering down as critical infrastructure & other targets across the country are attacked.”
Air raid sirens started wailing before 6 a.m. local time across Ukraine, sending residents scrambling into underground shelters in several cities. Missiles landed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhtomyr.
Ukraine’s defense systems intercepted some missiles, including 16 that were shot down near Kyiv, the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two homes in Kyiv were damaged by falling debris and three people were injured, he said.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia had been “saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year.”
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold,” officials said. “But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people.”
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Joe Simonetti
Dec 29, 2:29 AM EST
More than 100 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine
Russian forces early on Thursday launched a missile strike on Ukraine.
More than 100 rockets were fired in several waves, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Twitter. Some rockets were reportedly fired from carriers in the sea, while others were reportedly fired by at least a dozen fighter aircraft.
Another presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter that more than 120 missiles had been launched “by the ‘evil Russian world’ to destroy critical infrastructure & kill civilians en masse.”
At least one loud explosion was heard in Kyiv, where air raid sirens were ringing for several hours on Thursday morning.
Dec 28, 1:58 PM EST
Kremlin rejects Ukraine’s Feburary ‘peace summit’
Russia has rejected a proposal from Ukraine to hold a “peace summit” in February, according to a Kremlin official.
“There is no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine for now, that’s for starters,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wenderday. “Besides, there can be no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine, which disregards today’s realities on Russian territory, the entry of new regions, four of them, into Russia.”
Peskov was apparently referring to recent Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia, including one this week at the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia that killed three Russian soldiers.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 27, 1:13 PM EST
Putin bans sending Russian oil to countries imposing a price cap
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday that not only rejects a price cap on the country’s oil but bans sending crude and other petroleum products to any country that has endorsed the price cap.
The Group of Seven countries, including the United States, agreed on Dec. 3 to impose a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Australia and the European Union also agreed to impose the price cap.
The decree Putin signed goes into effect on Feb. 1 and is valid until July 1, 2023.
The decree bans the supply of oil and oil products from Russia to those countries that place a price ceiling on contracts. The decree also forbids the supply of oil to other foreign buyers whose contracts use a price cap mechanism.
The decree includes a clause allowing Putin to overrule the ban in special cases to be determined by the Russian leader.
The price cap on Russian oil implemented by G-7 nations disallows the world’s second-largest oil exporter from selling crude at a price above $60 per barrel.
Since the outset of its war with Ukraine, Russia has sold its oil at discounted prices. As of Tuesday, Russian Urals crude was trading at $57 per barrel — an amount slightly less than the cap. But the price cap aims to ensure that Russian oil sales remain well below global oil prices, which stand at about $80 per barrel.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 26, 7:40 AM EST
Ukraine strikes bomber base in Russia, killing three
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia killed three, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
A spokesman for Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the attack, saying, “If the Russians thought the war would not touch them they were wrong.”
Russian air defence reportedly shot down a Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude, but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack.
The Engels base lies just over 300 miles northeast of Ukraine’s border with Russia. The facility has been repeatedly used by Russia to carry out missile strikes on targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces had attacked another Russian air base on Dec. 5, killing three and damaging two strategic bombers.
(RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif.) — A sheriff’s deputy in Riverside County, California, has been gunned down in the line of duty, leaving behind his pregnant wife, just weeks after another deputy in his department was killed.
Deputy Darnell Calhoun, 30, was shot Friday afternoon while responding to a domestic violence and child custody call in Lake Elsinore, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference.
“Dispatch received a call of an unknown trouble — there was voices heard in the background. Sounded like there could possibly be a struggle and deputies responded to the scene,” the sheriff said. “Deputy Calhoun was the first to arrive. At this point, we are not completely sure of the circumstances surrounding the initial contact. The second deputy arriving found our deputy wounded in the street, and a gunfight between the suspect and that deputy ensued.”
The suspect was shot and has been hospitalized in critical condition, Bianco said.
Calhoun joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in February 2022 after two years with the San Diego Police Department.
“He’s a husband, a son. He would’ve been a dad,” Bianco said.
Just two weeks ago, on Dec. 29, another Riverside County sheriff’s deputy, Isaiah Cordero, was shot and killed at a traffic stop, according to the department.
He was 32.
Before Cordero was killed, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department hadn’t had a deputy murdered in the line of duty since 2003, the sheriff said.
“Nationwide, we’re confronting these situations with armed individuals, that, over what seemingly seem to be minor disagreements, are willing to engage law enforcement in life and death gun battles,” the sheriff said.
As the department mourns, the sheriff said, “We will get through it. We will hold our heads high. And we will come right back to work to answer another call for service that could put our lives in jeopardy again.”
