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Russia-Ukraine live updates: Biden says ‘unlikely’ missile that hit Poland fired from Russia

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — More than six 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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose forces began an offensive in August, has vowed to take back all Russian-occupied territory. But Putin in September announced a mobilization of reservists, which is expected to call up as many as 300,000 additional troops.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Nov 16, 7:27 AM EST
Polish police share photo of large crater from missile

Poland’s national police force posted an image on Twitter on Wednesday purportedly showing the site of Tuesday’s missile blast, which left two people dead.

The photo showed authorities collecting evidence from a large crater in the ground, alongside debris and a destroyed vehicle.

The Polish Police said in the tweet that its “officers have been securing the area” since the blast happened in the southeastern village of Przewodow, which is close to the border with Ukraine. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that the projectile was “probably a Russian-made S-300 missile” and, so far, appeared to be an “unfortunate accident.”

W #Przewodów, gdzie doszło do wybuchu policjanci od początku zdarzenia zabezpieczają teren. Policyjni eksperci m. in. z @CBSPolicji, #CLKP, Biura Kryminalnego @PolskaPolicja wspólnie z innymi służbami szczegółowo wyjaśniają okoliczności zdarzenia i zabezpieczają dowody. pic.twitter.com/ohBP0rT4u7

— Polska Policja 🇵🇱 (@PolskaPolicja) November 16, 2022

Nov 16, 7:10 AM EST
Kremlin notes ‘reserved and far more professional reaction’ from US to missile incident

Russia on Wednesday noted the “reserved and far more professional reaction” of the United States compared with other countries following Tuesday’s missile blast that killed two people in Poland.

“In this case, one should take note of the reserved and far more professional reaction of the American side and the American president,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov said the U.S. government’s reaction “stood in contrast to the absolutely hysterical reaction of the Polish side and a whole number of other countries.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that it’s “unlikely” the missile was fired from Russia but that he and other leaders of the G-7 and NATO would support Poland’s investigation into what happened. Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that the projectile was “probably a Russian-made S-300 missile” but that, so far, it appeared to be an “unfortunate accident.”

Nov 15, 9:18 PM EST
Biden says it’s ‘unlikely’ missile that hit in Poland was fired from Russia

Following his meeting with leaders of the G-7 and NATO on Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Tuesday night that it’s “unlikely” the missile that hit Poland was fired from Russia, but that the group would support the investigation into what happened.

When asked if it’s too early to say whether the missile was fired by Russia, Biden responded: “There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that till we completely investigate, but it’s unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we will see.”

“I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened,” Biden said, and then determine the next steps, adding that there was “total unanimity” among leaders today on this decision.

The president added that recent Russian missile attacks were also a point of discussion this morning.

“They have been totally unconscionable, what they are doing, totally unconscionable,” he said.

-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez

Nov 15, 7:47 PM EST
Polish president says rocket may have been Russian-made; investigation underway

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday night that a rocket that landed near the Polish-Ukrainian border, killing two Polish citizens, may have been Russian-made. Though he said that there is no conclusive evidence at this time of who launched the missile and that an investigation is underway.

Duda said he has also spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Joe Biden.

Stoltenberg said earlier that NATO is monitoring the situation.

Nov 15, 6:41 PM EST
Biden speaks with Polish president, offers ‘full US support’

President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Polish President Andrzej Duda and “expressed deep condolences for the loss of life in Eastern Poland,” according to the White House.

Biden “offered full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation” and the two agreed “they and their teams should remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds,” the White House said.

Polish officials confirmed that two Polish citizens were killed in an explosion Tuesday in the area of Hrubieszów. They were the owner of a granary that was stuck and a tractor driver who was transferring corn to the facility, according to local officials.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Tomek Rolski

Nov 15, 5:21 PM EST
Biden administration asks Congress for $37.7B for Ukraine

The White House said Tuesday it has asked Congress for $37.7 billion in additional funding for Ukraine.

The funding would include defense support and humanitarian assistance and be for the rest of the current fiscal year, which runs until Sep. 30, 2023, according to the White House.

“Together, with strong, bipartisan support in the Congress, we have provided significant assistance that has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield — and we cannot let that support run dry,” Shalanda Young, the head of the White House budget office, said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday on the funding request.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Nov 15, 4:47 PM EST
State Department investigating reported strike in Poland, will determine ‘appropriate next steps’

State Department officials are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the reported strike in Poland, Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

Calling the reports “incredibly concerning,” Patel said they were in close communication with the Polish government and other NATO allies to “gather more information.”

“We can’t confirm the reports or any of the details at this time. But I can assure you we will determine what happened and what appropriate next steps would be,” he said during a briefing Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan has spoken with Chief of the National Security Bureau of Poland Jacek Siewiera, according to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

“We’ve seen the reports out of Poland and are working with the Polish government to gather more information,” Watson said in a statement, also adding that the White House cannot confirm the reports or any details at this time.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the reports and will be speaking with Polish President Andrzej Duda “shortly,” the White House said.

-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford and Ben Gittleson

Nov 15, 1:52 PM EST
Polish PM calls urgent meeting amid unconfirmed reports of rockets landing in Poland

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called a meeting of the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs amid unconfirmed reports that the NATO ally was hit with stray Russian missiles.

According to Polish media, two stray Russian rockets landed in Polish territory killing two people. The rockets reportedly landed in the Polish town of Przewodów, near the border with Ukraine. These reports have not yet been independently confirmed by ABC News.

-ABC News Tom Soufi Burridge and Will Gretsky

Nov 15, 11:48 AM EST
Lviv loses 80% of electricity, heating and hot water stopped, mayor says

After Russia hit critical infrastructure in the Lviv region, the area lost 80% of its electricity supply. The city’s heating and hot water supply has also stopped and there are mobile service interruptions, according to Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv.

Sadovyi warned residents to stay in shelters.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Nov 15, 11:45 AM EST
Zelenskyy lays out ‘peace formula’ to ‘G-19,’ which Lavrov calls ‘unrealistic’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday demanded that Russia end its invasion and reiterated that the territorial integrity of his country is not up for negotiation.

Appearing via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskyy addressed the leaders of the Group of 20 at a summit in Bali as the “dear G-19” — an apparent snub to Russia, whose foreign minister was attending the event.

“Apparently, one cannot trust Russia’s words and there will be no Minsk 3, which Russia would violate immediately after signing,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the Minsk 1 and 2 agreements signed in 2014 and 2015, respectively, which aimed to bring an end to fighting at that time. Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 before using Kremlin-backed proxies to seize territory in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

“I want this aggressive Russian war to end justly and on the basis of the U.N. charter and international law,” he added. “Ukraine should not be offered to conclude compromises with its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence. We respect the rules and we are people of our word.”

The Ukrainian president called on the United Nations to dispatch a mission to assess the damages to his country’s energy infrastructure from Russian missile strikes. He said Russian forces should also withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Ukraine and in Europe — so that the International Atomic Energy Agency — the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog — can take control of the site together with Ukrainian officials.

In addition, Zelenskyy said his country needs a framework that guarantees the long-term security of his country and he called again for a special tribunal to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. He called this series of proposals Ukraine’s “peace formula” and all of them, he said, must be achieved before there is an end to the ongoing war.

“If Russia wants to end this war, let it show it with actions,” Zelenskyy said. “We will not allow Russia to wait us out, to grow its forces and then start a new series of terror and global destabilization. I am sure that it is necessary and possible to stop this destructive Russian war now.”

In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was attending the G-20 summit in Bali, called Zelensky’s demands “unrealistic.”

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge and Patrick Reevell

Nov 15, 10:11 AM EST
Strikes on Kyiv part of Russian strikes across Ukraine

There are reports of Russian strikes in several regions throughout Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to G-20 leaders.

The head of the regional administration in Kharkiv confirmed strikes in that region. Ukrainian media reported that people in the Zhytomyr region are without power after strikes.

There are also unconfirmed reports of explosions in the Lviv region, Rivne and Kryvyi Rih.

-ABC News’ Tom Burridge

Nov 15, 9:22 AM EST
Kyiv hit with a series of missile strikes

There have been a series of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, with the city’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitchko, saying two residential buildings have been hit and several missiles were shot down by air defense.

So far there are no details on casualties; however, unverified videos circulating show an apartment block engulfed in flames.

Nov 14, 3:17 PM EST
International Atomic Energy Agency to dispatch security missions to 3 nuclear plants

The International Atomic Energy Agency will send security missions to three nuclear plants in Ukraine, the agency announced Monday.

Safety and security experts will be dispatched to the South Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne Nuclear power plants following a request from Ukraine, the IAEA said in a statement. A security mission will also be conducted at the Chernobyl site, said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

The IAEA already has a team of experts continuously present at the country’s largest such facility, the Zaporizhzhya plant, and has been carrying out safety measures and checks at three other locations in Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian government following allegations by the Russian Federation about activities there, according to the agency.

“From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the IAEA has been doing everything it can to prevent a nuclear accident with potentially serious consequences for public health and the environment,” Grossi said. “We have delivered nuclear safety and security equipment, produced impartial assessments of the situation, and provided technical expertise and advice.”

-ABC News’ Will Gretzky

Nov 14, 3:06 PM EST
UN General Assembly calls on Russia to pay reparations

The United Nations General Assembly has approved its fifth resolution this year that supports Ukraine and rebukes Russia, declaring that Moscow should pay for damages caused by its invasion.

The resolution, which 94 countries voted in favor of, calls for the creation of “an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury” resulting from the war.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Canada, Guatemala, Netherlands and Ukraine. China was among the 14 countries that voted against it. There were 73 absentations.

While not legally binding, General Assembly resolutions have been viewed by Western powers as a powerful messaging tool through the conflict, communicating worldwide opposition to Russia’s invasion.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Nov 14, 1:21 PM EST
US citizen among prisoners freed in liberated Kherson

A U.S. citizen has been freed from prison in Kherson, the southern city that Russia had occupied for about eight months, according to a member of Ukraine’s parliament.

Swede Merekezi was arrested in Kherson in July and had not been in contact with officials for “a long time,” Ukraine parliament member Alexandr Kovaliov said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday.

Merekezi was in Ukraine to defend “our country’s independence” and will be heading home on Monday, Kovaliov said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said they are aware of unconfirmed reports but declined to comment further due to privacy concerns.

“This once again proves the cohesion and hard work of our team,” Kovaliov said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford and Will Gretsky

Nov 14, 6:31 AM EST
Zelenskyy visits Kherson after liberation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Monday visited Kherson, the southern city that Russia had occupied for about eight months.

He handed out awards and was seen speaking to soldiers and civilians. Video footage showed Zelenskyy waving to residents who waved at him from an apartment window and yelled, “Glory to Ukraine!”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the visit, other than to say that it was Russian territory.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Nov 13, 1:36 PM EST
Ukrainians celebrate Kherson liberation

Russian forces completed their retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday. Now, Ukrainians are celebrating the liberation.

Nov 12, 2:45 PM EST
Banksy mural unveiled in Ukraine

Renowned street artist Banksy debuted a new work in a war-torn Ukrainian town in the Kyiv region.

The anonymous British artist posted photos of a mural to Instagram on Friday in Borodyanka, which was liberated from Russian forces in April.

The piece, which depicts a young girl doing a handstand on a pile of concrete rubble, was painted onto the wall of a building destroyed by shelling.

Fans were taking photos of the work, as well as several others presumed to be by the artist, in the region on Saturday.

Nov 11, 3:15 PM EST
Satellite images show damage to bridge near Kherson

New satellite images from Maxar, a Colorado space technology company, show massive damage to Kherson’s Antonovskiy Bridge and other structures after the Russian withdrawal across the Dnipro River.

The bridge is the main way to cross over the Dnipro River near the city of Kherson.

Photos show several sections of the key bridge have been completely destroyed.

ABC News’ Stephen Wood

Nov 11, 10:54 AM EST
Russians leave Kherson Oblast, not just the city

Russian forces have retreated not just from the city of Kherson, but the rest of Kherson province that surrounds the city and lies north of the Dnipro River.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its 30,000 troops have now crossed to the other bank of the river, a figure that is in line with how many forces U.S. officials had estimated were in Kherson.

Russians claimed they are continuing to shell areas around Kherson that they’ve just left, which could be a concern for Ukrainian troops who will be in the range of Russian artillery fire while in the city.

Russia also claimed that fire damage is being inflicted on the accumulations of manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces on the right bank of the Dnipro River.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Nov 11, 10:06 AM EST
Russia says withdrawal from Kherson complete

Russian forces have completed their retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, saying the last of its troops crossed over to the other side of the Dnipro river.

In a statement carried by Russia’s state news agencies, the ministry said the withdrawal was completed at 5 a.m. Moscow time on Friday.

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Nov 10, 3:53 PM EST
Pentagon announces $400M in aid to Ukraine

The Pentagon announced a new $400 million defense package for Ukraine on Thursday.

The new aid will include four short-range Avenger air defense systems, which is a first for the packages approved for the war in Ukraine. It will also include more missiles for HAWK air defense systems, more anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, HIMARS ammunition, precision-guided artillery rounds and Humvees.

The Ukrainians will need some training on the Avengers, according to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh, who did not give an estimate on when the systems might arrive and be ready to use.

With this latest drawdown, the U.S. has now committed more than $18.6 billion for the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

ABC News’ Matt Seyler

Nov 10, 11:51 AM EST
US estimates 100,000 Russians killed or wounded in Ukraine

A new U.S. assessment estimates 100,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine, according to Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The U.S. last gave an estimate in early August that the number of Russians killed and wounded was between 70,000 and 80,000.

“There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering, you’re looking at maybe 15, 20, 30 million refugees, probably 40,000 Ukrainian innocent people who are civilians have been killed as collateral damage,” said Milley.

He added, “You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”

He pointed out that Russia invaded Ukraine with a force of 170,000 troops.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Nov 09, 12:54 PM EST
Oligarch close to Putin says Russian troop retreat was necessary

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who runs the private military company Wagner, said Wednesday that Russia’s retreat from the key Ukrainian city of Kherson was painful but necessary.

Prigozhin, nicknamed “Putin’s Chef” due to his restaurant and catering businesses, said Russian troops had to withdraw from Kherson because they were nearly surrounded by Ukrainian forces and cut off from supply lines.

“Neither I, nor Wagner abandoned Kherson,” Pigozhin said. “Without question, it is not a victorious step in this war, but it’s important not to agonize, nor to fall into paranoia, but to make conclusions and work on mistakes.”

He praised Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin for making the decision to withdraw Russian troops and saving the lives of thousands of soldiers.

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Nov 09, 11:32 AM EST
Russian troops retreat from key Ukrainian city

Russia’s defense minister and top commander in Ukraine announced Wednesday that Russian troops will pull back from the key city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.

Defense minister Sergey Shoigu said he accepted a proposal from Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin to order Russian forces to retreat to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, in effect abandoning the city of Kherson.

Surovikin said it was a “very difficult decision” and justified it as necessary to save the lives of Russian soldiers and to preserve their capacity for future operations.

“Besides that, it frees up part of the forces and resources, which will be employed for active actions, including offensive, in other directions,” Surovikin said in the televised meeting with Shoigu.

Kherson is the only regional capital the Russians have occupied since 2014. The city and the surrounding area act as a gateway to Crimea Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Nov 09, 3:21 AM EST
White House denounces Griner transfer to penal colony

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star detained in Russia, has been transferred to a penal colony, a move decried by White House officials.

“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement early Wednesday. “As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony.”

Griner’s lawyers said in a statement that she was transferred on Nov. 4 from a detention center in Iksha. She’s now on her way to a penal colony in an undisclosed location.

“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” the lawyers, Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement. “In accordance with the standard Russian procedure the attorneys, as well as the U.S. Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination.”

The White House said it had made a “significant offer” to Russian officials to “resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”

“In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

She added, “The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia — including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.”

ABC News’ Cindy Smith, Ahmad Hemingway and Tanya Stukalova

Senate poised to pass historic same-sex and interracial marriage bill

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Senate is poised this week to pass landmark legislation to federally enshrine both same-sex and interracial marriage rights, amid what Democrats call a worry that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority could overturn protections for both.

The first key test vote is set for Wednesday in the upper chamber.

A bipartisan group of supporters said this week that they are confident they have the necessary 60 votes — including 10 Republicans — to succeed there and have formal debate start on the bill. That would also set the measure on a track to pass as early as Thursday, if opponents agree to give up their dissent early before lawmakers head out on the week-long Thanksgiving recess.

“Individuals in same-sex marriages and interracial marriages need and deserve the confidence and the certainty that their marriages are legal and will remain legal,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., a lead co-sponsor of the bill and the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to Congress. “These loving couples should be guaranteed the same rights and freedoms as every other marriage.”

“I know passing the Respect for Marriage Act is as personal as it gets for many senators and their staffs, myself included,” added Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said his own daughter and her wife, who are married, are expecting a baby in February.

Schumer argued that the concurring opinion issued by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas overturning Roe. v. Wade this summer, in which he said the court “should reconsider” the case granting the nationwide right to gay marriage, put the rights of LGBTQ Americans in jeopardy.

Other justices on the high court had taken pains to distance Thomas’ view from the majority opinion reversing Roe.

The Respect for Marriage Act would “require the federal government to recognize a marriage between two individuals if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed,” according to a summary from the bill’s sponsors, including Congress’ first openly bisexual woman in the Senate, Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., along with Susan Collins, R-Maine, Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

The bill would not require any state to issue marriage licenses contrary to its laws but would mandate that states recognize lawfully granted marriages performed in other states, including same-sex and interracial unions.

For Portman, whose son came out to him as gay several years ago, it’s about giving people “security in their marriages.”

“It’s important to give people comfort that they won’t lose their rights as they move from state to state. It’s a pretty simple bill,” he said, adding that the American people have evolved to support the issue and Congress should too.

But some Republicans called the legislation unnecessary.

“I think it’s pretty telling that Sen. Schumer puts a bill on the floor to reaffirm what is already a constitutional right of same-sex marriage, which is not under any imminent threat, and continues to ignore national security and not take up the defense authorization bill,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, referring to the annual defense policy bill that has yet to be passed by the chamber this year.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., in charge of the vote operation for the GOP conference, has said he would not support the legislation but also made clear he would not be whipping against the measure.

Notably, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has steadfastly refused to say how he would vote on the proposal.

A similar bill passed the House in July with 47 Republicans voting in favor, but its Senate sponsors, in order to garner enough GOP support for final passage, had to amend the legislation to add specific religious liberty and conscience protections.

Schumer also pushed off a vote past the midterms, hoping to draw more conservative votes in the Senate once the political considerations of the campaign had passed.

The bill, once through the Senate and then approved by the House for a second time, would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Trump’s 2024 bid triggers finance laws but doesn’t legally affect investigations

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump announced a third presidential campaign on Tuesday evening in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort, setting off the 2024 cycle just days after the midterm elections.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” the former president said.

Trump enters the Republican primary as the front-runner, though his sway over the party is being questioned by some others in the GOP after most of his endorsed candidates in marquee races fell short last week.

Beyond any political ramifications, Trump’s candidacy sets in motion various legal considerations, including over the funding around his campaign and his personal battles in court, experts told ABC News.

Here’s how a Trump campaign affects him financially and in the courtroom:

Legal implications for the campaign

Trump’s Tuesday announcement triggers campaign finance laws.

Once the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) assesses that Trump is a political candidate — as determined by an array of factors, including but beyond the official announcement — his campaign operation will be barred from directly cooperating with super PACs like the Trump-affiliated MAGA Inc.

Trump’s team on Tuesday night filed his statement of candidacy with the FEC. His new campaign committee, called Donald J. Trump for President 2024, is set up separately from the existing Save America PAC, or political action committee, and the Make America Great Again PAC but lists the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee as an affiliated committee.

Federal law states that campaigns and super PACs cannot have a direct relationship, though such bodies often work in tandem, including by the super PAC airing supporting ads.

MAGA Inc. will not be able to donate directly to Trump’s campaign, however.

“He will be unable to engage in certain joint activities with the super PAC, and he’s going to have to campaign with a lot more transparency,” said Dan Weiner, the director of elections and government at the Brennan Center. “He’s going to have to start filing reports, which will show what his campaign is spending. It’ll show, for instance, how much his campaign may be spending on his businesses and also will show the money coming in.”

Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, will still be able to donate to his own campaign — but only in small amounts.

“A leadership PAC can make comparatively small contributions. So the leadership PAC can write his campaign a $5,000 check, which his super PAC can’t, but it’s not supposed to do any more than that,” Weiner said.

Beyond working with the PACs, Trump’s campaign will also be limited in how much money it can receive from each individual donor, rather than the looser rules on his outside groups.

Legal implications for investigations into Trump

Trump’s business dealings and actions after the 2020 election are the subject of several criminal and civil probes. He has said he is being politically persecuted.

His personal business is under criminal and civil investigation over allegations it mischaracterized its value for tax benefits. Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August to 15 counts, though Trump claims there was no wrongdoing by his namesake organization.

The Justice Department is also probing Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and removal of sensitive documents, including material with classified markings, from the White House to Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Experts said that while the Justice Department and any other more prosecutors are not obligated to adjust anything about their probes in light of Trump’s candidacy, it adds a political dimension to what authorities have insisted are apolitical cases.

Speculation has bubbled that once Trump launched his campaign, Attorney General Merrick Garland may appoint a special counsel to bolster the perception that his agency’s probes are independent form the White House.

“Historically, the Justice Department has been reluctant to investigate candidates. But we believe they have the same authority to do that as they would in any other circumstance,” said Weiner with the Brennan Center. “And his candidacy is not like other candidacies because he’s a former officeholder and there are a variety of other factors here. I think it makes the politics of investigating him more complicated, but there’s certainly no legal impediment to continuing with any investigation.”

Trump’s 2024 bid hit with immediate challenge from group behind ‘disqualification clause’ lawsuits

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is running again for the White House, two groups are already working behind the scenes to mount a national push to get elections officials to stop him from being on the ballot because of Jan. 6 — even as similar such efforts have failed against other Republicans.

Free Speech For People and Mi Familia Vota are launching a campaign via TrumpIsDisqualified.org to urge secretaries of state and other chief elections officials to bar the former president from running for office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, known as the disqualification clause.

Enacted after the Civil War, the clause blocks any person from holding federal office who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution — including a member of Congress — but who has “engaged in insurrection” against the U.S. or “given aid or comfort” to its “enemies.”

Free Speech For People previously filed challenges against other elected Republicans like Reps. Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene, arguing their actions around Jan. 6 and support for overturning the 2020 election results amounted to the disqualifying behavior. Neither Cawthorn nor Greene participated in the rioting, though Cawthorn spoke at a Trump rally beforehand; Greene has said she was a “victim” along with other lawmakers.

Free Speech For People said it intends to file similar legal challenges against Trump but declined to provide more details to ABC News.

Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong related to Jan. 6. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

“I can say that Donald Trump is going to face legal challenges for his eligibility, but he will also face scrutiny from secretaries of state and chief election officials, regardless of whether there will be a legal challenge,” said John Bonifaz, co-founder and president for Free Speech For People. “So, it’s not required that there be a legal challenge for the secretary of state to hold up his or her responsibility and bar Donald Trump from the ballot.”

None of the organization’s past suits have resulted in an elected official being barred from office.

The legal challenge that went the furthest was against Greene, resulting in a hearing at which she testified before an administrative law judge in Georgia ruled that she could stay on the ballot.

Nonetheless, both Free Speech For People and Mi Familia Vota insist that Trump’s actions surrounding the attack on the Capitol last year require a response like the campaign they are launching.

Bonifaz told ABC News that secretaries of state and other chief elections have a “duty” to stop Trump from running for public office under the disqualification clause.

Héctor Sánchez Barba, the executive director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota, told ABC News that the TrumpIsDisqualified.org campaign aligns with their organization’s mission “on the frontlines of protecting democracy and making it a better and more inclusive democracy via civic participation.”

There has been only one case where an elected official directly associated with the attack on the Capitol has been stopped from serving in public office on the grounds of the disqualification clause.

A New Mexico federal judge barred Otero County commissioner and “Cowboys for Trump” founder Couy Griffin from office, citing the disqualification clause — the only time in 150 years that the provision has been used to disqualify an official and the first time that a court ruled the events of Jan. 6 were an “insurrection.”

In Greene’s case, Judge Charles Beaudrot wrote that the burden of proof was on the challengers and that they “failed to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence.”

Beaudrot also wrote in his 19-page opinion that the evidence in the case was insufficient to establish that Greene “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or [gave] aid or comfort to the enemies thereof under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.”

Federal judge halts the rapid removal of migrants under pandemic-era policy

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Trump-era policy of rapidly expelling migrants from the border in the name of pandemic health precautions.

The order relied on a decades-old public health law known as Title 42 and was implemented by Donald Trump’s administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authorities at the southern border have carried out more than 2.2 million Title 42 expulsions since it began.

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Joe Biden attempted to pull back the order, but it was held in place by a legal challenge from Republican-led states. That case was rendered moot by Tuesday’s ruling, which takes issue with the original basis for conducting the expulsions.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the impact on public health was minimal, noting millions of people have crossed the land border since the Title 42 removals were first implemented in 2020.

Sullivan also wrote that the policy was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated federal law.

The CDC should not have ignored the consequences of sending migrants back to potential harm, Sullivan wrote.

“It is undisputed that the impact on migrants was indeed dire,” he wrote.

“The ruling hopefully puts an end to one of the most draconian asylum policies this country has ever enacted,” American Civil Liberties Union’s Lee Gelernt, lead attorney on the case, said Tuesday.

Immigrant advocates have fought the Title 42 order from the beginning, underscoring the severe limitations it placed on the ability for migrants to apply for humanitarian protections including asylum.

Given the fast-track nature of the Title 42 removals, migrants had little to no opportunity to secure legal resources or find an attorney before they were sent back. Under U.S. law, non-citizens on U.S. soil have the right to seek humanitarian relief.

Sullivan, in his ruling, noted that as well, writing that “it is unreasonable for the CDC to assume that it can ignore the consequences of any actions it chooses to take in the pursuit of fulfilling its goals, particularly when those actions included the extraordinary decision to suspend the codified procedural and substantive rights of noncitizens seeking safe harbor.”

While the Biden administration has fought the policy in court as well, it has continued relying on Title 42 to expel migrants at the border — over a million this past budget year.

The Department of Homeland Security said earlier this year it was making preparations for the end of the Title 42 order including by adding personnel at the border, streamlining processing and continuing to enforce expedited removal for those ineligible for humanitarian protections.

In the wake of Sullivan’s ruling, the government asked the court for a five-week hold on its order to end Title 42 protocols to allow for a transition period before resuming standard immigration processing across the southwest border.

“[The Department of Homeland Security] requires a short period of time to prepare for the transition from Title 42 to Title 8 processing, given the need to resolve resource and logistical issues that it was unable to address in advance,” Department of Justice attorneys wrote.

DHS said in a statement, in part, that “the delay in implementation of the court’s order will allow the government to prepare for an orderly transition to new policies at the border. But to be clear, under the unopposed motion, Title 42 would remain in place for some period. During the period of this freeze, we will prepare for an orderly transition to new policies at the border.”

The administration recently secured agreement with the government of Mexico to start sending back Venezuelan migrants who have made up a growing share of those who attempt to cross into the U.S. without authorization.

Simultaneously, the administration opened up a new legal pathway for some Venezuelans with valid passports.

Popeyes menu adds blackened chicken sandwich with Cajun and Creole spices

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Popeyes made waves in 2019 for its cult-favorite fried chicken sandwich that sold out, prompted copycat recipes and created a rivalry amongst competitors. Now, the culinary minds behind the popular item concocted a new menu addition with even more of its signature Cajun flavors.

The fast food chain debuted its “next great menu innovation: a breading-free, flavor-full Blackened Chicken Sandwich” on Tuesday.

The sandwich, which costs $4.99 and is available for a limited-time, is made with whole chicken breast that’s marinated for 12 hours, seasoned with a blend of Cajun and Creole spices and served atop a warm, toasted brioche bun with Popeyes’ house classic or spicy mayo and crunchy barrel-cured pickles.

“The Popeyes Culinary Team spent four years perfecting its version of the classic Blackening cooking technique, which originated in Louisiana and is used to better seal in seasoning and spices to flavor the meat, which then develops a crave-worthy, yet subtle browned or blackened crust,” Popeyes stated in a press release.

The brand said it’s “sure others will try to copy it again” and confidently boasted their new blackened chicken sandwich “can’t be surpassed by potential copycats.”

To double down, Popeyes kicked off a new campaign sharing the ingredients in the sandwich and inviting competitors and customers alike to recreate their own copy-cat version.

“Our Chicken Sandwich changed the QSR (quick service restaurant) industry back in 2019, and since then, we’ve continued to innovate within the category to give our guests what they want – even more Chicken Sandwich options,” President of Popeyes North America Sami Siddiqui, said in a statement. “After the immense success of the Chicken Sandwich, we wanted to reinvent the category of traditional grilled chicken sandwiches with our all-new take on a non-breaded option, the Popeyes Blackened Chicken Sandwich. We’re excited for guests to try this delicious new offering, and knowing our history for trendsetting, we have a feeling it may spark some copycat Blackened Chicken Sandwiches down the road.”

Kevin Spacey to face seven additional sexual assault charges in UK

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Actor Kevin Spacey will face an additional seven sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

The charges to be filed stem from alleged incidents in 2001 and 2004, with one victim, prosecutors said. Spacey will face three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, prosecutors said.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial,” Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Spacey, 63, has faced allegations and charges of sexual assault in both the United Kingdom and United States.

He was found not liable in October in a civil sexual assault suit brought by fellow actor Anthony Rapp in New York City.

Spacey appeared in a London court in July to plead not guilty after Metropolitan Police formally charged him with several sexual assault charges. The previously announced charges included four charges of sexual assaults against three men and one charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, prosecutors said.

Spacey in May told ABC News’ Good Morning America that he would “voluntarily” appear in court in London.

“I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise,” Spacey told GMA at the time. “While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”

How closing the violent misdemeanor loophole could curb gun violence

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Newly released research suggests four gun safety policies supported by gun owners and non-gun owners that could reduce overall gun-related homicides by 28% and gun-related suicides by 6.7%. One of the proposals alone, called closing the misdemeanor loophole, has the potential to reduce overall gun-related homicide rates by as much as 19% according to research.

Closing the misdemeanor loophole entails lowering the threshold of what crimes can disqualify someone from being able to legally purchase or possess a gun, such as violent misdemeanor crimes including assault, battery and stalking, which are currently excluded. According to the report, current federal law allows convicted criminals to purchase and possess guns as long as their crime did not rise to the level of a felony.

This policy would prohibit the gun purchase or possession of anyone who committed a crime involving violence or threatened violence, regardless of the level of the crime, according to the report. As of this year, only four states have violent misdemeanor laws in place.

While the misdemeanor loophole proposal could largely reduce violence, researchers told ABC News the four proposals are meant to work together and rely on one another to reduce gun violence deaths.

This policy could have been effective in preventing the recent shooting at the University of Virginia which left three football players dead, Dr. Michael Siegel, a researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine who authored the report, told ABC News in an interview.

The accused gunman had committed a misdemeanor gun violation in 2021 and made comments about possessing a gun in September and the university said it was aware of these incidents.

“If Virginia had a violent misdemeanor law in place like the one that we’re proposing, he would have been automatically disqualified from purchasing a gun or from from having a gun,” Siegel said.

The research — conduced by Tufts University School of Medicine and 97percent, a bipartisan group that conducts research with the goal of reducing gun deaths in America — aimed to find common ground between gun owners and non-gun owners. The research aimed to propose gun safety policies that would keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals, while still protecting law-abiding gun owners’ Second Amendment rights, according to lead researcher Dr. Michael Siegel and Matt Litman, the president of 97percent.

“It’s based on an extensive research process in which we carefully analyze the effectiveness of state firearm laws but in addition, we consulted with gun owners, which was very unique in trying to find out what their perspectives are,” Siegel said.

The policy proposals came together based on the analysis of gun owner and non-owner perspectives through surveys and focus groups.

The other proposals are creating a state-level permit system, implementing a revamped universal background check system, and creating a red flag law with due process protections.

Research suggests that creating a state-level gun-permitting system with two permits, a general one and a concealed carry one, could reduce gun violence. The report suggests that permits should be periodically checked using a universal background check system and only be valid for a set number of years.

Obtaining a state-issued permit to purchase or possess a gun would require state and local background checks, focusing on any history of violence, and a gun safety training course.

Currently, only 12 states currently require permits to purchase a gun, six of which are only for long guns.

By simplifying universal background checks, law enforcement can utilize state and federal databases to ensure a potential permit holder has not been convicted of a violent misdemeanor or felony.

Currently, only 11 states search state and local records and background checks are only conducted at points of purchase by federally licensed sellers. Private sellers can sell guns without a background check. The proposal suggests that background checks should be conducted at the federal, state and local levels as part of the process for obtaining a license.

The research also shows there is broad support for red flag laws that implement strong due process protections. These laws allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to remove firearms from a person who is a threat.

Only 19 states have red flag laws, while only 12 states allow family members to petition a court for a protective order.

Research suggests that family members are the most capable of seeing and identifying warning signs, and they should therefore be able to utilize red flag laws for them to be most effectively used.

Research has shown that lawmakers who signed on to bipartisan gun control legislation, that passed earlier this year, are not paying the price for voting yes on that legislation because the legislation was very popular, Litman said in an interview with ABC News.

Litman further stated that the same stands true for these four proposals, which research shows are very popular with gun owners.

“With so many different laws possible and so many states going in different directions, there’s really no uniformity and it’s hard to set priorities. We feel that if we can get all the states working together on a smaller set of policies, that the chances of pushing this forward are greater,” Siegel said.

University of Virginia student due in court for allegedly gunning down three classmates

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — As classes resume at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, a 22-year-old student is due in court for allegedly gunning down three classmates in a mass shooting on campus.

Two other students were injured in the shooting that unfolded on a bus as it returned to Charlottesville on Sunday night from a field trip in Washington, D.C.

The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt. His arraignment is set for Wednesday morning at Albemarle General District Court.

The three slain students, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, were all members of the football team, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said.

Jones was a running back for the football team in 2018, though he never played in a game. Virginia Athletics Director Carla Williams said Jones was a student beginning in 2018 and was a walk-on for one semester. She said “there was no overlap” on the team between Jones and the victims, adding that she doesn’t “know if there was any interaction outside of the class.”

A motive is not clear, Ryan said Monday.

Jones is facing three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo. Charges could change, he said.

Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Hingeley confirmed to ABC News that Jones also faces two counts of malicious wounding of the two other students.

As UVA students mourn, classes are resuming on Wednesday. But undergraduates aren’t required to finish any graded assignments or take exams before Thanksgiving break, Ryan said.

As of Tuesday, the football team had not decided if it’ll play this Saturday’s scheduled game against Coastal Carolina.

Questions raised about Uvalde County sheriff’s role during Robb Elementary rampage

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — For months since the May 24 school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, attention and blame have been focused on the chief of the tiny school district’s police force. That man, Pete Arredondo, was first suspended and then fired as investigators pointed to him as the incident commander who failed the students and their teachers by failing to act to stop the carnage.

But records that are still being kept confidential and interviews with officials familiar with the most sensitive aspects of the investigations shed new light on the events of that day and raise questions about another ranking law enforcement official who has, thus far, avoided nearly all scrutiny.

That official is Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco.

“We’re looking at him,” one law enforcement official said of Nolasco.

Officials briefed on the investigation said Nolasco and his role on the day of the massacre have been a focus as detectives work to unravel both the events that led up to the shooting and the bungled and delayed response of law enforcement to what was an “active shooter” situation.

Determining just who was in charge that day is a focal point as investigators try to make sense of a series of poor law enforcement decisions and delays in the police response that could well have cost lives.

Nolasco, who insists he was not the incident commander when an 18-year-old former student of Robb Elementary School killed 19 children and two of their teachers, has been on the radar of investigators from the start. He initially refused to cooperate with a special investigative committee empaneled by the Texas House of Representatives, agreeing to appear only when he was threatened with civil penalties after being summoned, the committee announced at the time.

Families of the victims, meanwhile, want to know more about his role on the day catastrophe struck Uvalde.

“We feel he should have done more to save children,” said Berlinda Arreola, step-grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza who was killed in the rampage. “We feel like he’s hiding something. There is a reason he hasn’t spoken to anyone.”

In his first interview with a news organization since the shooting, Nolasco defended himself and said he was not and could not have been in command as the massacre played out.

“All I can say is I was not the incident commander that day,” Nolasco told ABC News. “Honestly, I mean, there’s just a lot of finger-pointing that’s going on right now … I think they want to point fingers to me and point fingers at me.”

He said he had given interviews to state and federal investigators leading the official probes into the massacre.

A spokesman for Texas DPS declined to comment for this story.

Soon after radio calls for assistance went out on May 24, scores of police from an array of different agencies poured into the neighborhood around the Robb campus on Old Carrizo Road while the massacre was unfolding inside two adjoining classrooms.

According to investigators, Arredondo had assumed control inside the school building. But official reports say it was a different story outside. There, Nolasco “had operational control,” according to one of the highest-ranking state troopers to report to the site that day.

In a June 2 interview with the Texas Rangers leading the investigation, Capt. Joel Betancourt of the Texas Department of Public Safety said he “initially understood that Sheriff Nolasco was the scene commander.” That statement was included in two synopses of investigator interviews with Betancourt reviewed by ABC News.

That report says Betancourt told Ranger Lt. Randy Garcia that, when Betancourt arrived at Robb, he “met with Uvalde County Sheriff Nolasco and started setting up a command post.” Betancourt went on to explain that he and Nolasco discussed the situation inside the school and the law enforcement resources that were on their way. Betancourt said the sheriff told him the original “active shooter” emergency had settled into one in which an individual was behind closed doors and holding police at bay — what is called a “barricaded subject” in police parlance.

It would go down as the same bad call made inside the school’s hallway by Arredondo.

Betancourt described to the investigator a scene of confusion and poor communication.

“Captain Betancourt said he was getting his information from Uvalde County Sheriff Nolasco because he had operational control,” Garcia wrote in his report. “Captain Betancourt said he did not know if anyone was in charge inside the building. Captain Betancourt relayed a story where at one point he started towards the door to the school and the Sheriff stated there were too many people inside there already, insinuating for Captain Betancourt not to go inside the building. Captain Betancourt took that statement to mean the Sheriff was in operational control.”

Betancourt told the investigator that it was only after the shooter had been killed by a special assault team from U.S. Border Patrol that he “realized that Chief Arredondo was the incident commander.”

Nolasco said he believes it was clear that Arredondo was in charge that day.

“You have a chief of police that works for the school,” Nolasco said. “And he coauthored (the school district active shooter) policy that put him in charge. The incident is at school and I’ll let you do the math.”

Nolasco, a Republican, was elected sheriff in 2020 after nearly three decades in law enforcement. He first joined the Uvalde sheriff’s department in 2005 and has done everything from 911 dispatch to emergency medical response to undercover narcotics operations.

The sheriff said any attempt to make him look responsible for incident command shows “they’re just looking for a scapegoat.”

Arredondo and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment for this story. In his only news interview after the shooting, Arredondo said he did not view himself as the incident commander.

“I didn’t issue any orders,” he told the Texas Tribune.

In a statement issued just before being fired from the school district in August, Arredondo’s attorney also made it a point to remind the public that the school attack first began as a shooting at the Diaz Street home of gunman Salvador Ramos where Ramos shot his grandmother in the face. Nolasco personally responded to that scene.

“That would have been the first incident to establish incident command,” Arredondo’s lawyer, George Hyde, wrote, referring to the Diaz Street location.

In his comments to ABC News, Nolasco took issue with that, saying, at the time, “I didn’t know the connection to that other scene over there” on Diaz Street.

The connection between the Robb school shooting and the earlier gunshots on Diaz Street was a prime focus of the special legislative committee that Nolasco was reluctant to cooperate with. The committee reported that there were differing accounts of when Nolasco arrived on Diaz Street and when he later learned of the Robb shooting.

“In a desire to put this issue to rest, and to foreclose the suggestion that earlier reporting of the attacker’s assault on his grandmother could have led to an earlier law enforcement intervention, the committee has requested records from Sheriff Nolasco’s mobile phones to confirm that he was not contacted directly for assistance on Diaz Street,” the committee wrote in a footnote to its July 17 report. “The committee has not yet received these records. The issue is important if a more timely report of the Diaz Street shooting could have prompted an earlier call from dispatch for law enforcement response to the area or an earlier … alert at the school.”

The committee still has not received those records, said former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, who served as one of three members of the legislative panel.

“Sheriff Nolasco had a key role, and transparency around his actions that day would serve the people of Uvalde well,” Guzman told ABC News.

In an interview with Ranger investigator Garcia on June 3, Nolasco insisted “he was in his office when he heard radio traffic of a traffic crash near Robb Elementary School,” according to a synopsis reviewed by ABC News. “Soon thereafter, the radio traffic advised of a shooting related to the crash, and Sheriff Nolasco responded to the area. While traveling on Garden Street, he was contacted by the Ramos family as he passed.”

Nolasco also told the investigator, according to the synopsis, that he and DPS Capt. Betancourt “planned the establishment of a command post” but did not proceed once they learned the gunman had been killed by officers inside the school.

As for his reluctance to cooperate with the legislative probe, Nolasco said the reason was simple: “There is an investigation going on. And I participated while cooperating with the Rangers and the FBI. I told them my part of what happened on that day, my understanding, and I was instructed not to talk to anybody else because of the ongoing investigation … It put me in a bad spot. I’m here to cooperate and try to help as much as I can.”

“But, you know, when you have an investigation that’s going on, you wait till it’s investigated before you talk to anybody that’s going to review, I guess, anything,” he said.

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