(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Nicole’s powerful winds have unearthed remains at a beach on Florida’s Hutchinson Island, authorities said.
The six bodies recovered so far are believed to be from a Native American burial ground in the area, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
“Detectives are working diligently to preserve and carefully remove the remains with the utmost care and respect,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Thursday. “Those remains will be transferred to the Medical Examiners Office then to the Bureau Archeological Research Department of State.”
Nicole made landfall along Florida’s east coast early Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm. Two deaths have been confirmed from Nicole: a man and a woman died after they were electrocuted by a downed power line in Orange County, officials said.
(NEW YORK) — Senior members of Twitter’s privacy and security teams have exited the company, according to an internal message from a company lawyer obtained by ABC News that warns of employment contract violations and legal repercussions if new owner Elon Musk doesn’t comply with an FTC agreement.
Among the staffers that left were chief privacy officer Damien Kieran, chief compliance officer Marianne Fogarty and chief information officer Lea Kissner, according to the message. Kissner confirmed their resignation in a Tweet earlier Thursday morning. None have responded to ABC’s request for comment.
The message was posted to Twitter’s Slack by a lawyer on Twitter’s privacy team and viewable to all staff.
“Over the last two weeks, Elon has shown that he cares only about recouping the losses he’s incurring as a result of failing to get out of his binding obligation to buy Twitter,” the lawyer wrote to fellow employees.
The Verge reported first on the lawyer’s message.
The Twitter lawyer’s message comes after Musk announced he’d require employees to be in the office 40 hours a week, eliminating remote work. The lawyer believes this is a “fundamental change to our employment contracts,” they wrote to the Slack group consisting of over 2,000 members.
“I do not, personally, believe that Twitter employees have an obligation to return to the office. Certainly not on no notice,” the attorney wrote.
“He chose to enter into that agreement,” the Twitter lawyer added regarding Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. “All of us are being put through this as a result of the choices he made.”
The Twitter lawyer reminded coworkers that they still have unlimited PTO.
“Perhaps today is a good day to take some rest and recharge,” they wrote.
This member of Twitter’s senior counsel went on to describe Musk’s apparent disregard for any potential legal repercussions that could present themselves in the near future.
In the message, the attorney brought up the Federal Trade Commission settlement Twitter agreed to in May; the company was caught using telephone numbers and emails for targeted advertising, even though they were only supposed to be used for multi-factor authentication logins. The FTC hit the company with a $150 million fine and provided Twitter with a list of new compliance rules.
If the company refuses to comply with the FTC agreement, Twitter could be fined billions of dollars, according to the company lawyer’s Slack message.
But the lawyer claims in the message that they heard Alex Spiro, Musk’s lawyer and current head of Twitter’s legal department, say “that Elon is willing to take on a huge amount of risk in relation to this company and its users, because ‘Elon puts rockets into space, he’s not afraid of the FTC.'”
Twitter’s legal team is asking engineers to “self-certify” compliance with FTC rules and other privacy laws, according to the company attorney’s message.
“This will put a huge amount of personal, professional and legal risk onto engineers,” they wrote. “I anticipate that all of you will be pressured by management into pushing out changes that will likely lead to major incidents.”
An FTC spokesperson tells ABC News “we are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern. No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees. Our revised consent order gives us new tools to ensure compliance, and we are prepared to use them.”
The Twitter lawyer left the number for Twitter’s Ethic’s Helpline and a link to https://whistlebloweraid.org/ at the end of the email.
“It’s been an honor working with all of you,” they wrote. “I’ll be taking a day of PTO today.”
Twitter has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
(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 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.
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.
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, 11:01 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.”
Nov 08, 11:56 AM EST
Moscow says it’s ‘following’ the US midterm elections
Moscow is closely “following” the midterm elections in the United States and knows that some Republican candidates have proposed to cut the country’s military aid to Ukraine, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
“Naturally, we are following the developments in the United States,” Grushko said in an interview with Russian state-owned television network Zvezda on Tuesday. “We are aware that a number of prominent Republicans favor reducing the military assistance to Ukraine, because they proceed from the position that what Democrats are currently doing is irrational.”
If Republicans are triumphant, Grushko said, the U.S. Congress could ramp up pressure on European nations regarding their defense budgets.
“We remember that one of [former U.S. President Donald] Trump’s key slogans when he came to power was that the Europeans should pay for their defense themselves,” he added. “Largely thanks to his efforts, European countries took enhanced commitments to increase their defense budgets to 2%. And there have been talks that defense spending should now reach at least 3%. The United States will continue to pursue the policy it has been running since 1949.”
Nov 08, 11:46 AM EST
Zelenskyy broaches ‘genuine peace talks’ in speech
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the notion of holding “genuine peace talks” in his daily address to his nation on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy set out conditions for peace talks with the Russians, requiring the restoration of territorial integrity, compensation for all damages caused to his country, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that another Russian invasion will not happen again.
“These are completely understandable conditions,” Zelenskyy said.
He said that earlier Tuesday he gave a virtual speech to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, telling dozens of world leaders of the ongoing Russian aggression.
“Anyone who is serious about the climate agenda should also be serious about the need to immediately stop Russian aggression, restore our territorial integrity and force Russia into genuine peace negotiations,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that previous proposals from Ukraine for peace talks have prompted “insane Russian responses with new terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail.”
Nov 08, 11:37 AM EST
US ambassador to UN meets with Zelenskyy
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of his leadership team in Kyiv on Tuesday “to discuss the unwavering U.S. commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” according to a statement from U.S. Mission to the U.N. spokesperson Nate Evans.
“She reiterated that the United States is steadfast in its support for Ukraine and is prepared to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes,” Evans said.
“Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and President Zelenskyy discussed international efforts to minimize the impact of Russia’s aggression on global food security, including through sustaining and expanding the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, and to ensure accountability for war crimes and atrocities perpetrated on the Ukrainian people,” he added. “She committed to continuing to work at the United Nations to strengthen international support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and to urge Member States to defend international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”
Nov 08, 8:09 AM EST
Ukraine asks US for new capabilities in fighting Iranian drones
ABC News has obtained a letter sent by a top Ukrainian official to senior members of Congress, asking them to assist Ukraine’s calls for additional air defense systems to counter the attack drones built and supplied by Iran to bolster Russia’s war effort.
Russia has launched waves of deadly attacks in recent weeks, using Iranian-made drones that explode on impact to strike power plants, killing civilians and causing rolling blackouts, plunging millions of Ukrainian homes into darkness.
In the letter, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, calls on the U.S. to provide Ukraine with highly mobile air defense systems known as C-RAMs, saying they would help protect “important objects, especially crucial power plants.”
Nov 08, 6:37 AM EST
US ambassador to UN travels to Ukraine
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is traveling to Ukraine on Tuesday “to reiterate the United States’ unwavering support as Ukraine defends its freedom and territorial integrity amidst Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion,” according to a statement from the U.S. Mission to the U.N.
While in the country’s capital, Kyiv, Thomas-Greenfield “will meet with Ukrainian government leaders to discuss the ironclad American commitment to the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” and she “will observe efforts to document and preserve evidence of atrocities committed by Russian forces and will hear first-hand accounts of survivors,” according to the U.S. mission.
“Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will also discuss the global food insecurity crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion and will underscore the critical need for an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative into the coming year,” the U.S. mission said. “She will also meet with humanitarian organizations working to meet winterization needs for vulnerable people impacted by Russia’s attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure.”
Nov 06, 1:57 PM EST
Biden, German chancellor call Russian nuclear threats ‘irresponsible’
President Joe Biden spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday and both agreed Russia’s nuclear threats stemming the war in Ukraine are “irresponsible,” according to the White House.
Both leaders said they would continue to “provide Ukraine with the economic, humanitarian, and security support it needs to defend against Russia,” the White House said in a statement.
Biden and Scholz also spoke of the chancellor’s recent trip to the People’s Republic of China and, according to White House officials “affirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based international order, human rights, and fair trade practices.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Nov 03, 12:02 PM EDT
Western officials believe Russia is planning ‘orderly, well-planned and deliberate’ military withdrawal from Kherson
Western officials are “confident” Russia’s military is “setting the conditions” for withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the only regional capital that has been occupied by Russian forces since the February.
The Russian military is preparing to make a “strategic” withdrawal and move its forces east across the Dnipro river, officials said.
“It looks like an orderly, well-planned and deliberate military process is taking place,” a Western official told ABC News.
The officials would not put a timeframe on when the withdrawal would happen and added that it is not guaranteed to take place. They downplayed, however, any speculation that the Russians are using the withdrawal to mask a more “nefarious” action in that area.
The officials said their assessment was that the Russians believe Kherson “is not worth fighting for.”
The advance of Ukrainian forces in Kherson has slowed over the past three weeks.
In mid-October, the newly appointed commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, General Surovikin, said “difficult decisions” may be necessary in Kherson.
Senior Ukrainian officials have suggested more recently that Russian forces are preparing to fight for Kherson and a source on the ground told ABC News that the Russian military is still moving in and out of the city.
-ABC News’ Tom Burridge
Nov 02, 12:14 PM EDT
North Korea covertly shipping ammunition to Russia for war in Ukraine, US says
North Korea was secreting sending ammunition to Russia to use in its invasion of Ukraine and is disguising the shipments as appearing to be destined to the Middle East or North Africa, the White House said Wednesday.
“Our information indicates that [North Korea] is covertly supplying Russia’s war in Ukraine with a significant number of artillery shells, while obfuscating the real destination of the arms shipments by trying to make it appear as though they’re being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa,” White House spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby said North Korea was sending “a significant number of artillery shells.” He did not specify an exact number but said it was more than “dozens.”
“But we don’t believe that they are in such a quantity that they would tangibly change the direction of this war or tangibly change the momentum either in the east or in the south” of Ukraine, he said.
Kirby added, “We’re gonna continue to monitor whether these shipments are received.”
In September, the U.S. had said Russia is looking to purchase millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, saying at the time that this indicated the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Nov 02, 12:01 PM EDT
Russia waives veiled threat on use of nuclear weapons
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning to nations with nuclear capabilities, calling on them to abandon attempts to infringe on each other’s vital interests, warning that direct armed conflict and provocations with weapons of mass destruction can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Russia claimed it believes there can be no winners of nuclear war and said it refarrims its commitment to the prevention of nuclear warm.
“A reaction with the use of nuclear weapons is hypothetically allowed by Russia only in response to aggression using weapons of mass destruction or aggression using conventional weapons, when the existence of the state is threatened,” the ministry said in a statement.
The White House has said it will not confirm or deny New York Times reporting that senior Russian military officials had recently discussed when and how Russia might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. The intelligence about the conversations was reportedly circulated inside the U.S. government in mid-October.
But, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not a part of these alleged conversations, according to the New York Times.
The White House on Wednesday said it still sees “no indications that Russia is making preparations” to use nuclear weapons.
-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia and Ben Gittleson
Nov 02, 12:14 PM EDT
North Korea covertly shipping ammunition to Russia for war in Ukraine, US says
North Korea was secretly sending ammunition to Russia to use in its invasion of Ukraine and is disguising the shipments as appearing to be destined to the Middle East or North Africa, the White House said Wednesday.
“Our information indicates that [North Korea] is covertly supplying Russia’s war in Ukraine with a significant number of artillery shells, while obfuscating the real destination of the arms shipments by trying to make it appear as though they’re being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa,” White House spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby said North Korea was sending “a significant number of artillery shells.” He did not specify an exact number but said it was more than “dozens.”
“But we don’t believe that they are in such a quantity that they would tangibly change the direction of this war or tangibly change the momentum either in the east or in the south” of Ukraine, he said.
Kirby added, “We’re gonna continue to monitor whether these shipments are received.”
In September, the U.S. had said Russia is looking to purchase millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, saying at the time that this indicated the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine.
Nov 02, 12:01 PM EDT
Russia waives veiled threat on use of nuclear weapons
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning to nations with nuclear capabilities, calling on them to abandon attempts to infringe on each other’s vital interests, warning that direct armed conflict and provocations with weapons of mass destruction can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Russia claimed it believes there can be no winners of nuclear war and said it reaffirms its commitment to the prevention of nuclear warm.
“A reaction with the use of nuclear weapons is hypothetically allowed by Russia only in response to aggression using weapons of mass destruction or aggression using conventional weapons, when the existence of the state is threatened,” the ministry said in a statement.
The White House has said it will not confirm or deny New York Times reporting that senior Russian military officials had recently discussed when and how Russia might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. The intelligence about the conversations was reportedly circulated inside the U.S. government in mid-October.
But, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not a part of these alleged conversations, according to the New York Times.
The White House on Wednesday said it still sees “no indications that Russia is making preparations” to use nuclear weapons.
Nov 02, 8:40 AM EDT
Russia rejoins wartime deal on Ukrainian grain exports
Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that Russia has agreed to resume its participation in a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to keep grain and other commodities shipping out of Ukraine’s ports amid the ongoing war.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, that the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative would “continue in the same way as before” as of noon Wednesday, according to Erdogan.
The renewed agreement, first reached over the summer, will prioritize shipments to African countries, including drought-ravaged Somalia, after Russia expressed concerns that most of the grain was ending up in richer nations.
Moscow agreed to return to the deal after receiving written guarantees from Kyiv that Ukraine would not use the safe shipping corridors through the Black Sea for military actions against Russian forces, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Russia had suspended its role in the deal over the weekend, after accusing Ukrainian forces of carrying out a “massive” drone attack on its Black Sea fleet on Saturday.
Turkey and the U.N. brokered separate deals with Russia and Ukraine in July to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.
Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.
Nov 01, 3:01 PM EDT
Ukraine does not have effective defenses against Iranian ballistic missiles, air force official claims
Iranian ballistic missiles, which Russia plans to purchase from Iran, will probably be placed on the northern border of Ukraine, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Airborne Forces Yuri Ignat said Tuesday.
Ignat claimed the ballistic missiles’ range was 300 km for one and 700 km for another.
“We have no effective defense against these missiles. It is theoretically possible to shoot them down, but in fact it is very difficult to do it with the means we have at our disposal. We have air defense, not missile defense,” he said.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Nov 01, 3:01 PM EDT
Russia announces wider evacuation of occupied southern Ukraine
As Ukrainian forces advance to capture the city of Kherson, Russian forces are ordering civilians out of parts of the now-occupied city. Some 70,000 people along a 15 kilometer (10 mile) stretch of the left bank of the Dnipro River will be evacuated deeper into the Kherson region or to Russia, according to the Russian-installed leader of the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo.
Russia had previously ordered civilians out of an area it controls on the west bank of the river.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Oct 31, 7:07 PM EDT
Russia’s withdrawal from grain deal ‘collective punishment’ for world: State Department
State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday lambasted Russia’s recent decision to withdraw from the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed for grain to be exported through the Black Sea — likely to be a chief focus of this week’s G-7 ministerial meeting and potentially the G-20 Leaders’ Summit next month.
“We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is having immediate, harmful impacts on global food security,” Price said during a press briefing. “Russia should return to full participation in the initiative, and we urge all parties to swiftly agree to sustain this crucial program through the months to come.”
“Any disruption to the initiative risks spiking food prices, lowering the confidence of insurers and commercial shippers who have returned to Black Sea routes, and further imposing hardships on low-income countries already reeling from dire humanitarian crises and global food insecurity,” he added.
Price said Russia’s reneging had already caused future contracts for foodstuff to rise, even though some ships appear to have been allowed to pass through the water routes with their cargo following Moscow’s announcement.
“We’ve seen Russia engage in what appears to be collective punishment for the people of Ukraine,” he said. “But Moscow’s suspension of the initiative would be tantamount to collective punishment for the rest of the world — but especially lower- and middle-income countries that so desperately needed this grain.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Oct 31, 3:32 PM EDT
Ukraine energy company warns about attacks on energy infrastructure
Following a series of coordinated strikes across Ukraine this Monday morning, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK says it’s running out of equipment and spare parts needed for repairs of the damaged infrastructure facilities.
“Unfortunately, we have already used up the stock of equipment that we had in our warehouses after the first two waves of attacks that have been taking place since Oct. 10,” said DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk. “We were able to purchase some equipment. But unfortunately, the cost of the equipment is now measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Most parts have been already used for repairs following previous Russian strikes, he added.
Oct 31, 4:54 AM EDT
Russia launches waves of missiles at energy targets
Russia on Monday morning again launched a series of coordinated strikes across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure, including in the Kyiv region.
Ukraine’s military said it shot down 44 cruise missiles as the Russians launched “several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities” across the country.
About five distant booms could be heard in central Kyiv at about 8 a.m. local time.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed that a power plant has been hit, meaning mid-morning around 350,000 homes in the capital were left without power. Kyiv’s water supply has also been compromised, according to a water company.
A local official said “critical infrastructure” had also been hit in the Chernivtsi region in southwestern Ukraine.
Critical infrastructure has also been hit and damaged in Zaporizhzhia in the south, according to another local official.
Other regions of Ukraine appear to have been targeted, including Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Poltava and Lviv.
There are currently no reports of significant casualties.
ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Oct 30, 10:02 AM EDT
Blinken accuses Russia of ‘weaponizing food’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed Russia’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a statement from the Kremlin that “people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry.”
Russia announced it is withdrawing from the U.N.-brokered grain deal in response to a drone attack Saturday in the waters of the Sevastopol Bay, in the Black Sea near Crimea.
Russia’s decision, Blinken said, is jeopardizing grain shipments he described as “life-saving.”
“In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity,” Blinken said in a statement released Saturday night.
He said 9 million metric tons of food has been shipped under the agreement, which was signed and launched in July. He said the shipments have reduced food prices around the world.
“We urge the Government of Russia to resume its participation in the Initiative, fully comply with the arrangement, and work to ensure that people around the world continue to be able to receive the benefits facilitated by the Initiative,” Blinken said.
Blinken’s statement echoed what President Joe Biden said earlier Saturday, calling Russia’s withdrawal from the initiative, “purely outrageous.”
“It’s going to increase starvation. There’s no reason for them to do that, but they’re always looking for some rationale to be able to say the reason they’re doing something outrageous is because the West made them do it. And it’s just not,” Biden said. “There’s no merit to what they’re doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”
(WASHINGTON) — The District of Columbia filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the Washington Commanders, team owner Daniel Snyder, the National Football League and league commissioner Roger Goodell, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced Thursday.
The defendants are being sued “for collusion to deceive residents of the District of Columbia about their investigation into a toxic workplace culture that impacted employees, especially women,” Racine said at a press conference.
The D.C. AG alleges in his complaint that “The Commanders, Snyder, the NFL, and Goodell misled fans about what was being done to address decades of sexual harassment and toxicity in the Commander’s organization.” He also alleges “Snyder and the Commanders lied to consumers when they denied knowing anything about the long-standing hostile work environment and culture of sexual harassment.”
Racine, who is leaving the office on Jan. 2, 2023, said the lawsuit will continue regardless of the team’s ownership.
Attorneys for the Washington Commanders told ABC News in a statement Thursday, “Over two years ago, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable workplace culture had existed within their organization for several years and they have apologized many times for allowing that to happen.”
The statement added, “We agree with AG Racine on one thing: the public needs to know the truth. Although the lawsuit repeats a lot of innuendo, half-truths and lies, we welcome this opportunity to defend the organization — for the first time — in a court of law and to establish, once and for all, what is fact and what is fiction.”
Brian McCarthy, the vice president of communications for the NFL, told ABC News in a statement that the independent investigation into workplace misconduct allegations at the Washington Commanders was “thoroughly and comprehensively conducted” by attorney Beth Wilkinson and her law firm, Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz.
“Following the completion of the investigation, the NFL made public a summary of Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and imposed a record-setting fine against the club and its ownership,” the statement said.
He added, “We reject the legally unsound and factually baseless allegations made today by the D.C. Attorney General against the NFL and Commissioner Goodell and will vigorously defend against those claims.”
Racine’s office began looking into Snyder’s team and the NFL in the fall of 2021 related to allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct. He says his office has reviewed thousands of internal documents from the Commanders and the NFL.
The lawsuit is based on D.C.’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), which prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices, Racine said. OAG has broad authority under the CPPA to hold accountable any company or any head of a company if they mislead or lie to District consumers, regardless of where they are located.
A spokesperson for the Washington Commanders told ABC News on Wednesday ahead of the scheduled press conference, “the Commanders have fully cooperated with the AG’s investigation for nearly a year. As recently as Monday, a lawyer for the team met with the AG who did not suggest at that time that he intended to take any action and, in fact, revealed fundamental misunderstandings of the underlying facts.”
The attorney general told reporters Thursday, “What Mr. Snyder sought to do is what he does all the time. Deflect attention from his own misconduct. impute a motivation or intention onto someone else.”
Former team employees Meghan Imbert and Melanie Coburn spoke to reporters after the press conference.
Coburn, who testified in February at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the allegations against the Commanders, was a former director of marketing and cheerleader with the team.
“These allegations have also been going on for quite some time,” she said. “And of course, the [House Oversight] committee has been working on this for a very long time and I have full confidence that they’re gonna come out with some sort of information for the public. That’s what they intended to do.”
Imbert, a former production manager for the team’s TV department, told reporters that the issues when it comes to workplace culture aren’t just with the NFL but with society. She says the announcement Thursday proves to her that there might be a path for accountability.
“This is bigger than the NFL. This is a societal issue. The NFL is a microcosm of society,” she said.
The House Oversight Committee declined to comment Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — New Mexico residents have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ballot measure that increases funding for early childhood education.
As of Thursday morning, 70% of ballots cast were in favor of Constitutional Amendment 1, which provides more money from the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund (also called the Permanent School Fund) “for enhanced instruction for students at risk of failure, extending the school year, teacher compensation and early childhood education.”
The advocacy group New Mexico Voices for Children estimates this will amount to about $150 million, or another 1.25% of the fund, which is funded in part by the state’s land, oil, gas and mineral royalties.
New Mexico has been a leader in prioritizing early childhood education. In May, the state essentially waived the cost of child care programs, making it free for most families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or $111,000 for a family of four.
Michelle Kang, the chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association for the Education of Young Children, which represents 60,000 early childhood educators across the country, welcomed the news.
“One of the things that’s so interesting here in New Mexico is this moment of where it’s all coming together for early childhood education,” Kang told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “From advocates and educators, the leadership at the state level, voter understanding, the educators that cross partisan lines and the relief funding is all coming together — and to me, a highlight of something very good that has happened.”
“It’s crucial support to working families and it is being seen as something that starts at the earliest years and then translates into what happens as children grow and develop and continue to access education,” Kang continued.
Across the U.S., the issue of child care and early childhood education has reached critical proportions, with key problems such as a lack of adequate staffing, low compensation, and child care deserts holding countless families back.
“In the national context, the federal relief dollars have been critical for saving child care from total collapse in the wake of the pandemic,” Kang said. “What we’re seeing with closures of programs, the staffing challenges, the limitations now in terms of access for families — [where] the funds have not yet been sustained by Congress — it’s created massive stability challenges for programs in all settings, sizes, states and communities.”
“This amendment in New Mexico is going to help the state address that lack of stability and sustainability, which is hugely consequential for educators and families,” Kang added.
As New Mexico moves forward to address its early childhood education needs, Kang said that more needs to be done to set up children in other states for success.
“We see that states have looked at ways to be creative around being able to support this, but fundamentally, we can’t leave it to states,” Kang said. “Federal funding is the backbone to being able to solve this challenge.”
Roc Nation Records/Def Jam Recordings/Hollywood Records
Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, also had a pivotal role in the production of the movie’s soundtrack. When working on the lead single, “Lift Me Up,” Coogler said he was in search of “a great artist who could tell the story of a film, embrace the themes of the film and present them to the audience” — much like Kendrick Lamar did in the first movie.
“It makes sense that it would be a woman, it made sense that it could be someone to speak to, not necessarily the words, but to the feeling of motherhood, because that’s a major, major theme in this film,” he said at a recent press conference. He noted it was well timed that Rihanna, who eventually agreed to do the song, “was in that kind of space in her life.”
“Lift Me Up” marked the singer’s return to music after 2016’s ANTI, but make no mistake, jumping on the song was no act of charity. While Coogler is “super happy” with the end result, he said Rihanna made it clear why she decided to hop on board.
Coogler said, “The truth is, you know, once when she played us the record, you know, she said straight up, ‘I did this for Chad [Boseman].'”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters Friday, November 11. Rihanna has another single on the soundtrack, “Born Again,” that’s dropped to accompany the film’s release.
Nick Jonas revealed in a recent interview what it’s like traveling with a baby after welcoming his daughter, Malti, earlier this year.
The singer spoke toTravel + Leisure about how he and wife Priyanka Chopra are adapting to parent life on the road. “I mean, travel is definitely different now,” he expressed.
“I think part of that is, you know, just the amount of stuff you need. It’s pretty funny. But also the wonder of looking for places you’ve been to a million times but seeing it through different eyes, right? It’s really special,” he said. “It has been a pretty amazing experience for us.”
As for future traveling plans, Nick revealed the trio will be heading to Dublin, Ireland.
“I love that city and any time I’ve been it’s always been quick and this one will be too but it’s always for work and this one will be a celebration with friends … It will be really nice,” he predicted.
Nick also revealed what he now prioritizes when traveling — aside from good food, he likes finding places off the beaten path.
“You walk around and just kind of stumble into a place to have a coffee or a drink,” he said. Nick said he discovered how fun the practice is when he visited Europe a few years ago and made a point to “just be a tourist.”
He explained, “I’ve only been there for shows. But I wanted to actually go and just experience it that way, which was really special, and that’s kind of what I did.”
Nick and Chopra’s daughter turns 1 in January. The family recently shared a sweet photo to Instagram of them relaxing at home in Los Angeles.
“For me, that’s a classic album. It’s something I’ve been trying to recreate ever since,” Sean told ABC Audio. “When you have an album — especially in these modern day times — where it’s like five singles deep…it’s kind of a stamp in a lot of people’s memories.”
He laughs, “I get a lot of people coming up to me saying, ‘Yo, you helped me make my family! I got busy on the dance floor, and then we got busy!'”
Dutty Rock — Jamaican patois for “Dirty Rock” — sold more than six million copies worldwide, and won Sean the Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
“Yeah. I stand proud behind that work, man,” he says. “I love all those songs: ‘Get Busy,’ ‘Like Glue,’ ‘Gimme the Light,’ ‘Baby Boy,’ ‘I’m Still In Love With You.’ Great stuff!”
Dutty Rock helped make dancehall mainstream, and started a hot streak for Sean that carried into his next release, 2005’s The Trinity, featuring his biggest hit, “Temperature.” Overall, he’s racked up 19 top 20 Billboard hits, but there’s one achievement from that era that he’s most proud of.
“For me to win an American Music Award in 2006 — we [hadn’t] had a Caribbean artist before that cop anything from the American Music Awards,” he recalls. “And it was for Best Pop Male Vocalist, so I beat Kanye West and Justin Timberlake!…I felt very special at the time.”
In September, Sean Paul served as Gwen Stefani‘s advisor on The Voice.
Drummer Carl Palmer, sole surviving member of legendary English prog-rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, is preparing to launch a unique tour that will feature him performing live alongside archival footage of late bandmates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake.
Palmer tells ABC Audio the concerts will consist of 13 songs, six of which will feature high-quality footage of Emerson and Lake filmed during a pair of October 1992 ELP shows at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall projected on large screens.
“It gives me a chance to bring ELP back in the most honest way, where Keith is at his very best, Greg is at his very best,” Palmer notes. “Both of them look great.”
Carl says of the Royal Albert Hall footage, “Wow, I was really impressed. I was impressed with the audio, ’cause the audio is absolutely superb, fantastic. Because it was all recorded individually, [it] meant I could go back and … remix it if I wanted to.”
He continues, “So, it took nine to 10 weeks of editing, and I managed to edit myself out of all the frames. I didn’t want to see me, because I’m gonna be playing on the stage, and Greg and Keith are gonna be left and right on these huge screens.”
Palmer will be joined at the shows by his current band, ELP Legacy — guitarist Paul Bielatowicz [bee-ELL-uh-TOE-vitch] and bassist/Chapman Stick player Simon Fitzpatrick — who will “reinforce some parts” on some songs with the Emerson and Lake footage, and play on all the other tunes.
The Police drummer Stewart Copeland was among the many artists to perform at Foo Fighters‘ two tribute concerts to late drummer Taylor Hawkins, which took place September in London and Los Angeles. For Copeland, the shows proved, among other things, that Foo frontman Dave Grohl is the “hardest-working man in show business.”
“[Grohl] made all those calls, called everyone of us and said, ‘Hey, how about it?'” Copeland tells ABC Audio. “Then, he had to figure out, ‘Well, let’s see, where am I gonna put Alanis Morissette or Chrissie Hynde or Stewart?'”
“He had to assemble and figure out all the material,” Copeland continues of Grohl. “Then, he and [guitarist] Chris [Shiflett] and [bassist] Nate [Mendel] and the rest of them had to actually learn all that material and play it for six hours while fronting the show.”
Copeland recalls the London concert particularly fondly, noting how “unique” the lineup was.
“It was singers playing with different bands, bands playing with different singers,” Copeland says. “You never would see these artists in those combinations.”
“The show was one of the most powerful events I’ve ever seen or been involved with, by far,” he declares. “No, the most.”
Like everyone who was in the crowd and watching along with the livestream, Copeland lost it when Hawkins’ teenage son, Shane,joined Foo Fighters to play drums on “My Hero.”
“At the end, oh my god!” Copeland exclaims. “That little kid gets up there, all 15-years-old of him, and slams on the drums like that, not a dry eye in the stadium.”
