(ST. LOUIS) — A 16-year-old girl and a 61-year-old woman were killed by a gunman in a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday morning, according to authorities.
Seven other victims, all 15 or 16 years old, were hospitalized with injuries including gunshot wounds, police said. All were currently listed in stable condition, according to police.
The suspect also died, according to the St. Louis Public School District and St. Louis police.
Police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Orlando Harris, who graduated from the high school last year.
Police said Harris has no prior criminal history and they’re working to establish a motive, saying Monday there are “suspicions that there may be some mental illness that he was experiencing.”
St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack said, “This could have been much worse — the individual had almost a dozen 30-round, high-capacity magazines on him. So that’s a whole lot of victims there.”
The shooting was reported at about 9:10 a.m. local time, police said. As students fled the building, they reported that a gunman was armed with a long gun, police said.
Authorities did not say how the gunman entered the building but police stressed that the school’s doors were locked.
Seven security guards were in the school, according to St. Louis Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams. Officials said security staff identified the suspect’s efforts to enter the school and immediately notified other staff.
“It’s very easy to get guns,” Sack said. “I’ve said it before — the gun laws in Missouri [are] very broad … they can carry them openly down any street, and there’s really nothing we can do.”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said she had visited students when the school year started.
“They were bright eyed, bushy-tailed. We laughed, we sang, we danced. And now to be here for such a devastating and traumatic situation breaks my heart,” she said. “I’m heartbroken for these families who send their children to our schools hoping that they will be safe. Our children shouldn’t have to experience this.”
The mayor added, “I’m sure that everyone involved is going to have to deal with the trauma that will reverberate across our community.”
When asked about the shooting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We need additional action to stop the scourge of gun violence.”
“Every day that the Senate fails to send assault weapons ban to the president’s desk, or waits to take … other commonsense actions, is a day too late for our families and communities impacted by gun violence,” she told reporters.
(NEW YORK) — A Russian court has denied the appeal of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is facing nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges.
Griner appeared virtually at her appeal hearing on Tuesday and urged the court of reassess her sentence, saying that people found guilty of lesser crimes were given shorter sentences.
“I beg that the court takes in all of the stakes that was overlooked in the first court and reassess my sentence here,“ Griner said, apologizing for her “mistake” and saying that it has been “traumatic” to be away from her family.
Griner, a 31-year-old Houston native who plays professional basketball for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki as she returned to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July, saying that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage mistakenly and that she had no “intention” of breaking Russian law.
As the U.S. works to secure the basketball star’s freedom, Griner’s attorney told ABC News earlier this month that the basketball star is worried that she may not be released.
“Her being afraid of not being released is mostly connected to the negotiations, which we are not aware of at all,” Griner’s attorney Alexandr Boikov told ABC News on Oct. 13.
After being detained in Russia for more than five months, Griner was found guilty on drug charges in a Moscow-area court on Aug. 4 and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Her attorneys filed an appeal on Aug. 15.
“She is not very much hopeful for the appeal because the first court decision — the verdict showed that the case is totally unjust even by present Russian standards, and we are not hoping for a big release, but of course we hope for the best,” Boikov previously told ABC News.
The WNBA star turned 32 behind bars in Russia on Oct. 18, but she was able to spend a few hours with her lawyers who relayed birthday messages to her, as well as speak on the phone with U.S. officials.
“Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me,” Griner said through a message shared by her attorneys.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained,” meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work to negotiate her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department has said.
Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained, and some officials have expressed concern that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing war.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told ABC News earlier this month that securing the release of Griner and Paul Whelan — an American detained in Russia since 2019 — remains “a priority for this administration.”
(NEW YORK) — Adidas on Tuesday said it has terminated its relationship with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, immediately and will cease production of Yeezy branded products.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a press release. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
There has been growing pressure on big-name brands to cut ties with the rapper after he made antisemitic remarks on Twitter a few weeks ago.
The rapper later followed with more offensive comments against the Jewish community on Revolt TV’s Drink Champs in a since-deleted interview.
Ye’s comments against the Jewish community were also referenced over the weekend by a group of Los Angeles neo-Nazis who hung antisemitic flyers on a 405 freeway overpass.
In addition to Ye’s remarks against the Jewish community, another recent controversy has seen the Donda rapper sporting a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt during his surprise Yeezy Season 9 show in Paris along with conservative political commentator Candace Owens.
The phrase has been described by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center as a white supremacist hate slogan that originated in 2015 as a response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter. The groups note that the phrase has been commonly used by white supremacist groups such as the Aryan Renaissance Society and the Ku Klux Klan on everything from promotional materials to campaigns.
Responding to the backlash over the T-shirts, Ye wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, “Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO.”
Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency, also known as CAA, announced Monday that it would no longer represent the rapper. Film and television studio MRC also said it would be shelving a documentary on West, saying in a statement that it “cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.”
Several reports have also stated that brands such as Balenciaga will no longer work with Ye.
Ye’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, along with many other public figures have stood in solidarity with the Jewish community following his antisemitic remarks.
“Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” Kardashian tweeted on Monday. “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
Kendall Jenner, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Schumer, John Legend and others have also spoken out against Ye’s comments aimed at the Jewish community.
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — An Amazon worker has been found dead in a yard after a suspected mauling by two dogs.
The body of the Amazon worker was found in a yard on a property in the Wood Heights area of Excelsior Springs, Missouri — approximately 32 miles northeast of Kansas City — on Monday evening, according to ABC News’ Kansas City affiliate KMBC-TV.
Neighbors told KMBC that they called the Ray County Sheriff’s Office to report a delivery truck which had been parked in front of a residence in Wood Heights for several hours on Monday evening.
But when authorities responded to investigate the truck, they found the body of the driver in the yard along with two dogs on the property, according to KMBC.
The responding deputy shot and killed both of the dogs after an initial investigation revealed that animal bites were a factor in the Amazon worker’s death, according to Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers.
“We’re deeply saddened by tonight’s tragic incident involving a member of our Amazon family and will be providing support to the team and the driver’s loved ones. We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation, “Amazon said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
The Amazon employee has not yet been identified and it is unclear if the residents of the home were there at the time of the suspected — but currently unconfirmed — mauling or if there had been any history of aggression by the dogs.
The circumstances around the death remains under investigation.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will get his updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday while calling on more Americans to do so ahead of the winter and holiday season, according to the White House.
When delivering remarks, Biden will be joined by leaders of major U.S. pharmacy chains Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Albertsons, as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the president’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and the White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha “to discuss ongoing efforts to mobilize pharmacies to reach more Americans and encourage them to receive their updated COVID-19 vaccine,” according to a White House official.
“The President will again renew his call for all business, educational, and civic leaders to encourage their communities to receive their updated vaccines and keep their communities safe,” the official said in a statement.
More than 20 million Americans, including nearly one in five seniors, have already gotten their updated COVID-19 vaccine. The latest booster shots target two subvariants of the omicron variant, which are versions of the virus that are currently most dominant in the United States and around the world, according to the White House.
“While COVID-19 is not the disruptive force it was when the President took office, the virus continues to evolve. COVID-19, flu, and other respiratory illnesses spread more quickly in the winter, as people gather indoors,” the White House said in a statement. “As the weather gets colder, Americans must take action to stay protected.”
The Biden administration will also announce several initiatives on Tuesday to encourage Americans to get boosted.
In the coming weeks, Walgreens will team up with DoorDash and Uber “to provide free delivery of prescriptions of Paxlovid, an oral COVID-19 treatment, directly to the doorsteps of Americans living in underserved communities,” the White House said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will launch the #VaxUpAmerica Family Vaccine Tour, with pop-up COVID-19 vaccination events — including at the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Arizona next month — and the distribution of tool kits at day cares, nursing homes, community health centers and other locations. The Biden administration will also encourage schools, businesses and other organizations around the country to host their own vaccination events, according to the White House.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will target seniors, with its efforts to reach people via email and telephone to provide information about the updated COVID-19 vaccines and how to get them, according to the White House.
The Biden administration will release a “fall playbook for businesses to manage COVID-19,” the White House said.
Biden, himself, “will call on every school district, college, and university in America to host at least one vaccination clinic by Thanksgiving,” according to the White House.
In addition, he will “call on employers to take actions like offering paid-time-off for vaccination, and working with local vaccine providers to host on-site vaccination clinics for employees,” the White House said.
Meanwhile, Albertsons, CVS, Rite Aid, Southeastern Grocers, Walgreens, Walmart and Sam’s Club have their own initiatives to help Americans get vaccinated.
“We have the tools we need to manage this moment,” the White House added. “For most Americans, if they get this updated COVID-19 vaccine, they can go about their lives this fall and winter with the peace of mind that they remain protected against serious illness. And, if they do get sick, there are widely available and easily accessible treatments that reduce the severity of illness, keep people out of the hospital, and save lives.”
(HARRISBURG, Pa.) — Pennsylvania Senate candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz will debate Tuesday night in Harrisburg, a highly anticipated clash in a race that has seen health challenges and personal attacks, with control of Congress’ evenly divided top chamber on the line.
The debate will be hosted by Nexstar and broadcast across Pennsylvania starting at 8 p.m. ET. It follows a months-long effort by Oz to get Fetterman to agree to share the stage in the wake of Fetterman’s stroke in May, with Oz saying he sympathized with Fetterman but wanted them to face voters.
Oz previously agreed to seven other debates, according to his campaign, none of which Fetterman committed to.
While the candidates are likely to go back and forth over public safety, the economy, health care and more, much of the spotlight will be on Fetterman’s own health. The lieutenant governor’s speech has at times been choppy since he resumed public campaign events following his stroke, which his campaign has said was cause by atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythm, which led to a clot.
On stage, Fetterman will have closed captioning, allowing him a real-time transcript to help with issues he has processing words that are spoken to him.
Two top aides attempted Monday to lower expectations for his performance, writing in a memo to reporters that debating “isn’t John’s format” and that Oz, a former surgeon and TV host, “has a huge built-in advantage.”
Fetterman “is a unique candidate with a strong personal brand that transcends partisanship,” wrote Rebecca Katz, a senior adviser, and Brendan McPhillips, the campaign manager. “That’s what voters are going to see on the debate stage, and it’s why John is going to win this race – even if he doesn’t win the debate.”
“John has had a remarkable recovery, but the ongoing auditory processing challenges are real,” they added. “But he’ll be open and upfront about those challenges, just like he has been in interviews and at rallies for the past few months.”
Fetterman returned gingerly to the campaign trail in August, holding few events and seldom speaking to the media. He has since steadily increased his public presence, at times holding multiple events per day. Along the way, his speech has appeared to improve, becoming smoother.
In a letter released last week, Fetterman’s primary-care physician said the lieutenant governor “can work full duty in public office” and speaks “without cognitive deficits.”
That assessment aligns with what independent neurologists have told ABC News — namely, that for stroke survivors, language issues do not indicate cognitive impairment.
But operatives say that may not stop Fetterman’s opponents from using his appearance on the debate stage to argue to voters that he isn’t up for the job of senator.
“If Fetterman is not just bad but awkward in ways that show impairment, then the Republicans presumably will put out some sort of paid advertising highlighting that, and that presumably will be seen by voters,” Democratic strategist J.J. Balaban told ABC News.
Josh Novotney, a Philadelphia-based Republican consultant, said, “It’s an hour debate. It only takes a couple seconds for them to make it a social media viral moment where it will decide a lot of votes.”
While Fetterman has long led against Oz, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average, the surveys have narrowed this fall amid both a crush of Republican-funded ads labeling Fetterman as soft on crime and a national environment that favors the GOP.
Six weeks ago, Fetterman held a nearly 11-point lead in FiveThirtyEight’s average. As of Monday, it was less than three points.
Oz “has been really good at message discipline,” Novotney told ABC News, focusing primarily on crime and inflation, two issues polls have shown are atop voters’ minds.
Oz also criticizes Fetterman’s history leading the state’s parole board, where he has voted to commute the sentences of some convicted murderers serving life sentences. Oz’s campaign has called him “the most pro-murderer candidate in America.”
Fetterman, who bears tattoos in memory of crime victims from the town where he was previously mayor, has said those select cases involved offenders who spent many decades behind bars and were no longer “dangerous.”
Fetterman quipped at one event: “What has Dr. Oz ever known about fighting crime, living in a gated mansion in New Jersey?
Oz’s ties to New Jersey, where he lived for years before moving to Pennsylvania — where he attended medical school — have been a repeated target for Fetterman, who calls Oz a carpet-bagging opportunist out of touch with Pennsylvanians.
Oz brushes off those attacks, recently telling a local outlet, “Pennsylvanians don’t care where you come from; they care what you stand for.”
Some experts believe Tuesday’s debate could be more influential on voters than debates in past cycles.
“I think this debate, more so than any debate probably in the last quarter-century, in Pennsylvania at least, is going to really matter,” said Republican consultant Matt Benyon.
(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:
Oct 25, 12:42 AM EDT
Blinken again speaks with Ukrainian counterpart, second time in as many days
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Monday after having a call with him on Sunday, and the “rhetoric surrounding so-called dirty bombs” was again on the agenda.
“The secretary reaffirmed enduring U.S. support for Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression, atrocities and rhetoric surrounding so-called ‘dirty bombs’ in Ukraine,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. “He noted our commitment to work with allies and partners to continue meeting Ukraine’s security assistance needs on the battlefield.”
Blinken tweeted: “Connected with @DmytroKuleba again today. It is important to once again emphasize that U.S. support for Ukraine is concrete, comprehensive and enduring.”
Oct 24, 9:16 AM EDT
Russian commander says troops readied in case of ‘radioactive contamination’
A senior commander of the Russian military said Monday that his troops have been readied to operate “in the conditions of radioactive contamination,” amid Moscow’s allegation that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” on its own territory.
“Work has been organised by the [Russian] Ministry of Defense for combating possible provocations from the side of Ukraine: forces and equipment have been put in readiness for fulfilling tasks in the conditions of radioactive contamination,” Kirillov said during a press briefing, as quoted by Russian state media.
The comments are further worrying signs that Russia is trying to build a false-flag narrative, blaming Ukraine for the possible use of nuclear weapons, which is clearly intended as a threat to both Ukraine and its Western allies.
Oct 24, 9:04 AM EDT
Russia responds to US, UK, France rejecting its ‘dirty bomb’ allegation
Russia responded on Monday to a joint statement from the United States, the United Kingdom and France rejecting Moscow’s “transparently false allegations” that Ukraine is preparing a provocation with the use of a “dirty bomb” on its own territory.
“The thing is that their mistrust toward the information shared by Russia doesn’t mean that the threat of the use of such a dirty bomb ceases to exist,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a press briefing. “The threat is obvious. This information was shared by the defense minister with his counterparts, and now it is up to them to believe or not believe in it.”
Oct 24, 8:39 AM EDT
Top Ukrainian general speaks out in exclusive rare interview
The commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine is real and that the West “should be worried,” but said his country is nonetheless winning the war.
Gen. Col. Oleksander Syrskiy made the comments in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Sunday. As the 57-year-old top commander of his country’s land forces, Syrskiy has played a decisive role in turning the war in Ukraine’s favor, first leading the successful defense of the capital, Kyiv, and then — most recently — masterminding the counteroffensive in the northeast that upended the monthslong conflict and threw Russian forces onto the defensive.
The rare interview, airing Monday on ABC News’ Good Morning America, is one of the few times Syrskiy has spoken publicly at length and he described Ukraine’s tactics, the importance of Western support, the threat of renewed attacks from Belarus and his determination that Ukraine will reclaim all of its territory, including the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Ukraine’s successes, however, have been shadowed by the recent threats from Putin that Russia might resort to nuclear weapons to reverse the course of his war in Ukraine. Syrskiy told ABC News that he takes the threats seriously.
“We are and should be worried,” Syrskiy said. “I do believe that such a threat really exists and we have to take it into account.”
Oct 24, 8:32 AM EDT
US, UK, France reject Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ allegation
The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and France released a joint statement on Sunday rejecting “Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.”
“We, the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, reiterate our steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” they said in the joint statement. “We remain committed to continue supporting Ukraine’s efforts to defend its territory for as long as it takes.”
“Earlier today, the defense ministers of each of our countries spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu at his request,” they continued. “Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory. The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation. We further reject any pretext for escalation by Russia.”
They added: “The Foreign Ministers also discussed their shared determination to continue supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance in the face of President Putin’s brutal war of aggression.”
Oct 24, 8:21 AM EDT
Blinken speaks with Ukrainian counterpart about Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ allegation
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke via telephone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on Sunday “to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independent, and territorial integrity,” according to a statement from U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price.
“Secretary Blinken expressed to Foreign Minister Kuleba that the United States rejects Russian Defense Minister Shoygu’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and that the world would see through any attempt by Russia to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation,” Price said.
“They also discussed the U.S. and international commitment to continue supporting Ukraine with unprecedented security, economic and humanitarian assistance for as long as it takes, as we hold Russia accountable,” he added. “They further noted our ongoing efforts to manage the broader implications of President Putin’s war.”
Oct 23, 4:11 PM EDT
Russian Defense Minister claims Ukrainians planning ‘dirty bomb’ attack
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called the defense ministers of Turkey, France and the United Kingdom on Saturday, claiming Ukraine is preparing a provocation with the use of a “dirty bomb.”
The first mention of a possible Ukrainian “dirty bomb” attack appeared Sunday in a morning message of the RIA Novosti state-owned news agency. The article, citing “credible sources in various countries, including Ukraine,” stated that “the Kiev regime is preparing a provocation on the territory of its country related to the detonation of the so-called ‘dirty bomb’ or low-power nuclear munition.”
“The purpose of the provocation is to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction in the Ukrainian theater of operations and thereby launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the world aimed at undermining confidence in Moscow,” RIA Novosti reported.
Shoigu also had a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday, during which they discussed the situation in Ukraine, according to a Pentagon official.
“Secretary Austin rejected any pretext for Russian escalation and reaffirmed the value of continued communication amid Russia’s unlawful and unjustified war against Ukraine,” said Pentagon press secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Oct 23, 1:20 PM EDT
Russian military jet crashes into a residential building, 2nd time in a week
A Russian Sukhoi Su fighter jet crashed into a residential building in southern Siberia on Sunday during a an apparent test flight just six days after another Russian Sukhoi Su jet slammed into an apartment block in Yeysk, Russia, near the Ukrainian border.
Two pilots were killed in Sunday’s crash in the southern Siberia town of Irkutsk, Russian officials said. The crash ignited a giant fireball when the aircraft nosedived into a two-story house, Igor Kobzev, the regional governor, said in a post on Telegram.
Kobzev confirmed two pilots were killed and said no civilian residents were injured.
The Sukhoi Su-30 jet was on a test flight when the crash occurred, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The crash came about a week after a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 crashed into an apartment block in the southern Russian city of Yeysk, near Ukraine, killing at least 15 people.
Authorities said the initial investigation indicated a technical malfunction of the aircraft caused the crash and that the pilots eject from the jet and survived.
Oct 22, 4:39 PM EDT
33 missiles have been fired at Ukraine, air force says
Thirty-three missiles were fired at Ukraine on Saturday morning, 18 of which were shot down, the country’s air force claimed. Local officials in regions across Ukraine are reporting that the strikes were aimed at energy facilities.
More than a million people were without power as of Saturday afternoon, according to presidential adviser Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
In the southeastern city of Nikopol, local authorities warned that air raid sirens would be switched off as a result of power cuts. Instead, emergency vehicles driving around the city will warn resident of incoming aerial threats.
Oct 22, 1:45 PM EDT
Russian authorities tell civilians in annexed Kherson to leave immediately
Russian authorities in the Ukrainian city of Kherson told civilians to leave immediately on Saturday because of what they called a tense military situation as Ukrainian forces advance. Kherson was illegally annexed by Russia earlier this month.
“Take care of the safety of your family and friends! Do not forget documents, money, valuables and clothes,” Russian authorities said.
At Oleshky on the opposite bank of the Dnipro, the agencies caught up with people arriving by river boat from Kherson, loaded with boxes, bags and pets, according to an article in Russian News Agency Interfax.
One woman carried a toddler under one arm and a dog under the other. Some boats were loaded with vegetables and pallets of food. Staff from Russia’s emergency ministry carried elderly people and children in prams from the vessels. Families then waited to board buses to the Russian-annexed city of Crimea, according to Interfax.
Meanwhile, in a briefing on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled a Ukrainian attempt to break through its line of control in the Kherson region.
Oct 21, 3:36 PM EDT
Ukraine accuses Russia of delaying passage of 150 grain ships
Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of ships carrying grain exports under a U.N.-brokered deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged in his evening address Friday.
Zelenskyy said the delay meant that Ukraine grain exports were short 3 million tons, which he said is enough to feed 10 million people.
“The enemy is doing everything to slow down our food exports … as of today, more than 150 ships are queuing to fulfill contractual obligations on the delivery of our agricultural products,” Zelenskyy said.
“This is an artificial queue. It only arose because Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of the ships,” he said.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
Oct 21, 1:24 PM EDT
Russia has hit 30% to 40% of Ukraine’s overall power infrastructure, Ukrainian official tells Reuters
Russian attacks have hit 30% to 40% of Ukraine’s overall national power infrastructure, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told Reuters in an interview.
“We see that they targeted a number of new [facilities], but also they shelled [facilities] which had been already shelled before to destroy them absolutely,” Halushchenko said.
Asked about the scale of the damage, Halushchenko said Russian attacks have hit at least half of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
Halushchenko said electricity imports could be one of the options Ukraine pursues to get through the crisis.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
Oct 21, 11:03 AM EDT
Austin speaks with Russian defense minister about Ukraine
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart, Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu, for the second time since the invasion of Ukraine on Friday.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine,” the Pentagon said in a brief statement.
The first call between the two was in May and lasted an hour. Officials did not say how long the Friday call was.
Oct 20, 4:33 PM EDT
US believes Iranians are on the ground assisting Russian drone attacks in Ukraine
The U.S. believes Iranians are “on the ground” in Ukraine to assist Russia with its drone operations, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
“We can confirm that Russian military personnel that are based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian [drones] and using them to conduct strikes across Ukraine, including strikes against Kiev in just recent days. We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,” Kirby told reporters.
Kirby did not know how many Iranians are in Crimea, but said the U.S. knows it is “a relatively small number.”
Kirby specified that the Iranians “have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it’s the Russians who are doing the piloting.”
“We’re going to continue to vigorously enforce all U.S. sanctions on both the Russian and Iranian arms trade. We’re going to make it harder for Iran to sell these weapons to Russia. We’re going to help the Ukrainians have what they need to defend themselves against these threats.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Oct 20, 2:53 PM EDT
DOJ says it will continue to be “relentless” in efforts to hold people responsible for war crimes accountable
The Justice Department will “continue” to be “relentless” in its pursuit to hold those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine accountable, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, while sitting next to his German counterpart, Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht.
“We are committed to finding ways to expand our cooperation with our German partners in these efforts,” Garland said.
Garland also thanked Germany for its help in apprehending a suspect accused of getting sensitive technologies to Russia as part of an indictment announced Wednesday.
The Justice Department charged five individuals including Yury Orekhov, the alleged mastermind behind the plot. Orekhov was arrested in Germany as part of the Justice Department’s task force KleptoCapture, which is cracking down on Russian-related crimes as the war in Ukraine continues.
Asked if any U.S. intelligence was compromised after Germany replaced its head of cybersecurity over alleged ties to Russia, Garland didn’t answer, saying intelligence sharing is what makes the relationship with Germany so strong.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Oct 20, 6:56 AM EDT
US will ‘not hesitate’ to sanction Iran over drone sales, official says
The United States is committed to stopping Russia from obtaining foreign weapons, including Iran-made drones, a State Department official said.
Officials from the United States, United Kingdom and France on Thursday raised the issue during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“The United States began warning in July that Iran was planning to transfer UAVs to Russia for use in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, and we now have abundant evidence that these UAVs are being used to strike Ukrainian civilians and critical civilian infrastructure,” Price said. “As Iran continues to lie and deny providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, we are committed to working with allies and partners to prevent the transfer of dangerous weaponry to Russia.”
He added, “We will not hesitate to use our sanctions and other appropriate tools on all involved in these transfers.”
Oct 19, 8:08 PM EDT
Putin’s martial law declaration ‘speaks to his desperation’: Blinken
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News’ Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos in a new interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of martial law in illegally annexed parts of Ukraine “speaks to his desperation” as Ukrainian forces continue to make progress in rebuffing the invasion.
“Just in the last few weeks, he’s tried to mobilize more forces. He’s gone through with this sham annexation of Ukrainian territory,” Blinken said in a preview from the sit-down, which will air Thursday on Good Morning America.
Oct 19, 3:34 PM EDT
Ukraine to restrict electrical supply after Russia knocks out power plants
Ukraine will start restricting electricity supplies across the country on Thursday after Russia knocked out more power plants, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Wednesday.
“From 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., it is necessary to minimize the use of electricity … if this is not done, you should prepare for temporary blackouts,” Tymoshenko wrote in a Telegram post.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
Oct 19, 2:26 PM EDT
Biden says Putin imposing martial law may be ‘his only tool available’ to brutalize Ukrainians
President Joe Biden reacted to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to impose martial law in illegally annexed Ukrainian areas, telling reporters it may be his only tool available.
“I think that Vladimir Putin finds himself in an incredibly difficult position. And what it reflects to me is it seems his only tool available to him is to brutalize individual citizens, in Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens to try to intimidate them into capitulating,” Biden said Wednesday.
“They’re not gonna do that,” he added
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Oct 19, 8:31 AM EDT
Putin announces he is imposing martial law in four occupied Ukrainian territories
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he will impose martial law in four Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye. All four regions were illegally annexed by Putin last month.
Marital law grants Russia’s authorities huge powers over the civilian population in the regions it is imposed. Martial law is set to go into effect on Thursday.
The decree, which Putin announced during a televised meeting with his security council, will now be sent to be rubber stamped by Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council.
Putin has also granted new powers to governors in several regions bordering Ukraine.
Putin’s decree includes other points ordering the rest of Russia itself put into various levels of “readiness.”
The decree puts eight regions bordering Ukraine into a state of “moderate level of response,” but also imposes a “level of heightened readiness” in the southern and central regions that include Moscow. All other Russians regions are put on a “basic level of readiness.”
The decree says these statuses grant special powers to local authorities that are similar to martial law and includes points imposing increased security at key facilities, puts transport and communications into a special regime and also envisages the creation of “territorial defense headquarters” in some regions.
Oct 19, 7:35 AM EDT
Russian civilians to evacuate Kherson
Russia has announced the mass evacuation of civilians from the key city of Kherson, as well as all of its civilian occupation administration there.
Russia’s newly appointed overall commander for its war in Ukraine, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, said on Tuesday that “difficult decisions” may have to be made in the near future regarding Russia’s position in Kherson. In his first public remarks since his appointment, he said the situation around Kherson was already “extremely difficult.”
The evacuation combined with Surovikin’s comments has fueled speculation that Russia may be preparing to retreat from the city in the face of a Ukrainian offensive, in what would be a major defeat for President Vladimir Putin.
Other Russian officials though have suggested the evacuation is in preparation of Russian defense of the city. Kherson’s Russian-appointed governor on Wednesday denied Russia was planning to “give up” the city.
Another senior occupation official has said the battle for Kherson will begin in the “very near future.”
Kherson is the only regional capital Russia managed to seize in its invasion and is a capital of one of the regions Putin annexed last month.
The city is located on the western side of the Dnieper river and Russian forces’ position there has become increasingly difficult, after Ukraine succeeded in destroying the bridges needed to supply it.
With the bridges destroyed, thousands of Russian troops risk becoming surrounded in Kherson city and cut off from any supplies.
Russia has already begun evacuating civilians to the eastern side of the Dneipr river. Independent military researchers said Russia has quickly built a pontoon bridge near Kherson that could be used for evacuation or re-supplies.
The Russian-appointed governor said around 60,000 civilians will be evacuated, over the course of seven days.
Oct 18, 5:14 PM EDT
Russia trying to make Ukrainians ‘suffer,’ US officials say
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian power stations shows Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make Ukrainians “suffer” with deliberate attacks, speaking of attacks on Ukrainian power stations.
“He is trying to make sure that the Ukrainian people suffer,” Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “He’s making it very difficult for them.”
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder echoed those comments, saying Russia is trying to “inflict pain” on Ukrainian civilians with its strikes on population centers and infrastructure.
“We do continue to see them target, among other things, civilian infrastructure, to include energy related targets — power grids, for example,” Ryder said.
He added, “In terms of why we think they’re targeting those areas, I think obviously trying to inflict pain on the civilian society as well as try to have an impact on Ukrainian forces.”
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Matt Seyler
Oct 18, 4:59 PM EDT
UN commission releases detailed report on war crimes in Ukraine
The United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has released its first in-depth, written report on what it calls “an array of war crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law” committed in the country during the first weeks of Russia’s brutal invasion.
The report outlines what investigators say are “documented patterns of summary executions, unlawful confinement, torture, ill-treatment, rape and other sexual violence.”
The inquiry zeroed in on four regions of Ukraine– Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy–and focused on incidents that took place following Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 through the end of March.
Investigators traveled to 27 cities and towns, conducted nearly 200 interviews and “inspected sites of destruction, graves, places of detention and torture, as well as weapon remnants, and consulted a large number of documents and reports.”
Due to the sheer number of allegations, the commission could not investigate all the claims it received. The commission said it intends to “gradually devote more of its resources” to a broader investigation within the country, according to the report.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Oct 18, 2:25 PM EDT
NATO to send Ukraine anti-drone systems: NATO Secretary General
Ukraine will receive anti-drone systems from NATO in the coming days according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“The most important thing we can do is deliver on what allies have promised, to step up and deliver even more air defense systems,” Stoltenberg said, according to Reuters.
He added, “NATO will in the coming days deliver counter-drone systems to counter the specific threat of drones, including those from Iran.”
ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Oct 18, 7:00 AM EDT
30% of Ukraine’s power stations destroyed
About a third of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed by Russian attacks in the last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“Since Oct. 10, 30% of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed, causing massive blackouts across the country,” he said on Twitter. “No space left for negotiations with Putin’s regime.”
(NEW YORK) — Five people remain trapped some 200 feet underground at Arizona’s Grand Canyon Caverns after an elevator broke down on Sunday, authorities said.
The issue was discovered on Sunday evening when visitors went to leave the popular tourist attraction near Peach Springs, Arizona, about 100 miles west of Flagstaff. Several people were able to walk up the 21 flights of stairs to get out, but five others were either unable to safely do so or chose to stay behind with those who physically couldn’t, according to a spokesperson for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
The stranded group was provided accommodation and food that night by a small hotel and restaurant adjacent to the dry caverns, which are among the largest in the United States and date back 65 million years. The elevator malfunction was initially thought to be electrical but is now believed to be mechanical after an external generator that arrived on Monday was hooked up to the elevator and did not fix the problem, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
Elevator technicians have since been dispatched but were traveling from a far distance and, as of Monday evening, had not arrived on site yet, to the knowledge of the sheriff’s office spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the sheriff’s office has sent a search and rescue team with a basket apparatus that can lift people up the elevator shaft one-by-one, in the event that the technicians cannot repair the elevator quickly.
(HOUSTON) — An 8-year-old boy has been killed after his brother accidentally shot him with a shotgun while playing with it in the family home, police say.
The incident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. Monday at the Bear Creek Apartments some 20 miles west of downtown Houston, Texas, when the 8-year-old boy — who was home alone with his 10-year-old and 13-year-old siblings — was hit in the torso with a bullet that was discharged from a shotgun inside the only bedroom in their home, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
“A child was playing with a shotgun when it discharged and struck his sibling,” said Gonzalez in a statement released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “The child was pronounced deceased at the scene. A teen sibling was also in the apt at the time, but was not injured.”
It is currently unclear if the shotgun was already loaded or if it was loaded while the children were playing with it.
“We know the family is extremely devastated by what has occurred out here this afternoon,” Gonzalez said in a press conference as he addressed the media regarding the incident. “I always even struggle to say it’s accidental because [incidents like] these are truly preventable … if [a gun] is going to be in the home, especially if kids are going to stay in the home, it needs to be safely secure or not in the home.”
The family is believed to have just recently moved from Venezuela to the Houston area just a few months ago and they were in the process of getting their children enrolled in new schools, according to ABC News’ Houston station KTRK-TV.
The children’s parents may potentially face charges in this case depending on the outcome of the investigation.
“We always encourage responsible gun ownership and safe storage,” said Gonzalez.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 8-year-old boy is ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — A Russian court is set to hold a hearing in the case of Brittney Griner on Tuesday after the WNBA star appealed her nine-year prison sentence.
As the U.S. works to secure the basketball star’s freedom, Griner’s attorney told ABC News earlier this month that the basketball star is worried that she may not be released.
“Her being afraid of not being released is mostly connected to the negotiations, which we are not aware of at all,” Griner’s attorney Alexandr Boikov told ABC News on Oct. 13.
After being detained in Russia for more than five months, Griner was found guilty on drug charges in a Moscow-area court on Aug. 4 and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Her attorneys filed an appeal on Aug. 15 and a hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
“She is not very much hopeful for the appeal because the first court decision — the verdict showed that the case is totally unjust even by present Russian standards, and we are not hoping for a big release, but of course we hope for the best,” Boikov told ABC News.
According to Boikov, decisions on appeals are usually made during one hearing, but other hearings could be scheduled and he expects a decision by the end of October.
Griner, a 31-year-old Houston native who plays professional basketball for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki as she returned to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July, saying that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage mistakenly and that she had no “intention” of breaking Russian law.
The WNBA star turned 32 behind bars in Russia on Oct. 18, but she was able to spend a few hours with her lawyers who relayed birthday messages to her, as well as speak on the phone with U.S. officials.
“Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me,” Griner said through a message shared by her attorneys.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained,” meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work to negotiate her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department has said.
Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained, and some officials have expressed concern that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing war.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told ABC News earlier this month that securing the release of Griner and Paul Whelan — an American detained in Russia since 2019 — remains “a priority for this administration.”
