If you were ever hoping to visit the house where the video for Jimmy Eat World‘s “The Middle” was filmed, you’re unfortunately out of luck.
In a tweet responding to a fan asking about the house, the emo rockers shared, “Sadly that house was torn down.”
The band also posted a Google Maps view of where the house used to stand, on the corner of E Lincoln Drive and N 40th Place in Paradise Valley, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb near Jimmy Eat World’s hometown of Mesa, Arizona.
The video for “The Middle” features an awkward outsider who stumbles upon a house party filled with people dancing in their underwear. The clip’s been viewed over 89 million times on YouTube.
While you’re mourning the loss of “The Middle” house, you can listen to Jimmy Eat World’s latest single, “Something Loud,” which premiered in June. You can also catch the band live on tour in September and at the much-anticipated When We Were Young festival in October.
Another Wendy Williams headline has left fans scratching their heads: Did she just get re-married?
That’s purportedly what she claimed to Hollywood Unlocked podcast host Jason Lee, who said she told him she tied the knot with an NYPD officer named Henry.
Lee recalled on his Tuesday night installment, “She says, ‘I’m married.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ She’s like, ‘I got married.'”
“I’m like, ‘You got married when?’ And she’s like, ‘I got married last week,'” he continued.
However, Page Six reached out to the former talk show host’s rep William Selby, who threw cold water on the reported wedding news, calling it “inaccurate.”
“She is excited about a new relationship and probably got carried away in conversation,” he explained.
The publication points out it’s not the first time Wendy has apparently gotten ahead of herself in the romance department. In 2019, she was dating a former cop-turned-criminal justice expert Dr. Darrin Porcher.
He called her comments “flattering to hear” but told Page Six, “it’s not the case,” explaining he was in another relationship and had merely worked for Wendy “for a couple of weeks” after she’d filed for divorce from her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter.
Lee also revealed that Williams told him she had her publicist keep her “entire family away,” except her son Kevin Hunter Jr., “for at least a year” and reiterated her claims that her finances are still locked because Wells Fargo bank has frozen them.
As previously reported, Wendy claims the company helped enact a conservatorship against her will, declaring her “incapacitated” and unable to manage her finances.
The company has denied any “improper actions” regarding the situation.
(OVERLAND PARK, Kan.) — Abortion rights opponents in Kansas vowed to keep fighting after voters here decisively rejected removing the right to abortion from the state constitution in the first state-level test since the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections.
“This setback is not going to stop us. Our resolve has never been stronger than in this very moment,” Peter Northcott, executive director of Kansans for Life said following Tuesday’s defeat.
Coming just weeks after the Roe v. Wade decision, organizers on both sides said voters were more energized and engaged, leading to record turnout despite the issue being decided in a primary in a midterm year when numbers are historically lower.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 298,618 Kansans had cast ballots compared to the 2018 primaries during which only 89,449 had voted early, according to the Kansas secretary of state’s office.
The “Value them Both” amendment centered on a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that protected abortion under the state constitution.
If the amendment had passed, it would have given the state’s GOP-controlled legislature the power to pass new abortion restrictions.
With 99% of the expected vote counted as of 8:31 a.m. Wednesday, “No” led with 59% to “Yes” at 41%
Kansas currently permits abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, although regulations include requirements for counseling, parental consent for minors, and a waiting period.
“I think that Kansas can make a statement to other states and show them that, even though we are normally Republican, we are not letting this be a political choice,” Jackie Clapper told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott while canvassing with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“We are making this to be a health care choice a right to be able to preserve your choice to make choice decisions for your own body,” she said.
Abortion rights opponents say the issue is far from settled.
“If the last 50 years haven’t shown anything we’ve been fighting we’re not going to stop fighting until every woman is supported, every every father is supported, every child is supported. There’s nobody that’s unwanted and nobody wants to ever give up,” Mary Kissel, told ABC News at the Value them Both coalition watch party.
The ballot question read, in part, “Shall the following be adopted? Regulation of abortion. Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.”
It continued, “A vote for the Value Them Both Amendment would affirm there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion or to require the government funding of abortion, and would reserve to the people of Kansas, through their elected state legislators, the right to pass laws to regulate abortion. A vote against the Value Them Both Amendment would make no changes to the constitution of the state of Kansas, and could restrict the people, through their elected state legislators, from regulating abortion by leaving in place the recently recognized right to abortion.”
Following Tuesday’s defeat, the coalition claimed “misinformation” and “confusion that misled Kansans about the amendment.”
“As our state becomes an abortion destination, it will be even more important for Kansans to support our pregnancy resource centers, post-abortive ministries, and other organizations that provide supportive care to women facing unexpected pregnancies. We will be back,” the coalition said in a statement to ABC News.
Voters waiting in line also expressed confusion about the amendment, many saying that while they eventually understood what they were voting on, they had to make an extra effort to figure it out.
Celia Maris, a Democrat who voted “no” on the proposed amendment, said she had to read the wording multiple times, saying, “I think they need to explain it because not everybody can understand the terminology.”
At the same time, she said the confusion made her want to turn out. “I made a point to come and vote today even more.”
Christine Matthews, a “yes” voter, said it wasn’t clear what the amendment would do and wouldn’t do.
“I do think that some people think that if you vote no, then you will totally go back to having a national legal abortion situation. I also think that people think if you vote “yes,” that that is just going to completely wipe out abortion completely. I know neither of those was true.”
Tuesday’s vote was seen as a bellwether in a post-Roe world and will set a precedent for other states considering similar abortion measures.
President Joe Biden used Kansas’ ballot amendment defeat to call on Congress to “listen to the will of the American people and restore the protections of Row as federal law.”
“This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and show have the right to make their own health care decisions,” he said in a statement.
Courtesy of Trafalgar Releasing & Sony Music Entertainment
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel‘s solo career, a remixed and re-edited version of the Piano Man’s 1990 concert film Live at Yankee Stadium will be screened at select North American theaters in early October.
The screenings will take place October 5 and October 9 in the U.S. and October 5 and October 8 in Canada. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, August 10, at 10 a.m. ET at BillyJoel.film.
Live at Yankee Stadium was shot at two shows that Joel played at the historic Bronx, New York, ballpark on June 22 and 23, 1990. The re-edited movie features 4K video and Dolby ATMOS audio newly mixed from the original tapes. The film version includes a previously unreleased performance of “Uptown Girl,” interviews with Joel and behind-the-scenes footage from the event.
Among the many other classic songs featured in the movie are “Piano Man,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “New York State of Mind” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”
As a preview from the film, a clip of Billy performing “We Didn’t Start the Fire” has debuted on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the updated version of Live at Yankee Stadium and its remixed companion album will be released on November 4 on Blu-ray, CD, as a two-LP vinyl set and digitally, and can be preordered now.
At 84 years old, Jane Fonda is finally embracing aging gracefully.
The two-time Academy Award winner tells Vogue she regrets having a facelift in the past, and has sworn off any further cosmetic enhancements.
“We all know a lot of women who are wealthy who’ve had all kinds of facelifts and things like that and they look terrible,” Fonda expresses. “I had a facelift and I stopped because I don’t want to look distorted. I’m not proud of the fact I had one. Now, I don’t know if I had it to do over if I would do it.”
The Grace and Frankie star added of her own plastic surgery experience, “I admit it, and then I just say, okay, you can get addicted. Don’t keep doing it. A lot of women, I don’t know, they’re addicted to it.”
Fonda tells the glamour magazine that at her age, she’s hoping to spread a message. “I want young people to stop being afraid about getting older. What matters isn’t age, isn’t that chronological number. What matters is your health,” the former workout tape bestseller says. “I’m almost 85, but I don’t seem that old. So getting young people to stop being afraid of being old, helping people realize that just because you’re a certain age doesn’t mean you have to give up on life.”
Fonda also credits exercise with keeping her looking her best — and shares some other secrets, too: “I don’t do a lot of facials. I don’t spend a lot of money on face creams or anything like that, but I stay moisturized, I sleep, I move, I stay out of the sun, and I have good friends who make me laugh. Laughter is a good thing, too.”
(TAIPEI, Taiwan) — Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she and other members of a congressional delegation “came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear we will not abandon our commitment” to the self-governing island.
Pelosi and her delegation landed in Taipei on Tuesday night despite repeated warnings not to visit from mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory. She is the first U.S. speaker to visit Taiwan in more than 25 years. Beijing considers any official contact with Taiwan a recognition of its democratically elected government, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party asserts has no right to conduct foreign relations.
Minutes after Pelosi’s plane touched down at Taipei Songshan Airport in the Taiwanese capital, mainland China announced live-fire military drills around Taiwan, some of which reportedly began that night ahead of four days of exercises starting Thursday.
The military exercises will be the largest aimed at the island since 1995, when China fired missiles apparently in response to then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visiting the United States.
On Wednesday, Pelosi and her delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well as other senior officials in Taipei. In a brief speech during her meeting with Tsai, the U.S. speaker conveyed the message that, “now more than ever, American solidarity with Taiwan is crucial.”
The military exercises will be the largest aimed at the island since 1995, when China fired missiles apparently in response to then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visiting the United States.
On Wednesday, Pelosi and her delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well as other senior officials in Taipei. In a brief speech during her meeting with Tsai, the U.S. speaker conveyed the message that, “now more than ever, American solidarity with Taiwan is crucial.”
Tsai thanked Pelosi and the delegation for visiting the island democracy under “challenging circumstances,” slamming Beijing’s military drills as “unnecessary responses.” She said Taiwan is “committed to maintaining the status quo across the strait” and that her government is open to constructive dialogue with Beijing, which has refused to engage with Tsai’s administration since she came to power in 2016.
“Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down,” Tsai said during the meeting. “We will firmly uphold our nation’s sovereignty and continue to hold the line of defense for democracy.”
The Taiwanese president also thanked Pelosi — “truly one of Taiwan’s most devoted friends” — for her decades of support and presented her with a civilian honor, the Order of the Propitious Clouds.
“Thank you for taking concrete actions to show your staunch support for Taiwan at this critical moment and for expressing the U.S.’s consistent policy supporting Taiwan’s self-defense,” she added.
Pelosi and the delegation departed Taiwan on Wednesday evening. The surprise visit, which was not announced until after their plane landed, was part of Pelosi’s tour of Asia. She visited Singapore on Monday and Malaysia on Tuesday. She will be traveling to South Korea and Japan before returning to the U.S.
Following a string of fiery reactions from various Chinese officials and agencies, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued two separate statements on Wednesday condemning Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.
“This act seriously violates the one-China principle, maliciously infringes on China’s sovereignty, and openly carries out political provocations, arouses strong indignation among the Chinese people and arouses widespread opposition from the international community,” Wang said in the first statement. “This proves once again that some American politicians have become ‘troublemakers’ in Sino-US relations, and the United States has become the ‘largest spoiler’ of peace and regional stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
In the second statement, Wang directly linked Tsai with “‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” possibly signaling upcoming consequences from Beijing.
Under the so-called “One China principle,” Beijing regards Taiwan as their territory, a renegade province to be reunified — by force if necessary — with the mainland. The U.S. has a “One China Policy” that recognizes the people of mainland China and Taiwan as being part of “One China,” views Beijing as China’s sole legal government and does not support an independent Taiwan, but considers the matter “unsettled.” Washington is also militarily supportive of the self-governing island and maintains extensive commercial and unofficial ties.
Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949, following a civil war between the Nationalist Party’s forces and those of the Communist Party. As the communists took control of the mainland, the nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan where they established their new capital.
Both sides agree that they are one country but disagree on which is the national leader. Although they have no formal relations, the island’s economy remains reliant on trade with the mainland.
The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. The Taiwan Relations Act, which went into force that same year, requires Washington to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
(NEW YORK) — As monkeypox continues to spread across the U.S., the number of children infected with the virus is growing as well.
At least five children have tested positive for monkeypox since July, including two each in Indiana and California.
The other case was reported in an infant, a non-U.S. resident, who was tested while traveling through Washington, D.C., federal officials confirmed last month.
Children under the age of 8 are among those whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers at “increased risk” for developing more severe illness if infected with monkeypox, along with pregnant people, people who are immunocompromised and those who have a history of atopic dermatitis or eczema.
Below, experts answer seven questions parents might have about monkeypox and how it may impact kids, as overall cases across the U.S. continue to climb.
1. As a parent, how concerned do I need to be about monkeypox?
At this time in the outbreak, parents “do not need to panic” about the virus, according to ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, who is also a board-certified OB-GYN.
“They should be aware of what’s going on with this, as they are with any medical headline,” Ashton added. “They should know what’s going on in their community and they should take the appropriate steps after discussing any concerns they have with their pediatrician.”
2. How is monkeypox spread?
Monkeypox, also known as MPX, is spread primarily through direct, skin-to-skin contact between someone who has the virus and someone who does not, according to Dr. Richard Malley, senior physician in pediatrics, division of infectious diseases, at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
“That could be through intimate contact,” said Malley. “It could also be through just contact with somebody in the family who has an unsuspecting lesion and lesion unfortunately touches another individual.”
Shared items like towels, clothes or bed sheets could also possibly spread the virus if used by someone with a monkeypox lesion, according to Malley.
“If somebody is infected with MPX, they really need to be very careful with who they interact with and how they interact with those with other people to try to avoid spread as much as possible,” he said.
According to the CDC, monkeypox can also spread through contact with an infected person’s respiratory secretions and prolonged face-to-face contact.
“So far it does not seem to be the major mode of transmission for this virus in the current epidemic,” said Malley. “But that is of course one of the things that we need to monitor very closely.”
3. Does my family need to wipe down surfaces or avoid shared spaces like playgrounds?
Because monkeypox is spread primarily through skin-to-skin contact, parents at this point do not need to be overly concerned with their child becoming infected by touching things like doorknobs in public spaces or shared toys, according to both Malley and Ashton.
“While that possibility remains, I think it does not mean that parents or anyone should be concerned about touching doorknobs or going to the grocery story or touching objects that are out on the street, for example,” said Malley. “That is not thought to be a very likely way for MPX to be spread, or for most viruses to be spread.”
Ashton said that people who live in high-transmission areas for monkeypox may want to wipe down surfaces as an extra precaution, noting, “It is possible that this virus can be left on gym equipment, just like it can be left on clothes.”
However, she added that hand washing is more important than wiping surfaces to prevent the spread of disease.
“Hand hygiene is the most important thing, not just for monkeypox but for any infectious disease,” Ashton said.
4. How can I tell if my child has monkeypox?
Unfortunately, the symptoms of monkeypox can look like other viruses — including flu and other rashes — so experts recommend seeking medical care as soon as symptoms show, especially if your child has been in contact with someone who has monkeypox.
Typically, the disease begins with a fever, headache, fatigue, chills and muscle aches. Unlike smallpox, however, monkeypox also causes swollen lymph nodes.
Within one to three days of initial symptoms, those infected will typically develop a rash either on their face or other parts of the body, according to the CDC.
Per the World Health Organization, the lesions — or rash — start out as dark spots on the skin before progressing to bumps that fill with fluid.
Malley said parents should seek medical care for any type of rash on their child’s body that does not look like something they have had previously.
“The rash of MPX, as we are now learning, can look very different in different individuals for reasons that we don’t quite understand,” said Malley. “You really need to be cautious with anything that might look like a MPX rash.”
Monkeypox is diagnosed by testing the lesions to identify whether genetic material of the virus is present, according to Malley.
5. Why are children at increased risk with monkeypox?
Experts are not sure, Malley said.
It may be due to their immune systems and the fact that “younger children are sometimes more susceptible to some viral infections,” he explained.
In Africa, where monkeypox originated, the most severe but rare cases of the virus have typically involved inflammation of the brain, according to Malley.
Ashton said that while there have so far been no deaths associated with monkeypox in the U.S., it’s important to stay vigilant as the disease spreads.
“As the numbers grow, based on sheer math, it is not impossible that we will see a death here in the U.S.,” said Ashton, adding that monkeypox has a “spectrum of severity” when it comes to complications. “There have been deaths in Africa associated with monkeypox.”
6. Is there a monkeypox vaccine for kids?
The current vaccine for monkeypox is available to people ages 18 and older. However, the JYNNEOS vaccine can be offered on a case-by-case basis via a special permission process through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to those with known monkeypox exposure.
Antiviral medications such as Tecovirimat are currently being used for treatment of monkeypox, which is available for children.
More common treatments may also be used to help treat patients who are experiencing pain due to monkeypox lesions, according to Malley.
7. How should I best protect my child from monkeypox?
The best thing parents can do for both themselves and their child, according to Malley, is to pay attention to the virus — but try not to panic.
“I think it would be very unlikely that daycare or a camp or school would be a major focus of transmission of this virus as we understand it currently,” he said. “But of course, it’s important for all of us to be vigilant.”
Malley said the key for parents concerned about monkeypox is to be aware of their child’s surroundings and not interact with people they know have been infected with monkeypox.
“The importance for parents is that if they know anybody in their surrounding, in their environment, in their family who has a suspicion of being infected with MPX, then of course that individual needs needs to isolate themself,” he said. “In general, people who have been diagnosed with MPX have been told and are being very careful because they do not want to be responsible for transmission.”
The CDC has released safety guidelines for people with monkeypox, urging those infected with the virus to “remain isolated at home or at another location for the duration of illness.”
According to Malley, monkeypox lesions are considered to be infectious until they are fully crusted over.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
FX has ordered The Veil, a new limited series thriller, for Hulu, starring The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Elisabeth Moss. Per FX, the thriller “explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret, the other a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost”…
FX also announced on Tuesday that The 11th season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story will premiere this fall, according to Variety. The horror anthology series, which debuted in 2011 and often includes recurring players Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Adina Porter and Leslie Grossman, among others, has been renewed through season 13 at FX. Season 10, billed as American Horror Story: Double Feature, was split into two stories: “Red Tide” and “Death Valley,” which concluded last October…
Freeform has renewed Good Trouble for a fifth season, according to Variety. The drama series stars Maia Mitchell and Cierra Ramirez respectively as recently-graduated sisters Callie and Mariana, two 20-somethings who navigate love, sex and the complicated relationships in a new city. The series also stars Tommy Martinez, Emma Hunton, Sherry Cola, Zuri Adele, Beau Mirchoff, Josh Pence, Priscilla Quintana and Bryan Craig…
The trailer for Atlanta‘s fourth and final season dropped on Tuesday. Following season three, which took place almost entirely in Europe, the FX series returns to Atlanta for its upcoming season. “I think it explores people more than we have before because I feel like we are right now kind of living in a time where you just don’t give people the benefit of the doubt,” the show’s creator and star, Donald Glover, said at the Television Critics Association press tour, according to The Hollywood Reporter… (Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)
(NEW YORK) — It may be hot dog season, but one condiment company made a tangy new twist on the popular yellow spread by turning it into a confection.
Ahead of National Mustard Day on Aug. 6, French’s teamed up with New York bakery Dough Doughnuts to create a one-of-a-kind yeast doughnut with a yellow mustard icing and a cake crumb topping.
Although it may sound alarming, Steve Klein, the co-owner of Dough, told ABC News’ Good Morning America to trust their expertise when it comes to the fluffy, sweet and zingy new flavor.
“We take a lot of pride in our doughnuts and we don’t put something out that doesn’t taste good, look good or matches what the customer wants. So we put a lot of effort into it,” he said. “We did a bunch of tastings and created a product we all liked with our brioche dough, adding the mustard to our glaze and came up with a product that looks and tastes excellent.”
Klein added that while it was “a challenge,” all those who have had an early taste test “have enjoyed it.”
The limited-time offering will be available on Saturday for mustard enthusiasts who visit any New York City Dough location, each adorned with vibrant yellow decor and pop art, to get a free mustard donut. For fans outside of New York, visit the Dough website on Saturday morning to reserve a complimentary order of the donuts, which are available for nationwide shipping.
“Most people have never heard of something like this — it’s different but we spent a lot of time blending the mustard into the glaze so that it looks good and tastes good,” Klein said.
Dough has previously partnered with other brands to concoct savory and sweet options, including most recently debuting a fried chicken sandwich-inspired doughnut in tandem with David Chang’s hit sandwich spot Fuku.
Klein said they “loved the challenge because French’s is a great brand and their yellow mustard is iconic. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think we could make a great doughnut.”
(WASHINGTON) — More than six months after Texas father David Barnes was arrested by Russian authorities, his family is calling on officials in Washington to do more to try to facilitate his release.
“David’s a very caring and empathetic person,” his sister, Carol Barnes, told ABC News. “Every minute of every day, my mind is on what he’s going through, the hell that he’s living in, and how unjust it is.”
David Barnes has been held since January in a Moscow jail. He is one of several Americans being detained in Russia, but unlike Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan or Marc Fogel, law enforcement in Moscow has alleged that he engaged in criminal activity in the United States — an accusation that has bewildered members of his family, American prosecutors and now, his local congressman.
“Mr. Barnes has been arrested and detained for political purposes, and my office is working with the State Department to bring him back to Texas as soon as possible,” Rep. Kevin Brady told ABC News in a statement. “We continue to urge the Biden administration to do all it can to resolve this situation and free Mr. Barnes.”
David Barnes traveled from suburban Houston to Moscow in December 2021 in an effort to gain legal clearance to either see his children or bring them home, after his Russian ex-wife allegedly violated a court custody order and fled the United States with them, according to his family.
In August 2020, a judge in Montgomery County signed an order designating David Barnes as the sole managing conservator of his children, which gave him rights to decide the primary home for his children, make decisions regarding their education, represent them in legal actions, and possess their passports.
Barnes’ ex-wife is herself now wanted in the U.S. on a felony charge of interference with child custody, after she fled with the children in 2019.
“David Barnes traveled to Russia in an honest attempt to reunite with his children, who had been kidnapped by their mother and taken to Russia illegally,” Brady said. “This is a child custody dispute, not a criminal matter.”
On Jan. 13, Russian investigators apprehended Barnes in Moscow, accusing him of abusing his two children years earlier in Texas, according to translations of court documents.
Similar allegations against Barnes were brought to authorities in Texas by his now-ex-wife Svetlana Koptyaeva during their long and acrimonious divorce proceedings. The allegations were investigated in 2018 by the Department of Family and Protective Services, which found insufficient evidence to support them and closed the case without any findings of abuse or any charges against Barnes.
“At this time, there are no accusations out of Montgomery County that we are aware of that would allow Mr. Barnes to be held in custody,” Kelly Blackburn of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News in May.
A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in May that David Barnes had not been charged in any child abuse cases there either.
Representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have met with David Barnes in the time since his arrest, according to emails between his family and the State Department. However, Brady’s comments mark the first time that an elected official has stated publicly that David Barnes’ detention in Russia is due to “political purposes.”
Carol Barnes is hoping the increased attention on her brother’s situation will motivate other officials to classify him as being wrongfully detained, push for his release or add him to a proposed prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S.
“Washington should be able to get their own American citizens back home without so much red tape and us having to contact hundreds of people and getting 1% response,” Carol Barnes said. “I mean, somebody pay attention.”
In July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a proposal that called on Russia to exchange Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian citizen who was convicted of charges related to illegal arms trafficking. Carol Barnes said she has not heard anything about her brother being part of any potential prisoner exchange.
ABC News asked the White House in July whether it considers David Barnes to be wrongfully detained and if efforts have been made to secure his release, but it referred all questions to the State Department.
“It’s just so frustrating,” Carol Barnes said. “I realize we’re dealing with Russians and it’s not that easy, but I don’t think they’re paying enough attention to it.”
A spokesperson for the State Department wrote in a statement on July 26 that they are continuing to urge the Russian government to allow for regular consular access and services to be provided to Americans who remain detained in Russia.
“We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are monitoring Mr. Barnes’ situation closely,” the spokesperson said, in part. “The department routinely monitors cases of all U.S. nationals detained abroad for indications that it should be designated as a wrongful detention. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment at this time.”
David Barnes celebrated his 65th birthday in his Moscow detention center in July. His family does not know when they will get to see him again.
“I want him back. I love him. I miss him,” Carol Barnes said. “There’s no joy in my life right now at all.”
