(NEW YORK) — A dad mourning the loss of his 26-year-old daughter is sharing an emotional message on mental health.
David Sheats shared on Instagram that his daughter, Savannah Sheats, died by suicide.
“I’ve been reluctant to express that, but I think it’s important,” he wrote in a message shared by another daughter, Alex. “With a young child, a skinned knee is one thing. A hug and a band aid will normally cure the tears. As that child becomes a young lady, the task becomes more difficult. There are no cuts, bruises, bumps you can make better. The pain is internal.”
Savannah Sheats, of Atlanta, was reported missing by her family on Aug. 17, and was found by police one day later, according to local ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
Her father described her as a “giver, overachiever, and genuine person,” who “never met a stranger.”
Describing his family’s loss, David Sheats wrote that their hearts are “broken into a million pieces.”
He wrote that while he remembers his daughter and mourns her death, he wants to, “bring awareness for others in similar situations, so that their outcome is a positive one.”
“As a dad and parent, I’ve learned a difficult lesson,” he wrote. “When your child or anyone reaches out for help, take it seriously. I knew there were issues but I could have done more.”
Citing the coronavirus pandemic as a time that people have felt disconnected and anxious, David Sheats also urged people to help one another.
“Help at least one person. Do it today. Don’t wait,” he wrote. “Everyone needs help at points. As the saying goes, ‘no man is an island.’ We need each other.”
In the United States, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Over the last two years, a more widespread focus has been placed on suicide prevention and mental health care in acknowledgment of the pandemic’s impact on Americans’ mental health.
In July, a new three-digit phone number, 988, was launched as a way to make mental health care more accessible.
People can now call or text 988 and access a free and confidential help line, now known as the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“988 is easy to remember,” Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, said in July when the new number launched. “Now we have to make it clear to the entire country that it is a sign of strength to call it and use it, and not a sign of weakness.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 9:05 AM EDT
Zaporizhzhia ‘one step away’ from emergency radiation: Ukraine nuclear agency head
The head of Ukraine’s nuclear agency, Petro Kotin, called Thursday’s disconnection of power lines at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, a “very serious deterioration… due to Russian shelling on the side of Nikopol on the side of the Dnipro river.”
The diesel generator operators were able to kick in during the disconnection, Kotin told ABC News on Friday.
Asked what’s the likelihood this would happen again, Kotin said, “This is one step from the emergency radiation, actually. Diesel is just the last defense, if you actually lose the diesel stuff, you already have radiation, and it’s out of the territory of the plant.”
He said there’d be 10 days of idle time before a meltdown if the diesel generators are working. If all diesel generators are down, it could be 1.5 hours.
For Russia, the Zaporizhzhia plant is a strategic stronghold as it seeks to control the ground pathway from occupied Donetsk to Crimea and onto Odesa.
Zaporizhzhia supplies Ukraine with around 20% of its energy.
Kotin reiterated that Russia intends to switch power to Russian-controlled areas.
Aug 25, 4:27 PM EDT
All reactors at power plant shut down for 1st time in history
All of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where shelling has been ongoing, have been shut down for the first time in the plant’s history, Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator Energoatom reported.
Zaporizhzhia — the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — has six reactors, two of which are active, according to Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator, Energoatom. At 12:12 p.m. local time, the last operating line providing power to the plant was disconnected due to hostilities in the area, and as a result all six reactors were disconnected from the grid for 17 minutes, Energoatom said.
At 12:29 p.m. local time the overhead line was restored and reactors Nos. 5 and 6 start operating again.
At 2:14 p.m. local time, the overhead line was disconnected again, shutting down reactor No. 6 and leaving only reactor No. 5 operating. Work is underway to reconnect No. 6 to the grid.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the temporary shut down further shows “the urgent need for an IAEA expert mission to travel to the facility.”
If external power is lost there’s not active circulation of the water that cools the reactor and that could lead to a reactor meltdown. However, the plant “remained connected to a 330 kV line from the nearby thermal power facility that can provide back-up electricity if needed,” the IAEA said in a statement. “As a result of the cuts in the 750 kV power line, the ZNPP’s two operating reactor units were disconnected from the electricity grid and their emergency protection systems were triggered, while all safety systems remained operational.”
“There was no information immediately available on the direct cause of the power cuts,” the IAEA said. “The six-reactor ZNPP normally has four external power lines, but three of them were lost earlier during the conflict. The IAEA remains in close contact with Ukraine and will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Thursday, “The world must understand what a threat this is: If the diesel generators hadn’t turned on, if the automation and our staff of the plant had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already be forced to overcome the consequences of the radiation accident. Russia has put Ukraine and all Europeans in a situation one step away from a radiation disaster.”
He called on the IAEA and other international organizations to act faster, “because every minute the Russian troops stay at the nuclear power plant is a risk of a global radiation disaster.”
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou, Fidel Pavlenko and Natalia Shumskaia
Aug 25, 2:17 PM EDT
Biden, Zelenskyy discuss weapons assistance, nuclear plant during phone call
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about weapons assistance and concerns over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in their phone call on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Regarding Zaporizhzhia, “We have said Russia should agree to demilitarize the zone around the plant and agree to allow an International Atomic Energy Agency visit as soon as possible,” Jean-Pierre said. “This is something that did come up in a conversation.”
Zelenskyy tweeted a photo of his phone call with Biden, and said he thanked him “for the unwavering U.S. support for Ukrainian people — security and financial.”
Zelenskyy said he and Biden “discussed Ukraine’s further steps on our path to the victory over the aggressor and importance of holding Russia accountable for war crimes.”
Biden also tweeted a photo of the call, and said he congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day, which was on Wednesday.
“I know it is a bittersweet anniversary, but I made it clear that the United States would continue to support Ukraine and its people as they fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden wrote.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Aug 25, 11:47 AM EDT
All reactors at power plant shut down for first time in history
All of the reactors at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, where shelling has been ongoing, have been shut down for the first time in the plant’s history, Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator Energoatom reported.
Zaporizhzhya — the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — has six reactors, two of which are active, according to Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator, Energoatom. At 12:12 p.m. local time, the last operating line providing power to the plant was disconnected due to hostilities in the area, and as a result all six reactors were disconnected from the grid for 17 minutes, Energoatom said.
At 12:29 p.m. local time the overhead line was restored and reactors Nos. 5 and 6 start operating again.
At 2:14 p.m. local time, the overhead line was disconnected again, shutting down reactor No. 6 and leaving only reactor No. 5 operating. Work is underway to reconnect No. 6 to the grid.
Aug 24, 4:56 PM EDT
21 killed in Russian missile strike on train station
Twenty-one people were killed and another 22 were injured in a Russian missile strike on a train station in Chaplyne, in the central Ukraine region of Dnipropetrovsk, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou and Max Uzol
Aug 24, 2:55 PM EDT
Russia may hold sham referenda in occupied Ukrainian territory: White House
The White House said the U.S. believes Russia could hold “sham referenda” in occupied Ukrainian territory within days or weeks.
White House spokesman John Kirby said last month that Russia was “installing illegitimate proxy officials in the areas of Ukraine that are under its control” who would then arrange “sham referenda” as a precursor to annexation.
Kirby told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. government believes “these referenda could begin in a matter of days or weeks.”
“We have information that Russia continues to prepare to hold these sham referenda in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics,” Kirby said. “We’ve also learned that Russian leadership has instructed officials to begin preparing to hold these sham referenda, particularly in Kharkiv, as well.”
“We expect Russia to try to manipulate the results of these referenda to falsely claim that the Ukrainian people want to join Russia,” he continued. “It will be critical to call out and counter this disinformation in real time.”
“Any claim that the Ukrainian people somehow want to join Russia is simply not true,” Kirby said, citing polling data. It’s clear, he added, that Ukrainians “value and treasure their independence.”
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will speak on the phone on Thursday, Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Aug 24, 1:41 PM EDT
Queen Elizabeth marks Ukrainian Independence Day
Queen Elizabeth released a statement Wednesday marking Ukrainian Independence Day.
“It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency and the people of Ukraine my warmest greetings on the celebration of your Independence Day,” she said. “In this most challenging year, I hope that today will be a time for the Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and around the world, to celebrate their culture, history and identity. May we look to better times in the future.”
Aug 24, 9:13 AM EDT
Biden announces new aid package, congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day
President Joe Biden in a statement Wednesday said he was “proud to announce our biggest tranche of security assistance to date” to Ukraine: “approximately $2.98 billion of weapons and equipment.”
“This will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term,” Biden said.
Biden confirmed the money would come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The USAI money can be spent on contracts with the defense industry to produce new equipment for Ukraine.
Biden in his statement also marked Ukrainian Independence Day, saying, “Ukrainians have inspired the world with their extraordinary courage and dedication to freedom.”
“Today is not only a celebration of the past but a resounding affirmation that Ukraine proudly remains — and will remain — a sovereign and independent nation,” he said.
He continued, “I know this Independence Day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks.”
“Today and every day, we stand with the Ukrainian people to proclaim that the darkness that drives autocracy is no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere,” Biden said.
Aug 23, 4:39 PM EDT
2 Zaporizhzhya power plant employees killed in shelling in city of Enerhodar
Two Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant employees were killed on their day off when Russian forces shelled the city of Enerhodar, officials said.
-ABC News’ Yuriy Zaliznyak and Dada Jovanovic
Aug 23, 2:35 PM EDT
US to announce its largest single aid package for Ukraine
The U.S. will announce its largest single aid package for Ukraine on Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials. The package is expected to be valued at roughly $3 billion — though one official told ABC News some changes could be made overnight, and $3 billion is on the higher end of the estimates.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the package will come from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds. Unlike presidential drawdown packages, which pull from existing U.S. equipment stocks, the USAI money can be spent on contracts with the defense industry to produce new equipment for Ukraine.
The U.S. has committed about $10.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Shannon Crawford
Aug 23, 1:54 PM EDT
Americans urged to leave Ukraine over Russian strikes on civilians
The United States is once again urging its citizens to leave Ukraine amid concerns Russia is ramping up attacks on civilians in the war-torn country.
In a security alert posted Tuesday on its website, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv urged Americans “to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so.”
“The Department of State has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days,” the embassy said in the alert. “Russian strikes in Ukraine pose a continued threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Sources within the State Department said the heightened risk of a Russian strike on highly populated centers is most directly tied to Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday.
“The risks are really high,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News. “We are receiving information that there may be a provocation by the Russian Federation, by the occupiers. Therefore, we do not want large gatherings on such days. The days are beautiful, but … our neighbors are not.”
Aug 23, 9:10 AM EDT
Americans urged to leave Ukraine over Russian strikes on civilians
The United States is once again urging its citizens to leave Ukraine amid concerns Russia is ramping up attacks on civilians in the war-torn country.
In a security alert posted Tuesday on its website, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv urged Americans “to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so.”
“The Department of State has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days,” the embassy said in the alert. “Russian strikes in Ukraine pose a continued threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Aug 22, 10:59 AM EDT
FSB accuses Ukrainian special services of assassinating Darya Dugina
Russia’s FSB is accusing Ukrainian special services of assassinating Darya Dugina, the daughter of Putin ally Alexander Dugina, who was killed by an explosive this weekend.
The FSB said a Ukrainian national arrived in Russia on July 23 with her 12-year-old daughter and rented an apartment in the same Moscow building where Dugina lived, Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti reported. The woman allegedly trailed Dugina for nearly a month and then immediately left for Estonia with her daughter just after this weekend’s bombing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement that Darya Dugina was “a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart – kind, loving, sympathetic and open.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine is working under the assumption that Russian secret services are behind the killing, saying “Ru-propaganda lives in a fictional world.”
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva and Oleksii Shemyskyo
Aug 22, 9:13 AM EDT
Air raid sirens sound across Ukraine
Air raid sirens are sounding across Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia could launch a “particularly ugly” provocation this week as Ukraine approaches its Independence Day on Wednesday.
In Kyiv, all public events are canceled and government employees have been told to work from home through the week.
In Kramatorsk, public events have been canceled for Tuesday through Thursday and public transportation has been stopped.
Aug 22, 6:16 AM EDT
Explosive under Putin ally’s car was remotely triggered, investigators say
An explosive device planted on the underside of Putin ally Alexander Dugin’s vehicle was remotely triggered, Russian investigators said.
Dugin’s daughter, Daria Dugina, was killed in a blast near Moscow on Saturday.
“A presumed explosive device planted on a Toyota Land Cruiser went off when the car was moving at full speed past Bolshiye Vyazemy in the Odintsovo urban district at about 9 p.m. on August 20, and the car caught fire,” the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement posted to Telegram. “The woman driving the car died instantly. The victim was identified as journalist, political analyst Daria Dugina.”
Alexander and Daria attended a traditional patriotic festival on Saturday afternoon, according to the Odinstovo administration. They’d planned to leave together in the same vehicle, but Daria instead drove alone.
The Russian Investigative Committee’s press service told Interfax that Daria was assassinated.
Detectives established that the bomb was planted on the underside of the driver’s side of the vehicle, the committee said. Russian media outlets had reported that the SUV belonged to Dugin.
“Detectives and specialists from the Main Forensic Department of the Russian Investigative Committee are continuing to examine the incident scene. In particular, a forensic technician examined the charred vehicle before it was taken to a special parking lot,” the Committee said.
Biological, genetic, physical, chemical and explosive examinations have been scheduled, the committee said.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva
Aug 21, 3:12 PM EDT
Daughter of Putin ally killed in car bomb; Schiff hopes it wasn’t ‘from Ukraine’
U.S. officials do not know who to blame for the car bomb that killed the daughter of political theorist Alexander Dugin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said during an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Daria Dugina, a 29-year-old TV commentator, was killed on the Mozhaisk Highway in the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday night by an explosive that had been planted in the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving, Russia’s state-run news agency TASS reported.
Alexander Dugin, often referred to as “Putin’s brain,” had just attended “Tradition” cultural festival with his daughter, according to TASS. Russian media outlets reported that the SUV belonged to Dugin.
The Russian Investigative Committee press office told TASS Dugina’s killing was planned and contracted.
Schiff said Sunday that he had not yet been briefed on the killing and that he “couldn’t say” who is behind it, adding that he hoped it was an “internal Russian affair” rather than something “emanating from Ukraine.”
“There are so many factions and internecine warfare within Russian society, within the Russian government,” Schiff said. “Anything is possible.”
Adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office Mikhail Podolyak denied Kyiv was involved in the explosion that killed Dugina during a televised interview on Sunday.
“I emphasize that Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with this, because we are not a criminal state like the Russian Federation, and even less a terrorist state,” Podolyak said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Patrick Reevell
Aug 20, 2:10 PM EDT
Videos circulating online show smoke over Sevastopol
Videos circulating online show smoke rising over Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea.
The city’s Russian-appointed governor said a drone was struck down and fell through the roof of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Headquarters. Ukraine has not commented on the strike.
-ABC News’ Layla Ferris
Aug 19, 3:31 PM EDT
US to offer new $775M aid package to Ukraine
The U.S. has authorized a new $775 million military aid package for Ukraine, the Department of Defense announced on Friday.
The package will include more High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) ammunition and howitzers, as well as some firsts, including ScanEagle reconnaissance drones and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
The 15 ScanEagle drones are intended to help Ukraine identify targets and put the HIMARS and howitzers to better use, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The 40 MRAP vehicles and other mine-clearing equipment will help Ukrainian troops cross dangerous terrain, according to the official.
“We know that Russia has heavily mined areas in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine. We know there’s a significant amount of unexploded ordinance,” the official said.
The new aid package follows a $1 billion package announced on Aug. 8.
(NEW YORK) — Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech for infringing patents central to Moderna’s mRNA technology platform used to develop the COVID vaccine, the company said in a press release Friday.
A widely distributed COVID vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, called Comirnaty, infringes on patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016, the company alleged, adding that mRNA technology was vital to the development of its COVID vaccine.
Moderna accused Pfizer and BioNTech of copying the mRNA technology without its permission in order to develop Comirnaty, the press release said.
“We are filing these lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that we pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented during the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
“This foundational platform, which we began building in 2010, along with our patented work on coronaviruses in 2015 and 2016, enabled us to produce a safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccine in record time after the pandemic struck,” he added. “As we work to combat health challenges moving forward, Moderna is using our mRNA technology platform to develop medicines that could treat and prevent infectious diseases like influenza and HIV, as well as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and rare forms of cancer.”
In October 2020, Moderna vowed to forego enforcement of its COVID-related patents amid the pandemic, the company said. In March, however, the pandemic “entered a new phase and vaccine supply was no longer a barrier to access in many parts of the world,” the company added.
Moderna would never enforce patents in 92 middle- and low-income countries involved with a financing agreement at the global vaccine alliance Gavi, the company said. But, in other markets, Moderna expected competitors to respect intellectual property rights, it added.
In response to a request for comment, Pfizer said: “We have not been served and are unable to comment at this time.”
BioNTech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sylvester Stallone plays a former superhero trying to put his past behind him in Amazon’s new action film Samaritan, which debuts Friday.
However, his young neighbor, played by Javon “Wanna” Walton is convinced the lowly garbageman is actually the titular unbreakable hero, who saved Granite City 25 years ago from his evil twin, a nemesis named, well, Nemesis.
Game of Thrones vet Pilou Asbæk plays a gang leader who idolizes Nemesis, and wants to take over the city.
The movie wasn’t based on an existing comic, and Sly’s character isn’t your typical supe, Stallone said at a recent press event. “You can’t do 29-year-old Rambo kind of a thing because you also have to honor who you are, your age — that’s the part of it: That you’re not who you were, but you’re still there.“
He adds of his character, who goes by Joe, while he’s been in hiding: “His strength would be in his resolve and he still has great physical power as opposed to speed. He can’t fly…He’s not jumping through the air. He’s not that kind of guy.”
Sly adds he’s, “a hero that is very regular and does irregular things…It’s like if Rocky was a superhero, it’s something that is identifiable and street-like.”
He says of the film, “It’s not set in some super fantastic universe. It’s set among brick and concrete and identifiable situations that we all the neighborhoods we live in. And that’s what I liked about it.”
As for his young neighbor, Joe reluctantly takes a shine to him, even as he’s forcing him back into the superhero business. “And this kid is dragging me back into my memories. He’s making me face who I was. I don’t want to go there. I left it behind.”
After a successful televised trial run last summer, Jerry O’Connell will host a star-packed TV game show version of the popular party game Pictionary. Launching on September 12, national daytime TV game show will feature celebrity captains, including Cristela Alonzo, Amanda Seales, Loni Love, Ross Mathews, Amanda Kloots, Akbar Gbajabiamila, and former newscaster Natalie Morales, “two teams of three as players draw clues for teammates to guess winning words or phrases.” O’Connell, who continues to co-host CBS’ The Talk, called the Mattel game a “family favorite” growing up…
Joe E. Tata, who played the Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. He was 85. Joe was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, according to Kelly. “Today we lost my dear friend and TV boss Joe E Tata. Nat Bussichio was a huge part of Beverly Hills 90210 and Joey was a huge part of my life…There will never be another,” Tata’s 90210 co-star Jason Priestley wrote on social media on Wednesday. Ian Zieringcalled Tata “one of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness”…
Entertainment Weekly reports Anne Hathaway has just been tapped to lead the cast of the film adaptation of a popular fan-fiction book inspired by former One Direction member Harry Styles, The Idea of You. The Prime Video movie, based on Robinne Lee‘s 2017 debut novel of the same name, will be directed by The Big Sick, The Eyes of Tammy Faye and The Dropout helmer Michael Showalter, who will also produce alongside Hathaway and Gabrielle Union. Production begins in October. A release date has not been set…
(WASHINGTON) — Several Republicans who were nominated as firebrands in purple states are now eyeing post-primary messaging pivots in a policy acrobatics routine that could determine the outcome of marquee races.
Politicians modulating their campaign strategy after winning their party’s nomination is a tale as old as primaries themselves, and Democrats and Republicans alike are expected to adjust their approaches as the November midterms near. But strategists and experts say that for some GOP hopefuls, evolving the hardline stances they took while campaigning to their base — on issues like abortion access or baseless fears of widespread election fraud — could prove a more difficult feat than in the past.
Republicans seeking gubernatorial and Senate seats in swing states like Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and elsewhere are already indicating they’ll change their tone on hot-button issues — a swivel some operatives say is borne out of necessity in their narrowly divided states.
“If the campaigns are about the last election or Trump or abortion, then they fail because voters get to decide what the most important issues in the race are and they have. It’s clear: It’s the economy, it’s inflation, it’s [the] cost of goods and services,” said one senior GOP strategist working on several midterm races, who requested anonymity to speak more candidly about the cycle.
“If they’re going to be successful,” this strategist said of nominees like Blake Masters, Doug Mastriano and others, “they’re going to have to connect with voters’ top concerns.”
Already, some of these candidates who ran to the right flank of the GOP to clinch their nominations have since signaled what amounts to a vibe shift, focusing more on so-called kitchen table issues and in some instances altering their stances on culture war third rails.
For example, Mastriano, a Pennsylvania state senator who is the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee there, initially ran on a platform that included a near-total ban on abortions with no exceptions. He’s also been accused by federal prosecutors of trying to send fake electors to support former President Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the 2020 race; and he was outside the Capitol during last year’s riot, though he insists he didn’t enter the building and has condemned the violence.
Since winning his primary — and in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the resulting backlash to a Kansas anti-abortion amendment — Mastriano has virtually stopped talking about the issue and switched from talking about the 2020 election to discussing inflation and his plans to slash energy and COVID-19 regulations.
He also said on Fox News last month that “there’s nothing extreme about me” after reports of ties to the founder of Gab, a social media platform notorious for some of its users’ extremist right-wing content.
Tim Michels, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Wisconsin, ran his primary campaign as an election hardliner, flirting with the impossible idea that the state’s 2020 election results could still be overturned two years after the fact to differentiate himself from former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, his main primary competitor.
Yet after defeating Kleefisch, Michels released a general election ad focusing on his record as a businessman and high gas prices and briefly removed language from his campaign website highlighting Trump’s endorsement. And after saying at a Trump rally before the primary that his “No. 1 priority is election integrity,” he declared in his primary victory speech that “jobs and the economy are going to be my No. 1 priority.”
In Arizona, Masters, the GOP Senate nominee, ran as an “anti-progressive,” saying that “Trump won in 2020” and advocating for a federal “personhood law” that would completely ban abortions, a procedure he dubbed “demonic.” He also leaned on ads packed with metaphorical red meat, including a Second Amendment-themed clip stating that short-barreled rifles are “designed to kill people” and another calling San Francisco “disgusting” while walking through a homeless encampment.
More recently, though, Masters told a local newspaper the federal government “should prohibit late-term abortion, third-trimester abortion and partial-birth abortion” but that otherwise the decisions should be left to the states and that Arizona’s current law banning abortion after 15 weeks is “reasonable.” His first general election ad also featured his wife explaining that he wants “Americans to be thriving” over inspiring music.
Still, Democrats are pressing what they see as an advantage — the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s first ad buy of the race between Masters and incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly highlighted Masters’ past statements on abortion and Social Security.
Operatives tell ABC News that such pivots are wise in states where, even in an expected GOP wave year like 2022, relying solely on the party base could be a campaign’s death knell.
“If they want to be successful, they have to broaden their message,” said Mike DuHaime, who helped former Republican Gov. Chris Christie twice get elected in New Jersey. “Yeah, you need the Republican base to be fired up — but you need to win over independents, and you need to win over some conservative, moderate Democrats. And you’re not going to do that by carrying Trump’s water about an election that happened two years ago. They need to move forward.”
There is plenty of room to adapt, DuHaime said.
“I think, many, many undecided voters won’t be tuning into this race until October,” he said. “So, there’s certainly time. But you need to make that decision.”
To be sure, Democrats are also expected to face pressures of their own to turn back from their base. Republicans pointed to progressive nominees for Senate in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Lt. Govs. John Fetterman and Mandela Barnes, respectively — as places where Democrats may have to modulate their own messaging to a more narrowly divided November electorate.
However, some Republicans in crucial races will find themselves walking a particularly tough tightrope after espousing conspiracy theories over the 2020 race — sometimes for an audience of one.
“If you’re an election denier, you’ve gotten former President Trump’s support because of that. You can’t pivot from that,” said GOP strategist Bob Heckman. “Trump has made it clear that if people try stray away from him, he’ll criticize them and then you jeopardize your base. So I just think you have to stay with where you are.”
Some candidates, like Arizona’s GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, have expressed no interest in making the traditional post-primary changes to their campaign.
Lake made falsehoods about the 2020 race a cornerstone of her GOP nominating bid. And, according to her team, voters can expect similar rhetoric from her primary heading into November, which aides pitched as effective state advocacy.
“We have no plans to change our Arizona First message and our detailed policy positions speak for themselves,” Lake spokesperson Ross Trumble said.
Still, Republican operatives and officials by and large say they think their candidates are taking some of the right steps back toward the center.
“When you talk about messaging, I believe you’re gonna see Sen. Mastriano talk about … things that are so much more important to the average Pennsylvanian than the 2020 election or his personal position in regards to abortion,” said Sam DeMarco, the chair of the Allegheny County GOP in Pennsylvania.
Comments like that from DeMarco, who played an active role in trying to cut Mastriano off from winning his May primary, underscore another notable development.
Cooperation between state and local Republican Parties could be crucial to winning races in key battlegrounds. And despite strong criticism from hardliners against those groups, and reluctance by some GOP officials to embrace the eventual nominees, it appears bridges weren’t permanently burned.
In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey, the chair of the Republican Governors Association who endorsed Lake’s main primary rival, has since urged Republicans to coalesce behind the entire GOP slate this November.
And in Pennsylvania, officials have put past concerns about Mastriano — and the concerted efforts opposing him — in the rearview mirror.
“Soon after the primary was over, there was a call with all the county chairs and the state party and Sen. Mastriano, and I was very impressed with the things he said,” DeMarco, the Allegheny GOP chair, told ABC News. “He talked about how many of the folks he knew on the call hadn’t been initial supporters of this. And he understood that and that that was OK. But now he was the nominee, and we all need to come together.”
The base spoke; the party adjusted. Whether other voters will rally around the nominees is a different question entirely.
A Fox News poll from July, for instance, showed independent voters widely favoring Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney general and Mastriano’s Democratic opponent, 47-19.
“It’s not just about issues — it’s not about taxes, the economy, crime, what have you. It’s about certain things fundamental to our democracy and to honesty that are going to give a lot of voters pause,” said veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye. “And maybe inflation is still at a bad enough number in three months that they’re like, ‘Well, you know, I don’t like this person, but …’ Or maybe they can’t get that out of their minds.”
(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden fulfilled one of his campaign promises and announced a plan to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans.
The plan, announced Wednesday, forgives up to $20,000 for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year, will either wipe out the debt for millions of people, severely reduce the amount for individuals who still owe or barely scratch the surface of how much a person owes to their loan provider.
For people who don’t qualify for Biden’s loan forgiveness or will still have student loans left, options are still available to reduce their debt.
Working for the Federal Government
People who work for the federal government could have a government agency repay their student loans.
According to the United States Office of Personnel Management, a government agency may pay a maximum of $10,000 of an employee’s loan in a year or a total of $60,000 per employee during their time at the said agency.
An employee who agrees to the terms must remain employed at the agency for at least three years.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) promises to eliminate a person’s entire student loan debt if they work for the federal, state or local governments, nonprofits and other qualifying public service jobs.
The program forgives a borrower’s remaining loan balance after making 120 on-time monthly payments for 10 years. Individuals must have received the loan under a federal direct loan program, as other programs don’t qualify for PSLF.
People who thought they were making qualifying payments while receiving their loan from another federal program have until Oct. 31 to receive credits for payments that didn’t qualify under PSLF.
Income-driven repayment plans
Individuals who are paying back their federal loans through any of the four income-driven repayment plans are eligible to have the rest of their loans forgiven after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments, depending on if the loans were given for undergraduate or graduate level studies.
A report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Education Department hasn’t always been able to properly track borrowers’ payments, complicating matters for individuals who thought they were making progress in not only their payments but toward debt forgiveness.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
Through the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, full-time educators who teach for five consecutive years in a low-income school or at an education service agency could have up to $17,500 of their federal loans canceled.
Teachers may also qualify for the entirety of their debt to be eliminated through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
Military
Active military service members are eligible for loan forgiveness for up to $65,000 if they commit to at least three years of service. Service members also qualify for PSLF.
(HENDERSON, Ky.) — Two people have been killed and multiple others injured in a shooting at a Kentucky homeless shelter for men Thursday night, police said.
The Henderson Police Department responded to an active shooter incident at Harbor House Christian Center, authorities said.
Kenneth B. Gibbs of Henderson has been identified as the suspect and was taken into custody at 9:55 p.m., police said.
ABC News affiliate WEHT-TV reported that the coroner said two people were found fatally shot inside the building and two were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
Harbor House, where the incident took place, is a Christian-based organization that is “a safe harbor for men in need,” and “dedicated to bringing men up in the community,” according to its Facebook page.
It seems hard to believe, but summer is nearly at an end — and for Blake Shelton that means plowing the fields on his Oklahoma ranch property.
On his social media, the singer shared a glimpse of what prepping the fields looks like at his house — and it prominently features his Kubota tractor.
“This is not a drill, people. It’s almost September,” Blake exclaims from his seat of the tractor’s cab. He then pans the camera over to the stretch of field in front of him — “not plowed” — and behind him — “plowed!”
He adds, “Kubota hauling a**!”
Blake’s not the only country star spending lots of quality time with his tractor these days: Luke Bryan has also showed fans glimpses of life out on his farm, and he even released a line of limited-edition snack popcorn with AGCO’s Fendt.
Elton John and Britney Spears‘ highly anticipated duet, “Hold Me Closer,” arrived at the stroke of midnight on Friday.
Similar to “Cold Heart,” Elton’s 2021 duet with Dua Lipa, “Hold Me Closer” mashes up several past Elton hits: 1992’s “The One” and 1972’s “Tiny Dancer,” with the “woo hoos” from 1976’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — his number-one duet with Kiki Dee — thrown in for good measure.
The two first met in 2014 at Elton John’s annual Oscar viewing party. In 2015, Britney tweeted about how much she loves “Tiny Dancer,” which sparked the idea of some kind of collaboration. The track finally came together this summer: Elton reached out to Britney directly, she said yes and the rest is pop music history.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work with Britney Spears; She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars and she sounds amazing on this record,” Elton says in a statement. “I love her dearly and am delighted with what we’ve created together.”
Britney adds, ““I was so honored when the incredible Sir Elton John asked me to join him on one his most iconic songs. We are so excited for the fans to hear it! Thank you, Elton, for having me! I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with you and your legendary mind.”
This is the first new music Britney’s released since 2016’s Glory. While she did put out three tracks in 2020, they were all songs that were recorded for the original Glory album but didn’t make the final cut. They were included on the deluxe reissue version.
