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Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russia bans British PM, cabinet members from territory

April 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian troops invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Russian forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.

In recent days, Russian forces have retreated from northern Ukraine, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, the United States and European countries accused Russia of committing war crimes.

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

Apr 16, 9:59 am
Ukraine alleges Russia calling on additional units to storm Mariupol

Russian forces have not completely captured Mariupol, but the army is constantly calling on additional units to storm the city, Ukrainian defense ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said in a press conference.

“The situation in Mariupol is difficult and hard. Fighting is happening right now. The Russian army is constantly calling on additional units to storm the city,” Motuzyanyk said.

Russian forces intend to totally close the city for entry and exit and prohibit movement between the districts and they are filtering out the men left in the city, advisor to the mayor Petro Andriushchenko alleged in a post on Telegram.

“After standard filtration bullying (interrogation, checking gadgets, examining the body) the men are separated from others and are subjected to separate interrogations, including an imitation of an execution,” Andriushchenko claimed.

He added: “In general, we can say that from 5 up to 10% do not pass the filtration and after that are exported to Dokuchaevsk and Donetsk. Their further fate is not known.”

Russian warships, armed with “Caliber” naval cruise missiles, in the Black Sea pose a threat against Ukrainian defense industry and logistics infrastructure, spokesman of the general staff of Ukraine Armed Forces, Alexandra Stupun said.

Stupun added: “In the waters of the Sea of Azov, the enemy’s naval group continues to carry out tasks to block the port of Mariupol and provide fire support in the coastal direction.”

Apr 16, 9:12 am
Romania bans Russian-flagged ships from its ports

The Romanian Naval Administration announced it has banned Russian-flagged ships from entering its ports.

The ban will take effect on Sunday.

Apr 16, 8:53 am
Russia bans UK’s Boris Johnson, members of cabinet from entering its territory

Russia announced it has banned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several members of his cabinet from entering its territory in response to what it claims are the British government’s hostilities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Russia said the ban was in response to sanctions placed on Russian senior officials by the British government.

In addition to Johnson, Russia banned the U.K.’s secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs; its secretary of state for defense; the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for justice; and several other members of the British government.

Apr 15, 7:19 pm
Zelenskyy details recovery in hundreds of ‘de-occupied’ settlements

During his latest national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed the recovery of “normal life” in areas that have been rid of Russian occupiers.

“The restoration of normal life in those areas and districts where the occupiers were expelled continues,” Zelenskyy said, noting that 918 settlements “have already been de-occupied.”

“We carry out demining. We restore the supply of electricity, water and gas. We restore the work of the police, post office, state and local authorities,” he continued.

Other work includes restoring the railways, including the connection between Chernihiv and Nizhyn and in the Sumy region, and resuming medical care and education. Across Ukraine, 1,018 educational institutions have been destroyed or damaged, according to Zelenskyy.

Four-fifths of Ukrainian businesses have also returned to work “in a safe area,” in particular heavy industry enterprises, the president said.

Southern and eastern Ukraine, however, are “far from talking about recovery,” he said.

“In the occupied districts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Russian military continue to terrorize civilian residents of our country,” Zelenskyy said.

Apr 15, 6:35 pm
Zelenskyy asked Biden to designate Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’, official says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked President Joe Biden to designate Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” during their call earlier this week, a U.S. official confirmed.

The White House and State Department have not responded to questions about Zelenskyy’s appeal or the designation, but last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed an openness to it.

“In terms of other designations based on actions that Russia’s taking, we are and we will look at everything,” he told reporters during a press conference.

The designation, which is normally reserved for states that are arming and funding terror groups, carries some of the most severe sanctions under U.S. law — although Russia is already under many of them.

Currently there are four countries on the list: Syria, Iran, North Korea and Cuba. The latter two were added by the Trump administration.

Apr 15, 3:26 pm
Russia claims it intercepted Ukrainian missile strike targeting power station

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it prevented an attempt by the Ukrainians to hit Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station with two Tochka-U tactical missiles on Friday morning.

Russia claimed the missiles were shot down in mid-air and shrapnel from one of them fell on Novaya Kakhovka, Kherson region, damaging Kindergarten and residential buildings.

The facility regulates the flow of the Dnepr River, supplies electricity to Kherson region, and supplies water to agricultural areas in southern Ukraine and northern Crimea, according to Russia.

Russia claimed if the station was hit, it would have caused the release of Dnepr water and caused flooding of Kherson region settlements.

Apr 15, 2:35 pm
Over 900 civilian bodies allegedly found in Kyiv region, Ukrainian police say

More than 900 bodies of civilians were discovered in the Kyiv region following the withdrawal of Russian forces, Kyiv region Police Chief Andriy Nebytov said in a press briefing.

“I want to say that the number of killed civilians has surpassed 900 – and I emphasize, these are civilians, whose bodies we have discovered and handed over for forensic examination,” Nebytov said.

He later said, “Bucha has the most significant number of victims. This suggests that the occupiers, the units, that operated in Bucha, were the most brutal. The most victims were found in Bucha, where there are more than 350 corpses.”

Nebytov claimed Russian forces were forcing Ukrainians to work for Russia.

“We understand that during the occupation, the Russian army established a certain modus operandi, trying to find people who have influence over the community and force them to work for Russia,” Nebytov said.

Nebytov said the bodies had been abandoned in the streets or were buried in temporary graves.

“There were two mass graves, if we can say so. There was a person, a communal worker, who worked before the war in Bucha. He stayed in the city and actually asked the occupiers to allow him to take away the people’s bodies from the streets. He buried them in two graves. The first was for 40 dead people, the second for 57 dead people,” Nebytov said.

He added: “Among them was one of our policemen, a criminal investigation officer, who unfortunately was also shot with a small weapon. Most of these bodies have been examined, and I want to say that 95% of the people were killed by sniper rifles or small arms. That is, we understand that during the occupation, people were shot in the streets.”

Apr 15, 1:25 pm
US believes Ukrainian missiles sunk Russian warship

Senior U.S. defense officials believe Russia’s sunken Moskva cruiser was hit by two Ukrainian-launched Neptune missiles, bolstering claims from Ukrainian officials on Thursday.

The officials could not confirm how many Russian crew members were injured or killed in the attack or subsequent fire and eventual sinking.

Apr 15, 1:24 pm
Russia sent US diplomatic note protesting aid to Ukraine

The U.S. received a formal diplomatic note from Russia protesting U.S. and NATO military aid to Ukraine and accused them of violating principles and potentially risking weapons falling into bad actors’ hands, a U.S. official briefed on the note confirmed to ABC News.

The Russian government previously warned the U.S. and NATO against providing weapons and other military equipment. Both Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and one of his deputies, Sergei Ryabkov, also warned that Western convoys providing military aid were “legitimate targets” for Russian attack.

The White House referred questions to the State Department, but a State Department spokesperson declined to comment on “any private diplomatic correspondence.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price also declined to confirm the report, but during an interview with CNN, said, “The Russians have said some things privately. They have said some things publicly. Nothing will dissuade us from the strategy that we’ve embarked on.”

Another source said it shows the effectiveness of U.S. weapon deliveries and security assistance, that Russia is upset is happening.

Price also told CNN that the war in Ukraine could drag on through the end of this year into next year, something other U.S. officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, have warned about as well.

“It is possible … but what we’re trying to do is to shorten this conflict,” Price told CNN, by providing Ukraine with “unprecedented amount of security assistance” and applying pressure on Russia.

The Washington Post first reported on the diplomatic note.

Apr 15, 5:55 am
Ukrainian commander issues urgent plea in Mariupol

Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, which is engaged in a brutal fight to defend Mariupol against invading Russian forces, has issued an urgent plea for military reinforcements or a political solution — anything to break Russia’s siege of the Ukrainian port city.

In an interview Friday with Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, the commander said the situation is critical and the fighting is fierce.

“It can be done and it must be done as soon as possible,” Volyna added.

Despite Russia’s relentless bombardment for more than a month, the 36th Marine Brigade along with units of the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, have held down Mariupol. They have refused to surrender, vowing to fight until the end.

-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd

Apr 14, 9:06 pm
Zelenskyy remarks on 50 days of war: ‘Ukraine became a hero’

During his latest daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed that Ukraine has withstood 50 days of the Russian invasion.

“During the 50 days of this war, Ukraine became a hero for the whole free world,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he was grateful to those who have supported the country, though said that during the last 50 days he’s started to view world leaders in a different light.

“I have seen politicians behaving as if they had no power, and I have seen non-politicians who did more in these 50 days than some statesmen who claimed leadership,” he said.

Zelenskyy praised how Ukraine has defended itself, including those “who have shown that Russian ships can go … to the bottom only” — a nod to the sinking of the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship vessel, Moskva.

Ukrainian government officials had claimed on Wednesday its armed forces fired missiles that damaged the vessel.

-ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko

Apr 14, 5:46 pm
US says its assessment could conclude Russia committed genocide

The U.S. Department of State’s s ongoing review of atrocities in Ukraine could conclude with a determination that genocide has been committed by Russian forces, spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday.

The comments come after President Joe Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine as genocide.

Price told reporters during a briefing Thursday that there was some “misimpression” about the process, but that the department’s effort to document, compile and analyze evidence of atrocities, which determined last month that Russian forces were committing war crimes, could include a determination on genocide.

“That same broader process the process to collect, analyze, share, document evidence of atrocities and potential atrocity crimes is the very same one that could ultimately inform other potential atrocity crime determinations, including the atrocity crime of genocide,” Price said.

Price reiterated that the U.S. is working with the Ukrainian prosecutor-general, whose office has clear jurisdiction for potential war crimes trials.

The U.S. has been providing the Ukrainian prosecutor-general’s office with the evidence it has collected, though it has not yet provided that information to the International Criminal Court, of which it’s not a member.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court’s chief, Karim A.A. Khan, currently is in Ukraine surveying scenes of atrocities in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Borodyanka.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford and Conor Finnegan

Apr 14, 5:12 pm
France moving its Ukraine embassy back to Kyiv

France is planning to move its embassy back to Kyiv “very soon” after relocating it more than 500 miles away in Lviv in western Ukraine when hostilities began to heat up around the capital city in March, the French foreign minister said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made the announcement in a phone call Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.

“This redeployment will take place very soon and will make it possible to further deepen the support provided by France to Ukraine in all areas to deal with the war launched by Russia on February 24,” Le Drian said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked at a briefing if the United States was considering a similar move now that the bulk of the fighting has shifted in Ukraine from the south of the country to the east. The U.S. embassy in Ukraine was also moved from Kyiv to Lviv following the start of the Russian invasion, but embassy staff has been working from Poland in recent days, Price said.

Price told reporters that the State Department is “always reviewing” the possibility of moving the embassy back to Kyiv, but the embassy team remains in Poland and is not crossing the border into Lviv as they had been.

“Obviously, our goal is to have a functioning diplomatic presence in Ukraine as soon as it is safe and practical for us to do so,” Price said.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

High fire threat persists in New Mexico amid devastating blaze

April 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M.) — High fire danger continues in New Mexico, as very dry weather and gusty winds are leading to an increased risk while firefighters continue to battle a deadly blaze.

For days, hundreds of firefighters have been battling the McBride Fire in the village of Ruidoso in central New Mexico.

As of Saturday morning, the McBride Fire has burned through 6,195 acres in the Gavilan Canyon within Ruidoso and remains 0% contained, according to fire officials. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fueled by timber downed by a significant wind storm, as well as brush and dry grasses on an arid landscape, the wildfire has burned 207 primary structures and multiple outbuildings since sparking Tuesday, officials said.

The bodies of two people were found in a home in Ruidoso on Wednesday, a day after the McBride Fire scorched the area, according to authorities. First responders located the bodies after family members noted that an elderly couple attempting to evacuate had been unaccounted for, police said. The couple has not yet been publicly identified.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she is “very proud” as residents have been reaching out to see what they can do to help amid the destruction.

“But there are no words to express — that’s a total loss,” she told the Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT. “Can you live back there again, where will you go?”

She said the state will be an “active partner” in the recovery process.

A second, smaller fire in Nogal Canyon north of Ruidoso has burned 433 acres as of Saturday morning since sparking Tuesday and is 4% contained, fire officials said.

Fire officials were optimistic Saturday about containment efforts with both fires, after being challenged by warm weather and high winds the previous day.

“Currently, you know, we’re 4% on Nogal, 0% on McBride, but you’ll see those numbers increasing today,” Dave Bales, incident commander for the McBride and Nogal Canyon fires, said during a briefing Saturday. “Today we expect a real successful day.”

Dangerous fire conditions persist Saturday for portions of western and central New Mexico up into the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado, with a red flag warning in effect due to strong winds and low relative humidity. Wind gusts up to 50 mph are forecasted.

A voluntary evacuation order also has been issued in Larimer County in northern Colorado, as a wildfire has burned 114 acres and is 30% contained as of Saturday morning.

ABC News’ Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.

National Parks icon, Betty Reid Soskin, retires as park ranger at 100 years old

April 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(RICHMOND, Calif.) — Celebrations are in order Saturday at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park located in Richmond, California, for former National Park Service ranger Betty Reid Soskin.

Prior to her retirement just weeks ago, Soskin, at age 100, was the oldest active National Park Ranger serving the United States.

“To be a part of helping to mark the place where that dramatic trajectory of my own life, combined with others of my generation, will influence the future by the footprints we’ve left behind has been incredible,” said Soskin in a prepared statement and announcement from the NPS.

Soskin first joined the NPS in her 80s. In the early 2000s she was actively involved and participated in the planning effort to bring the Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park to the city of Richmond. She’s also credited with working to help uncover untold stories of African Americans on the home front during WWII.

“If we don’t know where we started, we have no conception of where we are or how we got here. Only if we go back and retrace our steps. And that’s what the park became for me,” Soskin said during a speech at the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, explaining what drove her to get involved with the park’s planning.

It was those efforts that led her to a temporary position with the NPS at age 84, and eventually a permanent role.

For more than a decade-and-a half she had led public programs at the park, providing broader context of the WWII war effort, and the backdrop of racism and segregation through her own life experiences. Her great-grandmother, born in 1846, was a slave until she was 19, freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Soskin said she was 27 when her slave ancestor died at 102, during her speech.

“The National Park Service is grateful to Ranger Betty for sharing her thoughts and first-person accounts in ways that span across generations,” said Naomi Torres, acting superintendent of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. “She has used stories of her life on the Home Front, drawing meaning from those experiences in ways that make that history truly impactful for those of us living today.”

Soskin was born in Detroit in 1921 to African American parents. She spent her early years in New Orleans before “The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927” drove her family to relocate West to Oakland, California.

As a young woman during World War II, Soskin worked as a shipyard clerk for an all-Black auxiliary lodge of the segregated Boilermakers union. At the time, the union did not allow people of color and women to become union members.

In 1945, Soskin along with her husband founded one of the first Black-owned music stores, “Reid’s Records,” which shut its doors in 2019.

She would also later get involved in local politics, having served as a Berkeley city council member and as a field representative serving two members of the California State Assembly.

In 2015, Soskin introduced President Barack Obama during the national tree-lighting ceremony in Washington, D.C.

I heard Betty Reid Soskin is retiring at 100, and want to congratulate her for more than a decade of service as a National Park Ranger.

Betty, I hope you realize just how many people appreciate everything you’ve done—myself included. pic.twitter.com/lElFYwxVMg

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 2, 2022

It’s an experience, that she said, was “probably one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.”

“I was able to introduce the president, on the stage, to all of America,” Soskin recounted to CBS’s San Francisco news station.

On Saturday, the NPS will host a retirement ceremony for Soskin at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which will be open to the public.

7 Secrets Of Happy Families

April 16, 2022 by John Tesh

Happy families don’t just magically happen – they all share common behaviors. That’s according to Bruce Feiler, author of the bestselling book The Secrets of Happy Families. He spent years meeting with everyone from videogame designers to Green Berets, to bankers to TV executives in order to pinpoint which strategies work best. And here are his findings:

Secret #1: The kids know their family’s story. Feiler explains that your family history – the good and the bad – helps kids feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. And knowing what the family has gone through and overcome, prepares kids to face challenges in their own lives. Research even backs it up. Studies show that kids who know their family history have higher self-esteem, are more resilient, and are better at handling stress.
Secret #2: They hold weekly family meetings. That gives them an opportunity to hash out what’s working – and what isn’t – so they can make changes before minor glitches turn into major problems.
Secret #3: Happy families also eat meals together. The benefits of family mealtime are huge. In fact, studies show that children who eat dinner with their parents do better in school, and are less likely to drink, smoke, do drugs, or develop eating disorders. If nightly dinners aren’t possible for your family’s schedule, you can get similar results by eating together even once a week – like Sunday breakfast.
Secret #4: Beware, dinnertime is also when most family fights take place. It’s partly because everyone is stressed by the end of the day, hungry – and preparing dinner may become a chore. So, psychologists recommend saving difficult conversations for after dinner – when people have put on their comfy clothes for the night. A full belly and comfy clothes reduces stress, so those difficult conversations may not blow up into arguments.
Secret #5: Happy families have their living room furniture set up a certain way – in a circle. That encourages conversation and literally brings your family closer. In fact, research has found that people are much friendlier when they’re seated in a circle because they can easily look at and talk to each other. The ideal distance between people is five feet – so the eye can comfortably take in the torso, face and hands for body language cues.
Secret #6: Happy families aren’t perfect families – and when it comes to punishing kids, it works best if the kids have a say in what the punishment should be. But you need to talk about punishments before the “crime” has occurred. Like, “If you break your curfew, what do you think the consequence should be?” Psychologists say when kids have a role in picking their own punishment, it gives them a sense of ownership over their own behavior. So, instead of hearing, “That’s not fair” or “I don’t deserve that!” – kids will own up to what they did, and are more likely to change bad behavior.
Secret #7: Even happy families fight – but when they do, they copy each other’s body language. Feiler says that mimicking body language puts you on the same physical level. And that instantly reduces feelings of tension, power imbalance and resentment. That way, you’re more likely to calmly work out a solution together, instead of competing in a shouting match.

Can’t Sleep? Try This Quick Meditation Exercise.

April 16, 2022 by John Tesh

Having trouble sleeping? Here’s a one-minute meditation exercise from eastern medicine expert Lara Ann Reggio that’ll help you drop off quickly:

First: Lie on your back, and put one hand under your head, just along the ridge at the base of your skull.

Then, place your other hand flat across your forehead…

Close your eyes and relax.

And hold that position until you feel your pulse sync up between both hands.

That sends a signal to your nervous system to bring more oxygenated blood to your brain, which can help you relax enough so you can curl up and drift off to sleep.

4 Reasons We Gain Weight In The Spring

April 16, 2022 by John Tesh

It’s springtime – aren’t we supposed to be losing weight? Shedding our winter pounds? Well, we found a few reasons we may be gaining weight instead with a little help from registered dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner.

Cadbury Eggs are at every check out aisle. More candy is consumed on and around Easter than any other time of the year – except Halloween. And the candy seems to linger around the house for weeks. Think about it: 90 million chocolate bunnies are sold and 16 billion jellybeans.
We’re exercising more. I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But when the weather gets nice and we start exercising more – we start eating more to compensate. But a 600-calorie smoothie has twice as many calories as you can burn in a half-hour jog. And exercise actually suppresses your appetite for about two hours. So, if you feel hungry, you’re probably dehydrated. Drink some water instead.
Longer days. When it stays light later, we go to bed later. And a lack of sleep triggers hunger hormones. Also, dinner may get pushed back until it’s dark out – so you have more snacking hours in between lunch and dinner.
We start drinking iced coffee drinks. But a small Dunkin Donuts Coffee Coolatta has 400 calories. And liquid calories don’t register as real food in your brain – you end up eating just as much solid food as you normally would. So what may sound harmless – iced coffee – could be the reason you can’t fit into your khakis yet. Stick with plain iced coffee, a little skim milk with a shot of sugar-free syrup at Dunkin Donuts and save yourself 300 calories.

Healthier Alternatives To Your Usual Easter Treats

April 16, 2022 by John Tesh

Well, you don’t want to get rid of all the chocolate goodies, unless you want to get pelted with rotten Easter eggs, but you can take steps to make it a little healthier. Here are some suggestions from the American Dietetic Association:

Instead of sugar, cream or caramel filled chocolate eggs, get peanut butter filled ones. The peanut butter adds protein and is low in saturated fat.
Instead of those little chocolate eggs, give chocolate covered pretzels instead. Pretzels are often eaten during Lent, because the twists resemble arms crossed in prayer. Since they only have a thin layer of chocolate, the fat content is pretty low.
Next, try a dark chocolate bunny. It has more antioxidants and less fat than milk chocolate.
Instead of the traditional jelly beans, try Skittles or Starbursts. They do have some Vitamin C which makes them slightly healthier.
Put in a few hard boiled Easter eggs. They’re a good source of protein and the whites are fat free. Don’t leave your hard boiled eggs out of the fridge for more than two hours or you’re gonna have some sick kids on your hands.

NAACP calls on Justice Department to investigate $90 million Mississippi welfare fraud case

April 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

NAACP calls on Justice Department to investigate million Mississippi welfare fraud case

(WASHINGTON) — The NAACP called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate years of allegations of widespread fraud and misspending in Mississippi totaling a reported $96 million, according to a letter obtained exclusively by ABC News.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on the Department of Justice “to aggressively investigate and prosecute those responsible for the massive theft of federal funds that apparently took place in Mississippi in fiscal years 2017 through 2019.” He noted that “funds from these programs are to be used for the neediest and most vulnerable in our society.”

Mississippi State Auditor Shad White alleges that money set aside from the federal government for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs were misappropriated under the leadership of John Davis, then-head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, according to the letter.

The fraud allegations were first revealed in 2020 by state prosecutors in one of the largest cases involving embezzlement claims in state history. Six people have been indicted on state charges, including Davis.

Davis has pleaded not guilty, court records show. His trial, which was supposed to start last year, has been delayed several times. An attorney for Davis did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The others indicted include Nancy New, the former owner of the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC); her son, Zach New, the assistant executive director of the MCEC; and former Department of Human Services employee Gregory “Latimer” Smith.

Attorneys for Nancy and Zach New did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. Contact information for Smith was not immediately available.

Nancy New told the Clarion Ledger in 2020, “I just have to say that I think there’s a lot more information to come and we’re just waiting our turn.”

Several individuals in the case have accepted plea deals including former pro-wrestler Brett DiBiase who pleaded guilty in 2020 to a single count of making fraudulent statements for the purpose of defrauding the government.

Anne McGrew, an accountant for the MCEC, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one charge of conspiracy to commit embezzlement.

Accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen released a 175-page independent audit looking at fraud claims between Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2019.

White said in a 2020 press conference the case was the “most egregious misspending my staff have seen in their careers at the Office of the State Auditor.” He later added, “when you read this one-hundred-plus page audit, you will see that, if there was a way to misspend money, it seems DHS leadership or their grantees thought of it and tried it.”

White said in 2020 after the indictments, “this is an example of money going to or should have gone to folks who needed it through a federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). To those families, I say, I’m incredibly sorry that this money did not go to your benefit as it should have. But you need to know that you have advocates who are standing up for you, and this is not going to be allowed and it’s stopping right now.”

The questionable funds included $5 million for a lease agreement for a multi-purpose wellness center that would later become a volleyball stadium, $635,000 for a virtual reality lab that included individuals who weren’t identified as needy and $44,000 to retired professional football players for football camps that focused on student-athletes and did not address helping at-risk youth.

Most of the misappropriated funds are alleged to have been stolen through a now-dissolved anti-poverty program called Families First for Mississippi, co-operated by the Mississippi Community Education Center, according to the audit. The MCEC did not reply to a request for comment from ABC News.

The NAACP’s Johnson said in his letter, “these apparent crimes were ignored by DOJ under your predecessor Attorney General, and we are calling on you to take action that is long overdue.”

Johnson said Mississippi State Auditor’s findings were referred to the Justice Department, “however, nearly two years later, despite the overwhelming documentary evidence of fraud, forgery, and abuse in this matter, DOJ has not yet launched a criminal investigation.”

He said in the two-page letter to Attorney General Garland, that “failure to investigate may lead to the impression that DOJ is continuing the previous administration’s pattern of looking the other way when laws are broken by white state officials, especially when the wrongdoing disproportionately harms minorities.”

Johnson urged “in the strongest possible terms to take immediate action to investigate and prosecute those involved in this massive theft of federal funds.”

“The Department received the letter and will review it,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department told ABC News in a statement.

Jack White releasing official audio from every stop on Supply Issues tour

April 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

While Jack White is traveling the world on his Supply Issues tour, you can listen to the shows from the comfort of your own home.

Official audio from every concert on White’s international run will be released via the live music streaming platform Nugs.net. The recordings, taken straight from the soundboard, will be available just days after each show.

“While we’ve been recording all Jack White live shows for years, only now did it finally feel right to release all of them quickly after the performance,” says Third Man Records co-founder Ben Blackwell. “And with Nugs.net as our partner…we couldn’t be happier with the results.”

The Supply Issues tour, which kicked off last week in Detroit, is set to continue throughout North American all the way into June, followed by a summer trip to Europe. White will then return to the U.S. for another go-round in August.

White is supporting his new solo album Fear of the Dawn, which features the single “Taking Me Back.” He’ll release another record, Entering Heaven Alive, on July 22.

The Beatles are asking fans to share their Abbey Road photos and videos for upcoming documentary

April 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

One of the most popular tourist destinations for Beatles fans to visit is London’s Abbey Road Studios and the famous crosswalk in front of the facility, where the Fab Four were famously photographed walking across for the cover of their Abbey Road album.

Now, The Beatles are asking fans to share photos and videos they may have taken for use in an upcoming documentary about the studio, where the band recorded nearly all of their albums.

A message on The Beatles’ social media pages reads, “Have you ever made the pilgrimage to Abbey Road’s crossing, and captured the moment? [The] Ventureland [film production company] are looking for the best crossing selfies, photos and videos throughout the ages, to be included in a feature documentary on Abbey Road Studios. You can email yours in to abbey.road@venture.land.”

The film in question is the documentary If These Walls Could Sing, which Paul McCartney‘s daughter Mary is directing.

Details of the movie were first announced in January 2021 on Abbey Road Studios’ official website.

According to a press release posted on the site, the film will feature interviews with a star-studded cast of musicians and is intended to be the centerpiece of the studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations, which kicked off in last November.

For the making of the documentary, film crews were allowed to have intimate access to Abbey Road Studios’ premises for the first time ever.

Mary is an accomplished photographer who recently contributed photos to the packaging of her father’s latest album, McCartney III. She also co-founded the Meat Free Monday campaign with her father and her sister, Stella, to promote vegetarianism.

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