(NEW YORK) — The East Coast is getting hit with severe weather this holiday weekend.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Carolinas as a storm moves through the region, while millions of people are bracing for severe storms in the Northeast.
The National Hurricane Center named its third storm of the 2022 season earlier Saturday. Tropical Storm Colin formed “rather unexpectedly,” according to the center, and while not strong it could create holiday weekend disruptions in the Carolinas.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect from just south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, through Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. There is a flash flooding risk, with around 2 inches to as much as 6 inches of rain possible in some of the downpours across the eastern Carolinas.
The storm has already brought wind gusts exceeding 40 mph along the South Carolina coast as it moved through, with gusty winds and rain expected across southeastern North Carolina throughout the afternoon.
“The most significant storm impacts (rain & wind) will remain at the beaches and offshore today,” the National Weather Service said.
The storm is expected to slowly progress northeastward Saturday into Sunday and eventually move out to sea by Monday.
Meanwhile, cities including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston have the potential for storms with damaging winds and hail Saturday afternoon. Some 50 million people are currently in the zone with the greatest severe weather threat today.
The National Weather Service warned that the Philadelphia region into southern New Jersey and the coast could see thunderstorms with flash flooding and damaging wind gusts Saturday evening.
⛈️ Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop by late this afternoon and evening. The most likely chances for rain will be from around the Philly area and southeast into Delmarva, southern NJ, and the coast. #PAwx#NJwx#DEwx#MDwxpic.twitter.com/nGeQdtZBk8
A flood watch is also in effect for the Washington and Baltimore metro areas. Damaging wind gusts and large hail are also a threat, the National Weather Service said.
Holiday travel out of the Northeast could be impacted as the storms come through. Weather will likely not be a major factor at airport hubs like Atlanta, Chicago, Denver or Los Angeles on Saturday.
ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Thousands of dead anchovies washed ashore on the Bolinas Lagoon shore in Marin County, California, and fell from the sky earlier this week, according to photos and video shared with ABC News’ San Francisco affiliate, ABC7 News, KGO.
“This is just one of those times where we kind of get to see just the sheer number of the size of these schools of fish,” Marin County Parks director Max Korten told ABC7 News. “So it’s kind of amazing.”
There is still uncertainty about why the fish washed up on the shore. Referencing biologists, Korten explained, “What likely happened is, you know, some kind of predator out in the ocean encountered a school of anchovy somewhere near the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon,” according to ABC7 News.
He said this possibly pushed the anchovy more toward the shallow water, where they sucked up the limited oxygen and suffocated, according to ABC7 News.
A volunteer researcher told ABC7 News the anchovy could have been going where the food is.
Jim Ervin told ABC7 this La Nina year is generating more food production and the foraging fish are following. He explained the cool water is bringing in more anchovy than seen in the last 10 years off the coast and in the bay.
Ervin said seabirds are feasting. “There’s more fish than they know what to do with,” he told ABC7 News.
Officials said there is no reason to panic over the mass die-off, saying similar events have happened several times over the last few decades.
“My biggest words of assurance, I guess, is that anchovy populations boom and bust,” Ervin told ABC7 News. “And we’re in a boom year. Then things like that, they drive ’em into the shore and unfortunately they do themselves in sometimes.”
Korten with Marin County Parks told ABC7 News the Bolinas Lagoon as a pretty fragile ecosystem and is encouraging anyone wanting to see the anchovies, to be mindful of the environment.
“It’s a home to a really abundant amount of marine life,” he said. “We just asked if anybody goes near there, just use caution and not to disturb the animals, the seals and things that make their home there.”
ABC News’ Amanda del Castillo, Jeffrey Cook and Jennifer Metz contributed to this report.
After a long day of nonstop experiences, panels, discussions, giveaways and more, day two of the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans rounded out with a star-studded lineup of performances from top Black music stars of today.
For the first time on the Essence Fest stage, Nicki Minaj delivered an hour-long set featuring some of her chart-topping hits like “Moment 4 Life” and “Super Bass” as well as throwback classics like “Itty Bitty Piggy” and “Beez in the Trap.”
Following Tamron Hall’s high-energy introduction of the rap superstar, it took about 45 minutes before Minaj finally made her grand entrance onto the Caesars Superdome stage. But fans were quickly pleased by the new visuals, rare showings of catalog favorites and surprise appearances by Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne.
Lauryn Hill graced the stage alongside her Fugees family, Wyclef Jean & friends, in a nostalgic performance of “Killing Me Softly,” “Ready or Not” and other classic hits.
The Black joy was in full effect when rap legend Nas blazed the stage for close to an hour. The New York native took fans on a journey down memory lane with his iconic ’90s and 2000s songs, including, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That),” “Hot Boyz” and “Oochie Wally.”
Country star Mickey Guyton kicked off the night’s entertainment. She welcomed fellow country singer Brittney Spencer to the stage for a heartfelt performance of “Black Like Me,” a song released in 2020 amidst the George Floyd protests.
The 2022 Essence Fest concert series continues Saturday with headliners Janet Jackson, Summer Walker, Jazmine Sullivan, Chloe x Halleand more, streaming live on Hulu starting at 7 p.m. CT.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. military has a recruiting problem, with a former senior military official telling ABC News the viability of the all-volunteer force could be at stake.
Pentagon data show a simple, troubling trend: Fewer and fewer young Americans want to serve, and due to obesity and other problems, fewer are qualified.
The Defense Department’s top personnel and readiness leader blamed the nation’s competitive job market as a major contributor while testifying on Capitol Hill in late April.
“The Department is in fierce competition for skilled, relevant and innovative talent. The labor market, exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic and the military-civilian divide creates a challenging recruiting environment,” Gilbert Cisneros told senators at an Armed Services subcommittee hearing.
A former senior military official told ABC News that today’s recruiters face a great challenge in pitching the benefits of enlisting to young people, with private companies using impressive incentives to entice prospects.
“Many of the things that we used to offer, like the GI Bill, are offered by private industry today. So they’re no longer a benefit,” the former senior official said.
Even the Marine Corps, which does not usually struggle to find recruits, is under pressure to meet its goals.
“We made mission last year; however, FY22 has proved to be arguably the most challenging year in recruiting history,” Marine Lt. Gen. David Ottingnon said in written testimony before joining Cisneros at the Senate hearing in April. “In addition to COVID-19, the growing disconnect and declining favorable view between the U.S. population and traditional institutions, labor shortages, high inflation, and a population of youth who do not see the value of military service also continue to strain recruiting efforts and place the Marine Corps’ accession mission at risk.”
Only 9% of young people now show a propensity to serve, according to Defense Department polling data shared with ABC News. It’s the lowest number seen in 15 years.
Top reasons cited for not wanting to join are the possibility of injury or death, and fear of developing PTSD or other psychological problems.
But the pool of young people who meet the basic standards to enlist in the military is also shrinking.
Only 23% of Americans aged 17 to 24 are eligible to join without being granted a waiver. This is down from 29% in recent years, according to Pentagon data. Obesity and drug use are common disqualifying factors.
The former senior official, who maintains contact with active-duty leaders, said the poor shape of some incoming troops has led the Army to stop trying to have them run within the first two weeks of basic training.
“They have to teach them how to run, and they’ve had issues with bone density to the point that, when they do run them, they’ve ended up breaking a leg or worse, a hip,” the former official said. “I’ve even heard in some cases they’re putting them on diets of Ensure — you know, the stuff for old [people] like me — in order to build that bone density.”
A second former senior military official told ABC News the problem is worse than the general public realizes.
“To the average civilian who’s not knowledgeable about the situation, they think there are all kinds of kids around. Yeah, but you can’t bring them in the Army if they’re obese, if they’ve got a history of drug abuse, all these other things. So it’s a much smaller population,” the second former official said.
The Army slightly exceeded its enlisted active-duty recruiting goal for FY21, but has so far only met about 40% of its goal for FY22, which ends in three months.
The last few months of the fiscal quarter is usually when the Army gets most of its recruits for the year, because that’s when high school graduation occurs, but an Army official acknowledged that “this is an unprecedented year.” The Army is clearly behind where it would like to be.
In an attempt to expand its base of applicants, the Army this week advertised that it was “offering limited eligibility for applicants who do not have a GED or High School diploma to enlist in the Regular Army.”
The Army said the opportunity was not new, and that some people without diplomas or GEDs have been able to enlist in the past, “just on a very limited basis.” Prospective recruits without the standard educational credentials would have had to score at least a 50 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which indicates scoring in the 50th percentile.
While the opportunity was not new, it was not something actively advertised by the Army until this week.
The second former senior military official spoke of the importance diplomas held at the time they served.
“If they had graduated from high school it meant that they had started something and had finished it. And they were far more likely to succeed in the Army because of that discipline,” the former official said.
On Thursday, the announcement welcoming qualifying non-graduates was removed from the Army Recruiting Command’s website. Two Army officials confirmed to ABC News that the service is halting the initiative to reassess its merits.
“The Army has currently paused its efforts to take some time to ensure that this option sets recruits up for success in their Army career,” one Army official with close knowledge of the decision said.
“The authorities exist, but at this stage we’re not bringing them in,” another Army official said. This official said it’s possible Army leaders will later decide to proceed with enlisting a small group of qualifying non-graduates to see if doing so would be viable at a larger scale.
Neither official could say how many non-graduates have been able to enlist through waivers in years past.
The first former senior defense official painted a grim picture for the military as a whole.
“I have a real concern of the viability of the all-volunteer force, I really do. I don’t see anything changing that’s going to right this ship right now. Albeit there are a lot of good people trying to do everything they can, there are a lot of issues out there that have to be fixed,” the former official said.
It would help to empower recruiters with more incentive tools, though that would mean more funding for things like enlistment bonuses and higher pay likely coming at the expense of other important military projects, according to the former official.
Cisneros told senators that a 4.6% military pay raise included in the FY23 defense budget will help, adding that he is working closely with the services to “leverage all authorities, resources and tools” to address recruiting challenges.
The second former senior military official said the recruiting problem is a sign of wider societal problems.
“It’s a reflection on our country. It is our country, and those recruiters see those problems firsthand every day,” the former official said.
(ALLEN, Ky.) –Three Kentucky police officers were shot and killed after a 49-year-old man, who is in custody, allegedly gunned them down and wounded several others in a mass shooting at his Kentucky home.
The City of Prestonburg Police Department shared in a Facebook post Friday that canine handler Jacob R. Chaffins had died.
“You have dedicated your short time on this earth to the service of the citizens of Prestonsburg and the Commonwealth as an EMT, Fire Fighter, and Police Officer. You further dedicated yourself to the security of our country as a valiant soldier,” the statement read.
“The lives you’ve saved since you even started policing are innumerable, and that’s how you gave your life – saving another. We will shine your light to Paisley and the world so long as we breathe. Rest yourself, we have the watch.”
The two other slain officers were identified by the sheriff’s office as Deputy William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure.
The shooting unfolded in Floyd County at about 6:44 p.m. local time Thursday, Kentucky State Police said. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called it a “barricade situation.”
According to an arrest report, Lance Storz, who was armed with a rifle, fired multiple rounds at police officers around his home, killing two officers and a police K9.
The arrest report said five other officers and an emergency management director were injured, though state police said four officers and one civilian were hurt.
“Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night,” the governor tweeted Friday. “I want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community. This is a tough morning for our commonwealth.”
Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night. I want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community. This is a tough morning for our commonwealth. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 1, 2022
Storz is in custody on multiple charges including murder of a police officer and attempted murder of a police officer. He entered a plea of not guilty and is being held on $10 million bond. Storz returns to court on July 11.
ABC News’ Jason Volack and Ahmad J. Hemingway contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaving it up to individual states to decide whether to allow abortion procedures, has prompted abortion-rights advocates to urge women using period-trackers, and other digital apps that track reproductive health, to delete them.
“If you are using an online period tracker or tracking your cycles through your phone, get off it and delete your data. Now,” tweeted lawyer Elizabeth McLaughlin, founder of the female empowerment non-profit Gaia Project for Women’s Leadership.
McLaughlin’s message, which was posted on the day Politico reported the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion on Roe v. Wade in early May, has since been retweeted more than 59,000 times. The Supreme Court handed down its official decision on Roe v. Wade on June 24.
Abortion-rights advocates are ringing alarm bells not just about the use of menstruation-tracking apps, but the potentially incriminating digital trail of geo-location data, online transactions and web-search histories.
“It’s not just that we’re going back to a time before Roe v. Wade,” Leah Fowler, professor of health law and policy at the University of Houston, told ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast. “We’re doing it with the surveillance apparatus in place that we couldn’t have imagined even then,” she said.
Fears about criminal prosecution have grown among abortion-rights advocates as states with abortion bans institute penalties, which include possible fines and imprisonment, for abortion providers. For example, Arkansas has made performing or attempting to perform an abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The only exception is if the mother’s life is in danger.
Kentucky and Louisiana have had courts issue temporary blocks on their bans, which had stated anybody who performs or attempts to perform an abortion will be charged and face prison terms and/or fines.
According to Fowler, no matter their privacy policy, companies could still be forced to hand over consumers’ data during the course of a criminal investigation.
And the data could also be at risk in civil litigation, Fowler said, through “discovery requests or other civil investigative demands,” that are not necessarily part of a criminal investigation.
“You don’t only have to be in a place that has made [abortion] a crime or considers it homicide to be subject to potential legally valid requests for information,” said Fowler.
These period-tracking apps have millions of users every month who utilize the technology to better understand and help control their reproductive health. The apps can tell you when to expect your next period, if you might be pregnant and how far along you are, when you are the most fertile for conceiving and what sorts of symptoms you usually experience.
In June, politicians released a statement asking President Joe Biden to “clarif[y] protections for sensitive health and location data” as part of a larger call to protect abortion rights.
This week, Axios reported that Biden plans to ask the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers’ data privacy specifically in the context of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Last year, the period-tracking app Flo settled a complaint with the FTC which alleged that the company was selling users’ health data to Facebook and Google, as well as marketing and analytics firms, allegedly in violation of their own privacy policy.
As part of the settlement, the app agreed to an “independent review of its privacy practices” and committed to “get app users’ consent before sharing their health information.”
In the settlement, Flo “neither admit[ted] nor denie[d] any of the allegations.”
On the day that Roe v. Wade was overturned, the company tweeted that it would soon be launching “Anonymous Mode,” which “removes your personal identity from your Flo account, so no one can identify you.”
A number of other period-tracking companies reacted to the decision.
The astrology-focused period-tracker app Stardust sent out a tweet two days after the Supreme Court decision that “we absolutely want to protect our users from bad actors, hackers and even our own government overreaching into our privacy.”
The company announced it had implemented an “encrypted wall” to protect users’ data and that it was “working on an option for users to completely opt out of providing any personal identifiable information.”
The app Clue, which is based in Europe and beholden to more stringent privacy laws, said in a statement that “no data point can be traced back to any individual person.”
In response to the question of how companies’ privacy policies could protect consumers’ data in the face of a warrant, Fowler said, “you can’t turn over what you don’t have.”
“There are limits on the types of things that law enforcement can do when they’re trying to get information from a company,” said Fowler. “That can inform how people might want to select period trackers.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 6 Boston 5
Final N.Y. Mets 4 Texas 3
Final Chicago White Sox 1 San Francisco 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 9 Tampa Bay 2
Final Kansas City 3 Detroit 1
Final Minnesota 3 Baltimore 2
Final Houston 8 L.A. Angels 1
Final Oakland 3 Seattle 1
N-Y Yankees at Cleveland 12:10 p.m. (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 6 Washington 3
Final Philadelphia 5 St. Louis 3
Final Atlanta 9 Cincinnati 1
Final Milwaukee 19 Pittsburgh 2
Final Arizona 9 Colorado 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 5 San Diego 1
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Las Vegas 91 Minnesota 85
Final Los Angeles 97 Dallas 89
Final Seattle 73 Indiana 57
(NEW YORK) — New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced Friday evening the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect for the murder of a 20-year-old woman was fatally shot in the head while pushing her 3-month-old baby in a stroller on New York City’s Upper East Side on Wednesday night.
Isaac Argro, 22, has been arrested and charged with murder of Azsia Johnson and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said in a tweet and added that police would “continue to be relentless in their pursuit of justice.”
Johnson was fatally shot in the head Wednesday on the Upper East Side in what police sources said appeared to be a targeted attack.
Johnson was pushing a baby stroller around 8:25 p.m. when a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt came up from behind and fired a single shot at close range before fleeing on foot, police said. The baby was unharmed, police said.
Before the shooting, Johnson texted a relative saying she was planning to meet her baby’s father “to work things out,” according to police sources.
Following the shooting, police were wanting to talk to the baby’s father but had not initially named him as a suspect, sources said.
“We are going to find this person that’s guilty of this horrific crime. We are going to find him and bring him to justice,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams had told reporters Thursday.
Detectives believe Johnson was living at a women’s shelter in East Harlem, sources said.
Friends and family held a vigil for Johnson on Thursday at the scene of the shooting, which was near a playground.
Johnson also had a 1-year-old son and was an aspiring pediatric nurse, ABC New York station WABC reported.
ABC News’ Matt J. Foster contributed to this report.
(AKRON, Ohio) — A grieving Ohio family is waiting for answers after a 25-year-old Black man was fatally shot by Akron police officers during a traffic stop earlier this week.
Jayland Walker was shot multiple times after he was pulled over early Monday for a minor traffic violation, according to lawyers representing his family.
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett and Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced Friday that they will release body-worn camera footage from the incident, which has sparked days of protests outside the police headquarters calling for “Justice for Jayland,” on Sunday.
Mylett will meet with members of Walker’s family before the briefing to allow them to see the footage, officials said.
“How these events took place leaves us with many, many, many questions,” Bobby DiCello, one of the lawyers representing the family, said during a press briefing Thursday.
One question involves what police did to de-escalate the situation, he said. Authorities also have not released details on the number of shots fired by the eight officers involved in the shooting, or how many fired their weapons.
Preliminary medical examiner records reviewed by ABC Cleveland affiliate WEWS on Friday showed there were more than 60 markers indicating “defects” on Walker’s body, and that there were multiple gunshot wounds to his face, abdomen and upper legs.
The incident occurred early Monday, when Akron police officers attempted a traffic stop at around 12:30 a.m. When the driver did not stop, a police pursuit ensued, police said in a statement.
“During the pursuit, officers reported a firearm being discharged from the suspect vehicle,” police said.
Walker allegedly fled from the car while it was still moving, with officers then engaging in a foot pursuit, police said.
“The suspect ran northbound into a nearby parking lot. Actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them,” police said. “In response to this threat, officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect.”
Officers administered first aid, though Walker was pronounced dead at the scene. Medical examiner records show he was found on his back on the pavement in handcuffs, and that a gun was recovered inside his car, according to WEWS.
The officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting an investigation that will be presented to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Summit County Grand Jury, authorities said.
“We have every confidence in the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation to conduct a thorough, fair, and honest investigation,” Mayor Horrigan and Chief Mylett said in a joint statement Wednesday. “We will cooperate fully with that investigation and have made it a top priority for our staffs. As a city, we are committed to this process and trust that it will yield a fuller understanding of this incident.”
As they wait to view the footage from the shooting, Walker’s family is demanding answers.
“What’s unfortunate … is portraying Jayland as the reason this happened,” Ken Abbarno, another lawyer for Walker’s family, told reporters. “That’s spin, that’s protection, and that’s designed for a specific reason. We will learn in the coming days the real truth of what happened.”
Walker, a DoorDash driver, had no criminal record, the family’s lawyers said.
Walker’s aunt described her “skinny little nephew” as a “sweet young man.”
“He never caused any trouble,” Lajuana Walker-Dawkins, who spoke on behalf of the family, told reporters Thursday. “We don’t know what happened, and we’d like to know. For the mother, the sister, the whole family and the community.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, the city canceled a Fourth of July festival scheduled to run Friday through Monday.
“I completely understand that some residents and guests will be disappointed by the decision to cancel the festival this holiday weekend,” Horrigan said in a statement. “Independence Day is meant to be a celebration and a time of gathering with friends and family. Unfortunately, I feel strongly that this is not the time for a city-led celebration.”
(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:
Jul 01, 4:25 pm
21 dead, 39 injured in missile strike near Odesa
Russian missiles struck residential areas near the key port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 39 others, Ukrainian authorities said.
Russian bombers fired a trio of X-22 missiles that hit a nine-story apartment building and two recreational areas in the small coastal town of Serhiivka, located about 31 miles southwest of Odesa, according to a statement from the Security Service of Ukraine, which noted that rescue operations were underway.
Many victims were in the apartment building, where the entire entrance was “completely destroyed,” authorities said.
One of the wounded children was a baby who was in a coma after being pulled from the charred rubble, according to authorities.
“This was a targeted Russian missile attack — Russian terror against our cities, villages, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The pre-dawn attacks followed the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine’s Snake Island on Thursday, a move that was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa, home to Ukraine’s biggest seaport and one of the largest ports in the Black Sea basin.
“Occupants can’t win on the battlefield, so resort to the vile murder of civilians,” Ivan Bakanov, chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, said in a statement Friday. “After the enemy was kicked out of Snake Island, he decided to respond with a cynical shelling of civilian objects.”
We are at the apartment building outside Odesa struck by Russia last night. The same massive anti-ship missile that hit Kremenchuk. This place was crushed as people slept in their beds. #ukrainepic.twitter.com/DpF8KXJ18l
Jul 01, 12:50 pm
Ukraine submits memo to International Court of Justice on Russian aggression
Ukraine on Friday submitted a memorandum to the International Court of Justice on Russian aggression.
“We prove that Russia violated the Genocide Convention by justifying its aggression with a false pretext of a ‘genocide’ that never was,” tweeted Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He called it a “critical step to hold Russia accountable and make Russia pay for the harm it has inflicted.”
Today, Ukraine submitted a major filing at the ICJ. We prove that Russia violated the Genocide Convention by justifying its aggression with a false pretext of a ‘genocide’ that never was. Critical step to hold Russia accountable and make Russia pay for the harm it has inflicted.
Jul 01, 11:27 am
Most Ukrainians want to return home
Close to 90% of refugees who fled Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion plan to return home at some point, according to a recent poll by the Rating group.
Only 8% of refugees said they would never return to Ukraine, while 15% are prepared to go back as soon as possible, the poll showed.
Around half of those displaced only plan on returning when the war is over. Close to a third of people who lost their jobs because of the war are still not able to find new employment, the data revealed.
Jul 01, 9:42 am
Moscow denies targeting civilians in Odesa
Russia has dismissed reports from Ukrainian officials that Russian missiles struck residential areas in the southern town of Odesa early on Friday morning and reiterated its claim that Moscow does not target civilians.
“I would like to remind you of president [Vladimir Putin’s] words that the Russian Armed Forces do not engage with civilian targets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on a conference call with reporters on Friday.
Ukrainian authorities had earlier said Russian missiles hit an apartment building and two holiday camps in the region, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens of others, including children.
To counter the threat of indiscriminate Russian strikes, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pledged more supplies of advanced weapons and equipment to Ukraine on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference in Madrid, Stoltenberg said NATO has a list of requested equipment and nothing would be ruled out or excluded from that list. Several NATO countries expressed reservations about the transfer of some weapons — including tanks and other heavy weapons — to Ukraine in the first months of the war.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Max Uzol, Fidel Pavlenko and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Jul 01, 8:59 am
Will Russia become a pariah state?
In response to the invasion of Ukraine, the West has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia, nearly crippling its economy and isolating it from all but a few allies.
U.S. President Joe Biden and other government officials have said sanctions from the United States and its allies will make Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, pariahs on the world stage.
However, one expert who spoke with ABC News says that casting Russia out of the international community, making it a pariah state, may not be so easy.
“Russia is a member of the UN security council, it has veto power there. It is just a major actor on the world stage in so many ways. So isolating Russia, shaming it, making it a pariah is a huge challenge,” said Daniel Hamilton, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.
Yet, “Russia has not done too well with allies,” Hamilton also said.
“Today, it’s real allies are … sort of also pariah states. It’s Assad’s Syria, it’s Venezuela, it’s Cuba and that’s about it. Others tolerate Russia. They figure out ways to deal with it, in the former Soviet space. But they’re not really allies,” Hamilton said.
Russia and Belarus are yet to mirror NATO’s recent military activity, Belarusian President Oleksandr Lukashenko said in a speech on Thursday. Lukashenko also called on Russia to “be ready” for the use of nuclear weapons.
While a frontal attack on Ukraine from Belarusian territory is not perceived as an imminent threat by Ukrainian officials, roadblocks were reinforced in the capital of Kyiv due to the risk of diversionary and intelligence groups from Belarus roaming around the city, a National Guard spokesperson said Friday as reported by local media.
Belarus extended a large-scale military exercise near the Ukrainian border until at least July 9, a local monitoring group reported on Friday.
Lukashenko’s administration ordered conscripts en masse to report to military commissariats without disclosing the reason for the call-up, local media reported on Thursday.
Military officials threatened conscripts with criminal prosecution in case they failed to show up to their respective commissariats, according to local reports.
Belarusian officials maintain that the call-up is “simply training” that is part of “mobilization exercises.” “No one is taking anyone to any war,” military officials claimed as quoted by local media.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Max Uzol, Fidel Pavlenko and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Jul 01, 7:03 am
Russian missiles kill at least 19 in residential areas near Odesa
Russian missiles struck residential areas near the key port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 19 people, Ukrainian authorities said.
Russian bombers fired a trio of X-22 missiles that hit a nine-story apartment building and two recreational areas in the small coastal town of Serhiivka, located about 31 miles southwest of Odesa, according to a statement from the Security Service of Ukraine, which noted that rescue operations were underway.
Two children were among the 19 confirmed deaths. Another 38 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized with injuries. Most of the victims were in the apartment building, where the entire entrance was “completely destroyed,” authorities said.
One of the wounded children was a baby who was in a coma after being pulled from the charred rubble, according to authorities.
The pre-dawn attacks followed the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine’s Snake Island on Thursday, a move that was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa, home to Ukraine’s biggest seaport and one of the largest ports in the Black Sea basin.
“Occupants can’t win on the battlefield, so resort to the vile murder of civilians,” Ivan Bakanov, chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, said in a statement Friday. “After the enemy was kicked out of Snake Island, he decided to respond with a cynical shelling of civilian objects.”
Jun 30, 7:09 pm
Snake Island ‘significantly changes’ situation in Black Sea, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation on Snake Island, which was freed of Russian forces Thursday, “significantly changes the situation in the Black Sea.”
“It does not guarantee safety yet, it does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return. But it already limits the actions of the occupiers significantly,” he said in his latest national address.
The rocky Ukrainian island, located in the Black Sea, has been the target of Russia since day one of the invasion.
Ukrainian military officials claimed Thursday to have taken back control of Snake Island overnight following a successful military operation. Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry said Thursday that it withdrew all its forces from Snake Island as a “gesture of goodwill.”
Jun 30, 2:24 pm
Fierce fighting ongoing near last Luhansk Oblast city under Ukraine’s control
Fierce fighting is ongoing southwest of Lysychansk — the last city in Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast that remains under Ukrainian control, Ukraine’s General Staff said. If Lysychansk falls, one of the two Donbas regions would effectively be seized by Russia.
Russian forces have secured positions in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the Lysychansk Oil Refinery and are firing artillery on Ukrainian forces around the refinery and in nearby settlements, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk RMA, said Russian forces are shelling the city from several directions, but there’s no street fighting in Lysychansk and the city is not yet encircled.
Jun 30, 10:09 am
Biden announces $800M more in aid, ‘going to support Ukraine as long as it takes’
President Joe Biden at his press conference in Madrid Thursday announced $800 million more in aid for Ukraine, including air defense systems and offensive weapons.
A reporter asked how to explain to the American people a joint statement from Biden and other G-7 leaders Monday that read: “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Asked if that meant indefinite support from the U.S., or whether there would be a time support from the U.S. would stop, Biden replied: “We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes.”
“I don’t know what — how it’s going to end,” Biden added, “But it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently that the war needs to end by the winter. But Biden said that, “no,” that assessment hadn’t changed his calculation in terms of the pace and kind of assistance the U.S. is sending Ukraine.
Biden was also pressed on record high gas prices that he has attributed to the war in Ukraine. “How long is it fair to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war?” he was asked by a reporter.
“As long as it takes,” he replied. “Russia cannot, in fact, defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine. This is a critical, critical position for the world.”
Biden highlighted his domestic efforts to bring down the price at the pump, like releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and asking Congress and states to approve a gas tax holiday to help save consumers money at the pump.
“So I think there’s a lot of things we can do, and we will do, but the bottom line is ultimately the reason why gas prices are up is because of Russia,” he said. “Russia, Russia, Russia. The reason why the food crisis exists is because of Russia. Russia not allowing grain to get out of Ukraine.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Molly Nagle
Jun 30, 8:10 am
Nearly all released Azov defenders return wounded
Almost all soldiers of the Ukrainian Azov Regiment who were released from Russian captivity return home wounded, a representative of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders told local media on Wednesday.
“Almost everyone – 99% – were left without arms, without legs. Some do not hear, some do not see, but their eyes are happy,” Tetiana Kharko said.
According to Kharko, the sister of a captured Marine commander, some troops “talk with tears in their eyes, some can’t [speak].” The representative added that the soldiers from the latest exchange of prisoners need urgent medical care and an examination.
In his Wednesday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 95 Azovstal defenders returned home from Ukrainian captivity, along with dozens of other troops.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Max Uzol, Natalya Kushnir and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Jun 30, 7:07 am
Mariupol theater airstrike was ‘a clear war crime’ by Russian military: Amnesty International
The Russian military committed “a clear war crime” when its forces bombed a packed drama theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in March, Amnesty International said Thursday.
The London-based international human rights group published a new report documenting how the deadly blitz on the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater unfolded, citing interviews with numerous survivors and witnesses as well as “extensive digital evidence,” which included photographs, videos, radio intercepts, satellite imagery and radar data. The report concluded that the evidence indicates the attack “was almost certainly an airstrike carried out by the Russian military,” with the theater as “the intended target.”
“After months of rigorous investigation, analysis of satellite imagery and interviews with dozens of witnesses, we concluded that the strike was a clear war crime committed by Russian forces,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said in a statement Thursday.
Jun 30, 7:01 am
War outlook remains ‘grim,’ top US intelligence officer says
Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, and the outlook for the war remains grim, Avril Haines, the top U.S. intelligence officer, said Wednesday as reported by Reuters.
“In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia’s attitude toward the West is hardening,” Haines said at a Commerce Department conference.
The intelligence officer added that U.S. spy agencies expect the war to grind on “for an extended period of time.” But the Russian forces are so degraded by combat, Haines said, that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term.
Haines also said it will take years for Russia to rebuild its forces. Still, U.S. intelligence agencies foresee three possible scenarios in the war, according to Haines, the most likely being a grinding conflict in which Russian forces “make incremental gains, with no breakthrough.”
The other scenarios include a major Russian breakthrough and Ukraine succeeding in stabilizing the frontlines while achieving small gains, perhaps near the Russian-held city of Kherson and other areas of southern Ukraine.
Ukraine is likely to rely on more NATO support as the conflict drags on, with Ihor Zhovkva, the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, stating Wednesday that Ukraine believes it already meets NATO standards and maintains a course to continue integration.
“No one removes Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration from the agenda,” Zhovkva said at the NATO summit in Madrid.
Zhovka, who headed the Ukrainian delegation in Madrid, said he was satisfied with the results of the summit. The official also stressed that Ukraine maintains its course to join NATO.
Russia warned Tuesday that Ukraine joining NATO could lead to World War III should Kyiv then attempt to encroach on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Max Uzol, Natalya Kushnir and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Jun 29, 3:20 pm
Zelenskyy addresses NATO summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the NATO summit Wednesday, commending the decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
Zelenskyy told the NATO leaders, “The goals of Ukraine are exactly the same as yours: We are interested in security and stability on the European continent and in the world.”
“This is not a war of Russia only against Ukraine, this is a war for the right to dictate conditions in Europe,” he said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Jun 29, 1:37 pm
Biden, Erdogan meet after Turkey drops opposition to Finland, Sweden joining NATO
President Joe Biden met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the NATO summit in Madrid Wednesday, where he thanked Erdoğan for dropping his objections to Finland and Sweden becoming NATO members.
“I want to particularly thank you for what you did putting together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden and all the incredible work you’re doing to try to get the grain out of Ukraine and Russia,” Biden said.
“We think your pioneering in this regard is going to be crucial in terms of strengthening NATO for the future,” Erdoğan said. “And it’s going to have a very positive contribution to the process between Ukraine and Russia.”
Senior administration officials told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. made no formal offer in exchange for Erdoğan dropping Turkey’s resistance to Finland and Sweden becoming NATO members.
The U.S. Department of Defense earlier came out in support of Turkey’s plans to modernize its aircraft fleet with American-made F-16s.
