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In Texas and beyond, many politicians receive mega donations from pro-gun supporters

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who represent the state where an 18-year-old gunman carried out one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings last week, are among Congress’ top recipients of contributions from pro-gun donors, campaign finance records show.

Cruz, in particular, has taken in the most money from pro-gun individuals and groups of anyone in the current Congress, amassing $442,000 over the course of his career, according to an analysis of disclosure reports by the nonpartisan campaign finance research group OpenSecrets.

Cornyn ranks third among current U.S. senators and representatives, receiving a total of $340,000 in contributions from pro-gun donors over his career, after Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who has amassed $396,000, according to the analysis.

Direct contributions from pro-gun individuals and political action committees are limited to a relatively small amount each election cycle, compared to the millions of dollars that super PACs and various other unlimited-spending outside groups are allowed to spend in support of candidates independent of coordination with their campaigns. The National Rifle Association’s various outside spending committees, for example, spent more than $6 million supporting North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr against unsuccessful Democratic challenger Deborah Ross during the 2016 election cycle.

Still, direct contributions — although smaller in size — are an effective illustration of a candidate’s level of support from gun-rights advocates.

“Throughout his career, Sen. Cruz has passionately fought to protect families from criminals and defend Texans’ constitutional rights,” Cruz spokesperson Steve Guest told ABC News.

At the state level, the NRA and NRA Victory Fund have spent a total of $575,000 in local Texas elections since 2015, in both direct contributions to campaigns and independent ad spending in support of candidates, according to an analysis of state campaign disclosure reports by nonpartisan nonprofit Transparency USA, which tracks state-level political disclosures.

Campaign disclosure reports also show that executives of Daniel Defense, the maker of the assault weapon that the accused gunman allegedly used in last week’s shooting, have been major Republican donors over the last few years.

Between 2016 and 2020, the company’s president and CEO, Marvin Daniel, and his wife and COO, Cindy Daniel, together gave a total of $300,000 to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars more to numerous other Republican campaigns and committees over the years, according to disclosure filings.

The two are also regular donors to the National Shooting Sports Foundation PAC, together giving the group a total of $20,000 so far in the 2022 election cycle.

In addition, on Jan. 6, 2021, the company made a $100,000 donation to the Gun Owners Action Fund super PAC, which was launched shortly after the 2020 election to provide an 11th-hour boost to then-Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the Georgia Senate runoffs that month.

However, the super PAC’s treasurer, Nancy Watkins, told ABC News that the PAC refunded Daniel Defense’s $100,000 contribution “at the request of the donor” on May 10, 2022, and that the refund will be disclosed in July’s quarterly disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission, which covers April through June.

Watkins did not disclose why the donation was returned more than a year after it was made. Since the Georgia runoffs, the group has been largely dormant, according to its disclosure reports — not receiving significant donations or participating in political activities.

Representatives for Daniel Defense did not return ABC News’ request for comment.

In addition to Daniel Defense’s contribution, the Gun Owners Action Fund received donations from other gun manufacturers, including $100,000 from Sig Sauer in December 2020, and $10,000 from Luth-AR the following month. However the $100,000 donation from Sig Sauer was refunded in April, after the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging the donation violated campaign finance law that prohibits federal contractors from making federal political contributions.

The super PAC was also heavily funded by ESAPAC, another super PAC that itself is funded by top GOP donors like the Ricketts family, Charles Schwab and Ken Griffith.

The emergence of new pro-gun PACs like the Gun Owners Action Fund comes as the National Rifle Association, the most high-profile gun rights group in the country, has been wracked by legal battles and threats of bankruptcy.

The NRA, which spent more than $56 million in super PAC and outside money during the 2016 election cycle — including spending more than $30 million to support Donald Trump’s defeat of Hillary Clinton — has so far spent only $9,600 in outside spending for 2022 midterm candidates, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis of FEC data — a notably low figure even at this early stage in the cycle.

NRA representatives did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Unlikely monkeypox outbreak will turn into a pandemic, WHO says

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The World Health Organization said Monday it doesn’t believe the monkeypox outbreak currently spreading around the world will turn into a pandemic.

Since May 13, at least 257 cases of the rare disease have been confirmed in 23 countries where the virus is not endemic — mostly in Europe and North America — and 120 are suspected.

Of those infections, 14 are confirmed or suspected across eight states in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, no deaths have been reported in non-endemic countries.

The disease is not typically found outside of countries in central and western Africa, which has raised fears of community transmission.

According to the WHO, at the present time, there is no clear link between the cases reported and travel from endemic countries.

When asked during a public session Monday if the recent outbreak could turn into a pandemic, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the WHO’s technical lead for monkeypox, replied, “The answer is we don’t know, but we don’t think so.”

“At the moment, we are not concerned about a global pandemic,” Lewis continued.

Other public health officials have said the risk for spread is generally low.

The WHO stated the majority of cases have been reported among men who identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men. Monkeypox can still be transmitted to anyone with exposure to it.

“We are concerned that individuals may acquire this infection through high-risk exposure if they don’t have the information they need to protect themselves,” Lewis said.

She offered recommendations for people to lower their risk of infection, including avoiding those with confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox and — if caring for someone with the disease — avoiding skin-to-skin contact, washing hands regularly, wearing a mask and cleaning contaminated surfaces.

“Collectively, the world has an opportunity to stop this outbreak,” Lewis said. “There’s a window of opportunity where this can be contained.”

When people are infected with monkeypox, it is generally a mild illness with the most common symptoms being fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, backache and swollen lymph nodes.

Patients can develop a rash and lesions that often begin on the face and extremities before spreading to the rest of the body. Symptoms usually last two to four weeks before dissipating.

Animals pass the disease to humans either through a bite or a scratch, and people can also catch monkeypox from preparing and consuming infected bush meat.

Human-to-human transmission occurs either through hugging, touching or prolonged face-to-face contact as well as by touching an infected person’s clothing or bedsheets.

The WHO said there are many “unknowns” about the outbreak including if the virus is being sexually transmitted or via close contact when engaging in sex. It’s also unclear whether monkeypox can spread if a person is asymptomatic.

However, officials stressed the risk to the general public remains low and shouldn’t be compared to COVID-19.

“Monkeypox is very different from COVID-19,” Dr. Sylvie Briand, the director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at WHO, said during the public session. “We don’t want people to panic or be afraid and maybe think that it’s like COVID but worse.”

She added, “This monkeypox disease is not COVID-19. It is a different virus; it’s a different disease.”

Biden is ‘going to continue to push’ for gun compromise as White House says it’s up to Congress

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday he spent more than three and a half hours with survivors and the families of victims of last week’s mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.

Returning to Washington, Biden said the pain he witnessed in Uvalde was “palpable” and “unnecessary” and that he was — and always had been — committed to gun control efforts intended to reduce more violence.

But there was only so much he could do as a president, he said. Major changes would need to be authorized by Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers are again in negotiations over a possible bill despite how divided they remain over guns.

When a reporter asked Biden outside the White House if he felt more motivated to act on legislation now, in the wake of recent shootings such as Uvalde, he said he has been “motivated all along.”

“I’m going to continue to push and we’ll see how this works,” he said.

“I can’t outlaw a weapon. I can’t change the background checks,” he said.

This is where the legislature should act, he said.

For example, he said, “It makes no sense to be able to purchase something that can fire up to 300 rounds.”

He told reporters how as a senator he once spoke with trauma doctors who showed him an X-Ray of the damage a high-caliber weapon can inflict on the body — how “a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in a lung and we could probably get it out, may be able to get it and save the life, [but] a 9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”

“The idea of these high-caliber weapon, there’s simply no rational basis for it, in terms of whether this be about self-protection, hunting,” he said.

“The Constitution, the Second Amendment, was never absolute,” Biden said. “You couldn’t buy a canon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weapons.”

The president spoke with reporters moments after stepping off Marine One one day after his visit to Uvalde, where he told a crowd of demonstrators “we will” as they chanted for him to “do something” about gun violence.

The massacre in Texas was preceded less than two weeks earlier by another mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. Ten Black people were killed in a grocery store in what authorities suspect was a racially motivated attack.

Those back-to-back killings have prompted a group of bipartisan senators — four Republicans and five Democrats — to engage in initial conversations about new gun laws. Democrats need at least some GOP support, though conservatives largely oppose legislating the issue, instead focusing on the so-called “hardening” of school security and other measures.

The group of lawmakers intended to meet via video over the recess to continue hashing out where they stand and where a possible compromise could be brokered.

“We’re getting started to try to figure out if there’s a path to getting to a consensus, and we’ll see where it takes us,” Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said last week.

The White House, which took a more direct role in previous legislative priorities, has said the president will observe the process as it proceeds. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked repeatedly what the administration saw as its role in pushing for a new law.

“We really, truly leave the mechanics up to Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,” Jean-Pierre said last week, referring to the Senate majority leader and House speaker. “We are confident that Sen. Schumer will bring this forward. And again, it is time for Congress to act. This is what the president has been calling for since the beginning of his administration.”

Biden, who based his 2020 campaign in part on his record of working across the aisle as a senator, was asked on Monday if he thought Republicans would approach the issue differently this time. He said that he hadn’t spoken to any of them, “but my guess is yes, I think they’re going to take a hard look.”

When he landed in Uvalde on Sunday, he and first lady Jill Biden were greeted by state officials including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch opponent of the president’s agenda and a proponent of pro-gun laws.

The Bidens’ visit to the Uvalde was focused on meeting with the victims, their families and the first responders to the shooting — not promoting a legislative agenda. The president said Monday at the White House that he “deliberately did not engage in a debate about that with any Republican” during his trip.

He said he would continue to take executive actions regarding firearms and sounded a note of cautious optimism about where the congressional talks may lead.

“I consider Sen. [Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell a rational Republican, and [Sen. John] Cornyn is as well,” he said. “I think there’s a recognition on their part … that we can’t continue like this.”

Video appears to show Texas 911 dispatchers relaying information from children in classroom

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — Video obtained by ABC News, taken outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as last week’s massacre was unfolding inside, appears to capture a 911 dispatcher alerting officers on scene that they were receiving calls from children who were alive inside the classroom that the gunman had entered — as law enforcement continued to wait nearly an hour and a half to enter the room.

“Child is advising he is in the room, full of victims,” the dispatcher can be heard saying in the video. “Full of victims at this moment.”

“Is anybody inside of the building at this…?” the dispatcher asked.

Minutes later, the dispatcher says again: “Eight to nine children.”

The video, obtained by ABC News, also shows police rescuing children from inside the school by breaking through a window and pulling them out, and also leading them out the back door to safety.

Early on, an officer can be heard warning bystanders to stay back because there is a man with a rifle.

Minutes later, what appear to be gunshots are heard ringing out.

The video, which appears to show some of what took place outside the school, raises new questions about law enforcement’s response to one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.

The gunman was left inside the classroom for 77 minutes as 19 officers waited in the hallway — and many more waited outside the building — after the incident commander wrongly believed the situation had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject, law enforcement has said.

Federal officers ultimately decided to enter the building and killed the gunman, according to law enforcement sources.

At a news conference Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McGraw said children inside the classroom had called 911 a number of times begging for them to “please send police now.” It appeared that information may not have been relayed to officers on the ground, he said.

“That question will be answered,” McGraw said when asked directly if the incident commander on the ground received the 911 information. “I’m not going to share the information we have right now. Because I don’t have — I don’t have the detailed interview right now.”

But the video obtained by ABC News, taken just outside the premises, appears to show that 911 dispatchers were relaying the information — including information that the room was “full of victims.” It is not clear who on scene, if anyone, heard the calls coming in from the dispatchers.

“Advise we do have a child on the line,” an apparent dispatcher can be heard saying in the video.

The dispatcher’s information heard on the video appears to match the readout of the 911 calls provided last week by law enforcement officials. McGraw said a child had called 911 saying she was in room 112 and had “advised there were multiple dead.”

Later, McGraw said, “she called back and said there’s eight to nine students alive.”

More than one of the children who dialed 911 from inside the classroom survived, McGraw said on Friday.

The Department of Justice on Sunday announced it would be conducting a “fair, transparent, and independent” review of the law enforcement response to the shooting. The findings of the review, the department said, would be published in a report and made available to the public.

“The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events,” DOJ said in its release.

Two missing, 10 rescued after kayakers go over Virginia dam

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(RICHMOND, Va.) — Two females are missing after a group of 12 kayakers became stranded and then went over Bosher’s Dam in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday afternoon.

Ten victims were rescued, including nine rescued by authorities and one self-rescue, after the incident on the James River, according to Richmond Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeffrey Segal.

The incident took place around 3 p.m. and rescue boats entered the water at 3:22 p.m., Segal said. The dam has a 12-foot drop.

The rescue operation to search for the missing females ceased Monday night because it was getting dark and would restart Tuesday at 7 a.m., Segal said.

It’s unclear if all the victims knew each other, according to the assistant chief, and if they were all physically inside the kayaks at the time of the emergency.

It’s also unknown where the two missing females went missing, Segal said. Their last known location was where most of the victims were rescued.

The operation is still classified as a rescue and not a recovery, Segal added.

Russia-Ukraine updates: French journalist killed in Ukraine

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(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:

May 30, 10:56 am
French journalist killed in Ukraine

A French journalist working for cable channel BFM TV has been killed in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, according to Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration.

French President Emmanuel Macron identified the journalist as Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff.

“On board a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee to escape Russian bombs, he was fatally shot,” Macron tweeted. “I share the pain of the family, relatives and colleagues of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, to whom I send my condolences. To those who carry out the difficult mission of informing in theaters of operations, I would like to reiterate France’s unconditional support.”

May 29, 1:38 pm
31% of Kharkiv region occupied by Russian forces, Ukrainian officials say

A significant portion of Kharkiv, a town in northwest Ukraine near the Russian border, is occupied by Russian forces, Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit on Sunday.

Just 5% of the region has been liberated by Ukrainian forces, Synegubov said.

“We are not yet able to fully inspect some of the liberated settlements, conduct full-fledged de-mining and begin rebuilding critical infrastructure, as shelling continues,” Synegubov said, according to a statement from Zelenskyy’s office. “Where we can do it remotely – we do it.”

During the trip to Kharkiv, Zelenskyy inspected destroyed residential buildings in the Saltivka district. The northern and eastern districts of the city suffered the most destruction, with more than 30% of total housing damaged.

Zelenskyy noted that there will be an opportunity to modernize new constructions and that new housing will have to include bomb shelters.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

May 27, 1:32 pm
Zelenskyy calls for Russia to unblock Ukraine’s seaports amid ‘food crisis’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russia to unblock Ukraine’s seaports to end a global “food crisis” while speaking at the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia think tank Friday, according to his office.

“Russia has blocked access to our ports in the Black Sea and occupied our part of the Sea of Azov. As a result of this military blockade, most traditional Ukrainian trade routes have been closed,” said Zelenskyy, noting that 22 million tons of grain are currently in storage facilities in Ukraine. “We cannot direct them to the world market, where they are needed right now, at this time.”

According to the president, this block has already affected the prices for grain and soon will affect the prices for other food products. He predicted that many countries will run out of last year’s harvest stockpiles in July.

“The sooner our ports are unblocked, the sooner the food crisis will stop, because we will be able to send our stocks and new crops to the world market,” Zelenskyy said.

May 27, 7:08 am
Bucha resident who lost husband, unborn son tries to rebuild her life

Anna Polonska had struggled to get pregnant. So when she did, it was a moment of sheer joy; a happy family life lay ahead.

But days after Russia invaded Ukraine, her unborn son and husband were killed in shelling as they tried to flee Ukraine, she told ABC News.

She was also gravely injured in the attack, and doctors did not think she would survive.

Adding to her loss, soldiers stole almost all of her possessions and destroyed her apartment, she recalled.

But in a remarkable interview, Anna said she is now focusing on picking up the pieces — showing incredible courage and determination to live and walk again.

At least 3,998 civilians have been killed and 4,693 others have been injured in Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

At least 260 children were among the dead and 404 among the injured, according to the OHCHR.

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the agency said in a statement Thursday. “OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.”

Those areas include Mariupol in the Donetsk Oblast, Izium in the Kharkiv Oblast and Popasna in the Luhansk Oblast, where the OHCHR said “there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.” Casualty numbers from those locations “are being further corroborated” and thus are not included in the latest statistics, according to the agency.

May 26, 6:06 am
Russia’s airborne forces suffer ‘heavy casualties’ after ‘tactical failures,’ UK says

The Russian military’s airborne forces, known as the VDV, “have been heavily involved in several notable tactical failures since the start of Russia’s invasion” of neighboring Ukraine, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

“This includes the attempted advance on Kyiv via Hostomel Airfield in March, the stalled progress on the Izium axis since April, and the recent failed and costly crossings of the Siverskyi Donets River,” the ministry said Thursday in an intelligence update.

“Russian doctrine anticipates assigning the VDV to some of the most demanding operations,” the ministry added. “The 45,000-strong VDV is mostly comprised of professional contract soldiers. Its members enjoy elite status and attract additional pay. The VDV has been employed on missions better suited to heavier armoured infantry and has sustained heavy casualties during the campaign.”

The VDV’s “mixed performance likely reflects a strategic mismanagement of this capability and Russia’s failure to secure air superiority,” according to the ministry.

“The misemployment of the VDV in Ukraine highlights how Putin’s significant investment in the armed forces over the last 15 years has resulted in an unbalanced overall force,” the ministry said. “The failure to anticipate Ukrainian resistance and the subsequent complacency of Russian commanders has led to significant losses across many of Russia’s more elite units.”

May 24, 4:47 pm
Drone footage shows devastation inside Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol

Drone footage released by Russian media shows the devastation inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces fended off Russian troops for weeks amid intense fighting before surrendering.

The drone footage released by the Russian news outlet MIC Izvestia showed the collapsed walls of the plant and twisted metal and debris strewn about the entire facility.

The Russian Defense ministry on Friday said the last Ukrainian fighters defending Azovstal had surrendered, giving Russia full control of the port city of Mariupol.

The seizure of Mariupol, gives Russia command of a land route linking the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014, with mainland Russia and parts of eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russians, Ukrainians fight street by street in key city

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

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

May 31, 5:42 am
Up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in fight for Severodonetsk

As Russian forces battle for control of a key eastern Ukrainian city, up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in the crossfire, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“I am horrified to see Severodonetsk, the thriving city where we had our operational headquarters, become the epicentre of yet another chapter of the brutal war in Ukraine,” NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland said in a statement Tuesday. “We fear that up to 12,000 civilians remain caught in crossfire in the city, without sufficient access to water, food, medicine or electricity. The near-constant bombardment is forcing civilians to seek refuge in bomb shelters and basements, with only few precious opportunities for those trying to escape.”

Over the past week, the Oslo-based humanitarian organization has been working with local Ukrainian partners to provide thousands of monthly food and hygiene parcels to civilians remaining in Severodonetsk and the greater Luhansk Oblast, according to Egeland. The city is the last still held by Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast.

“But now the intensified fighting makes aid delivery impossible,” he added. “We cannot save lives under the hail of grenades.”

NRC has been operational in Ukraine since 2014, serving people affected by conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of eastern Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region.

“Almost one hundred days since the war in Ukraine escalated, we have seen bombs destroy critical infrastructure across the country and reduce entire cities like Severodonetsk to rubble,” Egeland said. “More than 14 million men, women and children are displaced within Ukraine or sheltering in other countries with no idea when they will be able to safely return to their homes.”

May 31, 4:50 am
Russians, Ukrainians fight street by street in key eastern city

Russian and Ukrainian forces are believed to be fighting street by street on the outskirts of Severodonetsk, a key city in Ukraine’s east, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.

“Russia’s capture of Lyman supports its operational main effort, which likely remains the encirclement of Sieverodonetsk and the closure of the pocket around Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast,” the ministry said. “Heavy shelling continues, while street fighting is likely taking place on the outskirts of Sieverodonetsk town.”

After several days of fighting, the Russian military claimed Saturday to have fully seized the strategic town of Lyman, which serves as a railway hub in the Donetsk Oblast, west of Severodonetsk.

“Russia’s political goal is likely to occupy the full territory of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” the ministry added. “To achieve this, Russia will need to secure further challenging operational objectives beyond Sieverodonetsk, including the key city of Kramatorsk and the M04 Dnipro-Donetsk main road.”

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in fight for Severodonetsk

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

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

May 31, 5:42 am
Up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in fight for Severodonetsk

As Russian forces battle for control of a key eastern Ukrainian city, up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in the crossfire, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“But now the intensified fighting makes aid delivery impossible,” he added. “We cannot save lives under the hail of grenades.”

NRC has been operational in Ukraine since 2014, serving people affected by conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of eastern Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region.

May 31, 4:50 am
Russians, Ukrainians fight street by street in key eastern city

After several days of fighting, the Russian military claimed Saturday to have fully seized the strategic town of Lyman, which serves as a railway hub in the Donetsk Oblast, west of Severodonetsk.

Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee: Seven memorable moments from her 70-year reign

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth will be celebrated this week with what is being described as a once-in-a-lifetime celebration to mark her Platinum Jubilee.

The royal family and the public will take part in festivities including ranging from the traditional Trooping the Colour birthday parade to a star-studded concert to celebrate the 96-year-old queen, the first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952.

As the celebrations get underway, here is a look back at seven of the queen’s most memorable moments from 70 years on the throne:

1. A history-making coronation

Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, 1953, was the first to be televised.

The nearly three-hour service in Westminster Abbey was watched on TV by 27 million people in the United Kingdom alone, according to the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s oldest child, Prince Charles, attended the coronation, becoming the first child to witness his mother’s coronation.

Following the service, the queen and Prince Philip joined a 16,000-person strong procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.

Among the thousands of journalists covering the queen’s coronation was Jacqueline Bouvier, who at the time worked for the Washington Times-Herald and would go on to become first lady of the United States alongside her husband, President John F. Kennedy, according to the royal family.

2. The first royal ‘walkabout’ to greet fans

While royal watchers are used to seeing royals including Prince William and Duchess Kate greet fans at each stop they make, a practice called the “walkabout,” that was not the case before Queen Elizabeth.

The queen upended royal tradition while on a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Prince Philip in 1970. Instead of waving to crowds from a protected distance, Queen Elizabeth walked out and greeted people in-person, the first royal “walkabout.”

3. Meeting 13 sitting U.S. presidents

Queen Elizabeth has met with every U.S. president during her 70 years on the throne, except for Lyndon B. Johnson.

She met with President Joe Biden last June at Windsor Castle, marking her 13th meeting with a sitting U.S. president.

Queen Elizabeth has hosted just three presidents for an official state visit — Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

4. Celebrating jubilees in a history-making reign as queen

In 1977, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Silver Jubilee, 25 years on the throne, with a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where she repeated her pledge to a life of service.

More than two decades later, in 2002 — the same year both her mother and sister passed away — Queen Elizabeth celebrated 50 years on the throne, her Golden Jubilee.

The queen was escorted through the streets of London in a four-ton golden coach, previously used only when she was crowned and at her Silver Jubilee. In a ceremony that dates back almost 800 years, she touched a sword handed to her by the Lord Mayor of London, symbolizing the supreme power of the monarch.

In June 2012, Queen Elizabeth celebrated 60 years on the throne, her Diamond Jubilee, with a parade down the Thames and a concert outside Buckingham Palace.

Three years later, in 2015, Queen Elizabeth made history, becoming Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, at 63 years.

5. ‘Parachuting’ into the London Olympics with James Bond

The same year as her Diamond Jubilee, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth memorably starred alongside actor Daniel Craig in a clip that aired during the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The queen portrayed herself in the clip, which featured Craig, as James Bond, picking her up at Buckingham Palace. Stunt actors then portrayed the two helicoptering across London and parachuting into the Olympics venue, while Queen Elizabeth herself arrived at her seat, accompanied by Prince Philip.

6. Serving as matriarch of a growing royal family

Queen Elizabeth has been an omnipresent force not just on the world stage, but also within her own family.

The queen, a mother of four, is the matriarch of an ever-growing family, which now includes eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

She has been present for weddings, as well as divorces that made headlines.

She has also guided her family through scandal and discord, most recently amid a lawsuit against her son Prince Andrew, as well as the exit of her grandson Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan, from their senior royal roles.

7. Saying goodbye to her husband of 73 years

Queen Elizabeth faced a deeply personal and sad moment in her reign last April when she said goodbye to her husband , Prince Philip, following his death at age 99.

Due to restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, the queen sat alone during the April 17, 2021, funeral service for Philip, her husband of 73 years.

Known as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, was also a stalwart supporter of his wife.

“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Queen Elizabeth said in 1997, paying tribute to her husband on their golden wedding anniversary. “And I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”

REO Speedwagon and Styx’s Live & UnZoomed Tour with Loverboy kicks off tonight

May 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Since 2000, REO Speedwagon and Styx have regularly hit the road together, and the veteran rockers’ latest co-headlining trek, the Live & UnZoomed Tour, gets underway tonight in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The outing, which also features Loverboy, includes over 40 dates, and runs through a September 18 concert in Bangor, Maine.

REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty says the idea to tour jointly with Styx came about at a time when the popularity of veteran rock acts “was kind of tapering off.”

“[W]e knew that we needed some kind of a better reason for people to come out and see classic rock,” Doughty points out. “So we just started this thing of, you know, let’s put two or three headline bands on the same show and that’ll get people out of their houses.”

Doughty says REO has never done a full tour with Loverboy before, while noting that the Canadian group is “another one of those bands that as soon as you start working with them, you’re immediately good friends.”

He adds, “[Lead singer] Mike Reno is a force of nature. He’s just such a lovable guy. So they’re gonna be a really good addition to the Styx and REO [tour].”

As for what fans can expect from REO Speedwagon’s set on the trek, Doughty explains, “We know we’re working for the audience, literally, so we’ve got to play the biggest hits and, of course…[when we do,] it goes through the roof.”

Neal says that beyond REO’s hit power ballads, like “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,’ “a lot of our live show goes back to the stuff we were doing in the ’70s, [such as] ‘Roll with the Changes’ and ‘Ridin’ the Storm Out.'”

Check out the full tour schedule at REOSpeedwagon.com and StyxWorld.com.

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