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Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russian airborne forces suffer ‘heavy casualties’

May 27, 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 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.

Millie Bobby Brown teases independence for Eleven in ‘Stranger Things’ season 4

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The wait is over.

Stranger Things returns to Netflix on Friday with volume one of its fourth season. Star Millie Bobby Brown told reporters at a recent roundtable what to expect from Eleven this time around, especially after the loss of her character’s supernatural abilities back in season 3.

“Without her superpowers, who is she?” Brown said. “What does she have? What does she bring to the table? What does she know?”

That’s not the only thing she teases Eleven will be without this season. Previously, the character has been written as “dependent on her friends,” Brown said, insinuating that will change this season. “She’s also trying to figure out who she is without them, without Mike specifically.”

Even though it’s been almost three years since new episodes of Stranger Things dropped in the summer of 2019, Brown said the cast and crew embraced the passing of time instead of shying away from it. “I think the Duffer Brothers do a great job in talking about the time that has passed but also moving forward,” she said. “Our fans are very dedicated and are willing to wait that time out.”

And while it may seem like Eleven is losing a lot this season – her powers, her dependence on her friends – Brown assured that she is gaining just as much.

“These are all things that I think are really nice to explore this season, and, also, [are] really good timing,” she said. “You know, she’s getting older. The kids are all getting older, and with growing up, young people want to gain autonomy from not only their parents, but their friends, and really finding out who they are and searching for that. So, I think it’s quite nice to see Eleven do that this season.”

To get in shape for Vegas, Katy Perry says she has to “let go of my Taco Bell”

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Katy Perry returns to Las Vegas Friday night for more shows in her PLAY residency: She’ll perform through June 11, take a break, then return for more shows in July and August, with more shows expected to be announced later this year. But Katy says she can’t just breeze into Sin City and get on the stage. She says she’s got to work up to it.

“You definitely have to be mindful that you have a show coming up after a six- or eight-week break,” the American Idol judge tells USA Today. “I get really strict about two or three weeks before. [The set] is like a giant kid’s jungle gym and I’m a 37-year-old adult. So I have to train like an athlete and do physical therapy and use the sauna and let go of my Taco Bell.”

The one song that’s part of Katy’s residency show that isn’t one of her hit singles is her rendition of “The Greatest Love of All,” originally recorded by George Benson and made famous in 1985 by Whitney Houston. Katy says she decided to add it to the set after becoming a mom to daughter Daisy Dove, who’ll turn 2 in August.

“After I had my daughter, the song spoke to me in a different way,” Katy tells USA Today. “I feel like Daisy has given me the greatest love of all and I find it now in my family life.”

In addition to her show, Katy also has American Idol, her shoe line and her new line of nonalcoholic beverages, De Soi. In response to that age-old question about balance, Katy says, “There’s a lot more balance when you have a family. A lot falls away that isn’t really important … But I’m at my best multitasking.”

“I’m transitioning a little more into the entrepreneurial space,” she adds, referring to the shoe line and De Soi. “These are branches of my tree. My trunk will always be music, but I have many branches.”

Mark Tremonti recounts “surreal, intense honor” of recording charity Sinatra covers album

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Of all the unexpected projects to come out of the rock world the last couple years, it’s hard to top the guitarist for Creed recording a Frank Sinatra covers album.

Mark Tremonti, who now plays in Alter Bridge and his own namesake solo band, tells ABC Audio that he’s always been a fan of Ol’ Blue Eyes, but didn’t know how to channel it in his career as hard rock guitarist. That changed, however, when his daughter, Stella, was born in March 2021 with Down syndrome.

“Once we got the diagnosis that our daughter had Down syndrome, I was, like, ‘This all had its reasons,'” Tremonti shares. “‘I’m gonna record a record doing Frank Sinatra songs, and I’m gonna do it for charity and raise money and awareness for Down syndrome.'”

Thus, we now have Tremonti Sings Sinatra, which will raise money for the National Down Syndrome Society.

In addition to the charity aspect, it was important to Tremonti that the album sound, and feel like a “real” and “authentic” interpretation of Sinatra’s work, down to getting approvals from the Sinatra family to use his name and likeness.

“[That] was probably the biggest hurdle of them all,” Tremonti says. “They’ve only done that with guys Tony Bennett and Michael Bublé.”

That authenticity was also bolstered by surviving members of Sinatra’s orchestra, including bandleader Mike Smith, who gave Tremonti the same cup of tea Sinatra would drink to warm up his voice, as well as the actual sheet music Sinatra used to perform classics like “Luck Be a Lady.”

“This was the sheet that Frank Sinatra actually held in his hand when he sang ‘Luck Be a Lady,'” Tremonti says. “Every moment of this recording process was a surreal, intense honor to participate in.”

Tremonti Sings Sinatra is out Friday.

Muse headlining 2022 Aftershock Festival in place of Foo Fighters

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Muse will be headlining the 2022 Aftershock Festival in place of Foo Fighters, which canceled all of their upcoming tour dates following the unexpected death of Taylor Hawkins.

The English trio will fill in for the Foos’ scheduled set at the Sacramento, California, event’s closing night on Sunday, October 9.

“It’s been too long and we can’t wait to come back to Northern California and headline Aftershock on Sunday, October 9, in Sacramento,” says frontman Matt Bellamy.

Aftershock 2022 takes place October 6-9 in Sacramento’s Discovery Park. The other headliners are My Chemical Romance, KISS and Slipknot.

Hawkins passed away March 25 in Bogotá, Colombia, ahead of a Foo Fighters show scheduled there for later that night. He was 50 years old.

Earlier this month, Red Hot Chili Peppers performed in place of Foo Fighters at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, while Nine Inch Nails took their place at Welcome to Rockville. NIN will also headline this weekend’s Boston Calling in the Foos’ stead, while Arcade Fire is filling in at Montreal’s Osheaga in July.

Melissa Etheridge says attending her ‘One Woman Band’ solo shows will be like “coming into my kitchen”

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Melissa Etheridge kicks off her four-night solo residency show, Melissa Etheridge: One Woman Band, at City Winery New York on May 30. She then heads to City Winery Boston for four more nights — and plans to expand the residency concept in the future.

“That’s one of the things that I’m very hopeful for…that this is something we can do in other places,” she tells ABC Audio. “I’d love to do a longer version of this, because it’s so intimate and it’s just me and it’s really fun.”

“I mean, I love being in front of thousands of people with a rock band behind me, don’t get me wrong,” she adds. “[But] I also like to be able to slip in to this intimate scene and do this, too.”

The set list for these special shows will be different each night — except for the hits.

“I always tell myself, I might do these songs every night, but the people that come to see me, this may be the only time they see me,” Melissa explains. “And they want to have that experience of singing ‘Come to My Window’ or ‘I’m the Only One’ with me, so I’ll definitely do those.”

She’ll also give fans a look at her songwriting process, by playing the components of each song herself in real time — which is basically what she’s been doing virtually since 2020.

“[D]uring the pandemic is where it really grew,” she explains. “Having a year and a half to play all of my songs — like, every song I had ever recorded — I…just really got very good at making a track live and singing to it.”

She laughs, “This is like, you’re coming into my kitchen, [I] got my ingredients. I’m going to make it right in front of you, and we’re all going to sit there, eat it, and enjoy it!”

Maverick City Music’s Naomi Raine delivers her vulnerable new track “Not Ready”

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

She says the song came as the result of a mental illness she didn’t even know she was living with. She revealed details about her upcoming album, The Journey, which speaks to just that — her journey through hardship, healing and leaning on faith. In a recent interview with ABC Audio, Maverick City Music member Naomi Raine spoke candidly about intimate life details ahead of her debut TRIBL Records solo single, “Not Ready.”

The inspirational new track provides listeners with a firsthand account of Raine’s honest conversation with Jesus, about grappling with the idea of having everything she’s wished for but at the same time feeling incomplete.

“I think that first line of, ‘Let’s be honest, Jesus I’m a mess’ — I wrote that when I was on my way out of a depression,” she said. Though “nothing was really wrong,” Raine came to the conclusion that she wasn’t living as her authentic, true self. “I was still trying to please everybody else and make everybody else feel good and I felt like my life was slipping away from me.”

But out of her struggle grew “Not Ready,” which has since served as a healing mechanism and reminder of her not just her power, but the power of music.

“I started to write … and get out of some of the funk that I was in. Putting language to it, just began to heal me in a way that I can’t even explain. I think music is miraculous.”

Raine’s realization that her artistry impacts others who can relate to the content of her songs helped her feel better about the lows life sometimes brings.

“I started to feel like, ‘OK, I’m normal,'” she said. “‘Not Ready’ is just a snapshot of my journey.”

On Memorial Day, Chris Young salutes all military service-members, including those he counts as friends

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Chris Young has a personal connection to the military — his sister and grandfather both served in the Marines — but that’s not all: Throughout his career, he’s made it a point to uplift and connect with all those who serve.

“There’s so many people that I’ve met,” he says, explaining that his career has afforded him the opportunity to perform for and meet military service men and women of all description. Every one of them has an inspiring story, he adds.

“If I was going to pick one — my buddy Joe Bowser, who lost his leg while he was serving,” Chris continues. “He and I have been friends for years and years and years…I got to meet him through one of my very first trips over to Iraq and German and Kuwait.”

Chris leans on his fellow country stars for inspiration on how to best use his platform to support the military. In particular, he looks up to the late legend Charlie Daniels, whose Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project raises funds for veteran-focused projects.

“They’ve got a lot of different outreach for veterans, if they’re dealing with something, or they might need help,” Chris details.

“Seeing Charlie’s love for the military, getting a chance to help them raise money and knowing it’s going to help our veterans who might need a leg up,” he goes on to say.

“Having that military connection to my family, having been able to be lucky enough to go around the world playing for military,” he adds,” being able to offer some help to veterans, it’s really important for me to have a chance to do that.”

Bringin’ On the ‘Halos’: Def Leppard’s latest studio, ‘Diamond Star Halos,’ arrives today

May 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Def Leppard‘s 12th studio album, Diamond Star Halos, was released today.

The 15-track collection was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with frontman Joe Elliott in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage in the U.K., and guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell and drummer Rick Allen all in the U.S.

Elliott tells ABC Audio that he really enjoyed working on the album remotely.

“[T]he creating of the record was beautiful, really, because everybody just was in their own space,” the singer notes. “And…all you needed to do [was] pick up the phone or send an email going, ‘I’ve got an idea,’ and then, bing!, off goes your inbox and there’s an MP3, and you sit and listen to it…and see if there’s anything you can add to it.”

Collen also loved the process, explaining, “It just saved so much energy, and we were just allowed to express and create and be inspired constantly…It was great.”

The album title references a lyrical phrase from T. Rex‘s signature tune “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” and Collen points out that Def Leppard chose the moniker after realizing that many tracks on the record included elements that evoked the early-’70s glam-rock era — a major influence on the band.

“[W]e realized that [between] the songs there was a thread,” Phil notes. “It was like some of the lyrics, some of the ideas, some of the vibes and rhythms and grooves were very…from that period.”

Adding to the glam-rock theme, Def Leppard enlisted longtime David Bowie keyboardist Mike Garson to play piano on two tracks.

Elliott says Garson’s parts “had a little bit of avant-garde, kind of jazzy [feel], but not too much to…make it sound weird.”

Here’s Diamond Star Halos‘ full track list:

“Take What You Want”
“Kick”
“Fire It Up”
“This Guitar” — featuring Alison Krauss
“SOS Emergency”
“Liquid Dust”
“U Rok Mi”
“Goodbye for Good This Time”
“All We Need”
“Open Your Eyes”
“Gimme a Kiss”
“Angels (Can’t Help You Now)”
“Lifeless” — featuring Alison Krauss
“Unbreakable”
“From Here to Eternity”

Accused Texas gunman sent concerning messages to over a dozen people in days before shooting

May 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — In the days and weeks before one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, the accused Robb Elementary gunman appears to have sent disturbing messages — including claims about intentions of violence at school — to numerous young people he met online, leaving a trail of digital red flags that appears to have gone unnoticed.

Over a dozen people tell ABC News that the accused gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, sent them concerning messages, across multiple social media platforms, in the days leading up to the massacre.

Hours before the massacre, Ramos allegedly messaged a young girl on Instagram saying that he had a secret he wanted to tell her, according to messages reviewed by ABC News, the contents of which law enforcement sources say are part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting. Ramos had allegedly tagged the girl in a photo of two guns days earlier.

In another message allegedly sent the morning of the shooting, Ramos sent a photo of a gun lying on a bed, according to a user who shared direct messages from the suspect’s alleged account with ABC News. She replied, asking, “Why’d u send me a pic of a gun.”

And moments before the attack, the accused gunman allegedly sent a string of messages to a young girl in Germany who he had met on the social media app Yubo, detailing that he had shot his grandmother and was heading to the school for his next target, according to messages reviewed by ABC News.

In an interview with ABC News, the young girl, who asked to be referred to as “Cece,” said that since the shooting she has been asking herself, “What if I could change the outcome, what if I could change his mind to not do this?” Cece said she regretted not putting together why Ramos had “bought two rifles on his birthday, May 16, and ordered a package full with ammunitions.”

Cece said that, in hindsight, there were also other warning signs — including the fact that Ramos asked others on Yubo if they wanted to be famous.

Another user on Instagram showed ABC News alleged messages from Ramos saying his preferred weapon is the AR-15, which was the assault weapon used in the Texas shooting.

A week before the shooting, Ramos sent another Yubo user a message telling her he would make her famous if she followed him back on Instagram, according to messages reviewed by ABC News.

And another young user told ABC News that the Ramos was on Yubo the day before the massacre and that he implied that something would occur the next day.

That user, who lives in Greece and asked to remain anonymous, told ABC News she tried to report Ramos to Yubo — but that “regardless of how many times he was reported … he would still come back.”

A spokesperson for Yubo, when asked by ABC News if Ramos’ account had been flagged, said that “at this stage, we are not legally able to release any specific user information outside of direct requests from law enforcement.”

The company “can confirm that we are investigating an account that has since been banned from the platform” the Yubo spokesperson said. “We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable loss and are fully cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation.”

The majority of the users who Ramos allegedly messaged in the days leading up to the shooting told ABC News that they were first contacted by him on Yubo, which has been described as a dating app for teens. The users he communicated with are predominantly high-school age. Most said they did not report the messages and didn’t take them seriously.

In the weeks leading up to the deadly attack, Ramos also appeared to have made efforts to meet some of the users he had met on Yubo in person, according to messages shown to ABC News.

“He was supposed to meet up with me,” a young girl told ABC News before expressing relief. “I just never really texted him back.”

The user showed ABC News messages allegedly showing that Ramos had planned to meet up with her in late April.

“He would mostly follow girls who he thought were attractive,” another Yubo user told ABC News. “And asked to meet up with them.”

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