Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans will face dangerous heat this week, as a new heat wave is expected to bring near triple-digit temperatures to the South.
The Southeast and the Plains will experience temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees above average with humid conditions, according to the National Weather Service.
Heat wave continues in 27 states across the country
While the Northeast felt a reprieve from the heat this weekend, heat alerts were in effect on Sunday in the Upper Midwest, as temperatures in the Plains hit 100 degrees and higher.
Temperatures in Fargo, North Dakota, hit 102 degrees on Sunday, while North Platte, Nebraska, reached 100 degrees. Low humidity has kept heat indexes low in the Midwest, a far cry from last week’s “heat dome,” which caused the heat index in the region to reach 115 degrees.
Midwestern cities could hit their daily record highs by Monday afternoon.
The Central U.S. region will see highs in the 90s as the heat travels east but won’t see high heat index values because it won’t be very humid.
Millions of people in the Midwest will eventually see a break this week as the heat moves into the South, where cities such as Atlanta, Memphis and New Orleans will see temperatures hit close to 100 degrees.
Summer officially begins on Tuesday, and for the rest of the month, swaths of Central and southern parts of the U.S. are expected to see above-average temperatures.
More than 1,300 people die every year in the U.S because of extreme heat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The excessive heat, coupled with strong winds and arid conditions, has sparked fears of wildfires in the West. The National Weather Service issued “red flag” warnings in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Price, Utah.
According to the NWS, “red flag” warnings occur when “warm temperatures, very low humidities and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.”
While the potential for wildfires will dwindle in the next few days, the conditions will make it harder for firefighters to battle existing wildfires in the Southwest.
Due to the monsoon season, rain is expected over the next day in parts of the country that have experienced widespread drought and wildfires, such as Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, making the areas more susceptible to flash floods.
Historic flooding emergency in the Northern Rockies, high temperatures
Last week, Yellowstone National Park closed after historic flooding destroyed homes, washed out roads and left many people stranded.
(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:
Jun 20, 6:31 am
‘Historic week’ begins for Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Monday marks the beginning of a “truly historic week” for Ukraine, as the country awaits a decision on its future within the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his Sunday evening address.
“We will hear the answer from the European Union on the candidate status for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. Last week, the European Commission backed Ukraine for EU candidate status. Now it is up to the European Council to confirm Ukraine’s status, with a decision expected by the end of this week, the Ukrainian president said.
“I am convinced that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine — and other European countries — should expect increased hostility from Russia in the coming week.
“We are preparing. We are ready. We warn partners,” he said.
But as combat units from both sides of the conflict remain committed to intense combat in the Donbas, they are likely experiencing dips in morale, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense stated in a Sunday intelligence update.
“Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, however, Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled,” the ministry said.
As cases of whole Russian units refusing to carry out orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur, Russian authorities are likely struggling to put legal pressure on the dissenters due to the invasion’s official status as a ‘special military operation’, the UK report said.
Low Russian morale is driven by “perceived poor leadership, limited opportunity for rotation of units out of combat, very heavy casualties, combat stress, continued poor logistics, and problems with pay,” according to the Defense Ministry. Many Russian personnel of all ranks also likely remain confused about the war’s objectives, it said.
The U.K. Defense Ministry also said Monday the struggles of Russia’s air force likely contributed to the exhaustion of Russian ground troops. “In the conflict to date, Russia’s air force has underperformed,” another intelligence update said on Monday.
“Its failure to consistently deliver air power is likely one of the most important factors behind Russia’s very limited campaign success,” the report stated. Despite boasting relatively modern and capable combat jets, Russia’s air combat training has for years highly likely been heavily scripted and designed to impress senior officials, as opposed to fostering modern skill-sets, the Defense Ministry said.
As a result, Russian ground troops in Ukraine are becoming worn out while a heavy reliance on advanced cruise missiles has likely led to their stocks running low, the report concluded.
More shelters, less music
The Ukrainian Parliament on Sunday supported a bill on the construction of a network of bomb shelters across Ukraine, including in new buildings.
“The war has shown that there were few reliable shelters in Ukraine,” said Olena Shulyak, a member of parliament.
Many of the existing shelters are not equipped with evacuation exits, lack access to water supply and sewerage systems, and are not adapted for food storage, Shulyak said on Telegram, adding, “Not to mention their ability to protect the population in the event of weapons of mass destruction.”
The parliament topped off a busy weekend when it banned music by artists with Russian citizenship from being aired in public and in Ukrainian media to prevent the influence of “separatist sentiment in the population,” according to the new bill.
A two-thirds majority of lawmakers agreed that Russian music would make the adoption of a Russian identity more attractive while weakening the Ukrainian state.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Max Uzol and Yulia Drozd
Jun 19, 3:45 pm
Ukrainians could soon be ‘lovin’ it’ again as McDonald’s in talks to reopen: Foreign Minister
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Sunday that his country’s leaders are trying to get McDonald’s to reopen its franchises in Ukraine, while the fast-food giant has sold off its restaurants in Russia in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
While people in Russia are eating knockoff McDonald’s burger’s now rebranded as “Tasty, and That’s It” — Kuleba said in a Father’s Day Facebook message that Ukrainians are getting closer to enjoying real Big Mac’s and Quarter Pounders.
“After the war started the company, like many others, closed restaurants in Ukraine for security reasons,” Kuleba wrote. “But we in the MFA are convinced the conditions are right for them to resume work and we’re actively persuading them to return.”
He said that a few weeks ago, Ukrainian officials contacted McDonald’s Ukrainian office and its U.S. headquarters in Chicago to open negotiations on the company resuming operations
“We also raised this issue in official contacts with the U.S. government, as McDonald’s is one of most famous American brands. The process is moving along,” Kuleba said.
There was no immediate response from McDonald’s.
-ABC News’ Max Uzol
Jun 19, 12:02 pm
ABC News gets special access to see US howitzers used in the Donbas
For the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, an ABC News crew was allowed an up-close-view of Ukrainian troops firing U.S. howitzer artillery weapons during active fighting in the country’s Donbas region.
ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman and his crew were the only media outlet allowed to witness the weapons in action on the outskirts of Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine, where Russian armed forces are slowly making advances.
The cannons are considered crucial in taking out Russian artillery positions as the Ukrainian forces battle to keep the Donbas from falling completely into the hands of the enemy, Ukrainian officials said.
A Ukrainian artillery commander told ABC News he was trained how to use the howitzers in Germany by U.S. personnel.
“It makes a huge difference because this is a NATO weapon,” the artillery commander said. “It keeps the morale of our men high because with it we can work more and do a better job. Also, it demoralizes the enemy when he sees how rapid and precise we can open fire and sees the results of these attacks.”
The commander said the biggest difference between the U.S. M-777 155mm howitzers and the Russian equivalent is the precision, speed and ease of operation.
“These howitzers stand lower, which makes it easier to disguise it,” the commander said. “Also, it is harder to spot it when shots are fired.”
He said the four-ton artillery weapons are light-weight compared to the nine-ton weapons they had been using early in the war.
“So, it takes less people to operate it. Also, it is easier to transport it (and) offload,” the commander said. “Because often we fire it from areas that are not easy to get to. So weight is very important. But what is most important is that we are given lots of ammunition for these weapons. And we can work on much more targets now.”
He said the howitzers’ maneuverability is key to its use in the battlefield.
“We set up the piece, open fire and move rapidly to the new location, where we do the same,” the commander said. “This way we can change location 12 to 20 and even more times a day. And the enemy can’t understand how we work so rapidly and open fire from the areas that are not suitable for artillery.”
Asked by ABC News if he is proud to be operating the weapons against Russian troops, the commander responded, “Sure I am! Sometimes when we move to new locations we meet other artillery officers and hear them, saying, ‘Wow, triple sevens!
“So, we are very proud!” he said.
He said the weapons are so precise that many times troops hit targets with the first shot.
“Give us more weapons!” the commander said is his top request of the United States.
-ABC News’ James Longman
Jun 19, 10:22 am
Russia claims its troops have taken control of Dunbas settlement
Russian forces have purportedly taken control of the settlement of Metyolkino in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, according to Russian military officials.
The Russian Federation Armed Forces said Metyolkino was “liberated” by units from the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic with the help of the Russian army.
Russian officials claimed several units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fighting near Lisichansky in the Donbas region “are abandoning the operation area due to low moral and psychological condition, as well as lack of munitions and logistics supply.”
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Russian troops continued to launch attacks on military targets across Ukraine, according to Russian officials.
The attacks included long-distance sea-based missile attacks on Ukrainian troops in the village of Shirokaya Dacha in the Central Ukraine, according to Russian officials. The attack was launched while Ukrainian military commanders were meeting in the village and “resulted in eliminating more than 50 generals and officers of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine),” Russian officials said in a statement.
Long-range missile attacks over the past 10 days have destroyed 10 155-mm howitzer cannons and 20 armored combat vehicles Russian military officials said were sent to Ukrainian forces by Western countries. One Russian missile strike destroyed a transformer plant in Nikolayev in Southern Ukraine, according to Russian officials.
(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:
Jun 20, 6:31 am
‘Historic week’ begins for Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Monday marks the beginning of a “truly historic week” for Ukraine, as the country awaits a decision on its future within the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his Sunday evening address.
“We will hear the answer from the European Union on the candidate status for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. Last week, the European Commission backed Ukraine for EU candidate status. Now it is up to the European Council to confirm Ukraine’s status, with a decision expected by the end of this week, the Ukrainian president said.
“I am convinced that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine — and other European countries — should expect increased hostility from Russia in the coming week.
“We are preparing. We are ready. We warn partners,” he said.
But as combat units from both sides of the conflict remain committed to intense combat in the Donbas, they are likely experiencing dips in morale, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense stated in a Sunday intelligence update.
“Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, however, Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled,” the ministry said.
As cases of whole Russian units refusing to carry out orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur, Russian authorities are likely struggling to put legal pressure on the dissenters due to the invasion’s official status as a ‘special military operation’, the UK report said.
Low Russian morale is driven by “perceived poor leadership, limited opportunity for rotation of units out of combat, very heavy casualties, combat stress, continued poor logistics, and problems with pay,” according to the Defense Ministry. Many Russian personnel of all ranks also likely remain confused about the war’s objectives, it said.
The U.K. Defense Ministry also said Monday the struggles of Russia’s air force likely contributed to the exhaustion of Russian ground troops. “In the conflict to date, Russia’s air force has underperformed,” another intelligence update said on Monday.
“Its failure to consistently deliver air power is likely one of the most important factors behind Russia’s very limited campaign success,” the report stated. Despite boasting relatively modern and capable combat jets, Russia’s air combat training has for years highly likely been heavily scripted and designed to impress senior officials, as opposed to fostering modern skill-sets, the Defense Ministry said.
As a result, Russian ground troops in Ukraine are becoming worn out while a heavy reliance on advanced cruise missiles has likely led to their stocks running low, the report concluded.
More shelters, less music
The Ukrainian Parliament on Sunday supported a bill on the construction of a network of bomb shelters across Ukraine, including in new buildings.
“The war has shown that there were few reliable shelters in Ukraine,” said Olena Shulyak, a member of parliament.
Many of the existing shelters are not equipped with evacuation exits, lack access to water supply and sewerage systems, and are not adapted for food storage, Shulyak said on Telegram, adding, “Not to mention their ability to protect the population in the event of weapons of mass destruction.”
The parliament topped off a busy weekend when it banned music by artists with Russian citizenship from being aired in public and in Ukrainian media to prevent the influence of “separatist sentiment in the population,” according to the new bill.
A two-thirds majority of lawmakers agreed that Russian music would make the adoption of a Russian identity more attractive while weakening the Ukrainian state.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Max Uzol and Yulia Drozd
Jun 19, 3:45 pm
Ukrainians could soon be ‘lovin’ it’ again as McDonald’s in talks to reopen: Foreign Minister
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Sunday that his country’s leaders are trying to get McDonald’s to reopen its franchises in Ukraine, while the fast-food giant has sold off its restaurants in Russia in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
While people in Russia are eating knockoff McDonald’s burger’s now rebranded as “Tasty, and That’s It” — Kuleba said in a Father’s Day Facebook message that Ukrainians are getting closer to enjoying real Big Mac’s and Quarter Pounders.
“After the war started the company, like many others, closed restaurants in Ukraine for security reasons,” Kuleba wrote. “But we in the MFA are convinced the conditions are right for them to resume work and we’re actively persuading them to return.”
He said that a few weeks ago, Ukrainian officials contacted McDonald’s Ukrainian office and its U.S. headquarters in Chicago to open negotiations on the company resuming operations
“We also raised this issue in official contacts with the U.S. government, as McDonald’s is one of most famous American brands. The process is moving along,” Kuleba said.
There was no immediate response from McDonald’s.
-ABC News’ Max Uzol
Jun 19, 12:02 pm
ABC News gets special access to see US howitzers used in the Donbas
For the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, an ABC News crew was allowed an up-close-view of Ukrainian troops firing U.S. howitzer artillery weapons during active fighting in the country’s Donbas region.
ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman and his crew were the only media outlet allowed to witness the weapons in action on the outskirts of Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine, where Russian armed forces are slowly making advances.
The cannons are considered crucial in taking out Russian artillery positions as the Ukrainian forces battle to keep the Donbas from falling completely into the hands of the enemy, Ukrainian officials said.
A Ukrainian artillery commander told ABC News he was trained how to use the howitzers in Germany by U.S. personnel.
“It makes a huge difference because this is a NATO weapon,” the artillery commander said. “It keeps the morale of our men high because with it we can work more and do a better job. Also, it demoralizes the enemy when he sees how rapid and precise we can open fire and sees the results of these attacks.”
The commander said the biggest difference between the U.S. M-777 155mm howitzers and the Russian equivalent is the precision, speed and ease of operation.
“These howitzers stand lower, which makes it easier to disguise it,” the commander said. “Also, it is harder to spot it when shots are fired.”
He said the four-ton artillery weapons are light-weight compared to the nine-ton weapons they had been using early in the war.
“So, it takes less people to operate it. Also, it is easier to transport it (and) offload,” the commander said. “Because often we fire it from areas that are not easy to get to. So weight is very important. But what is most important is that we are given lots of ammunition for these weapons. And we can work on much more targets now.”
He said the howitzers’ maneuverability is key to its use in the battlefield.
“We set up the piece, open fire and move rapidly to the new location, where we do the same,” the commander said. “This way we can change location 12 to 20 and even more times a day. And the enemy can’t understand how we work so rapidly and open fire from the areas that are not suitable for artillery.”
Asked by ABC News if he is proud to be operating the weapons against Russian troops, the commander responded, “Sure I am! Sometimes when we move to new locations we meet other artillery officers and hear them, saying, ‘Wow, triple sevens!
“So, we are very proud!” he said.
He said the weapons are so precise that many times troops hit targets with the first shot.
“Give us more weapons!” the commander said is his top request of the United States.
-ABC News’ James Longman
Jun 19, 10:22 am
Russia claims its troops have taken control of Dunbas settlement
Russian forces have purportedly taken control of the settlement of Metyolkino in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, according to Russian military officials.
The Russian Federation Armed Forces said Metyolkino was “liberated” by units from the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic with the help of the Russian army.
Russian officials claimed several units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fighting near Lisichansky in the Donbas region “are abandoning the operation area due to low moral and psychological condition, as well as lack of munitions and logistics supply.”
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Russian troops continued to launch attacks on military targets across Ukraine, according to Russian officials.
The attacks included long-distance sea-based missile attacks on Ukrainian troops in the village of Shirokaya Dacha in the Central Ukraine, according to Russian officials. The attack was launched while Ukrainian military commanders were meeting in the village and “resulted in eliminating more than 50 generals and officers of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine),” Russian officials said in a statement.
Long-range missile attacks over the past 10 days have destroyed 10 155-mm howitzer cannons and 20 armored combat vehicles Russian military officials said were sent to Ukrainian forces by Western countries. One Russian missile strike destroyed a transformer plant in Nikolayev in Southern Ukraine, according to Russian officials.
(WASHINGTON) — A 15-year-old boy has died and three adults, including a police officer, were injured in a shooting in Washington, D.C., Sunday night, officials said.
The shooting took place near 14th and U streets Northwest, in a popular area filled with stores, restaurants and bars. The area played host to “Moechella,” a free concert celebrating Juneteenth.
The Metropolitan Police Department had reported an earlier, separate incident at the concert, when a fight was broken up, MPD Chief Robert Contee said.
Shortly after that, there was a secondary incident, Contee said, during which “people started to scatter” and some were “being trampled.” The MPD shut down the concert because it appeared it was “unsafe,” police said.
The incidents happened between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., police said, at an unpermitted event associated with Moechella. Police said “hundreds of people” had gathered on the block, and the MPD assisted in containing the crowd to the sidewalk.
While rendering aid to people caught in the stampede, a firearm was recovered, Contee said.
According to the MPD, several people were shot in the wake of the previous incidents.
Police said the firearm used in the shooting has not been recovered, and there is no suspect in custody at this time.
The two adult victims and the police officer are recovering at an area hospital, police said.
The D.C. Police Union tweeted that one of its members had been shot, was transported to the hospital “and is in stable condition.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division said it was assisting the MPD.
ABC News’ Ben Siu contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Boston 6, St. Louis 4
Arizona 7, Minnesota 1
Cleveland 5, LA Dodgers 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 2, Tampa Bay 1
Detroit 7, Texas 3
Toronto 10, NY Yankees 9
Oakland 4, Kansas City 0
LA Angels 4, Seattle 0
Houston 4, Chi White Sox 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 9, Philadelphia 3
Pittsburgh 4, San Francisco 3
Miami 6, NY Mets 2
Milwaukee 6, Cincinnati 3
Atlanta 6, Chi Cubs 0
Colorado 8, San Diego 3
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Seattle 81, New York 72
Washington 71, Connecticut 63
Indiana 89, Chicago 87
Dallas 92, Los Angeles 82
Las Vegas 96, Minnesota 95
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Atlanta 2, Miami 0
New England 2, Minnesota 1
Colorado 1 New York City FC 1 (Tie)
Sporting Kansas City 2, Nashville 1
The Big Machine Music City Grand Prixwill once again descend upon Nashville this August, bringing with it lots of opportunities for country fans to enjoy summer fun.
Tim McGraw is playing a headlining set on Friday, with the event’s Freedom Friday concert warming things up the day before. Plus, the Grand Ole Opry is once again mounting a post-race showcase, which will take place in downtown Nashville on August 7.
In addition to all the racing fun, fans will be able to cool off with the Pro WaterCross Tour. The first-ever Nashville Invitational will bring jet skis to the city’s Cumberland River, reaching speeds of up to 85 mph during the race.
An array of Super Trucks will also be featured during the event, and the Saturday night festivities will conclude with an epic fireworks display.
Tickets to the weekend festivities — including a three-day pass — are on sale now. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix runs from August 5-7.
Here’s sending out good vibrations to founding Beach Boys singer and songwriter Brian Wilson, who celebrates his 80th birthday today (June 20).
Wilson wrote the music to nearly all of his famous band’s best-known songs, from the Southern California group’s early surf-rock classics to their complex, multilayered recordings of the mid-1960s and beyond.
With his impressive gift for vocal harmonies and musical arrangements, Wilson helped craft one of the most celebrated albums of all time, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, as well as the equally lauded follow-up single “Good Vibrations,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December ’66.
In 1998, Pet Sounds was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2020, it was ranked at #2 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
Brian’s many career achievements include induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Beach Boys in 1988, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, being saluted as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2005, and being recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007.
Wilson’s most recent album with The Beach Boys, That’s Why God Made the Radio, was released in 2012, coinciding with the band’s 50th anniversary. In recent years, he’s focused on his solo career. His latest studio album, At My Piano, was released in November 2021 and features solo piano versions of many classic Beach Boys songs.
Brian also was the subject of the 2021 documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, which features new interviews with Wilson as well as with Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, co-founding Beach Boys member Al Jardine, pop star Nick Jonas and more.
Wilson continues to tour with his solo band, which features Jardine and one-time Beach Boys singer/guitarist Blondie Chaplin. They recently launched a co-headlining trek with Chicago.
A new Def Leppard coffee-table book titled Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard is expected to be released in the coming months by Genesis Publications.
According to a synopsis posted at Genesis-Publications.com, the book will offer “the most personal and comprehensive record of Def Leppard’s history to date,” and will feature personal recollections from the band’s members as well as rare photos and memorabilia from Def Leppard’s archives.
Among the interesting ephemera featured in the book will be handwritten letters, rare vinyl discs, tour memorabilia, press clippings, music video storyboards and more.
Definitely will be available as a signed, limited-edition book-and-album set from Genesis Publications. You can register at the publishing company’s website to receive more information.
In other news, Def Leppard has posted a video on its YouTube channel featuring a recap of the band’s first gig on The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, which took place Thursday, June 16, in Atlanta.
The clip featured footage from the rain-drenched show and post-gig comments from singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen.
In the video, Elliot described the concert as “the wettest gig” his band has done since 1986.
“It rained all night long, but the crowd stuck with us,” Joe notes. “Nobody left, nobody moaned.
Collen adds, “Amazing! Everything that could have gone wrong did. We had kind of like a hurricane storm…coming through. It was just drenched. The drums went off at one point, we carried on like nothing had happened.”
The tour has since stopped in the Miami area on Saturday and Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. The next show is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, in Washington, D.C.
(NEW YORK) — In a new twist in the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting, a source has confirmed to ABC News that as police waited for more than an hour in a hallway outside the classrooms where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers, none of the officers checked to see if the doors to the classrooms were locked.
The new development in the investigation of the shooting came just days after Chief Pete Arredondo of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police, the incident commander during the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, defended his actions and claimed the delay in breaching connecting classrooms 111 and 112, where the gunman was holed up was because he was waiting for a janitor to get the key to the door.
But surveillance footage showed that neither Arredondo nor any other officers taking cover in the hallway outside the classrooms ever attempted to open the door before receiving the keys to the two connecting classrooms. That means there were 77 minutes between when the alleged 18-year-old gunman entered the school through an unlocked door and when police fatally shot him, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News.
The San Antonio Express News was the first to report on Saturday that Arredondo and his team allegedly never check the classroom doors to determine if they were unlocked.
The sources confirmed to ABC News that investigators now believe the alleged gunman, Salvador Ramos, could not have locked the doors to the classrooms from inside as officials first suspected. In the surveillance footage, the sources said, it appears Ramos, 18, was able to open the door to classroom 111 from the outside, the source said. That classroom is connected to the adjacent classroom 112 by a short corridor where a restroom is located, officials have previously said.
Whether the doors to the classrooms where the slayings occurred were unlocked through the entire episode remains under investigation.
In a June 6 interview with ABC News’ Amy Robach, Robb Elementary School teacher Arnulfo Reyes, who was wounded in the shooting that killed 11 of his students, said that prior to the rampage he complained to the school’s principal that the door to his room, 111, did not latch properly during security checks. He said the door was supposed to remain shut and lock automatically.
“When that would happen, I would tell my principal, ‘Hey, I’m going to get in trouble again, they’re going to come and tell you that I left my door unlocked, which I didn’t,'” Reyes said in the interview. “But the latch was stuck. So, it was just an easy fix.”
In an interview with the Texas Tribune published June 9, Arredondo, who was recently sworn in as a Uvalde City Council member, said he spent more than an hour in the school hallway calling for tactical gear, a sniper and keys to get inside the classroom.
He claimed he and multiple officers with him in the hallway took cover away from the classroom doors for 40 minutes to avoid being struck by bullets the suspect, armed with an AR-15 style rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, fired through the door.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said three Uvalde police officers who initially ran into the school to confront the gunman were fired on through the door and two suffered graze wounds.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies in the area converged on the school and began evacuating children from other classrooms and away from the two rooms where the gunman was holed up. Video and photos from the scene, showed children being pulled through broken windows and running out of harm’s way.
Arredondo claimed in the interview with the Texas Tribune that a custodian finally brought him a large key ring with dozens of the keys attached but none worked. Sources familiar with the investigation claimed that while searching for a master key, Arredondo tried the janitor’s keys on a door out of harm’s way on a nearby classroom.
While Arredondo waited for the keys and a tactical team to gear up and reach the scene, students and teachers trapped in the classrooms with the gunman made at least seven desperate 911 calls asking for help.
Arredondo told the Texas Tribune that he didn’t bring his radios with him to the scene, claiming time was of the essence and that he wanted to have his hands free.
“The only thing that was important to me at this time was to save as many teachers and children as possible,” Arredondo told the Texas Tribune.
Sources told ABC News that Arredondo is not cooperating with investigators probing the shooting. Arredondo has denied he has been uncooperative.
Arredondo and police involved in the response to the deadly emergency have come under intense scrutiny as the investigation has unfolded and video surfaced showing panicked parents being held back by police officers from entering the school to take matters into their own hands, including a father who officers deployed a stun gun on and a mother who was handcuffed.
Police investigators and elected leaders, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have also been the subject of scorn over how the official narrative of the rampage has dramatically changed as the investigation has unfolded.
In the immediate aftermath of the Uvalde rampage, Abbott praised the “amazing courage” of law enforcement, saying the incident “could have been worse” if the officers hadn’t run toward the gunfire and eliminated the shooter. But one day later, Victor Escalon, the South Texas regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, contradicted Abbott’s statement, saying, no schools officer was at the campus when the gunman, who had already shot and wounded his grandmother, crashed a truck in front of the school and entered the school buildings unabated through an unlocked door after getting onto campus by climbing a fence.
Abbott later said he was misled on the police response.
Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, initially said the door the gunman used to access the school building was left propped open by a teacher. But officials later said the investigation showed the teacher closed the door, but the door did not automatically lock as it was supposed to.
The timeline on how quickly police responded to the shooting has also changed several times, from a rapid response to about 40 minutes, to eventually 77 minutes before a SWAT team entered the classroom where the shooter was located and killed him, authorities said.
The New York Times reported on Friday that a Uvalde police officer responding to initial reports of a shooting was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and had an opportunity to shoot the gunman outside the school but hesitated out of concern he could have hit a student with an errant shot. Law enforcement sources have confirmed that scenario to ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — The Texas Republican Party this weekend formally “rebuked” multiple GOP senators, including one of their own, for helping lead bipartisan negotiations on new gun legislation.
The resolution, adopted at the state’s convention on Saturday in Houston, dismissed the Senate compromise announced last week that had the filibuster-proof support of at least 10 Republicans.
“We reject the so called ‘bipartisan gun agreement,’ and we rebuke Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham 1601 (R-S.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.),” the resolution reads.
The party’s admonishment reflects, in part, the difficulty of congressional action around guns, given some opposition in highly conservative circles. The state GOP’s response followed Cornyn being booed, too, by the crowd while speaking at the convention on Friday.
Cornyn stepped up to help lead bipartisan negotiations around modest gun reforms following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed. The bipartisan group of senators working on the legislation announced an initial agreed-upon framework on June 12 that would increase funding for school safety and mental health as well as require enhanced background checks for 18 to 21-year-olds and support “red flag” laws enacted by states.
The agreement did not include more sweeping restrictions backed by Democrats and President Joe Biden, like raising the legal buying age for assault-style weapons.
Work continues on final text of the bill, with leaders in the House and Senate vowing quick votes if Republicans remain onboard — with hopes to bring text to the floor of the Senate this week.
Terry Harper, one of the members of the executive committee for Texas’s GOP, voted against the resolution criticizing Cornyn and others — and even tried to get it taken out — though he is skeptical of the negotiations around a possible deal on guns.
“I don’t always approve of what my elected officials do, but they are my elected officials. It’s kind of like marriage. I’ve been married for 45 years, and we don’t always agree, but we don’t part the sheets over it,” Harper told ABC News.
“It was all just a little harsh and embarrassing when they booed,” Harper continued in a phone call with ABC News.
At Saturday’s convention, the Texas GOP also added a series of positions on LGBTQ issues as part of their adopted platform and they officially continued to cast doubts on the validity of Biden’s 2020 election victory, rooted in former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a group representing the LGBTQ community in the Republican Party, was denied space for a booth at the event. (The group later shared a statement they said was from Donald Trump Jr. that criticized their exclusion.)
The state party’s new platform as posted online as of Sunday states that “homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice” and that, as a party, “We oppose all efforts to validate transgender identity.” The party also said it opposed various medical treatments for transgender people who are 21 and younger including so-called “puberty blockers,” hormone therapy and surgery.
The Texas GOP’s latest position on the gay and transgender community comes as conservatives across the country have increasingly refocused on LGBTQ issues, particularly as they relate to children – including bans on transgender kids’ medical care and discussions of sexuality and gender in classrooms.
The party’s platform was quickly and widely criticized by LGBTQ advocates after it was adopted this weekend, with some saying it could herald broader discrimination.
Following the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, Biden argued the high court could next reduce protections for gay and transgender people or reverse other major precedents, such as the national guarantee to same-sex marriage. (The draft of that opinion shows the court majority insisting its ruling on abortion would not affect other cases.)
With its new platform, the Texas GOP also continued to push the narrative of a false 2020 election and said they did not believe Biden was legitimately elected — despite any evidence and multiple recounts and audits in key battleground states.
Trump, as the party standard-bearer, has continued to assail the race he lost and promoted those who wish to overturn it, backing various local and state officials who could soon be in charge of overseeing the next elections.
During this month’s ongoing Jan. 6 committee hearings in the House, testimony from multiple members of Trump’s inner circle showed how they repeatedly rejected his claims in private, including former Attorney General Bill Barr.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll earlier this year found that 65 percent of Americans believed Biden was legitimately elected, though that number had sharp a partisan divide with nearly three-quarters of Republicans believing the opposite.
The final version of the platform will be posted in the coming days. Members voted on each part of the platform separately and votes are still being tallied, though staff with the state party told ABC News that no major changes are expected and it is rare for portions of the document to fail in the final vote. The rebuke of Cornyn was a resolution passed by voice vote.
