(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta 130, Orlando 109
Detroit 112, Boston 111
Indiana 113, Washington 108
Brooklyn 111, New York 106
Chicago 125, Sacramento 118
San Antonio 114, Oklahoma City 106
Toronto 103, Minnesota 91
Portland 123, Memphis 119
Phoenix 124, Houston 121
LA Lakers 106, Utah 101
Denver 117, Golden State 116
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Winnipeg 6, Minnesota 3
Florida 3 Carolina 2 (OT)
Calgary 6, Anaheim 2
Colorado 2, Vegas 0
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling ABC News Wednesday the U.S. has seen “no meaningful pullback” of Russian forces and that Russian President Vladimir Putin could “pull the trigger” at any point.
More than 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday, as U.S. officials have urged all Americans to immediately leave Ukraine.
While Putin and the Kremlin claim that Russia has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders, ABC News has learned Putin had told his military forces to be ready to invade by Wednesday. It remains unclear whether he has made a decision to attack his neighbor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, celebrated a national “day of unity” Wednesday.
Russia has denied it plans to invade and has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Latest headlines:
-Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
-UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
-Russian troops in ‘firing positions’: State Dept.
-Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
-Ukriane’s Zelenskyy addresses nation on ‘unity day’
-Moscow claims concern Kyiv preparing for attack against Donbas
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 16, 8:51 pm
Harris to meet with Ukrainian president in Munich this week
Vice President Kamala Harris this week will make one of her most significant foreign policy trips since taking office, heading to Germany to lead the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference — where she will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We are in a very decisive moment,” a senior administration official told reporters as Harris prepared to lead the U.S. delegation, calling it a “resounding signal that engagement with our allies and partners is an absolutely critical part of our overall diplomacy in our approach to this situation.”
During the Wednesday night call, senior administration officials said the tensions with Russia will be a major focus of the vice president’s time abroad, with her schedule featuring a “series of high-stakes, high-level diplomatic talks.”
Harris’ most notable meeting will be with the Ukrainian president on Saturday.
“That’ll be a real opportunity to underscore our commitment to Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity and to further coordinate the diplomatic efforts that have been underway to provide economic, and defensive security in Ukraine,” an official said.
Harris is also expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
She will deliver keynote remarks at the conference, where she is expected to address the situation on Ukraine’s borders — touching on diplomatic, military and economic coordination of allies.
“The vice president will underscore how that unity is a source of strength that will allow us to respond quickly and severely to any further Russian aggression,” an official said.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Feb 16, 7:24 pm
Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border by as many as 7,000 troops in the last few days, with some arriving Wednesday, a senior White House official told ABC News.
The assessment comes a day after the Russian government said it has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders.
The official didn’t comment on the total number of Russian forces currently along the border.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia has “more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine and Belarus and along Ukraine’s border.” It’s unclear if that number includes any of the new troops cited by the official.
Private satellite imaging company Maxar on Wednesday released over two dozen new images from the last 48 hours that continue to show Russia’s heightened military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.
They include images that show a new 20-strong attack helicopter unit deployed in Belarus, a field hospital in Belarus and a pontoon bridge that has appeared across a river in Belarus, four miles from Ukraine’s border.
At least three of the images indicate some troops have departed or are preparing to depart, according to Maxar, though it’s unclear where the troops are going.
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Patrick Reevell
Feb 16, 6:11 pm
Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
President Joe Biden had a secure call Wednesday afternoon with German Chancellor Scholz, according to the White House, ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveling to Germany on Thursday for the Munich Security Conference.
The two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “underscored the importance of continued transatlantic coordination on diplomacy and deterrence measures,” the White House said.
Scholz visited the Kremlin and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. The German chancellor has said that war is “unimaginable” and shouldn’t be an option since Ukraine has not formally requested to join NATO, as Russia demands it be barred from doing so.
“That is why it is somewhat peculiar to observe that the Russian government is making something that is practically not on the agenda the subject of major political problems,” Scholz said earlier this week.
“That is, after all, the challenge we are actually facing. That something that is not at all an issue now is being made an issue,” he said.
Feb 16, 5:10 pm
UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
British Army Lt. Gen. James Hockenhull, chief of defense intelligence, said Wednesday that the U.K. has also not seen evidence that Russia is withdrawing substantial forces from near Ukraine, matching comments from NATO and U.S. officials.
“We have not seen evidence that Russia has withdrawn forces from Ukraine’s borders. Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine,” Hockenhull said in a rare public statement.
“This includes sightings of additional armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine’s borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Russian units that are supposedly pulling back appear to actually be returning to their home bases that are already located next to Ukraine. Security analysts say that Russia appears to simply be shuffling its forces for the time being, while more continue to arrive.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian in the French Senate Wednesday also said, for now, they are unable to say whether Russian troops are withdrawing or rotating but that Russia has all the elements in place for an attack.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler, Patrick Reevell and Anna Rabe
(NEW YORK) — In an event plagued by controversy, the women’s singles figure skating competition will wrap up Thursday with the free skate — and Russian skater Kamila Valieva will be last on the ice.
The first skaters are scheduled to take the ice at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
The International Testing Agency revealed last week that Valieva, 15, of the Russian Olympic Committee, the gold medal favorite, tested positive for a banned substance in a sample taken in December during the Russian Figure Skating Championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Valieva could compete, despite the news, saying it was because she was a minor and the full appeal process, including the testing of her B sample, had yet to take place.
The question of what will happen to the ROC’s gold in the team event — won with Valieva leading the way — will be determined by the International Skating Union once a full appeal of the test can be conducted, according to the International Testing Agency.
Valieva leads the competition with the highest score out of Tuesday’s short program, earning 82.16. In second place is Anna Shcherbakova of the ROC, scoring 80.20, followed by Kaori Sakamoto of Japan in third place, scoring 79.84.
The gold medal will be awarded to the skater who scores the highest total score, comprised of the combined scores for the short program and the free skate.
Should Valieva be on the podium, as is expected, the IOC said it will not hold a medal ceremony.
Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics during the team event, and she did so twice. She’s expected to pack her program in Thursday’s free skate with multiple quads as well.
Russian athletes are competing under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to the ban against Russia participating in the games, put in place because of a systemic doping program from the 2014 Sochi Games.
This is the second Olympics in a row that Russia has competed under the ROC name. The country is banned from participating in all international sporting events due to the doping allegations.
Russian athletes who could prove they were clean and unconnected to the cover-up were allowed to compete.
Since women’s hockey was introduced at the Olympics in 1998, only the United States or Canada has come home with the gold.
Now, for the sixth time in seven Olympics, the U.S. women’s hockey team is facing Canada in a bid for Olympic gold.
The game is taking place Thursday in Beijing (11 p.m. ET Wednesday night) to see who will come out on top this time around. Canada owns four golds, while the U.S. has two.
The buildup to the final has been ferocious, with each team barreling through the competition. Canada went 6-0, giving up only eight goals while scoring an astounding 54.
The U.S., meanwhile, only lost one game throughout the tournament — to Canada, 4-2.
Team USA took a hit early on in the Olympics when star forward Brianna Decker got knocked out of play with an on-ice injury.
But, as demonstrated by their continued success, the team is still stacked with power, including from captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Roque and Hilary Knight, returning for her fourth Olympics. Knight, 32, leads the U.S. in scoring with five goals and four assists.
The goalie roster for the U.S. has also been showing their mettle this Olympics between Nicole Hensley, Alex Cavallini and Maddie Rooney. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, the gold medal match came down to goalies when it went to a shootout. Rooney saved Canada’s lost shot then, giving America the gold.
On the Canadian side, the Americans will square off with captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Claire Thompson and goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens. Canadian forward Brianne Jenner leads all goal scorers in the Olympics with nine, while teammate Sarah Fillier is second with eight goals. The top five assist leaders in the tournament are all on the Canadian team, led by overall scoring leader Sarah Nurse with 12.
The Olympics are the most high-profile venue for women’s hockey, which has faced struggles establishing more local groundwork. In the four years since the 2018 Olympics, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded and the National Women’s Hockey League rebranded to the Premier Hockey Federation. Athletes have long been calling for more funding and support both for a functional league with livable salaries and for building infrastructure for youth sport to grow a pipeline.
The U.S. women have at least one supporter who intimately understands those efforts: Billie Jean King voiced her support for Team USA to “win!” in a video posted by hockey veteran Angela Ruggiero on Wednesday.
At least one moment in Pam & Tommy didn’t actually happen.
In the most recent episode of the Hulu limited series, which tells the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee‘s infamous sex tape, the Mötley Crüe drummer, played by Sebastian Stan, gets into a tiff with Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, portrayed by Jeffrey Conway.
The scene, which takes place in 1996, finds Lee angry that his band was booked in a smaller studio than where they usually record, which is now occupied by the up-and-coming “Semi-Charmed Life” rockers. When Lee confronts Jenkins and company, he learns both bands are signed to the same record label, Elektra.
“They booked these a**clowns in the big room over us?” Lee exclaims in disbelief.
However, as the real life Jenkins tells Variety, the scene is all fiction.
“Mötley Crüe and I’ve never been in the same studio,” Jenkins says. “I recorded my whole first album in Northern California. So we were across the state from each other at the very least.”
Jenkins adds that he hasn’t watch the Pam & Tommy scene, explaining, “I feel strange watching myself being portrayed.”
“Just the idea is making me kind of smile,” he says. “I hope whoever played me on TV was pretty.”
As for why the Third Eye Blind scene was included if it didn’t happen, Pam & Tommy executive producer Rob Siegel says that he felt the “Jumper” outfit was the “perfect band” to represent where Mötley Crüe was in the music industry at the time.
“I did a little quick Google search…Who else was on Elektra? Third Eye Blind,” Siegel says. “The timing was perfect…So the scene is fictional, but I like to think it absolutely could have happened!”
Now we know why Journey‘s upcoming North American trek is called the 2022 Freedom Tour. Guitarist Neal Schon took to his Instagram page today to reveal that the band’s new studio album is titled Freedom.
Schon posted a photo that shows Journey’s logo, the title Freedom and the record’s 15-song track list, along with a message that reads, “Teaser…it’s coming and it’s loaded.”
The album includes lead single “The Way We Used to Be,” which was released back in June of 2021, as well as songs titled “Together We Run,” “Still Believe in Love,” “After Glow,” “Let It Rain,” “All Day All Night” and “United We Stand.”
Schon also posted a note today on his Twitter feed about the forthcoming album, writing, “I wanted to stick true artistically to the times and values of older albums where every track means something and it’s meant to be played from top to bottom and take you on a ride…no pun intended ‘JOURNEY FREEDOM.'”
No word yet on a release date.
Freedom will be Journey’s first new studio album since 2011’s Eclipse. It’s also the band’s first new album since the 2020 firings of longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith, who were replaced, respectively, by Randy Jackson and Narada Michael Walden.
Journey’s current lineup features Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka, and drummer Deen Castronovo. It’s not clear whether Jackson or Walden will be touring with the band.
Journey’s Freedom Tour 2022, featuring special guest Toto, kicks off February 22 in Pittsburgh.
Mariah Carey may soon have to take the witness stand and testify against her brother, Morgan Carey, who claims that his famous sister defamed him in her best-selling memoir. He first filed his case in March 2021, claiming his sister was spreading “malicious falsehoods” that caused “serious damage to his reputation.”
According to court documents obtained by ABC News, Justice Barbara Jaffe of New York ruled that Mariah could be sued for defamation over two passages in The Meaning of Mariah Carey. The Grammy winner had stated that Morgan, who is 10 years her senior, had a criminal past and sold narcotics.
“Although Carey maintains that the phrase ‘sometimes drug dealing’ is a ‘rhetorical epithet,’ in light of the earlier statement that plaintiff had supplied clubgoers with ‘powdered party favors,’ the average reader could understand this phrase to mean that plaintiff had committed a serious crime,” Jaffe ruled on Wednesday.
While the judge ruled that Morgan can sue to hold his sister liable, Jaffe rejected his request to also name Macmillan Publishing Group, the book’s publisher, as a defendant. The judge wrote, “Evidence that Carey was a difficult person does not demonstrate that publisher defendants entertained or should have entertained doubts about the veracity of her statements at the time of publication.”
Morgan will have to refile a new complaint against Mariah, as his original case singled out eight passages. Jaffe rejected six of those passages, saying they didn’t meet the standards of defamation, but said the sections about Morgan’s alleged drug dealing did satisfy the requirements.
Once Morgan refiles, his case can then proceed to trial.
That isn’t the only legal battle Mariah is potentially facing over her memoir. Her sister, Alison, similarly filed suit over certain passages in the book.
(NEW YORK) — Tippecanoe County prosecutor Patrick Harrington is calling for the Indiana State Police to investigate an alleged incident caught on video that showed a Purdue University police officer with his elbow pressed against the neck and face of a Black student in the snow.
Purdue student Adonis Tuggle told ABC News he and his girlfriend were driving to his apartment from Purdue’s recreational center on Feb. 4 when they began to have a “disagreement.” He said they pulled over and were arguing on the side of the road when Purdue University police officer Jon Selke and other officers arrived.
Officers were called to the south side of the campus after a bystander made an “urgent” call to police saying it appeared a woman was being held against her will, Purdue University police chief John Cox said in a statement.
According to Tuggle, 24, their argument was over a “minimal topic,” and the police did not need to get involved.
“Officer Jon Selke arrived on the scene and he was automatically on go-mode just assuming it’s a threat or a dangerous situation, when in actuality, it was just a couple having a disagreement, which isn’t anything uncommon,” Tuggle told “Good Morning America.”
Tuggle said his girlfriend tried to tell Selke the situation was under control and that he was her boyfriend, but Selke told her to “shut the —- up,” according to Tuggle.
He said this escalated the situation.
“That’s when I stepped forward in front of my girlfriend to take over the conversation, and I told Officer Selke, ‘OK, so don’t tell my girlfriend to shut the —- up. There’s no need to be disrespectful,” Tuggle said.
Tuggle said Selke then grabbed his arm, threw him against his girlfriend’s truck and punched him. The two eventually fell into the snow. This is when Tuggle’s girlfriend, who has asked ABC News not to be named, begins to record the altercation.
In the video, Tuggle can be heard saying “stop it, please” and “you’re choking me” while his girlfriend asks Selke to get off of him and taps him. Selke then tells Tuggle’s girlfriend that he will tase her if she touches him again. The video ends once more officers arrive at the scene.
Neither campus police nor Selke responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The one-minute video of the incident has been shared across social media, sparking outcry and debate on and off Purdue’s campus.
“All you have to do is watch the video. What has changed in America is everyone has a cell phone. Everyone has a camera, so if it’s an officer with his knee on George Floyd’s neck or an officer at Purdue University with his elbow in Adonis’ neck, that’s brutality and that has to stop,” the Tuggle’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth said.
Tuggle was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. He paid his $250 bond and was released after an hour in the Tippecanoe County jail. Tuggle said shortly after the incident he temporarily experience a lot of pain in his shoulder and his joints.
Cox said in a statement on Feb. 9 that “no physical injuries were suffered in the incident.”
The Indiana State Police will independently review all evidence associated with the police call and response, including all available video evidence, witness statements, and police reports, Purdue said in a statement.
The evidence and results of the investigation will then be sent to Harrington, who will then decide whether to press charges.
Cox said campus police conduct an internal review whenever an officer uses force during an arrest. Cox said Selke was put on leave until further notice after the officer received death threats. It is unclear if the leave is paid or unpaid.
Tuggle’s family asked for an independent investigation before the prosecutor’s request. Stroth said the family wants Selke to be held accountable for his handling of the situation and for all body camera footage and evidence to be released publicly.
“The video from body-worn cameras will be made available, as will all findings and evidence from the internal review when complete,” Cox said in a statement.
Tuggle’s mother, Cornelia Dawson, said after watching the video, she doesn’t understand how the situation escalated.
“The only thing I’m thinking is, ‘I’m missing something.’ He had an argument and then and then what? None of it makes sense,” Dawson told “GMA.”
Dawson sent a letter to Purdue University President Mitch Daniels after the incident, asking for him to bring justice to Tuggle and to ensure that incidents like this don’t happen to any other student. She said she’s disappointed after being a Purdue supporter for so long.
“Like a lot of parents, I was walking around feeling proud. He’s at Purdue, prestigious Purdue. I became an ambassador. I bought the mugs. I had T-shirts, so I’m still in disbelief,” she said.
Purdue University said it “welcomes the prosecutor’s action and believes it to be a positive step, having previously requested an independent review by the ISP,” according to a press release.
“There are no subjects Purdue takes more seriously than campus safety, student well-being, and proper police conduct,” Daniels said in a statement on Feb. 10.
He said Purdue asked for not only a review from the ISP, but also the Purdue Police. Once both reviews are done, Daniels said all findings will be released.
Tuggle said he has interacted with police officers before and is often fearful of what could happen if a situation were to escalate.
“Like most Black males in America, especially out here in Indiana, when I see the police, unfortunately I get uncomfortable,” he said. “I get on guard trying to make sure, ‘OK, let me make sure everything’s OK, my ID information’ whatever that it is so hopefully things can go smoothly.”
Stroth is grateful that Tuggle is safe after the incident.
“He was injured and he was traumatized, and it’s serious, but thank God the outcome is different than others that we see every month in America,” he said.
The A Perfect Circle guitarist will play his first live show as a solo artist during a concert in Las Vegas taking place February 23. The performance will feature songs from his upcoming solo debut album — title and release date to be announced.
“This new album was birthed while on tour with A Perfect Circle,” Howerdel says. “A weird blend of confidence, vulnerability and mortality urgently compelled me to write a letter of sorts in the form of an album.”
The record’s first single, titled “Poison Flowers,” will drop March 4.
Howerdel formed A Perfect Circle alongside Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan in 1999. The band has released four studio albums, the most recent of which being 2018’s Eat the Elephant.
“I never thought of myself as funny,” says Larry David in the new trailer to a two-part documentary about his life, called The Larry David Story.
HBO announced with the new coming attraction that the look into the life and the creative comedy mind behind the Emmy-winning series Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm will debut Tuesday, March 1 at 9 p.m.
Along with a slideshow of both childhood pictures of young Larry, and behind-the-scenes shots from both shows, David explains with a laugh what his mother thought of his Seinfeld success.
“‘Did they tell you you’re doing a good job?'” David says, imitating his mom. “Yeah, ma, they like me, the show’s the number-one show in the country.”
“‘Yes, but did they tell you they think you’re doing well?'” she reportedly replied.
Regarding how he relates to what fans call “TV Larry,” his Curb alter-ego, David admitted, “I’m a total fraud. And the Curb outlet for me is this guy I wanna be. He’s completely honest, just the opposite of me. It’s a thrill.”
David noted, “I got lucky, and I’ll leave it at that.”
