(NEW YORK) — An unruly passenger attempted to enter the cockpit of an American Airlines plane on Sunday, forcing the scheduled flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., to divert to Kansas City, the airline said.
“He’s trying to get in the cockpit,” the pilot told air traffic controllers. “We’ve got four passengers now trying to contain this gentleman.”
According to accounts from those on board, passengers held the man and eventually a flight attendant used a coffee pot to subdue him as the plane descended.
“We have two armed people on board that are securing him right now,” the pilot explained.
American Airlines said in a statement that “the flight landed safely at MCI at 2:28 p.m. local time, and law enforcement was requested to meet the flight on arrival.”
“We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism,” the airline added.
The FBI in Kansas City confirmed the man had been taken into custody, but was unable to comment further due to the “ongoing matter.”
Authorities have not released his identity.
Sunday’s incident is just the latest in a troubling spike of unruly passenger cases with airlines reporting a staggering 6,375 reports of misconduct to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since January 2021.
The agency is still enforcing its zero-tolerance policy for in-flight disruptions which could lead to fines as high as $52,500 and up to 20 years in prison.
In November, the FAA revealed some unruly passengers could start to face criminal prosecution after establishing an information-sharing protocol with the Department of Justice.
(BEIJING) — U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin on Tuesday came up empty handed in her fourth competition, placing 18th in the downhill skiing event, after wiping out in her first two races and finishing ninth in the super-G event.
Shiffrin was expected to be a downhill contender, although the event wasn’t her strongest. Her time of 1:34.36 placed her 2:49 behind Corinne Suter of Switzerland, who took gold with a time of 1:31.87. Italy brought home both the silver and bronze medals, with Sofia Goggia finishing in 1:32.03 and Nadia Delago finishing in 1:32.44.
“Racing DH tomorrow!” Shiffrin said on Twitter on Monday. “The track is spectacular and I have ‘overthought’ the crap out of it over the last couple days so it’s prob time to just point ‘em straight and get low.”
The six-time world champion is one medal away from tying the record for most Olympic medals by a female American Alpine skier — four. She is two gold medals away from holding the record for most golds ever by a female Alpine skier — also four.
She is expected to compete in the combined on Feb. 17. She also said on Thursday she may compete in the team event, which she had not planned to enter coming into the Games.
Shiffrin last week finished ninth in the super-G, with Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami winning gold, her second medal of the Games.
Two days earlier, Shiffrin had shockingly busted out of the competition just seconds into the first run of the slalom. Shiffrin missed the fourth gate in her run, the event where she won her first Olympic gold in 2014.
The skier, who was expected to challenge for several medals in Beijing, sat on the side of the hill, with her head in her hands, for 20 minutes after the stunning accident.
The 26-year-old also fell during her first run in the giant slalom last Monday, disqualifying her from the event.
“Could blame it on a lot of things…and we’ll analyze it till the cows come home, but not today,” Shiffrin said on Instagram following that crash. “Today I chalk it up to really awful timing of a really frustrating mistake. Moving focus to slalom now, AND cheering for my teammates in the second run of the GS and the DH!”
Sweden’s Sara Hector took the gold in the giant slalom with a time of 1:55:68, followed by Italy’s Federica Brignone with a time of 1:55.97 and Gut-Behrami with a time of 1:56:41.
Shiffrin, a Colorado native, has been competing since she was 16 and quickly became one of the sport’s all-time greatest skiers with her record-setting performances. She is the most decorated Alpine skier in the world circuit having won 11 World Championship medals, six of them gold.
At 18 years old she became the youngest slalom champion when she won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Games. Shiffrin won a gold medal in the giant slalom competition and a silver medal in the combined competition during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
(WASHINGTON) — The State Department has escalated its warning to U.S. citizens in Belarus, where thousands of Russian troops have massed for menacing military exercises — now urging them to leave the country “immediately.”
The stark new warning comes as U.S. officials fear a possible Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine could unfold in the coming days, prompting the State Department to shutter its embassy facility in the capital Kyiv and relocate them to the western city Lviv.
Belarus and Russia launched military exercises Thursday, bringing thousands of Russian troops and advanced weaponry and equipment to the landlocked country that borders both Russia and Ukraine. Its strongman leader, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, has drawn increasingly closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin after cracking down on political opposition, fomenting a migrant crisis in Europe and facing tough Western sanctions.
The State Department had already urged American citizens “do not travel to Belarus” because of that domestic crackdown and the risk of “arbitrary enforcement of laws” and detention, as well as COVID-19.
But in a new advisory Monday evening, it added a warning about the “unusual and concerning Russian military buildup along Belarus’ border with Ukraine” and added, “U.S. citizens in Belarus should depart immediately via commercial or private means.”
The “situation is unpredictable, and there is heightened tension in the region,” the advisory states, mirroring the increasingly urgent tone from the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, which urged Americans on Saturday to “depart immediately” as well.
The warning also noted, “The U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Belarus is already severely limited due to Belarusian government limitations on U.S. Embassy staffing.”
The embassy in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, had previously ordered the departure of family members on Jan. 31, with a very small group of U.S. diplomats still in the country.
In addition, the State Department is urging Americans to “depart immediately” from Transnistria, which is part of Moldova — the landlocked country on Ukraine’s southwestern border.
The urgent warning doesn’t apply to the entire country, but just to Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway region where Russia has stationed troops against the Moldovan government’s will as “peacekeepers,” similar to Russian troops in two disputed regions of Georgia, the small former Soviet republic.
Like Belarus, Moldova had been on the State Department’s Level 4: “Do Not Travel” list because of COVID-19, but now in its new advisory, it warns of the “unusual and concerning Russian military activity around Ukraine, and the unresolved conflict between the breakaway region of Transnistria and the central government; U.S. citizens in Transnistria should depart immediately.”
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have repeatedly referenced Transnistria during the current crisis as another example of Russia’s aggression in the region in recent years, along with Georgia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials went even further last month. Its defense intelligence agency said it had evidence that Russia was planning a false flag provocation against its own soldiers in Transnistria to justify an invasion of Ukraine — an accusation the Russian government denied.
The Biden administration has said it will not use the U.S. military to help evacuate American citizens if war breaks out in the region — with the memory of Afghanistan hanging over them. That historic, chaotic operation ultimately evacuated some 124,000 people, but the State Department has made clear it was not a precedent.
Instead, the U.S. has used increasingly dire warnings to private Americans in Ukraine, and now Belarus and Transnistria, to leave now while commercial flight options or land border crossings are available.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 103, Detroit 94
Brooklyn 109, Sacramento 85
Oklahoma City 127, New York 123 (OT)
New Orleans 120, Toronto 90
Portland 122, Milwaukee 107
Chicago 120, San Antonio 109
Utah 135, Houston 101
Denver 121, Orlando 111
L.A. Clippers 119, Golden State 104
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Minnesota 7, Detroit 4
Chicago 3, Winnipeg 1
Toronto 6, Seattle 2
Edmonton 3, San Jose 0
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(6)Kansas 76, Oklahoma St. 62
The title of his new album, Blue in the Sky, reflects the optimistic state he’s at in life right now, but the singer says he was initially unsure of what to call the album until he heard the opening line of “Tequila on a Boat,” his duet with Chris Lane.
“There’s not really a song title that wraps its arms around how I’m feeling or this group of songs. So we were kicking around ideas, we’re talking months on end here, and ‘blue in the sky’ is the first line of ‘Tequila on a Boat.’ I’m like, ‘well is there a lyric that we can name the album after,'” he explains. “That was the one that raised its hand because of where I am, and I think where this album points, and that’s just very optimistic.”
But the Tullahoma, TN native had to walk through darkness before he could get to the light, going through a breakup only to discover who he truly is. The positive spirit on the other side helped inspire the album.
“Going through a relationship, break up, coming out on the other side of it and finding myself more than I ever have before and being comfortable in my own skin and what I want out of life,” he describes of his journey. “I’m in a very happy place, an optimistic place with my life personally, but also with what’s going on with my music career. It’s just awesome. It’s all good news and I truly believe we all have a choice every day to notice the blue in the sky, and that’s really what that lyric in that title reminds me to think of.”
Dustin is bringing “Party Mode” to country radio as his next single. He launches a tour of the same name on March 17.
Journey is gearing up for a lengthy U.S. trek with Toto dubbed the 2022 Freedom Tour that kicks off on February 22 in Pittsburgh.
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain tells ABC Audio that the two bands have a familial connection, because his daughter Madison is engaged to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather‘s son Trevor. The couple is slated to be married early this year.
“It’s all in the family now,” Cain jokes.
Meanwhile, Jonathan notes that this will be the first time that his group and Toto will hit the road together, and he says he feels the two acts are a good pairing.
“We did one show with Toto years ago,” Cain recalls. “And, you know, both crowds seemed to dig each other’s music, so we thought, ‘Why not?'”
Journey and Toto both feature virtuoso rock guitarists — Neal Schon and Lukather — and Cain says there’s a good chance that the two musicians will hit the stage together to jam during the trek.
“I’m sure that will happen a bunch,” he notes. “Been buddies for a long time and looking forward to it.”
The 2022 Freedom Tour will mark Journey’s first full-length tour since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
“We are pleased as heck to be in the arenas [again],” Jonathan declares. “It’s a risky deal, but we’re going to follow the [COVID] protocol precautions for safety for the crew and the band.”
The tour is plotted out through a May 11 show in Hartford, Connecticut. Billy Idol originally had been announced as opening act for the first portion of the trek. However, sinus issues forced Idol to bow out of the tour, so Toto now is opening the entire trek.
Monday’s episode of The Bachelor opened with the conclusion of last week’s two-on-one date that finally put an end to Shanae‘s time on the show.
Clayton arranged the date with Shanae and Genevieve in an effort to settle a dispute between the two rivals and bring an end to the drama in the house.
Shanae, who thus far had succeeded in convincing Clayton that she was being bullied by the other women, and not the other way around, failed to convince him that Genevieve feelings for him were an act. The 29-year-old Ohio native was stunned when he handed Genevieve the date rose.
Upon seeing her suitcase being wheeled out, the other ladies also celebrated with champagne toast.
“Here’s to finally curing the herpes outbreak,” cheered Marlena, recalling a joke she made about Shanae during during last week’s group date in which the women were asked to roast each other.
“Ding-dong the shrimp is dead,” added Hunter, referring to the infamous “shrimp-gate” incident that ended with Elizabeth‘s departure.
Ironically, the rose ceremony would send Marlena and Hunter packing.
The journey to find love then headed overseas to Hvar, Croatia. However, with hometowns looming and the competition heating up, Mara, who lost a one-on-one date to Sarah, who had already had one, felt she needed to step up her game.
During a group date, Mara took Clayton aside to warn him that the 23-year-old wasn’t ready for marriage, causing him to doubt if there were others stringing him along as well.
Clayton, without revealing its source, confronted Sarah with the accusation, which she tearfully denied. He believed and gave her the date rose, though she was left wondering who would do such a thing.
Elsewhere, Teddi picked up a rose following a one-on-one date, and Rachel snatched the group date rose.
Here are the other women remaining after the rose ceremony:
Eliza, 25, a marketing manager from Berlin, Germany
Gabby, 30, an ICU nurse from Denver, Colo.
Genevieve, 26, a bartender from Los Angeles, Calif.
Mara, 32, an entrepreneur from Collingswood, N.J.
Rachel, 25, a flight instructor from Clermont, Fla.
Sarah, 23, a wealth management advisor from New York City, N.Y.
Serene, 26, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, Okla.
Susie, 28, a wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Va.
Teddi, 25, a surgical unit nurse from Highland, Calif.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is warning that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region.
As many as 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders and U.S. officials have urged all Americans to leave the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the country was shuttering its embassy in Kyiv and “temporarily” relocating the small group of diplomats left in Ukraine to the western city of Lviv, citing the “rapid acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces.”
But Ukrainian officials have said they do not see signs of a Russian attack as soon as Wednesday — the date reportedly given to NATO allies — and called for a day of unity instead.
Russia has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance and pull back troops from Eastern European member states, while denying it has plans to invade Ukraine.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 15, 5:41 am
Ukraine reacts to Russia announcing withdrawal: ‘We’ll believe it when we see it’
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba reacted to Russia’s announcement Tuesday that it is withdrawing some troops from the border, saying his country will “believe it when we see it.”
“There are constantly various statements coming from the Russian Federation, so we have a rule: we’ll believe it when we see it,” Kuleba said during a televised briefing Tuesday. “When we see the withdrawal, we’ll believe in de-escalation.”
Feb 15, 5:25 am
Russia says some troops will return to base
Some Russian troops positioned near the border with Ukraine will begin returning to their bases Tuesday after completing “exercises,” according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The units set to return are from Russia’s Southern and Western Military Districts, the defense ministry said Tuesday. But there are troops from other military districts massed on the border. Still, if some troops do pull back, it would potentially be a key signal that the crisis with Ukraine will not escalate.
Russian state media then released video purportedly showing tank troops loading up in neighboring Belarus to return home as well as tanks in southwestern Russia moving back. A spokesperson for Russia’s Southern Military District told state media Tuesday that some personnel have begun leaving Crimea for their permanent bases following the completion of drills.
In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and established two federal subjects there, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. But the international community still recognizes the territories as being part of Ukraine.
Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the military exercises would end “in the near future.” There are still drills being conducted in neighboring Belarus as well as the Black Sea that are due to end Feb. 20.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on her official Facebook page on Tuesday that Feb. 15 “will go down in history as the day the Western propoganda war failed.”
“Disgraced and destroyed without a single shot fired,” Zakharova added.
Feb 15, 4:29 am
White House warns invasion could start ‘at any time’
While the United States believes a path of diplomacy remains “open” to Russia, a White House official warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could begin at any time.”
Answering a question from ABC News’ Cecilia Vega during a press briefing Monday, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. government is so far seeing “more and more” Russian troops arrive on the border with Ukraine.
“In the past 10 days or so, when you look at what is happening at the border of Ukraine, there, we are seeing more than 100,000 troops there and it’s just been an every day more and more troops,” Jean-Pierre said.
“So we are certainly open to having conversations and seeing a de-escalation,” she added. “That door is open for diplomacy and this is up to President Putin. He has to make that decision. It is his decision to make on which direction he wants to take this.”
Jean-Pierre noted that “it remains unclear which path Russia will choose to take.”
When asked about the imminency of the situation, she said: “We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time.”
“I’m not going to comment on the intelligence information,” she added, “except to say that it could begin this week.”
Badflower has announced a North American headlining tour.
The U.S. leg, which will feature support from the bands ’68 and BRKN Love, will launch April 6 in New Haven, Connecticut, and will wrap up May 1 in Louisville, Kentucky. That’ll be followed by a two-week run through Canada in May.
Tickets to on sale this Friday, February 18. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BadflowerMusic.com.
Badflower will be touring behind their sophomore album This Is How the World Ends, which dropped last September.
The Who recently announced dates for a new two-leg 2022 North American trek dubbed The Who Hits Back! tour, marking the British rock legends’ return to the road after their postponing tour plans multiple times because of COVID-19.
In a new Rolling Stone interview, guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, 76, notes that although the new outing is “not a farewell tour,” he is hoping to retire from the road at some point.
“I had a conversation with [singer] Roger [Daltrey]. I said to him, ‘I don’t want to be like one of these guys that dies on tour,'” Townshend notes. “I do want to retire. And by ‘retire’ I don’t mean retire from being a musician or artist or creator.”
He adds, “Roger is of the opinion that he wants to sing until he drops. That’s not my philosophy of life. There are other things that I want to do…and will do, I hope. I hope I’ll live long enough to do them.”
For now, Townshend says The Who are committed to keep touring at least through 2023, when he says the band will be rescheduling the U.K. trek they postponed.
Meanwhile, Townshend says he been “very, very busy” working on various music projects, both for himself and with other artists. One project is music for a previously reported art installation connected to his 2019 novel, The Age of Anxiety. Another is a charity project to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust that involves “old music that’s been re-recorded,” and “possibly a podcast.”
Pete also has been collaborating with U.K. folk artist Reg Meuross “on a podcast [and a song cycle] about Woody Guthrie called Fire and Dust,” as well as with a group called the Bookshop Band that “write songs about novels and fictional books.”
