Warsaw mayor pleads for help with refugee crisis: ‘We can’t do it alone’

Warsaw mayor pleads for help with refugee crisis: ‘We can’t do it alone’
Warsaw mayor pleads for help with refugee crisis: ‘We can’t do it alone’
Omar Marques/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — As Ukrainians continue to flee their homes and find safety in neighboring countries, some cities are becoming overwhelmed with refugees and are unable to provide them with the resources they need.

“We’ll continue helping. We will accept as many Ukrainians as we need to,” Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw, Poland, told ABC News Live on Thursday. “But we need assistance, we need international institutions in place. We need a relocation system in Europe and in the world, because we can’t do it alone.”

More than 3 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with over half moving to Poland, according to the United Nations. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, has seen a 20% increase in its population in just a few weeks, according to Trzaskowski. He said the city has welcomed over 300,000 Ukrainians but are no longer able to improvise.

Trzaskowski is calling on the European Union and the United Nations to help set up a system, which would help move refugees in Warsaw to other cities that are less overwhelmed and can better provide the physical and psychological care that’s needed.

“I’m calling myself in the middle of the night, my friends from different cities in Poland and in Europe, and I ask them for assistance. We bus people to different places all over,” Trzaskowski told ABC News Live. “We cannot do it anymore. We need a workable system.”

Trzaskowski said it’s not just beds and food that people need, but that as time goes on, new refugees are coming in having seen more destruction and are in need of immediate mental health services.

“At the beginning, three weeks ago, people who were coming to Warsaw were taken care of by their families and by their friends. Now, people come traumatized by war. They escape rockets, they escape bullets, members of families have been killed, members of their families are stranded in basements,” he explained. “They not only need shelter, they need reassurance. They need a helping hand.”

The mayor said Poland has tried to provide a sense of normalcy for families. Earlier this week, a bill was passed in Polish Parliament to provide Ukrainian children with free education and schooling. The mayor told ABC News Live that more than 10,000 Ukrainian students are already learning in Warsaw classrooms.

“We welcome them and we treat them like citizens,” Trzaskowski said. “We provide any help we can, but there is only so much that we can coordinate.”

Trzaskowski said Warsaw and all of Poland have tried their best to help during this crisis. Polish families have stood at the border, inviting refugees into their homes, feeding people who have gone days without eating or drinking water while traveling and making them feel welcomed into the country while the war continues.

“Without volunteers, without non-governmental organizations, we wouldn’t go anywhere,” the mayor said.

He emphasized that though these efforts have been able to provide for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, more still needs to be done. And without a plan going forward, they will not be able to continue this effort, he said.

The mayor went on to thank the United States for providing support and said it’s made a significant impact throughout this crisis.

“I want to thank President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the whole Biden administration, and the U.S. Congress for being really tough on Russia, for imposing sanctions, for treating them seriously and for those words which are ringing in our ears, which say that the United States of America will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he told us. “And just because we can feel secure, all of us in Europe, because of that statement and because of the actions of the American government, we can do our job in a peaceful manner.”

Trzaskowski added that throughout this refugee crisis, he has looked to the bravery of leaders in Ukraine, which has given him courage to produce a plan that will give every refugee a place to call home while their nation is under attack.

“If President Zelenskyy in Kyiv is not panicking, we’re not going to either,” he said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Donald Fagen apologizes to Aimee Mann after she was dropped as an opening act on 2022 Steely Dan tour

Donald Fagen apologizes to Aimee Mann after she was dropped as an opening act on 2022 Steely Dan tour
Donald Fagen apologizes to Aimee Mann after she was dropped as an opening act on 2022 Steely Dan tour
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann recently revealed that she was removed from her previously announced slot as an opening act on Steely Dan‘s upcoming U.S. tour.  Now the band’s frontman, Donald Fagen, has apologized to Mann, while also explaining why she was dropped from the bill.

In a statement provided to Variety, Fagen noted, “I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style.”

He added, “But I can’t pass the buck. I’ll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans.”

Mann announced that she’d been bumped from Steely Dan’s tour in a comic strip she posted on her Instagram, writing, “No one is entirely sure why, but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter?…As it happens, Steely Dan is the one band that I 100% love, with no reservations, so it really sucks.”

In his statement, Fagen addressed Mann’s comment about her being a female artist, insisting “the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me.”

He also pointed out that female acts including Rickie Lee Jones and the late Phoebe Snow had previously opened for Steely Dan.

Mann tells Variety, “I totally disagree about the style thing…I know so many people who are fans of mine and fans of theirs,” adding, “Anyway, I still love them.”

Aimee had been scheduled to support the band from June 21 to July 3. The full trek currently runs from May 20 through August 13.

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Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”

Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”
Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

Celebrities often gripe that promoting their new movie means answering the same questions over and over, but Ryan Reynolds can’t say that after a young fan stumped him during a Netflix Q&A panel for The Adam Project

In referencing a love scene between Reynolds, who plays Adam, and Laura, played by Zoe Saldaña, the young man asked Ryan, “In the scene where you were kissing the girl, was that real?”

“How do I explain this?” squirmed Reynolds, the dad to daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and 2-year-old Betty with wife Blake Lively. While he tried to compose an answer, his Adam Project co-star Jennifer Garner enthused, “This is the best Q&A ever!”, to which Reynolds agreed. 

The panel moderator suggested Lively was somewhere throwing her voice behind the query, making Ryan squint and scan the crowd in mock confusion: “Honey? What the…?” he asked.

To the youngster, Reynolds did his best. “I guess it was kind of real. How do I answer this? I didn’t mean it?” he offered, to applause.

Incidentally, his own kids have asked the same question when seeing their dad onscreen, Reynolds explained: “‘Daddy, what are you doing?'” 

“It’s like exactly the tactic I would use on them,” said Reynolds.  “Not anger, but just disappointment.”

Reynolds then thanked the fan, adding, jokingly. “The exit’s that way.”

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DHS evaluating Ukrainians’ asylum claims on case-by-case basis: Mayorkas

DHS evaluating Ukrainians’ asylum claims on case-by-case basis: Mayorkas
DHS evaluating Ukrainians’ asylum claims on case-by-case basis: Mayorkas
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that Customs and Border Protection will handle asylum claims by Ukrainian and Russian nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border on a case-by-case basis.

Advocates have criticized the Biden administration alleging it has been turning away both Ukrainian and Russian refugees from ports of entry along the southern border.

‘We address an individual’s claim for humanitarian relief as they are presented to us,” Mayorkas told reporters on Thursday. “We have a number of efforts already underway … to provide humanitarian relief for individuals fleeing a war-torn Ukraine. We are looking at other programs that we can implement to expand the avenues of humanitarian relief.”

“For example, if someone makes a claim under the Convention Against Torture, or an individual presents to the Border Patrol agents, a case of acute of vulnerability such as a medical condition or otherwise,” he said, adding the department has sent refugee affairs officers to Eastern Europe.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday President Joe Biden is “willing” to welcome refugees into the United States but the administration so far has been providing funding for humanitarian aid to neighboring countries in Europe.

DHS has been tasked with the federal domestic response to the Russia and Ukraine conflict.

Mayorkas believes most Ukrainian refugees ultimately will want to go back to Ukraine.

“The vast majority of Ukrainians are displaced in the countries in that region with the hope understandably of being able to return to their country,” he said.

The secretary did not offer any details on what else DHS is looking to do concerning the refugee situation in Ukraine, but the department previously stood up Operation Allies Welcome when Afghanistan was under siege by al-Qaida.

He also did not give any estimates on how many Ukrainian refugees he expects to attempt to get into the U.S.

Mayorkas said DHS has issued guidance to all CBP officers on the border reminding them of the exceptions to the Title 42 authority and how it relates to Ukrainian nationals “and everyone else” attempting to make credible fear claims at the southern border.

DHS is using Title 42 authority at the border to send the majority of adults back to their country of origin under the guise of a public health emergency. The policy was enacted at the start of the pandemic by the Trump administration.

Mayorkas said he didn’t have a timeframe for when Title 42 would be rolled back, and instead said it was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision, but did say his department is prepared.

“We plan for the possibilities, whether or not they ultimately materialize or when they materialize it is our responsibility to plan and that is what we do,” he said.

 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Citigroup pays for workers to travel for reproductive care amid state regulations on abortion

Citigroup pays for workers to travel for reproductive care amid state regulations on abortion
Citigroup pays for workers to travel for reproductive care amid state regulations on abortion
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Citigroup, one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, has begun offering to pay for travel expenses for employees who travel out of state to access reproductive health care.

The new policy, which went into place this year, is “in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the U.S.,” the bank said Tuesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to the filing, Citi now provides “travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources.”

The bank, which is headquartered in New York City, has offices in states across the country, including Idaho, Texas and Florida, states that have recently passed legislation restricting access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion.

Citi did not specifically mention abortion in its filing. The bank did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Citi’s action on reproductive health care comes at a time of heightened activity on the issue across the country.

So far in 2022, 1,844 total provisions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights have been introduced in 46 states and Washington, D.C., according to an analysis released Thursday by Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights organization.

That total includes both restrictions and proactive measures, according to Guttmacher.

The activity at the state level comes as the Supreme Court is expected to rule in May or June on a consequential abortion case, Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.

In the case, the state of Mississippi is arguing to uphold a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while Jackson Women’s Health, Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, argues the Supreme Court’s protection of a woman’s right to choose is well-established and should be respected.

Since the Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks, according to medical experts.

If the Supreme Court rules in Mississippi’s favor and upholds the law — as is expected because of the court’s current makeup — the focus will again turn to states.

“We’ll be watching what the details are because that could matter to in terms of whether the court seems open to arguments that abortion is unconstitutional, and states should be disallowed from having abortion be legal within their borders or not,” Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School and author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present,” told ABC News in January. “That will tell us a lot about what states are actually going to be able to do.”

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Echoing Biden, Blinken says he believes Russia committing ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine

Echoing Biden, Blinken says he believes Russia committing ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine
Echoing Biden, Blinken says he believes Russia committing ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine
Matt Anderson Photography/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he personally believes war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, a day after President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time since Putin launched his invasion.

“Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree,” Blinken said. “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past few weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.”

Before the U.S. officially labels Putin’s actions as war crimes, Blinken said State Department experts from the Office of Global Criminal Justice are documenting and evaluating evidence for a formal determination and will share those findings with those responsible for accountability. But he acknowledged reports on intentional attacks from the bombing of a Drama Theater housing children to opening fire at people waiting in line for bread.

“These incidents join a long list of attacks on civilian non-military locations across Ukraine, including apartment buildings, public squares, and last week, a maternity hospital in Mariupol,” he said. “I doubt that any of us who saw those images will ever forget.”

“There’s going to have to be, one way or another, accountability for this war of aggression,” he said of Putin.

But he warned of more darkness to come — Russia making renewed claims of genocide, using chemical or biological weapons and blaming Ukraine, sending its “mercenaries” to join the fight, and systematically kidnapping Ukrainian officials and replacing them with puppets — which he called a “terror tactic.”

While Ukrainian officials have been engaged in talks with Russian counterparts, Blinken expressed pessimism about those talks — saying they’ve not seen “any meaningful effort” by Russia to end the war through diplomacy. If anything, he warned, Putin indicated in his remarks Wednesday that he is doubling down.

Just moments before Blinken stepped out to speak, a State Department official confirmed to ABC News that a U.S. citizen was killed Thursday in Ukraine after Chernihiv regional police reported an American was killed by Russian shelling there. Two American journalists, a filmmaker and a Fox News cameraperson, were also killed this week covering the war.

As thousands flee the violence, Biden announced Wednesday the U.S. would provide Ukraine with $800 million in additional security assistance, bringing the total in aid over the past week to $1 billion. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s central request — for a no-fly zone over Ukraine — has not been granted. However, he did offer an alternative before Congress on Wednesday: S-300s, a Soviet-era missile system that are well-suited to to defend against Russian attacks.

Following his request, NATO ally Slovakia said it’s “willing to” provide the replacements — as long as NATO fills the gap that providing its only air defense system will create in Slovakia.

“What would happen immediately when we decided to give it to Ukrainians is that we actually create a gap a security gap in NATO,” said Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad’ Thursday, at a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Bratislava. “Should there be a situation that we have a proper replacement or that we have a capability guaranteed for a certain period of time, then we will be willing to discuss the future of S-300 system.”

But it’s unclear if a guarantee has been made yet to Slovakia in order to get the systems to Ukraine. The three NATO countries that have S-300s are Slovakia, Bulgaria and Greece.

As the U.S. reaffirms it would not support a no-fly zone, despite Zelenskyy’s pleas, Austin also explained the decision and called on Putin to cease attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

“Enforcing a no-fly zone actually means that you’re in combat. You’re in a fight with Russia,” said Austin. “So, from a U.S. perspective, we’re, again, our position remains that we’re not going to do one,” he added.

Asked directly if Russia’s attacks against civilians in Ukraine constitute a war crime, Austin did not go as far as Biden and Blinken and said that the State Department is currently reviewing the reports of civilian attacks.

“If you attack civilians on purpose, target civilians purposely, then that’s not — that is a crime,” Austin said. “So, these actions are under review by our State Department, and, of course, there will be and there’s a process that will go through to review all of this.”

Amid concerns China could assist Russia with military equipment, Biden is scheduled to speak Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He will also travel to Brussels next week in a show of unity to meet with NATO leaders.

Earlier in the day, Biden welcomed Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin for a virtual bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and said the leaders were “meeting in a moment when demands on unity in the world are really accelerating,” as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.

“We have to be united and we certainly are,” Biden said. “But Putin’s brutality and what he’s doing, and his troops are doing in Ukraine is just inhumane.”

The Taoiseach echoed Biden’s view of Putin’s “unjustifiable and immoral war,” saying “I share with you our horror at the barbaric attack on the civilians,” and said Biden’s leadership through this has been “firm,” “determined,” and “strong.”

“Particularly your capacity to marshal like-minded democracies, the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, the other — Canada and other like-minded democracies are coming together to respond in an unprecedented way to this barbaric attack on the women and children of Ukraine.”

ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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‘The Batman’ coming to HBO Max April 19; crosses $500 million global earnings mark

‘The Batman’ coming to HBO Max April 19; crosses 0 million global earnings mark
‘The Batman’ coming to HBO Max April 19; crosses 0 million global earnings mark
Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics

Despite the pandemic, The Batman has so far made $258.3 million dollars domestically, exclusively from theatrical screenings.  But if you’ve been unable, or unwilling, to venture to your local multiplex to see it, you won’t have very long to wait.

A glitch on the HBO website has revealed that The Batman will debut on HBO Max on Tuesday, April 19.  Deadline and other outlets report the information was quickly taken down, but Deadline says it has since confirmed that the date is legit.  The Batman will also bow on the regular pay HBO on Saturday, April 23, according to the info.

As the pandemic continues, Warner Bros. has typically streamed its theatrical releases on HBO Max 45 days after their cinematic opening.  The Batman opened on March 4, making April 19 46 days after its domestic debut.

An HBO Max spinoff series starring Colin Farrell as the Penguin was recently given the green light.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, not only is the highest-grossing domestic release of 2020, but it just crossed the half-a-billion dollars earnings mark globally, grossing $505.8 million as of Wednesday.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sweet, sweet merchandise, baby! Mariah Carey adds new merch to her online store

Sweet, sweet merchandise, baby! Mariah Carey adds new merch to her online store
Sweet, sweet merchandise, baby! Mariah Carey adds new merch to her online store
Courtesy of Mariah Carey

Those hoping to stuff their Easter baskets or just simply spoil themselves with everything Mariah Carey, you’re in luck!  The singer added brand-new goodies to her official store.

Mariah’s fans can snatch up a limited edition tee shirts as well as other offerings that celebrate her 1995 hit “Fantasy,” which was recently featured in the action comedy movie Free Guy.

Let’s start with that limited edition tee shirt, called the “exclusive Mariah Foodie Tee.”  It’s a blown-up picture of Mariah chowing down on McDonald’s, which the press release hails as “a timeless tribute to one of her favorites.”

Mariah spread some holiday cheer to the popular fast food chain by launching the Mariah Menu last December — which highlighted her favorite items on the menu, such as the cheeseburger, Big Mac, Sausage McMuffin, cookies, apple pie and Chicken McNuggets.

“If you’re hungry for more nostalgia, rest easy on Mariah’s Sweet Fantasy Throw Pillow or in her signature Vintage Fantasy Tee,” the release further teases.  Both retail for $35.

Supplies are limited and are sold on a first-come-first-served basis.  You can snag the new Mariah merch on her official online store now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Superfan’: A new competition show is looking for the biggest fans of Kelsea Ballerini and more

‘Superfan’: A new competition show is looking for the biggest fans of Kelsea Ballerini and more
‘Superfan’: A new competition show is looking for the biggest fans of Kelsea Ballerini and more
ABC

Think you’re Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town or Shania Twain‘s biggest fan? Now you can prove it — on television.

A new show called Superfan is coming to CBS, and it’ll pit fans of some of the biggest musical stars against each other in hopes of winning what the show’s casting website describes as “the ultimate fan prize package of a lifetime.”

Deadline first confirmed the series last month, saying that the game show-style episodic will feature multiple rounds of game play, leaving only the biggest fan of each artist standing. At the time, no details were available on which artists specifically would be featured.

Now, it looks like country stars are heavily in the mix. Fans of Kelsea, Little Big Town and Shania are all being invited to apply, but they’ll need to act fast, because the deadline for applications is March 22.

The show’s casting website also are seeking fans of a fourth artist — rapper Pitbull. It’s not yet clear what the prize package will entail for his fans and fans of Kelsea, but those competing as fans of LBT and Shania could win the chance to spend the day with their favorite artist.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jason Derulo drops new TikTok-inspired song, “Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat)”

Jason Derulo drops new TikTok-inspired song, “Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat)”
Jason Derulo drops new TikTok-inspired song, “Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat)”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL

Jason Derulo is out with new music and we have TikTok to thank for it.  The singer teamed with Robinson and Rema for the all new track “Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat),” out now.

Rema created the “Fayahh” beat last year and it quickly took over the video-sharing app as more TikTokers used it to soundtrack their videos.  The sound also sparked several challenges, ranging from belly dancing to comedic content. Now, it serves as the backbone of Jason’s new single. 

“Afrobeats reignited my obsession for music,” he said in a statement. “That’s why I was so excited to create this song alongside Robinson and Rema. I hope y’all love it as much as I do.”

Said Rema of his unexpected collab, “Jason reached out to me to be on the record so of course I had to pull up. We met up in the studio and caught a vibe. I hopped in the booth to bring my energy to it and we created a great song.”

The track is available to stream and purchase now.

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