Heart‘s Ann and Nancy Wilson have both been busy with solo musical projects since the band last toured in 2019, but Nancy says she thinks there’s a good chance that the Rock & Roll Hall Fame group will hit the road again, possibly as early as next year.
“[Ann and I] don’t…speak real directly really often these days, but I think she wants to do [another tour],” the Heart guitarist tells ABC Audio. “And I want to do it. She knows that I want to do it.”
Nancy continues, “I think it’s just, you know, the devil’s in the details about who’s in the band and…making all the choices, because we’re partners in the project, so, you know, prerequisite decisions have to be made first.”
With the two sisters recording and releasing their own solo projects lately, they now each have backing groups. With that in mind, Nancy notes, “To me, the most important thing is who’s in the [Heart touring] band. So, we’re gonna figure it out.”
While no definite plans are in place for a new Heart trek, Nancy reveals that Live Nation has made an offer to the band for a 2022 tour.
Meanwhile, Nancy, who released a debut solo studio album titled You and Me in May, will play a special orchestral show with her solo band and the Seattle Symphony on October 30 at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall.
Nancy tells ABC Audio that she feels it would “be a sweet thing” if Heart also lined up some concerts with orchestral accompaniment.
(NEW YORK) — The remnants of Fred redeveloped into a tropical storm over the southeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico earlier Sunday morning.
Tropical Storm Fred has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, is moving to the north-northwest at 10 mph and the center is currently about 235 miles south of Panama City, Florida.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Panhandle, from Navarre to the Wakulla/Jefferson County line. Parts of Florida, including Panama City, Pensacola, and southeastern Alabama are under a tropical storm watch.
As Fred continues to move across the open waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, scattered thunderstorms will be possible across parts of Florida throughout the day. The main impacts from Fred are expected on Monday.
Fred will likely strengthen more before closing in on the Florida Panhandle on Monday.
Heavy rain and gusty winds will begin to impact the state Monday morning, with the brunt of the impact arriving in the afternoon ahead of a likely landfall Monday evening along the panhandle. Over a half-foot of rain is possible in spots, with flash flooding and storm surge impacts possible during high tide.
Fred will rapidly weaken after landfall and then bring areas of heavy rain into parts of Alabama and Georgia through Tuesday morning. Flash flood watches are also in effect from Tallahassee, Florida, up into portions of southern Alabama and Georgia.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Grace currently has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and is moving west-northwest at 15 mph. The center is about 200 miles east-southeast of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. Grace remains disorganized as it moves just south of Puerto Rico.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and parts of the Dominican Republic. A tropical storm watch remains in effect across Haiti, just a day after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed hundreds, injured thousands and left widespread damage throughout the country.
Grace is forecast to impact Hispaniola Monday into Monday night, bringing torrential rain across the Dominican Republic and eventually parts of Haiti with over a half-foot of rain, flash flooding and mudslides possible in spots.
Grace will then likely move into the Gulf of Mexico, however, there remains a great deal of uncertainty, so the track possibilities could range from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden “absolutely” bears responsibility for the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan as does former President Donald Trump and his administration, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Sunday.
“What we’re watching right now in Afghanistan is what happens when America withdraws from the world,” Cheney told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “So everybody who has been saying, ‘America needs to withdraw, America needs to retreat,’ we are getting a devastating, catastrophic real-time lesson in what that means.”
Taliban militants were ordered to enter Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, as plans to form a new reconciliation council were announced and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday.
On Thursday, the State Department announced it was reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon began sending in troops to help facilitate those departures. The president on Saturday authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising the number of troops to 5,000 to assist with “orderly and safe drawdown.”
Cheney, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said Sunday on “This Week,” that the Taliban’s rapid takeover did not have to happen, as “everyone was warned.”
“I think if you look at where we were, if you look at what it would have taken in terms of maintaining the status quo, 2,500 to 3,500 forces on the ground, conducting counterterrorism, counterintelligence operations, this disaster, the catastrophe that we’re watching unfold right now across Afghanistan did not have to happen,” Cheney said. “And it’s not just that people predicted that this would happen, everyone was warned that this would happen.”
The ramifications of the current situation extend further than just Afghanistan and the war on terror, but globally, Cheney told Karl.
“Our allies are questioning this morning whether they can count on us for anything,” Cheney said.
Karl pressed Cheney on the argument made by Republicans and Democrats, including former Rep. Justin Amash, that no matter when the U.S. were to withdraw, the results would be the same.
“This is not ending the war, what this is doing actually is perpetuating it,” Cheney responded. “What we’re seeing now is a policy that will ensure — ensure, that we will in fact have to have our children and our grandchildren continuing to fight this war at much higher costs.”
“So everybody — the Rand Paul, Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, Joe Biden view of the world here is fundamentally dangerous and irresponsible and wrong,” Cheney added.
Karl also asked Cheney about the fact the majority of Americans supported the U.S. withdrawal.
“As you know, poll after poll, for the last several years, have shown that most Americans wanted us out of Afghanistan,” Karl said. “So can you really maintain for the long term a military operation that most of the American people do not support?”
“As leaders we have an obligation no matter what the issue is to tell the American people the truth, and we have an obligation to explain what’s necessary,” Cheney responded. “If American security requires that our enemies can’t establish safe havens to attack us again, then our leaders across both parties have the responsibility to explain to the American people why we need to keep the deployment of forces on the ground.”
“This has been an epic failure across the board, one we’re going to pay for for years to come,” Cheney added.
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that U.S. personnel are being relocated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to the airport “to ensure they can operate safely and securely,” as the Taliban are in Afghanistan’s capital negotiating a transfer of power and the U.S. works around the clock to evacuate Americans and special visa applicants.
“It’s why the president sent in a number of forces to make sure that as we continue to draw down our diplomatic presence that we do it in a safe and orderly fashion. And at the same time maintain a core diplomatic presence in Kabul,” Blinken told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
The rapid takeover by the Taliban has blindsided the Biden administration. Just over a month ago, President Joe Biden said it was “highly unlikely” they would overrun the entire country — and pressed by Karl on why the president was drastically wrong in his assessment, Blinken said they’ve maintained that the Taliban “was in a position of strength,” and blamed Afghan security forces for failing to defend their country.
“When we came to office, the Taliban was at its strongest position at any time since 2001, since it was last in power and Afghanistan, before 9/11, and it’s been able to build up its capacity over the last couple of years,” Blinken said, adding that Afghan security forces “proved incapable of defending the country — and that did happen more rapidly than we anticipated.”
While Biden remains committed to his deadline of a full withdrawal of U.S. forces by Aug. 31, he’s ordered more troops back into Kabul to help with evacuations. He announced in a statement on Saturday that he was sending an additional 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total to 5,000, to help evacuate American personnel and Afghan civilians who assisted the U.S. throughout the war.
An internal document obtained by ABC News on Friday directed all personnel at the embassy to destroy sensitive material, including items with U.S. logos and flags. Asked by Karl if this is out of fear that the Taliban will take over the compound, Blinken said this is “standard operating procedure.”
“This is being done in a very deliberate way, it’s being done in an orderly way, and it’s being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way,” he continued.
Pressed further by Karl on saying this is “standard operating procedure” and “orderly” when American military helicopters are being used to evacuate personnel from the embassy, reminiscent of the scenes from the 1975 evacuation of Americans in Saigon, Vietnam, Blinken said “this is manifestly not Saigon.”
“We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago, with one mission in mind, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11,” Blinken said. “And that mission has been successful. We brought (Osama) Bin Laden to justice a decade ago. Al-Qaida, the group that attacked us, has been vastly diminished. Its capacity to attack us again from Afghanistan has been, right now, does not exist, and we’re going to make sure that we keep in place in the region, the capacity, the forces necessary to see any reemergence of a terrorist threat, and to be able to deal with it.”
Before Biden ultimately made his determination to withdraw, he was advised by his top military advisers to leave a military presence in the country of up to 4,000 troops. Asked Sunday if Biden now regrets his decision, Blinken said “the idea that we could’ve sustained the status quo” with U.S. forces is “wrong.”
“Here’s what would have happened if the president decided to keep those forces there: During the period from when the agreement was reached to May 1, the Taliban had ceased attacking our forces, ceased attacking NATO forces. It had also held off on this major offensive that we see now to try to take over the country to go for these provincial capitals, which in recent weeks it has succeeded in doing. Come May 2, if the president decided to say — all gloves would have been off. We would have been back at war with the Taliban. They would have been attacking our forces. We would have had 2,500 or so forces remaining in the country with air power. I don’t think that would have been sufficient to deal with what we’re seeing, which is an offensive across the entire country.”
In his statement on Saturday, the president also double-downed on his decision to withdraw, saying an “endless American presence” was not acceptable to him and that he would not pass the decades-long war to a fifth American president.
“One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country,” Biden said. “And an endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me.”
After years of advancements for women and young girls in Afghanistan, the rights they’ve come to know could quickly be reversed as the Taliban is on the brink of a total takeover. Asked by Karl what this means for America’s image in the world, Blinken said it’s “incumbent on the international community … to sustain the gains they’ve made.”
“When we consider women and girls, all those who’ve had their lives advanced, this is searing. It is hard stuff,” Blinken said.
“Ultimately, it is in the Taliban’s self-interest. They have to make that determination. But it’s in their self-interest if they truly seek acceptance, international recognition, if they want support, if they want sanctions lifted. All of that will require them to uphold basic rights, fundamental rights,” he added. “If they don’t and if they’re in a position of power and they don’t do that, then I think Afghanistan will become a pariah state.”
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan contributed to this report
(WASHINGTON) — US Embassy says to avoid airport because it’s taking fireTaliban militants have been ordered to enter Kabul, following earlier assurances by Taliban officials that they do not intend to take Afghanistan’s capital by force
According to a statement, the Taliban ordered its fighters to enter the city because “now there are reports that districts in Kabul have been evacuated, police have left their job of providing security, ministries have been evacuated, and security personnel from the Kabul administration have fled.”
“So that God forbid the common thieves and robbers in Kabul do not mix, the abusers do not harm the people, the Islamic Emirate ordered its forces to enter the areas of Kabul from which the enemy went and areas there is a risk of theft and robbery,” the statement continued.
The Taliban went on to tell Kabul residents that they should not fear these troops and that none would enter anyone’s homes or harass anyone.
However, a short time later, the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert urging Americans to shelter in place and avoid the airport, which was reportedly taking fire. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter that NATO is helping keep the Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations.
Despite the Taliban moving into the last major city that remained under government control, U.S. officials said that its airport operations in Kabul would continue. A U.S. official added that American forces at the airport are properly secured and that despite the latest developments, there is no expected direct impact on U.S. operations there.
Earlier Sunday, both former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, issued a statement confirming that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country and announced plans to form a new reconciliation council.
The new reconciliation council will be formed headed by Afghan politician and former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and former President Hamid Karzai, according to the statement, “To prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people and to better manage the affairs related to peace and (a) peaceful transfer.”
“The council calls on the government security forces and the security forces of the Islamic Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) to resolutely curb the chaos and incitement of irresponsible and unrelated individuals while maintaining restraint,” the statement adds.”The council calls on the government security forces and the security forces of the Islamic Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) to resolutely curb the chaos and incitement of irresponsible and unrelated individuals while maintaining restraint,” the statement continued.
The Taliban reported earlier Sunday that its leaders were at the presidential palace to negotiate a transfer of power.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that U.S. personnel are being relocated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to the airport “to ensure they can operate safely and securely,” but still maintain a core diplomatic presence there.
Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell said Sunday that he could hear American Chinook helicopters flying overheard and ferrying people out to the airport so that they could leave the country.
“There’s a real climate of fear and dread of what the future holds,” Pannell told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Canada also announced Sunday that it was temporarily suspending operations at its embassy in Kabul.
“The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure the safety and security of our mission,” according to a statement.
“As always, our priority in these situations is ensuring the safety and security of Canadian personnel. They are now safely on their way back to Canada,” the statement continued.
Additionally, the United Kingdom announced it reduced its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, but the ambassador remains in Kabul along with UK staffers who continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to its Afghan staff.
The U.S. State Department announced Thursday it was reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon began sending in troops to help facilitate those departures. The president on Saturday authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising the number of troops to 5,000 to assist with “orderly and safe drawdown.”
Early Sunday, the Taliban entered the outskirts of Kabul and fighters were seen gathering in the Kabul districts of Kampany and Barchi, a local reporter confirmed to ABC News.
They have assured residents that their lives are not in danger and a Taliban spokesman told ABC News that the Taliban leaders have ordered their troops not to take over Kabul by force for now but to “remain at the gates.”
President Ashraf Ghani’s official Twitter account reported that gunshots were heard in remote areas of Kabul province, but that “the situation is under control.”
The Taliban entered the outskirts of the city early Sunday and fighters were seen gathering in the Kabul districts of Kampany and Barchi, a local reporter confirmed to ABC News. Officials told the Associated Press that there were also Taliban fighters in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman.
Russia is ready to cooperate with a “transitional government” that would include the Taliban and members of the current government, the Russian Embassy in Kabul reportedly said, according to the state news agency TASS. The embassy also said the resignation of Ghani was a condition for the Taliban not storming Kabul.
President Joe Biden, spending the weekend at Camp David, has received another briefing from his national security team on the latest developments in Afghanistan and will be briefed throughout the day, a White House official told ABC News.
Members of Congress were also receiving virtual briefings on Afghanistan from Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, according to congressional sources familiar with the matter.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul instructed all U.S. personnel to destroy items like documents and electronic devices to “reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property,” according to an internal notice obtained by ABC News.
“Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” the notice said.
Blinken on “This Week” said the removal of American flags and sensitive items is standard operating procedure in any such situation.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez, Patrick Reevell, Christine Theodorou, Trish Turner and Lauren King contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — With the death toll now at 700 people and more than 2,800 injured after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the beleagured nation faces the threat of fast-approaching Tropical Storm Grace potentially exposing an already vulnerable population to a double impact in a matter of days.
Haiti’s Civil Protection agency confirmed the number of deaths and injuries and said those figures are expected to rise. Initial reports indicate there are more than 700 collapsed buildings, including hospitals and schools, at least 3,778 homes destroyed and significant damage to infrastructure and roads.
Grace is forecast to make landfall in Haiti between Aug. 16-17.
“The people of Haiti are not only going to have to deal with this earthquake and its aftershocks but also this impending tropical storm,” United States Geological Survey geophysicist William Barnhart, from the Earthquake Hazards Program, said. “It’s honestly just a terrible situation.” Barnhart said there could be thousands of deaths from the disaster.
“The number of fatalities does not always make it out,” he told ABC News. “There’s a lot of time that has to go into recovering individuals from buildings and accessing areas and towns.”
The earthquake, according to USGS, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
Jerry Chandler, Haiti’s director of civil protection, said that teams will be sent to the area for search and rescue missions, The Associated Press reported.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Power spoke to Henry, also the acting president of Haiti in the wake of Jovenel Moise’s assassination, Saturday evening about how USAID can assist the country. Earlier, the agency said a disaster assistance response team had been sent to the island.
USAID tweeted Sunday morning that “at the at the request of Haiti’s government” it has “deployed an urban search & rescue team to join our #Haiti earthquake disaster response team. This 65-person deployment brings 52,000 pounds of specialized tools, equipment & medical supplies to assist in search operations.”
The quake could not have come at worst time for Haiti, which is still reeling from Moïse’s assassination on July 7, and escalating gang violence which has resulted in the internal displacement of thousands of people in the country, according to a June UNICEF report, AP reported — greatly worsening an already precarious humanitarian situation.
While a recent surge in COVID-19 cases has tapered off, the possible displacement of thousands of people has created ripe conditions for a spike in COVID-19 infections, potentially overwhelming an already weak and overstretched health system that will also have to provide assistance to those injured by the earthquake.
Meanwhile, some celebrities and companies are offering aid to Haiti.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka posted on Twitter that she plans to donate her prize winnings to relief efforts in Haiti. “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on,” she tweeted.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Cupertino would be donating to “assist relief and recovery efforts in the affected communites,” in a Sunday morning tweet.
Celebrity chef José Andrés tweeted Sunday that he and his organization, World Central Kitchen, have been on the ground in Haiti since yesterday providing food.
.@WCKitchen We are there since yesterday! Already on the ground and cooking as we speak….amazing work by so many….we will take care of the people of Haiti! #ChefsForHaiti
(WASHINGTON) — The upcoming 20th anniversary of 9/11, religious holidays and more pandemic restrictions amid a COVID-19 surge caused by the delta variant, could give rise to terrorist attacks in the U.S, the Department of Homeland Security is warning.
DHS’ National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued on Friday, warned that threats from domestic terrorists — individuals engaged in grievance-based violence — and foreign terrorists are exacerbated by the pandemic, “including grievances over public health safety measures and perceived government restrictions.”
The bulletin said that racially or ethnically motivated extremists will exploit the reintroduction of COVID-19 variants as a means to carry out attacks because of re-implemented pandemic restrictions.
This is the third NTAS bulletin the Department has issued since January.
The DHS also warned that because of the upcoming 9/11 anniversary foreign terrorists or people inspired by foreign terrorists might seek to carry out an attack around the anniversary.
Al-Qaeda released an issue of Inspire magazine for the first time in over four years, with the hopes of inspiring people to carry out attacks, according to the bulletin.
The bulletin also warned that domestic violent extremists have targeted houses of worship. “Historically, mass-casualty domestic violent extremist attacks linked to RMVEs have targeted houses of worship and crowded commercial facilities or gatherings,” it read and that some RMVEs (racially motivated violent extremists) “advocate via online platforms for a race war and have stated that civil disorder provides opportunities to engage in violence in furtherance of ideological objectives.”
Reopening of schools and other institutions, as well as religious holidays over the next few months could become “targets of opportunity for violence,” the bulletin further warned.
DHS also cautioned about foreign and domestic groups as well as foreign intelligence services (but did not specify which ones) that “continue to introduce, amplify, and disseminate narratives online that promote violence, and have called for violence against elected officials, political representatives, government facilities, law enforcement, religious communities or commercial facilities, and perceived ideologically-opposed individuals.”
ABC News previously reported on the Department’s concern about the conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump will be reinstated as U.S. president last Friday.
“Law enforcement have expressed concerns that the broader sharing of false narratives and conspiracy theories will gain traction in mainstream environments, resulting in individuals or small groups embracing violent tactics to achieve their desired objectives. With a diverse array of threats, DHS is concerned that increased outbreaks of violence in some locations, as well as targeted attacks against law enforcement, may strain local resources,” the bulletin reads.
Some domestic violent extremists “continue to derive inspiration and obtain operational guidance through the consumption of information shared in certain online communities. This includes information regarding the use of improvised explosive devices and small arms.”
The Department also warned of nation-state adversaries attempting to sow politcal discord, citing examples of Russia, China and Iran attempting to cast doubt on vaccine efficacy.
“DHS remains committed to sharing timely information with the public about the heightened threat environment in order to protect communities across our country,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a statement on Friday. “Today’s NTAS Bulletin advises the public about the heightened threat landscape we face and how DHS is working with our partners, at every level of government and in the community, to combat domestic terrorism and targeted violence in all its forms. We are committed to ensuring every initiative undertaken by DHS in response to the threat is consistent with privacy protections, civil rights and civil liberties, First Amendment-protected rights, and other applicable laws.”
(ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.) — A Florida mother was fatally shot by her toddler while on a Zoom video call for work, prompting one of her colleagues to call 911, authorities said.
Shamaya Lynn, 21, was killed Wednesday at her apartment in Altamonte Springs in central Florida after one of her two toddlers picked up an unsecured, loaded handgun and shot her in the head, according to police.
A woman on the video call dialed 911 after she heard a noise, observed Lynn fall backward and then saw blood.
“I don’t know where to begin, but I’m on a live with a company, we just got hired. And one of the girls just passed out. She’s bleeding,” the coworker said in a 911 call released by police.
The woman told the dispatcher she could hear a baby crying but couldn’t see anything else.
“We heard a loud ‘kaboom’ and then she leaned back, and then we just got blood from her face,” the woman said.
A man who identified himself as Lynn’s boyfriend also called 911 after coming home and finding her unconscious and bleeding.
“Hurry!” he told the 911 dispatcher. “There’s blood everywhere.”
The man, who told police he was the father of the two children, was handcuffed at the scene due to his “state and guns being present in the apartment,” the police report stated.
Responding officers and paramedics rendered aid but couldn’t prevent Lynn from dying due to her injuries, police said.
“This young mother lost her life after one of her toddlers found an unsecured handgun in the apartment,” Sgt. Rob Ruiz of the Altamonte Springs Police Department told reporters. “We do have a responsibility as adults to keep people safe, especially when you own a firearm.”
Detectives are working with the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges should be filed against the children’s father, who owned the gun, police said. The case was still being reviewed as of Saturday evening, Ruiz told ABC News.
The father was questioned but not arrested, ABC News Orlando affiliate WFTV reported.
(NEW YORK) — At least 304 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured as a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the country’s civil protection agency confirmed to ABC News.
The earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
Haiti, which is divided into 10 departments, said 160 deaths took place in Sud, 42 in Nippes, 100 in Grand’Anse and two in Nord-Ouest, according to the civil protection agency.
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
The earthquake struck just days before Tropical Storm Grace is forecast to reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
Initial reports from those in Port-au-Prince said the city seemed to be “fine” and that the airport remained operational.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Justin Doom, Justin Gomez and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — On the heels of an address to the nation by Afghanistan’s president, Taliban forces gained major ground Saturday while they advance toward the capital of Kabul.
As the latest cities fall, President Joe Biden announced he would be sending more troops to Kabul to facilitate the “orderly and safe drawdown” of U.S. personnel, allied forces and Afghan civilians who helped with the war effort. Instead of heading to Kuwait as previously planned, 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne will head directly to Kabul, the president said in a lengthy statement Saturday afternoon.
In a televised national address Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected suggestions he might resign in his first appearance since the rapid offensive, saying his focus is to “prevent further instability, violence and displacement of our people.”
“Therefore, I have started extensive consultations inside the government, with the elders and political leaders, representatives of people from all walks of life and our international partners,” he said. “Swift consultations in this regard are going on and the results will soon be shared with you, my dear compatriots.”
The Taliban have demanded that Ghani resign in exchange for a reduction in violence and to lay the groundwork for a transitional government. But Ghani has said he is the democratically elected leader of the country and will remain so until negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government reach a conclusion — an increasingly distant reality.
US troops deployed to reduce embassy staff
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said Friday it would begin reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon was sending in troops “as we speak” to help facilitate those departures.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby wouldn’t say the Taliban’s advances took the Biden administration by surprise but said officials are “certainly concerned” by the speed at which the Taliban is moving.
“We’re obviously watching this just like you’re watching this and seeing it happen in real-time, and it’s deeply concerning. In fact, the deteriorating conditions are a factor — a big factor — in why the president has approved this mission to help support our — the reduction of personnel there in Kabul,” he said in a briefing from the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
Kirby said the “leading elements” of one of the two Marine battalions headed to Kabul had arrived and that “the bulk” of the 3,000 troops would be there by the end of the weekend.
The Taliban pressuring major Afghan cities was a significant factor in the decision to go forward with the reduction in embassy staffing and the new military mission, a U.S. official told ABC News.
A military analysis said Kabul could be isolated in 30 to 60 days and captured in 90 days, a U.S. official told ABC News. That timeline seemed even more accelerated Thursday as the Taliban claimed Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city. As of Friday, the Taliban had taken control of Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, located 300 miles south of Kabul and considered the birthplace of the Taliban. The Taliban had also seized Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has urged Americans to evacuate Afghanistan immediately, amid fears that the capital could fall into Taliban hands in a matter of weeks.
“Clearly from their actions, it appears as if they are trying to get Kabul isolated,” Kirby said of the Taliban at the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
In a security alert issued Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul announced it is considering evacuation flights for American citizens in Afghanistan as the Taliban approach the capital.
Commercial flights are still operating, “but seats may not be available,” the alert said, and advised U.S. citizens to register with the embassy for repatriation flights for themselves and any non-citizen spouses or children under the age of 21.
Afghans who have U.S. citizen children, but are not citizens themselves, may be forced to choose to send their children off without them: “If you do not have appropriate travel documentation [like a valid U.S. visa], please identify an individual who currently has valid travel documentation who could accompany your U.S. citizen minor,” the alert said.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the embassy in Kabul will remain open as it reduces its civilian footprint due to the “evolving security situation.” He added that the embassy expects to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
“What this is not — this is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal,” Price said Thursday. “What this is, is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint. This is a drawdown of civilian Americans who will, in many cases, be able to perform their important functions elsewhere, whether that’s in the United States or elsewhere in the region.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has instructed all U.S. personnel to destroy items like documents and electronic devices to “reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property,” according to an internal notice obtained by ABC News.
“Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” the notice said.
A State Department spokesperson did not deny this was the case, but in a statement described it as “standard operating procedure designed to minimize our footprint.”
In addition to the U.S. troops heading to Kabul, 1,000 personnel were being sent to assist with the processing of Afghans who worked as interpreters, guides and other contractors and applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).
“I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of civilian personnel at the request of the State Department and to help facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants,” Kirby said Thursday.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the national security team by video conference Saturday morning regarding the evacuation of Americans and SIV applicants from Afghanistan, according to the White House.
In a statement Saturday afternoon, Biden said the White House has conveyed to the Taliban that “any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan, that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk there, will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response.”
The president’s statement said that in addition to authorizing 5,000 troops to assist with the “drawdown” of U.S. and allied personnel and the “evacuation” of certain Afghans, he had ordered armed forces and intelligence “to ensure that we will maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan,” directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to support “Ghani and other Afghan leaders as they seek to prevent further bloodshed and pursue a political settlement” and placed Ambassador Tracey Jacobson in charge of the effort to “transport, and relocate Afghan special immigrant visa applicants and other Afghan allies.”
Among the 5,000 troops cited by Biden are 1,000 soldiers from 82nd Airborne initially intended to go to Kuwait, a defense official told ABC News. The remaining brigade of 2,500 soldiers will still head to Kuwait to preposition in case they are needed.
There are also 1,000 troops already in Kabul, the official said, including the 650 protecting the airport and the embassy.
Kirby called it a “very temporary mission for a very temporary purpose,” and said the DOD expects to keep no more than 1,000 troops in Kabul to protect the airport and embassy after the Aug. 31 deadline — up from the 650 troops originally set to remain.
Price said officials will continue to relocate qualified Afghans who assisted the American mission, such as interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. government, and flights will ramp up in the coming days.
“Our hearts go out to the brave Afghan men and women who are now at risk. We are working to evacuate thousands of those who helped our cause and their families,” Biden said in his statement Saturday, noting that the administration to working to relocate SIV applicants and “other Afghan allies.”
The United Kingdom is also sending military personnel — about 600 paratroopers — to Kabul on a short-term basis to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, according to a joint press release from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The number of staffers working at the British Embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team focused on providing consular and visa services for those needing to rapidly leave the country.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday he believed the country was “heading towards a civil war” as the Taliban gain momentum.
Other nations were working to reduce their embassy staff, including Germany and Spain. The Danish Embassy in Kabul will be closing, and Italy’s defense minister said Friday evening that the country was reviewing embassy security in the capital.
‘Immense’ human toll
Amid the Taliban’s advance, tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes to avoid living under the insurgents’ rule.
Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, a senior fellow for the Middle East Institute, Afghanistan war veteran and ABC News national security analyst, called on the U.S. to reverse its decision to withdraw troops in order to “prevent the country’s fall to the Taliban and the establishment of a safe haven for terrorist organizations.”
“In the absence of that, the international community must immediately establish a secure, fortified area within the Kabul region where Afghans, especially females, fleeing the Taliban can have their own safe haven,” he said Friday.
“This should also come with a clear warning to the Taliban that if they enter the Kabul region, they will be met by military force from the United States,” he added. “This is the only thing they will understand and likely the only thing that will stop them from an assault on Kabul that will cause a major humanitarian crisis.”
Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, warned Friday at a press conference in Geneva that a worsening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan.
“The human toll of spiraling hostilities is immense. The United Nations Assistance Mission has warned that without a significant de-escalation in violence, Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since the UN’s records began,” she said.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for a cease-fire in remarks on Friday.
“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: seizing power through military force is a losing proposition,” he said. “That can only lead to prolonged civil war or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan.”
According to the U.N., some 400,000 civilians have been forced to flee from their homes since the start of the year, joining 2.9 million Afghans already internally displaced across the country at the end of last year, she said.
ABC News’ Cindy Smith, Justin Gomez and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
