Los Angeles City Council president resigns after using racist language in leaked recording – Axios
Los Angeles City Council president resigns after using racist language in leaked recording – Axios

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her position Monday after she and two other councilmembers were recorded making racist remarks.

The latest: Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera submitted his resignation on Monday night over his involvement in the racist conversation, per the Los Angeles Times.

  • He quit at a meeting of the labor organization’s executive board, California Labor Federation head Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher told the New York Times.

Driving the news: In a statement announcing her resignation, Martinez asked for forgiveness “from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much.”

  • “In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends. Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council,” the statement continued.
  • The California and Los Angeles branches of the NAACP demanded late Sunday that Martinez and the others resign after the Los Angeles Times reported she called a Black child a monkey.
  • The NAACP chapters also called on Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and Herrera to step down for participating in a discussion with anti-Black and anti-Indigenous comments.

Details: Martinez referred to a white councilmember’s child, who is Black, as “ese changuito,” or that little monkey, during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, according to the leaked audio of a nearly year-old conversation.

  • Martinez also reportedly said that the councilor, Mike Bonin, handled his son as though he were an “accessory.” She also referred to Bonin as a “little b—h.”
  • Herrera suggested that Bonin puts his young son out in public like a lawn jockey, the racist statues used to invoke the antebellum South.

Martinez also is heard making fun of Indigenous people from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, who have migrated to Los Angeles.

  • She referred to them as “short little dark people” and called them “ugly.”

What they’re saying: “This kind of overt racism has no place in political discourse,” Rick L. Callender, president of the CA/HI State Conference of the NAACP, said in a statement.

  • “We clearly know where your heart and mind are, and both of them are corroded with the rust of racism and hate.”

Meanwhile, Los Angles Oaxacan chef, restaurateur, and Gold Award recipient Bricia Lopez joined in calls for resignations on social media.

  • The words out of (Nury Martinez’s) mouth cut deep in the Oaxaca community of LA. I’ve dealt w my fair share of racism. But it’s ten times worse when it comes from a brown and woman. Girl, you gotta resign,” she tweeted.

Zoom out: The secretly recorded conversation revolved around the councilors’ frustration that the growing Latino population wasn’t resulting in more Latino council districts and concerns Black leaders were keeping some Black-majority ones.

  • Martinez, De León, and Herrera have issued statements of apology for their roles in the conversation. Cedillo told the Los Angeles Times he had no memory of the discussion.

Of note: Protesters demonstrated outside of Martinez’s home and played portions of the audio recording on Sunday. Los Angeles police were later seen in a video shared on social media attempting to move the crowd away from her house.

  • Further protests were organized for Monday, with images shared to social media showing demonstrations outside the home of de León.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Martinez confirming her resignation and details of further protests. The headline has also been updated.

Source Article from https://www.axios.com/2022/10/10/los-angeles-council-members-racist-remarks-resign-calls

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Russia unleashes biggest attacks in Ukraine in months – The Associated Press – en Español
Russia unleashes biggest attacks in Ukraine in months – The Associated Press – en Español

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia retaliated Monday for an attack on a critical bridge by unleashing its most widespread strikes against Ukraine in months, a lethal barrage that smashed civilian targets, knocked out power and water, shattered buildings and killed at least 14 people.

Ukraine’s Emergency Service said nearly 100 people were wounded in the morning rush hour attacks that Russia launched from the air, sea and land against at least 14 regions, spanning from Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the east. Many of the attacks occurred far from the war’s front lines.

Though Russia said missiles targeted military and energy facilities, some struck civilian areas while people were heading to work and school. One hit a playground in downtown Kyiv and another struck a university.

The attacks plunged much of the country into a blackout, depriving hundreds of thousands of people of electricity into Monday night and creating a shortage so severe Ukrainian authorities asked people to conserve and announced they will stop power exports to Europe starting Tuesday. Power outages also often deprive residents of water, given the system’s reliance on electricity to run pumps and other equipment.

Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the strikes had no “practical military sense” and that Russia’s goal was to cause a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces targeted key energy infrastructure and military command facilities with “precision weapons” in retaliation for what he claimed were Kyiv’s “terrorist” actions — a reference to Ukraine’s attempts to repel Moscow’s invasion, including an attack Saturday on a key bridge between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Putin alleged the bridge attack was masterminded by Ukrainian special services.

Putin vowed a “tough” and “proportionate” response if further Ukrainian attacks threaten Russia’s security. “No one should have any doubts about it,” he told Russia’s Security Council by video.

The Russian president has been under intense domestic pressure to take more aggressive action to stop a largely successful Ukrainian counteroffensive and to react forcefully to Saturday’s attack on the Kerch bridge, whose construction he used to cement his 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Putin’s increasingly frequent descriptions of Ukraine’s actions as terrorist could portend even more bold and draconian actions. But in Monday’s speech, Putin — whose partial troop mobilization order last month triggered an exodus of hundreds of thousands of men of fighting age — stopped short of escalating his “special military operation” to a counterterrorism campaign or martial law. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on world leaders to declare Russia a terrorist state because of its attacks on civilians and alleged war crimes.

Moscow’s war in Ukraine is approaching its eight-month mark, and the Kremlin has been reeling from humiliating battlefield setbacks in areas of eastern Ukraine it is trying to annex.

The head of Ukraine’s law enforcement said Monday’s attacks damaged 70 infrastructure sites, of which 29 are critical. Zelenskyy said that of the 84 cruise missiles and 24 drones Russia fired, Ukrainian forces shot down 56.

Blasts struck in the capital’s Shevchenko district, which includes the historic old town and government offices, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Some of the strikes hit near the government quarter in the capital’s symbolic heart, where parliament and other major landmarks are located. A glass-covered office tower was significantly damaged, with most of its blue-tinted windows blown out.

Zelenskyy, in a video address, referred to the rush hour timing of Monday’s attacks, saying Russia “chose such a time and such targets on purpose to inflict the most damage.”

The strikes sent residents of Ukraine’s two largest cities — Kyiv and Kharkiv — into bomb shelters, including subway stations.

Zelenskyy’s wife, Olena, posted a video showing people sheltering on the stairs of a Kyiv subway station singing a Ukrainian folk song, “In a Cherry Garden,” whose final lines are: “My dear mother, you are old and I’m happy and young. I want to live, to love.”

While air raid sirens have continued throughout the war, in Kyiv and elsewhere many Ukrainians had been ignoring the warnings after months of calm.

Just as traffic was picking up Monday morning, a commuter minibus was struck near Kyiv National University. Nearby, at least one missile landed in Shevchenko Park, leaving a large hole near a children’s playground.

Another target was the Klitschko pedestrian bridge — a central Kyiv landmark with glass panels. Video footage showed a huge explosion under the bridge, with smoke rising, and a man running away, apparently unhurt. The mayor posted a video later while walking on the bridge, pointing out a crater on a sidewalk below and broken glass and missile fragments on the bridge surface.

Air raid sirens sounded in every region of Ukraine except Russia-annexed Crimea for four straight hours.

Associated Press journalists saw bodies at an industrial site on the outskirts of Dnipro. Four people were killed and 19 injured in the city, officials said. Witnesses said one missile landed in front of a bus, damaging the vehicle but not killing any passengers.

Natalia Nesterenko, a mathematician, saw one missile fly by her Dnipro apartment balcony as she was in her kitchen, then she heard two explosions.

“It’s very dangerous. I immediately called my kids to see how they are because anyone can be hit — women, children,” she said.

Kharkiv was hit three times, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The strikes knocked out the electricity and water supply. Energy infrastructure was also hit in Lviv, regional Gov. Maksym Kozytskyi said.

Three cruise missiles launched against Ukraine from Russian ships in the Black Sea crossed Moldova’s airspace, said the country’s foreign affairs minister, Nicu Popescu.

The attacks prompted fresh international condemnation of Russia.

The Group of Seven industrial powers scheduled a video conference Tuesday on the situation, which Zelenskyy will address.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement the missile attacks that killed civilians “again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.” He said the United States and its allies will ”continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom.” In a phone call later Monday, Biden told Zelenskyy the United States agreed to his request to provide advanced air defense systems.

French President Emanuel Macron expressed “extreme concern.” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that “Russia’s firing of missiles into civilian areas of Ukraine is unacceptable.”

Some feared Monday’s attacks may represent the start a new Russian offensive. As a precaution, Ukraine switched all schools to online learning.

In an ominous move, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he and Putin agreed to create a joint “regional grouping of troops.” He offered no details.

Lukashenko repeated his claims that Ukraine is plotting an attack on Belarus, sparking fears he would take preemptive action. His defense minister, Viktor Khrenin, later issued a video warning Ukraine not to provoke Belarus, but added: “We don’t want to fight.”

___

Sabra Ayres in Kyiv, Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kharkiv, and Justin Spike and Yesica Fisch in Dnipro, contributed to this story.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-government-and-politics-8f625861590b9e0dd336dabc0880ac8c

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Civic leaders call for Martinez, De León and Cedillo to resign – Los Angeles Times
Civic leaders call for Martinez, De León and Cedillo to resign – Los Angeles Times

The chorus of civic leaders calling for Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo to step down from the Los Angeles City Council grew louder Monday, as U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, Mayor Eric Garcetti and both mayoral candidates called on the embattled politicians to resign.

“Bigotry, violence, and division too often live in unseen and unheard places, but have severe consequences on the lives of our fellow Angelenos when they are not confronted and left to infect our public and private lives,” Garcetti said in a statement that described resignations from all three elected officials as “the right response.”

The political implosion — unparalleled in recent L.A. history — was set off by a leaked audio recording reported Sunday by The Times.

A leaked recording of L.A. City Council members and a labor official includes racist remarks. Council President Nury Martinez apologizes; Councilmember Kevin de León expresses regret.

The leaked conversation, which took place roughly a year ago, involved the three Los Angeles council members and a powerful labor leader. Martinez was heard making racist statements and the group disparaged other politicians.

Following outrage over the racist comments she made about a colleague’s then-toddler son, Martinez stepped down from her leadership position as president of the City Council on Monday morning.

The move instantly triggered behind-the-scenes jockeying at City Hall over who will replace her as leader, along with further questions about whether Martinez and the others retain their seats on the 15-member council.

Padilla — a longtime ally and former high school classmate of Martinez — called on all three council members to resign in a statement early Monday afternoon. Mayoral candidates Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Rick Caruso have also called on all three to resign, as have a number of union leaders.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) also weighed in Monday afternoon, saying that it was “in the city’s best interest that the councilmembers involved resign and take full responsibility for their actions.”

Martinez reiterated her apologies in a Monday morning statement, saying she was “truly ashamed.”

“I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends,” Martinez said.

Audio of Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo speaking with labor leader Ron Herrera quickly became a new and incendiary issue in the Nov. 8 election.

The revelations have upended politics a month before a critical city election and brought the crucible of race relations back into the center of municipal debate.

Martinez’s remarks were made during an October 2021 meeting over the city’s redistricting process.

She said Councilmember Mike Bonin handled his young Black son as though he were an “accessory” and described the son as “Parece changuito,” or “He’s like a little monkey.” And she referred to Oaxacans in Koreatown as “little short dark people,” saying “Tan feos” — “They’re ugly.”

Speaking about Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón, Martinez said, “F— that guy … He’s with the Blacks.”

De León, Cedillo and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera all also apologized Sunday for their role in the conversation. At one point in the leaked audio, De León appeared to compare Bonin’s handling of his child to Martinez holding a Louis Vuitton handbag.

By mid-morning Monday, Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Paul Koretz, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Bonin and Mitch O’Farrell had all called on Martinez to resign.

Harris-Dawson and O’Farrell, along with several other politicians in various levels of government, also called for De León and Cedillo to resign from council.

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Cedillo said Sunday that “While I did not engage in the conversation in question, I was present at times during this meeting last year. It is my instinct to hold others accountable when they use derogatory or racially divisive language.”

“Clearly, I should have intervened. I failed in holding others and myself to the highest standard. The hurtful and harmful remarks made about my colleague’s son were simply unacceptable. We choose public life, but our families should always be off limits and never part of the political discourse,” he said in a text to The Times. “I did not make a racist statement and I did not mock my colleagues.”

A San Fernando Valley native, Martinez made history when she was sworn in as the first Latina president of the City Council in 2019.

She led the council through the early months of the pandemic, focusing on helping renters and later, a vaccination requirement for city workers. She also worked to redirect money from the police department to other city purposes, including social services, after George Floyd’s murder.

She steps down as president at a key moment for City Hall. As many as five council members could depart by the end of the year, depending on the outcome of the Nov. 8 election.

Four councilmembers are leaving office while a fifth, O’Farrell, is in a tough reelection fight.

Councilmember-elect Eunisses Hernandez, who defeated Cedillo in June, said she wants to see the council have “an intermediate caretaker” as president until the end of the year, when she and the other new council members will be seated.

Hernandez said Councilmember Paul Krekorian would make a good caretaker in the coming months. “In January, when the new council is on board, we should do a new vote. And I would be interested in seeing Marqueece’s leadership,” said Hernandez, referring to Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

Instead of taking responsibility for the underwhelming state of Latino political power, the councilmembers just whined about their predicament and blamed everyone else — in racist terms.

Krekorian said he is in fact interested in becoming council president, arguing that the city is about to go through huge political changes — the arrival of a new mayor, city attorney, city controller and at least four new council members. The council, he said, will need someone experienced to lead the council through its “latest crisis.”

“I want to make sure that the council is able to function as effectively as possible, and that it has experienced, stable leadership,” Krekorian said. “I’ve certainly demonstrated that over the course of a dozen years on the council.”

Protesters on the left and right sides of the political spectrum have targeted Martinez and other politicians in recent years. At some points, they gathered outside the officials’ homes, prompting Martinez to propose a law barring protest from within 300 feet of a target’s residence.

On Sunday night, a group gathered outside her home in Sun Valley to protest her racist comments, according to a video posted on Twitter.

The leaked audio of Martinez and her colleagues revealed explicit conversations about the council district maps that had recently been proposed by the city’s 21-member redistricting commission.

The once-a-decade redistricting process reshapes the city’s council districts and sets off competition among various groups over political power and representation.

Latino residents make up roughly half of L.A.’s population but represent fewer than a third of the council’s 15 districts, leading to long-standing complaints that the population isn’t being represented.

As Martinez and others discussed Latino representation in the council districts, they spoke in blunt terms.

So much for solidarity. Leaked audio of L.A.’s Latino leaders plotting to dilute Black political power is sure to lead to new fears and new divisions.

At one point, Herrera mentioned a South L.A. council seat and said, “You just gotta combat CoCo with that seat. That seat has to be anti-CoCo.”

He was referring to Community Coalition, the nonprofit started by Bass and once headed by Harris-Dawson, who is Black.

Harris-Dawson, in an interview Sunday with The Times, criticized the group’s remarks as a “sort of a concerted effort to dilute the strength of Black voters.”

The leaders of eight SEIU California unions with Los Angeles-area members also issued a statement Monday morning calling on Martinez, De León and Cedillo to step down from their council seats and Herrera to step down from his post with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

The leaked audio was part of a “serious security and privacy breach” at labor federation offices involving “illegal” recordings of “many private and confidential conversations in private offices and conference rooms,” the federation told affiliates Sunday in an email, according to text provided to The Times.

Times staff writer Matt Pearce contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-10/la-city-council-president-nury-martinez-steps-down-audio-leak

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Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for knocking U.S. airport websites offline – NPR
Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for knocking U.S. airport websites offline – NPR

LAX officials told NPR that FlyLAX.com was partially disrupted early Monday morning. The service interruption did not compromise internal airport systems and there were no operational disruptions, according to authorities.

Ashley Landis/AP


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Ashley Landis/AP

LAX officials told NPR that FlyLAX.com was partially disrupted early Monday morning. The service interruption did not compromise internal airport systems and there were no operational disruptions, according to authorities.

Ashley Landis/AP

A pro-Russian hacker group is taking credit for temporarily taking down several U.S. airport websites on Monday, though there appeared to be no impact on flight operations.

The attacks claimed by Killnet impacted the websites for Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare, and Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, among others.

The group posted a list of airports on Telegram, urging hackers to participate in what’s known as a DDoS attack — a distributed denial-of-service caused when a computer network is flooded by simultaneous data transmissions.

The group’s call to action included airports across the country, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri.

It was not immediately clear how many of the airports were actually hit and whether all victims’ sites suffered any disruptions.

In a statement, LAX officials told NPR that FlyLAX.com was partially disrupted early Monday morning.

“The service interruption was limited to portions of the public facing FlyLAX.com website only. No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions,” a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

She added that the airport’s information technology team has restored all services and is investigating the cause. Officials have also notified the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration.

By about 1 p.m. in Atlanta, authorities said ATL.com was “up and running after an incident early this morning that made it inaccessible to the public.” But people on Twitter continued to complain about parts of the site being inaccessible for several hours after the announcement had been made.

Atlanta airport officials said no airport operations had been impacted.

In an earlier post on Monday, Killnet noted other vulnerable U.S. sites that could succumb to similar DDoS strikes, include sea terminals and logistics facilities, weather monitoring centers, health care systems, subway systems, and exchanges and online trading systems.

The group congratulated a handful of teams they claimed helped push the sites offline, writing, “Who is participated in the liquidation of the United States of America, Do not stop!!”

The attacks come on the heels of another spate of cyberattacks allegedly launched by the group last week. In that instance, the group has taken credit for rallying hackers to down state government sites.

Both campaigns appear to have been prompted by anti-U.S. sentiment for the country’s involvement in the ongoing war in Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin presses on with the invasion despite severe economic sanctions.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127902795/airport-killnet-cyberattack-hacker-russia

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‘Enough is enough’: Dems rage at Saudis over oil cut, vow to block weapons sales – POLITICO
‘Enough is enough’: Dems rage at Saudis over oil cut, vow to block weapons sales – POLITICO

In a statement on Monday, Menendez said the decision helped to “underwrite” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.

“As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will not green light any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine,” Menendez said in a statement first obtained by POLITICO. “Enough is enough.”

Menendez’s broadside is the latest call from top Democrats on Capitol Hill to reevaluate the U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the cartel’s decision to slash its oil production, which U.S. officials worry will only deepen the energy crisis across Europe and hike gas prices at home. In addition to Menendez’s authority as chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations panel, Congress as a whole can vote to block certain weapons sales.

“There simply is no room to play both sides of this conflict — either you support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from violently wiping … an entire country off of the map, or you support him,” Menendez added. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chose the latter in a terrible decision driven by economic self-interest.”

Energy is a top source of revenue for Russia, and Western nations have tried to starve funding for Putin’s assault on Ukraine through biting sanctions and other extraordinary measures aimed at cutting off the Kremlin. Saudi Arabia was under intense pressure to boost its output to make up for the shortfall in the global oil market caused by those sanctions.

It wasn’t just Menendez fuming at the Saudis. The Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, on Thursday charged that the Saudi kingdom “has never been a trustworthy ally of our nation,” citing Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human-rights record.

“From unanswered questions about 9/11, the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the exporting of extremism, to dubious jailing of peaceful dissidents and conspiring with Vladimir Putin to punish the U.S. with higher oil prices, the Saudi royal family has never been a trustworthy ally of our nation,” Durbin said. “It’s time for our foreign policy to imagine a world without this alliance with these royal backstabbers.”

And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already said several legislative responses are under consideration, including a bill taking aim at OPEC for price-fixing and antitrust violations. The legislation, referred to as NOPEC, cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year in a 17-4 vote.

“What Saudi Arabia did to help Putin continue to wage his despicable, vicious war against Ukraine will long be remembered by Americans,” Schumer said in a statement last week. “We are looking at all the legislative tools to best deal with this appalling and deeply cynical action, including the NOPEC bill.”

Lawmakers are also calling for a drawdown of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia as a consequence of the oil production cut.

Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Susan Wild (D-Pa.) have unveiled legislation that would force the removal of U.S. troops and equipment from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates within 90 days.

The move would include the removal of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot missile and air defense batteries. The bill calls for relocating forces and weapons to other Middle Eastern nations with the aim of protecting U.S. troops.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese slammed the production cut as a “shortsighted” move “while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

“In light of [Wednesday’s] action, the Biden Administration will also consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPEC’s control over energy prices,” Sullivan and Deese said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia’s standing on Capitol Hill has plummeted in recent years, even as former President Donald Trump sought to deepen U.S. security ties to the kingdom. Trump repeatedly advocated for arming the Saudis and sought to use its government as a way to counter Iran in the region.

Democrats, though, have mostly remained skeptical of the Saudis, and President Joe Biden’s decision to travel to Riyadh over the summer was met with outrage among some of his allies on the Hill. They’ve argued that the U.S. should not overlook democracy and human rights in countries that benefit from U.S. support.

“The president’s visit does not seem to have gotten us, from the Saudis, what we need,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) acknowledged in a recent interview with CNBC. “I just don’t know what the point of the current alliance is if we have to work so hard to get the Saudis to do the right thing.”

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/10/dems-rage-at-saudis-over-oil-cut-vow-to-block-weapons-sales-00061123

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Chloe Campbell’s parents receive photo of missing Colorado teen ‘injured and unwell’ – New York Post
Chloe Campbell’s parents receive photo of missing Colorado teen ‘injured and unwell’ – New York Post

The parents of a 14-year-old Colorado girl who has been missing since leaving a football game with two mystery men said they’ve been sent a disturbing photo of her looking “injured and unwell.”

Chloe Campbell was possibly intoxicated when she was last seen 10 days ago walking along the Boulder Creek Trail after the nearby high school game on Sept. 30, her parents told CBS News.

“She was described by eyewitnesses as being with two men — older men, too old to be in high school,” her dad, David Campbell, told the outlet.

Since then, the teen’s panicked parents have received a series of dubious messages claiming that their daughter was hiding out in Arizona — and possibly even dead, Boulder police confirmed.

Alarmingly, they were also sent a photo from an anonymous source that only raised their concerns for their daughter’s safety.

“She looked injured and unwell,” her dad told CBS, without elaborating on exactly what the ominous image showed.

The missing 14-year-old may have been intoxicated when she was last seen Sept. 30 with two “older men,” her parents told CBS News.
Family Handout
Chloe’s parents, mom Jessica Knape and dad David Campbell, were sent a photo of her in which she “looked injured and unwell,” her dad said.
CBS News

Apart from that, they have also been sent Snapchat messages claiming to be from their daughter, but originating from a handle that they “are not familiar with,” her dad said.

“It could be anybody,” he said.

Police also confirmed that they “have been unable to confirm if these messages are, in fact, from Chloe or true.” The force did not mention the concerning photo, however.

Police said that “investigators are growing increasingly concerned about the teen’s safety as it is believed that she has no access to money or her medication,” without detailing what the medication would be needed for.

Boulder police have appealed for help finding the teen, who is listed as missing and at risk, but does not yet meet the requirements for an Amber Alert.
Boulder Police Department

“She may be with an adult male,” the force said, listing her as missing and “at risk.”

Campbell and his wife, Jessica Knape, now fear their daughter may have been taken against her will and may even have been trafficked for sex.

They also held out hope that messages claiming the teen had run away from home could be true, begging her to come home.

“Chloe, honey, we love you so much. You are not in trouble,” her mom said.

The teen’s parents begged her to come home if she can, telling her she is not in trouble if she ran away.
Family Handout
In her appeal to her daughter, mom Jessica Knape said she “will not stop until we find you.”
Family Handout

“If you can come home, boy, just please do. And if you can’t, we will not stop until we find you,” she said.

While issuing an appeal, cops stressed that the reported sightings and messages from “friends who appear to have been in contact with Chloe” meant that “this case presently does not meet the criteria for the issuance of an Amber Alert.”

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2022/10/10/missing-teens-parents-sent-pic-of-her-injured-and-unwell/

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Putin’s Mass Strikes Prompts Germany to Send Ukraine IRIS-T Defense Systems – Newsweek
Putin’s Mass Strikes Prompts Germany to Send Ukraine IRIS-T Defense Systems – Newsweek

Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s string of missile strikes in at least 10 Ukrainian cities has prompted Western allies to rush to deliver additional aid in the form of modern defense systems.

On Monday, Germany announced it would provide the first of four new IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine within days. The land-based air defense systems, which use modified short-range missiles, has an operating range of up to 40 kilometers and target detection range of 250 kilometers.

“The renewed missile fire on Kyiv and the many other cities show how important it is to supply Ukraine with air defen[s]e systems quickly,” German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement. “Russia’s attacks with missiles and drones terrorize the civilian population in particular. That is why we are now providing support especially with air defen[s]e weapons.”

Lambrecht’s remarks come after Putin ordered dozens of missile strikes on Monday morning, that pounded civilian areas, killing at least 11 people nationwide and knocking out power and heat in multiple cities, including the heart of Kyiv. The Kremlin leader said the attack was in response to the blast that hit Russia’s bridge to Crimea over the weekend.

A Diehl IRIS-T Air-to-Air Missile and FCAAM Future Combat Air-to-Air Missile are displayed during the Farnborough International Airshow 2022 on July 19 in Farnborough, England. Germany is delivering the first of four IRIS-T defense systems to Ukraine after Monday morning’s mass attacks.
John Keeble/Getty Images

The escalation of events have ramped up pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies to deliver advanced military technology to aid Ukrainian forces, who recently made significant gains in the east and a sudden advance in the south.

“The best response to Russian missile terror is the supply of anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems to Ukraine – protect the sky over Ukraine!” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted on Monday. “This will protect our cities and our people. This will protect the future of Europe.”

William Reno, the chair of the political science department at Northwestern University, told Newsweek that Germany’s decision to speed up its delivery of the defense system is to help “fill a gap” as Kyiv waits for the delivery of a U.S. defense system that is expected to come in late November. In late September, the Pentagon said it would send to advanced antiaircraft systems to Ukraine within the next two months.

“Germany’s government took the opportunity to show [the U.S. and other NATO members] that it is committed to supporting the collective effort to back Ukraine’s government in this conflict,” Reno said.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said in a Monday video that the best way to support Ukraine is to “deliver air defenses from the allied side so that Ukrainians can protect their cities and civilians because Russia is definitely escalating to harming civilians.”

According to Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, most of Russia’s targets were civilian infrastructure sites that provided heat and electricity, furthering Moscow’s warnings of a dark winter ahead.

In response to Monday’s bombardment of strikes, the leaders of the Group of 7 nations will hold a virtual summit on Tuesday, according to a European Union official.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart “following the Kremlin’s horrific strikes” to reiterate the U.S. would “continue to provide unwavering economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people.”

Newsweek reached out to the federal government of Germany for comment.

Source Article from https://www.newsweek.com/germany-sends-ukraine-iris-t-defense-systems-1750420

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Russia-Ukraine War Updates and Video: U.N. Holds Emergency Session – The New York Times
Russia-Ukraine War Updates and Video: U.N. Holds Emergency Session – The New York Times

“There’s no hot water, part of the city is without power,” one anchor announced, describing the scene in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The sharp shift was a sign that domestic pressure over Russia’s flailing war effort had escalated to the point where President Vladimir V. Putin felt a decisive show of force was necessary.

His military has come under increasingly withering criticism from the war’s supporters for not being aggressive enough in its assault on Ukraine, a chorus that reached a fever pitch after Saturday’s attack on the 12-mile bridge to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea — a symbol of Mr. Putin’s rule.

With Monday’s brutal escalation of the war effort, Mr. Putin in part appears to be responding to those critics, momentarily quieting the clamors of hard liners furious with the Russian military’s humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.

“This is important from the domestic political perspective, first and foremost,” Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political analyst and former Putin speechwriter, said of Monday’s strikes. “It was important to demonstrate to the ruling class that Putin is still capable, that the Army is still good for something.”

But with his escalation, Mr. Putin is also betting that Russian elites — and the public at large — do indeed see it as a sign of strength, rather than a desperate effort to inflict more pain in a war that Russia appears to be losing.

“The response was supposed to show power, but in fact it showed powerlessness,” Mr. Gallyamov said. “There’s nothing else the army can do.”

After Monday’s strikes, some of the invasion’s harshest critics among the Russian hawks declared that the military was finally doing its job. The strongman leader of the Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov — who recently excoriated the army’s “incompetent” leadership — said in a Telegram post that he was now “100 percent happy” with the war effort.

An injured man receiving medical treatment at the scene of a Russian bombing in Kyiv on Monday.Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

“Run, Zelensky, run,” he wrote, referring to Ukraine’s president.

Other cheerleaders of the war triumphantly recalled Mr. Putin’s declaration in July that Russia had not “started anything yet in earnest” in Ukraine.

“Now, it seems, it’s started,” one state television talk show host, Olga Skabeyeva, said.

Mr. Putin described Monday’s strikes as a response to Ukrainian “terrorist acts,” casting them as a one-time assault to deter future Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. In his home city of St. Petersburg, where he had traveled on Friday for his 70th birthday, Mr. Putin spoke on national television for just over three minutes in what the Kremlin characterized as the start of a meeting with his Security Council.

He made a point of saying the strikes came at the military’s initiative, an apparent effort to head off assertions that he was plotting the war effort in isolation.

“This morning, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Defense and according to the plan of the Russian General Staff, a massive strike with air, sea and land-based high-precision long-range weapons was launched against Ukrainian energy, military command and communications facilities,” Mr. Putin said. “If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory continue, the measures taken by Russia will be tough and in their scale will correspond to the level of threats posed to the Russian Federation. No one should have any doubt about it.”

In his speech, Mr. Putin made one notable omission: he did not mention the West as the ultimate culprit behind Saturday’s Crimean bridge explosion or other suspected Ukrainian attacks. That was a departure from the typical Kremlin rhetoric that portrays Washington and London as the puppeteers behind Ukraine’s resistance.

The shift was a possible signal that the Russian leader was interested in controlling the escalation of the war, and that he was not on the verge of provoking a direct conflict with NATO.

But some signs pointed to Mr. Putin being prepared for a wider escalation of the war. On Saturday, he appointed a general known for his ruthlessness, Sergei Surovikin, to lead the war effort in Ukraine. And Mr. Putin’s closest international ally, President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, declared on Monday that thousands of Russian soldiers would soon arrive in the country to form a joint military group with Belarusian forces — creating the specter of a new threat to Ukraine’s north.

Greg Yudin, a professor of political philosophy at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, said Mr. Putin had bent to pressure from right-wing hawks who are calling for even more escalation. He said he expected that Mr. Putin would “sooner or later” heighten the threats of potentially using tactical nuclear weapons.

In central Moscow, many people said they were unaware of what had happened in Ukraine. People soaked up the sun in the chic neighborhood of central Tsvetno, or rushed to work or appointments.

Some younger people, more attuned to social media, said they were aware of the strikes on Ukraine but felt powerless to assign blame. “It is bad when people are killed for any reason,” said Sasha, 19, a university student. Still, she went on, “In any fight, both sides are responsible.”

In Russia, the penalties for criticizing the war — or even using the term war — come with hefty fines and even jail time, so many Russians are cautious about making comments that might have a negative connotation about the war.

Valerie Hopkins reported from Moscow. Alina Lobzina also contributed reporting.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/10/world/russia-ukraine-war-news

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Los Angeles City Council president steps down from leadership role after leak of racist comments – NBC News
Los Angeles City Council president steps down from leadership role after leak of racist comments – NBC News
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What Native land are you on? This map shows Indigenous tribes’ past territories – NPR
What Native land are you on? This map shows Indigenous tribes’ past territories – NPR

A screenshot of a portion of the interactive map from Native Land Digital shows which Native territories have inhabited different regions of the Americas, based on a variety of historical and Indigenous sources.



Native Land Digital/Screenshot by NPR

President Biden became the first president to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021, and did so again this year. It falls on the same day as Columbus Day, which was established by Italian American groups to celebrate their heritage and to acknowledge the mistreatment of the immigrant group in the U.S.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time of reflection, recognition and celebration of the role Native people have played in U.S. history, as NPR has reported. One way to mark the day — and to learn about Indigenous history year-round — is to learn which Native lands you live on.

Acknowledging an area’s original inhabitants and stewards is a valuable process, albeit a complex one, as the National Museum of the American Indian explains. The museum suggests reaching out to local Indigenous communities for guidance involving formal land acknowledgements, which can be offered at the start of public and private gatherings.

“Many places in the Americas have been home to different Native Nations over time, and many Indigenous people no longer live on lands to which they have ancestral ties,” the museum says. “Even so, Native Nations, communities, families, and individuals today sustain their sense of belonging to ancestral homelands and protect these connections through Indigenous languages, oral traditions, ceremonies, and other forms of cultural expression.”

This map’s creators want it to convey more than borders

Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada, is working to facilitate such conversations and document this history including by putting together a searchable map of Native territories, languages and treaties.

Users can click on labels across the Americas and around other parts of the globe — or type a specific city, state or zip code into the search box — to see which Indigenous tribes lived where. You can zoom in or out, as well as choose to apply “settler labels” to see how the map corresponds with contemporary state lines. Clicking on the name of each nation brings up links for related reading.

The map is available on the organization’s website and on iOS and Android mobile apps. Native Land Digital also publishes resources to go with the map, including a teacher’s guide and a territory acknowledgement generator.

The nonprofit says it aims to improve the relationship of people — both Indigenous and non-Indigenous — with the history and sacredness of the land around them. That involves “acknowledging and righting the wrongs of history.”

“We hope to inspire people to gain a better understanding of themselves, their ancestors, and the world they live in, so that we can all move forward into a better future,” it says.

The map itself is “more than a flat picture,” as the nonprofit explains, pointing out that land is sacred to everyone regardless of how consciously they appreciate it.

“In reality, we know that the land is not something to be exploited and ‘owned,’ but something to be honoured and treasured,” it says. “However, because of the complexities of history, the kind of mapping we undertake is an important exercise, insofar as it brings an awareness of the real lived history of Indigenous peoples and nations in a long era of colonialism.”

Mapping tribal lands comes with challenges

The nonprofit acknowledges the many logistical and ethical questions that come with mapping Indigenous territories. Those range from defining “Indigenous” across time and space to engaging with those communities so they can “represent themselves and their histories on their own terms.”

Native Land Digital aims to use at least two valid sources (including oral history, written documents or “maps sketched by people deemed to be reasonable authorities”) when updating the map, and says in cases of conflicting maps it generally errs on the side of being “more expansive.”

It cautions that the map does not represent definitive or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations, and is a work in progress with many community contributions.

“We … encourage people to treat these maps as a starting point and to do their own research in engaging with communities and history themselves,” the group says.

The map has already made an impact

Native-Land.ca was created in 2015, and the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2018. The group says it’s found over the years that its maps have made a direct impact on peoples’ lives.

That’s been true of Indigenous people, who have been glad to see their nation mapped or surprised to see how large their traditional territories look on a standard Western map, as well as non-Indigenous people who may be “for the first time, encountering the depth, breadth and complexity of Indigenous history on the land.”

“Some people may be made uncomfortable by the new information and history the map brings forth,” the nonprofit adds. “But we are secure in knowing that truth is the best teacher, and we hope to provide the best information we can to help people come to their own conclusions about themselves and their place in the modern world.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127837659/native-land-map-ancestral-tribal-lands-worldwide

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville falsely accused Democrats of wanting reparations for people who "do the crime" – The Washington Post
Sen. Tommy Tuberville falsely accused Democrats of wanting reparations for people who "do the crime" – The Washington Post

But Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.), one of the two Black Republicans in the House, defended Tuberville by suggesting that Ariel Atkins, a Black Lives Matter Chicago activist, shares the lawmaker’s view. While some Democratic leaders denounced criminal activity in response to the May 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis resident, Atkins argued that looting is a form of reparations.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/10/tuberville-reparations-crime-black-americans/

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Biden’s pot pardon will help reverse War on Drugs harm to Black people, advocates say – NPR
Biden’s pot pardon will help reverse War on Drugs harm to Black people, advocates say – NPR

A demonstrator waves a marijuana-themed flag in front on the White House. President Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law.

Jose Luis Magana/AP


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Jose Luis Magana/AP

A demonstrator waves a marijuana-themed flag in front on the White House. President Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

President Biden announced this month an executive order to pardon federal, simple marijuana possession charges for thousands of Americans – an important first step, advocates say, to reversing decades of uneven drug enforcement policy that has historically burdened Black communities.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Biden said in a statement last week.

“And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

These are the long-term effects of the United States’ War on Drugs, pioneered by the administration of disgraced former-President Richard Nixon, which purported to help rein in the interstate trade and use of illegal drugs.

The war’s ultimate outcome, however, was the overpolicing of Black communities, leading to massive arrest rates for accused Black drug users.

“The failed policies on drug criminalization have ensnared many on nonviolent, marijuana offenses,” said Patrice Willoughby, vice president of policy and legislative affairs at the NAACP.

“And this has derailed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people for conduct which is legal and which is disproportionately applied to the African-American community.”

The executive order, announced late last week, will cover more than 6,500 citizens and lawful permanent residents convicted between 1992 and 2021 of simple marijuana possession charges under federal law or D.C. statute.

There are not currently any individuals in federal prison solely for simple marijuana offenses, so the order is not expected to lead to the release of any federal prisoners.

“We’ve seen since the 1970s that marijuana policy was intentionally and malevolently constructed to target the African American community,” Willoughby said. “And too many people have been caught up as a result of that and have been denied jobs, opportunity, housing and other benefits of this country because of a malevolent policy.”

“This is a step towards restorative justice,” she said.

Biden drew praise for the order, which tracks a campaign promise to seek cannabis decriminalization and seek expungements for those with prior marijuana convictions.

But the order’s narrow scope left some advocates calling for more to be done to address marijuana charges on the state level, where a majority of offenses occur.

“These pardons certainly have an impact of removing some of these collateral consequences for individuals,” said Eliana Green, senior policy advisor at the Hood Incubator, a nonprofit organization for cannabis justice reform. But, she continued, “we definitely, at the state levels, need to be creating more record cleaning remedies for folks and avenues for folks to be able to remove these collateral consequences that are imputed on them.”

Currently, 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana use and 38 states have provisions for medical use. Five additional states have legalization measures on their midterm ballots.

Biden’s new pledge, coupled with the White House’s recent announcement to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers, highlight his effort to court young and Black voters – two key Democratic voting blocs – ahead of hotly contested midterm races.

While the move was praised by a number of Democrats, who have long sought institutional changes on the nation’s marijuana policies – especially as more than three dozen states have legalized weed in some capacity – some Republicans decried the order as executive overreach and little more than a hollow ploy to attract voters in November.

“In the midst of a crime wave and on the brink of a recession, Joe Biden is giving blanket pardons to drug offenders— many of whom pled down from more serious charges,” Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican, said on Twitter.

“This is a desperate attempt to distract from failed leadership.”

Despite persistent negative perceptions among Republican leadership, a November 2021 Gallup survey found that a record 68% of Americans support legalizing marijuana, including 50% of Republican respondents.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127708285/marijuana-pardon-biden-black-people-war-on-drugs-harm

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Police warn Oregon beachgoers about grenades washing ashore – The Guardian US
Police warn Oregon beachgoers about grenades washing ashore – The Guardian US

Police in Oregon last week warned local beachgoers about grenades that had washed on to the shore and appeared to still be able to explode.

The police department in the city of Newport issued a statement on Wednesday saying three separate grenades had somehow washed on to the beach there a day earlier.

Labeled M116A1, the grenades were white in color and cylindrical in shape, according to a photo of the unusual discovery that was shared by the department. The phrase “Warning: Explosive” was written on them in large red letters.

“If you encounter such a device, please do not handle or attempt to move it,” the police department said in its statement, which served as a warning to members of the public. “Call the police to report the device’s location.”

M116A1 grenades are used primarily to train soldiers because they simulate “battlefield noises and effects”, according to a company that provides the devices to the US army. It sparks what the company describes as a “simulated explosion” within six to 12 seconds of being deployed.

It was not immediately clear where the grenades found in Newport came from.

Explosives have been known to wash up on beaches before. In April 2021, a “sea mine” washed ashore on a Florida beach.

That device was labeled “inert”, which implied it could be used for training, the Miami news station WPLG reported.

Authorities ultimately took that device to the US air force so that it could be investigated further.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/10/newport-oregon-beach-hand-grenades

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McCarthy told 2 officers in private meeting that Trump had no idea his supporters were attacking Capitol on January 6, newly obtained audio shows – CNN
McCarthy told 2 officers in private meeting that Trump had no idea his supporters were attacking Capitol on January 6, newly obtained audio shows – CNN

During a private meeting last summer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told two police officers who defended the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the mother of a third who died after the riot, that former President Donald Trump had no idea his supporters were carrying out the attack, according to newly obtained audio of the conversation.

Testimony to the House Select Committee on January 6 revealed that Trump watched television for hours as the rioters engaged in a brutal fight with law enforcement.

But McCarthy maintained Trump was unaware of the violence inside the Capitol when he spoke with Trump by phone that afternoon. He also appeared to take credit for getting the then-President to make a late-afternoon public statement urging his supporters to “go home,” according to one of the meetings’ attendees, then-DC Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone.

“I’m just telling you from my phone call, I don’t know that he did know that,” McCarthy said during the June 2021 meeting about Trump’s knowledge of the fighting, according to audio secretly recorded by Fanone at the time and detailed in his new book titled, “Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul.”

The District is a single-party consent jurisdiction for recordings, meaning it is legal for one party to record another without permission. CNN has reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment.

The meeting came as a number of House Republicans were attempting to downplay or distort the facts of what took place on January 6, when Trump’s false claims of a stolen election triggered a deadly attack on the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob.

It also took place as McCarthy was “backing off on a pledge to appoint Republicans to the special January 6 Committee,” Fanone writes, adding: “The only reason McCarthy had agreed to meet with us was because he’d been getting heat for refusing to see me.”

Fanone said Monday morning that he wasn’t surprised by McCarthy’s comments in the meeting, arguing that he “saw how he had deviated from his original statements immediately after January 6 to seize upon the politics of the moment.”

“But I’m glad I recorded it. That’s why I recorded it, was because I didn’t expect Kevin McCarthy to, No. 1, tell the truth; No. 2, recount the conversation accurately; and No. 3, I wanted to show people how indifferent lawmakers are, not just Republican lawmakers, but all lawmakers, to the actual American people that they are representing,” he told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “New Day.”

Audio demonstrates McCarthy’s refusal to condemn Trump

While some details of the meeting were reported on the day it occurred, the newly released audio underscores just how quickly Trump regained his grip on the Republican Party following the January 6 attack despite an initial groundswell of bipartisan outrage over his unwillingness to denounce the violence as it was happening.

McCarthy himself said he considered asking Trump to resign in the immediate aftermath of the attack, according to previously released audio of a private conversation between the House minority leader and other Republican lawmakers.

Fanone, who was stun-gunned several times and beaten with a flagpole during the riot, had previously made several attempts to meet with the California Republican to discuss the insurrection before McCarthy ultimately agreed, according to his new book.

Republicans, including McCarthy, had largely opposed efforts to examine the circumstances of the insurrection, drawing intense criticism from Fanone and several other police officers who were there.

US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who also defended the Capitol during the insurrection, and the mother of late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick also participated in the meeting with McCarthy and all three repeatedly pressed McCarthy to acknowledge Trump’s role in spurring on the attack, according to the recording. Sicknick suffered multiple strokes and died a day after the riot.

It was his mother, Gladys Sicknick, who first challenged McCarthy’s claim about what Trump knew and when he knew it.

“He already knew what was going on,” she said of Trump, according to the audio obtained by CNN. “People were fighting for hours and hours and hours. This doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Later in the meeting, Fanone also confronted McCarthy about his defense of Trump, telling the Republican leader: “While you were on the phone with him, I was getting the shit kicked out of me!”

“I asked McCarthy why he would take credit for Trump’s pathetic, half-hearted late-afternoon video address to his followers. I said, ‘Trump says to his people, ‘This is what happens when you steal an election. Go home. I love you.’ What the f–k is that? That came from the president of the United States,” Fanone writes in his book.

All three urged McCarthy to condemn 21 members of his own party who voted earlier that month against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the Capitol and pushed him to commit to a serious “insurrection investigation,” Fanone writes in his memoir.

“I told McCarthy I felt betrayed by the way some Republicans were twisting a riotous assault on law enforcement officers into a fundraising grift,” Fanone writes in his book.

“‘It’s crap,’ I said. ‘It’s disgraceful,’” he adds, recalling his comments during the meeting and noting that “McCarthy offered no response.”

McCarthy said ahead of his meeting with Fanone that he has “no problem talking to anybody about” his conversation with Trump on January 6 when asked by CNN if he would speak to the committee about the call.

Fanone suffered a heart attack and a concussion during the insurrection and is dealing with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This story has been updated with additional reaction.

CNN’s Devan Cole and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/10/politics/michael-fanone-kevin-mccarthy-january-6/index.html

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Multiple missile strikes in central Kyiv and other cities; Putin claims responsibility, vows ‘harsh response’ to ‘terrorist acts’ – CNBC
Multiple missile strikes in central Kyiv and other cities; Putin claims responsibility, vows ‘harsh response’ to ‘terrorist acts’ – CNBC

LIVE UPDATES

This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

Top officials in the United States, European Union and at the United Nations expressed shock and horror Monday over Russia’s coordinated missile strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine’s major cities, including its capital, Kyiv.

President Joe Biden said the attacks “once again demonstrate the utter brutality” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “shocked” by the attacks, saying through a spokesman that they represented an escalation of the war.

The full number of casualties from the attacks is not yet clear, but there were reports of at least 10 dead and 60 injured in Kyiv alone, according to the city’s emergency services.

In addition to the human toll, the strikes disabled significant parts of the Ukrainian energy grid, prompting the nation’s energy ministry to announce it would halt exports of electricity to the European Union, starting Tuesday.

“Today’s missile strikes, which hit the thermal generation and electrical substations, forced Ukraine to suspend electricity exports from Oct. 11, 2022 to stabilize its own energy system,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Russia’s missile strikes came just two days after a blast destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch Bridge, the only bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed he ordered the strikes on Ukrainian cities, which were carried out by long-range missiles, in response to the bridge attack, and vowed a “harsh response” to any acts threatening Russia.

Ukrainian energy ministry halts electricity exports after Russian missile strikes

The Ukrainian energy ministry said it will halt exports of electricity to the European Union following Russian missile strikes on energy infrastructure.

“Today’s missile strikes, which hit the thermal generation and electrical substations, forced Ukraine to suspend electricity exports from Oct. 11, 2022 to stabilize its own energy system,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Ukraine’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko said the attacks on the energy system were “the biggest during the entire war.”

In a TV broadcast he said that missile strikes “on the entire chain of supply (were made) in order to make switching supply as difficult as possible.”

In June, the Ukrainian energy ministry said by the end of the year it was hoping to bring in €1.5 billion (approximately $1.45 billion) from electricity exports to the EU, its main export market for energy since the war began.

— Reuters

Biden: Russian missile attacks show the ‘utter brutality’ of Putin’s war

President Joe Biden responded to the Russian missile attacks, saying they “once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

“We offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were senselessly killed today, as well as our best wishes for the recovery of those who were wounded,” said Biden.

“These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom,” he added.

The statement came as high ranking members of Biden’s administration held calls with their Ukrainian counterparts about the strikes, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin prepared to travel to NATO meetings later this week.

— Christina Wilkie

Top Ukrainian officials speak with U.S. envoys and vow to hold Russia accountable

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink on the heels of Russian missile strikes across Ukrainian cities.

“The United States condemns Russia’s attacks on the infrastructure facilities of Ukraine and is committed to holding Russia accountable for war crimes and atrocities committed in our country,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed that “Russia must not get away with its inhumane missile attacks on Ukraine.”

“I raised a number of important issues, including the strengthening of Ukraine’s defense capabilities, new sanctions on Russia, and holding Moscow accountable for its terrorism,” Kuleba said of his conversation with Blinken.

— Amanda Macias

U.N. Secretary General ‘deeply shocked’ by Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply shocked” by Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities Monday, according to a statement from his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.

“This constitutes another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” said Dujarric.

The statement was notable in part because Guterres has not issued very many public statements about specific military tactics in the war, like missile attacks, preferring to keep the U.N.’s focus on civilian casualties and humanitarian crises.

The latest Russian missile attacks, however, were specifically aimed at civilian targets in densely populated cities.

— Christina Wilkie

More than 6,200 people have died in Ukraine, U.N. says

The United Nations has confirmed 6,221 civilian deaths and 9,371 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because armed conflict can delay fatality reports.

The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

— Amanda Macias

NATO Secretary General speaks with Ukraine’s FM Kuleba after Russian attacks

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba after Russia launched a barrage of missile strikes against major Ukrainian cities including the capital, Kyiv.

“Spoke with foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and condemned Russia’s horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.

“NATO will continue supporting the brave Ukrainian people to fight back against the Kremlin’s aggression for as long as it takes,” he added.

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodmymr Zelenskyy submitted an “accelerated” application for his country to join the NATO military alliance.

— Amanda Macias

Kyiv mayor decries missile attack by “Russian barbarians”

Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, speaking from the site of one of the missile strikes that hit Ukraine’s capital, described the damage caused by the “major terrorist attack by Russian barbarians on the capital and regional centers of Ukraine,” in a video posted to Telegram.

“In Kyiv, in the morning and throughout the day, several areas were hit,” he said. “In particular, the city center. The mad aggressor also hit several objects of the capital’s critical infrastructure.”

As a result, Klitschko reported in a separate post, there will be emergency power outages throughout Kyiv and surrounding regions as engineers work to restore the power system.

He also warned citizens of the threat of continued strikes, urging them “not to neglect safety and air warning signals,” to “stay in shelters in an emergency,” and to avoid travel to the city unless absolutely necessary.

He concluded his address by thanking Kyivans for their understanding — and with a rallying cry: “The enemy wants to intimidate us, but he will not succeed! Glory to Ukraine!”

Kyiv’s police forces have reported 10 dead and 60 injured as of Monday afternoon local time.

— Rocio Fabbro

Missile strikes hit building housing German consulate in Kyiv

A building housing the German consulate in Kyiv was hit by the Russian missile strikes that rained down on the city Monday morning.

The consulate was empty as no one had worked there since the war began.

“No work has gone on in the building for months,” a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry told press. German government officials were in contact with Kyiv to get details on the damage, the spokesperson added.

Germany has condemned the attacks, which have so far killed at least 10 people and injured 60. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that he ordered the strikes as retaliation for a blast that destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge to Crimea, which Moscow blames on Ukraine and has labeled an act of “terrorism.”

— Natasha Turak

The war in Ukraine is a ‘fight until collapse’: TS Lombard’s Granville

The war in Ukraine is a “fight until collapse,” Christopher Granville, managing director at TS Lombard says.

Indiscriminate attacks against civilians constitute a war crime, EU says

The EU accused Russia of committing a war crime by indiscriminately attacking civilians in its missile strikes on Kyiv and several other cities.

“Indiscriminately targeting people in a cowardly, heinous hail of missiles on civilian targets is indeed a further escalation,” Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said.

“The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms these heinous attacks on the civilians and civilian infrastructure. This is something which is against international humanitarian law and this indiscriminate targeting of civilians amounts to a war crime,” Stano said.

Numerous leaders of EU countries slammed Russia for its “barbarism” and described the missile strikes, which have killed and injured civilians, as “unacceptable” and a “demonstration of weakness” by Putin.

Poland has called for more sanctions on Russians, and French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

— Natasha Turak

Former Russian president calls for “full-fledged dismantling” of Ukrainian political regime

Following the wave of missile strikes that struck several Ukrainian cities, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev suggested that this was only the beginning.

“The first episode is played,” he said, according to an NBC translation. “There will be others.”

Medvedev, who is currently the deputy chairman of the Security Council, pointed to the existence of a “Nazi political regime” in Ukraine, which he claims “will pose a constant, direct and obvious threat to Russia.”

“Therefore, in addition to protecting our people and protecting the borders of the country, the goal of our future actions, in my opinion, should be a full-fledged dismantling of the political regime of Ukraine,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev’s remarks echo earlier sentiments from President Vladimir Putin, who justified Russian invasion of Ukraine as a mission of “de-Nazification.” This claim has been rejected and ridiculed by Ukrainian and Western officials. Observers point out that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was elected by an overwhelming majority of 73%, is Jewish.

— Rocio Fabbro

Putin confirms he ordered attack on Ukrainian cities; vows ‘harsh’ response to ‘terrorist’ acts

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that he ordered long-range missile strikes on a number of locations in Ukraine targeting military, energy and communications facilities.

“If attacks continue against Russia, the response will be harsh. The responses will be of the same scale as the threats to Russia,” Putin said during a meeting of his national security council.

“In the event of further attempts to carry out terrorist acts on our territory, Russia’s response will be harsh.”

Putin did not mention that the missile strikes hit several civilian areas and resulted in numerous casualties. The EU has said Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Ukraine constitute a war crime.

Putin has blamed Ukraine for the explosion on Russia’s Kerch bridge Saturday morning — the only bridge connecting the country to Crimea, which it illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014 — and called it a terrorist attack. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the blast that destroyed part of the bridge.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian Defense Ministry vows revenge for Russian strikes on cities

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov vowed to bring Russia to justice for its missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians, following a wave of explosions all over the country.

“Our enemy believes that missile strikes are effective means of intimidation. They are not,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter. “They are war crimes. Civilians are dying and getting injured. Ukraine, with the support of the civilized world, must bring the missile terrorists to justice. And will do it.”

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also wrote on its Twitter, “So, russkies, you really think you can compensate for your impotence on the battlefield with missile strikes on peaceful cities? You just don’t get it do you – your terrorist strikes only make us stronger. We are coming after you.”

The strikes across Ukraine, which hit numerous civilian areas, came two days after a blast destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge connecting it to Crimea, which it illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow called the blast a terrorist attack and blamed Ukrainian forces. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the explosion, but several state ministries mocked Russia over the event.

— Natasha Turak

Zelenskyy says Russian missile strikes hit critical energy infrastructure, civilians

Russia targeted critical energy facilities across Ukraine and hit civilian areas at a time of day that would maximize casualties, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a wave of missile attacks in several Ukrainian cities.

“The morning is difficult. We are dealing with terrorists. Dozens of missiles, Iranian ‘Shahids’,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram official account, referencing the Iranian-made Shahid drones increasingly used by Russian forces.

The Russians “have two targets. Energy facilities – throughout the country,” Zelenskyy added, listing a wide range of cities and regions in the country’s north, west, east and south. “They want panic and chaos, they want to destroy our energy system.”

“The second target is people,” he said. “Such a time and such targets were specially chosen to cause as much damage as possible. Stay in shelters today. Always follow the safety rules. And always remember: Ukraine was here before this enemy appeared, Ukraine will be here after him.”

The first strikes hit Kyiv at about 8:15 a.m., as streets were packed with rush hour traffic. Exact casualty figures are not yet known, but the city’s emergency services say at least eight people have been killed and 24 injured.

— Natasha Turak

Multiple cities across Ukraine hit by missile attacks

Several Ukrainian cities have been hit by what officials are describing as a wave of missile attacks — as far west as the city of Lviv, largely considered one of the safest parts of the country.

Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Vinnytsia, among other cities, have all reported explosions.

“Kyiv region and Khmelnytsky region, Lviv and Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Frankiv region, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Zhytormyr region, Kirovohrad region, the south,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “terrorist” targeting civilians.

At least 8 people in Kyiv have been killed and two dozen injured, according to the city’s emergency services.

— Natasha Turak

Three more explosions hit central Kyiv; at least 8 dead and 24 wounded

Three more explosions hit Kyiv within an hour of the initial blasts Monday, which Ukrainian officials say were timed to maximize civilian casualties during the morning rush hour.

At least eight people have been killed and 24 have been wounded, NBC’s Cal Perry reported, citing Kyiv’s emergency services.

Critical infrastructure as well as residential areas including parks, university grounds, a residential building and a pedestrian bridge were hit, according to city officials and NBC reporters on the ground.

Ukrainian parliament member Lesia Vasylenko posted a photo on Twitter of a street, buildings and emergency vehicles shrouded in smoke, with the text: “Just minutes from my home. Just 20 minutes ago. What is Russia trying to hit? The national university? The park? Or the playground?”

Moscow has not yet commented on the blasts.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian officials urge people to stay in shelters in Kyiv as explosions continue

Ukrainian officials are urging residents of Kyiv and other cities to stay in shelters in the wake of multiple strikes on the capital, which emergency services say have caused deaths and injuries. Reports are emerging of explosions in several other cities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on his official Telegram account: “The air alarm does not stop throughout Ukraine. There are missiles hitting. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. I beg you: do not leave shelters. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s hold on and be strong.”

“The air attack continues, I ask everyone to remain calm and stay in shelters,” Kyiv governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram.

“Air defense works in the region,” Kuleba continued. “There is information about downed objects. I emphasize that the air alert is still ongoing. Don’t ignore it and stay in cover. Do not photograph or film landing sites or damaged infrastructure. People’s lives depend on it. Let’s hold on.”

The initial strikes on central Kyiv took place around 8:30 a.m. local time during the morning rush hour.

— Natasha Turak

Several large explosions hit Kyiv city center

Several large blasts hit the center of Ukrainian capital Kyiv Monday, according to witnesses and city officials, after

State Emergency Services told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that the explosions had caused causing deaths and injuries, according to Reuters, though the casualty number is unknown.

“Several explosions in the Shevchenkiv district – in the center of the capital. All services follow to place. Details later,” Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitchko said on Telegram, according to a Google translation.

Ukrainians had been bracing themselves for a retaliatory attack after an explosion destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge on Saturday, the only bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed illegally in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the bridge explosion a “terrorist attack” and accused Ukrainian forces of being behind it.

— Natasha Turak

Putin calls Kerch bridge destruction a ‘terrorist attack’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to convene his national security council Monday to focus on the explosion that destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge — the only bridge connecting the country to the Crimean Peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014.

Putin has called the blast on the strategically important infrastructure a “terrorist attack” and blamed it on Ukrainian special services. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ukrainian several state agencies mocked Russia over the event.

There are worries among Russia watchers that the meeting will be used to escalate the war with Ukraine, and comes just weeks after Putin threatened to use all means at his disposal — which includes nuclear weapons — to defend Russian territory.

— Natasha Turak

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/10/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

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Russia strikes Kyiv after Putin accuses Ukraine of Crimea bridge attack – NBC News
Russia strikes Kyiv after Putin accuses Ukraine of Crimea bridge attack – NBC News
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Nobel Prize in economics awarded to trio including Ben Bernanke for work on financial crises – CNN
Nobel Prize in economics awarded to trio including Ben Bernanke for work on financial crises – CNN

Former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig were awarded the Nobel Prize in economics on Monday for their work on banks and financial crises.

The three US economists were recognized by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for their work in the early 1980s, which the institute said provided the foundation for our modern understanding of why banks are needed, their chief vulnerabilities and how their collapse can fuel financial meltdowns.

Bernanke, who led the US central bank during the 2008 global financial crisis, received the award for his research on the Great Depression. His work showed that bank runs were a decisive reason the crisis became so severe and entrenched.

“People had seen that banks fail, but it was more thought [of] as a consequence of the crisis rather than [a] cause of the crisis,” the economist John Hassler, who serves on the Nobel committee, said at a press conference. “Now the views of Bernanke have become the conventional wisdom.”

Diamond and Dybvig’s research showed that banks help resolve tensions between borrowers and savers, whose goals can diverge. Borrowers want to know they won’t have to repay their debts too soon, while savers desire quick access to funds in case of an emergency. While this intermediary role is important, it also makes lenders vulnerable to runs if rumors about their financial position start to circulate, Diamond and Dybvig found.

Answering questions at the press conference on Monday, Diamond noted that the rapid run-up in interest rates around the world was causing market instability, pointing to recent tumult in the United Kingdom.

But he believes the system is more resilient than it used to be because of hard lessons gleaned from the 2008 crash.

“Recent memories of that crisis and improvements in regulatory policies around the world have left the system much, much less vulnerable,” Diamond said.

Bernanke, who was in charge of the Fed from 2006 to 2014, played a key role in managing fallout during that period.

While Bernanke served as chair, the central bank pioneered a program of quantitative easing, buying up assets to help stimulate economic growth.

He also improved communication with the public about the central bank’s thinking and intentions. These approaches are now a standard part of the Fed’s playbook to stabilize markets and prop up the economy.

The failure of the Fed and US Treasury to save Lehman Brothers from collapse, however, has been the subject of significant debate. The investment bank’s implosion in September 2008 is seen as a tipping point in the crisis.

“There’s a lot of question on … the legal ways the US regulators could have resolved Lehman, and some claim it was essentially impossible for them to do it,” Diamond said on Monday. “But had they found a way I think the world would have had less of a severe crisis than it did.”

Bernanke is now a distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a high-profile think tank. Diamond is a professor at the University of Chicago, while Dybvig is at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Nobel prize, officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, comes with an award of 10 million Swedish kronor ($885,370) to be split equally among the laureates.

It was not instituted by Alfred Nobel, but established by Sweden’s central bank and awarded in memory of Nobel.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/10/economy/nobel-prize-economics-winner-2022/index.html

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Dem city council member says Blue Angels should be banned from flying over San Francisco – Fox News
Dem city council member says Blue Angels should be banned from flying over San Francisco – Fox News
Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for October 9

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Blue Angels’ scheduled show in San Francisco for Fleet Week was canceled Sunday due to weather conditions, and a Democrat city council member suggested the planes not be permitted in the city’s skies.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, a self-described Democratic socialist, said the planes should be banned from the city’s airspace.

“The Blue Angels should not be allowed to fly over San Francisco,” he wrote on Twitter. “That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

The Navy’s Blue Angels are known for their close-flying, high-speed aerial acrobatics.
(US Navy)

Preston did not elaborate further on why he decided to take issue with the U.S. Navy’s fighter jet demonstration squadron and his office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

SAN FRANCISCO VOTERS WEIGH NANCY PELOSI’S STYLE AND SUBSTANCE, SHARE PRIORITIES AS MIDTERMS DRAW NEAR

The Blue Angles ended up not soaring over San Francisco because their planned performance was canceled.

“Due to the weather conditions, we are unable to perform today at the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show,” the Blue Angels Twitter account wrote.

GOP REP PROMISES TO TAKE AIM AT ‘WOKE’ MILITARY IF REPUBLICANS WIN ELECTION

The Blue Angels’ scheduled show in San Francisco, California, for Fleet Week was canceled Sunday due to weather conditions.

“We want to send a special thank you to the city of San Francisco for the hospitality and we are looking forward to clearer skies next year, at San Francisco Fleet Week 2023!” the post continued.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fleet Week events were delayed on Sunday because of fog, according to an announcement issued at around 1 p.m. Thousands of people still made their way to Crissy Field for the events, KRON4 reported.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/dem-city-council-member-says-blue-angels-should-banned-flying-over-san-francisco

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Multiple large explosions hit center of Kyiv; Putin calls Crimea bridge attack ‘terrorism’ – CNBC
Multiple large explosions hit center of Kyiv; Putin calls Crimea bridge attack ‘terrorism’ – CNBC

LIVE UPDATES

This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

Multiple explosions hit the center of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv Monday, with reports of dead and injured, according to the city’s emergency services.

It comes just two days after a blast destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch Bridge, the only bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to convene a meeting of his national security council and has called the Kerch Bridge explosion a “terrorist attack” carried out by Ukraine.

Multiple cities across Ukraine hit by missile attacks

Several Ukrainian cities have been hit by what officials are describing as a wave of missile attacks — as far west as the city of Lviv, largely considered one of the safest parts of the country.

Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Vinnytsia, among other cities, have all reported explosions.

“Kyiv region and Khmelnytsky region, Lviv and Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Frankiv region, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Zhytormyr region, Kirovohrad region, the south,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “terrorist” targeting civilians.

At least 8 people in Kyiv have been killed and two dozen injured, according to the city’s emergency services.

— Natasha Turak

Three more explosions hit central Kyiv; at least 8 dead and 24 wounded

Three more explosions hit Kyiv within an hour of the initial blasts Monday, which Ukrainian officials say were timed to maximize civilian casualties during the morning rush hour.

At least eight people have been killed and 24 have been wounded, NBC’s Cal Perry reported, citing Kyiv’s emergency services.

Critical infrastructure as well as residential areas including parks, university grounds, a residential building and a pedestrian bridge were hit, according to city officials and NBC reporters on the ground.

Ukrainian parliament member Lesia Vasylenko posted a photo on Twitter of a street, buildings and emergency vehicles shrouded in smoke, with the text: “Just minutes from my home. Just 20 minutes ago. What is Russia trying to hit? The national university? The park? Or the playground?”

Moscow has not yet commented on the blasts.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian officials urge people to stay in shelters in Kyiv as explosions continue

Ukrainian officials are urging residents of Kyiv and other cities to stay in shelters in the wake of multiple strikes on the capital, which emergency services say have caused deaths and injuries. Reports are emerging of explosions in several other cities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on his official Telegram account: “The air alarm does not stop throughout Ukraine. There are missiles hitting. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. I beg you: do not leave shelters. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s hold on and be strong.”

“The air attack continues, I ask everyone to remain calm and stay in shelters,” Kyiv governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram.

“Air defense works in the region,” Kuleba continued. “There is information about downed objects. I emphasize that the air alert is still ongoing. Don’t ignore it and stay in cover. Do not photograph or film landing sites or damaged infrastructure. People’s lives depend on it. Let’s hold on.”

The initial strikes on central Kyiv took place around 8:30 a.m. local time during the morning rush hour.

— Natasha Turak

Several large explosions hit Kyiv city center

Several large blasts hit the center of Ukrainian capital Kyiv Monday, according to witnesses and city officials, after

State Emergency Services told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that the explosions had caused causing deaths and injuries, according to Reuters, though the casualty number is unknown.

“Several explosions in the Shevchenkiv district – in the center of the capital. All services follow to place. Details later,” Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitchko said on Telegram, according to a Google translation.

Ukrainians had been bracing themselves for a retaliatory attack after an explosion destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge on Saturday, the only bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed illegally in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the bridge explosion a “terrorist attack” and accused Ukrainian forces of being behind it.

— Natasha Turak

Putin calls Kerch bridge destruction a ‘terrorist attack’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to convene his national security council Monday to focus on the explosion that destroyed part of Russia’s Kerch bridge — the only bridge connecting the country to the Crimean Peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014.

Putin has called the blast on the strategically important infrastructure a “terrorist attack” and blamed it on Ukrainian special services. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ukrainian several state agencies mocked Russia over the event.

There are worries among Russia watchers that the meeting will be used to escalate the war with Ukraine, and comes just weeks after Putin threatened to use all means at his disposal — which includes nuclear weapons — to defend Russian territory.

— Natasha Turak

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/10/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

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Texas teenager ‘fighting for his life’ after cop shot him – New York Daily News
Texas teenager ‘fighting for his life’ after cop shot him – New York Daily News

A Texas teenager is “literally fighting for his life,” his attorney said, after being shot by a San Antonio police officer identified as James Brennand.

The 17-year-old, Erik Cantu, was shot on Oct. 2 while inside his car in a McDonald’s parking.

“We need all the blessings we can receive at this time,” the teen’s attorney, Brian Powers, told CNN over the weekend.

“We kindly ask for privacy beyond this update as this is a delicate moment in our lives, and we are focusing on one thing and that’s getting him home.”

A San Antonio police officer was fired after shooting a Texas teenager in a McDonald’s parking lot. (San Antonio Police Department/San Antonio Police Department)

The shooting occurred after Brennand, who was in the area for an unrelated disturbance, approached the car, believing it was a vehicle that fled the previous night.

“The Officer abruptly opened the driver’s door and ordered the driver out of the car,” the San Antonio Police Department said last Wednesday. “The officer reported that he was hit by the open door as the driver started to reverse the vehicle. The officer then stepped back and opened fire on the vehicle as the driver continued to reverse away from him.”

Brennand, who has since been fired, allegedly shot his gun several more times as the car fled. The driver suffered “multiple gunshot wounds,” the police department said. A passenger was not wounded.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said “the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges” against the teenager, who reportedly originally faced charges relating to evading detention and assaulting an officer.

Source Article from https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-san-antonio-officer-mcdonalds-shooting-20221009-cxwpaqpysvgs5pzyvpnzoljane-story.html

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Putin accuses Ukraine of Crimea bridge blast ‘terrorism’ – Al Jazeera English
Putin accuses Ukraine of Crimea bridge blast ‘terrorism’ – Al Jazeera English

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of being behind the Kerch bridge explosion, masterminding an “act of terrorism” that destroyed part of the crucial link between Russia and the annexed territory of Crimea, as calls grow for reprisals.

The bridge, which holds important strategic and symbolic value to Russia, was partly damaged on Saturday by what Moscow has said was a truck bomb. Road and rail traffic on the 19km (12-mile) bridge was temporarily halted, hindering a vital supply route for Russia’s armed forces battling a renewed Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure,” Putin said on Sunday in a video posted on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.

“This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services.”

Putin is due to convene a meeting of the country’s security council on Monday with the body’s Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev saying that Russia should kill the “terrorists” responsible for the attack.

“Russia can only respond to this crime by directly killing terrorists, as is the custom elsewhere in the world. This is what Russian citizens expect,” the former president was quoted as saying by the state news agency Tass.

The damage to the bridge came amid battlefield defeats for Russia in the east and south, and growing concern over the use of nuclear weapons. Russia last month formally annexed four areas of Ukraine following hastily-organised referendums that breached international law, and Putin has repeatedly warned that any attack on Russia could provoke a nuclear response.

Putin made the accusation against Ukraine during a meeting with Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who presented the findings of an inquiry into the bridge blast and subsequent fire.

Bastrykin said the truck had travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Russia’s Krasnodar region before reaching the bridge. Among those who helped in the attack were “citizens of Russia and foreign countries,” Bastrykin added in the video on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.

In Kyiv, presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak called Putin’s accusation “too cynical even for Russia”.

“Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism?” he said. “It has not even been 24 hours since Russian planes fired 12 rockets into a residential area of Zaporizhzhia, killing 13 people and injuring more than 50. No, there is only one state terrorist and the whole world knows who he is.”

Zaporizhzhia targeted

Podolyak was referring to attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Sunday morning that brought down part of a large apartment building.

The missiles were launched from Russian-occupied areas of the Zaporizhia region, according to the Ukrainian air force. The region is one of the four Russia annexed, although the capital remains under Ukrainian control.

Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military analyst and head of the website Information Resistance, told Espreso TV website, a prominent digital broadcaster in Ukraine, that Russia may intensify attacks on civilian targets following the Crimea bridge blast.

“This probably means missile attacks on border areas — Sumy and Chernihiv regions. It could also mean using missiles and [Iranian-made] Shahed-136 drones to hit even deeper into Ukrainian territory,” he said.

There was morning shelling on Sunday night into Monday, with some people injured when an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia was hit, regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh said early on Monday.

Zaporizhzhia city — 52km (32 miles) from Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant which Russia has occupied since shortly after the invasion — has been under frequent shelling in recent weeks, with 19 people killed on Thursday.

Russia denies targeting civilians.

The White House on Sunday declined direct comment on the bridge blast but said the United States would continue to arm Ukraine.

Rescuers and residents remove debris in a residential area of Zaporizhzhia that was badly damaged by a Russian attack [Stringer/Reuters]

Ukraine has recaptured more than 1,170 square kilometres (450 square miles) of land in its southern Kherson region since a counteroffensive against Russia began in late August, a military spokesperson said on Sunday.

Ukraine achieved lightning success with its offensive in the northeast, but its advance in the south has been slower.

Recent fighting has focused on the regions just north of Crimea, including Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the latest attack. “Again, Zaporizhzhia. Again, merciless attacks on civilians, targeting residential buildings, in the middle of the night,” he wrote.

“From the one who gave this order, to everyone who carried out this order: They will answer,” he added.

Moscow has appointed a new commander to lead the war, air force chief Sergey Surovikin, and announced plans to mobilise some 300,000 reservists in a move that has prompted many Russian men to flee their country.

Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/10/putin-accuses-ukraine-of-crimea-bridge-blast-terrorism

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