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  • Super Bowl parade shooting: Police say dispute appears to have led to shooting

    Super Bowl parade shooting: Police say dispute appears to have led to shooting

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo.— A Kansas City radio DJ is dead and police now say 22 others were injured in a shooting following the Super Bowl parade Wednesday in Kansas City honoring the Chiefs, according to the Kansas City Police Chief.

    During a Thursday morning briefing, police said is appears the shooting began as a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire. Three people have been detained and Chief Stacey Graves said two of them are juveniles. She also said the preliminary investigation shows there is no nexus to terrorism.

    Chief Graves said prosecutors are working with detectives now on possible charges. The department can only hold people for 24 hours without charging them.

    What You Need To Know

    • A radio DJ is dead and 22 others were shot following Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade in Kansas City
    • Police said is appears the shooting began as a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire
    • Three people have been detained, two are juvniles

    • Police are asking any witnesses, people with video or shooting victims who have not come forward yet to call them at: 816-413-3477

    Police did confirm 43-year-old Elisabeth Galvan died. Chief Graves says they are still learning about the victim but know she is beloved by many.

    “To her friends and family, we are with you and we are working tirelessly to investigate her murder,” said Chief Graves.

    Wednesday evening, Kansas City radio station KKFI posted a message on its Facebook page confirming the death of DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan. She was a devoted sports fan and went to the parade with her husband and young adult son.

    Among the 22 others injured, were 12 children. Spectrum News has confirmed they were taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital after the incident, according to Stephanie Meyer, the SVP and Chief Nursing Officer. She also said nine of the children were gunshot victims and three suffered “unintentional injuries.’ 

    Meyer said all of the patients are expected to recover from their injuries. She added that the hospital treated this as a mass casualty event and paused other treatment and procedures to mobilize its full staff to these patients.

    Thursday, the police chief said the victims range in age from 8 years old to 47 years old. Chief Graves said half of the victims are under the age of 16. 

    Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said eight victims have immediate life-threatening injuries, seven have life-threatening injuries and six have minor injuries. Those with immediate life-threatening injuries were transported to hospitals within 10 minutes, he said.

    “I commend all of our staff working there today, along with PD that did an excellent job in a difficult circumstance,” Grundyson said.

    Police stressed again Thursday that anyone in the vicinity of the parade shooting that directly witnessed it, has any video of the incident or was a victim who has not yet reported being shot to please call 816-413-3477, a dedicated line for this investigation.

    Graves noted that more than 800 police officers, including Kansas City and surrounding agencies, were in the area. 

    “We also know that officers ran towards danger. Officers were there to keep everyone safe,” she said. “I am angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.”

    During the Wednesday press conference, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the celebration with his wife and mother, said he was heartbroken and angry.

    “This is absolutely a tragedy. The likes of which we would’ve never expected in Kansas City and the likes of which that we will remember for some time,” he said. “I want to say thank those who are making sure that we were safe today.”

    Lisa Money of Kansas City, Kan. was trying to gather some confetti near the end of the parade when she heard somebody yell, “Down, down, everybody down!”

    At first Money thought somebody might be joking until she saw the SWAT team jumping over the fence.

    “I can’t believe it really happened. Who in their right mind would do something like this? This is supposed to be a day of celebration for everybody in the city and the surrounding area. and then you’ve got some idiot that wants to come along and do something like this,” she said.

    A statement from the Kansas City Chiefs says, “We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and all of Kansas City.”

    “We are in close communication with the Mayor’s office as well as the Kansas City Police Department. At this time, we have confirmed that all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe and accounted for. We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on scene to assist.”

    Immediately after the shooting, police took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to ask people to clear the area. Police also asked for witnesses to meet them near the scene to gather information.

    Police also established child reunification stations so people could find their missing loved ones. 

    Gov. Mike Parson, who attended the parade, said they are safe and secure. He added state law enforcement are assisting local authorities in response efforts. 

     

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Russian efforts to create anti-satellite weapons are cause for U.S. concern

    Russian efforts to create anti-satellite weapons are cause for U.S. concern

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    The U.S. has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared in recent weeks with the upper echelons of government, according to four people who have been briefed on the intelligence. The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly, said the capability was not yet operational.

    The intelligence sparked an urgent but vague warning Wednesday from the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, who urged the Biden administration to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared in recent weeks with the upper echelons of government
    • That’s according to four people who have been briefed on the intelligence but were not authorized to comment publicly
    • They said the capability was not yet operational
    • The intelligence sparked an urgent but vague warning Wednesday from the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, who urged the Biden administration to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat
    • Administration officials declined to publicly address the nature of the threat. House Speaker Mike Johnson cautioned against being overly alarmed


    Rep. Mike Turner gave no details about the nature of the threat, and the Biden administration also declined to address it. But several leading lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, cautioned against being overly alarmed.

    A congressional aide said he understood that the threat relates to a space-deployed Russian anti-satellite weapon. Such a weapon could pose a major danger to U.S. satellites that transmit billions of bytes of data each hour.

    The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said it was not yet clear if the Russian weapon has nuclear capability, but said that is the fear.

    In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the claims about a new Russian military capability as a ruse intended to make the U.S. Congress support aid for Ukraine.

    “It’s obvious that Washington is trying to force Congress to vote on the aid bill by hook or by crook,” Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. “Let’s see what ruse the White House will use.”

    The threat Turner raised concerns about is not an active capability, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence. One added that intelligence officials consider the threat to be significant, but it should not cause panic.

    Turner issued a statement urging the administration to declassify the information so the U.S. and its allies can openly discuss how to respond.

    He also sent an email to members of Congress saying his committee had “identified an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability” that should be known to all congressional policy makers. He encouraged them to come to a SCIF, a secure area, to review the intelligence.

    Turner has been a voice for stronger U.S. national security, putting him at odds with some Republican colleagues who favor a more isolationist approach. He has called for the renewal of a key U.S. government surveillance tool while some fellow Republicans and liberal Democrats have raised privacy objections.

    And he supports continuing U.S. military aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia at a time that the funding remains uncertain because of opposition in the Republican-led House.

    Johnson said he was not at liberty to disclose the classified information. “But we just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel. We’re working on it and there’s no need for alarm,” he told reporters at the Capitol.

    Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the classified information is “significant” but “not a cause for panic.”

    The Senate Intelligence Committee said it has been tracking the issue.

    “We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration,” Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic committee chairman, and Sen. Marco Rubio, the Republican vice chairman, said in a statement. “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.”

    The rapidly evolving threat in space was one of the primary reasons that the U.S. Space Force was established in 2019. A lot of that threat has to do with new capabilities that China and Russia have already developed that can interfere with critical satellite-based U.S. communications, such as GPS and the ability to quickly detect missile launches.

    In recent years the U.S. has seen both China and Russia pursue new ways to jam satellites, intercept their feeds, blind them, shoot them down and even potentially grab them with a robotic arm to pull them out of their programmed orbits. One of the key missions of the Space Force is to train troops skilled in detecting and defending against those threats.

    In its 2020 Defense Space Strategy, the Pentagon said China and Russia presented the greatest strategic threat in space due to their aggressive development of counterspace abilities, and their military doctrine calling for extending conflict to space.

    The White House and lawmakers expressed frustration at how Turner raised his concerns. His announcement appeared to catch the Biden administration off-guard.

    National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House that he already had been due to brief Turner and other senior congressional leaders on Thursday. Sullivan did not disclose the topic or provide any other details related to Turner’s statement.

    “I’m focused on going to see him, sit with him as well as the other House members of the Gang of Eight, tomorrow,” Sullivan said. “And I’m not in a position to say anything further from this podium at this time.”

    He acknowledged it was not standard practice to offer such a briefing.

    “I’ll just say that I personally reached out to the Gang of Eight. It is highly unusual, in fact, for the national security adviser to do that,” Sullivan said. He said he had reached out earlier this week.

    Johnson said he sent a letter last month to the White House requesting a meeting with the president to discuss “the serious national security issue that is classified.” He said Sullivan’s meeting was in response to his request.

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    Associated Press

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  • Finding a love for all seasons

    Finding a love for all seasons

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    Mother Nature, flowers and candy could be your recipe for finding a love for all seasons or Valentine’s Day.

    It is that time of the year, when romance is in the air. But can the weather, or even the season, spark love? Or do less than ideal conditions dampen love’s flame and blow it out? 

    What You Need To Know

    • Cuffing season is the time between September and November

    • The “turkey drop” is when you breakup with someone after Thanksgiving

    • Some consider gloomy or cold weather romantic

    • Talking about the weather is not a good conversation starter

    We talked to celebrity matchmaker and dating expert Alessandra Conti, co-founder of Matchmakers In The City in Beverly Hills.

    We chatted with her about how the time of season and weather might influence someone’s dating behavior.

    Cuffing season

    Autumn may be the best season to ‘fall’ in love. Many people refer to the fall as cuffing season for couples.

    Conti says cuffing season is the time between September and November. She told us during those months the weather gets colder and people want to find love for the holidays.

    “Everyone wants love for the holidays. Especially leading up to the holidays, that’s when people who are normally single want to be in relationships,” Conti told Spectrum News.

    The matchmaking maven says her business is booming during cuffing season for people wanting to find love just in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    “[People] will usually fast track something that they maybe did not consider in the summertime.”

    The cuffing part comes in as people just wanting to find a partner for the colder months and just come together during that time.

    The turkey drop

    Though cuffing season runs through November, it might be the best opportunity to breakup with someone.

    Conti says the day after Thanksgiving is the time when couples break apart. The celebrity matchmaker calls it the “turkey drop.”

    “You can see it in tons of celebrity couples, that right after Thanksgiving so many couples breakup,” Conti said.

    She said couples like Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde broke up during that time too, among other couples.

    Conti says a lot of couples “turkey drop” right after Thanksgiving.

    A new year for love

    We are a month into the new year and finding that special someone is top priority for some singles. When a new year begins, Conti says people are deliberate about wanting to find love.

    “While cuffing season is over, it’s the new year season, which is people desiring to find that partner,” Conti told us.

    As far as other seasons like spring and summer, she says business doesn’t experience that same uptick in clientele during the winter and fall months.

    Like cuffing season, there is also the something known as a summer fling. A summer fling is between May and September.

    “You see more casual dating during the summertime because that’s more of the weather vibe. It’s sunny out, everyone is relaxed… there’s not that deep longing for connection because it’s freezing cold outside and you want to be cuddling with someone indoors,” Conti said.

    Heartbreak weather

    Now let’s talk about how the weather could lead you to heartbreak or romance.

    Conti laments many dates get cancelled because of bad weather.

    “It is really sad, but a lot of people do if it’s raining. We have experienced that people will cancel a date if it’s raining… even if it’s through a matchmaker.”

    She notes that people really don’t enjoy driving in the rain to go on a date. However, she has one important piece of advice if there is rain or snow in the forecast for a date.

    “My advice to anyone considering in canceling a date if it’s raining or snow… Don’t, you are self sabotaging yourself!,” exclaimed Conti.

    The dating expert said this sabotaging equates to flakiness. She says you have to follow through on the plan.

    “You need to make a shift and make a change. If that means going on an ice skating date, go for it… if that means leaving your house when it’s drizzling outside, go for it!” exclaims Conti. 

    Love is in the air

    The ideal weather for date ranges from person to person. Some like sunny and while others enjoy overcast skies.

    Talking with Conti, she says colder weather might actually be more romantic.

    “I actually think a little colder for a date, actually quite romantic, as long as you are indoors… it’s very cozy. So get a really cute winter jacket and enjoy,” she said.

    Conti might be right about colder weather, because one of the greatest Christmas songs “Let It Snow!” is a romantic song about a couple getting cozy during a blizzard (even though the songwriters wrote it in the summer).

    It all comes down to the people’s preference.

    “I don’t think cold weather is bad for a date. I think it’s cozy. If it’s a little rainy outside, it makes your indoor experience more special and romantic. Use it to your advantage,” Conti told Spectrum Networks. 

    Forecasting romance

    The perfect weather for a date may be in April, if you are Miss Rhode Island from the movie “Miss Congeniality.”

    But for others, it could be something else. We talked to our Spectrum News meteorologists and digital weather team about their ideal weather for date. Watch their responses.

    No matter what season you’re in, you have to be intentional about finding love and being in the moment.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Keith Bryant

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  • Democrat Tom Suozzi flips N.Y. congressional district held by George Santos

    Democrat Tom Suozzi flips N.Y. congressional district held by George Santos

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    Democrat Tom Suozzi has won the special election in the 3rd Congressional District in New York, the Associated Press projects, flipping the seat held by the ousted Republican Rep. George Santos and further narrowing the House GOP’s already razor-thin margins.

    What You Need To Know

    • Democrat Tom Suozzi has won the special election in the 3rd Congressional District in New York, the Associated Press projects

    • Suozzi, a longtime fixture of Long Island politics, previously held the congressional seat for three terms; he relinquished the seat in 2022 to mount an unsuccessful primary challenge to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul

    • The special election was held to replace Republican George Santos, who became the sixth House member to be ousted from Congress in U.S. history after he was indicted on fraud charges and exposed as having fabricated much of his background

    • The race was to fill the remainder of Santos’ term, which expires in January; the seat will be up for grabs once again in November.


    The race was widely viewed as an early barometer for November’s likely rematch between President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and was expected to be a close race, according to recent polling. But 93% of the vote in as of Wednesday morning, Suozzi had nearly 54% of the vote, leading Republican Mazi Pilip (46.1%), a relative newcomer to politics, by more than 13,000 votes. 

    “Despite all the attacks, despite all the lies about Tom Suozzi and ‘the Squad,’ about Tom Suozzi being the godfather of the migrant crisis, about ‘sanctuary Suozzi,’ despite the dirty tricks, despite the vaunted Nassau County Republican machine, we won,” Suozzi said during his victory speech Tuesday night.

    Pilip, a Nassau County legislator who was elected as a Republican despite being a registered Democrat, conceded the election results before Suozzi spoke.

    “We all [worked] so hard every single day in the last eight weeks and we did a great job,” Pilip said. “Yes, we lost, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to end here.”

    The district covers the neighborhoods of Little Neck, Whitestone, Glen Oaks, Floral Park and Queens Village in Queens, as well as large stretches of Long Island’s Nassau County.

    Suozzi, a longtime fixture of Long Island politics, previously held the congressional seat for three terms. He gave up his seat to pursue an unsuccessful run for governor. He previously served as the mayor of Glen Cove and the Nassau County Executive.

    Throughout his campaign in a district that flipped from Democratic to Republican representation in November 2022, Suozzi tried to convince voters that he’s a politician who is not afraid to work with all parties, including leaning into migrant issues and highlighting the times he’s broke with his party on immigration. But his candidacy was also heavily focused on getting to work, a message encapsulated in his campaign slogan, “Let’s Fix This.”

    “Let’s send a message to our friends running the Congress these days,” Suozzi said in his remarks Tuesday night. “Stop running around for Trump and start running the country.”

    The Biden reelection campaign and the White House took a victory lap after Suozzi’s decisive win, calling it a rebuke of Trump and Republican policies.

    “Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump’s extreme agenda – even in a Republican-held seat – voters reject them,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez on Tuesday evening. “As we saw in 2020, 2022, 2023, and now tonight, when it comes down to the choice between Donald Trump’s chaos and division and President Biden who wakes up everyday working to get things done and make Americans’ lives better, voters are consistently choosing the leadership of President Biden and Democrats. Trump and the MAGA extremists in the House are already paying the political price for derailing a bipartisan deal to secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system.”

    Biden-Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler called the race “Republicans’ district to lose,” citing the GOP’s successes in the district in 2022 up and down the ballot, but said that Suozzi’s embrace of a bipartisan bill that would have provided funding to Israel and Ukraine and enacted reforms at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as Pilip’s “embrace of the former president and Republicans’ support for banning abortion,” cost her the election.

    “Again and again, when it comes time to go to the ballot box, voters are showing up to choose President Biden and Democrats’ agenda of safeguarding freedoms and fighting for working families over the extreme MAGA agenda,” Tyler said. “We are putting in the work every single day to make sure this November will be no different.”

    White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said that voters on Long Island proved Biden “right” when the president pledged last week that he would make sure Republicans bore the brunt of the blame for killing the bipartisan border deal.

    Bates said that on Tuesday, “voters proved [Biden] right with a devastating repudiation of congressional Republicans. Tom Suozzi put support for the bipartisan border legislation – and congressional Republicans’ killing of it for politics – at the forefront of his case. The results are unmistakable. And right now, House Republicans are yet again putting politics ahead of national security – siding with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Tehran, against America’s defense industrial base, against NATO, against Ukraine, and against our interests in the Indo-Pacific. Tom Suozzi was clear about this choice in his campaign as well, siding with President Biden. As we said before, the American people see through congressional Republicans’ elevation of their personal politics over the safety of the country.”

    Republicans, meanwile, sought to downplay the results, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., attempting to make the case that he doesn’t believe the results “that Democrats should not celebrate too much,” dismissing Suozzi’s win as being a product of his name recognition and a snowstorm that impacted the area for part of Tuesday.

    “They spent about $15 million to win a seat President Biden won by 8 points, they won it by less than 8 points,” Johnson said. “Their candidate ran like a Republican, sounded like a Republican talking about the border and immigration … the incumbent had been a three-term member of Congress and had a 100% name ID and a deep family history in the district, our candidate was relatively unknown … she ran a remarkable campaign, there was a weather event that affected turnout, there are a lot of factors there, that is in no way a bellwether of what is gonna happen this fall.”

    Despite Johnson’s contentions, the results will no doubt be a cause of concern for his conference’s already razor-thin majority: When Suozzi is sworn in, the makeup of the chamber will shrink to 219-213, meaning he can only lose two votes on major legislation.

    The special election was called to replace Santos, who became the sixth House member to be ousted from Congress in U.S. history after he was indicted on fraud charges and was exposed as having fabricated much of his background.

    Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges, was only in office for 11 months.

    With days leading up to Election Day, polls showed it was a tight race, with Suozzi slightly in the lead. But it turned out to be a relatively early night with the race call, and Pilip’s concession, coming quickly after the polls closed.

    “We, you, won this race,” he said, “because we addressed the issues and we found a way to bind our divisions.”

    Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Suozzi toward the beginning of his speech. The protesters accused Suozzi, a staunch supporter of Israel, of “supporting genocide,” and called for a cease-fire in Gaza.

    Suozzi later referenced the protest, saying there are divisions in the country where people can only yell and scream at each other, and that that “is not the answer to the problems we face in our country.”

    “The answer is to try and bring people of goodwill together to try and find that common ground,” he continued.

    The issue of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was expected to play a large role in the race, particularly because of the district’s significant Jewish population. Pilip, who is an Orthodox Jew, was born in Ethiopia and emigrated to Israel when she was 12, serving in the Israel Defense Force’s Paratroopers Brigade. She moved to the U.S. in 2005 and settled in Great Neck, a town on Long Island with a large Jewish population. 

    But Suozzi also portrayed himself as a staunch defender of Israel and the Jewish people, pledging to break with some progressive members of the Democratic conference who want to curtail aid to the Middle Eastern country and criticizing Republicans in Congress who scuttled the bipartisan border and foreign assistance bill.

    The race was to fill the remainder of Santos’ term in Congress, which expires in January. The seat will be up for grabs once again in November, so despite both candidates and parties pouring millions into the race, they’ll have to hit the campaign trail once again in a few short months.

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    Deanna Garcia

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  • Democrat Tom Suozzi wins N.Y. congressional race in Santos’ former district

    Democrat Tom Suozzi wins N.Y. congressional race in Santos’ former district

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    Democrat Tom Suozzi has won the special election in the 3rd Congressional District in New York, the Associated Press projects.

    According to the AP, with approximately 85% of the expected vote tallied in Queens as of 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, Suozzi had 53.9% of the vote, while Republican Mazi Pilip had 46.1% of the vote.

    “Despite all the attack, despite all the lies about Tom Suozzi and the Squad, about Tom Suozzi being the godfather of the migrant crisis, about ‘sanctuary Suozzi,’ despite the dirty tricks, despite the vaunted Nassau County Republican machine, we won,” Suozzi said during his victory speech Tuesday night.

    The district covers the neighborhoods of Little Neck, Whitestone, Glen Oaks, Floral Park and Queens Village in Queens, as well as large stretches of Long Island’s Nassau County.

    Suozzi previously held the congressional seat for three terms. He gave up his seat to pursue an unsuccessful run for governor.

    Throughout his campaign in a district that flipped from Democratic to Republican representation in November 2022, Suozzi tried to convince voters that he’s a Democrat who is not afraid to work with all parties.

    The special election was called to replace George Santos, who became the sixth House member to be ousted from Congress in U.S. history.

    Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges, was only in office for 11 months.

    With days leading up to Election Day, polls showed it was a tight race, with Suozzi slightly in the lead.

    “We, you, won this race,” he said, “because we addressed the issues and we found a way to bind our divisions.”

    Pro-Palestine protesters interrupted Suozzi toward the beginning of his speech. The protesters accused Suozzi, a staunch supporter of Israel, of “supporting genocide,” and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    Later in his remarks, Suozzi referenced the protest, saying there are divisions in the country where people can only yell and scream at each other, and that that “is not the answer to the problems we face in our country.”

    “The answer is to try and bring people of goodwill together to try and find that common ground,” he continued.

    Pilip, a Nassau County legislator, conceded the election results before Suozzi spoke.

    “We all [worked] so hard every single day in the last eight weeks and we did a great job,” Pilip said. “Yes, we lost, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to end here.”

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    Deanna Garcia

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  • Senate passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    Senate passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

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    The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
    • A small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas, but more than a dozen GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to pass the bill 70-29
    • In a statement, President Joe Biden called the bill “critical to advancing America’s national security interests” and urged the House to get it to his desk quickly
    • But Speaker Mike Johnson cast new doubt on the package in a statement Monday evening, making clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Biden’s desk — if at all

    The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But more than a dozen Republicans voted with almost all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe.

    “It’s been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but also the security of western democracy,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.

    The bill’s passage through the Senate was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield. Yet the package faces a deeply uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump — the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine — oppose the legislation.

    In a statement, President Joe Biden called the bill “critical to advancing America’s national security interests” and urged the House to get it to his desk quickly.

    “I applaud the bipartisan coalition of Senators who came together to advance this agreement, and I urge the House to move on this with urgency,” Biden said. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. The costs of inaction are rising every day, especially in Ukraine.”

    “There are those who say American leadership and our alliances and partnerships with countries around the world do not matter,” he continued. “They do. If we do not stand against tyrants who seek to conquer or carve up their neighbors’ territory, the consequences for America’s national security will be significant. Our allies and adversaries alike will take note. It is time for the House to take action and send this bipartisan legislation to my desk immediately so that I can sign it into law.”

    But Speaker Mike Johnson cast new doubt on the package in a statement Monday evening, making clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Biden’s desk — if at all.

    Still, the vote was a win for both Senate leaders. McConnell has made Ukraine his top priority in recent months, and was resolute in the face of considerable pushback from his own GOP conference.

    Speaking directly to his detractors in a floor speech on Sunday, McConnell said that “the eyes of the world” were on the U.S. Senate.

    “Will we give those who wish us harm more reason to question our resolve, or will we recommit to exercising American strength?” McConnell asked.

    Dollars provided by the legislation would purchase U.S.-made defense equipment, including munitions and air defense systems that authorities say are desperately needed as Russia batters the country. It also includes $8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other assistance.

    In addition, the legislation would provide $14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

    The bill’s passage followed almost five months of torturous negotiations over an expansive bill that would have paired the foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policies. Republicans demanded the trade-off, saying the surge of migration into the United States had to be addressed alongside the security of allies.

    But a bipartisan deal on border security struck by Republican Sen. James Lankford fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill insufficient and blocked it on the Senate floor.

    After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provisions and pushed forward with passing the foreign aid package alone — as Democrats had originally intended.

    While the slimmed-down foreign aid bill eventually won enough Republican support to pass, several GOP senators who had previously expressed support for Ukraine voted against it. The episode further exposed divisions in the party, made more public as Trump dug in and a handful of lawmakers openly called for McConnell to step down.

    Sen. J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, argued that the U.S. should step back from the conflict and help broker an end to it with Russia’s Putin. He questioned the wisdom of continuing to fuel Ukraine’s defense when Putin appears committed to fighting for years.

    “I think it deals with the reality that we’re living in, which is they’re a more powerful country, and it’s their region of the world,” he said.

    Vance, along with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and other opponents, spent several hours on the floor railing against the aid and complaining about Senate process. They dug in their heels to delay a final vote, speaking on the floor until daybreak.

    Supporters of the aid pushed back, warning that bowing to Russia would be a historic mistake with devastating consequences. In an unusually raw back-and-forth, GOP senators who support the aid challenged some of the opponents directly on the floor.

    North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis angrily rebutted some of their arguments, noting that the money would only help Ukraine for less than a year and that much of it would go to replenishing U.S. military stocks.

    “Why am I so focused on this vote?” Tillis said. “Because I don’t want to be on the pages of history that we will regret if we walk away. You will see the alliance that is supporting Ukraine crumble. You will ultimately see China become emboldened. And I am not going to be on that page of history.”

    Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., became emotional as he talked about the drudgery of the Senate and spending time away from his family to get little done. “But every so often there are issues that come before us that seem to be the ones that explain why we are here,” he said, his voice cracking.

    Moran conceded that the cost of the package was heavy for him, but pointed out that if Putin were to attack a NATO member in Europe, the U.S. would be bound by treaty to become directly involved in the conflict — a commitment that Trump has called into question as he seeks another term in the White House.

    At a rally Saturday, Trump said that he had once told a NATO ally he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to members that are “delinquent” in their financial and military commitments to the alliance. The former president has led his party away from the foreign policy doctrines of aggressive American involvement overseas and toward an “America First” isolationism.

    Evoking the slogan, Moran said, “I believe in America first, but unfortunately America first means we have to engage in the world.”

    While the vast majority of House Republicans have opposed the aid and are unlikely to cross Trump, a handful of GOP lawmakers have signaled they will push to get it passed.

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, traveled to Ukraine last week with a bipartisan delegation and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Turner posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the trip that “I reiterated America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”

    But Speaker Johnson is in a tough position. A majority of his conference opposes the aid, and he is trying to lead the narrowest of majorities and avoid the fate of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted in October.

    Johnson, R-La., said in a statement Monday that because the foreign aid package lacks border security provisions, it is “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” It was the latest — and potentially most consequential — sign of opposition to the Ukraine aid from House GOP leadership, who had rejected the bipartisan border plan as a “non-starter,” contributing to its rapid demise.

    “Now, in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”

    Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat, traveled to Kyiv last week with Turner and other House members. She said the trip underscored to her how Ukraine is still in a fight for its very existence.

    As the group traveled through Kyiv in armored vehicles, she said, they witnessed signs of an active war, from sandbagged shelters to burned-out cars and memorials to those killed. During the meeting with Zelenskyy, she said the U.S. lawmakers tried to offer assurances that the American people still stand with his country.

    “He was clear that our continued support is critical to their ability to win the war,” Spanberger said. “It’s critical to their own freedom. And importantly, it’s critical to U.S. national security interests.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Senate passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    Senate passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

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    The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
    • A small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas, but more than a dozen GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to pass the bill 70-29
    • In a statement, President Joe Biden called the bill “critical to advancing America’s national security interests” and urged the House to get it to his desk quickly
    • But Speaker Mike Johnson cast new doubt on the package in a statement Monday evening, making clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Biden’s desk — if at all

    The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But more than a dozen Republicans voted with almost all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe.

    “It’s been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but also the security of western democracy,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.

    The bill’s passage through the Senate was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield. Yet the package faces a deeply uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump — the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine — oppose the legislation.

    In a statement, President Joe Biden called the bill “critical to advancing America’s national security interests” and urged the House to get it to his desk quickly.

    “I applaud the bipartisan coalition of Senators who came together to advance this agreement, and I urge the House to move on this with urgency,” Biden said. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. The costs of inaction are rising every day, especially in Ukraine.”

    “There are those who say American leadership and our alliances and partnerships with countries around the world do not matter,” he continued. “They do. If we do not stand against tyrants who seek to conquer or carve up their neighbors’ territory, the consequences for America’s national security will be significant. Our allies and adversaries alike will take note. It is time for the House to take action and send this bipartisan legislation to my desk immediately so that I can sign it into law.”

    But Speaker Mike Johnson cast new doubt on the package in a statement Monday evening, making clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Biden’s desk — if at all.

    Still, the vote was a win for both Senate leaders. McConnell has made Ukraine his top priority in recent months, and was resolute in the face of considerable pushback from his own GOP conference.

    Speaking directly to his detractors in a floor speech on Sunday, McConnell said that “the eyes of the world” were on the U.S. Senate.

    “Will we give those who wish us harm more reason to question our resolve, or will we recommit to exercising American strength?” McConnell asked.

    Dollars provided by the legislation would purchase U.S.-made defense equipment, including munitions and air defense systems that authorities say are desperately needed as Russia batters the country. It also includes $8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other assistance.

    In addition, the legislation would provide $14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

    The bill’s passage followed almost five months of torturous negotiations over an expansive bill that would have paired the foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policies. Republicans demanded the trade-off, saying the surge of migration into the United States had to be addressed alongside the security of allies.

    But a bipartisan deal on border security struck by Republican Sen. James Lankford fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill insufficient and blocked it on the Senate floor.

    After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provisions and pushed forward with passing the foreign aid package alone — as Democrats had originally intended.

    While the slimmed-down foreign aid bill eventually won enough Republican support to pass, several GOP senators who had previously expressed support for Ukraine voted against it. The episode further exposed divisions in the party, made more public as Trump dug in and a handful of lawmakers openly called for McConnell to step down.

    Sen. J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, argued that the U.S. should step back from the conflict and help broker an end to it with Russia’s Putin. He questioned the wisdom of continuing to fuel Ukraine’s defense when Putin appears committed to fighting for years.

    “I think it deals with the reality that we’re living in, which is they’re a more powerful country, and it’s their region of the world,” he said.

    Vance, along with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and other opponents, spent several hours on the floor railing against the aid and complaining about Senate process. They dug in their heels to delay a final vote, speaking on the floor until daybreak.

    Supporters of the aid pushed back, warning that bowing to Russia would be a historic mistake with devastating consequences. In an unusually raw back-and-forth, GOP senators who support the aid challenged some of the opponents directly on the floor.

    North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis angrily rebutted some of their arguments, noting that the money would only help Ukraine for less than a year and that much of it would go to replenishing U.S. military stocks.

    “Why am I so focused on this vote?” Tillis said. “Because I don’t want to be on the pages of history that we will regret if we walk away. You will see the alliance that is supporting Ukraine crumble. You will ultimately see China become emboldened. And I am not going to be on that page of history.”

    Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., became emotional as he talked about the drudgery of the Senate and spending time away from his family to get little done. “But every so often there are issues that come before us that seem to be the ones that explain why we are here,” he said, his voice cracking.

    Moran conceded that the cost of the package was heavy for him, but pointed out that if Putin were to attack a NATO member in Europe, the U.S. would be bound by treaty to become directly involved in the conflict — a commitment that Trump has called into question as he seeks another term in the White House.

    At a rally Saturday, Trump said that he had once told a NATO ally he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to members that are “delinquent” in their financial and military commitments to the alliance. The former president has led his party away from the foreign policy doctrines of aggressive American involvement overseas and toward an “America First” isolationism.

    Evoking the slogan, Moran said, “I believe in America first, but unfortunately America first means we have to engage in the world.”

    While the vast majority of House Republicans have opposed the aid and are unlikely to cross Trump, a handful of GOP lawmakers have signaled they will push to get it passed.

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, traveled to Ukraine last week with a bipartisan delegation and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Turner posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the trip that “I reiterated America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”

    But Speaker Johnson is in a tough position. A majority of his conference opposes the aid, and he is trying to lead the narrowest of majorities and avoid the fate of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted in October.

    Johnson, R-La., said in a statement Monday that because the foreign aid package lacks border security provisions, it is “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” It was the latest — and potentially most consequential — sign of opposition to the Ukraine aid from House GOP leadership, who had rejected the bipartisan border plan as a “non-starter,” contributing to its rapid demise.

    “Now, in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”

    Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat, traveled to Kyiv last week with Turner and other House members. She said the trip underscored to her how Ukraine is still in a fight for its very existence.

    As the group traveled through Kyiv in armored vehicles, she said, they witnessed signs of an active war, from sandbagged shelters to burned-out cars and memorials to those killed. During the meeting with Zelenskyy, she said the U.S. lawmakers tried to offer assurances that the American people still stand with his country.

    “He was clear that our continued support is critical to their ability to win the war,” Spanberger said. “It’s critical to their own freedom. And importantly, it’s critical to U.S. national security interests.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Rain soaked one of the most important marches to equality

    Rain soaked one of the most important marches to equality

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    During one of the most trying times in America, the Southeast’s weather did not help the ongoing battle for justice.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama occurred in 1965

    • It was an effort to register more Black voters in the South

    • Heavy rain soaked the protestors

    What was the Selma to Montgomery March?

    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a huge achievement that ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and sex.

    It helped strengthen the voting rights of African Americans in the South, but even so, many southern states continued to deny African Americans their right to vote.

    On Feb. 18, 1965, a peaceful protest for voting rights in Marion, Ala. turned deadly when white segregationists attacked the group. An Alabama state trooper shot an African American protester, Jimmie Lee Jackson.

    In response, Martin Luther King Jr. organized a march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama to shed more light to what was happening to the Black community and help their voting rights.

    Martin Luther King Jr. leads supporters to the voter registration drive in the rain.

    The beginning of the march

    The event began on March 1, 1965, with a voter registration drive. Pouring rain soaked the supporters and led to ponding on the roadways and sidewalks.

    Even these miserable conditions couldn’t stop the movement, as thousands of people prepared for the drive with raincoats, umbrellas and rain boots. This laid the foundation for one of the most important marches during the civil rights movement.

    On March 7, the march to Montgomery from Selma began and lasted over two weeks. This was because state troopers and segregationists tried to stop the protesters several times, leading to brief pauses in the march.

    On March 15, President Lyndon B. Johnson showed his support for the march, and military personnel led the protesters the rest of the way, finally completing the march on March 25.

    A big win for racial equality

    After all of their hard work, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It guaranteed the right to vote for all African Americans in every state.

    Southern states could no longer use literacy tests to stop African Americans from voting.

    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the greatest pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. It provided another way for the voice of the Black community to be heard.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Shelly Lindblade

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  • Consumers expect prices to fall this year, Federal Reserve Bank of New York says

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    Americans expect inflation to improve in the coming years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s January Survey of Consumer Expectations.

    Respondents said they expect inflation to be 3% in one year and 2.5% in five years — the same as they expected at the end of 2023.

    What You Need To Know

    • Consumers expect inflation to be 3% in one year and 2.5% in five years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s January Survey of Consumer Expectations

    • Survey respondents expect prices to fall in the coming year for gas, food, rent, medical care and college

    • They expect their household spending will increase 5% this year

    • Consumers are optimistic about their earnings increasing and credit availability improving

    In three years, they expect inflation to drop to 2.4%. A 0.2% decrease since December, the three-year projection was the lowest it has been since March 2020.

    Inflation was 3.4% in December, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index. The Federal Reserve will release CPI figures for January on Tuesday.

    While consumer expectations about home price growth were unchanged for a fourth consecutive month at 3%, they are more optimistic about prices falling in the coming year for all other goods, including gas, food, rent, medical care and college educations.

    Despite the falling prices, they expect their household spending to increase 5% — the same expectation as last month.

    They are also more optimistic about earnings growth a year from now. Respondents said they expect their earnings to increase 0.3% to 2.8% in January 2025. The increase was driven largely by people over the age of 40 who do not have a college degree.

    Despite their earnings confidence, more respondents in January thought the U.S. unemployment rate would be higher in a year, though their perceived probability of losing their own job or voluntarily leaving their position both fell.

    Consumers’ expectations of credit availability improved in the January survey, with fewer respondents saying it was harder to get credit now compared with a year ago. Respondents also felt better about their ability pay off debt, with the average perceived probability of missing a minimum debt payment in the next three months decreasing 0.3% — a level similar to 2019.

    A larger share of respondents (76.%) in January’s survey said they expect to be financially the same or better off a year from now — the highest level since September 2021.

    In a statement, a White House official hailed the report as evidence that President Joe Biden’s economic plans are a success — an effort by the Democratic president’s administration to sell his policies to the American people ahead of November’s election.

    “This report is further evidence that the Biden economy is delivering for Americans today and giving them more confidence about where we’re headed tomorrow,” White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein said in a statement. “The data show that more Americans think their financial situation will be better a year from now than any time since the pandemic first hit.

    This builds on a recent surge in consumer confidence that makes clear we are on the right path, even as we have more work to do to lower costs,” Bernstein continued. “Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress want to cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations, while repealing the very measures that are cutting costs and supporting growth.”  

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Biden welcomes King of Jordan as hostage deal appears close

    Biden welcomes King of Jordan as hostage deal appears close

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    President Joe Biden is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington on Monday and the two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing effort to free hostages held in Gaza, and growing concern over a possible Israeli military operation in the port city of Rafah.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Joe Biden is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington and the two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing effort to free hostages in Gaza and growing concern over a possible Israeli military operation in the port city of Rafah

    • Monday’s meeting is the first between the allies since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan

    • Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the fatalities, the first for the U.S. after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war

    It is the first meeting between the allies since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the fatalities, the first for the U.S. after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

    The meeting with King Abdullah II comes as Biden and his aides are working to broker another pause in Israel’s war against Hamas in order to send humanitarian aid and supplies into the region and get hostages out. The White House faces growing criticism from Arab-Americans over the administration’s continued support for Israel in the face of growing casualties in Gaza.

    It appeared a deal for another pause in the fighting was getting close. A senior U.S. administration official said Sunday that after weeks of shuttle diplomacy and phone conversations, a framework was essentially in place for a deal that could see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for a halt to fighting.

    The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, acknowledged that gaps remained but declined to specify what they are. The official said Israeli military pressure on Hamas in Khan Younis over the last several week s has helped bring the militant group closer to accepting an agreement. The potential for an agreement took up the majority of Biden’s call Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    The official said the two leaders also had a significant back and forth about the potential expansion of Israeli military operations into Rafah and that Biden reiterated U.S. opposition to the idea under the “current conditions” while more than 1.3 million people are sheltering there.

    It was the most forceful language yet from the president on the possible operation. Biden, who last week called Israel’s military response in Gaza “over the top,” also sought “urgent and specific” steps to strengthen humanitarian aid. Israel’s Channel 13 television said the conversation lasted 45 minutes.

    The official said the Israelis “made clear they would not contemplate an operation” in Rafah without safeguarding the civilian population. The official said the U.S. is not sure there is a feasible or implementable plan to relocate civilians out of Rafah to allow military operations to take place.

    Jordan and other Arab states have been highly critical of Israel’s actions and have eschewed public support for long-term planning over what happens next, arguing that the fighting must end before such discussions can begin. They have been demanding a cease-fire since mid-October as civilian casualties began to skyrocket.

    Biden had planned to visit Jordan during his trip to Israel in October shortly after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, but the trip was scrapped. On his way home from Israel, Biden announced he’d helped broker the first deal to pause fighting temporarily and to open the crossing in Rafah to humanitarian aid.

    In the months since, members of his administration have made repeated trips to the region to engage with leaders there.

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    Associated Press

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  • Christopher Nolan, Celine Song win at Directors Guild Awards

    Christopher Nolan, Celine Song win at Directors Guild Awards

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    LOS ANGELES — Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars.

    Other winners at the untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles included Celine Song, for first time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov for the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline.”

    The Directors Guild of America also recognizes achievements in scripted and nonscripted television, with the drama series prize going to Peter Hoar for “The Last of Us” episode “Long, Long Time,” and the comedy trophy for Christopher Storer for the “Fishes” episode of “The Bear.”

    The DGA award is a first for Nolan who had been nominated for the same award four times previously, for “Memento,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” This year, Nolan was up against some formidable competition in Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers” and Greta Gerwig for “Barbie,” who some pundits thought might have been capable of an upset win in response to her snub in the same category at the Oscars.

    The guild’s voting body consists of over 19,000 members, which is nearly double the entire membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But even with different voter makeups, only eight times in 75 years has the DGA winner not also gone on to take the directing Oscar. The most recent divergence was in 2019, when Sam Mendes won the DGA for “1917” and the Oscar went to Bong Joon-ho for “Parasite.” Last year, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won both for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

    At the Oscars on March 10, Nolan’s fellow best director nominees include Scorsese, Lanthimos, Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest” and Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall.” Final Oscar voting begins on Feb. 22.

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    Associated Press

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  • Christopher Nolan, Celine Song win at Directors Guild Awards

    Christopher Nolan, Celine Song win at Directors Guild Awards

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    LOS ANGELES — Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars.

    Other winners at the untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles included Celine Song, for first time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov for the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline.”

    The Directors Guild of America also recognizes achievements in scripted and nonscripted television, with the drama series prize going to Peter Hoar for “The Last of Us” episode “Long, Long Time,” and the comedy trophy for Christopher Storer for the “Fishes” episode of “The Bear.”

    The DGA award is a first for Nolan who had been nominated for the same award four times previously, for “Memento,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” This year, Nolan was up against some formidable competition in Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers” and Greta Gerwig for “Barbie,” who some pundits thought might have been capable of an upset win in response to her snub in the same category at the Oscars.

    The guild’s voting body consists of over 19,000 members, which is nearly double the entire membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But even with different voter makeups, only eight times in 75 years has the DGA winner not also gone on to take the directing Oscar. The most recent divergence was in 2019, when Sam Mendes won the DGA for “1917” and the Oscar went to Bong Joon-ho for “Parasite.” Last year, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won both for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

    At the Oscars on March 10, Nolan’s fellow best director nominees include Scorsese, Lanthimos, Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest” and Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall.” Final Oscar voting begins on Feb. 22.

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    Associated Press

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  • First lady questions special counsel’s reference to her son’s death

    First lady questions special counsel’s reference to her son’s death

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    First lady Jill Biden said in an email to campaign donors on Saturday she didn’t know what the special counsel was trying to achieve when he suggested President Joe Biden could not remember when his oldest son died.

    ”We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would try to use our son’s death to score political points,” she wrote. “If you’ve experienced a loss like that, you know that you don’t measure it in years — you measure it in grief.”

    What You Need To Know

    • First lady Jill Biden says she doesn’t know what a special counsel was trying to achieve when he suggested President Joe Biden could not remember when his oldest son died
    • She addressed the issue in an email Saturday to campaign donors in an emphatic defense of her husband
    • Biden’s team is working to alleviate Democratic concerns over the special counsel’s alarms about the president’s age and memory
    • Special Counsel Robert Hur’s remarks were in a report that concluded Biden would not be charged with any criminal activity for possessing classified documents after he left office.

    It was an emphatic defense of her husband in a note to supporters as Biden’s team worked to alleviate Democratic concerns over the alarms raised by a special counsel about Biden’s age and memory, in a report determining that Biden would not be charged with any criminal activity for possessing classified documents after he left office.

    Special Counsel Robert Hur, a Republican former U.S. attorney appointed by Donald Trump, found the president should not face charges for retaining the documents, and described as a hypothetical defense that the 81-year-old president could show his memory was “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor” and having “significant limitations,” and added that during an interview with investigators that Biden couldn’t recall ”even within years” when his oldest son Beau had died.

    “Believe me, like anyone who has lost a child, Beau and his death never leave him,” Jill Biden said.

    It was an unusually personal observation for a special counsel investigating the president’s handling of classified documents. Beau Biden died in 2015 from a brain tumor. It’s something that Biden speaks of regularly, and cites as both a reason why he didn’t run in 2016 and a later motivator for his successful 2020 run.

    “May 30th is a day forever etched on our hearts,” Jill Biden said in a note to supporters about the day Beau Biden died. “It shattered me, it shattered our family. … What helped me, and what helped Joe, was to find purpose. That’s what keeps Joe going, serving you and the country we love.”

    The references to Beau Biden in Hur’s report enraged the president, who later said: “How in the hell dare he raise that?”

    Biden mentioned that he had sat for five hours of interviews with Hur’s team over two days on Oct. 8 and 9, “even though Israel had just been attacked on October 7th and I was in the middle of handling an international crisis.”

    Voters have been concerned about his age. In an August poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, 77% of U.S. adults said Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. It was one of the rare sources of bipartisan agreement during a politically polarized era, with 89% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats saying Biden’s age is a problem.

    “Joe is 81, that’s true, but he’s 81 doing more in an hour than most people do in a day. Joe has wisdom, empathy, and vision,” Jill Biden said. “His age, with his experience and expertise, is an incredible asset and he proves it every day.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Julius Peppers headlines a defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class

    Julius Peppers headlines a defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame now has a roster featuring every NFL franchise.

    What You Need To Know

    • Julius Peppers is the first player drafted by the Panthers to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    • Peppers, an All-Pro in 2004, 2006 and 2010, was one of the league’s most dominant linemen during his 17-year NFL career

    • Others in the 2024 Hall of Fame class include Andre Johnson, Dwight Freeney, Patrick Willis and Devin Hester

    Julius Peppers became the first player drafted by Carolina to make it to the Hall, and Andre Johnson became the first for Houston as part of the 2024 class announced this week at NFL Honors.

    The Panthers and Texans had been the last two franchises that hadn’t had a player they drafted get voted into the Hall.

    Peppers was one of the league’s most dominant linemen after being picked second overall by Carolina in 2002 and got the honor in his first year of eligibility.

    “It’s a surreal moment,” he said. “It’s kind of still unbelievable.”

    Peppers had 12 sacks as a rookie and never really slowed down in a 17-year career that included stops in Chicago and Green Bay before ending with the Panthers. He was an All-Pro in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

    The class had a distinctive defensive feel with Johnson the only offensive player to make it. 

    “Any time you can be the first player to do something, it’s an amazing feeling,” Johnson said. “It just adds more to your legacy. You’ll aways be remembered.”

    Peppers was joined by another elite pass rusher in Dwight Freeney and do-everything linebacker Patrick Willis in the modern era category.

    Dynamic returner Devin Hester also got voted into the Hall from the group of 15 finalists as the first player to get in primarily as a returner.

    “I’m just happy to show people special teams does matter,” Hester said. “That’s my No. 1 pride to get into the Hall of Fame. Now you can’t overlook special teams.”

    Two more defensive players got in on the senior category, with linebacker Randy Gradishar and defensive tackle Steve McMichael getting the needed 80% support from the panel.

    “I love defense obviously,” Freeney said. “We understand the game. I know how the game is sold. I understand the other side of it, but I will take a defensive player all day.”

    Former AFL receiver Art Powell and coach Buddy Parker fell short of the threshold and missed out.

    Peppers, a native of Wilson, N.C., was a unanimous All-American at North Carolina, where he played from 1998 to 2001. 

    Peppers finished his NFL career with 159 1/2 sacks — the fourth most since they became official in 1982 — and had 10 seasons with double-digit sacks. Only Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (13) and Reggie White (12) had more.

    Willis’ career was brief but had an impact.

    A first-round pick by San Francisco in 2007, Willis immediately became a star with 174 tackles, four sacks, seven QB hits and eight tackles for loss on the way to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    He was a first-team All-Pro five times in eight seasons and helped San Francisco reach three straight conference title games and one Super Bowl.

    Freeney was the defensive star on the stellar Colts teams led by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Indianapolis hadn’t won a playoff game in Manning’s first four seasons before Freeney arrived but won nine in his first nine seasons, including Super Bowl 41 and another AFC title game in the 2009 season.

    Known best for his devastating spin move, Freeney was a first-team All-Pro three times, led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2004 and finished his career with 125½ sacks and 47 forced fumbles.

    Hester was one of the most feared players in the game despite his small stature at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. While he played both receiver and cornerback, he excelled as a returner for Chicago.

    He scored six TDs on returns in each of his first two regular seasons, including a 108-yarder following a missed field goal as a rookie in 2006 when he helped the Bears make the Super Bowl.

    He then took the opening kick in that game against Indianapolis back 92 yards for a touchdown for the only opening kick TD return in Super Bowl history.

    “That was a great opportunity for me,” Hester said. “Any time I could get my hands on the ball, it was a great opportunity to make plays. Not only Tony Dungy, but I thank all the coaches who kicked to me.”

    Hester was a first-team All-Pro three times and finished his career with a record 14 punt return TDs and five more on kickoffs.

    Johnson became the first player to spend the bulk of his career with the Texans to make the Hall of Fame.

    A first-round pick in Houston’s second season in 2003, Johnson led the league in receiving yards twice, was a two-time All-Pro and had seven 1,000-yard seasons despite spending most of his career without an elite quarterback.

    Gradishar was a key part of Denver’s “Orange Crush” defense in the 1970s, making the Pro Bowl seven times in 10 seasons, being selected as an All-Pro in 1977 and ’78 and winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.

    A tackling machine at inside linebacker, Gradishar also intercepted 20 passes and recovered 13 fumbles in a 10-year career and never missed a single game. He was a modern era finalist for the Hall in 2003 and ’08 but didn’t get elected.

    While the Broncos fell one game short of winning it all in 1977 when they allowed only 10.6 points per game, McMichael was part of an even more dominant defense that won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season.

    McMichael controlled the interior of the line on the Bears’ famed “46 defense” that is considered by many to be the best ever after leading Chicago to an 18-1 record and allowing only 10 points in three playoff wins.

    McMichael had 95 career sacks as a defensive tackle, was selected as an All-Pro in 1985 and ’87 and was a second-teamer two other times.

    The other finalists from the modern era category who didn’t advance to the final five were tight end Antonio Gates; receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Jahri Evans; defensive backs Darren Woodson, Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison; running back Fred Taylor and defensive end Jared Allen.

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  • Julius Peppers headlines a defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class

    Julius Peppers headlines a defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame now has a roster featuring every NFL franchise.

    What You Need To Know

    • Julius Peppers is the first player drafted by the Panthers to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    • Peppers, an All-Pro in 2004, 2006 and 2010, was one of the league’s most dominant linemen during his 17-year NFL career

    • Others in the 2024 Hall of Fame class include Andre Johnson, Dwight Freeney, Patrick Willis and Devin Hester

    Julius Peppers became the first player drafted by Carolina to make it to the Hall, and Andre Johnson became the first for Houston as part of the 2024 class announced this week at NFL Honors.

    The Panthers and Texans had been the last two franchises that hadn’t had a player they drafted get voted into the Hall.

    Peppers was one of the league’s most dominant linemen after being picked second overall by Carolina in 2002 and got the honor in his first year of eligibility.

    “It’s a surreal moment,” he said. “It’s kind of still unbelievable.”

    Peppers had 12 sacks as a rookie and never really slowed down in a 17-year career that included stops in Chicago and Green Bay before ending with the Panthers. He was an All-Pro in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

    The class had a distinctive defensive feel with Johnson the only offensive player to make it. 

    “Any time you can be the first player to do something, it’s an amazing feeling,” Johnson said. “It just adds more to your legacy. You’ll aways be remembered.”

    Peppers was joined by another elite pass rusher in Dwight Freeney and do-everything linebacker Patrick Willis in the modern era category.

    Dynamic returner Devin Hester also got voted into the Hall from the group of 15 finalists as the first player to get in primarily as a returner.

    “I’m just happy to show people special teams does matter,” Hester said. “That’s my No. 1 pride to get into the Hall of Fame. Now you can’t overlook special teams.”

    Two more defensive players got in on the senior category, with linebacker Randy Gradishar and defensive tackle Steve McMichael getting the needed 80% support from the panel.

    “I love defense obviously,” Freeney said. “We understand the game. I know how the game is sold. I understand the other side of it, but I will take a defensive player all day.”

    Former AFL receiver Art Powell and coach Buddy Parker fell short of the threshold and missed out.

    Peppers, a native of Wilson, N.C., was a unanimous All-American at North Carolina, where he played from 1998 to 2001. 

    Peppers finished his NFL career with 159 1/2 sacks — the fourth most since they became official in 1982 — and had 10 seasons with double-digit sacks. Only Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (13) and Reggie White (12) had more.

    Willis’ career was brief but had an impact.

    A first-round pick by San Francisco in 2007, Willis immediately became a star with 174 tackles, four sacks, seven QB hits and eight tackles for loss on the way to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    He was a first-team All-Pro five times in eight seasons and helped San Francisco reach three straight conference title games and one Super Bowl.

    Freeney was the defensive star on the stellar Colts teams led by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Indianapolis hadn’t won a playoff game in Manning’s first four seasons before Freeney arrived but won nine in his first nine seasons, including Super Bowl 41 and another AFC title game in the 2009 season.

    Known best for his devastating spin move, Freeney was a first-team All-Pro three times, led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2004 and finished his career with 125½ sacks and 47 forced fumbles.

    Hester was one of the most feared players in the game despite his small stature at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. While he played both receiver and cornerback, he excelled as a returner for Chicago.

    He scored six TDs on returns in each of his first two regular seasons, including a 108-yarder following a missed field goal as a rookie in 2006 when he helped the Bears make the Super Bowl.

    He then took the opening kick in that game against Indianapolis back 92 yards for a touchdown for the only opening kick TD return in Super Bowl history.

    “That was a great opportunity for me,” Hester said. “Any time I could get my hands on the ball, it was a great opportunity to make plays. Not only Tony Dungy, but I thank all the coaches who kicked to me.”

    Hester was a first-team All-Pro three times and finished his career with a record 14 punt return TDs and five more on kickoffs.

    Johnson became the first player to spend the bulk of his career with the Texans to make the Hall of Fame.

    A first-round pick in Houston’s second season in 2003, Johnson led the league in receiving yards twice, was a two-time All-Pro and had seven 1,000-yard seasons despite spending most of his career without an elite quarterback.

    Gradishar was a key part of Denver’s “Orange Crush” defense in the 1970s, making the Pro Bowl seven times in 10 seasons, being selected as an All-Pro in 1977 and ’78 and winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.

    A tackling machine at inside linebacker, Gradishar also intercepted 20 passes and recovered 13 fumbles in a 10-year career and never missed a single game. He was a modern era finalist for the Hall in 2003 and ’08 but didn’t get elected.

    While the Broncos fell one game short of winning it all in 1977 when they allowed only 10.6 points per game, McMichael was part of an even more dominant defense that won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season.

    McMichael controlled the interior of the line on the Bears’ famed “46 defense” that is considered by many to be the best ever after leading Chicago to an 18-1 record and allowing only 10 points in three playoff wins.

    McMichael had 95 career sacks as a defensive tackle, was selected as an All-Pro in 1985 and ’87 and was a second-teamer two other times.

    The other finalists from the modern era category who didn’t advance to the final five were tight end Antonio Gates; receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Jahri Evans; defensive backs Darren Woodson, Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison; running back Fred Taylor and defensive end Jared Allen.

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  • Israel-Hamas war: Latest updates

    Israel-Hamas war: Latest updates

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    Get the latest updates on the war between Israel and Hamas.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Dems, GOP react to Biden special counsel report

    Dems, GOP react to Biden special counsel report

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    Democrats were on the offensive in the aftermath of the Justice Department’s report about President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents after his vice presidency, taking particular umbrage with special counsel Robert Hur’s comments about his memory and mental acuity.

    Republicans, on the other hand, seized upon the opportunity to declare the Democratic president unfit for office as he seeks another term in the White House.

    They also used the opportunity to try and paint a picture of a double standard between Biden’s case, which Hur declared was not warranting of criminal charges, and that of former President Donald Trump, who faces 40 felony charges for alleged mishandling of classified documents — though there are key differences in the two cases, namely in that the Republican also faces charges for allegedly trying to hamper the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

    The report puts the president’s age into the spotlight, a concern among voters, per recent polling, as he makes his case for reelection this fall in a likely rematch against Trump — who despite being only three years Biden’s junior and committing gaffes of his own, does not appear to have the same level of scrutiny from voters on that issue.

    In the report, Hur wrote that in a possible trial, “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

    Biden fired back at an impromptu press conference on Thursday evening, declaring that his “memory is fine,” though a gaffe he committed in his comments about the Israel-Hamas war likely did little to quell those concerns. He also took particular umbrage with the report claiming that Biden had trouble remembering details surrounding the death of his son, Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015.

    “I don’t need anyone, anyone, to remind me when he passed away,” Biden said angrily. “How the hell dare he raise that. Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, was it any of their damn business?”

    Biden also sought to emphasize that he sat for hours of interviews in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which quickly shifted to all-out war in Gaza: “The simple truth is that I sat for five hours, two days, over events going back 40 years. At the same time I was managing a national crisis.”

    Biden’s lawyers also disputed the portion of Hur’s report about Biden’s memory, saying it “uses highly prejudicial language to describe a commonplace occurrence among witnesses: a lack of recall of years-old events.”

    “The inappropriate criticisms of the President’s memory are inaccurate, gratuitous, and wrong,” Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, wrote on social media.

    Democrats accuse Hur of partisanship, overstepping mandate

    The president’s fellow Democrats rushed to his defense, with Connecticut Sen. Chris Blumenthal telling HuffPo that “there’s certainly no crime in being a well-meaning elderly man.”

    Of Hur, Blumenthal charged that he appeared to overstep his mandate as special counsel, telling the outlet that his role was “to judge whether a crime was committed,” not to “speculate on what the jury would do, not to speculate on how full or sharp Joe Biden’s mind is.”

    Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told the outlet that the report “went a little far.”

    Former Attorney General Eric Holder said that Hur’s report “contains way too many gratuitous remarks and is flatly inconsistent with long standing DOJ traditions.”

    “Had this report been been subject to a normal DOJ review these remarks would undoubtedly have been excised,” Holder wrote on social media.

    Some critics pointed out Hur’s ties to Republican officials. He was a clerk for the late William Rehnquist, a staunch conservative who was nominated by Richard Nixon to the Supreme Court and, later, tapped by Ronald Reagan to succeed Warren Burger as Chief Justice. In 2017, Hur was appointed by Biden’s predecessor, then-President Trump, to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, a role he held until 2021.

    During a Democratic press call on Friday, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman called Hur a “Trump appointee” and accused him of having an “agenda.”

    “The president was very clear that he is absolutely in full control,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said, later charging that Hur’s report “was just a smear and cheap shots and just taking things out of context.”

    “Clearly there is an agenda there, and what’s true is that the president now is going to be our guy,” Fetterman added. “And he has done an incredible job.”

    New York Rep. Dan Goldman told ABC News that he believes “what everyone will soon realize is that this is a Republican special counsel who completely went out of his way to editorialize, to include material in his report that it unnecessary and irrelevant to what he was tasked with doing.”

    Goldman went on to charge that Hur put “something in there to help his fellow Republicans” because he wanted to avoid Trump’s ire because he did not recommend criminal charges against Biden.

    Jim Messina, who ran President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, compared the situation to FBI Director James Comey announcing he was reopening a probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails 11 days before the 2016 presidential election.

    “Let’s be clear–the special counsel isn’t a dummy and we should be very careful not to take the bait after Comey pulled this in 2016,” Messina charged in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Hur, a lifelong Republican and creature of DC, didn’t have a case against Biden, but he knew exactly how his swipes could hurt Biden politically.”

    Longtime Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter, another Obama administration and campaign alumni, appeared to concur with Messina’s assessment, charging that “Hur knew exactly what he was doing here.”

    “To provide political cover for himself for not prosecuting, he gratuitously leveled a personal (not legal) charge against the president that he absolutely knows is a gift to Trump,” Cutter charged in a post on X. “And, guess what we are all talking about? NOT that the president cooperated, self-reported, testified for two days, and otherwise did the right thing A jury would be hugely sympathetic to a president who respects the law. That’s why he’s not prosecuting. But, too hard for a Trump appointee to throw himself before the wrath and fury of Trump.”

    Republicans call Biden ‘unfit’ for office, call for his removal or resignation

    President Biden’s Republican critics were quick to make the case for a double-standard between the Trump and Biden classified documents probes, and at least one member of the GOP called for his removal from office.

    While Trump — who was coming off of a victory in Nevada’s caucuses on Thursday night — mainly sought to point out the disparity in his facing felony charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents while his opponent will not, he shared posts on his Truth Social platform from several GOP allies in Congress, including Florida Rep. Greg Steube, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn questioning the Democratic president’s mental fitness.

    Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the last remaining candidate running against Trump for the Republican nomination, used the opportunity to attack both presidential frontrunners.

    “It is unbelievably disturbing that they are showing that they see Biden to not have a good memory, that they see him as diminished, that they see that it’s a problem, and they point-blank say that,” Haley said on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Thursday night. “This is actually dangerous.”

    “People make fun of the fact that I say we need to have mental competency tests,” before citing polling that says Americans don’t want a Trump-Biden rematch in November. “The party that gets rid of their 80-year-old candidate is gonna be the party that wins.”

    In a post on social media, Haley called on Biden to “take a mental competency test immediately” and share those results with the American public.

    House Republican Leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a statement that the findings from Hur’s report about Biden’s memory are “disturbing.”

    “A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office,” they wrote.

    Several House Republicans, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson all echoed the message that they believe Biden to be “unfit” for office.

    “The Special Counsel’s report and Biden’s embarrassing press conference last night make clear: He should either resign as unfit or face criminal prosecution,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley wrote on social media. “Can’t have it both ways.”

    New York Rep. Claudia Tenney sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Hur as special counsel to lead the probe into Biden, urging the Cabinet to “explore” using the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove the Democratic president from office.

    “It is incumbent upon you to explore proceedings to remove the President pursuant to the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Tenney wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News. “President Biden needs to be charged, or he needs to be removed. There is no middle ground.”

    “After concluding that President Biden knowingly and willfully removed, mishandled, and disclosed classified documents repeatedly over a period of decades, Mr. Hur nevertheless recommended that charges not be brought against him,” she wrote in the letter. “Special Counsel’s reasoning was alarming. He recited numerous instances in which President Biden exhibited dramatically compromised mental faculties and concluded that a jury would be likely to perceive President Biden as a sympathetic and forgetful old man.”



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    Justin Tasolides

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  • Dems, GOP react to Biden special counsel report

    Dems, GOP react to Biden special counsel report

    [ad_1]

    Democrats were on the offensive in the aftermath of the Justice Department’s report about President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents after his vice presidency, taking particular umbrage with special counsel Robert Hur’s comments about his memory and mental acuity.

    Republicans, on the other hand, seized upon the opportunity to declare the Democratic president unfit for office as he seeks another term in the White House.

    They also used the opportunity to try and paint a picture of a double standard between Biden’s case, which Hur declared was not warranting of criminal charges, and that of former President Donald Trump, who faces 40 felony charges for alleged mishandling of classified documents — though there are key differences in the two cases, namely in that the Republican also faces charges for allegedly trying to hamper the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

    The report puts the president’s age into the spotlight, a concern among voters, per recent polling, as he makes his case for reelection this fall in a likely rematch against Trump — who despite being only three years Biden’s junior and committing gaffes of his own, does not appear to have the same level of scrutiny from voters on that issue.

    In the report, Hur wrote that in a possible trial, “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

    Biden fired back at an impromptu press conference on Thursday evening, declaring that his “memory is fine,” though a gaffe he committed in his comments about the Israel-Hamas war likely did little to quell those concerns. He also took particular umbrage with the report claiming that Biden had trouble remembering details surrounding the death of his son, Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015.

    “I don’t need anyone, anyone, to remind me when he passed away,” Biden said angrily. “How the hell dare he raise that. Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, was it any of their damn business?”

    Biden also sought to emphasize that he sat for hours of interviews in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which quickly shifted to all-out war in Gaza: “The simple truth is that I sat for five hours, two days, over events going back 40 years. At the same time I was managing a national crisis.”

    Biden’s lawyers also disputed the portion of Hur’s report about Biden’s memory, saying it “uses highly prejudicial language to describe a commonplace occurrence among witnesses: a lack of recall of years-old events.”

    “The inappropriate criticisms of the President’s memory are inaccurate, gratuitous, and wrong,” Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, wrote on social media.

    Democrats accuse Hur of partisanship, overstepping mandate

    The president’s fellow Democrats rushed to his defense, with Connecticut Sen. Chris Blumenthal telling HuffPo that “there’s certainly no crime in being a well-meaning elderly man.”

    Of Hur, Blumenthal charged that he appeared to overstep his mandate as special counsel, telling the outlet that his role was “to judge whether a crime was committed,” not to “speculate on what the jury would do, not to speculate on how full or sharp Joe Biden’s mind is.”

    Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told the outlet that the report “went a little far.”

    Former Attorney General Eric Holder said that Hur’s report “contains way too many gratuitous remarks and is flatly inconsistent with long standing DOJ traditions.”

    “Had this report been been subject to a normal DOJ review these remarks would undoubtedly have been excised,” Holder wrote on social media.

    Some critics pointed out Hur’s ties to Republican officials. He was a clerk for the late William Rehnquist, a staunch conservative who was nominated by Richard Nixon to the Supreme Court and, later, tapped by Ronald Reagan to succeed Warren Burger as Chief Justice. In 2017, Hur was appointed by Biden’s predecessor, then-President Trump, to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, a role he held until 2021.

    During a Democratic press call on Friday, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman called Hur a “Trump appointee” and accused him of having an “agenda.”

    “The president was very clear that he is absolutely in full control,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said, later charging that Hur’s report “was just a smear and cheap shots and just taking things out of context.”

    “Clearly there is an agenda there, and what’s true is that the president now is going to be our guy,” Fetterman added. “And he has done an incredible job.”

    New York Rep. Dan Goldman told ABC News that he believes “what everyone will soon realize is that this is a Republican special counsel who completely went out of his way to editorialize, to include material in his report that it unnecessary and irrelevant to what he was tasked with doing.”

    Goldman went on to charge that Hur put “something in there to help his fellow Republicans” because he wanted to avoid Trump’s ire because he did not recommend criminal charges against Biden.

    Jim Messina, who ran President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, compared the situation to FBI Director James Comey announcing he was reopening a probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails 11 days before the 2016 presidential election.

    “Let’s be clear–the special counsel isn’t a dummy and we should be very careful not to take the bait after Comey pulled this in 2016,” Messina charged in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Hur, a lifelong Republican and creature of DC, didn’t have a case against Biden, but he knew exactly how his swipes could hurt Biden politically.”

    Longtime Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter, another Obama administration and campaign alumni, appeared to concur with Messina’s assessment, charging that “Hur knew exactly what he was doing here.”

    “To provide political cover for himself for not prosecuting, he gratuitously leveled a personal (not legal) charge against the president that he absolutely knows is a gift to Trump,” Cutter charged in a post on X. “And, guess what we are all talking about? NOT that the president cooperated, self-reported, testified for two days, and otherwise did the right thing A jury would be hugely sympathetic to a president who respects the law. That’s why he’s not prosecuting. But, too hard for a Trump appointee to throw himself before the wrath and fury of Trump.”

    Republicans call Biden ‘unfit’ for office, call for his removal or resignation

    President Biden’s Republican critics were quick to make the case for a double-standard between the Trump and Biden classified documents probes, and at least one member of the GOP called for his removal from office.

    While Trump — who was coming off of a victory in Nevada’s caucuses on Thursday night — mainly sought to point out the disparity in his facing felony charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents while his opponent will not, he shared posts on his Truth Social platform from several GOP allies in Congress, including Florida Rep. Greg Steube, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn questioning the Democratic president’s mental fitness.

    Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the last remaining candidate running against Trump for the Republican nomination, used the opportunity to attack both presidential frontrunners.

    “It is unbelievably disturbing that they are showing that they see Biden to not have a good memory, that they see him as diminished, that they see that it’s a problem, and they point-blank say that,” Haley said on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Thursday night. “This is actually dangerous.”

    “People make fun of the fact that I say we need to have mental competency tests,” before citing polling that says Americans don’t want a Trump-Biden rematch in November. “The party that gets rid of their 80-year-old candidate is gonna be the party that wins.”

    In a post on social media, Haley called on Biden to “take a mental competency test immediately” and share those results with the American public.

    House Republican Leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a statement that the findings from Hur’s report about Biden’s memory are “disturbing.”

    “A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office,” they wrote.

    Several House Republicans, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson all echoed the message that they believe Biden to be “unfit” for office.

    “The Special Counsel’s report and Biden’s embarrassing press conference last night make clear: He should either resign as unfit or face criminal prosecution,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley wrote on social media. “Can’t have it both ways.”

    New York Rep. Claudia Tenney sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Hur as special counsel to lead the probe into Biden, urging the Cabinet to “explore” using the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove the Democratic president from office.

    “It is incumbent upon you to explore proceedings to remove the President pursuant to the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Tenney wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News. “President Biden needs to be charged, or he needs to be removed. There is no middle ground.”

    “After concluding that President Biden knowingly and willfully removed, mishandled, and disclosed classified documents repeatedly over a period of decades, Mr. Hur nevertheless recommended that charges not be brought against him,” she wrote in the letter. “Special Counsel’s reasoning was alarming. He recited numerous instances in which President Biden exhibited dramatically compromised mental faculties and concluded that a jury would be likely to perceive President Biden as a sympathetic and forgetful old man.”



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    Justin Tasolides

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  • Guion “Guy” Bluford: The first African American astronaut

    Guion “Guy” Bluford: The first African American astronaut

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    Guion Bluford was one of the most influential people in the space community, becoming the first African American to fly in space.

    What You Need To Know

    • Guy Bluford was the first African American to fly in space

    • He started his career as a pilot in the Air Force

    • He became an astronaut for NASA in 1979

    Bluford became intrigued with flying at a very early age. By high school, he knew he wanted to become an aeronautical engineer.

    Early life

    After getting his college degree, Bluford joined the Air Force and received his pilot wings in Jan. 1966 at the early age of 24.

    He soon became an instructor pilot and eventually entered the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, where he received his master’s degree in 1974 and a doctor of philosophy degree in aerospace engineering in 1978.

    Upon his graduation in 1974, he worked in the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory as a deputy until he was promoted to branch chief of the Aerodynamics and Airframe Branch.

    These successes led to his selection to the NASA astronaut program in 1978.

    It’s safe to say he never lost sight of his childhood dreams.

    Becoming a legend

    Guion stands on the launch pad with his crew weeks before his first mission in August of 1983. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

    After a year of training in the astronaut program, Bluford became an official astronaut in Aug.1979.

    Only four years later he flew his first mission aboard STS-8 on Aug. 30, 1983.

    His first trip to space was quick but came with many accomplishments, developing techniques for nighttime operations and deploying the Indian National Satellite.

    After 145 hours in space, the crew returned to Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 5.

    Over the next 10 years, Bluford became the second, third and fourth African American in space, logging over 688 hours.

    After NASA

    In 1993, Bluford left NASA and retired from the Air Force to become the Vice President and General Manager of the Engineering Services Division of NYMA Inc., in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    After several more high-end jobs, he went on to become the President of Aerospace Technology in Cleveland, Ohio, a job that he still holds today.

    Bluford never stopped learning and pursuing the next level of his career. A brilliant man in the space and engineering community, Bluford became a leader and role model for many African Americans.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Shelly Lindblade

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  • Trump sweeps Nevada Republican caucuses

    Trump sweeps Nevada Republican caucuses

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    Donald Trump swept Nevada’s caucuses on Thursday, The Associated Press projected, a widely expected result for the former president in a race where he faced no real competition.

    Nevada’s caucuses were an unusual contest that also featured a nonbinding primary in the state earlier this week.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former President Donald Trump, as expected, swept Nevada’s caucuses on Thursday, according to a projection from The Associated Press

    • The caucuses were held just two days after Nevada held a nonbinding primary, which saw Trump’s only remaining major competition, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, lose to the option of “none of these candidates” by more than 30 points

    • The dual contest stems from a split between recent state law requiring primary elections and Nevada’s Republicans wanting to keep their caucuses they have been holding since the 1980s

    • On the Democratic side, meanwhile, President Joe Biden cruised to an easy victory on Tuesday, winning the contest and the state’s 36 delegates with nearly 90% of the vote
    • The Nevada contest came after Trump clinched a win in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Republican caucus earlier Thursday


    Trump’s supporters waited in long lines on Thursday to cast their votes for the GOP frontrunner. One site, a Reno-area elementary school, saw nearly 1,000 people waiting in line to try and help the former president win another primary contest on his road to a third Republican presidential nomination.

    At a watch party in Las Vegas, Trump hailed “tremendous turnout” and the “enthusiasm” of his supporters in the Silver State contest.

    “Is there any way we can call the election for next Tuesday? That’s all I want,” he added.

    The contest came after Trump clinched a win in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Republican caucus, giving him another four delegates. Trump beat his only remaining major GOP rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, with nearly 74% of the vote.

    “I want to thank you all. We had a tremendous victory,” he said by phone to supporters in St. Thomas. “We expected to win, but we didn’t expect to win by that much. You are incredible people I will never forget.”

    The nature of the Silver State’s dueling contests stems from a split between recent state law requiring primary elections and Nevada Republicans wanting to keep their caucuses they have been holding since the 1980s.

    The result? A pair of contests, one which sees the frontrunner Trump in the caucuses — with just little-known long shot candidate Ryan Binkley on the ballot with all 26 of the state’s delegates at stake — and the other a state-sanctioned primary on Tuesday that yielded no delegates.

    Haley, who participated in Tuesday’s contest, sought to downplay the results, which saw her lose to the option of “none of these candidates” by more than 30 points.

    “Nevada, it’s such a scam,” she said in an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles in California on Wednesday, adding: “We knew months ago that we weren’t going to spend a day or a dollar in Nevada because it wasn’t worth it.”

    “We didn’t even count Nevada,” she said. “That wasn’t anything we were looking at. We knew it was rigged from the start, our focus is on South Carolina, Michigan and Super Tuesday.”

    Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney echoed those claims earlier this week: “We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada. We aren’t going to pay $55,000 to a Trump entity to participate in a process that is rigged for Trump. Nevada is not and has never been our focus.”

    Nevada State Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid pushed back on those criticisms, per ABC News, calling Haley’s remarks “baseless allegations.”

    Haley, DeGraffenreid said, “deliberately chose to not compete with the leading candidates and now wants a scapegoat,” per the outlet.

    On the Democratic side, meanwhile, President Joe Biden cruised to an easy victory, winning the contest and the state’s 36 delegates with nearly 90% of the vote over “none of these candidates” (5.8%) and Marianne Williamson, who suspended her campaign on Wednesday after her loss in Nevada.

    While Republicans could vote in both contests, Trump recently urged his supporters to keep their eyes on the prize: “Don’t worry about the primary, just do the caucus thing.”

    Republicans are increasingly converging behind Trump while he faces a deluge of legal problems, including 91 criminal charges in four separate cases. Trump is flexing his influence both in Congress — where Republicans rejected a border security deal after he pushed against it — and at the Republican National Committee, as chairwoman Ronna McDaniel could resign in the coming weeks after he publicly questioned whether she should stay in the job.

    Trump still faces unprecedented jeopardy for a major candidate. A federal appeals panel ruled this week that Trump can face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, rejecting his claims that he is immune from prosecution. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments in a case trying to keep Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The justices sounded broadly skeptical of the effort.

    But none of those developments seem to be hurting his standing among Republicans, including in Nevada.

    Spectrum News’ Joseph Konig and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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    Justin Tasolides

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