Speaker Nancy Pelosi set to tour several Asian nations
Could this include a stop in Taiwan amid rising tensions and a recent warning from China?
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ABC NewsBiden says US to begin sending military equipment to Ukraine within 'hours'
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the U.S. will begin sending military equipment to Ukraine within "a few hours." Biden, in remarks from the White House, announced he signed the $95 billion foreign aid package that passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support. "It was a difficult path [to my desk] and should have been easier and it should have gotten there sooner," Biden said of the legislation, which was first requested by the administration and seemed all but dead due to GOP-led opposition in the House before the sudden reversal of Speaker Mike Johnson.
- Good Morning America
Airlines required to refund passengers for canceled, delayed flights
Good news for airline travelers: the Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced it is rolling out new rules that will require airlines to automatically give cash refunds to passengers for canceled and significantly delayed flights. "This is a big day for America's flying public," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at a Wednesday morning news conference. Airlines can now decide how long a delay must be before a refund is issue -- however, these new rules define "significant" delay standards that trigger refunds.
- Good Morning America
Accident on set of Eddie Murphy film 'The Pickup' injures several crew members
"Good Morning America" confirmed that both Murphy and Palmer were uninjured. "Unfortunately, the sequence did not go as planned and several members of the crew were injured as a result," the spokesperson added. Two crew members were hospitalized and injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to broken bones.
- Good Morning America
Barbers hailed as heroes for rescuing toddler from oncoming traffic
Two barbers in East Hartford, Connecticut are being hailed as heroes after they ran to save a young child who was walking on a street toward traffic on a busy intersection. According to local police, barbers Osvaldo Lugo and Rafael Santana of LookSharp Barbershop were cutting hair when they noticed the child and ran to the toddler's aid. 👏 Today, we want to give a massive shoutout to the quick-thinking and brave duo, Osvaldo Lugo and Rafael Santana of LookSharp Barbershop.
- ABC News
Arizona patients, doctors describe chaos, confusion over 1864 abortion ban
Chaos and confusion have ensued after the Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling April 9 that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 could go into effect, despite it predating Arizona becoming a state. Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick, the owner of Camelback Family Planning in Phoenix -- the state's busiest abortion provider -- says the clinic has not closed since the state Supreme Court's decision was issued.
- Good Morning America
Supreme Court weighs scope of Idaho abortion ban in first post-Roe test
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, for the first time since overruling Roe v. Wade, is considering the scope of a state abortion ban and whether a federal law governing emergency care protects access to abortion at hospitals when a woman's health is at risk. Idaho's Defense of Life Act, which took effect in August 2022, prohibits nearly all abortions, with exceptions for reported cases of rape or incest or when "necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman." The Biden administration sued the state, claiming its law conflicts with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) of 1986, which requires emergency room physicians at hospitals that receive Medicare funds to offer "stabilizing treatment" to all patients whose health is in jeopardy.
- Good Morning America
Traces of bird flu virus found in some milk and pasteurized dairy, FDA says
As federal agencies and state partners continue investigating outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) -- more commonly referred to as bird flu -- the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it discovered fragments of the virus in some samples of milk. In an update from the FDA, the agency said it tested milk samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and found the presence of fragments of the virus, which is not the same as infectious virus and currently poses no increased risk to human health.
- ABC News
Video released of person of interest in fatal shooting of Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca
Hoping for a break in the homicide investigation of Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca, investigators have released security video of a person of interest wanted in the killing. The Chicago Police Department posted a series of surveillance videos of an unidentified man wanted in the fatal shooting early Sunday, in which 30-year-old Huesca's gun and car were taken after he was gunned down while on his way home after work.
- ABC News
Over 4,000 IVF embryos destroyed in 1 shelling at Gaza's largest fertility center, director says
A single explosion resulting from an Israeli shelling in December destroyed more than 5,000 specimens in Gaza's largest and oldest IVF clinic, according to the director of the medical center. An estimate of 4,000 embryos and an additional 1,000 specimens of sperm and unfertilized eggs stored at the Al Basma center in Gaza City were lost, Dr. Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, the founder and director of the clinic, told ABC News. Among these were the embryos of 45-year-old Najwa Abu Hamada.
- Good Morning America
Woman becomes 1st patient to undergo combined heart pump implant and pig kidney transplant
In a first-of-its-kind procedure, a terminally ill patient has become the first person in the world to undergo a gene-edited pig kidney transplant and also have a mechanical heart pump surgically implanted. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health, in New York City, performed the operation in two steps, the first being the implantation of the heart pump. The second took place days later, with the transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney and the pig's thymus gland -- which makes white blood cells to help the immune system fight disease -- to help prevent rejection.
- Good Morning America
Loose horses, 1 soaked in blood, wreak havoc in central London
As many as five horses -- and at least one of them soaked in blood -- have caused chaos across central London on Wednesday morning after breaking free in Westminster, police say. “We are aware of a number of horses that are currently loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them,” Westminster Police said in a statement on social media on Wednesday morning. Early reports indicate that the horses may have come from the Household Calvary, the ceremonial guard of the British monarch, in Westminster.
- Good Morning America
Student protesters begin dismantling some tents as negotiations with Columbia University progress
Columbia University has said they are making “important progress” with representatives of the student encampment on campus as protests calling for the divestment of college and university funds from Israeli military operations have continued to spread on campuses across the country. The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments and have led to hundreds of arrests -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. “We are making important progress with representatives of the student encampment on the West lawn,” Columbia University said in a statement released early Wednesday, adding that student protesters have committed to dismantling and removing a significant number of tents and that protesters will ensure that those not affiliated with Columbia will leave.
- Good Morning America
Amid Boeing safety probe, clock ticks on effort to disclose details of 2021 DOJ deal over 737 Max crashes
Secret negotiations with federal prosecutors to hammer out a deal. A former federal judge who teaches law at the University of Utah, Cassell is hardly a household name. In particular, Cassell was instrumental in pulling back the curtain on sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein's non-prosecution agreement, by persuading a federal judge to order the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over its correspondence with defense lawyers that preceded Epstein's so-called "sweetheart deal" in 2007.
- Good Morning America
Supreme Court to take up Trump's claim of 'absolute immunity' from criminal prosecution
Against the backdrop of a divisive 2024 presidential campaign, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will take up the monumental question of whether a former president turned presumptive GOP nominee can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to stay in power after the last election. The case, Donald J. Trump v. United States, presents an unprecedented constitutional quandary for the court brought about by equally unprecedented actions by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden by a margin of 7 million popular votes. The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts pressed by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding, for his attempts to overturn the electoral vote count certifying Biden's victory.
- Good Morning America
Dolphin found shot to death on beach with bullets lodged in its brain, spinal cord and heart
A juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death with bullets lodged in its brain, spinal cord and heart and now authorities are offering a handsome reward for information on who committed the gruesome act. Authorities from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received a report on March 13 that a juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found washed ashore on West Mae’s Beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and that it had injuries consistent with being shot by a firearm. “A member of the public reported the stranding to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline,” read a statement from the NOAA released on Tuesday.
- ABC News
Ex-cop suspected of killing ex-wife, girlfriend dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
A former police officer suspected in the killings of his ex-wife and girlfriend has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, officials said Tuesday night. Oregon State Police Captain Kyle Kennedy said the suspect -- Elias Huizar -- led Troopers on a chase after a failed traffic stop on the I-5 in Eugene around 2:40 p.m. PT. No troopers were hurt in the incident, according to Kennedy.
- Good Morning America
Senate passes $95B foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan: What's next?
The Senate on Tuesday night passed a package to deliver $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan -- a bipartisan win months in the making. Thirty-one Republicans joined with 48 Democrats to pass the legislation. Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch -- as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against the legislation along with 15 Republicans.
- ABC News
LA District Attorney Gascon files felony charges against suspect in break-in at Mayor Karen Bass' home
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has filed felony charges against the man accused of breaking into Mayor Karen Bass’ home on Sunday morning. The suspect – Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29 – was charged with felony residential burglary with a person present charge, felony vandalism charge and one prior strike from a previous case in Massachusetts, Gascon said. Hunter was being arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
- ABC News
George Santos ends long shot comeback bid for Congress after being expelled
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos has suspended a long shot comeback bid to represent New York's 1st Congressional District, he said on Tuesday, insisting that his challenge to incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota would "all but guarantee" a Democrat takes the seat in November. "I don't want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don't have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don't want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems," Santos, who has said he was switching his party affiliation from Republican to independent, said in a statement on X. LaLota has been dismissive of Santos but not of Santos' challenge itself, previously calling his former colleague an "embarrassment" and "one of the most bizarre people I have ever met" but saying he would take the race "seriously."
- ABC News
Israel-Gaza live updates: IDF denies mass grave claims
Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran on Friday, a senior U.S. official told ABC News. The strike followed Iran's April 13 attack, when Tehran sent a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel, according to Israeli military officials. Iran's attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of Gaza.