Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery as Zelenskyy calls for Moscow to end war

 

LONDON -- The Ukrainian military struck a Russian oil refinery in Ufa on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv continues its pressure campaign seeking to push Russia to end the war. 

"This is an entirely just response to everything Russia is doing against us," Zelenskyy said on social media. "Peace is needed, and this is exactly what Russia’s leadership must realize. Russia must end its war."

The Russian Defense Ministry did not appear on Wednesday to publicly comment on the attack, but said in a message on Telegram that its forces had shot down or otherwise destroyed at least 179 Ukrainian drones over Russian or Russian-occupied territory overnight.

The refinery, which Zelenskyy said was one of Russia's largest producers of lubricants, sits more than 1,300 km, or about 800 miles, from the frontline.

Ukraine overnight also launched an aerial strike at a military complex in the Penza region, where Russia develops and manufactures components related to missiles, Zelenskyy said.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military said the target was an aerospace facility known by its Russian acronym, NIIFI. The site is used to build sensors for some cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as satellite components, Ukraine said.

"Hits and smoke were recorded at the facility," the General Staff said in a Ukrainian-language update posted on social media. "This is a leading Russian enterprise in the field of space, aviation and military instrument-making."

 

Trump takes 1st flight on Air Force One gifted by Qatar, but retrofitted using taxpayer dollars

President Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking the first ride on the newly retrofitted Air Force One 747, which was donated by the Qatari royal family.

Trump, taking the retrofitted jet to North Dakota, touted it as "maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built."

"I said to Boeing, 'What's the best one?' They said this is the best plane ever built, and you're going to have the privilege of flying it, and I have a privilege also of flying it," Trump told reporters before boarding the jet -- which is approximately 14 years old -- at Joint Base Andrews.ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, who is traveling with Trump on his trip, asked him about the use of taxpayer dollars to modify the luxurious plane, which likely only will be used by him.

"Well, it cost very little relative to what it would cost if we did it a different way," Trump said.The Qatari-gifted jet worth $400 million raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts over the unprecedented foreign gift. But Trump on Wednesday gave credit to the Qatari government.

"Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollar," the president said.

The U.S. Air Force has been modifying the jet in Texas since September to meet the security, communications and other needs to transport the president. The Air Force had estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the gift.

The plane is to be used as the new Air Force One until shortly before Trump leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have told ABC News.

Boeing was already contracted by the United State government to build a new fleet of jets that would serve as the next-generation Air Force One, expected to be delivered in 2028 around the time Trump leaves office.

Trump on Wednesday said the gifted plane was needed, citing the age of the past jet. 

"Our Air Force One was 35, 36 years old, and it would be parked next to the new ones like this, and it really didn't look appropriate for our country. So we're very proud of this," Trump said. 

Trump is traveling to North Dakota to participate in a Freedom 250 Train Ride and Welcome Ceremony and to tour the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library before delivering remarks in Medora.

"I'm excited about the first flight. It's something nobody's ever seen anything like it, even you people, with all your experience and all of your talent, you will never see anything like this," Trump said just before his departure. "So, they just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex stuff, but it's really quite something, and this is a plane that the United States of America should have."

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Extreme heat forecast: What to expect as heat wave hits Midwest, Northeast

 

A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to the Midwest, the South and the East Coast this week.

The heat started in the Midwest, where extreme humidity levels are rivaling the Amazon rainforest,Chicago activated cooling centers throughout the city, including at community service centers, senior centers, libraries, city colleges and police districts. Chicago Public Schools said all summer programming will be inside through Wed

On Wednesday, the dangerous heat expands from the Midwest and the South into the Northeast.

The heat index -- what temperature it feels like with humidity -- is forecast to soar to 104 degrees in Chicago, 109 in Detroit, 104 in New York City, 107 in Philadelphia, 108 in Washington, D.C., and 111 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Amtrak warned that some trains may operate with reduced speeds Wednesday through Saturday due to the heat advisories in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Amtrak noted that this could cause delays from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. on those days.

On Wednesday, the dangerous heat expands from the Midwest and the South into the Northeast.

The heat index -- what temperature it feels like with humidity -- is forecast to soar to 104 degrees in Chicago, 109 in Detroit, 104 in New York City, 107 in Philadelphia, 108 in Washington, D.C., and 111 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Amtrak warned that some trains may operate with reduced speeds Wednesday through Saturday due to the heat advisories in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Amtrak noted that this could cause delays from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. on those days.

Madison Square Garden hosting 2 events related to Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wedding, sources say

 Madison Square Garden will be hosting two events related to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's highly anticipated wedding, sources familiar with the plans told ABC News on Tuesday.

The New York City arena will host the first event, meant for 100 people, on Thursday at 6 p.m., the sources said.

A second event will take place Friday afternoon, with a cocktail hour beginning at 4 p.m., the sources said, adding that the event isn't scheduled to end until 4 a.m. Saturday morning.

One thousand people are expected to be in attendance at the second event, the sources said.

The sources said both events will have a strict no-phone policy for everyone inside the venue, including guests, vendors and security personnel.

The event company has also obtained permits to close portions of West 31st Street and West 33rd Street for the duration of events, according to the sources, who said the streets will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians.

Additionally, tents and canopies will be set up to prevent the public from catching glimpses of arrivals and departures, the sources explained. For now, 7th and 8th Avenues are expected to remain open to pedestrians and traffic, they said.

ABC News has reached out to representatives for Swift and and Kelce for comment.

The "Shake It Off" singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end announced their engagement in August last year, after first sparking speculation about their relationship in the fall of 2023.

Leading up to this week, there had been growing reports that the couple may tie the knot around the Fourth of July holiday, but neither Swift nor Kelce had confirmed any details publicly.

 

Toddler found dead in SUV outside Florida preschool

A 23-month-old boy was found dead inside an SUV outside a preschool in Plantation, Florida, on Monday afternoon, and local police say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the toddler's death.

Officers with the Plantation Police Department and the Plantation Fire Department responded to A World of Discovery Academy at approximately 5:39 p.m. on Monday after receiving a report of a deceased child inside a vehicle, police said in a post shared on X on Tuesday.

Fire Department officials pronounced the child dead at the scene, and detectives subsequently launched a death investigation, police said, adding that no further information was available at that time.

Speaking to ABC Miami affiliate WSVN-TV, A World of Discovery Academy owner Leslie Novoa said she called 911 after she and the child's father discovered the toddler in the back seat of the father's SUV.

"Unfortunately, the dad arrived to pick up his child, and when he arrived to the parking lot, he realized he forgot the child," Novoa said. "He never dropped off the child at the school."Novoa said the family has been enrolled at the preschool for years and that the toddler was the family's third child to attend the school.

"They're a very loving family, and unfortunately, this happened," she added.

Investigators spent several hours collecting evidence at the scene, and a tent was erected around the SUV, according to WSVN-TV.

Trump made $1 billion from crypto, financial disclosure shows

 

Trump made $1 billion from crypto, financial disclosure shows

President Donald Trump earned more than $1 billion from his cryptocurrency ventures, according to his personal financial disclosure released on Tuesday.

The personal financial disclosure showed that the president earned at least $524 million from the sale of cryptocurrency tokens through the Trump-connected World Liberty Financial. 

The president's disclosure also listed earnings of an additional $636 million from CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of the Trump Organization -- the majority of which came from a $635 million licensing agreement with Celebration Coin for the sale of the president’s $TRUMP meme coin.

The more than 900-page document lists several of the president's assets and sources of income.

 

Alex Murdaugh retrial set for next year after South Carolina Supreme Court overturned double murder conviction 

Alex Murdaugh's retrial on charges alleging he murdered his wife and son has been set for next year. 

Newly assigned Judge Debra McCaslin set the trial date for April 5, 2027, saying that once she sets a date, she sticks to it.

Murdaugh shuffled into a full courtroom in chains and his prison jumpsuit for a status conference on Monday, as he returned to court for the first time since the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his double murder conviction over "shocking jury interference."A jury had found him guilty in 2023 of killing his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, in a gruesome crime that captured global headlines. Both victims were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate in 2021.

McCaslin had a laundry list of questions for both sides, the first of which was whether discovery had been met and if both sides had everything that they needed.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian replied that "we don't know what we don't know," implying that new evidence could still be out there. 

Defense attorney Jim Griffin said he wants the DNA under Maggie's fingernails to be analyzed by genetic genealogy. He said he is not sure how long that will take, using that as an argument as to why the retrial cannot happen quickly.

The defense had filed a motion, which it later withdrew, requesting that Murdaugh be allowed to appear in street clothes, saying the orange prison jumpsuit and chains would be prejudicial against him in front of the jury.

In a dramatic moment, Harpootlian had Murdaugh stand up, pointing out his multiple chains and accusing the state of "parading him around in a jumpsuit like an animal."

Prosecutors argued that it was basic policy to have a convicted felon appear this way. McCaslin said she will take it under advisement whether she will allow Murdaugh to wear civilian clothes.

Murdaugh has remained in prison since the ruling, as he is also serving out concurrent sentences for state and federal financial crimes, to which he pleaded guilty. While Murdaugh has acknowledged he lied and stole from his former clients, he has consistently maintained his innocence related to the 2021 double murder. 

"Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided," Murdaugh's lawyers said after the May ruling. His lawyers recently filed a civil lawsuit against Hill for allegedly violating his right to a fair trial. 

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson -- who recently won the Republican primary for governor -- has vowed to "aggressively" retry the murder case "as soon as possible."

The South Carolina Supreme Court threw out the convictions last month after concluding that a court clerk tainted the jury's verdict by making comments to the jurors that "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility and his defense."

"Both the State and Murdaugh's defense skillfully presented their cases to the jury as the trial court deftly presided over this complicated and high-profile matter. However, their efforts were in vain because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury," the ruling said. 

Ahead of the conference, Murdaugh's lawyers filed a motion to change the venue of the trial and access evidence in the case. They have argued that Murdaugh cannot have a fair trial in the countries where his family name has been "synonymous with the local legal system for nearly a century." 

"The basis for this motion is that this is among the most heavily publicized criminal prosecutions in the history of this State. For years Defendant, his family, and the law firm with which his family was associated for generations have been the subject of saturating, sensational, and continuous media coverage," the motion said. 

The state has not yet responded to the motion. During Monday's hearing, McCaslin requested that the two sides talk about it and let her know.

The next pretrial hearing has been set for Aug. 14.

Supreme Court rejects Trump's appeal of 2022 E. Jean Carroll defamation case

 

The Supreme Court has denied President Donald Trump's appeal of the $5 million jury finding in the 2022 defamation case brought against him by the writer E. Jean Carroll. 

The decision means the judgment against Trump stands and that he will have to pay it.

A New York jury in 2023 awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after it found Trump liable for sexually abusing her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s, and for defaming her in 2022 when he denied the allegations by calling them "a Hoax and a lie" and saying, "This woman is not my type!"

Responding to Monday's decision, Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement, "Today's Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll. His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today's ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions."

Trump had argued that the judge in the case should not have allowed the jury to view an excerpt from the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump is heard describing lewd behavior that he downplayed as "locker room talk." 

Trump also faulted the trial judge for allowing testimony from two women -- Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff -- who claimed that Trump had sexually assaulted them, which Trump denies.A federal appeals court said the evidence was properly admitted and, even if it wasn't, there was no major harm to Trump. 

"The petition does not challenge -- indeed, does not mention -- the Second Circuit's holding that were there any error here, it did not prejudice petitioner," Kaplan argued.

Trump is also appealing a separate but related defamation judgment involving Carroll that ordered him to pay $83 million.