JACKSONVILLE – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the City of Jacksonville has a new chief of police, however, he is no stranger to the department. Steven Markasky is a 12-year veteran of the Jacksonville Police Department and has been the assistant police chief since April of 2024.
Markasky was required to complete the multiple-step interview process, including written and oral portions, which involved the input of dozens of professionals. Every member of the police department was invited to help select the best candidate. Once the city narrowed the candidate selection, Markasky was among the finalists and moved on to the next portion of the interview process—an assessment conducted by the city manager and police chief from separate outside organizations. Continue reading Jacksonville PD promotes Steven Markasky to chief of police
AUSTIN – A dozen Texas House Republicans who replaced pro-gambling lawmakers said this week they would oppose “any attempt to expand gambling” this session — a setback for efforts to legalize casinos and sports betting in the state.
The 12 GOP freshmen were joined by three returning lawmakers who voted in 2023 to allow online sports betting, but now say they will reject any such proposal. That measure passed the 150-member House with 101 votes two years ago, narrowly clearing the two-thirds threshold needed to amend the Texas Constitution.
The net loss of more than a dozen votes jeopardizes the chances of recreating that tenuous coalition, unless supporters can find votes elsewhere to make up the difference.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Rep. Ken King, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, the lawmakers sought to deal a death blow to the latest proposals to legalize casinos and sports betting, both of which were filed in the House last month. Neither has been referred to a committee this session, though both went through State Affairs in 2023.
“We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session,” the letter reads. “Given the certainty of its failure, I urge you not to waste valuable committee time on an issue that is dead on arrival.”
A spokesperson for King, R-Canadian, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The effort to legalize casinos in Texas has even less wiggle room than the sports betting contingent. Two years ago, a constitutional amendment to authorize “destination resort” casinos received 92 votes in the House, eight shy of the two-thirds mark.
Of the 15 signatories on the letter to King, nine are GOP freshmen whose predecessors voted for the casino measure. A returning member who signed the letter, Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, also supported casino legalization — along with sports betting — and is now vowing to oppose both.
That represents a net loss of 10 votes from the 92 who backed the casino proposal in 2023.
Supporters have tried to sway skeptical lawmakers by arguing that a vote for the constitutional amendment would merely put the issue before voters on the statewide ballot and let them decide whether to allow gambling, taking the final call out of lawmakers’ hands. In contrast, regular bills become law without that extra hurdle, as long as they avoid a veto from the governor.
A statewide poll conducted in January by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that 60% of Texans support legalized sports betting and 73% support authorizing “destination resort casinos.”
Matt Hirsch, a spokesperson for the Texas Destination Resort Alliance — an initiative of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire — said it is “essential for elected officials to listen to their constituents and respect their right to vote.”
“Denying Texans the chance to vote on this matter not only undermines the democratic process, but also disregards the voices of the very people they represent,” Hirsch said in a statement. “The voters of Texas know that destination resorts have the potential to bring significant economic benefits, job creation, and increased tourism to Texas while eliminating the scourge of illegal gaming in Texas.”
Sands has deployed an army of lobbyists to push for casino legalization in Austin, and its owner, Miriam Adelson, has spent millions on statehouse elections in a bid to grow the ranks of gambling supporters in Texas’ lower chamber. Eight signatories of the anti-gambling letter accepted contributions last year from Adelson via the Texas Sands PAC — though Adelson-aligned PACs donated far more, collectively, to several of the signatories’ opponents.
In an apparent reference to the 2026 elections, Hirsch said his group “will make it perfectly clear to the voters in each of these districts where their representative stands.”
Karina Kling, a spokesperson for the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, said, “Poll after poll shows Texans overwhelmingly want the chance to vote on legalizing sports betting and we hope the Texas Legislature will give them that chance.” The group is a collection of the state’s pro sports teams, racetracks and betting platforms, such as FanDuel and DraftKings.
Efforts to loosen Texas’ gambling restrictions have repeatedly failed since they were first enacted in 1856 and further tightened in 1973. The House’s approval of the sports betting measure in 2023 was the furthest either chamber has gone toward expanding gambling, though the move was largely symbolic, because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — a Republican who runs the Texas Senate — immediately quashed the measure in the upper chamber. Patrick has repeatedly claimed there is minimal support among the Senate’s GOP majority to expand gambling.
With the 74-year-old Patrick in office until January 2027 and vowing to seek another four-year term, the legislative battle over gambling has been centered almost entirely in the House. Supporters are aiming for incremental wins in the lower chamber that would, they hope, lay the groundwork for when the Senate is run by a more sympathetic lieutenant governor.
Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.
Millie Bobby Brown is interested in shaving her head again.
The 21-year-old actress, who plays Eleven on Stranger Things, recently told host Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast she would be interested in revisiting her character's iconic shaved head look.
Brown said she initially did not care about shaving her head for the part.
"I didn’t have anxiety, I wasn’t sad when they shaved it off. I just thought, 'Cool. Now this is what I’m doing,'" she recalled. "I think it started to hit me months and months in," Brown said.
She then explained why the insecurity started hitting her.
"You get to that age where you’re 11 now and you’re shaving it consecutively every three days because it cannot grow past a certain length because we’re filming. So every time it started to grow and I’d get excited, we’d shave it again. So, I think it [got] to the point where — I was like 11 or 12 — where I was like, the boys started liking girls and I was kind of like, 'Why are boys not liking me?'"
Now, however, Brown says she is interested in shaving all of her hair off again, this time as a woman.
"Honestly, I still to this day loved the experience and I would do it again," Brown said. "I always tell [husband] Jake [Bongiovi], for my first baby, I want to shave my hair off. It was really liberating, I would suggest it for anyone — any girl."
Brown called the feeling of having a shaved head liberating, reiterating that shaving it off before giving birth would be ideal.
"I just think hair is such an ordeal anyway to deal with. I’m gonna nurture my child, why deal with my hair?" she said. "I had that experience as a girl, but I’d like to have that experience as a woman."
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler Military and Veterans Success Center will hold multiple events on campus for the community to recognize Vietnam War veterans and the 50th anniversary since the war ended. These events are hosted in partnership with the UT Tyler history department, VFW Carl Webb Post 1799, Vietnam Veterans of America Rose Capital Chapter 932, American Legion Post 12 and other local veteran serving organizations. “We proudly present these excellent events as a way to honor our Vietnam War veterans here in East Texas and across the country,” said Coby Dillard, UT Tyler director of military and veterans affairs. “The men and women who served during Vietnam faced unspeakable challenges both in country and at home. As a community, it is important that we continue to celebrate the service of those who returned, while honoring the sacrifices of those who were lost during this conflict.” Continue reading UT Tyler holds Vietnam veterans 50th year commemoration
The actress, who starred on the WB/CW drama series for nine seasons, recently told Deadline at the SXSW festival she is pumped about returning to her character Brooke Davis for a sequel series.
“We’ve been asked about bringing the show back for so long, and I think for so many years, all of us said that would be a hard no,” Bush said.
Now that Bush co-hosts a recap podcast covering One Tree Hill, called Drama Queens, she's been thinking more about what it would be like to return to it.
"The podcast has given all of us this sort of opportunity to have a homecoming. And to get to analyze what was so special about it in the first place has made that more of a possibility,” Bush said.
What really got her excited about returning was the leadership team. Bush is returning as an executive producer along with co-star Hilarie Burton-Morgan and writer and executive producer Becky Hartman Edwards. Bush said it's “really exciting to work on such an amazing female leadership team.”
“It’s also really exciting to be at this stage in our lives where everyone gets to bring what they love to do to the table,” Bush said. “Everyone’s getting to bring their particular executive skill to the table now in ways that we didn’t get to do when we were in our mid-20s, so we’re pumped about that.”
The sequel show will take place 20 years after the events of One Tree Hill, and will follow best friends Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer (Burton-Morgan), who are now parents to teens facing challenges similar to what they went through in the original show — like love, insecurities and grief.
McALLEN — Texas senators advanced a resolution Monday that calls on the U.S. State Department to ensure Mexico meets its obligations to deliver water to the U.S. under a 1944 water treaty.
The Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee voted in favor of the resolution after hearing testimony from state and Rio Grande Valley officials on how Mexico’s failure to deliver water has impacted the local farmers and stalled growth.
“It’s really causing a lot of severe issues not only for the Valley but along the river from El Paso down to Brownsville,” state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said at the start of the hearing.
“The reality is that even commercially, the growth of the Valley is being stunned because we cannot issue any more builder’s permits because there’s no water” Hinojosa said. “Hopefully, the present Trump administration will be a lot more aggressive in trying to address the issue.”
Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico is required to deliver a total of 1.75 million-acre feet over a five-year cycle. The current cycle ends in October, yet Mexico is behind on its water deliveries by more than a million acre-feet.
The largely symbolic resolution is the latest push from Texas officials to push the federal government to pressure Mexico. Last year, Texas’ congressional delegation secured $280 million in disaster assistance for Valley farmers.
State Sen. Charles Perry, the Lubbock Republican who chairs the committee, praised the efforts of Maria-Elena Giner, the commissioner of the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, a division of the U.S. State Department that oversees the water treaty.
Under Giner’s leadership, the IBWC secured an amendment to the treaty that provided Mexico more opportunities to deliver water.
However, Perry pointed out that the IBWC has no enforcement power and would like the Trump administration to include the water treaty in their tariff negotiations.
“It would be nice to include water release under the 1944 treaty in those tariff negotiations so that we could get some relief in the Valley,” Perry said.
The lack of water for farmers and ranchers has already had harmful effects on the industry. For example, the last sugar mill in Texas closed in 2024.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension estimated that the total economic value lost to South Texas because of the lack of irrigation water is about $993 million per year.
Brian Jones, who sits on the board of the Texas Farm Bureau, testified before the committee about his struggles as a farmer in the Valley.
Jones said he is in “survival mode,” planting only half of his crop for the last three years.
“What is crystal clear is that Mexico has no intention of sharing any amount of water they can capture for their own use,” Jones said.
In 2022, a tropical storm filled their reservoirs, but Mexico didn’t deliver any of that water to the U.S. despite already owing 350,000 acre-feet of water at the time.
However, the lack of water is not just because of Mexico’s noncompliance.
In the past, local farmers were able to rely on seasonal tropical storms to fill up the water reservoirs, but the rain missed those watersheds last year. Future rains would fail to make up the debt.
“It’s almost mathematically impossible for them to meet their obligations on this cycle,” Jones said.
The treaty allows Mexico to pay their outstanding water debt during the next five-year cycle but because there is no timeline, Mexico could theoretically wait until the end of the next five-year cycle to deliver the water it owes for this cycle.
David Dunmoyer with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, said that while the resolution is a critical starting point, the state can’t rely on Mexico alone for water.
“We need an ‘all of the above’ approach that’s desal-produced water and looking to the future of water infrastructure,” he said.
Cities and water districts across the Valley have been seeking different sources of water. But city and county leaders told the committee more money is needed to build the infrastructure to obtain and properly treat that water for public use.
While the major impacts have been limited to the agriculture industry, Mark Dombroski, assistant general manager and chief operating officer for the Brownsville Public Utilities, warned that drinking water for cities like Brownsville and McAllen will be at risk if water remains scarce.
“Invest in South Texas and help us secure alternative water solutions now,” Dombroski said. “Delaying action only makes the crisis worse and solutions more expensive.”
Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.
For four years while President Joe Biden was in office, Texas lawmakers passed a variety of state laws aimed at curbing illegal immigration into the state and approved spending billions of Texans’ taxpayer dollars in an effort to secure the border.
The Legislature created a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for people convicted of human smuggling. Lawmakers passed a law that gave state and local police the authority to arrest people suspected of being undocumented — it has not gone into effect while its constitutionality is litigated. And legislators have plowed $11 billion into Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s ongoing border crackdown that deployed state police and Texas National Guard along the state’s nearly 1,300 miles of border with Mexico.
Now with President Donald Trump back in office, lawmakers are not relenting. They have filed dozens of bills that could further cement the state’s role in immigration enforcement — long the sole responsibility of the federal government — should they become law.
The proposals range from trying to force cooperation with federal immigration authorities to giving property tax breaks to border landowners who allow the state to build border barriers on their property.
Lawmakers have filed at least nine similar bills that would require local law enforcement agencies enter into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Under a 1996 federal immigration law, ICE can delegate local authorities to carry out certain types of immigration enforcement in local jails — where officers can be deputized to question inmates about their immigration status and to serve administrative warrants — and in the field, where officers can be permitted to question people about their immigration status through a model the Trump administration has revived after it fell into disuse following allegations it led to racial profiling.
Such programs serve as “force multipliers” for ICE, an agency of about 6,000 officers with limited resources, according to the federal agency, immigration lawyers and policing experts.
Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have called for Texas authorities to be required to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
While specifics vary, most of the proposed state laws share the same idea: Require local law enforcement to request entering into partnership agreements with ICE known as 287(g) agreements — a reference to the legal statute from which they originate.
Senate Bill 8, filed by Republican state Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston and Georgetown Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner, would require sheriffs in counties with more than 100,000 residents to request a 287(g) agreement with ICE.
Among the criticisms of 287(g) agreements is the potential extra costs for counties that devote resources to processing and jailing immigrants and face potential legal liabilities if an officer is accused of wrongdoing, such as violating a person’s civil rights. The bill would establish grants for sheriffs in counties with fewer than 1 million residents, but not for sheriffs of large Texas counties.
Patrick designated the bill a top priority of his for the legislative session even before it was filed.
As of early March, 43 Texas law enforcement agencies already had 287(g) agreements in place, the majority of which are for the jail programs. Only the attorney general’s office, Nixon Police Department and sheriffs in Goliad and Smith counties had signed 287(g) agreements for the “task force model” that grants police limited immigration enforcement authority while conducting their routine duties.
Lawmakers are also looking at ways to study the costs of illegal immigration.
State Sen. Mayes Middleton’s Senate Bill 825 would task the Texas Department of Public Safety with conducting a study on the economic, environmental and financial impact of illegal immigration. The state last performed such a study in 2006, when then-state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn found that undocumented immigrants contributed more to Texas than they cost the state.
Meanwhile, House Bill 2587 by state Rep. Mike Olcott, R-Fort Worth, seeks to study the cost of providing hospital services to undocumented immigrants. Last summer, Abbott ordered hospitals to start asking patients for their citizenship status. Hospitals can’t refuse to provide medical treatment based on a patient’s answer.
Rep. Ryan Guillen, a Republican from Rio Grande City, has proposed expanding a fund the state established in 2023 to reimburse homeowners in border counties whose property has been damaged by border crime — which can include everything from migrants cutting fences while passing through their land to damage from high-speed police pursuits of suspected migrants and smugglers that end in a crash.
House Bill 246 would expand the potential sources of revenue for the fund so the attorney general’s office, which administers it, could accept donations, gifts and other revenue designated by the Legislature, which appropriated $18 million in state money for the fund over the 2023-24 biennium.
Lawmakers also have introduced bills that would require companies to use E-Verify — a federal government website that helps businesses determine whether an immigrant is legally allowed to work in the U.S. — if they want to bid for state contracts.
House Bill 1308 would require state agencies to only award contracts to businesses that participate in E-Verify. The proposal would also apply to subcontractors hired by a company with a state contract.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, would also suspend the business license of any business that contracts with the state if they stopped using E-Verify during their state contract.
As part of Tepper’s bill, people who suspect a state agency has hired an undocumented person can send information to the Texas Attorney General’s office for possible investigation.
Like Tepper’s proposal, House Bill 2744, sponsored by state Rep. Cody Vasut, R-Angleton, would require all state contractors to use E-Verify, and would also impose a $10,000 fine for each undocumented worker a state contractor is caught employing.
For the past four years, the state has approached border landowners seeking permission to build barriers along the 1,200-mile-long Texas-Mexico border. But the state has faced a challenge in finding enough willing landowners to lease part of their land to the state.
House Bill 247, introduced by state Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, would give a property tax break to landowners who have allowed state or federal border barriers to be built on their property.
The proposal says the state tax break would be available to any landowners who allow the state or the federal government to install “a wall, barrier, fence, wire, road trench, technology” or any type of infrastructure “to surveil or impede the movement of persons or objects crossing the Texas-Mexico border.”
Another proposal, Senate Bill 316 by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would allow the state to use eminent domain to take private property for border wall construction. The proposal does not say how much money a private landowner would get if the government seizes their property. But under Texas law, the owner would “receive adequate compensation.”
Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.
(NEW YORK) -- U.S. stocks teetered in early trading on Wednesday, posting shaky performance amid an escalating global trade war and concerns about a possible recession.
After some initial modest gains, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 330 points, or 0.8%, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.25%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked up 0.25%.
Trading opened minutes after a fresh inflation report showed price increases had eased more than expected in February, the first full month under President Donald Trump.
Tit-for-tat tariffs continued to rattle global trade early Wednesday, however.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum products went into effect overnight. In response, Canada and the European Union slapped retaliatory duties on U.S. goods.
Tesla, the electric carmaker run by Elon Musk, soared about 6% in early trading on Wednesday. The gains came a day after Trump touted the company alongside Musk in an event at the White House.
Some economists say that while the U.S. tariffs could boost the local steel industry in the United States, they could also lead to higher prices for industries that purchase steel. Those higher prices may eventually reach consumers.
The U.S. relies heavily on imported aluminum and those costs are expected go up as well.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) -- Consumer prices rose 2.8% in February compared to a year ago, easing slightly over the first full month under President Donald Trump and offering welcome news for markets roiled by a global trade war. Inflation cooled more than economists expected.
The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq closed higher on Wednesday, preserving early gains in the immediate aftermath of the release of the inflation report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly lower.
Speaking at the White House later in the morning, Trump touted the inflation report as "very good news."
Price increases slowed from a 3% inflation rate recorded in January, though inflation remain nearly a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve's target of 2%.
Egg prices, however, a closely watched symbol of price increases, soared 58.8% in February compared to a year ago, accelerating from the previous month. Bird flu has decimated the egg supply, lifting prices higher.
The Justice Department opened an investigation into egg producers to learn if market practices have contributed to the price hikes, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Prices dropped for tomatoes, cereal, cupcakes and cookies over the past year. Some grocery prices increased faster than the pace of overall inflation, however, including beef, biscuits and apples.
A rise in housing costs accounted for nearly half of the price increases last month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said. A decline in the price of airline tickets and gasoline helped offset some of the increased costs, the agency said.
The inflation report arrived hours after the U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, prompting near-immediate retaliatory duties from the European Union and marking the latest escalation of trade tensions.
Tariffs are widely expected to raise prices for consumers, since importers typically pass along a share of the added cost to shoppers.
The stock market has plunged since Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China last week, giving rise to warnings on Wall Street about a potential economic downturn. Within days, Trump delayed some of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
The report on Wednesday may soften pressure on the Federal Reserve, which bears responsibility for keeping inflation under control.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week said the administration's tariff plan would likely raise prices for U.S. shoppers and retailers.
The scale and duration of the tariffs remain unclear, but a portion of the taxes on imports will probably reach consumers, Powell told an economic forum in New York City last week.
"We're at a stage where we're still very uncertain about what will be tariffed, for how long, at what level," Powell said. "But the likelihood is some of that will find its way. It will hit the exporters, the importers, the retailers and to some extent consumers."
On multiple occasions in recent days, the White House declined to rule out a possible recession, saying the tariffs would require a "period of transition."
A solid, albeit disappointing jobs report on Friday exacerbated concerns among some observers.
Employers hired 151,000 workers last month, falling short of expectations of 170,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, which remains a historically low figure.
The Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on imports from China. The fresh round of duties on Chinese goods doubled an initial set of tariffs placed on China last month.
A day later, Trump issued a one-month delay for tariffs on auto-related goods from Mexico and Canada. The carve-out expanded soon afterward with an additional one-month pause for goods from Mexico and Canada compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, a free trade agreement.
On Tuesday, Trump announced plans to add another 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, bringing the total to 50%. The move came in response to threats made by Ontario to cut off electricity to parts of the U.S., Trump said.
Hours later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a joint statement with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on X announcing the suspension of the 25% surcharge on electricity sent to the U.S.
The tariffs slapped on Canada, Mexico and China are widely expected to increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers.
A key gauge of consumer confidence registered its largest monthly drop since August 2021, the nonpartisan Conference Board said in February.
The share of consumers who expect a recession within the next year surged to a nine-month high, the data showed. A growing portion of consumers believe the job market will worsen, the stock market will fall and interest rates will rise, the report added.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Soo Youn contributed to this report.
If you just can't wait to watch Mufasa: The Lion King at home, you're in luck. The film will begin streaming on Disney+ on March 26. This means it will come to streaming after a 96-day theatrical window. The musical film was directed by Barry Jenkins and features songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda ...
The Cruel Intentions show has come to an end. Prime Video has canceled the series after one season, as Variety first reported. It premiered on the streamer in November 2024. The show was based on the 1999 film of the same name, which itself was based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Sarah Catherine Hook, Zac Burgess, Savannah Lee Smith, Sara Silva, John HarlanKim, Khobe Clarke, Sean Patrick Thomas and Brooke Lena Johnson starred in the show from co-showrunners, writers and executive producers Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher ...
The Legally Blonde prequel series has cast June Diane Raphael as Elle Woods' mother. Deadline first reported the news that Raphael will star opposite Lexi Minetree in the series, which is called Elle. Reese Witherspoon is executive producing the prequel show about the character she famously portrayed. Elle's mom, named Eva, is polished, pragmatic and thrives on keeping things picture-perfect ...
(NEW YORK) -- Stocks futures traded slightly higher early Wednesday, following another volatile day for the market amid the continued rollout of President Donald Trump's tariffs on goods from top U.S. trading partners.
Dow futures were higher by 189 points or 0.46%. Both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 also appeared ready to open narrowly higher on Wednesday.
Traders are expected to be looking to Wednesday's inflation report for clues on the health of the economy amid Trump's escalting trade war. Expectations are that inflation will be up 2.9% compared to a year ago. A worse-than-expected report could add to negative stock sentiment.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum products came into effect overnight. The European Commission said EU member states would retaliate with duties on U.S. goods, sending European markets mostly higher.
Some economists say that while the tariffs could boost the local steel industry in the United States, they could also lead to higher prices for industries that purchase steel. Those higher prices may eventually reach consumers.
The U.S. relies heavily on imported aluminum and those costs are expected go up as well.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Anadolu via Getty Images
(LONDON) -- The prospects for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine are "in Moscow's hands," a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following successful U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Andriy Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's office -- was part of the Ukrainian delegation that met with American representatives in Jeddah, where both teams agreed to pursue a 30-day ceasefire and use the pause in fighting as a launchpad for full peace negotiations to end Russia's 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
"Ukraine is ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agrees," Yermak wrote on Telegram on Wednesday morning. "This is a necessary step to begin work on real security guarantees and preparing the final terms of a peace agreement."
"But now the key is in Moscow's hands -- the whole world will see who really wants to end the war and who is simply playing for time," he added.
Moscow was readying itself to hear details from Tuesday's U.S.-Ukraine meeting, with officials "scrutinizing" the publicly released statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
He added that Russia "doesn't want to get ahead of itself" on the potential ceasefire, saying the Kremlin will want to first get specifics directly from Washington. A "summit phone call" may be in the cards, he said.
President Donald Trump's return to office has put Ukraine in a strategic bind, no longer able to rely on the "ironclad" -- if at times hesitant, according to many Ukrainians -- American support during former President Joe Biden's time in office.
Trump has aligned with Russian narratives about the conflict, framing Ukraine as the key impediment to peace, falsely blaming Kyiv for starting the war, undermining Zelenskyy's legitimacy as president and seeking to recoup years of American aid via a controversial minerals sharing deal.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a freeze on U.S. military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Tuesday's meeting in Saudi Arabia saw that pause lifted, officials said.
Moscow has welcomed the radical U.S. shift in rhetoric and policy, which culminated in an explosive Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting last month.
Kyiv has been striving to prove its readiness for peace, while stressing that no deal can succeed without American security guarantees to deter repeat Russian aggression. Ukrainian leaders have also cast doubt on President Vladimir Putin's readiness to end the fighting and urged their U.S. partners to be wary of the Kremlin.
Following Tuesday's talks, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram of the 30-day ceasefire plan, "Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take this step. The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so."
"We agree, and if the Russians agree, the silence will take effect at that very moment," he added. "An important element in today's discussions is America's readiness to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support."
"Ukraine is ready for peace," Zelenskyy wrote. "Russia must also show whether it is ready to end the war -- or continue it. The time has come for the whole truth. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine."
Speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he is "very serious" about a ceasefire. "For me it is important to end the war," he added.
"I want the president of the United States to see it, I want Americans to see and feel it," Zelenskyy said. "I want Europe and all to be in alliance in order to do everything to force Russia to end this war."
"As for the security guarantees, we will talk about them in more details if there is ceasefire for 30 days," the president continued. "These 30 days are given to prepare a draft. We have our proposals, but we will draft the steps that we will agree on with our allies and formats of security guarantees which Ukraine will have after the war is over."
"Today, everything depends on the fact whether Russia wants to cease fire or to continue killing people. Today, it fully depends on this country. United States of America demonstrated its steps and position. Ukraine demonstrated and outlined its positions in a very direct way, without any reservations. And Russia will have to answer to that."
"I believe that the meeting itself in Saudi Arabia ruins Russian plans to escalate relations between Ukraine and United States," Zelenskyy said. "On the contrary, there is de-escalation."
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the administration hasn't spoken to Putin yet "with substance" regarding the ceasefire proposal.
"We haven't spoken to him yet with substance because we just found out and we just were able to get Ukraine to agree," he said. "So, we're going to know very soon. I've gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation."
Trump would not comment on whether he has a meeting with Putin scheduled.
"But we had a great success yesterday," he said.
"It's up to Russia now," Trump said. "But we've had a good relationship with both parties, actually. And we'll see. People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington, D.C., will pursue "multiple points of contacts" with Russia to see if Putin is ready to negotiate an end to the war.
"The ball is truly in their court," Rubio said during a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland, as quoted by the Associated Press. Rubio also said he hopes that Russia will end attacks on Ukraine in the coming days.
"We don't think it's constructive to stand here today and say what we're going to do if Russia says no," Rubio said, adding he would avoid statements that "are abrasive in any way."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement said that "the ball is now in the Russian court."
"This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff -- who took part in the recent U.S. talks with both Ukraine and Russia -- is due to visit Moscow "in the coming days," according to a source familiar with the plans. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency also reported Wednesday that CIA Director Jim Ratcliffe spoke by phone with Sergey Naryshkin -- the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, said in an interview published Wednesday that he does not believe Trump wants to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
"He has his own view of the situation, which he regularly and directly states," Lavrov said. "This war should never have started."
Despite apparent progress in Jeddah, the fighting continues. Fierce combat is ongoing all along the front line, particularly in the western Russian Kursk region, where Moscow's forces are pushing Ukrainian troops back from positions seized in a surprise August offensive.
Overnight, both sides launched drones across the shared border. Russia's Defense Ministry reported the downing of 21 Ukrainian UAVs.
Ukraine's air force reported three missiles and 133 drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said 98 of the drones were shot down and 20 lost in flight without causing damage. Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions were affected, the air force said.
ABC News' Kelsey Walsh, Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green and a swap of draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the moves can’t be official until Wednesday, the start of the new league year, said the Eagles are getting a fifth-round pick in 2026 and the Texans will receive a sixth-rounder next year.
Gardner-Johnson was a key part of Philadelphia’s No. 1 ranked defense that helped the Eagles smother Patrick Mahomes in a 40-22 victory over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Green, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft, started 23 games for Houston over two seasons. He didn’t play in 2023 because of a shoulder injury.
The Texans also agreed to trade star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington on Monday. They have big holes up front on an offensive line that struggled to protect C.J. Stroud last season.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts wanted someone to challenge quarterback Anthony Richardson for the starting job.
They opted for Daniel Jones.
The former New York Giants starter agreed Tuesday to a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because free agents can’t sign until Wednesday, said Jones’ deal is worth up to $17.7 million.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard projected this sort of move was in the works when he told reporters at the NFL’s annual scouting combine Indy would have an “open” competition for the job.
“I think it’s good for the team, I think it’s good for Anthony,” Ballard said in late February. “Look, we drafted Anthony high, knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there was going to be some hiccups along the way.”
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 by the Giants who went 24-44-1 in New York with one playoff victory, will get a chance to prove he can still be a starter in the league. He finished last season as a backup for the Vikings after the Giants released him.
Minnesota appears set to start J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. Sam Darnold, who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season, agreed to a deal with Seattle on Monday.
Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft but has struggled with both injuries and accuracy in his first two NFL seasons. He’s just 8-7 as a starter and last season had the lowest completion rate, 47.7%, of any starting quarterback in the NFL. In two seasons, Richardson also has 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Coach Shane Steichen also benched Richardson for two games after he took himself out of a game for one play because he was tired. Some teammates publicly criticized Richardson’s decision. He was reinstated as the starter when Steichen said he saw Richardson had showed the growth Steichen was seeking.
“I think consistency is the biggest thing,” Steichen said in February when asked where he wanted to see Richardson’s biggest improvement in 2025. “We’ve had these conversations, myself and him, about being consistent. He’s played 15 games, he played 11 last year and did some really good things, but we’re just looking for the consistency, right?”
Even if Richardson wins the competition, though, Jones still may get an opportunity to prove himself all over again. Richardson played only four games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder, which required surgery.
He missed four additional games with injuries last season.
It wouldn’t be the first time a Colts quarterback took advantage of such a chance.
Gardner Minshew nearly led the Colts to the playoffs in 2023, made the Pro Bowl roster and then signed a free agent deal with Las Vegas.
Last season, the Colts brought in 39-year-old Joe Flacco, the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year. He went 2-4 in six starts and relieved Richardson in two other games.
The Colts also had four-year veteran Sam Ehlinger on the roster and undrafted rookie Jason Bean on the practice squad in 2024. Ehlinger now is a free agent.
While Ballard and Steichen each have said they believe Richardson still can fulfill the potential they saw in the strong-armed 6-foot-4, 244-pound star at Florida, they also think a real competition and a healthy offseason could expedite Richardson’s learning process.
“I know we all want to see a finished product right now,” Ballard said at the combine. “I do, you do, fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress, adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints and former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Justin Reid have agreed to the terms of a three-year, free-agent contract worth about $31.5 million, a person familiar with the situation said.
The Saints also signed tight end Juwan Johnson to a three-year, $30.75 million extension that could grow to $34.5 million with incentives, agent AJ Vaynerchuk said.
The person who spoke to The Associated Press about Reid’s contract did so on condition of anonymity because it has not been formalized or announced yet.
Reid is a Louisiana native, former Stanford player and seven-year NFL veteran who spent his first four pro seasons with Houston and past three with Kansas City.
Reid appeared in three straight Super Bowls with Kansas City, winning two in the 2022 and 2023 seasons before his Chiefs fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in their title game last month in New Orleans.
New Orleans’ acquisition of Reid — who has 10 interceptions, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career — comes a day after former Saints starting cornerback Paulson Adebo agreed to a free-agent deal with the New York Giants.
Johnson entered the NFL as a receiver with New Orleans in 2020 and was converted into a tight end in 2022, when he caught a career-best seven touchdown passes.
Johnson has played in 67 games with 34 starts. He has 1,622 yards and 18 TDs receiving.
JACKSONVILLE – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the City of Jacksonville has a new chief of police, however, he is no stranger to the department. Steven Markasky is a 12-year veteran of the Jacksonville Police Department and has been the assistant police chief since April of 2024.
