Category: All

CNN
 — 

Gov. Ron DeSantis may soon get to pick the people who govern Disney’s Orlando-area theme parks, a move that would give the Republican leader new authority over the state’s largest employer and a recent political foe.

Republican lawmakers on Monday unveiled a bill to turn over control of Disney’s special taxing district, called the Reedy Creek Improvement District, to a five-member board chosen by DeSantis. The proposal also comes with a rebrand; Reedy Creek would become the “Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.”

The move to take over Reedy Creek is the latest step in a yearlong spat between DeSantis and Disney over a bill to restrict certain classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity. DeSantis signed the bill into law over the objections of Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek.

In an act opponents decried as political retribution, DeSantis then pushed lawmakers to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which for 55 years effectively gave Disney control of the land around its Florida properties. Republicans, who control the seats of legislative power, complied, and the district was scheduled to be sunset on June 1.

But the bill proposed Monday breathed new life into the taxing district and kept many of its special powers. Indeed, the final page of the 189-page bill states clearly: “The Reedy Creek Improvement District is not dissolved as of June 1, 2023, but continues in full force and effect under its new name.”

In a statement to CNN, Jeff Vahle, the president of Walt Disney World Resort, said the company is “monitoring the progression of the draft legislation, which is complex given the long history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.”

“Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year,” Vahle said.

The bill, introduced by state Rep. Fred Hawkins, also seeks to limit the damage that could be done to Disney, one of the state’s most vital tourism engines, and to taxpayers. It makes clear that the changes to Reedy Creek should not affect the district’s existing debt, previously estimated at about $1 billion, or any other contracts. Local governments last year expressed concern that dissolving Reedy Creek could lead to a debt bomb on the residents of Orange and Osceola counties. Reedy Creek, in a statement to bondholders last year, said the state couldn’t dissolve it without paying off its debt, or it would violate a 1967 state law.

The legislation would also remove some powers from the board, like the ability to build an airport or a nuclear power plant.

Democrats criticized the legislation, which was introduced in a special session called in part to address Reedy Creek’s future, while stopping short of endorsing Disney’s unique arrangement in Central Florida. State Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami Democrat, said Disney was “not a sympathetic victim in my book,” citing the company’s recent labor fight with unionized workers at Disney World. But he said that “the market should dictate these situations” and likened DeSantis moving in on a private company to “socialism.”

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, said of the bill: “Disney still gets perks but they’re now a political prisoner of the governor.”

DeSantis is supportive of the changes, which are likely to pass the Republican-controlled legislature within the next couple weeks.

“These actions ensure a state-controlled district accountable to the people instead of a corporate-controlled kingdom,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said.

Under existing law, the board for Reedy Creek has been made up of landowners with close ties to Disney. The bill introduced Monday makes clear that none of the appointees chosen by the governor can be recent Disney employees or their relatives, nor that of a competitor. The state Senate, where Republicans currently hold a super majority, would have final approval of the appointees.

In addition to addressing Reedy Creek, this week’s special session will also address two other contentious DeSantis priorities. Lawmakers have proposed allowing the DeSantis administration to transport migrants from anywhere in the United States, a significant expansion of a program that gained national attention last year after Florida paid for two flights that carried migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The state House and Senate will also consider giving DeSantis’ controversial new Office of Elections Crimes and Security the jurisdiction to prosecute crimes involving elections. The proposal comes after DeSantis initiated a crackdown on voter fraud that resulted in the arrest of 20 individuals but hit a legal snag when a judge dismissed a case against a Miami defendant on the grounds that state prosecutors had acted beyond their authority.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The castle collapsed during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck in the early hours of February 6.

“Some of the bastions in the east, south and southeast parts of the historical Gaziantep Castle in the central Şahinbey district were destroyed by the earthquake, the debris was scattered on the road,” Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

“The iron railings around the castle were scattered on the surrounding sidewalks. The retaining wall next to the castle also collapsed. In some bastions, large cracks were observed,” the report said.

The dome and eastern wall of the historical Şirvani Mosque, which is located next to the castle and is said to have been built in the 17th century, also partially collapsed, it added.

According to archaeological excavations, the castle was first built as a watchtower in the Roman period in the second and third centuries C.E. and expanded over time.

It took its current form during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527-565 C.E.), according to Turkish Museums, the official site of museums and archaeological sites in the country.

Gaziantep Castle is seen in this file image.

mitzo_bs/Adobe Stock

So far, there have been more than 18 recorded aftershocks measuring 4 or higher on the Richter scale since the initial tremor, one of the strongest to hit Turkey in a century.

More than 600 people have been killed throughout the affected areas of Turkey and Syria.

According to Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay, some 1,700 buildings were damaged across 10 Turkish cities.

Top: A view of damaged Gaziantep Castle in Turkey on February 6, 2023. (Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

CNN’s Yusuf Gezer contributed to this report.

CNN
 — 

Residents of the Ohio village of East Palestine remain unable to return home after a controlled release Monday of a toxic chemical from cars that were part of a train derailment three days ago, Mayor Trent Conaway said during an evening news conference.

An operation to drain vinyl chloride – a chemical that officials said was unstable and could explode – from five Norfolk Southern rail cars began just after 4:30 p.m. ET.

Scott Deutsch of Norfolk Southern had earlier said small, shaped charges would be used to blow a small hole in each rail car. The vinyl chloride would then spill into a trench where flares would ignite and burn it away.

As of 7 p.m., the flames were reduced and a small fire continues in the pit, Deutsch said at the news conference.

It is “still an ongoing event so we just ask everybody to stay out,” the mayor said. “We have to wait to the fires die down.”

An evacuation zone of 1 mile around the train’s crash site remains in place, Conaway said. Authorities will reassess the zone Tuesday morning, he added. “We really don’t have a time frame right now” for the return of residents, he said.

A team from the Environmental Protection Agency will monitor the air and water quality in the area, officials said.

The remaining fires will go out on their own and won’t be extinguished by crews, Deutsch said.

The five cars from the train, which derailed in a fiery accident Friday, were hurling toxic fumes into the air and shooting deadly shrapnel as far as a mile away, officials said earlier.

One rail car in particular had been a focus of concern because its malfunctioning safety valves had prevented the car from releasing the vinyl chloride inside, a Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency official and a Norfolk Southern spokesperson told CNN earlier Monday.

Ahead of the controlled release, the evacuation zone surrounding the fiery derailment site expanded to two states, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.

DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro had ordered evacuations for a 1-mile-by-2-mile area surrounding East Palestine, a village of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border, DeWine said.

This followed evacuations that took place just after the massive inferno began Friday night.

According to East Palestine resident Eric Whiting, police knocked on his door about an hour after the derailment and asked the family to evacuate.

“They told me they didn’t know anything yet, but they just needed us to evacuate,” Whiting told CNN.

Officials begged residents for several days to leave the area as fears about air and water quality have mounted.

Mayor Conaway said Monday he was “proud of the citizens” as everyone cleared out when officials went door-to-door and there were no arrests.

Here’s the latest on the ground:

• Police shift communications hub: The scene was so dangerous by Monday morning that the East Palestine Police Department had evacuated a communications center for safety reasons, a spokesperson told CNN by phone Monday. “911 service will not be affected,” the department posted online.

• Schools are closed: The East Palestine City School District will be closed for the rest of the week, citing a local state of emergency.

• A mechanical issue was detected: The crew was alerted by an alarm shortly before the derailment “indicating a mechanical issue,” a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member said. An emergency brake was applied, but about 10 cars carrying hazardous materials derailed.

Whiting, the East Palestine resident, said he, his wife and three children took nothing with them when they evacuated Friday.

“We live right by the railroad, so we heard the train come to an abrupt stop. But by the time I got dressed to check out what was happening, I heard emergency vehicles rushing towards us,” Whiting told CNN on Monday.

The family returned home Saturday and stayed overnight. But law enforcement officers knocked on the door Sunday morning telling them to leave due to the potential for an explosion.

So, they packed up clothes for a few nights and, along with their dog, headed to a hotel 20 minutes away.

“It’s difficult. I’m in a cheap motel because I’m afraid of how much they’ll be willing to reimburse me for. It’s hard to take my laptop out (to work) and focus when I’m worried about getting food for the family throughout the day,” Whiting said.

He’s also worried what the environmental impact on East Palestine will be, he said.

A “drastic change” was detected Sunday related to the vinyl chloride, Fire Chief Keith Drabick said.

Breathing high levels of vinyl chloride can make someone pass out or die if they don’t get fresh air, the Ohio Department of Health said.

The man-made chemical used to make PVC burns easily at room temperature; can cause dizziness, sleepiness and headaches; and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer in the liver, brain, lungs and blood.

“If a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking, or laundry,” the National Cancer Institute says.

While air and water quality remained stable Sunday, “things can change at any moment,” James Justice of the EPA’s Emergency Response warned.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Vinyl chloride in water or soil evaporates rapidly if it is near the surface. Vinyl chloride in the air breaks down in a few days, resulting in the formation of several other chemicals including hydrochloric acid, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide.”

The agency also warns that liquid vinyl chloride that touches skin will numb it and produce redness and blisters.

There was a mechanical failure warning before the crash, NTSB Member Michael Graham said Sunday. About 10 of 20 cars carrying hazardous materials – among more than 100 cars in all – derailed, the agency said.

“The crew did receive an alarm from a wayside defect detector shortly before the derailment, indicating a mechanical issue,” Graham said. “Then an emergency brake application initiated.”

Investigators also identified the point of derailment and found video showing “preliminary indications of mechanical issues” on one of the railcar axles, Graham said.

NTSB is still investigating when the potential defect happened and the response from the crew, which included an engineer, conductor and conductor trainee, Graham added.

Investigators have also requested records from Norfolk Southern, including track inspection records, locomotive and railcar inspections and maintenance records, train crew records and qualifications, Graham said.

Rail travel is recognized as the safest method of transporting hazardous materials in the US, according to the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

“The vast majority of hazardous materials shipped by rail tank car every year arrive safely and without incident, and railroads generally have an outstanding record in moving shipments of hazardous materials safely,” the administration said.

CNN
 — 

President Joe Biden said Monday the US “did the right thing” when it shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Saturday and maintained that he always wanted to bring it down “as soon as it was appropriate.”

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House after returning from Camp David, Biden was asked if the incident changes the US-China relationship. He replied: “No.”

“We made it clear to China what we’re going to do, they understand our position, we’re not going to back off,” the president said. “We did the right thing, and there’s not a question of weakening or strengthening, it’s just the reality.”

Asked by CNN’s Phil Mattingly why the Chinese would commit such a brazen act, the President paused and then laughed.

“They’re the Chinese government,” he said.

On Saturday, the US military shot down the high-altitude balloon after it drifted off the East Coast near the Carolinas. The Pentagon later admitted that three other suspected Chinese spy balloons had transited the continental United States undetected under the Trump administration, which officials said were not detected during those years due to an “awareness gap.” Those incidents were not made public until Saturday.

But Biden denied that he ordered this balloon shot down because it became known to the public, telling reporters that once the balloon came “into the United States from Canada I told the Defense Department I wanted to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate.”

“They concluded we should not shoot it down over land, it was not a serious threat, and we should wait until it got across the water,” he said.

China has acknowledged the balloon belonged to them, but insisted it was a civilian research vessel and was not being used for surveillance. The Chinese government expressed its “strong dissatisfaction and protest” against the decision, accusing the US of “overreacting” and “seriously violating international practice,” but the US maintains the presence of the balloon was a violation of international law.

The president said it was “not a question of trusting China” when asked how the US could still trust the country after what appears to be a blatant act of espionage.

“The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the United States is something that we anticipate from China,” he said.

He added that when China was asked about the balloon, they didn’t deny it was theirs – “They just denied what it was.”

Other members of the administration sounded slightly less optimistic about relations between the two countries.

National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby noted earlier Monday that, in recent months, there had been serious efforts to try to reset US-Chinese relations, including the opening of more channels of communication between Washington and Beijing. Last year, Biden met with Xi for several hours in Bali, Indonesia – a meeting that was widely seen as a key moment in ongoing efforts to reset the two countries’ fraught relationship.

“Clearly this incident hasn’t helped that process,” Kirby said, describing the balloon flying over the United States as an “egregious violation of our sovereign airspace.”

The entire incident has simply done “nothing to help improve US-China bilateral relations,” Kirby added bluntly.

Biden spent the weekend at Camp David preparing for his upcoming State of the Union speech. He said the incident did not change the contents of the speech, or how he planned to talk about foreign policy.

Asked if he talked to US partners in Latin America about a Chinese balloon that had been spotted there, Biden said the “Defense Department has, I have not talked to our partners in the region.”