Thursday morning news: January 26, 2023

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Ukraine tanks » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he welcomes a new wave of Western weapons—including U.S. and German tanks.

ZELENKSYY: [Ukrainian]

Zelenskyy said the military aid is badly needed as Russia prepares for a new offensive.

President Biden on Wednesday announced that Washington will supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv.

BIDEN: To liberate their land, they need to be able to counter Russia’s evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term.

But The White House it will take time to get the Abrams tanks on the battlefield. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that’s due to the extensive training needed to operate them.

KIRBY: It’s the, as the president said, the most capable, powerful tank in the world. And a lot goes into making it the most capable.

The White House coordinated with Germany on the announcement. Berlin says it will send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and welcomes other countries to send their German-made tanks as well.

Civil rights probe » Federal prosecutors say it may take some time to investigate the death of a young man during a traffic stop turned violent in Memphis.

The family of Tyre Nichols alleges that he died after police officers tased, pepper sprayed, and beat him for roughly three minutes.

The police report from the January 7th incident said a confrontation occurred during the stop and Nichols fled on foot before a second confrontation.

U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz.

RITZ: This federal civil rights investigation will be thorough, it will be methodical and it will continue until we gather all the relevant facts. As with any other federal investigation, we will go where those facts take us.

The department fired all five officers involved in the incident, citing use of excessive force and other violations.

Wounded teacher sues » A Virginia elementary school-teacher shot and wounded by a 6-year-old student is suing the school.

Diane Toscano is the attorney representing teacher Abigail Zwerner. She says school administrators received three warnings the day of the attack, saying the boy had a gun with him.

TOSCANO: This is outrageous. Given the opportunity to call the police over a report of a potentially armed student, the school administrator failed to act and protect the school.

Zwerner was hospitalized after the shooting, but is now recovering.

Taliban women aid groups » In Afghanistan, the leaders of several global humanitarian aid groups are hoping to persuade the Taliban to end its ban on women working for non-government organizations.

UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammad told the BBC:

MOHAMMAD: International rescue committee was able to reach 5 million Afghans last year. We’ve suspended most of our activities across the country because we are not able to work without our female staff.

The Taliban announced the ban last month. Since then, a number of major aid groups have suspended their work in the country.

Pro-life center vandal arrests » Two people in Florida are facing federal charges for vandalizing pregnancy centers. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: A federal grand jury charged Caleb Freestone and Amber Smith-Stewart Tuesday. Prosecutors say they spray painted threats on three Florida pro-life pregnancy centers last year.

The indictment asserts they used threats of force to intimidate and interfere with employees working at the centers.

If convicted, the defendants each face up to 12 years in prison.

For WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.