Who You Killed

[Melissa Hassel]

January6, 2019 was the worst day of my life. It was the day I lost my family. And it happened in the most horrific of ways. My sister Rima, my brother-in-law Issam, my two nieces, Isabella and Giselle, and nephew Ali were driving on I-75 through Lexington, Kentucky, from a vacation in Florida, when a wrong-way drunk driver hit their SUV head-on, killing every one of them. Five incredible people; an entire family; MY family; gone in an instant.

A proposal by Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who represents a community not far from the location where my family was killed in a state that has experienced a 21% increase in drunk driving deaths since 2019, would reverse all of the progress toward our goal of preventing other families from experiencing the devastating trauma caused by people who choose to drive while intoxicated.

In an amendment to a funding bill for the U.S. Department of Transportation that will be voted on early next week, Representative Massie seeks to cancel a provision in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directing the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a rule for automakers to integrate impaired driving prevention technology into new vehicles by November 15, 2024. The provision of the law is named the Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate (HALT) Drunk Driving Act in memory of my family.

I am offended and outraged that Congressman Massie would introduce his amendment. I was horrified to watch him mischaracterize the technology and its intent to fellow members of Congress during a hearing on Wednesday night.

Every day in America, 37 people are killed and more than 1,000 people are injured by drunk driving crashes. A growing number of drivers in fatal and serious injury crashes are testing positive for drugs other than alcohol. And over the past few years, drunk driving deaths have skyrocketed from about 10,000 per year to more than 13,000. Impaired driving prevention technology, when fully implemented, would save 10,100 lives a year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in Jordan, while more than 40 other service members were injured following an uncrewed aerial system attack at a military base near the Syrian border. Those service members were in Jordan to support Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the U.S. and coalition mission to ensure the defeat of ISIS.

The three soldiers killed are Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. All three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia.

The attack occurred in the early morning at the logistics support base located at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network. Approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed to the base. The three soldiers were killed when a one-way uncrewed aerial system impacted their container housing units.

"I am outraged and deeply saddened by the deaths of three of our U.S. service members and the wounding of other American troops in an attack last night against U.S. and coalition forces, who were deployed to a site in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement released yesterday following the attack. "These brave Americans and their families are in my prayers, and the entire Department of Defense mourns their loss."

During a briefing at the Pentagon today, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that in addition to the three deaths, more than 40 service members were also injured in the attack. Of those, eight had to be evacuated.

"Eight personnel who received injuries required medical evacuation from Jordan to the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center," she said. "Three of those patients are scheduled for imminent transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for follow-on care. The other five have been assessed for mild TBIs and are expected to return to duty."

"In terms of attribution for the attack, we know this is an [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ]-backed militia," she said. "It has the footprints of Kataib Hezbollah. But not making a final assessment on that, our teams here are continuing to do the analysis. We know that Iran is behind it. And certainly as we've said before ... Iran continues to arm and equip these groups to launch these attacks, and we will certainly hold them responsible."

Over the weekend, Singh said, Austin received updates on the attack and also participated in a briefing with President Joe Biden and his national security team. Since October, U.S. service members and U.S. and coalition facilities have been attacked more than 150 times in both Iraq and Syria. This most recent attack is the first to kill U.S. service members and is also the first attack in Jordan.

Singh reiterated that the U.S. does not seek wider conflict in the Middle East, or wider conflict or a war with Iran. She also said how the U.S. responds to this most recent attack will be decided by the president following consultation with his national security team and the secretary of defense.

"That's ultimately a decision that the president is going to make," Singh said. "He's convened his national security team ... frequently within these past few days. I'm not going to get ahead of any decisions that the president and secretary make on this together. But certainly, as our statement said yesterday, we are committed to responding and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing."

Sgt. William J. Rivers, 46, served in the Army Reserve as an interior electrician. Among his awards and decorations are the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

Spc. Kennedy L. Sanders, 24, served in the Army Reserve as a horizontal construction engineer. Her awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

Furthermore, many Gaza residents have no reliable way to access the map with little access to electricity or the internet since the blockade of the 365sq-km (141sq-mile) strip has resulted in a collapse of telecommunications infrastructure.

As of July 8, more than 100 journalists, mostly Palestinians, have been killed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists, at least 117 Palestinian, three Lebanese and two Israeli journalists have been killed.

About an hour later, fighters crossed into Israel in an unprecedented multipronged operation by land, air and sea. Most fighters entered through breaches in security barriers separating Gaza and Israel.

Shawwa was sheltering with his extended family in Deir Al Balah and had just returned from distributing humanitarian aid at 4:00 pm when the attack happened. He was still wearing his Anera jacket and was killed in the airstrike along with an estimated 30 to 50 others. His wife and two of his children suffered moderate injuries. His youngest son, six-year-old Karim, is in critical condition and needs to be evacuated.

The individuals who were killed in the crash were Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler, and their assistant, Melodi Hodges. The pilot, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa, were also among those who lost their lives, the statement said.

"It is very early in the investigation and not much information (is) available at this time," Keith Holloway, NTSB Media Relations Specialist told USA TODAY. "What I can provide is the NTSB team is expected to be on scene today."

"The aircraft is in a remote location and once they gain access, they will begin documenting the scene, examining the aircraft," Holloway said. "The aircraft will then be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation."

Ahjan Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjan covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at afo...@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

Following Israeli airstrikes on 1 April that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, a senior United Nations official briefing the Security Council urged immediate concerted action to investigate, prosecute and stop such violations of international humanitarian law and to give humanitarian staff unimpeded access to those in need, as delegates raised concern about the imminent famine in the occupied territory.

On 1 April, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City revealed a hospital and many buildings in the surrounding residential area, almost entirely destroyed, he said. The UN and its aid partners only reached the facility today, after repeatedly denied requests, to help triage remaining patients and assess needs on the ground. The same day, the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, who had informed the Israeli army of their movements and had just unloaded more than 100 tons of lifesaving humanitarian supplies, were killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes on their convoy.

In the ensuing discussion, Council members expressed their condolences to the families and loved ones of the humanitarian aid workers who have lost their lives while working in extremely dangerous conditions. They also voiced concern about the risk of famine in Gaza and urged the safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance.

Among speakers who voiced firm opposition to a ground offensive in Rafah were the delegates of France and Switzerland, with the latter warning of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that such a large-scale operation would have. An immediate ceasefire is the only way to ensure that no more civilian lives are lost, he stressed.

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