Hundreds of men across the U.S. are signing up with lawyers to sue the Boy Scouts for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders.
The expected wave of litigation poses a financial threat to the Boy Scouts that could trigger bankruptcy.
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Ray Luna, 56, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Suffering abuse as a scout in the 1970s, he says, "In my head, there's still anger. I struggle with that." (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Hundreds of men across the U.S. are signing up with lawyers to sue the Boy Scouts for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders.
The BSA has repeatedly apologized and says it now has policies to curtail abuse.
Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., and his son Darrell Jackson Jr., are photographed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The elder Jackson was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., poses for a photo in New York's Central Park, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Luna, who describes his current life as "blessed," says he still has psychological scars from abuse suffered as a scout in New York City in the 1970s. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, 56, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Suffering abuse as a scout in the 1970s, he says, "In my head, there's still anger. I struggle with that." (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Even during a 26-year-marriage _which produced five children before ending in divorce _ Luna says he never told his wife about the molestation. He abused drugs and alcohol to keep the bad memories at bay, and underwent years of therapy that finally paid dividends. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
For some of the men, it's an emotional challenge to recall the abuse and the decades of psychological damage that resulted.
Darrell Jackson, 57, of The Bronx, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. He was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
The BSA has repeatedly apologized and says it now has policies to curtail abuse.
Attorney Jason Amala, from Seattle, talks with client Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Jackson is among hundreds of men across the United States who have reached out to lawyers in recent months, seeking help in suing the Boy Scouts of America for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., and his son Darrell Jackson Jr., are photographed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The elder Jackson was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., poses for a photo in New York's Central Park, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Luna, who describes his current life as "blessed," says he still has psychological scars from abuse suffered as a scout in New York City in the 1970s. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, 56, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Suffering abuse as a scout in the 1970s, he says, "In my head, there's still anger. I struggle with that." (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Even during a 26-year-marriage _which produced five children before ending in divorce _ Luna says he never told his wife about the molestation. He abused drugs and alcohol to keep the bad memories at bay, and underwent years of therapy that finally paid dividends. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.
“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.
“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.
The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.
Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”
Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.
Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.
The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.
The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.
In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
