Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of Russia’s feared Wagner paramilitary group, allegedly said on Saturday that he was halting his force’s advance toward Moscow to avoid bloodshed after a last-minute deal was reportedly brokered to bring the crisis to an end.

The announcement comes after Prigozhin reportedly reached a deal with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the situation from escalating further after Wagner had advanced hundreds of miles over the past 12 hours on its way to Moscow.

The New York Times reported that some experts urged people to remain skeptical about whether Prigozhin had actually ordered his troops to suddenly reverse course. Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, said, “I don’t believe it until I see it.”

Prigozhin allegedly said in an audio message posted to Telegram that he was “turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan.”

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“This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia with the private military company Wagner,” the the Belarusian government claimed in a statement. “The heads of state agreed on joint actions.”

“As a follow-up to the agreements, the President of Belarus, having being additionally informed on the situation through his own channels, and in agreement with the President of Russia, held talks with the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin,” the statement continued. “Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions.”

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Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten will be joining the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, according to a statement from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Weingarten is the president of the American Federation of Teachers, a group that backed strict school shutdowns during the COVID pandemic and overwhelmingly backs Democrat candidates for office. The academic council, made up of 30 individuals, serves an advisory role to DHS on things like school safety and research priorities. 

“Leaders of our academic institutions and campus life have a great deal to offer in helping us counter the evolving and emerging threats to the homeland,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council’s insights into strategic research, innovation, career development, and partnership opportunities for the Department will support our mission to safeguard the American people, and help our country think through and prepare for whatever threats lie ahead.”

Weingarten joins 19 others appointed by Mayorkas, mostly in academic leadership positions like Los Angeles School Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Executive Director Miriam Feldblum. 

Aside from working on school safety issues, the council will also work on “methods to develop career opportunities to support a 21st century DHS workforce,” according to a DHS press release. 

Weingarten’s American Federation of Teachers has been a stalwart backer of President Joe Biden, endorsing him in 2020 and again for re-election in 2024, with Weingarten calling previously calling him “the most pro-union president we’ve ever had.”

She also claimed his age was not a concern to her. “He’s as vibrant a person at his age as most of us are in our 50s and 60s,” she claimed. 

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Many conservatives were quick to criticize the appointment of Weingarten, with Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) saying that she was “the last person who should be advising anyone on school safety.”

“What an insult to every parent who dealt with closed schools,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. 

Text messages recently obtained by the Fairfax Parents Association show Weingarten texting with then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky about keeping school restrictions tight. 

On February 11, 2021, Weingarten texted Walensky saying that she had heard a “leak” from The New York Times about what was in the CDC’s upcoming guidance, and expressed concern that it was “at odds with [their] discussion.”

After complaint from Weingarten, the CDC appeared to change its guidelines, allowing some schools to remain remote longer.