Lil Nas X says he already knows where he’ll take his music after dropping his debut studio album, Montero.
Taking to Twitter recently, the “Industry Baby” rapper remained tight-lipped about when fans can expect to hold a physical copy of his debut effort in their hands, but did admit he’s already mapped out his next music era.
“After i drop the album i will be finish[ed] with my gay era and returning to my cowboy era,” the 22-year-old teased.
The “cowboy era” that Nas referenced is most likely a nod to his RIAA-certified 14x Platinum hit “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus, which became the longest-running number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He released two subsequent tracks, “Panini” and “Rodeo,” that are also considered part of his “cowboy era.”
However, fans were quick to point out this could be the rapper’s way of trolling those who say his new music is not up to par with his older work.
The declaration comes as Nas hit a new milestone in his music career. His new single, “Industry Baby,” officially surpassed over 100 million streams on Spotify. In addition, he replaced DaBaby as the streaming service’s most listened-to male rapper. Nas boasts 52 million monthly listeners, while DaBaby, who previously dethroned Drake, has 51 million.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 617,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.3 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 58.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Aug 11, 8:31 am
TSA sees its lowest checkpoint numbers in nearly 2 months
As COVID-19 surges, the Transportation Security Administration screened 1,727,075 travelers across the U.S. on Tuesday — the lowest number since June 15.
Aug 11, 3:25 am
Texas county will sue over state’s mask mandate ban
The largest county in Texas is set to file a lawsuit challenging the governor’s mask mandate ban.
The commissioner’s court of Harris County, which encompasses the city of Houston, had the county attorney file a lawsuit challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that prohibits local governments in the state from requiring masks, ABC’s Houston station KTRK reported.
“First responders and school leaders are speaking out and standing up as Delta ravages our community. We have their back,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote on Twitter. “Protecting the community during an emergency is a duty, not an option for government leaders.”
“It’s the job of local officials to protect our students, our vulnerable, our neighbors,” said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. “But [Abbott] has banned us from doing so during a pandemic. Tonight Commissioners Court authorized my office to take legal action against the governor’s overreach. Enough is enough.”
Aug 10, 8:51 pm
Hawaii reinstates capacity restrictions amid COVID-19 spike
Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced new capacity restrictions on businesses and limits on social gatherings Tuesday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Effective immediately, bars, restaurants and gyms are limited to 50% capacity. Additionally, social gatherings are limited to 25 people outdoors and 10 people indoors.
COVID-19 case counts doubled every seven to 10 days in July, and there have been record daily highs of over 600 cases in recent days, Ige said. Hospitalizations have also increased from 48 a month ago to 219 currently.
“We need to take action, and we need to take action now,” Ige said during a press briefing.
Aug 10, 7:43 pm
CDC advisory panel to discuss vaccine boosters on Friday
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is expected to meet later this week to discuss the possibility of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people who are severely immunocompromised.
The meeting of the CDC’s ACIP panel — scheduled for Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — will be closely watched as the nation awaits a decision by federal regulators on whether to authorize a booster shot for certain vulnerable groups.
If the Food and Drug Administration greenlights boosters, the ACIP panel would have to make its own recommendation on who should get the shot and what factors they might want to consider. Those recommendations are typically adopted by the CDC as nationwide public health guidance.
During a meeting last month, ACIP members agreed an extra shot probably does help protect immunocompromised people but that more research was needed*.*
Aug 10, 5:08 pm
At least 1 million people got unauthorized third booster shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 1 million people who have received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have gone back for an unauthorized third booster shot.
Florida is among the states reporting the highest number of people opting for a booster shot, followed by Ohio, California, Illinois and Tennessee.
The estimated 1.1 million, included in an internal CDC briefing document reviewed by ABC News, likely is an undercount because although it counts Moderna and Pfizer shot recipients it ignores people who may have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and got another shot.
It’s also unclear whether people who received a third shot did so under the direction of a doctor. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t authorized a third shot to boost immunity, although there are reports of some physicians encouraging severely immunocompromised patients to do so.
Boosters for the immunocompromised may be recommended by the FDA within weeks.
Aug 10, 3:23 pm
Hospitalizations among vaccinated on the rise
The proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people has risen sharply since spring, coinciding with the sudden rise of the delta variant, according to the CDC’s internal briefing slides reviewed by ABC News.
The finding doesn’t mean the vaccines aren’t working. People are still considerably less likely to wind up in the hospital or die if they are vaccinated, health officials have said.
The reality of more breakthrough cases also could be tied to the larger number of Americans getting vaccinated. While breakthrough cases remain relatively uncommon, the more people in the U.S. who are vaccinated increases the chances for breakthrough cases to be counted.
According to the CDC, vaccinated individuals who end up hospitalized tend to be elderly, medically vulnerable or live in long-term care facilities. They also are more likely to be asymptomatic and are hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19.
On July 17, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky estimated that 97% of hospitalizations were occurring among people who weren’t immunized.
Aug 10, 2:17 pm
Fauci says he supports vaccine mandates for teachers
Dr. Anthony Fauci supports a mask mandate for teachers, he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday.
“We are in a critical situation here. We’ve had 600,000+ deaths and we are in a major surge now as we’re going into the fall,” Fauci said. “I know people must like to have their individual freedom and not be told to do something, but I think we’re in such a serious situation now that, under certain circumstances, mandates should be done.”
Fauci said it’s only a matter of time until the FDA approves the vaccine and people shouldn’t use that as a reason to delay getting the shot.
“There’s no doubt that these vaccines are going to get fully approved,” he said. “You should consider this as good as fully approved and get vaccinated.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers of ongoing scams related to the child tax credit — with some landing directly in Americans’ email or smartphone.
“Right now we’re seeing scammers trying to take advantage of the American public by attempting to gain information — using phone calls, emails, text messages, through social media — all attempting to target families eligible for this credit,” Jim Lee, chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division told ABC News.
The IRS said families who qualify for the child tax credit, which was expanded as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, would receive monthly payments without taking any further action. Initial eligibility was based on 2019 or 2020 tax returns.
“For tax year 2021, the child tax credit is increased from $2,000 per qualifying child to: $3,600 for children ages 5 and under at the end of 2021; and $3,000 for children ages 6 through 17 at the end of 2021,” according to the IRS.
But several scam e-mails and text messages obtained by ABC News, show what appear to be official documents.
“Economic Impact Payments Status Available Jul 26,” one scam e-mail reads and appears to be written on official letterhead.
Lee said that they are seeing scammers send “thousands of text messages and e-mails every day, hoping that they’ll get people to respond and fall prey to their scam.”
“Once you click on that link, you know, it usually directs you to a fake IRS website where then you’re prompted to enter all of your personal information to claim this child tax credit. And just like that, scammers have all your information,” he said.
In another example, a scam text message purports to be from the secretary of the treasury and asks the recipient to complete an “eligibility form.”
Lee said the IRS never sends emails or text messages requesting them to fill out a form with personal information on it.
In addition to e-mails and text messages, Lee said they are also seeing scammers call people directly and in some cases threaten them with arrest if they don’t pay up.
“The IRS doesn’t leave prerecorded or urgent threatening messages or make aggressive phone calls warning to individuals about a lawsuit or arrests. These are fake. The IRS is not going to ask you for payment using a gift card or wire transfer or painting via a cryptocurrency. It’s another sign of a scheme. And the IRS is not going to call taxpayers asking them to provide or verify financial information so they can obtain the monthly child tax credit payments,” he explained.
For anyone who thinks they may have received a scam message or is a victim, Lee said to visit the IRS.gov website for more information.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — As of Sunday, there were only six ICU beds open in Austin, 51 in San Antonio and 42 in Houston, critically low numbers for three of the nation’s largest cities, according to the latest state health department data.
In Austin, that number may be even lower due to a lag in ICU availability data reporting. “Yesterday we were down to two ICU beds,” Dr. Desmar Walkes, medical director and health authority of Austin-Travis County, said during a Tuesday press conference.
“What I am seeing during my shifts is just as bad, if not worse, than what I saw last year,” said Dr. Owais Durrani, an emergency medicine physician who works at several freestanding emergency departments and hospitals in East Texas. “Before COVID, sending patients home on oxygen was unheard of. We are now sending patients home on oxygen again due to hospital capacity issues.”
Critical access hospitals and freestanding emergency departments, like the ones Durrani works in, usually aren’t designed or staffed to keep patients for extended time periods. Instead, they rely on transferring patients to other facilities for critical care. But given the lack of available beds across the state, transferring is now nearly impossible, Durrani explained.
“We are having extreme difficulty transferring patients out,” he said. “I have personally transferred patients to other states due to not having any Texas beds.”
Even as cases and hospitalizations soar, Texas’ vaccination rate trails the national average. As of Monday, 53% of residents had received at least one dose, and 45% were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared with 59% of and 50%, respectively, of all Americans.
Durrani said everyone he’s personally admitted for COVID-19 treatment hasn’t been vaccinated, which can lead to worse outcomes even for those who have been.
He shared the story of a patient he treated with an acute medical issue that required surgery. ER physicians are trained to stabilize patients, not perform surgery. During non-pandemic times, that patient’s wait would have been a few hours. Instead, the patient sat in the emergency department for 16 hours because partner hospitals with surgeons were full.
“This patient of mine was vaccinated, not a COVID patient, but due to the pandemic brought on by the unvaccinated they received suboptimal care,” Durrani said.
Despite doctors and health officials across the state sounding the alarm, Gov. Greg Abbott has stood firm against public health mandates that helped drive down cases earlier in the pandemic.
“Going forward, in Texas, there will not be any government-imposed shutdowns or mask mandates,” Gov. Greg Abbott said last week during a speech. “Everyone already knows what to do.”
On Monday, Abbott addressed the hospital capacity shortage in a letter to the Texas Hospital Association.
“Among other strategies, hospitals could voluntarily postpone medical procedures for which delay will not result in loss of life or a deterioration in the patient’s condition,” the governor wrote. “Hospitals could also refer some COVID-19 patients to infusion sites, hereby freeing up hospital beds for more serious cases.”
Seeing hospitals fill up again is taxing on the health care workers, who are tired and fed up after battling COVID for a year and a half.
“This time it’s more anger than frustration,” Durrani said. “We went through this all of last year, and when we got the vaccine we saw a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Schools are opening and the governor has banned school mask mandates,” he said. “Health care workers are tired, infuriated and simply sick of the politicization of science.”
“What has the medical community done wrong?” he asked. “We’re trying to promote health and prevent this from happening, and yet, it seems like there are people who want to take those tools away from us.”
After recently reaching billionaire status, Rihanna has even more to celebrate. Her new perfume, named Fenty Eau De Parfum, has sold out, less than 24 hours after its launch on Tuesday.
To celebrate the impressive achievement, the “Diamonds” singer took to Instagram to share three photos of herself in bed wearing sunglasses and rocking an oversize black hoodie while eating what appears to be caviar.
Rih captioned the post, “how I woke up after #FENTYPARFUM sold out this morning!!!”
The Fenty founder first teased that she would be dropping a fragrance almost two weeks ago, sharing a few black-and-white photos of herself, with the simple caption “#FENTYPARFUM COMING SOON.”
A day prior to the perfume release, Rihanna posted a compilation of interview clips from various celebrities, including Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Jennifer Lawrence and Jim Parsons, all of whom had expressed that the singer smelled good — or in Nas X’s words, “like heaven.”
Fenty Eau De Parfum comes in a simple, yet elegant amber bottle and retails for $120. A restock date has not yet been announced.
(NEW YORK) — When the pandemic began more than a year ago, the country changed overnight. For teens everywhere, there were a lot of unexpected adjustments — schools closed, extracurricular activities were non-existent and friendships were reduced to Zoom hangouts and virtual TikTok challenges.
The uncertainty of when or if school would resume in person, and then the reality that for many teens, an entire school year would be lost to the pandemic triggered feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression, experts said.
“For the extrovert kids who were used to being out and about, the pandemic brought a lot of anxiety and depression because of decreased social interaction,” Dr. Chioma Iheagwara, division chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Belmont Behavioral Health System, told “Good Morning America.”
On the other hand, “some kids who were struggling or being bullied in school started to thrive when removed from the school environment,” Iheagwara said. “Now they might be fearful about going back to school because the bullying could resume. The pandemic has been challenging for all kids, so how to support each teen really depends on where they started.”
5 tips to help support teens’ transition back to in-school environment
1. Re-establish routines and create a sense of normalcy
Creating routines can help minimize anxiety as teens start the school year.
“Normalize life as much as possible within the confines of dealing with the pandemic,” Iheagwara said. “Normalcy right now might be wearing a mask. Doing activities — enjoying life whenever possible, but that’s normalcy.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, re-establishing routines with sleep, family meals and other social activities, while helping teens to take personal responsibility to protect themselves and others can also help.
2. Look out for changes from baseline
Parents should keep an eye out for new eating habits — eating too much or too little — as well as new social habits or increased sensitivity. All of these could be signs of what mental health experts call “maladaptive” coping strategies, which are short-term attempts to reduce negative symptoms, without addressing or resolving those symptoms.
“If you know your child has anxiety, you know they are still going to have some level of anxiety and you prepare for that. But your teen who now looks more anxious, who’s now more isolated or irritable – if there’s a significant shift from the child that you know, something’s going on there and needs to be explored,” Iheagwara said.
3. Make a plan as a family.
With different rules around mask wearing from school to school, it’s important to know what’s happening in your teen’s school or school system.
Have “real honest and earnest conversations about what’s beneficial for you as a family — you might decide that means wearing masks no matter what the local guidelines.” said Iheagwara. “Discuss with your teen what the school expectations are around infection control and then what the household policies will be, including how you want to handle any illnesses that pop up in the family.”
4. Check in.
The pandemic has been a constantly changing and confusing landscape for over a year. It’s important to create safe spaces for teens to feel all the emotions associated with this experience. The first day of school might look very different a week or a month later, so checking in regularly on how a teen is handling the transition back to in-person learning will be important.
Pediatricians say parents can play an important role in setting the tone in the household. Expressing extreme doom or fear can affect your teen, but together, identifying self-care activities and productive ways to process any stress or anxiety can go a long way. “Keeping a normal routine and keeping lines of communication open between parents and teens is the most important thing,” Iheagwara said.
5. Get extra support.
Families should reach out to their pediatrician, or a mental health provider if available.
“School counselors and school behavioral health counselors can also offer support or additional resources – for emergencies, many states have crisis response centers, as an alternative to a traditional hospital emergency departments,” Iheagwara said.
There are also apps and online resources for teens at the ready that can be beneficial.
Companies like Limbix, Akili and Pear Therapeutics have digital products offering support for several adolescent mental health concerns.
(WASHINGTON) — One year after Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., won her historic primary race, the congresswoman and Black Lives Matter activist won a battle waged on the steps of the U.S. Capitol based on her own life experiences.
Bush, a longtime community organizer in Ferguson, Missouri, galvanized a group of Democratic lawmakers in an overnight protest and camped outside the Capitol for five nights to draw attention to federal eviction moratorium and to compel her peers in Congress to understand an experience that for her, hit home.
“I’ve been evicted three times in my life — once following a violent domestic assault in which a former partner left me for dead. I’ve lived out of my car for months with my two babies. I’ve seen my belongings in trash bags along my backseat,” Bush wrote in a CNN op-ed published Aug. 6. “I know what that notice on the door means. Cold from the elements or wondering where I could find a bathroom, I’ve wondered who was speaking up in DC for people in my situation.”
According to a December 2020 study by Princeton University’s The Eviction Lab, eviction filings and eviction rates were significantly higher for Black renters than for white renters, while women — particularly Black and Latino female renters — and faced higher eviction rates than their male counterparts.
The freshman lawmaker was sworn into the 117th Congress in January, along with a record number of women and women of color. Bush was welcomed into the “the squad” — a group of progressive congresswomen of color that includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley — all of whom rallied with Bush in her eviction fight.
Omar, who is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, told ABC News Live last week that her experience as a Somali refugee drove her to speak out.
“I spent the first night with Cori and Ayanna … because we, the three of us, know what it means to be unhoused,” the Minnesota Democrat said. “You know, I obviously fled conflict and was forcefully removed from my home and spent years in a refugee camp, but I know how deeply unsettling it is when you don’t have the comfort of your home.”
According to Nadia Brown, a professor of government and African American studies at Georgetown University, the eviction fight shows why “representation matters” because it highlights diverse experiences and stories that are historically rare on Capitol Hill.
“The optimistic part is, yes, that Congress has more people of color, has more queer people, the number of younger Congress people has increased; people that are first-generation has also increased. But it’s still overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly wealthy … but the reason why we’re paying attention to Ilhan Omar, to Cori Bush, it’s because they’re outliers,” she said.
Brown added that historically the identities of “activist” and “politician” were seen as separate but those identities converge in lawmakers like Bush and Omar who embrace their roots in activism in how they serve their constituents in Congress.
“This is something new,” Brown said. “I had the opportunity to interview Cori Bush back when she was an activist in Ferguson right? And she was very poignant when she shared that she’s filled a vacuum because the current leadership just wasn’t there.”
“People on the street trusted her [to] become this voice for them when elected officials weren’t. So I think it’s not just the tactic, it’s the ethos that’s different,” she added.
Progressive lawmakers like freshmen New York Reps. Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman also participated in the protest on the Hill and as support grew, the group was soon joined by some moderate Democrats.
Ahead of the expiration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium, members of Congress traveled back to their districts for August recess, but Bush — the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress — stayed in the nation’s capital to resume the fight as millions of evictions loomed.
The Biden administration repeatedly argued that it does not have federal authority to extend the CDC eviction moratorium without Congress but as the protest on the Hill continued, pressure from progressive and some moderate Democrats mounted, culminating in an apparent reversal.
President Joe Biden announced on Aug. 3 that the CDC is extending the federal eviction moratorium for an additional 60 days in areas where there is substantial and high transmission of COVID-19, giving tenants an additional lifeline.
Top Democrats directly credited Bush and the colleagues who joined her on the steps of the Capitol for moving the needle by applying pressure on the federal government.
“You did this,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said as he walked out to the steps of the Capitol and embraced Bush and Ocasio-Cortez amid the news.
“I applaud the CDC for imposing an eviction moratorium … I particularly applaud Rep. Cori Bush who understands what it’s like to be evicted and who took her passion and turned it into amazingly effective action,” Schumer said.
Asked about Bush’s role, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the Missouri congresswoman has been “absolutely pivotal in getting real change.”
“She’s one woman who stood up and said, ‘I’m not moving.’ She testified from personal experience and said this is what it’s like to lose your home … and that was enough to capture the attention of a lot of people across this nation and a lot of people in this building and at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue,” Warren said.
Bush gave a nod to her roots as an activist during emotional remarks outside the U.S. Capitol celebrating the development.
“Let’s be clear, activists are in Congress. So expect for things to be different,” Bush said, adding that progressives are “already gearing up” for the next fight in the eviction crisis.
(WASHINGTON) — A nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test will be conducted Wednesday and radios, televisions and certain cellphones will be alerted.
The test, which is being run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET.
The EAS portion of the test, which will occur on radios and televisions, is scheduled to last about one minute, and the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to cellphones, whose users have opted into receiving messages, should only be received once.
“The purpose of the Aug. 11 test is to ensure that the EAS and WEA systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” a FEMA press release said. “Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems helps to assess the operational readiness of alerting infrastructure and to identify any needed technological and administrative improvements.”
The message, according to FEMA, should read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The message will display in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the device, according to the FEMA press release.
Wednesday’s test is the sixth nationwide EAS test, the second WEA test and the first WEA test on a consumer opt-in basis.
“Emergency alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies,” according to FEMA.
According to FEMA, the two government agencies are coordinating with “wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders” to “minimize confusion” and “maximize the public safety value of the test.”
If Wednesday’s test is canceled, a backup testing date is scheduled for Aug. 25.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Houston 5, Colorado 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
LA Angels 6, Toronto 3
Detroit 9, Baltimore 4
Tampa Bay 8, Boston 4
Oakland 4, Cleveland 3
Minnesota 4, Chi White Sox 3
Kansas City 8, N. Yankees 4
Toronto 4, LA Angels 0
Texas 5, Seattle 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 4, Chi Cubs 2
St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 3, Cincinnati 2
LA Dodgers 5, Philadelphia 0
Milwaukee 6, Chi Cubs 3
San Francisco 8, Arizona 7
San Diego 6, Miami 5
Washington at NY Mets (Suspended)
They’re engaged! The Bachelorette star Katie Thurston found her love Monday night with Blake Moynes. He proposed, she said yes, and all was right with the world.
So what’s next? Katie told ABC Audio they have time to figure it all out — even when it comes to deciding where to live.
“This week we’re actually headed to Canada. We’re really going to probably just spend time together, weeks on end in Canada and I’m moving to San Diego. So he’ll come with me for probably a month,” said the 30-year-old Washington native. “And I think we’re just going to, you know, kind of hop around place to place because we have that freedom to do so before we figure out where we want to officially plant some roots.”
So now that the cat’s out of the bag, the relationship is staying in the spotlight, right? Not according to Katie, who thinks that, with Bachelor in Paradise starting up on Monday and Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette to follow, people won’t care about her and Blake for too much longer.
“That’s, I think, what we look forward to the most is kind of being out of the spotlight. We haven’t experienced walking out in public together,” she explained. “So maybe we’re going to experience something different… and show people really what our relationship is like outside of the show.”
As for a post-Bachelorette vacation, Thurston said, “It’s like a little backwards because our vacation is just being in the normal world, that’s what we haven’t been able to do… Go get coffee, go on a road trip together, meet the family, meet the friends [and] the pets.”
“So, it sounds weird, but that is our version of our vacation coming up,” she grinned.
