Tornado updates: At least 21 dead, dozens injured across 6 states

Heather Paul via Getty Images

(ARKANSAS) — At least 18 people are dead across six states and dozens have been hospitalized after a tornado outbreak moved through the Midwest and South on Friday night, according to local officials and The Associated Press.

Dozens of tornadoes were reported across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, but the exact number of confirmed tornadoes has yet to be verified. More than 28 million people across the South and Midwest were under a tornado watch going into Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Of the 18 people who have died, five were in Arkansas, three died in Indiana, one died in Illinois, one died in Alabama and one died in Mississippi, local officials told ABC News. Adamsville, Tennessee, Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press that seven people have died in McNairy County.

There were 57 tornado reports across a huge area spanning seven states over the past 24 hours. The number of tornado reports continues to rise as of Saturday morning, as the storm threat is ongoing.

Arkansas

At least one person died and more than 50 people across Pulaski County, Arkansas, have been hospitalized, with that number expected to rise, Madeline Roberts, a spokeswoman for the county’s emergency management agency, told ABC News. She did not have information on the conditions of those who have been injured.

Four people have been pronounced dead in the northeastern Arkansas city of Wynne, which took a direct hit from a tornado. Miles Kimble, the coroner of neighboring St. Francis County, who was assisting in Wynne, confirmed the death toll to ABC News.

A tornado emergency had been issued for metro Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday afternoon, due to the threat of a damaging tornado and quarter-sized hail.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said 24 people have been hospitalized, and that he’s “not aware of any fatalities in Little Rock at this time.”

“Property damage is extensive and we are still responding,” he tweeted.

According to Scott, 2,100 residents were impacted in western and southern Little Rock and between 27,000 to 30,000 homes are without power on Saturday.

“Many folks have been displaced and looking for a shelter. We’re working towards that, again, if someone’s in need of shelter, we’re asking you to go to Hall High School,” Scott said.

Capt. Jacob Lear-Sadowsky with the Little Rock Fire Department told ABC News earlier that there were a “significant” number of injuries from the storm.

One hospital in the area told ABC News that it’s on standby for a potential “influx of patients” but didn’t have a number of those admitted yet.

Damage is centered in West Little Rock, where “multiple structures,” both commercial and residential, have been destroyed, Lear-Sadowsky said. Power lines and trees are also downed and cars have been flipped over due to the storm.

The city of Little Rock urged on Twitter that residents should “remain in their homes” so emergency personnel can get to work.

As the powerful supercell moved eastward, a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” was located around 5:13 p.m. local time near Earle, Arkansas, west of Memphis, the NWS said, calling it a “life-threatening situation.” A “catastrophic” tornado also moved through the metro area of Little Rock, Arkansas, the NWS confirmed.

Significant damage is being reported in nearby Wynne, Arkansas, located roughly 50 miles west of Memphis. The city’s mayor, Jennifer Hobbs, told ABC News they have experienced “major damage” and that she believes people are trapped but could not estimate a number.

“We’re still trying to get crews out and make sure we don’t have people trapped and continue to assess the damage,” Hobbs said, adding that the tornado split the city of more than 8,000 people in half.

“We had no idea that it would be this much damage that we’re seeing right now at this point,” Latricia Woodruff, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, told ABC News Live Prime on Friday about the tornado activity in the state. “There’s a lot of homes that have been damaged, other structures. We heard about a fire station here in Little Rock that had some damage to it, as well.”

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency due to Friday’s severe weather and activated the National Guard to assist state and local law enforcement. She said there was “significant damage” in central Arkansas due to the storm.

“Arkansans must continue to stay weather aware as storms are continuing to move through,” Sanders tweeted.

Sanders spoke with President Joe Biden on Saturday, saying Biden and Homeland Security have “offered a tremendous amount of support.”

“Anything that Arkansas needs, they have assured us that those resources will be here and on the ground,” she said during a press conference Saturday.

1 dead after roof of Illinois theater collapses

In Illinois, a 50-year-old man died after a roof collapse at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, officials said, and at least 28 more were transported to the hospital.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle could not immediately confirm the cause of the roof’s collapse but said officials were notified by the National Weather Service of a tornado warning at 7:45 p.m. local time. The roof collapsed about 10 minutes later, he said.

The tornado emergencies come as rare high-risk tornado warnings were issued Friday for parts of six states — Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee — as a major storm leaves millions in the Heartland at risk for severe weather, including potentially violent, long-track tornadoes.

In Crawford County, three people died after a residential structure they were in collapsed, a state official told ABC News.

Bidens visited Rolling Fork, Mississippi, hit by storms last weekend

Among those at risk for tornadoes was an area that was hit by deadly storms last weekend. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited one of those locations — Rolling Fork, Mississippi — on Friday.

“Jill and I are here to show our support,” Biden said during remarks in the town on Friday, standing amid the destruction. “I know there’s a lot of pain and it’s hard to believe in a moment like this, this community’s going to be rebuilt, and rebuilt back better than it was before.”

Nearly two dozen people were killed in the storms.

Indiana: Sullivan ‘like a war zone’
The mayor of Sullivan, Indiana, said midday Saturday that about 200 structures in Sullivan County were severely damaged, calling it “mass devastation,” as search-and-rescue efforts were ongoing after Friday’s severe weather.

“What this looks like, is a war zone,” Mayor Clint Lamb said during a press briefing.

An area south of the county seat of about 4,000 “is essentially unrecognizable right now,” Lamb said earlier.

Saturday forecast as storm system moves into Northeast

The storm system moves into the Northeast on Saturday with some severe weather possible for Pennsylvania and upstate New York and even northern New Jersey.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York until 6 p.m. ET for nearly 10 million people, with damaging winds up to 70 mph being the biggest threat. Large hail up to 1.5 inches and an isolated tornado are also possible, according to meteorologists.

The wind threat was upgraded for Saturday into the evening, with all New York City boroughs, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at an enhanced risk for damaging wind.

There is a wintry part to the storm, with blizzard warnings issued for South Dakota and Minnesota, where more than half a foot of snow and 45 mph wind gusts are possible. Whiteout conditions are expected.  A winter storm warning stretches from Nebraska to Minneapolis and into Wisconsin and Michigan, where more than a foot of snow is possible.

ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Jianna Cousin, Matt Foster, Robinson Perez and Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tornadoes by the numbers: Damage reported across 9 states

Heather Paul via Getty Images

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the U.S. on Friday.

At least 23 people were killed in the South and Midwest on Friday and one person was confirmed dead in Delaware on Saturday as the powerful storm pattern moved to the Northeast.

Damage assessment is still underway, and it’s unclear exactly how many tornadoes have been confirmed yet. But here’s a look at the extent of the storms so far.

Tornado damage reported in in 9 states

Dozens of locations in 9 states have reported tornado damage since Friday afternoon, according to meteorologists. The number of reported locations continued to increase Saturday amid an ongoing tornado threat.

The National Weather Service will be conducting storm surveys Saturday to investigate the damage and give a more definitive number of confirmed tornadoes.

EF3 in Little Rock

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a confirmed “catastrophic” tornado moved through the city Friday afternoon, the NWS said. Based on preliminary information, the city was hit by an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph and a path length spanning 20-25 miles, according to the NWS in Little Rock.

24 fatalities

At least 24 people in seven states have been confirmed dead following Friday’s powerful storms, per state and local officials:

  • Tennessee: 7 (McNairy County), Adamsville Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press
  • Arkansas: 5 (4 in Wynne, 1 in North Little Rock), state officials said
  • Illinois: 5 (1 in Belvidere, 3 in Crawford County), according to Boone County and state officials
  • Indiana: 5 (Sullivan County and Owen County), according to the Sullivan County coroner and Indiana Department of Natural Resources
  • Alabama: 1 (Madison County), the Madison County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News
  • Mississippi: 1 (Pontotoc County), Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said
  • Delaware: 1 (Sussex County), the Delaware State Police said

More than 730,000 customers without power

Severe weather was in the forecast Saturday, with damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible for parts of the Northeast.

As of approximately 4:46 p.m. ET, more than 730,000 customers in five states were experiencing power outages in the U.S. The states with the most outages were:

  • Pennsylvania: 258,919
  • Ohio: 248,079
  • Tennessee: 105,417
  • West Virginia: 64,343
  • Kentucky: 55,209

ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tornadoes by the numbers: Dozens reported across 7 states

Heather Paul via Getty Images

(TENNESSEE) — A powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the South and Midwest on Friday.

Damage assessment is still underway, and it’s unclear exactly how many tornadoes have been confirmed so far. But here’s a look at the extent of the storms so far.

57 tornado reported in 7 states

There were at least 57 tornado reports across a large area spanning seven states over the past 24 hours, as of Saturday morning, according to meteorologists. The number of tornado reports continued to increase Saturday morning amid an ongoing tornado threat.

The National Weather Service will be conducting storm surveys Saturday to investigate the damage and give a more definitive number of confirmed tornadoes.

Several violent long-track tornadoes caused significant damage, notably in Arkansas, as a confirmed “catastrophic” tornado tore through northwest Little Rock, according to the NWS.

18 fatalities

At least 18 people in six states have been confirmed dead following Friday’s powerful storms, per state and local officials:

  • Tennessee: 7 (McNairy County), Adamsville Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press
  • Arkansas: 5 (4 in Wynne, 1 in North Little Rock)
  • Indiana: 3 (Sullivan County)
  • Illinois: 1 (Belvidere)
  • Alabama: 1 (Madison County)
  • Mississippi: 1 (Pontotoc County)

Nearly 400,000 customers without power

Severe weather was in the forecast Saturday, with damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible for parts of the Northeast.

As of approximately 1:37 p.m. ET, nearly 400,000 customers in five states were experiencing power outages in the U.S. The states with the most outages were:

  • Ohio: 200,849
  • Indiana: 59,817
  • Minnesota: 51,963
  • Arkansas: 41,915
  • Kentucky: 41,245

ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tornado updates: At least 18 dead, dozens injured across 6 states

Heather Paul via Getty Images

(ARKANSAS) — At least 18 people are dead across six states and dozens have been hospitalized after a tornado outbreak moved through the Midwest and South on Friday night, according to local officials and The Associated Press.

Dozens of tornadoes were reported across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, but the exact number of confirmed tornadoes has yet to be verified. More than 28 million people across the South and Midwest were under a tornado watch going into Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Of the 18 people who have died, five were in Arkansas, three died in Indiana, one died in Illinois, one died in Alabama and one died in Mississippi, local officials told ABC News. Adamsville, Tennessee, Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press that seven people have died in McNairy County.

There were 57 tornado reports across a huge area spanning seven states over the past 24 hours. The number of tornado reports continues to rise as of Saturday morning, as the storm threat is ongoing.

Arkansas

At least one person died and more than 50 people across Pulaski County, Arkansas, have been hospitalized, with that number expected to rise, Madeline Roberts, a spokeswoman for the county’s emergency management agency, told ABC News. She did not have information on the conditions of those who have been injured.

Four people have been pronounced dead in the northeastern Arkansas city of Wynne, which took a direct hit from a tornado. Miles Kimble, the coroner of neighboring St. Francis County, who was assisting in Wynne, confirmed the death toll to ABC News.

A tornado emergency had been issued for metro Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday afternoon, due to the threat of a damaging tornado and quarter-sized hail.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said 24 people have been hospitalized, and that he’s “not aware of any fatalities in Little Rock at this time.”

“Property damage is extensive and we are still responding,” he tweeted.

According to Scott, 2,100 residents were impacted in western and southern Little Rock and between 27,000 to 30,000 homes are without power on Saturday.

“Many folks have been displaced and looking for a shelter. We’re working towards that, again, if someone’s in need of shelter, we’re asking you to go to Hall High School,” Scott said.

Capt. Jacob Lear-Sadowsky with the Little Rock Fire Department told ABC News earlier that there were a “significant” number of injuries from the storm.

One hospital in the area told ABC News that it’s on standby for a potential “influx of patients” but didn’t have a number of those admitted yet.

Damage is centered in West Little Rock, where “multiple structures,” both commercial and residential, have been destroyed, Lear-Sadowsky said. Power lines and trees are also downed and cars have been flipped over due to the storm.

The city of Little Rock urged on Twitter that residents should “remain in their homes” so emergency personnel can get to work.

As the powerful supercell moved eastward, a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” was located around 5:13 p.m. local time near Earle, Arkansas, west of Memphis, the NWS said, calling it a “life-threatening situation.” A “catastrophic” tornado also moved through the metro area of Little Rock, Arkansas, the NWS confirmed.

Significant damage is being reported in nearby Wynne, Arkansas, located roughly 50 miles west of Memphis. The city’s mayor, Jennifer Hobbs, told ABC News they have experienced “major damage” and that she believes people are trapped but could not estimate a number.

“We’re still trying to get crews out and make sure we don’t have people trapped and continue to assess the damage,” Hobbs said, adding that the tornado split the city of more than 8,000 people in half.

“We had no idea that it would be this much damage that we’re seeing right now at this point,” Latricia Woodruff, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, told ABC News Live Prime on Friday about the tornado activity in the state. “There’s a lot of homes that have been damaged, other structures. We heard about a fire station here in Little Rock that had some damage to it, as well.”

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency due to Friday’s severe weather and activated the National Guard to assist state and local law enforcement. She said there was “significant damage” in central Arkansas due to the storm.

“Arkansans must continue to stay weather aware as storms are continuing to move through,” Sanders tweeted.

Sanders spoke with President Joe Biden on Saturday, saying Biden and Homeland Security have “offered a tremendous amount of support.”

“Anything that Arkansas needs, they have assured us that those resources will be here and on the ground,” she said during a press conference Saturday.

1 dead after roof of Illinois theater collapses

In Illinois, a 50-year-old man died after a roof collapse at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, officials said, and at least 28 more were transported to the hospital.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle could not immediately confirm the cause of the roof’s collapse but said officials were notified by the National Weather Service of a tornado warning at 7:45 p.m. local time. The roof collapsed about 10 minutes later, he said.

The tornado emergencies come as rare high-risk tornado warnings were issued Friday for parts of six states — Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee — as a major storm leaves millions in the Heartland at risk for severe weather, including potentially violent, long-track tornadoes.

Bidens visited Rolling Fork, Mississippi, hit by storms last weekend

Among those at risk for tornadoes was an area that was hit by deadly storms last weekend. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited one of those locations — Rolling Fork, Mississippi — on Friday.

“Jill and I are here to show our support,” Biden said during remarks in the town on Friday, standing amid the destruction. “I know there’s a lot of pain and it’s hard to believe in a moment like this, this community’s going to be rebuilt, and rebuilt back better than it was before.”

Nearly two dozen people were killed in the storms.

Saturday forecast as storm system moves into Northeast

The storm system moves into the Northeast on Saturday with some severe weather possible for Pennsylvania and upstate New York and even northern New Jersey.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York until 6 p.m. ET for nearly 10 million people, with damaging winds up to 70 mph being the biggest threat. Large hail up to 1.5 inches and an isolated tornado are also possible, according to meteorologists.

The wind threat was upgraded for Saturday into the evening, with all New York City boroughs, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at an enhanced risk for damaging wind.

There is a wintry part to the storm, with blizzard warnings issued for South Dakota and Minnesota, where more than half a foot of snow and 45 mph wind gusts are possible. Whiteout conditions are expected.  A winter storm warning stretches from Nebraska to Minneapolis and into Wisconsin and Michigan, where more than a foot of snow is possible.

ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Jianna Cousin, Matt Foster, Robinson Perez and Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Twenty-four new wildfires burn in north Texas as heat continues

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(COLLEGE STATION, Texas) — An evacuation order has been lifted after authorities responded to 24 new wildfires that burned 7,774 acres in north Texas on Tuesday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Services.

Officials say that hot temperatures, winds and drought conditions will continue the threat of fires in the area.

The evacuation was issued in response to the Chalk Mountain Fire, which spread from Somervell County into Hood County on Tuesday.

The Hood County judge issued a mandatory evacuation in the area of Hutchinson, Coleman Ranch Road, Rock Church Highway and Nocal in Tolar around 7:45 p.m. before the evacuation was lifted around two hours later.

The Chalk Mountain Fire burned 6,000 acres, destroyed at least 12 structures and was 10% contained as of Wednesday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

As of Wednesday morning, the service was not able to confirm how many of the affected structures were homes.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for northern Texas and southern Oklahoma as gusty winds near 30 miles per hour, combined with extremely dry vegetation — which can fuel fires — and dangerous heat nearing 110 degrees threaten the area on Wednesday.

The Texas A&M Forest Service also responded to a fire about 70 miles west of Fort Worth, where a fire at Possum Kingdom Lake reached 500 acres burned and 10% containment as of Tuesday night.

At least five homes have been burned from the fire, the service said.

The service said they are using bulldozers to dig containment lines around the fires and aircraft to drop water on the growing flames.

As of Wednesday morning, no injuries have been reported at either fire.

According to the Texas A&M Fire Service, 214 counties are under burn bans on Wednesday, meaning that individuals in those counties are prohibiting from any outdoor burning until further notice.

The East County Fire in Kaufman County is currently at 500 acres burned and 40% containment.

A number of large fires have reached 80 to 90% containment, including the West Bend Fire that has burned 6,522 acres and the Nethery Road Fire that has burned 3,262 acres.

In addition to the North Texas fires that continue to burn, the service said that the risk for significant fires is spreading to east Texas.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What will be “normal” in the “new, new normal?” Mental health expert weighs in

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With the COVID-19 pandemic easing in this country, and life slowly returning to normal, what exactly will that mean? ABC Audio spoke with Amanda Fialk [FALK], PhD, chief of clinical services at the treatment community The Dorm, about what to expect. 

Long story short, we’ve all experienced trauma, Dr. Fialk says, but how we process it will be different.

“It will be interesting to see what normal looks like and feels like,” Dr. Fialk says. “I think ‘normal’ is a relative concept, especially for people who struggle with mental illness. You know, I think returning to a pre-COVID type world, it doesn’t necessarily feel as exciting to people who maybe don’t struggle with mental illness.”

She explains, “People lost jobs, people lost loved ones, people were unable to participate in milestones, they stopped going to school, there’s a lot of loss and a lot of grief. And you don’t just process grief overnight.”

Dr. Fialk continues, “It’s not just gone because the imminent danger is no longer there. The lasting effects of the trauma linger…even when the outside environment is seemingly safe again.”

She explains, “You can almost compare it to…when people are…fighting in a war and the war is over. They’ve survived, they’re safe, they get to come home to their families. You would think that there’s just a ton of excitement and joy…and there might be that. But in addition to that, there’s also anxiety and fear involved in the re-entry.”  

Dr. Fialk added, “Reintegration anxiety is normal! For many it will take time to adjust. Returning to ‘normal’ life is…a journey, not a destination.” 

She suggests, “Rather than being critical or harsh or judgmental with self, be gentle and compassionate with oneself and one’s feelings.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Republicans to block creation of January 6 investigation commission

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The effort to create a commission to look into the events of the January 6 seige of the U.S. Capitol will face its first major test when it heads to the Senate, where it faces stiff opposition from Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his opposition and aims to unite Republicans against approving the commission.

“I do not believe the additional, extraneous commission that Democratic leaders want would uncover crucial new facts, or promote healing. Frankly, I do not believe it is even designed to do that,” said McConnell.

Several rank-and-file Republicans echoed sentiments made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who says the commission will become politicized and claim Democrats will delay the finding to make political hay.

Democrats argue Republicans are afraid of what the commission might find, saying the GOP is too beholden to former President Donald Trump, who is accused of inciting the insurrection over pushing myths about the 2020 election.

It has been proven through various audits, investigations and hand-counted ballot recounts that the election was not, quote, “stolen.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted his political counterparts, saying, “We need an independent, trusted, bipartisan commission now more than ever. It is critically important to establish a trusted record of events and begin to restore faith in our democracy.”

The commission aims to appoint a 10-member outside panel to look into how the January 6 riot started and the events that took place after protestors took the Capitol.  The bipartisan commission would share subpoena power with an equal number of staff for each side.

10 Republican senators would need to break from their ranks to approve the commission, but it is uncertain if that will happen.

In anticipation of the vote, Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, as well as other Capitol Police officers met with Republican leaders in hope to change their minds and have them support the measure.

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Survey shows Americans nervous about their driving skills after all that locking down

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While few can argue that ending COVID-19 pandemic restrictions isn’t a good thing, all that staying at home has apparently taken a toll on our driving skills. 

Thirty-seven percent of the respondents in a new survey admit they’ve entirely forgotten how to drive.

The non-scientific poll of 2,000 Americans commissioned by Nextbase Dash Cams revealed that 47% say they haven’t driven more than 50 miles per month since the pandemic began. As a result, 35% say their driving skills aren’t what they used to be pre-COVID, and 39% say they’re more nervous driving now than they ever have been. Thirty-four percent said they’d like to re-take driver’s ed  to get more comfortable behind the wheel.

For those who have ventured out on the road, 53% of respondents said the highways and byways have been a “free-for-all” post-lockdown, as people got used to driving — and not following the rules — when there were fewer cars on the road. 

As a result, 46% of respondents say they’ve become increasingly annoyed at other drivers: 33% say they’re using their horns more than ever; 25% say they’ve flashed their lights at annoying motorists; and 21% have even yelled out the window at other drivers. Fifteen percent admit they’ve cut off other drivers to express their discontent.

Nexbase director Richard Browning explains, “[W]e’ve seen a significant increase in shared consumer dash cam video vividly documenting incidents of dangerous driving and road rage.”

Considering this, it’s no surprise that 39% of respondents said they’re more anxious about driving now than ever.

All of this is especially bad considering 62% of those surveyed said they plan to take a road trip of 100 miles or more this summer.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today’s In Crisis headlines

(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:

Senate to consider January 6 attacks commission; Republicans opposing measure
Senate Republicans are poised to quash an effort today to establish a bipartisan, independent commission to study the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol that that left five people dead.  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his opposition last week, along with his House GOP counterpart, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, ahead of the House vote that approved the measure, with 35 Republicans joining Democrats.  McConnell called the commission “a purely political exercise that adds nothing to the sum total of information,” and noted that there is already an ongoing joint investigation into the attacks by the Senate Rules and Homeland Security committees, which are expected to produce a report in early June.  Democrats counter that the real reason Republicans are opposed is because they’re beholden to former President Donald Trump, who was impeached for inciting the mob that ransacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election and who continues to claim, falsely, that the election was stolen. 

The mother of Brian Sicknick, the officer who died after the Capitol insurrection, and Sicknick’s partner, Sandra Garza, are scheduled to meet today with a number of GOP senators, including Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, with the intention of pressing Republicans to vote in favor of the independent commission.

Nine dead in San Jose mass shooting Wednesday
Nine people were shot to death at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard in San Jose, California, on Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.  One victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.  The suspect, identified as 57-year-old VTA employee Samuel Cassidy, also is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sheriff’s spokesperson Russell Davis said.  Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said Thursday morning that two semiautomatic handguns and 11 magazines with ammunition were found in the area Cassidy where took his life at the rail yard.

An angry and emotional Governor Gavin Newsom, noting he visited the region after a mass shooting in Gilroy two years ago, declared Wednesday, “It begs the damn question what the hell is going on in United States of America?  What the hell’s wrong with us?”  A White House proclamation directs that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff at the White House, and all public buildings and military and naval posts, to respect the shooting victims.  The incident brings to 232 the number of mass shootings in the U.S. this year.

New unemployment claims fall to pandemic low number
Some 406,000 new claims for unemployment were filed in the week ending May 15, according to Thursday-morning numbers released by the Department of Labor.  This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020, when it was 256,000, and also is a decrease of 38,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 444,000 new claims.  The numbers are another sign the job market is healing as the pandemic wanes.  There are currently 15,802,126 Americans collecting unemployment benefits from all state and federal programs.   

COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.

Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 168,471,416
Global deaths: 3,500,001.  The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 591,957.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192

Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 33,191,164 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.  This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 591,957.  California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 63,017.
U.S. total people tested: 461,869,272

The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,781,120 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million.  This ranks third in the world after England, which has 3,902,160 cases, and Maharashtra, India, which leads the world with 5,650,907 reported cases.  Texas is second in the U.S., with 2,949,009 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.

Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 359,849,035 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S.  Of those, 289,212,304 doses have been administered, with 165,074,907 people receiving at least one dose and 131,850,089 people fully vaccinated, representing 49.7% and 39.7% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each require two doses to be effective.  The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose to be effective.

Now 3.5 million global COVID-19 deaths as infection rates decline; US vaccinations also declining
Yet another grim pandemic milestone has been crossed, with 3.5 million global COVID-19 deaths now reported.  Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University puts the number of fatalities at 3,500,001 as of Thursday morning.  The United States accounts for 17% of global deaths, with 591,957 reported.  That remains more than any other nation, though it’s suspected that India could be significantly underreporting its coronavirus fatalities, which currently officially number 315,235 but could be more than double that figure.  Even given those daunting numbers, the World Health Organization reports that for the week of May 17-23, there were over 4.1 million new COVID cases and 84,000 new deaths reported worldwide, a 14% and 2% decrease, respectively, when compared to the figures reported the previous week. 

In the U.S., where COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline rapidly, so too is the vaccination rate falling.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the seven-day average of vaccine doses administered has now dropped to just over 1.7 million doses a day — down by nearly 50% in the last six weeks.  Just over 50% of the U.S. adult population is fully vaccinated, with nearly one in four of all Americans fully vaccinated, at 39.7%.  People aged 65 and older are the most-vaccinated U.S. demographic, with the CDC reporting 74.1% are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  States and businesses continue to offer perks and other incentives to promote continued immunization.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

President Biden orders further probe into COVID-19 origins

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — With researchers across the globe trying to accurately pinpoint the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden ordered Wednesday for U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” in pinpointing how the virus passed onto humans.

In addition, the president wants U.S. agencies to ask “specific questions for China.”

President Biden noted a report researching if the pandemic was cased by human contact with an infected animal or from a lab incident in China provided inconclusive results.  Because of that, he has ordered a second report to be completed in 90 days to “bring us closer to a definitive conclusion.”

In a public statement, the president said, “As of today, the U.S. Intelligence Community has ‘coalesced around two likely scenarios’ but has not reached a definitive conclusion on this question.”

“Here is their current position: ‘while two elements in the IC leans toward the former scenario and one leans more toward the latter – each with low or moderate confidence – the majority of elements do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other,” he added.

The theory that the virus was created in the the Wuhan Institute of Virology and somehow escaped is a popular theory among Republicans, as it was pressed by former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

President Biden’s order joins the growing global dissatisfaction with how the World Health Organization and China are conducting research to identify the virus’ origin.

COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said of the renewed push, “”We need to get to the bottom of this, and we need a completely transparent process from China. We need the WHO to assist in that matter. We don’t feel like we have that now.” 

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