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(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 716,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Oct 12, 11:26 pm
US to lift land-border restrictions on Canada, Mexico with proof of vaccination

The U.S. is moving forward to lift restrictions for foreign travelers coming into the country over land-border crossings as long as they have proof of COVID-19 vaccination, according to multiple senior Biden administration officials.

The news follows a decision about two months ago from Canadian authorities to allow vaccinated American travelers to enter by land. It also follows the announcement last month of a vaccine requirement for foreign air travelers coming into the U.S.

Current air travel requirements also include presenting a negative COVID-19 test while land border requirements remain more restrictive for anyone deemed “nonessential.”

The first stage of the land-border changes is expected in early November, the officials said, when travelers deemed “nonessential” will be able to enter the U.S. with proof of vaccination. Nonessential travel, including recreation, family visits and tourism, was previously restricted at all land-border crossings.

All travelers, both essential and nonessential, will be required to have proof of vaccination starting in early January.

Unlike the requirements for air travel, this new set of restrictions does not have a testing component, the officials said.

Customs and Border Protection will enforce the requirements at U.S. land ports of entry where they will ask about vaccination status and refer travelers to a more thorough inspection on a case-by-case basis.

Oct 12, 6:00 pm
62% of 2020 law enforcement line of duty deaths were from COVID-19: Report

A report issued Tuesday found that 62% of all law enforcement deaths in the line of duty in 2020 were from COVID-19.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund revealed the statistics in a release, announcing its annual candlelight vigil on the National Mall.

Attorney General Merck Garland will lead Thursday’s vigil that will honor 701 law enforcement officers who recently died in the line of duty, including 434 who died in 2019 and 2020, the museum said in a statement.

Oct 12, 5:02 pm
White House to governors: Get ready to start vaccinating kids in November

In a private phone call Tuesday, the White House urged governors to prepare to begin vaccinating elementary-age kids in early November.

Once federal regulators give the green light, the pediatric Pfizer vaccine will be distributed in 100-dose packs. The doses, which are about one-third of what is given to adults, will be sent to thousands of sites, including pediatricians, family doctors, hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies enrolled in a federal program that guarantees the shots are provided for free. Some states are planning to provide the vaccine through schools, as well.

“We’ve secured plenty of supply, and we’ll be putting in place an allocation ordering and distribution system similar to what we’ve used for the other vaccines,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on the call.

The Biden administration has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses, according to an HHS official. That number is more than enough to vaccinate all 28 million 5-to-11-year-olds.

At least 31,000 providers have enrolled to administer free vaccines already, according to the HHS official, and that number is expected to increase as the HHS and CDC continue to work with the existing federal program that funds many other routine childhood vaccinations all over the country.

While the White House said shipments of the pediatric vaccine will begin as soon as the FDA gives the green light, shots wouldn’t happen until the CDC makes its recommendation on who should get the vaccine.

The CDC is drafting guidance on the practice of “test to stay” being used by schools in lieu of quarantines, according to the White House call. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said it’s possible that the guidance is released this week.

Oct 12, 3:32 pm
What to expect at this week’s meetings on Moderna, J&J boosters

On Thursday and Friday, the FDA’s independent advisory panel is set to discuss and vote on whether to authorize Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters for people 18 and older. If approved, the FDA and CDC both still need to sign off. The earliest that could happen is Oct. 22.

An initial and nonbinding vote on the Moderna booster has been scheduled for around 4:45 p.m. ET Thursday. Moderna’s own scientific summary posted on Tuesday argues for a booster shot with a half dose given six months after the second shot.

An initial and nonbinding vote on the J&J booster has been scheduled for around 3:15 p.m. ET. Friday. Johnson & Johnson’s summary posted Tuesday makes the argument for a second shot, same as the first dose, given roughly six months after the single-shot vaccine.

On Friday, the National Institutes of Health will also present data on whether it’s safe and effective to mix-and-match booster doses.

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(LOS ANGELES) — Wildfires wreaking havoc in several West Coast regions are expected to burn throughout the night as dangerous conditions may further increase their spread.

The Alisal Fire in Southern California had exploded to about 13,400 acres Tuesday evening after sparking near the Alisal Reservoir on Monday around 2:30 p.m. It remains just 5% contained and 50 mph gusts were expected in the region overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Strong northwest winds pushed the fire south of the summit, crossing Highway 101 to Tajiguas Beach, according to fire officials. The origin of the blaze is not yet known.

The fire prompted evacuations in Santa Barbara County and the closure of Highway 101 from Las Cruces to Goleta. Closures of the 101, the only major highway in the region, have caused congestion on the nearby State Road 154 and Interstate 5, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Videos posted to social media show thick plumes of smoke hanging over roadways in Gaviota, California, and near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County.

While winds died down Tuesday, red flag warnings remained in effect in Northern California, where wildfires have destroyed dozens of trailers at mobile home parks in Sacramento County and San Joaquin County.

The region remains a tinderbox following decades of drought, exacerbated by climate change.

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(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Two U.S. Postal Service employees are dead after a shooting at a Memphis postal facility, authorities said.

The suspected shooter, who was also a USPS employee, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, FBI Memphis spokesperson Lisa-Anne Culp said during a press briefing Tuesday.

The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon at the East Lamar Carrier Annex, a location that does not have retail customers. Around 2:50 p.m. local time, the Memphis Police Department said it had secured the scene and there was no active threat.

A witness told Memphis ABC affiliate WATN she saw people running away saying shots had been fired.

USPS is working with the FBI, Memphis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the investigation, Postal Inspector Susan Link told reporters.

The USPS and FBI spokespeople did not share any additional information on the shooting, including the identifies of the victims or suspect.

“The Postal Service is saddened at the events that took place today in Memphis,” the USPS said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family members, friends and coworkers of the individuals involved. The Postal Service will be providing resources to all employees at the East Lamar Carrier Annex in the coming days and weeks.”

This is the second high-profile workplace shooting in the Memphis area in recent weeks. Last month, one person was killed and 14 others were injured in a shooting at a Kroger grocery store in Collierville. The suspected gunman, a third-party vendor for Kroger, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

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(NEW YORK) — Scientists have discovered another way modern-day farming techniques are killing off bee populations.

While pesticides have long been blamed for the decline in pollinators, a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Tuesday has found that the mass-flowering of single plant species is increasing the prevalence of bee populations infected with parasites.

Monoculture farming — which involves growing only one type of crop at a time on a specific field — is a common agricultural practice, especially in the U.S., which has about 440 million acres being cultivated for monoculture. But one of the consequences of the practice is that landscapes without much natural habitat can suddenly experience mass-bloom events and have negative impacts on bees, according to the study.

Researchers at the University of Oregon surveyed 1,509 bees in sunflower fields and non-crop flowering habitats in California’s Central Valley, finding that when the crops flowered for a short period of time across a large space, the events can aggregate pollinator species together, which then results in increased rates of bees becoming infected with parasites as they come in contact with each other.

The degraded landscapes are attractive to bees because of the massive amounts of pollen and nectar that bloom at the same time, the researchers said. The mass events have the potential to provide immune and nutritional benefits to the bees, but when the mass blooms peaked is when the bees had higher rates of parasitism, Hamutahl Cohen, a researcher of the at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution and one of the authors of the study, told ABC News.

“We have an incredible amount of biodiversity on this earth,” Cohen said. “And we’re seeing that wildlife is declining, and one of the primary drivers of decline is disease.”

While in many ways the modification of landscapes is necessary to feed a growing population, Cohen described the mass-flowering crops as the “doorknobs of the bee world” as bees go from flower to flower to collect food amid their daily work.

“It’s just the same thing as a human touching a doorknob,” she said. “We all know this, because of the pandemic … if you have a cold and you touch a doorknob, and someone else comes and touches that doorknob, they can get sick.”

Scientists are suggesting that farmers stop the practice of monoculture farming, which are often in “highly degraded areas” such as California’s Central Valley, which has seen an “incredible amount” of habitat loss in the past 100 years, Cohen said.

However, the fate of bees is not doomed, Cohen said. On fields where farmers who heeded the call to implement strips of perennial plants, bee aggregation was less likely to be associated with parasitism due to the increased diversity of flowers.

While Cohen was not surprised to see the enhanced rates of parasitism in bees and monoculture farming systems, she was surprised to find just how effective planting non-crop flowers were for conservation efforts.

“It didn’t just dampen the effect of aggregating these,” she said. “It actually reversed the effects.”

The perennial plants are often selected for characteristics like drought tolerance and suitability for pollinators, Cohen said, adding that there can be “economic hurdles” to changing the landscape to implementing conservation practices.

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(NEW YORK) — A Wyoming coroner on Tuesday said Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger whose remains were recovered in September in a national park, died by strangulation.

Petito’s boyfriend and cross-country traveling companion, Brian Laundrie, has been named by investigators as a person of interest in her death and is the subject of a massive nationwide search being directed by the FBI.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue told reporters Petito’s manner of death was homicide.

Her body was discovered on Sept. 19 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Jackson.

Blue’s announcement comes amidst a nationwide search the FBI is leading for Laundrie, who drew suspicion after returning to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her van, authorities said.

Laundrie’s parents told police they last saw their son on Sept. 13, two days after Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing. Laundrie’s parents told investigators their son may have been headed to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre wildlife preserve near their home.

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(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 714,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

Latest headlines:
-Some states with colder climates begin to see an uptick in infections
-Nets’ Kyrie Irving, who isn’t vaccinated, won’t play until he can be a full participant
-Pediatric infection rates trending down

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Oct 12, 1:59 pm
American Airlines continues with vaccine mandate despite governor’s executive order

Texas-based American Airlines is sticking to its plan to require vaccines for employees under the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate, despite a new executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banning mandates.

American said in a statement, “We are reviewing the executive order issued by Gov. Abbott, but we believe the federal vaccine mandate supersedes any conflicting state laws, and this does not change anything for American.”

On Monday, Abbott issued an executive order banning vaccine mandates “by any entity” in the state. Abbott said, “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced.”

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Oct 12, 12:58 pm
Some states with colder climates begin to see an uptick in infections

While infection rates are plummeting in the South, causing national metrics to fall, some states in colder climates are beginning to see an uptick in cases, despite some impressive vaccination rates.

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNN on Monday,” “You’re starting to see an uptick in cases in the colder parts of the country and as people are driven indoors without masks on.”

These states have seen case rates jump by 20% or more in the last month, according to federal data: Colorado (22%), Idaho (21.6%), New Hampshire (54%), Vermont (42.6%), Montana (82.6%), Michigan (90.9%) and Minnesota (75.9%).

Alaska currently has the country’s highest infection rate, followed by Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho, according to federal data. California currently has the nation’s lowest infection rate.

Death rates remain high with about 1,400 deaths reported each day, according to federal data. But daily COVID-19 related hospital admissions down nationally by 13.4% in the last week.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Oct 12, 11:14 am
Nets’ Kyrie Irving, who isn’t vaccinated, won’t play until he can be a full participant

Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving, who has refused to get vaccinated, won’t “play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant,” General Manager Sean Marks said in a statement Tuesday.

Barclays Center, home to the Nets, requires proof of vaccination for entry.

“We respect his individual right to choose,” Marks said, but “the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.”

“It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice,” Marks said.

Oct 12, 11:07 am
Federal judge sides with NY health care workers who object to vaccine mandate on religious grounds

A federal judge in Utica, New York, sided Tuesday with 17 health care workers who object to the state vaccine mandate for health workers on religious grounds, granting their request for an injunction.

Unlike other judges who have heard similar cases about vaccine mandates, Judge David Hurd concluded “the public interest lies with enforcing the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution and federal anti-discrimination law” and not the wider public health.

The plaintiffs said they hold the sincere religious belief that they “cannot consent to be inoculated … with vaccines that were tested, developed or produced with fetal cell line[s] derived from procured abortions.” According to plaintiffs, the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available violate these sincere religious beliefs “because they all employ fetal cell lines derived from procured abortion in testing, development or production.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky

 

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(TETON COUNTY, Wyo.) — A Wyoming coroner is expected to announce the results of an autopsy Tuesday on Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger whose remains were recovered in September in a national park.

Petito’s boyfriend and cross-country traveling companion, Brian Laundrie, has been named by investigators as a person of interest in her death and is the subject of a massive nationwide search being directed by the FBI.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said in a media alert Monday night that he plans to discuss “the ruling on the autopsy of Gabrielle Petito.”

After Petito’s body was discovered on Sept. 19 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Jackson, Blue said the manner of Petito’s death was a homicide.

Blue’s announcement will come amidst a nationwide search the FBI is leading for Laundrie, who drew suspicion after returning to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her van, authorities said.

Laundrie’s parents told police they last saw their son on Sept. 13, two days after Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing. Laundrie’s parents told investigators their son may have been headed to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre wildlife preserve near their home.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 714,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Oct 12, 9:36 am
Pediatric infection rates trending down

More than 6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Although the weekly case rate remains exceptionally high, the U.S. is reporting about 95,000 fewer child cases now compared to one month ago, according to a weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Even with the decline, last week children still accounted for 24.8% of the week’s cases, the report found.

The South is no longer reporting the highest number pediatric cases and has now been surpassed by the Midwest.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. However, AAP and CHA warned that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

About 43.3% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, according to federal data.

Oct 12, 9:15 am
Fauci: Best way to avoid resurgence is getting more Americans vaccinated

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Monday night that “the best way to assure that decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths [will] continue is to continue to get a lot more people vaccinated.”

“We need the overwhelming proportion of those unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Then we can be quite confident that if we can do that, you will not see a resurgence,” Fauci said.

About 68 million eligible Americans remain completely unvaccinated.

Despite continued pushback, Fauci said that newly implemented vaccine mandates are working.

“Sometimes mandates can help. As sensitive an issue as that is, it is really getting people more vaccinated,” Fauci said.

Oct 11, 6:41 pm
Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates in Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that he issued an executive order that bans vaccine mandates “by any entity” in Texas.

The executive order prohibits entities from issuing a mandate to anyone who “objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.”

“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced,” Abbott said in a statement.

The governor also announced that the issue over vaccine mandates will be addressed in a special session of the state legislature.

As of Monday evening, 72.4% of Texas residents over 12 have received one vaccine dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Texas’s seven-day average for new daily COVID-19 cases is 7,447 as of Oct. 8, according to the CDC.

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(SANTEE, Calif.) — At least two people were killed and two others were hospitalized when a small plane crashed in a neighborhood in Santee, California, near San Diego, on Monday, officials said.

Part of the plane struck the back of a home, city fire officials said. The crash impacted at least two houses, a UPS delivery truck and a fire hydrant, city officials said.

UPS confirmed that one of the deceased victims was one of their employees.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our employee, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We also send our condolences for the other individuals who are involved in this incident, and their families and friends,” Steve Nagata, a UPS spokesman said in a statement.

The FAA said the twin-engine Cessna C340 crashed at 12:14 p.m. local time. It’s not yet clear how many people were on board.

There are at least two burn victims who are believed to be from a home, Santee Fire Chief John Garlow said.

Multiple structures and multiple cars were on fire. The blaze has since been extinguished, officials said.

Residents have been urged to avoid the area.

On Monday night the Yuma Regional Medical Center said a cardiologist affiliated with the hospital is one of the fatalities.

“We are deeply sad to hear news of a plane owned by local cardiologist Dr. Sugata Das which crashed near Santee,” Dr. Bharat Magu, chief medical officer at YRMC, said in a statement. “As an outstanding cardiologist and dedicated family man Dr. Das leaves a lasting legacy. We extend our prayers and support to his family, colleagues and friends during this difficult time.”

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(LOS ANGELES) — Matt Amodio’s “Jeopardy!” winning streak has officially come to an end.

Amodio, 30, lost during the Oct. 11 episode after 38 straight wins, with new champion Jonathan Fisher besting him. In total, Amodio won $1,518,601 across 39 appearances, earning $5,600 in his final episode as reigning champion.

“I always wanted to be a ‘Jeopardy!’ champion, and I accomplished that,” he said in a statement.

“l know going into every bar trivia game that I play that I’m going to come in with a little intimidation factor. But also, I just like the badge that it represents,” Amodio, a fifth-year computer science Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, continued. “As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere.”

Amodio has earned his place in the “Jeopardy!” history books. He holds the No. 2 spot in terms of all-time consecutive wins, bested only by Ken Jennings’ 74 straight wins. He also holds the No. 3 spot in terms of prize money won in terms of non-tournament play, with only James Holzhauer ($2,462,216) and Jennings ($2,520,700) ahead of him.

This isn’t the end of Amodio’s “Jeopardy!” journey, though. He will return in the next Tournament of Champions.

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