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(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 633,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 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 60.5% 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 Friday. All times Eastern:

Aug 27, 4:27 am
Houston sees 5-fold increase in COVID-19 vaccinations

COVID-19 vaccinations in Houston increased more than five-fold on Thursday as the city launched a new incentive program.

The Houston Health Department is now providing up to $150 in gift cards to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 740 vaccine doses were administered at the health department’s eligible sites on Thursday, the first day of the program, marking a 51% increase over Wednesday’s total of 121 doses.

Of the total shots administered Thursday, 658 were first doses and 82 were second dose, according to a press release from the health department.

Aug 26, 10:29 pm
SCOTUS suspends eviction moratorium

The U.S. Supreme Court suspended the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide eviction moratorium in an unsigned, 6-3 opinion Thursday night

“It is indisputable that the public has a strong interest in combating the spread of the COVID–19 Delta variant. But our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends,” the court wrote. “It is up to Congress, not the CDC, to decide whether the public interest merits further action here.”

“If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it,” it continued. “The application to vacate stay presented to THE CHIEF JUSTICE and by him referred to the Court is granted.”

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan dissented.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki lamented the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying the CDC moratorium “saved lives by preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

“As a result of this ruling, families will face the painful impact of evictions, and communities across the country will face greater risk of exposure to COVID-19,” Psaki said in a statement, before reiterating President Joe Biden’s call for states, localities, landlords and local courts to do what they can to prevent evictions.

The Biden administration has repeatedly called on Congress to act in regard to the eviction moratorium, but Republicans have opposed the proposals.

The CDC had issued a 60-day extension to the moratorium the first week in August after the previous one expired July 31.

Aug 26, 6:37 pm
Every state now reporting high community transmission

Every state in the country is now reporting high community transmission of COVID-19, according to newly updated federal data.

In mid-June, no states were reporting high transmission, and just six states were reporting substantial transmission. Now, 10 weeks later, all 50 states are in that category, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The development comes as the delta variant has also rapidly spread. In June, the highly contagious variant accounted for just 26.4% of all new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.; today, it accounts for nearly 99%, according to the CDC.

Aug 26, 4:07 pm
US reporting more than 800 deaths per day, marking highest average in 5 months

The U.S. is continuing to experience its steepest increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the winter of 2020, with more than 101,000 patients now in hospitals, according to federal data. This marks the highest number of patients in seven months.

Eight weeks ago, there were under 12,000 patients receiving care.

The country’s daily death average has increased to more than 800 deaths per day. This is a 317% jump in the last seven weeks and marks the highest average since mid-March 2021.

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(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Ida, which formed Thursday, is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before targeting Louisiana this weekend.

Ida is set to hit the Cayman Islands and Cuba as a tropical storm on Friday morning, delivering up to 20 inches of rain. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for both locations.

By Friday night into Saturday morning, Ida is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico and rapidly strengthen into a hurricane.

From Saturday morning to Sunday morning, Ida is forecast to grow even stronger, with winds likely approaching those of a Category 3 hurricane, which is considered a major hurricane.

Landfall is forecast for Sunday afternoon or evening, west of New Orleans and east of Lake Charles, though effects could be felt as early as Saturday night. Louisiana residents should expect storm surge up to 11 feet, 15 inches of rain, flash flooding and hurricane-force winds of up to 115 miles per hour.

After making landfall, Ida is expected to move north inland and could bring more heavy rain to middle Tennessee, which was hit by deadly floods last week.

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for parts of Louisiana and all of the Mississippi coast, including the cities of New Orleans and Biloxi. Those areas could see hurricane conditions within 36 to 48 hours.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of Mississippi and the entire Alabama coastline. A storm surge watch has also been issued for the entire coastline of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including the cities of Lake Charles, New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday evening as the threat of Ida looked more certain.

“Unfortunately, all of Louisiana’s coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification,” Edwards said in a statement. “Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

After landfall, Ida likely will move north into Tennessee with flooding rainfall. Areas in Tennessee hit with deadly, catastrophic flooding this weekend could suffer further destruction.

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(MINNEAPOLIS) — A Minnesota judge is considering whether to drop charges against an alleged drug dealer after his lawyer claimed Minneapolis law enforcement officers destroyed critical evidence in a panic prompted by a blaze and takeover of another police department precinct during a 2020 protest over the murder of George Floyd.

An attorney for 36-year-old Walter Power argued during a court hearing on Wednesday that Minneapolis police officers destroyed a search warrant obtained on Power’s home that prosecutors said resulted in the seizure of 3,000 doses of the painkiller oxycodone and other illegal drugs.

Power has pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony first-degree sale of drugs.

“Those officers made that decision. I think what’s difficult with this case is we all have to live with that decision,” Power’s attorney, public defender Elizabeth Karp, said during Wednesday’s hearing on her motion to dismiss the case, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Karp said the lost search warrant presumably contained the evidence narcotics officers used to obtain the warrant to search Power’s home in April 2020.

Karp argued that moving forward with the case would violate Power’s constitutional right to due process under the law if she does not have the ability to review and challenge a court document that no longer exists, even in digital form.

“We’re in the dark,” Karp told Judge Todd Fellman of the Hennepin County Fourth Judicial District.

On May 28, the Third Precinct in southeast Minneapolis was torched during a protest over the police killing of Floyd, forcing officers to abandon the station.

In a motion filed in June, Karp included a supplemental report written by Minneapolis Police officer Logan Johansson stating why he and other investigators in the Second Precinct across the Mississippi River from the Third Precinct in northeast Minneapolis destroyed records. Johansson, according to his report, wrote that he and other officers suspected the station was going to be attacked too and decided to destroy or move documents “in direct response to the abandonment of the Third Police Precinct in Minneapolis by city leadership.”

Johansson’s report did not mention destroying the search warrant. The officer’s report, according to court records reviewed by ABC News, says that “all non-active case files and files containing CI (confidential informant) information (were) destroyed.”

Protesters, however, never went to the Second Precinct, which is about five miles from the Third Precinct.

Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Emily Liebman asked Fellman to reject Karp’s motion and allow prosecutors to proceed with the case against Power, arguing in court that the missing documents are immaterial to the charges.

Liebman said none of the evidence collected from Power’s home was destroyed and that prosecutors plan to use it at trial. She said investigators also conducted surveillance on Power and discovered evidence in the suspect’s trash that supported the cause for the search of his home.

In her motion, Karp stated that GPS information investigators obtained by tracking Power’s cellphone has also been lost.

Fellman said he will take the motion under advisement and render a decision soon.

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(WASHINGTON) — Seven U.S. Capitol Police officers are suing former President Donald Trump, his campaign, his associate Roger Stone, and members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, alleging that “their unlawful efforts culminated in the Jan. 6 mass attack on the United States Capitol.”

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in federal court, alleges that the defendants violated the federal KKK Act and the D.C. Bias Related Crimes Act, both of which protect victims of prejudice against political violence and intimidation.

“Trump and other Defendants propagated false claims of election fraud, encouraged the use of force, intimidation, and threats, and incited violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants’ unlawful efforts culminated in the January 6 mass attack on the United States Capitol and the brutal, physical assault of hundreds of law enforcement officers. Many Defendants in this case planned, aided, and actively participated in that attack. All Defendants are responsible for it.”

The suit alleges that because Trump and his associates targeted majority-minority communities in their allegations of election fraud, the attack on the Capitol drew white supremacists who hurled racial epithets at officers.

“Many Black law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol were assaulted, threatened, spat on, and subjected to racial slurs,” says the suit. “In a striking example, one attacker marched through the Capitol’s halls displaying an unfurled Confederate flag, a symbol of white supremacy and racism. Across the Capitol grounds, attackers brazenly displayed other symbols of white supremacy, flashing white power hand symbols and displaying anti-Semitic imagery and slogans on their clothes.”

Representatives for Trump, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

An attorney for Roger Stone told ABC News that Stone had not yet been served with the suit and was unaware of the allegations.

“Mr. Stone has been clear, he had nothing to do with the events of Jan. 6,” Stone’s attorney said.

The lawsuit alleges that Trump, in addressing supporters prior to the attack, knew that the crowd would react with violence, and that he praised the attackers.

“Trump knew the crowd would, and did, understand his speech and those of other speakers to be a provocative call to action, and as instructions [said] to proceed directly to the United States Capitol and use force, intimidation, and threats to stop the count of electoral votes,” the lawsuit says. “Knowing all this, and in a calculated attempt to provide himself with cover, Trump said, ‘Everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol Building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.'”

The officers said they sustained physical injuries, and an African American officer identified as Officer Fortune said he was called the N-word by numerous Capitol rioters.

“He had to force his way through the attackers and injured officers to join his unit,” the suit says. “When he arrived at the Capitol, he saw that it was like a war zone, with chemical fog in the air, tables flipped, statues defaced, feces on the walls, and blood and broken glass on the floors. For the next several hours, while inhaling a smog of chemical pollutants and sustaining burns from those chemicals, Officer Fortune helped clear the Capitol of remaining attackers, search for any hidden improvised explosive devices, and carry injured officers to a triage center for medical treatment.”

The officers are seeking unspecified damages.

“We joined the Capitol Police to uphold the law and protect the Capitol community,” the seven officers said in a statement released by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which brought the suit on behalf of the officers. “On Jan. 6 we tried to stop people from breaking the law and destroying our democracy. Since then our jobs and those of our colleagues have become infinitely more dangerous. We want to do what we can to make sure the people who did this are held accountable and that no one can do this again.”

-ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — At least two children have died in hot cars this week as a heat wave blasted the U.S.

On Tuesday afternoon, a 4-year-old boy died in East Manchester Township, Pennsylvania, the York County Coroner’s Office said.

After the family wasn’t able to find the boy around the home, they discovered him dead outside in their closed, parked car, the coroner’s office said.

An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday morning.

On Sunday afternoon in Cullman County, Alabama, a 3-year-old boy was found in a car and then taken to a hospital where he died, Cullman County coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick told ABC News on Thursday. The boy’s cause of death has not yet been determined, the coroner said.

The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide specifics, only confirming there was an incident involving a small child on Sunday that appeared to be a tragic accident. A sheriff’s office spokesman said Thursday the investigation remains in the early stages and said no arrests have been made.

If autopsies confirm these deaths to be due to the heat, they would be the 16th and 17th hot-car deaths this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.

“Hot car deaths continue to take place because nobody believes this could happen to them,” KidsAndCars.org president Janette Fennell said in a statement. “The unfortunate reality is that this has happened to even the most loving, responsible, and attentive parents.”

A record 54 children died in hot cars in 2018, followed by 53 fatalities in 2019, according to KidsAndCars.org. Last year, 25 children died in hot cars, a drop that KidsAndCars.org director Amber Rollins attributed to the pandemic.

Click here to get more information on how to keep children safe from hot cars.

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(NEW YORK) — Ron Ehrenberg was ready to give up.

The professor at the Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics School at Cornell University had been looking for a kidney transplant for two years, testing every friend and family in hopes of finding a potential donor.

With no one meeting the requirements, Ehrenberg, who was living with end-stage renal disease, began dialysis to give him more time with his family. As a result, his life was tethered to the hospital because a dialysis machine and supplies would fill up his entire car for a two-day supply. He was also not allowed to travel during a five-year period because if a call came in saying that a kidney was available, he would have to go to the hospital almost immediately.

“I was so fatigued and had so little energy,” said Ehrenberg. “We were so worried.”

Ehrenberg resigned himself to waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor, knowing that those kidneys tend to wear out sooner and are more rare.

A kidney from a live donor can start functioning immediately rather than taking a few days to kick in as with a deceased donor, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. What’s more, relatives’ kidneys tend to have less risk of rejection and a potential donor can be tested ahead of time, making the process more convenient, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Along with finding a donor, Ehrenberg, 75, worried about contracting a disease from an unknown deceased donor and not being healthy enough for a transplant, along with any complications from cancer to heart conditions that could disqualify him from being a recipient.

Finding a hero and finding hope

Five years after being placed on the transplant list, Ehrenberg got a call from the nurse that a live donor had come forward. The donor asked to remain anonymous, but Ehrenberg begged the hospital to tell the donor he wanted to know who they were.

The nurse passed along Ehrenberg’s request. That’s when his co-worker of seven years, Adam Seth Litwin, an associate professor at the school, sent an email revealing his life-saving gift.

Litwin said he got serious about donating after his mother-in-law died.

“She and I were very close and she was actually the same exact age as Ron,” explained Litwin. “She was not a candidate for a transplant, but it brought home to me how little time she was able to spend with her grandchildren, my children, and that there is something I could do for someone else that would kind of prevent that from happening again.”

“I’m kind of grumpy and curmudgeon on the outside, so this is definitely not consistent with whatever images that I have created to those around me,” he added.

Initially, Litwin was not allowed to donate his kidney, but he spent two years secretly improving his health. He improved his diet, stabilized his blood sugar and lost around 25 pounds. He kept it off for a year and got approved to donate on April 20, which happens to be Ehrenberg’s birthday.

Ehrenberg said that Litwin initially wanted to remain an anonymous donor, but Ehrenberg convinced his friend to come forward to help potentially save more lives. Litwin said that he donated his kidney not just to give more years to his friend, but also to teach a lesson of love to his two children.

“I keep joking that I don’t want people to think just because I did this that I’m not still a miserable b——,” said Litwin.

While Litwin may not think of himself as a particularly generous person, Ehrenberg disagreed.

“Adam was the real hero,” said Ehrenberg. “I am deeply indebted to Adam and I will spend the rest of my life trying to think about how I can repay him.”

“We hope we could encourage more people to be donors either alive or deceased kidney donors,” said Ehrenberg.

Ehrenberg said he plans to spend his new retirement making up for years lost to illness. Litwin plans to spend more time with his family. Both are excited to see Ehrenberg spend many more years with his grandchildren.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 632,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 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 60.5% 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 Thursday. All times Eastern:

 

Aug 26, 2:41 pm
Texas sending 2,500 medical workers to support overwhelmed hospitals

Texas’ Department of State Health Services is sending 2,500 medical workers to support the state’s overwhelmed health care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.

This follows the 5,600 medical workers, mostly nurses and respiratory therapists, previously dispatched to the state’s hospitals.

Texas’ Department of State Health Services is also offering more medical equipment including ventilators and hospital beds, the governor said.

Texas had 13,928 COVID-19 patients in hospitals as of Wednesday evening, nearing the state’s record of 14,218 patients in January.

Aug 26, 2:17 pm
Delta employee vaccinations see massive jump

The number of Delta employees going to the airline’s on-site clinic for first vaccine doses has increased more than fivefold Thursday, just 24 hours after the company said it was raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees.

Delta said Wednesday health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees would go up by $200 per month beginning Nov. 1 to cover COVID-19 costs like potential hospitalization, which the airline says has cost it $40,000 per person on average.

Unvaccinated employees will also have to wear masks indoors and be required to take a weekly COVID test beginning Sept. 12.

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Aug 26, 11:24 am
New mask, vaccine mandates announced in Illinois

In Illinois, masks will be required indoors regardless of vaccination status beginning on Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday.

The governor also said that vaccines will be required for higher education personnel and students, health care workers and P-12 teachers and staff. The unvaccinated must get tested at least once per week.

“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the governor said, adding that 95% of deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated.

Illinois is now seeing 220 patients admitted to hospitals each day, the highest since May.

Aug 26, 7:45 am
Florida sees record 26,203 new cases in a day

Florida reported 26,203 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, setting a new record for the state’s single-day case counts.

Florida’s previous all-time high was 25,957 new cases recorded on Aug. 12, according to data collected by the CDC.

The seven-day moving average of new cases per day in the Sunshine State now stands at 21,604. In total, Florida has reported more than 3.1 million confirmed cases statewide and over 42,000 deaths.

Aug 26, 5:17 am
Japan suspends 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination concern

Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reported contamination, as the country grapples with surging infections.

Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of distributing the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a press release Thursday that it has received reports of foreign substances in some unused vials at multiple inoculation sites. Although some doses might have been administered, Takeda said there have been no reports of safety concerns tied to the affected vials so far.

After consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Wealth, Takeda said it decided as a safety precaution to stop using doses from three separate lots, manufactured in the same production line as the contaminated vials. The company said it has requested Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation into the issue.

For doses from non-suspended lots, Takeda urged people to check the vials for discolouration, foreign substances or other abnormalities before continuing to use. Meanwhile, the Japanese health ministry said it will work with Takeda to supply alternative doses in an effort to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination progress.

Moderna told ABC News that it has put the 1.63 million doses on hold in Japan after being notified that some of the vials may have been contaminated. One of the three lots received “several complaints of particulate matter” in its vials, the American drugmaker said, while the two other adjacent lots were put on hold out of “an abundance of caution” and for continued assurance of quality.

According to Moderna, the manufacturing issue may have come from one of the lines used at its contract manufacturing site in Spain. The Massachusetts-based company said it is looking into the contamination reports and “proactively communicating with Japan’s health authorities and its partners as the investigation proceeds.” Moderna added that it remains “committed to working transparently and expeditiously” with its Japanese distribution partner and with regulators to address any potential concerns. No safety or efficacy concerns have been identified so far, the company said.

Moderna noted that the pause in Japan does not impact doses distributed in the United States, or put the American supply at risk in any way.

Aug 25, 8:50 pm
Pediatrician emphasizes importance of getting vaccine during pregnancy

Columbia University pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while nursing.

Recent health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that three out of four pregnant women in the U.S. are unvaccinated, and the numbers are lower for Black pregnant women, with nine out of 10 unvaccinated.

Sanchez, who is eight months pregnant and vaccinated, told ABC News that expecting mothers are more vulnerable to diseases and the current data shows the vaccines are safe for them.

“We now know from over close to 40,000 women that there is no increased risk of miscarriage of early delivery of your baby, which are the things that worry a lot of pregnant women,” she said.

Sanchez said she did not hesitate to get her shots once she became eligible.

“I really, really hope that pregnant women out there hear this call and go ahead and get themselves this vaccine and protect themselves, their baby and their pregnancy,” she said.

Aug 25, 8:27 pm
High school football dies from COVID

A high school football player in Louisiana who contracted the coronavirus died Wednesday, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.

Patrick Sanders, 14, was a freshman at Baker High School.

Baker, Louisiana Mayor Darnell Waites told the station that the teen’s death highlighted the importance of vaccinations.

“If we want to save lives, we have to make the choice to save lives,” Waites told the station. “This wasn’t his fault.”

The rest of the football team is currently quarantining, WBRZ reported.

Aug 25, 8:27 pm
Texas hospital numbers near record high

The Texas Health Department reported Wednesday that 13,928 COVID-19 patients are currently in Texas Hospitals.

This is close to the record 14,218 patients recorded during the January peak.

There are 306 available ICU beds in the state, according to the health department.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Teachers are gathering in more than 115 cities this weekend to “teach truth” in protest of the anti-race education and anti-critical race theory legislation being proposed across the country.

In Philadelphia, teachers, students and activists are gathering at the home of George Washington to tell the stories of enslaved people who played a role in the creation of the nation. Specifically, they’ll discuss the people that the first U.S. president kept as slaves.

Nine slaves served him at the executive mansion, according to the National Park Service. At the time of his death, Washington enslaved more than 100 people.

In Kansas City, Missouri, demonstrators will march from Lincoln College Preparatory Academy — one of the first schools for Black students — to the Black Archives of Mid-America, a museum that documents the social, economic, political and cultural history of Black Americans.

These lessons, among others, may soon be banned from being taught in classrooms.

“It’s really important as educators that we don’t allow these bills to put us on the defensive, and instead we use the opportunity to take these actions to highlight the racist path of our country, of our states, of our cities, that needs to be reckoned with,” said Adam Sanchez, a history teacher in Philadelphia.

Lawmakers in at least 27 states have introduced or implemented legislation that would require teachers to remove certain lessons about the role of racism, sexism and oppression in U.S. history.

Many of the bills, which have almost identical texts, state that teachers are banned from teaching that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex,” or that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.”

It also bars teachers from discussing whether “a meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex.” Classroom discussions are also barred from touching on whether “the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.”

The Days of Action, from Aug. 27 to 29, is part of the Teach Truth pledge, which has been signed by more than 6,600 teachers nationwide. “We, the undersigned educators, refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events,” the pledge reads.

The Day of Action and Teach Truth Pledge are hosted by the Zinn Education Project, a collaboration between education advocacy groups Rethinking Schools and Teaching For Change.

“By censoring and restricting what teachers can teach, that is censoring what students learn and it’s going to change the trajectory of our country,” said Nelva Williamson, a history teacher in Houston. “We are not doing harm to students by teaching them the history of this country — the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Some teachers said the vague language in these bills blocks them from teaching history and having truthful conversations with their students about inequality and oppression in America.

“This history and the cultures within the history should never be an option to talk about,” said Rozlyn Grady, a paraeducator in Anchorage, Alaska. “We just want our folks, our teachers to not be afraid to teach what they know to be the truth. … That’s what I want all of our teachers to be able to do without fear of retribution or penalty.”

Critical race theory has been blamed for this recent push by Republican legislators. Critical race theory is the study of American institutions and the way in which laws and policies help perpetuate racism.

It also analyzes white privilege, the idea that white people have advantages since they are not affected by race-based discrimination in the legal system.

This academic discipline, typically used in higher education, has been invoked by legislators pushing these bills that limit lessons on oppression, though the vast majority of the bills don’t mention it in their texts.

Some legislators, like Pennsylvania state Reps. Russ Diamond and Barbara Gleim, who introduced a bill in their state, said the teachings can be hurtful to children.

“The manner in which important concepts such as racial and gender equality are taught in our schools could not be more important in defining the type of society we have,” Diamond and Gleim wrote in a legislative memorandum. “Teaching our children that they are inferior or inherently bad based on immutable characteristics such as race and sex can be extremely damaging to their emotional and mental well-being.”

The outcry over critical race theory has placed a harsh spotlight on teachers. Some have been doxxed by anti-critical race theory protestors online and others fear that they’ll be disciplined for teaching events with racialized histories, according to the teacher advocacy group Zinn Education Project.

But that won’t stop teachers and activists who say the legislation erases history and turns back the clock on racial progress.

“These nostalgic narratives that have become what we call American history are incomplete,” said Cornell Ellis, a former teacher and founder of Brothers Liberating Our Communities, a network for Black educators. “They’re calling it critical race theory but we’re calling this accurate and inclusive history in social studies.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 631,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 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 60.4% 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 Thursday. All times Eastern:

Aug 26, 7:45 am
Florida sees record 26,203 new cases in a day

Florida reported 26,203 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, setting a new record for the state’s single-day case counts.

Florida’s previous all-time high was 25,957 new cases recorded on Aug. 12, according to data collected by the CDC.

The seven-day moving average of new cases per day in the Sunshine State now stands at 21,604. In total, Florida has reported more than 3.1 million confirmed cases statewide and over 42,000 deaths.

Aug 26, 5:17 am
Japan suspends 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination concern

Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reported contamination, as the country grapples with surging infections.

Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of distributing the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a press release Thursday that it has received reports of foreign substances in some unused vials at multiple inoculation sites. Although some doses might have been administered, Takeda said there have been no reports of safety concerns tied to the affected vials so far.

After consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Wealth, Takeda said it decided as a safety precaution to stop using doses from three separate lots, manufactured in the same production line as the contaminated vials. The company said it has requested Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation into the issue.

For doses from non-suspended lots, Takeda urged people to check the vials for discolouration, foreign substances or other abnormalities before continuing to use. Meanwhile, the Japanese health ministry said it will work with Takeda to supply alternative doses in an effort to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination progress.

Moderna told ABC News that it has put the 1.63 million doses on hold in Japan after being notified that some of the vials may have been contaminated. One of the three lots received “several complaints of particulate matter” in its vials, the American drugmaker said, while the two other adjacent lots were put on hold out of “an abundance of caution” and for continued assurance of quality.

According to Moderna, the manufacturing issue may have come from one of the lines used at its contract manufacturing site in Spain. The Massachusetts-based company said it is looking into the contamination reports and “proactively communicating with Japan’s health authorities and its partners as the investigation proceeds.” Moderna added that it remains “committed to working transparently and expeditiously” with its Japanese distribution partner and with regulators to address any potential concerns. No safety or efficacy concerns have been identified so far, the company said.

Moderna noted that the pause in Japan does not impact doses distributed in the United States, or put the American supply at risk in any way.

Aug 25, 8:50 pm
Pediatrician emphasizes importance of getting vaccine during pregnancy

Columbia University pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while nursing.

Recent health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that three out of four pregnant women in the U.S. are unvaccinated, and the numbers are lower for Black pregnant women, with nine out of 10 unvaccinated.

Sanchez, who is eight months pregnant and vaccinated, told ABC News that expecting mothers are more vulnerable to diseases and the current data shows the vaccines are safe for them.

“We now know from over close to 40,000 women that there is no increased risk of miscarriage of early delivery of your baby, which are the things that worry a lot of pregnant women,” she said.

Sanchez said she did not hesitate to get her shots once she became eligible.

“I really, really hope that pregnant women out there hear this call and go ahead and get themselves this vaccine and protect themselves, their baby and their pregnancy,” she said.

Aug 25, 8:27 pm
High school football dies from COVID

A high school football player in Louisiana who contracted the coronavirus died Wednesday, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.

Patrick Sanders, 14, was a freshman at Baker High School.

Baker, Louisiana Mayor Darnell Waites told the station that the teen’s death highlighted the importance of vaccinations.

“If we want to save lives, we have to make the choice to save lives,” Waites told the station. “This wasn’t his fault.”

The rest of the football team is currently quarantining, WBRZ reported.

Aug 25, 8:27 pm
Texas hospital numbers near record high

The Texas Health Department reported Wednesday that 13,928 COVID-19 patients are currently in Texas Hospitals.

This is close to the record 14,218 patients recorded during the January peak.

There are 306 available ICU beds in the state, according to the health department.

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(NEW YORK) — Dozens of wildfires blazing through the Western U.S. are continuing to shroud surrounding areas in smoke and haze.

At least 92 large wildfires are continuing to burn in the West, mostly in California, Oregon and Washington. Evacuation orders are in effect for 17 of the active fires.

The Caldor Fire in Grizzly Flats, California, about 100 miles east of Sacramento, continues to spread, having burned through 126,566 acres by Wednesday evening and remains just 12% contained.

Smoke from the wildfires is continuing to bring poor air quality to much of the West, especially across the Northwest and northern Rockies. Seven states, from California to Colorado, are under air quality alerts on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Nevada recorded its worst air quality in history due to the wildfires. The air quality is so bad in some areas that it prompted school closures.

Scorching temperatures could possibly fuel the flames. Twenty-two states in the U.S. — from California to New York — are under heat alerts Wednesday.

Excessive heat warnings are in effect for the Southwest, where temperatures will top 110 degrees in some regions. And heat is expected to spread north to Central and Northern California through the end of the week — with temperatures expected to surpass 100 degrees in Sacramento, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blazes.

Red flag warnings have also been issued for Colorado and Wyoming, where strong, erratic and gusty winds, along with low humidity, could present dangerous fire conditions.

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