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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 614,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 58.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

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

Aug 04, 8:32 pm
Over 15,000 new COVID cases in Texas

Texas reported 15,558 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the highest one-day count since Feb. 3, according to state health records.

The state has seen a major jump in cases in the last month, brought on by the delta variant, according to officials.

The seven-day average of new daily cases has increased from about 1,500 on July 2 to nearly 10,000 on Aug. 3, according to state health data.

As of Wednesday, 62.58% of Texas residents 12 and older have received at least one shot, according to the state health department.

Aug 04, 7:32 pm
Hundreds of students, school staff quarantined in Arkansas district

Hundreds of student and staff members from the Marion School District in Arkansas are now quarantined in only the second week of the school year, officials announced.

The state has a ban on school districts imposing a mask mandate.

On Tuesday, the district said 253 students would begin their two-week quarantine due to 15 cases that were reported in the schools. This came after 168 students were already quarantined last week.

“If all students and teachers had been wearing a mask appropriately- then today’s 15 positive cases would be isolated- but there would be no resulting quarantines for anyone else,” the district said in a statement.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters Tuesday he regretted signing the bill that banned masks in schools and urged the state legislature to amend the law to give schools the option.

Aug 04, 7:11 pm
Florida school district says 2 employees dead from virus, pushes mask mandate

A Florida school district that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on school mask mandates said Tuesday that two of its employees died from the virus last weekend.

Carlee Simon, the superintendent for the Alachua County Schools, said in a statement that the district “is experiencing this spike first-hand.”

“Over the weekend two of our employees passed away from COVID,” she said in a statement. “We’ve had 18 new cases in the last three days alone. More than 80 employees are now in quarantine, and that number is rising fast.”

The school district, which includes which includes Gainesville, voted Tuesday night to issue a mask mandate for students and staff for the next two weeks. The mandate will be reevaluated on Aug. 17, Simon said.

Aug 04, 6:30 pm
Hawaii issues vaccine mandate for middle, high school athletes

The Hawaii State Department of Education announced that all middle and high school athletes, athletic staff and volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24 in order to participate in activities.

The rule affects students who are eligible for the vaccines, meaning they must be over 12.

“This decision was not made lightly because we know the important role athletics play in a well-rounded education, but we cannot jeopardize the health and safety of our students and communities,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a statement.

The start of the athletic season was delayed to Sept. 24 due to the state’s rising positivity rate, according to the department.

This is the first state to require vaccinations for its student athletes.

-ABC News’ Bonnie McLean

Aug 04, 5:54 pm
Illinois governor issues mask mandate for schools

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that all pre-K through 12th grade schools and day cares must follow universal masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Pritzker said the state is facing a growing threat from the delta variant and noted that children under 12 aren’t yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

“Far too few school districts have chosen to follow the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prescription for keeping students and staff safe,” he said at a news conference. “Given the CDC’s strong recommendation, I had hoped that a state mask requirement in schools wouldn’t be necessary, but it is.”

Aug 04, 4:27 pm
Surge pushing hospital staffing to breaking point

The latest delta surge is once again pushing hospital staffing to breaking points across the U.S.

In Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, some “facilities are experiencing substantial shortages of both clinical and support staff,” according to a Department of Health and Human Services planning document obtained by ABC News Wednesday.

In hard-hit Missouri, many hospitals “don’t have the staff to support a surge without further modification to operational strategies,” the document said.

At a Shreveport, Louisiana, hospital, where the number of COVID-19 patients are multiplying, nurse Melinda Hunt told ABC News, “To be honest, I probably cry most days at work. And I cry at home. I’m tired. I’ve been doing this a year and half. It feels like it’s never going to end.”

Aug 04, 4:08 pm
US daily case average jumped 45% in the last week

The U.S. daily case average has climbed to more than 84,000, a 45.3% jump in the last week, according to federal data.

The daily case average is now more than seven times higher than it was six weeks ago.

All but three states are now reporting high (a seven-day new case rate ≥100) or substantial (a seven-day new case rate between 50-99.99) community transmission, according to federal data.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Aug 04, 3:08 pm
Delta variant now 93% of all sequenced cases in US

The delta variant now accounts for 93% of all sequenced cases in the U.S., according to the latest CDC data, which was collected over the last two weeks of July.

Delta accounted for just 3% of cases sequenced in late May.

Across the Midwest, described as HHS regions 7 and 8, delta made up 97% to 98% of cases. This includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Aug 04, 2:55 pm
WHO chief: No booster shots until at least end of September

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on booster shots until more people from low-income countries have received a vaccine.

Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 shots for every 100 people due to lack of supply, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said Wednesday.

A moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September will “enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated,” he said.

But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response that the U.S. doesn’t have to choose.

“We feel that it’s a false choice and that we can do both,” Psaki said Wednesday.

The U.S. has ordered enough supply for every American to get vaccinated, plus get a booster shot, according to the White House. The U.S. has already pledged to donate 580 million doses to the international community by 2022.

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky and Zoe Magee

Aug 04, 2:27 pm
Hospitalizations could more than triple this month

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecasts that daily hospitalizations “will likely increase over the next four weeks.”

About 7,000 new COVID-19 patients are hospitalized each day right now. That may soar to 24,000 per day, according to the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at U Mass Amherst.

Aug 04, 2:11 pm
Fully vaccinated people susceptible to ‘long COVID’: Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning that fully vaccinated people are also susceptible to “long COVID” if they have a breakthrough infection.

“We already know that people who get breakthrough infections and don’t go on to get advanced disease requiring hospitalization, they too are susceptible to long COVID,” Fauci told McClatchy. “You’re not exempt from long COVID if you get a breakthrough infection.”

As the delta variant surges, Fauci said, “there could be a variant that’s lingering out there that can push aside delta.”

“If another one comes along that has an equally high capability of transmitting but also is much more severe, then we could really be in trouble,” he said.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Aug 04, 1:40 pm
NY auto show canceled

The New York International Automobile Show, set to begin Aug. 20 in New York City, has been canceled due to the spread of the delta variant.

“All signs were positive” when planning began “but today is a different story,” show organizers said.

Aug 04, 1:30 pm
Louisiana hospitalizations reach all-time high

Louisiana now has 2,247 COVID-19 patients in hospitals — a new all-time high for the state.

This surpasses the previous record set Tuesday of 2,112 patients, the state’s Department of Health said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has reinstated a mask mandate for the month of August.

The governor said Wednesday that he won’t mandate vaccinations for state employees until the FDA grants full approval.

He said 37.1% of the Louisiana population is fully vaccinated.

Aug 04, 11:47 am
The Offspring drummer says he’s not playing at upcoming shows because he’s unvaccinated

Pete Parada, the drummer for pop-punk band The Offspring, says he is not playing with the band at upcoming shows because he is unvaccinated.

Parada wrote on Instagram that he’s avoiding the shot on his doctor’s advice, saying he’s had a lifelong battle with the rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome and the vaccine’s “risks far outweigh the benefits.”

Because he’s unvaccinated, “it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour,” Parada said.

“I have no negative feelings towards my band,” he continued. “They’re doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same.”

-ABC News’ Evan McMurry

Aug 04, 11:15 am
Florida hospitalizations reach highest point in pandemic

Florida has 12,408 COVID-19 patients in hospitals — the highest number to date of the entire pandemic.

Florida hospitals report that more than 95% of COVID-19 patients are not fully vaccinated, according to state data.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Aug 04, 10:01 am
WHO chief: No booster shots until at least end of September

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on booster shots until more people from low-income countries have received a vaccine.

Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 shots for every 100 people due to lack of supply, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said Wednesday.

A moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September will “enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated,” he said.

Aug 04, 9:20 am
Alabama hospital sees deadliest day of pandemic

Four COVID-19 patients at Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama — all unvaccinated — died within 24 hours, marking the hospital’s deadliest day of the pandemic, The Anniston Star reported.

As delta surges, patients are now getting sicker faster, a doctor at the hospital told the newspaper.

Only 28% of residents in Calhoun County are fully vaccinated, according to The Anniston Star.

Aug 04, 8:24 am
Obama to ‘significantly scale back’ 60th birthday party

Former President Barack Obama has decided to “significantly scale back” his 60th birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard due to the spread of the delta variant, according to a spokesperson. Hundreds of guests were expected to attend.

“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with covid safeguards in place. Due to the new spread of the delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” spokesperson Hannah Hankins said in a statement.

Obama’s office did not give a new estimate of how many guests will attend.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) — The attorney for the sailor charged with setting last year’s fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard maintains that his client did not play a role in setting the fire and denied that he was embittered against the Navy after dropping out of SEAL training, as suggested in a federal search warrant unsealed earlier this week.

When the Navy announced the charges last week it declined to disclose the sailor’s name, but earlier this week federal prosecutors requested the unsealing of a federal search warrant, requested last year, to assist in the sailor’s legal defense.

That search warrant requested access to the online files of 20-year-old Seaman Apprentice Ryan Sawyer Mays who was a sailor assigned to the ship while it was docked in San Diego for long-term maintenance.

The Navy and Mays’ attorney confirmed Wednesday to ABC News that he was the sailor charged with setting the fire, which ultimately led to the decommissioning of the amphibious ship.

The search warrant also disclosed new details about the investigation into the fire that resulted in Mays being charged.

A sailor working in the area where the fire started in the ship’s lower decks recalled seeing a masked sailor he believed to be Mays carrying two buckets into the storage area just minutes before the first reports of smoke.

According to Naval criminal investigators that same sailor mentioned “a sailor named MAYS that ‘hates’ the U.S. Navy and the Fleet.”

According to the search warrant, Mays had been assigned to the Bonhomme Richard in 2019, after having dropped out five days into the intensive training program to become a Navy SEAL.

Mays’ attorney, Gary Barthel, told ABC News that his client was not embittered against the Navy after he quit Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) training.

“Absolutely not,” Barthel said Wednesday afternoon. “His dream has always been to make the Navy a career.”

Barthel said that while “more than anything” Mays wanted to become a SEAL, the training is very difficult and many people drop out. He emphasized that his client was not angry with the Navy as a result of dropping out of the program.

“My client, although he dropped out, was hopeful that one day he could get back into it,” Barthel said.

A Navy Special Warfare spokesperson verified to ABC News that when an enlisted person quits BUDS, they are moved out to a different part of the Navy — often to ships — and are indeed afforded a second chance to become a SEAL in time.

Barthel said he had not yet had a chance to review the newly unsealed search warrant.

“I haven’t even seen the search warrant, the affidavit, that’s gone out,” said Barthel. “But my understanding is that that was unsealed by the government so that they could release it to us as part of their discovery. But until we’re able to review all the evidence and do our own investigation, there’s not much that I can really say about the facts of the case.”

However, Barthel made clear that Mays maintains he had no role in setting a fire aboard the ship.

“I can say that my client has always denied any involvement with the fire on the Bonhomme Richard and he continues to do so,” Barthel added. “You know, he’s — he’s presumed innocent? And, you know, we’re just looking forward to the opportunity where we can review the evidence and prepare our case.”

“At this particular point in time, I’m not aware of anything that points directly at my client,” he said.

The search warrant detailed how federal arson investigators, searching the area where the fire originated, marked a bottle containing a suspicious liquid for later DNA and fingerprint testing.

That bottle could not be located the following day and while Mays’ unit was placed in that area on the day in question, a subsequent DNA test of the tag placed to mark the bottle was not a match for Mays’ DNA.

The search for the missing bottle led investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to find additional bottles and cans containing suspicious liquids that pointed to arson.

An officer aboard the ship later pointed out to investigators that it seemed that three of the four fire suppression areas in the area where the fire started “appeared to have been purposely tampered with and/or disconnected” since a previous inspection two days before.

The blaze aboard the ship raged for four days with temperatures reaching as high as a 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Navy ultimately decided that it was easier to scrap the ship rather than go through with $4 billion of repairs.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PLEASANTON, Calif.) — The remains of a California dad who vanished more than three weeks ago while on a run outside have been found, authorities said.

A volunteer hiker searching for 37-year-old Philip Kreycik found what police believe to be his remains underneath an area of heavy brush in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park on Tuesday afternoon, Pleasanton police said.

Kreycik left his home for an 8-mile run on Saturday, July 10, around 11 a.m., according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Kreycik, a resident of Berkeley, told his wife Jen Yao that he’d be gone for an hour, police said. But the father of a 3-year-old and 10-month old never returned.

Many people, including Yao, were hopeful that he would be found because of his experience as an endurance athlete who was familiar with rural terrain and scorching temperatures, according to police.

On the day he vanished, the region reached a scorching 106 degrees, police said.

Authorities subsequently launched a massive search for Kreycik, which included more than a dozen agencies from across the state, nearly 300 volunteers, dogs, helicopters and thermal imaging technology, according to police. The search scaled down after five full days, and it would take weeks before he was eventually found.

“Once we heard they found Philip, it was devastating, especially for the community because this just doesn’t happen around here,” Justin Fisher, who volunteered in the search during the first week, told ABC San Francisco station KGO.

“We wanted to bring him home alive and safe, so to deliver this news today is hard for all of us,” said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities say the investigation will remain open as they try to understand what happened to Kreycik while on the run.

Kelly said that Kreycik’s family “deserve those answers.”

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(Orangeburg, S.C.) — A Black man who was allegedly assaulted by an Orangeburg, South Carolina, police officer last month spoke out for the first time Tuesday.

Clips of police body camera footage obtained and released by the man’s lawyer allegedly show former officer David Lance Dukes stomping on the neck and head of Clarence Gailyard, 58, during an arrest.

The encounter occurred on July 26, when Dukes responded to a 911 call of a man carrying a firearm, his lawyer, Justin Bamberg, said at a press conference Tuesday. An eight-second video shows Dukes running toward Gailyard, forcing him to the ground, handcuffing him and searching his pockets.

Police did not find a gun at the scene, according to Bamberg.

“When officer David Dukes goes and stomps on the back of Mr. Clarence’s head as he lay on the ground completely defenseless, the attitude that he shows is a reflection of the leadership,” Bamberg said, demanding the release of the full police body camera footage. “And what we see is bad policing and unacceptable policing.”

Dukes was fired from the police department after review from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Use of Force Committee.

He was taken into custody on July 31 and charged with first-degree assault and battery.

Gailyard told reporters that he is still shaken by the incident and is now hoping to see change.

“Every time I look in the mirror and see the scar on my face, it is not OK,” Gailyard said. “I’m still in pain. I hope the pain goes away, but I don’t think the pain is going away right now.”

Gailyard suffered a head injury and bloody knot on his forehead, he said, and was taken to the hospital following the incident.

Gailyard and Bamberg commended a female officer at the scene, who reported Dukes’ alleged actions to the sergeant on duty after witnessing his use of force at the time of the arrest.

“In reality, if a person were to walk up to a defenseless dog and stomp on the dog in that fashion, video of that would go viral — have millions of views and people across the planet would be saying the citizen who stomped on that dog deserves to go to prison. But it wasn’t a dog that got stomped on, it was a living, breathing human being,” Bamberg said.

Demario Julian, Gailyard’s cousin, who spoke at the press conference, told reporters he and Gailyard were walking home as the officers arrived at the scene.

“Dukes jumped out his car with his gun drawn and I’m looking down the barrel of the gun, that’s basically what happened,” Julian said.

Demario said Dukes claimed Gailyard threw a gun into the bushes. Demario denied the claim.

“This is not a David Dukes problem, this is a city of Orangeburg problem,” Bamberg said. “This is an Orangeburg Department of Public Safety problem. Attitude reflects leadership.”

Mike Adams, chief of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, spoke at a separate press conference in response to the incident and the release of body camera footage. Adams said Dukes’ actions were “outside the scope of our use of force policy.”

Dukes has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment. Duke’s attorney, John Louden Furse, told ABC News he did not want comment on the case.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The police officer stabbed and then fatally shot during an attack at the Pentagon’s bus terminal on Tuesday has been identified as George Gonzalez, a Brooklyn native and Iraq War veteran who joined the Pentagon police force in 2018.

Gonzalez was killed Tuesday after being stabbed by a man identified by the FBI on Wednesday as Austin William Lanz, 27, of Acworth, Georgia.

In a series of tweets, the FBI said the assailant exited a bus at the transit center in Arlington, Virginia, and — without provocation — attacked Gonzalez with a knife, severely wounding him.

Two law enforcement sources told ABC News Tuesday that Gonzalez was stabbed in the head from behind and then disarmed.

A struggle ensued and the assailant mortally wounded Gonzalez with his own service weapon and then shot himself. The FBI also said there were other Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers who engaged with the subject, but he died at the scene.

A civilian bystander was also hurt during the incident and was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.

In addition to the Pentagon police officers, the Metro Transit Police Department, Arlington County Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office responded to the incident. The FBI’s investigation continues.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency confirmed their officer’s death Tuesday night and identified him Wednesday.

“Last night, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency observed End of Watch for Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez who was tragically killed yesterday during the incident at the Pentagon bus platform,” the Pentagon Force Protection Agency said in a statement Wednesday.

“A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was a die-hard Yankees fan. He was a graduate of New York City’s Canarsie High School,” the statement continued.

“George Gonzalez joined the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) as a police officer on July 22, 2018. As a Pentagon Police officer, he took our mission of “protecting those who protect our nation” to heart,” it added. “He was promoted twice and attained the rank of Senior Officer in 2020. A gregarious officer, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow officers.”

A U.S. Army veteran who had been awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq Gonzalez had previously served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Transportation Security Administration.

“Officer Gonzalez embodied our values of integrity and service to others,” said the agency statement. “As we mourn the loss of Officer Gonzalez, our commitment to serve and protect is stronger. Officer Gonzalez’s family is in our thoughts and prayers. May he rest in peace.”

In a statement shared by the agency in a series of tweets, the officer’s family said they were heartbroken over the death of their son and brother, but were proud of the life he had lived.

“George devoted his life to serving his country; first in the military, and then, as a law enforcement officer, he continued to serve by protecting service members and citizens of this country,” statement from the Gonzalez/Rubert family said. “He had an infectious personality and was fiercely loved by his family and friends. He loved his country, his family, and the Yankees. He was one of the good guys with a big heart and we will miss him always.”

Tuesday evening Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his condolences to the family of the slain officer and ordered that flags at the Pentagon be flown at half-staff in his honor.

“This fallen officer died in the line of duty, helping protect the tens of thousands of people who work in — and who visit — the Pentagon on a daily basis,” Austin said in a statement.

“He and his fellow officers are members of the Pentagon family, and known to us all as professional, skilled and brave,” he said. “This tragic death today is a stark reminder of the dangers they face and the sacrifices they make. We are forever grateful for that service and the courage with which it is rendered.

Lanz enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 9, 2012 but was administratively separated on Nov. 2, 2012 and never earned the title Marine, according to the Marine Corps.

He was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia, in April on several charges — including aggravated battery against police, rioting in a penal institution and making terrorist threats or acts, according to county online court records. The judge in that case ordered Lanz have a mental health and substance abuse evaluation and he was released on a $30,000 bond.

The FBI Atlanta office is also conducting an investigation into Lanz, law enforcement sources told ABC News on Tuesday.

ABC News’ Cindy Smith and Lauren King contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) — Three former Minneapolis police officers facing federal charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights have filed motions asking that their cases be severed from Derek Chauvin’s, arguing they won’t get a fair trial if they have to go to court with the convicted murderer of the 46-year-old Black man.

Attorneys for J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao filed separate requests in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Thomas Lane’s attorney filed a motion to join his two former colleagues in their requests to be tried separately from Chauvin.

“There is a conflict of interest between the defendants. The conflict flows from Mr. Chauvin’s level of culpability,” Kueng’s attorney, Thomas C. Plunkett, argued in court papers filed on Monday. “Due to this conflict, the jurors will not be able to follow the Court’s instructions and compartmentalize the evidence as it related to Mr. Kueng.”

Thao’s lawyer, Robert M. Paule, made a similar argument in a motion he filed on Tuesday, but added that he wants Thou to be tried separately not from just Chavin but also Kueng and Lane.

“Mr. Thao will obtain a fair and more impartial trial [if] he is tried separately from his co-defendants,” Paule wrote, arguing that a jury “will have insurmountable difficulty distinguishing evidence presented on one count from that evidence presented on the other counts, and will inevitably consider the evidence cumulatively.”

In May, a federal grand jury indicted Chauvin, 45, Thao, 35, Kueng, 27, and Lane, 38, of federal civil rights crimes for their roles in Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death as they attempted to place him under arrest on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a convenience store.

The three-count indictment alleges Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane deprived Floyd his rights when they saw him lying on the ground “in clear need” of medical care but “willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm.”

All four former officers are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 14 on the federal charges. A trial date has yet to be set.

During the encounter, Chauvin held his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd, who was handcuffed and in a prone position on the pavement, repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe before falling unconscious and losing a pulse, according to evidence presented at Chauvin’s state trial. Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Video footage — from police body cameras, security cameras and civilian witnesses — played at the trial showed Kueng and Lane helping Chauvin hold Floyd down, and Thao keeping away witnesses who were expressing concerns for Floyd.

Floyd’s death triggered massive protests and prompted police agencies across the nation to promise reforms.

On April 20, a state court jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced on June 25 to 22 1/2 years in prison by Judge Peter Cahill.

Cahill cited four aggravating factors in the case that allowed him to give Chauvin a longer sentence than the 12 1/2 years recommended under state sentencing guidelines. The aggravating factors included Chauvin abusing a position of trust and authority as a police officer, his treatment of Floyd with “particular cruelty” and that he committed the crime as part of a group with at least three other people in front of children.

Chauvin was tried separately from his co-defendants in the state case due to COVID-19 restrictions that limited the number of people allowed in the courtroom.

Thao, Kueng and Lane are awaiting a joint trial in state court scheduled for March 2022 on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

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 614,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 58.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

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

Aug 04, 10:01 am
WHO chief: No booster shots until at least end of September

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on booster shots until more people from low-income countries have received a vaccine.

Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 shots for every 100 people due to lack of supply, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said Wednesday.

A moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September will “enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated,” he said.

Aug 04, 9:20 am
Alabama hospital sees deadliest day of pandemic

Four COVID-19 patients at Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama — all unvaccinated — died within 24 hours, marking the hospital’s deadliest day of the pandemic, The Anniston Star reported.

As delta surges, patients are now getting sicker faster, a doctor at the hospital told the newspaper.

Only 28% of residents in Calhoun County are fully vaccinated, according to The Anniston Star.

Aug 04, 8:24 am
Obama to ‘significantly scale back’ 60th birthday party

Former President Barack Obama has decided to “significantly scale back” his 60th birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard due to the spread of the delta variant, according to a spokesperson. Hundreds of guests were expected to attend.

“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with covid safeguards in place. Due to the new spread of the delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” spokesperson Hannah Hankins said in a statement.

Obama’s office did not give a new estimate of how many guests will attend.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and one of the 11 women accusing him of sexual misconduct, is calling for the governor’s immediate impeachment.

“September is not soon enough,” Bennett, 25, said Wednesday on Good Morning America. “This needs to happen now. He’s a danger.”

On Aug. 3, a months-long probe by New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former state employees. Following the announcement, Cuomo released a recorded video in which he denied any sexual misconduct and addressed Bennett directly.

“It wasn’t an apology and he didn’t take accountability for his actions,” Bennett said. “He blamed me and said that I simply misinterpreted what he had said.”

After working with the governor last year, Bennett lodged a harassment complaint, saying that the governor asked her inappropriate questions and made her feel uncomfortable.

“His line of questioning was not appropriate,” she said. “He was coming onto me and he insinuated that survivors of trauma and sexual assault can’t tell the difference between mentorship and leadership and sexual harassment itself — which is not only insulting to me but every survivor who listened to him yesterday.”

She added, “The victim blaming is not OK.”

Bennett’s complaint was the second of two sexual misconduct accusations against Cuomo at the time and it sparked the attorney general investigation. The first person to accuse Cuomo, Lindsey Boylan, tweeted her allegations in December 2020.

“I actually DM’ed her on Twitter and we had a private conversation in which I told her what I was experiencing and why I left public service earlier that same year,” Bennett said. “And, you know, when there are two women, there are more than two. We know from experience that it’s not just one person and that’s why we need to believe every woman who makes these allegations.”

After watching Cuomo’s response to the attorney general’s findings, Bennett said she felt “overwhelmed but mostly vindicated.”

“I had just listened to the New York State attorney general tell me and the 10 other women that we were believed … that was powerful and so much more important than anything the governor had to say,” she said.

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(MIAMI) — Five Miami Beach police officers are now facing criminal charges after they were seen on body camera and security video kicking a handcuffed Black man in a hotel lobby and tackling and pummeling a Black witness who was recording the incident on his cellphone.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the officers have been suspended and charged with first-degree misdemeanor battery.

“Excessive force can never, ever, ever be an acceptable foundation for policing in any community,” Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference on Monday. “Officers who forget that fact do a grave disservice to the people they have sworn to serve.”

Fernandez Rundle, with Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements standing behind her, played a four-minute compilation of body camera and security camera footage showing the episode that unfolded in the early hours of July 26 in the lobby of the Royal Palm Hotel in South Beach.

The state attorney went over the footage in detail, stopping and rewinding it several times to point out the individual officers who were charged and even running the video in slow motion to show two officers kicking the handcuffed detainee in the head.

“With my team, when we saw that kick to the head, and then we replayed it and saw all the kicks that preceded it — it was just unfathomable. It was unspeakable. It was just inexcusable,” Fernandez Rundle said.

She said the incident started when a police officer chased 24-year-old Dalonta Crudup into the hotel and stopped him at gunpoint as he tried to take an elevator.

A police report obtained by Miami ABC affiliate WPLG alleged that Crudup was involved in a confrontation with a Miami Beach bicycle police officer over illegally parking a motorized scooter and allegedly struck the officer with the scooter. Fernandez Rundle said the officer’s leg was injured in the encounter with Crudup and that he had to be hospitalized.

Once stopped by a police lieutenant inside the hotel, security camera footage showed Crudup appearing to comply with the officer’s orders to step out of an elevator with his hands up.

“Crudup exits the elevator with his hands raised and drops down to the ground with his arms outstretched in front of him,” Fernandez Rundle said.

After he was handcuffed with his arms behind his back, the security video showed 21 officers rushing into the lobby, swarming around Crudup and assisting in his arrest, Fernandez Rundle said.

“It is at this point the situation begins to change, in our opinion, from a legitimate arrest of a criminal suspect into an ongoing investigation of the use of force by five Miami Beach police officers,” Fernandez Rundle said.

The security video appeared to show Sgt. Jose Perez allegedly kick Crudup in the head while he was face down on the ground with other officers on top of him. At one point, Perez appears to also be seen in the video lifting Crudup and slamming him to the ground.

The video showed Perez walk away briefly twice before returning and appearing to kick Crudup in the head.

The hotel security video allegedly showed Officer Kevin Perez, who Fernandez Rundle said is not related to Jose Perez, kicking Crudup at least four times.

Other officers then turned their attention to 28-year-old Khalid Vaughn, who Fernandez Rundle said was standing 12 to 15 feet away recording Crudup’s arrest.

Body camera video appeared to show officers Robert Sabater allegedly tackling Vaughn, who was backing away. Officers David Rivas and Steven Serrano allegedly helped Sabater pin Vaughn against a concrete pillar. The body camera video appears to show Sabarter, Rivas and Serrano taking turns pummeling Vaughn with body blows.

“Body-worn cameras played a critical role in this case,” Fernandez Rundle said.

She said Vaughn was initially arrested on charges of impeding, provoking and harassing officers. Fernandez Rundle said those charges were dropped as soon after she viewed the videos.

She said the investigation is ongoing and the officers could face more charges.

Fernandez Rundle praised Clements for taking swift action and immediately informing her office of the incident.

“This is by no means at all a reflection of the dedicated men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department,” Clements said at Monday’s news conference. “Moving forward, I can tell you that my staff and I promise you, as individuals and as an agency, that we will learn from this. And we will grow from this.”

Upon his release from custody, Crudup told WPLG, “I got beat up, I got stitches, went to the hospital.” He denied parking the scooter illegally and striking the officer with it.

Vaughn told WPLG he started video recording the incident after Crudup was already handcuffed and on the ground.

“They beat him, turned around, charged me down, beat me … punched me, elbowed me in the face,” Vaughn told WPLG. “I literally got jumped by officers.”

Paul Ozeata, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told the Miami Herald that the five charged officers are being represented by the police union’s attorneys. He told the newspaper that he hadn’t viewed the video evidence close enough to comment on the officers’ actions.

“They deserve their day in court, just as everyone else does,” Ozeata said.

In an interview with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said he viewed the video footage and called the incident “unacceptable in every way.”

“This is not who our department is,” Gelber said, adding, “And what our department did was exactly the right thing they should do, which is relieved the officers of duty immediately, and then within hours refer the entire matter to the state attorney’s office for a review.”

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(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — The screams of people shouting for help can be heard in newly released body cam footage from police officers responding to the collapse of Champlain Towers South in the minutes after the Surfside, Florida, building fell to the ground.

Ninety-eight people were killed when the 12-story condominium building collapsed in the early morning of June 24. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the collapse.

The three videos released by the Town of Surfside on Tuesday show the chaos and shock as first responders and bystanders try to grasp what had just happened.

The footage begins at around 1:24 am, minutes after the collapse of the building.

The videos show Surfside Police officers arriving at the scene, speaking for the first time with survivors and witnesses, and working with other first responders to secure the area.

In one video, Officer Craig Lovellete is seen arriving at the site of the collapse at around 1:27 a.m. He walks up to other officers and asks if there was a fire.

“No,” one officer replies. “The building collapsed.”

Lovellete peeks over a concrete wall and sees the fallen garage with debris everywhere. Screaming can be heard in the background.

Back in his car, he says, “Oh my god” and sighs heavily.

Later Lovellete encounters Champlain Towers South security guard Shamoka Furman, who was in the building when it came down. Furman describes explosion-type noises she says she heard right before the collapse of the building. In another video clip, Officer Kemuel Gambirazio joins parts of the conversation.

“I hear a boom-boom but I’m thinking it’s the elevator … no beeps or nothing goes off … another boom-boom,'” Furman says. She makes hand motions to show Lovellete that after she heard the noises, the building came down.

After seeing two residents exit the building after the loud noise, Furman said she called 911.

“This never happens, I didn’t even know we had earthquakes — I don’t even know what this was,” Furman says. “I don’t even know how I made it out of there … through the grace of God.”

Asked if the building had any work done lately, Furman says she only works overnight.

Officer Ariol Lage’s body cam footage also shows him encountering Furman earlier, while she was still covered in debris.

“What collapsed?” Lage asks.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Furman says. “All I heard was boom. The garage, the pool — if they don’t get out…”

“It’s OK, fire rescue is here,” Lage replies.

Lage’s bodycam footage also shows him at the garage, which was the area of the building that collapsed first.

“There’s a lot of dust, I can barely see anything,” Lage says into his radio. He then hears a woman scream so he calls out for survivors, shining a flash light toward the noise. A woman is seen next to an overturned car, but cars and debris block Lage from getting to her.

“Are you OK?” Lage asks.

“No,” the woman replies.

Footage then shows Lage leaving the garage and making his way to a colleague, and the two walk around the building trying to determine how to get closer as screams can be heard from people in the area. It’s unclear what happened to them.

Lage and his colleagues are also seen trying to move bystanders away from the scene, fearing that the rest of the building could fall. They encounter a woman who appears to be in shock, standing in front of the building.

When told to move back, the woman replies slowly, “I’m just standing here cause I’m the building president and if you need something…”

Lage interrupts the woman and tells her the rest of the building might collapse, then ushers her away.

Another clip shows Officer Gambirazio talking with a someone who says he just made his way down from the 12th floor penthouse.

The man, who appears to be in shock and out of breath, says he was on his phone watching YouTube when he heard something falling.

He says he initially thought it wasn’t a big deal, but then “all of a sudden, I hear, like, it was a jet right through the front of my balcony. So I get up, and was like, ‘Was that a plane?'”

The video shows another person running toward Gambirazio from the direction of the collapse. The man, appearing distressed and shocked, keeps pointing and shouting toward the direction of the building.

As another officer tries to calm him down, Gambirazio tells him, “Listen, right now, we were told by Rescue not even we can help right now. … They’re coordinating something to help get everybody out.”

“Please” the man says, pointing toward the collapsed structure, but Gambirazio interrupts him and says, “I understand, but we have to do whatever they say.”

The man asks the officers if he can make a call to the building, and Gambirazio responds that he can, but adds that he can’t let him back into the area.

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