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How some in Afghanistan have reacted to the burqa mandate

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — The burqa mandate is back in Afghanistan, and, with it, a wave of disappointment and distress taking over the lives of millions of people in the country who do not believe in hijab.

Earlier this month, on May 7, the Vice and Virtue Ministry of the Taliban issued a decree saying all women in the country have to cover themselves head to toe. The decree says it is to protect the women’s “dignity” and called for those women who do not follow the hijab in government agencies to be dismissed.

“For all dignified Afghan women, wearing hijab is necessary and the best hijab is chadori (the head-to-toe burqa) which is part of our tradition and is respectful,” said Shir Mohammad, an official from the Vice and Virtue Ministry, in the statement.

The ministry updated the mandate on Sunday, May 22, requiring all TV presenters in Afghanistan to keep their faces covered while on-camera.

These announcements led to reactions among the international community and human rights groups. Many male TV presenters stood by their female colleagues by covering their faces with masks during their time on-camera.

The solidarity moved to social media, where the hashtag #FreeHerFace became popular.

Khpalwak Safi, broadcaster of Afghanistan’s leading Tolo TV, was among the figures who covered his face to show solidarity with female journalists. The move was welcomed by his colleagues.

On Wednesday, the official Twitter account of TOLO News called for the related officials and institutions to hear their message.

“It’s time for foreign governments to do much more to raise their concerns. Diplomats meeting with the Taliban should signal support for the #FreeHerFace campaign and speak out publicly against the Taliban’s intensifying violations of the rights of women and girls,” the Human Rights Watch wrote on May 23.

“This latest order is part of steady flow of Taliban actions that have blocked girls’ secondary education, pushed women out of most employment, curtailed women’s freedom of movement, obstructed women’s access to health care, and abolished the system designed to protect women and girls from violence,” the rights organization said.

Among those who showed solidarity was Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala Yousafzai’s father, the Peace Nobel laureate who has been advocating for girls’ education.

“Faces are windows to our souls and personalities. Our faces are our identities. It is our basic human right to show our identities. Also when girls are enrolled in schools they get an identity,” he tweeted with the hashtag #FreeHerFace.

“It is always a surprise to me to see this kind of restriction and focus on women when we have about a 95% poverty rate in the country,” Payvand Seyedali, an American health and human rights activist who has lived in Afghanistan for the past decade consulting with NGOs, told ABC News.

According to the mandate, if women reject covering head-to-toe, the first step would be to identify the house of the unveiled women. However, the mandate says, “their guardian should be advised and punished,” not the women themselves.

If the same woman is seen again without the Taliban’s standard dress code, their guardian will be summoned to the relevant department. The guardian then will be detained for three days and will finally be handed over to the courts to be sentenced to an appropriate punishment.

“The most important observation for me is how humiliating it is for women to not be able to be accountable for their own actions,” Seyedali said, addressing the consequences of prosecuting guardians rather than women themselves.

“On the other hand,” she added, “you also see that women are forced to make decisions that they don’t want to make for the benefit of their families. There is no girl and no woman in this country who wants to see her brother go to jail, who wants to see her father go to jail.”

The U.S. Amnesty International asked the international community to “hold the Taliban accountable.”

“Despite the Taliban’s continued assurances that they respect the rights of women and girls, millions of women and girls have been systematically discriminated against since the Taliban became the de-facto authorities,” the organization wrote in a tweet.

The burqa mandate comes after the restrictions on Afghanistan women’s freedom of movement as the Taliban had prohibited them from travelling out of their town without a male guardian. The other major restriction has been closing schools for girls after the sixth grade.

FDA investigating hepatitis A outbreak possibly linked to organic strawberries

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A that is possibly linked to two brands of organic strawberries that were sold at several retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

FreshKampo and HEB branded strawberries purchased by consumers between March 5 and April 25 should not be eaten, according to the FDA.

The affected strawberries, which are past their shelf life, were sold at retailers nationwide, including Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis Market and WinCo Foods.

Cases of hepatitis A have been reported by consumers in California, Minnesota and Canada, all of whom purchased strawberries before falling ill. At least 17 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations have been recorded so far nationwide, according to the FDA.

Hepatitis A is a contagious virus that can ultimately cause liver disease, according to the FDA. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine and pale stools. Infections typically recover within one to two weeks, though in rare cases, it may become chronic.

Strawberries should be thrown away if you are unsure what brand was purchased, or when and where they were bought, the FDA recommended. Frozen strawberries should also be thrown away.

Anyone experiencing symptoms of hepatitis A after consuming strawberries should contact their health care provider.

What restrictions were in place the last time COVID cases were so high

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Despite widespread vaccination and several available treatments, the U.S. is recording as many COVID-19 cases now at the tail end of the omicron peak as it was last summer during the delta surge.

On Wednesday, the latest date for which data is available, 181,000 new infections were reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over the last seven days, the country has recorded a total of 766,949 cases of the virus, although the true caseload is likely much higher.

This is on par with late August 2021, when the U.S. was recording between 182,000 and 187,000 new infections every day.

However, mitigation measures in the U.S. looked very different at the time. Although there were no lockdowns, several indoor venues mandated masks, vaccine passports were in effect in many large cities and one state even required proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter.

After the omicron wave that swept the country this past winter, an estimated 60% of Americans has been left infected since the start of the pandemic, many with much milder cases — even though studies suggest omicron is more infectious than delta — so communities started loosening restrictions.

Although the latest omicron subvariants appear to be even more transmissible than the original variant, a combination of vaccination, boosters and effective and readily available therapeutics appear to have muted the impact of severe disease.

Masking indoors

“When we think about summer 2021, we were in a different place in many ways,” Dr. Stuart Ray, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News. “We’d had vaccines for only about six months … The delta variant became the predominant variant in the U.S. mid-summer.”

The delta variant was first identified in March 2021 and quickly took over as the dominant variant, accounting for most U.S. cases during the summer. Before that, the country had been seeing encouraging declines in infections.

By late July 2021, the CDC was urging all Americans in COVID hot spots regardless of vaccination status to wear masks indoors.

At the time, states with high transmissions were mostly in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.

Through summer and fall 2021, some states were still imposing face coverings indoors including schools and even for the vaccinated; however, masks were also still required on public transportation, including in airports and on planes — a measure that has since been lifted.

Amid increasing COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, some school districts have reimposed mask mandates including in Philadelphia; Brookline, Massachusetts; and Providence, Rhode Island as well as universities such as the University of Delaware and the University of Hawaii, though the vast majority have not.

“Each district and each local health department is going to have to look at their own metrics and decide what the trigger is for bringing back mask mandates,” Dr. Michael Smith, a professor of pediatrics and medical director of the pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program at Duke University School of Medicine, told ABC News. “I wish we never had to do it, but they work.”

Vaccine passports

Starting in August 2021, New York City became the first city in the U.S. to require venues — including restaurants, gyms and movie theaters — to check for proof of vaccination.

Several cities followed suit including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and St. Paul, New Orleans, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Currently, no cities have vaccine mandates in place restricting indoor activities and some states have banned requiring vaccination proof altogether.

Florida was the first state to do so in April 2021 and several GOP-led states followed including Arizona, Georgia, Montana and Wyoming.

Ray said even with COVID-19 cases rising, he doesn’t see vaccine passports making a return.

“I don’t think it’s likely that vaccine passports are going to become a widespread measure, in part because they’re hard to implement,” he said.

He added that people can get around the passport requirement by showing forged vaccination cards and that there is not standardized electronic system to prevent it from happening.

Ray continued, “You would think that we could, but we don’t have an electronic system where people could display a QR code on their phone that shows that they have a verifiable vaccine history. Without technology like that, the system is not really in place logistically.”

Hawaii’s COVID-19 travel restrictions

Long after states had dropped their COVID-19 measures for domestic travelers in 2020, Hawaii kept its restrictions in place.

American visitors to the islands needed to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken one to three days before their departure.

Those who didn’t have either were subject to a mandatory 10-day quarantine.

Gov. David Ige announced the state would drop its so-called Safe Travels Program for domestic travelers on March 26 due to lower cases and hospitalizations but keep rules in place for international travelers.

Dr. Vandana Madhavan, clinical director of pediatric infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that even though increasing COVID infections may lead to the return of mask mandates, not all restrictions will need to return because the country has learned how to better treat and prevent the virus over the last two years.

“We’re at a very different point with other preventative measures,” she told ABC News. “More people are eligible to get vaccinated and a number of populations are eligible for boosters.”

She continued. “Also, we have a number of different options for therapeutics. We have oral and IV options, and options for both people who are at high risk before they get to the hospital and once, they get to the hospital.”

Madhavan added that COVID restrictions can be viewed as a “dimmer” that gets “dialed up” when cases rise and “dialed down” once cases fall.

“I view it not as an on and off switch at this point but a dimmer dial,” she said. “And so, we may have to dial up for a while, make sure that we’re not at the point where we’re stressing resources and then we can dial back.”

Infant boy killed in drive-by shooting in downtown Pittsburgh: Police

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PITTSBURGH) — A 1-year-old boy was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting in downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday, police say.

Authorities received 911 calls for a child shot on the 100 block of Fourth Avenue around 2:44 p.m. The infant was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

ABC News Pittsburgh affiliate WTAE reported that the infant was with a parent at the time of the shooting, according to police.

An investigation is ongoing and no other information was released at this time.

One dead, seven injured during shooting at Memorial Day festival in Oklahoma

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TAFT, Okla.) — One person was killed and another seven were injured after a shooting broke out during a Memorial Day festival in Oklahoma.

About 1,500 people were in attendance at the festival at the Old City Square in Taft, Oklahoma, about 45 miles southeast of Tulsa, when the shooting took place early Sunday, according to a statement from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Witnesses told investigators the gunfire erupted after an argument took place just after midnight, authorities said. One juvenile, a 9-year-old, was among the injured.

The deceased is a 39-year-old Black female, authorities said. The other seven injured range in age from 9 to 56 and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The suspect, 26-year-old Skyler Buckner, turned himself in at the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday,

The Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office was in attendance at the event and immediately rendered aid to the victims, authorities said.

Officials are asking anyone who may have a tip to contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Additional information on the shooting was not immediately available.

ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr and Timmy Truong contributed to this report.

One dead, two injured in Rocky Mountain avalanche

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BOULDER COUNTY, Colo.) — A climber died and two others were injured in an avalanche on Sunday in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker at about 9 a.m. local time, according to the National Park Service. Climbers nearby witnessed the avalanche, the service said in a statement.

“Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males,” Kyle Patterson, park spokesperson, said in a statement.

Rocky Mountain National Park launched a search-and-rescue operation with help from the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Med Evac and the Colorado National Guard.

“Rescue teams are working in terrain above 11,500 feet and are experiencing winter like weather conditions,” NPS said.

When a “weather window” opened up at about 2 p.m. local time, a helicopter from nearby Buckley Air Force Base flew in to help extricate one of the male climbers, NPS said. Using a winch-operated cable, the helicopter freed the man, who was then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies, NPS said.

Searchers located the body of the second male climber in the avalanche debris at about 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, NPS said.

“The recovery operation will be delayed due to winter weather conditions,” NPS said in a statement.

The female climber involved in the avalanche suffered minor injuries, NPS said. The names of the victims were being held until their families were notified, NPS said.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Timmy Truong contributed to this report.

Five dead after boats collide on Georgia river over Memorial Day weekend

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Five people are dead after two boats collided on a river in Georgia over Memorial Day weekend, officials said.

The crash occurred around 10:30 a.m. Saturday at a convergence in the Wilmington River, about seven miles east of downtown Savannah in Chatham County.

Nine people were aboard two boats — six in one, three in the other, officials said. The boats were traveling in opposite directions when witnesses said they collided, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Initially, two people were confirmed dead and three injured following the crash, the department said.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources identified the victims Sunday as Christopher David Leffler, 51, of Savannah; Lori Lynn Leffler, 50, of Savannah; Zachary James Leffler, 23, of Alpharetta; Nathan Leffler, 17, of Savannah, and Robert Steven Chauncey, 37, of Savannah.

Chris Leffler was a coach and teacher at Calvary Day School, and Nathan Leffler was a senior at the school, Dr. Hunter Chadwick, head of the school, said in a statement.

“We are saddened to report the death of our faculty member, Mr. Chris Leffler, and his wife, Lori, their sons, Zach and Nate, who passed away from injuries sustained in a boating accident this weekend,” the statement read.

The family was “loved by so many and will be missed dearly,” Chadwick said, describing Chris Leffler as an “outstanding” teacher, coach and friend.

Nate Leffler “had a quiet demeanor, contagious smile and passion for athletics,” Chadwick said. “He was well-liked by his peers, was a great brother and a loving son.”

Three men were missing in the wake of the incident — a 37-year-old man and two men in their early 20s — but were found Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Mark McKinnon, communications director for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, told ABC News that all three bodies were found Sunday morning after game wardens detected them with sonar technology around 9 a.m. ET.

The bodies were found close to one another in 14-foot-deep water near the site of the crash, McKinnon said.

Savannah ABC affiliate WJCL captured a damaged boat being towed on Saturday.

“Rough day today out here,” Bill Koster, the chief of operations for Chatham County Emergency Services, told reporters.

First responders, including Georgia Department of Natural Resources game wardens, Chatham County Marine Patrol, Savannah Fire and Chatham Emergency Services and two U.S. Coast Guard helicopters, helped look for the missing boaters.

Four passengers sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, officials said. One patient was flown to the hospital by the Coast Guard after being rescued from the water, Koster said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, officials said.

Two center console boats were involved in the incident, one of which sunk following the crash, Koster said.

Chatham Emergency Services urged people to avoid the area following the deadly accident.

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Lillian Gifford, Jason Volack and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

Poppy Wall returns to Washington for Memorial Day, blooming in honor of fallen service members

May 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — While Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, celebrated by many with cookouts and pool parties, the holiday’s purpose is one of remembrance for the country’s fallen soldiers.

This year, the USAA Poppy Wall of Honor — a temporary installation honoring the more than 645,000 Americans who, since World War I, have been killed in military service — has returned to the National Mall in Washington.

The tribute, a lightly reflective display of shocking red petals, is on display between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Constitution Gardens pond. It returns to Washington for the first time since 2019 after being on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its name is also special: The poppy flower came to symbolize combat sacrifice after Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae saw bright red poppies blooming in the battle-torn wake of World War I and was moved to write “In Flanders Fields.” McCrae’s work was later published and seen by American University of Georgia professor Moïna Michael and by Anna Guérin in France. Micheal wrote her own poem in 1918 titled “We Shall Keep Faith” and began selling poppies to raise money for veterans and their families; she is credited with the idea of making and selling red poppies to help support veterans.

In France, Guérin organized her own large poppy drives and sold the flowers for money for widows, orphans and veterans.

It is with that legacy in mind that the flower wall again blooms in memory of the slain.

“Memorial Day may be our most sacred holiday,” Vice Adm. John Bird, senior vice president of military affairs at USAA, told ABC News.

“We take time to remember and reflect on the men and women that died in service to our country fighting for our nation. Many of these young men and women were volunteers,” Bird says. “They put their lives on the line so we can enjoy the freedom and the quality of life that we have today. So it’s a very important holiday and we can never thank them enough, but we certainly should never forget them.”

Military leaders also note that there can be a common misconception about the holiday’s meaning compared to Veterans Day, in November.

“A lot of folks don’t understand the significance of it … people say, ‘Hey, have a great Veterans Day.’ The veterans — they’re living. It’s a little hard to say, ‘Hey, have a great Memorial Day.’ We’re really honoring those that died during war on Memorial Day and we must keep that in mind,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Fritz.

Though the holiday is rooted in solemnity and sacrifice, it can also be an occasion to gather in celebration for those who cannot, supporters say.

“Reflect on them for a moment and be thankful if you know family members of the fallen. Thank them for their great sacrifice … It’s not to say we don’t have a good time or we don’t enjoy our barbecue,” Bird says. “Just take a moment to thank those who have fallen, wear a poppy and remember and reflect.”

Nancy Pelosi’s husband arrested for suspected DUI; her office says she wasn’t present

May 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NAPA COUNTY, Calif.) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was arrested in Napa County, California, on Saturday night for allegedly driving under the influence.

The 82-year-old was detained around 11:44 p.m. and booked on two misdemeanor counts — driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 or higher — according to the Napa County Criminal Justice Network’s records.

Paul’s bail was set at $5,000 and he was released on Sunday morning, the records show. Additional details of the incident were not immediately available. (The arrest was first reported by TMZ.)

Nancy Pelosi’s office said that she was across the country at the time of her husband’s arrest and would not discuss it further.

“The Speaker will not be commenting on this private matter which occurred while she was on the East Coast,” the statement read.

The California Democrat was in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday to deliver the 2022 commencement address at Brown University. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree.

During her remarks, the House leader called on graduates to help unify a “deeply divided” country, referencing the recent “senseless” mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.

“I see dazzling brilliance, beautiful diversity,” Pelosi told the crowd of graduates. “I see the future — and it is you. So class of 2022, go forward with courage to build unity and hold on to your hope.”

The Pelosis have been married since 1963 and have five children.

ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr and MaryAlice Parks contributed to this report.

President Biden, first lady arrive in Uvalde to comfort community grieving elementary massacre

May 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to grieve with the community after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting there last week.

The Bidens first paid their respects at the memorial site at Robb Elementary School, accompanied by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Uvalde County Independent School District Independent Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell and Robb Elementary School Principal Mandy Gutierrez.

Jill Biden was seen touching the photos of the children at the site, filled with flowers and white crosses in honor of each of the victims.

The president and first lady then attended mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church alongside hundreds of parishioners.

They are expected to visit with survivors, families of the victims and first responders, according to the White House.

Twenty-one people, including 19 third- and fourth-graders, were killed Tuesday after an 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, used an assault-style rifle to open fire on two connected classrooms at Robb Elementary, according to authorities.

“I’d hoped, when I became president, I would not have to do this again,” President Biden said on Tuesday as he addressed the nation following the shooting. “Another massacre. Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, second-, third-, fourth-graders,” he said.

Sunday’s visit to Uvalde is the second trip the president has taken in two weeks to comfort a grief-stricken community following a mass shooting.

On May 17, Biden traveled to Buffalo, New York, to meet with the families of the victims of the Tops supermarket shooting, which is being investigated as a hate crime. Ten people, all of whom were Black, were killed on May 14.

Biden addressed both the the Uvalde and Buffalo shootings on Saturday during his commencement speech at the University of Delaware, his alma mater.

“Too much violence. Too much fear. Too much grief,” he said, calling on Americans to work together to make the country safer. “Let’s be clear: Evil came to that elementary school classroom in Texas, to that grocery store in New York, to far too many places where innocents have died.”

ABC News’ Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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