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(NEW YORK) — Paramount Pictures was hit with a lawsuit Monday over the blockbuster hit, Top Gun: Maverick.
The widow and son of Ehud Yonay, who wrote a 1983 article in California Magazine titled, “Top Guns,” about fighter pilots and the Navy’s elite Top Gun program, is suing the studio in California federal court and claiming copyright infringement. The lawsuit claims the original film credited the story but that the studio did not have the right to make this year’s blockbuster, which they say is a derivative work of the original article.
“The iconic 1986 film all started with Paramount securing exclusive motion picture rights to Ehud Yonay’s copyrighted story immediately after its publication,” according to the lawsuit filed by Shosh Yonay, his widow, and Yuval Yonay, his son. “In fact, the author’s story was duly credited on the derivative 1986 film, which is widely known to have been based on the story.”
The family also alleges that Paramount “deliberately” ignored their letter sent to recover copyright of the story through a copyright termination notice for Ehud’s initial article, “thumbing its nose at the statute.”
According to the lawsuit, Paramount acquired the copyright to Yonay’s story after it was published in 1983. In 2018, the Yonays allege they sent Paramount a notice that the copyright was terminated with an effective date of Jan. 24, 2020. They claim Paramount did not get a license to make the sequel.
The Yonays claim the film was completed after the effective termination date of Jan. 24, 2020.
“Despite the 2022 sequel clearly having derived from the story, Paramount consciously failed to secure a new license of film and ancillary rights in the copyrighted story following the Yonays’ recovery of their U.S. copyright on January 24, 2020,” the lawsuit states.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has insisted the sequel was sufficiently completed before that date.
“These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously,” Paramount said in a statement, which was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Top Gun: Maverick, which stars Tom Cruise and Miles Teller, has grossed more than $500 million since it was released over Memorial Day. The Yonays are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and unspecified damages.
(NEW YORK) — Prince Harry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, have released a new photo of their daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The photo shows a smiling, red-headed Lili sitting in the grass at her first birthday party, which took place on Saturday at Frogmore Cottage, the Sussexes’ home in the United Kingdom.
The toddler’s birthday party, described as a casual, backyard picnic, was attended by close friends and family, according to a spokesperson for the Sussexes.
Party guests enjoyed a birthday cake by London baker Claire Ptak, who created Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake in 2018.
The photo of Lili was taken by U.K.-based photographer Misan Harriman, who also took the photo Harry and Meghan shared with their pregnancy announcement last year.
Harriman shared a few photos on Twitter from the party, writing, “It was such a privilege to celebrate the 1st birthday of Lilibet with my family and hers! Joy and face painting all around.”
One of the photos shows Meghan holding Lili, who has her hand in her mouth and is wearing polka-dot socks.
It was such a privilege to celebrate the 1st birthday of Lilibet with my family and hers! Joy and face painting all around ❤️🎂🎉 pic.twitter.com/bg3RY6MOEu
Lili celebrated her first birthday on her first trip to the U.K., where her father and older brother, 3-year-old Archie, were born.
The Sussexes now live in California, where Meghan was raised. The family traveled to the U.K. to attend Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Lili’s great-grandmother and namesake, Queen Elizabeth II.
Lili and Archie did not appear publicly while in the U.K. Harry and Meghan attended just one public engagement, joining royal family members at a National Service of Thanksgiving for Elizabeth at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The church service was the couple’s first royal event since they stepped down from their senior royal roles in 2020 and moved out of the U.K.
Prior to Lili’s birthday photo, the only public photo that had been released of her was the Sussexes’ 2021 Christmas card.
In the photo, the family is all smiling as Meghan lifts up Lili and Archie sits on Harry’s lap.
Harry revealed in April that Lili, 10 months old at the time, was learning how to walk.
“Her current priorities are trying to keep up with her brother; she took her first step just a few days ago!” Harry told People magazine. “Proud papa, here.”
(WASHINGTON) — Voters in seven states head to the polls on Tuesday to pick party nominees for some of the nation’s most competitive House seats — and their choices will be shaped by key forces, like redistricting, that will help decide who controls Congress next year.
California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey and South Dakota are next to vote in the ongoing primaries.
One of the marquee developments will be the outcome in brand new congressional districts, which were based on the last census and each state’s rules about who drew the new maps. In most cases, the state legislatures were responsible, with observers tracking how the new lines across the country favor one party over another — and with some new maps enduring rounds of controversy and judicial review.
The candidates for some of these new seats highlight fluctuating intraparty dynamics for both Democrats and Republicans. The latest batch of primaries also features some of the most endangered incumbents from either party.
California Republican Reps. Mike Garcia — who voted not to certify the 2020 election results — and David Valadao — one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump in the wake of Jan. 6 — are attempting to keep their seats in districts that absorbed a near 12-point edge in Democratic voter registration after the state’s latest decennial redraw.
Meanwhile, in Iowa, Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne is grasping at her swing district as her state has moved further and further right.
Fellow Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski, of New Jersey, is in a long-shot fight to keep hold of his newly GOP-favorable 7th Congressional District, which was redrawn in order for the state’s Democrats to bolster a number of their other vulnerable lawmakers.
The contest for New Mexico’s second congressional seat highlights a newly formed district that shifted in 2020 from Trump to Joe Biden by 17 points. It’ll be a toss-up race between incumbent Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell and front-runner Gabe Vasquez, a Mexican-born former Las Cruces councilman and former aide to Sen. Martin Heinrich. In California, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin’s 49th District was recently made slightly more Republican.
Redistricting drew incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel into the same district as Democratic fundraising powerhouse Rep. Katie Porter in Orange County, California, forcing the former to move over to the 45th District.
Concerns about crime and policing will also play out in some primaries. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin faces a recall, with his opponents arguing he has not done enough to combat criminals in the city while his supporters say he’s trying to fix and reimagine law enforcement. San Francisco is one of the most liberal cities in America and if voters do kick out Boudin, it could be a telling sign of how far progressive prosecutors can go in metro areas.
South of San Francisco, crime is also having an impact in the Los Angeles mayoral race, where billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso has seen his profile rise. Caruso, a former Republican and self-described “centrist,” has promised to invest more in L.A.’s police department and focus on public safety. The other leading contender in the race is Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who has served six terms in Congress and was also on the long list to be Biden’s vice presidential running mate. Bass has touted her own extensive plans for crime in the city, reflecting how it remains top of mind for local voters.
California’s primary will shift light onto another race: GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is up for reelection in the 20th Congressional District. On Sunday, McCarthy received an endorsement from former President Trump, who called him a “tireless advocate” for his area and a chief opponent of Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But even though he endorsed McCarthy, Trump did not mention supporting McCarthy in his run for speaker should Republicans gain control of the House. McCarthy is widely expected to seek the speakership, should the GOP retake the majority, and Trump’s support would be critical.
Last, in Iowa, state Democrats’ push to unseat 88-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is shaping up to be a major primary battle on Tuesday — and one that could illustrate disorganization in the party ahead of more fierce fighting for the historically purple state. Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer is in an ever-tightening race against retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Mike Franken. While that primary had been intended as an easy win for the well-connected Finkenauer, ballot accessibility hurdles involving the Iowa Supreme Court and some campaign management challenges instead put her into a much more competitive race with Franken. Both will also be up against rural physician Glenn Hurst.
(NEW YORK) — Multiple climbers were airlifted off California’s Mount Shasta, some in critical condition, on Monday, with one dying as a result of their injuries, authorities said.
At least four climbers were rescued, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. Climbers had reported poor conditions after Sunday snowfall turned into ice overnight.
Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano with an elevation of 14,179 feet — the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range.
The first incident was reported at 8:39 a.m. of a climber suffering severe injuries and in critical condition and one recovering from injuries that included a broken ankle, the sheriff’s office said, which said at the time that another climber had died as a result of their injuries.
Another climber was reported in critical condition at 12:31 p.m., and a third incident was later reported at 4 p.m., at which time the sheriff’s office said a helicopter crew was trying to locate a female climber who was said to be injured on the mountain.
The first two incidents were in the area of Avalanche Gulch, a snowy glacier climb on the mountain, the sheriff’s office said.
As of 6 p.m., the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office was coordinating rescue efforts for a fifth climber, it said. It was unclear exactly how many climbers were injured or what the nature of their climb was.
The identity of the deceased climber is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office was coordinating rescue operations with the Mount Shasta City Fire Department, the Siskiyou County Search and Rescue (SAR), USFS Climbing Rangers, the CHP – Air Operations H-14 crew and Mount Shasta Ambulance, as well as Reach 5 Air Ambulance.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Marshals Service is looking for three men after they climbed through holes they made in the ceiling of their cells and escaped out the back door of the Barry County Jail in southwest Missouri early Friday morning.
The Barry County Sheriff’s Office said in Facebook posts that the men, two of whom were booked on drug charges and the other on a stealing charge, broke out of jail overnight. They should be considered armed and dangerous, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff Danny Boyd told ABC News that his staff learned when they arrived for work Friday that the inmates had climbed through holes they’d made in the ceiling and left the building through a maintenance door.
The jail building is old with ceilings made of plaster, which Boyd said allowed the escape to take place. He said the inmates — Lance Stephens, Matthew Crawford and Christopher Blevins — were acquaintances. Two shared a cell while the other was in a cell several feet away.
The sheriff said there is no indication that an employee aided the escape but noted that he is interviewing everyone who was working that morning to be sure. His staff has pulled all surveillance video from the time of the escape.
Boyd said tips he’s received suggest at least two of the inmates have left the state.
The U.S. Marshals did not respond to requests for comment about their search.
The sheriff’s office asked the public for tips and information on the escapees Monday, saying it would pass the information along to the Marshals.
The Barry County Jail incident is the latest of a string of jail escapes that have occurred in the past several months.
Last week, a Houston area family of five was allegedly murdered by escaped prisoner Gonzalo Lopez, who broke into their home.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Lopez died in a shootout with police hours after authorities found the family’s bodies.
On April 29, Vicky White, the Lauderdale County assistant director of corrections in Florence, Alabama, helped murder suspect Casey White escape from his cell, and the two fled the jail.
After an 11-day search, Vicky White and Casey White, who aren’t related, were caught by law enforcement in Evansville, Indiana, after a car crash.
Vicky White died on May 9 from injuries stemming from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
(UVALDE, Texas) — An elementary school teacher wounded in the second-most deadly school shooting in U.S. history in Uvalde, Texas, described the chilling moments he first encountered a gunman who would take the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
Arnulfo Reyes was watching a movie with 11 of his students when he heard the deadly shots ringing out, he told ABC News anchor Amy Robach for an interview airing Tuesday on “Good Morning America,” as he recovered from two gunshot wounds at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
The 17-year veteran teacher described multiple harrowing encounters with the gunman, offering the most vivid account yet of what transpired inside his classroom on May 24, when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos attacked Robb Elementary School.
Reyes and his students were in Room 111, one of the adjoining classrooms where Ramos allegedly carried out the attack, he said. When the children began asking, “What is going on?” Reyes said he attempted to remain calm and gave instructions to his students to keep them safe.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s go ahead and get under the table,” Reyes said he told the students. “Get under the table and act like you’re asleep.”
After Reyes told the children to get under the table, he turned around and saw the gunman standing there.
Ramos then almost immediately opened fire on the classroom, Reyes said.
Reyes said he was shot twice. One bullet went through an arm and lung, and another bullet hit him in the back.
As Reyes lay incapacitated, Ramos turned his AR-15 style rifle, bought days after his 18th birthday, onto the young children– mostly third and fourth graders.
Reyes then heard police officers outside the classroom as a child in the next room called for help, he said, adding that he believes the officers had walked away at that point, having not heard the pleas.
“One of the students from the next-door classroom was saying, ‘Officer, we’re in here. We’re in here,'” Reyes said. “But they had already left.”
The gunman then got up from behind Reyes’ desk in Room 111 and began shooting again in Room 112, Reyes said.
The next time Reyes heard officers, they were telling Ramos to come out — that they just wanted to talk and were not going to hurt him, Reyes said.
Then, silence. Before eventually officers breached the door and fatally shot him, Reyes said.
One student survivor, 10-year-old Samuel Salinas, told ABC News after the shooting that the gunman came into his classroom and said, “You’re all gonna die,” and just started shooting.
“He shot the teacher and then he shot the kids,” Salinas said, adding that he played dead to avoid being shot.
The funerals for the victims are continuing until June 25.
(WASHINGTON) — As a bipartisan group of senators — a smaller subset of the original group of 10 — prepared to meet in person on Monday night to go over options for possible gun legislation, members from both sides of the aisle were expressing optimism that some kind of deal may come together by week’s end, with Democrats cautioning against allowing talks to drag out.
“My goal is to reach an agreement by the end of the week. We have more Republicans and Democrats sitting together than ever before — since Sandy Hook. What we’re talking about is substantial. It will save lives,” lead Democratic negotiator Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, told ABC News’ Rachel Scott. “While I’m certainly prepared to fail, I’m more hopeful for success than ever before.”
“We’re trying to get a bipartisan outcome here that makes a difference, and hopefully sometime this week we’ll come together,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, echoing Murphy, though he mentioned no specifics.
And while there was a palpable sense of cautious optimism in the air — as the latest round of negotiations continued in the wake of the latest mass shootings — there was also a sense of fragility in what has been happening behind the scenes. GOP aides, in particular, remained incredibly sensitive about the talks, taking time to correct reporters on various ideas that were potentially on the table.
One suggestion, for example, was an expansion of current federal background checks. But an aide to lead Republican negotiator John Cornyn, of Texas, cautioned the press that any changes to the law would not expand but rather strengthen the system for those already subject to a background check.
Cornyn, in a floor speech on Monday, indicated that the focus was on mental health and school safety, two subjects that appear to be safer political territory for Republicans, many of whom argue restrictions on firearms, including on once-banned assault weapons, violate the Second Amendment.
“Over the last week and a half, I’ve been talking particularly with Sen. Murphy, Sen. [Thom] Tillis, Sen. [Kyrsten] Sinema, but literally with everybody I can reach on the phone or get through text message to see if there’s some package of mental health and safety legislation that addresses some of the factors that might have prevented the recent shootings in Uvalde and elsewhere,” Cornyn said.
He added, “I want to be clear, though: We are not talking about restricting the rights of current law-abiding gun owners or citizens.”
“What I’m interested in is keeping guns out of the hands of those who, by current law, are not supposed to have them,” Cornyn said. “People with mental health problems, people who have criminal records. Again, this is about the art of the possible. In order to deliver results, we have to build consensus, and the best way to do that is through targeted reforms.”
While no vote is expected this week, lawmakers, specifically Democrats, are eyeing a fast-approaching deadline of the end of the week for a compromise to be in hand. The majority party is conscious of the painful lessons learned by the failure of the sweeping social, economic and climate legislation — known as Build Back Better — that they attempted to fast-track after retaking Congress in 2021, only to see members of their own party tank the bill’s chances following months of grinding talks.
“Look at reconciliation. The failure to have a real, finite deadline led us on and on and on, month after month, and we ended up empty-handed. So I think Chuck [Schumer] was right in saying to the negotiators, ‘I’m glad you’re meeting but do something and do it in a timely fashion.’ Otherwise it would drag out and otherwise American people would lose their faith in our ability to respond in any way,” the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Illinois’ Dick Durbin, told reporters Monday, referring to the majority leader’s position on the latest round of talks.
Durbin said he wouldn’t call Friday a “final deadline,” but he signaled there would be little patience with anything too far beyond that.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also a negotiator, told Rachel Scott that it was time for Republicans to “put up or shut up.”
But Cornyn warned on Monday against pressuring for a deal.
“I will not settle on inadequate or downright harmful legislation for the sake of doing something. That’s not productive for anyone,” he said. “That’s one of the things I hear the most: People say, ‘Do something.’ Well, we can agree something needs to be done. But what that something is is much harder to achieve — and so targeted reforms, I think, are the way to get to where we need to go.”
One unusual, A-list lobbyist in Congress this week: Actor Matthew McConaughey — a native of Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman massacred 21 at an elementary school last month — who was on the Hill on Monday evening to talk gun safety. An aide familiar with the matter told ABC News that the actor planned to discuss the issue with the bipartisan Senate group as well as some House lawmakers.
Negotiators have met at least four times during the weeklong recess that just ended, but aides told ABC News that a deal was far from ready. Paper has been exchanged behind the scenes with negotiators working to build consensus in the hope of unveiling a bill that can garner at least a filibuster-proof 60 to 70 votes in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a negotiator working on background checks for commercial sales, told ABC News on Monday that he would support increasing the age from 18 to 21 for adults to be able to purchase a semi-automatic weapon like the AR-15s that are repeatedly used in mass shootings.
“We know two things that would have stopped this: One, if the age was at 21; and also if there were ‘red flag’ laws,” said Manchin, referencing legislation that allows law enforcement, with a court order, to temporarily seize guns from those deemed a danger to themselves or others.
“There are no red lines. We’ve got to do something. We have to bring gun sense into America,” Manchin said.
But an age restriction is not something Republicans are interested in doing.
“Not likely. Not likely. We ask 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds to go to war, to defend our freedom, and the homeland as well … So, I think it would seem a little bit hypocritical to ask an 18- or 19-year-old who’s a responsible gun owner to have one,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told Rachel Scott.
Democrats seem resigned to accepting a compromise that will not contain anything near what they want — despite President Joe Biden’s push otherwise — but doing something is the goal in the face of so much carnage, they have said.
“I can guarantee you despite their best efforts, they will for sure fall short of what I want to see done,” Durbin told reporters of the possible deal. “But as [is] the nature of a 50-50 Senate and political compromise, we ought to see anything that is a sensible way to reduce gun violence.”
(WASHINGTON) — The military has identified a U.S. service member as a “possible suspect” in an April 7 attack in Syria that injured other American troops, an official said Monday.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) are conducing a joint investigation into the incident. (The probe was first reported by CNN.)
Four U.S. service members were evaluated for minor wounds and possible traumatic brain injuries after what the military originally reported to be two indirect-fire rounds hitting the Green Village base in Syria.
An Army CID official confirmed in a statement that the service member was being investigated, adding that the person was currently back in the U.S.
The official emphasized that “at this point these are just allegations” and that any suspects were presumed innocent.
“The investigation is ongoing, which may or may not, develop sufficient evidence to identify a perpetrator(s) and have enough evidence to ensure a conviction in a court of law,” the official said.
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(PHILADELPHIA) — Arrest warrants were issued Monday for two suspects in a mass shooting Saturday night in Philadelphia as police continue to work to identify other gunmen in the rampage that left three people dead and 11 injured, according to prosecutors.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference that he approved charges against two suspects “in connection to what we anticipate are non-fatal shootings.”
Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said warrants were issued for Quran Garner, who was shot by a police officer during the incident and is in custody, and a second individual, whose name was not released, and who remains at large.
Pescatore said Garner, who was undergoing surgery Monday on an injured hand, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers.
The unnamed individual is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, conspiracy, violating the uniform firearms act, possession of an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
Citing security video, Pescatore said the shooting erupted after one of the victims she identified as Micah Towns got into a physical confrontation with Gregory Jackson, a 34-year-old man who was killed in the shooting.
Pescatore said Towns and Jackson were passing each other on the same side of South Street when words were exchanged, setting off a melee.
“Jackson takes a swing at Micah Towns, striking him in the face,” Pescatore said.
She said the unnamed wanted suspect, who was with Jackson at the time, gets involved in the fight.
“Micah Towns is thrown against a window while they are beating on him,” Pescatore said.
She said Jackson, who had a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, is seen on video pulling out a gun and holding it to his side. She said, Towns, who also had a concealed firearm permit, drew his gun and fired at Jackson in self-defense, killing him.
Pescatore said the unnamed suspect then shot Towns, who remains in a hospital in serious condition.
She said Garner, who was with Towns at the time, then allegedly drew a weapon and fired in the direction of where the melee occurred as police converged on the scene.
She said Garner then allegedly aimed his weapon at officers, who fired at him, striking him in the hand.
Pescatore said Garner ran from the area yelling “he shot my hand off” and police lost him in the crowd. She said Garner later approached other officers dealing with a separate shooting on Second Street, claimed he had been shot in the incident and was taken to a hospital.
Pescatore said Garner allegedly fired a Ghost gun, a non-traceable weapon, in the shooting and that it remains unclear if he hit anyone. The gun also had an extended magazine.
The unnamed suspect remained at the scene rendering medical aid to Jackson, Pescatore said.
She said the suspect gave his name and address to police and was allowed to leave the scene. It was only after investigators reviewed the video did they realize the man was involved in the shooting and was caught on video picking up Jackson’s gun and giving it to an unidentified man in a blue hooded sweatshirt who fled with the weapon.
Pescatore said at least four guns — three 9mm weapons and a .40-caliber handgun — were involved in the shooting on Second Street, a popular nightlife area full of bars and restaurants that was crowded with hundreds of people when the shooting erupted.
She said the crime scene encompassed about a two block area.
Philadelphia police officials said officers recovered two guns from the scene, including one with an extended magazine, authorities said.
“Hour by hour we are finding out more information,” Krasner said.
Krasner described witnessing a “chilling” scene when he visited the site of the shooting just hours after it occurred.
“It is no less chilling that it happened in no less than 10 places around the country in a space of a few days,” said Krasner, referring to mass shootings that occurred over the weekend in nine different states that left a total of at least 17 people dead and 62 injured.
The Philadelphia shooting erupted just before midnight Saturday at the busy intersection of Third and South streets.
Inspector D.F. Pace of the Philadelphia Police Department said hundreds of people were milling about the area when the shooting caused a panic and sent people running in all directions, some diving behind cars for cover.
Investigators are combing through security video to identify other suspects and determine a motive for the shooting, Pescatore said.
She urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact homicide investigators.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference on Sunday that two of the slain victims were innocent bystanders as well as many of those who were wounded.
One of those killed was identified as Kris Minners, a resident adviser at Girard College in Philadelphia, the Girard College Federation of Teachers union said in a statement. Two more victims were identified by the Philadelphia Police Department Sunday afternoon as Jackson and 27-year-old Alexis Quinn.
“The loss of Kris reminds us that gun violence can and will touch everyone in our nation as long as our elected officials allow it to continue,” the teachers’ union statement read.
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The Sacramento City Unified School District reinstated its mask mandate Monday just two months after making face coverings optional.
School officials said the decision came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated the county as having high levels of COVID-19 in the community.
When counties enter this category, the federal health agency recommends masking in indoor, public spaces and on public transportation.
“Sacramento is a community that has been devastated due to COVID,” SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar told ABC News. “Our district has been really committed in the overall safety of our students and staff … so we established the CDC threshold would be the drivers for our decision-making.”
According to the CDC, the county is currently recording 283.49 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people every week.
Data from the district shows the case rate is currently more than seven times higher than when the mask mandate was lifted.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News that cases in Northern California are rising for several reasons, the main being the spread of new omicron subvariants.
“The new generations of subvariants are looking so different from the original variants from Wuhan that the antibodies don’t recognize them as easily,” he said.
He described immunity from vaccination against the new subvariants as two levels of defense.
“I think of the antibodies as guards at the front gate that are a little bit sleepy that let the virus in,” Chin-Hong said. “But you have B-cells and T-cells so, once the virus is in, they’re like the guard dog that attacks. So, you get infected, but you won’t go to the hospital.”
SCUSD’s decision comes as several school districts have reimposed mask mandates amid increasing COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
These include Philadelphia; Brookline, Massachusetts; and Providence, Rhode Island, as well as universities such as the University of Delaware and the University of Hawaii.
“I know that April to June is not a very long time and people were just getting used to” not having a mask mandate, Aguilar said. “I do recognize that this is a very divisive topic but we’ve been very fortunate that the vast majority of our community has stood firm and in support of the kinds of measures that we’ve put in place.”
Chin-Hong said SCUSD’s decision to reimpose mask mandates is an example of what health officials mean when they discuss ramping up mitigation measures when cases rise and easing them when cases fall.
“This is a good example of what turning on and off the switch of protection looks like,” he said. “I think we’ll have to get used to it to keep hospitals intact and keep people healthy.”
