(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Authorities are searching for answers after a shooter killed six people at a private Christian elementary school in Tennessee’s capital city on Monday morning.
The suspect — identified as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville — had a detailed map of the Covenant School and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry before gunning down three students and three staff members, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. A motive remains unknown.
“We have not been able to determine a motive as of yet. The investigation is still very much ongoing,” Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
The slain children were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The deceased adults were identified as 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, who was head of the school, police said.
The suspect was armed with at least two assault-style rifles as well as a handgun. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally and locally, according to police.
About 14 minutes after the initial 911 call came in, officers shot and killed the suspect in a lobby area on the second floor of the school, police said.
Investigators believe the suspect was a former student. The suspect had a map “of how this was all going to take place” as well as “writings,” and it appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to Drake.
Drake had told reporters that the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn’t immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News that the suspect was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the suspect that included the use of the pronouns he/him.
The Covenant School is for students in preschool through sixth grade. There are about 209 students and 40 to 50 staff members. It does not have a school resource officer, police said.
(NEW YORK) — A fire broke out at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Monday, killing at least 39 people, officials said in a statement.
The fire started at about 10 p.m. on Monday at the Instituto Nacional de Migración, Mexico’s Institute of Migration said early Tuesday. The center houses migrants near the Puente Internacional Lerdo Stanton bridge to El Paso, Texas.
Sixty-eight men from Central and South America had been housed in the facility, officials said. The dead were all migrants, according to the statement.
Another 29 migrants were injured, some seriously, and were transferred to four local hospitals, the statement said.
(NEW YORK) — Just as the school week began across the country Monday, news broke that another school shooting was unfolding in the United States.
On Monday morning, according to officials, three children and three staff members were shot and killed at the Covenant School, a private Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade, in Nashville, Tennessee.
The suspect was shot and killed by authorities inside the school. No one who was shot survived, officials said.
The deadly shooting is one of the nearly 130 mass shootings that have taken place so far this year in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are shot or killed, not including the shooter.
The Nashville school shooting is now also on the long list of school shootings that have taken place in the past decade, since the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that claimed the lives of 20 students and six educators.
With each school shooting, the number of people affected by school shootings grows, as do the conversations parents and caregivers must have with kids about the reality of gun violence in the U.S.
Read on to see five tips from experts on how to discuss school shootings with kids:
1. Be proactive in talking with kids.
ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said last July — shortly after 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — that topics like school shootings should be discussed with kids in a proactive way.
“The first step is to make an age-appropriate dialogue, open lines of communication with your child,” Ashton said, later adding, “We shouldn’t sit back and wait for them to come up and say, ‘Mom, Dad, I’d like to talk about gun violence.'”
She continued, “We’re going to need to take the first step and come to them early and often and say, ‘What are you thinking about? What are you afraid of? What questions do you have?'”
Ashton also encouraged parents and caregivers to lead with honesty and transparency and to not be afraid to say “I don’t have an answer” or to share their feelings.
If an adult doesn’t have an answer, Ashton recommended they use dialogue like, “I don’t have an answer to that but I’ll help you find it.”
And if an adult has fear after a school shooting as children often do, Ashton said they can reassure a child by saying, “I know you’re scared, so am I, but let me tell you what your teachers and what your parents and community are trying to do to help you stay safe.”
2. Be truthful about what happened.
Dr. Melissa Brymer, director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, said parents and caregivers should be truthful with kids about school shootings that happen, but in an age-appropriate way.
“As hard as it is, we need to be truthful about what happened,” Brymer told ABC News last year. “And make sure we answer kids questions truthfully.”
She continued, “For our young kids, they don’t need to have all the details. Many times they’re going to be worried about their safety, your safety as a parent or caregiver or their family members’ safety, so we want to reiterate what’s being done to help them right now.”
Brymer said parents should be prepared for teenagers to want a “much more in-depth conversation.”
“How do we talk about what this event has meant that might have impacted our value system?” Brymer said of a potential conversation starter with a teen. “Can you encourage your kids to think about is there a club or some type of activity that they can do within their schools to show and create change? In these times, many of us start to feel lonely. How do we reach out to those that might not have someone in their life?”
3. Reach out to others for support.
Brymer also suggested parents and caregivers take a “pause” to think about how an event like a school shooting affects their own emotions so they can be ready to talk to their kids.
“Sometimes we don’t have the words right away,” Brymer said. “We might need to reach out to our own support systems and have those conversations, and then we can have them with our kids.”
If a child’s stress levels or response to a mass shooting are hard to manage, experts say parents and caregivers shouldn’t hesitate to seek guidance from their pediatrician, a school counselor, social worker or other mental health experts. Parents should also seek out professional mental health help if they are struggling.
4. Keep an eye out for changes in kids’ behaviors.
Psychiatrist and author Dr. Janet Taylor said children may respond to disturbing news about mass shootings in different ways, and parents and caregivers should pay attention to see if their child’s behaviors change.
Children may experience problems focusing, have difficulty sleeping or become more irritable, according to Taylor.
“If you have younger children and they suddenly get more clingy or want to sleep in bed with you, pay attention to that and cuddle them as they need it,” Taylor told ABC’s Good Morning America in 2022. “Older kids may become more isolated or feel that they have to solve things by themselves.”
5. Remember to check-in with kids.
Instead of discussing a school shooting only once, Robin Gurwitch, a licensed clinical psychologist and Duke University professor, said it’s crucial to continue the conversation over time.
“A one-and-done conversation is not sufficient,” Gurwitch told ABC News in 2018, after 17 students and teachers were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “Let your child or teenager know that ‘I really do care about you and I am open to having this discussion.'”
She continued, “It is really important to check back in tomorrow, to check back in the next day, to find out, ‘What are your friends talking about related to this school shooting?'”
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers comprehensive resource guides for parents, caregivers and educators to support students. Click here for resources related to school shootings.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988. Even if you feel like it, you are not alone.
(WASHINGTON) — A staffer for Sen. Rand Paul was stabbed and seriously injured in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and a suspect has since been arrested, according to police and Paul’s office.
“This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Washington, D.C.,” Paul, R-Ky,. said in a statement to ABC News on Monday. “I ask you to join [wife] Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions.”
Paul’s office has not publicly identified the staffer.
According to a police report obtained by ABC News, officers first responded Saturday around 5:15 p.m. to a call about a stabbing on the 1300 block of H Street Northeast in the district.
The victim was treated on the scene for “stab wounds” and was seen by a witness “bleeding from the head,” the report states.
According to one of two witnesses cited in the report, the suspect had “popped out of the corner” and stabbed the Paul staffer multiple times as he and the witness were walking. The victim “was able to grab [the suspect’s] arms” and the witness with him tackled the suspect, “leading to a struggle between the parties,” the report states. Then, the victim and the witness ran as the suspect fled.
The first witness shouted to another about what was happening and that person called the authorities while they aided the victim, according to the report.
On Monday, D.C. police said that 42-year-old Glynn Neal, a D.C. resident, was arrested later on Saturday and had been charged with assault with intent to kill, wielding a knife, in connection with the attack. Court filings state that he has told officers he heard a voice was going to get him before the attack occurred.
Paul’s staffer was hospitalized “for treatment of life-threatening injuries,” police said, but further information about his condition was not available.
“We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy so everyone can focus on healing and recovery,” Paul said in his statement.
Neal appeared in court on Monday and remains held without bond.
A public defender representing him did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A shooter armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun killed three students and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday morning, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by police as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville, had a detailed map of Covenant School, a school for students in preschool through sixth grade, and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry to the school, police said.
The children were identified by Nashville police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The slain adults were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61; Mike Hill, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school, according to police.
Peak was a substitute teacher and Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.
The suspect was shot and killed by authorities in a lobby area on the second floor of the school roughly 14 minutes after the 911 call was placed, according to police.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake had said the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn’t immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News the shooter was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the shooter that included the use of the pronouns he/him.
Drake also said authorities believe the suspect was a former student.
No one who was shot survived, officials said.
Drake said he “was literally moved to tears to see” the young students as they were “ushered out of the building.”
The suspect was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun, officials said. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally, investigators said.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on Monday night released images of three weapons, as well as footage of the suspect driving and parking at the building, allegedly shooting through the door and walking around inside the facility while holding a gun.
The suspect had a map “of how this was all going to take place,” and writings, according to Drake. It appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to the chief.
Authorities said the suspect entered the school through a side entrance and went from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots. It appears all the doors were locked and the suspect allegedly shot through a door, officials said.
The shooting was reported at 10:13 a.m. and the suspect was dead by 10:27 a.m., according to police. The officers who fatally shot the suspect were later identified by police as Rex Englebert, a four-year veteran of the force, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran of the MNPD.
A car found near the school helped authorities identify the suspect, and authorities responded to the suspect’s home, Drake said.
Police later announced that they seized “a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other evidence” from the home.
In a statement Monday night, the Covenant School said its community “is heartbroken.”
“We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our church and school,” the statement read, in part. “We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.”
Throughout the day and afternoon, students were reunited with concerned parents. Families of the staff said they were shocked with the violence that had transpired.
Alex Apple told ABC News Live that his mother works at the school’s front desk, and she was at her car when she got an alert saying to shelter in place.
“She got out of her car, heard the gunshots, so she fled,” he said.
The school has about 209 students and about 40 to 50 staff members, officials said. Police said the school does not have a school resource officer.
President Joe Biden called the shooting “a family’s worst nightmare.”
The president once again urged Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, saying, “It’s about time that we begin to make some more progress.” Biden ordered flags at half-staff through Friday to honor the victims.
First lady Jill Biden said Monday, “I am truly without words. Our children deserve better.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted that he’s “closely monitoring the tragic situation.”
“Please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community,” Lee said.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper thanked first responders for their swift action and called on Nashville residents to reach out and help one another.
“In this dark hour let us support each other,” he said during a news conference.
Tennessee state Rep. Bo Mitchell spoke to Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime on Monday night, saying: “My two teenage boys leave, and with every expectation, I expect them to come home in the afternoon. We’ve got three parents tonight; their children did not get to come home today and it is sad.”
Mitchell said he spent hours with students’ parents on Monday, who wanted him and his colleagues to take action.
“Not a single parent asked me for a thought or a prayer,” he said. “They asked for me and my colleagues to have some courage and do something about this.”
Some parents took to social media in the wake of the Covenant School shooting to express their frustration of yet another mass shooting.
Kimberly Garcia, who lost her daughter, Amerie Jo Garza, in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, tweeted, “When is enough going to be enough?”
“6 more innocent lives TAKEN? But it’s not the guns right ? Wake up people,” she wrote.
Lives Robbed, a group made up of some Uvalde victims’ families advocating for changes in gun laws around the country, also tweeted their support for the Nashville families who lost loved ones Monday.
“We are with you. This is why we fight for change,” the group tweeted.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A shooter armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun killed three students and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday morning, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by police as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville, had a detailed map of Covenant School, a school for students in preschool through sixth grade, and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry to the school, police said.
The children were identified by Nashville police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The slain adults were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61; Mike Hill, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school, according to police.
Peak was a substitute teacher and Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.
The suspect was shot and killed by authorities in a lobby area on the second floor of the school roughly 14 minutes after the 911 call was placed, according to police.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake had said the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn’t immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News the shooter was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the shooter that included the use of the pronouns he/him.
Drake also said authorities believe the suspect was a former student.
No one who was shot survived, officials said.
Drake said he “was literally moved to tears to see” the young students as they were “ushered out of the building.”
The suspect was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun, officials said. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally, investigators said.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on Monday night released images of three weapons, as well as footage of the suspect driving and parking at the building, allegedly shooting through the door and walking around inside the facility while holding a gun.
The suspect had a map “of how this was all going to take place,” and writings, according to Drake. It appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to the chief.
Authorities said the suspect entered the school through a side entrance and went from the first floor to the second floor, firing multiple shots. It appears all the doors were locked and the suspect allegedly shot through a door, officials said.
The shooting was reported at 10:13 a.m. and the suspect was dead by 10:27 a.m., according to police. The officers who fatally shot the suspect were later identified by police as Rex Englebert, a four-year veteran of the force, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran of the MNPD.
A car found near the school helped authorities identify the suspect, and authorities responded to the suspect’s home, Drake said.
Police later announced that they seized “a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other evidence” from the home.
In a statement Monday night, the Covenant School said its community “is heartbroken.”
“We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our church and school,” the statement read, in part. “We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.”
Throughout the day and afternoon, students were reunited with concerned parents. Families of the staff said they were shocked with the violence that had transpired.
Alex Apple told ABC News Live that his mother works at the school’s front desk, and she was at her car when she got an alert saying to shelter in place.
“She got out of her car, heard the gunshots, so she fled,” he said.
The school has about 209 students and about 40 to 50 staff members, officials said. Police said the school does not have a school resource officer.
President Joe Biden called the shooting “a family’s worst nightmare.”
The president once again urged Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, saying, “It’s about time that we begin to make some more progress.” Biden ordered flags at half-staff through Friday to honor the victims.
First lady Jill Biden said Monday, “I am truly without words. Our children deserve better.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted that he’s “closely monitoring the tragic situation.”
“Please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community,” Lee said.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper thanked first responders for their swift action and called on Nashville residents to reach out and help one another.
“In this dark hour let us support each other,” he said during a news conference.
Tennessee state Rep. Bo Mitchell spoke to Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime on Monday night, saying: “My two teenage boys leave, and with every expectation, I expect them to come home in the afternoon. We’ve got three parents tonight; their children did not get to come home today and it is sad.”
Mitchell said he spent hours with students’ parents on Monday, who wanted him and his colleagues to take action.
“Not a single parent asked me for a thought or a prayer,” he said. “They asked for me and my colleagues to have some courage and do something about this.”
Some parents took to social media in the wake of the Covenant School shooting to express their frustration of yet another mass shooting.
Kimberly Garcia, who lost her daughter, Amerie Jo Garza, in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, tweeted, “When is enough going to be enough?”
“6 more innocent lives TAKEN? But it’s not the guns right ? Wake up people,” she wrote.
Lives Robbed, a group made up of some Uvalde victims’ families advocating for changes in gun laws around the country, also tweeted their support for the Nashville families who lost loved ones Monday.
“We are with you. This is why we fight for change,” the group tweeted.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The shooter who attacked students and teachers at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday was identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who law enforcement said may have once attended the school.
A website that appears to be associated with Hale indicates that Hale was a Nashville-based graphic designer and illustrator who created logos and branding to “help tell a company’s story” and “bring a whimsical and light-hearted feel.”
A police spokesperson told ABC News that Hale was assigned female at birth, and pointed to a social media account linked to Hale that included use of the pronouns he/him.
In a brief phone interview with ABC News, Hale’s mother, Norma Hale, said, “It is very, very difficult right now” for the family, before asking for privacy.
“I think I lost my daughter today,” she said.
A neighbor of the family told ABC News that Audrey Hale lived at the family’s home with Hale’s parents, who the neighbor described as “very nice” and “very religious.”
Hale graduated from Nashville’s Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022, school president and CEO Cyrus Vatandoost confirmed to ABC News.
“While at our school, she was a talented artist and a good student,” Vatandoost said of Hale. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, to the victims and their families and to our city.”
A post on the school’s Facebook that has since been removed indicated that Hale earned at least one award for strong academic performance.
“Aside from art, I enjoy binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports,” Hale wrote on a personal website. “There is a child-like part about me that loves to go run to the playground. Animals are my second passion, so I also enjoy spending time with my two cats.”
Hale’s LinkedIn account also lists work as a part-time grocery shopper with the food delivery service Shipt and mentions past employment as a cat sitter.
Founded in 2001, the Covenant School is a private Presbyterian school in Nashville with some 200 students in pre-K through sixth grade, according to the school’s website.
(NEW YORK) — The people of Moore, Oklahoma, may be used to rebuilding.
About 800 homes in the Oklahoma City suburb were destroyed or damaged in 1999 by a powerful F5 tornado, with wind speed peaking near 300 miles per hour. They rebuilt.
Four years later, Moore was hit by an F4, destroying about 500 homes. They rebuilt again.
In 2013, the community was hit a third time by an F5 tornado that wrecked about 1,100 homes.
After the three costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history and dozens of deaths, Moore rebuilt differently, quietly rolling out a new building code in 2014.
The following year, the town was hit again by a less powerful F3 tornado.
“Some of the same homes that were rebuilt, using the new code, were hit, and they did not receive the amount of damage that a non-fortified home received,” said Elizabeth Weitman, Moore’s community development director. “So we know it works. Why other cities aren’t doing this?”
As small towns across the Mississippi Delta recover after a weekend of deadly tornadoes, community leaders face the challenge of rebuilding. For towns like Rolling Fork, Mississippi, rebuilding efforts are expected to be extensive, with homes left as a path of timber piles, insulation, and plastic siding.
Community leaders in towns like Moore and Joplin, Missouri — which suffered devastating tornadoes in 2013 and 2011, respectively — described their rebuilding as a time-sensitive balancing act straddled by multiple conflicting desires.
A chief part of that balancing act is cost. Mandating large-scale construction changes to improve storm resiliency can price out residents from rebuilding, especially in poorer communities.
Moore town officials said they believe they’ve struck that balance with their updated 2014 building code — including continuous plywood bracing, wind-resistant garage doors and framing anchors — which they say has improved the town’s resiliency for future tornadoes. The low-cost, adding roughly $3,000 for new construction, of their 12 code changes has made the shift towards resilient construction accessible for local residents, especially those with insurance to cover construction costs.
“I think it’s really important to understand what Moore Oklahoma has done; they are probably the shining example of what can happen after a really awful event,” said Ian Giammanco, lead research meteorologist for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
Rolling Fork uses a building code from 1999, meaning even modern buildings may lack newer construction techniques that would improve their ability to weather storms, according to Giammanco.
Though it’s unlikely that any building could withstand the kind of winds that Rolling Fork encountered Friday night, Giammanco stresses that building codes fundamentally changed in the 2000s.
Beginning in the 1980s, scientists and engineers began to understand better how wind impacts buildings; by the early 2000s, building codes began to reflect the new understanding, Giammanco said. Improved anchor bolts could more firmly connect a building’s walls to its foundation, while improved bracing latched a roof to its supporting walls.
Don Davis, vice president of the Building Owners & Managers Association, said the impact of modern building codes is evident in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes.
“You’ll find pockets of entire communities that are newer and were built up to the most recent building code, and you will find that they’re still fully intact and survived, with very little damage, if any, at all,” he said. “And if you compare that to some of the structures that were much older, right next to them, those buildings were blown away, there was nothing left.”
Despite the impact of these code changes, many towns still rely on outdated codes, including Rolling Fork, according to Giammanco.
Some communities also have to grapple with the question of cost. After a deadly tornado killed 161 people in Joplin, the city decided against mandating “hardened ” safe rooms to new constructions to improve survivability.
“I had a call from an elderly citizen who said just adding that $5,000 to her cost, [she] would not be able to rebuild,” said Joplin’s director of planning and development, Troy Bolander.
Joplin emerged stronger after the storm because it communicated with and encouraged community members to rebuild, according to Bolander and Public Information Officer Lynn Iliff Onstot.
Bolander said that town leadership embraced low-cost solutions that improved resiliency, such as requiring hurricane clips that better fasten roofs to walls, as well as reinforcing concrete foundations — changes that roughly cost $2,000.
“What we try to do is [find the] balance where you can increase resiliency, but not make it cost prohibitive for somebody to rebuild,” he said.
While both Joplin and Moore have been success stories by rebuilding after their tragic tornadoes and even growing their populations, officials warned that residents can face severe financial barriers to rebuilding.
“Only those who have access to insurance and education really are going to return to normal, or do better,” said Chauncia Willis, the president of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management.
A 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office noted that federal disaster aid is “fragmented across more than 30 federal entities,” making it harder for vulnerable communities to navigate federal programs successfully. The challenges low-income residents face in securing aid “leads to a longer recovery time, if they recover at all,” Willis said.
“Recovery does not happen for everyone … many people are driven into further poverty after a disaster,” she said.
In an interview with ABC News, Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said he would confidently approach the challenge of rebuilding his town from the rubble, noting that assistance from the federal government would be a key to rebuilding, especially for uninsured residents.
“We’re starting with ground zero to build this community back,” he said.
(ACCRA, Ghana) — During her first full day in Accra, Ghana on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris met with the nation’s president, raising human rights issues and growing competition from China in the region during their bilateral meeting.
Currently being discussed in Ghana’s parliament is the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Value” — a bill that would imprison those that identify as LGBTQ and criminalizes advocacy for LGBTQ rights.
Harris said on Monday that she discussed human rights with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo but did not specifically comment on the anti-LGBTQ bill before parliament.
During a joint news conference, Harris was asked about the Biden administration’s commitment to calling out any foreign government that advanced anti-gay legislation or violates human rights.
While Harris did not directly address the bill, she said “I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting the fighting for equality among all people, and that all people be treated equally. I will also say that this is an issue that we consider, and I consider to be a human rights issue, and that will not change.”
President Nana Akufo-Addo repeatedly refused to say what he would do if the bill passed — saying he would wait to see what his parliament does.
In addition to Ghana, Harris will visit Tanzania and Zambia this week — two countries that have anti-LGBTQ laws.
Harris, whose trip is seen as a U.S. effort to counter growing Chinese influence on the continent, also announced the U.S. will provide $100 million to support stabilization in the region.
Additionally, Harris was asked what guarantee she could make to Ghanaians that the U.S. is more committed to their future with China, and what it says about U.S.-Ghana relations.
“The president and I had a conversation on this very topic,” Harris said. “But the conversation was not about China as much as it is about the enduring and important direct relationship that the United States has with Ghana and with African nations.”
President Akufo-Addo brushed off the attention given to China’s presence in Africa.
“It may be an obsession in America. But there is no such obsession here,” Akufo-Addo said.
Akufo-Addo called out former President Donald Trump for never visiting the continent and said that he hopes President Joe Biden would make it.
The $100 million to support stabilization will go to Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Togo.
On the economy, Harris said “I recognize the challenges that Ghana is facing, especially in the wake of a global pandemic and the disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“We must work together as an international community to ease the debt burden that is facing far too many countries,” Harris said.
Later on Monday, Harris visited Vibrate Space, a community recording studio, with actors Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
“Your reputation collectively, all of the artists, everything that you have done, is an international reputation,” Harris told a group of Ghanaian artists, including Baaba J and Ansah Live.
Elba said he said he thinks this trip is going to be “significant” to Black Americans in the United States.
“When we think about Africa and we think about African Americans, and we think about Ghana, Ghana has been for the last four or five years a sort of a meeting point for African Americans and the Diaspora to come around Christmas time, the holiday time, and reconnect with whatever roots they think they have in Africa,” Elba said.
He was optimistic that the vice president was also here to bridge gaps between Ghana and investments in the country — calling it an “active step in the right direction.”
Harris travels to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Wednesday afternoon, and then departs Tanzania for Lusaka, the Zambian capital, on Friday. She is scheduled to meet with the presidents of both countries.
(NEW YORK) — You added your destination on your weather app. Your out-of-office notification is on. Chargers — check.
But one thing you didn’t prepare for on your trip? An unexpected medical issue, possibly brought on by a red-eye flight that worked too well or the friends you’re visiting forgetting to tell you they have a new puppy — and you’re allergic!
ABC News asked doctors about must-have medications and products for travel that can relieve some of the pain and stress. Here’s what they had to say.
For your eyes
To look your best on vacation, you may need eye drops that get the red out from that overnight flight and lack of sleep. Dr. Alison Watson, an oculoplastic surgeon in Philadelphia at Wills Eye Hospital, recommends redness relief eye drops that contain low-dose brimonidine as the active ingredient. She says over-the-counter redness relief drops that don’t have brimonidine are not safe for regular use and can “make your eyes more dry over time or actually cause rebound redness.” Anyone having side-effects like burning or itching or having to use redness relief drops for long periods of time should check with a health care provider.
Also, petroleum jelly, commonly referred to as Vaseline, is “the perfect thing to throw in” and “can be safely used around the eyes as a moisturizer,” Watson said.
Watson said petroleum jelly can even double as a makeup remover, even for waterproof makeup. “Just put a thin layer [of Vaseline] right over top. It works especially well for mascara … and you can then wipe it off if you have a cotton wipe or tissue and your makeup will come right off.”
Another product to pack is an eye cream that contains vitamin C and caffeine. “Vitamin C is really brightening and then caffeine works to reduce puffiness,” Watson said. Caffeine constricts small blood vessels to help with redness and vitamin C is an antioxidant that can protect the skin from damage. “So if you’re having later nights than usual or diet changes, it can sort of help keep you looking your best in a pinch on vacation when you’re changing your typical routine,” she said.
Watson’s final travel tip is to “have fun out there,” but not without sun protection for your eyelids, including sunglasses. She says to look for “shimmer eyeshadows that have SPF built in so you can use it as your makeup and also to protect your eyelids from the sun.”
For your allergies
Environmental allergens can trigger your body to release a chemical called histamine, which when overproduced causes congestion, cough and a runny nose.
“Symptoms you weren’t experiencing in New York in February might be in full bloom in sunny Florida,” said Dr. Manav Segal, an allergist and immunologist at Chestnut Hill Allergy and Asthma Associates in Philadelphia.
If a stuffy nose is your main symptom, Segal said over-the-counter nasal steroids such as fluticasone, triamcinolone or mometasone “can be dosed when you need them.”
If you have asthma and it’s aggravated while on a trip, albuterol is not an over-the-counter medication, but is a rescue inhaler that you should talk to your doctor about having with you when you travel.
If your allergies have “nothing to do with the season and everything to do with … cats and dogs,” Segal said safe, effective allergy medications such as loratadine, cetirizine and fexofenadine are available over-the-counter.
The FDA allows for certain medications to be sold without a prescription. but still warns, “You should never misuse OTC medicines by taking them longer or in higher doses than the label recommends. Symptoms that persist are a clear signal it’s time to see a doctor.”
Consider an EpiPen …
With new foods and a new environment, allergic reactions are possible so doctors recommend packing an antihistamine like oral benadryl.
A general rule of thumb is if you have just one symptom, then you can try an antihistamine for relief. But if the reaction involves two symptoms or body systems, using an EpiPen is safest.
“So there’s hives, plus vomiting, or swelling, or any difficulty breathing like wheezing, coughing, then I start to worry that this is a reaction that’s going throughout the whole body and is a little bit more severe,” said Dr. Katie Lockwood, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
If you experience swelling that compromises your breathing or shortness of breath, administer an EpiPen immediately and call 911.
Getting an EpiPen requires first getting a prescription from your doctor.
Lockwood also said if you or your child has “a risk of a food allergy, or a venom allergy, like a bee sting allergy, and or have had anaphylaxis in the past, you should always travel with your EpiPen, because there might not be one available when you need it and they can be lifesaving.” Allergists recommend carrying two doses, as the reaction may reoccur.
Doctors say it’s always safer to err on the side of caution and give an EpiPen if you’re worried about an allergic reaction than to not give it. But if you end up using the EpiPen, you need to seek medical attention promptly afterward.
… and Insect Repellent
Insect repellant is also important to pack — and to apply after you’ve put on SPF 30+ sunscreen — when headed to locations where bugs and mosquitos are active. The most commonly available insect repellents contain the active ingredient DEET. The higher the concentration, the longer it will last. In infants at least 2 months old and children, DEET concentrations should not exceed 30%. Concentrations over 50% may last longer but provided no added benefit and those higher concentrations can be irritating to your skin. Other safe insect repellents are ones that contain picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Inevitably, bugs seem to find a way to evade clothing and even bug spray barriers. When that happens, you want to have a topical steroid on hand to apply directly on the bug bites if they are causing itching or swelling.
A good over-the-counter, anti-itch cream to pack is hydrocortisone 1%. However, if you are prone to exaggerated reactions after bug bites or have a history of eczema, you may want to talk to your dermatologist doctor about having stronger topical steroids on hand and make sure you know how to safely use them.
Be Prepared
Doctors suggest bringing a three- to five-day extra supply of all your prescription medicines.
If you’re traveling, if you just pack enough for the vacation days and your return flight gets delayed, or there’s a terrible snowstorm and you can’t leave, you don’t want to be left without your medication,” said Dr. Nathalie May, associate professor of medicine at Drexel University.
Hopefully, your medication travel bag is untouched and it’s ready for your next trip, but don’t forget to check expiration dates before your next getaway.
Mark Abdelmalek, M.D., is an ABC News investigative reporter and medical contributor, and a Mohs Surgeon in Philadelphia at Dermatology of Philadelphia.
