(NEW YORK) — The number of flu cases, hospitalizations and deaths this season are rapidly increasing, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far this season, there have been at least 4.4 million illnesses, 38,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths from influenza.
The numbers are about 1.5 times higher than the 2.8 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths reported the prior week.
Additionally, the cumulative hospitalization rate currently sits at 8.1 per 100,000 — up from 5 per 100,000 the previous week — which is the highest at this point in the season since statistics began being recorded in the 2010-11 season.
The data also shows that 8,707 new patients were admitted to hospital this past week with flu complications, according to the CDC, compared to 6,465 the previous week.
Two pediatric deaths from the flu were recorded last week bringing the total this season to seven, the CDC said.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump launched his third White House campaign Tuesday evening, getting a very early head start in the next election cycle that could see challenges from, by some predictions, nearly a dozen other Republicans looking to oust him as the head of the GOP.
According to preliminary assessments by aides and observers in the party, the 2024 dynamic is likelier to seem more like 2016’s months-long primary fight — with its quarreling campaigns and competing headlines — than 2020’s glide to re-coronation.
While Trump enters the race as the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, Republican operatives said they expect he won’t have the primary field to himself for long, given his mixed track record at the ballot box and his personal and legal baggage.
One GOP strategist allied with a potential primary challenger said Trump’s Tuesday announcement speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort — in which he promised “America’s comeback starts right now” — was “not anything that would discourage people from thinking about running against him.”
“He was subdued, he was on topic, he stayed on teleprompter. As far as what I would consider a dynamic announcement, I didn’t see much there,” said the person, who, like others, agreed to be interviewed for this story on the condition of anonymity so as to not direct ire to their professional relationships.
In roughly hour-long remarks, Trump portrayed his one term in office as a “golden age” and periodically alluded to a message of teamwork while contending that successor Joe Biden, whom Trump had sought to prevent from taking office, had brought “pain, hardship, anxiety and despair.”
Trump also occasionally veered into conspiracy theories, including about China, while returning to some frequent topics like what he called the scourge of drug dealers, widespread immigration and “rotting” cities turned into “cesspools of blood.” He touted his own style of international relations and his handling of the economy compared to Biden.
“If you were a pro-Trump person, you loved it. And if you were an undecided, it didn’t move you,” the strategist said. “And if you were somebody that didn’t like him, that didn’t change your mind.”
The setting, at a ballroom at his club, marked a departure from Trump’s typically boisterous campaign rallies that often toggle between prepared remarks on policy and stream-of-consciousness comments on the controversy du jour.
He also stayed away from cultural third rails like abortion after three Supreme Court justices he appointed helped scrap constitutional protections, fulfilling a promise Trump made to Republican voters during his previous two runs. And he made only a passing reference to the 2020 presidential race after election deniers in top midterm races fell short and exit polls indicated that midterm voters punished the party for its support of such views.
“He needed to show voters that he properly understands the stakes in 2024, and I think his speech accomplished that,” said another GOP strategist, who added that Trump has “got to show that he has the ability to look forward.”
Some allies of the former president swiftly announced their endorsement of his new bid, with House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York voicing her support before he even made his speech.
“Yeah, 100%,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Wednesday when asked if he backed Trump’s 2024 campaign. “I look at winning and losing. He won while he was here. He helped the American people. And I like his policies. I like how tough he is. We need a president that’s gonna stand up, be tough, not just domestically but internationally. And he does that.”
Still, the speech’s tone didn’t please everyone in the party, with one Trump ally saying they were “bored,” while others cast doubt on whether Trump, famous for his reputation for riling up the grassroots, would maintain a restrained pitch.
“For all the people who claim they are turned off by his bombastic style, it’s ironic they are now complaining he’s too focused and toned down,” said one former administration official, who still conceded it was “doubtful” that Trump would remain as subdued moving forward.
And while Trump enters the race with a high floor of support with the Republican primary electorate, plenty of money and nearly universal name recognition, strategists expected he’ll still have to fight for the GOP nomination.
Among those thought to be considering presidential bids of their own are Govs. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., Larry Hogan, R-Md., Kristi Noem, R-S.D., and Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Tim Scott, R-S.C.
Some may yet be dissuaded from running against Trump given his sway, though there have been indications the former president’s hold on the party is not as ironclad as it once was, particularly after the disappointing midterm cycle for Republicans in which some of his chosen candidates in marquee races lost — helping Democrats defy historical patterns and hold the Senate.
The Club for Growth, the anti-tax group that used to be close with the former president, released polls the day before Trump’s launch showing him trailing DeSantis in key states. And The New York Post, a conservative tabloid that lavished Trump with praise for years, buried news of his launch on page 26 on Wednesday with the headline “FLORIDA MAN MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT.”
Other potential contenders have also indicated their plans aren’t being adjusted in light of Trump’s launch.
Pence in recent days has insisted in media interviews that there are “better options,” while Pompeo tweeted on Wednesday that “we need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood” after Trump called himself a “victim” over various investigations.
“I do think that over the coming weeks, multiple candidates are going to announce,” said John Thomas, the head of a pro-DeSantis super PAC. “I think the next five to 10 days are going to be telling to see if cracks begin to emerge, and those cracks may turn into canyons and end up causing the former president to lose a primary.”
Still, strategists warned against underestimating Trump, who emerged as the 2016 Republican nominee after a chaotic primary and went on to win the White House despite late-breaking scandals like the Access Hollywood tape.
And should the GOP field get crowded for 2024, strategists said that could simply help Trump repeat his 2016 success in which he won the nomination with a plurality of the vote while the rest of the party’s delegates were divided among a crowd so large that it required two debate stages.
“It will be incredibly hard if everybody gets in line with the president for anybody to challenge him,” Thomas said.
More immediately, Trump’s announcement has thrown the end of the current midterm cycle into uncertainty, with his candidacy possibly firing up both parties’ bases ahead of next month’s Georgia Senate runoff.
Republicans are eager for Herschel Walker to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock to keep the Senate at 50-50, creating some procedural obstacles for the majority party, while Democrats are hopeful that Warnock could win, bumping up their caucus to 51-49.
It’s still unclear if Trump intends to campaign for Walker — which the Republicans who spoke for this story said they don’t want after his involvement in last year’s two Georgia Senate runoffs preceded losses in both races.
“I just think it reminds people that he’s out there and with the Senate not being in the balance, it’s going to be even harder to get voters out to vote,” said Georgia conservative radio host Martha Zoller. “And I think that’s true for Democrats and Republicans.”
(WASHINGTON) — In a scathing statement, Tom Petty’s estate on Thursday night threatened to sue Arizona Republican Kari Lake’s “failed” campaign after it used Petty’s song, “I Won’t Back Down,” in a video this week, days after Lake’s opponent, Katie Hobbs, was projected to win the race for governor.
“The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song, ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign,” Petty’s estate said in a statement. “This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use of Tom’s beloved anthem.”
Lake had tweeted a video Wednesday of campaign trail highlights put to two minutes of the song from the late singer-songwriter.
Since the statement from Petty’s estate, the video tweet has been removed from Lake’s account. The Lake campaign did not immediately return an ABC News request for comment.
The warning comes days after singer-songwriter Issac Hayes’ estate said it was exploring legal options after former President Donald Trump played a song co-written by Hayes Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago when announcing his 2024 bid.
It’s also not the first time an artist has gotten angry with Lake.
Early in her campaign, when Lake previously walked out to “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, the band’s frontrunner, Dee Snider, publicly blasted what he said was her unauthorized use of it.
“As the songwriter & singer I DENOUNCE EVERYTHING @KariLake STANDS FOR!” Snider tweeted in August. “It was you and people like you that inspired every angry word of that song!”
With both Trump and Lake facing threats of legal challenges from artists’ estates, they also appear to be conferring on Lake’s own legal options from his Mar-a-Lago club, following her projected loss this week.
After long refusing to commit to accepting the results of her race if she lost, Lake also tweeted another video Thursday to say that she’s “still in this fight” and has legal minds exploring “every avenue,” while the latest statewide results have her down by 16,780 votes.
“Now I am busy here collecting evidence and data,” Lake said, after falling relatively silent since Hobbs’ projection. “Rest assured, I have assembled the best and brightest legal team, and we are exploring every avenue to correct the many wrongs that have been done this past week. I’m doing everything in my power to right these wrongs.”
Lake speaks directly to the camera in the two minutes and 27-second video, first telling supporters, “I wanted to reach out to you to let you know that I’m still in this fight with you.”
“My resolve to fight for you is higher than ever,” she says.
Lake traveled to Florida overnight Wednesday to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, two people connected to the campaign told ABC News, and attended a luncheon Thursday hosted by Trump’s America First Policy Institute.
Hobbs, meanwhile, is focused on her transition, her campaign manager told ABC News Thursday, when asked about Lake’s videos and resolve to “fight.”
“Governor-elect Katie Hobbs is laser-focused on her transition, building a team that is ready to hit the ground running on Day One,” said Nicole DeMont, Hobbs’ campaign manager. “Arizonans made their voices heard on November 8th, and we respect the will of the voters.”
The statewide canvass of results is set for Dec. 5 in Arizona, leaving Lake a small window of time to bring any legal challenges.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on Friday formally announced his bid to become House Democratic leader, a move that, if successful, would make him the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.
In a letter to his Democratic colleagues, Jeffries, from Brooklyn, New York, said it is his “hope” to find “common ground” with Republicans, but if the opposing party “continues to major in demagoguery and minor in disinformation, their bankruptcy of ideas must be aggressively exposed on an ongoing basis.”
“Our top non-governmental priority, for the sake of the American people, must be retaking the majority in November 2024,” he wrote.
House leadership elections will take place Nov. 30.
His statement comes the day after Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will not seek reelection as leader of the House Democrats at the start of the next Congress, when fellow California Rep. Kevin McCarthy succeeds her as speaker and Republicans take the majority.
“For me, the hour’s come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, and I’m grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility,” she said in a speech from the House floor.
The two other top leaders in the Democratic caucus, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, are also stepping aside from their roles.
Pelosi has led the conference for nearly 20 years and, as speaker, was for a time the highest-ranking woman in the federal government. She said in 2018 that she would only serve two more two-year terms as speaker, a post she previously held from 2007 to 2011.
Hoyer and Clyburn, too, have been in leadership for more than a decade each. Both of them said Thursday that they would support Jeffries, currently chair of the House Democratic Caucus, to be the next leader. (Clyburn has said he will seek to remain in another role on the leadership team.)
Along with Jeffries, two other lawmakers have emerged as the likely choices for the top of the Democratic leadership team in the House: Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark is expected to be minority whip and California Rep. Pete Aguilar is expected to be the caucus chair.
Here’s what to know about each of them:
Hakeem Jeffries
Jeffries, first elected in 2012, has long been considered Pelosi’s heir apparent, rising through the ranks to land a perch in the party’s House leadership.
In a statement after Pelosi’s speech on Thursday, he called her “the most accomplished” speaker in the country’s history but did not allude to his own plans.
“She has been the steady hand on the gavel during some of the most turbulent times the nation has ever confronted,” he said.
A 52-year-old descendant of enslaved people, Jeffries could be a potential history-maker himself if Democrats retake the House in future cycles: He would be the first Black speaker.
Jeffries has a reputation as a capable operator inside the conference with sharp media skills to sell a Democratic message to the public (and a penchant for referencing Biggie Smalls in floor speeches).
However, he could face some opposition from the most vocal progressives in the House, who labeled him a centrist.
“I’m a Black progressive Democrat concerned with addressing racial and social and economic injustice with the fierce urgency of now. That’s been my career, that’s been my journey and it will continue to be as I move forward for however long I have an opportunity to serve. There will never be a moment where I bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism,” he told The Atlantic last year.
Katherine Clark
Clark, who currently serves as assistant speaker, would also represent a generational change at 59 years old.
Besides Pelosi, she is currently the only woman in House Democratic leadership and has built ties with the conference’s freshman.
With Pelosi’s departure, Clark’s ascension to the whip position — where she would be responsible for corralling unified votes from Democrats — would ensure that a woman would hold a senior leadership spot, something that Clark has said is important to her.
“I think there is something about women’s leadership styles that are built on listening, building consensus and listening not just to people — our constituents — but also to my colleagues that come from different districts, have different concerns, different pressures than I do,” Clark told Axios last year.
Pete Aguilar
At 43, Aguilar would be the youngest member of the expected Democratic triumvirate. As the current caucus vice chair, he is also the highest-ranking Hispanic member of Congress.
Aguilar has been heavily involved in immigration negotiations on Capitol Hill and saw his profile rise as a member of the select committee probing last year’s insurrection.
After he won reelection to his House seat last week, Aguilar said he intended to fight against Republicans’ legislative agenda and sought to cast the GOP as anti-social spending and anti-worker.
“As we wait for all the votes to be counted, I am deeply concerned about Republican plans to make inflation worse by cutting Social Security and Medicare and to help China by passing tax breaks for wealthy corporations that ship jobs overseas,” Aguilar said in a statement. “Democrats in Congress must fight back to give working families more breathing room and be prepared to stand up to Republican-led efforts to make it easier for oil companies to gouge consumers at the pump.”
(SAN FRANCISCO) — A number of Twitter employees appear to be on their way out after declining to accept an ultimatum from new company owner Elon Musk asking that they “commit or leave,” three sources told ABC News.
It is not yet known how many Twitter employees accepted Musk’s email request that they commit to being “extremely hardcore” or resign with three months severance, but all three sources told ABC News that dozens of Twitter employees are sending the “salute” emoji over the company’s Slack — presumably signaling their departure from the company.
“I did not accept [Musk’s] ultimatum,” one Twitter employee told ABC News. “Many of us didn’t. … Now we are just waiting for our access to be shut down.”
ABC News confirmed that several of the employees who did not agree to Musk’s request had a key role in targeting and disposing of misinformation and hate speech on Twitter.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk sent a companywide ultimatum on Wednesday morning that Twitter employees must commit or resign by Thursday evening, according to an email from Musk obtained by ABC News.
Bearing the subject line “A Fork in the Road,” the email from Musk on Wednesday said: “Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.”
For those who wished to be part of the “new Twitter,” Musk directed employees to “click yes” on the link in the email.
“Anyone who has not done so by 5pm ET [Thursday] will receive three months of severance,” Musk said. “Whatever decision you make, thank you for your efforts to make Twitter successful.”
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Space X, earlier this month began layoffs that cut roughly half of Twitter’s 7,500-person workforce.
Those laid off will receive compensation and benefits until the first week of January 2023, though the date may vary for employees. Affected employees were already locked out of their Twitter systems, such as email and Slack.
Musk, who said he overpaid for the platform at the purchasing price of $44 billion, faces pressure to boost the company’s profits. Earlier this month, he said the company was losing $4 million each day.
(NEW YORK) — With the traditional start of Christmas tree shopping about one week away, growers and retailers are telling customers to ready themselves for higher prices this year.
Tim O’Connor, the executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association, which supplies the Christmas tree to the White House and the vice president’s residence every year and represents 38 state and regional Christmas tree grower associations, said anyone interested in fresh trees should head out to the farm lot sooner than later.
“If you want to shop the Christmas tree farm, you really have to go early,” O’Connor told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “They’re popular and they will sell out. They have whatever trees they have available for that season and then they’re done. And they have been selling out every year early.”
The American Christmas Tree Association, whose members are Christmas tree manufacturers and retailers, is also encouraging shoppers to buy early as prices will rise as Christmas nears.
“Because inflation impacts absolutely everything, the industry is seeing increases in shipping costs, fertilizer, trucking, everything you can possibly think of, whether it be real or artificial trees. So I think consumers can expect to see anywhere from 5% to 20% increases across the board on artificial and live Christmas trees this year,” American Christmas Tree Association executive director Jami Warner told GMA.
Warner also said that shoppers may also see fewer tree options this holiday season.
“People are used to abundance and choice — and again, the choices will be limited but choose the tree that fits your lifestyle the best, be it real or artificial,” she said.
Inflation isn’t the only major issue affecting the Christmas tree industry this season. In some parts of the country, shoppers may notice there are fewer fresh trees due to drought conditions and climate change.
At Kadee Farm in Greenville, Texas, a town about 35 miles northeast of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region, owner Woody Woodruff said a drought that started in the spring decimated over 1,000 trees on his 53-acre farm, which grows Virginia pine trees.
“There’s gonna be a lack of trees this year. In the South, which includes Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, there’s some tree growers that are all down in those states that experienced drought conditions and therefore it’s gonna be a little more difficult to get the trees that we needed,” Woodruff told GMA.
Woodruff explained that in addition to drought, businesses like his have also been hit by higher prices.
“We all use diesel fuel or gasoline, that was more expensive this year,” the 55-year-old farm owner said. “Our fertilizers, some of them more than doubled [in price] this year. And so that really took a toll … and that was nationwide. So that took a toll on anybody that is in the farming industry trying to grow Christmas trees.”
To make up for the lost sales, Woodruff plans on trucking in trees from other areas, including Michigan and states in the Pacific Northwest and the Carolinas.
“Of course those trees are going to be more expensive. So the consumer is going to pay more this year when they go to find a live tree,” Woodruff continued. “And if you go to any of the big box stores, I’ve noticed that their artificial trees have really skyrocketed as well. That’s again due to inflation and shipping.”
Overall, Woodruff estimated that customers could see as much as a 30% increase in Christmas tree prices compared to last year.
For now, though transportation costs has been “outrageous” at times, Woodruff said it’s a necessary expenditure, and he’s not worried in the long term.
“We’re eating as much of the cost as we possibly can and still staying in business,” Woodruff added. “Everything’s gonna work out as it should. Is it, you know, sickening to sit here and look at all of my lost trees that have died, that I have spent 25 years growing? Absolutely. But I think it’ll all come back. You just have a positive outlook and just keep trudging ahead. … You can’t cry over spilt milk.”
Both the NCTA and ACTA representatives say there should still be plenty of Christmas trees for everyone interested at the end of the day, real or artificial.
“We always say there’s a tree for every family,” O’Connor said. “There are trees for different budgets too. So if you really are concerned about price, you know, yes, it won’t be the most beautiful tree on the lot perhaps but there’ll be a tree that fits your price range, that when you bring it home, you’ll enjoy it in your home.”
(LONDON) — North Korea has fired one of the most power intercontinental ballistic missiles it has ever launched with the latest having the potential trajectory to strike the mainland of the United States.
North Korea, which has launched at least 88 ballistic and other missiles this year, fired an ICBM that could travel 9,300 miles or longer, putting the U.S. mainland within its range, according to Japan’s Defense Minister.
Both the militaries of the United States & South Korea militaries are analyzing the data but North Korea’s latest launch — and it’s second this month — involved a missile that covered a distance of 620 miles, according to Japanese and South Korean officials.
The missile had an altitude of 3,700 miles and flew for 69 minutes before it landed about 130 miles off Hokkaido in northern Japan, authorities confirmed.
The commander of the 35th Fighter Wing at the Misawa Air Base located in northern Japan ordered everyone, including service personnel and staff, at the base to seek cover for 23 minutes following the missile launch.
“At this time, there are no additional indications or warnings of an immediate threat to Misawa Air Base,” said Commander Michael Richard who issued a seek cover order at 10:33 a.m. as a precautionary measure.
President Biden was briefed on the situation and will continue close consultation with allies, according to a statement released from the White House overnight.
“This conduct of by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Resolution. It destabilizes security in the region and unnecessarily raises tensions,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in Bangkok attending the Asia-Pacific Cooperative forum (APEC). “We strongly condemn these actions, and we again call for North Korea to stop further unlawful, destabilizing acts. On behalf of the United States, I reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our Indo-Pacific Alliances. Together the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy.”
(SILVER SPRING, Md.) — For the first time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a treatment that can delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes.
Teplizumab, a monoclonal antibody that will be marketed under the brand name Tzield from pharmaceutical companies ProventionBio and Sanofi, is administered through intravenous infusion. The injection was shown in clinical trials to delay onset of insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes for patients with autoantibody markers of early risk by over two years, with hopes for some that it can delay onset even longer.
“Today’s approval of a first-in-class therapy adds an important new treatment option for certain at-risk patients,” said Dr. John Sharretts, director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The drug’s potential to delay clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes may provide patients with months to years without the burdens of disease.”
MORE: 3 in 10 uninsured Americans with diabetes may ration insulin: Study
Tzield was approved to delay the onset of stage 3 Type 1 diabetes in adults and children ages 8 and up who currently have stage 2 Type 1 diabetes. The medication is thought to slow down the body’s attack on its own insulin-producing cells and thus give people more time before they become dependent on pharmaceutical insulin. Tzield is not suitable for people with insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes, people who are pre-Type 2 diabetics or those with type 2 diabetes.
“This approval is a watershed moment for the treatment and prevention of type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Mark S. Anderson, director of the University of California San Francisco Diabetes Center. “Until now, the only real therapy for patients has been a lifetime of insulin replacement. This new therapy targets and helps to halt the autoimmune process that leads to the loss of insulin.”
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the pancreas does not produce insulin, the vital hormone responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the body’s bloodstream. People with Type 1 diabetes have increased glucose that requires them to get insulin shots or wear an insulin pump to survive.
People with a family history of Type 1 diabetes or are otherwise concerned about developing the disorder can get a blood test processed through a lab that can detect autoantibodies. Studies have shown that 75% of people with these diagnostic markers usually become insulin-dependent within five years and nearly 100% at some point in their lifetime.
In 2019, an estimated 28.7 million people of all ages across the United States — or 8.7% of the country’s population — had diagnosed diabetes, including 1.6 million adults aged 20 and older who reported both having Type 1 diabetes and using insulin. Some 64,000 people are diagnosed with insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes nationwide each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(NEW YORK) — Western New York state is bracing for an “extreme” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 5 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.
A state of emergency has been declared for Erie County, which includes Buffalo. A county-wide driving ban is also in effect as of Thursday night, with only those authorized for emergency travel allowed to drive. Officials will reevaluate the driving ban on Friday morning and determine whether it is necessary for the entire county, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
A lake-effect snow warning is in effect through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.
The long-duration event is expected to bring snow belts to the south of Buffalo and Watertown on Thursday, with “intense bands” of lake-effect snow across the two cities Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Up to 5 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible for the south side of Buffalo Friday morning.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency in 11 counties due to the storm, with hazardous travel conditions and lower power outages likely.
“This is considered an extreme event,” Hochul said during a press briefing Thursday morning. “That means it’s dangerous. That also means it’s life-threatening.”
Hochul said that conditions in Buffalo and other parts of western New York will be “very similar to 2014,” when the region saw upwards of 5 feet of snow during a deadly storm.
More than 350 plows, 5,700 utility crews and the National Guard have been deployed and are standing by, she said. Parts of the New York State Thruway will also be closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“This can go on for a number of days,” Hochul said. “The cleanup is going to take some time.”
Schools in the region are preparing for closures on Friday due to the storm, including in Buffalo.
Erie County’s executive advised private businesses to close on Friday if the forecast holds.
“We are gonna have a doozy,” Poloncarz said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
The city of Buffalo has brought in private contractors to handle the snow in addition to state support, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
“This is not the normal snow event that we get, so the public has to be patient,” Brown told reporters. “This is a major snowstorm.”
Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns has been moved to Detroit due to the weather forecast, the NFL announced Thursday. The game was initially scheduled to be played at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.
In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. There were 13 fatalities due to the storm. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet.
Outside of New York, lake-effect snow is forecast in Erie, Pennsylvania, and northeast of Cleveland, Ohio.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Victoria Arancio and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.
(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of shuttered blood testing company Theranos, is set to be sentenced on Friday for defrauding investors.
The sentencing marks the latest development in a legal saga that has turned the former billionaire entrepreneur into an emblem of Silicon Valley malfeasance.
Holmes faces a sentence of 20 years for each of four counts, but legal experts expect the sentences to be served at the same time, giving her a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Holmes’ legal team requested no more than 18 months in prison in a court filing last week. In fact, a lighter sentence involving house arrest and community service would prove sufficient, her attorneys argued.
Prosecutors appealed for Holmes to be sentenced to 15 years in prison, calling it “one of the most substantial white collar offenses” in Silicon Valley history.
“She repeatedly chose lies, hype and the prospect of billions of dollars over patient safety and fair dealing with investors,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Leach wrote in the request last Friday. “Elizabeth Holmes’ crimes were not failing, they were lying.”
Last week, Holmes’ legal team submitted 130 letters of support, including a note from personal friend Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who said Holmes “has within her a sincere desire to help others, to be of meaningful service, and possesses the capacity to redeem herself.”
Regardless of the sentence, Holmes and her family will face ongoing hardship as a result of widespread criticism of Holmes, her legal team said. “[T]here is no avoiding the scorn that accompanies Elizabeth Holmes,” Billy Evans, her husband, said in the court filing.
Holmes, 38, was convicted in January on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy while at the helm of Theranos. The verdict followed a four-month trial that detailed Holmes’ trajectory from a Stanford University dropout in 2003 to a star business leader on the cover of Fortune magazine little more than a decade later.
Ultimately, her downfall began in 2015 amid investigations from journalists and regulators over the medical company’s faulty product, which claimed to provide accurate information from tests using just a finger-prick of blood.
A year later, as the company struggled, Forbes downgraded its assessment of Holmes’ net worth from $4.5 billion to $0. Facing charges of massive fraud from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Holmes agreed to forfeit control of Theranos in 2018.
That year, federal prosecutors indicted Holmes and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Holmes’ former lover and Theranos’ chief operating officer, on nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, alleging that the two business leaders knowingly misled investors and patients about the effectiveness of the company’s product.
Holmes was found guilty on four of the 11 charges, as jurors decided she had lied to investors in an effort to raise money on false pretenses. Holmes was found not guilty on four counts centered on defrauding patients and the jury could not reach a verdict on counts pertaining to the deception of investors.
Since her conviction, Holmes has filed three unsuccessful requests for a new trial, citing freshly available evidence. She has remained free on bail. Holmes confirmed last week she is also pregnant.
The latest request for a new trial earlier this month centered on a visit to Holmes’ house by former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff. During the trial last year, Rosendorff testified for six days, saying that Holmes was aware the company’s product yielded inaccurate test results but still sought its continued use on patients.
Lawyers for Holmes argued that Rosendorff privately expressed guilt to Holmes over his depiction of the company during the trial. Ultimately, Rosendorff reaffirmed the veracity of his testimony and the judge dismissed the request for a new trial.
The sentence on Friday will be handed down by Judge Edward J. Davila at a federal courthouse in San Jose, California.
Balwani awaits sentencing after being convicted on 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.
Earlier this month, he was granted a three-week delay in his sentencing hearing. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 7.
