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Suburban women could be key in Wisconsin’s Senate race

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In Wisconsin’s high-profile Senate race, an army of mothers 500 strong is canvassing and door-knocking for the Democratic candidate, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, in an effort to get out the vote on Election Day.

The group, dubbed “Moms for Mandela,” started independent of his campaign with the aim of mobilizing women to make their views clear on abortion access and gun reform.

“I was so frustrated seeing Ron Johnson celebrating the overturning of Roe and kind of refusing to do anything about the continued mass shootings that have been happening in this nation,” said Kate Duffy, a 35-year-old mother from a suburb of Milwaukee, referring to the Republican incumbent, Sen. Ron Johnson.

Many of the women, who Duffy says come from various backgrounds and areas across the state, haven’t been involved politically prior to this midterm election. They’ve held roundtables sharing personal abortion stories, spoken at rallies and cultivated a modest social media following to spread the word. Some even order their coffee with the name “Vote for Mandela” as an unconventional way of starting conversations about the race.

“Many women are coming forward and sharing their stories of abortion or other reproductive health scenarios that they’ve been involved with and kind of sharing why that’s going to matter with this election,” said Duffy.

Suburban women like Duffy and the group she’s amassed could make the difference in which candidate comes out on top.

“We have one of the most intense urban rural divides in the entire nation,” said Anthony Chergosky, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “And that opens the way for suburban voters to decide close elections.”

Both Barnes and Johnson have focused on issues aimed to galvanize women. Johnson has hit Barnes hard on crime.

“He is a soft on crime champion whose policies make Wisconsin less safe,” said Ben Voelkel, an adviser to Johnson’s campaign, said in a statement.

At the same time, Barnes’ attacks on Johnson have focused on abortion access.

“The fact that [Johnson] was so callous as to say women who don’t like the laws of their state, like our 1849 criminal abortion ban, can just move did not sit well with a lot of people and it pushed them into action,” Barnes said in an interview with ABC News.

While abortion access and crime issues have animated the race, ultimately, the economy and inflation will likely be top of mind for voters as they head to the polls, including women who often make purchasing decisions in their households, giving them a front row seat to the rise in costs due to inflation. In Wisconsin and elsewhere, that could hurt Democrats.

It’s something Johnson’s campaign has seized on, attempting to tie Barnes to President Joe Biden, whose approval numbers remain dismal generally, including on his handling of the economy.

“Mandela Barnes supports all the awful Biden economic policies that have led to 40-year-high inflation,” said Voelkel.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll found that white suburban women, who represent 20% of the electorate, favor Republicans for Congress by 15 percentage points.

Still, Duffy said she and her group of mothers are going to push to turn out voters for Barnes.

“I think we’re doing everything we can and I think that I hope that people can see past the messaging that they’re putting out there and know that Mandela Barnes and other Democrats are really going to help working class families of Wisconsin,” said Duffy.

Barnes has pointed to his own lived experience, saying that he can related to the economic struggles that everyday Wisconsinites are dealing with.

“He absolutely does not understand what people are going through,” Barnes said. “He doesn’t understand people’s economic concerns.”

Barnes believes economic messaging has been strong enough to get these voters to turn out for him.

“It’s about rebuilding the middle class,” said Barnes. “It’s a message that’s resonated.”

Time will tell if Barnes’ efforts and that of the mothers organizing on his behalf will yield an election night victory. According to analysis from FiveThirtyEight, Johnson is favored in the race.

FDA warns parents not to use infant head-shaping pillows

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Food and Drug Administration has released a safety bulletin urging parents and caregivers not to use head-shaping pillows intended to change an infant’s head shape or symmetry.

There has been no proven benefit of using these pillows for any medical purpose, and in fact, using these pillows can create an unsafe sleeping environment for infants and may increase the risk of suffocation and death, the agency warned.

“Infant head shaping pillows are not FDA-approved. The safety and effectiveness of these products have not been established for the prevention or treatment of flat head syndrome (also known as positional plagiocephaly or deformational plagiocephaly), or the more serious condition where the developing infant’s skull bones join together too early (known as craniosynostosis),” the FDA said. “Do not use infant head shaping pillows due to the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), inclusive of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and suffocation and death.”

The agency advised anyone who owns one of these pillows to throw it away, and not donate it or give it to anyone else.

“Be aware that, in most cases, flat head syndrome will go away on its own as an infant grows, it is not painful and it does not cause any developmental concerns,” the FDA said.

“If your infant has an unusual head shape, talk to your infant’s health care provider about management options,” the agency added. “Know that the use of infant head shaping pillows may delay the necessary evaluation and management of harmless conditions, such as flat head syndrome, or more serious conditions, such as craniosynostosis.”

To promote a safe sleep environment, the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend infants sleep on their backs in a bare crib on a firm and flat (not inclined) surface without pillows, toys, soft objects or loose bedding.

The AAP also recommends that caregivers not share a bed with infants to reduce the risk of SIDS. Instead, parents and caregivers can share the same room with a baby 6 months and under and should check on them to make sure they don’t overheat while sleeping.

NYC Marathon runners prepare for record temps, humidity on race day

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — New York City Marathon runners are in for a shock, as the forecast for the Sunday race shows unseasonably hot and humid conditions with parts of New York City potentially reaching up to the mid-70s.

The organization hosting the race, the New York Road Runners (NYRR), has put out a warning for runners as they take their final steps in preparing for the 26.2-mile course.

“Start the race well hydrated and remember to drink fluids when you are thirsty,” the email to runners read. “Fluid stations are located throughout the course and handheld and waist hydration packs are permitted.”

The runners are also mentally preparing for the unexpected heat.

Tatyana McFadden, a five-time TCS New York City Marathon champion and 20-time Paralympic medalist, told ABC News that she’s been focusing on her hydration in the days before the race.

“Luckily we start a lot earlier,” McFadden said.

The race starts at approximately 8 a.m.

“Take your hydration seriously … You’ll be probably a lot more dehydrated, much more than probably your runs you had a couple of weeks ago. Key in that hydration and rest leading up to the marathon,” McFadden added.

Olympian and America’s marathon record-holder Daniel Do Nascimento told ABC News that he thought he expected to be cold for the race — but got lucky with the burst of heat that he’s used to being in.

“When I saw that it was going to be hot, it’s a great opportunity for me because I’m from a tropical country that’s so hot,” said Do Nascimenti, from Brazil.

However, he’d been training in Kenya though, which has a cooler climate.

NYRR gave runners some tips for racing on a day like the warm and humid one runners should be expecting this year.

They suggest wearing light fabrics, and don’t start off the race too fast. Also, if you start to heat up, they urge runners to slow down their pace.

“If you feel faint, dizzy, disoriented, or your skin is clammy and abnormally hot or cold, slow down or stop running,” race organizers recommend. “If symptoms continue, stop running and seek help at a medical station (located every mile starting at mile 3).”

They also recommend wearing hats or skin coverings.

“Be aware that you may not be acclimated to the weather we expect on Sunday,” the email read.

Medical, food, misting and fluid stations will be located throughout the marathon course.

CDC releases new guidelines for prescribing opioids to include people with short-term pain

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines for prescribing opioids for pain to include people who are suffering from short-term pain.

During a briefing Thursday, the federal health agency said its new clinical practice recommendations are replacing guidelines from 2016 to make them more flexible.

“Pain affects the lives of millions of Americans and improving care for those living with pain is a public health imperative,” Dr. Christopher Jones, acting director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told reporters during the briefing.

The 2016 guidelines focused almost exclusively on prescribing for patients who have chronic pain, described as pain that lasts longer than three months.

But the new guidelines include those suffering from acute pain, which last less than a month and can include pain following a minor surgery or a broken bone, and subacute pain, which lasts longer than a month but is not yet considered chronic.

“It’s particularly important that the guidelines address this type of pain, as research shows that long-term opioid therapy often is initiated during this acute timeframe,” Jones said.

Jones added that by updating the recommendations, Americans who suffer from pain may have improved quality of life and, hopefully, misuse of prescription opioids will decline.

The U.S. has been battling an opioid crisis for years as more Americans fatally overdose from the drugs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdose deaths hit record-highs. More than 100,000 people died from drugs from April 2020 to April 2021, according to the CDC.

That’s a 29% increase from 2019 and equivalent to an American dying every five minutes, said the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The CDC says the first wave of the opioid overdose death crisis began in the 1990s, when people were dying after overuse of prescription opioids, such as oxycodone and methadone.

The second wave started in 2010 due to a sharp spike in overdose deaths due to heroin. The third wave began in 2013 with rates rising due to synthetic opioids, particularly illicitly manufactured fentanyl — which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

“Actions related to the current state of the overdose crisis, which are very much driven by illicit synthetic opioids, like illicitly made fentanyl [and] resurgent methamphetamine, are not the aim of this guideline today,” Jones said. “That work is happening across the government as a whole-of-government approach, including work from CDC to support our state and local partners.”

He continued, “I don’t think it’s an either/or. I think we can pursue both of those at the same time.”

In addition, the guidelines have been updated to explicitly advise against the abrupt discontinuation or reduction of opioid use.

“There are very real harms, and we try to highlight that in the guidelines,” Jones said. “So things like mental health crises, suicidal ideation or behavior, psychological distress, and potentially even for some people seeking out opioids through other markets like illicit markets in order to stave off withdrawal or to supplement if they’re at too low of a dose.”

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Happy Meal hits the menu at McDonald’s

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A taste of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to the menu at McDonald’s with a new item inspired by the highly-anticipated Black Panther sequel.

Starting Thursday, a new Happy Meal with superhero toys based on characters from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be available for a limited time nationwide.

There are 10 characters from the movie available in the exclusive new Happy Meals, including fan favorites like Shuri, Okoye and newcomers like Namor and Ironheart. Customers can get their hands on one of the new Happy Meals at participating restaurants nationwide, while supplies last.

Jennifer Healan, vice president of U.S. marketing, brand content and engagement at McDonald’s, said in a statement that the first Black Panther film “set a whole new standard for representation on the big screen. And now, we’re excited to bring that experience to our restaurants and help fans see and celebrate their inner hero with this new Happy Meal — because seeing is believing.”

“The Happy Meal has brought millions of smiles to our customers for decades, and we’re excited to collaborate with Disney and give our fans one more way to experience the kingdom of Wakanda,” the company said in a press release.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.

Colorado authorities investigating ‘suspicious substance’ found in mail-in ballot

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(DENVER) — Authorities in Colorado are investigating a “suspicious, powdery substance” found in a ballot mailed to the Adams County elections office in what officials say “appears to be an attempt to disrupt the elections process.”

Hazmat units, paramedics, firefighters and other law enforcement agencies were called to the county offices after the ballot was received Wednesday, and initial testing of the substance was negative for explosives, biological agents and narcotics, Adams County clerk Josh Zygielbaum said Thursday.

But Zygielbaum said the powder contained a “concerning, unknown chemical,” so samples have been sent for further testing.

FBI officials in Denver confirmed Thursday that they are supporting local law enforcement in the investigation.

“It really drives home what we’ve been concerned with, but we’ve got great plans in place and will ensure that the election goes off without a hitch,” Zygielbaum told ABC News. “And even if we have individuals who are going to try to disrupt the process, we will work around them to make sure it gets done.”

“The voter’s anonymity is protected and their constitutional right to vote is in place,” Zygielbaum said. “Should it be determined safe, we will move forward with processing this ballot.”

The incident comes as election officials across the country continue to see a rise in threats and harassment with the approach of Election Day.

Zygielbaum told ABC News in May that he wears a bulletproof vest to work — one of the many safety measures he says he’s been forced to take as the state has emerged as a battleground in the shadowy world of election conspiracy theories.

Appearing this week on an episode of ABC News’ Impact x Nightline, Zygielbaum was asked by ABC News’ Terry Moran what that says about the state of the country.

“It says that our democracy isn’t as healthy as it should be right now,” he replied.

Twenty-four more graves excavated, including those of children, in probe of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TULSA, Okla.) — Forensic scientists have uncovered 24 additional unmarked graves in an Oklahoma cemetery, three of them containing child-sized coffins, as part an effort to identify victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, officials said.

The unmarked burial sites were discovered in Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery after excavations resumed there on Oct. 26, according to city officials who authorized the investigation.

The latest discovery was made Tuesday in the graveyard just southeast of downtown Tulsa, officials said.

“Three additional child-sized burials were discovered…in the southern block (of the cemetery),” the city said in a news release.

Twenty-one other burial sites were unearthed in the western section of the cemetery since the new excavation got underway last week, according to the city’s statement.

Four of the graves are being excavated by hand to determine if the remains should be exhumed for further analysis.

Remains from one of the graves were found in a simple coffin and exhumed on Tuesday to be analyzed in an on-site lab.

“Experts continue to be narrowly focused on which graves will be exhumed and have determined that no child-sized burial will be,” the city’s statement reads.

This is the second excavation to occur at the cemetery. An excavation last year uncovered 19 unmarked burial sites, officials said.

Historians suspect that 75 to 300 people, most of them Black, were killed in the Tulsa Race Massacre, which the Oklahoma Historical Society calls “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics officially recorded 36 deaths.

Following World War I, Tulsa was known for its affluent African American residents and black-owned businesses in an area called the Greenwood District, which was also referred to as “Black Wall Street.”

White mobs attacked Black residents in the neighborhood and burned down more than 1,000 homes and businesses during two days of riots that broke out between May 31 and June 1, 1921, prompted by allegations that a 19-year-old Black shoe shiner assaulted a white female elevator operator.

In 2018, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum announced the city would reexamine the unmarked graves identified in a 2001 state commissioned report. In addition to Oaklawn Cemetery, the city has designated three other potential areas to excavate, including a park in northwest Tulsa near the Arkansas River and the Rolling Oaks Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Food writer Julie Powell’s death at 49 puts spotlight on cardiac arrest

November 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The sudden death of 49-year-old author Julie Powell, whose life inspired the movie Julie & Julia, is raising new questions about her health, including a recent battle with COVID-19.

Her husband, Eric Powell, reported to The New York Times on Tuesday that the author died of a cardiac arrest on Oct. 26 at their home in Olivebridge, New York.

As many fans took to social media to express condolences, questions arose around some of Powell’s final tweets, including her recent COVID-19 recovery and a “black hairy tongue.”

On Oct. 25, a day before Powell reportedly died, the food writer tweeted that she woke up with black hairy tongue, adding further, “people, including my doctor, seem to think it’s no big deal, and will go away soon, but it certainly is gross.”

While alarming by sight, black hairy tongue is a benign and temporary condition that can be caused by a variety of factors including excessive alcohol, coffee or black tea intake, dehydration, smoking, poor oral hygiene or even certain medications, according to Dr. Darien Sutton, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical contributor.

Earlier this fall, in September, Powell — who gained notoriety as the food writer behind the Julie/Julia blog that chronicled her journey cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking — tweeted about suffering from COVID-19, writing that her symptoms included fatigue and a cough.

According to Sutton, there is “no reason to believe” that Powell’s diagnosis of black hairy tongue is associated with her battle with COVID-19.

Sutton said we also have “no evidence” that her death was associated with her COVID diagnosis.

“I think the reason why people speculated about this is that we know that there’s an association between COVID-19 and an increased risk of certain conditions that can cause cardiac arrest,” said Sutton, noting that data shows patients with COVID-19 are more likely to face increased risks of heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms and blood clots.

In Powell’s case, the only known fact about her death is her husband’s report that it was due to cardiac arrest, which is a broad term, according to Sutton.

“It simply means that the heart has stopped functioning,” he said of cardiac arrest. “We do not know her medical history other than what she relayed in her tweets.”

Cardiac arrest is the cause of as many as 450,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the National Institute of Health.

Heart disease is also the number one cause of death for women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease can be caused by a range of things like diabetes, smoking, an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and more. Sutton added it is also possible to suffer cardiac arrest due to factors not related to having heart disease, such as problems with the lungs, electrolytes or blood disorders.

“Unfortunately for cardiac arrest, there are no real symptoms,” said Sutton. “It’s often a sudden loss of consciousness.”

If you see a person lose consciousness, Sutton recommends immediately dialing 911 and starting CPR.

The American Heart Association offers resources for people who want to get education and training to provide first aid and CPR that could save a life.

Pfizer, BioNTech launch phase 1 trial on combined COVID-19 and flu vaccine

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Pfizer and BioNTech have launched a clinical trial on a vaccine targeting both COVID-19 and influenza, the companies announced Thursday.

The phase 1 trial is being done in the United States with 180 participants between the ages of 18 and 64, with the first participant dosed this week, the companies said. The follow-up period for each participant will be six months.

“By combining both indications in one vaccine approach, we aim to provide individuals with an efficient way to receive immunization against two severe respiratory diseases with evolving viruses that require vaccine adaptation,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said in a statement.

The combination vaccine is based on the currently available bivalent COVID-19 booster and a quadrivalent mRNA flu vaccine, which is designed to protect against four different flu viruses.

The phase 1 trial will test for safety, immune response and optimal dose level of the combination vaccine, before moving on to larger trials. The data will also provide insight into the potential of mRNA vaccines to address more than one pathogen, Sahin said.

Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research and development for Pfizer, called this an “exciting step in our ongoing journey with BioNTech as we collectively look to transform the prevention of infectious diseases around the world.”

“Even with existing seasonal influenza vaccines, the burden of this virus is severe across the world causing thousands of deaths and hospitalizations every year,” she said in a statement.

Studies indicate COVID-19 vaccine efficacy fades over time, though it’s not clear if every American will need an annual COVID-19 booster. As scientists continue to assess the need, several companies are at work on creating a single injection each fall that protects against both seasonal flu and COVID-19.

In addition to Pfizer, pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Novavax have announced plans to work on a combo shot.

Moderna said it anticipates starting clinical trials on a single-dose vaccine that combines a booster against COVID-19 and a booster against flu by the end of the year, with hopes of the vaccine being available for the 2023 season.

“We believe this is a very large opportunity that is ahead of us, if we could bring to market a high efficacy pan-respiratory annual booster,” Moderna COE Stéphane Bancel said during the Sept. 9 investor meeting.

Last year, Novavax enrolled people in a Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immune response of a combination vaccine using the company’s seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. A phase 2 confirmation trial is expected to begin later this year, the company said in October.

‘They defamed her’: Uvalde educator falsely accused of leaving school door open seeks answers

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — Emilia “Amy” Marin watched a briefing on the Robb Elementary school shooting on May 27, three days after the rampage that killed 19 students and two teachers.

She listened live as Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told dozens of reporters and millions of viewers watching live that a “teacher” had propped the door open with a rock, allowing the shooter to enter the school through a door that was supposed to lock automatically.

“He’s lying. That’s a lie,” Marin said to her daughter, who was watching with her.

Though unnamed at the time, Marin was the woman McCraw was talking about. Marin was an afterschool program coordinator at the time of the Robb shooting.

Months later, Marin is still waiting to hear how and why the false accusation was broadcast to the nation.

“Nobody is going to point the finger at me because I know what I did,” Marin told ABC News correspondent John Quiñones. “I knew what I did from day one.”

Three days later, DPS retracted that statement, but that was not until after many in the community had blamed Marin for the attack. In the months since, community members and state politicians have criticized DPS for that mistake.

“They’re either incompetent or they are dishonest,” said Don Flanary, Marin’s lawyer, about the department. “Neither is acceptable.”

DPS has not offered an explanation on how the error was made or the route it took to reach McCraw. DPS officials declined to respond to questions for this report about the origin of the mistake and have referred ABC News to the agency’s prior statements and apology.

In a previous statement to ABC News, DPS spokesman Travis Considine explained: “At the outset of the investigation, DPS reported that an unnamed teacher at Robb Elementary School used a rock to prop open the door that the shooter used to enter the school building. It was later determined that the same teacher removed the rock from the doorway prior to the arrival of the shooter, and closed the door, unaware that the door was unlocked.”

Considine said, “DPS corrected this error in public announcements and testimony and apologizes to the teacher and her family for the additional grief this has caused to an already horrific situation.”

McCraw testified during a state Public Safety Commission hearing last week. “At the time, that’s exactly the information that we had. It was wrong,” he said. “I take responsibility for it.”

Security camera footage obtained by ABC News shows Marin placing the rock in the doorway only to return and kick it away a few minutes later. She closed the door behind her.

“If you’re an investigator, you’re sitting there watching that video and you saw me walk out,” Marin told ABC News. “Why didn’t you sit there and watch the whole video to see if I ran back in?”

“Obviously I should have apologized a lot sooner,” McCraw said at that public safety meeting. “I did say the teacher pushed the rock or put placed the rock in the door. I said that on that Friday and didn’t correct it until the next week.”

During last week’s hearing, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, said Marin was deeply traumatized by the assertion that her actions gave a killer access to Robb Elementary.

“She was haunted by this in her own hometown,” Gutierrez told ABC news.

“And that happened because (DPS) defamed her,” he said. “They defamed her.”

Gutierrez told the commission that the explanation of a simple mistake was unconvincing and hard to believe because, in the first days after the school shooting, he said he personally watched as a team of DPS investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage closely.

In an interview with ABC News, Gutierrez elaborated, saying he watched 10 troopers in their signature DPS cowboy hats closely examining video captured that day. Though he couldn’t say exactly which videos he saw them reviewing, he watched as they scrutinized the footage, repeatedly rewinding, fast-forwarding and slowing portions of video. He said the detailed analysis of the evidence that he witnessed contradicts the information McCraw was given prior to the briefing Marin watched with her daughter on May 27.

“It defies logic that these people didn’t know the truth as to what Amy Marin did or didn’t do,” Gutierrez said. “When they accused Amy Marin, they knew that she absolutely did the right thing and yet they let her feel the pain of that accusation for five days, and she will never be the same.”

Marin told ABC News that an FBI agent and a Texas Ranger interviewed her before McCraw went on television with his inaccurate statements about her actions. She told the officers at that time what happened on the day of the shooting, including her shutting the door behind her.

“They had the video and the FBI and Rangers had already interviewed her and confirmed with her that she kicked the rock out,” said Flanary. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Jesse Rizo, the uncle of Jackie Cazares who was among the students killed at Robb, confronted McCraw at the hearing.

“Your officers either lied to you or you painted a picture that was favorable to your department,” Rizo said to McCraw.

Marin has decided to take action in the wake of this tragedy and has filed suit against the manufacturer of the gun used in the Robb shooting. She is also considering other legal options.

It is expected that substantial additional information about the probe will be revealed once the criminal investigation is completed by the end of 2022.

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

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