(NEW YORK) — A California mother whose son was shot and killed in 2019 by police during a mental health crisis has partnered with local officials to create a mobile task force to aid those struggling with mental illness.
Taun Hall’s son, Miles, began showing signs of possible mental illness during his teenage years. He would later be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and, as his symptoms progressed, Hall worried about Miles’ safety.
The fears were not unfounded: People with severe, untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police, according to Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Va. Hall also worried about Miles as a Black man, which made him three times as likely as white people to be killed by law enforcement, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Hall reached out to law enforcement in her Walnut Creek neighborhood, a wealthy suburb a few miles from San Francisco, to alert them about her son’s mental health challenges. She also worked with her local mental health officer to open a channel of communication.
“I was trying to be preventive,” Hall said. “I was trying to get things handled before there was a problem.”
Miles’ condition worsened in 2019; he began experiencing delusions and sometimes referred to himself as “Jesus.” But he was 23, legally an adult, and Hall couldn’t force him to get help.
“You see your child going down a mental health kind of spiral… you can see the deterioration, but you can’t do anything to help him.”
When Hall saw Miles’ symptoms getting worse, she reached out to the mental health officer she’d been working with to aid Miles. Hall left a message for her, and called the local police department’s non-emergency line, trying to alert them to Miles’ condition in case her son encountered law enforcement. “I was like, ‘OK, if they know him, they’re gonna respond with care and compassion.’”
The next day, Miles was gardening with his grandmother. A neighbor loaned Miles a gardening tool, a long metal rod that resembled a crow bar. Miles began walking around with the rod, calling it his “staff from God.” He was walking around, saying he was Jesus, when he used the metal rod to break a sliding glass door at the family’s home, Hall said.
Miles came into the home and asked Hall and her husband to leave. They did, in an effort to de-escalate the situation, and Hall called 911. Hall told the 911 operator Miles had a metal rod.
About 10 minutes later, a neighbor called to tell Hall that Miles had been shot. According to police reports, officers responded to several calls that afternoon, not just Hall’s call.
Miles had been pounding on a neighbor’s door and several residents called police. Police footage shows officers calling Miles by his name, shouting at him to “stop” as he approached them, holding the metal rod. Despite their orders, Miles kept moving forward. Then, officers fired a bean-bag round, meant to stop a suspect but not do permanent damage. When that didn’t stop Miles, officers shot him several times with their handguns, killing him.
“The worst fricking moment of, you know, our lives was right then, right there.”
An internal investigation cleared the officers of wrongdoing.
In the years since her son’s death, Hall has worked with Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to try to stop other families from experiencing the same tragedy. Hall realized that what would have been helpful to her was having someone to call who wasn’t the police. “We needed a different number to call. We needed a different response.”
Replacing police with mobile response units to address low-level calls — like those about mental health — is happening in many cities around the country. Oakland, California, began testing a pilot program in April. The new task force, called MACRO — Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland — was created to provide a first-response option that was separate from the police.
Oakland residents can access the task force by calling 911 and being connected to a special MACRO dispatch center. The task force’s interactions with the public come from what they call “on-view” calls. These take place when the team sees someone who may need assistance and offers resources and basic medical attention.
“If someone’s in need and you can put your eyes on them, you can stop and help them,” said program manager Elliott Jones. “And even if you’re just giving them a bottle of water and sitting them up straight, that’s maybe more compassion they’ve gotten and God knows how long.”
Each MACRO team has an EMT, a crisis intervention specialist and a minivan packed with supplies. The team doesn’t just address low-level mental health concerns. It also helps with homelessness, public intoxication and behavioral issues, among others.
Hall worked with Bauer-Kahan on a bill to expand funding for mental health services in California and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill at the end of September, locking in an 8-year roadmap to fund mobile crisis units across California.
Accessible through the national suicide and crisis line — 988 — these services will connect users to crisis intervention specialists, counselors and peer support workers. Hall says that this is the response that could have helped her son.
“I can’t ever take back a phone call,” said Hall, referring to the 911 call she made the day her son was killed. “I can’t ever take back the officer shooting him…but I can take my pain to purpose and make sure this doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(NEW YORK) — A tropical storm and storm surge warnings are now in effect along the east coast of Florida as Subtropical Storm Nicole makes its way toward the state, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS warned Monday that Nicole could be as strong as a hurricane when it approaches Florida’s east coast later this week.
The storm could impact election week in the Sunshine State, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running against Democratic rival Charlie Crist and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is trying to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 34 counties.
“While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.”
Florida Power & Light is urging customers to prepare for power outages and has activated its emergency response plan ahead of Nicole’s potential impact on the state this week.
“[Hurricane] Ian saturated soil and weakened trees in many parts of the state, so Nicole could cause trees to topple over and other vegetation and debris to blow into overhead power lines and equipment, which may cause outages,” Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL, said in a statement.
Nicole formed in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends this month. Nicole’s center will approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, move near or over those islands on Wednesday, then approach eastern Florida by Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Currently, Nicole wields maximum sustained winds of about 45 miles per hour, with higher gusts. Winds of 40 mph or greater extend outward up to 275 miles to the east of the storm’s center.
“Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Nicole could be near or at hurricane intensity by Wednesday or Wednesday night while it is moving near the northwestern Bahamas,” the National Weather Service said in a public advisory issued Monday morning.
A tropical storm watch is now in effect for the northwestern Bahamas.
Tropical storm conditions are possible in the northwestern Bahamas by Tuesday night or early Wednesday. A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels along the coast in areas of onshore winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Nicole is expected to produce between 2 and 4 inches of rainfall across the northwestern Bahamas Tuesday through Thursday, with a maximum of 6 inches for localized rain. The storm is expected to bring “heavy rainfall” to parts of Florida and the southeastern United States by mid- to late week, the National Weather Service said.
Between 4 and 7 inches of rainfall is possible along the eastern coastline from Florida to the Carolinas. Tropical storm-force winds of 60 to 70 mph are also in the forecast, depending how much Nicole strengthens. The storm could lead to beach erosion, rough surf and rip currents.
Tropical weather systems have the potential to quickly grow into hurricanes, while subtropical ones do not. A subtropical storm typically generates more rain and heavy thunderstorms. If a subtropical storm intensifies enough to have hurricane-force winds, then it has become fully tropical. There is no such thing as a subtropical hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.
(WASHINGTON) — The 2022 midterm elections are shaping up to be some of the most consequential in the nation’s history, with control of Congress at stake.
All 435 seats in the House and 35 of 100 seats in the Senate are on the ballot, as well as several influential gubernatorial elections in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Democrats are defending their narrow majorities in both chambers. Republican control of either the House or Senate would be enough to curtail most of President Joe Biden’s agenda, and would likely result in investigations against his administration and even his family.
Americans are already coming out in full force this cycle. As of Nov. 5, more than 38 million voters had already cast their ballot, according to data from the University of Florida’s U.S. Elections Project.
This is how the story is developing:
Nov 07, 11:27 PM EST
Trump teases ‘very big announcement’ for next week
On the eve of Election Day, former President Donald Trump teased Monday night that he will make a “very big announcement” on Nov. 15 at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was speaking at a final rally in Dayton, Ohio, for Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance and others.
While the former president did not specify the nature of the upcoming announcement, sources told ABC News last week that he could announce a 2024 presidential run as early as next week — though the sources cautioned that discussions about the specifics, including a date, were still fluid.
“We want nothing to distract from the importance of tomorrow,” Trump said at the rally.
Nov 07, 8:21 PM EST
Biden makes closing midterms pitch: ‘We’ll meet this moment’
Biden made one last campaign pitch to voters Monday night from a rally at Bowie State University in Maryland. This cycle, he warned, will shape “what the next couple of decades look like.”
“Let’s be clear, this election isn’t a referendum, it’s a choice,” he said at the event in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore. “It’s a choice between two very different visions of America.”
Biden listed legislative accomplishments from Democrats during his first two years — including low unemployment, job creation, infrastructure investments and more — before turning to criticism of “MAGA Republicans.”
“The hypocrisy is unbelievable,” he said, slamming GOP lawmakers who oppose student loan relief despite receiving business loans and debt cancellation during the coronavirus pandemic, or who touted aspects of the American Rescue Plan despite not voting in favor of the bill.
Biden also called out election deniers within the Republican Party, saying they only see two outcomes: “Either they win, or they were cheated.”
“Today, we face an inflection point,” Biden said as he closed his remarks. “One of those moments that comes around every three or four generations. We know in our bones that our democracy is at risk, and we know that this is your moment to defend it, preserve and protect it, choose it. We’ll meet this moment.”
Nov 07, 6:37 PM EST
Georgia officials overnighting absentee ballots to 1,000 voters who never received them
Voters who were never mailed their absentee ballot in Cobb County, Georgia, will still be able to vote, according to a new court ruling.
Approximately 1,036 voters in the county had requested a ballot but never received them. Ballots are supposed to be mailed within three days after election officials receive ballot requests. However, election workers in the county failed to upload absentee voting information to a ballot mailing system on Oct. 13 and Oct. 22.
Now, the Cobb County Board of Elections will send ballots to those voters Monday by overnight delivery, according to the court ruling. Those voters can mail their ballots provided they are postmarked by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 and returned by Nov. 14. Email and text updates will be provided to those affected voters so they are able to track their ballot.
Voters affected by the error will also be able to vote in person Tuesday or by a federal write-in absentee ballot.
One of the main criticisms from Democrats regarding SB 202 — the sweeping elections bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp last year — has been focused on mail-in ballots. Previously, voters were able to request absentee ballots 180 days before an election and the county could start mailing them out 49 days before Election Day. Now, voters can only request ballots within 78 days of an election and they can’t be mailed until 29 days before.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Nov 07, 5:16 PM EST
Biden says Dems will ‘surprise the living devil out of a lot of people’
President Joe Biden said Monday he thinks Democrats will “surprise the living devil out of a lot of people” in the midterm elections.
“Imagine what we can do in a second term if we maintain control,” Biden said during a virtual Democratic reception.
“I know that sounds like a very high expectation,” Biden said, adding, “I’m optimistic.”
At a second Democratic reception Monday, the president said, “We’re going up against some of the darkest forces we’ve ever seen in our history. These MAGA Republicans are a different breed … this is not your father’s Republican Party. It’s a different deal.”
Biden added, “We have a shot at keeping the Senate, increase in it, and I am optimistic about the House, as well.”
-ABC News’ Jordyn Phelps
Nov 07, 4:56 PM EST
Unofficial Pennsylvania results not expected for ‘at least a few days,’ official said last month
Unofficial results for the midterm elections in Pennsylvania are not expected for “at least a few days,” Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh Chapman told reporters on Oct. 24.
“We need to set realistic expectations,” Chapman said, stressing that the public and media should “not expect complete results on election night.”
Pennsylvania is one of nine states that by law cannot begin processing mail-in and absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day.
Voters with mistakes on their mail ballots have until Nov. 14 to cure them and military and overseas residents have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 to get their ballots in.
Chapman said fully certified results won’t come until the Nov. 28 deadline under law.
“We prioritize accuracy over speed,” Chapman said. “The delay doesn’t mean anything bad is happening.”
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer
Nov 07, 3:14 PM EST
White House says Trump is not ‘our focus’ amid reports of 2024 bid
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday pushed back on questions about former President Donald Trump’s expected 2024 bid.
“I was asked this question the other day, and that’s not our focus,” she said.
Trump is leaning toward announcing a third run for the White House, possibly as early as the week of Nov. 14, sources with direct knowledge of the matter previously told ABC News.
At Monday’s briefing, Jean-Pierre also wouldn’t give any insight into whether Trump’s pending announcement will force Biden’s hand on making his own reelection decision. Biden has said he intends to run for a second term, though hasn’t made a formal decision.
“Again, I’m going to say what he has said many times and what I have said from here many times is that the president intends to run and I will just leave those words there,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Nov 07, 3:09 PM EST
White House says it’s ‘safe’ to go to the polls, doesn’t foresee threats
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday there were no “specific credible threats” about a possible uprising this election cycle. “The president has been briefed on the threat environment and directed that all appropriate steps be taken to ensure safe and secure voting occurs right in this process,” Jean-Pierre said.
She cited a speech President Joe Biden gave last week against “political violence and voter intimidation.”
“You heard him say this last week, in his speech, and many times before: You can’t love your country only when you win,” Jean-Pierre said.
“But I want to be clear: Americans should feel safe going to the polls,” she said.
“It is important for Americans to do so. The administration has taken the issue of threats to the safety of voters and election officials seriously from day one,” she said.
Late last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked about reports of possible voter intimidation in Arizona and said, “The Justice Department has an obligation to guarantee a free and fair vote by everyone whose qualified to vote and will not permit voters to be intimidated.”
— ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Nov 07, 3:08 PM EST
WH urges patience with results, says Biden will address midterms on Wednesday
President Joe Biden will address the midterms on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Monday, but she did not give specifics of how he will do so — at least in part because she said the full results of the elections will likely not be known by then.
Urging patience, Jean-Pierre said it’s important for people to understand that a days-long counting process is a sign that that the system is working as it should.
Jean-Piere also declined to offer any specifics on how the president will spend his Election Day but said he “will have a full schedule here at the White House.”
-ABC News’ Jordyn Phelps
Nov 07, 2:51 PM EST
Warnock says Walker ‘neither ready nor fit’ for Senate
One day before Election Day, Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock slammed his opponent, Herschel Walker, who he said “is neither ready nor fit to represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate.”
“He’s pretty good at making up things. And now he wants to get the rest of us to imagine with him that he is of the timber to be a United States senator,” Warnock said.
Warnock said Walker’s decision to campaign with divisive figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another Georgia Republican, should show Georgians the former football player will not be a unifier.
“Herschel Walker is demonstrating to you what kind of Senator he would be based on the company he’s keeping,” Warnock said.
Split ticket voters will be key for Warnock’s pathway to victory and he made a point to talk about reaching across the aisle.
“Let’s bring this thing over the finish line. And let us not demonize those who do not share our political point of view,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way to pull this country together, to pull the state together, because the problems are too big and the stakes are too high.”
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Nov 07, 12:23 PM EST
Tom Cotton will not run for president in 2024
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said Monday he will not seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Cotton said a potential run would take him away from his two sons. The news was first reported by Politico and confirmed to ABC News by a source.
Over the past year, Cotton has traveled to several battleground states, campaigning for candidates. He’s been to Iowa and New Hampshire, which host the party’s first two presidential nominating contests.
Cotton’s announcement was made days afterABC News reported that former President Donald Trump could announce a presidential bid as early as the week of Nov. 14.
Nov 07, 11:07 AM EST
Where Biden, Harris and Trump are spending election eve
Political heavyweights are hitting the trail for one final day of campaigning before voters head to the polls Tuesday.
President Joe Biden will join a virtual reception Monday afternoon for the Democratic National Committee before heading to Maryland with first lady Jill Biden to stump for gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and the Democratic Party. The rally at Bowie State University will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.
Jill Biden’s also headlining a rally for Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton in Virginia at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Vice President Kamala Harris will spend the day in her home state of California. She and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are delivering remarks at a political event at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Former President Donald Trump is going to Dayton, Ohio, to rally GOP voters. Senate candidate J.D. Vance, who faces Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in tomorrow’s race, will speak ahead of Trump. Trump will take the stage at 8 p.m. ET.
Nov 07, 10:39 AM EST
NASED urges patience
The National Association of State Election Directors is urging patience ahead of the midterms, saying officials have been working nonstop to ensure the election is secure.
“State and local election officials have contingency plans in place so voters can have confidence in our elections and that the results will be tabulated accurately,” the National Association of State Election Directors said in a statement Monday. “As with any election, it is important to note that operational challenges may arise.”
The group says it’s normal for ballots to be counted in the days following the election.
“While the focus on election night is on who won and who lost, election night results are always unofficial. In the days and weeks to come, election officials will count every eligible ballot within the bounds of state laws, including provisional ballots, mail ballots, and ballots cast by military and overseas voters,” the statement said. “This critical process is normal, as it takes time to accurately tabulate millions of ballots. Some races will be close and may require a recount or a recanvass, depending on the state, but every eligible ballot will be counted as cast.”
Nov 07, 7:31 AM EST
When we will know the results
Americans may not know the results of each race on Election Day, or even the following day.
“It takes time to count all legitimate ballots in a legal and orderly manner,” President Joe Biden advised last week.
Elections in the U.S. are decentralized, and each state has different systems for regulating races. Some, such as Arizona and Colorado, allow officials to start processing mail-in ballots before Election Day. Others, like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, can’t begin counting these ballots until Election Day.
FiveThirtyEight has created a sliding scale estimating how long it may take each state to count ballots based on when each state reported results in its primary elections earlier this year.
Nov 07, 6:55 AM EST
Election denialism is on the ballot
Nearly 200 candidates running on Tuesday have rejected President Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. These candidates have either stated the election was stolen or took action themselves to try to usurp the results.
According to FiveThirtyEight, 60% of Americans will have an election denier on their ballot.
Not all Republicans on the ballot, however, are embracing former President Donald Trump’s lies about the race. A total of 77 have fully accepted the results while another 93 have accepted the outcome, with some reservations.
Nov 07, 6:34 AM EST
What the midterms mean for U.S. foreign policy
Domestic issues like abortion rights and the economy have taken center stage this cycle, but the elections could also have a big impact on foreign policy.
Experts told ABC News that the outcome of the races will drive the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Republicans in Congress have hinted at curbing the steady stream of financial assistance to Ukraine. They also said the elections could also impact efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, as Republicans have generally opposed a return to the agreement all along.
“If there is a change in control of Congress, because of how partisan unfortunately a lot of Iran policy has become, there would be more pressure–given that the current administration and many Democrats in general campaigned on resurrecting a deal and engaging with Iran,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told ABC News. “There certainly will be desire for more scrutiny and oversight.”
Nov 07, 6:17 AM EST
Biden implores voters to save democracy
President Joe Biden is casting the midterms not as a referendum on his leadership, but an inflection point for the nation amid threats to democracy.
“We must with an overwhelming voice stand against political violence and voter intimidation, period,” he said at a Democratic National Committee event the week before Election Day. “Stand up and speak against it. We don’t settle our differences in America with a riot, a mob, or a bullet or a hammer. We settle them peacefully at the ballot box.”
In the speech, Biden specifically referenced the assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband and the swath of candidates running this cycle who’ve embraced Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
“American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election,” Biden said. “He refuses to accept the will of the people, he refuses to accept the fact that he lost.”
(NEW YORK) — An estimated $1.9 billion is up for grabs in the latest Powerball jackpot, lottery officials said.
But you’ll have to wait to see if there’s a winning ticket, as Powerball announced Monday night that the drawing “has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols.”
“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur,” Powerball said in a press release. “When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors.”
There was no indication as to how long the delay would be, but Powerball said the winning numbers would be posted to its website — which stated “results pending” as of late Monday — and YouTube channel.
Monday’s jackpot is the world’s largest lottery prize ever offered, according to a press release from Powerball. The cash value is $929.1 million.
The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest. But the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.
Monday’s Powerball drawing will be the 41st since the jackpot was last won on Aug. 3, tying the game record for the number of consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, according to Powerball.
Despite there being no jackpot winner, more than 10.9 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $102.2 million in the latest drawing on Saturday night. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, Powerball said.
Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. Both advertised prize options do not include federal and jurisdictional taxes, according to Powerball.
Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased, Powerball said.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.
(NEW YORK) — Communities have gravitated toward the shore for thousands of years, building their lives in proximity to major waterways for easy access to trade, seafood and recreation.
But those who reside near coastlines will need to learn to adjust as climate change continues to create conditions that chip away at these malleable geological structures, according to experts.
One of the recurring topics of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Cairo, Egypt, is how climate change is currently affecting people around the world. As coastlines change and become battered by an increase in the number of severe weather events, homes — and, in some cases, entire communities — are being condemned as they become inundated with seawater the more the natural barriers are broken down.
The transformation of coastlines is constant. Coastal erosion is a natural part of the Earth’s cycle as strong waves continually crash against the shore. But as global temperatures warm and sea levels rise, the damage to the coast’s natural barriers is being exacerbated with each subsequent monster storm with tropical force winds or higher — which typically causes the most damaging events of erosion, scientists say.
Erosion is a huge issue in the U.S., and it is made worse by sea level rise which increases the distance the wave energy moves inland, Dr. Ken Miller, geologist at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, told ABC News.
As melting glaciers and ice sheets cause sea levels to rise, the ocean waves around the coast become more intense, Raphael Crowley, associate professor at the University of North Florida’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, told ABC News.
In addition, gradual effects from day-to-day erosion reaching farther inland, such as land that was previously above sea level being underwater more, will weaken the structure of the coastlines even more — allowing for strong storms to do more damage when they pass through, Ronadh Cox, a professor of geology and mineralogy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, told ABC News. Each high tide that reaches previously dry land has a cumulative effect on shoreline retreat and the associated erosion.
“So, everything from nuisance flooding associated with tides rising higher, to storm surges penetrating farther inland, all contribute to these effects of the coast,” Cox said.
The types of natural infrastructures that can be destroyed are sand dunes, cliffs and even living shorelines, such as plants, marshes and oyster reefs — all of which can act as barriers to an influx of ocean water. A marsh measuring 15 feet deep can absorb about 50% of incoming wave energy, but these living barriers continue to dwindle, as well.
More than 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands are lost every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The deterioration of coastlines can also be impacted by the human tendency to develop right on top of them, according to experts.
As populations increase and more housing is built near the coast, oftentimes the coastal wetlands are drained to make room for development, Cox said.
When the barriers along the coastlines fail to keep ocean water out, it wreaks havoc on communities, Crowley said. Roads become impassable. Homes become at risk of being destroyed or even swept away in some cases of extreme storm surge — like what happened in parts of southwest Florida due to Hurricane Ian.
“The combined effect of all of these things, of course, is increased erosion, land loss and infrastructure loss,” Cox said.
Coastal erosion is already tallying up to about $500 million annually in property damage, according to the U.S. Climate Resiliency Toolkit, an online resource that compiles data from the U.S. federal government.
“The problem with coastal engineering is that coasts are constantly evolving,” Crowley said.
If people want to live near the ocean, protection measures such as ensuring a high enough elevation and that there is a barrier between the structure and the water — such as a sand dune — should be implemented, Crowley said.
Severe storms can remove wide beaches in a single event. Following the passing of Hurricane Irma in 2017, Crowley witnessed what was previously a sand dune in north Florida’s Vilano Beach transformed into “a 40-foot cliff with a house hanging off of it,” he said. That structure was one of several dozen that Crowley knew would never be livable again, he said.
The research is suggesting that what was previously considered a once-in-a-generation storm, such as Ian, could start to occur more frequently, Crowley said.
In addition, Cox has witnessed famed coastal towns such as Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, both in Massachusetts, lose measurable levels of cliff retreat of several meters per year in some places, she said.
In Pinellas County, Florida, a half-foot of sea level rise in the past 50 years has led to the loss of 120 feet of beach, John Bishop, coastal management coordinator for the Pinellas County Government, told ABC News.
Sea levels have been rising about 3.5 millimeters per year since the early 1900s, Crowley said.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but then if you add that up over 100 years — that’s quite a bit of rise,” he said, adding that the rate of rise has since accelerated.
In the next 30 years, sea level along the U.S. coastline is projected to rise, on average, 10 to 12 inches — the same amount it rose in the past century, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report. Experts believe the drastic rise will continue to exacerbate coastal erosion and the problems people living near the ocean will face.
About 2 feet of sea level rise along the U.S. coastline is increasingly likely between 2020 and 2100 because of emissions to date, according to the NOAA report. An additional 1.5 to 5 feet of sea level rise is possible by the end of the century should countries around the world fail to curb emissions, the report predicted.
(NEW YORK) — Amid a nationwide surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, comedian and actress Amy Schumer revealed that her 3-year-old son was hospitalized due to the virus.
Schumer shared in an Instagram post Sunday that her son Gene was taken to the emergency room and hospitalized the same week she was in rehearsals to host Saturday Night Live.
“I missed Thursday rehearsals when my son was rushed to ER and admitted for RSV,” Schumer wrote. “Shout out to all the parents going though this right now.”
She shared a photo of herself sitting in the hospital with Gene, wearing a respiratory mask.
Schumer, who gave birth to Gene, her only child, in May 2019, later wrote that her son is “home and better.”
The U.S. is seeing more than twice as many cases per week compared to the same period last year, according to ABC News contributor Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an official health advisory in response to the rise in respiratory infections in children.
In addition to RSV, the number of cases of influenza and rhinovirus/enterovirus (RV/EV) are higher than usual for this time of year, especially among children, according to the CDC.
Respiratory illnesses are appearing earlier and in more people than in recent years. The federal health agency says there have also been early increases in flu activity across most of the U.S., with indications that this season could be much more severe than the recent seasons.
What parents should know about RSV
RSV is a contagious virus that can spread from viral respiratory droplets transferred from an infected person’s cough or sneeze; from direct contact with the virus, like kissing the face of a child with RSV; and from touching surfaces, like tables, doorknobs and crib rails, that have the virus on them and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before hand-washing, according to the CDC.
People infected with RSV are usually contagious for three to eight days, but some infants can continue to spread the virus even after they stop showing symptoms, for as long as four weeks, according to the CDC.
Among children, premature infants and young children with weakened immune systems or congenital heart or chronic lung disease are the most vulnerable to complications from RSV.
According to the CDC, death from RSV is rare. There are between 100 to 500 pediatric deaths and 14,000 adult deaths each year related to RSV, with the actual figure likely being higher due to undercounting.
“Pretty much all kids have gotten RSV at least once by the time they turn 2, but it’s really younger kids, especially those under 6 months of age, who can really have trouble with RSV and sometimes end up in the hospital,” Dr. William Linam, pediatric infectious disease doctor at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, told ABC News last year. “That’s where we want to get the word out, for families with young children or children with medical conditions, making sure they’re aware this is going on.”
In the first two to four days of contracting RSV, a child may show symptoms like fever, runny nose and congestion.
Later on, the symptoms may escalate to coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
Parents should also be alerted to symptoms including dehydration and not eating, according to Linam.
“Not making a wet diaper in over eight hours is often a good marker that a child is dehydrated and a good reason to seek medical care,” he said. “Sometimes kids under 6 months of age can have pauses when they’re breathing and that’s something to get medical attention for right away.”
Infants and toddlers can usually recover at home with RSV unless they start to have difficulty breathing, are not eating or drinking, or appear more tired than usual, in which case parents should contact their pediatrician and/or take their child to the emergency room.
At-home care for kids with RSV can include Tylenol and Motrin for fevers, as well as making sure the child is hydrated and eating.
Parents can help protect their kids from RSV by continuing to follow as much as possible the three Ws of the pandemic: wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance, according to Linam.
Infants who are either born prematurely (less than 35 weeks) or born with chronic lung disease may benefit from a medication to prevent complications of RSV since they are at increased risk of severe disease. Parents should discuss this with their pediatrician.
(NEW YORK) — Holiday shopping is underway and retailers have already started offering additional sales and discounts earlier than ever in an attempt to win over consumers, who are facing near-record high inflation this season.
With 73% of consumers expecting higher prices this holiday season, many are planning to buy fewer gifts compared to last year, according to a recent holiday retail survey from Deloitte.
“Inflation is at the top of every consumer’s mind. In fact, we did a study with Oracle that said that around 77% of consumers are thinking about inflation when shopping,” Hitha Herzog, chief retail analyst at The Doneger Tobe Group, told ABC News. “Retailers know that there are less dollars that are going around and less chances for them to sell to the consumer so they’re going to be very specific about making sure that the consumer shops with them.”
One strategy to win over shoppers? Convenience. Aside from prices, another major indicator consumers cited as a top factor for whether or not they will shop in-store this season is checkout speed, with 41% of shoppers listing it as important, according to a holiday consumer survey by Sensormatic Solutions.
The department store Neighborhood Goods recently adopted a new method of checkout called POS Go, a point-of-sale device by the e-commerce platform Shopify that allows customers to pay from anywhere in the store. Previously out of reach for most brands, it’s something that Shopify has recently made available to the tens of thousands of small businesses that use its platform, and consumers will likely start to see it popping up more and more inside their favorite stores.
“The modern consumer is more hybrid than ever.” Harley Finkelstein, Shopify President told ABC News. “Commerce happens everywhere, and as we head into the busiest season for our merchants, they need technology…that gives them the flexibility to meet consumers however and wherever they like to shop.”
“We’re bringing it to all of our locations now. And I think what’s been really important about it for us is that we’ve always believed from a philosophical perspective that the customer ought to be able to dictate their own terms as to how they shop,” Matt Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Goods, told ABC News.
Brick-and-mortar stores aren’t the only ones making the shopping experience more seamless. Online retail giant Amazon recently announced that it will be offering Venmo as a payment option, and the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market has become one of the fastest-growing alternatives to credit cards in the last few years. Used by hundreds of thousands of businesses, it allows consumers to pay off a purchase over a designated period of time, typically interest-free.
The number of BNPL loans in the United States grew from 16.8 million to 180 million — more than 970% — from 2019 to 2021, according to a September report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“One thing that retailers are doing to make sure that the customer has a very easy purchasing experience is to make sure that there are different ways that they can go ahead and pay for that product, not just in the store, but also online,” Herzog told ABC News.
“One of the biggest issues for retailers is cart abandonment and having that change of heart when you’re in the store,” Herzog added. “If there are different places to pay for things … and different methods to not abandon that cart as you are online purchasing … that will ensure that the retailers are selling the product and that the customer is having a great experiencing experience purchasing the product.”
Alexander built Neighborhood Goods with customer experience in mind, offering restaurants, refreshments and events in store for consumers to make the shopping experience unique and more enjoyable. He said the company wanted to create “a sense of magnetism to give people a really good reason to come in.”
“Even in the event of a recession, people still shop,” he said. “It’s just they’re more considerate about where they do so. And so if you can offer a really great experience, that doesn’t go out of style regardless of what’s going on in the world.”
(NEW YORK) — Supercar maker Lamborghini cannot keep up with demand.
The Italian marque said Monday it has sold 7,430 vehicles in the first nine months of the year and is on track to beat its 2021 sales record of 8,405 units.
Deliveries rose in every market — U.S., China, Japan, Germany and the U.K. — with the V10-powered Huracan seeing the largest bump in sales.
The Urus, Lamborghini’s dynamic SUV that debuted in 2018, continues to be the brand’s No. 1 model, with 4,834 units delivered to customers so far this year.
ABC News spoke with Stephan Winkelmann, the CEO of Lamborghini, about the company’s latest roadmap.
He reminisced about the “end of an era” — the company bid farewell to its lustrous 12-cylinder Aventador supercar in September — and discussed the excitement surrounding Lamborghini’s first plug-in hybrid supercar that will soon enter production at the company’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.
By 2028, the company will unveil an electric supercar — a 180-degree turn from the powerful, euphonious gas-powered engines that helped make Lamborghini a success. Customers are ready for the future and so is the company, Winkelmann asserted.
The interview below has been edited and condensed for clarity:
Q: Sales have been very strong this year. Will the company surpass its sales record of 8,405 cars in 2021?
A: We will be ahead of this number for sure. We have no slowdown in sales. Every month we’re selling more cars than we’re able to deliver.
Q: Some market watchers have been calling for a global recession. Has the company seen a change in demand?
A: We have two things to protect us if a crisis is coming. One, we have an incredible order bank, which is already exceeding 18 months. Two, in the next couple of years, we’re going to renew our complete lineup. A new car always creates positive vibes in the community of super sports car lovers. So these are things that are going to help us.
Q: If someone walked into a Lamborghini dealership in the U.S. right now, is there new inventory to buy?
A: There might be some used cars…but 99.9% you won’t find a new car.
Q: Let’s talk about the company’s plans for electrification. You said the entire lineup will be hybrid by 2024. Why not a fully electric car by then?
A: Things have to be done in the right time and with the right technology. The hybrid technology for us is the best in terms of performance and also in terms of technology. We will be the first super sports car brand to have a full hybrid lineup. The first [EV] model will come by the end of this decade, around 2028. By then we think our community of customers will be ready for buying fully electric super sports cars.
Q: Will the Urus be the first hybrid since it’s the brand’s bestselling model?
A: The first hybrid car will be the follow to the Aventador, which will have a completely new V12 engine and it will be a plug-in hybrid. We’re going to present the car at the end of the first quarter of next year.
Q: Are you accepting deposits or preorders for this hybrid car?
A: Yes, we already have preorders which are close to 3,000. This means the acceptance is very high even though very few customers have seen the car. So [customers] really believe we’re doing the right thing, which is a positive sign.
Q: Lamborghini bid farewell to the Aventador last month after more than a decade of production. How did that make you feel?
A: I was present on the first day we started the project. For me, this is an end of an era which in a way is quite sad, but there are also very good memories.
Q: What would Ferruccio Lamborghini, the company’s founder, think of Lamborghini’s new direction?
A: He would be proud of the development of Lamborghini. He was a challenger of the status quo — this is exactly what we are doing. We are safeguarding the DNA of the brand and the design and also what performance is all about. We’re not selling mobility. We’re selling dreams. He would appreciate this, I think, and he would also be happy at what Lamborghini has become.
Q: Is Lamborghini still impacted by the supply crunch and chip shortage?
A: It’s a constant challenge but so far we have managed not to lose any production capacity…we’ve actually increased our production capacity. Also the war in Ukraine was affecting us a little at the beginning because we have a big supplier in Ukraine but thanks to their courage and dedication this is solved and we recovered all the delays that were happening in the first couple of days of the war. We have no major constraints in terms of the supply chain. We never had the problem of parking cars with missing parts.
Q: An all-terrain Huracan will be the company’s final send-off to the internal combustion engine. How did this idea come about?
A: In 2015, we had the idea to do an all-terrain super sports car. We are the only super sports car company with a four-wheel drive system. When I came back to Lamborghini three years ago I said, ‘Guys, I want to do this car.’ It’s the last internal combustion car we’re launching and it will be shown at Art Basel in Miami.
Q: What will production be like for the all-terrain Huracan?
A: We will communicate the number at Art Basel. It will be a limited number and this will increase the value of the car even more because it’s the first time we’re doing a car like this. You cannot go on the dunes of the desert but you can drive the car on dirt roads. It’s about ground clearance — it’s higher than a normal super sports car but not as high as an SUV. So there is a limit to this but you can take it off-road for sure.
Q: There are complaints among some in the automotive world that electric vehicles can be mechanical and not as enjoyable to drive as gas-powered sports cars. How will Lamborghini handle that challenge as the company moves forward with electrification?
A: What makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini is the design, the performance in terms of naked numbers — lap times, top speed, acceleration — and perceived performance, or how much emotion you experience when you drive our cars. Normally electric cars are very good at longitudinal acceleration but they’re not very pleasant to drive — i.e. cornering, braking behavior, the reaction on the steering wheel. This is something we have to prove and we’re working on this before the first electric car comes to market from Lamborghini.
(BOSTON) — At least one person was killed and five others were wounded in three separate shootings across Boston on Sunday night, police said.
The shootings happened in three different neighborhoods of Massachusetts’ capital city within a span of about 40 minutes, according to the Boston Police Department.
The first was reported at around 9:10 p.m. local time in Mattapan. Officers responded to the scene and found two people suffering from gunshot woulds. Both victims were transported to a local hospital, where one of them — a man — was pronounced dead, police said. The other victim is expected to survive, police said.
The second shooting was reported at about 9:40 p.m. local time in Dorchester. Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.
The third shooting was reported at around 9:45 p.m. local time in Hyde Park. Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Then, just after 10 p.m. local time, officers received a report of two men suffering from gunshot wounds who showed up at the emergency department at a local hospital. A preliminary investigation found that both men were victims of the Hyde Park shooting that night. They are expected to survive, police said.
The investigations into the shootings are ongoing. Anyone with information on the incidents is urged to contact the Boston Police Department at 617-343-4500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the CrimeStoppers tip lune at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).
“The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances,” police said in a statement early Monday. “The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.”
(WASHINGTON) — The 2022 midterm elections are shaping up to be some of the most consequential in the nation’s history, with control of Congress at stake.
All 435 seats in the House and 35 of 100 seats in the Senate are on the ballot, as well as several influential gubernatorial elections in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Democrats are defending their narrow majorities in both chambers. Republican control of either the House or Senate would be enough to curtail most of President Joe Biden’s agenda, and would likely result in investigations against his administration and even his family.
Americans are already coming out in full force this cycle. As of Nov. 5, more than 38 million voters had already cast their ballot, according to data from the University of Florida’s U.S. Elections Project.
This is how the story is developing:
Nov 07, 6:34 AM EST
What the midterms mean for U.S. foreign policy
Domestic issues like abortion rights and the economy have taken center stage this cycle, but the elections could also have a big impact on foreign policy.
Experts told ABC News that the outcome of the races will drive the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Republicans in Congress have hinted at curbing the steady stream of financial assistance to Ukraine. They also said the elections could also impact efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, as Republicans have generally opposed a return to the agreement all along.
“If there is a change in control of Congress, because of how partisan unfortunately a lot of Iran policy has become, there would be more pressure–given that the current administration and many Democrats in general campaigned on resurrecting a deal and engaging with Iran,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told ABC News. “There certainly will be desire for more scrutiny and oversight.”
Nov 07, 6:17 AM EST
Biden implores voters to save democracy
President Joe Biden is casting the midterms not as a referendum on his leadership, but an inflection point for the nation amid threats to democracy.
“We must with an overwhelming voice stand against political violence and voter intimidation, period,” he said at a Democratic National Committee event the week before Election Day. “Stand up and speak against it. We don’t settle our differences in America with a riot, a mob, or a bullet or a hammer. We settle them peacefully at the ballot box.”
In the speech, Biden specifically referenced the assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband and the swath of candidates running this cycle who’ve embraced Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
“American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election,” Biden said. “He refuses to accept the will of the people, he refuses to accept the fact that he lost.”
