(NEW YORK) — Nearly a year and a half after the pandemic forced Canada and the United States to close their borders, fully vaccinated Americans will have their chance to visit the Great White North.
The Canadian government announced Monday that fully vaccinated U.S. residents will be allowed to visit the country starting Aug. 9. Those travelers won’t be subject to quarantine upon entry, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
In March 2020, the Canadian government banned travel between the two countries, with a few exceptions, because of rising COVID-19 cases around the world. Patty Hajdu, the Canadian minister of health, said the declining cases in the country and rising vaccinations among residents gave the government a strong foundation to allow international visitors.
“Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other, and because of that work, we can take these next steps safely,” she said in a statement.
Americans who wish to travel to the country must be 14 days out of their second shot, according to the new rules. They must also submit their vaccination documentation and other information on the ArriveCAN website or app in order to get approval of entry.
A negative COVID-19 test is also required prior to entry.
If the health trends continue to progress favorably, the Canadian government will allow fully vaccinated travelers from other nations to visit the country.
For the last 16 months, the Canadian government has only allowed Americans to enter under certain conditions, such as if they had immediate family, were international students or worked in the country.
(NEW YORK) — As the end of summer approaches, teachers are already preparing for the school year ahead, which is happening again this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help teachers, select retailers are offering special back-to-school deals and discounts.
Here are some of the retailers offering special deals now for teachers.
Target
Target is offering teachers a one-time, 15% discount on select classroom supplies and essentials now through July 31. Teachers need to sign up for Target Circle and verify their teacher status to be eligible.
All K-12 teachers, homeschool teachers, teachers working at daycare centers and early childhood learning centers, university or college professors and vocational/trade/technical school teachers are eligible, according to Target.
Staples
At Staples stores across the country, teachers and school administrators can get 20% off select purchases now through Sept. 30.
Parents can also help support teachers through Staples’ Classroom Rewards program, which gives a percentage of their qualifying purchase made at a Staples store back to an enrolled teacher or school administrator of their choice, according to the company.
To start getting discounts, parents, teachers and school administrators must download the Staples Connect app and enroll in Classroom Rewards.
Check here for updates as more deals and discounts are announced.
(WASHINGTON) — A Florida man who joined in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol will serve eight months in prison with 24 months of supervised release, in the first felony sentencing to result from the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation into the insurrection.
Washington, D.C., district judge Randolph Moss said that Paul Hodgkins, 38, who was seen in videos entering the Senate chamber and taking selfies, appeared “prepared for conflict” as he joined the pro-Trump mob in breaching the Capitol in what the judge described as a grave threat to democracy itself.
The Justice Department had asked for Hodgkins to be sentenced to 18 months in prison, while his attorneys had asked that he be released without any prison sentence.
Referring to pictures of Hodgkins holding a red “Trump 2020” flag in the well of the Senate, Moss said it showed “he was staking a claim on the floor of the U.S. Senate, not with an American flag but a flag of a single individual over a nation.”
In remarks leading up to handing down his sentence, the judge sought repeatedly to underscore the danger of the Jan. 6 attack and its threat to the country’s democratic foundation.
“Jan. 6 means it will be harder for our country and diplomats to convince other nations to pursue democracy, to convince our children that democracy stands as the immutable foundation of this nation; it means that we are now all fearful about the next attack in a way that we never were,” Moss said. “It may be the attack on the Capitol was never going to succeed at preventing certification the election, but it did succeed in delaying the democratic process. And that stain will remain on us and on this country for years to come.”
Moss sought to make clear that his sentencing was reflective of Hodgkins’ actions alone and should not be seen as applying to what other similarly-charged defendants might face with guilty convictions for the felony charge of obstructing Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election win. Still, the punishment creates a new benchmark for attorneys defending the hundreds of other alleged rioters not charged with violent crimes, who are weighing whether to engage in plea agreements with the government.
Anna Morgan-Lloyd, a 49-year-old hair salon owner, became the first person sentenced in connection with the Jan. 6 attack when she was sentenced on June 23 to three years of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building.
Another rioter, Michael Curzio, was sentenced to six months in jail earlier this month after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Hodgkins is the first rioter to be sentenced for a more serious felony charge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky argued during Monday’s sentencing hearing that while Hodgkins was not directly accused of participating in any violence during the assault on the Capitol, his actions and advanced preparation for conflict before coming to D.C. that day made him a key player in furthering what she called “an act of domestic terror.”
In response, Hodgkins’ attorney Patrick Leduc called Sedky’s characterization “offensive,” saying it was “gaslighting the country, and it needs to stop.”
“It was a protest that became a riot,” Leduc said, noting that to date no defendants among the more than 540 charged thus far have specifically been charged with terrorism offenses.
Sedky said the government’s request that Hodgkins serve 18 months in prison with three years of supervised release — which represents the mid-range of sentencing guidelines for the felony Hodgkins pleaded guilty to — should lay down an effective deterrent for any individuals thinking of engaging in similar conduct and disrupting the functions of the government.
“I have a hard time thinking of a crime that, at its core, is more the epitome of disrespecting the law,” Sedky said. “It’s truly flouting lawmakers and law enforcement officers who were there to protect them, and the laws that they were trying to enforce to basically transfer power from one president to another president. And so the need to promote respect for the law is really at its pinnacle in a crime like this.”
Prior to being sentenced, Hodgkins addressed the court to express regret for his actions, saying that he traveled to D.C. “with the intention of supporting the president I loved.” He said went there to participate in a march on Pennsylvania Avenue but never anticipated joining in the storming of Capitol.
“I wish to state that I completely acknowledge and accept that Joseph R. Biden Jr. is rightfully and respectfully the president of the United States,” Hodgkins said. “To put things in short, I allowed myself to put passion before my principles, which resulted in me violating the law for the first time in my life — a thing which I definitely feel shame for, and something that I vow never to let happen again.”
Hodgkins pleaded with Judge Moss not to sentence him to time in prison, saying he feared it would mean he would lose his job just before he’s set to receive a promotion, and make it difficult for him to find a temporary home for his two cats.
“If there is still a debt that I owe society then I hope that I may be able to pay that debt in a way that affords me the ability to continue to be an otherwise law-abiding, working class and taxpaying citizen, rather than becoming a drain on society,” Hodgkins said.
The judge, however, said that Jan. 6 was more than just a simple riot.
“There were people who were swarming into the halls of the Capitol saying, ‘Where’s Nancy?’ The chambers of Congress were emptied during the most solemn act in a democracy of certifying who the next president is going to be by an angry mob,” Moss said. “That is not an exercise of First Amendment rights by any measure.”
(WASHINGTON) — The House will vote on Thursday to expand and expedite the special visa program for Afghan workers who aided the U.S. military campaign and are trying to leave the country, adding more openings to the program just weeks before the first evacuation flights are scheduled to begin.
The bipartisan Allies Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., would raise the cap on the Special Immigrant Visa program by 8,000, while also removing requirements the authors said could lengthen the application process by several months.
Specifically, it would create a presumption that applicants face threats to their lives in sensitive roles as interpreters, translators or security contractors for the U.S. military, waiving the requirements that they obtain and submit sworn and certified statements.
The House will advance the bill this week as the Pentagon has notified lawmakers that it could temporarily house Afghan visa applicants at Fort Lee, an Army installation in central Virginia, while they complete the application process, aides briefed on the potential plans told ABC News.
Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, said he owed his life in part to the Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops as interpreters. His district director in Colorado, Maytham Alshadood, is a successfully resettled Iraqi who worked as an interpreter and translator with the U.S. military before immigrating.
“He’s a perfect success story to the contributions these folks can make, and they’ve already proven themselves to be patriotic Americans and people that have served the country,” he told ABC News. “We owe them a great debt.”
The bill would also expand eligibility for the program to roughly 1,000 Afghans working with nonmilitary organizations that have partnered with the United States, such as the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute for Peace.
“The Taliban is not going to make a distinction between someone who was working for USAID, or a grantee of the U.S. government promoting independent journalism or women’s rights and someone who was a driver or translator,” Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., another cosponsor of the legislation, told ABC News. “So we shouldn’t make those distinctions, either.”
Earlier this summer, the House passed a similar measure that waived the requirement for applicants to receive a medical examination on the front end of the process, and would allow them to receive an exam as soon as possible once resettled in the United States.
In the Senate, both measures have the support of Republicans and Democrats, who are weighing whether to add the provisions to an emergency spending package funding the Capitol Police, which could clear the chamber before the August recess.
“There are a lot of people in Afghanistan that have been loyal to us,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee negotiating with Democrats over the package, said last week. “We cannot leave them behind.”
The White House announced Operation Allies Refuge last week, and said the first flights to evacuate visa applicants would begin in the last week of July.
There are now 20,000 applicants for the program, with roughly 10,000 still required to finish various stages of their applications, according to the State Department.
Approximately 2,500 applicants have been approved through the security vetting process and segments of that group could be transported to military bases in the U.S., under humanitarian parole, to finish their applications, the State Department spokesman said.
Afghans who have not yet completed their applications could be sent to third-party countries around Afghanistan or to U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, Crow said.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon will temporarily house Afghan workers who aided the U.S. military campaign and are trying to leave the country at Fort Lee, an Army installation in central Virginia, while they complete the application process for a special visa, according to the State Department.
Spokesperson Ned Price said Monday that the State Department requested that the Defense Department house 2,500 Afghans who are the furthest along in the vetting process for the special visa program, have passed “thorough” security vetting and whose work for the U.S. has been certified by the embassy in Kabul.
They’ll be provided services, such as housing, at Fort Lee as their visa applications are processed, according to Price, but he didn’t specify when the applicants and their family members may arrive beyond before the end of July.
John Kirby, Defense Department press secretary, said Monday afternoon that there are still other domestic and overseas locations also being considered.
Separately, the House will vote on Thursday to expand and expedite the special visa program for these Afghans, adding more openings to the program just weeks before the first evacuation flights are scheduled to begin.
The bipartisan Allies Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., would raise the cap on the Special Immigrant Visa program by 8,000, while also removing requirements the authors said could lengthen the application process by several months.
Specifically, it would create a presumption that applicants face threats to their lives in sensitive roles as interpreters, translators or security contractors for the U.S. military, waiving the requirements that they obtain and submit sworn and certified statements.
Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, said he owed his life in part to the Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops as interpreters. His district director in Colorado, Maytham Alshadood, is a successfully resettled Iraqi who worked as an interpreter and translator with the U.S. military before immigrating.
“He’s a perfect success story to the contributions these folks can make, and they’ve already proven themselves to be patriotic Americans and people that have served the country,” he told ABC News. “We owe them a great debt.”
The bill would also expand eligibility for the program to roughly 1,000 Afghans working with nonmilitary organizations that have partnered with the United States, such as the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute for Peace.
“The Taliban is not going to make a distinction between someone who was working for USAID, or a grantee of the U.S. government promoting independent journalism or women’s rights and someone who was a driver or translator,” Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., another cosponsor of the legislation, told ABC News. “So we shouldn’t make those distinctions, either.”
Earlier this summer, the House passed a similar measure that waived the requirement for applicants to receive a medical examination on the front end of the process, and would allow them to receive an exam as soon as possible once resettled in the United States.
In the Senate, both measures have the support of Republicans and Democrats, who are weighing whether to add the provisions to an emergency spending package funding the Capitol Police, which could clear the chamber before the August recess.
“There are a lot of people in Afghanistan that have been loyal to us,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee negotiating with Democrats over the package, said last week. “We cannot leave them behind.”
The White House announced Operation Allies Refuge last week, and said the first flights to evacuate visa applicants would begin in the last week of July.
There are now 20,000 applicants for the program, with roughly 10,000 still required to finish various stages of their applications, according to the State Department.
Approximately 2,500 applicants have been approved through the security vetting process and segments of that group could be transported to military bases in the U.S., under humanitarian parole, to finish their applications, the State Department spokesman said.
Afghans who have not yet completed their applications could be sent to third-party countries around Afghanistan or to U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, Crow said.
ABC News’ Trish Turner and Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Fried chicken fans are already clucking about Popeyes’ soon-to-debut chicken nuggets. Flocks of customers gobbled up the popular chicken sandwich, and the fast-food chain has plans to keep up with the anticipated demand of its new nuggets.
Popeyes announced in a press release the new menu item due to hit the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico on July 27, with claims it is looking to reset customer standards and revolutionize the nugget game.
Foodies swarmed social media with the news release, begging the question — will the hype bring on the same level of chaos caused by the brioche bun-enveloped crispy fried chicken sandwich with housemade pickles?
The pop-in-your-mouth-sized pieces of white meat chicken breast are seasoned just like the sandwich, marinated for at least 12 hours, hand-battered and breaded in buttermilk; then slowly fried to deliver a crisp, juicy bite, Popeyes said in a statement.
“We aim to show the world once again the magic of Popeyes chicken with our new Nuggets. We believe that these pieces of crunchy, juicy delicious chicken will have guests question how they ever enjoyed chicken nuggets before this,” Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes Americas said.
Popeyes said the recipe is steeped in Louisiana tradition and uses a special flour and batter system to provide the craggy and crisp texture in the brand’s classic flavor that pairs with signature sauces like Bayou Buffalo, BoldBQ, Blackened Ranch, Buttermilk Ranch, Mardi Gras Mustard and Sweet Heat.
(WASHINGTON) — With financial markets down sharply Monday over whether the new delta variant would endanger the recovery, President Joe Biden on Monday pushed back on inflation fears also giving investors jitters, insisting that his policies will create a strong economy and that higher prices are only a short-term growing pain.
“There’s nobody suggesting there’s unchecked inflation on the way, no serious economist. That’s totally different — I mean, look, the stock market is higher than it has been in all of history, even when it was down this month. Even down this month,” Biden said in White House remarks touting the recovery six months into office.
Biden also took a moment to hit former President Donald Trump for his focus on the stock market, noting there are other ways to judge economic health.
“Now, I don’t look at a stock market as a means by which to judge the economy like my predecessor did. But he’d be very, he’d be talking to you every day for the last five months about how the stock market is so high. Higher than any time in history. Still higher than any time in history. So, that’s not how I judge whether or not we’re having economic growth,” Biden said.
While pushing his infrastructure policies to lawmakers, he also made the case that inflation is merely temporary, a result of lingering supply chain challenges and an uneven restart after an unprecedented economic upheaval.
“Reality is you can’t flip the global economic light back on and not expect this to happen,” Biden said.
Biden noted that 60% of price increases, according to some economists, are due to global supply chain challenges, such as the shortage of semiconductors that has spurred a spike in car prices, and the increase in lumber prices. Calling price increases temporary, Biden worked to assure Americans he won’t let inflation get out of control.
“I want to be clear. My administration understands if we were to experience unchecked inflation over the long-term, that would pose a real challenge to our economy. So while we’re confident that isn’t what we’re seeing today, we’re going to remain vigilant about any response as needed,” he said.
“Reality is, you can’t flip the global economic light back on and not expect this to happen.”
During remarks about economic recovery, Pres. Biden says increase in prices is expected to be temporary but that his administration will remain “vigilant.” https://t.co/JIlsEYpYvZpic.twitter.com/kGl3EkF4P4
Biden also noted that he has assured Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that he is committed to the independence of the Fed, and encourages Powell to take whatever steps necessary to keep the economy strong.
Biden then turned to the elephant in the room — the $4 trillion+ in additional government spending he’s pursuing.
“If we increase the availability of quality, affordable child care, elder care, paid leave, more people will enter the workforce. These steps will enhance our productivity, raising wages without raising prices. That won’t increase inflation. That will take the pressure off of inflation,” Biden said, referring to the $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” plan Democrats on Capitol Hill are seeking to pass without any bipartisan support through special Senate budget rules.
MORE: Biden, bipartisan senators say they have $1.2 trillion framework infrastructure deal
“If your primary concern right now is inflation, you should be even enthusiastic about this plan,” Biden added.
“What we can’t do, is go back to the same old trickle-down theories, that gave us nearly two trillion dollars in deficit finance corporate tax giveaways, that did nothing to make our economy more productive or resilient,” Biden warned. “We can’t go back to the old failed thinking.“
With a key procedural vote this week in the Senate on the bipartisan infrastructure framework, Biden reminded lawmakers they already had a deal.
“Whatever different views some might have on current price increases, we should be united in one thing: Passage of the bipartisan infrastructure framework which we shook hands on. We shook hands on,” Biden said.
Despite attempting to sell his spending packages, Biden did not address the fact that so many questions about the packages remained unanswered ahead of Wednesday deadlines set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: a key procedural vote on a bipartisan $1.2 trillion traditional infrastructure spending bill, and a self-imposed deadline for members of his own party to reach agreement on a $3.5 trillion spending package, which covers the majority of Biden’s American Families Plan agenda, including childcare, free community college, and provisions to lower health care costs.
Top Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman expressed frustration Sunday with the state of the talks.
“We shouldn’t have an arbitrary deadline of Wednesday. We should bring the legislation forward when it’s ready… it’s got to be done in a thoughtful, bipartisan way. We don’t want to rush this process or make mistakes,” Portman said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
One remaining hurdle is how to pay for all the spending, after Democrats agreed to drop IRS tax enforcement provisions that were estimated to net $100 billion over ten years in the face of Republican pushback. President Biden has called for both spending bills to be fully paid for, mostly through tax increases on the wealthy and corporations.
“How do we vote on something which is not yet written as we try and get it right?” Senator Bill Cassidy, R.-La., asked in a “Fox News Sunday” interview. “We can get it done, but if they refused to cooperate on the pay-fors, it’s not going to pass. They know that.”
(NEW YORK) — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set to blast to the edge of space and spend a few minutes outside Earth’s atmosphere Tuesday on the first crewed flight from his firm Blue Origin.
The milestone launch in the modern commercial space race comes on the 52nd anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing in 1969, though the space-faring landscape has evolved by giant leaps since then as billionaires emerge as key players driving the new race to the cosmos.
Bezos, who holds the title of the richest man in the world per Bloomberg data, has said the spaceflight will fulfill a lifelong dream.
He has also expressed hope that Blue Origin will make space more accessible to all, though bidding for a seat on the first flight reached a whopping $28 million. The anonymous bidder who paid $28 million, however, won’t make it on Tuesday due to “scheduling conflicts.” Blue Origin has not disclosed how much the teen who replaced the initial bidder paid for his seat.
The Amazon founder will be accompanied on the historic journey by his brother, Mark Bezos, as well as the oldest and youngest people ever to go to space, Wally Funk, 82-years-old, and Oliver Daemon, 18. Funk is a trailblazing female pilot who trained to be an astronaut during the original U.S.-Soviet space race era but was told they were only sending men to space at the time. Daemon is a Dutch student set to begin classes at Utrecht University this fall, and is the first paying customer for Blue Origin after the initial auction winner backed out.
What is happening and how to watch
Liftoff of the inaugural Blue Origin flight is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET from a rural complex just north of Van Horn, Texas. In total, the flight will be 11 minutes, with approximately three minutes spent above the so-called Karman line that is defined by some as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. After re-entry, the astronauts are set to descend back to Earth in their capsule with a parachute-landing in the west Texas desert.
ABC News will carry live coverage of the event, which will also be streamed on Blue Origin’s website. The live broadcast will begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. Unlike most spaceflights, there are no on-site public viewing areas in the vicinity of the launch site. The newly-minted astronauts are set to have a press conference shortly after landing back on earth.
There is no pilot aboard the fully-autonomous capsule. While Blue Origin’s New Shepard has flown 15 test flights, Tuesday’s will be the first with humans on board.
The definition of “space” has emerged as a heated debate point in the new space race, as Sir Richard Branson took heat for not passing the Karman line (roughly 62 miles above earth) during his Virgin Galactic spaceflight earlier this month. Neither Blue Origin nor Virgin Galactic’s flights will reach Earth’s orbit, however, the way Elon Musk’s SpaceX missions have. Musk, also a billionaire player in the new space race, on Twitter has called out this “big difference.”
While the modern space race has become the arena of the ultra-wealthy at a time when a global pandemic on earth has exacerbated inequities, some argue the rise of private sector involvement has saved NASA money and accelerated technological advances — which in the long-term has the potential to open up space tourism to all who have been curious about the cosmos.
Still, the billionaire daredevils using themselves as guinea pigs for their private space tourism firms have not had the same support astronauts garnered during the original U.S.-Soviet space race. Animosity was exacerbated by reports that Bezos and Musk have avoided income taxes. A Change.org petition calling for Bezos to stay in space has garnered headlines and more than 160,000 signatures.
In an interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America” just one day ahead of the spaceflight, Bezos said he is curious how briefly leaving Earth will “change” him.
“I don’t know what it’s going to mean for me,” Bezos said. “I don’t know, I’m very curious about what tomorrow is actually going to bring. Everybody who’s been to space says it changes them in some way. And I’m just really excited to figure out how it’s going to change me.”
(WASHINGTON) — Days after Facebook publicly rejected President Joe Biden’s message to the platform that it’s “killing people” by allowing the spread of vaccine misinformation, even as COVID-19 infections rise and vaccinations fall around the U.S., he tried to clean up his comment about the social media giant Monday, saying he hopes Facebook doesn’t take it “personally.”
Following remarks on the economy at the White House, a reporter asked about his comment Friday to companies and platforms like Facebook, the president interjected to answer before the reporter could finish.
“Let me say what I said. I’m glad you asked that question,” Biden began. “It was pointed out that Facebook, of all the misinformation, 60% of the misinformation came from 12 individuals. That’s what the article said.”
Biden was referring to research the White House pointed to at a press briefing last week when Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in his first advisory of the Biden administration of the threat of misinformation to public health.
Biden continued on Monday by retracing his steps, saying, “I was asked that question about what do I think is happening.”
“Facebook isn’t killing people. These 12 people are out there giving misinformation, anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it. It’s killing people. It’s bad information,” Biden continued. “My hope is that Facebook — instead of taking it personally — that somehow I’m saying Facebook is killing people, that they would do something about the misinformation — the outrageous misinformation — about the vaccine. That’s what I meant.”
When pressed if he felt the social media company was doing enough to combat the misinformation, the president said he was unsure, because he wasn’t sure what action they had taken over the weekend.
He then sidestepped when asked how he would hold the company accountable, he replied, “When you say hold accountable, I’m not trying to hold people accountable. I’m trying to make people look at themselves. Look in the mirror. Think about that misinformation going to your son, daughter, your relative, someone you love. That’s all I’m asking.”
Biden was attempting to clean up an answer he gave when leaving the White House for Camp David on Friday afternoon when he was specifically asked, “On COVID misinformation, what’s your message to platforms like Facebook?” and said, “They’re killing people. I mean, it really — look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people.”
The controversial comment came one day after the surgeon general put out a new advisory arguing that misinformation, particularly on social media websites like Facebook, has hindered vaccination efforts, sown mistrust, caused people to reject public health measures, use unproven treatments, prolonged the pandemic and put lives at risk.
“Simply put, health misinformation has cost us lives,” Murthy said from the White House last week.
Facebook took issue with the description by the president on Friday, saying in a statement that his claim was not true.
“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” Facebook spokesperson Dani Lever said in a statement to ABC News. “The fact is that more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives. Period.”
However, while Facebook has said how many people have viewed authoritative information on vaccines, the platform has not said how many users have viewed misinformation.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
(MARTIN COUNTY, Fla) — A man said he was attacked by an alligator after falling off his bike in Florida on Monday, according to authorities.
The unidentified victim suffered serious injuries from the bite, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Man seriously injured after being bit by an alligator at Halpatiokee Park in Stuart. Victim fell off of his bike and said he was attacked. First responders on are the scene now. pic.twitter.com/41d07hpZIT
— MartinCountySheriff (@MartinFLSheriff) July 19, 2021
First responders went to the scene at Halpatiokee Regional Park in Stuart and loaded the victim into a helicopter.
Stuart is about 34 miles north of West Palm Beach.
