News – Page 2971 – 105.7 WDNY

COVID-19 live updates: US deaths at highest point in nearly 1 year

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 894,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 63.9% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 04, 5:01 pm
CDC director greenlights full approval for Moderna vaccine

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has given the greenlight on full approval for Moderna’s vaccine for all adults, which was the last step in the process for the vaccine to move from an emergency use authorization to a permanent approval.

Walensky’s ruling came after the CDC’s advisory committee voted unanimously Friday to give the Moderna vaccine full approval.

It has been nearly a year since Moderna received emergency use authorization.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 04, 4:55 pm
US surpasses 900,000 deaths

The U.S. has surpassed 900,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The death toll currently stands at 900,334.

The U.S. has had over 76 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 04, 2:56 pm
9% of ICU beds free in Oklahoma, health care workers ‘1 patient away from an emotional breakdown’

In Oklahoma, where just 9% of ICU beds are available statewide, for health care workers “every day is just filled with nonstop suffering,” a nurse told ABC News.

“I just pray I don’t have to zip up another body bag, I don’t have to call someone and let them know that their loved one’s not coming home,” Kelly Hale, a nurse at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, told ABC News. “We’re all just one patient away from an emotional breakdown.”

“The majority of our patients are unvaccinated which adds just a whole other level of difficulty for us,” Hale said.

She continued, “No one really knows how many tears I shed. Not my family, not my friends. I really want them to know.”

“Just please be nice if you know someone in the health care field that’s going through this,” Hale said. “Just reach out see if they’re okay.”

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 04, 2:09 pm
Deaths at highest point in nearly 1 year

The daily death average in the U.S. now stands at more than 2,400 — the highest daily death average in nearly one year and nearly double the average from one month ago.

But cases are continuing to fall with all but three states reporting declining or plateauing case rates. Washington state is seeing an increase in cases while Maine and Montana are reporting cases at a plateau, according to federal data.

Hospitalizations are also dropping nationwide. About 120,000 COVID-19-positive patients are currently in U.S. hospitals. Fifteen days ago, there were 160,000 patients, according to federal data.

However it’s still not clear how many of these patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and how many people coincidentally tested positive for the virus after they were admitted for other reasons.

Nearly 62 million eligible Americans remain completely unvaccinated.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 04, 1:39 pm
Study: Odds of testing positive 83% lower if wearing N95/KN95 compared to no mask

A new study from the California Department of Public Health found that your odds of testing positive for COVID-19 are 83% lower if wearing an N95 or KN95 mask while indoors compared to no mask.

The odds of testing positive are 66% lower if wearing a surgical mask compared to no mask, and 56% lower if wearing a cloth mask compared to no mask, the study found.

This study, however, was conducted prior to the more contagious variants and did not inquire about additional infection control behaviors such as social distancing.

-ABC News’ Sony Salzman, Aiya Aboubakr, Nitya Rajeshuni

Feb 03, 12:37 pm
US death rate on the rise

The U.S. is now reporting an average of over 2,300 COVID-19-related fatalities each day — the highest daily death average in nearly one year, according to federal data.

In the last week alone, the nation’s daily death average has increased by more than 31%.

Overall, however, the nation’s average is still significantly lower than last winter, when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

Meanwhile, the U.S. case rate continues to drop rapidly, according to federal data (deaths are a lagging indicator compared to cases). The nation is now reporting an average of 415,000 new cases each day — nearly half the average from the nation’s omicron peak in mid-January.

But case rates still remain extremely high, with 99% of U.S. counties reporting high transmission.

Alaska currently leads the nation in new cases per capita, followed by Washington and North Dakota.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 03, 11:05 am
Airlines ask White House to remove pre-departure testing for vaccinated international travelers

More than 25 trade groups representing the travel and aviation industry — including all major U.S. airlines — are asking the White House to remove pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated international travelers coming to the U.S.

“Clearly COVID is widespread throughout the U.S. and attempts to control its importation via air travel under today’s circumstances are unlikely to change that fact,” the groups said. “No new threatening variants appear to be imminent, but if they were, pre-departure testing could be easily reinstituted.”

The letter also says the requirement is a leading factor for Americans choosing not to travel internationally out of fear they won’t be able to return to the U.S. on schedule.

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Feb 03, 9:46 am
Medicare to start paying for at-home COVID-19 tests

Medicare will cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 testing kits starting this spring, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday.

It will be the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries. The new initiative will enable payment from Medicare directly to participating pharmacies and retailers to allow beneficiaries to pick up the at-home testing kits for free, according to CMS, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare health insurance program and works in partnership with state governments to administer the Medicaid assistance program.

CMS said it “anticipates that this option will be available to people with Medicare in the early spring.”

Last month, the U.S. government began requiring health insurers to pay for at-home COVID-19 tests. But that directive did not initially extend to Medicare, which provides health insurance coverage for Americans ages 65 and up, as well as some younger individuals with disabilities.

Feb 02, 4:49 pm
White House prepping to send out COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5

Vaccines will be made available to the 18 million kids between the ages of 6 months and 5 years “in short order” if they’re authorized and recommended by FDA and CDC later this month, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said at Wednesday’s White House briefing.

“We’ve already secured ample doses and the necessary needles and supplies specially made for kids in this age group. Following FDA authorization, we would immediately begin packing and shipping doses to states and health care providers,” Zients said. “And in short order following CDC recommendations, parents will be able to get their kids under 5 vaccinated.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said parents should feel confident that the FDA would only approve the vaccine if it was effective and safe.

“We are anticipating that we will get a good efficacy signal for the use of vaccines in children under 5 years old,” he said, adding, “But let’s wait for the FDA determination and, ultimately, the CDC recommendation.”

Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the FDA for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. Pfizer and BioNTech said they’ve submitted data for two doses but expect the vaccine to be a three-dose series, and that the data for the third dose will be provided in the coming months.

The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Feb. 15 to review the Pfizer vaccine for use in children under the age of 5. The advisory committee is an independent group whose vote is nonbinding, but the FDA takes it into consideration when making a final decision.

The vaccine would then need to be authorized by the FDA. The CDC advisory committee would then need to meet for recommendations, and it would also need to be approved by CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 02, 4:05 pm
More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID since Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving, there have been more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S., according to federal data.

The U.S. is reporting an average of nearly 2,300 new COVID-19-related deaths each day, the federal data show.

However, the nation’s death toll remains significantly lower than last winter when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

About 126,000 Americans with COVID-19 are currently in hospitals — down from 160,000 patients at the nation’s peak 13 days ago.

But 14 states are struggling with ICU capacities of 15% or less: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 02, 3:10 pm
US Army will ‘immediately’ discharge unvaccinated soldiers

The U.S. Army “will immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service who refuse to be vaccinated,” the Army announced in a press release.

“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”

The Army was the last of the military services to say it would remove service members who didn’t comply with the Secretary of Defense’s mandatory vaccination order. In the fall, the Army issued temporary guidance that soldiers who didn’t get vaccinated would be “flagged” so they would lose a command, not be promoted or would only remain until their contracts expired.

Under the earlier flagging policy, six commanders were removed from command, and 3,073 soldiers received reprimands. Wednesday’s announcement begins the discharge process for those 3,073 soldiers.

According to Army statistics, 96% of the Army’s approximately 475,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated, and 97% have received at least one dose.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

US COVID-19 death toll tops 900,000, despite receding case rates

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — It has been nearly two years since Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old San Jose resident, died of the coronavirus, in early February 2020. Although the virus would soon change the global landscape, upending our world, at the time, most Americans were still unaware of the mysterious disease spreading across Wuhan, China.

It would ultimately take more than two months for Dowd’s death to be determined as COVID-19-related – the first known American fatality, in what would soon become hundreds of thousands of more people succumbing from the infection.

Since Dowd’s death, more than 900,000 other Americans have perished from the virus, according to newly updated data on Friday from Johns Hopkins University.

“This new horrific milestone suggests our march to the unthinkable million mark is all but certain,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

Although the nation is not losing as many Americans as it did last winter, the U.S. is still reporting more than 2,300 new COVID-19-related deaths each day, marking the highest daily death average in nearly a year.

Many experts believe that the current COVID-19 death count could already be greatly undercounted, due to inconsistent reporting by states and localities, and the exclusion of excess deaths, a measure of how many lives have been lost beyond what would be expected if the pandemic had not occurred.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since Feb. 1, 2020, there have been more than 1 million excess deaths.

David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explained that all these deaths may not be directly related to COVID-19, but some may be excess deaths from opioid overdoses, cardiovascular diseases or other illnesses, which which could have been indirectly related to the pandemic, because of reduced access to care.

“I think it’s fair to say that over 1 million Americans would still be alive today if not for the pandemic,” Dowdy said.

15.7% of the globe’s COVID-19 deaths

No nation has reported more people lost to the virus than the U.S. Although, on a per-capita basis, the U.S. ranks 19th for COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the nation has still reported approximately 15.7% of the world’s COVID-19-related deaths.

Americans in every state, city and town have felt the personal impact and ripple effect of the virus.

An analysis tracking the extensive reach of COVID-19 loss of kin with a bereavement multiplier, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, estimated that 8.1 million family members may be grieving the loss of a loved one due to the virus.

The staggering number of deaths due to COVID-19 is now higher than the number of Americans who died of heart disease or cancer in 2020, and about the same as the population of Columbus, Ohio.

The number of Americans lost to COVID-19 also continues to dwarf the number of those lost due to influenza. Between Oct. 1, 2021, and Jan. 22, 2022, the CDC estimated that there have been around 1,200 to 3,500 flu deaths. Comparatively, in the same time frame, more than 150,000 Americans have reportedly died from COVID-19.

Racial and ethnic minorities in the country have also faced increased risk of testing positive, requiring hospitalization and dying from COVID-19. According to federal data, adjusted for age and population, the likelihood of death because of COVID-19 for Black, Asian, Latino and Native American people is one to two times higher than white people.

More than 400,000 Americans lost in the last year

In the early days of the pandemic, former President Donald Trump predicted that the U.S. COVID-19 death toll would be “substantially” lower than the initial forecasts suggested.

“The minimum number was 100,000 lives, and I think we’ll be substantially under that number. … So we’ll see what it ends up being, but it looks like we’re headed to a number substantially below 100,000,” Trump said in April 2020.

Less than a year after the former president made his proclamation, more than 500,000 Americans had died.

Although in the months that followed, the U.S. would record another 100,000 deaths, COVID-19 declined to record low levels, leaving many Americans feeling optimistic that a return to normalcy was around the corner.

“The bottom line is: the virus is on the run, and America’s coming back,” President Joe Biden said during a speech following the Fourth of July in 2021.

However, the delta variant, and subsequently the omicron variant, would prove otherwise, ultimately resulting in the loss of 300,000 more Americans since last summer.

Tens of millions of eligible Americans still unvaccinated

As the omicron surge continues to wane, many Americans are eager for a return to normalcy. Though the U.S. is still reporting an average of 415,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, the highest of any viral wave, the average has declined by nearly half from the wave’s peak in mid-January, when the country was reporting more than 800,000 cases each day.

However, many health officials urge caution, reigniting the nation’s recurring debate on when it is safe for cities and towns to lift COVID-19 restrictions and mitigation efforts.

“While so much of the country has decided that the pandemic is over, continued high transmission of the virus in most communities suggests the virus is not over with us. Despite all the innovations in vaccines, treatments and testing, we have still yet to get a handle on reducing severe outcomes from infection,” Brownstein said.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky offered a similar message on Wednesday, telling reporters during a COVID-19 briefing that although it is good news that new cases are falling, hospitalization levels are still quite high, leaving many health care facilities overwhelmed.

“We really do have to look at our hospitalization rates, and our death rates, to look to when it’s time to lift some of these mitigation efforts. We will continue to reevaluate, and we know people are anxious,” she said.

Nationwide, more than 120,000 COVID-19-positive Americans are still hospitalized. Though down from the peak of more than 160,000 patients hospitalized at one time in January, front-line workers say the pressure on the health care system is still immense.

“Every day is just filled with nonstop suffering. We feel like failures. I recently overheard a co-worker saying if this young girl doesn’t make it, I don’t think I can keep doing this job. And I think that’s just the atmosphere that we work in every single day. We’re all just one patient away from an emotional breakdown,” said Kelli Hale, a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City.

According to health care workers, the majority of those who are becoming severely ill are the unvaccinated.

Nationwide, just under 62 million eligible Americans remain completely unvaccinated, and 84 million Americans — about half of those eligible — remain without a booster shot, according to federal data.

“It is tragic that, almost a year since vaccines have become widely available to the public, we continue to see thousands die each day of what is now a vaccine-preventable disease. I am devastated for the families of the people who died,” Helen Chu, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, told ABC News.

In November, unvaccinated adults had a four times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19, and a 15 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, compared to vaccinated individuals, according to federal data pulled from 28 states and jurisdictions.

Additionally, unvaccinated adults had a 13 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 and a 68 times greater risk of dying from it, as compared to fully vaccinated individuals with a booster.

Experts stress that the need for more Americans to get vaccinated remains urgent, particularly given the poignant reminder of thousands still dying every day.

“Of course we should consider off-ramps of public health interventions but we should continue to let the data drive decisions,” Brownstein said. “At over 2,300 deaths a day, we are still nowhere close to managing this virus.”

Pence, defending his actions on Jan. 6, rebukes Trump as ‘wrong’

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(ORLANDO, Fla.) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday went further than he has before in publicly and directly criticizing former President Donald Trump, rebuking him as “wrong” in his criticism of Pence’s actions on Jan. 6.

His comments came after Trump earlier this week repeated the false claim that Pence had the power to hand the election to Trump in his role counting the electoral votes from the November election before Congress.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!” Trump said about Pence in a statement.

“There are those in our party who believe that as the presiding officer over the joint session of Congress that I possessed unilateral authority to reject Electoral College votes. And I heard this week that former President Trump said I had the right to ‘overturn the election,’ Pence said in a speech Friday to a local chapter of the Federalist Society in Florida.

“President Trump is wrong…I had no right to overturn the election,” he said. “The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone. And frankly there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American President.

“Under the Constitution, I had no right to change the outcome of our election And Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024,” Pence continued.

He earlier told the audience of conservative lawyers, “As Constitutional Conservatives, The American people must know that we will always keep our oath to the Constitution, even when it would be politically expedient to do otherwise; theymust know, as the Bible says, that we will “keep our oath even when it hurts.”

“Under Article II Section One, elections are conducted at the state level, not by the Congress. The only role Congress has with respect to the Electoral College is to open and count votes submitted and certified by the states. No more no less,” he said.

“Men and women, if we lose faith in the Constitution, we won’t just lose elections, we will lose our country,” Pence said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Massive winter storm takes aim at I-95 corridor: Latest forecast

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Thirty-three states from Texas to Maine are on alert Friday morning for snow, ice, bitter cold and flooding as a massive winter storm continues its push east.

With 5,210 flights canceled Thursday nationwide, including over 1,400 in Dallas, the day marked the highest number of weather-related cancellations since March 14, 2017.

Over 310,000 customers are without power Friday morning across Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky.

The monster storm brought more than 1 foot of snow from Missouri to western New York over the last 36 hours, bringing roads to a standstill.

Indianapolis recorded a record daily snowfall Thursday with 7.3 inches.

The storm brought 1.7 inches of snow to Dallas — more than the city usually sees in an entire year.

The storm even brought freezing rain down to Texas’ Gulf Coast. Police in Houston are urging drivers to stay off the roads due to ice, and Houston schools are closed Friday.

Texans are still feeling the freeze Friday morning with the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — hitting about 8 degrees in Dallas, 7 degrees in Austin and 1 degree in Lubbock.

On Friday morning, the heavy snow and ice are pummeling the inland Northeast from New York state to Maine. An additional 6 inches of snow is possible in New England.

As temperatures drop Friday morning, icy conditions will develop along the Interstate-95 corridor from New Jersey to New York City to Boston. And the temperatures will continue to plummet for the Northeast Friday night, so whatever rain or freezing rain falls will freeze on any untreated roads.

The storm moves out of the Northeast Friday night. But those in the Northeast will wake up to freezing temperatures Saturday, with the wind chill forecast to plunge to 4 degrees in Boston, 6 degrees in New York City and 12 degrees in Washington, D.C.

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

What are the COVID rules at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics?

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BEIJING) — For the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, officials have established a series of rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This will mark the second Olympics since the pandemic began, which will be held between Feb. 3 and Feb. 20. The Paralympic Games will follow from March 4 to March 13.

China has enforced strict measures to limit the spread of the virus within its borders and there will be no loosening of these restrictions when it comes to the Olympics.

This means no spectators aside from a few local fans, a closed loop system, a rigorous testing program and stringent measures for those who test positive.

ABC News took a closer look at some of the rules that have been established for the Games.

Vaccinate or undergo quarantine

According to the Olympics playbook, all participants must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arriving in Beijing to avoid quarantine.

Only certain exceptions will be made if an athlete has a history of allergic reaction to a component of the vaccine or is using any immunosuppression medication.

Games officials also recommend that all participants receive a booster before traveling to China.

Anyone who is not vaccinated has to quarantine in Beijing for 21 days before being allowed in the closed loop system.

Regardless of vaccination status, all athletes and personnel must take two PCR tests at least 24 hours apart within 96 hours of their flight to China.

Closed loop system

Similar to Tokyo, Beijing has implemented a closed loop system in which athletes, coaches and their staff will undergo daily screening and testing.

Additionally, buses and trains designated for the Games will specifically move participants to the opening and closing ceremonies, training venues, competition venues, victory ceremonies and the Olympic Village, where most of the athletes are staying.

“This is to ensure there is no contact with the general public or anyone outside of the closed loop,” according to the playbook.

Minimizing physical interaction

The playbook also offers guidance for how athletes can minimize contact with each other while in the closed loop system.

Officials recommend athletes avoid hugs and handshakes and stay away from enclosed spaces or large crowds.

Individuals are also required to keep 2 meters (6 feet) from athletes, and athletes must keep 1 meter (3 feet) from each other.

Mask-wearing will be enforced at all times except “when training, competing, eating, drinking, sleeping, when alone, or during interviews, stand-ups and live presentations,” the playbook states.

Criteria for testing positive

Games officials said they are expecting more COVID-19 cases to emerge.

During a press conference last month, Dr. Brian McCloskey, chair of the Olympics medical expert panel, said the goal is “zero spread” not “zero cases.”

Because of this, Beijing has adjusted its rules regarding the threshold for when someone is considered to be positive with a figure known as the cycle threshold (CT) value.

After a sample is collected, it is isolated and undergoes multiple amplification cycles in an effort to detect viral RNA, or genetic material.

The CT value is the number of cycles needed before RNA is found, at which point the machine stops working. The higher the number, the less infectious a person is considered.

Previously, participants had to meet a CT value of 40 to be considered positive for COVID-19. Now they will have to meet a standard of 35.

What happens when participants test positive?

Any athletes who test positive will immediately be removed from the Games and the Olympic Village.

Symptomatic participants will be taken to a designated hospital while those who are asymptomatic will be in an isolation facility.

Sick individuals will not be allowed back into the closed loop system until all symptoms clear and they test negative twice in a row with two tests taken 24 hours apart.

Few spectators

There will be very few spectators in the stands to watch the athletes compete in the Games.

No fans from other countries are allowed to attend and only spectators who are selected will be allowed to watch the events in person.

“In order to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it has been decided that tickets should not be sold anymore but be part of an adapted program that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games,” according to an announcement released on Jan. 17.

Leaving China

All athletes and personnel will be transported to Beijing Capital International Airport using transportation services designated specifically for the Games.

Close contacts of anyone who has tested positive will be able to leave China as long as they test negative within the last 24 hours.

No more than 24 hours before leaving China, travelers will be required to fill out the online Customs Health Declaration form to show to airport officials and/or gate agents before boarding flights.

Lawsuit alleges DC police department keeps ‘watchlist’ of critics

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A lawsuit filed Wednesday against the District of Columbia alleges its police department keeps a “watchlist” of critics and stalls or denies requests for public information from those on it.

Amy Phillips, a criminal defense lawyer and “outspoken critic” of the Metropolitan Police Department, filed the lawsuit after, she said, a former employee alerted her to the alleged existence of the watchlist and her presence on it. Phillips said in the lawsuit that she is on the alleged list because she requested information that embarrassed MPD and that she intends to continue.

The lawsuit claims the alleged list is a “constitutional violation” and discriminates against requestors of public information on the basis of the “content and viewpoint of prior or anticipated speech,” according to the court filing.

Phillips is requesting the court require the District to stop the use of any watchlist policy and establish a way to ensure continued compliance. She is also asking for attorney’s fees and damages of $1.

“This lawsuit is important because MPD is trying to silence critics of police at a crucial moment in American history where people like me are trying to hold them to account,” Charlie Gerstein, Phillips’ lawyer, said in an interview with ABC News.

If someone on the alleged list submits a request to MPD under the D.C. Freedom of Information Act, it is “set aside for special review by high-ranking officials, including the Chief of Police,” the lawsuit alleges.

People are allegedly put on this list after publicly criticizing the MPD or when requesting information that could be embarrassing to the MPD or its officers, according to the lawsuit.

“Once on the list, the requesters face hurdles that the general public avoids: They may be charged money for public information that others get for free, they may have their requests delayed, or they may have their requests denied outright,” the lawsuit alleges.

In the lawsuit, Phillips said her allegedly being on the list amounts to a violation of her First Amendment rights.

Inspector Vendette Parker, a former FOIA officer for MPD, reportedly alerted Phillips to the existence of the “unofficial, unwritten policy,” the lawsuit states. Parker was reportedly told on her first day of work that the watchlist was created in an effort to prevent then-Police Chief Peter Newsham from being “blindsided” by reporters with questions regarding records they received, the lawsuit says.

According to an estimate from Parker cited in the lawsuit, the “MPD delayed, denied or improperly altered approximately 20 requests pursuant to the watchlist policy” between 2017 and the end of 2019.

“[Parker] also said that she would flag for attention any request that came from a reporter. So that, we think, has to be a lot more, but at the moment we’re not sure,” Gerstein said. “We look forward to learning more in the process of litigating this case.”

Every week, Parker was required to notify Newsham and LeeAnn Turner, the chief operating officer of MPD, of requests that “may lead to criticism of the department, specifically those originating from news reporters or people known to be critical of the department, or those containing requests for information with the potential to embarrass the department,” according to the lawsuit.

Parker would then have a weekly meeting with Turner in which she was instructed how to process the requests, the lawsuit alleges.

“Proposed responsive documents were to be presented to Turner in hard-copy form because, Turner said, she did not want to generate more records that would be subject to disclosure,” the lawsuit says.

According to the lawsuit, those on the alleged list — including reporters, advisory neighborhood commissioners and criminal defense lawyers — always at least experienced a delay in their requests “while the department prepares for any criticism that may result.”

According to former colleagues of Parker, the lawsuit alleges, current Chief of Police Robert Contee has not ended or suspended the policy.

Phillips said she filed at least eight requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act between 2018 and 2021, including requests for information about the MPD’s disciplinary reviews of officers, Newsham’s use of “zero-tolerance policing,” and “policies governing MPD’s specialized units, including the Gun Recovery Unit, Narcotics and Special Investigations Division, and Crime Suppression Teams.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters she hadn’t read the lawsuit and couldn’t directly comment on it, but said she is taking the accusation seriously, noting “all FOIA requests should be handled as expeditiously as possible.”

“I’m never going to try to stop anybody’s First Amendment right,” she added.

Hugh Carew, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department, told ABC News it hadn’t been formally served with the lawsuit but wouldn’t discuss specific allegations due to the pending litigation.

“We do acknowledge the serious nature of the claims. Transparency with our community partners is necessary to maintaining trust and agency accountability,” Carew said. “A thorough review of the assertions will be completed and appropriately acted upon.”

Rescuers scramble to save Moroccan boy trapped in well for three days

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CAIRO) — Rescuers intensified their efforts on Friday to recover a five-year-old boy trapped in a 32-meter-deep well in a Northern Moroccan province for almost three days in a relief operation that kept people in the Arab world on tenterhooks.

The boy, identified by Moroccan media as Rayan, reportedly fell through a narrow opening of the well while playing in the village of Ighran in Morocco’s Chefchaouen province on Tuesday evening.

A “Save Rayan” Arabic hashtag trended in several Arab countries, including in neighboring Algeria as well as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan as thousands of users took to social media to offer their prayers.

Many likened his story to that of Prophet Yunis, commonly referred to as Jonah in the Bible, who was swallowed up by a whale for three days before the giant fish spat him out.

“Please God, protect him just like you protected Yunis in the belly of the whale,” read a caption on a widely shared drawing of a boy playing with toys while being trapped in a deep well.

Several Moroccan media outlets live-streamed the rescue operation to hundreds of thousands of users, leading to an outpouring of sympathy. A CCTV camera lowered into the well to track Rayan showed him alive on Thursday, albeit he appeared to be suffering from head injuries. Oxygen, food and water were also sent down.

“Still can’t sleep Till he is free fully I’m literally been depressed all day, I’m lying on my bed and I feel so exhausted imagine this little poor baby what he feels,” one Twitter user said.

Moroccan state news agency MAP said parallel digging carried out by bulldozers had reached a depth of 28 meters, reviving hopes that the rescue efforts can bear fruit soon. Horizontal drilling will start once a depth of 32 meters is reached, an informed source told MAP.

However, the source urged caution in fear of possible landslides. Footage showed parts of the soil collapsing during the digging work.

“The excavation work stopped from time to time, in order to take the necessary measures, as the rescue operation has reached a complex stage, and perform the necessary interventions to avoid a ground collapse,” the source told MAP.

Amazon union saga in Alabama spotlights ‘David versus Goliath nature’ of US labor laws

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — It was dubbed a watershed moment for the withering organized labor movement when the first-ever union election at an Amazon warehouse took place last spring in Alabama.

Workers seeking collective bargaining rights at a fulfillment outpost of the e-commerce giant in Bessemer — a rural, predominantly Black suburb of Birmingham — garnered international headlines and even backing from the White House ahead of last year’s landmark vote.

Despite the high-profile support, hopes of forming Amazon’s first labor union were ultimately crushed last year when less than 16% of some 5,000 eligible workers voted in favor it, per the National Labor Relations Board’s tally.

The saga in the South, however, did not end there for the nation’s second-largest employer.

After objections alleging union-busting conduct from Amazon filed by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which sought to represent the workers, the NLRB ordered a do-over of the entire election.

Now, approximately a year since the first showdown, the NLRB is set to mail ballots out Friday for a second union vote at the same Bessemer Amazon facility. The rerun comes amid the backdrop of an American labor market still scarred by pandemic shocks, giving new leverage to workers, and in the wake of a tidal wave of workplace activism marked by strikes and collective actions at major companies from John Deere to Starbucks.

With all eyes back on Bessemer, here is what some economists and workers say the failed first unionizing attempt reveals about the climate of labor in the U.S., and the implications this could carry for the second vote.

“Our employees have always had the choice of whether or not to join a union, and they overwhelmingly chose not to join the RWDSU last year,” Amazon spokeswoman Barbara Agrait told ABC News in a statement. “We look forward to our team in BHM1 having their voices heard again.”

First vote ‘revealed the David versus Goliath nature of our labor laws’

Economists and labor researchers say the tossed-out results of the first union election at Amazon in Alabama is indicative of the uphill battle workers face in trying to form a union under current labor laws, despite the vocal support from lawmakers, and the power employers have in potentially influencing the vote.

“The first election in Bessemer was very revealing of how the odds are stacked up against workers trying to organize in this country, and particularly in a place like Amazon,” Molly Kinder, a fellow at the Brookings Institution whose research focuses on the present and future of work, especially for low-wage workers, told ABC News. She referenced how the NLRB ultimately found Amazon’s actions during the first vote may have influenced the results and thus ordered the do-over.

“The big sort of takeaway from that first experience in Bessemer was, yes, there was a lot of attention and excitement and this thought that if this worked, it would be this massive victory for labor, and ultimately it wasn’t successful,” Kinder said. “I think it opened up a lot of people’s eyes to just how imbalanced our labor laws are in this country.”

“It sort of revealed the David versus Goliath nature of our labor laws,” Kinder added. “We don’t have an even playing field in this country for workers who are trying to organize.”

Data similarly indicates a gulf between the growing number of Americans who support labor unions and dwindling rates of membership.

A majority of Americans approve of labor unions (68%), according to Gallup data released last September, marking the highest support levels for unions in nearly 60 years. Union membership, meanwhile, has fallen sharply over the past few decades. Just 10.3% of workers belonged to a union in 2021, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data, approximately half the 20.1% figure seen the first year data was collected in 1983.

“A major reason why you have this huge gap between support for unions and actual participation in unions is that the United States makes it extremely hard for workers to form a union,” Kinder said. “That interest in unions or desire for a union often dissipates because the obstacles to actually form one are just so great, and the playing field is so tipped in favor of the employer versus the worker when it comes to forming a union.”

Alex Colvin, dean of Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School, told ABC News that this divide between workers wanting unions yet not joining them is referred to as “the representation gap.”

“The reality is we do not see workers who want representation being able to get it, and it’s really striking,” Colvin said. “There’s nowhere where you see such a big difference as you do in the United States in those numbers.”

“What I think it says is that our current labor law system isn’t functioning effectively,” Colvin added.

Rather than lending support via Twitter or hosting rallies, Colvin said the best thing lawmakers can do to support workers seeking to unionize is changing the laws so that it isn’t so difficult for them to create a union — such as putting in more protections for workers trying to organize and stiffer penalties for employers that attempt to influence the vote.

“The most important thing would be if there was passage of labor law reform,” Colvin said. “That would be the thing that would have the biggest impact.”

Brooking’s Kinder added that sputtering labor law reform has emerged as the major stumbling block impeding the post-pandemic labor movement from translating into long-term change for workers.

“We’ve heard a lot in the news about stories like the Starbucks workers in Buffalo, or workers going on strike, or workers quitting, and so there’s been a lot of sorts of unrest and quitting and workers dissatisfied, but it hasn’t necessarily been harnessed into longer-term change through more union membership,” she added. “A lot of that is because of our labor laws.”

‘There’s a really important element of racial justice in here’: Spotlight back on Bessemer

As the central Alabama community found itself at the center of a national labor movement showdown, some activists say out-of-town politicians and union organizers may have lost touch with day-to-day realities faced by the workers they sought to support.

Some 72.4% of Bessemer’s 26,000 residents are Black, according to Census data, and more than 25% of Bessemer’s population lives in poverty. The decadeslong decline of the mining and steel industry that historically built Bessemer’s economy evaporated jobs for many local laborers and their children and grandchildren. When Amazon brought its first Alabama fulfillment center to Bessemer in 2018, it was touted by one local business leader as “a big win for the Birmingham region,” because of its promise to bring thousands of well-paying jobs with benefits starting on day one.

With the federal minimum wage — and Alabama’s — unchanged for decades at $7.25 per hour, Amazon’s starting pay of at least $15 an hour makes it a relatively lucrative option for many.

Labor activist Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker who is spearheading efforts to unionize at a fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York, told ABC News that he visited Bessemer to lend his support last year and witnessed how local labor market conditions apparently left workers feeling like they have little power in the jobs market.

“I’ve seen how decimated that city was down there; it was like a time warp back into the 1950s,” Smalls said of the economy in Bessemer. “There’s nothing down there but major corporations like Walmart, Amazon, like Dollar General, but other than that these workers have nowhere else to turn [for jobs].”

Smalls added that the state’s historically unfriendly attitude toward labor also meant many of the workers he spoke to in Alabama were unfamiliar with how a union works or could benefit them, especially in an area where good job opportunities felt sparse.

Smalls, who is Black, sees unionizing Amazon’s workers as a racial justice issue both in the South, where Black workers have historically been oppressed by anti-labor policies, and at Amazon facilities in predominantly Black and Brown communities across the country.

“Black and brown workers make up the majority of these facilities no matter where they’re at,” Smalls said. “Amazon sets up shop specifically in these neighborhoods, just to hire from these communities.”

One area where labor activists may have made a misstep last year, according to Smalls, is by losing sight of the needs and hopes of the workers on the ground in Bessemer. He thinks this may have contributed in part to the dismal local turnout and support during last year’s union election.

“It’s the workers that are the most important thing. If you lose sight of the workers and drown out the workers’ stories and their voices and politicize it, that doesn’t help at all,” Smalls told ABC News.

“Bringing politicians into it, I don’t care if it’s Bernie Sanders or the president, that’s not going to resonate with the workers,” he said of the national messages of support. “You’ve got to be there on the ground, you’ve got to connect with them. You’ve got to build your own relationship and trust with them.”

Research from Kinder and her colleagues at Brookings back up Smalls’ sentiments.

“Amazon’s workforce is disproportionately Black,” Kinder told ABC News. “The percentages of Amazon’s workforce that’s Black is about twice what you find in the economy overall, and in Bessemer, you know, upwards of 85% of Amazon employees are Black.”

“There’s a really important element of racial justice in here,” she said. “When you take a step back and you think about Amazon, I mean very few companies have had the kind of financial success and in a pandemic that Amazon has had.”

Pointing to their skyrocketing profits and stock prices, Kinder said the company has created billions of dollars in wealth for its shareholders, but most of this has gone not to the Black and brown workers who contributed to this financial success during a pandemic but to the often wealthier, whiter shareholders. Income inequality at Amazon was also put under a harsh spotlight last summer when founder Jeff Bezos, then the world’s wealthiest man, took a trip to the edge of space via his own private company Blue Origin — and then thanked Amazon workers for paying for it.

Cornell’s Colvin added that more so than national attention, local labor market conditions play a major factor in unionization efforts. While factors at the national level — including struggles of major companies to find staff and record-high levels of workers quitting their jobs — may have given workers an upper hand at negotiating with employees elsewhere, this momentum doesn’t mean much to those in Bessemer if local conditions are not improving.

“There’s certainly a strong national labor market, but it’s what your actual day-to-day local terms are that matters,” Colvin said.

“The local labor market condition and the relative attractiveness of the Amazon jobs is something that you have to take into account and that’s, to be honest, something that goes into location decisions,” he said. “There’s a reason that non-American auto companies locating plants in the United States tend to be located in areas like Bessemer, in places that are low unionization generally.”

‘A change, it’s coming’: Excitement builds for 2nd vote

Colvin told ABC News that there is some precedent for the NLRB ordering do-overs for union elections, but that historically second votes have not had as high success rates as first votes.

Kinder added that Amazon’s famously high turnover rate could have some impact on the second election, telling ABC News, “I think it could go either way.”

“There is an opportunity for some new people who might not have voted for the union in the last election that might now do it now,” she said. “But it also means that the work of organizers to try to organize support for the union is also challenged because turnover is so high. Frankly, I think it’s a little unpredictable.”

The voter list this time around is 6,143 workers, according to the RWDSU, which estimates more than half of the workers remain from the invalidated vote.

Kristina Bell, an Amazon worker at the Bessemer facility who is supporting the union drive, said during a press conference organized by the RWDSU that she feels the exuberance among workers is different this time around.

“A lot of people went through the first election and is still there and they understand that nothing has changed,” Bell said. “The loss was a blessing — that loss making us motivated to win even more.”

Bell added that a lot of younger employees didn’t vote the first time around, saying, “A lot of young people didn’t understand the importance of the union.”

“But after we lost that vote, you know how many people said, ‘I should have voted?'” she added. “It’s a lot of mind-changing, they went home and talked to their parents and their grandparents. … They come to me and I tell them, ‘Get educated, talk to your family.'”

“My community is excited and I’m from Bessemer, born and raised,” Bell said. “A change, it’s coming.”

Queen Elizabeth marks 70 years on the throne: Seven memorable moments

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth will set yet another milestone on Feb. 6, when she becomes the first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne.

The 95-year-old queen ascended to the throne 70 years ago following the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952.

Queen Elizabeth will spend the anniversary of her father’s death at her Norfolk estate, Sandringham, where King George died in his sleep.

While there, the queen will be staying at Wood Farm, where her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last April, spent much of his time after retirement.

Queen Elizabeth, who marks Feb. 6 as a day of remembrance for her father, will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in June with a series of public celebrations.

Here is a look back at seven of the queen’s most memorable moments from 70 years on the throne.

1. A history-making coronation

Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, 1953, was the first to be televised.

The nearly three-hour service in Westminster Abbey was watched on TV by 27 million people in the United Kingdom alone, according to the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s oldest child, Prince Charles, attended the coronation, becoming the first child to witness his mother’s coronation.

Following the service, the queen and Prince Philip joined a 16,000-person strong procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.

Among the thousands of journalists covering the queen’s coronation was Jacqueline Bouvier, who at the time worked for the Washington Times-Herald and would go on to become first lady of the United States alongside her husband, President John F. Kennedy, according to the royal family.

2. The first royal ‘walkabout’ to greet fans

While royal watchers are used to seeing royals including Prince William and Duchess Kate greet fans at each stop they make, a practice called the “walkabout,” that was not the case before Queen Elizabeth.

The queen upended royal tradition while on a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Prince Philip in 1970. Instead of waving to crowds from a protected distance, Queen Elizabeth walked out and greeted people in-person, the first royal “walkabout.”

3. Meeting 13 sitting U.S. presidents

Queen Elizabeth has met with every U.S. president during her 70 years on the throne, except for Lyndon B. Johnson.

She met with President Joe Biden last June at Windsor Castle, marking her 13th meeting with a sitting U.S. president.

Queen Elizabeth has hosted just three presidents for an official state visit — Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

4. Celebrating jubilees in a history-making reign as queen

In 1977, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Silver Jubilee, 25 years on the throne, with a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where she repeated her pledge to a life of service.

More than two decades later, in 2002 — the same year both her mother and sister passed away — Queen Elizabeth celebrated 50 years on the throne, her Golden Jubilee.

The queen was escorted through the streets of London in a four-ton golden coach, previously used only when she was crowned and at her Silver Jubilee. In a ceremony that dates back almost 800 years, she touched a sword handed to her by the Lord Mayor of London, symbolizing the supreme power of the monarch.

In June 2012, Queen Elizabeth celebrated 60 years on the throne, her Diamond Jubilee, with a parade down the Thames and a concert outside Buckingham Palace.

Three years later, in 2015, Queen Elizabeth made history, becoming Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, at 63 years.

5. ‘Parachuting’ into the London Olympics with James Bond

The same year as her Diamond Jubilee, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth memorably starred alongside actor Daniel Craig in a clip that aired during the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The queen portrayed herself in the clip, which featured Craig, as James Bond, picking her up at Buckingham Palace. Stunt actors then portrayed the two helicoptering across London and parachuting into the Olympics venue, while Queen Elizabeth herself arrived at her seat, accompanied by Prince Philip.

6. Serving as matriarch of a growing royal family

Queen Elizabeth has been an omnipresent force not just on the world stage, but also within her own family.

The queen, a mother of four, is the matriarch of an ever-growing family, which now includes eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

She has been present for weddings, as well as divorces that made headlines.

She has also guided her family through scandal and discord, most recently amid a lawsuit against her son Prince Andrew, as well as the exit of her grandson Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan, from their senior royal roles.

7. Saying goodbye to her husband of 73 years

Queen Elizabeth faced a deeply personal and sad moment in her reign last April when she said goodbye to her husband , Prince Philip, following his death at age 99.

Due to restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, the queen sat alone during the April 17, 2021, funeral service for Philip, her husband of 73 years.

Known as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was also a stalwart supporter of his wife.

“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Queen Elizabeth said in 1997, paying tribute to her husband on their golden wedding anniversary. “And I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”

Laser strikes reach record numbers in 2021, FAA says

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Aviation Administration is sounding the alarm over a staggering increase in laser strikes against aircraft in the United States.

Laser strikes occur when people on the ground shine lasers toward aircraft in order to distract them. This can cause temporary blindness for pilots.

“It could dazzle a pilot’s eyes,” Ganyard told ABC News. “It’s essentially a single piloted airplane until the person whose eyes were dazzled comes back to normal and there’s always the chance that it can be caused permanent damage.”

Laser strikes on planes reached record numbers in 2021, according to new data from the FAA.

The agency received 9,723 reports of laser strikes last year — the highest number ever recorded.

“It’s distracting, and usually it happens when planes are close to the ground. That’s the last time you really want anybody flying a plane to be distracted,” Col. Steve Ganyard, an ABC News contributor, said.

Laser strikes have been on the rise in recent years — the FAA reported 6,852 incidents in 2020, 6,136 incidents in 2019 and 5,663 incidents in 2018.

“Many types of high-powered lasers can completely incapacitate pilots, many of whom are flying planes with hundreds of passengers,” the agency said.

Last year, there were 47 injuries related to the laser strikes, the FAA said.

Lasers used can be easily purchased in stores or online by civilians.

Intentionally aiming lasers at aircraft violates federal law. Individuals may face up to $11,000 in civil penalties per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple incidents. Violators can also face criminal penalties from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

“The FAA continues to educate the public about the hazards of laser strikes because they pose such a serious threat to the safety of the pilot, the passengers and everyone in the vicinity of the aircraft,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a release.

The agency issued $120,000 in fines for laser strikes last year.

+ More