Biden administration plans overhaul of US organ transplant system

Biden administration plans overhaul of US organ transplant system
Biden administration plans overhaul of US organ transplant system
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The Health Resources and Services Administration announced plans to overhaul the U.S. organ transplant system, after congressional scrutiny of the current operation — which critics said has poor oversight that has led to wasted organs, serious errors, and patient deaths.

The department says it aims to modernize the IT systems, improve transparency, and solicit contracts from various groups to manage various parts of the organ transplant system. Biden’s proposed 2024 budget also includes a $36 million increase in investment in the organ transplant system.

HRSA, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, also launched an online dashboard sharing information about organ donors and transplant waitlists.

“Every day, patients and families across the United States rely on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to save the lives of their loved ones who experience organ failure,” said Carole Johnson, HRSA Administrator, in a statement. “At HRSA, our stewardship and oversight of this vital work is a top priority. That is why we are taking action to both bring greater transparency to the system and to reform and modernize the OPTN. The individuals and families that depend on this life-saving work deserve no less.”

The U.S. organ transplant network currently operates as a partnership between HHS and the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, which has held the contract to manage the system since 1986. UNOS both runs the logistical system that distributes organs and decides how to prioritize distribution. It oversees 56 Organ Procurement Organizations, which are responsible for recovering organs for transplant.

But a government review, reported by the Washington Post last summer, found that UNOS relied on out-of-date technology and didn’t allow appropriate scrutiny of its systems by government officials. The Senate Finance Committee found in an investigation that there were over 1,000 complaints filed against the system between 2010 and 2020. Most of the 56 Organ Procurement Organizations are underperforming, according to data from CMS.

“For too long it’s been clear that UNOS has fallen short of the requirements for this contract and the expectations of Americans waiting for a transplant,” Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore, said in a statement.

HRSA says opening up the transplant network to more contracts will increase competition and promote innovation.

In a statement, UNOS said that it supports the changes outlined by HRSA. “We welcome a competitive and open bidding process,” the organization said in a statement to ABC News.

“We believe we have the experience and expertise required to best serve the nation’s patients and to help implement HRSA’s proposed initiatives.”

Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting organ transplants.

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Paramount launching pop-up ‘Grease’ diner to promote ‘Rise of the Pink Ladies’

Paramount launching pop-up ‘Grease’ diner to promote ‘Rise of the Pink Ladies’
Paramount launching pop-up ‘Grease’ diner to promote ‘Rise of the Pink Ladies’
Paramount+/Eduardo Araquel

One of the locations made famous in the movie Grease is coming to real life, thanks to Paramount+. To promote its prequel series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, the streaming service is opening the doors of the Frosty Palace, the favorite hangout of Rydell High’s students.

First seen in the 1978 smash Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, and of course a main location in Pink Ladies, the diner will be recreated for a two-day interactive event in Los Angeles, where fans “can expect to be completely immersed in nostalgia as they are transported back in time and surrounded by retro 1950s tunes and custom décor, all while enjoying twists on familiar diner fare and partaking in iconic social media-worthy photo moments.”

There will also be merchandise and other giveaways during the event, which will run Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7.

Tickets and details for the event can be found here.

Incidentally, the pop-up is being held at another iconic retro movie location, Mel’s Drive-In Diner on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood: A Mel’s eatery was a main location for George Lucas‘ classic American Graffiti, which was set in 1962.

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Jennifer Lopez spills on new shoe collection and why there’s no rules in fashion

Jennifer Lopez spills on new shoe collection and why there’s no rules in fashion
Jennifer Lopez spills on new shoe collection and why there’s no rules in fashion
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Revolve

Jennifer Lopez has a new shoe line with Revolve, and the singer reveals she was very hands-on when it came to creating the new products.

Talking to InStyle about the JLo Jennifer Lopez line, which includes items like chunky platform pumps and bedazzled boots, she says this new offering “is a perfect reflection of me.”

Why is that? Said Jennifer, “I work closely on all creative aspects of everything I do from ideation at inception all the way through to the execution and creative collaboration on design and the aesthetics of the campaigns — and everything in between.”

The collection’s prices range from $145 to $275.

Although Jennifer loves her glam and dazzles, she also likes taking risks with her fashion. “I would wear the crystal platforms with jeans as easily as with my Grammy Awards dress,” she said of her current line.

“I have always believed, especially in today’s fashion scene, that there are no rules,” she continued. “Style them as you like! What feels right to you is what you will look and feel best in!”

Fans can get their hands on the new JLo collection on Revolve.com.

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The Neil Diamond musical ‘A Beautiful Noise’ launching North American tour in 2024

The Neil Diamond musical ‘A Beautiful Noise’ launching North American tour in 2024
The Neil Diamond musical ‘A Beautiful Noise’ launching North American tour in 2024
Courtesy A BEAUTIFUL NOISE Musical

If you’re a Neil Diamond fan who can’t make it to New York to see his Broadway musical, A Beautiful Noise, you’re now in luck: it may be coming to a city near you.

Broadwayworld.com reports the musical is set to kick off a North American tour in the fall of 2024, hitting more than 25 cities.

“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” Diamond shares. “Having A Beautiful Noise go on tour is an honor and I can’t wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is currently playing at the Broadhurst Theatre. The tour is set to begin at Rhode Island’s Providence Performing Arts Center, with more cities to be announced soon.

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Family of slain New Jersey councilwoman demand justice for her death

Family of slain New Jersey councilwoman demand justice for her death
Family of slain New Jersey councilwoman demand justice for her death
Sayreville GOP

(PARLIN, N.J.) — The family of 30-year-old New Jersey councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, who was shot and killed outside her home in February, spoke out publicly for the first time since her death, calling for justice for her death and that those responsible be apprehended.

Eunice Dwumfour — a Church leader and mother of a 12-year-old girl — was shot and killed in her SUV outside her home on Feb. 1. She sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.

While it has been over a month since her death, family members told reporters that police have not shared details of the investigation with them. Few details have been released regarding Dwumfour’s murder and no known arrests have been made in connection.

“We are not happy about that, we need justice,” Eunice Dwumfour’s father, Prince Dwumfour, said during a press conference Wednesday.

The family said they waited so long before speaking out publicly because they were mourning the death of their daughter.

“Our daughter’s death has cost a lot in our life,” Prince Dwumfour said.

The family does not know who would want her dead or what motive they could have for killing her, John Wisniewski, the family’s lawyer, told reporters.

Wisniewski joined Dwumfour’s parents Prince and Mary Dwumfour, husband Peter Akwue and the family’s pastor Karl Badu.

“I believe the authorities should do something quickly,” Akwue said. “It’s painful.”

Akwue and Dwumfour met in Nigeria in 2019 and married last November.

Dwumfour had just dropped someone off at her townhome and was heading somewhere else when the assailant approached on foot, sources told ABC News last month.

No words appear to have been exchanged between the two, according to sources.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing more than 10 shots fired, according to sources.

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Idaho hospital says it is ending labor and delivery services amid ‘political climate’

Idaho hospital says it is ending labor and delivery services amid ‘political climate’
Idaho hospital says it is ending labor and delivery services amid ‘political climate’
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(SANDPOINT, Idaho) — An Idaho hospital said it will no longer be providing obstetrical care due in part to the state’s “legal and political climate.”

In a news release, Bonner General Health in Sandpoint — 400 miles north of Boise and serving about 9,000 people — said it would end its labor & delivery services by mid-May.

“We have made every effort to avoid eliminating these services,” Ford Elsaesser, BGH’s board president, said in a statement. “We hoped to be the exception, but our challenges are impossible to overcome now.”

The release cited several reasons for the maternity ward closure including a loss of pediatricians to provide neonatal and perinatal care, fewer babies being born at the hospital and the changing political landscape.

Without specifically referencing the state’s abortion laws, the hospital said the legal and political climate was causing physicians to leave the hospital and it was becoming difficult to recruit replacements.

“In addition, the Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care,” the news release stated. “Physicians providing the standard of care may include civil litigation and criminal prosecution, leading to jail time or fine.

In March 2022, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Idaho became the first state to enact a law modeled after the legislation passed in Texas that bans abortions after six weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant.

There are exceptions for medical emergencies as well as incest or rape, but women are required to file a police report and show it to the medical provider before the abortion for the latter two.

Additionally, a provider has to prove in court that an abortion fell under the exception criteria, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The law also allows the father, grandparents, siblings, uncles or aunts of the fetus to sue a medical provider who performs the procedure.

The abortion ban was temporarily blocked but went into effect in August. At the time, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the temporary injunction would “prevent serious harm to women in Idaho.”

BGH said it will continue delivering babies through May 19, but the day may be pushed up if staffing changes.

The hospital is not accepting any new obstetrics patients, effective immediately, and will be coordinating care for women scheduled to deliver in May or later.

BGH posted a list referring patients to new OB/GYN providers, with the closest being Newport Hospital in Newport, Washington, about 30 miles away.

The hospital did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment.

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Veteran allegedly fatally shoots soldier, 3 kids in domestic mass shooting

Veteran allegedly fatally shoots soldier, 3 kids in domestic mass shooting
Veteran allegedly fatally shoots soldier, 3 kids in domestic mass shooting
kali9/Getty Images

(SUMTER, S.C.) — A military veteran allegedly gunned down three children and an active-duty soldier in a domestic mass shooting in South Carolina, authorities said.

The suspect, 42-year-old Charles Slacks, Jr., allegedly carried out the shootings at his ex-wife’s home around 10 p.m. Tuesday in Sumter, which is about 45 miles east of Columbia, police said.

Slacks allegedly shot the soldier, who was sitting in the backyard, and then killed the three children, two of whom were his own, Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said at a news conference Wednesday.

Slacks then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Roark said.

Slacks’ ex-wife was the only survivor, the chief said.

The children were ages 5, 6 and 11, Roark said.

Police only identified the adult victim as a 38-year-old active-duty Army member, citing the military’s need to notify next of kin.

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New twist in death of Stephen Smith after Murdaugh murder investigation

New twist in death of Stephen Smith after Murdaugh murder investigation
New twist in death of Stephen Smith after Murdaugh murder investigation
Kacen Bayless/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(BAMBERG, S.C.) — South Carolina authorities have confirmed they are investigating the death of Stephen Smith as a homicide, nearly eight years after the 19-year-old was found dead in the middle of a rural road from what was ruled to be a hit-and-run.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) opened an investigation into Stephen Smith’s death in June 2021 after discovering new evidence during the investigation into the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, a mother and son who were found fatally shot at the prominent legal family’s South Carolina hunting estate that month.

Stephen Smith’s death was determined to be highway vehicular manslaughter and no suspects were ever apprehended. His mother has long asked for the unsolved case to be re-examined.

Lawyers representing his mother announced that the death is now being considered a homicide Tuesday night, citing a phone call with SLED.

“SLED is publicly supporting us, Sandy Smith, and her efforts to find out what really happened to her son,” Ronnie Richter, with the Bland Richter Law Firm, said in a statement.

A SLED spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the case is being investigated as a homicide.

“It’s a day that I have been waiting for. The best news I’ve heard in eight years,” Sandy Smith told ABC News.

“Stephen was an amazing kid and he didn’t deserve to die this way,” she added. “And I know somebody did it, and whoever did it needs to come forward and bring peace to this family.”

SLED said in a statement Wednesday that it opened its investigation into the death in June 2021 after its agents reviewed the South Carolina Highway Patrol’s case notes on the incident and found it apparent that that agency “did not believe Mr. Smith’s death was a hit and run by a motor.”

Lawyers representing Stephen Smith’s mother have said they do not believe the evidence maintains that he was hit by a car, but rather may have been killed somewhere else and then placed on the road. His mother has raised more than $80,000 to exhume her son’s body to conduct an independent autopsy.

“A fresh set of eyes and a new autopsy may yield a different conclusion that Stephen was not killed on Sandy Run Road in Bamberg County, that maybe he was killed somewhere else,” her attorney, Eric Bland, told reporters this week.

The mother’s attorneys said they are petitioning a judge to allow them to exhume the body. SLED officials will “be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen’s body to gather more evidence,” Bland and Richter said Tuesday.

“SLED officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smith’s body to convince them that his death was a homicide,” they added.

Stephen Smith was a former classmate of Buster Murdaugh, whose father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted earlier this month in the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. The disgraced former attorney was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 killing of his wife and younger son.

SLED officials reportedly were waiting until the high-profile Murdaugh trial was over before announcing developments in the Stephen Smith case “out of concern that witnesses would not be as forthcoming under the Murdaugh sphere of influence,” Bland and Richter said.

“Since the conclusion of the Murdaugh trial, more resources have been devoted and will be devoted to Stephen Smith’s case,” the law firm added.

SLED said Wednesday that its investigation remains “active and ongoing” and that more agents have been assigned to work the case “in the hopes that those who may know what happened to Mr. Smith are more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021.”

Buster Murdaugh spoke out this week against what he called “baseless rumors” alleging his involvement in Stephen Smith’s death.

“Before, during and since my father’s trial, I have been targeted and harassed by the media and followers of this story. This has gone on far too long,” he said in a statement on Monday. “These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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US banking system ‘sound and resilient,’ Fed Chair Jerome Powell says

US banking system ‘sound and resilient,’ Fed Chair Jerome Powell says
US banking system ‘sound and resilient,’ Fed Chair Jerome Powell says
Alex Wong/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday called the U.S. banking system “strong and resilient,” voicing confidence in the nation’s financial system and the safety of bank deposits less than two weeks after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, the second-biggest bank collapse in U.S. history.

“All depositors’ savings in the banking system are safe,” Powell added in remarks made at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

While characterizing recent financial problems as limited to a small part of the banking sector, Powell defended the swift and extraordinary actions undertaken by the Fed and other federal agencies to protect the financial system.

“In the past two weeks serious difficulties at a small number of banks have emerged,” Powell said. “History has shown that isolated banking problems, if left unaddressed, can undermine confidence in healthy banks and threaten the ability of the banking system as a whole to play its vital role in supporting the savings and credit needs of households and businesses.”

The remarks from Powell came minutes after the Fed announced a 0.25% increase of its benchmark interest rate, intensifying the central bank’s fight against inflation despite concern that previous rate increases helped trigger the nation’s banking crisis.

Inflation has fallen significantly from a summer peak, though it remains more than triple the Fed’s target of 2%.

“Inflation remains too high,” Powell said. “We remain strongly committed to bringing inflation back down to our 2% goal.”

The rapid rise in interest rates, however, tanked the value of bonds held by Silicon Valley Bank, precipitating its failure and cascading damage for the financial sector, including the collapse of New York-based Signature Bank.

Fearing wider spread of the crisis, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Treasury Department and the Fed took a major step, telling depositors in Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank that the FDIC would protect all of their funds, including those that exceed the $250,000 limit.

Some members of Congress have criticized Powell for allegedly lax bank oversight at the Federal Reserve, as well as an aggressive series of interest rate hikes, which they say led to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

On Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., proposed legislation that would establish an independent inspector general to oversee the Federal Reserve.

Speaking on Wednesday, Powell said the Federal Reserve is watching developments in the financial sector and remains open to taking further action.

“We will continue to closely monitor conditions in the banking system and are prepared to use all of our tools as needed to keep it safe and sound,” Powell said.

He went on, “We’re committed to learning the lessons from this episode and to work to prevent events like this from happening again.”

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Dominion accuses Fox News of redacting ’embarrassing’ materials in defamation case

Dominion accuses Fox News of redacting ’embarrassing’ materials in defamation case
Dominion accuses Fox News of redacting ’embarrassing’ materials in defamation case
Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — An attorney for Dominion Voting Systems accused Fox News on Wednesday of improperly redacting internal materials that the network was forced to hand over as part of Dominion’s billion-dollar defamation suit against it.

“They’re essentially redacting embarrassing information,” attorney Davida Brook told the judge hearing the case.

The claim came during a pivotal summary judgment hearing in which each side has asked the judge to rule in their favor before the case is set to head to trial next month.

Dominion’s $1.6 billion suit accuses Fox News of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories about the voting machine company in the wake of the 2020 election, in order to combat concerns over ratings and viewer retention.

In February and March, Dominion filed bombshell findings from the discovery process containing a trove of emails, texts, testimony, and other private communications from some of Fox’s biggest stars and executives, privately bashing Trump and his election fraud claims while they continued to broadcast them on air.

“I did not believe it for one second,” said Sean Hannity in regard to one of Trump’s attorney’s claims, according to one of Dominion’s filings.

An attorney for Fox defended Fox’s redactions and pointed to the hundreds of communications that have already been entered into the public record.

“I don’t think there any lack of public access here,” the attorney, Katharine L. Mowery, said.

Earlier this month, Dominion filed a motion with the judge pushing back on some of Fox’s redactions, calling them “not warranted.”

“Dominion does not challenge Fox’s decision to redact contact information such as phone numbers and emails provided,” the filing states. “As for Fox’s substantive redactions … Dominion hereby brings this notice of challenge to the confidential treatment of these redacted briefs, certifications, affidavits, exhibits, declarations, and appendices.”

In its own filing, Fox said “almost all” relevant materials had been unsealed “after a careful redaction process consistent with Court rules and Delaware law.”

“Throughout three rounds of briefing, Dominion jammed the record with 700 exhibits, many of which were personal text messages between Fox employees with no connection to any of the challenged broadcast or statements,” Fox wrote in its filing. “On top of this, Dominion attached other internal Fox communications — often inflammatory and headline-grabbing, but irrelevant to any issue in dispute.”

After the hearing, a Fox spokesperson said in a statement, “Despite the noise and confusion that Dominion has generated by presenting cherry-picked quotes without context, this case is ultimately about the First Amendment protections of the media’s absolute need to cover the news. FOX will continue to fiercely advocate for the rights of free speech and a free press.”

The judge overseeing the case, Eric Davis, said his ruling on the summary judgment motions would come later in writing.

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