The CW has renewed All American for a sixth season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The drama series has been one of the network’s top performing shows among adults 18-49 in Nielsen’s seven-day ratings and ranks fourth in total viewers. The CW also says it had the largest cross-platform audience on The CW in the 2021-22 season…
Prince Harry is the king of late night. Deadline reports The Duke of Sussex’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert drew the show’s biggest weeknight audience in more than two years — 3.15 million viewers — according to Nielsen data. That’s also the largest viewing audience The Late Show has scored on any night since the Super Bowl special episode in 2021, which drew 4.86M total viewers. The Late Show also generated over 913 million potential social impressions, according to CBS, while #Colbert also trended in the U.S. Wednesday night on Twitter. Prince Harry, who was promoting his memoir, Spare, shared tequila shots with Colbert and reported that he’s caught up on watching The Crown. He also discussed living in the U.S. and also shared some memories of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth…
Tuesday’s Golden Globe Awards ratings dipped to the second-lowest total in the show’s 28-year history. The NBC telecast, hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, averaged 6.25 million viewers, down 10 percent from 6.91 million for the last televised Globes ceremony in 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The all-time low for NBC was the six million viewers that watched the telecast during the 2008 writers’ strike, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association aired a televised press conference announcing the winners in place of the usual ceremony…
(NEW YORK) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the incoming chair of the committee focused on health, on Tuesday called out Moderna for looking at a more-than-quadruple spike of its COVID-19 vaccine prices.
“How many of these Americans will die from COVID-19 as a result of limited access to these lifesaving vaccines?” Sanders wrote to Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel. “In the midst of a deadly pandemic, restricting access to this much needed vaccine is unconscionable.”
“I am writing you to reconsider your decision and refrain from any price increases,” he urged.
Sanders’ letter was in response to recent comments from Moderna’s CEO that the company was considering raising prices for its COVID-19 shots to $110-130 per dose, once vaccines move into the private market. That’s up from the $26 per dose now, which is what the vaccines cost under the current government contract.
Pfizer, too, has said that it plans to increase its prices to somewhere between $110-130 per dose.
In a statement to ABC News, Moderna maintained that its “COVID-19 vaccines and boosters will continue to be available at no cost for the vast majority of people in the United States.”
“While we are still in discussions with stakeholders on the price of our COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna is committed to pricing that reflects the value that COVID-19 vaccines bring to patients, healthcare systems, and society,” a company spokesperson said.
A Pfizer spokesperson referred ABC News to an investor call in the fall in which company officials stressed that they believed the majority of people would not have to pay out of pocket but that the increased price of the vaccine matched its value.
For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has purchased bulk quantities of vaccine and distributed them for free to Americans. But without more funding, which Congress has not been able to agree upon, the government plans to move vaccines and COVID-19 treatments to the private market, where they will be covered by insurance or paid for upfront by uninsured patients.
The move to the commercial market could happen as soon as this fall but depends on when the federal supply of vaccines runs out.
Sanders, in his letter to Moderna on Tuesday, disagreed with the vaccine companies’ assessments that the majority of people wouldn’t feel the price increase.
He argued that it will cost taxpayers billions of dollars because Medicaid and Medicare will continue to pay for vaccines, as mandated by the CARES Act, but will now have to do so at much higher price.
He also wrote that people on private insurance could see premiums go up as companies try to offset the rising cost of vaccines. Private insurance companies also have to continue to cover vaccines because of the CARES Act — though it’s not clear to what extent.
The biggest impact will be felt by uninsured people, who will have to pay outright for vaccinations, Sanders wrote.
He called the consideration to raise prices “particularly offensive” because Moderna developed its COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, a government agency, and was given $1.7 billion by the government to develop its mRNA vaccine.
“In other words, you propose to make the vaccine unaffordable for the residents of this country who made the production of the vaccine possible. That is not acceptable,” Sanders wrote.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was asked Wednesday morning if the federal government had the ability to work with vaccine companies on the cost increase and said it was largely up to the manufacturers.
The pricing “is something that is within the hands of those manufacturers and the distributors,” he said.
“We will do everything we can to make sure that the cost of a COVID vaccine remains affordable,” he added.
(WASHINGTON) — Within the last month, multiple associates of former President Donald Trump received new wide-ranging subpoenas from Special Counsel Jack Smith requesting documents and records far more expansive than the previous outreaches these individuals received from the Department of Justice before Smith’s appointment, ABC News has learned.
The subpoenas, which were described to ABC News by sources who received them, include questions about fundraising efforts and talking points leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The special counsel is also requesting information on how individuals are paying for any legal representation, either by themselves or via an outside party — something that came into question when a former aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, told the House Jan. 6 committee that she changed attorneys because her first counsel was being paid through funds linked to the former president.
As ABC News first reported last year, the special counsel is seeking information about the Trump-aligned Save America Super PAC — but the newly expanded subpoena goes even further, requesting information about multiple Trump-aligned fundraising vehicles and groups that have formed since Trump entered the political arena, including Turning Points USA, a right-wing group that targets younger GOP voters.
In addition, sources close to the former president said that within the last few weeks, more individuals have appeared before a federal grand jury — with some of them returning for a second time after having appeared before.
Sources told ABC News that the recent appearances were requested by the special counsel’s team. A source with direct knowledge of the matter described one grand jury appearance as “far more intense than round one.”
Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, was tapped in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office.
The appointment of the special counsel was triggered by Trump’s announcement that he is running for president for a third time, which created a conflict of interest, according to the DOJ special counsel guidelines.
(NEW YORK) — Inflation data set for release Thursday will show whether months of cooling price increases continued in December.
Evidence of further slowing would ease the strain on household budgets and bolster hopes that the U.S. can avert a recession.
A sign that inflation turned upward, however, would indicate that the path to normal price levels may require prolonged interest rate hikes and significant job losses.
Year-over-year inflation has fallen for five consecutive months since it reached a peak of 9.1% in June. Despite the slowdown in price increases, inflation continues to hover near a 40-year high.
Analysts expect year-over-year inflation to continue its slide, dropping to 6.7% after standing at 7.1% in November.
The Federal Reserve imposed a string of aggressive rate hikes last year that aim to slow price increases by cooling the economy and choking off demand. The approach, however, risks tipping the U.S. into a recession and putting millions out of work.
A further slowdown in price increases would allow the Federal Reserve to taper off interest rate hikes, positioning the U.S. economy to avoid a severe downturn, Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, told ABC News.
“If inflation continues to slow and especially is slowing in areas that the Fed has the most control over, then that’s a good thing,” she said.
In early February, the Federal Reserve will decide whether to raise interest rates again and, if so, how much. At a meeting last month, the central bank raised its benchmark rate by 0.5%, softening its approach after a series of jumbo-sized 0.75% increases.
Still, Fed Chair Jerome Powell vowed to continue imposing rate hikes until inflation returns to the central bank’s target level of 2%.
“Fifty basis points is still a historically large increase, and we still have some ways to go,” Powell said last month. “We will stay the course until the job is done.”
So far, the labor market has proven resilient, bolstering the hopes of policymakers seeking to avert a downturn.
Hiring remained strong last month as employers added 233,000 jobs and wages grew a robust 4.6% compared to a year earlier.
While the wage gains offered welcome relief for workers strained by price hikes, they marked a slowdown from 5.1% annual growth recorded in November, reassuring some observers who fear that rising wages could push companies to hike prices and deepen inflation.
The labor market has struck a balance between strong hiring that keeps Americans employed and moderate wage growth that prevents runaway inflation, Iwan Barankay, a professor of business economics and public policy at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, told ABC News.
“We still see healthy increases in hiring month to month. It’s not too hot and not too cold,” he said. “I really don’t see any merit in scaremongering.”
Despite the robust job market, growing evidence suggests the Fed’s rate hikes have put the brakes on some economic activity.
Home sales fell for the 10th month in a row in November, the most recent month on record. Sales of existing homes, such as single-family homes and condominiums, were down about 35% from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, new orders for U.S.-manufactured goods fell more than expected in November, suggesting that consumer demand had slowed, according to Commerce Department data released last week.
Similarly, the country’s factory activity shrank for a second consecutive month in December, according to an Institute for Supply Management survey.
(NEW YORK) — If you were banking on a hefty tax refund this year, think again. The expiration of COVID-era tax breaks means millions of Americans may get smaller refunds when they file their tax returns for 2022, and those who received refunds in recent years, may now owe the government money.
“Stimulus payments are a thing of the past,” Bankrate.com’s senior industry financial analyst Ted Rossman tells ABC News. “Last year, many people got an extra-large refund because they claimed a stimulus payment they didn’t receive in 2021.”
According to the IRS, the average refund last year was nearly $3,200. That was up from about $2,800 in 2021. Tax experts say refund amounts this year will more likely resemble refunds from 2019 or 2020. Depending on a taxpayer’s situation, tax experts say refunds could shrink by a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Federal stimulus checks dry up
The biggest reason tax refunds may be smaller this year is because Congress did not hand out COVID-related federal stimulus checks in 2022.
While most taxpayers received their stimulus checks automatically, some got the money as a recovery rebate credit of $1,400 per person on their 2021 income tax return. That means that for a family of four, that $5,600 credit won’t be there on this year’s tax return.
Paying taxes on state rebates/refunds
While federal stimulus may have gone away, over a dozen states issued taxpayer rebates and refunds last year.
Some states, including California, New Jersey and Massachusetts expect to finish handing out those checks in the first half of this year.
While these payments don’t count as taxable income on a state return, they will often count as taxable income on federal returns. For example, about three million homeowners in New York state were automatically sent a property tax rebate of up to $1,050 in June. The IRS may count that payment as income on federal returns.
No more expanded child tax credit
In 2021, Congress gave families a boost with the expanded child tax credit, which has since expired.
The child tax credit reverted back to $2,000 last year for children under age 17. That’s down from the previous year’s enhanced child tax credit of $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children under age 18.
Child and dependent care tax breaks
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 made the tax credit for child and dependent care expenses substantially more generous (up to $8,000 for two or more children), but that credit went back to the old limit of $2,100 for 2022.
Taxpayers who participate in their employer’s pretax child and dependent care flexible spending accounts may also see lower refunds because contribution limits for those accounts were increased to a maximum $10,500 in 2021 but reverted to the previous limit of $5,000 last year.
There are still ways to maximize the existing, albeit smaller, child and dependent care credits.
“An especially good tip is that summer camps can count for the dependent care credit,” said Rossman.
“Parents sometimes only think school-year care is eligible, but if your kids are in day camp while you’re working, that can be fair game,” he said. “The Earned Income Tax Credit is extremely popular, especially among low- and medium-earners.
He added, “The American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit are good ones in the education space.”
Charitable contribution deductions
Unlike last year, charitable donations are no longer giving most taxpayers a tax break.
Congress didn’t extend the temporary tax break that allowed a special charitable deduction for taxpayers who take the standard deduction instead of itemizing.
The $300 deduction individuals could take ($600 for married couples), wasn’t available for tax year 2022 and could result in a small increase in tax bills.
Quicker tax refunds
Tax day this year is April 18. Even if you file for a six-month extension, you still need to pay any tax you expect to owe by April 18, otherwise, you can get hit with penalty and interest charges from the IRS.
If you expect a tax refund, Rossman says you can improve your chances of getting it quickly by filing early and electronically. Opting to have your refund directly deposited into a checking or savings account can also speed up your return.
“Filing via paper really slows things down,” said Rossman. “Especially if you’re anticipating a refund, aim to get your return in soon after the filing window opens in late January. It’s your money, after all. Don’t give the government an interest-free loan for any longer than you have to.”
How to spend your tax refund
As for what to do with that refund once you get it? While it may be tempting to use it towards a vacation or big-ticket purchase, like a television or car, Rossman says the most prudent thing to do is use at least some of the refund to pay down debt.
“The average credit card rate is a whopping 19.59% so if you have credit card debt, using some or all of your refund to pay down that debt would be a very smart choice,” said Rossman.
Increasing your emergency savings is another popular way to put your tax refund to work. Almost 6 in 10 U.S. adults (58%) told Bankrate.com that they’re concerned about their level of emergency savings.
“So especially with recession worries looming, boosting your savings would be wise,” he said. “You could perhaps do some of both – use some of your refund to pay down debt and put some into savings.”
(MOSCOW, Idaho) — University of Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger is due back in a Latah County, Idaho, courtroom on Thursday.
The 28-year-old faces first-degree murder and burglary charges and has not yet entered a plea.
Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30 in his home state of Pennsylvania in connection to the quadruple murders that captivated the nation. Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in Washington State University’s department of criminal justice and criminology at the time, was visiting his family in Pennsylvania for the holidays.
A law enforcement source told ABC News that federal investigators saw Kohberger throw out garbage into neighbors’ trash bins in the middle of the night as they surveilled him in Pennsylvania in the days leading up to his arrest.
Kohberger has since been extradited to Idaho in connection to the Nov. 13 slayings.
Roommates Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, as well as Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were all stabbed to death in the girls’ off-campus home in the middle of the night. Two other roommates survived, including a young woman who saw a masked figure inside the house.
At Kohberger’s first Idaho court appearance last week, charges were read for the murders of each student. The judge said each victim was “stabbed and murdered with premeditation with malice and forethought.” Families were overcome with emotion as their children’s names were read.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — At least one person was killed and two others were critically injured in a shooting that broke out in a Minneapolis parking lot on Wednesday night, police said.
“This is a very active and ongoing investigation, but we believe that there is at least one person who is a suspect who remains at large at this time,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters at a press conference late Wednesday.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers were on the scene of a car crash at approximately 8:20 p.m. local time when they heard multiple gunshots a few blocks away in the McKinley neighborhood of Minnesota’s largest city. They responded and found a man and a woman, both suffering from gunshot wounds, in an SUV near the parking lot of Gold Star Foods, police said.
The man was transported to North Memorial Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, while the woman was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was listed in critical but stable condition, according to police.
Officers also located another man with life-threatening gunshot wounds lying on the street across from the parking lot. Despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will release the victim’s identity, along with the cause and nature of his death.
Police said preliminary information indicates two men on foot approached the man and the woman seated in the parked SUV. One of the men on foot walked around the vehicle to the driver’s side door, which was opened. The male driver then put the car in reverse, dragging the man with the open door, according to police.
At some point, gunshots were fired from at least the other man on foot. A gunshot detector system marked 23 rounds being fired from the Gold Star Foods parking lot at that time, police said.
The SUV got stuck on a snowbank and the man who was being dragged ran from the parking lot before collapsing on the street. The second man on foot fled the scene and remains on the run, according to police.
Police said at least two handguns were recovered from the scene — one from inside the vehicle and another on the street next to the collapsed man. Police believe a third firearm is in possession of the fleeing suspect.
So far, no arrests have been made.
“I think this just speaks volumes to the challenges that we are facing,” O’Hara told reporters. “This is a scene here, where — from what we know so far — there were at least three guns on the scene and it just shows the crisis that we are facing.”
“We are already living in a country that has more guns than people and there’s 10-20 million more guns entered into circulation each year,” the police chief added. “It’s an incredible challenge for us to be able to partner with all of our law enforcement partners and also partner with our community organizations to try and take as many guns out of the hands of people who should not have them before situations like this happen.”
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips may also be submitted online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org. All Tips are anonymous and anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward, according to police.
Hip-hop turns 50 this year, so in honor of the milestone anniversary, Billboard/Vibe has created a list of their picks for the 50 greatest rappers of all time. They unveiled the first 10 rappers on Wednesday, starting with #50: Rick Ross, who was followed by Run-DMC‘s Rev. Run, Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, MC Lyte and Jadakiss, respectively.
Ice-T occupies the 45th spot, Queen Latifah is #44 and #43 through #41, listed in their respective order, went to Bun B, Redman and E-40.
According to Billboard/Vibe, their GOAT list was based on the following criteria: “body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how the artist’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess).”
The list also only ranked rappers in North America, and excluded reggaeton and dancehall MCs.
Each week, the outlets will reveal 10 more rappers from the list until all of them are announced. The final 10 will be unveiled during the week of February 6.
If you feel like this world is killing you, maybe Green Day covering “Alison” will help.
The “American Idiot” trio will release a rendition of the Elvis Costello classic this Friday, January 13. Billie Joe Armstrong and company’s recording of the 1977 tune dates back to the recording sessions for Green Day’s 1997 album, Nimrod.
The “Alison” cover will appear on the upcoming 25th anniversary edition of Nimrod, due out January 27. The expanded collection includes a host of previously unreleased demos, as well as a full live recording from a 1997 concert in Philadelphia.
The original Nimrod spawned the singles “Hitchin’ a Ride” and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA.
Meanwhile, Green Day recently confirmed that they’ve been working on a new album to follow their latest effort, 2020’s Father of All…
Next month, ABC TV will transport you back in time to the Saturday mornings of your childhood — when in between cartoons you’d learn about math, science and history thanks to the magic of Schoolhouse Rock.
The fifth installment of the network’s popular Singalong franchise is Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong, airing February 1 on ABC at 8 p.m. EST and streaming the next day on Hulu. It’ll air later on Disney+.
Ryan Seacrest will host the hourlong show, featuring musicians and entertainers singing some of the best-known songs from the educational cartoon series. You can sing along thanks to the lyrics on the screen.
Black Eyed Peas will take on “Three Is a Magic Number,” while Ne-Yo will sing the soulful “Verb: That’s What’s Happening.” Meanwhile, celebs ranging from DerekHough, Julianne Hough and The Muppets to Retta, Jason Biggs, Raven-Symoné, Kal Penn, Shaquille O’Neal and the casts of Disney’s Broadway and touring productions will try their hands at favorites like “Conjunction Junction,” “Figure 8,” “Interjections,” “I’m Just a Bill” and “Unpack Your Adjectives.”
Previous ABC singalongs have featured songs from Disney movies, songs by Queen and Christmas songs.
Schoolhouse Rock originally aired as interstitial programming on ABC from 1973 to 1984 and again from 1993 to 1996. More episodes were produced in 2009 for direct-to-video release. Topics included grammar, U.S. history, science, multiplication and, later, computers, money and the environment. If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, you can watch them all.
