(WASHIGTON) — The National Institutes of Health has launched a website MakeMyTestCount.org which allows people to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test.
The website is a collaboration between the NIH and a healthcare technology company, CareEvolution.
Data collected is anonymous and sent to public health systems that receive test results from laboratories and doctor’s offices. Users provide general information such as age and zip code and have the option to include race, ethnicity, sex, and symptoms, but it is not required.
Given the rise of at-home tests, accurately tracking the number of COVID-19 cases has become increasingly difficult. This new website may help provide scientists with a clearer picture of how many people are testing positive and may not require medical care which would normally alert public health systems of the positive test. More accurate data may allow public health departments to modify responses to address outbreaks and spread.
A study done in March suggested at-home test use varies by demographics. COVID at-home test use was highest among persons who identified as white, adults aged 30–39 years, those with annual household incomes of $150,000, and those with postgraduate degrees.
(TALLAHASSEE, FL) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appears to be eying a run for the presidency in 2024, cruised to reelection this month with the backing of a Rolodex of wealthy GOP donors — topped by an aerospace mogul who says that UFOs are real and that space aliens are here on Earth, “right under people’s noses.”
Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas hotel executive who went on to found Bigelow Aerospace with the goal of building the first commercial space station, donated a record $10 million to a political action committee supporting DeSantis’ reelection campaign in what was the state’s single largest political donation ever made by an individual, according to campaign filings.
The donation, which was Bigelow’s first major contribution to a Florida candidate, made him DeSantis’ single biggest individual benefactor over the last two years.
After making relatively modest political donations in prior years, Bigelow ramped up his donations in 2022, writing six- to seven-figure checks to a variety of Republican causes across the country, including donating a combined $8 million to a super PAC supporting Nevada Republicans running for Congress, and giving $2 million to the GOP-aligned super PAC Club for Growth Action.
Although he made no contributions during the last election cycle to former President Donald Trump or Trump’s other fundraising vehicles, Bigelow gave contributions to a super PAC supporting Trump-endorsed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, and a PAC connected to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Bigelow, who has been a vocal advocate in the search for extraterrestrial life, told CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2017 that he is “absolutely convinced” that aliens exist and that “there has been, and is, an existing presence” of UFOs.
“I spent millions and millions and millions — I probably spent more as an individual than anybody else in the United States has ever spent on this subject,” Bigelow told 60 Minutes. His company was part of a multimillion-dollar Pentagon program that investigated UFO sightings, according to The New York Times, which said the program reported no conclusions about the origin of unidentified objects.
His record contribution to DeSantis puts Bigelow on a long list of wealthy supporters who could support the Florida governor if he and Trump face off in the 2024 presidential primary. GOP megadonors who have already endorsed DeSantis for 2024 include billionaire financier Ken Griffin, who after Election Day this month told Politico, “I think it’s time to move on to the next generation.”
Griffin, who was the GOP’s biggest donor at the federal level during the 2022 election cycle, previously gave $100,000 to Trump’s 2016 inaugural committee and has continued to donate to the Republican National Committee, which been closely aligned with Trump.
But Griffin was the second largest individual donor, after Bigelow, to a pro-DeSantis PAC, donating $5 million early in the election cycle. He later gave another $5 million to the Republican Party of Florida, which was a major supporter of DeSantis’ campaign.
Other big-name Trump supporters who became major DeSantis supporters this past cycle include financier Walter Buckley Jr., who donated $1.3 million to DeSantis’ PAC; Home Depot cofounder Bernard Marcus, who donated $500,000; and shipping executive Richard Uihlein, who, together with his wife, donated a combined $1 million, according to filings.
The longtime conservative PAC Club for Growth also contributed $2 million to DeSantis’ PAC this past cycle.
Of note, Florida supermarket heiress Julie Fancelli — a major Trump donor who reportedly helped fund the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse — also supported DeSantis in recent years, giving a total of roughly $59,000 to his PAC in 2018 and 2019.
Buoyed by support like this, allies of DeSantis last week registered a new super PAC dubbed “Ron to the Rescue” to back his potential presidential run. The organization has already launched its first round of digital ad campaigns and this week is launching its first television ads in Iowa, only a week after Trump announced last Tuesday that he was running again in 2024.
“Right after last Tuesday, my phone was exploding with supporters urging us to move forward again and get the governor’s back,” said California-based GOP operative John Thomas, who had been working on and off to organize the super PAC over the last year.
“The only way we saw Gov. DeSantis having a meaningful path against Trump or to the nomination was if the Republicans didn’t win the majorities in the midterms and Trump-backed candidates dramatically underperformed,” Thomas said. “Not only is that exactly what ended up happening, but on the flip side, Gov. DeSantis not only got reelected but he created his own self-made red tsunami in Florida, turning it from a swing state to a red state.”
Thomas said backers of the new super PAC include “some former Donald Trump donors” as well as “traditional DeSantis supporters.” He said a “prominent law enforcement union” is also “financially supporting” the super PAC and endorsing DeSantis.
Adam Devine returns as Pitch Perfect scene stealer Bumper Allen in the new Peacock spin-off series Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, which debuts Wednesday.
The series sees Bumper re-teaming with Flula Borg‘s Piëter Krämer when one of Bumper’s songs goes big in Germany.
Devine calls it “crazy” the “love” people still have for Pitch Perfect, which came out in 2012. “You know…my role was pretty small in the first movie and Rebel [Wilson] and I actually improvised our relationship in the first movie…,” he says. “So it’s crazy to see how popular the movies have become and how it was so popular that now we have a spin-off series…”
Devine’s Modern Family love interest Sarah Hyland plays Heidi, Bumper’s quirky assistant, who reveals she’s been hiding some skills of her own on the mic. She tells ABC Audio she “leapt with every fiber of her being” to be in the show.
She enthused, “The Pitch Perfect franchise is so iconic and such a big moment in pop culture, really. So it’s, it’s, it’s really amazing to be able to be a small part of that now. And yeah, I got to sing for the first time professionally and in a really long time, and I was really, really excited to be able to hopefully show that off in a, in a good way for me.”
She and Devine perform Ryan Tedder‘s original song “Know My Name” in the series, something Hyland told ABC Audio she was “honored” to do. “I was so lucky enough to sing that,” she said. “He’s written some of the biggest songs out there”
The series also stars She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil as a scheming competitor, and model/actress Lera Abova as Piëter’s cool Berlin DJ sister.
(WASHINGTON) — The number of abortions performed in the U.S. decline in 2020, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The annual report, published Wednesday by the CDC, looks at how common abortion is in the United States and who is getting the procedure.
In total, 620,327 abortions were reported during 2020, a 2% decline from 2019. This data includes every state aside from California, Maryland and New Hampshire.
The rate of abortions also declined to 11.2 per 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44 in 2020, a drop from 11.4 per 1,000 the year before.
Women in their 20s accounted for more than half of all abortions in 2020 at 57.2%. Specifically, women between ages 25 and 29 made up 29.3% and women between ages 20 and 24 made up 27.9% of those who had an abortion.
In addition, of all women who had abortions that year, 86.3% were unmarried and 60.9% already had at least one child, according to the report.
Comparatively, teenagers under age 15 and women aged 40 or older accounted for the fewest abortions in 2020 at 0.2% and 3.7%, respectively.
When looking at abortions in the U.S. by race and ethnicity, large disparities could be seen.
Although white women and Black women each accounted for the highest number of abortions in 2020 — making up about one-third each — the rates were dramatically different.
Black women had an abortion rate nearly four times higher than that of white women at 24 abortions per 1,000 Black women compared to 6.2 abortions per 1,000 white women.
Additionally, while Hispanic women made up a smaller share of the abortions performed in 2020 at 21%, the abortion rate was 1.8 times that of white women at 11.4 abortions per 1,000 Hispanic women.
According to the CDC, reasons for these disparities include unequal access to family planning services, poverty and mistrust of the medical system.
The report also examined how far along women were when they received abortions. The overwhelming majority of abortions in 2020, 80.9%, were performed at or before nine weeks’ gestation. In 2020, 93.1% of abortions were performed before the second trimester.
About half of all abortions, 51%, were medical abortions in 2020 followed by surgical abortions at or before 13 weeks at 40%.
Additionally, the report discussed abortion trends from 2011 to 2020. Data showed the total number of abortions declined by 15% and the rate per 1,000 women decreased by 18% — with that rate decline seen across all age groups.
Particularly, the decrease in abortion rate was highest among adolescents aged 15 to 19, dropping by 48% between 2011 and 2020.
The authors did not state whether the drop in 2020 occurred because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions nor did they discuss what may be seen after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion — this summer.
However, they did write that abortion surveillance is “to help evaluate programs aimed at promoting equitable access to patient-centered contraceptive care in the United States to reduce unintended pregnancies.”
Def Leppard is giving fans a taste of their live show without having to shell out money for a ticket.
The band just dropped the new video for the track “Kick,” which is a live performance clip from their 2022 The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
“Kick” was the first single from the band’s most recent album, Diamond Star Halos.
Next up for Def Leppard, they bring their tour with Mötley Crüe to Latin America and Europe in 2023, with dates kicking off February 18th in Mexico City, Mexico.
(MARBLE FALLS, CA) — Marble Falls High School announced its plans this week to investigate reports of alleged racist behavior by student spectators at a girls basketball tournament on Friday.
The incident at the Texas school, which was captured on camera, depicts several students shouting monkey noises as East Central High School senior Asia Prudhomme, who is Black, was shooting free throws. Marble Falls High School’s student body is almost 50 percent white and only 1.5% Black.
“I’ve always been taught not to pay attention to the stands, so I wasn’t really paying attention to them,” Prudhomme, who successfully sank her free throw, told ABC News. “I was just focused on making my free throws and getting my team back into the game.”
After watching the video of the incident, however, Prudhomme said she was shocked.
“I’ve never had this happen to me,” she said. “I was heartbroken. In my head, I was just thinking why would anybody do this. It’s 2022.”
Marble Falls High School Principal Damon Adams said in a statement that administrators are reviewing video footage and will interview students and spectators who attended the game to ensure a thorough investigation.
He said the school takes the allegations of racism seriously and will “hold students accountable for any behaviors that violate our expectations.”
“As campus principal, I regret that any player or guest in attendance at our tournament experienced anything from our student body that made them feel uncomfortable or devalued,” he said. “I am saddened that the behaviors of a very small number of students could tarnish the impression that others have of the incredible group of kids who make up our student body.”
Marble Falls Independent School District also said in a statement that it will continue to work with administration at East Central High School to fully investigate the incident.
“Marble Falls ISD does not condone any form of discrimination, and we would like players at East Central to know they have our full support,” the statement reads.
Prudhomme said she is asking for a “sincere public apology” from the students who made the noises. Her mother Pamela Prudhomme added that she would also like to see the students suspended.
In September, Katy Independent School District, also in Texas, launched an investigation into reports of spectators making monkey sounds at Patricia E. Paetow High School’s junior varsity volleyball team, made up of predominantly Black and Hispanic girls, during their game against Jordan High School.
Prudhomme, who hopes to play basketball in college and eventually make it to the WNBA, said she is grateful for the support she has received from her coaches, teammates and fans.
“I have a lot of love at my school,” she said. “It’s really building me up to become a stronger person.”
(WASHINGTON) — Measles is an “imminent threat” around the world, according to a new joint report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Despite a two-dose vaccine that is more than 97% effective at preventing infection being available for decades, gains made at beating back the potentially dangerous childhood disease have been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report found that in 2021, nearly 40 million children — a record-high — missed a dose of the measles vaccine. Specifically, 25 million missed their first dose and 14.7 million missed their second dose.
“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed out on life-saving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a statement.
“Getting immunization programs back on track is absolutely critical. Behind every statistic in this report is a child at risk of a preventable disease,” the statement continued.
To prevent the disease from spreading and to achieve herd immunity, the CDC and WHO say at least 95% of children need to receive the vaccine.
However, just 81% of children globally have received the first dose and 71% have received the second dose, the lowest coverage worldwide seen since 2008.
Consequently, there were 9 million cases of measles and 128,000 deaths around the world with at least 22 countries experiencing “large and disruptive outbreaks.”
“The record number of children under-immunized and susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “Measles outbreaks illustrate weaknesses in immunization programs, but public health officials can use outbreak response to identify communities at risk, understand causes of under- vaccination, and help deliver locally tailored solutions to ensure vaccinations are available to all.”
When Madonna first released her coffee table book, Sex, in 1992, it caused a worldwide scandal. Now, in honor of its reissue, it’s being celebrated next week at Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world’s premier art shows and an important event on the global art world calendar.
When Sex first came out, it was sealed in a Mylar bag so you couldn’t page through it in the bookstore. That’s because it was full of photos shot by Steven Meisel that showed Madonna and celebrities like Naomi Campbell, actress Isabella Rossellini and rappers Vanilla Ice and Big Daddy Kane fully nude and simulating various sex acts. Madonna also provided the racy text for the book, which she wrote as a character called Mistress Dita.
Despite the controversy surrounding the book, it sold more than 150,000 copies on its first day in the U.S., and went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. It’s been out of print for years, but now, Yves Saint Laurent‘s lifestyle brand, Rive Droite, is teaming with publishers Callaway New York to issue 800 copies. A limited number of those will be signed by Madonna and auctioned off, with proceeds going to her charity Raising Malawi.
In addition, during Art Basel Miami, the brand is putting up a beachfront gallery featuring large-format images from the book — images it describes as “once shocking, now timeless.” You’ll have to be over 18 to visit it, but admission is free; t-shirts and tote bags will also be available if you can’t afford the book.
(New York) — Donald Trump reported nearly $1 billion in operating losses over a two-year period about a decade ago, an accountant testified at the criminal trial of the Trump Organization, spilling into public tax information that the former president has tried repeatedly to keep private.
The accountant, Donald Bender, a partner at Mazars USA, the firm that prepared tax returns for Trump and his company, testified Tuesday that Trump reported losses each year for 10 years from 2009 to 2018.
“There are losses for all these years,” Bender said.
The disclosure at the Manhattan trial of Trump’s family business came the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the IRS is required to turn over six years’ worth of Trump’s tax information to the House Ways and Means Committee.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger questioned Bender about Trump’s taxes during cross-examination as the trial nears an end. The Manhattan district attorney fought for nearly three years to obtain the records, including two appearances before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hoffinger asked Bender about Trump’s losses in 2009 and 2010, when the company lost nearly $1 billion.
“Do you recall in 2010 Donald Trump had losses of almost $200 million on his personal tax returns?” Hoffinger asked.
“I believe so,” Bender said after examining the records.
“Do you recall in 2009, Donald Trump had, his personal tax returns had losses around $700 million?” Hoffinger followed.
“Sounds about right,” Bender replied.
The staggering losses belie the reputation Trump has carefully tried to cultivate as a shrewd and successful businessman. That image helped carry him to the White House once, with Trump hoping it will again as he now embarks on a new run for president.
The numbers largely mirrored a report in The New York Times in September 2020 when they acquired select portions of Trump’s tax returns.
Trump is not a defendant in the case and the line of questioning had no obvious connection to the tax scheme the Trump Organization is charged with carrying out over a 12-year period when former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and other executives were allegedly paid off the books with perks like rent, car leases and private school tuition.
Weisselberg, who has pleaded guilty and testified pursuant to a plea agreement with prosecutors, has aided the defense by saying he hatched the scheme out of his own greed and Trump was unaware. He also testified that the scheme helped the Trump Organization reduce its payroll taxes, assisting the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office prove there was a benefit to the company.
Bender was the first witness called by the defense, which has suggested it was his responsibility to alert the Trump Organization to any fraud but didn’t in order to keep a lucrative client happy.
“Fair to say the Trump account represented roughly two-thirds of the revenue you brought into Mazars?” asked defense attorney Bob Brennan.
“Closer to 60 [percent],” Bender replied.
“But it was your largest account?” Brennan asked. “Yes sir,” Bender said.
Prosecutors showed the jury a letter from Mazars that said the firm’s work for the Trump Organization “does not include any procedures designed to detect errors, irregularities, or illegal acts, including fraud or defalcations, should any exist.”
Bender appeared to help the prosecution when he testified that Weisselberg never told him the company was paying his rent and other personal expenses tax-free.
“At any time before the year 2021, did you actually know that The Trump Corporation and Donald Trump were paying these personal expenses as part of Allen Weisselberg’s compensation and not reporting them to the tax authorities?” Hoffinger asked.
“No, ma’am,” Bender answered.
“If you had known all of that at that time, what would you and Mazars have done?” Hoffinger asked.
“We would have had a serious conversation about continuing with the client,” Bender responded.
When it comes to things that annoy Noel Gallagher, a mash-up of Oasis and Hall & Oates is apparently not one of them.
This week, a U.K. band called Deco shared a video wondering “What would ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ sound like in the ’80s?” To find out, they recorded a version of the Oasis classic, set to the music of the Hall & Oates 1984 single “Out of Touch.” Alongside the video, Deco wrote, “Noel Gallagher is going to be livid.”
On the contrary, Gallagher seems to be a fan of the combination. Alongside a retweet of Deco’s video, Gallagher writes, “In any era it’s STILL a tuuuune!!”
The mashup also received a seal of approval from Hall & Oates, who responded with a 100 emoji.
Gallagher just released a new song called “Pretty Boy” last month with his High Flying Birds solo band. The track features The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.
