(WASHINGTON) – Nancy Pelosi was the guest speaker at the unveiling of a new statue at Statuary Hall of Amelia Earhart, the famous aviator born in Atchison, Kansas in 1897, who made history as the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The speaker of the house described Earheart as “an American who personifies the daring and determined spirit of our nation.”
Following Pelosi’s opening statements, the national anthem and a prayer from Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Kansas’ Gov. Lauren Kelly took the stage.
“Who better than to represent our great state in Statuary Hall than Dwight D. Eisenhower and now a native daughter of Kansas, Amelia Earhart,” Kelly said. “A woman who showed all of us what it means to reach for the stars.”
The bronze statue took seven years for brothers George and Mark Lundeen to create. Because only two statues are allowed to represent each state, and only one can be placed in Statuary Hall, Earhart’s likeness replaced that of U.S. Senator John Ingalls whose statue has occupied the hall since 1907.
This is just the 11th statue of 100 that represents a woman. U.S. Representative from Kansas, Sharice Davids championed her as a pioneer of women’s rights.
“Female pilots used to be called ladybirds, sweethearts of the air, and because of Amelia Earhart back then, now, and into the future, women who fly planes are now called pilots,” said Davids.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., described the unveiled piece as “a statue of a determined woman with short cut hair, a curious smile, a bomber hat in hand and a sunflower on her belt buckle.”
(NEW YORK) — Country music superstar Shania Twain is sharing new details about the health battle she says she faced due to Lyme disease.
Twain, 56, said she thought she had lost the ability to sing after a tick bite she got while horseback riding in 2003 led to Lyme disease, a tick-borne infectious disease that, if left untreated, can affect the joints, heart and nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“My voice was never the same again,” Twain said in a new documentary about her life, Not Just a Girl. “I thought I’d lost my voice forever. I thought that was it, [and] I would never, ever sing again.”
Twain was in the height of her career when she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. She says in the documentary the condition affected her ability to perform.
“My symptoms were quite scary because before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy. I was losing my balance. I was afraid I was going to fall off the stage,” she said. “I was having these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds.”
In a 2020 appearance on ABC’s The View, Twain said it took “several years” for doctors to connect the problems with her voice to her Lyme disease diagnosis.
She said the disease caused damage to her vocal cords in the three weeks between when she was bitten by a tick and when she started treatment for the infection.
“There were seven years where I could not, for example, yell out for my dog. My voice would just cut out in certain places,” said Twain. “And it took another several years to determine what it was. It wasn’t anything obvious. Nobody connected the Lyme disease to it. In the end, a neurologist finally connected that it was the nerve to each vocal cord.”
Twain said that although her voice was permanently impacted, she feels grateful the disease didn’t attack another part of her body, like her heart.
“It was just a very unfortunate, ironic problem since I’m a singer, but I feel so grateful and so lucky that it didn’t attack somewhere else because it’s so debilitating,” she said, adding that she now has a “grip” on the disease. “I have a different voice now but I own it. I love my voice now.”
What to know about Lyme disease
Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., according to the CDC, has impacted other celebrities including Amy Schumer and Justin Bieber.
The illness, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans via tick bites and is more likely to be contracted in the late spring, summer and fall. In most cases, the tick must be attached to the skin for at least 36 hours before the bacterium can be transmitted.
Symptoms generally appear after one week, with approximately 70% to 80% of people experiencing a classic “bull’s eye” rash which expands in size at the site of the bite.
Symptoms in the acute phase include fever, headache and fatigue. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system. People also may experience lingering symptoms that last months or even years, such as muscle and joint pain, cognitive defects and sleep disturbances, according to the CDC.
Once confirmed with laboratory testing, most cases can be treated for a few weeks with antibiotics. According to the Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease should be treated immediately and may require intravenous antibiotics if the case is severe.
Lyme disease is most commonly found in the Northeast and upper Midwest, with 96% of all cases in 14 states — Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends preventive measures to avoid ticks including avoiding “wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter,” and walking in the center of trails.
When hiking or in wooded areas, you can also treat your clothes and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin, according to the CDC. They also recommend always doing a “tick check” after being outside and wearing insect repellent with Deet.
Ticks can also come into the home through clothing and pets, so the CDC recommends checking pets for ticks and tumble drying clothes on high heat for 10 minutes after coming indoors to kill ticks.
If you are ever in a situation where you are bitten by a tick, the Cleveland Clinic recommends tugging gently but firmly near the head of the tick until it releases its hold on the skin.
People who are outdoors in areas that may have ticks should also conduct a full body check when they return, including checking under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs and around the waist, the CDC recommends.
John Smith, M.D., a psychiatrist and contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Leading gun manufacturing executives testified Wednesday morning before a House panel investigating the role of the firearms industry in the nation’s high rates of gun violence, maintaining that Americans — not firearms — cause mass shootings.
The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m. ET and helmed by House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, featured two top CEOs ahead of the consideration of legislation that would target the sale of semiautomatic weapons, a move that many gun rights supporters and Republicans oppose as unconstitutional.
Marty Daniel, CEO of Daniel Defense, said that he was at the hearing voluntarily but was “concerned” that the implied purpose of the hearing was to vilify and blame rifles for recent deadly shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Highland Park, Illinois; and Buffalo, New York, among others.
Two months ago, the Uvalde gunman used a Daniel Defense weapon to kill 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school.
Rep. Maloney asked Daniel if he had responsibility for the Texas shooting.
“Many Americans, myself included, have witnessed an erosion of personal responsibility in our country and in our culture. Mass shootings are all but what unheard of just a few decades ago,” Daniel said. “So what changed? Not the firearms. They are substantially the same as those manufactured over 100 years ago. I believe our nation’s response needs to focus not on the type of gun but on the type of persons who are likely to commit mass shootings.”
Maloney spoke with ABC News on Tuesday about the context of the hearing. She said it should be a “wakeup call” for Congress to act on gun reform “to hold these gun manufacturers accountable for the deadly weapons that they’re manufacturing that are killing innocent Americans.”
“Most industries have a responsibility for their products. We have liability on our cars. Every time there’s a car wreck, we study it. We should do the same thing with guns. We should have liability on guns. They’re far more dangerous than cars,” Maloney told “GMA3.”
Daniel and Christopher Killroy, president and CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., were confirmed witnesses ahead of the hearing.
Maloney told ABC News that a representative for a third gun manufacturer, President Mark P. Smith of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., was invited to the hearing. Smith is not confirmed to attend.
“I would say, ‘We have invited three manufacturers — CEOs — [and] two have accepted,'” Maloney said.
“One is dodging us and not responding to our requests for documents,” she contended. “And we intend to hold them accountable eventually in some form.”
The oversight committee sent letters on May 26 to Smith & Wesson, Daniel Defense and Sturm, among others, following mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
The letters sought further information on the companies’ sale and marketing of assault-style semiautomatic rifles and similar firearms, “including revenue and profit information, internal data on deaths or injuries caused by firearms they manufacture, and marketing and promotional materials.”
On July 7, following the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, Maloney sent additional letters to the CEOs of the three top gun manufacturers, requesting their appearance at Wednesday’s hearing.
Maloney’s request for the hearing with gun executives came ahead of the committee’s June 8 hearing with Uvalde and Buffalo survivors and victims’ relatives.
President Joe Biden a month ago signed into law a bipartisan gun safety package, which did not include the weapons ban he sought. House Democrats are pushing for more reforms.
Maloney told ABC News that she believed the additional legislation “will make America safer for our citizens.”
Shawn Mendes has canceled the rest of his Wonder Tour to prioritize his mental health.
He broke the sad news on Instagram Wednesday via a lengthy statement. “As you guys know, I had to postpone the past few weeks of shows since I wasn’t totally prepared for the toll that being back on the road would take on me,” the Grammy nominee explained.
He continued, “I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away.”
“After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger,” Shawn wrote. “I unfortunately have to cancel the rest of the tour dates in North America and the UK / Europe.”
The singer added, “We were hopeful that I might be able to pick up with the rest of the dates after some much needed time off, but at this time I have to put my health as my first priority.”
Shawn said he will also be using this time to focus on “making new music.” The “Stitches” singer apologized to his fans for pulling the plug on his Wonder Tour, adding, “I know you all have been waiting do long to see these shows, and it breaks my heart to tell you this but I promise I will be back as soon as I’ve taken the right time to heal.”
Earlier this month, the Canadian superstar announced he was postponing his tour for three weeks and said in a since-deleted post he “hit a breaking point.”
Drake has unveiled his latest capsule collection for NOCTA, his sportswear label in collaboration with Nike.
The basketball line features hoodies, t-shirts, fleece sweatpants, basketball jerseys, compression tights, headbands and more.
Drake touted the collection on social media and shouted out the Nike Elite Youth Basketball players, who modeled the new designs. “Sometimes You Sometimes Me Always Us…” he wrote, referencing the brand’s slogan. “The next generation of superstar athletes are family members already.”
Prices range from $12 to $120, and the collection is available on Nike.com and NOCTA.com.
Lollapalooza is expanding once again, this time to Asia.
The inaugural edition of Lollapalooza India will take place January 28-29, 2023 in the city of Mumbai. The festival will feature 40 acts spread across four stages.
The lineup and exact venue details will be announced at a later date. Until then, you can stay tuned to LollaIndia.com.
Lollapalooza was founded in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell as a touring festival. In 2005, Lolla was retooled as a destination festival taking place in Chicago’s Grant Park, where it’s been held ever since.
Starting in 2011, Lollapalooza expanded internationally to South America with a festival in Chile and then in Brazil and Argentina. The festival has since widened to Europe with events in France, Germany and Sweden.
The U.S. Lollapalooza takes place this year July 28-31. The lineup includes Green Day, Metallica, Machine Gun Kelly, Glass Animals, Porno for Pyros, Måneskin, WILLOW and Royal Blood.
Luke Combs may have his next business venture in mind.
In a round of CMA’s “Ask Another Artist,” Thomas Rhett asked Luke now that he’s launched his own line of Crocs what he has in store for his next business idea.
“Probably more Crocs I think would be a good start,” Luke responds. While he’s considering expanding on his Crocs line, the “Beer Never Broke My Heart” singer is also open to putting his mark on other types of footwear.
“I’d love to do boots I think,” he said, showing off a pair of cowboy boots he was wearing that faded from golden yellow on top into dark brown on the foot. “These are pretty stylin,’ so maybe boots is the next play.”
Luke has had four collections of Crocs to date, the latest being a fuzzy-lined pair of white Crocs boasting a skull emblem.
The Kinks have announced plans for the latest in a series of expanded 50th-anniversary reissues, this one focusing on two of the lauded U.K. band’s albums — 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies and 1972’s Everybody’s in Show-Biz – Everybody’s a Star.
The collection, which can be pre-ordered now, will be released on September 9 in multiple formats and configurations, including a box set featuring six vinyl LPs, four CDs, a Blu-ray, a 52-page hardback book, a badge, glossy photos and more.
Additionally, remastered versions of Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody’s in Show-Biz will be released as standalone CD and LP packages, while a two-CD set featuring both albums and select bonus remixes will also be available.
Muswell Hillbillies found The Kinks reflecting on growing up in the London area of Muswell Hill and celebrating the American music and culture that influenced them. The album includes the gem “20th Century Man.”
Everybody’s in Show-Biz – Everybody’s a Star was a double album that featured a studio disc of new songs and a live disc recorded at the band’s two-show engagement at New York’s Carnegie Hall in March of 1972. The studio portion includes the classic singles “Celluloid Heroes” and “Supersonic Rocket Ship.”
The box sets, LPs and CDs feature remastered versions of the two albums as well as 11 new remixes by Kinks frontman Ray Davies. The Blu-ray contains an unseen 15-minute 1971 home movie shot and narrated by Ray.
In advance of the collection’s arrival, a new edit version of “Celluloid Heroes” has been released as a digital video, while a companion video boasting archival footage of the band has been posted on YouTube.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning and will end “his strict isolation measures,” according to the physician to the president, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
The negative test comes less than one week after the president’s first positive test on Thursday morning.
Biden finished his five-day course of Paxlovid 36 hours ago, O’Connor wrote in a memo Wednesday morning that was subsequently released by the White House.
“His symptoms have been steadily improving, and are almost completely resolved,” O’Connor wrote.
The president is set to address the public from the Rose Garden later Wednesday.
He “will give remarks after his negative test about a case that was mild thanks to the tools this administration has worked hard to make available to the American people,” an administration official told reporters. “He will discuss the progress we have made against COVID and encourage eligible Americans to get vaccinated and boosted.”
The president likely had the highly contagious BA.5 subvariant, and his symptoms had included a runny nose, cough, sore throat, a slight fever and body aches. O’Connor never reported any abnormalities in Biden’s pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate or oxygen saturation throughout his infection.
Biden told reporters Monday that all his test results were “good” and “on the button.”
Biden will now end his strict isolation measures after being confined to the White House residence since his diagnosis. Biden continued to work in isolation, posting a photograph on Twitter Monday of him and his dog, Commander, saying he “took some calls this morning with man’s best co-worker.”
The president tweeted a picture of his negative test on Wednesday and said that he’s returning to the Oval Office.
Biden “continues to be very specifically conscientious to protect any of the Executive Residence, White House, Secret Service and other staff whose duties require any (albeit socially distanced) proximity to him,” O’Connor wrote in his memo on Wednesday. “For this reason, he will wear a well-fitting mask for 10 full days any time he is around others.”
Biden will increase his testing cadence in light of the possibility of a Paxlovid “rebound,” O’Connor wrote, referring to a seemingly rare but increasingly reported phenomenon in which COVID symptoms recur or there is the development of a new positive viral test after having tested negative.
The president is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots, but at the age of 79 was considered to be at a higher risk for severe illness.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, stressed after Biden’s diagnosis that all Americans should take advantage of vaccinations and treatments courses.
“This is a president who’s double-vaccinated, double-boosted, getting treatments that are widely available to Americans and has at this moment a mild respiratory illness,” Jha told ABC’s This Week on Sunday. “This is really good news, and this is both vaccines and treatments that are available to everyone. Really important that people go out and get vaccinated and avail themselves of these treatments if they get infected.”
First lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both tested negative for COVID-19 after spending time with the president before his diagnosis.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Tal Axelrod, Ben Gittleson, Alexandra Hutzler and Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
Bush has announced a new album called The Art of Survival.
The ninth studio effort from the “Glycerine” rockers arrives October 7. It’s the follow-up to 2020’s The Kingdom, which includes the single “Flowers on a Grave.”
The first preview of The Art of Survival is a song called “More than Machines,” which alludes to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“This is an action-packed song with three really big topics,” says frontman Gavin Rossdale. “Off the bat, I don’t understand how anyone has the audacity to get involved or assume responsibility for women’s bodies. I wanted to reference that because it’s important to discuss.”
“As much as the song is about the destruction of women’s rights, it’s about the destruction of the planet and the move for A.I. and a world of robots to replace us,” he continues. “It’s a topic we’ve heard since the fifties. I’m not here to teach anything though; my job is medieval like a town crier. I come into town with my elixirs and sing about it, so it hopefully goes out into the universe.”
You can listen to “More than Machines” now via digital outlets. An accompanying lyric video will premiere Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET on YouTube.
Bush will hit the road this summer on a U.S. tour with Alice in Chains and Breaking Benjamin. The outing kicks off August 10 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
Here’s the track list for The Art of Survival:
“Heavy Is the Ocean”
“Slow Me”
“More Than Machines”
“May Your Love Be Pure”
“Shark Bite”
“Human Sand”
“Kiss Me I’m Dead”
“Identity”
“Creatures of the Fire”
“Judas Is a Riot”
“Gunfight”
“1000 Years”
