(NEW YORK) — Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez are “grateful” for their newborn daughter.
After revealing the devastating loss of their newborn son on Monday, the couple took to Instagram to share a family photo and thank fans for the outpouring of love and support they’ve received in the past few days.
“Home sweet home. Gio and our baby girl are finally together with us,” the pair wrote in the caption, alongside the snap which shows them with Ronaldo’s three children from previous relationships and their two children together.
“We want to thank everyone for all the kind words and gestures,” the Manchester United forward, 37, and the model, 28, continued. “Your support is very important and we all felt the love and respect that you have for our family.”
The caption concluded, “Now it’s time to be grateful for the life that we’ve just welcomed into this world.”
When announcing the death of their “baby boy,” which they called “the greatest pain that any parent can feel,” Ronaldo and Rodríguez said that “only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment.”
The duo first announced they were expecting twins in an Instagram post from October 2021.
As Jimmy Kimmel‘s youngest son Billy turns 5, the talk show host and his wife, Molly McNearney, are thanking doctors for “saving his life.”
On Instagram, Kimmel thanked doctors at Los Angeles’ Cedars Sinai hospital for performing a pair of heart surgeries on his boy, to correct a heart condition with which Billy was born.
“Happy 5th birthday to our little nut,” Kimmel captioned a picture of Billy smiling as he sits behind his birthday cake. “We are eternally grateful to the brilliant doctors and nurses at @ChildrensLA & @CedarsSinai for saving Billy’s life.
Kimmel added, “And to those of you whose donations, prayers and positive thoughts meant everything. Please support families who need medical care.”
Billy underwent his first open-heart surgery at just three days old, and had another when he was seven months old. His health took center stage after he was born in 2017, when Kimmel shared with his audience the trials the newborn was facing. “Poor kid. Not only did he get a bad heart, he got my face,” he said at the time.
Kimmel tearfully told viewers of Billy’s successful but “terrifying” first surgery, calling it, “the longest three hours of my life.” At the time, Kimmel individually named the “awe-inspiring” doctors and nurses who saved Billy and countless others.
His son’s health struggles led Kimmel to become an advocate for health care.
(NEW YORK) — Penn State University rose to national prominence in large part because of football and one man: Joe Paterno.
Paterno was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. With 409 wins, Paterno stands as the most victorious coach in NCAA Division 1 Football history.
Yet the nearly 46,000 students who fill the campus of Penn State University today would see very little evidence of the legendary coach. There are no statues, no celebrations and, out of the hundreds of buildings on campus, Paterno’s name remains only on the library.
A decade ago, all signs of Paterno had been erased after former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with multiple child sex abuse allegations. A new ESPN E60 documentary The Paterno Legacy examines Paterno’s storied and sullied career.
“Some of those assaults allegedly occurred while Sandusky was a coach at Penn State, while others happened on the Penn State campus and elsewhere after Sandusky had retired from his coaching position,” said former Attorney General Linda Kelly.
On Nov. 5, 2011, after more than three years of investigation, Sandusky was charged with 52 counts of sexually molesting eight boys from 1994 to 2009. In 2012, he was convicted of the sexual abuse of 10 boys during that time and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. He maintains his innocence.
Sandusky was an assistant on Paterno’s staff for 32 seasons, but had retired in 1999 to dedicate himself to a non-profit he’d founded to help at-risk children, The Second Mile. It was there where Sandusky had allegedly met his victims and, according to state prosecutors, Sandusky was enabled by some of the most powerful men at Penn State.
“Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President of Business and Finance Gary Schultz, their inaction likely allowed a child predator to continue to victimize children for many, many years,” said Kelly.
Curley and Schultz pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment in March 2017 in a plea deal that dropped three felony charges of child endangerment and conspiracy.
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier also was convicted of one misdemeanor charge of child endangerment the same year.
“It then became a university issue,” said Spanier. “And, of course, because Jerry Sandusky had been a coach and was allied in the public’s thinking with Penn State, then it became a Joe Paterno story.”
According to prosecutors, Paterno had been approached by a former graduate, assistant coach Mike McQueary, who told him about an incident that he had witnessed while inside the Penn State football facility in 2001. McQueary said when he went to the locker room after hours, he had heard what seemed like sexual sounds coming from the shower, and saw a young boy, naked, being sexually assaulted by Sandusky.
According to Jay Paterno, Joe Paterno’s son, McQueary had reported the incident to Joe Paterno.
“Whatever Mike told him, Joe then went to follow the university policy, follow state law and reported it up the chain, which is exactly what he’s supposed to do. And all that he’s allowed to do,” said Jay Paterno.
Prosecutors obtained an email exchange shortly after the shower incident was brought to Paterno’s attention. Spanier, Schultz and Curley discussed reporting the incident to the proper authorities, but ultimately decided not to report it at all.
Both Schultz and Curley have said they regret the decision to not report it at the time.
“Well, my biggest regret is that we didn’t turn it in for the department of welfare to investigate it. I think that’s what we should have done,” said Schultz.
At the time, Paterno was not accused of any wrongdoing, but he did become the focus of the public and the media. Many were angry with the head coach for not going to the police.
Paterno died at the age of 85 in 2012, the same year that the NCAA vacated all of Penn State’s wins from 1998 through 2011 as punishment for the program’s lack of action. Three years later, the NCAA agreed in a settlement to restore Paterno’s 111 wins between 1998 and 2011.
Former player Matt Millen played for Penn State and Sandusky. He said that learning about the incident felt “visceral” and he was deeply disappointed that Paterno didn’t use his considerable power to do more.
“This is more than a football legacy. This is about people,” said Millen. “And if we can’t protect our kids we, as a society, are pathetic.”
(NEW YORK) — The megadrought that has plagued the West for several decades is not only expected to persist, but drought conditions will also likely intensify and expand east, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
About 55% of the continental U.S. is experiencing drought conditions, which will likely worsen in the Great Plains, particularly the central and southern Plains, such as Texas and Oklahoma, NOAA scientists said during a monthly climate call Thursday.
These areas will be experiencing extreme fire danger on Friday as conditions are worsened by the arid landscape and ground fuel that allows wildfires to explode. The region will likely see well below the average precipitation as the summer months approach, according to NOAA.
Many places in the West have been experiencing drought for three consecutive years without any significant recovery in sight.
California and Nevada are already breaking records for dryness this year, after they both had their driest period of January through March on record. This is the time of year that the region typically receives the most rain and snow, making the statistic all the more concerning, the scientists said. California’s snowpack is currently at 30% of its average.
So far in 2022, California has only received 15% of its normal precipitation. In 2021, California received 65% of its normal precipitation during this same period.
This year will likely be among the top 10 warmest on record, according to NOAA. Globally, March was sixth warmest on record, and record warm March temperatures were observed across 5% of the global area, according to NOAA.
In Antarctica, where summer just transitioned to fall, one station reached its highest temperature ever recorded, and temperatures at one point were up to 70 degrees above average, the scientists said.
Research indicates that climate change is contributing to the extent, severity and duration of the drought in the Western U.S. The drought is likely to cost the U.S. billions of dollars in 2022, the scientists said.
(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that the public health agency is looking into a cluster of hepatitis cases among children.
According to a press release, the federal agency is studying nine hepatitis cases in Alabama “of unknown origin in children ranging in age from 1 to 6 years old, all of whom were previously healthy.” The children have also tested positive for adenovirus infection, which most commonly causes respiratory illness, but depending on the type, can cause gastrointestinal infection in children.
How significant is this national health alert?
The rise in hepatitis cases in the U.S. mirrors an increase in cases among youths in the U.K.
“It falls under the category of the fact that the CDC is actively engaged in non-COVID surveillance and this is a perfect example of that,” ABC News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jen Ashton told Good Morning America.
“Hepatitis — that umbrella term for inflammation of the liver — can be caused by viruses but it can also be caused by toxins, medications. [It’s] very unusual to see it in this pediatric population,” Ashton added.
Should parents be concerned?
Parents should be aware that there are cases where children are getting sick and if they notice symptoms or suspect a case of hepatitis or liver inflammation, they should consult their child’s pediatrician immediately.
“At this point, this is rare. It’s just something CDC is keeping an eye on,” Ashton said.
What causes hepatitis?
Hepatitis viruses are the most common cause of hepatitis in the world, including hepatitis A, B, and C, but they’ve been ruled out in the Alabama cluster. Researchers at the CDC suspect that the adenovirus infections may have caused the pediatric hepatitis cases and are still working to find out more information.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis?
Hepatitis symptoms include jaundice or yellowing of the skin and eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting, dark-colored urine, or pale bowel movements.
What can parents do?
The CDC recommends that children receive vaccinations for hepatitis A and B. There is currently no vaccine available for hepatitis C.
(WASHINGTON) — The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday indefinitely barred 29 more Americans from entering Russia, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in what it said was retaliation for “ever-expanding anti-Russian sanctions” by the United States.
Addressing the latest Russian sanctions at Thursday’s press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price — who was also targeted — said it was “nothing less than an accolade to have earned the ire of a government that lies to its own people, brutalizes its neighbors, and seeks to create a world where freedom and liberty are put on the run — and if they had their way, extinguished.”
“Similarly, it is a great honor to share that enmity with other truth-tellers,” Price added, naming his counterparts, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby and White House press secretary Jen Psaki, “as well as a number of journalists who have done incredible work, sharing the jarring, bloody truth of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.”
In a release, the Russian Foreign Ministry cited the 29 individuals sanctioned Thursday as people who “form the Russophobic agenda.”
Second gentlemen Doug Emhoff, White House chief of staff Ron Klain, ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan were also included on the so-called “stop list.”
Last month, Russia also sanctioned President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and all 398 members of Congress from entering the country.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States Army has announced new policies to expand soldiers’ and their family’s health.
The 12-part directive expands previous policies such as allowing paid medical leave for pregnancies and pregnancy losses for soldiers and/or their spouses. It also creates new policies such as ones addressing soldiers and spouses going through fertilization treatment.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth signed the Army’s Parenthood, Pregnancy and Postpartum directive 2022-06 on Thursday.
“It’s recognizing that in 2022, we have all different kinds of families going through all different kinds of life issues, and we can really take care of our families so we can retain our soldiers,” Maj. Sam Winkler said during a roundtable at the Pentagon on Thursday.
These changes stemmed from a grassroots movement within the Army and a Facebook group called The Army Mom Life, which has 8.2 thousand members.
One of those members is Staff Sgt. Nicole Pierce. Pierce worked with a committee at the Army headquarters to review the branch’s policies on pregnancy, parenthood and postpartum.
Pierce pushed for the Army to acknowledge the need for soldiers to have medical leave for parents who may have a miscarriage or a stillbirth.
Pierce had her first pregnancy in 2016. Unfortunately, it ended in a miscarriage. Pierce was expected to return to work two days later.
“I actually ended up asking my doctor, ‘hey, can I get a little bit more time. I just lost my child. My whole life just changed before my eyes. Can I get a little bit more time?’ And my doctor actually came back and said there were no complications with your surgery, so no you can’t have more time,” Pierce said during a roundtable.
She ended up using her vacation days to take two weeks off “to be able to process and mourn the loss of my family and the future I thought I was going to have,” Pierce explained.
Now, soldiers are allowed paid medical leave when either themselves or their spouse have a baby, a miscarriage or a stillbirth. The Army is the first U.S. branch to allow male soldiers the time to grieve after a pregnancy loss. Soldiers in the Reserve Components are also now given paid parental leave.
In addition, the Army is allowing parents to be excused up to a year after a birth, adoption or long-term foster care placement from working more than a regular shift. This includes deployment, field training, temporary duty assignments, etc.
Pierce also pushed to remove a rule that did not allow expecting soldiers to attend or complete the necessary class to be promoted. Now, the new directive will help prevent soldiers who have children from falling behind in their careers due to pregnancy.
She had her first child in 2019, but it set her back in her classes to be promoted since she was not allowed to be in them. She was back in the field working four months postpartum, and that was when she found out she was pregnant again. She had her second child in 2020 but was not able to get a spot in the class required to get a promotion until March 2021.
“I’m very excited that I can sleep better at night knowing that other moms will not have to go through the same things that I had to go through,” Pierce said.
Some other new policies coming from the directive include pregnant soldiers are now eligible to apply and compete for Active-Duty Operational Support tours (domestic tours). Soldiers also cannot be immediately released from active duty (REFRAD) after becoming pregnant.
Previous policies are being expanded to include allowing lactation breaks for lactating soldiers every 2-3 hours for at least 30 minutes in specific spaces that are not just restrooms. This policy is in place for as long as a soldier is lactating, for up to two years.
Right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies drink exclusively breast milk for the first six months and then a mix of breast milk and other foods for at least the first year. The directive takes these new guidelines into consideration.
The directive also extends Postpartum Body Composition (height/weight requirements) Exemptions from 6 months to a year, extends Physical Fitness Testing Exemptions for during and a year after their pregnancy.
Soldiers are also now excused from wearing service uniforms during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Before, soldiers had to have their uniforms altered or buy completely new uniforms. Now, soldiers can wear a combination of Army Combat Uniforms and maternity uniforms.
Another new policy now in place impacts soldiers who either themselves or their spouse is undergoing fertility treatment. Now, a soldier will be able to stay at their current base for one year, with the ability to extend for another year while they or their spouse pursues fertility treatment.
Army leaders will receive additional education and training for the following all of the new procedures, family planning and resources available.
The U.S. Army has more than 400,000 parents. That includes 29,000 single fathers, outnumbering the number of single mother soldiers by three-to-one.
To help these families, the Army will now require soldiers with children to be given at least three weeks’ notice ahead of time for duty requirements outside of normal duty hours when they have a Family Care Plan.
“We want to normalize parenthood,” Winkler said. “We really think that normalizing parenthood will not only retain our best soldiers but also really help us in recruiting the best talent out there that is available to the force.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs is hosting and executive-producing this year’s Billboard Music Awards.
His involvement in the ceremony comes 25 years after he won his first Billboard Music Award in 1997 for his album No Way Out. The music mogul last appeared on the BBMAs stage in 2017, when he made a surprise appearance to commemorate The Notorious B.I.G.
“This will be unlike any awards show – I’m bringing the love and setting the frequency at an all-time high,” Diddy says in a statement. “The Billboard Music Awards truly represent the artists and where music is today, so I’m excited to curate the biggest live performances and surprises. The world has to tune in to see.”
The BBMAs air live from Las Vegas Sunday, May 15 at 8 P.M. ET / 5 P.M. PT on NBC. As previously reported, Mary J. Blige will be honored with the Icon Award. Burna Boy, Latto and Megan Thee Stallion are among the performers.
(NEW YORK) — As millions take to the skies each day and airlines forecast what could be the most profitable summer ever, Americans should prepare for higher prices, more cancellations, and smaller airports losing all scheduled flight service.
Never before have U.S. airlines been more desperate for pilots. The massive pilot shortage affects not only the airlines but also the millions who fly each year.
Prepare for higher fares
U.S. airlines hope to add 13,000 pilots just this year, but America produces only between 5000 and 7000 pilots annually, according to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. With fewer pilots, supply will be limited and ticket prices will continue to climb with demand.
“The pilot shortage for the industry is real and most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plan because there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least not for the next five plus years,” Kirby said. “The other really large airlines will also probably be able to attract enough pilots, but for anyone else, I just don’t think it’s mathematically possible to meet the pilot demand for the capacity plans that are out there.”
The U.S. will lose about half of its pilots to retirement in the next 15 years, according to the Regional Airline Association. American Airlines expects more than 5,000 of its 15,000 pilots to retire in the next seven years.
Earlier this month, American Airlines announced it would begin busing passengers from smaller cities to its hub in Philadelphia. JetBlue will cut its spring and summer flight schedule by 10 percent. In an earnings call Thursday, United’s Kirby said its regional partners have grounded 150 planes because of the pilot shortage.
“The airlines are underwater and trying to breathe through a straw,” American 737 Captain and Union spokesperson Dennis Tajer told ABC News. “Airlines are poaching each other’s pilots. It’s stunning the level of aggression.”
Mark Stinson is in flight school in Florida and still at least a year away from being qualified to join an airline, but the 31-year-old already has two job offers with regional airlines. Stinson says despite not having earned his commercial pilots license, one airline has offered to allow him to accrue vacation time the moment he signs a contract.
“The airlines are so hungry that they are taking just about anyone into these programs, and after pilots build enough hours they are applying directly into the majors,” Stinson says referring to the nation’s largest airlines. “Two of our instructors got hired directly with Spirit Airlines and will be going to training here shortly. They only have about 2 years’ experience. It’s insane. They will be airbus pilots in no time.”
American says it’s hiring 50-70 pilots each week in 2022, more than at any time in its history. United plans to hire more than 2000 pilots this year. United, Delta, American and Southwest pay among the highest salaries in the industry with United’s most senior pilots earning roughly $450,000 annually.
“The pilot shortage is real and it is grave. Larger airlines are able to recruit, but midsize and smaller airlines are having problems. Regional airlines, the airlines that operate the 50 to 75 seat airplanes that we see many airlines operate to small towns, they are really struggling and airlines have had to scale back or drop service to a lot of smaller communities,” Henry Harteveldt, president of travel analytics firm Atmosphere Research told ABC news.
Airline recruiters under extreme pressure to find pilots
Envoy Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, tells applicants they can earn up to $182,000 a year if a candidate promises to stay for at least two years and is certified to fly its Embraer regional jets.
“They’re reaching out to me, sending me emails. They don’t care. They just want to see that, you know, you’re getting your flight hours. They’ll do an interview with you and ask you a few HR questions, but then they just offer you the job automatically. So that’s how much in need they are of pilots,” Stinson said.
Why a shortage?
For several reasons: The FAA mandates pilots retire at 65, fewer pilots leaving the military, high cost and lengthy training times, and thousands of early retirements at the start of the pandemic.
During the second half of the 20th century, the military pumped out far more pilots than it does today; and now many of those pilots are rapidly approaching retirement. Obtaining a commercial pilot’s license today can easily cost between $80,000 and $170,000.
To help offset the shortage, United Airlines recently opened its own flight school, Aviate Academy. United plans to train 5000 pilots by 2030 and will subsidize training costs in return for a commitment to flying for the company.
Pilot fatigue
As travel demand rapidly increased in the months following the release of vaccinations, many airlines scheduled more flights than they could staff. Since last summer, we’ve seen multiple airline meltdowns.
“The airline management teams are trying to fly more than they have pilot staffing for,” American Capt. Dennis Tajer said. “We are seeing more fatigue reports than we’ve ever seen.”
Pilots from all major airlines have complained that their duty days are unpredictable, often running hours longer than scheduled and sometimes not knowing what day they will arrive back home. At Southwest, pilots say it’s not uncommon to arrive in a destination only to find out there is no hotel available.
“We are human beings and this is pressuring the margin of safety,” Tajer said.
Last week, pilots at Southwest wrote a letter to management about the more than 300% increase in pilot fatigue calls. If a pilot tells the airline he or she is fatigued, the pilot is automatically removed from the flight with no questions. This often results in delays and cancellations.
“Fatigue, both acute and cumulative, has become Southwest Airlines’ number-one safety threat,” the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, told airline management in a recent letter.
Delta Air Lines pilots echo that message and have begun picketing at airports.
‘We are being pushed to our limits’
“We’ve flown record amounts of overtime during the pandemic to help Delta operate its schedule and get our passengers safely to their destinations. In many cases, pilots are flying long after their day or trip was supposed to end. Delta cannot continue to operate the schedule at redline with no room for error,” Capt. Jason Ambrosi, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association said in a statement. “We are being pushed to our limits as Delta tries to add back flying and capture revenue.”Delta, Southwest, and American all responded, saying they constantly evaluate their schedules and that safety is their highest concern.
“We continuously evaluate our staffing models and plan ahead so that we can recover quickly when unforeseen circumstances arise, and the resilience of the Delta people is unmatched in that regard. Pilot schedules remain in line with all requirements set by the FAA as well as those outlined in our pilot contract,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
Southwest told ABC News it has revised its flight schedule to better match pilot supply.
“The increase is expected, as it’s common to experience an elevated level of fatigue calls during irregular operations and in March, the industry faced weather and airspace delays that resulted in disruptions across the network. The March increase in Pilot fatigue calls is a result of the system working as designed, allowing Crew to determine if they are too fatigued to fly,” Southwest wrote in a statement.
Solutions?
There are no quick fixes. Scott Kirby told investors that United plans to hire at least half the 5000 new pilots each year, adding it will be at least five or six years before there might be relief for the mid-size and regional airlines.
“Pilots salaries are higher than ever, and there’s never been a better time to be a commercial airline pilot,” Faye Malarkey Black, the President and CEO of the Regional Airline Association said in an interview with ABC News. “I will say we’ve made the grass on the other side of the fence very, very green. This is an attractive career with a really high ROI on the training dollar. The problem is, if you can’t get over the fence, it doesn’t matter how green the grass is on the other side, you can’t access it.”
Student loans can be difficult to obtain and expensive, making it impossible for some aspiring pilots. “You’re allowed to use a student loan to cover flight training, but it’s not enough. Student loan is capped in an undergraduate environment, and it doesn’t come close to covering the actual cost of a flight training degree,” Malarkey Black explained. Airline trade groups are lobbying for fundamental policy changes to ensure any aspiring pilot has the ability to attend flight school. For now there is no legislation on the table.
Bottom line
Consumers should expect higher fares, fewer flights, and more cancellations in the coming years.
However, If you are looking for a lucrative career and ready to put in the time and money, you likely won’t have a problem finding a job as an airline pilot.
Joe Maher/Disasters Emergency Committee/Getty Images for Livewire Pictures Ltd
As promised, Ed Sheeran‘s brand-new remix and music video for for his single “2step,” featuring rapper Lil Baby, dropped at the stroke of midnight.
A graphic at the beginning of the video explains that it was filmed in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine before the Russian invasion. Ed goes on to declare his support for Ukraine and notes that the royalties from YouTube streams of the video over the next 12 months will benefit the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
DEC charities and their local partners in Ukraine and in neighboring countries are working to provide food, water, shelter and medical assistance to those in need.
The clip shows Ed and a large group of people dancing in the streets, along with various aerial shots of the city.
Lil Baby shows up midway through the video and provides a rap to complement Ed’s wish for his lover to two-step with him all night long.
The original version of “2Step” appears on Ed’s latest album, = (Equals).
