(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 108, Boston 105
Memphis 118, Detroit 88
New Orleans 101, Golden State 96
Phoenix 106, LA Clippers 89
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 2
New Jersey 3, Columbus 1
San Jose 3, Buffalo 2
Tampa Bay 4, Calgary 1
Minnesota 3, Boston 2
Dallas 6, Florida 5 (SO)
Colorado 7, Winnipeg 1
Arizona 6, Chicago 4
Vegas 5, NY Rangers 1
Nashville 4, Los Angeles 2
Toronto at Montreal (Postponed)
Ottawa at Seattle (Postponed)
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA 96, Long Beach St. 78
Southern Cal 77, California 63
Indiana 67, Ohio St. 51
Wisconsin 87, Iowa 78
San Francisco at Gonzaga (Postponed)
UCLA at Stanford (Postponed)
One year ago Saturday, back on January 8, 2021, a 17-year-old Disney star named Olivia Rodrigo released a song called “drivers license” — and then proceeded to utterly dominate the pop music world for the rest of the year.
“It was just crazy. Like, my entire life shifted in an instant. It was weird!” Olivia told The New York Timesa month-and-a-half after the song’s release, by which time it’d topped charts worldwide.
A year ago, Olivia was best known as the star of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Her song “All I Want” from that latter series had gone viral on TikTok, and she’d teased “drivers license” on the app in 2020, hinting that it was about a “failed relationship.”
After the song’s release, fans on TikTok drove themselves into a frenzy speculating that the person who inspired it was her HSMTMTS co-star Joshua Barrett, and the two were part of a love triangle with “that blonde girl” — actress/singer Sabrina Carpenter. None of that speculation has ever been confirmed.
On January 10, Olivia’s hero, Taylor Swift, noting that “drivers license” was next to her song on iTunes, posted, “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud.” On January 12, the song broke the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for a non-holiday song, and then set the record for the biggest first week for a song on both Spotify and Amazon Music.
“drivers license” debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Olivia the youngest artist ever to achieve that feat. By the end of February, the song had inspired an entire skit on Saturday Night Live, Olivia had turned 18 and was being hailed as the second coming of both Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette.
But “drivers license” was just the beginning: It was followed by four additional hits from Olivia’s number-one debut album, SOUR, plus three MTV VMA wins, an American Music Award, a People’s Choice Award and seven Grammy nominations.
The Cars‘ Elliot Easton and The Scorpions‘ Matthias Jabs are among a variety of artists who will take part in the NAMM organization’s Believe in Music online event, which is scheduled for January 20 and 21.
Taking place instead of the annual in-person NAMM Show music-equipment trade conference — which has been moved to the summer — Believe in Music is a global online gathering that will help unify and provide support for the people and organizations that bring music to the world.
Believe in Music will offer a variety of free music-business-related presentations, including artist interviews, performances, round-table discussions, forums, tutorials, gear unveilings and more.
Easton and Jabs both will be participating in interviews on January 20, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. ET, respectively.
Other artists also taking part in interview events include rock-guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd and Struts members Luke Spiller and Adam Slack.
The 2022 NAMM Show has been combined with the Summer NAMM conference, and is scheduled to take place July 3-5 at California’s Anaheim Convention Center.
You can now add Shark to the long list of titles held by Kevin Hart when the actor, investor, and entrepreneur joins as a guest Shark on Friday night’s episode of ABC’s Shark Tank.
The moment is one that Hart says is “amazing” and praises Sharks Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, and Lori Greiner for what they’ve built.
“You’re looking at some of the most influential people in business today, and they not only have made successes for themselves throughout their career, you’re looking at a television show that’s been around for 13 seasons,” he says.
In addition to working alongside some very successful people, Hart says that he didn’t just appear on the show to benefit himself, but to help others as well.
“If I can reach back and give opportunities to others, to people of my community, to the younger generation that is coming up that should be our future leaders of tomorrow and our future groundbreakers of today and tomorrow, why not?” he asks. “I’m not in the business of just doing it for me. You know, I think that’s the role that we all play when we get to sit in these chairs is the role of opportunity for not just ourselves, but others.”
Speaking of helping others, the True Story star shares that the best piece of business advice he’s ever gotten was “never try to be the smartest person in the room,” adding, “You’re really good when you understand that it takes the talent of others to make you better in the vision that you have become a reality.”
Even though Hart is head of several companies, when it comes to home life, his wife, Eniko, runs the show.
“I can’t say I’m the boss at all. She runs that household, that’s her domain,” he explains.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A National Response Team is being activated to help with the investigation into Wednesday’s devastating fire in Philadelphia.
A residential fire in a converted apartment building killed 12 people, including eight children. Officials initially reported 13 people had been killed while conducting search and recovery efforts.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke, heat and limited visibility on all floors.
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire along with help from the Philadelphia Police Department and the federal NRT, part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The deployment of the NRT came at the request of the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office given the magnitude and the scope of the fire, the bureau said in a statement.
“We’re grateful for the assistance as we continue to investigate the heartbreaking fire on 23rd Street,” the Philadelphia Fire Department said in a tweet.
Firefighters were able to rescue one child from the fire, but the child didn’t survive.
“This is a very tragic event in which the community sustained such a great loss of life,” said Matthew Varisco, special agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “ATF will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to assist in any way possible.”
(ATLANTA) — Most American adults are not getting enough of their fruits and vegetables, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with even greater disparities found for those living in poverty.
The report, published Thursday, found that only 10% of adults are eating the recommended daily serving of vegetables, and slightly more — 12.3% — are consuming enough fruit.
The recommendations are based on dietary guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, which advise that adults incorporate 2 to 3 cups of vegetables and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit into their diet each day. Eating sufficient fruits and vegetables “can help protect against some chronic conditions that are among the leading causes of mortality in the United States,” the study noted.
Researchers identified notable regional and demographic differences.
Some 16% of Connecticut adults met fruit recommendations while only 8% of West Virginia adults did. Meanwhile, 16% of Vermont adults met fruit recommendations but only 6% of Kentucky adults did.
Women met the recommendations more often than men, while people over 50 met them more often than their younger counterparts, researchers found. Additionally, Black people reached the vegetable goal less often than white or Hispanic people.
Those living below or close to the poverty level were the least likely to meet vegetable recommendations, at 6.8%, the study found.
“Additional policies and programs that will increase access to fruits and vegetables in places where U.S. residents live, learn, work, and play, might increase consumption and improve health,” the study stated.
The study was conducted through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which has been collecting information on American fruit and vegetable consumption for over 30 years, and included 294,566 participants.
The survey included data from 2019, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers noted that barriers to healthy foods, such as cost and limited availability and access, “might have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Among its recommendations, the CDC advised that states and communities can support community retail programs “to attract grocery stores and supermarkets to underserved communities to improve community food quality,” as well as promote participation in federal nutrition assistance programs that help low-income people buy healthy foods.
Pandemic-related supply chain issues have particularly impacted people in food deserts, Geri Henchy, director of nutrition policy for the Food Research & Action Center, told ABC News.
“People who live in communities that had issues around the availability of quality, affordable produce, those issues have gotten worse during COVID because of the supply chain problems,” she said.
MORE: How to help feed your community with virtual food drives, donations this holiday season
Henchy also agreed that promoting participation in federal food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, will be key, especially after boosts to both during the pandemic.
This past fall, the average SNAP benefit increased by $36.24 per person each month, and the government extended increased fruit and vegetable WIC benefits through March. Those measures should have a positive impact on food and vegetable consumption, though “of course we have a lot of people who are eligible who aren’t in the programs,” said Henchy.
Just over 80% of eligible Americans participate in SNAP, while about half of those eligible for WIC participate, according to the most recent federal data.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 832,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.3% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 06, 7:18 pm
Chicago cancels classes for 3rd day
Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third largest school district, canceled instruction on Friday for the third day in a row amid an impasse over in-person learning.
Classes were first canceled Wednesday, and then again on Thursday, after a majority of the Chicago Teachers Union’s membership voted this week in favor of remote learning during a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The district said Thursday evening that all classes will be canceled on Friday, though some schools may be able to offer in-person activities for students.
“Our schools are the best, safest place for students to be during this pandemic, and we are working tirelessly to get everyone back in class every day,” Pedro Martinez, head of the school district, said in a letter to families, noting that they are continuing to work with the union “to resolve this situation.”
The teacher’s union is calling for more robust school COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.
Jan 06, 6:43 pm
J&J says vaccine offers lower initial efficacy but more stable protection over time
Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine offers lower initial efficacy compared to Pfizer’s and Moderna’s, but protection against breakthrough infection remains more stable over time, according to a new study sponsored by the pharmaceutical company.
The study found that the J&J vaccine was 74% effective against breakthrough infection in the weeks following the shot. This level of protection held steady over the next three months and started waning after the fourth month.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, meanwhile, were 88% and 92% effective, respectively, against breakthrough infection in the weeks following the second dose, the study found. This level of protection started waning after the second month, falling progressively over six months.
Protection against severe illness remained more stable over time for all three vaccines.
The analysis, which has not been peer-reviewed, looked at data from 168 million people between Jan. 1 and Sept. 7 of last year. It covers a period of alpha and delta variant dominance, but the results could change now that the omicron variant is also present.
The data supports current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for booster shots after two months for the J&J vaccine to bring initial efficacy higher, and booster shots for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines after five and six months, respectively, to boost efficacy after a period of waning.
-ABC News’ Sony Salzman
Jan 06, 4:44 pm
Less than 0.1% of fully vaccinated adults get severe COVID-19: CDC
COVID-19 vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness and death from the virus, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Thursday.
The study looked at 1.2 million fully vaccinated adults who received either two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Just 0.18% of patients had breakthrough COVID-19 infections, and 0.015% developed serious illness that led to hospitalization, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, intubation or death.
The small portion of people who did become seriously sick or die of COVID-19 after being vaccinated were primarily older adults, immunocompromised people or those living with multiple underlying medical conditions.
The study was conducted before the emergence of the omicron variant, which appears to more easily evade — at least partially — the protection offered by vaccines.
-ABC News’ Sony Salzman
Jan 06, 3:55 pm
About 126,000 Americans hospitalized with COVID-19
An estimated 126,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Of those patients, about one-sixth — or 21,000 — are in intensive care units.
The spread of the omicron variant is pushing the U.S. closer to the hospitalization record set last winter when 140,000 patients with the virus were hospitalized .
Meanwhile, the country is averaging 554,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, a five-fold increase from a month ago, federal data shows.
Over the last week, the U.S. has reported about 3.88 million COVID-19 infections, which averages out to about six Americans testing positive every second.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 06, 2:34 pm
More than 800 LA firefighters, police officers test positive
More than 800 staff members at fire and police departments in Los Angeles have tested positive for COVID-19, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday.
Currently, 505 police officers and 299 firefighters are quarantining after receiving positive results.
“These are big numbers. Numbers that are reflecting the staffing challenges that all of us face,” Garcetti said during a press conference outside a fire station.
He added that five out of six employees in both departments are fully vaccinated, complying with the vaccine mandate set in place for city employees.
Garcetti said that despite the number of officers and firefighters absent from work, the city is still protected.
“Both LAPD and LAFD have maintained staffing levels that are needed to keep Angelenos safe, and we have maintained staffing levels to make sure you, your family, our communities are safe,” he said.
Jan 06, 12:33 pm
WHO says global cases increased by 71% last week
Global cases of COVID-19 “increased sharply,” the World Health Organization wrote in its weekly epidemiological update published Thursday.
Cases of the virus increased 71% during the week ending Jan. 2 compared to the previous week, meaning there were 9.5 million new infections of COVID-19 reported around the world, according to the WHO.
The Americas saw the largest increase at 100% followed by Southeast Asia at 78% and Europe at 63%.
The United States saw the most COVID-19 cases last week followed by the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy.
The WHO added that there was a 10% decrease in the number of new deaths compared to the week prior with more than 41,000 virus-related fatalities recorded.
Jan 06, 11:17 am
1.3 million people in UK have long COVID, data shows
An estimated 1.3 million people in the United Kingdom are suffering from long COVID, according to new data published Thursday by the UK’s Office for National Statistics.
Long COVID is a condition in which patients who recover from the virus still experience symptoms for weeks — or even months or years — later.
The ONS said the figure, which is based on self-reported symptoms, equates to 2% of the population living with long COVID.
Fatigue was the most common symptom, reported by 51% of those surveyed. Other common symptoms included loss of smell (37%), shortness of breath (36%) and difficulty concentrating (28%).
About 64% said their long COVID symptoms made it difficult for them to carry out day-to-day activities.
Long COVID was most commonly reported in those between ages 35 and 69, females, people living in poorer areas or those working in health care or education, according to the ONS.
Jan 06, 4:05 am
American Medical Association criticizes CDC’s new guidance
The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest association of physicians, has criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new quarantine and isolation guidance for COVID-19, saying the recommendations “are risking further spread of the virus.”
The CDC updated its guidelines on Dec. 27, saying asymptomatic people who test positive for COVID-19 should self-isolate for five days rather than 10.
“The American people should be able to count on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for timely, accurate, clear guidance to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Instead, the new recommendations on quarantine and isolation are not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus,” the American Medical Association’s president, Dr. Gerald E. Harmon, said in a statement Wednesday night.
Harmon referenced data cited by the CDC in its rationale for shortening the isolation period, which estimates 31% of people remain infectious five days after a positive COVID-19 test, suggesting that data proves thousands of Americans could return to their lives while still infected.
“With hundreds of thousands of new cases daily and more than a million positive reported cases on January 3, tens of thousands — potentially hundreds of thousands of people — could return to work and school infectious if they follow the CDC’s new guidance on ending isolation after five days without a negative test,” Harmon said. “Physicians are concerned that these recommendations put our patients at risk and could further overwhelm our health care system.”
Harmon said a negative COVID-19 test should be required for ending isolation after a positive test, as reentering society without knowing whether an individual is still positive ultimately risks further transmission of the virus.
Although test availability remains an issue nationwide, Harmon also called on the Biden administration to ramp up production and distribution of tests, adding that “a dearth of tests at the moment does not justify omitting a testing requirement to exit a now shortened isolation.”
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 06, 3:16 am
Chicago cancels school for 2nd day
Officials in Chicago canceled all public school classes on Thursday amid discussions about classroom safety with the city’s teachers.
Classes had been canceled on Wednesday after a majority of the Chicago Teachers Union’s membership voted in favor of remote learning during a surge in COVID-19 cases. School officials called their action an illegal strike.
“In a time of crisis related to this pandemic, the worst possible thing we can do is abandon the science and data,” Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot said on Twitter. “If you care about our students and families as we do, we will not relent. We are standing firm and fighting to get our kids back to in-person learning.”
Teachers were locked out of their remote classrooms on Wednesday, according to the union. Union leaders asked members to again try to log in on Thursday, urging them post photos on social media.
The union on Wednesday filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Chicago Board of Education.
“We have rights to safety and we’ve been at the bargaining table for 20 months to secure those rights,” Jesse Sharkey, the union’s president, said in a statement.
Chicago Public Schools are among the largest in the country, with about 340,000 students in 636 schools.
Jan 06, 2:43 am
TSA reports more than 3,000 employee cases
The Transportation Security Administration reported 3,037 current COVID-19 infections on Wednesday.
The agency’s infections have increased by about 16% in two days, according to TSA data.
The agency, which employs about 60,000, said it’s had a cumulative 15,191 COVID-19 cases. The agency said 12,154 employees have recovered and 33 have died.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Jan 05, 9:02 pm
CDC signs off on Pfizer boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has given the final go-ahead for children ages 12 to 15 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster.
“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement endorsing the CDC advisory panel’s recommendation to expand booster eligibility.
The CDC recommends that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 get a Pfizer booster five months after their second dose.
Billie Joe Armstrong thinks the Grammys should say “Good Riddance” to its current trophy.
In an Instagram Story, the Green Day frontman shared a photo of him holding his Best Alternative Music Performance award the band won in 1994 for Dookie, alongside the caption “Grammys need to come up with a new trophy.”
He then added, “No one knows what the f*** a ‘gramophone’ is.”
Indeed, the music playing device that gave the Grammys its name, which was first invented in the late 1800s, certainly isn’t as popular nowadays. Armstrong did not suggest a replacement design, though.
Should the Recording Academy decide to tinker with the Grammy trophy design, they do have some extra time to do it. Earlier this week, it was announced that the 2022 Grammys would be postponed from its originally announced January 31 date due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. A new date has yet to be announced.
David Bowie‘s estate has announced new special releases in conjunction with the ongoing Bowie 75 campaign commemorating what would’ve been the late rock legend’s 75th birthday this Saturday, January 8.
Five Bowie albums from the latter part of his career — 2002’s Heathen, 2003’s Reality, the 2010 A Reality Tour live album, 2013’s The Next Day and 2016’s ★ (a.k.a. Blackstar) — have been remixed for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format and will be released via select streaming services on January 21.
The mixes were created by longtime Bowie studio collaborator and frequent co-producer Tony Visconti.
As previously reported, the 360 Reality Audio of Blackstar is getting its premiere today at the Bowie 75 pop-up stores in New York City and London. Also, 360 Reality Audio mixes of four tracks from the A Reality Tour album, which documents David’s final concert tour, will be streamed live tonight beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Bowie’s YouTube channel and at square.sony.com.
Listeners should wear headphones to enjoy the full 360-audio experience.
After the online livestream ends, viewers will be able to stream the performance on a smartphone using with the Artist Connection app, which can be downloaded at ArtistConnection.net.
(NEW YORK) — More than 90 million people around the country are expecting hazardous weather on Thursday into Friday morning.
Thirty-seven states are under winter weather alerts for heavy snow, ice, brutal cold and wind Thursday night.
More than 2,000 flights on Thursday have been canceled as of 5:30 p.m., with airports in Nashville, Denver and Chicago the most impacted, according to FlightAware. Over 1,500 flights on Friday have also been canceled, with airports in New York, Denver and Newark, New Jersey, among the most impacted.
There were numerous accidents around the country Thursday, with some interstates closed from Oregon to Michigan as the wild weather moved across the country.
Police in Nashville are investigating a multi-car collision on Interstate 40 that blocked off all the westbound lanes, according to WKRN.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a winter storm advisory and advised people to avoid any unnecessary travel in several parts of the state. Two weather systems are expected to produce snow and gusting winds, resulting in snow, ice-covered roads and low visibility, according to a statement from her office.
“Areas in Western New York and the North Country are already experiencing lake effect snow and we’re anticipating up to six inches of snow in Downstate regions between tonight and tomorrow morning,” Hochul said in a statement.
A winter storm is headed for the Interstate 95 corridor, where earlier this week, weather conditions left people trapped on the highway for more than 24 hours in Virginia.
The I-95 corridor is expected to see 3 to 6 inches of snow, with localized amounts of up to 8 inches in Massachusetts and Maine.
Virginia state officials and agencies are strongly cautioning drivers to stay off the roads due to the wintry conditions.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to the winter weather.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also declared a state of emergency Thursday, amid heavy snowfall across the state.
“We are urging Kentuckians to stay off the roads if possible,” Beshear said in a statement. “The weather we are continuing to see across Kentucky is dangerous.”
More than half a foot of snow is possible in Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Dozens of schools announced they will be closed on Thursday due to weather conditions, according to Memphis ABC affiliate WATN.
The storm system is moving out of the central Plains and the Mid-South and will form into a coastal low, bringing a widespread snow event from Nashville, Tennessee, to Washington. D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
A winter storm warning is in place for Boston and Nashville and a winter weather advisory is in place for Washington. D.C., Philadelphia and New York City.
Nashville could see several inches of snow.
Areas, including New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, are expected to get the first significant snow of the season.
Snow begins in D.C. Thursday evening and will continue overnight. Snow starts in Philadelphia after midnight and in New York City after 2 a.m. and into the Friday morning commute. Snow in Boston will begin before the morning commute and continue into the afternoon.
Behind the eastern snowstorm, an arctic outbreak is moving in with wind chills as low as minus 60 degrees in the northern Plains.
Brutal cold continues to spread from Montana to Illinois where wind chill alerts are in effect.
Near-zero wind chills are expected for Friday morning in Nashville and in the teens from Dallas to Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta.
