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Omicron subvariant BA.2 now the dominant variant in the US, estimates show

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA) — The highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2 is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

As of March 26, BA.2 is projected to account for nearly 55% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., estimates show. The predominance of BA.2 comes as some parts of the country begin to see an uptick in new COVID-19 infections.

In particular, in recent weeks, the Northeast has seen an increase in its reported infection rate. In the New York-New Jersey region, where BA.2 is estimated to account for more than 70% of new cases, infections are up by nearly 47% in the last two weeks.

Similarly, wastewater surveillance indicates upticks in the New England area, where BA.2 is also projected to account for more than 70% of new cases.

The signs of a resurgence come after dozens of states have moved to shutter public testing sites. With more at-home COVID-19 tests now available, most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, and thus, experts said infection totals are likely significantly undercounted.

The presence of BA.2 has not only been growing domestically, but also globally. Last week, the World Health Organization reported that worldwide, BA.2 accounted for 86% of sequences from the last four weeks.

“Omicron is sweeping the globe,” WHO technical director Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove reported last week. “Whether or not we will see BA.2 sweep the world — we’re seeing that happen right now. This is not a theoretical. Omicron is a highly transmissible variant of concern. BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, and what we are starting to see in some regions of the world, and in some countries, [is] an uptick in cases again.”

Scientists believe BA.2 is more transmissible than the original omicron strain, BA.1, though at this time, it is not believed to cause more severe disease.

Initial estimates show that BA.2’s transmissibility may range between 30% and 80%, and preliminary research suggests that if you were recently infected with the original omicron strain, BA.1, it is rare to get reinfected with BA.2.

Although the increase is partially due to BA.2’s increased transmissibility, Van Kerkhove added that the decision by many countries to lift public health and mitigation measures has also played a role in the upsurge.

“We certainly, will be seeing increase in cases,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said during an appearance on BBC’s Sunday Morning, this week, further warning that it may be necessary to adopt some mitigation and masking measures should the nation see a resurgence in hospitalizations.

“We need to be prepared for the possibility that would have another variant that would come along,” Fauci said. “If things change, and we do get a variant that does give us an uptick in cases of hospitalization, we should be prepared and flexible enough to pivot towards going back at least temporarily to a more rigid type of restrictions such as requiring masks indoors.”

ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Eric Strauss contributed to this report.

Rep. Don Young lies in state at US Capitol

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The late Rep. Don Young of Alaska, the longest-serving Republican in the history of the House of Representatives, was remembered by Capitol Hill colleagues on Tuesday as his body lies in state in National Statuary Hall.

Young died at 88 on March 18 after losing consciousness on a flight to Seattle as he was heading back to Alaska with his wife, Anne, his office said. He is also survived by his two daughters, Joni and Dawn.

Young’s casket arrived on the Hill just before 11 a.m., and lawmakers, including Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, gathered nearby to watch the honor guard carry him up the east front steps. A small group of family, including his wife with her hand over her heart, waited near the top of the stairs for the arrival procession.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office said a formal ceremony will be open to the Young family and invited guests on Tuesday before all members of Congress are welcomed to visit Young as he lies in state, an honor reserved for the more revered Americans.

President Joe Biden’s scheduled afternoon trip to pay his respects on Tuesday marks the third time as president he has visited Capitol Hill for a former congressional colleague’s funeral service. Biden also visited former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole, R-Kansas, and Harry Reid, D-Nev., and he left the presidential campaign trail in 2020 to honor the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

“Don’s legacy lives on in the infrastructure projects he delighted in steering across Alaska,” Biden said in a statement. “In the opportunities he advanced for his constituents. In the enhanced protections for Native tribes he championed. His legacy will continue in the America he loved.”

Young was one of 13 House Republicans to vote for Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill late last year.

Pelosi said in a statement that Young’s “reverence and devotion to the House shone through in everything that he did,” calling him “an institution in the hallowed halls of Congress.”

Young, who was “dean of the House” when he died, was first elected to Congress in 1973. Reelected to his 25th term as Alaska’s only member of the House in 2020, he was known for a brusque style and for bringing federal investments home to Alaska.

He said in 2016: “I’ll defend my state to the dying breath, and I will always do that and they know that.”

Biden to sign legislation named for Emmett Till making lynching a federal hate crime

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will sign the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act into law Tuesday, making lynching a hate crime under federal law.

Congress failed to pass anti-lynching legislation over 200 times before the bill finally moved forward this year. The bill is the first legislation of its kind in more than 100 years that will be signed into law.

Lynchings were used to murder and terrorize the Black community in the U.S., predominantly in the South, from the 1880s to 1960s, the NAACP states.

The Equal Justice Initiative, a racial justice advocacy and research organization, has documented nearly 6,500 racial terror lynchings in the U.S. between 1865 and 1950.

Under the bill, an offense can be prosecuted as a lynching when the offender conspires to commit a hate crime that results in someone’s death or serious bodily injury under this bill. This includes kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to kidnap, abuse, or kill.

A perpetrator can be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for lynching alone, raising the maximum sentence by 20 years from previous versions of the legislation.

The act is named after 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was kidnapped, beaten and killed in Mississippi in August 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman.

His death remains a symbol of racism and brutality against Black people in the U.S.

“While this will not erase the horrific injustices to which 10s of 1000s of African Americans have been subjected over the generations, nor fully heal the terror inflicted on countless others, it is an important step forward as we continue the work of confronting our nation’s past in pursuit of a brighter and more just future,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor.

Black Americans remain the most targeted group in the U.S. when it comes to reported hate crimes. They made up 2,871 of the 8,263 reported hate crimes in 2020 — or 34% — according to the FBI.

The Senate passed the bill unanimously on March 7.

Congressmembers applauded the bill’s progress following several years of attempts to pass it. Rep. Bobby L. Rush, D-Ill., who has been sponsoring such a bill since the 115th Congress, said that the bill is one step toward correcting “historical injustice.”

“By passing my Emmett Till Antilynching Act, the House has sent a resounding message that our nation is finally reckoning with one of the darkest and most horrific periods of our history and that we are morally and legally committed to changing course,” said Rush after the House passed the bill in February.

No, Chris Rock didn’t apologize for Oscars night joke

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Chris Rock is never known to hold his tongue, so when an alleged apology for his Oscar night dig at Jada Pinkett-Smith started making the rounds online, it raised some eyebrows.

However, a rep for the Emmy winner had a one-word comment about it to ABC Audio: “Fake.”

The ersatz apology read in part, “Last night I crossed a line I shouldn’t have an paid an enormous price as a renown [sic] comedian. Comedy is never about poking fun or making lite [sic] of people with major ordeals happening in their lives”

In addition to apologizing to Jada for Chris’ “disrespect and disregard,” the phony message ended with “I hope that with time, forgiveness can come of this situation and we can all be better, more considerate people in the end.”

If that doesn’t sound like the guy behind the mic during acclaimed specials like Bring the Pain, you’re right.

Jimmie Allen reflects on “magical” touring experience

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Jimmie Allen experienced a full-circle moment during a recent tour stop.

Jimmie brought his headlining Down Home Tour to Universal Studios Florida, and it conjured up a special memory. In a lengthy Instagram post, the singer shares that in 2013, he attended a Matchbox Twenty show as a fan at that very same venue, five years before he signed his record deal in Nashville. Sitting in the audience, he experienced a strange phenomenon he remembers to this day.

“There was something special about that night. I was in audience but moments through the show it felt like I was on stage looking into the face of the crowd through the eyes of matchbox20,” the country singer details. “9 years later my band and I are standing on the same stage hoping to bring joy to the crowd at @universalorlando the same way MB20 did for me and the fellow fans that night in 2013.”

Jimmie accompanied the post with a video of him performing his breakthrough hit, “Best Shot,” saying the concert was “beyond magical.”

The singer continues on the Down Home Tour through May 13 where it wraps in Norfolk, VA.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s mother speak out after Oscars slapping incident

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Two days after the very shocking “slap heard all around the world” at the Oscars, actress Jada Pinkett Smith posted a note on social media.

“This is the season for healing and I’m here for it,” reads the message shared in a Tuesday morning Instagram note.

While the caption-less post didn’t directly address Sunday night’s incident, it’s the first time the 50-year-old actress has spoken publicly since her husband, Will Smith, slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face for a joke he made during the Academy Awards telecast about Pinkett’s shaved head. Pinkett’s message also comes a day after Smith apologized to Rock and the Academy for storming the stage, smacking Rock and then twice yelling at him, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said on Instagram Monday. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.” Pinkett-Smith has publicly stated she shaved her head after developing alopecia, which causes hair loss.

Addressing Rock, Smith wrote, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be…”

The intense Oscars broadcast moment was viewed by millions — 15.36, to be exact — including Smith’s mother, Carolyn Smith who, in an exclusive interview with ABC affiliate WPVI in Philadelphia, said it was the “first time I’ve ever seen him go off.”

“He is a very even, people person…I’ve never seen him do that,” Carolyn said.

After the outburst, Smith went on to accept the Best Actor award for King Richard.

On Monday, the Academy said they are launching a “formal review” of the incident.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to resign

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign from the nation’s highest court as a growing number of Democrats demand he recuse himself from some cases following revelations that his wife urged then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to help overturn the 2020 election results.

Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called on Democrats to explore impeachment if he doesn’t step down — noting that Thomas was the lone dissenting vote on the court earlier this year to block the Jan. 6 committee from obtaining Trump White House records.

“Clarence Thomas should resign. If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment,” she wrote in a tweet Monday morning.

“Congress must understand that a failure to hold Clarence Thomas accountable sends a loud, dangerous signal to the full Court – Kavanaugh, Barrett, & the rest – that his acts are fair game,” she added. “This is a tipping point. Inaction is a decision to erode and further delegitimize SCOTUS.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to resign—and urges Democrats to explore impeachment if he doesn’t. https://t.co/OgLydDrOXF pic.twitter.com/oQrCdK7kta

— ABC News (@ABC) March 29, 2022

The call from Oscaio-Cortez comes on the heels of two dozen other congressional Democrats sending a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Thomas on Monday evening requesting the justice recuse himself in all cases related to Jan. 6 and the 2020 election. The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also asks Roberts to create a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court by April 28, “that includes (1) enforceable provisions to ensure that the Justices comply with this Code and (2) a requirement that all Justices issue written recusal decisions.”

While it’s unlikely that Thomas would resign or Democrats would have enough support to impeach him, calls from Ocasio-Cortez and other high-profile Democrats could pressure more to pressure party leaders to take up the issue ahead of the midterms.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., meanwhile, defended Thomas’ ability to rule fairly on Friday during a press conference at a House GOP retreat.

“I think Justice Thomas could make his decisions like he’s made…every other time. It’s his decision based upon law,” McCarthy said.

On Monday, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also called on Thomas to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases, telling reporters it would be “for the good of the court” and added that the committee might take action after Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the situation “a textbook case for” recusal in an interview with This Week co-anchor Jonathan Karl in an interview on Sunday.

Sources familiar with text messages sent from Virginia “Ginni” Thomas to Meadows, which were obtained by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, confirmed their authenticity to ABC News. The content of the messages was first reported by The Washington Post and CBS News.

“Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!” Thomas wrote to Meadows on Nov. 10 after the election was officially called for Joe Biden. “You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.”

“Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs,” Meadows wrote. “Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it.”

ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Fourth COVID shot authorized by FDA for everyone over 50

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A second round of booster shots was authorized for everyone over the age of 50 by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, kicking off the regulatory process for shots to likely be available in pharmacies sometime this week.

Everyone 12 and older is already eligible for a booster shot five months after their initial vaccine series, if they received an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after getting the J&J vaccine.

But for those over 50, determined to be a vulnerable age group, officials have decided that the data on waning immunity justifies making another shot available for people who are four months after their first boost.

The decision now moves over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to give instructions on how to implement the authorization.

She is expected to announce that fourth shots should be made available to anyone over 50 who wants one, but not to outright recommend it, leaving the decision up to individuals and their doctors. Shots could then be administered within the week.

So far there is limited U.S. data on second boosters. But data from Israel indicates that an additional booster shot can give a temporary bump in protection, reducing the risk of dying for adults over 60.

Several countries, including Israel, Chile and Sweden, have begun offering fourth COVID-19 doses to older adults and other at-risk groups.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, has said he expects that additional boosters would “reconstitute” people back to the maximal level of antibodies, rather than boost people higher than their previous immune responses from any of the earlier shots.

But he said that the body’s B cell and T cell response, which have more of an effect on the duration of immunity, may incrementally be increased with each additional boost.

And while Tuesday’s announcement only applies to older Americans, a decision for the rest of the population will soon be underway.

The FDA will convene a panel of vaccine experts on April 6 to discuss the plan. The experts will talk about the efficacy of booster shots and the potential need for a variant-specific booster instead of continual booster shots designed for the initial strain of COVID-19.

A decision would likely be made later this summer or fall.

Older people who get a booster this spring would also likely be advised to get another boost in the fall, alongside the general population, if that’s the recommendation, said an official familiar with the booster discussions.

But boosting too frequently could cause fatigue, a dilemma that many public health experts are weighing.

“We’re going to have to learn to live with mild disease at some point,” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told ABC News. Frequent boosting “is not a reasonable thing to do, and it’s not something most people will do anyway.”

Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla has also acknowledged the impracticality of people rigorously staying up to date with shots every few months.

“We can’t have vaccines every five, six months,” said Bourla, speaking on CNBC. But until they have new-and-improved boosters ready to go, Pfizer and Moderna executives argue fourth doses will be needed by at least some older Americans soon.

Of course, the vast majority of Americans have yet to get even a first booster shot. Of the nearly 90 million fully vaccinated Americans, about half got their shots more than five months ago but still haven’t gotten a booster shot.

Among seniors 65 and over, uptake has been a bigger success. About two-thirds of seniors have gotten their first booster shot so far.

Britney Spears seemingly shades Justin Timberlake in new Instagram post

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Britney Spears turned heads on Instagram when she appeared to referenceher ex, Justin Timberlake, in a since-deleted post that painted him in a bad light.

Britney said mother Lynne Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears, about whom she’s spoken out previously, aren’t the only people she says are guilty of using her for “FAME and ATTENTION.” Britney also seemingly put Justin on blast, writing, “Your ex did the same thing … he served with his first album using your name claiming you did him dirty !!!!”

Justin sparked rumors Britney cheated on him, thus dooming their fairytale romance, by using a lookalike in the music video for his heartbreak hit “Cry Me a River.” The former NSYNC singer previously apologized to Britney after fans became upset when his post-breakup actions were revisited for the Framing Britney Spears documentary.

While Britney’s latest post was removed, she referenced another ex in another post — Kevin Federline. She shared a drawing his 19-year-old daughter, Kori, drew and said the teen’s talent “makes me feel so stupid.”

“I think she was 12 when she did this … I’ve kept it all this time … she did it by hand no tracing,” Britney raved. “I respect people who can draw like this … My son can do the same thing … I mean wow … wow !!!!”

Kori’s mother, Shar Jackson, reacted to the shoutout and commented, “So crazy you posted this now because she’s working on a new one for you.” Shar shares a 17-year-old son, Kaleb, with Federline.

Mick Jagger discusses making of his “irreverent” theme song to upcoming Apple TV+ series ‘Slow Horses’

March 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In an exclusive interview with Variety, Mick Jagger discusses working on “Strange Game,” the theme song to the new Apple TV+ espionage series Slow Horses, which premieres this Friday, April 1.

As announced earlier today, Jagger co-wrote and sings the tune, and the Rolling Stones frontman tells Variety that before getting involved in the project, he’d already read and was a fan of author Mike Herron‘s book series on which the show is based.

“I knew the vibe really well, so as soon as [composer Daniel Pemberton] sent the track to me, I just dashed off a few pages of notes of what I thought it was about,” Mick explains. “It came very, very quickly, which is always a good sign.”

Pemberton, an Oscar-nominated composer who co-wrote “Strange Game” and composed Slow Horses‘ score, says his collaboration with Jagger took place via Zoom, text and email starting in December 2021.

“I played him the track on guitar,” Pemberton reveals. “I’m not even a good guitarist. That was very weird, playing guitar for Mick Jagger on the Zoom line.”

Jagger says he then recorded his ideas on his iPhone and sent the track back to Pemberton, who loved it.

Mick adds, “And then we had to do a bit of crafting, trying to get a chorus…and trying to get the verses from the point of view of the main character.”

That character is Jackson Lamb, portrayed by Gary Oldman, who’s the head of a branch of the U.K. counter-intelligence agency MI5 that’s populated by failed agents hoping to redeem themselves.

“It’s quite irreverent, but the Gary Oldman character is irreverent,” Jagger notes. “It’s also slightly eerie, so it combines those two things. You don’t want to make it too serious.”

“Strange Game” will be released Friday.

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