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COVID-19 live updates: Pfizer to seek approval for adult boosters: Source

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 755,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 68.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:
-US sees slight uptick in pediatric cases after weeks of declines
-US reopens borders to vaccinated travelers
-Global COVID-19 cases top 250 million in under 2 years

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Nov 08, 7:07 pm
Pfizer to request OK for boosters to all adults: Source

Pfizer is likely to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a coronavirus vaccine booster shot for people 18 and older as soon as this week, a government official with knowledge of the situation told ABC News.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer booster shot for certain groups of patients six months after their second dose.

Those eligible patients include seniors, adults with certain medical conditions and adults who work in environments that put them at greater risk for exposure to COVID-19.

ABC News’ Eric Strauss

Nov 08, 5:50 pm
Potential TSA firings won’t affect Thanksgiving flights: Source

Despite a looming threat that thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers could be terminated over the federal government’s vaccine mandate, Thanksgiving flights won’t be affected, a person with knowledge of the agency’s plans told ABC News.

Federal workers have until Nov. 22 to get vaccinated or face termination. After the deadline, TSA employees who are not fully vaccinated will get called to have a discussion with supervisors and be counseled and educated on getting vaccinated, the source said.

If workers do not get vaccinated following the first meeting, they will receive a warning, according to the source. Following the warning, workers will be subject to termination, the source said.

Three weeks ago, the TSA said 40% of its workforce was unvaccinated. The agency hasn’t provided updated numbers.

ABC News’ Mina Kaji and Amanda Maile

Nov 08, 4:43 pm
Jill Biden visits children’s vaccination clinic

First lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy visited a children’s vaccination clinic Monday at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, to promote pediatric vaccinations.

“The vaccine is the best way to protect your children against COVID-19,” Biden said. “It’s been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested, it’s safe, it’s free, and it’s available for every child in this country, 5 and up.”

Franklin Sherman Elementary was the first school to administer the polio vaccine in 1954.

Sixth-grader Everett Munson, who introduced Biden, said, “I’m excited to be vaccinated because now I’ll be able to visit my cousins and grandfather. … I’m looking forward to going places without worrying that I could get COVID and give it to my family, friends or teachers.”

Munson also pitched an idea inspired by the school’s history.

“Maybe we should even take an idea from the polio vaccine at Franklin Sherman: Everyone should get ice cream after their shots,” Munson said.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

Nov 08, 4:17 pm
US sees slight uptick in pediatric cases after weeks of declines

The U.S. saw 107,000 pediatric cases last week, an uptick following eight consecutive weeks of declines, according to a weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

But this is still much lower than the pandemic peak — 252,000 child cases within one week – which was recorded in early September.

Last week, children accounted for 24% of the cases. Children make up 22.2% of the U.S. population.

Approximately 45.8% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. However, AAP and CHA continue to warn that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Lawsuits against Astroworld organizers, Travis Scott pile up

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Several lawsuits have been filed so far against several parties connected to the deadly stage surge during Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, which left at least eight concertgoers dead and many more injured.

Astroworld is a music festival founded by rapper Travis Scott and held annually in Houston. This year was the third Astroworld event, which hosted popular rappers and singers including SZA, Bad Bunny, Chief Keef and Tame Impala.

According to Houston Police and witness accounts, a wave of tens of thousands of people surged toward the stage when Scott — and later, rapper Drake — appeared. Concert attendees say they were pushed into one another from all sides, and as the crowd pressed its way forward, some began to fall, pass out and get trampled by others in the audience.

“You’re not moving yourself — it’s more of the crowd moving you, so you don’t have control of your body at that point,” said concertgoer Fatima Muñoz, who shared her experience with ABC News’ daily news podcast “Start Here.” “So when people start falling and losing their balance, it kind of becomes like a domino effect.”

“Somebody next to me started falling, and he kind of took me down with him. And that’s when I had fell right on the floor, and that’s when everybody started tumbling down, and I tried so hard to get up,” Muñoz said. “There’s just too much people like on me, like, they legit dog-pile on me. I was on the floor. Nobody helped. I tried screaming for my life. I tried screaming for help. Nobody helped nobody.”

Muñoz said she bit someone’s leg to bring attention to her laying on the floor and then two attendees helped her up and out of the crowd.

“If those two guys didn’t help me, I mean, I really could have been one of those people for sure,” she said.

The lawsuits, along with some witness accounts, allege that Scott continued to perform despite the presence of emergency vehicles in the audience.

Houston police say the investigation is active and in its early stages.

Lawsuits stack up against concert producers, venue

Live Nation Entertainment and ScoreMore Holdings, two concert production and entertainment companies that organized and produced the event, are being sued, as well as performers Scott and Drake. NRG Park’s venue management and operation agency, the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, is also included as a defendant in the lawsuits.

The family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta, one of the people who died in the crowd surge, say they plan on joining a lawsuit as part of 35 total plaintiffs in a case to be filed against the aforementioned organizers by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee.

Buzbee also cited a 2015 disorderly conduct charge against Scott at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, which he pleaded guilty to when he urged attendees to ignore security, ABC7 Chicago reported at the time.

“Certainly neither Travis Scott nor his handlers, entourage managers, agents, hangers on promoters, organizers or sponsors cared enough about Axel to make even minimal effort to keep him and the others at the concert safe,” Buzbee said in a press conference with the family Monday.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is also representing a 21-year-old attendee who helped lift people up from the floor amid the chaos in another lawsuit that accuses the event’s organizers and Scott of negligence in providing medical equipment, crowd control, safety precautions, adequate hiring and training of staff.

“We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them,” Crump said in a statement to ABC News. “We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event.”

Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry also filed a lawsuit against Scott and Drake, as well as Live Nation and NRG Stadium, on behalf of one of the surviving victims following Friday night’s tragedy.

Henry said he believes a message needs to be sent to “performers, venues and event organizers that a lackadaisical approach to event preparation and attendees safety is no longer acceptable.”

“Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy,” Henry said in a statement sent to ABC News. “Many of these concertgoers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury and death.”

Kherkher Garcia, LLP has also filed a lawsuit against event organizers and Scott on behalf of an attendee who the firm said “suffered serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him.”

“He and those who promoted and supported this concert must take responsibility for their heinous actions,” Kherkher Garcia, LLP said in a statement to ABC News. “We intend to hold them fully accountable by showing that this behavior will not be tolerated in our great city.”

Scott and organizers react

Following the concert, Scott released a statement on the tragedy on Twitter, saying, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld festival.”

Scott announced he will cover the funeral costs and further aid to individuals affected by the tragedy and will refund all of the Astroworld concertgoers and ticket holders. He has also said he is cooperating with investigators.

Drake has yet to comment on the lawsuits or what happened at Astroworld that night.

In a statement to ABC News, Live Nation said it was working with law enforcement to get answers.

“We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time,” Live Nation said.

On Instagram, Scott’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, who attended the concert, defended Scott.

“I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show and in no world would have continued filming or performing,” Jenner wrote in her post.

Legal analysts, including civil litigation attorney Danielle Cohen Higgins and ABC News’ Dan Abrams, say there are many questions that need to be answered about what exactly happened at the festival.

Higgins said event organizers are going to have to answer for the safety precautions, crowd control procedures and other policies that play a big role in event planning.

“If Live Nation created an environment where they reasonably should have anticipated that a surge was possible — that’s a problem for Live Nation. They are the experts in creating this environment,” Higgins said in an interview with ABC News.

NRG Park representatives declined ABC News’ request for comment.

Higgins and Abrams also pointed out that in 2019, three people were also hospitalized at Astroworld after being trampled when thousands of people rushed to get into the event.

Following that 2019 incident, Houston police tweeted: “We are successfully working together to support Houston’s biggest music festival @astroworldfest at @nrgpark and collaborating closely with the festival to ensure the public safety of everyone attending the event. We look forward to a memorable night.”

Abrams, when asked on Good Morning America about what stands out to him the most about this tragedy, said any of Scott’s actions and comments at the concert could affect these cases.

“There’s going to be social media videos of every moment of that show,” Abrams said. “Every single second will have been documented, so we’ll know exactly what he said and when he said it.”

Father of KISS’ Paul Stanley dies at 101

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

KISS‘ Paul Stanley is mourning the death of his father, William Eisen, who has passed away at 101 years old.

“My dad William Eisen has left this earth after 101 years & 7 months,” Stanley tweeted Sunday alongside a photo of him and his dad.

“His thirst for knowledge never [waned],” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added. “He could speak on virtually any subject. His pride in my accomplishments was heartwarming as was seeing his love of my family. He said he’d always be with me and he will.”

Stanley, 69, and KISS are currently off the road after playing the KISS Kruise earlier this month. Their planned Las Vegas residency, which was scheduled to kick off in December, was recently canceled.

My dad William Eisen has left this earth after 101 years & 7 months. His thirst for knowledge never wained. He could speak on virtually any subject. His pride in my accomplishments was heartwarming as was seeing his love of my family. He said he’d always be with me and he will. pic.twitter.com/uKWHP9Okax

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) November 8, 2021

Uber, Lyft making record profits as consumers pay high prices

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Uber and Lyft are boasting record profits as both companies say they are aggressively recruiting drivers to fill a void created by the pandemic.

Since the pandemic, rideshare costs have exploded across the country. Uber and Lyft — the two largest rideshare companies in the United States that are responsible for 90% of the market — say many drivers left the platform early in the pandemic due to concerns about the risk of contracting COVID-19. Others shifted to food delivery, which some considered a safer alternative because there’s less human contact.

Those driver shortages have led to surging costs per ride and increased wait times, the companies said.

But despite those challenges, both Uber and Lyft recently recorded their best financial performances as the companies report a new increase in drivers — and riders.

Lyft CEO Logan Green said the company’s revenue increased 73% compared with the same time period in 2020, while Uber’s revenue increased 67%.

While many office workers continue to work from home, others who are returning to the office and previously used public transit have shifted to ridesharing to limit contact with others.

Lyft reported an increase of 2 million more riders during the third quarter, and Uber CFO Nelson Chai said as of October, Uber has recovered about 85% of its pre-pandemic business.

On airport rides, Uber has recovered 67% of its business, Chai said. Air travel, which was decimated by the pandemic, has started to return, as the third quarter of 2021 saw the most daily passengers since 2019. The demand for rides also has increased among those venturing out for dining and entertainment.

Along with that rising demand, Lyft reported a 45% increase in drivers compared with the same period last year, while Uber said it has increased its drivers by 65% since January. Both Uber and Lyft have created driver incentive programs to attract and retain drivers.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Thursday that the company is bouncing back faster than other transportation providers in spite of increased costs for consumers using rideshare services.

“We have come back from the pandemic faster than almost any other mode of transportation despite higher pricing,” Khosrowshahi said during a quarterly earnings call. “Now, we don’t necessarily want that to be a permanent fixture, but I do think with the increased cost of labor, and frankly inflation and the increased cost of everything, I do think that prices are going to be up on a year on year basis, and as a marketplace we get a take of that.”

While the companies both previously had said they expected ride costs to drop by the end of the year, the price increases are holding steady. Rakuten Intelligence, a company that collects and analyzes e-commerce data, said in a study of credit card receipts that costs were up 40% compared with pre-pandemic costs.

Both Uber and Lyft posted record third quarter profits, which started July 1 and ended Sept. 30. On Nov. 2, Lyft posted an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) profit of $67.3 million. In the previous quarter, April 1 through June 30, Lyft posted an adjusted EBITDA of $23.8 million, its first profit. Uber recorded its first adjusted EBITDA profit of $8 million, up from a second-quarter loss of $507 million.

Both Uber and Lyft project increased profits in the fourth quarter.

Customers are still adjusting to the price increases and wait times. In San Francisco, Mary Ann Jones, who runs a nonprofit social services agency less than a half mile from Uber’s headquarters, told ABC News her rideshare expenses have increased dramatically.

“I’m paying significantly more to get where I need to go,” said Jones, who is walking when possible rather than hailing rides. “The surges are ridiculous.”

Jones said she’s had to pay as much as $40 to travel two miles.

Despite returning business and driver increases, drivers say the funds are not trickling down to them.

The rideshare companies, however, say driver earnings are approaching peak levels.

“Driver earnings remain near all time highs due to increased utilization,” Khosrowshahi said during the Nov. 4 earnings call.

ABC-TV comedy inspired by Alanis Morissette’s life in development

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

While some of the things that Alanis Morissette has experienced in her career seem like no laughing matter, she’s teaming with ABC to develop a comedy based on her life, Deadline reports.

Alanis is serving as an executive producer for the show, which called Relatable, and she’ll also write original music for it. The show focuses on a 40-something married woman with three kids who spent her early years as a rock star famous for her “anthems of female rage and teen angst” — sound like anyone you know? The comedy will apparently arise from her inability to get her children to listen to her.

The characters, according to Deadline, are “fictional and non-biographical,” though Alanis’ life will “loosely inform” the show.

A documentary on Alanis will also air later this month on HBO, though the singer has publicly denounced the film.

Ticket sales for Billy Joel’s Houston show put on hold following Astroworld concert disaster

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Billy Joel announced last week that tickets for his show on September 23, 2022, at Houston’s Minute Maid Park would go on sale this Friday. However, those plans have now been put on hold following the tragedy at this weekend’s Astroworld festival, which left eight people dead and hundreds more injured.

“Out of respect for the Houston community after the events at Astroworld on Friday, organizers for the upcoming Billy Joel concert scheduled for Minute Maid Park in Houston…announced they are delaying the on sale until further notice,” reads a statement on Billy’s website. “Organizers will provide an update shortly on when ticket sales will begin.”

On Friday night in Houston, the Astroworld festival, organized by and featuring rap superstar Travis Scott, ended in disaster when the crowd of 50,000 surged forward; many fans were crushed or trampled and multiple people collapsed.

The concert’s promoter reportedly agreed to halt the show, but Scott continued to play. Two concertgoers have already filed lawsuits in the festival’s aftermath as of early Monday.

Scott has said he’ll pay funeral costs for the victims, and will provide refunds for anyone who bought tickets to the event. He described himself as “absolutely devastated” by the tragedy, and said he is “working closely with everybody to get to the bottom of this.”

France returning 26 looted treasures back to Benin

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(PARIS) — Twenty-six looted royal treasures will return to their country of origin this week after nearly 130 years of French ownership, as debate continues over repatriating artifacts.

The pieces were looted following the war fought by France against the Kingdom of Dahomey, a former African kingdom situated in the south of present-day Benin, during the height of French colonialism in Africa.

On Nov. 17, 1892, French troops took over a palace in the city of Abomey, causing King Béhanzin to flee, leaving behind a set of royal objects the French took.

The works — including carved wooden doors, royal thrones and statues — had been on display in French museums since 1900. They will be returned to Benin in the course of the week.

French President Emmanuel Macron formalized the return of the looted treasures during a ceremony at the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum in Paris, where the pieces have been held since 2003, in late October, citing the need to “give African youth back access to their heritage.”

Macron is expected to meet Benin’s President Patrice Talon on Nov. 9 to sign the transfer treaty, allowing the works to be transported to Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, and be shown to the public there.

The exhibition of looted treasures has been a cause for debate for many hundreds of years. Centuries ago, Greek statesman Polybius exhorted the victors of the future “not to make the calamities of others the adornment of their homeland.”

Today, the debate over the restitution of artifacts looted during colonization is in full swing. Just last month, a University of Cambridge college returned one of the artifacts looted by British soldiers known as a Benin Bronze to Nigeria.

Benin authorities had repeatedly demanded the return of the national treasures from France without success. In 2016, the French government refused Benin’s requests, arguing that France was also attached to the circulation and protection of heritage and was not legally obligated to return the pieces.

But in November 2018, Macron announced the decision to return 26 pieces of the treasure of Abomey. The process to get to this point since then has included a cycle of conferences and an exhibit in Paris.

The works, including a prestigious royal chair of Yoruba kings adorned by two floors of sculpted and painted figures, were on display at the Quai Branly Museum for the final time last month before making their journey home.

According to the museum, this farewell exhibition was “highly successful,” with over 15,000 visitors in one week. Following their return to Benin, the precious objects will be integrated into the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and the Kings of Danhomè that is being built in in Abomey.

Benin’s Foreign Minister Aurelien Agbenonci rejoiced that “France and Benin are showing the world an example of museum and heritage cooperation through this restitution.”

But critics of restitution argue that decisions like this are a “Pandora’s box” that could lead to the emptying of European museums.

According to some experts, the scale of colonial spoliations in Africa is considerable.

“Statistically, I think we can say by adding up the inventories of African national museums, which hover around 3,000 or 5,000 when they are large collections, that 90 to 95% of African heritage is outside the continent in major museums,” Alain Godonou, director of the museums program at the National Heritage and Tourism Development Agency of Benin, said at a 2007 UNESCO Forum on Memory and Universality.

In order to proceed with the transfer of the Benin artworks, a new law was passed by France’s Parliament in December 2020 to make it legal to return cultural artifacts seen as properties of the French state.

Bénédicte Savoy, whose research helped lead to this restitution, highlighted the international resonance of the decision, comparing it to “the fall of the Berlin wall” as he hopes for similar reflections in other European museums.

“This restitution is a major event in the history of the 21st century,” Savoy told ABC News. “Its importance cannot be underestimated.”

Yet, others are downplaying France’s move, suspecting more delaying tactics on other artifacts.

Congolese activist Mwazulu Diyabanza told ABC News, “We are awaiting a declaration of principles whereby France and its Western counterparts will recognize the crimes committed and return without any form of trial everything they have stolen and forcibly taken.”

He added, “It is not up to the thief, the prevaricator, and the dealer to decide when and how much of the works to be returned.”

Director Patty Jenkins’ schedule grounds ‘Star Wars’ movie ‘Rogue Squadron’

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Like New York’s JFK airport at rush hour, it’s too busy for the pilots of Rogue Squadron to take off. Wonder Woman series director Patty Jenkins‘ schedule has reportedly scrubbed the Star Wars story from Disney’s release slate, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It’s not known what the conflict was, the trade points out; Jenkins is reportedly involved in a movie about Cleopatra, and a third Wonder Woman film is in the works as well.

As previously reported, the exploits of the elite Rebel Alliance pilots were seen in a book series, and in video games.

Jenkins’ involvement was announced at a Disney Investors Day event in 2020; the filmmaker appeared in a short film in which she called the project a tribute to her late father, who was a fighter pilot.

The film would have been the next big-screen Star Wars project for Disney-owned Lucasfilm since 2019’s Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, and would have made Jenkins the first female to direct a big-screen Star Wars film.

On the small screen, female directors including Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard have called the shots on episodes of The Mandalorian; Chow, a veteran of Breaking Bad and other acclaimed series, also directed another Disney+ Star Wars show, the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Astroworld Festival timeline: How the tragedy unfolded

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(HOUSTON) — It took just minutes for a crowd of concertgoers to transform into a deadly melee that killed several people during the Astroworld music festival.

Rapper Travis Scott, the founder of the festival, which is named after his 2018 album, continued to perform as multiple people in the audience suffered medical emergencies.

Eight people died in the chaos after the crowd, filled with 50,000 people, rushed toward the stage during Scott’s set. Dozens more were transported to the hospital with injuries.

Scott has a history of inciting crowds at performances and was charged for it twice in recent years.

Here is how the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival unfolded:

Aug. 1, 2015

Scott was arrested on charges of inciting a crowd to jump barriers at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine, according to officials.

May 13, 2017

Scott was arrested in Rogers, Arkansas, after prompting fans at the Walmart Music Pavilion to breach barricades and overrun security. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and paid a fine.

Nov. 17, 2018

The inaugural Astroworld Festival took place in Scott’s hometown of Houston at the 350-acre NRG Park.

Nov. 9, 2019

A “similar incident” to the crowd surge took place at the 2019 festival, when fans breached barricades, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told reporters over the weekend. Nearly 100 extra event security personnel were added for this year’s event, Hidalgo said.

Oct. 26

Scott announced the lineup for the 2021 Astroworld Festival, which included performances by Young Thug, SZA, Lil Baby, Earth, Wind & Fire, Master P and 21 Savage.

Friday

Around 9:30 p.m.: The crowd “began to compress toward the front of the stage,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told reporters.

San Antonio resident Fatima Munoz, 21, described a “domino effect” that took place: “I had fell right on the floor, and that’s when everybody started tumbling down, and I tried so hard to get up,” she said on ABC News’ podcast “Start Here.” “There’s just too much people like on me, like those legit dog pile on me. I was on the floor. Nobody helped. I tried screaming for my life. I tried screaming for help.”

Scott continued his set. In the middle of his performance, Scott stood and told the crowd, “Somebody passed out right here,” an Apple Music livestream of the event showed.

Some 300 people were treated by medical personnel on site, authorities said. Another 25 were transported to the hospital.

Saturday

The remainder of the festival was canceled.

Scott released a statement on Instagram, saying he was “absolutely devastated by what took place” the night before.

The first lawsuit against Scott was filed in Harris County, Texas.

Thirteen people remained in the hospital, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Sunday

Kylie Jenner posted to her Instagram story that Scott was not aware of any fatalities and would have not continued performing had he known.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner had previously expressed concerns when he met with Scott and his head of security to discuss the main event, Finner said in a statement.

Monday

Scott announced he will provide full refunds for all attendees who bought tickets to Astroworld and that he will not perform at the Day N Vegas Festival this upcoming weekend, sources said.

The FBI is providing “some forms of technical assistance” to investigators in Houston, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday at a Department of Justice news conference when asked by ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas whether the bureau was involved.

Identities of all of the victims were released. A prayer vigil for the victims was held at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso, Jenna Harrison, Bill Hutchinson, Alexander Mallin and Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.

Matt Damon to give the “gift of time” this season through his non-profit Water.org and Stella Artois

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Matt Damon and his non-profit Water.org have teamed up with brewing company Stella Artois for a holiday campaign looking to “give the gift of time” to women struggling for the basic necessity of clean water.

The campaign highlights that 771 million people live without access to safe water, and very often women are the ones bearing the brunt, spending countless hours a year searching for and carrying water for their families.

The charity the Oscar winner co-founded “has positively transformed more than 38 million lives around the world with access to safe water or sanitation,” and with some holiday gifts from the Anheuser-Busch-owned brand, you can help spread the wealth.

This holiday season, every Stella Artois product you purchase will provide at lease one month of safe water to a person in the developing world, the campaign’s organizers promise. Additionally, the purchase of one of the Water.org’s branded chalices will fund at least five years’ worth of safe water for one person in need.

Damon is also featured in a spot highlighting the initiative.

“When I think about the holidays, what comes to mind is time with family and friends,” the Last Duel star said in a statement. “This campaign with Stella Artois is about giving women around the world time back. This is one of the many reasons I think the work we do is so important. Creating time for family is what access to safe water at home can do.”

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