(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 884,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 63.8% 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 31, 7:38 am
‘Partygate’ report delivered to Boris Johnson, UK government says
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a highly anticipated report from an investigation into allegations that he and his staff attended parties during England’s strict lockdown, the U.K. government said Monday.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office told ABC News in a statement that senior civil servant Sue Gray “has provided an update on her investigation to the Prime Minister.”
Johnson is expected to address members of Parliament during Monday afternoon’s session.
The prime minister is facing calls for his resignation over claims he and his staff flouted COVID-19 restrictions they imposed on England in 2020 and 2021 by holding parties at 10 Downing Street, his official residence and office in London.
London’s Metropolitan Police Service is also investigating the so-called “partygate” allegations.
Jan 31, 4:37 am
New York City offering free home delivery of antiviral pills
New York City’s health department is now offering free, same-day, at-home delivery of COVID-19 oral antiviral medications, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday.
“Delivering the antiviral pills to you at home if you’re an eligible New Yorker and it’s for free,” Adams said during a press conference at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. “We want you to take advantage of this. This is a great deal and a great program we put together, and it’s proven to keep people out of the hospital, particularly those who are at-risk or seriously ill. It’s a win-win for us.”
The city’s pharmacy partner, Alto Pharmacy, will deliver antiviral pill treatments Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer, and Molnupiravir, made by Merck, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. Both medications were approved in December for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19.
“New York is one of the only places in the nation where we are doing this free deliver,” Adams told reporters.
With a limited supply of pills, the city restricted delivery to only residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have mild or moderate symptoms.
“Oral antiviral pills, like Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, taken for five days help stop the virus from reproducing, which reduces the amount of virus in the body and prevents symptoms from getting worse,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi said during Sunday’s press conference.
(HARRISBURG, Pa.) — A future where motorists share streets and highways with driverless cars may still be years away, but transportation experts are saying now’s the time for elected leaders to plan for that scenario.
Pennsylvania is the latest state to test drive the idea.
The state’s Senate Transportation Committee approved a non-partisan bill on Jan. 26 that would expand regulatory rules concerning the operation and testing of highly automated vehicles, aka HAVs, and allow them to operate without anyone inside.
Legislators could vote on the bill later this year — if approved, it would go into effect 90 days.
Transportation policy experts told ABC News that while there’s clearly a need to create legal guardrails before the vehicles become commonplace, a unified national framework would be most efficient.
Bryan Reimer, director of MIT’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Consortium, told ABC News that while state actions are good in the short term, it’s more important if they can spur a bigger movement.
“It is clear we need to create a responsible disclosure when things happen with automated vehicles,” he told ABC News. “There needs to be a discussion.”
The Pennsylvania Lawmakers who sponsored SB 965 have said that they created it to boost their state’s HAV industry, which includes a self-driving test lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and eight private companies.
Under current Pennsylvania law, a human must be in the driver seat of an autonomous vehicle while it’s in operation. The new bill removes that requirement.
Some states, such as Texas, Florida and Georgia, already allow HAVs to be operated without a human inside as long as the vehicle is registered with the state.
Pennsylvania State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., SB 965’s lead sponsor, told reporters at a Jan. 5 news conference that companies are heading to other states with more lenient rules on driverless vehicles.
“We dare to stay ahead of the curve,” Langerholc said.
Similar to laws in other states, Pennsylvania’s proposal would require vehicle owners to register within the state and remain at the scene of any accident involving another vehicle or a pedestrian.
Vehicle owners also must “submit proof of financial responsibility to the department self-certifying that the highly automated vehicle is covered by insurance or proof of self-insurance in an amount not to exceed $5 million,” according to the bill’s current language.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian, a supporter of the bill, said the autonomous vehicle industry already has generated 6,300 jobs for the state — and SB 965 becoming law would mean adding even more.
The bill has the support of several groups, including the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.
“There’s added economic benefit that will be created and produced for many years,” Gramian said during the Jan. 5 news conference. “We cannot wait and become reactive anymore. The industry is moving very fast.”
While the bill has broad support from legislators, one Pennsylvania-based transportation researcher told ABC News that leaders haven’t covered all of their bases.
Philip Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, warned lawmakers in an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the bill’s current language lacks specific guidance in several areas.
Specifically, Koopman told ABC News, the bill lacks details on the potential legal liabilities of HAV companies linked to incidents, particularly if said vehicle doesn’t have a single owner or operator.
The current bill “is filled with ambiguities,” Koopman added. “If an ordinary citizen gets hurt, or possibly killed, it’s unclear who to get compensation from.”
MIT’s Reimer also said the bill doesn’t address the training that local law enforcement will need to properly regulate HAVs and investigate incidents. The National Transportation Safety Board currently investigates all crashes involving self-driving vehicles.
“I would argue states generally don’t have the technical expertise to regulate a feature set that falls predominantly under federal regulations,” he added. “It’s not just about waiting for police response. They need to get the data from the companies and look at software.”
Koopman also noted that, according to its current language, the bill would supersede any local regulation on autonomous vehicles, such as those put in place by former Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto that stipulated companies must issue constant reports about self-driving field tests.
“One of the things is,” Koopman continued, “we have a system that is working fairly working well now.”
Koopman, who worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation and is a member of a committee that developed autonomous vehicle safety standards for the Society of Automotive Engineers International, said he’s reached out to state lawmakers to get more clarification on the bill’s safety measures.
Although Langerholc said the bill would incorporate the SAEI standards, Koopman noted that the bill’s current language does not.
“If they want to use public roads as a laboratory, they need to provide something in return and lay out the rules now,” Koopman said. “Otherwise we’re going to head to more court battles.”
As of Friday, Koopman said none of the bill’s sponsors has returned his request to speak. Langerholc’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News.
The transportation experts said that as more states begin considering their own HAV-related regulations in the coming years, the best solution still would be federal guidelines to protect both people and commerce.
“It is a failure of national policy,” Reimer said, “that states are creating this patchwork system.”
It seems congratulations are in order for Nick Cannon — again — because he appears to be expecting a baby with quarterback Johnny Manziel‘s ex Bre Tiesi.
On Sunday, pictures obtained by TMZ seem to show Cannon, 41, and Tiesi, 30, hosting what appeared to be a gender reveal baby shower in Malibu, Calif. The two were seen gathered with an intimate group of friends and surrounded by pink and blue balloons. The talk show host was also photographed cradling Tiesi’s baby bump as she rocked a form-fitting white strapless dress and heels.
As for the sex of the baby, party poppers sprayed out blue confetti revealing it’s a boy.
If things are as they seem, this will be the eighth child for The Masked Singer host. He currently shares 10-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey; son Golden, four, and one-year-old daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell; Twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, who were born in June, with Abby De La Rosa. Zen, his son with model Alyssa Scott, died at five-months-old, he announced in December.
This will be the first child for Tiesi, who recently finalized her divorce from Manziel.
“I’m having these kids on purpose. I don’t have no accident,” Cannon admitted on his radio show last year. “Trust me, there’s a lot of people that I could’ve gotten pregnant that I didn’t. The ones that got pregnant are the ones that were supposed to get pregnant.”
(NEW YORK) — Veganuary is over, but that doesn’t mean your sustainable fashion journey has to be.
The Veganuary challenge was created by a UK nonprofit of the same name to educate people about veganism during the month of January. While in 2014 it started off as a sign-up program to help participants follow plant-based diets, it has since grown into a movement, with people in every field — particularly fashion and beauty — embracing it.
Over the past several years, the interest in vegan and sustainable fashion has risen rapidly, according to The Vegan Society, not only among young designers who are conscious about the health of the planet, but also among consumers who are learning about the benefits of leaving behind fast fashion.
Good Morning America spoke with a group of sustainable designers about how they developed their businesses, why they decided to take the vegan route and what can be done, by both creators and shoppers, to help make the fashion and beauty industries less wasteful — not only during January, but every day.
The wave of sustainable and vegan fashion designers
Monica Santos, a Puerto Rican designer based in New York, launched her brand, Santos by Monica, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to “challenge the traditions of the fashion industry” in a way that reflected her values and did not negatively impact the environment.
Before taking the leap with her label, the designer worked for numerous fast fashion (the business model of replicating trends and mass-producing them at a low cost) and luxury brands, and said she “gained visibility into supply chains and realized the effect the fashion industry has on the planet and garment workers and wanted to do something different.”
That’s when she said she decided to create a collection of handbags made entirely out of cactus leather — one of the various vegan leathers which sustainable brands have been loving.
Similarly, LØCI, the sneaker brand which has been endorsed by celebrities and dropped a collection with actress Nikki Reed, has made a name for itself due to its “animal free always” motto. Its 100% vegan shoes are made using recycled materials, including ocean plastic upper for the upper, foam and cork for the insoles, ethically sourced bamboo for the lining and rubber for the outsole.
LØCI co-founders Emmanuel Eribo and Philippe Homsy are not the only creatives using plastic waste to make products. While the material can be turned into vegan leather, it can also be made into smooth fabric — just ask La Gotta founder Valeria del Rey, whose stunning swimsuits are made out of recycled plastic bottles.
“La Gotta progressed organically toward becoming a sustainable brand based on my personal passion for second-hand and vintage pieces, as well as on my love for the environment, particularly our oceans and beaches,” del Rey said.
The love for the planet runs deep in the sustainable fashion industry. The team at SINBONO, a vegan handbag brand, said they decided to take the sustainability route after realizing that by adopting sustainable options, they could drop their carbon footprint by around 73% and help slow down global warming. “It is important to keep the planet’s health before our desires,” they said. “Our vegan leather is composed of a mixture of responsibly recycled plastic bottles and reclaimed fruit material. This produces a high-quality product that looks like animal skin, without harming animals or the environment.”
Casey Dworkin, the founder of vegan New York-based footwear brand Sylven, is an example of a designer embracing vegan design but not letting go of luxury. Her plant-based shoes are handcrafted in Italy by expert artisans, and have the look, the feel and the durability of high-end European leather shoes — but without the negative impacts that come with producing them. (According to PETA, turning animal skin into leather “requires massive amounts of energy and dangerous chemicals,” and raising animals for their skin to eventually be turned into leather “requires huge amounts of feed, pastureland, water, and fossil fuels.”)
“I was actually born on Earth Day. I started getting involved with environmental advocacy when I was around 14, and it has always been a big part of my life,” Dworkin said. “When I decided to launch my own brand, sustainable practices were a must for me from the get-go. I am incredibly passionate about new-age materials and components made from plants, so I focus a lot of my messaging on material use, but sustainability really is a holistic practice.”
Because of the recent popularity of vegan leathers, consumers now have many options to choose from when it comes to sustainable footwear and handbag brands, but for apparel, it’s often more difficult, as there is so much that goes into creating truly sustainable garments that are of high quality and last for generations.
French brand Parisienne et Alors is one of the brands designing sustainable ready-to-wear. Creative director Laury Thilleman said every piece is made locally in France and crafted from recycled and/or upcycled fabrics — most from natural fibers. “Fashion is one of the most polluting industries, but Parisienne et Alors is determined to make a change and to stand out as a positive example of how fashion can make a difference,” Thilleman told GMA.
Another European brand, Manola, creates chic activewear from environmentally-friendly materials, such as recycled nylon from ECONYL (which comes from discarded fishing nets, plastic and carpets) or organic cotton from PYRATEX, which generates 46% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional cotton.
Loungewear brand PANGAIA is also big on recycled fabrics, and uses plant fibers, bio-based fibers and leather alternatives. Their approach to creating fashion is very much science-based. “Our goal is to demystify science and become a bridge builder between science and fashion — to make sustainable innovations the new normal,” Chief Innovation Officer Amanda Parkes said.
More mainstream brands are also embracing veganism and sustainability. Patagonia, Levi’s, Fabletics and H&M are all implementing sustainable practices into their businesses, and expanding their clientele by doing so. “Fabletics understands the importance of protecting the environment, and we want to ensure we are doing our part. As such, while there’s much work to be done, we have made sustainability a core focus and are proud of the steps we’ve taken thus far,” the Fabletics team, which just released various vegan leather leggings and pants, said.
Vegan beauty
Natural beauty products have been in for some time now, but for many brands today, the challenge has become: How do you make your production and shipping methods sustainable and entice people with the history and roots behind your organic products?
Luca, a fragrance company established in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2013, works with sustainable, local suppliers, uses upcycled (products made by transforming other recycled products) materials and only puts out small drops. “One of our core oils is a fossilized amber extracted from a 35 million-year-old Himalayan fossilized tree resin. This oil comes from a process called ‘dry distillation,’ whereby the Amber resin is processed over high heat until an oily substance is obtained. Another stellar oil in our perfume is the cedar, which is obtained from the sawdust created when the wood is cut for lumber,” the Luca team said.
Another brand, Kumiko, also said it embraces nature and shows consumers the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle, through skincare. The company said its products are made with Japanese matcha tea, an antioxidant, and are non-toxic, gluten-, parabens- and cruelty-free.
“It is an undeniable reality that the vegan preference is on the rise worldwide, along with respect and care for the environment. Kumiko is aware of this, with a total commitment for sustainable products from the beginning of the production line to the end, always considering recyclable packaging,” the team said.
Sustainability is a lifestyle
Organic ingredients and vegan leathers — particularly cactus, apple, pineapple and corn — have become the new go-tos for sustainable designers looking to create eco-friendly luxury, but as people learn more and more about sustainability, it has become clear that there are many parts to it, both as a creator and a consumer.
Using organic, vegan materials is just one of the things brands are doing to make their businesses more sustainable; there is also packaging, production and ethics to think about. LØCI, for example, said it donates 10% of its profits to environmental causes, including ocean conservation charities and carbon offset projects. Santos said she has made her entire packaging either compostable or recyclable, and recently introduced biodegradable hang tags embedded with wildflowers, so that when you plant the paper in a pot of soil, the seeds in the paper germinate and grow into plants. Also, with every Santos by Monica bag sold, one tree is planted with One Tree Planted.
Santos by Monica, apart from being charitable, follows a made-to-order production strategy, which means the designer creates only enough product to fit the demand, and therefore avoids generating waste. La Gotta and Manola produce in the same way.
Araks Yeramyan, the designer of cotton lingerie brand Araks, said educated shoppers don’t just want eco-friendly materials, they want to know that the businesses they’re supporting are actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint, eliminate toxic waste and help their communities and their planet. This idea of getting rid of waste by using natural materials or extending the life of each garment is also the reason — apart from nostalgia — vintage and pre-owned clothing sales have spiked in the fast few years.
Thrilling, an online marketplace that sells vintage and second-hand items from small businesses across the U.S., said that orders have increased by 240% over the last year, and the amount of vintage inventory that stores uploaded to the site increased by nearly 500%.
How can creators and consumers help fashion become more sustainable?
If you’re looking to make the switch to shopping vegan and living sustainably, Santos said you need to do your research.
“Consumers could be more aware by taking into account where products they consume come from, what they are made of and what the ideals of the brands they support are,” she said. “Making an effort to learn more about the brand before consuming and asking themselves if the product is something they really need before making the purchase.”
Jordan Clark, the founder of vegan footwear brand Dooeys, said shoppers should ask how things are made and buy things that last. “If a brand gives vague material information on a product page, it’s probably because it’s not worth sharing,” she said. “Invest in pieces you love now and will continue to love over the coming years. I also find it helpful to follow influencers and bloggers that focus on sustainable fashion and shop sustainable marketplaces like Made Trade that do the vetting for you.”
Del Rey said it’s also the creators’ job to educate shoppers on the actual value of a vegan brand or item, rather than market the sustainability movement as just the latest hot trend.
“We feel as if awareness of veganism in the fashion industry can be promoted the same way a vegan diet and lifestyle was,” the SINBONO team said. “If you go back a couple of years, not many people were ready to make the shift, but now, many people choose vegan products. This was primarily done through the media and companies themselves.”
And, they said, if more big, popular companies make the shift toward vegan fashion, customers will inevitably be more interested in learning about the topic.
Dworkin, of Sylven, said the word “veganism” so often gets equated with diet, but it’s absolutely a lifestyle.
“It’s about consciously eliminating the use of animal products, and fashion plays a huge part in that equation,” Dworkin said. “I think a majority of people who first dabble in being vegan really hone in on food, but I think that fashion can and should play a much larger role in introducing new alternatives to the masses, especially for people who may not be ready to make a full lifestyle change, finding a pair of boots that are made from apples instead of cows, or a coat made from Tencel instead of down is a great way to reduce the number of animal products consumed.”
(LAS VEGAS) — Nine people died on Saturday in a “chaotic” traffic collision involving six vehicles in North Las Vegas, officials said.
“We have not seen a mass-casualty traffic collision like this before,” Alexander Cuevas, public information officer for the North Las Vegas Police, told reporters late Saturday.
Fifteen people had been involved in the incident, Cuevas said. Two were transported from the scene to University Medical Center, where one later died, he said. The other remained in critical condition, he said.
Officials said speed was a factor in the crash. It was unknown whether impaired driving had been a factor, they said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday that it is sending a go-team to investigate the crash in coordination with the North Las Vegas Police Department.
A Dodge Challenger heading north “at a high rate of speed” on Commerce Street ran a red light prior to the crash at about 3 p.m., Cuevas said citing statements from witnesses.
“And, with that, it struck multiple vehicles and, unfortunately, it was a chaotic event,” Cuevas said.
Several vehicles were pushed off the road into a vacant lot near the intersection of Commerce Street and Cheyenne Avenue, officials said.
The driver of the Challenger was among the dead, officials said. The deceased ranged from young juveniles to middle-aged adults, Cuevas said. Their identities will be released by the coroner’s office, police said.
“Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families who are experiencing a tremendous and unnecessary loss due to a careless, senseless act,” Pamela A. Goynes-Brown, a member of the North Las Vegas City Council, said.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta 129, LA Lakers 121
LA Clippers 115, Charlotte 90
Chicago 130, Portland 116
Detroit 115, Cleveland 105
Denver 136, Milwaukee 100
Orlando 110, Dallas 108
Phoenix 115, San Antonio 110
Minnesota 126, Utah 106
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 3, Seattle 2
Los Angeles 4, Pittsburgh 3
Carolina 2, San Jose 1
Dallas 6, Boston 1
Columbus 6, Montreal 3
Minnesota 4, NY Islanders 3
Colorado 4, Buffalo 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Cincinnati 27, Kansas City 24 (OT)
LA Rams 20, San Francisco 17
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Purdue 81, Ohio St. 78
Wisconsin 66, Minnesota 60
Providence 65, Marquette 63
On Sunday, January 30, U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge posted a video of them delivering a new acoustic performance of their band’s classic 1983 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” that features a new final verse.
The debut of the updated version of the tune coincides with the 50th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” massacre — which served as the inspiration for the song — where British Army soldiers shot and killed 13 civil-rights protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland.
The black-and-white video, which was shot at one of the U2 members’ homes in Dublin, was posted on the group’s official YouTube channel along with the caption “30 January 2022 – With love, Bono & Edge.”
The newly written closing verse features the following lyrics: “Here at the murder scene/ The virus of fiction, reality TV/ Why so many mothers cry/ Religion is the enemy of the Holy Spirit guide/ And the battle just begun/ Where is the victory Jesus won.”
Here are the original lyrics of the song’s final verse: “And it’s true we are immune/ When fact is fiction and TV reality/ And today the millions cry/ We eat and drink while tomorrow they die/ The real battle just begun/ To claim the victory Jesus won.”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was originally featured on U2’s third studio album, War.
This weekend’s Saturday Night Live, hosted by Willem Dafoe, with musical guest Katy Perry, also featured a surprise appearance from former NFL player Peyton Manning, whose “Weekend Update” commentary on Saturday’s playoffs and Tom Brady‘s rumored retirement ended with him gushing over Netflix’s Emily in Paris.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home star Dafoe used his opening monologue to joke about his “expressive face,” which he “can’t control.”
“Maybe that’s why people come up to me and say, ‘You know what role you’d be perfect for? The Joker,’” he continued. “Always nice to hear that you’ve got the vibe of a sociopath,” the host joked.
Manning confessed to “Update” co-anchor Colin Jost that he, “had an hour to kill before the first game, so just for fun, I put on the first episode of Emily in Paris season two, and I watched the entire season straight through.”
“This show has everything: romance, adventure, sensuality, culture, a fresh take on feminism…a culinary tapestry so rich, I could only describe it as ‘food porn,’” he continued.
Regarding Brady’s possible retirement, Manning replied that it was “probably just speculation,” but if it were him he, “probably would retire, too, if it gave me more time to watch Emily in Paris.”
Responding to Jost’s shock at him blowing off football for the show, Manning explained, “Sure, watching football was the safe thing to do. That’s what everyone expected me to do, but if I’ve learned anything from Emily, it’s to follow my passions and always be true to myself.”
The episode also marked Jost’s co-anchor Michael Che‘s 155th appearance behind the “Update” desk, breaking Seth Meyers‘ record, surpassed by Jost in October. Che is also the first African-American “Weekend Update” anchor.
SNL returns February 26 with host John Mulaney and musical guest LCD Soundsystem.
The latest seres in the Power franchise, Power Book IV: Force, debuts Sunday, February 6 starring Joseph Sikora. In this spinoff, Sikora, who portrays Tommy Egan, has left New York City with hopes of taking over Chicago.
Executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has teamed with Jeremih and Lil Durk for the theme song, “Power Powder Respect.”
Jeremih is proud of the fact that he was involved in producing the track. “What I really look more forward to with that with the intro, is that people don’t know that I actually made the beat. It’s my first production placement,” he tells ABC Audio.
The Grammy nominee adds that he sent Fiddy several tracks, and was pleasantly surprised with the one he selected for the theme. “I couldn’t ask for nothing better. Even hearing it back and seeing the additional plays he made with it, adding on Lil Durk, just turned it into a real power play,” the “Down On Me” singer continues.
Jackson says he emphasized to Jeremih that the song has to reflect the series.
“Because it’s the theme, you don’t have to be Jeremih. You can do [or] say things that…relate to the show instead of just being what we would say next or what we would do next as artists,” Jackson says.
Since Power Book IV: Force is set in Chicago, 50 says it was key to have Windy City natives Jeremih and Lil Durk on the song.
“I had to make it feel like Chicago. So, you know, in order to do that, you know, I got Lil Durk involved and got Jeremih to bring me some tunes,” Jackson says.
Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in 2012; Lester Cohen/WireImage
Joni Mitchell has joined her old friend and fellow Canadian artist Neil Young in removing her music from Spotify because the streaming service continues to host The Joe Rogan Experience. Many in the medical community have claimed that Rogan‘s podcast spreads harmful misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.
In an online message, Mitchell writes, “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
Joni also posted a link to an open letter that was signed by hundreds of scientists and medical professionals asking Spotify to “immediately establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform,” after a recent episode of the podcast aired that they allege included harmful untruths regarding COVID-19.
That same letter prompted Young to demand that his music be removed from Spotify if the service didn’t stop hosting Rogan’s extremely popular podcast. Spotify granted Neil’s request, rather cut ties with Rogan.
Following Young’s decision to leave Spotify, many artists expressed support for him, while quite a few others criticized him, suggesting that Neil’s actions were anti-free speech, and that Rogan had a right to express his opinions about the pandemic and vaccines.
In response to his detractors, Young maintained in an online note, “I support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information.”
He added, “I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front-line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.”
