Alyssa Milano isn’t afraid to get in a little trouble in the name of justice.
The actress and activist attended a protest in Lafayette Square in front of the White House on Tuesday that was aimed at getting President Joe Biden and Congress to pass voting rights legislation and abolish the filibuster. However, while exercising her right, she was arrested.
“I’ve never been arrested; today is my first time,” Milano told ABC News. “I felt like this was a really worthy issue to be arrested for. They are systematically stripping away people’s rights to vote, and we sent Joe Biden to the White House to fulfill a promise of voting rights, and the time to act is now.”
The Charmed alum added that when it came to this issue specifically, she was willing to be arrested “because voting is the bedrock of our democracy, and if we start suppressing the vote, more so than it already is, I’m really fearful for what’s going to happen for this country, and marginalized — and the most vulnerable.”
Milano, along with over 20 other protestors, were arrested by police after ignoring three warnings to move away from the fence in front of the White House.
The protest, which was coordinated by the League of Women Voters, People For the American Way, and Declaration for American Democracy, came a day before Wednesday’s vote in the Senate on the Freedom to Vote Act, which is expected to be blocked by Senate Republicans.
I was just arrested for demanding the Biden Administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting rights. Stand with me and @peoplefor and tell the Senate and White House that voting rights shouldn’t depend on where you live. #DontMuteOurVote
(NEW YORK) — With wind chill already dragging temperatures down to the low 30s in Anchorage, Alaska, nurse manager Deyana Thayer has her insulated snow gear ready to go as soon as a COVID-19 vaccine is finally available for younger children — since her team will brave the elements to administer the shot in drive-thru clinics that make it easier for kids to get it in the warm comfort of their family’s’ car.
Though regulatory bodies are still weeks away from green-lighting a vaccine for children as young as five, meticulous planning and coordination between state and federal health officials has already been underway for weeks to stand up the complex nationwide launch.
“Quite a few parents are waiting on pins and needles,” Thayer said.
The White House on Wednesday announced its plan to distribute vaccine to cover the some 28 million children ages 5-11 if authorized, including a national public education campaign to “reach parents and guardians with accurate and culturally-responsive information about the vaccine and the risks that COVID-19 poses to children.”
The administration is “eagerly awaiting” federal regulators’ review, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told reporters, and have “a lot of reasons to be hopeful” about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
“We need everyone on board for the work ahead of us, because every parent should have the information and tools that they need to help keep their kids safe and to help protect the kids under five who can’t get vaccinated yet,” Murthy said.
In a new operational planning guide sent to state health officials and obtained by ABC News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises jurisdictions should be “ready to vaccinate” the newly eligible group, following Food and Drug Administration and CDC signoff.
CDC advises states to request their pediatric doses in advance — even before the FDA advisory panel meets to debate whether to move ahead — in hopes of smoothing the way for an eventual “manageable and equitable launch.”
Those “pre-orders” are allowed to begin Wednesday.
“This is as much of a logistical puzzle as it is a communication or a scientific one,” Dr. Nirav Shah, President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and director of the Maine CDC said. “Make no mistake, this is an all hands on deck situation.”
To prioritize the “increased logistics needed” during initial rollout, the government is preparing to temporarily halt shipments of adult Pfizer doses during the first week of the pediatric launch, according to planning documents. While paused, adult doses’ availability still should not be impacted.
An imminent vaccine for kids follows a summer where pediatric COVID infections soared — upping the ante on protecting tender ages from the pandemic’s worst, and additionally stopping children from passing the virus to other vulnerable people.
“There will be a lot of pent up demand,” Shah said.
The FDA and CDC must sign off before shots to kids are given; key meetings with independent advisers are set for late October and the first week of November.
Once greenlighted, the pediatric doses will be sent to thousands of sites across the country, including more than 25,000 pediatricians’ offices, more than 100 children’s hospitals, tens of thousands of pharmacies, and hundreds of school and community- based clinics, the White House announced Wednesday.
Though the White House has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses — more than enough to fully vaccine all children ages 5-11 in America — the first launch will dole doses out in waves based on states’ eligible population of kids. Shipments can recalibrate based on shifting demand.
Within days, more than 15 millions of doses are set to begin distribution across the country: roughly 10 million allocated to states, five million to pharmacies, and approximately 265,000 for other federal health agencies, three sources familiar with the rollout said, with a focus on sites already with the infrastructure in place.
“Parents want to get the vaccine in a place where they trust, and their child is comfortable,” said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
But pediatricians cannot shoulder the rollout alone, Shah and Hannan said.
Combatting not only the pandemic, they’re also giving seasonal flu shots and other vaccinations for the same age group — like Measles Mumps and Rubella, Chickenpox and HPV, all are also typically given to kids within the five to 11 range, but which have different storage requirements from the COVID vaccine.
Vaccinators must now also juggle two different COVID vaccine formulas: a full dose for older adolescents and adults — and one third of that dose one for younger children.
To troubleshoot any ensuing confusion, federal health officials are outlining a new color-coded cap system for each formulation of the vaccine, though still “preliminary.” Purple-capped vials will contain doses for adult and older adolescents, a chart offered to states said; orange-capped vials will contain doses for kids aged 5-11.
In New York, the state’s largest healthcare provider Northwell Health is considering colored bracelets to help coordinate which dose goes to which child, division chief of general pediatrics at Cohen’s Medical Center Dr. Sophia Jan said.
Even with “sufficient” supply, as the administration has assured, distribution could pose a challenge in some rural areas, where the population of eligible kids may be more spread out across many miles, Hannan said.
“The logistical challenge will be matching everyone up, matching the vaccine with a vaccinator and then getting the word to parents to make all those pieces come together,” Shah said.
Schools offer an attractive locus to meet kids where they’re at, and some jurisdictions plan to use them as a “mainstay” of the pediatric rollout, Shah said, including in Maine.
Columbus Ohio health officials are looking at holding after-school and weekend clinics in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and area schools, public health spokesperson Kelli Newman said.
New York’s Northwell plans to deploy staff specifically trained to work with young children and children with special needs, partnering with schools and places of worship for further community engagement, Jan said.
That outreach will be a crucial piece of the puzzle.
“Making sure that folks have the information, that it’s accurate, that it’s timely — that’s going to be challenge number one, two three,” Shah said.
The CDC has already released promotional materials in English and Spanish offering guidance on how to talk with parents about the shot.
In Maine, health officials are hoping to run ads timed with authorization, focused on parents’ education about the shot’s safety and protection against the virus.
“We want to almost preserve the bandwidth of pediatricians to contend with and work with and educate parents who are extremely hesitant,” Shah said.
State health officials expect “more questions” than ever before with the pediatric rollout, Shah said — and they’re bent on being ready to answer them with good information.
“It’s understandable because of what’s at stake,” he said.
Zendaya will be adding another prestigious honor to her trophy case next month when the 2021 CFDA Fashion Awards name her this year’s fashion icon.
The council announced on Tuesday that the Dune star’s multiple iconic red carpet looks, as well as her entrepreneurship within the industry, inspired them to recognize her with the 2021 Fashion Icon award.
While highlighting some of their favorite outfits the Emmy winner rocked on the red carpet in a photo collage, the council also took note of her stylist, Law Roach, and saluted his efforts.
Zendaya’s new award places her in good company, as she now joins fellow recipients Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Pharrell, Jennifer Lopez and Naomi Campbell.
The CFDA announced another award recipient on Tuesday, honoring Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy with their newest honor, Face of the Year.
The 2021 CFDA Fashion Awards will be held November 10 at New York City’s Seagram Building.
Adele and her boyfriend Rich Paul stepped out for another courtside date night Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old singer and the 39-year-old sports agent took in a Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Golden State Warriors game at the Staples Center in L.A. Adele looked chic in a brown leather ensemble with a Louis Vuitton coat, while Rich wore an olive suede jacket with a black turtleneck.
The two made their first public appearance together back in July at game 5 of the NBA Finals. Adele recently opened up about the relationship to Vogue, saying that Rich is the first man she’s dated since her divorce who has been accepting of her fame.
“Rich just incredibly arrived,” she said. “I don’t feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It’s quite the opposite. It’s wild. I’m a 33-year-old divorced mother of a son, who’s actually in charge. The last thing I need is someone who doesn’t know where they’re at, or what they want. I know what I want. And I really know what I don’t want.”
Dionne Warwick is back at it again on Twitter and this time, she has a question for Saweetie.
The legendary sainger, who previously made headlines for wondering how The Weeknd and Chance the Rapper got their stage names, is now pondering how the “Back to the Streets” rapper got hers.
“Why is that young lady’s name spelled ‘Saweetie’ and not ‘Sweetie’?” Warwick wrote on Tuesday, adding a follow-up tweet, “This new generation is so creative and fun. ‘Saweetie’ is fun to say!”
The 80-year-old “I Say a Little Prayer” singer was met with a slew of responses, with some asking her to answer the same question given that her full name is Marie Dionne Warrick.
Eventually, though, fans provided the answer she wanted, with one user sharing a screenshot of a quote from an interview Saweetie did with Tidal that explained she got the nickname from her grandmother, but decided to spell it differently.
“Everybody had their nicknames on MySpace so I was like ‘OK, I like Sweetie, but I don’t like the word ‘sweetie,’ so I’m going to spell it this way,” she shared.
After getting the answer, Warwick thanked her followers for the help by tweeting, “Thank you all for answering my question about @Saweetie. I do like the name. I was just curious about the spelling.”
(NEW YORK) — Citing what it calls an “unrelenting assault” by greedy lawyers, Johnson & Johnson is hoping to use the bankruptcy process to dispose of 40,000 lawsuits that claim its baby powder products caused cancer.
A J&J subsidiary created to hold the liabilities from the litigation announced last week it was filing for chapter 11 protection.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the first in the case, the judge is expected to hear from J&J why bankruptcy is the best method to resolve the lawsuits and from critics who called the move “an unconscionable abuse of the legal system.”
“There are countless Americans suffering from cancer, or mourning the death of a loved one, because of the toxic baby powder that Johnson & Johnson put on the market that has made it one of the most profitable pharmaceutical corporations in the world. Their conduct and now bankruptcy gimmick is as despicable as it is brazen,” Linda Lipsen, of the American Association for Justice, an advocacy group pushing for change in bankruptcy laws, said in a statement.
The company has denied its signature Johnson’s Baby Powder and other talc-based products contained asbestos and caused cancer, as alleged by tens of thousands of plaintiffs. J&J has spent nearly $1 billion defending itself, according to a court filing.
“Debtor continues to stand behind the safety of its cosmetic talc and does not believe the claims have merit,” J&J said in a court filing. “The unfortunate reality is that this filing is necessitated by an unrelenting assault by the plaintiff trial bar, premised on the false allegations that the Debtor’s 100+ year old talc products contain asbestos and cause cancer.”
The company stopped selling Baby Powder in the United States and Canada in May 2020.
“Johnson’s Baby Powder has been a staple for hundreds of millions of people for over 125 years. If claimants’ allegations were correct that the product causes disease, there should have been long ago an epidemic clearly attributed to the use of the product. That is not the case,” the filing said.
Johnson & Johnson has put $2 billion into a settlement fund to pay the talc claims even though the company said “$2 billion is substantially in excess of any liability the Debtor should have.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 728,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.9 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 66.8% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Oct 20, 8:23 am
FDA could authorize Moderna, J&J booster shots Wednesday
The FDA could authorize Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots for some populations as soon as Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the CDC independent advisory committee is meeting Wednesday to discuss vaccines in general. The committee is expected to debate Moderna and Johnson & Johnson on Thursday, discussing who boosters should be recommended for and if mixing and matching vaccines should be permitted.
A non-binding vote is expected at the end of Thursday.
The CDC director is expected to make the final recommendations shortly after the vote, which could come as soon as Thursday night or Friday morning.
Oct 20, 8:08 am
NYC to mandate vaccine for municipal workers
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all municipal workers.
The mandate is expected to include all employees from sanitation workers to office workers and will require some 161,000 workers to have their first dose by Oct. 29.
Municipal employees who do not get vaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave, and their future employment will be resolved in negotiations with individual labor unions.
Correction officers will face a later deadline of Dec. 1.
Gwyneth Paltrow has reached the stage of parenthood where she has to go beyond talking about the birds and the bees with her teenage children.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the Oscar-winner opened up about how she broaches the subjects of healthy relationships and safe sex with 17-year-old Apple and 15-year-old Moses, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin.
“I try always to be neutral on the topic,” Paltrow, 49, explained, adding that opinions about sex have softened since her parents sat her down for “the talk.”
“I think my generation, we got a lot of messages around sex that made us feel bad about it,” she reflected. “I try to just be curious, and teenagers are never going to want to talk to their parents about sex, ever. I sort of follow their lead and luckily, in middle school they had a very thorough sex education, so the school handled the kind of birds and the bees parts. Then I am there for any questions, but the questions are pretty minimal.”
Paltrow said the advice she stresses to her children is to “stay close to your own truth” and not feel pressured into doing something that makes them uncomfortable.
“When you are in a relationship and you are not being your full self, you are sublimating things or you are white knuckling through something, and I think it can be pretty damaging to how you feel about yourself,” Paltrow explained. “I will always just encourage my children to really listen to themselves, listen to their instincts, listen if something feels right, and to act from that place.”
Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women in Film & Television
Fans will have to wait even longer to welcome Wendy Williams back to her purple chair.
On Tuesday, the Wendy Williams Show official Instagram announced two new guests hosts will hold down the fort through the first week of November.
Comedian and writer Whitney Cummings will take over from October 25 to the 29 and, after that, former The View co-host Sherri Shepherd will host through November 5.
“Nobody can ever replace Wendy but we will do what we can to fill in so she can come back stronger than ever,” wrote Cummings in the Instagram announcement comments. “She’s gone so hard for so long and as much as I miss seeing her every day, just imagine how hilarious she’s gonna be after some time to take care of herself and have some quiet time to think!”
Williams was originally expected to return on September 20 to kick off the premiere of the show’s 13th season, but that return was pushed back several times due to her continued health issues, including testing positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
The show returned October 18 with Leah Remini as its first guest host, and it was also announced that Williams is “making progress but experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ Disease and her thyroid condition. It has been determined that more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties.”
Mayo Clinic defines Graves’ disease as a disorder of the immune system that is a common cause of hyperthyroidism, or an overproduction of thyroid hormones. Side effects attributed to the illness are anxiety, hand tremors, palpitations, fatigue and other disruptive symptoms.
Mariah Carey has entered the world of cryptocurrency, with a little help from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and hopes her fans follow in her footsteps.
The “Fantasy” singer has partnered with Gemini, a cryptocurrency platform founded by the Winklevoss twins in an effort to educate women about the new method of investing. You may remember the Winklevoss twins from the movie The Social Network about the founding of Facebook — they sued Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing ideas from them to create his social media behemoth.
Mariah announced the new venture on Tuesday, adding that it has helped her learn the ropes of cryptocurrency and encouraged her fans to sign up and use her special code to get started with $20 in free bitcoin.
She also noted that a portion of all trading fees attached to accounts that used Mariah’s code at sign up will be donated to the nonprofit Black Girls Code, which specializes in educating women of color in technology and computer programming by teaching them important skills used in STEM fields.
