An Eddie Van Halen Funko Pop! is set to be released next year.
The late Van Halen icon is the latest rocker to be turned into one of the toy company’s ever-popular big-headed vinyl figures as part of its Pop! Rocks line. The Eddie Funko finds him jumping in the air while jamming on a mini recreation of his signature Frankenstrat guitar.
You can pre-order your own now ahead of its expected January release.
Other artists who’ve gotten the Funko Pop! treatment include Machine Gun Kelly, Metallica, Pearl Jam, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day and Ozzy Osbourne.
Dr. Mpho Shabangu is a Tshwane district vaccine coordinator. – ABC
(NEW YORK) — The omicron variant has exponentially spread in South Africa in a short time, and now experts are warning that widespread vaccine hesitancy and the lack of basic medical supplies in the region may lead to an explosive outbreak of new cases.
In just two weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases in South Africa has surged more than 1,600%, according to an ABC News analysis of data from the National Institute for Communicable Disease. The increase coincides with the discovery of the omicron variant in southern Africa and comes as countries around the world institute protective measures against the new strain.
“We were going through a period of actually much lower level transmission of the virus and we were getting optimistic that we might have a bit of respite again from this virus,” said Dr. Richard Lessells at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. “Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case.”
Before the emergence of omicron, Lessells and a team of doctors wrote a paper on the state of COVID-19 in Africa. The last sentence in his team’s abstract warned of what could come.
“Africa must not be left behind in the global pandemic response, otherwise it could become a source for new variants,” said the paper.
Omicron now accounts for the vast majority of new cases in South Africa and has reached at least 10 other African countries and the French territory of Reunion. South Africa’s Gauteng Province — home of the major city of Johannesburg — has become the epicenter, where cases are roughly seven times higher than the nation’s other provinces, according to government data.
“I think people have all lost hope when it comes to protection from COVID-19. I think many of them have developed the mindset that ‘whatever happens, happens.’ They have lost hope and are not worried about this new variant as compared to the one before,” said Busisiwe Vilakazi, a resident of Johannesburg.
Tshwane District Vaccine Coordinator Dr. Mpho Shabangu stressed, now more than ever, the importance of getting shots in arms. She led a vaccination push in Mamelodi, a town about an hour outside of Johannesburg.
“All hands are on the deck. So what we are doing currently, we are trying also to make sure that we take vaccines to the people. We’ll go in and have a pop-up site in an area so that people can come and vaccinate,” said Shabangu.
She said that many residents in Mamelodi need to be convinced to get the vaccine.
“We are actually experiencing a lot of vaccine hesitancy. I think it’s not that people don’t want to be vaccinated. People just need more information on the vaccines, especially on the issue of safety,” said Shabangu.
“We know [there] are a few countries in Africa that have discarded some of the doses and that the simple reason is that these countries received vaccines that are near expiring with a very short shelf life,” said Dr. Richard Mihigo, the coordinator of Immunization & Vaccines Development in the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.
As it stands, roughly 7% of Africa’s population has been vaccinated, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The benchmark set by the WHO is to have 40% of the continent’s population vaccinated by the end of the year.
Issues like logistic hurdles are hampering efforts to reach that milestone, according to the WHO Regional office for Africa.
In Kenya, where less than 6% of the country is fully inoculated, five million shots have arrived within the past two weeks.
Unvaccinated resident Julius Tuyioto said he traveled miles to a hospital, only to leave without a shot.
“While we were still standing there, we were told that the vaccine was over. So, I was discharged and was not interested in following it up again,” said Tuyioto in a statement translated to English.
Clinical officer Gerald Yiaile said their vaccine supply cannot keep up with demand.
“We’ve run out of stock five days ago. We have already ordered our supply again,” said Yiaile.
In larger cities, like Nairobi, some residents say they are not ready to roll up their sleeves. Salon owner Godfrey Maale telling ABC News he’s still not convinced the vaccine works.
Salon owner Godfrey Maale said he’s still not convinced.
“I don’t want to be vaccinated because it means nothing to me. Two of my friends got vaccinated. After [a] few days… they got [the] virus,” Maale said. “You can be vaccinated and you can get virus again, so it’s nothing.”
Mihigo, the WHO regional coordinator, said social media is aiding the spread of vaccine hesitancy.
“We’ve seen in some countries really where the influence or misinformation that has been spreading through the social media has had some devastating effects in terms of acceptance of vaccination,” said Mihigo.
Continent wide, an estimated 85% of cases in Africa go undetected, according to the WHO.
In October, UNICEF projected that Africa could be short 2.2 billion syringes in 2022.
Despite the shortfalls, Shabangu said she sees hope for the future and that more people are beginning to get vaccinated as case numbers increase.
Lessells said it’s important to remember that the pandemic is global and won’t be stopped by borders.
“This is a global pandemic and it needs a global response,” he said. “We’re all in this together and we need to act responsibly as a global community.”
ABC News’ Bea Wangondu contributed to this report.
Emmy winner Uzo Aduba heads up an all-star cast in Friday’s new release National Champions.
Stephan James plays LeMarcus James, an NFL-bound college athlete who starts a player boycott on the eve of a key game in an effort to score more compensation for college athletes.
Uzo plays Katherine Poe, a fixer of an attorney for the NCAA, who tries to short circuit his efforts.
“She knows her job well, the ins and outs of it,” Uzo tells ABC Audio.
“She’s been called to come in…for the NCAA in their eyes to quarterback this mission. But I think she really ends up being the coach in a lot of ways.”
As the movie plays out, however, we learn there’s more under her apparently icy surface. “[S]he has found herself straddling the life she has created for herself….and the woman she once was, who happens to be perhaps the very person that LeMarcus is fighting for.”
Alexander Ludwig plays Emmett Sunday, LeMarcus’ best friend, who helps him hatch the boycott plan. With sports turning to activism of late, Ludwig tells ABC Audio it’s the best time for this movie.
“I’ve never been a part of something that was shot so quickly and then turned around so quickly, and I think that part of the reason that happened was it’s so topical,” the actor explains.
“It’s a conversation that’s being had right now on every level of sports. And I’m so proud to be a small part of it. It’s incredible, the group of people they got together for it, not to mention pretty much all of the NFL that …wanted to be part of it. So that…spoke a lot to how much people want there to be some form of change.”
Jack White is returning to the road next year in a big way.
The White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather rocker has announced a huge world solo tour for 2022, dubbed the Supply Chain Issues tour. The first North American leg is set to kick off with a two-night stand in White’s hometown of Detroit on April 8-9, and will conclude June 11 in Broomfield, Colorado.
White will then embark on a trek through Europe in June and July, followed by a return to the States for a second outing, running from August 13 in Minneapolis to August 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The size of the tour makes sense, given that White plans to release not one, but two solo albums in 2022: Fear of the Dawn on April 8, and Entering Heaven Alive on July 22.
Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday, December 17, at 10 a.m. local time. Various pre-sales, including for members of White’s Third Man Records Vault subscription service, will open next week leading up to the general sale.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit JackWhiteIII.com.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Texas’ near-total ban on abortions to stay in effect more than three months after a majority of justices allowed the law, SB8, to be implemented, denying women across the nation’s second most populous state a constitutionally-protected right.
But the court said abortion providers could continue with their challenge to the law.
The mixed decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, was at least a temporary victory for abortion providers and civil rights groups that had been challenging the law.
The court said, “the ultimate merits question — whether S.B. 8 is consistent with the Federal Constitution — is not before the Court. Nor is the wisdom of S.B. 8 as a matter of public policy.”
It dismissed a Biden administration request to stay enforcement of the Texas law.
During fast-tracked oral arguments heard earlier, many justices were openly skeptical about the Texas law’s unprecedented enforcement mechanism and what it could mean for other state attempts to limit constitutional rights.
SB8 bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and delegates enforcement to everyday citizens — rather than state officials — who can file civil lawsuits against anyone who “aids or abets” an unlawful procedure. Its state sponsors deliberately intended to circumvent federal court review, knowing that such a ban on its face violates constitutionally-protected abortion rights.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
It’s the perfect holiday gift for the ZZ Top fan in your life: Billy F Gibbons’ boots.
The Texas guitar legend has teamed up with the Austin, Texas-based Alvies boot company for a signature “BFG” cowboy boot, described as combining “a classic style with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude.” The design of the cowhide boots, which cost $450, was inspired by “Billy’s personal infatuation with cars, guitars and making music.”
The boots come in three different ZZ Top-related colors — Sharp-Dressed, El Hombre and 33 Coupe — and the pull strap of each pair comes with a pocket containing several custom BFG guitar picks.
There are only 3,000 pairs of the limited-edition boots available and a percentage of each sale goes to the National Independent Venue Foundation, which offers financial support to music venues around the country that have been impacted by COVID-19.
If you can’t afford the boots, t-shirts and 10-packs of guitar picks are also available on the Alvies website.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 793,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 60.4% 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:
Dec 10, 10:04 am
Masks or proof of vaccination required in all indoor public places in New York
Masks will now be required in all indoor public places in New York state unless the business or venue requires proof of full vaccination, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
The new measure takes effect Monday and lasts until at least Jan. 15 as the state tries to disrupt a winter surge.
New York’s seven-day average case rate has jumped by 43% since Thanksgiving, according to the governor’s office.
“We shouldn’t have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers’ frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet,” Hochul said in a statement. “I want to thank the more than 80 percent of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary.”
Dec 09, 7:33 pm
At least 25 states have confirmed omicron cases
At least 25 states have now reported cases of the omicron variant, just over a week after California identified the first case in the U.S.
Iowa, Michigan and Virginia became the latest states Thursday to confirm positive cases of the new variant of concern.
Other states with confirmed cases include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky told the Associated Press Wednesday that most of the cases have been mild, though there has been at least one hospitalization.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 09, 4:22 pm
US daily case average up by nearly 83% since October
COVID-19-related hospital admissions in the U.S. are up by 47% in the last month, according to federal data. Nearly 80% of adult ICU beds are full.
The U.S. is now reporting more than 117,000 new cases each day. The daily case average has surged by nearly 83% since late October, according to federal data.
New Hampshire holds the nation’s highest case rate, followed by Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Indiana, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 09, 2:54 pm
Over 2 million 5- to 11-year-olds fully vaccinated
Over 2 million children ages 5 to 11 are now fully vaccinated, White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar said.
These kids are among the over 200 million Americans of all ages who are now fully vaccinated, according to the White House.
Shahpar’s tweet added, “Early evidence indicates boosters increase protection against Omicron. Get boosted!”
However, roughly two-thirds of parents of elementary school-aged children are either holding off on getting their younger kids vaccinated or refuse to do so, according to a poll released Thursday by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
Parents of teens are more willing to get their kids vaccinated, but only about half of that age group have gotten the shot so far, KFF found.
The new findings come despite increasing evidence that the vaccine is safe and that kids and teens are now helping to drive up case numbers.
(NEW YORK) — A major storm is moving from the Rockies to the East Coast over the next two days, set to bring heavy snow to the Upper Midwest and severe thunderstorms to the east.
A winter storm warning has been issued in the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes where snow is set to blow through South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
This will be the first major winter storm for the Minneapolis-St. Paul region this season. The Twin Cities area could see more than 1 foot of snow.
From Texas to Indiana, the threat will be strong tornadoes and damaging winds on Friday night.
Tornadoes are especially dangerous at night because residents may sleep through alerts.
Memphis to Indianapolis could see the worst of the severe weather.
Record-high temperatures are possible along the East Coast on Saturday afternoon.
Temperatures are forecast to climb to 62 degrees in Boston, 66 in New York, 71 in Washington, D.C., and 74 in Charleston and Raleigh.
Saturday night, strong thunderstorms may hit the Carolinas and the Northeast. There is a small chance of tornadoes in the Mid-Atlantic.
(NEW YORK) — Consumer prices are continuing to climb, causing new pain for Americans’ pocketbooks, as inflation tightens its grip on the economy and hobbles the post-pandemic recovery.
The consumer price index, which measures the prices consumers pay for a market basket of everyday goods and services, jumped 0.8% last month after rising 0.9% in October, the Department of Labor reported Friday. Over the last 12 months, the index climbed some 6.8% before seasonal adjustment. This marks the largest 12-month increase in nearly 40 years.
While inflation is already wreaking havoc on holiday shopping, it’s especially painful for households with limited means to absorb higher prices for essentials. Policymakers including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in recent weeks have also began walking back on assurances that it was likely a temporary, post-pandemic blip.
The so-called core index, a measure of all prices less the more volatile food and energy indices, rose 0.5% in November, building on a 0.6% increase in October. The core index climbed 4.9% over the last 12 months, the DOL said.
“Inflation is outpacing increases in household income and weighing heavily on consumer confidence, which is at a decade low,” Greg McBride, the chief financial analyst at Bankrate, said in a commentary to ABC News shortly after the data was released Friday. “It is only a matter of time before it impacts consumer spending in a material way.”
The energy index rose 33.3% over the last year after climbing 3.5% in November alone.
The food index jumped 6.1% over the last year and soared 0.7% in November.
The changes in the food and energy index mark the largest 12-month increase in at least 13 years, the DOL said.
Some of the largest contributors to soaring prices were increases in prices for gasoline, shelter, food, used and new vehicles and trucks.
President Joe Biden reacted to the report in a statement Friday, acknowledging that “prices are rising,” but noted that the data was collected earlier in the month of November, adding that “developments in the weeks after these data were collected last month show that price and cost increase are slowing, although not as quickly as we’d like.”
“Half of the price increases in this report are in cars and energy costs from November,” the president said. “Since then, we have seen significant energy price reductions.” He also noted that in recent weeks used car prices have trended downward in the wholesale market “which should translate into lower prices for Americans in the months ahead.” “Even with this progress, price increases continue to squeeze family budgets,” Biden added. “We are making progress on pandemic-related challenges to our supply chain which make it more expensive to get goods on shelves, and I expect more progress on that in the weeks ahead.”
The president said that the challenge of rising prices underscores the importance of Congress passing his Build Back Better plan, which he said will help families by reducing how much they pay for health care, prescription drugs and child care.
Economists have attributed the rapidly climbing prices to supply-demand imbalances lingering from the pandemic shock to the economy, as labor shortages and supply chains issues result in supply not being able to keep up with the post-pandemic consumer demand for goods and services.
The painful price rises also are coming as many Americans prepare to celebrate the holidays with family and friends for the first time since a COVID-19 vaccine rolled out.
(NEW YORK) — Consumer prices are continuing to climb, causing new pain for Americans’ pocketbooks, as inflation tightens its grip on the economy and hobbles the post-pandemic recovery.
The consumer price index, which measures the prices consumers pay for a market basket of everyday goods and services, jumped 0.8% last month after rising 0.9% in October, the Department of Labor reported Friday. Over the last 12 months, the index climbed some 6.8% before seasonal adjustment. This marks the largest 12-month increase in nearly 40 years.
While inflation is already wreaking havoc on holiday shopping, it’s especially painful for households with limited means to absorb higher prices for essentials. Policymakers including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in recent weeks have also began walking back on assurances that it was likely a temporary, post-pandemic blip.
The so-called core index, a measure of all prices less the more volatile food and energy indices, rose 0.5% in November, building on a 0.6% increase in October. The core index climbed 4.9% over the last 12 months, the DOL said.
“Inflation is outpacing increases in household income and weighing heavily on consumer confidence, which is at a decade low,” Greg McBride, the chief financial analyst at Bankrate, said in a commentary to ABC News shortly after the data was released Friday. “It is only a matter of time before it impacts consumer spending in a material way.”
The energy index rose 33.3% over the last year after climbing 3.5% in November alone.
The food index jumped 6.1% over the last year and soared 0.7% in November.
The changes in the food and energy index mark the largest 12-month increase in at least 13 years, the DOL said.
Some of the largest contributors to soaring prices were increases in prices for gasoline, shelter, food, used and new vehicles and trucks.
Economists have attributed the rapidly climbing prices to supply-demand imbalances lingering from the pandemic shock to the economy, as labor shortages and supply chains issues result in supply not being able to keep up with the post-pandemic consumer demand for goods and services.
The painful price rises are also coming as many Americans prepare to celebrate the holidays with family and friends for the first time since a COVID-19 vaccine rolled out.
