The new film Blue Bayou, in theaters Friday, takes on an issue many people don’t know is an issue: kids brought to the U.S., adopted from other countries who, as adults, think they’re citizens until they’re told they’re being deported.
Alicia Vikander who stars in the film, tells ABC Audio she had “no clue” this was happening in real life and immediately dove into researching the topic after reading the script.
“I think the first thing I did was to bring up my phone and start Googling because I literally I couldn’t believe that this was a reality because it doesn’t make any sense,” she says.
While some may think the issue is a political one, for Vikander, it’s about humanity.
“With these families, they’re kind of met by this issue that I think everyone, like no one agrees — it’s not even like immigration politics because they’ve legally come into the country already,” she expresses. “So it just doesn’t make any sense for anyone, you know?”
For Blue Bayou writer and director Justin Chon, this issue is one that he’s had a close connection to, explaining to ABC Audio that it’s based on stories happening to people he knows and “this film is for them.”
Ultimately, though, Chon, who also stars in the film as one of these adults, named Antonio, says he hopes the film sheds some light on a heartbreaking story.
“One of my biggest goals was to bring empathy to somebody who was going through this process. I didn’t want it to feel like propaganda,” he shares. “Hence Antonio is not a perfect human being. He’s flawed, as we all are. And I just wanted to feel just so relatable, so tangible, so visceral. I wanted it to be hard to look away.”
Nicki Minaj says she’s headed to the White House after her recent controversial comments about the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Wednesday, responding to a fan on Twitter who said she should speak at the United Nations General Assembly, the rapper revealed, “The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
“Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human,” Nicki continued, adding “#BallGate day 3.”
Following the tweet, a White House official clarified that what Nicki tweeted isn’t actually the case — though they confirm that the White House is in touch with the rapper.
“As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” the official said.
The recent controversy comes after the “Super Bass” rapper revealed that she did not attend Monday’s Met Gala because she was not vaccinated and later made claims about a cousin of hers refusing to get the vaccine after “his friend” got the shot and suffered an alleged reproductive side-effect.
“If I get vaccinated it won’t [be] for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research,” Minaj said in a tweet Monday. “I’m working on that now.” She later polled her followers about what vaccine she should get, adding she is “sure” she will get the jab in order to tour.
The comments sparked a response from White House COVID-19 task force head Dr. Anthony Fauci, who stressed the dangers of misinformation, especially coming from those with a large platform.
By the way, there were also rumors Wednesday night that Twitter had suspended Nicki’s account, presumably for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. However, a Twitter spokesperson told ABC News, “Twitter did not take any enforcement action on the account referenced.” And Nicki’s account is still active as of Thursday morning.
The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human. #BallGate day 3 https://t.co/PSa3WcEjH3
Photographed by Pari Dukovic, Prince Harry is seen wearing an all-black ensemble while Meghan rocks a white blouse and trousers.
The publication selected surprise pairings of its list members as well as guest contributors. Also, founder of World Central Kitchen José Andrés was selected to write about the royal couple.
“Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame,” wrote Andrés on Prince Harry and Meghan. “It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent. That’s not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are… In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don’t know, the duke and duchess have compassion for the people they don’t know. They don’t just opine. They run toward the struggle.”
Throughout the series of photos featured in Time Magazine, Prince Harry and Meghan are seen wearing forest green looks while posing in front of picturesque outdoor backdrops.
TIME editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal in his letter to readers, said the royal couple has “catalyzed essential conversations on topics from mental health to misinformation.”
In addition to the duke and duchess of Sussex cover, there are six others including Simone Biles, Billie Eilish, Kate Winslet, Cathy Park Hong, Jensen Huang and Ngozi Okonjo Oweala.
The list also includes features of rapper Lil Nas X, tennis star Naomi Osaka, Vice President Kamala Harris and a host of diverse notables.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 666,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.6 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 63.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are 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:
Sep 16, 9:01 am
Pope Francis discusses vaccine hesitancy
Pope Francis said Wednesday he found it “ironic” that a cardinal who was not vaccinated against COVID-19 had been hospitalized with the virus.
Speaking to reporters on his plane while returning to Rome after visiting Hungary and Slovakia, Francis discussed the hesitancy against COVID-19 vaccines and how it has divided people.
“It’s strange because humanity has a friendly relationship with vaccines,” the pope said. “As children, we got them for measles, for other things, for polio. All the children were vaccinated, and no one said anything. Then this happened.”
“Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some anti-vaxxers,” he added, “and one of them, poor man, is in hospital with the virus. But life is ironic.”
Although Francis didn’t identify the man by name, it appeared he was referring to American Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the Catholic church’s most outspoken conservatives who eschewed the COVID-19 vaccine and spent days on a ventilator after contracting the virus in August.
Francis noted that everyone in the Vatican, “except for a small group,” has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Sep 16, 7:17 am
China says it has vaccinated over 1 billion people
China said Thursday that it has vaccinated more than 1 billion people against COVID-19.
According to the Chinese National Health Commission, 2.16 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country so far, fully vaccinating 1.01 billion people. That accounts for more than 70% of China’s population.
China’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is now among the highest in the world, above the United States and Europe. The inoculation drive, however, only used domestically-made vaccines, including Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech, both of which were approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization but have faced growing scrutiny that they may not be very effective at curbing the spread of the virus, particularly the new variants.
Despite chasing zero cases with the strictest of suppression methods, China still suffers the occasional COVID-19 outbreak. A fresh outbreak of the more contagious delta variant has been growing in the southeastern province of Fujian. Chinese authorities said the source of the outbreak there was a father who returned from Singapore in early August and transmitted the virus to his child after quarantining. The father didn’t test positive for COVID-19 until 38 days after he had returned to China.
Painting the threat of the virus coming in from abroad, China has no plans to reopen its borders for the foreseeable future. Even the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February Feb is expected to be held within a very strict bubble that will make the recent Tokyo Games seem lax.
Sep 15, 6:58 pm
NYC health officials investigating cases linked to Labor Day concert
New York City’s Heath Department announced Wednesday it is investigating a cluster of COVID-19 cases that were linked to a Labor Day weekend concert.
At least 16 people have been identified as part of the cluster linked to the Electric Zoo music festival on Randall’s Island, which is located in the East River, the department said.
Eight people have been also been identified who “though likely exposed prior to attending the concert,” were in attendance while potentially contagious, according to the health department.
“Anyone who attended this festival should get tested immediately, regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated. This is especially urgent if attendees are experiencing symptoms,” New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said in a statement.
The concert’s organizers had strict rules for entrance.
Attendees had to show proof of vaccination that matched their photo ID. Unvaccinated ticket holders were allowed in if they showed proof of a negative test “no more than 3 days prior to each day of attendance,” according to the concert’s website.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is planning to meet on Sept. 22 and 23 and is prepared to discuss COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
This will delay the potential start date of boosters until at least late next week, past the president’s planned start date for boosters on Sept. 20.
The White House acknowledged that the start date is ultimately up to the CDC and Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA advisory panel is currently scheduled to hold a public hearing on boosters for the Pfizer vaccine and will have a non-binding vote later that day.
If the FDA approves, the ACIP will discuss and vote on recommendations, such as who should get the boosters and when.
The CDC director will make the ultimate decision on the boosters following the ACIP recommendations.
(WASHINGTON) — Fencing outside the U.S. Capitol was reinstalled late Wednesday ahead of the “Justice for J6” rally this weekend.
The fencing erected after the Jan. 6 riot was removed in July.
Recent Stories from ABC News
“Justice for J6” is being billed by organizers as a protest for defendants who are being detained by the government in connection to the January insurrection at the Capitol.
The fencing is just the latest security measure for a rally that has some in law enforcement on high alert.
Federal law enforcement agencies have become concerned that far-right extremists, including the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys could come to Washington for the protest.
U.S. Capitol Police is the leading agency for the event.
“We are closely monitoring Sept. 18 and we are planning accordingly,” said Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. “After Jan. 6, we made department-wide changes to the way we gather and share intelligence internally and externally. I am confident the work we are doing now will make sure our officers have what they need to keep everyone safe.”
Every available Capitol Police officer will be working and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department said they are also “fully prepared” for the protest.
“As with all First Amendment demonstrations, MPD will be monitoring and assessing the activities and planning accordingly with our federal law enforcement partners,” an MPD spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “MPD will have an increased presence around the city where demonstrations will be taking place and will be prepared to make street closures for public safety.”
Additionally, the FBI Washington Field Office said they are working closely with state local and federal partners.
Javed Ali, a former national counterterrorism director on the National Security Council said agencies have cause for concern.
“While the government has not yet issued threat bulletins about specific and credible plots on that day, like 6 January there may be people who attend in a highly agitated mindset and then switch quickly to violent action with little-to-no warning,” Ali said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters last week that information sharing is key to avoiding another incident like Jan. 6.
He said the Department of Homeland Security has increased information sharing efforts throughout the country.
(NEW YORK) — A British court on Wednesday indicated that it intends to formally provide notice to Prince Andrew of a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in New York, according to a court statement and documents obtained by ABC News.
The court’s decision came over the objections of the prince’s legal team, who have argued that lawyers for the prince’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, are not authorized to receive assistance from the U.K. courts to serve a summons on the prince.
Giuffre, 38, sued the prince in a U.S. federal court last month, accusing the prince of sexually assaulting her in 2001 at the Manhattan home of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and at other locations. The prince has denied her allegations.
In an email sent and obtained Wednesday by ABC News, Gary Bloxsome — lawyer for the prince — insisted that the request for service from Giuffre’s lawyers was “contrary” to British law. Bloxsome contended that granting the request amounted to “an infringement of UK sovereignty,” according to the email Bloxsome sent to special master Barbara Fontaine, a British judicial official.
In response, Fontaine told Bloxsome that if the prince’s team wished to contest her determination, they should do so by requesting a formal hearing.
“I do not consider that it is appropriate for me to determine this disputed issue by email,” Fontaine wrote in an email to Bloxsome.
The British court’s decision comes just two days after a lawyer for Prince Andrew appeared in a New York court to argue that the 61-year-old son of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II had not been legally served with notice of Giuffre’s lawsuit. The attorney, Andrew Brettler, assailed the case as “baseless, non-viable and potentially unlawful.”
Brettler has not responded to an email request for comment from ABC News.
A lawyer for Giuffre said Wednesday that he regards the myriad objections of Prince Andrew’s legal team as an effort to delay or avoid the prince having to face the allegations in court.
“I think that their continued intransigence here is something that ultimately goes to their credibility; I think ultimately makes clear that they don’t have any confidence in their defense on the merits,” said David Boies, chairman of the New York-based law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, which represents Giuffre.
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who is overseeing Giuffre’s case against the prince, has set a hearing for next month to determine if the prince has been legally and lawfully served with notice of the lawsuit.
Anjelica Lat, 26, instructs her students in New York City. – (Anjelica Lat)
(NEW YORK) — Sophie Oleniacz, an elementary school English teacher in California, took a leave of absence right before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 and went back to work in the fall. With her classes fully remote, she expected a different experience.
“It’s assumed that [virtual] is easier than teaching in the classroom and that you’re at home so you have time to provide and plan all these other things for kids,” Oleniacz, 27, told Good Morning America.
But, she said, the boundaries between her professional and personal life “fell apart.”
“I was home so I felt like I was always working,” Oleniacz said. “I definitely felt extremely burnt out.”
For her, the biggest shift during the pandemic was not being able to provide support to students the way she would’ve in a classroom setting. To do that, she would’ve had to work well past her hours.
“It takes more time to check in with each kid,” Oleniacz said. “You can’t just walk around and do a quick check. I don’t have time to pull small groups of kids aside, but that was the expectation.”
The school year brings further concerns for teachers
Oftentimes, teachers tirelessly work beyond a standard school day’s hours creating lesson plans, grading students’ work and preparing for the days ahead. During the pandemic, that has only gotten worse, leading to feelings of burnout, anxiety and stress.
According to the 2021 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey conducted by the RAND Corporation, job-related stress, burnout and symptoms of depression seem to be almost universal among teachers. Of those surveyed, one in five said they weren’t coping well with job stress, one in four said they were experiencing symptoms of depression and half felt burnt out.
Lisa Dishongh, a middle school history teacher in the Houston area, described the last two school years as exhausting.
“When I got home, I would want to shut down,” Dishongh, 55, told GMA. “I’d go home and sleep a lot. It seems like I slept more than I normally do just to give my brain a mental break.”
She taught hybrid classes, with students in the classroom and at home learning simultaneously. While it gave her a chance to experiment with her teaching style, keeping both sets of students engaged was the biggest challenge.
“One day I was talking to the kids that were sitting in class and I said, ‘You guys have the additional resource of having me present so I can help you,’” Dishongh said. “While I was saying that, not one of them was looking at me — they were watching me through the computer.”
It’s another concern for Dishongh, who also notes the additional responsibilities teachers have taken on.
“The schools are putting a lot on us, and I’m not really sure I’m equipped to deal with all that,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with some of the things they expect us to do.”
“Two years ago, they started teaching us how to be first responders and how to treat gunshot wounds. I never signed up to be a first responder when I became a teacher, but with school shootings, that’s become the new reality,” Dishongh added.
Reality for many teachers also includes the politicization of masks in schools. Several states have issued executive orders banning school districts from requiring the use of masks. A number of districts are fighting back by issuing mask mandates anyway and some states are suing over the orders. Similarly, in Utah, Iowa and South Carolina, parents are taking matters into their own hands and filing lawsuits themselves.
While the lawsuits are handled in court, some districts are getting around the mask mandate ban through creative solutions. Some districts, for example, are requiring all students to wear masks by including them as part of the dress code. They’ll also be required in L.A., where the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted to require the COVID-19 vaccine for all eligible students ages 12 and up.
“We’re in a situation right now where kids are getting sick,” Dishongh said. “I am really, really concerned about their safety more than anything else. I feel like we’re under more of a threat this year than we were last year.”
Policy enforcement and uncertainty present more problems
For some teachers, they’re caught between the desire for normalcy and a fear for their students’ safety.
David Finkle, a ninth-grade English teacher in Florida, is teaching fully in-person classes and said he’s eager to see his students and connect with them in the classroom.
“It’s been really nice to see them all,” Finkle, 54, told GMA. “Building relationships with your students was one of those things that was a strain last year, and that’s not the case this year. Now you can walk around and relate to the kids.”
Of last year, he added: “I was kind of trapped behind my desk because I didn’t want to neglect the online students, but then I couldn’t go out and really interact with the classroom students as much as I wanted to.”
The lack of interaction meant students weren’t as lively or willing to participate, which in turn made it more challenging to teach.
“You want a certain level of energy back from the kids,” he said. “It was difficult to keep your energy up even though you weren’t getting much back.”
Finkle is worried about his students, as some are too young to get the vaccine and others have families who won’t allow them to do so.
“I’m scared for the kids,” he said. “COVID is hitting them more now.”
Even in states where mask use is required in schools across the board, such as New York, the issue of enforcing the mandate is still an issue.
“Masks are required, but is that necessarily enforced?” Anjelica Lat, a New York City music teacher, told GMA.
Lat, 26, is conflicted about the return to school, feeling both excited to see her students but worried about the level of uncertainty that comes with it.
“Part of being a teacher is being flexible,” Lat said. “But I feel like this pandemic is really testing how flexible anyone can be.”
Previously, Lat’s classes were hybrid and as a music teacher, it wasn’t easy for her to instruct her students virtually. Normally, Lat corrects her students’ work based on what she hears in class, but that wasn’t possible during virtual classes, because they all had to be muted.
“It was so difficult when we started,” she said. “I had to shift my teaching — having to see them through a screen and figure out what was happening on the very limited view that I had was challenging.”
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prevented Lat and her students from using instruments when they met in person.
“A lot of my students were upset about that,” she said. “Trying to find ways of doing the songs and the games that I still liked to do and wanted them to do was hard.”
Supporting educators
According to Oleniacz, if schools listened to their staff, burnout and unnecessary stress could be prevented.
“I know they have pressure put on them from the districts,” she said. “But it’s hard when teachers are saying, ‘Hey, this isn’t a possibility’ or ‘We’re doing our best,’ but aren’t listened to.”
The expectations for teachers and students have been raised in a time of crisis when they shouldn’t be, and there needs to be more consideration for both groups, Oleniacz added.
“Sometimes it felt like I was doing a lesson for high school students,” she said. “I definitely had to fight some people on things at school like, ‘They’re 9, so we’re going to do this, but it’s going to look different because they’re small and they’re not in the classroom.'”
Less micromanagement and more trust is key, Oleniacz and Finkle agreed.
“It’s so hard when no one is giving me space to do my job,” Oleniacz said. “No one is allowing for that to happen.”
“Stop trying to micromanage us and let us meet the students where they’re at, because students are in all different places,” Finkle said.
The ever-changing landscape in a COVID world doesn’t allow teachers to plan in advance, which only makes their job more difficult, Lat noted. Schools need to clearly communicate what their plans are if a positive case occurs ahead of time, so that teachers have insight into what would happen if that occurred and can have things ready rather than having to figure it out on the go.
“I don’t know quite how to prepare for each year,” Lat said. “I feel like I don’t have anything to fall back on in terms of my curriculum or things I like to do with my students because every year has been so different.”
For much of the last two years, schools with any form of in-person learning quickly pivoted to remote if someone tested positive. They would then return to in-person only to repeat the process once another case broke out.
“We can’t be waffling around with a health crisis,” she said. “It makes it hard to plan and prep … teachers can only do so much. There needs to be a better setup.”
In the early eighties, Ricky Skaggs topped the chart with “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown.” Now, another Kentucky native’s changed that to “don’t steal from my hometown.”
You see, on September 2, Carly Pearce traveled home to be honored with a sign that read “Welcome to Taylor Mill: Hometown of Country Music Star Carly Pearce.” Within the next week, however, it disappeared.
And obviously, the “I Hope You’re Happy Now” hitmaker — is decidedly NOT.
“You know, it honestly pisses me off if I’m completely honest with everyone,” Carly asserts. “If this is a super fan — and I hope that they hear this — but if this is a super fan, just [direct message] me that you want freakin’ tickets to a show.”
“My town spent so much time and money to honor me in this way,” she goes on. “And people are now not really affecting me. They’re affecting my town and I’m pissed.”
“And if I ever figure out who did this, I will put them on blast because it is wrong,” she adds.
While Carly is clearly angry, she seems willing to negotiate some sort of peace with the culprit.
“I will give you tickets,” she offers. “I will give you a large photo of me for your bedroom, if that’s what you need. But don’t steal from my damn hometown.”
“I’m getting mad,” Carly laughs, realizing how outspoken she’s been.
On Friday, the expanded version of Carly’s CMA-nominated 29 arrives, adding the secondary title Written in Stone. It features her new duet with Ashley McBryde, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 6, Tampa Bay 3
Boston 9, Seattle 4
NY Yankees 4, Baltimore 3
Cleveland 12, Minnesota 3
Houston 7, Texas 2
LA Angels 3, Chi White Sox 2
Oakland 12, Kansas City 10
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 8, Washington 6
Pittsburgh 5, Cincinnati 4
Philadelphia 6, Chi Cubs 5
St. Louis 11, NY Mets 4
Colorado 3, Atlanta 2
San Diego 9, San Francisco 6
LA Dodgers 5 Arizona 3
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 98, New York 69
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Atlanta 4, Cincinnati 0
CF Montreal 4, Orlando City 2
DC United 3, Chicago 0
Sporting Kansas City 4, Minnesota 0
Los Angeles FC 2, Austin FC 1
Colorado 2, Portland 2 (Tie)
Houston 1, LA Galaxy 1 (Tie)
Real Salt Lake 4, San Jose 3
The Premise, a new anthology series from B.J. Novak, debuts today on FX on Hulu. Each episode tackles a different social hot button, and one of the two episodes out now deals with gun violence.
“It’s about a guy who has lost his family in a mass shooting and then applies for a new job at the sort of NRA type facility,” one of the stars, Boyd Holbrook tells ABC Audio. “[He] really falls in love with this job a little too much and starts raising concerns around the office about his true intentions.”
“It’s not really an anti-gun thing or a pro-gun thing,” the 40-year-old actor says of the dark comedy. “It’s just about the common decency and the actual care of human life and how we’re engaging with that on a responsible level.”
Holbrook says his hope is that the show will start a conversation about a problem that has become all too common in this country.
“I think it’s great to ask, you know, what are we doing here? We have mass shootings, three hundred fifty-five days a year in the United States before the pandemic,” the Narcos alum says. “It’s just kind of almost droning in the media just how often they were happening and almost becoming sort of desensitized to all these horrific events that were happening.”
