(NEW YORK) — A new report from the World Bank highlights the growing risks of climate change across the world.
The new Groundswell report finds up to 216 million people across six regions from Sub-Sahara Africa to East Asia to Latin America could be forced to migrate within their countries by 2050, with the poorest and most climate-vulnerable affected.
In North Africa up to 9 percent of the population could be forced to move, Sub-Sarahan Africa up to 4 percent, and Latin America 2.6 percent.
“The Groundswell report is a stark reminder of the human toll of climate change, particularly on the world’s poorest—those who are contributing the least to its causes. It also clearly lays out a path for countries to address some of the key factors that are causing climate-driven migration,” said Juergen Voegele, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank.
The first report was released in 2018 and covered sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
That report projected climate change could force up to 143 million people in those regions to migrate.
The updated report now includes East Asia and the Pacific, North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
According to the report, countries in Sub-Sahara Africa are the most at risk to see climate impacts with its fragile drylands, exposed coastlines, and dependence on rain-fed agriculture. North African countries will see the greatest percentage of migrants because of severe water shortages and rising sea levels.
The first migrant hotspots could start emerging by 2030 and will continue to grow by 2050. Water availability, sea-level rise, and crop productivity are some of the reasons people will have to migrate.
The report does find that early action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions could slow climate-based migration up to 80 percent.
Similar to the first Groundswell report, the updated version provides a series of policy recommendations, including cutting greenhouse gases immediately; planning for internal climate migration in developmental planning; investing in better understanding the drivers behind internal climate migration.
The Wendy Williams Show‘s season 13 premiere date of September 20 has been delayed following the show’s announcement that host Wendy Williams has “tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.”
Williams’ diagnosis was shared on Wednesday via her official Instagram account, which noted a new season 13 premiere date of Monday, October 4. “In the meantime, repeats will be scheduled,” the message read in part. The show’s rescheduled date comes less than a week after it was announced Williams would be stepping back from “promotional activities” due to “ongoing health issues.”
In other news, The Lion King returned to Broadway on Tuesday night, following the 18-month shutdown of the theater industry due to COVID-19. The star-studded event was attended by Carson Daly, Gloria SteinemKristin Chenoweth and John Riddle, among others. Also, in a Broadway first, Tuesday night’s performance of “Circle of Life” was livestreamed on TikTok, giving fans from all over the world a rare opportunity to see the production’s opening number.
Meanwhile, Disney is also bringing out the stars for their The Proud Family revival, The ProudFamily: Louder and Prouder. In honor of The Proud Family‘s 20th anniversary Wednesday, Disney announced they have added some of music and entertainment’s biggest names, including Lizzo, Lil Nas X,Chance the Rapper, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Debbie Allen, Courtney B. Vance, Marsai Martin and Jaden Smith, among others. As previously reported, original stars Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker and JoMarie Payton are all expected to return. The ProudFamily: Louder and Prouder launches in 2022 on Disney+. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed “great confidence” in his top military adviser, Army Gen. Mark Milley, after revelations he made secret calls to Chinese counterparts in President Donald Trump’s final days in office — and as a former official told ABC News — Milley wasn’t acting alone.
“I have great confidence in Gen. Milley,” Biden told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega, during an event at the White House.
The president’s defense of Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump and now under Biden, came a day after reports that a forthcoming book would reveal behind-the-scenes actions that Milley took to avoid war with China or Trump launching a nuclear strike.
But Milley was not the only top defense official to send a message to China during Trump’s final days in office, a former senior Pentagon official told ABC News.
Rather, he was actually following the lead of then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the official said.
Milley’s Oct. 30 conversation with his Chinese counterpart, first reported in the forthcoming book “Peril,” by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, was meant to allay Chinese fears that Trump was planning a secret attack ahead of the presidential election. It was part of a coordinated effort started a week earlier by Esper, the former official said.
The outreach came as intelligence reports suggested the Chinese were increasingly concerned that Trump would launch a military strike on China.
Esper instructed another top Pentagon official, a civilian, to convey a message from Esper to his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, to assure him the U.S. had no intention of attacking China, the former official said.
“We saw indications the Chinese were over-reacting to rhetoric coming out of D.C.,” the former official said. “We conveyed that everything is under control, we have no plans (to attack). We didn’t want a misperception and misunderstanding or whatever, and we end up in some type of confrontation that leads to conflict.”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff followed up this outreach with the call to his own counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army. Esper and Milley coordinated their actions, the former official said.
“The notion that somehow Milley was rogue on diplomacy is just completely wrong,” the former official said. “It’s not how it happened. It began with (Esper) trying to make sure the United States didn’t end up at some needless confrontation with the Chinese weeks before the election.”
Esper and Milley, however, did agree not to inform U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien or anybody else at the White House about the conversation, according to the former official.
Woodward and Costa also reported that, after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters, Milley feared Trump could “go rogue” and worried that he could stoke military conflict to cling to power and derail the peaceful transfer of power.
On Jan. 8, Milley called Li and assured him the United States was “100 percent steady” and not on the brink of collapse or war, despite the unrest in Washington, according to “Peril,” which ABC News obtained ahead of its Sept. 21 release.
During Milley’s October call with Li, Woodward and Costa reported, Milley pledged to provide the Chinese a heads up if the U.S. did plan to attack. But the former official cast doubt on whether Milley actually made that promise.
The official portrayed the call in a more mundane light, portraying it instead as an effort, through commonly used channels, to prevent any misunderstanding that would lead the Chinese to act as if an American attack was coming.
A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that Milley’s conversations with his foreign military counterparts, including the Chinese, take place “regularly” and “remain vital to improving mutual understanding of U.S. national security interests, reducing tensions, providing clarity and avoiding unintended consequences or conflict.”
“His calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability,” the spokesman, Col. Dave Butler, said, not denying the reported details of the call.
The calls, Butler said, were “staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense” and other federal government agencies.
Woodward and Costa also reported that, on Jan. 8 — two days after the Capitol riot — Milley convened a meeting at the Pentagon with military officials responsible for relaying orders for a military or nuclear strike and made clear he “must be directly involved” with the process of launching a nuclear weapon. While the authors reported the meeting was unscheduled, the former Pentagon official told ABC News the gathering was, in fact, one that had been regularly scheduled.
Butler, the spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the meeting had taken place “in light of media reporting.”
“Gen. Milley frequently conducts meetings with uniformed leaders across the Services to ensure all leaders are aware of current issues,” Butler said, referring to the different military branches. “The meeting regarding nuclear weapons protocols was to remind uniformed leaders in the Pentagon of the long-established and robust procedures in light of media reporting on the subject.”
In a statement Tuesday, Trump called Milley’s actions “treason” and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called on the general to resign.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, though, on Wednesday expressed strong support for Milley.
“I can’t speak to the former president’s experience with him or the former president’s views of him, but this president, this current president, who follows the Constitution, who’s not fomenting an insurrection, who follows the rule of law,” Psaki said, “has complete confidence in Chairman Milley and him serving — continuing to serve in his role.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Milley has followed the Constitution.
“Gen. Milley continues to act and advise within his authority in the lawful tradition of civilian control of the military and his oath to the Constitution,” its spokesman, Butler, said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday he had seen “nothing in what I’ve read that would cause any concern.” Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had “full trust and confidence in Chairman Milley and the job that he’s doing.”
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel, Luis Martinez and Matt Seyler contributed reporting.
In 2019, Whitney Houston was back on the charts thanks to a remix by superstar DJ/Producer Kygo of a little-known track by the late legend, “Higher Love.” Now, one of Whitney’s bona fide classics is getting the remix treatment.
Whitney’s 1985 number-one hit “How Will I Know” has been remixed by Clean Bandit, the British dance act best known for their global smash “Rather Be.” The new track will be released September 24, but you can hear a preview now on Whitney’s website.
“We were surprised and honored to be asked to remix the legend @whitneyhouston’s How Will I Know,” Clean Bandit wrote on Instagram. “We’ve done it and it is coming out on September 24th!! You can pre-save it now so get ready to dance.”
In other Whitney news, her virtual concert eventAn Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston HologramConcert, opens October 26 at Harrah’s in Las Vegas.
Anthony Mackie will be hanging up his Captain America shield — temporarily — and putting on his producer hat for a series in which he’ll star based on Sony PlayStation’s popular Twisted Metal video games.
The games center on tricked-out vehicles and burned-out drivers going at each other in a post-apocalyptic world, though the half-hour, live-action series will be more fleshed out than that.
Executive-produced by Deadpool and Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and written by co-executive producer and Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith, the series will have Mackie playing John Doe, a motor-mouthed, amnesiac milkman who must travel across the wasteland in his souped up milk truck, to deliver an important package to win a chance at a better life.
“With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck,” Sony Television explained in a release obtained by ABC Audio.
That flame-headed clown, gamers know, is the marauder Sweet Tooth.
“We’ve been big fans of Anthony’s phenomenal body of work over the years and knew he was the only actor who could play a character as complex, funny and compelling as John Doe,” said Glenn Adilman, executive vice president of comedy development at Sony Pictures Television. “Fortunately for us, he agreed.”
Twisted Metal is the second high-profile PlayStation game getting the TV series treatment: The Last of Us is currently in production for HBO, from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss. That series will star two GOT vets: Pedro Pascal, also known from The Mandalorian, and Bella Ramsey.
(PHILADELPHIA) — The city of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $2 million to Rickia Young, who was pulled from her vehicle, beaten by police and separated from her 2-year-old son in October 2020, according to the mayor’s office.
“She’s still dealing with the trauma, even though it’s been almost a year,” Young’s attorney, Kevin Mincey, told ABC News. “She’s still dealing with that, and she’s dealing with the trauma being exhibited by her son as well.”
The incident occurred as anti-police brutality protests after the police shooting that killed Walter Wallace Jr were happening throughout the city.
Young, her 2-year-old son, and the 16-year-old son of a friend were driving through West Philadelphia on Oct. 27, 2020, when she came across protesters blocking the street in a standoff with police, who ordered Young to turn back. As she began to turn the car around, Young’s attorneys said she paused so she didn’t hit protesters running by her car.
Young’s attorneys said officers swarmed her vehicle and broke her windows with batons and then opened her car door, pulled Young and the 16-year-old from their seats and began to hit them. Young was detained by police, and her 2-year-old son was taken away from her.
The teen is not involved in the $2 million settlement.
Young also said the National Fraternal Order of Police used a photo of her son after he was taken away from her during the incident and used it on social media to promote pro-police messaging online.
National FOP spokesperson Jessica Cahill told the Associated Press that the post was quickly taken down when it learned about the actual story behind the photo. The National Fraternal Order of Police did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
“I will never forget what those officers did to us that night,” Young said in press conference on Tuesday. “I hope that the officers responsible will never have the chance to do something like this to another person ever again.”
Young suffered from swelling on her face and body, as well as a swollen trachea, according to her attorneys. The beating was caught on a cellphone camera and went viral online.
“The behavior that occurred during the interaction between Rickia Young, her nephew, her son, and some of the officers on the scene violated the mission of the Philadelphia Police Department,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement to ABC News.
Two officers have been terminated in connection with the incident, according to the office of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. There are also 14 members in the department awaiting disciplinary hearings as a result of an internal investigation into the incident.
“The ability for officers and supervisors on the scene to diffuse the situation was abandoned, and instead of fighting crime and the fear of crime, some of the officers on the scene created an environment that terrorized Rickia Young, her family, and other members of the public,” Outlaw said.
Kenney said he hopes the settlement and investigations into the officers’ actions can bring closure to Young and her family.
“This terrible incident, which should have never happened to anyone, only further strained the relationship between the police department and our communities,” Kenney said in a statement to ABC News. “The officers’ inexcusable actions that evening prompted an immediate and thorough investigation of the incident and for personnel to be disciplined and held accountable for their egregious conduct.”
Mincey is calling on the district attorney to take more action against the officers involved.
“The district attorney Lawrence Krasner needs to file criminal charges against the officers who were involved,” Mincey said. “If any citizen did something like this, there would be no question they will be charged with aggravated assault as a felony.”
Krasner has not said whether he will pursue a criminal case against the officers.
When Lady A changed their name from Lady Antebellum amid the racial tensions across the country last year, they never imagined the firestorm that would follow. But when blues singer Anita White, who also goes by Lady A, balked at their name change, Charles Kelley, along with band mates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, had an initially pleasant and hopeful conversation with her, before things quickly went awry. And apparently, the entire affair is still unsettled.
“I think there were some lawyers that probably knocked on her door and said, ‘There might be some money to be made here,'” Charles tells AZ Central. “And that’s when it kind of turned into something a little bit nastier.”
Lady A filed a lawsuit to be able to continue to go by thatr name, but Charles is still holding out hope for a resolution.
“Our intentions are true with this,” Charles says. “And I think her intentions are true with this. We just need to get on the same page of how to move forward.”
Skillet has announced a new album called Dominion.
The outfit’s 11th studio effort is due out January 14, 2022. It’s the follow-up to 2019’s Victorious, which features the singles “Legendary” and “Save Me.”
“Dominion is about the celebration of freedom, a liberation from fear — to be who we want to be, say what we want to say, believe what we want to believe,” says frontman John Cooper.
“In some ways it’s a reminder of the God-given rights that we were born with,” he adds. “It’s time to regain some sort of control over our lives and not be a slave to fear. I hope this record is going to make people feel empowered, inspired, uplifted and want to rock their faces off!”
The first single from Dominion is called “Surviving the Game.” You can download that now via digital outlets.
Here’s the Dominion track list:
“Surviving the Game”
“Standing in the Storm”
“Dominion”
“Valley of Death”
“Beyond Incredible”
“Destiny”
“Refuge”
“Shout Your Freedom”
“Destroyer”
“Forever or the End”
“Ignite”
“White Horse”
(NEW YORK) — Walmart on Wednesday announced plans to launch a new delivery service using self-driving vehicles in three U.S. cities, with autonomous test vehicles expected to hit the streets later this year.
The world’s largest retailer is partnering with Ford and Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle tech firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, to launch the driverless delivery services in Miami, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. The group said it expects to expand to other markets over time, and initial integration testing of the vehicles to begin within months.
The partnership comes as demand for delivery goods has been accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as Americans’ intrigue in self-driving technology continues to make headlines and propel forward the emerging technology.
“This collaboration will further our mission to get products to the homes of our customers with unparalleled speed and ease, and in turn, will continue to pave the way for autonomous delivery,” Tom Ward, senior vice president of last-mile delivery at Walmart U.S., said in a statement.
By working directly with Ford, Argo AI and Walmart will be able to implement the technology with vehicles at scale. As customer demand for next-day and same-day delivery in urban areas rises, both for groceries and other goods, the collaboration also will help the companies collect data on how customers respond to autonomous technology.
“Argo and Ford are aggressively preparing for large-scale autonomous vehicle operations across a broad footprint of U.S. cities,” Scott Griffith, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles & Mobility Businesses, added in a statement. “Pairing Walmart’s retail and e-commerce leadership with Argo and Ford’s self-driving operations across these multiple cities marks a significant step toward scaling a commercial goods delivery service.”
As e-commerce booms in the U.S., many retailers are facing increased pressure to speed up delivery times in order to compete with behemoths like Amazon that offer same-day delivery in many urban areas. Meanwhile, firms like Tesla and its eccentric CEO Elon Musk have pushed self-driving technology mainstream in recent years, but controversies and investigations have delayed the large-scale adoption of autonomous vehicles despite Musk’s past timelines for it.
Earlier this year, pizza delivery giant Domino’s announced it was partnering with autonomous driving firm Nuro to launch driverless pizza delivery out of a store in Houston. Late last year, Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo launched self-driving ride-hailing services in parts of Phoenix to the public after some two years of testing.
The new look at Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story is here!
On Wednesday, Good Morning Americaexclusively debuted the official trailer of the adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name. The film hits theaters Friday, December 10.
Starring in Spielberg’s movie musical are newcomer Rachel Zegler, Golden Globe nominee Ansel Elgort and the iconic Rita Moreno, among others. Moreno previously starred in, and won an Oscar for, the 1961 version of West Side Story, alongside Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.
In the trailer, we hear Zegler, who was found via a casting call posted on Twitter and is making her professional film debut, sing for the very first time. She performs “Tonight,” one of the musical’s big numbers, as we’re introduced to the world of West Side Story. Set in New York City during the ’50s, it tells a tale of two star-crossed lovers — think Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which inspired the musical. Elgort’s Tony is a former member of the Jets, a white gang, who falls in love with Zegler’s Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang.
The 1961 version, which won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Speaking toVanity Fair last March, Spielberg said the story “is not only a product of its time, but that time has returned, and it’s returned with a kind of social fury.”
“I really wanted to tell that Puerto Rican, Nuyorican experience of basically the migration to this country and the struggle to make a living, and to have children, and to battle against the obstacles of xenophobia and racial prejudice,” he added.
