Olympian Elizabeth Beisel aims to become first woman to complete historic swim in honor of her late father

by
Elizabeth Beise

(NEW YORK) — Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, 29, is on a mission to complete a swim that is not just historic but also very dear to her heart.

Beisel, who is a two-time Olympic medalist, will attempt to swim from Rhode Island to Block Island on Sept. 9 in honor of her late father. The swim is 20km, or 12.4 miles, in the open Atlantic ocean. The distance is 50 times longer than her signature 400m medley event, winning silver in at the 2012 London Olympics.

For Beisel, who grew up in Rhode Island, this is a swim she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl. If she finishes, she will be the first woman in history to do so.

“No woman has ever done it before, which is kind of crazy to me,” she said. “Even when I was little, I was like, that’d be so cool if I was the first girl to do it. So, 20 something years later, here we are, and no woman has done it yet.”

Swimming with a purpose

Block Island holds memories of Beisel’s dad, Ted Beisel, whom she cherishes now more than ever.

“I have so many memories of being [on Block Island] with my dad flying kites, just going around the island,” she said.

Ted Beisel was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in 2020 on Christmas Day. After a brave yet brief battle with the disease, he died in July 2021.

“The one thing that I want to say about him is that he never complained once,” Beisel said. “The man was fighting a deadly cancer … he was positive up until the very last day, and it’s just a testament to who he was as a human being and who I hope to be like one day.”

In February, as a way to cope with her father’s diagnosis, Beisel said she decided to complete the swim. She thought the swim would give her dad something to look forward to while he was fighting cancer, she said, but also had a bigger mission in mind.

Beisel reached out to Swim Across America, a nonprofit organization that hosts charity swims across the country to raise money for cancer research, prevention and treatment. Together they formed Block Cancer – Beisel’s fundraising platform for her Block Island swim.

“He didn’t want the swim to be about him whatsoever. He wanted it to be about everybody who was fighting cancer,” Beisel said. “It gave my dad a lot of joy to kind of see Block Cancer come into fruition and turn into what it is now.”

Beisel started her fundraising goal for cancer research at $5,000. She has now raised over $100,000 for cancer research. Beisel said all of the money will be given to local Rhode Island hospitals, including the hospital where her father fought his battle with cancer.

“The number is so overwhelming,” Beisel said. “As sad as it is, cancer is going to touch all of us in some way at some point. And, you know, for me, to be able to have a platform where I can bring people together … it’s kind of a beautiful thing.”

Training for history

Beisel began training in March for the 20km swim. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, indoor swimming pools are not currently open in the state of Rhode Island. Beisel trained solely on land until June, when the ocean water was warm enough to swim in.

Since June, Beisel has tried to swim 5k to 10k a day and work out at the gym. Her training can take anywhere from two to four hours a day, she said.

“Training is completely different,” Beisel said. “This is a completely different beast like, I am no longer trying to be the fastest swimmer in the world. I’m just trying to go for a very long swim and sustain that pace for a long time.”

Beisel has a team of trainers that have helped map out the swim based on the weather, tides and currents. She will begin the swim at 6:45 a.m. and, if all goes according to plan, she will finish the race in six or seven hours.

When Beisel makes it to shore, she plans to be greeted by friends and family waiting to celebrate.

“The idea of this one was to have my dad waiting for me in Block Island. And me being able to swim ashore and see his big ear-to-ear grin and give him the biggest hug,” Beisel said. “But I’m also going to remind myself that this is for him, and he will be with me the entire way. And that’s going to make it even more special because I will be able to do this because of him, and the strength that he’s going to give me.”

Beisel, who has swam on the world’s biggest stage and won Olympic medals, said this will be the most memorable swim of her career.

“This is hands down by far the most meaningful swim I will ever do in my life. And I don’t say that lightly. Because I’ve been fortunate enough to compete at the highest stage of my sport,” she said. “It will be very emotional, but beautiful at the same time, and hopefully, I can help change somebody else’s life.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Afghanistan updates: First US-facilitated evacuation of Americans since US forces departed

by
christophe_cerisier/iStock

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — With the U.S. military and diplomatic withdrawal now complete after 20 years in Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken over the country, including the Kabul airport, the site of an often-desperate evacuation effort the past two weeks.

But even as the last American troops were flown out to meet President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline, other Americans who wanted to flee the country were left behind and the Biden administration is now focused on a “diplomatic mission” to help them leave.

When President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House on Aug. 18, he said he was committed to keeping the U.S. military in Afghanistan as long as needed. “If there are American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” he said.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Sep 07, 4:55 am
Around 100 Americans remain in Afghanistan, Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Tuesday that “somewhere around 100” Americans remain in Afghanistan.

“We believe the number of those who have American citizenship — many of them dual nationals — who remain in Afghanistan is somewhere around 100,” Blinken said during a press conference in Qatar’s capital. “We’re in direct contact with virtually all of them.”

“For weeks now, we’ve been working very closely with Qatar, with Turkey to see to it that the Kabul airport could get up and running again to civilian air travel as soon as possible,” he continued. “We’re also working to facilitate overland passage for those who wish to depart when it comes to charters.”

Blinken admitted it’s a challenge without personnel on the ground in Afghanistan but one that “we’re determined to work through.”

“Many thousands of U.S. citizens or permanent residents or at-risk Afghans, who successfully evacuated and relocated from Kabul, have left aboard charter flights. Now, others are working to arrange more such flights,” he said. “We are working around-the-clock with NGOs, with members of congress and advocacy groups, providing any and all information and doing all we can to clear any roadblocks that they’ve identified to make sure that charter flights carrying Americans or others to whom we have a special responsibility can depart Afghanistan safely.”

U.S. officials have been engaging with the Taliban on departing flights, according to Blinken.

“They said that they will let people with travel documents freely depart,” he noted. “We will hold them to that, so will dozens of countries. The international community is watching to see if the Taliban will live up to their commitments.”

“It’s my understanding that the Taliban has not denied access to anyone holding a valid document, but they have said that those without valid documents at this point can’t leave,” he added. “Because all of these people are grouped together, that’s meant that flights had not been allowed to go. We’ve been able to identify a small number of Americans who we believe are seeking to depart from Mazar-e-Sharif with their families.”

Sep 06, 3:07 pm
4 US citizens evacuated over land border

The State Department has facilitated the evacuation of four U.S. citizens across one of Afghanistan’s land borders — the first Americans to leave the country with U.S. government help since President Joe Biden ended the massive, chaotic evacuation efforts that closed the country’s longest war.

Four Americans made their way across land with Taliban knowledge, according to a senior State Department official, who told ABC News they evacuated without Taliban interference.

The official declined to say which country they arrived in but added they were in “good condition” and met by U.S. embassy staff from the local embassy.

While the State Department helped these four evacuate, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said Sunday there were approximately 100 U.S. citizens still trying to escape the country, nearly a week after the last U.S. forces departed.

Among those left behind, there are several Americans in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif ready to board charter flights out that are being blocked by the Taliban, according to several sources. The Taliban has not give permission to the airlines, leaving the potential passengers stuck in the city now for days.

A State Department spokesperson told ABC News Sunday that they could not confirm the manifests of these flights because there were no U.S. personnel or assets in Afghanistan anymore, but added, “We will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan.”

Sep 06, 4:53 am
Taliban claims victory over Panjshir, last pocket of resistance

The Taliban claimed victory Monday over Afghan opposition forces in Panjshir province, the last pocket of resistance in Afghanistan and the only province that the Taliban had not seized last month.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement saying Panjshir was under full control of Taliban fighters.

“We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight,” Mujahid later told a press conference in Kabul on Monday.

The Taliban posted photos and videos on social media apparently showing fighters standing at the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor’s office and raising the group’s flag in the provincial capital.

A spokesperson for the resistance group, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), took to Twitter to deny that Panjshir had fallen.

“Taliban’s claim of occupying Panjshir is false,” the spokesperson tweeted. “The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.”

Sep 05, 6:31 pm
Some US citizens unable to fly out of Afghanistan due to Taliban interference

The Taliban is blocking efforts to get U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan on flights, according to a non-governmental organization arranging travel for some passengers.

Marina LeGree, the CEO of Ascend, told ABC News that the Taliban has prevented 600 people from leaving Mazar-e-Sharif by charter plane for six days.

The NGO is helping 100 of those passengers, none of whom are American, to try to fly out. LeGree said she is aware of 19 U.S. citizens who are trying to leave but Ascend is not overseeing their departure.

“Ascend, an organization dedicated to empowering young women through athletics, has members trying to leave Afghanistan,” LeGree told ABC News in a statement Sunday. “We call on the Taliban to honor their commitments and allow these charters to depart immediately.”

The affected passengers are either staying at the airport or at nearby hotels, according to LeGree.

The U.S. Department of State did not confirm whether there are Americans on those flights, but said it “will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 9/6/21

by
iStock

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 3

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 8 NY, Yankees 0
Kansas City, 3, Baltimore 2
Tampa Bay 11, Boston 10
Minnesota 5, Cleveland 2
Houston 11, Seattle 2
Texas 4, LA Angels 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 4, NY Mets 3
Chi Cubs 4, Cincinnati 3
Philadelphia 12, Milwaukee 0
LA Dodgers 5, St. Louis 1
San Francisco 10, Colorado 5

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix 86, Indiana 81

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

She’s not the “Next Girl,” she’s the NOW girl: Carly Pearce honored by her Kentucky hometown

by
Alexa Campbell

Shortly after appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America last Thursday, Carly Pearce traveled to her hometown of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, to accept a rare honor: a road sign recognizing her success in country music, as well as the key to the city.

With #1 songs, CMA and ACM Awards, and Grand Ole Opry membership already to her credit, the “Next Girl” hitmaker points out that this new latest accolade is particularly close to her heart.

“Taylor Mill means so much to me on so many levels,” she tells ABC Audio. “So the fact that they want to give me a sign that says ‘Home of Carly Pearce’ is kind of like every little childhood dream that I had, playing at talent shows in the town…Actually, where they’re presenting this with me is where I played so many shows when I first started out.”

Carly adds, “So I’ve always been told to never forget where you came from. And I think [my upcoming] album [29: Written in Stone] in particular has really brought me home, musically.”

The hometown honor is one Carly was able to share with her parents, who supported her decision to leave school at 16 so she could go perform at Dollywood.

“All of these things that are happening to me were a dream that my parents helped bring to fruition for me,” she reflects. “So it’s definitely like a trifecta of emotions through the three of us because they were there every step of the way. And they were there when it wasn’t working, and when I thought about giving up.”  

29: Written in Stone arrives on September 17.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ shines a light on the women of Bill Clinton’s sex scandals

by
FX

Impeachment: American Crime Story debuts tonight on FX.  The series turns its lens toward the affairs and scandals of former president Bill Clinton, as told through the eyes of the women, including Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp and Paula Jones.

Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Jones, tells ABC Audio that the series will tackle the well-known scandal from a different angle.

“We’re really focusing on the narrative of the women and the point of view of the women in the story, which was so ignored, overlooked and taken away from these women during that time in history,” she says, adding the women were “brutalized” in the media and late night comedy.

“That’s sort of the interesting thing about this time in American history…it was such a salacious media event,” adds the 36-year-old actress.  “Even as a kid, I was super aware of what was happening and super aware that it was extremely controversial and very sexual.  And really, my window into this time was through late night comedy, which I think sort of says it all.”

Ashford believes the series also offers some insight into how the country became so divided.

“I feel like if we could find the root cause for the sickness we have now, it would stem back to this moment in the mid 90s where it just became my team, your team, and it was the beginning of bullying on the Internet,” she suggests.  “Monica Lewinsky was the first person to be bullied on the Internet. And it was truly the beginning of sort of the Fox News [versus] CNN battle.” 

The third installment of Ryan Murphy‘s American Crime Story franchise also stars Beanie Feldstein, Sarah Paulson, Clive Owen, Edie Falco, Billy Eichner, Cobie Smulders and Betty Gilpin.

(Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Katy Perry on her upcoming Las Vegas residency: “I’m aiming for eight to 80 years old”

by
Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Luisaviaroma

As documented by paparazzi, Katy Perry‘s summer vacation this year involved frolicking in Italy. But she says her seemingly decadent holiday was her last chance to let it all hang out before she returns to the stage later this year for her first-ever Las Vegas residency.

“I have free time for one last hurrah before I start getting ready for Vegas — i.e., stop thinking about eating pasta all the time so I can get back into tour shape again,” Katy told LuisViaRoma magazine while she was in Italy living la dolce vita.

Her Vegas show, Play, starts in December at Resorts World, which coincidentally, Katy says, “sits on the same ground” as the old Stardust Hotel. That’s where, she says, “my aunt was a topless showgirl and my grandmother was a seamstress for the show…so Vegas is very much in my blood.” 

But don’t expect any topless shenanigans during Play.  “I’m aiming for my audience to be the family — eight to 80 years old,” Katy tells LVR. “I do everything with a wink. Even if it’s a sexual connotation, it’s subtle.” 

Katy reveals that the merchandise for the new show will include NFTs, but she’s also working on making her vast archives of props and costumes available for fans to purchase.  “My fans love the tangible,” she says.

Of course, Katy’s one-year-old daughter, Daisy, will be with her in Las Vegas.  “She is everything I was ever looking for,” gushes Katy.  “She is adaptable and happy; her schedule fluctuates. In the beginning, I worried about a schedule, but decided I won’t be that mom. All that matters is that everyone is happy.”

But that doesn’t mean Katy’s a pushover. “You have to be smart and exercise the word ‘no,” she notes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

TLC recalls they recorded their landmark ‘CrazySexyCool’ album with limited input from Left Eye: “She was on probation for five years”

by
Lucia Media Group

TLC kicked off their CrazySexyCool Celebration tour over the Labor Day weekend, showcasing many songs from their landmark 1994 album, CrazySexyCool.

Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas says that she and T-Boz did most of the work on the iconic album, with limited input from Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who was in rehab after burning down the house of her boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons football star Andre Rison.

“It’s so crazy because Lisa could come to the studio to record, but had to go back to the facility and she was on probation for five years,” Chili tells USA Today. “Looking back, when you’re in your 20s, you don’t even think about how serious something like that really was.”

Despite Left Eye’s limited participation, CrazySexyCool became a massive hit, going on to sell over 12 million copies — making it the best-selling album ever by a girl group. It also earned the trio two Grammys: Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Creep.”

Chilli recalls that before the album was released, she knew it would make history.

“We had a listening party in New York and I remember one of the guys at Arista Records was being so sweet and saying, ‘This is really good — it might sell five million copies,’ and I was like, ‘Nuh-uh, we’re going to surpass that!'” she says. “When I heard [the album], I knew it was special, that the entire album was going to show people that we’re here to stay.”

In addition to “Creep,” CrazySexyCool included the hits “Red Light Special,” “Diggin’ On You,” and their signature song, “Waterfalls.” Sadly, Left Eye died in a 2002 car crash.

TLC’s CrazySexyCool Celebration tour, which features 18 shows, winds down October 10 in Concord, California.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Happy 70th Birthday to The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde!

by
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde celebrates her 70th birthday today.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Hynde moved to London in 1973 and eventually immersed herself in the city’s punk scene.

She formed The Pretenders in 1978 with drummer Martin Chambers, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. The band’s first single, a 1979 cover of The Kinks‘ “Stop Your Sobbing,” reached #34 on the U.K. charts.

The Pretenders’ 1979 self-titled debut album reached #9 on the Billboard 200. It featured the band’s first stateside hit, “Brass in Pocket,” which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Pretenders also featured several other enduring songs, including “Precious,” “Kid” and “Mystery Achievement.”

The band’s 1981 sophomore album, The Pretenders II, reached #10 on the Billboard 200 and included the popular tunes “Talk of the Town” and “Message of Love.”

Tragedy struck the band in June 1982 when Honeyman-Scott, 25, died of a drug overdose, two days after Farndon was fired because of his own drug problems. In April 1983, Farndon drowned in his bathtub after overdosing on heroin. He was 30.

Hynde and Chambers soon re-formed The Pretenders, and the band scored its biggest hit in 1982 with “Back on the Chain Gang,” which reached #5 on the Hot 100. Other hits followed, including “Middle of the Road,” “Show Me,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “I’ll Stand by You.”

Hynde also scored a big hit when she teamed up with U.K. reggae band UB40 for a 1985 cover of Sonny & Cher’s classic duet “I Got You Babe.”

Outside of music, Chrissie has had children with two other famous singers. Her daughter Natalie, whose father is Kinks frontman Ray Davies, was born in 1983. From 1984 to 1990, Hynde was married to Simple Minds single Jim Kerr, and the couple’s daughter, Yasmin, was born in ’85.

Chrissie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Pretenders in 2005.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Increase Your Optimism!

by

Not surprisingly, the pandemic has left a lot of people feeling pessimistic and blue. The good news is: We can MAKE ourselves more optimistic, even during tough times. Here’s how:

First: Visualize your ideal life 10 years from now. What would it look like? How would it feel? Then, every week, spend about 6 minutes writing down how you’d like to change an area of your life, like romance, career, and health, to make your dreams a reality. UC Riverside psychology professor, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky says, envisioning your dreams coming true will strengthen your “optimistic muscles” and boost your mood. And, dozens of studies show that imagining your ideal future can boost your levels of optimism.

Next: Stop expecting the worst. Dr. Lyubomirsky says you’ll be happier overall if you expect good things, than if you always expect to be disappointed. Because, we get a mood boost from anticipation itself. And that’s true whether you’re planning a future vacation – or just looking forward to a nice meal on Saturday night. And even if we ultimately get disappointed because things didn’t work out – you’ll still have had the mood boost from anticipation.

Would You Sign A Relationship Contract?

by

Would you ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to sign a “relationship contract?”

More and more couples are doing it! The contracts lay out everything from PDA rules, to off-limits fighting styles, to non-negotiable personal quirks.

Couples who sign on the dotted line say the contracts encourage boundary setting, fair fighting and compromise. But some items in these contracts seem kind of arbitrary.

Like, one couple negotiated how much time can be spent watching news, limited sports viewing to one game a week, and stipulated that one partner must call the other every day and stay on the phone for at least 5 minutes.

But therapists say these contracts can be GOOD for couples, because they lay the groundwork for a healthy relationship by setting expectations.

Licensed marriage counselor Lisa Thomas says negotiating difficult situations upfront, before they become a problem, can give your relationship a stronger footing. So hash out things like money, how to resolve conflicts, and chores – and revisit it every once and a while and revise it. The contracts aren’t legally binding, but they can help couples stay on track, because both partners know what’s expected of them.

+ More