(WASHINGTON) — More than 90% of the nation’s 3.5 million federal workers have gotten at least one COVID shot with the “vast majority” of employees fully vaccinated and another 5% either requesting an extension or exemption, the Biden administration was expected to announce on Monday.
Officials said the numbers — which include civilian and military personnel — show the government won’t see disruptions this holiday season in because of the mandate.
It’s still unclear though exactly how many workers in critical jobs like border patrol, prisons and airport security have sought medical or religious exemptions. It also wasn’t immediately clear when those employees would run out of options if denied, with agencies just now beginning the counseling process but given ample leeway to decide how to handle workers who refuse to get a shot.
“There won’t be disruptions to government services and operations,” said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of an announcement later Monday. “At each step of this process we’ll see even more employees getting vaccinated.”
Overall, the White House says 95% of employees total are “in compliance,” meaning they either have at least one dose or have filed a medical or religious exemption or asked for an extension, said the official. That includes 93% of workers at the Transportation Security Administration.
The White House Office of Management and Budget was expected to release more details on Wednesday, including a breakdown of vaccination rates by agency.
The mandate is the nation’s first test of President Joe Biden’s insistence that employer requirements work. Biden has proposed a separate Jan. 4 mandate that would apply to federal contractors and health care workers.
He also has proposed that businesses with 100 or more employees mandate vaccines or weekly testing; that regulation by the Labor Department is on hold pending a review by a federal appeals court.
Under Biden’s plan, more than 2 million civilian workers were supposed to have gotten their final vaccine dose two weeks ago so as to be considered “fully immunized” by Monday’s deadline. The White House has not released estimates yet on how many of those employees did so.
Military personnel face their own deadlines depending upon their service branch.
Rob Thomasis among the artists who’ll help ring in the holidays this year on NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special.
One of the Matchbox Twenty frontman’s Rockefeller Center performances will be a duet with country star Brad Paisley, singing “Santa Don’t Come Here Anymore,” their duet from Rob’s new holiday album, Something About Christmas Time.
Other artists who’ll be making the show merry and bright include Norah Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Alessia Cara and country stars Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton.
Christmas in Rockefeller Center will also include the annual lighting of New York City’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which this year is a 79-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Maryland that weighs about 12 tons. It’ll be decked out with more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights and topped with a Swarovski star.
The two-hour special will air on NBC on Wednesday, December 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will stream live on Peacock. During the broadcast, viewers will have the opportunity to donate to Red Nose Day to help with homelessness, food insecurity and learning loss among children and families who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just in time for the holidays, Blackmore’s Night, the renaissance folk-rock band led by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and his wife, singer Candice Night, has released an expanded and remastered version of its 2006 Christmas album, Winter Carols.
Available as a two-CD set and digitally, the updated Winter Carols features the original album’s tracks, as well as a brand-new recording, a rendition of the 16th century tune “Coventry Carol”; the four songs from the group’s 2020 holiday EP, Here We Come A-Caroling; five live performances that previously were released as part of a 2013 Winter Carols reissue; and more.
Blackmore’s Night’s version of “Coventry Carol” also features added lyrics by Night and new musical arrangements by Blackmore.
Coinciding with the release of the expanded Winter Carols, an animated music video for the original Blackmore’s Night tune “Christmas Eve” has premiered at the band’s official YouTube channel.
The festive clip features computer-animated images of Santa Claus and his gift-filled, reindeer-drawn sleigh flying over a snow-covered town as children go ice skating and people walk around a brightly lit Christmas tree in the town square.
Here’s the full track list of the expanded Winter Carols album:
CD 1
“Coventry Carol”
“Deck the Halls”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
“O Christmas Tree”
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful”
“I Saw Three Ships”
“Winter (Basse Dance)”
“Ding Dong Merrily on High”
“Ma-O-Tzur”
“Good King Wenceslas”
“Simple Gifts (Lord of the Dance)”
“We Three Kings”
“Wish You Were Here” (2021 Version)
“Emmanuel”
“Christmas Eve”
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
CD 2
“Crowning of the King”
“Here We Come A-Caroling”
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
“Silent Night”
“Christmas Eve” (2013 Version)
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Emmanuel” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“We Three Kings” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Ma-O-Tzur” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Good King Wenceslas” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
Bachelorette stars Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark have ended their year-long engagement.
Rumors of a split surfaced last week when Tayshia, who now co-hosts the series, was spotted without her engagement ring. A rep confirmed to Peopleon Monday that the two have parted ways.
“Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple,” her representative said. No further information was provided.
Tayshia and Zac met last year during the volatile 16th season of The Bachelorette, which saw original star Clare Crawley exiting the show midway to pursue a relationship with Dale Moss. Tayshia stepped in and completed the season, giving the final rose — and her heart — to Zac.
Both have yet to address the breakup on social media.
After recently squashing their longtime beef, Drake and Kanye West are now set to perform together at a free concert in Los Angeles next month.
Drizzy and Yeezy will hit the stage Thursday, December 9, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert. Both stars posted the news on their Instagram pages, with Ye writing the name of one of Drake’s biggest hits, “God’s Plan,” in the caption to his post.
Larry Hoover, a co-founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples gang, is currently serving six life sentences for murder at the ADX Florence penitentiary in Colorado. Kanye mentions him on the Donda album.
“I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride aside and come together,” West said in a statement.
Rap-A-Lot CEO J Prince is working with Drake and Kanye in producing the concert, and he was instrumental in bringing them together to end their feud.
“Through my work with Larry Hoover and his family, I’ve really had my eyes opened to the plight of incarcerated people in this country, and I hope fans of Ye and Drake will take the time to do the same,” said Prince.
Tickets for the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert are now on sale on Ticketmaster.com.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden announced Monday he will nominate Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to a second four-year term amid new concerns about controlling inflation and took the opportunity to respond to those who have voiced opposition to Powell’s nomination.
“As chair, Jay undertook a landmark review to reinforce the Federal Reserve’s mission towards delivering full employment, for making strong progress towards that goal now, and I believe Jay is the right person to see us through and finish that effort while also addressing the threat of inflation and what it poses to our economies and families,” Biden said at an afternoon event at the White House alongside his nominees.
“Now some will, no doubt, question why I’m renominating Jay when he was the choice of a Republican predecessor. ‘Why am I not picking a Democrat? Why am I not picking fresh blood or taking the Fed in a different direction?'” Biden said.
“Put directly, at this moment of both enormous potential and enormous uncertainty for our economy, we need stability and Independence at the Federal Reserve. Jay’s proven the independence that I value in the federal — in the fed chair. In the last administration, he stood up to unprecedented political interference and in doing so successfully maintained the integrity and credibility of this institution. It’s just one of the many reasons that Jay has support from across the political spectrum,” he added, before inviting Powell to speak.
Biden also said he would nominate Dr. Lael Brainard, a longtime Federal Reserve official and former Treasury Department undersecretary, to serve as vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
“While there’s still more to be done, we’ve made remarkable progress over the last 10 months in getting Americans back to work and getting our economy moving again. That success is a testament to the economic agenda I’ve pursued and to the decisive action that the Federal Reserve has taken under Chair Powell and Dr. Brainard to help steer us through the worst downturn in modern American history and put us on the path to recovery,” he said in an earlier statement.
The announcement follows recent questions surrounding whether Biden would renominate Powell, a Republican, who was nominated to chair the Federal Reserve in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump. Powell was first nominated to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors by then-President Barack Obama in 2011 before Trump elevated him to succeed Janet Yellen, who now serves as Biden’s treasury secretary.
“Fundamentally, if we want to continue to build on the economic success of this year we need stability and independence at the Federal Reserve — and I have full confidence after their trial by fire over the last 20 months that Chair Powell and Dr. Brainard will provide the strong leadership our country needs,” he added in the statement.
Powell and Brainard both offered brief remarks at the White House, vowing to work on behalf of all Americans to increase the resilience of the economy.
“We understand that our decisions matter for American families and communities,” Powell said of their work at the Federal Reserve. “I strongly share that sense of mission and am committed to making those decisions with objectivity and with integrity based on the best available evidence in the longstanding tradition of monetary policy independence.”
As the president faced mounting political pressure in recent weeks to shake up the leadership by nominating Brainard to replace Powell, he talked with both Powell and Brainard about his decision on Friday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The president regularly engaged with members and stakeholders around the decision, including with both progressives and moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill, the source said. Biden recently met with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., at the White House to get her input on the decision after Warren had publicly called Powell a “dangerous man” to lead the agency.
“Your record gives me grave concerns. Over and over, you have acted to make our banking system less safe, and that makes you a dangerous man to head up the Fed, and it’s why I will oppose your renomination,” Warren said in a hearing on Sept. 28. She said Monday she will oppose Powell’s nomination.
Biden and his team had also been in regular and close consultation with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, according to the source. Brown said on Monday he would support Powell’s nomination.
Despite Brainard winning over progressives like Warren who argue she is tougher on bank regulation and climate change, by keeping Powell in place, Biden appears to be sending a message reaffirming the central bank’s independence from politics.
“Overall, with Mr. Powell remaining Chair, communication will remain clear and transparent and policy will not veer too far off from the current dovish path,” Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, an economic research consultancy firm, said in a statement to ABC News.
The nomination comes at a critical moment for the central bank, which has a mandate to contain inflation and sustain job growth. Powell has tilted “dovish” on inflation in recent months, insisting the run-up in prices will abate as the pandemic recedes and the supply chain untangles.
Powell oversaw a busy time at the Federal Reserve as it pumped unprecedented stimulus into the financial system in response to the pandemic and now starts to unwind some of that stimulus. Wall Street had been betting on his re-nomination as a way to keep continuity in policy at a tumultuous time in the economy.
If both are confirmed by the Senate, the White House will still have several seats to fill on the Federal Reserve Board, including the lead banking supervisor, allowing Biden the opportunity to reshape the central bank in a more drastic way with those picks.
Economists told ABC News they expect swift confirmation in the Senate for the nominees.
“We believe that Biden paired the announcement of the more Democratic-leaning nominee Lael Brainard with the Republican-leaning Jerome Powell to allay objections from the progressive members of the Democratic party,” said Kathy Bostjancic, Oxford Economics Chief U.S. Financial Economist.
Although at least three Democrats have signaled their opposition to Powell’s nomination, at least five Republicans have voiced support — so it appears he will be confirmed but not without multiple Republicans supporting Biden’s nominee. There were nine Democrats, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris, who opposed Powell’s nomination in 2018 when he was confirmed by the Senate in an 84-13 vote.
An aide to GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell confirmed that the minority leader is also expected to back Powell’s renomination. Others are likely to follow suit.
Republicans are looking to brand Powell as a source of necessary stability for an economy plagued by inflation and supply chain challenges, something they’ve repeatedly blamed Democrats for.
“In light of an economy hamstrung by COVID-19, and now supply chain issues and soaring inflation thanks to the Biden Administration’s debilitating policies, the Federal Reserve needs consistency,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in a statement. “Powell’s appointment is a sign of consistency, which is so important at a time like this. Stability and consistency are in the best interests of the American economy and I look forward to supporting his confirmation.”
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey lost his arbitration case against the House of Cards production company, Media Rights Capital, and has been ordered to pay nearly $31 million in damages.
Spacey was fired from the popular Netflix show in 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. Production of the sixth and final season was suspended so it could be rewritten entirely, and the two episodes Spacey had already filmed were scrapped. The series killed off his character, President Frank Underwood, which reflected Netflix’s decision to cut all ties with the actor — who also served as the series’ executive producer.
MRC later sued Spacey in 2019 for breach of his contract, claiming his firing cost the company millions of dollars in lost revenue because they had to completely overhaul the final season.
Following a years-long and bitter court battle, an arbitrator ruled in MRC’s favor and ordered the actor to pay $29.5 million in damages, in addition to $1.4 million in attorneys fees. The finding was made public on Monday.
MRC said they are pleased by the outcome and, in a statement to ABC News, announced, “The safety of our employees, sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability. We thank Michael Kump and Gregory Korn of Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP for their commitment and hard work in this case.”
Kump also spoke with ABC News, and said in a statement, “It was a privilege representing MRC in this matter. MRC stood its ground, pursued this case doggedly, and obtained the right result in the end.”
Keanu Reeves is 57. That small detail in the new Esquire cover story about the Matrix and John Wick star is a critical one — and not just because it will likely make you feel old.
“Just trying to have a career,” he jokes about making 68 movies in his 35 years as an actor.
Keanu has finished work on the forthcoming fourth films in both the Matrix and John Wick franchises, and has no intention of slowing down.
When asked for his three favorites, he noted, “Okay…I say The Matrix, let’s do the trilogy– that’s one. Then let’s do The Devil’s Advocate. And then…let’s do Point Break.”
Reeves even sneaked into a theater that was screening John Wick 3. “I wanted to be with an audience…I wanted to soak it in, to see it on the big screen…” he enthused.
Reeves also said it’d be an “honor” to join the MCU, at some point — something Marvel Studios head Kevin Feigehas been eager to make happen. “They’re doing something no one’s ever really done…the scale, the ambition, the production. So it’d be cool to be a part of that,” Reeves says.
Keanu’s longtime friend and Speed and The Lake House co-star Sandra Bullock is one of the stars singing his praises in the Esquire piece. The pair both unknowingly crushed on each other while making Speed, but Bullock has no regrets they stayed just friends.
“Keanu’s a guy who, I feel like, is friends with every woman he’s ever dated…So maybe we could have survived,” Bullock admits.
She adds, “And the longer time goes on, the more in awe I am of the human being. Would I have been able to say that if he had dumped me and made me angry? Probably not.”
OneRepublic has set an unusual record — not because of their music, but because of how they’re getting paid for their music.
The “Counting Stars” band has become the first major-label American artist to accept cryptocurrency as payment for a gig. The intimate acoustic show took place last Tuesday outside of Vienna, Austria and the group was paid in Bitcoin.
“My band and I are so happy to be a part of something that we believe is, without question, the future of how payments are transacted for unlimited amounts of assets, performances, services, purchases, music etc. around the world,” said frontman Ryan Tedder.
“Whether it’s artists using NFTs to fund albums with their fans or bands being paid for concerts in crypto, music & tech go hand in hand,” he added. “With that in mind, it only made sense for us to take the next logical step.”
Ryan noted that he’s doing a private concert in December, for which he’ll also be paid in Bitcoin.
(NOTE NATURE, LANGUAGE) Ridley Scott did not mince words when he finally broke his silence on Patrizia Reggiani‘s scathing criticism of his upcoming House of Gucci film.
Reggiani, who is played by Lady Gaga in the movie, was famously convicted of arranging the murder of her ex-husband, Italian fashion heir Maurizio Gucci. In April, she publicly blasted the upcoming flick for “stealing the identity of a family to make a profit to increase the income of the Hollywood system.”
Speaking to BBC Radio’s Today, the British director hinted that he finds Reggiani’s remarks a little ironic. While Scott says he usually “doesn’t get engaged” with that kind of drama, the 83-year-old stressed, “It was about murder. They forget: He was murdered!”
“One of the brothers went to jail for tax evasion,” the Oscar-nominated director rebuked. “So, don’t talk to me about making a profit. Are you kidding? As soon as you do that, you tend to become public domain.”
House of Gucci opens in theaters on November 24.
Scott, who has been directing movies since 1977, was also asked to share his thoughts on the accidental shooting on the Rust set, which claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
“I don’t know what a real gun or real ammunition was doing on the godd***ed set,” he railed, adding he never used real guns in any of his movies. “Someone should get in trouble for that. Absolutely crazy! You never have any live ammunition near the set.”
Also during the interview, Scott confirmed he’s working on expanding his beloved Alien and Blade Runner movie franchises into television spinoffs, saying the pilots are already in the pipeline.
