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COVID-19 live updates: Kids’ shots not widely available until Nov. 8

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 746,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 67.9% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:
-What to expect at Tuesday’s CDC panel meeting on vaccinating young kids
-Kids’ shots not widely available until Nov. 8
-Biden tests negative after White House press secretary contracts COVID-19

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Nov 01, 4:33 pm
Details on vaccine mandates for businesses expected in coming days

A federal rule on vaccine mandates for businesses will be released this week, according to the Labor Department.

The rule will require employers with 100 employers or more to mandate the vaccine or weekly testing. It also will require large businesses to provide paid time off to workers to get the shot and recover from side effects from the vaccine.

The department said in a statement, “On November 1, the Office of Management and Budget completed its regulatory review of the emergency temporary standard. The Federal Register will publish the emergency temporary standard in the coming days.”

It’s not clear when the rule will take effect.

President Joe Biden first announced the rule in September and it’s since been making its way through the regulatory process.

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett, Anne Flaherty

Nov 01, 3:52 pm
Pediatric cases continue to decline

The U.S. reported about 101,000 child COVID-19 cases last week, marking the eighth consecutive week of declines in pediatric infections since the pandemic peak of nearly 252,000 cases in early September, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

The rate of pediatric hospital admissions is also declining.

Approximately 45.3% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to federal data.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, AAP and CHA said. However, AAP and CHA continue to warn that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Nov 01, 3:15 pm
What to expect at Tuesday’s CDC panel meeting on vaccinating young kids

An independent CDC advisory panel will convene at 11 a.m. Tuesday to debate and hold a nonbinding vote on whether to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for the roughly 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 in the U.S.

The CDC panel is expected to vote around 4:15 p.m.

If the panel decides to move ahead, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must sign off on those specific recommendations, which would likely happen Tuesday evening.

No pediatric vaccinations will start until Walensky gives the green light. If that happens Tuesday evening, shots could start going into younger children’s arms beginning Wednesday.

The White House has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses — more than enough to fully vaccine all American children in this age group.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik

Nov 01, 2:19 pm
US case rate appears to be plateauing

After six weeks of steady declines, the nationwide case rate appears to be plateauing, according to federal data. In recent days, the daily case average in the U.S. ticked up slightly to 69,000 cases per day, which is a 37% drop in the last month, but higher than last week.

In recent weeks cases have been creeping up in states including Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, according to federal data.

Alaska currently has the country’s highest infection rate. Puerto Rico, Florida and California have the lowest.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

John Deere workers to vote on new contract as strike leads to major gains for union

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Members of the United Auto Workers Union are set to vote Tuesday on a tentative agreement that would end the ongoing strike of more than 10,000 John Deere workers.

News of the tentative deal, which would give approximately double the wage increase compared the previously rejected offer that kicked off the strike on Oct. 14, comes as unique labor market conditions have resulted in workers wielding new power as the pandemic wanes.

An apparent shortage of workers accepting low-wage jobs has left many major companies reeling for staff and has been linked to the spate of strikes that have rocked the private sector in recent weeks. The labor crunch — combined with recent record-high rates of people quitting their jobs and record-high job openings, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data — have resulted in workers gaining new leverage as they seek to bargain for better pay or working conditions.

UAW leadership and John Deere announced a tentative agreement had been reached between the union’s elected national bargaining team and officials at the agricultural machinery giant Saturday, but workers remain on strike until the ratification vote Tuesday.

The terms of the new agreement would guarantee a 10% wage increase for all union employees in the first year of the contract, and 5% each in the third and fifth year of the deal, as well as 3% lump sum payments in the second, fourth and fifth years of the deal, according to a contract breakdown document shared with ABC News by the union. Moreover, employees would receive an $8,500 ratification bonus.

There would also be improved retirement benefit options and no changes to the cost of their health insurance.

The UAW on Oct. 14 rejected a contract offer that would have offered a ratification bonus of $3,500 and immediate raises of 5% to 6%.

“Our UAW John Deere national bargaining team went back to our local members after the previous tentative agreement and canvassed the concerns and priorities of membership,” UAW President Ray Curry said in a statement announcing news of the new tentative agreement.

“We want to thank the UAW bargaining team and striking UAW members and their families for the sacrifices they have made to achieve these gains,” Curry added. “Our members have enjoyed the support of our communities and the entire labor movement nationwide as they have stood together in support and solidarity these past few weeks.”

John Deere, meanwhile, confirmed in a statement on its website that a second tentative agreement on a labor contract had been reached with the union and that the “UAW will call for a vote on the new tentative agreement.”

The striking John Deere workers have received well-wishes and support from lawmakers and the public, as new employee activism during so-called “Striketober” has fueled momentum for the post-pandemic labor movement.

A GoFundMe set up to support the striking Deere workers has raised more than $135,000 from over 3,000 donors.

The first strike in more than three decades at John Deere comes after the company reported earning a record-high $4.68 billion during the first nine months of the 2021 fiscal year, more than double the $1.993 billion reported during the same time last year.

John Deere’s chairman and CEO John May, meanwhile, earned compensation of some $15.58 million in fiscal year 2020, according to a company SEC filing. This would make the ratio of the CEO’s total compensation to a median employee’s total compensation in 2020 approximately 220 to 1, the SEC filing states.

The recent bout of employee activism that has manifested in work stoppages and strikes in recent weeks comes after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic that took an inordinate toll on workers deemed “essential,” but also after decades of soaring income inequality in the U.S., experts have said.

“I think workers have reached a tipping point,” Tim Schlittner, the communications director of the coalition of labor unions AFL-CIO, told ABC News last month shortly after the Deere strike commenced. “For too long they’ve been called essential, but treated as expendable, and workers have decided that enough is enough.”

Schlittner said the pandemic also exposed some deep “imbalances of power in the economy.”

“The pandemic has made clear what’s important and what’s not, and workers are looking at work in a new way, and demanding more of a return on their labor and demanding things like basic respect, dignity and safety on the job,” he said. “The pandemic has put on display for everyone to see how important workers are to this country, and you can’t call workers essential for 18 months and then treat them like crap when they all come back on the job.”

COP26 live updates: Biden emphasizes urgency to fight climate change: ‘The science is clear’

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(GLASGOW, U.K.) — Leaders from nearly every country in the world have converged upon Glasgow, Scotland, for COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference that experts are touting as the most important environmental summit in history.

The conference, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was designed as the check-in for the progress countries are making after entering the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, a value that would be disastrous to exceed, according to climate scientists. More ambitious efforts aim to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Not one country is going into COP26 on track to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to experts. They will need to work together to find collective solutions that will drastically cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

“We need to move from commitments into action,” Jim Harmon, chairman of the World Resources Institute, told ABC News. “The path to a better future is still possible, but time is running out.”

All eyes will be on the biggest emitters: China, the U.S. and India. While China is responsible for about 26% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than all other developed countries combined, the cumulative emissions from the U.S. over the past century are likely twice that of China’s, David Sandalow, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, told ABC News.

Latest headlines:
-‘It’ll take trillions,’ Jeff Bezos says of his $10 billion climate pledge
-US submits long-term strategy to UN
-Biden apologizes for Trump administration pulling out of the Paris Agreement
-Biden emphasizes urgency to fight climate change: ‘The science is clear’
-‘Time has run out’: Prince Charles addresses COP26
-COP26 opening ceremony commences

Here’s how the conference is developing. All times Eastern.

Nov 01, 4:55 pm
Israeli energy minister misses leaders’ summit due to wheelchair inaccessibility

Karine Elharrar-Hartstein, Israel’s national infrastructures, energy and water resources minister, was not able to attend COP26’s leaders’ summit because the venue was not handicap accessible.

Elharrar, who uses a wheelchair, tweeted she was disappointed with the United Nations, which she said promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, but in 2021, does not provide accessibility to all of its events.

UK Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan denounced Elharrar-Hartstein’s treatment at COP26.

“I am disturbed to hear the @KElharrar was unable to attend meetings at #COP26,” Wigan tweeted. “I apologise deeply and sincerely to the Minister. We want a COP Summit that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report

Nov 01, 2:22 pm
Prime Minister Modi announces India’s net-zero plan for 2070

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the country will reach net-zero emissions by 2070, one of five pledges he made during his remarks at the COP26 leaders summit.

Modi said India will commit to increasing non-fossil fuel energy capacity, fulfilling 50% of its energy needs with renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions by 1 million tons and reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 2030.

“These five elixirs will be an unprecedented contribution from India toward climate action,” Modi said.

India has been one of the countries under pressure to update its commitments to the Paris Agreement, especially because of the country’s heavy reliance on coal. India contributes around 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Modi is scheduled to announce a global clean energy initiative with Boris Johnson and Biden tomorrow.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs

Nov 01, 2:17 pm
President Xi Jinping sends written statement to COP26

Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose absence at COP26 was expected, delivered a written statement to the World Leaders Summer earlier today.

In his statement, Jinping said that China, the world’s top emitter, will speed up its transition to green and low-carbon, renewable energy sources.

Jinping emphasized the need for cooperation between developed and developing countries, saying, “Developed countries should not only do more themselves, but should also provide support to help developing countries do better.”

Nov 01, 1:39 pm
Biden meets leaders from Indonesia, Estonia

President Joe Biden met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, exchanging general pleasantries and discussing next year’s G20 summit, which will be held in Bali, Indonesia.

Widodo congratulated Biden on his January 2020 victory, to which he replied, “Thank you very much. Thank you for recognizing it.”

Although not a part of his official COP26 schedule, Biden also met with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

Estonia was one of the last G20 countries to sign on to the agreement, along with Ireland and Hungary.

According to a readout sent by the White House, the leaders spoke about the cooperation between the two countries on climate and defense.

Biden “conveyed his support for Prime Minister Kallas’ efforts to promote trusted connectivity and high-standards infrastructure investment in Europe and around the world,” the readout said.

ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Sarah Kolinovsky

Justin Bieber and Roddy Ricch join Kanye West for Sunday service

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kanye West resumed his Sunday service on Halloween with a choir featuring Justin Bieber and Roddy Ricch.

West, who legally changed his name to Ye last month, and his Sunday Service Choir, began with “No Child Left Behind” from his Donda album, followed by “Hurricane,” “Moon” and “Pure Souls” according to Billboard.

A children’s choir performed “Jesus Lord” from Donda, and Ye’s 2007 hit “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” before the Sunday Service Choir returned with “Believe What I Say,” “New Again,” and “24.”

Big Sean, who recently announced he has left West’s G.O.O.D. Music after releasing five albums on the label, attended the service, as did Raphael Saadiq.

The Sunday Service was streamed live from an undisclosed location on the Triller and Fite TV app for $10.

Britney Spears posts photo of herself as a murder victim for Halloween

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Britney Spears really threw herself into her costume this Halloween, it seems.

On Instagram, she posted several photos of herself lying on a carpet in a hot pink negligee and black heels, her hands bound with fur handcuffs and what looks like blood streaking her hands, neck and mouth. It looks like a crime scene.

“5:45 … she arrived … the doorman said she came home alone !!! She went to dinner with two girlfriends and had 1 drink … took a cab home but was found on the floor by her neighbor … it remains a mystery,” Britney captioned the pic, seemingly narrating the story of the murder victim who she’s portraying. “Who would do such a thing??? She had a wonderful family and of course they were nowhere nearby !!!!”

That last line seems to be Britney taking yet another shot at her family, who she says has “hurt [her] more deeply than you’ll ever know.”

While Britney confirmed that the photos were for Halloween, the rest of the post is somewhat rambling. At one point, she writes, “Let me explain myself… I’m saying in a crazy world like we have today that it’s pretty important to stay safe !!! Like we did for Covid y’all !!!! But still have fun … I mean duh !!! It’s been 13 years for me so I’m a little rusty !!!!”

Britney seems to be intimating that she hasn’t been able to have fun in 13 years due to her conservatorship, which could be permanently ended this month.

She adds, “Ma and dad can I drive my car now??? JUST KIDDING … but seriously, can I play now ????”

This seems to be a reference to a previous post in which Britney stated, “I got the keys to my car for the first time 4 months ago and it’s been 13 years !!!!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)

Olympian’s widow gives birth to his daughter via IVF

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — At the time Australian Olympic snowboarder Alex Pullin died in a spearfishing accident last year, he and his partner, Ellidy Vlug, were hoping to become parents, according to Vlug.

Now, nearly 16 months after Pullin’s death, Vlug has given birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter she named Minnie Alex Pullin.

Vlug gave birth to her daughter on Oct. 25, 2021, according to a photo of the newborn she shared with her followers on Instagram.

Pullin, who was Australia’s flagbearer at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, was 32 when he died in July 2020 off the coast of Queensland.

In June of this year, Vlug shared on Instagram that she was pregnant with their child via in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“When my love had his accident, we all held onto hope that I’d be pregnant that month. We’d been trying for a baby,” she wrote. “IVF was on our cards but it wasn’t something I ever imagined I’d be tackling on my own. Bittersweet like none other, I’ve never been more certain or excited about anything in my entire life.”

“Your Dad and I have been dreaming of you for years little one. With a heart wrenching plot twist in the middle, I am honored to finally welcome a piece of the phenomenon that is Chump back into this world!” Vlug wrote at the time.

Vlug shared her pregnancy journey on social media, writing about how her friends have supported her as she both mourned Pullin and prepared on her own to become a mom.

“My friends literally deserve a medal for the way they have shown up for me the past year,” she wrote in an Oct. 14 post, later adding, “I feel so grateful and lucky to be bringing Chumpy’s daughter or son into this love bubble.”

Lawyer for ‘Rust’ assistant director in tense exchange on Fox News; “He’s not responsible”

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

On Monday, Lisa Torraco, the attorney for Rust assistant director Dave Halls, had a tense exchange with Martha MacCallum of Fox News, in which the lawyer shifted the blame for last week’s fatal set shooting away from her client.

It had been widely reported that it was Halls who handed the firearm to Alec Baldwin without checking it first, and after declaring the gun was “cold” — or empty.

But when Baldwin pulled the trigger on the Western-style Colt revolver, a live round fired from it, fatally striking cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

When questioned if her client indeed handed the weapon to the actor, Torraco demurred. “The armorer [Hanna Gutierrez-Reed] brought the firearm in to the scene. The armorer is responsible, they make sure the firearm is safe. The armorer opens the revolver, opens the round [sic]. My client didn’t load the firearm. My client didn’t point it and he didn’t pull the trigger,” Torraco insisted.

The lawyer claimed facts in the case were being “twisted.”

MacCallum repeatedly asked Torraco if Halls handed the gun to Baldwin, but she was evasive.

“What I’m saying is I want to put the facts together. I want to deal with evidence,” she said.

She also added, “Whether or not he handed the firearm directly to Alec Baldwin at that moment or whether the armorer handed it to Alec Baldwin at that moment doesn’t really matter because he didn’t load it, he’s not responsible for checking it.”

Torraco repeatedly mentioned another unidentified crew member “touched” the gun, too.

Investigators say hundreds of rounds were recovered from the set including “a mix” of dummy — or harmless prop rounds — blanks, and live ammunition, which has no business being on a movie set, experts agree.

Henry Winkler auctioning off one of his Fonzie jackets from ‘Happy Days’, ‘Scream’ mask, for charity

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

If you’ve got the dough, you can soon walk away with some rare Hollywood memorabilia, from the collection of Emmy-winner Henry Winkler, “The Fonz” himself.

And it’s all for a good cause.

The New York Post reports the 76-year-old star is putting on the block one of his original Fonzie leather jackets from Happy Days, along with one of the killer’s masks from the 1996 hit Scream, in which he played a small town’s high-strung high school principal.

Proceeds from the December 8 auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles will benefit This Is About Humanity, co-founded by his daughter, Zoe Winkler, and which is dedicated to, “supporting separated and reunified families at the border.”

According to Winkler, six jackets were made for the ’50s throwback show after the first one he wore was stolen from the set; Winkler and show creator Garry Marshall got two apiece; another was sold to the Smithsonian; Winkler will have one left in his collection after this one finds a new home.

Barry and The French Dispatch star explained he felt the need to downsize after getting a look at his collection during the pandemic. He told the paper he, “finally realized I am a hoarder.”

“I have this space away from everything and in it was 27 to 30 boxes, all of my memorabilia, my swag. I didn’t even realize what I had,” Winkler said. “I didn’t open these boxes for years. Bonhams came and went through it all…”

The Ghostface mask from Scream is expected to sell for $20,000-$30,000. The Fonzie jacket — along with a pair of jeans and motorcycle boots, all vintage and screen-worn by TV’s Arthur Fonzarelli, is being auctioned off as a set expected to fetch $50,000-$70,000.

Nelly and Kelly Rowland to perform during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Nelly and Kelly Rowland will begin their holiday celebration performing during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 25 in New York City.

The rapper and singer won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for their 2002 duet, “Dilemma.” The song was also nominated for Record of the Year. “Dilemma” was the first single from Rowland’s 2002 debut solo album, Simply Deep, and remained at number one on the Billboard 100 for ten weeks.

Kelly is also starring in the holiday movie, Merry Liddle Christmas Baby, which premieres November 27 on Lifetime.

The 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air live on NBC from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 25.

“11 O’Clock TikTok”? U2 joins the popular video-centered social media platform

November 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

U2 has joined the growing ranks of famous rock bands that have launched their own official account on TikTok.

In conjunction with the debut of their TikTok site, @U2, the Irish rockers premiered a 25-second clip of a brand-new song called “Your Song Saved My Life” that will get its official release this Wednesday, November 3.

“Your Song Saved My Life” will appear on the soundtrack album for the upcoming movie Sing 2, which, as previously reported, features Bono making his animated film debut as the voice of a rock-star lion character named Clay Calloway. The flick is scheduled to premiere on December 21.

Among the classic U2 songs that are currently available in the TikTok library include “Beautiful Day,” “With or Without You,” “Vertigo,” “Sweetest Thing,” “One” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

Besides the “Your Song Saved My Life” preview, U2’s TikTok also highlights a clip featuring a montage of the band’s songs and music videos.

In addition, because this November marks the 30th anniversary of the release of U2’s memorable 1991 album Achtung Baby, archival footage of the band performing songs from the record live will be posted on the group’s TikTok account throughout the month.

TikTok users can discover the available U2 songs at the platform’s Sounds Page, while you also can check out a selection of the group’s newly arrived tracks in the Greatest Hits Guest Playlist.

New track ‘Your Song Saved My Life’ from @singmovie is out Wednesday!
Check out @tiktok_us for an exclusive preview + all U2 songs now available. #ClayCalloway pic.twitter.com/LzbcTmz7b9

— U2 (@U2) November 1, 2021

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