(HONG KONG) — Rescue efforts are underway as flash floods in China’s central city of Zhengzhou killed at least 25 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.
Local forecasters say it is the heaviest downpour they have seen in decades, with nearly a year’s worth of rain coming down in just three days in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, located on the banks of the Yellow River.
The city is home to more than 10 million people and is one of China’s major transportation and logistical hubs, connecting the countryside to the rest of the nation.
The floods are now threatening to disrupt the food security and supply chain in the region, where major roadways have been transformed into riverbanks. Footage from the ground shows cars floating above the muddy floodwater.
Heavy rains overwhelmed some of Zhengzhou’s flood defenses, causing apocalyptic scenes to unfold, including floodwater cascading into subways and a resident being swept away.
More video from the region shows rescue workers at schools, placing kindergarteners in plastic buckets to float them to safety.
Another clip from China’s state television channel shows passengers in a subway car, trapped with water up to their chest. At least a dozen people died in the city’s underground tunnels, with at least seven more still missing. More than 500 people were eventually rescued.
Officials fear the toll from the floods may be much worse than what is known, and they warn that the danger is not over yet as more rainfall is expected over the coming days.
The floods also caused a massive explosion at an aluminium alloy plant in Henan province. No casualties were reported.
Some distressed family members outside of Zhengzhou used social media to try to find their relatives as power lines in the city had gone down.
Officials said the Yihetan Dam in Luoyang, about 90 miles west of Zhengzhou, is in danger of bursting “at any time.” Soldiers have been mobilized to try to prevent the dam from collapsing, blasting part of it to relieve pressure and divert the flooding.
Floods are common during China’s rainy season, but the threat over the years has worsened. Scientists blame the effects of climate change and urbanization.
As recovery efforts continue, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the floods were “extremely severe” and “demanded that authorities at all levels must give top priority to ensuring people’s safety and property,” according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
(LONDON) — The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee fired the director of the opening ceremony on Thursday over a joke he made about the Holocaust as a comedian in 1998.
A video clip resurfaced online of Kentaro Kobayashi’s performance during a comedy show more than 20 years ago, in which he joked about a game he called: “Let’s play Holocaust.” Criticism of Kobayashi, a former member of the popular Japanese comedy duo Rahmens, quickly spread on social media. Then Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, announced on the eve of the opening ceremony that Kobayashi has been dismissed.
“We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, has used a phrase ridiculing a historical tragedy,” Hashimoto said during a press conference Thursday. “We deeply apologize for causing such a development the day before the opening ceremony and for causing troubles and concerns to many involved parties as well as the people in Tokyo and the rest of the country.”
It’s the latest scandal to plague the Tokyo Games. Earlier this year, Hashimoto’s predecessor, Yoshiro Mori, was forced to resign over sexist comments he made suggesting women talk too much in meetings. Hiroshi Sasaki also stepped down as creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies after suggesting Naomi Watanabe, a Japanese actress, comedian and plus-size fashion designer, could wear pig ears at the opening ceremony while performing as what he called an “Olympig.”
“Maybe these negative incidents will impact the positive message we wanted to deliver to the world,” Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo organizing committee, said during the press conference Thursday.
The organizing committee and the Japanese government have also sparked controversy for pushing ahead with the already-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, despite public health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Recent polls have shown that a majority of the Japanese public want the Tokyo Games to be postponed further or outright cancelled as the capital city and other regions grapple with a resurgence in COVID-19 infections. Meanwhile, Japan’s top medical experts, including some of the government’s advisers on COVID-19, have warned that holding the Games now could help spread the virus both at home and abroad.
The Nomura Research Institute, a Tokyo-based economic research and consulting firm, estimates that cancelling the Games would cost Japan around $17 billion.
At least 91 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at the Tokyo Games so far. Four of those cases are people staying at the Olympic and Paralympic Village in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo. Two are athletes, according to data released Thursday by the Tokyo organizing committee.
The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 1,979 newly confirmed cases in the city on Thursday, up from 671 last Thursday.
Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared another state of emergency in Tokyo due to rising infections. The declaration lasts through Aug. 22, meaning the Olympics, which officially kick off on Friday, will be held entirely under emergency measures. The Paralympics will open on Aug. 24.
Various measures and restrictions, including a ban on all spectators from Olympic venues in Tokyo, are in place during the Games in an effort to reduce the risk of infection.
“We have been preparing for the last year to send a positive message,” Hashimoto told reporters Thursday. “Toward the very end now there are so many incidents that give a negative image toward Tokyo 2020.”
Whether it is investing in a coal mining community, or in regional tourism, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says new “investing in America” grants being announced Thursday are designed so every community in America feels empowered and included to get back on their feet in the wake of the pandemic.
She said the Commerce Department is making $3 billion in grants available for a myriad of programs, using funds passed as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Interested communities will have to apply for the grants, which exclude businesses.
“It’ll be a nationwide competition to quite literally ‘build back better,'” Raimondo told ABC News’s Karen Travers, using the name President Joe Biden uses for his recovery program. “Building back certain communities from the ground up so that everybody can thrive in the new economy.”
With concerns growing about how long current price surges will last, Raimondo said the Biden administration is watching inflation “very closely.”
“And not, you know, not trying to deny that there’s a link between large fiscal stimulus and inflation,” she said, “but inflation is not the only thing we need to be worried about.”
Raimondo said the kind of funding the Commerce Department is investing in communities can be “quite beneficial” in countering inflation.
“These are investments in productivity. And that’s what we need to be making. Every economist will tell you, you want to invest, to enhance productivity, and that’s exactly what this is,” Raimondo said. “This is investments in infrastructure, investments in skills, education, job training, and those are not inflation creating expenditures of money.”
The grants will be distributed through the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration.
Programs include the “Build back better challenge,” in which regions can apply for up to $100 million to “accelerate recovery and inclusive economic growth by developing new industries or expanding existing ones through planning, infrastructure development, workforce training, innovation and commercialization, access to capital, and more,” the department said.
Those programs include $300 million to invest in communities affected by the shrinking coal mining industry.
“We also need to be there for communities that have been traditionally dependent on coal,” Raimondo explained. “And so that’s what this money is for putting folks to work in those communities, making investments in those communities so they benefit from the transition to renewables, whether that’s retraining, or innovation hubs or building infrastructure.”
Raimondo insisted there would be no political considerations when grants are made to coal mining communities, especially since influential Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin represents West Virginia, a state hit hard by the industry downturn.
“It isn’t just West Virginia. It’s Virginia, it’s West Virginia it’s Ohio with Kentucky it’s you know it’s not about one state it’s about being honest with people and creating jobs for people everywhere,” she explained.
Another program is aimed at getting Americans back to work through investments in worker training and in funding infrastructure projects.
“So, the way it works is pretty simple: a group of companies would come together in a community, they would say, ‘we have 1000 open jobs right now,’ for example, in order to hire people for those jobs. ‘These are the skills they need to have,'” she said. “Then the money that we’re providing would train those people in exactly those skills, and here’s the best part, the businesses have to hire the folks, so that this is not trained, and pray and get a job. This is enroll, train, graduate, get your job.”
The Commerce Department also will focus on providing funds for underserved communities, providing regional tourism grants, and helping communities plan for any potential economic hardship in the future.
Raimondo said the administration is not telling local communities how to invest their money, but rather providing a road map.
“This is bottom up,” she said. “This is not Washington telling any community, how to do economic development. Every community has certain strengths, maybe it’s, a certain talent pool, maybe it’s, I don’t know tourism, maybe it’s a certain kind of skill set, maybe it’s a certain technical know how. So each community wants to build on those strengths, and then use our funds to kind of supercharge those efforts.”
Money will be available almost immediately especially for communities impacted by a lack of tourism because of the pandemic, Raimondo explained.
“There’s so many communities that have lost jobs because of the lack of travel and lack of tourism,” she said. “You need help yesterday and we know that.”
Raimondo also touted the $1.2 billion infrastructure bill being debated in Congress.
In 2016, when she was governor of Rhode Island, she passed “Rhode Works,” a sweeping infrastructure measure targeted at fixing Rhode Island’s roads and bridges, which then were among the worst in the nation. The cornerstone of the program was imposing tolls on truckers to pass through the state in order to fund the project.
“It was none other than Vice President Joe Biden, who traveled to Rhode island with me to stand under a crumbling bridge to say, ‘get behind this governor and let’s make this infrastructure investment happen,'” she said.
She urged Congress to pass the bill, saying that while it might seem controversial now, once communities see money being put into action, it will be seen as favorable.
“It is the right thing to do. And even if it’s controversial at the moment, we got to push it over the finish line is the American people want and deserve better infrastructure,” Raimondo told Travers. “And I promise you, it will be popular once you see the road crews out there making communities better and safer.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City 6, Milwaukee 3
Colorado 6, Seattle 3
NY Yankees 6, Philadelphia 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 4
Detroit 4, Texas 2
Boston 7, Toronto 4
Cleveland 5, Houston 4
Minnesota 7, Chi White Sox 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego 3, Atlanta 2
NY Mets 7, Cincinnati 0
Arizona 6, Pittsburgh 4
Miami 3, Washington 1
St. Louis 3, Chi Cubs 2
San Francisco 4, LA Dodgers 2
San Diego at Atlanta (Suspended)
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Nashville 0, Columbus 0 (Tie)
New York 1 Toronto FC 1 (Tie)
New York City FC 1, CF Montreal 0
New England 5, Miami 0
Atlanta 1, Cincinnati 1 (Tie)
D.C. United 2, Chicago 2 (Tie)
San Jose 1, Sporting Kansas City 1 (Tie)
Colorado 2, FC Dallas 0
LA Galaxy 2, Real Salt Lake 2 (Tie)
Portland 2, Los Angeles FC 1
The talk after Wednesday’s flurry of activity around Jan. 6 investigations was about separate partisan inquiries covering the same subject — a subject leaders of the two parties don’t see, or don’t claim to see, the same way at all.
Then there’s Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. She could perhaps be the only person standing in the way of final Jan. 6 takeaways devolving into wearying and meaningless “both sides-ism.”
Cheney’s decision to stay on the House select committee, and even back Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s rejection of two Republican members who were tapped to serve on it, is about more than a single vote, even a vote that belongs to a former member of GOP leadership.
She is also calling out her own party leader — the man favored to become the next House speaker if Republicans recapture the majority — as offering “disingenuous” rhetoric that should disqualify him from taking over any such job.
“There must be an investigation that is nonpartisan, that is sober, that is serious, that gets to the facts wherever they may lead,” Cheney told reporters.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy outlined questions about security shortcomings at the Capitol that made clear Republicans were looking for an escape that has them aiming at Pelosi in whatever separate probe they launch.
McCarthy and his allies also say the House-approved committee is designed to embarrass former President Donald Trump and his supporters. Trump, who months ago committed to booting Cheney out of office next year, would readily agree.
But when the select committee holds its first hearing on Tuesday, Cheney will be there. As she explores ways to make sure her presence is felt, that fact alone will give an extra dose of credibility — even bipartisanship — to the endeavor.
The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper
The White House is changing its tune on COVID-19 procedures.
The White House will now announce any official who tests positive for COVID-19 if they have had close contact with the the president, vice president, first lady or the second gentleman.
“An email from our COVID-19 operations protocol team has been sent to White House staff informing them of the official policy — that if you are in close contact with a principal, and test positive for COVID 19, your case will be disclosed to press along with any other relevant details,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “We will share the name of the staffer if that individual agrees to do so; of course, we respect their privacy.”
Previously, White House officials said they would only announce cases of “commissioned officers,” or senior staff with “assistant to the President” in their title.
The marked difference came after Psaki confirmed a breakthrough case of the coronavirus in the White House.
Officials have not announced any changes to COVID-19 measures like testing or reinstating masking, but new cases at the White House make the “independence” from COVID-19 that Biden hoped would arrive by July 4 feel even more elusive.
The TIP with Alisa Wiersema
The outlook on what will happen with the national push for federal voting rights legislation is still unclear, but the issue of voter ID requirements remains a fixture in debates across state legislatures.
In a memo circulated Wednesday, Pennsylvania state Rep. Seth Grove — who also serves as the chairman of the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee — said he plans to reintroduce his state’s voting bill, H.B. 1300, which Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed earlier this month. Grove pegs his move on a Philadelphia Inquirer report that quotes Wolf indicating support for voter ID rules, despite previously citing such measures as nonstarters for advancing H.B. 1300.
The Pennsylvania Governor is the latest of several high-profile Democrats to lean into more nuanced positions on voter ID laws. Sen. Joe Manchin included voter ID requirements in his voting legislation compromise last month and was promptly backed by voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams.
Wolf previously voiced support for a handful of other provisions originally outlined in H.B. 1300, but it remains to be seen whether he will be open to renegotiating the bill after already vetoing it.
(NEW YORK) — The Supreme Court last month remanded a lower court’s ruling that police officers who used excessive force on a 27-year-old man who died in their custody were protected because they didn’t know their actions were unconstitutional.
And it’s a decision that could have lasting effects, according to legal experts including Jon Taylor, an attorney who represented the family of that man, Nicholas Gilbert.
“The Supreme Court has summarily vacated a pro-officer decision by a lower court in an excessive force case,” Taylor told ABC News. “So this is a big deal, not only because of what the Supreme Court said but also because of what it will be for the record going forward.”
Steve Art, an attorney who submitted a brief on behalf of the ACLU for the case, shared Taylor’s sentiments.
“It’s extremely rare for the Supreme Court to summarily reverse a decision finding that police did not use excessive force,” Art told ABC News. “The Supreme Court is sending a clear signal to lower courts that they cannot reflexively decide cases for police officers when they use brutal tactics on restrained citizens.”
Gilbert died in a St. Louis Police Department holding cell in December 2015 after six officers restrained him for 15 minutes, handcuffed him and placed him in shackles, and forced him face down on the ground. Police at the time said they believed Gilbert to be suicidal and said they acted to prevent him from taking his own life. The officers were never criminally charged.
Gilbert’s parents, Bryan Gilbert and Jody Lombardo, sued the officers after his death, and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against them.
The officers pushed to receive qualified immunity — meaning they’d be shielded from personal liability unless proven to have violated clearly established constitutional rights — when confronted with the lawsuit in 2016, and in 2019, that immunity was granted by a federal judge in the 8th Circuit Court who did acknowledge that excessive force had been used.
But the Supreme Court on June 28 remanded the case back to the lower court, ruling that the 8th Circuit Court did not clearly define whether “prone restraint” was constitutional.
“The Eighth Circuit didn’t get to the qualified immunity question because it didn’t find a constitutional violation in the first place,” Elizabeth Beske, a law professor at American University, told ABC News. “By sending the case back, the Supreme Court is signaling to the Eighth Circuit that excessive force cases require a hard look at specific facts and circumstances and can’t be dismissed lightly.”
Part of the ruling stated: “It is unclear whether the court thought the use of a prone restraint — no matter the kind, intensity, duration or surrounding circumstances is per se constitutional so long as an individual appears to resist officers’ efforts to subdue him.”
But the Supreme Court’s decision was not unanimous — conservative justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Alito wrote the dissent, which included: “We have two respective options: deny review of the fact-bound question that the case presents or grant the petition, have the case briefed and argued, roll up our sleeves and decide the real issue. I favor the latter course, but what we should not do is take the easy out that the court has chosen.”
“That Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett signed on to this opinion sends a powerful message that this Court is paying attention and will not brook casual treatment of these serious social issues,” Beske added.
This decision could have a lasting impact and set a precedent for future cases involving excessive force, Taylor, the lawyer for Gilbert’s family, explained.
“I think the Court recognizes this political moment, in particular, that there is heightened attention being paid to these kinds of issues,” Taylor added. “I think that partially explains why the Supreme Court didn’t let this go.”
Art, who submitted the brief for the ACLU, added: “We expect that the Lombardo case will result in juries hearing more cases brought by the loved ones of those killed and hurt by police, rather than those cases being decided by judges before trial.”
This is not the first time the 8th Circuit has weighed in on an excessive force case. It also had jurisdiction over cases involving Michael Brown and George Floyd, who each were killed by police after being arrested for misdemeanors — Brown in 2014 and Floyd in 2020. In 2017, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld, in a 2-1 decision, a lower court ruling that Ferguson, Missouri, police were not entitled to qualified immunity from a lawsuit by Dorian Johnson, who was stopped along with Brown.
“The Court’s efforts in this area are likely responsive to the ongoing racial justice movement and to political pressure on the Supreme Court itself. Calls to ‘pack’ the court will grow if it is widely perceived that the conservative Court is significantly out-of-step with public opinion,” Beske said.
Gilbert at the time was homeless and under the influence of methamphetamines when he was arrested for a nonviolent misdemeanor, police said. After Gilbert died, officers said they believed he was experiencing a “mental health crisis” when he was in his cell, prompting officers to engage and restrain him.
Taylor said Gilbert “was lifting his chest in an attempt to breathe and saying it hurts, asking them to stop, and then he died. An autopsy found the cause of death to be asphyxiation induced by forcible restraint.”
While race-related issues perhaps have been more widely documented in cases where police have been accused of using excessive force, another major factor is mental illness. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, persons with an untreated metal illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement.
The Department of Justice has warned about these risk factors in the past, and law enforcement agencies across the country have been asked to train police on how to properly handle potential mental illness episodes. Officers have been cautioned that persons suffering such an episode, or who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are at a particular risk of dying by asphyxiation when held face down because it restricts their breathing.
In a statement provided to ABC News, Gilbert’s mother said her son was “kind and loving” and “the type of young man who gives the shirt off his back. He was bubbly and happy all the time. He was a happy young man and he had plans in life.”
“I want my son to finally have his day in court in front of a jury,” she added. “I want my son’s case to be an example — something that changes the way police treat people.”
PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats are ready to hit the stage tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The three artists will perform their banging new collaboration, “Forever Never,” from PnB’s upcoming album, To Be Honest.
“Forever Never” follows the release of PnB’s April single, “Need Somebody.” Since landing his first solo on the Billboard Hot 100 with 2017’s “Selfish,” the melodic rapper placed several collaborations on the chart, including YFN Lucci‘s “Everyday We Lit,” Meek Mill‘s “Dangerous” with Jeremih, and Layton Greene‘s “Leave Em Alone” with Lil Baby and City Girls.
PnB Rock and Pink Sweat$ are both natives of Philadelphia, yet Pink Sweat$ is known for his pristine falsetto. The R&B singer is still riding the wave of his debut project,PINK PLANET, which featured the fan-favorite “At My Worst” remix with Kehlani.
Meanwhile, Rae Sremmurd‘s Swae Lee is gearing up to present his highly-anticipated solo album, HUMAN NATURE. The Mississippi-bred rapper has released a slew of singles in the last year, including “Someone Said,” “Reality Check,” and “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”
Catch PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats’ appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday at 11:35 p.m EST on ABC, with guest host Anthony Anderson.
This Saturday, Jimmy Eat World‘s 2001 album Bleed American celebrates its 20th anniversary. The record spawned what would become the Arizona band’s signature song: “The Middle,” now a staple of the early 2000s pop-punk scene, and a favorite of the one-and-only Taylor Swift.
Reflecting on two decades of “The Middle,” frontman Jim Adkins tells ABC Audio that the song’s continued success and relevance feels “pretty nuts.”
“The fact that so long after that initially was released that people are still finding and connecting with it, I mean, it’s the biggest compliment ever, for a musician,” Adkins says. “It’s the highest compliment you can have. I just hope I’m doing right by appreciating it.”
The success of “The Middle” was especially surprising to Jimmy Eat World at that time, especially since it was such a no-hassle song to record.
“That song happened really quickly, without a lot of artistic suffering,” Adkins laughs. “It just seemed, like, ‘OK, yeah, what do we do here? Oh, we do this. Cool, that works. Great! Song’s done!’ Like, ‘It doesn’t need anymore. This is exactly what it should do. Here it is.'”
Twenty years later, Adkins says he’s still “always excited” to play “The Middle” in concert. In fact, the idea of getting sick of “The Middle” has never even crossed his mind.
“Let me break this down for you: Am I bummed out that something I wrote is connecting with thousands of people who are freaking out ’cause we’re playing it?” Adkins says.
“Tell me to stop if that ever happens,” he adds. “What are you doing with your life that you’re bummed out that so many people are freaking out over something you did? I don’t know. I love playing it.”
Police drummer Stewart Copeland has teamed up with Grammy-winning Indian-music composer Ricky Kej to record an epic album titled Divine Tides that was released this week via all major streaming platforms.
According to a press statement, the nine-track album, which also includes contributions by a variety of musicians from across the globe, is a “tribute to the magnificence of our natural world and the resilience of our species,” and “features a diverse musical canvas of soundscapes, melodies, lush ambient textures and pulsating rhythms.”
Explaining how he got involved in the project, Copeland says, “One day during the Apocalypse I got a call from Ricky Kej about making an album. He had assembled an amazing collection of exotic musicians, or perhaps I should say deeply traditional musicians, in the exotic context of his inspired production style. The flow of ideas soon became a torrent of recording and music.”
He adds, “The spiritual ambience…infused my aggressions upon inanimate objects with loving passion. The timpani were ringing! The crotales were singing! Making this record has been a unique adventure in both music and divine awareness.”
Meanwhile, Kej, who won a 2015 Grammy in the Best New Age Album category for Winds of Samsara, says working with Copeland on Divine Tides “was one of the best, most fulfilling personal and musical experiences I could have ever asked for,” adding, “Stewart is not only a living legend but an extremely humble human being, filled with positive energy, that pushed us to deliver our very best.”
Copeland and Kej are planning to release music videos for eight of Divine Tides‘ nine tracks, two of which — “Himalayas” and “Art of Devotion” — have already premiered and can be viewed on YouTube.
Here’s the album’s full track list:
“Wonders of Life”
“Himalayas”
“Our Home”
“At of Devotion”
“Pastoral India”
“I Am Change”
“Prayer”
“Gandhi”
“Mother Earth”
Seven years after his death, Robin Williams‘ son is commemorating what would be a milestone for the late actor — his 70th birthday.
On Wednesday, the comedian’s 38-year-old son, Zachary or “Zak,” shared a heartfelt Instagram post remembering his father.
Alongside a black-and-white still of Robin, Zak wrote, “Dad, on what would be your 70th birthday, I would want you to know that your incredible spirit lives within us.”
“Our family will be celebrating you and your memory today,” he added. “We miss you and love you always!”
Zak wasn’t the only one missing the Academy Award winning actor, as his comments were flooded with users sharing they missed the Mrs. Doubtfire star as well. Robin died by suicide at the age of 63.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.
