Back in May, Joe Jonas teamed up with the travel site Expedia to give away some unusual promotional items: 550 3-D printed, limited-edition autographed replicas of his hand. But now one man in Florida is annoyed that he’s received two of Joe’s hands in the mail — and he didn’t even enter the contest to win them.
The Washington Post reports that the man, 56-year-old retiree Sean O’Farrell, had no idea what the hand was, until he did a Google search and found out about the giveaway. The only problem is that he hadn’t logged into his Expedia account in five years, and he certainly hadn’t given the company his information in hopes of receiving a hand.
Sean shrugged it off and forgot about it — until he received yet another hand a few weeks later.
“I’m like, ‘You have got to be kidding me,'” he told The Post, the publication in which he first read about the contest. In fact, he tweeted The Post after receiving the first hand and wrote, “Expedia keeps sending me Joe’s hands. Up to 2 so far. I’m 56, a dude, and haven’t done business with Expedia in 5 years. Any ideas?”
Expedia told The Post that starting in mid-June, it began shipping 550 of the hands to the U.S., U.K. and Canada, but only to those who’d entered their name, address, phone number and email address into a dedicated site.
Expedia thought maybe someone O’Farrell knows entered his info, but Sean said he’s asked everyone and nobody has ‘fessed up. For now, O’Farrell is keeping the hands in a closet, and he said he’d only sell them in order to give the money to charity.
“If I get a third one, I’m gonna lose my mind,” he declared.
Not everything in life — or movies — is black and white, there can be some gray areas, which is a big part of Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow character’s past.
The 36-year-old actress stars as Natasha Romanoff in the upcoming Marvel film that takes a deep dive into her background. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight about the movie, which she says is one of her “greatest accomplishments,” she elaborated on the struggles that her character is faced with.
“Natasha is really reckoning with the trauma she has faced and she’s been running away from,” Johansson shared.
“She’s been a part of a large organization for her entire life, and I think that there’s a lot of gray in that,” she said. “You’re working towards a greater goal — for better or worse — and it’s not driven by any personal desire. We’ve alluded to that — I mean, that was Thanos’ big argument, right? — and the Marvel universe has played with that idea a lot.”
“In Ultron, [it was] how many casualties for a greater good is acceptable? And Cap has always said zero. It’s been a big debate, that’s what Civil War was about,” she explained. “It’s a gray area that she had no active choice in but has felt so guilty about, and [she’s] not understood or been able to really deal with the trauma that she’s experienced because of that. And it’s Yelena who allows her to — even, like, forces her to — reflect on that, so she can move past it.”
Black Widow will hit theaters and be available on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9.
Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — On one of the hottest days of the summer, Joey Reed stood alone outside of the White House, holding a sign with a picture of his son that said in bold type: “Free Trevor Reed.”
“Former U.S. Marine Presidential Guard wrongfully imprisoned by Russia for almost 2 years! Innocent & being used as a bargaining chip by Russia,” the message on the sign continued. “Mr. President, our son protected you. Please bring him home. Please meet with me.”
The plea was written next to images of his son in uniform, including two taken of him with former President Barack Obama.
U.S. officials said the Marine veteran, has been held for nearly two years in Russia on charges that U.S. officials said were fabricated in an effort to use him as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner swap between the two countries.
Joey Reed told ABC News on Tuesday that he hopes that more Americans learn that his son is one of two former U.S. Marines being held there.
The elder Reed, who has met with several White House officials, said that he hopes to meet with President Joe Biden but until then he plans on standing outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“We’re really surprised at how many Americans don’t know what’s happening with our son,” he said.
He added, that he “just wanted to be here and then also just raise attention with the president who’s already doing a great job for our son.”
Trevor’s saga started in Moscow in August 2019, the younger Reed, while visiting his girlfriend in the city, and studying Russian, was taken to a police station to sober up after a drunken party. He would later be questioned by agents from Russia’s FSB intelligence service, and suddenly charged with assaulting an officer according to his father.
During Biden’s June meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president spoke about Reed and another Marine veteran, Paul Whelan, who has also been held in Russia for two years. The Kremlin during the June meeting signaled it might be prepared to discuss a deal for their release.
In response to ABC News on Tuesday, a White House spokesperson said, “The president raised the case of Trevor Reed directly to President Putin in Geneva. He was very clear about the need to resolve his and other cases and see him freed.”
“The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the U.S government,” the statement continued. “We will continue to speak on his behalf until Russia does the right thing and returns him to his family in the United States. Trevor has been deprived of his freedom for far too long. We continue to engage with Russia on this case, as well as other U.S. citizens wrongfully imprisoned in Russia.”
Joey Reed, a Texas native told ABC News on Tuesday, that his life revolves around freeing his 30-year-old son, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become an elite Marine. He even uprooted his life to move to Russia for 14 months in an effort to free him.
He said after the meeting between Biden and Putin he was “hopeful,” but he wants other Americans to know that his son is “innocent and he didn’t do any of the things that they say he was doing.”
Trevor “received the longest sentence in modern Russian history for assaulting police officers when no one was hurt, and the only evidence that shows that he didn’t do anything,” he added.
He said he’s spoken to several Biden officials about his son, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, earlier in the year for nearly two hours. Reed said he gets weekly updates from the State Department and that “they try and keep us informed and find out if there’s anything we need. And they tell us what they do.”
Reed said Russia is a beautiful country however, he’s warning other Americans thinking of traveling to Russia to think again.
“If we didn’t have this problem with their — with their government and or their law enforcement, you know I would — I would tell everyone to go there, but I recommend the opposite. No American should go there,” he said.
The past two years have been hard — he said his wife has crying spells and “sometimes I break down.”
“I see a movie or something related to what my son’s going through it hits home all of a sudden.”
However, he also said he takes each day at a time and is hopeful because he knows, “nothing’s gonna happen immediately, but you know there’s hope on the horizon with President Biden.”
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell, Tanya Stukalova and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) — Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson will officially not be running at the Tokyo Olympics.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Olympic track and field team released its roster for the games, which featured a handful of veterans and 81 first-time Olympians — but not Richardson.
In June, Richardson won the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, making her the fastest woman in America and positioning her to compete for the gold in Tokyo. However, her chances of participating in the 100 meters at the Olympics were erased last week after it was announced she had tested positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana.
Richardson accepted a 30-day suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for the violation, which would end on July 27 — in time for her to run in the women’s 100-meter relay in Tokyo beginning Aug. 5. But the runner ultimately was not offered a spot on the Olympic team.
“We are incredibly sympathetic toward Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability — and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track,” USATF said in a statement following their decision to leave Richardson off the Olympics team.
“While USATF fully agrees that the merit of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules related to THC should be reevaluated, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic games,” USATF added, saying that all USATF athletes must adhere to the current anti-doping rules.
“Our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha’Carri,” USATF said. “We must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the U.S. Track & Field Team.”
Richardson’s win at the Olympic trials came after her biological mother died a week earlier.
“Last week, finding out my biological mother passed away and still choosing to pursue my dreams — nobody knows what I go through,” she told reporters at the time.
Richardson has the second-fastest 100-meter dash in the world this year, behind Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Jenna Prandini, who also qualified in the 200 meters, will take Richardson’s spot in the 100 meters and Gabby Thomas, also a 200-meter runner, was named to the final spot on the 4×100 team.
In an interview with NBC last week, Richardson spoke out about her failed drug test and apologized, saying she didn’t know how to deal with her emotions.
“Don’t judge me, because I am human,” Richardson said. “I just happen to run a little faster.”
(NEW YORK) — Elsa has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night just southwest of Tampa Bay with sustained winds of 75 mph.
Landfall is expected around 8 or 9 a.m. Wednesday near the Big Bend region along Florida’s west coast.
Storms with winds of 74 mph or higher are considered hurricanes.
Elsa’s path is sparing Miami, where rescuers are still searching for victims of the deadly Surfside condo collapse.
Search and rescue efforts continued through the rain and wind overnight, pausing only briefly for lightning as per the law, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Tuesday. The wind has also hampered large cranes from moving heavy debris, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said.
July 6th – Starting Tuesday off with a time-lapse as Elsa’s outer bands stream past the office. Tropical Storm #Elsa is passing just to the west of Key West this morning. Heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts in squalls, and a few tornadoes are possible across South Florida today. pic.twitter.com/6J1IZojt2C
A hurricane warning is in effect along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast while a tornado watch has been issued from Miami to Tampa through 11 p.m.
The University of Florida in Gainesville has canceled all classes for Wednesday as Elsa closes in.
Tampa International Airport is suspending operations from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 10 a.m. Wednesday while the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is stopping operations from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Storm surge could reach 3 to 5 feet along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Rainfall totals may climb to 6 to 8 inches across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas through Thursday.
The ground in many parts of the Sunshine State is already saturated after a 300% rain increase over the last two weeks, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez said Tuesday.
Residents should be prepared to be without power for the next few days, but widespread evacuations aren’t expected, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
After barreling through Florida, Elsa will weaken to a tropical storm or tropical depression as it moves through Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
By the end of the week, Elsa will bring rain and wind to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The Beatles and Us, an award-winning short documentary about the relationship that the city of Liverpool, England, had and continues to have with its most famous native sons, The Beatles, is now available as a digital download and via streaming platforms.
The film offers a profile of Liverpool and looks at how its history, traditions and culture helped shaped the members of The Beatles. The movie also examines the band’s influence on the city, its music scene, tourism industry and more.
The Beatles and Us features interviews with various Liverpool residents reflecting on the Fab Four’s impact on the northern U.K. port city and recalling their experiences meeting or seeing the group’s members.
“I suppose I’m biased, given my family are from Liverpool, but I do think it’s a special city,” says the film’s director, Chris Purcell. “Quite different to anywhere else in the U.K., it’s a quirky, off-kilter kind of place that has its own singular character. Coming from a town like that gave The Beatles, who were already magically blessed with the right combination of talents, just the edge they needed to conquer all before them.”
The flick won the Best International Documentary prize at the Venice Shorts film festival, and was selected as a finalist at the New York International Film Awards.
(WASHINGTON) — Nearly 70% of all military personnel have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but a debate has begun to swirl about whether the Pentagon should make vaccinations mandatory for the ranks should the Food and Drug Administration formally approve the vaccine in the future.
While COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. military are taking place under the same emergency use authorization that has allowed vaccinations to take place in the general population, Pentagon officials have said publicly that they would consider whether to make the vaccinations mandatory, as is done with more than a dozen other vaccines, should the FDA formally approve the vaccine.
The issue blew up over the weekend when Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., tweeted that he had been contacted by members of the military who told him they would “quit” if ordered to take the vaccine.
The tweet generated both positive and negative responses, with some pointing out that because military personnel sign enlistment contracts they cannot quit. Others noted that the U.S. military requires as many as 17 vaccinations for military service.
Massie later tweeted “NO ONE should be forced or coerced by ANYONE to take the COVID vaccine. The fact that policy discussions in the US are centered around “proof of vaccine” instead of ‘evidence of immunity’ shows that science and reason have been drummed out by politics, profits, and superstition.”
According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, three in 10 American adults said they have not gotten a coronavirus vaccine and definitely or probably will not get one.
Earlier this week the Army Times obtained an internal Army memo that said commanders should “prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members (on or around) 01 September 2021, pending full FDA licensure,” the order said.
“As a matter of policy we do not comment on leaked documents. The vaccine continues to be voluntary,” Maj. Jackie Wren, an Army spokesperson told ABC News. “If we are directed by DOD to change our posture, we are prepared to do so.”
At a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday the Pentagon’s top spokesman emphasized the success that the U.S. military has had in recommending the use of the vaccines.
“It is not FDA approved, and therefore, it is still a voluntary vaccine,” said John Kirby. “I would like to add that as we speak, almost 69% of DOD personnel have received at least one dose. That’s not bad.”
However he added that should the FDA fully approve one of the vaccines “then I am certain that Pentagon leadership — we’ll take a look at what our options are going forward, including the potential option of making mandatory but I’m not going to get too far ahead of process right now,” he added.
Kirby acknowledged that there had been “some preliminary discussions at senior levels within the department to think about what the next logical steps would be if and when FDA approval comes in.”
“I don’t think that should surprise anybody that we’re trying to think about what the implications would be and what how we would, how would react to that but I don’t have any decisions to announce today or specific procedures and protocols to speak to,” said Kirby.
Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — At least 36 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 109 others remain unaccounted for after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.
The disaster occurred on June 24 around 1:15 a.m. local time at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked piles of debris in hopes of finding survivors.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Tuesday morning that four more bodies were recovered from the rubble. In the evening, she announced another four bodies had been recovered, bringing the official death toll to 36. Twenty-six of the victims have been identified.
Meanwhile, investigators have confirmed that 70 of the 109 people who are still missing were in fact inside of the condominium at the time of the partial collapse. Another 191 people who were living or staying in the building at that time have been accounted for and are safe, according to Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid” and “will continue to change” as detectives continuously audit the list.
Although officials wouldn’t say when the search and rescue operation will formally transition into a recovery mission, Levine Cava told reporters that the crews will “continue as now to thoroughly, carefully sift through these piles,” looking for “bodies and belongings.” The process is a “very thorough and exhaustive” one, she said.
Crews have hauled away nearly 5 million pounds of concrete from the vast scene of wreckage, but large piles of rubble still remain. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said the rescue workers have been “aggressively” searching for any voids or “liveable spaces” within the debris where there could be trapped survivors but that they are “not coming across that.” No survivors have been discovered in the wreckage of the building since the morning it partially collapsed.
“We’re not seeing anything positive,” Cominsky told reporters on Tuesday morning.
The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible.
The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.
Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the piles, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.
The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by Tuesday morning the storm’s center was moving through Key West with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Prior to the demolition, the search and rescue operation was halted for almost an entire day last week due to safety concerns for the crews regarding the remaining structure. Poor weather conditions have also forced them to temporarily pause working.
The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation. Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.
“The whole world wants to know what happened here,” Levine Cava told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I look forward to learning the truth, as do we all, but I think it’ll be a while before it is understood.”
Like so many musicians, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay had his 2020 touring plans sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the singer/songwriter has now unveiled a new series of U.S. solo concerts scheduled for late summer.
The trek is plotted out from an August 4 show in Hyannis, Massachusetts, through a September 11 performance at the Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California.
Hay will be promoting a brand-new studio album on the tour, a 10-track collection of covers titled I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself that’s due out on August 6.
Colin was inspired to make the album during the COVID lockdown, after he recorded a version of the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” following the death of that group’s lead singer, Gerry Marsden, in January 2021.
Hay’s frequent collaborator and producer Chad Fischer suggested Colin record more cover tunes, and Hay decided to make a full album of tunes he loved when he was younger.
I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself also features the title track, which was penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was a big U.K. hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964, as well as songs by The Beatles, The Kinks, Faces, Blind Faith, Glen Campbell and Jimmy Cliff.
The album can be pre-ordered now, and is available on CD, vinyl and in various digital formats.
“I recorded an album of songs written by other people that have meant a lot to me ever since I was a young fellow,” Hay notes. “I can’t wait to play them for you on this upcoming jaunt across the land.”
Here’s the full I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself track list:
“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” (Dusty Springfield)
“Waterloo Sunset” (The Kinks)
“Wichita Lineman” (Glen Campbell)
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (The Beatles)
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
“Ooh La La” (Faces)
“Driving with the Brakes On” (Del Amitri)
“Across the Universe” (The Beatles)
“Can’t Find My Way Home” (Blind Faith)
“Many Rivers to Cross” (Jimmy Cliff)
(WASHINGTON) — When the Senate returns to Washington next week, lawmakers will be in a race against the clock to navigate a precarious political landscape in time to progress President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda before the summer comes to a close.
There are only four weeks remaining for lawmakers to make major moves on infrastructure, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised that both a bipartisan package focused on core infrastructure items and a second, larger, fast-tracked budget bill aimed at other priorities in Biden’s American Families Plan will be introduced in July.
Prospects for the $1.2 trillion bipartisan deal, forged by a group of five Senate Democrats and five Senate Republicans got a boost Tuesday from the bipartisan House Problem Solvers caucus, who gave the proposal it’s seal of approval in a statement.
“I’m thrilled to have the Caucus’s support for our bipartisan agreement to make historic investments in upgrading America’s critical infrastructure, creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities across the country without raising taxes,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who led Senate negotiations on the bipartisan infrastructure package.
But critically, the caucus only lent it support to the stand-alone bipartisan bill. The group did not endorse tying the bipartisan infrastructure package to a larger bill that would be passed using a fast-track budget procedure called reconciliation, as some progressive Democrats have called for.
“We support bringing this bipartisan, bicameral proposal, which is strongly supported by the White House, to the House floor as a stand-alone vote,” Problem Solvers Caucus co-Chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said Tuesday. “Let us vote on this package now — no strings attached. Let this bill be considered up-or-down on its own merits.”
It is not yet clear whether lawmakers will have a chance to consider the bipartisan package separate from a reconciliation package. Democratic leaders are pursuing a “two-track” approach that would move both pieces of legislation at the same time.
Biden faced considerable backlash following the announcement of the bipartisan deal last month for saying he would only consider the bipartisan package “in tandem” with the larger reconciliation package. The president had to issue a clarification to soothe Republican detractors.
Republicans have all but demanded the bipartisan bill stand alone for it to earn their backing while progressive Democrats have threatened to vote against the bipartisan deal unless they’re assured the larger package will also pass.
Legislative language is still coming together behind the scenes while the Senate is on recess.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing Tuesday that the White House is in contact with congressional staff working on crafting both the bipartisan package and the legislation that would be used in a budget reconciliation process. No bill text on either package is yet available.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to happen with Congress, and we expect over the next week there to be a lot of behind the scenes bill writing negotiations discussions on Capitol Hill, long nights, lots of coffee over the course of the next several days,” Psaki said. “Given that Leader Schumer has conveyed that he would like to see both the reconciliation package and the infrastructure bill on the floor in July, and we’re in July now in terms of the president’s priorities.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed on Wednesday that she is still committed to tying the bipartisan package to a reconciliation package. It remains to be seen if those commitments will be enough to coax progressives in both the House and Senate who are reluctant to support the bipartisan deal without assurances of a reconciliation package to vote in favor of the bipartisan deal.
Democrats are working with the narrowest of margins in both chambers. In the House, there is a slim majority. In the Senate, every single Democrat, plus the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, will be needed to pass a reconciliation package that will almost certainly face unanimous opposition from Senate Republicans.
Unanimity among the Senate Democratic Caucus is going to prove its own challenge, especially under such time constraints. Budget reconciliation is a time-consuming process, and Democrats as of late are on wildly different pages about the appropriate amount of money to allocate.
Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whose committee will lead the reconciliation process, has proposed as much as $6 trillion for the second package. But moderate Democrat Joe Manchin said he will only support that which can be credibly paid for.
“I want to make sure we pay for it. I do not want to add more debt on,” Manchin said on ABC News’ “This Week.” “So if that’s $1 trillion or $1.5 trillion or $2 trillion, whatever that comes out to be over a 10-year period, that’s what I would be voting for,” Manchin said.
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell conceded at a press event on Tuesday that if all Democrats are united behind a reconciliation effort, there’s little he can do to prevent them from moving forward.
That leaves the Republican leader dependent on Manchin — as well as other moderate Democrats — who he said may find the spending levels Sanders is proposing “offensive.”
McConnell said he still sees a path forward on the bipartisan infrastructure deal but promised that Senate Republicans are “going to make it hard” for Democrats to move forward on a reconciliation package.
“This is not going to be done on a bipartisan basis,” McConnell said of the larger reconciliation package. “This is going to be a hell of a fight over what this country ought to look like in the future and that’s all going to unfold here in the next few weeks.”
