New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton

New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton
New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton
Atlantic Records

Janelle Monáe is joined by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Chlöe x Halle, Zoë Kravitz and more female stars on the 17-minute song “Say My Name,” which was released Friday. The track calls “attention to the Black women and girls whose deaths at the hands of law enforcement have been silenced.”

“We honor the Black women and girls who lost their lives at the hands of police,” Monáe says in a statement. “This is a rally cry. We aim to give reverence to the countless Black women and girls who should be with us today.”

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dropped his third album, SINCERELY, KENTRELL, and one of the biggest names in hip hop is predicting superstardom for the 21-year-old artist from Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman, who launched the careers of Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj, believes YoungBoy can be the best MC in five years.

“I think NBA YoungBoy might be the biggest rapper,” Birdman said on the Big Facts Podcast, as reported by HotNewHipHop.com.

Gospel icon Kirk Franklin released a new version of his 1998 single “Lean on Me,” featuring the voices of youth living in poverty around the world. The original version featured Mary J. Blige and Bono from U2, and was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year.

“I pray this version provides a little hope for the people across the globe.” Franklin said in a statement. 

Finally, Grammy winner Anthony Hamilton released his first new album in five years, Love Is the New Black, featuring Jennifer Hudson, Rick Ross and Lil Jon.

“I wanted this album to feel like what was missing throughout the pandemic,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This is the restoration. We’re making this thing called life, sexy, beautiful, and powerful again.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton

New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton
New Music Friday: Janelle Monáe, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kirk Franklin and Anthony Hamilton
Atlantic Records

Janelle Monáe is joined by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Chlöe x Halle, Zoë Kravitz and more female stars on the 17-minute song “Say My Name,” which was released Friday. The track calls “attention to the Black women and girls whose deaths at the hands of law enforcement have been silenced.”

“We honor the Black women and girls who lost their lives at the hands of police,” Monáe says in a statement. “This is a rally cry. We aim to give reverence to the countless Black women and girls who should be with us today.”

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dropped his third album, SINCERELY, KENTRELL, and one of the biggest names in hip hop is predicting superstardom for the 21-year-old artist from Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman, who launched the careers of Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj, believes YoungBoy can be the best MC in five years.

“I think NBA YoungBoy might be the biggest rapper,” Birdman said on the Big Facts Podcast, as reported by HotNewHipHop.com.

Gospel icon Kirk Franklin released a new version of his 1998 single “Lean on Me,” featuring the voices of youth living in poverty around the world. The original version featured Mary J. Blige and Bono from U2, and was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year.

“I pray this version provides a little hope for the people across the globe.” Franklin said in a statement. 

Finally, Grammy winner Anthony Hamilton released his first new album in five years, Love Is the New Black, featuring Jennifer Hudson, Rick Ross and Lil Jon.

“I wanted this album to feel like what was missing throughout the pandemic,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This is the restoration. We’re making this thing called life, sexy, beautiful, and powerful again.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 live updates: US reaches vaccine milestone

COVID-19 live updates: US reaches vaccine milestone
COVID-19 live updates: US reaches vaccine milestone
oonal/iStock

(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 682,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The average number of daily deaths in the U.S. has risen about 20% in the last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The U.S. is continuing to sink on the list of global vaccination rates, currently ranking No. 45, according to data compiled by The Financial Times. Just 64.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

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

Sep 24, 6:12 pm
VA begins offering booster shots to veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is already doling out booster shots to veterans at its medical centers and clinics on Friday, just hours after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the third shots.

“These booster doses are an important step forward in the fight against COVID-19,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “With the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for eligible individuals, VA can provide Veterans an opportunity to maximize their protection, continuing our work to keep people safe and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The boosters, so far only authorized for the Pfizer vaccine, are to be administered six months after an individual receives their initial vaccines.

It also said in a statement that it continues to reach out to veterans who have not been vaccinated at all.

Sep 24, 4:37 pm
US reaches vaccine milestone

Seventy-five percent of those eligible (12 years and older) have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, the White House’s COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar posted on Twitter Friday.

Calling the statistic a “milestone,” Shahpur also tweeted, “Let’s add more!”

Sep 24, 3:51 pm
Millions of federal contractors must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8

The White House said Friday millions of federal contractors must get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8.

The announcement came in a document issued Friday by the White House’s budget office, the Office of Management and Budget, following up on an executive order President Joe Biden signed Sept. 9 that mandated vaccinations for federal contractors, Reuters reported.

The formal guidance also says that after Dec. 8 “all covered contractor employees must be fully vaccinated by the first day of the period of performance on a newly awarded covered contract.”

An OMB spokesperson told ABC News that “millions” of people would be covered but didn’t share more exact numbers.

Earlier this month, the White House said that federal government employees and contractors will now be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will create a rule for private businesses with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, Molly Nagle, Sarah Kolinovsky, and Justin Gomez

Sep 24, 3:34 pm
Nurses laud CDC decision to include front-line workers as eligible booster shot group

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, is lauding CDC director Rochelle Walensky’s inclusion of front-line and health care workers in her recommendations for who may now get a third Pfizer booster dose — a decision which overruled the agency’s independent panel conclusion.

The CDC’s advisory group had rejected the idea of third Pfizer doses for “high risk” workers like nurses and teachers, saying that without further data it wasn’t comfortable with automatically adding younger, healthier people simply by occupation.

The nurses’ union urged Walensky to bypass what her advisory panel had said — which is what she ultimately did.

“Nurses across the country are beyond relieved today to wake up to the news that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky prioritized the health and safety of health care and other essential workers most at risk of contracting Covid-19,” NNU president Deborah Burger told ABC in a statement Friday.

“It takes courage to do the right thing, especially when it involves going against the CDC’s own advisory panel,” Burger added. “We applaud this bold decision-making that prioritizes the health and safety of workers on the front lines of this ongoing crisis, and we know that her decision will absolutely save lives.”

Walensky however, insisted that she did not overrule the CDC’s advisory panel’s decision on booster shots for at-risk, front-line workers. She defended the decision as a “scientific close call” saying that she would advocate for the boosters if she was in the room.

“I want to be very clear that I did not overrule … the advisory committee,” she said. “I listened to the votes. I listened to the comments on the vote and this was a scientific close call … It was my call to make. If I had been in the room, I would have voted ‘yes.'”

She also said that boosters were not a solution for ending the pandemic.

“I want to be clear we will not boost our way out of this pandemic. Infections among the unvaccinated continue to fuel this pandemic rise, resulting in a rising number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths where people are in vaccinated,” Walensky said.

-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik and Matthew Vann

Sep 24, 2:28 pm
CVS says it will make Pfizer booster available today

On the heels of pharmacy retail chain Walgreens’ announcement that it is now ready to give third booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine to newly eligible groups, CVS announced it too will be ready “later today.”

“We are reviewing the CDC guidance and will be ready to provide the booster dose at CVS Pharmacy and select MinuteClinic locations that offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine later today. We strongly encourage customers to schedule an appointment in advance at to ensure they are able to access the correct vaccine at a convenient time and location,” the drugstore chain said in a statement Friday.

-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik

Sep 24, 1:08 pm
COVID-19 outbreaks increase in school districts without masking policies: CDC study

School districts without a universal masking policy in place at the start of the school year saw a significant increase in COVID-19 outbreaks, according to three new studies released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, school districts in those counties saw more than double the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases during this same period, the studies, released Friday, also found.

The studies further emphasize that school mask requirements, along with other prevention strategies, are critical to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Other key findings from the studies include:

– Schools in Arizona that opened without a school mask requirement had a 3.5 higher likelihood of having a COVID-19 outbreak than schools that opened with a school mask requirement.

-During the early part of the 2021-2022 academic school year, almost 2,000 schools have been closed and more than 900,000 students in more than 40 states have been impacted.

– Pediatric cases during the start of the 2021-2022 school year were about half in U.S. counties with school mask requirements than in counties without school mask requirements.

To prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, the CDC recommends a multi-layered strategy including vaccination, universal indoor masking, testing and physical distancing.

-ABC News’ Eric Strauss

Sep 24, 12:18 pm
Walgreens announces its doors are open for new Pfizer booster group

Walgreens announced Friday morning that its participating stores are ready to start giving third booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine to newly eligible groups.

The CDC green-lit Pfizer booster shots on Thursday.

As of Friday morning, those newly eligible groups can walk into any Walgreens location offering the Pfizer shot, the company said.

Also, as of Friday, people can begin scheduling appointments online or over the phone.

-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik

Sep 24, 12:11 pm
Pfizer booster shot available ‘literally right now’ in NYC: Mayor

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said a third Pfizer booster shot is available to eligible New Yorkers, “literally right now.”

“As of now, as of this exact moment, New Yorkers in a number of categories are eligible for the 3rd booster shot, Pfizer only, for the COVID vaccine,” the mayor told radio station WNYC Friday.

Eligible New Yorkers include anyone who got their second shot six months ago and are 65 or older; in a long-term care facility or nursing home; are between 18 and 64 years old with an underlying medical condition; or are between 18 and 64 years old and a front-line or health care worker doing direct work with the public, the mayor said.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  an independent advisory panel’s recommendation for seniors and other medically vulnerable Americans to get a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine six months after their second dose.

“Literally now you can go online, vax4nyc, either make an appointment right now for the coming days or you can get a list of all the city-run sites and you can walk in today if you are in those categories,” de Blasio said.

-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky

Sep 24, 6:23 am
CDC endorses Pfizer boosters for older and high-risk Americans

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed an independent advisory panel’s recommendation for seniors and other medically vulnerable Americans to get a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, six months after their second dose.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, also partially overruled her agency’s advisory panel in a notable departure by adding a recommendation for a third dose for people who are considered high risk due to where they work, such as nurses and teachers — a group which the panel rejected in its recommendation. Some panelists said that without further data, they weren’t comfortable with automatically including younger people because of their jobs.

In a statement announcing her decision late Thursday, Walensky pointed to the benefit versus risk analysis she had weighed, and data rapidly evolving.

“In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good,” Walensky said. “While today’s action was an initial step related to booster shots, it will not distract from our most important focus of primary vaccination in the United States and around the world.”

With Walensky’s final sign-off, booster shots will now quickly become available for millions more Americans at pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other sites that offer the Pfizer vaccine as soon as Friday.

Sep 23, 8:40 pm
Leaving nurses out of booster recommendation ‘unconscionable,’ union charges

The nation’s largest union of registered nurses pushed back against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel’s vote on COVID-19 booster shots, calling not including front-line workers like nurses in its recommendations “unconscionable.”

National Nurses United is urging CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to bypass what the advisory panel, ACIP, recommended and add nurses and other health care workers to the list of eligible booster recipients.  

“Nurses and other health care workers were among the first to be vaccinated because of their high risk of exposure to the virus,” Deborah Burger, the union’s president, said in a statement. “Why leave them out of booster shots?”

“It is unconscionable that ACIP would not vote to keep us safer from death, severe Covid, and long Covid,” Burger continued. “We must do everything possible to ensure that the health of our nurses and other health care workers will not be put even more at risk.”

ACIP voted Thursday to recommend a third Pfizer dose for people aged 65 and older, as well as those as young as 18 if they have an underlying medical condition.

In its authorization Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration did agree to make the shots available to front-line workers. But ACIP said there was not yet enough data to support providing booster shots automatically to young people because of their jobs.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 88, running for reelection

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 88, running for reelection
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 88, running for reelection
Gwengoat/iStock

(DES MOISE, Iowa) — Iowa’s senior Republican senator, Chuck Grassley, announced in an early morning tweet Friday that, at age 88, he will seek reelection in 2022.

Grassley, who will be 89 by Election Day next year, is proud of his physical fitness, and not-so-subtly bragged about in a tweet announcing his run that showed him jogging before sunrise in Iowa.

“It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided,” Grassley said the tweet. “I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa. We ask and will work for your support. Will you join us?”

The tweet included a clock turning to 4 a.m. and video of him jogging in the dark along a rural road.

Even getting close to 90, Grassley is currently only the second oldest member of the Senate, with California Democrat Dianne Feinstein besting him for the title by a matter of months.

His physique is a matter of legend on Capitol Hill.

He is frequently seen running or walking briskly through the Capitol hallways, and he’s known to challenge other senators to push-up contests. (He can do at least 21, perhaps more.)

But Grassley’s endurance can also be measured by his steady presence on Capitol Hill.

He began his career in Washington when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1975. He’s been a member of the Senate since 1980, and currently holds the record for the 10th longest Senate tenure.

Grassley currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He led the committee for a portion of the Trump administration and aided in the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees and many federal judges that cemented conservative sway of the judiciary. He also served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee for the later half of President Donald Trump’s term.

With Republicans hoping to retake the now evenly-divided Senate in 2022, Grassley’s seat, as well as those of other Republican incumbents up for reelection, will be closely watched. Several long-serving Republican senators are retiring in 2022.

Following the announcement of his intent to run, the Iowa Republican Party threw its weight behind the senator.

“The road to a Republican majority runs right through Iowa. Defending this seat should be a top priority for every Iowan looking to stop Joe Biden’s chaotic agenda,” the party said in a statement. “Sen. Grassley’s never-quit attitude has propelled him to be one of the most effective senators in our state’s history. Grassley is a lifelong family farmer who understands the value of hard work, community, education, and family.”

Grassley’s most likely opponent is former Democratic Iowa Representative Abby Finkenauer, who was narrowly defeated in her 2020 reelection bid for the House.

Recent polling be the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Grassley leading Finkenauer by 18 percentage points among likely voters.

Finkenauer slammed Grassley in a statement, alleging that the senator has lost touch with Iowa during his lengthy Senate tenure.

“After 47 years in Washington, D.C., Chuck Grassley has changed from an Iowa farmer to just another coastal elite,” Finkenauer alleged.

Grassley’s Senate colleagues celebrated his announcement in tweets Friday, praising his work ethic and experience.

“Chuck is a ferocious advocate for the people of Iowa and the conservative cause,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a tweet. “I have served with Chuck my entire time in the Senate. He is one of the most hardworking, enthusiastic senators I have ever met with a wealth of experience and knowledge.”

ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

GOP-led review of Arizona ballots reaffirms Biden’s win

GOP-led review of Arizona ballots reaffirms Biden’s win
GOP-led review of Arizona ballots reaffirms Biden’s win
Spiderstock/iStock

(PHOENIX) — Nearly eleven months after Joe Biden was elected president, the GOP-led review of Arizona’s Maricopa County ballots has found no substantial deviation from the vote count reported by the county that helped clinch the win for Biden.

The review’s count was within a “few hundred” of the county’s total, according to Republican Senate President Karen Fann.

“That is a true statement. They were close. I find it ironic that our secretary of state, and a few others have called this a sham audit — that you can’t trust, that you can’t believe it. Well the interesting fact is: Truth is truth, numbers are numbers and we said that from day one,” Fann said. “And those numbers were close. Within a few hundred.”

“This has never been about overturning the election. It’s never been about decertifying,” she said.

Despite mandated post-election reviews and two private audits of the county’s results that showed no anomalies or election integrity issues, Republicans still forged ahead with court cases seeking to prove fraud in Maricopa County.

When those failed, the state Senate contracted a private company to conduct a review of its own, which has now ultimately found similar results to the vote counts reported by Maricopa County, officials said during their presentation.

Democrats disavowed the process in a statement Friday afternoon.

“This fake audit, which has cost Arizona taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, was never about increasing voter trust. It was about overturning the will of the voters, waging war against a fair and secure election and encouraging conspiracy theories to destabilize American democracy. The facts are this: Maricopa County performed multiple real audits of the election as required under state law,” Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios said. “At the end of the day, the American people elected Joe Biden in a free and fair election and Cyber Ninjas and Arizona Republicans can’t change that.”

Biden flipped the state blue with a 10,457 vote lead. Sen. Mark Kelly also ousted former Republican Sen. Martha McSally — winning that race by 78,806 votes.

Maricopa County Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican who was critical of the partisan review process, said after a draft report began circulating Thursday night that the results were not surprising.

“You don’t have to dig deep into the draft copy of the Arizona Senate/Cyber Ninja audit report to confirm what I already knew – the candidates certified by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General – did, in fact, win,” Sellers said in a statement.

Despite the fact that the review reaffirmed Biden’s win, critics say it still contained misrepresentations about election procedures.

The process was also criticized for a lack of transparency. While the review was being conducted, it was difficult to discern who exactly was in charge. Far-right media outlets were typically given increased access to the review and its officials, according to local media.

Fann chose Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity firm with no experience working in elections, to conduct the review. She agreed to cover $150,000 of the cost with taxpayer money and approximately $6 million was donated by private groups, according to records released in response to a court order.

Only Fann and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee heard the presentation on Friday. There was no public comment or question period expected. Democrats are not allowed to participate in the presentation and were not expected to be able to ask questions, according to a spokesperson for Senate Democrats, who said the party had been “out of the loop.”

Since the beginning of the review, election experts have warned that the process was flawed and results would not be trustworthy given the unscientific manner the review was conducted. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who took office in January, wrote a 38-page report to debunk common conspiracy theories and lies about the election results.

“I spent November and December willing to wait for a meritorious lawsuit, a scientific claim, or convincing data. But it never came because it didn’t exist. What is there, is data showing that Trump’s loss was built on disaffected Republican voters,” Richer wrote in his report. “And the maps of presidential votes in 2020 almost exactly match the Arizona map of 2016, except that it shifted slightly in favor of the Democrat.”

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat running for governor who fought to allow official election observers in to watch the review process, wrote a prebuttal of her own, saying the partisan review does not meet the standard definition of an “audit.”

“Moreover, it failed to satisfy the basic standards for election auditing. Because of these failures, any findings or report issued by Cyber Ninjas, or the state senate, based on the information collected using these faulty and inconsistently applied procedures and processes, should not be considered trustworthy or accurate,” she said.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

US enters deferred prosecution agreement with detained Huawei executive Weng Manzhou

US enters deferred prosecution agreement with detained Huawei executive Weng Manzhou
US enters deferred prosecution agreement with detained Huawei executive Weng Manzhou
Nadya So/iStock

(NEW YORK) — Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Brooklyn on Friday to resolve a sanctions violation case that has kept her detained in Canada since late 2018.

Meng appeared by video in Brooklyn federal court where Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler said the deferred prosecution agreement expires in December 2022, four years after her arrest by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States.

“If Ms. Meng complies with all of her obligations under the DPA, the government agrees to dismiss all the charges against her,” Kessler said. “If Ms. Meng does not comply with her allegations she can be prosecuted.”

Meng has been confined to her multimillion-dollar home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she said in 2019 she’d taken up oil painting in order to pass the time.

In exchange for her entry into the deferred prosecution agreement, Kessler said the U.S. would tell the Canadians that Meng can be released and return to China.

“Have you reviewed the entire statement of facts with your United States legal counsel?” asked Judge Ann Donnelly.

“Yes,” Meng replied through an interpreter.

“Is every statement in the statement of facts true and accurate?” Donnelly said.

“Yes,” Meng said.

Huawei allegedly broke U.S. sanctions in 2017 by selling embargoed American equipment to Iran, according to prosecutors.

“In entering into the deferred prosecution agreement, Meng has taken responsibility for her principal role in perpetrating a scheme to defraud a global financial institution,” acting U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann said in a statement. “Her admissions in the statement of facts confirm that, while acting as the Chief Financial Officer for Huawei, Meng made multiple material misrepresentations to a senior executive of a financial institution regarding Huawei’s business operations in Iran in an effort to preserve Huawei’s banking relationship with the financial institution.”

Meng pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, but stipulated to certain facts outlined by prosecutors who have accused her and the technology company founded by her father of stealing trade secrets and evading economic sanctions on Iran.

Resolution of the case may give Beijing cover domestically to re-engage with the United States. The case was widely seen as an opening salvo by the Trump administration in its approach to China.

Meng was arrested the same day former President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face to face on the sidelines of 2018’s G-20 in Argentina. Since then, the case has been on a list of demands the Chinese have presented to the U.S. at their recent bilateral meetings as a “show of sincerity” about a rapprochement.

“The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng,” Huawei said in a statement at the time of Meng’s arrest. “Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the U.N., U.S. and E.U.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Haitian migrants cleared from camp at Texas border but controversy continues

Haitian migrants cleared from camp at Texas border but controversy continues
Haitian migrants cleared from camp at Texas border but controversy continues
Gwengoat/iStock

(DEL RIO, Texas) — After more than a week of growing controversy, immigration authorities in Del Rio, Texas, on Friday finished clearing out an encampment of mostly Haitian migrants that at one point expanded to about 15,000 people.

“As of this morning, there are no longer any migrants in the camp, underneath the Del Rio International Bridge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a White House briefing Friday afternoon.

Five flights departed Del Rio for Haiti on Thursday carrying 548 Haitians, officials said.

So far, more than a dozen flights have taken about 2,000 people back to Haiti, according to the Department of Homeland Security. About 3,900 have been moved from the camp for processing or expulsion.

The U.S. government has not accounted for all the migrants in the camp, but officials on Thursday said “several thousand” had returned to Mexico. Other government officials who spoke directly to ABC News but were not authorized to officially provide the information said “thousands” more have been placed in “removal proceedings” and released in the U.S.

Those proceedings can take time, officials said, in part because migrants in removal proceedings are legally allowed to make a claim of asylum. Asylum cases can take anywhere from six months and several years with the massive case backlog at immigration courts across the country.

The administration is also employing a controversial process of rapid removal or “expulsion” known as Title 42 — a reference to a section of U.S. public health code that the government says requires them to immediately expel unauthorized migrants at the border.

Immigrant advocates have raised concerns about Title 42 cutting off access to legal means of obtaining asylum.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Black Eyed Peas doing livestream from the pyramids of Giza, Egypt next month

Black Eyed Peas doing livestream from the pyramids of Giza, Egypt next month
Black Eyed Peas doing livestream from the pyramids of Giza, Egypt next month
Courtesy Black Eyed Peas

LIVENow, the platform that brought you Dua Lipa‘s Studio 2054 livestream last year, is teaming up with the Black Eyed Peas for a performance in a truly memorable setting.

The group will be performing from the Great Pyramids of Egypt in Giza on October 2. 13,000 fans from Egypt will attend but LIVENow will broadcast the show to a global audience.  Tickets are on sale now and range from $10 to $75. 

With VIP and VVIP Pass tickets, you’ll get signed digital artwork, and special behind-the-scenes footage. A VVIP pass gets you that, plus a live feed from the group’s personal greenroom, plus a custom limited-edition lithograph that’s been created just for this performance.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dua Lipa levitates down the runway at Versace fashion show

Dua Lipa levitates down the runway at Versace fashion show
Dua Lipa levitates down the runway at Versace fashion show
Francis Specker/CBS

Singer, songwriter, actress….and now, runway model.

The New York Post reports that Dua Lipa made her runway debut on Friday in Milan, Italy, wearing a pink metal mesh outfit, and a two-piece black number held together with colorful safety pins, both from Versace. 

The show was part of Versace’s Spring/Summer 2022 show, where Dua walked with professional models Gigi Hadid, Irina Shayk, Emily Ratajkowski, Stella Maxwell and Naomi Campbell, not to mention Madonna‘s daughter, Lourdes Leon.

Dua already has a relationship with Versace: She wore two of the label’s gowns to this year’s Grammys, and also appears in Versace’s current Fall/Winter 2021 campaign.

Dua will make her acting debut in the upcoming spy movie Argylle.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Watch Metallica, Elton John, Green Day & more perform globally Saturday during Global Citizen Live event

Watch Metallica, Elton John, Green Day & more perform globally Saturday during Global Citizen Live event
Watch Metallica, Elton John, Green Day & more perform globally Saturday during Global Citizen Live event
Courtesy of Global Citizen

Global Citizen Live, the 24-hour concert event spanning six continents and featuring performances by more than 50 artists, takes places Saturday, September 25.

Among the veteran rock artists who will be shown performing are Metallica, Elton John, Green Day and Duran Duran.

Live performances will take place in New York City; Los Angeles; London; Paris; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Elton will be performing in Paris, Green Day in LA, and Duran Duran in London. Metallica will be shown playing songs at their headlining set Friday at the Louder than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Global Citizen Live isn’t designed to raise money, but rather it’s supposed to inspire people to demand government action on issues like poverty, climate change and vaccine equity.

“We don’t want your money. This is not a telethon. We want you to take action because your voice is more powerful than your wallet,” Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans tells ABC Audio. “If everyone works together and we all call on the U.S. government to step up in unison, then the government will step up.”

Evans continues, “We need not just the U.S. government to step up: We need the entire G20 to step up. Because issues like climate change or global hunger or vaccine equity, these can’t be solved by any one nation.”

Commenting on the event’s star-studded lineup, Evans says, “[T]hey are utterly breathtaking artists. And I think the fact that they’re all uniting for this once-in-a-generation moment this Saturday is amazing. We just want to encourage everyone across America to tune in…and be part of this.”

You can watch on ABC News Live, Apple TV, Twitter, all the Global Citizen channels and more.

Here’s a partial list of who’ll be appearing where:

NEW YORK
Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Cyndi Lauper, Burna Boy, Jon Batiste, Lang Lang.

PARIS
Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Måneskin.

LONDON, U.K.
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man.

LOS ANGELES
Stevie Wonder, Green Day, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, Migos, The Lumineers, 5 Seconds of Summer.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fugees, BTS, Lorde, Metallica, Usher, Keith Urban, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin.

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