(BEIJING) — Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies dipped in value on Friday after China declared all transactions involving these digital currencies “illegal.”
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, issued a statement on Friday saying that use of these virtual currencies is disrupting economic order and linked to money laundering, fraud and other illicit activities. While Chinese financial institutions already were banned from doing business with cryptocurrencies, the new statement made clear that cryptocurrencies do not have the same status as legal tender and cannot be used as currency in the marketplace.
Bitcoin dropped some 8% on the news, but recouped some initial losses and was down by some 5% late Friday morning. Ethereum initially shed more than 10%, but was down by some 7% as of 11:30 am ET, according to Coin Desk data.
The notoriously volatile digital currencies are down about 30% from all-time highs in the spring, but Bitcoin still is up some 40% since the start of the year and Ethereum has gained a whopping 290% in 2021.
Friday’s notice from Beijing also made clear that it’s illegal for overseas virtual currency exchanges to provide services to Chinese residents through the internet.
The announcement comes as China experiments on a small scale with its own digital currency issued by its central bank, the first to be created by a major economy. The digital yuan is expected to be rolled out at larger scale imminently, and while it has many similarities to current cryptos the major difference is that it can be more easily traced and controlled by the government.
U.S. financial markets held steady on the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both opening relatively flat on Friday. Analysts and investors around the globe have been keeping a close eye on news out of China, however, amid silence on the Evergrande saga. Debt issues plaguing Evergrande, one of China’s largest real estate developers, sent global markets tumbling earlier in the week as many predicted a default with possible spillover effects to the larger economy.
(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, 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.
The deluxe version of Carrie Underwood‘s 2020 My Gift album is out! The new record includes all 11 songs on the original My Gift, along with three new tracks: “Favorite Time of Year,” “All Is Well,” and “Let There Be Peace/Something in the Water.”
“My Gift is an album I’ve wanted to make from the beginning of my career,” Carrie says “It’s been such a blessing to share this special music and I’m excited to share even more with the release of My Gift (Special Edition).”
The “Let There Be Peace” and “Something in the Water” medley was recorded live, as part of HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special from Carrie Underwood, which aired last year. She will likely perform songs from the holiday record during her upcoming Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency. The show, at the The Theatre at Resorts World, will kick off on December 1.
Last October, Demi Lovato surprised fans by encouraging them to contact extraterrestrial life. Now, their new unscripted series about their passion for E.T.s has an official premiere date on the streaming service Peacock.
September 30 will see the release of all four episodes of Unidentified with Demi Lovato, which features Demi, their skeptical friend Matthew and their sister Dallas searching for the truth about UFOs.
The trio will visit known UFO hot spots, talk to experts, examine “secret government reports” and interview people who’ve had eyewitness encounters with E.T.s. Demi is a true believer; whether or not Dallas or Matthew share Demi’s views remains to be seen.
In the trailer, Demi describes an unusual phenomenon they observed in Joshua Tree, California: a bright light in the sky moving in an unusual way. “My goal is to find out what really happened,” they explain.
In the trailer, it appears as though Demi, Dallas and Matthew definitely, um, see some stuff.
“What if extra-terrestrials aren’t traveling light years to visit us?” the singer asks. “What if they’re already here?”
You’ll have to watch to find out if our alien overlords are indeed walking among us.
Lauren London and Sam Jay are joining Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill in Kenya Barris‘ yet-titled Netflix comedy, Deadline has learned.
They join Molly Gordon, who was also cast in the upcoming film from Barris. As previously noted, Barris will make his feature film directorial debut with the new project, which is said to examine the “modern love and family dynamics and how clashing cultures, societal expectations and generational differences shape and affect relationships.” A release date for the film has yet to be announced.
In other news, TNT has set the premiere date for its Niecy Nash crime-comedy Claws. The fourth and final season of Claws will air on Sunday, December 26 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The series, which also stars Carrie Preston, Judy Reyes, Karrueche Tran and Jenn Lyon, follows Nash as Desna, a leader of a group of four nail technicians in Palmetto, Florida who help launder money for the Russian mafia.
Finally, HBO has announced their selection of finalists for American Black Film Festival’s 24th annual HBO Short Film Competition. This year’s five finalists include Lin Que Ayoung for Cracked, Omar S. Kamara‘s Mass Ave, Natalie Jasmine Harris‘ project Pure, Michelle Beck for The Snakes, and Phumi Morare‘s When the Sun Sets. Fans can check out the festivities for ABFF’s upcoming 25th annual festival on ABFF PLAY, a custom-built online platform from November 3 to November 28. It will include a line-up of independent films, network and studio previews, and talk events. For more information and how to register, go to ABFF.com.
Pink‘s husband Carey Hart is on the mend — partly thanks to Pink’s tender loving care.
Carey, a motocross racer and motorcyclist, had to undergo “lower spine disc replacement” surgery, as he described it. On Instagram, he posted a photo of himself in his hospital bed holding a blue stuffed sloth and wrote, “Can’t wait to come back stronger than ever, and kick a** on my dirtbike in 2022. And my son Jameson had mama bring this sloth to keep me company while in the hospital.”
“And a special thank you, to my amazing wife/nurse who has taken amazing care of me through all of this,” he added, in a shout-out to his wife. “I love you baby.”
Carey followed up with another photo of himself back at home post surgery, noting that he’ll have to return to the hospital in two weeks to get a disc replaced in his neck. The good news, he claims, is that as a result of the back surgery, he’s now three-quarters of an inch taller.
“Hopefully the neck will get me to 5’11,” he joked.
Of course, turnabout is fair play: In Pink’s Amazon documentary All I Know So Far, Carey is seen being extremely supportive of the singer as she tours Europe with their kids.
Harry Potter star Tom Felton reportedly suffered a medical emergency while competing in a celebrity golf match on Thursday.
People reports that Felton, 34, participated in this year’s Ryder Cup and collapsed on the 18th hole. Reports say he was immediately surrounded by personnel who helped him off the green.
Photos of the event show a conscious Felton laying down in the back of a golf cart while being escorted off the course.
Prior to his fall, Felton was competing against hockey legend Mike Eruzione and speed skater Dan Jansen.
The event, which took place at the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has not released a statement regarding the incident.
Killswitch Engage has released the video for “Us Against the World,” a track off the band’s latest album, 2019’s Atonement.
The clip features performance footage of the song from KsE’s livestream concert earlier this year from the Worcester Palladium in their home state of Massachusetts.
“This is one of my favorite songs off the album so I’m glad it is getting some attention and a visual component,” says frontman Jesse Leach.
“It’s a song about facing down the odds and finding confidence to overcome and conquer a situation,” he shares. “I originally wrote it as a battle cry song with my warrior Highland Scottish, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestors in mind. However, it can be about friendship, love, or even the camaraderie of being in a band traveling the world.”
You can watch the “Us Against the World’ video streaming now on YouTube.
If you want to see Killswitch Engage live and in-person, they’re hitting the road next week on Slipknot‘s Knotfest Roadshow tour.
21 Savage turned himself into Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Thursday afternoon in Georgia, and was released on bond later in the evening, according to BuzzFeed.
The 28-year-old rapper from London, whose legal name is Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was facing a warrant for his arrest that was issued September 7. The Grammy nominee, who moved to Atlanta when he was 7 years old, was arrested in 2019 for felony drug and weapons possession. ICE has sought to deport him, stating that his visa to remain in the United States has expired. He is set for an immigration hearing on November 1.
“There can be no doubt that ICE is seeking to cover its own errors in detaining Mr. Joseph by pushing trumped up charges against him and seeks to stop him from obtaining lawful permanent residence in the United States,” the rapper’s attorney, Charles Kuck, said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for quickly processing and releasing Mr. Joseph,” Kuck continued. “He will continue to fight for his right to seek permanent residence in the United States through the immigration court. We look forward to the day when ICE will play fairly with all those who seek justice within our immigration system.”
Savage is featured on Drake‘s number-one Certified Lover Boy album, and he is scheduled to open The Off-Season tour, headline by J. Cole, on Friday night in Miami. 21 Savage’s last studio release was 2020’s Savage Mode II, with Metro Boomin.
Portugal. the Man continues to “Feel It Still,” if by “It” you mean “alternative-rock hits from the ’90s.”
The group has released covers of “Steal My Sunshine” by Len, and “Novocaine for the Soul” by Eels. The “Steal” rendition features Cherry Glazerr, while the “Novocaine” performance features Sir Chloe.
Both covers are available now for digital download.
Earlier this week, Portugal. the Man announced a 2022 tour with Alt-J. The outing is set to kick off February 25 in Pittsburgh.
