(NEW YORK) — The European Union on Monday encouraged members to reinstate travel restrictions for visitors from the United States, as Americans deal with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
The U.S. on Monday was removed from the E.U.’s so-called “safe list” of countries for which travel restrictions (such as quarantine and testing requirements) were recommended to be gradually lifted. As a result, the E.U. is encouraging its 27-member nations to restrict non-essential travel from U.S. visitors.
The recommendation, notably, is not binding and the authorities of each member state remain responsible for implementing the recommendations.
Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and the Republic of North Macedonia were also removed from the “safe list” on Monday.
The latest guidance reverses course from June when much of Europe began to welcome American tourists after over a year of pandemic-related travel restrictions. The U.S. has since dealt with an outbreak of the more-contagious delta variant that has caused new case counts to soar across the country. On Friday, the U.S. reported 176,742 new cases, and a 7-day moving average of some 147,030 new cases per day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Just 63.3% of Americans age 18 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-10, according to CDC data. In the European Union, 67.4% of adults over the age of 18 have been fully vaccinated.
Travelers from Europe, meanwhile, are still largely barred from entering the U.S.
Nene Leakes gave an unexpected update about her husband Gregg Leakes‘ battle with cancer.
The news came while the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum was at her Atlanta lounge, The Linnethia, on Saturday. She took the mic to address fans who deemed her “rude” for not saying “happy birthday” to a patron.
“My husband is transitioning to the other side,” Nene, 53, revealed, before saying “happy birthday” to the attendee. “You don’t know what we’re dealing with right now.”
“We walked in this lounge because we had to walk in this lounge because this is our business,” the reality star continued. “So, when people approach and say, ‘You’re rude because you don’t want to say happy birthday,’ my husband is at home dying. I don’t want to say, ‘happy birthday.'”
“So please give us some respect, give us some love,” Nene added.
The speech was caught on video and ended up trending on Twitter, which Nene seemed to address on Sunday. Taking to Instagram, she shared an image that read “Broken” followed by the broken red heart and praying hands emojis.
Gregg, 67, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2018, but went into remission after treatment. In June, Nene shared that the cancer had returned and Gregg had undergone surgery.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads. More than 637,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.5 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.
Just 61.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Aug 30, 11:48 am
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization drops, CDC says
The COVID-19 vaccines’ ability to keep people out of the hospital appears to be dropping slightly, particularly for those 75 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday during an advisory panel.
The CDC has previously estimated that 97% of people in the hospital being treated for COVID-19 are unvaccinated, but that data was collected before the spread of delta, a hyper-transmissible variant that many doctors have warned appears to be making people sicker.
The latest CDC analysis estimates that the ability of the COVID vaccines to keep a person out of the hospital is now between 75% to 95%.
For people older than 75 in particular, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization experienced the steepest decline, from more than 90% to 80% between June and July.
Health experts are also concerned that a person’s immunity could be waning over time, particularly among older people whose bodies are less likely than younger people to develop a strong immune response to the vaccines.
However, the vaccine still remains highly effective at preventing serious illness, according to the briefing.
(WASHINGTON) — The State Department announced Friday that it had made contact with 500 U.S. citizens who still needed to be evacuated from Afghanistan. Among them was the wife and children of Hewad, a U.S. citizen living in California.
“I’m worried. I’m worried about my family who are stranded in Kabul, Afghanistan, for the past two weeks,” Hewad, who asked ABC News to use only his first name, recently told ABC News. “We have been trying everything possible to get them out but there is no way.”
Hewad’s wife had taken their two young children to Afghanistan last month to visit a sick family member. When the Taliban reclaimed power earlier this month, they quickly became trapped, Hewad said.
“They are in danger. The whole family is in danger,” said Hewad. “Everyone [is] a citizen… I am afraid for their life. I may lose them or they may die.”
Hewad’s wife, who asked not to be named, went into hiding while he and attorney Richard Sterger worked from the U.S. to organize the family’s documents so that they could be evacuated safely.
ABC News and Hewad were able to speak to his wife on Thursday after the terrorist attack around the perimeter of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. servicemen. The death toll of Afghan civilians is reported to be up to 170 and nearly 200 wounded according to an official at the ministry of public health who spoke on condition of anonymity with ABC News.
During the call, she told him the family had planned to go to the airport that day but ultimately decided not to
“We’re thankful that we didn’t go because they’re hurt,” she said.. “That’s why we decided to stay hidden.”
Amid the chaos, President Joe Biden said Monday during a press conference that he would not extend the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops. Hewad said that he and his wife were losing hope.
“We were hoping to get out, but now I don’t think we would be able to do that,” said Hewad’s wife.
Hours later, her outlook changed. On Friday, ABC News learned that the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan had been able to reach Hewad’s family and that they were given an evacuation plan. She and the children were able to get on a flight to safety.
It’s been in the works for quite some time — and teased as far back as April — but Lady Gaga‘s Chromatica remix album is finally seeing the light of day this Friday.
Titled Dawn of Chromatica, the project is described as a “reinvention” of Gaga’s 2020 album, Chromatica, which featured the hit singles “Stupid Love” and “Rain on Me.” It’s executive-produced by Gaga’s frequent collaborator, Bloodpop, with contributing artists that include Charli XCX, Ashnikko, Dorian Electra and Rina Sawayama.
Earlier this month, Gaga tweeted, “The Chromatica remix album is so f**king fuego,” followed by the mind-blown emoji. She added, “Music is life.”
Iron Butterfly in 1969, Ron Bushy second from left; ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Ron Bushy, longtime drummer of the psychedelic band Iron Butterfly, who played on the band’s classic 1968 song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” died Sunday morning at the age of 79.
A message on the band’s official Facebook page reports that Bushy “passed away peacefully, with his wife Nancy by his side…at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. All three of his daughters were also with him.”
The note adds, “He was a real fighter…He will be deeply missed!”
Bushy joined Iron Butterfly in 1966 and, according to Rolling Stone, was the only member of the band to play on all six of its studio albums.
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was the title track’s of Iron Butterfly’s second album, which was released in June 1968. The epic 17-minute song became the group’s signature tune and has become an enduring psychedelic-era anthem. An abbreviated version of the track peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album reached #4 on the Billboard 200, and has sold over four million copies in the U.S.
Bushy shared the story about the tune’s origins in a 2020 interview with Its Psychedelic Baby magazine, noting that it began as a slow country ballad written by Iron Butterfly singer/keyboardist Doug Ingle.
“I came home late one night and Doug had been drinking a whole gallon of Red Mountain wine… [He was] playing a slow ballad [he’d written] on his Vox keyboard,” Bushy recalled. “It was hard to understand him because he was so drunk…so I wrote it down on a napkin exactly how it sounded phonetically to me…’In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.'”
Bushy continued to play drums with various Iron Butterfly incarnations on and off through 2018, and made guest appearances with the band until his passing.
ABBA went on hiatus nearly 40 years ago, but now their music has come to TikTok.
As Billboard reports, the Swedish group’s catalog is now available to TikTok users. ABBA’s music was the most requested by an act that doesn’t have an official TikTok account of its own. The good news was announced Sunday with an upload of a piano version of their signature song, “Dancing Queen.”
Meanwhile, a huge announcement is set for September 2 regarding ABBAVoyage, a mysterious project that’s being teased on the group’s socials. You can sign up now to be notified when the project is finally announced.
The British tabloid The Sun is reporting that the group will release its first new music in 39 years on Friday, in connection with a hologram show that will see avatars of the group’s four members performing all their hits.
The Sun also claims that the show — which will include a documentary-style film — will open in a purpose-built theater in East London next May, and the group’s members will be on hand for the event. None of this is confirmed, however.
An event in New York City’s Central Park on September 2 is also planned in connection with the big announcement.
From music to musicals — H.E.R. is in “final negotiations” to make her acting debut in The Color Purple musical, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
The Color Purple, based on the 1982 novel of the same name, tells the story of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South during the early 1900s. H.E.R. will reportedly play Squeak, who, in the musical, goes from waitress to an aspiring singer.
Warner Bros. is behind the upcoming feature, which was also made into an Oscar-nominated 1985 Steven Spielberg-directed film adaptation, as well as a Broadway production, earning two Tony Awards in 2016.
The fallout continues for Kanye West, who featured embattled shock rocker Marilyn Manson at his most-recent Donda listening event.
Manson stands accused of abusing and sexually assaulting several women over the years, which has resulted in his manager and label dropping him, radio stations refusing to play his music and various TV projects cutting his appearances.
Ye’s decision to invite Manson to the highly-publicized event sparked outrage among survivors and supporters.
Manson’s ex-fiancée, Evan Rachel Wood, took aim at the rocker’s public appearance in an Instagram post on Sunday, sharing her impromptu performance of the New Radicals‘ “You Get What You Give” at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood.
“For my fellow survivors who got slapped in the face this week. I love you. Don’t give up,” she captioned the post.
During her acoustic performance, Wood raised her middle finger when slipping a Manson reference into the song and declared before diving into her emotional rendition, “I’ve been saving this, but it seems like the appropriate time.”
Wood publicly accused Manson in February of having “horrifically abused [her] for years.” Since then, multiple women have come forward with similar allegations, including actor Esmé Bianco, model Ashley Morgan Smithline and Warner’s former assistant, Ashley Walters. Prosecutors in several states have launched investigations into the allegations, which Manson called “horrible distortions of reality.” In July, TMZ reported that his legal team asked that Bianco’s lawsuit, which accuses him of sexual assault, be dismissed.
For anyone affected by abuse and needing support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
(NEW YORK) — Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record — by both wind speed and pressure — to roar ashore in Louisiana.
Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 10:40 am
New Orleans airport expects all flights to be canceled
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is conducting damage assessments and said it expects all flights to be canceled Monday.
The airport added that passengers should check directly with their airlines for more information.
Aug 30, 10:29 am
Historic landmark tied to Louis Armstrong collapses
The Karnofsky Tailor Shop, a historic national landmark in New Orleans, is one of the multiple buildings that collapsed when Ida walloped the city.
The brick two-story shop, a former tailor business in the Central Business District of the city, dates back to 1913 and is where Louis Armstrong worked before embarking on his legendary jazz career.
The family that owned the shop provided a second home for Armstrong and loaned him money to purchase his first cornet, according to the National Park Service.
Aug 30, 10:17 am
Governor expects death toll to go up ‘considerably’
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC Monday that search and rescue efforts are ongoing and he expects Ida’s death toll to “go up considerably throughout the day.”
Helicopters are surveying damage because it will take “many days” to reach Louisiana’s southern coastal areas by ground, he said.
Nearly all of southeast Louisiana is without power, the governor said. All eight major lines that feed electricity to the New Orleans area have failed.
Aug 30, 8:20 am
‘We’re a broken community right now’
The president of hard-hit Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that all communication lines with Grand Isle were down.
Cynthia Lee Sheng said about 40 people are believed to have stayed on the barrier island, located about 100 miles south of New Orleans.
“We have lost contact with them since yesterday afternoon,” Sheng said. “We have first responder teams out there planning their strategy for today, ready to go out.”
Sheng also said there were concerns about Lafitte, Louisiana, saying officials had received reports of people trapped in their attics by high water.
“This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there’s alligators out there,” Sheng said.
She said rescue workers have not been able to reach the area due to darkness and downed power lines.
In addition to thousands in the area losing power, Sheng said the parish was losing pressure in its water system.
“We’ve had a lot of water main breaks,” she said. “Our water system is losing pressure and so in order to be able to fight fires, that is a very critical element. So, we’re trying to clear roads to do those water repairs.”
Sheng added, “We’re a broken community right now.”
Aug 30, 7:33 am
Over 1.1 million customers without power in 2 states
Ida, with its blustery winds and torrential rain, has left more than 1.1 million utility customers without power in Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday morning.
More than 1 million customers were without electricity in Louisiana, mostly in the southeast part of Bayou State where Ida made landfall, according to state emergency management officials.
In Mississippi, another 105,417 homes and businesses were without electricity, state officials said.
Aug 30, 5:41 am
Ida downgraded to tropical storm
About 16 hours after making landfall in Louisiana, Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning.
As of 4 a.m. CT, Ida was moving north at 8 miles per hour with the eye of the storm located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, and 50 miles north-northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.
The storm surge warning has been discontinued from Morgan City to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued west of Grand Isle. The hurricane warning has been replaced with a tropical storm warning from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Grand Isle to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, 16 states from Mississippi to New Jersey are still on alert for flash flooding. A flash flood watch is in place from the Gulf Coast to New Jersey.
So far, the highest rainfall total was recorded in LaPlace, Louisiana, which received 15 inches. A flash flood emergency remains in effect there, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida is forecast to rapidly weaken even more over the next day or so, becoming a tropical depression by Monday evening.
The storm will move farther inland over southeastern Louisiana early Monday and into southwestern Mississippi later in the morning. Ida is then forecast to move over central and northeastern Mississippi on Monday afternoon and evening before moving across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Aug 30, 4:40 am
Tornado warning issued for parts of southern Mississippi
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for eastern Harrison County and northwestern Jackson County, both in southern Mississippi.
As Hurricane Ida approaches the Magnolia State, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located via radar over Biloxi in Mississippi’s Harrison County early Monday at 2:46 a.m. CT. The “tornadic thunderstorm” was moving north at 65 miles per hour, according to an alert from the National Weather Service, which urged people to “take cover now!”
“Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows,” the National Weather Service said. “If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”
The storm could impact the Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport as well as several miles of Interstate 10 and 110 in Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado warning will remain in effect until 3:45 a.m. CT.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service warned. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
Aug 30, 4:16 am
New Orleans ‘experiencing technical difficulties’ with 911 system
The emergency communications center for New Orleans said it is “experiencing technical difficulties” with its 911 system, after the city lost power due to Hurricane Ida.
“If you find yourself in an emergency, please go to your nearest fire station or approach your nearest officer,” the Orleans Parish Communication District announced via Twitter early Monday. “We will update you once this issue has been resolved.”
