There’s no official announcement from Marvel Studios yet, but The Hollywood Reporter says Anthony Mackie will star as the star-spangled man with the plan in a fourth Captain America film.
The Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed Mackie’s character wrestling with, and ultimately embracing, the mantle and shield he was given by Chris Evans‘ Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
The series ended with a key change in the title card, reading, “Captain America and The Winter Soldier,” and the word then was that series creator and head writer Malcolm Spellman had been tapped to start crafting a script for a fourth Captain America film, with Mackie in the lead.
THR now says Spellman and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier writer Dalan Musson are crafting the big-screen bow for Mackie’s Cap.
The second small-screen spin-off of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a hit for Disney+, and snagged five Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Avengers movie veteran Don Cheadle.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — Travel looks different in 2021 with changes at hotels like charges for amenities and services.
Some hotels have stripped-down room rates to the bare minimum, tacking on extras like access to the gym or pool for a fee.
MCR Hotels, one of the largest hotel owners in the country with 110 properties in 33 states, said it will experiment with this new feature at New York’s High Line Hotel and the retro hit TWA Hotel located at JFK airport.
The hotel will charge $25 to use the pool on weekends or a day pass at the gym. For guests who want an early check in, that will come with a $20 fee and breakfast will run an additional $10 to $25.
Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR hotels told Good Morning America that this new model tailors the appropriate cost of a stay to fit various guests and their needs.
“There’s business travelers, leisure travelers. Some people want to go to the pool. Some people want to go to the gym. Some people don’t want to do either,” he said. “But by having all of the products together for one price, it forces some people to pay for products that they don’t want or never going to consume.”
These new changes could also save some travelers money if they aren’t planning to use any amenities.
“By going to our cart model, it unbundles the product, it allows us to charge a lower rate for those who just want a sleeping room,” Morse explained. “You can buy the products that you want.”
The hotel and travel industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and now faces labor shortages. Those in the industry are looking for ways to experiment with new options to recover losses and win back business.
“There is going to be quite a long period before we’re back to pre-pandemic levels,” Melanie Lieberman, senior editor of The Points Guy told GMA. She added: “it’s not surprising to see this type of model roll out right now as hotels are looking for ways to ways to save money and generate new revenue.”
Other hotel giants like Marriott and Hilton have yet to jump on the a la carte fee model.
“I think the hotel industry is going to take a cautious approach to doing this — but certainly the more brands, the more major players and the hotel space that start to participate in this type of pricing model, the faster it’s going to take off,” Lieberman said.
Before booking your next stay, she suggested to think about what you actually need for the type of trip you want.
“It certainly goes back to this concept of, if you think you want the whole buffet, you shouldn’t be ordering a la carte,” Lieberman said. “There’s a ton of choice out there for travelers right now. And they’re really going to have to choose at their discretion what kind of experience they want.”
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
As the crisis intensifies, with images from Kabul showing Afghans storming the airport tarmac and climbing onto military planes after the U.S. assumed control of the airport, President Joe Biden briefly left Camp David to address the nation from the White House on Monday.
Biden returned to Washington on Wednesday and sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Pentagon said that 6,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to the country’s capital as the military races to evacuate people from an increasingly chaotic Kabul. Despite criticism, the Biden administration is sticking by its decision to withdraw troops from the country, though he told Stephanopoulos the stay might extend beyond the original Aug. 31 date if it takes longer to get all Americans out of the country.
Here are some key developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 19, 9:57 am
Protests consume Kabul, Taliban fighters respond with force
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Kabul on Thursday as Afghanistan’s annual Independence Day is met with new Taliban control of the country.
Taliban fighters cracked down on the crowds with batons and fired gunshots into the air as Afghan civilians, women included, flew the Afghanistan national flag in an apparent acts of defiance.
The U.S. military said Wednesday its focus will remain on maintaining the perimeter at the airport, as opposed to sending envoys into Kabul to pick up Americans and Afghan civilians who may have difficulty getting to the airport.
“I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a Pentagon briefing at which officials also said “nothing” could predict the collapse of the Afghanistan government in 11 days
As the race to evacuate as many as 11,000 Americans and tens of thousands of Afghans from the country continues, the State Department on Wednesday sent an email alert to Americans in Afghanistan directing them to go to the airport but adding the U.S. “cannot provide safe passage” there.
After sitting down with an exclusive one-on-one interview with George Stephanopoulos, Biden on Thursday has no public events on his schedule but is meeting with his national security team.
Since Saturday, the U.S. has evacuated nearly 6,000 people, according to the White House — so far, falling short of the Pentagon’s goal of evacuating 6,000 to 9,000 individuals a day.
Aug 19, 8:55 am
Biden doubles down on Afghanistan amid struggling evacuation effort
Amid intense backlash on the handling of the troop withdrawal and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the president argued that the commotion of the past few days was inevitable.
“The idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview.
Biden indicated an investigation of the intelligence surrounding the topic would take place, but stopped short of saying that the intelligence was wrong. Biden also denied reports that top military advisers warned against his withdrawal timeline.
Biden’s defense of his administration’s actions come as significant numbers of Americans and Afghan civilian personnel struggle to access the Kabul airport and escape the war-torn nation.
“We’re going to do everything we can to continue to try to deconflict and create passageways for them to get to the airfield. I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul,” Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin said to reporters Wednesday.
Much about the progress on evacuation efforts remains murky. In his interview with ABC News, Biden was certain that Americans in Afghanistan and American military members would be taken out of the country but seemed noncommittal on how many Afghan allies the U.S. would be able to rescue. Another unknown is if evacuations can realistically be completed before the Aug. 31 deadline. Biden offered a caveat that is unlikely to comfort those on the ground pleading to evacuate.
“It depends on where we are and whether we can get — ramp these numbers up to five to 7,000 a day coming out,” Biden said. “If that’s the case, they’ll all be out.”
Aug 18, 9:22 pm
US troops will stay until all Americans are out of Afghanistan, even if past Aug. 31 deadline: Biden
In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan — even if it means potentially extending the mission beyond his Aug. 31 deadline for a total withdrawal.
“We’ve got like 10 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now. Right? And are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out is out?” Stephanopoulos asked Biden.
“Yes,” Biden replied.
The president cautioned that his focus is on completing the mission by Aug. 31, but when pressed by Stephanopoulos, conceded the mission could take longer.
Aug 18, 7:16 pm
Congressional leaders calling for briefings
Top Republican Leaders Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell are calling on the Biden administration for a “Gang of Eight” classified briefing on Afghanistan.
The so-called “Gang of Eight” includes the top House and Senate leaders, including the heads of the intel committees in both the House and Senate.
Separately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also requested three briefings on Afghanistan in the coming days, according to a source. They include a briefing by phone Friday for all members, a classified, in-person briefing Tuesday and a similar “Gang of Eight” briefing.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Aug 18, 2:14 pm
State Department alerts Americans it ‘cannot ensure safe passage’ to airport
The State Department has directed American citizens to the airport in Kabul for departing evacuation flights — but with a stark warning.
“The United States government cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport,” the agency said in an alert to American citizens still in Afghanistan.
“The security situation in Kabul continues to change quickly, including at the airport,” the agency added.
As many as 11,000 Americans and tens of thousands of Afghans are still desperately trying to leave the country, ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell has reported.
Aug 18, 1:44 pm
Biden, Harris briefed by top Pentagon officials
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed to reporters that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received a briefing on Afghanistan at the White House on Wednesday.
The White House said the group, which also included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie and CIA Director William Burns, discussed “efforts to accelerate evacuations” and “to facilitate safe passage to HKIA [Hamid Karzai International Airport].”
The readout from the White House also said the group discussed “monitoring for any potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan.”
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Aug 18, 1:30 pm
Senior intel official: Afghan government ‘unraveled even more quickly than we anticipated’
A senior U.S. intelligence official acknowledged to ABC News that the “rapid collapse” of the Afghanistan government “unraveled even more quickly” than U.S. intelligence officials had anticipated.
“We consistently identified the risk of a rapid collapse of the Afghan government. We also grew more pessimistic about the government’s survival as the fighting season progressed. This was less an issue of Afghan military capabilities and more a reflection of Afghan leadership, cohesion and willpower,” the official told ABC News. “That said, the Afghan government unraveled even more quickly than we anticipated.”
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani and his family fled Kabul on Sunday as the Taliban moved closer to the presidential palace and then claimed the formation of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Aug 18, 1:09 pm
Pentagon responds to distressing scenes outside airport in Kabul
Ahead of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley holding a briefing at 3 p.m., Pentagon press secretary John Kirby spoke to reporters on Wednesday about the distressing scenes outside the airport in Kabul.
He said U.S. military officials were aware of reports that Taliban fighters are not letting Afghans through to the airport and that’s one reason the top American commander in Kabul, Adm. Peter Vasely, has reached out to his Taliban counterpart.
Asked what more can be done to ensure safe passage of Afghans to the airport, Kirby said only that the Pentagon is working “very hard” on the issue.
“I don’t have a specific next step for you,” he said. “We are in communication with the Taliban. We want to see this process go more smoothly.”
Kirby also confirmed incidents overnight in which some American troops providing security at the perimeter of the airport fired their weapons in the air as part of “crowd control measures.”
He said the U.S. goal to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 individuals a day can be accomplished “when we’re at full throttle.”
Aug 18, 11:51 am
One Afghan family’s harrowing account of getting to Kabul’s airport
“Khan,” a computer scientist who worked with a U.S. contractor on the mission in Afghanistan and whose name is being withheld to protect his identity, boarded a U.S. military aircraft on Wednesday with his 3-year-old son and wife, who is 35 weeks pregnant, according to his lawyer.
It was their third attempt to reach the Kabul airport after they picked up their Special Immigrant Visas on Saturday, hours before the U.S. embassy shuttered.
The chaos on Sunday kept them away, and on Tuesday, there were too many Taliban fighters to get close to the gates. Khan spent several hours on Wednesday trying to reach multiple gates.
The north gate was mobbed, with U.S. troops firing warning shots into the air or deploying tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to his lawyer, who was on FaceTime with him.
There were hours when it seemed like Khan and his family wouldn’t be able to get through, forcing him to consider trying alone and leaving them behind, his lawyer told ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, but “ultimately, it was his persistence that got them in.”
Once inside the airport, the process was efficient, his lawyer said. Two of her clients and their families were on flights within 30 minutes of being processed and entering the airport.
But the chaos outside is horrific, and Afghans are receiving conflicting correspondence from the U.S. embassy — some being told to shelter in place, others given specific instructions on which gates to proceed to — but that situation changing rapidly too, his lawyer said.
Aug 18, 11:01 am
Taliban seen forcefully patrolling area near Kabul airport
Thousands were still outside the airport in Kabul as the U.S. continues its evacuation efforts Wednesday and the Taliban patrolled the surrounding streets, only allowing foreigners through and occasionally firing warning shots, ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell reported.
The Taliban on Tuesday promised an “amnesty” for those who worked with the U.S. government and said it would allow for their safe passage to the airport, but on the ground on Wednesday, members of the Taliban were seen whipping Afghan civilians.
As many as 11,000 Americans and tens of thousands of Afghans still are desperately trying to leave the country. The U.S. said late Tuesday it had evacuated 3,200 people from Afghanistan including all U.S. Embassy personnel except for a core group of diplomats. Officials have said they plan to launch one flight per hour to hopefully evacuate up to 9,000 people each day.
Still, the situation remains tense across Afghanistan, with the international community paying close attention to the Taliban’s every move.
Outside of Kabul, about 90 miles away in the eastern city of Jalalabad, anti-Taliban protesters were met with violence from fighters after replacing the Taliban flag in the city’s main square with the Afghan national flag, The Associated Press reported.
Aug 18, 9:58 am
Former Afghan president in United Arab Emirates on ‘humanitarian grounds’
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry has confirmed in a statement that former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is in the United Arab Emirates, days after fleeing his home country.
Ghani and his family left Kabul on Sunday as the Taliban surged closer to the presidential palace. The Taliban ultimately overtook the building and has claimed the formation of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
Aug 18, 8:39 am
Few answers from Biden administration on Afghanistan despite pressure
Days removed from the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul and after a lengthy news conference with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, there is still little clarity on how conditions degraded so quickly in Afghanistan.
When ABC News Correspondent Stephanie Ramos asked Sullivan about reports that Biden administration officials were informed the Taliban could overwhelm the country, the national security adviser denied seeing it.
“I’m not actually familiar with the intelligence assessments you’re describing,” said Sullivan.
The administration plans to conduct an evaluation of the calamity once evacuations are completed.
“We’ll look at everything that happened, in this entire operation, from start to finish, and the areas of improvement where we can do better,” Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. “Where we can find holes or weaknesses and plug them as we go forward” that analysis will be shared.
Lawmakers are also putting pressure on the Biden administration for answers. Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee penned a letter to Biden demanding withdrawal plan details, plainly accusing the president of not having a concrete plan.
“For months, we have been asking you for a plan on your withdrawal from Afghanistan. You failed to provide us with one and based on the horrific events currently unfolding in Afghanistan, we are confident that we never received your plan because you never had one,” the letter reads. “The security and humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Afghanistan could have been avoided if you had done any planning.”
Aug 18, 7:52 am
Trauma injuries on the rise in Afghanistan, WHO warns
Months of violence in Afghanistan “have taken a heavy toll” on the country’s people and fragile health system, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday.
“As a result of the recent conflict, trauma injuries have increased, requiring scaled up emergency medical and surgical services,” Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement.
In July, some 13,897 conflict-related trauma cases were received at 70 WHO-supported health facilities in Afghanistan, compared with 4,057 cases during the same time last year, according to the WHO.
In Kabul and other areas where people have fled to seek safety and shelter, field reports indicate rising cases of diarrhea, malnutrition, high blood pressure, COVID-19-like symptoms and reproductive health complications. The country’s hospitals were already facing shortages in essential supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic, Al-Mandhari said.
Attacks on health care infrastructure and staff also remain a major challenge. From January to July, 26 health facilities and 31 health care workers were affected, while 12 workers were killed, according to the WHO.
“Delays and disruptions to health care will increase the risk of disease outbreaks and prevent some of the most vulnerable groups from seeking life-saving health care,” Al-Mandhari said. “There is an immediate need to ensure continuity of health services across the country, with a focus on ensuring women have access to female health workers.”
“The people of Afghanistan need support and solidarity today more than ever,” he added. “The gains of the past 20 years cannot be turned back.”
Aug 18, 7:40 am
ABC to interview Biden Wednesday
Biden will sit down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos one-on-one on Wednesday at the White House for the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The interview will air on ABC’s World News Tonight on Wednesday and Good Morning America on Thursday.
Aug 18, 6:23 am
Taliban delegation meets with former Afghan president in Doha
A high-level Taliban delegation has met with Afghanistan’s former president, Hamid Karzai, and the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, in Qatar’s capital and assured them of security, a Taliban source told ABC News on Wednesday.
The Taliban has said there is a general amnesty for all in Afghanistan, including former government officials, and that no one should flee the country.
Aug 18, 5:51 am
UK to take in 20,000 Afghan refugees over 5 years
The United Kingdom announced Tuesday a plan to welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees over five years.
The resettlement program will prioritize women, children and religious minorities.
“We have an enduring commitment to the Afghan people, and we will honour it,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter. “A new resettlement scheme will create a safe and legal route for those in most need to come and live safely in the UK.”
While addressing members of parliament on Wednesday morning, Johnson said his government has so far secured the safe return of 306 U.K. nationals and 2,052 Afghan citizens as part of the resettlement program, with a further 2,000 applications for Afghan nationals completed “and many more being processed.” An additional 800 British troops will be deployed to Afghanistan’s main international airport in Kabul to “support this evacuation operation,” according to Johnson.
“We are proud to bring these brave Afghans to our shores — and we continue to appeal for more to come forwards,” he said.
Aug 17, 11:55 pm
US Embassy destroyed some Afghans’ passports during evacuation
Last week when the U.S. Embassy in Kabul ordered staff to destroy sensitive material, including documents, passports were destroyed as well.
During the evacuation, embassy personnel destroyed the passports of Afghans that had been submitted for visa processing, according to a Democratic lawmaker’s office.
Rep. Andy Kim, D-NJ, has been compiling requests for assistance for Afghans on the ground, with his office funneling pleas for help through an email address. In the email’s response note, obtained by ABC News, it says, “Passports that were in the Embassy’s possession have been destroyed. Currently, it is not possible to provide further visa services in Afghanistan.”
A State Department spokesperson acknowledged that was true, but called it “standard operating procedure” during an evacuation and said it “will not prevent people who are otherwise eligible for evacuation from traveling.
Aug 17, 9:38 pm
House Armed Services Committee Republicans request Biden’s plan for Afghanistan
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Biden requesting information about his “plan” for Afghanistan.
“For months, we have been asking you for a plan on your withdrawal from Afghanistan. You failed to provide us with one and based on the horrific events currently unfolding in Afghanistan, we are confident that we never received your plan because you never had one,” the letter says.
“The security and humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Afghanistan could have been avoided if you had done any planning. Pretending this isn’t your problem will only make things worse. We remain gravely concerned the void left in Afghanistan will be rapidly filled by terror groups. The Taliban now control the country. Al Qaeda used Afghanistan to plot and execute the 9/11 attacks and other acts of terrorism,” the letter continues. “You cannot let this happen again.”
Notably, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. — a member of the committee — has also signed the letter.
Cheney appeared on ABC’s This Week Sunday and said that Biden “absolutely” bears responsibility for the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan, as does former President Donald Trump and his administration.
“What we’re watching right now in Afghanistan is what happens when America withdraws from the world,” Cheney told ABC This Week co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “So everybody who has been saying, ‘America needs to withdraw, America needs to retreat,’ we are getting a devastating, catastrophic real-time lesson in what that means.”
It’s the moment Ed Sheeran fans have been waiting for: The singer announced his new album, =[Equals], will be out October 29.
Ed revealed the news in an Instagram Live on Thursday, telling fans this new collection contains 14 tracks. The artwork features a backdrop painted by Ed, surrounded by butterfly imagery symbolizing “new life.”
Ed says the album is the “best bit of work” he’s done so far. It of course follows his previous mathematically-titled efforts, + [Plus], x [Multiply] and ÷ [Divide], as well as 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project. You can pre-order Equals now.
“= [Equals] is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me,” Ed says in a statement. “My life changed greatly over the past few years — I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”
Ed also dropped a new song called “Visiting Hours” on Thursday, which he had previously performed at a memorial for his friend and mentor, late Australian music industry legend Michael Gudinsky. Ed clarified that “Visiting Hours” is not the next single — the second single off the album will be coming out on September 10, following “Bad Habits.” He played fans a snippet of that song during the livestream.
Here is the Equals track list:
“Tides”
“Shivers”
“First Time”
“Bad Habits”
“Overpass Graffiti”
“The Joker and The Queen”
“Leave Your Life”
“Collide”
“2step”
“Stop the Rain”
“Love in Slow Motion”
“Visiting Hours”
“Sandman”
“Be Right Now”
Alyssa Milano took to Twitter on Wednesday to report that her uncle was in serious condition, a day after the two were involved in a car accident.
“Yesterday, my family suffered a terrifying and traumatic event,” Milano shared. “I was a passenger in a car my Uncle Mitch was driving when he suffered a serious heart attack, resulting in a car crash. I am grateful to the people who stopped to help us.”
The 48-year-old actress, in a second tweet, went on to thank the first responders, as well as the doctors, nurses and staff at UCLA Medical Center for the attention they gave both to her and her uncle.
Milano wrote that her uncle is “still in the hospital, and we are unsure if he will recover.”
“Uncle Mitch is such an important part of our family. He’s with us every day, spending time with my children and present in every meaningful part of our lives,” Milano said of Elizabella, six, and Milo, nine, whom she shares with her husband, David Bugliari.
“I hope that you — and especially you in the media — will afford him and my family the kindness of privacy as we move through this incredibly painful time,” she continued.
Alyssa also urged people to learn CPR, explaining, “You don’t know when you’ll be called upon to save a life,”
“The American Red Cross and many hospitals and other organizations offer regular classes. It’s such a small effort and can have a huge impact,” she added.
Rebel Wilson is celebrating her weight loss journey by looking back at how far she’s come since embarking on her “Year of Health” in 2020.
Sharing an undated throwback photo on Instagram on Wednesday, the Pitch Perfect star opened up about where she was emotionally at that moment in time.
“Okay so I know that I normally post flattering photos of myself…but found this old photo in my emails and was like: whoa! I remember this was when I was at my most unhealthiest, being overweight and indulging way too much with junk food. Using food to numb my emotions,” said Wilson, 41.
The Australian actress explained, “My father had passed away of a heart attack and it was such a sad time. I didn’t think highly of myself and wasn’t valuing myself how I should have.”
“It’s interesting that I’m still smiling and still trying to be active — this was taken at a charity tennis tournament event… despite being in so much pain,” Wilson continued. “I look back now at that girl and am so proud of what she’s become and achieved.”
As for why she wanted to be honest about such a vulnerable moment in her life, the Bridesmaids actress expressed she “wanted to send out some encouragement to everyone out there struggling with weight or body issues or emotional eating. I feel you. I know what it’s like. But it’s never too late to start improving yourself and trying to be the best version of YOU possible.”
“It’s not a race and it’s not a competition — it’s about respecting yourself and doing what’s best for YOU,” Wilson stressed. “So if you’re out there and reading this today, I just wanted to say: keep smiling and keep trying to be active!”
(WASHINGTON) — Fines for unruly behavior during flights have soared in 2021, with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting Thursday that it has proposed more than $1 million in penalties this year alone.
The FAA has received almost 4,000 reports of aggressive behavior from airlines since the beginning of 2021.
Airline crews have reported incidents in which visibly drunk passengers verbally abused them, shoved them, kicked seats, threw trash at them, defiled the restrooms and in some cases even punched them in the face.
The agency said 71% of the reported incidents involve passengers who refuse to comply with the federal mask mandate.
The FAA had hoped its zero-tolerance policy for in-flight disruptions, which could lead to fines as high as $52,500 and up to 20 years in prison, would be enough to deter potential offenders, but they’ve still seen hundreds of incidents per month.
In-flight tensions are unlikely to wane as the mask requirement for planes was extended just this week from September into January.
Two weeks ago, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson urged airport police to arrest more people who are unruly or violent on flights.
“While the FAA has levied civil fines against unruly passengers, it has no authority to prosecute criminal cases,” Dickson told airport executives.
He said they see many passengers — some who physically assaulted flight attendants — interviewed by local police and then released “without criminal charges of any kind.”
“When this occurs, we miss a key opportunity to hold unruly passengers accountable for their unacceptable and dangerous behavior,” he said.
The agency has looked into more than 682 potential violations of federal law so far this year — the highest number since the agency began keeping records in 1995. But it is unclear how many people have actually paid the FAA’s proposed fines.
Those on the front lines, the nation’s flight attendants, are bearing the brunt of the violence.
They are increasingly turning to self-defense training to learn how to defuse situations as well as protect themselves and their passengers.
“I think people are just kind of just at a tipping point with the pandemic,” Robin Gilinger, a flight attendant, said. “And when they’re up in the air at 35,000 feet, there’s no one to stop them. There’s no police officer on the corner they can go to. It’s just the flight attendants.”
Gilinger recently attended a crew member self-defense training course taught by federal air marshals in West Orange, New Jersey.
The courses had been paused amid the pandemic, but now they’re back up and running with four times the amount of classes and double the number of attendees as before.
“We’re not here to beat our passengers. We’re here to stop the unrest that has precipitated through this pandemic,” Gilinger said. “And this provides really good, basic tools, not just for the aircraft.”
While this type of training is free, flight attendants must come on their own time and pay for their travel and lodging. The head of the country’s largest flight attendant union is now pushing for the course to be federally mandated.
Marvel Studios released its most recent episode of its animated series What If…?, and Wednesday’s new offering on Disney+ features the final performance of the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the character he played in Black Panther and other MCU films.
The new installment begins as a different take on Guardians of the Galaxy, imagining what would have happened if a young T’Challa was snatched from Earth instead of Peter Quill.
“What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” also features the voices of other famous MCU alums: Guardians vets Michael Rooker reprises as Yondu, the leader of the space pirates known as The Ravagers; Karen Gillan again plays Nebula; This Is Us‘ Chris Sullivan voices Taserface, who he played in GOTG Vol. 2; Benicio Del Toro plays The Collector, Djimon Hounsou voices Korath the Pursuer and Sean Gunn lends his voice to Yondu’s first mate Kraglin. Seth Green even reprises as Howard The Duck.
The episode also features Danai Gurira again playing fearsome Wakandan general Okoye, and Josh Brolin as Thanos — but in this tale, the Mad Titan has given up his galaxy-conquering ways, and fights alongside T’Challa and company.
The installment ends with a touching coda to Boseman, who died at 43 in 2020 after a private, years-long battle with cancer. A title card reads over a black screen, noting the episode is “Dedicated to our friend, our inspiration and our hero Chadwick Boseman.”
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — When President Joe Biden marked his 100th day in office, both the pandemic and the American occupation of Afghanistan seemed like they would soon be in the rearview mirror. Just over a hundred days later, the sudden resurgence of the coronavirus and the Taliban are twin crises with the potential to sink his reputation on the world stage.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, the president defended his administration’s strategy on both fronts, despite facing waves of criticism over the chaotic military exit and plans to offer booster shots while many countries can’t immunize even their most at-risk populations.
Biden insisted the drawdown in Afghanistan was a “simple choice,” and could not have been carried out more effectively.
“So you don’t think this exit could have been handled better in any way, no mistakes?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“We’re gonna go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” Biden said.
But when Biden announced the plans for the withdrawal in April, he did not foreshadow mayhem, saying instead that the exit would be done “responsibly, deliberately, and safely.” And in the months that followed, he repeatedly dismissed the possibility of a Taliban takeover.
Stephanopoulos pressed Biden on if there had been a breakdown in intelligence.
“I think there was no consensus. If you go back and look at the intelligence reports, they said that it was more likely to be sometime by the end of the year,” Biden said.
“But, you didn’t put a timeline out when you said it was highly unlikely. You just said flat out it’s highly unlikely the Taliban would take over,” Stephanopoulos responded.
“The idea that the Taliban would take over was premised on the notion that somehow, the 300,000 troops we had trained and equipped was gonna just collapse, they were gonna give up,” Biden replied. “I don’t think anybody anticipated that.”
Biden committed to keeping American soldiers on the ground until every American who wants to be evacuated can be, even if it means keeping a troop presence past the end of the month.
As for the nation’s Afghan allies who now fear retaliation from the Taliban, Biden said the U.S. would relocate as many as possible.
“The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out. And that’s the objective. That’s what we’re doing now. That’s the path we’re on. And I think we’ll get there,” he said.
The scenes of bedlam at the Kabul airport played out just two months after the president’s first foreign trip in office, a mission meant to shore up relationships with key European allies that were strained during the Trump administration. During the tour, the president repeatedly declared, “America is back,” and ready to again take the helm on global issues.
Biden now defensively asserts that the bleak end to the military mission in Afghanistan doesn’t belie that promise.
“Before I made this decision, I met with all our allies, our NATO allies in Europe. They agreed, we should be getting out,” he said, adding that he was working the phones to make sure he and other world leaders “have a coherent view of how we’re going to deal from this point on.”
Whether the U.S. will recognize the Taliban’s rule remains to be seen. The president said he did not believe the group had reformed since it brutally wielded power over Afghanistan at the turn of the millennium, but that “the way to deal with that is putting economic, diplomatic, and international pressure on them to change their behavior.”
The president also said Afghanistan is not the same incubator of extremism that it was before the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
“Al Qaeda, ISIS, they metastasized. There’s a significantly greater threat to the United States from Syria. There’s a significant greater threat from East Africa,” Biden said, saying the U.S. maintains the ability to eliminate those threats without having a military presence on the ground.
“My dad used to have an expression,” Biden continued. “If everything is equally important to you, nothing is important to you. We should be focusing on where the threat is the greatest.”
Nearly a year and a half into the global COVID-19 pandemic, the virus remains one of the greatest threats to the American public. On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced plans to begin rolling out booster shots, explaining that the move was necessary to stay ahead of the virus, especially amid the surging delta variant.
Other wealthy nations will also offer boosters, but low- and middle-income countries are still struggling to access vaccines. In the poorest countries, only about 1% of the population has received even a single dose, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The World Health Organization slammed booster shots, equating giving third injections to handing out extra life jackets to people who already have them “while we’re leaving other people to drown without a single life jacket.”
“Are you comfortable with Americans getting a third shot when so many millions around the world haven’t had their first?” Stephanopoulos asked the president.
“Absolutely, because we’re provided more to the rest of the world than all the rest of the world combined,” Biden said. “Before we get to the middle of next year, we’re gonna provide a half a billion shots to the rest of the world. We’re keeping our part of the bargain. We’re doing more than anybody.”
The president said he and the first lady will roll up their sleeves again soon.
“We got our shots, all the way back in, I think December. So it’s past time,” Biden said.
R. Kelly‘s sex trafficking trial officially got underway in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces state and federal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, coercion and other charges related to the alleged abuse and exploitation of six women — three of whom were underage at the time — over the course of 25 years.
In her opening statement, assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez accused Kelly of being a serial manipulator who used the access granted by his fame to prey on his fans, according to The New York Times, adding that he and his inner circle “used every trick in the predator handbook to present himself as a mentor to girls and their families.”
Once the women entered into relationships with Kelly, Cruz Melendez continued, they were forced to “receive his permission to use the bathroom, having sex with whomever he wanted, whenever he decided” and demanding what Melendez called “absolute obedience.”
“He began collecting girls and women as if they were things,” she continued, “hoarding them like objects that he could use however he liked.”
Kelly’s defense team, led by lawyer Nicole Blank Becker, countered that his accusers had willingly traveled to see Kelly and “knew what they were getting into.” She further alleged that some became spiteful after their relationships became tense and sought “revenge.”
While testifying, one of Kelly’s accusers, Jerhonda Pace, claimed Kelly abused her sexually and physically when she was just 16 years old, forcing her to abide by “rigid restrictions.” When she failed to do so, Pace claimed Kelly “slapped me and choked me until I passed out” and “spit in my face and told me to put my head down in shame.”
If convicted, Kelly could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison.
