(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Simone Biles finishes Tokyo Games with a bronze medal
After previously withdrawing from the team all-around and individual events, Simone Biles rejoined the competition and won the bronze medal in the individual balance beam competition. Biles ended her Olympic events by completing a solid routine, one that did not include any twists and had one minor balance check. Biles is now tied with Shannon Miller as the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast with seven medals.
Teammate Sunisa Lee, who won the gold medal in the individual all-around, did not place in the balance beam event.
U.S. men’s basketball advances to semifinals
The U.S. men’s basketball team defeated Spain 95-81, advancing to the semifinals against the winner of the game between Australia and Argentina. The effort was led by Kevin Durant with 29 points. Team USA is looking to continue its streak of winning a medal in every Olympic Games since competing in 1936.
COVID-19 cases at Tokyo Olympics rise to 299
There were 18 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, including one athlete who was staying at the Olympic Village at the time of the positive test. The total now stands at 299, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.
The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 3,709 new cases on Tuesday, a seven-day average increase of 189.3%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.
U.S. takes silver in long jump, 400m hurdle world record obliterated
Team USA’s Brittany Reese won the silver medal in long jump in Tuesday’s event. The U.S. now has five silvers in the athletics competitions with the only gold in discus throw.
Norway’s Karsten Warholm took home the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles but also finished with a new world record of 45.94 seconds. He broke the previous record by .76 seconds.
Sport climbing makes its Olympic debut
Sport climbing in the Tokyo Games began with two of the three disciplines: The men’s combined bouldering qualifier and the men’s combined lead qualifier. This is the first time sport climbing has been featured in the Olympics and consists of bouldering, lead and speed disciplines.
Hugh Jackman hoped to inspire more fans to wear sunscreen when revealing Monday that he had to undergo a skin biopsy after his doctor noticed something “a little irregular” on his skin.
Taking to Twitter, the Australian actor shared a video where he pulled down his mask and showed his bandaged nose. “I just want to let you know, I just went to see… my amazing dermatologists and doctors and they saw something that was a little irregular,” the Greatest Showman star explained. “So they took a biopsy and they’re getting it checked.”
Jackman, 52, assured fans they need not be concerned or “freak out” and promised to “let you know what’s going on.”
“It’s probably fine,” he continued. “But remember… wear sunscreen. Don’t be like me as a kid.”
The actor revealed in a 2015 interview with ABC News that he spent most of his childhood playing in the hot Australia sun and neglected to wear sunscreen. He was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, in 2013.
In the years since, Jackman’s continued to remind fans of the importance sunscreen, and revealed in 2016 that he had to undergo another biopsy.
“An example of what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless. PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups,” he shared on Instagram.
In 2017, he shared a similar message about his ongoing battle with skin cancer and credited his “frequent checks” for catching it early.
The Mayo Clinic says basal cell carcinoma is believed to be caused by long-term exposure to UV sunlight and recommends the best way to prevent it is to wear sunscreen.
Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
After sharing a cryptic two-minute teaser the other day about an upcoming single, The Weeknd confirmed on Monday that his next music era is finally here.
Taking to Instagram, the “Blinding Lights” singer announced fans will hear his brand new song “Take My Breath” this Friday, August 6.
The Weeknd tapped the Tokyo Olympics to share the track and release info in an official promo, which focused on the U.S. Women’s Track & Field team through the eyes of runners Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Gabby Thomas and Athing Mu.
The promo features joyous moments the four celebrated at the finish line in past races before revealing the song’s title and teasing the next crop of Olympic track and field events that Team USA is primed to dominate.
The Weeknd, also feeling the gold medal vibes, captioned his comeback, “8.6.21 new single [gold medal emoji].”
No word yet on when that new album is supposed to come out, but fans are buzzing that an announcement is on the horizon.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kathy Griffin underwent successful surgery following her lung cancer diagnosis.
On Monday morning, Griffin, 60 revealed that she was about to have half of her left lung removed because of the cancer. Later that day, a rep for the comedian told People, “She is now out of surgery and everything went well, per her doctor.”
Before surgery, Griffin elaborated on her diagnosis and treatment plan on social media, writing, “Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!”
“The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung,” she explained. “Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less.”
“It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine,” Griffin declared.
The comedian recently sat down with ABC News’ Juju Chang to discuss her reaction to her diagnosis, admitting she was “in shock.”
“Once a day, I’ll just turn to nobody next to me and go, ‘Can you believe this s—? Is this a b—- or what?” she said.
(NEW YORK) — While states like Missouri end a second month enduring a surge in COVID-19 cases as the more contagious delta variant spreads, public health officials across the country are hearing the same story from an increasing number of people getting the vaccine: someone they know recently caught the virus and the experience was unsettling.
“We don’t want to see more people getting sick as a driving force to get people vaccinated, but we know the case counts and more people in the hospital will play a role in that conversation,” Dr. Sam Page, St. Louis county executive, told ABC News.
Missouri has seen an increase of nearly 560% in new cases, 205% virus-related hospitalizations since early June — staggering increases, which have been exacerbated by the low number of residents — just over 41% — who are fully vaccinated.
“We really need higher vaccination penetration in our communities to slow this down,” Page said.
However, Missouri is one of the many states in the nation which has experienced a significant, newfound demand for COVID-19 vaccinations in the last several weeks. Vaccinations statewide increased by approximately 100% in the last two weeks of July.
While the uptick in shots has been most notable in the states that have been recently hardest hit by the coronavirus, the entire country is experiencing a rising vaccination rate.
According to an ABC News analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from the last three weeks, every state has reported an increase in its average number of first doses administered, with the national rate of Americans receiving their first dose up by more than 73%.
Similarly, in the last week alone, vaccination rates have increased by nearly 20% in young Americans, ages 12-17, and by more than 25% in adults.
And on Sunday, the White House reported more than 800,000 vaccine doses administered, including first and second doses, marking the fifth consecutive day with more than 700,000 doses were reported administered. The uptick pushed the national vaccination average to more than 637,000 doses administered each day — up by more than 24% in the last two weeks.
There are many factors at play — fear of the delta variant, incentives from the government and the rising popularity of vaccine requirements for school or work — but regardless of why it’s happening, Page said the increase in vaccinations could not come soon enough.
“The delta variant is a whole new virus,” Page said.
Slowly but surely, officials have started to see their public urgings translate into shots in arms, data showed — a sobering silver lining to the immeasurable grief that has accompanied the virus.
But Page urged other states and counties to get ahead of the delta variant while they could, pulling out every stop to increase vaccination rates before the virus hits their community, because when it does, it’s too late.
The uptick in vaccinations in Missouri, for example, will only begin to give ample protection beginning around September, since full vaccination requires two shots and then about two weeks for the antibodies to kick in.
“We just wish that we could get people vaccinated sooner because the illness has an unfortunate loss of life associated with it. And that’s just a terrible thing to watch,” Page said.
In the final weeks of July, 14 states saw an increase of 100% or more in their first-dose average. All of those states have vaccination totals below the national baseline of eligible Americans who have had one at least shot — 67.6%.
The five states which have seen the most significant increases in their vaccination rates — Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma — are also among the states with the current highest seven-day case rates per capita. Louisiana, which currently has the nation’s highest case rate, has experienced a nearly 335% increase in individuals receiving their first vaccine dose. Similarly, Arkansas, which has the nation’s second highest case rate, has seen a 193% increase in recent weeks.
“This increase in vaccination rates in states that have been lagging is a positive trend. Americans are seeing the risk and impact of being unvaccinated and responding with action. And that’s what it’s going to take to get us out of this pandemic,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Monday at a briefing with reporters.
But experts caution that it will be critical for this trend to see even greater increases for the country to avoid more unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths.
“While the increasing caseload has had an impact on vaccine uptake, it has been minor, relative to the need,” Maureen Miller, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told ABC News.
“Since the delta variant is so much more contagious, we’ll need to see more people vaccinated to get this pandemic under control — in the range of 85%-90% of the population.”
The introduction of the delta variant, which now results in 8 out of 10 new cases in the U.S., has resulted in a rapid and significant increase in infections across the country.
The United States’ daily case average is now up to more than 72,400 cases a day, a 532% increase since mid-June. On Friday alone, the country recorded more than 100,000 new cases, marking the highest single-day report in nearly six months.
Nationally, as of Friday, nearly 40,000 patients were receiving hospital care across the country, up nearly 190% increase in the last month.
Several states with the lowest vaccination rates are now seeing viral surges equal to or higher than the peaks they experienced last winter and spring.
“The combination of the new, highly transmissible delta variant and the lack of both vaccination and implementing preventive behaviors, such as mask wearing and social distancing, have ensured that the unvaccinated will continue to become infected, hospitalized, and a needless amount will die,” Miller said.
In Louisiana — reporting the nation’s highest case rate — the average number of first doses administered has tripled over the last three weeks.
“My hope and my prayer today, is that that slope — that trajectory of increases in vaccinations — will continue for a long period of time. Because when that happens, you will see that case growth lines start to come down,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said.
Edwards on Monday imposed an indoor mask mandate congruent with case numbers climbing and the CDC’s most recent mask guidance for everyone, including vaccinated people, to mask up if they’re in areas with a lot of transmission.
Health experts like Miller praised the increased restrictions, since mandating vaccines — considered to be the most effective way to reach herd immunity — isn’t currently an option.
“A current stumbling block to mandating vaccines is the (Food and Drug Administration) emergency use authorization status. Once the FDA provides full regulatory status, that will provide strong legal cover to institute mandatory vaccination,” said Miller.
But a piecemeal effort to mandate vaccines is underway, and quickly gaining momentum as the spread of the delta variant grows. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) joined up with over 50 other health care organizations to call for mandatory vaccinations within their industry last week, citing rising COVID cases and the delta variant as reasons.
“Due to the recent COVID-19 surge and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our health care organizations and societies advocate that all health care and long-term care employers require their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” the organizations wrote in a joint statement.
And last week, the U.S. government announced that federal workers must receive the COVID-19 vaccine or contend with regular testing. The announcement came as a growing list of companies are requiring shots for employees, including Walmart, Google and Disney, ABC News’ parent company.
Vaccination is the “primary way” to move out of the pandemic, the AMA wrote, without having to revert to state lockdowns and additional mitigation measures.
“This surge was preventable. Unfortunately, it takes dying loved ones begging their family members to get vaccinated. Some people are starting to listen,” Miller said.
Jennifer Hudson stars as the legendary Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic Aretha, out August 13. Unfortunately, the iconic soul singer died in 2018, but Hudson still remembers the last conversation she had with her.
“I definitely remember our last call,” Hudson told E!’s Daily Pop. “I miss hearing from her.”
“The last thing we spoke about was what she’d been eating and I was telling her about my son cooking. And he’s like, ‘Mother, is that Aretha Franklin on the phone?!’ I was so glad he was there to share that moment,” she expressed.
Hudson also recalled being hand-picked by the “Natural Woman” songstress for the leading role in Aretha, which she says gave her the “encouragement to get through it.”
“But it’s still adds pressure because you don’t want to let her down. It’s personal to me, for that reason,” she explained. “One minute it’s like, ‘oh my gosh, I’m so excited,’ and the next second it’s a bunch of anxiety.”
On Monday, the Oscar winner shared a throwback photo of herself visiting Franklin’s childhood home with some of the singer’s family members, Diamond Franklin, Victorie Franklin, Tonja Franklin, Edward Franklin, Kecalf Franklin, Jordan Franklin and Grace Franklin.
“I enjoyed all of Detroit but my favorite moment was sitting on Aretha’s childhood porch with her beautiful family,” she wrote alongside a picture of the group. “As we reflected on the Queen, we listened to her grandbaby sing “Ain’t No Way” with her beautiful voice. The world needs to hear more from the Franklin family. I will never forget this sweet moment together!”
(NEW YORK) — Thousands of Spirit Airlines and American Airlines passengers faced cancellations and delays on Monday in the latest summer travel snag.
The airlines canceled more than 800 flights combined on Monday, and delayed more than 1,000.
A Spirit spokesperson told ABC News the cancellations are the result of a “perfect storm,” blaming weather, staffing shortages and crews reaching the hour limits in which they are legally able to fly.
In order to get their operations back on track, they proactively canceled 313 flights, which is around 40% of their daily operation. The cancellations gave Spirit “breathing room” to ensure crews and planes can get to the right locations, the spokesperson said.
Frustrated passengers took to social media tweeting that they were stranded, forced to wait in long lines, or rerouted.
“We’re working around the clock to get back on track in the wake of some travel disruptions over the weekend due to a series of weather and operational challenges,” Spirit said in a statement. “We needed to make proactive cancellations to some flights across the network, but the majority of flights are still scheduled as planned.”
American canceled 529 flights on Monday, almost 20% of its daily operation.
The carrier told ABC News it’s still recovering from inclement weather Sunday in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A spokesperson said severe thunderstorms moved in and at least 80 flights had to divert to other airports, adding that it is currently repositioning planes and crews to improve the operation. . The cancellations come as air travel continues to break pandemic records.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers screened more than 2.2 million people at U.S. airports nationwide Sunday — the highest checkpoint volume since the start of the pandemic.
All U.S. airlines and the TSA have struggled with staffing as air travel has rapidly jumped from historic lows to approaching pre-pandemic levels.
When air travel came to a halt in March 2020, thousands of employees were offered early retirements and buyouts, but now the airlines are desperate to fill these positions again.
Hundreds of American Airlines flights were cancelled in late June because of significant staffing and maintenance issues.
During its most recent earnings call, Southwest Airlines executives revealed they have had to double their hiring efforts because they are getting fewer applications than they are used to.
“If it’s not the number one focus, it is 1A, which is getting our hiring in place and our staffing in place,” Southwest’s Executive Vice President Robert Jordan said.
Simone Biles is back on the winner’s podium in Tokyo.
Following her withdrawals last week from individual competitions in vault, uneven bars and floor events, the Team USA gymnast took home the bronze medal in the balance beam finals at the 2020 Games.
The superstar Olympian posted a score of 14.000, which placed her behind Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing, both of China, who took home gold and silver, respectively. Biles’ teammate, Sunisa Lee, who won gold in the individual all-around competition, came in fifth in the balance beam event.
“I’m pretty happy. I wasn’t expecting to medal. I just came out here and tried to do a good beam set,” Biles said in a press conference. “To have these two next to me. I think they did absolutely amazing. I watched them train so hard so they are definitely deserving of one and two.”
She continued, “Just to have one more opportunity to compete at the Olympics is amazing.”
This marks Biles’ second straight Olympic bronze medal on beam after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This seventh medal also makes Biles tied with Shannon Miller for the title of most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast. However, Simone still holds the record for most Olympic Gold medals of any U.S. gymnast.
(NEW YORK) — Black women are typically paid only 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, which means they have to work seven months into 2021, Aug. 3, to earn what white, non-Hispanic men made in 2020 alone.
The gender wage gap has closed by only three cents for Black women over the last 30 years, according to the National Women’s Law Center, a policy-focused organization that fights for gender justice.
As a result of the wage gap, Black women, on average, lose $2,009 each month, $24,110 annually, and $964,400 over the course of a 40-year career, according to a new analysis by the NWLC.
Equal Pay Day for all women was marked on March 24, 2021, meaning that Black women have to work an extra five months to catch up.
This year’s Black Women’s Equal Pay Day comes as Black women are continuing to face the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, during which Black women have been hit disproportionately hard.
Over 1 in 12 Black women ages 20 and over were unemployed in June, an increase of 8% since May. And Black women’s unemployment rate remains nearly two times higher than their pre-pandemic unemployment rate, according to the NWLC.
In July, the median weekly earnings for a Black woman were $746, compared to $1,115 for a white man, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With Black women more likely to be the breadwinner for their family, the pay gap matters even more in a time of economic uncertainty like the pandemic, according to Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
“When we have a pandemic and then the economic downturn, there’s less money to ride out an economic storm, less money that they’re bringing home, especially if their hours have been cut,” Mason told Good Morning America last year. “Some people think that the pay gap doesn’t exist or you don’t really feel it, but women feel it every day in their wallets, every day when they go to work and bring home less, or during an economic downturn or job loss. They don’t have the money they need to be able to provide for their families.”
Mason’s organization has released research that estimates Black women will not bring home the same earnings as white men for the same jobs until 2130 if the current rate of change persists.
When it comes to solutions for closing the pay gap for Black women, Mason said the federal government can play a role in passing legislation that promotes pay equity and pay transparency and works to end workplace discrimination.
She said employers can play a role, too.
“Employers have a role to play in terms of making sure there is pay equity and making sure that women across the board earn what they’re worth and the skills and talents they bring to the table,” Mason added. “And as a culture and a society, we have a lot of work to do in terms of breaking gender stereotypes around women in the workplace, their value and how much women should be paid for their work.”
(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) — After a very public flop in 2019, Boeing’s chance at redemption for its Starliner spacecraft is finally here.
The second test flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch from the Florida coast on Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. ET, after a launch attempt last week was scrubbed due to an unplanned thruster-firing incident on the International Space Station. The first Starliner launch in December 2019 famously did not go as planned, and the spacecraft never reached the ISS.
NASA will carry live coverage of the uncrewed mission as it is a part of NASA’s Commercial Crew program, in which the space agency tapped the private sector to help with missions in low-Earth orbit. Live coverage of the Starliner launch will commence on NASA’s website and social media handles at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Approximately 30 minutes after launch, the Starliner is set to perform its orbital insertion burn that kicks off its daylong trip to the space station. It is then scheduled to dock at the ISS at 1:37 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
The spaceship is bringing some 400 pounds of cargo and supplies to the space station crew.
While the test flight is unmanned, an anthropometric dummy dubbed “Rosie the Rocketeer” will be aboard the Starliner. The 180-pound test device will sit in the commander’s seat of the capsule for the test flight, and its sensors will be used to collect data on how the launch will impact eventual human passengers. The model human was named after the World War II icon Rosie the Riveter, and is meant to honor women pioneers in aerospace. The test device is clad in the iconic red polka-dot bandana.
Boeing also said it will be paying tribute to more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities during the flight test. Among the cargo inside the spacecraft are flags, small pennants and other items “representing HBCUs from throughout the U.S.,” according to a statement from the company.
NASA and Boeing blamed errors in automation and software issues for the botched launch in December 2019, saying mission clocks were not in sync and thus timing errors prevented the Starliner from reaching the orbit it needed in order to get to the space station. Rather than reach the space station, the Starliner landed in White Sands, New Mexico.
Tuesday’s mission is seen as critical for Boeing, as it has yet to launch astronauts for NASA while its Commercial Crew program competitor SpaceX has flown multiple crewed missions to the space station in addition to numerous cargo flights. Boeing is also still reeling from the fallout related to issues with its 737 Max jets. If the Starliner launch fails again, it is difficult to see how it will be able to remain competitive against SpaceX for NASA contracts — especially as the private sector’s involvement in the budding commercial space industry has grown significantly over the past year.
