With just seven suitors remaining and hometown dates looming, Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette saw Katie face her toughest rose ceremony yet.
Tensions were already running high in the house as two of the men, Brendan and Mike, were still waiting for a coveted one-on-one date with Katie. When the date card arrived, it went to Mike, leaving Brendan to question if he still has a chance with the Bachelorette.
Brendan’s worst fears were later confirmed when he confronted Katie, who admitted she didn’t think they could establish a connection in time for hometowns. Brendan, to his disappointment, was sent home.
Katie, who revealed beforehand that she felt something for Mike, hoped their date would lead to a connection — but they weren’t meant to be, either. After a day with “Cuddle Queen Jean” Franzblau, who guided them through a series cuddling positions aimed at helping them strengthen their bond as a couple, Katie realized her other relationships were stronger and, because of that, she sent Mike home, too.
Elsewhere, Justin, Andrew, Blake and Michael A. joined Katie on an artistic exploration inspired by artist Jacqueline Secor, who tasked the men to create “sensual” or “thought-provoking” art that expressed their feelings for Katie.
However, their thoughts were more focused on the after-party and who would earn the rose and the first hometown date. That honor went to Michael A.
Greg earned a rose and the next hometown date after a successful second one-on-one date with Katie. Greg recreated her home state of Washington and the two shared a romantic kiss in the rain.
Heading into the rose ceremony with just two roses to spare, Katie had to decide between Blake, Justin and Andrew. Faced with an agonizing choice, she settled on Blake and Justin, but found herself second-guessing her decision.
The next day, Andrew stopped by Katie’s room and shared an emotional goodbye. However, before leaving, he slipped the Bachelorette a note that read, “If you change your mind…I’ll be waiting.”
Upon reading it, Katie sprinted after Andrew and presented him with an offer: “If there’s a way to stay a little longer, would you want to?”
Wanting nothing more than to say yes, Andrew ultimately turned down the offer, explaining that he wanted his future wife to choose him, but Katie had chosen someone else.
Here are the four men whose families Katie will meet:
Blake, 30, a wildlife manager from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Greg, 27, a marketing sales rep from Edison, New Jersey
Justin, 26, an investment sales consultant from Baltimore, Maryland
Michael, 36, a business owner from Akron, Ohio
The Bachelorette returns with a special “Men Tell All” episode on Monday, 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
(ROOSEVELT, Utah) — A man has fallen to his death while hiking with his fianceé’s 9-year-old son above a waterfall.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, when 40-year-old Adrian Vanderklis of Roosevelt, Utah, was climbing near Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon with the 9-year-old son of his fiancée when the boy, who was uninjured, climbed down from where the pair had been hiking on his own to find his mother, according to a statement from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO).
“The woman reported that she could see her son, who was crying, but that she could not see her fiancé, and that she hadn’t seen him for ‘several hours,’” said the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were subsequently alerted about the missing man and Utah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers were dispatched to the scene along with a helicopter crew from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
The body of Vanderklis was discovered shortly after at approximately 7:45 p.m. on a “very steep, near vertical, slope about 1/3 of a mile west of Bridal Veil Falls at an elevation of about 5,800 feet,” according to the UCSO.
A team of Search and Rescue volunteers were able to get to Vanderklis and discovered that he did not survive his injuries sustained in the fall but had to call off the recovery operation of his body due to declining light.
“Darkness set in, making a recovery of Mr. Vanderklis’s body extremely dangerous,” said the UCSO. “The operation was called off late Saturday night due to darkness and resumed Sunday morning at 7:00. [Search and Rescue] volunteers were shuttled to the location of Mr. Vanderklis’s body. After securing him and preparing him to be hoisted off the cliff, the DPS helicopter crew returned and brought Mr. Vanderklis off the mountain. His body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.”
Authorities said it is unclear what caused Vanderklis to fall but they think it is possible that he stumbled or slipped on some loose material where he was hiking. They also confirmed that the boy he was with did not see the accident occur but they believe he was killed immediately as a result of his fall.
“The Utah County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Vanderklis and his fiancée and her family,” said the UCSO.
The investigation into Vaderklis’ death is ongoing.
(LOS ANGELES) — With the delta variant surging in the United States, doctors are urging everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated — including the more than 30 million people who have already had COVID-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, getting vaccinated after recovering from infection leads to even stronger protection compared to infection alone. Meanwhile, studies show currently authorized vaccines are likely to offer protection for at least eight months, and likely longer, but much less is known about how long you’ll be protected from reinfection after recovering from COVID-19.
Despite these recommendations, some high-profile political figures have insisted that prior infection is enough, and there’s no need to get a COVID-19 vaccine for those who have already recovered.
Most notably, in June, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) falsely tweeted that vaccination did not provide additional benefit after COVID-19 infection.
Understandably, some Americans, having now recovered from COVID-19, are left conflicted with the mixed messaging and are unsure what to do next.
“For those who have had COVID and are wondering whether or not to get vaccinated, I would absolutely encourage them to do so now to protect themselves and others,” said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease physician at South Shore Health and an ABC News Medical contributor.
While the benefits of vaccination after infection are well-documented, there are still many Americans who have neither been vaccinated nor infected, and they also have a choice to make.
Not only is getting a vaccine far safer than being infected with the COVID-19 virus, but studies also show that vaccine-induced immunity may be superior to post-infection immunity. In fact, a recent study published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrated that antibodies induced by the vaccine may better combat a wider range of new viral variants when compared to antibodies induced by infection.
“This is particularly important, as now we are seeing an increase in cases due to the delta variant,” Wildes said.
Experts agree that getting vaccinated after recovering from infection is safe — and the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19.
However, there are some important instructions the CDC has released for specific groups. Patients who received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma should wait for 90 days before vaccination. Children who were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome should also wait for 90 days after the date of diagnosis.
As the delta variant becomes rampant in unvaccinated communities, and more and more Americans find themselves at a crossroads after infection, experts say it’s crucial for everyone to consider vaccination — even those who were previously infected.
Priscilla Hanudel, M.D., is an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s top COVID officials are set to testify before Congress on Tuesday as guidance on masks is splintering at the local level — with some cities and medical organizations recommending a return to universal mask wearing, despite federal guidance that vaccinated Americans can go without masks.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief White House medical adviser, said Monday that it was “reasonable” for a leading group of pediatricians to push back against federal guidance that vaccinated Americans can go without masks.
“The CDC always leaves open the flexibility at the part of local agencies, local enterprises, local cities and states to make a judgment call based on the situation on the ground. So, I think that the America Academy of Pediatrics — they’re a thoughtful group, they analyze the situation — and if they feel that is the way to go, I think that is a reasonable thing to do,” Fauci said in an interview with CNN after the AAP’s guidance came out.
The group on Monday called for schools to enforce universal masking mandates because so many children won’t be protected by fall and schools have no way of verifying COVID vaccine status yet. The AAP warned that the honor system has failed to keep many people safe in the face of the delta variant.
“AAP recommends universal masking because a significant portion of the student population is not yet eligible for vaccines, and masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated,” the AAP wrote in it’s Monday statement. “Many schools will not have a system to monitor vaccine status of students, teachers and staff, and some communities overall have low vaccination uptake where the virus may be circulating more prominently.”
People who are fully vaccinated — a term used to describe a person two weeks after their last shot — are still considered safe from serious illness or death, even if they are exposed to the delta variant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 99.5% of hospitalizations are people who weren’t immunized.
Because vaccinated people are considered to be safe, the CDC has said immunized adults and teens can go without a mask, including inside schools.
While CDC Director Rochelle Walensky didn’t directly respond to the AAP’s guidance on Monday, she spoke on a panel that afternoon and urged parents to vaccinate their children — a solution that grants children full protection from the virus but that hasn’t been accepted as eagerly by parents who are nervous to give their kids the vaccine.
“Being vaccinated will allow our kids to safely get back to the things they have missed — in-person school, playing with friends and participating in sports activities,” Walensky said at the panel on Monday.
But Walensky also argued that it could protect kids’ lives.
“Vaccinating our children is more than just a way of getting them safely back at school. It’s a way to save lives,” she said, citing the 489 pediatric deaths from COVID-19 and other risks to children who survive the disease, like longterm symptoms and multisystem inflammatories syndrome, “a rare but serious complication which is affected over 4,000 children in the United States, leading to more than 37 pediatric deaths,” she said.
The public health agency has noted, however, that local officials should still decide to enforce mask mandates if COVID cases climb and vaccination numbers are low. And the CDC said that schools can still embrace universal masking if they can’t verify vaccinations or have large numbers of students too young to qualify.
“In areas where there are low numbers of vaccinated people, where cases are rising, it’s very reasonable for counties to take more mitigation measures,” like the mask rule in Los Angeles, Biden’s surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday.
“And I anticipate that will happen in other parts of the country — and that’s not contradictory to the guidance the CDC issued,” he added.
Fauci, too, noted that guidance will have to be tailored to specific groups, whether that’s Los Angeles or school children, because the CDC’s guidance is broad and relies on data that isn’t always immediately available.
“That is an understandable, human reaction to really want to be more safe rather than sorry. And I believe that is the reason why they’re doing that,” he said, speaking about the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance for school children.
But Fauci also acknowledged that it created confusion to have different guidance for various settings.
“That does lead to some sort of confusion sometimes when people see an organization making one recommendation, in general, for the whole country, and then local groups, local enterprises, local organizations, in order to get that extra step of safety, say something different. And you’re right, that does indeed cause a bit of confusion,” he said on CNN Monday.
And it’s this approach — allowing states and local communities to decide and essentially putting Americans on the honor system — that’s in question after COVID cases have risen in nearly every state.
Dr. Jerome Adams, who was surgeon general under President Donald Trump, said he made a mistake early on in the pandemic urging people not to mask up because he feared a shortage of masks for health care workers. Adams said he’s afraid the CDC is making another mistake now by not putting more pressure on everyone to wear a mask.
“Instead of vax it OR mask it, the emerging data suggests CDC should be advising to vax it AND mask it in areas with cases and positivity- until we see numbers going back down again,” Adams tweeted.
“CDC was well intended, but the message was misinterpreted, premature, & wrong. Let’s fix it,” he added.
The Biden administration though is in a tough spot. The CDC had been under extraordinary pressure earlier this year to show skeptical Americans the benefits of vaccination, including being able to go without a mask and not having to quarantine after being exposed.
And so far, number studies have shown that all three vaccines – Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna – protect people against all known variants. The vaccines also are shown to provide more durable protection than a natural infection.
Also, any federal mandate for vaccines or masks would no doubt trigger a swift backlash among conservatives.
Responding to the former surgeon general calling on CDC to bring back masks, conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted: “No. No. No. Hell no.”
For his part, President Joe Biden has suggested in recent remarks that he’s worried about the science of the vaccinations and masks, only the people who were choosing to ignore it.
“Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated,” said Biden Friday.
And in a speech on Monday, he said, “Virtually all hospitalizations and deaths are occurring among unvaccinated Americans. These tragedies are avoidable. … If you’re unvaccinated, you are not protected.”
(PLANO, Texas) — Six people were rushed to a hospital on Monday after a house exploded in a Dallas suburb, officials said.
The explosion occurred at around 4:40 p.m. local time in a residential neighborhood of Plano, Texas, about 20 miles north of downtown Dallas. The blast was felt up to a mile away by residents as well as staff at a public library, and homes across the street from the exploded house had windows blown out, according to Plano Fire-Rescue.
One resident was inside the home that exploded and was transported to a local hospital for their injuries. Five people who live in the house next door were also injured and taken to the hospital. Three of the wounded were admitted to a children’s hospital, Plano Fire-Rescue said.
One person who lives in the home on the other side of the exploded house was not injured by the blast, according to Plano Fire-Rescue.
In addition to investigators from Plano Fire-Rescue, representatives from Atmos Energy and Oncor Electric along with the Plano Police Department’s bomb squad were all on scene trying to determine the cause of the explosion. The scene was later turned over to the Plano fire marshal and his investigators, with Atmos Energy remaining on site but all other agencies departing.
“At this point, they do not know the cause and do not want to speculate,” Plano Fire-Rescue said in a statement on Monday night.
Electricity and gas was shut off for the entire block until about 9:30 p.m. local time, when Atmos Energy and Oncor Electric determined it was safe to reinstate power and gas except for the exploded house and the two next door, according to Plano Fire-Rescue.
Plano Mayor John Muns said investigators were “working diligently to determine the cause of the blast.”
“We are saddened by today’s tragedy of a house explosion in our city,” Muns said in a statement on Monday evening. “Several of our residents were injured. We are keeping them and their families close to our hearts and hoping for a swift and full recovery.”
(CLEVELAND, Ohio) — Margie’s Closet opened on June 5 to help transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive people buy clothing at an affordable cost.
Located in Ohio, Margie’s Closet is the first thrift shop in the state designed to help the transgender community by offering clothing and emotional support. The store, founded by the organization Margie’s Hope, sells an extensive list of clothing, from chest binders for transgender men to $5 pairs of jeans.
Jacob Nash, co-founder of Margie’s Hope and Margie’s Closet, told “Good Morning America” that he came up with the idea for the store after listening to questions from individuals in the transgender community.
“There was some conversation, first through a friend of mine who … had some clothes that she wanted to donate to folks in the trans community, and wanted to know if I knew of any place that served the trans community specifically,” Nash said. “Then, at the support group that Margie’s Hope has [Trans Ally] … a lot of people talked about shopping online because they felt uncomfortable in the stores … and then they end up sending a lot back.”
As a response to these conversations, he opened a pop-up event where people donated clothing for transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive individuals. This event was extremely popular, Nash said, which inspired him to open up a store to sell this donated clothing.
“By the time we were done, we had so many clothes. We were like, ‘OK, so we obviously have a need here. What are we going to do?’” Nash said.
His dream became a reality when he discovered a space called Studio West 117, which was specifically created for the LGBTQ+ community, on the border between Lakewood and Cleveland that he found ideal to house the store.
“We toured the facility and realized that this would be perfect because we wanted to be able to provide folks within the transgender and nonbinary and gender-expansive community a space that they felt comfortable in [and] that they could get there everything [they] need[ed],” Nash said.
About six weeks after leasing the space, the store opened, just in time for Pride Month. So far, the turnout has been “phenomenal,” Nash said.
“We’ve had people coming in and purchasing items that are from the community, but also people that are supportive of the trans community that are coming in and saying, ‘We are coming here to shop because we want to support the community, the trans community, the nonbinary community,” Nash said. “It’s not just folks from the LGBTQ community that are coming in and shopping, or even donating, but it’s the whole community of Northeast Ohio.”
Monika Veliz, the executive manager of Margie’s Closet, agrees that the turnout has been “more than [they] could have hoped for.” She believes that the large numbers of people coming to the store can be contributed to local support and advertising.
“We realized that we can’t do this by ourselves, and the community realized that we can’t do this by ourselves, so everyone’s been really helpful,” Veliz said. “Surrounding businesses have been more than generous with welcoming us to the neighborhood. We’ve had, because of social media, and different platforms … people drive as far as from Cincinnati to Cleveland, from Bowling Green to Cleveland just to get to the store.”
This support is meaningful to Nash, but not because of the money made, making Margie’s Closet different from a typical business. In fact, the store offers opportunities for those who cannot afford the clothing to have access to $25 vouchers through community organizations or to ask for help from the store upfront. This is because Nash wants Margie’s Closet to care more about the people it helps than making a profit.
“We are trying, as our slogan goes, ‘building community one piece of clothing at a time,’ because it’s not about the clothing as much as it is building community, building family, building relationships and serving the population that is most needed,” Nash said. “If that means we give away product, then we give away product because it’s more about the people than it is about the money.”
When Veliz started working at the store, she did not realize this unique aspect of the store – that was, until she had a meaningful interaction with a transgender woman customer.
“She knew absolutely very little about women’s clothing, about her body type, her body shape, and she came into the store as we were closing. We actually stayed open an extra hour just for her so that I could help her pick up clothes and measure her and all that good stuff,” Veliz said.
“Up until that point, I thought it was just a business, if that makes sense…, but then I realized the importance we play in trans and nonbinary people who walk through our door,” Veliz added. “They’re looking for direction, they’re looking for… connection [and] community. That was the defining moment of what the store actually was for me.”
(EL PASO, Texas) — Abigail and Dominic Miramontez are thrilled to bring their son Austin home after 136 days in the NICU at an El Paso hospital.
Abigail Miramontez was 24 weeks pregnant and throwing a birthday party for her father when she felt was described as a “push” while making her dad’s cake. She quickly realized she needed to go to the hospital and found out when she got there that she was in labor.
“It was very scary,” Abigail Miramontez said. “I felt like it wasn’t real until he was born.”
Austin was born at just 2 pounds and 2 ounces. The couple was told their son would need to stay into the NICU at least until his original birth date to make sure he was healthy enough to go home with them.
At 2 weeks old, Austin had to undergo a procedure on his small intestines. From there, he was nursed to health by NICU doctors and nurses who Abigail Miramontez said she grew close to over the months of Austin’s stay.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Abigail Miramontez and Dominic Miramontez were not allowed to see their son in the NICU together — only one person could enter the room at a time. Abigail Miramontez said she drove to visit her son every day, while Dominic Miramontez, who is a truck driver, would come every chance he could when he was not working.
On July 13, 2021, the parents were finally able to take their son home after spending 136 in the NICU. Austin left the NICU weighing 9 pounds and 9 ounces.
“I was excited,” Miramontez said. “It’s actually been so much fun just having him here and being able to dress him up. When he was in the NICU, they wouldn’t even let us put clothes on him because of COVID.”
Miramontez said they’ve been able to introduce Austin to their family members safely and from a distance and that she’s excited that her son is finally home.
Britney Spears‘ new lawyer, celebrity attorney Mathew S. Rosengart, says he’s working “aggressively” to remove the singer’s father from her controversial conservatorship.
Jamie Spears has managed Britney’s estate since the conservatorship was enacted 13 years ago.
According to E! News, Rosengart addressed the press at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on Monday, where he laid out his objectives for the ongoing legal battle.
“My firm and I are moving aggressively and expeditiously to file a petition to remove Jamie Spears unless he resigns first,” said the attorney, noting that his team is “working very hard on the documents.”
“I once again want to thank Britney Spears for her courage and for her strength,” Rosengart told the press. He also expressed gratitude for the Grammy winner’s loyal fan base, telling them, “The outreach and support for my firm, myself and most importantly Britney has truly been overwhelming from coast to coast and literally throughout the world.”
The attorney’s words regarding Jamie Spears reflect the wishes Britney made during her July 14 hearing, where she told Judge Brenda Penny, “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse.”
In addition, the singer stated on social media over the weekend that she will no longer “be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think,” because the “conservatorship killed my dreams.”
Journey‘s classic seventh studio album, Escape, was released 40 years ago this past week.
The chart-topping record was Journey’s first album to feature keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who left The Babys to join the band, replacing founding member Gregg Rolie.
Cain immediately began collaborating with Journey’s main songwriters, frontman Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon, and wound up co-writing all of Escape‘s 10 tracks.
“They wanted me to help change their sound,” Cain tells ABC Audio. “They wanted me to help take Journey to the next place.”
Cain says he developed a synergy with Perry and Schon in the studio that reminded him of the chemistry The Beatles had.
“We knew our roles,” Jonathan notes. “We knew when to step in, when to kick back.”
Reflecting on Escape‘s musical diversity, Cain notes, “It’s a menagerie of pop and rock…[A]ll the influences…kind of stewed together. And the critics really kind of dismissed it…but it had a way of selling, and kept selling.”
That menagerie included Journey’s first three top-10 hits — “Open Arms”, “Who’s Crying Now” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which peaked at #2, #4 and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
Cain says he’d written most of “Open Arms” before joining Journey, and then enlisted Perry to help finish the lyrics.
Jonathan recalls that when he presented the pop ballad to the band, “they looked at us like we were Martians,” but “when [Steve] sang it, it was extraordinary.”
Then there was “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which while it wasn’t Escape‘s biggest chart hit, it’s become Journey’s signature song.
Cain says he remembers musing with Perry about Journey one day having a transcendent anthem like The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” and with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “40 years later, I think we have one. What a blessing.”
NBA legend Scottie Pippen has a special message for the US Olympic men’s basketball team, competing for their fourth consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
“They will do well and bring home the gold,” declared the former Chicago Bulls player, who was a first-time Olympian himself when he joined the 1992 Dream Team alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Saying the team features “the best [players] in the world,” Pippen told ABC Audio, “I think those players have truly shown — throughout their careers — that they’re some of the top in the game,” adding that they “will bond and gel throughout their practices and their preparation [and] training.”
Pippen, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, shouted out Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets player is primed to win his third gold medal at this year’s Olympics.
“I’m wishing him to bring home the gold for Team USA,” Pippen said. “I think his leadership will truly be needed in this year’s Olympic Games, especially on the basketball stage.”
Pippen also reminisced about his time playing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, noting the pressure athletes face when they compete on the world stage.
“You’re representing the country. The amount of people that are behind you and pulling for you, it’s an amazing feeling,” he recalled. “It’s something I will never forget.”
The US Olympic men’s basketball team tips off against France this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.
Three lucky people and their friends can watch the Olympics from Pippen’s Chicago mansion, which is available on Airbnb for three one-night stays on August 2, 4, and 6.
