Tag Archives: aim

Health

NC Coronavirus update July 29: Gov. Cooper takes aim at unvaccinated people, says they are causing COVID-19 resurgence

Leave a comment

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina, like many other states across the country, is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

CDC COVID-19 Transmission Levels by U.S. County

Map not displaying correctly? Click here to open in a new window.

4:15 p.m.
President Joe Biden is urging local governments to offer $100 to those who get vaccinated with funding from the American Rescue Plan.

Biden will also announce Thursday that all federal government employees and outside contractors will be asked to “attest to their vaccination status,” and those who aren’t vaccinated must social distance, get tested once or twice a week and wear a mask at work no matter where they live. This includes members of the Armed Forces and National Guard.

3:30 p.m.
Governor Roy Cooper and Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen on Thursday announced all state government employees in his administration must prove their vaccination status or submit to regular testing for COVID-19 and wear a mask.

“Our trends have turned sharply in the wrong direction,” he said ahead of that announcement.

Central North Carolina residents react to Cooper’s announcement:

Cooper said he “urges” and “implores” local businesses, corporations, universities, and other government agencies in the Council of State to adopt his administration’s new protocols “at a minimum.”

Cohen said there’s a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases in the state.

“This is because the COVID virus is now much, much more contagious,” she said.

Cohen said that the original COVID spread from one person to an average of two to three people. But now, the Delta variant spreads from one person to an average of six people.

2:45 p.m.
Approximately one year ago, in late July of 2020, the U.S. had just experienced its COVID-19 summer surge, and was beginning to see a downturn, after six weeks of steady increases throughout the late spring, and early summer.

On July 27, 2020, the U.S. average was averaging about 63,400 new COVID-19 cases a day, down from its peak of 68,000 cases reported a day, a week prior.

Now, a year later, on July 27, 2021, the U.S. case average is back at similar levels, now averaging nearly 62,000 new cases a day.

1 p.m.
A whopping 3,268 new COVID-19 cases were reported in North Carolina on Thursday.

That’s a significant spike from Wednesday and well above the 7-day average.

The number of tests completed also shot up in the state to more than 29,000. That shows that more people in the state are worried they might have COVID.

The percent of positive tests in the state is at 9.3%.

1,141 people are currently hospitalized in the state with COVID-19.

13,618 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic.

12:15 p.m.
“It’s time to step up. It’s time to get that shot now. Do not wait. Do it for yourself. Do it for your family. Do it for your friends. The shot is safe. The shot is effective,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a vaccine site in Nashville, North Carolina.

Cooper visited the McDonald’s in Nashville where the National Guard has set up a COVID-19 vaccination site.

The site allows people to get vaccinated without leaving their cars. People who got the shot also received a coupon for a free McDonald’s sandwich.

Cooper spoke at the event, but declined to talk about pending changes to the state’s vaccination requirements or mask guidelines. Cooper will address those topics during his 3 p.m. press conference–which you can watch in the above video player or on ABC11.

Instead, Cooper praised North Carolinians who already received the vaccine and encouraged them to keep advocating for their friends and family to get vaccinated.

“People who are vaccinated I know are frustrated and mad right now, because they have stepped up and done their part. But I want vaccinated people to encourage the unvaccinated now more than ever. Because vaccinated people can be some of our best messengers.”

Cooper went on to say the only way to finally get back to what life was like before the virus is to get vaccinated.

“It’s time for us to step up and put this pandemic in the rear-view mirror, and we can’t do it until we get more people vaccinated.”

8:45 a.m.
President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that millions of federal workers must show proof they’ve received a coronavirus vaccine or submit to regular testing and stringent social distancing, masking and travel restrictions.

An individual familiar with the president’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm details that had yet to be announced publicly, emphasized that the new guidance is not a vaccine mandate for federal employees and that those who decide not to get vaccinated aren’t at risk of being fired.

The new policy amounts to a recognition by the Biden administration that the government – the nation’s biggest employer – must do more to boost sluggish vaccination rates, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rebound, driven largely by the spread of the more infectious delta variant.

THURSDAY MORNING HEADLINES

Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to share new COVID-19 guidelines when he speaks publicly this afternoon at 3.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in North Carolina and across the country. New research on the highly contagious Delta variant shows even vaccinated people can spread it.

That new research prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its mask guidance–now suggesting that all people wear masks inside in areas where cases are prevalent.

The CDC also now suggests vaccinated people get tested for COVID-19 after they are exposed to a known positive case.

SEE ALSO: Some Triangle businesses reinstate mask mandate as COVID cases surge

But what do these changes mean for North Carolina? That’s what we expect Gov. Cooper to address this afternoon.

Wednesday saw the state confirm more than 2,600 new cases, with a positivity rate at 10.8 percent. That’s the second straight day above 10 percent and the highest daily case count since February.

Health experts continue to stress how important it is to get vaccinated. As the vast majority of all these cases, and even more so the cases that result in hospitalization, are among unvaccinated people.

WATCH: Healthcare worker has message for vaccine-resistant hospital workers

WEDNESDAY
5:15 p.m.
North Carolina State University announced that face coverings will be required in classrooms and laboratories for the first three weeks of the semester.

Face masks will not be required outdoors.

In other indoor spaces, those who are vaccinated are the exception to this requirement. The university encourages anyone who has not been fully vaccinated to continue wearing masks indoors and when in close contact with others.

The requirement extends to the campus’ bussing system.

4:30 p.m.
Duke University announced all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear face masks in all Duke-owned and leased buildings effective Friday, July 30, until further notice.

The university cited the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in North Carolina related to a combination of the Delta variant and the number of people who remain unvaccinated, as its reasoning.
Masks will not be required in on-campus residence halls.

Triangle hospitals say they are seeing an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Dr. Lisa Pickett, chief medical officer at Duke University Hospital, said their numbers are double from what they were two weeks ago.

While they don’t know if patients have the Delta variant since they don’t sequence at the time of admission, they presume many do, since it’s the most prevalent strain in our area, Dr. Pickett said.

WakeMed Health & Hospitals is reporting their COVID inpatient hospitalizations tripled in the last month.

A spokeswoman said more than 92 percent of COVID inpatients are unvaccinated and that the Delta variant is responsible for a spike in cases. She is stressing vaccination and said the comprehensive use of masks and other personal protective equipment inside all of their facilities is helping keeping staff and patients and their families safe.

UNC Health has 150 COVID patients in hospitals. That’s about the same as a year ago and up from about 50 patients a month ago, according to a spokesperson. UNC Health said most of their cases are among the unvaccinated and due to the Delta variant.
“A couple of days ago (North Carolina) crossed 1,000 people again for the first time in quite a few months in terms of hospitalized bed numbers and it is baked into the system, that the number is going to go up for at least a couple of weeks,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, Duke Health infectious disease specialist, in a virtual news conference Wednesday.

A new Lambda variant was first identified in Peru and some cases have been reported in the U.S. but the World Health Organization doesn’t consider it a variant of concern. It does consider the Delta variant one though.

Q&A: Is it still safe to travel amid rising COVID-19 cases?

“We’re part of a team that works with the people who are doing the genetic surveillance and looking at what other variants are out there,” said Dr. David Montefiori, director of the Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research and Development at Duke University Medical Center, in the news conference. “They’re not prevalent enough to be a variant of interest or a variant of concern yet but do they have the potential to escape our vaccines? Does this virus have the ability to completely escape our vaccines? That’s a question that we’re studying and that other people are studying.”

Dr. Wolfe said if you’re outdoors, there’s typically a lower risk of contracting the Delta virus than indoors. He said vaccinations matter and that a mask helps further reduce the spread.

“If your outdoor activity is a spaced out game on the soccer field, in reality your risk is extremely low,” Dr. Wolfe said. “So athletics last year, for example, were very good at going through degrees of proving that in fact on field transmissions were exceptionally uncommon.”

“I think if your situation is an outdoor concert venue where for protracted periods of time, you’re sitting in close proximity, perhaps yelling and screaming at the concert, that risk has gone up,” Dr. Wolfe said. “And the way that it stands at the moment is our chance of having someone in close proximity to you, who has, unbeknownst to them, COVID, has also gone up.”

Montefiori said it’s critical to keep the pandemic under control to keep the virus from mutating and becoming more resistant to vaccines, something routinely seen with influenza strains.

“Every time the virus gets transmitted from one person to another, it has an opportunity to mutate, to change, and so the more we can shut this pandemic down and slow down the spread of the virus, the less opportunities it’s going to have to continue to mutate and change and become more contagious and potentially even escape our vaccines,” he said.

That leads to the question on booster shots and Montefiori said that could be a real possibility.

“I think we’re probably getting very close to a time where we’re going to know if and when a boost is necessary,” he said. “I believe that boosting will be necessary. It’s very likely going to strengthen the immune response against the variants.”

4:25 p.m.
The Durham County Department of Public Health will offer COVID-19 vaccines at Durham Academy and Lakewood Shopping Center during the week of July 26, 2021.

When: Thursday, July 29, 4:30pm-6:00pm
Where: Durham Academy. 3116 Academy Rd., Durham, NC 27707
Vaccines offered: Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson; first & second doses
How to be vaccinated: Appointments & walk-ins. Open to all people 12 and older. To schedule an appointment, call 919-560-9217.

When: Saturday, July 31, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Where: Lakewood Shopping Center. 2000 Chapel Hill Rd., Durham, NC 27707
Vaccines offered: Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson; first & second doses
How to be vaccinated: Appointments & walk-ins. Open to all people 12 and older. To schedule an appointment, call 919-560-9217.

2:45 p.m.
Pfizer released new data showing its vaccine’s ability to protect against severe illness remains strong six months out. Efficacy against symptomatic disease also remains high, but appears to taper off over time.

Pfizer is using this data to bolster its argument that booster shots are needed six months out.

But the FDA – not the company – will decide if and when booster shots are needed. This data has not yet been peer reviewed.

12:15 p.m.
2,633 new COVID-19 cases were reported in North Carolina on Wednesday. That’s even higher than the count on this day last year — which was 1,805 new cases. This marks the highest daily cases since Feb. 27.

The percent positive in the state is at 10.8%. Tuesday marked the first time over 10% since the end of January. Tuesday’s percent positive was 10.2%.

1,091 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state. Tuesday marked the first day with hospitalizations above 1,000 since May 7.

The number of patients hospitalized has doubled in the last two weeks.

13,606 people have died since the start of the pandemic.

The percent of the adult population that has at least one dose of the vaccine in North Carolina has inched up one percent to 61%.

Despite vaccines declining since early June, the state finally saw an increase last week. Last week, about 94,000 doses were administered. That’s a 17% increase from the week before. Most of the new vaccines were first doses. 17,000 more people got a first dose last week than the week before. 59,000 total people last week got a first dose.

12 p.m.
In the last week, the US reported the highest number of new COVID cases in the world, according to the WHO.

For the week of July 19-25, the US reported a 131% increase in new COVID cases, over the previous week, according to the latest WHO epidemiological report.

There were 3.8 million new COVID cases reported worldwide in the last week, an 8% increase over the previous week.

The number of new COVID related deaths increased sharply this week to over 69,000, up 21% from 57,000 last week.

The Americas and European regions are reporting the highest weekly case incidence per capita: 123.3 and 108.3 new cases per 100,000 residents respectively.

10:50 a.m.
Anyone working for NCDHHS at state-operated facilities will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a statement about its decision Wednesday saying the vaccine is the most effective weapon in the fight against the pandemic.

The agency’s decision falls in line with recommendations from the North Carolina Healthcare Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nursing Association.

The full statement is below:

“NCDHHS will require that that all employees, volunteers, students, trainees, as well as contracted and temporary workers working at state-operated facilities be fully vaccinated or receive an approved medical or religious exemption by September 30, 2021.
Vaccination for COVID-19 is the most effective prevention against the disease. Over 75% of DSOHF facility staff are vaccinated, with three facilities over 90%. As a health care system, we have a responsibility to protect the patients and residents that we serve – many of whom are at high risk for COVID-19 complications, are without other options for care, and in our care for long periods of time. It is well documented that health care personnel often unintentionally introduce the virus into institutional settings prompting an outbreak. That’s why numerous professional organizations recommend that vaccines be required for all healthcare and long-term care staff, including the North Carolina Healthcare Association and over 50 national groups such the American Medical Association and the American Nursing Association.
Rigorous clinical trials among thousands of people ages 12 and older, have proven that vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 and virus-related hospitalization and death. More than 160 million Americans have been safely vaccinated.”

9:20 a.m.
A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can “strongly” boost protection against the delta variant — beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, suggests new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday.

The data posted online, which are expected to be discussed in a company earnings call on Wednesday morning, suggest that antibody levels against the delta variant in people ages 18 to 55 who receive a third dose of vaccine are greater than five-fold than following a second dose.

9:15 a.m.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky says new mask-wearing guidance, coupled with higher rates of vaccination against COVID-19, could halt the current escalation of infections in “a couple of weeks.”

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told “CBS This Morning” she hopes more stringent mask-wearing guidelines and other measures won’t be necessary as the country heads into the fall.

“We can halt the chain of transmission,” she said. “We can do something if we unify together, if we get people vaccinated who are not yet vaccinated, if we mask in the interim, we can halt this in just a matter of a couple of weeks.”

With the delta variant fueling a surge of infections across the country, the CDC on Tuesday recommended even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas where the variant is prevalent.

Walensky says the new guidance was prompted by data that vaccinated people can pass on the virus. However, the vast number of infections are occurring in unvaccinated people, she noted. Walensky said 80% of the counties with the highest number of infections have less than 40% of people vaccinated.

The nation is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. The guidance on masks in indoor public places applies in parts of the U.S. with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week.

9 a.m.
WakeMed Health & Hospitals has told workers it will require them to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The Raleigh-area hospital system is the leading provider in the state’s second largest county. It has three acute care hospitals and one physical rehabilitation hospital.

The timeline for when the vaccine requirement will take effect has not yet been determined. The move comes amid growing concern of the more contagious delta variant. Several other North Carolina hospital systems have announced plans to compel workers to come in get vaccinated. WakeMed’s vaccine requirement will apply to all employees, providers and volunteers in the “near future.”

8:45 a.m.
Duke University announced all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear face masks in all Duke-owned and leased buildings effective Friday, July 30, until further notice.

The university cited the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in North Carolina related to a combination of the Delta variant and the number of people who remain unvaccinated, as its reasoning.

Masks will not be required in on-campus residence halls.

WEDNESDAY MORNING HEADLINES
Gov. Roy Cooper and the state’s coronavirus task force will not be issuing an update today as previously planned.

The governor’s office said Tuesday afternoon that the previously planned Wednesday update would be pushed to Thursday.

Meanwhile, Cooper said he is reviewing mask guidance issued Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC changed its mask recommendations in light of new evidence about the Delta variant of COVID-19.

That variant has become the most dominant form of the virus in the US. The CDC’s new evidence suggests that vaccinated people remain well protected against all forms of COVID-19, including the Delta variant. However, unlike other variants, vaccinated people can still spread the Delta variant.

That’s why the CDC said all people should wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.

Since the COVID-19 vaccines still provide strong protection against the Delta variant, health officials continue to urge people to get vaccinated.

Many healthcare facilities have begun mandating vaccines for their employees.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce federal employees will be required to be vaccinated or else face “stringent COVID-19 protocols.”

Q&A: With the Delta variant spreading, can vaccinated people feel safe without a mask?

Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.



Read original article here

World

Tropical Storm Elsa moves back over water and forecasted to take aim at Florida next

Leave a comment

Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall along Cuba’s southern coast Monday afternoon as forecasters said it could then turn toward Florida. As of Sunday night, the storm had moved back out over the water, but was still bringing heavy rain to Cuba.

Concern about possible high winds from the approaching storm was the reason officials in Surfside, Florida, ordered the demolition of the remaining part of the condominium building that partially collapsed. It was brought down late Sunday night.

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida because of the storm, making federal aid possible. Governor Ron DeSantis had already declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including in Miami-Dade, where Surfside is.

Nearly 9 million people in Florida were under tropical storm watches and warnings Monday after forecasters extended the tropical storm watch north along the state’s western coast and the storm warning west along the Panhandle.

Satellite image shows Tropical Storm Elsa just off Cuba early on July 5, 2021.

NOAA


The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Elsa was “expected to move near the lower Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas on Tuesday.” The NHC said the storm is then expected to move “near or over” parts of Florida’s west coast by late Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Five to 10 inches of rain were expected across portions of Cuba on Monday with up to 15 inches in some spots, the hurricane center said, adding that, “This will result in significant flash flooding and mudslides.”

As of 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Elsa’s center was some 20 miles north-northeast of Havana, scampering north-northwest at 12 mph. Elsa had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center, an increase from 50 mph earlier in the evening. 


Tracking Tropical Storm Elsa

01:07

By Sunday, Cuban officials had evacuated 180,000 people as a precaution against the possibility of heavy flooding from a storm that already battered several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people. Most of those evacuated stayed at relatives’ homes, others went to government shelters, and hundreds living in mountainous areas took refuge in caves prepared for emergencies.

The hurricane center said the storm was likely to gradually weaken while passing over central Cuba but “slight re-strengthening is forecast after Elsa moves over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.”

Elsa is the earliest fifth-named storm on record and also broke the record as the tropic’s fastest-moving hurricane, clocking in at 31 mph Saturday morning, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.

Read original article here

World

EXCLUSIVE New Saudi airline plan takes aim at Emirates, Qatar Airways

Leave a comment

DUBAI, July 2 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia plans to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with Gulf giants Emirates and Qatar Airways and opening up a new front in simmering regional competition.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing economic diversification to wean Saudi Arabia off oil revenues and create jobs, announced a transportation and logistics drive on Tuesday aimed at making the kingdom the fifth-biggest air transit hub.

Two people familiar with the matter said the new airline would boost international routes and echo existing Gulf carriers by carrying people from one country to another via connections in the kingdom, known in the industry as sixth-freedom traffic.

The transport ministry, which has not released details of the plans, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The strategy marks a shift for Saudi Arabia whose other airlines, like state-owned Saudia and its low cost subsidiary flyadeal, mostly operate domestic services and point-to-point flights to and from the country of 35 million people.

The Saudi expansion threatens to sharpen a battle for passengers at a time when travel has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Long-haul flights like those operated by Emirates and Qatar Airways are forecast to take the longest to recover.

Riyadh has already moved to compete with the UAE, the region’s business, trade and tourism hub. The Saudi government has said that from 2024 it would stop giving contracts to firms that do not set up regional headquarters in the kingdom.

“Commercial competition in the aviation industry has always been fierce, and regional competition is heating up. Some turbulence in regional relations is on the horizon,” said Robert Mogielnicki, resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute.

Dubai, the world’s largest international air travel hub, has announced a five-year plan to grow air and shipping routes by 50% and double tourism capacity over the next two decades.

Riyadh has already moved to compete with the UAE, the region’s business, trade and tourism hub. The Saudi government has said that starting 2024 it would stop giving contracts to firms that do not set up regional headquarters in the kingdom.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a session of the Shura Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 20, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

Read More

Prince Mohammed is trying to lure foreign capital to create new industries including tourism, with ambitions to increase overall visitors to 100 million by 2030 from 40 million in 2019.

“Saudi Arabia has the ability to push forward with its aviation and tourism strategy when others will be retreating and retracting,” aviation consultant Brendan Sobie said.

“It is a risky strategy, but also sensible given its position and overall diversification objective.”

TOURISM PUSH

However, any airline requires substantial start-up capital and experts warn that if Saudi Arabia’s ambition is to compete on transit flights it may have to contend with years of losses.

Saudi Arabia’s large population generates direct traffic that could cushion losses as a new airline targets international transit traffic, aviation consultant John Strickland said.

Emirates reported a record $5.5 billion annual loss last month with the pandemic forcing Dubai to step in with $3.1 billion in state support.

Etihad Airways has scaled back its ambitions after it spent billions of dollars to ultimately unsuccessfully compete in building a major hub in United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi.

People familiar with the matter said the new airline could be based in the capital Riyadh, and that sovereign wealth fund PIF is helping set it up.

PIF did not respond to a request for comment.

Saudi Arabia is developing non-religious tourism with mega projects backed by PIF. It has launched social reforms to open up the country, the birthplace of Islam, including allowing public entertainment.

Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexander Smith

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

US

Biden’s infrastructure plan takes aim at Trump’s biggest economic achievement

Leave a comment

Before their 2017 changes, the U.S. had the highest corporate rate among developed countries, and many companies were stockpiling profits overseas to avoid the tax. A growing number of companies were moving their headquarters abroad in so-called inversions to escape the IRS.

But that argument fell flat with many voters, and Democrats handily won the public relations battle pointing to things like a wave of stock buybacks on Wall Street.

Biden wants to increase the corporate rate to 28 percent, which is actually what the Obama administration had proposed when he was vice president. That would raise about $700 billion.

He would generate even more savings with a flurry of other, more arcane, tax increases with acronyms like QBAI and FDII, that won’t mean much to average voters but will set off alarm bells in corporate tax departments.

Many of those provisions focus on toughening a minimum tax known among experts as “GILTI” that Republicans imposed as part of their 2017 law on U.S. companies operating overseas.

Biden would double its tax rate, eliminate a special deduction against the levy and change how companies go about calculating the tax, among other things.

Democrats contend the targeted provisions encourage companies to move their operations overseas, though the evidence is hardly clear on that score.

Investment and jobs in the U.S. increased in 2018, the first year the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was in effect, according to JCT.

Republicans say Democrats’ plans will recreate a lot of the problems they were trying to solve because it would leave the U.S. once again with a high corporate tax rate compared to other developed countries.

Under Biden’s plan, businesses would face a combined 32.3 percent corporate tax, including state levies, which would be the highest among developed countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Excluding the US, the average corporate tax among OECD countries is 23.4 percent).

“Hastily changing the tax system purely for purposes of raising revenues will bring back inversions and foreign takeovers of U.S. companies,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, the top Republican on the Finance committee.

The administration acknowledges the risk of more inversions but says it can address the issue through regulations while also pressing other countries to adopt similar approaches to taxing corporations.

Read original article here

World

Defense takes aim at bystanders in George Floyd case

Leave a comment

“As the crowd grew in size, seemingly so too did their anger,” Nelson said in his opening statement on Monday. “And remember, there’s more to the scene than just what the officers see in front of them. There are people behind them, there are people across the street, there are cars stopping, people yelling. There is a growing crowd and what officers perceive to be a threat.”

The carefully calibrated language by each side is no accident. As Nelson cross-examined Donald Williams, a former wrestler and a mixed martial arts fighter who has also worked security, he peppered his questions with the word “crowd”: “Have you ever had to deal with a crowd of people?” “Have you ever had to deal with a crowd of people that was upset?” and “Is it easier or harder to deal with a crowd that is upset?”

Video of the scene suggests something less than a crowd — around 15 people can be seen on surveillance video on the sidewalk in front of Cup Foods, where Chauvin pinned Floyd to the street. That camera shows Darnella Frazier, who made the most widely seen bystander video, walking past with her 9-year-old cousin, then returning to begin filming, one of the first people to stop and watch. Others gather, one by one.

A still image of body-camera footage from Officer Tou Thao, who was facing the bystanders and admonishing them to stay on the sidewalk, shows 14 people. At least five are female, including Frazier, her cousin and two teenagers. One bystander is a small child. At least three people have their phones out to capture the scene. Of the 14, only one — a teenage girl two steps into the street with her phone out — is off the sidewalk at that point, although the live video shows others stepping into the street at times.

Nelson has suggested there were others off camera — across the street and on the other side of the intersection — though the broadest camera view so far does not show a crowd at the intersection. He has also highlighted passing cars that may have heightened officers’ stress.

Mike Brandt, a local defense attorney closely watching the trial, said Nelson “obviously needs to come up with some explanation as to why the cops kept doing what they were doing.” He said he did not think it would be persuasive.

“When you look at the ‘crowd’ you have visions of two or three people deep fanning out 180 degrees (if not more) around the officers,” Brandt said. “That really wasn’t the case.”

Video shot by Frazier and others showed people upset by what they were seeing. Blackwell said bystanders first sought to “intercede with their voices,” then began taking video. Before long, some were imploring Chauvin to have mercy on Floyd.

“You got him down — let him breathe,” someone yelled. A woman said, “How long y’all going to hold him down?”

Concern grew when Floyd went silent. “He’s not responsive right now,” someone said. Onlooker Genevieve Hansen, a firefighter, urged officers to check his pulse. Another asked, “Did they (expletive) kill him?”

Hansen said she was on her way home from a walk when she saw the police vehicles.

“I was concerned to see a handcuffed man who was not moving, with officers with their whole body weight on his back, and a crowd that was stressed out,” she said.

She said she identified herself as a firefighter but officers refused to let her come to Floyd’s aid. She admitted raising her voice and using foul language “because I was desperate” to help Floyd. In cross-examination, Nelson asked her how she would react if she was fighting a fire and a crowd of bystanders took issue with her work. Hansen said she wouldn’t have a problem.

No bystander was more vocal than Williams, and Nelson worked to draw him out.

Nelson asked if Williams grew angrier as the arrest continued, and the mixed martial arts fighter agreed that he did. Nelson also noted that Williams called Chauvin names — “tough guy,” “real man.” He called him a “bum” 13 times. When Williams appeared to step off the curb and Thao touched him, Nelson said Williams threatened the officer.

Williams didn’t disagree.

“Yeah, I did,” he said without hesitation. “I meant it.” But he said his anger was directed at what was happening to Floyd.

“You can’t paint me out to be angry,” he told Nelson.

Frazier, too, was at the center of a notable exchange with Nelson. She confirmed to him that as time went on, more people gathered, voices became louder, and people got more angry.

But Blackwell followed up by asking Frazier whether anyone threatened police, became violent, acted unruly or could be fairly called a “mob.” No, she responded.

Did she see any onlooker “do anything to attack or threaten Mr. Chauvin?”

“No,” she replied.

“Did you see a single thing that indicated to you that Mr. Chauvin was afraid of you, your little cousin or a single one of the bystanders?” Blackwell asked.

The answer, again, “No.”

Read original article here

US

Major U.S. companies take aim at Georgia’s new voting restrictions

Leave a comment

Republican Governor Brian Kemp signs the law S.B. 202, a restrictive voting law that activists have said aimed to curtail the influence of Black voters who were instrumental in state elections that helped Democrats win the White House and narrow control of the U.S. Senate, in this handout photo posted to Kemp’s Twitter feed on March 25, 2021.

Governor Brian Kemp’s Twitter feed | Handout via Reuters

Business executives across the United States are calling out efforts to restrict voting access, after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law that opponents say would disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color.

Among the overhaul of state elections, the bill includes a restriction of drop boxes, makes it a crime to provide food or water to voters lined up outside polling stations, requires mandatory proof of identity for absentee voting and creates greater legislative control over how elections are run.

The bill is one of many Republican-backed election efforts introduced across the U.S. after former President Donald Trump, and other GOP members, falsely claimed that last year’s election defeat was due to fraud. For Georgia, it comes after historic turnout in the state’s election, particularly among Black voters and voters of color, in November general and January runoff elections.

Now, civil rights groups, corporate leaders and Democratic officials are denouncing the law.

CNBC compiled a list of corporate responses to the bill:

  • Global asset manager BlackRock issued a statement Wednesday on LinkedIn.
    “Equal access to voting is the very foundation of American democracy. While BlackRock appreciates the importance of maintaining election integrity and transparency, these should not be used to restrict equal access to the polls. BlackRock is concerned about efforts that could limit access to the ballot for anyone. Voting should be easy and accessible for ALL eligible voters. Voting is not just a right, but a vital component of civil activity. We should encourage all eligible voters to play this essential role in our democracy,” CEO Larry Fink wrote.
  • Coca-Cola executive Alfredo Rivera said in a statement the company, which is headquartered in Georgia, is disappointed by the law. “As soon as Georgia’s legislature convened this year, our company joined with other Georgia businesses to share our core principles: We opposed measures that would seek to diminish or restrict voter access and we advocated for broad access, voter convenience, election integrity and political neutrality. Anything that inhibits these principles can lead to voter suppression. We took these steps because they align to our Purpose and the conscience we follow,” he said.
  • Georgia-based Delta airlines said in a memo to employees that the “final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.” “After having time to now fully understand all that is in the bill, coupled with discussions with leaders and employees in the Black community, it’s evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong,” CEO Ed Bastian said.
  • Pharmaceutical giant Merck said Wednesday that the company stands “strong on our core values including our commitment to social justice and the right of people to fully and freely participate in electoral processes.” “There is no more fundamental right than the right to vote. Democracy rests on ensuring that every eligible voter has an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot, free from restrictions that have a discriminatory impact. We all have an obligation to stand up against racism and other forms of discrimination whenever we see them,” the company added.
  • Porsche’s North American operations, headquartered in Georgia, issued a statement that “equal access to the polls for every voter is core to a democracy.” “As an Atlanta-based business, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) supported the work of the Metro Atlanta Chamber with members of the Georgia General Assembly to maximize voter participation and ensure election integrity. We understand the legislative outcome remains subject to debate and hope a resolution can be found between all sides that encourages and enables every eligible vote,” the company said.
  • Georgia-based UPS said this week the company supports the ability and facilitation of all eligible voters to exercise their right to vote. “Like other businesses in the community, we actively engaged with political leaders in both parties and other stakeholders to advocate for more equitable access to the polls and for integrity in the election process across the state. We echo the statement by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and stand ready to continue to help in ensuring every Georgia voter has the ability to vote,” the company said.
  • Mercedes-Benz said that it “stands against efforts which discourage eligible voters to participate in this vital process.”
  • In a blog post, Microsoft President Brad Smith noted the company expressed concern about the law prior to its passage and laid out its opposition in further detail, such as narrowing the window of time voters can request an absentee ballot. “We recognize that some recent criticisms of Georgia’s legislation have proven inaccurate. But already, it’s clear to us that the new law contains important provisions that needlessly and unfairly make it more difficult for people to vote,” Smith wrote. “This new law falls short of the mark, and we should work together to press the Georgia legislature to change it,” he added.
  • Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins shared his concern for the new law in a tweet. “Our vote is our voice, and everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard. Governments should be working to make it easier to vote, not harder. Ensuring equal #VotingRights isn’t a political issue, it’s an issue of right and wrong,” he said.
  • Home Depot, which is headquartered in Georgia, said that it will work to ensure its workers across the country have the resources and information to vote. “We believe that all elections should be accessible, fair and secure and support broad voter participation.”

In a statement Wednesday to CNBC, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp defended the law and specifically took aim at Delta’s chief executive. 

“Today’s statement by Delta CEO Ed Bastian stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists,” Kemp, a Republican, said. 

“Mr. Bastian should compare voting laws in Georgia — which include no-excuse absentee balloting, online voter registration, 17 days of early voting with an additional two optional Sundays, and automatic voter registration when obtaining a driver’s license — with other states Delta Airlines operates in,” he added.

CNBC’s Frank Holland, Mike Wayland, Phil LeBeau, Sara Eisen, Amelia Lucas, Kevin Stankiewicz and Leslie Picker contributed to this report.



Read original article here

US

More states aim to offer Covid-19 vaccines to everyone 16 and older in coming weeks

Leave a comment

Mississippi is one of three states that have expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older, and a CNN analysis finds that more than a dozen more plan to open up to people 16 and older by the end of April.

McGee, who lives in Columbus, Mississippi, decided to waste no time last week.

By 7 the next morning, the college student was on the phone with the Mississippi State Department of Health looking to schedule an appointment. After some trouble scheduling over the phone, he said that he secured an appointment online for 9:20 a.m. at a Lowndes County drive-through site.

It took just 20 minutes for McGee to get vaccinated. By 9:40 am, he was one of the youngest people in Mississippi to have been immunized with one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is authorized in the United States for ages 16 and older, and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are both authorized for adults 18 and older.

Alaska was the first state in the US to stop prioritizing certain groups for Covid-19 vaccines and open vaccination appointments to everyone 16 and older who lives or works in the state.

McGee said that he was surprised his state was the second, following Alaska, to open vaccinations to anyone 16 and older in the general public.

“There’s a lot of negative stereotypes about the state, and I think some of those are for good reason — the state’s access to health care, the state’s poverty rate, its history of racism are all negative things that exist to this day,” McGee told CNN. “But to have this vaccine eligibility expanded, I think, is one thing that Mississippi can be celebrated for.”

Alaska opened up vaccinations to anyone 16 and older on March 9, Mississippi on March 16, and West Virginia expanded on March 22. Oklahomans 16 and older can get vaccinated through the Chickasaw Nation’s vaccination program, but not yet through the state’s program.

A CNN analysis of state health departments has found that Covid-19 vaccination eligibility is anticipated to open to people 16 and older in certain states by the following timeline:

  • March 24: Utah and state-run sites in certain Arizona counties
  • March 25: Georgia
  • March 29: Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota
  • April 1: Montana
  • April 5: Connecticut, Michigan
  • April 9: Missouri
  • April 12: Illinois
  • April 19: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
  • April 26: Idaho
  • April 27: Maryland
  • April, no set date: New Mexico, Virginia, Iowa
  • May 1: Wisconsin, Oregon, South Dakota
  • May 3: South Carolina
  • May or later: California, Nebraska, Kansas, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Delaware

Connecticut and other states have employed a phased rollout of Covid-19 vaccines because of “the limited supply of vaccine relative to the demand,” Maura Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, told CNN in an email on Monday.

“We started with frontline healthcare workers and residents/staff of long term care facilities, then progressed backwards through age brackets starting with our residents who were 75 years of age and older,” Fitzgerald said, adding that just last Friday the state opened vaccinations to adults 45 and older and announced those 16 and older would become eligible on April 5.

“However, with the increasing vaccine supply from the federal government and the efficiency with which our vaccine providers are getting shots in arms, we were able to expedite our rollout,” Fitzgerald said.

Tom Hudachko, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Health, told CNN in an email on Tuesday that when demand starts to wane in priority groups — based on information from vaccine providers in terms of available appointments — then eligibility is opened to additional populations.

“Last week, some of our providers were reporting up to 15% of their appointments were available this week, so we made the decision to open eligibility to 16+,” Hudachko said. “We also anticipate increased supply in the weeks ahead, so that factored in as well.”

Why there’s ‘variability’ in eligibility across states

There is variability in which states are offering vaccines to everyone 16 and older, and which are still prioritizing groups, because there are state-by-state differences in supply and demand.

“The few states that I’m aware of that have opened fully — it seems like they’re more rural states, and I think they moved through their various priority groups and probably transitioned as they started to see demand going down,” Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told CNN on Tuesday.

“There is variability in how quickly states have opened up their eligibility and some of that has to do with supply,” Plescia said.

For instance, Plescia said that in some areas in the Southeast, the demand appears to be not quite as robust and so some of those southern states may open vaccinations to everyone 16 and older more quickly than other states in the Northeast or on the West Coast where there is still a lot of demand.

“Some states have sort of wanted to be more thorough in reaching a significant proportion of each group before they open it up to more groups,” Plescia said.

“So I think in some states they might actually spend some time doing a little more outreach to, say, people over 65 before they open up more broadly,” he said. “Whereas I think there are some states where they’ve opened it up and the demands there will stay with that group, but once the demand starts to slow down — rather than going out and really trying to recruit more people — they’re just opening it up.”

President Joe Biden has directed states to open vaccination to all adults by May 1. Plescia told CNN that he thinks that goal is within reach.

“In most states, it seems like we have the capacity to administer the vaccine. It’s really just a supply issue,” Plescia said. “I guess with most of the states, the response to the Biden administration’s goal has basically been, ‘Okay, get us an ample supply where we can meet the needs and we’ll be ready to do it.’ So I do think that’s ultimately going to be the deciding factor in whether we really have — not an unlimited supply — but a significantly increased supply where you can open it up and you know that you’re not going to be running out of vaccine.”

Meanwhile, McGee applauds his state of Mississippi for opening vaccinations to the general public and he told CNN that he is optimistic that President Joe Biden’s hope that all adults will be vaccinated by May 1 becomes a reality.

“I think everything is pointing in the right direction,” he said.

‘Supply has driven this whole conversation’

Overall, state decisions around opening up Covid-19 vaccine eligibility have hinged on supply and likely will continue to do so, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told CNN on Tuesday.

“Supply has driven this whole conversation,” Benjamin said.

“The reason for prioritizing in the first place was because we knew supply would be short in the beginning, and then of course there was a desire to deal with health inequities — so those two things, to some degree, drove the priority setting,” he said. “At the end of the day, the goal is to get everybody vaccinated and we should leave no stone unturned.”

Now with Biden’s goal to open vaccinations to everyone 16 and older by May 1, Benjamin said he anticipates more states will expand eligibility in the coming days.

“I think you’re going to continue to see states opening up, trying to get ahead of that date — but it’s going to be totally dependent on vaccine supply,” Benjamin said.

Read original article here

Entertainment

Dr. Dre’s Estranged Wife Takes Aim at Alleged Mistresses Over Money

Leave a comment

Exclusive

Dr. Dre‘s estranged wife is looking into whether the mogul is funding the lifestyles of his alleged mistresses … and she wants to talk financials with them.

Nicole Young wants three women whom she claims were intimate with Dre during their marriage to sit for depositions … and according to new docs, obtained by TMZ, she’s looking to ask them if Dre lavished them with money and gifts.

In the docs, Nicole claims the women’s lawyer is trying to delay their depositions until the validity of the prenup is decided … but Nicole wants answers sooner rather than later, because she says it could affect spousal support and the validity of her prenup itself.

Specifically, Nicole says one of the women bought a $2.15-million house free and clear in 2019 … and she wants to ask if Dre provided the dough for the purchase.

As we reported … Dre recently agreed to cut Nicole a $2 million check for temporary support, on top of the $293,306 a month he’s already dishing out.

It would appear Dre has more than enough money to provide support to Nicole regardless of whether he’s paid money to any other women … but the depositions could be relevant if a judge were to invalidate the prenup — then any money that might have gone to these women would be community property and Nicole presumably would demand her half.

Read original article here

World

Australian Open Nick Kyrgios takes aim at team box during first-round match

Leave a comment

It didn’t take long — just two games in fact — but Nick Kyrgios was back to his prickly best on John Cain Arena at the Australian Open on Monday evening [AEDT].

Down a break at 0-2 in the first set against Portugal’s Frederico Ferreira Silva, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box, loudly exclaiming: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”

It’s unclear who exactly he was referring to, but it proved the catalyst for a quick turnaround in fortunes; Kyrgios quickly broke back and evened the contest at 2-2, then muttering under his breath: “Wonder why?”

From there, the Australian was well on his way to taking a 5-4 lead in the set before again halting proceedings, this time berating a member of the crowd for speaking between his opponent’s first and second serves.

“Be quiet bro, have some respect for the kid,” Kyrgios said.

He approached the chair umpire after the game, asking him loudly if he was going to do anything about it.

Kyrgios went on to take the first set 6-4 and was rarely troubled for the rest of his encounter, occasionally offering himself some advice, and at one point asking his opponent for an unused towel during a change of ends.

Kyrgios closed out the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but said he was far from playing his best tennis.

“Honestly it was pretty average. I haven’t played a Grand Slam match in over a year. I was nervous,” he said on court following the win.

“(But) it was special; I appreciate [the crowd for] coming out. It was a strange year, and we all overcame it together to make it possible. It felt normal, to be honest, it was good to see [the crowd was] going nuts”

Kyrgios faces Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the second round.



Read original article here

World

China takes aim again at BBC as dispute with Britain intensifies

Leave a comment

By Gabriel Crossley

BEIJING (Reuters) – The BBC came under fire from Chinese officials and social media on Friday in an escalating diplomatic dispute, a day after Britain’s media regulator revoked the TV licence of Chinese state media outlet CGTN.

Britain and China have been exchanging barbs for months over China’s crackdown on dissent in the former British colony of Hong Kong, concern over the security of Huawei technology and the treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region.

On Thursday, Britain’s Ofcom revoked the licence of CGTN, the English-language sister channel of state broadcaster CCTV, after concluding that China’s ruling Communist Party had ultimate editorial responsibility for the channel.

Minutes later, China’s foreign ministry issued a statement accusing the British Broadcasting Corp of pushing “fake news” in its COVID-19 reporting, demanding an apology and saying that the broadcaster had politicized the pandemic and “rehashed theories about covering up by China”.

The BBC said its reporting is fair and unbiased.

On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin slammed the Ofcom ruling as “politicising the issue on a technical point” and warned that China reserves the right to make a “necessary response”.

Britain’s Telegraph newspaper separately reported on Thursday that Britain had in the past year expelled three Chinese spies who were there on journalism visas.

China’s state media has ramped up attacks on the British public broadcaster in recent weeks.

“I highly suspect that the BBC has been closely instigated by the intelligence agencies of the US and the UK. It has become a bastion of the Western public opinion war against China,” Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Communist Party-backed tabloid the Global Times, said on Twitter.

The foreign ministry’s criticism of the BBC was among the top trends on China’s Weibo social media platform on Friday.

“BBC shall not become Bad-mouthing Broadcasting Corporation,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Twitter.

BBC broadcasts, like those of most major Western news outlets, are blocked in China.

Some people called for the BBC to be expelled in response to CGTN’s licence being revoked.

“The BBC has long been stationed in Beijing, yet has always held ideological prejudice and broadcast fake news from its platform, deliberately defaming China. After so many years, it’s past time that we took action,” one Weibo user said.

The BBC’s coverage of Xinjiang came under heavy criticism after it reported on Wednesday that women in internment camps for ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in the region were subject to rape and torture.

China’s foreign ministry said the report had no factual basis. The Global Times said in an editorial on Friday that the BBC had “seriously violated journalistic ethics”.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Tony Munroe, Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie)

Read original article here