Warner Bros. — Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for WIRED(NEW YORK) — On this day 80 years ago, Bugs Bunny made his official screen debut in the Tex Avery short A Wild Hare. To mark this occasion, ABC Audio caught up with Eric Bauza, who not only voices Bugs, but also Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, and Tweety in HBO Max’s new Looney Tunes toons.
“You know, in Hollywood, to be that long in the industry is quite an accomplishment,” Bauza laughs, “And to be voicing him in my inaugural year, I mean, I’ve been voicing Bugs Bunny since I was nine. You know, in front of the TV…”
Bauza deconstructed the unmistakable voice for us, explaining he’s standing on the shoulders of its originator, Mel Blanc. “It’s such a weird voice because, yeah, you have that bassyness to this to it there, that great — and then there’s the nasaly quality together. And then you slap on the New York accent. And it’s like, oh, my gosh. Off to the races.”
Bauza explains he tries to bring out his favorite aspect of Blanc’s portrayal. “What I miss most about the performance that Mel Blanc left behind was the amount of energy that he had. There’s moments in cartoons [where] ‘He talks like this,'” the actor says, imitating the rabbit. “But then he’s like [shouting] ‘OOH I’M DYIN!!’ You know, like that weird stuff that doesn’t even sound like Bugs. That’s the stuff that as a kid, I’d be like, woah, where did that come from?!”
Bauza explains, “Being a fan as a child and now being a father of a four year old…my son and I watch it together….So getting to not just be Bugs, but to be part of the exposure to a new generation…is something that I’ll never forget.”
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) — Missouri health officials are urging residents to take “aggressive actions” following nearly a week in which daily COVID-19 cases have reached four figures.
On Sunday, the state had its sixth straight day of more than 1,000 new cases, with 1,218. A four-day streak of record-breaking numbers of new cases peaked at 1,652 on Friday.
There are 41,927 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Missouri and 1,197 deaths, according to the state health department. The seven-day rolling average of positive tests is 8.8%.
“We’re trending up,” Dr. Randall Williams, director of the state’s health department, said Wednesday at Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s coronavirus briefing. The 1,000-plus numbers likely represent community transmission, primarily among 20- and 30-year-olds, Williams said.
The average age of those contracting COVID-19 has been steadily declining, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. As of Sunday, the average age of a COVID-19 patient in the state is 43; the seven-day rolling average is 40.
Daily hospitalization data on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard has not been updated since July 12, though Williams said those numbers are also “trending up.” The lag in reporting is due to a change in how data is collected, after the White House switched data collection from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to a private firm earlier this month. As a result, the Missouri Hospital Association said it has been left “in the dark” and unable to access state data.
Williams said he expects to have updated hospitalization figures this week.
A call to ‘mask up’
Missouri started reopening its economy on May 4, with the governor allowing the state to fully reopen starting June 16. There is no statewide mask mandate, though several local jurisdictions, including St. Louis County and Kansas City, Missouri, have issued their own orders as COVID-19 cases have started to rise in recent weeks.
The Missouri Hospital Association is also among a coalition of eight state organizations urging residents to “mask up” amid the increase, pointing to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear cloth face coverings in public to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
“Missouri’s stay-at-home order helped reduce transmission of the virus. However, with many regions of the state opening, Missouri’s transmission rates have been rising,” the association said in a statement. “Missourians can protect themselves, their families and members of the community by wearing a mask when in public and when in contact with at-risk individuals.”
In a grim letter to the public released Friday, several health officials in the Kansas City region, including two in Missouri, urged residents to take steps to limit the spread of the disease due to recent data that suggests they are “losing the battle with COVID-19,” the letter said.
“We are extremely concerned that hospitalizations will continue to escalate in the coming weeks and months, and that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 will lead to increasing ventilator use and deaths,” said the letter, which stressed mask-wearing indoors and when social distancing is not possible. “This is our best option right now for protecting our friends, families, neighbors and the economy.”
One oft-cited example of the value of mask-wearing happened right in Missouri: After two symptomatic hairdressers potentially exposed 140 customers to COVID-19 in May, the county health department determined that no new cases were linked to the Springfield salon. Both hairstylists and all clients were wearing face coverings at the time, officials said.
Missouri’s COVID-19 epicenter
The hardest-hit county in Missouri is its most populous one: St. Louis. As of Sunday, the county had about a quarter of the state’s COVID-19 cases, with 10,995, based on state data. During the first two weeks of July, the average number of new COVID-19 cases more than doubled, according to a July 23 report from the St. Louis County Health Department. Hospitalizations increased by 73% during that period, it found. The overall testing positivity rate has been gradually climbing since mid-June, the report stated.
With a record numbers of new cases in recent days, county officials have warned they are considering reimposing restrictions. At a coronavirus briefing on Friday, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said that the county would start “talking about restrictions” when daily hospital admissions hit 40.
That number has been hovering around there in recent days. On Sunday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported daily new hospitalizations at 36, down from 40 on Thursday. The seven-day moving average of new hospitalizations was 40 on Sunday, continuing an upward trend in the county.
“We’re in a difficult place right now, and we do need to be taking some aggressive actions as a community to turn the curve around,” task force head Dr. Alex Garza said Friday at a coronavirus briefing. “We have a lot of transmission in our community. It is still being driven by our younger population.”
Last week, the county announced that it would be pausing youth summer league competitions, such as games and scrimmages, due to rising cases among children ages 10-19.
“While the risk of transmission during competitive youth sports games is most likely low, all of the activities surrounding the games increase the likelihood of spreading the virus. This includes teams, coaches and parents gathering before, during and after games and practices, carpooling and other activities associated with participating in sports teams, especially if proper mitigation practices are not in place,” the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, the St. Louis Sports Medicine COVID-19 Task Force and the city of St. Louis said in a joint statement released Thursday.
The guidelines only apply to summer sports, officials said.
Garza stressed “decisive actions,” such as mask-wearing, social distancing and not congregating in large groups, to help reduce the curve and keep hospital admissions down in the region.
In a confluence of COVID-19 concerns, one recent outbreak in the state has been tied to a large gathering of young people. The Jackson County Health Department said on Friday it had traced five cases of the virus to a July 10 high school party attended by anywhere from 100 to 200 students.
The department is recommending that all those who attended get tested for the virus. Under the county’s current guidelines, gatherings are limited to 100 people.
(NEW YORK) — Peaceful protests against police brutality and the presence of federal agents at demonstrations turned violent as police in several large cities across the country declared riots, and one protester in Austin was killed in a shooting that erupted during a weekend of civil unrest.
A Black Lives Matter protester was fatally shot just before 10 p.m. on Saturday during a march in downtown Austin, police said.
While police initially said the protester, identified as Garrett Foster, was armed when he approached a car occupied by a man who killed him, Foster’s mother disputed the account during an interview Sunday on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Sheila Foster said her son was pushing his fiancee’s wheelchair when he was gunned down.
“And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times,” the mother said.
The gunfire, which was captured on cellphone video, caused protesters to run and duck for cover.
Police said the suspected gunman was captured and was being interviewed by investigators. The alleged gunman’s name has not been released.
The deadly violence occurred as protests across the country turned from peaceful to chaotic.
Oregon
Police in Portland, Oregon, declared that a demonstration turned into a “riot” early Sunday when protesters breached a reinforced fence around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. Federal agents guarding the building deployed tear gas on the demonstrators, who officials alleged hurled projectiles and fireworks at the agents.
It was the 59th straight day of protests in Portland and demonstrators have accused federal agents of inflaming violence by using questionable tactics for detaining protesters and dispersing crowds.
President Donald Trump has threatened to send federal agents to more cities to restore order.
More than 100 miles away in Eugene, Oregon, police also declared a “riot” when Black Lives Matter members, protesting in solidarity with their Portland counterparts, clashed with counterprotesters waving American flags and toting signs reading “All Lives Matter,” according to police.
Police said they moved in to quell the demonstrations when vandalism occurred to businesses, including a Whole Foods store, and officers witnessed and arrested a man allegedly firing a gun into the air. Rocks and other objects were also thrown at police, officials said.
At least eight other people, including a juvenile, were arrested on suspicion of rioting in Eugene, police said.
California
In Oakland, California, a peaceful march through the city’s streets intended to show support for the ongoing protests in Portland erupted in violence late Saturday.
The Oakland Police Department tweeted that some agitators among the roughly 700 peaceful demonstrators vandalized a police station by breaking windows, spray painting walls and shooting fireworks. Police officials said multiple small fires were set throughout the city, including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse.
Police said several arrests were made.
Washington
In Seattle, officials said that 59 police officers were hurt on Saturday in clashes with protesters and that 47 arrests were made.
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said at a late-night news conference Saturday that protests were mostly peaceful until nightfall when some agitators began throwing rocks and explosives at police. Best said one officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive.
Earlier in the day, a dozen people set fire to portable trailers during a protest at the construction site of the new King County Juvenile Detention Facility, police said. Officials also said that windows of cars and some businesses were broken near downtown Seattle as groups of protesters marched through the area.
Police said they were also investigating an explosion that damaged the facade of the police department’s East Precinct.
“There, several people emerged from the group and began spray painting and attempting to disable security cameras and a fenced perimeter around the precinct. At least one person breached the precinct’s fence line. Moments later, a device exploded leaving an 8-inch hole in the side of the precinct,” police said in a statement.
By 10 p.m. Saturday, police had made 45 arrests, officials said.
Virginia
Meanwhile, the police department in Richmond, Virginia, declared an unlawful assembly on Saturday night after more violence erupted there.
A demonstration billed as “Richmond Stands with Portland” started out with a peaceful march but became unruly as marchers made their way to Richmond Police Headquarters, officials said.
Prior to reaching police headquarters, police said some in a group of mostly peaceful protesters set fires, broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on buildings. Some damage was done to buildings at Virginia Commonwealth University, police said.
Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, police tweeted “please disperse or face arrest” while addressing protesters outside police headquarters. Police posted on Twitter images of rocks, batteries and other projectiles they said were hurled at officers posted outside the headquarters that “prompted an Unlawful Assembly being declared.”
A city dump truck parked near police headquarters was also set on fire, according to police.
The Virginia State Police said its troopers were helping to protect the police department headquarters when several people who were among the protesters tore down police tape and moved forward pointing lasers and shooting firecrackers.
Police said tear gas was used to disperse the crowd outside the headquarters.
Four men were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, police said. A 29-year-old Richmond man was also arrested and charged with rioting with a firearm, while a 28-year-old man from Hopewell, Virginia, was arrested on suspicion of assault on a law enforcement officer and rioting, according to police.
Hillsborugh County Sheriff’s Office By JON HAWORTH, ABC News
(TAMPA BAY, Fla.) — A man has been arrested after reportedly walking into a hotel room and attempting to kidnap a child right from their mother.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:41 a.m. on July 26 when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from the panicked mother informing them that a man had just entered the Tampa Bay, Florida hotel room where her and her offspring were before he allegedly tried to kidnap the child directly from her.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect walked in and picked up the child in front of the mother before she jumped up and was able to gain control of her child again causing him to walk out of the door.
The mother then escaped and called emergency responders to report the incident.
According to a statement released by police, the suspect, 24-year-old Gabriel Martin, then fled the scene of the attempted crime on foot and when the authorities arrived on scene to investigate, they were able to locate him hiding in some bushes at a nearby business park and was immediately placed under arrest.
“Thankfully, the mother and child were not hurt during the course of this incident,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the fear this mother was in when the suspect tried to take her child away from her. He will be charged to the fullest extent for his crimes.”
Martin now faces charges of Kidnapping, Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling with Battery, and Violation of Probation.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Martin was already on probation for possession of MDMA as well as armed burglary charges out of Manatee County, Florida.
It is unclear what Martin’s motivations for the crime were.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney(LOS ANGELES) — Natalie Portman may be small now but she plans on getting “jacked” for her upcoming role as Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder.
During an Instagram Live with tennis star Serena Williams, the 39-year-old actress shared a few tidbits about the Marvel character she’s gearing up to portray, starting with her name.
“She’s actually The Mighty Thor,” she clarified. “The comics had the female Thor when Jane becomes Thor, and she’s The Mighty Thor.”
Portman, who will be the first female to take on the role, added that she is “very excited” for Thor: Love and Thunder. She also revealed that, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s now set to begin shooting in Australia in early 2021, which she’s thankful for since it gives her more time to bulk up.
“We haven’t started. More time to get jacked. Which I have not,” she admitted. “I’ve got the carbo-loading down, but not the exercise part.”
“I’m interested to see if I can gain muscle,” she added.
While on the topic of Marvel, Portman confessed that Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, will also appear in Thor: Love and Thunder and it just so happens to be her favorite Marvel character.
Warner Bros. — Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for WIRED(NEW YORK) — On this day 80 years ago, Bugs Bunny made his official screen debut in the Tex Avery short A Wild Hare. To mark this occasion, ABC Audio caught up with Eric Bauza, who not only voices Bugs, but also Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, and Tweety in HBO Max’s new Looney Tunes toons.
