August 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

pinkomelet/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(BOISE, Idaho) — For the second time in 24 hours, Idaho state troopers arrested and physically removed state rights leader Ammon Bundy from the Boise statehouse after he violated the chamber’s rules.

Bundy, who joined several maskless protesters in three days of action against the state legislature over its coronavirus restrictions, showed up at the statehouse around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, soon after he posted bond for his arrest during a legislative hearing Tuesday, the Idaho State Police said.

Troopers served Bundy, who was part of a 41-day standoff against federal officers in 2016 over a land dispute, a No Trespass Notice on Wednesday that prohibited him from being in the building and ordered him to leave, but he refused, according to state police.

“Troopers were forced to physically remove Bundy from the Senate Gallery, take him through a stairwell, place him in a wheelchair, and then into a patrol vehicle,” the state police tweeted.

He was charged Wednesday with trespassing after refusing to comply with the notice.

The trespass notice, which was signed by Keith Reynolds, the director of the Idaho Department of Administration, said the agency consulted with Gov. Brad Little, Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate President Pro Tempore Brent Hill, and determined that his actions Tuesday warranted the ban from the building.

On Tuesday, Bundy and two others refused to clear the Lincoln Auditorium after an order from Bedke, police said. Bundy went as far as to allegedly stay in his seat despite orders from troopers, prompting them to wheel him out to their patrol car, according to the police. He was charged with misdemeanor resisting and obstructing officers and misdemeanor trespassing, the police said.

“Based on the totalitarian of the circumstances, I find that your refusal to comply with lawful orders of government officials and peace officers threatens to interfere with or impede the conduct of legitimate businesses and the primary uses of state facilities,” Reynolds wrote in the notice. “You also present a threat to disrupt the legitimate business conducted here.”

Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy is wheeled from the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, Idaho, Aug. 26, 2020, following his second arrest for trespassing in two days.
Attorney information for Bundy was not immediately available. The notice of trespass will be in effect for one year, the state police said.

The Idaho state legislature is in a special section this week to vote on several bills, including one that would end the state of emergency over COVID-19. The state has had 30,780 confirmed cases so far, and 337 confirmed or probable coronavirus-related deaths, according to the Idaho Health Department.

On Monday, Bundy and other protesters against the state’s current coronavirus state of emergency broke glass, pushed through officers and stormed the chambers, violating the statehouse’s rules on social distancing, according to video from that day. Many of the protesters didn’t wear face coverings and some were seen armed with assault rifles.

Ammon Bundy, center, who led the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, stands on the Idaho Statehouse steps in Boise, Idaho, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.
The crowd was allowed to stay in the chambers and there were no immediate arrests. The Idaho State Police said they are investigating Monday’s incident for any criminal charges.

The statehouse has seen an increased police presence since Monday’s incident, according to the state police.

“Idaho State Police will continue to carefully balance people’s right to participate in the legislative process while ensuring that the process remains peaceful,” the police tweeted.

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August 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

LordRunar/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(LOS ANGELES) — The massive deadly infernos have become the second and third largest fires in state history and as firefighters work tirelessly, businesses in Santa Cruz are being looted.
As California continues to battle raging wildfires across the state, it’s getting help from neighbors across the country.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it has received assistance from the U.S. military and from other states who have sent firefighters, equipment and other resources to fight the state’s two dozen major fires.

Since Aug. 15, there have been nearly 14,000 lightning strikes in the state, and more than 700 wildfires, which have now burned over 1.32 million acres — an area bigger than Delaware, according to Cal Fire.

There are roughly 15,000 California firefighters working on the fires, which are predominantly in the central and northern regions. About 91 fire engines from nine western states have been assigned to incidents, according to Cal Fire.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that he sent 10 state wildland firefighters to the West Coast to help with California and other states that have seen a jump in dangerous wildfires.

“I thank these brave men and women for stepping up and showing just what New York tough really means,” Cuomo said in a statement.

The LNU Lightning Complex and the CSU Lightning Complex fires are now ranked No. 2 and No. 3 on the list of all-time biggest wildfires in California history, Cal Fire said. The Mendocino Complex fire in July of 2018 remains the largest.

The agency warned that firefighters will have a tough road ahead with new weather conditions. A marine layer is expected to raise the humidity and lower the temperatures in some areas, but winds will be gusting between 15-20 mph, according to Cal Fire.

“This can make firefighting conditions challenging during those times for the next couple days,” the agency said in a statement. “Warmer conditions are expected over the weekend. Isolated thunderstorms are still possible in the upper portion of northern California and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.”

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August 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBY: LAURA ROMERO and MATTHEW MOSK

(MIAMI) — Advocates for nursing home residents have raised concerns that some facilities being used by Florida officials as isolation units for those who test positive for the coronavirus have a checkered history of citations. Despite official assurances that the facilities have been fully vetted, it’s a move they say could further endanger those who are already highly vulnerable.

“Some of these centers are nursing homes that have been repeatedly fined or sued for negligent acts, including failing to institute adequate infection and disease control precautions,” said David Brevda, an attorney at the Boca Raton-based Senior Justice Law Firm. “We are dealing with numerous COVID-19 cases, and we have seen clients put into these amorphous ‘isolation’ centers. The rules and regulations governing these facilities are fast and ever-changing.”

Four of the 23 Florida facilities set aside to serve as isolation centers for elderly coronavirus patients are on the American Health Care Association’s watch list for either failing to comply with the state’s minimum standards or operating under bankruptcy protection during the past 30 months. They are among the seven isolation facilities being used that currently hold ratings of “below average” by Medicare. One of the nursing homes, Avante at Boca Raton, was fined for more than $76,000 for various infractions in 2019.

Florida has been a hot spot for the virus in recent weeks, averaging more than 3,000 new positive cases a day, though the figure has been falling since a peak last month. More than 4,000 of the state’s 10,500 coronavirus-related deaths have occurred at long-term care facilities.

As the outbreak worsened, Florida Gov. Ron De Santis adopted a different approach to nursing homes infections than the one used by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has faced criticism for directing nursing homes in the state to let residents return after being hospitalized for COVID-19. New York has reported more than 6,600 deaths at long-term care facilities, out of a total of 32,000 fatalities.

In Florida, DeSantis called for the establishment of special COVID-19 isolation centers to serve people in need of long-term care services who have contracted the virus. Some isolation centers have been set apart in dedicated wings within a larger facility, while others are now in standalone facilities. All are supposed to provide clinical monitoring and isolation to patients from hospitals, long-term care facilities or local communities until they can safely return to their assisted living facility and nursing home.

Kristen Knapp, a spokesperson for the Florida Health Care Association, which has partnered with the Florida government agency that oversees the centers, said that facilities receive a reimbursement for serving as an isolation center, but she did not specify the amount.

“These dedicated recovery buildings and units are a proven model that Florida has pioneered across our state,” said Patrick Manderfield, the Deputy Communications Director for the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the state oversight agency. “These facilities serve to protect our elderly and most vulnerable in our state’s emergency response.”

Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, said that conceptually the idea of isolation centers makes sense.

“We need to ensure the virus doesn’t spread through vulnerable populations,” said Brownstein, also an ABC News contributor. “Nursing homes and assisted living facilities represent some of the most concerning environments for disease transmission so isolated infected individuals is a key part of that. However, clearly there needs to be a standard of care and transparency around infection control procedures.”

Manderfield dismissed concerns about the use of facilities that had subpar ratings, saying the state carefully vetted isolation locations and made certain all were “in full compliance” with state and federal nursing home regulations. He said the state reviewed every facility “to ensure they are capable of maintaining safe and separate spaces for COVID-positive patients.”

Several of those who are running isolation units also defended the locations. Kimberly Biegasiewicz, Vice President of Clinical Services at Avante Group, the company that owns four COVID-19 isolation centers, said that the company had been working with the health care advocates since the pandemic began. In July, they opened Miami Care Center as a COVID-19-only skilled nursing facility.

When asked if the three facilities the Avante group owns that are on the AHCA watch list and have scored below average ratings are qualified to serve as COVID-19 isolation centers, Biegasiewicz said the company responded with strict infection control policies “to ensure that our residents are getting the most up-to-date and most important infection control practices provided to them.”

“We really felt that it was an opportunity to assist the state of Florida and definitely assist our most vulnerable populations, which we know is our elderly population,” Biegasiewicz said.

Biegasiewicz said the state agency did not outline any specific requirements for the isolation facilities.

Brian Pollet is the administrator of the Ybor City Center for Rehabilitation, another one of the state’s 23 isolation centers and one rated above average by Medicare. He said the Florida Department of Health made multiple visits to the facility before being asked to serve as a landing spot for infected patients. It now has 24 beds dedicated to the effort.

“I guess the agencies were impressed by the way we engineered our units,” Pollet said.

Currently, nursing homes that fail to test residents and staff for coronavirus after hints of an infection could face fines under new measures by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But advocates for the elderly said they would like to see Florida and other states establish clear standards specifically for COVID-19 isolation facilities, beyond the usual standards for long-term care facilities.

Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney for the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance for the elderly, told ABC News that isolation centers should have a full time infection preventionist on top of the federal regulations that are required for all nursing homes.

“There are currently no federal standards,” Edelman said of the COVID-19 isolation facilities.

Edelman added that he believed “facilities with poor records in staffing and infection prevention should not be eligible for designation as COVID-only facilities.”

Eric Carlson, a long-term care expert with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said facilities may be motivated to serve as a COVID-19 isolation center because of the “higher Medicaid rates paid by the state for COVID-specific care, or simply by a desire to fill empty rooms.”

Carlson said that the lack of COVID-specific standards puts residents at coronavirus isolation facilities in danger.

The lack of specific standards, he said, “leaves the door open for mediocre or bad facilities to put themselves out for COVID-specific care, in an effort to bring in more residents, in situations where the residents may have few options.”

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August 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

iStock/Darwin BrandisBY: JOYEETA BISWAS and MEGHAN KENEALLY, ABC News

(NEW ORLEANS) — Hurricane Laura is roaring toward the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall Wednesday or early Thursday, bringing with it dangerous storm surge and heavy rain.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said an “unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves” is expected to cause “catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes.”

“Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion,” the NWS warned.

Here are some of your questions on hurricanes, answered by ABC News meteorologists Max Golembo, Samantha Wnek and Melissa Griffin.

How are hurricanes formed?

Hurricanes are formed by feeding off the warmth and moisture of the ocean. Air then rises and is replaced constantly by the surrounding air. Below all this rising air, low pressure develops.

How long does a hurricane usually last?

If you are in the hurricane, conditions could last 12 to 18 hours. In a slow-moving hurricane, conditions could last up to 24 hours.

The hurricane itself, from its formation to its deterioration, can last in the ocean for weeks.

How long do hurricanes take to form?

It can take up to a week for hurricanes to form and some tropical cyclones never make it to hurricane status.

One of the fastest hurricanes to form was Humberto in 2007, which developed in less than 19 hours from a tropical depression to a hurricane.

How do you know when a hurricane is coming?

If you’re relying on the weather to know when a hurricane is coming, often you won’t get any indication at all. The day before a hurricane could have sunny skies with calm winds.

That’s why you should listen to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio or pay attention to warnings from authorities.

What is a storm surge and why is it so dangerous?

As pressure falls in the hurricane’s center, water levels rise. The water accumulates while the storm is still over the open ocean.

When the hurricane closes in on land, its strong winds push that water toward the coast and up onto land, creating walls of water sometimes as high as 20 feet.

The danger to people inside houses on the coast is the vicious deluge of water that can flood homes and climb up walls rapidly. When Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey in 2012, many homes filled quickly with water.

The risks can be even greater if storm surge combines with high tide, creating a devastating, rapid rise in water levels.

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

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August 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBy KARMA ALLEN and MAX GOLEMBO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Laura is nowa Category 4 hurricane with “unsurvivable storm surge” expected in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

“Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes,” the NWS said in a statement. “This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline. Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion.”

Parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana are forecast to see “catastrophic wind damage,” especially in places where the storm’s eyewall makes landfall, the NWS said. Residents are urged to brace for “widespread damaging wind gusts” that will spread well inland across parts of those areas early Thursday morning.

Laura has kept people along the Gulf Coast guessing for days as the projected track continues to change. The storm matured into a Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf and forecasters say it could strengthen to a Category 4 even before it makes landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern:

1:52 p.m.: Laura is now a Category 4 storm

Laura has strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

The center of the storm is about 200 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and about 200 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas

The storm will bring catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding to the Gulf Coast tonight, says the National Hurricane Center.

Little time remains to protect life and property, authorities say.

12:56 p.m.: Louisiana officials expect catastrophic events from storm

OEM officials in Louisiana are putting it bluntly to residents: Leave and leave now.

In their final briefing before Laura makes landfall, officials with Louisiana’s Calcasieu Parish say they expect catastrophic events from the storm.

“Short of pulling people out of their homes, we have done everything humanly possible to get people out of Calcasieu Parish,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “As much as it pains me, we are quickly getting to the point where you are going to have to hunker down. Public safety is not going to be able to respond.”

Sheriff Tony Mancuso said that while they could protect property from looters, they can’t protect homes from the wind and the storm surge, both of which are expected to be well above the devastating effect that Hurricane Rita had in 2005.

He, too, begged people to leave and leave now.

“There is nothing at my house that is so important in my house that I would stay there,” he said. “I would love to leave. It is not an option for me. It is an option for you.”

In addition to those leaving in their own vehicles, more than 800 people have been bused out of the area.

12:06 p.m.: Storm strength is at high end of Cat 4

The storm is sustaining winds of about 145 mph, putting it near the higher end of a Category 4 hurricane. Winds above 156 mph designate a Category 5 storm.

In an interview with ABC News, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he woke up Tuesday morning to find Laura’s track had shifted slightly west and closer to Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city with a population of about 7 million.

Officials in Houston and Harris County urged residents to stay off the roads so people evacuating have access to the freeways. Local officials urged all residents in the storm’s path to fill up their gas tanks and generators.

The mayor urged people not to panic. City officials said they don’t expect Laura to be another Hurricane Harvey or Tropical Storm Imelda, which both led to catastrophic flooding. They do, however, expect this storm to be a fast-moving wind event, which could bring a storm surge, structural damage and power outages.

Compounding the situation is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why Turner told residents to stock up on necessary food, supplies and PPE. He said he anticipates that COVID-19 testing will be suspended until after the storm and that the city won’t be opening mass shelters as it has in years past.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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