Official White House Photo by Shealah CraigheadBy ELIZABETH THOMAS, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday tweeted that federal law enforcement and National Guard troops were on their way to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of violent protests, to “restore LAW and ORDER!”
He still has not commented directly on the shooting of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, that triggered the protests.
Three people were shot and two killed in Kenosha overnight.
“We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)…” he tweeted.
Trump has made “law and order” a central theme of the current Republican National Convention and his reelection campaign overall.
First lady Melania Trump called for an end to violent protests in her Rose Garden speech last night as part of the RNC. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 819,000 people worldwide.
Over 23.9 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica. The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 5.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 178,524 deaths.
Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, six of which are in crucial phase three trials.
Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern: Aug 26, 1:07 pm NY has positivity rate below 1% for 19 straight days
New York state has had 19 straight days with less than 1% of people being tested for COVID-19 coming back positive, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
There were 71,189 tests reported to the state on Tuesday and only 566 tested positive — a 0.79% rate.
The statewide total of confirmed coronavirus cases for the Empire State now stands at 431,340.
The state reported an additional three deaths on Tuesday — the state now has 25,305 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Aug 26, 12:03 pm South Korea reports 40% rise in coronavirus infections
South Korea has seen a more than 40% jump in COVID-19 cases over the past month, as the virus spreads to every province across the country.
The total number of confirmed cases increased from 12,890 on July 26 to 18,265 on Aug. 26, a 41.7% increase, according to data from South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in just the last two weeks, cases increased by 24% from the 14,714 reported on Aug. 12.
South Korea once had the largest COVID-19 outbreak outside China, where the virus first emerged, but health authorities were able to bring it under control with an extensive “trace, test and treat” strategy. Now, infections are on the rise in the capital and other parts of the country.
Some 6,800 schools will be closed across South Korea through Sept. 11 due to the growing outbreak. The country has implemented a Level 2 social distancing scheme, but authorities are hesitating to implement even tighter measures, according to Yonhap News Agency.
ABC News Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Aug 26, 11:07 am World Economic Forum postpones Davos due to pandemic
The World Economic Forum has decided to postpone its 51st Annual Meeting in Davos due to safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The elite conference at the Swiss Alps resort town, frequented by billionaires and heads of state, will be rescheduled for early next summer. The gathering was originally slated to take place in January 2021.
“The decision was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the ‘Great Reset’ in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent,” Adrian Monck, managing director of public engagement at the World Economic Forum, said in a statement Wednesday. “However, the advice from experts is that the Forum cannot do so safely in January.” ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Aug 26, 10:50 am Gaza Strip reports 1st coronavirus death since May
The Gaza Strip reported its first coronavirus-related fatality since May on Wednesday, after the besieged Palestinian territory went into a 48-hour lockdown prompted by a fresh cluster of COVID-19 cases.
A 61-year-old man died there after contracting COVID-19, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The death came just two days after a family of four tested positive for the disease in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip.
The new cluster of cases and death are the first known instances of the novel coronavirus spreading through the local community of the coastal enclave, which is ruled by the militant group Hamas. Prior to that, all cases and the lone death reported there were linked to Palestinians returning to the territory from abroad, who were placed into quarantine.
Palestinian authorities believe the new cases came from a woman who had contracted COVID-19 while receiving medical treatment in Jerusalem. Although Israel has imposed restrictions on movement in and out of the neighboring Gaza Strip for over a decade, some Palestinians are still permitted access to Jerusalem’s hospitals to receive essential health treatment, such as chemotherapy. ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Guy Davies contributed to this report.
Aug 26, 9:36 am New Zealand reports five new cases amid fresh outbreak
New Zealand reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, three of which were locally transmitted.
The other two cases had been imported from abroad and were detected in isolation facilities. The national total of confirmed cases now stands at 1,344, of which 134 are active, according to data published on the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s website.
Health officials in New Zealand are trying to control a fresh outbreak there after going 102 days without any local transmission of the novel coronavirus. The new cluster of cases was discovered earlier this month in Auckland, the country’s most populous city, prompting authorities to impose a lockdown in the region and to reschedule national elections.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended Auckland’s lockdown, which is now slated to end Sunday night.
Aug 26, 7:26 am Germany says infection abroad has ‘markedly increased’
The proportion of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Germany who were likely infected abroad has “markedly increased to 42%,” according to the country’s public health institute.
That figure hit 45% earlier this year, the highest so far, but then fell steadily to 0.3% in the following weeks as a result of travel restrictions. Since borders have reopened, initially in Europe, the proportion of Germany’s cases with a probable place of infection abroad “has increased significantly in recent weeks,” the Robert Koch Institute said in Tuesday’s daily situation report.
Kosovo, Croatia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Spain and Romania were most frequently reported as the country of exposure.
“Through consistent prevention and early case identification, transmission and subsequent cases can be greatly reduced,” the institute said. “It remains essential that people follow the rules of physical distancing and hygiene and avoid crowds, and that anyone who develops symptoms compatible with COVID-19 be tested immediately. In addition, travelers who stayed in a COVID-19 risk area within 14 days of entry must maintain a 14-day quarantine unless they have a negative test result.”
As of Wednesday, Germany had reported 236,429 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,280 deaths. There were 1,567 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute.
Aug 26, 6:20 am Arizona State University reports 161 cases
Arizona State University said it has 161 known cases of COVID-19 among its students and staff.
“Please keep in mind this number includes students and employees across our four metropolitan campuses and includes students living on and off campus throughout the broader community,” Arizona State University president Michael Crow said in a statement Tuesday night. “I know there has been and will continue to be interest in this number. What I am committing to are regular updates about our COVID management strategy.”
Since Aug. 1, the public research university has collected test results from 32,729 students and employees so far, according to Crow.
Crow also released clarification on the school’s coronavirus-related policies, including a no-visitor policy in the residence halls, a face covering requirement in all of the university’s buildings and outdoors spaces at all times (except when eating), and the barring of social gatherings among students on or off campus that don’t adhere to public health protocols.
Aug 26, 5:43 am HHS comments on CDC’s updated testing guidelines
ABC News contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday night inquiring about the updates to its COVID-19 testing guidelines, what evidence exists to justify the changes and whether the agency can address concerns from the public that this was done for political reasons to reduce case numbers.
But the answer that came back was from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, not the CDC.
“CDC recommends the decision to be tested should be one made in collaboration with public health officials or your health care provider based on individual circumstances and the status of community spread,” an HHS spokesperson told ABC News in an email. “The Guidance fully supports public health surveillance testing, done in a proactive way through federal, state, and local public health officials.”
The HHS spokesperson listed the following as bullet points on the intent of the CDC’s updated guidance: “Ensure testing is used appropriately and individuals are protecting themselves and others; Place an emphasis on testing individuals for both clinical and/or public health reasons, including the testing of asymptomatic people when directed by public health leaders or health care providers; Emphasize how negative tests should be interpreted, and how they should (and should not) be acted on.”
The White House declined to comment on whether the president or any administration staff was involved with or had any communications with the CDC or HHS about the updated guidelines.
Aug 26, 5:29 am US daily death toll jumps back up over 1,000
There were 38,174 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Tuesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Tuesday’s tally is well below the country’s record set on July 16, when 77,255 new cases were identified in a 24-hour reporting period. It’s the third straight day that the country has reported less than 40,000 new cases.
An additional 1,242 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded Tuesday, a nearly threefold increase from the previous day. The latest daily death toll is still under the record 2,666 new fatalities that were reported on April 17.
A total of 5,779,371 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 178,524 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.
However, the numbers of new COVID-19 cases and new deaths in the United States have both decreased by substantial amounts in week-over-week comparisons, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency obtained by ABC News Tuesday night.
Aug 26, 4:53 am CDC now says most people without symptoms don’t need to be tested
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its COVID-19 testing guidelines online Monday to suggest that people probably don’t need a test, even if they have been in close contact with someone who is infected or if they have attended a large gathering.
The new guidance directly contradicts what CDC director Robert Redfield told ABC News last month: “Anyone who thinks they may be infected — independent of symptoms — should get a test.”
Redfield’s comments came as political protests erupted and President Donald Trump insisted on large indoor campaign rallies where most attendees didn’t wear masks. The CDC had updated its guidelines in July to specifically urge people without symptoms to get tested if they have come in contact with someone who has COVID-19, such as working the same shift at a job.
But now, the CDC says testing isn’t necessary so long as the individual doesn’t show symptoms.
“You do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one,” the CDC states on its website.
(HONOLULU) — Hawaii’s governor approved a sweeping stay-at-home mandate in Oahu that significantly rolls back reopening plans on the state’s most-populous island.
The order, which goes into effect Thursday at midnight and last for two weeks, will force nonessential businesses to close again and restaurants to only offer takeout. It also urges all nonessential workers to work from home. Essential businesses can remain open.
“It’s going to be pretty much like the order in March, with one exception: Religious services, we’ve decided, will go on, with a lot of mandates and requirements — no singing, face coverings at all times, but that will continue,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said at a news conference Tuesday evening, announcing that his “stay-at-home, work-from-home” order had been approved by Gov. David Ige.
“If you need a haircut, go now,” Caldwell said.
“We’re going to see how it goes — we’re hopeful that the numbers will decline,” Caldwell added. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll look to continue it, but we’re hopeful that it will work and at that point we can start to return and open again.”
Caldwell pledged they will be doing “surge testing” of more than 5,000 tests a day during the next two weeks and upping contact tracing.
The move comes as the island has been grappling with an uptick in COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday, local health officials reported there had been 6,382 confirmed cases on Oahu. The state has seen 49 deaths.
At the same news conference, Ige said that over the past week or so they’ve seen “troubling triple-digit increases” in the number of new COVID-19 cases, adding, “This has put a stress on our health care system.” Ige emphasized the new order is only for Oahu and will not affect outer islands such as Maui and Kauai.
In addition to the health crisis, Hawaii’s economy has also been walloped by a decline in tourism during the pandemic.
(NEW ORLEANS) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that the city has filed suit against the property developers who were overseeing the construction of a Hard Rock hotel that collapsed last year and killed three workers.
The collapse occurred Oct. 12, 2019 in the city’s historic French Quarter. The damage was so extensive, it took about 10 months to recover two of the victims’ bodies.
“We will continue to hold the building’s ownership accountable and stand with our families to seek justice. This lawsuit is a step towards doing just that,” Cantrell said in a statement.
The developers, 1031 Canal, were one of a handful of defendants named in the suit. 1031 Canal did not immediately respond to an ABC News’ request for comment. The company’s contractors were also named, including Heaslip Engineering LLC, which was fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the collapse. A representative for Heaslip couldn’t be reached.
New Orleans City Attorney Sunni LeBeouf said that the city preferred not to engage in litigation, but did so “only because the property owners have failed to right the wrongs they have caused.”
The city is seeking unspecified damages. The mayor’s office said responding to the collapse cost taxpayers more than $12 million.
“The City has not been compensated in any way for the harm it has suffered in response to this disaster, and this must be addressed immediately in the interest of the people of New Orleans,” said a press release from Cantrell’s office.
The brother of one of the construction workers who died told ABC News that his family was losing patience with the recovery process about 10 months after the collapse, when his brother’s remains still were buried inside.
“We’re tired of being patient,” Frank Wimberly, the brother of Quinnyon Wimberly, said. He noted that the date of the remains recovery was set for July 1, but by the end of the month it still hadn’t occurred.
On Aug. 8, Wimberly’s remains finally were removed. Cantrell’s office didn’t comment on the delay, directing ABC News to 1031 Canal. Officials previously said it was not safe for workers to enter the building to remove the bodies. The body of the third victim, Jose Ponce Arreola, was removed shortly thereafter. The other victim, Anthony Magrette, was removed shortly after the collapse.
OSHA cited the “willful” and “serious” violations of Heaslip Engineering LLC as the main reasons for the building’s collapse, according to documents filed by the federal agency. 1031 Canal was not cited in the OSHA complaint.
The alleged violations include workers being exposed to falling materials and building collapse, a lack of a health and safety program, and design flaws that affected the structural integrity of the building, according to OSHA. Heaslip Engineering LLC was fined $154,214.
James Heaslip, founder of the company, which was the principal engineer on the Hard Rock project, did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
An attorney for the company told NOLA.com that OSHA’s conclusions were “unwarranted.”
“We believe OSHA’s conclusions are unwarranted, not supported by the facts and beyond the jurisdiction of OSHA’s statutory authority,” Kelly Theard, an attorney at DeutschKerrigan LLC, told NOLA.com. “Heaslip unequivocally denies any ‘willful’ or ‘serious’ wrongdoing, and will vigorously contest all of the citations through the procedures required by OSHA.”
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBy WILLIAM MANSELL, ABC News
(KENOSHA, Wis.) — Protests following the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, continued for a third night Tuesday into Wednesday as police deployed tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets upon protesters and erected a fence around the local courthouse.
At least three people were shot during the protests overnight in Kenosha, some 40 miles south of Milwaukee, and two of the victims died from their injuries, according to the Kenosha Police Department. The third gunshot victim was taken to a hospital with “serious, but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
The Kenosha Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are still investigating what led to the shooting.
As curfew began in Kenosha at 8 p.m. local time, police could be heard warning people to move away from the Kenosha County Courthouse where demonstrators had gathered.
A state of emergency was approved by the Kenosha Common Council on Tuesday afternoon, which will remain in place until Friday, according to Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN-TV.
The protests were in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake Jr., a 29-year-old Black man who remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Cellphone video taken by a witness on Sunday evening showed three Kenosha police officers following Blake around his SUV and at least one of them is seen shooting Blake multiple times in the back as he opened the driver’s side door and entered the vehicle, where his three young children were still inside.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave and their names have not been released. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the probe into the incident.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth warned protesters Tuesday night that they would not allow for destruction to continue. He also said that while many are peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights, people from “outside” the community are coming in looking to loot and cause destruction.
“If you want to protest peacefully, by all means go out and do it. It’s your right. But don’t be a part of this destructive force that’s burning our community. That’s not a productive path to justice,” Beth said in a statement. “We are not sitting idly, watching the destruction of our community. We’re making every effort to make it stop, and I hope you will too.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also declared a state of emergency Tuesday while increasing the number of Wisconsin National Guard members activated to help local authorities.
“We cannot forget the reason why these protests began, and what we have seen play out over the last two nights and many nights this year is the pain, anguish and exhaustion of being Black in our state and country. But as I said yesterday, and as I’ll reiterate today, everyone should be able to exercise their fundamental right—whether a protester or member of the press—peacefully and safely,” Evers said in a statement Tuesday. “We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue. We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction.”
The Kenosha County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the governor on Tuesday requesting more National Guardsmen and other assistance from the federal government.
“We are respectfully requesting that you contact President Trump and solicit a least an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen to supplement our Kenosha law enforcement agencies,” board members wrote in the letter. “In addition, please request President Trump help Kenosha by enacting additional tools, such as low interest SBA loans and FEMA funds, to help rebuild local businesses hurt by the domestic terrorists.”
The protests over Blake’s shooting haven’t been confined to Wisconsin. In Georgia, Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported demonstrations turning violent there Tuesday night when protesters allegedly threw fireworks at police officers and spray-painted a police precinct. Officers in riot gear dispersed the crowd in Atlanta after things turned violent according to WSB.
During an emotional press conference in Kenosha on Tuesday afternoon, where Blake’s mother, father and three sisters were in attendance, one of the family’s attorneys, Patrick Salvi Jr., said Blake was shot seven times at point-blank range in the back. Salvi said at least one bullet tore through his spinal cord and other shots damaged his kidney, liver and arm.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who’s also representing Blake, said his client was attempting to de-escalate a domestic incident when police drew their pistols and stun guns on him. Crump said Blake was walking away to check on his children when police shot him.
“His three sons — his 8-year-old, his 5-year-old and his 3-year-old — are absolutely devastated,” Crump told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on ABC’s Good Morning America. “You can only imagine the psychological problems that these babies are going to have for the rest of their lives.”
Blake’s family said he is currently paralyzed from the waist down but that there’s hope the paralysis is temporary.
“I’m not a doctor but what they’re saying is that the inflammation was challenging to his mobilization, being mobile, and that they’re hoping that when the pressure reduces and things go back to normal within his body that he will be able to move again with his lower legs,” Justin Blake told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday on Good Morning America.
Justin Blake said he hasn’t been able to see his nephew yet, as only the parents have been in the hospital room. He said he spoke to Blake’s mother recently who reported that he is still in “a lot of pain” as he had just come out of surgery and isn’t out of the woods yet but is “doing better.”
Despite his condition, Blake has been the one trying to comfort family from his hospital bed.
“That tells you what kind of man he is,” his uncle said.
Blake’s shooting has attracted a wave of national attention and has become part of the sustained wave of civil unrest protesting police brutality and systemic racism in the United States, which was reignited by the death of George Floyd in May.
Following Tuesday night’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers discussed why unarmed Black men continued to be shot by police.
“What stands out to me is, just watching the Republican convention, they are spewing this fear. All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear. We’re the ones getting killed,” Rivers said, speaking with reporters after the game. “We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that were denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung, we’ve been shot, and all you do is keep caring about fear.”
“It’s amazing why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back,” he said, fighting back tears. “It’s really so sad.”
Rivers said police need better training and police unions need to be “taken down,” but he said that doesn’t mean he hates police or that they should be abolished.
“My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops,” he added. “We’re not trying to defund them and take all their money away. We’re trying to get them to protect us, just like they protect everybody else.”
Official White House Photo by Shealah CraigheadBy ELIZABETH THOMAS, ABC News
