August 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Samara Heisz/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 794,000 people worldwide.

Over 22.7 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 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.

The United States is the worst-affected country in the world, with more than 5.5 million diagnosed cases and at least 174,504 deaths.

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

2 p.m.: Boston to begin school year remotely, students to return to school in waves

Boston Public Schools will begin the school year remotely on Sept. 21, and some students will be allowed to return to the classroom in the following weeks, Mayor Marty Walsh said Friday.

Beginning Oct. 1, students with the highest needs will be allowed to return to classrooms.

On Oct. 15, optional hybrid learning will begin for preschoolers and kindergartners.

Through November, students in grades 1 through 12 can begin optional hybrid learning. The hybrid model will allow some students to attend in-person classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and others on Thursdays and Fridays. All other days would be remote.

As students return, the number of kids in schools will still be less than 50%, officials said.

The mayor stressed that the dates and the hybrid learning model are contingent on public health data. Each step will begin no sooner than the listed date, and phases could be pushed back, if COVID-19 metrics worsen, he said.

The threshold for the city to revert completely to remote learning will be a rate of positivity above 4% citywide, Walsh said.

The hybrid learning model will be optional for all families; those who choose to opt-out can remain remote.

10:30 a.m.: Death toll could top 200,000 by Sept. 12, CDC says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the number of coronavirus fatalities in the U.S. could top 200,000 by Sept. 12.

“This week’s national ensemble forecast predicts that 3,700 to 9,600 new COVID-19 deaths will be reported during the week ending Sept. 12 and that 187,000 to 205,000 total COVID-19 deaths will be reported by that date,” the CDC announced Friday.

This prediction is largely flat compared to last week’s estimates and suggests that CDC modeling is taking into account declining case numbers and fewer positive tests in some spots of the country.

Last week, the CDC predicted 180,000 to 200,000 fatalities by Sept. 5.

Earlier this month, the CDC predicted that between 175,000 to 190,000 total COVID-19 deaths would be reported by Aug. 29. There have been about 174,000 deaths reported as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

9:45 a.m.: New York sees lowest hospitalizations since March 16

New York state, once the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, is now marking its 14th straight day of a test-positivity rate below 1%, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

Of those tested across the state on Thursday, .72% were positive, Cuomo said.

Total hospitalizations in New York fell to 490 on Thursday — the lowest number of people in the hospital for coronavirus since March 16, Cuomo said.

9 a.m.: 17 reportedly suspended from college for going to party without masks, distancing

Seventeen students have been suspended from Minnesota’s St. Olaf College following a party without masks or social distancing, ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP-TV reported.

At least one person at the party had coronavirus, the school said, according to KSTP.

St. Olaf College began the semester on Thursday. In-person classes are being offered.

6:07 a.m.: CDC director warns flu season could overwhelm hospitals

As the United States gets closer to flu season, the combination with the COVID-19 pandemic could be disastrous for hospitals across the country, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield.

He offered the grim outlook Thursday during a JAMA livestream, saying hospitals could be overrun like they were in New York City early on in the pandemic.

“The biggest fear I have of course by COVID and flu at the same time, is that our hospital capacity could get strained,” he said Thursday.

“And we need to stay vigilant to the mitigation steps right now, because, come the fall, if we have flu causing its problems and we have COVID causing its problems, and they build on each other, we could end up with another loss of significant life,” Redfield said.

Though he offered the grim warning, he did stress that the flu vaccine could mitigate those problems. Redfield said that the CDC has purchased 9.3 million additional doses of the flu vaccine, and has a goal of “65% vaccine acceptance across the board.”

The CDC estimates that during the 2019-2020 flu season (from Oct. 1, 2019, to April 4) that there were between 24,000-62,000 deaths. So far, COVID-19 has killed more than 174,000 people in the U.S. in less than six months.

“This fall and winter could be one of the most complicated public health times we have with the two coming at the same time,” he said during the JAMA live stream. “On the other hand, I’m an optimist that if the American public heeds the advice that we said about the face covering and the social distancing and the handwashing and being smart about crowds, this could be one of the best flu seasons we had, and particularly if they do one more thing. And that is to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence.”

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August 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, is pictured in a photo released by the Killeen Police Department in Killeen, Texas, on Aug. 20, 2020. He was reported missing by his family, who have not heard from him since Aug. 17. – (Killeen Police Department)By ELLA TORRES and MATT SEYLER, ABC News

(KILLEEN, Texas) — Authorities in Texas are searching for another missing Fort Hood soldier, following a tumultuous period for the base, including other disappearances and deaths.

Sgt. Elder Fernandes, a 23-year-old chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, has not been heard from by his family since Monday, prompting them to report him missing two days later, according to a statement from the Killeen Police Department issued Thursday evening.

His mother, Ailina Fernandes, and aunt, Isabel Fernandes, told ABC News on Friday that he had been hospitalized recently, but was discharged Monday. Both his mom and aunt said they spoke to him on the phone while he was at the hospital, but he did not reveal much as to why he was there.

Fernandes was last seen by his staff sergeant on Monday afternoon, when he was dropped off at a residence located in the 2700 block of Woodlands Drive in Killeen, police said. His aunt said she spoke to his friends, who told her that where the sergeant dropped him off was not where Fernandes lived.

When his mother eventually went to the base to check on him on Wednesday, she said she found his car with all his belongings inside. Fernandes also had a new apartment waiting to be moved into with utilities paid, but he never picked up the key, according to his mom.

Fort Hood is involved in the search.

“Our primary concern is for his health and well-being,” the statement from Fort Hood read in part. “We have completed a search of the entire division area, to include motorpools, parking lots, and headquarters buildings and the unit is in contact with the Soldiers Family, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and civilian law enforcement agencies to help find him as we continue our search.”

His aunt said it was not like her nephew to be out of touch.

“He has been in touch with us since last week. I personally spoke to him Friday morning. He spoke with his mom this past Sunday and he promised he would call on Monday,” she told ABC Houston station KTRK. “Monday came and went and he didn’t call, and he didn’t answer calls from anyone else. Tuesday, no calls and my sister ended up flying down there yesterday, and still we haven’t heard from him.”

Fernandes’ disappearance comes after a difficult month for Fort Hood.

Pvt. Mejhor Morta, a 26-year-old Fort Hood soldier, was found dead on July 17 in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir, government officials and local police said. Investigators said he likely drowned.

About two weeks before that, on July 1, human remains were discovered near Fort Hood and subsequently identified as Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old soldier who had been missing since late April. A suspect in the case, 20-year-old Army specialist Aaron Robinson, died by suicide as officials moved in on him. Another suspect, Cecily Aguilar, 22, Robinson’s girlfriend, is accused of helping him dispose of Guillen’s body. She was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence and pleaded not guilty.

On June 19, skeletal remains were found near Fort Hood based on an anonymous tip and later identified as Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had been last seen Aug. 19, 2019. Foul play is believed to have played a role in the death, according to KTRK.

Fernandes was wearing black Army shorts, a t-shirt and red athletic shoes. Anyone with information on Fernandes is urged to contact the Fort Hood Military Police at (254) 288-1170, U.S. Army CID at (254) 287-2722, or the Killeen Police Department at (254) 200-7905.

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August 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

DNY59/iStockBy ELLA TORRES, ABC News

(FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho) — Chad Daybell, the stepfather of two Idaho children who were missing for months before their remains were found on his property, pleaded not guilty in the case on Friday in a Fremont County district court.

Daybell, 51, was charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence before the bodies were found and is now charged with two more felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence after the remains were found on his property in June.

His trial has been set to begin Jan. 11.

Lori Vallow, the mother of Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, has also been charged in the case.

She is facing two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children and one misdemeanor count each of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt. She was arrested back in February and will be arraigned in district court in Fremont County on Aug. 27.

The case received widespread attention, in part for its mysteriousness and also because both Vallow and Daybell left Idaho, where they lived, for Hawaii not long after the children were reported missing by other family members.

The preliminary hearings for Daybell offered gruesome testimony as to how the bodies of the children were discovered.

Detective Ray Dennis Hermosillo said that about two hours after the search began on June 9, detectives marked off an area at Daybell’s home where there was a “recognizable deceased body smell.”

Hermosillo said that sod was removed from the area and a black plastic bag, as well as a melted green bucket, were found.

The bag contained a round object that was protruding through the dirt, which was later determined to be the skull of JJ, according to Hermosillo.

JJ, who was wearing red pajamas and had a blanket placed on top of him, was found with a “large amount” of duct tape covering his head, arms and feet, Hermosillo said.

The charred remains of Tylee were found in the melted green bucket, Hermosillo said.

Both remains were found about six to eight inches under the sod. The grandparents of JJ were seen in court weeping during the testimony.

No murder charges have been filed against anyone yet.

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August 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Kuzma/iStockBy AARON KATERSKY and KATE HODGSON, ABC News

(BOSTON) — Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli was sentenced Friday to five months in prison for his role in what the judge called “a breathtaking crime on the nation’s higher education system.”

Giannulli and his wife, Full House actress Lori Loughlin, paid $500,000 to scheme mastermind Rick Singer to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, even though neither of them rowed. Loughlin will be sentenced later on Friday.

“There is no mystery about the outcome,” Judge Nathaniel Gorton said, noting the defense made no attempt to argue with the government’s recommended sentence of five months in prison, two years of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and a $250,000 fine.

Of the two parents, prosecutors portrayed Giannulli as more active in the scheme.

“Giannulli’s conduct in this case evidenced a complete disregard from right and wrong,” Assistant US Attorney Kristen Kearney. “He went ahead with this scheme not once, but twice.”

Giannulli, 57, “exposed his daughters to the scheme and allowed them to become complicit in it,” Kearney said, noting how Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli were photographed on a rowing machine as part of phony coxswain profiles and encouraged to keep their admission to USC “hush, hush.”

“This was not simply overzealous parenting,” Kearney said. “It is criminal and deserving of the proposed five months imprisonment.”

Giannulli, appearing by video conference, addressed the judge briefly:

“I deeply regret the harm that my actions have caused my daughters, my wife and others. I take full responsibility for my conduct.”

The judge scolded Giannulli for a crime “motivated by hubris.”

“You’re an informed, smart, successful businessman,” Gorton said. “You were not stealing bread to feed your family. You have no excuse.”

No argument from the defense.

“It’s an appropriate sentence when you balance Mr. Giannulli’s life with the crime he has been convicted of,” defense attorney Sean Berkowitz said. “He sits here today humbled.”

Berkowitz cast Giannulli as a “good man” who made mistakes.

“He regrets deeply bringing his wife into the scheme. His children have been bullied both on social media and in person in a way disproportionate to other children in this scheme,” Berkowitz said. “His family has been the face of the scandal and the crisis.”

In handing down the sentence, Judge Gorton said the crime caused “no specific, calculable loss to USC.” However, the judge said there was “certainly a loss to the overall education system of this country.”

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August 21, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Kameleon007/iStockBy ERIN SCHUMAKER, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Ten people were shot, at least one fatally, in Philadelphia this week, underscoring a spike in gun violence in some of the nation’s largest cities, including New York and Chicago.

At the same time, Americans are engaged in a gun-buying boom. Firearm sales have spiked during the pandemic, with an estimated 2.1 million excess weapons purchased between March and May compared with typical sales figures, according to data from the FBI’s background check system.

Now, researchers believe the two phenomena might be linked.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis and the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center analyzed fatal and non-fatal firearm injury data from 48 states and Washington, D.C., from January 2018 through May 2020, and compared it with the 2.1 million extra firearms purchased earlier in 2020.

The result? Fatal and non-fatal gun injuries increased significantly. Excess firearm purchases during the pandemic were associated with 776 more shootings than might not have occurred otherwise, researchers found. (Note: The research is preliminary, meaning that it has not yet published in a scientific journal, nor has it been peer-reviewed.)

“We find that short-term surges in firearm purchasing associated with the coronavirus pandemic are associated with significant increases in interpersonal firearm violence,” the researchers note. “Our findings are consistent with an extensive literature that documents a link between firearm access and greater risk of firearm violence.”

A correlation between gun buying and gun violence is not the same as causation, explained Dr. Sandro Galea, an epidemiologist and dean at the Boston University School of Public Health, who was not involved in the research. Galea, who has published numerous studies on gun violence, called the findings “reasonable and plausible.”

“I think it’s a fair analysis and good to communicate,” he added.

Dr. Regan Bergmark, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, noted that the research tracked with previous gun violence literature. “There’s a lot of research showing that the more guns there are, the more likely that you are going to have a gun-related event,” said Bergmark, who had no connection to the research.

“Gun violence tends to go up when there’s desperation, poverty, economic downturn, social unrest,” she said. “We’ve seen all of those things.”

“In the most basic sense, the more desperate people feel, the more tempers are going to flair. It’s not like people are home on vacation with extra money,” Bergmark added.

Gun violence in the U.S. was a significant public health issue before the pandemic.

A study published this week, in the American Journal of Medicine, estimated that before the pandemic, the risk of dying from a firearm in the United States was 1 in 100. Black boys had a 1 in 40 chance of dying by firearms. Rates also varied by state — people in Mississippi or Wyoming were more likely to die from firearms than residents of Rhode Island or Massachusetts.

The majority of the 40,000 firearm-related deaths each year aren’t homicides or accidental shootings like the violence seen in Philadelphia this week. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two-thirds are suicides.

With millions of new guns added to U.S. households in recent months, as many Americans, many isolated from loved ones, are grappling with emotional and financial strain, public health experts are worried.

“Even if they are buying that gun because they want to protect their loved ones, significantly more people now have access to that weapon, while depression and suicide risk are on the rise,” Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, previously told ABC News.

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