TikTok hit by US lawsuits over child safety, security fears

WASHINGTON — TikTok was hit Wednesday with a pair of lawsuits from the US state of Indiana, which accused it of making false claims about the Chinese-owned app's safety for children.

The legal salvo came as problems are mounting for TikTok in the United States, with multiple accusations that the extremely popular app is a national security threat and a conduit for spying by China.

"The TikTok app is a malicious and menacing threat unleashed on unsuspecting Indiana consumers by a Chinese company that knows full well the harms it inflicts on users," said Attorney General Todd Rokita in a statement.

The lawsuit said TikTok algorithms served up "abundant content depicting alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; sexual content, nudity, and suggestive themes" to users as young as 13.

The state also sued TikTok for allegedly deceiving customers into believing that "reams of highly sensitive data and personal information" were protected from the Chinese government.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson did not comment specifically on the case but said "the safety, privacy and security of our community is our top priority."

"We build youth well-being into our policies, limit features by age, empower parents with tools and resources, and continue to invest in new ways to enjoy content based on age-appropriateness or family comfort," the company said.

TikTok is facing a growing front of opposition in the United States, with several states and the US military banning its use on government devices.

Texas on Wednesday became the latest state to do so, calling for "aggressive action" against TikTok.

The highly popular app is often singled out for its alleged connections to the Beijing government with fears that China is able to use TikTok's data to track and coerce users around the world.

TikTok is currently in negotiations with the US government to resolve national security concerns, hoping to maintain operations in one of its biggest markets.

TikTok said it was "confident that we're on a path...to fully satisfy all reasonable US national security concerns."

The spectacular success of TikTok has seen rival sites such as Meta-owned Instagram or Snapchat struggle to keep up, with once soaring ad revenues taking a hit.

But Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers last month that he is "extremely concerned" about security risks linked to TikTok.

Agence France-Presse 

Bacteria behind rare disease found in US soil and water samples

WASHINGTON, United States - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday issued a health advisory to clinicians after discovering the bacteria behind a rare but serious disease for the first time in the continental United States. 

Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) was detected in soil and puddle water samples in the Gulf Coast region of southern Mississippi during an investigation of two human melioidosis cases.

The two unrelated people lived in close geographic proximity and became sick with the disease two years apart -- in 2020 and in 2022 -- prompting health authorities to investigate household products and the environment around their homes.

Melioidosis causes nonspecific symptoms such as fever, joint pain, and headaches, but can also cause pneumonia, abscess formation, and blood infections. 

There are about 12 cases in the US per year on average, mostly related to travel to tropical and subtropical regions, where the bacteria is endemic.

A 2021 cluster that included four people across four states was linked to imported contaminated aromatherapy spray.

Most healthy people who come into contact with the bacteria do not develop melioidosis, but the global death rate for those who do is 10-50 percent.

The CDC said people in southern Mississippi who have underlying conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or excessive alcohol use, should take extra precautions.

These include avoiding contact with soil and muddy water, protecting open wounds with dressing, and wearing waterproof boots and gloves while gardening.

"Given the very small number of cases of melioidosis identified historically in the United States, CDC believes the risk of melioidosis for the general population continues to be very low," the agency said.

Agence France-Presse

US, allies agree to work to improve supply chains

The United States and 17 allies have agreed to work together to improve and diversify global supply chains to avoid the shortages that plagued the economy during the pandemic, officials said Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo co-hosted the Supply Chain Ministerial Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

China was not a part of the meeting, and US officials have said they aim to increase "friend-shoring" to move production of key supplies to allied nations.

"The shocks to global supply chains from pandemics, wars and conflicts, extreme climate impacts, and natural disasters have put in stark relief the urgent need to further strengthen supply chains, to work to reduce and end near-term disruptions, and to build long-term resilience," the participants said in a joint statement at the conclusion of the virtual event.

Supply chain snarls that began during the pandemic have been exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine and stringent COVID-19 restrictions in China.

COVID-19 lockdowns in China has led to shortages of key components, particularly of microchips and auto parts, that have caused global inflation to skyrocket to record highs.

Forum attendees agreed to collaborate on solutions to short-term issues including transportation and "supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks," as well as long-term challenges "that make our supply chains vulnerable and cause spillover effects for consumers, large and small businesses, workers, and families," the statement said.

Goals include increasing transparency of trade information, diversifying sources, and increasing the security and sustainability of supply chains.

Officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom participated in the meeting.

Agence France-Presse

‘Evil’ like Texas massacre a reason to arm, not disarm: Trump

Former US president Donald Trump rejected calls for tightened gun controls Friday following the Texas school massacre, saying decent Americans should be allowed the firearms they need to defend themselves against "evil." 

"The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens... The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens," he told members of the National Rifle Association.

Trump's remarks came as he headlined an NRA event in Houston, three days after a gun massacre at a Texas elementary school reignited the tinderbox debate about US gun control.

"The various gun control policies being pushed by the left would have done nothing to prevent the horror that took place. Absolutely nothing," he said.An 18-year-old gunman with a legally-bought AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, marking the deadliest school shooting in the state's history.

Trump read out the names of all 19 children, whom he described as victims of an out-of-control "lunatic," before suggesting that efforts at gun control were "grotesque." 

"All of us must unite, Republican and Democrat -- in every state, and at every level of government -- to finally harden our schools and protect our children... What we need now is a top-to-bottom security overhaul at schools across this country," he added.

Multiple speakers, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, pulled out of the event after the murders but Trump confirmed on Wednesday he would not be canceling his appearance at the NRA's annual "Leadership Forum."

President Joe Biden, who upbraided the US gun lobby in the wake of the shootings, is due in Uvalde on Sunday with first lady Jill Biden to "grieve with the community," White House officials said.

The NRA is considered the most powerful gun rights organization in the country, although its influence has waned as it has become mired in legal battles linked to a corruption scandal.

It has rejected most initiatives to prevent mass shootings, including expanded background checks on gun purchases, although it said ahead of Trump's speech that audience members would not be allowed to carry firearms.

Republicans in Washington have suggested "hardening" schools with beefed up security -- including armed guards posted at a single entry and exit point -- rather than restrictions on gun ownership. 

They have also spoken of the need to focus on mental health, although critics point out that other nations with stricter gun controls face the same issues and don't see regular mass shootings.

There have been 214 mass shootings this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

They include a racist massacre at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, just 10 days before the Texas killings.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Kiwi own-goal hat trick helps US to SheBelieves Cup win

LOS ANGELES -- Three own goals by New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore helped deliver the reigning Women's World Cup champion United States a 5-0 victory Sunday over the Football Ferns in the She Believes Cup.

Moore, who plays for Liverpool in the English Women's Championship, knocked US crosses in the fifth, sixth and 36th minutes into the Kiwi net.

US forward Sophia Smith kicked the ball from the left side and Moore's attempt to stop the ball with her right foot only sent it into the goal.

Seconds later, American defender Sofia Huerta charged upfield and crossed the ball from the right wing to the heart of the penalty area, where Moore deflected it into the goal.

US striker Margaret Purce charged in from the right wing into the penalty area in the 36th minute and flicked the ball in front of the goal, where it deflected into the goal off Moore's left foot.

The 25-year-old from Christchurch slumped forward, bent at the waist, for several seconds after watching the third own goal. She was soon replaced and consoled on the sidelines.

It marked the first match the US women had ever gotten the benefit of three own goals, their pressuring early attack a byproduct of settling for a goal-less draw in their tournament opener against the Czech Republic.

"This game we just came out with a wad of energy and I think that was big for us," Smith said.

"There was just more urgency for us to get in behind and score goals and create opportunities so I would say overall we played with energy and urgency."

US reserve Ashley Hatch nodded home a goal off a Huerta pass in the 51st minute and Mallory Pugh scored a final goal off a feed from Hatch three minutes into stoppage time.

The Americans improved to 17-1-1 in the all-time series against New Zealand, including a 6-1 US rout at last year's Tokyo Olympics.

The US women stretched their home soil unbeaten streak to 64 matches, including 57 triumphs and seven draws. They have kept 16 straight home clean sheets since last surrendering a goal in a 3-1 win over Japan in 2020's She Believes Cup.

- Iceland wins 2-1 -

The Americans conclude the round-robin tournament on Tuesday against Iceland, which defeated the Czechs 2-1 in Sunday's second game.

Natasha Anasi scored in the 11th minute and Selma Sol Magnusdottir followed in the 18th to give Iceland a half-time lead. Michaela Khyrova answered the for the Czechs in the 85th minute but it was not enough.

The US women must defeat Iceland in order to capture the title, while a draw on Tuesday will be enough to give Iceland the crown.

The Football Ferns, who opened with a 1-0 loss to Iceland, will close against the Czechs in the final double-header at Frisco, Texas.

The tournament serves as a warm-up for US qualifying for next year's Women's World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. That North American event will be played in July at Monterrey, Mexico.

New Zealand will serve as co-hosts with Australia of the 2023 Women's World Cup, where the United States hopes to win a record third consecutive crown.

Agence France-Presse

Fauci warns of bleak winter with Omicron 'raging through the world'

WASHINGTON, United States - Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned of a bleak winter ahead as the Covid-19 Omicron variant spurs a new wave of infections globally, sparking restrictions and concerns over hospital capacity. 

"One thing that's very clear... is its (Omicron's) extraordinary capability of spreading," Fauci told NBC News. "It is just... raging through to the world."

Since it was first reported in South Africa in November, Omicron has been identified in dozens of countries, prompting many to reimpose travel restrictions and other measures.

Despite indications it is not more severe than the Delta variant -- currently still the dominant strain -- the heavily mutated Omicron has been shown in early data to have a worrying resistance to vaccines and higher transmissibility. 

Fauci also cautioned against too much optimism over Omicron's severity, noting that in South Africa, while the hospitalization-to-case ratio is lower than with Delta, this could be due to underlying immunity from widespread previous infections. 

"No matter how you look at it," he underscored, "when you have so many, many infections, even if it is less severe, that overcomes this slight to moderate diminution in severity, because our hospitals, if things look like they're looking now in the next week or two are going to be very stressed," particularly in areas of the country with low levels of vaccination.

The top scientist urged unvaccinated Americans to get a shot and the vaccinated to get boosters, which have been shown to re-up protection.

The administration of President Joe Biden, who is due to address the nation on pandemic developments on Tuesday, has been campaigning hard for vaccination. 

While a little over 70 percent of the US population has had at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, another 50 million eligible people remain unprotected, Fauci said.

"It's never too late to get vaccinated, and if you're vaccinated, go get boosted," Fauci told CNN, adding that continuing to wear masks and get regular testing -- another area the Biden administration is investing in -- are also key to avoiding infection. 

"With Omicron... it is going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter."

Omicron now accounts for around three percent of cases in the United States, a figure that is expected to rise rapidly as has been seen in other countries.

On Saturday, New York state announced a record number of daily cases for the second day in a row with almost 22,000 positive results.

The United States is the nation hit hardest by the pandemic, crossing 800,000 known Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Agence France-Presse

US authorizes COVID-19 boosters for all adults, recommends for over-50s

The United States authorized the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all people aged 18 and older on Friday, as the world's hardest-hit country enters a new winter wave of the pandemic.

Boosters were previously available to the immunocompromised, people over 65, those at high risk of severe disease, and people in high risk occupations.

The new decision "helps to provide continued protection against COVID-19, including the serious consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death," acting commissioner Janet Woodcock of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

A panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then ratified the decision to broaden eligibility, while explicitly recommending boosters for all people over 50, even absent underlying conditions.

"I am really glad that we have clarity and streamlining of the recommendations so that all Americans can understand the vaccines that are recommended for them at this time," said Camille Kotton, an infectious disease clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky formally signed off on the panel's recommendations, stating that boosters "are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays."

The FDA said it based its decision on data demonstrating a strong immune response to boosters from hundreds of people dosed with both brands of vaccines. 

Pfizer also carried out a clinical trial involving 10,000 people aged over 16 which found that the booster showed an efficacy against symptomatic infection of more than 95 percent compared to those who did not receive a booster.

Both vaccines are available to people six months after completing their primary series. 

Pfizer's vaccine is dosed at 30 micrograms, the same as the primary series, while Moderna's is 50 micrograms, half the primary series.

People who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine were already eligible for a booster of any brand two months after their first shot.

The booster decision comes as cases are rapidly rising nationally, reaching 88,000 new infections per day on average as the country enters its fifth wave, according to the latest data. 

America is officially the pandemic's hardest-hit country, with more than 760,000 deaths.

Many unknowns 

Prior to Friday's decision, some outside experts had expressed misgivings over widening boosters to all adults.

The vast majority of those people becoming hospitalized or dying with COVID are unvaccinated, and the best way to control the winter wave would be to reach those people, rather than topping up the vaccinated, the critics said.

A potential downside, they argued, was that vaccine holdouts might conclude the shots are ineffective. 

Another risk is a greater number of cases of vaccine-linked heart inflammation (myocarditis), especially among younger males. Accumulating evidence shows the risk may be greater for the Moderna vaccine compared to Pfizer, likely because of its higher dose.

Both companies are conducting post-authorization studies to assess the risks of myocarditis after third shots.

Overall, however, both health agencies took the view that the benefits outweigh the risks.

It is expected that boosters, by reducing symptomatic cases, will also help reduce community transmission, though the extent to which this might happen is not known.

It is also possible that, rather than considering the third dose a booster, the vaccines work optimally when administered three times— something that will become more clear over time as data accrues. 

Experts are in broad agreement, however, that boosters alone can't resolve the pandemic while the poorest countries, especially in Africa, remain stuck in the single-digit percentages for people covered by their initial shots. 

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried the fact that rich countries are administering six times more vaccine doses every day than low-income countries are delivering primary doses.

This increases the risk of new variants of concern emerging in those regions, which could eventually evade the protective action of current vaccines.

Agence France-Presse

Investigations widen into deadly stampede at Houston rap concert

HOUSTON - At least two investigations, one of them criminal, were underway on Sunday into the deadly stampede during rap star Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston.

Officials in Houston said autopsies on Friday's victims were being performed as soon as possible so their bodies could be returned to family members, with the identities of some of the dead expected to be released on Sunday.

The dead were young, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters on Saturday: two were aged 14 and 16, two were 21, another two were 23, with a seventh aged 27.

An eighth victim has yet to be identified, he added.

Harris County Judge Lina Hildago called for an "objective, independent" investigation into the tragedy, as she spoke about the rap festival being attended by 50,000 fans when the stampede took place.

"Perhaps the plans were inadequate. Perhaps the plans were good but they weren't followed," Hildago said. "The families of those who died, everybody affected, deserves answers."

In a 90-second video released on Twitter on Saturday, Scott said that, while on stage, "I could just not imagine the severity of the situation." He described himself as "absolutely devastated" by the incident.

Houston city police chief Troy Finner said his department had opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives, following reports that somebody in the audience had been injecting people with drugs.

The city's fire chief, Samuel Pena, said several concert goers had to be revived with the anti-drug overdose medicine Narcan, including a security officer who appeared to have been injected in the neck with a substance by a concert goer.

The rest of the two-day festival has been cancelled after the disaster unfolded at NRG Park at about 9.30 p.m. during the headline performance by Scott, a Grammy nominated singer and producer, at the climax of the opening day.

The deaths happened near the stage when the crowd surged towards it, with some suffering cardiac arrests and other medical trauma, officials said.

-reuters

Bill Clinton recovering in hospital from infection

ORANGE, Calif. - Former US President Bill Clinton remained in a California hospital on Friday, where he was recovering from a non-coronavirus infection three days after he was admitted.

The 75-year-old, who left office in 2001, entered the University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday evening for the infection, according to his spokesman, Angel Urena. Clinton is "on the mend," Urena said.

"He's up and about, joking and charming the hospital staff," Urena told Reuters on Thursday.

Clinton went to the hospital after suffering from fatigue and has received both IV antibiotics and fluids, his doctors said.

He has dealt with heart problems in the past, including a 2004 quadruple bypass surgery and a 2010 procedure to open a blocked artery.

The Democrat served two terms in the White House from 1993 to 2001, overseeing strong economic growth while engaging in bruising political battles with his Republican opposition.

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives impeached him in 1998 over his sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but Clinton was acquitted by the Senate. He was only the second US president to be impeached; Donald Trump would later become the third when he was impeached twice during his term.

The former Arkansas governor was known as a exceptionally talented politician, combining a folksy charm with a deep knowledge of policy issues. He defeated an incumbent president, Republican George H.W. Bush, in 1992 and then beat longtime Republican Senator Bob Dole in 1996.

Since leaving office, Clinton has become a cheerleader for his wife, Hillary Clinton, who was elected to the US Senate from New York in 2000.

She unsuccessfully sought the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and then won the party's nod in 2016, when she eventually lost to Trump despite winning the national popular vote.

-reuters

Never forget: US remembers 9/11 on 20th anniversary

A couple views the Tribute in Light beams and the One World Trade Center tower from Little Island park on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. on Friday. America is set to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with ceremonies given added poignancy by the recent chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and return to power of the Taliban.

-reuters

Hurricane Ida strikes Louisiana; New Orleans hunkers down

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., blowing off roofs and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast toward New Orleans and one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors.

The Category 4 storm hit on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, coming ashore about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land. Ida’s 150-mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland U.S.

The rising ocean swamped the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon. Ida made a second landfall about two hours later near Galliano. The hurricane was churning through the far southern Louisiana wetlands, with the more than 2 million people living in and around New Orleans and Baton Rouge under threat.

“This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we’re seeing,” Gov. John Bel Edwards told The Associated Press.

People in Louisiana woke up to a monster storm after Ida’s top winds grew by 45 mph (72 kph) in five hours as the hurricane moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Wind tore at awnings and water spilled out of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans on Sunday, and boats broke loose from their moorings. Engineers detected a “negative flow” on the Mississippi River as a result of storm surge, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Ricky Boyette said.

Edwards said he watched a live video feed from around Port Fourchon as Ida came ashore.

“The storm surge is just tremendous. We can see the roofs have been blown off of the port buildings in many places,” Edwards told the AP.

Officials said Ida’s swift intensification from a few thunderstorms to a massive hurricane in just three days left no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans’ 390,000 residents. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents remaining in the city on Sunday to “hunker down.”

Marco Apostolico said he felt confident riding out the storm at his home in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, one of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods when levees failed and released a torrent of floodwater during Katrina.

His home was among those rebuilt with the help of actor Brad Pitt to withstand hurricane-force winds. But the memory of Katrina still hung over the latest storm.

“It’s obviously a lot of heavy feelings,” he said. “And yeah, potentially scary and dangerous.”

The region getting Ida’s worst includes petrochemical sites and major ports, which could sustain significant damage. It is also an area that is already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections due to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant.

New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections.

Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115 mph (185 kph) threatened Houma, a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf.

The hurricane was also threatening neighboring Mississippi, where Katrina demolished oceanfront homes. With Ida approaching, Claudette Jones evacuated her home east of Gulfport, Mississippi, as waves started pounding the shore.

“I’m praying I can go back to a normal home like I left,” she said. “That’s what I’m praying for. But I’m not sure at this point.”

Comparisons to the Aug. 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. Ida’s hurricane-force winds stretched 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the storm’s eye, or about half the size of Katrina, and a New Orleans’ infrastructure official emphasized that the city is in a “very different place than it was 16 years ago.”

The levee system has been massively overhauled since Katrina, Ramsey Green, deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure, said before the worst of the storm hit. While water may not penetrate levees, Green said if forecasts of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain prove true, the city’s underfunded and neglected network of pumps, underground pipes and surface canals likely won’t be able to keep up.

About 530,000 customers were already without power late Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks outages nationwide.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was in contact with more than 1,500 oil refineries, chemical plants and other sensitive facilities and will respond to any reported pollution leaks or petroleum spills, agency spokesman Greg Langley said. He said the agency would deploy three mobile air-monitoring laboratories after the storm passes to sample, analyze and report any threats to public health.

Louisiana’s 17 oil refineries account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. refining capacity and its two liquefied natural gas export terminals ship about 55% of the nation’s total exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Louisiana is also home to two nuclear power plants, one near New Orleans and another about 27 miles (about 43 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge.

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival. He said Sunday the country was praying for the best for Louisiana and would put its “full might behind the rescue and recovery” effort once the storm passes.

Edwards warned his state to brace for potentially weeks of recovery.

“Many, many people are going to be tested in ways that we can only imagine today,” the governor told a news conference.___

Reeves reported from Gulfport, Mississippi. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Stacey Plaisance and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Frank Bajak in Boston; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Pamela Sampson in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

-Associated Press

Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 9: mayor

SURFSIDE, Florida - The death toll after the collapse of a Florida apartment tower has risen to nine, the local mayor said Monday, more than three days after the building pancaked as residents slept.

"We were able to recover four additional bodies in the rubble... So I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine," Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters in Surfside, near Miami Beach, adding that one victim had died in hospital. "We've identified four of the victims and notified next of kin." 

With more than 150 people still unaccounted for, the outlook grew more grim by the hour, and weary family members at the site were showing increasing signs of anger, despair and strain.

Cava said four bodies, as well as human remains, were found when workers dug a huge trench -- 125 feet long, 20 feet wide and 40 feet deep (38 by 6 by 12 meters) -- through the mountain of debris. 

"We are making every effort to identify those others who have been recovered," she said in a morning briefing.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said debris with "forensic value" is being taken to a large warehouse to be inspected as investigators seek to determine the cause of the collapse.

And Surfside mayor Charles Burkett said accommodation was being found for anyone wishing to evacuate the tower's nearly identical "sister" building a block away, though no structural problems have yet been identified there.

INTERNATIONAL EFFORT

Israeli and Mexican engineers and search-and-rescue specialists have joined an army of American workers at the site.

Teams in protective gear, backed by two huge cranes and aided by sniffer dogs, have been working nonstop in torrid heat and high humidity since the early-morning collapse.

Six to eight squads are "on the pile actually searching at any given time," Mayor Cava said. The teams are able to work only a half-hour at a time before handing the job to the next crew.

"There is progress being made," Burkett told ABC's "This Week." "We've got waves of search-and-rescue teams that are flowing over the site.

"We don't have a resource problem," he said. "We have a luck problem. We need to get more lucky right now."

The 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South pancaked in the middle of the night Thursday as residents slept. Surveillance video of the collapse showed it coming down in just a few seconds.

The rescue operation has been agonizingly slow and painstaking, and fears of a much higher death toll are climbing with each passing hour -- though rescuers have stressed that there may yet be survivors trapped inside the rubble.

"My heart is with the community of Surfside as they grieve their lost loved ones and wait anxiously as search and rescue efforts continue," President Joe Biden tweeted Saturday, offering any federal assistance needed.

'MAKE EVERY EFFORT'

Many members of the local Jewish community were among those affected by the tragedy in Surfside, near Miami Beach, and Israel had vowed to help with the agonizing search.

"This is one of the best, if not the best, and the most experienced rescue teams, Israeli rescue teams," Israeli diaspora affairs minister Nachman Shai said as the team arrived early Sunday.

About half of Surfside's population is Jewish, including many members of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement, according to the Israeli media. 

So far, four victims have been identified by local police: Gladys and Antonio Lozano, respectively aged 79 and 83; 54-year-old Stacie Fang, whose 15-year-old son was rescued from the debris Thursday; and Manuel LaFont, also 54. 

At least 18 Latin American nationals are among the missing -- including Uruguayans, Argentines and Paraguayans. Canada has also said at least four of its citizens may be "affected," without elaborating.

Late Saturday, officials said they had been able to battle back a fire that for days had hampered their efforts.

Families of the missing have expressed mounting frustration and anger at the wait as concerns grown about the building's condition before the collapse. Officials who spoke Sunday repeatedly sought to reassure them that everything possible is being done.

"We're moving as fast as we can, as hard as we can," Miami-Dade fire chief Alan Cominsky told reporters.

Anger was fanned by news Friday that an engineer's survey of the building in 2018 had pointed to "major structural damage" to a concrete slab beneath a ground-level pool deck, as well as "abundant" damage inside the parking garage.

Authorities have stressed that the reason for the collapse could take months to determine.

US media have reported that one resident has already filed a class-action lawsuit against the building's owners seeking compensation for victims.

Agence France-Presse

Two COVID cases on one of first N. American cruises since virus hit

MIAMI, United States - Two guests on one of the first cruise ships to sail from North America since the COVID-19 pandemic hit tested positive Thursday, the cruise company said, adding all passengers and crew had been vaccinated.

The Celebrity Millennium, carrying about 600 passengers and 650 crew, set sail from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Saturday for a seven-day including stops in Barbados, Aruba and Curacao.

"Two guests sharing a stateroom onboard Celebrity Millennium tested positive for COVID-19 while conducting the required end-of-cruise testing," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

"The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation."

It said that the ship exceeded US Covid-19 guidelines, and all guests were required to show proof of vaccination as well as a negative Covid-19 test before sailing.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently requires that more than 95 percent of passengers and crew be vaccinated in order for cruise lines to bypass a requirement for trial voyages.

Cruise operations were suspended on March 14, 2020 when the CDC issued a "no sail order" to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Several ships already had deadly outbreaks on board.

Agence France-Presse

New Yorkers seek to shed pandemic pounds

NEW YORK - As fitness-conscious New York emerges from the pandemic, many residents are hitting the gym to get back in shape, but without putting too much pressure on themselves after the psychological stresses of the past 15 months.

Thirty-year-old Benny Maidenbaum comes from a family of sportsmen and said he's always been "very active." Basketball twice a week and pounding sidewalks as a real estate agent kept him fit.

But in March 2020, all that stopped.

"I had no activity, was sitting at home. I gained weight, like 15-20 pounds (7-9 kilograms). They call it 'corona weight,'" he tells AFP at TS fitness studio on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Health journals and articles have indeed talked about "Quarantine 15" -- unwanted extra pounds gained from the upheaval of our daily routines, including lack of activities and emotional eating caused by the anxiety of the pandemic.

About 42 percent of American adults said they had gained more weight than they intended -- an average of 29 pounds -- during the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association.

Angela Thuman, a 42-year-old bank worker, lost 32 pounds over the winter before the pandemic struck. She put it back on during the COVID crisis.

"It made me depressed and my anxiety was sky high. I had no motivation whatsoever," said Thuman, who lives in Maryland. 

Maidendaum said he found himself stuck at home eating junk food, without any interest in healthy options.

"It's like you're in a hole. There is no way out," he said.

Maidenbaum says TS Fitness has helped him "break the cycle" of unhealthy living.

Founder Noam Tamir says the studio has seen attendance increase significantly in recent weeks.

"With summer coming, being outside more, not fitting into the clothes they used to and obviously revealing more of their body, they want to get into a fitness routine," he said.

The studio has offered Zoom classes throughout the pandemic but people "crave that human-to-human contact," Tamir added.

Khristel Rhoades, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother, notes that there are more people in Central Park now than during the pandemic's early days.

"People are more comfortable. Initially, people would kind of jump when they thought you were coming by," she said while walking on the paved loop that goes around Manhattan's green lung.

'STIGMATIZATION'

Rhoades is among those who found exercise helped them through the pandemic.

"It's kept me sane for sure," she said.

Many specialists warn against stigmatizing weight gain, particularly at a time when people are still feeling extremely fragile psychologically.

"The very last thing we need right now is a diet," warned author Virginia Sole-Smith in her Burnt Toast newsletter.

"It's so much more important to have compassion for everything your body has gone through in the past year. And maybe even pride, for everything your body has helped you survive," she added.

But for Thuman, she said she had "a little bit of motivation" to lose weight as the pandemic dragged on, after separating from her husband.

Thanks to steady walks, a new diet and Facebook groups, Thuman has lost 22 pounds and is almost down to the weight she was pre-pandemic.

"I like the way that I feel now," she told AFP.

Like many, Maidenbaum refuses to set a target for his weight loss.

"If you put a timeframe, I realize you're building up a lot of pressure on yourself," he said, choosing to focus instead on a healthy lifestyle.

"As long as you show up and put in the work, that's really all that matters."

Agence France-Presse

As virus rages globally, US to vaccinate low-risk teens

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of American adults to have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine by the July 4 holiday, and has made vaccinating adolescents a key part of the next phase of the country's immunization campaign.

But targeting US teens is a controversial move among many experts, who argue it is a serious mistake to use the world's limited supply of doses on a low-risk population while the pandemic surges in countries like India and Brazil.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said in March their two-dose regimen was shown to be safe and highly effective in a trial of 2,260 12-to-15-year-olds.An emergency use authorization is expected in the coming days, and Biden told White House reporters Tuesday that "if that announcement comes, we are ready to move immediately." 

The president's address comes as the nation's immunization campaign is stalling after hitting a peak in early April.

More than 56 percent of adults have received one or more shots, but as the rate of uptake falls, officials are devising new ways to reach vaccine hold-outs.

These will include discounts to shoppers who get vaccinated at grocery stores, promotions for fans at sports stadiums, and more vaccines at rural health clinics, said Biden.

The federal government is also working on a program with pharmacies and pediatricians nationwide to reach the country's estimated 17 million 12-to-15-year-olds ahead of school reopening in fall.

'TERRIBLE ERROR'

Many experts have, however, voiced concern whether now is the right moment to reach this group as the global situation deteriorates.

The issue of vaccine disparity has been brought into sharp focus by India, which reported 350,000 new cases Tuesday and recorded nearly 3,500 deaths -- more than anywhere in the world.

"The overwhelming majority of 15-year-olds, we know are not at high risk of severe complications from COVID," ER doctor Craig Spencer, director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine at Columbia University, told AFP.

"It is absolutely raging around the world and we're talking about how we're going to vaccinate an incredibly low-risk population, when the overwhelming majority of health care workers around the world have zero protection," he said.

Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Prevention & Control at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, added that beyond being an ethics issue, exporting more vaccines was in America's own best interest.

"Vaccinating more people in the US is not going to help us if the variants in India, Nepal and South Asia get out of control and hit our shores," she told AFP.

The US has pledged to release up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but the experts believe much more can be done.

"I think if you vaccinate 12-to-15-year-olds in the United States before you vaccinate 70 year olds globally, you're making a terrible error," UCSF physician and epidemiologist Vinay Prasad told AFP. 

Israel's experience had shown that it is possible to achieve a "remarkable reduction" in cases without targeting teens, he added.

LOR RISK

Sampathkumar explained that the main reason to vaccinate teens is to drive down transmission -- a goal which she agreed with, though with US cases declining, it is a question of timing.

Statistics show children are at extremely low risk from severe COVID.

In the United States, under-18s have accounted for 277 deaths in total, according to the latest official data, a miniscule fraction of the total of 574,000.

There have been a further 36 deaths from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious post-viral disease.

Still, low risk isn't no risk, and pediatrician Lee Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, welcomed the arrival of a vaccine for children. 

She called vaccinating teens "an important tool in our toolbox for safe return to schools," saying it may "increase the comfort for many families and school staff." 

Figures aggregated by the data company Burbio shows 67.1 percent of US school students are attending schools in-person, while 29.6 percent are in a "hybrid" set-up combining in-person and remote classes, and 3.3 percent are learning virtually. 

But Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, said that the government's own research had shown it is entirely possible to reopen schools safely without vaccines.

"It's just another barrier that's been falsely erected to stand in the way of returning kids to education," she stressed.

Nuzzo added global hotspots should be the priority. 

"It's not good for kids in the long run if we just let this virus spread unchecked across the globe," she said.

Agence France-Presse

CDC updates guidance to cruise ship industry, urges vaccinations

WASHINGTON— The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention on Friday issued new guidance to the cruise ship industry, including the need for COVID-19 vaccinations, a necessary step before passenger voyages can resume.

The new technical instructions, the first update since October, include increasing from weekly to daily reporting frequency of COVID-19 cases and illnesses and implementing routine testing of all crew based on a ship’s COVID-19 status and establishing a plan and timeline for vaccination of crew and port personnel.

"COVID-19 vaccination efforts will be critical in the safe resumption of passenger operations," the CDC said.

CDC said the next phase of the CDC's conditional sail order will include simulated voyages to will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers.

"CDC is committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising when it is safe to do so, following the phased approach outlined in October's conditional sail order," the agency said.

It did not specify a date for the resumption of cruise operations from US ports despite calls from the industry for planning for a phased resumption by the beginning of July. The CDC said it would issue additional guidance before it allows cruises to resume.

The Cruise Lines International Association, which represents Carnival Corp, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises and others had pleaded with CDC to issue new guidance, saying in a March 24 statement the "lack of any action by the CDC has effectively banned all sailings in the largest cruise market in the world." It did not immediately comment on Friday.

The group had said the prior conditional sail order issued in October was "outdated" and "does not reflect the industry’s proven advancements and success operating in other parts of the world, nor the advent of vaccines, and unfairly treats cruises differently. Cruise lines should be treated the same as other travel, tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors." 

-reuters

New York state announces deal to legalize recreational marijuana

Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York state lawmakers formally agreed in late-night talks on a deal to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and over, the governor's office announced Sunday.

Once the underlying legislation passes -- Cuomo's Democratic party holds strong majorities in both legislative chambers -- New York will join 14 other states and the District of Columbia in permitting cannabis use. 

A statement from Cuomo's office said the change could net an additional $350 million in annual tax revenues and create tens of thousands of jobs.

The draft law would allow adults 21 and over to purchase cannabis and grow plants for personal consumption at home, with a plan to divert some funds to drug treatment and education.

"Legalizing adult-use cannabis isn't just about creating a new market that will provide jobs and benefit the economy -- it's also about justice for long-marginalized communities and ensuring those who've been unfairly penalized in the past will now get a chance to benefit," Cuomo said in the statement.

The law would take immediate effect once passed, but sales could take up to two years to start, as New York creates a proposed cannabis board and gets legal structures in place, a state lawmaker said Friday.

New York would automatically clear records of people with past convictions of marijuana-related offenses that would no longer be criminalized.

The law would also eliminate penalties for possession of up to three ounces of the drug (85 grams), the new personal possession limit. An existing medical-marijuana program would be expanded.

The state plans to tax marijuana sales at nine percent, with revenues from an additional four-percent tax divided between local and county government. 

The bill would create loans, grants and programs to foster job creation and industry participation from small farmers, women and disabled veterans, as well as New Yorkers from minority communities.

The decision, reached late Saturday, came after years of wrangling over legalizing recreational pot use in New York.

The deal was reached as Governor Cuomo faces investigation from several angles, including for an alleged pattern of sexually harassing and intimidating women employees, as well as for accusations his administration orchestrated a cover-up of nursing home deaths related to Covid-19.

Proponents say the new marijuana legislation will be a step toward addressing decades of injustice affecting minority and impoverished communities, which were disproportionately targeted by decades of harsh drug criminalization.

"This landmark legislation brings justice to New York State by ending prohibition, expunging conviction records that have curtailed the opportunities of countless predominately young Black and Latinx New Yorkers...", The Legal Aid Society, a social justice law firm, said in a Sunday statement.

Agence France-Presse

Google to invest over $7B in US, create 10,000 jobs – CEO

Washington, United States — Google will invest more than $7 billion in the United States this year and create thousands of jobs, the tech giant’s CEO said Thursday.

“We plan to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the US and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the US this year,” Sundar Pichai said in a statement.

Pichai said Google “wants to be a part” of America’s economic recovery from the pandemic and is investing in some communities that are new to the company, as well as expanding in others across 19 states.

The announcement comes as Google faces pressure from dozens of US states that accuse the internet giant of abusing its search dominance to eliminate competition.

Google will spend $1 billion in its home state of California.

Outside of the San Fransisco Bay Area, Google said it would add thousands of jobs in Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago, and New York.

“This will help bring more jobs and investment to diverse communities as part of our previously announced racial equity commitments,” Pichai said.

Google’s parent company Alphabet last month reported a 50-percent jump in quarterly profit to $15.2 billion as its digital ad business thrived.

Agence France-Presse

The end of offices? New York's business districts face uncertain future

NEW YORK - Boarded-up stores, shuttered restaurants and empty office towers: Covid-19 has turned New York's famous business districts into ghost towns, with companies scrambling to come up with ways to entice workers to return post-pandemic. 

"If they don't come back, we're sunk," said Kenneth McClure, vice president of Hospitality Holdings, whose Midtown bistro pre-coronavirus would buzz with the sound of financiers striking deals at lunch and sharing cocktails after a hard day at the office.

The group has closed its six restaurants and bars in Manhattan, two of them permanently, due to lockdown restrictions that have paused office culture - a culture as intrinsic to the Big Apple as a Broadway show, a yellow taxi or a slice of cheese pizza.

"Customers that you saw three, four, five times a week just virtually disappeared," McClure told AFP, recalling March of last year when the pandemic first swept New York, where it has killed more than 26,000 people.

According to data collected by security firm Kastle Systems, only 14 percent of New York's more than one million office workers had returned to their desks by the middle of January, putting the countless sandwich shops and small businesses in Midtown and Wall Street at risk.

With vaccines now rolling out, corporations and business leaders are grappling with how to attract employees back after spending the best part of a year working from home, and in turn maintaining the character of business districts.

Seventy-nine percent of employees questioned in a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey published this month said that working remotely had been a success, but the report also found that offices are not about to be consigned to history.

Some 87 percent of employees said the office was important to them for collaborating with team members and building relationships, aspects of working life they felt was easier and more rewarding in person than over Zoom.

"Being here, seeing my colleagues and getting out of the house, it changes my mood for the whole week," said Jessica Lappin, speaking to AFP from her office at the Alliance for Downtown New York, where she is president.

Few workers plan on being in offices Monday to Friday, nine to five, though.

"The vast majority of employees say a hybrid system of two-to-three days working from home and two-to-three days working in the office is their preferred approach," said Deniz Caglar, co-author of the PwC report.

Experts say companies should transform their offices away from places where employees come to send emails or make phone calls, which they can do at home, towards more appealing spaces suited for mentoring, camaraderie and fostering creativity.

- 'New future' -

That could mean larger, more flexible conference rooms rather than cubicles, something as simple as better decor, outdoor space like a balcony or terrace and "hoteling," where workers schedule use of a workspace as opposed to every employee having their own desk.

"Think of it as a theater, where you have different sets for different scenes," David Smith, co-author of a Cushman & Wakefield report about workplaces of the future, told AFP.

It may also mean offices becoming more multipurpose -- facilities such as gyms, cafes, launderettes and concierge services that make employees feel their commute is worthwhile -- accelerating a trend that was growing before coronavirus, experts say.

While offering staff flexibility, several major employers are doubling-down on their commitment to offices, betting big on New York's business districts despite the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

In August, Facebook signed a lease on a 730,000-square-foot space in Midtown, while a Google spokesperson told AFP the technology giant is continuing to expand its campus in the Chelsea neighborhood.

Greenberg Traurig, a law firm that employs 400 people in New York, has installed sneeze guards, touchless faucets, hand sanitizer machines, increased ventilation and distanced work stations.

It has staff coming in on "a rotational basis," and the firm plans to proceed with its move into a new state-of-the-art building near Grand Central Station this year, vice-chairman Robert Ivanhoe told AFP.

In late December, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cut the ribbon on a new $1.6 billion train concourse servicing Penn Station, highlighting local politicians' hopes of reviving Midtown.

Business district leaders say they are looking to add green spaces to the neighborhoods, while outdoor dining -- extremely rare in New York before the pandemic -- is expected to become a permanent feature.

"There is definitely an opportunity for everyone to be looking at the new future," Alfred Cerullo, president of the Grand Central Partnership business improvement group, told AFP.

Agence France-Presse

US long-term mortgage rates change little; 30-year at 2.87%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates changed little this week, flattening in recent weeks following a year-long decline amid economic anxiety in the recession set off by the coronavirus pandemic. Home loan rates have remained at historically low levels.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan eased to 2.87% from 2.88% last week. By contrast, the rate averaged 3.57% a year ago.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage ticked up to 2.37% from 2.36%.

The low borrowing rates have bolstered demand by prospective homebuyers, who on the other hand have been constrained by the scarcity of available homes for sale.

In the latest sign of the flagging economic recovery and continued elevated level of job cuts, the government reported Thursday that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000.

-Associated Press