Month: April 2020

Enjoy the 1st-ever virtual Kentucky Derby with homemade mint juleps and more.

Churchill Downs will miss the pomp and circumstance that would typically descend on the iconic grounds for the Kentucky Derby, but the racetrack will instead host its first-ever virtual run for the roses to support coronavirus relief efforts.

The annual event on the first Saturday in May was postponed until Sept. 5 due to concerns of coronavirus, so the track came up with a computer-simulated race and nationwide at-home Derby party to help raise money for COVID-19 emergency relief funds.

Thirteen past Triple Crown winners will face off in a virtual race under the historic Twin Spires for “The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown” on NBC. The computer-simulated version of the fastest two minutes in sports will “use data algorithms including historical handicapping information about each horse, which helps to determine the probability of their potential finishing positions.”

Fans can pick a favorite horse to win the virtual race online and make a charitable donation to COVID-19 relief efforts. Anyone who selects the winning horse will be entered for a chance to win the ultimate Kentucky Derby 146 VIP Experience.

“Churchill Downs has pledged to match up to $1 million of donations with funds to be directed to the Team Kentucky Fund and Direct Relief,” according to a press release. “A small percentage will be earmarked for the R.E.I.N. Fund (Relief for Equine Industry Needs), a program managed by Churchill Downs Foundation designed to benefit workers of the backside whose livelihood has been impacted by COVID-19 and also to help ensure essential care for horses throughout the pandemic.”

“We are proud to use this platform as a force for good by raising money for these worthy COVID-19 emergency initiatives,” Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated, said. “We urge fans to join us by donating and celebrating with us from home.”

The interactive party hosted by Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum encourages fans to wear fancy suits and dresses and drink mint juleps to celebrate Derby Day at home.

“For many fans around the country, the first Saturday in May has become a part of their family’s yearly traditions,” Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack, said. “While we eagerly look forward to the 146th Kentucky Derby this year on the first Saturday in September, we will celebrate the annual excitement of our traditional date with our fans and community by offering ways for us to join together for a great cause. Our fans will be captivated by the realistic view of the virtual race and we can debate, as we do each year, our favorite to win.”

If you want to brush up on your mixology skills to sip on the spectator favorite cocktail at home this weekend, check out the recipe for the Official Mint Julep of Churchill Downs from Woodford Reserve.

Ingredients:
2 ounces bourbon
2 bar spoons of honey sweetener
2 fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
Shaved honeycomb and a sprig of mint for garnish

Directions:
Rub the mint around the inside of the julep cup, to express the essential oils and place the mint leaf in the bottom of the cup.
Drizzle two bar spoons of honey sweetener in the cup, followed by two ounces of bourbon, mixing the ingredients together.
Pack crushed ice into the cup, followed by placing the sipping straw.
Layer loose ice on top, with a splash of bourbon to settle the drink.
Garnish with shaved honeycomb and a sprig of mint.

Other online festivities from Churchill Downs include DIY fascinator-making with full instructions on the blog here, ideas for party decor, kids’ crafts, Derby-inspired recipes and even an at-home Derby fashion contest.

People around the country can join the virtual party and share their own home Derby Party experience using #KyDerbyAtHome on Saturday, May 2, and follow @KentuckyDerby on social media.

The injunction request against an executive order was denied.

A Michigan judge sided with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against her shelter-in-place order and denied the plaintiffs an injunction.

Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled said Steve Martinko and other plaintiffs’ claims that the order infringed on their constitutional rights were not strong due to the severity of the pandemic. A preliminary injunction of the governor’s order, which has been in effect since March 24, “would not serve the public interest, despite the temporary harm to plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.”

“Although the Court is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders, those difficulties are temporary, while to those who contract the virus and cannot recover (and to their family members and friends), it is all too permanent,” he wrote in the court order.

As of Thursday, Michigan has 40,399 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,670 related deaths, according to data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

In recent weeks, Whitmer has been the target of rallies who have held protests outside the state capitol demanding that she lift the order and reopen the economy. Whitmer has repeatedly said she is following the guidance of her health officials and will push for social distancing until the pandemic is over.

The plaintiffs claimed that the Emergency Management Act, which extends Whitmer’s powers during a state of emergency, is “an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power,” however, the judge ruled that the act has clear distinct rules and procedures for declining a state of emergency.

Representatives for the plaintiffs could not be reached for immediate comment. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she was pleased with the decision.

“This pandemic has already taken more than 3,600 lives in Michigan and many more around the world,” she said in a statement. “The primary goal of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order has always been to protect human life.”

What to know about Coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map

Dr. Simone WIldes said she’s “excited” about the drug’s preliminary results.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Simone Wildes shared her excitement on “The View” Thursday after a recent clinical trial showed promising early results for using the drug remdesivir against the coronavirus, calling it a “step in the right direction.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert and a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, announced the results of the experimental antiviral drug trial on Wednesday. Preliminary results from the randomized, placebo-controlled trial on 1,063 hospitalized patients showed that 31% of the patients who received remdesivir had a faster recovery time than those who received a placebo. The remdesivir group also saw an 8% mortality rate compared to an 11.6% mortality rate among the group on placebo.

“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Fauci said Wednesday, calling the development “very optimistic.”

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-fauci-tout-good-news-remdesivir-drug-trial/story?id=70407208

On “The View” Thursday morning, Wildes, of South Short Health in Massachusetts, concurred with Fauci’s outlook.

“I’m excited,” Wildes said. “We have been working on the frontlines with a lot of different experimental drugs.”

With the trial suggesting the drug might shorten the duration of symptoms, Wildes noted that even “a day makes a difference” when it comes to combating the new virus.

“We know more studies need to be done, but I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction, and any ray of hope is hopeful for all of us on the frontlines,” Wildes said.

Testing for the coronavirus is considered a crucial step to reopening the country. But on Tuesday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sent letters to four companies that manufacture and distribute antibody tests to question their accuracy after preliminary results from a study of more than a dozen tests found that many were less sensitive than advertised, therefore posing a risk of false negatives or positives.

Wildes agrees that the antibody tests “have really not been very reliable” and that there’s still “a lot of work that needs to be done to validate these tests.”

“In general, when you have antibodies you do have immunity,” Wildes said. “The question is how long does it last? There’s still some unknown questions, especially with COVID-19 because it’s a new virus.”

As states like Vermont, Texas and Georgia begin to reopen, Wildes said she opposes states lifting restrictions on public activity right now as there aren’t enough tests to prevent a resurgence of the virus.

“It’s too early to open the states,” Wildes said. “We are not at full capacity for testing. We’ve also not implemented enough steps to do the contact tracing and isolating the individuals that have the disease.”

“There’s still a number of things that have not been done,” she continued, “and so, early opening right now is going to be a little bit premature.”

Every episode of ABC’s award-winning talk show “The View” is now available as a podcast! Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher or the ABC News app.

JetBlue and Frontier are requiring passengers to wear face coverings.

As images surface of crowded planes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic lawmakers are calling for federal action to mandate that all air travelers wear masks.

Currently, it is up to the airlines themselves to decide to require masks, and although most have made it a requirement for crew members, JetBlue and Frontier are the only U.S. airlines to announce they will require passengers to wear face coverings.

On Wednesday, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Sec. Elaine Chao and Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Alex Azar urging them to “immediately issue a rule requiring face masks for all individuals engaged in air travel.”

“In the absence of federal action, different airlines and airports have adopted conflicting policies that will undermine overall public health if they are not unified around a single, strong standard,” the lawmakers wrote.

The largest flight attendant union in the U.S., the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, sent a similar letter last week to the DOT and HHS.

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

“From the airport door to the airplane door, on the airplane, and then back out through the airport, we want people wearing face coverings in all those areas,” Sara Nelson, both a current flight attendant and president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, told ABC News. “That is what is recommended by the CDC to the general public when they are out in public, and that is exactly what should be happening in our airports and on our airplanes to help contain the spread of the virus.”

HHS did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment and the DOT directed ABC News to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

On Monday, the FAA said in a statement to ABC News that it is “not a public health agency,” but that it has been lending its aviation safety expertise to federal public health authorities.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) believes a mask requirement is “well within the FAA’s jurisdiction” and spoke with FAA Administrator Dickson Wednesday to voice his concerns.

“The administrator appreciated the opportunity to speak with Chairman DeFazio and shares his concerns about the importance of protecting the health and safety of passengers and crews,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA is working with air carriers to ensure they have processes in place for addressing public health risks for their crews and passengers.”

President Donald Trump said it sounded “like a good idea” on Tuesday when asked if masks were something we would consider “rolling out for all flights.”

The CDC recommends that everyone wear a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth when in the community setting, “including during travel if they must travel.”

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

The deal is a major step towards party unity ahead of the general election.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaigns have reached an agreement that will see the Biden campaign voluntarily appoint some Sanders supporters to serve as delegates at the 2020 Democratic convention, according to a joint memo from the campaigns Thursday morning.

“While Senator Sanders is no longer actively seeking the nomination, the Biden campaign feels strongly that it is in the best interest of the party and the effort to defeat Donald Trump in November to come to an agreement regarding these issues that will ensure representation of Sanders supporters and delegate candidates, both on the floor and in committees,” the memo states.

Under the agreement, the Biden campaign would essentially allow Sanders to retain delegates he would have otherwise had to forfeit due to Democratic National Committee rules. After his departure from the race roughly a third of Sanders’ delegates would have been reallocated to Biden. The other two-thirds of delegates stay with a candidate through the convention. Under current delegate estimates Sanders will retain slightly more than 300 delegates as a result of the agreement with the Biden campaign.

The agreement allows for those delegate slots to be filled by Sanders supporters to ensure he retains influence on the three standing committee’s at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

The move is a major step towards unifying the party ahead of November and mending the still lingering split between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party, and a sign of the increased coordination between Biden’s campaign and the DNC, which only formally began earlier this month.

“We must defeat Donald Trump this fall, and we believe that this agreement will help bring the party together to get Trump out of the White House and not only rebuild America, but transform it,” the joint statement reads.

Under the agreement reached by the two campaigns, while delegates awarded on the statewide level will officially remain Biden delegates, Sanders supporters will fill them at the national convention “based on the candidates’ respective statewide results.”

The agreement also allows both the Biden and Sanders campaigns a “presidential right of review process,” which affords them the authority to approve or reject the people they want to fill certain delegate slots, ensuring that loyal supporters are in fact being elected to be delegates to the convention on their behalf.

The agreement follows other overtures from the Biden campaign to Sanders’ more progressive supporters following the Vermont senator’s endorsement of Biden on April 14th, including adopting a more aggressive plan to make college tuition free for middle and low income families for public universities, along with a Bankruptcy policy championed by Massachusetts’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

In addition to the endorsement earlier this month, Biden and Sanders agreed to work together through a series of working groups on key policy issues. However, few details of those working groups have emerged since the announcement was made.

The memo released Thursday also references the recent decision by the New York State Board of Elections to strike Sanders’ name from the ballot and to effectively cancel the presidential primary due to the Vermont senator’s official exit from the race.

The memo states that “if the state remains eligible for delegates, the campaigns are committed to working together to ensure representation for Senator Sanders in the New York delegation.”

Earlier this week the Sanders campaign blasted New York’s decision, calling it “an outrage” and “a blow to American democracy,” calling on the DNC to strip the state of all its delegates to the convention if the situation is not remedied.

But regardless of the lingering acrimony, the agreement reached Thursday was marked by a call for unity and resolve to focus on the ultimate goal of defeating Trump in November.

“Our campaigns are grateful for the unity and spirit of collaboration within the Democratic Party as we look to defeat Donald Trump and establish a government by and for the American people. We look forward to working with the state parties to implement this approach, as we elect delegates who reflect and represent the diversity that is the unique strength of our great nation,” the memo concludes.

More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in six weeks.

More than 3.8 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week, the Department of Labor said Thursday.

That’s a drop from the 4.4 million workers who had filed jobless claims for the week ending April 18. The latest claims bring the total to 30 million in six weeks.

With so many processing offices inundated with claims, some Americans have reported weeks-long lags or not receiving benefits at all.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending on April 18 were in Florida, which saw an increase of 326,251; Connecticut with an increase of 68,758; and West Virginia with an increase of 31,811. The largest decreases were in New York (189,517); California (127,112); and Michigan (85,500).

An accompanying adult survived and alerted police.

Four Amish children are dead and another is missing in Kentucky after floodwaters swept away the buggy they were riding in while crossing a bridge Wednesday, police said.

State police officers responded to a 911 call in Bath County about multiple people caught in the currents of a swollen tributary around 4:20 p.m., authorities said. They discovered that an Amish family of five children and one adult were riding in a horse-drawn buggy and tried to cross a bridge during a storm.

The waters swept up the buggy with everyone inside. An adult made it to shore and alerted authorities, according to the police. Four children were found dead a few hours later, police said.

“I ask that you please remember these individuals, and their families in your prayers this evening, and the days ahead,” Bath County Judge Bobby C. Rogers said in a statement.

Several other agencies, including the Kentucky National Guard, have joined police in searching for the missing child.

The fire was set hours after the start of Ramadan.

A fire that caused structural damage at a mosque in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, hours after the start of Ramadan was allegedly set by man who caused property damage to the same building over 10 years ago, police said.

Nicholas Proffitt was arrested on Monday without incident for allegedly setting fire to the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau.

Federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday that Proffitt was charged with maliciously damaging a building by means of a fire. Cape Girardeau police said he is also facing state charges of burglary, arson and property damage as he was “knowingly motivated to do so by reason of a motive related to the religion of the people who worship at the Islamic Center.”

Proffitt, 42, was allegedly seen on the center’s surveillance cameras on April 24 entering the building with two containers by breaking a glass window.

The alleged break-in occurred hours after the beginning of Ramadan, a time of spiritual reflection for Muslims who pray and fast for the entire holy month.

“Attacks against houses of worship are attacks against people of faith and their right to exercise their religion freely and without fear,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division in a statement, adding, “The Justice Department will defend the right of all people in our country to exercise their religion, no matter the creed.”

Proffitt allegedly slashed liquid that were in the containers inside the center and ignited the fire with “some type of fire starter,” prosecutors said.

No injuries were reported.

He’s being held on a no-bond warrant and is expected to face a judge for arraignment on April 30.

Proffitt was previously jailed in 2009 on charges of first-degree property damage for throwing rocks at the same mosque.

Federal prosecutors said this is an “ongoing investigation,” suggesting Proffitt could potentially face federal hate crime charges moving forward.

Areas of the Northeast could see over 3 inches of rain in the next 48 hours.

A major storm system is producing flooding from the Great Lakes to the Carolinas Thursday morning, with some areas receiving more than 4 inches of rain in just hours.

In one tragic incident, five children were swept away east of Lexington, Kentucky, Wednesday afternoon as they tried to cross a low water bridge. The bodies of four children have been recovered and one is still missing.

That same storm system also produced a tornado north of Tallahassee, Florida, where homes were damaged and trees uprooted.

Now, the storm system stretches from Florida all the way to the Great Lakes Thursday, with heavy rain moving east towards the I-95 corridor.

Flood watches are extended from North Carolina to New York state Thursday.

As this storm system moves through the East Coast over the next 24 to 48 hours, some areas could see more than 3 inches of rain. This could cause a threat for flash flooding.

In the Southwest, more records were tied or broken amid the heat wave.

Tucson, Arizona, tied a record at 102 degrees, Las Vegas tied a record at 99 degrees and was only 1 degree off from the hottest temperature recorded in April in the city.

Phoenix hit 104 degrees Wednesday, making it the hottest temperature so far this year and just 1 degree shy of the hottest April temperature ever recorded in the city.

Excessive heat warnings continue for California, Nevada and Arizona Thursday, with more triple-digit temperatures possible.

Over the next several days, the core of the hottest air will move east into Texas, where some areas could see record highs and the first 100 degree temperatures of the year, including in Dallas and San Antonio.

The U.S is considering restricting travel from Brazil as the country’s outbreak of the novel coronavirus worsens and threatens to make it the new epicenter of the pandemic.

But even as the Trump administration considers such strong steps, it continues to tout its ties to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who critics say is the reason the caseload in Latin America’s largest country has exponentially risen. The right-wing populist president who President Donald Trump consistently calls a “good friend” has dismissed the coronavirus as a “little flu,” urged Brazilians to keep going to work, and fired his health minister for disagreeing with his push to reopen the economy.

With 5,466 killed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Brazil’s death toll has now surpassed that of China, where cases first exploded. It has the second highest number of cases in the Western Hemisphere, behind only the U.S., although its total is likely much higher given a shortage of testing.

Asked about that climbing death toll on Tuesday, Bolsonaro shrugged and responded, “So what? I’m sorry. What do you want me to do? My name’s Messiah, but I can’t work miracles,” a reference to his middle name Messias.

In a country of 211 million people, some scientists have estimated that over 1 million may be infected already, according to the Associated Press. Aerial images of mass graves have sparked deep concern, with anger against Bolsonaro and even calls for his impeachment growing and evident in panelaços — protests of banging pots and pans.

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

Nearly all of Brazil’s governors have pushed back and enacted stay-at-home orders. But Bolsonaro has actively undermined those efforts, even leading a protest rally near army headquarters in the capital Brasilia just last week. In Brazil’s fiercely divisive politics, his anti-quarantine push has also rallied supporters, especially as states’ lock-down measures put people out of work and leave them hungry.

“At times like this, it is crucial to have a clear orientation, but unfortunately, we have witnessed the diffusion of contradictory guidelines that hinder compliance with the necessary measures,” said Ana de Lemos, executive director of Doctors Without Borders Brazil.

Hospital systems in Rio de Janeiro and four other major cities are already overwhelmed with patients and nearing failure, medical officials told the Associated Press. Rio de Janeiro state has nearly 9,000 cases with almost 800 deaths already, but the hardest hit state has been São Palo, home to South America’s largest city, where there are over 26,000 cases and 2,200 deaths, according to Brazil’s Health Ministry.

Many of Brazil’s cities, particularly Rio and São Paulo, are tightly packed, with millions living in poor slums known as favelas — making social distancing all but impossible and threatening to whip COVID-19 through communities in a flash. For states in the northwest that border Venezuela, their health systems are also already stretched thin by the hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing the political and economic crisis under President Nicolás Maduro there.

While Bolsonaro has been blamed for the deteriorating crisis, Trump seemed to downplay his responsibility, saying, “Brazil went a different way than other countries in South America. If you look at the chart, you’ll see what happened, unfortunately, to Brazil.”

Other U.S. officials have not criticized Bolsonaro’s response either. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo singled the country out for praise Wednesday for expelling some Cuban doctors in recent years that are deployed by the communist Cuban government as laborers and diplomatic capital, but which Pompeo called “human trafficking.”

There was also no hint of criticism in a call between Pompeo and his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araújo Wednesday, according to the U.S. readout. Instead, the two men “discussed the importance of a coordinated response to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the department, as well as “ways to intensify the economic and security partnerships between our two countries.”

A senior State Department official declined to address a reporter’s question on Bolsonaro’s handling of the virus during a briefing Tuesday. Instead, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Jon Piechowski said the U.S. is “in touch” with Brazilian leadership “on a daily basis,” but is not yet providing any assistance with medical supplies or other resources.

One new step under consideration, however, is implementing restrictions on travel from Brazil to the U.S., according to Trump, like those still in place for China and 28 European countries.

“We’re looking at it very closely,” he told reporters at the White House Tuesday during a meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who first raised the issue and whose state sees a lot of international travel through the Miami Airport hub. Trump asked DeSantis to let him know whether he should restrict travel, which the Republican governor promised to do.

Short of a travel ban, Trump said his administration is also considering requiring airlines to take passengers’ temperatures or test them for the coronavirus before boarding.

Trump himself faced exposure to COVID-19 from Brazil. During a visit on March 7, Trump hosted Bolsonaro and a visiting Brazilian delegation for dinner, and days later, one of Bolsonaro’s top aides, press secretary Fabio Wajngarten who was photographed next to Trump wearing a “Make Brazil Great Again” hat, tested positive for the virus. Both Bolsonaro and Trump later tested negative.

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map