Tuesday 10 February 2015

Dad's Heartfelt Plea to Congress After 2-Year-Old With Leukemia Exposed to Measles

Dad's Heartfelt Plea to Congress After 2-Year-Old With Leukemia Exposed to Measles



 Dr. Timothy Jacks is an Arizona pediatrician on the front lines of the measles outbreak that's sweeping the United States, but when he spoke to Congress today, it was personal.

 He got a call from the hospital where his 2-year-old daughter Maggie just finished a round of chemotherapy telling him that Maggie and her 10-month-old brother Eli were exposed to measles, he told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which convened today to discuss the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases.

 The chemotherapy rendered Maggie's immune system unable to fight the virus even with the first dose of the MMR vaccine, and Eli is too young to get the vaccine, he said.

 "My measles-exposed children have been quarantined at home for nearly two weeks now, and we anxiously watch for signs of disease," Jacks said, explaining that because of Maggie's compromised immune system, she has to go to the emergency room every time she gets a fever. "Every warm forehead, every sign of rash, and every runny nose could be the start of measles, and that brings me back to why I am here."

 A Look Inside Anti-Vaccine Enclaves
Everything You Want to Know About the Measles
Measles Outbreak Swells to 121 Cases This Year, CDC Says

So Jacks wrote a letter to the parents in the hospital who didn't vaccinate their children and exposed Maggie and Eli to the measles, and he said the letter has been shared 1.3 million times.

 "I assume you love your child just like I love mine," he wrote to those anonymous parents. "I assume that you are trying to make good choices regarding their care. Please realize that your child does not live in a bubble. When your child gets sick, other children are exposed. My children. Why would you knowingly expose anyone to your sick unvaccinated child after recently visiting Disneyland? That was a bone-headed move."

 The measles outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say is linked to a group of unvaccinated Disneyland visitors, has now spread to 17 states with 121 confirmed cases, the CDC said Monday.

 Because of the exposure, both of Jacks' children had to endure a round of painful antibody shots, and the family had to cancel their winter vacation, which had been planned for the only three weeks Maggie wasn't doing chemo, Jacks said. He said he also feared the complications from measles, which can include pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death.

 He urged Congress to promote the importance and safety of vaccinations.

 "This issue is close to my heart as a father and pediatrician," Jacks concluded. "With your help, we can put an end to vaccine-preventable illnesses and protect the innocent. We can protect our children." READ MORE

No comments:

Monday 9 February 2015

Fate of ISIS’s US Hostage Unknown, Experts ‘Skeptical’ of Terror Group’s Claim

Fate of ISIS’s US Hostage Unknown, Experts ‘Skeptical’ of Terror Group’s Claim



 Three tense days after ISIS claimed its American hostage, aid worker Kayla Mueller, was killed in a Jordanian airstrike, the terror group has not presented any hard evidence to back up its claim – a failure that has prompted doubts in ISIS’s story and inspired the Mueller family to cling to long-held hope that she’s alive.

 A statement from ISIS that circulated online Friday said Mueller, 26, was killed when Jordanian bombs hit a building outside Raqqa, Syria. The statement used Mueller’s full name, which had not been made public.

 But though ISIS produced pictures of the bombed-out building, it did not provide any evidence that Mueller was there. Previously, ISIS has shown photographs of casualties on both sides of the Syrian conflict to brag about killings or memorialize the deaths of its own fighters. The relative photographic silence when it comes to Mueller’s death has been deafening, according to former U.S. officials.

 “I think we should be skeptical for several reasons,” Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Barbero, former deputy commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq, told ABC News today. “These are masters of using video and social media to exploit, recruit [and there’s been] no evidence from them… I think they’d show if it was the case, they would show some sort of evidence.”

 Parents of American ISIS Hostage Kayla Mueller Plead for Response from Terror Group
ISIS Expands Into Libya While Bedeviling World With Latest Hostage Drama
DIGITAL FEATURE: What Is ISIS?


“My sense is that they’ve not shown us more because they have nothing to show us,” said Brad Garrett, a former special agent with the FBI and ABC News consultant. “The whole thing is completely fishy that what they’re saying is on the up-and-up… I have complete doubts about the truthfulness of this story.”

 Matt Olsen, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said it was “quite relevant” that ISIS hasn’t tried to show proof of Mueller’s death.

 “ISIS has not hesitated in the past to show gruesome images of executions and death, so at this point I think we need to be quite skeptical of any claim that they’ve made that Kayla Mueller was killed… until such a claim is fully corroborated,” said Olsen, who is also an ABC News consultant.

 But Barbero said it would be difficult to determine for sure if ISIS is lying as well.

 “It would be absolutely hard, if not impossible to verify one way or another unless you had some physical evidence or some source on the ground to determine whether she had been killed or not,” he said.

 Do you have information about this or another story? CLICK HERE to send your tip in to the Investigative Unit.


U.S. counter-terrorism officials have bemoaned the lack of on-the-ground intelligence available in Syria.

 Mueller’s parents, who live in Arizona, are clinging to hope in the absence of certainty, according to family friend Todd Geiler.

 “After [ISIS’s claim] our whole world kind of got turned upside down,” Geiler told ABC News’ Phoenix affiliate KNXV. “This ordeal has been going on for so long… [Mueller’s parents] are weary, they’re tired, but they’re also very, very hopeful and prayerful that their daughter will be returned to their safe keeping.”

 The U.S. government said Friday that it had seen no evidence to corroborate ISIS’s claim and today U.S. officials declined to comment further to ABC News.

 ABC News' Lee Ferran contributed to this report. Want To Read More CLICK HERE

No comments:

Sunday 8 February 2015

Grammy Awards 2015: Top 5 Moments From the Show

Grammy Awards 2015: Top 5 Moments From the Show



 The Grammy Awards' executive producer, Ken Ehrlich promised that the night would be jam-packed with jaw-dropping moments, and he wasn't wrong.

 From the moment AC/DC kicked off the show in Los Angeles with their song "Highway to Hell," until the end, the crowd hardly left their feet, cheering for the performers as well as the winners.

 "I think one of the things about this show is that I think people really do care about who wins Grammys," Ehrlich told ABC News before the show. "And I certainly know the artists care. So, you know, it makes it a more interesting show. There's a story to it, in addition to these great performances."

 Grammy Awards 2015: Winners List
In case you missed it, here were five of the night's most memorable moments:

 1. The Performances: The night was jam-packed with performances from newcomers, including Hozier and Ariana Grande, to veterans (ELO's performance of "Evil Woman" and "Mr. Blue Sky" had the likes of Paul McCartney and Beyoncé standing, Annie Lennox practically caused Twitter to implode, and Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica brought a smile to the audiences' faces). Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga made quite a duo, Miranda Lambert's rendition of "Little Red Wagon" brought down the house, and so did Madonna's performance of her new hit "Living for Love." (It didn't hurt that the 56-year-old showed off some serious leg.) Kanye West made his return to the Grammys stage after several years, first to perform his emotional new song, "Only One," and then, to join McCartney and Rihanna for their song "FourFive Seconds." The night ended on a powerful note, with a performance by Beyoncé and then John Legend and Common singing their Oscar-nominated song, "Glory."
PHOTO: Madonna performs at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles.

 2. Sam Smith's Big Night: Smith said early on that he hoped to take home the Best New Artist trophy, and he got his wish. Fighting back tears of joy, he said to the crowd, "To mom and dad, I won a Grammy!" His huge night continued with wins for Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. "It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen," he told the crowd. However, his night wasn't all about winning awards: He also performed "Stay With Me" with Mary J. Blige.

 3. Brooke Axtell's Emotional Address: After President Barack Obama made a public service announcement about domestic violence, activist Brooke Axtell performed a spoken word piece about her experience with abuse. "Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence shame or abuse," she told the audience. "If you are in a relationship with someone who does not honor and respect you, I want you to know that you are worth of love. Please reach out for help. Your voice will save you. Let it extend into the night. Let it part the darkness. Let it set you free to know who you truly are: valuable, beautiful, loved." With that, Katy Perry took the stage to deliver her emotional song, "By the Grace of God."

 Want To Read More CLICK HERE


No comments:

Gunman Still At Large And Motive Unclear After Mall Shooting Outside Pittsburgh

Police: Gunman Still At Large And Motive Unclear After Mall Shooting Outside Pittsburgh



Three people were shot at the Monroeville Mall outside Pittsburgh, Pa. Saturday evening, and the suspect was still on the loose late Saturday evening, police said.

According to the Monroeville Police Department, the shooter targeted one male individual, who is in critical condition. Police Chief Doug Cole said "its safe to say" that the other two victims were bystanders.

The male bystander is in critical condition, the other - a female - has non-life threatening injuries. They don't seem to have any association with the targeted victim, police said in a press conference late Saturday evening.

The incident occurred around 7:33PM ET. Alleghany County Police Lieutenant Andy Schurman said at least 2 shots were fired.

"We don't know what the motive is," Schurman said. "That's something we're looking for."

According to a Monroeville Police Department press release the suspect is a black male, approximately 5-foot-7, in his late teens. He was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt with writing on it. Police said that they will not release any other information on the suspect in their press conference.

Witness Josh Vehar told ABC News that he saw a group of kids standing around and saw a young male holding a black gun from that first group fire six or seven shots at another group of young people.

He said he was 20 to 30 feet away from the shooting at the Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood Play area in the mall with his 5-year-old daughter, and other children were playing at the time shots were fired.

"I watched this kid pull his gun out and when he pulled the gun out, he just started firing," Vehar said. "He shot like 6, 7 times and then it just turned into pandemonium after that."

All three victims were taken to the Trauma Center of Forbes Regional Hospital. Following "a matter of course," the ER was locked down briefly after the victims arrived, Cole said.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Bruce Jenner Involved in Fatal Car Crash, Passes Sobriety Test

Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner was involved in a four-car crash that left one driver dead in Malibu Saturday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department.

Jenner was a driver in one of the cars, the Sheriff's Department said. His rep told ABC News that Jenner is fine.

Jenner cooperated with investigators, police said. He passed a field sobriety test and then voluntarily submitted a blood sample to determine whether he was intoxicated.

"He did not appear intoxicated or under the influence of anything at the time," Sheriff's Sgt. Philip Brooks said.

"It appears Bruce Jenner was involved in the rear-end of a vehicle, however he was the third car in a multiple rear-end collision," Brooks said.

Five people were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The crash took place just after noon on the Pacific Coast Highway at Corral Canyon Road, the Sheriff's Department said. The cause is under investigation.

Bruce Jenner's Mom Opens Up About His Gender Journey
Kim Kardashian: 'We Support Bruce 100 Percent'
Photos of the crash site showed a white Lexus that was severely damaged in both the front and the back. There was also a black Hummer that had its hood open and its engine damaged. A black Escalade that was pulling an off-road vehicle had a damaged front end, and a black Prius appeared to have been rear-ended, The Associated Press reported.

Jenner rose to fame in the '70s when he won the gold medal in the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics.

The former Olympian has remained in the spotlight on the reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," which for the past eight years has documented Jenner raising daughters Kendall and Kylie with now ex-wife Kris Jenner.

PHOTO: Khloe Kardashian posted this photo to Instagram of herself and her sisters, Jan. 19, 2015.

Jenner is also father to four other children -- Brody, Burt, Brandon and Casey -- and step-father to Kris Jenner's children Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian.

PHOTO: Former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner arrives at the Annual Charity Day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners, in New York, Sept. 11, 2013.



No comments:

Saturday 7 February 2015

ABOUT ABC NEWS

ABOUT ABC NEWS

ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its flagship program is ABC World News Tonight; other programs include morning show Good Morning America, Nightline, newsmagazine shows Primetime and 20/20, and Sunday morning political affairs program This Week with George Stephanopoulos.



History

ABC began news broadcasts early in its independent existence as a radio network after the Federal Communications Commission ordered the former NBC Blue Network to be spun off as an independent company in 1943. This was done to keep single or a few companies such as NBC and CBS from dominating radio broadcasting in the United States, and in particular, from dominating news and political broadcasting and projecting narrow points-of-view. Television broadcasting was suspended however, during World War II.

Regular ABC television news broadcasts began soon after ABC started transmitting from its initial New York City television station (WABC-TV) and production center in late summer 1948. ABC news broadcasts have continued as the ABC television network spread across the country, a process that took many years, from that beginning in 1948 through today, but they have not always had the same level of success that they enjoy now. Throughout the 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s, ABC News consistently ranked third in viewership behind CBS News and NBC News. Until the 1970s, the ABC television network had fewer affiliate stations, and also weaker prime-time programming lineups to support the network's news departments than the two larger networks had, each of which had established their radio news operations during the 1930s.



Under Roone Arledge

Only after Roone Arledge, the head of ABC Sports at that time, became the president of ABC News in 1977, at a time when the network's prime-time entertainment programs were achieving good ratings and drawing in advertising revenues and profits to the ABC corporation overall, was ABC able to invest the resources to make it a major source of news broadcasting. Arledge, known for experimenting with the broadcast "model", created many of ABC News's most popular and enduring programs, including 20/20, ABC World News Tonight, This Week, Nightline and Primetime Live.

ABC News gained respect in the early 1980s by covering the Iran hostage crisis and, later, for covering the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area (which occurred during the network's sports coverage of the 1989 World Series) with live telecasts.



ABC News' longtime slogan, "More Americans get their news from ABC News than from any other source", was a claim that refers to the number of people who watch, listen, and read ABC News programming on television, the radio, and the Internet, and not necessarily to the telecasts alone.[1]

In June 1998, ABC News sold its 80% stake in Worldwide Television News to the Associated Press as did the other two owners, Nine Network and ITN. Additional, ABC News signed a multi-year deal with AP for APTV subscription while providing material to APTV from News One, ABC's news service.[2]

On May 2, 2012, Univision Communications and ABC News entered into a joint venture to launch a digital cable and satellite television network for English-speaking Hispanic and Latino Americans. On February 11, 2013, the companies announced the dual network will be called "Fusion".[3][4] The network launched on October 28, 2013.


No comments:

Thursday 5 February 2015

The Sisters at the Heart of the Murder Case

Aaron Hernandez Trial: The Sisters at the Heart of the Murder Case


More From Meghan »
Digital Reporter
PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, left, is pictured in Fall River, Mass. on Dec. 22, 2014. Shaneah Jenkins, right, is pictured in Fall River, Mass. on Feb. 3, 2015.
AUTO START: ON | OFF
The victim's family is not the only one being torn apart during the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. Odin Lloyd's murder also has divided two sisters.
Hernandez, a former NFL star, is engaged to and has a young daughter with Shayanna Jenkins, whose sister, Shaneah Jenkins, was dating Lloyd at the time of his June 2013 death.
The relationship between Hernandez and Lloyd has been debated during the ongoing murder trial, but the rift between the two sisters is abundantly clear.
Shayanna Jenkins, who has been a regular attendant of every hearing since Hernandez's arrest in late June 2013, has been sitting in the rows behind her fiance, regularly comforting his mother and relatives when they are in court.
Her sister, however, sits on the other side of the court with Lloyd's mother, behind the state prosecutors.
The murder trial is showing the divide that Lloyd's June 2013 death has created between the once-close sisters.
PHOTO: Shaneah Jenkins testifies during the murder trial of former NFL football player Aaron Hernandez at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Mass. on Feb. 4, 2015.
Brian Snyder/AP Photo
PHOTO: Shaneah Jenkins testifies during the murder trial of former NFL football player Aaron Hernandez at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Mass. on Feb. 4, 2015.
The sisters and Hernandez have known each other for at least nine years, as both sisters and Hernandez attended Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Connecticut.
Hernandez, now 25, was a star of the school's football team and went on to play for the University of Florida.
Shayanna Jenkins, who was in the same grade and is also 25, was a member of the track team.
Sisters' stories emerge as key
Hernandez Murder Trial in Pictures
Aaron Hernandez Prosecutor: Records 'Show the Path' to Murder
Her sister, Shaneah Jenkins, is two years younger. She was listed as a member of the honor roll after her freshman year and Hernandez received the same award during that same semester, when he had just finished his junior year.
Not much is publicly known about what Shaneah Jenkins has done since high school but, at the time of his death, she was dating Lloyd, a semi-professional football player.
More is known about Shayanna Jenkins and her relationship with Hernandez, given his high profile at Florida and, later, in Massachusetts after he was drafted by the New England Patriotsin 2010.
PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, left, girlfriend of former New England Patriots Aaron Hernandez, appears in superior court, during her arraignment on a perjury charge in connection with the killing of Hernandezs friend, in Fall River, Mass. on Oct. 15, 2013.
Steven Senne/AP Photo
PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, left, girlfriend of former New England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez, appears in superior court, during her arraignment on a perjury charge in connection with the killing of Hernandez's friend, in Fall River, Mass. on Oct. 15, 2013.
The couple welcomed their first daughter, Avielle, on Hernandez's 23rd birthday.
"It’s definitely a great experience. She’s a beautiful little girl. I’m excited," he told The Providence Journal in November 2012, two days after she was born.
"It’s the best birthday you can have, having a daughter on your birthday, especially a daddy’s little girl," he said.
Now the family's drama is playing out in court.
Shaneah Jenkins testified Wednesday that she had always been close with her sister, but was taken aback when her sister made an unusual request in the hours after she learned Lloyd had been killed.
She said that she went over to the home that her sister shared with Hernandez and that her sister began acting strangely and "secretive" as she received a string of texts and phone calls.
PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez, weeps in the courtroom after a bail hearing for Hernandez in Fall River Superior Court on June 27, 2013, in Fall River, Mass.
Ted Fitzgerald/AP Photo
PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez, weeps in the courtroom after a bail hearing for Hernandez in Fall River Superior Court on June 27, 2013, in Fall River, Mass.
At one point, Shayanna Jenkins went down to the basement and got a large garbage bag before going to the backyard, Shaneah Jenkins testified. After coming back inside, Shayanna Jenkins reportedly asked to borrow her sister's car for a sudden trip to the bank, and Shaneah Jenkins said in court that it was not something that had ever happened before.
This isn't the first time when Shayanna Jenkins' actions in the hours after Lloyd's death have come into question, and she was charged with perjury after allegedly lying dozens of times to a grand jury about Hernandez's alleged involvement in the murder.
She reportedly told the grand jury that she dumped the garbage bag in a dumpster, but couldn't recall where the dumpster was, nor did she ever ask what was inside the bag.
Her attorney, Janice Bassil, tried to dismiss the omissions as simply the way that the couple's relationship worked.
"Their relationship, in many ways, had what I refer to as a 'don't ask, don't tell' aspect," Bassil said during a bail hearing in October 2013.
Shayanna Jenkins has not yet taken the stand but she was included on a list of possible witnesses submitted by the prosecution. The Associated Press reported last month that the prosecutors petitioned the court to grant her immunity, but the request was sealed and the outcome has not been discussed.
No comments:

Wednesday 4 February 2015

GOOD MORNING AMERICA ABC NEWS LIVE

Met Museum Curator and Financial Trader Among Train Crash Victims

PHOTO: Walter Liedtke, left, and Eric Vandercar have been confirmed as passengers that died in the Metro-North train crash.
A financial trader and a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been identified as two of the five passengers who died in Tuesday night's train crash in suburban New York.
Eric Vandercar and Walter Liedtke's deaths were confirmed by their companies this afternoon.
Relatives of the victims were sent to the county medical examiner's office this morning to confirm the identities.
Driver of Car in Train Collision Was Mother of 3
How the Most Fatal Train Crash in Its History Unfolded
Metro-North Tragedy: Deadly Train-SUV Collision an 'Ugly and Brutal Sight'
Vandercar, a married 53-year-old father, worked as a senior managing director in the New York office of Mesirow Financial.
"Eric was not only a pillar in our industry, he was a great partner and friend to many. Losing him is a huge loss, personally and professionally," the company said in a statement released to ABC News.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art confirmed Liedtke's death, saying that they were "deeply saddened by this tragic loss."
"Walter Liedtke was a brilliant, respected curator and scholar of Dutch and Flemish paintings who was part of the Met family for 35 years," the statement said. "He will long be remembered for his vast knowledge, his wit, and a passion for art that inspired all who came in contact with him."
The mayor of New Castle, N.Y., identified 42-year-old Joseph Nadol and 36-year-old Robert Dirks as victims in the crash. The fifth victim, 41-year-old Aditya Tomar, was identified by the mayor of Danbury, Connecticut, to ABC News station WABC.
All five of the passengers who died were seated in the first car of the Metro-North train when it crashed into a Mercedes SUV that was on the tracks Tuesday.
The driver of the SUV was also killed in the crash and ensuing explosion. She has been identified as Ellen Brody, a mother of three who worked at a nearby jewelry store.
The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation into the crash, which was the most fatal in Metro North's history.
The investigation is expected to take nearly a week and crews were seen starting to move the train and SUV from the crash site early this evening.
ABC News' Mark Cruedele contributed to this report.


No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)