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NY Governor Andrew Cuomo defiant in farewell address on his last day in office before resignation takes effect

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a farewell message on his last day in office on Monday, defiantly citing himself as the victim of a “political stampede” that cut his term short. Cuomo’s resignation follows an investigation conducted by private attorneys that concluded he sexually harassed 11 women during his time in office, some of whom were employed by the state. The findings were released in a 165-page report by Attorney General Letitia James.

In a pre-recorded message, Cuomo questioned the fairness of that report and its findings, saying he authorized the attorney general’s investigation in February and repeatedly asked constituents and critics alike to wait for their findings before issuing judgement upon his administration. Cuomo said Monday, “The truth is, ultimately, always revealed. The attorney general’s report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic and it worked. There was a political and media stampede.”

However, the governor reaffirmed his decision to step down amid growing bipartisan calls at both a state and federal level. New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be sworn in as governor at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, scheduled to serve the remainder left in Cuomo’s term. Hochul will become the first woman to hold the position of NY governo, and has also announced plans to run for governor once this partial term ends.

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, cautions against use in younger children

The US Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, and authorized it for people as young as 12. However the agency is warning against using the vaccine “off-label” in children younger than 12, saying it “would not be appropriate.” The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is not currently approved nor authorized for children younger than 12, and the appropriate dosage for this age group has yet to be determined.

‘Off-label’ refers to an approved product being used in a way or in a patient that it wasn’t necessarily approved for; it happens commonly with some drugs, such as when a chemotherapy approved for one type of cancer is used to treat a different type.

The FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) both strongly recommend that all eligible adolescents ages 12 to 17, be vaccinated as soon as possible, especially as the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant continues to circulate nationwide. As of last week, the AAP reported 180,000 new cases of Covid-19 among children and adolescents, according to the Academy. Currently approximately 8.5 million or 34% of all adolescents ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

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‘Schitt’s Creek’ farewell tour canceled due to concern over surge of COVID-19 cases

Eugene Levy announced on Twitter that the Schitt’s Creek: The Farewell tour has been canceled due to a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.  Series co-starts Eugene Levy and his son, Dan Levy had scheduled tour visits to several North American towns to talk to fans about the show; however, the duo has since decided to cancel all live speaking engagements.

Eugene and Dan Levy starred on the Emmy-winning sitcom for six seasons. Eugene Levy said in a statement: “We’re so sorry to be missing you, and we will continue to try to find a way to see you in the future.”  Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.

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Mayim Bialik to guest host ‘Jeopardy!’ for three weeks in wake of Mike Richards departure

Mayim Bialik, 45, will temporarily step in as “Jeopardy!” host for three weeks, following longtime executive producer Mike Richards’ decision to remove himself as full-time host amid controversy surrounding his past comments. Bialik will start filming episodes this week, which will air beginning Sept. 20. Bialik will film a total of 15 episodes which will air after the five episodes Richards had already pre-taped.

Richards and Bialik were announced as the new “Jeopardy!” hosts earlier this month, with Richards set to host regular broadcasts, while Bialik was tapped to host the primetime and spin-off editions of the quiz show. Both Richards and Bialik served as guest hosts of “Jeopardy!” this year as the show searched to find a permanent replacement for the late Alex Trebek, who died last year after a long battle with cancer at age 80. However last week, Richards stepped down as host of the game show after the recent resurfacing of misogynistic, racist and anti-semitic jokes he told on a podcast that ran from 2013 to 2014.

A Sony rep said: “As we move forward with production on this season of ‘Jeopardy!’, additional guest hosts will be announced.” Richards will still remain an executive producer of “Jeopardy!”

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Defense secretary orders emergency use of 18 US commercial aircrafts to transport Afghan evacuees

On Sunday, defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the emergency use of 18 U.S. commercial aircrafts to transport Afghan evacuees out of Kabul. The U.S. continues to evacuate Americans and Afghan people with special immigrant visas, a week since the Taliban entered Afghanistan’s capital city and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled. Seventeen thousand people have been taken out of Afghanistan in the past week; however, the scene at Hamid Karzai International Airport remains chaotic.

The Defense Department is acting under Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and confirmed the commercial aircraft wouldn’t be flying in and out of Kabul.  Instead, officials say the planes will move evacuees “from bases in Germany, Qatar and Bahrain to ease overcrowding pressure and transport bottlenecks.”

Among the airlines who will provide commercial aircrafts are American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air, each of which will contribute three planes; Hawaiian Airlines, which will contribute two; and United Airlines, four.

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Death Toll reaches 22 with dozens still missing in catastrophic Tennessee Flooding

The death toll has risen to 22 in catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee over the weekend. Twelve additional deaths were reported by the sheriff in Humphreys County on Sunday, adding to the 10 confirmed Saturday night. The number of missing is now estimated at 50, with the hardest-hit area being 40 miles west of Nashville.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said during a Sunday evening press conference: “It is a devastating picture of loss and heartbreak in one of our Tennessee communities.”  The state of Tennessee activated its Emergency Operations Center as searchers continued to look for survivors on Sunday. At least 100 homes and 25 businesses had been searched as of 10 a.m. Sunday, while multiple bridges and roadways remained close in the area. More than 10,000 customers were without power.

Between 15 and 17 inches of rain was reported in 24 hours in areas around Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Hickman counties. The flooding from the torrential rainfall trapped residents in their homes, closed highways and prompted multiple water rescues, where people took to their roofs and attics to escape the floodwaters. Homes were swept away and communities destroyed. The Tennessee National Guard has also deployed soldiers and airmen to the area in response to the flooding. Three helicopter aquatic rescue teams from the state, as well as swift water rescue teams from Nashville, were also sent to assist.

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‘Free Guy’ wins the weekend box office for 2nd week in a row

‘Free Guy’ starring Ryan Reynolds is the number one movie at the box office for the second weekend in a row. ‘Free Guy” brought in $18.8 million in its second weekend in the theaters, with a domestic ten day total of $58.8 million.

The new animated Paw Patrol movie came in second place with $13 million, with Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Don’t Breathe 2 coming in third and fourth place this weekend with $6.2 million earned and $5 million earned, respectively. The new film Reminiscence starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton had a disappointing debut, earning only $2 million in its opening weekend.

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Singer-songwriter Don Everly of the Everly Brothers dies at age 84

Don Everly, one-half of the rock-n-roll duo the Everly Brothers, has died at age 84. According to his attorney and family spokesperson Linda Edell Howard, Everly died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday. His brother, Phil Everly, died in January 2014 at age 74.

The brothers’  official Instagram account posted the news of Everly’s death early Sunday: “It is with great sadness that we regret to announce the passing of Isaac Donald Everly today. He leaves behind his wife Adela, mother Margaret, children Venetia, Stacy, Erin & Edan, grandchildren Arabella, Easan, Stirling, Eres, Lily & Esper.”

In the late 1950s and 1960s, the duo of Don and Phil Everly scored 19 top 40 hits, including “Bye Bye Love,” “Let It Be Me,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” The brothers broke up amid quarreling in 1973 after 16 years performing together, reuniting in 1983. They had successful concert tours in the U.S. and Europe in the late 1980s.

The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The brothers were also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

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Newly named ‘Jeopardy!’ host Mike Richards steps down after past controversial comments resurface

Newly named “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards is stepping down from his role amid controversy over past sexist and offensive comments he made in a 2014 podcast. In a memo Richards wrote to “Jeopardy!” staff, Richards announced that his “past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow” on the show.

Richards said, “over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today.” Richards added that Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, “will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week,” and apologized again, saying, “I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to ‘Jeopardy!’ over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.”  As of press time, Jeopardy!’s 38th season was still set to premiere on Sept. 13.

Richards’ announcement comes just a week after the announcement that he and former “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik were to alternate as “Jeopardy!” hosts.  The controversy surrounding Richards refers to comments he made on his “Randumb Show” podcast back in 2014, where he made sexist and racist remarks. The podcast episodes have been pulled from circulation.

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Teaser trailer for Season 4 of “Yellowstone” reveals November 7th premiere date

The Paramount Network series announced Thursday that the fourth season of its hit show “Yellowstone” will premiere Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, sharing a teaser trailer giving fans a sneak peek at what’s to come.

In the 30-second teaser, family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) can be seen in the aftermath of Season 3’s shooting. “This is not a drill! #YellowstoneTV season 4 premieres November 7, 2021,” the show’s Twitter feed said Thursday.

“Yellowstone” follows the wealthy Dutton family, who owns an enormous cattle ranch that shares borders with a national park, Native reservations and upscale housing/resorts. Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of MTV Entertainment, said in a statement Thursday: “Our strategy is to make Yellowstone, the massive No. 1 hit with more than 10 million fans, into a global hit franchise under the incredible creative vision of Taylor Sheridan’s world building storytelling.”

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