CDC and FDA approves COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have approved COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of 5 years old. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously recommended approval of vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for use among younger children. Nearly 20 million additional children, including all Americans ages 6 months and older, are now qualified to be immunized against the disease.

The panel’s recommendation was then quickly accepted by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who said in a statement:  “Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can.”  Walensky encouraged parents and caregivers with questions “to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated.”   

The CDC said distribution of pediatric vaccinations for the youngest children has already started across the country and doses will be available this week at pediatric practices, pharmacies, qualified health centers, local health departments, clinics and other locations.  After the CDC’s approval, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its COVID-19 recommendations to include a “strong recommendation” for children in this age group to receive the vaccine.

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Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Jack Suwinski makes history with three-home run game

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Jack Suwinski homered three times Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, making his way into history by becoming the first rookie in MLB history to have a three-homer game that included a walk-off home run.

The 23-year-old Suwinski took a walk in his first at-bat of the game, then hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game 2–2. He gave Pittsburgh the lead when he hit another solo home-run in the sixth inning. Suwinski’s third and final home run came in the bottom of the ninth inning when he drilled a slider from San Francisco sidearmer Tyler Rogers over the fence in right field at PNC Park for his second walk-off home run this month (after hitting one on June 4 against the Diamondbacks), and giving the Pirates a 4–3 victory over the Giants.

Suwinski’s father, Tim, was in the stands to see him on what turned out to be a very special Father’s Day. Sunday’s history-making outing is just part of an already impressive season for Suwinski in Pittsburgh. The former 15th round pick now has 11 home runs in 47 games this year, tied with fellow outfielder Bryan Reynolds for the team lead. Suwinski is the second Pirates rookie to hit three homers in a game, joining Andrew McCutchen who did so in 2009.

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England’s Matt Fitzpatrick wins his first major title at the U.S. Open

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick captured his first career major championship on Sunday, winning the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline. The 27-year-old Fitzpatrick is the first Englishman to win the U.S. Open since Justin Rose in 2013, finishing the tournament -6, and winning the U.S. Open by one stroke. Fitzpatrick joins Jack Nicklaus as the only two players to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open titles on the same course. Nicklaus accomplished the feat at Pebble Beach in 1972.

Fitzpatrick shot a 68 in the final round, outlasting Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris.  Fitzpatrick and Zalatoris were deadlocked at the top of the leader board to enter the final round Sunday. Zalatoris and Scheffler both finished -5, a stroke behind leader Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick nailed a 50-foot birdie-putt on 13, followed by a clutch 20-footer at 15, and on the 18th, Fitzpatrick made a shot from the bunker to the green to win the 122nd US Open title.

Fitzpatrick told reporters after clinching the championship: “The feeling’s out of this world. It is so cliche, but it’s stuff you dream of as a kid. To achieve it, I can retire a happy man tomorrow.”

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Ingrid Andress’ sophomore LP ‘Good Person’ to drop this August

Ingrid Andress‘ sophomore album ‘Good Person’ will be released on Aug. 26, and as a preview Ingrid has released a special track from the project, “Pain,” accompanied by a music video directed by Olivia Bee (which can be viewed – here).  Good Person is the follow up to Ingrid’s debut LP Lady Like, which was named one of Billboard’s Top 10 Best Country Albums of 2020, and earned Andress three Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Country Album, and Best Country Song for the multi-Platinum No. 1 single “More Hearts Than Mine.”

Good Person features 12 track, including the recently released song “Seeing Someone Else” and the titular track “Good Person.”  Andress says of the album: “Making this album was one of the most painful processes I’ve ever been through, but it was also the brightest and the best. The first album was me trying to discover who I was as an artist, but the last two years forced me to really sink into what my reality was and what I was feeling. It led me to what this album is, which is me realizing I wasn’t happy and that I needed to fix it. This album not only helped me grow as a person, but also as a producer. I realized how scared a lot of people are to push boundaries and how I am not, that’s my bread and butter. Isn’t that the goal, to discover new things? What are we doing here if we’re not trying to make new art?”  You can pre-save/pre-order Good Person here.

Andress is also joining Keith Urban for his 52-date North American “The Speed of Now World Tour,” which just kicked-off Friday (June 17) in Tampa, Florida.

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Dolly Parton donates $1M for pediatric infectious disease research

Dolly Parton has donated $1 million to the pediatric infectious disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A press release confirmed the generous donation. Mark Denison, MD, professor of Pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, added: “We are deeply honored by Dolly’s contribution to our research mission. For over 40 years our division has been a national and international leader in studies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of life-threatening infections, and this gift will accelerate our work and support new ideas.”

According to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center website, “ongoing research in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases includes understanding how viruses and bacteria cause disease, understanding and preventing resistance to antibiotics, preventing and treating infections, diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer and research to define the impact of childhood infections throughout the world.”

Parton said in a statement: “I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I’m willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible.” This isn’t the first time Parton has donated to VUMC. In April of 2020, Parton donated $1 million to help support research surrounding COVID-19 treatments and cures, in honor of the singer’s longtime friend, Naji Abumrad, MD, Professor of Surgery. Parton previously contributed to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Pediatric Cancer Program in honor of Abumrad and her niece, Hannah Dennision, who was successfully treated as a child for leukemia at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.

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Ana de Armas portrays Marilyn Monroe in the trailer for the film ‘Blonde’

Netflix has released the trailer for the new film ‘Blonde,’ featuring Ana de Armas playing the late Hollywood film icon Marilyn Monroe, who died at age 36 in 1962.  Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams also star.

Blonde is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ historical fiction novel of the same name. The film is written and directed by Andrew Dominik, and received an NC-17 rating for “some sexual content”.  An official synopsis for the film reads: “From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, ‘Blonde’ blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.

Blonde premieres Sept. 23 on Netflix. Take a look at the trailer – here.’

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Netflix announces real-life ‘Squid Game’ competition series

Netflix announced the reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge, based on the original Squid Game series, which became Netflix’s most popular show of all time upon its release in late 2021.  The platform announced casting for the new series in a vague promo on TwitterSquid Game: The Challenge will enter 456 contestants for the grand prize of $4.56 million dollars. That’s the same number of contestants in the drama, but an American dollar adaptation of the show’s 45.6 billion won prize in Korean money.  The reality series is looking ‘for brave, self-punishing souls interested in competing in harrowing games’.  For information on casting for the show, head to www.squidgamecasting.com.

The original Squid Game series is about a competition of childhood games for a cash prize, such as Red Light Green Light, Honeycomb and Marbles.  Netflix promises some games inspired by the show on the reality version, plus new surprises.  On the drama, the losers are executed; and while Netflix hasn’t announced how they plan to adapt the game, the streaming service confirms contestants could be “going home empty-handed” (meaning- they will not die if they lose).

Netflix had also just announced last week that they have renewed Squid Game for Season 2.  The original series, created by South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, primarily starred Korean actors who spoke Korean throughout the show; whereas Squid Game: The Challenge is seeking “English-language speakers from any part of the world.”

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Golden State Warriors defeat Boston Celtics in Game 6 to win 4th NBA title in eight seasons

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden, winning their fourth championship in the past eight seasons.  The Warriors’ Steph Curry scored 34 points and earned NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career, as the Warriors captured their seventh NBA title in franchise history.

For Curry and his fellow longtime teammates Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it’s a fourth NBA title together. Their first three championship rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State made five straight trips to the Finals.

Andrew Wiggins excelled in his first Finals appearance, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks in Game 6. Jordan Poole had 15 points and three rebounds off the bench, Green had 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and Thompson had 12 points and five rebounds for the Warriors.

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown led with 34 points, while veteran center Al Horford had 19 points and 14 boards. Jayson Tatum notched 13 points, but he shot just 6 of 18 from the field in a disappointing series. Boston also committed 22 turnovers in the loss.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr earned his ninth overall championship — five as a player, and four as a head coach. He became the sixth head coach to win four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, Red Auerbach and John Kundla.

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Dow drops over 800 points as investors worry about Fed interest rate hike to curb inflation

On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 741.46 points, or 2.42%, while the S&P 500 fell 3.25% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.08% as Wall Street was hit hard just one day after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75% in an effort to control inflation. The Federal Reserve concluded a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday and and raised interest rates by 0.75%, something it had not done in nearly 30 years. The move was widely expected by most analysts and is seen as a necessary measure to get a better handle on rising inflation.

The blue-chip Dow fell to 29,927.07 points, falling below 30,000 for the first time since January 2021, while the S&P and Nasdaq were both in bear market territory, or 20% down from a recent record, down 24% and 34% respectively. All three major indexes were on track to post losses for the week with the Nasdaq down 6.1%, while the S&P has fallen 6% and the Dow has dropped 4.7% for the week.

Intel stock fell 3.39%, Walgreens dropped 2.6%, 3M fell 2.45%, Home Depot declined 2.24% and JPMorgan chase slid 1.72% as all of the stocks fell to 52-week lows on Thursday. Tech stocks receded from a two-day rally with Tesla falling 8.54%, Nvidia dropping 5.6%, Apple declining 3.97%, Netflix sliding 3.75% and Amazon closing down 3.72%%.

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Abbott manufacturing facility in Michigan halts production of baby formula due to severe weather

Abbott Nutrition was forced to pause production of baby formula at a Michigan manufacturing facility due to severe weather in the area that brought high winds, hail and power failures to where the factory is located in Sturgis, Michigan. The company expects production and distribution to be delayed for a few weeks as it cleans the plant, which had just restarted production after being closed for several months, contributing to the national baby formula shortage.

The company said that production for Abbott’s EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted. Abbott had prioritized ramping up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. Once the facility reopens, the factory will begin with the production of EleCare and other specialty formulas. Abbott says it also plans to restart production of its Similac formula as soon as possible.

The Michigan factory was closed after the FDA began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate committee on Thursday that government work done to increase the supply means that there will be more than enough product to meet current demand. Califf said they hoped to have a “super supply” of formula to get shelves fully restocked in perhaps two weeks.

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