Trump told RNC chair he was leaving GOP to create new party, says new book

In an angry conversation on his final day as president, Donald Trump told the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee he was leaving the GOP and creating his own political party — and that he didn’t care if the move would destroy the Republican Party, according to a new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.…

New York firefighters suspended after threatening state senator’s staff over vaccine mandate while on duty

Four New York City firefighters have been suspended after driving their truck to a state senator’s office while on duty, asking for the politician’s home address and telling him the city would have “blood on its hands” over the city’s vaccine mandate.

The group, from Ladder 113 in Brooklyn,…

COVID-19 live updates: Hawaii governor urges tourists to stay away

The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 629,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins…

FDA authorizes boosters for Moderna and J&J vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized COVID-19 boosters for millions more Americans, giving a green light for third shots to Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients.

The FDA also said it will allow people eligible for a booster to mix and match doses. So no matter which shots you initially received, you can…

Jan. 6 committee plays to GOP concerns over Trump: The Note

The official reason for Tuesday night’s vote by the Jan. 6 committee was to start the arduous and uncertain process of holding Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress.

But the unofficial purpose of the brief and unusual prime-time hearing was to push at a soft spot in the hold former President Donald Trump has over his party — and…

Jan. 6 committee plays to GOP concerns over Trump: The Note

The official reason for Tuesday night’s vote by the Jan. 6 committee was to start the arduous and uncertain process of holding Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress.

But the unofficial purpose of the brief and unusual prime-time hearing was to push at a soft spot in the hold former President Donald Trump has over his party — and…

Trump sues to block release of Jan. 6 records to Congress

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday against the Jan. 6 select committee and the National Archives as he seeks to block the release of presidential records related to his communications around the insurrection.

In the lawsuit, Trump’s attorney Jesse Binnall argues the committee “has decided to harass President Trump … by…

In New Hampshire, vaccine fights and misinformation roil GOP

Republicans in New Hampshire are struggling to contain a party wing that’s promoting conspiracy views about the COVID-19 vaccine and pushing back against federal vaccine mandates

BOSTON — Republican Rep. Ken Weyler was known around the New Hampshire Statehouse for dismissing the benefits of…

CDC releases 2021 holiday guidance to prevent spread of COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its official public health guidance for the 2021 holiday season, offering up mostly general advice on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The recommendations urge people to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays if they haven’t done so already. For young children who…

First lady Jill Biden stumps in New Jersey, Virginia to help elect Democratic governors

First lady Jill Biden hit the campaign trail Friday, hoping to help deliver victories for Democrats in two gubernatorial elections.

Biden stumped in New Jersey for Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday afternoon and later stopped in Virginia Friday evening to get out the vote for former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.…

US regulators weigh whether people can mix COVID booster shots

U.S. regulators are considering revising the rules for COVID-19 vaccines to allow people to opt for a different type of shot for their booster than what they originally received, a move that would enable people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to receive the Moderna or Pfizer dose as their next shot.

Likewise, a person who got…

Biden: Get vaccinated, battle misinformation

President Joe Biden spoke out against misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccination mandates, encouraging the approximately 66 million unvaccinated Americans to get a shot.

“School board members, religious leaders and doctors across the country are fighting misinformation and educating people about the importance of…

Why experts say monoclonal antibodies aren’t vaccine substitute

Despite more than 187 million Americans being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and data and attestations from researchers and public health officials that the vaccines are safe an effective, a small and in some cases vocal minority of Americans are reluctant to get the shot.

The reasons vary, but a number of those people are instead…

President Biden to meet with port heads ahead of expected Christmas supply crunch

With global supply chain bottlenecks threatening the Christmas shopping season, President Joe Biden will highlight his administration’s work with ports on Wednesday and try to stave off the potentially politically explosive headaches Americans may face as delays threaten holiday gift-giving.

The president plans to…

House votes to temporarily raise debt limit

The House voted Tuesday to temporarily raise the debt ceiling by $480 billion after the Senate approved the stopgap measure late last week, putting off the risk of default until early December.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the lower chamber back to Washington from a two-week recess to pass the measure. The bill passed along party lines Tuesday…

Infants of COVID-positive mothers have high rates of health complications, study finds

Infants born to mothers with COVID-19 are significantly more likely to experience health problems, such as difficulty breathing, compared to infants born to mothers without COVID-19, according to a new study published Monday.

The study, published in the Journal Of…

Taliban says US will provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

The Taliban say Washington has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, while refusing to give political recognition to the country’s new rulers

ISLAMABAD — The U.S. has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor…

Trump boasted of crowd size at Jan. 6 riot, new book says

While the Capitol was under attack on Jan. 6, former President Donald Trump remained out of sight from the public and watched TV in the White House private dining room, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl revealed on ABC’s “This Week.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called Trump to ask him to tell the…

Health officials report uptick in children’s rare COVID-related inflammatory syndrome following delta surge

A number of pediatric hospitals across the country are warning about an increase in the number of cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare condition in which different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, become inflamed.…

Health officials report uptick in children’s rare COVID-related inflammatory syndrome following delta surge

A number of pediatric hospitals across the country are warning about an increase in the number of cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare condition in which different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, become inflamed.…