‘Gilligan’s Island’ star dies of COVID-19

Dawn Wells, famous for playing Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island,” passed away from COVID-19 at the age of 82.

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  • 9 in 10 say pandemic not controlled; two-thirds intend to vaccinate

    Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say the coronavirus pandemic is not under control in the United States, but far fewer say they'll get vaccinated against it, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds. The view is deeply partisan; 7 in 10 Democrats and 55% of independents say the virus is not at all under control, versus 28% of Republicans. The net (65%, due to rounding) is lower than the 71% who said they would get vaccinated in a similar question in late May. The decline is steepest among those who haven't gone beyond high school (-14 percentage points), Hispanics (-13 points), those ages 18 to 49 (-12 points) and Republicans and conservatives (each -12 points).

  • 2 dogs credited with saving owner's life from burning home die in same fire

    Two dogs are being credited with saving the life of their owner after they woke him up while his house was burning down before perishing in the fire themselves. The incident occurred at 6:24 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 18 in Dinwiddie, Virginia, when the Dinwiddie Emergency Communications Center dispatched fire and EMS units to a house fire and reports that an occupant and two dogs were still inside the building. The location of the two dogs remained unknown at this time.

  • Trump's legacy: How he obliterated norms and chipped away at institutions - until the very end

    President Donald Trump's four years in the White House were marked by an unconventional, norm-busting approach to the country's institutions that will likely outlast the one-term leader, leaving a transformative and divisive legacy in Washington. Trump often traded in falsehoods on social media, where he could communicate relatively unchecked, but during his final days in office, he took that to a new level, elevating fringe conspiracy theories and spreading disinformation to his tens of millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook, in an attempt to create an alternative "reality" more favorable to him than the one covered by mainstream media outlets.

  • How COVID-19 vaccinations are going, on a global scale

    "The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure," World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday at the opening of the WHO's annual executive board meeting. According to Dr. Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at Kings College London, even if wealthier nations are vaccinated, there is a chance "if a new mutation arises in strains circulating elsewhere which is a poor match to the vaccine, then a new outbreak can occur in a vaccinated population." The Trump administration has been criticized for its effort, vaccine supply is in short demand in some places, and anti-vaxxers are campaigning hard across the globe.

  • A look at Trump's economic legacy

    President Donald Trump campaigned as a billionaire businessman and champion of the working class with the economic prowess and deal-cutting skills that politicians in Washington, D.C., lacked. On the campaign trail, Trump claimed to be laser-focused on bringing back manufacturing and mining jobs, renegotiating trade deals that led to work disappearing overseas and curtailing immigration. Economists say Trump’s economic legacy will be defined by his failure in leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic that exacerbated the financial downturn, domestic policies that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy, and international trade policies that hurt U.S. industry while simultaneously alienating allies.

  • Biden's pick for secretary of state commits to diplomacy, diversity, alliances in confirmation hearing

    After serving for decades at Joe Biden's side, Anthony Blinken will step into the driver's seat on Tuesday as the president-elect's choice to be the next secretary of state faces his Senate confirmation hearing. Like his boss did during the 2020 presidential campaign, Blinken is expected to commit the incoming administration to repairing U.S. alliances and the State Department itself, according to prepared remarks obtained by ABC News. The former second-in-command at the agency is a longtime aide to Biden -- a close personal relationship that will be key to effectively speaking on behalf of the president while overseas.

  • Biden to pitch an eight-year pathway to citizenship in day 1 immigration reform bill

    President-elect Joe Biden will send to Congress an extensive immigration reform bill that includes an eight-year pathway to citizenship on Wednesday, following through on a long-standing campaign pledge to move on immigration on day one of a Biden presidency. The new details of Biden’s legislation were first reported by The Washington Post, and confirmed by Biden transition officials. Biden will send to Congress on Wednesday a policy that will include an eight-year pathway to citizenship for immigrants without legal status, and expand admissions for refugees to the country.

  • Blended families see themselves in Kamala Harris as she becomes 1st stepmom vice president

    When Kamala Harris takes the oath of office Wednesday to become vice president, she will be the first woman and first woman of color to serve in that elected position. Harris will also make history as the first stepmother to be America's vice president, a moment that blended families across the country say they are planning to watch with joy.

  • I'm pregnant and a doctor: This is why I got the COVID-19 vaccine

    Dr. Nayeli Rodulfo-Zayas, an emergency medicine physician in San Antonio, Texas, was 35 weeks pregnant when she received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month. Rodulfo-Zayas, also the mother of a 2-year-old, is speaking out about her decision in hopes of inspiring other pregnant women to have important, educated conversations with their health care providers about getting the vaccine. Pregnant women have not been actively included in the late-stage clinical trials for any COVID-19 vaccines, including the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in the U.S.

  • Spirit agent hospitalized, passengers arrested after bag dispute

    Two Spirit Airlines agents were injured on Sunday after three passengers "attacked them" while trying to board a flight from Detroit to Atlanta "without authorization" on Sunday, the airline said. Spirit Airlines told ABC News that the group became combative after the agents asked the passengers to verify that their carry-on bags met the airline's luggage size requirements. "The agents attempted to calmly defuse the situation," Spirit said in a statement, "but were physically assaulted by these passengers as they closed a door to stop them from boarding the aircraft."

  • Ohio police officer shot and killed following hours long standoff

    The Toledo Police Department announced that 24-year-old officer Brandon Stalker was shot and killed after a standoff situation at a home Monday afternoon. Officer Stalker was killed when SWAT teams forced an unnamed suspect out of the home he had been hiding in after hours of negotiations were unsuccessful, Toledo Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference Monday. Stalker had been assigned to cover the perimeter and was not part of the SWAT team, Kral said.

  • 8 apps to support your mental health during the coronavirus pandemic

    The coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing that comes with it can be isolating, anxiety-producing and stressful. State-by-state orders to stay home can also make it hard to seek mental health help in a traditional way. Here are eight apps that provide mental health and mindfulness support on the go.

  • Residents asked to shelter in place in parts of Poconos after multiple shootings

    Residents in parts of the Poconos have been asked to shelter in place after multiple shootings at multiple locations left at least four injured Monday night, according to officials. The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management said those on the 196 corridor between Pocono Country Place and Pocono Farms East should seek shelter and report any suspicious activity. The suspect is at large, according to Mount Pocono Mayor Michael Penn.

  • Trump clemency list expected to include Lil Wayne and a once powerful New York politician

    President Donald Trump's final clemency list, though not as long as originally expected, could include some names that will cause another wave of controversy as his time in office comes to an end. Trump's final list, which is not fully completed, is expected to include upwards of 100 individuals and could be announced as soon as Tuesday, the sources added.

  • Biden energy secretary nominee Jennifer Granholm has millions in energy investments, per new filing

    President-elect Joe Biden's energy secretary pick, Jennifer Granholm, has disclosed millions of dollars of investments in corporate and private business interests, including millions in companies linked to the energy industry, as lawmakers prepare to consider her nomination. The former two-term Michigan governor and her husband, Daniel Mulhern, reported owning from $4.4 million up to $16.8 million in corporate interests and private assets like residential real estate properties, according to her new financial disclosure report released by the Office of Government Ethics on Monday. Among her biggest assets are $1 million to $5 million worth of stock options she can exercise in Proterra Inc., a company that designs and manufactures zero-emission electric buses and trucks and provides battery-electric buses and charging systems to municipalities in several states, including California, Virginia and Washington state.

  • Dems aim to address Biden priorities as Senate returns with impeachment trial looming

    When the Senate reconvenes Tuesday for the first time since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building, they'll be returning to a Capitol complex that looks entirely different than how they left it: Closed roads, security checkpoints, a building lined in 7-foot fences that are topped with razor wire and patrolled by 20,000 National Guard members, many of whom are bunking in the office buildings. When President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn into office on Wednesday, they'll usher in a new period of total Democratic control in Washington, marked, in part, by the eventual passing of the Senate gavel from Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. It is not yet entirely clear when Schumer will formally take control of the body.

  • Man allegedly lived in Chicago airport's secure area for 3 months

    A man allegedly lived undetected inside the secure area of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for three months, living off of food provided to him by strangers, before he was arrested this weekend. "While this incident remains under investigation, we have been able to determine that this gentleman did not pose a security risk to the airport or to the traveling public," the Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement Monday. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners on a thorough investigation of this matter."

  • President-elect Joe Biden's top-level appointees and Cabinet picks

    On the campaign trail, Joe Biden guaranteed his White House would "look like the country." As he enters the White House, he's taking steps towards keeping that promise--assembling a historically diverse slate of top-level nominees. Half of the president-elect's Cabinet picks are women, and the majority are people of color.

  • Rep. Cori Bush tells Americans 'don’t lose hope' as US grapples with division

    As the United States continues to work through deep political divides during Martin Luther King Jr. Day, newly elected Missouri Rep. Cori Bush encouraged Americans to "have hope." Bush, a single mother of two, has spoken openly about struggling to makes ends meet while experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. On "The View's" special episode honoring King's life and legacy Monday, she shared a message with Americans who feel hopeless after the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill.

  • In 2nd Trump impeachment trial, will Chief Justice John Roberts preside?

    Who will preside over the second Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump remains a key open question as lawmakers prepare to begin the unprecedented proceeding as soon as Inauguration Day. The U.S. Constitution says that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court "shall preside" over trials of the President of the United States, but it does not specify what happens if the president has left office. No ex-president has ever faced a Senate trial.