New report likely to fuel debate over COVID-19 origin
The U.S. Department of Energy now thinks the virus that causes COVID-19 was accidentally leaked from a lab, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
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ABC NewsMembers of Congress demand answers on Mario Andretti's rejection from F1 races
A group of bipartisan members of Congress are demanding answers from Formula 1 owner Liberty Media over why a U.S.-based team backed by racing legend Mario Andretti was excluded from the most prestigious motor racing series in the world. The FIA, which is Formula 1's governing body, initially accepted Andretti Global's push to join the grid. F1 cited several competitive concerns, and stated that "the presence of an 11th team would not, in and of itself, provide value to the championship."
- ABC News
'She killed her chances': Kristi Noem's odds dim of being Trump's VP pick, sources say
The negative headlines began in earnest in March, when a slickly produced video Noem released personally promoting an out-of-state dentist spurred a lawsuit claiming deceptive advertising -- and the scrutiny increased in recent days with the revelation in Noem's upcoming memoir that she chose to shoot one of her young dogs because she claimed it was "untrainable" and exhibited aggression. "To a person, everyone agrees she killed her chances, pun intended," said Sean Spicer, Trump's first White House press secretary, who remains in touch with the former president's team.
- ABC News
House passes GOP antisemitism bill amid college unrest
The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses. The bill, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed 320-91. The measure was led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and had 15 Democratic co-sponsors.
- ABC News
Arizona Senate passes repeal of 1864 abortion ban, sending it to governor's desk
The Arizona Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal a strict, Civil War-era abortion ban that was recently ruled enforceable by the state Supreme Court. Two Republican senators, T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick, joined the 14 Democrats in the minority and the bill passed 16-14, over vocal GOP objection. Ahead of her vote, Bolick took a broadly anti-abortion position on the floor -- explaining in detail the three difficult pregnancies she had herself, including the story of her own miscarriage -- but she voted with Democrats, suggesting the repeal of the stricter ban might weaken support for a Democratic-led ballot initiative in November to broaden abortion access further.
- ABC News
14-year-old suspect dead after active shooter reported outside Wisconsin middle school: Sources
A 14-year-old suspect is dead following a confrontation with police Wednesday after an active shooter was reported outside a Wisconsin middle school, sources told ABC News. The teen had approached Mount Horeb Middle School with what appeared to be a long gun, the sources said. The Mount Horeb Area School District said police responded to help "scope out" an active shooter at the school.
- ABC News
'Belligerent' man ordered to pay United Airlines $20K for flight diversion: DOJ
A British man who wreaked havoc on a United Airlines flight, forcing the flight crew to divert their landing location, must pay over $20,000 to the airline, prosecutors announced. The charges stem from a March 1 flight that departed from London, when passenger Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, "began arguing with his traveling companion and causing a disturbance," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. "When flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him, he became belligerent, threatening and intimidating towards them," prosecutors said.
- Good Morning America
Charity Lawson, Dotun Olubeko mark 1 year together: 'We did it babe'
Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko are celebrating their one year anniversary. The couple, who met while on Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" and got engaged on the show, shared sweet photos on Tuesday together to mark the milestone. In an Instagram post featuring an engagement photo, Lawson shared a sweet message and called Olubeko "the love that I didn't expect."
- Good Morning America
Harvey Weinstein's NYC sex crimes retrial set for after Labor Day
Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to be retried "sometime after Labor Day," a judge said Wednesday, as the disgraced film mogul appeared in a Manhattan courtroom for the first time since the New York Court of Appeals threw out his rape conviction. Court officers wheeled Weinstein's wheelchair into and out of the courtroom in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon. "It was a strong case in 2020 when the defendant was convicted and remains a strong case in 2024," Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said.
- ABC News
Pennsylvania father seeks answers after son dies following alleged game of tag
A Pennsylvania father is seeking answers after his teen son died on Friday night after allegedly being chased by other teens who had come to his home and asked him to play a game of tag, the father told ABC News. Orville Johnson told ABC News that his son, Justin Johnson, had sickle cell disease and he understood that because of his condition, the teen could not run or exert too much energy because it could "cost him his life if he has to do anything like that." "He was so special," Johnson said of his son, who would have turned 17 on Tuesday.
- Good Morning America
Fed holds interest rates steady at highest level since 2001
The Federal Reserve decided to hold its benchmark interest rate steady on Wednesday, postponing highly anticipated rate cuts as elevated inflation continues to burden U.S. households. The slowdown has coincided with a months-long stretch of stubborn inflation, putting pressure on the Fed to keep interest rates high despite a risk of hindering economic activity with expensive borrowing costs. "The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks," the Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed's decision-making body on interest rates, said in a statement on Wednesday.
- ABC News
What to know about 'outside agitators' cops say are co-opting Columbia protests
Protests at Columbia University against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been allegedly "co-opted" by what New York City police officials described as professional outside agitators bent on sowing chaos and violence. Top police brass in New York said at a news conference Wednesday that protesters unaffiliated with Columbia University have been escalating violence. "These external actors are obviously not students and their presence on campus is a violation of Columbia's clearly stated policy," Adams said during a press briefing Tuesday.
- Good Morning America
No avian flu virus detected in sour cream, cottage cheese, powdered infant formula: FDA
Retail dairy samples recently tested for the avian flu virus, including cottage cheese and sour cream, did not detect any viable virus that would represent a risk to consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. In a joint press briefing with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Donald Prater, acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition for the FDA, shared updates on ongoing bird flu investigations. A multi-state outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows was first reported in late March, according to the CDC.
- Good Morning America
*NSYNC's Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake hilariously take on yearly 'It's Gonna Be May' meme
It's May 1, so, of course, members of the boy band *NSYNC acknowledged what has now become a time-honored tradition: the "It's Gonna Be May" meme. As a bit of a refresher, when the group recorded their 2000 No. 1 hit "It's Gonna Be Me," Justin Timberlake pronounced "me" as "may." Lance Bass, meanwhile, posted a video of himself giving his husband, Michael Turchin, a card.
- Good Morning America
Martinelli's apple juice recalled over high arsenic levels, sold at Whole Foods, Kroger and more
Martinelli's has voluntarily recalled a single lot of its apple juice that was distributed to five major retailers after it tested for arsenic levels higher than U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. S. Martinelli & Co. stated in a recall notice dated April 16, 2024, that the recall was initiated as "a result of sampling by the State of Maryland that found samples from one production lot of Martinelli's apple juice, sold in one-liter glass bottles, tested above the guidance action level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice set by the FDA in June 2023."
- ABC News
Some Republicans expected to join Arizona Democrats to pass repeal of 1864 abortion ban
Two Republican state senators are expected to join Democrats in Arizona on Wednesday to pass a bill to repeal the state's Civil War-era near-total abortion ban -- three weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled the law was enforceable and one week after the House passed its own legislation to roll back the restrictions that have stirred widespread controversy. T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick have both indicated they will support the Democratic-led repeal effort, giving Democrats the necessary votes in the chamber. Notably, Bolick is married to one of the state Supreme Court justices who voted to reinstate the 1864 law, which supersedes a 15-week abortion ban that was enacted in 2022 and which blocks all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant woman.
- Good Morning America
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she's moving ahead with effort to oust Speaker Johnson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Wednesday she will move ahead with her attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from the House's top job -- though her plan seems doomed to fail. The Georgia Republican, who first introduced a motion to vacate the speaker's chair in March, held a high-energy news conference outside the U.S. Capitol to say she will trigger a vote on the House floor next week. "Mike Johnson is not capable of that job," she said.
- Good Morning America
Jason Kelce addresses rumors he's heading to ESPN
Former NFL star Jason Kelce is addressing reports he is heading into broadcasting. The 36-year-old said he is excited about the prospect of potentially getting to work at a network like ESPN, a sports network he and his younger brother Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, grew up watching. ESPN is currently owned by The Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC News and "Good Morning America."
- Good Morning America
What to know about Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's 4 daughters
Vanessa Bryant, the mother of four daughters with her late husband Kobe Bryant, is a proud mom. The businesswoman, philanthropist and former model proudly shared her appreciation for her eldest daughter Natalia Bryant. "You are what every parent hopes and prays for," Vanessa Bryant wrote on Instagram in celebration of her daughter's 21st birthday.
- Good Morning America
Barbra Streisand publicly asks Melissa McCarthy about Ozempic, sparking debate on weight and shaming
A comment Barbra Streisand left on an Instagram post shared by Melissa McCarthy this week has sparked a conversation about weight, shaming and the increasingly widespread use of drugs for weight loss. McCarthy, 53, shared two photos on her Instagram page Sunday of herself with director Adam Shankman attending a gala in Los Angeles over the weekend.
- Good Morning America
Prince William shares 1st update on Kate Middleton since cancer diagnosis
Prince William shared his first update on his family since his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced she had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. William surprised fans Tuesday when he greeted them outside James' Place, a mental health-focused nonprofit organization for men in Newcastle, England. When a fan asked how he and Kate and their three children are doing, William replied, "We are all doing well, thank you."