(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — A jury of eight men and four women will begin to deliberate on Monday in the criminal fraud case against fallen Silicon Valley CEO Elizabeth Holmes.
The jurors will be tasked with weighing the 11 fraud charges leveled against Holmes following weeks of witness testimony from insiders who worked at the blood-testing startup, and patients and investors who prosecutors say were defrauded by the Theranos founder once lauded as the next Steve Jobs.
Holmes, 37, is charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She could face decades in prison if convicted.
Holmes’ fate was handed to the jury on Friday, after defense attorneys concluded their closing arguments and prosecutors wrapped up their rebuttal.
In the last minutes of his closing remarks, Holmes’ lawyer, Kevin Downey, doubled down on his team’s central defense: that their client did not intend to defraud the alleged victims — something prosecutors must show to secure a conviction.
Even as the company was thrust into turmoil, Downey said, Holmes stayed on as the company’s leader and never cashed out a single share of her Theranos stock, once worth billions.
“You know that at the first sign of trouble, crooks cash out, criminals cover up, and rats leave a fleeing ship,” he said, his voice rising to a crescendo. “She didn’t do any of those.”
“She stayed the whole time and she went down with that ship when it went down,” he added. “You don’t need more from me to know what her intent was.”
But in his rebuttal argument, prosecutor John Bostic reframed Holmes’ propensity for hard work and company success as a motive for the alleged crimes.
“The defense holds that out as a reason to doubt Ms. Holmes’ intent to defraud in this case,” he said. “But in fact that was her motive.”
“She committed these crimes because she was desperate for the company to succeed,” he added.
Theranos was the brainchild of Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford University at the age of 19 to pour herself into building a diagnostics company which she vowed would revolutionize health care. And just a few years later, when she was 26, prosecutors contend, she knowingly made false statements to investors and others to get money.
The “rosy” picture of her startup, which promised its technology could run a full range of blood tests from a tiny sample, among other claims, was never real, Bostic said.
“It never existed,” he told the jury at the top of his rebuttal, adding that this version of Theranos did exist in the minds of the investors and patients who believed Holmes.
But Downey said that some of the allegedly false statements Holmes made about her company to investors arose from information she obtained from her Theranos team.
Her perception of the number of tests that could be run by her marquee miniature analyzer — which she dubbed the “Edison” or “miniLab” — was provided by scientists and engineers, according to Downey, and the hefty financial projections Theranos had shared with investors were prepared by Holmes’ ex-boyfriend and company COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani.
It was also not until the fall of 2015 that she began to hear about the issues that beset her lab, and would be later uncovered in a federal audit, he added.
But in their two days of closing arguments, the defense did not utter a word about the bombshell abuse allegations Holmes had brought against Balwani during her seven-day stint on the stand — claims that Balwani has firmly denied.
The government, on the other hand, offered the jury a framework to judge Holmes’ accusations against her former boyfriend.
“In the absence of any evidence linking that experience to the charged conduct, you should put it out of your mind,” Bostic said.
(LOS ANGELES) — A Los Angeles music festival abruptly ended Saturday night when police were called to quill a backstage brawl in which rapper Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed, a high-ranking law enforcement source told ABC News.
The mayhem erupted around 8:30 p.m. local time at the “Once Upon a Time in L.A.” festival, which was set to feature Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, at Exposition Park near the Banc of California Stadium, officials said.
Drakeo the Ruler was a 28-year-old West Coast hip-hop artist whose real name was Darrell Caldwell.
Live Nation, the promoters of the festival, issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying, “There was an altercation in the roadway backstage. Out of respect for those involved and in coordination with local authorities, artists and organizers decided not to move forward with remaining sets so the festival was ended an hour early.”
The incident is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol because Exposition Park is a state land in a part of Los Angeles patrolled by the CHP.
The violence came just 43 days after 10 people, including a 9-year-old boy, were trampled to death at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. That concert has prompted more than 300 lawsuits from people who say they were injured.
The Los Angeles fire marshal ordered Saturday’s concert shut down after the man was stabbed and taken to a hospital, the Los Angeles Police Department told ABC station KABC in Los Angeles.
The episode drew a massive response from the LAPD and California Highway Patrol.
No arrests in connection with the stabbing were announced.
Dozens of high-profile artists were scheduled to perform on the concert’s three stages, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, YG, Ice Cube, The Game, Cypress Hill and famed R&B singer Al Green.
ABC News’ Alex Stone, Izzy Alvarez and Zachary Ferber contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., seems to have sealed the fate of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill on “Fox News Sunday,” when he announced that he is a “no” on the legislation.
“I’ve always said if I can’t go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it. I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” Manchin said.
Despite working “every day” for five months with different members of the party to get there on the legislation, Manchin said his concerns about inflation and the cost of the program still stand.
“You’re done? This is a no?” host Bret Baier asked.
“This is a no on this piece of legislation. I have tried everything I know to do,” Manchin replied, adding that Biden worked “diligently” and was “wonderful to work with” but knew he had concerns.
Manchin’s comments effectively end Democrats’ hopes of passing Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan, which passed the House last month, with Democratic votes alone. Manchin is the crucial 50th vote needed to get the bill across the line.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has issued a lengthy statement that Manchin’s bombshell announcement Sunday is “at odds” with what he indicated in private negotiations earlier this week — confirming the White House was caught off guard by Manchin’s news, and unleashing on the senator for the “sudden and inexplicable reversal of his position.”
“On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submitted—to the President, in person, directly—a written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities,” Psaki said Sunday. ” If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate.”
While Manchin recognized that the party had negotiated down from Sen. Bernie Sanders’ initial proposal of $6 trillion, he felt shortening the timelines of the “aspirational goals” included in the bill was not a genuine answer to the issue.
“The thing that never changed Bret, was basically the same amount of things that they’re trying to accomplish by just changing, if you will, the amount of time that we can depend on it,” Manchin said Sunday on Fox. “So if you’re going to do something and do it, pick what we’re apprised priorities are like most people do in their families, or their businesses, and you fund them for 10 years and you make sure they deliver the services for 10 years,” Manchin argued.
Manchin argued COVID-19 and inflation should be where the country is focusing its fire, rather than dragging out the negotiations further.
“I’ve tried. I mean, I really did and the President was trying as hard as he could. He has an awful lot –A lot of irons in the fire right now — more on his plate than he needs for this to continue when I’m having the difficulties I’m having and basically the challenges we have from different parts of our party basically pushing in different ways,” Manchin said.
Manchin also said it was “not right” that he was getting all the attention for his concerns over the bill, but said he wasn’t going to speak for other Senators who also might have concerns with the mammoth legislation.
It was just Thursday that Biden put out a statement that the negotiations with Manchin would continue this week.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has been one of the senators leading the charge on the Build Back Better bill in Senate, responded to Manchin’s no vote on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Well, I think he’s gonna have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia,” Sanders said, ticking through the benefits the bill would provide like lowering prescription drug costs, expanding Medicaid and helping to pay for childcare.
“I would have hoped that we could have had at least 50 Democrats on board who have the guts to stand up for working families and take on the lobbyists and the powerful special interests,” Sanders said on CNN. “We have no Republicans, not one Republican in the United States Senate or the House for that matter is prepared to stand up to the drug companies or the insurance companies or wealthy.”
Sanders was not shy about telling Americans who are concerned about losing their monthly Child Tax Credit payments to blame Sen. Manchin.
“If Mr. Manchin Votes no, those $300 tax credits that have gone a long way to reduce childhood poverty in America- they’re gone. That’s over. We cut childhood poverty by over 40%, an extraordinary accomplishment. Manchin doesn’t want to do that, tell that to the struggling families of West Virginia and America,” Sanders said.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Sunday “it’s possible” some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol but added he’s not ready to “go to that point” yet, because he wants to “let the facts dictate it.”
The Illinois Republican also revealed that the committee investigating the insurrection is not ruling out issuing subpoenas for sitting members of Congress.
“Nobody — member of Congress, former president, nobody — in America is above the law,” Kinzinger told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Kinzinger, who announced in October he will not seek reelection to Congress, was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is one of two Republicans serving on the committee. He said the committee would subpoena Trump if they determine it’s necessary.
“Nobody should be above the law, but we also recognize we can get the information without him at this point, and, obviously, when you subpoena the former president, that comes with a whole kind of, you know, circus environment,” Kinzinger said. “But if we need him, we’ll do it.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl “it’s possible” some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Tuesday night joined Democrats in the House in voting to hold Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in contempt of Congress. Meadows defied a subpoena to appear for a deposition before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Prior to the vote, members of the committee unveiled text messages sent to Meadows during the attack on the Capitol, reading aloud texts from Republican lawmakers, Fox News personalities and the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., that implored Meadows to get Trump to denounce the rioters. Rep Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was one of the GOP lawmakers whose texts to Meadows were revealed, his office confirmed.
The new messages were part of the approximately 9,000 documents Meadows turned over to the committee, before he reversed course and decided to not cooperate with the investigation. The House previously voted to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena by the Jan. 6 committee.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl that he “absolutely” thinks his colleagues should be subpoenaed to testify before the House committee on Jan. 6 if necessary.
Kinzinger said he’s “not sure” whether Meadows knew how damaging the text messages would be, but emphasized he had no choice given the committee’s legal authority.
“I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there we haven’t released,” he added.
During debate on the House floor before the vote, Cheney emphasized the importance of Meadows’ testimony. “Mr. Meadows’ testimony will bear on another key question before this committee. Did Donald Trump through action or inaction corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress’ official proceedings to count electoral votes?” Cheney said.
Karl pressed Kinzinger on the possibility of the Justice Department filing criminal charges based on what the committee finds, given that it is a crime to obstruct the official proceedings of Congress.
“Are you sending a message that the Justice Department should be prosecuting not just those that broke into the building on Jan. 6, but should be prosecuting Donald Trump himself or at least investigating that possibility?” Karl asked.
“I think investigating that possibility, for sure,” Kinzinger responded. “Our committee is getting more information than law enforcement agencies and DOJ, because we’ve had the power and the ability to get that done.”
“Whatever information we get will be public record, and the DOJ should take a look, particularly if there’s criminal charges to be filed, because again, the big thing is as bad as it was on Jan. 6, there’s really nothing in place to stop another one from happening again,” he added. “If somebody broke the law, it is so essential that we send the message that you are not untouchable as president — you’re not untouchable as a former president.”
House committee on Jan. 6 “is getting more information than law enforcement agencies and DOJ,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday in an interview with Spectrum News he looks forward to seeing what the Jan. 6 committee finds in its probe, effectively endorsing the work of the commission after he had opposed its creation. “I think that what they’re seeking to find out is something that public needs to know,” McConnell said.
“That’s not exactly what Kevin McCarthy, the leader over there in the House, is saying,” Karl pointed out, alluding to the fact that the two GOP leaders in the House and Senate have juxtaposing views toward the investigation.
“Right,” Kinzinger replied, laughing. “Look, I mean — I got to tell you, so, you know, say what you want about Mitch McConnell. He obviously holds his cards very close. I think that was a very powerful statement and I appreciate it.”
“I don’t think history books are going to be kind to him.”
GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger knocks House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, says he brought former Pres. Trump “back to political life” after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. https://t.co/PNZ2yryejTpic.twitter.com/8OhvwR7AN7
Kinzinger, who along with Cheney has faced harsh backlash for sitting on the committee, criticized McCarthy for not doing something similar.
“Kevin McCarthy, on the other hand, has not said a word about anything, except for that Donald Trump is probably the greatest president to ever exist,” Kinzinger said. “Kevin McCarthy himself I think made Donald Trump relevant again when two weeks after Jan. 6 or so, he went back down to Mar-a-Lago and brought him back to political life by putting his arm around him and taking that picture and basically sending the signal to the rest of the Republicans that were pretty quiet at this moment, that we got to get back on the Trump train.”
“He bears responsibility for that,” he added. “I don’t think history books are going to be kind to him.”
(NEW YORK) — Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the omicron variant appears to be overtaking all other COVID-19 variants, including delta, calling it “something to be reckoned with” as he advised Americans who will be gathering with family for the holidays to stay “prudent.”
“If you are vaccinated and boosted and are prudent when you travel, when you’re in an airport to be wearing a mask all the time, you have to be wearing a mask on a plane. Do not do things like go to gatherings where there are people who you do not know what their vaccination status is,” Fauci told ABC’s chief Washington correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the White House chief medical adviser, added that the omicron variant has an “extraordinary capability” of transmitting from one person to another.
“This is really something to be reckoned with,” he said. “It is really rapidly spreading literally throughout the world and certainly in our own country.”
Fauci recommended that people get tested before getting together and noted that many people are choosing to take at-home rapid tests.
“Nothing is 100% risk-free, but I think if you do the things that I just mentioned, you’d actually mitigate that risk enough to feel comfortable about being able to enjoy the holiday,” he said.
When pressed by Karl about long lines for COVID-19 testing and the unavailability of tests in some parts of the country, Fauci said help is on the way.
“What the government has been doing now, and you’re going to be seeing the result of that, is making an investment, literally billions of dollars, to get anywhere from 200 million to 500 million tests available per month,” Fauci said, adding that there will be a lot of tests — many of which will be free — available soon.
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells @jonkarl that he doesn’t foresee more lockdowns as the omicron spreads across the country.
As omicron continues to spread like wildfire, Karl also asked Fauci if he sees any need for lockdowns in the United States in the near future.
“I don’t see that in the future if we do the things we’re talking about,” Fauci said. But he went on to stress that with approximately 50 million eligible Americans still unvaccinated, it’s “quite likely” that some parts of the country will experience a “significant stress” on their hospital systems.
Despite the new variant, some governors are deciding against reinstituting mandatory mitigation measures used earlier in the pandemic. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, recently explained his decision not to reimpose a statewide mask mandate, saying that having vaccines effectively brought an end to the “medical emergency.”
“At this point, if you haven’t been vaccinated, it’s really your own darn fault,” Polis told Colorado Public Radio. “People who want to be protected are. Those who get sick, it’s almost entirely their own darn fault.”
Pressed by @jonkarl on when COVID-19 tests will be “truly available and affordable,” Dr. Anthony Fauci notes billions in government investments.
Karl pressed Fauci, asking him if he agreed that the pandemic is becoming “a crisis of unvaccinated.”
“It is certainly much more of a crisis of the unvaccinated, but there are other tools besides vaccine and wearing a mask [that] complements the protection that you get from the vaccine and a boost,” Fauci said.
Fauci stressed that just because someone is vaccinated doesn’t mean they can forgo masks in every situation.
“You can do both and should do both,” he said.
While cases and hospital admissions are rising nationally, Fauci noted the promising data released by Pfizer last week showing its antiviral COVID-19 pill has near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients is a “big deal.”
“There are going to be a lot of people of high risk who are going to benefit greatly from having a pill that would dramatically diminish the likelihood they’re going to wind up in the hospital,” he said.
“There’s no way I’m going to walk away from this until we get this under control…It’s kind of like we’re halfway through World War II, and you decide, ‘I think I’ve had enough of this. I’m walking away.’ You can’t do that,” Dr. Anthony Fauci says. https://t.co/bMUu31rtGkpic.twitter.com/NaGzkngLGi
Fauci will celebrate his 81st birthday on Christmas Eve, but he told Karl, “There’s no way I’m going to walk away from this until we get this under control.”
He added that stepping away now would be like “we’re halfway through World War II and you decide, ‘Well, I think I’ve had enough of this, I’m walking away.’”
“You can’t do that,” Fauci said. “You’ve got to finish, and we’re going to finish this and get back to normal.”
(WASHINGTON) — A hunger strike that started in Phoenix has made its way to the nation’s capital. Students from different parts of the U.S. have gathered outside the White House participating in a hunger strike which they say is to help get the Freedom to Vote Act passed.
The bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance.
The students are part of UN-PAC, a nonpartisan, pro-democracy youth organization.
“For many months, we’ve been knocking on doors, we’ve been making phone calls, we’ve been meeting with senators, and it hasn’t been enough,” Shana Gallagher, co-founder and executive director of UN-PAC said. “We really feel an existential urgency around passing the Freedom to Vote Act, the federal democracy reform package that the Senate has landed on before the end of the year.”
The hunger strike began in Phoenix on Dec. 6. On the fourth day of the strike, protesters met with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz to discuss the legislation.
“She reiterated her support for the Freedom to Vote Act, and we hope desperately that when the time comes, she will do whatever it takes to pass the bill,” Gallagher said. “But the meeting did go well enough that we decided we should move our hunger strike to D.C. because the person who needs to be prioritizing the passage of this bill now is President Biden.”
As the group is about to enter the third week of their hunger strike, they say that many are feeling the impact of not eating.
“Every morning, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus of exhaustion,” Joseline Garcia, co-founder and the national organizing director of UN-PAC said. “My stomach feels like it’s been twisted and tied up into knots, and there are sharp pains as if knives are poking it.”
Before taking part in the hunger strike, the group discussed the risks, Garcia said.
“We considered the risks soon after we started considering this as a serious tactic,” Garcia said. “We do have a team of medical professionals that check on us twice a day, to see where everyone is at.”
The group has received online support from celebrities including Kerry Washington and Mark Ruffalo.
“When we are able to get access to platforms that are willing to amplify our message, it helps spread the word which will be necessary to move the Senate and President Joe Biden,” Garcia said.
Even though members of Congress have left Washington, D.C., for the holidays and the Senate is not scheduled to return until Jan. 3, some strikers including Callynn Johnson, a student at the University of Central Florida who flew to participate in the strike, say they remain committed to seeing this hunger strike through until they see movement on the Freedom to Vote Act.
“The current plan is that this is an indefinite hunger strike until we do see this bill passed. And as much as I would love to go home for the holidays and see my family, this very much depends on whether the Senate prioritizes this issue,” Johnson said.
Chace Harrison, 11, died at Royal Hobart Hospital on Sunday afternoon, Tasmania Police said.
“Our thoughts continue to be with his family, and the families and loved ones of all the children involved, during what is an incomprehensibly difficult time,” Police Commissioner Darren Hine said in a statement.
The tragedy happened on Thursday during an end-of-year celebration at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, in north Tasmania. A gust of wind lifted the bouncy castle into the air, causing several children to fall from a height of about 32 feet, police said.
Police on Friday had identified the first five victims as 11-year-old Addison Stewart and 12-year-olds Peter Dodt, Zane Mellor, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Jye Sheehan.
“The loss of six young lives will be felt by our community for a long time – so please take care of yourselves and those around you,” Hine said on Sunday.
Two children were still in critical condition at the hospital, and one was recovering at home, police said on Sunday.
Officials said their investigation was ongoing, with forensic child interviewers from New South Wales Police Force expected to arrive in Tasmania on Sunday. They will help conduct interviews with young witnesses in the coming days, police said.
“It is paramount we don’t pre-empt any outcome until all evidence is gathered and the investigation is complete,” Commissioner Hine said. “This will allow the Coroner to determine the findings based on all the available evidence and facts.”
(WASHINGTON) — Ali Alexander, the conservative activist behind the “Stop the Steal” movement, recently told congressional investigators that he had communicated with several House Republican lawmakers ahead of the Jan. 6 rally and Capitol riot, along with at least one member of the Trump family’s inner circle.
Alexander disclosed his communications — and the relevant materials turned over to the Jan. 6 House select committee — in a new lawsuit challenging the panel from obtaining his phone records from Verizon.
“Alexander received a notice from Verizon that the Select Committee had subpoenaed Verizon for nine categories of information associated with Alexander’s personal cell phone number, including IP addresses, devices, billing addresses, account changes, a list of contacts, call session times, and dozens to hundreds of other data points or metadata from November 1, 2020 … to January 31, 2021,” according to a Friday complaint filed against lawmakers on the committee and Verizon.
Alexander had challenged the grounds for obtaining his cellphone communication, saying in the complaint the data is “not pertinent to the investigation and sweeps up privileged communications between Alexander and clergy, Alexander and people he spiritually counsels, and Alexander and his respective attorneys.”
According to the complaint, Alexander testified to the committee on Dec. 9 that he “had a few phone conversations” with Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., potentially texted Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., and spoke in person to Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
All three GOP lawmakers were involved in the efforts to challenge the electoral results on Jan. 6, and participated in meetings at the White House and on Capitol Hill on the subject.
Brooks released Saturday night what he said was the text he received from Alexander, showing the activist introducing himself on Dec. 16, 2020, and calling Jan. 6 “a big moment for our republic.” Brooks said he did not recognize the number at the time and called the contents “benign” anyway.
“The insinuation that this single text to Congressman Brooks from an unknown number by someone claiming to be ‘Ali Alexander’ somehow suggests Congressman Brooks in any way helped plan the Capitol attack is absurd, outrageous and defamatory,” Brooks wrote in a statement.
Alexander had boasted in a social media video in January that he had worked with the GOP lawmakers to challenge the election results. He did not take part in storming the Capitol.
“In January, Mr. Alexander held an organizing call where Members of Congress might have been present, and some were invited. He doesn’t recall who was in attendance because there was no roll call of attendees because the call was so large,” the complaint reads.
Alexander also spoke over the phone with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s partner and a Trump campaign fundraiser, and told investigators it was a “short and pleasant” conversation about the Georgia Senate runoffs and GOP primaries in 2022, according to the complaint.
In January, after the Capitol riot, Biggs’s office told ABC News the congressman was “not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point — let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest on January 6.”
(NEW YORK) — After a series of strong and devastating tornadoes struck the Midwest and South this week, killing at least 89 people, a winter storm is threatening parts of the Northeast and more tornadoes may crop up in other parts of the U.S.
As severe storms threaten parts of the South, a winter storm is moving into the Northeast. On Saturday, heavy rain moves east with strong thunderstorms moving across coastal Texas and Southwest Louisiana.
A tornado or two is possible with gusty winds and hail in those coastal areas.
The same storm system will extend into upstate New York and northern New England with freezing rain and heavy snow. Up to 8 inches of snow is possible through Sunday morning.
In the West, over a foot of snow was reported in Utah where a skier got caught in an avalanche Friday.
On Saturday another surge of moisture will move into the Pacific Northwest.
Four states from Oregon to Montana are under weather alerts.
South, Midwest tornadoes possible
Heavy rain moved across hard-hit area in the mid-South prompting several reports of flash flooding and water rescues. Three to 4 inches of rainfall was reported from Oklahoma to Illinois as of Saturday morning, and a flash flood.
As a low-pressure system moves through the Ohio Valley today, the threat of heavy rain and flash flooding is diminishing across parts of the Mid-Mississippi Valley.
However, this same system will bring the risk of severe storms to 6 million in the South.
A line of strong thunderstorms will sweep across coastal Texas and southwest Louisiana with heavy rain, gusty winds, hail and a tornado or two is possible.
Major cities that may see severe storms include Houston; Beaumont, Texas; and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Over the next several days, rounds of heavy rain will move in the Gulf Coast with 3 to 4 inches of rain possible.
Northeast
The same storm system will move into the Northeast bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and rain showers.
Up to 8 inches of snowfall is possible through Sunday morning.
A cooler air mass moves across the Northeast this weekend into next week.
Temperatures are at least 20 to 30 degrees cooler than yesterday.
Temperatures will be near normal through Christmas.
West
Over a foot of snow was reported in Utah.
Ten to 12 inches of snow was reported in Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
A new storm moved into the Pacific Northwest with heavy rain, snow and gusty winds. Highest elevations may see up to 2 feet of snow this weekend along the Northern Cascades. High winds may cause whiteout conditions. High wind alerts are in effect through Saturday with gusts up to 60 mph.
Over the next several days, waves of moisture will move into the West bringing heavy mountain snow and rain. One to 3 feet of snow is possible over parts of Washington and California.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 803,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.2% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dec 18, 10:21 am
Over 10,000 additional confirmed omicron cases in UK
An additional 10,059 confirmed cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported across the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency’s daily omicron overview on Saturday.
Confirmed omicron cases in the UK now total 24,968.
ABC News’ Rashid Haddou
Dec 17, 8:47 pm
Federal court allows Biden’s workforce vaccine-or-test mandate to proceed
A federal appeals court reinstated the Biden administration’s nationwide workplace vaccine mandate Friday.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved the stay issued by the Fifth Circuit last month on the rule, which would require employees at private companies with over 100 workers to get vaccinated or tested regularly.
The mandate “is an important step in curtailing the transmission of a deadly virus that has killed over 800,000 people in the United States, brought our healthcare system to its knees, forced businesses to shut down for months on end, and cost hundreds of thousands of workers their jobs,” Judge Jane Stranch wrote in the opinion.
The rule, which was set to go into effect on Jan. 4, 2022, had been put on hold by the Fifth Circuit after it ruled that the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn’t have the legal authority to impose such a requirement on private businesses.
The Labor Department had previously said it won’t move forward with enforcing its workplace mandate until the matter was resolved in court.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Friday she plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block the order.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siu and Anne Flaherty
Dec 17, 5:23 pm
Omicron could spread up to 3 times faster than delta, new analysis finds
The omicron variant could spread two to three times faster than delta, according to a new report from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also estimated that the risk of being reinfected with omicron is more than five times higher than that of delta.
Data could change as more information on omicron’s spread is gathered, though the study offers an early indication of how much more transmissible the new variant is compared to delta.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett, Dr. John Brownstein and Sony Salzman
Dec 17, 3:44 pm
NFL games pushed back
Due to a “substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL announced that several weekend games have been pushed back.
Saturday’s game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns has been moved from Saturday to Monday.
The Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup and Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams game have both been moved from Sunday to Tuesday.
Dec 17, 3:29 pm
New York state reports over 21K cases setting new pandemic record
New York state reported 21,027 cases Thursday, setting a new single-day high, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said.
“The winter surge in COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is not over yet and we must take extra care to keep ourselves and each other safe,” Hochul said in a statement. “The vaccine is still our best weapon to defeat the virus.”
-ABC News’ Josh Hoyos
Dec 17, 2:56 pm
Southwest CEO tests positive after Senate hearing
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 after testifying at a Senate hearing Wednesday alongside other airline executives, a Southwest spokesperson said.
He was not masked during the hearing.
Kelly, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, has mild symptoms, the spokesperson said.
ABC News reached out to the airlines whose executives were next to Kelly at the hearing.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Delta operations chief John Laughter tested negative Friday.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker plans to test Friday afternoon, according to the airline. Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said she will test Friday and in the coming days.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell told ABC News that committee members will “follow the protocols” for testing.
-ABC News’ Mina Kaji, Allison Pecorin and Sam Sweeney
Dec 17, 2:00 pm
National Guard to help Ohio with strained hospitals
More than 4,700 COVID-19 patients are in Ohio hospitals, the highest number of all of 2021 — and hospitalization numbers are quickly approaching an all-time high, Gov. Mike DeWine’s office said.
DeWine said he’s calling up 1,050 National Guard members to help overwhelmed hospitals beginning on Monday.
Dec 17, 1:44 pm
Vaccine timeline pushed back for kids under 5
The potential timeline for when children under 5 may have an authorized vaccine is now being pushed back.
Data for a two-shot vaccine was initially expected by the end of the year, but now Pfizer/BioNTech say they hope to have data with a third shot in the first half of 2022.
Pfizer/BioNTech said they “will amend the clinical study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in children 6 months to under 5 years of age. The study will now include evaluating a third dose of 3 µg at least two months after the second dose of the two-dose series to provide high levels of protection in this young age group.”
An early look into the study data suggested that the two doses at a smaller volume was not as effective for kids ages 2 to 5 as it was for the 16 to 25 population, so scientists are going to add a third dose and see if the vaccine is as effective. There were no safety issues reported in the early data analysis.
Pfizer/BioNTech added in a statement, “The decision to evaluate a third dose of 3 µg for children 6 months to under 5 years of age reflects the companies’ commitment to carefully select the right dose to maximize the risk-benefit profile. If the three-dose study is successful, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to submit data to regulators to support an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for children 6 months to under 5 years of age in the first half of 2022.”
-ABC News’ Eric M. Strauss
Dec 17, 12:55 pm
Americans in their 30s have highest case rate
Americans in their 30s are accounting for the highest case rate of any age group, according to federal data.
The U.S. is now reporting nearly 120,000 new cases each day. The daily case average has surged by nearly 86.3% since late October, according to federal data.
Thirty-three states, as well as Washington, D.C., and New York City, have seen at least a 10% jump in daily cases over the last two weeks.
New Hampshire currently holds the nation’s highest case rate, followed by Rhode Island, Maine, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 17, 12:40 pm
White House: Unvaccinated are ‘looking at a winter of severe illness and death’
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients warned Friday that the unvaccinated are “looking at a winter of severe illness and death — for yourselves, your families and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”
CDC director Rochelle Walensky said she expects omicron to become the dominant variant in the coming weeks.
Asked whether the CDC will change its guidance on vaccinated people quarantining after exposure, which they currently don’t have to, Walensky said, “We are actively following the science in that area, with regard to how the viral burden is both among vaccinated people and unvaccinated people, and the natural history of that viral burden with regard to isolation.”
“And as that science emerges, we will update our evidence if need be,” she said.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Dec 17, 11:53 am
UK reports highest daily cases ever
The United Kingdom reported 93,045 new cases in the last 24 hours, breaking a daily record for the third day in a row.
The total number of cases over the last week now stands at 477,229, a 38.6% increase from the previous week.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Dec 17, 11:39 am
Rockettes canceled due to breakthrough cases
Friday’s four Radio City Rockettes shows have been canceled due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the New York City production.
Plans for future shows haven’t been determined.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Dec 17, 11:35 am
CDC studies find schools can test kids rather than quarantine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday endorsed a practice in schools called “test-to-stay,” which allows unvaccinated kids and staff to test instead of quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19.
The CDC says the practice can be employed in addition to other mitigation measures, such as vaccination and at least 3-feet of physical distance among students wearing masks.
The new guidance follows two studies out of Los Angeles County, California, and Lake County, Illinois. Both studies found no significant transmission in school when test-to-stay was used.
The studies were conducted before the omicron variant was detected in the U.S.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Dec 17, 11:01 am
Hospitals stretched thin in Wisconsin, Michigan
In Wisconsin, only 4% of ICU beds are available.
“This is getting really scary,” Dr. Jamie Hess, an emergency physician at the University of Wisconsin, told ABC News.
“We’re really reaching a crisis point where we have more patients to take care of then we have beds in the hospital or staff to care for them,” Hess said.
Michigan has been struggling through a similar surge for nearly three months, with the state reporting more than 6,500 new cases each day. On average, more than 500 patients are being admitted to hospitals each day.
“Where we are right now feels a lot like the first surge back in March of 2020,” Erin Dicks, a nurse manager at MICU Henry Ford Hospital, told ABC News. “We don’t have enough beds to be able to manage this.”
Dicks said so many patients are young.
“I think one of the biggest frustrating pieces for my staff is that they look at this as, this is preventable — people don’t have to die here,” Dicks said.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 17, 9:01 am
Harvard joins list of universities mandating boosters
Harvard University will require boosters for all eligible members of the community, school officials said Thursday.
Earlier this week, Harvard warned of an increase in cases, saying the rise can be contributed to social events following the Thanksgiving break.
Omicron is likely already on campus, university officials added.
Harvard joins a growing list of colleges and universities moving to require third doses next semester for those eligible. Other schools include Stanford, NYU, University of Notre Dame, Syracuse, Smith College and Wellesley College.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 17, 8:13 am
Illinois reports highest case number of the year
In Illinois, 11,858 new cases were reported on Thursday — the highest daily case number of all of 2021, ABC Chicago station WLS reported, citing state health officials.
Illinois confirmed its second omicron case Wednesday, detected in a suburban Chicago resident. That person is asymptomatic and vaccinated, WLS reported.
Dec 16, 8:52 pm
CDC recommends opting for Pfizer or Moderna over J&J when there’s a choice
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on its advisory committee’s recommendation that people who have a choice should get an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna, over the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The updated recommendation comes after a review of new CDC data on rare blood clots linked to the J&J vaccine.
“Today’s updated recommendation emphasizes CDC’s commitment to provide real-time scientific information to the American public,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “I continue to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated and boosted.”
Dec 16, 7:54 pm
Omicron now makes up nearly 100% of strains found in Orlando wastewater samples
The new omicron variant makes up nearly 100% of the strains found in wastewater samples in Orlando, Florida, officials said Thursday.
“It escalated rapidly,” Orange County Utilities spokeswoman Sarah Lux told ABC News.
In its first test for the variant last Thursday, the department found no evidence of omicron in the community’s wastewater, she said. On Saturday, it represented about 30% of the strains found in the samples, and by Tuesday, nearly 100%.
“So, we’re talking about zero to nearly 100 in a matter of a week,” Lux said.
All parts of the county are seeing an increasing presence of the omicron variant, she said. The southern area, home to the theme parks, has seen the highest amount of virus remnants, followed by the eastern area, which is home to the University of Central Florida.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 16, 3:53 pm
CDC committee recommends opting for Pfizer or Moderna over J&J if given choice
The CDC’s advisory committee recommended Thursday that people who have a choice should get an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna, over the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine after a review of new CDC data on rare blood clots linked to J&J.
The vote was unanimous.
The rare blood clots are not a new safety concern and the vaccine has already become far less common in the U.S. after it was given an FDA warning label about the clotting condition. But more data that confirmed a slightly higher rate of clotting cases and deaths than was previously reported caused the CDC and FDA to take another look at the data this week.
The CDC has confirmed nine deaths and 54 cases from the severe clotting event, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia.
There could also be more cases and deaths because TSS is under-diagnosed and could be underreported, the CDC said.
The clotting is more common among women in their 30s and 40s but has been seen in adult men and women of all ages.
The experts said J&J should not be taken off the shelves and is still far more beneficial than not getting any vaccine at all.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Dec 16, 3:22 pm
Several Northeast states nearing peak levels
Maine and New Hampshire are now averaging more new cases than at any other point in the pandemic, while daily cases in Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are nearing peak levels, according to federal data.
Five of those states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont — have the highest full vaccination rates in the country.
In Florida, which has been largely spared from the latest COVID-19 wave, daily cases have increased by 92% over the last two weeks, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 16, 2:47 pm
NYC cases have tripled in the last month
COVID-19 cases in New York City have tripled in the last month, officials warned Thursday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a six-point plan to fight the surge, including increasing testing capacity, doubling down on business inspections and distributing 1 million KN95 masks and 500,000 rapid home tests.
“We need to stop this variant,” the mayor said. “This variant moves fast. We need to move a lot faster.”
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Dec 16, 8:04 am
Omicron will be dominant variant in US ‘very soon,’ Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, warned Thursday that omicron will become the dominant variant of the novel coronavirus in the United States “very soon.”
“It has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread,” Fauci, the chief medical advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“It has what we call a doubling time of about three days and if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being omicron, very soon it’s going to be the dominant variant,” he explained. “We’ve seen that in South Africa, we’re seeing it in the U.K. and I’m absolutely certain that’s what we’re going to be seeing here relatively soon.”
Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged Americans to “absolutely” get vaccinated against COVID-19, if they haven’t already, and to also receive a booster shot when they become eligible.
“At this point, we don’t believe you need an omicron-specific boost,” he added. “We just need to get the boost with what you got originally for the primary vaccination.”
Dec 16, 6:14 am
France to ban non-essential travel with UK over omicron surge
France announced Thursday that it will ban non-essential travel to and from the United Kingdom due to the country’s surge in cases of the omicron variant.
Starting Saturday, France will require people to have “a compelling reason” to travel between the two countries. Travel for tourism or work will not be allowed. French citizens, however, can return to France, according to a statement from the French prime minister’s office.
All travelers from the U.K. will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken less than 24 hours before departure. Upon arrival in France, they must self-isolate for a week, but that period can be ended after 48 hours if they test negative for COVID-19 again.
The new rules apply to people regardless of their vaccination status.
“Faced with the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom, the Government has chosen to reinstate the need for an essential reason for travel from and to the United Kingdom, and to strengthen the requirement for tests on departure and arrival,” the French prime minister’s office said in the statement Thursday. “The Government is also calling on travelers who had planned to visit the United Kingdom to postpone their trip.”
Dec 16, 4:24 am
Indonesia confirms 1st case of omicron variant
Indonesia announced Thursday its first confirmed case of the omicron variant.
The case was detected in a janitor who works at the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital of Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta, according to a statement from Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
The hospital’s cleaning staff are routinely tested and the results for three people were positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 10. Those samples were then sent to a genome sequencing lab, which identified the omicron variant in one of the samples on Wednesday, according to the statement.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has also identified probable cases of omicron among five travelers who were in quarantine — two Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the United Kingdom and the United States, and three foreigners from China. Their test samples are being sequenced and the results will be known in a few days, according to the statement.
The health minister urged Indonesians “not to panic and to remain calm,” and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they haven’t already.
“The arrival of new variants from abroad, which we identified in quarantine, shows that our defense system against the arrival of new variants is quite good, we need to strengthen it,” Sadikin said. “So it’s normal to stay 10 days in quarantine. The goal is not to make it difficult for people who came, but to protect the people of Indonesia.”
Dec 15, 4:46 pm
Forecast: US could see up to 845,000 deaths by early January
Forecast models used by the CDC suggest weekly death totals and hospital admissions will rise over the next four weeks.
The U.S. could reach a total of 845,000 deaths by Jan. 8, according to the forecasts from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst.
The COVID-19 Forecast Hub team monitors and combines forecasting models from the nation’s top researchers. They then create an ensemble, usually with a wide cone of uncertainty. Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician who runs the forecasting model, told ABC News Wednesday that he doesn’t think the forecasts included omicron in their predictions because the majority of data isn’t publicly available yet in a format that can be easily incorporated into a model.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 15, 4:20 pm
US cases up 45% in the last month
The U.S. is now reporting nearly 118,000 new cases each day — up by 45% in the last month, according to federal data.
Daily COVID-19-related hospital admissions have leapt by 46% in the last month.
Maine and New Hampshire are now averaging more new cases than at any other point in the pandemic, according to federal data.
New Hampshire currently holds the nation’s highest case rate, followed by Rhode Island, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
