(NEW YORK) — Former President Trump’s top military adviser was “not going rogue” when he held secret phone calls with his Chinese counterpart before and after the 2020 election, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa said on “Good Morning America” Monday.
“He was not going rogue,” Costa told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview. “He was reading people in throughout the national security community, trying to contain a situation and a president he believed was in serious mental decline.”
According to their new book “Peril,” which chronicles the end of the Trump administration, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Chinese Gen. Li Zuocheng in October 2020 and January 2021 to dispel Chinese fears that Trump was planning a secret attack and to assure him the U.S. was not on the verge of collapse after the Capitol riot.
“If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” Milley said on the October call, according to the book.
While Trump and Republicans accused Milley of treason and called on President Joe Biden to fire him amid reports of his phone calls, Costa told Stephanopoulos that Milley was “reading people in” on his conversations, suggesting that their reporting in the book was being misconstrued.
Even though the calls “were held on a top secret back channel, they were not secret,” Costa said. “This was not someone who was working in isolation.”
Added Woodward: “Two days after the insurrection at the Capitol was a moment of maximum tension.”
Speaking to The Associated Press last week in Greece, Milley said the calls were “routine” and done “to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability.”
He said he was prepared to defend his actions in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee next week.
The new book, which goes on sale Sep. 21, also details how former Vice President Mike Pence grappled with his duties to certify the election results on Jan. 6, as Trump repeatedly pressured him to overturn Biden’s victory.
Pence consulted the Senate parliamentarian and former Vice President Dan Quayle on how to approach his ceremonial role presiding over the electoral vote count.
“You don’t know the position I’m in,” Pence told Quayle.
“I do know the position you’re in,” Quayle replied, according to the book. “I also know what the law is. You listen to the parliamentarian. That’s all you do. You have no power.”
Pence, who is eyeing a 2024 White House bid, was “trying to ride both horses,” Woodward said. He was trying to “do his constitutional duty but also keep the avenues to Trump open,” Woodward added.
Woodward and Costa conducted more than 200 deep background interviews with witnesses or firsthand participants in events described in the book.
(NEW YORK) — The White House on Monday announced a new international air travel system starting in early November, requiring all foreign nationals traveling to the United States to be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination before boarding a U.S. bound plane — ending the separation of some families since March 2020.
The new system, along with the vaccine requirement, would include stepped up testing, contact tracing and masking, officials said.
For fully vaccinated international travelers, the 14-day quarantine would go away. The specific vaccines that qualify a traveler as “fully vaccinated” will be determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.
”This new system allows us to implement strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID from passengers flying internationally into the United States or requiring adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States to be fully vaccinated. It’s based on public health. It requires fully vaccinated individuals. And so this is based on individuals rather than a country-based approach, so is a strong system,” Zients said.
The announcement came as President Joe Biden prepared to head to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday and a day before he was to meet at the White House with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
(NEW YORK) — As millions of children across the country remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 due to their age, new data shows the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11, according to the two companies.
“In participants 5 to 11 years of age, the vaccine was safe, well-tolerated and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses,” the companies said in a news release, sharing the results of a trial that involved more than 2,200 kids ages 5 to 11.
Pfizer and BioNTech also confirmed they plan to soon submit a request for emergency use authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for people ages 16 and older in August. It is currently authorized for emergency use in children ages 12 to 15.
The news from Pfizer and BioNTech about their vaccine comes as the U.S. faces a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant spreads and vaccination rates remain low for some age groups.
The surge is also happening as students are back in school and many remain unvaccinated, leading to a spike in pediatric cases.
More than 1.2 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since they returned to classrooms in late July, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
The two other vaccines currently available in the U.S., Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are currently available only for people 18 years and older.
Here are 10 questions answered about the COVID-19 vaccines and kids as families seek to make the best decisions.
1. What is the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine?
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology, which does not enter the nucleus of the cells and doesn’t alter human DNA. Instead, it sends a genetic “instruction manual” that prompts cells to create proteins that look like the outside of the virus — a way for the body to learn and develop defenses against future infection.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses an inactivated adenovirus vector, Ad26, that cannot replicate. The Ad26 vector carries a piece of DNA with instructions to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that triggers an immune response.
This same type of vaccine has been authorized for Ebola, and has been studied extensively for other illnesses — and for how it affects women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Neither of these vaccine platforms can cause COVID-19.
2. What is the status of vaccine eligibility for kids?
In general, federal and industry officials said they expect the first vaccine shots for children ages 5-11 could happen by the end of this year or early 2022. Timing on a vaccine for children younger than 5 is less certain, but officials have said they hope a greenlight for toddlers and infants will follow soon after.
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told “Good Morning America” in August that he expects kids ages 5 to 11 will get access to the vaccine in “late 2021.”
Pfizer said it plans to submit its authorization request for 5 to 11-year-olds to the FDA “with urgency.”
Moderna filed for emergency use authorization with the FDA for its vaccine in adolescents in June but is still awaiting a decision. The company said it will submit vaccine safety data on 5- to 11-year-olds this fall.
Pfizer and BioNTech said results from two other ongoing trials — one of children ages 2 to 5 and one of children 6 months to 2 years old — are expected as soon as later this year.
3. Why do kids need to be vaccinated against COVID-19?
While there have not been as many deaths from COVID-19 among children as adults, particularly adults in high-risk categories, kids can still get the virus and just as importantly, they can transmit the virus to adults.
“There are really two big reasons why kids need to get the vaccine,” explained Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent.
“One of them is that it is possible that they could be infected and then unknowingly pass COVID-19 to someone with a serious or underlying, pre-existing medical condition,” she said. “And also, though it’s very uncommon and unlikely, it is still possible that children infected with COVID-19 could become seriously ill or worse. We have seen that.”
“It’s important to think in ripple effects, outside the box,” Ashton added. “It’s not just your home environment that you need to worry about.”
4. Will kids experience the same vaccine side effects as adults?
In announcing its trial results, Pfizer and BioNTech said the vaccine was “well-tolerated” in kids ages 5 to 11.
Adolescents experienced a similar range of side effects to the vaccine as seen in older teens and young adults — generally seen as cold-like symptoms in the two to three days after the second dose — and had an “excellent safety profile,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in August.
Moderna has said its COVID-19 study with teens ages 12 to under 18 identified no “significant safety concerns.” The most common side effects from the vaccine were injection site pain, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and chills, according to the company.
The FDA will scrutinize Moderna’s clinical data before authorizing the use in anyone under 18.
5. Have there been vaccine complications reported for teens and young adults?
There have been more than 300 confirmed cases of heart inflammation in teens and young adults who have received COVID-19 vaccines, but the nation’s leading health experts say the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines remain safe for use.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said on “Good Morning America” in June the benefits of the vaccine for young people “overwhelmingly outweigh the risk,” echoing the findings of researchers at a CDC advisory committee meeting in June on vaccines.
The rare instances of heart inflammation occurred about 12.6 times out of every million second dose administered and were mostly among younger males about a week after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, according to researchers at the CDC advisory committee.
6. How effective are the vaccines in children?
Pfizer announced in late March that its clinical trials showed the vaccine was safe and 100% effective in children ages 12-15, similar to the 95% efficacy among adult clinical trial participants.
Marks confirmed on May 10 that after a trial with over 2,000 children, Pfizer found no cases of infection among the children who had been given the vaccine and 16 cases of infection among the children who received a placebo.
No cases of COVID occurred in the 1,005 adolescents that received the vaccine, while there were 16 cases of COVID among the 978 kids who received the placebo, “thus indicating the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 In this trial,” said Marks.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in children ages 12 to under 18, the company said last month, in announcing results of their latest clinical trials.
In addition to its efficacy, the vaccine showed “no significant safety concerns” in the trial of more than 3,700 adolescent participants, according to Moderna.
7. Will kids get the same dose of the vaccines as adults?
Children ages 5 to 11 in the Pfizer and BioNTech trial still received two doses of the vaccine, but received a lesser dose than the amount given to people ages 12 and older, for the “safety, tolerability and immunogenicity” of younger children, according to the companies.
For 12- to 15-year-olds, the FDA has authorized the same dosing as adults with the Pfizer two-dose vaccine.
8. Could COVID-19 vaccines impact puberty, menstruation?
There is currently no clinical evidence to suggest the vaccines can have long-term effects on puberty or fertility, according to Ashton, a practicing, board-certified OBGYN.
Ashton noted that while there has been anecdotal discussion of the emotional event of finally receiving the vaccine temporarily impacting menstruation for adult women, the idea of the cause being from the vaccine itself “defies science and biology.”
It is really important to understand basic biology here,” Ashton said. “Women can have changes in their menstrual cycle and also have gotten the vaccine, that does not mean that one caused the other.”
“Right now there is no puberty concern. There is no fertility concern,” she added.
9. Will the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine be available for kids?
Johnson & Johnson announced in April that it had begun vaccinating a “small number of adolescents aged 16-17 years” in a Phase 2a clinical trial.
As of April, the trial was enrolling participants only in Spain and the United Kingdom, with plans to expand enrollment to the U.S., the Netherlands and Canada, followed by Brazil and Argentina.
10. Will COVID-19 vaccines be required by schools?
It is up to each state’s government to decide whether a COVID-19 vaccine is required for school entry. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. are already requiring students to be vaccinated from COVID-19.
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Anne Flaherty, Eric Strauss, Cheyenne Haslett and Jade A. Cobern, MD, a member of the ABC News Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
The efforts of some Van Halen fans to memorialize the late Eddie Van Halen in the band’s hometown of Pasadena, CA have succeeded.
Julie A. Gutierrez, assistant city manager of Pasadena, wrote in her weekly newsletter that a memorial plaque honoring the late guitarist has been approved for installation outside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Van Halen played some of their earliest gigs.
She noted that since Eddie’s death, Pasadena has received several “requests and suggestions” to memorialize him via naming a street, alley or other monument in his honor. The plaque has gotten the city’s official endorsement, Gutierrez explained, and money raised by Pasadena 4 Van Halen, a GoFundMe started by fans, will fund the effort. The plaque should be ready for installation some time around October 6, the anniversary of Eddie’s passing.
Pasadena 4 Van Halen’s GoFundMe had an initial goal of $3,000, but has since raised nearly $7,000 as of Monday morning. The group is continuing to campaign for a new park in Pasadena to be named in honor of the guitarist. Voting on the name of the park is underway now and continues through September 24.
Cynthia Erivo had a special message for fellow Brit and I May Destroy You creator Michaela Coel following her historic Emmy win for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
“Michaela Coel. A sister. A friend. An Emmy Winner,” Erivo wrote in a touching Instagram post. “Tonight she shone. Proud is an understatement. Flowers and love for this goddess, I WILL ALWAYS HOLD YOU UP!”
Coel’s win makes her the first Black woman to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and only the third Black writer to win in the Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category. In 2000, David Mills became the first Black person to win the award, with The Corner, and in 2020, Cord Jefferson became the second when he took home the award for Watchmen.
Additionally, Coel made Emmy history as the first Black woman to be nominated for best series, acting, writing, and directing.
The Crown‘s Gillian Anderson first came to fame in her 20s with The X-Files and won her first Emmy Award in 1997 — but this was apparently news to some fans.
Believe it or not, when Anderson picked up her second trophy last night — for playing former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown — there were those online who were stunned she doesn’t have a British accent.
Anderson is American, but spent much of her early life in the UK, where she’s lived as an adult for years.
“GILLIAN ANDERSON IS AMERICAN WTF?!?!,” one clueless fan tweeted, noting their mind was “so blown RN… I thought she was British this whole time omg.”
“It’s very weird hearing Gillian Anderson with an American accent, I was very thrown,” another posted.
For the record, for every clueless Crown fan out there, there were plenty of snarkers to set them straight. “So you didn’t watch Xfiles,” one huffed.
However, the cluelessness continued even among the professional TV watchers out there. Backstage, a journalist asked Anderson if she’s spoken with Margaret Thatcher about the actress’ portrayal of her on the Emmy-magnet drama. Interesting question, considering the fact that the former PM has been dead since 2013.
“Uh, I have not spoken to Margaret,” Anderson answered graciously.
(NEW YORK) — A massive search is continuing in southern Florida for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old woman who went missing on a cross-country trip and who authorities say is “consistent with the description” of a body discovered on Sunday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
The search for the 23-year-old Laundrie is centered around North Port, Florida, where investigators said Laundrie returned to his home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.
Laundrie has been named by police as a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. Laundrie has refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
The search for Laundrie is the latest twist in the case that has grabbed national attention as he and Petito had been traveling across the country since June, documenting the trip on social media.
Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing on Sept. 11 after not hearing from her for two weeks.
Sep 20, 10:33 am
Search of vast Florida swamp preserve ‘exhausted’: Police
The North Port, Florida, Police Department said on Monday that a search for Laundrie in the vast Carlton Reserve near North Port has been “exhausted.”
Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for the North Port Police Department, told ABC News that the two-day search of the nearly 25,000-acre swampland preserve turned up no sign of Laundrie.
Taylor said search dogs did not pick up the sent of Laundrie while searching the preserve, which authorities described as alligator infested.
“At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there,” Taylor said in a statement. “Law enforcement agencies continue to search for Brian Laundrie.”
Volbeat and Ghost have announced a U.S. co-headlining tour for 2022.
The joint outing is set to kick off January 25 in Reno, Nevada, and will travel all across the country before wrapping up back West March 3 in Anaheim, California.
Along with the Danish rockers and the Swedish metallers, the bill will also include self-described “satanic doo-wop” group Twin Temple.
“We are so incredibly excited to get back to these cities with a Volbeat headline show, but getting to do it alongside a headline show from our ghoulish friends in Ghost AND bringing the incomparable Twin Temple with us?” Volbeat says. “How soon will it be January already!? Start getting ready, the thunder and lightning is coming to your town in 2022.”
Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 24, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Volbeat.dk or Ghost-Official.com.
Volbeat released a pair of singles over the summer, “Wait a Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før,” marking their first new music to follow the 2019’s Rewind, Replay, Rebound album. Ghost, meanwhile, has been working on a new record to follow 2018’s Prequelle.
L-R: Porter, Rodriguez — Cliff Lipson/CBS 2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
While Sunday night’s Emmys had some surprises for nominees and fans, it wasn’t a surprise that the stars wouldn’t squander the rare red carpet spotlight for the non-Zoom event, showcasing everything from showstopping couture looks to jaw-dropping “wow” moments.
Here’s a round-up of some of the more memorable looks:
Anya Taylor-Joy saw The Queen’s Gambit rack up 11 awards, a high score matched by The Crown, and to boot, her dress was a checkmate: she wore an extraordinary canary yellow Christian Dior Haute Couture gown with a long train.
black-ish and grown-ish star, and Emmys presenter, Yara Shahidi was gorgeous in a green Christian Dior dress styled by Jason Bolden. Her black-ish mom, nominee Tracee Ellis Ross, shined in a sparkling red ensemble from Valentino’s Fall/Winter 2021 Couture collection.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose husband, Michael Douglas, went home empty-handed for The Kominsky Method, wowed in a magnificent maroon strapless gown by Cristina Ottaviano.
Billy Porter‘s ensemble was from Ashi; it featured raven-winged, ruffled sleeve details. His stylist Ty Hunter, complimented the look with dazzling jewels from Lorraine Schwartz.
Emmy-nominated I May Destroy You creator and actress Michaela Coel was styled by Zerina Akers, and lit up the red carpet in a custom Christopher John Rogers yellow neon-toned look.
Seth Rogen, actor and executive producer of The Boys, saw the series leave without any trophies, but as a presenter, he turned heads in an bright orange tuxedo jacket and brown trousers.
Dan Levy already has a mantle full of Emmys from last year’s big winner, Schitt’s Creek, so as a presenter he was free to stun with a vibrant monochromatic blue-suited look from Valentino‘s Fall/Winter 2021 Couture collection.
Aidy Bryant didn’t win any Emmys last night for her Hulu show Shrill, but showcased a stylish floral printed green dress custom-designed by Simone Rocha styled by Rebecca Grice.
As host, Cedric the Entertainer had several costume changes, and set the stage for some of the night’s leading men rocking bright suits: His red carpet look was turquoise, with a wide angled blue stripe.
Kaley Cuoco didn’t win any trophies for The Flight Attendant, but won praise for her custom yellow Vera Wang gown featuring beautiful ruching.
The Handmaid’s Tale star Samira Wiley chose a statement Genny suit, complimented with a black satin tie, and and half-shaved hairstyle with an updo.
Previous Tony, Emmy, and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo wore a dramatic white custom Louis Vuitton gown that included a vibrant blue and green feathered train.
Elizabeth Olsen saw her series WandaVision, one of the most-nominated shows of the night, leave empty-handed, but won acclaim for her cream-toned gown designed by her actress-turned designer sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley.
Jason Sudeikis took home the Outstanding Actor award in the comedy category for his big winner, Ted Lasso, and also scored with critics for his single-button blue velvet suit by Tom Ford.
Angela Bassett wore an alluring black Greta Constantine gown that featured a pop of pink detailing throughout.
Kerry Washington was a presenter for the evening, and her look was a show-stopper: Celebrity stylist Law Roach dressed Washington in a custom Etro gown featuring a stylish corset.
This Is Us nominee Mandy Moore didn’t win, but won praise for her candy apple red gown straight from Carolina Herrera‘s Spring/Summer 2022 ready-to-wear collection.
Pose nominee and presenter MJ Rodriguez rocked a vintage Atelier Versace look accented with a high slit.
Sarah Paulson wasn’t nominated this year, but the previous winner did the presenter podium and the carpet proud with a ravishing red Carolina Herrera look styled by Karla Welch.
Lindsey Buckingham is continuing to snipe at Stevie Nicks via the media, even after Nicks issued a rare rebuttal of his version of the events that led to him being fired from Fleetwood Mac.
In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Buckingham claimed that Nicks demanded he be fired, and that Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie went along with it for financial reasons. Nicks in turn told the newspaper that Buckingham’s comments were “factually inaccurate.” But in a new interview with the Times of London, Buckingham is still blaming Nicks for his exit from the band.
“There were a number of years where I wasn’t over her,” says the guitarist. “It is possible that she has never been completely over me either.”
He explains that he and Nicks have never “had time to heal or move on” from their breakup, adding, “We both had to compartmentalize our feelings. That is not a healthy thing to do because those little compartments can remain sealed up for years, until things start seeping out when you don’t realize.”
Buckingham also suggests that the fact that he’s a married dad and Stevie is single has something to do with it.
“It’s hard for me to know what her mentality is towards me, but I know what mine is to her because I’ve been married for 21 years and I have three children and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he muses.
Buckingham further suggests that Stevie has “lost touch” with the creative part of herself. And while Buckingham has been in touch with Fleetwood and McVie recently, his rejoining the band “would be down to Stevie having that epiphany herself,” he says.
“And hey, stranger things have happened,” he adds. “This is Fleetwood Mac. Anything is possible.”
