After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal fight about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe.

Republicans were welcoming JD Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate on the same night devoted to blasting President Joe Biden’s leadership on the world stage.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance is supposed to help Donald Trump win the Midwest this fall.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is ending his bid for the presidency, dropping out of the 2024 race after failing to qualify for the first Republican debate.

Donald Trump’s former spokesperson Hope Hicks met with New York prosecutors investigating hush-money payments made on the ex-president’s behalf.

A senior presidential adviser in the Trump White House, Kellyanne Conway, and her husband, attorney George Conway, a prominent critic of the former president, say they are divorcing.

The Republican National Committee is moving forward with a new post-election audit designed to examine the GOP’s underwhelming performance in the recent midterms and the party’s broader struggles since former President Donald Trump rose to power.

It is still up in the air which political party will control the U.S. Congress, but on Wednesday a media narrative of Election Day appeared to solidify: Good night for Democrats.

Former Vice President Mike Pence will publish his autobiography just after this year’s midterm elections and it will be titled “So Help Me God.”.

Members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection are holding their first prime-time hearing to share what they have uncovered about then-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Republicans hoping to emerge from crowded primaries this year have spent tens of thousands of dollars hiring operatives with ties to former President Donald Trump.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is endorsing former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel in the heated Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in the Midwestern battleground.

Voters in heavily Hispanic parts of South Texas cast record numbers of ballots in the state’s Republican primary last week, leaving the GOP excited about a growing shift toward their party.

A congressional oversight committee has sought additional documents from the National Archives related to former President Donald Trump’s handling of White House records.

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a memoir out May 24: “Here’s the Deal” is billed by her publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life, including her husband and prominent Trump detractor, George Conway.

At least 13 former Trump administration officials violated the law by intermingling campaigning with their official government duties.

A government watchdog group says it has filed an ethics complaint against White House press secretary Jen Psaki for a comment she made earlier this week about Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.

The Biden administration has removed 18 people appointed to U.S. military academy boards by Donald Trump in the final months of his presidency.

A freshman senator has ground the Senate to a crawl in order to slow the passage of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has launched a new advocacy group as he and other Trump administration officials look to boost their post-White House plans.

It meant buying into “alternative facts” — a phrase that spurred sales of George Orwell’s dystopian book “1984” when it was coined by a Trump aide. “I’m shocked to hear that,” Trump told his crowd. “And we now have the greatest, most modern military in the history of our country,” Trump told his Georgia crowd. But the systematic deceptions of the “alternative facts” president were unlike anything before. Attempting to explain her phrase, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said there are alternative ways of arriving at the truth.

President Donald Trumps deep imprint on the federal courts is a rare point of agreement about the president across the political spectrum. The three Supreme Court picks could still be on the court at the 21st century’s midpoint, 30 years from now. In Trump’s first two years, they pushed through 30 appellate court judges and 53 district court nominees. “You know, when I got in, we had over 100 federal judges that weren’t appointed," he said. That nominee was Stephen Breyer, now a Supreme Court justice.

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington before boarding Marine One. As he prepares to exit the White House, President Donald Trump is rewarding some supporters and like-minded allies with the perks and prestige that come with serving on federal advisory boards and commissions. “But nobody does these things with more politicization than Trump,” Light said. The positions have what Light describes as “gorgeous resume value.”The number of advisory board positions has ballooned over the years. Among the most consequential of the wave of appointments has been with advisory boards at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON – A federal watchdog agency has concluded that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue violated the law in advocating for the reelection of President Donald Trump during an August visit to North Carolina. The Office of Special Counsel called on Perdue to reimburse the government for costs associated with his participation in the event. The Hatch Act prevents federal employees from engaging in political activities while they are on the job. The Trump White House has been dismissive of alleged violations of the act over the years. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Politico in late August that “nobody outside of the Beltway really cares” about Hatch Act concerns that were raised during the GOP nominating convention.

Bowser said earlier this week that repeated attempts to contact the White House over the outbreak had received a “very cursory” response but that she believed the necessary steps were being taken. “There are established public health protocols at the White House that are federal in nature,” Bowser said on Monday. The Trump White House has operated for months in open violation of several D.C. virus regulations, hosting multiple gatherings that exceeded the local 50-person limit and in which many participants didn’t wear masks. Washington’s local virus regulations don’t apply on federal property, but the current outbreak has blurred those distinctions. White House spokesman Judd Deere said Monday that the White House “has established a robust contact tracing program led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC integration to provide appropriate recommendations.”On Wednesday, White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern detailed the in-house contact tracing regime to reporters.

And variations on that message were the White House ready response any time critics questioned the president's lax approach to following guidelines for avoiding the novel coronavirus. Trump demonstrated in dramatic fashion that relying on testing alone isn’t enough to create a safe bubble. Mask wearing and social distancing are other key ingredients for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and both have often been in short supply at the White House. The White House says the president is also tested regularly, as are his most senior aides. There were also several indoor receptions, where Barrett, her family, senators and others gathered in the close quarters inside the White House.

A member of the cleaning staff sprays The James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington. Bowser acknowledged on Monday that White House medical officials “have their hands full” at the moment. Instead it has been forced to entrust the White House medical staff to conduct its own contact tracing. Dr. LaQuandra Nesbit, head of the D.C. Health Department, said the process must begin with an official notification from a medical professional. White House spokesman Judd Deere said Monday that the White House "has established a robust contact tracing program led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC integration to provide appropriate recommendations.”He said those who com in close proximity to Trump would continue to be tested.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was also in the room, but not pictured, according to the White House. (Tia Dufour/The White House via AP)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s long-hidden tax returns leaked out. And even the first lady was captured on tape expressing disdain for having to decorate the White House for Christmas. Pence attended a Sept. 26 White House event where Trump announced his Supreme Court pick. Still, Zelizer said it would be premature to count Trump out, with a full month to go until Election Day.

Doctors say that Trump will continue to receive his treatments from the White House. WHAT WE DON’T KNOWWe don’t know how sick Trump got. With treatment still evolving in the pandemic, Trump’s doctors concede they themselves don’t know everything about the interplay of the medications he is taking. The White House also is withholding details on what steps it is taking to stop the spread of the outbreak underway in Trump’s circle. Trump on Sunday insisted on a drive outside Walter Reed to wave to supporters, heightening risk of infection for those guarding and driving him.

Trump's reelection team, battered on all sides, now enters the final month of the campaign grappling with deficits in the polls, a shortage of cash and a candidate who is at least temporarily sidelined. Both heads of Trump’s political apparatus — campaign manager Bill Stepien and Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel — tested positive for COVID-19 this week. We have a month to go,” senior campaign adviser Jason Miller said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press." “He’s losing, and the debate was a disaster, and the campaign is imploding,” said Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, a vocal Trump critic. Still, Zelizer said it would be premature to count Trump out, with a full month to go until Election Day.

Conley was evasive when asked whether Trump’s blood oxygen level had dropped below 90%: “We don’t have any recordings here on that.” The level currently stands at 98%, Trump’s medical team said. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: TRUMP’S MEDICAL CONDITIONTrump's medical team continued to dodge many questions Sunday, such as the specific timing of the president’s dip in oxygen and the impact of the disease on his lungs. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: WHEN TRUMP FELL ILLConley declined to say when Trump had last been tested before Thursday’s test confirmed COVID-19. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: HOW TRUMP WAS INFECTEDThere's no way to know for sure if the Rose Garden event was where Trump — who typically shuns a mask and has kept holding big public gatherings during the pandemic — was exposed. The administration says a White House medical team is tracing contacts.

Still, the doctors said Trump’s health is improving and that he could be discharged as early as Monday. In a short video released by the White House on Sunday, Trump insisted he understood the gravity of the moment. It was the second straight day of obfuscation from a White House already suffering from a credibility crisis. At the time of the briefing, Trump’s blood oxygen level was 98% — within normal rage, Trump’s medical team said. They were particularly upset by the whiplash between Conley’s upbeat assessment Saturday and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ more concerned outlook.

WASHINGTON – Some answers emerged Saturday on President Donald Trump’s condition as he battles the coronavirus, but Trump’s medical team withheld some key information in their first full, televised update. Trump’s medical team gave its first news conference since he fell ill. Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley said Trump had been fever-free for 24 hours. He said Trump’s blood oxygen level is 96%, which is in the normal range. And asked for the president’s vital signs, Conley failed to provide any of Trump’s temperature readings. That could indicate how serious the president’s condition was, a measurement the public didn’t get as Trump spent his first full day at Walter Reed.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON – Stricken by COVID-19, a feverish and fatigued President Donald Trump was flown to a military hospital Friday night where he was given remdesivir following treatment with an experimental drug at the White House. Also testing positive: Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien. “President Trump remains in good spirts, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day,” said press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Very early Friday, after returning from the Thursday afternoon New Jersey fundraiser, Trump stunningly tweeted, "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday confirmed that the White House knew Hope Hicks, the aide, had tested positive before Trump attended the fundraiser.

President Donald Trump’s former adviser Kellyanne Conway said late Friday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after attending a White House event with several others who have since come down with COVID-19. Conway tweeted Friday that she has a “light cough” and is “feeling fine.” “I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians,” she added. Conway attended the Rose Garden announcement Saturday where President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Among the attendees, Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, the president of the University of Notre Dame, as well as Trump himself tested positive Friday for the coronavirus.

His administration violated a judge's order on the 2020 census and could be held in contempt. And in the heat of a presidential campaign, that track record only adds to anxiety about whether Trump will abide by the results of the election. Beyond election law, government watchdog groups have been tracking a raft of other examples where they allege that Trump is flouting laws. Special counsel Henry Kerner, a Trump appointee, recommended that Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway be fired after repeated violations, but the White House ignored that. “If he is taking money from foreign governments without congressional consent, he is violating the Constitution,” said Potter, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.

President Donald Trump listens to Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)

(AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)WASHINGTON – The Latest on the 2020 presidential election (all times local):10:50 p.m.President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are painting a very different picture of the reliability of the upcoming election. ___10:20 p.m.President Donald Trump has sidestepped a question from moderator Chris Wallace about whether he was willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups. Biden made the comment during Tuesday night’s debate after President Donald Trump accused him of supporting abolishing private insurance. ___2:15 p.m.Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, have released more of their personal tax returns ahead of the first presidential debate. ___12:30 p.m.President Donald Trump spent Tuesday morning in informal preparations for the first debate with Joe Biden.

President Donald Trump speaks with state and local leaders about Hurricane Laura at the Orange County Emergency Operations Center, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Orange, Texas. President Donald Trump is essentially asking voters to judge him based on pre-pandemic America. Still, both sides expect the election, which Biden has led for virtually the entire cycle, to tighten entering the nine-week sprint to Nov. 3. Reflecting concerns about potential Trump momentum, Biden plans to resume in-person campaigning in the coming days, albeit with smaller, socially distanced crowds. The hands of the clock are going backwards.___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

His convention underscored the campaign's conviction that Trump's path to reelection rests primarily on voters who backed him four years ago. Even without another surge in coronavirus deaths and infections, some Trump backers say he needs to do more to unite a fractured nation. Hes obtuse, and he doesnt get it, said Lee Davis, who watched parts of the convention from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, a Republican-leaning exurb of Milwaukee. In the half-ring of suburban and ex-urban counties around Milwaukee, where Trump won but underperformed by historic GOP standards in 2016, Trump likely will need to improve his margins. I know his tweets can feel a bit unfiltered, said Ivanka Trump in introducing the president before his acceptance speech.

President Donald Trump checks the stage before his speech from the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Washington. We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years, Trump was to say according to speech excerpts confirmed by his campaign. The problem we have right now is that we are in Donald Trumps America, said Biden on MSNBC. She delivered a speech a half mile from the White House, declaring, Donald Trump doesnt understand the presidency." But Trump, who has defended his handling of the pandemic, was to tout an expansion of rapid coronavirus testing.

Vice President Mike Pence arrives with his wife Karen Pence to speak on the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON Republicans proceeded with the third night of their national convention, but many Americans particularly those in the path of Hurricane Laura were focused on more immediate concerns. Joe Biden said America is systemically racist, Pence said, criticizing the Democratic challenger as soft on crime. CRISES DRAIN CONVENTION ATTENTIONA political convention is the most scripted, tightly controllable of events, especially when it is mostly virtual and much of it is prerecorded. ANOTHER SPEAKER DOESNT MAKE THE SHOWFor the second consecutive night, Trumps campaign was forced to reshuffle its speaking lineup just hours before the prime-time program began.

Donald Trump Jr., speaks as he tapes his speech for the first day of the Republican National Convention from the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON If speaking time at the Republican convention is a measure of President Donald Trumps favor, his family wins by a mile. Instead, the 2020 Republican convention is an exhibit of a party Trump has remade as a largely family-led enterprise. First lady Melania Trump spoke for 16 minutes. The speech solidified his standing as the leading Republican presidential hopeful in 2024.

Pence, whose future political aspirations could hinge on November, has campaigned aggressively for the president. Pence has helped steer the White House response to the coronavirus, leading a task force and frequently working with the nations governors. The GOP convention has mentioned the virus far less than Democrats did last week, but Pence could throw it back into focus if he speaks about the work hes led. Conway, whose husband has become an outspoken Trump critic, says she is stepping away to spend more time with her family. Clarence Henderson, a civil rights activist from the 1960s, is expected to speak on the true meaning of peaceful protest."

____WHAT IS THE HATCH ACT? Theres so much chatter about the Hatch Act that retired Sen. Orrin Hatch tweeted Wednesday, Friends, I am not in charge of the Hatch Act please stop calling.Former Sen. Carl Hatch, D-N.M., wrote the legislation in 1939 to limit partisan activity by federal employees to ensure the government functions fairly and effectively. ___SHOULD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE HATCH ACT? If youre trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, its not going to work, she said in May 2019. What you see now is President Trump behaving more and more like an authoritarian leader, not a democratically elected leader.

WASHINGTON Kellyanne Conway is making her exit. But it was also something of a farewell address as she steps away, she said, to spend more time with her family. Trump himself has weighed in last year, calling George Conway on Twitter a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell!You. Kellyanne Conway's exit comes at an inopportune time for Trump, who faces a deficit in the polls. She moved over to the Trump campaign and that August became campaign manager as Steve Bannon became campaign chairman; Bannon was indicted last week and accused of fraud.

But if the event were held in the West Wing or in another area of the White House that is regarded as a federal room, White House officials would be prohibited from attending even while off-duty. The officials said the events on the White House grounds were consistent with previous presidents using the White House residence for political videos. Any government employees who may participate will do so in compliance with the Hatch Act, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. "Political parties come and go, but it doesnt belong to one political party or the other.The Trump administration is hardly the first to mix business with politics. The Trump administration has repeatedly stepped over the line, ethics experts said.

The first lady called adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that granted women voting rights a turning point in the women's rights movement. In remarks prepared for Monday's unveiling in front of the White House, she said the exhibit would encourage parents to talk to their children about the important conversations taking place around equality and help them understand the history behind women's suffrage. Joining Mrs. Trump for the launch of the Building the Movement: Americas Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Womens Suffrage" exhibit will be some of the young artists, female administration officials, Cabinet secretaries and state and local elected officials. Historic photographs depicting women's suffrage will be included in the exhibit. The first lady, the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and the White House curator's office chose the winners.

NEW YORK Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are providing television viewers with a distinctly different vision of the Democratic National Convention each night from their perches on Fox News Channel. But as cable rivals CNN and MSNBC devote three hours in prime time to the convention including showing the Democrats' feed virtually uninterrupted Fox will not dislodge its biggest opinion stars. Hannity called the convention a predictable dose of poorly produced, cult-like, psychotic rage (and) hysteria against all things Donald Trump. Hannity had 3.88 million viewers Monday, and many Fox viewers clicked away when news coverage of the convention began. Fox pointed out that its convention coverage schedule was the same as it was in 2016 and will be for next week's Republican national convention.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump instantly ignited new controversy when he said recently that he may deliver his nomination acceptance speech during the Republican National Convention at the White House. There is no Hatch Act because it doesnt pertain to the president, Trump said Wednesday. If I use the White House, we save tremendous amounts of money for the government in terms of security, traveling. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, said the White House is not a political convention hall. The idea of denigrating the White House by turning it into a partisan backdrop for a party nomination acceptance speech should be anathema to all Americans, he said.

FILE - In this June 20, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at a campaign rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. Trump is privately reassuring Republicans anxious about his deficits to Democrat Joe Biden, noting there are three months until Election Day and reminding them of the late-breaking events that propelled his 2016 comeback. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

And they warned that time is running out: The first state to hold early voting, the vital battleground of North Carolina, begins the process Sept. 4. Trump campaign officials said the focus in August will be on states where more than half of the ballots will be cast before Election Day. The digital countdown clock on the wall may say 90-some days, but we all know the calendar is condensed with early voting, said campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. Still, the Trump campaign has been wavering for weeks. They also downplayed the chances of losing reliably Republican states, though Trump did make a campaign stop in Texas last week.

I think its a great way to get information out to the public, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying he hopes to discuss progress on vaccines and therapeutics. White House aides said the format, venue and frequency of the president's forthcoming appearances haven't been finalized. Trump will use the briefings "to speak directly to the American people about the federal governments coronavirus response and other pertinent issues, said White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews. In the last week, theyve organized White House events highlighting Trumps efforts to support law enforcement, talk tough on China and roll back regulations, all while sharply criticizing Biden. Instead, the campaign and White House are attempting to create alternate methods of holding events that could drive media coverage.

I think its a great way to get information out to the public, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying he hopes to discuss progress on vaccines and therapeutics. White House aides said the format, venue and frequency of the president's forthcoming appearances haven't been finalized. Trump will use the briefings "to speak directly to the American people about the federal governments coronavirus response and other pertinent issues, said White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews. In the last week, theyve organized White House events highlighting Trumps efforts to support law enforcement, talk tough on China and roll back regulations, all while sharply criticizing Biden. Instead, the campaign and White House are attempting to create alternate methods of holding events that could drive media coverage.

FILE- In this July 15, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. They announced this past week that the escalating virus cases will cause them to delay opening their buildings for in-person learning. Despite Trumps optimistic outlook on the pandemic, some top public health experts on the White House coronavirus task force, most notably infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, are raising red flags. But at this point, elected officials are looking past the White House and confronting the shifting crisis on their own terms. We have to live with the president and administration we have rather than the administration that we may want.___Amiri reported from Columbus, Ohio.

The White House would be responsible for disciplining Ivanka Trump for any ethics violation but chose not to in a similar case involving White House counselor Kellyanne Conway in 2017. Goya became the target of a consumer boycott after CEO Robert Unanue praised the president at a Hispanic event at the White House last Thursday. Ivanka Trump sent the tweet from a personal Twitter account that does double duty chronicling her work on various White House initiatives. As president, Trump is exempt from many of the rules that federal workers must follow. He also used a Tuesday news conference in the White House Rose Garden, where presidents traditionally have refrained from politics, to lash out at Biden.

Trumps words have angered many Asian Americans and drawn condemnation from Trumps Democratic rival Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama. Trump in March also insisted that Asian Americans were amazing people and not at fault for spreading the virus. Biden at a June 27 town hall for Asian American voters slammed Trumps dangerous theories as xenophobic. The number of Asian Americans aligning themselves with the Democratic party has increased over the past 20 years while support for the GOP has trended down. For Trump, AAPI Data found nearly all major Asian American ethnic groups held an unfavorable view of the president.

Des Moines Public Schools custodian Tracy Harris cleans chairs in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed. That's the latest thinking from some public health experts. But getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed. Public health experts hope the conversation can stay focused on the mechanics of opening schools.

His comments are an apparent descendant, a half-century later, of Richard Nixons coded outreach to white voters known as the Southern Strategy. However, according to current and former Trump campaign officials, his overarching strategy is an appeal to white voters some of them racist and some who fear being left behind by a government seemingly consumed with helping others. The belief is that his appeals will generate enthusiasm among the same disaffected white voters who made up the presidents base of supporters four years ago. The issues that involve race now are completely different, said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump campaign adviser. In other parts of the country, less so.The Trump campaign dismisses accusations of racism.

His comments are an apparent descendant, a half-century later, of Richard Nixons coded outreach to white voters known as the Southern Strategy. However, according to current and former Trump campaign officials, his overarching strategy is an appeal to white voters some of them racist and some who fear being left behind by a government seemingly consumed with helping others. The belief is that his appeals will generate enthusiasm among the same disaffected white voters who made up the presidents base of supporters four years ago. The issues that involve race now are completely different, said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump campaign adviser. In other parts of the country, less so.The Trump campaign dismisses accusations of racism.

Bluster isnt beating the virus; belligerence isn't calming a restive nation. ___THE BUNKERThe chants could be heard inside the White House residence. With these steps, Trump turned justified anger into meaningful action, said deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews. The virus death toll was closing in on 120,000. The virus has come roaring back in widespread parts of the country, pushing the death toll to about 130,000.

With President Donald Trump confronted by skyrocketing joblessness and the coronavirus pandemic as he campaigns for reelection against Democrat Joe Biden, members of his Cabinet are busy making time in pivotal states. They are carrying a message to voters about what the Trump administration is doing for them. A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions about the Cabinet members' trips. Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Gwin accused the Trump administration of focusing on "scoring political points, not delivering for the people they work for. It was unclear whether the Trump campaign or the federal government paid for Bernhardt's costs on the trip.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is set to hold an outdoor rally Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, according to the presidents campaign. The campaign rally at Portsmouth International Airport will come three weeks after an indoor rally in Tulsa, the president's first of the COVID-19 era, drew a smaller-than-expected crowd amid concerns of rising infections in the region. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said last week that Trump may more frequently opt to turn to outdoor venues to host his campaign speeches. Trump and his campaign hyped his formal return to the campaign trail with last months Tulsa rally, which ultimately ended in a disappointing turnout and an outbreak of the virus among staff and Secret Service agents. Separately, a top Trump campaign fundraiser, Kimberly Guilfoyle, tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the president's speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON After long resisting wearing a mask in public, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he thinks it makes him look like the Lone Ranger and he likes it. I think masks are good, Trump told Fox Business in an interview. It was a dark black mask, and I thought it looked OK.It looked like the Lone Ranger, he continued, a reference to the fictional law-and-order character from the American Old West who wore a black eye mask. White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday noted that Trump is regularly tested for the coronavirus, as are his aides.

They hate rallies and its all because they hate the idea of MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump said in a recent fundraising email. But he said that Trump is clear-eyed that if the economy isnt roaring by October, his reelection hopes are dim. Trump is really concerned about the news cycle and the next news cycle and hes worried about his reelection. But I dont think his legacy or what the history books are going to say enters his cortex.With his rally, Trump is also flouting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that, for now, discourage large indoor gatherings. Trump aides say the campaign will conduct temperature checks of rally-goers and supply hand sanitizer.

NEW YORK As anyone who has ever heard him speak knows, President Donald Trump loves to relive 2016. Our latest staff additions are making Team Trump even stronger and solidify Brads leadership.In the last week, the Trump campaign hired Jason Miller, communications director in 2016, to focus on strategy and coordinate between the campaign and the White House. And some of Trumps 2016 team never left: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents daughter and son-in-law, are senior advisers. Kellyanne Conway, the presidents final 2016 campaign manager, remains a senior White House counselor. That includes Bannon, who remains supportive of Trump after a messy exit from the White House, and Keith Schiller, Trumps longtime security man.

He later watched with dismay Trump's hard-line response to the police killing of George Floyd and the civil unrest that followed. Lund, who is white, now plans to vote a straight Democratic ticket and rejects any effort by Trump to put a silver lining on the nation's pain. "Even the most die-hard Trump supporters are exhausted.Trump is leading a nation grappling with unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression. She said she wasn't going to support Trump before Floyds death but is now considering recruiting new Democratic voters. But back in Wisconsin, a state Trump narrowly carried four years ago, the restaurant worker Lund isn't so sure.

Trumps religious outreach marked his latest efforts in a series of overtures to mobilize conservative voters of faith, particularly the white evangelical Christians who are among his most loyal supporters. But religious leaders across denominations accused Trump of trying to coopt religion in an attempt to project leadership at a time of deep national strife. Samuel Rodriguez, a Latino evangelical pastor who has advised Trump, said any president holding up the Bible is a powerful image." Is he somehow shaky with the white evangelical community? Rodriguez said of Trump. Robert P. Jones, CEO of the institute, also cited data showing white evangelical voters are shrinking as a share of the U.S. population, meaning Trump needs to overperform among his core religious supporters to win in November.

He strode through Lafayette Park to the church after authorities forcefully broke up peaceful protests there. Trumps religious outreach marked his latest efforts in a series of overtures to mobilize conservative voters of faith, particularly the white evangelical Christians who are among his most loyal supporters. But religious leaders across denominations accused Trump of trying to coopt religion in an attempt to project leadership at a time of deep national strife. Samuel Rodriguez, a Latino evangelical pastor who has advised Trump, said any president holding up the Bible is a powerful image." Is he somehow shaky with the white evangelical community? Rodriguez said of Trump.

Older adults who pick a drug plan offering the new insulin benefit would pay a maximum of $35 a month starting next year, a savings estimated at $446 annually. Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said 1,750 insurance plans that offer drug coverage to Medicare recipients have agreed to provide insulin for a maximum copay of $35 a month next year. Medicare's prescription drug benefit is offered by private insurers, either as a stand-alone Part D drug plan added to traditional Medicare, or as part of a managed care plan under Medicare Advantage. Medicare estimates that about 6 in 10 beneficiaries are already in prescription drug plans that will offer the new insulin benefit. The insulin benefit will be available in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

WASHINGTON – Monday's White House press briefing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. with deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Trump's budget plan released earlier this year called for the changes, placing air traffic operations under an "independent, nongovernmental organization." U.S. airlines have been campaigning for more than two decades to separate air traffic control operations from the FAA. Airlines have been lobbying vigorously for the change, saying the FAA's NextGen program to modernize the air traffic system is taking too long and has produced too few benefits. Key members of tax-writing committees have questioned whether corporations can legally impose fees, which can be viewed as taxes, on air traffic system users.