Tom Howell Jr.

House lawmakers advance bill to permanently restrict fentanyl

House lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill to permanently place fentanyl on the most restrictive list of drugs, though its path to becoming law remains dim because of a partisan rift over mandatory criminal penalties. Published March 8, 2023

Former CDC director says COVID-19 ‘more likely’ came from Chinese lab leak

The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and experts told Congress on Wednesday the virus that sparked the COVID-19 pandemic had unusual features that lend credence to the Chinese lab-leak theory -- a position that was downplayed by government scientists early in the crisis in favor of a natural-origin theory. Published March 8, 2023

Americans can’t decide if ‘woke’ is an insult or compliment, poll shows

Republicans are slamming "woke" mobs and corporations, but a new poll says that Americans don't always see the ill-defined term as a bad one. Published March 8, 2023

Kari Lake dismisses VP talk, still focused on her Arizona gubernatorial defeat

Kari Lake is dismissing murmurs she could be former President Donald Trump's running mate in 2024. Published March 8, 2023

Poor messaging doomed D.C. crime-code rewrite, says council chairman

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Tuesday that city lawmakers didn't do a good enough job of explaining a criminal-code overhaul that would weaken maximum penalties for some crimes and is on track to be rescinded by Congress as soon as Wednesday. Published March 7, 2023

Former VP Pence moves to block subpoena over Jan. 6

Former Vice President Mike Pence is taking steps to fight a federal grand jury subpoena that seeks his testimony on the U.S. Capitol assault of Jan. 6, 2021. Published March 7, 2023

Sen. John Fetterman recovering and will be ‘back soon,’ aides say

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is on the path to recovery and will be "back soon" as he seeks treatment for depression, his aides say. Published March 7, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy set to meet Taiwan leader in California: Report

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in the U.S. instead of her home island, which China considers to be a breakaway province, according to a new report. Published March 7, 2023

White House considers options to combat bird flu, including poultry vaccine

The Biden administration is reportedly considering a mass vaccination campaign for poultry to combat avian flu outbreaks that have killed millions of chickens and driven up the cost of eggs. Published March 7, 2023

Senate won’t let D.C. off the hook, proceeds with planned slap-down of city’s contentious crime bill

The D.C. Council told Congress on Monday that it wanted to withdraw a criminal code rewrite that weakened penalties for carjacking and other crimes, an unprecedented attempt to save face after a growing list of Senate Democrats said they planned to support a Republican effort to rescind the city law. Published March 6, 2023

Lawmakers press DoD to fix misspellings, other errors on Korean War Wall of Remembrance

Top lawmakers are pressing the Department of Defense to correct more than 1,000 reported misspellings and other mistakes on the Wall of Remembrance that was recently added to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. Published March 6, 2023

Former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie says Trump isn’t what he used to be

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says former President Donald Trump is the man to beat in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, but he thinks the ex-president has lost some of his luster and ability to draw big crowds. Published March 6, 2023

DOT publishes dashboard to name and shame airlines over family seating, fees

The Department of Transportation is shining a light on which airlines let families sit together on planes without paying a fee for the privilege. Published March 6, 2023

NYC agrees to pay $21,500 each to detained George Floyd protesters

New York City has agreed to pay $21,500 each to more than 300 protesters who were confined by police in a "kettling" tactic during the 2020 protests in the wake of George Floyd's death while in police custody in Minneapolis. Published March 1, 2023

Biden hails record of DHS service on 20th anniversary of post-9/11 department

President Biden marked the 20th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday by hailing its 260,000 employees for allowing Americans to "live their lives" and "dream their dreams" after its formation in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Published March 1, 2023

Biden praises Eli Lilly for capping insulin price at $35

President Biden hailed Eli Lilly & Co. on Wednesday for capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35, a move that aligns with a key priority for the administration. Published March 1, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom ends California’s COVID-19 emergency after 3 years

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially ended the state of emergency around COVID-19 in his state nearly three years after he established urgent measures due to the onset of the virus in early 2020. Published March 1, 2023

Lawmakers grapple with response to fentanyl, split over punishment versus focus on treatment

Grieving parents and a top former drug agent warned Congress on Wednesday of a major disconnect between the risk of fentanyl overdoses and the level of awareness in America, but lawmakers didn't agree on the right way to thwart trafficking and the drug threat. Published March 1, 2023

Trump takes lead in a two-man matchup with DeSantis, poll shows

Former President Donald Trump leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical two-man race for the GOP nomination, after having trailed the governor in a similar poll one month ago. Published March 1, 2023

FDA cracks down on ‘tranq’ imports due to new drug trend

The Food and Drug Administration is beefing up efforts to ensure that xylazine, an animal sedative known as "tranq," is not diverted to the illicit drug supply. Published March 1, 2023