Tom Howell Jr.

House votes to put fentanyl and its drug cousins on restrictive Schedule I list; bill awaits Senate

The House passed a bill Wednesday that permanently places every form of illicit fentanyl on the most restrictive list of drugs so traffickers cannot duck prosecution by tweaking compounds in the illicit drug supply.

May 25, 2023

DeSantis launches blitz in Iowa, N.H., S.C. as primary fight gets underway

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will blitz the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina next week as his 2024 challenge against former President Donald Trump gets underway in earnest.

May 25, 2023

S.C. Democrats demand apology from Gov. Henry McCaster over ‘hunt them with dogs’ comment

South Carolina Democrats want Gov. Henry McMaster to apologize for joking he wanted to hunt Democrats with dogs.

May 24, 2023

Trump tells AG Garland he wants to meet to discuss special counsel probes

Former President Donald Trump says he wants to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland to discuss probes being conducted by special counsel Jack Smith.

May 24, 2023

Sai Varshith Kandula, U-Haul crash suspect, wanted to seize power, praised Hitler and Nazis

The man accused of driving into park barriers near the White House late Monday told police he wanted to get inside the mansion to seize power and praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler as a "strong leader," according to charging papers.

May 23, 2023

Man who crashed U-Haul into White House barriers identified: Sai Varshith Kandula

U.S. Park Police identified the driver of a U-Haul truck that rammed into security barriers near the White House as 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula of Chesterfield, Missouri.

May 23, 2023

Surgeon general warns rampant social media use imperils mental health of teens, adolescents

There is "reason to be concerned" about the potential harm social media inflicts on children and adolescents, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in an advisory that calls for deeper research into the consequences of near-universal use of the platforms among young people.

May 23, 2023

Driver crashes U-Haul truck into park near the White House

President Biden is "relieved" that no one was hurt after a driver crashed a box truck late Monday into barriers at the entry to a park near the White House, the administration said Tuesday.

May 23, 2023

N.Y. leaders plead for help in authorizing work permits for migrants

New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged the Biden administration on Monday to fast-track work papers for the influx of migrants that's become an all-consuming crisis for his administration, saying thousands of jobs are open and asylum-seekers are willing to fill them.

May 22, 2023

Nonprofit faked story of migrants displacing homeless veterans from hotel, lawmaker alleges

A well-known veterans' advocate made up a story about two dozen ex-military members getting ousted from hotels to make way for migrants in upstate New York, according to a state assemblyman.

May 22, 2023

Senate issues at least 50 satellite phones as security measure

More than 50 senators have accepted satellite phones for emergency communications as part of growing efforts to beef up security for lawmakers in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

May 22, 2023

John Thune to endorse Tim Scott for president; No. 2 Senate Republican offers support at kickoff

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will pick up a major endorsement Monday as he kicks off his 2024 presidential campaign in North Charleston.

May 22, 2023

House to vote on bill that permanently restricts fentanyl and related drugs

The House this week will vote on a bill that would permanently place every form of illicit fentanyl on the most restrictive list of drugs, a move to ensure that traffickers of the deadly synthetic opioid cannot tweak chemical compounds and avoid prosecution.

May 21, 2023

Biden to meet with Quad leaders in Japan, makes amends for snubbing allies

The White House says President Biden will meet Saturday with leaders of the Quad alliance on the sidelines of the Group of Seven nations summit in Japan, making up for scrapping plans to attend a Quad meeting next week in Australia.

May 19, 2023

Biden, G7 leaders visit Hiroshima site, offer prayer and warning to Russia

President Biden and the Group of Seven leaders visited the site of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima to get a first-hand look at the impact of nuclear weapons, honor those who died and issue a new warning to Russia.

May 19, 2023

White House sees progress in debt limit talks; Biden directs team to get a bipartisan deal

The White House on Friday said "steady progress" is being made toward lifting the debt limit and avoiding a default.

May 19, 2023

CDC: U.S. must ‘get summer-ready’ for possible monkeypox resurgence

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans Thursday to remain on guard during the summer festival season against mpox, the virus formerly called monkeypox that is endemic to Africa.

May 18, 2023

New York Democrats heckle Rep. George Santos on U.S. Capitol steps

Progressives from New York heckled Rep. George Santos on the U.S. Capitol steps Wednesday as he tried to speak to the media about his legal troubles and political future.

May 18, 2023

Biden arrives in Hiroshima for G-7 talks overshadowed by the debt limit crisis

President Biden on Thursday said the Group of Seven nations faces one of the most complex security environments in recent history, but he's "proud that the United States and Japan are facing it together" as he kicked off an abbreviated Asia trip by sitting down with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

May 18, 2023

Biden will not make an apology — or any statement — at the Hiroshima memorial

The White House on Wednesday said President Biden will not issue an apology for America's use of the nuclear bomb to end World War II when he visits the Hiroshima peace memorial this weekend as part of the meetings in Japan of the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

May 17, 2023