Tom Howell Jr.

Biden officials meet virtually with Whelan’s sister to ‘brainstorm’ on freeing him from Russia

Senior officials at the White House and State Department met virtually with Paul Whelan's sister on Monday to brainstorm ways to spring the former U.S. Marine from custody in Russia, the White House said.

December 12, 2022

Biden hails military families, tells kids to ‘be brave’ when parents are deployed at Christmas

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday helped the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve pack up toys for distribution to needy families before Christmas, praising the giving spirit of America's youngest generation and the military families who they said represent the "very spine of our nation."

December 12, 2022

NYPD officers leaving at high rate, citing better pay and conditions elsewhere

New York City police officers are departing in droves, drawn away by better salaries and working conditions in areas as far as Colorado.

December 12, 2022

Sec. Buttigieg insists use of private planes more efficient, saves money, for some DOT travel

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has reportedly taken at least 18 flights on taxpayer-funded private planes since taking office despite his push to curb carbon emissions and criticism of his predecessors for using private travel.

December 12, 2022

Trump says he turned down prisoner swap involving Viktor Bout, Paul Whelan

Former President Donald Trump is claiming he turned down a deal to release ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan in return for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been serving a lengthy federal prison sentence in Illinois.

December 12, 2022

Biden, Democrats frustrated by Kyrsten Sinema’s political curveball

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's announcement she is ditching the Democratic Party has sparked controversy across the nation.

December 10, 2022

Sen. Rand Paul: Looming antitrust action is a threat to free markets

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is taking a victory lap after standing in the way of legislation that would increase fees on large company mergers, saying "antitrust zealots" are getting in the way of free market activity even as they hoard federal power.

December 9, 2022

Vanguard: Cash-strapped Americans are raiding their retirement savings

Inflation and other economic woes are forcing people to save less money and rack up credit card balances.

December 9, 2022

Sam Bankman-Fried agrees to testify about FTX’s collapse

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the failed FTX cryptocurrency exchange, says he is willing to testify before Congress on Tuesday though he might have limited information about what led to his company's stunning collapse.

December 9, 2022

What now?: Sinema’s defection from Dems sends shock waves through Hill

Democrats will retain enough votes to control the Senate and its committees, but Kyrsten Sinema's decision alters power dynamics within the party and landed with a major thud.

December 9, 2022

U.S. cheers Griner’s release from Russian prison, but doubts loom about fate of Paul Whelan

President Biden and everyday Americans cheered the release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison Thursday but the swap for an infamous arms dealer sparked complaints that the White House brokered a lopsided deal that left U.S. businessman and former Marine Paul Whelan behind bars southeast of Moscow.

December 8, 2022

MTG says Herschel Walker should have used her more for his campaign

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia says it is "extremely insulting" that Herschel Walker didn't rely on her for more campaign events before his loss in the Senate runoff election against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.

December 8, 2022

Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout: WNBA star freed in U.S.-Russia prisoner swap

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released from Russian custody in a swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout after intensive negotiations.

December 8, 2022

U.S. judge dismisses lawsuit against Saudi crown prince

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the death of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pointing to the Biden administration's decision to grant immunity.

December 7, 2022

Trump lawyers will ask an appeals court to shield him from Jan. 6 lawsuits

Donald Trump's lawyers will plead with an appeals court Wednesday to grant the former president immunity against a trio of lawsuits filed after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

December 7, 2022

Time magazine names Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘Person of the Year’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Time's "Person of the Year," the magazine said Wednesday.

December 7, 2022

China relaxes some virus rules, biggest easing of zero-COVID policy

China eased some of its most stringent anti-virus policies on Wednesday in the clearest pivot from "zero-COVID" policies that sparked uncommon public protests in recent weeks.

December 7, 2022

CDC’s call for people to mask up for flu, RSV provokes backlash due to thin evidence it works

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mask-wearing is a good way to prevent a trifecta of respiratory illnesses, prompting outrage among Americans who feel the agency is deploying a polarizing COVID-19 tool against viruses that have been around for decades but never triggered similar guidance.

December 6, 2022

NIH: Research team develops promising universal flu vaccine

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a universal flu vaccine that uses groundbreaking messenger-RNA technology to build immunity against 20 known types of influenza, the agency said Tuesday.

December 6, 2022

Three-quarters of CDC workforce is working remotely all or most of the time, report says

Roughly three-quarters of the staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are allowed to work at home most or all of the time, according to a new report that casts doubt on a planned agency overhaul because of the lack of personal interaction.

December 6, 2022