Tom Howell Jr.

Coast Guard rescuer hailed by Biden says he will be discharged under COVID-19 policy

A Coast Guard member who was publicly thanked by President Biden for his heroics during Hurricane Ian will reportedly be discharged because he hasn't gotten his COVID-19 vaccine.

October 3, 2022

More people seeking concealed-carry insurance as gun ownership booms

The market for concealed-carry insurance is booming because Americans are worried about rising crime rates and the Supreme Court forced blue states to loosen strict restrictions on who can pack heat in public.

October 3, 2022

Kim Kardashian pays more than $1 million to settle SEC charge over crypto promotion

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has agreed to pay $1.26 million to settle charges she promoted cryptocurrency on social media without disclosing that she was paid to do it, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday.

October 3, 2022

Trump hails Bolsonaro’s performance in first round of Brazil’s election

Former President Donald Trump hailed Jair Bolsonaro's performance in a closely watched presidential election Sunday in Brazil, forecasting the "Trump of the Tropics" is poised to win another term in a runoff on Oct. 30.

October 3, 2022

Biden meets with family of late Rep. Jackie Walorski for bill signing days after blunder

President Biden met Friday with family members of the late Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana to sign a bill that renames a veterans health clinic in her honor -- days after a mistake in which the president called out for the lawmaker, who died in August.

September 30, 2022

Biden says damage from Hurricane Ian is severe and historic

President Biden says the federal government is sparing no expense or effort in saving lives after Hurricane Ian swept through Florida in what he called one of the worst natural disasters to hit the U.S.

September 30, 2022

Biden hints that Harris is presidential material at a White House event

President Biden used a Jewish New Year event Friday to bolster Vice President Kamala Harris' credentials, hinting she might make history by occupying the White House at some point in the future.

September 30, 2022

WH announces ‘severe’ sanctions after Putin annexes regions in Ukraine

The Biden administration says it will impose "swift and severe costs" on Russia for widely discredited referendums earlier this week that resulted in the claimed annexation of four Russian-occupied regions of eastern Ukraine.

September 30, 2022

Mark Pocan, Democratic lawmaker, seeks to build an LGBT museum in Washington

Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, is pushing legislation that would establish a national museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture in the nation's capital.

September 30, 2022

Former figure skating star Michelle Kwan confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Belize

The Senate has confirmed former Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan as U.S. ambassador to Belize, a Central American country.

September 30, 2022

Americans don’t know much about new COVID-19 boosters, says survey

Half of the American public has heard little or nothing at all about reformulated boosters to combat COVID-19 strains, according to a new survey that underscores the Biden administration's challenge in promoting the shots before a potential winter surge.

September 30, 2022

Pessimism about U.S. economy eases slightly, Gallup says

Americans are getting less pessimistic about the economy despite the turmoil on Wall Street and the persistent burden of inflation.

September 30, 2022

GOP nominee for Pa. governor calls for prayer and fasting as campaign struggles

Doug Mastriano, starved of cash and enthusiasm in his push to become Pennsylvania governor, is resorting to a new campaign tactic -- 40 days of fasting and prayer.

September 29, 2022

White House claims progress in monkeypox fight with Jynneos vaccine success

The Biden administration on Wednesday claimed it had made "strong progress" against the monkeypox outbreak, pointing to new data showing people who received the Jynneos vaccine are faring much better than persons who did not get the shots.

September 28, 2022

FEMA says it is prepared as possible for Hurricane Ian

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday said Hurricane Ian will be a historic and multi-day crisis for Florida, and insisted it has done all it can to put fuel, equipment and manpower in place.

September 28, 2022

Cherokee Nation demands a delegate in Congress, citing provisions in 1835 treaty

The Cherokee Nation is pushing for Congress to give it a delegate in the House, citing a nearly 200-year-old treaty that extended representation in exchange for the tribe's ancestral lands.

September 28, 2022

Audit says millions of child tax credit payments in 2021 were faulty

The IRS sent 3.3 million child tax credit payments totaling more than $1 billion to taxpayers who were not eligible for the money, according to a new audit that underscores the difficulty of hastily implementing President Biden's push to make the program more generous.

September 28, 2022

Biden calls Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss Hurricane Ian after confusion about lack of contact

President Biden spoke to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis late Tuesday to coordinate the response to Hurricane Ian, hours after the White House fielded questions about whether the leaders had spoken or if the president was limiting his phone calls to local leaders.

September 28, 2022

Ian strengthens to just shy of a Category 5 hurricane before Florida landfall

Hurricane Ian reached maximum winds of 155 mph and conditions are "rapidly deteriorating" along the southwest Florida coast before landfall, the National Hurricane Center said in a stark warning Wednesday.

September 28, 2022

Biden seizes on health care wins ahead of midterms, insists he made progress cutting costs

President Biden said Tuesday that a cap on insulin costs and other discounts for older adults would be imperiled under GOP control of Congress, leveraging a White House speech on health care to rebuke political rivals and win over voters who could decide the midterms.

September 27, 2022