Tom Howell Jr.

Guilty plea from Brittney Griner in Russian court

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty in a Russian court Thursday to drug charges but said she did not intend to break the law.

July 7, 2022

Trump unveils refurbished personal plane amid 2024 murmurs

Former President Donald Trump says the Boeing 757 he used with great fanfare during his 2016 campaign has been refurbished and is ready to hit the skies by the fall.

July 7, 2022

Liberal governors sign orders refusing to participate with other states’ abortion probes

Democratic governors in North Carolina and Colorado signed orders Wednesday that prohibit their states from extraditing women who face civil or criminal penalties under an abortion ban in another state.

July 7, 2022

Democratic senators urge Biden to move faster on marijuana policy

Six liberal senators are prodding President Biden to pardon prior cannabis offenders and compel the Department of Justice to reclassify the drug, a sign that members of the president's own party are disappointed by a lack of progress on the issue.

July 7, 2022

Kremlin says good riddance to U.K.’s Boris Johnson

Moscow smacked Boris Johnson on his way out the door as the U.K. prime minister signaled plans to step down after a tenure marked by a staunch defense of Ukraine but many scandals at home.

July 7, 2022

HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra: Listen to doctors and families, not politicians, about the COVID-19 vaccine

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra promoted COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest Americans Wednesday but said the most powerful advocates for the shots aren't in Washington.

July 6, 2022

LabCorp can test up to 10K samples per week for monkeypox, CDC says

LabCorp, a major lab-testing company, will begin screening for monkeypox and will be able to run up to 10,000 tests per week, the Biden administration said Wednesday.

July 6, 2022

Nashville pauses bid to host Republican National Convention in 2024

A push to hold the Republican National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, is on hold because the city's Metropolitan Council wants to address security and cost concerns that could arise from hosting the event.

July 6, 2022

Eric Adams aide mugged in Brooklyn, underscoring crime issues

An aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams was robbed Tuesday in broad daylight in Brooklyn, a stark reminder of the public safety challenges facing City Hall.

July 6, 2022

Mitch McConnell: Labor shortages will ease when stimulus runs out

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says industries are struggling to find workers because Americans are sitting on stimulus cash they received during the depths of the pandemic.

July 6, 2022

Chinese city of Xi’an faces partial COVID-19 lockdown due to subvariant cases

The major Chinese city of Xi'an was put in partial lockdown Wednesday after officials detected the first coronavirus cases tied to a new fast-moving variant, sparking ugly reminders of a monthlong shutdown last winter.

July 6, 2022

Democrats demand more gun laws, say new laws Biden signed last month are not enough

National and state Democrats are pushing for more restrictions on firearms less than two weeks after President Biden signed the first new gun-control law in decades.

July 5, 2022

COVID-19 was third-leading cause of death during pandemic, study shows

COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer during the pandemic, according to a new study of national death certificate records.

July 5, 2022

Pope Francis sends condolences to Illinois, urges society to reject violence

Pope Francis told the Archbishop of Chicago he was "deeply saddened" by the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park and urged society to reject violence in all of its forms.

July 5, 2022

Biden: U.S. has ‘unity of purpose’ despite upheaval over economy, shootings, Supreme Court

President Biden said late Monday it can feel like America is moving "backward" because of recent economic pain and upheaval around a series of Supreme Court decisions, though insisted the country can rise to its "highest heights."

July 5, 2022

Highland Park mayor says the U.S. should reexamine its gun laws, values

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering on Tuesday said she does not know where the alleged July 4 parade shooter got his rifle "but I do know it was legally obtained" and the U.S. needs tougher gun laws even though Congress just passed the most sweeping gun-control measures in decades.

July 5, 2022

WNBA star Brittney Griner sends letter to Biden pleading for her release

The White House on Monday received a letter from U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner that pleads with President Biden to fight for her release from a Russian jail, saying she fears she will never return home.

July 5, 2022

Biden’s COVID-19 vax push for kids suffers enthusiasm gap; parents’ interest wanes for preteens

The federal effort to vaccinate children against COVID-19 has been a much tougher slog, with parental anecdotes and federal data showing interest drops off below age 12, even as President Biden cheers the recent authorization of shots for 18 million children ages 6 months to 4 years.

July 4, 2022

Jan. 6 panel members defend star witness, say Americans should ‘stay tuned’

The House Jan. 6 committee defended the credibility of star witness Cassidy Hutchinson on Sunday and upped the ante after a roller-coaster week of bombshell testimony, saying criminal referrals against former President Donald Trump are a distinct possibility.

July 3, 2022

Trump eyeing early jump into 2024 race: Report

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an early entrance into the 2024 White House race to reclaim the limelight and make his case that the Jan. 6 probe is politically motivated.

July 3, 2022