Tom Howell Jr.

States, cities scramble to find substitute teachers to plug COVID-19 shortages

The superintendent of Boston schools is teaching classes. A school district outside of Dallas is holding a career fair in a cafeteria this weekend. And in New Mexico, the governor is calling in the National Guard.

Biden’s first-year regulations more costly, time-consuming than Trump’s, Obama’s: analysis

Regulations issued by President Biden during his first year in office will cost $201 billion and add 131 million hours in annual paperwork, far exceeding the first-year outcomes of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, according to an analysis released Thursday.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tests positive for virus

Rep. Thomas Massie, who is not vaccinated for COVID-19, said Thursday he has tested positive for the coronavirus and thinks his symptoms are manageable because of a prior infection at the start of the pandemic.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s wife, Yumi, tests positive for coronavirus

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday his wife, Yumi Hogan, tested positive for the coronavirus as part of regular screening.

N.M. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asks state workers, National Guard to work as substitute teachers

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is encouraging National Guard members and state workers to serve as substitute teachers to alleviate staffing shortages in schools and child care centers due to the omicron wave.

Austria poised to mandate COVID-19 vaccine for all adults

Austria said Thursday it would try to entice COVID-19 vaccine holdouts with a prize lottery, a move to sweeten perspectives around the shots before parliament approves a national vaccine mandate.

Americans give Biden low marks on coronavirus response, Russia, economy: NBC poll

Americans are giving President Biden low marks on the pandemic, the economy and his handling of the U.S.-Russia relationship one year into his presidency, an NBC News poll released Thursday said.

Biden to break up $1.8 trillion economic bill, try to pass it in pieces

President Biden on Wednesday officially threw in the towel on his roughly $1.8 trillion social welfare and climate bill, saying he would instead break up the legislation and try to pass "big chunks."

Biden says he exceeded expectations in first year, vows to stay the course

President Biden marked his first year in office Wednesday by saying his administration still needs to get inflation and COVID-19 under control, but boasted that he made "enormous progress."

Biden insists the U.S. will turn the corner on pandemic without lockdowns, school closures

President Biden said Wednesday that he dropped the ball on COVID-19 testing around Christmas but insisted he is catching up with virus-fighting programs and putting the U.S. in the position to beat back the pandemic without resorting to lockdowns.

Carhartt forges ahead with vaccine mandate despite Supreme Court ruling

The Carhartt apparel company is the latest to find itself in the middle of the COVID-19 wars after an internal memo informed employees the company would forge ahead with its vaccine mandate despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down President Biden's testing requirement on unvaccinated workers.

GOP lawmakers seek answers on adolescent booster approval, says report

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans want the Food and Drug Administration to explain why it did not convene its outside panel of advisers before authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot for children aged 12 to 15.

Biden to send 400M high-quality masks to pharmacies, health centers

President Biden will make 400 million N95-grade masks available for free in tens of thousands of pharmacies and community health centers as part of efforts to control the winter spike of the coronavirus, the administration said Wednesday.

New York AG accuses Trump Organization of repeatedly misleading lenders, tax officials

New York Attorney General Letitia James late Tuesday accused former President Donald Trump's business of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets, although state officials haven't decided whether to bring a lawsuit against the Trump Organization in connection with the allegations.

N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul solidifies front-runner status as top primary challengers drop out

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is running the Empire State because scandals sank Andrew Cuomo, but she is on pace to win a full term on her own merits with record fundraising, high approval ratings and sizable polling leads scaring off big-name challengers.

Biden’s website for free COVID-19 tests goes live ahead of a formal launch

Americans could begin ordering COVID-19 tests for free delivery to their homes Tuesday as President Biden's new website went live one day ahead of a more formal launch Wednesday.

Over 70,000 protest COVID-19 rules in Germany

More than 70,000 people in Germany hit the streets late Monday to protest a potential COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announces he won’t run for governor

Gallup: Support for Democrats plunged, GOP surged as Biden struggled with virus, Afghanistan

Support for Democrats plunged during 2021 as President Biden struggled with the coronavirus pandemic and inflation, according to Gallup polling that found a dramatic swing in party preference handed the GOP a 5-point edge by the end of the year.

Hong Kong to kill 2,000 small animals after hamsters get COVID-19

Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday they want hamster owners to hand over their pets after 11 of the rodents and two persons at a pet shop in the city tested positive for the coronavirus.