Tom Howell Jr.

Omicron spooks Wall Street, infects VIPs and spurs new rules

Wall Street buckled under the strain of omicron as President Biden met with advisers to retool his strategy for beating back a winter surge that's accelerating rapidly and draining the cheer out of the week before Christmas.

December 20, 2021

D.C. mayor declares state of emergency for COVID-19

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency for COVID-19 and reinstated a mask mandate on Monday, after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced he has tested positive for the disease.

December 20, 2021

Trump says he got a COVID-19 booster

Former President Donald Trump revealed over the weekend that he had received a COVID-19 booster shot and chastised supporters who booed over the revelation.

December 20, 2021

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tests positive for COVID-19

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday he tested positive for the coronavirus as part of routine testing, joining members of Congress on the roster of high-profile politicians who caught the pathogen amid a winter surge.

December 20, 2021

High-powered Davos global summit postponed over omicron fears

The World Economic Forum said Monday it is postponing its high-profile annual meeting in Davos, the latest sign that omicron is upending winter plans of even the rich and well-connected.

December 20, 2021

Biden’s approval rating sinks to new low as the year ends

President Biden is ending the year with his approval rating at a new low, according to a high-profile poll Monday that finds the White House reeling from higher prices, the COVID-19 crisis and opposition to his social welfare bill.

December 20, 2021

NYPD requires all cops to mask up amid COVID-19 surge

New York City police officers must wear a mask regardless of vaccination status, according to a new policy that coincides with a surge in COVID-19 cases.

December 20, 2021

Moderna says COVID-19 booster offers ‘reassuring’ protection against omicron

Drugmaker Moderna said Monday its booster shot increased antibody levels against omicron in lab studies, providing what it called "reassuring" protection against the coronavirus variant that is ripping through many countries and will likely become dominant in the U.S.

December 20, 2021

Schumer vows Build Back Better votes in the new year, wants to put senators on the record

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer told Democratic senators Monday he will not give up on President Biden's social welfare bill and will schedule votes in the new year so Sen. Joe Manchin III or other objectors must go on record in opposition.

December 20, 2021

OSHA moves back vax-or-test deadline for private sector to Feb. 9

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration late Friday said it will extend the deadline for large businesses to comply with President Biden's vaccinate-or-test rule after a federal appeals court reinstated it.

December 18, 2021

Feds slow-walk change in the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’

The Biden administration is resisting calls to update what it means to be "fully vaccinated," even though its own rhetoric and mounting data suggest an extra dose is needed to fight infection and the surging omicron variant of COVID-19.

December 17, 2021

White House warns omicron will be dominant within weeks, bringing illness, death to unvaccinated

The Biden administration said Friday it expects omicron to become the dominant strain of the coronavirus within weeks and predicted the fallout will divide into two paths, causing mild cases among vaccinated-and-boosted Americans while the unvaccinated confront a winter of misery and death.

December 17, 2021

Biden asks Supreme Court to reinstate vaccine mandate on health workers

President Biden wants the Supreme Court to reinstate his COVID-19 vaccine mandate on health workers who work at hospitals that receive federal funding.

December 17, 2021

White House says Biden will win on Build Back Better as bill stumbles into 2022

President Biden will be victorious in getting his social welfare bill across the finish line, the White House said Friday despite signs the massive legislation will stumble into the new year without final passage.

December 17, 2021

Dr. Fauci: Redefining fully vaccinated is on the table as boosters begin to be distributed

Redefining what it means to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is "on the table," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday, as the administration promotes a vaccine series, plus a booster, as the best way to protect against the coronavirus and its surging omicron variant.

December 17, 2021

Biden pleads for wider vaccination amid omicron threat, warns unvaccinated of a deadly winter

President Biden told unvaccinated Americans on Thursday they face a winter of "severe illness and death" as he pleaded with Americans to use COVID-19 shots, including boosters, as a bulwark against the omicron variant.

December 16, 2021

CDC panel recommends Pfizer, Moderna shots over J&J vaccine, citing rare blood-clotting side effect

COVID-19 vaccines that use messenger RNA are preferable to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday after reviewing data on an extremely rare but serious blood-clotting disorder linked to the J&J shot.

December 16, 2021

Broadway struggles with COVID-19 surge; cancellations common

The winter spike in COVID-19 is exacting a heavy toll on Broadway, with top shows announcing cancellations due to cases among cast and crew.

December 16, 2021

White House to companies: Hackers love to strike on holidays

The White House told companies to reset passwords, maintain IT staffing and patch vulnerabilities in their network in a Thursday memo that says hackers love to "lie in wait" for a holiday before attacking networks.

December 16, 2021

France bans nonessential travel from the U.K., fearing omicron surge

France will ban nonessential travel from the U.K. on Saturday to try and slow the omicron variant that is surging on the other side of the English Channel.

December 16, 2021