Tom Howell Jr.

FDA moves to offer hearing aids over the counter

The Food and Drug Administration took steps Tuesday to allow over-the-counter sales of hearing aids so people can buy them without a medical exam or fitting by a specialist, a move President Biden is pushing in a bid to cut costs for nearly 40 million Americans with hearing loss.

October 19, 2021

Rachel Levine becomes first transgender four-star officer, will lead U.S. Public Health Service

The Biden administration said Tuesday it was burnishing its support for the LGBTQ community by swearing in Rachel Levine, an assistant health secretary, as the first openly transgender four-star officer across any of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

October 19, 2021

Australian leader swipes back at Sen. Ted Cruz, who criticized vaccine mandate

The chief minister of Australia's Northern Territory is firing back at Sen. Ted Cruz after the Texas Republican said the territory's stringent COVID-19 vaccine rules amounted to tyranny.

October 19, 2021

Sen. Bill Cassidy backs cognitive tests for older lawmakers, presidents, Supreme Court

Sen. Bill Cassidy says it might be time for aging leaders in all three branches of government to submit to cognitive tests to make sure they're still sharp enough for the job.

October 19, 2021

FDA eyeing plan to allow mix-and-match of COVID-19 vaccine booster, report says

The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly planning to allow Americans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a booster that is different from the one they initially received, a mix-and-match strategy that provides vaccinators flexibility.

October 19, 2021

Colin Powell faced added risks from COVID-19, despite vaccination

The death of Colin Powell, a decorated general and the first Black secretary of state, is a high-profile reminder that vaccines aren't perfect and some groups remain vulnerable to COVID-19 despite being fully immunized.

October 18, 2021

Biden: Colin Powell was an ‘unmatched’ patriot

President Biden on Monday hailed Colin L. Powell as a "patriot of unmatched honor and dignity" who embodied the American dream after the family of the former secretary of state announced his death due to complications from COVID-19.

October 18, 2021

French drugmaker Valneva reports positive COVID-19 vaccine results

A French drugmaker said Monday its COVID-19 shots staved off disease and produced more robust immunity than a rival vaccine, meaning that shots that rely on conventional technology could enter the global pipeline.

October 18, 2021

Reporter Allison Williams leaving ESPN over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

ESPN reporter Allison Williams said she will be "separated" from the company after it denied her request for an accommodation that would exempt her from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

October 18, 2021

Colin Powell, former secretary of state, dies of COVID-19 complications, was fully vaccinated

Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, the first Black secretary of state and a key figure in Republican administrations who rose from humble origins to the highest ranks of the military, died Monday of complications from COVID-19, his family said.

October 18, 2021

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is treated and released after Las Vegas car crash

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak went to the hospital for minor injuries after a two-car crash Sunday in Las Vegas.

October 18, 2021

Biden pushes employer-based vaccine mandates: ‘Without them, we face endless months of chaos’

President Biden visited the Chicago area Thursday to highlight vaccine mandates imposed by some of the biggest local companies, hoping to rally support for rules that are increasing vaccinations while sparking furious debate over the best way to reach the leery.

October 7, 2021

NIH: One in four COVID-19 deaths caused loss of a parent or caregiver

More than 140,000 U.S. children have lost a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19, government agencies said Thursday in a study that described orphanhood as a "hidden and ongoing secondary tragedy" of the pandemic.

October 7, 2021

Pack of pills, preventive antibodies add to arsenal of COVID-19 treatments

Vaccines are the focus of the global fight against COVID-19, but a flurry of therapeutic breakthroughs and fights over limited supplies of antibody drugs are returning treatments back to the spotlight.

October 7, 2021

Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin grabs power while the governor is away

Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order that expands a ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates while Gov. Brad Little was on a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border.

October 6, 2021

NYPD sergeants’ union boss resigns after FBI raid

The president of a large New York Police Department union resigned Tuesday night after the FBI raided his home and union headquarters.

October 6, 2021

Texas board recommends posthumous pardon for George Floyd

A Texas board says George Floyd should be posthumously pardoned for a 2004 drug charge because it is linked to an ex-Houston police officer accused of making bogus arrests.

October 5, 2021

Sen. Lindsey Graham heckled by GOP audience over COVID-19 vaccine

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was reportedly booed by a Republican audience after he told them to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

October 5, 2021

Pence: Trump and I ‘parted amicably,’ talked it out after Jan. 6

Former Vice President Mike Pence says he "parted amicably" with former President Donald Trump after a tumultuous end to their administration that included a January attack on the U.S. Capitol in which pro-Trump protesters shouted "Hang Mike Pence."

October 5, 2021

J&J seeks approval of COVID-19 booster shot

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson applied Tuesday for emergency approval of a booster dose to its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, while AstraZeneca said it will seek authorization for a groundbreaking antibody treatment to prevent COVID-19 in people at high risk of disease.

October 5, 2021