Tom Howell Jr.

Trump nominates Keith W. Dayton, retired Army officer, as ambassador to Ukraine

President Trump has nominated Keith W. Dayton, a retired lieutenant general in the Army, to serve as his ambassador to Ukraine, a sensitive post after the impeachment saga that roiled his presidency at the end of last year.

May 14, 2020

Donald Trump breaks with Fauci over reopening country, cites schools

President Trump broke sharply with a top member of his coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Wednesday after the disease specialist urged caution in reopening schools during Senate testimony one day prior.

May 13, 2020

Anthony Fauci warns of ‘needless suffering and death’ if U.S. reopens too soon

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, warned of "really serious" consequences Tuesday if states get sloppy in reopening their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

May 12, 2020

Donald Trump vows coronavirus testing blitz to meet demands for supplies

The White House said Monday it will dole out $11 billion to states to dramatically increase coronavirus testing and vowed to meet governors' demands for the supplies they need to collect specimens, part of a blitz President Trump described as the biggest manufacturing ramp-up since World War II.

May 11, 2020

White House: $11B on its way to states for COVID-19 testing

The Trump administration said Monday it is distributing $11 billion for states to ramp up coronavirus testing "at a dramatic scale" and vowed to meet governors' demands for the supplies they need to collect specimens.

May 11, 2020

CDC working on guidelines for reopening economy: White House

The White House said Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is finalizing guidelines that will help businesses, churches and other institutions reopen safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

May 8, 2020

Pence staffer tests positive for COVID-19

A staff member for Vice President Mike Pence has contracted the coronavirus, the White House said Friday, one day after a Navy valet for President Trump tested positive.

May 8, 2020

Andrew Cuomo: New York finally has COVID-19 under control

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday said he finally thinks the state has "the beast on the run" even as other places see an increase in coronavirus cases.

May 8, 2020

Donald Trump at National Day of Prayer event asks ‘for recovery and for renewal’

President Trump prayed for the nation to begin healing Thursday as the coronavirus penetrated the president's inner circle at the White House and the total number of Americans who have lost their jobs in the pandemic rose to more than 33 million.

May 7, 2020

Trump, first lady pray for frontline workers, Americans who’ve died

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump led the nation in prayer Thursday for frontline workers fighting the coronavirus and the families of more than 75,000 people who've died from the disease within the U.S.

May 7, 2020

NIH chief: 1,000 apply for ‘Shark Tank’ competition over COVID-19 diagnostics

More than 1,000 test developers are vying for federal support in a "Shark Tank"-style contest to develop the millions of coronavirus tests needed to safely reopen businesses and schools amid the pandemic, the chief of the National Institutes of Health said Thursday.

May 7, 2020

Church choirs create perfect coronavirus transmission chain

Clusters of COVID-19 transmission from Washington state to Georgia have been traced to choir sessions, with singers who lead worship or entertain communities uniquely vulnerable to the deadly respiratory disease.

May 6, 2020

Trump vetoes resolution to rein in war powers on Iran

President Trump on Wednesday vetoed a resolution that directs his administration to terminate armed hostilities against Iran that are not "explicitly authorized" by Congress.

May 6, 2020

Nursing homes’ coronavirus crisis worsens as previously undisclosed deaths reported

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his handling of nursing homes Tuesday, one day after the state reported more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing and adult care facilities that remain the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.

May 5, 2020

Mike Pence: White House hopes to disband coronavirus task force by early June

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said the White House is looking to wind down its coronavirus task force by Memorial Day or early June so that federal agencies can manage the response in a "more traditional manner."

May 5, 2020

Trump: No Fauci testimony because House is ‘bunch of Trump-haters’

President Trump said Tuesday he blocked the top scientist on his coronavirus task force, Anthony Fauci, from testifying before the House this week because the majority-Democrat chamber is a bunch of haters.

May 5, 2020

FDA cracks down on faulty antibody tests

The Trump administration said Monday it will scrutinize coronavirus antibody tests more closely in response to fears that companies are selling faulty kits as the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic enters the critical phase of figuring out who has been infected, who is most at risk and whether the nation can reopen without major setbacks.

May 4, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine in 2020 ‘pretty good’ Oxford University professor says

Prospects of landing a vaccine for the coronavirus this year are "pretty good" and a top candidate may show efficacy by June, a British front-runner in the medical race said Sunday, as the U.S. and other countries clamor for ways to shield people returning to work and other normal routines.

May 3, 2020

Trump defends Bolsonaro amid COVID-19 turmoil

President Trump defended his friend and ally, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, amid worries the South American country will become a COVID-19 hotspot.

May 1, 2020