Tom Howell Jr.

Trump orders FAA to ground Boeing Max 8 and 9 planes after crashes

The FAA reversed course Wednesday and ordered the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliners after a deadly crash last weekend in Ethiopia.

March 13, 2019

Departing FDA chief moves to crack down on e-cig use among teens

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb released draft guidance Wednesday to crack down on fruity e-cigarette flavors blamed for a vaping epidemic among teenagers.

March 13, 2019

Democrats warn HHS off block-granting Medicaid to states

House Democrats said Tuesday they will reject a portion of President Trump's budget that would convert Medicaid from an open-ended entitlement to fixed amounts of money for states, though they do fear the administration will go around them.

March 12, 2019

HHS chief says director of National Cancer Institute will lead FDA for now

Health Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday said the Norman E. "Ned" Sharpless, the director of the National Cancer Institute, will serve as acting FDA commissioner when Scott Gottlieb steps down in early April.

March 12, 2019

Trump budget includes strengthened work requirements

The White House's new budget envisions cutting hundreds of thousands of people from Medicaid's rolls by asking them to get a job.

March 11, 2019

Donald Trump finds being president harder than being a businessman, campaigning

President Trump campaigned as the redeemer for what ails Washington, proclaiming he alone could disrupt the Beltway crowd and mend the messes that have accumulated over decades. "Nobody knows the system better than me," he told the GOP convention in Cleveland. "That's why I alone can fix it."

March 7, 2019

White House steps up pressure on Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela by revoking visas

The White House said Wednesday the U.S. will revoke dozens of visas tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as the administration ramps up pressure as part of an international campaign against the socialist strongman's inner circle and financial networks.

March 6, 2019

Donald Trump welcomes home Danny Burch, oil worker held in Yemen for 18 months

President Trump on Wednesday hosted an American oil worker who was held in Yemen for 18 months and hinted that ongoing negotiations will bring even more hostages back to U.S. shores.

March 6, 2019

John Bolton, W.H. warn foreign banks against boosting Nicolas Maduro, say they’re ‘on notice’

The White House said Wednesday the administration is revoking dozens of visas tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as the administration ramps up pressure on the strongman's inner circle and financial networks.

March 6, 2019

Esketamine approved by FDA to counter depression

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a pioneering nasal spray to treat depression in adults that have not benefited from other treatments.

March 6, 2019

Donald Trump re-election team beefs up press staff

The Trump campaign beefed up its communications arm Wednesday by recruiting pros from high-profile ranks of government -- including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's most recent press secretary -- as the president's re-election team eyes 2020.

March 6, 2019

Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner, resigns

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who oversaw federal efforts to tackle abuse of opioids and reverse an explosion in teen vaping, resigned Tuesday, depriving President Trump of a steady hand in a Cabinet that has seen plenty of upheaval.

March 5, 2019

Donald Trump says Democrats harassing him because they ‘couldn’t stand losing’

Besieged by Democratic investigations, President Trump complained Tuesday that attempts to find dirt on him are driven by anger over the 2016 election and will thwart Congress itself from getting anything done for the American people.

March 5, 2019

Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Democrats’ Trump probe ‘disgraceful’

The White House late Monday blasted House Democrats' probe of President Trump's orbit as "disgraceful and abusive," saying their political rivals dug up old claims because they fear special counsel Robert Mueller won't deliver the damaging goods they seek.

March 4, 2019

India preferential trade status ending over tariffs, Trump says

President Trump says he plans to end a trade arrangement that allows India to send billions of dollars' worth of its exports into the U.S. duty-free.

March 4, 2019

Donald Trump embraces anti-socialism message in 2020 re-election campaign

President Trump campaigned on Making America Great Again. Now, he's running to Keep America Capitalist.

March 4, 2019

First lady Melania Trump kicks off ‘Be Best’ tour in Oklahoma, Seattle

First Lady Melania Trump toured an award-winning Oklahoma school Monday as part of a three-state swing to spotlight her "Be Best" initiative on children's well-being.

March 4, 2019

Donald Trump sticks to fast food with NCAA champions; White House kitchen is open

Proving he's a stickler for tradition, President Trump feted the North Dakota State football team with fast-food feast Monday in a White House celebration of its title-winning season in the Football Championship Subdivision.

March 4, 2019

Donald Trump order eases transition for veterans, active-duty military to Merchant Marine

President Trump signed an executive order Monday that helps active-duty military and sea veterans transition into the Merchant Marine, which handles cargo and passenger shipping but can be called upon in wartime for sealift operations.

March 4, 2019

Donald Trump directs FEMA to give Alabama ‘A plus treatment’ in wake of deadly tornadoes

President Trump on Monday said he directed FEMA to give Alabama "A plus treatment" after a series of tornadoes ripped through the central part of the state, leaving a trail of wreckage and killing more than 20.

March 4, 2019