Tom Howell Jr.

‘This is a warning’: Airport close calls a common occurrence as air traffic volume soars

Three months before the fatal midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration launched an audit of near misses at the nation's busiest airports after a series of close calls that could have killed hundreds of passengers.

January 30, 2025

GOP holdouts press RFK Jr. for assurances on vaccines, saying science is clear

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled at times Thursday to reassure a GOP swing vote and other senators about his support for vaccines, the major sticking point in his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services under President Trump.

January 30, 2025

RFK Jr. vows to protect vaccine access, says U.S. faces ruin if it doesn’t get healthier

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified Wednesday he is not a conspiracy theorist and that vaccines are a critical component of health care, using a high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing to defend his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda and accuse Democrats of misconstruing his views or turning on him for partisan reasons.

January 29, 2025

RFK Jr. says that he is no conspiracy theorist and that he has the receipts

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday the notion that he is a conspiracy theorist has been proven false, pointing to findings or studies that back him up.

January 29, 2025

Sen. Mark Warner says fed workers shouldn’t trust Trump to live up to buyout offer

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia warned federal employees on Wednesday to "think twice" before accepting an unprecedented White House buyout offer that allows workers who resign by Feb. 6 to receive severance paid through Sept. 30.

January 29, 2025

RFK Jr. says his vaccine statements were misconstrued, vows not to block polio or measles shots

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. worked strenuously Wednesday to clarify his views on vaccines after a top Democrat challenged him on past statements and actions that seemed to suggest he was a blanket opponent of shots.

January 29, 2025

RFK says he is not ‘anti-vaccine,’ warns America faces debt and ruin if health worsens

President Trump's health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Wednesday said vaccines are a critical component of health care, hoping to push back on the main objection to his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

January 29, 2025

RFK Jr. and ‘MAHA’ movement face crunchtime in Senate

President Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on health. Mr. Kennedy is outlining what that means at a high-stakes hearing Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee.

January 29, 2025

White House says it is working to restore Medicaid portals after Democrats report outages

The White House said Tuesday it was aware of problems with a portal that administers the Medicaid program and pledged to get it back online.

January 28, 2025

White House opens briefing seats to podcasters, influencers, independent media

The White House briefing room already has a new look under President Trump.

January 28, 2025

Trump White House says N.J. drones were from FAA-authorized researchers or hobbyists

President Trump on Tuesday said drones spotted over New Jersey in recent months were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly for "research and various other reasons."

January 28, 2025

Jim Acosta, known for clashes with Trump, announces his departure from CNN

CNN reporter and anchor Jim Acosta, who regularly drew the ire of President Trump, announced on-air Tuesday he is leaving the network.

January 28, 2025

Michigan Sen. Peters won’t seek third term next year

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan plans to retire in January 2027 instead of seeking a third term, a major development in a swing state.

January 28, 2025

Top Democratic lawmakers sound alarm over OMB memo pausing federal assistance

The top Democratic congressional appropriators are scolding the White House budget office for temporarily pausing "all federal financial assistance" besides Social Security and Medicare.

January 28, 2025

California agency disputes Trump’s claim the military ‘turned on’ water

California officials are disputing President Trump's claim that the military entered the state to "turn on" water supplies that flow south toward Los Angeles.

January 28, 2025

RFK Jr.’s thorniest issue — vaccines — recedes from view as he takes the hot seat

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is best known as a vaccine skeptic but the Trump team has curbed his most polarizing views ahead of his high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

January 27, 2025

Agriculture nominee defends Trump’s deportation plans, says she’ll help farmers worried about labor

President Trump's nominee for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, on Thursday said she supports her future boss's deportation program and will assist farmers worried that efforts to eject illegal immigrants will lead to a crippling labor shortage.

January 23, 2025

Sen. Lisa Murkowski slams Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday denounced President Trump's decision to pardon persons who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and release others from prison through commutations.

January 22, 2025

Trump to Putin: End Ukraine war or face penalties

President Trump told Russia on Wednesday it needs to strike a deal to end its war with Ukraine or get hit with harsher sanctions and other penalties.

January 22, 2025

China refutes Trump’s claim it’s operating Panama Canal

China on Wednesday said Panama's sovereignty over the canal linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is "not negotiable" as President Trump vows to retake the waterway.

January 22, 2025