Tom Howell Jr.

Poor messaging doomed D.C. crime-code rewrite, says council chairman

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Tuesday that city lawmakers didn't do a good enough job of explaining a criminal-code overhaul that would weaken maximum penalties for some crimes and is on track to be rescinded by Congress as soon as Wednesday.

March 7, 2023

Former VP Pence moves to block subpoena over Jan. 6

Former Vice President Mike Pence is taking steps to fight a federal grand jury subpoena that seeks his testimony on the U.S. Capitol assault of Jan. 6, 2021.

March 7, 2023

Sen. John Fetterman recovering and will be ‘back soon,’ aides say

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is on the path to recovery and will be "back soon" as he seeks treatment for depression, his aides say.

March 7, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy set to meet Taiwan leader in California: Report

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in the U.S. instead of her home island, which China considers to be a breakaway province, according to a new report.

March 7, 2023

White House considers options to combat bird flu, including poultry vaccine

The Biden administration is reportedly considering a mass vaccination campaign for poultry to combat avian flu outbreaks that have killed millions of chickens and driven up the cost of eggs.

March 7, 2023

Senate won’t let D.C. off the hook, proceeds with planned slap-down of city’s contentious crime bill

The D.C. Council told Congress on Monday that it wanted to withdraw a criminal code rewrite that weakened penalties for carjacking and other crimes, an unprecedented attempt to save face after a growing list of Senate Democrats said they planned to support a Republican effort to rescind the city law.

March 6, 2023

Lawmakers press DoD to fix misspellings, other errors on Korean War Wall of Remembrance

Top lawmakers are pressing the Department of Defense to correct more than 1,000 reported misspellings and other mistakes on the Wall of Remembrance that was recently added to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.

March 6, 2023

Former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie says Trump isn’t what he used to be

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says former President Donald Trump is the man to beat in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, but he thinks the ex-president has lost some of his luster and ability to draw big crowds.

March 6, 2023

DOT publishes dashboard to name and shame airlines over family seating, fees

The Department of Transportation is shining a light on which airlines let families sit together on planes without paying a fee for the privilege.

March 6, 2023

NYC agrees to pay $21,500 each to detained George Floyd protesters

New York City has agreed to pay $21,500 each to more than 300 protesters who were confined by police in a "kettling" tactic during the 2020 protests in the wake of George Floyd's death while in police custody in Minneapolis.

March 1, 2023

Biden hails record of DHS service on 20th anniversary of post-9/11 department

President Biden marked the 20th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday by hailing its 260,000 employees for allowing Americans to "live their lives" and "dream their dreams" after its formation in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

March 1, 2023

Biden praises Eli Lilly for capping insulin price at $35

President Biden hailed Eli Lilly & Co. on Wednesday for capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35, a move that aligns with a key priority for the administration.

March 1, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom ends California’s COVID-19 emergency after 3 years

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially ended the state of emergency around COVID-19 in his state nearly three years after he established urgent measures due to the onset of the virus in early 2020.

March 1, 2023

Lawmakers grapple with response to fentanyl, split over punishment versus focus on treatment

Grieving parents and a top former drug agent warned Congress on Wednesday of a major disconnect between the risk of fentanyl overdoses and the level of awareness in America, but lawmakers didn't agree on the right way to thwart trafficking and the drug threat.

March 1, 2023

Trump takes lead in a two-man matchup with DeSantis, poll shows

Former President Donald Trump leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical two-man race for the GOP nomination, after having trailed the governor in a similar poll one month ago.

March 1, 2023

FDA cracks down on ‘tranq’ imports due to new drug trend

The Food and Drug Administration is beefing up efforts to ensure that xylazine, an animal sedative known as "tranq," is not diverted to the illicit drug supply.

March 1, 2023

China reacts angrily to Wray’s COVID lab-leak comments, revives Fort Detrick claim

Beijing on Wednesday reprised bogus claims that COVID-19 might have come from a Maryland lab after FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said publicly Tuesday that federal investigators believe the pandemic likely started with a lab leak in Wuhan, China.

March 1, 2023

Biden raises specter of Obamacare repeal, hoping for leverage in budget talks with GOP

President Biden revived the Obamacare wars on Tuesday, pointing to the law that Democrats muscled to passage in 2010 as a likely target for Republicans who want to rein in spending as part of tense debt-limit negotiations.

February 28, 2023

Sen. John Fetterman on the path to recovery but it may take weeks: Staff

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is "doing well" but will be absent from the Senate for several weeks, according to his staff.

February 28, 2023

D.C. crime bill threatened by doubts from Democrats on way to Biden

The District of Columbia's overhaul of the criminal code suffered a major blow Tuesday as Congress' effort to rescind the local bill picked up key Democratic support in the Senate, clearing the way for potential passage by next week and forcing President Biden to decide whether to veto the effort.

February 28, 2023