Tom Howell Jr.

Only a quarter of Americans think their financial situation will improve in 2022, poll shows

Only a quarter of American voters think their family's financial situation will improve in 2022, a conservative group said Tuesday in a poll underscoring the challenge for Democrats in power as they try to scramble to fix crises before the midterm elections.

January 25, 2022

Expert panel to explore ‘harm reduction’ as an alternative public health strategy for governments

Cure-all solutions are popular for good reason -- they solve problems in a hurry. Governments pursue Holy Grail solutions for complex issues like fighting drug addiction and climate change. However, this approach is rarely successful in solving the problems. Perhaps it's time to focus on practical solutions that chip away at the risks we face every day.

January 24, 2022

Americans have a glum outlook on costs of living, direction of the country: Poll

Majorities of Americans think the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction and they use words like "downhill," "divisive," "negative," "struggling," "lost" and "bad" to describe it, according to an NBC News that finds a doleful outlook around the country.

January 24, 2022

WHO official hoping omicron leads to pandemic endgame

The COVID-19 pandemic in Europe could move into a new phase in which it is more manageable and rises seasonally, a top World Health Organization official said Sunday, reflecting similar optimism in the U.S. once the omicron wave subsides.

January 24, 2022

Businesses take divergent paths after Supreme Court nixes part of Biden’s vaccine rule

The Supreme Court's decision to strike down President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the private sector is forcing big companies to take divergent paths, with some requiring shots anyway and others deciding it is not worth the bother.

January 21, 2022

First COVID-19 tests arrive after website launch; millions of the free tests ordered since Tuesday

Millions of Americans ordered free COVID-19 tests from President Biden's new website this week and the initial kits began to reach households Friday, the White House said.

January 21, 2022

Singer Adele postpones Las Vegas shows citing crew sidelined by COVID-19

English pop singer Adele postponed her Las Vegas residency a day before its launch, citing delivery delays and the impact of COVID-19 on her crew.

January 21, 2022

Intel announces $20B Ohio factory as Biden fights semiconductor shortage

Intel plans to invest $20 billion in a semiconductor factory outside of Columbus, Ohio, the White House said Friday as President Biden tries to spur U.S. manufacturing to fight a global chip shortage.

January 21, 2022

States, cities scramble to find substitute teachers to plug COVID-19 shortages

The superintendent of Boston schools is teaching classes. A school district outside of Dallas is holding a career fair in a cafeteria this weekend. And in New Mexico, the governor is calling in the National Guard.

January 20, 2022

Biden’s first-year regulations more costly, time-consuming than Trump’s, Obama’s: analysis

Regulations issued by President Biden during his first year in office will cost $201 billion and add 131 million hours in annual paperwork, far exceeding the first-year outcomes of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, according to an analysis released Thursday.

January 20, 2022

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tests positive for virus

Rep. Thomas Massie, who is not vaccinated for COVID-19, said Thursday he has tested positive for the coronavirus and thinks his symptoms are manageable because of a prior infection at the start of the pandemic.

January 20, 2022

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s wife, Yumi, tests positive for coronavirus

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday his wife, Yumi Hogan, tested positive for the coronavirus as part of regular screening.

January 20, 2022

N.M. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asks state workers, National Guard to work as substitute teachers

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is encouraging National Guard members and state workers to serve as substitute teachers to alleviate staffing shortages in schools and child care centers due to the omicron wave.

January 20, 2022

Austria poised to mandate COVID-19 vaccine for all adults

Austria said Thursday it would try to entice COVID-19 vaccine holdouts with a prize lottery, a move to sweeten perspectives around the shots before parliament approves a national vaccine mandate.

January 20, 2022

Americans give Biden low marks on coronavirus response, Russia, economy: NBC poll

Americans are giving President Biden low marks on the pandemic, the economy and his handling of the U.S.-Russia relationship one year into his presidency, an NBC News poll released Thursday said.

January 20, 2022

Biden to break up $1.8 trillion economic bill, try to pass it in pieces

President Biden on Wednesday officially threw in the towel on his roughly $1.8 trillion social welfare and climate bill, saying he would instead break up the legislation and try to pass "big chunks."

January 19, 2022

Biden says he exceeded expectations in first year, vows to stay the course

President Biden marked his first year in office Wednesday by saying his administration still needs to get inflation and COVID-19 under control, but boasted that he made "enormous progress."

January 19, 2022

Biden insists the U.S. will turn the corner on pandemic without lockdowns, school closures

President Biden said Wednesday that he dropped the ball on COVID-19 testing around Christmas but insisted he is catching up with virus-fighting programs and putting the U.S. in the position to beat back the pandemic without resorting to lockdowns.

January 19, 2022

Carhartt forges ahead with vaccine mandate despite Supreme Court ruling

The Carhartt apparel company is the latest to find itself in the middle of the COVID-19 wars after an internal memo informed employees the company would forge ahead with its vaccine mandate despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down President Biden's testing requirement on unvaccinated workers.

January 19, 2022

GOP lawmakers seek answers on adolescent booster approval, says report

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans want the Food and Drug Administration to explain why it did not convene its outside panel of advisers before authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot for children aged 12 to 15.

January 19, 2022