Tom Howell Jr.

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

FDA authorizes emergency use of remdesivir for COVID-19 patients, Trump says

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a drug from Gilead Sciences for emergency use in coronavirus patients, President Trump said Friday.

May 1, 2020

Kayleigh McEnany, new White House press secretary: ‘I will never lie to you’

Kayleigh McEnany, conducting the first briefing by a White House press secretary since March 2019, said Friday she will be conducting press updates on a more regular basis and will always tell the truth.

May 1, 2020

Coronavirus ‘second wave’ set for Southern Hemisphere preview

Countries such as Chile, South Africa and Australia are nearing their winter months, offering a preview of how the new coronavirus might affect the U.S. in a "second wave" later this year, which U.S. scientists say is all but inevitable.

April 30, 2020

Donald Trump: Joe Biden must address Tara Reade accusation

President Trump on Thursday said former Vice President Joseph R. Biden needs to address a former staffer's accusation of sexual assault.

April 30, 2020

Gilead Sciences reports promising early results in COVID-19 trial using remdesivir

Big Pharma's race to blunt the coronavirus pandemic is heating up, with drugmakers pushing to provide millions of vaccine doses by the end of this year and trials of a drug treatment from Gilead Sciences billowing "positive" smoke signals Wednesday.

April 29, 2020

Coronavirus ‘hot spots’ emerge as U.S. curve flattens

The U.S. is "flattening the curve" of coronavirus transmission, but its case tally reached 1 million Tuesday and hot spots remain from New Mexico to Massachusetts, where the governor said high hospitalization rates have not dropped.

April 28, 2020

Rob Portman, Ohio senator, says coronavirus pandemic making national fight against opioids harder

A key senator in the fight against opioids says the U.S. cannot afford to take its eye off the addiction crisis as it combats the coronavirus pandemic that is separating drug users from support groups and poses a deadly risk inside recovery houses.

April 28, 2020

U.S. surpasses 1 million coronavirus cases

President Trump responded to the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus cases Tuesday by claiming America's testing program reveals more cases and pledging to stamp out the virus.

April 28, 2020

Trump’s coronavirus briefings to get ‘new look’ as focus shifts

The White House signaled Monday its coronavirus briefings will have a "new look to them" and "a new focus to them" as President Trump retools how he wages America's "war" against the coronavirus from the White House podium and curbs his minutes at the microphone.

April 27, 2020