Health
WASHINGTON -- A congressional committee sought assurances from medical experts Wednesday that the COVID-19 vaccines pharmaceutical companies plan to distribute soon will protect the public from the disease. Lawmakers were concerned that political pressure would force the companies to sacrifice... Read More
Keen to send the nation’s kids back to reopened schools, President Donald Trump has called children “virtually immune,” “essentially immune” and “almost immune” to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But a new report by researchers from the Centers for Disease... Read More
Most Americans have never heard of Dr. Richard Whitley, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Yet as the coronavirus pandemic drags on and the public eagerly awaits a vaccine, he may well be among the... Read More
WASHINGTON – The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition announced its support for an emergency funding bill to help municipalities withstand the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, introduced in the House by Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., provides $500 billion... Read More
WASHINGTON — House Democrats unveiled a $2.2 trillion pandemic relief package Monday night as part of a last-ditch attempt to secure new aid before the Nov. 3 elections. Even as talks resumed between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven... Read More
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer jointly released a statement urging Congress to open an oversight investigation concerning “the Trump administration’s politicization of government functions,” that undermined the nation’s pandemic response. In their statement, the governors... Read More
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there’s a chance she and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin can still reach a deal on a coronavirus stimulus package, and that Democrats will unveil a new “proffer” shortly. “I trust Secretary Mnuchin to represent something that... Read More
When the first fire of the season broke out on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California in July, Greg Moon faced a dilemma. As Hoopa’s fire chief and its pandemic team leader, Moon feared the impact of the blaze... Read More
ATLANTA — The federal government’s top infectious disease official attempted to reassure the public Thursday that he’ll support safety standards set by federal officials for any COVID-19 vaccines and their work won’t be swayed by politics. “If (U.S. Food and... Read More
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi has directed House committee leaders to put together a more slender coronavirus relief package than the one that previously passed the chamber, in their latest offer in talks with the White House. The House could... Read More
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — More than three-and-a-half years into his presidency and 40 days from an election, President Donald Trump on Thursday launched what aides termed a “vision” for health care heavy on unfulfilled aspirations. “This is affirmed, signed, and... Read More
WASHINGTON – In its second report ranking members of the U.S. House of Representatives for their votes on legislation related to toxic chemicals, the Environmental Working Group Action Fund presented Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., with a perfect score. Much of... Read More
WASHINGTON -- A congressional panel sought assurances Wednesday that veterans’ claims of illnesses from exposure to toxins in the Middle East will be addressed promptly. A House Veterans Affairs subcommittee was responding to a National Academy of Sciences report this... Read More
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the typically reserved infectious disease expert, put Sen. Rand Paul on blast during a testy congressional hearing Wednesday after the Kentucky Republican trash-talked New York’s coronavirus response. Paul, who remains skeptical of face masks and social distancing... Read More
President Donald Trump, who seems intent on announcing a COVID-19 vaccine before Election Day, could legally authorize a vaccine over the objections of experts, officials at the Food and Drug Administration and even vaccine manufacturers, who have pledged not to... Read More
People who are exposed to a COVID-19 patient but feel fine don’t necessarily need to get tested, the nation’s top public health agency declared in August — only to drop that advice last Friday. The same day, it declared that... Read More
New federal guidelines that acknowledged the role of aerosols in the spread of COVID-19 were removed Monday from the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said they had been posted by mistake. The updated information about... Read More
PHILADELPHIA — Dawn Pittman retired from teaching in 2013 after more than three decades. But Pittman has no plans to give up her passion — even in a pandemic. When Camden resumes in-person learning, possibly in January, she hopes to... Read More
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday portrayed President Trump’s determination to lock in conservative control of the Supreme Court in the final weeks of the presidential campaign as a potent threat not only to Americans’ health care,... Read More
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump contradicted one of his administration’s top scientists and announced Wednesday that widespread distribution of a coronavirus vaccine would begin as early as next month, further rattling the scientific and public health communities and stoking rival... Read More
WASHINGTON -- Congress discussed proposals Wednesday to switch the United States to 100% clean energy as Western governors confronting out-of-control wildfires demand action on global warming. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is trying to figure out a way to... Read More
NEW YORK, N.Y.- The City of New York on Monday implemented a new COVID "Response Team" to monitor the city's schools and hopefully prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus in one of the nation's hardest hit municipalities. The city's new... Read More
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday headed a call from her members to commit to keeping the House in session until there’s a coronavirus relief deal, but the vow does little to break the stalemate in bipartisan negotiations that... Read More
WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Strength in Diversity Act 2020, legislation that will provide funding for voluntary desegregation initiatives across the country. The Strength in Diversity Act was brought to the House by Rep. Marcia Fudge,... Read More
WASHINGTON — If the United States has even a typical flu season that collides with a COVID-19 flare, the resulting public health nightmare could swamp the nation’s already strained health system. This year’s flu season could be milder than usual... Read More
School librarian Amanda Brasfield bent over to grab her lunch from a small refrigerator and felt her heart begin to race. Even after lying on her office floor and closing her eyes, her heart kept pounding and fluttering in her... Read More
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday demanded Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar shed light on how his department has handled coronavirus-related reports. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., sent a strongly worded letter... Read More
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of 50 centrist lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a $1.5 trillion proposal they hope will end the current stalemate over new relief to bolster the coronavirus battered economy. The Problem Solvers Caucus, led by co-chairs Reps.... Read More
WASHINGTON -- A congressional resolution that started Monday as a condemnation of hate crimes against Asians quickly turned into a dispute over who should be blamed for the devastation caused by coronavirus. Democrats blamed President Donald Trump for mishandling the... Read More
WASHINGTON -- Scientists updated a congressional committee Friday on how the U.S. Energy Department is helping to develop a cure and vaccine for COVID-19. They said Energy Department supercomputers are unlocking mysteries about the structure of the virus as they... Read More
