Health

SEATTLE — In late April 2009, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, then the Food and Drug Administration’s principal deputy commissioner, received an urgent weekend phone call from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Rich Besser told Sharfstein... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, facing a national outcry over the lack of available coronavirus testing and an imminent spike in positive cases, tried to inject some optimism into the situation Thursday, suggesting that two existing drugs may be effective... Read More

The emerging $1 trillion aid package intended to help weather the COVID-19 economic storm appears likely to deliver $1,000 to every U.S. adult, plus $500 per child, according to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and a GOP senator involved in the drafting.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of President Donald Trump's economic team convene Friday on Capitol Hill to launch negotiations with Senate Republicans and Democrats racing to draft a $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package amid the coronavirus outbreak. It's the biggest effort yet... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House appears close to adopting new voting procedures on bills in the wake of two members testing positive for the coronavirus this week. Though the situation is evolving rapidly, as of Thursday afternoon, House Rules Committee Chairman... Read More

WASHINGTON  - Rep. Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, both said Wednesday they had tested positive for coronavirus. In a statement, Diaz-Balart, the first to announce his condition, said he first developed symptoms, including... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said the administration may consider asking for an equity stake in corporations that want coronavirus aid from taxpayers. “One of the ideas is, if we provide assistance, we might take... Read More

WASHINGTON — This year’s census has pulled up all boots on the ground, for now, as the Census Bureau announced Wednesday it had suspended field operations for the rest of the month due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday invoked wartime powers that could boost the manufacturing of medical equipment used to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals braced for a nationwide explosion of infections and Congress rushed to pass emergency legislation... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senators on both sides of the aisle said this week that the chamber is exploring the possibility of voting remotely on a third legislative package responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that would upend tradition and require... Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Masks, gloves and other equipment are crucial as health care workers face the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a strategic national stockpile that the U.S. government controls — but no one knows what, beyond that stockpile, is available... Read More

WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill’s exposure to the coronavirus is growing, and reporters were asked to do their part as measures to combat the virus that causes COVID-19 escalated significantly around the Capitol on Monday. At least three current and one... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Office of Management and Budget on Sunday asked federal agencies in and around the nation's capitol to offer telework to all eligible employees, the latest in the government's evolving steps to deal with the coronavirus. In a... Read More

WASHINGTON — Americans must be ready for more drastic steps to slow the march of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. “Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly... Read More

WASHINGTON — In the most extreme effort yet to slow the march of coronavirus in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that events of 50 people or more not be held for about two months. For... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House passed an emergency spending package in overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion Saturday morning, just hours after reaching an agreement with the White House on the next steps in addressing the unfolding coronavirus outbreak. The vote on the 110-page... Read More

WASHINGTON — The return on stocks since Donald Trump’s presidential election win in 2016 has slumped to 24% thanks to the historic rout the past three weeks, undercutting what had been a better-than-average gain for American leaders over the past... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s inattention to detail, distaste for experts, need for validation and belief that he can create his own set of alternative facts have been hallmarks of his political rise. But after three years in which daily... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell canceled the Senate's planned recess next week in order to continue working on legislation to address the economic implications of the coronavirus outbreak. "Notwithstanding the scheduled state work period, the Senate will be... Read More

OLYMPIA, Wash. – In the most drastic move yet to try to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is expected Wednesday to restrict gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties,... Read More

President Donald Trump took the extraordinary step Wednesday of announcing a suspension of all travel from Europe to the U.S. in an effort to contain the coronavirus, calling the fast-spreading respiratory illness a “horrible” pandemic that requires an “aggressive” response.... Read More

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing... Read More

WASHINGTON — One of President Donald Trump’s key proposals to confront the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus — a payroll tax cut — got mixed reviews from Senate Republicans on Tuesday during a Capitol Hill strategy-planning lunch that ended... Read More

As coronavirus cases crop up across the United States, some governors and other leaders are scrambling to slow its spread, banning large public gatherings, enforcing quarantines and calling National Guard troops. With new deaths reported and the number of confirmed... Read More

WASHINGTON —Speaker Nancy Pelosi told attendees at the House Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday morning that they should stay at work as "captains of the ship" this week as Capitol Hill scrambles to respond to the coronavirus. Among the items under... Read More

WASHINGTON — Deborah Birx was visiting South Africa in her role as the State Department’s global ambassador for AIDS prevention and treatment when she got an urgent call from Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to fly home to Washington immediately.... Read More

TOKYO (AP) — The tentacles of canceling the Tokyo Olympics — or postponing or staging it in empty venues — would reach into every corner of the globe, much like the spreading virus that now imperils the opening ceremony on... Read More

WASHINGTON — The impact of the coronavirus drew closer to Washington as seven lawmakers announced they have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, and Republicans and Democrats considered separate legislative packages to address the economic fallout. Six Republicans were... Read More

The reality that the United States may not be able to contain the spread of the new coronavirus began to set in this weekend as federal officials escalated warnings to vulnerable groups and said to prepare for more disruptions. Trump... Read More

CRANSTON, R.I. — On a gray, bone-chilling morning, 18 men in a medium-security prison walked into an empty lunchroom and sat at stainless steel-topped tables, placing both hands palms down, as if they were about to receive a manicure. Over... Read More