In The News

WASHINGTON — Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., on Thursday introduced legislation to reinstate the Employee Retention Tax Credit that expired for most businesses in September. Originally introduced by the CARES Act in 2020, the program provided employers... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. —  South Carolina doctors have the authority to prescribe “off-label” treatments for COVID-19 so long as their patients consent, the state’s attorney general said in a written opinion on Friday. Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the opinion at... Read More

WASHINGTON — As public and private employers grapple with the future of work in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a group representing federal prosecutors wants the Justice Department to allow for telework and remote work at least two days... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is signaling he plans to push ahead with his nomination this month of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court even as a survey released Friday shows most Americans do not share his... Read More

BERLIN — With nearly 100,000 Russian troops deployed near the Ukrainian border and poised to invade, international allies have begun to question Germany’s reliability. Germany, under the new leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has been hesitant to take forceful measures... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Texans will begin heading to the polls Monday for early voting in the 2022 primary elections. The contests, the first to be held under the state’s restrictive new voting rules, have already been marred by controversial voting... Read More

WASHINGTON – The District of Columbia’s Public Defender Service is suing the Federal Bureau of Prisons in a class action lawsuit that could alter how prisoners are handled nationwide. The Public Defender Service argues District of Columbia prisoners are being... Read More

SAN ANTONIO — Texas’s dueling gubernatorial candidates took shots at one another during overlapping campaign events on Thursday. Both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic candidate former United States Rep. Beto O’Rourke made stops in San Antonio to discuss their... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned again this week that it is too soon to stop wearing masks in a warning ignored by many states tired of limitations imposed by COVID-19. Meanwhile, an exodus of health... Read More

CULPEPER COUNTY, Va. — President Joe Biden traveled to Culpeper County, Virginia, Thursday delivering remarks intended to revive provisions of his now moribund Build Back Better agenda related to lowering health care costs and, particularly, prescription drug prices. Mindful of... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on members on both sides of the aisle to join an effort to draft and finalize a comprehensive cannabis reform bill. Schumer joined with Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Ron... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., has been honored for her leadership in advocating for a stronger U.S. Navy by the nonprofit Association of the United States Navy. Luria, a former Navy ship commander, has pushed for a larger and... Read More

WASHINGTON — A new report from a Washington-based nonprofit offers a blueprint for how states and cities can most effectively address inequities in access to high-speed Internet with funding newly made available by the federal government. Published by the NewDEAL... Read More

TORONTO (AP) — The truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, Toyota and General Motors to shut down plants or otherwise curtail production on both sides of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Jobs reports are looking strong. But today’s workers seem to be looking for fulfilling long-term careers, not just short-term jobs. With the nation’s infrastructure needs also taking center stage, a surge in federal resources from the Infrastructure Investment... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday signed a bill to allow the operation of nuclear power plants in the state, reversing a ban enacted in 1996. The legislation removes two sections of state public health code... Read More

WASHINGTON — America’s forever war in the Middle East officially ended last year but not the risk of terrorist attacks that prompted the U.S. military to strike back with drones, according to witnesses at a Senate hearing Wednesday. Now the... Read More

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Wednesday she would support revisions to legislation banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks. Pelosi had at first resisted the push for a congressional stock ban as politically vulnerable Democrats... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is allowing states to temporarily modify or waive certain Medicare and Medicaid requirements through the use of emergency waivers, but some of those may expire come April. “The emergency regulatory relief... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday vowed to bring a postal service reform bill to the Senate floor for a vote before the Presidents’ Day recess. The bill, which passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan... Read More

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions met this week to discuss how the pandemic helped to remove some of the barriers to employment for those living with disabilities and how those gains can... Read More

WASHINGTON— House and Senate appropriators announced Wednesday that they’ve agreed on a framework for approving a fiscal year 2022 spending plan. Though they offered little insight into what the framework is, the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has struck a deal with Japan to remove Trump-era tariffs from roughly 1.25 million metric ton of Japanese steel imports annually. The new deal, which excludes aluminum, will take effect on April 1. In return... Read More

WASHINGTON — The American Hospital Association, health care organizations and nearly 200 members of Congress sent letters to White House officials in January requesting an investigation of nurse staffing agencies based on claims they’ve been exploiting staffing shortages during the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., has inspired 130 of his Democratic colleagues to sign on as co-sponsors of a resolution, introduced Wednesday morning, intended to give House staffers the right to unionize. As previously reported in The Well News,... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is criticizing the Republican National Committee for censuring two House GOP lawmakers investigating the “violent insurrection” on Jan. 6, 2021, saying it’s not the party’s job to police the views of lawmakers.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a stopgap measure to extend funding of the federal government through March and allow negotiations of a more long-term spending package more time to bear fruit. The vote was 272-162, with 51 Republicans... Read More

WASHINGTON — An effort by congressional staffers to launch a new employee union on Capitol Hill appears to be gaining momentum just days after they announced their intention via Twitter. Already a number of prominent Democrat lawmakers have lined up... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. surgeon general repeated his call to action Tuesday to resolve a mental health crisis among American young people that has deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told a Senate panel that more... Read More

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After months of wooing by senior Republican party officials, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he’s decided not to run for the U.S. Senate this year. “I sincerely appreciate all the people who have been encouraging... Read More