In The News

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress lashed into the Sackler family Thursday for its pharmaceutical company’s role in promoting a painkiller blamed for killing about 230,000 Americans. Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee said the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma... Read More

WASHINGTON - This week, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, introduced legislation in the House to authorize a public advocacy campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccine participation and provide science-backed information to the public. Joined by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Roger Marshall, R-Kan.,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals known to have a toxic effect on the immune system. PFAS like PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and others are manufactured and used in a variety of industries worldwide, including products for... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate vote on overriding President Donald Trump’s expected veto of a massive defense bill may prove to be a final test of the Republican party’s loyalty to the commander-in-chief. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Republican chairman of the... Read More

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in COVID-19 cases and widening business restrictions. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The federal government granted Florida’s request for wider authority over wetland development, a move announced Thursday that came under immediate fire by environmentalist who worry that the country's largest network of wetlands could be at risk... Read More

Tens of millions of people are expected to travel to family gatherings or winter vacations over Christmas, despite pleas by public health experts who fear the result could be another surge in COVID-19 cases. In the U.S., AAA predicts that... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe. He celebrated the shot as “a medical miracle” that could eventually contain the raging coronavirus... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a hurry up and wait moment on Capitol Hill as congressional negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package struggled through a handful of remaining snags on Thursday. The holdups mean a weekend... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation for the... Read More

WASHINGTON – This week, Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Tom Reed, R-N.Y., introduced the New Markets Stabilization Act, bipartisan legislation that will preserve access to the New Markets Tax Credit for underserved communities.  “Historically underserved communities have faced tremendous economic... Read More

WASHINGTON – This week, Reps. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, Andy Levin, D-Mich., and Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., sponsored the Sustainable Investment Policy Act and the Retirees Sustainable Investment Policies Act, two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting and increasing sustainable investments. The... Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. - President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Michael Regan, the top environmental regulator in North Carolina, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to multiple reports. If confirmed, Regan would be the first Black man to head the agency.... Read More

WASHINGTON — In the fourth session of their ongoing virtual national security briefing series entitled “National Security in the Shadow of COVID-19,” Reps. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and John Katko, R-N.Y., hosted retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss how the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The 2020 national election saw a dramatic increase in turnout for the entire electorate. What surprised many is that a higher-than-ever percentage of that increase came from young people.  Young people turned out to vote in near-record numbers,... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate continued a hardline crackdown on China Wednesday during a hearing on how to ratchet up American economic competitiveness. Economic advisors repeated warnings that the U.S. government needs to create more incentives for domestic industries that... Read More

WASHINGTON - President-elect Joe Biden has asked Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland, of New Mexico, to serve as the first Native American interior secretary, a historic pick for a department that oversees the country’s vast natural resources and much of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — At least 330 million people lived in the United States as of April, according to a Census Bureau estimate released Tuesday that will serve as one of the first accuracy checks for forthcoming decennial census results. The agency... Read More

WASHINGTON – The 538 state electors gathered this week to cast votes for president with little drama, but some Republicans plan to complicate the usually ceremonial process of Congress counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6 — and that could... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional negotiators are closing in on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package that would deliver additional help to businesses, $300-per-week jobless checks and $600 stimulus payments to most Americans. But there was no deal quite yet.... Read More

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Gina McCarthy, Barack Obama’s former EPA chief, to run a special White House office on climate change that will coordinate policy and elevate global warming to a top place in the executive office,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The first COVID-19 test that can be performed entirely from home was cleared by U.S. regulators on Tuesday, and it can be acquired without a prescription. While availability initially will be limited, the new test and others in... Read More

The suspected Russian hackers behind a global campaign of cyberattacks that have breached U.S. government agencies also hit an American think tank, according to a cybersecurity firm that has been fighting them off. For the better part of a year,... Read More

Moderna Inc.’s vaccine is safe and effective for preventing COVID-19, U.S. regulators said, clearing the way for a second shot to quickly gain emergency authorization and add to the country’s sprawling immunization effort. The Food and Drug Administration’s staff said... Read More

WASHINGTON — Elections, in general, can be administratively challenging events, but the 2020 presidential election was a particularly fraught experience that had chief election officials under the microscope like never before. As part of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2020 Voting... Read More

WASHINGTON - The joint congressional committee overseeing preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the event will be an almost semi-private affair with no tickets distributed to the general public. Traditionally, the Joint Congressional Committee on... Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. - President-elect Joe Biden has selected Pete Buttigieg, a former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, to be the next Secretary of Transportation. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has never held federal office, and... Read More

Recently, the Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed two proposed rule changes to the House of Representatives that would make the legislative body more effective and member-driven. The House rule reform changes were spearheaded by Rep. Van Taylor, R-Texas, in partnership with... Read More

WASHINGTON - President-elect Joe Biden's Inaugural Committee on Tuesday offered a first glimpse at detailed plans for a scaled down inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Its main advice to Americans who want to be... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect on Tuesday, saying the Electoral College “has spoken.” The Republican leader's statement, delivered in a speech on the Senate floor, ends weeks of silence over President... Read More