In The News

WASHINGTON — It isn’t often high-level bureaucrats advocate in favor of decentralization, but that’s precisely what Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein advised at the Wilson Center on Monday morning.  Twenty years after the fall of Saddam’s... Read More

WASHINGTON — In the first year of the pandemic, more than $222 billion was spent on infectious and parasitic diseases, a growth of $83.3 billion from 2019, according to estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  The nearly 60%... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed new energy-efficiency standards for refrigerators and clothes washers that it says will lower household energy costs and significantly reduce pollution.  The standards have not been updated in over a decade. Department... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden fired the architect of the Capitol Monday afternoon, the White House announced. J. Brett Blanton’s removal came just days after the architect appeared before a congressional committee to answer allegations made against him in an... Read More

WASHINGTON — Political pressure is mounting on the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics for itself similar to the one that binds all other federal courts. In a move last week, members of Congress reintroduced a bill... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House announced Monday that President Joe Biden is establishing an interagency group to look into unidentified objects in U.S. airspace. The formation of the inquiry team was announced by White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby,... Read More

EDMONTON, Canada — Burning a blend of hydrogen and natural gas to heat homes could reduce carbon emissions by as much as 5% per year without having to change existing infrastructure, according to a report out of the University of... Read More

MOSCOW — Russia plans to cut its oil output by 500,000 barrels per day beginning in March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. The pronouncement was first reported by Oil and Gas Journal. The cut is a... Read More

DALLAS, Texas — Retail demand for gasoline in the U.S. jumped for the first time since June last week, with the peak demand occurring on the East and Gulf Coasts. According to a blog post published Monday by Patrick De... Read More

LONDON — BP stunned the energy sector this week by announcing it is scaling back on its ambitious plans to cut oil and gas production after a dramatic increase in fossil fuel prices led to its highest annual earnings in... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon shot down an unknown object flying in U.S. airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said. The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and... Read More

The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths. The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will pay $3.3 million to settle whistleblower claims from four former highly placed staffers who alleged they were fired for reporting Paxton’s abuse of his power. In addition, the... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — Vermont is the latest state to join a collaborative effort to develop a regional clean hydrogen hub, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday. The Northeast Clean Hydrogen Hub is a partnership of states and more than... Read More

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Don't feed the bears! Wildlife biologists and forest rangers have preached the mantra for nearly a century at national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, and for decades in areas where urban development increasingly invaded native wildlife... Read More

WASHINGTON — Kate Bedingfield, who announced last summer she was stepping down as White House communications director, only to be talked into staying by the president himself, revealed Friday she actually is leaving the post at the end of February.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers representing both chambers of Congress and both sides of the political aisle are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to do away with fuel volatility waivers for gasoline-ethanol blends sold in Midwestern states. In a letter sent to... Read More

WASHINGTON — International sales of U.S. farm and food products reached $196 billion last year, shattering the previous export record set in 2021. According to the Commerce Department, which released final 2022 trade data this week, U.S. agricultural exports increased... Read More

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — A bill pending in the Maryland General Assembly to broaden public access to remote viewing of criminal court proceedings is gaining notoriety with support from singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. Apple has joined with the nonprofit group... Read More

WASHINGTON — The D.C. City Council took a trouncing on the floor of the House Thursday, with the chamber handily approving two resolutions blocking a pair of controversial bills passed by the city council. The first resolution struck down a... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., was attacked in an elevator in her D.C. apartment building on Thursday, her chief of staff said in a statement. According to the brief statement posted to Twitter by Chief of Staff Nick Coe,... Read More

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Utah on Wednesday to tout the Biden administration’s support of geothermal energy and announce up to $74 million in new funding to help ramp up the growth of the sector.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Some familiar faces and a batch of newcomers to Capitol Hill are banding together to try to restore the state and local tax deduction and bring tax relief to millions of middle-class families. A controversial part of former... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who had a stroke during his campaign last year, has been hospitalized after feeling lightheaded while attending a Democratic retreat, his office said. Initial tests at George Washington University Hospital did not show evidence of... Read More

WASHINGTON — A judge in Washington, D.C., this week suggested a new legal strategy to revive a federal right to abortion. U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the 13th Amendment could be interpreted to mean women have a constitutional... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday voted largely along party lines to repeal the vaccine mandate on international visitors flying to the United States. The final tally was 227 to 201, with six members not voting. Specifically, the bill introduced... Read More

WASHINGTON — Adults living in rural areas of the United States have a 19% higher risk of developing heart failure compared with their urban counterparts, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. The news is worse... Read More

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — While consumers are spending significantly more for food than they did last year, the prevalence of food insecurity does not appear to have risen since last year, according to a new survey conducted by Purdue University.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is leading a bipartisan effort to provide some regulatory relief to rural health clinics. The bill, which Barrasso introduced with Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., would modernize the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued draft recommendations on Tuesday calling for stepped up screening for hypertensive disorders during pregnancy — especially for Black and Native American women. A copy of the recommendation as well as a... Read More