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Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an “unprovoked” war in Ukraine. “Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their […]
New CDC guidance relaxes indoor public masking in a majority of U.S. counties
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday unveiled updated guidance for wearing masks indoors in public places, a move that means 70% of Americans likely will be able to ditch their masks. The new guidance will divvy counties into low, medium or high transmission categories based on new hospitalizations for COVID-19, […]
New U.S. sanctions on Russia target banks, high-tech imports
WASHINGTON — The United States and Western allies stepped up economic sanctions on Russia following its escalated attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden said at the White House on Thursday. Biden had for weeks pledged to impose significant sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin followed through on plans to invade Ukraine. As the invasion […]
Waves of Russian forces launch assault on Ukraine and U.S. prepares added sanctions
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden Thursday vowed a “united and decisive” wave of sanctions against Russia after the country’s leaders ordered a military assault on Ukraine. Russian military forces began attacking several cities and towns throughout the country, according to multiple news reports. “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic […]
Biden sanctions Russian natural gas pipeline company Nord Stream 2
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday sanctioned the Russian company tasked with building and operating the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, as well as its corporate officers. Biden said in a statement the sanctions are part of the “initial tranche” of economic restrictions the United States began imposing on Russia earlier this week […]
Biden says there’s ‘reason to believe’ Russia plans to invade Ukraine within days
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday that he expects Russian forces to invade Ukraine within days, attacking the nation’s capital city of Kyiv and its 2.8 million residents. “We have reason to believe Russian forces are planning and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week, the coming days. We believe they will target […]
CDC preps guidance for governors on relaxing COVID rules, but states forge ahead
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing guidance for governors about when to relax masking and other measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, but doesn’t want to release those instructions just yet. Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that it’s too soon to begin rolling back masking and other public […]
McConnell rebukes RNC for saying Jan. 6 attack was ‘legitimate political discourse’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the Republican National Committee erred in censuring two House GOP lawmakers for joining the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The Kentucky Republican rebuked the RNC for referring to the riot as “legitimate political discourse” in the censure resolution. McConnell said […]
U.S. House passes three-week patch to keep the federal government operating
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Tuesday night that would keep the U.S. government up and running through March 11. The short-term funding bill, the third one of this fiscal year, is designed to give negotiators more time to reach a bipartisan agreement on full-year spending bills — a task they’ve so far […]
Free at-home COVID tests to be handed out to Medicare beneficiaries this spring
WASHINGTON — Starting this spring, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month at no cost. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday that eligible pharmacies and participating organizations will begin distributing the tests in the coming months to individuals on either original Medicare or in […]
Governors attempt to bridge deep political divides in big D.C. meeting
WASHINGTON — Governors of both parties from throughout the United States met here over the weekend to try to speak on a unified front about what their states need from the federal government. But the waters were muddied by governors’ clearly divided political views about two major issues of the moment — voting laws and […]
Jan. 6 congressional panel subpoenas bogus pro-Trump electors from 7 states
WASHINGTON —The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed on Friday 14 people from seven states who participated as fake electors following the 2020 presidential election. Groups from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all allegedly sent in lists of so-called alternate electors to the National Archives. […]