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Schumer, Booker, Wyden ask U.S. Senate colleagues for help on marijuana reform
WASHINGTON — A small but influential group of Democratic senators is asking their colleagues for input on how best to overhaul the federal government’s cannabis laws. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and New Jersey’s Cory Booker released a letter Thursday asking senators whose states have legalized marijuana and those who sit on committees […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
House advances marijuana banking bill, though final passage uncertain
WASHINGTON — Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House on Friday cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. Colorado Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Ohio Republican Dave Joyce, co-sponsors of the legislation, said Friday that their proposal would allow […]
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 […]
White House plans speedy delivery to states of COVID vaccine for littlest kids
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to ship COVID-19 vaccines to the states as quickly as possible, should the Food and Drug Administration approve an emergency use authorization for kids under 5. White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients said Wednesday that approval of the specially formulated vaccine would make 18 million young children […]
Federal OK sought for two-dose COVID vaccine for kids under 5
WASHINGTON — Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the federal government to begin the approval process for a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. The companies said in a joint statement they began the rolling submission process for an emergency use authorization at the request of the Food and Drug Administration “in response to […]
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. The groups had met in December 2020 to sign […]
Biden vows to nominate first Black woman to Supreme Court by end of February
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer formally announced his retirement Thursday, giving President Joe Biden his first, and possibly only, opportunity to make a nomination for the lifetime appointment. At the White House, Biden said he will make his decision by the end of February and recommitted to nominating the court’s first Black female […]
Fauci declines to predict COVID vaccine timetable for kids under 5
WASHINGTON — Parents hoping to vaccinate their young children against COVID-19 will need to be patient, Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned Wednesday. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said while he expects the vaccine regimen for children under 5 will be three doses, he couldn’t provide a timeline on when the […]