Skip to Content
Drugs typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can help critically ill Covid-19 patients in intensive care units, one new study finds. But experts warn that more research is needed before doctors start using the drugs more widely, because another new study found that one of those drugs did not help patients hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia
Continue Reading
Eight employees of Russia’s Embassy in Pyongyang and their families spent more than 34 hours trying to leave North Korea this week, a grueling trip that ended with at least one diplomat pushing his luggage and young children on a railway trolley into Russian territory. North Korea’s borders have been effectively locked down for months
Continue Reading
John Geddert, who coached the 2012 US Olympic women’s gymnastics team, was found dead Thursday after being charged with 24 felonies in connection with the abuse of young gymnasts, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday. The 63-year-old was facing charges that included human trafficking, criminal sexual conduct and lying to a peace officer, a
Continue ReadingAfter six straight weeks of declines in new Covid-19 cases in the US, that number has started to plateau, even as hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop. The 7-day average of daily new cases was just over 72,000 on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, a total that is relatively unchanged from last
Continue Reading
A federal judge in Texas on Thursday ruled that the federal moratorium on evictions is unconstitutional, according to court documents. US District Judge John Barker, who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump to the court in the Eastern District of Texas, stopped short of issuing a preliminary injunction, but said he expected the US Centers
Continue Reading
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced three nominees to fill most of the vacancies on the US Postal Service Board of Governors, fulfilling a promise that the administration would make the board and the agency a priority in the early days of his presidency. The nominees include Ron Stroman, the former deputy postmaster general who
Continue ReadingThe white van arrived in slum areas of Bhopal, a city in central India, blasting a message over the speaker system that seemed too good to refuse: “Come and take the coronavirus vaccine and get 750 rupees ($10).” Locals who recalled hearing it back in December said they scrambled to take up the offer —
Continue ReadingA Senate confirmation hearing is now underway for Dr. Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden’s pick to serve as assistant health secretary, who would make history as the first out transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the chair of the Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee, rebuked GOP Sen.
Continue ReadingThe Senate parliamentarian has ruled against including the increase in the minimum wage in the Covid relief bill. While Democrats had pushed for the increase to be included — and leadership expressed its disappointment in the ruling Thursday evening — its removal may actually make it easier to pass the bill, senior Democratic sources believe,
Continue Reading
There is no evidence that race played a role in the US Capitol Police’s failure to bolster security before the January 6 insurrection, the department’s top official told Congress on Thursday, as lawmakers sound the alarm over the threat posed by White supremacy and domestic terrorism. Appearing before a House appropriations subcommittee, acting US Capitol
Continue ReadingThe growing number of migrant children arriving alone at the US-Mexico border is raising alarm among officials scrambling to find enough space to shelter kids until they’re relocated with parents or relatives in the United States. On Thursday, a senior Health and Human Services Department official briefed Capitol Hill staff about the capacity challenges facing
Continue ReadingThe deadly January 6 insurrection in the Capitol may have caused many voters to recoil at former President Donald Trump’s election lies. But on Capitol Hill, it’s a different story. In interviews with more than two dozen House and Senate Republicans this week, a wide variety of GOP lawmakers refused to debunk Trump’s lie that
Continue ReadingA little known but powerful Senate official has ruled against including the increase in the minimum wage in the Covid relief bill, sources tell CNN. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough made her ruling Thursday evening, after being thrust into the spotlight this week as Democrats were eager to see whether an increase to the federal minimum
Continue ReadingLady Gaga’s dog walker was shot and her two French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were stolen Wednesday night in Hollywood, a source close to the singer tells CNN. The source said the singer “is offering half-a-million dollars to anyone who has her two dogs, no questions asked. Anyone who has the dogs can use this
Continue ReadingSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he would “absolutely” support former President Donald Trump if he became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024, a notable commitment following his recent blistering critiques of the former President. While McConnell maintained that the 2024 presidential election cycle would be a “wide-open race,” when pressed by Fox News’
Continue ReadingA longstanding dispute over who can be considered a citizen of the Cherokee Nation finally came to a conclusion this week. The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the tribal nation remove the phrase “by blood” from its constitution and other tribal laws. That change formally acknowledges that the descendants of Black people
Continue ReadingHouse Democrats have included a minimum wage hike in their latest Covid relief bill, although a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian means it can’t be included in the final package. Improving worker pay is unrelated to pandemic relief in that raising the minimum wage has long been a Democratic priority. It is completely related in
Continue ReadingA Wisconsin firefighter remains in critical condition after a loaded firearm inside a burning building discharged and struck him, according to the fire department. Justin Fredrickson, a firefighter with the Cornell Area Fire Department, was operating on a hose line outside of a fire in the Township of Willard last week when a loaded firearm
Continue ReadingAs Democrats begin their march toward reinstating earmarks, Republicans are grappling with how their party will handle bringing back directed congressional spending. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested in a Fox News interview Thursday evening that Republicans won’t be asking for earmarks, which would have huge implications for spending legislation going forward and give Democrats
Continue Reading