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Second COVID booster authorized by FDA for those 50 and older
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized another round of COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 and older, as well as those who are immunocompromised. The decision to amend an earlier emergency use authorization for a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is meant to increase protection against […]
Biden budget plan would levy minimum tax on billionaires, boost national security
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sent a new $5.8 trillion budget request to Congress on Monday that calls on lawmakers to institute a minimum tax on billionaires and boost spending on national security. The proposal, which lawmakers will undoubtedly change, asks Congress to provide $795 billion in defense funding, a roughly 4% increase, and $915 […]
U.S. to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, levy more sanctions on Russia
WASHINGTON — The White House announced a wave of new sanctions against Russia on Thursday while pledging to send more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcome up to 100,000 refugees. The new economic restrictions on Russia and billions more in aid for Ukrainians were detailed as President Joe Biden huddled with North Atlantic Treaty Organization […]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s questions and answers on the second day of the U.S. Supreme Court hearings
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee began questioning Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday, giving the federal judge her first opportunity to go into detail about her life and career. Republicans, who seem unlikely to back her confirmation to associate justice, repeatedly pressed Jackson about her time as a federal public defender, […]
Klobuchar on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
WASHINGTON — The 22 members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee each had 10 minutes on Monday to make opening statements about the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota complimented Jackson on her bold purple blazer, saying that Jackson was […]
Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to decide U.S. Supreme Court cases from a ‘neutral posture’
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began her four-day confirmation process to become the nation’s first Black female associate justice on Monday, listening to hours of opening statements from Senate Judiciary Committee members before giving her own. In her first public remarks since President Joe Biden nominated her last month, Jackson, who grew […]
Zelenskyy reminds Congress of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 in pleading for U.S. help for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday invoked the Pearl Harbor attacks ahead of World War II and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, while urging the United States to do more to stop the Russian war against his country. During the speech, delivered virtually to members of Congress in an auditorium on Capitol Hill, Zelenskyy […]
U.S. Senate confirms Shalanda Young as first Black woman to head up White House budget agency
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate made history Tuesday when it confirmed Louisiana’s Shalanda Young as White House budget director. Young, former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, will become the first Black woman to head up the Cabinet-level agency that releases the president’s budget request, oversees federal agencies’ performance and reviews significant federal regulations. […]
With COVID funding stuck in Congress, White House raises alarms about shortfall
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is warning that the United States would not be prepared for another COVID-19 variant or surge in cases if Congress doesn’t approve billions in stalled emergency funding. Senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday that without the $22.5 billion the White House requested last month, there will be a drop-off in […]
U.S., other democracies limit Russian trade benefits in reaction to war against Ukraine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday announced a new round of sanctions on Russia by the United States, as well as countries within the European Union and the Group of Seven nations. The latest round of joint economic restrictions will revoke Russia’s status as a preferred trading partner and eliminate the country’s ability to […]
Return of earmarks a boon for members of Congress facing midterm battles
WASHINGTON — Vulnerable lawmakers from throughout the country are set to rake in federal cash for home-state projects after a major spending bill included the first round of earmarks in more than a decade. Members from both political parties began requesting thousands of projects last year when U.S. House and Senate leaders resurrected what’s called […]
Congress reaches deal on massive spending package with billions for COVID aid, Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans forged agreement early Wednesday on a spending package that will fund the government for the next eight months, as well as provide billions in emergency funding for COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The announcement means Congress should be able to avert a government shutdown when a spending patch expires […]