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U.S. House on bipartisan vote passes bill protecting right to same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON — Both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House voted Tuesday to enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law, though the bill’s path forward in the Senate is unclear. The 267-157 bipartisan vote stemmed from concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn the constitutional right to […]
Members of U.S. Senate panel fight over effects of abortion ruling on Black patients
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday began wading through the dozens of state laws that have taken effect in the two weeks since the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, and heard from witnesses who said the effect on Black patients will be especially harsh. “People of color, specifically […]
Biden unveils executive order on abortion access, cites case of 10-year-old Ohio rape survivor
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly been criticized as slow to respond to a widely expected U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended the nationwide right to an abortion, signed an executive order Friday that could preserve some access to abortion in states where the procedure remains legal. Biden in a White House speech […]
Medicare prescription drug negotiation plan advanced by U.S. Senate Democrats
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a tentative agreement to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs in the Medicare program, the first step in passing a long-stalled package that’s expected to include tax and climate change provisions as well. The deal, brokered between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin […]
U.S. Supreme Court overturns right to abortion in landmark decision
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. The opinion by six of the Court’s nine justices will allow each state to set its own abortion laws, leading to a patchwork of access throughout the country. The result is expected to lead to […]
Access to abortion for members of the military expanded in Pentagon spending bill
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are pushing to increase access to abortion for members of the military, concerned a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could end the constitutional right will harm troops. The U.S. House’s annual funding bill for the Defense Department would require the Pentagon to provide leave to troops and civilian employees seeking […]
Biden pitches a summer gas tax holiday as price hovers around $5 a gallon
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress and state legislatures to provide a temporary reprieve from gas taxes — but members of his own party and Republicans appeared opposed, making it look unlikely on the federal level. In addition, many state legislatures are out of session for the year and aren’t expected […]
FDA outside advisers recommend Pfizer, Moderna Covid vaccines for kids under 5
WASHINGTON — Parents of children under 5 are one step closer to vaccinating their young kids against Covid-19 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine panel recommended emergency use authorizations of two Covid-19 vaccines Wednesday. The 21-person Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend the FDA approve emergency use […]
Will it be ‘every state for themselves’ as the federal COVID cash dries up?
WASHINGTON — State and local health departments remain in limbo over whether they’ll need to single-handedly fund their own Covid-19 vaccines and treatments as a stalemate in Congress drags into its fourth month. The Biden administration has raised alarm bells about the risk of inaction after sending Congress a request for $22.5 billion in early […]
Covid vaccine for kids under 5 could be available as soon as June 21
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to ship out to the states millions of Covid-19 vaccines for children under 5 in the coming weeks, likely ending months of waiting for parents and caregivers. White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said Thursday that if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use of […]
CDC expects more monkeypox cases in the U.S.
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it’s likely the United States will see additional cases of monkeypox in the coming weeks, but officials cautioned that it’s harder to transmit the virus than it is to spread respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. Monkeypox, which is also spreading throughout Europe, has an […]
Under fire from Congress, FDA chief says baby formula shortage will improve soon
WASHINGTON — U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Robert Califf told Congress Thursday that the infant formula shortage will likely begin to improve in the coming days, though he declined to explain to unhappy lawmakers why his agency didn’t act sooner on a whistleblower report that detailed safety issues at an Abbott Laboratories facility in Michigan. […]