The Washington Post stories, Page 18
Net neutrality is back in play as Democratic lawmakers announce a bill
House and Senate Democratic leaders are expected to unveil new legislation Wednesday proposing to restore federal net neutrality rules on Internet providers such as AT&T and Verizon, in their latest attempt to countermand the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission. Here’s what you need to know. What’s in the bill? As written,...
Bryce Harper makes recruiting pitch to Mike Trout, and the Angels are not happy
At his introductory news conference Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, after he signed a 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper said that his relatively low annual salary of approximately $25.4 million would allow his new team “to bring some other guys in.” He mentioned at the time “another guy...
Dog-walking can be hazardous for seniors, study suggests
Dogs need to go on walks, and walking is good exercise for older adults. Seniors who combine the two - by walking a dog - are healthier than people who don’t, according to some research. But a new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers offers a cautionary note. Strolling with...
North Korea rebuilds rocket engine test site, in ominous signal about attitude to talks
North Korea has begun rebuilding work on a rocket launch pad and missile engine test site, in an ominous sign about its attitude toward negotiations on denuclearization. The rebuilding work began some time between Feb. 16 and March 2, according to satellite imagery, meaning it began either just before or...
Major brands avoid Trump even as he promotes them from the White House
In a scene likely worth millions of dollars in free advertising, President Trump displayed a spread of burgers from some of the country’s biggest fast-food chains inside the State Dining Room of the White House on Monday as hungry football players looked on. With cameras rolling, he offered a presidential...
The federal deficit ballooned at start of new fiscal year, up 77 percent from a year before
WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit ballooned rapidly in the first four months of the fiscal year amid falling tax revenue and higher spending, the Treasury Department said Tuesday, posing a new challenge for the White House and Congress and they prepare for a number of budget battles. The deficit...
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg bows out of 2020 presidential contest
NEW YORK — Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday that he would not run for president, concluding his path to the Democratic nomination was narrow and he could accomplish more as a private citizen. The decision removes from the race one of the world’s richest men, a self-described...
To combat anti-vaxxers, U.S. needs a national campaign, Washington state official says
The top official overseeing Washington state’s worst measles outbreak in two decades is calling on the federal government to launch a national campaign to counter anti-vaccine groups spreading false information. John Wiesman, Washington state’s health secretary, said in an interview Monday that a national campaign similar to the U.S. government...
Breaking down ‘The Bachelor’ jumping the fence
Welcome to Portugal, the land of tiny fish, extra-virgin olive oil and our 23rd bachelor, Colton Underwood. This week, Colton is poised to get his chance in the fantasy suites, where he will have off-camera time with his finalists and might have sex for the first time. The prospect of...
Trump says Democrats investigating him have gone ‘stone cold CRAZY’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump lashed out at House Democratic leaders on Tuesday, saying they had “gone stone cold CRAZY” by launching a far-reaching corruption probe that began with demands for documents from 81 people associated with him. In morning tweets, Trump asserted that letters sent Monday were meant to...
House Democrats likely to seek 10 years of Trump’s tax returns in coming weeks
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are likely to request 10 years of President Donald Trump’s tax returns in coming weeks, tailoring their inquiry in a way they hope will survive a court battle, according to according to lawmakers and others involved in the discussions. The exact parameters of the request are...
Decades-long study: Measles vaccine doesn’t cause autism
The notion that vaccines might cause autism was refuted nine years ago, when a British medical panel concluded in 2010 that Andrew Wakefield, the doctor with undisclosed financial interests in making such claims, had acted with “callous disregard” in conducting his research. But in 2019, professional epidemiologists are still devoting...
Hillary Clinton confirms she’s not running for president in 2020
Hillary Clinton put to rest lingering speculation Monday night that she might launch another White House bid but vowed to remain active in politics, telling a local television station in New York that “I’m not going anywhere.” “I’m not running, but I’m going to keep on working and speaking and...
In biggest advance for depression in years, FDA approves novel treatment for hardest cases
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration approved a novel antidepressant — the first in decades to work in a completely new way in the brain — for people with depression that does not respond to other treatments. The drug, a nasal spray called esketamine, has been eagerly anticipated by...
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments prompt House Democrats to craft anti-Semitism measureVideo
WASHINGTON — A string of allegedly anti-Semitic public comments from freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar has enraged fellow Democrats and forced Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top House leaders to take fresh action against one of the early stars of the freshman class. Lawmakers could vote as soon as Wednesday on...
Decade after first person was cured of HIV, second patient is in long-term remission
A London man has been in remission from HIV for a year and a half, without drugs, after receiving a stem cell transplant of virus-resistant cells — raising the prospect that he has become the second person to ever be cured of the disease. The “London patient” case, cautiously reported...
John Bolton claims North Korea summit was not a failure
National security adviser John Bolton on Sunday defended President Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying the president was right not to make a deal that wasn’t in the best interests of the United States. “I don’t agree at all that it was a failed summit,”...
U.S. stands in way of Bashar Assad rejoining Arab fold
Efforts by Arab states to re-engage with Syrian President Bashar Assad, now that he has prevailed in the civil war, have been put on hold after a push by the United States to deter its allies from renewing ties with his government. A decision late last year by the United...
‘SNL’ parodies the Cohen hearings, with help from Ben Stiller and Bill HaderVideo
Actors Bill Hader and Ben Stiller made guest appearances on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, parodying Michael Cohen’s seven-hour testimony on Capitol Hill, which consumed the attention of Washington and the media. The cast started the show with a re-enactment of Cohen’s opening statement Wednesday to the House Oversight...
Trump club in Virginia accused of cutting trees on riverbank
About a dozen mature trees and additional shrubs were cut down and dumped into the Potomac River from Trump National Golf Course property last week, an action that Loudoun County officials say could violate local ordinances covering work on floodplains. The downed trees were spotted last Saturday by Steven Mckone,...
How a black man ‘outsmarted’ a neo-Nazi group – and became their new leader
Without notifying his followers or even his inner circle, the longtime president of a legacy neo-Nazi group has signed over its control to a black civil rights activist from California. James Hart Stern, a 54-year-old with a history of infiltrating white supremacist groups, is the new leader of the National...
Judge orders Stone to explain imminent release of book that may violate gag order
Republican operative and longtime Donald Trump friend Roger Stone faced fresh legal trouble Friday after a federal judge ordered his attorneys to explain why they failed to tell her before now about the imminent publication of a book that could violate his gag order by potentially criticizing the judge or...
Ruined crops, salty soil: How rising seas are poisoning North Carolina’s farmland
MIDDLETOWN, N.C. - The salty patches were small, at first - scattered spots where soybeans wouldn’t grow, where grass withered and died, exposing expanses of bare, brown earth. But lately those barren patches have grown. On dry days, the salt precipitates out of the mud and the crystals make the...
In America, talk turns to something unspoken for 150 years: Civil war
At a moment when the country has never seemed angrier, two political commentators from opposite sides of the divide concurred last week on one point, nearly unthinkable until recently: The country is on the verge of “civil war.” First came former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, a Fox News regular and...
Rotten Tomatoes shuts down trolls targeting female-led blockbusters
A blockbuster is set to open with a lead who is not male and not white. People are excited about the film, but trolls hijack the conversation, sometimes targeting the movie’s stars. What should have been a good time instead becomes an internet maelstrom in which a movie and its...
