Articles written by Richard Lardner
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Michael Flynn's ReAwaken roadshow recruits 'Army of God'
BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) — The ReAwaken America Tour led by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has carried a message of a country under siege to tens of thousands of people across the US. The tour serves as a traveling roadshow and r...
Subpoenas could shed light on how Jan. 6 rally came together
The House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with its latest round of subpoenas, may uncover the degree to which former President Donald Trump, his campaign and White House were involved in planning the rally — which had...
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine batch fails quality check
A batch of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and can't be used, the drug giant said Wednesday. The drugmaker didn't say how many doses were lost, and it wasn't clear how the problem would impact future deliveries. A...
Bill to raise tobacco age has unlikely allies: Altria, Juul
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving to pass the biggest new sales restrictions on tobacco products in more than a decade, with support from two unlikely backers: Marlboro-cigarette maker Altria and vaping giant Juul Labs. The legislation would r...
Trump outpaces Obama, Bush in naming ex-lobbyists to Cabinet
WASHINGTON (AP) — In less than three years, President Donald Trump has named more former lobbyists to Cabinet-level posts than his most recent predecessors did in eight, putting a substantial amount of oversight in the hands of people with ties to th...
Juul Labs facing scrutiny from federal and state officials
WASHINGTON (AP) — With e-cigarette giant Juul Labs facing a mounting number of state and federal investigations into its marketing and sales practices, a top Trump administration official pledged Friday to use all of the government's regulatory a...
Government moves toward easing drive-time rules for truckers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration took a key step Wednesday toward relaxing federal rules that govern the length of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel, a move long sought by the trucking industry but opposed by safety advocates w...
Facing calls for resignation, Acosta defends Epstein deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trying to tamp down calls for his resignation, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his handling of a sex-trafficking case involving now-jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein, insisting he got the toughest deal he could at t...
Libyan National Army hires firm to forge closer ties with US
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Libyan general who has gained control of the city of Benghazi and is believed to have ties to the CIA has hired a Texas-based lobbying firm to help him forge closer relations with the U.S. as he seeks to defeat rival militias and...
Group backing private Medicare is funded by insurance giants
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group gaining influence in Washington as a champion for Medicare beneficiaries is bankrolled by major health insurance companies that are trying to cash in on private coverage offered through the federal health insurance program....
US sanctions Russians for election meddling, nerve agent use
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Wednesday against 15 Russians over hacking, interference in U.S. elections and a nerve agent attack in England. In a separate action, the agency also announced plans to lift s...
GM battle government to retain tax credit for electric cars
WASHINGTON (AP) — General Motors is fighting to retain a valuable tax credit for electric vehicles as the nation's largest automaker tries to deal with the political fallout triggered by its plans to shutter several U.S. factories and shed t...
Saudis have a $6 million lobbying payroll despite departures
WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Arabia is paying influential lobbyists, lawyers and public relations experts nearly $6 million a year to engage U.S. officials and promote the Middle East nation, even after three Washington firms cut ties with the kingdom f...
Member of Congress, member of corporate board? It's allowed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The indictment of Rep. Chris Collins on insider trading charges is drawing new attention to the freedom members of Congress have to serve on corporate boards or to buy and sell stock in industries they're responsible for o...
Millions from anonymous donors to influence Kavanaugh fight
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of dollars from anonymous donors are helping shape the fight over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as Republicans and Democrats undertake a bruising battle for ideological control of the nation's loftiest trib...
Q&A: Cohen's ties to Trump, corporate clients pose questions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney Michael Cohen's simultaneous relationship with Donald Trump and several blue chip companies that paid him for insight into the new president strikes legal experts as unusual and has triggered questions about client c...
5 years before massacre, gunman promised not to hurt anyone
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The gunman in a mass shooting at a Texas church last year told a military judge in 2012 he "would never allow myself to hurt someone" again while admitting to abusing his stepson and a long struggle with anger, according to A...
Trump's tariffs risk jobs and profits in working-class areas
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's escalating dispute with China over trade and technology is threatening jobs and profits in working-class communities where his "America First" agenda hit home. The Commerce Department has received more t...
As Trump tweets, Amazon seeks to expand its business empire
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon is spending millions of dollars on lobbying as the global online retailer seeks to expand its reach into a swath of industries that President Donald Trump's broadsides haven't come close to hitting. Trump's attacks over t...
Amazon ignores Trump's attacks as it molds a business empire
WASHINGTON (AP) — Online retail giant Amazon is ignoring Donald Trump's barrage of taunts and threats, focusing instead on expanding its reach into a swath of industries that the president's broadsides haven't come close to hitting. Trump has h...
Congress' challenge: How to tame industry giant Facebook
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook isn't just a company. It's a behemoth, with 2.1 billion monthly users, $40 billion in revenue and more than 25,000 employees worldwide. And that leaves Washington with a daunting task: How do you tame a corporate giant? O...
Lobbying pays off for small drugmaker in budget bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tucked in the massive congressional budget bill is a provision that props up the price Medicare pays for a handful of medications, costing taxpayers millions at a time when the Trump administration is vowing to reduce the cost of p...
Trump floats new gun measures as gun owners talk 'betrayal'
DENVER (AP) — When President Donald Trump raised the idea of banning "bump stocks" and curbing young people's access to gun, gun owners and advocates who helped his political rise talked about disloyalty and desertion. Trump's flirtation with m...
A budget the likes of which the Pentagon has never seen
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the biggest budget the Pentagon has ever seen: $700 billion. That's far more in defense spending than America's two nearest competitors, China and Russia, and will mean the military can foot the bill for thousands more t...
Vote by Pence advances nominee for religious freedom post
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans needed a deciding vote from Vice President Mike Pence to advance Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's bid to be ambassador for international religious freedom in the Trump administration. Pence arrived in the chamber W...
