ASA HUTCHINSON

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and more appear on Sunday's "Face the Nation."

Federal regulators are reportedly planning imminent expansion as state leaders show impatience in deploying preventive shots before winter sets in.

At least three states have formally moved to expand eligibility to all adults for a booster six months after receiving Pfizer or Moderna vaccination.

Republicans have struggled to deal with Donald Trump since the day he announced his candidacy for president.

Hutchinson dismissed former President Trump's call for GOP voters to sit out 2022 and 2024 if the party didn't back his unfounded election claims.

President Biden put former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell in charge of helping connect federal agencies resettling Afghan refugees with state and local officials, and private sector groups.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is latest Republican to face backlash from his own party’s supporters when promoting coronavirus vaccines or talking about their safety and efficacy.

A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed hospitals some relief.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders might be running for governor of Arkansas, but she's not talking much about the state.

Australia’s capital will remain locked down for a second month after the local government reported 22 new coronavirus infections.

Some say the president's new mandates are a federal overreach and restrict personal freedoms.

Eight U.S. politicians reflect on how Sept. 11 continues to influence their own lives and leadership.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says President Joe Biden is overreaching with his new requirement for employees of large businesses to be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19.

Republican lawmakers in at least half a dozen states are looking to copy a Texas law that represents the most far-reaching curb on abortions in 50 years.

Pennsylvania State Police say a North Carolina homicide suspect on the run has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Adams County.

There are no more intensive care unit beds available for coronavirus patients due to a surge in cases driven by the Delta variant, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said during a press conference on Tuesday.Why it matters: It is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that ICU beds are full in the state, AP reports. The state reached a new record on Monday for the amount of coronavirus patients currently on ventilators, according to government data.Stay on top of the latest market tren

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is beginning her term in office with plenty of challenges.

Crises have the power to expose tensions within ideologies, and the current pandemic has made some of those in contemporary American conservatism vividly apparent.

As the new school year gets underway, thousands of students and educators in multiple states are quarantining as COVID cases erupt in schools. Many of the outbreaks have occurred in places with low vaccination rates and no requirement that masks be worn in school. In Florida’s Palm Beach County, some 440 students are in quarantine […]

The highly contagious delta variant is fueling a surge in coronavirus cases as students return to classrooms.

"Today's report shows some very startling numbers," Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson tweeted as the state grapples with a COVID surge.

"Today's report shows some very startling numbers," Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson tweeted as the state grapples with a COVID surge.

Arkansas on Monday set a new record for the number of people in the state hospitalized because of COVID-19 as its coronavirus surge continued. The state reported its COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 103, its biggest one-day increase, to 1,376. The state's previous record during the pandemic for COVID-19 hospitalizations was in January when it reported 1,371 virus patients in the hospital.

On this "Face the Nation" broadcast, Governor Asa Hutchinson and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona talk to John Dickerson.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said signing a law banning local mask mandates was an "error."

The following is a transcript of an interview with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson that aired on Sunday, August 8, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, and more appear on Sunday's "Face the Nation"

An Arkansas law banned government entities from requiring masks.

Judge Tim Fox ruled against the measure on multiple grounds, including the argument that it discriminated between public and private schools.

Judge Tim Fox ruled against the measure on multiple grounds, including the argument that it discriminated between public and private schools.

An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates, AP reports.Driving the news: Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against a law signed in April by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson that banned governmental entities from implementing mask mandates.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeFox ruled against the measure on multiple grounds, including that it disc

An Arkansas judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law that prevents schools and other governmental agencies from requiring masks.

An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates after lawmakers left the prohibition in place despite a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against the law that Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed in April banning mask requirements by governmental entities. The ban was being challenged by two lawsuits, including one from an east Arkansas school district where more than 900 staff and students are quarantining because of a coronavirus outbreak.

China has recorded another 80 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, as the country seeks to control the widest flare-up since the original 2019 outbreak with a combination of lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

The number of children reportedly infected with COVID-19 more than tripled over a two week period in July. However, child hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus remain incredibly low.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill in April banning state and local mask mandates, but now he says cases are up and children under 12 are vulnerable because they can't get vaccinated.

Hundreds of students are in quarantine at a school district in Arkansas, where local mask mandates were banned.

"In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law," Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday.

There are 9,917 dead South Carolinas who are no longer with us because of COVID-19, our editorial board writes.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he regretted signing a law banning local mask mandates as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in his state.

Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Tuesday that he wished he hadn't signed a ban on mask mandates into law earlier in the year as the country grapples with a surge of coronavirus cases.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday he regrets signing a law banning local mask mandates, as COVID-19 cases quickly rise in his state.

Australia’s most populous state is reporting the worst day of its outbreak of the coronavirus delta variant, with a record 262 new local infections and five deaths from COVID-19.

Country music star Garth Brooks says he is reassessing whether to continue his stadium tour in light of the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country.

Arkansas has reported 42 new deaths from COVID-19 and its biggest one-day spike in hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

The state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. And this weekend, 80,000 doses will expire because of lack of demand. The campaign is on to get people to sign up.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The White House is taking a carrot-and-stick approach.

An administrative court judge has ordered that anyone entering a Dallas County courthouse must be wearing a mask to be admitted.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson reinstated Arkansas' public health emergency Thursday, and announced he is calling a special session of the legislature to amend the law banning mask mandates to allow more flexibility for schools.What's happening: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are out of control in the state. And Act 1002 prohibits school districts from requiring masks when classes start again in a few weeks.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Hutchinson stressed

The law forbids doctors from prescribing gender-affirming treatment to children.

States and businesses scrambled Wednesday to change course after the federal government issued new guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide.

New guidance from the federal government set off a cascade of mask rules across the nation as cities, states, schools and businesses raced to bring back mandates.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.

Hutchinson has been traveling throughout the solidly red state to combat hesitancy and encourage people to get the shot.

As U.S. regulators weigh giving the final stamp of approval for certain COVID-19 vaccines, governors in states hard hit by the pandemic hope the move will help persuade the many holdouts in their states to finally get the shot.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked an Arkansas law banning nearly all abortions in the state while she hears a challenge to its constitutionality.

Federal judges have temporarily blocked new laws in Arkansas and West Virginia restricting transgender people's rights.

The law only allows abortions to save the mother's life – but does not make exceptions for those impregnated by incest or rape.

Three Republican governors opposed efforts this year to absolve businesses for violating public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect on July 28.

The Republican-controlled state legislature in Arkansas positioned the bill as a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked an Arkansas law banning nearly all abortions in the state while she hears a challenge to its constitutionality. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect on July 28. The measure was passed this year by the majority-Republican Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Public health researchers on Tuesday called the rapid rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Arkansas a “raging forest fire," and the state's top health official warned that he expects significant outbreaks in schools. The model by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health projected a daily average of 1,039 new cases over the next week. Arkansas leads the country in new cases per capita, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas has hit the road, meeting face-to-face with residents to try to overcome vaccine resistance at a time when the state has the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the nation but is near the very bottom in dispensing shots.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders' campaign on Thursday said she had raised another $4.2 million for her bid for Arkansas governor. Sanders' campaign said the latest figures over the past three months mean she has raised $9 million total since launching her bid in January for the state's top office. Sanders’ campaign reported having $6.3 million cash on hand at the end of June and spent $1.8 million during the quarter.

Former NFL player Jake Bequette says he's challenging Arkansas Sen. John Boozman in next year's Republican primary.

Pfizer says it plans to meet Monday with top U.S. health officials to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Fauci: Lack of full FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines merely a 'technical issue'

The Biden White House is no longer refraining from criticizing Republican officials who play down the importance of coronavirus vaccinations or seek to make political hay of the federal government’s all-out effort to drive shots into arms.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is taking over the National Governors Association as his state struggles with a resurgence in coronavirus cases and lagging vaccinations.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican whose state is struggling with a resurgence in coronavirus cases and lagging vaccinations, called combatting vaccine resistance a priority as he took over as head of the National Governors Association. Hutchinson was elected Thursday as the association's chairman, moving into the role as the delta variant of the virus causes a resurgence in red states like Arkansas. Hutchinson's state has been at or near the top of the country in new cases per capita, and Arkansas this week saw its biggest one-day jump in hospitalizations since the vaccine became available.

Noem, a former congresswoman who is seen as a potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said that the $1 million donation came as "a surprise."

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said this week he intends to commute the sentence of a man who's been serving life in prison for robbing a taco shop in 1981 with a water pistol. Hutchinson on Thursday announced he intended to make Rolf Kaestel immediately eligible for parole. There's a 30-day waiting period to receive public feedback before the governor's decision can become final.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson leads a state that went heavily for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Leading a state that went heavily for Donald Trump in the 2020 election and that has enacted some of the most aggressive laws on social issues, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas has been in the national spotlight this year. At a time when red state governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida and Kristi Noem of South Dakota are carrying forward Trump's rhetoric and policies, Hutchinson is doing the opposite. “He represents an important voice in the party, a voice that is relatively independent of any established consensus," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres, whose firm worked with Hutchinson before he was governor.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she will use a donation from a Republican donor to fund a deployment of up to 50 South Dakota National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.

A state government minister has been infected with COVID-19 and another minister is in isolation as a cluster in the Australian city of Sydney worsens.

Fifteen Republican governors have sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Secretary, urging that the U.S. Census bureau release redistricting data as soon as possible.

The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas.

The Nevada school district for Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County says fully vaccinated students and staff are no longer required to wear masks in most situations.

There’s a new buzzword among Republicans in Washington this week: unity.

There’s a new buzzword among Republicans in Washington this week: unity.

A Tennessee Republican has falsely declared that an 18th century policy designating a slave as three-fifths of a person was adopted for what he called “the purpose of ending slavery.”.

The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas.

State lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to limit the emergency powers of governors — not just in the current coronavirus pandemic, but for any future emergencies.

Republican state legislators have been in overdrive this year on so-called culture-war bills.

The nonprofit Tax Foundation said in an analysis last week that state tax cuts financed by natural growth in state revenue or new tax hikes likely are fine under the federal law. The Republican-led Oklahoma House last week passed bills to reduce the corporate and individual income tax rates and restore the ability for a refund of the earned income tax credit. AdThe Republican-controlled Mississippi House has passed legislation that would phase out the state income tax, cut the grocery tax in half and increase the sales tax on most items. Laura Kelly, who vetoed two GOP tax-cutting bills in 2019, welcomed the restrictions on using federal pandemic aid to offset tax cuts. “I’m glad that we can’t use this money for tax cuts," Kelly said.

It's not clear if or when the Supreme Court might consider any of them, or take some other path. In addition to three appointments to the Supreme Court, giving it a 6-3 conservative majority, Trump made scores of appointments to federal district and appellate courts. “This is a decision that the Supreme Court is going to need to make,” he said. “It is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law,” he said. AdNancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said it would be “shocking” if the Supreme Court agreed to consider the Mississippi case.

Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year. The bans were pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Another measure Hutchinson signed in 2019 banning abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy is on hold due to a legal challenge. Another sweeping abortion ban was signed into law by South Carolina’s governor last month but was quickly blocked by a federal judge due to a legal challenge by Planned Parenthood. Alabama enacted a near-total ban on abortions in 2019 that has been blocked because of court challenges.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases. Canada regulators have approved AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. Addition of the J&J vaccine would come as California is seeing dramatic drops in virus cases and hospitalizations after record highs in early January. While they only comprise about 48% of coronavirus cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.

State officials said surging demand, driven by people trying to keep their homes warm, and cold weather knocking some power stations offline had pushed Texas' system beyond the limits. “This event was well beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even an extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for. At DFW, the temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) — 3 degrees (-16 degrees) colder than Moscow. In Houston, officials said Bush Intercontinental Airport runways would remain closed until at least 1 p.m. Tuesday, a day longer than previously expected. The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend.

"Typically, we just don’t have quite this much cold air in place that far south,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. AdChenard said significant ice and up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow were expected across parts of the southern Plains into Monday. Winter weather conditions are affecting large portions of the U.S., but it is rare for them to extend so far south, Chenard said. The airline said the storm was also affecting their flights across the region, with operations reduced and canceled at airports across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Utilities warned of the likelihood for additional power outages due to falling tree limbs.

As part of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, Biden wants to send $350 billion to state and local governments and tribal governments. But state governments have shed 332,000 jobs since the outbreak began to spread last February, and local governments have cut nearly 1 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Congress provided $150 billion in direct assistance to state and local governments in an earlier relief package signed into law last March. Rep. James Comer, the ranking Republican, said states still have money to spend from the relief package Congress passed last March. Ad“Despite this surplus, California is still receiving an additional $41.2 billion in taxpayer dollars from this $350 billion slush fund,” Comer said.

Since he took office three weeks ago, Biden’s team has attacked the problem on multiple fronts. Much of the improvement in vaccination deliveries so far has been due to long-planned manufacturing ramp-ups, not the actions of the Biden team, aides acknowledge. Biden’s team pledged to give states three weeks notice on what's coming their way. Two weeks into Biden’s administration, a Quinnipiac poll showed 61% of Americans approving of the way the president is handling the coronavirus pandemic. The Biden team is already actively working with pharmaceutical companies to prepare “booster” shots for the variants, potentially annually, like flu vaccines.

Tim Griffin is interviewed in his office at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. Griffin has dropped out of the race for governor and is now running for attorney general. Griffin announced the move on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, two weeks after former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said she was seeking the GOP nomination for governor. Tim Griffin on Monday dropped out of the race for governor and will instead run for attorney general. Griffin announced he was switching two weeks after former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said she was seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019, file photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks during a news briefing at the White House, in Washington. Former White House spokeswoman Sanders is running for Arkansas governor, a source told The Associated Press, late Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. – Sarah Sanders, Donald Trump’s former chief spokeswoman and one of his closest aides, is running for Arkansas governor, a senior campaign official told The Associated Press. But Sanders is also running in a solidly red state where Republicans tend to embrace the former president. Sanders was the first working mother and only the third woman to serve as White House press secretary.

FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019, file photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks during a news briefing at the White House, in Washington. Former White House spokeswoman Sanders is running for Arkansas governor, a source told The Associated Press, late Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. – Sarah Sanders, Donald Trump's former chief spokeswoman, announced she's running for Arkansas governor at a time other Republicans are distancing themselves from the former president facing an impeachment charge that he incited the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. Arkansas Republican Gov. During Sanders’ nearly two-year tenure at the White House, daily televised briefings led by the press secretary ended after Sanders repeatedly sparred with reporters who aggressively questioned her.

FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019, file photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks during a news briefing at the White House, in Washington. Former White House spokeswoman Sanders is running for Arkansas governor, a source told The Associated Press, late Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. – Sarah Sanders, Donald Trump’s former chief spokeswoman and one of his closest aides, is running for Arkansas governor, a senior campaign official told The Associated Press on Sunday night. But Sanders is also running in a solidly red state where Republicans tend to embrace the former president. Sanders was the first working mother and only the third woman to serve as White House press secretary.

Hutchinson is advocating for a hate crimes bill in the upcoming legislative session, but the measure faces some obstacles. Georgia in June became the latest to enact a bill, leaving Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming as the remaining outliers. Asa Hutchinson, who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted racist militia members but without a hate crimes law's specific penalties. The potential for hate crimes laws getting approved is mixed in the other remaining states. Bentonville-based Walmart and Springdale-based Tyson Foods have also said they support enacting a hate crimes law.