The Biden administration announced that it has called on intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in China as a way to prevent future pandemics.

David Chipman, President Biden's nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced his support for a proposed ban on AR-15-style rifles during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Executives of major banks testified to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with an emphasis on financial instability and inequality during the coronavirus pandemic.

A firefighting helicopter crashed near a Florida airport on Tuesday night killing four.

The chief executives of the six biggest American lenders testify before the Senate Banking Committee. Chief executives from Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and others are expected to address the riskiness of their assets, the diversity of their work forces, actions on climate change, pledges on racial equity and more.

Moderna said Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 17. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the infectious disease expert, was optimistic about the vaccine's ability to ensure in-person school in the fall.

A series of gunshots sparked panic on Tuesday morning as people gathered to pay respects at the site of where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis a year ago.

A series of gunshots sparked panic on Tuesday morning as people gathered to pay respects at the site of where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis a year ago.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the E.U. would ban Belarusian flights from the bloc's airspace and airports. On Sunday, Belarus forced a passenger plane to land in its capital and arrested an opposition journalist on board.

The doors to Samoa's Parliament House were intentionally locked on Monday morning when Fiame Naomi Mata'afa went to be sworn in as the first female prime minister. Ms. Mata'afa's party held its own swearing-in under a tent erected right outside.