Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Biden says tougher gun laws are within reach, points to public pressure
President Biden said he is optimistic that America can solve its gun violence crisis, pointing to political pressure that nudged Congress last year and the unrelenting push by young people and grieving parents for more action. Published June 16, 2023
Biden formally picks Mandy Cohen to serve as next CDC director
President Biden is appointing Mandy Cohen, a former Obama administration official and health commissioner for North Carolina, as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published June 16, 2023
Unions go all in for Biden 2024 with early endorsements
The Biden campaign said Friday it secured 2024 endorsements from the AFL-CIO and 17 other unions, hoping to shore up President Biden as a champion of organized labor before a political speech Saturday at a union hall in Philadelphia. Published June 16, 2023
Former Bush aide Karl Rove says Trump only has himself to blame for docs fiasco
Karl Rove, a former top aide to President George W. Bush, is excoriating former President Donald Trump over an indictment alleging he mishandled classified documents, saying his "childish impulses" are forcing America to "pay a high price." Published June 16, 2023
Biden sees progress in fight against ‘junk fees,’ points to Ticketmaster reforms
President Biden claimed a victory in his war on "junk fees" Thursday by announcing that Live Nation Entertainment will offer upfront pricing on its Ticketmaster platform so that concertgoers are not surprised by add-on costs at the end of a purchase. Published June 15, 2023
Senators to detained WSJ reporter: We won’t rest until you’re home
Dozens of senators on Thursday released an open letter to Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who is detained in Russia, pledging they "will not stop until you are safely home." Published June 15, 2023
Live Nation to offer upfront pricing for concerts, other events by September, says White House
President Biden will declare a victory in his war on "junk fees" Thursday by announcing that Live Nation Entertainment will offer upfront pricing on its Ticketmaster platform so that concertgoers are not surprised by add-on costs at the end of their shopping experience. Published June 15, 2023
Trump rejected lawyer’s push to reach settlement with DOJ: Report
Lawyers for Donald Trump wanted to "take the temperature down" and reach a settlement with the Department of Justice to avert charges, but the former president reportedly rejected the idea. Published June 15, 2023
NATO chief: Alliance must back Ukraine as offensive against Russia picks up steam
A day after he met with President Biden in Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was back Wednesday in Brussels preparing for this week's critical meeting of defense ministers ahead of the upcoming alliance summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Published June 14, 2023
Turkey, Hungary unmoved as U.S. presses Sweden’s NATO bid ‘without delay’
The White House stepped up its lobbying for Sweden's pending membership in NATO on Wednesday as objections from Turkey and Hungary cast doubt on whether the Scandinavian country can join the military alliance before Mr. Biden and other NATO leaders meet in Lithuania in mid-July. Published June 14, 2023
House lawmakers file bipartisan bill to crack down on fake pills laced with fentanyl
House lawmakers filed bipartisan legislation Wednesday to impose new penalties on traffickers who use pill presses to lace fake prescription drugs with fentanyl, meth and other dangerous drugs. Published June 14, 2023
Mike Pence: Trump faces serious charges, national security could have been jeopardized
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he cannot defend "what is alleged" in the federal indictment against former President Donald Trump over classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, but he also pledged to clean house at the Department of Justice. Published June 14, 2023
Koch-backed super PAC targets Trump in digital ads
A political network backed by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is running ads saying that former President Donald Trump is a drag on the GOP and it's time to move on. Published June 14, 2023
Student loan repayment to resume in October
The Department of Education says the three-year, pandemic-induced pause on student loan repayments will end in October. Published June 14, 2023
Departing CDC chief urges Congress to help the agency restore reputation after COVID-19 failures
Rochelle Walensky told Congress on Tuesday she is leaving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with a "great sense of accomplishment" but said the public health agency still has work to do in restoring its reputation after the COVID-19 crisis. Published June 13, 2023
Eight in 10 Republicans say Trump indictment is politically motivated, poll finds
Roughly 8 in 10 Republicans say the federal charges against former President Donald Trump are politically motivated, according to a new poll that finds Mr. Trump maintaining his double-digit lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Published June 13, 2023
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is sad about Trump indictment ‘as an American’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he was saddened as an American to see the federal charges against former President Donald Trump and offered unusual praise for the ex-president for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Published June 13, 2023
Trump indictment alleges careless retention and showing off of gov’t secrets, plot to conceal docs
A 49-page indictment unsealed Friday by federal prosecutors in Miami paints a damning portrait of how former President Donald Trump allegedly retained batches of classified documents and enlisted a key aide, Walt Nauta, to move them around. Published June 9, 2023
Trump aide Walt Nauta indicted alongside former president in documents probe
Former President Donald Trump said one of his aides, Walt Nauta, also had been indicted by the grand jury that looked into classified documents stored at the ex-president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Published June 9, 2023
Trump shuffles lawyers amid Florida indictment
Former President Donald Trump said Friday he is shaking up his legal team as he fights a seven-count indictment in Florida, replacing two lawyers who worked on his classified documents case with a lawyer representing him in a New York matter. Published June 9, 2023
