Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Biden proposes nearly $82B to prepare for future pandemics
President Biden released Monday a budget that includes nearly $82 billion over five years to maintain preparations for future pandemics through better data collection and equal access to vaccines. Published March 28, 2022
Bird flu could spark jump in chicken prices on top of inflation: Report
The COVID-19 crisis may be in a lull, but an outbreak of bird flu is attacking U.S. poultry stocks and could result in higher prices on top of inflation. Published March 28, 2022
Biden’s budget will seek minimum tax on households worth more than $100M
President Biden will release on Monday a budget blueprint that calls on Congress to require a 20% minimum tax on households worth more than $100 million. Published March 28, 2022
Deputy White House press secretary tests positive for coronavirus
White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre late Sunday said she tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from President Biden's trip to Europe, making her the latest person in the 79-year-old leader's orbit to get infected. Published March 28, 2022
Flight attendants sue over mask mandate on airplanes, transportation
Nine flight attendants from six states said Monday they are suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the federal mask mandate on public transportation, arguing the COVID-19 rule obstructs their normal breathing over many hours and threatens aviation security because passengers refuse to comply. Published March 28, 2022
Democrats call for Justice Thomas to recuse from Jan. 6 cases, resign
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has called for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any case related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol or any dispute involving former President Donald Trump in a reelection bid. Published March 25, 2022
Leaders rush to lift COVID-19 rules while unvaccinated workers still out of jobs, sparking debate
Nationwide efforts to lift COVID-19 mandates and restrictions have brought little relief to workers fired for refusing the vaccine when the virus was surging, prompting an outcry among those who say the unvaccinated shouldn't face a lengthy lockout. Published March 25, 2022
Iowa GOP warns DNC: Shaking up 2024 election calendar would insult heartland
The Republican Party chair in Iowa says Democrats should think twice before considering a proposal that would hold primaries in other places ahead of the Hawkeye State caucuses, which traditionally kick off presidential election cycles. Published March 25, 2022
Ukraine retakes towns outside of Kyiv in counterattacks, intelligence officials say
Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russian forces to fall back on overextended supply lines and have allowed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's army to reoccupy towns and positions up to 20 miles east of Kyiv, intelligence officials said Friday. Published March 25, 2022
Mariupol council: About 300 feared dead from theater attack on March 16
City officials in Ukraine estimate that 300 people died in the Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol nine days ago that sparked shock and global condemnation. Published March 25, 2022
White House Easter Egg Roll will return April 18 after two years of pandemic closures
The White House said Thursday it will hold its traditional Easter Egg Roll on April 18, resuming the longtime tradition for families for the first time since the pandemic struck. Published March 24, 2022
Voter group tries to disqualify Marjorie Taylor Greene from House candidacy, citing Capitol riot
A group of Georgia voters filed a challenge Thursday that claims Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene played a role in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and is ineligible to serve in the House or be a candidate for office. Published March 24, 2022
NYPD union sees double standard in Mayor Adams’ ‘Kyrie carve out’ for vaxx mandate
New York City's police union on Wednesday said Mayor Eric Adams' decision to let athletes and performing artists work in the city without showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination should be extended to cops and other public employees who served on the frontlines of the pandemic. Published March 24, 2022
Biden tells Herschel Walker, Dr. Oz to resign from presidential fitness board
President Biden formally asked two Trump-appointed members of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition -- Herschel Walker and Dr. Mehmet Oz -- to resign or else be fired, citing administration policy that bars candidates for federal office to serve on presidential boards. Published March 24, 2022
Ex-N.Y. prosecutor’s resignation letter says Trump guilty of felonies
A Manhattan prosecutor who quit in February believed former President Donald Trump was "guilty of numerous felony violations" and it would be a "grave failure of justice" not to bring charges, according to his resignation letter. Published March 24, 2022
Major airlines press Biden to let transit mask mandate expire in April
Top executives from major U.S. airlines want President Biden to allow a federal mandate that requires mask-wearing on planes to expire in mid-April. Published March 24, 2022
Russia will likely have to find new manpower amid losses, U.K. intelligence says
Russian forces have "almost certainly" suffered thousands of casualties during the Ukraine invasion and will probably tap other streams to compensate for their losses, British intelligence officials said Thursday. Published March 24, 2022
CDC says BA.2 variant is slowly taking over but not making people sicker
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are tracking the omicron sub-variant that caused spikes overseas but the strain, while fast-moving, does not appear to make infected persons any sicker and is not straining hospital capacity. Published March 23, 2022
U.S.-backed animal experiments in Chinese, Russian labs get new scrutiny by Congress, GAO
Global crises involving authoritarian states and concerns about animal cruelty are prompting Congress to scrutinize U.S.-funded research at labs overseas and mull whether taxpayer dollars should be redirected toward projects at home. Published March 23, 2022
HHS’s Becerra, G-7 health ministers condemn Russian attacks on health services in Ukraine
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and other Group of Seven health ministers on Wednesday condemned Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified" assault on Ukraine and its alarming number of attacks on health facilities. Published March 23, 2022
