Tom Howell Jr.

Judge upholds Univ. of California vaccine mandate against a professor who cited natural immunity

A federal judge upheld the University of California's decision to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine instead of siding with a professor who said he had natural immunity and didn't need the shots. Published October 1, 2021

Merck sees promising results in trial of COVID-19 pill, will apply for emergency approval from FDA

Merck on Friday said it will seek emergency approval of an antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 after it significantly cut the risk of bad outcomes in clinical trials. Published October 1, 2021

Rising reports of ‘breakthrough infections’ fuel vaccine skeptics, scramble reopening plans

Infections in people who have been vaccinated are being reported with increasing frequency and are complicating efforts to reopen society and promote the shots. Published September 30, 2021

Activists dump a pile of fake bones at home of Biden chief of staff

Activists dumped a pile of fake human bones near the home of President Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, to protest a failure to scale up coronavirus-vaccine production for the rest of the world. Published September 30, 2021

Biden faces boos from GOP fans at Congressional Baseball Game

President Biden can't catch a break these days. In a surprise visit late Wednesday to the Congressional Baseball Game -- an event held up as a kumbaya exercise in bitter Washington -- he faced a chorus of boos from Republican fans behind the dugout. Published September 30, 2021

Breakthrough COVID-19 infections upend ‘Aladdin’ reopening, Harvard classes

Breakthrough coronavirus infections canceled a midweek Broadway performance of Disney's "Aladdin" just one night after it had reopened for the first time in 18 months, a high-profile sign of how increasing cases among the vaccinated are bedeviling efforts to move beyond the pandemic. Published September 30, 2021

Drop vaccine mandate on private business, House GOP tells Labor Dept.

House Republicans told Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on Wednesday to stop work on a regulation that would require COVID-19 vaccination or testing at large companies, accusing President Biden of weaponizing the federal bureaucracy. Published September 29, 2021

House Democratic bill includes hefty fines for labor violations

The House Democrats' massive social-welfare bill includes a tenfold increase in fines for companies that "willfully" or "repeatedly" violate sections of labor law dealing with hazards or serious physical harm to employees, a push that could set the table for hefty enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine rules. Published September 29, 2021

Macy’s goes to court to keep Amazon off its iconic billboard

Macy's is reportedly going to court with its landlord to stop Amazon, a major online competitor, from advertising on the billboard atop its flagship store in Manhattan. Published September 29, 2021

LeBron James confirms he got the COVID-19 vaccine, won’t try to convince others to get it

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has confirmed he received the COVID-19 vaccine after months of evasion about whether he would get it. Published September 29, 2021

Treasury’s Yellen: Congress faces hard deadline of Oct. 18 on debt

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress on Tuesday it faces a hard deadline of Oct. 18 to lift the debt limit and avoid default as Democrats and Republicans bicker about spending on Capitol Hill. Published September 28, 2021

USPS changes mean slower, costlier mail services

The U.S. Postal Service is about to get slower. Published September 28, 2021

N.Y. Gov. Hochul signs executive order to address health staffing

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to alleviate potential staffing shortages at hospitals as the state deadline for health workers to get their first COVID-19 shot passed late Monday into Tuesday. Published September 28, 2021

Delta surge drove recent vaccinations; recipients cite hospitalization or death of a friend: Poll

Americans who've been vaccinated against COVID-19 since June were more likely to point to fear of a fast-moving variant, overcrowded hospitals or the death of a loved one as the motivating factor than employer rules or full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, according to a poll released Tuesday. Published September 28, 2021

Americans with ‘natural immunity’ seek ways around COVID-19 mandates

Vaccine holdouts with some immunity from prior coronavirus infections find themselves in the muddled middle as the nation debates how far to go in mandating the shots, with some employers giving them carve-outs and blue states taking hard lines. Published September 27, 2021

Biden on high-stakes week ahead: ‘I’m a born optimist’

President Biden didn't flinch as he received a COVID-19 booster shot Monday, but the week ahead is far scarier for his party and his presidential legacy, as Washington faces the prospect of a government shutdown, default on its debts and pivotal votes on infrastructure and social welfare spending at the center of the Democrats' agenda. Published September 27, 2021

WATCH: Justice Alito, a powerhouse of influence Mollie Hemingway joins Cheryl Chumley

WATCH: Winners & losers in the race to redistrict Tim Constantine & David Bozell

LISTEN: How China’s IP theft machine really works Threat Status podcast

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.