Skip to content
Advertisement

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr. covers politics and the White House for The Washington Times. He can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this June 7, 2021, photo, demonstrators at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital in Baytown, Texas, wave at cars that honk at them to support their protest against a policy that says hospital employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs. A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, saying if workers don’t like the rule, they can go find another job. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP) **FILE**

COVID-19 mandates wade into uncertain legal territory

Public and private employers seeking to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines are bolstered by a Department of Justice opinion and high-profile victory in Texas, but their chances in court remain iffy for one big reason: The shots have not been fully approved. Published July 28, 2021

In this Monday, July 19, 2021, photo, shoppers wear masks inside of The Cool store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday, July 27, 2021, on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) **FILE**

CDC mask guidance gets mixed reaction in states

The White House and some Democratic leaders said they will adopt new federal guidelines on masking to prevent COVID-19, but the advice is landing with a thud in GOP-led regions, including ones that inspired the revision because of high transmission within their borders. Published July 28, 2021

In this Monday, July 19, 2021, photo, shoppers wear masks inside of The Cool store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday, July 27, 2021, on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) **FILE**

CDC reverses mask guidance in high-transmission areas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday advised vaccinated Americans to wear masks in schools and public indoor spaces with high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus, a major reversal of guidance issued two months ago as fears around the delta variant grow. Published July 27, 2021

Anti-government protesters march in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, July 11, 2021. As Cubans facing the country's worst economic crisis in decades took to the streets in droves over the weekend into Monday, July 12, 2021, authorities blocked social media sites in an apparent effort to stop the flow of information into, out of and within the beleaguered nation. (AP Photo/Eliana Aponte, File)

U.S., 20 nations demand the release of Cuban protesters

Foreign ministers from the U.S. and 20 other nations condemned the mass arrest and detention of Cubans participating in a wave of protests against the communist regime and the deprivations they face on the island. Published July 26, 2021

In this file photo from May 13,  2021, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio uses a press conference to tout a plan to give citizens free burgers if they get a COVID-19 vaccination. While other large cities like Los Angeles have reinstituted or are considering reinstating mask mandates, Mr. de Blasio opposes such a move, instead focusing on getting more New Yorkers fully vaccinated. (Image: NBC-4 New York live stream feed)  **FILE**

De Blasio bucks mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise

Los Angeles County and other coronavirus hotspots are reimposing mask mandates but the Big Apple, the epicenter of last year's nightmare, is a glaring exception as cases climb due to the fast-moving delta strain. Published July 22, 2021