Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Israel, South Korea strike a novel vaccine-swap deal
South Korea and Israel announced a vaccine swap Tuesday that will send 700,000 expiring COVID-19 doses to the Asian nation as it tries to accelerate its rollout. Published July 6, 2021
Biden: We need to fight COVID-19 ‘neighborhood by neighborhood’
President Biden said Tuesday he is launching a "door-to-door" fight against COVID-19, making shots available to more doctors' offices and pharmacies in a scramble to reach unvaccinated Americans as dangerous variants threaten new outbreaks. Published July 6, 2021
Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project, chooses Howard after N. Carolina tenure fight
Nikole Hannah-Jones will join the faculty at Howard University in Washington, D.C., with tenure, the school announced Tuesday, a notable twist after a rocky debate over the journalist's status at the University of North Carolina following her New York Times project that reexamined U.S. history through the lens of slavery. Published July 6, 2021
Andy Slavitt: Full FDA licenses, global threat to the young may boost lagging COVID-19 vaccine rates
Former Biden adviser Andy Slavitt said Tuesday that a mix of complacency among people younger than 25 and wariness about side effects from the COVID-19 shots is to blame for lagging vaccination rates in the U.S. Published July 6, 2021
Tropical Storm Elsa heads for Florida’s west coast, may complicate condo-collapse search to the east
Tropical Storm Elsa swept off Cuba and headed for Florida's west coast on Tuesday, bringing rains and winds that could complicate the search at the condo collapse site in Surfside. Published July 6, 2021
NYC crime wave triggers rethink of racial-justice policing changes: ‘They made a mistake’
Stray bullets in Times Square and widespread violence in the city are evoking New York's bleakest days, forcing leaders to fine-tune recent changes to policing and rethink revolving-door policies that send prisoners back to the ZIP codes where they committed crimes. Published July 5, 2021
‘We’re back’: Biden uses July 4th cookout to reflect on ‘how far we’ve come’
President Biden told Americans to reflect on "how far we've come" in a White House cookout designed to contrast the depths of the pandemic with Sunday's family reunions and carefree cookouts -- even as COVID-19 vaccination rates lag in places and a fast-moving variant threatens new peril. Published July 4, 2021
Shelter-in-place orders didn’t save lives during the pandemic, research paper concludes
A little-noticed study says government orders to "shelter in place" during the COVID-19 fight did not save lives and actually spurred an uptick in excess deaths in some places, especially overseas. Published July 3, 2021
Biden’s approval steady at 50%; gets high marks on pandemic, fails on immigration: Poll
President Biden's approval rating is holding steady around 50% and more than two-thirds of Americans fear that democracy is "under threat," according to a new poll. Published July 2, 2021
Biden: ‘Lives will be lost’ due to delta threat, promotes vaccination
President Biden said Friday that "lives will be lost" because of the fast-moving delta variant of the coronavirus but that it shouldn't dampen July Fourth celebrations for the vaccinated. Published July 2, 2021
Jobs rose by 850,000 in June, better than expected growth
Employers added a better-than-expected 850,000 jobs in June, the Labor Department reported Friday in another indication that the U.S. economy is heating up. Published July 2, 2021
U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson faces suspension over marijuana, could miss 100M race in Tokyo
U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended for a month after testing positive for marijuana following her headline-grabbing performance in the 100-meter qualifying race -- a shocking twist ahead of the Tokyo Games. Published July 2, 2021
India’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 400K; data show J&J shot effective against variant
India's death toll surpassed 400,000 on Friday as the nation tries to recover from a devastating spring outbreak fueled by a coronavirus variant that is wreaking havoc around the world. Published July 2, 2021
U.S. sends less than half of 80 million promised vaccines by deadline
The Biden administration failed to export 80 million COVID-19 vaccines by the end of June, as promised, but officials on Thursday said doses have been assigned to nations and will arrive once recipients clear bureaucratic hurdles. Published July 1, 2021
WHO: Euro soccer tourney fueling spread of COVID-19
The World Health Organization said Thursday it is worried that the European soccer championship is fueling the spread of the coronavirus amid fears about the fast-moving delta strain. Published July 1, 2021
Allen Weisselberg, Trump Organization CFO, surrenders ahead of an indictment
Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, surrendered to Manhattan prosecutors Thursday ahead of charges tied to a probe into former President Donald Trump's businesses and alleged tax crimes. Published July 1, 2021
Pa. court overturns Cosby’s conviction, releases him from prison
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby's sexual-assault conviction Wednesday, ruling that an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case. Published June 30, 2021
CDC chief: Vaccinated persons are protected from the delta variant
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that vaccines are effective against the delta variant of the coronavirus and there aren't data suggesting people who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson version need to get a booster. Published June 30, 2021
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un hints at ‘great crisis’ over the coronavirus
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday said lapses in the country's approach to COVID-19 sparked a "crisis" and "grave consequences," sparking new questions about the secretive nation's response to the pandemic. Published June 30, 2021
Eric Adams’ lead narrows in corrected NYC mayor’s race as Trump ties mess to his 2020 plight
The New York City elections board scrambled Wednesday to recount Democratic primary votes for mayor after it mistakenly included "test" ballots in its first attempt to process ranked choices, hurling a new primary system into chaos and fueling former President Donald Trump's claims of fraud at the national level. Published June 30, 2021
