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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.

Demonstrators unfold signs to protest the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Tokyo doctors: Don’t hold Olympics this summer

A major Japanese medical group said Monday the Tokyo Summer Games should be canceled because medical centers that treat COVID-19 are "already full and there is almost no room to spare" for an influx of visitors. Published May 18, 2021

In this April 6, 2020, file photo, a customer wearing a mask carries his purchases as he leaves a Target store during the coronavirus pandemic, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Target stores drop mask rule for vaccinated customers

Target says it will no longer require fully vaccinated customers to wear masks unless the local government requires it, joining the likes of Walmart, Starbucks and Costco in loosening in-store rules after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suddenly relaxed its COVID-19 guidance last week. Published May 17, 2021

Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Secretary of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo participate in a roundtable with women-led small business owners Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

U.S., EU agree to talks, truce in steel and aluminum dispute

The U.S. and the European Union agreed Monday to begin talks on steel and aluminum supply in a bid to smooth over trade relations and lift tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on national security grounds. Published May 17, 2021

The sight of protective masks in public will start to fade away as totally vaccinated Americans feel safe to go out without them. (Associated Press/File)

CDC: Mask policy driven by ‘evolving science,’ not Joe Biden

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flipped the script on masks based on plummeting cases and "evolving science" about the COVID-19 vaccines, its director said Sunday, attempting to quell suspicion that the administration whisked out the guidance to give President Biden a win in a rough week. Published May 16, 2021

A health worker arranges the empty Covishield vaccines for COVID-19 after administers at the press club in Gauhati, India, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

WHO presses wealthier nations to share COVID-19 vaccines

The World Health Organization told wealthier nations Friday to consider donating COVID-19 vaccines to global-sharing programs instead of vaccinating younger persons at low risk of developing severe disease. Published May 14, 2021

In this April 22, 2021, file photo, White Plains High School students walk between classes in White Plains, N.Y. Dozens of school districts around the country have eliminated requirements for students to wear masks, and many more are likely to ditch mask requirements before the next academic year. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

CDC chief: OK for vaccinated parents to model mask behavior for kids

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it is an OK idea for fully vaccinated parents to keep wearing their masks -- despite new guidance saying they don't have to -- if it helps their kids maintain the practice while they wait for vaccines in their age group. Published May 14, 2021

Residents visit the Yangtze River in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Monday, March 29, 2021. (Chinatopix Via AP) ** FILE **

Scientists: We need a better probe into the coronavirus’ origins

The world of science has learned plenty about how the coronavirus behaves and spreads, but "more investigation is still needed to determine the origin of the pandemic," a group of 18 scientists from top universities and medical centers said Friday. Published May 14, 2021

A customer enters a store with a face mask required sign displayed in Dallas, in this Tuesday, March 2, 2021, file photo. Although nearly a fifth of U.S. states don't require people to wear masks to protect against COVID-19, some businesses are requiring employees and customers to be masked on their premises. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Retail, grocery union airs concern about mask revision

A labor union for grocery and retail workers says it fears the Biden administration's decision to relax its mask rules for COVID-19 vaccinated persons will put its members at risk because unvaccinated persons will use it as an excuse to ditch their face coverings. Published May 14, 2021

Visitors wearing face masks leave the Alamo, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in San Antonio. Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is lifting a mask mandate and lifting business capacity limits next week. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) **FILE**

CDC: Fully vaccinated don’t need masks indoors or outdoors

Fully vaccinated people can ditch their masks and ignore physical distancing both outdoors and indoors, the Biden administration said Thursday in a dramatic shift for a federal team that has been panned as overly cautious and a drag on the return to normal life. Published May 13, 2021