Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Tom Carper, John Cornyn: U.S. must reengage with Asian trade partners
The Biden administration must reengage in the Asia-Pacific region by striking multilateral trade deals, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said Thursday, arguing U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership in January 2017 was "misguided" and emboldened China. Published May 6, 2021
Epic Stuffed Earnings: Papa John’s reports sustained demand as pandemic wanes
Papa John's pizza beat Wall Street expectations for the first quarter Thursday even though it is starting to face increased competition from reopened restaurants. Published May 6, 2021
Brian Higgins of N.Y.: Give a $5K tax credit to health workers
Rep. Brian Higgins of New York announced a bill Thursday that provides a $5,000 tax credit to frontline health workers after many of them risked their personal safety to navigate the U.S. through the COVID-19 pandemic. Published May 6, 2021
EU open to COVID-19 vaccine waiver after Biden move
The European Union said Thursday it is ready to consider waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines after President Biden threw his support behind the idea. Published May 6, 2021
Moderna: COVID-19 vaccine 96% effective in kids ages 12 to 17
Drugmaker Moderna said Thursday its COVID-19 vaccine was 96% effective in a study involving adolescents ages 12 to 17. Published May 6, 2021
Google now expects 20% of workers to stay home
Tech giant Google said it now expects roughly 20% of its employees to keep working from home after a new policy goes into effect in September. Published May 6, 2021
Yankees, Mets: Get your COVID-19 vaccine at the ballpark and get a free ticket
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said Yankee Stadium and Citi Field will begin to offer normal seating for fully vaccinated fans and give a free ticket to people who get a COVID-19 shot at the ballparks' vaccination sites. Published May 5, 2021
White House on McConnell’s opposition: ‘100% of our focus is on delivering relief’
The White House delivered a soft rebuke to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday after the Kentucky Republican said he is completely focused on "stopping" the Biden administration. Published May 5, 2021
Dr. Fauci: FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-15 likely imminent
Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Wednesday for emergency use in children ages 12 to 15 and the U.S. should be right behind it, bolstering immunity to COVID-19 and making it easier for schools to reopen. Published May 5, 2021
Steny Hoyer: Democrats ‘open’ to splitting up infrastructure package
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Wednesday said Democrats are open to splitting President Biden's big-spending infrastructure plan into smaller pieces to get it across the finish line but that it is not the preferred option. Published May 5, 2021
Trump allies launch election-security group, latest in a growing roster of MAGA advocacy groups
Former President Donald Trump's allies launched an "election integrity alliance" Wednesday to keep tabs on key states as the ex-president continues to air unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Published May 5, 2021
GM beats profit forecast despite chip shortage, cites strong market in China, North America
General Motors posted a $3 billion first-quarter profit Wednesday, beating Wall Street expectations amid a semiconductor shortage that held back operations. Published May 5, 2021
Indian minister pivots to virtual G-7 meeting after COVID-19 exposure
India's external affairs minister attended Group of 7 meetings in London virtually Wednesday after learning he might have been exposed to the coronavirus by other members of his delegation. Published May 5, 2021
South Korea health agency: One dose of Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine highly effective
A single dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca was highly effective in staving off infection among people aged 60 and older, South Korea said Wednesday, adding to the bank of data that show the shots are working in the real world. Published May 5, 2021
Coronavirus vaccine incentives offered for holdouts: Money, beer, gift cards
Still leery of the COVID-19 vaccine? State workers in Maryland will be $100 richer if they get a shot, while Connecticut residents will be drinkin' good in the neighborhood if they flash their vaccination card at Applebee's and other eateries. Published May 4, 2021
Joe Biden wants 70% of U.S. adults to get one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4
President Biden said Tuesday he wants at least 70% of U.S. adults to be partly vaccinated with one COVID-19 shot by July 4, the holiday he pinpointed as a starting point for normalcy after the globally disruptive pandemic. Published May 4, 2021
Joe Biden to let other states tap into unordered COVID-19 vaccines
The Biden administration will start to offer unordered COVID-19 vaccines to states that want them, a major attempt to address regional mismatches in demand. Published May 4, 2021
Joe Biden wants to make Obamacare subsidies permanent
President Biden wants his supersized Obamacare subsidies to last forever, proving his push to inject cash into the program was not so much a balm for pandemic pains as a push to fix glaring affordability gaps in the 2010 law. Published May 3, 2021
Long pandemic lockdowns not the answer, lawmakers, doctors, disease trackers agree
The U.S. shut down much of the economy, and still more than half a million Americans died from COVID-19 while children lost out on school, shops shuttered and Congress spent $6 trillion on relief, sparking a consensus that prolonged lockdowns cannot be the treatment of choice for future pandemics. Published May 3, 2021
European Union mulls move to welcome vaccinated travelers from U.S., other countries
The European Commission proposed Monday to open member countries to vaccinated tourists from the U.S. and other places by early summer, while including an "emergency brake" in case the COVID-19 picture suddenly worsens from aggressive new variants. Published May 3, 2021
