Skip to content
TRENDING:
Donald Trump
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.

Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. South Korea on Friday declared a "special management zone" around a southeastern city where a surging viral outbreak, largely linked to a church in Daegu, threatens to overwhelm the region's health system. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Virus cases spike in South Korea, linked to a shadowy church

South Korea's tally of coronavirus cases has quadrupled in three days and Iran's death toll climbed to four, the World Health Organization said, raising fears of global transmission despite signs of improvement at the epicenter in China. Published February 21, 2020

Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant against the new coronavirus in front of a church in Daegu, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The mayor of the South Korean city of Daegu urged its 2.5 million people on Thursday to refrain from going outside as cases of the new virus spike. (Kim Jun-beom/Yonhap via AP)

Daegu, South Korea declared coronavirus ‘special management zone’

South Korea has declared the southeast city of Daegu and the surrounding region as a "special management zone" following a surge in infections of the new coronavirus that city officials say threaten to overwhelm the region's health system. Published February 20, 2020

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), addresses the media during a press conference at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 on the situation regarding to the new coronavirus. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) **FILE**

New coronavirus concerns in S. Korea, Japan as Chinese cases ebb

The rate of new coronavirus cases in China is dropping but officials are eyeing flare-ups in other places, as South Korea reported dozens of cases in its fourth-largest city and Japan said two former cruise-ship passengers have died from the illness. Published February 20, 2020

In this Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, photo, Thai public health officers operate a health checkpoint with thermo scan, targeting to pick people traveling with fever, a symptom of COVID-19 at Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai Public Health Ministry on Monday, Feb 17, 2020, informed Thais to reschedule their visits to Japan and Singapore citing the rising number of people infected by new coronavirus in those two countries. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Coronavirus threatens to global economy as Iran reports 2 deaths

The chief of the International Monetary Fund dubbed the Chinese coronavirus "our most pressing uncertainty" as Iran reported two deaths, Japan let cruise ship passengers out of quarantine, and European sportswear brands said they were taking a hit from the truly global outbreak. Published February 19, 2020

French lab scientists in hazmat gear inserting liquid in test tube manipulate potentially infected patient samples at Pasteur Institute in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Scientists at the Pasteur Institute developed and shared a quick test for the new virus that is spreading worldwide, and are using genetic information about the coronavirus to develop a potential vaccine and treatments. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Coronavirus vaccine effort gets Trump administration boost

The Trump administration accelerated efforts to contain the threat of the coronavirus from China on Tuesday, saying it will direct funding to French drugmaker Sanofi in the search for an effective vaccine and test whether therapies for SARS or related illnesses can be targeted against the deadly new threat. Published February 18, 2020

Buses carrying U.S. passengers who were aboard the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess, seen in background, leaves Yokohama port, near Tokyo, early Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. The cruise ship was carrying nearly 3,500 passengers and crew members under quarantine. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP)

Americans off Diamond Princess cruise ship face U.S. quarantine

The U.S. government sent planes Sunday to retrieve Americans trapped aboard a cruise ship in Japan ravaged by COVID-19, springing hundreds of citizens from their docked despondency while sparking another round of pique by forcing them into another two weeks of quarantine at home. Published February 16, 2020

Residents wait to enter a checkpoint with a sign which reads "Returnees to Beijing registration point" in Beijing, China Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. China is struggling to restart its economy after the annual Lunar New Year holiday was extended to try to keep people home and contain novel coronavirus. Traffic remained light in Beijing, and many people were still working at home. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

China reports huge spike in Coronavirus cases, deaths after changing Hubei criteria

There hasn't been a "significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak" of COVID-19, global health officials said Thursday, even as China reported thousands more cases under new criteria that officials adopted, Japan reported its first death from the disease and the number of U.S. cases continued to climb. Published February 13, 2020

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2018, file photo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly listens during a meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean defectors in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The White House says Trump remains confident in Kelly even though Kelly defended an aide who'd been accused of domestic abuse by his two ex-wives. Spokesman Raj Shah says Trump was not aware of the allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter until Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

John Kelly unloads on President Trump

President Trump's former Chief of Staff John F. Kelly said late Wednesday the National Security Council staffer ousted from the White House was just doing his job when he raised concerns about the president's July phone call with the Ukrainian president. Published February 13, 2020