Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal questions Pete Hegseth’s money management, cites massive DoD budget
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut cast doubt Tuesday on nominee Pete Hegseth's ability to run the Department of Defense, pointing to claims of financial mismanagement when President-elect Donald Trump's pick ran a pair of veterans' groups. Published January 14, 2025
Protesters interrupt Pete Hegseth’s opening statement at high-stakes confirmation hearing
Protesters interrupted Pete Hegseth's opening testimony Tuesday at his confirmation hearing to be President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary, drawing repeated rebukes from the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Published January 14, 2025
Ex-special counsel Jack Smith issues final report, says Trump was not exonerated
Former special counsel Jack Smith says President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an "unprecedented" effort to overturn the voters' will in 2020 and would have been convicted at trial if he had not won in November. Published January 14, 2025
Arizona AG to DOJ: Jack Smith might be done, but I want his file for 2020 election case
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told the U.S. Justice Department on Monday that she wants special counsel Jack Smith's case file to support her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump's allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Published January 13, 2025
Abbott bucks Biden’s Carter tribute, orders Texas flags up for Trump inauguration
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he is ordering flags to be raised to full-staff on Jan. 20, saying it is vital to celebrate President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration despite a 30-day period of national mourning for the late President Jimmy Carter. Published January 13, 2025
Incoming first lady Melania Trump says she is better-prepared for second term
Incoming first lady Melania Trump said Monday she is entering the White House more confidently than she did eight years ago and will expand her social media and anti-bullying campaign in her husband's second term. Published January 13, 2025
Trump defiant as judge delivers no-jail felony sentence ahead of inauguration
A defiant President-elect Donald Trump received his no-jail sentence Friday in a surreal and historic hearing just days before his return to Washington as the leader of the free world. Published January 10, 2025
Trump set to face criminal reckoning, but no jail time, on N.Y. convictions
President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced Friday by a New York judge for the felony convictions handed down by a Manhattan jury last spring. Published January 10, 2025
Supreme Court declines to stop Trump sentencing in N.Y.
The Supreme Court declined Thursday to intervene on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump, who'd asked the justices to halt his scheduled Friday sentencing on felony convictions in New York. Published January 9, 2025
Biden hails late President Jimmy Carter as a visionary and man of character
President Biden hailed President Jimmy Carter for his remarkable rise from a modest childhood to a "life of purpose," during a state funeral Thursday attended by all living former presidents, including President-elect Donald Trump. Published January 9, 2025
Manhattan DA to Supreme Court: No reasons to delay Trump sentencing any further
President-elect Donald Trump has no grounds to delay his sentencing for yet another time, Manhattan prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Thursday as the justices decide whether to block his sentencing hearing ahead of the inauguration. Published January 9, 2025
Mexican president hits back at Trump over Gulf of America idea
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded Wednesday to President-elect Donald Trump's plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico by offering a proposal of her own: Call the U.S. "America Mexicana." Published January 8, 2025
Trump asks Supreme Court to halt New York criminal proceedings ahead of sentencing
President-elect Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to halt his criminal proceedings in New York, two days before his scheduled sentencing by New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan. Published January 8, 2025
Obamacare enrollment hits another record in 2025 as Biden finishes term
The Biden administration says nearly 24 million Americans selected a health plan for 2025 through Obamacare, marking another banner year for the program before President-elect Donald Trump and GOP majorities decide whether to weaken the Democrats' prized law. Published January 8, 2025
N.Y. appellate judge refuses to postpone Trump’s sentencing for hush money conviction
A New York appeals court denied President-elect Donald Trump's request for a stay of his sentencing hearing later this week, a major blow to the leader-in-waiting before his inauguration. Published January 7, 2025
Federal judge temporarily blocks release of Jack Smith’s report on Trump
A federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the Department of Justice from releasing special counsel Jack Smith's final report on probes into President-elect Donald Trump. Published January 7, 2025
Trump seeks last-minute relief from New York appeals court
President-elect Donald Trump petitioned a New York appeals court on Tuesday to dismiss his hush money conviction because of his status as president-in-waiting. Published January 7, 2025
Meta moves to reduce censorship on Facebook, will adopt ‘community notes’ model
Meta announced major changes Tuesday to its monitoring and curbing of speech and political content, calling it a return to its "roots" in support of free expression. Published January 7, 2025
N.Y. judge refuses to delay Trump sentencing as defense appeals other decisions
Judge Juan Merchan refused Monday to delay President-elect Donald Trump's criminal sentencing, setting up a last-minute battle in the appeals courts for a reprieve before the inauguration. Published January 6, 2025
Trump, seizing on Trudeau’s resignation, says Canada should merge with U.S. into a ‘great nation’
President-elect Donald Trump used Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation Monday to push for the unification of the U.S. and Canada. Published January 6, 2025
