Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Brian Kemp opens ‘cyber crimes’ probe into Georgia Democrats
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a Republican locked in a tough race for governor, has opened an investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia, citing "possible cyber crimes" after it detected a failed attempt to hack voter-registration systems. Published November 4, 2018
Chris Van Hollen downplays Democrats’ chances of taking Senate control
Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Democrats could retake the Senate on Tuesday but he's realistic about their dim prospects, calling it the "toughest political map any one party has faced in 60 years." Published November 4, 2018
NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds voters want Democrats to control Congress
Democrats hold a 7-point edge over Republicans as voters decide which party should control Congress, according to a poll released Sunday that finds record enthusiasm on both sides. Published November 4, 2018
Stacey Abrams rejects Donald Trump claim she’s ‘not qualified’ for Georgia governor
Stacey Abrams, a Democrat running in Georgia, rejected President Trump's claim she is "not qualified" to become governor, citing her accomplishments in law school, business and minority leader in the state House of Representatives. Published November 4, 2018
Kevin de Leon, Dianne Feinstein challenger, wins Republicans’ support in California Senate race
California State Sen. Kevin de Leon is running far to the left -- yet he's winning over Republicans in his bid to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein next week, in one of the weirder bits of fallout from the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. Published November 1, 2018
Daniel Best, senior adviser in charge of drug-pricing plan, has died
Daniel Best, the senior adviser in charge of President Trump's campaign to slash drug prices, has died, the administration said Thursday. Published November 1, 2018
Obama steps into midterm fight over health law, pre-existing conditions
Former President Obama on Thursday stepped into the midterm fight over insurance for sicker Americans, saying protections built into his signature health law are "absolutely at stake" on Election Day. Published November 1, 2018
Spike in Obamacare sign-ups this year unlikely, say experts
Obamacare is polling better and the premiums are no longer soaring, but experts don't forecast a sign-up boom when the new enrollment season kicks off Thursday. Published October 31, 2018
Trump administration lets Wisconsin condition Medicaid benefits on work requirements
The Trump administration approved Wisconsin's request to impose work requirements on some Medicaid enrollees, making it the fourth state to condition benefits on seeking a job or volunteering in the community. Published October 31, 2018
C.L. Butch Otter supports expanding Medicaid in Idaho
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, a Republican, used to say that accepting Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid would be a betrayal of his state's independence — and a severe drain on its budget. Published October 30, 2018
Pipe bombs, synagogue shooting result of heated rhetoric
Moments after President Trump called for an end to the politics of personal destruction at a rally in North Carolina late Friday, the crowd broke into the president's trademark Hillary Clinton chant: "Lock her up!" Published October 28, 2018
Robert Bowers, Pittsburgh gunman, wanted ‘all Jews to die’
The gunman who opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday killed a 97-year-old woman and 10 others while shouting about genocide and "his desire to kill Jewish people," authorities reported Sunday, as city officials vowed to triumph over anyone who divides their denizens based on how they pray. Published October 28, 2018
Ben Ray Lujan, DCCC chair, ‘confident’ Democrats will win House control in midterm elections
Rep. Ben Ray Lujan on Sunday said he's "confident" that Democrats will win back the House majority on Election Day, citing voter energy and the caliber of his side's candidates. Published October 28, 2018
Donald Trump mocks ‘Wacky’ Tom Steyer despite calls for calmer tone
President Trump showed no signs of pulling back on his strident political attacks Sunday, despite pleas to do so after a week of real and potential violence. On Twitter, he labeled liberal California donor Tom Steyer as being "wacky" and unstable in a CNN interview Sunday morning. Published October 28, 2018
Kirstjen Nielsen says migrant caravan ‘not getting in’
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday said the migrant caravan marching through Mexico to the U.S. is "not getting in." "There a legal way to get into this country. Those who choose to enter illegally will be stopped," Ms. Nielsen told Fox News Sunday. Published October 28, 2018
Chris Coons, James Lankford warn political rhetoric inspiring violence
Senators in both parties said Sunday they're worried that political rhetoric from all sides is dividing people and tempting them to commit dangerous or uncivil acts. Published October 28, 2018
George Soros targeting by Donald Trump, Republicans ‘no accident,’ Adam Schiff says
Rep. Adam Schiff of California on Sunday said President Trump preaches unity in the wake of the tragedy but flirts with danger every morning by stoking divisions on Twitter and mocking George Soros, a prominent Jewish donor for Democrats and target of political attacks from the GOP. Published October 28, 2018
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims identified
The gunman who opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue killed eight men and three women, including a 97-year-old, and made statements "regarding genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people," authorities said Sunday. Published October 28, 2018
Trump meddling nudged Obamacare rates higher: Study
President Trump's fiddling with Obamacare will cause premiums for mid-tier health plans to be 16 percent higher than they would have been if he'd left the program alone, a nonpartisan study said Friday. Published October 26, 2018
WHO on Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Violence ‘severely’ impeding response
The World Health Organization on Friday said a series of clashes in Ebola-affected parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo are impeding the response but that it won't back down from the fight or slash its footprint of 250 staff members in the region. Published October 26, 2018
