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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.

In this Aug. 4, 2016, file photo, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, foreground, speaks during a news conference along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden, left, Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, and Fla. Surgeon General and Secretary, Dr. Celeste Philip, far right, in Doral, Fla. South Beach has been identified as second site of Zika transmission by mosquitoes on the U.S. mainland, Florida officials said Friday, Aug. 19. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Florida officials: New locally acquired Zika case near Tampa

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said his state is investigating a case of Zika virus in Pinellas County that isn't linked to travel, signaling the virus could be spreading by mosquito bite near Tampa in addition to a pair of hotspots around Miami, which is on the other side of the state. Published August 23, 2016

White House press secretary Josh Earnest speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 22, 2016. Earnest answered questions about Iran, Donald Trump and the president's upcoming visit to Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

White House urges Southern states to revolt over Zika funding

Republicans from Southern states will have to revolt against their own leaders to get a Zika deal through Congress, the White House said Monday, as Florida grappled with disease-carrying mosquitoes in a major tourist hub and Louisiana wondered if it might be next. Published August 22, 2016

Melvin Gaitan washes down alleyways in Miami Beach, one of the two Florida neighborhoods reporting mosquito-borne Zika cases. High-pressure water set to 250 degrees kills bacteria and mosquito larvae. (Associated Press)

Zika fears, misunderstandings hard to swat away

Despite a mosquito hot spot that popped up last week in Miami Beach, Florida, Zika remains overwhelmingly a travel-related disease, challenging the public's understanding of the infection and policymakers' attempts to manage the outbreak. Published August 21, 2016

Nuns and their supporters rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2016, as the court hears arguments to allow birth control in healthcare plans in the Zubik vs. Burwell case. The Supreme Court seems deeply divided over the arrangement devised by the Obama administration to spare faith-based groups from having to pay for birth control for women covered under their health plans. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Obama administration looks to tweak contraceptive mandate

Three months after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered both sides to seek out a compromise on Obamacare's birth control mandate, religious nonprofits that oppose it are mobilizing to win the fight, while the administration is saying it's ready to tweak the rules. Published August 21, 2016

In this Feb. 11, 2016, file photo, Dallas County Mosquito Lab microbiologist Spencer Lockwood sorts mosquitoes collected in a trap in Hutchins, Texas, that had been set up in Dallas County near the location of a confirmed Zika virus infection. The quest for a vaccine began less than a year ago as Brazils massive outbreak revealed that Zika, once dismissed as a nuisance virus, can harm a fetus' brain if a woman is infected during pregnancy. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Florida confirms Zika transmission in Miami Beach

Five people contracted Zika virus through mosquito bite in Miami Beach, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wrap the popular the tourist hub into its unprecedented travel warning for pregnant women. Published August 19, 2016

In this Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, photo, a pedestrian walks past a sign for Aetna Inc., at the company headquarters in Hartford, Conn. Aetna will become the latest health insurer to chop its participation in the Affordable Care Act’s public exchanges when it trims its presence to four states for 2017, from 15 this year. The nation’s third-largest insurer said late Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, that a second-quarter pre-tax loss of $200 million from its individual insurance coverage helped it decide to limit exposure to the exchanges, which also have generated losses for UnitedHealth Group and Anthem, among other carriers. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Aetna tied Obamacare participation to contentious merger in July

Aetna warned the Justice Department that it would start to bail on Obamacare if the administration blocked its proposed merger with another insurer, Humana, and then followed through on its threat, prompting President Obama's allies to accuse the company of using its customers as a bargaining chip. Published August 17, 2016

In this photo taken Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, a group of tourists from Hong Kong tour the Wynwood area of Miami. The CDC has issued a new advisory that says pregnant women should not travel to the so-called Zika "transmission area" in Florida and pregnant women who live there should take steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual spread of the virus. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Texas officials report travel-related Zika case — from Miami

A Texan who recently traveled to a part of Miami with local Zika transmission has tested positive for the virus, marking the first instance in which a traveler likely picked up the mosquito-borne virus in another U.S. state. Published August 15, 2016