Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Donald Trump’s Republican convention unlike any other
Though Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," harks back to another time, his coronation in Ohio felt like a groundbreaking affair. The Jumbotron screens were bigger, the security was tighter and Twitter messages flashed across the top of Quicken Loans Arena. Published July 24, 2016
NBA pulls All-Star Game from Charlotte over North Carolina transgender bathroom law
The National Basketball Association on Thursday pulled the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carolina, over the state's "bathroom bill," a law requiring that intimate public facilities be segregated on the basis of biological sex, not gender self-identification. Published July 21, 2016
Paul Ryan struggles to pitch House Republicans’ agenda
House Republicans were counting on their own agenda to help put some distance between themselves and Donald Trump, but their six-plank plan, which Speaker Paul D. Ryan and fellow leaders released last month with great fanfare inside the Beltway, has landed with a thud elsewhere. Published July 20, 2016
RNC merchandise mirrors Republican divide
One of the best-sellers at Johnny Moore's souvenir stand outside the Republican National Convention features an American flag logo that, oddly enough, isn't even being used by Donald Trump's campaign anymore. Published July 20, 2016
Rob Portman: Sunny Cleveland days belie ‘underlying problem’ of opioids
Fresh off passage of his signature opioids bill, Sen. Rob Portman shirked a victory lap outside the Republican National Convention on Wednesday and warned that overdoses from prescription painkillers and heroin continue to kill scores of Ohioans. Published July 20, 2016
Paul Ryan: Donald Trump offers alternative to ‘third Obama term’
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, hoping to unite a clearly divided GOP, offered a full-throated defense of his party's ideas late Tuesday, saying the only way to fight poverty, repeal Obamacare and offer a "better way" to America is to banish a "third Obama term" by dismissing Hillary Clinton and linking arms with Donald Trump. Published July 19, 2016
Mitch McConnell launches all-out assault on Hillary Clinton
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell launched an all-out assault on presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton late Tuesday and said the only way to repeal Obamacare, realign the Supreme Court and defund Planned Parenthood is to elect Donald Trump, even as members of his own caucus steer clear of the nominating festivities. Published July 19, 2016
Donald Trump could end Pennsylvania’s GOP losing streak
From hard-scrabble Scranton to coal country near Johnstown, voters in Pennsylvania are fired up about Donald Trump, giving GOP delegates from the Keystone State a palpable belief they can notch their first home-state win in a presidential race since 1988. Published July 19, 2016
NRA endorses Paul Ryan in primary race, backs him after House duel over gun control
The National Rifle Association endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan for re-election to his congressional seat Tuesday, saying the "lifelong outdoorsman and avid hunter" can be trusted to stave off gun-control measures favored by President Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Published July 19, 2016
Queen and Sony say Donald Trump used song ‘We are the Champions’ without permission
Legendary rock group Queen and its publishing company say Donald Trump didn't get permission to use "We are the Champions" for his bombastic entrance late Monday at the Republican National Convention. Published July 19, 2016
John Kasich not appearing with Donald Trump in Cleveland
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is a man about town in and around Cleveland this week, making the rounds of the delegations to the Republican National Convention, but he's deliberately shied away from the man of the hour -- Donald Trump. Published July 18, 2016
Donald Trump to introduce wife Melania in Cleveland and return to NYC
Donald Trump will fly to the Republican National Convention on Monday to join his wife, Melania, on stage as the campaign kicks off a four-day affair designed to introduce the mogul to a broad swath of America that is still taking measure of the man. Published July 18, 2016
CDC: In a first, woman passed Zika to man through sex
A New York City woman infected a man with Zika through sex, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, adding a new layer to what scientists know about the latest public health scare. Published July 15, 2016
Senate Democrats maintain filibuster, block Zika deal for second time
Senate Democrats on Thursday voted to maintain their weeks-long filibuster of Zika-fighting money, sending Congress home for a seven-week recess without any additional funding for vaccine research or mosquito eradication. Published July 14, 2016
Paul Ryan’s health care blueprint is ‘starting point,’ House GOP says
House Republicans say their long-awaited plan to replace Obamacare is generating enough buzz to be a springboard for legislative work in 2017, so long as the election goes their way, though members say the election-year proposal is a "starting point" and not a shovel-ready plan. Published July 13, 2016
Opioid bill breezes through Senate after Democrats abandon spending demands
A long-awaited bill to combat the prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic breezed through the Senate on Wednesday and onto President Obama's desk, delivering a major win to Republican leaders who stared down Democrats itching for a fight over spending. Published July 13, 2016
CDC study: Olympics unlikely to spark Zika virus tranmission; four nations at risk, though
The Olympic Games in Brazil are unlikely to spark the global spread of the Zika virus, even though up to 500,000 visitors and athletes from more than 200 countries will travel to the epicenter of the mosquito-borne outbreak next month, the Centers for Disease Control said Wednesday. Published July 13, 2016
Senate advances bill to tackle opioid addiction
A long-awaited bill to combat the prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic breezed through a Senate test vote Wednesday, clearing the way for final passage and President Obama's signature. Published July 13, 2016
Mike Enzi to propose bipartisan overhaul of Congress’ budget process
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi on Wednesday will propose the first bipartisan overhaul of Congress' budget process in four decades, saying lawmakers should outline two years of spending at a time and then stick to their plans. Published July 12, 2016
Obama pushes Congress on health care ‘public option,’ Medicaid expansion
President Obama urged Congress on Monday to both preserve and build on his health care legacy, saying insurance remains out of reach for millions despite the lofty goals of his signature domestic achievement. Published July 11, 2016
