Skip to content

Listen Now

Threat Status podcast: The Pentagon-Silicon Valley divide and who blinks first on AI?

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.

Mourners placed flowers at a makeshift memorial Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, near where a driver suspected of being intoxicated hit a group of pedestrians and another car outside a church as a Christmas service ended Wednesday night in Redondo Beach, Calif. Three people were killed and several others were injured including five children, police said. Margo Bronstein, 56, was arrested after the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, Redondo Beach police Lt. Shawn Freeman said. (Associated Press) **FILE**

HHS data: Driving while intoxicated on a steady decline

The share of Americans driving under the influence is steadily declining, the government said Tuesday in a report that nonetheless finds tens of millions of adults still get behind the wheel after using drugs or alcohol. Published December 27, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump dismissed the Export-Import Bank on the campaign trail as "featherbedding" for politicians and huge companies that don't need the help. (Associated Press)

Donald Trump may deal death blow to Ex-Im Bank

President-elect Donald Trump will step into a congressional civil war over the fate of the Export-Import Bank next year, caught between Democrats and Republican centrists who say the headstrong mogul can use the government-chartered lender to put "America first" and conservatives who say it is time for the agency to fade into oblivion. Published December 26, 2016

In this Oct. 19, 2016, photo, Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell speaks during a news conference at the HHS in Washington. The Obama administration says 6.4 million people have signed up so far this year for subsidized private insurance coverage through HealthCare.gov. Despite rising premiums, dwindling insurers, and a Republican vow to repeal Obamacare, enrollment is running ahead of last years pace. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

HHS touts ‘record’ Obamacare signups amid headwinds

Signups on the federal Obamacare website are outpacing last year's, enthusing Obama administration officials who said political headwinds and "doomsday predictions" haven't scared off Americans who could benefit from the program in 2017. Published December 21, 2016

House Science Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington in this June 7, 2012, file photo. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

House GOP accuses Energy Dept. of political intimidation

The administration fired one of its employees for telling the truth to Congress, GOP lawmakers charged Tuesday, saying President Obama's political appointees were upset she backed a radiation program popular on Capitol Hill but which the Energy Department had wanted to ax. Published December 20, 2016

This October 2015 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a packet of cocaine hidden in a bag of ground coffee in Miami. Three bags of roasted, ground coffee arriving at Miami International Airport in a package from Guatemala in October were actually filled with more than 3 pounds of heroin, customs officials said. Customs officials said they noticed anomalies during an X-ray and felt that the weight of the three bags was different from that of others in the shipment. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

Cocaine use may be ‘reemerging’ threat, government report finds

Roughly one in 20 young adults in America reported using cocaine in the past year, according to an Obama administration report Tuesday that says 16 states saw an uptick while use in other states stayed flat, with no decreases reported in any state or region. Published December 20, 2016

In this Dec. 16, 2016, photo, Puerto Rico resident Michelle Flandez covers with a blanket her 2-month-old son Inti Perez, diagnosed with microcephaly linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Experts estimate it can cost several million dollars to care for a baby with Zika-related birth defects, and one of the biggest concerns is babies like Inti could develop other disabilities as they grow, burdening Puerto Rico's already strained health system breaking under an exodus of doctors fleeing for the U.S. mainland. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

California push to cover illegals under Obamacare may fail

Time is running out for the administration to approve California's push to allow illegal immigrants to use its Obamacare exchange, likely dooming the effort as President Obama prepares to hand the reins over to President-elect Donald Trump. Published December 19, 2016

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, center, stands with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., left, and U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., while talking to reporters during a visit to Tops Diner to talk about the Affordable Care Act, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, in East Newark, N.J. Rep. Payne Jr. died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Obama, allies dismiss talk of Obamacare repeal

The Obama administration and its allies are brushing aside talk of Obamacare repeal as they barrel ahead with a pivotal 2017 enrollment season, urging customers to sign up by Thursday to be covered by Jan. 1 and avoid penalties in the new year, even as Republicans promise relief from the law's mandates in concert with President-elect Donald Trump. Published December 14, 2016

In this photo taken Thursday, June 21, 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin presents ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson with a Russian medal at an award ceremony of heads and employees of energy companies at the St. Petersburg economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. An aide to President Vladimir Putin praised United States President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Rex Tillerson to lead the State Department and says that the businessman is well regarded by many Russian officials. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Rex Tillerson will get fair hearing for State job, Sen. Chris Coons says

Sen. Chris Coons on Tuesday said President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, brings "deep and broad" experience to foreign negotiations and will receive a fair and open confirmation process before the Senate. Published December 13, 2016

In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

White House says Obamacare is saving lives

The Obama administration pressured Obamacare's foes Tuesday to think twice about repealing the law in the new year, releasing a report that argues the 6-year-old reforms saved lives by covering millions and ushered in a raft of benefits that will save people money. Published December 13, 2016

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks to the media after the Senate Policy Luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016 in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley) ** FILE **

Mitch McConnell: Senate to probe reports of Russia hacking

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed the U.S. intelligence community Monday and called for a bipartisan probe into Russian meddling in the run-up to the November election, as the fallout from campaign cyberattacks roiled Congress amid a quiet holiday break. Published December 12, 2016

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks on Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, during the signing ceremony for the 21st Century Cures Act. From left are, McConnell, Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., and Max Schill, 7, who suffers from Noonan Syndrome. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Congress passes bill to avert government shutdown

The Senate overcame a late revolt by coal-state Democrats and passed a stopgap spending bill Friday that keeps federal agencies running into April, averting a partial government shutdown with less than an hour to spare. Published December 9, 2016

The Capitol Building as seen in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

House votes to avert government shutdown; Senate fights loom

Democrats' anger petered out Thursday as the House passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open for nearly five more months, paving the way for Congress to wrap up and head home to prepare for a change of power in the White House next year. Published December 8, 2016

In this Feb. 4, 2014, photo, U.S. Surgeon General appointee Vivek Murthy appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. The U.S. surgeon general is calling e-cigarettes an emerging public health threat to the nation's youth. In a report being released Thursday, Murthy acknowledges a need for more research into the health effects of "vaping," but says e-cigarettes aren't harmless and too many teens are using them. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Surgeon general sounds the alarm over e-cigarettes

An "alarming" rate of teenagers and young adults are using electronic cigarettes, according to an Obama administration report Thursday that says one in six high school student use "e-cigs" or "vapes" despite strides in cutting the use of traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products. Published December 8, 2016

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La., speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Democrats gird for ‘war’ over Medicare, point to Donald Trump’s vows

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday seized on Medicare as a winning issue after a bruising 2016 election, saying any GOP push to overhaul the program is doomed and would flout President-elect Donald Trump's campaign vow to lay off government programs for seniors. Published December 7, 2016