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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 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

Sen. Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Planned Parenthood targets Pat Toomey with $1.3 million ad buy

Planned Parenthood's campaign arm targeted incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey on Monday with a $1.3 million ad buy in Pennsylvania that says his anti-abortion stance is "dangerous for women" and doctors who provide the service. Published August 15, 2016

President Obama speaks during a briefing on the ongoing response to the Zika virus with members of his public health team in the Oval Office of the White House on July 1, 2016. Joining Obama are Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (left) and Dr. Tom Frieden (center), director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Obama admin cuts AIDS, drug rehab funding for Zika fight

The Obama administration is siphoning millions from AIDS programs, home-heating aid for poor Americans and drug-abuse treatment to keep the fight against the Zika virus moving amid a Capitol Hill standoff over more money to fight the global health scare. Published August 12, 2016

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press) **FILE**

Zika vaccine to be funded by siphoning medical research funds

The Obama administration said Thursday it will begin siphoning money from critical medical research accounts to prop up the fight against Zika, as Republicans and Democrats continued to accuse each other of posturing in the face of a global health scare that's reached the U.S. mainland. Published August 11, 2016

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden (center) with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (left) and Florida Surgeon General and Secretary Dr. Celeste Philip, said no one should be surprised if more infections are detected despite and urged pregnant women to stay away from the area. (Associated Press)

Zika mosquito spraying working in Florida, officials say

Federal and state officials said Thursday that aerial spraying "killed a lot of mosquitoes" that might be carrying the Zika virus across Miami, as President Obama and his Democratic allies prodded Republicans to return from a summer recess and cut a deal over federal funding to combat the disease. Published August 4, 2016

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden, center, gestures as he speaks with members of the media after a news conference, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Doral, Fla. The CDC has warned expectant mothers to steer clear of the city's Wynwood neighborhood, where at least 15 people are believed to have been infected with the Zika virus through mosquito bites in the first such cases on record in the mainland U.S. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Zika fight: Senate Democrats, Speaker Paul Ryan trade barbs over virus

Federal and state officials said Thursday that aerial spraying "killed a lot of mosquitoes" that might be carrying the Zika virus across Miami, as President Obama and his Democratic allies prodded Republicans to return from a summer recess and cut a deal over federal funding to combat the disease. Published August 4, 2016

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia, on Feb. 11, 2016. (Associated Press) **FILE**

NIH starts human trial for Zika vaccine

The Obama administration said Wednesday it is starting the first stage of human trials for a Zika vaccine but fears there will not be a second phase unless Congress breaks an impasse over federal funding to combat the mosquito-borne disease. Published August 3, 2016

An inspector with the Miami-Dade County mosquito control department looks for pools of standing water, which often serve as a breeding ground for the Zika-carrying insects. (Associated Press)

Zika virus trackers say threat stirs much more buzz than bite

A small Zika outbreak in Miami is raising the stakes in an election year funding fight on Capitol Hill, though disease trackers say the virus still poses a limited threat to the continental U.S. compared with elsewhere in the Americas, with local cases likely to max out in the "hundreds" through the rest of mosquito season. Published August 2, 2016

President Barack Obama, with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaks during a state arrival ceremony for the Singaporean prime minister on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Obamacare may lose Aetna in some states

One of the nation's largest insurers said Tuesday it might exit Obamacare's web-based exchanges in some states, delivering another blow to President Obama's signature law in the final months of his tenure. Published August 2, 2016