Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Florida identifies 10 additional Zika cases by mosquito bite
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday took the unusual step of advising pregnant women to avoid a section of Miami where the Zika virus appears to be spreading by mosquito bite, after the tally of known infections from the square-mile zone jumped from four to 14 in just three days. Published August 1, 2016
Zika virus fears in Florida stir partisan blame for congressional inaction
Evidence that mosquitoes have begun to spread the Zika virus on the U.S. mainland is setting off alarm bells among Florida's leaders and reviving partisan bickering over who is to blame for a lack of congressional action to confront the disease. Published July 31, 2016
Rick Scott: Four Fla. cases of Zika ‘likely’ from mosquito bite
Mosquitoes appear to be spreading the Zika virus on the U.S. mainland, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday, after a crop of cases in Miami could not be traced to travel or other means. Published July 29, 2016
FDA tells Florida counties to stop collecting blood, citing Zika
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday two Florida counties should "cease collecting blood immediately" until they are able to screen each donation for Zika, a direct response to four infections in the region that do not appear to be linked to travel. Published July 28, 2016
Democrats push Obamacare ‘public option’ after two thirds of health co-ops fail
More than two thirds of Obamacare's health co-op's have failed, yet Democrats who pushed the experiment during the 2010 health care debate are refusing to cede ground to corporate plans, saying the best Plan B is the "public option" that many of them wanted in the first place. Published July 27, 2016
Florida now investigating 4 Zika cases without links to travel
Florida health officials said Wednesday they are investigating two additional cases of Zika that don't seem to be linked to travel, bringing the total number of mysterious cases to four. Published July 27, 2016
John McCain won’t desert Donald Trump, despite ‘strong’ differences
Sen. John McCain said Wednesday he is sticking by the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump despite "strong" differences over national security, notably the mogul's suggestions that he would check whether NATO member countries had fulfilled their financial obligations before coming to their aid. Published July 27, 2016
ISIS terrorists slit Catholic priest’s throat at altar, videotape ‘sermon’ in Arabic
A pair of Islamic State-linked terrorists slit a priest's throat at the altar of a Catholic church in northern France on Tuesday before videotaping a "sermon" in Arabic to mark the ritualistic slaughter -- the fourth attack in a week by the terrorist group, which since June has claimed responsibility for killing more than 600 people in several countries, including the U.S. Published July 26, 2016
Hillary Clinton pledges VA reform, draws contrasts with Donald Trump on foreign policy
The U.S. is an exceptional nation that stands with every ally, rebukes foreign strongmen and prefers leaders who don't "trash-talk" America, Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton told veterans Monday in a thinly veiled indictment of Republican rival Donald Trump. Published July 25, 2016
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
