Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, underdog Democrat, predicts historic upset in Iowa caucuses
Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders said Sunday that America will see one of the biggest political upsets in U.S. history when Iowa voters make their Democratic pick for president in Monday's caucuses. Published January 31, 2016
Donald Trump: Supreme Court should have left gay marriage to the states
Donald Trump said Sunday he wished the U.S. Supreme Court had left the issue of gay marriage to the states instead of making it legal across the board in its landmark ruling last year. Published January 31, 2016
Ted Cruz, GOP presidential candidate: I’m the only consistent conservative in this race
Ted Cruz said Sunday he is poised to win the Iowa caucuses so long as conservatives and "Reagan Democrats" cancel out intra-party attacks against him. Published January 31, 2016
Brazil moves to wipe out mosquitoes to stem Zika virus
The Brazilian government moved Friday to attack mosquito hot spots in federal buildings across the country, part of its effort to "declare war" on insects that are carrying the Zika virus across Latin America. Published January 29, 2016
Supreme Court sets date for birth-control mandate showdown
A charity of nuns and other religious nonprofits who contested Obamacare's birth control rules will plead their case to the Supreme Court on March 23. Published January 29, 2016
Obamacare not a top issue for voters: poll
Obamacare places pretty far down the list of concerns for Americans, according to a survey, underscoring President Obama's difficulty with just three days left to apply for coverage to get the public to buy into his health care law. Published January 28, 2016
Zika virus: WHO convenes emergency session
The World Health Organization said Thursday it will convene an emergency session to fight the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that is "spreading explosively" in the Americas and has been tied to birth defects and other serious health problems, although the link is murky. Published January 28, 2016
HealthCare.gov signups creep to nearly 9M
Nearly 9 million people selected a plan on HealthCare.gov ahead of Obamacare's last week of signups, the Obama administration said Wednesday, inching the program closer to a downgraded enrollment target of 13 million customers in 2016. Published January 27, 2016
Senators pledge to fight painkiller, heroin epidemic
A bipartisan group of senators urged Congress on Wednesday to attack the epidemic of heroin and painkiller abuse that is afflicting every state, saying a holistic approach is needed to block reckless prescribing, dispose of excess pills and equip first responders with a drug that can reverse overdoses. Published January 27, 2016
WWI commission announces winning design for D.C. memorial
A national memorial to "The Great War" will feature three main sections for recreation and reflection and preserve parts of the District of Columbia park that now sits there, the World War I Centennial Commission said Tuesday as it kicked off an ambitious scramble to fund and construct the tribute before the 100th anniversary of the war's end. Published January 26, 2016
Russ Feingold, Maggie Hassan among Democrats’ key recruits in bid to reclaim Senate
Democrats nabbed nearly all of the recruits they wanted as they launched a push to retake the Senate, but few of the candidates are battle-tested and the party must paddle through distracting primaries before they gun for two dozen Republican seats in play in November. Published January 25, 2016
Martin Shkreli gets extra time to fight Congress
The weekend winter storm forced House investigators Monday to push back their showdown with Martin Shkreli, the price-hiking drug company executive who is resisting their plans to have him appear before Congress for what he says is his own public embarrassment. Published January 25, 2016
Democrats push fixes to ‘crushing’ student debt
Rising college costs and heaps of student-loan debt are a direct threat to America's future, according to Senate Democrats who proposed legislative fixes Thursday and challenged Republicans to either join them or come up with a plan of their own in a pivotal election year. Published January 21, 2016
Top Obamacare official pledges action on failing co-ops
The man in charge of implementing Obamacare told Congress he will take a proactive approach toward nonprofit co-op plans that have failed at a startling rate, pledging to both help co-ops that survived and leverage the Justice Department to seek repayment of taxpayer loans from those that did not. Published January 21, 2016
House Republicans eye reconciliation to trim 2017 budget
House Republicans will write their 2017 budget to the maximum level of spending set out in last year's budget deal, but will try to come back and cut spending later this year using the same fast-track tool they turned to in trying to repeal Obamacare, the House Budget Committee chairman said Wednesday. Published January 20, 2016
UnitedHealth loses $720 million offering plans under Obamacare, may withdraw next year
The nation's largest insurer said it booked $720 million in losses last year by offering plans under Obamacare, and warned Tuesday that it might still withdraw altogether from the health law by next year. Published January 19, 2016
Supreme Court refuses to take another Obamacare case
The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to take up an appeal that says Congress flouted the Constitution by kick-starting Obamacare in the wrong chamber. Published January 19, 2016
UnitedHealth still down on Obamacare exchanges
The nation's largest insurer said Tuesday it still might withdraw from the Obamacare marketplace by 2017, citing losses on the law's Web-based exchanges despite a stronger-than-expected earnings report buoyed by its Optum division and other lines of business. Published January 19, 2016
Paul Ryan pitches grand 2016 vision that’s short on details
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Friday his troops will offer voters a clear, conservative agenda before they vote in November, though he failed to outline concrete goals for 2016 after a three-day retreat in Baltimore that's been dominated by talk of the raucous GOP nominating race for president. Published January 15, 2016
Sierra Leone reports new Ebola case
Officials have confirmed a new case of Ebola in Sierra Leone, delivering a remarkable -- although predicted -- setback for West Africa just one day after world health officials declared an end to the two-year outbreak that killed more than 11,000 in the region. Published January 15, 2016
