Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Treasury IG: IRS needs to tighten up security before releasing tax data to Obamacare exchange
A Treasury inspector general said Thursday the IRS should do more to make sure federal taxpayer information does not fall into the wrong hands when it processes and approves subsidy payments under Obamacare. Published October 23, 2014
CDC: Travelers from West Africa to U.S. will be monitored for 21 days for Ebola
People traveling to the U.S. from West African countries reeling from the Ebola epidemic will be monitored for symptoms for three weeks after their arrival, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Published October 22, 2014
Ebola scare in Newark was false alarm, Chris Christie says
A West African man who landed late Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport is no longer showing symptoms of Ebola after he was monitored overnight at an area hospital, according to New Jersey media. Published October 22, 2014
Americans losing confidence in government response to Ebola: poll
Confidence in the U.S. government's ability to deal with Ebola dropped by 9 percentage points in a two-week span, a new Gallup poll said. Published October 22, 2014
Rick Scott, Charlie Crist spar over immigration, economy in Florida gubernatorial debate
Ground rules weren't a problem this time, but Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist fanned the political flames late Tuesday over immigration, the minimum wage and — in odd spurts — which of them had been poorer as a child. Published October 21, 2014
Dallas nurse with Ebola’s condition upgraded
The National Institutes of Health updated the status of the first Dallas nurse to contract Ebola from "fair" to "good" Tuesday. Published October 21, 2014
Ebola-country travelers to be funneled to five airports
The Homeland Security Department announced Tuesday that it will force travelers from three Ebola-outbreak countries to enter the U.S. through the five airports where federal officials are prepared to screen them for the disease, marking the latest tightening of travel restrictions. Published October 21, 2014
Voters split over Obamacare, but most want candidates to move on: poll
More than half of voters say they're tired of hearing congressional candidates talk about Obamacare and "wish they would move on to other issues," while just over four in 10 want the discussion to continue, according to a monthly tracking poll released Tuesday. Published October 21, 2014
Americans now see Ebola as a top national issue, behind the economy but tied with the Islamic State
For the first time, Ebola ranks among the top-10 issues Americans see as key issues for the country, according to a Gallup poll that puts the deadly virus behind topics like the economy, immigration and health care but tied with issues like education and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Published October 21, 2014
Ebola vaccine abandoned in 2008 after showing promise in trials
The pitch was intriguing: U.S. health officials wanted to fast-track trials for an Ebola vaccine and sounded the call for volunteers. Published October 20, 2014
Nigeria declared Ebola-free; Africa’s most populous nation given all-clear by World Health Org
The World Health Organization said Monday that Nigeria is Ebola-free, three days after it made a similar declaration about the coastal African nation of Senegal. Published October 20, 2014
Welcome people out of Ebola quarantine, Dallas official urges
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins called on Texans Monday to welcome people at risk for Ebola back into the community after three emotional weeks of isolation. Published October 20, 2014
WHO: Ebola outbreak in Senegal is officially over
The World Health Organization on Friday declared the Ebola outbreak in Senegal over and congratulated the country on "its diligence to end the transmission of the virus." Published October 17, 2014
GOP lawmakers call on Congress to reconvene to address Ebola
Two Republican lawmakers say Congress should reconvene to address the Ebola threat to the U.S., citing the Obama administration's reluctance to establish a travel ban among passengers West African countries hard-hit by the virus. Published October 17, 2014
Rick Perry calls for travel ban due to Ebola
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday joined a chorus of politicians calling for a travel ban on passengers from West Africa, where Ebola has killed more than 4,000. Published October 17, 2014
Nina Pham, first nurse to get Ebola, in ‘high spirits’ at Md. facility
The first Dallas nurse to test positive for Ebola after treating a Liberian national with the virus has been successfully transferred from the Texas hospital where she works to what officials termed the "house of hope" — a massive research center in suburban Washington. Published October 17, 2014
Ron Klain named Ebola czar by President Obama
Responding to urgent calls from Congress and a fearful public, President Obama has tapped a former White House official to serve as his "Ebola czar." Published October 17, 2014
Airborne Ebola outbreak in monkeys raises possibility virus could mutate
Both President Obama and his top infectious disease experts tried to calm Americans' fears about Ebola this week by saying the current outbreak cannot be transmitted through the air. But less than 30 miles from where top government officials made their declarations in Washington, scientists a quarter century ago did in fact prove that an Ebola strain contained to monkeys could spread airborne. Published October 16, 2014
Ebola possibility ‘low’ for Va. inmate, officials say
It is unlikely that a Virginia inmate who traveled to West Africa in recent weeks and presented a low-grade fever has the Ebola virus, Loudoun County officials said Thursday. Published October 16, 2014
First Dallas nurse to contract Ebola headed for D.C. suburb
The first Texas nurse to contract Ebola while treating a Liberian patient is scheduled to be transferred to a leading research center in suburban Washington. Published October 16, 2014
