Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Middle class takes too hard of a hit on tax day, poll shows
Nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, say middle-income people are forced to pay too much in taxes — a spike from 42 percent one year ago, and the highest proportion since Gallup asked the question in 1999. Published April 15, 2014
VP Joe Biden to cheer on U.S. at the World Cup in Brazil
Vice President Joseph Biden will get a taste of "joga bonito" — the beautiful game — by traveling to Brazil this June to cheer on the U.S. national team in the World Cup, the White House said Monday. Published April 14, 2014
Mother recounts loss of son in Kansas shootings
With remarkable poise, the mother of the 14-year-old boy killed alongside his grandfather near a Jewish community center in Kansas City's suburbs gave a heart-wrenching account Monday of her loss just 24 hours earlier. Published April 14, 2014
Minnesota to residents: April 22 is deadline to pick Obamacare plan
Minnesota on Monday joined the ranks of states that are urging residents to finish up their Obamacare applications before it is too late. Published April 14, 2014
Kansas authorities treating Jewish center shootings as hate crime
Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass confirmed Monday it is investigating the shooting deaths of three people near Jewish centers in the Kansas City suburbs as a hate crime. Published April 14, 2014
Treasury Secretary Lew: U.S. ready to impose more sanctions on Russia
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Monday the United States and its allies are "fully prepared" to impose additional sanctions on Russia if it continues to whip up unrest in the eastern part of Ukraine, the new focal point of turmoil after Russian President Vladimir Putin moved quickly to annex the Crimea. Published April 14, 2014
Kevin Yoder: Kansas killings ‘struck all of us personally’
Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas said the shooting deaths of three people at Jewish sites Sunday in the Kansas City suburbs appeared to be "driven by hate" and "struck all of us personally." Published April 14, 2014
Md. grocery store: Obamacare preventing new hires
A D.C.-area grocery store says it has been forced to freeze hiring to avoid costs tied to a new rule under Obamacare. Published April 14, 2014
Obama picked budget chief for HHS to cook Obamacare numbers: GOP Rep.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn on Monday doubled down on her belief that President Obama nominated his budget chief to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius so that the administration could doctor the figures when it comes to Obamacare's delicate economics. Published April 14, 2014
Despite ‘Bridgegate,’ N.J. voters give Gov. Chris Christie high marks for Sandy recovery
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken some knocks over what he may have known about a lane-closing episode near the George Washington Bridge last year, but state voters approve 51-42 percent of the way he is handling the recovery from Superstorm Sandy, a Quinnipiac University poll said. Published April 14, 2014
Whatever your tax bracket, majority of Americans say they pay too much
A majority of Americans, 52 percent, told Gallup pollsters their federal tax is "too high," while 42 percent said it is "about right." Published April 14, 2014
Obama, Kansas leaders react to shootings at Jewish centers
President Obama and other political leaders are reacting to reports that three people were killed at or near Jewish centers outside of Kansas City, offering condolences to the victims' families and pledging to assist the investigation. Published April 14, 2014
McCain blasts Obama administration of failure to adequately support Ukraine
Sen. John McCain said Sunday the Obama administration has failed to give adequate support to Ukraine as it clashes with pro-Russian partisans near its eastern border. Published April 13, 2014
Rand Paul: Decision on 2016 presidential bid will come after mid-terms
Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday he will not decide whether to run for president until after the mid-term elections, noting he still has to poll his family before he builds on straw poll victories and launches an earnest bid. Published April 13, 2014
Sebelius: I made it clear to Obama that I was leaving
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who led the rocky rollout of Obamacare and surprised D.C. observers by stepping down this week, said that if President Obama wanted to talk her out of leaving, he didn't even get the chance. Published April 13, 2014
Steve Israel: Dems banking on poor GOP ratings to help in November
The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Sunday that while President Obama's approval ratings are in the dumps, there is no reason to panic about November's mid-term elections. Published April 13, 2014
HHS nominee Burwell faces tight scrutiny
Lawmakers dug in Sunday for a proxy war over the new health care law, now that President Obama has selected a well-known manager to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and lead his signature program into a new era. Published April 13, 2014
Obama hails Sebelius, pivots to Sylvia Mathews Burwell to clean up troubled Obamacare
President Obama hailed departing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a tireless leader who turned around the troubled rollout of his health care law — one week after he failed to mention her in cheering the millions of enrollees his sweeping overhaul brought in from October to March. Published April 11, 2014
Kathleen Sebelius resigning after botched Obamacare rollout
President Obama will move this week to shake up his health care team, accepting the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and tapping his budget director as a troubleshooting replacement. Published April 10, 2014
Government paid out billions in suspect Medicare claims — report
Medicare paid out $2 billion in error because nearly a third of the claims it reviewed did not adequately document face-to-face encounters with beneficiaries who seek home health services such as nursing care or physical therapy, a federal inspector general has found. Published April 10, 2014
