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Tom Howell Jr.

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Tom Howell Jr.

thowell@washingtontimes.com

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.

First lady Jill Biden greets Matthew Morgan and his almost 11-month-old Avery, as they wait for Avery to receive his first COVID-19 vaccination at the Henrico County Health Department East Clinic on Friday, July 1, 2022 in Richmond, Va. The visit sought to highlight the recent authorization and recommendation of COVID-19 vaccines for children under age five and was her first visit to a 6-month to 5-year-old pediatric COVID-19 vaccination clinic since the CDC recommended the use of COVID-19 vaccines for this age group. (Eva Russo/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Biden’s COVID-19 vax push for kids suffers enthusiasm gap; parents’ interest wanes for preteens

The federal effort to vaccinate children against COVID-19 has been a much tougher slog, with parental anecdotes and federal data showing interest drops off below age 12, even as President Biden cheers the recent authorization of shots for 18 million children ages 6 months to 4 years.

July 4, 2022

From left, Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., right, step away as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol wraps up for the day, Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. ( Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Jan. 6 panel members defend star witness, say Americans should ‘stay tuned’

The House Jan. 6 committee defended the credibility of star witness Cassidy Hutchinson on Sunday and upped the ante after a roller-coaster week of bombshell testimony, saying criminal referrals against former President Donald Trump are a distinct possibility.

July 3, 2022

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Road to Majority conference Friday, June 17, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) **FILE**

Trump eyeing early jump into 2024 race: Report

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an early entrance into the 2024 White House race to reclaim the limelight and make his case that the Jan. 6 probe is politically motivated.

July 3, 2022

FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks about actions the Biden administration plans to take in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, June 28, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Xavier Becerra says HHS exploring all options to expand abortion access

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said his agency will explore "everything that is out there" to expand abortion access.

July 3, 2022

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a change of command ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, June 1, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) **FILE**

Homeland Security chief defends border efforts after Texas migrant smuggling tragedy

Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas defended inspections at the U.S.-Mexico border, but he struggled to explain how a truck got through a checkpoint packed with dozens of migrants who died in the Texas heat.

July 3, 2022

FILE - Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Rep. Liz Cheney: More than one criminal referral against Trump is possible

Rep. Liz Cheney said it is possible the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol will make a criminal referral against former President Donald Trump.

July 3, 2022

FILE - Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, June 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Rep. Adam Kinzinger defends Cassidy Hutchinson as a credible witness

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he found former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson credible in her bombshell testimony about Jan. 6, 2021.

July 3, 2022

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravsborg has asked a state ethics board to press for an investigation Monday, June 27, 2022, of Noem. Ravnsborg blames the governor for his impeachment and removal from office last week for his conduct surrounding a fatal crash in 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem: Legislature must consider services for mothers amid abortion ban

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem pledged Sunday to "walk alongside" mothers now that abortion is illegal in most instances in her state.

July 3, 2022

A image of former President Donald Trump talking to his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is seen as Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testifies as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (Sean Thew/Pool via AP)

Jan. 6 committee emulates Trump’s showman style in its bid to undo him

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot is using former President Donald Trump's showmanship playbook to try to scuttle his political future.

July 1, 2022

In this Sunday, June 7, 2020, photo, Alondra Cano, a city council member, speaks during "The Path Forward" meeting at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis, which was organized to talk about the defunding of the Minneapolis Police Department. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP) **FILE**

West Hollywood trims sheriff’s presence despite concerns about crime

A city in Los Angeles County has reportedly voted to slash law enforcement funding despite concerns about rising crime.

June 29, 2022

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is seen during the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing, about the budget request for the National Institutes of Health, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he suffered Paxlovid ‘rebound’

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he experienced a rebound of COVID-19 symptoms after taking Paxlovid, the antiviral drug from Pfizer.

June 29, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, speaks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during the start of a round table meeting at a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. North Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state and government will meet for a NATO summit in Madrid from Tuesday through Thursday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

Biden: NATO will defend ‘every inch’ of its territory

President Biden kicked off NATO meetings in Madrid on Wednesday by declaring the military alliance will defend "every inch" of its territory and committing to an enhanced military in Europe.

June 29, 2022

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine an update on the ongoing Federal response to COVID-19, Thursday, June 16, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

White House rolls out monkeypox strategy with testing, 300,000 vaccine shots for at-risk populations

The White House will ramp up monkeypox testing and exponentially expand the reach of vaccines to at-risk contacts in the first phase of President Biden's plan to respond to a virus that's been pinging around the U.S. for over a month.

June 28, 2022

A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at the Keystone First Wellness Center in Chester, Pa., Dec. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FDA official: New-look COVID-19 booster campaign could start in October

Drugmakers should devise a COVID-19 vaccine that targets omicron and its sub-variants alongside the original strain, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday after a robust debate about how to keep up with the swiftly evolving virus.

June 28, 2022

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers addresses a joint session of the Legislature in the Assembly chambers at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 15, 2022. Republican legislators in Wisconsin were poised Wednesday, June 22, to meet in a special session Evers called to repeal the battleground state's dormant abortion ban and quickly adjourn without taking any action. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) **FILE**

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vows clemency for those who violate state abortion ban

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is vowing to grant clemency to anyone charged under an 1849 state law that bans abortions, in the latest attempt by Democrats to get around the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

June 28, 2022

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is seen in a video of her interview with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, during a hearing on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Former Mark Meadows aide is House Jan. 6 panel’s surprise witness

Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, will be the featured witness at a surprise Tuesday hearing scheduled by the House select committee investigating the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

June 28, 2022

A bicyclist rides past police vehicles parked outside the U.S. Supreme Court building, Monday, June 27, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Supreme Court sides with docs in opioid pill mill case, may upend other over-prescribing cases

The Supreme Court sided Monday with a pair of doctors facing long prison terms for aggressively prescribing pain pills in a case that could make prosecutors think twice about how they go after doctors amid the opioid epidemic.

June 27, 2022

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reacts to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Nancy Pelosi accused of shoving GOP Rep. Mayra Flores’ daughter

A photo-op for new Rep. Mayra Flores of Texas turned into a debate over what constitutes a shove after the Republican accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of pushing her daughter last week.

June 27, 2022

California Gov. Gavin Newsom answers questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Democrats offer ‘inflation relief’ payments to Californians

Millions of Californians will see "inflation relief" payments ranging from $200 to $350 per person in the coming months under a budget deal struck by Gov. Gavin Newsom and top state Democrats.

June 27, 2022

Abortion-rights protesters march down Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, Texas following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2022. Friday, June 24, 2022. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas city council eyes measure to water down abortion ban

City lawmakers in Austin, Texas, are looking to decriminalize abortion via legislation that would insulate locals from a state trigger law that largely bans the procedure in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

June 27, 2022