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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this Nov. 8, 2017, file photo, Steph Gaspar, a volunteer outreach worker with The Hand Up Project, an addiction and homeless advocacy group, cleans up needles used for drug injection that were found at a homeless encampment in Everett, Wash. The U.S. Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention says 42,000 people died of overdoses in 2016 from opioids, a class of drug that includes powerful prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin; illegal heroin; and fentanyl, a strong synthetic drug sold both through prescriptions and on the street. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Donald Trump seeks billions for opioids fight

Moving to prove he's serious about the opioids fight, President Trump requested $10 billion in new money Monday to combat the "deadly scourge" of prescription painkiller and heroin abuse in 2019.

February 12, 2018
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) ** FILE **

Lawmakers hail $6B in opioids money as ‘next step’ in bigger fight

Lawmakers from states with high rates of opioid abuse cheered a budget deal Friday that includes $6 billion to combat addiction, yet said the money is just the "next step" in a massive fight, must be spent wisely and should be funneled toward places that need it the most.

February 9, 2018
This March 22, 2013, file photo shows the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

IRS overpaid Obamacare tax credits by nearly $3.5 billion in 2017

The IRS overpaid nearly $3.5 billion in Obamacare tax credits last year that it cannot recoup because of constraints built into the program, frustrating Republicans who have failed to repeal the health care law but say that money could have been spent on programs for veterans or infrastructure.

February 7, 2018
West Virginia attorney general Patrick Morrisey is shown in this Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, photo at a news conference at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Attorneys general from dozens of states are urging health insurers to review their policies for pain management treatment to spark higher use of alternatives to opioid prescriptions. (AP Photo/John Raby) **FILE**

West Virginia AG announces proposal to crack down on opioids abuse

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday proposed a five-point strategy to rein in opioid abuse in his hard-hit corner of Appalachia, from launching an "enforcement surge" of 150 state troopers to limiting certain prescriptions for painkillers to just three days

February 6, 2018

House to vote on sexual harassment bill

The House will vote Tuesday on new rules requiring lawmakers pay for any workplace discrimination or sexual harassment settlements out of their own pockets, moving to clean up Capitol Hill's act after members used taxpayer money to silence unflattering accusations.

February 5, 2018
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, questions officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs about allegations of gross mismanagement and misconduct at VA hospitals possibly leading to patient deaths, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Brad Wenstrup: FBI memo not about Trump vindication

A Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee on Sunday said the release of a GOP memo detailing how the FBI used Democrat-funded information to snoop on one of President Trump's campaign aides is about government oversight -- not "vindication" for a White House besieged by probes into possible ties with Russia.

February 4, 2018
Former CIA Director John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) ** FILE **

John Brennan slams Devin Nunes for ‘reckless’ handling of memo

Former C.I.A. Director John Brennan on Sunday chastised the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Sunday for his handling of a bombshell memo that delved into the secretive world of surveillance courts, saying the push to expose bias at the FBI was one-sided and shut out opposing views.

February 4, 2018
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks to reporters following a Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Chuck Schumer to Trump: Back Democratic memo release

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer told President Trump on Sunday to support the release of a Democratic memo that serves as a rebuttal to the House GOP memo that alleges the FBI used biased information to begin snooping on a former Trump campaign aide in late 2016.

February 4, 2018
Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill. questions Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ** FILE **

Richard Durbin: Don’t use memo to fire Rosenstein, Mueller

Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin warned President Trump and his GOP allies on Sunday not to use a bombshell memo on the FBI's snooping powers to upend independent probes into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, saying it could spark a "constitutional crisis."

February 4, 2018
"They could have easily said it was the DNC and Hillary Clinton. That would have been really easy," said Rep. Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Republican. (Associated Press/File)

Trey Gowdy says FBI concealed Clinton role in Steele dossier

The House's top investigator on Sunday said the FBI failed to notify a surveillance court that it was relying on material backed by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign when it asked to snoop on a former adviser to the Trump campaign.

February 4, 2018
President Donald Trump, left, listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, right, speaks after being sworn in at the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

HHS approves Indiana plan to tie Medicaid benefits to work

Indiana has become the second state to require some Medicaid enrollees to work if they want to keep their coverage, extending President Trump's push to revamp taxpayer-funded insurance without help from Congress.

February 2, 2018
Biologist Rebecca Gillespie places a vial of flu-fighting antibodies in ice at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, in Bethesda, Md. Scientists now think people respond differently to vaccination based on their flu history. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Flu season has killed more than 50 children: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the resignation of its director will not disrupt efforts to combat a severe flu season that's killed more than 50 children and is on pace to break hospitalization records.

February 2, 2018