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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

The Supreme Court (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Supreme Court sides with Muslim teen over Abercrombie in headscarf case

The Supreme Court sided Monday with a Muslim teenager who couldn't get a job at Abercrombie and Fitch because her headscarf conflicted with the chain's dress policy, saying it is up to employers to accommodate religious practices even if candidates don't point out their needs.

June 1, 2015
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) ** FILE **

Federal judge skeptical of White House bid to toss John Boehner’s suit over Obamacare

A federal judge struggled Thursday with the administration's claim the House GOP is pushing an "abstract" lawsuit against Obamacare that should be tossed, signaling she'll take a hard look at Speaker John A. Boehner's controversial bid to highlight the separation of powers between Congress and the presidency -- and the judiciary's right to referee their disputes.

May 28, 2015
Americans are waiting for a Supreme Court decision in King v. Burwell, a major test of President Obama's health care overhaul that could halt insurance premium subsidies in all the states where the federal government runs the marketplaces. (Associated Press)

Obamacare foes seek end to losing streak at Supreme Court

Obamacare opponents have been on a losing streak in federal courts over the past year, suffering setbacks as judges have ruled against them on challenges to the health care law's constitutionality and efforts to carve out protections from its birth control rules on faith-based employers.

May 27, 2015
The Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Associated Press)

U.S. Capitol being evacuated

The U.S. Capitol was reopened Tuesday afternoon after having been evacuated for an hour in an apparent false fire alarm that sent hundreds of workers streaming from the seat of government.

May 26, 2015
"Airstrikes are effective, but neither they, nor really anything we do, can substitute for the Iraqi forces' will to fight. They're the ones who [need] that to beat ISIL and then keep them beaten," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said. (Associated Press)

Ashton Carter: Iraqi forces showed ‘no will to fight’ in Ramadi

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter accused Iraqi forces Sunday of showing "no will to fight" Islamic State guerrillas who seized a crucial city west of Baghdad, a blunt assessment that drew an immediate rebuke from Iraqi officials who think the U.S. is scapegoating their besieged nation to obscure its own failures in the region.

May 24, 2015
FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel fought back against allegations that Democrats had proposed regulations for Internet politicking. (Associated Press)

FEC deadlocks on wealthy donor giving limits

The Federal Election Commission stalemated Thursday on writing new campaign finance rules to limit wealthy donors' spending in federal elections, virtually ensuring next year's elections will be fought under the current rules that the Supreme Court has written in several major decisions this decade.

May 21, 2015
The birth control pill remains the most common method of female contraception in the U.S. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Obamacare contraception decision imposed by court on priest group

A federal appeals court said Wednesday it will not reconsider a pro-life ministry's plea for relief from Obamacare's birth control mandate, dealing a second blow in as many days to religious nonprofits who say the administration is ignoring its strongly held beliefs and signals from the Supreme Court.

May 20, 2015
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Senate would put colleges on hook for student loan default

College and universities that churn out students who default on their federal loans should be forced to bear some of the brunt of those costs, senators said Wednesday in a bipartisan push to try to make schools with high student default rates have to put "skin in the game."

May 20, 2015
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida speaks at the Georgia Republican Convention in Athens on May 15, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Marco Rubio, House GOP back Rick Scott in Medicaid standoff with HHS

Presidential candidate Marco Rubio and other Florida Republicans urged President Obama on Wednesday to renew federal funding for health program at the center of a festering dispute between Gov. Rick Scott and the administration, which wants the state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare instead.

May 20, 2015
This image provided by the Department of Health and Human Services shows a portion of the HealthCare.gov Website. Republican or Democrat, the next president will have the chance to remake the nation’s health care overhaul without fighting Congress. The law signed by President Barack Obama includes a waiver that, starting in 2017, would let states take federal dollars now invested in the overhaul and use them to redesign their own health care systems. (AP Photo/HHS)

Only 150K penalty payers signed up for Obamacare during extra time

Only 150,000 customers signed up for Obamacare coverage on the HealthCare.gov website between March 15 and April 30, the administration said Tuesday, shedding light on how many people took advantage of extra time to sign up for coverage and avoid the tax penalty for being uninsured.

May 19, 2015