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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.

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016 file photo, then President-elect Donald Trump, left, waves to the media as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie arrives at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse, in Bedminster, N.J. President Trump and his allies are harking back to his own transition four years ago to make a false argument that his own presidency was denied a fair chance for a clean launch. Trump fired the head of his transition, Chris Christie, and abandoned months of planning in favor of a Cabinet hiring process. His team also ignored offers of help from the outgoing Obama administration. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie will decide on 2024 run in two weeks

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he will decide within two weeks whether to join the 2024 presidential field and accused ex-President Donald Trump of being too afraid to debate his GOP rivals.

May 4, 2023

This photo provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows fentanyl pills seized by Customs and Border Protection officers on Sept. 12, 2021. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP) ** FILE **

China remains a key player in the fentanyl supply chain, officials tell Congress

Mexican cartels are fueling the overdose crisis in America but China remains a key player in the supply chain, serving as the exclusive supplier of machines that cartels use to press fentanyl into pill form and as the primary launderer of drug profits, border officials and investigators told Congress on Wednesday.

May 3, 2023

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign stands at the entrance of their offices in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)

CDC investigates COVID-19 outbreak at its own conference

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking a COVID-19 outbreak of nearly three dozen cases tied to its own conference last week.

May 3, 2023

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., leaves a classified briefing on China, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Schumer’s notes hint at return date for Sen. Feinstein

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer hasn't said when Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California will return to Capitol Hill, but a photographer captured notes that suggested she could come back by next week.

May 3, 2023

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Nov. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) **FILE**

Ex-Gov. Larry Hogan rejects Maryland Senate run, says job doesn’t interest him

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he will not run for the U.S. Senate after Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin announced his retirement this week.

May 3, 2023

Rep Colin Allred, D-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) **FILE**

Rep. Colin Allred launches challenge against Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas

Democratic Rep. Colin Allred announced Wednesday a 2024 bid against Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that leans heavily into the Republican incumbent's actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

May 3, 2023

Illegal fentanyl is safely handled and contained. File photo credit: Darwin Brandis via Shutterstock.

DOJ announces takedown of fentanyl trafficking ring in dark shadows of the web

The Department of Justice said Tuesday it arrested nearly 300 people and seized unprecedented amounts of drugs and cash as part of a global takedown on fentanyl traffickers that focused on the darknet corners of the web.

May 2, 2023

Migrants give a thumbs up and cheer as they load a bus to take them to a refugee center outside Union Station in Chicago, on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. Chicago officials say 75 immigrants have arrived in the city on buses from Texas, as part of an aggressive border policy by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office confirmed that the migrants arrived Wednesday night and that the city has welcomed them and will make sure they receive shelter and food. (Anthony Vazquez /Chicago Sun-Times via AP) **FILE**

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rejects Chicago mayor’s plea to stop busing migrants

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will continue to bus migrants to Chicago despite pleas from departing Mayor Lori Lightfoot to stop the practice.

May 2, 2023

BART Police Officer Eric Hofstein displays the fentanyl he confiscated while patrolling the Civic Center Station BART platform in San Francisco, Calif. Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (Jessica Christian /San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

Sen. Chris Murphy says Congress should approve nearly $1B for fentanyl fight

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut says Congress should spend nearly $1 billion in the next fiscal year to combat fentanyl trafficking because the overdose crisis "is unlike anything we have faced before."

May 2, 2023

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, speaks to members of the media after the General Assembly adjourned for the year inside the Rotunda of the State Capitol Building, late Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/John C. Clark) ** FILE **

Va. Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he’s not running for president in 2024

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he won't launch a campaign for the 2024 presidential nomination this year and will focus on putting the state Legislature fully in Republican hands.

May 2, 2023

Pfizer, left, and Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are readied for use at a clinic, Nov. 17, 2022, in Richmond, Va. The Biden administration will end most of the last remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week when the national public health emergency for the coronavirus ends, the White House said Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

White House says Biden will end vaccine rules on federal employees, international air travelers

President Biden plans to end COVID-19 vaccination requirements on May 11 for federal employees, contractors and international travelers who visit by air.

May 1, 2023

A Ukrainian soldier fires an RPG during his training at the frontline positions near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

War nears new phase; McCarthy assails Russian military offensive

The next phase of the Russia-Ukraine war appears to be finally underway.

May 1, 2023

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy addresses lawmakers during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Kevin McCarthy condemns invasion, backs Ukraine in exchange with Russian reporter

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a visit to Israel Monday emphatically condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said he supports continued aid for Kyiv after a Russian reporter asked if the U.S. would pull back on its support.

May 1, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, speaks as U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, right, reacts during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

House Speaker McCarthy hails shared values and heritage between U.S. and Israel, vows to deter Iran

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday the U.S.-Israeli bond is unbreakable and the nations cannot ignore threats from Tehran and Beijing as Jerusalem bolsters its economy and its relations with the Arab world on its doorstep.

May 1, 2023

Former US president Donald Trump arrives at Aberdeen International Airport ahead of his visit to the Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen, in Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland, Monday May 1, 2023. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Trump arrives in Scotland to visit his golf properties, open new one

Former President Donald Trump landed Monday in Scotland to visit golf properties as part of a swing through the U.K. and Ireland as he faces mounting legal troubles and a bruising 2024 GOP presidential primary back home.

May 1, 2023

Ronna McDaniel, the GOP chairwoman, speaks during the Republican National Committee winter meeting Feb. 4, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

RNC chief Ronna McDaniel: GOP candidates must confront abortion issue in 2024

The head of the Republican National Committee says GOP candidates will have to take the abortion issue "head on" in the coming election cycle after Democrats used the issue effectively during the midterms.

May 1, 2023

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hands off papers to an aide as he talks with reporters about the struggle between Congress and the White House to fix the looming debt ceiling deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Chuck Schumer: GOP debt limit plan has no hope of becoming law

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday rejected the House-passed bill to raise the debt limit and said he plans to hold hearings on cuts in the package to "expose the true impact of this reckless legislation on everyday Americans."

May 1, 2023

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks during a town hall on Sunday, April 30, 2023, in Charleston, S.C. Scott announced Sunday that he would make an announcement on a 2024 presidential bid on May 22. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Sen. Tim Scott to announce presidential plans on May 22

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will reveal on May 22 whether he plans to run for president, a development that would add a major player to the GOP primary field.

May 1, 2023

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, looks at a U.S. M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise at the joint military exercise called "Balikatan," Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder in a Naval station in Zambales province, northern Philippines on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. The long-time treaty allies are holding their largest joint military exercises that are part of a show of American firepower that has alarmed China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Philippine president arrives in Washington looking for assurances from Biden amid China tensions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to press President Biden on U.S. commitments to defend the island nation and bolster their economic alliances as China flexes its muscle on his doorstep in the South China Sea.

April 30, 2023

Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., speaks during a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee concerning the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Rep. Jamie Raskin completes chemotherapy, reports good cancer prognosis

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland says he finished six rounds of chemotherapy and his cancer is in remission as he balances treatment with his high-profile job as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

April 28, 2023