Skip to content
Advertisement

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this Thursday, June 11, 2009 file photo, the logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. An independent panel appointed by the World Health Organization to review the U.N. health agency’s coordination of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic said on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 it would have full access to any internal U.N. agency documents, materials and emails necessary as the group begins their probe. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, file)  **FILE**

Panel set up to probe WHO response to coronavirus

An independent panel appointed to review the World Health Organization's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic named its members Thursday and said it will have free rein to examine the body's files and ask "hard questions" about the response.

September 3, 2020
In this Feb. 24, 2020, photo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), addresses a press conference about the update on COVID-19 at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) ** FILE **

Trump administration takes steps to untether from WHO

The Trump administration said Wednesday it will reprogram the $62 million in "annual dues" it owes the World Health Organization to pay other United Nations assessments, as it seeks to satisfy the terms of its year-long exit from the global public-health body.

September 2, 2020
Teachers and staff welcome back students to Bissonet Plaza Elementary in the Jefferson Parish Public School District for in-person classes with coronavirus restrictions including temperature checks and masks in Metairie, La. Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP)

U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 180,000 amid setbacks, silver linings

The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has hit a once-unthinkable 180,000, school reopenings are a struggle and the economy is still a mess, but there is good news to be found: Daily cases are steadily declining and a lower percentage of tests are coming back positive.

August 31, 2020
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

Pro-Trump cops: Joe Biden would ‘sit by’ amid riots

The Trump campaign and its law enforcement surrogates accused former Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Monday of being an "apologist" who refuses to condemn rioting and will be "led around by the nose" by leftist activists and undercut police who must grapple with the mayhem.

August 31, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence greet supporters on the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

RNC coronavirus message a stark contrast to DNC

People who watched the Republican and Democratic national conventions a mere week apart could be forgiven for thinking they lived in two different countries, each with its own reality.

August 27, 2020
Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Brett P. Giroir, speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right, listens during a House Select Subcommittee hearing on the Coronavirus, Friday, July 31, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington.  (Erin Scott/Pool via AP)

Brett Giroir: Changes to guidance were not directed by Trump

A Trump administration official said Wednesday that controversial changes to coronavirus testing guidelines were determined by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House task force and not commanded by political figures.

August 26, 2020