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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this April 9, 2019, file photo, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lowey, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee and a 31-year veteran of Congress, says she will retire at the end of next year. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) **FILE**

Donald Trump requests $2.5 billion for coronavirus fight

The Trump administration late Monday asked Congress for $2.5 billion to combat the coronavirus from China, underscoring fears the wily pathogen that's taken root in Italy, Iran and elsewhere could spread within the U.S. and upend public health and the economy in an election year.

February 24, 2020
Workers wearing protective gears prepare to spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a market in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his government had increased its anti-virus alert level by one notch to “Red,” the highest level. It allows for the temporary closure of schools and reduced operation of public transportation and flights to and from South Korea.  (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Coronavirus infects Wall Street; stocks plunge

The coronavirus from China infected Wall Street Monday, as U.S. stocks took a beating Monday amid fears the outbreak that hobbled the world's No. 2 economy would carve through Europe and make South Korea's economic engine seize up, too.

February 24, 2020
Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a market in Bupyeong, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. South Korea reported another large jump in new virus cases Monday a day after the the president called for "unprecedented, powerful" steps to combat the outbreak that is increasingly confounding attempts to stop the spread. (Lee Jong-chul/Newsis via AP)

WHO: Don’t call the COVID-19 crisis a pandemic just yet

The World Health Organization said the spread of the new coronavirus in Italy, Iran and South Korea is "deeply concerning" but that labeling the outbreak a pandemic at this point would not fit the facts and spark unnecessary fear.

February 24, 2020
Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. South Korea on Friday declared a "special management zone" around a southeastern city where a surging viral outbreak, largely linked to a church in Daegu, threatens to overwhelm the region's health system. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Virus cases spike in South Korea, linked to a shadowy church

South Korea's tally of coronavirus cases has quadrupled in three days and Iran's death toll climbed to four, the World Health Organization said, raising fears of global transmission despite signs of improvement at the epicenter in China.

February 21, 2020
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), addresses the media during a press conference at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 on the situation regarding to the new coronavirus. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) **FILE**

New coronavirus concerns in S. Korea, Japan as Chinese cases ebb

The rate of new coronavirus cases in China is dropping but officials are eyeing flare-ups in other places, as South Korea reported dozens of cases in its fourth-largest city and Japan said two former cruise-ship passengers have died from the illness.

February 20, 2020
In this Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, photo, Thai public health officers operate a health checkpoint with thermo scan, targeting to pick people traveling with fever, a symptom of COVID-19 at Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai Public Health Ministry on Monday, Feb 17, 2020, informed Thais to reschedule their visits to Japan and Singapore citing the rising number of people infected by new coronavirus in those two countries. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Coronavirus threatens to global economy as Iran reports 2 deaths

The chief of the International Monetary Fund dubbed the Chinese coronavirus "our most pressing uncertainty" as Iran reported two deaths, Japan let cruise ship passengers out of quarantine, and European sportswear brands said they were taking a hit from the truly global outbreak.

February 19, 2020
French lab scientists in hazmat gear inserting liquid in test tube manipulate potentially infected patient samples at Pasteur Institute in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Scientists at the Pasteur Institute developed and shared a quick test for the new virus that is spreading worldwide, and are using genetic information about the coronavirus to develop a potential vaccine and treatments. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Coronavirus vaccine effort gets Trump administration boost

The Trump administration accelerated efforts to contain the threat of the coronavirus from China on Tuesday, saying it will direct funding to French drugmaker Sanofi in the search for an effective vaccine and test whether therapies for SARS or related illnesses can be targeted against the deadly new threat.

February 18, 2020