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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

President Donald Trump speaks during meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump tasks HHS with ongoing review of biodefense

President Trump signed a memo Tuesday ordering the government to come up with better defenses against bio-attacks, saying the threat of a coordinated attack, the accidental release of lab pathogens or an outbreak of Ebola is "very real."

September 18, 2018
In this image from video, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks on the flood of the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. McConnell says Republicans will review the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by the book with bipartisan interviews on the Judiciary Committee. (Senate Television via AP)

Senate passes sweeping bill to battle opioid epidemic

A Senate riven by disputes on a Supreme Court pick set aside the sniping long enough Monday to approve legislation to combat the opioid epidemic by limiting the runaway flow of addictive pills, expanding treatment and giving inspectors new tools to root out deadly fentanyl in the mail stream.

September 17, 2018
Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and chief sponsor of the bill, says too many Americans are overpaying because pharmacists can only divulge the cheaper option if the customer specifically asks about it. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Pharmacy ‘gag clauses’ ban approved by Senate

The Senate voted Monday to ban "gag clauses" that prevent pharmacists from telling customers they can save money in some cases by paying cash for their prescriptions, instead of relying on their insurance and making the co-payment.

September 17, 2018
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.  Kavanaugh is denying a sexual misconduct allegation from when he was in high school.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Christine Blasey Ford, Brett Kavanaugh accuser, details sexual assault allegation

A California professor revealed herself Sunday as the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of an attempted sexual assault during their high school days, prompting calls from Democrats to delay pivotal votes on the nomination but with no indication from top Republicans that they would do so.

September 16, 2018
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questions President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, for the second day of his confirmation to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Lindsey Graham: ‘Let’s let Mueller do his job’

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said there's been no evidence of 2016 collusion between the Trump campaign but he's willing to wait for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to sift through the evidence and whatever former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has to say.

September 16, 2018
FILE - In this May 16, 2018 file photo Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asks questions during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. John McCain is being remembered as a last lion of the Senate, with few others matching his stature. But the next generation of mavericks might come from the ranks of Senate women. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Dianne Feinstein announces Brett Kavanaugh opposition

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California announced plans Sunday to formally oppose Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, saying justices "should not be an extension of the Republican Party."

September 16, 2018
This Feb. 2, 2017 file photo, shows used needles littering the ground along train tracks in Philadelphia's largest open air drug market in the Kensington section of the city.  (Michael Bryant/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) **FILE**

Government survey finds progress in opioids fight

The number of people taking up heroin for the first time dropped by more than half in 2017 compared to the prior year, in a sign that prevention efforts may be taking hold, according to a government survey released Friday.

September 14, 2018
In this Aug. 17, 2018, file photo, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, gestures as he speaks during a campaign stop for Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Bernie Sanders, allies push to expand Social Security benefits

Sen. Bernard Sanders and progressive allies banded together Thursday to try and expand Social Security insurance, saying too many retirees can't get by on what it pays now and they must stave off any cuts Republicans demand in the wake of their deficit-ballooning tax bill.

September 13, 2018
A screenshot for HealthCare.gov during 2018 open enrollment is shown here. (Associated Press/File) **FILE**

Uninsured rate held steady in 2017, 28.5M without coverage: Census

The share of the U.S. populace that didn't have health insurance remained static from 2016 to 2017, the Census Bureau said Wednesday in a report that found Obamacare's gains continued to stall and that 28.5 million Americans lacked health care coverage in President Trump's first year.

September 12, 2018
Use of electronic cigarettes has reached epidemic levels among minors and is an unacceptable trade-off for helping adults wean off regular cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration says. (Associated Press/File)

FDA announces ‘historic’ crackdown on e-cigarettes sales to kids

The Food and Drug Administration threatened Wednesday to yank flavored e-cigarettes from shelves unless companies find ways to prevent sales to children, saying their use has reached epidemic levels among minors and is an unacceptable trade-off for helping adults wean off regular cigarettes.

September 12, 2018
"This will be something my colleagues will be happy to vote on because fentanyl is in every state now," said Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican. "And it is the No. 1 killer, if you look at statistics," he said. Mr. Portman's STOP Act is aimed at curbing the opioid crisis. (Associated Press photographs)

Rob Portman aims to curb U.S. opioid crisis with STOP bill

Sen. Rob Portman learned from a sheriff in Ohio in 2016 that fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid that has cut a path of death and destruction through American communities, was being shipped through the mail, from shady overseas manufacturers right into the hands of drug dealers and addicts.

September 11, 2018
In this May 9, 2018, photo, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is shown during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Joe Manchin shoots anti-Obamacare lawsuit in new ad

Eight years ago, Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia promised to "repeal the bad parts of Obamacare" in a special-election ad that features him touting his folksy bona fides and literally shooting a "cap and trade" bill designed to combat climate change.

September 10, 2018