Tom Howell Jr.

Reince Priebus, WH chief of staff: Trump will work with whoever wins French election

Reince Priebus said President Trump's interest in France's presidential election shouldn't be interpreted as him putting his thumb on the scales for one candidate over another.

April 23, 2017

Mick Mulvaney, budget director: “Don’t know yet” if Trump will sign bill without wall money

Mick Mulvaney on Sunday said it is unclear whether President Trump would sign a funding bill that doesn't include money for his border wall with Mexico.

April 23, 2017

Rep. Mark Sanford: Emerging plan to unshackle states on health care ‘makes sense’

Rep. Mark Sanford said a House proposal could help President Trump and GOP leaders move forward with their repeal-and-replace-Obamacare strategy.

April 23, 2017

John Kelly, Homeland Security chief: ‘Dreamers’ aren’t deportation targets

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said anyone in the country illegally is subject to deportation by law but so-called "Dreamers" should rest easy.

April 23, 2017

Congress, WHO sound the alarm over pandemic bird flu or avian flu in China

House Republicans sounded the alarm Friday over an avian flu threat that's escalating in China, saying it underscores the need to finish and vet an overdue plan for responding to pandemic flu at home.

April 21, 2017

House GOP compromise on health care reform emerges, though centrists might still balk

Under pressure to deliver a win for President Trump, House Republicans are working on a new Obamacare repeal compromise that could bridge the divide between hard-line conservatives and centrists who tanked the first attempt.

April 20, 2017

CDC campaign warns of opioid abuse

Ann Marie Perrotto fingers the heart-shaped locket hanging around her neck with a photo of her son, Christopher, then recounts how she had to buy the suit and tie she buried him in.

April 19, 2017

UnitedHealth beats earnings forecasts as it pulls out of Obamacare markets

UnitedHealth Group on Tuesday said its profits rose in the first quarter, as it retreats from Obamacare's wobbly insurance markets but sees growth in other lines of business.

April 18, 2017

Donald Trump limits reach of Obamacare on 2016 tax filing

Americans racing to Tuesday's tax deadline can file their returns even if they ignore the line that asks whether they had health insurance last year -- an early, visible result of President Trump's order directing agencies to limit Obamacare's reach.

April 17, 2017

Donald Trump threatens Obamacare payment cuts to pressure Democrats

President Trump is threatening to cut off critical Obamacare payments to insurers unless Democrats come to the table to negotiate a new health care bill, taking a tough negotiating stance that could force Democratic leaders into a government shutdown by month's end.

April 16, 2017

Donald Trump now supports Ex-Im Bank, confounding conservatives

President Trump's embrace of the Export-Import Bank is a major blow to conservatives, who had been on the verge of nixing what they -- and Mr. Trump, until now -- called a sop to wealthy corporations.

April 13, 2017

Obamacare repeal will get second try under Donald Trump, president says

President Trump said Wednesday he still wants to tackle health care before moving on to tax reform, a shift that raises the stakes for congressional Republicans struggling to pin down an Obamacare replacement and untangle a web of fiscal deadlines.

April 12, 2017

Health care groups, Chamber of Commerce urge Donald Trump to extend Obamacare payments

Health care groups implored President Trump Wednesday to preserve Obamacare payments that are critical to the stability of the insurance market, as Republicans struggle to plot out their next steps on health reform.

April 12, 2017

Zika fears return with warm weather

Rising U.S. temperatures are forcing federal and state officials to gird for yet another bout with Zika, the mosquito-borne disease that triggered unprecedented travel warnings to pregnant women and sent sales of bug-repellent soaring before fading from view over the winter.

April 11, 2017

Congress’ two-week recess inspires outside political groups to buy attack ads

Republican leaders say Congress' two-week recess offers a "cooling-off" period for GOP lawmakers who've failed to coalesce around a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, but outside groups are dialing up the heat with ad buys and talking points before they can even unpack their bags.

April 10, 2017

Club for Growth targets 10 GOP centrists in anti-Obamacare campaign

The Club for Growth said Monday it will spend $1 million on ads prodding centrist Republicans to rally behind a White House plan that would allow states to waive parts of Obamacare that have been blamed for rising premiums.

April 10, 2017

Opioid policy unites Democrats, Republicans on Capitol Hill

Extreme partisanship is rampant on Capitol Hill, but a glimmer of hope for cooperation is emerging from a dark place -- the prescription painkiller and heroin crisis that's ravaging the country.

April 9, 2017

Revised Obamacare repeal bill aims to unite more Republicans

House Republican leaders revived their Obamacare repeal bill Thursday, modifying the plan to earn the support of wary conservatives and setting the table for a showdown when Congress returns from a two-week spring break.

April 6, 2017

Paul Ryan insists GOP is making progress on health care before recess

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted Thursday the GOP is making "real progress" in rallying around an Obamacare replacement plan, citing a proposed change that would subsidize the costs of sicker consumers so that insurers can drive down costs for healthier ones.

April 6, 2017

Rob Portman urges Donald Trump to address synthetic opioids in meeting with Chinese leader

Sen. Rob Portman is urging President Trump to use an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to highlight the steady and deadly flow of powerful synthetic opioids from clandestine labs in Asia to the U.S.

April 5, 2017