Tom Howell Jr.

Paul Ryan downplays odds of quick action on health care

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday he's hopeful that Republicans can rally around a health care bill, but he's not willing to place odds on their chances of success or a timetable for getting it done, after the first try failed in spectacular fashion.

April 5, 2017

Nikki Haley blasts Syria, Russia directly in address to U.N.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, blasted Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies Wednesday in an impassioned and direct speech before the U.N. Security Council.

April 5, 2017

WHO registers alarm over pattern of toxic chemical attacks in Syria

The World Health Organization registered its alarm Wednesday over the apparent use of toxic chemicals in a Syrian attack that killed at least 70 people, saying it's part of a disturbing pattern and taxing hospital capacity in the region.

April 5, 2017

House Democrats try to force vote on bill to pry loose Trump’s tax returns

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic troops said Wednesday they want to force a floor vote on legislation requiring President Trump, future presidents and their nominees to disclose their tax returns.

April 5, 2017

Hillary Clinton won’t return to family foundation after election loss: report

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is unlikely to return to the Clinton Foundation, according to a report in The Hill.

April 5, 2017

Adam Kinzinger: Strikes are needed to force diplomatic end to Syrian conflict

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said Wednesday the U.S. and international community must deliver targeted strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad to force a diplomatic solution to the country's horrific civil war.

April 5, 2017

Majority supports Obamacare for first time: Gallup poll

More than half of Americans support Obamacare, according to a Gallup poll taken amid floundering Republican efforts to scrap the law after seven years of promising a replacement.

April 5, 2017

Joaquin Castro flatly predicts Trump aides will ‘end up in jail’ after Russia probe

A House Democrat is openly predicting that some of President Trump's allies will "end up in jail" once the investigation into the campaign's alleged ties with Russia runs its course.

April 5, 2017

Russia offers alternate theory for Syrian attack, says regime hit chemical munitions depot

Russia's defense ministry is offering an alternate explanation Wednesday for the deadly gas attack that killed dozens in Syria -- the regime struck a large "terrorist" depot that produced chemical warfare munitions.

April 5, 2017

Zika caused birth defects in 10 percent of infected pregnant women: CDC

Zika spawned a 10 percent birth defect rate in infected pregnant women in the U.S. last year, the government said in a new study Tuesday that shed light on the risks of the mosquito-borne scourge.

April 4, 2017

Susan Rice insists she did not use intelligence for political gain

Former National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice said Tuesday the notion she used her powers to unmask members of the Trump campaign or transition for political purposes is "absolutely false."

April 4, 2017

Paul Ryan: Revived health care talks still in ‘conceptual stage’

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday his GOP troops are having constructive talks on reviving the stalled effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, though cautioned they were still in the "conceptual" stage and hadn't reached an agreement on the thorny issue.

April 4, 2017

President Trump jumps on reports Susan Rice ‘unmasked’ campaign aides

President Trump egged on scrutiny of President Obama's national security adviser Tuesday by re-posting a story that calls into question Susan E. Rice's alleged role in "unmasking" campaign aides who were swept up in intelligence monitoring.

April 4, 2017

John McCain on Supreme Court standoff: ‘There’s no communication anymore’

Sen. John McCain said Tuesday the decision to "go nuclear" and force a rule change to avoid a Democratic filibuster of President Trump's Supreme Court is the result of a breakdown in comity between the parties.

April 4, 2017

Tom Perez, DNC chairman, refuses to apologize for saying GOP leaders don’t care about people

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez on Tuesday said he was referring to GOP leadership, and not regular voters, when he told activists over the weekend that Republicans simply don't care about people.

April 4, 2017

Elijah Cummings: White House involvement in Russia probe is ‘highly unusual’

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland on Tuesday said the level of White House involvement into the congressional probe of potential contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign is "highly unusual."

April 4, 2017

White House denounces Syrian gas attack, blames Obama’s weak policy

The Trump administration joined governments around the world in condemning the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad for a horrific chemical weapons attack Tuesday that killed at least 58 people, including 11 children, saying the Obama administration shared some of the blame for refusing to enforce its "red line" against chemical weapons attacks by Mr. Assad's forces.

April 4, 2017

Rand Paul proposes health-care plan, hopes to bring conservatives together

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky floated a compromise Obamacare repeal plan Monday, hoping to break a stalemate on Capitol Hill by proposing to cut the level of spending to try to appease conservatives but keep the basic model of taxpayer subsidies in place to win over moderates.

April 3, 2017

Medicaid expansion effort comes up short in Kansas

Kansas won't be expanding their Medicaid program after all, after the state House of Representatives fell three votes shy Monday of overriding Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a bill that would have extended coverage to roughly 180,000 low-income residents under Obamacare.

April 3, 2017

Paul Ryan: Obamacare payments will continue while GOP plots repeal

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday the Trump administration will continue to reimburse insurers under Obamacare while it settles on a repeal plan, though health plans swiftly demanded a longer-term commitment.

March 30, 2017