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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

President Trump is working with Mick Mulvaney (left), director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and other members of his team to prepare for a government shutdown in case Congress can't reach a budget deal by the end of the week. (Associated Press/File)

Mick Mulvaney tries to ease shutdown fears

President Trump and his budget team are voicing confidence that a government shutdown will be averted before Friday's deadline, even as they methodically go through an Obama-era checklist of preparations for shuttering departments and agencies just in case Congress can't agree on a spending bill in time.

April 23, 2017
After years of playing catch-up and watching the death toll mount, public health professionals said it's time to try to get ahead of the opioid epidemic. (Associated Press/File)

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
A Maryland bill, approved by the state Senate on a 28-17 vote, would require presidential and vice presidential candidates to release the preceding five years of their tax returns to appear on the ballot.  (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

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
President Trump's is taking a risky gambit by threatening to cut off payments to Obamacare insurers. (Associated Press)

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
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is worried that unseasonably warm spring temperatures may spawn extra Zika-spreaking mosquitoes this summer. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

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