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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 file photo, Lara, who is less then 3-months old and was born with microcephaly, is examined by a neurologist at the Pedro I hospital in Campina Grande, Paraiba state, Brazil. Scientists suspect an outbreak of the Zika virus is behind a surge in a rare birth defect in Brazil. But how are they going to prove it? Authorities in the South American country were quick to make the link last fall. But experts say the evidence is still circumstantial. Several studies are underway in Zika outbreak countries to see if the mosquito-borne virus is the actual case. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Zika virus: CDC monitoring nearly 300 pregnant women

The U.S. is monitoring nearly 300 pregnant women with likely Zika infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, as President Obama urged Congress to "get moving" on funds to combat a serious outbreak.

May 20, 2016
House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, Texas Republican, is joined by Rep. Virginia Foxx, North Carolina Republican, as he speaks during a panel on Capitol in Washington on May 7, 2014. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Vote-switching on gay-rights measure causes uproar in House

The House defeated a pro-gay rights measure by a single vote Thursday, prompting Democrats to loudly chant, "Shame! Shame!" from the chamber floor and lash out at GOP leaders who they accused of bending the rules to orchestrate the defeat.

May 19, 2016
A demonstrator protests the Federal Reserve's failure to bail out Puerto Rico outside International House in New York on April 7, 2016. (Associated Press) **FILE**

House leaders push new Puerto Rico bill to rescue it from $72B debt

House leaders lobbied members Thursday to support the latest version of a bill designed to impose fiscal oversight on Puerto Rico and rescue it from $72 billion in bond debt, saying the parties negotiated in good faith and that Congress should act now to avoid a taxpayer bailout down the road.

May 19, 2016
"This short-term funding resolution will keep the lights on in government and maintain current operations for a few days so Congress can complete and pass an agreement," said Rep. Harold Rogers, Kentucky Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. (Associated Press)

House passes Zika funding bill for one-third of Obama’s request

The House brushed aside President Obama's veto threat and passed a bill Wednesday that takes hundreds of millions from the Ebola fight and other federal accounts to fight the Zika virus, laying down a marker that's only a third of what the White House wanted to combat the mosquito-borne illness.

May 18, 2016
An examination dish containing dead mosquitoes sits under a microscope on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Brownsville, Texas. The exhibit was part of a display of tools public health offficials use to capture and combat mosquitos. A panel of local experts and officials discussed the threat Zika brings and ways to minimize its spread in the Rio Grande Valley, a major thoroughfare of international trade and travel. (Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald via AP)

WHO calls on Europe to gird for Zika

The World Health Organization on Wednesday told Europe to gird for the Zika virus that is causing serious birth defects in Latin America, underscoring the potential reach of the mosquito-borne disease as U.S. lawmakers debate how much money is needed to beat back a potential outbreak at home.

May 18, 2016
Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, is co-sponsoring legislation to fully fund President Obama's nearly $2 billion emergency spending request. He said that if the spending can be offset, that's fine. But also said he was OK tacking it onto the debt. (Associated Press)

Marco Rubio joins push to pass Obama’s $2 billion Zika request

Just two months after running as one of the conservative candidates in the GOP presidential race, Sen. Marco Rubio is now embracing Democrats' calls to open the federal checkbook and dole out billions of dollars in money to combat the Zika virus — and tacking it onto the debt.

May 16, 2016
The Supreme Court. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Supreme Court rejects Obama’s birth control plan, sends case to lower courts

The Supreme Court declined to rule in a closely watched fight over Obamacare's birth control rules Monday and sent the dispute back to the lower courts, saying both sides should be able to reach a compromise that doesn't force religious nonprofits to be involved in contraceptive coverage that violates their beliefs.

May 16, 2016
Denis McDonough, White House chief of staff, speaks at a news conference after meeting with Iron Rangers in Virginia, Minn., on Dec. 22, 2015. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) **FILE**

Denis McDonough: Allies must carry Obamacare into new phase

The White House brushed aside a growing list of political and legal threats to its signature health care law on Friday, vowing to pass the torch to Obamacare's allies so that Americans can seek taxpayer-subsidized coverage for "generations" to come.

May 13, 2016
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California slammed Republicans for refusing to provide emergency funding to battle the nationwide opioid epidemic. (Associated Press)

Opioid epidemic funding a sticking point in House

By Friday the House will have passed 18 bills to stake out a bigger federal role in fighting the nationwide opioid epidemic -- but as with so much else in Congress these days, the effort is turning into a spat over money.

May 12, 2016
President Obama has been hoping to shore up his health legacy — roughly 20 million have gained coverage under his reforms — instead of fending off repeated legal challenges to reforms. (Associated Press)

Judge rules in favor of House GOP in Obamacare lawsuit

A federal judge dealt President Obama and his health care law a major blow Thursday, ruling in favor of House Republicans who said the administration broke the law and trod on Congress' fundamental powers by paying Obamacare insurers without permission from Capitol Hill.

May 12, 2016
Sen. Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Zika funding deal close in Senate

Sen. Roy Blunt said negotiators are nearing a deal that would partially fund President Obama's $1.9 billion request for emergency spending to combat the Zika virus at home and abroad.

May 11, 2016
Sen. Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Senate nears deal for funding for Zika fight

Sen. Roy Blunt said negotiators are nearing a deal that would partially fund President Obama's $1.9 billion request for emergency spending to combat the Zika virus at home and abroad.

May 11, 2016
David Vitter (Associated Press/File)

David Vitter holding up OPM nomination over Obamacare ‘fraud’

Sen. David Vitter said Wednesday he will not lift his hold on President Obama's pick to lead the federal personnel office because the agency continues to let members of Congress use an Obamacare exchange while receiving a generous employer subsidy, an option that regular Americans don't have.

May 11, 2016