Tom Howell Jr.

New Ebola case reported in Liberia, weeks after nation declared virus-free

Officials in Liberia say they've confirmed a new Ebola case, marking its first brush with the deadly virus since the outbreak was declared over in the West African nation more than a month ago.

June 30, 2015

Supreme Court upholds use of independent boards to draw congressional districts

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can use independent commissions to redraw their congressional districts, turning away a challenge by Arizona lawmakers who said the Constitution clearly vested that power in state legislatures alone.

June 29, 2015

Obamacare, gay marriage Supreme Court rulings force states to change laws

Pivotal Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage and Obamacare are reverberating in the states, where some officials are slow-walking overnight changes to their marriage laws and others want to retool their approaches to health care reform now that federal subsidies are on firm footing in all the states.

June 28, 2015

Paul Ryan, Ways and Means chairman, hits Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare subsidies

Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan chided Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on the court's decision to uphold Obamacare's subsidies in all the states.

June 28, 2015

Bobby Jindal, Louisiana governor, says state will comply with Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said his state will comply, with the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

June 28, 2015

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina senator, calls for Confederate flag’s removal from Statehouse

Lindsey Graham says the Confederate flag has become a "roadblock to the future of my state."

June 28, 2015

Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate, notes his appeal among minorities, common-sense gun rights

Bernie Sanders says he will garner support from minority voters during the Democratic presidential primary cycle.

June 28, 2015

Mike Huckabee, GOP presidential candidate, hits Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling

Mike Huckabee says the Supreme Court's decision to affirm same-sex marriage couples' will put Christian pastors and business owners in a bind.

June 28, 2015

Michael McCaul, House Homeland Security chairman, warns of terror threats for Fourth of July

Attacks abroad and "chatter" about potential U.S. attacks must prompt vigilance during the Fourth of July, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman says.

June 28, 2015

Donald Trump, GOP presidential candidate, gives in-depth CNN interview

Donald Trump is trying to have it both ways amid a range of social, economic and political issues as he chalks up better-than-expected poll numbers ahead of the GOP's 2016 presidential primary contests.

June 28, 2015

Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision ripples through the states

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold Obamacare's subsidies on the federal exchange is reverberating in states that had been retooling their approach to the health care law, or at least girding for a more dramatic outcome to the closely watched case.

June 26, 2015

Boehner: Undecided on whether to repeal Obamacare with budget tool

House Speaker John A. Boehner refused to say Thursday whether the GOP will use a fast-track budget tool to target Obamacare, moments after the Supreme Court upheld the law's subsidies in dozens of states.

June 25, 2015

Rick Scott, Florida governor, drops lawsuit against HHS over health funding

Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Thursday he will drop a lawsuit that accused the Obama administration of employing mafia-like tactics in a bid to force him to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.

June 25, 2015

Antonin Scalia fumes: ‘We should start calling this law SCOTUScare’

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia slammed the ruling on Obamacare subsidies in a scathing dissent.

June 25, 2015

Obama wins: Supreme Court upholds Obamacare subsidies, 6-3

The Supreme Court upheld Obamacare's ability to pay subsidies to customers throughout the U.S. in a ruling Thursday that cements the law's legal standing, delivering a resounding win to President Obama, who said it was time for Republicans to accept defeat and move on.

June 25, 2015

Scott Walker to Obama: States won’t bail you out after Obamacare ruling

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says states should not bolster Obamacare in any way if the Supreme Court decides to strike down the law's subsidies in at least 34 states.

June 24, 2015

Senate panel approves long-term highway funding bill

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a six-year highway bill with little fanfare Wednesday, setting up a long-term extension of funding for the nation's decaying roads and bridges if lawmakers can find a way to pay for the package.

June 24, 2015

‘Death panel’ repealed in House Obamacare vote

The House voted Tuesday to repeal another piece of Obamacare, this time a Medicare cost-cutting board that opponents have decried as a "death panel" that could ration care.

June 23, 2015

Senators unveil 6-year highway bill, set up race to pay for and pass bill by July

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unveiled a bill Tuesday to reauthorize funding for transportation projects for six years, saying the nation's crumbling roads and bridges need a long-term fix and that Congress should be able to rally around their bipartisan package.

June 23, 2015

White House brushes off revelations about Jonathan Gruber’s role in crafting Obamacare

The White House Monday defended its portrayal of MIT professor Jonathan Gruber as a contractor with a limited role in crafting Obamacare, pushing back at GOP lawmakers who uncovered a steady stream of emails between President Obama's team and the economist who once commented on the "stupidity of the American voter."

June 22, 2015