Skip to content
Advertisement

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

A Houthi Shiite fighter shows support for his comrades after seizing the capital in Sanaa, Yemen. President Obama has yet to reveal a response. (Associated Press)

Yemen coup shows Obama lacks Middle East terror strategy, critics say

The Yemeni government's fall to Iran-backed Shiite militants last week is only the latest sign that Tehran is "on the march" and that President Obama needs a battle plan to rout extremists across the Middle East, the administration's critics charged Sunday.

January 25, 2015
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee waits backstage before speaking during the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa.  (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Mike Huckabee inches closer to presidential run

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he won't decide on a presidential bid until spring. But he basically threw his hat in the ring Sunday, shoring up his opposition to Common Core education standards and walking a fine line on immigration as the GOP primary season heats up.

January 25, 2015
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington in this June 4, 2014, file photo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

John McCain: Iran ‘on the march’

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that Iran is "on the march" and that President Obama lacks a strategy to deal with the Islamic republic, ratcheting up a tense standoff between congressional Republicans and the White House.

January 25, 2015
'UNBREAKABLE BOND': Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama both said reports about more distant relations in the past year were "wrong." Mr. Netanyahu visited Mr. Obama in the Oval Office and talked with a group of reporters. (Associated Press)

Denis McDonough calls Netanyahu invite a mistake

The White House sought the high ground Sunday in objecting to House Republicans' decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without President Obama's blessing, saying it is foolhardy to disrupt negotiations with Iran as the Islamic Republic seeks a nuclear weapon.

January 25, 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama waves to the media, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi standing beside him during a ceremonial reception at the Indian Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. Obama is the first American leader to be invited to attend India's Republic Day festivities, which commence Monday and mark the anniversary of the enactment of the country's democratic constitution. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

Obama: U.S. can’t play ‘whack-a-mole’ by sending troops to Yemen

President Obama held out hope Sunday for a political solution to the burgeoning crisis in Yemen, where Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels have overrun the capital of Sanaa and upset U.S. operations against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a particularly dangerous wing of the Sunni terrorist group.

January 25, 2015
House Speaker John A. Boehner said that after the upcoming GOP House retreat, the Republicans will have a better plan on how to cancel out President Obama's amnesty. (Associated Press)

House votes to ban taxpayer-funded abortions

While tens of thousands of pro-life marchers teemed the streets outside the Capitol, the House voted Thursday to cement a ban on taxpayer funding for abortions under Obamacare.

January 22, 2015
FILE - This Nov. 12, 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, on a laptop screen, shown in Portland, Ore. Sign-ups under President Barack Obama's health care law grew slowly but steadily over the New Year's holiday. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Admin played favorites with contracting for faulty Obamacare website: report

The agency in charge of Obamacare didn't strategize wisely or look beyond existing government contractors before they doled out 60 contracts to build out HealthCare.gov, according to an inspector general's report Tuesday that sheds light on a federal project that stumbled out of the gate in fall 2013.

January 20, 2015
FILE - This Nov. 12, 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, on a laptop screen, shown in Portland, Ore. Not only do more Americans have health insurance, but the number struggling with medical costs has dropped since President Barack Obama's health care law expanded coverage, according to a study released Thursday Jan. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Pro-Obamacare group maps out next phase of health care reform

A pro-Obamacare group released a roadmap Monday for the next wave of health reform, from expanding Medicaid in every state to extending dental coverage to all — presenting a progressive counterpoint to Republican lawmakers who want to replace the overhaul with market-driven reforms.

January 19, 2015