Tom Howell Jr.

GOP leaders use ‘60 Minutes’ spotlight to ding Obamacare, but alternative remains elusive

Leaders of the new Republican-majority Congress struggled to outline a GOP replacement to Obamacare late Sunday, even as they vowed to hold repeal votes and bemoaned President Obama's veto power through 2016.

January 26, 2015

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

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

Congressional veterans: ‘American Sniper’ a realistic portrait of sacrifice, war’s toll

Air Force veteran and congressman Adam Kinzinger said Sunday that "American Sniper," the Oscar-nominated film that's packed theaters while reigniting the nation's culture wars, is the most authentic depiction of the Iraq conflict that he's seen.

January 25, 2015

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

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

Bobby Jindal says states must be free to decide gay marriage question

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Republican leader of one of 14 states that do not perform same-sex marriage, said Sunday he'll defend the right of states to define marriage as they see fit.

January 25, 2015

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

Denis McDonough repeats U.S. refusal to negotiate hostages with Islamic State

The U.S. will not pay ransoms or swap prisoners to satisfy the Islamic State and spring hostages from their grip in Iraq and Syria, President Obama's chief of staff said Sunday, as Japan mourned the apparent beheading of one of its citizens at the hands of the terrorist group.

January 25, 2015

Opioid use startlingly high among reproductive-age women: CDC

A startling number of women are taking opioid painkillers during their child-bearing years, according to a new study that warns of pregnancy complications and birth defects.

January 22, 2015

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

Bobby Jindal blasts GOP’s retreat on 20-week abortion ban

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal blasted House Republican leaders Thursday for pulling a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, boasting he shepherded an identical law in his state.

January 22, 2015

Obamacare website enrollment crests 7M as Feb. 15 deadline looms

Enrollment on the federal Obamacare exchange has reached 7.1 million, the Obama administration said Wednesday in a weekly report that warned last-minute shoppers to log onto HealthCare.gov before it's too late.

January 21, 2015

House Democrats launch bid to revive base after humbling midterms

Reeling from midterm elections that left them with a weak hand, House Democrats unveiled a task force Wednesday aimed at driving minorities and the rest of its base back to the polls.

January 21, 2015

Obamacare plays a bit role in State of the Union, even as it looms large in GOP agenda

This time, President Obama got his signature domestic achievement out of the way early.

January 20, 2015

Ron Johnson hopes for a better outcome in round two of Obamacare lawsuit

Sen. Ron Johnson is hoping a federal appeals court will breathe new life into his lawsuit over how Congress is treated under Obamacare.

January 20, 2015

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

Sen. Orrin Hatch eyes every tool to take down Obamacare

Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch vowed Tuesday to chip away at Obamacare, "piece by piece," saying he hasn't ruled out the use of a powerful, yet complex, budget process to seriously dent the law.

January 20, 2015

Ben Sasse honors Ebola doctor with State of the Union invite

A freshman senator will honor the doctors and nurses on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak by welcoming one of them as his guest Tuesday night at the State of the Union Address.

January 20, 2015

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