Tom Howell Jr.

Ohio gives Obama a thumbs down, yet Hillary Clinton tops GOP all-stars: poll

Ohio voters this month gave President Obama a failing grade, but that's not hampering Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's edge over all Republican comers in theoretical matchups for the 2016 presidential race.

July 31, 2014

Russians are unfazed by the West’s response to Putin’s actions in Ukraine: poll

Russians are largely unswayed by the West's response to their nation's incursions in eastern Ukraine, with nearly two-thirds of them saying Russia needs to have a "very strong position" in relations with its neighbor, according to Gallup.

July 31, 2014

Obama admin to blame for HealthCare.gov woes, $840M cost: GAO

Obamacare's balky federal website was doomed last fall by poor management within the Obama administration, cost overruns and shifting deadlines and requirements, government investigators say in a report for Congress.

July 30, 2014

Senators to FIFA, others: Don’t reward Putin with the World Cup in 2018

Looking to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the unrest in eastern Ukraine, a pair of U.S. senators say world soccer officials should think about stripping Russia's hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup.

July 30, 2014

GOP seizes on Alison Lundergan Grimes’ odd ‘Iron Dome’ comments

Recent remarks by Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes have Republicans wondering if she knows what Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system actually does.

July 30, 2014

Democrats’ new bill would make sure women in military can get free birth control

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen introduced a bill Wednesday that would make sure women in the U.S. military can obtain FDA-approved forms of birth control without an insurance co-pay.

July 30, 2014

Chris Christie’s latest push is bail reform: report

Republican Gov. Chris Christie will prod New Jersey lawmakers Wednesday to overhaul the state's bail system, offering a diversion from the high-profile executive's efforts to grapple with public-pension funding.

July 30, 2014

U.S. woman with Ebola is stable, improving, son says

The son of Nancy Writebol, a missionary from North Carolina who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia, said Wednesday his mother is improving during her fight against the deadly virus.

July 30, 2014

Alison Lundergan Grimes uses ‘war on women’ strategy to attack Mitch McConnell

Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes released a campaign ad Wednesday that uses her party's "war on women" strategy to attack her powerful Republican opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

July 30, 2014

U.S. surgeon general is hesitant about green-lighting marijuana

The acting U.S. surgeon general said Wednesday he is wary of legalizing marijuana because it would be "yet another product out there" that can cause respiratory problems.

July 30, 2014

GOP challenger plans to crash Sen. Pat Roberts’ campaign event to debate the issue

Senate candidate Milton Wolf said Wednesday he will re-route his campaign bus to set up an impromptu debate with incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts before Kansans cast their ballots in the Republican primary.

July 30, 2014

Ohio Gov. John Kasich cruising to re-election: survey

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is cruising to re-election this year because his Democratic challenger remains largely unknown in the Buckeye State, a new survey said.

July 30, 2014

Geography, awareness dictate uninsured rates in Obamacare era: study

Four out of every 10 uninsured Americans live in states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid under Obamacare and have incomes below the threshold for gaining the state-federal health benefits under President Obama's reforms.

July 29, 2014

Elijah Cummings presses GOP governors on Medicaid expansion decisions

Rep. Elijah Cummings wants to know why some Republican governors have expanded Medicaid while others remain adamantly opposed to the key pillar of Obamacare.

July 29, 2014

Appeals court upholds Obamacare tax as constitutional

A key appeals court on Tuesday ruled that despite including a tax, Obamacare doesn't violate the Constitution's requirement that all tax bills originate in the House of Representatives, giving the Obama administration another health care win.

July 29, 2014

New Englander Scott Brown turns his gaze to the U.S. border crisis

New Hampshire may be a long way from the southern U.S. border, but Senate candidate Scott Brown is using the immigration crisis to take on President Obama and his Democratic opponent, Jeanne Shaheen, on the campaign trail.

July 29, 2014

Putin a ‘megalomaniac’ who must be challenged with force: Sen. Johnson

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "megalomaniac" who will forge ahead in eastern Ukraine unless the U.S. and others stand up to him with actual force, because economic sanctions are simply not enough, Sen. Ron Johnson said Tuesday.

July 29, 2014

Sen. Joe Manchin sued by his brother over old loan: report

Sen. Joe Manchin was sued by his brother this month in connection with a decades-old $1.7 million loan aimed at keeping a family business out of bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal said.

July 29, 2014

New Mexico decides to use HealthCare.gov for 2015

New Mexico has decided to use the federal HealthCare.gov website for another year instead of shifting to its own platform to enroll people in Obamacare plans, a new report said.

July 29, 2014

HHS: ‘Donut hole’ reforms saved Medicare enrollees $11.5 billion since 2010

Hoping to spread good news about Medicare into a second day, the Obama administration said Tuesday that seniors and the disabled have saved $11.5 billion on prescriptions since the health care law passed in 2010.

July 29, 2014