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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

This screenshot made Nov. 26, 2013, shows the Department of Health and Human Services' web page for the Spanish language version HealthCare.gov. The nation’s largest minority group risks being left behind by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Hispanics account for about one-third of the nation’s uninsured, but all signs indicate that they remain largely on the sidelines as the White House races to meet a goal of 6 million sign-ups by March 31. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Obamacare advocates target Hispanics in health care enrollment push

A map in Angela Franco's office highlights the D.C. streets most likely to have Hispanic business owners, and it serves as a blueprint for foot soldiers who have been pounding the pavement to get people covered through the city's Obamacare exchange.

September 1, 2014
Burger King employee Brittany Buckhannon, 24, right, demonstrates during a protest for higher wages and worker's unions outside a McDonald's restaurant, Thursday, May 15, 2014, in Atlanta. Calling for higher pay and the right to form a union without retaliation, fast-food chain workers protested Thursday as part of a wave of strikes and protests in 150 cities across the U.S. and 33 additional countries on six continents. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Franchises could be next union battleground

Business groups say they're gearing up to defend against what they believe to be the next front in the battle with organized labor: the franchise model used by McDonald's and other iconic brands.

August 31, 2014
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat (AP Photo)

Feinstein: Obama maybe ‘too cautious’ on Islamic State, but plans are underway

The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday that President Obama is notably cautious — "maybe, in this instance, too cautious" — but insisted the U.S. and its allies will coalesce behind a plan to beat back the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria before their well-funded sources take Baghdad.

August 31, 2014
** FILE ** Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican. (Associated Press)

Rep. Mike Rogers: Obama’s foreign policy is in “free fall”

President Obama's foreign policy is in "absolute free-fall" amid the rise of the Islamic State, and Western allies no longer view the U.S. as a leader in confronting religious extremism in the Middle East, the House intelligence chairman said Sunday.

August 31, 2014
Sen. Tom Coburn says federal seasonal and temporary workers were included on rosters — thereby sidestepping Obamacare penalties. (Associated Press)

Coburn: Feds may have broken law on employer mandate

Sen. Tom Coburn wants to know whether the Obama administration violated the law by making it easier for seasonal and temporary workers in the federal government to get health coverage — perhaps so the feds would not be penalized under Obamacare's "employer mandate."

August 28, 2014
**FILE** Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican (Associated Press)

Coburn: Did feds illegally skirt Obamacare employer mandate?

Sen. Tom Coburn wants to know if the Obama administration violated the law by making it easier for seasonal and temporary workers in the federal government to get health coverage — perhaps so the feds would not be penalized under Obamacare's "employer mandate."

August 28, 2014
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press)

Obamacare contracts soar past estimates, audit finds

At least a third of the contracts the administration inked to help implement Obamacare are over budget, an inspector general's audit reported Tuesday, highlighting the health program's potential to inflate costs.

August 26, 2014
We're making it needlessly difficult for Americans to save and invest. That hurts job growth and depresses wages.



(Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Obamacare tax forms may pose challenge for enrollees, exchanges

Obamacare customers won't be able to file their tax returns next year until the government sends them a form detailing their coverage and tax credits, and if those forms are late some taxpayers could face a delay in seeking their refunds.

August 20, 2014
** FILE ** In this file photo taken June 14, 2014, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor rides the the Pink Tomato Festival parade as he campaigns in Warren, Ark. Pryor is being challenged by Republican Congressman Tom Cotton in a campaign that began about one year ago. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Sen. Mark Pryor releases a rare pro-Obamacare ad

Sen. Mark Pryor's re-election campaign released an ad Wednesday that touts a part of Obamacare — a rarity among Democrats hoping to stave off attacks derived from the law's negative headlines and poor polling numbers.

August 20, 2014