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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press)

Senate confirms Burwell as HHS secretary, new face of Obamacare

Government auditors said Thursday that 2 million fewer people will pay an Obamacare penalty for lacking insurance in 2016 than previously thought, marking yet another shift in the law's landscape as the government's top health agency welcomes a new leader.

June 5, 2014
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other senators gather for a closed-door briefing with intelligence officials about the Obama administration’s decision to swap five members of the Taliban for captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 4, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

McConnell uses Burwell vote to bash Obamacare

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said Sylvia Mathews Burwell's willingness to implement Obamacare "calls her policy judgment into question" and is enough for him to oppose her nomination as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.

June 5, 2014
** FILE ** Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama’s nominee to become secretary of Health and Human Services, appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for her confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 8, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

HHS nominee Sylvia Mathews Burwell passes test vote in Senate

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Obama's pick to see Obamacare into its second season, easily cleared a key Senate hurdle Wednesday, putting her on track to be confirmed as the next Health and Human Services secretary in a final vote Thursday.

June 4, 2014
Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tennessee Republican, said the GOP should work to repeal the Affordable Care Act "step by step," saying the speed of the changes will depend on how large the Republican majority is in the House. Others still argue for a full repeal of the presidents signature health law. (Associated Press Photographs)

Republicans’ attempts at Obamacare replacement stall

The GOP push to replace Obamacare is stuck in neutral, with Republicans deeply fractured over what to do and fearful of giving President Obama and his Democratic allies an easy target ahead of November's elections.

June 3, 2014
Russia's national soccer team players Sergei Ignashevich, center, Dmitri Kombarov, second from left, and Igor Denisov, left, attend a training session ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil at the Eduard Streltsov Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. Russia will play with South Korea, Algeria and Belgium in the Group H of World Cup soccer matches. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia gears up for World Cup, despite protests from U.S. senators

Russia national soccer team coach Fabio Cappello on Monday named the 23 players he will take to the World Cup — a team that, if two U.S. senators had their way, would not be heading to Brazil in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's questionable role in the deadly unrest that's roiling Ukraine.

June 2, 2014
** FILE ** Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, right, and his wife Elaine Chao wave to his supporters following his victory in the Republican primary Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at the Marriott Louisville East in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

McConnell leads Grimes by 7 points in new poll

With the Kentucky party primaries for U.S. Senate in the books, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell now holds a 7-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, according to a new poll.

May 30, 2014
FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2013 file photo, Red Cross and UNICEF medics administer polio and measles vaccinations to children at an evacuation center for typhoon survivors more than two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the city of Tacloban, Leyte province in central Philippines. Measles cases in the last five months have caused more U.S. illnesses than in any entire year since 1996, according to numbers released by the Center for Disease control and Prevention on Thursday, May 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

Measles at a 20-year high: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control said this week the 288 cases of measles reported during the first five months of the year mark a 20-year high, and nearly all have been tied to international travel by unvaccinated people.

May 30, 2014
** FILE ** Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Bickering over Cover Oregon nears all-out war

The fight over Oregon's failed Obamacare exchange is getting nasty, with Gov. John Kitzhaber threatening legal action against the vendor that built the website while the company accuses state officials of incompetence.

May 30, 2014
** FILE ** In this 2013 file photo, House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, deemed Mr. Snowden "a traitor" for disclosing information that "puts Americans at risk" and "shows our adversaries what our capabilities are." (Associated Press)

John Boehner: Edward Snowden is still a traitor

Famed National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden divided the nation by divulging classified information about U.S. spying programs, with one camp labeling him a hero and the other saying he should be prosecuted.

May 29, 2014
In this image taken from video provided by NBC News on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, speaks to NBC News anchor Brian Williams during an NBC Exclusive interview. Snowden told Williams that he worked undercover and overseas for the CIA and the NSA. (AP Photo/NBC News)

Edward Snowden: I have no relationship with Russia

Famed NSA leaker Edward Snowden says he has not been approached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and could not share sensitive information about U.S. spying programs even if he wanted to.

May 29, 2014