White House

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Schumer-led effort calls on Trump to refuse Putin's request to interview Americans.

With the point of a finger, we have our answer.

Hosted by Charlie Sykes.

President Trump takes petulance to a new level.

Hosted by Charlie Sykes.

The president leaves open the possibility he'll fire the special counsel.

They are emails designed to grab you by the lapels. "CRISIS AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER," announced one. "MS-13 Is 'Taking Over the School' One Teen Warned Before She Was Killed," read another. The subject lines are always over the top:

Today on the Daily Standard Podcast, Adam Keiper and Stephen White join to discuss his recent article The Pope's Mess, a review of Ross Douthat's book about Pope Francis. Later, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift discuss the battle royale inside the West Wing to replace Hope Hicks, and host Charlie Sykes…

An internal power struggle between two senior administration officials who are competing for the role of White House communications director has led aides involved in the decision-making process to consider a third candidate, National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton, sources told the…

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on Twitter that he intends to replace Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, bringing a long-expected end to the embattled secretary's administration post.

Nebraska Republican Ben Sasse on Wednesday slammed the White House’s refusal to condemn the fraudulence of Russia’s election, describing the dodge as a break “with basic American moral tradition.”

Today on the Daily Standard Podcast, senior writer Michael Warren discusses the recent tumult and turnover in the Trump administration: From the end of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's tenure, to the Pompeo shuffle, and importation of CNBC's Larry Kudlow to replace Gary Cohn.

In the course of a week in early March, one of President Trump’s longest-serving aides, Hope Hicks, resigned. One of the president’s most capable economics advisers, Gary Cohn, threatened to resign—and soon did. Son-in-law/presidential adviser Jared Kushner had his security clearance downgraded,…

Hours after throwing Washington into a frenzy with his surprise decision to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, President Trump skipped town Tuesday, traveling to San Diego to examine prototypes for his signature border wall that have been constructed at the U.S.-Mexico border.

President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union, in what would be an economic counter-strike to Europe’s expected response to impending steel tariffs.

On Tuesday, White House communications director Hope Hicks told House investigators her job sometimes requires her to lie and refused to answer questions about her time in the Trump administration. One day later, the longtime Trump aide has announced she is leaving the White House, reportedly in…

Today on the Daily Standard Podcast, Alice B. Lloyd and Jim Swift discuss Wednesday's White House listening session and CNN's town hall on guns. Also, is Marion Le Pen a classical liberal? Why is CPAC featuring her?

Today on the Daily Standard Podcast, senior writer Michael Warren and deputy online editor Jim Swift discuss gun control efforts in the wake of the Parkland school shooting, whether or not the Senate's open-ended immigration debate will yield any results, the White House's security clearance…

President Trump on Wednesday threw his weight behind Sen. Chuck Grassley’s immigration plan, urging the Senate to pass the “responsible and commonsense” proposal based on the White House’s immigration priorities and threatening to veto proposals that contain further Democratic concessions.

Senator Bob Corker made headlines last October when he became the first GOP senator to announce he would not seek reelection in 2018—then quickly ignited a public spat with President Donald Trump, with the two trading barbs on Twitter. Over a period of weeks, Corker called the Trump White House “an…

Two of the top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling on former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice to explain an “unusual email” she sent on the day of President Trump’s inauguration.

President Donald Trump on Friday offered words of praise and support for a disgraced former staffer who resigned earlier this week over allegations of domestic abuse.

Danny Tarkanian made a new friend last year. The insurgent candidate, who is running in the Nevada Republican primary to unseat incumbent Sen. Dean Heller, obtained the endorsement of former deputy assistant to President Trump, Sebastian Gorka. He couldn’t be happier.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long is the first Super Bowl athlete this year to say he won't visit the White House if his team becomes champions. Like the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry—the face of basketball’s signature franchise, who said after the NBA Finals last year, “I don’t…

The FBI on Wednesday expressed “grave concerns” about the public release of a Republican-drafted memo that reportedly contains allegations of FBI partisanship and surveillance abuses, a rare display of public displeasure from the usually taciturn agency.

Roll over Ronald Reagan. When President Trump delivers his first State of the Union address, he will do so as the most conservative president of all time. At least, that’s what the Heritage Foundation seems to think.

Activists who oppose abortion doubted Donald Trump when he was a candidate because he had once described himself as "very pro-choice." A year into his presidency, however, they happily point to victories he has achieved for them.

Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka vehemently denied charges from a Democratic congressman that he endorsed a Hungarian neo-Nazi political party during a congressional hearing Wednesday.

Retiring senator Arizona Jeff Flake accused President Donald Trump of reckless disregard for the truth Wednesday, saying that the White House had launched an “unrelenting daily assault on constitutionally protected free speech.”

Like any dutiful Washington swamp creature, I’ve spent the last few days holed up with Fire and Fury. Which is not, if you’ve been in news-cycle hibernation, the new fragrance from Ivanka. Rather, it is a book by Michael Wolff about life inside Mar-a-Lago North, aka the Trump White House.

Federalist 68, by Alexander Hamilton, is not much read today. It consists of a defense of the original Electoral College in which the electors, chosen by the people, would assemble in each state and deliberate on their choice for president. This version of the Electoral College never really took…

President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. court system as “broken and unfair” on Wednesday, one day after a federal judge in San Francisco issued a temporary injunction to prevent the White House from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

On December 18, a Twitter user with a large following tweeted out a conspiracy theory: The charges against Senator Al Franken, that he had groped numerous women over several years, were “likely a Roger Stone / FOX set up job.” Three days later, the user added a sensational twist: “I didn’t accuse…

Latkes, jelly doughnuts, and chocolate coins filled the White House last week for the president’s annual Hanukkah Party. But this Hanukkah was different from all previous Hanukkahs.

Frank Bruni had an interesting column the other day in the New York Times. Naturally, it was about Donald Trump, and naturally, it registered disapproval. But the point was more psychiatric than political: Entitled “Donald Trump Could Really Use a Friend,” it assembled a host of testimonials to…

Washington was surprised to learn that Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser for strategy, will be leaving her post early in the new year. Powell, one of the few veterans of the George W. Bush administration to take a senior role under Trump, had been something of a rock of normalcy in…

As special counsel Robert Mueller and the FBI circle ever closer to the Oval Office, Washington is convulsed by speculation that the president may take drastic action to cut short the investigation. Donald Trump has escalated his Twitter attacks on the FBI and the Justice Department, and there is a…

It’s become a joke around Washington that every week is “infrastructure week” at the White House, a policy focus derailed usually within the first few hours of Monday by news developments (or President Trump’s tweets).

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore's account of when he began dating his wife Kayla would place the start of their courtship before her divorce from her first husband, according to court documents.

There are many ways to judge a president—polls, approval ratings, legislative successes, foreign breakthroughs, memorable speeches, and historic moments. But there’s a better way than any of these, and Fred Greenstein, a professor of politics emeritus at Princeton University, has developed it.

George Papadopoulos was ambitious and underqualified, the kind of wannabe who fills the lower rungs of many a political campaign. This foreign policy adviser to the Donald Trump campaign would not have been even a footnote in the history of the 2016 election before he pleaded guilty to lying to the…

The biggest scandal that nobody is talking about has nothing to do with the Donald Trump White House or the connection between the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Russia dossier. It involves New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat, who stands accused by the federal government of bribery,…

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. possessed the most sparkling intelligence of his generation of historians. He may not have had the most subtle or profound mind, but his was the most effervescent disposition, and no one could surpass him in sheer energy, knowledge, and skill as scholar and writer.…

The biggest scandal that nobody is talking about has nothing to do with the Donald Trump White House or the connection between the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Russia dossier. It involves New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat, who stands accused by the federal government of bribery,…

The three technology media giants absorbing most of the spotlight for Russian influence in 2016 election on their respective platforms are poised to testify in open hearings next week before Congress.

By the time you read this, it is entirely possible that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will have resigned his office in despair and frustration. He finds himself, after all, at “the breaking point” (New Yorker) in relations with his mercurial boss, President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, over at PBS…

After a short stint at the White House, principal deputy chief of staff Kirstjen Nielsen is likely headed back to the Department of Homeland Security. President Donald Trump nominated Nielsen for the top DHS job Wednesday, which has been vacant since July. The previous DHS secretary was John Kelly,…

On October 3, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, spoke to a group of Republican donors at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington. Unbeknownst to Ayers, his remarks were recorded, and the audio was subsequently obtained by Politico.

Donald Trump was frustrated. Five days earlier, on July 12, 2017, the president had decided for the second time in his young administration that he would certify to Congress Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal he’d promised as a candidate to dismantle. He wasn’t happy with the decision he’d…

On October 3, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, spoke to a group of Republican donors at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington. Unbeknownst to Ayers, his remarks were recorded, and the audio was subsequently obtained by Politico.

Donald Trump was frustrated. Five days earlier, on July 12, 2017, the president had decided for the second time in his young administration that he would certify to Congress Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal he’d promised as a candidate to dismantle. He wasn’t happy with the decision he’d…

Unmasking. Leaks. Wiretaps. The mounting surveillance scandals of 2017 are suddenly threatening one of the most effective intelligence-gathering programs in U.S. history.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon blasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday night, saying he wears the top GOP lawmaker's contempt as "a badge of honor."

Axios’s Jonathan Swan reported Monday that the White House is expected to announce it will accept about 40,000 refugees in fiscal year 2018—a dramatic drop from the 110,000 refugees President Obama authorized for 2017, and a substantial reduction from the 50,000 quota Trump set in an executive…

Stories about expensive presidential vacationing appeal to very few people outside reporters and political hacks. For all our belief in equality, we Americans will tolerate a touch of royalism in our presidents. Barack Obama’s travel may have cost taxpayers around $10 million a year, and Donald…

Unmasking. Leaks. Wiretaps. The mounting surveillance scandals of 2017 are suddenly threatening one of the most effective intelligence-gathering programs in U.S. history.

For months, GOP leadership from both houses of Congress along with Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and NEC director Gary Cohn have huddled over Republican plans for tax reform, laying the groundwork for a plan each group could support.

President Donald Trump will sign the Graham-Cassidy health-care bill if it passes Congress, CNN first reported Tuesday.

Vice President Mike Pence departed New York City immediately after President Trump concluded his speech before the United Nations General Assembly Monday morning to attend a Senate policy lunch in Washington, D.C. to help wrangle votes on the latest Obamacare repeal effort.

The Trump White House has yet to roll out its much-anticipated, comprehensive, government-wide Iran policy review, but administration principals have met over the last few weeks to iron out details regarding the nuclear deal with Iran, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. On…

In President Trump’s politics, “the overall impression matters more than the details,” writes Newt Gingrich in his book Understanding Trump. This is not only true and insightful, it also explains Trump’s conduct of late.

Something has gone missing from American politics. Since the beginning of the new administration in January, public debate focused on general ideas has largely disappeared. Yes, President Trump has a few issues he consistently supports, such as limitations on immigration and lower taxes; and yes,…

An 11-year-old boy from Virginia got his wish to mow the White House lawn after writing a letter to President Trump earlier this year.

Something has gone missing from American politics. Since the beginning of the new administration in January, public debate focused on general ideas has largely disappeared. Yes, President Trump has a few issues he consistently supports, such as limitations on immigration and lower taxes; and yes,…

In President Trump’s politics, “the overall impression matters more than the details,” writes Newt Gingrich in his book Understanding Trump. This is not only true and insightful, it also explains Trump’s conduct of late.

The Trump White House has yet to roll out its much-anticipated, comprehensive, government-wide Iran policy review, but administration principals have met over the last few weeks to iron out details regarding the nuclear deal with Iran, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. On…

When he won election, Donald Trump—along with his national security adviser Michael Flynn, his all-purpose counselor Stephen Bannon, and, perhaps, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner—was fond of the idea that Russia and Iran, comrades-in-arms in Syria, weren’t natural partners. Flynn was particularly…

In tax reform, the negotiators from the Trump administration and Congress who are thought to be in charge are called the Big 6 by Washington insiders. But there’s also a Big 4, a group of supply-side economists who are playing an influential role.

When he won election, Donald Trump—along with his national security adviser Michael Flynn, his all-purpose counselor Stephen Bannon, and, perhaps, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner—was fond of the idea that Russia and Iran, comrades-in-arms in Syria, weren’t natural partners. Flynn was particularly…

In tax reform, the negotiators from the Trump administration and Congress who are thought to be in charge are called the Big 6 by Washington insiders. But there’s also a Big 4, a group of supply-side economists who are playing an influential role.

President Donald Trump kicked off his party’s major push for tax reform with a speech in Springfield, Missouri, Wednesday, pledging to reduce the burden of taxation on America’s companies and workers and calling for Democratic support.

President Donald Trump is lifting restrictions banning local law enforcement from using surplus military equipment, overturning an Obama-era policy that restricted police access to heavy assets like armored vehicles, riot shields, and grenade launchers.

The classic books about presidential campaigns don’t fixate on chronology. They only use chronology—the run from primaries to conventions to debates to the election—to tell a bigger story, one that transcends the campaign.

The Trump administration is considering sending lethal defensive aid to Ukraine, defense secretary Jim Mattis said during a visit there Thursday.

With the departure from the White House of strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who helped shape the so-called nationalist-populist program embraced by Donald Trump in his unlikely path to election, a new phase of the Trump presidency begins. Given Trump’s nature, what comes next will hardly be…

The Mooch now knows he wears women’s sunglasses. And he’s damn proud.

On August 2, the White House press room was the scene of one of those dialogues of the deaf that so infuriate people outside Washington. Stephen Miller, one of President Trump’s senior policy advisers, stepped to the podium to endorse an immigration reform bill sponsored by two Republican senators,…

Two days after the 2016 election, we had this to say about Donald Trump’s stunning victory:

Two days after the 2016 election, we had this to say about Donald Trump’s stunning victory:

Former national security adviser Rice reportedly continued getting classified information.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Tuesday that President Trump has indicated to him that the administration is prepared to strike North Korea to prevent an attack against the U.S.

This week on the Confab, executive editor Fred Barnes talks about how every day is Groundhog Day at the White House. Then movie critic John Podhoretz and digital editor Jonathan Last debate Dunkirk.​

These are perilous times for understatement and modest expectations. In the age of Trump, even the smallest of things are transmogrified into epoch-defining events. These are the days of mountains out of molehills, “a new low” almost daily, and more proof (as if more were needed) that your…

These are perilous times for understatement and modest expectations. In the age of Trump, even the smallest of things are transmogrified into epoch-defining events. These are the days of mountains out of molehills, “a new low” almost daily, and more proof (as if more were needed) that your…

During a week in which all signs point to Republicans enshrining President Obama's top domestic achievement into law, it's now looking like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has tricked President Trump into keeping the main pillar of Obama's foreign policy legacy in place indefinitely: the…

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on a sunny Tuesday, communications director Anthony Scaramucci threatened an executive branch purge.

Jim Acosta, senior White House correspondent for CNN, has acquired a certain renown lately for his habitual, and carefully staged, verbal confrontations in the White House press room with President Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer. You could make the argument that both Spicer and Acosta, in…

Jim Acosta, senior White House correspondent for CNN, has acquired a certain renown lately for his habitual, and carefully staged, verbal confrontations in the White House press room with President Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer. You could make the argument that both Spicer and Acosta, in…

In the run-up to the Iraq War, a Bush White House official explained to me that 9/11 had changed the way we read national security intelligence. There was a relaxed way to read intelligence, he said, and there was an alarmed way to read intelligence. Sept. 11 proved that we had to read intelligence…

The firm that created the now-infamous "Russian dossier" on President Trump published before his inauguration is stonewalling investigators who want to know more about its connections to the Democratic Party and the FBI is refusing to confirm if it has documents showing a relationship with the firm.

Where is President Trump’s response to the terrorist attack in London? Not the June 3 attack, when three Muslim men in a van drove over several pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing many more in a market. Eight were killed and nearly 50 injured, and it prompted a series of tweets from Trump…

There are a lot of problems plaguing the Trump administration and hampering the White House from completing its agenda. President Trump's poll numbers remain low. The Republican House is fractured and in the Senate, the GOP majority is razor-thin. Democrats are unified and fervent in their…

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to proceed in his investigation of Russia's election meddling, and said he'd advise President Trump not to fire him, a step some of Trump's close allies have said he is considering.

President Trump has three rules for operating in the world of government and politics. Time learned of them from a White House official and describes them this way: "When you're right, you fight. Controversy elevates message. And never apologize."

President Trump has three rules for operating in the world of government and politics. Time learned of them from a White House official and describes them this way: "When you're right, you fight. Controversy elevates message. And never apologize."

Donald Trump's recent sojourn in the Middle East leaves the United States where it was before the president departed: His administration remains committed to containing Iran while philosophically adopting a pre-9/11 approach to combating Sunni Islamic militancy. Sunni Arab leaders have reason to be…

President Donald Trump's initial public reaction to the weekend's terror attack in London came via his Twitter feed. "We need to be smart, vigilant and tough," tweeted the president, as the news came in that terrorists had crashed a van and stabbed several people in crowded areas of London. "We…

Donald Trump's recent sojourn in the Middle East leaves the United States where it was before the president departed: His administration remains committed to containing Iran while philosophically adopting a pre-9/11 approach to combating Sunni Islamic militancy. Sunni Arab leaders have reason to be…

Sean Spicer will no longer be taking any questions about the Russian investigation and the former FBI director who was once leading that investigation. That's what the White House press secretary told reporters in a short, off-camera briefing Wednesday, directing reporters to contact President…

Reports that President Trump revealed sensitive information to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, mentioning on a phone call that the Unites States had nuclear submarines near North Korea last month, drove a fresh round of media hysteria on Wednesday. But days before Trump even spoke to Duterte…

President Trump's defense budget proposal for 2018 essentially follows Obama administration plans and adds only slightly more funding, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday.

Robert Mueller—the former FBI director who on Wednesday was appointed by the Department of Justice as a special prosecutor to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and possible collusion with Trump campaign associates—loves to prosecute.

The headlines I saw said that only 29 percent of Americans approve of President Trump's decision to fire James Comey. That includes the headline written by NBC News about its own poll, which produced that result.

When Reince Priebus wants to talk with the most powerful aide in the West Wing, he steps out of his corner office, walks down the hall toward the Oval Office, and knocks on the door of Jared Kushner—sometimes twice. Priebus may be the chief of staff, but it's he who waits for Kushner, the…

Rep. Mike Kelly is frustrated by his Republican colleagues' resistance to President Trump.

A senior U.S. official says the United States has concluded that Russia knew in advance of Syria's chemical weapons attack last week.

It's official: Ivanka Trump is now an employee of the federal government. The daughter of President Donald Trump and wife of senior adviser Jared Kushner, Ivanka is making official what was already clear from her frequent appearances alongside her father at the White House and last week's news that…

In a short briefing of reporters in the Oval Office late Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump said he was "disappointed" and "a little surprised, to be honest," that the American Health Care Act did not have the votes to pass the House of Representatives. Flanked by Vice President Mike Pence…

President Trump is "moving on" from health care after the House scuttled a planned Friday afternoon vote on the White House-backed American Health Care Act, says a senior White House aide.

There's a race going on for states to file or join new lawsuits against President Trump's second executive order temporarily halting entry into the U.S. for some people from a few terror-plagued countries. The new actions promise to be rehashes of the states' earlier suits against Trump's original…

President Donald Trump has named U.S. Army lieutenant general H.R. McMaster to be his new national security advisor. The Monday afternoon announcement comes nearly one week after Mike Flynn was asked to resign from the job following revelations he had misled the White House on his conversations…

Washington Post “media columnist" Margaret Sullivan has lately discovered that when political types respond to media inquiries, they "answer" only those questions they choose to answer and smother the rest with verbiage. Being rather new to the capital city, she seems to believe this is a uniquely…

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has spoken and…it will not lift the temporary restraining order on President Trump's travel restriction executive order. The three-judge panel ruled unanimously Thursday evening that the federal government did not present a compelling case in its effort to receive…

At 10:30 Thursday morning, Jeff Sessions will officially be sworn in as attorney general of the United States. On a near party-line vote, 52 to 47, the Senate confirmed one of its own Wednesday night for the job of the nation's top law enforcement officer. Sessions was one of Donald Trump's…

Obviously, the come-from-behind overtime win by the Patriots over (my beloved) Falcons was the biggest news from Super Bowl Sunday. But in Washington the talk this past weekend was consumed by the president's latest controversial remarks about Vladimir Putin and a judicial fight over his travel…

A federal judge in Seattle has issued a temporary ruling which halts Donald Trump's recent travel ban executive order.

It was a difficult weekend for the Trump administration as it sought to implement and defend its most controversial executive order to date, the travel ban. Fortunately for Trump, there's a chance to reset from the executive order fiasco with Tuesday night's announcement of his nominee for the…

What did the Trump administration know about Friday's "extreme vetting" executive order, and when did they know it?

As the first full week of the Trump administration comes to a close, the White House appears to be getting into something of a groove. On Monday, there was a bit of chaos within the West Wing, with staffers looking a little lost or unsure of where to go and what to do. One veteran White House…

The liberal explain-it-all website Vox said the Women’s March on Washington on January 21 was possibly "the largest demonstration in U.S. history."

In the early days of the Trump presidency, the president and his administration seem to be traveling down two separate, parallel paths. On the one hand, President Trump has been pursuing concrete policy ends, primarily through executive orders: withdrawing from TPP, reinstating the Mexico City…

White House press secretary Sean Spicer turned heads on Saturday evening when he called reporters to the briefing room and read from a written statement: "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration—period—both in person and around the globe." Spicer drew intense criticism because…

Today is Inauguration Day, so it seems fitting to kick things off with the inaugural edition of this new feature here at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. For the first 100 (or so) days of the Donald J. Trump administration, look to this space for inside coverage of our 45th president, his White House, and his…

President Obama's farewell address to the nation was longer than the good-bye speeches of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush combined.

Jared Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump, will serve his father-in-law Donald Trump as senior advisor to the president. NBC News has the story:

When Donald Trump campaigned last spring in the Republican primaries, he touted his tax cuts in a special way. To give them credibility, he would declare proudly that economist Larry Kudlow loved them.

Donald Trump has selected his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, to be counselor to the president. Conway, who joined the Trump campaign in August after previously working for a super PAC supporting Texas senator Ted Cruz, will "continue her role as a close advisor to the president and will work…

In the New York Times's new extensive report on the massive Russian-backed operation to hack American political and government severs—including a successful hack of the Democratic National Committee's server—the paper reveals that President Barack Obama had been "briefed regularly" on Russia's…

Now that Donald Trump has won the presidency, one of his transition team's top priorities should be ensuring that the candidate who came to power on a pledge to drain the federal swamp of corruption and self-dealing is not pulled into the mire upon his inauguration. The problem is not Trump's…

Reince Priebus provided some clarity to his new job as White House chief of staff Monday morning and how it will coexist with the role of Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon as Donald Trump's top political adviser, with the outgoing head of the Republican National Committee confirming that part of his work…

On Thursday, Bill Kristol told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC that he "would encourage my Never Trump friends to be open-minded about a Trump administration and willing to help."

Over the weekend the Washington Post published a review of Jay Solomon's book, The Iran Wars, written by New York Times reporter Elaine Sciolino. That one of America's top three remaining newspapers assigned a review of a book written by a reporter from another of the big three (Solomon is a…

The Obama administration is manufacturing a crisis with Israel in anticipation of a post-election diplomatic push targeting the Jewish state, and this past week launched a series of broadsides criticizing the Israelis through the media and in press briefings, according to congressional sources and…

"You put the 'B' in LGBT"—these lyrics from a song performed in the White House last week encapsulate the message of the third annual Bisexual Community Briefing hosted by the Obama administration.

As reported, the White House Friday struck "Israel" from a press release concerning the location (Jerusalem) of the memorial service for former prime minister Shimon Peres. But the White House has not always been so successful in "correcting" what it apparently believes is an error. A July 2015…

President Barack Obama traveled to the memorial service for former prime minister and Israeli founding father Shimon Peres Friday. The service was held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the site of the national cemetery of Israel. The White House press office released to the public Obama's remarks at…

Legislation that prohibits future cash payments to Iran passed the House on Thursday. The White House has pledged to veto the legislation, however, saying it would "undermine U.S. obligations and ultimately benefit Iran at the expense of the United States."

Barack Obama hosted a 9/11 truther at the White House. Yesterday, singer Macklemore tweeted, "Honored to be at @WhiteHouse with @MTV to talk to @POTUS about opioid addiction. Really excited for this project."

Administration critics are slamming Secretary of State John Kerry's globetrotting in recent weeks to drum up investment in Iran with international banking and business leaders, and say Tehran has a responsibility to clean up its financial act in order to attract investment on its own.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest is warning that the zika virus is more widespread in American "than previously thought." Earnest made the comments today in front of the White House podium.

This morning, as the White House welcomed Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, the White House passed out American and Canadian flags to guests on the South Lawn.

Earlier this morning, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates went on MSNBC's Morning Joe to promote his new book on leadership.

It was a great year for the Obama administration’s foreign policy .  .  . says the Obama administration. The State Department even created a new hashtag to celebrate the White House's annus mirabilis—#2015in5Words. "Protecting Arctic Climate and Communities" and "Protecting Health of Our Ocean" are…

With a little more than a year left in his presidency, Barack Obama has lately been in an elegiac mood, projecting a certain nervous confidence—"I've got 12 months left to squeeze every ounce of change I can while I'm still in office"—as well as reflecting on the lessons of experience. Most of his…

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that President Obama thinks that gun control would help deter terrorists. Earnest made the comments today at the White House's daily press briefing.

President Obama admitted in an interview with Bill Simmons that "a certain arrogance crept in" during the first two years of his presidency. The rare admission came in response to a question about what he'd tell himself if could go back to 2008 and tell himself one thing.

Last week, the Obama White House moved to ensure Hezbollah’s ability to point 100,000 missiles at Israel. That’s not how they would describe it, of course. But it was the Obama administration—as U.S. officials are quietly letting on—and not Russia that invited Iran to participate in talks in Vienna…

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has finally released the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Last week, Senate and House Democrats threw a party to celebrate the adoption day of Obama’s Iran deal. Ninety days after the White House signed the deal in Vienna, Obama directed the United States government to lift sanctions on Iran, the Democrats listened to a string ensemble in Washington, and…

The White House is hitting back at Hillary Clinton a week after the Democratic presidential candidate claimed to have looked at the Trans-Pacific Parternship. The trade deal, the White House says, has not been released to the public. Clinton, for her part, claimed last week to have looked at the…

Vice President Joe Biden will be at the White House tomorrow, the day of the first Democratic primary debate. The debate will be held across the country in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The United States, President Obama said at the U.N. General Assembly last week, “worked with many nations in this assembly to prevent a third world war—by forging alliances with old adversaries.” Presumably, the president was not referring to his deeply flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,…

The United States, President Obama said at the U.N. General Assembly last week, “worked with many nations in this assembly to prevent a third world war—by forging alliances with old adversaries.” Presumably, the president was not referring to his deeply flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,…

During the White House's Summit On Worker Voice on Wednesday, Joe Biden had a clear message for labor unions—that Hillary Clinton might not be a reliable ally, but he would be. His speech focused on his sympathies for the labor movement, his friendship with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, and the…

On a recent Saturday afternoon in Washington, several hundred children with cancer and their families filled Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House. They came from all over the country, and from Canada, to participate in a two-day program called CureFest for Childhood Cancer.…

Even now with the Russians on the verge of combat operations in Syria, the White House still says it believes that they’re there to fight ISIS. John Kerry says that his Russian counterpart told him that the Russians are “only interested in fighting” the Islamic State. Other administration officials…

Earlier this evening, Governor Jerry Brown of California hinted that he might, possibly run for president of the United States. "You could have a lot of big surprises," said Brown.

Details of President Obama's travel to Warren, Michigan this Wednesday intended only for the press are revealed in an apparent inadvertent posting of a media advisory on the White House website over the weekend. The posting, which includes a reminder that "MEDIA LOGISTICS BELOW ARE FOR PLANNING…

On Wednesday, according to a report by WJLA in Washington, "Barvetta Singletary, a White House staffer, resigned today following assault charges." This dramatic news, however, received scant coverage in the major media. As of Thursday morning, only The Hill and Roll Call had covered the…

The White House said today that President Obama's best decision was picking Joe Biden to be his vice president. It was not, the White House confirmed, picking Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on whether or not the Obama White House will throw Clinton under the bus.

Despite little national coverage, scandals surrounding former NBA star and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson have been intensifying over past few months. Monday's report at Deadspin is a good place to start -- things have gotten so bad that Johnson's allies are accusing a local paper that's done a lot…

President Obama did a rare thing today at the White House: he admitted to a shortcoming. 

President Obama in a taped appearance with the Daily's Shows Jon Stewart Tuesday denied that IRS targeted conservatives, an assertion that Stewart then appeared to ridicule him for making.

Speaking at an LGBT event tonight at the White House, President Obama took credit for liberal LGBT progress since he took office six-and-a-half years ago. 

President Obama called French president Francois Hollande to tell him he's not listening to his calls.

According to National Security Council (NSC) chief of staff Suzy George, the NSC is "downsizing," but not "for its own sake." George calls it "right-sizing," a way for the White House to "align our staffing with our strategic priorities." 

The White House will host a "Summit on Climate Change and Health" tomorrow, according to a press release. The event is supposed to "stimulate a national dialogue on climate change and public health," the White House says.

President Obama's week ahead includes an Iftar dinner and an LGBT reception. Via the White House schedule:

At this evening's congressional picnic at the White House, President Obama had a warning: "I want to warn in advance, I can’t do a selfie with everybody."

President Barack Obama met with Senate and House Democrats to push trade, the White House announced this evening.

 Carol D. Leonnig of the Washington Post reports:

A UN panel says that the White House and other Western governments have neglected to report Iranian violations of the sanctions regime.

Joe Biden will be returning to work tomorrow. It'll be his first day back at his job since the passing of his son, Beau Biden, on May 30. Biden has spent most of that time at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he'll be returning after work tomorrow.

The White House is celebrating the most recent jobs numbers. 

The door continues to revolve between the White House and MSNBC. Rachel Racusen, who worked at the White House before going to MSNBC, is coming back to work for the president again.

The Obama administration has not been shy about partnering with religious leaders on issues such as poverty, HIV/AIDS prevention, Obamacare, and even climate change. Now the White House is soliciting nominations for an upcoming Champions of Change ceremony to "honor faith leaders who are making a…

First Lady Michelle Obama has been trying to promote healthy living. But now she's aiming at something different -- promoting "pollinator health."

In remarks last night to Democratic donors in New York City, President Obama talked about the "project" he started continuing after he leaves the White House.

President Obama told a Washington, D.C. classroom today he'll "still be a pretty young man" when he finishes his second term in the White House. And that he wants to help people after his presidency. 

As Earth Day approaches, the White House is once again pushing action on climate change, presenting a rather stark contrast between action and inaction on carbon emissions. On Monday, the following graphic appeared in a White House tweet, presenting an almost night-and-day difference between the…

The director of press advance at the White House has joined the press. The Los Angeles Times announced this morning the hiring of Johanna Maska, an aide to President Obama.

Every year since 2011, the White House has used tax time to post a "Federal Taxpayer Receipt" showing taxpayers how their federal tax dollars are being spent. President Obama introduced the concept in his 2011 State of the Union address, and Wednesday the White House posted the fifth installment so…

President Barack Obama's top adviser, Valerie Jarrett, went around the table and kissed reporters before an interview this morning on MNSBC's Morning Joe. The moment was briefly captured on live television before the network cut away to a commercial break. 

In recognition of Equal Pay Day Tuesday, Betsey Stevenson, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, wrote an entry on the White House blog entitled Five Facts About the Gender Pay Gap. While touching on a number of factors influencing the "gender pay gap," Stevenson cites…

The Secret Service scrambled this afternoon at an unidentified 4-year-old managed to climb under a White House fence.

President Obama has long known that the real decision maker in Iran is Ayatollah Khamenei, the so-called supreme leader. While other Iranian officials have negotiated with Western powers over the mullahs’ nuclear program, Khamenei’s opinion is the only one that really counts. It is for this reason…

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is going to cause big trouble for the Obama administration. In a speech today, Khamenei denounced the White House’s spin tactics—according to the rahbar, there is no nuclear deal. Counter to what the White House has been peddling since it announced the…

Citing a lack of cooperation from the Secret Service, Chairman Jason Chaffetz of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued subpoenas for two Secret Service agents to testify to the committee about recent security breaches and other disfunction at the agency. Chaffetz said that…

Just last week the White House boasted that President Obama is setting the agenda despite Republican control of the House and Senate. He’s in a stronger position now than before the midterm elections in November. “The White House is declaring victory over Washington,” according to Politico.

The Obama White House is enlisting all its allies to make its case for the bad nuclear deal with Iran that, say administration allies, is better than no deal. The alternative, they claim, is war. And to what purpose? Many nuclear experts, Middle East analysts, and journalists argue, after all, that…

The White House announced the pope's visit in September:

A pair of statements about an hour apart on Monday by two top Obama administration officials give a clear if jarring look into the funhouse mirror that is current U.S. policy towards Iran and Israel. The two comments are recorded by CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta on his Twitter…

Former Texas governor Rick Perry responded to news that the Obama administration is instituting new regulations on hydraulic fracturing.

In a comment unprompted by any question from the media, White House press secretary lashed into some of the rhetoric Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu used in his reelection campaign. The White House even suggested it had hurt Israel's democracy and America's relationship with its greatest…

On CNN this morning, White House aide David Simas avoided congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israeli elections. Instead, he would only congratulate the Israeli people on having an election.

Barack Obama did not like when Israeli prime minister Benjmain Netanyahu used a joint congressional meeting to criticize his Iran plan. But yesterday the president let the Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, use his podium to attack Congress on immigration at a St. Patrick's Day reception at the…

Barack Obama's top adviser, Valerie Jarrett, tells the New York Times Magazine that her "job," at least part of it anyway, is to be the president's "friend."

The White House admitted in today's press conference that in fact President Obama did exchange emails with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state: