General Kelly Commands the White House, But He Can’t Control Trump

Since retired Marine Corps General John Kelly started as White House chief of staff last month, President Donald Trump has added a routine caveat before approving proposals advisers place before him: Check with "The General" before moving ahead. It's a marked departure from Trump's instinct to manage around Kelly's predecessor, Reince Priebus.

Navy confirms downstate sailor among those missing from USS McCain

The U.S. Navy has identified a sailor from the USS McCain whose remains were recovered after a crash earlier this week, and it has released the names of nine other sailors still missing, including a man from downstate Illinois. The Illinois man, Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, a Third Class Interior Communications Electrician, went missing after the McCain crashed into an oil tanker near Singapore earlier this week, according to a news release from the Navy.

Trump’s Fractured Relationship With Congress Causes GOP Dread

President Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., looks on during a meeting with House and Senate leadership at the White House in June. Getty Images hide caption President Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., looks on during a meeting with House and Senate leadership at the White House in June.

Facing big fights, Kelly seeks to restore White House order

In his first month on the job, White House chief of staff John Kelly has made significant progress toward imposing discipline on a chaotic operation, even as it's clear he still struggles to have the same effect on the president himself. The White House is a less contentious place and decision-making is becoming more orderly under Kelly's thumb, according to more than a dozen people interviewed by The Associated Press, including White House officials, outside advisers and others who work regularly with the administration.

VA reform laws are rare legislative bright spot in 2017 for Trump, Congress

As President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed another bill into law that was designed to make internal reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs, it was a fresh reminder that one of the few areas of legislative success for Congress and the Trump Administration in 2017 has come on a subject that has drawn strong bipartisan cooperation, with the simple goal of ensuring better treatment for the nation's veterans. "To fulfill our great patriotic duties, we must take care of our great veterans," the President said in a speech to the American Legion in Reno, Nevada, where he later signed into law a bill that modernizes the benefits claims appeals process at the VA, to help speed decisions for veterans.

Kelly seeks to restore White House order ahead of key fights

In his first month on the job, White House chief of staff John Kelly has made significant progress toward imposing discipline on a chaotic operation, even as it's clear he still struggles to have the same effect on the president himself. The White House is a less contentious place and decision-making is becoming more orderly under Kelly's thumb, according to more than a dozen people interviewed by The Associated Press, including White House officials, outside advisers and others who work regularly with the administration.

Pearce attorney: Stall tactics starving campaigna

Attorney Bill Canfield said political maneuvering is behind a request for an extended period to respond to Steve Pearce's lawsuit in federal court. Pearce attorney: Stall tactics starving campaign of funding Attorney Bill Canfield said political maneuvering is behind a request for an extended period to respond to Steve Pearce's lawsuit in federal court.

Austin Petersen: Why I became a Republican

To the casual observer, it certainly seems like the Republican Party is in an identity crisis. After years of consensus and sweeping the 2016 national elections on the promise of repeal and replace of Obamacare, Republicans in a stunning 11th-hour failure failed to pass even the so-called "skinny" repeal.

Within 24 hours, a pair of different Trump speeches

Within a 24-hour span, President Donald Trump delivered one speech in which he tore into the media and members of his own party, and a second in which he called for national unity and love. The about-face seemed to reflect the president's real-time internal debate between calls for moderation and his inclination to let loose.

Trump v. Congress rages as legislative difficulties loom

The conflict between President Donald Trump and Congress escalated a day after he threatened to shut down the federal government over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall and targeted opponents in Congress, aggravating tensions as a difficult legislative agenda looms. Trump is now at odds not only with Democrats, who cemented their objections to funding the wall Wednesday, but also with Republicans, who must reconcile his brash rhetoric with the governing realities of Congress.

Pence in Florida: US won’t stand by as Venezuela crumbles

Florida Gov. Rick Scott listens at right as Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meeting with members of the Venezuelan exile community, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in Doral, Fla. less Florida Gov. Rick Scott listens at right as Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meeting with members of the Venezuelan exile community, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, ... more Florida Gov. Rick Scott, left, shakes hands with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., before a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Venezuelan exile community, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in Doral, Fla.

Watchdog group requests information on Stevena

President Donald Trump speaks as Steven Mnuchin, his fiancee Louise Linton, and Vice President Mike Pence participate in a ceremonial swearing in for Treasury secretary. A government watchdog group is looking into the timing of Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton's trip to Kentucky that gained notoriety following a dramatic exchange on Instagram, saying the trip "seemed to be planned around the eclipse."

Photo shows Trump meeting with 2 potential challengers to a vulnerable GOP senator

President Donald Trump met with two potential challengers to a vulnerable Republican senator on Tuesday, reaffirming his baffling commitment to ousting a member of his own party from Washington. The president has made no secret of his desire to replace Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who escalated his criticism of Trump in his new book "Conscience of a Conservative."