We Have ‘Very Robust Defenses’: An Exit Interview with Cyber Coordinator Michael Daniel

When Michael Daniel became White House cybersecurity coordinator near the end of President Barack Obama's first term, he spent a fair amount of time convincing government and industry officials that cybersecurity was worth spending time and money on. After four years that included major breaches at the Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies, a destructive hack at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Russian cyber meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Daniel no longer faces that problem, he told Nextgov this week.

Iran President Says He Will Not Renegotiate Nuclear Deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gestures as he speaks in a press conference at the presidency compound in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he would not consider renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal with the incoming Trump administration, which has repeatedly denounced the deal.

Timeless ritual to meet partisan rancor at Donald Trump’s inauguration

A few days from now, Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, will arrive at the White House for morning tea with President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. Upstairs, in the residence, movers will rush around, simultaneously packing up the outgoing family's last belongings as they unload those of the Trumps.

Putin Says He Doesn’t Believe Trump Met Prostitutes in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he doesn't believe that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met with prostitutes in Russia, calling the accusations part of a campaign to undermine the election result. Unsubstantiated allegations made against Trump are "obvious fabrications," Putin told reporters in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

Cambodia says China not behind scrapped US military drill

Cambodia has cancelled upcoming military exercises with the United States, the defence ministry said Tuesday, denying the decision was made to appease regional ally China, with which it conducted joint drills last month. American and Cambodian troops had been due to take part in the annual "Angkor Sentinel" joint exercise this summer, which has been held for the past seven years.

Jewish Country Club Split in Feud Over Barack Obama and Israel

If you thought the controversy over President Obama's relationship with Israel was going quietly into the night, think again. After several members of the exclusive Woodmont Country Club voiced their opposition to granting Obama membership because of what they viewed as criticism of Israel, supporters of the president are pushing back.

China’s Xi takes spotlight at Davos as US makes transition

President Xi Jinping leads a Chinese delegation of over 100 officials and scores of business executives attending the World Economic Forum, embodying a tectonic shift at an event that started nearly a half-century ago among Europeans and Americans. Xi's opening plenary address Tuesday to political and business leaders is shaping up as perhaps the highlight both of this year's WEF and Xi's one-country European visit to ultra-stable and chronically neutral Switzerland.

Chinaa s Xi takes spotlight at Davos as US makes transition

President Xi Jinping leads a Chinese delegation of over 100 officials and scores of business executives attending the World Economic Forum, embodying a tectonic shift at an event that started nearly a half-century ago among Europeans and Americans. Xi's opening plenary address Tuesday to political and business leaders is shaping up as perhaps the highlight both of this year's WEF and Xi's one-country European visit to ultra-stable and chronically neutral Switzerland.

Trump meets with MLK’s son amid flap with Lewis

Days before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump attempted to navigate the fallout of his flap with a civil rights leader and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while also losing a member of his incoming administration to accusations of plagiarism. Trump on Monday met with one of King's sons on the holiday marking the life of the slain American icon just days after the president-elect attacked Rep. John Lewis on Twitter.

Revelers, rally-goers to clog DC for inauguration

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to clog the nation's capital for Donald Trump's inauguration and a major demonstration the day after, but how many will actually arrive to party or protest is an open question. Officials estimate that 800,000 to 900,000 people will be present Friday for the inauguration, a celebration that takes over the city, closing roads, taxing the city's Metro transit system and making getting around difficult.

The Obamas donate White House swingset to Washing D.C. shelter

President Barack Obama greets youngsters at Sasha and Malia's former White House playground which was donated to the Jobs Have Priority Family Shelter. From now on, children at a family shelter in southeast Washington, D.C., may get a kick out of the fact that they are swinging and sliding where two of the country's most famous children once played.

The United States finally has the president it so deserves

Byline picture of Literary Editor Rosemary Goring whose historical novel 'After Flodden' is about to be published. Pictures Kirsty Anderson Herald & Times ON holiday in South Carolina a few days before the United States presidential election last November, my sister met anxious middle-class Americans who feared what lay ahead.

Obama to grant hundreds more drug commutations

Justice Department officials have completed their review of more than 16,000 clemency petitions filed by federal prisoners over the past two years and sent their last recommendations to President Barack Obama, who is set to grant hundreds more commutations to nonviolent drug offenders during his final days in office.   "Everyone has killed themselves here to get the final recommendations to the president," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said in an interview.

US, Cuban Interior Ministry sign law-enforcement deal

The Obama administration and Cuba's Interior Ministry have agreed to share information on international criminal activity such as terrorism, human trafficking and money laundering despite Republican objections to U.S. law-enforcement cooperation with President Raul Castro's government. The State Department signed the memorandum of understanding Monday with the Cuban Interior Ministry, which is responsible for internal security in Cuba, including crackdowns on political dissidents.

Take Time Selling Canada to Trump, Departing Envoy Tells Trudeau

President Barack Obama's outgoing envoy to Canada has some guidance for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in dealing with the new Trump administration: Don't assume anything. "If I was going to give one piece of advice," U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman said in an interview with Bloomberg, it would be that "whenever you are working on a relationship that's new, don't presume that the other party really understands all the history and background as to where you are."