Obama pardons last turkey in Thanksgiving tradition

President Barack Obama pardoned his last Thanksgiving turkey on Wednesday, an annual tradition that sees the US leader spare two birds -- the centerpiece of most holiday tables -- from the carving knife. Obama's teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia, who have stood by his side during previous pardons -- notably casting side-eye glances at their father's turkey-themed puns -- were absent this year.

Jill Stein raising $2M for recount in 3 battleground states that would elect Clinton

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Wednesday made a major push to raise $2 million to pay for recount efforts in three critical battleground states that cost Hillary Clinton the election. Stein launched an online funding page Wednesday, hoping to raise the money by next week so recount efforts can begin immediately in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- three states that provide enough electoral votes to give Clinton the victory.

Michelle Obama’s legacy of style

President Francois Hollande of France is greeted by First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama as he arrives for a State Dinner at the White House on Feb. 11, 2014. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Nikki Kahn At the Hay-Adams this fall, members of Washington, D.C.'s diplomatic community gathered inside the historic hotel's glass-walled loft, with its postcard views of the White House, for a conversation about fashion.

The Reliable Source’s Thanksgiving Talking Points 2016

For the past 10 years, the Reliable Source has published its annual Thanksgiving Talking Points, a handy guide for sounding like the most plugged-in Washington insider to ever navigate the Beltway, all the better to impress your family over the turkey and stuffing. But then came the 2016 election.

Obama makes final Thanksgiving turkey pardon

President Barack Obama got the holiday mood started at the White House on Wednesday with the traditional pardoning of the national Thanksgiving turkey, this time with his nephews standing in for daughters Malia and Sasha. The light-hearted ceremony in the Rose Garden also featured Iowa-raised turkeys Tater and Tot, with the latter receiving the formal reprieve.

Can Trump Continue to Bypass Press With Twitter in White House?

President-elect Donald Trump's often combative relationship with the media was again on display Tuesday when he publicly panned The New York Times on Twitter before then sitting down with the publication that was one of his favorite targets of ire throughout the campaign. It was just the latest in a string of chaotic episodes Trump has had with the press since his Election Day victory and provides a preview of how that relationship might develop as he gets closer to assuming office.

Judge blocks Obama’s white-collar overtime rule

A policy from President Barack Obama's administration that would have given more white-collar workers overtime starting Dec. 1 was blocked nationwide by a federal judge in Texas. The U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas granted a nationwide preliminary injunction that prevents the Department of Labor from implementing the changes while the regulation's legality is examined in more detail by the court.

Ellen DeGeneres gets Medal of Freedom: 10 of the most hilarious quotes from Ellen’s books1 hour ago

November 23: Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres was on Wednesday awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama at the White House, and the former's fans are thrilled. DeGeneres has been an entertainer and an inspirational figure for millions of people not just in America, but across the world.

Pentagon Warns Stopgap Spending Bill Could Hurt Terrorism Fight

Problematic shortfalls arising from a stopgap spending bill would occur in the Pentagon's operations and maintenance and training and equipment, according to the Defense Department's comptroller. The Pentagon comptroller has warned Congress that continuing to rely on stopgap spending bills will undermine U.S. forces in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a memo exclusively obtained by CQ Roll Call.

Gov. Nikki Haley picked to become UN ambassador, sources say

President-elect Donald Trump is picking South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to become his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, The Post and Courier has learned. The move, expected Wednesday, continues the steep political rise of the daughter of Indian immigrants that started six years ago when the Bamberg native was elected as South Carolina's first female and minority governor.

Obama urged to dismantle visa tracking program

Nearly 200 organizations concerned that President-elect Donald Trump may revive the National Security Exit-Entry Registration System, known as NSEERS, once used to register and track mostly Arabs and Muslims, are asking President Barack Obama to abolish the program before he leaves office. In a letter delivered to the Obama administration on Monday, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC, blasted NSEERS for being "ineffective as a counterterrorism tool" and causing "tremendous harm" to immigrant communities.

Dalai Lama says will visit Trump

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that he would visit U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, a meeting that would infuriate Beijing which views the Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk as a dangerous separatist. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama addresses those gathered at Buyant Ukhaa sport palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, November 20, 2016.

Biden a not interesteda in running for Democratic Party chair

Vice-President Joe Biden closed the door Tuesday on the possibility of leading the Democratic Party after leaving the White House next year. Biden's name has been floated in recent days among Democratic insiders looking for someone with the stature and position to lead the party out its electoral abyss.

US court blocks overtime expansion pay rule for 4 million

The driver of a school bus that was filled with elementary students when it crashed in Chattanooga, killing at least five children, has been arrested and faces charges including vehicular homicide. A school bus driver was behind bars Tuesday after a crash killed five youngsters and plunged Chattanooga into mourning over what the mayor called the "most unnatural thing in the world" - a parent losing a child.

Pres. elect Trump signals end to Clinton investigations

After a campaign filled with Donald Trump's denunciations of "Crooked Hillary" Clinton, the president-elect declared Tuesday that "I don't want to hurt the Clintons; I really don't," and a top adviser said he had no interest in pursuing further investigations. Trump also said he saw no potential conflicts of interest between his new job and his worldwide businesses, and he disavowed praise and support from extremist "alt-right" groups.

Trump begins backing off campaign vows on Clinton, climate

Two weeks after his election victory, President-elect Donald Trump began backing off campaign promises Tuesday, including his hard line on climate change and his vow to jail "Crooked Hillary" Clinton that had brought thunderous "Lock her up" chants at his rallies. A top adviser said Trump is now focused on matters that are essential in setting up his administration, not on comments he made during the heat of the campaign.

President Obama Has Now Commuted More Than 1,000 Federal Sentences

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media after having lunch with formerly incarcerated individuals who have received commutations, including Ramona Brant and Phillip Emmert , at Bus Boys and Poets restaurant on March 30, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Pool - Getty Images President Obama continued his historic efforts to reshape the approach to clemency and announced 79 more commutations for federal offenders. As of Tuesday, White House officials noted, Obama has shortened the sentences of over 1,000 federal prison inmates, 342 of whom were serving life sentences.

Here’s how Obama could permanently protect the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans

US President Barack Obama holds a press conference following the conclusion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos on September 8, 2016 The plan, released on Friday, puts most of most of the Arctic Ocean off-limits to oil and gas drilling for the next five years - but climate hawks wanted it to go further, protecting all of the Arctic. And now, with a very different president about to assume office, green groups are calling on President Obama to make those protections permanent.

Heartland Institute Releases ‘Action Plan for President Trump’

President-elect Trump has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse the tide of debt, excessive regulation, and crony socialism that has engulfed the nation since the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. The Heartland Institute today released an " Action Plan for President Trump ," a list of 34 free-market policy recommendations on domestic policy.