John McCain’s Death Brought Out the Worst in the Trump Administration

You can tell a lot about a person, and a presidential administration, by the way they handle small, symbolic things. The White House's handling of the American flag in the aftermath of Senator John McCain's death is providing a good test of the Trump team.

Americans give Trump negative marks for Helsinki performance

By wide margins, Americans give President Donald Trump negative marks for his conduct during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and for his casting doubt on U.S. intelligence conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. But public reaction nationally appears more muted than in Washington, where Trump faced withering bipartisan criticism for appearing to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies at a Monday news conference in Helsinki.

US intelligence chief Coats says no disrespect intended…

'As a former KBG spy, he knows how to manipulate': Hillary Clinton hints that Putin played Trump during the Helsinki summit and questions why the president has not 'spoken up for our country' Coats issued a statement seeking to control the damage from an interview he gave at the Aspen Institute security forum in Colorado on Thursday Coats was on stage at the Aspen Institute taking questions when he was informed by Andrea Mitchell about the second summit Trump has drawn heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his summit last Monday in Helsinki, Finland, with Putin Sources close to the White House told The Washington Post earlier this week that West Wing staffers were in an uproar over Coats' comments U.S. director of intelligence Dan Coats said on Saturday he in no way meant to be disrespectful toward President Donald Trump during an interview earlier this week in Aspen, ... (more)

Obama DHS Sec Rebukes Dems: Abolishing ICE ‘Would Compromise Public Safety’

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson pushed back against Democrats calling for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to be abolished in a Friday op-ed published in the Washington Post . The op-ed, titled, "Abolishing ICE is not a serious policy proposal," likened demands to abolish ICE to a hypothetical demand from those who wanted to end the Vietnam war by abolishing "the entire Defense Department."

White House aides blindsided by President Trump making informal phone calls with world leaders

White House aides and top diplomatic officials "had no idea what happened" after they were blindsided by a private cell phone call President Trump held with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year, according to a report Saturday. Trump began handing out his cell phone number to world leaders and urging them to call him directly shortly after entering the White House, it has been previously reported.

Sanders says she was told to leave Virginia restaurant

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was booted from a Virginia restaurant because she works for President Donald Trump, setting off a fierce debate about whether politics should play a role in how administration officals are treated in public. Sanders tweeted that she was told by the owner of the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, that she had to "leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left."

Sarah Sanders Says She Was Told to Leave Virginia Restaurant

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was booted from a Virginia restaurant because she works for President Donald Trump, setting off a fierce debate about whether politics should play a role in how administration officals are treated in public. Sanders tweeted that she was told by the owner of the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, that she had to "leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left."

Criminal referrals at border halted

President Donald Trump's executive order to halt family separations unleashed confusion in Washington and at the Mexico border Thursday, as Customs and Border Protection said it would it stop referring such cases for prosecution and migrant parents arrived at courthouses in Texas and Arizona wearing handcuffs only to be led away without facing ... (more)

All five first ladies speak out on family separations at border

All four former first ladies have joined the current one, Melania Trump, in an unusual united political front expressing horror at children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. Mrs Obama, a Democrat, wrote those words as she re-tweeted Mrs Bush, a Republican, who first spoke out in an opinion piece Sunday in The Washington Post.

Pence cheers Southern Baptist Convention as ‘one of the greatest forces for good anywhere’

Winning several standing ovations, Vice President Mike Pence gave an often laudatory campaign-style speech Wednesday to the closing session of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, calling it "one of the greatest forces for good anywhere in America." Pence, an evangelical Christian, repeatedly made clear that the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. is viewed by him and President Trump as a vital part of their conservative base heading into the midterm elections.

Giuliani: Mueller’s team told Trump’s lawyers…

Special counsel Robert Mueller III's team told President Donald Trump 's lawyers recently that prosecutors do not believe they can charge a sitting president with a crime under Justice Department guidelines, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday. The special counsel's conclusion signals that it would be left to Congress to address any finding of wrongdoing by Trump in the investigation.

Ex-lobbyist helped plan scuttled Pruitt trip to Australia, emails show

A Washington consultant who has lobbied for foreign governments in the past helped the Environmental Protection Agency prepare for a trip that administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff were to take last year, according to emails obtained by the Sierra Club and subsequently CBS News. According to those internal EPA emails, first reported by the New York Times , Matthew Freedman, the CEO of the firm Global Impact, Inc., was closely involved in the details of planning the trip, in which Pruitt was supposed to meet with Australian officials about environmental issues.

Opponents decry Scott Pruitt’s plan to roll back groundwater protections at coal ash sites

Heavy machinery excavate and carry coal ash from a drained coal ash pond at Dominion Power's Possum Point Power Station in Dumfries, Virginia. CREDIT: Kate Patterson for The Washington Post via Getty Images Residents have not been clamoring for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to weaken the nation's coal ash waste rules.

Time for Mueller to lay it all out

Washington is full of blather, bombast and bullsh-t, but a line about Robert Mueller was the most important thing spoken or written there last week: The line was included in a Washington Post story that said Mueller told the White House that President Trump was not a target of the criminal investigation . The story could be a big deal - if true.

Congresswoman apologizes for not protecting female staffers

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, an outspoken advocate for the #MeToo movement, has found herself in the awkward position of apologizing for not protecting female staffers in her Washington office from alleged violence, death threats and sexual harassment by her former chief of staff. The Democrat has issued press releases calling for tougher harassment protections for congressional staff and was among those demanding that then-U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan resign amid allegations of misconduct with staff.