White House News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of the White House agenda, press briefings, and policy decisions affecting the country at large.
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- News
11 Things Said by GOP White House Hopefuls at the Iowa Freedom Summit
Some of the likeliest Republican candidates for president tried out their messages in front of a mostly friendly crowd at today’s Iowa Freedom Summit. The speakers offered plenty of rhetorical red meat to an audience dominated by conservatives, but also set out to emphasize some policy positions at the gathering in Des Moines sponsored by…Ken McIntyre -
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White House Chief of Staff: Hillary Would Be a ‘Very Good President’
In the wake of a State of the Union address heavy on confidence and promise, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough today charted a “urgent” and aggressive future for Democratic power. After declaring that the White House “feels quite good” about the State of the Union, McDonough went on to hint that presumed presidential…Josh Siegel -
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Cuba Releases 53 Political Prisoners, White House Claims
The White House said today that Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it promised to free as part of a deal to normalize relations with the United States. “We welcome this very positive development and are pleased that the Cuban government followed through on this commitment,” a senior Obama administration official said in a statement…Josh Siegel -
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White House Faces Backlash for Absence at Anti-Terrorism Rally
UPDATE: The Obama administration admitted this afternoon that it erred in not sending a more prominent official to the anti-terrorism march yesterday in Paris. During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said: I think it’s fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there. ……Kelsey Bolar -
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Does the White House ‘Micromanage’ the Military? Here’s What Gen. Martin Dempsey Thinks
On Fox News Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey was asked if he agrees with the president’s recent statement that threat of terrorism from Afghanistan is gone. “The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as the senior military leader of the nation, tends to be rather cautious and careful,” said Dempsey. “And he…Kate Scanlon -
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Romney Floats Trial Balloon to Slow Jeb Bush’s Early ‘Rise’ in Quest for White House
Jeb Bush’s moves to attract supporters and donors this week put the 2016 race for the White House into sharper focus earlier in the new year than other presidential hopefuls probably anticipated. One apparent result: Mitt Romney, the Republican standard-bearer in 2012, told a group of donors Friday that he is “seriously considering” a third…Ken McIntyre -
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White House Threatens to Veto Jobs, Energy and Common Sense
For good reason, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate’s first order of business would be a vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Building the northern leg of the pipeline means jobs, economic growth and 830,000 barrels of oil per day from a friendly, reliable trading partner in Canada. Even the Obama administration’s…Nicolas Loris -
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A Secret Santa With White House Connections Brings Christmas Cheer to Sick Children
Some sick children in Texas just got the surprise of their young lives: Santa Claus dropped by the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to hand out toys. But this surprise visitor wasn’t just one of Santa’s legion of merry helpers. This was former President George W. Bush, looking like a jolly old elf indeed in…Kelsey Bolar -
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Ebola Czar to Leave White House in February
The nation’s “Ebola czar,” Ron Klain, plans to move back to the private sector less than five months after being tasked to oversee the government response to the possible spread of the deadly virus. Klain is president of Case Holdings, an investment firm, and general counsel for Revolution, its venture capital group. “Ron agreed to…Melissa Quinn -
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How the Presidential Turkey Pardon Became a White House Tradition
“Let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy. He’s granted a presidential pardon as of right now.” These are the words that officially saved two turkeys in 1989 when President George H.W. Bush began the "presidential turkey pardon" tradition. Although turkeys…Kelsey Lucas -
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In Time for Thanksgiving, Obama White House Serves Up 3,400 Regulations
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the White House quietly released word that it has 3,400 regulations in the pipeline for next year. For those who’d like to check out the Obama administration’s proposed new government red tape, released Friday, it’s called the Unified Agenda. “The administration has been really aggressive on the regulatory front,” Sam Batkins,…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
White House Turns to Twitter for Climate Scare Tactics
A picture says a thousand words but the recent picture tweeted out by the White House needs just two: fear mongering. In promotion of its website http://toolkit.climate.gov/, the Obama Administration tweeted a picture of a fire about to destroy a community. You can see it here. The fact of the matter is the Administration is…Nicolas Loris -
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White House, Congress Raided Hundreds of Millions from Anti-Bioterrorism Fund
Congress and the Obama White House looked for billions of dollars a few years ago to offset the costs of a legal settlement with black farmers and American Indians, to increase education aid to the states and to develop a vaccine for swine flu. To get those billions, they looked to the same coffer: Project…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
White House Declared Ebola a National Security Concern. Why That Was a Total Mistake.
The White House has declared Ebola to be a top national-security concern. That ought to worry Americans. The last time a president tried to make a disease a national-security issue, he helped trigger a global pandemic that killed 50 million people. Progressives like to expropriate the label of national security to help drive their agendas….James Carafano -
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Choice of Klain for Ebola Czar Suggest White House Sees Ebola as Political, Not Medical, Problem
The naming of Ron Klain as the new Ebola czar leaves me with a couple of questions. Do we need a “czar” at all? And why is this guy who we picked? On the positive side, one of the biggest problems with the Ebola response so far is the poor communications effort, and lack of…Steven Bucci -
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Political Strategists Plot How Libertarians and Conservatives Can Unite to ‘Take Back the White House’
Doug Stafford says he and his boss, Sen. Rand Paul, got into politics the same way: through their church, which inspired them to develop pro-life principles. Stafford, the executive director of RAND PAC and a close adviser to Paul, sat on a panel this past weekend at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., a…Josh Siegel -
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Mark Levin’s Simple Plan to Put a Conservative in the White House
Hard-charging radio commentator Mark Levin is sick of waiting for the Republican Party to nominate a conservative for president, and today he outlined his plan to accomplish just that. Speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, the talk radio giant and bestselling author issued a call to action to the crowd of social conservatives,…Melissa Quinn -
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Is Al Sharpton Helping the White House Find a New Attorney General?
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation,” says he’s consulting with the White House on Eric Holder’s replacement as attorney general. “We are engaged in immediate conversations with the White House," @TheRevAl said. Following news of Holder’s resignation Thursday, Sharpton tweeted a statement declaring his involvement in the administration’s search for a successor. “We…Gabriella Morrongiello -
- Opinion
See Which Dogs Make the Best White House Guests
Today is national "Dogs in Politics Day." Yes–it is an official day, and you can thank former President Richard Nixon for this one (and the tribute to some adorable presidential dogs below). During Nixon's campaign for vice president alongside Dwight Eisenhower, the then-senator was accused of stealing thousands from his campaign funds for personal use. He…Kelsey Lucas -
- Opinion
Washington Shouldn’t React to White House Fence Jumper By Making Government Buildings Less Accessible
Since this article was originally published, it has been reported that the fence jumper, Omar Gonzalez, got further inside the White House than was known. Courtesy of Mashable, here's an image showing how far Gonzalez got. Image: Mashable Composite, WhiteHouse.gov Last Friday, a troubled Army veteran jumped the White House fence and dashed across the…William Gribbin