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An Old John McCain Scandal Takes a Turn
An Old John McCain
Scandal Takes a Turn
the rundown
May 10, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

An Old John McCain Scandal Takes a Turn

Once-loyal ally Steve Schmidt is now at odds with the McCain family

(Newser) - The name John McCain has been in the headlines a lot in the last few days, as has that of his once-loyal adviser, Steve Schmidt, along with McCain's daughter, Meghan. There's a lot to unpack in explaining why, but if you want a shorthand version, the headline at...

Trump's New WH Counselor: Kellyanne Conway

Former campaign manager 'played a crucial role in my victory': president-elect

(Newser) - Kellyanne Conway was devoted as Donald Trump's campaign manager (so much so she says she's getting death threats as a result), and her loyalty has now been rewarded. The president-elect announced Thursday that Conway will serve as his counselor in the Oval Office, Reuters reports, noting in a...

Trump Son-in-Law Might Test Nepotism Law

Trump wants him in the White House, sources say

(Newser) - A federal nepotism law is about to be tested, stretched, and possibly broken by Donald Trump's son-in-law, insiders say. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that Trump and members of his inner circle are urging Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, to join the administration as a...

Hannity on Advising Trump: 'I Never Claimed to Be a Journalist'

Fox News host has been lending thoughts to longtime friend for months: sources (and Hannity)

(Newser) - People are still scratching their heads about what role Roger Ailes might be playing in Donald Trump's campaign, but there's a new player in town: Sean Hannity. Writing for the New York Times , Jim Rutenberg says the Fox News host constantly gives the GOP nominee free PR by...

Obama Task Force Leak: Get Leash on NSA

They want public defenders to argue for the spied upon

(Newser) - A presidential task force plans to call for sweeping changes to the way the NSA does business, including steps to make it more transparent and to increase White House oversight, according to reports today in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal . The panel of five intelligence and legal...

Meet Pete Rouse, Obama's New Chief of Staff

He's a longtime aide and much more low-key than Rahm Emanuel

(Newser) - So who is this Pete Rouse, the man expected to step into Rahm Emanuel's shoes tomorrow? The president's senior aide is a longtime one and not unfamiliar with serving as his chief of staff—Rouse was hired in that job when then-Sen. Obama first arrived in Washington, reports the New ...

Joe Biden Is Obama's Best Gadfly, 'Truth-Teller'

Hardly a joke, veep doesn't mind stirring the pot

(Newser) - Barack Obama's suave, controlled campaign may have winced when gaffe-prone Joe Biden came aboard, but the vice president has proven himself to be a necessary straight-shooter time and again in the administration's tumultuous first nine months. From Afghanistan to health care, Biden has become Obama's most reliable "truth teller,...

Thank Beck, Internet for Van Jones Uproar

Strategy deflected attention from Jones' Beck boycott

(Newser) - The mainstream media entirely ignored the controversy over now-former Obama adviser Van Jones, who was slyly forced out by Glenn Beck and his online fans, Politico reports. Beck whipped up a fury over Jones—who once signed a 9/11 conspiracy petition—without mentioning that the green jobs czar was also...

Cold-Fish President Is Losing the Public: Noonan

And young, untried staffers are dangerously full of themselves

(Newser) - Alarm bells should be ringing at the White House as the Obama administration drifts dangerously out of touch with the middle ground, Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal. By trying to tackle health care on top of the economy and two wars, Noonan writes, the president—along with...

On Economy, Obama's Micromanager-in-Chief

(Newser) - Past presidents have taken a big-picture approach to domestic policy, but Barack Obama is different—every day, he wrestles with the smallest details of health care, employment, and financial regulation. At the White House daily economic briefing, a new ritual modeled on intelligence seminars, the president peppers advisers with questions...

Obama's Best Pal Keeps Him in Line

When Jarrett weighs in, prez listens

(Newser) - When the president has made up his mind, there’s one person who can change it: Valerie Jarrett, who acts as his “intermediary to the outside world,” Robert Draper writes in a hefty New York Times Magazine profile. “There are two people he’s not going to...

White House's Preferred First-100-Days Story Lines

Look out for these White House plugs next Wednesday

(Newser) - President Obama's savvy advisers may scoff at his 100th day as a "Hallmark holiday," but they're happy to tell reporters how to cover it. Politico lists what the White House is spinning:
  • Obama's not overambitious, just a promise-keeper—right down to that new pup.
  • His broader vision is
...

Valerie Jarrett: Obama's Consigliere

Senior adviser and family friend speaks softly, carries big clout

(Newser) - Among the strong-willed Beltway rockstars that make up President Obama's White House, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett's style is strikingly low key. But while Jarrett lacks the Washington experience of Rahm Emanuel or David Axelrod, she makes up for it with a deft ability to manage big egos and keep outside...

Clinton Trial Lawyer Tapped as White House Counsel

Gregory Craig will advise Obama on legal issues

(Newser) - Barack Obama has chosen Gregory Craig, Bill Clinton’s lead impeachment trial lawyer, as White House counsel, Politico reports. Craig, 63, left the Hillary Clinton camp early in the primaries to support Obama, and knows his new boss well: He played John McCain in debate prep. He also advised Obama...

Rove Grilled by Preppies
Rove Grilled
by Preppies
Feb 12, 2008 2:55 AM CST

Rove Grilled by Preppies

Ex-Bush adviser zings Clintons in talk to future leaders at elite school

(Newser) - Karl Rove advised students to chuck those poly sci books for Shakespeare in a wide-ranging talk yesterday at Massachusetts' elite boarding school Choate, the Hartford Courant reports. Stiff opposition scuttled the school's plan to have Rove speak at commencement, but "I didn't want anybody to say you ran me...

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