Latest news with #WhiteHouseCorrespondents'Association
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
John Fetterman looks unrecognizable as he credits AI for brand new makeover
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was spotted wearing a suit on Capitol Hill Thursday, a far cry from his usually attire of a hoodie and athletic shorts. The senior senator from Pennsylvania was seen wandering the halls under the U.S. capitol in his sharp threads, and also posed for a photo with his Republican colleague from the Commonwealth Dave McCormick, celebrating the latter's maiden floor speech. Fetterman himself commented on his look Thursday, joking that 'It's all A.I.' Many on X noticed the radically different look for Fetterman, but reactions were mixed. Some users complimented the Senator, while others wondered why he didn't dress like this more often. Pam Besteder, posting under the handle @pambesteder asked 'Why does Fetterman wear a suit to this but not to Trump's Inauguration? Has he realized this ridiculousness of not being dressed professionally as a Senator I wonder? 'Finally Fetterman can afford a suit! He sure has changed the last year or so,' wrote Johnny Midnight. X user @Kimberly Reich noted 'I didn't recognize Senator Fetterman (at first)...' Another user with the X handle @joannesnyder64 wrote '@JohnFetterman you look great in a suit!! Please wear it more often.' Fetterman is, as many users pointed out, typically spotted in much more relaxed attire. In 2023, shortly after Fetterman was elected to the chamber, then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Senate Sergeant at arms to not enforce the dress code. That lasted about a week until the Senate passed a formal dress code. US Senator John Fetterman (L) and his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman arrive for the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton, in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024 The SHORTS Act ('SHow Our Respect To the Senate') required business attire, specifying "a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants" for men. It didn't say anything about women's attire. "Though we've never had an official dress code, the events over the past week have made us all feel as though formalizing one is the right path forward," Schumer said at the time. Back in 2023, Fetterman, known for his sense of humor responded to an announcement of the rule's passage with a meme, while also promising to comply with the regulations. — U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) September 27, 2023 Fetterman has been spotted dressed professionally at work on other occasions such as the day that he presided over the Senate for the first time. He also wore one the day that he was sworn in to the chamber, which prompted some to wonder if he had turned over a new leaf in taking on a new job. Fetterman is now wearing a suit as he's walks into preside in the Senate chamber — Joseph Zeballos-Roig (@josephzeballos) September 28, 2023 Fetterman wore a suit. He's now Senator Fetterman. — Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) January 3, 2023 The Senior Pennsylvania Senator did not wear a suit to Trump's inauguration this past January. He did wear one when he attended his own swearing-in to be the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
Irish Daily Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Star
White House boots WSJ reporter from Scotland trip travel pool after $10B lawsuit
The president of the White House Correspondents' Association said the move represented a violation of the First Amendment The White House removed a Wall Street Journal reporter from its press pool who was scheduled to follow President Donald Trump to Scotland this weekend. Their removal comes in the wake of the newspaper's report alleging Trump sent a birthday letter speckled with sexual innuendo to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, which Trump has claimed is fake. The president filed a lawsuit on Friday against the newspaper and several of its owner and several journalists seeking $10 billion in damages. Tarini Parti, a White House reporter for the Journal, had been scheduled to join the pool for the final two days of Trump's four-day golf outing in Turnberry and Aberdeen, Scotland. 'As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible," she told Politico. The Journal reported on July 17 that it had obtained access to a collection of letters gifted to Epstein on his 50th birthday, including one note bearing Trump's name in the form of a signature within the outline of an illustrated naked woman. Trump filed a lawsuit the next day claiming the newspaper had defamed him, 'because no authentic letter or drawing exists.' A spokesperson for Dow Jones (WSJ's publisher) stated they have "full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit." His administration's decision to bar a reporter from its presidential press pool seemingly in order to punish a news outlet for unfavorable coverage follows its banning of Associated Press reporters and photographers after the newswire service announced its refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." In response to the move this week, White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang said that the removal of the Journal reporter amounted to a violation of the First Amendment. 'This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment,' she said. 'Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media. "We strongly urge the White House to restore the Wall Street Journal to its previous position in the pool and aboard Air Force One for the President's upcoming trip to Scotland. The WHCA stands ready to work with the administration to find a quick resolution.' Parti, who was removed from the press pool, was not one of the two bylines on the Epstein story. According to Donald Trump Golf Tracker, the president has golfed on 43 days out of his 184 in office, or about 23% of his second term.
NBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
White House faces backlash after booting The Wall Street Journal from Scotland media coverage plans
WASHINGTON — The White House is facing backlash from press groups after booting The Wall Street Journal from a cohort of media outlets set to cover President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland. "This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment," said Weijia Jiang, the president of the White House Correspondents' Association, in a statement. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that The Wall Street Journal would not be part of the group of media outlets set to travel with Trump overseas. The move comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump in 2003 sent Jeffrey Epstein a birthday card with a drawing of a naked woman, calling Epstein a 'pal' and signing off saying, 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' "Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board," Leavitt said in a statement, though she did not explicitly refer to the Journal's Epstein story. Shortly after the story was published, Trump filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages. The suit named The Wall Street Journal's parent company and publisher, two reporters and two media executives. Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal's publisher, declined to comment on the outlet being kicked out of the pool. After Trump's lawsuit, a Dow Jones spokesperson defended The Wall Street Journal's reporting, saying, 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.' Jiang urged the White House to reverse its decision, noting that the White House Correspondents' Association was ready to work with the administration on a resolution. "Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media," she said. A spokesperson for The New York Times also condemned the White House's move, calling it "an attack on core constitutional principles underpinning free speech and a free press." "This is simple retribution by a president against a news organization for doing reporting that he doesn't like," the spokesperson said. "Such actions deprive Americans of information about how their government operates." Press pools have had a longstanding role in White House media coverage. Space at events with the president — such as in the Oval Office or on Air Force One — is limited, so media outlets take turns serving in the smaller press pool to provide information for the larger media cohort. Pool journalists shoot footage, ask questions and provide inside-the-room details for shared use. The Wall Street Journal has regularly been part of the White House pool as recently as last week, before their Epstein story broke. It is unclear whether the White House plans to continue barring the outlet from other pooled coverage events outside of the president's trip to Scotland. During prior administrations, the White House Correspondents' Association coordinated which outlets would take on pool roles at what time. Leavitt said in February that the White House would take over pool control, ending the precedent. The White House also sought to ban The Associated Press from media events, marking a sharp departure from prior administrations. Trump repeatedly criticized The Associated Press for referring to what the White House calls the "Gulf of America" as the "Gulf of Mexico." An appeals court ruled in June that Trump was allowed to block The Associated Press from some media events as litigation continues, which Leavitt pointed to in her statement on Monday. "As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces," she said. The Epstein case has engulfed the administration in controversy and sparked rare criticism from Trump's own base. In recent weeks, a growing number of people — including some close Trump allies — are calling from the White House to release more files related to Epstein, who died in jail while he was waiting to be put on trial for federal sex trafficking charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was communicating with Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer over whether she was willing to speak with Justice Department prosecutors. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence and was accused of grooming and recruiting girls for Epstein's sexual abuse. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's letter to Epstein was from 2003, before Epstein initially came under investigation in 2005. Trump told New York Magazine in 2002 that Epstein was a "terrific guy." Trump later distanced himself from Epstein, saying after the billionaire's 2019 arrest that the two had a falling out " a long time ago."
Atlantic
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
Presidential Pettiness
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Presidents are, like the rest of us, flawed human beings. Many of them had volcanic tempers: Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Joe Biden, among others, reportedly could sling Anglo-Saxonisms with gusto. In public, most of them managed to convey an image of geniality. (Nixon might be the exception there, but he embraced being an uptight square and his admirers found it endearing.) But all of them, regardless of their personality, had at least some notion about government, some sense of what they wanted to accomplish in the most powerful office in the world. Donald Trump exhibits no such guiding belief. From his first day as a candidate, Trump has appeared animated by anger, fear, and, most of all, pettiness, a small-minded vengefulness that takes the place of actual policy making. It taints the air in the executive branch like a forgotten bag of trash in a warm house on a summer day—even when you can't see it, you know it's there. Trump's first run for office was itself a kind of petty tantrum. Trump had always wanted to run for president, a wish he expressed as far back as the 1980s. But Trump's journey from pro-abortion-rights New York oligarch to anti-abortion Republican populist picked up speed after President Barack Obama humiliated him at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Trump denies that Obama's jibes moved him to run, but he jumped into the open GOP field once Obama's two terms were coming to an end, and to this day, he remains obsessed with the first and only Black president—to the point that he misspoke on at least one occasion and said that he defeated Obama, not Hillary Clinton, to win his first term. Trump's second term has been a cavalcade of pettiness; his lieutenants have internalized the president's culture of purges, retribution, and loyalty checks. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's insistence, for example, on renaming U.S. military bases after Confederate leaders has led to clumsy explanations about how the bases are now named for men who had names that are exactly like the 19th-century traitors'. This kind of explanation is the sort of thing that high-school teachers get from teenage smart alecks who think they're being clever in class. My colleague Shane Harris recently reported an appalling story about how former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper sponsored a rescue dog to become a working animal at the CIA. He named the dog Susan, after his late wife, an animal lover who volunteered at a local shelter. Clapper was looking forward to attending Susan's graduation ceremony at a CIA facility—but the agency, taking what it believed to be Trump's lead, barred him from even setting foot on CIA property. (Trump despises Clapper, and blames him for what Trump calls 'the Russia hoax,' among other slights against the president.) As Shane wrote: 'The upshot is that an octogenarian Air Force retiree who spent half a century in his nation's service was not allowed to attend a party for a dog he essentially donated to the government and named after his dead wife.' Meanwhile, those still in government are being harassed and driven out of public service because of who they know—or even what they might be thinking. Over at the FBI, as I wrote earlier this month, Director Kash Patel is reportedly strapping people to polygraph machines to find out whether anyone is saying bad things about him. Michael Feinberg, a senior FBI counterintelligence agent, was told that he could accept a demotion or resign because of his friendship with Peter Strzok, an agent fired years ago who has long been an object of Trump's wrath. Now Trump wants to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell because Powell refuses to lower interest rates and make Trump's economy look better than it is. (Inflation and joblessness are both rising.) Trump can't summarily fire Powell, but the president is taking the Fed chair's opposition so personally that he is already ginning up a baseless accusation that Powell is somehow guilty of malfeasance on a building project, on the theory that it might be the kind of misconduct that would allow Trump to remove him. Even on matters of grave international importance, Trump governs by emotion rather than any coherent sense of policy. A few weeks ago, the president seemed to change course on the war in Ukraine. He said he would allow arms shipments to continue, and promised last week to have advanced systems such as Patriot missile batteries sent to Ukraine. Trump's own Defense Department was caught flat-footed after repeatedly putting a stop to those shipments. (After all, Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance seemed to be on Vladimir Putin's side after they engaged in an unseemly—and yes, petty— ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House this past winter.) But Putin had finally done something worse than murdering thousands of Ukrainian civilians and kidnapping Ukrainian children: He had made Donald Trump look like a chump. Putin refused to help Trump fulfill an unwise campaign promise by acceding to a cease-fire. Instead, the Russian president has unleashed some of the most violent attacks of the war, a raised middle finger to the White House and its chief occupant. You can do a lot of bad things around Trump. You can ignore court orders. You can deport people without due process. You can let Ukrainian rivers fill with the blood of innocent people. But when you make Trump look weak or stupid, you've gone too far. Trump's promises on Ukraine might amount to very little. Emotional reactions pass quickly, and Trump's attention span is measured in milliseconds; he flip-flops on everything from trade to friendships. So far, some shipments to Ukraine have resumed, but Trump has also offered Putin a respite of 50 days to come to the table—which would be just about the number of days left of good weather for military operations. ('Fifty days' could also be just another version of the way Trump uses 'two weeks' to punt issues that he doesn't want to deal with further downstream.) Now Trump's attention seems to be on strong-arming the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians football and baseball teams into reclaiming their old names, the Redskins and the Indians. It's possible that Trump is responding to some hidden groundswell of nostalgia. He's also not the first president to get fired up about Washington's home team: Obama was clearly interested in getting rid of the Redskins name, and undoing anything Obama did is something of a Trumpian rule. More likely, however, Trump is focusing on this small issue in the hopes of picking a racist scab that will occupy the attention of his base—because much of that base right now is deeply angry about a supposed cover-up relating to Trump's former friend and the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Yet again, when trying to throw red meat to the faithful, Trump picked something small and silly. Trump rules by appeals to grievances—rather than focusing on substantive national problems—because at least some of the MAGA movement revels in that kind of cruelty. This culture-warring behavior helped get him elected, and Trump's voters have been willing to join him on these capricious roller-coaster rides for the first six months of his second term. But roller coasters don't have actual destinations, and sooner or later, even the most dedicated riders will want to get off. Here are three new stories from The Atlantic: Today's News The Pentagon is starting to pull out 700 Marines who were sent to Los Angeles last month, as President Donald Trump's military deployment to the city winds down. A federal judge appeared to be leaning in favor of Harvard University during today's hearing over Harvard's lawsuit claiming that the Trump administration moved to cut its federal research funding to the university for political reasons. The Justice Department confirmed to Fox News that it has received a criminal referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who alleges that Obama administration officials 'manufactured and politicized intelligence' about Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Dispatches Evening Read Should You Sunscreen Your Cat? By Katherine J. Wu For all of the eons that animal life has existed on Earth, the sun has been there too. And for all of those eons, animal life has had only one solution for intense exposure to the sun: evolution. Some creatures have thick, dark skin that's resistant to UV harm; others sprout fur, scales, or feathers that block the sun's rays. Many fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds may produce a compound that protects their cells against the sun's damaging effects. Hippos, weirdly, ooze a reddish, mucus-y liquid from their pores that absorbs light before it can destroy their skin. And plenty of creatures have evolved behaviors that take advantage of their environment—rolling around in dirt or mud, simply retreating into the shade. But certain modern animals have sun problems that natural selection can't easily solve. More From The Atlantic Read. Tyler Austin Harper recommends eight books that break down what's really going on with America's universities. Watch. In 2020, David Sims shared 25 feel-good movies perfect for rewatching—whether you need a laugh, a dose of nostalgia, or just an escape from everyday stress.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WHCA ‘Disturbed' Trump Excluded Wire Services From His Flight to Middle East
The White House Correspondents' Association said it is 'disturbed' the Trump administration excluded wire services from joining the president on his trip to the Middle East, noting that it is a 'disservice' to Americans who rely on those outlets for news about their commander-in-chief. 'For the first time since the White House press corps started traveling with American presidents abroad, no wire service reporter is aboard Air Force One today,' the WHCA said in a statement on Monday evening. 'As the president travels across the ocean for high-stakes meetings in the Middle East, the White House has decided not to include any wire reporter on the presidential aircraft.' The WHCA's statement came after outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters and the Associated Press were left off President Trump's flight to Saudi Arabia; the president is also planning on visiting Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his trip. In its statement, the WHCA lamented that smaller outlets that depend on wires like the AP — which has more than 1,300 affiliates — are particularly hurt by the lack of access. The exclusion of the wire services on the trip comes as the Trump administration has changed several aspects of the White House-press relationship in recent months. Notably, the Trump administration has been feuding with the AP over the outlet's refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America,' following the president signing an executive order changing the gulf's name on government documents. The administration excluded the AP from the Oval Office over its decision — a move that has since led to the two sides battling in court. And last month, the Trump White House said it will no longer guarantee a spot in the press pool for wire news services. You can read about some of the 'new media' members who have been included in the White House press briefings by clicking here. The post WHCA 'Disturbed' Trump Excluded Wire Services From His Flight to Middle East appeared first on TheWrap.
