Politics

Administration officials held a briefing at the White House featuring Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, along with Russell T. Vought, the budget director, and Eric Ueland, the White House legislative director. After each official read off a series of prepared talking points, they took only a handful of questions […]

OXON HILL, Md. — Donald J. Trump was still a New York businessman when he was booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2015 after he proposed fighting ISIS with troops on the ground in the Middle East. Flash forward five years, and there was no room at the annual conservative conference this week

WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Friday that he intended to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as his director of national intelligence, choosing someone he considered last summer before senior Republicans in Congress deemed him unqualified for the job. Mr. Ratcliffe is a vocal supporter of the president who serves on the House

“Honestly, I’m not against Steyer’s message, but it’s an enviable position,” said Ms. Condon, who recently endorsed Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Ind. “Certainly Steyer’s campaign has what most candidates wish for — unlimited money.” Mr. Quirk-Garvan has raised questions about whether Mr. Steyer has used financial inducements to grow the list

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration may use a 70-year-old law to speed up the manufacturing of medical supplies before a coronavirus outbreak, Alex M. Azar II, the health secretary, said on Friday, a seeming acknowledgment that the virus poses a threat beyond the reassurances of President Trump. The Defense Production Act, passed by Congress in

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The crowd at a music venue here was energized, on its feet, breaking out into an occasional chant of “dream big, fight hard” while waiting for a get-out-the-vote rally with Senator Elizabeth Warren and John Legend. But when one black City Council member from nearby North Charleston entered the auditorium, he immediately

“I’ve been able to tie in my mom’s everyday values to the work that we do — telling her that she’s always shared everything she has, she’s always helped her neighbor, she’s made sure people have what they need where they’re down on their luck,” Ms. Estevez said. “Four years ago she hated Bernie Sanders.

But other African-American lawmakers, including Representative Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, have expressed support for banning menthol cigarettes. Representative Donna E. Shalala, Democrat of Florida and a health secretary during the Clinton administration, said the cigarette makers — not lawmakers — are the ones responsible for negative consequences for African Americans. “Cigarette

Welcome to Poll Watch, our weekly look at polling data and survey research on the candidates, voters and issues that will shape the 2020 election. With three nominating contests down, 101 pledged delegates have been divided among the Democratic presidential candidates. On Saturday, 54 more will be up for grabs in South Carolina’s primary. But

OXON HILL, Md. — Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, on Friday blamed the media for exaggerating the seriousness of coronavirus because “they think this will bring down the president, that’s what this is all about.” Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering of conservative activists, Mr. Mulvaney played