White House news

• Kennedy Center removing landmark sculpture from grounds

  02-09-2026 16:28 via thehill.com
  
  The Kennedy Center is set to take down a towering sculpture from the center’s grounds on Wednesday. The artwork’s removal comes amid a wave of changes at the renowned Washington, D.C., performing arts center during President Trump’s second term.  The 24-foot aluminum sculpture, named “Blue,” was gifted to the center in 2019. The art, which...
  
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• Vance's mother says she'd 'probably punch' El-Sayed

  03-09-2026 16:42 via thehill.com
  
  Beverly Aikins said Wednesday that she would “probably punch” Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed for past comments he made about her son, Vice President Vance. In an interview on “Tomi Lahren is Fearless,” Fox News host Tomi Lahren showed Aikins a clip of El-Sayed stating, “Can you imagine, he’s got brown kids, at some point...
  
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• House Republican 'pretty sure' Lake Ontario name change 'a troll'

  03-09-2026 16:35 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) said President Trump’s decision to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America is likely a “troll,” casting doubt on whether the new name will stick even as the federal government and major mapping services move to adopt it. “I’m pretty sure this is a troll,” Tenney, whose district covers...
  
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• Watch live: Jeffries speaks after 2 Democrats buck party on GOP rule vote

  03-09-2026 16:11 via thehill.com
  
  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) will speak Thursday morning after two Democrats broke with the party to help Republicans advance a series of GOP-backed measures. This rare defection now puts Jeffries between a rock and a hard place as he is already navigating the split between the establishment and more progressive Democrats ahead of...
  
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• Billionaire Leon Black challenges House subpoena for Epstein testimony 

  03-09-2026 16:11 via thehill.com
  
  Private equity investor Leon Black filed a lawsuit Thursday to stave off subpoenas demanding he testify and hand over documents as part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  Black was slated to appear the same day for a deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about his ties to...
  
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• Trump: 'I don't wear a wig'

  03-09-2026 16:09 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump denied allegations Wednesday that he wore a wig, citing an incident in 2024 where he faced windy weather. During a speech at the White House Rose Garden dinner, Trump recalled when he spoke at a campaign rally in 2024 for Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), where he faced "the worst weather I think I've...
  
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• Lutnick 'misspoke' when he said no US soldiers have died in Iran war

  03-09-2026 16:09 via thehill.com
  
  Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick apologized Thursday for saying on television that no Americans had died in the war with Iran, saying he was thinking about Venezuela. "I misspoke. 18 members of our ​military have died, and to those families ⁠my heart breaks and I am so ​very sorry for their loss. I was thinking ​about...
  
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• Bacon echoes Tillis: Hegseth 'would not be on my team'

  03-09-2026 15:28 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in a Wednesday interview backed up his colleague in the Senate, Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), in pushing for the ouster of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “I agree with the sentiments of Senator Tillis. I hate to tell the president who he should hire and fire. I don't know if it's really my...
  
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• Bacon agrees with Tillis: Hegseth 'would not be on my team'

  03-09-2026 15:28 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in a Wednesday interview backed up his colleague in the Senate, Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), in pushing for the ouster of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “I agree with the sentiments of Senator Tillis. I hate to tell the president who he should hire and fire. I don't know if it's really my...
  
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• NASA chief Jared Isaacman outlines first steps for 'moon base'

  03-09-2026 15:23 via thehill.com
  
  The moon base, Isaacman said, will help NASA learn how to live away from Earth, and possibly later to Mars and other planets. 
  
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• Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional'

  03-09-2026 14:57 via thehill.com
  
  Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III on Wednesday called the Defense Department under Secretary Pete Hegseth "dysfunctional." CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Kendall, who served under the Biden and Obama administrations, for his assessment of Hegseth's handling of the military and the Pentagon. The former secretary accused the Pentagon chief of doing "active...
  
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• Former Air Force secretary: Hegeseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional'

  03-09-2026 14:57 via thehill.com
  
  Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III on Wednesday called the Defense Department under Secretary Pete Hegseth "dysfunctional." CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Kendall, who served under the Biden and Obama administrations, for his assessment of Hegseth's handling of the military and the Pentagon. The former secretary accused the Pentagon chief of doing "active...
  
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• Live updates: Vance to helm White House's first press briefing in weeks; House wraps up before next recess

  03-09-2026 14:45 via thehill.com
  
  Vice President Vance is set to hold the White House's first press briefing in 42 days on Thursday afternoon, speaking in place of a press secretary — a role that remains vacant after Karoline Leavitt's end-of-August departure. The briefing is set for 1 p.m. EDT. The vice president was one of a handful of Trump...
  
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• Mine safety commissioner fired by Trump gives up legal fight, citing Supreme Court

  03-09-2026 14:28 via thehill.com
  
  The Supreme Court’s expansion of President Trump’s firing power is sweeping into mine safety.  Moshe Marvit, whom Trump sacked from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), moved to voluntarily drop his legal challenge on Wednesday. He disagrees with the high court's decision but conceded it means the agency is no longer independent.  “I brought this case to...
  
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• Trump urges Republicans in tight races to run on his record

  03-09-2026 14:03 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump on Wednesday urged Republicans facing tight races in the November midterm elections to run on his record, pledging to join them on the campaign trail. Trump told Republican lawmakers at a dinner in the White House Rose Garden that they had successful stories to pass along to voters in the remaining months of...
  
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• Trump, AI industry go on offensive to counter data center backlash

  03-09-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump and the AI industry are going on the offensive, attempting to bolster support for data centers as they contend with a groundswell of public opposition that has swept across party lines.Trump has not shied away from embracing the controversial server warehouses behind the AI boom, but he appeared to take a no-holds-barred approach Monday as he called for the U.S. to “let Data Reign” and accused the opposition of wanting...
  
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• Some Republicans are planning to skip Trump’s GOP convention

  03-09-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Republicans are cautiously approaching the party’s midterm convention next week as President Trump spirals in polls, with some candidates and lawmakers deciding to skip the gathering all together. The dynamic underscores how worried Republicans are about Trump’s own brand ahead of midterm elections in which the party is in danger of losing the House...
  
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• Jeffries faces tricky balancing act on Democratic defectors

  03-09-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  This week’s stunning defection by two centrist Democrats has posed a dilemma for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — now caught between liberals calling for scalps and others in the party urging restraint ahead of the midterms. From the left, Jeffries is facing pressure to punish fellow Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie...
  
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• Democratic senators ask McMahon for details on student loan administration spending

  03-09-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Four Democratic senators sent a letter Wednesday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, calling for her to share details on how her department used $1 billion in funding intended for student loan administration. The letter, authored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), questions why the Education...
  
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• Trump signs stopgap funding bill into law, temporarily avoiding shutdown

  03-09-2026 04:36 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump on Wednesday signed a stopgap government funding bill into law, affirming Congress's efforts to temporarily avert a shutdown until at least Dec. 11. By signing the “Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027” into law, Trump ensured federal agencies will be funded through November's midterms into December. The measure passed the Senate and House...
  
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• Biden to attend Ground Zero 9/11 memorial ceremony for 25th anniversary

  03-09-2026 02:33 via thehill.com
  
  Former President Biden will be at Ground Zero site in New York City for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, The Hill's sister network NewsNation confirmed Wednesday. A spokesperson verified the former president's plans to attend the 9/11 site memorial event to the network — a little under a week after...
  
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• Vance to give White House's first press briefing in over 40 days

  03-09-2026 01:44 via thehill.com
  
  Vice President Vance will host the first White House press briefing since July on Thursday, the White House Press Office announced. “Vice President @JDVance will take the podium tomorrow at 1:00 PM,” the press office wrote Wednesday on social platform X.Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrapped up her final day in the...
  
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• Vance to give White House's first press briefing in more than 40 days

  03-09-2026 01:44 via thehill.com
  
  Vice President Vance will host the first White House press briefing since July on Thursday, the White House Press Office announced. “Vice President @JDVance will take the podium tomorrow at 1:00 PM,” the press office wrote on social media Wednesday.  Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrapped up her final day in the role...
  
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• Mullin's airplane made emergency landing after engine failure

  03-09-2026 00:56 via thehill.com
  
  A plane carrying Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin had to make an emergency landing on Wednesday after an engine failure. “We just lost our right engine, would like to declare an emergency,” the pilot of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) plane told air traffic control, according to audio from ATC.com shared on...
  
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• Ocasio-Cortez says she's concerned about Jeffries's meeting with Kushner: 'I don’t know what that was about'

  03-09-2026 00:39 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) voiced her concern over a meeting between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. While walking near the Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez was asked if she was “concerned with” Jeffries's meeting with Kushner. “Yeah,” she said before laughing. “I don’t know what that was about.” The New York...
  
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• Ocasio-Cortez says she's concerned about Jeffries-Kushner meeting: 'I don’t know what that was about'

  03-09-2026 00:39 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) voiced her concern over a meeting between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. While walking near the Capitol Building, Ocasio-Cortez was asked if she was “concerned with” Jeffries meeting with Kushner. “Yeah,” she said before laughing. “I don’t know what that was about.” The New...
  
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• Trump under pressure to contain Iran fighting as midterms near 

  03-09-2026 00:32 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump is under pressure to avoid an escalatory spiral after launching the largest wave of strikes on Iran in weeks, with the U.S. military strained and the midterm elections rapidly approaching. Trump on Wednesday downplayed the Iran war's negative impact on Republican candidates. The president’s approval rating has reached a record low, 33 percent,...
  
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• White House defends Trump's beef import plan after report on billionaire's influence

  02-09-2026 23:49 via thehill.com
  
  The White House defended President Trump’s decision to temporarily suspend higher tariffs on ground beef imports amid a report that a Brazilian billionaire influenced the decision. A White House official told News Nation, “President Trump’s action to address a short-term supply crunch in the beef market was the result of a long policy planning and...
  
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• Five things to know from G20 finance summit

  02-09-2026 23:42 via thehill.com
  
  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hosted economic officials from around the world in Asheville, N.C., this week, seeking to rally support for the Trump administration’s financial agenda regarding Iran and China. During the Group of 20 (G20) finance summit, Bessent touted the Treasury Department’s beefed-up sanctions on the Islamic Republic and its benefactors and downplayed rising bond yields in the...
  
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• 5 things to know from G20 finance summit

  02-09-2026 23:42 via thehill.com
  
  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hosted economic officials from around the world in Asheville, N.C., this week, seeking to rally support for the Trump administration’s financial agenda regarding Iran and China. During the Group of 20 (G20) finance summit, Bessent touted the Treasury Department’s beefed-up sanctions on the Islamic Republic and its benefactors and downplayed rising bond yields in the...
  
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