Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

Valerie jarrett

Published: 02/14/11

Michelle Obama to Promote Breastfeeding as IRS Gives Tax Breaks for Nursing

By  Lynn Sweet - Politics Daily
Michelle Obama to Promote Breastfeeding as IRS Gives Tax Breaks for Nursing

First lady Michelle Obama will be speaking out to remove barriers to breastfeeding, Politics Daily has learned, throwing the spotlight on nursing as a way to reduce childhood obesity. This comes as the Obama administration in the past year has made several moves to encourage breastfeeding -- including a push for more flexible workplace rules and an Internal Revenue Service ruling on Thursday that breast pumps and other nursing supplies qualify for tax breaks. Mrs. Obama -- who has spoken in public about nursing her youngest daughter, Sasha -- is going to tread carefully in what might be a ...

Published: 12/27/10

Little Change Expected in Cabinet, Obama Adviser Says

By  Carla Baranauckas - Politics Daily
Little Change Expected in Cabinet, Obama Adviser Says

President Barack Obama is not planning major changes to his Cabinet and will probably appoint a replacement for Lawrence Summers, the director of the National Economic Council, in January, the president's press secretary said in a televised interview Sunday. "I don't expect, quite honestly, big changes," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." "I think we've had a very capable and good Cabinet that has helped move the president's agenda forward. I think there's obviously a lot that has to be done at Treasury to implement financial reform, at HHS to ...

Published: 10/28/10

Obama Touts His Pro-Women Record as He Seeks Their Vote Tuesday

By  Alex Wagner - Politics Daily
Obama Touts His Pro-Women Record as He Seeks Their Vote Tuesday

Lately, it seems like the president might be taking a page from the Todd "Ladies Love Cool" James (a.k.a. LL Cool J) playbook: He's been courting women voters with a zeal unmatched by any administration in recent memory. On some level, the president's adulation by and appreciation for the fairer sex comes as little surprise. He's always maintained warm deference to his wife in any public arena, referring to the first lady as "his better half" and "someone who's smarter, better looking, and somebody's that just all around a little more impressive than [me]." But this focus on women has taken ...

Published: 10/16/10

Obama Aide Valerie Jarrett's Advice to Boss: 'Stay the Course and Know It Will Get Better'

By  Mary C. Curtis - Politics Daily
Obama Aide Valerie Jarrett's Advice to Boss: 'Stay the Course and Know It Will Get Better'

Valerie Jarrett has stayed as others in the Obama administration have planned their departures to places such as Chicago or Harvard. None of the others have Jarrett's job history with Barack Obama. Now, with a tough mid-term election closing in, what advice does this senior White House adviser and assistant to the president have for the person she has been a friend to for 19 years, since before he was elected state senator in Illinois? "To stay the course and to know that it will get better," she said in an interview Friday. "He's a student of history, so he knows that it's in times of great ...

Published: 10/6/10

Presidential Seal Falls as Obama Boosts Workplace Changes at Women's Summit

By  Tom Diemer - Politics Daily
Presidential Seal Falls as Obama Boosts Workplace Changes at Women's Summit

Introduced as a man who is comfortable with strong women, President Obama told the "Most Powerful Women Summit" Tuesday that the move toward mobile workplaces and flexible hours is more than a gender issue because it also helps make American businesses more competitive. Many companies led by women attending the conference in Washington are already embracing "things like telecommuting and flextime and on-site childcare," the president said. The Obama administration is doing its part by investing in paid leave programs and child care tax credits and by "making the federal government a model ...

Published: 10/4/10

Rahm Emanuel Works Chicago's Tribes on Day One of 'Listening Tour'

By  Lynn Sweet - Politics Daily
Rahm Emanuel Works Chicago's Tribes on Day One of 'Listening Tour'

Chicago's tribal politics break along ethnic, racial, religious, economic, geographic and even sexual-orientation lines, and mayoral hopeful Rahm Emanuel spent his first day of campaigning in the city on Monday targeting these various groups as he kicked off what he has termed his "listening tour." At "L" stops, stores and community centers, mobbed by local and national reporters, Emanuel started his day at 7:30 a.m., hitting pockets of African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Jews, gays, white ethnics, Indian-Americans, Pakistani-Americans, Irish-Americans -- groups he'll need to survive the ...

Published: 09/28/10

The Next White House Chief of Staff: Tom Donilon, Peter Rouse on Short List

By  Alex Wagner - Politics Daily
The Next White House Chief of Staff: Tom Donilon, Peter Rouse on Short List

Amid the reports that Rahm Emanuel will likely step down as White House chief of staff -- possibly as early as Friday -- to run for Chicago mayor, the question all of Washington is waiting to have answered is: Who would get his job? Senior adviser Pete Rouse is expected to step in on an interim basis, and in so doing could increase his chances to become the permanent chief of staff. But other names have popped up, including Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, Vice President Joe Biden's chief of staff. Rouse, a longtime aide to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle ...

Published: 08/26/10

Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton to Speak at Clinton Global Initiative

By  Alex Wagner - Politics Daily
Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton to Speak at Clinton Global Initiative

For those who hoped, in vain, to see a Clinton-Obama reunion this summer at Chelsea Clinton's nuptials, all is not lost: On Thursday, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced that First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the closing remarks at the organization's meeting this year on Sept. 23. Founded by former President Bill Clinton in 2005, CGI is a veritable who's who of kingmakers, power brokers and political pooh-bahs who convene yearly in New York City to tackle the world's most pressing issues. According to the CGI website, attendees "create a 'Commitment to Action' -- a detailed ...

Published: 08/25/10

The Obama Family Vacation: Scrabble With Valerie Jarrett, Reading Jonathan Franzen

By  Alex Wagner - Politics Daily
The Obama Family Vacation: Scrabble With Valerie Jarrett, Reading Jonathan Franzen

For those hoping for a glimpse of the first family on vacation in Martha's Vineyard this week, the photo ops have been nearly non-existent -- except for island locals who've had their camera phones at the ready. But the White House knows well that images of the first family on vacation at the 28-acre Blue Heron Farm, complete with its own putting range, private beach, basketball court and swimming pool -- rented for an estimated wallet-stinging $35,000 to $50,000 per week -- might not play so well at a time when the U.S. housing market has seen steep drops, and the unemployment rate remains ...

Published: 07/17/10

Obama Family Biking, Hiking, Sightseeing at Maine's Acadia National Park

By  Lynn Sweet - Politics Daily
Obama Family Biking, Hiking, Sightseeing at Maine's Acadia National Park

The First Family flew to Maine on Friday for a weekend of biking, hiking and taking in the beautiful views of Acadia National Park, located on Mount Desert Island. President Obama flew into Bar Harbor Airport with First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia and Sasha on a smaller Gulf Stream jet, instead of a larger Air Force 1. A group of staffers, and Bo, the Obama dog, arrived on a second Gulf Stream. The day: The family jumped into vacation activities, heading to Acadia National Park where they pedaled away on a 90 minute bike ride. They headed to the top of Cadillac Mountain -- the highest point ...

Follow Politics Daily

  • Comics
robert-and-donna-trussell
CHAOS THEORY
Featuring political comics by Robert and Donna TrussellMore>>
  • Woman UP Video
politics daily videos
Weekly Videos
Woman Up, Politics Daily's Online Sunday ShowMore»
politics daily videos
TV Appearances
Showcasing appearances by Politics Daily staff and contributors.More>>