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NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump's liaison to the black community, the former "Apprentice" star Omarosa Manigault, says African-American activists aren't trying hard enough to work with the new administration. The White House aide delivered the pointed message in an interview with The Associated Press in advance of an appearance Thursday at the annual convention of an activist organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton. "We're here waiting, willing to work with the community," Manigault said when asked about Trump's moves to slash programs that benefit minorities. "This president wants to engage. It's not a one-way street."(continued)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he boycotted a White House briefing on North Korea because he “did not want to be part of a photo opportunity.” “What I did not want to be is part of a photo opportunity or a political effort on the part of the White House,” Sanders told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Wednesday. In an unusual move, the White House invited all 100 senators to attend the briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Sanders said such briefings are typically held at the Capitol in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) room, which is a specially...

One hundred days into his presidency, Donald Trump's supporters see a shrewd businessman who has roared into Washington, following through on campaign promises to cut government regulation, secure the border and be a fresh departure from business as usual. But at the same time his backers acknowledge that Trump has had difficulty navigating his way through the quagmire of Congress — facing opposition from Democrats and Republicans — and leaving some signature pledges incomplete. "He's in this to try to make this country a better place, to make things right," said state Rep. Tony D'Amelio of Waterbury, one of the...

Over the past few days, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez have faced criticism for endorsing anti-abortion lawmaker Heath Mello and for suggesting that Democratic legislators don't all need to hold pro-choice views in order to be embraced by their party. And it looks like the backlash from (mostly) women made Perez and Sanders backtrack on reproductive rights being negotiable. On Friday, Perez insisted that all Democratic lawmakers should support pro-choice legislation, and on Saturday, Sanders was joined by Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards at a rally in Las Vegas to discuss reproductive rights. Last week,...

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are both trying to explain their positions on the 1994 crime bill, a touchstone of the tough-on-crime attitudes that are blamed for the mass incarceration of people of color now. TRANSCRIPT: AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: South Carolina holds its Democratic primary tomorrow. And during their events in the state, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have been talking about ways they would change the criminal justice system of today, but they're also being challenged on their positions on the issue as far back as 20 years ago. NPR's Tamara Keith reports. TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Hillary Clinton was...

While a deal to fund the government this week won't necessarily include funding for the construction of a complete border wall, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday said there will be "enough to get going" — even as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called it "immoral." Asked by "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd in an exclusive interview whether the Trump administration would push a government shutdown if border wall funding is not included in a bill to fund the government this week, Priebus said, "it will be enough in the negotiation for us to either move...

In the whirlwind first weeks of President Trump’s administration, it often seemed as though he was trying to enact his entire agenda within his first 100 days in office. On Day 1, he moved to undo parts of the Affordable Care Act. Within his first week, he instituted a federal hiring freeze; issued orders on abortion, immigration and manufacturing; and took the first steps toward building his signature border wall. And on the one-week anniversary of his swearing in, he issued the first iteration of his ban on travel from certain Muslim-majority countries. In retrospect, the travel ban looks like...

I have observed many ideas about and reactions to the election since November that perplex me. One idea that stands out among Hillary fans is that Bernie was too dirty in the primary and has a lot of ground to make up if he is to win the support of the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party going forward. I will not address the absurdity of this idea here, but I highlight it to make a point: Hillary fans still have no idea what happened in 2016 that led to Donald Trump being president. This is particularly troubling given the...

Hillary Clinton on Thursday warned that President Donald Trump could roll back progress on LGBT rights. "We may not ever be able to count on this administration to lead on LGBT issues," Clinton said in a speech in New York. Clinton was addressing a fundraising dinner for The Center, an LGBT community organization, where she received an award and thanked members of the audience for supporting her unsuccessful 2016 presidential bid. But she told those gathered there to watch out for "the progress that we fought for, that many of you were on the front lines for." "It may not...

JON OSSOFF: A VICTORY FOR THE AGES!! Well, not exactly… What he actually won is the opportunity to get defeated in a runoff election by Karen Handel on June 20. This appears to be a slam dunk assuming the Republican voters of District 6 in Georgia will be intelligent enough to get behind their candidate and vote Ms. Handel in. This may be a bit presumptive. There seems to be an unhealthy attitude that has crept into the psyche of some Republicans lately: “If my guy can’t win, I’ll stay home.” If Ossoff wins the seat that has been in...

The mainstream media is obsessed with how Trump is changing the GOP. But the real transformation in American politics is happening in the Democratic Party. This week, newly minted Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez will travel cross-country with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Keith Ellison on a Democratic Party “unity tour” that will take them to Maine, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada—mostly red states that Trump won. The purpose of their road trip, dubbed the “Come Together And Fight Back Tour,” is to shore up a badly fractured Democratic Party and present some semblance of a...

President Trump’s rocky first months in office haven’t much bothered his voters. At least, not yet. Yes, there have been lots of stories from the Rust Belt about stirrings of discontent among the Trump faithful. But those are mostly anecdotal and so far data – meaning polls – don’t back that thesis up. For instance, in a big new Pew Research survey fully 92 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say Mr. Trump has done as well or better than they expected. Only 7 percent say he’s done worse. What this means is that Trump’s base remains intact. In turn,...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging Democrats to focus on combatting the Trump agenda, lamenting he's been in the White House for less than 100 days. Warren declined to speculate if she could have won the party's nomination in 2016 or if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would have faired better against Trump than Hillary Clinton, telling USA Today, "We are where we are." "Donald Trump has only been here, not even 100 days yet — God, it's like dog years or something, it feels like so much has gone on. We've got to get focused on what we're going to...

The New York Times reported Monday that a key congressional district in Pennsylvania isn't thrilled with its choice of voting for Donald Trump for president. The 8th District outside Philadelphia is a quintessential suburban swing district that has the unusual distinction of voting for both Trump and Mitt Romney by the narrowest of margins the past two elections. Hence the New York Times Treatment. The headline of the piece is "Trump Voters in a Swing District Wonder When the 'Winning' Will Start." A sampling: Usually, this pathway outside Parx Casino is reserved for self-flagellation, a private lament at the last...

Immediately following Hillary Clinton’s stunning defeat against Donald Trump in November, many in the Democratic Party suggested the DNC failed because it chose a well-connected, corrupt, establishment candidate in an election cycle that heavily favored political outsiders. Consequently, many in the Democratic Party called on DNC leaders to find and promote candidates that could better represent middle-class working Americans. However, the early front-runner in the 2020 race to be Clinton’s successor, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), seems to fit the establishment mold much closer than the kind of candidate you would expect a party to pick that’s looking to...

I have bad news for the mainstream media and the Democrats. Time to stock up on absinthe or hightail it down to the medical marijuana store -- Donald Trump is going to be president for eight years. Not only that, he will win reelection much more comfortably, easily winning the popular vote as well as the electoral college. I'm not saying this because I am in the slightest bit psychic. I always lose in Vegas -- and don't even ask about the track. I'm also not saying it because Trump just had a good week, getting his Supreme Court pick...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Hillary Clinton says she hopes the free college tuition plan approved by New York state lawmakers last week will lead other states to follow suit. The former Democratic presidential nominee rallied with Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wednesday at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City for a ceremonial bill signing of the scholarship for poor and middle class students....

Grassroots voters are showing up at Democratic town halls to encourage their elected officials to strengthen their resistance to Donald Trump, a sign that the movement continues to grow and become more sophisticated. Voters want their elected representatives in Washington to show more backbone in their resistance to Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s agenda, and they are not reticent about making it known. The message was delivered loud and clear to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) at a town hall meeting he held at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “Most of the disagreements with Mr. Casey or tough questions...

Despite setbacks on his effort to repeal and replace Obamacare and court challenges to his executive orders on immigration, President Trump remains very popular among his supporters in Massachusetts. That's according to a new WBUR poll (topline results | crosstabs) of voters in towns across the central part of the state that voted for Trump in November. In Townsend, voters chose Trump over Hillary Clinton 50 to 41 percent. It's one of about 50 towns in the central part of the state that went for Trump. And they are the focus of the WBUR poll. 'Pretty Much A Total Polarization'...

During a FOX Business interview that aired on Wednesday morning, President Trump claimed his former 2016 election opponent "would be going to trial" if FBI Director James Comey hadn't been "very good to her." Speaking with FOX Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, Trump was asked if he had regretted not asking Comey to step down once he assumed the presidency -- and if it was too late even now to ask that of Comey, should he chose to do so. Trump responded to the question in vague terms, saying, "No, it's not too late, but, you know, I have confidence in...