White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

The Donald Denied Reopening White House Tours, Obama May Anyway

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Not even The Donald can reopen The White House tours shuttered by the sequester. Or to be more accurate, The White House said “No thanks” when the notable centerpiece of NBC’s The Apprentice took to his new beloved medium of Fox News to take on the administration.

In the ultimate act of media ourobouros, Politico quoted White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer on CNN earlier after Trump commented on a Tweet from Newt Gingrich. So much back and forth between the news mediums makes our head spin as pundits go from Twitter to TV to Politico and back again. So why exactly can’t it work? Pfeiffer explained earlier:

“It doesn’t work that way; we can’t have private individuals paying the Secret Service — so that’s not how it works. This is about a very tough budget cut that the Secret Service has to take because of the sequester. It’s why we should have avoided the sequester to begin with.”

Already Yellowstone announced a late opening–by a week–that has caused tourists and small businesses to grumble about experiencing the Great Outdoors. Meanwhile this morning President Obama may review the suspended tours for school trips and students according to Post Politics. From his interview with ABC News:

“I’m always amused when people on the one hand say the sequester doesn’t mean anything and the administration’s exaggerating its effects and then whatever the specific effects are, they yell and scream and say, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Well, there are consequences to Congress not having come up with a more sensible way to reduce the deficit.”

Reckless 'Stache Endangerment Plagues Axelrod

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David Axelrod

Woe unto the man who wields his mustache for personal gain, or at least that’s the thought coming from Alexandra Petri at  WaPo’s ComPost. Taking a second shot at David Axelrod‘s carefree attitude when it comes to putting his ‘stache up for collateral when it comes to bets. Only this time it’s more against the CURE’s new Slash the ‘Stache fundraiser.

This shall not pass! Does he dislike epilepsy research? First, he pits Mustache Preservation against Civic Duty; now, Mustache Preservation must go head-to-head with Supporting Good Causes? Has he no shame? After his loyal mustache fought its way out of the electoral gladiatorial arena, staggering but victorious, he demands that it turn again and battle for its life? At least allow the thing to rest.

Mustaches should not be so lightly bandied about. A mustache is a terrible thing to waste, and it is this cavalier attitude that has made them retreat in terror to their traditional haunts on the upper lips of hipsters and ’70s porn stars.

Tough words! In fact, the toughness is something that every reaction across the Internet seems to have when it comes to a ‘stache-less Joe Scarborough. While sites clamored to come up with the best puns in their headers (Politico: “Scarborough’s close shave”) others felt more of ak “J’accuse” was in order (NY Mag and WaPo: “Joe Scarborough Buys His Way Out of Mustache Bet”).

But even a joke can be helpful, as The Hill chronicled a rare online interaction between Axelrod and Donald Trump that ended with The Donald promising some funds–no confirmed amount–to bring a trimmer ever closer to ending the gloriously preserved mustache. Even without the construction magnate, donations are still coming in to Slash the ‘Stache, which you can donate to here even if you’re concerned about the recklessly endangered facial hair.

Fred Thompson on Trump Pull Out

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Former presidential candidate and NBC star Fred Thompson commented on former presidential hopeful and NBC star Donald Trump’s aborted bid for the GOP nomination saying it may have been a brilliant business decision.  Trump got tons of publicity because of the move, he says, and stands to  potentially receive an even bigger contract from NBC for the next season of his hit show The Apprentice.  He also says that the financial disclosure that comes along with being a public figure may have been a significant deterrent for Trump.  Read Ted Johnson’s full story from Variety.