WHITE HOUSE

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta implored Congress this week to avoid the approaching first installment of some $500 billion in defense cutbacks, saying the reductions would hollow out America's military.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama headed to New York City this evening for a celebrity fundraiser at Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's West Village townhouse.

Technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti appealed to Italy's politicians on Wednesday to back his tough economic medicine to avoid Rome becoming the next victim of the euro debt crisis, after a bailout for Spain's banks failed to calm markets.

First Lady Michelle Obama has posted both old and never-seen-before photos Monday on Pinterest, the picture-sharing social network site popular among women.

U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson has taken a leave of absence after being involved in two bizarre, back-to-back traffic accidents in California over the weekend.

Justin Bieber may be a connoisseur of colorful, fun-patterned socks, but the singer has nothing on self-declared sock man and former President George H.W. Bush. His granddaughter, NBC news contributor, Jenna Bush Hager, interviewed him in a clip that aired on Tuesday, his 88th birthday, on the Today show.

In a new poll, 49 percent of respondents said Republican lawmakers are stalling on efforts to improve the economy in order to damage President Obama's re-election chances.

Commerce Secretary John Bryson is being investigated for his role in two car crashes - including a hit-and-run accident - near his Los Angeles-area home over the weekend that department officials linked to a seizure that left him unconscious behind the wheel.

This year's rapid-fire news cycle appears to never run short of gaffes, most recently President Obama's statement that the private sector is doing fine and the sound bite in which Mitt Romney seems to say he wishes there were less firefighters, teachers and police officers protecting and serving our country.

Attorney General Eric Holder assigned two prosecutors to look into the classified document leaks that fed two New York Times articles this past week, further heightening the profile of a debate between Democrats and Republicans about secrecy and the press.

Lower U.S. demand for crude oil and petroleum products in April helped shrink the nation's balance-of-trade deficit from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Friday, but the trade deficit with China worsened.

Santorum has not disappeared, and neither has his sweater vests.

The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants are visiting the White House today.

As the New York Times continues to defend its coverage of President Barack Obama's terrorist kill list and the White House's cyber strategy against Iran, the president said it was offensive for people to assume or believe one of his aides leaked the top secret information to the press.

President Barack Obama spoke of financial troubles both at home and abroad in a press conference Friday, calling on Congress to reconsider his jobs legislation to boost the public sector amid headwinds from Europe.

Sebelius said the administration remains confident and optimistic that the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be upheld as constitutional -- but if the ruling proves unfavorable, she added that we'll be ready for court contingencies.

U.S. military strategy of continued drone strikes to fight the insurgents in Pakistan and Afghanistan once again stood accused of violating international law, this time by the U.N.'s human rights chief, Navi Pillay, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Rush Limbaugh reached new heights, or depths, of metaphoric understanding Tuesday, dubbing President Obama Barack Kardashian, to lambaste the President's celebrity status and red carpet friends. The White House's response was dismissive, as is usually the case when asked about Limbaugh.

Space shuttle Enterprise took its final journey Wednesday to its retirement home on a floating museum off the western edge of New York City and you can check it out in person in just over a month's time.

The 43rd president is the only former commander-in-chief with an approval rating below 50 percent.

Ten private U.S. colleges and state university systems announced plans on Tuesday to be more upfront about the costs of higher education, including detailing the monthly loan payments students would face after graduation.