What Are Executive Orders Anyway?
Donald Trump's executive orders are coming fast and furious, but what exactly are they? And why are they the Presidential go-to tactic now?
De Facto First Ladies: A Definitive Guide
Ivanka Trump will be assuming many duties of the First Lady. She won't be the first presidential daughter to take “the hardest unpaid job in the world.”
A Brief History of Vice Presidential Inaugurations
Vice presidential inaugurations haven’t always shared the pomp and circumstance reserved for the highest office in the land.
The National Security Advisor: A Primer
Presidents have appointed National Security Advisors since 1953. Since the 1960s, they've become increasingly powerful within the Executive Branch.
History’s Biggest Presidential Health Cover-Up
How important is a President's health? Should the public know all? History suggests that full disclosure is better than not.
How Teddy Roosevelt Changed Football
Is football too violent? It's a problem Teddy Roosevelt once tried to solve from the White House.
What Does the Vice President Do?
Even the people with the job used to disparage the Vice Presidency. That's changed in the modern era.
Why Do They Build Party Platforms, Anyway?
What is the point of the party platforms unveiled at political conventions?
Nancy Reagan and the Paradox of Being First Lady
The role of the First Lady is undefined and dependent on the woman in the role, but it's a politically fraught one for all of them.
Ronald Reagan and the Rewriting of Martin Luther King’s Legacy
Ronald Reagan invoked Dr. King's legacy to fit with his larger political and rhetorical aims.