@nbenac

Former AP White House editor and reporter

 Washington
Joined February 2009
  • Tweets3.1K
  • Following1.3K
  • Followers3.8K
47Media
It was amazing to see so many of Will’s friends and colleagues at @PressClubDC tonight & hear amazing stories. The turnout was a testament to the kind of person he was — an incredibly kind & humble man whose commitment to journalism, the @AP & to the Press Club was unmatched.
Marilyn Thompson@marilynt200416 May 2024
Thanks to @MikeBalsamo1 and @CaroleFeldman for staging a beautiful celebration of life for my old friend Will Lester.
4
8
59
8,375
Supreme Court justices and donors mingle at campus visits. These documents show the ethical dilemmas. ...Terrific reporting from @BrianSlodysko @etuckerAP apnews.com/article/supreme-c…

Supreme Court justices and donors mingle at campus visits. These documents show the ethical dilemmas

Records obtained by The Associated Press show that Supreme Court justices have attended publicly funded events at colleges and universities that allowed the schools to put the justices in the room...

apnews.com
1
1
5
915
.@joshboak on the politics of "Bidenomics:" Biden is eager to run on the economy but voters have their doubts. apnews.com/article/biden-eco…

Biden is eager to run on the economy — 'Bidenomics' — but voters have their doubts

President Joe Biden is ready to take full political ownership of the U.S. economy -- a reflection of the White House belief that inflation is fading, job growth is solid and voters need to know about...

apnews.com
1
1
2
1,432
Amazing story …. Losing hope of finding kids in plane crash, Indigenous searchers turned to a ritual: Ayahuasca (from @AP) apnews.com/article/7bf79704d…

Losing hope of finding kids in plane crash, Indigenous searchers turned to a ritual: Ayahuasca

Indigenous men who were among search teams hoping to find four children aboard a plane that crashed in the Amazon jungle say one of their most sacred rituals played a role in rescue efforts.

apnews.com
1
2
270
.@dsuperville on Jill Biden's first solo political outing for her husband (and other Dems) in 2024 elections. apnews.com/article/jill-bide…

Jill Biden says 'it's a little shocking' many Republicans support Trump after indictment

Jill Biden warned Democratic donors Monday that the 2024 election presents a choice between what she described as the “strong, steady leadership” of President Joe Biden or “chaos and corruption,...

apnews.com
2
3
198
apnews.com/article/russia-ir…

White House says Iran is helping Russia build a drone factory east of Moscow for the war in Ukraine

The White House says it has intelligence indicating Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a steady supply of...

apnews.com
1
152
apnews.com/article/alabama-s…
123
New tonight -> ‘Shrink the room:’ How Biden + McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal It’s a tale of an underestimated speaker and a POTUS who tuned out the noise to avert default on his watch. Plus previously unreported details of McConnell's advice to Biden apnews.com/article/president…

How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe

Perhaps most critical to locking up the debt limit deal were President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s five handpicked negotiators, three men and two women unknown to most outside...

apnews.com
10
34
6
89
141,756
.@FLOTUS Jill Biden making her first trip to the Mideast as first lady, @dsupervilleap reports. apnews.com/article/jill-bide…

Jill Biden to promote women, youth on trip to Mideast, North Africa, Europe

Jill Biden will promote women and youth empowerment and plans to attend a royal wedding in Jordan during an upcoming trip to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

apnews.com
1
114
College basketball's winning teams are headed to the White House tomorrow. What started as a nonpartisan rite of passage has become increasingly tangled up in politics. Nice read; fun photos! @ChrisMegerian @joshboak apnews.com/article/president…

Sports no sure respite from politics when title-winning athletes visit the White House

Politics and sports go together like baseball and apple pie. Title-winning teams have visited the White House for decades. But what started as a nonpartisan rite of passage has become increasingly...

apnews.com
1
1
226
Here's your deep dive on the X-date. Go ahead, wonk out. @fatimathefatima apnews.com/article/debt-ceil…

It's complicated: 'X-date' calculations aim to zero in on when the US may run short of cash

For all the concern over when the government might run out of money to cover all its bills, it turns out that no one can be absolutely sure exactly when the country faces a potential default if...

apnews.com
1
4
4
1,216
The already voluble McCarthy is especially chatty these days, as he aggressively tries to set the terms of the public debate. Biden's deeply held view is that speaking in public about negotiations does nothing to produce an outcome. @seungminkim apnews.com/article/president…

Look who's talking: Biden mostly mum in debt negotiations, while McCarthy can't stop chatting

President Joe Biden has made a deliberate decision to go quiet as his team gets down to the wire in the debt-limit talks, according to White House officials. It’s his view that speaking in public...

apnews.com
2
2
1
14
9,264
Politicians in Washington may be offering assurance that the government will figure out a way to avert default, but around the country, economic anxiety is rising and some people already are adjusting their routines. @fatimathefatima @dsupervilleap apnews.com/article/default-y…

Just in case: Anxious retirees, social service groups among those making default contingency plans

Politicians in Washington may be offering assurance that the government will figure out a way to avert default, but around the country, economic anxiety is rising and some people already are adjust...

apnews.com
163
It was a shift in focus that plays to Biden's faith in the power of global diplomacy, and one that also may hold more promise for making progress. @ctlong1 apnews.com/article/title-42-…

Biden leaning into global diplomacy to manage migration at US-Mexico border

President Joe Biden was getting nowhere with Congress on immigration. So administration officials looked outside the U.S. for solutions. They sought to portray immigration not as one of America’s...

apnews.com
94
Biden underperforms on the economy even among Democrats: 61% approve of him on that issue, compared with 75% for his job overall. @AamerISmad @EL_Swan apnews.com/article/ap-norc-p…

Biden gets low ratings on economy, guns, immigration in AP-NORC Poll

Just 33% of American adults say they approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy and only 24% say national economic conditions are in good shape. That's according to a new poll from The...

apnews.com
1
1
127
I know, I know, permitting sounds so boring. But read this. @ChrisMegerian makes it interesting! apnews.com/article/biden-cli…

Will Biden's hard-hat environmentalism bridge the divide on clean energy future?

Perhaps the most unlikely feature of high-stakes budget negotiations going on in Washington is a debate over permitting. That's essentially the regulatory process for deciding what gets built where.

apnews.com
1
1
267
The debt limit debate: only "about 4 in 10 say they understand it somewhat well." @dsupervilleap apnews.com/article/debt-ceil…

Most favor pairing debt limit rise with deficit cuts, but few following debate closely: AP-NORC poll

A new poll finds that most U.S. adults say they are highly concerned about how the nation's economy would be affected if the debt limit isn't increased and the government can't pay its debts.

apnews.com
74
apnews.com/article/associate…
1
73
Luna cracks the top 10 for baby girl names! (Nancy is slipping into oblivion ... down to 997.) You can look at your own name's popularity at the SSA site linked in the story. apnews.com/article/top-baby-…

See what baby names were the most popular last year

Dutton and Wrenlee are on the rise but they’re no match for champs Liam and Olivia as the top baby names in the U.S. last year. The Social Security Administration released the annual list Friday.

apnews.com
2
1
1
667
Your 14th Amendment-debt limit questions answered here. @ZekeJMiller @joshboak apnews.com/article/14th-amen…

Why Biden is wary of using the 14th Amendment to address the debt limit crisis

President Joe Biden and his administration have been searching for ways he might act unilaterally to avoid an economic “calamity” if Congress can’t reach agreement to allow more federal borrowing.

apnews.com
78
Load more