Blog Posts by Rachel Rose Hartman, Yahoo! News

It's now House Democrats' turn to be wooed by President Barack Obama.

The president is scheduled to have dinner Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington with Democratic leadership and Democratic members of the House—the latest outreach to members of Congress dubbed a "charm offensive" by Beltway insiders.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina and Reps. Xavier Becerra of California, Joe Crowley of New York, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Mike Thompson of California will be in attendance.

Obama has been hosting dinners and other outings with lawmakers in an effort to push his policy agenda as Congress debates immigration, budget issues and other legislation.

The president on Monday played a bipartisan round of golf with two Republican senators—Bob Corker of Tennessee and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia—and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado as part of

President Barack Obama during Tuesday's joint press conference. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

At a joint White House news conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-hye, President Barack Obama discussed issues ranging from sexual assault in the U.S. military to North Korea's security threats.

Tuesday's press conference followed a private lunch and meeting with the president, Vice President Joe Biden and Park, South Korea's first female president. The visit occurs as the U.S. and South Korea mark their 60-year alliance.

Asked by a reporter about a new Department of Defense report noting a sexual assault epidemic in the military—as well as the recent arrest of the Air Force's head of sexual assault prevention—Obama issued a harsh condemnation.

"I have no tolerance for this. ... If we find out somebody is engaging in this stuff, they're going to be held accountable—prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period. It's not acceptable," Obama said.

The president conceded that sexual assault in the military "is not a new phenomenon" and that the military has been promoting ways to allow for more accurate reporting of incidents. But, Obama said, he communicated to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Tuesday morning the need to "exponentially step up our game."

"We have to do everything we can to root this out," he said, and noted that those affected should understand he's "got their backs."

Several scandals involving sexual assault within the military have recently made headlines, including Monday's news that Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, head of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly groping a woman in a parking lot.

Of course, much of the press conference was directed toward the U.S.'s relationship with South Korea, with topics including economic issues, trade and North Korea.

Denis McDonough (right) speaks with Fox News' Wendell Goler (left) as Jay Carney (left, rear) chats with other journalists. (Rachel Rose Hartman/Yahoo News)

The White House appears to be taking the president's "charm offensive" effort to heart.

It's rare to see White House officials in the White House press workspace, let alone offering sugary treats and compliments. But that's how Tuesday began for reporters camped out in the press area.

"Thank you for all that you do," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough told reporters in the press basement as he waved two large boxes of sprinkled, iced and glazed Dunkin' Donuts treats. "Take another," he said as he made a second pass by stunned members of the press.

A reporter asked when McDonough had last visited the windowless basement area, and he conceded it had been quite some time.

McDonough was trailed by press secretary Jay Carney, whose appearance was equally rare.

As the sugar settled, ever-questioning members of the Fourth Estate began to wonder what they should brace for next...

President Barack Obama playing golf. (Cory Lum/ Pool-Getty Images)

A little drizzle won't stop the president's outreach.

Despite it being a rainy, gray Monday in Washington, President Barack Obama is playing a bipartisan round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base with select members of the Senate. Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado are accompanying him.

Obama has been reaching out of late to members of the Senate over meetings and dinners at the White House, as well as out in the District, as gun control, immigration and budget debates play out in Washington.

"He's looking to get things done, and he wants to talk to anyone who has that as his or her objective," White House press secretary Jay Carney said at Monday's briefing. "Partisan purists are not what he's looking for."

Carney added, "He's looking for partners anywhere he can find them, including on the 8th hole."

Job seekers wait in line at a career fair in Denver on April 9, 2013. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)Employment rose by 165,000 jobs in April, according to the monthly economic report released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And unemployment dropped slightly from 7.6 to 7.5 percent—a minimal change, but one marking a steady, .4 percent drop since January. It's the lowest unemployment rate in four years.

Employment increases were seen in professional and business services, food services and drinking places, retail trade and health care, according to the report.

The Labor Department also announced revised and more positive figures for February and March: Employment for February was revised from 268,000 to 332,000 jobs gained and for March from 88,000 to 138,000 jobs gained.

Despite these upward trends, however, the overall job picture in April remained grim with 11.7 million unemployed (4.4 million of whom are long-term unemployed). An increase—by 278,000 to 7.9 million—was also seen in individuals employed part-time because their hours were cut back or they were unable to find full-time employment. And 2.3 million people who had searched for a job in the past 12 months were not included in the labor statistics report because they had recently dropped out of the job market.

The White House as usual championed the positive aspects of this month's report.

But the administration also used this month's figures to pressure Congress to end the sequester—the across-the-board federal spending cuts triggered by a failure to pass a budget.

At the kickoff of a six-figure campaign to elect America's first female president in 2016, Emily's List President Stephanie Schriock addressed the question on everybody's mind: Will Hillary Clinton run?

"There is one name that seems to be getting mentioned more than others," Schriock told reporters at the National Press Club Thursday. "We do not know if Hillary is going to run. But we're hopeful that she may."

Schriock, whose group (the name stands for "Early Money Is Like Yeast") works to get pro-choice Democratic women elected to office at the local, state and federal levels, noted there are other women who could run for president in 2016, but that she believes Clinton currently has the best chance to win.

"I think it’s clear if she decides to take this on, she’s in an incredible position," Schriock said in response to a reporter's question. "[But] for us, it’s not about one particular candidate."

President Barack Obama meets Jack Hoffman, 7, of Atkinson, Neb. (Pete Souza/White House Photo)Jack Hoffman, a 7-year-old whose 69-yard touchdown at a University of Nebraska-Lincoln football game exploded on the Internet, found himself in the Oval Office Monday.

The Atkinson, Neb., star, who is battling brain cancer, met President Barack Obama and received a signed football from the president, according to the caption on a photo of their meeting released by the White House.

Jack, who has been "adopted" by the Cornhuskers, scored for the team when he stood in for the team's running back, and Hoffman supporter, Rex Burkhead. By Monday, video of the play had received 7.7 million YouTube hits.

Obama's visit with Jack wasn't on the president's public schedule and wasn't covered by the media.

The White House has increasingly used social media to sidestep the press in an effort to directly engage with voters.

Voters wait on Nov. 6, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)

We know little about President Barack Obama’s new Commission on Election Administration except for its structure, as outlined in the executive order that explains its task is to improve voting in America, and the names of its two appointed co-chairs: Obama's former counsel Bob Bauer and Republican attorney Ben Ginsberg, who worked for Mitt Romney.

But while it has yet to explain its methodology or get together a full staff (the executive order directs that no more than nine members are to be appointed) the commission—an idea born on election night 2012 when Obama declared we "have to fix" long lines at the polls—is about to get to work.

Steve Croley, deputy White House counsel, told Yahoo News the White House is gearing up to announce the committee's full roster next month and set the group to work. The committee, he said, will be a mix of individuals including "several people who basically run elections for a living" at the state, county or local levels, in addition to those working on the private side. No other details were offered about commissioners.

The commission, not the White House, will set the agenda, Croley added. And part of its work will include significant outreach to state and local election officials and administrators, academics and others experienced in elections. A report will be given to the president six months from its first meeting on “how do we improve the experience of voting,” Croley said.