Personal tastes of presidents - as well as the demands of a growing federal government - has helped dictate changes over time to the White House.

People familiar with pardon discussions told NBC News that top White House officials became concerned about attempts from outsiders to profit from the clemency process.

The Octagon is an approximately 10,000 square foot home designed by William Thornton, who served as the first architect of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The White House Halloween tradition dates back to 1958, when first lady Mamie Eisenhower first decorated the residence with pumpkins, skeletons and cobwebs, per the White House Historical Association. It wasn’t until the Kennedy administration, with children in the White House, that trick-or-treating became part of the celebration.

The White House said on Friday it had learned there likely will not be a release of inflation data next month due to the U.S. government shutdown, which could leave a gap in a data series stretching back more than a century.

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House — not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.