White House news

• White House: Obama would veto pair of tax bills

  10-02-2015 23:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama would veto two bills that would make permanent certain tax provisions because they would add to the deficit and not be paid for.
  
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• Kremlin says Putin, Obama urge swift end to bloodshed in Ukraine

  10-02-2015 23:41
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted in a phone call on Tuesday the need for a political solution to the "internal" conflict in Ukraine to swiftly end the bloodshed there, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Kremlin also said the two presidents noted the necessity to safeguard rights of inhabitants of all Ukrainian regions, including the Russian-speaking ones in the east. The White House said after the call that Obama had urged Putin to agree to a peace d
  
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• White House issues veto threat for House bills on tax breaks

  10-02-2015 23:39
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday issued formal veto threats for two U.S. House of Representatives bills, one that would permanently extend certain tax breaks for small businesses, and the other that would make permanent the current tax breaks for certain charitable donations. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Cooney)
  
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• White House seeks war authority against IS: lawmakers

  10-02-2015 23:24
  
  The White House revealed to lawmakers on Tuesday details of its request to Congress for a three-year war authority to battle Islamic extremists that would prohibit "enduring" offensive combat operations. The authorization for use of military force (AUMF) would also allow for use of US special forces, and would not restrict operations to a geographic area, several Democratic senators said after a closed-door briefing by White House officials. President Barack Obama's team has been
  
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• FBI probes Newsweek hack following threats

  10-02-2015 22:46
  
  The FBI is investigating the hijacking of Newsweek's Twitter feed Tuesday by pro-Islamic hackers in which a threat was made to President Barack Obama's family, the White House said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that "this particular intrusion is one that is already being investigated by the FBI," without elaborating. Newsweek said the Twitter feed was taken over for 14 minutes before the news organization was able to regain control.
  
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• U.S. creates new agency to lead cyberthreat tracking

  10-02-2015 22:07
  
  By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Calling the destructive cyberattack on Sony Pictures "a game changer," a top White House official on Tuesday announced a new intelligence unit to coordinate analysis of cyberthreats, modeled on similar U.S. government efforts to fight terrorism. Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, said the new agency will rapidly pool and disseminate data on cyberbreaches, which she said are ballooning in si
  
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• Obama presses Putin to strike Ukraine peace deal

  10-02-2015 21:55
  
  US President Barack Obama called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss escalating violence in eastern Ukraine, urging him to embrace a negotiated solution. Expressing unease at "Russia's ongoing support" for separatists in Ukraine, Obama warned that the failure of upcoming peace talks would lead to more pain for Russia. During the call Obama "underscored the importance of President Putin seizing the opportunity presented by the ongoing discussions betwe
  
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• White House - Obama tells Putin in call to agree Ukraine peace deal

  10-02-2015 21:36
  
  President Barack Obama called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss escalating violence in eastern Ukraine and urged him to agree to a peace deal, the White House said. "President Obama underscored the rising human toll of the fighting and underscored the importance of President Putin seizing the opportunity presented by the ongoing discussions between Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine to reach a peaceful resolution," the White House said.
  
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• Jeb Bush talks immigration, education, releases emails as he eyes 2016 bid

  10-02-2015 21:30
  
  By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush focused on the politically explosive topics of immigration and education reform in a visit to Florida's state capital on Tuesday, releasing emails from his time as governor there in an effort to burnish his credentials as he eyes a 2016 presidential bid. Bush told a friendly audience of 300 longtime supporters at a $1,000-per-plate luncheon that his party should approach immigration as an opportunity to spur economic growth
  
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• Obama calls Putin to discuss Russian actions in Ukraine

  10-02-2015 21:26
  
  Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss escalating violence in eastern Ukraine and "Russia's ongoing support for the separatists there," the White House said Tuesday.
  
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• White House asking authorization for military to fight IS

  10-02-2015 21:15
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House circulated a proposal Tuesday that would authorize the U.S. military to fight Islamic State terrorists but assure Congress there would be no "enduring offensive combat" role, officials said. They said the ambiguous wording was designed to satisfy lawmakers with widely varying views on the need for ground operations.
  
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• White House doubts Mueller killed by airstrike

  10-02-2015 21:06
  
  The White House on Tuesday pushed back against claims that US hostage Kayla Jean Mueller was killed by a coalition airstrike the Islamic State group in Syria. Revealing details of a February 6 strike on an arms facility carried out by the Jordanian air force, the White House said her cause of death was still unclear. "The information that we have is that there is no evidence of civilians in the target area prior to the coalition strike taking place," said White House spokesman Josh Ear
  
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• 'CyberCaliphate' hacks Newsweek Twitter account, threatens Obama

  10-02-2015 20:11
  
  By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers calling themselves "CyberCaliphate" threatened U.S. President Barack Obama and his family when they took control of Newsweek magazine's Twitter account on Tuesday with the words "Je suIS IS," a reference to Islamic State and the deadly attack at French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The group, which also took responsibility for hacking Pentagon social media accounts last month, tweeted "#CyberCaliphate Bloody Valentine's
  
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• Obama looks to raise $2 billion in climate change investments

  10-02-2015 20:10
  
  The Obama administration on Tuesday set a goal of raising $2 billion in philanthropic investments to fight climate change, including technologies to slash carbon emissions. The Clean Energy Investment Initiative is seeking investments to try to bridge the "valley of death" - the gap in funding between research and development and commercialization that holds back many clean-energy startup companies - said Brian Deese, deputy director at the White House's Office of Management and B
  
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• At least one other American hostage in Middle East -White House

  10-02-2015 19:58
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least one other American is being held hostage in the Middle East, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Tuesday following confirmation of the death of U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller. Earnest declined to comment further. The family of Austin Tice, a journalist who disappeared in Damascus in August 2012, held a news conference in Washington last week about his case. (Reporting By Julia Edwards and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Susan Heavey)
  
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• Kayla Mueller: American ISIS Captive Wrote Letter to Family Before Her Death

  10-02-2015 19:49
  
  A letter from the female American ISIS captive Kayla Mueller was released by her family today after the White House confirmed her death. Mueller's family received the letter in the spring of 2014 while the Arizona native was still in captivity.
  
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• WHITE HOUSE: 'We are aware of other American hostages'

  10-02-2015 19:49
  
  The White House said on Tuesday that there are...
  
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• American Kayla Mueller: A calling to ease others' suffering

  10-02-2015 19:45
  
  Kayla Mueller, who died as a hostage of IS jihadists, took strength during captivity in her faith in God and the love of her family, she wrote in a letter relatives released on Tuesday. "I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be free," said a handwritten letter by Mueller which was smuggled out by fellow captives following their release by Islamic State jihadists. In the letter released by her family after the White House confirmed her death, s
  
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• A story about JFK explains the dangers of smoking weed in the White House

  10-02-2015 19:37
  
  Two months prior to hosting a conference...
  
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• White House adds Old Family Dining Room to public tour

  10-02-2015 19:15
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — People taking public tours of the White House now will have to leave a little more room in their schedules.
  
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• FBI investigating Newsweek Twitter hack that threatened Obamas - White House

  10-02-2015 19:08
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating a hack into U.S. magazine Newsweek's Twitter account that resulted in posted threats against the Obama family, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. (Reporting By Roberta Rampton and Julia Edwards)
  
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• White House says no determination how or when Mueller died

  10-02-2015 19:07
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says U.S. intelligence has not been able to determine how or when American Kayla Jean Mueller died while in Islamic State captivity.
  
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• President Obama to make Chicago district a national monument

  10-02-2015 18:36
  
  By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will designate part of Chicago's Pullman neighborhood, a site famous in the history of urban planning, labor and the civil rights movement, as a national monument, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama once worked as a community advocate in the neighborhood on the far south side of the nation's third largest city. The district's brick homes and ornate public buildings were built in the late 1800s by industrialist Georg
  
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• Text, timing of Obama AUMF request for Islamic State still in works: source

  10-02-2015 18:29
  
  The final text of President Barack Obama's request to Congress for new authority to use force against Islamic State fighters is still in the works as talks with lawmakers continue, a source familiar with the White House's outreach said on Tuesday. The United States is leading an international coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, but Obama has said he would ask Congress for a formal Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) for the fight.
  
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• Most senior US senator to skip Netanyahu speech

  10-02-2015 18:02
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate's most senior lawmaker said Tuesday he will skip the Israeli prime minister's speech to Congress next month on Iran, calling the invitation by Republicans without White House consultation a "tawdry and high-handed stunt."
  
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• Leahy, most senior senator, to skip Netanyahu speech

  10-02-2015 17:51
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's most senior lawmaker said Tuesday he will skip the Israeli prime minister's speech to Congress next month on Iran, calling the invitation by Republicans without White House consultation a "tawdry and high-handed stunt."
  
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• Obama called Ukraine's Poroshenko on ceasefire, peace deal - White House

  10-02-2015 17:50
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday about the situation in Eastern Ukraine, the White House said on Twitter. The two leaders discussed ongoing work by U.S. and European leaders to establish a ceasefire in the region and a peace deal with neighbouring Russia, the White House said.
  
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• Surprise! First lady greets White House tourists

  10-02-2015 17:45
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — People taking a public tour of the White House are seeing more than they expected.
  
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• Obama to create new agency to examine cyberthreats

  10-02-2015 17:26
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is setting up a new agency designed to coordinate cyberthreat intelligence that currently is spread across the federal government.
  
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• Obama, family confirms death of IS hostage Kayla Mueller

  10-02-2015 17:01
  
  US President Barack Obama on Tuesday confirmed the death of Kayla Jean Mueller, who was taken hostage in Syria by the Islamic State group, and vowed to track down her captors. "No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla's captivity and death," he said in a statement. The White House said that over the weekend IS had sent Mueller's family a "private message" with additional information, t
  
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• Obama seeks $2 billion in private dollars for clean energy

  10-02-2015 17:00
  
  President Barack Obama is setting a goal of raising $2 billion from the private sector for investments in clean energy. The White House says it's launching a Clean Energy Investment Initiative as part ...
  
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• American hostage Mueller's death confirmed by Obama, family

  10-02-2015 16:52
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday confirmed the death of Kayla Mueller, a U.S. aid worker who had been held hostage by Islamic State militants, saying the United States would "find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible." Mueller's family also said in a statement that they were "heartbroken" to learn of her death and released a copy of a letter she had written in 2014 while in captivity. The comments by Obama and the family come four days after Isla
  
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• 'Heartbroken' Family Told IS Hostage Is Dead

  10-02-2015 16:33
  
  The family of an American aid worker held hostage by Islamic State has received confirmation of her death. "We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life," the 26-year-old's parents said in a statement released on Tuesday. "Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. The White House also issued a statement on Tuesday confirming Ms Mueller's death.
  
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• Jeb Bush Aide Called Women 'Sluts' On Twitter

  10-02-2015 16:24
  
  Republican White House contender Jeb Bush has ordered his new chief technology officer to delete derogatory tweets he posted about women.
  
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• White House: US hostage Mueller's captors sent message to her family

  10-02-2015 16:24
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. aid worker and hostage Kayla Mueller was determined to have died after her Islamic State captors reached out privately to her family over the weekend, a White House spokeswoman said on Tuesday. "Over the weekend, the family received a private message from Kayla’s ISIL captors containing additional information," spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they conclude
  
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• Tim Cook to Discuss Hacking at White House Summit

  10-02-2015 16:20
  After a messy year for Apple’s cybersecurity reputation, CEO Tim Cook will talk about hacking at a White House summit on Friday.
  
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• Tim Cook is going to the White House to debate whether Apple products are helpful to criminals

  10-02-2015 16:20
  
  The event is designed to allow all sides of the cybersecurity debate an opportunity to air their opinions.
  
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• Obama to send his new war powers request to Capitol Hill

  10-02-2015 15:38
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House was ready to share with lawmakers Tuesday its plan to seek authority for the use of military force against the Islamic State group, setting up the first war vote in Congress in 13 years.
  
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• Tim Cook to address hacking at White House summit

  10-02-2015 14:54
  
  After a messy year for Apple's cybersecurity reputation, CEO Tim Cook will talk about hacking at a White House summit on Friday. The summit, which will be held at Stanford University, takes place months ...
  
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• US 'deeply disappointed' by Anwar ruling in Malaysia

  10-02-2015 14:51
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it is "deeply disappointed" that Malaysia's top court has upheld an opposition leader's sodomy conviction and sentenced him to five years in prison.
  
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• Jeb Bush seeks money, talks education at home in Florida capitol

  10-02-2015 14:07
  
  By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush plans a high-profile visit to the Florida capital on Tuesday to raise money and showcase the education reforms that he started as the state's former governor, burnishing key credentials as he eyes a presidential bid. With a $1,000-per-plate luncheon scheduled at a hotel just blocks away from the Governor's Mansion, the trip highlights Bush's enduring strength in the largest U.S. swing state, crucial to GOP hopes o
  
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• Oops—White House Loses $22 Billion on Student Loan Plans

  10-02-2015 14:00
  
  White House education policies aimed at helping borrowers with $1.3 trillion in student debt are gaining traction with enrollment in income-based-repayment doubling in the last two years. Hidden in a footnote of the president’s 2016 budget blueprint, the White House estimated that it expects to earn $22 billion less than projected in student loan payments this year. The White House said the downgrade can largely be attributed to faster-than-expected enrollment in the president’s income-based
  
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• New book on White House to spill secrets about Presidents

  10-02-2015 12:37
  
  London, Feb 10 (ANI): A new book 'Party Like A President' will be spilling out all the secrets of White House and Presidents of America. The new book will be disclosing all the secrets of the White House rulers till now including their amazing history of tawdry sex scandals, boozing and drug abuse, the Daily Express reported. Brian Abrams, author of the book said that this will expose the womanising, hard-drinking and dubious behaviour of those who are entrusted to the US's highest office, as ma
  
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• You can now stop drones from flying over your home and looking into your window

  10-02-2015 12:21
  
  Flickr/Mauricio Lima A Parrot drone. If you have a fear of drones invading your personal property and even spying on you, there’s now a way to prevent that: it’s called NoFlyZone.org. The new US initiative allows the public to set up restricted airspace above their homes. We first heard about the scheme from TechCrunch. As drones become more common outside of the traditional military sphere and with sales of unmanned aerial vehicles on the rise, drone manufacturers are becoming more aware o
  
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• Tim Cook is set to wade into the war over encryption by speaking at a White House cybersecurity summit

  10-02-2015 11:20
  
  REUTERS/Rick Wilking Apple chief executive Tim Cook. Tim … Continued The post Tim Cook is set to wade into the war over encryption by speaking at a White House cybersecurity summit appeared first on Business Insider.
  
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• GOP Leaders Look for Congressional Wins After Early Stumbles

  10-02-2015 10:30
  
  It’s all but certain that the House will vote on Wednesday to approve the Senate version of a bill authorizing construction of the controversial $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline. The project is the centerpiece of the GOP’s energy production initiatives and a major dispute between the Republicans and the White House. Still, the new Republican majority in Congress needs something to cheer about after a relatively dismal start to the new 114th Congress a little more than a month ago. With time r
  
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• Russian business woos Japan despite sanctions

  10-02-2015 06:37
  
  A Russian business lobby group made a push on Tuesday for Japanese investment as its economy struggles under Western sanctions linked to its role in the Ukraine crisis. "Now is the time for Japanese and Russian businesses to see a sunrise -- rather than a sunset -- of a day of victory for us," Alexey Repik, President of the Russian-Japanese Business Council told a news conference ahead of a business meeting. The comments came as EU foreign ministers postponed new sanctions against Russ
  
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• Obama delays Ukraine arms decision amid diplomatic whirlwind

  10-02-2015 02:58
  
  US President Barack Obama agreed to hold off a controversial decision on sending arms to Ukraine until German-led efforts to broker a ceasefire with Russia are given a chance. Hosting Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, Obama said he hoped she could reach a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end 10 months of bloodshed in eastern Ukraine, but warned more punitive measures are in the pipeline if that fails. Steep Western sanctions and low oil prices have crippled Russia's
  
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• Republicans Probe White House’s ‘Inappropriate’ Influence Over FCC’s Net Neutrality Proposal

  10-02-2015 01:43
  
  Leaders of House and Senate oversight committees are calling on the FCC to turn over communications they had with White House officials over chairman Tom Wheeler’s net neutrality proposal, in a query that focuses on whether the administration “inappropriately influenced” the agency. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee,... Read more »
  
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• Obama readying request to use force against Islamic State

  10-02-2015 01:01
  
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House will ask Congress by Wednesday for new authority to use force against Islamic State fighters, congressional aides said on Monday, paving the way for lawmakers' first vote on the scope of a campaign that is already six months old. The United States is leading an international coalition against Islamic State, and President Barack Obama launched an air campaign in August against the militant fighters, who have killed thousands of peop
  
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