White House news

• Funding vote cheers US anti-abortion marchers

  22-01-2015 23:50
  
  The Republican-controlled House of Representatives moved Thursday to permanently halt federal funding for abortions, handing a victory to anti-abortion activists on their annual march in the US capital. Lawmakers voted 242-179 for the measure, just as tens of thousands gathered on the National Mall for the annual March for Life on the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. "We are holding the federal government accountable to prevent your taxpayer dollars from
  
  Read more

• Abortion debate roils U.S. House on Roe v. Wade anniversary

  22-01-2015 22:57
  
  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill permanently barring federal funding of abortions on Thursday after Republican leaders dropped harsher anti-abortion legislation due to opposition from some of the party's moderate lawmakers. Passage of the bill, and the setback for conservative House Republicans when the more restrictive abortion legislation was set aside, came on the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing the procedure
  
  Read more

• Obama snubs Israeli PM

  22-01-2015 22:27
  
  US President Barack Obama will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister makes a controversial visit to the United States in early March, the White House says.
  
  Read more

• U.S. 'assessing' implications of resignation of Yemen president

  22-01-2015 21:15
  
  The Obama administration is "still assessing" the implications of the resignation of Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and many of his officials on Thursday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Speaking to reporters traveling with Obama on Air Force One, Earnest said the administration's top concern is the safety of Americans in Yemen. Earnest said the United States has adequate resources to evacuate the American embassy in Yemen's capital of Sanaa.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Kerry, like Obama, will not meet with Israel's Netanyahu during visit

  22-01-2015 20:51
  
  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will not meet with Israeli's Benjamin Netanyahu during the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington, the State Department said on Thursday. The White House earlier said U.S. President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he addresses the U.S. Congress in March. Like the White House, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also cited a need to avoid the appearance of trying to influence Israeli elections later in March.
  
  Read more

• On Roe v Wade anniversary, US House approves abortion curbs

  22-01-2015 20:27
  
  As pro-life demonstrators gathered in front of the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives voted 242-179 on a bill that would prevent women from using federal taypayer funding to pay for abortions or applying federally supported insurance coverage for abortions. A similar bill passed the House last year but died in the Democrat-run Senate. The White House said Thursday that President Barack Obama would veto the bill if it passed the Senate and reached his desk, and warned the current bill go
  
  Read more

• Obama pushes childcare initiatives in conservative Kansas

  22-01-2015 20:16
  
  By Jeff Mason LAWRENCE, Kan. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama finished up a two-day tour of the U.S. heartland on Thursday with a stop in a Democratic-leaning enclave of conservative Kansas to tout proposals to make childcare more affordable for those in need. Hoping to build momentum for social policies he laid out in a defiant State of the Union speech, the Democratic president went to two politically conservative states to try to show his policies appeal to Americans from both main parties.
  
  Read more

• U.S.'s Kerry, like Obama, will not meet with Israel's Netanyahu during visit

  22-01-2015 20:08
  
  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will not meet with Israeli's Benjamin Netanyahu during the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington, the State Department said on Thursday. The White House earlier said U.S. President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he addresses the U.S. Congress in March. Like the White House, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also cited a need to avoid the appearance of trying to influence Israeli elections later in March.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Jazz greats Hancock, Corea announce 1st tour in 37 years

  22-01-2015 20:00
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz greats Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock share much in common, but the last time they toured together was 37 years ago when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Sony had just introduced the Walkman.
  
  Read more

• Obama will not meet US-bound Netanyahu

  22-01-2015 19:32
  
  US President Barack Obama will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister makes a controversial visit to the United States in early March, the White House said Thursday. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said it was a "matter of long-standing practice and principle" that the president not meet candidates or incumbent leaders while they on the campaign trail. "The president will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu because of the proxi
  
  Read more

• GOP pushes abortion bill through House after earlier stumble

  22-01-2015 19:20
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have muscled legislation through the House tightening federal restrictions on abortions, as thousands of abortion foes staged their annual protest march just down the street.
  
  Read more

• Obama will not meet Israel's Netanyahu on U.S. visit

  22-01-2015 18:54
  
  President Barack Obama will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister visits Washington in March to address the U.S. Congress, the White House said on Thursday, a decision that could further escalate tensions between the leaders. Bernadette Meehan, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said the reason Obama was withholding an invitation for Oval Office talks with Netanyahu was to "avoid the appearance" of trying to influence Israeli elections late
  
  Read more

• Obama will not meet Netanyahu on US trip: White House

  22-01-2015 18:49
  
  Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister visits the United States in early March, the White House said Thursday.
  
  Read more

• Obama will not meet with Netanyahu during trip to Washington

  22-01-2015 18:48
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington in March, the White House said Thursday, one day after being caught off-guard by Republicans' invitation for the Israeli leader to address a joint session of Congress.
  
  Read more

• Obama won't meet with Netanyahu during controversial U.S. visit

  22-01-2015 18:38
  
  President Barack Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's controversial March 3 visit to Washington, the White House announced, saying the trip was too close to the Israeli elections.
  
  Read more

• U.S. senator says wants to introduce fast-track trade bill by end January

  22-01-2015 18:07
  
  The head of the U.S. Senate committee responsible for trade said on Thursday he wanted to introduce a bill by the end of January that grants the White House authority to fast track trade deals. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said talks with Democrats on the final form of the bill, seen as key to sealing major trade deals, had come a long way.
  
  Read more

• After stumble, GOP pushes different abortion bill

  22-01-2015 18:00
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — With thousands of abortion foes massing blocks away for their annual protest march, Republicans pushed legislation toward House passage Thursday tightening restrictions on federal financing of abortions that the White House quickly threatened to veto. But it was not the bill an embarrassed GOP had hoped to approve.
  
  Read more

• Israel's Netanyahu says to address U.S. Congress in March on Iran

  22-01-2015 17:50
  
  By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday he will address the U.S. Congress during a March visit likely to drive home differences with the Obama administration over whether to impose additional sanctions on Tehran. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's invitation on Wednesday to Netanyahu - whose relationship with President Barack Obama has been acrimonious - had drawn criticism from the White House, which said it
  
  Read more

• Three things media companies could learn from the White House

  22-01-2015 17:34
  
  In the same way distributed media and social media have turned any brand into a media entity, they have made the U.S. government one as well -- and the way the White House handled the State of the Union ...
  
  Read more

• YouTube Star Who Drinks Cereal From a Bathtub to Interview President Obama

  22-01-2015 17:10
  
  Scoring a presidential interview is a distinction coveted by White House journalists, anchors and network bookers alike, but today the honor is being given to three diverse, wacky YouTube creators -- Bethany Mota, GloZell Green and Hank Green.Their expertise ranges from putting together “comfy and cute outfits” to completing zany challenges like inhaling massive amounts of cinnamon spice and eating cereal out of a bathtub (while still in it).It’s the kind of stuff you honestly can’t make
  
  Read more

• Netanyahu opted to make one trip to U.S.: Republican

  22-01-2015 17:00
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington in March to address Congress so he can make one trip to the United States instead of two in the run-up to the March 17 Israeli election, a Republican aide said on Thursday. Republican congressional leaders said on Wednesday they had invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on Feb. 11, prompting questions from the White House about whether protocol had been violated.
  
  Read more

• Israel's Netanyahu says will address U.S. Congress in March

  22-01-2015 16:38
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday he would address the U.S. Congress in March, saying in a statement the invitation tendered by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner was bipartisan. Blindsiding the Obama administration, Boehner announced the invitation to Netanyahu on Wednesday, drawing White House complaints that protocol had been breached. Netanyahu is expected to focus in his address, his third to Congress, on the Iranian nuclear issue. In his statement,
  
  Read more

• Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush to meet privately in Utah on Thursday

  22-01-2015 16:05
  
  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leading potential Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, who are engaged in a behind-the-scenes competition for dollars and support among party loyalists, are to meet in Utah on Thursday. A Bush spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell, said the former Florida governor is "looking forward to catching up with Governor Romney" on Thursday and that the meeting has long been scheduled. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, announced h
  
  Read more

• Iran Sanction Showdown: Congress vs. White House

  22-01-2015 15:11
  
  The first showdown between Obama and Congress is about iran sanctions
  
  Read more

• Exclusive: India asks refiners to cut Iran oil imports ahead of Obama visit - sources

  22-01-2015 11:08
  
  India has asked its refiners to slash oil buys from Iran in the next two months to keep the imports in line with the previous fiscal year's levels, sources with knowledge of the matter said, days ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to New Delhi. India has raised its crude shipments from Iran around 40 percent over the first nine months of the current fiscal year, when as part of the temporary deal that eased some sanctions on Tehran it was meant to hold them steady. India and the U
  
  Read more

• Obama visits GOP strongholds of Idaho, Kansas

  22-01-2015 09:21
  
  LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — President Barack Obama likes to say there are no red states or blue states, just the United States of America. Yet his first two stops on the traditional sell-the-speech tour after giving the annual State of the Union address were in ... Republican "red" states. The White House says the president's travel itinerary was not a coincidence.
  
  Read more

• Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush set to meet privately in Utah: New York Times

  22-01-2015 07:04
  
  (Reuters) - Leading potential Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush are scheduled to meet privately later this week in Utah, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Former Florida governor Bush and 2012 Republican nominee Romney have grabbed recent buzz from operatives and donors aligned with the party's establishment after both said they were exploring possible 2016 presidential bids. The New York Times, citing two unidentified leading party members, said the sessio
  
  Read more

• Obama's India trip sends important message to world: White House

  22-01-2015 06:46
  
  Washington, Jan 22 (IANS) Ahead of President Barack Obama's trip to India, US officials have described it as an "important message" to the world about the two nations' commitment to realise the full potential of their relationship. Since the time he took office, Obama had "made increasing US engagement with India a top foreign policy priority" Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Tuesday. The first state visit he hosted at the White House was for the then Indian Prime Minister Manmoh
  
  Read more

• U.S. House Republicans drop vote on abortion bill: report

  22-01-2015 04:08
  
  Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives, facing a revolt from female Republicans in the chamber, dropped plans on Wednesday night for a vote on a bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to media reports. The measure, which the White House had threatened to veto, allowed exceptions in cases of rape where the victims had reported the crime to authorities. A planned vote for Thursday, which is the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe
  
  Read more

• MSNBC'S MADDOW NOW REWRITING INSTANT REPLAYS

  22-01-2015 01:30
  
  "Chris Wallace, NBC Reporter (by miraculous coincidence, currently a Fox News anchor): 'There was an air of celebration in the Rose Garden and an underlying tension. White House officials wrestled for days how to usher in a holiday the president opposed. By adding the simple article "the," Rachel turned Chris Wallace from a garden-variety 1980s news reporter into Archie Bunker. Rachel's rewrite of Wallace (again, a Fox News host) was astonishingly similar to her misquote of Republican Senate can
  
  Read more

• Obama meets wife of pastor jailed in Iran

  22-01-2015 01:26
  
  US President Barack Obama on Wednesday met the wife of a Christian pastor who has been jailed in Iran for over two years, vowing to work to win his release. Obama met the wife of Saeed Abedini during a visit to Boise, Idaho, where the president was selling his vision of a more equal America, unveiled in a State of the Union address on Tuesday. "The United States is concerned about the unjust detention of several Americans in Iran, including Mr. Abedini," said White House spokesman Josh
  
  Read more

• Jindal criticized by Louisiana newspapers over Muslim 'no-go zone' remarks

  22-01-2015 00:55
  
  By Jonathan Kaminsky NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, was criticized on Wednesday by his state's two largest newspapers over contentious remarks referring to Muslim-controlled "no-go zone" areas in European cities. Jindal, a Republican who is courting evangelical Christians and other conservatives ahead of a possible run for the White House, defended his comments about neighborhoods in Europe he said were under the e
  
  Read more

• Five global front lines that could define Obama's final two years

  22-01-2015 00:47
  
  The comment underscores how a president tagged as “leading from behind” – even from within his own White House – foresees tackling the major foreign policy challenges of his final years. From the battle with IS to Iran's nuclear program to an embrace of international trade deals, Obama's clear signal from the State of the Union is that cooperation with partners – and even with longtime adversaries, as in the case of Cuba – will continue to trump a rush to confrontation.
  
  Read more

• Obama taps longtime aide to replace Podesta in senior role

  22-01-2015 00:47
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has chosen Brian Deese, a veteran White House aide and a deputy director in his budget office, to replace John Podesta as a senior adviser and presidential whisperer, White House officials said Wednesday.
  
  Read more

• Keystone XL pipeline not dead, U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman says

  22-01-2015 00:30
  
  The process to approve or reject Keystone XL pipeline​ is moving ahead, and no decision has been made​, according to U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman. In an interview with CBC News Network’s Power & Politics, Heyman said no one should read anything to the contrary from President Barack Obama’s remarks in his state of the union address Monday night. The White House has said the president will veto legislation to fast-track approval for the project that is now being debated, but Heyman insi
  
  Read more

Follow @NwslWhiteHouse on Twitter!