White House news

• Obama to Greek leader: looks forward to returning Greece to prosperity

  28-01-2015 23:47
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on his election this week in a call on Tuesday and said Washington looked forward to working with Athens in its efforts to boost the country's economy. "The president noted that the United States, as a longstanding friend and ally, looks forward to working closely with the new Greek government to help Greece return to a path of long-term prosperity," the White House said in a statement.
  
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• Chinese company limits US drone use after White House crash

  28-01-2015 22:56
  A Chinese drone maker which created the small quadcopter that recently crashed on White House grounds said Wednesday it is updating its drones to prohibit flight over the US capital. The Shenzhen-based company DJI announced a software update for its "Phantom" series drone that will stop flight over all of the Washington area, spokesman Michael Perry said in an email. GPS signals will determine the location of the drone and stop it from flying in the restricted areas. The restricted use
  
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• Rand Paul: If You Fly a Drone Over My House, I Will Shoot It Down With My Shotgun

  28-01-2015 22:04
  Paul, the son of three-time presidential aspirant Ron Paul, was Snapped a doodled-on picture of the White House with the text “DO YOU WANT TO LIVE HERE AFTER 2016?” He replied, “Maybe.
  
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• US attorney general pick vows independence, reset with Congress

  28-01-2015 21:58
  
  US President Barack Obama's attorney general nominee told lawmakers Wednesday she would act independently and vowed a fresh start with Congress, following the stormy tenure of outgoing incumbent Eric Holder. Veteran prosecutor Loretta Lynch told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she aimed to build a "new and improved relationship" with Congress, where the Republicans who control both chambers are incensed with Obama's policies, in particular his recent executive actions on
  
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• If Hillary Clinton becomes president, Bill wants to be called 'Adam'

  28-01-2015 21:41
  
  In an interview for the "Rachael Ray Show," former President Bill Clinton contemplated what his nickname should be if Hillary Clinton wins the White House.
  
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• Romney takes aim at Obama, Hillary Clinton in new speech

  28-01-2015 20:25
  
  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney, considering whether to run for president a third time, on Wednesday will take aim at President Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy and by extension, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate. Romney is to give an early evening speech at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, that will likely add to the speculation surrounding a potential presidential bid. The speech will
  
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• Texas' Perry says criminal case has not affected White House plans

  28-01-2015 19:44
  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former Texas governor Rick Perry said a criminal prosecution against him for abuse of power has not affected his decision on whether to run for the presidency and pledged on Wednesday to fight the charges against him. A Texas judge on Tuesday denied a request from Perry's lawyers to throw out two charges filed against the Republican politician seen as a potential candidate for the party in the 2016 presidential race. When asked if the case will affect
  
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• ISIS To Obama: 'We Will Cut Off Your Head In The White House'

  28-01-2015 19:42
  
  ISIS militants have threatened to behead Obama...
  
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• Action Needed: Following White House Drone Crash, Tesla Foundation and UAVSA CEO and others discussed action plan to prevent future incidents

  28-01-2015 19:40
  
  Keith Kaplan CEO of the Tesla Foundation and the UAVSA met with members of the White House and FAA with Professor Raja Sengupa of UC Berkeley, former White House Counsel Lisa Ellman of McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, today to discuss the issues surrounding a "Drone Pilot's License", which would assure the ability for our Veterans that have been injured and US Citizen's that because of physical limitations can't get a pilot's license to be employed in the new "Drone Economy". To introduce the benefi
  
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• Obama's misfire on 529 college savings plan: Who is middle class?

  28-01-2015 19:02
  
  The Obama administration’s decision to backtrack on a tax proposal that would have gutted a popular college savings plan is a telling moment for this White House. The episode also raises questions about Obama White House coordination with Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, who came out against the plan (as did Republican leaders and families saving for college). As part of proposed changes to the tax code, Mr. Obama wanted to end some of the tax advantage of so-called 529 college savings acco
  
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• Ken Ehrlich: The Grammy Producer’s Core Team and Partners

  28-01-2015 19:00
  
  Ken Ehrlich can claim a monumental legacy in the music world through the hundreds of shows he’s produced. This year will mark his 35th Grammy broadcast. He’s also the producer behind the “In Concert at the White House Series,” dozens of specials on artists like Michael Jackson and Celine Dion, and additional awards shows including... Read more »
  
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• ‘In Performance at the White House': Fist-Bumping Bob Dylan, Bonding With Obama

  28-01-2015 19:00
  
  Not many people on this Earth can boast being on a fist-bump basis with Bob Dylan. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, however, fist bumps Dylan all the time. Ehrlich spends a lot of time palling around with music legends. And he uses those friendships to coax Dylan and other stars to perform for the greater good.... Read more »
  
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• Revenge of the Upper Middle Class

  28-01-2015 17:37
  
  The Obama administration surely didn't think it was penalizing its core middle-class constituency when it proposed, earlier this month, to raise taxes on college savings accounts known as 529s. The soaring cost of college makes even a six-figure income seem small, and the definition of "middle class" can become quite elastic. Yet as the backlash to the proposal demonstrated, the soaring cost of a college education makes even a six-figure income seem small, and the definition of &q
  
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• Why Do Americans Love Taking Down Drones?

  28-01-2015 15:29
  On Monday, a hobbyist’s drone made a surprising appearance on the lawn of the White House.  These drones, you might have noticed, are everywhere. This at least is the promise of Rapere Intercept Drone.
  
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• The New Great American Pastime: Drone-Hunting

  28-01-2015 15:29
  On Monday, a hobbyist’s drone made a surprising appearance on the lawn of the White House.  These drones, you might have noticed, are everywhere.
  
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• Obama: Netanyahu meeting before Israel election 'inappropriate' - CNN interview

  28-01-2015 15:23
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama said he declined to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli leader's visit to the United States in March because it would be "inappropriate" two weeks before an election in that country. Netanyahu's trip has become a diplomatic sore point with political overtones on both sides. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, invited the Israeli prime minister to address Congress without informing the White House or congres
  
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• Obama, Merkel want Russia held accountable for violence in Ukraine

  28-01-2015 10:33
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed their concern about Russia's role in rising violence in eastern Ukraine in a phone call late on Tuesday and agreed on the need for funds to stabilise the Ukrainian economy. The White House said both leaders were worried about "Russia's materiel support for the separatists" and its failure to uphold a ceasefire agreement signed last September in Minsk. It added in a statement that they "agreed on th
  
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• Partners in progress: King Salman, Obama to continue strategic ties

  28-01-2015 08:07
  
  Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and US President Barack Obama pledged to work closely on a range of regional and international issues at a meeting on Tuesday, including terrorism, the Iranian nuclear talks and conflicts in neighboring states. Obama's meeting with King Salman comes just days after the death of King Abdullah, who was buried on Friday. The White House said the main reason for Obama's trip was to pay his respects to the country that has been a key ally in the
  
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• Bill would grant war powers to fight Islamic State militants

  28-01-2015 06:14
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Democrat on the House intelligence panel introduced a bill Wednesday to authorize President Barack Obama's war against Islamic State militants, saying Congress should not wait to see if the White House sends over its blueprint of what it should say.
  
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• Adorably Honest Critics: Babies React to Vaccine Donations Around the World

  28-01-2015 02:08
  
  Donors gathered at a Berlin conference on Tuesday to pledge $7.5 billion to immunize up to 300 million children around the world by 2020. For its part, the U.S. threw in another $1 billion, to be paid over the next four years to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. "This is global leadership at its best. There is no better investment than in the future of our children, and we have no greater responsibility than protecting them," the White House said on its website.So who pledged how much? Behind the gr
  
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• Adorably Honest: Babies React to Vaccine Donations Around the World

  28-01-2015 02:08
  
  Donors gathered at a Berlin conference on Tuesday to pledge $7.5 billion to immunize up to 300 million children around the world by 2020. For its part, the U.S. threw in another $1 billion, to be paid over the next four years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "This is global leadership at its best. There is no better investment than in the future of our children, and we have no greater responsibility than protecting them," the White House said on its website.So who pledged how much? Behind the gr
  
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• Spy agency employee was flying drone that crashed at White House

  28-01-2015 02:06
  
  An employee of a U.S. spy agency has confessed to operating a small drone that crashed on the grounds of the White House, the agency said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of incidents that raised questions about the president's security. A spokesman for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) said that an off-duty employee had told the U.S. Secret Service, which guards the presidential mansion, that he had been flying the four-propellor drone when it crashed on Monday. The NGA i
  
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• White House seeks $534 billion base defense budget, $51 billion for wars

  28-01-2015 02:02
  
  The Obama administration will seek a base defense budget of $534 billion when it sends its 2016 spending request to Congress next week, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a figure that exceeds federal caps by $35 billion and could trigger mandatory cuts. The administration also will ask for nearly $51 billion in funding for the war in Afghanistan as well as the conflict against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal bud
  
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• Obama dropping plan to tax college savings

  28-01-2015 00:27
  
  President Barack Obama has dropped a controversial proposal to tax "529" college savings plans, a White House official said on Tuesday, calling it a "distraction" from administration efforts to provide middle-class tax relief. The proposal had aroused opposition from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. A source familiar with the situation said House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had pressed senior administration officials to drop the proposal as she fle
  
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• US plans to open Atlantic to drilling

  28-01-2015 00:23
  
  The US government announced plans to open swathes of the western Atlantic to oil and gas drilling Tuesday, while simultaneously protecting seas off Alaska's coast. President Barack Obama called for 9.8 million acres in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas to be off limits, while his Interior Department announced plans to drill in the Atlantic from Virginia to Georgia. Obama's White House said the proposals were part of a "balanced approach" that judged the debate over drilling in ea
  
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• Democrats say billionaire Koch brothers launch 2016 'electoral arms race'

  28-01-2015 00:19
  
  By Steve Holland and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats acknowledged on Tuesday that it will be difficult, and likely impossible, to match the nearly $900 million that the conservative billionaire Koch brothers said their political network will spend during the 2016 campaign cycle. It underscored Charles and David Koch's commitment to push for smaller-government policies via a web of advocacy organizations. "The truth is Democrats will never match what Republicans can put into these
  
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