White House news

• Obama's Pentagon nominee suggests support for arming Ukraine

  04-02-2015 23:29
  
  * Carter clarifies remarks, puts onus on sanctions * Maintaining U.S.-EU solidarity seen as critical * Carter expected to win confirmation easily (Adds Carter, White House comments) By Phil Stewart and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pick to become defense secretary told Congress on Wednesday he was leaning in favor of providing arms to Ukraine but later cautioned that the focus must remain on pressuring Russia economically and politically. Ashton Carter, a f
  
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• NASA gets funding to visit Jupiter's moon Europa for possible signs of life

  04-02-2015 23:04
  
  NASA is excited this week to have been given the green light in next year’s budget from the White House to go ahead with developing a robotic mission to Jupiter’s mysterious moon Europa. NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which orbited the gas giant Jupiter and its moons nearly twenty years ago, made the discovery using radar echoes. Since then, the ice-cracked moon has been one of the primary targets in the solar system in their search for life beyond Earth. The mission NASA plans to launch in th
  
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• Jupiter Moon next target for search for life

  04-02-2015 23:04
  
  NASA is excited this week to have been given the green light in next year’s budget from the White House to go ahead with developing a robotic mission to Jupiter’s mysterious moon Europa. NASA’s Galileo spacecraft which orbited the gas giant Jupiter and its moons from nearly twenty years ago made the discovery using radar echoes. Since then the ice-cracked moon has been one of the main targets in the entire solar system in the search for life beyond Earth. The mission NASA has in mind to la
  
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• Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled by lawmakers

  04-02-2015 23:01
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick to run the Pentagon was grilled Wednesday by Republicans who used his confirmation hearing to criticize White House foreign policy on every front — from battling Islamic State militants to supporting Ukraine to trying to shutter the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
  
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• Four-Story Home With Functional Transparent-Walled Atrium

  04-02-2015 23:00
  
  A French revolution has taken place in a tall but narrow home in La Rochelle. Le Studio Pierre Antoine Compain gave the four-story home an uncommon treatment by arranging its layers around a central atrium reaching from the ground floor all the way to the very top of the home. The home is called the White House due to its generous use of white paint on walls and ceilings. This color choice has a dual purpose: it creates a very modern, minimal impression and also reflects light to make the rather
  
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• Pentagon nominee vows to resolve Jordan arms sales delays

  04-02-2015 22:56
  
  (Adds quotes from White House spokesman, McCain, byline) By Andrea Shalal and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary on Wednesday vowed to cut through "red tape" slowing U.S. arms deliveries to Jordan, which plans to step up its fight against Islamic State after the killing of a captured Jordanian pilot. Ashton Carter, a former No. 2 Pentagon official, told the Senate Armed Services Committee it was important for Jordan to be able to acq
  
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• Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled on Capitol Hill

  04-02-2015 22:38
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick to run the Pentagon was grilled Wednesday by Republicans who used his confirmation hearing to criticize White House foreign policy on every front — from battling Islamic State militants to supporting Ukraine to trying to shutter the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
  
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• Pentagon nominee favors arming Ukraine

  04-02-2015 21:47
  
  President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary said Wednesday he would likely support delivering arms to Ukraine to counter pro-Russian separatists, but the White House made clear the final decision would rest with the commander-in-chief. Ashton Carter, expected to be confirmed soon by lawmakers as the next Pentagon chief, offered his view to the Senate Armed Services Committee amid signals the Obama administration is leaning towards providing weapons to Kiev. "I'm very mu
  
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• Jeb Bush, looking to 2016, tackles questions about Bush name

  04-02-2015 21:42
  
  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush made clear on Wednesday he realizes his famous last name could be a hindrance in a 2016 presidential campaign, and said he would work hard to connect with people and "do it on my own." In a speech designed to lay the foundation for a potential White House run, the former Florida governor mixed attacks against President Barack Obama's Middle East policy with promises to run an optimistic campaign based on conservative prin
  
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• White House 'encouraged' by FCC's net neutrality proposal

  04-02-2015 20:32
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is "encouraged" by a policy released by the U.S. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) on Wednesday regarding Internet regulations known as net neutrality. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House will withhold commenting in detail on the proposal out of respect for the agency's independence. (Reporting By Julia Edwards; Editing by Sandra Maler)
  
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• U.S. says prisoners executed by Jordan went through justice system

  04-02-2015 20:21
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday declined to criticize U.S. ally Jordan for executing two Iraqi jihadists after Islamic State militants burned to death a captured Jordanian pilot. Jordan hanged two Iraqi jihadists, one a woman, on Wednesday and vowed to intensify military action against Islamic State. White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted that the prisoners executed by Jordan had been on death row and had gone through the Jordanian justice system. (Reporting by Jeff Mason;
  
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• Top Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer to step down: White House

  04-02-2015 20:07
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama's top communications adviser and a longtime member of his inner circle, Dan Pfeiffer, is stepping down from his post in March, the White House said on Wednesday. Pfeiffer has advised Obama since the 2008 presidential campaign and is one of the last of the president's close confidants from that period to be leaving his immediate orbit. "Like everyone else in the White House, I’ve benefited from his political savvy and his advocacy for working people,&q
  
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• Supreme Court's new health law case cuts both ways

  04-02-2015 20:04
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking another look at President Barack Obama's health care law, and this time it's not just the White House that should be worried.
  
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• Romney's exit boosts Walker's odds in 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary

  04-02-2015 19:53
  
  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's decision not to make a third White House run in 2016 has boosted Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's chances with Republican voters in New Hampshire, home to the first presidential primary, according to a poll released on Wednesday. Some 21.2 percent of Republican voters and independents polled by Reach Communications for NH1 News who said they would likely vote in the state's presidential nominating primary said they would vote for Walker
  
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• Top Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer to leave White House: NYT

  04-02-2015 19:32
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dan Pfeiffer, one of the top advisers to U.S. President Barack Obama, will leave the White House as soon as the end of the month, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Susan Heavey)
  
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• As Drone Use Takes Off on Film Sets, Concerns for Safety Arise

  04-02-2015 19:00
  
  When a wayward drone recently crashed into the White House lawn, it set off a media frenzy of speculation about a future of skies filled with wild, out-of-control unmanned aircraft. On film sets, though, drones are steadily gaining altitude — with what aerial companies say are a tight set of controls over their use. The... Read more »
  
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• 5 Stupid Tax Proposals Hidden in Obama’s Budget

  04-02-2015 18:05
  
  President Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget would raise government revenues as a share of gross domestic product steadily over the next decade, and make the tax code far more complex. 1. Forget deductions for charitable contributions linked to college sports ticket purchases. Few provisions will cause more of an uproar than this: a contribution to the alma mater is not counted as a charitable contribution if it entitles donors to buy advance tickets for sporting events. This goes to the heart of alu
  
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• In Motor City, Jeb Bush road tests an optimistic campaign theme

  04-02-2015 17:40
  
  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush will sharply attack what he says is a "liberal mindset" that has denigrated the value of hard work while urging reforms to give more power at the state and local levels in a speech that will road test an optimistic theme for his expected 2016 presidential campaign. Bush is giving a luncheon speech to the Detroit Economic Club, the first in a series of speeches aimed at defining why he is considering a run for the Republican pr
  
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• Which weapons does Kiev need, and what can US provide?

  04-02-2015 17:32
  
  Kiev (AFP) - The White House has signalled it may be ready to change tack and start supplying arms to Ukrainian troops battling pro-Russian separatists, but what does Kiev want -- and what can Washington provide?
  
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• Elsevier Materials Science Journals Offer Entire Suite of Data Sharing Options

  04-02-2015 17:26
  
  Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has announced that its data sharing infrastructure has been implemented across 13 journals covering all areas of Materials Science. Offering multiple data sharing options for an entire subject discipline not only meets the needs of researchers in the field, but also addresses one of the key objectives in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy outlined in its Strategic Plan
  
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• India-US meet soon to complete remaining steps on n-deal

  04-02-2015 15:52
  
  Washington, Feb 4 (IANS) US and Indian officials will meet shortly to put in place a few remaining steps on the India-US nuclear deal after the "breakthrough understanding" between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a senior US official. "Essentially, what you're seeing with the breakthrough on civ-nuke is that at a policy level, there are no further impediments," Phil Reiner, White House's senior director for South Asian Affairs, told the foreign media Tuesday
  
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• Presidential Poll Finds More Support for Hillary Over GOP Contenders

  04-02-2015 15:00
  
  President Obama carried the states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2012 when he beat GOP challenger Mitt Romney. Since 1960 no candidate has won the White House without carrying at least two of those three critical swing states. So it may be some comfort to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she ponders a run for the 2016 Democratic nomination that a new survey shows her trouncing many potential GOP rivals in hypothetical matchups in all three states. Clinton’s favorability rati
  
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• Poll Finds More Support for Hillary Over GOP Contenders

  04-02-2015 15:00
  
  President Obama carried the states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2012 when he beat GOP challenger Mitt Romney. Since 1960 no candidate has won the White House without carrying at least two of those three critical swing states. So it may be some comfort to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she ponders a run for the 2016 Democratic nomination that a new survey shows her trouncing many potential GOP rivals in hypothetical matchups in all three states. Clinton’s favorability rati
  
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• Obama Cuts Vaccine Program, Despite Measles Outbreak

  04-02-2015 14:00
  
  While the administration urgently calls on parents to vaccinate their children amid the massive measles outbreak, President Obama is proposing to scale back the vaccination program for poor families. Tucked away in his 2016 budget proposal is a line item that cuts $50 million from the so-called 317 program, which provides free vaccines to low-income children and adults, as well as funds infrastructure projects to expand access to vaccines. White House officials also said the proposed budget adds
  
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• Drone maker plans software to block Washington flights

  04-02-2015 13:03
  
  BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese maker of a drone that a hobbyist crashed at the White House says it is taking steps to ensure that cannot happen again.
  
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• IdeaScale Opens Tokyo Office as Part of Continued Global Expansion

  04-02-2015 11:30
  
  TOKYO, Feb. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IdeaScale, the world's largest open innovation software provider, today announced its expansion of services to Japan. Although IdeaScale has long-served numerous clients globally, it will now also have a permanent office site in Tokyo. IdeaScale's unique offering has already served numerous corporate and government clients such as Cisco, Marriott, NBC, NASA, Adobe and the White House.
  
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• Nasa Mission To Find Life On Jupiter's Moon

  04-02-2015 11:04
  
  Nasa is planning to send a spacecraft to one of Jupiter's moons which may hide a vast ocean under its icy surface. The White House has proposed an $18.5bn (£12.2bn) budget for Nasa in 2016, including $30m (£19.8m) to go towards the Jupiter mission.
  
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• Florida's Rubio, a '16 prospect, makes most of Cuba hearing

  04-02-2015 09:43
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Back in the Capitol after a week spent raising money for a likely White House campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio didn't miss the chance offered by his day job to service his presidential aspirations.
  
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• Obama asks for $50 million to restore civil rights sites

  04-02-2015 09:30
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by earmarking $50 million to restore key civil rights areas around the nation.
  
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• Ties with India not at cost of China or Pakistan: US

  04-02-2015 06:17
  
  Washington, Feb 4 (IANS) Denying suggestions that the US-India partnership was intended as a counterweight to China, a senior US official said its sole intent was "to build India up" working on common core values. "I would fundamentally point to the fact that this is a US-India effort and it's not necessarily to counterweight anyone," Phil Reiner, White House's senior director for South Asian Affairs, told foreign media at a round table Tuesday on Obama's India trip. "I don't think either the US
  
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• India-US ties poised for take-off after Obama's game-changing trip

  04-02-2015 05:20
  
  Washington, Feb 4 (IANS) After President Barack Obama's "game changing" historic India visit, the India-US relationship is poised to move forward in an array of fields across the board, according to a senior US official. "What we are now looking at is a whole-of-government approach," Phil Reiner, White House's senior director for South Asian Affairs, told foreign media in a round table on Obama's India trip. "The Commerce Department, the Treasury, NASA, State Department, Defence Department, DHS
  
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• House votes to repeal and eventually replace Obamacare

  04-02-2015 01:47
  
  The U.S. House of Representatives added another notch to its lengthy record of Obamacare repeal votes on Tuesday by approving a measure that would scrap the healthcare law and direct oversight committees to come up with a replacement. Defying a White House veto threat, lawmakers voted 239-186 on a measure to eliminate the complex web of federal subsidies, insurance reforms, taxes and regulations that have extended health coverage to millions of Americans since the Affordable Care Act became law
  
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