White House news

• President Obama still proud of Jackie Robinson West kids

  11-02-2015 23:47
  
  The White House says the president is proud of players despite "dirty dealing" of adults.
  
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• Obama asks Congress to authorise U.S. war on Islamic State

  11-02-2015 23:42
  
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday sent Congress his long-awaited formal request to authorise military force against Islamic State, meeting swift resistance from Republicans as well as his fellow Democrats wary of another war in the Middle East. Republicans, who control Congress and say Obama's foreign policy is too passive, want stronger measures against the militants than outlined in the plan, which bars any large-scale invasion by U.S. gr
  
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• Thousands protest against Houthi rule in Yemen after embassies close

  11-02-2015 22:56
  
  * US, UK and France shut embassies over security concerns * Fighters deployed in force amid unprecedented protests * Houthis call takeover a revolution, neighbours denounce "coup" (Adds White House comments in paragraphs 8, 9) By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Yemenis in the capital Sanaa and the central city of Taiz held the largest protests yet against a takeover by a Shi'ite Muslim militia group on Wednesday after the United States, Britain and France shut their embassies over sec
  
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• Celebrated Little League team stripped of championship title

  11-02-2015 22:19
  
  A Little League team that captured the attention of the nation and the hearts of its hometown was stripped of its national title Wednesday after an investigation revealed that team officials had falsified boundaries so they could add ineligible players to the roster. Only last summer, the all-black Jackie Robinson West team was the toast of Chicago and was honored with trips to San Francisco and to the White House.
  
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• With Ebola cases down dramatically, US military ends mission in West Africa

  11-02-2015 22:14
  
  President Obama announced Wednesday that he would be effectively ending the US military’s efforts against the Ebola outbreak. The five-month mission to West Africa was launched amid serious concerns about an Ebola pandemic and the possibility of US troops being infected. US troops helped to build hospitals and generally boosted “international confidence to respond,” said Rear Adm. Scott Giberson, acting deputy surgeon general, who introduced Mr. Obama in remarks at the White House Wednesda
  
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• Will America Declare the War It's Already Fighting?

  11-02-2015 22:11
  
  On Wednesday, just over six months after bombs started falling again in Iraq, the White House sent to Capitol Hill the three-page document that Republicans and Democrats had long been clamoring for: a proposed resolution formally authorizing the use of military force against the Islamic State. Speaker John Boehner, who had personally and repeatedly demanded that the president submit his proposal, complained that the text's limitation on ground troops constrained the military. Representative
  
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• U.S. Bank CEO Richard K. Davis to Participate in White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection

  11-02-2015 22:00
  
  U.S. Bancorp announced today that its Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Richard K. Davis, will participate in the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University on Friday, February 13.
  
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• White House launches new cyber security center: Will businesses cooperate?

  11-02-2015 21:31
  
  A recent string of cyberattacks has served as a wakeup call for the Obama administration: The United States government needed a centralized body responsible for coordinating the country's cybersecurity response. On Tuesday, the administration announced the creation of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC). The agency is modeled on the National Counterterrorism Center, which was created after 9/11 to be a central point of coordination for terror intelligence. America's cyber ca
  
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• Obama says world needs to learn from Ebola 'wake-up call'

  11-02-2015 20:49
  
  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he was bringing back nearly all U.S. troops fighting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and marking a new phase in the battle to help countries "get to zero" cases of the deadly disease. Obama said the outbreak was a "wake-up call" for the world, and that wealthy countries needed to invest to ensure that poor nations have basic health systems to detect and fight diseases. "This is not charity," he said in a sp
  
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• Obama asks Congress to authorize U.S. war on Islamic State

  11-02-2015 20:34
  
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama asked Congress on Wednesday to authorize military force against Islamic State that would bar any large-scale invasion by U.S. ground troops and limit operations to three years. Republicans, who control Congress, put up swift resistance to the proposal. They say Obama's foreign policy is too passive and want stronger measures against the militants, also known as ISIL. With Obama's fellow Democrats wary of another Mi
  
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• Little League strips Chicago team of U.S. title for cheating

  11-02-2015 19:50
  
  (Adds White House remarks, paragraphs 12-13) By Steve Ginsburg Feb 11 (Reuters) - A Chicago-based team that last year became the first all-black contingent to win the U.S. Little League Baseball championship was stripped of the title on Wednesday for cheating by using players who lived outside the geographic area set for the squad. The Jackie Robinson West team met with adjoining Little League districts in Illinois to secure players and build what, in effect, became an all-star team, Little Leag
  
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• Medal of Valor: Officers saved lives in Boston, Wisconsin

  11-02-2015 19:49
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers and firefighters who helped save lives in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and the shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin were honored with the Medal of Valor in a White House ceremony Wednesday.
  
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• Republicans press to fix Social Security disability program

  11-02-2015 19:33
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are giving a White House plan to shift money from Social Security's retirement funds to cover a looming shortfall in its disability account a chilly reception.
  
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• Palo Alto Networks CEO To Participate In White House Summit On Cybersecurity And Consumer Protection

  11-02-2015 19:30
  
  SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks® (PANW), the leader in enterprise security, today announced its participation in the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University on February 13, 2015, which will bring together government and industry leaders to help shape public and private sector efforts aimed at protecting American consumers and companies from growing cyber threats. As an active member of the enterprise security com
  
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• Republicans 'irresponsible' for security funds delay: White House

  11-02-2015 19:23
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that it was "irresponsible for Republicans in Congress" to play politics with funding for the Department of Homeland Security that is slated to expire at the end of the month unless a compromise is reached. "What's clear now is they have painted themselves into a corner," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Will Dunham)
  
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• White House blames Little League incident on 'dirty dealing' by adults

  11-02-2015 19:14
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama continues to be proud of a Chicago-based Little League baseball team that won the championship last year, even though the team has been stripped of its title - an incident the White House blamed on adults involved. "The president is proud of the way they represented their city and the way they represented the country. The fact is, some dirty dealing by some adults doesn't take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men,"
  
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• Medal of Valor: Officers saved lives in Boston, Oak Creek

  11-02-2015 19:10
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers and firefighters who helped save lives in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and the shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin were honored with the Medal of Valor in a White House ceremony Wednesday.
  
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• President Obama asks Congress to approve war against ISIL

  11-02-2015 19:08
  
  On Wednesday, the White House presented to Congress a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the Islamic State. Here’s what you need to know.
  
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• Too good to be true: Little League baseball team loses title

  11-02-2015 18:52
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — It was one of the feel-good sports stories of the year in the United States, the tale of an all-black youth baseball team that won a national title and earned a trip to the White House for a meeting with President Obama.
  
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• U.S. defense personnel still in Yemen for counterterrorism efforts: White House

  11-02-2015 18:41
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that U.S. Department of Defense personnel remain on the ground in Yemen to carry out counterterrorism efforts even after U.S. embassy personnel left the country. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Beech)
  
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• White House: time for Congress to 'step up to the plate' on anti-Islamic State authorization

  11-02-2015 18:38
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that Democrats and Republicans in Congress need to figure out how to work together to approve a draft authorization to use military force in the fight against Islamic State militants. "The president, our men and women in uniform are certainly fulfilling their responsibility to keep the country safe. It's time for Congress to step up to the plate and fulfill their responsibility to do the same thing," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told
  
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• British spies did not censor U.S. torture report - MPs

  11-02-2015 16:50
  
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - British spies asked for material to be redacted in a U.S. Senate report about the CIA's mistreatment of terrorism suspects but were not trying to hide any complicity in wrongdoing, a senior parliamentary committee concluded on Wednesday. The U.S. Senate report, published in December, found the CIA had misled the White House and public about its harsh interrogation of detainees after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and acted more brutally and pervasively than
  
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• British spies did not censor US torture report -lawmakers

  11-02-2015 16:00
  
  By Michael Holden LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - British spies asked for material to be redacted in a U.S. Senate report about the CIA's mistreatment of terrorism suspects but were not trying to hide any complicity in wrongdoing, a senior parliamentary committee concluded on Wednesday. The U.S. Senate report, published in December, found the CIA had misled the White House and public about its harsh interrogation of detainees after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and acted more brutally and pervasively th
  
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• Anwar verdict could risk White House invite to Najib, report says

  11-02-2015 15:21
  
  The Federal Court's verdict on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday could cost Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak an invitation to the White House, the Associated Press reports. The last time a Malaysian leader was invited to the White House was during the Bush administration in 2004, during Tun Abdullah Badawi's tenure. Najib, on the other...
  
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• Surge In Violence Before Ukraine Peace Talks

  11-02-2015 12:55
  
  Four people have been killed in mortar attacks on a bus station and a metals plant in the rebel-held Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as peace talks were due to begin in Belarus. In a statement on his website, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revealed he made an impromptu visit to the war-torn eastern region early on Wednesday. The White House said afterwards Mr Obama warned Vladimir Putin the "costs for Russia will rise" if a peaceful solution is not found. "If Russia continues its
  
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• Obama calls Putin to discuss Ukraine violence

  11-02-2015 12:26
  
  Washington, Feb 11 (IANS/EFE) US President Barack Obama telephoned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss the "escalating violence in eastern Ukraine" and Moscow's "ongoing support" for the pro-Russian separatists there. "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," a brief co
  
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• Obama Vows No ‘Enduring Combat’ for U.S. Against ISIS

  11-02-2015 11:30
  
  The White House on Tuesday began circulating its draft proposal for new war powers to combat ISIS terrorists in the years ahead. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough briefed lawmakers on the proposal’s broad outlines Tuesday – the same day Obama confirmed the death of Kayla Jean Mueller, a 26-year-old U.S. aid worker who spent more than a year in ISIS captivity. Six months after President Obama announced the U.S. had begun airstrikes against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria and would recr
  
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• US to establish new cybersecurity agency over 'game changing' Sony hack

  11-02-2015 10:08
  
  The US government is creating a new agency to monitor cyber security threats, pooling and analysing information on a spectrum of risks, White House counter-terrorism coordinator Lisa Monaco, said. Speaking at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington, Monaco said the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) will be an intelligence centre that will "connect the dots" between various cyber threats to the nation so that relevant departments and agencies are aware of these thr
  
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• China's Xi to make first state visit to U.S. as both flag problems

  11-02-2015 10:07
  
  BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to the United States in September, China said on Wednesday, after both countries' leaders laid out possible areas of friction in a telephone call. U.S. President Barack Obama called for "swift work" by China to narrow differences on cyber issues, the White House said, as the two sides started planning for Xi's visit to Washington. Last May, the United States charged five Chinese milita
  
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• Michelle Obama gives White House family dining room 'bold' makeover

  11-02-2015 10:01
  
  Wellington, Feb 11 (ANI): Michelle Obama has refurbished the old family dining room of White House in modern style, which is the private dinning room of the First family.
  
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• White House calls climate change greater threat to country than terrorism

  11-02-2015 09:29
  
  Washington, Feb 11 (ANI): The White House says that climate change is a bigger threat to Americans than terrorism. According to the Washington Times, speaking to reporters, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Americans no longer face the same threat of attack that they did prior to Sept. 11, 2001, crediting the administration's efforts to degrade organizations such as al Qaeda. Earnest said that climate change was turning out to be a far greater threat for everyday Americans. He said t
  
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• Mortar Attacks Before Ukraine Peace Talks

  11-02-2015 08:39
  
  Four people have been killed in mortar attacks on a bus station and a metals plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as leaders gathered for peace talks in Belarus. President Barack Obama urged his Russian counterpart to reach a deal to end the 10-month Ukraine conflict ahead of the talks in Minsk. Mr Obama spoke with President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call on the eve of the discussions. In a statement released afterwards, the White House said Mr Obama warned Mr Putin the "cost
  
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• US announces new cybersecurity agency to respond to enhanced cyberthreats

  11-02-2015 08:20
  
  Washington, Feb 11 (ANI): The White House has reportedly announced the formation of a new agency that will foil cyberattacks by sharing intelligence across agencies during a crisis. The new Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) will be created as part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and will be structured like the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Terming the cyberthreat "one of the greatest threats" faced by the U.S., Lisa Monaco, President Barack Ob
  
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• Obama hopes to finesse controversy over ground troops

  11-02-2015 08:06
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House isn't saying it favors a role for U.S. ground forces in combatting Islamic State terrorists. But it isn't saying it opposes one, either.
  
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• Ukraine: Obama Warns Putin Ahead Of Talks

  11-02-2015 06:32
  
  President Barack Obama has urged his Russian counterpart to agree to a peace deal to end the Ukraine conflict ahead of talks to be held in Belarus today. Mr Obama spoke with President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call on the eve of the Minsk talks, which are aimed at ending the 10-month-long conflict. In a statement released after the call, the White House said Mr Obama warned Mr Putin the "costs for Russia will rise" if a peaceful solution is not found. "If Russia continues its
  
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• Petition pressing White House to help free ‘political prisoner’ Anwar gathers steam

  11-02-2015 06:05
  
  KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 ― Just hours after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomy here, an online petition has been started to urge the US government to seek the Opposition Leader’s release...
  
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• Obama and Xi discuss cyber issues, prepare for U.S. visit

  11-02-2015 05:50
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama called for "swift work" by Beijing to narrow their differences on cyber issues, the White House said, as the two sides start planning for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington in September. In a phone call with Xi, Obama said he looked forward to welcoming him to Washington for a state visit later this year, the statement added. The White House added: "The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to coordinate closely on security challe
  
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• Petition to release Anwar set up on White House website

  11-02-2015 05:22
  
  Hours after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was found guilty of sodomy, a petition was set up on the White House website urging the Obama administration to make the release of the opposition leader a top priority in the US’s foreign policy with Malaysia. The petition, which was set up by a "J.M." from Alexandria in Virginia yesterday, described Anwar...
  
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• U.S. aid worker remembered as 'free spirit' with empathy for others

  11-02-2015 05:04
  
  By David Schwartz PRESCOTT, Ariz. (Reuters) - Kayla Mueller, the young U.S. aid worker who died while a captive of militants of the Islamic State group in Syria, was remembered by family and friends in her hometown on Tuesday as a "free spirit" driven by her enormous empathy for human suffering. The White House said Mueller's family received a message from her captors containing information that was authenticated by U.S. intelligence analysts who verified her death. President Bara
  
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• Obama, in call with China's Xi, calls for narrowing of cyber issues

  11-02-2015 04:01
  
  President Barack Obama in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "swift work" to narrow the countries' differences on cyber issues, the White House said. Obama also told Xi he looked forward to welcoming him to Washington for a state visit later this year, the statement added. The White House added that "The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to coordinate closely on security challenges, including by jointly encouraging Iran to seize the his
  
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• US withdrawing most troops fighting Ebola in West Africa

  11-02-2015 02:20
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is preparing to withdraw nearly all of its troops fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the White House said Tuesday, as the global health crisis recedes amid a sharp decline in Ebola cases.
  
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• Obama to bring back most U.S. troops fighting Ebola in Africa

  11-02-2015 02:11
  
  President Barack Obama is set to announce on Wednesday that he will bring back nearly all of the 1,300 U.S. troops deployed in West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic by April 30, the White House said in a statement. "We are encouraged by the declining number of new Ebola cases in West Africa, but remain concerned about a recent increase in cases in Guinea, and an inability to further reduce case counts in Sierra Leone," the White House said in a statement. "Moreover, given that a
  
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• Exclusive: U.S. airlines disclose details of bookings lost to Gulf carriers

  11-02-2015 01:37
  
  More recently, U.S. carriers have seen an erosion in their share of bookings to Milan, according to a report the U.S. airlines sent to the White House and the departments of State, Transportation and Commerce. The report says the combined share of bookings between the United States and the Indian subcontinent for Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), United Airlines (UAL.N) and American Airlines (AAL.O) has fallen to 34 percent in 2014 from 39 percent in 2008.
  
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• U.S. to withdraw most of its troops fighting Ebola in Africa: WSJ

  11-02-2015 01:32
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to announce the United States will withdraw most of the American troops sent to West Africa to battle the Ebola epidemic, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. It quoted U.S. officials as saying that over the coming weeks, Washington would pull out most of the 1,300 U.S. forces currently working in Liberia and Senegal, where officials believe the crisis has largely been contained. The White House had no immediate comment on the report.
  
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• Obama stands firm on hostage ransoms

  11-02-2015 01:03
  
  Hours after confirming the death of a US hostage snatched in Syria, President Barack Obama described the anguish of dealing with distraught families, but insisted his government would still not pay ransoms. Telling loved ones he would not allow ransom payments in return for freedom is "as tough as anything I do," Obama told BuzzFeed in an interview following the death of 26-year-old Kayla Mueller. Last week the Islamic State group claimed she had been killed in a Jordanian air strike i
  
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• White House struggles with Obama comment on Paris attack

  11-02-2015 00:32
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and State Department struggled Tuesday to clarify President Barack Obama's suggestion that last month's deadly shooting at a kosher deli in Paris was random, despite the administration's earlier assertions that the attack was anti-Semitic.
  
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