White House news

• DJ Patil joins White House to work on precision medicine

  18-02-2015 23:48
  
  As we reported two weeks ago, after White House staff leaked the news on a conference call, DJ Patil, the former Chief Data scientist at Linked In and most recently a VP of Product at RelateIQ, is now ...
  
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• DJ Patil joins White House as Chief Data Scientist to work on precision medicine

  18-02-2015 23:48
  
  As we reported two weeks ago, after White House staff leaked the news on a conference call, DJ Patil, the former Chief Data scientist at LinkedIn and most recently a VP of Product at RelateIQ, is now the ...
  
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• Obama - countering violent extremism depends on Muslim support

  18-02-2015 23:33
  
  By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on American Muslim communities to do more to counter what he called "violent extremism," speaking at a three-day White House summit on the issue. Critics have accused the White House of shying away from tying extremism to the religion of Islam following shootings by Islamic militants in Paris and Copenhagen. "Muslim leaders need to do more to discredit the notion that our nations are determined
  
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• Islamic State and America's new war: Some good and not-so-good reading

  18-02-2015 23:14
  
  The US is now in a war with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is providing arms to Egypt, which is fighting an IS affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula. The White House's draft of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against IS makes that apparent.
  
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• 'I am my own man,' says Jeb Bush

  18-02-2015 22:34
  
  Republican Jeb Bush insisted Wednesday that he is his "own man," further indication he is distinguishing himself from his presidential father and brother as he mulls a 2016 White House bid. In a broad-ranging foreign policy speech in which he called for resurgent American leadership from the Middle East to Asia to confronting Russian aggression, the former Florida governor acknowledged his brother George W. Bush committed "mistakes" in the Iraq War.
  
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• United States to export armed drones: Can it enforce how they're used?

  18-02-2015 22:20
  
  The Obama administration has approved the widespread export of armed drones for the first time, the White House announced Tuesday. Remotely-controlled armed aircraft, also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems, are a central, albeit highly controversial, part of the United States' counterterrorism strategy. Human rights advocates have been critical of the Obama administration’s frequent use of drones and the high number civilian casualties that have resulted from their use. Now, foreign governments
  
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• US denies Israel in the dark over nuclear talks

  18-02-2015 22:15
  
  The White House on Wednesday denied keeping Israel in the dark over ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, but suggested its ally had cherry-picked information to bolster opposition to the deal. Amid strains in the US-Israeli relationship over negotiations to reach a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, White House spokesman Josh Earnest rejected suggestions Israel was being frozen out. "There were some initial reports that indicated that the United States is no longer communicating with
  
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• Facebook diplomacy: UMass reverses policy prohibiting Iranians from some courses

  18-02-2015 22:08
  
  “Students at the UMass who began a Facebook petition contacted our organization through Facebook last Thursday and we immediately issued a statement and began contacting the State Department, Treasury, and the White House,” Jamal Abdi, policy director for The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), told the Monitor in a phone interview.
  
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• Head of Russian security forces joins White House talks

  18-02-2015 22:05
  
  Despite strained US-Russian ties, the head of Russia's FSB security forces was Wednesday leading Moscow's delegation to a White House summit aimed at battling violent extremists, a US official said. Alexander Bortnikov, who heads the powerful intelligence agency, is one of the highest level Russian officials to visit Washington in recent months as tensions have flared over the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Moscow told Washington late Tuesday that it wanted to include Bortnikov in its de
  
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• Russian spy chief to attend US meeting on fighting extremism

  18-02-2015 21:56
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite U.S.-Russian tensions over Ukraine, the head of the Russian spy and counterintelligence service will attend this week's White House conference on countering extremist violence.
  
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• Jeb Bush: 'Mistakes' made in Iraq on his brother's watch

  18-02-2015 21:48
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Republican presidential prospect Jeb Bush said Wednesday that "there were mistakes made in Iraq" during his brother's administration, offering the critique during a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy that comes as part of his run-up to a likely campaign for the White House.
  
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• Former White House Economist: All Aboard Florida Doomed to Financial Failure

  18-02-2015 21:23
  
  All Aboard Florida will likely generate losses of $100 million annually, according to a new economic analysis by a former White House economist. The report, which was commiss
  
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• Corrected - Obama chooses Clancy to be Secret Service director

  18-02-2015 20:40
  
  (Corrects to "Director" from "Doctor" 5th paragraph) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has chosen Joseph Clancy as the new head of the U.S. Secret Service, the White House said on Wednesday, after a series of high profile security lapses led to a shake-up in the troubled agency's leadership. Director Julia Pierson stepped down in October after an embarrassing Sept. 19 White House breach in which a man carrying a knife jumped the fence and ran into the executi
  
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• U.S. deciding whether to extend Obamacare enrollment

  18-02-2015 20:38
  
  Americans who have started enrolling for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act can still sign up, and the U.S. government is weighing whether to open a special enrollment period for those who missed Sunday's deadline, the health secretary said on Wednesday. So far, 11.4 million Americans have enrolled in private health insurance through the health reform law known as Obamacare during the open enrollment period that ended on Sunday, according to the White House. The Affordable Care
  
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• Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs Mbarka Bouaida Leads Moroccan Delegation to White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism

  18-02-2015 20:26
  
  Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs Mbarka Bouaida is leading Morocco's delegation to the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, which opened yesterday with a roundtable discussion led by ...
  
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• European leaders set to discuss Ukraine ceasefire by phone - White House

  18-02-2015 20:26
  
  The leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia were slated to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan for Eastern Ukraine by phone on Wednesday, the White House said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was clear that Moscow and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine had not lived up to the terms of the ceasefire. "Their failure to do so does put them at risk of greater costs," Earnest told reporters at a briefing, noting that the White House supports ongoing negotia
  
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• U.S. accuses Israel of inaccurate leaks on Iran nuclear talks

  18-02-2015 20:12
  
  The White House said on Wednesday that Israeli officials had mischaracterized U.S. negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and criticized what it called "a continued practice of cherry-picking" and leaking information out of context. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Obama administration is mindful of the need to keep the negotiations private and accused Israel of distorting the U.S. position. "There's no question about that." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, speaking to reporter
  
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• Obama chooses Clancy to be Secret Service director

  18-02-2015 20:08
  
  President Barack Obama has chosen Joseph Clancy as the new head of the U.S. Secret Service, the White House said on Wednesday, after a series of high profile security lapses led to a shake-up in the troubled agency's leadership. Director Julia Pierson stepped down in October after an embarrassing Sept. 19 White House breach in which a man carrying a knife jumped the fence and ran into the executive mansion. Obama chose Clancy, a 27-year veteran of the Secret Service, despite the recommendat
  
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• Obama names new US Secret Service head after scandals

  18-02-2015 19:57
  
  President Barack Obama on Wednesday named acting director Joseph Clancy as the permanent head of the US Secret Service, ignoring calls for an outsider to be appointed following a string of White House breeches. A four-member government panel had suggested that the service needed a leader from outside to clean house after a mentally disturbed veteran in September scaled the fence and burst into the White House carrying a knife. President Barack Obama and his family were not present at the time, b
  
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• U.S. monitoring Argentina turmoil following prosecutor's death: White House

  18-02-2015 19:40
  
  The White House is monitoring the situation in Argentina, where the death of a prosecutor who had accused President Cristina Fernandez of covering up Iran's alleged role in a 1994 bombing has sparked protests, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday. Earnest said the White House is "concerned" about issues regarding the rule of law and justice that have been raised surrounding the apparent suicide of the prosecutor last month.
  
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• US: Israel has mischaracterized US position in Iran talks

  18-02-2015 19:32
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it's still consulting with Israel about its nuclear negotiations with Iran but is concerned that cherry-picked information is leaking out and undermining negotiations.
  
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• Obama in call to discredit extremists

  18-02-2015 19:28
  
  President Barack Obama will call for nations around the world to stand together and discredit the voices of violent extremism Wednesday, at a conference with representatives from 60 countries. Obama is expected to tell delegates to a White House summit on violent extremism that the fight against groups like the Islamic State cannot be won with military might alone. "We must stand united internationally and here at home," Obama wrote in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece foreshadowing th
  
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• White House says mindful of need to keep Iran nuclear deal private

  18-02-2015 19:26
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is mindful of the need to not negotiate with Iran on its nuclear deal in public and is concerned about the "cherry picking" of leaked information from the negotiations, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday. Earnest said the leaked information was used "out of context." (Reporting By Julia Edwards)
  
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• Republican Jeb Bush says eager for Netanyahu speech to Congress

  18-02-2015 19:23
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush, a possible contender in the 2016 presidential contest, said on Wednesday that he is eager to hear a controversial speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. Congress next month. Bush, a former Florida governor, said he was surprised by the White House's reaction to the planned speech, organized by congressional Republicans. President Barack Obama has said he will not meet with the foreign leader to avoid the appearance of interferi
  
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• Minister Blaney to Attend White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism

  18-02-2015 19:21
  
  Today, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced he would attend an international summit in Washington, D.C., Thursday, February 19, to discuss ...
  
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• Obama picks Clancy as Secret Service director

  18-02-2015 18:52
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama has chosen Secret Service Acting Director Joe Clancy to fill the position permanently.
  
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• Obama chooses Secret Service director

  18-02-2015 18:46
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has chosen Joseph Clancy as the new head of the Secret Service, the White House said on Wednesday. Clancy has been head of the agency on an interim basis for the last four months, after a string of mishaps and security lapses that led to a shake-up in its leadership. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason)
  
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• Isis Twitter war shows tech giants have crucial role in fight against terrorism

  18-02-2015 18:25
  
  The start of the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism today marks an important step in the international fight against extremism propagated by groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State (Isis). By convening not just the usual government and security sector suspects, but also leaders from the private and tech sectors, NGOs and grassroots activists, the White House is signalling the need for a more dynamic, multi-sector approach to stemming the rise of radicalisation and recrui
  
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• The Fight Against Extremism: Social Media, Security and Terror at Home

  18-02-2015 18:10
  
  President Barack Obama says the U.S. is not at war with Islam but with people who have perverted the religion. Obama was speaking Wednesday at a White House summit on countering violent extremism. He is calling for a focus on preventing terrorists from recruiting and inspiring others.
  
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• HHS' Burwell: Consumers "in line" for Obamacare can still enroll

  18-02-2015 18:08
  
  Americans who have started enrolling for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act can still sign up, but the U.S. government is still weighing whether to open a special enrollment period for those who missed Sunday's deadline, the health secretary said on Wednesday. So far, 11.4 million Americans have enrolled in private health insurance through the health reform law known as Obamacare during the open enrollment period that ended on Sunday, according to the White House. The Affordable Care
  
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• At summit, Obama aims to broaden world approach to extremism

  18-02-2015 18:07
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama gathered police leaders, lawmakers and mayors from around the world Wednesday to address the threat of violent extremism at a White House summit that was far from what Obama originally envisioned.
  
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• Why Republicans Might Want to Rethink Their Victory Lap on Immigration

  18-02-2015 17:56
  
  Republicans, especially some of the potential 2016 presidential candidates, were quick to claim a victory this week after a judge in Texas ordered a temporary halt to some of President Obama’s controversial immigration actions. "The Texas court decision reached last night is a major turning point in the fight to stop Obama's lawless amnesty," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Tuesday. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal added: "Louisiana joined this lawsuit [that 26 states filed against
  
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• Double Bill in Denver Looks at Past, Future of E-Discovery

  18-02-2015 17:43
  
  DENVER, Feb. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Decade of Discovery—an acclaimed documentary that chronicles the impact of the information explosion on the courts and the government during the years 2002 to 2012—will be screened in an exclusive Denver-area showing on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the University of Denver, Davis Auditorium. The documentary tells the story of a government attorney on a quest to find a better way to search White House e-mail, a teacher who takes a stand for civil justice on
  
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• 'Creepy Uncle' Biden Mocked On Twitter

  18-02-2015 16:41
  
  Vice President Joe Biden has been mocked on social media after getting up close and personal with the wife of the new defence secretary during his swearing-in ceremony. As Ash Carter began speaking at the White House, Mr Biden beckoned Stephanie Carter from across the room, then put both hands on her shoulders - just as her husband thanked the VP for presiding over the ceremony. Mr Biden's hands lingered for roughly 20 seconds until he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Joe Biden cha
  
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• 'Creepy Uncle' Biden Ridiculed On Twitter

  18-02-2015 14:57
  
  Vice President Joe Biden has been mocked on social media after getting up close and personal with the wife of the new defence secretary during his swearing-in ceremony. As Ash Carter began speaking at the White House, Mr Biden beckoned Stephanie Carter from across the room, then put both hands on her shoulders - just as her husband thanked the VP for presiding over the ceremony. Mr Biden's hands lingered for roughly 20 seconds until he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Joe Biden cha
  
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• GOPS's Bush noting difference with former president brother

  18-02-2015 14:47
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Running for president as part of a family dynasty is presenting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with inevitable comparisons he must address as he moves closer to a campaign for the White House.
  
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• US blames Russian forces, rebels for Ukraine ceasefire 'violation'

  18-02-2015 08:21
  
  The US has accused Russian forces and separatist rebels of violating the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, after fierce fighting around the strategic town of Debaltseve threatened the latest attempt to end the bloody 10-month conflict. US Vice President Joe Biden "strongly condemned the violation of the ceasefire by separatist forces acting in concert with Russian forces, in and around the town of Debaltseve", the White House said in a statement Tuesday after he spoke to Ukrainian Presiden
  
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• New US defence chief praised for deepening defence ties with India

  18-02-2015 05:26
  
  Washington, Feb 18 (IANS) Ashton Carter has taken over as President Barack Obama's fourth defence secretary in six years with Vice President Joe Biden praising him for implementing the Asia-Pacific rebalance, including deepening defence cooperation with India. Carter, 60, a former deputy defence secretary replaced Chuck Hagel, the lone Republican in the Obama cabinet who resigned last November under pressure. He was sworn in by Biden as the 25th US defence secretary in a ceremony at the White Ho
  
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• UN chief to attend White House summit

  18-02-2015 04:44
  
  United Nations, Feb 18 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon would be in Washington DC Thursday to attend the Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, hosted by the US, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, announced here.
  
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• Revolutionary ‘Hamilton’ Raps Up American History With ‘Les Miz’ Fervor: Review

  18-02-2015 03:20
  
  Word about Lin-Manuela Miranda’s Hamilton has been spreading, circulating, building to a fever pitch since May, 2009, when he performed the title song (and, at the time, the show’s  only song) at a White House gathering hosted by the Obamas. I can’t think of another show since Les Miserables, in 1987, that’s generated so much pre-opening excitement. And I can’t think of another show since Rent, in 1996, at which I felt the thrill not only of a promise being fulfilled but…
  
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• Biden condemns Ukraine cease-fire violations

  18-02-2015 03:08
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is condemning violations of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine that the White House is blaming on pro-Russian separatists and Russian forces.
  
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• US condemns Ukraine ceasefire violation, warns Russia

  18-02-2015 02:52
  
  US Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday blamed separatist fighters and Russian forces as he condemned the violation of a three-day-old ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and warned of increased "costs" to Russia. Biden "strongly condemned the violation of the ceasefire by separatist forces acting in concert with Russian forces, in and around the town of Debaltseve," the White House said in a statement after he spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The leaders of France, G
  
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• Some 11.4 million Americans have enrolled in Obamacare: White House

  18-02-2015 01:25
  
  "The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, is working. It's working better than we anticipated, certainly working a lot better than many of the critics talked about early on," President Barack Obama said in a video linked to the White House tweet. Obamacare's open enrollment period began on Nov. 15 and closed on Sunday.
  
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• Retirement-Account Standards May Tighten

  18-02-2015 01:19
  
  At present, the brokers’ recommendations for 401(k) plans and other retirement accounts generally have to be “suitable,” a weaker standard that critics say permits high fees that eat into investors’ returns. A White House announcement of the so-called fiduciary rules is expected to generate significant pushback from Wall Street, which says it already faces robust regulation and warns the rules’ likely costs could make it uneconomical for brokers to serve lower-balance accounts. It like
  
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• Some 11.4 million Americans are enrolled in Obamacare: White House

  18-02-2015 00:58
  
  "The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, is working. It's working better than we anticipated, certainly working a lot better than many of the critics talked about early on," President Barack Obama said in a video linked to the White House tweet. Obamacare's open enrollment period began on Nov. 15 and closed on Sunday.
  
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• White House: Health law sign-ups top 11M

  18-02-2015 00:45
  
  More than 11 million people signed up for subsidized private health insurance under President Barack Obama's law this year, the White House announced Tuesday evening. But that preliminary statistic — 11.4 ...
  
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• Biden kicks off White House summit on countering violent extremism

  18-02-2015 00:41
  
  Vice President Joe Biden kicked off a three-day White House summit on countering violent extremism by lauding the U.S. "melting pot" of assimilating immigrants, a model the administration believes Europe needs to emulate more. The summit, which started Tuesday and brings together local officials from across the country and ministers from around the world, follows recent shootings in Copenhagen and Paris that have galvanized Western resolve against such extremist attacks. The White Hous
  
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• Obama to meet with Senate Democratic leader at White House

  18-02-2015 00:33
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to meet with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid as Congress debates a series of issues at the top of the president's agenda.
  
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