White House news

• Why the Pentagon wants you to know its Mosul war plan

  20-02-2015 23:54
  
  The U.S. military is typically loathe to talk about future operations, but early this week a senior official laid out pretty detailed plans for an assault on Mosul for a roomful of reporters.
  The somewhat unusual briefing outraged Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who complained Friday in a letter to President Obama that the "disclosures not only risk the success of our mission, but could also cost the lives of U.S., Iraqi, and coalition forces."
  
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• Joe Biden’s ‘Worst Week’ (and a few runners up)!

  20-02-2015 23:40
  
  In declaring Joe Biden the "winner" of this week's "Worst Week in Washington" award, I wrote:
  There’s a fine line between endearing and creepy, and Vice President Biden always seems to be teetering on that edge. This past week, he tumbled over — face first.
  
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• 6 things you didn’t read today (but should have)

  20-02-2015 23:26
  
  1.  Jamelle Bouie on how Rudy Giuliani is right that President Obama isn't like his predecessors.
  2. When Time Magazine declared Rudy Giuliani Mayor of the World in 2001.
  3. How to cram for the Oscars before Sunday.
  
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• Obama to host Emir of Qatar at White House

  20-02-2015 23:17
  
  Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will host the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the White House on February 24, officials said Friday.
  
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• Biden, in calls with Ukrainian leaders, condemns separatist offensive

  20-02-2015 22:30
  
  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in phone calls with Ukrainian leaders on Friday, strongly condemned an offensive by pro-Russian separatists on the town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine, the White House said. In separate calls with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, Biden discussed options for "effective monitoring" of a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons from eastern Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Biden also agreed with the Ukrainian le
  
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• EXCLUSIVE-U.S. lawmaker pushes Obama to aid allies in Islamic State fight

  20-02-2015 22:27
  
  (Inserts White House spokesman comment, paragraph 7) By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A senior Republican lawmaker has told President Barack Obama she was prepared to block foreign aid money if the administration did not provide fighter jets and tanks to Egypt and arms to other regional allies fighting Islamic State militants. In a letter to Obama, Kay Granger, chairwoman of the House of Representatives State and Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, said Egypt needs
  
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• Unwelcome mat: White House tries to counter Netanyahu visit

  20-02-2015 21:47
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In what is becoming an increasingly nasty grudge match, the White House is mulling ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming trip to Washington and blunt his message that a potential nuclear deal with Iran is bad for Israel and the world.
  
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• Russia risks more 'costs' for Ukraine operations: White House

  20-02-2015 21:01
  
  Continued military operations in Ukraine by Russian-backed separatists despite a ceasefire deal risks "increasing costs" being imposed on Russia by the United States and its European allies, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Friday. "The impact of the sanctions regime is having more of a bite," Earnest said in a news briefing. "What's also possible is that it's possible that there could be additional costs over and above those increasing costs that could be imposed." Earnest added that
  
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• This Marco Rubio statement on Rudy Giuliani is just about perfect

  20-02-2015 20:56
  
  Day 2 of  a political gaffe story often winds up being all about how other politicians respond. Such is the case with Rudy Giuliani.
  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) proactively declined to criticize Giuliani's comment that President Obama "doesn't love America," while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) seemed unprepared for the question and didn't really weigh in.
  
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• A history of President Obama being called ‘anti-colonial’

  20-02-2015 20:51
  
  We are at risk of running out of dead horse to flog, but there's one more aspect of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's anti-Obama comments that's worth isolating. Speaking with reporters from the New York Times, Giuliani denied that his statement that President Obama doesn't love America was related in any way to the president's race. "This isn’t racism," Giuliani said. "This is socialism or possibly anticolonialism."
  
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• White House to Rudy Giuliani: We feel sorry for you

  20-02-2015 20:50
  
  White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Friday had a concise response to former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s remarks questioning President Obama's patriotism.
  “I can tell you that it's sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature, and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,” Earnest told reporters during the White House news briefing Friday. “And the truth is, I don't take any joy, or vindication, or satisfaction from that. I think, r
  
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• US to seek stay of ruling on Obama immigration action

  20-02-2015 20:31
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The government will seek a stay of a judge's decision that has temporarily blocked President Barack Obama's action to protect millions of immigrants from deportation, the White House said Friday.
  
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• White House says considering 'tools' to help steer Venezuela

  20-02-2015 20:30
  
  The Obama administration is considering additional "tools" that can help "steer" the Venezuelan government in a more positive direction, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Friday.
  
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• Incorrect tax forms sent to 800,000 U.S. health exchange enrollees

  20-02-2015 20:23
  
  By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Friday that 800,000 people who signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act received incorrect tax forms and should wait to receive new ones before filing their taxes. The Treasury Department said it is weighing what to do about people who have already filed and will provide additional information "shortly." Republican lawmakers pounced on the mistake. "The White House tells us in a classic Frid
  
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• Obama seeks to block immigration ruling

  20-02-2015 20:23
  
  President Barack Obama's administration will seek to block a court ruling that has frozen landmark immigration reform and called into question his strategy of bypassing Congressional stalemate. The White House said on Friday that papers would be filed by Monday to stay a Texas court injunction against reforms that would protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The Department of Justice has "made a decision to file a stay" said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
  
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• White House's Earnest: 'I feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani'

  20-02-2015 19:44
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he feels "sorry for Rudy Giuliani today" after the former New York mayor declared that President Barack Obama does not love the United States.
  
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• Justice Department to seek emergency stay to allow immigration action

  20-02-2015 19:39
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will seek an emergency stay to block a decision by a federal judge and allow eligible immigrants to apply for benefits granted under President Obama's executive action, the White House said on Friday. The Justice Department will file paperwork to seek a stay by Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. (Reporting By Julia Edwards; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
  
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• Obamacare Tax Mandate Forces Deadline Extension

  20-02-2015 19:39
  
  The White House is giving some uninsured people six more weeks to sign up for coverage in order to avoid Obamacare’s tax penalty for not having health insurance.  The official deadline to sign up for coverage ...
  
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• US SEC's Gallagher takes aim at White House memo on fiduciary rule

  20-02-2015 19:03
  
  A top U.S. securities regulator accused the White House on Friday of circulating baseless "propaganda" to rally support for a proposed rule he said would unnecessarily tighten limits on investment advice that Wall Street brokers can offer on retirement plans. Securities and Exchange Commission Republican member Daniel Gallagher chided the White House for last month's leak of a memo that outlined concerns with compensation models. Gallagher's comments came in a speech at the Practising Law Instit
  
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• Rudy Giuliani and the ‘love it or leave it’ view of America

  20-02-2015 18:50
  
  President Obama, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani declared at an event this week, doesn't love America. He then refined the claim. "The reality is, from all that I can see of this president — all that I've heard of him — he apologizes for America, he criticizes America," Giuliani said. "This is an American president I've never seen before."
  
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• Obama to meet with Qatar's emir at White House on February 24

  20-02-2015 18:48
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Qatar's emir on Tuesday to discuss political, economic and security issues, the White House said on Friday. The visit by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani comes as Qatar and another U.S. ally in the Middle East, Egypt, have traded barbs in a dispute over Egyptian air strikes on Islamic State targets in Libya, with Qatar recalling its ambassador from Cairo. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Susan Heavey)
  
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• A very good demonstration of how not to elevate the political debate with Rudy Giuliani, courtesy of Rep. Steve Cohen

  20-02-2015 18:32
  
  Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) decided to weigh in on the still-burbling Rudy Giuliani debate on Friday with a tweet.
  This tweet.
  
  The reference, if you missed it, is to the three-fifths compromise written into the Constitution. The men drafting the document were torn between whether or not to include slaves in population counts for the states. Since higher populations meant more members of the House of Representatives, states wanted as many citizens as possible. But slaves, who made up a large per
  
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• Obama on Democrats’ goal: ‘It’s about making this nation we love more perfect’

  20-02-2015 18:13
  
  President Obama sought to rally fellow Democrats at the Democratic National Committee's 2015 winter meeting in Washington on Friday, telling them, "It's about making this nation we love more perfect."
  Speaking to roughly 355 DNC members at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Obama warned that in the fight between Democrats and Republicans over policy, "This is not just a sports contest."
  
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• War, extremism, Islam, and America's language police

  20-02-2015 18:09
  
  In the process of making his case, Mr. Giuliani joined a rising chorus of language police on the American right, spearheaded by Fox News, who are furious (they say) that the Obama White House tries to avoid smearing all Muslims with the same brush when talking about Islamist jihadis like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. This complaint was directed at Mr. Obama during an international summit in Washington on what his administration calls "countering violent extremism." In his remarks, Obama str
  
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• U.S. lawmaker pushes White House to aid allies in Islamic State fight

  20-02-2015 18:02
  
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican lawmaker warned President Barack Obama she would do "everything within my power," including holding up money, to push the United States to provide fighter jets and weapons to Egypt and other allies fighting Islamic State militants. In a letter to the president, Kay Granger, chairwoman of the House of Representatives State and Foreign Operations subcommittee, said Egypt needs F-16 aircraft and M1A1 Abrams tanks held up since 2013. Sh
  
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• Obama to meet Liberian president on Ebola recovery

  20-02-2015 18:02
  
  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Ebola-ravaged Liberia will visit the White House on February 27, as her recovering nation embarks on an ambitious goal of reducing infections to zero. The White House said Friday that Johnson Sirleaf -- a rare female African leader who came to power in 2006 amid a wave of optimism -- will meet US President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss Ebola response and the grueling task of economic recovery. "President Sirleaf's visit comes at a time of
  
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• Exclusive: U.S. lawmaker pushes White House to aid allies in Islamic State fight

  20-02-2015 17:35
  
  A senior Republican lawmaker wrote to President Barack Obama saying she would do "everything within my power," including holding up spending and introducing legislation to push the administration to provide fighter jets, weapons and other aid to allies fighting Islamic State. Kay Granger, chairwoman of the House of Representatives State and Foreign Operations subcommittee, said Egypt needs F-16 aircraft and other weapons held up since 2013.
  
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• There’s another HealthCare.gov disaster

  20-02-2015 16:51
  
  Getty Images / Joe Raedle Hisham Uadadeh walks out of a Miami insurance agency after enrolling in a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act on February 13, 2014. The Obamacare website had another major stumble on Friday when the White House revealed it sent hundreds of thousands of customers bad tax information. According to the Associated Press, the Obama administration said about 800,000 HealthCare.Gov customers were sent the wrong tax information. Those customers will now have to
  
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• The 10 most important Youtube videos of all time

  20-02-2015 16:29
  
  Youtube Psy in “Gangnam Style.” Youtube turned 10 years old last week. In the past decade, the website has become a huge part of our culture and an important platform for brands to engage with users. It’s where music videos live. It’s where movie trailers premiere. It’s where a whole new class of multimillionaire “Youtube stars” have cropped up. To chart Youtube’s growing influence, Business Insider talked with Youtube expert and virality consultant Brendan Gahan. Gahan is the fo
  
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• Prince Charles to visit White House in March

  20-02-2015 16:26
  
  President Barack Obama will host Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla on March 19, for a visit designed to underscore "the special relationship" between the two nations, the White House announced on Friday. The White House said the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, will visit as part of a four-day trip to the United States from March 17 to 20. In Washington the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Mt. Vernon, the historic home of first US president Geo
  
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• White House extends Obamacare deadline, admits subsidy snafu

  20-02-2015 16:01
  
  Bowing to pressure, the Obama administration is extending Obamacare enrollment for those who learn they owe a penalty for being uninsured in 2014. Officials also acknowledged that some 800,000 Obamacare ...
  
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• In wake of court setback, Obama to hold immigration town hall in Miami

  20-02-2015 15:58
  
  President Obama will hold a town hall-style meeting with Latinos in Miami next Wednesday, as he aims to rally support for his executive actions on immigration after a federal judge temporarily blocked the new initiatives.
  
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• Obama to meet at White House with Prince Charles, Camilla

  20-02-2015 15:57
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will host Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, at the White House in March.
  
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• Obama to host Britain's Prince Charles at White House in March

  20-02-2015 15:46
  
  President Barack Obama will meet next month with Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, during the royals' visit to the United States to encourage corporate social responsibility and combating climate change, the White House said on Friday. Charles, known formally as the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will visit the White House on March 19.
  
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• Obama to host Liberian president, discuss Ebola response

  20-02-2015 15:45
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Washington next week to discuss government efforts on the Ebola virus that ravaged West Africa, the White House said on Friday. The meeting was scheduled for next Friday at the executive mansion, according to a White House statement. "The president looks forward to building on a strong and historic partnership with Liberia and discussing a range of topics with President Sirleaf, including the ongoing Ebo
  
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• Obama to host Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall next month

  20-02-2015 15:38
  
  President Obama will host the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall next month, the White House announced Friday.
  The president will also host Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the Emir of Qatar next week.
  
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• Obama to discuss Ebola response with Liberia's president

  20-02-2015 15:28
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will host Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the White House next week.
  
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• Obama to host Britain's Prince Charles at White House on March 19

  20-02-2015 15:21
  
  Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will host Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla for talks in the Oval Office on March 19, the White House said Friday.
  
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• Obama cites India in call to correct distorted impression of Muslims

  20-02-2015 15:20
  
  Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Acknowledging that many in the US have a distorted impression of Muslims, US President Barack Obama has cited the good work by Muslims around the world, including India, with one of the world's largest Muslim populations. Not enough of the good." Obama was speaking on the final day Thursday of a three-day White House summit to counter violent extremism at the State Department attended by over 60 countries, including India. The Indian delegation is headed by R.N. Ravi, C
  
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• Donald Trump tried to replace the 'cheap tent' outside the White House with a $100-million ballroom

  20-02-2015 14:05
  
  Businessman Donald Trump once called the White...
  
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• Kalorama: White House Precision Medicine Initiative Spotlights Tissue Diagnostics

  20-02-2015 12:06
  
  NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kalorama Information says the 'Precision Medicine Initiative announced by the White House as part of its 2016 budget could provide a boost to the tissue diagnostics and cell-based diagnostics industry.  The healthcare market research publisher notes that the initiative is combined with real funding, as part of a $215 million investment in the President's 2016 Budget, the Precision Medicine Initiative is aimed at promoting "patient-powered research" that "
  
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• US 'deeply troubled' by consistent ceasefire violations in east Ukraine

  20-02-2015 09:32
  
  London, Feb 20 (ANI): The United States has reportedly said that it is "deeply troubled" by reports of consistent fighting in east Ukraine despite the ceasefire agreement that took effect last week. While White House spokesman Eric Schultz urged all sides to respect the truce deal, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki warned that there would be "costs" if the violations continued, reported the BBC. The U.S. has been mulling imposing stricter sanctions on Russia or providing weapons to Ukr
  
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• Pakistan presents anti-terrorism strategy at US summit

  20-02-2015 07:36
  
  Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Pakistan has presented a five-point anti-terrorism strategy before a White House summit, a media report said Friday. US Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Advisor Susan Rice presided over various sessions of the day-long ministerial segment of the summit at the State Department, Dawn online reported. Addressing the summit, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the strategy could form "the conceptual bedrock" of a global action plan in dealing w
  
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• Brandis announces 'real-time social media monitoring' to combat terrorist propaganda

  20-02-2015 05:50
  
  The Attorney-General, George Brandis, has announced a program to combat terrorist propaganda on the internet, including real-time monitoring of social media, at a White House summit in Washington on countering violent extremism.
  
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• Indian-American DJ Patil named as first US chief data scientist

  20-02-2015 05:32
  
  Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) The White House has named Dhanurjay 'DJ' Patil as its first chief data scientist to help shape policies and practices to help the US remain a leader in technology and innovation. In a memo to the American people Thursday, Patil, 45, noted that "the Obama administration has embraced the use of data to improve the operation of the US government and the interactions that people have with it." Patil said his role "will be to responsibly source, process, and leverage data in
  
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• Citing India, Obama calls for correcting distorted impression of Muslims

  20-02-2015 05:14
  
  Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Citing the good work by Muslims around the world including India, with one of the world's largest Muslim populations, US President Barack Obama acknowledged that many in the US have a distorted impression of Muslims. Not enough of the good." Obama was speaking on the final day Thursday of a three-day White House summit to counter violent extremism at the State Department attended by over 60 countries, including India. The Indian delegation is headed by R.N. Ravi, Chairm
  
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• Finlayson attends CVE Summit

  20-02-2015 03:43
  
  Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson represented New Zealand at the Ministerial meeting of the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism in Washington DC on 19 February.
  
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• Obama calls for unity against violent extremism

  20-02-2015 03:36
  
  Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) US President Barack Obama Thursday echoed his Wednesday's call for Muslim communities around the world to resist the notion that the West was at war with Islam in his final speech at the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism.
  
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• Obama urges other nations to address sectarian problems to fight terrorism

  20-02-2015 02:38
  
  President Obama told representatives of more than 60 countries Thursday that they must address sectarian strife and other economic and political grievances to blunt the appeal of terrorist groups worldwide.
  
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• U.S., Israeli national security advisers discuss Iran nuclear program

  20-02-2015 02:05
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice met with her Israeli counterpart, Yossi Cohen, at the White House on Thursday for a discussion on Iran's nuclear program, among other issues, the White House said. The White House said the national security advisers agreed to continue close consultations. The meeting comes at a tense time in U.S.-Israeli relations and ahead of a controversial visit to Washington next month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Reporting by
  
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