White House news

• Test for ties as Qatar emir meets Obama

  23-02-2015 23:27
  
  It may be a meeting of allies, but when Qatar's emir holds talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday, there are several issues which could test that friendship. The meeting will be the first official visit to the White House by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who has been Qatar's ruler since June 2013. The meeting was announced cordially, with the White House saying in a statement last week that Obama was looking forward to discussing "political, economic, and
  
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• Obama says Congress could hurt state economies. But states are hurting themselves, too.

  23-02-2015 22:16
  
  President Obama on Monday warned a group of the nation’s governors that Republican threats to withhold funding for the Department of Homeland Security would hurt state economies.
  Republicans frustrated by the president’s executive action on immigration appear ready to let DHS funding expire by a Friday deadline, after which most of the department’s employees will have to continue working without the promise of pay.
  
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• President Obama confirms he'll veto Keystone XL bill

  23-02-2015 22:07
  
  An attempt to force U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline is being rebuffed, with the White House confirming that the president will veto a pro-Keystone bill, the first legislation of its kind passed by Congress. "I would anticipate that, as we've been saying for years, the president would veto that legislation," Obama spokesman Josh Earnest told a press briefing. The White House repeatedly said it would stop lawmakers if they tried forcing an outcome on Keystone XL. Th
  
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• Axelrod on Giuliani: "...a fading politician trying to...make himself relevant"

  23-02-2015 21:59
  
  Former White House Senior Adviser, David Axelrod, blasts former New York City Mayor; Rudy Giuliani for implying President Obama doesn't love America.
  
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• The newest conservative hero is a black middle schooler from Georgia

  23-02-2015 21:43
  
  Following Rudy Giuliani's controversial comments about President Obama's love (or lack thereof) for America, some die-hard conservatives are seizing on an unlikely validator for the New York City mayor: A black middle-schooler from Georgia.
  
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• US asks Texas judge to suspend immigration ruling

  23-02-2015 21:42
  
  The US government asked a federal judge in Texas who derailed President Barack Obama's immigration initiatives to suspend his decision, allowing programs protecting millions of undocumented immigrants to move forward pending an appeal. Obama had used his executive power to bypass Congress and make controversial changes to the US immigration system that would provide protection and work permits to about four million undocumented foreigners. The White House quickly condemned the decision and
  
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• In Silicon Valley, can Clinton harness excitement like Obama 8 years ago?

  23-02-2015 21:17
  
  SAN FRANCISCO — Early in the 2008 presidential race, the Bay Area swooned over Barack Obama. In his first official trip here, the relatively unknown candidate was greeted by shouts of “Mr. President!” Technology executives feted him at their mansions. Local papers described the buzz as “deafening.” Obama would go on to raise more than $38 million in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
  
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• Republicans split on DHS funding, edging closer to partial shutdown

  23-02-2015 21:12
  
  Congressional Republicans remain sharply divided over the looming standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security, prompting White House officials to prepare to shut down an agency designed to protect everything from the nation’s borders to the president.
  
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• How Scott Walker’s confidence led him to an unnecessary error on President Obama’s Christianity

  23-02-2015 21:03
  
  You could forgive Scott Walker for being a little bit cocky these days.
  After all, the Wisconsin governor has won three elections in the past four years -- bringing his unbeaten streak to 11 straight (out of 11). And, he has suddenly -- seemingly because of one strong Iowa speech -- become a top-tier candidate for president in 2016.
  
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• Saving for retirement: Obama proposal sets up Wall St. fight

  23-02-2015 20:52
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Putting the spotlight on retirement nest eggs, President Barack Obama on Monday called for tougher standards on brokers who handle such savings accounts, a change that could affect the investment advice received by many Americans and aggravate tensions between the White House and Wall Street.
  
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• Obama seeks new rules for brokers handling retirement accounts

  23-02-2015 20:51
  
  By Jeff Mason and Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wall Street brokers and financial advisers could face new restrictions under a proposal put forth by President Barack Obama on Monday that the White House said could save Americans with retirement accounts billions of dollars each year. The new rules would seek to reduce conflicts of interest to protect Americans from being steered into costly retirement investments that can come with steep fees. The White House's announcement is part
  
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• Chicago Mayor Emanuel looks to avoid runoff for 2nd term

  23-02-2015 20:50
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pugnacious style is being put to the test as the former White House chief of staff runs for re-election Tuesday.
  
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• Obama warns U.S. security funding lapse would hurt economy

  23-02-2015 19:53
  
  By Roberta Rampton and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security would mean more than 100,000 border patrol, port inspection and airport security agents would be temporarily left without paychecks. "It will have a direct impact on your economy, and it will have a direct impact on America's national security because their hard work helps to keep us safe," Obama said in a speech to a
  
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• Graham Moore: Five Things to Know About the Oscars 2015 Favorite

  23-02-2015 19:25
  
  Graham Moore gained major attention for his moving speech about suicide and being true to yourself at Sunday evening's Oscars -- learn five things to know about the Oscar-winning writer, including his love life and connections to the White House
  
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• Obama administration appeals ruling on immigration orders

  23-02-2015 19:15
  
  The Obama administration Monday appealed a ruling by a Texas judge that temporarily blocked the president's executive actions on immigration.
  The Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal and motion to stay the decision by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen of Texas. Hanen ruled last week that the administration's program, which would defer the deportations of as many as five million undocumented immigrants, should be temporarily blocked from going forward while a lawsuit filed by 26
  
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• Obama warns Homeland Security shutdown will hurt economy, security

  23-02-2015 17:47
  
  U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security would mean more than 100,000 border patrol, port inspection and airport security agents would be left without a paycheck. "It will have a direct impact on your economy, and it will have a direct impact on America's national security because their hard work helps to keep us safe," Obama said in a speech to a meeting of state governors at the White House.
  
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• Obama meets governors. Is his successor in the crowd?

  23-02-2015 17:31
  
  The nation’s governors assemble in the White House today to hear a policy speech from President Obama. It will be serious and potentially boring stuff, and as the statehouse chiefs sit in the impressive surroundings, perhaps the discussion of Department of Homeland Security funding will fade away and they’ll begin day-dreaming. “It’s wonderful to see you all here tonight,” he said to the assembled members of the National Governors Association. Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was in the
  
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• In unusual twist, presidential race is revving up in Texas

  23-02-2015 17:11
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas isn't an early presidential voting state, but its 2016 Republican White House primary already feels well underway.
  
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• 'House of Cards' New Trailer: Claire Is Ready to Blow the House Down

  23-02-2015 17:04
  
  The latest trailer for Season 3 of "House of Cards" pits POTUS against FLOTUS with the White House on the line.
  
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• 'House of Cards': Claire Is Ready to Blow the House Down in a New Trailer (Video)

  23-02-2015 17:04
  
  The latest trailer for Season 3 of "House of Cards" pits POTUS against FLOTUS with the White House on the line.
  
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• Modern Money Lessons From Mary Todd Lincoln

  23-02-2015 15:02
  
  The play, which just ended its run at the historic theater in the District of Columbia, explores the days after President Lincoln's assassination, when Mary struggles to regain her sense of identity and live amid her grief. As her character, played by Mary Bacon, faces dozens of unpaid bills for home furnishings, clothes and jewelry, she asks, "How will I ever pay these debts? I am no one." On top of moving out of the White House, mothering her sons and moving forward with her life, Lincoln must
  
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• Obama pushes protections for retirement accounts

  23-02-2015 13:55
  
  The White House says it wants greater protections for retirement investing. It unveiled broad strokes of a proposal Monday that would hold financial advisers handling individual retirement accounts (IRAs) ...
  
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• John Podesta: The backbone of the second Obama term departs

  23-02-2015 13:00
  
  John D. Podesta was not one of the founding members of President Obama’s tight inner circle, and after just over a year on the White House’s payroll he has left the administration. But apart from the president himself, no single person may be more responsible for shaping the ambitions of Obama’s second term.
  
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• Obama open to changes to military authority against IS

  23-02-2015 09:29
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is open to negotiating with Congress on his request for new authorization for military force against Islamic State militants, including his proposed three-year time limit on U.S. military action and the use of American troops, according to the White House.
  
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• Governors to meet with Obama at the White House Monday

  23-02-2015 09:20
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Many of the nation's Republican governors are blaming President Barack Obama for a budget standoff that threatens a potential Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
  
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• Administration aims for better financial advice

  23-02-2015 05:00
  
  A new proposal from the Labor Department would help save consumers money, the White House says
  
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• Congress split over ways to face Islamic State

  23-02-2015 02:41
  
  Congress returns to Washington this week after a 10-day break to confront the difficult business of how the United States should wage war against terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State.
  The formal task is to write and approve an “authorization for the use of military force,” or AUMF, but the broader goal is to demonstrate to the world that there is unified, bipartisan support for U.S. military engagement against a new, more mystifying enemy than the ones the United States faced w
  
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• Two Chicago universities vie to land Obama presidential library

  23-02-2015 02:18
  
  President Obama’s foundation is expected to announce a development partner soon, and two finalists include the elite University of Chicago, where Obama was a senior lecturer at the law school, and the public University of Illinois at Chicago, a 28,000-student-strong research university that, it says, reflects the president’s educational philosophy.
  
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