White House news

• As White House, Netanyahu spar over speech to Congress, the gloves come off

  25-02-2015 23:37
  
  Reporters are scrambling for the thesaurus to find new ways to describe the deteriorating relationship between the Obama White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over negotiations to curtail Iran's nuclear program. Whatever word you reach for, the animosity has reached rare, almost unprecedented levels a little more than a week before Mr. Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress. He’s coming – at the invitation of Republican lawmakers and over the objections o
  
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• Obama meets with immigration activists ahead of Florida town hall

  25-02-2015 22:54
  
  President Obama plans to highlight aspects of his executive actions on immigration not subject to a ruling by a Texas judge that temporarily blocked the administration's deferred-deportation program, according to some immigration advocates who met with Obama on Wednesday.
  
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• Obama: ‘We will be as aggressive as we can’ on immigration appeal

  25-02-2015 22:54
  
  President Obama said Wednesday that the administration will be 'as aggressive as we can' on a Texas judge's ruling that temporarily blocked the administration's deferred-deportation program and he will veto a Congressional vote on whether or not his executive actions are legal.
  
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• Donald Trump serious about 2016 presidential run - Washington Post

  25-02-2015 22:54
  
  Businessman Donald Trump is ramping up efforts for a 2016 presidential run, adding to a growing pool of potential Republican candidates, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Trump, whose wealth includes a huge real estate portfolio, several hotels and the TV show "The Apprentice," has toyed with the possibility of running for president before, but never actually entered the race. The Post quoted Trump as saying in a telephone interview that he was serious about running for the pr
  
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• USHCC Statement in Response to White House Town Hall Meeting on Immigration

  25-02-2015 22:51
  
  The following is a statement by United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Javier Palomarez:
  
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• Jeb Bush: Any war decisions as president ‘wouldn’t be conflicted by any legacy issues of my family’

  25-02-2015 22:39
  
  Jeb Bush said Wednesday that concerns he’d be accused of launching a “third Bush war” wouldn’t keep him from sending American troops overseas, and accused President Obama of policy failures that allowed the Islamic State to gain a foothold in Iraq.
  
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• More moderate Syrians ready to battle Islamic State than expected: U.S. official

  25-02-2015 21:13
  
  Moderate Syrian fighters in greater numbers than U.S. officials had expected are stepping forward to battle Islamic State militants, the White House's special envoy for the campaign against the group said on Wednesday. We've had an encouraging sense that there is an interest in this," retired General John Allen, President Barack Obama's envoy to the anti-IS coalition, told a U.S. Senate committee. U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters per year for three years at
  
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• Chicago's Garcia has a chance in second-round mayor's race

  25-02-2015 20:56
  
  By Fiona Ortiz CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mayoral underdog Jesus "Chuy" Garcia has a fighting chance in an April runoff election against well-funded incumbent Rahm Emanuel but political insiders say he must broaden his coalition beyond the Hispanic voters and disgruntled teachers who boosted him so far. The sometimes abrasive Emanuel displeased enough voters to help Garcia force the first mayoral runoff since Chicago adopted a non-partisan election format in the mid-1990s. While the mild-mann
  
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• Steph Curry poses with the two most popular White House residents

  25-02-2015 20:09
  
  Steph Curry, one half of the Splash Brothers and the best player on the best team in the NBA, stopped by the White House today -- a day after his Golden State Warriors beat the hometown Washington Wizards -- to meet with president Obama and make a pitch for his pet issue: malaria prevention. As the San Jose Mercury News reported:
  
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• Netanyahu speech to Congress 'destructive' to US ties: Rice

  25-02-2015 20:03
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of an invitation to address the US Congress, without the blessing of the White House, is destructive to US-Israeli ties, a senior official said Tuesday. The comments by National Security Advisor Susan Rice are some of the harshest yet amid a controversy over Republican House speaker John Boehner's invitation to the Israeli leader to address lawmakers, without following protocol and advising President Barack Obama first. Rice, in an
  
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• Reducing U.S.-Israeli bond to political parties 'destructive' - White House

  25-02-2015 19:53
  
  The White House said on Wednesday that reducing the U.S.-Israel relationship to two political parties is "destructive" to the bond between the countries, clarifying previous comments made by President Barack Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice. Rice said on PBS on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech next week to Congress, expected to assail U.S. policy on Iran's nuclear programme, injects a "destructive" partisanship into U.S.-Israeli ties.
  
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• States are less reliant on federal dollars, but red states still top the list

  25-02-2015 19:45
  
  States are becoming a little less reliant on the federal government.
  Federal dollars accounted for 30 percent of state revenues in the 2013 fiscal year, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts analysis released Wednesday. While that level is higher than the average 28.5 percent over the decade leading up to the recession, it’s a decline from a recent peak of 35.5 percent in the 2010 fiscal year. Federal dollars accounted for just over $500 billion of the $1.7 trillion collected by state govern
  
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• Yellen fights back as Republican lawmakers accuse Fed of bias

  25-02-2015 19:17
  
  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Wednesday fended off a stream of tough questions from Republican lawmakers who accused the U.S. central bank of having a liberal bias even as the Fed tries to maintain its independence. The normally reserved Yellen was animated and appeared up for a fight, grimacing as Republicans sniped at the Fed's role in labor markets and openly showing her annoyance at questions that cast doubt on the central bank's intentions. Several Republican members of the House of
  
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• Netanyahu says respects Obama but no choice on Iran

  25-02-2015 19:16
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he respects President Barack Obama but stressed he has no choice but to travel to America to lobby against a nuclear deal with Iran. "I respect the White House and the US president but on a serious subject, it's my duty to do everything for Israel's security," Netanyahu said during a campaign rally at a West Bank settlement. "Under the agreement that is being prepared, we have reason to worry... if the world powers
  
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• Netanyahu accuses West of forsaking non-nuclear Iran pledge

  25-02-2015 18:47
  
  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rebuffed criticism in Washington of his plans to speak in Congress, accusing world powers of forsaking a pledge to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. "I respect the White House and the President of the United States but on such a fateful matter, that can determine whether or not we survive, I must do everything to prevent such a great danger for Israel," Netanyahu said in a speech. ...
  
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• The 12 best political moments from ‘Parks and Recreation’

  25-02-2015 18:41
  
  NBC's "Parks and Recreation" ended Tuesday night. The show followed the public service career of Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope from deputy director of the Pawnee City, Indiana Parks and Recreation department to city councilor to a National Park head. It featured plenty of all-star political guest appearances and moments along the way.
  
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• Joe Biden is in New Hampshire today

  25-02-2015 18:36
  
  Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday made a swing through New Hampshire, his third visit to an early-voting state in three weeks despite his public reluctance to speak about a potential 2016 presidential run.
  
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• The Gray Party

  25-02-2015 18:20
  
  In a feature in this month's edition of The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin notes that one of the favorite lines of attack for Hillary Clinton's critics is to harp—sometimes rather obliquely—on her age. "Articles have proclaimed: 'Affluent Grandmother Is 2016 Frontrunner,' 'Memory Problems Could Doom Hillary’s White House Run,' and 'Grandmother Hillary Clinton, 67, is vying to become one of the oldest world leaders in history,'" Rosin writes. Clinton
  
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• Stacey Dash to Publish Memoir ‘There Goes My Social Life’ (Exclusive)

  25-02-2015 18:00
  
  Fox news contributor Stacey Dash is penning a new book. The “Clueless” actress has signed a deal with Regnery Publishing to release her memoir “There Goes My Social Life” this summer, TheWrap exclusively learned on Wednesday. Best known for playing Dionne in the 1995 teen classic, Dash shocked Hollywood liberals when she “came out” as a conservative in 2012 by tweeting that she was sick of being disappointed by the Obama White House and endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Having
  
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• White House Warns of Backdoor Payments for Retirement Investments - Mutual Fund Commentary

  25-02-2015 17:30
  
  The Obama administration is serious about cracking down on the unfair practices that many Wall Street firms are engaged in when they advise retirement investors.
  
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• Netanyahu declines meeting with US Democrats

  25-02-2015 17:27
  
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a proposed meeting with US Senate Democrats during his upcoming Washington visit, saying it would fuel "misperception of partisanship" over his planned address to Congress. Netanyahu's decline, confirmed in a letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein seen by AFP, cast further attention Wednesday on an already contentious visit by the Israeli leader that has severely strained ties with President Barack Obama's ad
  
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• ‘House Of Cards’ Review: Dominic Patten Says Season 3 Shows Presidential Timber

  25-02-2015 17:04
  
  He probably should be in the big house, but instead Francis Underwood is finally in the White House after spending the first two seasons of House Of Cards scheming and dealing to get there. And that’s a good thing. As my video review above says, the third season of Netflix's groundbreaking political drama remains timelier than ever. You can see for yourself when all 13 episodes of the new season become available on Friday. In the meantime, let me tell you that one of the…
  
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• Pressure centers on House GOP on Homeland Security bill

  25-02-2015 16:42
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans reacted tepidly at best Wednesday to calls from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Obama administration for legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security without immigration-related add-ons opposed by the White House.
  
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• White House threatens veto of GOP bill to fix education law

  25-02-2015 15:51
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is threating to veto a Republican bill to fix the widely criticized No Child Left Behind law that is set for debate in the House on Wednesday, calling it "a significant step backwards."
  
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• DHS funding, by the numbers

  25-02-2015 15:41
  
  Congress must pass legislation by February 27 to keep the Department of Homeland Security running. The agency faces a partial shutdown if its budget doesn’t get Congress’s and the president's approval. Here's a breakdown of what’s at stake.
  
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• White House threatens veto for U.S. House education bill

  25-02-2015 15:38
  
  The White House on Wednesday said a bill under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives to revise the federal No Child Left Behind education law would face a veto from President Barack Obama if it reached his desk. The bill, called the "Student Success Act," has been approved by a congressional committee and is expected to come before the full House for a possible vote this week. The White House said the bill is "a significant step backwards" in education policy.
  
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• Obama threatens veto of GOP bill to fix No Child Left Behind

  25-02-2015 15:35
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama would veto a Republican bill to overhaul the widely criticized No Child Left Behind law.
  
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• Measure What Matters

  25-02-2015 15:30
  
  Photo credit: Buzzfeed Motion Pictures Last week, we witnessed another major milestone in presidential digital media: President Barack Obama appeared in a BuzzFeed video. The BuzzFeed Video division wanted to interview the President for a number of months; the White House was interested in pushing for more registrations on Healthcare.gov before the February 15 deadline. […]
  
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• Carter Says Plan to Destroy ISIS Just Needs Tweaking

  25-02-2015 11:15
  
  After a brief surprise visit to the Middle East only days after taking charge, new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says the Obama administration’s strategy for battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria is basically sound – though in need of a little tweaking. During a meeting with reporters Monday in Kuwait City after discussions with top military and diplomatic officials, Carter spoke in broad terms about ways he thinks the strategy of U.S. airstrikes and ground operations by allied forces could be i
  
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• Netanyahu speech to US congress will harm ties with US: Rice

  25-02-2015 09:33
  
  Washington (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of an invitation to address the US Congress, without the blessing of the White House, is destructive to US-Israeli ties, a senior official said.
  
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• Chicago mayor to face runoff against county commissioner

  25-02-2015 07:09
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — After failing to persuade a majority of Chicago voters to back his re-election bid, Mayor Rahm Emanuel could face an even stiffer challenge in April against a runoff opponent aiming to consolidate the support of residents unhappy with how the former White House chief of staff has managed the nation's third-largest city.
  
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• ‘Parks & Recreation’ Finale: Mike Schur on ‘Sopranos’ Inspirations, Easter Eggs and the White House Question

  25-02-2015 05:00
  
  Showrunner Mike Schur talks about bringing NBC's beloved comedy to a close after seven seasons.
  
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• Clinton says she would push for inclusive problem-solving

  25-02-2015 04:46
  
  Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that if she decides to seek the White House again she would try to bring Republicans from red states and Democrats in blue states into a "nice, warm, purple space" ...
  
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• Obama committed to boosting India-US trade ties

  25-02-2015 04:38
  
  Washington, Feb 25 (IANS) Asserting that President Barack Obama was committed to boosting India-US trade ties, the US has suggested that they work together in a way that benefits the economies and job creation in both countries. "There is an opportunity for us to try to advance the interests of both our countries by working together and by coordinating our efforts," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday. He was responding to a question about follow up action taken since
  
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• Christie sets out teachers' pension reform

  25-02-2015 04:31
  
  By Luciana Lopez TRENTON, N.J. (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he had struck a deal with the state's teachers on a road map for pension reform while warning of a dire future if other unions do not make similar commitments to cut the cost of workers' retirement benefits. The governor's office later acknowledged that more work remained to be done on pension reform. The said agreement between Christie, a Republican weighing a 2016 bid for the White House, and the
  
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• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel forced into April runoff election

  25-02-2015 04:29
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to capture a majority of the vote in Tuesday's municipal election, an embarrassment for the former White House chief of staff because it forces him into a runoff this spring against Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
  
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• Chicago Mayor Emanuel struggling to avoid April runoff

  25-02-2015 03:40
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared headed to an April runoff Tuesday after voters weighed his record on school closings, crime and jobs in deciding whether to award the former White House chief of staff a second term.
  
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• Netanyahu declines U.S. Democrats' invitation for meeting during visit

  25-02-2015 02:28
  
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined on Tuesday an invitation to meet with U.S. Senate Democrats during his trip to Washington next week. "Though I greatly appreciate your kind invitation to meet with Democratic Senators, I believe that doing so at this time could compound the misperception of partisanship regarding my upcoming visit," Netanyahu wrote in a letter to Senators Richard Durbin and Dianne Feinstein obtained by Reuter
  
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• McConnell plan moves Senate closer to deal on DHS funding, but House support unclear

  25-02-2015 02:28
  
  The Senate moved closer Tuesday to a deal to avert a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, but the proposal faced an uncertain future in the House, where Republican leaders conspicuously refused to embrace it.
  
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• Obama’s Keystone veto is only his third in six years. It won’t be his last.

  25-02-2015 00:56
  
  President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline legislation Tuesday within hours of its arrival on his desk. Few bills have arrived with such fanfare and died so quickly.
  Despite the legislation’s demise, the third veto of Obama’s presidency exposed his new political reality — unified Republican control of Congress that will force him to confront critics directly in a way he’s rarely had to before and explain his stands to the American public.
  
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• Presidential vetoes through history

  25-02-2015 00:51
  President Obama has vetoed fewer bills passed by Congress than most of his predecessors.
  
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• NJ's Christie strikes tentative teachers' pension deal

  25-02-2015 00:36
  
  By Luciana Lopez Trenton, NJ (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie struck a deal with the state's teachers on a "road map" for pension reform while warning of a dire future if other unions do not make similar commitments to cut the cost of workers' retirement benefits. The tentative agreement between Christie, a Republican weighing a bid for the White House in 2016, and the New Jersey Education Association marked a dramatic turn in a long-bitter relationship.
  
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• Clinton says she would push problem-solving if she runs

  25-02-2015 00:29
  
  SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says if she seeks the White House she would want to bring Republicans from red states and Democrats from blue states into a "nice, warm purple space" where they could try to solve problems.
  
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• Obama picks Amias Gerety as assistant secretary for financial institutions

  25-02-2015 00:18
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to nominate Amias Gerety, a counselor at the Treasury Department, as assistant secretary for Financial Institutions, the White House said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Walsh)
  
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• Obama Can’t Save Obamacare from the Supreme Court

  25-02-2015 00:15
  
  If the Supreme Court decides against Obamacare, the White House won’t be able to save it. On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the Obama administration has no tricks up its sleeve to manage the potentially looming disaster if the Court strikes down federal subsidies for millions of Americans in the 37 states that rely on the federal exchange. "We know of no administrative actions that could, and therefore we have no plans th
  
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