White House news

• US to slow down troop exit from Afghanistan

  16-03-2015 23:13
  
  The United States will scrap a plan to reduce the US force in Afghanistan to 5,500 by December, after American commanders appealed to keep more troops on the ground, officials said Monday. The White House is due to hold meetings in the coming days that will pave the way for a final decision expected to be announced next week, when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets US President Barack Obama in Washington. There are about 10,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan. It was unclear how many soldier
  
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• Hillary Clinton accuses Republicans of 'trifecta against women'

  16-03-2015 22:02
  
  Potential White House contender Hillary Clinton criticized the Republican-led U.S. Congress on Monday in a pair of tweets, calling Capitol Hill fights over a key Obama administration nominee and a human trafficking bill a "trifecta against women." Clinton, who has not announced her candidacy for president in 2016 but is nonetheless seen as the Democratic front-runner, has made it clear that if she does run, women's issues will be a central part of her campaign message. On Monday,
  
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• No place for Assad in Syria talks, U.S. officials say

  16-03-2015 21:49
  
  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States insisted on Monday it would never negotiate directly with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, edging away from comments made by Secretary of State John Kerry, and it cast doubt on any immediate prospects for third-party talks to resolve Syria’s civil war. Kerry’s apparent suggestion in a CBS television interview on Sunday that there could be a place for Assad in efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the Syrian conflict drew swift
  
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• First lady won't avoid Cambodia human rights concerns

  16-03-2015 21:33
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Michelle Obama will address Cambodia's human rights record when she visits the southeast Asian nation later this week.
  
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• 2 Chicago universities urge Obama to put library in city

  16-03-2015 21:23
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — The two Chicago universities in the competition for President Barack Obama's library came together Monday to send a message to the White House: Choose either one of us, just don't pick New York.
  
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• Exemption for Bankrupt Students? Education Stocks in Focus - Analyst Blog

  16-03-2015 21:19
  
  The White House is proposing to pass a new Student Aid Bill of Rights that includes a provision to allow private student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy cases.
  
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• Talks to save Belfast power-sharing overshadow St Pat's Day

  16-03-2015 19:53
  
  BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — It has become a hallmark of the St. Patrick's Day holiday: the entire political elite of Ireland descending on the White House.
  
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• White House consulting Petraeus on fight against IS

  16-03-2015 19:28
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it's consulting with former CIA Director David Petraeus (peh-TRAY'-uhs) about the fight against the Islamic State group despite his admission that he gave classified material to his biographer and mistress.
  
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• Iran lawmakers won't derail nuclear deal

  16-03-2015 19:09
  
  Iranian MPs will not derail a nuclear deal with the West, as US lawmakers have threatened to, if the country's supreme leader gives it his backing, parliament's top official said Monday. Speaker Ali Larijani said lawmakers and the government would be unified if an agreement gets the nod from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on all policy matters in the Islamic republic. "We don't have problems like those in the United States," he said, alluding to the split
  
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• The Everyday Thing Michelle Obama Longs For as First Lady

  16-03-2015 18:41
  Michelle Obama came by “Ellen” on Monday and talked about how living in the White House has changed her family’s life and how it’s prevented them from doing the simplest things we all take for granted. Said the First Lady to Ellen, “You know, the one thing people don’t realize is we can’t do little things like open windows…I mean, I haven’t been in a car with the windows open in about 7 years, if you can imagine that.
  
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• White House slams McConnell on Lynch confirmation delay

  16-03-2015 18:29
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is blasting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for holding up a confirmation vote for Loretta Lynch to be attorney general.
  
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• Michelle Obama Tells Ellen What She Misses Most About Life Before the White House (Video)

  16-03-2015 16:41
  
  Michelle Obama told Ellen Degeneres in an interview that the thing she misses most about her pre-White House life is being able to do something as simple as opening a window.
  
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• Obama administration: 16.4M have gained health insurance

  16-03-2015 16:16
  
  More than 16 million Americans have gained insurance coverage as a result of President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration said Monday as the White House prepares to commemorate the fifth ...
  
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• Wall Street study pans White House analysis of retirement advice rule

  16-03-2015 15:57
  
  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Wall Street trade group released a new study on Monday that takes aim at the economic analysis the White House is using to justify new rules designed to curb conflicts of interest and "hidden fees" that brokers charge customers for retirement investment advice. The report, commissioned by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), accuses the White House of using cost estimates not backed up by academic literature and failing to
  
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• New 'TechHire' initiative from the White House aims to get more Americans plugged into tech jobs

  16-03-2015 12:30
  
  The initiative aims to develop resources, relationships, and opportunities in cities big and small to quickly train tech talent.
  
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• China says deliberation on draft anti-terrorism law goes ahead

  16-03-2015 11:02
  
  By Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - Deliberation on a controversial Chinese anti-terrorism law is going on and it will be formulated based on national security needs, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, after a senior U.S. official suggested the legislation had been put on hold. The draft law, which could require technology firms to install "backdoors" in products or hand over sensitive information such as encryption keys to the government, has been criticised by some Western leaders and bus
  
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• Netanyahu’s 3 Major Hurdles in Israel’s Election

  16-03-2015 09:30
  
  Israelis go to the polls tomorrow for an election that could decide the political fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose appearance before a joint meeting of Congress early this month sparked anger from the Obama White House and controversy on Capitol Hill. The fresh controversy over Netanyahu combined with the ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, which Netanyahu has denounced, has sparked more interest than usual. Unlike the de facto two-party system in the U.S., there
  
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• Michelle Obama Reveals What She Won't Miss About Being First Lady

  16-03-2015 07:53
  
  After President Obama's second term is up, he and First Lady Michelle Obama will be leaving the presidential residence at the White House and moving to their own home, living as regular people. So how does she feel about the upcoming change? Michelle sat down with Ellen DeGeneres, where she opened up about the one thing she isn't going to miss about living in the White House and her life in the spotlight. VIDEO: Michelle Obama Channels 'The Good Wife' With State of the Union Outfit "The one thin
  
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• Sen. Ted Cruz attacks Obama during New Hampshire visit

  16-03-2015 03:55
  
  By Dave Sherwood BARRINGTON, N.H. (Reuters) - Senator Ted Cruz, the conservative Texas Republican considering a run for the presidency, lashed out at President Barack Obama during a visit to New Hampshire on Sunday, saying his administration had repeatedly trampled on the Constitution. Cruz, who is exploring a run for the White House in 2016, struck a defiantly aggressive tone during a speech in the first state to hold a presidential primary election, slamming Obama on his handling of immigratio
  
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• Mayor Emanuel pulls ahead in Chicago race, Garcia gets backing

  16-03-2015 02:08
  
  By Fiona Ortiz CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has opened a 10 percentage point lead in his re-election bid against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, an opinion poll on Sunday showed, though his challenger received a hard-won labor union's endorsement that could bring in campaign cash and volunteers. The Chicago mayor's race went to an unprecedented run-off when well-funded Emanuel, mayor since 2011, failed to clinch the 50 percent of the vote he needed for an outright win
  
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