Obama administration

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US Pressures Egyptian Military to Step Aside

White House publicly calls for civilian government to take control ASAP

(Newser) - The Obama administration is publicly and privately pressuring Egypt’s military leaders to step aside ASAP. The White House issued a statement today urging that a “full transfer of power to a civilian government,” take place “in a just and inclusive manner … as soon as possible,...

Panetta Pays Coach Fare for $30K Flights Home

Defense secretary required to travel on military jets

(Newser) - Leon Panetta usually heads home to California for the weekend, and the defense chief is racking up huge costs in cross-country travel, reports the Washington Times . Panetta has made the journey 14 times since taking the post in July, and the Times says each round trip in a military jet...

Obama Preparing for Debt Committee Flop

Pessimism rampant on Capitol Hill

(Newser) - Publicly White House officials are saying that failure isn’t an option for the deficit super committee, but behind closed doors, failure is exactly what they’re expecting. Advisers privately tell the Washington Post that they’re preparing for the possibility—perhaps probability—that the 12-member committee fails. President Obama...

I Want 20% Less Spending on Swag: Obama

 I Want 20% Less 
 Spending on 
 Swag: Obama 
'we can't wait' campaign
Nov 9, 2011 6:59 AM CST

I Want 20% Less Spending on Swag: Obama

Tasks federal agencies with trimming the fat in four other areas, too

(Newser) - If you happen to be sipping from a promotional coffee cup bestowed on you by a federal agency, hang on to it: You might not be getting a new one anytime soon. As part of his "We Can't Wait" campaign, President Obama will today announce his latest effort:...

Appeals Court: Health Reform Constitutional

White House chalks up third US appeals court victory

(Newser) - A third federal appeals court has declared President Obama’s health law to be constitutional. The influential District of Columbia court says Congress’s powers over interstate commerce give it the means to require individuals to buy health care or face a financial penalty. “The right to be free...

Obama's Chief of Staff Half-Resigns

William Daley will now only handle external relations

(Newser) - William Daley has only been President Obama’s chief of staff for 10 months, but he's seemingly ready to be co-chief: Daley is stepping sideways, the Wall Street Journal reports, handing over the day-to-day running of the White House and its dealings with Congress to longtime Obama aide Pete...

Obama Considering Scaling Back Afghan Mission

US would shift to advisory role

(Newser) - The White House is looking to shift US troops in Afghanistan from a combat role to a primarily advisory one earlier than previously planned. While no decisions have been made yet, the possibility has been discussed at high-level meetings with defense officials, sources tell the Wall Street Journal , with some...

House Panel Subpoenas White House Solyndra Docs

Last-ditch efforts to avoid the move prove fruitless

(Newser) - Despite last-minute efforts by the White House, the House Energy and Commerce Committee panel today authorized subpoenas for internal White House documents related to the Solyndra mess. The Washington Post calls the move “apparently unprecedented.” President Obama’s top lawyer had sought a deal and White House officials...

Another US-Backed Energy Company Goes Bankrupt

Beacon Power adds to Obama administration's post-Solyndra woes

(Newser) - More potential trouble for the Obama administration: On the heels of Solyndra, another federally-backed power company has gone bankrupt. A year ago, Beacon Power received a $43 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, Reuters reports. The company drew down $39 million of that loan for a $69 million...

White House Chief of Staff: 'It's Been a Brutal 3 Years'

Bill Daley says Congress won't let Obama be a chief executive

(Newser) - Roger Simon of Politico has an entertaining interview with White House chief of staff Bill Daley. Some highlights:
  • How it's going: “It’s been a brutal three years. It’s been a very, very difficult three years, an incredible three years. And we are doing all this under
...

Car Maker Gets $529M US Loan, Builds Car in Finland

Claims money was all spent on US design work

(Newser) - Another Energy Department loan guarantee is coming under scrutiny. ABC News has discovered that the Obama administration doled out a $529 million guarantee to Fisker Automotive to build its new state-of-the-art luxury hybrid, only to see Fisker build the car in a factory in Finland. Fisker says there were simply...

Senate Digs In Over Potatoes in School Lunches

Thwarts Obama's attempts to limit them for childrens' health

(Newser) - The Senate yesterday subtly thwarted an Obama administration proposal to limit the amount of potatoes and other starchy vegetables school children scarf down, inserting an amendment into an Agriculture Department spending bill prohibiting the Department from setting “any maximum limits on the serving of vegetables in school meal programs....

Court Blocks Parts of Alabama Immigration Law

Schools won't have to check legal status of kids

(Newser) - The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction today blocking two key provisions of Alabama’s controversial immigration law : the one requiring immigrants to carry special alien registration cards, and another forcing schools to check the immigration status of enrolling students. The court said the legal challenges against those...

White House Almost Gave Solyndra Another Loan

Even as auditors warned the company was in trouble

(Newser) - Just days after Solyndra received its $535 million government-backed loan in September 2009 it applied for another one—this time for a mere $469 million—and the Energy Department put that request on a fast-tracked priority list, sources tell the Washington Post . The department was still seriously considering the request...

At Least 27 States Ditching No Child Left Behind

Arne Duncan says he's encouraging them to do so

(Newser) - It’s been a week since Barack Obama offered to let states out of No Child Left Behind's strictest provisions , and states are jumping to take him up on it. At least 27 states have already told the administration they’re opting out, and most of the rest are...

US Fights to Keep bin Laden Death Photos Secret

Administration argues in court that they would endanger Americans abroad

(Newser) - The Obama administration filed court documents this week arguing that the 52 photographs and video recordings it has of Osama bin Laden's corpse are "wholly exempt from disclosure," and that it would not release them for fear of inspiring violence against Americans abroad. The filing is in...

US Was Blind to Cracks at Solyndra

Firm launched $1.8M lobbying campaign

(Newser) - The Obama administration, eager to approve funding for a hard-lobbying Solyndra, overlooked key flaws that ultimately brought down the company, insiders and analysts tell the New York Times . None of the other solar panel firms that received federal loan guarantees hired lobbyists; “it was made clear to us early...

Women Bemoaned &#39;Hostile Workplace&#39; to Obama
Women Bemoaned 'Hostile Workplace' to Obama
'CONFIDENCE MEN'
Sep 20, 2011 7:35 AM CDT

Women Bemoaned 'Hostile Workplace' to Obama

The president then made a conscious effort to improve things

(Newser) - Women felt so frustrated in the early months of the Obama administration, that they eventually complained to the president himself, prompting a November 2009 dinner in which Obama listened to their grievances and vowed to improve things, the Washington Post reports. Female staffers’ discontent is a major point in Ron...

White House Hits Back at Confidence Men

Key figures deny harsh quotes, assertions of Obama weakness

(Newser) - The Obama administration is fighting back against allegations from Ron Suskind's coming book Confidence Men that the president's top advisers undermined his authority and ignored his orders, reports Politico . “This is not what I told the author, this is not what I believe, and anyone who knows...

General: White House Pressed Me to Alter Testimony

...On a matter involving Democrat donor

(Newser) - Air Force Gen. William Shelton dropped an uncomfortable bombshell in his Congressional testimony yesterday, accusing the Obama administration of asking him to soften his remarks about a company that happens to be owned by a Democratic donor’s investment fund. The company, LightSquared, is trying to build a nationwide wireless...

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