Obama administration

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Israel May Strike Iran Over Nukes: Think Tank

Israeli military will strike Iran if it gets too close to nuclear breakthrough

(Newser) - Israel is seriously thinking about launching a military strike against Iran to keep it from becoming a nuclear power, says a new report from a Washington think tank. What's more, the timetable for such a strike is moving up because of Iran's progress on the nuclear front and its possible...

Woes Won't Sour Obama Numbers ... Yet

(Newser) - If Barack Obama is lucky, and the predictions of most economists indicate he will be, the US economy will emerge from recession long before the populace expects it to, Nate Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight. And “it will be quite some time yet before the public pins most of the...

Obama Has Too Many Czars, Critics Complain

Sen. Byrd says Obama's 'super aide' craze is a power grab

(Newser) - Barack Obama loves czars. He’s got an energy czar, an urban affairs czar, an economic czar, and, most recently, a health reform czar, making him the most czar-happy president ever, scholars say. But lawmakers worry they’re losing ground in the "super aide" craze, the LA Times reports....

Clinton Seeks World Meeting on Afghanistan

High-level conference would develop 'common way forward'

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has proposed a high-level international conference on Afghanistan sponsored by the United Nations and attended by a wide range of countries including Pakistan and NATO allies. The secretary of State presented the proposal at a NATO meeting in Brussels, where she said the session could be held March...

Kennedy Plans Stop at Health Summit

Would be the senator's first public appearance since inauguration

(Newser) - Ill health hasn’t stopped Ted Kennedy from planning a surprise visit to today’s White House health-care reform summit, the Washington Post reports. The senator will appear with President Obama if his health permits, said administration insiders. Kennedy, a strong advocate for universal health care, is suffering from brain...

Obama Housing Rescue Plan Leaves Many Out in Cold

Criteria keep many who need help from refinancing under the plan

(Newser) - A large swath of Americans will see no help under the Obama administration’s housing rescue plan, the New York Times reports. While designed to prevent 3 million to 4 million foreclosures through loan modifications, the plan doesn't cover those whose loans aren’t backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie...

White House Health Forum Convenes Today

Forum will give the floor to ranging viewpoints

(Newser) - President Barack Obama has invited to the White House more than 120 people with wide-ranging views on how to fix the US health-care system, one that still leaves millions uninsured despite being the world's costliest. The group of doctors, patients, business owners, and insurers is to gather for a forum...

Sen. Crotchety Routine Is Old
 Sen. Crotchety Routine Is Old 
OPINION
Mar 5, 2009 7:31 AM CST

Sen. Crotchety Routine Is Old

Senator's attacks on federal spending starting to seem like sour grapes

(Newser) - John McCain's complaining about the omnibus spending bill is starting to sound more like he's trying to fight the election again instead of fighting pork-barrel spending, Mike Madden writes in Salon. The senator appears to be going out of his way to remind people how much he disagrees with President...

White House Starts Mortgage Rescue Plan

(Newser) - The White House today kicked off its $75 billion plan to curb mortgage foreclosures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The federal dollars will both push lenders to lower monthly payments and help homeowners keep paying. “Today, we are providing servicers with the details they need to begin helping eligible...

Obama Targets Gov't Contract Fraud, Waste

Vows to save money

(Newser) - Barack Obama today announced a plan to clean up waste in federal contracts, a set of reforms he believes will save taxpayers up to $40 billion a year, the Washington Post reports. Flanked by spending hawks John McCain and Carl Levin, Obama said his budget manager is drafting “dramatic”...

Obama's FCC Pick Brings Reformer Label

Tech adviser Genachowski lauded to lead troubled agency

(Newser) - President Obama has officially named Harvard pal and technical adviser Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission, NPR reports. It’s Genachowski’s second tour—he worked at the FCC during the Clinton administration—and he’s being applauded on both sides of the aisle. Most are hoping the...

White House Reporters Trade Puff for Access
White House Reporters Trade Puff for Access
ANALYSIS
Mar 4, 2009 1:22 PM CST

White House Reporters Trade Puff for Access

The 'beat sweetener' laudatory profile is early-term tradition

(Newser) - Readers of just about any national news outlet might’ve noticed a flood of good press about top White House aides lately. It’s not coincidence, and it’s not bias, Michael Calderone writes for Politico. Called a “beat sweetener,” such pieces aim to cultivate sources by praising...

Calm Down, Government Debt Won't Kill Us
Calm Down, Government Debt Won't Kill Us
OPINION
Mar 4, 2009 12:11 PM CST

Calm Down, Government Debt Won't Kill Us

(Newser) - Republicans have become born-again deficit hawks, decrying the debt President Obama is handing America’s grandkids. “What’s missing,” writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post, “is any sense of perspective.” The added $2 trillion pales before the $66 trillion spent annually on Social Security and...

Clinton Visits West Bank, Names Syrian Envoys

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton met separately with the Palestinian president and prime minister in the West Bank today, after sitting down with Israeli leaders yesterday, and announcing the appointment of two senior envoys to Syria. Palestinian leaders implored Clinton to push for a freeze on expanding Israeli West Bank settlements, and open...

Obama Rethinks Bush's Species Protection Rule

Businesses may need to check with feds again before building

(Newser) - President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar are expected to announce today a review of a controversial, last-minute Bush administration rule on the environment, the Wall Street Journal reports. In December Bush’s Interior Department exempted developers and businesses from usual checks with the Fish and Wildlife Service to see...

Bernanke Backs Stimulus Bill
 Bernanke Backs Stimulus Bill 
Mar 3, 2009 12:00 PM CST

Bernanke Backs Stimulus Bill

Bigger deficits are worth the benefits, Fed chair tells Congress

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke supported the Obama administration’s economic policy before Congress today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The $787 billion stimulus bill should boost “demand and production” and soften job losses over the next 2 years, the Federal Reserve chief told the Senate Budget Committee. The expansion of government...

Obama's Plans Require a Lot More Hands

Federal workforce could expand by 100-250K, experts say

(Newser) - President Obama’s ambitious budget and stimulus plans will require the government to hire scores of new workers, the Washington Post reports. Analysts put the number between 100,000 and 250,000 spread among various agencies, the biggest expansion of the federal workforce since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society days....

Investment Funds May Replace 'Bad Bank'

Administration eyes creation of private funds to suck up toxic debt

(Newser) - The Obama administration is considering creating multiple investment funds to buy up the toxic debts at the heart of the financial crisis, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. No fixed structure has been agreed upon, but under one leading plan the funds would be administered by private investment managers who...

Obama Offers Russians Deal on Missile Shield

Prez offers to nix Europe defense base in exchange for help disarming Iran

(Newser) - President Obama has offered to cancel a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Russia will help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, administration officials tell the New York Times. The agreement, outlined in a secret letter delivered to Moscow last month, would remove a major source of Russian-American...

Why Obama Keeps Quiet on Abortion
Why Obama Keeps Quiet
on Abortion
ANALYSIS
Mar 2, 2009 6:20 PM CST

Why Obama Keeps Quiet on Abortion

Why pro-choice advocates are tepid on the Freedom of Choice Act

(Newser) - President Obama has promised to pass a "Freedom of Choice Act" to ban abortion restrictions, yet hasn't lifted a finger; nor have pro-choice advocates raised a fuss. With Democrats in Congress and a liberal national mood, why not strike now? Because the controversy over partial-birth abortion settled the...

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