President Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

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Obama's Staff Finds High Office Means Low Tech

'Kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,' one says of White House's rigid apparatus

(Newser) - Tech-savvy Obama staffers had a rude awakening on their first day at the White House, saddled with disconnected phone lines, limited Internet access, and 6-year-old PCs, the Washington Post reports. “It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” a spokesman said of the disconnect...

Bill Could Kill Doc-Owned Hospitals
 Bill Could Kill 
 Doc-Owned Hospitals 
ANALYSIS
Jan 22, 2009 12:36 PM CST

Bill Could Kill Doc-Owned Hospitals

Feds may see $1.2B in savings if for-profit facilities come under new regulation

(Newser) - A clause in a child-health bill just passed by the House would restrict Medicare payouts for, and the expansion of, doctor-owned hospitals, the specialized-care units blamed for hurting income at nonprofit facilities, the Wall Street Journal reports. There are 200 such facilities nationwide, touted for their efficiency but criticized for...

After Day of Rest, First Daughters Back to School

Exciting Inauguration Day ended with Jonas Brothers visit

(Newser) - Sasha and Malia Obama are back in school today, after taking yesterday off to recover from inauguration fever, the AP reports. The First Daughters spent Tuesday smiling and waving, and were up late with surprise visitors the Jonas Brothers while their parents were out at the balls. The girls are...

After Historic Day, Historic Cleanup

Trash-bin shortage caused tons of litter to pile up

(Newser) - Crews working into the wee hours hauled away at least 130 tons of garbage after America’s largest, and messiest, outdoor bash Tuesday, the Washington Post reports. With trashcans removed for security precautions, inauguration attendees littered the National Mall, leaving it looking like a rendition of Disney's Wall-E. Obama gear,...

Obama Signs Order to Close Gitmo

(Newser) - President Obama today signed orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center within a year, review the military terror trials, and ban the harshest interrogation techniques, the AP reports. “There we go,” the president said with satisfaction after signing the orders, which promise to fundamentally reshape the country's...

Absence at Oath Re-Do Not Matter of Biblical Proportion

Chattering class sure to run with Obama's omission, though it's a perfectly legal one

(Newser) - Huge news out of Washington: Barack Obama didn’t use a Bible when he re-took the oath of office! Is he really the president? Well, yes, says Alex Koppelman of Salon. “Legally, the president can be sworn in on a copy of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue ...

Clinton Takes Over at State
 Clinton Takes Over at State 
Jan 22, 2009 10:08 AM CST

Clinton Takes Over at State

Hundreds of employees cheer her arrival

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton began her first day as secretary of state with a message for her new employees, the New York Times reports. “This is a new era,” she said as State Department workers applauded her arrival this morning. “We will make clear as we go forward that...

Fan Fidel Hails 'Sincere' Obama

Castro was glued to inauguration coverage

(Newser) - Cuba's ailing former dictator Fidel Castro has spoken warmly about President Barack Obama, and his brother Raul is hinting about a face-to-face meeting, reports Australia's Age. Fidel, 82, spent Tuesday watching TV coverage of the inauguration and spoke glowingly about America's new president as "absolutely sincere" to Argentine President...

Prez Will Keep His BlackBerry
 Prez Will Keep His BlackBerry 
Jan 22, 2009 4:13 AM CST

Prez Will Keep His BlackBerry

Spy-proof smartphone tech means Obama won't have to give up beloved 'BarackBerry'

(Newser) - Security agents aren't going to have to pry the BlackBerry out of Barack Obama's hands after all, Marc Ambinder reports in the Atlantic. A government agency has added super-encryption technology to a standard BlackBerry, which the president will be allowed to use for routine and personal messages. It's not known...

Prez to Shut Gitmo, Secret CIA Prisons

Orders directing sweeping detention, interrogation overhaul expected today

(Newser) - The president will sign orders today ordering the Guantanamo Bay detention center shut down within a year—and directing the CIA to dismantle its network of secret prisons overseas, government officials tell the New York Times. The CIA will still be allowed to detain terror suspects in foreign countries, but...

Obama Grabs Highest TV Ratings Since Reagan

Web audience sends numbers skyrocketing

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inauguration was the most-watched ever but it failed to set a TV ratings record, USA Today reports. Neilsen estimates 37.8 million television viewers tuned in for the ceremony, while 41.8 million watched Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration. But internet viewership broke records and sent figures through the...

Arts Need a New Deal, Too
 Arts Need a New Deal, Too 
OPINION
Jan 21, 2009 7:40 PM CST

Arts Need a New Deal, Too

Cultural anthropologist suggests President Obama appoint arts cabinet

(Newser) - Fifty years after FDR’s Public Works Art Project paid and promoted American talent, President Obama has people dreaming of a new deal for arts, cultural anthropologist Patricia Williams Lessane writes in Ebony. While division spawned the Harlem Renaissance, Lessane is hopeful an arts resurgence would be “born out...

It's a Do-Over: Obama Retakes Oath of Office

(Newser) - Better safe than sorry: Chief Justice John Roberts went to the White House this evening and re-administered the oath of office to President Obama, the Washington Post reports. The two made up for their much-publicized bungle on Inauguration Day "out of an abundance of caution," said White House...

'Just to Be Safe,' Obama Should Redo Oath: Experts

Lawyers advise he retake fudged oath to avoid controversy

(Newser) - OK, it's probably not going to come up in court, but some constitutional lawyers tell the San Francisco Chronicle that Barack Obama should retake his flubbed oath just to be on the safe side. Presidents Coolidge and Arthur did after similar gaffes. It "would take him 30 seconds, he...

Lab Is Top US Dog, 18 Years and Counting

Yorkshire terrier is second; bulldog now at No. 8 and gaining fast

(Newser) - The Obamas’ pup could change things, but for now the playful Labrador retriever remains America’s most popular purebred, the American Kennel Club calculates. It's the Lab’s 18th consecutive year as king; the Yorkshire terrier and German shepherd are second and third, Reuters reports. Bulldogs moved up two spots,...

China Censors Obama Speech
 China Censors 
 Obama Speech 
Jan 21, 2009 4:00 PM CST

China Censors Obama Speech

President's inclusion of communism as defeated ideology irks government

(Newser) - Chinese censors clipped parts of Barack Obama’s inaugural address from yesterday’s live telecast, including his message for the world’s despots, the New York Times reports. The streaming audio translation was muted after Obama said “communism” in a sentence about using alliances and enduring conviction to defeat...

Madoff Scandal Turns Up Heat on Financial Advisers

Loophole lets Madoff types profit from bad advice, they say

(Newser) - Wall Street advisers and brokers are tussling over the details of a looming regulatory overhaul as Washington takes steps to prevent another Bernard Madoff scandal, Bloomberg reports. Advisers want brokers who counsel clients to be subject to the same oversight they’re under; currently, their brokerage counterparts can profit by...

Financials Kick Dow Up 279
 Financials Kick Dow Up 279 
MARKETS
Jan 21, 2009 3:22 PM CST

Financials Kick Dow Up 279

Stocks rebound after dismal Inauguration Day

(Newser) - A rebound in the financial sector today and qualified confidence in President Obama’s stimulus plan drove stocks to recover some of yesterday’s large losses, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 279.01 to close at 8,228.10. The Nasdaq added 66.21, closing at 1,507.07, and...

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Committee will wait week on AG nominee, infuriating chair Leahy

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed today’s scheduled vote on Eric Holder’s confirmation by another week, CNN reports. Republican members engineered the move, saying they have questions about the attorney-general nominee’s stance on interrogation techniques. Chairman Patrick Leahy, who said he was “extremely disappointed,” banged down...

Geithner Confirmation Expected
 Geithner Confirmation Expected 
UPDATED
Jan 21, 2009 2:14 PM CST

Geithner Confirmation Expected

Committee grills Treasury nominee on taxes, but session lasts just four hours

(Newser) - Members of the Senate Finance Committee reprimanded Timothy Geithner today for not paying $40,000 in taxes, but appeared ready to recommend the full Senate confirm him as Treasury Secretary despite his financial infractions, Roll Call reports. “I apologize for putting you in the position where you had to...

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