President Obama

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

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Nate Silver: Win the Cities, Win America

Fast-growing urban demographic handed Obama election victory

(Newser) - Barack Obama's strength in cities won him the election, meaning he "might be America's first urban" president, statistics whiz Nate Silver writes in Esquire. Obama's "pragmatic, superior, hip, stubborn, multicultural" ways make him unmistakably urban, Silver writes, and America's changing demographics mean that urban voters matter now more...

Senate Releases TARP Funds
 Senate Releases TARP Funds  
Jan 15, 2009 5:14 PM CST

Senate Releases TARP Funds

(Newser) - The Senate agreed to let loose the remaining TARP funds today by a relatively slim margin, the Hill reports. The 52-42 vote means Obama should have access to the $350 billion about a week after he takes office. The House hasn't voted yet, but the TARP legislation requires only one...

House Dems Debut $825B Stimulus Bill

Public works, education get plenty of attention in measure

(Newser) - House Democrats today introduced a long-awaited stimulus package, developed with President-elect Obama, and totaling $825 billion, the New York Times reports. The economic recovery plan includes billions in tax cuts, Medicare subsidies, and public-education and infrastructure spending. The Senate is developing its own version, and vigorous debate is anticipated as...

Burris Sworn in as Senator
 Burris Sworn in
 as Senator 
Jan 15, 2009 1:35 PM CST

Burris Sworn in as Senator

(Newser) - Roland Burris was sworn in and seated in the Senate today as the junior senator from Illinois. Democrats had been loath to accept an appointee of Rod Blagojevich's, but the continued hubbub around the former Illinois AG was seen as a distraction. And Burris’ heroic attempts to get his credentials...

Clinton, Biden Say Goodbye to the Senate

'I'll always be 'a Senate man,'' says VP-elect

(Newser) - Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton said farewell to the Senate today as they prepare for their new jobs in the Obama administration. Clinton said she was “gratified” by her 16-1 confirmation as Secretary of State by the Foreign Relations Committee, and she thanked her colleagues for being “wonderful...

Developing World Needs More Sweatshops: Kristof
Developing World Needs
More Sweatshops: Kristof
OPINION
Jan 15, 2009 12:41 PM CST

Developing World Needs More Sweatshops: Kristof

Yes, they're ugly by US standards, but many nations' poor toil in much uglier conditions

(Newser) - Before Barack Obama follows through on tough talk about global “labor standards,” Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wants to take him to a certain garbage heap in Cambodia. Here, where families live in shacks, scavenging in the hot sun, a sweatshop job is “a cherished...

Schapiro Pledges to 'Reinvigorate' SEC

Obama nominee wants better cooperation among agencies in nabbing next Madoff

(Newser) - Mary Schapiro, Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, told senators today she would make enforcement a top priority, CNN reports. Her confirmation hearing was also peppered with questions about how Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme slipped past regulators; Schapiro currently heads an industry watchdog group....

For Sale: Obama's Old Car; Price: $1M

Previous bidding reached $125,000 before seller canceled auction

(Newser) - As Barack Obama upgrades to a customized Cadillac limo fit for a president, the 2005 Chrysler 300C he once drove around Illinois is up for sale on eBay. Bidding starts at $100,000, but eager fans can fork out $1 million to buy it immediately, Time reports. The seller bought...

Inaugural Bibles: Past Presidential Picks

Lincoln provided the Bible, but Obama must turn to others for verse ideas

(Newser) - As Barack Obama prepares to take the oath of office Tuesday with his hand on the Lincoln Bible, the Wall Street Journal offers a sample of the Bibles other presidents have chosen—and the passages they've chosen to open them to. Eisenhower, Carter, and Bush Sr. took their oaths on...

Obama Staffers Stocking Up on Midnight Oil

President may encourage having families to White House for evening meals

(Newser) - The early-bird White House of the Bush administration is almost history, Politico reports. Unlike President Bush, who was usually out the door by 6pm, President-elect Obama’s staffers are expecting long, late hours to match their heavy workload. The Obama team is already working on ways to keep workers in...

Holder: Waterboarding Is Torture

But supports FISA, Patriot Act

(Newser) - Eric Holder minced no words when asked about waterboarding in his confirmation hearing today. “Waterboarding is torture,” the AG-designate said, a declaration neither Michael Mukasey nor Alberto Gonzales was willing to make. He said that, even in emergencies, the president couldn’t override the constitution. Republicans also leapt...

Biden Plans to Shrink VP Power
 Biden Plans to Shrink VP Power 
Interview
Jan 15, 2009 10:05 AM CST

Biden Plans to Shrink VP Power

But he'll be 'the guy in the room'

(Newser) - Most vice presidents enter office wanting to grab power and make a name for themselves. Not Joe Biden. The VP-elect is determined to roll back Dick Cheney’s massive power grab, he tells the New York Times. Will that make him less effective? “The only value of power is...

Senate Committee Approves Clinton

GOP's Vitter is lone dissenter in 16-1 vote

(Newser) - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next US secretary of State. The 16-1 vote paves way for a full Senate vote after Barack Obama takes office Tuesday. The junior senator from New York earned the near-unanimous support of her colleagues—Louisiana Republican David Vitter...

Marketers Have Inauguration Fever, Too

Companies tie products, events to Obama's big day

(Newser) - Marketers for products from cognac to commemorative coins are looking to cash in on Barack Obama’s Tuesday inauguration, the New York Times reports. “Obamabilia” includes bottles of Hennessy with a “44” on the label, special magazine issues, and Tshirts galore. Other companies, like Quaker Oatmeal, are hosting...

Critics Question Toughness of Obama's SEC Pick

Confirmation hearing today for Schapiro

(Newser) - As Mary Schapiro, Barack Obama's nominee to lead the SEC, heads to Capitol Hill to face Senate confirmation hearings today, questions linger about her light touch with big Wall Street firms. A seasoned regulator, Schapiro nevertheless spent much of last year cracking down on small brokerages and minor players, reports...

Obama: US Can Defeat Osama Without Killing Him

He'd prefer it, but says troops can isolate him

(Newser) - John McCain may have vowed during the campaign to go to the gates of hell to kill Osama bin Laden, but Barack Obama suggested tonight it may not be necessary. In an interview with Katie Couric on CBS, Obama said that while he'd prefer to "capture or kill" bin...

Approval Ratings: Obama 71%, Bush 34%

(Newser) - Barack Obama can seem to do little wrong in the eyes of the public. About 71% of Americans approve of his efforts in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. The results, which show that just 14% disapprove of him, are largely unchanged from December. President Bush, by contrast, will leave...

Obama Meets With Lefty Media Pundits

Convo with liberals follows dinner with conservatives

(Newser) - Barack Obama recalibrated his bipartisan scale today, CNN reports, meeting with liberal commentators a day after convening with conservative writers at columnist George Will's home. The left-leaners included Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich of the New York Times and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Obama aides remain mum about both off-the-record...

Obama Pens Hopeful Letter to Daughters

President-elect cites Sasha, Malia as inspiration, encourages them to aim high

(Newser) - Barack Obama sets out his hopes and dreams for his daughters, and everyone in America, in an open letter in Parade. “I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey,” the president-elect writes of the jarring effects of...

Bailout Hasn't Failed, But Banks Need More

(Newser) - The Wall Street bailout has not failed, but it hasn’t worked yet, either, as evidenced by the renewed call from Barack Obama and the Fed to release more TARP funds, the New York Times reports. Banks that received bailout funds are clamoring for more to stabilize their finances, but...

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