TheRepublic.com - Jay Carney News

McCain presses Obama on secret emails

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:43:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain on Monday questioned President Barack Obama about his political appointees' use of secret government email accounts at work, saying that Congress cannot tell the American people what its government is doing if it creates a "secret alternate communications network."

Column: When lying is acceptable, public loses

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:22:52 -0400

WASHINGTON - A member of Congress asks the director of national intelligence if the National Security Agency collects data on millions of Americans. "No, sir," James Clapper responds. Pressed, he adds a caveat: "Not wittingly."

Obama urges ban on workplace bias against gays

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:24:08 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Thursday marked Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month by calling on Congress to pass legislation banning workplace discrimination against gays, lesbians and others. "I want to sign that bill," he said.

Obama meets with relatives of Newtown victims

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:12:07 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met Thursday with relatives of the victims of the Connecticut school shooting, who were visiting Washington on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the tragedy to push anew for gun control.

White House criticizes Republican's rape comment

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:07:05 -0400

WASHINGTON - The White House says comments by a Republican lawmaker about rape show, quote, an "alarming disregard for women."

Congress briefed on US surveillance programs

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:45:39 -0400

WASHINGTON - Dogged by fear and confusion about sweeping spy programs, intelligence officials sought to convince House lawmakers in an unusual briefing Tuesday that the government's years-long collection of phone records and Internet usage is necessary for protecting Americans - and does not trample on their privacy rights.

Protest crackdowns test Obama ties with Turkish PM

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:34:42 -0400

WASHINGTON - Government crackdowns against protesters in Turkey could test the close ties between President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strategically important U.S. ally in a tumultuous region.

OTC morning-after pill sales coming - but not yet

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:27:36 -0400

WASHINGTON - Don't look for the morning-after pill to move next to the condoms on drugstore shelves right away - but after a decade-plus fight, it appears it really will happen. Backed into a corner by a series of court rulings, the Obama administration has agreed to let the Plan B One-Step brand of emergency contraception sell over the counter to anyone of any age.

Obama's ATF nominee gets Senate hearing

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:41:51 -0400

WASHINGTON - It was remarkable enough that President Barack Obama's choice to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives got a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Only one other nominee to lead the ATF has had a hearing, and none has been confirmed.

For lawmakers, it's no picnic at the White House

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:04:08 -0400

WASHINGTON - That annual summer ritual of forced harmony known as the White House congressional picnic? Not going to happen.

Obama wishes 'speedy recovery' for ailing Mandela

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:52:04 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is wishing for a "speedy recovery" for ailing former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Obama names outspoken Rice as his security adviser

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:04:16 -0400

WASHINGTON - Defying Republican critics, President Barack Obama named outspoken diplomat Susan Rice as his national security adviser Wednesday, giving her a larger voice in U.S. foreign policy despite accusations that she misled the nation in the aftermath of the deadly attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

UK, French claims put Obama in tough spot on Syria

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:54:04 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is facing a new quandary from a pair of assertive allies, France and Britain, that suggest his stated "red line" for more forceful U.S. action in the Syrian civil war has been crossed with solid evidence of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime.

France, Britain confirm use of sarin gas in Syria

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:19:33 -0400

PARIS - France said Tuesday it has confirmed that the nerve gas sarin was used "multiple times and in a localized way" in Syria, including at least once by the regime. It was the most specific claim by any Western power about chemical weapons attacks in the 27-month-old conflict.

Obama orders new economic sanctions on Iran

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:38:58 -0400

WASHINGTON - Turning the screw on Iran and its nuclear program, the Obama administration imposed new sanctions Monday on Iran's currency and auto industry, seeking to render Iranian money useless outside the country and to cut off the regime from critical revenue sources.

White House: Obama concerned about IRS spending

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:11:19 -0400

WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama is concerned by excessive spending by the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies on conferences and travel.

Drone strike comes despite transparency pledge

Fri, 31 May 2013 09:05:00 -0400

WASHINGTON - The drone attack that killed a Pakistan Taliban deputy leader this week was a clear signal that despite President Barack Obama's promise last week of new transparency in the drone program, the CIA will still launch secret attacks on militants in north Pakistan and the administration will not have to tell anyone about it.

Obama drawing attention to new student loan debate

Thu, 30 May 2013 09:35:11 -0400

WASHINGTON - The government's subsidized student loan program, a marquee issue for President Barack Obama last year as he courted young voters on the campaign trail, is back on the White House agenda one month before a scheduled interest rate increase. But Obama's push to avoid the increase is far more low-key than it was in the election year.

Obama drawing attention to new student loan debate

Thu, 30 May 2013 03:06:10 -0400

UN gets new info on alleged chemical use by Syria

Wed, 29 May 2013 23:28:32 -0400

UNITED NATIONS - Britain said it has sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with new information on three further incidents of alleged chemical weapons use by the Syrian government.

Controversies add to Obama's 2nd term frustrations

Wed, 29 May 2013 20:01:41 -0400

WASHINGTON - For President Barack Obama, the opening months of his second term have been a frustrating reminder of the limits of presidential power and the durability of the Washington political apparatus he disdains.

White House declines to confirm drone report

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:43:19 -0400

WASHINGTON - The White House is declining to confirm reports that a U.S. drone killed the Pakistani Taliban's second-in-command

October state visit planned for Brazil's president

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:07:13 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will roll out the red carpet to welcome Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, for an official state visit this fall.

McCain pushes for greater US help to Syrian rebels

Tue, 28 May 2013 15:51:02 -0400

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain on Tuesday praised the "brave fighters" battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad and renewed his call for the Obama administration to move aggressively militarily to aid the opposition.

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:26:59 -0400

WASHINGTON - Moving quickly to stem a raging controversy, the new acting head of the Internal Revenue Service started cleaning house Thursday by replacing the supervisor who oversaw agents involved in targeting tea party groups.