Obama administration

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Obama to Pick Prosecutor to Head SEC: Report

Mary Jo White to head SEC, Richard Cordray to head CFPB

(Newser) - Is the SEC about to get tougher? President Obama intends to nominate former US Attorney Mary Jo White to head the organization, sources tell the AP . White spent nearly a decade prosecuting white collar criminals in Manhattan, and has a reputation as a particularly dogged prosecutor of financial fraud cases...

Kerry Set for Cakewalk of a Hearing

Secretary of State nominee to testify before his own committee

(Newser) - Seeking confirmation as the next secretary of state, John Kerry will testify today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Shouldn't be a tough crowd: Kerry himself has been on the committee for 28 years, and he's led it for the past four, the AP notes. He'll be...

Empire: Obama Chicken for Killing Death Star Plan

It's 'obvious cowardice': Star Wars blog

(Newser) - Did the White House just make a grave mistake? After the Obama administration rejected a petition to build a Death Star, the Empire—or its tongue-in-cheek representatives here on Earth—offered a statement, Space.com reports: "The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again...

After Meeting, Chuck Schumer Backs Hagel

Nominee 'regrets' comment on 'Jewish lobby'

(Newser) - Amid concerns over Chuck Hagel's past comments on "the Jewish lobby," leading Jewish Democrat Chuck Schumer had a 90-minute one-on-one with the Pentagon nominee, and emerged supporting his confirmation. Schumer came to the conclusion, despite "previous concerns," and applauded Hagel's support for "Israel'...

Biden: 19 Ways Obama Can Go It Alone on Gun Control

GOP rep warns of impeachment if Obama opts for executive action

(Newser) - As the White House gears up for a battle over gun control, Joe Biden has presented 19 moves the administration could take on its own. Speaking to House Dems yesterday, he outlined an array of executive actions, including boosting enforcement of current laws, empowering the CDC to research guns, and...

Beware Crony Gun Control
 Beware Crony Gun Control 
OPINION

Beware Crony Gun Control

Matt Lewis is worried that Walmart is going to cut a deal with the administration

(Newser) - When President Obama took on health care, he wasted no time getting big business onboard, even managing to get big pharmaceutical companies to spend $70 million fighting US Chamber of Commerce attacks. And "if you substitute the name Walmart for Big Pharma—and the NRA for the Chamber of...

Maybe Obama Needs a Binder Full of Women
Maybe Obama Needs
a Binder Full of Women
OPINION

Maybe Obama Needs a Binder Full of Women

Margaret Carlson notes the lack of diversity in Obama's prospective Cabinet

(Newser) - Barack Obama's new Cabinet is coming into focus, and at this rate, it's going to look "more like the Augusta National Golf Club than America," quips Margaret Carlson in a Bloomberg column derisively titled "Obama to Romney: Send Me Your Binders Full of Women."...

Obama Will Pick Jack Lew to Replace Geithner: Source

He'll announce the pick tomorrow

(Newser) - President Obama will tomorrow name current Chief of Staff Jack Lew as his nominee for Treasury secretary, a source tells Bloomberg News . Obama has already offered the position to Lew, the source says. The move doesn't exactly come as a surprise; Lew, a former director of the Office of...

Hagel's Skill: Saying What We Want to Hear

Bret Stephens: Former senator is no GOP maverick

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel showed courage in Vietnam—but those who hail him for the bravery to stand against his party have it wrong, writes Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal . The truth is, Hagel is just good at taking views "exactly in keeping with received Beltway wisdom." Take...

US Rethinks Role in Syria


 US Rethinks Role in Syria 

US Rethinks Role in Syria

White House considering more involvement to aid rebels

(Newser) - With the US election over and Syrian rebels seemingly gaining momentum, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at its own potential involvement in the conflict, the New York Times reports. First, Washington must consider whether NATO should install surface-to-air missiles in Turkey, which some see as a deterrent...

SEC Chief Schapiro Resigns
 SEC Chief Schapiro Resigns 

SEC Chief Schapiro Resigns

President Obama names Elisse Walter to replace her

(Newser) - Mary Schapiro is stepping down as SEC chairman, she announced today, making her the first major departure from the Obama administration and one that it was seemingly fully prepared for. President Obama immediately promoted SEC Commissioner Elisse B. Walter to the job, reports the New York Times , which adds that,...

21 Dead in Gaza Clashes


 Ceasefire 
 Collapses in 
 Gaza Clash 
UPDATED

Ceasefire Collapses in Gaza Clash

Palestinians aim rockets at Tel Aviv for first time

(Newser) - A brief, planned ceasefire failed to materialize in Gaza today, as death continued to rain down on the strip. Israel had offered to hold its offensive to accommodate a visit from Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, provided Hamas held its fire as well. But Hamas said it would keep firing,...

Obama Plans Drastic Cabinet Shake-Up

Clinton, Geithner, Panetta, Holder all could be gone

(Newser) - After a first term almost devoid of Cabinet shakeups, President Obama is now working on plans to replace virtually his entire team. Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner have both publicly announced their exits, but Leon Panetta, Eric Holder, Ray LaHood, Steven Chu, Ken Salazaar, and Lisa Jackson are all expected...

Clinton May Not Step Down
 Clinton May Not Step Down 

Clinton May Not Step Down

She hints as much in 'Wall Street Journal' profile

(Newser) - With the end of her tenure at the State Department seemingly consumed by the controversy over Libya, Hillary Clinton is considering staying on a bit longer, she tells the Wall Street Journal . "A lot of people have talked to me about staying," Clinton says. Until now, Clinton has...

US Soups Up Kill List, Digs In for 10-Year Drone War

Obama intent on making it a permanent feature of US policy

(Newser) - If you thought President Obama's " kill list " was a simple, shopping list-style affair, think again. The military has spent the past two years developing what it calls a "disposition matrix," a complex database keeping tabs on targets and plans to eliminate them, the Washington Post...

Big Medicare Change Widens Coverage
Big Medicare Change Widens Coverage

Big Medicare Change Widens Coverage

Nursing patients now won't need to show potential to improve

(Newser) - In order to receive coverage for therapies like skilled nursing, many Medicare beneficiaries have for decades had to show potential for improvement in their condition. But the Obama administration's settlement of a lawsuit is poised to change all that, the New York Times reports. The result is a big...

For 10 Days, CIA Told Obama Libya Attack Was Protest

Despite conflicting evidence

(Newser) - New details are emerging revealing the confusion surrounding the attack on the US consulate in Libya that left Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead: For 10 days after the attack, the CIA told President Obama in his daily intelligence briefing that the siege came out of a spontaneous...

Forget Libya. Syria Is Obama's Top Screw-Up

President's miscues have created a strategic disaster, Jackson Diehl argues

(Newser) - The Romney campaign is eager to attack President Obama over the attack on the US consulate in Libya. But that was ultimately the result of "poor security decisions by mid-level State Department officials, not policy choices by Obama," writes Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post . If you want...

The Payroll Tax Cut Is Doomed
 The Payroll Tax Cut Is Doomed 

The Payroll Tax Cut Is Doomed

No matter who wins in November

(Newser) - No matter who wins in November, your taxes are probably going up next year. That's because Congress has basically no interest in extending the payroll tax holiday that was so hotly contested earlier this year, the New York Times reports. Negotiators are fixated on the so-called "fiscal cliff,...

Obama Cabinet&#39;s Transparency Grade: F
 Obama Cabinet's 
 Transparency 
 Grade: F 
analysis

Obama Cabinet's Transparency Grade: F

Bloomberg: 19 of 20 departments don't comply with 'FOIA' rules

(Newser) - While the Obama administration assails Mitt Romney for keeping his tax returns quiet, it seems the White House has some transparency flaws of its own. Entering office, President Obama called for "a new era of open government." Bloomberg put this to the test by requesting documents from agencies...

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