Obama limits use of U.S. drone strikes, offers steps to close Guantanamo

An X-47B pilot-less drone combat aircraft is launched for the first time off an aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama outlined plans on Thursday to limit the use of U.S. drone strikes against extremists abroad and took steps aimed at breaking a deadlock on closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison. In a major foreign policy speech after two weeks of fending off domestic scandals, Obama limited the scope of what his predecessor, George W. Bush, had called a global war on terror after the September 11, 2001, attacks. "Our nation is still threatened by terrorists," Obama … [Read more...]

GOOGLE’S AMAZING ASCENT

From Startup to the New Digital Age Jeff Segal – guest writer Once upon a time, not all that long ago, Google was a startup. No one who attended The New Digital Age, hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs last Thursday at the Swissotel, asked Google’s Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen about the juggernaut’s humble, scrappy beginnings. They were there to hear about technology’s power to thwart terrorism and bring dictators to their knees. … [Read more...]

Obama tries to bounce back after tough week

U.S. President Obama adjusts his tie before receiving honorary Doctor of Laws degree at graduation ceremony of class of 2013 at Morehouse College in Atlanta

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama complained on Sunday that partisan battles in Washington are holding back stronger U.S. economic growth as he tried to recover from one of the most difficult weeks of his presidency. On a trip to Atlanta, Obama did not specifically mention the three controversies that engulfed his administration last week and raised questions as to how much of his second-term agenda he will be able to achieve. His message was clear when he told Democratic donors that an … [Read more...]

White House accuses Republicans of ‘fishing expeditions’

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he walks back to the White House from the Treasury in Washington

(Reuters) - The White House on Sunday accused Republicans of conducting political "fishing expeditions," while Republican lawmakers showed no let up in attacking President Barack Obama's administration for a culture of what they called cover-up and "intimidation." With controversies on three fronts - the Internal Revenue Service, the administration's explanation of last year's Benghazi attack and the Justice Department's seizure of the Associated Press' phone records - White House senior … [Read more...]

Obama to discuss al Qaeda, drones, Guantanamo Bay in Thursday speech

U.S. President Barack Obama steps aboard Air Force one at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, under fire for security lapses at a U.S. mission in Libya, will in a speech on Thursday lay out his wide-ranging counter-terrorism policy, from the controversial use of drones to efforts to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama's use of military drone aircraft to attack extremists has drawn fire and increased tensions in countries like Pakistan and been criticized by human rights activists in the United States. His inability to … [Read more...]

IRS chief declines to identify employees involved in scandal

Outgoing acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller is sworn-in during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups on Capitol Hill in Washington

(Reuters) - The outgoing head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service angered Republican lawmakers on Friday by resisting their demands that he identify who at the tax-collection agency had inappropriately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny. But during the first hearing into a growing IRS scandal that could preoccupy Washington for months, Republicans did learn that a top official in President Barack Obama's administration knew that the IRS was looking into targeting by the tax … [Read more...]

House bill to have more stringent immigrant controls: aides

A group of illegal immigrants, who handed themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol, sit in a restaurant in Encino, Texas

(Reuters) - A bipartisan plan brokered in the House of Representatives will be tougher on illegal immigrants living in the United States than a Senate counterpart, congressional aides said on Friday. But it fails to address the difficult issue of how many low-skilled foreign workers should be allowed into the country. Late on Thursday, the eight Republican and Democratic House negotiators working on an immigration bill announced that they had successfully wrapped up a four-year effort and … [Read more...]

Obama picks temporary IRS head as Tea Party decries scandal

Undated handout photo of White House Office of Management and Budget Controller Werfel

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday chose a White House budget official to lead the beleaguered Internal Revenue Service and vowed to ensure that the tax-collection agency will not single out any more groups based on their political beliefs. Danny Werfel, who has been Obama's point man in overseeing the controversial "sequestration" budget cuts, will tackle the biggest scandal of Obama's presidency when he takes charge of the IRS on May 22. It could be a thankless job. The … [Read more...]

The One Acronym You Can Use the Rest of Your Life

The One Acronym You Can Use the Rest of Your Life

In 9th grade I went out for my high school wrestling team. The first practices were absolutely brutal. The third day I felt dizzy while we were doing 50-yard sprints so I slowed down. The coach quickly stepped over and barked, "What's your problem?" Bent over, with my hands on my knees, I gasped, "I’m kinda dizzy... this is really hard... I need a break…." He grabbed my shirt to pull me up and growled, "Toughen up, sissy boy." Right away I wanted to quit but I somehow made it … [Read more...]

Republicans demand probe of tax scrutiny of conservative groups

U.S. Representative Mike Rogers talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

(Reuters) - Republican lawmakers called on Sunday for a broad investigation of the tax agency's acknowledgement that its agents had singled out conservative political groups for more scrutiny, and demanded that President Barack Obama make clear the action was unacceptable. "This is something we cannot let stand. It needs to have a full investigation," House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, said on "Fox News Sunday." "I don't care if … [Read more...]

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