House leaders back Pres. Obama on Syrian situation
(CNN) -- The leaders of both parties in the House of Representatives emerged from a White House meeting Tuesday to support President Barack Obama's call for American strikes against government forces in Syria's civil war.House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters that only the United States has "the capability and capacity" to respond to what Washington says was a poison gas attack by troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."The use of chemical weapons is a barbarous act.
Draft resolution on Syria would limit strike to 60 days
(CNN) -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up a bipartisan authorization bill Wednesday for the use of force in Syria, sources told CNN.The resolution, which limits the authorization to 60 days with an option for an additional 30 days, was revised to address some of the concerns expressed during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.At the hearing, top U.S. officials faced tough questions from senators about plans for military strikes as House leaders lined up behind President Barack Obama's call to punish Syria for an August poison gas attack near Damascus.Afterward, Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, said he and the committee's ranking Republican, Tennessee Sen.
Busy week of Syria discussions ahead
(CNN) -- This is a busy of week of discussions on whether the United States should use military force to punish the Syrian government for the reported use of chemical weapons in its civil war.Congress will not vote on President Barack Obama's request to authorize the use of force until after it officially returns from recess September 9.Here is what is expected this week:TUESDAY-- Obama meets with House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and leaders of the key congressional national security committees at 9:45 a.m.-- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans an open hearing on Syria.
Pres. Obama plans rebel aid with Syria strikes, senators say
(CNN) -- U.S. plans for strikes against Syria may be coupled with increased support for rebel forces in that country's civil war, two leading Republican senators said after meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday.Obama met in the Oval Office with Sens.
As it builds coalition on Syria, U.S faces skeptical allies
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Israeli web site only has one question: Has the attack happened yet?
What are the odds of a U.S. strike against Syria?
(CNN) -- When President Barack Obama said this weekend that bombing Syrian targets is the right thing to do, and then asked Congress to approve it, the international crisis took a turn toward a fierce domestic battle.There are so many moving parts to this complicated story that it can become quite difficult to keep up.Let this Q&A bring you up to speed on the dizzying developments.Is the U.S. going to war with Syria?No -- at least not yet.
White House pushes Congress on Syria after Obama's recoil
(CNN) -- The Obama administration pushed forward Sunday on a new path toward military action in Syria, urging Congress to support the president's call.Tests found signatures of sarin gas in blood and hair samples collected from the Damascus site of an alleged chemical weapons attack, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.The samples were collected separately from a United Nations investigation into the August 21 attack and provide further proof that the Syrian regime attacked its own people, Kerry said.With "each day that goes by, this case is even stronger," he said, arguing that the United States must act."If you don't do it, you send a message of impunity," Kerry said.
Pres. Obama urges military action against Syria, seeks Congressional okay
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The war of words over how the U.S. should approach potential military strikes in Syria will only intensify in the coming days as President Barack Obama asks Congress to officially weigh in.After he and top officials in his administration outlined evidence behind their claim that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for a chemical attack that killed 1,400 and injured 3,000 earlier this month, Obama's call Saturday for congressional authorization to strike Syria surprised Washington but was applauded by members on both sides of the aisle.Some, however, questioned what would happen in the turbulent country in the week before Congress returns from its August recess on September 9.Several Senate Democrats on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees pushed on a Friday conference call with administration officials for Obama to formally consult them.And more than 160 House members - including 98 Republicans and 63 Democrats - signed letters to Obama asking that make his case before them.They pointed to his responsibilities under the 1970s-era War Powers Resolution that attempted to resolve sometimes conflicting constitutional provisions assigning the president commander-in-chief powers and Congress the authority to declare war."While the founders wisely gave the office of the president the authority to act in emergencies, they foresaw the need to ensure public debate - and the active engagement of Congress - prior to committing U.S. military assets," one such letter read. "Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution."They sharply criticized as unconstitutional Obama's decision not to seek authorization before the 2011 U.S. military action in Libya, which included airstrikes.
Pres. Obama says Syria chemical attack requires response
(CNN) -- Declaring himself "war-weary" but determined to hold Syria accountable for using banned chemical weapons, President Barack Obama said Friday he was considering a limited response to what U.S. intelligence assessed with "high confidence" as a Syrian attack that killed more than 1,400 people.Obama told reporters he had yet to make a final decision, but hinted at a military strike that sources and experts say would entail cruise missiles fired from U.S. naval ships at Syrian command targets -- but not any chemical weapons stockpiles."It is not in the national security interests of the United States to ignore clear violations" of what he called an "international norm" banning the use of chemical weapons, Obama said at a meeting with visiting heads of Baltic nations Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.He called the Syrian attack a "challenge to the world" that threatens U.S. allies Israel, Turkey and Jordan while increasing the risk of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.Earlier, Secretary of State John Kerry released details of a declassified U.S. intelligence report in an effort to muster support at home and abroad for a military response against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.However, NATO allies want the United Nations to authorize any military response, something that both Kerry and Obama said was unlikely because of opposition by permanent Security Council member Russia, a Syrian ally."My preference would have been that the international community already would have acted," Obama said, citing what he called "the inability of the Security Council to move in the face of a clear violation of international norms."He expressed frustration with the lack of international support, saying that "a lot of people think something should be done, but nobody seems willing to do it.""It's important for us to recognize that when over 1,000 people are killed, including hundreds of innocent children, through the use of a weapon that 98 or 99 percent of humanity says should not be used even in war, and there is no action, then we're sending a signal that that international norm doesn't mean much," Obama said. "And that is a danger to our national security."The remarks by Obama and Kerry, and the release of the intelligence report, came as Obama's administration faced rising resistance to a military strike against the Syrian government both at home and abroad.Britain's Parliament voted against joining a coalition sought by Obama to respond militarily, denying the president a key NATO ally that has steadfastly supported previous campaigns.In Washington, questions about the veracity of the U.S. intelligence and whether Washington is headed for another long war based on false information -- like happened in Iraq -- have emerged from both parties in Congress."I assure you nobody ends up being more war-weary than me," Obama said, adding that he was not considering any option that would entail "boots on the ground" or a long-term campaign.Instead, Obama said, he and his top military and security aides were looking at a "limited, narrow act" to ensure that Syria and others know the United States and its allies won't tolerate future similar future violations.Kerry: "We will not repeat" IraqEarlier, Kerry insisted that the situation differs from Iraq, saying the intelligence community "reviewed and re-reviewed" its information "more than mindful of the Iraq experience." And he added: "We will not repeat that moment."He cited particular evidence that shows al-Assad's regime was responsible."We know that for three days before the attack, the Syrian regime's chemical weapons personnel were on the ground in the area, making preparations," Kerry said. "And we know that the Syrian regime elements were told to prepare for the attack by putting on gas masks and taking precautions associated with chemical weapons."In addition, "we know where the rockets were launched from, and at what time," he said. "We know where they landed, and when.
Mayor Barrett meets with Obama to discuss solutions to violence
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was one of 18 of the nation's mayors who spoke with President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about the city's violence problem.August 2013 has been one of the most violent months city of Milwaukee officials can remember.President Barack Obama asked Mayor Barrett to be one of those to help brainstorm solutions to the violence problem that is affecting cities across the nation."We are obviously in the midst of the worst month since I've been mayor when it comes to crime," Mayor Barrett said.Mayor Barrett says a group of mayors talked to President Obama about the way the federal government can help -- from changes in education to FBI enforcement and gun legislation."If we had plane crashes every week where forty people are killed, the National Transportation Safety Board would be on this problem immediately -- and what we have is a situation where people are being killed on the streets of this country between midnight and 4:00 a.m. on Friday nights on a weekly basis," Mayor Barrett said.Mayor Barrett says he plans to get together with Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn to talk about specifics -- although Mayor Barrett says he doesn't expect much help in terms of dollars.
Throngs to attend events, mark 'I Have a Dream' anniversary
(CNN) -- Throngs are expected on the Washington Mall on Saturday for the first of two rallies marking the 50th anniversary of the march that made "I Have a Dream" the clarion call of the civil rights movement.President Barack Obama headlines another event Wednesday, the exact anniversary of the Aug. 28, 1963, "March on Washington," where Martin Luther King Jr.
President Obama embarks on bus tour to discuss college costs
(CNN) -- President Obama will be hitting the road Thursday and Friday for a campaign-style bus tour of New York and Pennsylvania.The president said he intends to focus on proposals aimed at curbing rising cost of higher education."My plan includes real reforms that would bring lasting change.
Snowden's father responds to Obama's claim his son is not a patriot
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama's assertion Friday that Edward Snowden was not a patriot for leaking details about top-secret American surveillance programs was brushed aside Sunday by Snowden's father.Lon Snowden -- who says he is traveling soon to Russia, where his son has been granted asylum -- suggested instead that Edward Snowden had put himself at great personal risk in order to inform Americans about the data their government collects."My son has spoken the truth, and he has sacrificed more than either the president of the United States or (U.S. Rep.) Peter King have ever in their political careers or their American lives.
Obama says backlog reduced in veterans' disability claims
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama unveiled initiatives Saturday in education and health for war veterans and highlighted how his administration has reduced by 20% the government's woeful backlog of veterans' disability claims."We're turning the tide.
President Obama cancels talks with Putin ahead of G-20 summit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has canceled a visit to Moscow next month for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but will attend a G-20 summit in St.
On his birthday, President Obama briefed on terror threat
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama spent much of his birthday weekend away from the White House but was briefed about the terror threat that prompted embassy closings and heightened military readiness across the Middle East and North Africa.On Sunday afternoon, he returned to Washington from the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, where he had flown Saturday afternoon after golfing with close friends earlier in the day.
President Obama, Hillary Clinton sit down to lunch
(CNN) -- As the nation's top diplomat, Hillary Clinton used to be a regular presence at the White House, but since leaving her post as secretary of state earlier this year, Clinton has been busy delivering speeches and launching her post-government initiatives.On Monday, however, Clinton made a return to the building for lunch with President Barack Obama.Plenty of issues - ranging from health care to Middle East peace talks - could have been conversation starters for the pair, though on Monday, Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said it was "largely friendship that's on the agenda for the lunch today.""Much has been written about over the last four years how Secretary Clinton and the president have developed not just a strong working relationship, but also a genuine friendship," Earnest said, adding the lunch was an "opportunity for the two, who saw each other on a pretty frequent basis over the course of the last four years, to have the chance to catch up."Clinton will also meet with Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday at his residence, the Naval Observatory, Clinton aides, as well as a White House official, told CNN.As for her Monday meeting with Obama, Earnest said the president invited Clinton to the lunch, which had grilled chicken, pasta jambalaya and salad on the menu.Current Secretary of State John Kerry was spotted arriving at the White House around the same time as Clinton, though Earnest said he believed Kerry did not join his predecessor and Obama for the lunchtime meeting.
Obama to nominate Caroline Kennedy as ambassador to Japan
(CNN) -- Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F.
Obama, Walker job approvals slip below 50% in Marquette Law poll
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A new Marquette Law School Poll finds that job approval ratings for Gov.
Local columnist discusses Obama's reaction to Zimmerman verdict
On Friday, President Obama made a surprise visit to the Press Room to react to the Trayvon Martin case.