Obamacare delay passes insurance burden onto workers
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Employers got a one year reprieve from having to offer health insurance.
President Obama responds to Zimmerman verdict
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called on Sunday for "calm reflection" following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.The president, in a written statement, acknowledged an emotionally charged climate but concluded that "we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken."Obama called Martin's death a tragedy for America."I know this case has elicited strong passions.
U.S. plans to deliver fighter jets to Egypt
(CNN) -- The Obama administration tentatively plans to deliver four F-16 aircraft to Egypt, but is reviewing all U.S. military aid arrangements, according to a Pentagon official.The planes were scheduled to be shipped by the end of August, but the delivery could be made more complicated if there is no Egyptian military plan to transition to civilian rule and the United States were compelled to formally declare a military coup had taken place, the official said.If that declaration were made, it most likely would result in aid being halted.
Total U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan unlikely, official says
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration believes it will reach a deal with the government of Afghanistan that would allow American troops to remain in the country after the current NATO mission ends next year, the top U.S. diplomat in the region said Thursday.The disclosure follows reports this week the administration was seriously considering an option of leaving no forces in the country after 2014."We do not believe that that's the likely outcome of these negotiations," James Dobbins, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Pressed about reports on the so-called "zero option," Dobbins labeled them "unbalanced and unhelpful."A Pentagon official testifying at the same hearing said the United States will continue working with the Afghan government on establishing a security agreement as well as training Afghan forces."The United States is transitioning in Afghanistan, not leaving," Peter Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs said.U.S. and Afghan officials have been discussing plans to keep a small force behind to fight insurgents and to train Afghan security personnel.Dobbins said President Barack Obama is reviewing options for the number of American forces that would stay in Afghanistan 18 months from now."We've made significant progress on the text of a new bilateral security agreement.
Obama strongly considers withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan in 2014
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama is seriously considering withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2014, a senior administration official told CNN.The official's comments came after The New York Times reported the administration was looking at speeding up the troop withdrawal to the "zero option," leaving no troops in Afghanistan.Until now, U.S. and Afghan officials had been discussing plans to keep a small force behind to fight insurgents and to train Afghan security personnel.But Obama has, in recent months, grown increasingly frustrated in dealing with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.Their relationship soured further last month after the United States and the Taliban planned peace talks.
President Obama celebrates America's independence
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama used his weekly address Thursday to sound a happy birthday for the United States of America."On July 4, 1776, a small band of patriots declared that we were a people created equal - free to think and worship and live as we please," Obama said. "It was a declaration heard around the world - that we were no longer colonists, we were Americans, and our destiny would not be determined for us; it would be determined by us."Giving special thanks to the members of the military and service members currently serving in harm's way, Obama called on all Americans to continue striving for the ideals and liberty of Independence Day."237 years later, the United States - this improbable nation - is the greatest in the world," Obama said. "A land of liberty and opportunity.
Key Obamacare provision delayed until 2015
(CNN) -- The requirement that businesses provide their workers with health insurance or face fines -- a key provision contained in President Barack Obama's sweeping health care law -- will be delayed by one year, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.The delay came after business owners expressed concerns about the complexity of the reporting requirements, the agency said in its announcement.
Pres. Obama wraps up his trip to Africa
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama concluded his trip to Africa Tuesday after making a final pitch for partnership at a Tanzanian power plant.Some 70% of Africans lack access to reliable electricity, Obama said, and the United States can help bring more power on line."The first step that we're going to take is to try to bring electricity to 20 million homes and businesses," he said.The president spoke at the Symbion Power Plant at Ubungo, was had been idle until the Tanzanian government used U.S. help to revamp it."This is just the beginning.
George W. Bush on Obama, Mandela, Snowden & his legacy
(CNN) -- Former President George W.
Obama pledges $7 billion to upgrade power in Africa
(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama pledged $7 billion Sunday to help combat frequent power blackouts in sub-Saharan Africa.Funds from the initiative, dubbed Power Africa, will be distributed over the next five years.
Pres. Obama meets with Mandela's family in South Africa
(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama met Saturday with family members of ailing South African statesman Nelson Mandela and spoke by telephone with Mandela's wife as she maintains a vigil by his bedside.However, he and first lady Michelle Obama will not visit the anti-apartheid icon at the hospital "out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort, and the family's wishes," the White House said."I expressed my hope that Madiba draws peace and comfort from the time that he is spending with loved ones, and also expressed my heartfelt support for the entire family as they work through this difficult time," Obama said in a statement after meeting with Mandela family members in Johannesburg.
Woman indicted in mailing of ricin-laced letters to Obama, Bloomberg
(CNN) -- A Texas woman has been indicted and charged with mailing ricin-laced letters to President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a U.S. attorney's office in Texas said Friday.She is Shannon Guess Richardson.
Obama heads to South Africa as Mandela remains hospitalized
(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in South Africa on Friday for the second leg of a trip overshadowed by the deteriorating health of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.Obama left the United States on Wednesday for Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania -- his second visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.The trip aims to bolster investment opportunities for U.S. businesses, address development issues such as food security and health, and promote democracy.
Pres. Obama won't 'wheel and deal' for NSA leaker Snowden
(CNN) -- While he's enormously concerned about what secrets self-avowed NSA leaker Edward Snowden may yet spill, President Barack Obama said Thursday he's not going to take extraordinary measures to capture him."I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker," he told reporters during a news conference in Senegal, his first stop on a tour of several African nations.Obama hadn't talked to leaders of China and Russia about Snowden -- who actually turned 30 a few days ago -- in part because he didn't want to amp up the issue and have to start "wheeling and dealing" in order to get the fugitive in U.S. custody.In a speech Thursday, National Security Agency director Keith Alexander ceded he's worried there may be more leaks from Snowden."These leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation's security," Alexander said. "...
Obama says Keystone can't increase carbon pollution
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama unveiled an aggressive new climate change strategy on Tuesday that would limit pollution from existing coal-fired power plants, and he made clear that approval of the Keystone XL pipeline depended on the project not increasing overall greenhouse gas emissions.Obama raised the two politically charged issues during an address on second-term environmental priorities that included his plan of executive actions that don't require congressional approval.He also pledged global leadership on climate change and to redouble U.S. efforts to fight it.The Georgetown University speech came as environmental constituents and climate change advocates press him to take more aggressive action and to push harder for clean energy alternatives.Obama said he was taking action for the "sake of our children and the health and safety of all Americans," saying new initiatives on his environmental agenda built around clean-energy industry and policy will spur the economy and leave a cleaner planet for future generations."We can do all of that as long as we don't fear the future and instead we seize it," Obama said, adding that his plan was a signal to the world that America would take bold action to reduce carbon pollution.Obama pledged in 2009 the United States would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% of 2005 levels by 2020.
Obama takes NSA controversy to nascent watchdog group
(CNN) -- A watchdog group meant to guard Americans' right to privacy against overreach by government cyber intelligence has been around for years.If that makes you feel safer, consider this:It had no leader until May, and lawmakers delayed for years to fully staff it.President Barack Obama meets with the group for the first time Friday over the two-week old phone and e-mail record-gathering scandal involving the National Security Agency.The president wants to enlist the group to "structure a national conversation" on government cyber intelligence and civil rights.Who are the watchdogs?The group is called the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), and though it was created in 2004, it does not appear to have been very active.It initially answered directly to then-President George W.
Obama calls for U.S., Russia to cut nuclear warhead supply
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will ask Russia to join the United States in slashing its supply of strategic nuclear warheads by about one-third, a senior administration official said.Obama will announce the goal during a speech Wednesday in Berlin -- a city rife with Cold War history.The president will also outline his goal to reduce U.S. and Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, the official said.
Five key points from Obama's news conference in Berlin
(CNN) -- After U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed hot-button issues like America's surveillance programs during his visit to Berlin on Wednesday, the leaders addressed them with reporters.Obama visited Germany, the United States' largest European trading partner, after attending a G8 conference earlier this week in Northern Ireland.
Obama to name D.C. lawyer to lead Guantanamo Bay closure
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will appoint Washington, D.C. lawyer Clifford Sloan to re-open the State Department's Office of Guantanamo Closure, according to a senior administration official.The administration's efforts to shut down the detention facility have been stalled since January, when the State Department shuttered the office tasked with handling the closure, and reassigned its special envoy.A formal announcement is expected Monday.Obama said in a national security speech last month that detention facility puts U.S. interests at risk, saying some allies are reluctant to cooperate on investigations with the United States if a suspect might land at the controversial detention center"The original premise for opening Gitmo - that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention - was found unconstitutional five years ago," he said. "In the meantime, Gitmo has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law."That's not to mention the economic implications, the president said.
Snowden claims online Obama expanded 'abusive' security programs
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A series of blog posts on Monday purportedly by Edward Snowden said he leaked classified details about U.S. surveillance programs because President Barack Obama worsened "abusive" practices instead of curtailing them as he promised as a candidate.In 90 minutes of live online chatting, the person identified as Snowden by Britain's Guardian newspaper and website insisted that U.S. authorities have access to phone calls, e-mails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds.While he said legal restrictions can be easily skirted by analysts at the National Security Agency, FBI and CIA, Snowden stopped short of accusing authorities of violating specific laws.