Obama 2008

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May 2009
- US Won't Use Polar Bear to Battle Emissions
  
  Anchorage Daily News | May 8, 09 1:18 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Obama administration will not use the plight of polar bears and their melting habitat to regulate greenhouse gases, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today that a Bush-era law barring government scientists from considering emissions as they attempt to save the endangered species will stand. But, he added, “this administration is fully committed to the protection and recovery of the polar bear.” More »
- Obama Budget Cuts Funds for Abstinence-Only Sex Ed
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 7, 09 6:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Take that, Bristol. The Obama administration seeks to cut most federal funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama's proposed budget for 2010 would scrap two programs that fund abstinence education—with $145 million—and replace them with a $160 million initiative that funnels 75% of the funds to proven, non-abstinence-based education. More »
- Sharpton, Gingrich Push Prez on Schools
  
  USA Today | May 7, 09 3:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton ran into each other today at the White House, on purpose, to discuss education reform with President Obama, USA Today reports. Sharpton noted that they were “two who have not agreed on anything politically,” but joined in an effort to remedy a “crisis.” The two met with President Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. More »
- Line by Line: Some Obama Budget Cuts
  
  Washington Post | May 7, 09 2:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama said today proposed budget cuts are “not a criticism of” federal workers. Still, they take a toll, from defense to education. The Washington Post takes a look at what’s being trimmed: Anthrax vaccine research: The administration says the goals of the program have been met, and its cancellation will save $8 million. Cotton storage: The government will save $570 million in payments to growers waiting for higher prices. More »
- Obama's Toned-Down Take on Day of Prayer Irks Some
  
  Boston Globe | May 7, 09 12:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama has opted to observe today’s National Day of Prayer in private, a sharp turn from his predecessor’s policies that angers at least one organization, the Boston Globe reports. President Bush held public celebrations at the White House. “We are disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama administration,” said Shirley Dobson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. More »
- Mormons Posthumously Baptized Obama's Mother
  
  Politico | May 6, 09 12:04 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama’s late mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was baptized by the Church of Latter-day Saints during the campaign last year, Politico reports. The Mormons are investigating the baptism of Dunham—who died in 1995—which a Church ancestry website documents. Posthumous baptism performed without permission has raised problems in the past, and the Mormon church says it has limited the practice. More »
- Rove and Plouffe Go Negative at Book Event
  
  Huffington Post | May 5, 09 9:04 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Old campaign hacks never die; they just bicker at events to boost book sales. Last night Obama campaign geek-in-chief David Plouffe and Bush hatchet man Karl Rove went at it in Monterey, California, only half-playfully, the Huffington Post reports. Rove attacked Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship; shot back Plouffe, “This is like getting interview lessons from Sarah Palin.” More »
- Clinton Gets Comfy at State
  
  New York Times | May 1, 09 5:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hillary Clinton’s transition from presidential candidate to secretary of state wasn’t easy—and neither is the new gig—but the former first lady has taken it all in stride, the New York Times reports. “I love the job; I mean, it’s really hard,” Clinton said, likening the post to being the “mayor of a good-sized small city.” But though many agree she’s comfortable, some think her impact could be greater. More »
- Edwards Cost Clinton Dearly: Penn
  
  ABC News | May 1, 09 4:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hillary Clinton strategist Mark Penn is kicking himself in the wake of reports that Elizabeth Edwards thinks her husband shouldn't have run for president, ABC News reports. If news of John Edwards' infidelity had forced him to drop out of the race, Penn said, “No question in my mind, it would have been a very different race.” More »
- Obama Hopes to Replace Souter by Oct.
  
  Associated Press | May 1, 09 2:59 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - President Obama said today he will replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter with someone who shares the president's respect for "constitutional values" and hopes to have "him or her" seated by the start of the next term in October. In a dramatic flourish, Obama interrupted White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' daily press briefing to announce that he had just talked to Souter. More »
April 2009
- White House Staffer Caught Flu in Mexico
  
  Washington Post | Apr 30, 09 3:46 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An administration staffer who worked at a dinner President Obama attended during his trip to Mexico likely contracted the H1N1 virus there, the Washington Post reports. The unnamed Energy Department security worker has since transmitted the flu to his wife, son, and nephew, though he has been cleared of the infection. Neither Obama nor Energy Secretary Steven Chu has been diagnosed with the illness. More »
- Bankruptcy 'New Lease on Life' for Chrysler: Obama
  
  Washington Post | Apr 30, 09 12:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama said today that Chrysler’s impending bankruptcy is “not a sign of weakness but one more step” towards recovery, the Washington Post reports. The 1-to-2 month “surgical” bankruptcy—a time frame met with skepticism by experts—will give the automaker a “new lease on life,” Obama said. The president claimed that the filing and a partnership with Fiat would save “tens of thousands” of jobs. More »
- Obama Takes Swipe at 'Folks Waving Tea Bags'
  
  Politico | Apr 29, 09 2:04 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama directed his most direct criticism yet at anti-tax “tea partiers” today at a town hall event marking his first 100 days in office, Politico reports. Though studiously vague, Obama conceded that people watching “certain news channels on which I'm not very popular” might “see folks waving tea bags around. Let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation,” he said. More »
- Obama Policies Make Boehner 'Want to Throw Up'
  
  Washington Times | Apr 29, 09 1:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Obama administration’s policies on national security, spending, and the law make John Boehner almost physically ill, the House minority leader tells the Washington Times . Democratic hate-crime legislation in particular, which Boehner says could be used against religious leaders who don’t support the gay agenda, makes him “want to throw up.” It would amount to prosecutions based on “what we think they were thinking as opposed to what they did.” More »
- 100 Days of Work, Play in Photos
  
  New York Post | Apr 29, 09 12:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama’s first 100 days have been extensively photographed by the likes of White House photographer Pete Souza, the New York Post reports. Souza tries to be “discreet,” but it might not be necessary: “You know, he’s kind of oblivious to my presence.” For an inside look at the president and the first family in photos released yesterday by the White House, click the Image link to the left. More »
- Biden Wooed Specter for Years
  
  Politico | Apr 29, 09 10:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Joe Biden is the Democrat perhaps most responsible for Arlen Specter’s defection, Politico reports. The VP told a crowd yesterday that he had been trying to convince the Pennsylvania Republican “that he is really a Democrat” for more than 20 years. Specter's onetime Senate colleague recently stepped up the pace. “I have been working on that in earnest for the past 4 years and double-time for the past 100 days,” Biden said. More »
- Next 100 Days Promise Real Test
  
  Newsweek | Apr 29, 09 9:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama’s efforts to reach out domestically and internationally in his administration’s infancy “have paid off remarkably,” Howard Fineman writes in Newsweek , but there are tough times ahead. “To make good on the promise of days 1-100,” Fineman writes, “Obama will have to deal with—and in some cases infuriate—his and our own best friends.” And that includes “liberal allies” and international ones. More »
- 100 Days: Biggest Promises Kept, Broken
  
  Politifact.com | Apr 29, 09 8:39 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - One way to judge President Obama's first 100 days in office is to look at his rhetoric on the campaign trail. Taking into account the fallout from the economic crisis, PolitFact came up with the most crucial promises Obama has kept and broken. His vow to beef up alternative-energy investment looks good, but those about getting tough on lobbyists seem a bit toothless. More »
- Obama Asks Workers How to Curb Spending
  
  Associated Press | Apr 25, 09 9:49 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - President Obama appealed to federal workers today to propose ways to make their agencies' and departments' budgets more efficient. The president said employees' ideas would be key as his Cabinet officials cut millions from the federal budget and trim the deficit. "After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers, not just management," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. More »
- Obama Looks to Limit Right to Counsel
  
  Associated Press | Apr 24, 09 2:48 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Obama administration is pushing for a Supreme Court decision that would curtail the right of criminal suspects to counsel, the AP reports. At issue is a 1986 ruling that prevents police from questioning suspects unless a lawyer is present. The Justice Department says the restriction “serves no real purpose,” because suspects can always choose to remain silent, and offers only “meager benefits.” More »