Barack Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

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Chu Vows to Boost Energy Efficiency

(Newser) - Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu told a Senate panel today that he would pursue an expansion of nuclear and clean coal power if confirmed, Politico reports. Chu had been criticized for calling coal “my worst nightmare.” Barack Obama has also been vague about his nuclear energy policy. But while...

Rules for Playing Hoops With the President

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s beloved basketball may be the most “accessible and democratic” of sports, but “the game will change once the oath of office is administered,” Andrew Stengel writes for the Huffington Post. “Unlike the checks and balances in our three branches of government, there may...

Education at Heart of Obama Stimulus Plan
Education at Heart of Obama Stimulus Plan
ANALYSIS
Jan 13, 2009 3:43 PM CST

Education at Heart of Obama Stimulus Plan

$140B in 2-year plan would take other pressures off states

(Newser) - In its current form, Barack Obama’s 2-year economic stimulus plan—currently pegged at $775 billion—will channel some $140 billion to education, Politico reports. As Congress hammers out its plan, changes are likely, but education and Medicaid look set to be major beneficiaries. States will see major block grants,...

Ex-CIA Chief, McCain Man Praises Panetta Pick

Leon Panetta's 'breadth of experience' will serve him, US well: Woolsey

(Newser) - James Woolsey, a former CIA director and adviser to John McCain, tells the Huffington Post he’s “impressed overall by the quality” of Barack Obama’s national-security picks, dismissing criticism that Leon Panetta is a poor fit for his former job. Though an intelligence novice, Panetta is amply qualified,...

Illegal Hire, Tax Issues May Trouble Geithner

GOP's Grassley on Treasury nominee's case ahead of hearings

(Newser) - Timothy Geithner’s Treasury secretary nomination could be threatened by allegations he hired illegal help and didn’t pay Social Security and Medicare taxes while self-employed, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Senate Finance Committee members are meeting privately to discuss the issues, raised by GOP Sen. Charles Grassley. Aides...

Obama Inspires Young Black Pols to Take Risks for 2010

Candidates to abandon sure wins for ambitious positions

(Newser) - Young black politicians inspired by Barack Obama’s astonishingly quick ascent are pursuing riskier, more ambitious strategies for the 2010 elections, Chris Cillizza writes in the Washington Post. Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek, for example, a 42-year-old African-American, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez, though Meek...

Obama to Name Tech Adviser as FCC Chair

Genachowski choice praised by media reform movement

(Newser) - Barack Obama is expected to announce Julius Genachowski as his FCC chairman, and media reform groups are enthusiastic about the choice, Ars Technica reports. Genachowski served in the FCC during the Clinton administration and in the dot-com industry before becoming Obama’s technology adviser. He helped craft the President-elect’s...

Inaugural Ball Flaunts Fashion Made of Trash

Cans, plastic bags, campaign signs make up 'trashion' lines

(Newser) - Stuck on what to wear to that upcoming Washington gala? How about a shower-curtain-and-aluminum-can cocktail dress? Or a canvas-scrap-and-rusty-nail gown? The actual “trashion,” created by recycling advocate Nancy Judd, will be showcased at Saturday’s Green Inaugural Ball, the Wall Street Journal reports. The fashionista even has a...

Obama Buying Time With Afghan Surge

Measure more geared to buying time to revamp strategy on conflict

(Newser) - Barack Obama intends to sign off on a Pentagon plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports, but not because anyone believes this new “surge” will turn around the failing war effort. Obama’s team expects the move, which will nearly double US presence...

Obama Could Learn a Lot From Cheney
 Obama Could 
 Learn a Lot 
 From Cheney 
OPINION
Jan 13, 2009 9:17 AM CST

Obama Could Learn a Lot From Cheney

VP wasn't afraid to sacrifice popularity to keep country safe

(Newser) - Dick Cheney's sub-Darth Vader approval levels make him an unlikely role model for Barack Obama but the president-elect could learn a lot from what made Cheney so unpopular in the first place, writes William McGurn in the Wall Street Journal. Cheney is disliked because he made some tough calls to...

Beyoncé, Bono, Boss Headline Inaugural Show

Pop stars will share stage with jazz, opera legends at Lincoln Memorial

(Newser) - Two days before Barack Obama becomes president, 19 musicians will kick off the inaugural festivities with a free public concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Bruce Springsteen, Bono, and Beyoncé will perform alongside jazz legend Herbie Hancock and opera superstar Renée Fleming, Billboard reports. The concert, called We...

Obama's Delayed Gitmo Plan Upsets Rights Groups

President-elect urged to stop tribunals before child soldier's trial

(Newser) - Human rights groups are worried about Barack Obama's plan to wait over 100 days before closing the Guantanamo Bay detenion center, reports the Miami Herald. Activists fear that Obama plans to keep the system of military tribunals going and are especially concerned about the upcoming trial of prisoner Omar Khadr,...

Salon Changes Name From Ossama's to Obama's

(Newser) - A Chicago salon named Ossama’s Hair Design has seen a marked uptick in business after changing its name to Obama’s, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “This is going to work for me for sure,” said Mike Elsheikh, the shop’s owner. “The name is absolutely making...

Use Stimulus to Invest in Food Reform
 Use Stimulus to 
 Invest in Food Reform 
OPINION
Jan 12, 2009 5:19 PM CST

Use Stimulus to Invest in Food Reform

Fixing food will save health and environment

(Newser) - Just because Barack Obama has a lot of issues to deal with once he's sworn in, he shouldn't leave food reform off the table. Putting a bulk of the stimulus package toward local and regional food systems will cut costs and bring us back from the edge, Tom Philpott, founder...

Obama Will Issue Order to Close Gitmo

Exec edict may come as soon as Jan. 20: transition team

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to issue an executive order in his first week in office—perhaps his first day—to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to two transition-team advisers, the AP reports. Nonethless, it is unlikely the detention facility at the US Navy base in...

Senate Lawyers OK Burris
 Senate Lawyers OK Burris 
Jan 12, 2009 3:24 PM CST

Senate Lawyers OK Burris

Obama replacement will be sworn in this week, 'barring objection' from GOP

(Newser) - Senate Democrats today accepted Roland Burris as the senator-designate from Illinois, and he will likely be seated later this week, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Barring objections from Senate Republicans,” said a statement from Sens. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin, “we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in....

Obama Pitches Bold Plan for Health Records

President-elect wants them all digital, but hurdles remain

(Newser) - Barack Obama is hoping an ambitious health care modernization plan will help deliver on two of his promises: increasing jobs and decreasing health care costs, CNNMoney reports. Obama has said he wants all US health records computerized within five years—a huge undertaking.

Openly Gay Bishop Tapped for Inauguration

Robinson will speak Sunday, has been critical of Warren

(Newser) - Barack Obama has asked Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the only openly gay Episcopal bishop, to deliver the invocation at the opening event of Inauguration Week, the Boston Globe reports. Robinson had been among those who criticized Obama for asking same-sex marriage opponent Rick Warren to deliver the main inaugural invocation.

Bush, Obama Call for 2nd TARP $350B

(Newser) - President Bush and Barack Obama asked Congress today to release the remaining $350 billion in TARP funds to prop up the troubled US financial system. The White House said Bush acted on a request from the president-elect, who takes office next week. Congress may vote on the request as early...

Obama Wants to Revive 'Death Tax'
Obama Wants
to Revive
'Death Tax'
Jan 12, 2009 10:52 AM CST

Obama Wants to Revive 'Death Tax'

Estate levy set to expire in 2010; Dems want richest 2% to pay up

(Newser) - With the estate tax—a levy on inheritances dubbed the “death tax” by opponents—set to expire in 2010 as a last gasp of President Bush’s 2001 tax cuts, Barack Obama and fellow Democrats are looking to keep America’s richest paying up, the Wall Street Journal reports....

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