U.S. intel didn't join American to Mumbai attacks

White House officials said Monday that U.S. aptitude did not connect an American man to the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks he later pleaded guilty to helping plot. Officials are expected to soon release the findings of an investigation into what the intelligence community knew about David Headley. The White House said President Barack Obama first wanted to concise India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the findings during his three-day visit here.
Ben Rhodes, delegate national security director for strategic communications, said Monday that while the U.S. had information about Headley, that information was not connected to the planning of the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people."What we have is various different kinds of information about David Headley that, again, weren't specific to a particular plot in India," said Rhodes, adding that much of the information was based on doubts various people had about Headley.
Headley pleaded guilty in U.S. central court to laying the groundwork for the attacks. He told Indian interrogators in June that Pakistani intelligence officers were deeply intertwined with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group blamed in the attack, Headley was born in the United States but spent most of his childhood in Pakistan, moving back to America as a teenager to be with his mother after his parents split He joined Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2001 after hearing a lecture by the group's leader, Hafeez Saeed, on the need for holy war.
Under a deal with prosecutors in the United States, Headley will not face execution if he continues to assist with their terrorism investigation. He could face up to life in prison and a $3 million fine when he's sentenced. As part of the plea bargain, the U.S. government agreed not to transfer him to India, Pakistan or Denmark for the charges for which he has admitted guilt.

History of White House

For more than 200 years, the White House has been more than just the home of the Presidents and their families. Throughout the world, it is recognized as the symbol of the President, of the President's administration, and of the United States.

About the White House Building

For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation's capital, began when the President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in the December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with the city planner Pierre L’Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President’s House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.

Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in the October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and the additions. The White House is, after all, the President’s private home. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge.

The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman’s presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago.

Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol simply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson also opened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, ever since. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and on the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.

After Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Inaugural crowds became far too large for the White House to accommodate them comfortably. However, not until Grover Cleveland’s first presidency did this unsafe practice change. He held a presidential review of the troops from a flag-draped grandstand built in front of the White House. This procession evolved into the official Inaugural parade we know today. Receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July continued to be held until the early 1930s.

• There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.
• At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
• Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.
• With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.
• The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.
• For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.

Notice from the President on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Sudan

On November 3, 1997, by Executive Order 13067, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Sudan, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and the extraordinary threat to the national security and the foreign policy of the United States posed by the actions and the policies of the Government of Sudan. On April 26, 2006, in Executive Order 13400, the President determined that the conflict in the Sudan's Darfur region posed an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, expanded the scope of the national emergency to deal with that threat, and ordered the blocking of property of certain persons connected to the conflict. On October 13, 2006, the President issued Executive Order 13412 to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency and to implement the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006 (Public Law 109 344).

Because the actions and policies of the Government of Sudan continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and the foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on November 3, 1997, as expanded on April 26, 2006, and with respect to which the additional steps were taken on October 13, 2006, must continue in the effect beyond November 3, 2010. Therefore, consistent with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to Sudan.

No decision up till now on Obama Golden Temple visit

U.S. President Barack Obama has canceled a visit to The Golden Temple in Amritsar because of a dispute over helmet may be premature, the White House said on Wednesday. We pick sites on foreign trips based on what the president needs to accomplish,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters traveling on Air Force One. Obama had been expected to visit the Golden Temple in northern India, a pilgrimage site for Sikhs, during his tour of the country next month. But Indian media reports said Obama’s handlers balked at the idea of the U.S. president wearing a headscarf or skullcap while touring the site.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a Sikh. Gibbs said Obama’s final journey during his India trip had yet to be finalized, but he expected it would be in the course of the next week.“It’s a big country and we’d love to spend a lot more than the three allotted days we have in India,”

Obama votes truant

President Obama filled out his absentee vote for the midterm election in Illinois from the White House West Wing, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Gibbs said he voted for Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias, who is in a tough race against Republican Mark Kirk for the president's former Senate seat. He said the president also voted for Illinois Gov.

"I know who he voted for for Governor and council in Illinois – the two Democratic candidates who I believe will win," Gibbs said. Obama made two trips to Chicago this year to increase money for Giannoulias, and first lady Michelle Obama recently campaigned for him. On Saturday, the president will headline a public meeting in Chicago as part of a multi-state push for Democrats leading up to the Nov. 2 election. The first lady took advantage of her home state's early voting and cast her vote when she stopped in Chicago during a Midwestern campaign swing two weeks ago.

Republican Carly Fiorina Says White House Economic statement on Women and Jobs is 'All About Election Year Politics'

President Obama pushed the argument that his administration and Democrats normally are better for women and the economy. Women have made such enormous strides that they now constitute half of the workforce, Women voters normally vote in greater numbers for Democrats, but the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll shows women separated almost evenly in the generic ballot, with 47% favoring the Democrat, 44% for the Republican.

Four years ago, women favored Democrats by 12 percentage points in the midterm elections. Earlier today White House economists issued a report on "Jobs and Economic Security for America's women"Coming the same day the president makes a movement swing to help two embattled Democratic women senators with their job security, I have no doubt that this is all about election year politics,” Fiorina told ABC News of the National Economic Council report. The president will meeting for Boxer tomorrow in Los Angeles; today was all about Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who won as the so-called "mother in tennis shoes" in the year of the woman, 1992.

Obama Administration to Focus More on Hispanic success

President Barack Obama has expressed his wish to have his government focus more on the welfare and improvement of Hispanic education. The President said this on Tuesday in the White House as he signed a crucial executive order that would do exactly that. Obama was quoted as saying that an improvement on education would aid the United States in competing in the global economy that is growing everyday.

Through the order, communities will be distribution their best practices while strengthening public-private types of partnerships while ensuring federal programs would meet the requirements of adult Latinos and youths. The order was also setting to establish a working group for the whole government as well as a separated presidential advisory type of commission. The executive order signing however was seen as very crucial as the midterm elections draws near, with the president counting heavily on the Hispanic vote for Democrats come Nov 2

6 months after oil spill, scientists say Gulf is ill but not dying

Six months after the rig blast that led to the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, damage to the Gulf of Mexico can be measured more in increments than extinctions, say scientists polled by The Associated PressIn an informal survey, 35 researchers who study the Gulf lowered their rating of its natural health by several points, compared to their assessment before the BP well gushed millions of gallons of oil. 

But the drop in position wasn't dramatic. On a scale of 0 to 100, the overall average grade for the oiled Gulf was 65 -- down from 71 before the spill. This reflects scientists' views that the spilled 172 million gallons of oil further eroded what was already a beleaguered body of water -- tainted for years by farm runoff from the Mississippi River, overfishing, and oil from smaller spills and natural seepage. The spill wasn't the near-death blow initially feared. Nor is it the glancing strike that some relieved experts and officials said it was in midsummer.

Obama, Condleezza Rice to assemble at White House

President Obama is meeting with former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss an weapons treaty with Russia and other issues, reports said Friday. White House officials said the relationship between Obama and Rice was "cordial," and the president was looking forward to the meeting Friday to discuss "a range of foreign policy topics," The Associated Press reported, quoting an official who was not official to talk about the meeting publicly.

A new START agreement with Russia was signed in April, cutting the amount of nuclear warheads by about one-third. The agreement has been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but ratification by the full Senate has not happened yet and is uncertain. Republicans generally oppose the treaty and have pressured Obama to upgrade the current U.S. arsenal of weapons out of fear they could grow ineffective without proper maintenance

White House rubbish foreclosure moratorium

The White House says it does not maintain a nationwide moratorium on home foreclosures because of possible unintended consequences."If there's an empty house in the neighborhood that somebody has a deal on and they're closing date is next week and there is a moratorium ... that sale doesn't happen. That recovery doesn't take place," press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

"Certain banks have identified process -- parts in their process that are insufficient. We should certainly get to the bottom of that without doing broader damage to the housing market and threatening the recovery in housing."Gibbs said the current foreclosure controversy wasn't a distraction to the Obama administration's participation in re-election campaigns for Democratic candidates because they've been dealing with the housing crisis every day.

White House lifts 6-month oil drilling chill

The Obama administration, under heavy demands from the oil industry and others in the Gulf Coast, today lifted the moratorium on deep water drilling that it imposed in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill. The six-month ban had been scheduled to expire Nov. 30, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he was moving up that deadline because new rules forced after the spill have strengthened safety measures and reduced the risk of another catastrophic blowout.
"The policy position that we are articulating today is that we are open for business," Salazar told a news conference. The action comes as a federal judge weighed a drilling company's bid to overturn the moratorium. It also comes less than a month before midterm elections in which Democrats face widespread criticism for overextending government actions on the economy, including the health care overhaul, the economic stimulus plan and the drilling moratorium.

A federal report said the moratorium likely caused a temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region. Drilling companies must meet a host of new safety regulations before they can resume operations including a requirement that the CEO of the company responsible for the well certifies it has complied with all regulations. That could make the person at the top of the company liable for any future accidents.

The White House's all-American hi-fi

The U.S. may be the world's leading consumer state; we just don't make the very best crop here anymore. It would be the sort of hi-fi the President could, after a hard day's work solving the world's problems, use to kick out the jams. I'd start with an Ayre DX-5universal Blu-ray, SACD, DVD, CD, MP3 player; built in Boulder, Colorado. And when the President wants to spin vinyl, he'd use a VPI Classic phonograph from Cliffwood, New Jersey.

The VPI turntable would be fitted with a Grado Statement 1 phono cartridge; and for late-night listening, the President could don a set of Grado PS1000 headphones. The White House system would feature McIntosh's stellar C-22 preamp and the MC75 power amplifier, which was introduced in 1961.The Klipsch Palladium P-39F Tower as the White House speaker system would be just as special. Years in development, Klipsch's project engineers working in the company's technology center in Indianapolis, Indiana, collaborated on the project with engineers in Hope, Arkansas; Munich, Germany; and Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China.

Educate to Innovate

President Obama has launched an “Educate to Innovate” movement to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

This campaign will include efforts not only from the Federal Government but also from leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies to work with young people across America to excel in science and math.As part of the campaign, this Administration hopes to do a series of events, announcements and other activities that build upon the President’s “call to action” and address the key components of national precedence

Trudeau, Clark remembered warmly by Carter in White House Diary

When then U.S. president Jimmy Carter struggled with skyrocketing expenses of health-care, he and his cabinet looked north to Canada during their first year in office.
When Carter went looking for friends and allies about the summit table in the 1970s, he found one first in Pierre Trudeau and then in Joe Clark.
"White House Diary" is considered particularly timely given current U.S. President Barack Obama's struggles in his first term and the comparisons strained between the 39th and 44th occupants of the White House.
 

But where Obama has achieved modest success on health-care reform, Carter's administration tried to come to terms with cost disparities between Canada and the United States.

" President Jimmy Carter noted in his private diary on September 26, 1977, "our figure is 10 per cent."
"White House Diary," then updates readers to the present-day situation in the United States. "U.S. spending on health care was more than 17 per cent of its GNP in 2009."
"White House Diary" is a must-read for any student of the US Presidency. It is also part of a refreshing re-examination of the Carter Presidency that has been going on for many years now.

Obama plays the veto tag

President Obama announced his first veto on Thursday. He will not sign the "Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010." In case you haven't been following the progress of this obscure bill, its main purpose is to remove impediments to interstate commerce by requiring states and federal courts to accept notarizations by notary publics from any state. Currently many states only recognize notarizations by notary publics who are residents of the state in question.

In thousands upon thousands of cases, executives at mortgage servicers were "robo-signing" foreclosure documents without actually reviewing the paperwork. Those documents were then shipped off to notaries who simply took it on faith that the facts attested to by the documentation were correct. Critics of the bill believe that, behind the scenes, banks and mortgage lenders pressured their allies in the Senate to pass the notarization bill in the hope that it might provide some ex post facto protection for them from the avalanche of law suits that is about to pound the mortgage industry.

Building Skills for the America’s Future

Today, President Obama announced the launch of a new initiative Skills for the America’s Future - an effort to improve the industry partnerships with the community colleges to ensure that America’s community college students are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the workforce.

In his remarks before the start of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) meeting today, President Obama laid the vision for the Skills for America's Future program:

The idea here is simple: we want to make it easier to connect the students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. We want to help the community colleges and employers create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardroom.

We’ve already seen cases where this can work. Cisco, for example, has been working directly with community colleges to prepare students and workers for jobs ranging from work in broadband to health IT. And all over the country, we know that the most successful community colleges are those that partner with the private sector. So Skills for America’s Future would help build on these success stories by connecting more employers, schools, and other job training providers, and helping them share knowledge about what practices work best. The goal is to ensure that every state in the country has at least one strong partnership between a growing industry and a community college. Already, companies from UTC to Accenture to the GAP have announced their support for this initiative, as well as business leaders like my friend Penny Pritzker and the Aspen Institute’s Walter Isaacson. I hope other business leaders will follow suit, and I’m also setting up a taskforce to work directly with the business community on this effort.

The President also emphasized the importance investing in education as a means of investing in our long-term economic growth.