Tuesday, January 20, 2009

WHITE HOUSE NEWS

White House News

People crowd the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Monday, Jan. 19, 2009, in anticipation of the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Crowds of 1 to 2 million expected at inauguration

AP - 24 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Subway trains are packed. Traffic is bumper-to-bumper. It seems that every dimension of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration is taking on historic proportions as visitors stream into the nation's capital.

  • President-elect Barack Obama stands with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at a dinner in Washington, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
    Obama praises McCain, Powell on eve of presidency AP - 1 hour, 58 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - A relaxed and upbeat Barack Obama invoked the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. and lavished praise on two prominent Republicans in calling for a new spirit of bipartisanship.

  • The U.S. Capitol is illuminated the night before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in Washington January 19, 2009. REUTERS/Scott Andrews/Pool
    Obama to step into history as 1st black president AP - 2 hours, 2 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasps the reins of power as America's first black president in a high-noon inauguration amid grave economic worries and high expectations.

  • A parade float depicting a U.S. flag makes its way to the Capitol in preparation for Tuesday's Inaugural Parade, in Washington January 19, 2009. REUTERS/Molly Riley
    Schedule of events for Obama's inauguration AP - 2 hours, 5 minutes ago

    A schedule of official and unofficial activities surrounding President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20:

  • A selection of the front pages of Kenya's national papers covering  U.S. President elect Barack Obama  is seen in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Jan, 20 2009. Obama will be inaugurated as America's 44th president later in the day.(AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
    Much in Obama stimulus bill won't hit economy soon AP - 2 hours, 7 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - It will take years before an infrastructure spending program proposed by President-elect Barack Obama will boost the economy, according to an analysis by congressional economists.

  • For military, bad economy aids recruiting AP - Mon Jan 19, 2:17 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Uncle Sam wants you, and in a poor economy, you might want Uncle Sam, too.

  • President George W. Bush, delivers a farewell address from the White House in Washington, January 15, 2009. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
    Bush commutes sentences of former US border agents AP - Mon Jan 19, 1:03 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.

  • With Jersey City in the background, a crippled US Airways Flight 1549 rests on a barge on the Hudson River in New York, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, after being lifted from the water late Saturday night. The aircraft will be moved to an undisclosed location for inspection by National Transportation Safety Board investigators. (AP Photo)
    Safety investigators look for birds on radar again AP - Sun Jan 18, 5:27 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Safety investigators are going back over radar data to see if there were any readings that might have been birds around the time US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

  • US welcomes Israel's ceasefire declaration AP - Sat Jan 17, 6:54 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The Bush administration on Saturday welcomed Israel's decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire in its military operations against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and urged both sides to end attacks immediately.

  • A wounded U.S. soldier is carried following a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009.  A suicide car bomb attack on a heavily guarded road between the German Embassy and a U.S. military base set the embassy on fire Saturday, killing an Afghan child and wounding 21 people, including five U.S. troops. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
    Major troop decisions for Afghan war await Obama AP - Sat Jan 17, 8:05 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Lingering decisions on how quickly the Pentagon can get U.S. forces out of Iraq and into Afghanistan are being pushed off until after the Obama administration takes over next week as military commanders continue to wrangle over where the troops are needed most.

  • Vice President-elect Joe Biden speaks during the 'We Are One': Inaugural Celebration, held in honor of President-elect Barack Obama, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington January 18, 2009. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
    Inauguration a culminating moment for Biden AP - 2 hours, 7 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - Joe Biden, the talkative senator known for foreign policy expertise and a command of Washington's ways, is on the cusp of being more than Barack Obama's No. 2 guy.

  • Kempthorne designates 9 new historic landmarks AP - Fri Jan 16, 11:33 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The government on Friday designated national historic landmarks in nine states in recognition of their role in U.S. history.

  • Inaugural speeches make their point in a hurry AP - 2 hours, 9 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - Inaugural speeches tend to be quick business — 15 to 20 minutes, give or take a few — and Barack Obama's is expected to fall in that range Tuesday.

  • Pakistani police officers examine a police vehicle damaged in a bomb blast in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. Pakistani police say the bomb blast has wounded five officers in the country's northwest. The bomb was planted by unidentified assailants in a section of under construction gas pipeline. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)
    Interior issues offshore drilling plan AP - Fri Jan 16, 7:33 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The Interior Department on Friday issued a detailed proposal for widespread oil and gas drilling off both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in areas that have not had energy exploration for decades.

  • President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush walk across the South Lawn as they arrive at the White House, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, in Washington. The president was returning from his last weekend at Camp David before Tuesday's inauguration. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
    Bush saying goodbye to Washington, hello to Texas AP - 2 hours, 11 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - George W. Bush's presidential finale includes a goodbye to Washington and a hello from fellow Texans.

  • U.S. Homeland Security Secretary nominee Janet Napolitano chats with Attorney General nominee Eric Holder (R) as they celebrate a national day of service and help volunteers with 'Operation Gratitude' and 'Serve DC' assemble care packages for U.S. troops overseas, in Washington, January 19, 2009.  REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst   (UNITED STATES)
    Witnesses praise Holder despite past disagreements AP - Fri Jan 16, 5:06 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Former FBI Director Louis Freeh testified Friday that Eric Holder played a role in a "corrupt" pardon. The Fraternal Order of Police chief said "we abhor" the clemency Holder supported for 16 Puerto Rican militants.

  • Inauguration is a day at the beach for Republicans AP - 2 hours, 12 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - For many prominent Republicans, Barack Obama's inauguration was a special day of a different sort, full of balmy breezes and lovely vistas.

  • Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, left, talks as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, looks on during a signing ceremony at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
    US, Israel sign deal to boost Gaza truce effort AP - Fri Jan 16, 4:59 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - On its final working day, the Bush administration signed a last-minute deal with Israel aimed at cutting off the supply of smuggled weapons to Hamas and boosting Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire to end fighting in Gaza.

  • Lobbyists use inauguration to show their influence AP - 2 hours, 12 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - The sushi was plentiful, the jazz ensemble loud and the guest list included just what the party-givers wanted: members of Congress, incoming Obama administration officials and celebrities.

  • Pentagon: Seabees shifting from Iraq to Afghan war AP - Fri Jan 16, 4:35 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - In a sign of things to come, the Pentagon announced Friday that a military construction crew is bound for Afghanistan instead of the Iraq war.

  • In this Jan. 14, 2009 file photo, provided by the Obama Transition Team, President-elect Barack Obama left, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden right, talk with U.S. Supreme Court justices during a visit to the Supreme Court in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. From left, Obama, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice David Souter and Biden.    (AP Photo/Obama Transition Office, Pete Souza, File)
    First inauguration for Roberts as chief justice AP - 2 hours, 13 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts is giving the oath of office to President-elect Barack Obama, the first of what could be many inaugurations presided over by the affable, conservative jurist.

  • US slaps sanctions on son of Osama bin Laden AP - Fri Jan 16, 4:14 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department slapped financial sanctions on three alleged al-Qaida terrorist operatives thought to be in Iran, plus another — a son of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — that the top U.S. intelligence officer said Friday has left Iran and is probably now in Pakistan.

  • Ali salutes Obama at inaugural soiree AP - Tue Jan 20, 12:27 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - "The Greatest" saluted the nation's first black president at an inaugural soiree Monday night.

  • Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice smiles as she leaves the State Department in Washington, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
    Rice departs predicting a world free from tyranny AP - Fri Jan 16, 3:16 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Capping four years as the Bush administration's top diplomat, a teary-eyed Condoleezza Rice bade a spirited farewell Friday to an assembly of several hundred State Department employees.

  • This image provided by Harpo Productions shows, from left: Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and Oprah Winfrey on the set of the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' at Washington's Kennedy Center Opera House Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Harpo Productions, Inc. George Burns)
    Biden tries to shush wife after state-VP slip AP - Tue Jan 20, 12:19 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's wife said Monday that he had his pick of being Barack Obama's running mate or the secretary of state nomination that eventually went to Hillary Rodham Clinton, a slip that the vice president-elect immediately tried to shush.

  • Attorney General-designate Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, January 15, 2009, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    GOP senator gives key support to Obama's AG pick AP - Fri Jan 16, 12:15 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Republican senator Mel Martinez of Florida says he will support Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder, putting him a big step closer to confirmation.

  • Obama's AG pick praised by ex-Bush adviser AP - Fri Jan 16, 11:07 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Former Bush adviser Frances Townsend has urged the Senate to confirm Eric Holder as the next attorney general.

  • Most of Little Rock 9 headed to inauguration AP - Mon Jan 19, 11:09 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama has said the Little Rock Nine's courage in desegregating an Arkansas public school helped make the opportunities in his life possible.

  • An Iraqi policeman stands guard in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Freed last year from the grip of militias, Basra has emerged as the main political battlefield in this month's regional elections, as Shiite parties allied in the national government are competing for control of the oil-rich south. The Jan. 31 election, in which voters across the country will choose ruling provincial councils, will be the first since U.S.-backed Iraqi forces wrested control of Basra from Shiite militias and criminal gangs.  (AP Photo/ Nabil al-Jurani)
    Pentagon: Iraq withdrawal has 16-month time frame AP - Fri Jan 16, 1:01 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials said Thursday they will be ready on Inauguration Day with plans for a quick pullout of U.S. combat troops from Iraq if Barack Obama orders one, as he pledged to do during his White House campaign.

  • Aretha Franklin warms up for inauguration AP - Mon Jan 19, 10:56 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Aretha Franklin

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