Topic: Barack Obama

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Egypt: Violence increases pressure on Obama to 'pick sides'

Obama has said the US is 'not aligned with' any side in the strife in Egypt, but with growing Egyptian fears their country could slip into civil war, the pressure to abandon US neutrality mounts.
Congress's summer 'to do' list not too taxing. What tops it?

The Senate will approve some agency nominations – and perhaps avoid a showdown over Obama's judicial nominees. Student loans need attention. A 'sequester' revise? Don't count on it before Congress recesses in August.
Robert Reich Tax polluters, not students.

Republicans are willing to impose taxes on college students while shying away from taxing polluters; the GOP has it backwards, Reich says.
Editor's Blog The making of Americans

The "melting pot" has been glorified, vilified, and dismissed as obsolete. But both census data and the stories of millions of individual immigrants indicate that the not-always-easy process of assimilation is alive and well.
Should US suspend military aid to Egypt, to try to speed new elections?

US influence over events in Egypt is scant. But the US does give $1.6 billion a year in aid, mainly to Egypt's military – and some argue that now is the time to use those dollars as leverage to speed new elections and a return to constitutional order.
Statue of Liberty reopens on Independence Day (+video)

The Statue of Liberty reopening was a sign of recovery as the nation used the day to celebrate its independence in a wide variety of ways — from fireworks tributes to fallen firefighters to parades, concerts, and hot-dog eating contests.
Decoder Wire Poll: Republicans pushing immigration reform could score with Latinos in 2016

Presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Paul Ryan are well positioned to win over some of the Latino voters who backed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, according to the new poll.
Backchannels Timeline: the awkward dance of Obama and Morsi

The Obama administration fell into familiar patterns with Hosni Mubarak's successor.
Obamacare 101: Why major part of health law is delayed, and who's affected (+video)

A key provision of Obama's health law, aka Obamacare, will be pushed back a year, the administration said Wednesday. The delay buys more time for businesses with at least 51 workers to show they are providing health insurance. What happens in the meantime?
Obamacare delay? Large businesses get a one-year reprieve

Companies with 50 or more workers were given a one-year delay in providing coverage for their workers or face fines. 'We have heard that [businesses] need the time to get this right,' wrote a senior White House aide in a blog post. 'We are listening.'
Wildlife trafficking: US initiative in Africa 'really about people' (+video)

The US wildlife initiative to stop poaching of elephants and other animals aims to address each level of an expanding illegal global market that is rivaling the global narcotics, arms, and human trafficking markets.
Decoder Wire Gun control: Can Gabby Giffords win over gun owners by firing off some shots?

Her campaign to bring gun owners under the gun control banner created the jarring image of Gabby Giffords firing a gun at a Las Vegas range, the first time she has done so since being shot more than two years ago.
Obama's big Africa push: Let there be light (+video)

President Obama pledged loan guarantees to help expand electrification in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Monitor's View When officials try to ban economic truth

A mandate on Chinese media not to report a credit crunch is the latest example of governments trying to keep bad news under wraps. But the forces for honest financial data are too strong to defy.
Decoder Wire Chris Christie bromance with Barack Obama: Is it breaking up?

Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, no longer urgently needs federal superstorm Sandy dollars. So, with GOP presidential primaries ahead, he's buffing up his bona fides as a Republican, including attacks on ex-buddy Obama.
Energy Voices Obama pledges $7 billion for clean energy in Africa

President Obama unveiled this week a $7 billion plan to improve energy access in Africa over the next five years. The "Africa Power" initiative was announced during President Obama's three country tour of Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Backchannels White House backing away from Morsi in record time (+video)

It's hard to see a way for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to salvage his position from the current situation. Obama's folks seem to agree.
Symbols of Obama's Africa trip: wreaths, ribbons, soccer balls

President Obama ended his Africa trip in Tanzania today.
Probe of Stuxnet leak said to focus on US general. But why would he blab?

News reports say retired Gen. James Cartwright is the subject of a Justice Department investigation into a leak about the Stuxnet cyberweapon, which took aim at Iran's nuclear program. Here's what he's said in the past about what should and shouldn't be a military secret.
10 organizations that protect the environment

We tell you about 10 organizations that are working to protect and conserve the environment. All 10 of these organizations have four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and at least $13.5 million in total annual expenses.
Africa Monitor Circle of history: Will Barack Obama visit Nelson Mandela?

With Obama in South Africa, Mandela's family has said a private visit between the two men might be meaningful for the South African leader.
Tax VOX Will the Baucus-Hatch plan trigger tax reform? Probably not.

Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Orrin hatch (R-Utah) are pushing forward a blank slate rewrite plan, but Gleckman says they are off target. Tax reform will come with a specific set of rates and limited preferences — not a blank slate, Gleckman argues.
Immigration reform bill clears Senate, but faces roadblock in House (+video)

The Senate approved the bill by a 68-to-32 vote Thursday. But House leaders, including those supportive of the immigration reform effort, have said the Senate legislation won't get a hearing in their chamber.
Israel greets Kerry with settlement declaration. Could that signal progress?

Israel's settlement announcement would seem to be a slap at Kerry's efforts to reopen peace talks. But as one Mideast veteran puts it, Netanyahu 'takes a step backward before he takes a step forward.'
Goree Island: Obama visits site of transatlantic slave trade

America's first black president visits the infamous slave transport center off Senegal's coast.