Facebook struggles to put out online fires in Israeli-Palestinian conflict
JERUSALEM — When fires raged across Israel last month, Anas Abudaabes began to type on his laptop. What came out would land him behind bars and ignite a debate over whether he had tried to fan the flames of hatred, in this case literally.
U.S. says it told Qatar not to pay a ransom for Peter Curtis
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Monday that it brought the family of the American hostage Peter Theo Curtis together with the government of Qatar in an effort to secure his release, but insisted that it told the Qataris not to pay a ransom for the captured journalist.
Obama orders policy review of executions
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared this week’s botched execution in Oklahoma “deeply disturbing” and directed the attorney general Friday to review how the death penalty is applied in the United States at a time when it has become increasingly debated.
U.S. announces more sanctions against Russia over Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday imposed additional sanctions against Russian government officials and companies deemed close to President Vladimir Putin, accusing Moscow of failing to live up to its agreement to defuse the crisis in Ukraine.
On Ukraine, a wary stance from Obama
WASHINGTON — Televisions around the White House were aglow with pictures of Ukrainians in the streets, demanding to be heard and toppling a government aligned with Russia. It was an invigorating moment, and it spurred the president and his staff to rethink their approach to the world.
In State of the Union, Obama vows solo action on economy
WASHINGTON — After five years of fractious political combat, President Obama declared independence from Congress on Tuesday as he vowed to tackle economic disparity with a series of limited initiatives on jobs, wages and retirement that he will take without legislative approval.
Chill hangs over Obama’s journey to summit in Russia
WASHINGTON — Just days before Vladimir Putin reassumed the presidency of Russia last year, President Barack Obama dispatched his national security adviser to Moscow. Obama had made considerable progress with Dmitry A. Medvedev, the caretaker president, and wanted to preserve the momentum.
New sanctions announced for aiding Syria and Iran
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama moved to tighten sanctions on Syria and Iran on Monday by taking aim at those who provide their authoritarian governments with technology to track down dissidents for abuse, torture or death.
In Obama’s deal with GOP, a portent for the next two years
WASHINGTON — For President Barack Obama, this is what bipartisanship looks like in the new era: messy, combustible and painful, brought on under the threat of even more unpalatable consequences and yet still deferring the ultimate resolution for another day.
Obama forces showdown with Senate Republicans on arms pact with Russia
WASHINGTON — Just two weeks after an election that left him struggling to find his way forward, President Barack Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans in a make-or-break battle over arms control that could be an early test of his mettle heading into the final two years of his term.
Obama forces showdown with Senate Republicans on arms pact with Russia
WASHINGTON — Just two weeks after an election that left him struggling to find his way forward, President Barack Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans in a make-or-break battle over arms control that could be an early test of his mettle heading into the final two years of his term.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia approved
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s arms control treaty with Russia advanced to the Senate floor with bipartisan support Thursday, giving it a major boost toward ratification despite the election-year polarization that has divided the parties over so many other issues.
Obama selects Kagan, former HLS dean, for Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan as the nation’s 112th justice, choosing his own chief advocate before the Supreme Court to join it in ruling on cases critical to his view of the country’s future, Democrats close to the White House said on Sunday.
Opening new era, U.S. and Russia sign nuclear arms pact
With flourish and fanfare, President Barack Obama and President Dmitry A. Medvedev of Russia signed a nuclear arms control treaty on Thursday and opened what they hoped would be a new era in the tumultuous relationship between two former Cold War adversaries.
Obama limits when United States would use nuclear weapons
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons, even in self- defense.
Bill Clinton undergoes surgery to clear a blocked artery
WASHINGTON —Former President Bill Clinton was taken to a New York hospital on Thursday after experiencing chest pains and underwent a procedure to clear a blocked artery that, if untreated, might have led to a heart attack within days, aides said.
Shorts (right)
After nearly a month of deliberations by President Barack Obama over whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, frustrations and anxiety are on the rise within the military.
In Secret Letter Last Month, Obama Offered Deal To Russia
President Barack Obama sent a secret letter to Russia’s president last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday.
Obama’s Promise of Ethics Reform Faces Early Test
During almost two years on the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to slay the demons of Washington, bar lobbyists from his administration and usher in what he would later call in his Inaugural Address a “new era of responsibility.” What he did not talk much about were the asterisks.
Obama Moves Fast to Fill Top Administration Posts
The call summoning him was somewhat cryptic. Only after Gen. James L. Jones showed up in a hotel suite for a one-on-one meeting with Barack Obama did it become clear what was going on.
With Appointments, Obama Puts Campaign Behind Him
President-elect Barack Obama put the rancor and even some of the rhetoric of the presidential campaign behind him on Monday as he welcomed his chief Democratic adversary into his Cabinet and signaled flexibility in his plans to withdraw troops from Iraq.