Presidency of Barack Obama

Senate unanimously confirms Energy nominee Ernest Moniz

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 14:00

WASHINGTON - Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to be the nation's new energy secretary. Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu, who served as Energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, called Moniz "solution-oriented" and said he is "smart about energy policy and savvy about Energy Department operations."

Obama names Japan expert as top Asia diplomat

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 04:15

President Barack Obama on Wednesday named Danny Russel, a close aide with expertise in Japan, as the top US diplomat for East Asia charged with handling relations with the vast and growing region. The Senate will need to confirm Russel as the assistant secretary of state for East Asia. Obama, announcing Russel and other nominees, praised them for their "depth of experience and tremendous dedication" to their work.

Obama, under pressure, tries to regain control amid trio of controversies

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 04:01

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is trying to halt a perception spreading among both White House opponents and allies that he has been passive and disengaged as a trio of unexpected controversies consume his second term. On Wednesday Obama released a trove of documents related to the Benghazi attack and forced out the top official at the federal tax collection agency following revelations that the it targeted conservative political groups.

Obama to meet with Treasury officials over IRS targeting of conservative groups

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 20:00

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will discuss the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew Wednesday afternoon. White House press secretary Jay Carney says Obama expects people to be held accountable. The meeting comes in the aftermath of an investigation by a Treasury inspector general that found that the IRS, in examining applications for tax exempt status, improperly selected conservative groups for further review.

Obama fires head of US tax agency over scandal

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 19:15

An angry President Barack Obama sacked the acting head of the US Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday over a fast moving scandal sparked when officials unfairly targeted conservative groups. Obama said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had asked for and received the resignation of tax agency chief Steven Miller and promised a new system of checks and safeguards to make sure the episode was not repeated. "Given the controversy surrounding this audit, it's important to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward," Obama said.

US says phone record seizure aimed to save lives

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 03:30

The beleaguered US government claims it was only trying to protect American lives when it took the drastic step of seizing journalists' phone records in a probe of what it calls a major security breach. President Barack Obama's administration, embattled on several fronts, now faces a barrage of criticism that the step undermined freedom of the press. Attorney General Eric Holder hit back on Tuesday, defending the action in which the Justice Department secretly took two months of telephone logs from news operations of the Associated Press.

Obama vows to hold staff accountable over IRS spat

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 00:30

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that an inquiry into allegations that tax agency staff had unfairly targeted conservative groups had uncovered "intolerable and inexcusable" behavior. In a statement released by the White House amid a wave of outrage from the president's opponents, Obama said he had ordered Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to hold "those responsible for these failures accountable."

Business Highlights

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 00:16

___ US boom transforming global oil trade NEW YORK (AP) — The surge in oil production in the U.S. and Canada and shrinking oil consumption in the developed world is transforming the global oil market. The threat of chronic oil shortages is all but gone, U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil will continue to dwindle, and oil will increasingly flow to the developing economies of Asia, according to a five-year outlook published Tuesday by the International Energy Agency.

Israel cabinet passes austerity budget for 2013-14

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 05:00

The Israeli government on Tuesday adopted a deeply unpopular austerity budget for 2013-14 after a marathon overnight session, with the proposal due to be put to a vote in parliament in the coming months. The budget was passed by 21-1 in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a session which began almost 24 hours earlier.

Pressure rises on White House over Benghazi talking points

Thomson ReutersMay 10, 2013 17:30

By Jeff Mason and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration fought back on Friday against Republican accusations that it covered up details of last year's deadly assault on a U.S. mission in Libya, after a news report that memos on the incident were edited to omit a CIA warning of a threat posed by al Qaeda.