President Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

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Financials Kick Dow Up 279
 Financials Kick Dow Up 279 
MARKETS
Jan 21, 2009 3:22 PM CST

Financials Kick Dow Up 279

Stocks rebound after dismal Inauguration Day

(Newser) - A rebound in the financial sector today and qualified confidence in President Obama’s stimulus plan drove stocks to recover some of yesterday’s large losses, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 279.01 to close at 8,228.10. The Nasdaq added 66.21, closing at 1,507.07, and...

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Committee will wait week on AG nominee, infuriating chair Leahy

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed today’s scheduled vote on Eric Holder’s confirmation by another week, CNN reports. Republican members engineered the move, saying they have questions about the attorney-general nominee’s stance on interrogation techniques. Chairman Patrick Leahy, who said he was “extremely disappointed,” banged down...

Geithner Confirmation Expected
 Geithner Confirmation Expected 
UPDATED
Jan 21, 2009 2:14 PM CST

Geithner Confirmation Expected

Committee grills Treasury nominee on taxes, but session lasts just four hours

(Newser) - Members of the Senate Finance Committee reprimanded Timothy Geithner today for not paying $40,000 in taxes, but appeared ready to recommend the full Senate confirm him as Treasury Secretary despite his financial infractions, Roll Call reports. “I apologize for putting you in the position where you had to...

Cornyn Yields; Clinton Vote Near

Confirmation of State nominee could come within hours

(Newser) - Republican Sen. John Cornyn removed his call for a roll-call vote in the confirmation of Hillary Clinton as secretary of State today, paving the way for a quick vote within two hours, the Hill reports. “I intend to vote for her confirmation,” Cornyn said, “but I also...

Jonas Brothers Babysat the Obama Girls

Boy band drops by on First Kids' first night at White House

(Newser) - Malia and Sasha Obama stayed in, presidential style, while their parents hit the dance floors last night, ABC reports. White House staff surprised the girls—who had requested a showing of High School Musical 3 and Bolt in their new theater—with a scavenger hunt. It introduced the mansion’s...

Inauguration Boosts Newspapers, for a Day

Customers line up to nab front pages covering historic day

(Newser) - The newspaper industry might be in its death throes, but it briefly jolted to life this morning as long lines of people waited at newsstands for souvenir copies of front pages that hailed the inauguration of America’s first black president, the AP reports. In Washington, some editions of the...

Sen. Murkowski Asked Bush for Stevens Pardon

Friends say former senator would rather clear name through courts anyway

(Newser) - Sen. Lisa Murkowski asked President Bush to pardon former Alaska Republican colleague Ted Stevens, the Anchorage Daily News reports. But Stevens would rather fight his corruption conviction in court, friends say, because he felt a pardon would taint his legacy. Murkowski wrote that she did not want to see Stevens,...

Obama Vows Transparency, Freezes Top Salaries

(Newser) - President Obama announced today that he was freezing the salaries of top White House staff who take in more than $100,000 a year, the AP reports. “Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington,” he said. Obama is also requiring federal agencies to respond more actively...

Kennedy Leaves Hospital
 Kennedy Leaves Hospital 
Jan 21, 2009 12:06 PM CST

Kennedy Leaves Hospital

Docs want Mass. senator, 76, to cut back on work

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy was released today from the Washington hospital where he was sent yesterday after suffering a seizure during Congress’ inaugural lunch with President Obama. The 76-year-old Massachusetts senator was back “in good spirits” this morning, the Boston Globe reports, but doctors urged him to reduce his workload. Such...

Obama Speeches Teach English, Hope to Japanese

Dem's speeches good for language-learners, more inspiring than local pols'

(Newser) - The Japanese version of Amazon.com features an unlikely bestseller: the collected speeches of Barack Obama, with Japanese translation and accompanying CD, Reuters reports. Obama’s inspiring but straightforward rhetoric is perfect for teaching English in a country that hankers to learn the language. He “uses words such as...

It's Straight to Work for No. 44
 It's Straight to Work for No. 44 
Jan 21, 2009 10:31 AM CST

It's Straight to Work for No. 44

8:35 start later than Bush's usual kickoff, but Obama was out kinda late

(Newser) - Barack Obama kicked off day one as president by entering the Oval Office at 8:35am, later, notes the Christian Science Monitor, than his predecessor typically did—though perhaps not that late considering his night of parties stretched until 1am. Obama spent 10 minutes alone, reading a note in an...

Noonan: A Solid, Sober Beginning
 Noonan: A Solid, 
 Sober Beginning 
OPINION
Jan 21, 2009 10:06 AM CST

Noonan: A Solid, Sober Beginning

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s first speech as president was not “a joyous audacious document, not a call to arms,” writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, “but a reasoned statement by a Young Sobersides.” That’s not a criticism: Moderate and moderated, Obama’s address...

Lines, Arctic Temps... and a Miracle: Keillor

Writer savors the spirit of goodwill amid throng at inauguration

(Newser) - The lines were "the longest I have ever stood in," and the day was arctic, but there were no complaints to be heard from the jubilant throng in Washington yesterday, Garrison Keillor writes in Salon. "All kinds of people, the slim and sleek, the XXXLs, the heavily...

Amid Clichés, Speech Showed True Insight

New president's speech emphasized how a bright future comes from old traditions

(Newser) - A conservative might have expected President Obama’s inaugural address to feature soaring language masking hackneyed ideas. Funny thing, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post: It was just the opposite. "It is simply mysterious how such tired language could sound appropriate to the ear of Obama the writer,...

First Couple Hits All 10 Official Balls

First stop: the first-of-its-kind, publicly accessible Neighborhood Ball

(Newser) - The new first couple danced their way through all 10 official balls last night, keeping with tradition and the desire to make yesterday’s inauguration the “most accessible” in history, CNN reports. Barack and Michelle Obama began the evening at the public Neighborhood Ball with Beyoncé’s rendition...

Obama Was 10 Feet Tall and Bullet-Proof

Lightweight body armor made his inauguration duds 'bullet-resistant'

(Newser) - Barack Obama wasn't quite bullet-proof as he strode down Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday, but the new president was certainly "bullet-resistant," Slate explains. While the SWAT-team look might not be very presidential, several companies now manufacture lightweight protective clothing that can be worn under clothing or woven into shirts or...

Writers Hail Message From a 'Prince'

Inaugural address praised as masterful use of language

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inaugural address showed a literary mastery of language, assorted authors tell the Los Angeles Times. The president's plain speaking and restraint is commended, along with his use of "we" instead of "I." Author Ted Wilmer hails the president's use of "tight language, short sentences...

Cell Networks Pass Test
 Cell Networks Pass Test 
Jan 21, 2009 3:29 AM CST

Cell Networks Pass Test

Handled massive inauguration volume

(Newser) - The Washington DC networks of the major cellphone carriers held up under massive pressure yesterday, handling millions of additional texts and emails without crashing, reports USA Today. There were some delays but AT&T, Verizon and Sprint handled up to three times their normal volume as thousands of spectators at...

Prez Orders Halt to Gitmo Trials

Prosecutors seeking 120-day delay while Obama sorts things out

(Newser) - Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors to seek a 120-day halt to legal proceedings at Guantanamo Bay—due to resume today—against five accused 9/11 conspirators, and another case against a Canadian defendant. Documents already filed said the request is made "in the interest of justice and at the direction...

Obama Blocks Bush 'Midnight Orders'
Obama Blocks
Bush 'Midnight Orders'
Jan 21, 2009 2:12 AM CST

Obama Blocks Bush 'Midnight Orders'

Weapons, anti-abortion regulations halted

(Newser) - One of President Barack Obama's first acts from the Oval Office was to block the last orders of his predecessor executed in his final days of power, Reuters reports. The White House sent a memo to every federal agency yesterday putting a stop to dozens of so-called "midnight regulations"...

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