Washington: A top White House adviser insisted President Barack Obama learned that the federal tax collection agency had targeted conservative groups only "when it came out in the news" while Republicans continued to press the administration for answers on Sunday. The Obama administration has also been forced on the defensive over its handling of last September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans, and the government's seizure of The Associated Press' telephone records as part of a leaks investigation.
Republicans are hoping to link the issues in an effort to raise questions about Obama's credibility and make it harder for him to press a second-term agenda. Trying to move past a challenging week, senior Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer appeared on five Sunday news shows to repeat the administration's position that no senior officials were involved in the decision to give conservative tea party groups extra scrutiny.
Pfeiffer's appearances were unlike to quiet Republican critics, who have seized on the revelations as proof that Obama used the Internal Revenue Service to go after his political enemies. "The deputy secretary of the treasury was made aware of just the fact that the investigation was beginning last year. But no one in the White House was aware," Pfeiffer said.
Regardless of when the president first learned of the investigations, the longtime Obama confidante said the president wanted to ensure such activities were not repeated. "The activity was outrageous and inexcusable, and it was
09:20 PM, May 19, 2013
Washington: The police officer who risked his life to save victims of the Wisconsin Gurdwara shootout in 2012 was honoured by US President Barack Obama at a White House award ceremony. Six people were shot dead while three others injured when gunman Wade Michael Page went on a shooting rampage in August, 2012. The toll could have been much higher if not for Lieutenant Brian Murphy of the Oak Creek...
11:16 AM, May 12, 2013
Washington: Reporters and photographers were temporarily evacuated from the West Wing of the White House on Saturday morning as an electrical problem set off a smoke alarm. The First Family was not affected, a White House official said. "Early this morning, an electrical transformer near the West Wing malfunctioned and set off a smoke alarm in the West Wing. The transformer problem was quickly resolved," the official said. "Electricity and...
08:40 PM, May 11, 2013
Beijing: Internet users in China, a country with a long tradition of petitioning, are appealing to a new authority to resolve grievances and controversies such as the merits of salty or sweet tofu - the US White House petitions website. Created by US President Barack Obama, the online petitioning system was designed as an "easy way for Americans to make their voices heard", according to the website. But he may...
01:32 PM, May 08, 2013
Washington: Emphasising that North Korea has to pay for its recent provocative behaviour, US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-Hye have said that engagement process would be initiated if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear ambitions. "The key is that we will be prepared for a deterrence; that we will respond to aggression; that we will not reward provocative actions; but that we will maintain an openness...
11:50 AM, May 08, 2013
Washington: The US has honoured 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women, including two Indian-Americans, as "champions of change" in recognition of their significant contribution to the community. The two Indian-American women - Aparna Bhattacharyya from Atlanta and Pramila Jayapal from Washington State - were recognised at a White House event on Monday. A passionate advocate for immigrant survivors of family and sexual violence and ensuring they have access...
12:22 PM, May 07, 2013
Washington: Marking the community's heritage month this May, the White House has announced to honour 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women including two Indian-Americans as "champions of change" in recognition of their significant contribution to the community. The two Indian-American women to be recognised next week by the White House are Aparna Bhattacharyya from Atlanta and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state. They would be recognised along with 13...
07:59 AM, Apr 30, 2013
U.S. President Barack Obama poked fun at the media, his critics and himself on Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a star-filled event where journalists and celebrities mixed with the Washington elite. Joined at the dinner by his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, the president gently knocked Republicans for not working with him on policy priorities and made a rare reference to his race when urging the...
11:23 AM, Apr 29, 2013
Washington: US President Barack Obama has poked fun on himself about his young "Muslim Socialist" background and even copied his popular wife Michelle's new hairstyle to boost his image in his second innings at the White House. Obama stepped to the podium at the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner as DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" played as an introduction and told the audience, "Rush Limbaugh warned you about...
04:40 PM, Apr 28, 2013
London: Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out an erroneous tweet about an attack at the White House. The tweet said that there had been two explosions at the White House and President Barack Obama was injured. The attack on AP's Twitter account and AP Mobile Twitter account was preceded by a phishing attempt on AP's corporate network. The AP confirmed that its Twitter account...
11:46 PM, Apr 23, 2013
Washington: The US President Barack Obama has praised young Indian-American student for her science project at the third annual White House Science Fair here. "We're so proud of you. Keep up the good work," Obama said to 17-year old Meghana Rao from Portland, Oregon, after she explained her project based on 'biochar' (charcoal) to the US President at the annual White House Science Fair in which around 30 student teams...
08:00 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Washington: The United States has become the greatest economic power in the world as discovery, science and engineering is in the DNA of its people, the US President Barack Obama said. "America has always been about discovery, invention, engineering, science and evidence. That's who we are. That's in our DNA. That's how this country became the greatest economic power in the history of the world," Obama said in his remarks...
07:21 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Oxford: A Mississippi man was arrested on Wednesday, accused of sending letters to President Barack Obama and a senator that tested positive for the poisonous ricin and set the nation's capital on edge a day after the Boston Marathon bombings. FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen said the man was arrested on Wednesday. His name wasn't immediately released publicly. Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the letters to...
06:02 AM, Apr 18, 2013
Washington: The FBI says preliminary tests on a letter sent to President Barack Obama indicate the presence of poisonous ricin. The letter is undergoing further testing because preliminary field tests can be unreliable, creating false positives. The letter was intercepted at a facility away from the White House. It comes the day after officials said a letter sent to Sen Roger Wicker tested positive for poisonous ricin. That letter to...
10:02 PM, Apr 17, 2013
Washington: Holding back tears, the mother of a six year-old boy, who was murdered alongside 19 other children in Connecticut four months ago, made a passionate plea from the White House for Americans and their leaders to embrace her call for stricter gun control laws. In a significant departure from the past, US President Barack Obama had asked Francine Wheeler to deliver his weekly radio and web address to the...
07:53 PM, Apr 13, 2013
U.S. President Barack Obama's spokesman on Thursday denied any White House role in allowing a visit to Cuba by rapper Jay-Z and pop star Beyonce last week, after the hip hop mogul released a song that suggested he had presidential permission for the trip. "I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury (Department)," Jay Carney said to laughter among reporters. "I am absolutely saying the White House, from the president on down,...
11:54 AM, Apr 12, 2013
Washington: A man has been arrested after police say he made a bomb threat outside the White House. DC police spokesman Araz Alali says the man approached an officer at the White House gates this morning and warned that a bomb would detonate in a truck parked nearby. Surrounding streets and the entrance to a nearby Metro rail station were shut down as the Secret Service inspected the vehicle for...
03:48 AM, Apr 11, 2013
Washington: Singer-actor Justin Timberlake serenaded President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at a concert in the White House. The 'Mirrors' hitmaker performed at the US President's celebration of soul music from Memphis, Tennessee, the singer's hometown, at the latest 'In Performance at the White House' concert, singing alongside the likes of soul legend Booker T Jones, Queen Latifah and Cyndi Lauper, reported Washington Post. The 32-year-old star entertained...
06:29 PM, Apr 10, 2013
Washington: The recent rhetoric and actions taken by Pyongyang in past few weeks present a real danger not only to Japan and South Korea but also to the American interests in the region, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said. "Some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests, certainly of our allies, starting with South Korea and...
09:57 AM, Apr 04, 2013
The United States does not see any change in the military posture of North Korea despite threat and recent rhetoric coming from its leadership, the White House said. "I would note that despite the harsh rhetoric we're hearing from Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture, such as large-scale mobilisations and positioning of forces," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Monday. ...
07:55 AM, Apr 02, 2013
