Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | September 19, 2010, 1:32PM

Bill Clinton: 'I Was Wrong' That Health Care Law Would Become Popular Quickly
Appearing on Meet The Press, former President Bill Clinton said he was wrong to have predicted that the health care reform law would be immediately popular after being signed into law: "Well, I was wrong about that for two reasons. First of all, the benefits of the bill are spread out over three or four years. It takes a long time to implement it. And secondly, there was--there's been an enormous and highly effective attack on it. But I think it's important. Let's--forget about the politics. Let's talk about the facts here. The real reason that the interest groups want to repeal, not fix health care, is that they like the way it's going now. They're dumping people every year and making the government pick them up. We are spending 17.2 percent of our income on health care. None of our wealthy competitors spend more than 10 1/2. Yet our infant mortality rate is higher than theirs, our overall mortal--age expectancy is lower than theirs. We don't have a better health system than they do. What's happened? That's a trillion dollars we spot our competitors every year for a health system that doesn't work as well. The people that are getting a trillion dollars have a lot of money to spread all this information--misinformation."

Kaine: Dems 'Proud Of The Accomplishment' Of Health Care Legislation
Appearing on State of the Union, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine said that the new health care law would be politically beneficial to the party. "I travel all over the country. I guess I've been in about 42 states, and most Democrats that I see on the trail are very proud of the accomplishment and they're talking about it," said Kaine. In response to Democrats who have touted their votes against the bill, Kaine said: "Some, particularly House members in districts that, you know, can often get gerrymandered and become tough districts are distancing themselves from the health care bill. I don't tell people how to run their races, but I've been on a ballot seven times and won seven races, and in my experience, you ought to be proud of what you're doing and promote the accomplishments."

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 11, 2010, 9:04AM

Bill Clinton To Dems: 'Get Out And Tell The People What You're Doing'
In an interview with the Associated Press, former President Bill Clinton offered his advice to Democrats in the midterm elections. "Get out and tell the people what you're doing and what you've done and remind them that this is a job," Clinton told the AP. "I think you have to tell people you know why they are mad and you know why they are frustrated but the question is, What is the most productive thing to do with it?"

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and a briefing at 10 a.m. ET on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He will meet at 10:40 a.m. ET with small business owners, and he will deliver a statement to the press at 11 a.m. ET on his small business jobs initiatives. He will meet at 11:15 a.m. ET with senior advisers, and meet at 11:45 a.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 7, 2010, 9:01AM

Hillary Clinton Expects Iran 'To Pull Some Stunt In The Next Couple Of Days'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Sunday that she expects continuing trouble from Iran. "I fully expect Iran to pull some stunt in the next couple of days because they know that sanctions are on the way," said Clinton, also adding: "I think we will see something coming up in the next 24 to 48 hours where Iran says, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute, look at what we're going to do now."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10:30 a.m. ET. He will met at 11 a.m. with Cabinet embers, to discuss the administration's response to the BP oil spill. He will meet at 1:15 p.m. ET with senior advisers. He will depart from the White House at 2:10 p.m. ET, and from Andrews Air Force Base at 2:40 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:15 p.m. ET in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At 7 p.m. ET, he will deliver the commencement speech at Kalamazoo Central High School. He will depart from Grand Rapids at 9:45 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 11:15 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 11:45 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 6, 2010, 9:00AM

Geithner: Banks Cannot Be Separated From Risk
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is scheduled to testify today at the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, where he will say that stability cannot be achieved by separating banks from risk. The Treasury released an excerpt from his remarks: "The lesson of this crisis ... is that we cannot make the economy safe by taking functions central to the business of banking, functions necessary to help raise capital for business and help businesses hedge risk, and move them outside banks, and outside the reach of strong regulation."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:15 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11 a.m. ET with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will meet at 3:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 18, 2010, 1:14PM

McConnell: Finance Bill Has Bailout Fund -- It Doesn't Matter That It's Produced From Banks
Appearing on State of the Union, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stood by his contention that the financial reform bill would create a permanent bailout fund. When it was pointed out that this $50 billion fund would be funded by the banks themselves, rather than the taxpayers, McConnell responded: "Regardless of where the - how the money is produced, it is a bailout fund that sort of guarantees in perpetuity that we'll be intervening once again to bail out these big firms."

Warner: McConnell Should Provide 'Specifics, Not Just General Attacks'
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) rebutted McConnell on financial reform, noting that the $50 billion fund "would be funded by industry." Warner said that the fund was conceived of as a way "to keep the lights on [at a collapsing firm] until you could actually borrow enough money through the FDIC process to orderly resolve and get rid of the firm." Warner also added: "I'd love to hear from Senator McConnell and some of the others, specifics not just general attacks."

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 9, 2010, 8:59AM

Obama: McDonnell's Omission Of Slavery From Confederate History 'Unacceptable'
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said that Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) made "an unacceptable omission" by not mentioning slavery in his proclamation for Confederate History Month. "I don't think you can understand the Confederacy and the Civil War unless you understand slavery," said Obama.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama held a bilateral meeting in Prague with Czech President Vaclav Klaus, at 9:30 a.m. CEST (3:30 a.m. ET). He departed from Prague at 10:25 a.m. CEST. He will arrive back at Andrews Air Force Base at 1:05 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 1:20 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 6, 2010, 8:57AM

White House to Unveil More Restrictive Nuke Policy
The Obama administration is set to unveil a new policy on nuclear weapons, which narrow the circumstances under which the United States would use such weapons. The Associated Press reports: "The U.S. officials said the administration's new policy would stop short of declaring that the United States would never be the first to launch a nuclear attack, as many arms control advocates had recommended. But it would describe the weapons' purpose as 'primarily' or 'fundamentally' to deter or respond to a nuclear attack. The officials said the document would say it is a U.S. goal to move toward a policy in which the 'sole purpose' of nuclear weapons is to deter or respond to nuclear attack. That wording would all but rule out the use of such weapons to respond to an attack by conventional, biological or chemical weapons. Previous U.S. policy was more ambiguous."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will host an Easter Prayer Breakfast at 9:40 a.m. ET. He will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:45 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 12 p.m. ET. He will have lunch with Vice President Biden at 12:30 p.m. ET. He will meet with senior advisers at 2 p.m. ET, and he will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 4, 2010, 1:18PM

Stevens To Retire From SCOTUS While Obama Is President
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has declared that he will retire during President Obama's time in office. "I will surely do it while he's still president," said Stevens. He also said: "I can tell you that I love the job, and deciding whether to leave it is a very difficult decision. But I want to make it in a way that's best for the court."

Specter: Stevens Should Wait Until Next Year To Retire
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) hoped that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens would wait until next year to retire, when Specter thinks there could be a less toxic political environment. "I think the gridlock in the Senate might well produce a filibuster, which would tie up the Senate on a Supreme Court nominee," Specter said. "I think if a year passes there's a much better chance we can come to a consensus."

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Roundup

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 3, 2010, 1:05PM

Obama Recognizes Passover And Easter
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama recognized the Passover and Easter season, with a call for all people to recognize what they have in common.

"And while we worship in different ways, we also remember the shared spirit of humanity that inhabits us all - Jews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, believers and nonbelievers alike," said Obama. "Amid the storm of public debate, with our 24/7 media cycle, in a town like Washington that's consumed with the day-to-day, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of the eternal. So, on this Easter weekend, let us hold fast to those aspirations we hold in common as brothers and sisters, as members of the same family - the family of man."

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 1, 2010, 9:05AM

Geithner: Unemployment Will 'Stay Unacceptably High For A Very Long Time'
In an appearance on the Today show, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that unemployment is "still terribly high and is going to stay unacceptably high for a very long time," as a result of the damage caused by the recession. "Just because this was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression," Geithner said, "a huge amount of damage was done to businesses and families across the country ... and it's going to take us a long time to heal that damage."

Obama's Day Roundup
President Obama will receive his daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. He will depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 1:20 p.m. ET, arriving in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at 2:35 p.m. ET. He will then arrive in Portland, Maine, at 3:05 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks on health insurance reform at 3:25 p.m. ET. He will depart from Portsmouth at 4:55 p.m. ET, arriving at 5:40 p.m. ET in Boston, Massachusetts. He will deliver remarks at a DNC fundraising reception at 6:05 p.m. ET, and at a DNC fundraiser at 8:05 p.m. ET. He will depart from Boston at 8:45 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 10:05 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 9:06AM

Sarkozy Lays Into The U.S. On Health Care Debate
In a speech at Columbia University, French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke about the recent American debates on health care -- sharply criticizing Americans for a lack of compassion on the issue. "Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor," said Sarkozy. He also added: "When we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it's difficult to believe. The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them ... is something astonishing to us."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Obama will sign the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, at 11:05 a.m. ET, at Northern Virginia Community College. Obama will meet with senior advisers at 12 p.m. ET. He will have lunch with Vice President Biden at 12:20 p.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 2:45 p.m. ET, and with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at 3:30 p.m. ET. Obama and Sarkozy will hold a joint press availability at 4:45 p.m. ET. The President and First Lady will host a dinner for President Sarkozy and French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 11, 2010, 8:50AM

Biden: Both Israelis And Palestinians 'Must Be Historically Bold'
Speaking at Tel Aviv University, Vice President Biden called upon the Israelis and Palestinians to act to make peace. "To end this historic conflict, both sides must be historically bold," said Biden. "If each waits stubbornly ... this will go on for an eternity."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10:30 a.m. ET. He will address the Export-Import Bank's Annual Conference at 11:15 a.m. ET. He will meet at 1:45 p.m. ET with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He will meet at 3 p.m. ET with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He will meet at 3:45 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at 4:15 p.m. ET with senior advisers. At 5:05 p.m. ET, the President and First Lady will host a screening of "The Pacific." At 6:20 p.m. ET, Obama will meet with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 4, 2010, 9:10AM

House To Vote On Jobs Bill
The House is set to vote today on a $15 billion jobs bill, which was passed last week in the Senate. Due to modifications made in the House, the Senate will have to vote on the measure again before President Obama can sign it.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Obama will meet with senior advisers at 10:30 a.m. ET. Obama will sign the Travel Promotion Act at 11:35 a.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner at 3 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 3, 2010, 9:02AM

Senate Passes Unemployment Benefits Extension, Obama Signs Bill
The Senate last night passed an extension of unemployment benefits, after Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) relented on his efforts to delay passage. The final vote on passage was 78-19. The White House announced that President Obama has signed the bill into law.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:45 a.m. ET, and meet with senior advisers at 10:30 a.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at 1:45 p.m. ET., on health care reform. He will meet at 3:05 p.m. ET with National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans Bobby Barrera. He will meet at 4:35 p.m. ET with American Legion Commander Clarence Hill. He will host a reception at 5:30 p.m. ET, to thank members of Congress for their efforts to restore the pay-as-you-go rule.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 9:02AM

Podesta: The Health Of America's Political System 'Sucks'
Center For American Progress President John Podesta, a former White House Chief of Staff under Bill Clinton, told the Financial Times that the health of the American political system "sucks." "I think the president is trying to re-engage with Republicans, but, quite frankly, he's not dealing with the party of [Abraham] Lincoln. He's dealing with the party of [Sarah] Palin," said Podesta, who declared that intensified partisanship has made America "in essence, a parliamentary system without majority rule."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive his presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. He will tour a local job training center in Lanham, Maryland, at 10:40 a.m. ET, and deliver remarks on energy jobs at 11:05 a.m. ET, at the IBEW Local 26 Headquarters -- with an announcement of a loan guarantee for nuclear power plant construction. He will receive his economic daily briefing at 12 p.m. ET, back at the White House, and meet with senior advisers at 1:45 p.m. ET. He will meet with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan at 2:20 p.m. ET, with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at 2:55 p.m. ET, and with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 6, 2010, 8:50AM

Obama Calls For Measures To Help Small Business
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama laid out proposals that he said would help small businesses, including the use of money left over from the TARP bailout:

"Because financing remains difficult for good, credit-worthy small businesses across the country, I've proposed that we take $30 billion from the TARP fund originally used for Wall Street and create a new Small Business Lending Fund that will provide capital for community banks on Main Street," said Obama. "These are the small, local banks that will be able to give our small business owners more of the credit they need to stay afloat. We should also continue to waive fees, increase guarantees, and expand the size of SBA-backed loans for small businesses. And yesterday, I proposed making it easier for small business owners to refinance their mortgages during these tough times."

Hensarling: I Agree With What Obama Says -- But Not What He Does
This week's Republican YouTube address was delivered by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), one of the Congressmen who debated with President Obama at the "Question Time" event a week ago. In this video, Hensarling criticizes Obama and the Democrats on spending issues, and opposes the creation of a special commission that would recommend fiscal changes:

"Now, when it comes to budget matters, I usually find myself agreeing with about 80% of what the President says, but I disagree with 80% of what he does," said Hensarling. "While the President's budget rhetoric gives a nod to reducing the deficit, he punts the problem to a 'commission' that does not yet exist, and whose recommendations may never see the light of day. We have to do better." As Christina Bellantoni notes, Hensarling makes no mention of the plan offered by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), to privatize Social Security and Medicare.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 4, 2010, 9:02AM

Scott Brown To Be Sworn In Today
Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) is expected to be sworn in today, officially bringing the Senate Republican caucus to 41 members -- and thus enabling them to block Democratic legislation -- after his victory int he special election for the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. Brown had originally been scheduled to be sworn in on February 11, but demanded that this be moved up due to votes that had been scheduled to take place earlier than that.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and the First Lady attended the National Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m. ET, with Obama delivering remarks. Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 10:40 a.m. ET with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Obama will have lunch with business leaders at 12 p.m. ET. Obama and Vice President Biden will meet at 3 p.m. ET with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and at 3:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Obama will deliver remarks and take questions at a Democratic National Committee fundraising reception at 5:45 p.m. ET, and will speak at a DNC fundraising dinner at 8 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | January 5, 2010, 8:57AM

Dems Look To Scrap Conference Committee Process For Health Care Bill
Roll Call reports that Congressional Democratic leaders are looking to skip the formal conference committee process for the health care bill, and instead privately work out differences. A senior Senate Dem aide told the newspaper that a conference committee would just erect "procedural hoops that would just be a forum for the Republicans."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10:30 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 11:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 2:30 p.m. ET, Obama and Biden will meet with the relevant agency heads to discuss ongoing reviews of the Flight 253 attempted bombing, and Obama will deliver brief public remarks at 4 p.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and they will meet at 5:45 p.m. ET with the House and Senate Democratic leadership.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | January 4, 2010, 9:03AM

Key House Dems Returning To Washington For Health Care Talks
Roll Call reports that House Democratic leaders and committee chairmen will be in Washington this week to work on the health care bill. The House isn't formally due back in session until January 12, but conversations on the bill have already been taking place by telephone.

Obama's Day Ahead: Returning from Hawaii
President Obama and his family departed from Honolulu at 3 a.m. ET (10 p.m. Sunday evening, local time). They will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at 11:30 a.m. ET, and back at the White House at 11:45 a.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | December 30, 2009, 9:06AM

DeMint: Obama 'Has Downplayed Terrorism Since He Took Office'
Appearing on CBS' Early Show, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) defended the hold he placed on President Obama's nominee to head up the Transportation Security Administration, and said that the Obama administration hasn't taken terrorism seriously: "The president has downplayed terrorism since he took office. He doesn't use the word anymore," said DeMint. "He waited eight months to nominate someone as head of [the Transportation Security Administration] and then they wanted to rush it through without any debate or roll call vote. So the focus on terror as a threat is real important and I'm glad to see that the president has stated the goal of finding out what went wrong so we can fix it."

U.S. Prepares Targeted Sanctions Against Iran
The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is preparing new sanctions against the Iranian government, with the goal of carefully targeting discrete sections of the government. "We have never been attracted to the idea of trying to get the whole world to cordon off their economy," said an anonymous senior U.S. official. "We have to be deft at this, because it matters how the Iranian people interpret their isolation -- whether they fault the regime or are fooled into thinking we are to blame."

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | December 28, 2009, 8:59AM

Napolitano: Airline Security System Didn't Work, 'No One Is Happy or Satisfied With That'
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano conceded today that the airport security systems did not work in the lead-up to the Northwest Airlines attack, after she'd previously focused on how the system did work during and after the attack itself. "Our system did not work in this instance," said Napolitano, on NBC's Today show. "No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way."

Obama To Speak On Airline Attack
President Obama will take a moment out of his vacation today to make a statement on the Northwest Airlines attack. The statement will happen in Hawaii, where Obama is staying with his family. The exact time has not yet been announced.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | December 11, 2009, 9:00AM

Kerry, Lieberman, Graham Release Early Proposal To Cut Greenhouse Emissions
Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have released a framework proposal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2020 -- though there are not yet specifics on how to do it. "The reason there's not specifics [being released] today is very specifically because of the process that we are honoring," said Kerry. "We don't want to jump ahead of the committee process."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and the First Lady visited with U.S. Embassy staff and their families in Oslo, at about 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), and departed Oslo en route to Washington at 10:40 a.m. local time. They will arrive back at Andrews Air Force Base at 12:55 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 1:10 p.m. ET.

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | November 19, 2009, 9:00AM

Obama: U.S., Allies, Discussing Sanctions Against Iran
At a press conference in South Korea, President Obama said that the United States and allies could have a package of sanctions against Iran "within weeks." "We weren't going to duplicate what has happened with North Korea," said Obama, "in which talks just continue forever without any actual resolution to the issue."

Obama's Day In South Korea
President Obama visited U.S. Embassy staff and their families in Seoul, South Korea, at 10:10 a.m. local time (8:10 p.m. ET last night). He participated in an arrival ceremony at the Blue House, at 11 a.m. He held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Lee Myng-bak at 11:15 a.m., with an expanded bilateral meeting at 11:50 a.m., and a joint press conference at 12:30 p.m, and a working lunch at 1:10 p.m. Obama delivered remarks to service-members at at Osan Air Base at 3:20 p.m., and departed South Korea at 4:05 p.m. (2:05 a.m. ET). He will arrive in Anchorage, Alaska, at 9:40 a.m. ET, will depart form Anchorage at 11:40 a.m. ET, and arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington at 6:05 p.m. ET.

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James Jones

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 4, 2009, 1:04PM

James Jones Hits Back At McCain: I Don't Play Politics With National Security
Appearing on State of the Union, National Security Adviser James Jones fired back at Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who said on the Senate floor that Jones doesn't "want to alienate the left base of the Democrat [sic] Party." Jones responded: "I've known him for many, many years. And he knows that I don't play politics with national - I don't play politics. And I certainly don't play it with national security. And neither does anyone else I know. The lives of our young men and women are on the line. The strategy does not belong to any political party and I can assure you that the President of the United States is not playing to any political base. And I take exception to that remark."

Greenspan: Economic Growth To Be 3%, Unemployment To Go Over 10%
Appearing on This Week, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan predicted that the third-quarter economic growth figure will hit 3% -- but that this won't be enough to prevent an increase in the unemployment rate. "But remember, the end of the job loss is not the same thing as if the unemployment rate is going to start down," said Greenspan. "My own suspicion is that we're going to penetrate the 10 percent barrier and stay there for a while before we start down."

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | September 29, 2009, 8:58AM

U.S. Plans To Isolate Iran If Nuclear Talks Fail
The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is preparing to further cut Iran's economic links with the rest of the world: "While officials stress that they hope Iran will agree to open its nuclear program to inspection, they are prepared by year's end to make it increasingly difficult for Iranian companies to ship goods around the world. The administration is targeting, in particular, the insurance and reinsurance companies that underwrite the risk of such transactions."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will meet at 11:30 a.m. ET with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Obama and Vice President Biden will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

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