Results tagged “whitehouse”

Last month celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse visited the White House garden to film part of a special two-hour episode of Iron Chef America to emphasize locally-grown, healthy food. The three were joined by the White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who teamed up with Flay against the other two chefs in a cooking contest filmed later in NYC.

The White House said this morning that Van Jones, an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has resigned. Jones, an expert green jobs, had come under fierce criticism from conservatives after it was revealed he signed a petition that supported the belief 9/11 was an "inside job," a tape showed him calling Republicans "assholes" earlier this year, and his involvement with a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement was questioned. Jones released a statement, acknowledging much vitriol was directed at him, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me... They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide. I have been inundated with calls -- from across the political spectrum -- urging me to 'stay and fight.' But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."

Today, President Obama held a White House reception to celebrate new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. However, Obama pointed out, "We're here not just to celebrate our extraordinary new Supreme Court justice and all those who've been a part of her journey to this day. We're here as well to celebrate an extraordinary moment for our nation." He noted, "While this is Justice Sotomayor's achievement, the result of her ability and determination, this moment is not just about her. It's about every child who will grow up thinking to him or herself, 'If Sonia Sotomayor can make it, then maybe I can, too.' This is a great day for America."

Congress voted yesterday to pass a bill curbing executive bonus pay, attempting to prevent what they call "perverse incentives" for execs in the face of a public outcry that came with news about big bonuses being handed out to bigwigs at some of the Bailout Babies of '08. The bill's passage came on the same day as a well-timed new report from Andrew Cuomo documenting how rampant big bonuses were at places like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs; AIG originally set off the bonus backlash earlier this year. The vote in Congress was primarily down party lines; Democrats tried to emphasize that shareholders would get a say in dictating just how much companies are warranted to dole out. It was also reported yesterday that CEOs have also lost out on another bonus—free lunch at the White House. In order to prevent any conflict of interest, the Obama administration has been billing executives who share a meal inside executive offices with the president. The News says there hasn't been a case of presidential penury since Jimmy Carter started charging Congressmen for coffee and danishes when they came to visit.

President Obama attempted to quiet down the intense discussion over his remarks about Harvard academic Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s arrest by making a "surprise" appearance during a press briefing and telling reporters that he called Cambridge police sergeant James Crowley, who arrested Gates, "I have to tell you that, as I said yesterday, my impression of him is that he was an outstanding police officer...and that was confirmed in the phone conversation... In my choice of words, I unfortunately gave the impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically." He also apparently invited Crowley to the White House for a beer—with Gates as well.

The White House spent up to $357,000 for the Presidential Airlift Group—which includes the 747 that is Air Force One when the President is on board and a military fighter jet escort—to fly over lower Manhattan and take pictures—and is the photograph they release? It's really mediocre—we guess they didn't want to spend the money/time to Photoshop it up. And why not at least give us a shot of the darn plane in front of the lower Manhattan skyline? Or is that too good for us?

After initially saying that the photographs from the NYC flyover made by the Presidential Airlift Group (which includes the plane that is Air Force One when the President is on board) be released, the White House has decided that an image will be released after all. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who had previously said, "I've watched CNN. I didn't notice a lack of archival material from that flight," now tells reporters, "The report, I believe, will be concluded at some point this week. We'll release its findings and release a photo." The flight cost over $328,000 and was apparently spurred by the White House Military Office's desire to update its file photos of Air Force One near the canyons of buildings in lower Manhattan.

Damn, this thing's for real, huh? Turns out the swine flu may very well have infiltrated the White House bubble! The AP is reporting that an aide helping arrange President Obama's recent trip to Mexico was stricken with the flu during the visit. But don't worry—the unidentified security aide, who reports to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, swears he was never within six feet of POTUS, though he did attend a dinner with Obama during the visit. And White House press secretary David Gibbs stressed today that the individual certainly didn't travel home on Air Force One; he flew commercial on April 17th with a cabin full of unlucky strangers! Gibbs explained that they're waiting for test results to confirm whether his flu was of the trendy swine variety, and added that officials would "do everything in our power" to try to track down the other passengers on that flight. (And send them thoughtful "Get Well, Soon" cards.) Three members of the man's family also experienced "mild" flu symptoms after he came back from Mexico, and all have since recovered, but still... How long before Obama starts blowing his nose during press conferences? According to Politico, the White House has now issued a health advisory outlining "protective measures" for anyone who went on Obama’s badly-timed trip to Mexico.

Today, President George W. Bush gave his final press conference as his administration winds down. It was a way for him to thank the White House press corps as well as yet another of his "exit interviews." Bush admitted some mistakes—"Clearly putting a'Mission Accomplished' (banner) on an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message"—while defending himself on other matters, such as Hurricane Katrina and whether America's stature in the world fell during his presidency:

I've thought long and hard about Katrina -- you know, could I have done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. The problem with that and -- is that law enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission. And then your questions, I suspect, would have been, how could you possibly have flown Air Force One into Baton Rouge, and police officers that were needed to expedite traffic out of New Orleans were taken off the task to look after you?

Continue reading "Bush Holds Last Press Conference, Plans Farewell Address"

Some more spinning from the White House after President Bush pardoned a Brooklyn developer—and then rescinded the pardon the next day. White House spokesman Tony Fratto told Newsday that the President "followed the process" when he first granted the parson to Isaac Toussie but decided to reverse the decision after finding out Toussie's father made contributions to the Republican party and politicians, "It [the contributions] had the potential to create at least the appearance of impropriety."

It was a Christmas Eve embarrassment! The White House had to announce that President Bush's previously announced pardon of Brooklyn developer Isaac Toussie would no longer be happening. Funnily enough, the announcement came after it was reported how Toussie's father donated tens of thousands to the Republican party and Republican politicians. Coincidence—or Christmas miracle? One homebuyer who says she was scammed by Toussie said to Newsday, "There is a Santa Claus after all. I couldn't have wished for a better present."

The Posts reports that Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. will be named to the White House Office of Urban Policy as the director of urban affairs. Rumored to be headed to the Obama White House in some way, Carrion was frequently mentioned as a possible HUD secretary, but NYC Housing Commission Shaun Donovan got the job. Politico's Ben Smith writes, "Carrion is a well-liked, pro-development official who has tried to enhance his limited power through an alliance with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and gives the New York mayor...another ally in the White House, and suggests a New York-centric urban policy... The appointment could also position Carrion for a run for mayor, an office he has coveted, in 2013, should Bloomberg win another term next year." This also makes the race for NYC Comptroller in 2009 interesting.

The White House signaled it might use TARP money (the earlier $700 billion bailout) to help out the Big Three. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "Under normal economic conditions we would prefer that markets determine the ultimate fate of private firms. However, given the current weakened state of the U.S. economy, we will consider other options if necessary — including use of the TARP program — to prevent a collapse of troubled automakers.” The Treasury Department also signaled it could help prop up the automakers, and that helped the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 stay in positive territory. Also interesting: CNBC has a chart showing not just the one-day and one-week changes for stock market but the year-to-date change, too: The Dow is off by 35% for the year.

Shortly after President Bush called and congratulated President-elect Obama, throngs of people ended up outside the White House. DCist editor Sommer Mathis writes, "As we moved from U Street...and headed south to the White House, the celebration didn't slow down. Down 14th street to Thomas Circle, everyone hooted and hollered. They stood up through their sunroofs to cheer on passersby on the sidewalk. They danced. They played drums. They honked and honked and honked... At the White House, big crowds gathered on both sides of the compound to let the least popular president in U.S. history know they were glad to see him go. Spontaneous renditions of The Star-Spangled Banner and 'Nananana nananana hey hey hey goodbye,' broke out within the ebullient masses." (Photographs here.)

So, as the NY Post puts it, "The Bush administration is racing to rescue its rescue plan." Previously, the $700 billion bailout's focus was toxic debt but now, as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson mentioned on Friday night, the government is considering injecting banks with capital to help the credit squeeze. The move basically gives the country ownership of banks and the NY Times writes:

As recently as Sept. 23, senior officials had publicly derided proposals by Democrats to have the government take ownership stakes in banks.

Continue reading "White House Revisits Rescue Plan"

This morning, President Bush held a press conference to discuss his meeting with finance ministers from the G7 nations--Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan--trying to calm down Americans worried about the economy. He noted the actions that Treasury Henry Paulson and the Federal Reserve are already undertaking (and asked for patience). Bush also emphasized that the world is working together:

The G7 nations have pledged to take decisive action to support systemically important financial institutions and prevent their failure, provide robust protection for retail bank deposits, and ensure financial institutions are able to raise needed capital. We've agreed to implement strong measures to unfreeze credit, ensure access to liquidity, and help to restart the secondary markets for mortgages and other assets. We've all agreed that the actions we take should protect our taxpayers. And we agreed that we ought to work with other nations such as those that will be represented this afternoon in the G20 forum.

Continue reading "Bush Talks Economy with G7: "We Will Come Through It Together""

The NY Times had an interesting article about what one calls the $700 billion plan to help financial firms. The White House likes to call it a "rescue plan"--"Financial Rescue Legislation"--while the media has taken a liking to "bailout." (Mayor Bloomberg is also anti-"bailout the term".) But CNBC economics reporter Steve Liesman explained why bailout works, “You rescue the unwitting victims of a boat accident. You bail out an experienced captain who sailed knowingly into a storm. There are no innocent victims here except the American taxpayer. Wall Street, which should have known better, is getting bailed out.” But who knows—if this were presented as a "rescue" plan, maybe it would have gone over better with taxpayers...and the House of Representatives.

With conservatives wondering about the Bush administration's decision to bail out mortgage companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, White House press secretary Dana Perino shifted blame on Congress, "President Bush initiated a call years ago to try to reform this system because he did not want the status quo to continue. Unfortunately, Congress didn't act on that." She added that Bush decided to act now because of Fannie and Freddie's impact on the economy. The NY Times' first sentence notes that while Bush is the "nation's first MBA president," it was Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson who was in charge--a deputy press secretary said Bush wanted Paulson "in the driver's seat." As for the next president, Bloomberg reports that John McCain "may privatize" the institutions while Obama "sees a federal role in housing."

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama better keep working on their economic policies: The White House released an estimate saying the deficit will grow to $482 billion next year, thanks in part, per the AP, to the "sagging economy and the stimulus payments being made to 130 million households in an effort to keep the country from falling into a deep recession." Keep in mind Bush inherited a $128 billion surplus in 2001. The budget office still says, "The nation's economy has continued to expand and remains fundamentally resilient," but let's cut to the Dow Jones Industrial slipping this afternoon.

The political news cycle yesterday was dominated by the controversy surrounding this week’s New Yorker cover; called “The Politics of Fear,” it depicts Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as America-hating radical terrorists gloating in the Oval Office. New Yorker editor David Remnick, who celebrates his tenth anniversary helming the magazine with this issue, spent the day making the interview rounds and getting some great publicity for the magazine; speaking to Wolf Blizter on CNN, he defended the cover as “Colbert in print.”

Barack Obama’s campaign spokesman Bill Burton is calling this week’s New Yorker cover art “tasteless and offensive.” The illustration by Barry Blitt depicts the Illinois senator in the Oval Office wearing traditional Muslim garb while doing a “terrorist fist jab” with his wife Michelle, who is dressed in fatigues, with an Afro and an AK-47 slung over her shoulder. To complete the scene, there’s a portrait of Bin Laden over the fireplace, in which an American flag is ablaze.

Before being feted at the White House, the New York Giants visited the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and met soldiers wounded in Iraq. Coach Tom Coughlin said to one 31-year-old U.S. Marine whose lost both his legs in Falluja, "You are the real heroes."

Yesterday, Senator John McCain was welcomed and endorsed by President Bush. Bush referenced McCain's doubters and past history, "John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment. And that's exactly what we need in a President: somebody that can handle the tough decisions; somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger."

CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in Dallas tonight, complete with banner that says "1,191."

It's weird when a Reuters story seems like something on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update:

Kenyan elders may impose a fine on U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, payable in livestock, after a photo of her rival Barack Obama in robes dragged their people into the race for the White House.

Tabloid reaction to Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement that he will not run for president is the usual study in contrasts. The Daily News’s Josh Greenman and editorial board haven’t missed a beat and are already clamoring for Vice President Bloomberg. Grossman says Bloomberg would be the perfect complement to an Obama candidacy by inspiring confidence with his unstoppable financial skills.

Ending months of speculation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed he will not run for president in the 2008 election. And he did it with an op-ed in the NY Times, titled, "I'm Not Running for President, but..."

Today is a federal holiday honoring the birthday of first president George Washington. Washington was actually born on February 22, but in 1971, the holiday was "shifted to the third Monday in February, by the Uniform Monday Act" (per Wikipedia). Given that Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12, some state governments call the holiday "President's Day." And then the marketers got involved, making this day for sales as well and many presidents in one fell swoop.

Now that there seems to be a compelling 2008 presidential race, Mayor Bloomberg's White House prospects appear diminished. And associates of the billionaire suggest to the NY Times that post-mayoral life may not be enough for Bloomberg.

Mayor Bloomberg let his feelings about H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which was signed into legislation by President Bush on Wednesday, be known. Mayor Bloomberg said the government "is spending money it doesn't have," and "I suppose it won't hurt the economy, but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic."