Tag Archives: White House

US-Russia relations under threat after US attacked Syrian air base

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President Donald Trump ordered a massive military strike on a Syrian air base on Thursday in retaliation for a “barbaric” chemical attack he blamed on President Bashar al-Assad.

In a brief televised address delivered hours after the UN Security Council failed to agree on a prove into the apparent chemical attack, Trump confirmed the US strike on Syria and urged “all civilized nations” to unite to end the bloodshed in the country.

“On Tuesday Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians using a deadly nerve agent,” Trump said. “Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack.”

“Tonight I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end this slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types,” Trump said.

The US military fired dozens of cruise missiles at the Shayrat Airfield at 8:45 pm Eastern Time (0000 GMT), officials said.

A White House official said 59 “precision munitions” had been blasted at the base, while a US defense official said “dozens” of Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched.

The missiles were fired from the USS Porter and the USS Ross, which belong to the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet and are located in the eastern Mediterranean. A US official said the missiles targeted aircraft and runways at the base.

The sudden US military action against the Assad regime marks a stunning development in Syria’s brutal, six-year conflict and a sudden about-face for Trump.

It came despite a warning from Russia of potential “negative consequences” if Washington strikes Syria.

“All responsibility if military action occurs will be on the shoulders of those who initiated such a doubtful tragic enterprise,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vladimir Safronkov said.

A US official said Washington had informed Russia ahead of the Syria strike.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had earlier vowed an “appropriate response” to the attack in Khan Sheikhun in rebel-held Idlib province, which killed at least 86 people, including 27 children.

The White House official said the United States assesses that the Assad regime used a chemical nerve agent consistent with sarin in Tuesday’s attacks.

 

Source: AFP

White House Releases Details Of Trump Phone Conversation With Buhari.

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Speculations over whether President Muhammadu Buhari and President Donald Trump of the United State actually had a phone conversation has been laid to rest with a publication of the details of their conversation.

The White House released the summarised details of the Monday’s phone conversation between both presidents on Wednesday.

The readout was published on the official website of the US government, whitehouse.gov, putting an end to speculations on the call which many Nigerian critics of Buhari claimed did not take place.

Details  of the readout:

President Donald J. Trump spoke this week with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to discuss the strong cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, including on shared security, economic, and governance priorities.  President Trump underscored the importance the United States places on its relationship with Nigeria, and he expressed interest in working with President Buhari to expand the strong partnership.  The leaders agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and worldwide.  President Trump expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.  President Trump thanked President Buhari for the leadership he has exercised in the region and emphasized the importance of a strong, secure, and prosperous Nigeria that continues to lead in the region and in international forums. 

JUST IN: White House confirm Trump’s conversation with Buhari.

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CNN has confirmed that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari spoke to President Donald Trump from London on Monday.

It was also confirmed that the American President also spoke with President Jacob Zuma about strengthening ties with South Africa.

The Nigerian presidency had on Monday said Mr. Buhari had a telephone conversation with Mr. Trump at the request of the American President.

Some Nigerians expressed doubts about the conversation especially as the president has not spoken directly to Nigerians since he left the country on January 19.

According to Mr. Buhari’s aide, Femi Adesina, in a statement to CNN, Mr. Trump assured the Nigerian president that the U.S. is ready to help obtain “a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.”

Mr. Adesina also said, “President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.”

President Donald Trump has been increasingly conversing with world leaders during his first weeks in office.

On Monday he turned his attention to Africa.

Mr. Trump called two of the continent’s most prominent leaders, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and South African President Jacob Zuma, to discuss combating terrorism, trade relations and other issues.

The White House press Secretary and Communication Director, Sean Spicer, in his introduction of Tuesday’s White House Press Briefing, also mentioned that Mr. Trump spoke with Messrs. Buhari and Zuma.

Madonna defends ‘blowing up the White House’ remark

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Pop singer Madonna, who had said in a profanity-laced speech at Saturday’s Women’s March in Washington, D.C., that she had thought about “blowing up the White House,’’ stressed on Sunday that she was speaking metaphorically.

Madonna’s speech, which was criticised on social media, led some television networks to abruptly stop their live feeds of the march.

The march drew hundreds of thousands of people in demonstrations across the U.S. to protest the election of Donald Trump as president.

“I am not a violent person,’’ the singer songwriter said on Instagram.

“I spoke in metaphor and I shared two ways of looking at things — one was to be hopeful, and one was to feel anger and outrage, which I have personally felt.’’

The 58-year-old led the crowd on Saturday in chants of, “Yes, we’re ready’’ to take on policies promoted by Trump, who alienated many women during the election campaign.

He had made comments about rivals’ attractiveness and promised to outlaw or diminish abortion rights.

Trump’s comments in a decade-old video declaring that women would allow him, as a celebrity, to kiss and grope them without their consent further outraged many women.

But Madonna preceded the chants with coarse words for critics of the march.

“To our detractors that insist that this march will never add up to anything, fuck you,’’ the pop star said.

She then repeated the expletive.

Her words drew immediate criticism on social media.

On YouTube, where the speech was posted live and in recorded formats several users called the singer “evil.’’

Others expressed outrage over her comment that she had thought about blowing up the White House. On Twitter, some users demanded that she be investigated for making terrorist threats.

Turnout for Saturday’s march was unprecedented, as organisers took credit for mobilising five million marchers worldwide.

Official crowd estimates for the Washington centerpiece of the demonstration were not available, but turnout in the nation’s capital clearly exceeded the 200,000 projected in advance by organisers.

The march filled long stretches of downtown Washington around the White House and the National Mall.

 

Source: Reuters

Trump asks why White House didn’t act on Russian hacking

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The U.S. President-elect Donald Trump questioned on Thursday why the White House did not act more quickly on evidence of Russian hacking in the presidential election.

“If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?’’ Trump asked on Twitter.

U.S. intelligence officials have a “high level of confidence’’ that Putin was involved in directing how material acquired by hackers was leaked, NBC News reported, citing unnamed officials with access to the information.

Russian hackers accessed the email of the Democratic National Committee and top party officials, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta.

The emails were published by WikiLeaks in the months leading up to the November elections.

U.S. intelligence officials in October pinned the hacking on the Russian government and said the move was intended to interfere with the U.S. election.

Media reports this month said the CIA has concluded that Russians intended to help Trump win the election.

The White House has defended its decision not to take more forceful action as it sought to avoid the appearance of using the intelligence for its own political purposes.

Donald Trump Intends To Live At The White House Full-Time

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Following speculation that he might only be living at the White House part-time after his inauguration, president-elect Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that this would not be the case.

In the interview, the president-elect explained that he would move to Washington, D.C. in January full-time, and that his wife Melania Trump and son Barron Trump would join him once the 10-year-old finishes the school year.

“I’m going to live in the White House with my family,” he said. “Barron’s going to finish up school because he’s got just a couple of months to go so it’s a little hard to take him out of school.”

He also stated that his wife would travel back and forth between D.C. and New York City as needed, despite previous reports that he would be frequently commuting between the two cities until his family would be able to join him at the White House. (As People points out, the fact that Melania and Barron will remain at Trump Tower likely means that the Secret Service will continue their 24/7 surveillance of the building.) When asked if he was worried about getting lonely or missing them, he responded that he would likely be too busy to get to focus on it.

“I’ll be working,” he said. “It’s a very special place and it represents so much and there’s a lot to do — more than I even thought.”

Read More: cosmopolitan

The Obamas Looks Incredible in Their Final White House Christmas Card

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According to tradition, the White House sends out a holiday card to friends, political supporters, and members of the media. This year’s greeting is bittersweet because it will be the last one from President Barack Obama after eight years in office.

The silver lining here is that the Obamas — well, they’re just like us — and they’re sending out a card featuring a photo of the fam. There’s Sasha, Barack, Michelle, and Malia Obama, looking fabulous at the State Dinner in honor of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Trudeau.

The Shade Room posted a copy on Instagram and wrote, “Yass our #FirstFamily slayed!”

Read More: cosmopolitan

Why Melania Trump, Son Won’t Be Moving Into The White House

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Wife of US President-elect, and future First Lady, Ms. Melania Trump will not be moving to the White House after Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

The 46-year-old wife and their 10-year-old son, Barron are staying put at the family’s Trump Tower penthouse so that Barron can continue attending his Upper West Side private school, according to The New York Times.

“Melania is extremely close to Barron, and they have become closer during the campaign,” said a source close to Trump’s transition team. “The campaign has been difficult for Barron, and she is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum.”

Another source said Melania Trump will travel to the White House as needed, but that her primary focus is on Barron.

“Melania is very supportive of her husband and is fully on board of doing everything that’s needed as first lady,” said the second source familiar with the Trump transition.

That source said also that there is a possibility that Melania and Barron may move to the White House at the end of the school year, but no plans are in place.

“She is really devoted to Barron,” said a source close to the family, adding that Melania has not relied on nannies to raise the child and is frequently seen picking the fourth-grader up from his prep school, where tuition is north of $40,000.

Carry out spiritual cleansing of White House before you move in – IPOB tells Trump

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The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has advised the President elect of the United States of America, USA, Donald Trump to rededicate America back to God if he wants to succeed.

 

This was as the secessionist group claimed that the outgoing President, Barack Obama had deviated from American godly way.

 

IPOB, in a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful also advised the US President-elect carry out spiritual cleansing of the White House before moving in after his swearing in on January 20. 2017.

 

The statement reads, “We are giving that as an advice to the US President elect Mr.Trump because it has become very necessary because of the romance of the current occupant of the American seat of power with the Islamisation agenda around the world.

 

“The incumbent President Obama chose to depart from the core values of America, a country founded on God to pursue the total islamisation agenda against the Christian communities and against the wish of Americans.

 

“We the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra want to advise American President-elect , Donald Trump to first bring powerful men of God to cleanse the White House before parking in if he wants to succeed and make sure his government brings back the face of God Almighty to America again.

 

“He should rededicate America to God Almighty if he truly wants to make America great again. Obama administration has defiled White House. God is unhappy with the US because Obama has forsaken the godly principles of the founding fathers of America who preached for the face of God Almighty in everything America does. Even America wrote: IN GOD WE TRUST in their currency and other important things in America. That is a sign to prove that America is a God’s own nation.

 

“We will not be surprised if he (Obama) may have dedicated White House to strange gods. This is why God rejected him and his candidate, Hillary Clinton because God wants to restore the lost glory of America.”

 

Trump, a Republican had emerged the 43rd President after a fiercely contested US Presidential election against all odds and predictions against him.

Trump Meets With Obama At White House

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President Barack Obama hosted a triumphant Donald Trump in the Oval Office Thursday for talks on executing a smooth transition of power and steadying nerves after a vote that shocked the world.

Anger over the Republican property mogul’s upset election win over Hillary Clinton spilled out onto the streets of US cities late Wednesday as chanting protesters lit bonfires and snarled traffic.

The billionaire president-elect arrived at his soon-to-be home on Pennsylvania Avenue at roughly 11:00 am (1600 GMT), a US official said, for what may be an awkward meeting with Obama ahead of the January 20 inauguration.

Trump, 70, championed the so-called “birther movement” challenging that Obama was actually born in the United States — a suggestion laden with deep racial overtones — only dropping the position recently.

The Democratic commander-in-chief in turn has described the celebrity businessman as “uniquely unqualified” to be president.

But in the day after Trump’s shock election win, which virtually no poll had predicted, both sides spoke of healing the deep divisions sown in a bruising two-year battle for the White House.

His vanquished Democratic rival Clinton, holding back the bitter disappointment of not becoming America’s first female president, urged the country to give Trump a chance.

“We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,” she said Wednesday in a concession speech.

Obama, addressing disconsolate staff in the White House Rose Garden, played down Trump’s win as part of the messy “zig-zag” movement of a democracy.

“Sometimes you lose an argument,” he said, adding that all Americans should now be “rooting” for Trump’s success.

In the battle for the soul of America, those who helped elect its first black president now appear to be in retreat and pondering whether his eight years in power have come to naught.

Both Obama and Clinton issued a faint — but clear — warning that Trump must respect institutions and the rule of law if a modicum of goodwill is to hold.

Trump’s tone, indicated White House spokesman Josh Earnest, “would seem to suggest that certain basic principles of our democracy are likely to be upheld.”

Read More:

http://punchng.com/breaking-trump-meets-obama-white-house/

Obama, Trump to set differences aside for awkward White House meeting

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U.S. President Barack Obama will host an awkward meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday in their first public step toward a peaceful transition of power after the Republican businessman’s surprise election victory.

The two men have had almost no one-on-one contact previously. Trump led the “birther” movement that questioned Obama’s U.S. citizenship and has pledged to overturn the Democratic president’s signature policy achievements after he takes office on Jan. 20

Obama campaigned vigorously for Trump’s Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and called Trump both temperamentally unfit for the presidency and dangerously unprepared to have access to U.S. nuclear codes.

They will seek to put that history behind them, at least for the cameras, during a meeting in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. First lady Michelle Obama will also meet privately with Trump’s wife, Melania, in the White House residence.

Obama said on Wednesday that despite his major differences with the New York real estate magnate, he would follow the lead of former Republican President George W. Bush in 2008 and ensure a smooth handover to Trump.

“Eight years ago, President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences, but President Bush’s team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition,” Obama said. “So I have instructed my team to follow the example that President Bush’s team set.”

Trump spent Wednesday focusing on that transition during meetings with his staff at Trump Tower in New York.

After taking office, he will enjoy Republican majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress that could help him implement his legislative agenda and scrap or roll back Obama policies that he dislikes, such as the Affordable Care Act, the nuclear deal with Iran and U.S. participation in the Paris agreement to fight global warming.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama would brief Trump about the benefits of those policies during their meeting.

“There is a tradition, particularly with regard to executive agreements, of successive presidents preserving some element of continuity,” Earnest said. “I don’t know whether or not that will fly in this case.”

Trump said after his victory that he would work to heal the divisions set off by the bitter campaign. Clinton urged her disappointed supporters to give Trump an “open mind” and Obama said he was rooting for his successor.

Obama congratulates Trump, invites him, Clinton to White House.

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U.S. President Barack Obama has congratulated his successor, Donald Trump, in a phone call and invited him to the White House.

His office said in a statement on Wednesday in Washington that the meeting with Mr. Trump was planned for Thursday.

Mr. Obama also called Hillary Clinton and “expressed admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country.

The president would make a statement from the White House later on Wednesday to discuss the election results and “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.”

The White House said that “ensuring a smooth transition of power” is one of Mr. Obama’s top priorities.

Republican Mr. Trump defeated Democrat Mrs. Clinton in a surprise result that saw him win key battleground states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

In his victory speech, Mr. Trump said he received a congratulatory phone call from Mrs. Clinton and congratulated her for running a strong campaign.

He pledged to unite the U.S., saying “I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

Obama Congratulates Trump, Invites Him, Clinton To White House

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U.S. President Barack Obama has congratulated his successor, Donald Trump, in a phone call and invited him to the White House.

His office said in a statement on Wednesday in Washington that the meeting with Mr. Trump was planned for Thursday.

Mr. Obama also called Hillary Clinton and “expressed admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country.

The president would make a statement from the White House later on Wednesday to discuss the election results and “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.”

The White House said that “ensuring a smooth transition of power” is one of Mr. Obama’s top priorities.

Republican Mr. Trump defeated Democrat Mrs. Clinton in a surprise result that saw him win key battleground states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

In his victory speech, Mr. Trump said he received a congratulatory phone call from Mrs. Clinton and congratulated her for running a strong campaign.

He pledged to unite the U.S., saying “I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

Credit: AFP

“It’s My Hair”, Trump Slams White House For Mocking His Hair

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Donald Trump said Thursday that it was “disgusting” for the White House’s top spokesman to go after his hair while the US is facing such serious issues.

“Isn’t that disgusting for a presidential representative to make that comment?” Trump said during an interview on “Fox & Friends.”

“I assume he was joking,” the Republican presidential front-runner added.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Josh Earnest blasted Trump for proposing to bar virtually all Muslims from entering the US until the “hatred” in the religion is figured out. Earnest said Trump had disqualified himself from the presidency — and he tossed in a comment about the billionaire’s “fake hair” when he trashed the proposal.

“The Trump campaign for months now has had a dustbin-of-history-like quality to it, from the vacuous sloganeering to the outright lies to even the fake hair. The whole carnival-barker routine that we’ve seen for some time now,” Earnest said during his Tuesday media briefing.

Trump said on “Fox & Friends” that such an insult was beneath the White House amid terror threats overseas and other serious issues.

“For a presidential person representing us in such tough times — we have terrorism and all of the problems — for him to make that comment, I thought it was so ridiculous,” Trump said. “And you know I get kidded about that all the time and it’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

Trump continued blasting away at President Barack Obama’s administration for its pattern of lying.

“But when you see, in these times, for a guy like that to make a false — by the way, to lie. He lied just like Obama lied about Obamacare. Just like they lie about so much. This administration’s one big lie,” Trump said.

He also assured Fox’s viewers that “it’s my hair.”

Credit: B.I

Trump’s Comments Disqualify Him From Presidency- White House

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The White House on Tuesday challenged Republicans to denounce their party’s presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, claiming his proposal to ban Muslims from travelling to the US should disqualify him from being commander-in-chief.

Painting Trump as a “carnival barker” with “fake hair” whose campaign has a “dustbin of history” quality, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Trump’s proposals were unconstitutional.

“What Donald Trump said yesterday disqualifies him from serving as president,” said Earnest, describing his comments variously as “offensive” and “toxic.”

The unusually strident language from the White House reflects a concern about the impact of Trump’s comments on US Muslims and the fight against the Islamic State group, but it also indicates the White House spies a political opportunity ahead of the 2016 election.

Earnest was quick to pounce on leading Republicans who condemned Trump’s remarks, but said they would still support him if he were the party nominee.

“What he said is disqualifying and any Republican who’s too fearful of the Republican base to admit it has no business serving as president either,” he said.

Credit: AFP

ISIS Vow To Blow Up The White House And Kill French President In New Video

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ISIS monsters have threatened to blow up the White House and kill the French president in a sickening new video In the latest video, an unknown militant tells the camera:

“What do they expect from the nation of Islam, other than more of these strikes?
“We bring Hollande and the people around him the good tidings – as we bring Obama and the people around him the good tidings – of more of these strikes.Allah willing, we shall roast them with explosive belts and car bombs. We shall follow them wherever they may go, and Allah willing, we shall lead them like slaves, like dogs.”

In a second segment of the video, a different terrorist tells the camera:

 “Oh Crusader France, Allah willing, we shall pulverize your palaces.Allah willing, you shall know no happiness, and will not live for long. “We started with you, and we shall finish with the false White House, which we shall render black with our fire, Allah willing.”We shall blow it up like we blew up the false idols in this good lands.

“Oh Crusaders everywhere, know that you are under threat, and that Allah has ordered us to fight you.”

See Program For Pope’s Arrival In DC, White House Set For Event (PHOTOS)

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First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, seems more excited than anyone about the arrival of his holiness, Pope Francis.

She shared pictures of venue arrangements and how the White House has been prepping for the big event. Here are photos she shared on Instagram, including the program for the event:

https://instagram.com/p/7-Il4wPZKm/?taken-by=michelleobama

https://instagram.com/p/78w90gPZJd/?taken-by=michelleobama

https://instagram.com/p/79ME6pvZD2/?taken-by=michelleobama

https://instagram.com/p/78_3lRPZP-/?taken-by=michelleobama

 

White House Responds To Kanye West’s Presidential Bid

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A representative from the White House has responded to Kanye West’s recent announcement that he will run to be the US President in 2020.

Responding to West’s statement of intent, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told Billboard that he looks “forward to seeing what slogan he chooses to embroider on his campaign hat”.

The news follows West’s recent backing of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Read More: nme

White House Hires First Transgender Staff

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White House, as in – US govt official house – and transgender as in a man that transitioned into a woman. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan (pictured above) has become the first openly transgender woman hired by the White House. Her recruitment was announced yesterday. She will serve as a recruitment director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. She also made history as the first  transgender woman to work in the Massachusetts State House.

Obama Shuts Down Heckler Who Tried To Interrupt Him During Speech At The White House

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President Obama shut down a heckler who tried to interrupt him during a speech at the White House Wednesday evening, then had her removed from the room.

Obama was half-way through delivering an address about civil rights for lesbian, gay and transsexual Americans at a reception in the presidential mansion Wednesday night when he was interrupted by one of his guests.

 

Jennicet Gutiérrez, a transsexual Mexican woman and campaigner, started yelling at him to close deportation centers until she was escorted out by security.
Gutiérrez shouted out that she was an illegal immigrant and a trans woman and was ‘tired of the abuse’ she claims immigration officials are carrying out on minorities.
Obama tried to ask her to stop, but turned sour when she wouldn’t stop shouting.
He said: ‘Hold on a second I – OK, you know what? No no no no no. You’re in my house.’
The President tried to start another sentence, but was interrupted twice more. The crowd started booing in response.
Obama said:

‘You know what? It’s not respectful when you get invited to somebody… [interruption] You’re not gonna get a good response from me by interrupting me like this. I’m sorry.

‘Shame on you! You shouldn’t be doing this… Can we escort this person out? Come on. You can either stay and be quiet, or we’ll have to take you out.’

He later continued by saying:

‘As a general rule, I am just fine with a few hecklers… But not when I’m up in the White House. My attitude is, if you’re eating the hors d’oeuvres… and drinkin’ the booze… anyway, where was I?’

Gutiérrez began by saying: ‘President Obama! Release all LGBTQ detention centers, but a chorus of shushing drowned out her next words.

According to the woman who invited Gutiérrez as her plus-one, the heckle was pre-planned to raise awareness.

Obama To Host Buhari At The White House, Find Out What They’ll Be Discussing

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US President Barack Obama will welcome his Nigerian counterpart to Washington next month, the White House announced Thursday, a symbolic show of solidarity after the country’s first ever democratic transition.

“President Obama will host Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House,” on July 20, the White House said.

The visit will mark “our support for the Nigerian people following their historic democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power,” a statement added.

Obama’s administration had faced criticism for not planning to visit Nigeria during a two nation Africa tour, also slated for July.

That trip will take in Kenya and Ethiopia, countries which have held highly questioned elections in recent memory.

May elections in Ethiopia resulted in the ruling party gaining all 546 parliamentary seats.

A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges — now suspended — of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.

Obama and Buhari themselves will have a packed agenda. The White House said they would discuss combating Boko Haram militants.

The armies of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been fighting a joint campaign against Boko Haram for several months, pushing militants out of captured towns and villages.

But village raids continue apace, often resulting in the deaths of dozens of women and children. Boko Haram has been fighting to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria since 2009.

Obama and Buhari will also discuss Nigeria’s economic and political reforms to “unlock its full potential as a regional and global leader.”

Credit: AFP

Obama Hosts Annual Ramadan Dinner At White House

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President Barack Obama said Monday that Americans stand united in rejecting the targeting of any religious or ethnic group as he marked Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.

Obama opened the White House to Muslim Americans for a traditional iftar dinner, which follows daily fasting from dawn to sunset. Ramadan ends with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

“We affirm that whatever our faith, we’re all one family,” Obama said at the East Room dinner attended by about 40 members of the diplomatic community and a few members of Congress.

He recognized several young dinner guests, including Samantha Elauf, who went to the Supreme Court to defend her right to wear a headscarf, or hijab. She was 17 in 2008 when she was rejected for a sales job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after wearing a hijab to the interview.

“She was determined to defend the right to wear a hijab — to have the same opportunities as everybody else,” Obama said. “She went all the way to the Supreme Court — which I didn’t do at her age — and she won.”

Obama spoke of three young Muslims who were killed Feb. 10 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the nine black church members killed last week in Charleston, South Carolina.

“As Americans, we insist that nobody should be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, who they love, how they worship,” he said. “We stand united against these hateful acts.”

Credit: AP

Bomb Threats Prompts White House Press Room Evacuation

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The White House press room was evacuated over a bomb threat after a phone call alerted the Metropolitan Police Department, White House Spokesman , Josh Earnest, said on Tuesday. The Secret Service interrupted White House spokesman Josh Earnest’s televised news briefing shortly after 2 p.m. and escorted journalists out of the building.

While journalists were out of the press room secret service officers combed the venue looking for explosives with the help of a sniffer dog. A little more than 30 minutes later, an all-clear signal was given, and journalists were led back to the press room. President Barack Obama and his family were not evacuated, according to Earnest.

The White House evacuation came within hours of another evacuation happening at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, located in the northeastern part of the Capitol Hill. This was after the U. S. Capitol Police received a phone call reporting a package was found in a room inside the building.

The Capitol Hill evacuation was taken as a precaution, which disrupted an ongoing hearing at the time. The police later investigated the case but no result of the investigation is available so far.

Credit: vanguardngr

Barack Obama’s 16-Year-Old daughter Malia Is Pregnant ?’ Hoax Sparks Outrage

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US President Barack Obama's teenage daughter Malia is not pregnant.
US President Barack Obama’s teenage daughter Malia is not pregnant(Getty)
 
 

A fake story claiming that US President Barack Obama’s teenage daughter Malia is pregnant has beencirculating online. 

The story was posted on Empire News, a satirical website, which is well known for publishing false stories with sensational headlines.

The bogus report read: “In what promises to be the biggest White House scandal since intern fellatio, President Barack Obama’s daughter, 16-year-old Malia, has confirmed that she is pregnant.

“Sources say Malia is now in her second trimester. Mother and First Lady, Michelle Obama, says that although she will be a grandmother much younger than she planned, teen pregnancy runs in the family.”

The satirical article carried made-up quotes from Malia, gushing about pregnancy and future plans.

There is no truth to the story. Empire News previously falsely reported that Charles Manson has been granted parole.

Many Twitter users expressed their disappointment over the website’s fake story.

This comes after Elizabeth Lauten, communications director for congressman Stephen Fincher,criticised Obama’s daughters for wearing short skirts and making faces during a Thanksgiving event. The Republican staff member has since resigned.

Meanwhile, former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager defended Sasha and Malia during an interview on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live.

“I’m fiercely protective of them, obviously,” the 33-year-old Today correspondent said. “I don’t think that it’s easy. It’s not a job that they wanted…I had a hard time [growing up in the White House], but it’s also a privilege.”

Nigerian Man Jumps White House Fence

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A Nigerian named Dominic Adesanya, who lives in Maryland in the United States, has been arrested for jumping the fence of the country’s White House.

Police reports say the 23-year old Adesanya climbed the fence on the North Lawn of the building around 7.15 pm yesterday, and got about 20 yards past the fence before he was arrested by the Secret Service and dogs.

Though currently in police custody, reports has it that he is being treated in a hospital for injuries he sustained during the encounter as he was attacked by K.9 dogs. Some of the dogs also had to undergo treatment following kicks they received from Adesanya.

Read more at http://dailypost.ng/2014/10/23/nigerian-born-man-arrested-scaling-white-house-fence-2/

Monica Lewinsky: I Was “In Love” With President Bill Clinton

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The former White House intern, 41, kicked off her first-ever public address by bringing up her story. “I fell in love with my boss,” she said during Forbes‘ inaugural 30 under 30 Summit in Philadelphia. “Only, my boss was the President of the United States.”

“I was Patient Zero,” Lewinsky said, according to the magazine. “The first person to have their reputation completely destroyed worldwide via the Internet. There was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram back then, but there were gossip, news and entertainment websites replete with comment sections and emails which could be forwarded. Of course, it was all done on the excruciatingly slow dial up. Yet around the world this story went. A viral phenomenon that, you could argue, was the first moment of truly ‘social media.'”

According to Forbes, which recapped the presentation, Lewinsky got emotional while discussing her life in the wake of the political scandal. “Staring at the computer screen, I spent the day shouting, ‘Oh my God!’ and ‘I can’t believe they put that in. That’s so out of context,'” she said of the infamous Starr Report, which was released online in 1998. “And those were the only thoughts that interrupted a relentless mantra in my head: ‘I want to die.'”