President

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Book: Marilyn Told Jackie She Would Marry JFK

Author says Monroe called the first lady herself

(Newser) - It's not exactly a revelation these days that JFK had an affair with Marilyn Monroe while president, but a new book is making headlines for adding a new wrinkle. The book, by journalist Christopher Andersen, says Monroe actually called Jackie Kennedy and told her that JFK planned to marry...

Obama to Honor Veterans During Alaska Visit

First visit to chilly 49th state a refueling stop en route to Asia

(Newser) - President Obama will visit Alaska next week for the first time, stopping at Elmendorf Air Force Base to observe Veterans Day with base personnel while Air Force One refuels. Like most recent presidents, Obama will visit Alaska en route to Asia, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The president would like...

Obama Emerges From White (Frat) House
 Obama Emerges 
 From White (Frat) House 
MAUREEN DOWD
Oct 28, 2009 7:44 AM CDT

Obama Emerges From White (Frat) House

Now Dowd wants to play him at Scrabble

(Newser) - Turns out Tom Friedman played golf with President Obama last month—and fellow New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd isn't ashamed to admit she felt "a twinge of envy." Dowd's happy that Obama finally invited a woman to join him on the links this weekend, after catching heat...

'Faint' Sarkozy Hospitalized After Jog

French prez 'felt faint,' undergoing medical tests

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy “felt faint” during his usual morning jog today, reports the Guardian, and was admitted to the hospital where he was under observation and undergoing further tests. Elysee Palace declined to comment further, saying it would release further details this afternoon. The energetic French president is known as...

Fearing Bloodshed, Zelaya Leaves Honduras

Ousted prez takes action after negotiations fall apart

(Newser) - Ousted President Manuel Zelaya took a symbolic step into his homeland today, vowing to reclaim his post a month after soldiers flew him into exile. But he stayed less than 30 minutes before returning to Nicaragua, saying the risk of bloodshed was too great. He said he would give talks...

No-Shock Barack Aces Day 100 Presser
No-Shock Barack Aces
Day 100 Presser
ANALYSIS
Apr 30, 2009 6:50 AM CDT

No-Shock Barack Aces Day 100 Presser

From swine flu to torture, Obama stayed focused and calm

(Newser) - Barack Obama's 100th-day press conference last night was a "schizophrenic affair," writes Mike Madden in Salon, with the president fielding questions on everything from swine flu to torture to the intricacies of running a profitable car company. On every issue, Obama stuck to the "loose, easy...

1988: Reagan, Right; Putin, Left
1988: Reagan, Right; Putin, Left 
Mar 16, 2009 2:34 PM CDT

1988: Reagan, Right; Putin, Left

(Newser) - It’s 1988. President Ronald Reagan is making a visit to the Soviet Union, where he tours Moscow’s Red Square alongside Mikhail Gorbachev. He stops and takes questions from a group of tourists about human rights in the United States. Except they’re not tourists, Radio Free Europe reports....

Sen. Shelby Questioned Obama Citizenship: Paper

Senator slams quote as 'distortion'

(Newser) - Sen. Richard Shelby may be a “birther”—one who questions whether Barack Obama is in fact a natural-born American and therefore eligible to be president, Salon reports. When asked about Obama citizenship rumors, the Alabama Republican replied: “His father was Kenyan and they said he was born...

For Chavez, the End Is Near
 For Chavez, the End Is Near 
OPINION
Feb 14, 2009 4:04 PM CST

For Chavez, the End Is Near

Referendum will keep him in power, but Venezuelan economy makes it 'irrelevant'

(Newser) - Hugo Chavez has a slight lead in tomorrow’s referendum that would allow him to extend his rule in Venezuela, but the realities of the country’s economy make the issue “mostly irrelevant,” Edward Schumacher-Matos writes in the Washington Post. No matter the outcome, his days are numbered....

Bush Rejected Pardons for Milken, Other 'High Rollers'

'He seems to go out of his way to deny the high rollers, the prominent people,' source says

(Newser) - George Bush formally denied pardons for several prominent politicians and businessmen on his last day in office, the Justice Department told the Los Angeles Times today. Among those whose pleas fell on deaf ears were Michael Milken, a businessman convicted of insider trading and stock evasion, and Randall Cunningham, a...

Lame Duck Can Do More Than Just Quack
 Lame Duck Can Do
 More Than Just Quack 
OPINION
Nov 24, 2008 2:47 PM CST

Lame Duck Can Do More Than Just Quack

(Newser) - Lame-duck presidents have made their share of last-minute legislative contributions, and the current lame duck need be no different, historian Julian E. Zelizer writes for CNN. “Bush does not have to sit on his hands until January 20,” Zelizer writes, and calls on him to “follow the...

After Obama, Which Minority's On Deck?
 After Obama, Which 
 Minority's On Deck? 
OPINION
Nov 13, 2008 5:07 PM CST

After Obama, Which Minority's On Deck?

If Barack can do it, anyone can—except Muslims, gays, atheists ...

(Newser) - A self-described “black man with a funny name” is now the most powerful person on the planet. So which minority group will next see one of its own in the Oval Office? Mark Oppenheimer considers the contenders in Slate:
  • Women: Not technically a minority, which means that if “
...

Bidens Headed to VP Mansion to Meet Cheneys

VP-to-be will dine at Naval Observatory tomorrow to discuss transition

(Newser) - Vice President Dick Cheney and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are getting together tomorrow night to discuss the upcoming handoff of the job as the nation's second-in-command. Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell says Cheney and his wife, Lynne, will host Biden and his wife, Jill, at their home.

Bush, Obama Will Sit Down Monday

Transition moving quickly between president, successor

(Newser) - President George W. Bush will meet with Barack Obama early next week to discuss plans for transition, the Washington Post reports. Obama received his first intelligence briefing this morning, and key staffers have been given expedited security clearances. “We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a...

What Happens If One Kicks Before Election Day?
What Happens If One Kicks Before Election Day?
ANALYSIS
Oct 2, 2008 11:49 AM CDT

What Happens If One Kicks Before Election Day?

Plans for window before Jan. 20 also diverge

(Newser) - With the VP hopefuls girding for tonight's debate, it's natural to wonder what would become of their respective tickets should either presidential candidate die or otherwise become incapacitated before Nov. 4. Each party has its own protocol, explains Nina Shen Rastogi, writing for Slate, but in neither case does the...

Obama Slips Into Role of Acting President
Obama Slips Into Role of Acting President
OPINION
Jul 27, 2008 5:31 PM CDT

Obama Slips Into Role of Acting President

Steps into void left by lame-duck prez as McCain flounders

(Newser) - With a lame duck in the White House and his party's nominee beginning to sound like a quack, Barack Obama is coming off the success of last week's world tour looking like America's acting president, writes Frank Rich in the New York Times. The Illinois senator offers more than "...

What Makes a Prez 'Good for Israel'?
 What Makes a Prez
 'Good for Israel'? 
Opinion
May 18, 2008 11:20 AM CDT

What Makes a Prez 'Good for Israel'?

Key is choosing one who will bolster America's clout, says NYT' s Friedman

(Newser) - The next US president must build an America strong enough to sway the Middle East, but needn't be doggedly pro-Israel, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. And while Barack Obama is dogged by questions of whether he's “good for Israel,” Friedman notes, none other than "...

Call Me Russian FDR: Putin
Call Me Russian FDR: Putin
Oct 19, 2007 3:43 AM CDT

Call Me Russian FDR: Putin

Presenting himself as popular US prez to stay in power

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin sees himself as Russia's Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is actively encouraging a cult around the Depression-slaying US leader to promote his own ambitions after his current term as president expires. Admiring profiles and documentaries about Roosevelt in the state-controlled media are indoctrinating Russians as Putin maneuvers to stay...

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