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Obama Placed Embargo on Press Over Secret Cyber Security Executive Order
Buzz Feed reported today that Obama secretly signed a long awaited executive order on Cyber Security, then issued an embargo to all news organisations NOT to cover the developments.
The report states:
Shortly before 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, the White House emailed reporters that President Obama had signed a highly anticipated Executive Order aimed at protecting cyber security.
The order — setting up new...
Obama to announce US withdrawal from Afghan war
US President Barack Obama is expected to announce in his upcoming State of the Union Address that 34,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within a year, according to a White House official.
Obama plans to deliver his State of the Union Address at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, an administration official said, adding that the troop pullout announcement falls in line with...
U.S. hawks worry over military inferiority
Military leadership worries over loses to Russia and China – As the United States reduces its military budget due to the economic crisis, the country’s main competitors do not. It has made Washington raise concerns for fear of losing its leadership in this area.
Although it remains unclear whether Washington can overcome the deadline to avoid the automatic military cuts planned for early...
Obama to bypass Congress on CISPA with cybersecurity executive order
Unable to reach a deal with Congress, President Obama plans to use his power to exert executive actions against the will of lawmakers. The president will issue orders addressing controversial topics including cybersecurity.
Although President Obama has issued fewer executive orders than any president in over 100 years, he is making extensive plans to change that, Washington Post reports quoting people...
Star Wars fans raise $380k for Death Star project, aim for more
Sci-Fi fans pushing for the creation of a Star Wars inspired “Death Star” have raised almost US$400,000 on a fundraising site to make it happen. It comes after Washington turned down a petition for its construction, citing astronomical costs.
Undeterred by Washington’s lack of enthusiasm, supporters of the proposed Death Star have generated an account on Kickstarter – a funding platform for...
CISPA's back: Online espionage resurrect cybersecurity bill
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection act (CISPA) will be reintroduced before the US House next week following a spate of cyber espionage and hacking attacks. Civil liberties advocates have criticized the bill for violating privacy laws.
The House Intelligence Committee’s Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and ranking member Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) will attempt to breathe new life into...
Moscow wants recourse over $50,000 daily penalties over Hasid books
Moscow is preparing a lawsuit against the US Library of Congress over rare books claimed by a US-based Hasidic group. The move comes amid ‘outrage’ over a US court ruling to fine Russia US$50,000 daily until it surrenders the texts.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry is planning to fight the Washington court’s ruling, which reads that Russia must pay $50,000 daily until it agrees to hand over the...
Iran rejects direct talks with US
Iran’s supreme leader has refused a US offer for one-to-one talks over Tehran’s supposed nuclear weapons program. He dismissed talks as meaningless and accused Washington of coercing Iran at gunpoint.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disregarded the US proposal of direct negotiations, claiming that “talks will not solve any problems.”
“Some naive people like the idea of negotiating...
Senators ask Obama for legal basis for targeted killings of Americans
US senators have requested the legal justification for the killings of US citizens suspected of terrorism by the Obama administration. Meanwhile a ‘chilling’ leaked memo showed that the government sees little need for constraint on the issue.
A group of 11 senators on Monday wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to release all Justice Department memos on the practice of targeting...
Obama: 'No doubt' we need more taxes
US President Obama on Sunday insisted that the nation needs additional tax revenue, some of which the government could acquire by closing or reducing loopholes and deductions.
“There is no doubt we need additional revenue, coupled with smart spending reductions in order to bring down our deficit,” the president said in an interview aired on CBS. “And we can do it in a gradual way so that it...
Shocking Numbers That Show The Media Is Lying About Unemployment In America
Did you know that the percentage of the U.S. labor force that is employed has continually been falling since 2006 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Did you know that the increase in the number of Americans “not in the labor force” during Barack Obama’s first four years in the White House was more than three times greater than the increase in the number of Americans “not in the labor...
USA considers scenario of war with China
The fact that the relations between China and the U.S. have been slipping into a confrontation similar to the Cold War has been discussed by media for two years, but for the first time these allegations began to take practical shape. Obama called China a “rival” and instructed to study the degree of nuclear threat posed by the country. The U.S. began redeploying its fleet in the Pacific...
US probes Swiss medicine giant for trade with Iran
An Iranian cancer patient who like millions of other patients with intractable diseases, is victim of anti-Iran sanctions imposed by US and EU to block financial transactions for the purchase of medications.
Despite its claims of easing the restrictions on the sales of medicine to Iran, Washington has launched an investigation into the transactions of Switzerland’s biggest pharmaceutical company,...
Assault weapons ban introduced in the Senate
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday introduced a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, briefing members of Congress in front of a display featuring various deadly firearms that would be prohibited under the ban.
“Together we are introducing legislation to help end the mass shootings that have devastated countless families and terrorized communities,” Feinstein...
House raises debt ceiling to avoid US default
The House voted on legislation Wednesday that will raise the debt ceiling for three months and delay a US default. Even though this is just a short term fix, the Obama administration said it supports it.
The legislation prevented a devastating default of US debt and payments next month and instead give Congress three more months to come up with an agreement on the budget, taxes, spending and the deficit....