Obama Uses Trip To Push For Guantanamo Help

Bipartisan Health Care Deal In Jeopardy
President Barack Obama's hopes for a bipartisan health deal seemed in jeopardy Thursday as GOP senators protested his renewed support for a new public health insurance plan.
Obama TV: Is Anti-Americanism Down on Muslim News Stations?
ABC's Lara Setrakian reports from Dubai: Watching President Obama’s speech from the newsroom of Al Arabiya, a pan-Arab broadcaster based in Dubai, raised the following question: is Arab news coverage less anti-American since Obama took office? Yes, say the journalists...
Joblessness: 9.4 pct, worst in 25 years

by Jim Tankersley

The U.S. economy shed 345,000 jobs in May, pushing the unemployment rate near double-digits and bringing the total number of jobs lost in the current recession to 6 million.

But the employment figures, which the Labor Department reported this morning, offer hope that the worst of the economic downturn could be over: The number of lost jobs was the lowest since September, and it was only half of the average monthly job losses in the last half-year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide unemployment rate now stands at 9.4 percent, the worst it has been in more than 25 years. If workers abandoned their job searches or settled for part-time employment were factored in, the rate would have been 16.4 percent.

Manufacturing employment continued to drop sharply, led by 30,000 lost jobs related to the reeling domestic automobile industry. The Bureau reported auto-related jobs have fallen by 50 percent from their recent peak in 2000.

In contrast, construction and many service industries saw their losses slow. The leisure and hospitality industry posted no losses.

Wages remained essentially flat, the bureau reported.

Capitol Hill Republicans were quick to pounce on the numbers to criticize the Obama administration's economic policies.

"This is President Obama's economy now," Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House Republican Whip, said in a statement. Later, he added: "As job losses continue to mount, families' worries about losing their healthcare, paying their mortgage, and sending their children to college continues to intensify."

Obama Uses Trip To Push For Guantanamo Help

President Obama says he has not asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make "hard commitments" on allowing terrorism suspects from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to Germany.

Obama Addresses Muslim World From Cairo

Potential GOP Candidates Turn Eyes To 2012
Potential Republican rivals have begun to stir, taking preliminary steps toward 2012 presidential campaigns aimed at rejuvenating a party that has found itself at its lowest point in a generation, the Washington Posts.
Busted: Worst of the Worst Spam & Porn Host Taken Down
ABC's Brian Hartman from Washington: A federal judge has ordered the shut down of what one internet expert calls “the worst” company in the United States for spreading illegal and malicious internet services. The Federal Trade Commission, which requested the...
Obama women heading to Paris

By John McCormick and Stacy St. Clair

Malia and Sasha Obama are starting their summer vacation with a trip to Europe.

The White House confirmed Thursday that the girls will join their parents at ceremonies Saturday marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, then stay on in Paris for several days with their mother.

The girls, ages 10 and 7, have made numerous trips to their father's native state of Hawaii, but have never before been to Europe. They traveled to Kenya with their parents in 2006 and are expected to make numerous additional overseas journeys now that they live in the White House.

The eventful weekend for the First Daughters follows completion today of their first semester at the Sidwell Friends School in the Washington, D.C., area.

President Barack Obama is traveling through the Middle East and Germany, before joining his family in France on Friday.

Obama Addresses Muslim World From Cairo

President Barack Obama gave a 55 minute speech from Cairo Thursday. He spoke of "a new beginning" between Washington and the Muslim world. We'll ask whether Obama succeeded in his goal of changing the tone of the conversation between the U.S. and Muslim countries.

Cheney's Role In CIA Briefings Unusual, But Legal

GM, Chrysler Defend Slashing Dealerships
Top executives from General Motors and Chrysler are defending their decision to slash dealerships around the country despite many hardships.
Emotional Nancy Reagan Unveils New Statue
Nancy Reagan unveiled a new statue at the Capitol in honor of her late husband, former President Ronald Reagan, today. Standing next to House Minority Leader John Boehner, she pulled back the veil to reveal the bronze statue. “The statue...
Gingrich on Sotomayor: Racist 'too strong'

by Michael Muskal

Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker who has become a leading conservative critic, today backed away from his comments that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist, but continued to question whether her philosophy qualified her to become the first Latina on the top court.

In a letter to supporters and a posting on his website, Gingrich said the use of the word "racist should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable."

Gingrich had joined with conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh in calling Sotomayor a racist after a speech she gave in 2001 was widely circulated. In it, Sotomayor said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

See the full report on Gingrich and Sotomayor at the Los Angeles Times and here in the Swamp:

Conservatives have seized on the quote to argue that Sotomayor, 54, is an activist liberal judge who would place racial and ethnic characterizations above the law in her decisions. In private meetings with senators, Sotomayor has insisted she would follow law, not personality, in reaching decisions.

"My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich said today. "The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."

The use of the word "racist" rankled some Senate Republicans. Top Republicans, including Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee, said they wanted a fair hearing and cordial airing of Sotomayor's views.

In television interviews today, Sessions said he was "very glad" that Gingrich had decided to step back from the term. "I think that will help us have a real good discussion about the serious issues that the nation faces and that the court faces," Sessions said.

But Sessions added he was still concerned about Sotomayor's past statement because it raised questions. "It's inevitable that your personal views would affect your decision-making," Sessions said. "And to me, that's directly contrary to our great history of blind justice in America."

Sotomayor today had her second day of meetings with top senators in preparation for hearings on her nomination to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring.

Cheney's Role In CIA Briefings Unusual, But Legal

As vice president, Dick Cheney led CIA briefings with senior members of Congress on Bush-era harsh interrogation program, a news report says. Intelligence experts say Cheney's role, while highly unusual, was within legal parameters — and underscored his stake in the program.

On Gay Issues, Obama Says "Don't Ask"

On Gay Issues, Obama Says "Don't Ask"
Four-and-a-half months into his presidency, President Obama has not acted on his campaign promises on gay issues, writes Brian Montopoli, likely out of fear that doing so could hamper his ambitious agenda.
The Great Escape Is Over
Over the weekend two prisoners in Arkansas stole guard uniforms and were able to walk right out to freedom. The two wore the the uniforms and during a shift change they simply walked out of the prison. Sounded like a...
Obama's Republican Army sec'y: McHugh

by Mark Silva

President Barack Obama today nominated a longtime Republican congressman from New York state, Rep. John McHugh, to serve as secretary of the Army.

McHugh, 60, is a ninth-term member of the U.S. House from rural upstate New York, home to a legendary Army division, and the ranking Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Subject to Senate confirmation, McHugh stands to become the second high-ranking Republican in the Obama-led Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whom Obama carried over from the Bush administration, is one of just two Republicans serving in the president's Cabinet.

The selection of McHugh also will set off an expected competitive contest for a special election to fill the 23rd District House seat from New York, a far-ranging district that spans from Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The biggest city is Plattsburgh.

"I've thought long and hard as to what might sound original at this moment, but honestly, I don't have an original thought in my mind,'' McHugh said, standing by Obama's side at the White House. "I will do everything I possibly can to work with the Army leadership to provide you and Secretary Gates the broadest based, most accurate information as you go forward.''

The Army, Obama said, has borne a serious burden in the repeated deployment of forces to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration is investing in its expansion, he said.

McHugh's congressional district is home to the 10th Mountain Division of the Armythe "most deployed'' unit, the president noted today. McHugh has not served in the armed forces, but has served on the board of visitors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

(Photo of President Barack Obama and Rep. John McHugh, nominee for secretary of the Army, by Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images.)

McHugh, the president said, has been "a champion of men and women in uniform....

"As secretary of the Army, he will ensure that our soldiers are trained and equipped to meet the challenges of the time,'' Obama said. " At the same time, John knows that we must reform the way the Army and the Pentagon does business... As secretary, he will help lead our efforts to save taxpayers billions of dollars, and equip our soldiers with the weapons they need.''

McHugh will bring "patriotism and pragmatism'' to the mission, Obama said.

For all the differences the parties have in Congress, McHugh said, "At the end of the day,... Republicans and Democrats alike have put aside those differences and worked for the common good'' when it comes to support of the military.

"I grew up in the shadows of Fort Drum,'' said McHugh, whose father served in the Army. "The Army's always had a special place in my heart.''

McHugh had a career in local and state government, working for the Watertown, N.Y., city manager and then for a state senator in Albany, before winning election to the New York Senate in 1984. He specialized in dairy issuesindeed, his congressional homepage still calls him "a champion of dairy farmers,'' protecting their price supports.

He first was elected to Congress in 1992. He serves as ranking minority member on a committee, Armed Services, that oversees the Pentagon's budget and policies. His district also is dependent on military spending. He has served on the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

Obama, who has vowed to reach across party lines, actually has placed relatively few Republicans in high-level positions.

Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who had retired as a congressman from Peoria, Ill., are the two Republican Cabinet membersRepublican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire at first accepted and then rejected Obama's appointment as Commerce secretary.

Obama recently named Jon Huntsman, the Republican governor of Utah, to serve as ambassador to China. He has experience in diplomatic posts and is fluent in Mandarin.

But the House's Republican caucus could stand to lose another seat without McHugh on the ballot. Obama carried McHugh's congressional district by a margin of 5 percentage points last yearafter former President George W. Bush carried the same district by 4 points at reelection in 2004. The governor of New York, David Paterson, must set a special election date to replace McHugh.

McHugh had easily won reelection to Congress after his initial overwhelming first victory in 1992. After Republicans gained control of the House in 1994, in his second term there he chaired a Government Reform subcommittee that ultimately led the overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service.

McHugh generally has been rated as a moderate on key votes in the House, according to the National Journal's rankings. He is a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, with a master's degree in public administration from the State University of New York at Albany.

Yemeni Dies At Guantanamo In Apparent Suicide

U.S. military officials say a Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has died of an "apparent suicide." The Joint Task Force that runs the U.S. prison in Cuba says guards found 31-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Abdallah Salih unresponsive and not breathing in his cell Monday night.

Cheney on gay marriage: 'People free'

Obama: GM Has "Chance To Rise Again"
Saying that a collapse of U.S. automakers would have been "devastating for countless Americans," President Barack Obama said General Motors' bankruptcy filing would give the "iconic company a chance to rise again."
Quotes of the Day
"He never signed up to be in the auto business. His election was about ending the culture wars. The old divisions were supposed to fade away. The economic mess? He inherited it. But with the final collapse of an industry...
Cheney on gay marriage: 'People free'

by Mark Silva

There's the national security side to Dick Cheney, noted hawk, and then there's the personal side, family man.

The former vice president, whose daughter Mary is gay, said today that people "ought to be free'' to enter into the union of their choice. He does not, however, support a federal law on marriage, but believes the question is best left to the states.

At the National Press Club today, where Cheney discussed the threat of terrorism after 9/11 and defended the Bush administration's interrogations and prosecution of the war against Iraq, the vice president also was asked about gay marriage, at a time when growing numbers of states, though still few, are legalizing same-sex marriages.

""I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," Cheney replied. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay, and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family.

"I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish -- any kind of arrangement they wish,'' Cheney said. "The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that, historically, the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue, and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis...

"But I don't have any problem with that,'' he said of the same-sex marriages that most of the states in New England, Iowa and the District of Columbia have authorized. "People ought to get a shot at that."

Although Mary Cheney, one of the former vice president's two daughters, who helped her father campaign for reelection, has been open about her life, her parents have been more protective of it.

During the 2004 campaign, in debate, the candidates for president were asked if they believe homosexuality is a choice. Then-President George W. Bush did not mention Mary Cheney, but Democratic rival John Kerry did.

The senator from Massachusetts, which since has legalized gay marriage, said: "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as."

Bush, during his second term, continued to speak of marriage as "a union between a man and a woman,'' but failed to gain any support for a federal marriage amendment.

But Cheney's wife Lynne made it clear in a post-debate rebuke before a crowd near Pittsburgh what she thought of Kerry's debate tactic. "The only thing I can conclude is he is not a good man. I'm speaking as a mom," she said. "What a cheap and tawdry political trick."

Staph Infection Keeps Sen. Byrd In Hospital

Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who has served in the Senate longer than anyone in history, has developed a staph infection that has prolonged his stay in a Washington-area hospital. Byrd, a Democrat first elected in 1958, is 91.

GOP on Sotomayor: 'Fair shot,' no rush

The First Couple In NYC For "Date Night"
After watching daughter Malia's soccer game for an hour Saturday morning, the president and first lady Michelle Obama arrived in New York late Saturday afternoon for date night.
GOP on Sotomayor: 'Fair shot,' no rush

by Mark Silva

Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation for the U.S. Supreme Court is "virtually filibuster-proof,'' one Democratic senator said today, but lawmakers should not be forced into any deadline for her confirmation, a Republican leader said.

And Republicans are agreeing today that it's time to shelve the most incendiary criticism that some of the party's most outspoken conservatives have aimed at President Barack Obama's first nominee for the Supreme Court, with the longtime federal jurist from New York poised to become the first Hispanic on the high court.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said today that Sotomayor is headed toward confirmation with her compelling history and moderate record. On ABC News' This Week With George Stephanopoulos, the senator maintained that Sotomayor's comments most criticized comments about her own personal experiencehow being a Latina informs her wisdom about some matters -- reflects a respect for the law while acknowledging her own background as the daughter of Puerto Rican parents.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said today that, with so many of legal opinions of the judge to reviewafter 11 years on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York and seven before that on the District Court for the Southern District of New York -- senators should not be held to the president's desire that a confirmation vote take place before their summer vacation in August. The president wants Sotomayor ready for the start of the court's fall term in October.

While averting the comments of conservatives who have attempted to brand Sotomayor as a "racist,'' McConnell, appearing today on CNN's State of the Union with John King, said he cannot patrol what other Republicans have to say about the judge.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said on State of the Union that Sotomayor's hearings should be respectful and based on her record -- not on labels. Hutchinson, promising to review Sotomayor's record and give her a "fair shot,'' is considering a run for governor of Texas, with a large Latino population.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold the confirmation hearings, said today that he would prefer that fellow Republicans stop attacking the judge over remarks she made about her perspective as a child of Puerto Ricans when she addressed the University of California at Berkeley in 2001.

Sessions, appearing today on NBC News' Meet the Press, said he looks forward to meeting with Sotomayorwho will start making rounds of the Senate on Tuesdayand to hearing her explain her speak of her experiences and her decisions.

Teens Thwart ID Theft On MySpace

Identity theft is becoming a problem on social networking sites, especially among teens. Some dishonest users steal images of pretty girls to attract romantic attention. Others grab the photo of someone they dislike to create a fake, derogatory profile that makes that person look bad. But for some teens, it's actually a badge of honor.

Undercover At An Evangelical University

Two Ex's Play Nice: Bush, Clinton On Stage
Former President George W. Bush called former President Bill Clinton "his brother" and the two rarely disagreed in their first-ever appearance together on stage, disappointing some in the crowd of 6,000 who expected a more heated debate.
Clem's Chronicles: GM/Sotomayor/Prince Harry in NYC/Chrysler Ruling Monday
Happy Friday folks-tonight's editorial note for your reading pleasure..... GENERAL MOTORS, THE U.A.W. AND THE FUTURE-Good news today for General Motors, if not the men and women who build the cars. The UAW agreed to major concessions today ahead of...
Obama's Muslim address: 'Mutual respect'

by Mark Silva

With a long-promised address to the Muslim world next week, the White House says, President Barack Obama plans to underscore the "mutual interests and mutual respect'' that the United States and Muslim communities around the world have.

Obama will stand before an audience Thursday at Cairo University, at an event cohosted by Al-Azhar University for his televised address, and also visit a mosque while he is in Cairo.

"President Obama's speech will be an important part of his engagement with the Muslim world, which began in his inaugural and has continued through venues such as his interview with Al Arabiya, his Nowruz message, and his speech and town hall in Turkey,' Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said during a briefing with reporters last night.

"The speech will outline his personal commitment to engagement, based upon mutual interests and mutual respect,'' Gibbs said. "He will discuss how the United States and Muslim communities around the world can bridge some of the differences that have divided them. He will review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And he will discuss new areas for partnership going forward that serve the mutual interests of our people.''

The president's journey will start Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a private meeting with King Abdullah.

"That obviously is also part of our outreach to the Muslim world,'' said Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, "but also an opportunity while he's in this vitally important region to discuss a range of important concerns from energy to Middle East peace to the fight against extremism.''

(Pictured above: Students on the campus of Cairo University, where President Barack Obama plans to address Muslim world. .Photo by Amr Nabil / )

While the United States and Egypt have had their differences, particularly on the question of political freedom in Egypt, the U.S. also counts on Cairo as an ally in the pursuit of Middle East peace.

"It's important to underscore that Egypt is a long-time strategic ally of the United States,'' McDonough said. "It's a key country in the Arab and Muslim world. It is a young -- like much of the Muslim world, itself is a young country with a burgeoning younger population that the president looked very much forward to engaging directly in this speech and in the meetings while he's there.''

Obama will head from Egypt to Germany, for a visit to the concentration camp, Buchenwald, to "underscore the terrible tragedy, the undeniable tragedy of the Holocaust,'' McDonough says. And he will end in France, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the landing at Normandy.

But the focal point of the trip is Cairo.

"Obviously the choice of the location... (is) underscoring the storied history and learnedness of Islam,'' McDonough says.

"The message the president wants to send is not different, frankly, than the one he's been sending since he was inaugurated, namely that we believe that this is an opportunity for us in the United States, who, frankly, have arrived at a place here based on many of the advances that come out of the Muslim world, be it science out of Baghdad, be it math and technology out of Al-Andalus or otherwise,'' he says "The fact is that we've had a great partnership over the course of many decades.

"We want to get back on a shared partnership, back in a conversation that focuses on the shared values, and that's what the president will talk about in Cairo.''

Asked about any meetings with dissidents while the president is in Eqypt, the White House says it has 'reached out'' to a "full range'' of political interests as it assembles an audience for the president's address at Cairo University, and Obama will seek time with the Egyptian press while he is there.

"With Mubarak, some of the traditional issues about the Middle East will be -- obviously will be front and center, and I think that the president, as he always does with leaders around the world, will not hesitate to bring up some of the important civil society issues, democracy issues, that he has brought up with the Chinese and others,'' said Mark Lippert, chief of staff for the National Security Council.

"What you can expect is a speech that really addresses the range of issues and interests and concerns that we have across this broad swath of the globe that is the Muslim world,'' McDonough says. "The fact is, that the president himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans a key part of Illinois and Chicago.

"And so it's going to address a range of issues... freedom and opportunity, prosperity.''

Undercover At An Evangelical University

Brown University student Kevin Roose passed himself off as an evangelical Christian to blend in with students at Liberty University — the school founded by the late Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell.