Dave Boyer

Obama: Benghazi cover-up charges a partisan ‘sideshow’

President Obama on Monday angrily denied a cover-up by his administration in downplaying the role of terrorism in the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and accused Republican lawmakers of carrying out a partisan "sideshow" by investigating it.

May 13, 2013

Empty chairs: Obama struggles to complete second-term team

As he struggles to find momentum in his second term, President Obama is setting a dubious record for the slowest pace in assembling a new Cabinet.

May 12, 2013

White House evacuated due to smoke

Journalists were evacuated from the White House Saturday morning when smoke from a malfunctioning electrical transformer set off an alarm, but the First Family was not affected.

May 11, 2013

Biden: Opposing senators ‘have seen the Lord’ on gun control

Vice President Joseph R. Biden said in a wide-ranging magazine interview that gun-control legislation will pass eventually because several senators who voted against it are experiencing a public backlash.

May 10, 2013

Obama’s Texas trip an attempt to refocus on jobs, economy

President Obama's aides dislike the word "pivot" for its implication that he focuses on one priority at a time — but Mr. Obama's trip to Austin, Texas, on Thursday is indisputably an effort to return attention to the economy after a spring overshadowed by gun control and other issues.

May 8, 2013

Obama urges Ohio State grads to get involved, vote out ‘special interests’

Facing major challenges to his second-term agenda, President Obama on Sunday urged thousands of graduates at Ohio State University to get involved in the political process and vote out lawmakers who favor "special interests."

May 5, 2013

Obama against U.S. troops in Syria

In his third attempt in four days to explain his position on chemical weapon attacks in Syria, President Obama Friday night all but ruled out sending U.S. troops to fight in the civil war.

May 3, 2013

Obama touts gun control on Mexico visit

President Obama said Friday that gun control will help save lives — in Mexico. On his fourth trip to Mexico as president, Mr. Obama delivered a wide-ranging speech to students in Mexico City in which he pledged to help reduce gun violence there and to enact immigration reform that includes a pathway to U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants.

May 3, 2013

Obama talks up immigration bill, touts border security while in Mexico

In Mexico to promote trade, President Obama said Thursday that security along the U.S.-Mexican border has improved and that a pending immigration reform bill in Congress would ensure the countries' economic growth doesn't get "bogged down" in border problems.

May 2, 2013

Obama on arming Syrian rebels: ‘All options’ on the table

Hours after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U.S. is considering arming Syrian rebels, President Obama agreed that his administration is looking "at all options."

May 2, 2013

Obama supports FDA decision to allow emergency contraceptive sales to girls 15 and older

President Obama said Thursday night he supports the Food and Drug Administration's decision to allow the sale of the Plan B emergency contraceptive over the counter to girls age 15 and older.

May 2, 2013

Obama’s Commerce pick Pritzker may face flak

President Obama nominated longtime fundraiser and hotel heiress Penny Pritzker Thursday to run the Commerce Department, gambling that her role in a failed bank and opposition from labor groups won't derail her Senate confirmation.

May 2, 2013

White House ‘evaluating’ weapons for Syrian rebels

A day after President Obama was criticized for hedging on reports of chemical weapons being used in Syria's civil war, the White House left open the possibility Wednesday that the U.S. would provide weaponry soon to opposition groups.

May 1, 2013

Obama staggering, but says he’s still standing

Much like President Clinton once did, President Obama tried to make the case Tuesday that he's still relevant.

April 30, 2013

Obama ‘proud’ of openly gay basketball player Jason Collins

President Obama said he's "proud" of Jason Collins, the NBA player who disclosed that he's gay this week, and said he called him to tell him so.

April 30, 2013

Obama: Guantanamo must close

President Obama said Tuesday he doesn't want suspected terrorists on a hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay to die, and he vowed to redouble his efforts to close the detention center in Cuba.

April 30, 2013

Obama further amends ‘red line’ words on Syria chemical attacks

Raising the bar for direct U.S. involvement in Syria's civil war, President Obama said Tuesday that he won't take more forceful action until the international community is convinced that the regime of Bashar Assad used chemical weapons.

April 30, 2013

Obama nominates rail advocate, paves way for more transportation spending

He doesn't utter discredited terms such as "stimulus" or "shovel-ready" anymore, but President Obama renewed his push Monday for at least $50 billion more in spending on roads and bridges as he introduced his pick for secretary of transportation.

April 29, 2013

FAA respite from sequester fuels budget fighting

The FAA ended its furloughs of air traffic controllers over the weekend and said the nation's enraged travelers, who had been caught in long delays at some major airports, should see things back to normal by Sunday night.

April 28, 2013

School commencement dispute raises issue over Obama’s diversity record

Alumni at a historically black college where President Obama will deliver the commencement address say the school has disinvited a speaker who criticized the president's record on Cabinet diversity and black unemployment.

April 27, 2013