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President Obama this week has tried to rally refugee and immigrant-rights advocates to his defense, saying the U.S. has a moral obligation to take some of the millions of refugees who have fled a brutal civil war in Syria that the president has been unable to stop. (Associated Press)

Obama’s Syria refugee push at odds with security-first stance on Bush Dubai Ports deal

President Obama's rising indignation at opponents of his open-door Syrian refugee policy is all the more striking because a decade ago he was one of those opponents, chastising then-President George W. Bush for trying to speed through a deal to transfer operations of major U.S. ports to a company from a predominantly Muslim country.

November 18, 2015
A Syrian refugee family sits at the immigration office of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. South Korea's spy service told lawmakers on Wednesday about 200 Syrians fleeing war have arrived by airplane in South Korea, but the government has yet to decide whether to grant refugee status to any of them.(Shin Jun-hee/Yonhap via AP) KOREA OUT

Obama admin vows to veto Syrian refugee bill

The White House vowed Wednesday to veto the bill to pause Syrian refugees, saying that stiff requirements that the FBI and Homeland Security certify each refugee are "untenable."

November 18, 2015
FILE - In this July 1, 2015 file photo, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at a news conference in Chicago. Illinois law says government officials’ emails about taxpayer business are public records for all to see. But what if they’re sent from private accounts or personal cellphones? Emanuel argues those are not. The Chicago Tribune claims they are, and has taken the matter to court. (AP Photo/Christian K. Lee, File)

Chicago council votes to welcome Syrian refugees

Chicago's city council voted Wednesday to welcome Syrian refugees to their city, passing a resolution that, while nonbinding, is meant to push back against the growing number of governors who have said they'll try to refuse resettlement.

November 18, 2015
A sign welcoming Syrian refugees is placed at the entrance to the office of the Arizona governor during a rally at the Arizona Capitol Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, in Phoenix. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has joined a growing number of governors calling for an immediate halt to the placement of any new refugees in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris. The U.S. State Department says Arizona has received 153 Syrian refugees so far this year. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

House introduces bill to ‘pause’ Syrian refugees

Homeland Security, the FBI and the intelligence community would have to sign off on every Syrian refugee President Obama wants to bring to the U.S. under a bill House Republicans introduced Wednesday and are speeding toward a vote later this week.

November 18, 2015
President Obama deployed top officials to Capitol Hill, set up calls to brief the press and had aides try to win back support from dozens of governors who said they would do everything in their power to stymie the president's attempts to resettle Syrians in their states. (Associated Press)

Obama stands firm on Syrian refugee plan amid rising opposition

Administration officials and charities that aid refugees fought a feverish rearguard action Tuesday to defend President Obama's plans to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. this year, but with opposition building, Republicans and even a key Democrat said it may be time for the White House to hit "pause."

November 17, 2015
Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said the increasing worldwide threat posed by the Islamic State, as evidenced by last week's deadly Paris attacks, shows the U.S. needs to continue build data collection efforts to head off any future attacks. (Associated Press)

Republicans say phone snooping might undermine Islamic State

A Republican senator launched a last-ditch effort to save the NSA's phone-snooping program Tuesday, introducing legislation that would force the Obama administration to keep collecting and storing Americans' phone data until the government can prove its replacement program is as effective.

November 17, 2015
"In the end, I don't trust this administration to effectively vet the people that they're asking us to take in. We need to put the safety and security of the American people first," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate. (Associated Press)

Governors reject Syrian refugees; Obama officials defend 10,000 target

President Obama called them un-American, but opponents rallied Monday to resist his plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. this year and enlisted the help of some two dozen governors -- Democrats and Republicans -- who signaled that they would try to resist having refugees sent to their states.

November 16, 2015