Author: Nedra Pickler
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Obama uses the N-word, says US not cured of racism
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said the United States has not overcome its history of racism and is using the N-word to make his case. In an interview, Obama weighed in on the debate over race and guns that has erupted after the arrest of a white man for the racially motivated shooting deaths of nine…
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Obama says US should have paid maternity leave
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States should join the rest of the industrialized world and offer paid leave for mothers of newborns. “Many women can’t even get a paid day off to give birth — now that’s a pretty low bar,” Obama said at the White House Summit on…
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Romney offers new ideas on taxes and immigration
WASHINGTON — Republican White House candidate Mitt Romney is offering new ideas on the controversial issues of taxes and immigration, sparking a fresh flashpoint with President Barack Obama before their inaugural debate Wednesday. In interviews, the GOP nominee suggested an option of limiting deductions to pay for his across-the-board income tax cut and revealed that…
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Ex Cochran aide pleads guilty in fraud probe
WASHINGTON – A former longtime aide to Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran pleaded guilty Tuesday to swapping legislative favors for event tickets and other gifts from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s firm. Ann Copland wiped tears from her eyes as she admitted to U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts that she took the gifts in exchange for helping…
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Biden tries to shush wife after state-VP slip
WASHINGTON – Joe Biden’s wife said Monday that he had his pick of being Barack Obama’s running mate or the secretary of state nomination that eventually went to Hillary Rodham Clinton, a slip that the vice president-elect immediately tried to shush.Jill Biden’s comment came during an appearance with her husband on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,”…
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Obama picks Panetta for CIA
WASHINGTON – Two Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA. Panetta was a surprise pick for the post, with no experience in the intelligence world. An Obama transition official and another Democrat disclosed his nomination on a condition of anonymity since…
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Obama: Getting a dog isn’t easy
CHICAGO – President-elect Obama promised his daughters a puppy after the election, but finding one is proving to be a bit of a challenge. “This is a major issue,” Obama told reporters at his news conference Friday. It’s generated more interest on his Web site than any other topic, he joked. But 10-year-old daughter Malia…
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No quick solutions, Obama says
CHICAGO • Inheriting an economy in peril, President-elect Barack Obama said Friday that the nation faces the challenge of a lifetime and pledged he would act urgently to help Americans devastated by lost jobs, disappearing savings and homes seized in foreclosure. But the man who promised change cautioned against hopes of quick solutions. “It is…
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Obama picks Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama pivoted quickly to begin filling out his new administration on Wednesday, selecting hard-charging Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff while aides stepped up the pace of transition work that had been cloaked in pre-election secrecy.Several Democrats confirmed that Emanuel had been offered the job. While it…
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A ‘bittersweet’ end to race for Obama
CHARLOTTE, N.C. • Barack Obama called the last day of his presidential race “bittersweet.” He carried himself with the confidence of a candidate who sensed victory after an intense, two-year campaign and learned that the woman who helped raise him wouldn’t get to see the outcome. As the first black Democratic presidential nominee began Monday…