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President Barack Obama has cut short his holidays in Hawaii and is flying to Washington to try to reach a deal to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff”.
Unless a compromise is found, tax increases and huge spending cuts come into force on 1 January, threatening to tip the US back into recession.
However, Democrats and Republicans are still at loggerheads over the issue.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury is to take extraordinary measures to delay reaching a 31 December borrowing limit.
In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said it would take accounting measures to save about $200 billion to prevent reaching the $16.4tn borrowing limit.
Timothy Geithner said this would prevent the government from reaching the borrowing limit for about another two months.
President Barack Obama has cut short his holidays in Hawaii and is flying to Washington to try to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff
This $16.4 trillion is the amount the government is allowed to borrow to finance its operations.
Barack Obama is expected to meet Republican leaders again to try to negotiate a solution, although no new date has been announced.
Failure to do so could damage the US and global markets, and threatens to send the US economy into recession.
The two sides remain far apart on the fiscal cliff’s $600bn in tax rises and spending cuts, but analysts say a short-term deal may be agreed that will postpone the cuts until spring.
On Wednesday, the Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner called on the Democrat-led Senate to come up with legislation on how it would avoid the cliff, and pass it to the House for consideration.
However, a senior administration official said it was up to Republican leaders not to stand in the way of an agreement.
Despite this, there is little sense of urgency in the capital – the corridors of Congress are silent.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wished the troops a merry Christmas with a visit to a U.S. Marine base in Hawaii on Tuesday.
Barack Obama’s appearance with servicemen at a Christmas ceremony was his last public stop in Hawaii before he cuts short his vacation and flies back to Washington to return to negotiations over the fiscal cliff.
The president is expected to arrive in Washington early Thursday, the White House said Tuesday night. Michelle Obama and the couple’s two daughters will remain in Hawaii.
In the past, Barack Obama’s end-of-the-year holiday in his native state had stretched into the new year. The first family had left Washington last Friday night.
Congress has been expected to return to Washington late Thursday. Before he departed for Hawaii, Barack Obama told reporters he expected to be back in the capital the following week.
Automatic budget cuts and tax increases are set to begin on January 1, which many economists say could send the country back into recession. So far, the president and congressional Republicans have been unable to reach agreement on any alternatives.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wished the troops a merry Christmas with a visit to a Marine base in Hawaii on Tuesday
Lawmakers have expressed little but pessimism for the prospect of an agreement coming before the New Year. On Sunday, Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican, said she expects any action in the waning days of the year to be “a patch because in four days we can’t solve everything”.
The Obamas were spending the holiday at a rented home near Honolulu. On Christmas Day, the president and first lady visited with Marines to express thanks for their service.
“One of my favorite things is always coming to base on Christmas Day just to meet you and say thank you,” the president said at Marine Corps Base Hawaii’s Anderson Hall. He said that being commander in chief was his greatest honor as president.
Barack Obama took photos with individual service members and their families.
On Christmas Eve, Barack Obama called members of the military to thank them for serving the nation, then joined his family for dinner, the White House said. The Obamas opened gifts Christmas morning, ate breakfast and sang carols.
Friends were joining the Obamas for Christmas dinner Tuesday night, the White House said.
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle celebrated Christmas from their tropical Hawaii getaway as they released a more festive looking picture of themselves onto their Twitter feed.
Despite leaving for Barack Obama’s home state of on Friday, the pair released the seasonal picture to the White House twitter feed today and spoke together during the weekly presidential address of how much they enjoy a White House Christmas.
Both the president and his wife spoke of the joy at spending the Holidays with loved ones and paid a special tribute to the men and women of the armed forces – serving abroad with their families in Afghanistan and in other deployments across the globe.
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After a busy day during which he attended a funeral, nominated his new Secretary of State and stared over the “fiscal cliff”, US President Barack Obama packed his family off to Hawaii for Christmas.
Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama departed for Hawaii on Friday evening, shortly after the president had delivered a statement on extended the last Bush administration’s tax cuts.
Barack Obama had told reporters “see you next week” at the end of his appearance in the briefing room, but the White House did not specify when the president would return to Washington. The Obama family have traditionally spent their Christmas holidays in Honolulu.
Earlier in the day President Obama had urged lawmakers to reach agreement on averting tax hikes on the middle class, saying he was ready and willing to do what it takes to get a deal by January 1st.
Barack Obama said he had spoken with Republican House Speaker John Boehner and met with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid about the fiscal cliff. The president said he was an optimist and believed a deal could be hammered out.
Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama headed to Hawaii for Christmas, shortly after the president had delivered a statement on extended the last Bush administration’s tax cuts
One day after House anti-tax rebels torpedoed Republican legislation because it would raise rates on million-dollar-earners, Barack Obama said he still wants a bill that requires the well-to-do to pay more.
Barack Obama also nominated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, one of Washington’s most respected voices on foreign policy, as his next secretary of state.
The move is the first in an expected overhaul of Barack Obama’s national security team heading into his second term.
As the nation’s top diplomat, John Kerry will not only be tasked with executing the president’s foreign policy objectives, but will also have a hand in shaping them.
President Barack Obama is to nominate John Kerry to be his next secretary of state, US media report.
John Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton at the head of the state department, the media quoted senior administration officials as saying.
John Kerry ran as Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
His nomination comes after the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, withdrew from consideration last week.
President Barack Obama is to nominate John Kerry to be his next secretary of state
Republicans had fiercely criticized her role in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September.
They had threatened to block her nomination despite the president’s strong defence of her actions.
John Kerry, 69, would be Barack Obama’s first cabinet nomination since he won a second term last month.
Analysts say John Kerry is unlikely to face opposition from Republicans.
Republicans have cancelled a tax vote in the US Congress, less than two weeks before a deadline for budget reform.
Republican House speaker John Boehner proposed the bill, which would have raised taxes on high earners. But right-leaning Republicans rejected it.
Analysts say the rejection has weakened John Boehner’s position in negotiations with the White House.
Politicians need to agree fiscal rules by January 1st 2013, or steep tax rises and deep spending cuts will take effect.
Analysts say the so-called fiscal cliff could take the US into recession.
Despite the failure of the vote, major stock markets were little changed, as most analysts had expected this to be a long, drawn out process. European markets were down in the first half hour of trading, but by less than 0.5%.
John Boehner said he had been unable to garner sufficient votes to secure passage of the bill.
Although it would have ensured a tax cut for 99.8% of Americans, it would have imposed a rise on those earning more than $1 million.
He said in a statement that the bill “did not have sufficient support from our members to pass”.
Shortly after, the White House said President Barack Obama would work with Congress.
The White House statement said it was “hopeful that we will be able to find a bipartisan solution quickly”.
Republicans have cancelled vote on John Boehner’s fiscal cliff Plan B, less than two weeks before a deadline for budget reform
Earlier on Thursday, the House narrowly passed a companion bill that would cut domestic spending while protecting the defence budget.
The House is controlled by the Republicans, but the Senate is Democrat-led.
John Boehner’s plan would have had little chance of passing a Senate vote.
Analysts say it was in effect an effort to tell the US public that the Republicans should not be blamed if a deal could not be reached.
But some believe that the White House has now been strengthened by John Boehner’s failure.
White House spokesman Jay Carney earlier said John Boehner’s plan was a “multi-day exercise in futility at a time when we do not have the luxury of exercises in futility”.
John Boehner announced the bill on Tuesday, saying he would bring forward a measure that extended Bush-era tax cuts for those earning less than $1 million per year – but would not address the automatic spending cuts.
On Wednesday, the Republican leadership added a companion bill that would replace the automatic cuts with a proposal to remove cuts from defence and government operating budgets. They would be offset by reductions elsewhere in the budget.
The proposal would cut food stamps, benefits for federal workers and some social services programmes.
Barack Obama had sought tax rises for the wealthy, but was pushing for a lower threshold of $400,000.
He also offered a change to the way Social Security cost of living adjustments are made for some recipients, cuts from government healthcare programmes and a two-year extension of the debt ceiling.
John Boehner’s office called the proposal “a step in the right direction” but not fully “balanced”.
Analysts have painted a grim picture of the consequences of going over the cliff, with some warning that the impact could push the US back into recession.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in its latest economic outlook that the recession from the cliff could become global.
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US President Barack Obama has been named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year for 2012, allowing him the honor for the second time in four years.
TIME magazine cited Barack Obama’s historic re-election last month as symbolic of the nation’s changing demographics amid the backdrop of high unemployment and other challenges.
“He’s basically the beneficiary and the author of a kind of new America – a new demographic, a new cultural America that he is now the symbol of,” TIME editor Rick Stengel said as he announced the choice on the Today show on Wednesday.
“He won re-election despite a higher unemployment rate than anybody’s had to face in basically 70 years. He’s the first Democrat to actually win two consecutive terms with over 50 per cent of the vote. That’s something we haven’t seen since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”
The “Person of the Year” accolade is given to the person or thing that has most influenced the culture and news throughout the year for good or for ill.
Barack Obama was named as Person of the Year in 2008, with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and The Protester filling the years in between.
Barack Obama has been named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year for 2012, allowing him the honor for the second time in four years
This year, Barack Obama edged out Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls’ education, for the honor. She was named as runner up.
“Since October her message has been heard around the world, from cramped classrooms where girls scratch out lessons in the dirt to the halls of the U.N. and national governments and NGOs, where legions of activists argue ever more vehemently that the key to raising living standards throughout the developing world is the empowerment of women and girls,” TIME wrote in a profile.
Other finalists included Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Higgs boson physicist Fabiola Gianotti.
In its latest edition and cover story, TIME explained its decision to name Barack Obama as the winner.
“We are in the midst of historic cultural and demographic changes, and Barack Obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new America,” the editors wrote.
“In 2012, he found and forged a new majority, turned weakness into opportunity and sought, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union.”
In a cover story, TIME‘s White House correspondent Michael Scherer explained the “Obama effect”.
“It could be measured – in wars stopped and started; industries saved, restructured or reregulated; tax cuts extended; debt levels inflated; terrorists killed; the health-insurance system reimagined; and gay service members who could walk in uniform with their partners,” he wrote.
Michael Scherer added that after this year’s election, Barack Obama started working on a “40,000-foot” list of issues to tackle in his second term in the White House.
The list included climate change, the soaring cost of college, electoral reform and prison reform.
Michael Scherer also spoke about his personal attributes – and how Republicans struggled to be negative against him.
“There was almost nothing that would stick to this guy, because they just liked him personally,” Mitt Romney deputy campaign manager Katie Packer Gage told the magazine.
President Obama appears in never seen before pictures as being caught unaware as he walks out of the Oval Office by none other than Spider-Man – or at least a very mini version of Spider-Man.
The intimate photograph taken by White House photographer Pete Souza shows Barack Obama joking around with one of this staffer’s children, who – dressed up as the super hero – pretends to shoot a spider web at the president – who in turn reacts by pretending he is caught up in the imaginary trap.
It is just one of the many behind-the-scenes pictures Pete Souza takes every year which show a more down-to-earth and touching side of the man who has just been named as TIME‘s Person of the Year for 2012. It is the second time he has had the honor in four years.
Barack Obama caught in the web of Spider-Man in never seen before picture
Other pictures released by Pete Souza, some of which have been seen before, show Barack Obama enjoying touching moments with his family – a loving father hugging his daughters Malia and Sasha at this year’s DNC, an affectionate husband pulling his First Lady Michelle tight as they watch a sunset over Chicago city skyline at Lake Michigan and as a big kid running around a swimming pool with a large water gun while daughter Sasha squirts water at him.
President Barack Obama wants to reinstate an assault weapons ban in the wake of the mass killings in Newtown, Connecticut, his spokesman Jay Carney announced today.
Jay Carney said the president was “actively supportive” of a Democratic senator’s plan to introduce a bill on the first day of the next Congress.
Barack Obama would also consider curbs on high-capacity ammunition and loopholes, Jay Carney said.
Gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults in Friday’s attack.
Barack Obama has previously stated his support for the reintroduction of an assault weapons ban, which lapsed in 2004.
But he has not backed a specific move to do so before now.
“He is actively supportive of, for example, Senator [Dianne] Feinstein’s stated intent to revive a piece of legislation that would reinstate the assault weapons ban,” Jay Carney said on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama wants to reinstate an assault weapons ban in the wake of the mass killings in Newtown, Connecticut
The White House press secretary added that Barack Obama was also supportive of other gun legislation, including on high-capacity ammunition clips and against a loophole that allows for gun purchases at gun shows.
Senator Dianne Feinstein told reporters she would introduce the legislation when the new Congress met for the first time in January.
Correspondents say that Democrats are now less reluctant to pursue gun control legislation than before.
During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama expressed support for the ban on assault weapons during one of three televised debates against Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
“I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theatres don’t belong on our streets,” Barack Obama said in the second debate on October 16.
“And so what I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced.”
The first funerals are to be held for victims of Friday’s shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the US state of Connecticut.
Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both aged six, will be buried after ceremonies at 13:00 local time.
Twenty children and six women died in the assault on Sandy Hook school by a lone gunman who then took his own life. He had earlier killed his mother.
On Sunday President Barack Obama told residents at a vigil in Newtown the US must do more to protect its children.
He said he would use the powers of his office to prevent a repeat of the tragedy, adding that the nation shared the townspeople’s grief.
“We can’t tolerate this anymore,” Barack Obama said.
“These tragedies must end and to end them we must change.”
He made no specific mention of new gun control measures.
Meanwhile, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who supports gun ownership and has been given an “A” rating by the National Rifle Association, told US network MSNBC that it was time to “move beyond rhetoric” on gun control.
Joe Manchin, a gun owner and frequent hunter, said: “I’ve never had more than three shells in a clip. Sometimes you don’t get more than one shot anyway.
“It’s common sense. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric. We need to sit down and have a common sense discussion and move in a reasonable way.”
Joe Manchin is the first NRA-backed US senator to speak out since Friday’s killings.
In Connecticut, Jack Pinto will be buried in the Newtown Village Cemetery, and Noah Pozner will be buried at the B’Nai Israel Cemetery in the nearby town of Monroe, according to local media reports.
The family of James Mattioli, six, is also holding a wake on Monday.
Other victims’ funerals will be held throughout the week.
Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both aged six, are the first victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday’s shootings to be buried in Newtown
Jack Pinto was described as a sports lover, and reports say he may be buried in the No 80 jersey of his idol, New York Giants football player Victor Cruz.
Cruz played in a game on Sunday with the boy’s name written on his shoes and gloves.
Noah Pozner was the youngest victim of the shooting, described by his family as inquisitive and mature for his age.
The parents of Jessica Rekos have spoken for the first time. In an interview with TV network ABC, they said “she was the family CEO, she was the boss”. Her funeral takes place on Tuesday.
And the family of Victoria Soto, a teacher killed at Sandy Hook, called her “the queen” of her family as they recalled her in an interview with CBS News.
“She was the best daughter any mother could ask for,” her mother, Donna Soto, said.
Victoria’s sister Carly, whose shocked expression was captured by a news photographer on Friday and published around the world, said the image already served to renew the hurt.
“It’s like a reminder of that moment all over again, and it kills,” she said.
On Monday, Lt Paul Vance said police continued to do everything they could to answer every question about the shooting.
He said that two people who had been wounded but survived the shooting would be key witnesses and would be interviewed at an appropriate time.
Children who witnessed the attack would also be interviewed – in the presence of parents and professionals – Lt Vance added.
Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, did not seem to have had run-ins with the police, he said, and gave no information about whether mental health professionals had come forward with information about him.
As well as remembering the dead, the community is getting ready for the start of the school week, with teachers struggling to know what to tell their students.
All 20 children who died in the shootings – eight boys and 12 girls – were aged between six and seven, according to an official list of the dead. The school’s head teacher, Dawn Hochsprung, was among those killed.
All victims were shot several times, some of them at close range.
Adam Lanza shot his mother -reportedly in the head – before driving to the school in her car, authorities said.
Officials say he was armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and used a semi-automatic rifle as his main weapon. He was also carrying two handguns, and a shotgun was recovered from a car.
Barack Obama made an appeal for “meaningful action” against gun crime in the US shortly after the attack on Friday.
Sunday saw two senior US Democrats call for stricter gun control.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said his state had an existing ban on assault weapons, but the lack of a similar law at federal level made it difficult to keep them out of the state.
And Senator Dianne Feinstein, who represents California in the upper house of Congress and is a long-term supporter of stricter gun control, said she would introduce a bill to ban assault weapons.
But opponents of gun control have hit back, saying a ban would be ineffective.
“Having a ban isn’t going to make the very people we would like to prevent from having them, [stop] having them,” said Independent Firearm Owners Association president Richard Feldman.
“They are already owned by tens of millions of people. What is the government planning to do? Come and get the guns? I don’t think so.”
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Speaking at an inter-faith vigil in Newtown, President Barack Obama has said the US must do more to protect its children in the wake of Friday’s shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut.
Barack Obama said he would use the powers of his office to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.
He told residents that the nation shared their grief.
Twenty children and six women died in the assault on Sandy Hook school by a lone man who then took his own life.
The first funerals for victims will be held on Monday.
The gunman has been identified by police as Adam Lanza, 20.
He shot dead his mother before driving to the school in her car.
Officials say he was armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and used a semi-automatic rifle as his main weapon. He was also carrying two handguns, and a shotgun was recovered from a car.
“I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation,” Barack Obama said, speaking after religious leaders and the state governor.
“You are not alone in your grief. All across this land of ours we have wept with you.”
Barack Obama repeated a call for action against gun crime, saying that in coming weeks he would use “whatever powers” his office held “in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this”.
“We can’t tolerate this anymore,” he said.
“These tragedies must end and to end them we must change.”
The complex causes of gun crime “can’t be an excuse for inaction”, he said.
Speaking at an inter-faith vigil in Newtown, President Barack Obama has said the US must do more to protect its children in the wake of Friday’s shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Barack Obama was also meeting victims’ families and emergency service workers.
All 20 children who died in the shootings – eight boys and 12 girls – were aged between six and seven, according to an official list of the dead. The school’s head teacher, Dawn Hochsprung, was among those killed.
All victims were shot several times, some of them at close range.
Police say the process of releasing the victims’ bodies to their families is under way.
Barack Obama made an appeal for “meaningful action” against gun crime in the US shortly after the attack on Friday.
Sunday saw two senior US Democrats call for stricter gun control.
Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said his state had an existing ban on assault weapons, but the lack of a similar law at federal level made it difficult to keep them out of the state.
“These are assault weapons. You don’t hunt deer with these things,” he told CNN.
“One can only hope that we’ll find a way to limit these weapons that really only have one purpose.”
Governor Dannel Malloy had to break the news to most of the victim’s families on Friday.
“You can never be prepared for that – to tell 18 to 20 families that their loved one would not be returning to them that day or in the future,” he said.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, who represents California in the upper house of Congress and is a long-term supporter of stricter gun control, told US TV network NBC: “I’m going to introduce in the Senate, and the same bill will be introduced in the House [of Representatives], a bill to ban assault weapons.”
Asked if President Barack Obama would support her measure, she said: “I believe he will.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another strong gun control advocate, has urged President Barack Obama to act.
“We have heard all the rhetoric before,” he said.
“What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today.”
A nationwide ban on certain semi-automatic rifles in the US expired in 2004.
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Senior US Democrats Dan Malloy and Dianne Feinstein have called for stricter gun control following Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.
Twenty children and six teachers died in Friday’s assault on Sandy Hook school by a lone gunman who then turned his weapon on himself.
Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy said he wanted stronger national limits.
And Senator Dianne Feinstein said she would introduce a bill to ban assault weapons as soon as Congress convened.
A nationwide ban on certain semi-automatic rifles in the US expired in 2004.
President Barack Obama – who shortly after the school attack urged “meaningful action” against gun crime in the US – is to visit Newtown on Sunday.
Barack Obama will meet families and emergency service workers, and speak at an interfaith vigil at the town’s high school.
Ahead of his visit, reports from Newtown say a service for the victims at St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church has been abandoned and the church evacuated because of an unspecified threat.
The gunman behind Friday’s shootings has been named in media reports as Adam Lanza, who is said to have killed his mother before driving to the school, opening fire and then killing himself.
The state’s chief medical examiner said the gunman used a semi-automatic rifle as his main weapon, and all the victims appeared to have been shot several times, some of them at close range.
Speaking on Sunday, Governor Dan Malloy said Connecticut had an existing ban on assault weapons, but the lack of a similar law at federal level made it difficult to keep them out of the state.
“These are assault weapons. You don’t hunt deer with these things,” he told CNN.
“One can only hope that we’ll find a way to limit these weapons that really only have one purpose.”
Governor Dan Malloy had to break the news to most of the victim’s families on Friday.
“You can never be prepared for that – to tell 18 to 20 families that their loved one would not be returning to them that day or in the future,” he said.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, who represents California in the upper house of Congress and is a long-term supporter of stricter gun control, told US TV network NBC: “I’m going to introduce in the Senate, and the same bill will be introduced in the House (of Representatives), a bill to ban assault weapons.”
Asked if President Barack Obama would support her measure, she said: “I believe he will.”
Senior US Democrats Dan Malloy and Dianne Feinstein have called for stricter gun control following Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another strong gun control advocate, has urged President Obama to act.
“We have heard all the rhetoric before,” he said.
“What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today.”
All 20 children who died in the shootings – eight boys and 12 girls – were aged between six and seven, according to an official list of the dead were killed. The youngest, Noah Pozner, had celebrated his birthday only last month.
The head teacher at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Dawn Hochsprung, was among the dead, along with adults Rachel DaVino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Russo, Mary Sherlach and Victoria Soto.
A woman who worked at the school was the only person to be shot and survive.
Scores of people have left tributes at a memorial outside the school, while a minute’s silence is being held before National Football League games across the US on Sunday.
Connecticut State Police say the process of releasing the victims’ bodies to their families is under way, and have condemned what they term “misinformation” being published on social media about the tragedy – including people wrongly claiming to be the gunman.
The authorities now say the gunman forced his way into the school, contradicting first reports that he was been let in voluntarily.
Investigators say they have gathered “good evidence” in the search for a motive, but have not given any details.
The gunman is said to have shot dead his mother at their home before driving to the school in her car and opening fire on the victims. Reports say the guns found at the scene were registered to her.
Education officials say they have found no link between the gunman’s mother and the school, contrary to earlier reports that said she was a teacher there, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Investigators said they believe Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook many years ago.
The killings took place in two rooms and a hallway within a single section of the school, police have said. The shooting lasted just a few minutes.
As they heard the shots, teachers in other parts of the building tried to protect children by locking doors and ushering them into closets.
Police say that children are unlikely to return to the classrooms where the shootings took place. Surviving pupils will be taught at other schools in the area while a final decision about the Sandy Hook’s future is made, though one official said it was unlikely to re-open.
The suspected gunman’s father, Peter Lanza, said his family was “struggling to make sense of what has transpired”.
“Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy,” he said in a statement.
Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to the victims and their families in his weekly address at the Vatican, saying he was “deeply saddened by Friday’s senseless violence”.
The attack at Newtown is the second deadliest shooting attack at a US school or university, after the Virginia Tech killings of 2007, which left 32 people dead and many injured.
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President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Newtown, Connecticut tonight to meet the families of victims killed in Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the White House announced.
Barack Obama is expected to meet with families and first responders at a 7:00 p.m. interfaith vigil.
According to the Hartford Courant, Barack Obama will not make any public appearances during his visit.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton tweeted helicopters could be over nearby Danbury, Connecticut, today were an advance team setting up for his visit.
Barack Obama will also appear on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, and tweeted out links to a website named Demand a Plan, which launched after the July shooting in Colorado and asks voters to pressure Congress and the White House into changing the law.
In his weekly radio and Internet address earlier on Saturday, Barack Obama said it was time to “take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this”.
Barack Obama stopped short of calling for tighter gun-control laws.
In the wake of the deadly shooting the pressure’s on the president, who promised during a debate two months ago that he would “keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill”.
Families in the small community of Newtown, Connecticut, were shattered by the loss of 18 children as young as five years old when gunman Adam Lanza burst into the school and began firing at random.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Newtown, Connecticut tonight to meet the families of victims killed in Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Some lawmakers have targeted President Barack Obama to do something about gun control, which is exactly what the president pledged to do on the campaign trail.
Barack Obama’s remarks came at the second presidential debate against Republican rival Mitt Romney at New York’s Hofstra University on October 16, when he invoked the memory of the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre from several months earlier.
He said: “So my belief is that… we have to enforce the laws we’ve already got, make sure that we’re keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill.
“We’ve done a much better job in terms of background checks, but we’ve got more to do when it comes to enforcement.”
Wiping away tears as he spoke on Friday, President Barack Obama today signaled he would push for tight gun control in the wake of the massacre of 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut, saying there had been “too many” mass shootings in America.
During a moving appearance, he said the time had come to “take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics”.
Barack Obama struggled for words, pausing several times as he wept and described the “beautiful little kids between the ages of five and ten years old” slaughtered in the school massacre in Connecticut.
Seldom has a head of state expressed greater public emotion in modern times, White House aides held hands and also wept as they sat in the briefing room named after James Brady, the press aide wounded in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan was shot and who later became the nation’s leading gun control advocate.
Barack Obama was not the only one who showed deep emotion over the shooting. Parents lined up at schools across the country to pick up their children and make sure they made it home safely.
School administrators from Washington D.C. to Boston and Iowa issued statements assuring parents that they had stepped up security and that their schools were still safe.
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President Barack Obama today signaled he would push for tight gun control in the wake of the massacre of 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut, saying there had been “too many” mass shootings in America.
During a moving appearance, the president said the time had come to “take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics”.
Barack Obama struggled for words, pausing several times as he wept and described the “beautiful little kids between the ages of five and ten years old” slaughtered in the school massacre in Connecticut.
Seldom has a head of state expressed greater public emotion in modern times. White House aides held hands and also wept as they sat in the briefing room named after James Brady, the press aide wounded in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan was shot and who later became the nation’s leading gun control advocate.
Barack Obama was not the only one who showed deep emotion over the shooting. Parents lined up at schools across the country to pick up their children and make sure they made it home safely.
School administrators from Washington D.C. to Boston and Iowa issued statements assuring parents that they had stepped up security and that their schools were still safe.
In Charlestown, Massachusetts, Bob Carr showed up early at the elementary school his three daughters attend. He told the Boston Globe he wanted to be there when they got out of class.
Parents have already begun asking for more police officers and security guards to be posted at their children’s school.
In Washington, political meringue has also begun.
Behind the President’s emotion was a clear political message that Barack Obama, re-elected to a second and final presidential term, intended to limit the lawful possession of weapons, perhaps by pushing to reinstate the Clinton-era ban on so-called assault weapons.
“We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years,” Barack Obama said.
“And each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.
“The majority of those who died today were children – beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them – birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.
“So our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost.
“Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors, as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early and there are no words that will ease their pain.”
President Barack Obama today signaled he would push for tight gun control in the wake of the massacre of 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut
Again, Barack Obama repeated that such events had happened “too many times”, citing other mass shootings. Whether it is an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children.
“And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”
That was a thinly-veiled message to Republicans, as well as conservative Democrats, that support for the Second Amendment constitutional right to bear arms should not be allowed to stand in the way of banning certain types of weapons or limiting background checks.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a prominent advocate of gun control, issued a statement on Friday criticizing the president Congress for failing to take action on the issue.
“President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem,” Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
“Calling for <<meaningful action>> is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress.”
The gun control debate was reignited in the immediate aftermath of Friday’s shooting, as every major TV network gathered panels of journalists and gun control experts to discuss the political implications for Washington.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, named after James Brady and one of the largest national organizations promoting stricter firearm laws, was urging people on Friday to sign an online petition supporting their cause.
“Another day, another horrific shooting eating away at our collective peace of mind – this time at a school in Connecticut,” said Brady Campaign President Dan Gross.
“What matters is not what we do after the sensational tragedies. It’s what we do between them – to make the voice of the American public heard.”
Americans are split on whether the U.S. needs greater controls on the sales and licensing of guns.
In fact, since 1990, more and more Americans believe that gun control laws should be less strict.
“The percentage in favor of making the laws governing the sale of firearms <<more strict>> fell from 78% in 1990 to 62% in 1995, and 51% in 2007,” Gallup reported.
“In the most recent reading, Gallup in 2010 found 44% in favor of stricter laws. In fact, in 2009 and again last year, the slight majority said gun laws should either remain the same or be made less strict.”
Barack Obama was forced to address the issue of gun control during the 2012 election campaign after a lone gunman – former neuroscience graduate student James Holmes – opened fire on a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others.
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White House has announced that UN Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn her name for consideration to succeed Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state.
In a letter to President Barack Obama, Susan Rice said her confirmation process would be “disruptive and costly”, NBC News said.
Susan Rice has been at the centre of Republican criticism over the Obama administration response to a deadly attack on a US consulate in Libya.
Hillary Clinton has said she will not serve a second term at the state department.
In a letter to President Barack Obama, Susan Rice said that she was “highly honored” to be considered for the post of secretary of state and was “fully confident that I could serve our country ably and effectively in that role”.
But she added: “I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities.”
“That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country,” Susan Rice wrote.
UN Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn her name for consideration to succeed Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state
Barack Obama said in a statement: “I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks.”
He added that her decision to withdraw from consideration reflected strength of character and an ability to rise above politics.
Days after the September 11th assault on the US consulate, Susan Rice, 48, said in a series of TV interviews that it seemed to have developed out of protests over an anti-Islamic film.
But later intelligence reports suggested the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda affiliates.
Her comments triggered a major political row over who knew what and when.
The attack left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
President Barack Obama has announced that the US now formally recognize Syria’s main opposition coalition as “the legitimate representative” of its Syrian people.
Barack Obama told ABC News that the National Coalition was now inclusive, reflective and representative enough for the US to take this “big step”.
The UK, France, Turkey and Gulf states have already given their recognition.
Russia said the US had decided to place all its bets on the coalition achieving an “armed victory”.
Activists say more than 40,000 people have died in the 18-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports from central Syria on Wednesday said a large number of civilians from the president’s Alawite sect had been killed in a village to the west of Hama.
The circumstances are unclear but a video posted by opposition activists purported to show a young Alawite boy describing how government forces had destroyed a building where the civilians were being held hostage by pro-government militia.
The building, in the village of Aqrab, had been under siege from the Free Syrian Army and, according to the boy, as many as 300 civilians were killed,
There has been no word so far from the Syrian government and it is impossible to verify the activists’ account.
More than half a million people have now fled the conflict in Syria to neighboring countries, according to the UN’s refugee agency.
Barack Obama has said the US now formally recognize Syria’s main opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of its people
Announcing the US decision to recognize Syria’s main opposition, Barack Obama said it had earned the right to represent the Syrian people, but issued a note of caution as well.
The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was formed last month and only a small number of countries have so far recognized it as the legitimate representative of Syrians.
“Obviously, with that recognition come responsibilities,” Barack Obama said.
“To make sure that they organize themselves effectively, that they are representative of all the parties, [and] that they commit themselves to a political transition that respects women’s rights and minority rights.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, expressing surprise at the announcement, said the US had decided “to place all its best on an armed victory of the Syrian National Coalition”.
President Barack Obama’s statement came as foreign ministers from 70 countries prepared to meet in Morocco on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Syria.
The Marrakech meeting will be the first time that the Friends of Syria conference is attended by the Syrian National Coalition.
US recognition of the coalition does not mean the US will begin arming rebel groups, but officials told ABC that might be approved if it was thought to help achieve a political solution in Syria.
Barack Obama warned that the US would not support extremist elements within the opposition coalition.
“Not everybody who’s participating on the ground in fighting Assad are people who we are comfortable with,” he said.
“There are some who, I think, have adopted an extremist agenda, an anti-US agenda, and we are going to make clear to distinguish between those elements.”
One group he mentioned – the al-Nusra Front – is believed to be linked to al-Qaeda and responsible for nearly 600 violent attacks in major Syrian cities in the past year, the US state department estimates.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, freezing any assets its members may have in US jurisdictions.
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Republicans in the US House of Representatives are blocking a bill that would prevent a tax increase on the first $250,000 of income earned by all Americans, President Barack Obama said on Saturday.
The Democratic-controlled Senate has approved the measure, but Barack Obama said House Republicans have “put forward an unbalanced plan that actually lowers rates for the wealthiest Americans”.
Barack Obama supports a plan to raise taxes on families earning more than $250,000. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Barack Obama said “the math just doesn’t work” on the GOP plan.
Barack Obama’s comments mark the fourth time since his re-election that he has used the radio address to push for middle-class tax cuts as part of a plan to avert a looming fiscal cliff – and his most sharply partisan tone.
The president said his plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans should come as no surprise to Republicans or anyone else.
“After all, this was a central question in the election. A clear majority of Americans – Democrats, Republicans and independents – agreed with a balanced approach that asks something from everyone, but a little more from those who can most afford it,” Barack Obama said.
His plan is “the only way to put our economy on a sustainable path without asking even more from the middle class”. It also is the only plan he is willing to sign, the president said.
Barack Obama supports a plan to raise taxes on families earning more than $250,000
Barack Obama’s comments came as House Speaker John Boehner said Friday there has been no progress in negotiations to avert the “fiscal cliff”, a combination of automatic tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect in January.
John Boehner said the White House has wasted another week and has failed to respond to a GOP offer to raise tax revenues and cut spending.
Barack Obama and John Boehner spoke privately by phone on Wednesday. John Boehner described the conversation as pleasant, “but just more of the same”.
Barack Obama said in his address that he stands ready to work with Republicans on a plan that spurs economic growth, creates jobs and reduces the national deficit.
He said he wants to find ways to bring down health care costs without hurting seniors and is willing to make more cuts in entitlement programs such as Medicare.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said in the Republican response on Saturday that tax increases will not solve the nation’s $16 trillion debt. Only economic growth and reform of entitlement programs will help control the debt, Marco Rubio said.
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The White House has released a photograph showing the moment President Barack Obama learned he had won re-election against his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Taking the call perched on a chair at the Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago, Barack Obama was apparently wished well by his defeated opponent.
The historic image was captured by the Obama administration’s photographer Pete Souza and was posted onto the official White House Flickr account for all to see.
Body language experts have had a field day with the signs that the just-triumphant president is giving off to the camera.
They claim that by perching on the back of the chair, Barack Obama is implicitly suggesting that he does not expect the telephone call to be a lengthy one.
Interpreting Barack Obama’s standing rather than sitting position, the experts have noted the two candidates frosty relationship and that the president is not sitting down to talk to his rival.
More obviously the president’s fingers are pressed to one of his ears, which may suggest that the room in the hotel is very noisy and that his re-election team have erupted in rapture.
Immediately after the telephone call, Mitt Romney began preparing his concession speech, having admitted beforehand that he did not have one ready expecting to win.
In his concession speech, Mitt Romney said that on the call with the president, he wished Barack Obama well, along with his family and staff.
“This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” said Mitt Romney.
The moment President Barack Obama learned he had won re-election against his Republican challenger Mitt Romney
During his acceptance speech, President Barack Obama also referenced his crushed rival, saying he “just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign”.
“We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future,” said Barack Obama.
During his widely praised concession speech the former Massachusetts governor lost the race after nearly 17 months of fighting, including a prolonged primary race against rivals like Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain and the eventual runner-up Rick Santorum.
The Republican said that he and his vice presidential pick “left everything on the field”.
“At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the nation’s work,” Mitt Romney said.
He added: “I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to renewed greatness.”
In his defeat, Mitt Romney maintained that the only way for the country to succeed is if elected officials give politics a rest.
“We look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put people before the politics,” Mitt Romney said.
“I believe in America. I believe in the people of America… I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure.”
Of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney said: “Ann and I will pray for him as he continues to lead this nation.”
South Korean rapper Psy, whose song Gangnam Style became an internet sensation, has apologized for taking part in anti-US protests several years ago.
Psy issued a statement after US media reported he had performed in concerts protesting against the American presence in South Korea and Iraq.
The singer said he would “forever be sorry” for any pain he had caused.
Psy is due to perform at the annual Christmas in Washington TV special.
President Barack Obama and his family are expected to attend the concert.
Psy’s hit song Gangnam Style is the most-watched video ever on YouTube, with more than 900 million views since it was uploaded in July.
Psy, whose song Gangnam Style became an internet sensation, has apologized for taking part in anti-US protests several years ago
However, at a concert in 2002 protesting against the US military presence in South Korea, Psy smashed a model of a US tank on stage.
At another concert in 2004, Psy performed a song that described killing “Yankees” who had tortured Iraqi prisoners and killing their families “slowly and painfully”.
The lyrics were from the song Dear American by South Korean metal band Next.
“While I’m grateful for the freedom to express one’s self, I’ve learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I’m deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted,” Psy wrote in the statement.
“I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words.”
Psy, who attended college in the US, said he understood “the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world”.
He added: “I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months… and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology.”
The singer’s participation in the protests was no secret in South Korea but unknown in the US until recently, AP news agency reported.
The White House has confirmed that President Barack Obama and his family will attend the charity concert on December 21st at which Psy will perform.
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President Barack Obama and his family have flipped the switch for the 90th annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree, marking the holiday season in Washington.
Barack Obama was joined by his daughters, Sasha, 11, and Malia, 14, and wife Michelle. All were bundled to shield themselves from the cold December night.
Also helping in the festive ceremony was actor and singer Neil Patrick Harris, who hosted the tree-lighting ceremony
“Merry Christmas, everybody!” the president began. He was wearing a black wool overcoat and a maroon scarf tucked loosely in his jacket. He was then interrupted by Neil Patrick Harris, who said that it was wonderful to see Barack Obama’s daughters out and about.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Mr. President,” he added.
Barack Obama feigned confusion.
“Is it time?” he asked.
“I hope everybody’s ready,” Barack Obama said.
“We gotta do the countdown.”
President Barack Obama and his family have flipped the switch for the 90th annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree
The crowd then counted down from five, before the first lady and her daughters switched on the blue spruce’s magnificent lights.
After the lighting, Neil Patrick Harris continued to banter with the president, and joked with actor Rico Rodriguez of ABC’s Modern Family about joining the Obamas in Hawaii this Christmas.
Singers Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Ledisi, Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat and James Taylor, along with the band The Fray, performed Christmas songs before a crowd of about 17,000 on the Ellipse, a park that sits between the White House and the National Mall.
The president said in a brief speech he has been inspired by Americans’ response to Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the Northeast in late October. He told a story of a street in Staten Island, where houses and businesses were devastated by the storm.
“A great big Christmas tree shines out of the darkness,” he said.
“A local nursery donated the tree, another business chipped in for lights and a star, and 70-year-old Tom Killeen and his friends planted it at the end of the street, overlooking the town beach.”
“As Tom says, the tree has one message: It’s Christmas time, not disaster time,” the president concluded.
The National Christmas Tree ablaze with white lights and stars, Barack Obama joined the singers on stage in a singalong version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town before heading home, a short motorcade ride away.
This year’s giant blue spruce is new and was transplanted in October on the Ellipse, a park that lies between the White House and the National Mall.
The previous tree died from transplant shock after just a year. Before that, a tree that stood for more than 30 years was destroyed by winds in February 2011.
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Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, has underlined President Barack Obama’s warning to the Syrian government not to use chemical weapons against its own people.
At a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said their use would be “completely unacceptable”.
The foreign ministers are expected to approve the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries to Turkey.
The move is designed to defend Turkey’s border with Syria.
Activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising against President Assad began in March 2011. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country and another 2.5 million are displaced within its borders.
On Tuesday, a teacher and at least 28 students were killed in a rocket attack on their school inside the Wafideen refugee camp, 20 km (15 miles) north-east of Damascus.
The origin of the firing was not clear – state media said it had been a rebel mortar attack.
Speaking ahead of the NATO meeting, Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters: “The possible use of chemical weapons would be completely unacceptable for the whole international community.
“If anybody resorts to these terrible weapons, then I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community.”
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, has underlined President Barack Obama’s warning to the Syrian government not to use chemical weapons against its own people
The meeting of the 28-member Western military alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels follows a request from Turkey to boost its defences along the border. NATO officials have made clear such a move would be purely defensive.
Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he would face “consequences” if he used chemical weapons against his people.
“The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” said Barack Obama in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington.
“If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.”
A Syrian official has insisted the country would “never, under any circumstances” use such weapons, “if such weapons exist”.
A NATO team has already visited a number of sites in Turkey in preparation for the deployment of Patriot batteries, which could be used to shoot down any Syrian missiles or warplanes that stray over the border.
The missile deployment is likely to be approved despite opposition from Russia, whose foreign minister is also attending Tuesday’s meeting in Brussels.
But analysts say any deployment – possibly supplied by the US, Germany or the Netherlands – could take weeks.
Syrian opposition fighters have reportedly made dramatic gains recently, and several government mortar shells – aimed at rebel targets close to the border – have landed across its 900-km (560-mile) border with Turkey.
Ankara’s request for NATO to deploy the anti-missile batteries came after intelligence assessments that Damascus was contemplating using ballistic missiles, potentially armed with chemical warheads, reports say.
Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons – including mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent – at dozens of sites around the country.
The CIA has said those weapons “can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile and artillery rockets”.
One unnamed US official told the New York Times on Monday that the level of concern in Washington was such that contingency plans were being prepared.
On Monday the United Nations said it was pulling “all non-essential international staff” out of Syria, with as many as 25 out of 100 international staff expected to leave this week.
The European Union has withdrawn its mission altogether. The ambassador and head of delegation to Syria, Vassilis Bontosoglou, left Damascus with his six remaining international staff members on Tuesday morning.
Although the head of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi told AFP on Monday that the Syrian government could fall “any time”, it still holds the capital, parts of the second city Aleppo, and other centres.
Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi is said to have fled the country, amid reports he has been dismissed, ostensibly for making statements out of line with government policy.
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Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he will face “consequences” if he uses chemical weapons against his people.
“The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” said President Barack Obama.
A Syrian official has insisted it would “never, under any circumstances” use such weapons, “if such weapons exist”.
Meanwhile, the United Nations says it is pulling “all non-essential international staff” out of Syria.
As many as 25 out of 100 international staff could leave this week, the UN news agency Irin reported, while all humanitarian missions outside Damascus will be halted for the time being.
In a speech on nuclear non-proliferation at the National Defense University in Fort McNair, Barack Obama said: “We’ve worked to keep weapons from spreading, whether it was nuclear material in Libya or nor chemical weapons in Syria.
“We simply cannot allow the 21st century to be darkened by the worse weapons of the 20th century.”
“And today I want to make it absolute clear to Assad and anyone who is under his command… If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.”
But Damascus rejected allegations it was preparing to use such weapons.
A foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by state television as saying: “Syria confirms repeatedly it will never, under any circumstances, use chemical weapons against its own people, if such weapons exist.”
Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he will face consequences if he uses chemical weapons against his people
Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons – including mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent – at dozens of sites around the country.
The CIA has said those weapons “can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets”.
One unnamed US official spoke to the New York Times of “potential chemical weapon preparation”.
The White House says the level of concern was such that Washington is preparing contingency plans.
The crisis in Syria had increased the risk of humanitarian workers in the country due to the increased risk of indiscriminate shooting by fighting forces., said Sabir Mughal, the UN’s chief security adviser in Syria.
The European Union, which has a diplomatic office in the Syrian capital, has confirmed it too is “to reduce activities in Damascus to a minimum level due to the current security conditions”.
Earlier, Egypt Air ordered the return of a flight on its way to Damascus amid reports of a “bad security situation” around the airport – only a day after ending its suspension of flights following violence around the airport and in the capital’s suburbs last week.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi is reported to have already left the country, even before reports that he had been dismissed, ostensibly for making statements out of line with government policy.
Rebels have been making gains on the ground, and the head of the Arab League has said the Syrian government could fall at any moment.
But it still holds the capital, parts of the second city Aleppo, and other centres and one diplomat said it still has a lot of fight left in it.
Intelligence that the Syrian government was contemplating the use of the missiles is what led neighboring Turkey to request NATO Patriot missile defences along its borders, Turkish officials were quoted as saying on Sunday.
Several Syrian mortar shells – aimed at rebel targets close to the border – have landed in Turkish territory in recent weeks, leading Ankara to ask NATO for the deployment of the sophisticated anti-missile batteries.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin, after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Monday, warned against such a move, fearing it would “exacerbate” rather than “defuse” tensions on the border.
Moscow has remained a key ally of Syria during the 22-month conflict, while Ankara now backs the rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
There was no breakthrough on how to “regulate the situation” in Syria, said Vladimir Putin, while emphasizing that the Turkish and Russian “assessment of the situation completely coincides”.
“We are not advocates of the incumbent Syrian leadership,” he said.
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were in fine form during Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors, laughing and holding hands at the event, which recognize the nation’s most culturally influential artists, performers, actors, and musicians.
Wearing a stunning Michael Kors gold lamé dress embellished at the neckline, Michelle Obama dazzled as she entered the East Room of the White House with her husband, who was wearing a smartly-tailored tuxedo and an American flag on his lapel.
Barack Obama honored seven of the country’s most influential artists, including Dustin Hoffman, Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy, late night host David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Markarova, and surviving members of rock band Led Zeppelin.
The festivities later transitioned to the Kennedy Center, where fellow performers put on a show which will be broadcast later this month.
Stars from New York, Hollywood and the music world gathered Sunday in Washington to salute the honorees who were tonight receiving the nation’s highest award for artistically influential Americans.
“Tonight, we continue a tradition here at the White House by honoring some extraordinary people who have no business being on the same stage together,” Barack Obama began, joking to the recipients.
The president hailed the drive and vision of the honorees, noting that many, like blues musician Buddy Guy, grew up in conditions that didn’t foster creativity. Buddy Guy, for instance, was born into a family of Louisiana sharecroppers with no electricity or running water.
He went on to pioneer the use of distortion and feedback with his electric guitar.
“[Their] passion took each of them from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of their profession,” Barack Obama said, according to The Hill.
“Tonight in the People’s House, we have a chance to say thank you.”
Former president Bill Clinton also offered lavish praise to Buddy Guy.
“Buddy Guy’s life is a miracle,” Bill Clinton said.
“Just imagine you want to be a guitar player and you get your first strings by tearing off the screen door. … He came from that to this.”
Barack Obama honored seven of the US most influential artists, including Dustin Hoffman, Buddy Guy, David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Markarova, and surviving members of rock band Led Zeppelin
Late-night host David Letterman was one of the seven honored in the annual awards ceremony.
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel joined in celebrating David Letterman’s influence on many other comedians.
“I knew Johnny, and I loved Johnny. Johnny was beyond reproach,” Stephen Colbert said in a toast to David Letterman.
“Dave was stupid. Dave was ours. Dave was like us.
“We wanted to throw things off of buildings. … We would love to stick our heads out the window of 30 Rock and yell at passers-by, <<I’m not wearing any pants!>>.”
Stephen Colbert marveled at David Letterman receiving such an award after he “corrupted the minds of a generation”.
Paul Shaffer, David Letterman’s longtime band leader, said he knew his boss was uncomfortable hearing such accolades, but that he knew Letterman was enjoying every second of it.
Meryl Streep introduced the honorees Saturday during a formal dinner at the U.S. State Department and noted that David Letterman had surpassed his mentor, Johnny Carson, in sustaining the longest late-night television career for more than 30 years.
To salute Led Zeppelin, big names from the rock world dressed in black tie for their music heroes as a string ensemble played the band’s hit song “Kashmir” and other tunes at the State Department.
Wearing a stunning Michael Kors gold lamé dress embellished at the neckline, Michelle Obama dazzled as she entered the East Room of the White House with her husband
Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl said he never took any music lessons when he was starting out because “my teachers were Led Zeppelin. … They were the most powerful thing in my life”.
Lenny Kravitz said their influential music, at its zenith in the 1970s, became a lasting part of the culture of rock and roll.
“It’s very difficult,” he said.
“You get four guys that come together and make something so much more powerful than they all are.”
Zeppelin front man Robert Plant said he was flattered and overwhelmed in receiving the American culture prize. He said he was glad to see his former band mates, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, using good table manners.
The trio is scheduled to appear Monday on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman. They are often asked if they’ll reunite. Robert Plant told The Associated Press he plans to continue traveling the world and wants to make new music along the way.
“If anybody wants to write some new songs, I’m game to write songs,” he said.
Dustin Hoffman was honored for charting his own path after taking a junior college class in acting that “nobody ever flunks”.
Meryl Streep, a 2011 honoree, said Dustin Hoffman’s quest to become an actor required waiting tables and typing for the yellow pages by day.
“He’d do anything if it meant at night he could find himself on the stage,” she said.
Glenn Close toasted Dustin Hoffman for defining the character actor as leading man in such movies as The Graduate, Rain Man and Tootsie – and as an artist who insisted on setting the highest standards for himself.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the ballerina Natalia Makarova “risked everything to have the freedom to dance the way she wanted to dance” when she defected from the Soviet Union in 1970.
Natalia Makarova quickly made her debut with the American Ballet Theatre and later was the first exiled artist to return to the Soviet Union before its fall to dance with the Kirov Ballet.
Hillary Clinton also took special note of David Letterman, saying he must be wondering what he’s doing in a crowd of talented artists and musicians.
“Dave and I have a history,” she said.
“I have been a guest on his show several times, and if you include references to my pant suits, I’m on at least once a week.”
The crowd of artists and entertainers gave Hillary Clinton a standing ovation as she hosted her final salute to the nation’s artists as secretary of State.
Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein gave her a subtle nudge to run for president in 2016, saying there’s another room at the State Department to name after a secretary who later becomes president.
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Timothy Geithner, the US treasury Secretary, has said there will be no deal to avert a “fiscal cliff” unless Republicans accept a tax hike for the wealthy.
But House Speaker John Boehner has dismissed a 10-year plan, which aims to raise $1.6 trillion through tax rises and spending cuts, as “silliness”.
The two men met on Thursday as time runs out to broker a deal.
Economists warn planned tax rises and spending cuts due to take effect on January 1st could trigger a recession.
Timothy Geithner, negotiating for the White House, has drafted a plan that includes more spending to help for the unemployed and struggling homeowners, as well as cuts in Medicare and other benefits.
On Friday President Barack Obama warned of a “Scrooge Christmas” if soon-to-expire tax breaks for households earning below $250,000 were not renewed as part of the deal to avert the fiscal cliff.
But John Boehner, negotiating for the Republicans who control the House of Representatives, said talks with the administration had so far gone “almost nowhere”.
Timothy Geithner and John Boehner’s appearances on a number of Sunday television talk shows showed how entrenched their positions were.
US treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said there will be no deal to avert a fiscal cliff unless Republicans accept a tax hike for the wealthy
“There’s not going to be an agreement without rates going up. There’s not,” Timothy Geithner told CNN’s State of the Union.
He called on Republicans to make a counter-offer to the Obama administration’s plan.
But John Boehner said he was “flabbergasted” by Timothy Geithner’s proposals – which he said asked Congress to give up its power to set the nation’s debt limit.
“What do you think would happen if we gave the president $1.6 trillion of new money?” John Boehner asked Fox News Sunday.
“He’d spend it.”
John Boehner says asking the top 2% of US taxpayers to pay more would deal a “crippling blow” to a fragile economy, and has criticized the Obama administration’s proposed spending cuts as inadequate.
The White House has suggested it would not support any deal that did not increase tax rates on the wealthiest.
The fiscal cliff would suck about $600 billion out of the economy.
The measures were partly put in place within a 2011 deal to curb the yawning US budget deficit.
What is the fiscal cliff?
- Under a deal reached last year by the White House and the Republicans, existing stimulus measures – mostly tax cuts – will expire on 1 January 2013
- Cuts to defence, education and other spending will then automatically come into force – the “fiscal cliff” – unless Congress acts
- The economy does not have the momentum to absorb the shock from going over the fiscal cliff without going into recession
Mitt Romney was spotted picking up a snack in a McDonald’s restaurant just ahead of a lunch in the White House with Barack Obama on Thursday.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney meeting has already inspired dozens of internet memes speculating on what exactly went on.
The former governor of Massachusetts was photographed apparently buying a McFlurry milkshake, and the picture was then uploaded to social news website Reddit.
While it may seem strange to see the ultra-healthy 65-year-old chowing down on fast food, the Romney family has long had a strong connection to the McDonald’s franchise.
Mitt Romney’s father George, a businessman who was governor of Michigan, was given a card by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc entitling him to eat at any of the chain’s restaurants for free for his whole life.
As well as the picture of Mitt Romney in McDonald’s, web users have clearly been amused by a photo of the losing Republican presidential candidate shaking hands with Barack Obama in the Oval Office, as Buzzfeed notes.
Photoshopped versions of the image have spread around the net, with some offering witty guesses about the strained conversation the two men might be enjoying, while others drew attention to the awkward presence of a White House staffer half-hidden behind a door in the background of the picture.
The pair met for lunch at the White House on Thursday, sitting down with an eye on overlapping interests rather than the sharp differences that defined their presidential contest.
In their first meeting since the election, Barack Obama and the Republican nominee met in the White House’s private dining room, fulfilling a promise Obama made in his victory speech the night of November 6.
Mitt Romney congratulated the president for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years, according to a description of the meeting from the White House.
“The focus of their discussion was on America’s leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future,” according to the description.
“They pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future.”
While they talked politics, the former foes munched on white turkey chili and Southwestern grilled chicken salad.
Mitt Romney arrived at the White House early Thursday afternoon in a black SUV. He stepped out of the passenger side and walked into the West Wing alone.
Mitt Romney was spotted picking up a snack in a McDonald’s restaurant just ahead of a lunch in the White House with Barack Obama on Thursday
White House spokesman Jay Carney had earlier said Barack Obama had no specific agenda for the meeting, but he said the president wanted to discuss Mitt Romney’s ideas for making government more efficient. Barack Obama has proposed merging some functions of government related to business and has asked Congress for authority to undertake some executive branch reorganization.
“The president noted that Gov. Romney did a terrific job running the Olympics and that that skills set lends itself to ideas that could make the federal government work better, which is a passion of the president’s,” Jay Carney said.
Barack Obama aides said they reached out to Mitt Romney’s team shortly before Thanksgiving to start working on a date for the meeting. The two men were meeting alone in the White House’s private dining room, with no press coverage expected.
For Mitt Romney, it was a day of closure after a hard-fought campaign.
Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman who was his vice presidential running mate, met earlier in the day to talk about the pending fiscal cliff negotiations and other economic challenges facing Washington, a Ryan aide said. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the aide was not authorized to discuss the private discussions.
On a personal level, the pair discussed their families and talked about the harried 12 weeks of the general election campaign.
“I remain grateful to Gov. Romney for the honor of joining his ticket this fall, and I cherish our friendship,” Paul Ryan said in a statement after their meeting.
“I’m proud of the principles and ideas we advanced during the campaign and the commitment we share to expanding opportunity and promoting economic security for American families.”
Much of that debate centers on expiring tax cuts first enacted in the George W. Bush administration. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney differed sharply during the campaign over what to do with the cuts, with the Republican pushing for them to be extended for all income earners and the president running on a pledge to let the cuts expire for families making more than $250,000 a year.
The White House sees Barack Obama’s victory as a signal that Americans support his tax proposals.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s sit-down Thursday was expected to be their most extensive private meeting to date. The two men had only a handful of brief exchanges before the 2012 election.
Even after their political fates became intertwined, their interactions were largely confined to the three presidential debates.
Mitt Romney has virtually disappeared from politics following his election loss. He’s spent the past three weeks largely in seclusion at his family’s Southern California home. He has made no public appearances, drawing media attention only after being photographed at Disneyland in addition to stops at the movies and the gym with his wife, Ann.
Barack Obama aides reached out to Mitt Romney shortly before Thanksgiving to start working on a date for the meeting.
“It was a gracious invitation from the president, which Mitt Romney was glad to accept,” a top Mitt Romney aide said.
The timing of Barack Obama’s meeting appears strategic, coming in the same week that he launched an aggressive campaign aimed at forcing Congress to accept his proposals to avert the fiscal cliff, a series of automatic tax increases and spending cuts that threaten to send the U.S. economy spiraling into a second recession.
The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that if the fiscal cliff is not avoided, the U.S. unemployment rate could rise to 9.1% by the end of next year, compared to 7.9% now.
Barack Obama is proposing that Congress end tax cuts for families making more than $250,000 a year, but Republicans are opposed to the idea.
While in Washington, Mitt Romney will meet with his former running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who is working on the Republican side of negotiations.
Mitt Romney has kept a low profile since his defeat, deliberately avoiding the political spotlight while many in the party distanced themselves from him in the days and weeks after the election, especially after a conference call with donors in which he said Barack Obama won the election because of ‘gifts’ he bestowed on constituencies like Hispanics, blacks and young people.
Photographs and sightings of Mitt Romney’s post-election lifestyle reveal that he is relishing a ‘normal’ existence after the grueling pace of the campaign.
He was spotted attending the movie Twilight with his wife and dining on pizza afterward. He was also photographed at Disneyland on roller coasters with his sons and grandchildren.
A motorist snapped a photo of Romney pumping gas recently and the former Massachusetts governor posted of photo of himself and Ann enjoying Thanksgiving together. Appearing scruffy and unkempt in a blue T-shirt, Mitt Romney had his arms wrapped around Ann in their kitchen as she appeared to be cooking.
But it was revealed on Wednesday that Mitt Romney might soon be returning to work in the private sector.
Mitt Romney’s former aides confirmed to the Associated Press that he is expected to move into an office at the Boston-area venture capital firm Solamere Capital, which was co-founded by his eldest son, Tagg, and Spencer Zwick, who served as his campaign’s national finance chairman.
He will not be working for Solamere, the Washington Post reports, but simply leasing an office space there.
Barack Obama has met defeated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney discussed “America’s leadership in the world” and how to preserve it, the White House said.
Mitt Romney left after just over an hour and the two said they would stay in touch.
Meanwhile, negotiations over a looming “fiscal cliff” seemed to falter in Congress.
House Speaker John Boehner said no major progress on a deal had been made.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney dined on white turkey chili and south-western grilled chicken salad during Thursday’s lunch meeting.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at a news briefing: “Governor Romney congratulated the president for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years.
“The focus of their discussion was on America’s leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future.
“They pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future.”
Barack Obama has met defeated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House
Barack Obama is also said to have noted that Mitt Romney’s “skills-set” could help improve the workings of the government.
Mitt Romney has spent the past three weeks mainly at his family’s California home, making no public appearances, although he was photographed on a family trip to Disneyland.
On election night, 6 November, Barack Obama pledged to meet the former Massachusetts governor for talks on how to “move this country forward”.
The pair sparred in a bitter campaign and are said to have little rapport.
On Thursday John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, met Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss the combination of tax rises and spending cuts due to take effect on 1 January 2013.
“No substantive progress has been made between the White House and the House,” John Boehner said after the meeting.
“I was hopeful we’d see a specific plan for cutting spending, and we sought to find out today what the president really is willing to do.”
Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said the Obama administration had taken a step “backward” away from consensus, after his meeting Timothy Geithner on Thursday.
Congressional Democrats countered that they had already outlined their party’s position, and said Republicans had not identified specific spending cuts.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: “We’re still waiting for a serious offer from Republicans.”
Some Republicans have said they would consider increased tax revenue as part of a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
But the White House believes that simply ending tax deductions would not generate enough new revenue to address the yawning budget deficit.
The fiscal cliff, which would suck about $600 billion out of the economy, could tip the US back into recession, analysts warn.
The measures were partly put in place within a 2011 deal to curb the yawning US budget deficit, but also include the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans.
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