Free Republic

White House predicts 'moderate' recovery through electionBy Erik Wasson - 02/17/12 04:00 PM ET In its annual economic report to Congress released Friday, the White House forecast the economy would create 2 million jobs in 2012. That's an average of 167,000 new jobs per month, up from the 1.8 million jobs created in 2011. The report predicted a “moderate” economic recovery this year and sought to blame an unexpected downturn in 2011 on last summer’s debt-ceiling debacle in Congress. The document says “self-inflicted wounds” from the debt-ceiling standoff contributed to weakness last year, which is being remedied by stronger growth...

Tucker Carlson discusses his website The Daily Caller's shocking new exposé on the liberal media watchdog group, Media Matters for America

How dangerous is this for them? Dangerous enough that even Chris Matthews, who was last seen praising Obama’s beatific smile as worth 10 points in the booth this November, is talking about how “frightening� it is that the state might start dictating to churches in matters of conscience. If they’ve got Tingles saying stuff like that, imagine what undecided religious voters are thinking. A key White House adviser on faith issues said Tuesday that several organizations with ties to the administration have approached President Obama’s aides about finding a resolution to fast-growing controversy over a new rule requiring many Catholic...

Reza Kahlili is reporting that Ayatollah Khameini has ordered the chief commander of the Quds Forces to collaborate with Hezbollah to coordinate terror attacks in response to the assassination of one of Iran’s nuclear scientists. The man Khameini reached out to is very relevant but first, Kahlili’s report....

BOSTON -- A Boston Bruins goalie's decision to skip a White House ceremony with President Barack Obama because he believes the federal government is "out of control" points to a growing lack of courtesy in the country, Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday. Patrick, a Democrat, was asked about the controversy Thursday during his monthly "Ask the Governor" program on WTKK-FM. He didn't directly criticize goalie Tim Thomas, but suggested that the snub showed disrespect toward the presidency.

We heard a lot on Tuesday night from President Obama about the wealthy paying their “fair share� in his State of the Union speech. (Well, you heard it a lot; I read the speech and then commenced to have a life on Tuesday night.) Obama made half a dozen references to fairness in relation to taxes in the address, including taking a shot at Congress: But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Just like with charity, perhaps fairness...

I assumed at first that he was doing this because, in the eternal “Obama: incompetent or evil?� debate, he had come down on the side of the latter. But no. This doesn’t appear to be an anti-Hopenchange thing specifically. Tim Thomas posted the following statement on his Facebook page regarding his decision to not attend a ceremony at the White House to honor the Bruins for their Stanley Cup win last June:“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level....

Tim Thomas posted the following statement on his Facebook page regarding his decision to not attend a ceremony at the White House to honor the Bruins for their Stanley Cup win last June: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House.

During a White House press briefing on Monday, Fox News’ Ed Henry asked Press Secretary Jay Carney if the White House displays a portrait of Saul Alinsky for its staff to look up to. Carney’s answer was less than direct, and would seem to hint that there just might be something to the Alinsky portrait rumors. “I wonder if you could clear something up,” Henry began. “Newt Gingrich keeps saying on the campaign trail that the President’s vision comes from Saul Alinsky, the community organizer. I haven’t heard you asked about him but… Is there some kind of portrait of...

Rumor has it that in a matter of days, after months of negotiation with big banks, the White House may announce a settlement that would let the banks off the hook for their role in the foreclosure crisis -- paying a tiny fraction of what's needed in exchange for blanket immunity from future lawsuits.

Complete title: New Records Obtained by Judicial Watch Show Obama White House Coordination with Department of Justice on Voting Rights Enforcement ACORN Partner Project Vote Working with Officials from White House and DOJ to Use National Voting Rights Act to Increase Registration of Voters on Public Assistance Interest Group Urges Justice Official to “make some headway” with Attorney General Holder (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the organization that investigates and fights government corruption, announced today that it has received additional documents about meetings held between Estelle Rogers, Director of Advocacy for the ACORN-affiliated organization Project Vote, and officials from the...

The Secret Service was responding Tuesday night to an escalating protest that may have involved a smoke bomb being thrown over the White House fence. An estimated 1,000 protesters have gathered. No arrests have been made, but authorities are on alert. The tense scene outside the White House follows an earlier protest on the West Lawn of the Capitol, in which several hundred protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement decried the influence of corporate money in politics and voice myriad other grievances. Organizers had touted the rally, known as Occupy Congress, as the largest national gathering of Occupy...

"Smoking objects" found near north portico.

January 11, 2012 12:48pm 0 Comments Gayle King: No secret I'm friends with First Lady byCharlie Spiering Commentary Staff Writer Follow on Twitter: Gayle King recently sat down with Michelle Obama for an interview that aired on CBS's "This Morning." When asking questions about Jodi Kantor's book "The Obamas," -- which paints an unflattering picture of the First Lady -- King was rather sympathetic. "I think we should say, it's no secret at the table, that we're friends." King said.

Full Title:Pictured: Inside the Obamas' secret Alice In Wonderland-themed Halloween Party at White House that was kept under wraps for TWO yearsMany more pictures at the site.... The first pictures of the infamous Alice in Wonderland Halloween party at the White House emerged today - just hours it was revealed the Obama administration kept the 2009 celebration under wraps for two years. The pictures will likely add to the embarrassment for the administration as the Obamas have been highly criticized for hosting a lavish Halloween party- with guests like actor Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton- in 2009 at the...

Two senior administration officials say the White House chief of staff, William Daley, is resigning. He's being replaced by Jacob Lew, the budget director. The change will be effective at the end of this month. President Barack Obama planned to announce it later Monday.

It was the tea party the Obamas just couldn’t resist. A White House “Alice in Wonderland” costume ball — put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton — proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never made public for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times, according to a new tell-all. “The Obamas,” by New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor, tells of the first Halloween party the first couple feted at the White House in 2009. It was so over the top that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas sent the original Chewbacca to mingle with...

It was the tea party the Obamas just couldn’t resist. A White House “Alice in Wonderland” costume ball — put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton — proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never made public for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times, according to a new tell-all. “The Obamas,” by New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor, tells of the first Halloween party the first couple feted at the White House in 2009. It was so over the top that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas sent the original Chewbacca to mingle with...

A White House “Alice in Wonderland” costume ball — put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton — proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never made public for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times, according to a new tell-all. “The Obamas,” by New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor, tells of the first Halloween party the first couple feted at the White House in 2009. It was so over the top that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas sent the original Chewbacca to mingle with invited guests. “White House officials were so nervous about how...

The federal worker pay freeze might be over. The White House will propose a 0.5% pay increase for federal workers in its 2013 budget proposal, an official from the Office of Management and Budget said Friday. Federal pay has been frozen since December 2010, when Congress signed off on an Obama administration proposal to freeze federal worker pay for two years in the name of deficit reduction. The administration is expected to release its new budget in February, and any proposed increase in federal pay will require the approval of Congress. Even if it does become law, the 0.5% increase...

A Douglas County teenager was out on bond Thursday after appearing before a magistrate judge on charges he used a White House official’s Social Security number to apply for a credit card. During a hearing Wednesday, according to the Douglas County Sentinel, a sheriff’s investigator said James Townsend of Douglasville, using the name "Austin Townsend," had applied for a Discover card using the unidentified official’s personal information. The investigation led the Secret Service to the Chapel Hill High School 11th-grader’s home, which was searched for evidence. The newspaper reported agents also copied files from the teen’s computer. "He wanted a...

Just as famed Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is preparing to release results of his investigation of Barack Obama’s eligibility for Arizona’s 2012 ballot, a top-gun activist who led a successful campaign to recall a key Arpaio ally is now targeting the sheriff himself.In the coming weeks, it will be decided whether transplanted radical attorney-activist and “community organizer” Randy Parraz can force Arpaio to resign before the sheriff’s Cold Case Posse has a chance to deliver a report in February.Parraz, who has made his career applying Saul Alinsky-style community organizer tactics for radical leftist movements in the U.S. and Canada,...

Merry Christmas Freepers

WASHINGTON, - U.S. President Barack Obama set off metal detectors Friday as he inspected a gatehouse on his way back to the White House from a party at Blair House. "I just wanted to see what it was like getting in here," Obama said. "I think I beeped a couple of times." Obama shook hands with gatehouse guards at the Northwest Gate and talked football as he returned to the White House from a holiday party with National Security Council staff across Pennsylvania Avenue at Blair House. As Obama walked through the metal detector, it went off. A guard told...

White House denies pipeline delay was political decisionBy Ben Geman - 12/01/11 08:01 AM ET The White House is pushing back against fresh GOP claims that the administration had politics in mind when it delayed a decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Senate GOP leaders revived the allegation Wednesday when rolling out new legislation that would force a decision about permitting the proposed Alberta-to-Texas pipeline within 60 days. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that the State Department delay announced last month stems from the need to consider...

Solyndra investor frequently visited White House officialsDaniel J. Goldstein, California Watch December 1, 2011 George Kaiser, the top investor in the failed company Solyndra and a chief fundraiser for the Obama campaign, visited White House officials at least 16 times between March 2009 and July 2011, including three times in one day shortly after the administration expressed second thoughts about granting the company a loan, according to White House visitor logs. Solyndra, a maker of thin-film solar panels, received a $535 million loan from the Department of Energy in September 2009. In August 2011, the company declared bankruptcy. Kaiser, an...

Just like clockwork, the Obama administration never misses an opportunity to unload thousands of records it hopes no one will ever bother sifting through during the holidays. On Black Friday, the White House released more visitor log info — trumpeting disclosures it has fought tooth and nail. I’ve started looking through the data. And you can, too, right here:

The Secret Service searched Occupy D.C. on Monday for a man suspected of firing bullets at the White House on Friday, one of which was stopped by the building’s ballistic glass. Protestor Ralph Wittenberg told TPM on Tuesday evening that authorities came through “searching for a so-called terrorist who shot at the White House, with no warrant, they went into everybody’s tents.” A person handling media requests for Occupy DC confirmed the searches and said they were led by the Secret Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Police have been trying to locate 21-year-old...

PITTSBURGH – An Idaho man accused of firing two shots at the White House last week has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama or his staff. Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh on Thursday, one day after he was arrested at a western Pennsylvania hotel...

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all from the “Occupiers,” last night Occupy San Diego held a moment of silence “for the guy who shot at the White House” during a protest outside of the San Diego Police Department headquarters. (Apologies for the bad video quality; this seems to be the only version out there.)

When did the Presidents wife, known for nothing other than servicing the President (except Mrs. Clinton) become anything other than a White House tour guide, a la Jackie Kennedy? When is the Congress going to cut off all project funds these unelected concubines seek to steal from the American taxpayer? If the position of First Lady is anything requiring the spending of one dime, they should have to run for it separately and it should not just automatically be the Presidents wife. If these women are going to spend millions of taxpayer dollars, shouldn’t they be vetted? Or is sleeping...

A local man contacted us Wednesday to tell his side of a bizarre meeting he had in early July with suspected White House shooter Oscar Ortega-Hernandez. We canvassed two different neighborhoods connected to Ortega through an extensive background check we ran Wednesday. We knocked, but no one answered. Computer consultant Monte McCall called us after seeing Ortega-Hernandez's picture. "As soon as I clicked on the story on my iPad there was this picture and i was like 'uh oh,'" said McCall. McCall said the picture was Ortega-Hernandez, the same man who contacted him in July and asked to meet. McCall...

A man wanted in an investigation of shots fired near the White House was arrested Wednesday in the state of Pennsylvania, a day after agents discovered two bullets had struck the executive mansion while President Barack Obama was away, the U.S. Secret Service said. The Secret Service said it discovered Tuesday that the two bullets had hit the White House, one of them apparently cracking a window on the level of the president's living quarters, while Obama and his wife Michelle were on a trip to California and Hawaii. The discovery of bullet holes followed reports of gunfire near the...

On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement captured a man suspected in a shooting incident near the White House. Police took 21-year-old Oscar Ortega into custody at a hotel near Indiana, Pa. Using information provided by the Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police made the arrest at 12:35 p.m. [..]

Headline only.

If the gun used to fire at the White House turns out to be one of the Fast and Furious guns will the government tell the truth about it?

The Secret Service is investigating how a bullet hit an exterior window of the White House. A round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass. The Secret Service also tells News4 that one additional round was also found on the exterior of the White House. The investigation started after an incident on Friday night where gunshots were heard near the White House. Police have since been searching for a suspect in that case, 21 year old Oscar Ortega Hernandez .

White House Knew Obamacare Abortion Funding "Ban" a Sham Efforts by the watchdog group Judicial Watch to demand that Justice Elena Kagan recuse herself when the Affordable Care Act (Health Care Reform) is brought before the Supreme Court later this year resulted in the release of emails between Kagan (back when she was Solicitor General) and a top Department of Justice official. They unsurprisingly, confirm what pro-lifers have been saying all along about the phony agreement which Democrats have claimed prevented health care reform from creating new abortion funding streams. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/11/15/white-house-knew-obamacare-abortion-funding-ban-a-sham/

President Obama's ratings on the the most important issue for his re-election -- the economy -- have posted the weakest showing of his presidency, according to a poll released Friday by CBS News. About 60 percent of voters said they disapprove of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, the highest on record. Just 34 percent approve of the job he is doing on the matter. His overall approval ratings are just 43 percent, while 47 percent disapprove of the job he is doing as president. Among independents, just 39 percent are satisfied with his performance, while 76 percent of Democrats...

New internal White House emails reveal that a scathing critique of Energy Secretary Steven Chu by a former Obama political advisor led to an extensive internal discussion about failures of the president's Energy Department at the highest levels of his administration. The February 25, 2011 email that sparked the deliberations landed on West Wing desks just as the solar energy firm Solyndra was starting to show outward signs of financial trouble. It was sent by Dan Carol, a former Obama campaign staffer and clean energy advocate who was described by Obama's then-Chief of Staff Pete Rouse as someone whose views...

White House agrees to hand over Solyndra documents to GOPBy Andrew Restuccia - 11/10/11 03:37 PM ET The White House agreed Thursday to provide House lawmakers with internal communications related to the $535 million Solyndra loan guarantee, Republicans said. The agreement comes a week after Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s investigative panel subpoenaed the White House for all internal communications on Solyndra, the solar panel maker that filed for bankruptcy in September. The deadline for producing the requested documents was Thursday. The White House had balked at the subpoena, arguing it is too broad. White House counsel...

The White House on Thursday missed the deadline for responding to the Republican-approved subpoena issued last week demanding the White House turn over "all documents" pertaining to the Solyndra loan guarantee. White House aides told Fox News there are no plans to produce more documents on the bankrupt solar panel firm until Republicans agree to narrow the scope of their request. When Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week approved the subpoena, they requested documents "referring or relating in any way" to the loan guarantee. The White House rejected the request as "overbroad" and accused Republicans of...

A series of emails provided to the House Energy and Commerce Committee from individuals tied to Solyndra offer striking characterizations about running strategy with the White House to secure assistance for the now-bankrupt solar energy firm. Emails among George Kaiser, head of the George Kaiser Family Foundation; Ken Levit, the executive director of the Foundation; and Steve Mitchell, who manages Argonaut Private Equity and was a member of Solyndra's board; show that Vice President Joe Biden's office were very gung-ho. "They about had an orgasm in Biden's office when we mentioned Solyndra," reads a Feb. 27, 2010, email from Levit...

Ahead of what is expected to be a bruising re-election fight, President Obama is shaking up his White House staff—again. Bill Daley, who was hired as Obama's chief of staff less than a year ago, is ceding some of his management duties to Pete Rouse, a longtime Obama adviser who initially filled in as interim chief of staff when Rahm Emanuel exited the post in October 2010. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the management shuffle, cast the move as something of a demotion for Daley, who has drawn ire from both Democrats and Republicans in recent months over...

Media Outlets Struggle To Describe White House Chief Of Staff Bill Daley’s Demotionby Colby Hall | 7:39 am, November 8th, 2011 The nation is just waking up today to learn the rather huge political news that Chief of Staff Bill Daley‘s role at the White House is changing, with many outlets reporting that he is moving into a more of a “big picture” or “ambassador” role in the Obama administration. The news of Daley’s evolving role at the White House, however, is just about as unclear and muddied as the administration’s detractors claim the White House policies to be; is...

SNIPPET: "British Jihadi Anjem Choudary Tweets On March 19, 2011, British jihadi Anjem Choudary, spokesman for the banned Islam4UK organization, co-founder of Al-Muhajiroun, and spiritual advisor to the UK Islamist group Muslims Against Crusades (MAC),[18] launched a Twitter account and began tweeting. MAC made headlines last week for threatening a British MP who subsequently called on their activities to be closely monitored by law enforcement.[19] According to his Twitter account, Choudary is "a Muslim who believes that Islam is something we must believe in (Tawheed), live by (Shari'ah) and struggle and sacrifice for (by way of Daw'ah and Jihad)."[20] In...

The White House on Friday all but refused to turn over the documents House Republicans have subpoenaed on bankrupt solar firm Solyndra, firing off a letter saying the request would put an "unreasonable burden on the president's ability to meet his constitutional duties."

Thousands to Gather Around White House to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WASHINGTON (Nov. 4) -- Thousands of citizen-activists, local residents and environmentalists will gather at the White House Sunday to protest construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is designed to transport dirty tar sands for 1,700 miles, from Canada through America’s heartlands. **SNIP** “The production of tar sands produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of any other major oil source, and Keystone XL would dramatically increase carbon dioxide pollution,” Adams said. “Keystone XL makes no sense. We urge the president to reject the pipeline,”...

Dear Governor Kasich (http://governor.ohio.gov/): It has been awhile since we talked about the case of Julio Pino – a tenured member of the faculty of Kent State University. Shortly after I last wrote to you there was a Secret Service raid on his home. The raid was meant to ensure that certain veiled threats directed to the Obama White House were not a prelude to some planned act of violence. I thank you for any role you may have played in helping alert the federal authorities. As you may know, Pino is continuing to cause substantial problems in Ohio. I...

<p>A poll released Wednesday puts Herman Cain ahead of Mitt Romney by seven percentage points in the presidential race, reflecting a margin wider than the sampling error.</p>