PRES OBAMA TO ADDRESS NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES *

IT MARKS THE SECOND TIME PRES OBAMA HAS ATTENDED THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY IN ANNAPOLIS, MD *

THE SPEECH COMES A DAY AFTER THE PRES DEFENDED HIS CONTROVERSIAL DRONE PROGRAM AND RENEWED HIS PUSH TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO BAY *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYS ISRAEL'S GOVT SHOULD PREVENT FURTHER SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION WHERE POSSIBLE TO HELP REVITALIZE MIDEAST PEACE TALKS *

BUT KERRY ISN'T CALLING FOR A COMPLETE SETTLEMENT FREEZE *

HE SAYS THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON RESTARTING DIRECT ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH COULD SET BORDERS FOR A TWO-STATE DEAL AND RESOLVE THE SETTLEMENT ISSUE *

KERRY MADE THE REMARKS TO REPORTERS IN ISRAEL *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY BLASTS IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL FOR ELIMINATING HUNDREDS OF PRES CANDIDATES FROM THE JUNE 14 ELECTION *

KERRY SAYS VOTE CAN'T BE FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT WHEN AN UNELECTED BODY CHOOSES CANDIDATES BASED "SOLELY ON WHO REPRESENTS THE REGIME'S INTERESTS" *

IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL HAS DISQUALIFIED SCORES OF CANDIDATES, INCLUDING FMR PRES AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI *

KERRY ALSO NOTED THERE ARE "TROUBLE SIGNS" THAT TEHRAN IS MEDDLING WITH IRAN'S INTERNET *

SPOX FOR NIGER'S GOVT SAYS TERRORISTS WHO ATTACKED A MILITARY INSTALLATION IN THE TOWN OF AGADEZ YESTERDAY DID NOT TAKE HOSTAGES, DESPITE EARLIER STATEMENTS *

SPOX SAYS GOVT MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THE HOMICIDE BOMBERS KIDNAPPED SOLDIERS BECAUSE ATTACKERS WHO SURVIVED THE INITIAL EXPLOSION RAN AWAY AND HID INSIDE A DORMITORY ON THE BASE *

ATTACK KILLED 20 SOLDIERS *

N KOREAN ENVOY DELIVERS A LETTER FROM LEADER KIM JONG UN TO CHINESE PRES XI JINPING, SAYING PYONGYANG WILL TAKE STEPS TO REJOIN STALLED SIX-NATION NUKE TALKS *

VISIT BY THE ENVOY IS PART OF N KOREA'S EFFORT TO REPAIR TIES WITH ITS ONLY ALLY *

PYONGYANG HAD ANGERED BEIJING OVER RECENT SNUBS AND ONGOING EFFORTS TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS *

MEANWHILE, SIX-PARTY TALKS ON N KOREA'S NUKE PROGRAM HAVE BEEN STALLED SINCE 2009 *

WA STATE OFFICIAL SAYS LAST NIGHT'S I-5 BRIDGE COLLAPSE INTO THE SKAGIT RIVER WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERSIZED TRUCK *

STATE PATROL CHIEF JOHN BATISTE SAYS THE TRUCK HIT AN OVERHEAD SPAN *

TWO OTHER VEHICLES WENT INTO THE WATER... THREE PEOPLE WERE RESCUED AND ARE RECOVERING *

FIVE CLIMBERS ARE MISSING AND FEARED DEAD ON THE WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST MOUNTAIN *

THE FIVE DISAPPEARED MON ON NEPAL'S MOUNT KANCHENJUNGA *

BAD WEATHER HAS PREVENTED RESCUE EFFORTS *

THE CLIMBERS WERE LAST SEEN DESCENDING FROM THE SUMMIT AT AROUND 25,900 FT... KANCHENJUNGA IS 28,162 FEET HIGH *

LARGE EXPLOSION SHAKES AFGHAN CAPITAL OF KABUL *

BLAST COLLAPSED A BUILDING WALL, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF THERE WERE ANY CASUALTIES *

IT'S THE SECOND EXPLOSION TO HIT KABUL IN JUST OVER A WEEK *

EGYPTIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS 10 MALE RELATIVES KILLED A MOTHER AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS IN "HONOR KILLINGS" *

THE MEN SUSPECTED THE WOMEN OF HAVING AFFAIRS AND KILLED THEM TO PROTECT THE FAMILY'S HONOR *

THE THREE BODIES WERE FOUND IN THE NILE RIVER NEAR THE CITY OF LUXOR *

NJ GOV CHRIS CHRISTIE CUTS A RIBBON TO SYMBOLICALLY REOPEN THE JERSEY SHORE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, SEVEN MONTHS AFTER IT WAS DEVASTATED BY MONSTER STORM SANDY *

CHRISTIE CUT THE FIVE MILE-LONG RIBBON IN SEASIDE HEIGHTS *

SANDY DID AN ESTIMATED $37 BIL WORTH OF DAMAGE IN NJ *

BRITISH POLICE ARREST TWO MEN OFF A PAKISTAN INTL AIRLINES PLANE THAT WAS DIVERTED TO STANSTED AIRPORT IN ESSEX *

THE PLANE WAS TRAVELING FROM LAHORE TO MANCHESTER WITH ABOUT 300 PASSENGERS ON BOARD WHEN AN UNSPECIFIED INCIDENT OCCURRED *

STORY DEVELOPING *

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Latest White House Press Pool Report: President Obama’s day….click


Pool Report #5

Kailua, HI

Dec. 25, 2012


At 4:15 p.m., the president and the first lady emerged from a corridor toward the rear of the mess hall and started greeting diners. “You’ve got a big plate there. I like that,” the president told one of them. “Merry Christmas to you,” he told another. “Good to see you.”

 

His visit was evidently not a surprise. One patron told your pooler that in anticipation of the president’s visit, military personnel and their family members lined up outside for far longer than they would on a normal holiday.

 

The president’s exchanges with diners were cordial but brief. He wore a pastel blue, short-sleeved shirt and khakis. The first lady wore a one-piece dress with a black tank top and a white, billowy bottom half.

 

After a couple of minutes, the president stepped up to a microphone positioned toward the front of the long room. He wished everyone a Merry Christmas and promised that his remarks would be brief. They were. Below is a full transcript, minus some extraneous opening comments.

 

“We do this every year. This is where I was born and so we come back for the holidays. But one of our favorite things is always coming to the base on Christmas Day and having a chance just to meet you, those of you who have families here, and to say thanks for the extraordinary work and service that you guys do each and every day. Obviously the greatest honor I have as president is being commander in chief. And the reason it’s an honor is because not only do we have the finest military in the world, but we also have the finest fighting men and women in the world. And so many of you make sacrifices day in and day out on behalf of our freedom, on behalf of our security.

 

And not only do those in uniform make sacrifices, but I think everybody here understands the sacrifices that families make each and every day as well. And Michelle, working with Dr. Jill Biden, has done a lot of work to focus attention on military families to make sure that you get the support that you have earned and that you deserve.

 

So I’m not going make a long speech. Obviously we’re still in a wartime footing. There’s still folks as we speak who are overseas, especially in Afghanistan, risking their lives each and every day. Some of you may have loved ones who are deployed there. Some of you may be about to be deployed there. And so we know that it’s not easy. But what we’d also like you to know is that you have an entire country behind you, that all of us understand that we would be nowhere without the extraordinary services you guys provide. And so we want to say thank you. We love you.”

 

And with that, the president wrapped up his remarks by telling the room that he would stick around for anyone who wanted a picture.

 

Your pool was not allowed to remain in the mess hall for the meet-and-greet and photo sessions. And by 4:20 we were ushered back out to the parking lot where we remain in a hold.








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